Alaska in Summer - Memories from a visit to the last frontier - with a stop in Vancouver

A summer adventure to Alaska is worthy of a bucklist or must do check off.  Now, I must say that I am not usually spending summer weather in a cooler environment.  After this summer's Alaskan journey, I am thankful for the opportunity to view what is considered the last frontier.  (My husband has a shirt that states this, so it must be true) 😊.

Anchorage
Landing in Anchorage to a beautiful view and sunny 80 degrees was a great start and not what I imagined at all, especially the landscapes with large blooming plants.  Almost 12 hours of daylight in Anchorage gives the landscape extra hours of sunshine, as well as me and the other tourists taking in the sites.

Anchorage Visitor Center

Strolling down town and on a trolly tour gives you a full day of sights, including a drive along Northern Lights Blvd., and a look at Earthquake park.

Anchorage to where?

Downtown Anchorage

Once in a Blue Moon - Downtown Anchorage

Alaskan Railroad Monument

Trolly Tour on Northern Lights Blvd 

Earthquake Park - 1964 quake sunk the ground several feet.
  Link to more information: Anchorage Earthquake Park

Scenic Train from Anchorage to Port of Seward, Alaska

Want a wonderful way to travel from Anchorage to the Port of Seward?  The Alaskan Railroad scenic train is a must.  It is also the easiest way for embarkation as NCL handles this prior to boarding the train.  The glass dome cars give you  a full view of the scenery.  I offer a few photo memories to give you a small glimpse of this excursion.  Link to more information: Scenic Train from Anchorage to Seward.

View from between rail cars

The railroad tracks are parallel to a paved pathway called the Coastal Trail.

Glacier vew

A view of the glass dome car

Waterfalls cascading down the mountain

traveling through the Chugach National Forest

Stop along the train route

 Placer River Canyon

Forget-me-nots - State Flower

Glacier Bay

A remarkable day spent viewing and witnessing the loud crashing sound of the glacier calving at Hubbard Glacier.  It is breathtaking to see in person.  It is also amazing to realize this is happening every day and I have barely given this activity much thought.  What a difference a day can make in your perspective.  I am grateful for the opportunity to spend a day in Glacier Bay.  Some photo highlights are shared below.

Approaching Hubbard Glacier onboard the NCL Sun

Serene view on an overcast day

Hubby posing for a photo memory of Hubbard Glacier

Closer view highlights the blue tones within the glacier

Hubbard Glacier is more than six miles wide where it meets the ocean. 
More information: Hubbard Glacier

View leaving the glacier

Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point is Alaska Native owned-and-operated, with all profits directly supporting the community of Hoonah, Alaska’s largest Native Tlingit village.  Photo memories of a day at Icy Strait Point.

Pilot Boat escort to the dock

View of the NCL Sun along a trail at Hoonah

Zipline adventure - Icy Strait Point features the world's largest ZipRider, with six 5,330’ ziplines dropping 1330’. After launching, you will quickly accelerate to speeds exceeding 60 mph as you soar 300 feet above the rainforest below.

Huna Totem Corporation is owned by approximately 1,350 Alaskan Natives with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area

Tribal Dance and Cultural Legends at the Heritage Center Native Theater

Whale watching as they feed

Juneau

Juneau is situated  between Mount Juneau, Mount Roberts and Gastineau Channel. Viewing Mendenhall Glacier gives a sense of the majesty of the area.  Mendenhall Glacier is located within the Tongass National Forest – the largest national forest in the United States.  A few photo highlights follow.

A view at the port

Downtown shopping

Panning for Gold

Hubby at Mendenhall Glacier National Park.  View of the glacier.

Waterfall photo op at the National Park

Can you see the pink salmon?

Sea Lions sunning on the shore

Skagway

On the Alaskan Panhandle, Skagway is Klondike country. One of the highlights is to take a train ride on the White Pass Railray. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad are part of the mining past in Skagway.  

Arriving at the Port of Skagway

Port of Skagway

A steam-powered, rotary snow-plow originally purchased by the railroad in 1898 is used to clear the line in early spring 

Part of the Best of Skagway tour includes a visit to Liarsville, a saloon style theater, grilled salmon meal, and gold panning are part of the visit.

Liarsville salmon grill area complete with entertainment

Markers for snow plows - yes snowfall accumulates at this height

White Pass Trail marker as seen from the White Pass train

A view of the gold rush trail on Yukon Pass

Can you see the hardship of navigating this trail?

Ketchikan

Arriving in Ketchikan, chances are good it will rain at least once. The average annual rainfall is 162 inches, but it has been known top 200 inches. Local residents call it ”liquid sunshine.” Mid-day is when the rain started during the day in port.  However, shopping is still fun and plentiful shops help out.  Below are a few photos of the highlights.

