Day 8,  Thursday, May 27

This morning we woke up early and we were already docked at Skagway.  The White Pass Rail Depot was right at the dock.  The train took us up to the summit.  It followed the path that the early miners travelled to get to the Yukon gold mines.  No gold was found near Skagway, but that was where the miners bought most of their supplies.  At some places on the ride it was a sheer drop off. 

After the 3.5 hour train trip we returned to the ship and had lunch.  We then went back into town.  The main part of town consists of only two blocks.  Most of the shops are jewelry stores - I really think at least 80% were jewelry stores.  We went into several of the stores but did not buy anything.  I did not find anything as pretty as my rings so we left empty-handed.  I did hear one man say his wife has just spent $52,000.

Today was our warmest day and we were glad to return to the ship.  Tonight was Italian in our dining room.  We once again decided we wanted to eat alone.  After the meal, we sat on our balcony.  The ship was supposed to leave at 8:30 but it did not.  We were wondering why since everyone had been told several times to back on the ship by 7:45.  About 8:50 a bus load of people got off at the end of the dock.  We think their tour just did not get them back on time.  We heard later that the captain was not happy.  We will be sailing all night.

Day 9:  Friday, May 28

When we woke up this morning we were in Juneau.  This is the only capital city in the US that can only be reached by boat or plane.  There are not any roads into the city.  We had scheduled our helicopter ride to Mendenhall Glacier for 8:30.  It took us about 20 minutes to get to the airport.  First we had to watch a safety DVD.  Then each of us had to put boots over our shoes.  The soles had short metal spikes on them to help us from falling on the glacier.  The helicopter ride was beautiful. 

When we landed on the glacier, all you could see was ICE.  To the right of us there were slabs of jagged ice.  We had to walk very carefully.  We were told the reason the ice is blue is that it is so deep (over 300 ft) that it absorbs all the colors of the light spectrum except the color blue and it is reflected back up to the surface.  At one point there was a cervice with water pouring through it.  Our guide showed us how to get down and drink from it.  Most of the people decided not to do it.  We decided since this would probably be our only chance to taste glacier pure water, we would do it.  The getting down was not hard, the taste was cold and delicious, the getting up was harder but we did it.  We were on the glacier for about 30 minutes and I am so glad we had warm clothes.  I cannot write the words to describe the beauty we saw today.

After lunch, back on the ship, we were able to see hunchback whales.  They were very large.  After dinner we attended the production show called Piano Man.  It was  good and the costumes were beautiful.  The music  highlighted piano songwriters like Neil Sedaka, Billy Joel,  and others. 

We have decided to make it an early night.  It is now 10:15 and it is still light outside.  It does not get dark until around midnight here.  I hope to be asleep before then.  Please make sure to look at all our pictures on Shutterfly. 

Day 6:  Tuesday, May 25

We slept so good on our first night on the ship.  As soon as we got into our stateroom last night, we unpacked all our bags.  It was so good to have everything in its place and not have to hunt through the bags to find what we were looking for.  We had to be at our muster lesson at 9:00 a.m. this morning.  We found out how to put on the lifevests and exactly where to go if an emergancy happened.  After our lesson, we ate breakfast at  the Horizon Room.  It is a large buffet with lots of choices.  We then walked around to try to figure out where things were.  Our stateroom is on the Aloha deck which is Deck 12.  There is NO Deck 13.  Deck 14 is where the outside and inside pools were located. (no, we did not swim).  We did stop and play BINGO for awhile.  I have not played BINGO in years and Linwood used to call BINGO at the Senior Center.  We did not win any money but it was fun. 

After a short nap, we had a late small lunch and then went on the front deck to see Hubbard Glacier.  It was beautiful and large. 

Tonight is our first formal night.  I think we looked great.

Our dinner was so good.  We ate in the dining room for the first time.  We had chosen 'anytime' dining and I am so glad we did.  That way we could eat whenever we wanted to.  Tonight we decided to eat alone.  After our meal we went to a magic show and then "An Evening with Elvis."  He was a young man who loved to sing Elvis songs.  He did not try to be Elvis, he just sang.  We enjoyed dancing to his music.  It was a late night.

Day 7:  Wed, May 26

We had a late start today.  After breakfast we walk around for awhile.  We then got our picture from last night.  There were several good shots but we had to make a decision.

