Our Alaska Trip

This is a blog I wrote leading up to and during our Alaska trip we did last summer. My wife said I should post it as it might give those planning or getting ready to go something to read while ther are waiting for summer to arrive.

Countdown to Alaska

August 11, 2017

This summer’s big adventure will take us to the great state of Alaska. This is somewhere we have never visited before. The planning for this trip started years ago and finally in February of 2016 we pulled the plug and booked a cruise tour on the first day Royal Caribbean offered them for the 2017 season.

The tour we picked starts in Anchorage with a stay at the Anchorage Marriott. The first night we will meet our tour guide and get all the details for the following week. Tuesday morning we will board a coach and be taken to the Railroad depot where we will board the Wilderness Express train for a 7 hour ride in a glass dome railcar to the Denali Village where we will spend the night at the Denali Wilderness Lodge. Day 3 begins with a trip into the Denali National Park.

After the park we hop on the motor coach for a ride to the town of Telkeetna where we will spend the night at the Telkeetna Lodge. Telkeetna is the town which the TV show Northern Exposure was set in. Thursday morning we again will hop on board the coach where we will ride back to Anchorage for lunch then head to the town of Girdwood for an evening stay at the Alyeska Lodge. The Alyeska Lodge is a ski resort south of Anchorage nestled at the base of a mountain.

Friday morning we again board the coach for our last day of the land trip. We head to the Alaska wildlife center where they take in injured and orphaned animals from all over the state. After this we head to our final destination, the town of Steward. This is where we will board our ship, The Radiance of the Seas. But first a quick stop at the Alaska Marine Wildlife Center for a quick look at various marine animals native to Alaska.

I’m not a big fan of doing group tours. Normally when we go to a new island or town we jump on one of the quick 1 hour bus tours which give you a quick over view of the area and what’s there, then we go back and explore on our own. For this trip we decided on the tour because Alaska is so huge we wanted someone who knows the area to give us the overview. Since we have never done a week with someone else calling the shots and making the plans I’ll let you know how it goes.

Next up Heading to Knoxville TN for the long plane ride to Anchorage….

Heading on out

August 12, 2017

It’s Saturday morning and time to head out. 9:00 am and we are off and running. First stop the doggy hotel for the killer beast then on to Knoxville.

It’s about a two hour drive to the Knoxville airport so we took a break and stopped at one of our favorite stores along the way. The Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, Tn. This is a great place to stop and stretch the legs and look around a bit. It’s just a mile or 2 off the interstate and always a stopping point on our trips.

After our stop we continued on towards the airport which is actually in the City of Alcoa. We stopped for lunch at the Cracker Barrel (one of my wife’s favorites). Lunch was good and about the same as any other Cracker Barrel, we were full and happy so now on we go. We parked and were in the Check in area in a matter of minutes and we were the only ones in line at the United desk. I had pre checked in online beforehand so all we had to do was drop off luggage and we were on our way to the terminal.

I had received an email a few days ago that stated due to enhanced security precautions to arrive at least 2 hours before your scheduled flight. Well we did and when we got to security there was no line and we just walked right up to the metal detectors. We were told since we had pre check we didn’t need to take anything out of our bags and just send them thru. Well I get to the other side and the guy asks “what in your bag?” I said oh just the usual stuff, DSLR, a few lenses, 2 go pros, point and shoot, laptop, tablet, cell phone, chargers, cables, extra batteries. Well he looks at me like I am the only one who takes a camera or laptop on a plane so out it all comes to show him I just going on vacation.

So here we are at the gate (hour and half early thanks to an email from United). After watching my wife spill her drink not once but twice the plane finally shows up. About 10 after 5 they start boarding and we get on with out issue, cram into seats meant for a 6 year old. At 5:30 the doors close and we are backing out of the gate, I’m thinking wow were leaving on time. But NOOOOO soon as were about 100 foot from the gate the plane stops and the pilot gets on the intercom saying sorry there’s going to be a delay do to traffic in Chicago. What heavy air traffic at O’Hare??? Who would have ever thought that? Ok so now he shuts down the engines and says were going to be sitting here for about 45 minutes and to save fuel he had to shut down the engines. Well 2 problems with this, first the air conditioning goes off with the engines, since were sitting in a metal tube on a blacktop parking lot in 90 degree summer sun, it gets hot very quick, plus add 150 passengers crammed into a space that should only hold about 60. My next thought is “to save fuel”. Hum, exactly how close are you cutting this if you have to “save fuel”?

Ok 45 minutes just fly by and finally were taking off. Flight goes as planned and is uneventful and we all enjoyed the shot glass of soda and 3 peanuts they provided us. Looking out the window it’s a clear day and we get a great view of Chicago and Lake Michigan on our way down and a near perfect landing. I’m thinking great we still have plenty of time to grab a light dinner before our next leg of the journey. We originally had an hour and 50 minute layover and the next gate is only 3 down from the one were stopping at. Looking at my watch we are only about 45 minutes late which still leaves us a little over an hour to go.

Ding goes the intercom and I could tell before the pilot said a word there was an issue. I picked up on this since we pulled into a terminal then turned around and rode back out to taxiways. Attention this is you captain and I’m sorry to inform you that another plane is having problems and is at our scheduled gate and it will be a few minutes before we get another gate assignment. 15 minutes go by and finally we start to move, All the way to the other side of the airport. If you have never been to O’Hare, all I can say is its very big and now I’m thinking this is going to be a long walk back to the gate. After a few laps around the airport we pull into a gate and finally get off the plane. I look at my watch and we have about 30 minutes to get to the gate for the next flight. I set my phone to track how far we walk and off we go. Brisk walk at first and after about 15 minutes I start thinking we might miss our flight so on to a jog. After about 10 minutes we get to the gate just as they are boarding, so much for dinner.

We get crammed into our seats and since this is a bigger plane we now are seated 3 on each side so now I’m even more jammed up with some one sitting next to me. Oh well good thing it’s only 7 hours, UGH!!! We take off on time and after a few minutes in the air I sit back and put a movie on my tablet to kill the time. 1 movie down and only 5 hours to go… UGH again. Well at least I had a very small pack of pretzels and a shot glass of soda for dinner. Just kidding I had preplanned for this and had a power bar and some other snacks to munch on.

Well after a very long day we arrive in anchorage, wow we finally made it! All is good and a nice smooth landing and taxi up to the gate and screech! Wait, what? The pilot comes on and says sorry there is another plane in our gate and we are going to be delayed waiting for a new gate assignment? WTH? How can United be so messed up? Oh well might as well enjoy sitting in the sardine can just a bit longer right? After about 15 minutes we start to move again and pull up to a gate and off we go, ready to start our Alaska vacation at last.

We grab our bags and call for the hotel shuttle and about 10 minutes later he shows up and takes us to the Hilton Garden Inn. I had pre checked in online while on the plane so we just walked to the desk and grabbed our room keys and off to bed. Tomorrow we will start our day in a new state and look forward to seeing all the sights.

Day 2 Ancorage

August 13, 2017

Today we start our day in Anchorage. This is the largest city in the state of Alaska with about 300,000 residents. Other than it's in Alaska with the view of the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, it's not much different than any other big city. The day started with a misty drizzle which went away by 9am or so.

Since we were having a mild case of jetlag with Alaska being 4 hours behind home, we started out having very nice breakfast at the hotel. They had the option of the buffet which is about the same as any Hilton property or you could order off a menu. We opted for the buffet and I had the usual Scrambled eggs and sausage while my wife enjoyed her pick of a waffle.

Feeling a little better on a full stomach we had the hotel shuttle take us to the "tourist area" of town. This is basically a strip downtown near the waterfront with tons of shops and restaurants along with the visitor center. We shopped a bit looking at the t-shirts and other Alaska items for sale. There was also a large outdoor craft center with more authentic items for sale along with plenty of food stands. I had a Reindeer Dog for lunch and it was very tasty, I’d describe it as a spicy brat.

