Sunday, June 27 - More Jazz in Vancouver - Our Last Day of Vacation

We had our scones from Safeway this morning and some coffee and went out into the drizzle to see more of Vancouver.
We met the Blue Line trolley and took it to Granville Island. What a fun place - lots of shops, a fabulous public market and a row of artisans crafting their goods. We wandered around for awhile and then stopped to hear another of the jazz bands that were part of the Jazz Festival. We sat outside (the rain had subsided) and people watched, enjoying the music. Lunch came from one of the food stalls in the public market and, after watching one of the street performers, we took a water taxi across False Creek to Yaletown, where we caught another trolley. Riding that to Canada Place, we explored that area, which was built for the 1986 Expo. It is now a Convention Center and also the cruise ship terminal. We then headed down Burrard St., stopped at Christ Church Cathedral to take a look around and ended up at St. Andrew's Wesley Church.
We had seen their Jazz Vespers service mentioned in the Jazz Festival brochure, so that we'd check it out. They actually have it every Sunday afternoon in the summer and we really enjoyed it - today's performance was the "Gospel Giants". The pastor had a short sermon and said some prayers. A good thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. When we came out - there was actually some blue sky with some sun peaking through, which was a nice treat! We decided to have an early dinner, so stopped at Earl's on Robson St., about 5 blocks from the hotel. Very delicious! Then we walked back to the hotel and got ready for our early morning flight home.

Saturday, June 26 - The Cruise Is Over - Fun in Vancouver!

We got up just when the ship was pulling into the Vancouver harbor. Got ready and went to the buffet for breakfast one last time. At 7:45, we moved everything to the Universe Lounge to wait for our disembarkation call. Everything was very organized and ran smoothly. Soon we were called and we breezed through passport control and customs and were ready to explore Vancouver. We changed some money, bought tickets for the Vancouver Trolley (a hop on and off tour) and got a taxi (a Prius!) to our hotel. Since it was so early, we weren't able to go to our room, but dropped our luggage off and headed to the one of the trolley stops to start our tour. Unfortunately, two full ones went by before we decided to start walking and catch the trolley later. We walked along the sea wall walking path and into Stanley Park and around to see the totem poles on display. We then took a trolley to Prospect Point, which had a great view of the Lionsgate Bridge, which the ship had sailed under this morning. After having to wait through another full trolley, we decided just to stay on for the duration of the ride. The driver also gave a commentary as he drove and was pretty amusing. At Canada Place, we transferred from the "Red Line" to the "Blue Line" and drove through Chinatown and then on to Gastown. The Vancouver International Jazz Fest was in full swing and the main street of Gastown was closed for the occasion, so we got off the trolley and joined in the fun.
There were 2 stages and lots and lots of people. The first group we watched was from Finland.....that was a whole different kind of jazz! We had some lunch and then went down to the second venue, which was much more enjoyable. Since the trolleys had stopped running, we walked back to our hotel (Robson Suites) and checked in. We have plenty of room here - full kitchen, living area, etc. Lots of space to spread out in. And free internet!! After resting a bit, we walked down a block to Denman St, which is full of all kinds of ethnic restaurants. We chose "Banana Leaf", a Malaysian restaurant which was very good. Then we walked down to the beach and watched the sun setting (much, much earlier than in Alaska!). There were lots of people strolling and even some wading in the water (Brrrr!). We sat on a bench for awhile and people watched. Got some gelato on the way back and stopped in Safeway for something for tomorrow's breakfast. Only one more day to explore this fun city!

