Our 3 Days in British Columbia

We visited my friend Suzy for 3 days in Merritt British Columbia. Thank you Suzy for your wonderful hospitality. The land is so beautiful! Suzy has new accommodations in Assisted Living and that is where Tom and I spent our nights. I will be doing a blog about the Assisted Living Center where she resides. Let me know if you are interested in seeing this blog.

Cruise is Over

We arrived in Vancouver quite early in the morning. The pic shows the cruise ship docked in Vancouver. We are visiting Suzy Ireland for a few days while the rest of our group are touring Vancouver.
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Food, Food, and More Food

I have not talked too much about the food, but be assured that the food was delicious! We had an option of dining in the International Dining Room or to go to the buffet. Tom and I went had all our dinners at the International Dining Room and we usually went to the buffet for breakfast and lunch. We had options of fish, seafood, pork, beef, poultry, or vegetarian with every dinner. We mad a selection for an appetizer, soup/salad, entreen and desert. My favorite was creme brulee but pictured is a Baked Alaska featured at our last dinner.
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Culinary Show

Friday - We have seen many shows on board: song and dance, comedians, line dancing, gambling, but this morning we are watching a Culinary show starring the ship's Executive Chef Raggie Salfanha and the Maitre D'Hotel Silvio Zampieri. They prepared salmon and a black forest cake during the show. We also toured the galley. A few food facts on board as an average per day: 1,400 fish, 1,000 lbs poultry, 400 lb shrimp, 1,500 lbs beef, 1,200 lbs pork products, 300 lbs veal, 200 lbs lamb, 1,200 lbs flour, 100 gallons ice cream, 400 lbs butter, 6,000 lbs fresh fruits, 32,250 lbs vegetables, 2,300 lbs potatoes, 60 gallons coffee, 50 gallons coffee cream, and 300 lbs sugar. They serve 1,600 salads, 1,500 sandwiches, 400 lbs pasta, 550 gallons soup, 6,000 assorted pastries, 300 cakes and pies. There are almost 3,000 passengers and there are 1,100 staff serving us. 515 staff are in the kitchen or are waiting on tables.

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Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan

We attended a Lumberjack competition in Ketchikan. There was competition chopping logs in various ways, sawing logs by hand and by chain saw, rolling logs, running up logs, hoisting logs, rolling on logs, and climbing logs. It was staged but it had typical logging activities.
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Bight Park - The Clan House

We listened to some lore and other mythological stories about how the totem poles came to be. It was clear that bodies were cremated and left in a compartment at the back of the totem pole. Pictured are the inside and outside of the Clan House where we heard the story of DuckTooth.
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Bight Park in Ketchikan

We are in Ketchikan and are visiting Bight Park the site of many old totem poles.
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Whale Watching

Pictures to be added. We first saw many killer whales playing with each other and attacking the local fish. We were told killer whales are seen one day about every other week. Then we saw the much larger humpback whales. They displayed bubble net feeding for herring where the whales cooperate with one another. The guide said less than 5% of watchers see this; we saw it several times. A female whale directs all the whales to take their places. She goes very low and blows bubbles creating air which the herring want to avoid so the herring swim up and then one whale sounds a trumpet and then all the whales open their mouths catching a big meal of herring. To me it looked like a big whale party.
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Juneau - Whale Watching

We're walking the planks to watch the whales from our boat. We're guaranteed to see a whale or get a $100 refund.
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Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier was a beautiful sight.
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Bill and Betty Resting

We're in Juneau where you will find Bill and Betty resting in front of some great scene.
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White Pass Railway in Skagway

We boarded the train in Skagway to see a view from 7,000 ft up with drops from the top to the bottom. I have pics leaving but forgot to do pics on the phone camera when in transit. I'll add these when I get home.
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We are Guests in Skagway

Do you see some familiar faces in Skagway? Charlene, Betty, Sarah, and Kathy. We stopped on land the first time since Saturday.
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Mom's Having Surgery Tomorrow

I had news today that Mom is having a pacemaker put in at 3pm tomorrow at Sparrow. We would appreciate your prayers.
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Leaving Denali; Heading for Whittier

We are headed for more adventure in Alaska. In the pics Tom and Ann and Bill and Betty.
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Leaving Denali; Heading for Whittier

We're ready for more adventure in Alaska today.
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Denali National Park

We arrived in Denali National Park yesterday and took a 6 hour tip through the park. We saw a few caribou, dalll sheep, and A few hare.
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Northern Exposure

The town we visited yesterday, Talkeetna, originally established in 1896 as a mining town and trading post was the inspiration for the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska for the TV series Northern Exposure. Unfortunately we did not see a moose ambling down Main Street.