We then went to the front top deck and sat for the next few hours looking at Glacier Bay.  Linwood had told me what to expect but it was way more than I could imagine.  It was not until around 2:00 that we saw the largest glacier which is called Margerie Glacier. All the way into the bay we were surrounded by HUGE hanging glaciers.  While we watched parts of it fell into the water.  That is called 'calving'.  It made a loud sound like thunder.  The natives call it 'white thunder'. 

Thank goodness we had our heavy coats and gloves.  it was very cold on the deck. 

Finally we went in and had lunch.  Of course, we both ate too much.  Then it was back to our stateroom for a nap.  I know it seems we are taking lots of naps.  I think it is because of the altitude.  We are more sleepy than tired. 

Tonight we saw the ship's large production show.  It was called "So You Wanna Dance".  They did a great job.  After the show we had a late dinner.  Looking at the glaciers was very special for us.  We are so thankful to be sharing all this beauty and fun times.  We are so blessed.

Day 4:  Sunday, May 23

Our bags had to be outside our door by 8:00.  When we turned off the lights last night at 11:00 a.m, it was still bright outside.  We have to check out at 11:00 a.m. and we do not leave until 2:00 for Mt McKinley.  We had a good breakfast that included reindeer sausage.  I am really having a problem with being so sleepy.  I do not feel tired, just sleepy.  Therefore, we went back to the room and took a nap.  We checked out on time and then walked across the street for a hot dog and then ice cream.  We have really been walking a great deal each day.  We did buy a couple of new Christmas ornaments.  They were nonbreakable, small, and NOT a moose. 

The coach trip to Mt. McKinley took a little over two hours.  We were able to see the mountain most of the time.

Mt. McKinley is the highest point in North America at 20,320 ft high and always covered in snow.  We  ate dinner while looking out at this beautiful place. 

Day 5:  Monday, May 24

This morning we had to put our bags out by 7:00 a.m.  We got ours out at 6:40 and they were the only ones in the hall.  We walked over to the main lodge and had a large breakfast.  Linwood had the reindeer sausage again but I went back to bacon.  We then went back for a short nap.  Our bags were gone but everyone else's bags were still there and it was about 9:00 a.m.  When it became time to go back to the lodge the bags (not ours)  were still in the hall.  I decided that maybe someone had taken ours and we would never see them again.  The coach to the rail depot was leaving at 11:30.  I asked at the desk about the luggage and she assured me we would see them on the ship.

The rail depot was at Talkeena, Alaska and it was called Sunshine Depot.  When the coach drove up, all we could see were benches made out of logs.  The train got there about 15 minutes after us and had an engine on each end and five cars.  Our tablemates were from New Jersey and they were our age  The entire rail trip took five hours so we got to know a great deal about each other.  There was a kitchen on each car and we had a complete menu to choose from.

We saw beautiful scenery with more and more mountains.  There was a narrator on each car.  She pointed out Sarah Pallin's home when we went through Wasilla, AK  It is the one with the green roof.

In this picture if you look closely you can see where there was an avalanche.  The snow came across the grass part and even went to the other side of the train track.  We saw where they shoot off the ??? to cause the slide.

When we got to Anchorage,  outfitters from the ship came on board and we had to fill out our health questionnaire.  They also took care of all our boarding information.  They really made it easy for everyone.  This is our first look at the ship where we will be spending the next seven days.   I can hardly believe we are here.  The land portion for our vacation has been very special.

Day 3:  Saturday, May 22

We had an early start to our day because our bags had to be outside the door by 7:30.  When we got to the Fairbanks lodge the first night, we were given an envelop that had the schedule for the events there.  There were luggage tags in it also.  A couple of them said "Meet me on the ship."  These bags were the ones we did not need until we got on the ship.  Other tags said "Denali Lodge"  It was so nice not to have to worry about keeping the luggage together. 

We went down and had a small breakfast (I think that was the only 'small' meal we ate).  We ate with a couple from Virginia and enjoyed our time together.  While waiting for the bus to take us to the Denali Lodge we sat with a couple from Jacksonville, FL.  They let us use their cell phone (T-mobile).  Since our phones were not working, we did not have any phone numbers.  The only number we knew was Staci's so we called her and asked her to let all the children know we were safe and sound.