After seeing all the tourist trap stuff in town we hopped on a small tour bus for a tour around the city. This is something I try to do in every new town we go to if one is available. This gives you a fast 1 hour or so view of the city and also some of the local history and a quick highlight of the area. This tour was no exception and we were shown our way around town and learned about the huge earthquake they had in 1964 and even saw some of the damage which still exists. We also learned that since Alaska is so remote that small planes are one of the main transportation methods. We drove past a local airport which had a lot of small planes and then around the side there is a big lake with hundreds of float planes.

After the tour we went back to the hotel for a break and to drop off the souvenirs my wife picked up. For dinner we walked across the street to a restaurant called the Cattle House. Dinner consisted of Prime Rib which was cooked to perfection and very good. Service was a little on the slow side but the girl was very friendly and the manager came and apologized for the delays. After dinner we took a short walk to settle our dinner and then back to the hotel since we were both wore out from the day and traveling all day yesterday.

Stray observations:

Weather was great today, mid 60's with some clouds and some sunshine.

Views of the mountains were great and really made the Alaska experience come alive.

Service was a bit lacking everywhere from the stores to the restaurants.

Day 3 Monday Anchorage

August 14, 2017

Today is our 2nd full day in Anchorage. The day started out early with a quick bite at the hotel restaurant. After Breakfast we head back to the room to pack up for the move to Marriott. We usually stay at Hilton property’s, basically just out of habit but also being Hilton Honors members we have reached a point where we get upgraded to a suite most of the time. We are moving to the Marriott today since we will begin the land portion of our Cruise/Tour this evening and this is where Royal Caribbean is putting up the guests on the tour.

It only took a few minutes to pack up and I used the phone app to order an Uber for the ride over to the Marriott. A few minutes later he showed up and off we went, it was only a few miles or so but the driver was very nice and helpful. We arrived around 11am and were expecting to have the hotel store our luggage till the room was ready latter in the day. To our surprise our room was ready and after a quick elevator ride we were in our room. The room was nice and had a nice view of the downtown area and the ocean in the far distant.

For lunch we walked about 2 blocks to a little place called Humpy’s. This is a place recommended to us by several locals and did not disappoint. This is a very rustic looking place, a tavern with a lot of booth and tables to pick from. I ordered a Ham and Cheese with a local beer called Alaskan Amber while my wife had a salad with tea. The sandwich was very good and had a mayo with a spicy twist which I totally enjoyed.

After lunch we walked around downtown some more and picked up a few more souvenirs. Around 5 we headed back to the hotel and were given information on when to meet our soon to be tour guide for the next few day. At 6 we headed down to one of the conference rooms and met Cheyenne. She’s a young lady who was born and raised in Juneau and would be taking us and 30 others on a trip exploring Alaska for the next 4 days.

About 10 of us were there so she went over everything and gave us all the details on where we were going and what we would be doing. She also gave us luggage tags, 2 different colors. The White tags were to go on any suitcase we wanted to go to the ship. These we would not see again till we arrived on board and they would meet us in our cabin. This was nice since we had packed for 2 weeks and some of the heavy clothing wouldn’t be needed till we went to the colder areas around the glaciers. We had known this prior to leaving Tennessee so we already had 1 bag packed to send ahead to the ship. The other tags were to be put on luggage that would be carried on the bus and delivered to our rooms nightly when we arrived at a lodge. We were then told to have all luggage sitting outside our room by 6am in order to have the bellhops pick it up and load it on the coach. Already I can see 1 benefit to a group tour, no lugging around the luggage, which if you have a wife, grows by the day as there are so many places to shop along the way.

After meeting with Cheyenne we went back to the room and had pizza delivered from a local pizza joint. The name escapes me but the pizza was good, thou nothing to write home about. After 2 full days exploring Anchorage and a long flight we were still recouping from, and knowing the next few days would be long we decided to call it a night.

Stray observations.

Everyone we had encountered was very friendly but also very laidback and almost slow in everything they did.

Again the service everywhere from the stores to restaurants was on the lacking side.

We did see a mama moose and baby walking right down the street in downtown Anchorage.

Day 4 On to Denali

August 15, 2017

The day begins early as we have to have our luggage out at 6am for the porters to load on the coach. We are ready and down in the lobby a few minutes before 7 to meet the group and soon after we board the coach for the short ride to the Alaska Railroad depot. Here is where we board the Wilderness Express, a glass domed train car for the 7 hour ride to Denali. This is the railroad that had a reality show on TV a few years back and since trains are a favorite for my wife we are excited to start the trip this way.

The train ride was very nice, we were in a nice glass domed train car which on the upper level offered great 360 views of the surrounding area while the lower level was a dining car set to look and feel like an old time luxury train car. Soon after we left the station it was just a short ride before we were out of the city of anchorage and the scenery changed to what you would expect Alaska to look like. A few minutes later they started calling guests down to the dining car for breakfast. Since we were told that the food on the train was not to be missed we had not eaten yet and were ready to experience the joy of eating in a classic dining car while looking out at the vast Alaskan landscape.

We were given a menu which had the usual breakfast items to choose from. I opted for an omelet with reindeer sausage and mushrooms (reindeer seems to be a favorite meat in Alaska). Well all I can say is this was a meal to remember, the food was awesome, I’m not sure what was different but I do remember thinking wow this is really good. After the meal it was back upstairs to enjoy more of the Alaska landscape. By now we were riding next to a river with large swamp type fields with mountains in the distance. Along the way we were given information about the area we were traveling thru along with local history which we found very interesting.

There is an open deck along the back of the train car for those wishing to take pictures which I spent a major part of the day on. After a while we were getting into the mountain and past a few small towns. Soon it was time that they started calling people down for lunch, we went down but we were both still full from breakfast so we just had a desert. In the dining car the tables sit 4 people and this time we had 2 young girls sitting across from us. Talking to them we learned they both are from Anchorage and work for the company that runs the land excursion for Royal Caribbean. They both work at the airport and great the guests coming in and help get them to the hotel. They had the day off and they can ride the train for free as a job perk. They were going to get off at the Telkeena stop and spend the day there then ride a train back that evening.

The day just flew by and soon we were at the Denali Depot where our ride ends. The coach we were on this morning (the same one we will be on all week) beat us to the depot and was waiting to transport us the short ride to the Denali Park Lodge where we would spend the evening.

The Denali Park Lodge is located in the Denali Park Village which is rather large area located just outside the national park. There is the lodge, a small shopping area (tourist stuff) and a small playhouse theater. There are outdoor fire pits and it’s a rather nice place to just walk around and relax. We were given our room key and were surprised to find we had a room in a building added just this summer. The room was very nice and just what you might expect, knotty pine walls, cathedral ceilings and a nice view of the forest.

While others of the group were planning on just relaxing and enjoying the village, we had other plans so off we went in search of a quick dinner. We found a nice little café with an outside deck that looked cozy so we ordered and a few minutes later we were enjoying the meal outside in the fresh mountain air. After dinner we went to the main lodge where we had signed up to go to a dog musher camp. The name of the excursion was “Dog Gone It” and was run by a couple that have a kennel named “The Wolfs Den Kennel” Here they train dogs for the Iditarod race which runs every winter. We were picked up by Caitlin in an old school bus and were driven to their home which is also the kennel location. Along the way she told us about the local area and what people around here do for work and also what they do for fun.

Upon arrival we were greeted by her husband Mike and Max their 4 year old son along with 3 of their employees who also live on the grounds and take care of the 50 plus dogs who also call the kennel home. As soon as we got off the bus they were handing everyone puppy’s to play with and my wife was in all her joy. You could tell this was a favorite of those on the tour, those working the kennels and mostly the puppies who just loved the attention they were getting. After puppy playtime was over they took us into a very nice outdoor covered seating area overlooking the dogs and she started giving a nice talk explaining the dogs and how they take care of and train them. She also explained that all the dogs want to do is run and this was apparent when they brought out the harnesses and a 4 wheeler to go for a run. All 50 dogs started jumping and barking as if yelling pick me pick me!!! They then went and rounded up 8 dogs and hooked them up to the 4 wheeler. The dogs were just jumping and pulling ready to go. The husband and son climbed onboard and released the brakes and off they went!

