Jennifer48
Not a Disney bride but engaged and honeymooned at
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2005
Yikes! I'm with you on the suspension bridge. My knees would knock together so much I'm sure the bridge would sway! 
Geeks on a boat, now with more geeks! Literally. Alaska 2013 planning starts now!
- Thread starter zweihund
- Start date
Tink rules
<font color=teal>The kids in my family sometimes t
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
I soo wouldn't have made it over that bridge...
I'm trying to figure out how to do the one on the Wild Africa trek at AK...
I imagine promising myself tequila at the end will do it...
I'm trying to figure out how to do the one on the Wild Africa trek at AK...
I imagine promising myself tequila at the end will do it...
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
Back on the bus, I divvied up the sugary snacks and tore into that cinnamon roll, ready to sink my teeth into all of its cinnamony pastry goodness. The smell of cinnamon was intoxicating as it approached my mouth. Im surprised I wasnt drooling. And then?
*crunch*
Wait. What?
I passed a piece to Lionel, whose horrified expression confirmed my suspicion: either the driver didnt get out much, or she was a bald-faced LIAR. Cinnamon rolls are NOT supposed to go crunch. Smoosh, yes. Squish, maybe so. But crunching was definitely not an option in my book. I resisted the temptation to fling that sucker at the driver, and instead wrapped it back up and shoved it into my bag. Cinnamon roll my hiney. More like a cinnamon puck! The other junk food Id purchased would have to fill the void until we made it back to town.
No matter, we were pulling into the train station and I was starting to get really REALLY excited. Cool vintage train car, amazing scenery, whats not to like?
When we pulled up our driver told us which cars were ours I was a little concerned we were going to have to vie for a decent spot. But pretty much everyone else went to the other car and ours was nearly empty, save for ourselves and one or two smaller families. We sat on the right hand side for the trek downward, which I had read on the DIS. So take note: left side up, right side down. Not that you wont see anything from the other side, but when your arm is pinned beneath a snoozing three year old being close to the correct window is much appreciated. Well get to that.
And, we were off. Once we listened to the safety instructions and got the all clear, nearly everyone was out on the platforms between the cars. Everyone, that is, but me. And my peanut.
Me: Izzy, honey, dont you want to go stand outside and look?
Izzy: No. *zzzzzzzz*
Who would have predicted a pseudo-sick preschooler whod been up since 6 am would doze off on a soothing, if not slightly rickety-feeling, train ride? Guess I should have seen that coming.
Well, no matter. I still had an awesome view as we chugged along. Every so often Lionel would pop in, all giddy from giant-lens-induced photographer hysteria, and ask if it was ok to head back out. Which, of course, it was. We made a plan that we would switch at some point, but to accomplish that I would have either had to chew off my arm or wake the dragon. Guess which option I chose? I spent the rest of the journey admiring the view from the window and trying to wiggle my fingers every so often to prevent the loss of my limb. Even from my seat the views were spectacular, and though I had been looking forward to some time out on the platform I still enjoyed the train time immensely.
Rocky mountain to the left, ridiculous amount of snow and ice to the right. Spectacular views ahead!
We saw this scene earlier .from the other side of the mountain.
We were on the train for over an hour but it didnt seem like time passed at all. It was just one wow moment after another. The train never got boring, the view never got repetitive. There was always something new and cool to be excited about.
The clarity of the water surprised me I guess Im used to murky Florida lakes. As the snow and ice melts, it forms these little ponds and streams that look like glass. You can clearly see the bottom as well as the reflected sky and surrounding scenery. They were so serene. I could have sat and looked at those pools of water all day.
The verdict? Wow.
While I enjoyed the bus ride and the suspension bridge, the train ride was the star of the show. What gorgeous scenery, everywhere you looked. My sister lived in Seattle for a few years and once told me she was tired of looking at the Pacific Northwest. Looking at these images, I just cant imagine that being possible. Then again, most people who come to Florida love palm trees and I dont give them a second glance. In fact, we have three in our yard and I find them to be a nuisance. If you can get them home, you are welcome to them good riddance!
Up next: Skagway is full of grumps.
*crunch*
Wait. What?
I passed a piece to Lionel, whose horrified expression confirmed my suspicion: either the driver didnt get out much, or she was a bald-faced LIAR. Cinnamon rolls are NOT supposed to go crunch. Smoosh, yes. Squish, maybe so. But crunching was definitely not an option in my book. I resisted the temptation to fling that sucker at the driver, and instead wrapped it back up and shoved it into my bag. Cinnamon roll my hiney. More like a cinnamon puck! The other junk food Id purchased would have to fill the void until we made it back to town.
No matter, we were pulling into the train station and I was starting to get really REALLY excited. Cool vintage train car, amazing scenery, whats not to like?
When we pulled up our driver told us which cars were ours I was a little concerned we were going to have to vie for a decent spot. But pretty much everyone else went to the other car and ours was nearly empty, save for ourselves and one or two smaller families. We sat on the right hand side for the trek downward, which I had read on the DIS. So take note: left side up, right side down. Not that you wont see anything from the other side, but when your arm is pinned beneath a snoozing three year old being close to the correct window is much appreciated. Well get to that.
And, we were off. Once we listened to the safety instructions and got the all clear, nearly everyone was out on the platforms between the cars. Everyone, that is, but me. And my peanut.
Me: Izzy, honey, dont you want to go stand outside and look?
Izzy: No. *zzzzzzzz*
Who would have predicted a pseudo-sick preschooler whod been up since 6 am would doze off on a soothing, if not slightly rickety-feeling, train ride? Guess I should have seen that coming.
