Barb and Jackie DownEast

Massachusetts

The Berkshires (September 6 & 7)

We got off to a great start leaving Lexington at 8:45am.  Our trip over the Blue Water Bridge through Canada was uneventful, but we had to wait in line an hour for customs getting back into the U.S. at Niagara.  Jackie’s written crabby notes about how long it takes to get back in the U.S. from over the Blue Water Bridge.  Now we know it’s not a local problem.

We expected there would be a Visitor Center as we came into New York but no!  Instead they have billboards that list their website.  So… no free New York map.  This was particularly disconcerting for Jackie because she spends time looking at the map as Barb does the driving.  Although it was getting dark, we didn’t want to get caught in Albany traffic the next morning so we continued on to Pittsfield, Massachusetts in the Berkshire Hills for the night.

We ate a late dinner in the bar at the Hilton Garden Inn while discussing Calvin Johnson’s participating on the next generation of “Dancing with the Stars.”  Barb contended that unlike previous contenders Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice, Megatron is not a national star.  Jackie, of course, vehemently disagreed so we had our waitress quiz the folks sitting at the bar.  A couple had heard the name, but didn’t know who he was.  However, when we stopped by the desk to ask a question on the way back to the room, I asked a fellow who was standing there.  He not only knew who Calvin Johnson is, he knew how tall he was, why he stopped playing football, etc.  So, it was a tie (in Jackie’s mind anyway!).

The next morning we took off for Lenox which was only a few miles away.  Jackie had worked at the Curtis Hotel between her junior and senior year of college.  The Curtis is still there, but now it is for senior living (figures!) with a couple of businesses on the first floor.  We were able to get in to look around and it was still quite lovely.

Lenox is still small in population, but has many more shops and restaurants than it did 48 years ago. As Jackie came out of a coffee shop, she thought she saw Jake Gyllenhaal walk in.  He was carrying a small laptop so she didn’t think it was him.  However, an hour later she was kicking herself for not going back in… especially when she read he’d been shooting a movie in Massachusetts the previous spring

Our next stop was a couple of miles down the hill to the Tanglewood Music Center.  The season has ended, but the Boston Symphony still performs there during the summer, and many symphony members hold workshops there.

Next, we headed to Stockbridge which is known for the Red Lion Inn, Arlo Gutherie, and James Taylor.  What we didn’t know is it is also home to the Norman Rockwell Museum.  (He lived there during the latter part of his life.)  We spent a couple of hours using an audio tour guide and attending a lecture to learn about his life and art. We admired his iconic paintings and over 300 covers he created for the Saturday Evening Post.  Appreciating his attention to detail in his illustrations and his commentary on social issues that he expressed through his painting, we agreed this is our favorite kind of art.

On our way to Boston, we stopped in Lee, which appeared quite pretty the previous evening. During the day, it’s not so nice. Not worth a stop.

Boston (August 7-10)

Travel and Lodging

Our drive wasn’t too scary because it took us through Cambridge rather than the middle of the city.  We were welcomed at the Bowers House Bed and Breakfast by a very friendly lady who could not speak English.  The owner Steve was shopping, but arrived a short while later and gave us much information about using the T (subway), restaurants to try, and places to visit.  Chris, Steve’s wife gave us lots more information at breakfast.  She moved here from Beijing about twenty years to earn her master’s at Northwestern.

Close to the Davis Square Station which takes you right into the thick of things in Boston, the B&B is well-located.  However, the owners don’t do a good job registering people.  We happened to have stopped off when a couple from England arrived to register.  Neither Steve nor Chris was around.  The couple did not have a phone.  We called the owners and left a message.  When they called back, we learned they had sent the couple an email about checking in, but the couple did not have email access in the US so had never received it.

Our plan was not to drive in Boston.  Travel is easy on the T (subway).  We figured our best bet was to purchase a 7 day pass for $21.  We only needed it for four days, but would use at least twice a day and it cost $2.75 per ride.   The T worked well.  It was clean and efficient – we never had more than a five-minute wait. When we left, we gave our passes to that young couple from England.

The City Hop on-Hop off Trolley tour was a great way to get a sense of the Boston.  This narrated tour took us through the Freedom Trail, by the Convention Center, the Financial District, and across the river to where the USS Constitution is moored.  Our driver warned that the roads are like spaghetti.  He was right. Like Lexington, Boston has water on the east, but also on the north and south.  More than once while walking the Freedom Trail, we tripled our trip from one destination to the next.  But… the city is interesting so it didn’t matter.

Food and Beverages

A great variety of food is available in Boston.

Harvard Square – South of the Border – very good Mexican and Cajun food.

By the waterfront – At Tia’s  (which is about three blocks from Quincy Market), we shared Seafood Fra Diavolo, a delicious seafood medley.

Somerville – The Diesel Café has good sandwiches and an industrial atmosphere with bikes hanging on the wall, an old gas pump, etc.

Freedom Trail – We happened upon the oldest taverns in Boston – Ye Old Union Oyster House, Bell in Hand Tavern, and Green Dragon Tavern and quenched our thirst at the latter which dates back to 1654 and was a favorite of Paul Revere.  A reproduction of the Cheers Bar was added to Quincy Market in 2001.  What a nice find—we drank a beer and toasted Norm.

Universities

Boston is known for its many universities.  We visited both Harvard and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).  Harvard has many lovely old buildings. MIT has several modern and quirky buildings.  Quite a contrast to Harvard!

Freedom Trail

Using an audio tour guide we downloaded on our cell phones, we walked the Freedom Trail.  Seeing the places we learned so about in school brings history to life.

We visited the three museum sites: the Old South Meeting House, Old State House and the Paul Revere House.  At the Old South Meeting House, we heard how five thousand people gathered there in protest of British rule, and it was there Samuel Adams gave the signal to dump the tea into the Boston Harbor.

The Boston Massacre took place right outside the Old State House (pictured here), and the Declaration of Independence was read from its balcony.  Much to learn about here so we attended three lectures: one about the building and the many changes that have taken place in it over time, another about the massacre, and a third was a character lecture – a cooper from 1766.  The Old State House was the center of activity for the Boston colonists.  In 1768, when the legislature refused to stop protesting the British taxes, the British officials dissolved the legislature and instead sent in troops.

The Paul Revere House impressed us because so many of the furnishings are original.  Paul Revere and his first wife had eight children.  After she died, he remarried and had eight more children with his second wife.  Revere outlived most of his children.

Street Entertainers often perform by Faneuil Hall.  They make it clear that their sole source of income is what they receive from their audience and suggest $5.  They were good; it was worth it.

Kilted Colin was our favorite.  As he juggled and played the bagpipes he kept us in stitches.  See how he culminated his act by riding a unicycle – still playing the bagpipes.

We loved the Freedom Trail and spent MANY, many hours exploring it.

Harbor Tour

The Harbor Tour was free with our City Hop on-Hop off Tour.  It was nice seeing Boston from a different perspective.  (Besides… we like boats.)

We met a couple from Australia who had nothing good to say about Trump.  We learned that it is compulsory to vote, even in local elections, in Australia.  If you don’t vote, you are fined.

Afterwards we meandered through little Italy because it is charming and has many restaurants.  Because it looked so Italian, had big open windows and a hostess who spoke very little English, we chose Quattro. We made a reservation, wandered about a bit more, and came back for Brick Oven baked Exotic Mushroom Pizza.

 Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

We spent five hours at the Kennedy Library.
What an amazing place!  It brings back fond memories, sad times, and reminds us of what politics could be.  We spent part of our time on a tour, but most of it watching videos and viewing artifacts from John Kennedy’s life (including his first sailboat), election and presidency.

A mock-up of the rooms in the White House included a video of the TV show that Jackie did showing the renovation to the White House. Jackie remembered it, but Barb was too young.

Videos of Kennedy’s press conferences were particularly interesting.  He was adept at interacting with reporters.

The Library didn’t slide over his blunder with the Bay of Pigs, but they emphasized that he learned from it.

Watching the debates between Kennedy and Nixon and their TV ads and seeing their campaign materials made us even more upset with what’s occurring today with politics.

 Salem, Massachusetts (Sept 11)

Salem is primarily known for witchcraft and the witch trials but it’s also a pretty town.  Barb was pleased to find a statue of Samantha from “Bewitched,” one of her favorite TV shows.

We took a trolley tour that took us by many witchcraft sites as well as other literary sites in Salem.  Our tour guide, a theater major reminded us of Jim Carrey. He said the witch trial part of Salem’s history was downplayed until they realized they could make money if it became a tourist attraction.

A stickwork display caught our interest because it was created by the same artist who created the one in Vero Beach at the McKee Botanical Garden. 

 Portsmouth, New Hampshire (Sept 11)

Another lovely town.  We were particularly interested in the homes that were built in the 1600-1700’s.  After exploring the town a bit, we went to the historic district of the old homes.  We didn’t have enough time (recommended two hours) to visit Strawberry Banck which has 39 restored homes, but would have been worth seeing.