On the ride to the lodge in Denali we saw a large moose with its young moose.  The guide said it  was around one year old.  I know it is hard to see but the mom is on the edge of the tree line and the baby is the right side at the grass edge. 

We also saw lots of white birch trees.  We later found out they were used by the natives to make houses and boats.  This was before they had tools.  The reason they were able to use the trees is that they are very skinny here due to permafrost.  It can grow from 3" to 3' deep.  It keeps the roots from growing deep and therefore the trees fall over easily.

The lodge is beautiful and mountains are everywhere. There are several shops and buildings in the lodge area.  It was fun going in each of them.  One was called Artic Blast.  They gave us heavy coats to put on and we went into a room where the temperature was MINUS 40.  Of course, Linwood had on shorts.  While in there we blew children's bubbles.  The bubbles would immediately crystallize and land on our hands.  Then they would dissolve.  There were several other experiments the guide showed us.  Looking out our window we can see mountains and a river.

We took a tour of Denali National Park which took five hours.  On the way to the Park we drove by part of a river that was frozen.  Someone on the bus spotted a bear.  The bus stopped and we watched a mama bear and a baby bear.  The baby went out onto the ice and the mama went after him.  He ran and she chased.  Everyone was laughing and taking pictures of it. 

At one point we got out and walked up a trail and saw a ranger cabin that was built in 1931.  At that time it was used by the workers who built the highway.  It is still being used by rangers.

We then went to Primrose Point.  It was very magical there.  An older Athabaskan woman told us about her heritage and sang in her native language.  Her tribe revered Mt. McKinley and called it the High One.  The mountain was 75 miles away but we were able to see it.  We were told not everyone gets to see the mountain because of clouds.

Another day has come it an end and each part of it has been wonderful. 

Day 1 and Day 2 Alaska trip

Day 1: Thurs, May 20,2010

We left Tallassee at 10:10 am. I think it is going to be a scavenger hunt each time we try to find anything in our luggage. We ended up carrying three checked bags and two carry on bags plus my heavy purse. I can hardly believe we are on our way since we started planning this trip in October.

We got to Stacey's at noon and Bobby was waiting for us. He drove us to the Birmingham airport. We did curbside check in and for some reason it would not print out the Atlanta section of our flight. We had to go to the Delta counter for help. They finally got that section printed but next came security check. As soon as our red carry on bag (all our meds) got scanned, we were pulled out of the line. I went over the the security guard and was asked "Anything in here that would stick me?" I explained that my husband was diabetic and his insulin needles were in the bag. Linwood then was led over by a woman guard. She had our new tube of toothpaste in her hand. It was too large so in the trash it went. What a way to start our trip. The flight left b'ham 35 minutes late but we were still okay for time. We entered at Concourse C in Atlanta. Two different people told us that Alaska Air was in Concourse D. We started walking and when we got there we found out we should be at Concourse B. This time we took the train to the concourse. That flight to Seattle left 25 minutes late. It was rough at times so we had to come down to 34000 feet high. The view looking down was beautiful. One time when I looked down

I realized we were flying over the Rocky Mountains. WOW !!!!!!!

We got to Seattle at 10:30 our time. We were very hungry at that time but were limited in choices. The last leg of our travel day was long. We arrived at Fairbanks at 5:30 a.m. our time and 2:30 local time. It was still light enough to see everything. We got to our room at 3:30. After asking for a wake up call for 10:30 we quickly went to sleep.

Day 2: Friday, May 2

Our Fairbanks Lodge is owned by the Princess Line. It is on the Chena River and very beautiful. Of course I got in a picture of the river and one of Linwood in his "Admiral pose." We took an all afternoon stern wheeler riverboat ride down the Chena river. During the winter, the river freezes at least 3 ft deep. Planes land on it, dog sleds ride on it and snow mobiles run

on it. We saw a float plane take off on the water and land on the water. At one time everyone on the river had planes, since there were no highways up here.

We went to an authentic Alaskan native village. It was the Athabaskan tribe. One part was as 'before white man' and the second part was' 'after white man'. We saw lots of animal skins and learned all the things they did with the parts of the animal.

Food for the Day:

lunch: fish (halibut) and chips
snack: on the riverboat - smoked salmon dip Thomas I did this one for you.
dinner: reindeer lasagna

It is not too late now but we are exhausted.