Well, no matter. I still had an awesome view as we chugged along. Every so often Lionel would pop in, all giddy from giant-lens-induced photographer hysteria, and ask if it was ok to head back out. Which, of course, it was. We made a plan that we would switch at some point, but to accomplish that I would have either had to chew off my arm or wake the dragon. Guess which option I chose? I spent the rest of the journey admiring the view from the window and trying to wiggle my fingers every so often to prevent the loss of my limb. Even from my seat the views were spectacular, and though I had been looking forward to some time out on the platform I still enjoyed the train time immensely.
Rocky mountain to the left, ridiculous amount of snow and ice to the right. Spectacular views ahead!
We saw this scene earlier .from the other side of the mountain.
We were on the train for over an hour but it didnt seem like time passed at all. It was just one wow moment after another. The train never got boring, the view never got repetitive. There was always something new and cool to be excited about.
The clarity of the water surprised me I guess Im used to murky Florida lakes. As the snow and ice melts, it forms these little ponds and streams that look like glass. You can clearly see the bottom as well as the reflected sky and surrounding scenery. They were so serene. I could have sat and looked at those pools of water all day.
The verdict? Wow.
While I enjoyed the bus ride and the suspension bridge, the train ride was the star of the show. What gorgeous scenery, everywhere you looked. My sister lived in Seattle for a few years and once told me she was tired of looking at the Pacific Northwest. Looking at these images, I just cant imagine that being possible. Then again, most people who come to Florida love palm trees and I dont give them a second glance. In fact, we have three in our yard and I find them to be a nuisance. If you can get them home, you are welcome to them good riddance!
Up next: Skagway is full of grumps.
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
My dad found one more picture of the bridge, taken as Lionel and Isabelle reached the other side. You can see me a little further down, ready to mow that poor unsuspecting lady over if she didn't get out of my way.
This one really gives you some perspective of how far below the steps the bridge starts, and how low it slings down.
Is that, or is that not terrifying?
Working on another update!
This one really gives you some perspective of how far below the steps the bridge starts, and how low it slings down.
Is that, or is that not terrifying?
Working on another update!
Jennifer48
Not a Disney bride but engaged and honeymooned at
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2005
wow!
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
At the bottom of the pass, I was on a Skagway high. First, we had an amazing excursion experience. I mean, how many times do you get 6 adults and two preschoolers together for hours on end when they all emerge smiling? And the best part? It was only lunchtime! Which meant plenty of time to eat and explore the town I had most enjoyed on our prior Alaska cruise. I had so many big plans: the cupcake shop, a micro-brewed root beer, some salmon chowder, chocolate
.so much shopping to be done. SO much.
Psssst dude, the train just left.
Skagway is super cute. There is this mostly-authentic-but-also-a-bit-overdone historic look to the place.
First on the agenda? FOOD. My parents headed back to the ship to eat lunch, but with Isabelle freshly napped and Lionel actually on board for browsing (a rare occurrence, my friends ..very rare) I didnt want to lose any ground. I spotted a little sandwich place two shops down that sold salmon chowder, and reindeer sausage. Score. Hearty, Alaskan and local: exactly what we were looking for.
And here, my friends, is where the downfall began.
For the guy who ran this shop was not the kindly independent restaurateur I was expecting. Rather, he was the surly are you done yet? Because I have stuff to do kind of chef. It was pretty clear that it was HIS shop, so Im not sure why he gave off such a cold vibe. It wasnt particularly crowded, but there was a steady flow of customers. He just seemed to find us all bothersome.
Still, we were hungry and I was having myself some chowder, dammit. Food in hand, we parked ourselves at a table in the back alley (apparently Skagway has alleys. Who would have guessed?) And it was .underwhelming. The chowder was good, but I from the expression on everyone elses face it tasted better because we were hungry. The reindeer sausage, according to the boys, was nothing special. Just sausage. And it was all rather pricey. It was a little disappointing. From the outside, it looked like this quaint little food-truck type establishment, just on solid ground. I guess we should have looked a little further down the road, because after we moved along I noticed they were selling salmon chowder pretty much everywhere.
No matter, we had eaten locally, which had been one of my goals for the trip. And with some food in our tummies, we all felt better.
It was root beer time.
Jason and I bee-lined for the Skagway Brewing Company, where we were promptly .ignored by the hostess. Not unseen, mind you: completely ignored. We opted to go right to the bar, where several other of the customers were headed. Seemed like they knew what they were doing. Well, along with them we were ignored for several more minutes AT THE BAR. All around us it was chaos. People trying to grab the attention of the waitstaff, waitstaff flirting with other customers and ignoring them, hostess wandering off and returning occasionally to grudgingly shuffle customers to their seats. And we waited, and waited and waited.
After a few excuse- excsu- EXCUSE M- which ended with someone bustling past in a blur, we gave up and figured wed just stop at the Red Onion on the way back to the ship. So far Skagway had been kind of a bust, but I was about to turn that all around with a trip to the chocolate shop. This was the one and only time we had good customer service in Skagway. I guess you cant help but be happy if you work in a chocolate shop. Armed with a bag of sweet treats (which are fab, by the way check that place out if you ever end up in Skagway) I was ready to do some serious shopping.
At some point, we got separated from Jason and Stef and Paige. I have no idea where. It was getting kind of crowded so it was hard to tell whether people were coming in to a shop or heading back out. Last trip, I bought Isabelle a darling set of moose PJs in a kids clothing store, and I wanted to go back. Well, apparently somewhere between then and now the price had gone up by $10, and I was having none of that. Plus? That quaint little brand I was so excited to get again? Was in EVERY SINGLE STORE WE WENT IN. And also, I discovered, not actually made in Alaska. Strike two. Wait, was that three? I was losing count of the strikes by now.