The picture is our breakfast view of Mt. McKinley. We have been staying in Denali State Park and are moving today to the Denali National Park about 2 1/2 hours north of here. That is probably as far north as I will ever venture!
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Landing on Eldridge Glacier

What an experience to land on a glacier. It was so flat and seemed ready for us to have a snowball fight. We were told we were standing on 20 feet of snow resting on the glacier. There is a pic as we approach the Eldridge Glacier, the side of the glacier, Mary Kay coming out of the plane and a group picture when the other plane of our friends also landed on the glacier. Pictured in the front row are Jane, Betty, Rosie, Mary Kay, and Judy. In the back row are Ann, Jim, Bill, Neil, and Dick.
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Mt McKinley

We arrived in Denali yesterday but my phone was dead. There is a view of Mt McKinley from our Mt McKinley Princess Lodge room. It shows the expanse of mountains in Denali State Park. The mountains from left to right include Mount Foraker 17,4000 ft, Mount Hunter 41,574 ft, Mt McKinley 20,320 ft, Mooses Tooth 10,335 ft, Mount Silverthorn 13,220 ft. Then I have a closer picture taken outside the lodge and a picture from the road. Mt. McKinley was first known as Mt. Denali but was renamed in 1902; many natives still call it Mt. Denali.
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Glacial Girls Rock

Okay, now we think we are celebrities. The women celebrated by buying our Glacial Girls Rock t-shirts. Look for us on the Sheldon Air Service site.
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Looking Back to Mt. McKinley

We didn't want to leave. It was so amazing! The temperature was around 70 just as it was some 15,000 feet below. We got another look at Mt, McKinley.
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Up Close and Personal with McKinley

Getting closer to Mt. McKinley.
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Crevice and Looking Way Down

These pics show a crevice and the tops of some mountains.
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A Look at Mt. McKinley

We're getting a closer look at Mt. McKinley.
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A Glacial Landing Area

Looking down ona glacial landing area.
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A View from the Side Approaching the Mountains

We're travelling at a slow place for our 1 1/2 hour ride. The airport is about 40 miles from McKinley.
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Into the Mountains

We are on our way into the mountains in a 1949 Otter - a 7 seater counting the pilot.
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Taking a Plane Ride Up to McKinley

First Impressions:
Before ther trip - We're going up to McKinley and like I'm really scared but exhilarated!!!!!
On the Eldridge Glacier - This is way too cool!!!!!!
After the ride - It's probably a once in a lifetime experience, but I would do it again if given the chance. God has made such a beautiful earth!

Pictures are as the plane is taking off with Jim next to the pilot, Jane and Mary Kay in the 2nd row, Dick and Judy in the 3rd row, and Ann in the rumble seat. The pilot asked who would sit in the back and no one answered so I said okay I would sit there in the loner position. I soon found out that was a great seat as I could see and shoot pics from both sides and there was less interference from the wings for pics from the back.

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Going Up in 30 Minutes

Ten of us are ready to go see Mt. McKinley
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Contemplating Our Flight Seeing Tour With a Glacial Landing

This pic is a view of Mt. McKinley from Talkeetna. Eight of us have decided to take a plane up to McKinley while also landing on a glacier. That includes Dick and Judy, Jim and Jane, Bill and Betty, Mary Kay, and me. We leave at 2:45 Alaska time. I'm scared but very excited!
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Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

We saw wood bison, elk, musk ox, brown bear, porcupine, moose, bald eagle, horned owls, caribou, kodiak cubs, and black bear at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The animals came here either injured or orphaned. Pictured are caribou. A little trivia - caribou males and females grow antlers.

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More Pictures Across the Bay

The scenery is just like we'd always seen in the advertisements.
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Just Outside Anchorage

Looking across the bay about 1/2 hour outside Anchorage
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A Few Anchorage Facts

The small homes worth $600,000 were in Downtown Anchorage. A few miles out they go for$250,000 and up. Gas was $3.77 per gallon. You can find Home Depot, Kohls, Walmart, Starbucks, Applebees, etc. A number of domes are here to play sports - soccer, football, golf driving range. I think the population is 250,000.
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Tent City Homes in Anchorage

Tent City homes were built quickly in the 1940s for about $225 and are now worth $600,000. Not a great pic, but the bus was travelling fast!
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Judy and Dick are Ready to Tour Anchorage

We are ready to tour Anchorage now that Tom and I joined up with our friends and relatives. This pic is for you Kris!
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At the Hotel eMailing Family

Kathy and Mary Kay emailing family.
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An Airport on the Lake

Situated within a block of our hotel in Anchorage (Courtyard Marriott) is a lake that serves as an airport. Planes are anchored all around the lake. We watched a plane land by skimming across half the lake.
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