Review and Photos of Denali May 18-19 and Carnival Spirit Cruise SB, May 20-27, 2009

I will start this thread by letting ya'll know ahead of time that this was the vacation of a lifetime and I would love to share these memories with any of you who are interested. I'll be posting in segments, hopefully daily, as I get my photos sorted and uploaded. I want to thank all of the seasoned Alaska travelers (BQ, Yukon, Nancy, Anchorage77, Wolfie, VBMom, and others) on this board who take so much time to advise and give tips to the newcomers like me. I hope some of my notes will, in turn, help others. So here goes:

Sunday, May 17 – After a year of planning, research, and much anticipation, the big day of our departure had finally arrived! Hubby, 20-year old daughter and I were more than ready for our family vacation to Alaska. We felt lucky to be going, especially with Mt. Redoubt eruptions, the Swine Flu scare and a massive rock slide that had blocked the only road into Whittier until just a few days ago.

The plane trips on Continental were smooth and uneventful, from Memphis to Houston for 1 ½ hours and then on to Anchorage for another 7 hours. Again, we felt lucky not to encounter any stormy weather, lost luggage or delays. Looking down from the airplane as we began our descent into Anchorage, my hubby remarked on all the huge puffy clouds. But after a closer look, we realized that the clouds had thinned and what we were actually seeing were breathtaking mountains covered in snow far below. In between them were dark blue fjords with a tiny dot of a ship here and there. I normally am a nervous flyer but this view was so awesome that I began to relax in spite of myself and instinctively knew that this was going to be best vacation ever!

Around 8 pm, we touched down right on schedule at Anchorage International, collected our stuff and headed over to pick up our rental SUV. Next stop was the Holiday Inn Express on Spenard Road for a good night’s sleep. The hotel did not disappoint us – our room was clean and comfortable and had cost only around $100 for the night. It was a little difficult getting to sleep because it was light so long, until midnight or so! Land of the Midnight Sun is the right nickname for Alaska in the summer.

We got up around 6 am to a beautiful crystal clear morning. The free breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express was the typical continental style food that provided an unexciting but filling start for our early morning drive to Denali Park. We had a city map and found the way out of town to the George Parks Hwy easily. I had printed out some helpful hints and tips from Budget Queen, Wolfie, VBMom and other CC’ers (thanks guys!) on some places and things to look out for during the drive. For example, we stopped at Fred Meyer (instead of the new Target or Wal-Mart) in Wasilla and had fun buying bottled water and snacks there. Lots of local mountain men and interesting characters happened to be out that morning and the merchandise at Fred Meyer varied from shoes and jewelry to groceries. My shopper daughter would have liked to stay longer, but hubby herded us out quickly as he was anxious to get to the Park.

Shortly after leaving Wasillia (I think around the town of Willow) we first spot Denali Mountain (Mt. McKinley) in the far distance. I began doing the happy dance in my seat. The Great One was out in full force with no cloud in the sky at all. We were so lucky again! I made hubby stop for my first of a gajillion photos of the awe-inspiring mountain. We also stopped at each of the official photo op/rest stops further down the road - Denali Overlook South and East - which provided some of the best views, information and trails. These are must-do stops that bring you relatively close to the mountain.

After a very scenic drive that included some interesting stuff on the side of the road such as a banged up, bullet-riddled red car abandoned at a rest stop (what happened here?) and a very mangled bear carcass lying next to moose road kill (some kind of struggle here that both creatures lost), we eventually get to the official Denali Park entrance. Instead of going straight into the Park, we decide to drive on a bit further to find a place for lunch. We drove almost to Healy and spotted a sign for the Black Diamond Grill. We then followed the little road to a beautiful sparkling lake next to the golf course and wooden chalet style restaurant that is the Black Diamond Grill. Here we enjoyed yummy grilled deli sandwiches and spicy potato salad. We learned about the grizzly bear that likes to terrorize golfers by making his appearance at the lake and the golf course when they are playing! It’s a good thing we have no intention of playing any golf here J

Ok, time for me to quit writing for the evening. I’ll try to continue tomorrow with the tale and photos of our driving into Denali Park after lunch. If you have any questions, post them and don't give up on me, I'll be back eventually.

