We concluded the trip with even more great times. Unfortunately, we didn't get to experience the Seward trip with Virginia and Madeline because they had already returned home and we didn't get to spend our last day trip with Rob because he had gone back to work.
Things to notice below...
*Rea lounging in her bed watching a movie...she spent too much time doing that in the evening when she should have been sleeping!
*Great excitement and cheesing over ice cream! I think this was the first time she had her own bowl.
*We hiked Thunder Bird Falls Trail. The weather was perfect...sunny, clear, cool! The landscape was vibrant green and so lush. Just breathtaking! All of us even drank out of the river from the falls.
*You'll notice in a few pics that Jon Mike is working while hiking.
*We visited Rob's base and the hospital. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where he works.
*Rea did lots of coloring and the guys did a lot of Phase 10 playing.
*Jon Mike and I celebrated our 6th anniversary out there! He arranged a really nice night out... delicious dinner and some shopping without Rea. (But I shopped for HER...go figure!) I thought it was hysterical that we got $7.00 in coins from the parking garage.
*Rea LOVED and mastered horizontal escalators on our return from Alaska. The flights were uneventful, once again, and she did great!
The following day we took a 3.5 hour drive south to Resurrection Bay. Dad had planned a lunch and sightseeing boat ride for us. The plan was to see different wildlife, scenery and glaciers. Again, it was a gross day...rainy, overcast, and cold. By this point in the week, Rea was just plain tired....up way too late + up way too early + teeny tiny afternoon naps + different time zone = not so happy baby Rea. This is why you see the pipe in a lot of pictures and I even let her crawl on the ground to make her happy. (Ew!) Overall, it was another fun day...some had more fun than others. We are glad the never ending boat ride is over, but it made for some really good laughs and great memories. (Two of my most favorite things!)
Things to notice in the pictures... *The weather, the camera, and the swaying boat doesn't do the scenery justice. *First few are from the ride down...very different from our ride north. *The waterfalls coming down the mountains were AMAZING! They even pulled the boat right next to one and the mist from it splashed the boat. (SIDE NOTE....I didn't feel the mist because I stayed inside the entire time keeping my little seat warm...too wet and cold out there and I was dealing with a toddler.) *In a few, you can see some kayakers and their campsite. Seriously? How cool would that be to camp is such a place as that?!? (Ok, too cold for me, but still...for the right person, so cool!!!) *As I mentioned on previous posts, the trees are HUGE but the even BIGGER mountains dwarf them. I can't get over how small they look. *The glacier deal....not what I expected. Basically, it's the "snowy" area between these mountains. I learned later that I thought it would resemble an iceberg. *You can also see a few homes literally tucked away in the mountains. Only accessible by boat and I'm sure can only be lived in a few months out of the year. They were tucked so far in there. Amazing! *Wildlife we saw....bald eagles, swimming otters, lots of birds covering huge rocks (lots of dodo too), sea lions chilling on the rocks, some porpoise things (fastest sea animals) and towards the end most people saw some type of whale, but we were so sick of it all, we didn't even get up to see it. *Reagan finally did fall alseep, but then as I mentioned earlier, I let her lay on the ground...the things we do when we are trying to survive. *So mom, dad, and Jon Mike got a bit motion sick....kids and people were puking around us. It was really funny and not so funny at the same time. You know me...I always laugh at inappropriate times and this was one of them!!! :)
Getting to know Eagle River... One component of this trip that made it so fabulous was that we took a day or two to stay around the house and tour nearby. In this collection, you should notice...
*The first picture was taken with an iPhone while the guys were down the street playing aerobie at 10:00PM at night...the sun is out! *Rea waking up from a nap with a fever...she was under weather the rest of the day then the next day was just fine. *Rob took us to an area that provided an overlook of Eagle River. It was neat to spot his subdivision and the surrounding area. Notice the windy river too. We attempted some pics with Rea here and obviously she wanted nothing to do with it. *We then made a short visit to the Eagle River Nature Center...which was "simple", but beautiful. I just loved how green and untouched the grass looked. Very nature-y and I enjoyed it! *Mom did some crafting and beading with Madeline before dinner...which I think was gourmet "grilled cheese" by Virginia. Delicious!
Additional note.....Although I do not have pictures of the food we ate, it was right up there with the other good memories and amazing sites. Some of the VERY best lasagna I've ever had, I tried curry chicken...not bad, not bad...delightful fruit salads, she introduced me to the most precious little pepperonis, and the list continues. I LOVE when people make me delicious meals. Many thanks to Virginia!
*You will also see a lot of passy shots...this was the last hurrah with the pipe. It was demoted to only in bed when we got home.
We spent the weekend in Denali touring Denali National Park. Fun fact... Mt. McKinley (the highest peak in North America) is in Denali. Mom, dad, Rob, Virginia, Madeline, Jon Mike, Rea, and myself piled in the rental van and headed north-ish. Good trip, good conversation, good snacks, but bad flat tire. Once that was resolved, we finished the 4 hour drive. We got to the hotel then went to a local joint for dinner....the Salmon Bake. The kitchen was outside of the restaurant...weird.