Friday, June 25 - Resting Up from our Vacation - Our Day at Sea

No reason to get up really early this morning - no tours to catch, no sights to see. We did get up in time, though, for the Culinary demonstration in the Universe Lounge. The head chef, maitre d' and pastry chef cooked a meal on stage and then took us all on a tour of the galley. It was fascinating to see all that goes on in the food production area! A whole other world behind the scenes! At 1pm, we went back to Universe Lounge for another session of line dancing - it was definitely time for more exercise! The dances were basically the same as last time, with the addition of "The Hustle", and again, we had lots of fun!
We then went to the buffet for lunch - and of course had to photograph (and sample) the special pastry buffet that was set up! Back to the room to decide what to do next......Bruce worked on his photos...and I fell asleep for over 3 hours! All this eating is really tiring me out :-)! We had our final dinner tonight - Marinated Seafood Salad, Grilled Vegetable Salad, NY Strip Steak, Apple Pie.....and then a slice of Baked Alaska as it came out "on parade". We bade a fond farewell to Elena, our waiter, who we thoroughly enjoyed talking to each evening, and our dining partners Linda and Steve. We did one last walk around the ship and check out the back decks that Steve had told us about at dinner. A very nice place to hang out and watch the sunset! Time to pack up and be ready for an early morning tomorrow!

Thursday, June 24 - Not-so-Rainy Ketchikan - Our Last Port of Call

We slept in a bit this morning as we weren't reaching port until 10am. Had a full breakfast and got off a little after 10. We noticed that is was raining lightly, but nothing like yesterday. That was pretty funny, as Ketchikan is supposedly a rainier area than the others....except for today, I guess!
We finally located the "Ketchikan Rain Gauge" where we were to meet our shuttle at noon. We picked up a walking tour map at the visitors' center and spent an hour exploring. Ketchikan is a much larger area than the other two ports, at least in what is interesting to the tourist. Besides the usual tourist shops, there is a wharf area, Creek St (an area where the bordellos used to be), a beautiful little park/garden area, etc. Even the souvenir shops seemed to be more varied. Then it was time to meet our shuttle, which would take us to our flightseeing plane. By then, the rain was completely gone; it was still cloudy, but a good day for flying. There were 6 of us on the flight, plus the pilot Michelle. I was a little (!) apprehensive about this little float plane, but it was a fabulous experience!! Our destination was Misty Fjords National Monument in the Tongass National Forest. The scenery was amazing - trees, lakes,waterfalls, bald eagles, etc.
Michelle was very informative and told us all about the area and what we were seeing. We flew about 70 miles, then landed on a lake that fed the fjord and were able to get out and walk on the shore. We were the only ones there! After lots of photos, we got back in the plane for the ride back to the base. After we got back into town, we continued on our walking tour which led away from the tourist area (Ketchikan is also built off the side of the mountain, so there were many steep streets/staircases once again). We walked over Ketchikan Creek several times, which is filled with salmon during the proper season. We went to the Totem Heritage Center - Ketchikan is noted for its totem poles, so we saw several on display and learned about their history. Back down in the shopping area, we bought a few souvenirs and then boarded the ship. Another quick late lunch/snack and a rest in our cabin. !
Dinner tonight was the "Chef's Menu" and was very good - Goat Cheese Ramekin, Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup, Rack of Lamb and ice cream for dessert. We then went to the hypnotist show in the Universal Lounge, which was pretty amusing. Tomorrow is a full day at sea - lots to do on our last day

Wednesday, June 23 - There's a Reason Why Juneau is in a Rainforest......

Woke up this morning to grey skies and a light rain in Juneau this morning. Went up and had another good breakfast (made to order omelets!) and got ready for our day exploring Mendenhall Glacier. We had no set plan, were just going to take a bus to the glacier and spend the day on the many hiking trails in the area. Well.......down the gangplank we went, and out into the POURING rain!! Didn't look that bad from ship! We decided to change our plan and starting investigating bus tours. We ended up on one that was leaving in just a few minutes and it was definitely a good choice. We were on a school bus (but with better seats) with 9 others. Again, a very chatty and informative tour guide who drove us first around the city of Juneau (that doesn't take long!) and then out to the Mendenhall Glacier. The downtown area is actually quite picturesque as the city is built right against the mountain, so there are some very steep streets (some were just a set of stairs!). We drove past the capitol building, Governor's mansion, Alaska State Museum, etc.
We got off the bus at the glacier and were able to stay for an hour. It was definitely too miserable out to do much hiking, but we did walk down to the "photo point" and then warmed ourselves up in the visitor's center, looking at the exhibits there. Everything was definitely green and lush in the area (for good reason!) and would be very pleasant on a nicer day. The shuttle picked us up and we headed back into town after passing through the "valley" where 2/3 of the city's population lives and most of the major shopping is. After leaving the shuttle, we walked over to the capitol building via the State Office Building (enter on the 1st floor, take the elevator to the 8th, get out, and the capitol is a block away).
We took a tour, where the guide, after learning we were from Texas, was thrilled to show up the picture that showed the state of Alaska superimposed over the entire US, where you can see that Alaska is MUCH bigger than Texas!! The capitol, however is much smaller....and has no dome! We made a quick stop at a very old Russian Orthodox church and then back to the ship. After a late lunch, we did some laundry and had some time to rest and dry out from the day. Dinner was very delicious - I had seafood pate, roasted tomato soup, lobster and shrimp, and chocolate pudding pie for dessert. Instead of going to the comedy/hypnotist show tonight, we went to the lounge and watched 3 couples play the "Newlywed/Not-so-Newlywed Game", which was really funny. One more shore day - Ketchikan tomorrow. Can we hope for a little less rain??

