Brielle took her dad to a “behind the scenes” tour of the stage and show production area, which was very interesting, while Karen went to a cake decorating, napkin folding and scrapbooking exhibitions. 

After meeting back up for lunch, we took Brielle to the rock climbing wall which she’s been asking to do all week.  Finally she got her shot, and she did great!!  She made it half way up the wall, not bad for her first try.  She then spent the rest of the day in the kid’s club while mom and dad had a coffee, took in the sites off the ship, and packed.

One last big dinner.  Our wait staff was excellent all week.  Head waiter, Asif, waiter, Ted and assistant waiter Robert kept us well fed and happy all week.  It took them no time what so ever to learn what we liked and didn’t like.  Robert kept us entertained all week with all his tricks which he shared with our table.

We went to the Farewell Show in the Aurora Theater for our last hoorah, then it was off to bed for an early wake up call and disembarkation.

In retrospect, we all had a truly amazing trip.  Starting on land in Fairbanks, which seemed so long ago, through the amazing Inside Passage of Alaska on the beautiful Radiance of the Seas.  It was spectacular from start to finish.

I am finishing up this entry at the Vancouver airport.  Shortly we board our plane and by around 9:00 pm EST, reality will return as we land in Newark.  We were all blessed to have such a wonderful, safe and healthy trip, truly a trip of a lifetime.

We had the morning free, so Karen, Dave and Brielle went off the ship to check out all the shops near the port.  This port reminded Karen of St. Thomas with all the shops available.  We had some coupons for free items from certain shops and enjoyed the sights and sounds of this beautiful port city before returning for a quick lunch.  Then we were off on our day’s excursion.

Finally, we hit a tour that did not exceed our expectations.  It was a land and sea adventure that started out with a boat ride to George Inlet.  We had expected to see a lot of wild life, but all we saw was one bald eagle, a juvenile bald eagle in it’s nest, and a lot of jumping salmon (that’s right… jumping straight out of the water). 

The boat brought us to the George inlet cannery, a salmon cannery that has been closed since 1957 but still serves local fisherman and is set up to educate visitors on this industry which is vital to Alaska.  It was quite interesting and informative. 

Next we boarded a bus that took us back to the ship, but not for making one stop along the way at the Saxman Totem Park.  There we saw numerous totem poles, including one that had Abe Lincoln on top!!   We looked into possibly getting a totem pole to bring home, but found that the authentic, hand carved ones were just too expensive.

All in all, it was an ok tour.  Nothing to write home about.  At least it was a beautiful day.

We returned to the ship in time to change for dinner and later enjoyed the show later in the evening.  Dinner tonight was lobster tails… yum!!  Dave ate two dinners, and Chris had three.  We also saw whales from the ship through the window in the dining room as well as from our balcony as we were leaving port.  It was quite a site to see!

After tendering in, we boarded our boat to do some whale watching.  I know I’m repeating myself when I say that it seems that each day just seems to exceed the previous one, if that’s possible, but this was no different.  We continued to bring the great weather with us as it was comfortable and dry, albeit a bit cloudy.  We headed out into ISP and it wasn’t long before we started seeing whales, humpbacks, and lots of them. 

The boat slowed down so that passengers could get out on the decks for the best views.  We saw lots and lots of whales, up close.  We witnessed them coming up to the surface and diving down sending their huge tails out of the water.

We also saw whales come out of the water head first as the fed on krill and other small sea life.

It was awesome to watch. 

We also saw sea otters and sea lions.  It was a very exciting excursion.

We got back to the ship early, so Brielle and Dave visited the pools and hot tubs while Karen attended a jewelry making seminar.  The weather warmed up a bit, but the pool water was cold, so we didn’t stay in long.  Brielle zipped down the big water slide several times and spent a little time in the kids pool area (which was heated) before calling it quits.

Chris has been spending a lot of time with his friend Mark, and hanging out with the other teens on board.  He seems to be really enjoying his independence.

We had our second formal night tonight, and the tuxedos reappeared along with all the other beautiful formal ware from our group.  After dinner, we enjoyed a very funny show by a singer/comedian/impressionist that had us all in stitches.  Then we all stayed up for the midnight buffet, even Brielle!  After enjoying some delicious treats at the buffet, we called it a night.

