So, the time has actually arrived. The suitcases are almost packed - just a few finishing touches (like an umbrella) and I'll check my list over and over again today to try not to forget anything.
Tomorrow at 4:30 a.m. the shuttle will come and pick us up and off we'll go in the dark to the airport! Then, at 6:30 we'll be whisked off up in the air to Vancouver. We will keep you updated all along our way.
We are traveling to the "land of the midnight sun" and to the "northern lights". We could experience anywhere from 18-20 hours of daylight while we are there with an "average" temperature of 66 degrees and a low of 52 degrees. Now, that being said, keep your mind on "average". We've been in Juneau when it's been 90 degrees - so we are packing for the layered look to be ready for anything.
One thing I haven't mentioned is that we would love to see the aurora borealis. It would be an incredible thing for us to be able to see the "northern lights" while we are up in Dawson - which would be our best chance for seeing something; but with so much daylight during the summer months, our chances are slim to none.. The aurora borealis is named after the Roman Goddess of Dawn "Aurora" and the Greek name for the north wind "Boreas". Auroras are the result of the emissions of photons in the Earth's upper atmosphere, above 50 miles from ionized nitrogen atoms regaining an electron, and oxygen and nitrogen atoms returning from an excited state to ground state. They are ionized or excited by the collision of solar wind particles being funneled down and accelerated along the Earth's magnetic field lines; excitation energy is lost by the emission of a photon of light, or by collision with another atom or molecule. And so we will concentrate on the scenery and the wildlife instead.
And so - tomorrow our adventure starts - and I will leave you with this from the great poet bard, Robert Service:
"It's the great, big, broad land 'way up yonder,
It's the forests where silence has lease;
It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It's the stillness that fills me with peace."
Robert Service - "The Spell of the Yukon"
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fathers Day - Making a Memory
Happy Father's Day to everyone - especially my Dad (Harvey) and my father-in-law (Mel)!
One thing I have learned from both of these men is that you should travel while you can. My Dad is now 88 and Mel is 90. The past couple of years have been hard on both of them and their health ailments have increased to the point they don't feel comfortable traveling anymore.
But - I'm so happy to say that they both traveled a considerable amount when they were able to. My parents traveled because of my Dad's work. I was an insurance company brat. Dad was President of several companies, and therefore had to arrange for their conventions and incentive promotions. They went on cruises, traveled to Europe, and stayed in some of the finest hotels. They were blessed to be able to do that. My parents have a small group of friends who also get together and all of them travel. They've done several cruises to Alaska and Mexico, and just enjoy being together and sharing the moment.
Mel is a retired Navy Captain - and he travelled the world but in a different sort of manner. After he retired, they became big fans of river cruising here in the States. They love the small boat feel and cruising down the inland waterways on the East coast. They golfed in every port they stopped at. They've also gone on three ocean cruises.
One of the best cruises that Jim and I ever took was a short cruise to Cabo San Lucas round trip out of San Diego with my parents. We took advantage of our time with them and sat down and asked them questions about how they met and each converation grew and grew into more and more things they remembered. It was a fascinating trip and one that I will always cherish. I took notes about everything they told us and I'm not putting it all together in a memory book for my daughters and grandsons and family.
I found out on that cruise that my great great grandmother was a widow with five boys. She lived in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and had a long-time friend who had recently become a widower in California. He wrote to her and offered to marry her and move her family out to Visalia. She and the boy boarded a train to California and when they arrived, he met them and they walked across the street to the Justice of the Peace and were married immediately. My grandfather was one of those five young boys! If we hadn't been on that cruise, and we hadn't asked all the questions, I may never have known that story!
Take the time with your parents and just sit and talk with them about some of their memories while they are still here. Before we know it, it will be too late.
One thing I have learned from both of these men is that you should travel while you can. My Dad is now 88 and Mel is 90. The past couple of years have been hard on both of them and their health ailments have increased to the point they don't feel comfortable traveling anymore.
But - I'm so happy to say that they both traveled a considerable amount when they were able to. My parents traveled because of my Dad's work. I was an insurance company brat. Dad was President of several companies, and therefore had to arrange for their conventions and incentive promotions. They went on cruises, traveled to Europe, and stayed in some of the finest hotels. They were blessed to be able to do that. My parents have a small group of friends who also get together and all of them travel. They've done several cruises to Alaska and Mexico, and just enjoy being together and sharing the moment.