Tuesday, June 22 - Skagway, the Gateway to the Klondike - Our First Stop on our Cruise

The ship pulled into Skagway early this morning. We went up to the buffet to have a hearty breakfast to sustain ourselves for the day! After disembarking the ship, we headed to the company's office where we had our reservations for our shuttle trip. When we arrived we were told that they had upgraded our trip (probably because no one had signed up for our original one). We'd be leaving an hour later, but travelling further, which sounded good to us. We had a couple of hours, so we walked down to the National Park Service info center and took a walking tour of the town, led by one of the rangers. He did it a little differently, introducing 6 characters from the history of the town, taking us to the houses that they lived, etc. Then at the end he had us guess the outcomes of each of the people; who was murdered, who committed suicide, etc. It was a very interesting tour.
The touristy part of Skagway looks like a Hollywood movie set - all brightly painted buildings, wooden sidewalks, etc. Still having time before our tour, Bruce walked around town taking pictures and I wandered through the shops. There were a few interesting ones, but most were cheap souvenirs or expensive jewelry. We boarded our shuttle at 12:30, along with 2 other couples. We drove out of town and paralled the train tracks that goes through White Pass. This was the route the prospectors took to reach the Klondike Gold Rush! The terrain was very rugged - it was amazing to see first hand what these people faced in their journey. We passed into British Columbia and then finally end at the "Welcome to the Yukon Territory" sign!
The guide was very good; told us all about the history of the area, along with all his own opinions on politics, the environment, unfriendliness of people in Southern California (where he winters)....etc., etc. At one point along the way, we saw several tour buses along the side of the road, so we pulled off too, and were rewarded with two grizzlies along the side of the road, eating their lunch. Grizzlies are not common in this area and the guide was very surprised to see them. We ended the tour back in town around 4:30, and made a stop at the Skagway Brewery for some local beer. Back on the ship, we had a little afternoon snack since we had not stopped for lunch. Tonight was "Italian Night" in the dining room - all the waiters were dressed accordingly. The dinner servings seemed much larger than usual (that's the Italian way, I guess). I had Eggplant Parm appetizer, Pasta e Fagioli soup, Chicken Breast with ham, cheese and spinach, and a dessert that Elena the waitress recommended- berries with a meringue topping (not as good as the tiramisu that she put on the table for us all to share). Tonight's show was a variety show put on by talented crew members - very well done. Another early morning tomorrow - off to Juneau!

