Husband and Father

Husband and Father
July 15, 1958 ~ August 25, 2008

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Alaska Cruise - Day 7

Skagway is a quaint little town nestled among towering mountains, with beautiful scenery.  The estimated population is around 900.  It increases dramatically during the summer tourist season. The port of Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and tourism is a big part of the business in Skagway.

This little town consists of 7 blocks of historic shops, restaurants, and restored buildings, many of which are part of the National Park Service manage Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

With the abundance of beautiful scenery, we decided to hike up to the Lower Dewey Lake.  It was a moderate trail, with beauty all around us.  There were spectacular views of the harbor from the trail.  We stopped to enjoy the harbor view, and watched as some energetic bluebirds entertained us.

The trail was covered with colorful wildflowers. There was an array of wildflowers ranging in variety of color and sizes along the trail. I love flowers, so this was particularly fascinating to me.

Dewey Lake was stunning.  The water was crystal clear.  You could see the reflection of the scenery around you in the beautiful water.

Once our hike was complete, we toured through the town, stopping at little shops.  We ate lunch at The Wild Alaska Catch.  It specialized in seafood and was very crowded.  Mike ordered rock fish, while the rest of us ate halibut fish and chips.  It was very good, and seemed like a well liked place to grab a bite to eat.

While Ben and Lizzy went back to the ship, Mike and I took a walk/hike along what we think may have been Smuggler's Cove.  It is a very easy hike that anyway can take.  It is a well traveled trail that follows the coastline out towards Yakutania Point.  We didn't have much time left in Skagway, but still wanted to explore nature.


























Saturday, November 21, 2015

Alaska Cruise - Day 6

Each morning we start the day off in the Cruise Ship's gym.  It is a little different on an elliptical or treadmill while at sea, but very necessary since there is amazing endless food available at all times of the day and night.  We had a lot of free time today, which helped us to get some novel reading done, as well as ping pong, hot tubing, and just relaxing. In the afternoon we arrived at Glacier Bay.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a 3.3 million acre park.  The scenery is spectacular, with snow covered mountains peaks, ice-sculptured fjord, and the massive tidewater glacier. The glacier has been receding at a rapid rate, but non the less it is massive and astonishing.  We were asked not to bring any straws, or paper products on the ship's deck while we were visiting the Preserve since it is a protected park.

The wildlife and marine life is abundant in Glacier Bay. We were able to see, at a distance, a large brown bear prancing around the mountain. It is always fun to see wildlife out in their natural habitats.  We were hoping to see more, but weren't so lucky.