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Alaska adventure!
I'm just recently back from my most exciting vacation in awhile: a one-week Alaska cruise, from Seward to Vancouver, BC. Alaska was one of the few states I'd never visited, and we'd long heard that a cruise is one of the best ways to see it. So a year or so ago, when some friends announced they were getting a group together, we decided this was our chance.
It was indeed amazing, and I'm so glad it finally happened. Alaska is gorgeous, and spending a week traveling with friends (there were eight of us, plus two sets of parents) was excellent. We saw glaciers, mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife; wandered cute towns and interesting cities; and got a nice escape from the world (especially since we had no internet access at sea, only in port).
I've collected some pictures and notes about each destination into a series of Tumblr posts:
Pre-cruise: A day in Anchorage and a train ride to Seward.
Glacier Bay, which I didn't realize was a US national park until the day before and a brochure showed up as part of the schedule they handed out.
Haines, which I had to split into two posts. Please note, Haines is where I finally met a moose in person (click for a picture). If you think that was a special experience, you think correctly.
Juneau, where we rode a helicopter for the first time and walked on a glacier. I didn't get as many pictures here because my phone camera really couldn't do it justice. T took many, many photos (he could have spent hours there), which I will share when they're ready.
Ketchikan, our only gray and rainy day of the trip. In general, the weather reminded me quite a bit of winter in the Bay Area -- temps in the fifties, often foggy and overcast in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. So one day of rain is par for the course.
Canada: Scenic cruising in the British Columbia Inside Passage followed by a day in Vancouver.
Our friends went a week early and did some touring in central Alaska: Denali, Fairbanks, an excursion to the Arctic Circle. Next time, if I ever get back. I don't know that I will, but I wouldn't say no. Regardless, two bucket list items are checked (seeing a real live moose up close, and visiting Alaska), and I am more than content.
It was indeed amazing, and I'm so glad it finally happened. Alaska is gorgeous, and spending a week traveling with friends (there were eight of us, plus two sets of parents) was excellent. We saw glaciers, mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife; wandered cute towns and interesting cities; and got a nice escape from the world (especially since we had no internet access at sea, only in port).
I've collected some pictures and notes about each destination into a series of Tumblr posts:
Pre-cruise: A day in Anchorage and a train ride to Seward.
Glacier Bay, which I didn't realize was a US national park until the day before and a brochure showed up as part of the schedule they handed out.
Haines, which I had to split into two posts. Please note, Haines is where I finally met a moose in person (click for a picture). If you think that was a special experience, you think correctly.
Juneau, where we rode a helicopter for the first time and walked on a glacier. I didn't get as many pictures here because my phone camera really couldn't do it justice. T took many, many photos (he could have spent hours there), which I will share when they're ready.
Ketchikan, our only gray and rainy day of the trip. In general, the weather reminded me quite a bit of winter in the Bay Area -- temps in the fifties, often foggy and overcast in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. So one day of rain is par for the course.
Canada: Scenic cruising in the British Columbia Inside Passage followed by a day in Vancouver.
Our friends went a week early and did some touring in central Alaska: Denali, Fairbanks, an excursion to the Arctic Circle. Next time, if I ever get back. I don't know that I will, but I wouldn't say no. Regardless, two bucket list items are checked (seeing a real live moose up close, and visiting Alaska), and I am more than content.