Monday, June 21 - We saw ICE!! - Cruising in Glacier Bay National Park

As I was getting ready this morning, it occured to me that I should take a look out the on the balcony and check out the scenery. I stepped out and saw everyone around me with binoculars and cameras pointed out to the ocean. I looked in the direction they were aiming at and saw a pod of 4 humpback whales cruising by our ship!! They were blowing and diving and showing their tails - put on quite an act for us. At that point we were at the entry to Glacier Bay, where we were told later is where the marine wildlife hang out. At 11am, we went down to the Princess Theater to hear one of the park rangers who had come aboard and she told us all about what we would be seeing and how amazing the area is. The rest of the day was spent in the bay and the highlight was coming along side Margerie Glacier - absolutely stunning with its deep crevices and its length - 16 miles!
The thing to watch for there was the calving - we saw a few small pieces come off and one fairly large piece drop. Also saw several bald eagles sitting on icebergs and many gulls. We left that area around 3pm, passed by Johns Hopkins glacier and by 7pm we were back at the mouth of the bay for some marine wildlife viewing. The park ranger met us out on deck and explained to us what we might see and where we should look.
It took awhile, but finally the humpbacks started appearing. You could hear shouts of "there's a blow" and "there's a tail". We saw several pods and also two sea otters. The ranger had described them as "bookends" in the water, and she was right - all you can see is their head and their back feet sticking out of the water as they float on their backs. We spent about an hour out there and then went up to dinner. Linda and Steve were there (and more talkative), but the other 4 were still MIA. Not sure if we'll ever see them! Dinner was delicious tonight - crab legs, seafood soup, surf and turf (with shrimp) and creme brulee. Then we went to the 10:15 show in the Princess Theater, which featured the comedian from the other night. He was really quite good and we enjoyed the show. Time to get ready for our first stop tomorrow - Skagway.

Sunday, June 20 - So Much To Do! - Our First Whole Day at Sea

Slept in a bit today until Bruce brought some coffee and danish up to the room for me. We both got ready and then went down to the Lounge for a line dancing lesson. I had been a little disappointed that I wasn't up in time to take an aerobics class, but this definitely made up for it! What a great workout, and lots of fun. The instructor did an excellent job teaching us 4 or 5 dances and there were lots of laughs as people were going the wrong way, forgetting steps, trying to keep your balance when the boat swayed, etc. After a short break for water (and sampling the sushi bar), we went to the martini demonstration (unfortunately didn't win a free one!), then on to hear the on board naturalist give his talk on glaciers. Made a lunch stop at the buffet, and went back to hear the naturalist lecture on the Gold Rush (although I took a little cat nap during this talk...).
Around 3:30, the captain announced that we were coming up on Hubbard Glacier. The ship got as close to it as possible with all the icebergs that were in front of it (don't want to run into any of those....). We were amazed when he told us that the part we were seeing rose about 400 feet above the water - that meant we were fairly far away from it, because it only looked about 20 feet tall! We all went out on deck and many photos were taken.
It was a beautiful bluish color and very rugged looking. We were hoping to see it calve; someone thought they saw a chunk fall off, but we didn't see that. We did see a sea otter playing in the water but unfortunately didn't have our binoculars with us at the time to see it close up - need to remember to keep those with us when on deck. It was pretty brisk out there (around 50 degrees), but the wind was down and it was dry, so it was very pleasant. The ship sat for quite awhile so everyone could get their fill, then turned around and headed out. Dinner tonight was a formal night in the assigned seating dining room. I was surprised at how formal many people dressed - lots of glitz and glitter! Definitely more dressed up than our other cruises. I found it humorous that 2 other ladies were wearing the same top and jacket set that I was (and a third one said she had one at home). I had bought it at Stein Mart several years ago and they still carry it....so I guess it's a crowd pleaser! Looking forward to tell my coworkers that story! We were the first to arrive at our table for the 7:45 seating - but soon another couple joined us (Steve and Linda from Boston). They were not very talkative and unfortunately no one showed up for the other four seats. Our waitress was very entertaining though - Elena from Romania. Her other table was completely empty, so we had her all to ourselves. We also chatted a bit with our bus boy from the Philippines. Hopefully we will have a full table tomorrow night. Dinner was not quite as good as last night (duck strips with cassis sauce, asparagus soup, shrimp newburg and a chocolate souffle), but I did enjoy it. We then went to the show at the Princess Theatre. The production was entitled "Dance" and that's what the cast did for an hour. From the '50s to flamenco to Riverdance, they did a fantastic job. The costumes, props, lighting and the dancing were amazing! We definitely had a fun day at sea!

Saturday, June 19 - Transition day - "The Wilderness to the Lap of Luxury!

