Alaska - The Journey Begins

To be truthful, Alaska really wasn't on my list...or at least not very close to the top of the list. I always said "someday" I would like to go, but living in frigid Minnesota, I dream of vacations to places with palm trees, sand and turquoise waters.

However, traveling with friends sometimes involves compromise. Our close friends and traveling companions, Kent & Laurel, were urging us to plan a trip to Alaska. (Well...mostly Laurel!) I on the other hand had discovered the most wonderful 10 day cruise to the Southern Caribbean. The answer to the dilemma? Do both! The four of us took the Caribbean cruise in December 2013 and you can read more about it here: "Our Southern Caribbean Cruise", but for now...join me as we travel to Alaska!

Our itinerary! (Click on the links next to the dates!)

May 28:     From Minneapolis to Seattle (just keep reading!)
May 29:     All Aboard for Vancouver
May 30:     A full day in Vancouver!
May 31:     Sailing Away...North to Alaska
June 1:       A day at sea
June 2:       Misty Fjords Flightseeing
                 Ketchikan - Around town
June 3:       Juneau - Whale Watching
                 Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier
                 Juneau - The Rest of the Day
June 4:       Skagway - Yukon Highway (Part 1) 
                 Skagway - Yukon Highway (Part 2)   
June 5:      Glacier Bay
June 6:       College Fjord
June 7:       Whittier to Anchorage to Seward
June 8:       Kenai Fjords Tour
June 9:       Seward
June 10:     The Journey Home


After many months of planning it was decided that we would spend a couple of days in Vancouver, then board the Coral Princess cruise ship for a 7 day Alaskan cruise. Once we reached Alaska a few more days would be spent touring the area south of Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula by rental car.

Our Alaskan journey began on May 28th, 2014 (which just happened to be our 37th wedding anniversary!) with a flight from Minneapolis to Seattle. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport was eerily quiet when we checked in for the flight.

Although our destination was ultimately Vancouver, we flew to Seattle to take advantage of some airline credits that would be expiring soon. It was apparent that Southwest Airlines is in need of both a Geography and Geometry lesson when it comes to routing their planes. Our trip to Seattle (in the northwest U.S.) took us via Phoenix in the southwest! Having never been to Phoenix, I was a little surprised to see the mountains outside the airport windows.

With clear skies during the second leg of our flight, I was able to see some more mountains, this time snow-covered, out my window...

...and even the Space Needle as we were landing in Seattle. 

Walking through the airport we spotted our first wildlife of the trip...bronze fish embed throughout the floor of the terminal!

Changing time zones added two hours to the clock...but not to our energy level. We were shot by the time we reached Seattle. Dinner consisted of McDonald's chicken sandwiches at the airport while we collected our luggage and waited on the hotel shuttle. 

Spending all day on planes and in airports wasn't the most fun...but necessary.