Juneau Alaska (second port stop)

Our second port was the Capital of Alaska, Juneau. It is surrounded by snow cap mountains. Like many cities of Alaska there is no roads that connect it to the outside. It is accessible only by air or by sea. It is a working city that has a year around population of 30000 resident (third largest city in Alaska). Most are employed by the local or state government.

The city opens directly to the great outdoors and has world class hiking trails many which start from downtown. The Juneau ice field, stretching over 1500 square miles, sits just above the town and the MENDENHALL GLACIER.

Sharon and I after exiting the ship chose to do an excursion by bus that took us to Mendenhall Glacier. Below are some of the pictures from along the way as well as at the Glacier. We did see from afar some white mountain goats with their new babies. As we traveled along the way we say many great Eagles as well.

Down Town Juneau (note a favorite hang out for the locals (Red Dog Saloon) 

NOTE: Eagles along the River Banks

Mendenhall Glacier along with a water fall on the right (pay particular attention to the size of each in this picture as compared to the following pictures).

Closer look of Water Falls

Closer look of Mendenhall Glacier

NOTE : How big Water Falls is compared to JD

Cruise into Skagway Alaska

Our 1st port where we could disembark from the ship was the small town of Skagway. Located in the Northern tip of Alaska inside passage. It is nestled at the base of snow capped Mts. of the coast range. It is know for the great Klondike Gold Rush which begin in 1896.....

 We docked next to a Railroad yard that had 3 or 4 trains ready to take those who were interested on a adventure tour to the Yukon by way of a narrow gauge railroad that went through beautiful valleys  and Mountains. Some of my family took the tour and reported it was absolutely fantastic.

Sharon and I choice to take a bus tour up the Klondike highway to the Summit on the Canada border. The following pictures are from that half day journey.


After we docked and loading the train to head to the Yukon

Cruise ship docked

I like unique and different Architecture. This is the Artic Brotherhood Hall in the heart of Skagway and very unique.
This is the Gateway place for those who were successful during the Gold rush.

A large water along the way, Note the Engine of a train just above the water fall

A little Bear (2 years old) eating flowers along the way

A swing bridge that we cross on the way up to the summit

Sharon an I at the Summit on the Canada border

Looking East over into Canada at the summit. Klondike highway continues

ike

Alaska Cruise (more of our adventure after we got on the ship)

 

On May 28th we finished our land tour and journeyed to Whittier Alaska to board the Star Princess and head south to Vancouver Canada. We boarded in late afternoon and shortly after did our muster drill and set sail. Most of our trip would be through the inside passages. We were to go through Prince William Sound and on to many Glacier sites as well as stop overs at the towns of Skagway, Junneau, and Ketchikan. One of the island we sailed near was Hawkins Island but I was not able to recognize which one it was mainly because their were so many along the way.

We were all excited of the possibilities of all the Glaciers we would see along the way. Back in the late 80ies I had the opportunity to experience some of the Glaciers while flying over them on my way to Japan. It was amazing then and as it turned out even more amazing experiencing them from a private balcony on ship. Our first up close visual of a Glacier was Hubbard Glacier. We had to sail through Yakutat Bay to get there. We then back tracked and continued south to Glacier Bay where we experienced several Glaciers up close. Some of them were Margerie, Johns Hopkins, Lamplugh, and Reid Glaciers. I have included a few pictures of these amazing sites

A seal and gull riding a small ice burg just waiting for some food to surface

We were told before the trip that because of fog we might not see a lot of the Mts. and Glaciers. However it did not turn out that way as we had many days with full sunshine and no fog at all. The locals told us that the weather had been very different the last couple of years in that the low amount of snow and the high temperatures was not what they are use to.

The sad part is, how much each Glacier has and is melting away each and every day. We ask different Rangers that we came in contact with both on ship and at Ranger stations. What is causing this accelerated melting. We got a long and in depth explanation (to much to put here) that seemed to be saying, certain things are occurring  that are affecting our atmosphere which in turn is causing change in what we have know as a normal climate for a this  area ....... When ask more directly one Ranger said we only follow the research and facts. We don't want to make it political.  A Glacier  starts with snow, and lots of it, as snow accumulates over years it gets very heavy and turns into ice which is dense and heavy and in turn becomes a Glacier (which is a river of ice in motion.)......One disturbing statistic we heard while in Alaska was that the North Pole has some of the highest pollution in the world!