So pretty! Doing a cruise to Alaska is my dream cruise too and I, like you, will probably be researching, researching, researching to make it the best cruise EVER!! :D

Am loving the photos and the review so far!!

Loving your review so far Bimmermom! We are also doing an independant land tour to Denali prior to our southbound cruise in July.

Can't wait to read and see more - your pictures are amazing!

Lori

Great start to what has to be a fantastic review - looking forward to more. Really nice photos!

After our Black Diamond lunch, it was about 1:00 pm and time to head over to Denali Park entrance. We had the rest of the day into early evening to explore. Temperatures were mild and it felt downright toasty in the bright sunshine. The Alaskan Range mountains were still heavily snow-capped and the vistas were just beautiful. It was hard not to stop the car every few miles for more photos, but we were now eager to get into the Park to look for wildlife.

Just as soon as we pass the Welcome to Denali National Park and Reserve sign, the first thing that we saw is a young moose “mooning” us from the side of the ride. We could have reached out and touched him (but we know better, having heard that moose can be very aggressive), so we were happy to just stare and take photos of the guy from the car. Eventually we drove on to the Welcome Center for a quick orientation from the friendly rangers, some brochures and a bathroom stop.

We had just missed the Sled Dog bus, so we drive over to the nearby Denali Sled Dog Kennels to catch up with the presentation. So glad we made this stop! The sled dogs and their trainers are a real highlight of the Park, not to be missed. There many, many dogs, and they are friendly, smart and strong. We learn that these are real working dogs for the Park and that true Alaskan sled dogs are derived from many different breeds and do not necessarily look like the “Hollywood” sled dog in the movies. This Denali kennel visit was one of my daughter’s favorite stops, as she is a pre-vet major and has worked as a Vet Tech during high school and college. We spend a lot of time going from dog house to house and she couldn’t enough of petting these wonderful dogs!

We finally dragged DD away from the Denali dogs, to begin our drive along the one road through the Park. On that day (May 18), private vehicles such as ours were still being allowed to drive all the way to Mile 30 at Teklanika. Starting in just a couple of days, from May 20 through the summer, private vehicles would only be allowed to drive as far as Mile 15 (Savage River) and after that point, only the Denali shuttle buses would be allowed. Again, a fortunate break for us to be able to drive ourselves to Teklanika. The speed limit is 25 mph along the road and we drove even more slowly than that, binoculars and camera closeby. Here again, I have to thank those of you on these boards who recommended the Zen-Rays. We were equipped with 2 pair of Zen-Ray Summits, 8 x 42 and 10 x 42. They are both bright, relatively light and easy to handle and we would have missed out on a lot without them during our trip. If you are debating about buying these, don’t hesitate to do so, they are definitely high quality and well worth the money. The other sure-fired way to spot wildlife in Denali is to pull over when one of the shuttle buses or another car is pulled over. You simply pull over and stare through your binoculars at the same spot they are!

During our slow drive along the park road over the next couple of hours, we made many such stops and soaked in the majesty of the mountains and tundra. We observed lots of wildlife -- moose, caribou herds, lots of cute rabbits, ptarmigan (the official Alaska state bird), and way up high on exposed rocky cliffs were lots of Dall sheep. Most of them, we assume, were out enjoying the unusual warmth of the day and hunting for food. We even spotted a strange created hanging from a tree that looked a lot like a white fluffy “monkey” that was swaying in the wind. We just could not figure out what that critter was until a young man stopped in another car decided to find out. He ran across the open field, climbed the tree, grabbed that “critter” and came racing back. It turned out to be the bottom half of a very large white rabbit fur, stuck on a tree branch. We decided that it had been dropped there by an eagle or the nearby resident snowy owls.