While they were out running the wife continued with her talk about the kennel, dogs and life in Alaska. Soon you could hear the dogs in the distance and all the remaining dogs started howling and barking, when the dog team pulled back in they were still pulling and trying to go around for another 2 mile lap, dragging the 4 wheeler even with the wheels locked up. You could clearly see the dogs loved it and were not ready to call it quits for the night.

Next they took us all into a nice indoor area with seating and explained what the Iditarod Is and how it started. They then showed us pictures of the race and explained the behind the scenes and all the prep work leading up to and during the race. I’m not much into dogs or racing but I did find it very interesting and an enjoyable evening. I also came away with a respect for those who do this sport. My wife is an animal lover and she also enjoyed this evening very much and I’d say this will be hard to beat for her. After the show was over they did a question and answer bit and then gave us all time to take pictures before climbing back on the bus for the 15 minute ride back to the lodge.

Back at the room it was now about 1030. This seemed odd since it was still daylight out, but we had a long day so off to bed we went to get rested up for tomorrow.

Stray observations:

Catilyn from dog gone it was one of the best speakers/ story tellers I have ever heard. She had a passion in her voice I have never heard before and you could tell she really loved what she was doing and loved her dogs;

The area of Alaska (at least the first half of the train ride) was not what I was expecting, a lot of almost swamp like areas and almost totally flat ground right up to a mountain. Living in the Smokey Mountains where there is not a flat piece of ground to be found, this was totally different.

I was expecting the food to be higher on cost than we were used to, everything I have read said to take what you expect to spend on food and double it, well I’d say multiply by 3. Not a big deal since I was expecting it, but someone with a family doing this trip on a budget might run into trouble.

One thing that is cheap here are Sweatshirts and coats.

Day 5 Denali

August 16, 2017

This morning starts out a bit slower as we don’t have to meet up with the group until 8am even thou we needed to have our bags outside the room by 7. We enjoy the crisp cool mountain air and get ready with the door and windows to the room open. A little before 8 we head on down to the main lodge which is just a short walk down a path thru the woods. Upon arrival we grab a quick bite at a small coffee shop which also serves breakfast sandwiches. I had a Sausage egg and cheese on a roll which was rather tasty. After this we went to the restaurant located across the lobby and picked up the box lunches we had ordered the night before. These box lunches would be eaten on this morning’s excursion which is a trip into the Denali National Park.

There are 2 excursions offered into the park we had our choice of. The first and one we picked is the shorter 4 hour trip which goes about 25 miles into the park. The second goes to mile marker 56 into the park and is the one we were originally going to pick, however since we knew we were going to be out late with the Dog Gone It tour which we really wanted to go to, and the fact that the longer Denali tour left at 5am (My wife is not a morning person at all), we changed yesterday and went with the shorter one.

We were picked up shortly after and it’s only a mile to the entrance to the park. As we were driving we were told about the history of the park, how large the park is and about the animals who live there. I am a history buff and found it very interesting. Along the way the driver would stop along the side of the road and point out animals along the way. At some stops we got out and walked around looking at the various plants and animals in the area. One stop had a native who gave a talk on life in the area and how they survive in such a remote and cold area. When we arrived at the turn around area we all got off, this was about 3000 ft. higher in elevation than where we left this morning and the difference in temp was about 30 degrees cooler and also the scenery was totally different. A few miles into the park we rose above the tree line and here it was almost desert like, no trees and just a few small shrubs. Again, this is not at all what I was expecting this area to be like. I was picturing vast forest and huge trees. This area had a unique beauty with almost an erie feeling, miles and miles of nothing, the size and scope are just amazing and really words or pictures cannot do it justice.

After the ride back down and out we were dropped off at the railroad depot where we had a little time to check out the gift shop and take in the views of the mountains we just came from and also looking over the valley we spent the night in. We then boarded the coach and took a short ride to the Denali visitor’s center. This is a really nice center with a great display showing the history of the area, the animals and also the natives who have called this area home for thousands of years. There is also a nice restaurant area next door where we had another lunch in addition to the box lunch we had on the tour.

After lunch we joined the rest of the group and back on the coach we went, the driver then pointed us towards the town of Talkeetna. This is a small town the TV show Northern Exposure is based on. It’s a few hour ride and some of us enjoyed looking out the windows watching the scenery while others (most of the group) took a nap. Soon we arrived at the Talkeetna Lodge which is just outside of the town. This lodge is fairly new and looks like something you would expect a lodge in Alaska to look like, Big stone fireplace, plenty of windows looking out at the mountains, in fact the whole lodge is positioned to look at Denali, the largest mountain in North America and the 2nd largest in the world. To eveyones dismay, the weather was not cooperating for us and you could not see the mountain at all due to the clouds. We learned that the mountain is only visible 3 out of 10 days and on those day s only for brief periods.

The room we had was really nice and comfortable with an awesome view even with the clouds hiding Denali. There was nice restaurant also located in the lodge but we opted to take a ride into town to explore and grab dinner while we were there.

The town is small but very quant with the usual gift shops, the train station (the train seems to be one of the major transportation options to get anywhere in Alaska) and of course restaurants. We picked a small pizza joint called Mile High Pizza Pie which seemed to be a local favorite. The pizza was very good but not the traditional pizza were used to, not really sure how to describe it other than a thin crisp pizza with our favorite toppings. The flavor of the sauce and the thin crisp crust were the main difference. The owners and also the employees were Russian (there is a big Russian immigrant population in Alaska we had noticed) this might have been there influence which made the pizza so different from what we are used to. I kind of a fussy eater but I also do enjoy trying variations of my favorites.

After a great pizza and another ice cold Alaskan Amber Ale we finished walking the town with the wifey checking out the shops while I snapped a few more photos. It’s only a short walk back to the lodge but after a long day and since it was starting to drizzle we took the easy way out and hopped on the coach and soon we were back at the lodge. There is a nice gift shop off the side of the main lobby which caught my wife’s eye on the way out so naturally we made the detour to check it out on the way back to our room where we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and enjoying the view.

Stray observations

The national park was not what I was expecting at all, I was not disappointed in the least just totally different than what I had thought it was. On TV you see large herds of caribou and other animals but although we learned that the park is home to a large population of animals, the size of the park is so large that the animals are so spread out it’s not like you see on to.

Again the service seems really lacking in all the restaurants we have been too, the food has been awesome but the employees are almost burned out.

One thing also, I’m always early, to me 15 minutes early is on time. Well this is not the case for others on the group including Cheyenne who always showed exactly on time which in my book is 15 minutes late.

Day 6 Gridwood

August 17, 2017

This morning starts out early for me as photography is a hobby of mine. I have had plenty of opportunitys so far during the trip, however I wanted to get up early this morning and get some pictures of the lodge while it was empty with the other guests sleeping in. I got up about 4 am and took a stroll around the lodge and grounds snapping pictures and having a great time having the place to myself. This is basically the first free time I had since the trip started and was a welcome break. After an hour or so of wandering around soaking in the sights and watching the sunrise on the deck overlooking the mountains it was back to the room. I then spent the next hour or so backing up my pictures from the week onto my laptop. I usually don’t take a laptop on shorter trips but this time I decided to.

I did a blog post a few weeks ago about a photographer who went on an Alaska trip similar to this one. After she returned and transferred her pictures she started going thru them and to her horror, she noticed a blur or distortion in almost every picture she took. She made the mistake of renting a lens and not testing it before she left; this lens had a blemish in the glass which made her pictures useless. The blemish was small but almost in the exact center of each picture she took. Reviewing the pictures on the small camera screen she didn’t notice anything. Since reading this I changed my thoughts of taking a laptop along. I do use a Western Digital Portable Drive which has a built in battery and SD slot which works great for daily backups; I’ll be doing a review of this device in the upcoming weeks so check back for it.

About this time my wife started stirring and we walked down to the lodge restaurant for a quick bite and then back to the room to get ready for the day. We set our bags out before we ate and then met up with the group at 10am for the ride to Anchorage for lunch. The ride was uneventful except for a few moose we saw along the way. We also passed thru a few small towns and during the ride Cheyanne told us about the towns and also gave a great history of the itidarod race.