Last time in Skagway, there were three ships in port. This year there were four. You wouldnt think one more ship would make such a difference, but let me tell you: it was CROWDED. People all over the sidewalks. People in the street. Shops overflowing. Plus? It was really warm. All those layers I had been wearing up in the Yukon had been peeled off one by one and shoved under Isabelles stroller. And shops in Alaska? Not so much air conditioning.
A little tidbit about my girl: she LOVES to shop. So we kept popping in and out of stores. It was burning off some energy, and it was making her happy to browse. She would stroke a random cheapo t-shirt and say oooh, look at this shirt Mommy! Or pick up a stuffed animal and declare that to be her favorite animal, and could she get it, only to immediately drop it and fall in love with some other stuffed animal.
We were in the middle of said ritual, when suddenly we heard hey, get out of there!
At first I thought she was yelling at Isabelle. Or me. Startled, I turned to face the angry clerk who was glaring at two unsupervised children. They looked to be about 9 or 10, brother and sister. They werent being obnoxious or anything, but the brother had unfortunately chosen to park his bottom in a low bin full of stuffed animals. The kids froze in fear.
Get out of there! Thats not for sitting on!
There was steam coming out of her ears and her eyes were glowing red. Or at least Im sure thats what it looked like to them. The boy sheepishly said sorry . and got up. But that was not enough. The clerk turned her attention to the girl, who was trying on silly knit hats shaped like animals. Those arent for playing with!
She slowly removed the hat, took her brothers hand and vacated the store. The clerk looked at me next. I didnt know whether she was going to say something like kids today! or whether she was going to yell at me for letting my daughters petite little hand (which was clean, for the record) foul the inside of a polar bear puppet. But she said nothing.
I dont know how long we stood there, looking at each other. Minutes, hours, days .the seconds ticked on and I thought at one point, this is what crazy looks like before it does something you read about in the news. Without turning my head, I said Izzy? Put the polar bear back please. She must have known something was up by the tone of my voice, because she dropped the bear in the bin without question. I reached out behind me, never taking my eyes off the clerk. Isabelle took my hand, and we backed out of the store.
Outside, I decided I was done with this place. Skagway wasnt fun any more. Everywhere I looked, people were in freak-out mode. I felt like an imposter in this faux Alaska tourist trap, and I wanted to go back to the ship. Back where people were nice, and called me maam without a tone of voice that implied some deep-seeded desire to break my arms.
Lionel: I thought you wanted cupcakes?
Me: I changed my mind. Lets go.
And then, there was the Red Onion Saloon. Root beer. I took a chance. How much worse could it get? Inside, it wasnt as busy as I expected. Maybe it would be ok. Heck, a refreshing chilled root beer might even replenish the desire to snag a few Alaska-made cupcakes. The hostess was dressed in period costume and playing the part, flirting shamelessly with what appeared to be a crew member of one of the four docked ships.
*Ahem*
Cue the look. Too late to turn back now.
Can I get a root beer?
She eyed me up and down. At the bar, you can.
Dont suppose theres any chance of getting one to go?
I swear, if a record had been playing, the needle would have skidded across it and the place would have gone silent. That was the way she looked at me. Apparently I had three heads or something, and they dont do anything to go in Skagway. A simple no would have sufficed. It had been wishful thinking anyway. I just really wanted that root beer. But I didnt want to sit in there and drink it, alone at the bar.
Defeated, I headed back out into the bright sunlight and we slowly made our way toward the end of the main street, where the train had dropped us a little over an hour ago. I wanted desperately to be back on that train, to see the good in Skagway again. And then, I saw it: the caboose.
Our faith in the town was redeemed. No one was around, so we even braved the train store. I hadnt gotten anything but chocolate in Skagway, and that would be gone soon enough. Inside the shop it was calm and quiet. And cool! The clerk looked up and smiled, and I finally relaxed. Isabelle did some more shopping (ooh, Mommy, a train whistle! A hat! A what is this? Can I have this?) and settled on a neat little train ornament. I got a few pins too. It only reaffirmed what I had learned about Skagway this time around: trains good, tourist shops bad.
I was relieved when we got back to the ship, reunited with the crew and able to remove our shoes and relax. How could one day be so amazing, disappointing and then amazing again? At dinner, Stefanie told us she had found the cupcake place, and it had been amazing. And Jason had hung at the Red Saloon bar long enough to have a root beer, which had also been great. Ah, well. I was a little sad, but at the end of the day it wasnt the end of the world. I had chocolate, and a cool ornament.
And sadly, a sick little girl. For this was the night the whining began ..
Up next: whining and whales! And a little more whining.
Psssst dude, the train just left.
Skagway is super cute. There is this mostly-authentic-but-also-a-bit-overdone historic look to the place.
First on the agenda? FOOD. My parents headed back to the ship to eat lunch, but with Isabelle freshly napped and Lionel actually on board for browsing (a rare occurrence, my friends ..very rare) I didnt want to lose any ground. I spotted a little sandwich place two shops down that sold salmon chowder, and reindeer sausage. Score. Hearty, Alaskan and local: exactly what we were looking for.
And here, my friends, is where the downfall began.
For the guy who ran this shop was not the kindly independent restaurateur I was expecting. Rather, he was the surly are you done yet? Because I have stuff to do kind of chef. It was pretty clear that it was HIS shop, so Im not sure why he gave off such a cold vibe. It wasnt particularly crowded, but there was a steady flow of customers. He just seemed to find us all bothersome.