Proceeding on toward Teklanika, we continued to spot more animals. It was fascinating to watch the landscape change more and more to tundra with swampy marshes, still frozen in spots. We saw a few shuttle buses doing practice runs for the coming days. We arrived at Mile 30 and the Teklanika River around 5:00 pm. It’s a wonderful place to soak in nature and walk along the huge wooden deck to spot wildlife in the wide gravel riverbed. We had the entire place to ourselves and felt very humbled. After about an hour break here, we began to head back out of the park. Since early evening had arrived, we saw even more critters were active than before. While we were very happy to have seen so much wildlife, we were a bit disappointed not to have seen a bear or wolf, although hubby swears he spotted a grizzly way out on a ridge but DD and I decided that he had been wishful thinking. The slow drive back to the Park entrance was just as spectacular as the drive in and we felt like tiny specs compared to the surrounding Alaska Range and expanse of meadows and tundra.

During the drive out, DD did begin to get restless (she’s 20, after all) and, since our AT&T phone coverage did not extend into the Park and she couldn't text or call anybody (aka BF back home), she had tuned into her I-Phone for music and games. Nature could only take up so many hours of her day! Shoot, we felt honored that she had even come with her “old” parents on a family vacation at this stage in her life. Goodbye, Denali!

By 8:30 pm, we had reached Healy and our Bed and Breakfast, the Denali Dome Home. The DDH is owned and run by Ann and Terry Miller. Some friends of ours had stayed here the year prior and loved the place. It’s a charming round, “domed” 7200 sq. foot home that is immaculate, spacious and comfortable. Leaving your shoes in the foyer (an Alaskan custom), you feel as if you are staying with friends. The place is decorated rustically with animal furs and local art. There is even a library nook and an office center. The large resident rabbits are all over the backyard, which is beautifully manicured and has a backdrop of forest and mountains. Our bedroom was huge, complete with its own bath and walk in closet and the bed was so comfortable, we slept like babies!

Tuesday, May 19 – Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge, Wal-Mike’s, Talkeetna and Anchorage

We woke up to another morning of brilliant sunshine. Terry cooked a delicious, made-to-order breakfast (eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, etc.) while telling us many colorful stories about the local culture and history. He is such a hoot! Ann had packed up some really yummy cookies for us to take back on the drive to Anchorage. My DD, our dog lover, played with the Millers’ adorable scotties, Raven and McCloud, as we packed up the SUV to head back south. On the way out, we purchased 2 beautiful ulu knives and stands which Terry makes himself. I mentally make a note to keep in touch via email with Terry and Ann, since they seem to enjoy sharing their knowledge and love of this part of the world with their guests and I want to keep in touch. I would love to come back someday and spend several days here. If you get the chance to stay here, don't hesitate to do so!

We were on the George Parks Hwy again, heading back south by 9:00 am. I had planned for us to use this day as a back up to drive into Denali had the weather been bad the day prior. But since we had already enjoyed the Park the day before, today would be spent enjoying a leisurely drive back to Anchorage. Of course, I made hubby pull over for me to take another gajillion pictures of the mountains (DD in the back of the SUV saying “Oh, Mom, not ANOTHER mountain picture!”) I was to hear this comment a whole lot in the next week. LOL

Ann had suggested that we stop at the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge (around highway mile marker 132), perched up high on a hill with a wonderful southern view of Mt. McKinley. We loved this stop, enjoyed some ice cream and walked along the expansive wooden decks of the Lodge to soak in more views of the Mountain. Took more photos (ha!) and wished we could stay longer. Check out this place if you have time, want a fantastic view or just need a break from driving.

Next stop was close to the town of Trapper Creek. Wal-Mikes! You may have heard of this very unique place. If you don’t stop at Wal-Mikes, you will miss out on a real local landmark. Located just off the George Parks Highway, Wal-Mike’s is a cross between a junkyard and a museum. Everything is piled up in heaps from old pot belly stoves to vintage bikes with banana seats to every imaginable can, jar and tin of very kind. Throw in totem poles and antlers, too, and you have a true e-bayer’s paradise. There is even an authentic and adorable reindeer grazing in the front grass.

