Alaska!

This summer I went on a pretty epic vacation with my family to celebrate my parents' fortieth anniversary. We went to Alaska! And on a cruise! Very exciting.

My parents spent a few days in Vancouver before I joined them for two nights. On my full day there I introduced them to good ramen and we went for a long walk around Stanley Park. It was a gorgeous day.

Monday, August 26, we embarked on the Norwegian Jewel for our cruise to Alaska (after I went for a long run along the water). Once onboard we briefly checked out our staterooms (they had a balcony, I had a window) before heading up to enjoy the views from the open deck as we sailed out of Vancouver.

We're on a boat!

Tuesday we sailed all day. For a little while all three of us sat on their balcony to look for wildlife but all we saw were lots and lots of jellyfish.

Wednesday we awoke in Ketchikan. We went on an excursion to the George Inlet Lodge, from which we got on a much smaller boat for a little wildlife tour around the inlet. We saw bald eagles, the splash of seals (apparently), and pulled crabs up from a crab pot. Then we got to eat unlimited Dungeness crab legs. We ate a lot.

A bald eagle!

One of my favorite photos from the whole trip.

I threw her back.

 After our meal we were driven back to Ketchikan, where we had some time to walk around before we had to be back on the ship.

Iconic view of Creek Street

It was fun watching salmon jump at this salmon ladder.

Thursday we sailed into Juneau. We didn't get off the ship until 11, so I had time to run on the treadmill in the ship's gym. Treadmills aren't my favorite but at least there was a view of the water and indeed I saw a whale. In Juneau we walked to the Alaska State Museum, which we all really liked. Then we ate lunch by the water before heading up the Mount Roberts tram. Mom headed back early but Dad and I went for a short hike at the top.

I love all these snow goggles!

He asked me to take this photo!

Friday we awoke in Skagway and went on another excursion. First a mini bus drove us into the Yukon Territory of Canada (with several photo stops along the way), where we had a barbecue lunch and got to see sled dogs.

Husky puppy in Carcross!

Then the mini bus dropped us off at a train station and we rode the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad back down to Skagway. The narrow-gauged train takes the route of the gold rushers.

We're on a train!

When we got back into Skagway Mom headed back to the ship while Dad and I stopped into the Skagway Brewing Company.

Saturday we were on the ship all day, and we spent several hours cruising around Glacier Bay National Park. Park rangers boarded the ship and shared information and wildlife sightings over the intercom. That morning I awoke to the ranger mentioning a mountain goat sighting, so I grabbed my binoculars and kneeled on my bed checking out the passing mountain, and indeed I saw the goat! While we ate breakfast we saw little icebergs covered in seals. Then we headed outside to see (and hear!) the glaciers. And that afternoon Mom and I painted whale tales and glaciers.

Pretty good view for teeth brushing!

Sunday was also a day at sea. In the morning we cruised by Hubbard Glacier.

Pretty good view for morning coffee!

The rest of the day was just fast and relatively view-less cruising through the Gulf of Alaska, so we rested in the afternoon. (Dad was mostly recovered from his cold by that point but I had caught it, so I was grateful for the nap time that didn't require missing out on sight-seeing.) That night we had a fun teppanyaki dinner. There were several restaurants on the ship and we enjoyed many good meals throughout the cruise. Later in the evening Dad and I wandered the ship for one last time, though it was rocking pretty badly. Water was sloshing out of the swimming pools. It was fun to see, but I'm glad the rest of the trip had been pretty calm.

Monday we awoke in Seward and our cruise was over. The only thing that made it not too depressing was that we had more fun coming up! After breakfast onboard we finally disembarked, and shortly afterwards Ryan and Lauren picked us up in a rented SUV! It was only about 10am, so we all went to a coffee shop to visit and figure out what we wanted to do next.

We're all together! In Alaska!

We decided to check out Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park. It was raining, but we still went for a walk. (Overall we had excellent weather on the trip and I didn't mind this rain because it gave me a chance to try out my new rain jacket.)

After our rainy walk we went back into Seward for lunch at the Seward Brewing Company. Then we made the 2+ hour drive to Anchorage and checked into our Airbnb. It was a really pretty drive. That night we had pizza for dinner at the Moose's Tooth.

Seen from the car on the drive.

Enjoying a beer while we wait for a table.

Tuesday we all visited the Anchorage Museum in the morning and saw a really interesting special exhibit on the ill-fated 1845 Franklin Expedition. After a break for lunch at the 49th State Brewing Company Dad and I went back to see the rest of the museum while the others, well, did not.

That night we just took it easy and had local ice cream for dinner.

Wednesday Ryan and Lauren and Dad headed out early in the morning to ride a sea plane into the bush and then ride a boat on a river to go salmon fishing. They had a great time, though apparently there were lots of mosquitoes. Here are three photos I did not take:

Their salmon haul!

While they were doing that Mom and I visited the Anchorage Botanical Garden. There were lots of signs warning visitors to be "bear aware" and the lady at the front desk said we would probably be okay without bear mace as long as we stuck together and made lots of noise. So it was a scary visit but we still had fun and did indeed talk (and sometimes sing) loudly and nonstop. It seemed to work, because we didn't see any bears. Thank goodness.

After the gardens we headed downtown for lunch and some souvenir shopping. I bought myself a pair of earrings to replace a pair I lost from my first (and only other) visit to Alaska ten years ago. Then we picked up the rest of the gang from the lake airport and headed home to rest a little before making a big salmon (and reindeer) dinner. The meal was great and was followed by a fun family game night.

The plane they flew in on.

Dinner with freshly-caught salmon!

Thursday we all drove an hour away from Anchorage to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. On the way there we passed Beluga Point, and indeed we saw lots of belugas! We stopped and got out to look, and Dad and I walked across the railroad tracks to get a closer look. Shortly after getting back in the car we also saw mountain goats by the road.

The white spot in the water was a beluga!

The Conservation Center was really fun because we got to walk around in a beautiful location seeing lots of animals, including caribou, moose, muskox, and both brown and black bears.

Moose! Though a little disappointing the only moose most of us saw on the whole trip were these two, in a barn. (Ryan saw moose from their little plane the day before.)

Muskox!

A brown bear!

Reindeer! (Or caribou?)

Elk I think?

After our fun visit we stopped in Girdwood for lunch on our way back to Anchorage. I think we all napped, and then that evening we went out for a really nice dinner at Simon & Seaforts to celebrate Mom's birthday (which was the next day). We had halibut cheeks for an appetizer and I had more (crab-stuffed) halibut for my entree. It was delicious. When we got back to the house we topped off our night with some birthday blueberry crumble. Then we rolled ourselves to bed.

The next morning I flew out early. (I actually flew to New York for a bachelorette party.) The rest of them had lunch together before Ryan and Lauren flew out, and after some more shopping downtown my parents flew out that evening.

It was a really fun trip, filled with lots of good family time and beautiful scenery. Huge thanks go to my parents for this amazing family vacation! Love you!