Mel is a retired Navy Captain - and he travelled the world but in a different sort of manner. After he retired, they became big fans of river cruising here in the States. They love the small boat feel and cruising down the inland waterways on the East coast. They golfed in every port they stopped at. They've also gone on three ocean cruises.
One of the best cruises that Jim and I ever took was a short cruise to Cabo San Lucas round trip out of San Diego with my parents. We took advantage of our time with them and sat down and asked them questions about how they met and each converation grew and grew into more and more things they remembered. It was a fascinating trip and one that I will always cherish. I took notes about everything they told us and I'm not putting it all together in a memory book for my daughters and grandsons and family.
I found out on that cruise that my great great grandmother was a widow with five boys. She lived in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and had a long-time friend who had recently become a widower in California. He wrote to her and offered to marry her and move her family out to Visalia. She and the boy boarded a train to California and when they arrived, he met them and they walked across the street to the Justice of the Peace and were married immediately. My grandfather was one of those five young boys! If we hadn't been on that cruise, and we hadn't asked all the questions, I may never have known that story!
Take the time with your parents and just sit and talk with them about some of their memories while they are still here. Before we know it, it will be too late.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
12 days and counting!
In just twelve short days we will be on the road again! We will be flying from San Diego to Vancouver, British Columbia and boarding the beautiful Holland America Volendam for a 13 day adventure on water and land.
As a travel agent and an Alaska Destination Specialist, this is a trip that we have been looking forward to because it will take us to places we have only dreamed about visiting.
We will start our adventure in Vancouver - the home of the Winter Olympics in 2010. As we sail out of Vancouver in the late afternoon, we will pass Stanley Park (one of our favorite places to visit in Vancouver) and our voyage will begin North to Alaska.
We will enter the Strait of Georgia and travel along Vancouver Island which is the home of a resident pod of orca whales known as "J" pod. Granny and Ruffles are the two oldest members of this pod. Granny is the matriarch and thought to be almost 90years old! Along with her son, Ruffles, they lead the pod through the waters in and around Vancouver Island. There are over 40 members of this pod. We hope to get a glimpse of them gliding graciously through the waters as we pass by!
From Vancouver we will continue on up the Inside Passage past Wrangell and Petersberg to Tracy Arm Fjord which is off of Stepens Passage across from Admiralty Island. We will visit the North and the South Sawyer Glaciers (Twin Sawyer Glaciers) and then spend an afternoon in Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
From Juneau, we will continue up Stephens Passage to Lyn Canal where we will cruise to Skagway. We will disembark the ship in Skagway and will spend the night there. That afternoon, Jim and I are scheduled to take a float plane ride!
The next morning we will board the White Pass and Yukon Railroad traveling along the same route that the gold miners hiked one after the other in 1898 hoping to strike it rich in the gold fields in the Yukon. We'll visit Lake Bennet and eventually arrive in Whitehorse, where we will spend the night and enjoy the Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue.
From Whitehorse, we will board a motor coach to Dawson City and stay overnight in the Klondike National Historic Site. We will then visit Dawson City or Tombstone Park and learn more about the Gold Rush and visit the gold fields and explore where a full range of wildlife roams free.
On Day 8 we will cruise the Yukon River on the MV Yukon Queen II catamaran and hear tales of river pilors, mail carriers, prospectors and Mounties as we travel to the small Alaskan town of Eagle.
A motor coach will take us up the Alaska Range and along the TransAlaska Pipeline to Fairbanks on Day 9 where we will visit Gold Dredge No, 8 and actually give a good try at panning for gold ourselves.
On Day 10 we will board the McKinley Explorer (Alaska Railroad), and travel along the scenic byway as we travel through the heart of Alaska to Denali National Park where we will stay for two nights. Not only do we hope to get to see Mt. McKinley, we have high hopes of seeing a lot of wildlife on our Tundra Wilderness Tour. We could see Caribou,moose, grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, bald eagles and
much more.
From Denali on Day 12, we will again board the McKinley Explorer and travel the rail down to Anchorage. In Anchorage, we have plans to meet up with my dear pen pal Pattie and enjoy some time catching up with her. Our last day will find us on a 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier that will take us into the Prince William Sound to visit 26 "named" glaciers including those in College Fjord. We will see all types of glaciers including Alpine (hanging), Piedmont and Tidewater glaciers( glaciers traveling down valleys towards the ocean). Getting up close to these towering masses of ice, we will be able to "hear" them move while they groan and crack as they move ever so slowly to the icy glacial waters below. There will be many "bergie bits" (small chunks of ice floating in the water) and the glaciers will be brilliant colors of blue and turquoise.