Maine

As the crow flies, Maine has 293 miles of coast; however, if you stretch out the jagged coves, jetties, etc., the coast exceeds 4,500 miles.  Most of it is rocky, however, so there are only about 5 miles of sandy beach.  Maine is only second to Michigan for its number of light houses.

York, Maine (Sept 11)

We stayed with our friend, Marge O’Malley, who we met in Florida a couple of years ago.  Her charming home is close to the water.  After winding down with a glass of wine we enjoyed a nice dinner at Fogarty’s in S. Berwick.

On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Barb and I were in York, England.  On this, the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, Barb and I are in York, Maine.

Walking distance from Marge’s home, the Nubble Light House sits just across a channel from York’s Sohier Park.  What a lovely light house!

Ogunquit (September 12)

There are three parts of Ogunquit – Perkin’s Cove, the town, and the Marginal Way.  With 3-1/2 miles of beach, it’s rated in the top 25 beaches in the U.S.

Perkin’s Cove is a fishing village with quaint shops and restaurants and a wooden foot bridge that is drawbridge to let the larger boats through.

The town is charming with its specialty shops, restaurants, and playhouse.  

The Marginal Way is a paved path that meanders from Perkin’s Cove to Ogunquit Beach.  With its breathtaking views of the rocky coast, we stopped many, many times to take pictures.

Kennebunkport (September 12)

After eating delicious lobster rolls at the bar at Allison’s we stopped at a couple shops before heading out to take photos of the Bush Compound, which is located on a peninsula.  Their house is beautiful.  Although we saw some “comings and goings,” we never spotted one of the Bushes.

Portland (Sept. 13)

The drive from York to Portland was fairly straight and took only an hour.  We immediately went to Old Port and booked the Portland Discovery Land & Sea Tour.  The land tour was via a trolley and went to the various sections of Portland, including a half hour at the Portland Head Light at Fort Williams, which is Maine’s oldest lighthouse. Portland reminds us of Anchorage due to its lack of skyscrapers.

After our trolley tour, we roamed around Old Port, got an ice cream and then went on the “sea” part of the tour which took us into Casco Bay.

There are so many islands in the bay, they are sometimes called the calendar islands because you could visit a different one every day of the year (Exaggeration!).  We went by several light houses, including Little Bug Lighthouse, Portland Head Light, and Whaleback Lighthouse.  This picture is of the Portland Head Light.

Once docked, we walked around a bit before going to dinner at the Old Seaport.  It’s right in a working dock area and we spotted a seal.  We had to crack the lobster we ordered for dinner. Fortunately, our waitress was nice and she showed us how.  Not a pleasant sight!

Parking is expensive in Portland – $40 a day.

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn near the Maine Mall.  We planned to stay there for two nights, but decided we had seen enough of Portland so we canceled our reservation for the following night.

Freeport (Sept. 14)

LL Bean is the big show in Freeport.  We visited three of their five stores:  flagship, outlet and home, but skipped the Boat & Ski store and Hunting and Fishing store.  They are located at the prettiest outlet mall we have ever seen.

Brunswick (Sept. 14)

Our next stop was Brunswick, where Bowdoin College is located.  We were interested for three reasons:

• We like pretty campuses.
• It’s rated the sixth best liberal arts college in the U.S.
• Both Longfellow and Hawthorne graduated from there.

It lived up to our expectations.

Bath (Sept. 14)

Bath has been a ship building center since the early 1600’s.  Bath Ironworks is HUGE and it needs to be; they build nuclear naval vessels and large merchant ships.

We focused on the Maine Maritime Museum, which is located on a 19^th century shipyard where large wooden sailing ships were built.  The highlight is a life-sized sculpture of the Wyoming, the largest wooden ship built in the United States.

Look closely to get a sense of the size.  Jackie is standing by the fifth flag.

We spent three hours touring their five original buildings.  Through photographs, videos, and artifacts they demonstrate the process used to build the schooners.  Although the sawdust made Jackie sneeze, it was worth it because it made it more real.  Their exhibit on lobster fishing gave us great insight into the process of catching what we were eating.

Although traffic has been light, we found that between the curvy roads, hills, and hidden driveways it takes at least twice as long to get anywhere.  If the distance is 20 miles, plan 40 – 60 minutes to get there.  Since the scenery is interesting, no problem!

Boothbay (Sept. 14 – Sept. 16)

A footbridge connects the two sides of Boothbay Harbor.  One side is sedate with several inns, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, galleries and homes while the other bustles with the harbor, shops, and more restaurants, galleries, and lodging.  After checking into the Rocktide Inn, we headed across the foot bridge to the busier side of this fishing village.  We investigated various boat tours and learned the whale watching season was about done.

Our day ended at the Lobster Dock eating delicious lobster rolls while enchanted by a beautiful sunset.

The next morning we set out to the lovely Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  Although many flowers were past blooming, there was still much of interest as many plants were identified.

Trails lead to the various gardens; we especially enjoyed the Children’s Section where many flowers were still blooming, and there were many descriptions of the various plants. 

Next, we set out for Southport Island where there were many pretty views.  Jackie focused on the house right across the water because it had belonged to Margaret Hamilton (Mrs. Gulch/ Wicked Witch of the West).

We returned to Boothbay Harbor, got settled in our bed & breakfast, the Atlantic Ark Inn and then crossed the foot bridge to explore more of the village, and book a ride on a schooner for the next afternoon.  We finished the day eating scallops at the Lobster Dock.

Our bed and breakfast is quite formal.  A three-course breakfast is served at 9 AM sharp.  It was delicious, and it is beneficial to hear from other travelers, but it was a bit late for us; we prefer to be gone by 9 AM.

This morning we visited Wiscasset, a cute town with a harbor and nice shops.  Their claim to fame is Reds Eats, a lobster pound where folks line up by 10:30 AM – much too early for lobster for us!

Then, we took a lovely ride to Ocean Point in East Boothbay.  The photograph is of the smooth rocks we walked on before returning to Boothbay Harbor.

After devouring a cone from the Downeast Ice Cream shop for lunch, we boarded the Eastwind Schooner for a two-hour cruise.  We scheduled it for when there would be plenty of wind so the sails would be up and the boat would move at a quick pace.

There were about twenty passengers.  We chose the port side because it is supposed to have the best views.  Maybe, but with the wind the schooner leaned on its side.  The mate told us to sit on the floor with our feet against the edge.  We complied, but that meant that for over an hour our view was mostly of water.  We heard stories about the area and what the folks on the starboard side were seeing, and the boat tilted back in time for us to see the lobster traps.

Then, we headed to Shannon’s (lobster pound) because of their wonderful reviews; however, the sign said they were sold out.  So, we went to Kaler’s where Jackie enjoyed delicious crab and shrimp cakes.

Damariscotta (Sept. 17)

The next morning it took only about 35 minutes to get to Damariscotta, which is quite pretty.  Reny’s, a family owned business has 16 stores scattered around Maine, but their original store is like a step back in time.

Pemaquid Light House (Sept. 17)

Our next venture was about 45 minutes away to Bristol and the Pemaquid Light House.  First built in 1827, it crumbled because salt water had been used in the mortar.  It was rebuilt eight years later with only fresh water used.  The old light house keeper’s quarters is now a museum.

Rockland (Sept. 17)

We took the scenic route (75 minutes) to Rockland we looked around their Visitor Center and headed to the breakwall, which is almost a mile long and goes out in the middle of the harbor.  It was windy and the walkway is made of uneven granite segments so we passed it up  and headed to Camden.

Camden (Sept. 17-19)

Our lodging, Inns at Blackberry Commons in Camden was delightful.  After garnering all sorts of information from the owner Jim, we walked a few blocks into town. The name “Camden” conjures up New Jersey industry, but it’s anything but.  What a wonderful city!  The shops and restaurants are nestled along the harbor with Mount Battie as a backdrop. We watched the sun set over the harbor while having dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant.

From 8 to 9:30 AM at the Inn, girls from Slovenia serve a gourmet breakfast.  It included such items as “Spiced Baked Pears with crème fraiche” which Jackie loved, but Barb… not so much.

Although the weather was cloudy with rain predicted, after church we went up to Mt. Battie in the state park to catch breath-taking views of the city, harbor, and Penobscot Bay. The overcast sky wasn’t conducive for viewing so we went back to the city and meandered around the shops, then went back when it brightened up.

We smiled at the crossing signs on the streets and obeyed them

In the evening, we chose Peter Ott’s on the Water for another nice dinner and more beautiful sunset views.

Bucksport (Sept. 19)

We headed out in drizzle and overcast skies to stop in Belfast on our way to Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Observatory by Bucksport.  Of course, Fort Knox is not the Fort Knox, but it is a fun place to visit.

Jackie, of course, had to have her picture taken by an Amish buggy disguised as an ambulance.

Fort Knox was never much of a fort.  Maine was involved in many disputes during the American Revolution and the War of 1812 so it was established in 1844 to protect the Penobscot River valley against possible future British naval attacks.  The attacks ceased, the fort was only used for training, and it maintains many original features. 

Since the drizzle continued, we skipped the Penobscot Narrows bridge observatory, the tallest public bridge observatory in the world.   We did get an interesting view of Bucksport across the narrows from the fort. It was a worthwhile stop.

Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park (Sept. 19 to 22)

In the afternoon, we arrived at the Coach Stop Inn, which was built in 1804 and has remained an inn ever since.  The wide plank floors and Quaker décor reminded us it is old, but there are plenty of electric outlets and good Internet reception.

The Inn is well located… four miles to Acadia National Park’s main visitor center and four more miles to Bar Harbor’s town center.  We spent our first evening checking out the town. There are many, many stores… plenty of funny magnets.

Fog rolled in the next morning, but was predicted to clear later and become partly sunny.  After a delicious gourmet breakfast, we headed to the Acadia N.P. Visitor Center to acclimate ourselves.  We had purchased a $25 parking pass online before we arrived.  A ranger gave us a map of the park and the routes of the free Explorer shuttle buses.

We had booked a tour on Lulu’s Lobster boat for the following day, but changed it to today.  After investigating more of the town and eating ice cream for lunch, we caught the 1 pm tour.  We made the right decision.  Although less dense, it was still foggy. We loved this tour! It was fun to be on a boat, but the best part was Captain John, a knowledgeable and great speaker. In addition to learning about lobsters and lobster trapping, we learned about light houses and other marine life.

We also spotted marine life – seals!

The weather cleared.  After an early dinner at Stewman’s Downtown Lobster Pound, we went to an area that appeared to be a good spot to watch a sunset… and it was… complete with kayakers coming in on one side and low tide on the other for us to stand on.  What a perfect way to end our day!

It was clear the next morning as we headed out to Acadia N.P. We used the free Explorer Shuttle Bus, rather than our car for transportation which was fortunate; at our first stop – Bubble Pond, the parking lot was roped off – NO PARKING.  Bubble Pond is peaceful and serene. 

We found one of the seventeen carriage road bridges that our friends, Mike and  Jamie, had told us about.  John D. Rockefeller and family financed 47 miles of carriage roads so persons could walk or ride on horses, bikes, or in carriages on motor free byways and have beautiful views in park

Our next stop was Jordan Pond. Mountains in the background and stones it the water make it a perfect place to wander.  We returned to their outdoor restaurant to devour one of their famous popovers.

We grabbed the shuttle bus to Thunder Hole.  When the weather is windy with a storm brewing, waves smack against the rocks and come up through the hole making lots of racket.  The day was beautiful so there was little action.

We hiked down to Sand Beach and then took the shuttle back to Jordan Pond for a late lunch and another walk before shuttling back to the Visitor Center.

We drove back up Mt. Cadillac to catch the sunset.  Since the sun was to set at 6:33 pm, in order to get a good spot on the Blue Hill Overlook we planned to be up there by 5:15 PM.  

Our plan worked; both the sunset and “after sunset” were amazing.

The next day we checked out of the Coach Inn and at noon caught a three-hour boat tour through Acadia NP, Northeast Harbor, Sea harbor, the village of Southwest Harbor, and the Somes Sound into a fjard (a small fjord). The boat was small – it held about 18 passengers.

Riding by vertical cliffs viewing the park from the water gave us a different perspective of it.  We spotted harbor seals, a bald eagle, and osprey.

Then, we took off for Schoodic Point which is down the east peninsula of Acadia NP.  It took nearly an hour and a half to get there, but was worth it.  The shoreline consists of exposed and weathered red granite that varies from 10 to 100 feet in width from the ocean to the beginning of where the plants are.  Barb traipsed all over the rocks.

We had done very little planning for Quebec and Montreal because that part of our trip was weather dependent.  Much to our delight the weather cooperated so that evening we headed north and singing on the way to “Destination: Bangor, Maine” for the night.

Quebec City (Sept. 23& 24)

Going north through Canada, the color got more vivid.  We got an early start, booked a room on the way, and by 2:30 PM we arrived at the Hotel Palace Royal, located a couple blocks outside the walled Old Quebec City.  The Hop On-Hop Off bus tour ended at 5 PM, so we saved it for the next day.

We roamed the upper Ville, spent time at the impressive Chateau Frontenac and then listened to a jazz band at the Alexander Pub.

The next morning we got an excellent overview of the city from the upper deck of the Hop on-Hop off bus.  We rode by many historic sites, Plains of Abraham and the Citadel of Quebec.   We should have taken it the previous day because we discovered the Quartier Petit Champlain, the lower ville (city). It reminded Jackie of her favorite part of Europe.

Meandering through the narrow streets, we admired the beautiful architecture.  So mesmerized was Jackie by the frescoes that she joined one of them.  After sharing a crepe at restaurant in the lower ville looking over one of the picturesque streets, we walked in the Old Port along the St. Lawrence River. 

We headed back to the upper ville strolling around Rue St. Jean, Parliament Hill, and above the city on the fortification.

Neither of us speaks French, other than “Merci” and the like so we wondered how we’d be treated. We had heard that many people speak English, but pretend not to.  We found everyone helpful and friendly.

We reluctantly left at 3 PM for Montreal and stayed in a suburb at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Montreal (Sept. 25)

Construction!  Montreal is fixing its highways and cobblestone streets.  What a mess!

We arrived at Old Montreal by 9 AM quickly noticed some distinctions between Old Montreal and Old Quebec City.  The architecture is more like the upper ville in Quebec City and there wasn’t a section like the old ville.  Montreal is dirtier and more homeless people are visible in doorways and on benches, however it is still pretty.

Our plan was to attend the 11 AM Mass at the Basilica of Notre Dame because that was when the choir was singing.  We quickly noticed that something was going on in the old city… a race with 34,000 participants so many streets were closed and it was difficult to navigate.  Nonetheless, we were able to get a flavor of the city – especially enjoying the waterfront and the cobble-stoned Saint Paul Street.

The Basilica is beautiful.  Although the Mass was in French, they provided a hand out with the English translation of the readings.  The priest was animated… wish we could have understood what he said.  Soon after the service we headed toward home.

We stayed in Mississauga, west of Toronto for the night and arrived home the next afternoon.

Wonderful trip!

Alaska – Summer 2015

Alaska Trip Blog – Summer 2015

If you click on the words that are in aqua font, it should take you to the website.  If you want to see the picture in a giant size, click on it.  Then, to get back to the blog, just use the back arrow on the top left.

Flint to Seward (Monday, June 29)

We left the Hampton Inn at 4:10 AM to catch our flight from Flint at 5:40 AM.  It took about eleven hours; eight in the air and a three-hour layover in Chicago.

At 1 PM (5PM EST) we arrived in Anchorage, then picked up our luggage and rental car, and headed south to Seward.  Renting a car was expensive $638 for twelve days, and we worked hard to get it that low.  It was over $900 on most sites.

We depended on the Milepost, a travel guide that logs the Alaska Highway system with everything from scenic outlooks to road difficulties.  Barb did all driving while I kept busy checking out which scenic places to stop.   We were a bit anxious due to many signs that said “Ending Avalanche Zone,” but never a sign warning one was beginning.

It’s less than a three-hour drive, but we stopped many times along the way to check out the scenery so it took us longer.  The weather was overcast and a bit drizzly at times , but varied enough that we could see the tops of the mountains.   Alaska looks like we imagined it would look.

We arrived at Sourdough Sunrise B&B at about 6 PM.  A sign at the entrance welcomed us.  There are three rooms.  It is nice; it has a “lodge” look but all the modern amenities.  Oh, wait, NO Wi-Fi!

After checking out the town, we ate dinner at the Seward Brewery.  It was only 8:30 PM when we arrived back at our B&B, but we went to bed early in order acclimate ourselves to Alaska time.

Seward (Tuesday, June 30)

Breakfast was great!  Sourdough pancakes, strawberries, COFFEE!

It was overcast and drizzly so we decided on indoor activities.  Our first stop was the Alaska Sea life Center, an aquarium and marine life rescue center on the shores of Resurrection Bay.  The displays are both indoors and out, and many are interactive.

We especially liked watching the puffin.

This was our first introduction to the devastation caused by the 9.2 earthquake in 1964, which proved to be a theme repeated throughout the Kenai Peninsula.

Then on to the Seward Museum and Library, which houses the highlights of Seward’s history, presented in photographs, artifacts and documents from the first Native inhabitants to the 1964 earthquake and tsunami, up to modern times.

We spent a couple of hours looking through the shops and eating ice cream (of course), then went to the Kenai Fjord’s Tour Center to get the details on the following day’s excursion in the Kenai Fjords.

Next we drove eight miles to the entrance to the Exit Glacier.  It is so-named because it’s the last Glacier before exiting the Kenai National Park.  It was about a mile walk back to the glacier… rocky.  Was it ever eye-opening!  Markers showed where the glacier was in 1917, 1926, 1951, and 1998.  Since 1917, it’s receded about a mile… sure supported our belief that there is global warming.

Our last stop was The Salmon Bake Restaurant which was only a half mile from our B&B.  We didn’t walk… not because it’s dark…it doesn’t get dark… but because of bears.  What fun!  It prides itself for serving “cheap beer and lousy food.”  Both are false; the beer is NOT cheap, and the food is delicious.