I’ve mentioned the race a few times this week and now seems like a good time to dive into the history a little more. In January of 1925, children of Nome were dying, infected with diphtheria. Nome’s only physician, Dr. Chris Welch feared an epidemic could soon wipe out the entire village of 1,400. He knew only an antitoxin serum could save the village. He put out a telegraph looking for help. Anchorage had the nearest batch of the lifesaving medicine he needed but that was more than 1000 miles away. Nome’s Ice filled harbor made sea transport impossible, and only 2 open cockpit planes were in Alaska which could not fly in the subzero temperatures. With the nearest train station 700 miles away, dog sled and teams offered the best hope to save the village.

The Territory’s governor, Scott C. Bone put out a call looking for the best drivers and dog teams to stage an around the clock relay to deliver the serum from the train depot in Nenana to Nome. On the night of January 27, 1925, a train arrived with the cargo, a 20 pound package containing wrapped in fur to protect the precious lifesaving serum. Musher Wild Bill Shannon tied the package to his sled and gave the signal, nine malamutes hit the snow running the first leg of the 674 mile “Great race of mercy” across the frozen ground. Temperatures dropped to 60 below he continued on 52 miles to Tolovana before handing off the serum to the second dog team. Wild Bill developed hypothermia and frostbite but was happy he was able to contribute to this great task. It took over 150 dogs and 20 mushers to complete the five and a half day run. Four dogs died from exposure, giving their lives so that others could live. Three weeks after injecting the residents of Nome, Dr Crosby lifted the quarantine and declared the epidemic over thanks to the great men and their dogs. The Iditarod race is a tribute to these men and the dogs that saved the town of Nome. This race is a major part of Alaska and its safe to say watched and followed by the majority.

Ok enough of the history lesson; I did warn you I am a history buff so you were warned. After a few hour ride, we pulled back into Anchorage, where we started this a few days ago. I’m not really sure why we came back to the starting point for lunch but none the less here we are. My wife decided it would be a good idea to recheck the local stores just in case one of them came up with something new to sell O_o I decided to have another reindeer dog from a local street vendor which again was rather tasty.

After lunch (err more shopping) we boarded the coach for the ride to the Alyeska lodge where we would spend our final night on shore. The ride was very nice and took us down the Kenai Peninsula, on a road called the Seward Highway and listed as one of the 10 most scenic drives in the world. I would have to agree as the view is indescribable and something you have to see for yourself. There is water along the left side with mountains across the bay and mountains right up to the road on the right.

After an hour or so we arrive in the town of Gridwood, this is a small town the highway runs thru, we take a turn and travel up a mountain road for a mile to the Alyeska Resort. This is Alaska’s only 5 star hotel and pulling in the drive you get your first glimpse of the lodge and just think wow, look at that place. This looks like something from the movies, it’s almost like you’re transported to Switzerland and somehow left the state of Alaska. Walking in the massive front door you are greeted by a stone fireplace, dark woodwork and an ambiance that just sets you back to another time in another place, almost like a fantasy. We walk down the hall and up a few floors to our room, again something out of a movie, an awesome view of the ski mountain out the wall to wall picture window.

We were getting a little hungry since we didn’t really have a full lunch, so we took the tram to the top of the mountain which has several restaurants and of course, yep you guessed it, O_o more stores. We picked a small restaurant with a nice view looking down the mountain at the lodge and ordered, I ordered a Ham and Cheese on a hoagie (yep I love sandwiches) while my wife asked the waiter “what’s in the beef stew?” I looked at her and said beef and stew, she gave me a glare back and then looked at the waiter and he said “hum, beef and stew?” So after our dinner which was delicious, we checked out the stores and took the tram back down to the lodge, we walked in a difference entrance and low and behold to our surprise, a small mall complete with more stores! What are the odds of this? After looking in all the stores and a picking up a few more trinkets we head back to the room and call it a night.

Stray observations

The beef stew in Alaska has beef and stew in it.

South of Anchorage is how I expected Alaska to look, snow topped mountains and water.

The mountains are not as high, with the exception of Denali as I was expecting, most are only in the 2 to 3 thousand foot range.

The temperatures have been almost perfect, 50’s at night, upper 60’s during the day. It would be nice for the sun to be out a bit more, but overall we have lucked out so far.

Day 7 Radiance of the Seas

August 18, 2017

Today starts out similar to yesterday as I woke up about 4am in order to go for a walk and take a few pictures. It was almost a perfect morning, cool crisp mountain air, low hanging clouds on the mountains and also remembering the last few days in this great state and the awesome sights we have seen. After my walk I went back into the lodge and grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the restaurant and sat watching the sun come up and burning off the fog.

I then went back to the room to get the wifey up and get packed up for the morning bag pull. Soon after returning to the room, the power goes out? Thinking to myself this should only last a few minutes at best, well it never did come back on. Luck would have it I was already showered and ready to go, also lucky my wife showers at night so she was just about ready, except for her coffee habit. I’m thinking this might get bad but she handled it rather well.

Since no one had power it seemed like we were all down in the lobby on time this morning if not early. I was thinking in my head, if these people have trouble getting down on time with the power on, how in the world they all will make it on time with the lights out. Remember I’m always on time and that is a huge pet peeve of mine, someone late!!!

Soon we were on the coach and off towards the town of Steward, this is where we will meet up with our home for the next 7 nights, The Radiance of the Seas. This is one of Royals smaller ships, smaller than we usually cruise on. My wife likes the smaller ships and has cruised on the Majesty before but this is new for me and since my favorite ship is the Allure we will see how it goes. None the less I’m excited and ready to get on board and look forward to the slower pace the cruise part of the trip will offer.

Along the ride we get some more history of the area and after about an hour we stop at the Alaska Wildlife Center. Here they take in injured animals from all over the state; the goal is to rehabilitate them so they can return to the wild. The center is really nice and has everything from bears to wolves. It’s not very large but offers plenty of room for the animals and the staff really goes above and beyond taking care of the animals and also educating the public on the animals of Alaska. Of course there is a gift shop which we made a stop at, my wife can sniff out a store from a mile away so she was happy.

After the center we again boarded the coach for the last leg of the land trip, the town of Steward and a stop at the Alaska Sea Life Center which has a large assortment of sea life native to Alaska. This was a nice aquarium type place and we got to see and learn about the various animals that call the cold waters here home. Yep you guessed it, another gift shop; this one was rather large and was a great place for the wife to pick up a few more items to remember Alaska.

Steward looks like a really nice little town which is just what you think of when you think of Alaska, Old buildings right on the sea, lots of boats and mountain views. There is a sign in town that says “If you think you’re in Steward and it’s not raining, you’re probably not in Steward”. They were right, it was raining, and they told us that they only get about 10 days a year with no rain.

We could see our ship down by the docks and we boarded the coach for our last short ride to the cruise terminal. We said goodbye to Cheyanne and Josh and after a very quick pass thru security and check in, we walked on board. We arrived at the terminal about 3 which is later than the normal 10 am we usually arrive to board a cruise. This was nice in a way since there was no line and we just walked right up to security and check in, since we were already on the land portion and busy the whole day it wasn’t like we wasted the day as if we were sitting in a hotel waiting to board. Another benefit was our cabin was ready when we boarded, usually were on board 2 to 3 hours before they announce the cabins are ready.

We went to check out our cabin, we normally get a balcony cabin somewhere mid ship but for this cruise we picked a aft balcony simply for the views. The cabin is about the same as every other ship we have been on with the exception of a larger balcony. We drop off the backpacks, then up to the windjammer for our traditional boarding day lunch or should I say late lunch today. After a stroll around the ship to check everything out and learn the layout we went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.

We opted for the main dining room so we could meet our waiter and assistant waiter along with our table mates for the week. If you have never cruised before, there are several places to dine on a ship. The main dining room you pick a time for dinner when you’re booking your cruise and they assign you a table with other guests and the same wait staff for the week. This is one difference on a cruise, and one I’m sort of on the fence about, I’m not usually a very social person but I do like it as it is different from my normal. It is nice and you get to meet people from other places and the conversations can become quite interesting. You also learn what a small world we live in; on this trip 2 table mates have a home in Pigeon Forge, a town an hour away from our home and a place we visit several times a year. On every cruise we go on, there are people you meet with something in common, either where you live, grew up or places you have traveled.