Still, we were hungry and I was having myself some chowder, dammit. Food in hand, we parked ourselves at a table in the back alley (apparently Skagway has alleys. Who would have guessed?) And it was .underwhelming. The chowder was good, but I from the expression on everyone elses face it tasted better because we were hungry. The reindeer sausage, according to the boys, was nothing special. Just sausage. And it was all rather pricey. It was a little disappointing. From the outside, it looked like this quaint little food-truck type establishment, just on solid ground. I guess we should have looked a little further down the road, because after we moved along I noticed they were selling salmon chowder pretty much everywhere.
No matter, we had eaten locally, which had been one of my goals for the trip. And with some food in our tummies, we all felt better.
It was root beer time.
Jason and I bee-lined for the Skagway Brewing Company, where we were promptly .ignored by the hostess. Not unseen, mind you: completely ignored. We opted to go right to the bar, where several other of the customers were headed. Seemed like they knew what they were doing. Well, along with them we were ignored for several more minutes AT THE BAR. All around us it was chaos. People trying to grab the attention of the waitstaff, waitstaff flirting with other customers and ignoring them, hostess wandering off and returning occasionally to grudgingly shuffle customers to their seats. And we waited, and waited and waited.
After a few excuse- excsu- EXCUSE M- which ended with someone bustling past in a blur, we gave up and figured wed just stop at the Red Onion on the way back to the ship. So far Skagway had been kind of a bust, but I was about to turn that all around with a trip to the chocolate shop. This was the one and only time we had good customer service in Skagway. I guess you cant help but be happy if you work in a chocolate shop. Armed with a bag of sweet treats (which are fab, by the way check that place out if you ever end up in Skagway) I was ready to do some serious shopping.
At some point, we got separated from Jason and Stef and Paige. I have no idea where. It was getting kind of crowded so it was hard to tell whether people were coming in to a shop or heading back out. Last trip, I bought Isabelle a darling set of moose PJs in a kids clothing store, and I wanted to go back. Well, apparently somewhere between then and now the price had gone up by $10, and I was having none of that. Plus? That quaint little brand I was so excited to get again? Was in EVERY SINGLE STORE WE WENT IN. And also, I discovered, not actually made in Alaska. Strike two. Wait, was that three? I was losing count of the strikes by now.
Last time in Skagway, there were three ships in port. This year there were four. You wouldnt think one more ship would make such a difference, but let me tell you: it was CROWDED. People all over the sidewalks. People in the street. Shops overflowing. Plus? It was really warm. All those layers I had been wearing up in the Yukon had been peeled off one by one and shoved under Isabelles stroller. And shops in Alaska? Not so much air conditioning.
A little tidbit about my girl: she LOVES to shop. So we kept popping in and out of stores. It was burning off some energy, and it was making her happy to browse. She would stroke a random cheapo t-shirt and say oooh, look at this shirt Mommy! Or pick up a stuffed animal and declare that to be her favorite animal, and could she get it, only to immediately drop it and fall in love with some other stuffed animal.
We were in the middle of said ritual, when suddenly we heard hey, get out of there!
At first I thought she was yelling at Isabelle. Or me. Startled, I turned to face the angry clerk who was glaring at two unsupervised children. They looked to be about 9 or 10, brother and sister. They werent being obnoxious or anything, but the brother had unfortunately chosen to park his bottom in a low bin full of stuffed animals. The kids froze in fear.
Get out of there! Thats not for sitting on!
There was steam coming out of her ears and her eyes were glowing red. Or at least Im sure thats what it looked like to them. The boy sheepishly said sorry . and got up. But that was not enough. The clerk turned her attention to the girl, who was trying on silly knit hats shaped like animals. Those arent for playing with!
She slowly removed the hat, took her brothers hand and vacated the store. The clerk looked at me next. I didnt know whether she was going to say something like kids today! or whether she was going to yell at me for letting my daughters petite little hand (which was clean, for the record) foul the inside of a polar bear puppet. But she said nothing.
I dont know how long we stood there, looking at each other. Minutes, hours, days .the seconds ticked on and I thought at one point, this is what crazy looks like before it does something you read about in the news. Without turning my head, I said Izzy? Put the polar bear back please. She must have known something was up by the tone of my voice, because she dropped the bear in the bin without question. I reached out behind me, never taking my eyes off the clerk. Isabelle took my hand, and we backed out of the store.
Outside, I decided I was done with this place. Skagway wasnt fun any more. Everywhere I looked, people were in freak-out mode. I felt like an imposter in this faux Alaska tourist trap, and I wanted to go back to the ship. Back where people were nice, and called me maam without a tone of voice that implied some deep-seeded desire to break my arms.
Lionel: I thought you wanted cupcakes?
Me: I changed my mind. Lets go.
And then, there was the Red Onion Saloon. Root beer. I took a chance. How much worse could it get? Inside, it wasnt as busy as I expected. Maybe it would be ok. Heck, a refreshing chilled root beer might even replenish the desire to snag a few Alaska-made cupcakes. The hostess was dressed in period costume and playing the part, flirting shamelessly with what appeared to be a crew member of one of the four docked ships.
*Ahem*
Cue the look. Too late to turn back now.
Can I get a root beer?
She eyed me up and down. At the bar, you can.
Dont suppose theres any chance of getting one to go?
I swear, if a record had been playing, the needle would have skidded across it and the place would have gone silent. That was the way she looked at me. Apparently I had three heads or something, and they dont do anything to go in Skagway. A simple no would have sufficed. It had been wishful thinking anyway. I just really wanted that root beer. But I didnt want to sit in there and drink it, alone at the bar.
Defeated, I headed back out into the bright sunlight and we slowly made our way toward the end of the main street, where the train had dropped us a little over an hour ago. I wanted desperately to be back on that train, to see the good in Skagway again. And then, I saw it: the caboose.