We had a leisurely morning to pack up. Had breakfast with a couple from Washington State, then got our things together and drove over to the airport. We dropped our rental car and waited for our transfer bus to Whittier. Leaving the airport on basically the same route we took yesterday, we had the advantage this time of a recorded narration of the points of interest along the way. Unfortunately, the weather was not as nice as our previous trip, and by the time we arrived in Whittier, it was raining fairly steadily. Instead of the track to Seward, we took a track to the east once we reached Portage. We passed by Portage Glacier and then went through the tunnel which is the only land route to Whittier. There are certain times for each direction of traffic and also for cars/buses vs. trains. So, if you don't get there at the right time, you're in for a wait. Fortunately the shuttle plans this into their schedule, so we just sat for a few minutes waiting for our turn. It was at least a 5 minute trip, which is a very long time to travel through a very small space carved out of mountain. We finally popped out at the other end and there was Whittier. Not much to look at, there are very few buildings, two of which are cement buildings which is the only housing in town.
But, it is a cruise ship port....and there was our ship waiting for us! Check in was very painless - got our "Cruise Card", went through security, had our Embarkation photo taken and we were ready to go. Found our room - on B (Baja) Deck (level 11 out of 15) and were very pleasantly surprised - it was pretty much the largest room that we've stayed in so far this trip!! We have only been on Carnival/Royal Caribbean cruise with 2 kids in our room, so this was amazing - a Queen bed, desk, night stands, storage space, etc. And...a balcony! While waiting for our luggage to be brought up, we set out to explore the ship and admire all the common areas.
I was very relieved to find the our cabin was on a higher level than most of the common areas. As my kids might remember, I had a very hard time our last cruise understanding that we were going "down" to our room after dinner, rather than up like in a hotel. This time, only the buffet restaurant, pools, etc are above us and the rest (theatres, restaurants, shops, etc) are below. We had been given a card when we checked in that we had a 5:30 seating for dinner tonight, so we headed down to see what was in store for us. Although we will have set dining companions for the rest of the trip, tonight we were seated as we arrived. We were at a table for 6 with a couple from British Columbia and another from Stratford, CT. All were very nice, especially the lady from CT. We had a delicious dinner (crab pate, crimini soup and prime rib for me, with banana flambe a la mode for dessert for me) and then went to the theater for the evening's variety show. They had a production number and then the main act was the comedian (from Buffalo :-)), who was actually quite good - some very clever jokes. That wrapped up our first day on ship - I could definitely get used to this!

Friday, June 18 - Travelling the Open Road - a day trip down the Seward Highway

Had a great time at breakfast chatting with the other B&B guests - one couple was from Houston (Katy) and another from Dallas (Richardson). Small world up here! We then set out down the Seward Highway.The first leg is along Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet and the scenery was breathtaking, with the snow capped mountains rising over the water. Our first stop was about 16 miles off the highway, a very small town named Hope on the Kenai Peninsula.
In the Gold Rush days, it was a booming town, but is pretty much deserted now, except for a few shops. Back to the highway and down to Seward, a cute little town, which is also a cruise ship port. We had lunch overlooking the water - we were then going to do a little hiking, but a light rain had started, so we headed north again. A short distance along the road was the turn off for Exit Glacier, so we decided to check that out.
The rain had mostly stopped, so we followed the short trail and were rewarded with amazing views of the glacier! We continued back up to Anchorage, when we drove around the outskirts of the town and through the UAA campus. Lots and lots of trees and green areas in the city with mountains forming the eastern border - a very scenic setting. We had dinner at the Bear Tooth Grill - very delicious - and of course we tried out some of their microbrews! Time to pack up and get ready for Part 2 of our Alaskan Adventure - the cruise!!

Thursday, June 17 - Fun in Anchorage

After a delicious breakfast (THE best scones!), we walked downtown (about a 10 minute walk) and decided to start at the Visitor's Center. They told us about a trolley tour that was starting in about 10 minutes, so we bought the tickets and walked down the street to catch the trolley. It was a 55 minute tour and the driver/tour guide never stopped talking the entire time - she was very interesting, took us to all the highlights in and around the city and gave us lots of local lore about Anchorage. We then picked up the rental car we had reserved (a day early, since we decided it would just be easier that way...), then spent the afternoon at the Anchorage Museum.
We took a guided tour of the historical section and then wandered around on our own, looking at various art exhibits and also the Smithsonian Arctic exhibit. It was a very educational and well done museum. Next on the list was....the laundromat! It was fairly painless chore - even got a tip from a local as to which dryer ran forever with only one quarter! We had a very nice dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse downtown. It's a very popular and crowded place; had over an hour wait, but wandered around in nearby gift shops till our table was ready.

