On Eagle's Wings

On Eagle's Wings
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

Followers

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Totally Tripped Out

Where we've been the last 15 days:

Alaska

It is a loooong way from Texas … and much bigger than Texas.

(Alaskans continued to remind us of this fact all along the way!!)

What one picture can possibly describe Alaska?

                I don’t think any one picture can. But this is what I expected to see,
and I wasn’t disappointed.

Modes of transportation


Holland American
Ms. Zaandam
 






(and various other types of boats, trains and planes)
Standing on the dock of the bay
in Vancouver waiting to board the ship

Places we stayed

And on the ship for seven days
The McKinley Chalet at Denali
(and other lodges and hotels along the way)

Things we saw

Are you kidding me?
To think that I could tell you all we saw?
Mountains, rivers, glaciers, waterfalls, flowers, wildlife,
whales, sea lions, porpoises, bears, elk, caribou,
lynx, eagles.
Doesn't look real, does it?

(I have a good video of these whales,
but can't get it to work on here. Anyone have a tip on that?)
Humpback salute! ;-)

Things we did

Here are a few of our fun experiences.
Took a flight in a floatplane over the Tongass National Park.

Went to a crab feast.
Whalewatching and saw the Mendenhall Glacier.
An hour ride on the fjords between one beautiful mountain after another,
then hiked through a rainforest (crazy wild mosquitoes) to a river
where we canoed to sit directly in front of the Davidson Glacier.
Glacier Bay, Broadway show onboard the ship, comedienne Julie Barr.
Enjoying the scenery as we sailed, read, slept, walked.
Cabin Nite show at Denali (very fun historical musical about the gold rush).
Jet boat ride down Nenana River.

Panned for gold (came away with $24 worth).

Denali Wilderness Tour for a glimpse of Mt. McKinley

and saw plenty of wildlife on our way.

 What We Ate

Uh, can we skip that part? I'm a little embarrassed to share here.
But I did bring about 8 pounds of it home with me
and now I will be trying to get that off over the next few weeks.
You know how your jeans stretch as you wear them more than once?
Well, my body adjusted as we went! LOL!!

Who We Met

Lots of friendly people from
lots of different places.


Some Things We Didn't Know

Alaska is bigger than Texas. ;-)
Hmmmm. Only a native Alaskan can own a reindeer.
And it is a reindeer when in captivity.
If in the wild, it is a caribou!!!



I enjoyed every minute of this trip!
Smooth flights, smooth waters, great tour.
Everywhere we went, we were blessed with great weather and great sights.
But it is still so good to be back home again.
Even if it is 50 degrees warmer here!!!!

And here is the video. Will see if it works!





7 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh what an adventure! I love the north!!!!

Aloha Acres said...

I have always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise and your pics make me want to go even more. Beautiful!

Chatty Crone said...

Oh my goodness - I was able to go to Alaska for two weeks a couple years ago and had the time of my life. Thanks for the memories and I am so glad you had a good time. sandie

momof3girls said...

Oh your pictures are so beautiful!! How amazing it must have been to see it in person!! It looks like a wonderful trip!!

Wanda said...

Thanks so much for stopping by my "Scarves" Post. I'm looking forward to wearing them in OR when we visit our daughter.

I love your cruise pictures. I would love to take a crusie, but my hubby is not fond of water or boats. He teases me and says I can take the Widow Cruise when he's gone... I slap him up side the head and then give him a kiss...my man. HaHa

Kay G. said...

Love your pictures and I saw the video! Thanks, I've always wanted to see Alaska! :-)

Peri said...

Peg and I have done this same Holland America trip and it was a blast. Since I don''t enjoy flying, we did not do the float plane but still had great fun. Still, it was great to come back to the lower 48! So glad you had a good and safe time. Welcome home!!