We hustled back to the ship in time to get Brielle and Chris and then left the ship again for our late morning excursion, the White Pass Railroad and Yukon Adventure.   This was a vintage train ride headed toward the Yukon territories as the gold rush miners did back in the 1890s. 

The ride through the Alaskan countryside and into Canada was breathtaking (no surprise).  Many members from our travel group took this same excursion, and all were just amazed once more at the beautiful, yet rugged scenery that we were treated to.

While there were big windows on the train to take pictures through, several from our group once again rode between the cars to get the some unobstructed views (and enjoy the cool breeze whipping by!).  It was a great ride that dropped us off in Canada.

We left the train and got on a bus that brought us back to Skagway.  Along the way, we stopped at Liarsville, a camp where newspaper reporters camped instead of riding all the way up to the Yukon territories during the Gold Rush (and wrote lies about what actually happened in the Yukon, hence the name). 

We were treated to a show put on by the people dressed in period costumes, and then got to pan for gold.  Well, actually, they gave us a pan with dirt and some gold flakes, and showed us how to get the gold out.  It was a bit contrived, but still a lot of fun.  Everyone enjoyed discovering their fortunes. 

The bus then took as back to the ship for another wonderful dinner.  On that subject, the food so far has been fabulous.  Good thing we didn’t bring any tight fitting clothes, or else we’d have nothing to wear!  No show in the main theater tonight, but it was 70’s disco night, and Karen, Dave and Brielle met Laura, Shannon and Kristina on deck 13 for a family disco party.  Brielle and Kristina won a hula hoop contest and received medals.  Then it was early to bed in preparation for our day in Icy Strait Point tomorrow.

Our first stop was at the Mendenhall Glacier.  What an amazing sight!!  Our tour bus took dropped us off at the visitor center at the glacier.  We walked along a path in front of the glacier for a perfect view of this amazing natural wonder. 

Light drizzle fell, but we were all prepared with rain gear.  No calving today, but still, the colors and the majesty of the glacier were spectacular.  There were also walking trails near the glacier for you to explore filled with local wildlife.  We saw ducks, beavers and bears (oh my!).  Yes bears!!  Several in our group got shots of a mother bear and two cubs up close and personal.  Dave was getting frustrated because everywhere he went, there were no bears.  Finally, as it was time to leave, Dave got to witness two bears chasing each other up a tree right next to him and finally got his pictures of the bears. The bears were almost as exciting as the glacier!

We departed the glacier for the Glacier Gardens where we got to see their upside down trees before getting a tram ride up and down through their rain forest.  The owner of the property created the upside down trees.  He took trees, roots and all, then drove them into the ground, upside down, root sticking up.  Then he put moss and soil on the top (the root system) and planted flowers.  When they are done, they look like an umbrella of flowers! 

We learned that the weather we had in Juneau was normal as they get over 100 inches of rain every year.  There were beautiful flowers and fauna to be seen at the gardens, and we all received a packet of forget-me-not seeds as we left.

Then it was on to the salmon hatchery.  This was a non-profit organization committed to raising and releasing salmon into the local waters.  We learned all about how they raise these fish, and got to see them in various stages. 

We saw several of them jump right out of the water. 

Then we were treated to some samples of the salmon before being brought back to our ship.

Others in our group took another tour which took in the Mendenhall Glacier then went whale watching where they saw hump backs, Orcas and several bald eagles.  Sheryl met her cousin who is a local helicopter pilot who took her up in a helicopter which landed on the Mendenhall Glacier where she actually got to walk on the glacier!!  Very exciting.

It was a great day for everyone.  In case anyone’s keeping count, Dave has already exceeded 2,000 pictures.  Hopefully there are a few good ones!  In time, we’ll add some to these blogs.  We barely have enough time to write them!

Every day of this trip, the sites seem to just get more and more impressive.  Today was no exception. After lunch, around 2:15, the Hubbard glacier came into view. 

What was supposed to be a cloudy, rainy day turned into a beautiful sunny day with blue skies.  The captain brought the ship to within a few hundred yards of the glacier.  There are no words that can describe it other than magnificent!  The colors, and the size simply take your breath away, not to mention the sounds. 