Many young people from the 48 contiguous states work in Seward in the summer.  They say it’s a great place to work, and we can believe it!

Kenai Fjords (Wednesday, July 1)

Amazing day!  We took the 9 hour Kenai Fjord tour up to Northwestern Fjord.  Our boat held about 140 passengers and had two decks.  We sat on the upper deck across from two sisters (Doris and Dorothy) who were originally from Juneau and are very well-travelled.  We are meeting them for dinner on Saturday in Homer.

Our day was wonderful. We saw and heard tidewater glaciers calving.

These glaciers terminate abruptly at the ocean interface, with large pieces of the glacier fracturing and separating, or calving from the ice front as icebergs.

We also saw orca and humpback whales, Dall sheep, porpoises, sea otters, puffins, and had the best captain ever.  Captain Mark Linstrom was a great narrator and stopped often.

Orca and humpback whales played together right near our boat.  They tell us that this is unusual…we stayed there an hour.  Perfect!

We had dinner at Ray’s Waterfront Restaurant, which overlooks the bay.  We had window seats, good food… a great ending to our day!

Seward to Kenai (Thursday, July 2)

Overcast and drizzly at times.  We drove about 45 minutes to the entrance to the Russian Falls to hopefully see bears catching salmon.  It was a 2.3 mile walk in… easy walk…small hills… and we made noise because we didn’t want to encounter a bear on the way to the falls.  We watched for over 1.5 hours and saw salmon jumping, but no bears.

We met a family that comes every year.  We were on a platform, but they go right down by the river. They always see bear, but they wait all day until they do.

Then we drove on to Soldotna which is only about ten miles from Kenai.  It wasn’t a pretty drive; the terrain had flatted out.  We stopped at the Visitor Center…not much in Soldotna.  Then, on to Kenai– stopped at the Visitor Center…not much in Kenai either, but they suggested the Cook Inlet has a nice beach.  We got all the info we could because we were booked for two nights at the Grouchy Old Woman B&B which was 19 miles north of Kenai.

It was too early for dinner so we grabbed take-out and a bottle of wine at the grocery store to save for the evening.  We drove north of our B&B to the Captain Cook Inlet, but the beach was narrow and rocky.  (Later, we found out that was because the tide was in.)  Then, we checked into our B&B.  The proprietor, Sharon was delightful. She suggested we check out Nikiski beach to watch people fish, which we did.  Oil companies explore and produce crude oil and natural gas there, too.

We spent the evening talking with Sharon and a gentleman who flies small planes and was staying there (sharing the bathroom with us!)  Sharon was a nurse and worked several places in Alaska.  Her B&B is on a lake, and she has wonderful artifacts.  After her husband died 17 years ago, relatives kept coming for long visits so instead she decided to open a B&B.  She knew she was being grouchy so that’s what she named it.  I told her I was surprised how far away it is from everything.  She said she tries to warn people about that when she talks to them.  (Our correspondence had all been by email—no talking.)

Kenai to Homer (Friday, July 3)

Barb and I both goofed.  She picked Kenai and I picked the B&B to stay for two nights.  Kenai is is not very pretty, there isn’t much to do unless you fish or hunt, and the B&B is in the middle of nowhere.  We were determined to make the best of it and do whatever we could find to do.

We drove back to Soldotna and spent an hour at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which is interactive and very nice.  Next, we drove back to Kenai to visit the Russian Orthodox Church and go on the walking tour.  We had done everything, but walk on the Kenai beach and it wasn’t even noon.

We decided to try to secure lodging in Homer and spend more time there instead… and to pay Sharon for the room.  We called Manfred at Room with a View; our room was available.  Yeah!  When we got back to our B&B we told her that we were sorry, but we had run out things to do.  She laughed and said she understood completely.  We were pleasantly surprised that she only charged us for one night.

The terrain on our drive to Homer continued to be quite flat until we got near Ninilchik, the oldest settlement on the Kenai Peninsula.  We visited the Russian Orthodox Church and cemetery which are up on a steep hill.  The church wasn’t open, but the cemetery was unique with many crosses with wreaths and wildflowers throughout.  Until the road was built ten years ago, people had to walk up there.  Imagine a wedding party or funeral procession traipsing up the hill!

Our next stop was Anchor Point, the farthest western spot on a highway in the US.  After taking Barb’s picture at the sign designating this feat, we watched tractors pull boats and trailers up and down the hill to the water.  Fishing is a huge industry here, and the ground was too soft for pick-ups to get them up and down.  It was fun to watch.

Soon we were seeing beautiful mountains in the distance.  We arrived at Homer at about 4pm and stopped at the Visitor’s Center, and decided to cross the bridge to the Homer Spit.  The spit is a 4.5-mile long piece of land that juts out into Kachemak Bay.  It has the longest road going into the ocean in the entire world.  There large harbor (which serves up to 1500 commercial and pleasure boats at the summer peak) and many shops and restaurants.

We spent some time on the spit, but it was sunny so we went back to the mainland to take pictures of the spit and the mountains from the bluff.  While circling up to the top of the bluff, we noticed the street sign for Rosebud Lane where our B&B was located.  WOW!  We only took a couple more turns to get to the top of the bluff to get a view of the whole area.  Homer is breath-taking.

Then, we checked into our B&B.  It is named well… Room with a View.  The B&B is charming, and the view is priceless.  We took this photo from our room.

Our room, the moose room, was decorated impeccably.  Manfred runs the B&B.  His wife died 1-1/2 years ago.  She decorated it, and he hasn’t changed it… nor should he.  Manfred is German and had a retail business in Oregon before they moved to Homer 16 years ago.  He is a wonderful host, and we love Homer!

Homer (Saturday, July 4)

Independence Day!  Since it never gets dark, we don’t expect to see many fireworks.

It is overcast and rainy so we did laundry at the Washboard.  Quite a set-up!  They even have an espresso bar.

Then, we visited the Pratt Museum.  It isn’t large, but they make great use of space by placing drawers with displays under the display cases.  It is interactive, and we learned much about Alaska.

We also visited the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center.  It was also interactive and they made good use of space there, as well.

We attended Mass at St. John the Baptist.  There was a large window behind the altar so the bay and mountains could be seen.  Afterwards, we met our new friends Doris and Dorothy at Captain Patties for good food and good conversation.  A  nice view once again of the bay and mountains.  Dorothy goes back to Tulsa in a few days, but Doris lives in Juneau so we plan to meet her for lunch in a few days.

Manfred continually commented about how they got no rain.  We were amused; it drizzled most of the time we were there but he didn’t count that as rain!

Homer and Seldovia (Sunday, July 5)

We took a 45 minute ferry ride to Seldovia.  It is expensive $80/roundtrip, but luckily we had a 2 for 1 coupon

We were disappointed.  It is a boardwalk village that was destroyed by the 1964 earthquake that has been rebuilt, but there isn’t much.  First, we checked out the Visitor Center.  This town advertises itself as very friendly, but you couldn’t tell that from the gal who was running it.  She could hardly be bothered by tourists.

We hiked up the Rocky Ridge Trail. The weather was overcast and drizzly; the trail was up and down over ruts and muddy.  Much to our chagrin, rather than circling back to town, we had to walk back the same way we went.

After a well-deserved beer and lunch, we checked out the shops.  They weren’t really shops, rather counters in coffee shops.  We strolled over to the historic part, which isn’t much.  Their sole store was closed so went to the slough and watched people fish.

On a positive note… we sat across from a woman and her 11 year old son on the ferry ride back.  She was raised in Seldovia, but moved to Ninilchik because there are more opportunities for experiences, including sports for her son.  Seldovia has about 9 students per grade level while Ninilchik has 17.  We can’t figure out why people live in Seldovia.  It used to have canneries, but no more.  If you buy something there, it is REALLY expensive:  $13 for a bottle of Suave shampoo.

We got back to Homer at about 5:15 PM.  It was still drizzling so we went back to our B&B.  After about an hour, the drizzling abated and we headed back to the Salty Dawg Saloon on the Spit.  Barb’s friend Pat, who was married in Homer 16 years ago told us NOT to miss the Salty Dawg.  She was right–fun—a good atmosphere.

Most, but not all of today was a wash-out.  We highly recommend Homer — but NOT Seldovia.

Homer to Anchorage (Monday, July 6)

After saying good-bye to Manfred, we set off toward Anchorage, which is about five hours away without stops.  But, our first stop was at the Fred Meyer store in Soldotna because in the summer, it does more business than any other Fred Meyer store in the world.  It is huge.

Then, as we got further along the Sterling Highway, since it was only a couple of miles off the road, we stopped at the Kenai Princess Lodge.  Kathy, Jeff, Gurin, Grace, Sue, and Chuck will be staying there later in the week.  Not only is it lovely, the prices are similar to what they are throughout Alaska.  Some people are on the escorted Princess tour so their meals are included; others are unescorted and must pay.  Since they are out in the middle of nowhere, Princess could easily gouge them with their prices, but they don’t.