The people you meet on a cruise are travelers, they enjoy seeing new places and meeting new people and getting to know them and also swap stories. My wife is a very socialable person and I think she really enjoys this aspect of cruising.

We round out the night with a stroll around the ship and of course we have to check out the shops just to see what they offer. After that we retire to the cabin to relax and rest up some for the days ahead.

Stray observations:

This was the first land tour I have taken, It was enjoyable and since I love history it was great and I learned a lot about Alaska, We saw things we never would have seen or done if we would have went on our own, however we also saw stuff we would have stopped and checked out if we were on own.

Boarding the ship was the fastest I have done so far, think it was a combination of a smaller ship which hold half the passengers we normally have and arriving at 3 in the afternoon instead of 10 in the morning.

I don’t see myself doing a lot of land tours in the future. If going to Alaska for the first time I would recommend it highly. However I would do another tour in say Europe or somewhere.

Day 9 Juneau

August 20, 2017

The day starts out normal for me, up at 6 for a walk around the ship and this morning I went to the Park Café for breakfast. This is one of my favorite places to eat on the Allure of the Seas so I decided now would be a great time to try one of the breakfast sandwiches I have enjoyed on previous cruises. The Park Café on the radiance is a little different than the Oasis Class ships. Here it is located in the Solarium versus in Central Park. On the Radiance the Park Cafe has more of a snack area feel than an actual restaurant. The breakfast sandwich which consisted of a muffin with egg, cheese and sausage (wonder where they got this idea?) was ok but as I said earlier, there cooks need a little training. The egg was way overcooked and had a rubbery taste to it. Oh well off to the windjammer, nice to have a backup plan.

After I was full it was a little more walking around and then watched as we pulled into Juneau. The view as we docked was really amazing. Juneau is the state capital and it’s the only state capital in the US that you either have to take a boat or plane to get to. There is no road to this town. Looking forward from the deck you see the downtown area and it looks like any other small city with newer buildings and the things you would expect. Looking from the dock towards town a few blocks and back the other way it looks like an old Alaskan town with the old buildings and plenty of fishing boats. Looks like an awesome place to explore and get a few pictures so off I go to find the wife.

I get back to the cabin and she’s up and ready to go, however she has a slightly different agenda, shopping. A few minutes later we are off the ship and walking down the dock trying to figure where to start and we see the Aerial tram we have read about. Juneau is right on the sea where the ship docks are only a block or so wide before a mountain blocks further development. We hop on the tram and are soon on our way to the top. The views going up and at the top are just awesome, you have a great view of the ships in port, all the fishing boats, the whole town and of course the mountains which make the town so unique.

On top of the mountain there is a small area with a Bald Eagle area which is nice and it’s something to see how large these eagles actually are. There is a small café/snack bar and of course a rather large gift shop. After about an hour we take the tram back down to town and the wife starts checking out the shops while I try to snap a few pictures. The problem I have when traveling and trying to get pictures is all the people walking around really messes up the shots. I could go with a tripod and really long exposure to clean up the scene but I didn’t bring a tripod this trip and also the time just wouldn’t be in my favor here.

After walking the town for a couple hours it started raining a little harder so we decided to head back to the ship for lunch as the few restaurants we looked into on land were very crowded today having several cruise ships in port.

Back on the ship we ran up to the Windjammer for lunch which was good even with the lack of fried chicken. After lunch we just spent the afternoon relaxing onboard. The ship was almost empty with most of the guests on shore so it was a great time to hit the hot tub for a soak and then back to the cabin to spend some time on the balcony enjoying the sights of the town.

For dinner we opted for the Windjammer as neither of us was really that hungry since we were snacking all afternoon. After dinner we headed back to the cabin for sail away from our balcony. The weather had cleared up and was almost a perfect night, it was 9pm and the sun was just setting so it was very nice.

The rest of the night was uneventful, they had the 70’s party in the Centrum but the way the ship is laid out it was really hard to see down into the Centrum to see the show so after a few minutes we just headed back to the cabin for the night.

Stray Observations

We had lucked out on the land tour and didn’t really have any rain, however since getting on the ship it was almost a steady mist all the time with brief light rain. The difference in the different parts of Alaska is really amazing, north of Anchorage seemed almost desert like while south is a rain forest.

The layout of the ship hinders the activities like the 70’s party, on the Freedom and Oasis class ships with the Royal Promenade they have plenty of room, however the Centrum is a lot smaller and really limits what can be done.

Juneau is really a nice town but I can’t imagine living there with the only way to get to anywhere other than the general area requires a boat or plane. (No Best Buy! How do these poor people survive?)

Day 10 Skagway

August 21, 2017

The morning started out early for me as usual on a cruise. I left the cabin around 5am and took a walk around the ship snapping a few photos. I have always been amazed that I am usually the only one up and enjoying the morning except for a few workers cleaning or stocking the bars. I would say this is my favorite time of the day, the whole ship to myself. After a few hours I headed to the Windjammer for a quick bite and enjoyed watching the sun come up eating breakfast. By now it was close to 7am and we were pulling into Skagway so up on deck I went to watch us dock. Again, this town was what you would expect to see in Alaska, nice small city with mountains right up to the edge of town, mountains across the bay and train tracks right alongside the dock. I could see today’s excursion sitting right alongside of our ship, the White Pass Railroad.

After we docked I headed back to the room to get ready for the day and something I had been looking forward to for months. A ride on the White Pass Railroad to the Yukon to follow the route the gold miners took over 100 years ago. My wife was up and ready to go and she was excited as I was since she is a huge fan of riding the rails. After a few quick minutes we were off the ship and a short walk across the dock to the train. This train has the original train cars built in the 1890’s restored to the period and stepping on board was like traveling back in time to a much simpler and harder time. The inside of the cars was all varnished wood and there was a pot belly stove in the back corner with a nice warm feeling which was nice since the morning Alaska air was on the crisp side and around 45 this morning.

Soon after boarding we heard the train whistle and off we went heading out of town and into the mountains. It was only a matter of minutes and we were heading up and this was what I had envisioned what Alaska should look like, Dense forest with steep mountains, valleys with a large river running along the forest floor, waterfalls and the morning fog hiding the track ahead. I was out and taking pictures on the little deck between the cars and even thou it was on the chilly side it was what I had been looking forward to for months.

As we rode up the mountain, sometimes hanging on the side of a cliff with hundreds of feet looking straight down and seeing snow and ice-covered rocks in August it’s hard to imagine the thousands of miners walking this trail carrying all the supplies needed and even harder to imagine those who build this railroad 120 years ago. This would be tough to build today with all the modern equipment available and thinking how they did this back then with only mules, dynamite and pick axes then is just overwhelming.

After a nice ride up the mountain and going thru tunnels and over wooden trussle bridges, we came to the top and arrived at the border entering Canada, we stopped right on the boarder and the timing was perfect as today was the day of the Solar Eclipse which was making the news for the last few months. After a few minutes, thru the fog (which acted like a huge filter) we could see the sun with a nice crescent shape cut out of it. It wasn’t the full eliche that they got to see in the lower 48 but this was a remarkable place to witness this historic event, sitting on top of a mountain at the boarder of Alaska and the Yukon.

Soon after we started moving again and came up to a rather large lake which was unexpected, the lake was right alongside the tracks and seemed out of place on the top of a mountain. The water was crystal clear and mirror flat which made for a beautiful scene while they moved the train engine to the read of the cars for the ride back down the mountain. Heading down was nice and gave me the op to get pictures of everything I missed coming up the mountain, the whole place and ride was just overwhelming and just can’t be explained. This was by far the highlight of the trip for me and will be hard to beat.

Back down in town we walked around a bit and of course checked out ALL the stores and grabbed a late lunch then headed back to the ship. We spent the afternoon enjoying the ship and relaxing, later that evening my wife went to the headliner show featuring a comedian, I opted out since that’s really not my thing and just spent the evening reading and enjoying the balcony of our cabin.

