HOME

Well as you all know by now we made it home just fine. Of course we did have an extra hour delay with our flight from Detroit to Saginaw again. The drive home from Saginaw was very very foggy and stormy too. We got home about 3am and it felt so good.

The next several days were very fuzzy and the jet lag got to both of us a little different. Of course the time difference is a big thing too and we both had a hard time adjusting back to that. Jim was waking up in the middle of the night for 3 or 4 hours and then sleeping past his normal wake up time. I was just tired from it all and sleeping whenever I could and the alarm had to wake me up.

Now it's back to the normal pace of things and feeling as normal as possible! I know it's past time to post some more pictures. I really need some time to spend and print some out and make a cd and a dvd with all of the great pictures and videos.

We were actually just sitting here talking about how much it would cost to fly out and rent a car for a week. Who knows we might get the bug to do it again soon!

So here are some more pictures, but it is really hard to choose only a few!!

Thanks for enjoying our blog page!

COMING HOME!

We disembarked our ship the Zaandam this morning at 7:45am and took a taxi ride to the airport to sit and wait for our flight. We made it through customs ok except Jim kept making the buzzer go off until he unbuckled his belt. It seems they thought he ate too much on the ship also! LOL Or maybe it was just his suspicous look he has!
Our flight isn't until 12:20pm which at home would be 3:20pm and we will arrive in Detroit at 7:48pm providing there are no delays. Thus far there are none!! Keep your fingers crossed! Our flight from Detroit to Saginaw leaves at 10:31pm and by the time we get up in the air and level off it will be landing at 11:18pm. Hopefully Rod will be there to pick us up!
Here are a couple more pictures of the beautiful scenery we have enjoyed and will miss. The one with the bridge is the place we did some panning for GOLD in Juneau and the other is from the Kenai Fjords National Park in Seward. Yesterday we went to the Great Alaska Lumberjack show in Ketchikan and Jim really got homesick after hearing the sound of a Stihl chainsaw again! It was very entertaining.
Our ship was in very calm waters last night so we did manage to get some rest. Of course I was awake some of the night making sure we didn't miss our flight LOL!
We'll be home before you know it and things will get back to normal again! OMG do I really have to go to work again?? I seriously have not thought about work for 2 weeks but now that we are getting closer to home I can see the mail stacked up at the post office!!
Our trip has gone very smoothly even with all of the different stops and tours we took. Thanks go out to Alana Diamond our travel agent who works for "Alaska Bound" through Passageways Travels. She is an expert on traveling to and around Alaska and we highly recommend her to you all! Of course I am going to add my photography services to any of you that might be thinking of a trip up here too!
Thanks to you all for taking the time to share some of our trip with us. It really has been a nice way to keep in touch with you. I will probably add some more pictures once we get back home and I can do it a little easier. Talk to you all soon! Wish us a safe trip home!

INTERNET SPECIAL

I am able to post again by the luck of an internet special today our last day! 30 minutes for the whopping price of $12.00! Yes I think we still have that much money left after this expensive trip! Today is a long day of cruising the open waters last night and most of the day. We really felt the rough sea last night as a few storms were following us along the way. After keeping the tv on for a while to distract us from the noise and the motion, we finally got some rest. The time moved forward an hour during the night too, so we lost another hour there. Needless to say we are pooped today and ready to come home.

This afternoon is supposed to be very scenic cruising through part of the inside passage and I am hoping to get some great photos of some whales diving. We will be disembarking at 7:45am to get to the airport and go through Canadian customs again before heading back to Michigan.

The internet is so slow here that's part of the way they make more money from us computer junkies too. I still haven't been able to add another picture and it's not because of the beer out of that bottle! LOL

We got your message Rod and are hoping Bob is doing OK! Kristin your kitchen looks GREAT!! I did use some of my precious internet time to check out your blog page and see it and Victoria!

Jim is off in the casino trying to earn back some of what we spent on this trip! LOL I have my doubts! The thing we have done the most of since boarding this ship is EAT! EAT! EAT!!! I can't wait to get home and get back into the swing of things!

Hope you all are doing good and can't wait to see you! Miss You!!