Our final stop was at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage where they care for injured animals.  It is a drive-through, stop & look place.  We thought it would be a more natural setting than it was.  Our favorites were the bears and the baby moose.

We arrived at the Walk about Town B&B at about four.  It is rather strange.  Our room was in the basement and musty.  We got settled, then “walked about town.”  It is only 16 blocks from the waterfront, the weather was about 70, but drizzly.  In Anchorage, the only skyscrapers are the mountains.

We stopped at a store that sold Russian goods which had a large sign with Sarah Palin pointing and saying, “I can see Russia from here”!

Then, we ate pizza at the Fat Ptarmigan, which is named after Alaska’s state bird.  We walked around Anchorage just a little bit more because the drizzle was growing up to be rain.

Anchorage to Talkeetna (Tuesday, July 7)

Our first stop was the Iditarod Sled Dog Trail Museum in Wasilla.  We watched a movie about caring for the dogs and the Iditarod.  They stressed over, and over, and over that the dogs LIKE to run…they don’t MAKE them run.  They repeated it so many times in so many different ways, they sounded defensive.

Then, we took a ride on the dog sled trail.  One of the guys asked where were from.  I said, “Lexington, Michigan, on Lake Huron, north of Port Huron.”  Turns out he is from Yale and is the nephew of Madeline Parrish, who worked at the ISD, and whose daughter-in-law teaches at Frostick. 

The ride was fun; then we got to meet the puppies. Barb got to hold one.

Between Wasilla to Willow, we encountered six miles of trees on the side of the road that had been burnt by the one or more of the 300 plus fires that have plagued Alaska this summer.  A fire truck and a couple official looking cars were parked on the side of the road while a helicopter circled overhead.  Along the way, we noticed several home-made signs that said, “Thank you, Firefighters.”

We arrived in Talkeetna at about 11:30.  Since the weather was fine, we walked to where three rivers meet.  The currents come in every which way so it looks funny.  Then, we stopped at Twister Creek at the Denali Brewery for Mother Ale and lunch.

After shopping a bit, we figured out that possibly our friends might also be in Talkeetna today.  Barb texted Gurin; they had just arrived by train.  We spent the afternoon with them (Gurin, Grace, Barb, me, and Kathy – Jeff took the photo) shopping and hanging out some more at Twister Creek.

They left; we finished looking around and headed to our B&B – the Talkeetna Chalet.  It’s located four miles from town and has a chalet and two cabins.  The chalet has three floors.  The first floor has three bedrooms and three baths and a common area.  The second floor has a great room, dining room, kitchen, and sun room. The owners live on the third floor.  There is a photograph of Denali in the great room that was taken from the deck.

We settled in, put wine in the freezer to chill it quickly, and went back to town for dinner (ice cream).  We tried the Alaskan fireweed (which is a red flowering weed that grows all over) which was good, but settled on other flavors.  Then, we headed back to our lovely B&B for the wine, view, and ambiance.

Talkeetna to Denali (Wednesday, July 8)

We got up early hoping to glimpse Denali/McKinley.  Not to be… cloud cover.  After a delicious breakfast, we headed in to Talkeetna.  Jean had told us there were many quirky people in Talkeetna.  Since we hadn’t met any, when I went to the Post Office, rather than just shoving my postcard in the box, I went to the counter hoping to meet a quirky Talkeetna person.  Alas, just a regular acting person.

Then, we headed to pick up our River Float Tour.  They made us put on HUGE yellow jackets and pants and black boots over our clothes.  They added life jackets so we looked like sumo wrestlers.

Our raft had a guide, two couples (who were on a Princess tour), Barb, and me. One couple was from New Jersey and the other from Indianapolis.  The woman from Indianapolis told her husband how furious she was with him. He replied that she’s always mad at him.  If he said green, she said aqua. Very negative, but rather entertaining. (Note:  I saw them on the cruise, and she was just fine.)

The ride down the river was scenic, but the only wildlife we saw was an eagle.

We did stop along the bank.  I was glad there was one guy with a guitar, rather than two guys with banjos.

We ate lunch at the Wildflower Care, then headed toward Denali National Park.  The road repair and bad weather increased as we went along.  The weather forecast for our day in Denali was rain and more rain so we tried to remain upbeat.  There were some pretty sights along the way.

As we drove closer to Denali N.P., it started pouring.  Our lodging, the Aspenhaus was in Healy, fourteen miles north of the park.  Due to construction, it was on sand or gravel and took a long time to get there.  Most cars there are filthy; ours fits right in.

We ate dinner at the 49th State Brewery.  It was loud, lively, and the food was good. We were pretty bummed because of the prediction for rain and more rain the next day.  We wanted to see the wild life, beautiful mountains, and Denali which was unlikely in rotten weather. Please Mr. Weatherman, be wrong again!

Denali to Talkeetna (Thursday, July 9)

We got up at 5:30 AM in order to catch our 7:15 shuttle in Denali National Park.  We brought our belongings because we weren’t sure whether we’d go back.  We had to return the car to the airport by 1:30 PM the next day or pay for another day (likely at a higher cost).  That meant we would need to leave REALLY early.

Due to the construction, it took 30-40 minutes to drive the 14 miles.  We got to the Wilderness Access Center by 6:30 AM, and turned in our reservation for tickets for the shuttle to Wonder Lake (mile 85) and takes 11 hours and costs $48.25.

Cars are not permitted beyond Mile 15 in order to limit congestion in the park.  There are shuttle buses and National Park Tour buses.  There are pros and cons for each.

Shuttle buses provide flexibility; one comes every 20-30 minutes, and if there’s room, you can hop on.  The shuttle driver stops when he or she sees some wildlife or a passenger points it out.  They may or may not provide some narration, depending on the driver.

The National Park Tour buses each have a certified driver/naturalist who provides narration and helps spot wild life.  The Tundra Wilderness tour lasts 7-8 hours; they go at least as far as Toklat (mile 53), and the cost is $120 (which includes lunch and beverages). The Katishna Experience tour lasts 11-12 hours, goes to the end (mile 92), and costs $165 (which includes lunch, snacks, and beverages).

They are organized about dispatching buses; the areas are clearly marked and the announcements are clear.  Each shuttle bus has 48 seats, but they are not usually full.  Ours had many non-English speaking travelers.  It was overcast, but not raining when we began.  Our driver shared lots of good information was enthusiastic about helping us spot wild life; he stopped when he or anyone else saw something.

We spotted a wolf, Dall sheep, a couple bears and caribou on the way. It was difficult to take photos because many passengers didn’t realize they should lower their windows for photos to be taken.   This may have been a language problem. Finally, we just reached over and put down their windows.  We met a family from Russia who lives in Boston, spoke English, and promised to email us a photo of the bear. I thanked him using the Russian I learned in high school.  (I can say it, but I can’t write it.)  None-the-less, he followed through!

When we got to Eielson (mile 66) at about 11:15, it was even more overcast.  Barb asked our driver about our chances to see Denali and whether we should continue or take a shuttle back.  He said that it was too overcast to see Denali and wild life decreases from Eielson to Wonder Lake.  We complimented him on doing a great job, thanked him, and waited for another shuttle.

The next driver spoke not a word, and neither of us cared for his driving.  The passengers weren’t enthusiastic about spotting wild life.  Most were asleep… probably a reflection of the driver’s lack of enthusiasm.   We got in a conversation with the man in the seat front of us.  He has been to Denali four times, but has never seen the mountain.

Tired of the driver, we got off at Toklat (Mile 53) to wait for another bus.  The next driver was great, but we only saw moose; it began to POUR!

We left the park just after 4 PM, but got caught in a 45 minute traffic jam exiting the park due to construction, so we decided to head south toward Anchorage instead of going back up to Healy.

We called the Talkeetna Chalet; our room was rented so we booked a suite rather than chance a place we had little information about. It took us over 4 hours to get there because the sky was clearing so we kept stopping, hoping to see Denali.  We didn’t see it until we got to the Chalet.  Although it was far away, it is so huge, we could see it clearly.

After taking lots of photos, we drove into Talkeetna for a late dinner at Twister Creek.  When we returned, the sun was setting and our view of Denali was even better and the sun was setting.  Now, we are happy!

Talkeetna to Anchorage (Friday, July 10)

After a delicious breakfast, we headed to Anchorage.  We planned to drop the rental car off at the airport and take the shuttle back to the hotel with our suitcases; however, as we were driving through Anchorage, we realized our hotel was only a couple blocks away.

We checked into our room at the Ramada.  Although it is outdated, the staff was friendly, they provide a shuttle from the airport and to the train, and they have a self-service laundromat.  While Barb took the car back, I did laundry.  Then, we got an ice cream and walked around town a bit and checked out the train station.  Barb got a text that Diana and Joe were on the shuttle so we headed back to the hotel.  Before we got there, we ran into Colleen and Phil.  We said a quick “hello,” then got Diana and Joey settled in their room.

Barb, Diana, Joey, and I met at Humpy’s for dinner.  Then, we walked around, shopped a bit, bought muffins for the morning and went back to the hotel.

