Sunday, July 26, 2009

Alaska: Part Deux

To begin...









One of the first things that we did was go fishing. It was my birthday present from my dad. It was me and five guys on a boat and lots of bloody fish. I can't find the pictures of me with my fish, but I caught the two biggest salmon. The boys were jealous!


On our fishing boat...


Once the cruise began, our first stop was Juneau. We went on an amazing bike ride around the lake and visited Mendenhall Glacier. It was awesome!



Our second stop was Skagway. We went on a helicopter ride and dogsled adventure there. It was probably one of the most, if not the most, spectacular things that I have ever done. I would highly recommend it!




View from the helicopter... At camp...







Action shot...


The dog camp...




We got to spend time with the dogs...
and their new puppies...


Approaching Hubbard Glacier...


And this...



My friends...



Is called "calving"...



We didn't get very good pictures of it except for at the very beginning because I was busy bothering Karson asking him if we were going to die when the glacier hit us...
By the time we left the Hubbard Glacier, it had lost this whole section. It was an unbelievably loud sound...like the loudest thunder that you have ever heard. Our captain was actually talking to us when it happened and he got really excited and said it was the biggest one that he had ever seen.
Lucky us...and you will be glad to know that we didn't die when the glacier hit us...



They were playing in the wake of our cruise ship...

Meanwhile, back on the ship...




Don't ask...


These our our Australian friends that we sat with every night. We had so much fun getting to know them. They invited us to come stay with them in Australia. Maybe that will be our next trip!


Mystery Dinner Night...



And this is at a port in Alaska known for its' ziplines. This is the view starting out the longest and the fastest of the ziplines...

And this is what happens when your glove gets completely wrapped inside the wheel of the pulley and your pulley comes off the cable and you go from about 40-60 mph to 0 mph in about half a second...Once I realized that I hadn't died, but was merely hanging 200 ft. off of the ground by my safety latch (Thank God for those) they came and rescued me. Whew!
Once we docked, we stayed a few days in Canada. The pictures aren't loading. Argh!



But, we did get to spend our last night in the honeymoon suite of the Hyatt. Free upgrades are great! Happy Fifth anniversary honey! I know...longest blog entry ever...

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Home Again, Home Again...

OK, so you'll have to indulge me for a few minutes as I take you on a little blast from the past.:) Karson and I just got back from a little trip to Alaska. One of the things that I was looking forward to the most was seeing where I used to live in Alaska.





Then...


Yes, that's me in the corner of the picture...
The blue station wagon in the corner of the picture is the car that I drove in high school. Yikes!
Now...
We decided to "fly" down the hill like in the good old days...cheesy, I know...

The family who currently lives in the house that my parents built let us tour the inside and outside of the house. It was lots of fun. I even got to see my favorite hiding place in my old bedroom. It brought back a few fun memories!

We even ate breakfast at the McDonald's where I had my third birthday.

I know Karson was thrilled beyond measure.:)

I promise that the "real" Alaska blog will come soon. Thanks for indulging me for a few moments!