Our faith in the town was redeemed. No one was around, so we even braved the train store. I hadnt gotten anything but chocolate in Skagway, and that would be gone soon enough. Inside the shop it was calm and quiet. And cool! The clerk looked up and smiled, and I finally relaxed. Isabelle did some more shopping (ooh, Mommy, a train whistle! A hat! A what is this? Can I have this?) and settled on a neat little train ornament. I got a few pins too. It only reaffirmed what I had learned about Skagway this time around: trains good, tourist shops bad.
I was relieved when we got back to the ship, reunited with the crew and able to remove our shoes and relax. How could one day be so amazing, disappointing and then amazing again? At dinner, Stefanie told us she had found the cupcake place, and it had been amazing. And Jason had hung at the Red Saloon bar long enough to have a root beer, which had also been great. Ah, well. I was a little sad, but at the end of the day it wasnt the end of the world. I had chocolate, and a cool ornament.
And sadly, a sick little girl. For this was the night the whining began ..
Up next: whining and whales! And a little more whining.
Jennifer48
Not a Disney bride but engaged and honeymooned at
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2005
Yikes! Sorry to hear about all the cranky Alaskans!
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
I'm not sure what happened....everyone was so nice and pleasant last time we were there! I'm guessing it was the combo of unseasonable warmth and an extra ship in port. It was truly grump-tastic!
We had a great day overall, nonetheless
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
I must say, I am proud of our little peanut for holding it together for as long as she did. I cant imagine how awful she must have been feeling, and yet the only manifestation at this point in the vacation was whininess. Whininess I attributed to her just being out of her element. Whininess I found INCREDIBLY annoying. And all the time she was sick. *Sigh*
That night we ordered her usual mini burgers and she barely touched them. She didnt want the fruit our head server so graciously brought over. She might have had a bite of bread. I lost track of what night she stopped eating. I do remember asking her why she wasnt eating, and thinking it odd that she whined my teeth hurt.
Your teeth hurt. Ok. Sure. *Eyeroll*
The next day was Juneau, and we were scheduled for the whale watching and glacier tour. Upon waking Isabelle seemed fine again. She even ate some breakfast! In retrospect I realize she ate softer foods&yogurt, syrup-soaked pancakes, etc.
And I will have you know, no pastries made their way from the buffet to my purse! Not today, I had learned my lesson. Besides, I was less concerned about packing snacks because I knew (from last time) there would be snacks on the boat. I still packed a few things for our group the last protein bar for the hubs, some squeezy applesauce and fruit snacks for the peanut and EXTRA goldfish so there would be enough for any famished adults. Also, I was sure to finish my coffee BEFORE stepping off the ship, just in case.
You think a 3 year old with hand, foot and mouth disease is cranky? You have not seen me in the morning before my coffee.
We boarded the bus and headed for the docks. This tour was on one of the bigger vessels, but its a pontoon boat so it can actually still get pretty close to the whales. Ive never been on one of the smaller ones, but with two kids under the age of four it didnt seem wise this go around. And we got an amazing close-up encounter, so we missed out on NOTHING.
The vessel is run by Marine Tours, they have a nice little fleet that is run like a family business. All of the crew were incredibly nice. The captain was actually our naturalist two years ago, and she was great. We spent a little time with her and her photographer buddy in the wheelhouse, and you could tell she genuinely loved her job and knew a lot about the marine life. She talked to all of the kids like they were people. One little boy was recounting all of the sea creature knowledge he had learned on Octonauts one of Isabelles favorite shows as well our captain was very impressed. And when the whale would move from one side of the boat to the other, she welcomed us to pass right through the wheel house.
Here are a few early shots.
Very brave &/or crazy.
The back of Mendenhall glacier&.is that like the backside of water?
Another glacier that I forgot the name of. At some point in Alaska, the glaciers become commonplace.
Eagles, eagles, everywhere eagles&
In 2011, we were incredibly lucky to see as many humpbacks as we did, and doubly lucky for having been around as an orca pod was hunting. No orcas this year&.but we did get up close and personal with this guy:
Getting ready to dive.
Whale tail!
We had been following him for a bit, and just when we thought he was done he did a lunge feed came about halfway up out of the water and slowly slid back in. It was awesome. Of course, by the time Lionel snapped the pic it was nothing but bubbly water. Still, WOW. You know the whales are big, but sometimes even when you are that close you dont realize they are REALLY BIG.
Pectoral fin!
And then? One came up for a breath so close to the boat, Lionel couldnt get the whole whale in the shot. Amazing.
Oh, um, hello there! This is not zoomed in. Really.
I didn't include tons of whale pics in this post, because these were the coolest "experiences" - if you will. We had TONS of pics. Whale hump, whale tail, whale breathing...if it were possible to bore a person with whale pics, I could easily accomplish that with minimal effort.
Sadly it was time to go after that, but on the way out we saw some sea lions playing some silly game on a buoy. The would hop up, and then hop back into the water. They did this several times as we passed.
The only thing better than a buoy is a buoy covered in sea lions
Two and a half hours passed in no time at all. Izzy and Paige were champs throughout the whole tour. When youre three? And on a whale tour? Once youve seen a whale its time to move on. The crew had provided wildlife coloring pages and crayons and they were having a blast. While wildlife was happening all around them, their main concern was finding the pink crayon.
Isabelle was still in good spirits, but would not eat her goldfish. She ate a little applesauce but that was about it. Last time she gobbled up the salmon crackers but this year she avoided them like they were brussel sprouts.
We took one last pic on the way back the family. Note the new humpback whale plushie, which Izzy named "Faline." Hey, rhymes with baleen!
Up next: we head to Mendenhall Glacier for bear patrol!