Anchorage to Whittier (Saturday, July 11)

We caught the shuttle at 8:15 AM to the train station for our 9:45 AM departure.  It is close enough to walk, but it involves lots of steps– not a good idea with suitcases.

Our seats were on the upper deck.  Colleen and Phil sat across from us, and Diana and Joe were across the aisle.  The ride was lovely… and even more fun because the four of them hadn’t seen the huge mountains or glaciers before.

The 1964 earthquake caused land in this area to drop as much as eight feet.  Trees were killed, and then preserved as ocean salt water entered the water table.

We knew that many people in Alaska are pilots because it is difficult to travel to many places.  What we didn’t know is that some of them keep airplanes right in the backyards.  They also share a runway with their neighbors.  This doesn’t happen as often as it used to because of zoning ordinances.  However, this area was grandfathered in.

Upon arriving in Whittier at about 12:15, we boarded the ship, checked in, and got right in our rooms.   Our room is smaller than on Carnival, but we have a balcony.

We had lunch at the buffet, and Kathy and Jeff, Gurin and Grace, Sue H. and Chuck arrived.  They had been in Fairbanks, where there was smoke from the fires, and some had respiratory problems.  Our rooms are close together on the ship.  We spent most of the rest of the day getting used to where things are located on the ship.

By dinner, Mike and Jamie and Sue S. and Ken arrived.  We have two tables of eight at the 5:30 PM seating which works because the second seating isn’t until 7:45 PM, and we will rotate tables.  Food was good.  After dinner, Barb went to the comedy show and I wandered some more.

Cruise to Hubbard Glacier (Sunday, July 12)

After breakfast, Colleen and I went to the naturalist presentation, and then bought the cruise companion book and a map.  My next stop was a lecture on Art History: 400 years of Art.  (Barb would have nothing to do with it!)

After lunch, I went back to the naturalist table to double-check the best times to spot wild life.  Then, I met up with Joe who mentioned that he and Diana had eaten an Irish lunch at the pub, and the bread pudding was good.  So, that’s where I headed, and he was right.

Barb was surprised at my next choice:  origami.  I was successful at two of the four projects presented.  Most people got three; only a few got four.  There were about 50 participants and only one instructor so it was tough.

At about 3:45 we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America.  It was overcast and foggy, but clear enough for our ship to get close to it in the Yakutat Bay.  The naturalist’s description was broadcast over the loud speaker and on TV.  It was very cold on deck, but as the ship pivoted, we could see the glacier from our room and balcony.

A bit about glaciers…In the mountains in ice fields that are above 4000 feet, rain falls as snow.  Where the temperatures stay cool enough, the snow persists year after year and glaciers form.

After dinner (formal night), Barb went to the variety show and I went to the casino because it was “no smoking” night.  I won $12.  It was probably less crowded than usual for the reason you could surmise.

Cruise Glacier Bay National Park (Monday, July 13)

This morning as we were entering the Gulf of Alaska, Barb and I went out on Deck 7 to spot wildlife as we went by Cape Spence.  We saw sea otter; whales were there, but we missed them.

However, we were fortunate to meet a lady and her mom who had left Cuba in 1968 for North Carolina.  I asked since the regulations had changed, would they travel back to Cuba.  Their answer was a resounding “No!”  In Cuba, her dad and a group of his so-called friends criticized the communist regime.  One “friend” was a turn-coat and reported the rest.  Her dad was made to cut sugar cane until 1972 when he was able to join them in the United States.  He had been an engineer and her mom an accountant.  Due to their education not being accepted here, the mom worked in a sewing factory and the dad also did some menial labor.  Very enlightening.

Next we went to the National Park ranger presentation, which was good.  Then, we spent the day watching the amazing scenery in Glacier Bay National Park.

Skagway (Tuesday, July 14)

The whole gang (16 of us) woke up early to catch the Chilhoot Tour bus to the White Summit Pass at 7:15 AM.  Barb had gotten us group tickets; not only did it save us each $8; they treated us as a group and picked us up in a small tour bus.

On the way through the town and up to the Fraser raiload depot in British Columbia, our driver/guide told us about the gold rush and the building of the railroad.  It took about an hour to get up the mountain to catch the train with several scenic stops along the way.

Since we were travelling into Canada, we brought our passports. It was much easier for us than for the gold prospectors who wanted to settle there. They were required to bring 2000 pounds of supplies.  There was no railroad; they used dogs, horses, etc. to help transport their load over the 3500 ft. pass.

There were at least 15 cars on the train, but we had our own, and the narrator was in our car.  It was incredible as the train made its way back to Skagway.

Some of the sights along the way included Pitchfork Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, William Moore Bridge, Tormented Valley and Dead Horse gulch.

People split up when we got back.  Several of us went to the Skagway Brewery, shopped, then checked out the Red Onion Saloon (lots of atmosphere).  Previously, it was a bordello, and the waitresses dressed like it still was.

That evening, we enjoyed the Piano Bar– first good one we’ve had on any cruise.

Sick call:  Jamie

Juneau (Wednesday, July 15)

Whale Watching Day!  A van picked up ten of us at 7:30 AM for an excursion Kathy arranged with Harv and Marv.  The only ones on our boat were the captain, a tour guide, and us.   It was drizzling when we left, but just overcast for most of the trip.

We spotted a couple of whales in the distance, but the Captain said he heard there was a group of them nearby.  Was he right!  We came upon about seven humpback whales that were misting.

Rather than teeth, Humpback whales have large baleen plates (fingernail like material that frays out into fine hairs on the ends). They ingest large volumes of water that passes through the baleen plates and strains its food from the water. Their tongues are about the size of a Volkswagen, but the back of their throats are only the size of a grapefruit so they can’t eat large fish.  Instead they eat a mere 1-1/2 tons of krill (shrimp like crustaceans) and small fish a day.

They are acrobatic and display breaching and other surface activities.

Humpback whales are identified by the patterns on their tail.  Some are entirely white, some are entirely black, and scars, cuts, and scrapes make patterns.

Southeast Alaska Humpback whales feed in Alaska during the summer, then swim 3000 miles to Hawaii for the winter.  Nice choice for a winter vacation, but they don’t eat in Hawaii.  They wait until they come back to Alaska.

After we got out of that area, a young whale decided to play right in front of our boat.  It was incredible!

The shuttle then took us to the Mendenhall Glacier which is about 13.6 miles long and is located about 12 miles from downtown Juneau.

The lovely Nugget Falls are in the same area.

When we got back to Juneau, we met Doris for lunch.  She chose a cafe in an old hotel, rather than one in the tourist area, then took us to see a Russian Orthodox Church and to some nice stores.  On the way back to the ship, Barb and I stopped at the Red Dog Saloon and listened to a song.

We needed to be back on the ship by 3:30.  We started back at 2:30, however, we made a couple wrong turns.  There were five ships in port, including 3 from Princess.  We didn’t realize ours was parked a mile out of town.  There was a shuttle, but we just missed it and were afraid we’d be late so we walked/ran as fast as we could.  Barb got there first and told them her older sister was on her way.  I arrived at 3:27, and three tour buses arrived right after.  Both of us were exhausted.

This was another formal night.  There was no smoking in the casino, and the show was the British Invasion.  Good evening for entertainment.

Sick call:  Jamie and Diana

Ketchikan (Thursday, July 16)

We docked at 9:30. Ketchican is charming; houses go up into the mountain, and it is colorful.

Seaplane Day!  Barb, Diana, Joey, and I caught the shuttle to the Taquan Air seaplane outside the Visitor Center at 10:30.

There were six passengers on the plane, and we each had a window.  I was in the back.  We rode for 75 minutes, and it was so much fun!  We went in and out of fjords and even landed in one. Notice the plane’s wing in the photo. Barb and Joey got out on the floats. Another great idea from Jean!

We ate lunch back on the ship. Many passengers are ill so the cruise staff is serving all food at the buffet.  Rumor: Norovirus

Next, we headed out to Creek Street, which was full of brothels in the 1920’s.

After dinner, several of us gathered to listen to music in the piano bar while looking out  the window because it was so pretty leaving the area

Sick call:  Jamie, Mike, Diana, Sue Sexton

Cruise back (Friday, July 17)

It was very pretty sailing.

The weather was so nice we put on our swimsuits and watched as we went by the Pine Island Lighthouse which marks the southern part of the Queen Island Sound.

Most everyone met for Happy Hour, but I stayed on the balcony watching the scenery by Robson Bight.  After dinner, I continued to watch as we went through the Seymour Narrows, which is the narrowest point on the inside passage.

Sick call: Joe

Vancouver Overview (Saturday, July 19)

It was absolutely beautiful coming into port in Vancouver.

This is when we came into Canada Place.

We did self-carry off the ship in Vancouver so by 11 AM we arrived at the Comfort Inn Downtown where Gurin, Grace, Barb and I stayed.

Barb went with her former roommate, Steve (who flew in from LAX) to catch up with the others.  Barb, Kathy, Sue Hornung, Steve (Los Angeles), and Cheryl (Kamloops, British Columbia) roomed together Barb’s senior year of college.