Stray observations:

The White Pass Railroad was awesome and I highly recommend it.

We were on cliffs and bridges high over the valley and I was concerned how my wife would handle this as she is not a huge fan of heights, however she did really well and didn’t have a problem with it.

I prefer to be left alone and like to enjoy taking pictures while my wife likes talking to and meeting others, A cruise and also the excursions are great for both of us, I can do my thing and she can do hers at the same time. By the end of the week I think she knew half the people on the ship by name. She found out the people in the cabin next to us were from a town less than an hour away from where I grew up and she asked “don’t you want to talk to them” and I said “why” and she just gave me a funny look.

If you’re buying a new camera before a big trip you really should play with and use it a little bit before the actual trip. This was the 2nd time I was asked how to use a camera on this trip, I really didn’t mind as even though I prefer to be alone, I do enjoy teaching and sharing tips and tricks. I just find it funny people get a new camera right before a trip and never learn how to use it.

Day 11 Icy Strait Point

August 22, 2017

Today were going to be in a small fishing village called Icy Strait Point. After my normal cruise ship morning ritual of walking around enjoying the ship when most are still asleep waiting for the sun to come up, well since it’s cloudy and a light rain, no sunrise today off I go to the Windjammer for my breakfast. The meal was good but nothing really jumps out as outstanding which is getting to be the normal on the Radiance. As I’m eating we pull in to the dock and the first thing I notice is how low the tide is, from the high-water mark on shore it looks like they have a tide of around 20 feet. A lot more than the 4 to 6 foot they get in Florida or the Caribbean.

After breakfast I head to the room where I meet the wifey who is ready to check out the village (or should I say check out the shops). Soon we are off the ship and walking down the dock, the weather is a bit cool around 50 degrees and a light rain. The first thing we see as we get on shore is a nice-looking restaurant overlooking the ocean with 2 huge totem poles near the entrance. As we walk a bit farther we see a few old boats up on shore and an old fish canary which you can walk thru and has very nice displays set up so you can see how they processed fish. They life the locals had looked very hard and must have been tough work plus add in the harsh conditions they lived in.

After checking out the canary (and gift shop) we hopped on a small bus for a quick ride into town. The town is really small but had a huge marina which is understandable since this is a fishing village and the majority of residents make there living from fishing. As we walked around we found a few shops the wife checked out while I snapped a few pictures. One thing we did learn was that the TV show Alaskan Bush People was filmed here and the family featured on the show lived a mile or so from town, I’ve never seen the show but the locals found it amusing that they made it look like the family was so far from anything when they are actually just down the road. Wonder if they want to make a show about me, I live 7 miles from the nearest town, hey Discovery Channel give me a call if your reading this.

After a while we decided to head back to the ship since we were both getting chilled from the rain which was starting to come down and the wind which was picking up. We both were expecting it to rain on the trip but the days of constant drizzle then rain then drizzle and lack of any sun was starting to take its toll on us.

Back on board we grabbed a late lunch in the Windjammer and then a soak in a hot tub which always helps. We spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing and enjoying the ship and went out on our balcony to enjoy the sail away in anticipation of our next port, Ketchikan, one we are both looking forward to since we have heard and read so much about it.

Later that evening my wife went to see the comedy show which I skipped, she said is was good and she enjoyed it. We then called it a night so we will be rested up for tomorrow.

Stray observations:

The rain is really starting to take a toll on us, living in an area which doesn’t see a lot of rain and when it does, it rains for a few hours and then the sun is back out, this is quite a change for us and even though we spent months prior to the trip looking at the weather in Alaska everyday to get emotionally ready, this really hit us both hard today.

All the locals we have met have been very nice but also very laid back. They also seem very interested in where we are from and ask a lot of questions, it was actually hard to get away from a few of them, one guy followed us out the door and down the street asking questions.

I was thinking when we booked the cruise that even thou this is a smaller ship it only has half the passengers as compared to a large ship that it wouldn’t be as crowded, well I didn’t factor in the weather which turned the pool deck into a ghost town and moved all the passengers inside. So yes, this ship felt crowded with every one in the much smaller inside public places.

Day 12 Ketchikan

August 23, 2017

Yep you guessed it, the day starts out with a walk around the ship and my morning meal in the Windjammer which was right on par with the other mornings on the ship. After another short walk to settle my meal I head back to the room to watch our arrival in port from our balcony. We arrived a little before 9am and shortly after we are back on land checking out a very neat looking town which other than the power lines and streets filled with tourists, looks like a movie set of some old Alaskan town. Old fashioned type buildings with wood sidewalks, ocean on one side with mountains in the distance. Then as a look around some more I think to myself, oh crap, look at all these stores and glance over at my wife who has a huge smile on her face and says “ok we’ll start here and go up and down every street”.

At least It’s only a slight mist as we head up and down every street as she checks out all the local shops while I snap a few pictures and read some of the signs telling about the history of the town. After a few hours of this we stop for lunch and a nice little restaurant and enjoy a great lunch and relax for a few minutes before we head back out to finish checking out the town. Walking around I learned that Ketchikan has about 8000 residents and that fishing is the biggest industry. Back in the day the town was also the place where loggers and fisherman went to kick up there heals and the bars and red-light district were the popular places in this rough and tumble town.

After a nice day in a really nice town we were once again on board the ship getting ready for dinner, tonight was going back to the main dining room and had a very enjoyable dinner. After dinner we went back to the room for sail away and as we were leaving we saw the crab fishing boat Time Bandit from the TV show Deadliest catch had come in and docked after we returned to the ship. This is one of my wife’s favorite shows and was a nice bonus to see.

The rest of the evening was uneventful and just a nice relaxing night.

Stray observations:

Ketchikan is really a nice town, just what you would expect an Alaskan fishing village to look like, I give them credit for keeping the old part of town authentic and having that warm old-time charm.

One thing that is nice on the smaller ship is that there is not as much to do so you’re not feeling rushed and trying to squeeze in everything, Alaska is more about the ports and its nice to have some down time on the ship to relax and rejuvenate.

Day 13 Inside Passage

August 24, 2017

Today we were at sea without a port stop sailing the Inside Passage heading to our destination of Vancouver British Columbia. Its hard to imagine that our trip we have planned for the last 18 months is winding down with only today left on the ship.

This Inside Passage takes us between islands and the mainland all the way south and offered some beautiful sights along the way. My goal for the day was to enjoy the balcony hoping to get some pictures. The weather was on and off drizzle for most of the day which I have come to sense as the normal for this area at this time of year. Determined not to let the weather ruin my day or plans I spent most of the day out on the balcony looking for whales and other life. I enjoyed this a lot and unfortunately only saw 1 pod of Killer Whales during the day. The views of the area and also the large amount of fishing boats made the day and offered some great memories of the final day on the ship.

After lunch I took a break and we went to the Centrum to watch the egg drop contest. If you have never witnesses this type of contest it was a lot of fun. At the start of the cruise you are given the rules and you can enter a team in the contest. The rules are rather simple, you can use any items you can find on the ship to make a device which will hold an egg, you then drop your egg off the 10-floor aiming for a bullseye in the center of the centrum. If your egg breaks, your out of the contest, if your egg survives, the one landing closest to the bullseye wins. The eggs that survived were dropped down in a wide variety of contraptions, most had some sort of parachute made from trash bag plastic or paper, these worked great as far as not breaking the egg, but lacked accuracy as far at hitting the bullseye since even the slightest breeze sent them off course. The winner used a different approach and wrapped an egg in bubble wrap to make it the size of a basketball and dropped it right into the center of the bullseye to the cheer of the crowd.

We also went to the Crown and Anchor event which is for members of Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program. They had a band playing and introduced the Captain and crew along with a few members who have sailed the most on a Royal ship. This was a nice get together and one we always enjoy.

After this it was back to the room to pack up to put out the luggage we wanted to be taken off the ship for us. This is always a sad part of the cruise as reality sets in that you only have a short time before your back to the real world.

After dinner we went to a short farewell show in the theater then back to the room to call it a night.

