Alaskan Cruise Album

Today I finished our Alaskan Cruise album.  I used WeRMemories page protectors.  This made the process of using 500+ pictures much more manageable.  Please forgive the glare on my pages.  I couldn't get a good angle when taking my page pictures.   

If you want to read in more detail about our trip you can go HERE The post are backwards, just hit the older post button at the bottom of each page.

Vancouver Day 3

Today was public transportation day.  We grabbed our city map, bought an all day transport pass and headed out to explore the city.

The library building reminded me of the Colosseum.

We went downtown and saw the cathedral and public library. 

Then we hopped on the bus to Granville Island Market. This market reminded me of Seattle’s Public Market.




 

We had to stop for a crepe.  I LOVE them!

Of course there were a bunch of different variety acts around the market.  This guy was taking so long to get out of his chains that we got bored and left. 

I loved all the colorful fruits and vegetables.

I love how they stacked the fruit!  I just wanted to go pick one from the bottom.  Just kidding;)

We found this guy carving a totem pole!  Very cool.

Then we took the little ferry over to the beach and park area.  We sat on a bench and watched people enjoy the beautiful sunny day. 

Then we hopped a bus, and then a train, and then another bus to get to the Queen Elizabeth Park.

It is located at the highest point in the city.  It had beautiful gardens and trails. 

A view of Vancouver and the mountains, beautiful!

We spent a few hours wandering the trails.  I, of course, spent most of the time taking pictures of flowers.  My hubby is so kind to let me take hundreds of flower pictures.  Thanks goodness for blackberry games, hee hee.... 

 

After the gardens we headed back to the hotel.  Then it was a long flight back home.  This was an amazing vacation!  Now it is time to plan our next adventure.  Hmmm, where should we go next?

Have a blessed day.

Vacouver Day 2

During our second day in Vancouver we hit the Sea to Sky Highway!  It is one of the most spectacular roads to drive.  First we hit Lighthouse Park. 

We walked multiple trails to get views of the lighthouse and sea.  We had beautiful weather for todays activities.

Next stop was Shannon Falls   

The falls were 1,015 feet high.  We took a couple of trails to get different perspectives of the falls.

We stopped driving the highway in the small mountain town of Whislter.  We ate lunch and did some people watching in the pedestrian area. 

We drove back down highway 99 and into the city area where we hit one more park, Lynn Canyon.  It was a local hidden treasure.  We hit the trails again and walked across this suspension bridge and hike to view a small waterfall. 

The day was filled with many trails and stairs!  All the parks we visited were FREE.

Tomorrow will be my last post from our Alaskan vacation.  Time to plan our next trip (wink)! 

Thanks for stopping by........

Vancouver Day 1

We got up early this morning to watch the ship cruise into Vancouver.  Today we had to get off the ship. 

We cruised right under the Lions Gate bridge and into Canada Place.

We hopped on the local train to the airport where we rented a car for a few days.  Then we headed to Stanley Park.  We packed a picnic and rented bikes.  They have a nice paved 5.5 mile trail around the park. 

Entrance to Stanley Park

We stopped at all the highlights around the park. 

The Totem Poles

Brockton Point Lighthouse

Girl in a Wet Suit

Lions Gate Bridge and Lighthouse

Riding the trail was great way to see the park. Stanley Park is a great place for families.  They had a putt putt course, an aquarium, horse and carriage rides, three beaches, a little train and tons of hiking trails.  We only touched the surface of all the things to do in this park.  So if your ever in Vancouver make sure to make a stop in Stanley Park.

Next I will share our day driving the Sea to Sky Highway.  Stay tuned.....

Ketchikan PM

For our next adventure we arranged for the kayak company to pick us up at the park.  It never hurts to ask a company for special things.  We used Ketchikan Kayak Company.  It was much cheaper than the ships tour and if you pay cash its even less expensive. 

Every one in our group had kayaked before so we suited up and got onto the water.  Michael and I used a tandem kayak.  This was the first time we had done this on a tour.  It worked out well and made for a more relaxing trip. 

 We headed out across the bay to go around some islands.  In the distance we saw whales.  They were a few miles away so I wasn't able to get a picture.  I am sort of happy I wasn't close to the whales. I couldn't imagine being in a kayak and whales pop up near you, YIKES!

We had calm waters around the island.

The guides took us around a few island and we saw starfish, seal lions, and eagles.  The guides were very survivor manish,they told us about the kelp forests and how we could eat certain parts of the plant…..  It was very interesting. 

Along the shores tidal pool we saw colorful starfish.

Overall we only paddled 3 miles. 

 It was an easy peasy paddle. 

This eagle was guarding the harbor as we paddled back to the dock.  So cool!

It was a fabulous day on the water!

Thanks Howard and Brian, from Ketchikan Kayaking Co. for a great trip!

Ketchikan AM

Ketchikan was another fun port.  It has been

one great day after another on this trip. 

In the morning we explored the towns famous Creek Street. It is the Old Town of the port.





Here is the creek along Creek Street.

We checked out the tiny shops. We saw eagles fly right over us when we were walking.

Do you see the eagle?

Cropped

This was the view from the bus stop.

After checking out the town we took public transportation to Totem Bight State Park.  Again, when ever you travel, check out the local bus/train for your daily transport.  It was only a few dollars and it dropped us off right in front of the park.  Don’t be afraid of getting lost.  Locals are most always happy to help you find your way around the area.

Totem Bight was the local state park that had a trail with totem poles.  They explained the meaning behind each pole.  The park was located right on the shore, so you could check out the rocky shore too.

Here is more Skunk cabbage!

Clan house

 This is a beam in the clan house carved and painted.  There was four poles inside the house.

These poles were hard to photograph.  They were massive. 

So, this was our morning adventures.  I don't want to overwhelm you with too many pictures, so I will do the afternoon in another post.  Stay tuned for our kayaking adventure!