Side note...Denali is only opened a few months out of the year and is a tourist destination. Obviously, the weather is too poor the majority of the year to visit the park. A lot of people who work there...restaurants, shops, hotels, etc are either foreign (Russian, Ukrainian, etc), college students, or those that work snow resorts in the winter, etc. People "rough" it there...I mean their hair (lots of it!), clothes, skin, etc. Lots of hair...long hair, facial hair, dirty hair, etc. There are some nice resorts that are managed by cruise lines. So one might go on a 10-day Alaskan cruise then get bussed up to Denali. You would stay at their resort and tour Denali for a bit until they bus you or you take the train to the airport to conclude your trip.
The weather was very dreary...rainy, overcast, cold. (which I'm guessing that is normal to Alaskans) We took a bus tour (in an old school bus) through the park. It is just amazing to think they still use dogs to patrol such a huge park. It was cool to learn the proper moose and bear meeting protocol...moose run behind tree, bear freeze. (There had been a bear sighting in the area where we were walking.) Our pictures below do NOT do it justice....moving bus, some foggy windows, etc. don't help either. Everything is massive! The trees are tall...Christmas tree like, but the huge mountains dwarf them. We saw the Alaska state bird...the willow ptarmigan (in the chicken family). We saw a moose or two on a distant mountain and some beavers and a beaver dam. Side note....OMG. When I was finding the willow ptarmigan link above, I discovered that since our trip they replaced the state bird. It's now a puffin. Boo on that! Who changes their state bird?!?
Additional things to notice in the pics below... *We visited a very nice restaurant with a great view...the Grande Denali Lodge. The waiter, of course, was foreign and horrible. It was so weird and awkward. It was taking so long that I got desperate and broke out the DVD player right at dinner! We also took family pictures to fill the time. *Reagan likes to put her fingers in her ears, then talks or sings so she can hear herself. *The family shot (I'm wearing red) was our view from our hotel. *BLACK BEAR COFFEE HOUSE! Tiny little place, but just my favorite. Great cafe mocha and breakfast sandwiches. We made several visits there over the weekend. Wanted to bring the shop back as my souvenir. *We went back to the park to visit the visitor center, watch a movie and for pictures by the entrance. *On the way back to Eagle River, mom spotted a stinkin' moose just chilling on the side of the road. We quickly turned around and snapped pics like the HUGE (and one local) tourists that we were!
One last note....there are a couple random pictures of me amongst wildlife. I just can't help myself! I see a pretty area and I want a picture of it, but I also think its boring to just take pictures of random grass, rocks, etc. So I throw myself up there because no one else wants to. THEN I make a cheesy face because I'm probably getting made fun of while the picture is being taken.
Way back when, on June 10th, we departed Tampa enroute to Anchorage, Alaska via Houston, Texas and Portland, Oregon. (Is that how you say it?)
As far as I'm concerned, it was totally an uneventful, yet successful beginning. In no time, we were on our WAAAYYYY! I have nothing but positive things to say about all the flights out. (This is probably because I was preparing myself for the worst!) When it came time to board each plane, the parentals and Jon Mike would load the plane with all our luggage (i.e. carry-ons, computer bags, car seat, trolley, etc). Rea and I would hang out in the terminal so she could be "free" for as long as possible. Once we got on, we walked right to the seat, buckled up (RCA is such a pro at this now!!!), got our snacks ready, and took off.
Rea did great with taking off, landing, and turbulence. She would say "whoa, whoa" like it was a ride or something. We did a lot of playing...travel magnet doodle, play-doh, travel aquadoodle pad, snacks, stickers, coloring, more snacks, movies, etc. One of the legs she decided to sleep through it. The legs were perfect for me, just enough time to get off and go to the bathroom (so I didn't have to use the airplane one) and then reload on the grub. We all did a lot of eating just because!
Big whoopty do! We were on the inaugural flight from Portland to Anchorage. Although we were using the same plane (from Houston), we had to unload in Portland and load again. Good news...this allowed us to participate in the celebration that was taking place at the gate. Cake, appetizers, beverages, and OF COURSE, live entertainment! At this point, we were ready to be there!!! Since it was a new flight, it was pretty empty. We each had an empty seat in our row, so Rea had her own seat. Yay! FABULOUS!!!! I drank my beverage and read an entire book on the last leg.
The breathtaking scenery started from the air. It was just amazing to fly in over all the lakes and mountains in the area. Indescribable. Nice airport too.
The first hiccup of the trip happened next...the car seat and trolley didn't make it. Bummer!
While we were straightening things out, Rob took mom and dad to his place. (His car is too small for all of us and we weren't getting the rental until the next day.) We got a loner car seat until they could find ours and then Jon. Rea and I found a bench to hang out on. The others ran into traffic which doubled the time it would have taken them to return. **Keep in mind...at this point, we have been TRAVELING for well over 12 hours and it is now approximately 2:00am Florida time.** We allowed RCA to remove and reorganize every brochure on a nearby tourist information booth while she crawled around on the airport floor and we watched half consciously nearby. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Rob finally made it back and we were heading home to a bed!!! When we arrived at his beautiful home, it was approximately midnight Eagle River time (4:00AM Florida time) and still light out!
Such a long day, but such a GREAT day! Let the vacay begin!!!