Entrance to Ketchikan

A view of the NCL Sun while docked in Ketchikan

Skilled worker replacing part of the totem poles

View of some of the many totem poles in front of the Totem Heritage Center

Needing repaired

Lumberjacks!

Log rolling competition

Showmanship with a lumber saw

World's deadliest catch excursion photo op

Vancouver

A beautiful place to see and considered one of the top cities for quality of life.  Vancouver has it all with a natural seaport to the Ocean, mountain forest ranges, and Canda Place cultural center at the heart of it all.  A walk along the seawall from Stanley Park, a trip over English Bay to Granville Island that is now a cultural district, heading over to North Shore to Grouse Mountation and the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, or a SkyRide gondola to the peak, and downtown Vancouver to visit historic neighbourhoods such as Gastown.  You need at least a month to see it all.  A few photo memories are shared below.

Canada Place

English Bay

Famous steam powered clock 

The Giants - Granville Island

Chinatown

Harbour Air  tour over Vancouver and surounding mountains

Harbour View

Beautiful mountain lake

Glacier view from plane

A view from atop a temple

My husband has wanted to see the  Mayan temple ruins for as long as I can remember and his goal finally came to fruition this past March.  Cruising out of Port Canaveral for the first time was an interesting adventure in itself.  It is not as easy as cruising from say, the Port of Miami, due to the location of the port there is quite a bit of travel time involved to get to Port Canveral.  But I must say that staying overnight in Coco Beach was worth the effort.  Walking around the area and the beach gives you a sense of the community and this would be a nice place to retire.

Our cruise aboard the Carnival Magic was a pleasant experience, overall.  There was an incident in Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, that left us at port till around 11:00 p.m. instead of the departing at 6:00 p.m.  A lot of rumors as to why, but this did not prevent us from making our next destination port. However, it may have affected the Carnival Breeze that was blocked in by the Magic and had to wait as well.

Back to the hightlights and the ruins at Belize.  To get to the Mayan ruins from Belize requires an hour bus trip as well as a half-hour boat ride. The Belize Lamanai Mayan Ruins is a large site but worth the effort to reach the tropcial forest where the Mayan ruins are located.  Be prepared for rain and bugs, as this is a tropical forest.  Walking the trails to the Temples and monuments is a unique experience as you will see howler monkeys, toucans, and other tropical birds along the way.  The guided tour takes around 2 hours and you will see the Ball Court, the Jaguar Temple, and the Lag Temple - known as Temple High. Most of the photos are near the Temple High site.

Carnival Magic

View from bottom of Temple High 

Climbing to the top

Mounds carvings

View from atop 

Looking down from atop

Me in front of the Temple High

A view from the mountain top in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

There is a beautiful view to behold at a mountain top in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and definitely worth the cruise down from Miami.  I can say that it is worth visiting more than one time to take in the pristine waters and beach areas, as well as views from the top.  So, I want to share with you a few photos on my way to and at this destination and hope that you may get a sense of the beauty...

A view from the Port of Miami as the NCL Escape leaves for the Virgin Islands...
It is fun to hear the ships call out as we leave the port - a way to say bon voyage!  How friendly :)

Beautiful Miami skyline as the NCL Escape begins its journey to St. Thomas.
A nice way to see the sun setting and take in the sea air as well.  

Calm seas are such a pleasant and inviting mood setter... I just can't seem to get enough of this view :)

Morning view as the NCL Escape approaches the port in St. Thomas...capturing the pilot boat coming to great us and steer the ship into the port at St. Thomas.

What a welcome to see a rainbow in the sky at St. Thomas... always a good sign :)

Entering St. Thomas, a view of old structures. 

A closer look at the old structures at the entrance to St. Thomas.

Hubby taking in the view of the harbor as we prepare to dock.

Side view of Fort Christian is located in central Charlotte Amalie... more information about Fort Christian can be found at http://www.visitusvi.com/stthomas/culture_history

Our tour excursion driver who was quite knowledgeable about the history of St. Thomas.

A unique building in the tourist area of the Island.

Just a beautiful walkway in the shopping area.

A view from above the port where the NCL Escape was docked along with other cruise ships.

Mountain top view - what a beautiful place to see... 

Zip line location on St. Thomas high up in the mountain top. Yes, I could hear some of the zip liners as they journeyed through the air :)

Mountain top view of Magens Bay... St. Thomas's most popular beach, this beautiful one-mile stretch is a public park and was donated to the people of the Virgin Islands by Arthur Fairchild. The water is usually very calm in this heart-shaped protected bay. 

Taking in the mountain top view - such beauty to behold

Can you find me in this photo taken at Coki Beach... a great location for snorkeling and diving...