While DD was trying to pet the reindeer, we chatted very briefly with Mike himself who had very quietly made an appearance from somewhere behind the heaps of stuff. Mike doesn’t talk much but will answer your questions. He reminded me of Grizzly Adams.

We did have a question for him. Hubby and I had heard from friends back home that the 1990’s quirky hit TV sitcom Northern Exposure (one of my favorites) had been filmed in part at Trapper Creek. We asked Mike if knew about this and he told us that no, he had lived there for 30 years and the only thing that made Trapper Creek famous was him! He was completely serious about this!

As I am writing this, it dawns on me that I didn't buy anything at Mike's. Dang, just another one of the many reasons I must return someday.

Mike is in the first photo below:

Loving it I finally get to see your pictures LOL

Moving on down the road, we next decided to head over to Talkeetna. I had read alot about this quaint little town here on CC. I had also discovered during a web search back home a nifty webcam (hosted by Talkeetna Air) that shows Mt. McKinley. I’d been watching this cam faithfully over the past year and wanted to find that little town. Besides, we were hungry now and I had read that the Talkeetna Roadhouse was a great place to eat.

Talkeetna is off the main highway a bit (by about 14 miles), so watch for signs or take a road map with you so as not to miss the turn to this place. First of all, its proximity to Mt. McKinley makes it the perfect headquarters for climbing expeditions and the home base for flying services that take tourists over the park and mountain. Driving down the hill, just before you get to the town itself, you will have a glorious view of Mt. McKinley, all spread out in front of you and a lookout point to take lots of photos.

And just when you think it couldn't get any better, you drive into this wonderful little town and there it is – Cicely from Northern Exposure! (Well, maybe not exactly, but darn close). The gravel road is lined with old and historic buildings that are almost all listed on the Register of Historic Places. They include an old inn, roadhouse, pubs, hostel and shops. Kids ride their bikes down the middle of the street, popping wheelies to impress the tourists. And there is a colorful wooden moose used for ads on the sidewalk. I heard that there is a yearly moose dropping festival in July, including parades, music, games and highlighted by shellacked and numbered moose poop that is hauled up in the air in a net and then dropped on a bullseye. Winners include the closest and farthest from the bullseye.

The Roadhouse was pretty crowded when we got there. Lots of young folks were putting on their hiking and mountain gear and heading out for the mountain; they were staying in the back part of the roadhouse, where clean but very basic accommodations are provided, complete with a community bathroom and shower. Back in the large eating area, we got seated quickly and given a few choices for lunch. I choose the German potato soup, daughter got the chili and hubby choose the lasagna. All were delicious, especially the home-baked bread. Desserts were a yummy variety from pies to cakes to cookies. We chowed down! Now if you are looking to eat food like you find at Chili's or Friday's, don't come here. This is good ole fashioned pioneer type food, fresh and hardy. After stuffing ourselves, we decided to stroll down the road and go into the cute little shops that sell authentic Alaskan made gifts and sundries. We continued to go to a pub or 2 along the way and take lots of photos. Everyone around this place seemed laid back, sunning their dogs in the nearby town park and just enjoying the sunshine.

Ok, you guessed it, here is another place I would love to revisit. And next time I come I plan to find handsome Chris Stevens the DJ and Dr. Joel Fleischman right here in Cicely-Talkeetna.

Although we would have happily stayed even longer in Talkeetna, the day was wearing on and we still had to check into the Hotel Captain Cook and return our rental car to the Anchorage airport. So we drove the remaining 100 or so miles back to the city.

