North to Alaska!

Bags packed, Jill and I headed North to Alaska on a girl's trip in search of wildlife, spectacular scenery, and cooler weather.  Boarding our ship, Radiance of the Sea just in time for muster drill, then dinner at Giovanni's, and unpacking our bags before collapsing into bed. Our first day was spent at sea, so we had a chance to get settled and check out the ship and shops on board.
Snorkeling in Ketchikan was the first adventure, and putting on the 7 mm gear was an adventure for sure.  Amazingly we didn't get cold, and saw some unusal creatures in the 55 degree water.  Having a bald eagle watching us from the shore was a pretty cool backdrop!  Getting all the gear off was a workout, followed by a hot shower, and dry clothes.  Snorkeling in Alaska checked off our Bucket List, we got the t-shirts to prove it.

Icy Point Strait and some whale watching was the plan at this port.  We did see whales, just not really close up, but the scenery was awesome and we had a great time.....you can see in the photo we both had boat hair by the end of the trip.  Walking into the quaint little town we had lunch and walked around finding a bald eagle sitting on a nest in the middle of the town.   We decided to walk back to the ship and enjoy the great weather.

Juneau meant it was time for a float plane flight up to the lovely Taku lodge on a lake for a salmon lunch.  Little did we know a black bear would join us, patiently waiting until the salmon was done and taken into the lodge before coming up to lick the dripping on the grill.  Back in Juneau we booked a shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier and hiked the trail out to the glacier and Nugget Falls. Back in town, we shopped, and made a stop at the Red Dog Saloon for a couple of famous Duck Farts!  Quack, Quack....knock it back!  Yes, we did!  A little more shopping and then dinner at the Twisted Fish Company before dragging our bodies back on board.
Skagway and a day on the White Pass Railroad.....This narrow guage railroad travels from the tidewater to the summit of White Pass....40 miles round trip.  There are panoramic views  of mountains, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels, and historic sites. After shopping on the main drag we enjoyed burgers at the Skagway brewery and then walked back to the ship.
Up at the crack of dawn....well almost, we bundled up for some glacier viewing in Glacier Bay. Wanting to get a spot on the railing on the helipad we knew we had to get going.......we were some of the first crazy folks out there....but soon it was packed as we inched into the bay for a closer look.  The weather did not cooperate.....fog and small icebergs made it slow going.  Finally the Captain announced that for safety would we not go any farther in...but the view was great.  Before frostbite set in we went in and enjoyed a late breakfast with some hot coffee. The rest of day was spent checking our bill, and packing up....tomorrow we were getting off in Seward to start the land portion of our trip!
Up early we were soon off the ship and on the bus with a stop at the Sea Life Center for a tour.  Before lunch we caught our boat out to Fox Island  for lunch and some whale watching.  The whale watching turned out to be FANTASTIC as we got to see a group of 5-6 humpbacks doing a bubble net feeding.  This is a unique and complex feeding technique employed by Humpbacks.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for two Texas gals to experience right in front of the boat.  How lucky were we?  My photos really don't do it justice....kinda something you had to be there to see. Back on land we checked into our lodge, had dinner, and enjoyed a hot shower before bed.
Next stop was Anchorage and some shopping at a open market where we enjoyed some beer battered halibut.  After picking up a few things we boarded the bus to the Anchorage museum where we saw bears made out of feathers....unique.  Checking into our hotel later, we walked  to dinner at Humpy's....the Great Alaskan Alehouse.

It was time to board the train again and head to Denali, this time we enjoyed lunch on the train and we did sample a Moose Kiss drink!  Again it was another beautiful, relaxing train trip....arriving in Denali and checking into our lodge just in time to go whitewater rafting.  We signed up for a float trip, but it was much more than that.  The dry suits didn't exactly keep us dry....so we had frozen, soggy toes, and fingers. The trip was a real thrill and we got slapped by several waves...right in the face.....a Glacial Facial!  The water was a nippy 36 degrees.  Thawed out we had dinner at the lodge and enjoyed the scenery.  It was crazy, but it was still daylight at 11 o'clock at night.
The next day we booked the Denali Wilderness tour which meant 63 miles on a bus down a bumpy road with a driver that never shut up.  We did see several grizzly bears, dahl sheep, caribou, a hawk, and a a eagle. We tried to find a moose, but no luck!  It was a long day, but we did get a clear view of Denali, worth the trip!  That evening we took the shuttle into town to Prospector Pizza for dinner.
Back on the bus we headed to Fairbanks where we tried some BBQ and walked around the square before boarding a paddlewheeler for a trip down the river.  We saw a demo with sled dogs, a Bush pilot flying , and learned about the culture of the original people of Alaska.  After checking into our hotel we walked next door for dinner....then we had to repack everything for our flight out early the next morning.

Flying home on Alaska Airlines was a pleasure, service was outstanding and it was all done with a big smile, even at 6 in the morning.  Jill and I were very impressed and would not hesitate to fly with them again.  We landed in Austin, said our goodbyes and both headed home.














Our trip to Alaska was a huge success......I think we packed as much into 13 days as humanly possible.  Going home needing a vacation from our vacation was a good sign!  We checked a  bunch of things off our bucket list.....and got the t-shirts to prove it.  Alaska is a gem, a true treasure!