That night we ordered her usual mini burgers and she barely touched them. She didnt want the fruit our head server so graciously brought over. She might have had a bite of bread. I lost track of what night she stopped eating. I do remember asking her why she wasnt eating, and thinking it odd that she whined my teeth hurt.
Your teeth hurt. Ok. Sure. *Eyeroll*
The next day was Juneau, and we were scheduled for the whale watching and glacier tour. Upon waking Isabelle seemed fine again. She even ate some breakfast! In retrospect I realize she ate softer foods&yogurt, syrup-soaked pancakes, etc.
And I will have you know, no pastries made their way from the buffet to my purse! Not today, I had learned my lesson. Besides, I was less concerned about packing snacks because I knew (from last time) there would be snacks on the boat. I still packed a few things for our group the last protein bar for the hubs, some squeezy applesauce and fruit snacks for the peanut and EXTRA goldfish so there would be enough for any famished adults. Also, I was sure to finish my coffee BEFORE stepping off the ship, just in case.
You think a 3 year old with hand, foot and mouth disease is cranky? You have not seen me in the morning before my coffee.
We boarded the bus and headed for the docks. This tour was on one of the bigger vessels, but its a pontoon boat so it can actually still get pretty close to the whales. Ive never been on one of the smaller ones, but with two kids under the age of four it didnt seem wise this go around. And we got an amazing close-up encounter, so we missed out on NOTHING.
The vessel is run by Marine Tours, they have a nice little fleet that is run like a family business. All of the crew were incredibly nice. The captain was actually our naturalist two years ago, and she was great. We spent a little time with her and her photographer buddy in the wheelhouse, and you could tell she genuinely loved her job and knew a lot about the marine life. She talked to all of the kids like they were people. One little boy was recounting all of the sea creature knowledge he had learned on Octonauts one of Isabelles favorite shows as well our captain was very impressed. And when the whale would move from one side of the boat to the other, she welcomed us to pass right through the wheel house.
Here are a few early shots.
Very brave &/or crazy.
The back of Mendenhall glacier&.is that like the backside of water?
Another glacier that I forgot the name of. At some point in Alaska, the glaciers become commonplace.
Eagles, eagles, everywhere eagles&
In 2011, we were incredibly lucky to see as many humpbacks as we did, and doubly lucky for having been around as an orca pod was hunting. No orcas this year&.but we did get up close and personal with this guy:
Getting ready to dive.
Whale tail!
We had been following him for a bit, and just when we thought he was done he did a lunge feed came about halfway up out of the water and slowly slid back in. It was awesome. Of course, by the time Lionel snapped the pic it was nothing but bubbly water. Still, WOW. You know the whales are big, but sometimes even when you are that close you dont realize they are REALLY BIG.
Pectoral fin!
And then? One came up for a breath so close to the boat, Lionel couldnt get the whole whale in the shot. Amazing.
Oh, um, hello there! This is not zoomed in. Really.
I didn't include tons of whale pics in this post, because these were the coolest "experiences" - if you will. We had TONS of pics. Whale hump, whale tail, whale breathing...if it were possible to bore a person with whale pics, I could easily accomplish that with minimal effort.
Sadly it was time to go after that, but on the way out we saw some sea lions playing some silly game on a buoy. The would hop up, and then hop back into the water. They did this several times as we passed.
The only thing better than a buoy is a buoy covered in sea lions
Two and a half hours passed in no time at all. Izzy and Paige were champs throughout the whole tour. When youre three? And on a whale tour? Once youve seen a whale its time to move on. The crew had provided wildlife coloring pages and crayons and they were having a blast. While wildlife was happening all around them, their main concern was finding the pink crayon.
Isabelle was still in good spirits, but would not eat her goldfish. She ate a little applesauce but that was about it. Last time she gobbled up the salmon crackers but this year she avoided them like they were brussel sprouts.
We took one last pic on the way back the family. Note the new humpback whale plushie, which Izzy named "Faline." Hey, rhymes with baleen!
Up next: we head to Mendenhall Glacier for bear patrol!
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
Thanks! We were trying so hard not to squint - it was really sunny!
I have the rest of Juneau nearly complete, look for an update within the next few days!
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
I had been pretty excited about seeing Mendenhall close up last time we only saw it from the window of the bus but by the time we got there Izzy had shed her champ persona and had gone into pre-meltdown mode. She was having NONE of this hey, I know, lets go look at a glacier business. She wouldnt even smile at the driver, who had been her buddy up until that point. This did not bode well. The last ones off the bus, Lionel and I were both a little on edge (cranky kids will do that to you). My plan was to hang around and quietly watch the glacier while Isabelle pouted in her stroller. Lionel, on the other hand, had bigger plans: HIKE TO THE WATERFALL.
I said go ahead, Izzy and I will stay here. Cue whining child.
I dont WAAAAAAAANT to stay here! I want to go with DAAADDDDYYYYYY!
Youve read the other trip reports, youve heard the stories what is the biggest complaint about the 45 minute stop at the visitor center? Ding ding ding! Not enough time to hike to and from the waterfall without running a 10 minute mile. We had a choice to make. I mean, in all likelihood this was going to be our last time in Juneau, and the odds of ever returning to Mendenhall Glacier were slim to none. I didnt want to deny the hubs his trip to the falls. But I also knew hed never make it there on his own with a cranky kid in an umbrella stroller.
And that, my friends, is the story of how the three of us sprinted to and from the waterfall at Mendenhall Glacier. Ever push a stroller along a rock path at top walking speed for 15 minutes? Well, take my advice DONT.
And folks, while I was really hoping to get in an I told you so or two? It was TOTALLY worth it!
I see you through the trees, you sneaky glacier
Getting closer .
Aaaaand, BOOM!