Anchorage is a fairly easy city to navigate and we had no problem finding the Captain Cook, a prominent gold and black colored hotel with 3 towers in the heart of downtown. After dropping DD and me off with our luggage to check in, hubby drove the SUV back to the airport rental agency. He returned to the Captain Cook in a taxi since the hotel did not provide a shuttle service. This surprised me somewhat, considering this is supposed to be a very upscale hotel with a long history in the city. While it was decorated nicely and the room we had was a suite with a great view of the Chugach Mountains, I found the place to be very dark and slightly depressing. I would not recommend paying the high price tag for staying here, but we had used AmExp points to pay for our overnight stay and the location was great.

By this time, it was around 8 pm and we were hungry again. What is it about being on vacation that makes you hungry all the time? Off we went to the Glacier Brewhouse, about which I had heard so much and which was located just a block or so away. It was still very light outside and lots of folks were out walking around. It felt very safe in this part of town.

Since we didn’t make reservations, we had to wait about 45 minutes for a table. There are several wonderful shops full of handcrafted and fine art items as well as gourmet delicacies in a little mall attached to the Glacier Brewhouse, so DD and I had lots to look at while hubby waited for our table. Prices in these upscale shops were high but not unreasonable for the quality. We saw beautiful ivory, gold and silver jewelry and figurines along with handmade carvings, glassware and original art work. Could have shopped much longer!

After all I had heard about the Glacier Brewhouse, my expectations were high. I was not disappointed. We started with 3 different types of beers from their microbrewery, a wheat beer, a Brewhouse blond, and an amber. If you enjoy beer, you can’t go wrong with any of these. For dinner, the waiter told us that he recommended the sockeye salmon, which had just “come in” to the Copper River. Hubby and I got the last 2 salmon left at the restaurant and they were the most delicious fish I’ve ever tasted. Daughter got king crab legs, which she thoroughly enjoyed as well. While we were dining, there were many foreigners at the table behind us, all sporting huge (and I mean HUGE) bears and handlebar mustouches and singing beer drinking songs. Many of the men were dressed in lederhosen. Our waitor told us that there was an official bearded man contest in Anchorage that evening and that these guys had come from around the world to participate. Fun! After dinner and a yummy dessert of the famous bread pudding (to die for), we take a brief look at the microbrewery at the back of the restaurant and head out to Humpy’s, a pub we had heard about from friends. Took a few pictures here and decided to go back for a good night’s rest.

By this time, it’s about 11 pm and while still light outside, it’s more of a twilight. Fewer folks are out walking around and there were a couple of loiterers begging us for money. We even noticed a few “ladies of the evening” hanging around the intersections and approaching cars. Ok, now I’m getting a little nervous and am glad we don’t have far to walk. Back in the hotel, we collapse in our comfy suite. What a day!

Tomorrow we are scheduled to catch The Magic Bus, which picks up folks at the Hotel Captain Hook and shuttles them and and their luggage to the port of Whittier. I had booked this several months earlier, having read positive comments here on CC and after having great communication via e-mail with Tim, the Magic Bus owner. I was looking forward to the small bus ride with the narrative tour and photo ops included. Lights out!

Coming up tomorrow….May 20-22….Magic Bus Tour, Whittier, Prince William Sound Tour with Philips, and our first 2 days on the southbound Carnival Spirit

PS Hi Kellie! These are just a fraction of my photos and I plan to make you a CD of them for you when I'm finished uploading them all. I'm saving the discussion about our CC group until later....the best part of my whole trip. Wouldn't have been the same without you and Erin, Mr. and Mrs. AlaskaGriz, Terry and Carl and Roger and Emily. Miss ya'll!

Thanks for the great review & pictures. Your right, this is a trip of a lifetime. If I ever have a chance, I would do this tour again. I like that you went a couple of days early to tour around. We flew into Anchorage and took a bus thru to the pier about an hour away. The vistas are just gorgeous. I like your sense of adventure.

Thanks for sharing your trip!

Wow, this sure does look like the trip of a lifetime! Thank you for sharing your pictures and your memories with us. I've never been to Alaska but your pictures are making me want to go! Wait till DH hears that...we just paid off our Hawaii trip from a few years back, so I doubt he'll be jumping at the chance for another costly vacay, but hey, a girl can dream can't she??;)

Hawaii or Alaska! That would be tough one. I would do both again.

