My Blog - Radiance Southbound June 21-28

Hi, All,

Thanks to everyone on this board who helped to make our trip so incredible.

Instead of doing a review thread on the board, I decided to do a blog about our trip. I'm sure I'll still tweak a few things, and hopefully I will have time to scan and add a link to the cruise compasses and other ship information sometime this week, but here is a link if anyone would like to look through it.

SUMMER SOLSTICE IN THE LAST FRONTIER

Thanks again and happy travels!

Thanks for sharing your blog.

Keith

Thanks for the info on your blog. I have just sent a request for info from Island Wings based on what you had to say about her.

OMG, you finished your writing!!! I was there yesterday and doing refresh hoping to read about Ketichan and Vancouver! Yay, thank you so much! Your photography is so lovely!

Subtchr, thank you so much for this trip blog. I, too, have learned much here in preparing for our 2 week trip next month, but nothing as informative as what you have put together all in one place. Your photos are incredible, and I loved how you said you ran out of adjectives for the sights by the third day of travel. I shared the blog with my husband and he wants to know the details of your camera. Thanks again for this amazing blog!

Great Blog! Thanks for taking us along

Great blog.

I believe we saw you guys at the Island wings docks. We were taking the 12:00 trip with Mountain Air service and we saw Michelle land back from her 10:00.

We are on the Radiance in a few weeks. Still reading your blog, but do have a question. Thanks for sharing such great information.

You have shared some wonderful maps, did you acquire them at the ports and parks, or did you have them before your trip?

Great blog.

I believe we saw you guys at the Island wings docks. We were taking the 12:00 trip with Mountain Air service and we saw Michelle land back from her 10:00.

That was our group for sure. The ones with the huge smiles on our faces! Did you have a good flight? It was starting to cloud up a little more when we got back, but sometimes a few clouds just add another perspective. And I guess it wasn't until quite a bit later in the afternoon that it really clouded up. Hope you had fun!

We are on the Radiance in a few weeks. Still reading your blog, but do have a question. Thanks for sharing such great information.

 

You have shared some wonderful maps, did you acquire them at the ports and parks, or did you have them before your trip?

Although we picked up some maps along the way in ports at visitors centers, the ones I linked in the blog are ones we found online (and printed to bring with us) before we left. We are both map geeks; maybe that comes from being former Navigators!

I shared the blog with my husband and he wants to know the details of your camera. Thanks again for this amazing blog!

I mostly used my DSLR, a Nikon D5000 that I have had for about 4 years, with a Sigma 18-250mm lens. The lens is heavy, but since I really only wanted to carry one lens, it's a good compromise between wide angle and zoom. There are many times I would have liked to have had a longer zoom, but not enough to lug extra lenses around.

If you don't want to deal with the weight or size or accessories of a DSLR, some of my photos are also with a Nikon P770, which I have had less than a year. It take amazing pics for a small camera, and has many advanced features I love, but it only has a 7x zoom.

So if he is looking for a new camera for the trip and doesn't want to get a DSLR, there are some amazing super-zoom "bridge" cameras out there that will give amazing results. Some of the highest rated are the Sony HX200V, the Nikon P520, and the Panasonic Lumix FZ60.

If he is really interested, there are many people on the PHOTOGRAPHY board who will answer questions and give some great advice.

Thanks for the nice comments!

Thank you for sharing your Alaskan Blog with us.

Very nice.

Great blog thanks for sharing!

Great blog thanks for sharing!

Thanks - I loved your review, too! I referred to it often when planning. What a difference a month makes, you know? Especially comparing our photos of the drive up to Emerald Lake from Skagway.

Thank you for sharing your blog.

Great blog and photos. Thanks for sharing. And I REALLY appreciate that you posted a completed report instead of starting a thread and adding to it for days/weeks on end. So much easier to read !

I'm surprised you didn't stop by the Eklutna Spirit Houses since you were in the neighborhood. It's one of my favorite stops ... can't seem to drive by without stopping in. Maybe next time!

Really outstanding blog. I agree with the others that the blog format was very easy to follow, and your pictures were spectacular. Thanks for sharing!

Great blog and photos. Thanks for sharing. And I REALLY appreciate that you posted a completed report instead of starting a thread and adding to it for days/weeks on end. So much easier to read !

 

I'm surprised you didn't stop by the Eklutna Spirit Houses since you were in the neighborhood. It's one of my favorite stops ... can't seem to drive by without stopping in. Maybe next time!

Thanks! That's a reason I did the blog instead of a review on the board. I love reading them, but it can be difficult to find information.

We were trying to get back to catch the Aviation Museum on our road trip north of Anchorage, so we did skip a few things that we would have loved to see. All the more reason to come back!!

This Blog is amazing!!! Thank you!!

Great job on your blog! We took this same cruise last July and it brings back some great memories. The highlight for me was the Misty Fjord trip with Michelle of Island Wings.

That was our group for sure. The ones with the huge smiles on our faces! Did you have a good flight? It was starting to cloud up a little more when we got back, but sometimes a few clouds just add another perspective. And I guess it wasn't until quite a bit later in the afternoon that it really clouded up. Hope you had fun!

Oh yeah, we went head on into that system on our way back, the ride was a bit bumpy but nothing that bothered us. Our son like the trip back more than then the one going in :>)

This may be the best travel blog I've ever read! Thanks for spending so much time on it. Your photos are incredible. Makes me want to go back!

Just started reading your fantastic blog. Just the info I needed on Anchorage area. I am torn between going further north to Denali or do something similar to what you did visiting Matanuska etc before taking the train south and spending 2-3 days around Seward.

We could of course take the easy way out and book a cruise tour starting from Anchorage that goes to Denali and then back to Seward. Have plenty of time though - Aug 2014.

Hugh

SPECTACULAR blog, thank you very much for creating it!

Great Blog...I have just started reading it and can not wait to finish. I am currently in the process of planning our cruise for next year. Your pictures are beautiful.:D

Sue,

Thank you for the wonderful blog and great pictures of your Alaskan trip! My husband and I will be on the Millennium next month with the same itinerary so it was exciting to see all of the places we will be headed! We too are using Island Wings. My husband (the photographer in our family) would love to get the shots of the whales and bears that you did! I have tried to explain that that is not the "usual" so he won't be disappointed!