So heres the deal with the hike.
Pros:
Its a nice little hike, mostly level terrain
Lots of fauna to look at
Cool streams in every direction .you can reach out and touch them
The view at the end is pretty spectacular
But there are also cons:
For most of the hike, you can only see glimpses of the glacier through clearings in the trees and there are a LOT of trees you also really have no scale for how near the end you might be, it winds and winds and winds
Its a little tight .so when you pass people, you have to suck in your shoulders and watch that you dont clobber them with your backpack
Bears. Enough said. We didnt see any, but still
Not much time for anything else, other than turning around and heading back
Yes, we did kind of have to haul butt. But unless you are a slow walker, there was enough time to take in the glacier and the falls both along the way and at the end. We stopped several times, just not for very long. We even risked letting Izzy out of the stroller at one point, because she wanted a rock.
(Im sure violated several federal laws by smuggling back a pebble from the Mendenhall Glacier path, please dont turn me in to the authorities it was all in the name of distracting the grumpy kid so Lionel could take photos with at least a single free hand)
Me, triumphant at the end of the path.
Crazy folks out on the sandbar!
Crazier folks climbing an unstable rock formation near a giant roaring waterfall this, friends, is why I will always have a job.
And, some random glacier pieces. Floating in a lake. Which was kind of surreal.
We pseudo-sprinted back up the path because I wanted to check out the gift shop. Lionel took Izzy to the kid tent (a little education booth set up behind the center) to pet a wolf pelt and touch a piece of glacier ice. Which by the way, she described as cold. The visitor center had some cute trinkets, tons of books and lots of panels filled with glacier facts. I didnt have time to read many of them, but I did learn that the glacier has receded significantly over the past 20 years. There were pictures from ages ago. And its huge today, but back then? GINORMOUS. Global warming is a harsh mistress, she is.
My parents were in the gift shop as well. They were surprised we had braved the path. They had sat quietly watching the glacier, and then wandered into the visitor center to read all of the glacier trivia. Stef, Jason and Paige had gone down and picked dandelions by the edge of the lake, watched the glacier and visited the tent. They may or may not have also smuggled a rock.
So on this portion of the excursion you have a lot of options, depending on what you want out of your glacier experience. Do you want to sit and take in the scenery? Or do you want to be active? Or, do you want to shop and learn? If you get your timing right, you can probably even accomplish two out of the three. Quick note: we were instructed to leave all food items on the bus, even unopened packages, because while we did not actually SEE any bears they can be troublesome. And apparently, they can also get aggressive. I didnt get a picture of the trash bins, but they were like Fort Knox for bears. Dont mess with dem bears.
The driver made an extra stop on the way back to the ship for those of us wishing to explore the town. Lionel being the super-dad that he is offered to take Isabelle back to the ship, knowing I wanted to shop and that there was no way in HECK that Izzy would last any longer. He sent me along with the rents with his camera. UNSUPERVISED.
Ok. He took the expensive rental lens back with him, but still. It was a nice gesture.
Cool pics along the way
What struck me most about Juneau is that unlike Skagway and Ketchikan, the heart of the shopping area is also the main hub in town. It felt different. There were touristy shops, sure. But there were also coffee bars and pubs and tons of locals just going about their daily routines. Between each of the blocks of buildings were looooong staircases, which the locals use to walk to and from the center of town.
I wont say it was a welcoming vibe, but it certainly wasnt UNwelcoming. Most folks just seemed kind of indifferent. It was funny to see people on their laptops sipping lattes at the local coffee house, which was right across the street from a tacky tourist shop. It reminded me of a New England beach town. Except, you know, with more salmon products.
Oddly, we were panhandled by a man who was clearly drunk at about 1pm. He followed us for a bit, and asked us again for money when we came out of another store. Because he either forgot he had already asked us, or assumed we would think he was a totally different drunk Alaskan wearing a white (or at least, Im pretty sure it used to be) hockey sweatshirt.
We had been blessed with amazing weather again, and it would have been a spectacular day for the tramway. But, the parents were not particularly interested and Stef and Jason had gone off in search of more shopping. Also, I didnt want to leave Lionel for too long without any backup, and I figured a round trip on the tram would be at least an hour or two. So I took a picture instead!
It was easy to hitch a ride on the Disney bus from the center of town .you really dont want to try and walk back on your own. It was a quick trip, and the buses ran pretty regularly. I didnt wait long at all.
Up next: swimming in Alaska? Heck yeah! And, we party with Mike Wazowski.
I said go ahead, Izzy and I will stay here. Cue whining child.
I dont WAAAAAAAANT to stay here! I want to go with DAAADDDDYYYYYY!
Youve read the other trip reports, youve heard the stories what is the biggest complaint about the 45 minute stop at the visitor center? Ding ding ding! Not enough time to hike to and from the waterfall without running a 10 minute mile. We had a choice to make. I mean, in all likelihood this was going to be our last time in Juneau, and the odds of ever returning to Mendenhall Glacier were slim to none. I didnt want to deny the hubs his trip to the falls. But I also knew hed never make it there on his own with a cranky kid in an umbrella stroller.
And that, my friends, is the story of how the three of us sprinted to and from the waterfall at Mendenhall Glacier. Ever push a stroller along a rock path at top walking speed for 15 minutes? Well, take my advice DONT.
And folks, while I was really hoping to get in an I told you so or two? It was TOTALLY worth it!
I see you through the trees, you sneaky glacier
Getting closer .
Aaaaand, BOOM!
So heres the deal with the hike.