Great review. Your pictures are excellent. I especially like the picture of your daughter with the sled dog.

Excellent pictures and wonderful review... Could you also mention some tips on what to do , what not to miss on the carnival ship...

Great Job! :D

Thanks everybody for the compliments and encouragement to keep writing. I wish I had time to finish this review in one sitting, but I just don't have enough hours in the day! Anyway...here's some more for now.

The morning of our first cruise day, May 20, 2009, was another beautiful warm and sunny day. We had such good luck with the weather. Many folks who live in this area told us that May 2009 had been exceptional in terms of weather and that there had already been more warm and sunny days that month than in all of last year's summer months! Somebody said it was the warmest/driest May in 60 years.

We checked out of the Hotel Captain Cook and waited, along with a few other cruisers, at the assigned entrance for the Magic Bus. Promptly at 10:20 the Magic Bus arrived, and we meet the owner Tim and his driver/guide Patrick. Our luggage was tucked into the storage compartment and we boarded the comfortable small passenger bus for the appx 2-hour drive to Whittier. As we drove through Anchorage, Patrick pointed out many sites and filled us in on the history of the city. I noticed that very few houses were made of brick or stucco, I mainly noticed wood houses. I kept looking for bears in the bushes, since we learned that bears are coming into the city more and more to find easy food. Now that is scary!

As we left the city limits of Anchorage, we skirted along Turnagain Arm. We learned that when this inlet was first explored by Captain Cook himself, he thought it was an ocean passageway. He renamed it Turnagain when he had to do just that -- turn around again! Patrick pointed out that part of this region is a huge bird sanctuary and that we may also be spotting whales further out. We stopped and got out briefly at one turnout in the road, mainly to enjoy the beautiful Chugach mountains and to watch the goats on the cliffs just above the road.

Later as we proceeded along the road to Whittier, we learned that many of the dead trees along the shore are still standing and semi-preserved by nature from the massive 1964 earthquake that so devastated this area. The wood in these trees is hard as rock.

We also took a small detour to drive up to Alesyka Ski Resort - a charming little village. I felt like we were in Switzerland or Austria among all the chalets and flowers. I would have liked to get out and stay a while here, so I have put it on my growing list for next time.

After that little side trip, we continued on toward Whittier to our next stop at Portage Lake. This was a spectacular view! Lots of snow on the steep mountains and blue icebergs floating all over the lake. With the sun shining brightly, the water looks as turquoise as the Caribbean Sea. Although we couldn't see Portage Glacier itself (it has receded dramatically and is now hidden behind part of a mountain), we could see a "hanging" glacier on the mountains ahead. The Begich-Boggs Visitors Center looked very interesting but this is not part of our tour and we are now anxious to press on to our ship.

Back on the bus, we headed toward the Anton Anderson Tunnel that is shared with the railroad. Patrick pointed out the small pile of debris that was left from the rock slide that had this whole road blocked off not long ago. Whew! Glad that got cleared up in time. We only had to wait a short time for the cars' turn to go through the tunnel. Patrick told us that this is the longest tunnel of its kind in North America. After driving through the tunnel in darkness for a few minutes, we were were treated to an awesome site when we emerged again into the sunshine. There was the beautiful Carnival Spirit docked straight ahead! It was a thrill I won't forget. The Spirit is a beautiful ship, both inside and out. I've sailed both the Conquest and Fantasy, and while those ships are beauties in their own right, the Spirit has them beat in my opinion. But I will get to the ship later.

At this point, it was time for us to board the Philips "Klondike Express" for the 26 Glacier Tour of Prince William Sound. I had booked this excursion several months before and was pleased to note that the impressive high-speed catamaran was docked right next to the Spirit. No rushing to get to it or long walking to do! We gave Patrick our bags (properly tagged with Carnival luggage tags) which he was going to take the Spirit to be loaded and waiting on us in our cabin later. We had a couple of small carryon bags that would be locked up in the Magic Bus until we came back from our tour later in the day. So, without any further ado, hubby, DD and I boarded the Klondike Express for our 4-hour excursion into Prince William Sound. Things were going just as planned!