Wednesday, June 16 - Back to Civilization - train ride from Denali to Anchorage

Woke up to another beautiful day in Denali, but our "wilderness adventure" is over and it's time to move on. We took the hotel shuttle to the train depot, where we boarded the noon train to Anchorage. We were in the Gold Star car again, but had been demoted to seats 2A&B, so we didn't quite have the vantage point of our last trip. It was nevertheless spectacular once again, although more overcast than our first leg. There was definitely no view of Mt. Kinley this time! Lots and lots of trees, small lakes, rivers and even a moose or two. This was a much longer trip - 8 hours - but the time passed quickly. Bruce spent quite a bit of time in the outside viewing area, snapping pictures as the world went by. We had a delicious dinner in the dining car - where the "BritBeat" band was also eating - never heard of them, but I see they are performing tomorrow night in Anchorage. Perhaps they're famous?? We got to the train station at 8pm, took a taxi to the G Street B&B, where we have a small but comfortable room. Looking forward to exploring Anchorage tomorrow!

Tuesday, June 15 - "On a Clear Day....." - Our outing in the wilderness

After breakfast, we headed out on the hotel shuttle to the Wilderness Access Center where we met our "Green Bus" for our day trip into Denali. There is one road into the park and the Green Buses were the mode of transport that we chose. Since our shuttle got us to the center just moments before boarding, we ended up in the last row of the bus, which wasn't as bad as we thought it might be. We had a very entertaining driver, who gave us all sorts of information on the park and what we might be seeing. He instructed us to yell "Stop!" if there were wildlife sightings, so he could stop and we all could take pictures. Unfortunately, there weren't many animals on our trip in - although there was a moose in the bus loading area, along with a wolf and some Dall sheep in the distance enroute.
Instead, our big treat was a tremendous view of Mt. McKinley in all its glory, a sight not seen everyday (on average the mountain can be fully seen around 17 days in June, the rest of the time it is fully or partially obscured by clouds.) It was certainly an amazing sight. We got within approximately 35 miles of it. Our furthest destination in the park was the Eilson Center, which had many interesting displays. We spent some time outdoors, following the trails, but it was quite chilly and VERY windy. Originally we had planned to hop on and off the Green Bus all day and hike over the tundra, but that didn't seem such a good idea with the weather conditions being what they were. After our outdoor time, we boarded another green bus for the trip back to the Visitor's Center. We were much luckier in the wildlife department. First a fox running down the side of the road and then, best of all, two big grizzlies standing in the middle of the road. That stopped traffic in both directions for quite awhile! The sighting was well documented with all the cameras. We arrived back at the Visitors center around 4:30, picked up some dinner there to take back to the cabin and headed back. We spent the evening resting and preparing for our next day's travels.

Monday, June 14 - The Sun Shines On Us - our train ride to Denali

It was a bright and early wake up call for us this morning - and bright it was! Blue skies and sunshine for our train ride. The hotel arranged transportation to get us to the train station where we boarded the 8:15 Alaska Railroad Gold Star Service car. We were in Car A, seats 1 A &B, which meant a front row seat for a spectacular 4 hour journey. After a delicious breakfast in the Gold Star dining car (reindeer sausage in our omelets!), we enjoyed the view from our prime seats - beautiful forests, colorful wildflowers, but the icing on the cake was a clear view of Mt. McKinley, only visible on clear days, which are few and far between. We arrived in Denali National Park at 12:15 and found the shuttle to our lodging - Denali Cabins. We checked in our cozy little cabin and then headed out to enjoy the rest of the day in the park. The first stop off the shuttle was the Visitor's Center, where we had a little lunch, saw the displays and then boarded another shuttle to the Dog Sled Demo area. There we were able to walk amongst the 20 dogs kept there and then view a demonstration of 5 of them pulling a sled, as they are trained to do. It is how the rangers travel through the park during the winter. It was very amusing - they randomly choose five dogs for the demo, and as the trainers walk among them, they start barking, as if to say "Pick me, pick me". We then headed back to the Visitors Center, where we saw an excellent movie "The Heartbeat of Denali" - which had amazing footage of the park. After that we decided to follow one of the well marked hiking trails. Part of the way around, we met some ladies who had just encountered a black bear - we decided to take the trail in a different direction than they did! After an invigorating walk, we took a shuttle to "The Gulch", the main shopping and eating area, where we had dinner at "The Salmon Bake" - Parmesan Crusted Halibut for Bruce and a Wild Salmon Quesadilla for me. Another shuttle back to the hotel - time for bed (although it's still broad daylight at 10:15!) Got to be ready for another fun day tomorrow!

