On to Alaska with the Millers

A number of years ago, I had the privilege of discovering the beauty and wonder of Southeast Alaska, in particular the historic town of Skagway. It was once a booming Gold Rush town, the beginning of many a prospector's journey towards the Yukon gold fields and potential prosperity, and is now a quaint little town of about 800, with the wonders of the Alaskan wilderness quite literally in your backyard. During the summer months, the population swells easily to over 10,000 people every day, as it is now a cruise ship port. The two summers I spent working there are forever etched in my heart, and I have spent a lot of time sharing my experiences and love of Alaska with my husband. So, this summer we decided to become one of the masses that sail through the Inside Passage and cruise to Alaska! We left our little one in the willing and capable hands of Nana and Papa, and spent a week alone together, a first since Jake was born. What an adventure! We visited the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, sailed through Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord, and saw many a tidewater and hanging glacier (it either touches the water or it doesn't, hence the differentiation in terms). We even saw a couple of glaciers calving (huge chunks breaking off the face and falling into the water...it was awesome!) We saw a humpback whale breaching in the water (he did it again and again and again!), bald eagles flying, and a hungry grizzly bear looking for dinner from about 30 feet away! The ship itself was a lot of fun, with evening shows, comedians, a formal evening (tuxedo and all), and, of course, wonderful food. We had halibut, lobster, humongous prawns, and filet mignon, just to name a few. If you asked us what our favorite food onboard was, I would bet both Brian and I would say the pineapple. It was delicioso, even better than the stuff we had in Hawaii on our honeymoon.
All in all, we had a wonderful trip, and I think I won't have to work so hard next time to convince my husband to take another trip to Alaska.

Glacier Bay National Park

Marjorie Glacier

Grizzly Bear in Dyea
Brian tasting glacier water on top of Meade Glacier
Riding the White Pass train with my sister Kristen
Mendenhall Glacier (Juneau)
Totem poles in Ketchikan
the handsome husband