Haines

This one is for my "BITCHES" and you know who you are!! In Haines, Alaska they have the smallest beer brewery! It is all in one room and we watched them brew fresh beer and we sampled four different types. Of course I had to buy some to share with you guys, but there is only one problem!! I can't bring the beer home, only the bottle! :( Oh so sad for you guys, but I'm having fun!! LOL The tour was fish and beer, so Jim got to sample lots of different salmon too! Now I have used almost all of my internet time trying to get this last picture on so if you don't hear any more from me until we hit the airport Sunday in Vancouver you will know why! I will try again to add a couple more pictures. We will be arriving in Ketchikan this afternoon and then the last day will be out in the deep blue sea. Rod I hope you are bringing my baby to meet me at the airport Sunday night late! I'll be in touch! Miss my baby!!

Glacier Bay

Yesterday was Tuesday and the only way we remember is that the rug in the elevator reminds us each time we get in. We spent all day floating in Glacier Bay and it was the most beautiful area you can imagine. If I can get this internet to give me enough high speed to download a couple of pictures you will see what I mean. The verandah room has been worth every penny lol to have a front door seat to the outside and to be able to run back in and get warm. We enjoyed the afternoon with a glacier calving right outside our deck and the evening watching whales jump and play and spout their tops! It is just amazing.

Today we are in Haines and will be heading into the very small town to take a short tour of the famous Brewery with a few samples I am told and then on to watch them smoke some salmon. I am pretty sure Jim will be sampling that!

Thanks for the update on our garden Jack and hope you are enjoying our vegees!! LOL Also if you think you are too old for another trip up here I can come along and drag you here and there and everywhere just like I am Jim!! :) That goes for anybody else too!

I got some really awesome video of glaciers calving and whales diving yesterday too! I think any of you should hire me as your vacation photographer!! Miss you all!

ON BOARD!

Well we have been board our ship for a full day now! The first discovery was that the internet is not FREE here so I am limiting my time on the computer. So if the postings aren't quite as often you will understand why! I am glad you all are enjoying the pictures, but the beauty of them is nothing like being here! But it's the best I can do unless we win the LOTTO and bring you all with us next time!
We set sail at 8pm last night and enjoyed the scenery as we left Seward. Once out into the Gulf the movement was a little more persuasive and we are at the back of the ship and on the 7th deck so I think we are feeling it more. It's more of a gradual rocking back and forth like in a cradle! The view from the verandah is awesome though and we had coffee out there this morning and were awed by about 5 or 6 glaciers in Prince William Sound. I will have to post some pictures to this later as I need to download them while not wasting my minutes of internet time!
We just got done with our mandatory life boat drill and I sure hope we never need it. I had some difficulty being stuffed into that life jacket but since we were on the open deck and had fresh air I managed to get through it ok.
We have already enjoyed our share of eating and I have yet to get my first walk in. I will definetely be joing in on a 5K walk for Breast Cancer on Friday morning, so I had better get back in the swing of things.
Today is a leisure day at sea but not too far out that we don't have scenery to enjoy! The comments from you all are great! Somebody please let us know how our garden is doing?? It's easy to post a comment, just sign in as annyonomous! Will post more great pictures soon! My fellow Board members I am sorry I won't be there tonight but I have a good excuse!!

AWESOME!

This is Jim and I LOL Only we don't feel that rested! Traveling is hard work and takes a lot out of you! But this place is worth it!

Yesterday we did a 8 1/2 hour trip on a boat into the Kenai Fjords National Park! The boat is kind of like the catamaran you ride to Mackinaw Island. At first it was smooth and the farther we got out into the Gulf it got really wavy. It felt like a ride at Cedar Point. The crew kept coming around asking if you were all right and carrying puke bags. I was fine but I think Jim got a little oozy from being too warm until we went outside and got some air. Then after getting back into calmer waters things calmed down a lot. This was the best tour for me so far! The scenery is breathtaking and I just want to sit and look at it forever! They say the weather doesn't get too cold in the winter due to being in the Gulf!
I got some really great video of whales diving and glaciers calving that you are all going to be bored with eventually! We saw sea lions, and otters and puffins and all kinds of Alaskan birds. They served us a light lunch on board the ship and then towards the end of our tour we stopped at the most serene and beautiful island called Fox Island! There we enjoyed an all u can eat salmon bake with all the trimmings! I of course had chicken! They have lodging on this island too that I will definately be checking into for the next trip to Alaska! Here are a couple of pictures from there! Dianna I thought of you a lot when we saw kayakers out in the peaceful waters just soaking it all in! You seriously need to think about doing this!!
Today we board our ship around 1pm and set sail at 8pm! I am looking forward to it! We will be relaxing and eating and gambling until Wednesday before we make our first port of call! At least I will be able to get some walking in! They have a GREAT walking deck on board and a fitness room! I can't wait to start enjoying the scenery from our balcony!! miss u all :P