Summer break Day 9: Denali National Park

An early start to be back on the bus and a trip to Denali National Park itself. We were hoping to spot some wildlife today and Frank was getting a bit antsy about having not spotted any so far. A quick look around the nature centre where we picked up some junior ranger packs for the boys and boarded a bumpy old school bus for a better look into the park. Luckily the ranger packs had some binoculars. Once on board the bumpy bus we were treated with some laughs and bum bruises. A huge thunder storm hit and we were all feeling very pesimistic about seeing wildlife. Woo hoo the storm flushed some animals out and we saw a moose and her calf, a teen moose with antlers just starting to grow and a few cariboo all taking advantage of the fresh water. Frank was happy which meant the rest of us were too. The boys were extremely fortunate to be inducted as junior rangers of Denali National Park. A few games of checkers while the rain continued to fall saw us relaxed and refreshed for another day of travel.

Day 8: Seward to Talkeetna

Packing all of our stuff and leaving the boat today, we boarded a bus from Seward to Anchorage. It's funny when you think of a capital city you imagine in size how big it is going to be and how fast paced it will move. Anchorage is nothing like that. While it does sprawl a fair distance it is definately not fast paced. Probably comparable to Dubbo - a nice country atmosphere about it. As we traveled into the city itself we were given a chance to look about at the gorgeous scenery and to hear some of the history from our local guide Andy.
A long bus ride and we finally arrived at Talkeetna - a village just on the outskirts of Denali National Park. The view from our lodge was of Mt. Mackinley - the tallest mountain in North America. We had learnt on the way to Talkeetna that only 30% of tourists actually get to see the top as the majority of the time the peak is covered by cloud. Greg and I opted to take a plane flight to get up close and personal to Mt. Mackinley and we are now proud owners of a badge that says we are one of the 30%. Woo hoo. What a majestic mountain. With the kids at the lodge with Frank and Helen we decided to stop in at the Denali Brewing Company and sample a few local beers and enjoy some dinner. Having fully stuffed ourselves we walked back to the lodge. Greg assured me it was not far, however, every movement and rustle in the trees we thought we'd either be attack by a bear or charged by a moose. After an hour's walk we made it safely back.

Summer Break Day 7: Hubbard Glacier

We were up at the crack of dawn this morning and it was cold!! We piled on as much winter gear as we could and headed out on deck with many others on our way to the amzing Hubbard Glacier - a frozen ice river that feeds into the sea. At 6 am we were 30 nautical miles from it and it was huge. In the water there were small fragments of ice that had broken off the glacier and we hoped nothing too big - thinking Titantic was up ahead. As we approached the glacier it got more and more spectacular. Finally at about 9am after a slow approach and copius amounts of hot chocolate and coffee which the staff brought to us we were 1/2 nautical mile from it. WOW. It was so impressive up close. The colours in such a huge mass of ice were beautiful. We were fortunate enough to see a huge chck of ice calve off the glacier and it made quite a splash in the water that the wave rocked the boat and tipped half of the pool water out.

We then headed to our final port of call for the trip to Seward. I could eat much for the rest of the day, the open ocean made me feel very ill.

Summer Brak Day 6: Skagway

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!! American Independance day and we had arrived in to the small town of Skagway to see the town decorated in red white and blue. We had organised a tour today to whitehouse and the yukon. On the bus we saw a brown bear by the side of the road eeating summer berries. I would have stayed in hibernation! It was cold! We stopped in at the Yukon Suspension bridge and nearly froze.

We had to show our passports on the bus and an immigration officer came aboard and checked as we had travel from Alaska, US and into BC and the Yukon, Canada. After our bus adventure we boarded a train near Whitehorse and headed back towards Skagway. The railroad was an old one and was a path the gold miners took when they went searching for Klondike Gold. We had a slamon bake for luch and trued to redeem ourselves gold panning - still no retiring and then explored Skagway. The town was gorgeous all decorated and had a real goldrush vibe to it. It was a shame we missed the 4th July parade but the town itself was abuzz.