Gurin, Grace and I walked around a bit, and then took a Hop On-Hop Off Trolley for an orientation tour of Vancouver.  We hopped off on Granville Island, shopped at several cute stores, and then ate a sandwich while watching a street musician.  After checking out the market place, eating gelato, and shopping a bit more, we drank a beer before hopping back on the trolley.

Barb’s college roommates met the rest of us for dinner at Steamworks Brew Pub in the Gastown District.

Vancouver is vibrant and pretty, but there are cigarette butts and trash, as well as homeless people in many areas.

Sick Call:  Mike

Vancouver – Stanley Park (Sunday, July 20)

Many of our group flew back to Michigan this morning.  Barb went to church at the cathedral, but I wasn’t feeling great so I slept in.  After breakfast at Starbucks, we walked down by Canada Place and along the water before stopping at the Westin to watch the action on the waterway and drink a Bloody Mary.

We continued along the shore to Stanley Park where we spent the day.  It is a great park – water is practically always visible.

Three times, we ran into Gurin and Grace who were riding bikes.  The totem pole display was especially interesting.  We saw some in Alaska, but hadn’t toured the Totem Pole Park in Ketchikan so we were happy to spend time reading about and looking at them in Stanley Park.

We had eaten an ice cream sandwich and were sitting on a bench checking texts when Barb noticed people taking our picture.  Then, she realized they weren’t interested in us, they were focused on the raccoon that was digging the garbage in the trash bin right next to her.  She jumped up like a shot and joined them in taking photos.

The four of us met Cheryl, Joe, Jamie, and Mike at the Cactus Club Café by the convention center for dinner.

We walked over 13 miles that day!

Vancouver (Monday, July 20)

After breakfast, Cheryl met Barb and me at our hotel and we walked to catch the water taxi. We stayed on it for a half hour to tour the area, then got off at Granville Island where we spent several hours shopping and eating lunch before heading over to English Bay.

That was quite interesting.  There are palm trees which they cover in the winter to keep them from dying.   Due to the ocean, Vancouver doesn’t get real cold, but is too cold for palm trees.  Cheryl said they’d had quite a problem with pirates at one time.

I like this:  All Vancouver parks and beaches are non-smoking.

We got back to our hotel at about 4:15, got cleaned up, and walked with Gurin and Grace the Gastown District to meet Cheryl at the Spaghetti Factory for dinner.  I was pleased that we were seated in a small room that led out to the dining patio on the street.  There were lovely Tiffany lamps, and the food was good.

We walked around the Gastown district a while before returning to our hotel.

We walked over 11 miles.

Vancouver – Michigan (Tuesday, July 21)

In the morning, we took a taxi to the airport.  They recommend allowing 45 minutes to get there, but it only took twenty.  We whisked through baggage and customs, so we had a couple hours before take-off, plenty of time for a Bloody Mary and lunch.

After a two hour layover in Chicago, we flew to Lansing, picked up our rental SUV at about 11:30 PM, and Gurin dropped Barb and me off at the hotel to pick up my car, and we drove to Lapeer.

An excellent trip!!!Alaska is HUGE!

October 4th – Limerick

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Arrived in Limerick at 11:10, and checked into the George’s Boutique Hotel.

The weather is fine, but Limerick is not a pretty city. Although they have a couple of rivers and some old buildings, they don’t make the best of them.

We headed down to the Shannon River and walked up to the Tourist Center. They suggested the castle and a couple museums.

We got ice cream and walked up to St. Mary’s Cathedral (built in the 12th century). It has the largest solid limestone altar in the British Isles. We noticed some features we hadn’t seen before. They had ornately carved stalls with hidden benches for the priests to rest on while they were supposedly standing, There was also leper slot. (Lepers couldn’t go in the church, but they could peak inside the slot and receive Communion through the slot.)

Then, we decided that we had just been through a castle the previous day so we would go to the Georgian House instead to view their 16 decorated rooms. It is on the opposite side of town from St. Mary’s, but no rain so the walk was nice.

However, the Georgian House is no longer open! They still display their pamphlets at the tourist office and train station???

By this time, it was too late to go back to the castle. We walked around a park for a while, then down to the docks. They weren’t loading anything on the ships so we just went back to the hotel.

What a waste of a day… We could have taken a later train from Dublin, but thought there’d be things to do in a city with a name such as Limerick.

We were having a beer in the hotel bar, when a man came up to us, having heard our American accents. He’d lived in NYC for a few years in the mid 80’s and wondered if we found the Irish difficult to understand. We told him we hadn’t had any problem at all understanding folks. He made reference to the Irish dropping the “h” from the “th” so that they say “nort”, instead of “‘north” and “sout”‘ instead of “south”, but we’ve become so accustomed to it that it’s starting to sound normal!

We’ll be back in the USA tomorrow, so this is “pinchontheroad” signing off from the British Isles. It was a great trip, and great fun to update this travel blog with our adventures!

October 3rd – Glendalough

Monday, October 3, 2011

Caught the tour to the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough first thing this morning.  We were quite relieved as the weather looked promising. There were 23 people on the tour, and they were from all over: Italy, Germany, Holland, Korea, England, and US.  Half spoke little or no English.

Our driver/guide, Joe, was very Irish and very funny.  He told jokes (groaners) and sang songs throughout.  He pointed out locations where several movies were filmed (Braveheart, Excalibur, Michael Collins), and we stopped at one of the settings for P.S I Love You.

Although we didn’t get to see his house, we did see the pub where Daniel Day Lewis comes down for a pint.

We stopped at the Guinness Valley for pictures.  One of the Guinness daughters was given this two mile valley as a wedding gift.  It has two lakes on it.  One of the sons now lives in the estate.

Then, on to Glendalough, the monastic ruins where St. Kevin had his church. Many stone buildings and a 30 meter tower are still standing, as well as lots of graves and Celtic Crosses.  It is a lovely area; we spent an hour there looking around and walking from the lower to the upper lake.

We went to Avoca for lunch at the Fitzgerald’s Pub.  Evidently, a popular TV show, Ballykissangels was filmed there.  We ate lunch in the pub where some of it took place.

Next, on to the first weaving mill in Ireland.  It was actually rather interesting, and we only had to spend a half hour there.

Our driver said the tourist bureau had done studies and found that by the time people get done with a tour, they only remember 38% of what the guide has told them, then after a day, it goes down to 3%.  So, he quizzed us going back into Dublin.  That was quite fun.

When we got back to Dublin, we walked through St. Stephen’s Green, which is a large park.  Then, we went to Temple Bar for a last ice cream at Botticelli’s.  The waitress remarked that we were becoming regulars – and she was right about that!  We were there every day.

And… today is the first day in a month that we haven’t been rained on!!!

October 2nd – Dublin

Sunday, October 2, 2011

After breakfast Barb went to church, but Jackie had gotten very little sleep, due to Barb’s coughing, so she went back to bed.  This time, the priest was Father “Patrick” (don’t actually know his name but he was Irish, anyway!). There were protestors outside the church – angry about the Catholic Church and the priests/pedophile scandals in Ireland.

We took our luggage to the Arlington Hotel (by the O’Connell Bridge) for them to hold until we could check in.

Next, we headed over to Trinity College to tour the college and see the Book of Kells, the four gospels. Our tour guide was great – he’s a third year political science major and gave great commentary.  The Book of Kells exhibit is amazing. We were surprised that the pagans helped illustrate it.  We were also surprised that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert signed this 1200 year old manuscript.

The old library was interesting, too.  It is a very LONG room with books going way up toward their high ceiling. Tall ladders would help one get a book, but they aren’t numerically ordered, rather they are ordered by size. There are many lovely sculptures and artifacts on display,

Then, we went back to Botticelli’s for ice cream. They know us there, now!

Our next stop was Dublin Castle.  It’s not a very old castle because the original burned down in the 1600’s.  However, the tour was interesting.  We were able to go down into the undercroft and see part of the original medieval wall and moat.

It rained or drizzled throughout our tour of Trinity and the castle, then gradually the weather continued to improve, and by 4:30 pm, the sun came out!  We strolled across the bridge of the River Liffey, enjoying the sunshine.

In the evening, we went to the bar area in our hotel.  They have a dinner/theater deal, but you can still watch if you didn’t spring for the €29.95 dinner.  A four piece band sang and played traditional Irish music, followed by some “Riverdance” type dancing.

A musing…..in Ireland they are serious about their road construction.  We’ve noticed all the while that they only block off the area they are, in fact, working on and they actually appear to work steadily all day, including today, a Sunday!

October 1st – Dublin

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Rain came down in torrents this morning.  We bought passes for the Hop on-Hop off tour bus and proceeded to ride it for over four hours which included two full tours.  We were on the top level, under cover, of course, and lucky for us we got one of the few seats that avoided the leaks from the roof.  We sure learned a lot about Dublin.

By the time we got off the bus, the torrential rains had subsided.  Although it rained all day and evening, we were able to get around okay.  We fast tracked it to Temple Bar – not for a pint, rather for another ice cream at Botticelli’s.

Then we toured Christ Church Cathedral.  It is amazing. The Dublin YMCA Mens’ Choir was rehearsing for their concert.  (They were not singing Galway Girl – one of our pub fave’s!). We went downstairs to the crypts which were very interesting.