Pros:
Its a nice little hike, mostly level terrain
Lots of fauna to look at
Cool streams in every direction .you can reach out and touch them
The view at the end is pretty spectacular
But there are also cons:
For most of the hike, you can only see glimpses of the glacier through clearings in the trees and there are a LOT of trees you also really have no scale for how near the end you might be, it winds and winds and winds
Its a little tight .so when you pass people, you have to suck in your shoulders and watch that you dont clobber them with your backpack
Bears. Enough said. We didnt see any, but still
Not much time for anything else, other than turning around and heading back
Yes, we did kind of have to haul butt. But unless you are a slow walker, there was enough time to take in the glacier and the falls both along the way and at the end. We stopped several times, just not for very long. We even risked letting Izzy out of the stroller at one point, because she wanted a rock.
(Im sure violated several federal laws by smuggling back a pebble from the Mendenhall Glacier path, please dont turn me in to the authorities it was all in the name of distracting the grumpy kid so Lionel could take photos with at least a single free hand)
Me, triumphant at the end of the path.
Crazy folks out on the sandbar!
Crazier folks climbing an unstable rock formation near a giant roaring waterfall this, friends, is why I will always have a job.
And, some random glacier pieces. Floating in a lake. Which was kind of surreal.
We pseudo-sprinted back up the path because I wanted to check out the gift shop. Lionel took Izzy to the kid tent (a little education booth set up behind the center) to pet a wolf pelt and touch a piece of glacier ice. Which by the way, she described as cold. The visitor center had some cute trinkets, tons of books and lots of panels filled with glacier facts. I didnt have time to read many of them, but I did learn that the glacier has receded significantly over the past 20 years. There were pictures from ages ago. And its huge today, but back then? GINORMOUS. Global warming is a harsh mistress, she is.
My parents were in the gift shop as well. They were surprised we had braved the path. They had sat quietly watching the glacier, and then wandered into the visitor center to read all of the glacier trivia. Stef, Jason and Paige had gone down and picked dandelions by the edge of the lake, watched the glacier and visited the tent. They may or may not have also smuggled a rock.
So on this portion of the excursion you have a lot of options, depending on what you want out of your glacier experience. Do you want to sit and take in the scenery? Or do you want to be active? Or, do you want to shop and learn? If you get your timing right, you can probably even accomplish two out of the three. Quick note: we were instructed to leave all food items on the bus, even unopened packages, because while we did not actually SEE any bears they can be troublesome. And apparently, they can also get aggressive. I didnt get a picture of the trash bins, but they were like Fort Knox for bears. Dont mess with dem bears.
The driver made an extra stop on the way back to the ship for those of us wishing to explore the town. Lionel being the super-dad that he is offered to take Isabelle back to the ship, knowing I wanted to shop and that there was no way in HECK that Izzy would last any longer. He sent me along with the rents with his camera. UNSUPERVISED.
Ok. He took the expensive rental lens back with him, but still. It was a nice gesture.
Cool pics along the way
What struck me most about Juneau is that unlike Skagway and Ketchikan, the heart of the shopping area is also the main hub in town. It felt different. There were touristy shops, sure. But there were also coffee bars and pubs and tons of locals just going about their daily routines. Between each of the blocks of buildings were looooong staircases, which the locals use to walk to and from the center of town.
I wont say it was a welcoming vibe, but it certainly wasnt UNwelcoming. Most folks just seemed kind of indifferent. It was funny to see people on their laptops sipping lattes at the local coffee house, which was right across the street from a tacky tourist shop. It reminded me of a New England beach town. Except, you know, with more salmon products.
Oddly, we were panhandled by a man who was clearly drunk at about 1pm. He followed us for a bit, and asked us again for money when we came out of another store. Because he either forgot he had already asked us, or assumed we would think he was a totally different drunk Alaskan wearing a white (or at least, Im pretty sure it used to be) hockey sweatshirt.
We had been blessed with amazing weather again, and it would have been a spectacular day for the tramway. But, the parents were not particularly interested and Stef and Jason had gone off in search of more shopping. Also, I didnt want to leave Lionel for too long without any backup, and I figured a round trip on the tram would be at least an hour or two. So I took a picture instead!
It was easy to hitch a ride on the Disney bus from the center of town .you really dont want to try and walk back on your own. It was a quick trip, and the buses ran pretty regularly. I didnt wait long at all.
Up next: swimming in Alaska? Heck yeah! And, we party with Mike Wazowski.
Be very, very glad you found that Disney shuttle in Juneau. Alas, I did not. The 4 boys (ages 11-19, thankfully) and I walked uphill the entire way back to the ship. It might LOOK close, but it is NOT! Of course all of the boys beat me. In fact, my husband and our friends who chose to stay back and have a drink before heading back to the ship ALMOST beat me. At least I was nice and called them while I was WALKING after I finally noticed all those buses that kept passing me with little signs in the window that said Disney. And to think I had been worried that they would miss the all aboard time. 
zweihund
I tagged myself. I'm it.
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2006
Be very, very glad you found that Disney shuttle in Juneau. Alas, I did not. The 4 boys (ages 11-19, thankfully) and I walked uphill the entire way back to the ship. It might LOOK close, but it is NOT! Of course all of the boys beat me. In fact, my husband and our friends who chose to stay back and have a drink before heading back to the ship ALMOST beat me. At least I was nice and called them while I was WALKING after I finally noticed all those buses that kept passing me with little signs in the window that said Disney. And to think I had been worried that they would miss the all aboard time.
Yes, it was a deceivingly long way back! Stef and Jason made the mistake of walking....and it took them forever!
It's funny, both excursions we did took place in the reverse order Disney said they would...I THOUGHT we were doing the glacier first, but then we drove right past it and headed to the docks! Yeah, you can't exactly linger at Mendenhall....I spent less than 10 minutes in the gift shop before heading to round up the troops.
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