Alaska

So, I've been putting off posting about our great trip to Alaska simply because it's all so overwhelming, but here goes...

Day 1: Seattle

We drove up to Seattle with James's parents, brother Mark, and Grandma Patty. We dropped the fam off at the Heathman Kirkland (nice place!) and James and I met up with my old mission comp Holly and her hubby Nathan, who took us on a tour of their city. We saw the troll under the bridge, the city lights from some great viewpoints, ate dinner at a great Indian place, and had ice cream at a fun burger joint. We got back to the hotel pretty late, but hey, we're on vacation!

Day 2:

We got on the boat. There were some hiccups involved with getting our cards to read, but we figured it out.

Day 3:

At sea. We amused ourselves as best we could...

Day 4: Juneau

I'm always convinced I've spelt that name wrong. Anyway, we went to see the Mendenhall Glacier with James's brother and his family. Lots of ice. Also, there was a waterfall. Lots of water.

Day 5: Skagway

The main attraction of this frontier-themed town is railroads. We didn't shell out the blunt to actually ride a train, but we made our own way along the tracks (as you can see, the tracks didn't go very far).  James wanted his picture taken alongside this big snow plow train, so I made him happy.  Also, I bought my traditional souvenier earrings here, from a little boutique shop that reminded us of Multnomah Village, in spite of all the touristy jewelry shops.

Day 6: Glacier Bay

More ice. It was a nice day at sea and fun to just watch scenery instead of wandering around tourist towns.  There were also many victories on the rock-climbing wall (this ship had everything!).

Day 7: Ketchikan

This town's main "thing" is totem poles. We saw many. Also, we went by the fish hatchery for some reason, again with D and family. Luckily, there was this darling little park next to the hatchery to make the walk all worth it.  On the way, James took a walk along Married Man's Trail.

Day 8: Victoria

We docked for 6 hours in Victoria, BC, requiring everyone on the cruise to have a passport for the whole trip. James and I went to Victoria back when we were still dating and loved it, so we were looking forward to going again. Although not as magical the second time around, we did have fun posing with the street performers, as did my parents, who roved around the island with us.

Day 9: Seattle again

Landed in the morning and took a shuttle to the train station. James was in pain something terrible due to having slept in his contact lenses and then ripping them out of his dry morning eyes, so Mom was practicing her palliative arts on him, but I enjoyed the ride home. Then the number 64 Tri-met bus home. It was wonderful to spend time with family, really get to know some of James's SF family better, and just relax before the last term of school! A special thanks to James's parents for getting us all together on such a wonderful trip. Best Ritzman family reunion ever.