Whittier Boat Harbor next to where the Spirit was docked

I am looking forward to reading your review of the cruise. I will be on Spirit in July.

What a great review :)

Your review and pictures are fantastic! I will be on the Spirit in August. After reading your review I'm even more excited about the trip (and I didn't think that was possible). I have one question for you. You mentioned driving to see the dogs in Denali. I didn't realize you could do that. I thought everyone had to take the bus. Do you know if that is something I would be able to do in August or was that something that was available only in May (like being able to drive to mile 30)?

Hey, WooWoo!

You can drive your private vehicle up to Mile 15 (Savage River) at any time. So, yes, you can always get to the Denali Kennels which are close to the Welcome Center and which have their own parking lot.

Back in February, I asked the same question you just asked me of the Denali park rangers at denali_info@nps.gov. Here was the response I got:

"Thanks for your email. The kennels are open daily from 8 am - 5 pm, so you're welcome to visit any time in that window. If you'd prefer to attend our daily demonstration, where a ranger talks about the history and purpose of the dogs, and harnesses five or six to do a demonstration run, you'll want to come by the visitor center at 1 pm to board the Sled Dog Demonstration bus (free, no reservations required). They'll take you to the kennels, where you'll have time to take pictures and pet dogs until 2 pm, when the program begins. We have folks begin at the visitor center, rather than the kennels, because of how small the parking lot is near the kennels - but if you're going on your own time, and not around the 2 pm demo, feel free to use the parking lot nearby."

All the best,

Alex Lindeman

US Park Ranger

Denali National Park and Preserve

These folks are so helpful! Just email them directly if you need further instructions.

We found our seats on the Klondike Express and settled in. We were ready to get out on into the wilds of the Prince William Sound! The bar, several bathrooms and seating areas on the boat were spotless and comfortable. There is a lower and an upper deck, with booths and tables surrounded by huge windows for excellent viewing. It's easy to slip outside and stand either along the back or front of the boat, with lots of room for everybody to take photos. And they aren't kidding when they say this is a fast but smooth ride! As we sped into the Sound I was amazed at the smooth-as-silk ride and never felt a ripple. Almost immediately, it seemed, we came across groups or "rafts" of beautiful sea otters, surrounding the boat on all sides. They were so cute, just floating on their backs and sunning themselves on little icebergs. Many were accompanied by their babies. Some of them appeared to be waving at us with their flippers. We continued to see sea otters off and on all afternoon. These cuties quickly became one of my all-time favorite critters!

The boat would stop for us to observe and take photos of the animals, before zipping off again for fjords and glaciers. Although I don't remember the exact route we took, we did go into Barry Arm, Harriman Fjord and part of College Fjord. Everywhere you looked there were snowy peaks, they lined up non-stop as far as you could see. I can't even begin to describe the overwhelming feeling you get here and how beautiful the scenery is, so I'll just keep posting photos.

We did luck out again and got to see some active calving of a couple of the glaciers. The boat got very close to these ice walls and we clearly heard the loud boom and cracks just before the ice junks came crashing down. I've watched this activity on Discovery before, but absolutely nothing prepares you for the real thing. I couldn't get enough of it! I believe that on this day the Surprise Glacier was the most active we stopped at, followed later in the day by the Barry Glacier. The other glaciers weren't as cooperative but still very beautiful.

Often in front of the glaciers, we would see literally tons of sea lions and seals, with lots of babies all around them. They also were sunning themselves and did not appear to be scared of our boat at all. We also spotted 2 bears way up high on one meadow (thanks Zen-Ray, I could actually make them out) and lots of mountain goats on the cliffs. Of course, I took way too pictures but just couldn't help myself. Thank goodness we have digital instead of film cameras these days. Here are some more shots from the tour.