And, as with all vacations our time will end sooner than we want and we will find ourselves on our way home. We hope you'll join us on June 30th as we take to the skies to Vancouver and set sail on the first day of our journey. I'll be posting blogs all along the way, so you can come along if you want!
Now - I've got to start packing!
As a travel agent and an Alaska Destination Specialist, this is a trip that we have been looking forward to because it will take us to places we have only dreamed about visiting.
We will start our adventure in Vancouver - the home of the Winter Olympics in 2010. As we sail out of Vancouver in the late afternoon, we will pass Stanley Park (one of our favorite places to visit in Vancouver) and our voyage will begin North to Alaska.
We will enter the Strait of Georgia and travel along Vancouver Island which is the home of a resident pod of orca whales known as "J" pod. Granny and Ruffles are the two oldest members of this pod. Granny is the matriarch and thought to be almost 90years old! Along with her son, Ruffles, they lead the pod through the waters in and around Vancouver Island. There are over 40 members of this pod. We hope to get a glimpse of them gliding graciously through the waters as we pass by!
From Vancouver we will continue on up the Inside Passage past Wrangell and Petersberg to Tracy Arm Fjord which is off of Stepens Passage across from Admiralty Island. We will visit the North and the South Sawyer Glaciers (Twin Sawyer Glaciers) and then spend an afternoon in Juneau, the capital of Alaska.
From Juneau, we will continue up Stephens Passage to Lyn Canal where we will cruise to Skagway. We will disembark the ship in Skagway and will spend the night there. That afternoon, Jim and I are scheduled to take a float plane ride!
The next morning we will board the White Pass and Yukon Railroad traveling along the same route that the gold miners hiked one after the other in 1898 hoping to strike it rich in the gold fields in the Yukon. We'll visit Lake Bennet and eventually arrive in Whitehorse, where we will spend the night and enjoy the Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue.
From Whitehorse, we will board a motor coach to Dawson City and stay overnight in the Klondike National Historic Site. We will then visit Dawson City or Tombstone Park and learn more about the Gold Rush and visit the gold fields and explore where a full range of wildlife roams free.
On Day 8 we will cruise the Yukon River on the MV Yukon Queen II catamaran and hear tales of river pilors, mail carriers, prospectors and Mounties as we travel to the small Alaskan town of Eagle.
A motor coach will take us up the Alaska Range and along the TransAlaska Pipeline to Fairbanks on Day 9 where we will visit Gold Dredge No, 8 and actually give a good try at panning for gold ourselves.
On Day 10 we will board the McKinley Explorer (Alaska Railroad), and travel along the scenic byway as we travel through the heart of Alaska to Denali National Park where we will stay for two nights. Not only do we hope to get to see Mt. McKinley, we have high hopes of seeing a lot of wildlife on our Tundra Wilderness Tour. We could see Caribou,moose, grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, bald eagles and
much more.
From Denali on Day 12, we will again board the McKinley Explorer and travel the rail down to Anchorage. In Anchorage, we have plans to meet up with my dear pen pal Pattie and enjoy some time catching up with her. Our last day will find us on a 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier that will take us into the Prince William Sound to visit 26 "named" glaciers including those in College Fjord. We will see all types of glaciers including Alpine (hanging), Piedmont and Tidewater glaciers( glaciers traveling down valleys towards the ocean). Getting up close to these towering masses of ice, we will be able to "hear" them move while they groan and crack as they move ever so slowly to the icy glacial waters below. There will be many "bergie bits" (small chunks of ice floating in the water) and the glaciers will be brilliant colors of blue and turquoise.
And, as with all vacations our time will end sooner than we want and we will find ourselves on our way home. We hope you'll join us on June 30th as we take to the skies to Vancouver and set sail on the first day of our journey. I'll be posting blogs all along the way, so you can come along if you want!
Now - I've got to start packing!
Friday, June 4, 2010
What's on Your Bucket List?
It's Friday! Don't you wish you were hanging that "Gone on Vacation" sign on your computer? Where would you like to go? What's on your Bucket List? For me - someday I would like to go to Banff and Lake Louise and do the Rocky Mountaineer railway from Calgary to Vancouver.
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