Alaska: Prologue

From August 30 till September 10, 2018 we had the vacation of a lifetime. We did an Alaskan Land and Sea Tour with Holland America. The best part was the company. Here’s  a list of the awesome group who shared this experience: Ginger (me) and Joe Watkins My sister, Rita and her husband, Ron Hopper…… Continue reading Alaska: Prologue

Alaska: Denali Wilderness Tour

Sat. Sept 1st:  Up by 5 am. We grabbed a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich at the Starbucks counter in the lobby and picked up our boxed lunches. At 6 am we were all herded onto a converted school bus for the Tundra Wilderness Tour. If it is possible, the bus seats are…… Continue reading Alaska: Denali Wilderness Tour

Alaska: Denali and ATVs

Sat. Sept 1st B:  Back at the lodge we chilled until it was time to meet up for our ATV excursion. We headed out on a bus around 7 pm to the Black Diamond ATV garage. We had to watch a safety video and don helmets and paper coveralls, like we were going into surgery.  With…… Continue reading Alaska: Denali and ATVs

Alaska: To Seward and a Big Ship

Sun. Sept 2nd:  Early breakfast then we were herded onto another bus, this one was called a  motor-coach, to take us to Seward and our ship. At least this ride was comfortable. We had ten hours with another Alaskan tour guide to tell us what we are seeing as we headed south on AK-3 past Anchorage…… Continue reading Alaska: To Seward and a Big Ship

Alaska: Out to Sea

Mon. Sept 3rd:  Started the day with room service, coffee and omelets. Nice to sit on balcony, watching the water move swiftly by. No land in sight. We’ve been at sea all night heading south. Joe and I took a tour of the boat, learning our way around, identifying what was going on where. We…… Continue reading Alaska: Out to Sea

Alaska: Glacier Bay

Tues. Sept 4th:  Early this morning the Captain informed us that we were moving into Glacier Bay. At 9 am we headed to Vista Stage on Deck 2 to watch a show about the glaciers. The MC was Jillian from the night before and she indeed was wearing a puffy white sweat shirt. She told…… Continue reading Alaska: Glacier Bay

Alaska: On Foot in Haines

Wed. Sept 5th: When we awoke we were in Haines, Alaska, a small town an hour and half south of Skagway by ferry and toll road. After coffee and breakfast we all debarked to check out the small town. Started out with me and Joe, JR and Jackie, and the Hoppers. Gloria was not with us…… Continue reading Alaska: On Foot in Haines

Alaska: Juneau and Mendenhall Glacier:

Thurs. Sept 6th:  We had breakfast and coffee delivered to our room 7 am. Then we stood out on our balcony along with Jackie and JR who were hanging over their railing beside us and watched as the Noordam was maneuvered up to the dock and the dock workers below in orange vests stood on the…… Continue reading Alaska: Juneau and Mendenhall Glacier:

Alaska: Jeff and His Magic Dog

Thurs. Sept 6th B:  We got back to the boat around 4:30. Chilled till 6 pm when we ended up on deck 2 at the Vista dining room for dinner with JR and Jackie. The dress was not casual, but I made it past the inspection point in my Capri’s. However JR in his cargo shorts,…… Continue reading Alaska: Jeff and His Magic Dog

Alaska: Ketchikan and Salmon

Fri. Sept 7th:  Woke to banging and rumbling of the metal dividers between balconies. Windy and raining, seas rough. Barely able to see land through the mist. Not raining hard, just thick and foggy, like we are moving through a cloud. We docked in Ketchikan around 10 am. Me and Joe decided to just walk around…… Continue reading Alaska: Ketchikan and Salmon