More Pictures

We have posted more pictures at www.learninginalaska.shutterfly.com

Hope you enjoy them!

Reflections

During dinner our last night at sea the main topic of conversation was what was everyone's favorite part of the trip. It seemed a difficult answer for each of us. In the last 10 days, we experienced so much that we are on overload. So it is hard to pick a favorite place or time. It could be the mountains which truly overtake the landscape. It might be the water of the north Pacific,or the Misty Fjords, or the inside passage. It might be the glaciers, the wateralls or the snowy peaks. It could even be the cities and villages from Anchorage to Vancouver. And it could definitely be the whales, the bears, sea otters, sheep, star fish or sea cucumbers. We traveled by bus, car, train, ship, catamaran, golf cart(really) and jet. Which was our favorite? We met people from all over the globe on the ship and on land, each of them with a story of why they are in Alaska. How can we possibly choose a favorite? We can't.
For me it was all of these things woven together that create my favorite Alaskan memory. These are memories that will stay with me. We captured all of this on film and hope that our pictures convey some of what we experienced to you. It was the travel adventure of a lifetime, and I would encourage any of you to make this journey to our 49th state.
Thank you to Fund for Teachers, the Steve Spangler team, and your our family and friends who followed our journey.

We are still adding pctures so check back later. Beth

The Journey Home

After arriving in Vancouver, which is a beautiful city to see, we headed for the airport. Had we known that going through customs and security would be it's own excursion I think I would have packed a lunch. Finally we made it to our plane and headed home-arriving at night (hey it's dark in Houston) and with only part of our luggage. At least I can be grateful it wasn't lost until now. Our families were glad to see us home again- happy and healthy and ready to hear all the great stories. The newest photos will be posted today and with any luck the swaying motion I feel from the ship will pass soon. It's a bit strange to be standing in my kitchen and feel like I'm still in the Gulf of Alaska. Driving ought to be really interesting!! Anyway- we had a blast! I learned so much about the history and nature of Alaska I almost can't process it all. Thanks to all the tour guides who told so many jokes about Texas being only the second largest state. The most popular one seems to be that if they split Alaska in half, Texas would still only be the third largest state and still have less oil than Alaska. Can't really argue with that, but it feels good to home nonetheless. Compared to Alaska, Houston feels like it's about a mile from the Sun- HOT!!! It was 102 degrees yesterday so already I'm missing the cool mist and the smell of the millions of Spruce trees. My most sincere wish would be that the pictures and videos would even begin to show the wonder of the places we have been, but they can't even come close to expressing what it was like to really be there in those mountains and fjords. It's like you can feel just how old the Earth really is when you stand there. I'll never forget it.

Colleen

Ketchikan

We have just arrived back on the ship after a day in a catamaran travelling through the Misty Fjords. The trip was beautiful. Most exciting was watching brown bears having dinner at two different stops. We were in awe as the bears walked the shores and ate grass and berries. Another sight was the harbor seals sunning themselves on the rocks near the water. We topped that with a visit from a humpback whale. We have so many pictures and will attach them later. Tonight we set sail for Vancouver. That trip will last until Wednesday morning, so we will not be updating the blog until then.

June 21 Skagway

This morning we began our day in Skagway. This is a quaint little town on the inside passage. Our main event of the day was boarding the White Pass rail and heading to the top of a mountain that actually took us into Canada. The train followed the route that the miners traveled during the Gold Rush. The terrain was rugged and steep. It is hard to imagine climbing this mountain with 1,000 lbs. of supplies and a donkey. After the ride we did some shopping and then headed to the ship for one of the formal dinners. Tomorrow Ketchikan!

In Sarah Palin's backyard

Hi there gang- as we write this we truly are in Gov. Palin's backyard. And you CANNOT see Russia from here. Actually at this point all we can see are the 4 walls of the local library that sits behind her house. To add to the blog, we are using the free internet from every library on the Alaskan coast. Seriously, today has been a spectacular day. We disembarked in Juneau this morning early and headed to the Glacier Gardens. The flowers here compare to none we have ever seen. Alaska is a temperate rainforest which has the perfect climate and temperatures for growing flowers. The 20 hours of sunlight a day provide more than enough light to create beautiful full blooms.

After the gardens, we took a bus to the Mendenhall Glacier. It was phenomenal!! We hiked up the mountain to get the best view possible and then walked back down to the beach where we got a closer look at icebergs that had calved earlier this week. I don't know why Beth wouldn't just cross this tiny stream to get a chunk of glacier ice, but no- way too cold I guess. We did put our hands into it though and yep- it's cold!

Now we sit n Sarah's yard sending our thoughts to you. We also added a few of our 400 pictures to www.learninginalaska.shutterfly.com today. Please check them out and post a few comments.

First Stop- Sitka!!

Hey all!! Today (Friday) we are in Sitka, AK. It's been our first chance to leave the ship in several days and boy am I glad. When we passed through College Fjord yesterday we saw all the glaciers named after Ivy League Universities. The weather was definitely Alaskan- rainy and cold- but we were in awe of how colossal and majestic it all is. When we sailed for Sitka through the Gulf of Alaska we had to put on the seasickness patches- was I ever wrong to think it wouldn't be that rough! Today we went whale watching and saw gray whales along with sea otters and lots of birds. Got great pictures and will update the link to shutterfly tomorrow in Juneau. Having a great time and learning a LOT!!!

Colleen and Beth

Cruising tomorrow

We have just arrived at the hotel after two wonderful fun filled days with Lyla. She was such a gracious hostess and an excellent tour guide. Yesterday morning after an early rise and shine, we headed to Seward. The trip took many interesting twists and turns, and it provided us with the most beautiful scenery. First stop was Alyeska were we boarded a tram that took us up the side of a mountain to the height of 2,000 feet. The views of the snow covered mountains, glaciers, and the various evergreens was breathtaking. We then traveled on to Seward along the Prince William Sound. There we visited the Sea Life center and actually got to put our hands into the frigid Alaskan water to touch anemone, star fish, sea urchin. Wow! Our favorite exhibit was the one of the ducks and birds. Their antics were not only amusing, but gave us to chance to see how they adapt to their clod environment. After diner at a lodge, we headed back to Anchorage arriving at 10:00 in the bright sunlght. Even though it was still sunny at 11:00 we had no trouble falling fast asleep. Tomorrow we sail!!!! C&B

Technical dificulty and lack of our resident computer geeks has inspired us to create a photo album at the following web address
http://learninginalaska.shutterfly.com/

Check out all our pictures here

View from the airplane over Gulf of Alaska

Pictures of First Day in Alaska

Here are the pictures we promised.

Finally in Alaska

We have read about Alaska, watched TV shows etc, but nothing can prepare you for looking out the airplane windows at the majestic mountains of this part of the world. And after much discussion of how we were going to sleep all the way here- the Sun it still out and shining brightly. Wow- when they say "Midnight Sun" they are NOT kidding!! It is the strangest sensation to have the Sun still up so late. It is beyond fascinating and only helps to illuminate what is simply the most awesome landscape I have ever seen. Our fabulous chauffer and tour guide, Lyla, greeted us so warmly after our 9 hour trip. We love you, Lyla. We can't wait to sleep and then trek to Seward and other places tomorrow. Pictures will follow after a night of rest.

C and B

Packing for Alaska

Well here we are packing for our trip- it's 98 degrees out and we're thinking about polar fleece and sweaters. We are keeping an eye on the weather- looks like rain in Denver but clear skies the rest of the way. We can't believe it's time to go already!! Talk to you tomorrow in Alaska!!


Colleen and Beth