Saturday, July 30, 2011

Princess Festival

Cora and I were very lucky this year and won tickets to the Princess Festival.  I had never been before and it was really really neat.  There were all kinds of stories and activities for the kids....Not to mention all of the princess outfits!!












Friday, July 29, 2011

Our Trip to Alaska....June 2011

Skip and I went on a cruise to Alaska in June.  It was our 10 year anniversary and so we decided to take a trip without the kiddos.  We are very grateful to our parents who took turns watching the kids while we were gone.  Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Leaving Seattle-
     It was a very wet and foggy day as we pulled out of Seattle.  It kind of made us wonder what the weather was going to be like in Alaska.  Lucky for us it was great weather the whole time.


Tracy Arm Fjord-  
     This is definitely one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been.  It is sad that none of the pictures really capture how incredible this really was.  This was the day we spent in the Fjord (inside passage).  This is a narrow inlet where ice has dragged through land causing huge cliffs on both sides.  I was amazed that a cruise ship is able to go through this area.  *The bottom two pictures are of the US Coast Guard Helicopter.  Unfortunately someone on our ship had a stroke and needed to be airlifted from the boat.  It was so neat to see how this is done...they drop a medic, drop the basket, load the patient, pick the basket back up (with pt in it-scary), pick the medic back up, and then off to the hospital.  I think all of the people on the ship were on the decks watching this evac*

Before we entered into the Fjord

 The end of the Fjord (you can see the glacier down at the end)








Skagway-
     In Skagway we decided to do the shore excursion...The Best of Skagway.  This was a bus tour up through the Alaskan mountains into Canada.  We then took a train throughout the mountains.  It was crazy being on this train on the sides of cliffs.  Neat and only a little bit scary! After the train ride we were off to Lunch at the Liarsville Gold Rush Trail Camp.  We ended the excursion by going to the Red Onion Saloon (Brothel).

Leaving the ship

This was the road/bridge we drove on

The conductor....Does he not look like a conductor haha?








Juneau-
 In Juneau we went on a nature hike up to the glacier and then went whale watching.  This was our favorite excursion that we took.  They packed a lot into one day.  Loved Loved Loved It!!




















Ketchikan
 In Ketchikan we went zip lining.  This was really exciting.  You are literally zipping across the mountains and tree tops.  We had never done this before and it was great.  *So they actually have to tie the camera onto you while you are zip lining....it was tied to Skip so he took pictures of me but we did not get any of him. Sad*  











Alaska was Incredible!!!!!!