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

NEWS FLASH!!

Just couldn't wait to tell you all this!! When we finally got checked into our room in Seward, the desk clerk said there was a message from our travel agent Alana. At first I just figured she was making sure that all was going according to plans until I read the message. It said, "Penny, upgrade to a balcony for $149.00? call Alana!" I was a bit confused at first because as some of you know we were on the wait list for a verandah suite but after getting my new Caddy and deciding that another $2,000 plus to spend, even though I wanted it really bad, was pushing it almost to the "spoiled rotten" that my kids think I am already!! So I had told Alana to take us off the wait list and I would be happy with the large window in our room like we had before. But what else could it mean? It sounded too good to be true! When I called her she was so happy that it was finally me calling and she was so nervous I wasn't gonna make the call in time that she had gone for a walk to calm her nerves and pass the time! But it was true!! We could get a verandah suite upgrade on our cruise for only $149.00 each!! GOOD THINGS DO COME TO THOSE THAT WAIT!! ;P Girls are made to be spoiled!! THANKS DAD!!

The Train to Seward

There are far too many pictures to share and it is so hard to choose only a few to post on here. These are some of the view from the train trip South to Seward today! I can't soak it in enough and I ran down one camera battery and had to get out the big one. BTW the new camera is quite a gem!! I luv it!! As you can see in the pictures it was a gloomy day, but we were smiling anway enjoying this view. There was an awesome glacier and the mountains never stopped! Rivers and lakes and we even saw dall sheep and lots of eagles along the way. Somebody did claim to spot a bull moose, which I am dying to see, but we never saw it! Yesterday on the train we saw 5 moose though and I was so excited!
We are now at the Seward Windsong Lodge and waiting for our room to be ready. Which I will never hear the end of all of the hurry up and waiting and sitting from this trip!! But for the beauty of it all I say it's worth it!! Tomorrow we are off in the morning for a Kenai Fjords Tour that will last most of the day and provide us with a lunch and Jim's favorite awaited Salmon Bake! I'm sure I will need both batteries for the camera tomorrow! So glad to hear from you all and that you are really enjoying this blog! I enjoy sharing it all with you! Mike and Barb, so good to hear from you and we had just rode on the bus with a couple from Australia and told them to tell you guys Hello when they go home!
Miss you all!! Well a little anyways!

TALKEETNA

These are just a few of the pictures we took in the quaint little town of Talkeetna. The first is a picture of our cabin we stayed in. The host Mavis was very accomodating for us!
The jet boat is what we took a tour on and it was enjoyable but crowded. I was fine after we adjusted and I was given the aisle seat! We saw lots of bald eagles and a huge nest with an eaglet in it that would pop it's head up every now and then. We traveled on 3 rivers during the tour and these rivers are nothing like the Ausable. They are ugly and grey color due to the silt from the glaciers. At the end of the tour most of the people were dropped off at one place and seven of us were to return to the starting point. We got the fastest and kinda scarry ride that I really did enjoy. Our captain's name was Israel and he grew up in Talkeetna and has quite the story of his family living here.
The last three pictures are of DOWNTOWN TALKEETNA! That's really all there is to it except a couple of shops and the Post Office just a bit out of town! It's actually the base camp for any brave enough to venture and climb Denali Mt. Unfortunately and very rare, but two climbers have died up there since our trip. You may have heard it on the news. Both just collapsed with no previous signs of illness. One on July 4th was a 51 yr. old man from Chicago and yesteray was a 20 yr. old from Indonesia! The older gentelman was buried on the summit but the military chopper was trying to recover the young man's body today. Quite the conversation in the local Roadhouse Cafe this morning. We met a lot of different people dining there due to the family style seating.
I think I have walked Jim a bit too much, but he really hasn't complained! Of course the weather has been on his side and in the 50's and 60's the last couple of days. Today is our last day in Talkeetna and we board the train after 4pm today and head to Anchorage and spend the night before we catch a very early train in the morning to head south to Seward for some more adventures. Keep those comments coming, but if you don't leave your name I can only guess who is sending us luv notes! LOL