I was blown away by how close we would come to many of the Glaciers with the big ship. Also how they would do a 360 turn so all passengers would get a close look at the Glaciers. Some times they would do 3 or more 360ies.


Hubbard Glacier

Closer view of Hubbard Glacier



One of the many Ice Burgs around the waters near the Glaciers



In Glacier bay approaching Margerie Glacier



close up of Margerie Glacier, Notice the colors and crevices which show us the Glacier is in motion





Lumplugh Glacier



Up close of Reid Glacier

Johns Hopkins Glacier

Closer view of Johns Hopkins Glacier to show the magnitude of its size

Moving forward

Please indulge me for just a moment as I give a little back ground as to how I come to the realization I wanted to do some extended Travel some day. The idea was born when I was 18 years old. So one might ask when is the right time to fulfill a dream. Even though I have done a lot of short travels over the years it is actually now at the age of 73 that it seems the time is right.

As I stated above ever since I was a kid I have said to myself, I will take some extended  time off and travel. I begin these thoughts when I was a Senior in high school just after I decided I really needed to continue my education beyond high school.

Before I made that decision to continue my education I went through some troubling times. After basketball season my senior year of high school I thought that it was a waste to finish high school so I contemplated dropping out of school and going my own way (working on the farm). I always found school a big challenge except for basketball and now that that phase of my life was over I was lost and floundering .   All I could see was working on the farm the rest of my life. Not what I really wanted to do but saw no other way forward. If this was my destiny then why not get on with it.  With these thoughts I did not see myself furthering my education or felt any need for it. I did not feel I could succeed at a higher level (college) of education. Then one day shortly after that  I did make a decision to quit school. I was afraid to tell my dad so I took the bus as I did every school day and went to school as usual . Upon arrival I went to my Principal to tell him I was quitting. He was not there so I left a message and preceded to go down town. About lunch time while setting at the local cafe, in walks my principal. Now you have to know their were 2 big men in my life that I had a lot of respect for, one was my dad and one was this man, (Rex Ebrite) my Principal. He ask me what I was doing so I told him how I felt. We talked for awhile, mostly I listened.  He had some pretty strong words for me that day . Wisdom I never dreamed he had. Words that changed my life for ever. He said he did not see any reason to tell my dad as long as I was back in school the next day.  I did go back to school and did finish and even went on to post secondary schooling. As a result of some success I have been going to school ever since in one way or another (strongly believe learning is a life long adventure). I am a strong example that if you don't like your situation educate your way out of it (some of the wisdom I received from my High School Principal)

That brings me back to when is the right time. The rest of that school year I kept saying to myself,  when I graduate I will take some time to travel. Of course it never happened.  A few years later when I graduated from college I said the same thing. It never happen. Over the years when I would move or start thinking about changing jobs I would say the same thing. But for the next 55 years life never allowed me to do what I had always said I would do. Finally at the age of 73 my wife and I decided to sell out place and travel for at least a year. Our decision was based on the idea to simplify our life and stop using our money to buy things and put it toward experiences. So on February 18th 2016 we closed on selling our house and hit the road in our mini van with the idea we would rent condos and stay a month at each place and do day trips as we work our way around the US.

The day we sold out place we said we were going to do a blog and share places of interest with our friends as we move around the US. Of course here it is the middle of June and I have not found (or taken) the time so far to share. Mainly because I do not like to write (grammer/spelling yuck) but I do love to take pictures. I love the idea of digital. I have a little Nikon CoolPix camera with a 30X zoom that also does video and is small enough to carry in my pocket. You will find it in my pocket about every where I go. So now that I feel this  is the right time here goes!

Our intention is to share from time to time some of the best of what we do and see. We love the outdoors and will spend a lot of time going to natures best, and will be hitting as many National Parks as possible as well as many other natural wonders.  Sharon is an  Artist and we both love many aspects of Art. This  means we will be seeking as many Art functions along the ways as possible.

