Composite of all blog posts of our Alaskan Cruise Adventure

For those who are late to the party, I've compiled all the links to my blog posts here. 

To view any one post, click the link in the name. (The pictures won't get you there.)

Day 1--The Beginning
Newark, NJ to Vancouver, BC, Canada

Newark Airport, Newark, NJ

Day 2--Sailing, sailing, sailing 
Departing Vancouver, BC

Day 3--Misty Fjords and Ketchikan

Waterfall in Misty Fjords

Day 4--On to Sitka

St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral

Day 5--Haines

Hammer Museum in Haines

Day 6--Skagway

White Pass & Yukon RR out of Skagway

Day 7--Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier outside of Juneau

Day 8--Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point

Day 9--Glacier Bay and Cruising

Hubbard Glacier

Day 10--Seward to Anchorage

One view from the Grandview Train between Seward and Anchorage

Day 11--Homeward Bound

Sun rising somewhere over Indiana.

Alaskan Cruise: Day 11—Homeward Bound

Brian, Vicky and George took an early morning flight to Minneapolis and then on home to Milwaukee. Terry and I took our time getting breakfast and then having the desk call us a cab to take us to the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

The cabby turned out to be from Buffalo, NY. He came to Anchorage for a three month job six years ago and hasn’t left. He flies back east to see family, but they won’t come to Anchorage because they say it’s too cold. They’re from Buffalo for crying out loud!

At the airport we discovered we were too early to check our bags. Told so by a young attendant who asked if I was related to someone Faber—her father, I presume. She was from Milwaukee but no relative. We chatted a bit about how Faber is Dutch (her mother said it was German) and meant smith or worker. Then we went to sit for a bit until we could check our bags.

Bull Moose in the lobby of the airport.

Wood carving in the lobby of the airport.

As per usual, Terry pulled out some stitching to do while we waited. This project happens to be some smocking for a Christmas stocking for Justin.

Getting through the TSA check, we stopped Norton Sound restaurant for a bite to eat and then wandered down to our gate to await our Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle. That flight took off right on time and arrived in Seattle as scheduled.

The transfer in Seattle was almost too easy. We arrived at gate 15 and were to take off at gate 16. Shortest airport walk. Ever!

We grabbed a sandwich and some iced tea and sat down to await our boarding call. While we waited, they made an announcement that they had several first class seats available for $100 apiece. Terry looked at me, I looked at her and we both stood up go up to the desk.

First class! Nice way to end a great vacation. 

The sun began to appear somewhere over Indiana.

I believe this is the West Branch of the Susquehanna River north of Lock Haven, PA.

Well, almost end. The flight to Newark was uneventful and on time. Then I had to drive back to the Aerie. On Sunday morning. Of Memorial Day weekend. Piece of cake! Everyone who was going anywhere was already there. The rest were in church or recovering from Saturday night. Made the trip home in just about 4 hours. 

The only eventful things to happen on I-80 were having some clown from Ohio zoom up to my rear bumper—twice! (He must have stopped for gas between.) And seeing an unmarked trooper’s car pull him over after the second occurrence. Karma!

Then, at the first west-bound rest area in PA, we found the local Voyager Scouts handing out coffee and Dunkin Donuts for a donation. I put a five in the till and Terry and I were caffeinated and our stomachs satisfied enough to get home where Chester tried to trip us, Julie nipped at Terry, Shadow demanded food, and Miss Kitteh hid for two hours before figuring we were safe.

I’d do go to Alaska again in a minute. Whether by cruise ship or RV. Doesn’t matter. Around every bend there’s beautiful scenery and friendly people.

Alaskan Cruise: Day 10--Seward to Anchorage

This was the end of our time aboard the Radiance of the Seas. When she docked in Seward all passengers would be going ashore. While some on board were going on their final excursions of the trip, or hopping buses to go to Anchorage, or checking into hotels for the night before reboarding to head south again, we boarded the Grandview Train (an apt name) to take a very scenic ride up the Kenai Penninsula and around Turnagain Arm to the Anchorage airport. 

It was around 30 degrees when the train departed and had snowed a little over night. There was fresh snow at some of the higher elevations. As we gained altitude, that snow would come down to the track level.

View from the train out of Seward.

Clear indication of the snowline.

Every turn and bend exposed more breath taking scenes.

Could that be a glacier in the distance?

View from the train.

Waterfalls were numerous.

A little closer to the waterfall.

Snow capped and cloud covered.

Finally reached Turnagain Arm at the head of Cook Inlet.

Tide was out exposing the mud flats.

View across Turnagain Arm nearing Girdwood.

Also known as Potter's Marsh, this is the outskirts of Anchorage. Good birding but all I could ID were Mallards, Ring-necked Ducks and Ring-billed Gulls.

Somewhere between the wildlife refuge and the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, the train engineer had to toot his horn to get a moose away from the tracks. Then we spotted a dozen or more Dall Sheep up on the rocks along Turnagain Arm.

The train delivered all passengers to the airport where our luggage awaited us. Once at the airport, Brian rented a car (a Denali as it so happens) and Vicky drove us all to our hotel, the Sheraton on the east end of Anchorage--on 6th and Denali.

Not too shabby a view east toward Merrill Field Airport (not the one we had arrived at nor the one we would depart from).

You could see the Knik Arm from the hotel.

Terry and I met with fellow blogger and Facebook friend Paul Gleason, once of the Way Up North/Moose In the Yard blog which he has since shuttered. We met on line back in 2008-2009 and then in Anchorage in 2010 when we RVed through Alaska.(Sorry Paul, forgot to get a photo!)

Vicky, Brian and George went to the Anchorage Museum a short walk from the hotel but returned early because someone got a little cranky. I think George missed the ship. Or, maybe, he sensed this great adventure was nearly over.

We ate dinner at a nice Mexican restaurant within walking distance of the hotel before retiring for the night.