WE'RE HOME! TALKEETNA ALASKA

Now this is what we are looking for! We rode the train again yesterday back South from Denali to the very small town of Talkeetna! Famous for the beginning photos from the popular show "Northern Exposure". Even though the cabin we are staying in is still expensive and sits right on the main drag, the small town atmosphere is here! After a little mix up with our not being picked up from the train station and the depot manager giving us a ride, we met our host Mavis and got to our cabin! She then gave us a tour of the town in her pickup truck and we were feeling much more comfortable than the place we had just left. She called Denali Park "THE GLITTER DISTRICT" and we agreed. The amenities of those places are far less than this small town area for sure!!
Today we have a 3 Rivers Jet Boat tour and the rest of the time until tomorrow at 4pm to explore this quaint little town. If the sun is shining and there is a chance to see Denali Mt. I still haven't ruled out the flight seeing trip!
We have enjoyed all of your comments. There is so many pictures I would like to post on here but we aren't sitting still long enough. We did get some bad news that our good friend Deb Basil's friend Gary passed away and our hearts are aching for her again!! Those of you that know her please send her a note or a phone call! We wish we were there to hug her. On a happier note, Thank You Jon and Marylou for suggesting I try the Alaskan Halibut! It was awesome!! I hope Faith enjoyed her 4th birthday yesterday! We watched the video I took of her blowing out the candles on her cake when we celebrated before we left! It doesn't seem like it's been 4 years since we were waiting for her to be born so that we could get to the airport and head for our first trip to Alaska!!

DENALI PARK

WOW! It was worth every penny and getting up at 4am to catch the first bus tour into the park! As soon as I figure out how to actually download a video to this blog page you will all be able to see what I mean. Except it is going to be hard to decide which video to put on since there are SO many!! The bus tour is an 8 hour trip into the park with a very knowledgeable driver tour guide! We saw many animals today including: Moose, Caribou, Coyote, Fox, Golden Eagles, Dall Sheep, Snow Shoe Rabbits and best of all Grizzly Bears. I say Bear "s" because the best part of the whole trip was close to the end when a bunch of busses were stopped and parked in the road kind of weird and we didn't know what was going on until we saw it!! Right in front of the bus came a mama grizzly with two baby cubs! I got the BEST video of anyone partly due to the fact that I told the bus driver I had bad chlostraphobia and couldn't sit in the back of the bus so he gave us the seat right behind him! They were so close to us and walked right along the bus and didn't pay much attention to us at all. It was AWESOME!! Tomorrow we are on the train for a short trip to Talkeetna to spend a couple nights and do a river boat tour. Hopefully that will be all that it sounded like in the brochure. TIME FOR US TO REST SOME NOW!!

Saturday Market

One of Jim's points of interest for our trip this time was to make it to the Saturday Market in downtown Anchorage. It was quite a little stroll to get there and not quite far enough to warrant taking a taxi but with the sun shining bright it might have been a better choice. The Saturday Market is a HUGE type of flea market with locals selling their goods wether it be homemade soap or bowls carved out of a knot from a tree, to the best food cooked right out of their tents. We ended up finding a shady spot and getting a bite to eat and enjoyed the view from there.

After getting our second wind I really wanted to visit the Alaska State Troopers Museum and it seemed like only a couple blocks away and Jim was determined I get there. After walking a little farther and asking for directions we finally found it to be CLOSED for the Holiday! Needless to say we found a taxi to take us back to our B & B. We were pretty whipped travelers from the walking, the sunshine and the jet lag. Today will be much easier because we will be boarding the train at 8am.

ALASKA FINALLY!

We finally made it to Alaska!! Our flights were not only on time, but in fact a little early!! I was a little bit nervous the first flight and decided to take some meds for the long flight, but probably would have been fine without them!! This is just a quick note to let you all know that we got here safe and this is the scenery out from our deck for the next two nights!! That's good enough fireworks for our 4th of July! It's 3am for you guys but only 11pm here. Of course it is still daylight here too and won't get much darker than dusk all night! They say the fireworks will be at midnight but they still won't be that great because it's not dark. That's ok with us because we are very tired and will enjoy this view!!!