It is our thought that we will keep you up to date with what we are doing and at the same time we will bring you up to date with what we have already done over the last four months.

We started our adventure the day we sold our house by renting a Condo near where we lived before we sold our house. This was to give us some time to bring closure to 9 years of living near the Beach in Foley Alabama. Our first rental was on the Beach (Gulf of Mexico) at a place called the Plantation in Gulf Shores. After a few weeks  there we journeyed to Placida Florida (south of Sarasota Florida). Our Condo there would not be available for another 2 weeks.  We were invited to stay with friends (who I taught school with at the University) who had sold their home in Normal Illinois and was waiting on their house to be built there in the area. On April 1  we moved into our rental ( a full size 4 bedroom house with a great lanai, pool, and on a canal with a fishing and boat dock).  The message here for anyone to take away from this is that their are a lot of good deals out their where one can rent a house with all kinds of amenities for a reasonable price. It beats the hick out of Motels. The key is to do it off season when the demand is lowest. Just go to homeaway.com or airbnb.com and find the deals then hit the road. If you can't go for an extended time rent it for a few days and bring the whole family. Much better and cheaper than renting hotel rooms.

On May first we left Florida  and headed to Carmal Indiana where Sharon's farther is in a assisted living facility. We spent 2 weeks there staying with her sister and family. From there we headed to Branson Missouri staying in our time share for a few days. I grew up near there and most of my family lives in the area. I have two brothers and sister who live in the area as well as my daughters. My siblings and I  had decided several months ago to all make what might be out last Howrah as a family. We are all getting older and are all still in reasonably good Health. We range in age from 70 to 80 years of age so if we are ever to do a tip like this the time is right. So on May 22nd all of us with our significant others boarded an Airplane in Springfield Missouri and hit out for a 14 day land and cruise trip to Alaska.  We have returned now (June 6th) and all had an experience of a life time. And we are all still speaking! LOL!!!! The first 2 days back we spent time at my younger brothers house in Nixa Mo recovering from the trip. We then adventured to Lebanon Missouri where we spend 2 days with our daughter Tracy and her family. On Thursday the 9th of June we started to our next adventure place of Colorado Springs. We arrived here on the 10th at our Condo where we will be for 30 days before we head further west (New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Organ, Nevada, and California)

The only set back we have had so far is Sharon came down with the shingles while we were in Indiana. Being the strong person she is she was not about to let the shingles stop her from going to Alaska. The trip did take a toll on her as she took a cold the last few days of the trip. Upon our return we went to a walk in clinic and they suggested that she needed a lot of rest as well as strong medication. So that is what she has been doing ever since we returned. She would tell you, do what ever you have to so you don't  get the shingles. 

That pretty much brings us up to date on our travels and sets the stage for a lot less writing and lot of pictures. I will only put up a  limited amount of what I take which might be a challenge in its self. But I don't want to bore you to death. I have over 700 good pictures from our trip to Alaska (took over 1500) that I want to share but will only share a few of what I thought were the most breath taking.

From early in my life I had a dream of going to Alaska someday. We felt this adventure had to be one of the first of our bucket list places to see. Now that it is over I can say it is one of the most awesome experiences I have ever had in my travels (measures right up their with my travels to Germany and Japan in the late 80ies). Encourage you to make it a must in your travels it will not disappoint. If I were to do it over I might do some things differently. If you are contemplating  a trip to Alaska and are interested in what those things are let me know and I will share my thoughts.

If you have been to any of the places we are headed and know of some must see places we would appreciate it very much if you would share those places with us.

The next few day I will be putting up some pictures of our trip to Alaska along with some from our day to day experiences here in Colorado Springs.

Open view Train we took on Land tour

By older brother and his wife (Dolan and Shirley)

My younger brother and his wife (Joe and Karen)

My older sister (Peggy)

Sharon and I with Mt McKinley in back ground (highest Mt in North American

Lodge where we stayed for a few days

The great Alaska pipe line (Hawkins sibling)

Hawkins clan

A Moose we saw along the way

A rare clear shot of Mt McKinley

The largest river in Alaska on the edge of town called Talkeetna with Mt McKinley 

The princess cruise ship (Princess Star) we took from Whittier AL to Vancouver