Sunday, June 13 - Rain, Rain Go Away - A Day in Fairbanks

We woke up to an overcast sky this morning. After having a very good buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant, we went up to get ready for our day and saw the rain! Not a good start to the day! We decided we would take the hotel shuttle to the U of Alaska/Fairbanks campus, where an interesting museum was said to be - a good rainy day indoor activity. So, we went out front and got in the unattended shuttle, knowing that it left ten minutes before each hour. After sitting there a few minutes, we decided to check the schedule we had with us. Unfortunately, the shuttle service did not begin until 1:50 in the afternoon - and it was 9am in the morning! We went back into the hotel and were told "things start later here in Fairbanks than the rest of the country!". So, instead, we braved the rain in our waterproof windbreakers and walked the mile or so over to Pioneer Park to look around. Old restored building had been brought there from old Fairbanks and were on display. Of course, being in Fairbanks, the buildings didn't open till noon, so we just walked around the grounds, which was very interesting. The rain was lightening up, so on our walk home, we stopped at Fairbanks Urgent Care Center to taken care of a little medical problem I was having. I was seen right away, and given my prescriptions, but the adjacent pharmacy was not open on Sunday. A lady in the waiting room suggested we go to the hospital pharmacy, which was on our way back to the hotel. Fortunately by then, the rain had stopped. We ended up at the hotel around noon and then took a shuttle to meet the Riverboat Discovery's 2pm tour. This was a three level paddle wheeler that travels down the Chena River; it was very interesting; had a great commentary, making a stop along side a huskie training area, orginally run by Susan Boutcher, a 4 time winner of the Idiarod race.
We got off the boat at the second stop, a simulated Indian village, where they had display of salmon smoking, native dress and skins of the native animals. After that tour, we got back on the boat and headed back to the starting point. Another shuttle back to the hotel, then a relaxing dinner at the Italian restaurant next door, Pasta Garmabella.

Saturday, June 12, 2010 - The L-o-n-g-e-s-t Day - Houston to Fairbanks

After a fairly short night's sleep on Friday night, we got up at 4:30am and were ready to roll by 5:15. Got to the airport in plenty of time for our 7:20 flight, although the check-in line was slow and inefficient at the Alaska Airlines desk. The first leg of our flight was from Houston to Seattle (3hr45min), which was just a stopover. We got off and walked around the airport to stretch our legs. Then we flew from Seattle to Anchorage (3hr). Had lunch at Chili's at the airport and boarded one more plane to Fairbanks, which was a short 45 minutes. The scenery on the first two flights was spectacular, with snow capped mountains all around from Colorado north. We had hoped we'd see Mt McKinley on the last leg, but we flew above a heavy blanket of clouds the whole way. We arrived in Fairbanks at 5:15 (8:15 Texas time) and were very glad to be ending our travel for the day! As we stepped outside the airport, we found we definitely weren't in Houston anymore - it was a chilly 57 degrees! We took a shuttle to the Bridgewater Hotel, in the heart of downtown Fairbanks....which isn't saying much. We took a walk around town after settling in - very deserted...just not much there. There was a very nice park - Griffin Park - along the river with lots of statues, etc. We crossed the river and checked out the "Battle of the Bands" concert - not a large audience, but some pretty good music. Despite the fact that there are 19 hours of daylight today, we decided to call it a night so we're refreshed to see what else Fairbanks has to offer in the morning!