FAREWELL DINNER AND VANCOUVER

All good things must come to an end and so we eventually arrived in Vancouver, BC. The formal dinners and the Farewell Dinner were memorable highlights. The pictures here capture our dinner partners, servers, and some of the staff during the food parade. Timing is everything and I was fortunate to catch a special view of the Vancouver Convention Center, just before we docked, at sunrise. The last picture was made on our Vancouver Excursion before arriving at the airport. I suppose it is symbolic that it should be the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Logo, based on the Canadian Inuit inukshuk. The inukshuk is a stone marker that has been used by the Inuit to help guides through the northern Arctic terrain for centuries. The Inuit inukshuk has also become a symbol of leadership, cooperation, friendship and the human spirit. Perhaps the inukshuk will bring us together again some day. If you are interested in a CD of around 160 high resolution pictures from the trip, let me know. Lee

GLACIER POINT WILDERNESS EXCURSION

The Glacier Point Wilderness Excursion out of Haines (Pop. 2400 people, 1897 dogs, 4000 eagles, and 260 species of birds) gave us a chance to see a glacier up really close by canoe. We took the Chilkat Express for a 30 minute 40 MPH+ trip to Glacier Point and then bused and walked to a remote camp, donned wet gear and canoed to within feet of the glacier. The fall flowers along the way were a treat to see up close. Our up close look at the glacier included spotting three climbers going up the face of the ice. Back in Haines we did spot an eagle, up close finally, in a tree along the main road from the pier to downtown. The Tlingits were the first settlers to the area and called Haines ‘Dei-shu’ meaning “The End of the Trail”. The area is still rich with Tlingit culture and history.

INLAND PASSAGE

Taking a cue from the bears and the tons of blueberries they were eating, we boarded the Ryndam for a week of sights and pampering - what better way to build up the body fat for winter? But first things first – Life Boat Drill. Do you think these ladies thought it was the real thing? The ship’s wake continually presented lovely sunsets and interesting patterns of ice in the water and the sun shinning through arctic fog created some interesting “rainbows.” Sleeping on deck proved to be a prime responsibility to conserve energy. College Fjord gave us a view of seven glaciers named after notable colleges and universities. Seeing our sister ship the Noordam in Glacier Bay was yet again a reminder of the awesome size of the Alaska terrain. We roomed next to our friends the Howard’s. Here Bob and Jeanne share a light moment as the air warms near the end of our cruise.

PORTAGE GLACIER AND ALYESKA

The “Bear Bus” drive from Anchorage to Girdwood along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet is one of the world's great drives, ranking right up there with Italy's Amalfi Drive and the highway along the Rhine south of Coblenz. The Seward Highway linking Anchorage and Seward is a National Forest Scenic Byway and one of 15 roads in the United States that has been designated as an "All-American Road." You’d have to agree it was great, even though you were getting the first of 2 days of rain. The rain never dampened our spirits. Some of us did get wet though . . . “got to get that picture and see the best view up top on our cruise to Portage Glacier.” Alyeska was a great location to lay over during the rain - with its accommodations, landscaping, and tram ride to the Seven Glacier’s Restaurant. Girdwood was a fun side trip and the Jade Shop a special treat. Yes, that’s a Jade boulder Jeanne is standing next to! Jamie once again did a super job, this time helping pull off another birthday surprise, this one for Bob.

GLACIER LANDING EXCURSION

Riding a helicopter to land on Davidson Glacier . . . that really tweaked our imagination so we did it while in McKinley Park. It was one of the highlights of the Alaska trip. We rode 4 or 5 per helicopter plus pilot. The 25 minutes out and back provided us with some of the most beautiful and rugged terrain imaginable. Every minute there was a new vista to take in. On the glacier it was rippled ice in all directions. The mix of sun, clouds, blue ski, mountains and ice was truly memorable. You can see Jeanne near one of a number of holes that go down to the bottom of the glacier where the run-off water goes to the face of the glacier to gush out (as we saw many times from the Ryndam). That hole is 100’s of feet deep. Taking off along the length of 2 moraines gave one the feel of being on an airport runway. At the top of one mountain ridge we flew through a “V” gap the pilot said was 3 helicopters wide. Wonder how he knew that???

TUNDRA WILDERNESS TOUR

The rapidly changing fall colors really became evident that day. Special sights and animals seemed to be around every curve, if you had the courage to always look out, considering the occasionally narrow road and long drop offs! That first bear was sure a long way off, so I added one from the animal park. Distant critters didn’t deter folks from snapping away, me included. STOP . . . 3 O’CLOCK . . . MOOSE, SHEEP, AND BEARS! OH NO! Well, the closest we did get to a bull moose was the antler at the NPS rest stop. We did get that rare special view of Denali, a bit closer this time and with some great clouds to enhance the shot.

TRAVELING ON THE MCKINLEY EXPLORER

Beginning with our sunrise boarding in Fairbanks to the layover in McKinley Park and finally Anchorage, the McKinley Explorer was our special adventure on wheels. Those dome cars sure allowed us to see some impressive views. Land travel comprised the first 7 days of our trip and we got some of the best weather (we were told) for that time of year. A “long” shot of Denali, estimated at around 75-100 miles away, was a surprise treat. Lee spent lots of time in the open air between cars taking pictures and enjoying the exceptional weather. Jane was there practicing her camera technique too. Jane, how are you doing? Let me know if you want me to share. I can do that for others with stories to tell. And who could not forget the “Moose Wave!” You all can check here at a later date to see if anyone reports in.