As ice cracks and falls into the water, an event known as “calving”, it makes a loud sound like thunder.  Dave was up in the front of the ship, deck 5 along the railing of the helicopter deck, Karen viewed it from our balcony and then from the hair salon where she had an appointment to have her and Brielle’s hair done.  We stayed up close to the glacier for about two hours, with the captain moving the ship so that all sides could get a good view.  It was totally awesome!!  We saw several huge landslides of ice crash into the ocean, some so big that it created giant waves that actually rocked the ship!! 

The waters were just littered with smaller ice bergs with tons of harbor seals laying out on top sunning themselves. 

This was truly a highlight of the trip, and a memory that will last forever.

This was also the first of two formal nights for dinner.  Everyone looked great!  All the men rented tuxedos and looked really sharp.  The ladies were beautiful too in their formal evening wear, and all the kids looked great as well. 

Several women and children had their hair done up for the occasion.  We looked like a very handsome group!

So far, everything is going just great.  Food, drink, weather… really couldn’t be much better.  As we approached the coast and got on the water, the weather has gotten a bit cooler, 50’s and 60’s.  With the exception of the train ride to Seward, it’s been dry too!

Tomorrow, Juneau.

We left the Anchorage Marriott at 6:15 am for the short bus ride to the train station where we boarded the most amazing glass domed train car for the final leg of our land tour.  Notice everyone wearing our matching blue t-shirts that we had printed this trip?!!

The train traveled through the most scenic, beautiful stretch of Alaskan countryside and wilderness that we’ve seen so far.  The weather could have been better, but even the grey skies, low clouds and occasional drizzly skies could not dampen the breath-taking scenery of that we saw along this 3 hour ride.

The domed cars were very comfortable, and offered great views of the Alaskan countryside from high up.  Despite this, Dave spent nearly the entire trip outside between the train cars trying to photograph the landscape without having to shoot through the glass of the domed car.  It was quite cold, especially with the cool wind whipping past as the train chugged along.  But he endured to capture shots of the beautiful Alaskan landscape of mountain ranges, rivers, lakes and glaciers.

Along the trip, we were shuttled through the dining car where we had probably the best breakfast of the land tour.  Eventually, we arrived in Seward where we spent about an hour and a half at the Seward Sealife Center.  Cute, but nothing to write home about.  We were all anxious to board the ship, which we did by a bit past 1:00.  Boarding was a breeze, and before we knew it, we were aboard the Radiance!!  The port in Seward was beautiful.

We all checked out our cabins before heading the Windjammer cafe for the lunch buffet.  Then it was all about discovering the ship… finding where everything was.  The Radiance is a beautiful ship.  We signed up Brielle in the Adventure Ocean kids club.  Chris explored the ship with his friend, Mark, checking out all the cool hangout spots for teens.  We had our first dinner on board with the entire group in the main dining room, which everyone enjoyed (especially since we did have to change out of our jeans and group t-shirts!).

We set sail about 20 minutes before our 9:00 pm scheduled departure.  Everyone in our group were hanging off the balconies of their rooms watching as the ship left Seward.  Many were first time cruisers and were VERY excited to see the ship moving for the first time.  Then we went to a karaoke sail-away party to celebrate.  While we were waiting for Mary Ann to choose the song she wanted to sing to, some of the kids, Kaitlyn, Shannon and Kristina got up and did several songs.  They were fantastic.  To close the show, our entire group (those of us who made it to the lounge), with one exception (Dennis!) got up and sang Daydream Believer by the Monkees.  Thankfully there were just a few other people in the lounge besides our group, so we didn’t embarrass ourselves too much!

We were all exhausted after a long day and called it an evening at that point.

We arrived at the Marriott hotel in Anchorage around 4:30.

Today was pretty much a travel day, no real plans on the itinerary.  We went to dinner at The Brew House, a local micro brewery that was recommended by our tour guide.  If anyone travels to Anchorage, I highly recommend it too.  The food was very good (as was the drink!).

