Alaska (finally!!!)

So my immediate family, which included us, my folks, sister, brother-in-law, brother, sister-in-law and niece embarked on an adventure to Alaska a couple weeks ago. All I have to say is....IT WAS AMAZING! It is a beautiful state with sights I have never seen before!

We first started in Seattle and spent the weekend being tourists and visiting family. Seattle is such a cool city....rolling hills that end at the water.....if the weather was a bit more sunny, I could live there. We did all the typical touristy things - EMP Museum (Michael's heaven), Space Needle, Pike's Place Market, the Locks/Salmon Ladders, and of course, met up with a few of Michael's buddies to have a few beers (them, not me). Here are a few pics...

At the EMP Museum getting ready to have our own concert!

We also got to hang out with my aunt Judy, uncle Rich, cousin Lindsey and her boyfriend, Ken. They took us to an amazing sushi place....Ken is a foodie and he ordered for the entire table.....he definitely got a good mark in my books.

The cruise left port on Sunday from Seattle - after the schlepping of luggage and checking-in with 9 people, we were finally aboard our Alaskan adventure on the Norwegian Pearl! Cruises that I have been on the past are lying next to the pool getting a tan all day while drinking cocktails....this is definitely not that sort of cruise (especially since I can't have cocktails). It was definitely an "older" crowd, but the ship had lots of activities to keep us entertained.

Day 1 - At Sea

We were busy eating, playing trivia, taking naps, eating, going to shows, did I mention eating? Also, Michael discovered his new favorite sport - Shuffleboard....although, it is a little tough with wind and being on a ship, he wanted to play everyday!

Here is Michael showing off is juggling skills at the Martini Tasting.

Day 2 - Juneau, AK

We arrived in Juneau around 2pm and headed off to the Mendenhall Glacier, the biggest glacier in the USA! Once arriving and taking in the amazing site, Michael and I went off on our own for a 3-mile hike through the rainforest to get some exercise and get off the beaten path a little bit. It was raining and we both managed to step in mud puddles up to our ankles, but the scenery was beautiful and it didn't bother us much. Also, while waiting for the bus, we got to see a black bear cross the road in front of the bus stop....it didn't seem to notice there were 100s of people around and just went on its merry way.....I wasn't too quick with my camera, so no pic :(

Side note.....even the Gators represent in Alaska! We were out wandering through the shops in Juneau when we came across a Russian shop with Matryoshka dolls, and look what we found! It has 5 of the players inside (of course starting with Tebow) from the National Championship year. I would have totally bought it, but just couldn't get myself to pay $65, so instead we took this nice picture of it.

Day 3 - Skagway, AK

Skagway is a cute little town with a population of less than 1000. Right when we got off the boat there was a group of harbor seals just catching their lunch - they are so cute! We ended up taking a gorgeous train ride up to the top of a mountain and rode bikes 15 miles down the Klondike Highway. The crazy thing is that on the the train you cross over into Canada, so we had to go through US Customs on the way back on a bike! It was crazy how much the weather temperature changed from top to bottom, but it was another beautiful ride with waterfalls and even a little bit of sunshine!

Day 4 - Glacier Bay

Wow oh wow is all I can say. Glacier Bay is a protected National Park that is only accessible by boat. Each cruise ship only gets a certain amount of time in the park before they have to leave. We hit Glacier Bay around 7am and spent most of the time on the balcony of my parents room just "Oohing and Aahing". The boat got pretty close up to the glaciers and you could hear and see the ice breaking loose into the ocean. The pictures below don't even show how beautiful this park is, but just an idea of how much there is to see!

We also got some whale sitings in - you really can't even fathom how large of animals they are!

Day 5 - Ketchikan, AK

So everyone knows that fishing is a big thing in Alaska, so once we arrived in Ketchikan, we headed off on two small boats to catch ourselves some salmon. The weather this day was pretty dreary, rainy and cold, but once we started catching fish, it didn't matter! Michael, me, my mom and dad were on a boat together and caught about 20 salmon of all different varieties (there are 5 different kinds in case you were wondering)....it was super fun! You also can get your fish shipped to you (fresh or smoked), so if anyone is near my folks house in Florida, they have 30 pounds of salmon to eat!

Papa Frank looking over his catches!

Day 6 - Victoria, Canada

Victoria was the last port, and we were only there for a short amount of time. We wandered the city for a little bit, and then found a cute little restaurant to have some drinks and some food. The big hit was "Poutine" - French fries covered in gravy and cheese curds - man, this is SO GOOD, but also a heart attack on a plate.

Day 7 - Back in Seattle

With 7 days at sea behind us, we ended up back in Seattle. After tons and tons of food, lots of laughs, and plenty of amazing surroundings, we headed back to Colorado.

Overall, this was an amazing trip that everyone needs to experience!