Random observations

After a week on the Radiance of the Seas I can say the ship is in great shape, even better than I was expecting due to her age. The inside almost looked brand new while the outside was showing a little wear and tear from the elements it also was in great shape.

Even thou I prefer the larger ships I do enjoy all the windows and that you can see out from almost everywhere on the ship. This makes it more like a cruise ship verses the larger ships where you forget you on a ship.

The crew was great and every one was nice and very helpful in anything you could have asked for.

The pool deck and outside areas were almost vacant except for a few brave kids swimming. This made the inside areas feel more crowded than on ships in warmer areas where a majority of people are outside.

Over all it was a great cruise and one I can highly recommend. I would also say if your doing a land/cruise tour, do the land part first so you can spend the 2nd week a bit more relaxed.

Day 14 Vancouver

August 25, 2017

It is hard to imagine that today is the last day of our cruise. For some reason 7 days on a cruise ship just fly by way to fast and to think we spent 7 days in Alaska prior to this. All the time spent planning and researching ended up with us having an awesome vacation, one which will be remembered forever. But it’s not totally over, we still have a day to enjoy and explore Vancouver.

I’m up early as usual, I have read about the cruise into Vancouver and under the Lyons Gate bridge so I was up on deck and for the first time on this trip witnessed a beautiful sunrise which was a welcome sight after the clouds and constant drizzle of the last week.

After watching the sunrise we rounded a bend and you could see in the distance the bridge I had read so much about, it was quite the sight with the sun shining and lighting up the mountains. I have been boating my entire life and there is something about going under a bridge in a boat but that is magnified 100 fold in a cruise ship. As we drew closer the bridge became even more magnificent looking, what an awesome way to end the trip I thought to myself. As we passed under, with only a few feet to spare, you could start to see the city. I didn’t do a lot of reading or research on Vancouver but had always heard it’s a really awesome city and one stop not to be missed. Well I was shocked to see just what a huge city it actually was; there is a huge port with ships anchored on the east side and a city which reminded me of Chicago on the west. Hugh skyscrapers for as far as the eye could see.

As we were pulling into the cruise port you could see just how busy this place was, sea planes taking off every few minutes, ferries traveling across the bay and the hustle of the downtown area. Soon we were docked and I headed back to the cabin to find the wife getting ready. Soon we were off the ship and going thru customs which wasn’t bad, we grabbed a taxi and 20 minutes later we were at the Hilton in what appeared to be the China town part of the city. We were again surprised we were upgraded to a suite and had a great view of the city and distant mountains.

Since it was now close to noon we wandered off in search of lunch and walked about a block to a small mall and found a pizza place. The name escapes me and since the pizza was just ok the entire lunch was forgettable. Next door was a Best Buy and since I was having major withdrawals (it’s been 3 weeks since I’ve entered a Best Buy) in we go to check it out. This was a little different than I was used to; it was almost laid out and to me looked like a grocery store and not a typical Best Buy. It was a unique experience and soon my withdrawals were over and we could continue with our day.

They have a Sky train and it’s like a subway but elevated about the roads and we hoped on and took the ride back to the water front/downtown area to explore. I have never been in a subway or a sky train like this so it was a new experience. As we were riding and thinking how cool this was, I looked around and noticed all the people who use this as their main source of transportation and thought gee this must suck to have to do this every day.

We walked around the waterfront for a while and watched the sea planes landing and taking off, plus all the boats cruising around and then boarded the sky train for the ride back to the hotel. After getting off at our stop we walked around the area some and ended up in a strange mall/flee market type area which was a flight of stairs down under the city. As I said before this area was like a China town and the majority of people here are Asian, which I found out moved (or were moved) here during WWII when the USA was at war with Japan. This was also a unique experience for us, everything was written in Japanese and the place was filled with travel agents and down a little farther turned to grocery type booths. This also was rather strange to us. The majority of the food was not packaged and just out in the open to be scooped up and put into bags you, there were also whole chickens and pigs hanging or being cooked. Again, the whole experience was unique and it was very interesting to see.

After some more exploring we headed back to the room to relax a bit and get ready for the long flight home in the morning.

Day 5 Denali

The national park was not what I was expecting at all, I was not disappointed in the least just totally different than what I had thought it was. On TV you see large herds of caribou and other animals but although we learned that the park is home to a large population of animals, the size of the park is so large that the animals are so spread out it’s not like you see on to.

Sounds like you had a great trip! Thanks for the report.

At Denali National Park it sound like you took the Natural History Tour. If you had use the shuttle buses you would've gone much further into the Park and seen a lot more wildlife. Maybe something to think about if you ever return.

And I agree with you... Waiting for the other people to show up in a tour group would drive me nuts. It's the trip of a life time; live every minute of it! If you do come back again, maybe look into using a rental car and doing your own trip.

W2N, what a thoroughly entertaining travelogue! I had a blast reading it and got more than a few laughs out of your adventures.

You are an excellent photographer. Your pictures are amazing, even without much light.

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

Sounds like you had a great trip! Thanks for the report.

At Denali National Park it sound like you took the Natural History Tour. If you had use the shuttle buses you would've gone much further into the Park and seen a lot more wildlife. Maybe something to think about if you ever return.

And I agree with you... Waiting for the other people to show up in a tour group would drive me nuts. It's the trip of a life time; live every minute of it! If you do come back again, maybe look into using a rental car and doing your own trip.

Yes we just took the short ride into the park, we were going to take the longer trip but that left at 5am and my wife is not the morning type so we switched it to the shorter trip which left later in the morning.

W2N, what a thoroughly entertaining travelogue! I had a blast reading it and got more than a few laughs out of your adventures.

 

You are an excellent photographer. Your pictures are amazing, even without much light.

 

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

Thank you for the compliments, we did enjoy the trip alot and I'm glad you enjoyed reading about our adventure.

I just noticed somehow day 8 was missing so here it is, out of order, sorry.

Day 8 Cruising

August 19, 2017

I started the day out as I always do on a cruise, up early, actually a bit late at 6am this morning. I get ready and take a walk around the ship since this is my favorite time when most of other guests are still sleeping. At 7 I head to the Windjammer for something to eat. I really enjoy having breakfast looking out the window at the ocean and this morning was no exception. I usually eat on the lite side and this morning I had some scrambled eggs and sausage. So far the food in the Windjammer is good but nothing to write home about, every ship has something in the food department which really stands out and has me thinking wow I think I need another helping. Unfortunately I haven’t found it yet on the Radiance but I’ll keep trying till I find it.

After my morning meal I take a walk around the pool deck which is like a ghost town. On a cruise in warmer climates the pool deck is hopping by 8am but here I almost felt like I was alone on the ship. Now if it was warm enough for a swim it would be perfect. I swing back by the Windjammer and pick up some coffee and a lite breakfast for the wife and head back to the cabin.

Today the highlight is going to be cruising to Hubbard’s Glacier. We have seen several glaciers during the shore portion of the trip but today we are set to sail up the edge of one of the larger ones. I’m looking forward to the photo ops which should make my afternoon enjoyable.

We take a stroll down towards the shops for a quick look around, after all what would a day at sea be without some shopping? Then we just spend the morning checking out the ship and a quick lunch in the Windjammer. Again, lunch was good but I’m trying to figure out why they don’t have fried chicken out on the ships every day for lunch? You can get just about anything else but fried chicken, why? Another thing I noticed is that what used to be Rita’s Crab Shack is now gone and they opened up the area for seating for the Hot Dog Hut (which only had 4 different offerings) and over flow seating for the Windjammer. This was kind of a huge disappointment.

After lunch we returned to our cabin in anticipation of glacier viewing, the weather outside was less than perfect with rain on and off and the winds picking up. Soon after pulling out the winter coat and getting my gopro set up on the deck, the captain came over the intercom and said to a weather front coming in we would have to abort the trip up to the glacier. He stated the ice was starting to blow down the channel and we were to expect hurricane force winds along with heavy currant and for safety sake we would be turning around. Well I try to look on the bright side of things and think oh well maybe some photo ops might arise so out on the balcony I go. This turned out to be rather exciting, I have been in hurricanes in Florida and as strange as it sounds, love storms. Today was a little different as the temp dropped to about 35 degrees and with a 70 mile an hour wind was quite chilly. The seas seemed a bit rough but I never noticed much movement in the ship. The highlight of the afternoon was when my wife decided it would be a good idea to lock me out of the room to teach me a lesson for not listening to the captain as far as staying inside.

