Alaska and Beyond

Saturday, June 23-- one Marble and two Hencks flew from the Burbank airport to Seattle to meet two other Marbles for a 10 day adventure.

Upon arrival in Seattle, the we loaded the suburban (to the gills) and headed north to embark the ship, the Golden Princess. For the duration of the cruise, my parents and I stayed in a mini-suite that had a balcony. As we left Seattle that afternoon, we had a great view of the skyline.

Sunday, June 24-- Our first full-day on the ship was a day at sea. It was a nice day to settle in to cruise life and relax. We watched the movie Man of the Year, the ladies had afternoon tea and we all spent sometime on deck watching the coastline pass by.

Monday, June 25-- Our first port of call was Juneau, the capital of Alaska. We took a bus tour of the city that included a stop at the Mendenhall Glacier. What a beautiful site! We saw two bears (thankfully, in a tree), waterfalls, chunks of ice and even a sign for a Church of the Nazarene. After our tour, we ate lunch at the Red Dog Saloon; definitately an experience we won't soon forget. We finished our day in Juneau with a little shopping then headed back to the ship. Juneau was the only port we experienced "bad" weather-- a little mist that lasted less than a hour.

Tuesday, June 26-- Our next port of call was Skagway, a small town of 800 people. There were four ships in port that day (approx. 8400 visitors), as you might imagine we, the tourists ruled that day. Cruise ships offer a number of excursions at each port. In Skagway, we decided to take a historial train ride along the White Pass/Yukon Route Railroad. "Dawson Dolly" was our guide. She prides herself in being a Christian and having "the largest (gold) nuggets in the Klondike." She was quite the character, but really made the ride memorable. While in Skagway, we also got to pan for gold. Each of us walked away with a few shavings; but not much to brag about.

Wednesday, June 27-- We woke up early to find ourselves in the area of Tracy Fjord. The cruise ship went as far in as it could before turning around and saving us from a Titanic experience. We saw a number of seals and got some amazing pictures along the way. Who knew ice could be so beautiful!

Thursday, June 28-- Today, we docked in the port of Ketchikan. I found it interesting that you can only get to Ketchikan by water or air. There are no roads that lead to this fishing town. We spent sometime walking around the city, then boarded the ship for the late afternoon and evening.

Friday, June 29-- We had almost a full day on ship before docking in the beautiful city of Victoria, British Columbia. We walked from the dock into town and spent time wandering through shops. Mom bought me a beautiful tea cup here too.

Saturday, June 30-- Our seven days of cruising had come to a close and it was time to disembark. Up, bright and early we left the ship and headed for greener pastures known as High Valley. Before heading west, we spent sometime in Seattle strolling around Pike Place Market and visiting the original Starbucks, then we went to Pioneer Square for the Underground Tour. After the tourist activities of Seattle, we took the ferry to Gig Harbor to pick up my aunt, then headed to High Valley. Minutes before arriving at the cabin, we were greeted by over 20 elk.

Sunday, July 1-- The night before, we all decided that the day would begin by sleeping in. What a lovely way to start a day. The rest of the day was spent watching evergreen trees fall (by professionals) on the lot across the street from the cabin, walking the loop and stopping in town for coffee and food.

Monday, July 2-- No trip to the Northwest is complete without a visit to Mount Rainier. Once, we determined the day would be pretty clear, we packed some snacks and headed to Paradise, one of the two observations areas at the base of the mountain. It was absolutely majestic. We spent sometime walking around the visitor's center and even got in the snow.

Tuesday, July 3-- my 28th birthday! We had a relaxing day around the cabin and even went into the big city of Packwood for a coffee break that included a little time on the internet. For dinner, Nana and Gramps, Aunt Jana, the two Hencks and the three Marbles had Alaska salmon, bbq chicken and sides. But, most importantly dessert was comprised of chocolate cake with rainbow chip icing and HOMEMADE ice cream. Ahh-- I love my birthday.

Wednesday, July 4-- Sadly, all good things must come to an end. After a wonderful cruise and visit to Packwood, it was time to return to the land of responsibility, better known as "home." We packed up camp, travelled to Gig Harbor to drop off Aunt Jana, then on to Seattle. We ate at Red Robin, stopped by SouthCenter for a little shopping, then headed to the airport. It was time for one Marble and two Hencks to head back for SoCal. Back to reality!