Summer Break Day 5: Juneau

After our relaxing day at Icy Straight Point we then set sail for Juneau. Greg, the boys and I had to disembark early today for a Gold Panning adventure to try and get lots of Klondike gold. Unfortunately we didn't find the biggest gold nugget but we did get a few flakes - looks like we don't get to retire after all.

Back to the boat for some breakfast with Frank and Helen, but they were nowhere to be seen - obviously off shopping - AGAIN.

When we did meet up with them we took the Mt Roberts Tram which goes from near sea level to the mid-point of Mt. Roberts, an 1,800 foot rise that provides sweeping views of downtown and the Gastineau Channel. It was stunning and made our huge cruise ship look like a little boat in a bathtub. We got to explore the midpoint and saw a bald eagle up close and personal, saw a porcupine in a tree and took stroll around to play in the snow. The track was a bit slipery so that was fun too.

Back down the mountain and a wander through the town - cruise ship supported and back on the boat for a lovely dinner in the "fancy resturant" followed my a musician/comedy act which was brilliant. Frank even brought some amgic cards which he tested out his magical skills on the boys. They thought Pop was awesome. The magician did show Pop's good old faithful thumb trick much to his delight - he couldn't wait to tell the other grandkids.

Summer break Day 4: Icy Straight Point

Back on the boat and it was nice to feel warm. Overnight more shows to watch and kids club to play in. So far this has been a rather relaxing holiday - so much to do on a boat. Love that the kids were entertained and Greg, Frank, Helen and myself could kick back at a bar, coffee lounge, casino or duty free shop and relax.
Our next port of call was Icy Straight point. As we arrived there were 2 humpback whales that were bubble feeding close to shore and to the boat. Greg and I had made friends with a naturalist on board the boat and he was able to explain the technique of them feeding to us. So amazing to watch such huge creatures engulf their meals with their mouths wide open. We felt very special to be sharing their space.

There was not a lot to do at Icy Straight point but a few short walking trips. We explored the shoreline and a beautiful forest and then we walked to the small town of Hoonah. It made us realise that in Alaska many of the towns that we stop at are serviced mainly to look after the cruise ships. It was hard to see a town that was on the outskirts of the cruiseship made Icy Straight Point with it's touristy bits to a small community stuggling and needing the dollars. I hope that some of the funds go back into this community. We made a point of buying some lunch there to try to boost the economy a little.

Greg had organised a fishing trip to fish for King Salmon. Only drama was that we were not able to bring any home with us. However, we did get our fill on the boat anyway. He was lucky enough to catch one and also saw an amazing natural wonder of a bald eagle swoop and catch a fish too. To disembark this morning we had to board the safety vessels which lowered down from the ship into the water and to the small dock.

Summer Break - Day 3: Ketchikan

We were all up early this morning as we sailed into our first port of call Ketchikan, Alaska, USA. Straight off the boat and we were whisked away to board a flight over the Misty Fjords on a float plane. Some amazing sights and we were lucky enough to be able to have the mist clear for 10 minutes so that we could land on a mountain lake.

Lucky for us we had the rest of the day to explore Ketchikan so after our flight we headed to the Potlash Totem Park to view some of the historical totem poles that had been salvaged from Ketchikan. Amazing craft work in the carving of these massive trees. Just next door was a Bald Eagle recovery centre and Salmon Hatchery so we checked out those too.

 A rainy day meant that we needed to find some shelter, so what better place than the shops. You can bet that Frank, Greg and the boys were impressed. It was a cold, bitter day even though it was summer but we managed to brave it covered in our thermals, trackies and jackets. We took the "Married Man's Path" - home to past brothels to Creek Street - shops that are basically built on poles above a creek. Lots of little trinket shops to attract the tourists, but interesting all the same.

Santa's place in the North Pole is not too far from Ketchikan and Santa and Mrs Claus like to visit their on their Summer Holidays so we dropped in for a visit with Santa at the Christmas shop. Lucky us.