After I about froze, she let me back in and we decided to head down to the Schooner bar for afternoon trivia contest which was about Star Wars. She said since I was a big geek we should be able to take home the coveted key chain they award 1st place. Nope we didn’t win, we scored 10 out of 20 and unless you lived and breathed Star Wars there are questions you would never know the answer too. Example what was Chewbacca’s grandmothers name? WTH? Oh well it was fun and after a few Alaskan Ales it really didn’t matter what her name was.

By now it was time to get ready for dinner, tonight is formal night but I’m one of those that doesn’t get dressed up in a suit on a cruise, 1st I pack light and no room for a suit, 2nd I’m on vacation your lucky I’m putting on shoes. I do put on a nice shirt but that’s about it. My wife does get somewhat dressed up and as always she looks beautiful. We join our tablemates and I start off with my usual, 2 shrimp cocktails which is also a cruise tradition. On a cruise you can order a little bit of everything on the menu or several of your favorites. After my shrimp cocktails, I opted for the prime rib, I’m not a huge fan of red meat, in fact other than the occasional hamburger I really can’t remember the last time I ate any read meat other than prime rib which for some reason is one of my favorites. I was rather happy when a huge thick piece cooked just the way I like it came out. It was cooked to perfection and so far was the dining highlight of the cruise.

After dinner we headed to the Aurora Theater to see the production show, “The Piano Man” a tribute to famous piano players. The show was about what I was expecting, a little dancing, piano playing and some singing. The shows on the smaller ships are nowhere near the full Broadway shows on the larger ships which happen to be some of the best I have ever seen. The Piano Man was ok but I’m not sure what they were going for, I don’t think they gave the greats a tribute they deserve; at times it felt like a high school musical. Mabey I’m being too harsh and also this really isn’t my type of music I enjoy. They played a lot of Billy Joel, Elton John and others of that era. My wife did enjoy the show very much and said they were really good. After the show we headed back to the room and called it a night after an enjoyable day at sea.

Stray observations

The ship even though older is in great shape, the inside areas look brand new even our cabin, outside has a few rust spots here and there but in a lot better shape than expected.

This ship is one of the older ships in the fleet and compared to the Freedom and Oasis class has a lot more windows looking out, almost everywhere on the ship you can look out and see the sea. This is a nice touch.

The feel of the ship is totally different; it really seems like an old time luxury liner, fine wood work, crystal chandlers and a very nautical feel throughout the ship.

Day 15 Heading Home

August 27, 2017

Well this is it, the last day, always a sad day and the end of a great journey. Sorry I don’t have any pictures but I was really run down after 2 weeks. We start the day out with a lite breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then upstairs to finish packing. As I start checking my bag I notice how much heavier it feels and start thinking what did I buy that added so much to my bag? Let’s see a few t-shirts and a few ball caps, a book and that’s about it. Better open the bag and see what’s going on…. OH I forgot about all the stuff my wife bought and didn’t have room in her bags (note bags with an s). Then I look over at her and she is really struggling to get her big (yes I said big) suitcase closed and I’m thinking good thing I brought a scale to weight these things.

Well of course her big bag is overweight so out some comes out and into my bag. After a bit of trial and error we get both bags at 49 lbs., just under the airlines limit of 50 lbs. But wait, there’s still a small pile of souvenirs lying on the couch, so into my back pack they all go.

Somehow I left Tennessee 2 weeks ago with a backpack weighting 18 lbs. and a suitcase weighing 27 to a suitcase weighing 49 and a backpack tipping the scales at 37 PLUS an additional small carry on coming in at 15 lbs. And to think I only bought 1 book 4 t-shirts and 3 ball caps. LOL oh well what can I do other than give the wifey a hard time.

We decide to leave early to head to the airport with the idea of grabbing lunch there, so we hope in the taxi and take the 20 minute ride. When we arrive at the terminal we are surprised to see it very crowded and lines way out into the main part of the terminal. Thinking to myself glad we are united members and get to go in a shorter line which was still long. After a few minutes we figure out the problem is that the Texas airports are closed due to the hurricane and half the people in the lines are trying to get either back to Texas or rerouted not thru Texas. So after about an hour of standing in the “short line” with some lady bumping into me every minute thinking that would make me move quicker (I will leave out my conversation I had with her about where her bag was going to end up if it hit me again) Soon we were checked in and again we were now rushed at the airport trying to get to our plane which we for sure would have missed if not for being United members and getting in the “short line”.

Next up was security and customs again ugh. Security went well until I got pulled of the line and was asked is this your bag? I said yes to my small extra carry on (full of my wife’s stuff mind you) and he said what’s in it? And I said “not really sure at this point” so he starts digging thru it and finds one of my wife’s small (note I said one) make up bags, with guess what? A knife inside. So naturally I throw her under the bus and say you can have the knife and you can keep her too. He looks at me and says would you like us to mail it back to you? I say no and he jokes and says the knife or wife and I say neither which brought the 2nd nasty look from my wife in the last minute.

After he lets us go we head thru a door which I’m thinking great were on to the plane, uh, no now we have to go thru US customs, ugh again another line. This one is moving quickly and after a few minutes was in the terminal ready for the plane ride home. After an uneventful flight to Chicago we take our time and walk to the gate for the final leg home. We have a seat and a few minutes before the boarding time I look up at the sign showing if the plane is on time and right then, our filght disappears, I think to myself well of course why would I even expect the last part of our flight to as planed. I get up and ask the girl at the gate and she simple states, the plane is broke. I look at her and ask "and?" and she goes "and what? So I explain to her that there are about 100 people sitting here expecting to be in Knoxville in about 90 minutes and what was her plan on getting us there. Again I get a blank stare from her and she again states the plane is broke.

Well long story short, 3 hours later the plane is now fixed which gives us all a warm fuzzy feeling as we board. A few minutes later we are off and heading to Tennessee we land in Knoxville and are soon in the car heading home.

Thank you following along on this epic and amazing trip of a lifetime. We enjoyed every minute of it and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I can highly recommend this for anyone who likes to explore and see the sights. I love to travel as does the wife; this is the first time we have done a tour with a group of people other than a single day excursion on a cruise so it was a different experience. It was enjoyable and the only issues were due to my severe OCD which the hardest part was just going with the flow and allowing someone else to call the shots. The best part was we got to see some of the highlights in Alaska and learned a lot about the area and people. The cruise part was awesome and we saw some awesome sights and towns. The weather kind of hit us near the end of the cruise but still wasn’t that bad. The Radiance was the smallest ship I have cruised on and I am still a fan of the larger ships but it was very nice and again, highly recommended.

Our next big adventure will be on my favorite ship, The Allure of the Seas and will take us back to the Virgin Islands in February of 2018 with stops in St. Thomas, St Kitts and Nassau.

Thank you for sharing your travel log, it made for interesting reading! It sounds like you had a great trip! We are in that 18 long months of planning phase as we booked our first Alaska trip back in January for June 2019. We're going with Princess on a 13 day cruise/land tour, but we're doing the cruise first and ending up in Fairbanks for the very long flight back to Atlanta. I hope we enjoy our trip as much as you and your wife did!

Thanks for sharing your blog.

Keith

Thanks for an interesting read! Unfortunately I can't see the pictures - I'm sure they are awesome!

We're going in June - DIY land for us, then Coral Princess Southbound. A year in the planning. Hope I'm able to share our travel experience as well.

Cheers!

W2N, you mentioned taking a few lenses for your DSLR. Which one did you use most?

I enjoyed reading your travel log. We will be going on the same cruise route in July on the Radiance. My wife is a shopper, too, so she will be happy with all the ports. Too bad that you did not get to visit the Hubbard Glacier portion of the cruise. Looks like we should be prepared to tour in the rain.