Speaking of our tour guide, Corina, she and our bus driver, Jim, pictured below were excellent.  They kept us informed and entertained the entire trip as we rode around Alaska.  One example of the fun was when Corina led us in a game of “Pass the Moose”.  Each person/pair started with a piece of paper.  Corina had us draw one part of a moose, then we had to pass our paper to the people behind us as we got the drawing from the people in front of us.  Then she had us draw another part of the moose on the already started drawing.  Eventually we passed the moose around the bus, adding parts along the way until we got our original papers back and when they were done, they were hilarious.  Then we had to add a story or poem to our moose.  Corina and Jim then voted on the best ones and announced the winners later on the trip.

Early to rise tomorrow, so we’re trying to go to bed early.  We expect tomorrow to be another highlight of the land tour… a train ride through the Alaskan wilderness in a glass domed car down to Seward.  It’s supposed to be spectacular.  Then it’s on to the ship.  Hopefully we can get on the internet there to share the rest of our adventures.

Within about 10 minutes from our hotel we entered Denali National Park.  In short, the bus takes us about 60 miles into the park (of the 90 total miles).  Along the way, we were on the lookout for wildlife.  The first creatures we saw were the Alaska state bird, the Ptarmigan. 

We also saw a LOT of Dall sheep.  These are beautiful white sheep that climb up the cliffs to protect themselves from wolves and other predators.  We also saw a few Caribou before we came upon a two Grizzly Bears wandering by a stream.  Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we came upon three more Grizzlies… a momma bear and her two cubs!  We must have stayed there for 10 minutes watching the mom eat and the two cubs play. 

Then we came to a mountainside covered with more Dall sheep. 

The bus made several stops along the way to use the restrooms and to let us out to stretch our legs (and a few photo ops).  When not seeing animals we were treated to AMAZING vistas.  The mountains and rivers were breathtaking.  The sound of cameras clicking filled the bus to try and capture the beauty, but take my word, no photo will ever do it justice.  You have to see it in person!

At the end of our 60 mile ride it, we stopped for a view of Mount McKinnley.  Unfortunately we only got to see about the lower third of the mountain and the clouds obscured the top.  Still, better than nothing!   

Sixty miles in, then we turned around and came back the same way.  We saw more sheep and another bear.  We stopped at a rest stop alongside a glacial stream.  As you can see, it was VERY windy in some spots, including here, but many of us still had short sleeves on.

We ate boxed lunches on the bus as we traveled on this eight hour tour.  By the end, we had had enough and were anxious to get home.  The boxed lunches were nothing to write home about.

After dinner, we boarded another bus for the Huskey Homestead tour.  For this we visited the home of four time Iditarod champion Jeff King where he raises and trains his dogs.  As soon as we got off the bus, we were all handed  puppies to hold, some as young as just a few weeks.  Everyone loved the puppies before learning more about the dogs and their training. 

Then the adults were treated to a talk from Jeff King himself as he told us all about the race itself while the kids continued playing with the puppies.  It was a great time, and a great end to a long, but very exciting day.  Tomorrow, off to Anchorage.

At the start of the tour, we saw a sea plane piloted by a local bush pilot take off from the water, fly around and then land back in front of us in the water.  This is something that is very common up here in Alaska.  In fact, several of those beautiful homes I mentioned, had sea planes docked.

We also slowed down by a dog sled kennel to see the dogs and learn about dog sledding and how the dogs are trained.  We even saw the dogs pull a summer sled.  This is a “sled” on wheels.  It was amazing to see how excited the dogs were to pull the sled!  They were jumping in the air impatient to get moving!

After the dog kennel we saw 3 caribou appear out of the woods.  At first we thought they were wild caribou, but later learned this was staged by a local farm.  It still was amazing seeing them. 

We also stopped to visit a Chena Indian village to learn about the ways of the Chena Indians.  It was a very interesting visit.  Not only did we learn about the lives of these people, but we were able to see what their homes looked like. 

Then it was on to downtown of Fairbanks and lunch.  We had a little time to walk around Fairbanks before we boarded our motor coach and the 3-4 hour drive to Denali.  We had some great views of Alaska during our ride.  After checking in, we went into town for a bite to eat.  During our ride back to our hotel after dinner we had a fantastic view of Denali/Mt. McKinley!  We also saw a moose!  What a treat to end our second day.  Tomorrow we are up bright and early to take our wilderness tour of Denali National Park.  We all have our fingers crossed to see Denali/Mt. McKinley again up close.