Yes, I did... one bucket list checked off!

So, okay, I was not expecting to attempt the ropes course and zip lines on the NCL Escape, but when you have a passing thought of life passing you by, something inside you takes over and you accept the challenge. I must say that at the moment you are being "suited up" in your harness, there is excitement and dread at the same time.  It was like being part of the movie, Inside Out, which, is a great animated film you should consider seeing.  All types of emotions all at once and those little head characters all fighting within me to get the leading role.

And, with a 7 year old standing in front of me telling me she has been on the ropes and zip line course several times and how fun it is, well, could you back out?  So, staring at me first was a two by four that went on for a mile, well, okay, about 12 feet... but it felt like a mile.  At the end of the course when I crossed another one, it felt like a piece of cake to me... perspective can change in a few minutes of time :).

After crossing the two by four and feeling like I had already accomplished something medal worthy, I faced the first zip line experience.  Okay, by the time I got there my 7 year old expert in the course was already at a distance from me... how did she get so far ahead of me??  This is when the horror of what you are about to do sets in... and the line behind you grows and begins to be in a hurry... so with some nudging and encouragement, I stare out as I take a small running start into space and hold on for dear life as I pass the camera taking what turns out to be my face showing every emotion it could express in one second of time.

By then, I must admit I began to feel a little wobbly, but looking at the 7 year old from a distance, I accepted my fate and went on through the course of ropes, walking on two lines of rope, walking on a square mesh of ropes and reaching the next zip line that takes you over the sea...yes, I said over the sea.  Now that I was a seasoned zip liner (in my head, at least), I was surprised to feel those same emotions rising up inside me.  At this spot in the course, there was a crew member to help me calm down enough to let me know I could begin in a sitting position - much easier to do - (so where was this advice at the first zip line?) and then I was off zipping over the sea at Deck 20 on the NCL Escape... so you can imagine that the camera shot of me this time was actually worth purchasing :).

I would say that the kind gentleman who was at first behind me in the ropes section and then way in front of me should be given a medal of honor for his sticking it out with me after my pleas of  "this is my first time, so please don't leave me" - what kindness there is in the world of ropes course.

After completing the rest of the ropes in this course, this kind gentleman went on to the higher level and well,  I finished at the lower level, as you were probably expecting.  At the end of the course you can start over again, and to the surprise of the crew member, I turned down the offer to start again...
I imagine he has done this course every day since the NCL Escape began its maiden voyage, so I did not let his puzzled look drag me back in.

However, after finishing and sharing my experience with Larry, my hubby, I found myself wanting to harness up and start the course again... okay, it may have something to do with endorphins and an adrenaline rush inside me that had taken over, but I did experience an exhilaration and feeling of accomplishment that must be considered a "natural high".  So yes, I still want to try the ropes course and zip line 20 decks aboard the NCL Escape... maybe next year or so :).  Want to join me?  I can help you plan your bucket list checked off in zip lining!  http://www.cruiseshipcenters.com/en-US/DeniseHile/home

Here are some photos of the course... one with me zipping over the sea.

A visit to Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Island...

A visit to the Virgin Islands is a unique experience that came with a challenging but rewarding time at The Baths on Virgin Gorda.  To see the beauty and sheer volume of these volcanic caves is in itself breathtaking.  Taking on the challenge of walking through the small and narrow passages to see this wonder of nature is another thing...

A brief description from the tourism site at http://www.bvitourism.com/activity/baths-national-park     says it all...

National Parks Trust's Description:
Encompassing the beaches and rocky shoreline at the southwestern tip of Virgin Gorda, The Baths is a collection of massive granite boulders as large as 40 feet in diameter, with white sand beaches and secret rock pools.

The cavernous surroundings are a result of the molten rock seeping up into the existing volcanic rock layers; because the molten rock did not reach the surface it cooled slowly and formed the hard crystalline granite layer. Further shrinkage and cracking formed blocks, which were exposed when the softer volcanic rock above eroded away. Weathering rounded the corners of the boulders to what they are today. These massive boulders are also found at Fallen and Broken Jerusalem.

This is where you start your journey through the caves... yes, it is very tight, but worth it at the end.

A view of the beach (photo provided)

Approaching Virgin Gorda from a catamaran - a great way to travel from Tortola to Virgin Gorda....

Hubby and a good friend getting ready to explore the caves that lead to the beach

A view of the beach at the Baths (photo provided)

Worth the challenge of getting to... beautiful!
(photo provided)

A great way to get here is aboard the NCL Escape - the newest ship in the Norwegian fleet... that in itself is a great experience, too.

Let me know if you want to explore this destination to The Baths... I welcome the opportunity to help you plan your journey... http://www.cruiseshipcenters.com/en-US/DeniseHile/home