Friday, August 08, 2008

Back in the Lower 48

We are back from Alaska, although I am 8 pounds heavier (Ugh).  It was absolutely gorgeous.  We didn't see a whole lot of wildlife (a couple of grizzly bears appeared as specks in the binoculars, a few bald eagles, seals and a number of orcas), but the landscape was absolutely breathtaking!

One of the blessings was that we missed 10 days of the hottest weather in Decatur in a long time.  While it was 108 here, we were enjoying temperatures in the 60s (I just had to throw that in for Jeff). 

The highlight of the trip for me was when we went into port at Skagway.  It is the sight of the Alaskan gold rush of the late 19th century.  It still had a lot of the flavor of that era.  Lots of historical sights.  We took a train ride up to White Pass, where over 3,000 horses and many men lost their lives trying to navigate the treacherous pass on their way to "riches" in the Yukon (very few prospectors made any money).  The train ride was pretty treacherous, too!

Glacier Bay was an awesome sight as well:  watching the glaciers "calve" -- as slices of ice would fall into the water.  The sound was like a rifle shot as the ice would hit the water.

Someday I will have to tell you about the taxi driver we had in Vancouver (from Iraq) who I was afraid was about to go terrorist on us.

I would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

Next on the agenda:  Israel in November.       

4 comments:

Jeff said...

Welcome home. I'm glad you got to experience the wonderful weather and beautiful sights.

Unknown said...

Glad ya'll are back.

Anonymous said...

We loved the glaciers, too. It simply defies description. We didn't cruise, but rented a car and drove to Homer spit and back to Anchorage. It really was beautiful! Glad you are home safe. karen and Kelley

Bev Ross said...

I love travelling with you!!! I had a blast! Thank you so much for all your hard work - the planning and preparing!