Our next stop was at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) was dean there for 30 years.  The building we see today was built in the 13th century.  We noticed the seating at St. Patrick’s looks none too comfortable.  Upon reflection, this appears to be the case at most of the cathedrals. Maybe this is part of the penance.

We walked around the Grafton Street area, with its wide pedestrian walkways.  Then, we went in search of better accommodations.  We were going to check out the Westbury, but noticed Rolls-Royces coming out from their overhang so decided they might not like our price point.  We continued searching and found a Westin, but they charge £239 per night.  We ended up booking the Arlington for €89 B&B.

We walked around a bit more and went to Bewley’s for dinner This is where Jean and Andy got engaged.  They are known for great coffee and fabulous desserts, but our dinner was good, as well.  There are three stories, and lots of atmosphere.  We don’t know where Jean and Andy sat.  We chose the mezzanine which looked out onto Grafton Street.  We got to see the street cleaning machine in action twice during dinner as it was drying up, as best it could, the puddles left on the walkway.

Then…back to hotel…in for the rest of the night.

September 30th – Dublin

Friday, September 30, 2011

Jackie woke up even more sick this morning. She tried to eat some breakfast, but that didn’t work so she went back to bed.

Barb got the check-out extended to 1:00 pm, then went to check out St. Canice Cathedral.   The main part of the cathedral was built in the 1200’s; the tower was added in the 800’s.

It was drizzling when she left, however, by the time she was coming back, the rain came down in torrents. Jackie slept the whole time she was gone and was feeling better. There was no sign of the rain subsiding so we decided to take an earlier train to Dublin.

We found our lodging, The Town House, however, we don’t like it. The whole street is filled with Youth Hostels; one is attached to The Town House.  Although it is well located, we will likely stay here two nights and find something better.

We set off in the rain to get our bearings in Dublin. Temple Bar is a neat area, full of pubs and restaurants. We got an ice cream at Boticelli’s. Later we stopped in for some traditional music at the Quay.

Both of us are very weary of the gloomy, rainy weather. Since this past Sunday, we have seen a total of two hours of sun. The forecast is awful: heavy rain all day tomorrow, rain all day Sunday, and light rain on Monday. We have no idea what we will do for three days in the rain. One can only hope that the weathermen who forecast that this area would be having Indian Summer this week are the same ones forecasting the rain.  Perhaps they’ll be wrong again, but this time in our favor. We’d like to catch a plane to sunshine!

September 29th – Kilkenny

Thursday, September 29, 2011

We had a very nice breakfast at our hotel before heading to the bus stop to begin what was one of our longest travel days.  The bus from Kinsale to Cork left at 9:10am, with an hour layover in Cork, then a three hour bus ride, finally arriving in Kilkenny shortly after 2pm.

After checking into our hotel, the weather was partly cloudy so we went across the street to Kilkenny Castle (yes, right across the street from the Hibernian hotel).  We did a self-guided tour of the castle, wishing we’d had an audio guide!  After doing so, we listened to one of the castle docents give the history of the castle, and its occupants through the years.

We walked around the town up at St. Canice’s church but, with our recent luck, the church had closed just five minutes earlier!  We have some time tomorrow before heading to Dublin so we’ll tour the church in the morning.

Walking across the bridge of the River Nore, we were surprised to see the castle reflected in the still water.

After dinner at our hotel, we headed back to our room, calling it a day.  Barb has had a cold for the last two days, and Jackie came down with it today.  We’re blaming it on the concierge at our Killarney hotel who, on our first day there, was very helpful in giving us directions, following us out of the hotel lobby to show us what way to go, but while doing so he’s blowing his nose and telling us he has the flu!  Thanks!!

September 28th – another rainy day in Kinsale

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Based on a good weather forecast, we decided to stay in Kinsale another day to take the walking tour and go on the harbor boat cruise (which was cancelled Tuesday due to fog).

Weather forecast:  fog lifting by 11 AM, partly cloudy in the afternoon.

Actual weather:  fog lifted at noon, overcast, full clouds, absolutely no sun for the rest of the day.

After breakfast, we moved to the Old Bank House. Then, we went on the walking tour with Don (Don & Barry Walks).  We learned much about Kinsale’s role in Irish history while strolling a bit of Kinsale.  A port used to take up a good portion of the walled city. We have noticed lots of dog poop around Kinsale.  We had never seen it in the other towns and cities we have visited.  Barb asked Don about it, and he said it has been an ongoing problem, and none of their solutions have worked.

We went for a decadent hot chocolate at Jo’s, which was amazing.  She made it with chunks of dark chocolate with frothy milk, and dark chocolate shavings on top of that.

Then, we walked on the other side of the bay in order to see the harbor from a different perspective and get close enough to see Charles fort.  We also wanted to see the tides.  In the morning, the bay is all mud, but in the afternoon, it is filled with water.  Evidently, there is a ten foot variance. Jackie spotted a sign that said, “Beamish,” so, of course, she had to have her picture taken.  She neither turned Amish nor saw any Amish.  😦 Then, down to the harbor for our boat cruise (which we’d been told they take rain or shine).  But, no — cancelled once again.  They said it was due to lack of visibility — not true — there was no fog, and we had seen the fort from a distance.

Now, we were in a pickle.  We would have left for Kilkenny if we had known that.  However, we saw a sign for a different walking tour in the afternoon and also for a road train ride to Charles Fort so we were pleased with our options.

We got a beer at Lord Kingsale’s Pub, and caught the walking tour with Dermot Ryan.  He covered different information than had been conveyed in the morning tour and showed us different parts of Kinsale.  He mentioned the Ford ties to the area.  William Ford (1826 – 1906) emigrated to America during the potato famine.

Then, we went to catch our road train, however, it was cancelled because he was taking around a private group.  Arghghghghgh!

Went to dinner at the Armada pub for fish and chips – forgettable. This evening, the music we heard in pubs was mostly the melancholy Irish folk tunes, rather than lively Irish drinking songs so we got home early.

September 27th – Kinsale

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Foggy, dreary weather today. That’s what we expected in Ireland, but it is still a bit tiresome.

We took the bus to Cork. We do miss the trains and subways that we had in the UK. The bus rides are stop n’ go and nerve-wracking. We had over an hour layover before our bus to Kinsale so we headed off to explore Cork, and hopefully find a Starbucks (with no luck!)

Then, we took the bus to Kinsale. Weather continued to be drizzly and foggy. We checked at the Tourist Center for lodging. They told us the owner of the B&B we had booked had a heart attack. They suggested Tierney’s because of its great location, but pointed out where other B&B’s are located. We also asked about the boat tours and were assured the boats go out at 2 pm and 3 pm, regardless of the rain.

We went first to the Presbytery B&B. They had no twin available, but let us leave our luggage. We went across the street to the San Antonio, but no one answered.  We checked out a few more B&B’s, but either they had no room available or they were very expensive.

So… we went to Tierney’s. We took a room and a key, but hadn’t given them our charge card. When we left, we looked at each other and said, “UGH,” and decided to keep looking. We went back to the San Antonio Bed and Breakfast and knocked really loud. We had just rounded the corner when a man came out. He is the owner’s brother and is watching the place while his brother is in Portugal on holiday. He had a room available so we grabbed it, and took the key back to Tierney’s and told them we changed our plans.

After lunch at Lord Kingsale’s, we headed down to the pier for our boat ride. However, as luck would have it, the cruise was cancelled, likely due to the fog.

San Antonio B&B’s brother did not know the access code to the WiFi, so we went to an Internet Cafe.  We decided that on Wednesday, rather than spending the night in Kinsale, we would go on the walking tour and then head to Kilkenny. Jackie booked the hotel in Kilkenny for Wednesday night, as well as Thursday.

We found the Dalton Pub, and had our picture taken. Dalton is our grandma’s maiden name (on my dad’s side), and his family is certainly Irish Catholic!

After checking out choices for dinner, then went to another Internet Cafe to verify
bus times to Kilkenny. The times did not work well unless we left in the
morning so Jackie emailed the Kilkenny Hibernian and cancelled for Wednesday.

Then, we found a different lodging for Wednesday night – the Old Bank House (now we’ll have FREE WiFi),

We ended up having a great dinner at the Cobra, an Indian restaurant.

Once again we decided to find ourselves a pub with traditional Irish music, and that we did! We first went into Dalton’s because, of course, we had to have a beer at pub bearing our family’s name. A trad (jam session) was in progress when we arrived. These are fun as you just never know what you’re going to hear. We could picture Harriet, Gretta, and Mayme (our dad’s sister and cousins), while on their Ireland trip some 30 years ago, sitting around a table chiming in, loudly singing and having a grand old time!

We ended up the evening at Seanachai, a pub close to our B&B. An absolutely wonderful duo, Trad Routes was playing so we stayed until they were done for the night (here that is only 11:30).  Though they play mostly traditional Irish music, they finished with a sing-along to American Pie!

For a day that was mostly dreary with a few glitches, we ended it on a fine note!