Day 9 ~ Seward, Alaksa and Homeward Bound

Going home today...

Good-bye Radiance of the Seas....

See you next time, Alaska

On our way to the Anchorage airport we stopped to catch some wildlife.

Bald Eagle

Mr. Moose. Hi, Aunt Jill!

What are you looking at?

Mr. Moose's buddy...

Why, hello there!

Musk Ox

Bison

Grizzly Bear

Brown Bears

Elk

Turnagain Pass

Thanks, Governer Palin. Your state is beautiful!

Flying into John Wayne Airport. I've only had a night or two at home in the past three weeks. It feels good to be home...

Day 7 ~ Icy Straight, Alaska

The ship anchored (which we were awakened by bright and early) and we tendered to Icy Straight Point. Only after, of course, eating breakfast at Windjammer. They serve 7 times a day ~ Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack, Midnight Buffet and eat anytime Room Service. Um yeah, a little hard to stay disciplined.

Cold and rainy

A view from the dock

Drip-drip-drop... little showers...

The longest zip line in the world. I passed, as it is over $1 a second ~ $100 for a 90 second ride! It was fun to watch though...

We stayed in the room tonight... all a little nauseated from the rough seas. Curled up in the fetal positions in our respective beds, we listened to the news. GO SARA PALIN!

Wishing my older sister Janice a HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY!

Day #6 ~ All aboard! In Skagway

We took the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway today. Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow gauge railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark - a designation shared with the Panama Canal, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

The WP&YR climbs nearly 3000 feet in just 20 miles and features steep grades of up to 3.9%, cliff-hanging turns of 16 degrees, two tunnels and numerous bridges and trestles. See the steel cantilever bridge which was the tallest of its kind in the world when it was constructed in 1901.

We saw a panorama of mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels, trestles and historic sites. It was FREEZING, but worth it for the view!

Click here to read more about the History of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway.

Freezing from head to toe...

Conductor Joe

Our train crossed into Canada

Dinner followed by City of Dreams courtesy of the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers tonight...

Day #5 ~ Juneau, Alaska

Happy Labor Day!

Mendenhall glacier

A Beaver dam

Mendenhall Glacier National Park

The Majestic Bald Eagle

Here her is... getting ready to.... POOP!

The teenage Bald Eagle

Taking flight

Captain Jack took us on a sea life tour. Just my dad, mom and I. What a treat!

The sea lions call this their napping tower...

This is my favorite picture of my dad this trip

And my mom...

Frolicking in the sea

The (Sea) LION KING

Just chillin'

I had vision of seeing real life SEA WORLD here today. Not so much. We did see several whales. But they are too fast to catch in their glory. When I caught glimpse of our first whale and snapped a picture, we joked that it was the $500 picture.

Lots of blow hole mist...

And here she is!

What a fun day today was! When you are on a cruise vacation it's like Christmas every day! You never know what to expect and most days it exceeds your expectations. What a beautiful state Alaska is, and I'm so grateful to experience God's beauty here.

The evening was two-time Olympic gymnast Lance Ringnald performed in the main show lounge, giving a demonstration of world-class gymnastics, spiced up with a little juggling and even a song on the piano. And if I can get my YouTube link to work, I'll link it next.