Alaska

Last day in Denali and homeward bound

Posted by Jason on July 1, 2012 - 6:09pm in Our Travels.
When: 
June 16, 2012 to June 17, 2012

I'm writing this entry as we fly back to Seattle. Penelope is asleep in Katie's lap, so it is a good time to write. Yesterday was too busy.

Denali National Park - Day 2

Posted by Jason on July 1, 2012 - 2:08am in Our Travels.
When: 
June 15, 2012

Today we ventured farther into Denali National Park. We caught a mid-morning shuttle bus for a 5.5 hour round-trip into the park. Some buses go even farther in, but we were already concerned that this bus ride would be long for Penelope.


Denali National Park - Day 1

Posted by Jason on July 1, 2012 - 1:32am in Our Travels.
When: 
June 14, 2012

We woke up this morning, got our RV in order, and then did a 5-mile hike around Byers Lake at the campground we were staying at. It was a pretty good hike, but the mosquitoes were out in force and made some sections miserable. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of the mountains reflected in the lake, but the clouds did not cooperate. However, other than cloudy mountains, the weather was great, which was a welcome change. Along our hike we spotted some loons and a beaver in the lake. We also saw signs of moose and bears along the trail, but luckily we had no encounters.

Our first views of Denali

Posted by Jason on July 1, 2012 - 12:48am in Our Travels.
When: 
June 13, 2012

Today we finally saw the sun, but we had to drive a long way to see it. It rained all night at our campground last night, and when we woke up it was raining, overcast, and foggy. Our first stop was 10 min away at Matanuska Glacier. This is a glacier that you can easily access and walk on with a guide service, but given the weather we just stopped at a viewpoint and walked the 1 mile loop trail. The glacier was nice, but not as impressive as some of the other glaciers we had seen.

Driving in the rain in Alaska

Posted by Jason on June 28, 2012 - 12:44am in Our Travels.
When: 
June 12, 2012

Today we drove from Valdez to about half-way between Glennallen and Palmer along the Glenn Highway (there is no town where we stopped). Unfortunately, the weather was not very cooperative today and was overcast and raining for most of our drive. However, Penelope was very nice to us and didn't wake up until 7AM, allowing us to sleep in. It was a good way to start our day.

Exit Glacier, Whittier Tunnel, and Prince William Sound

Posted by Jason on June 27, 2012 - 11:57pm in Our Travels.
When: 
June 11, 2012

Another full day. We woke up when our alarm (aka Penelope) went off at 5:30AM. She woke up happy and full of energy, but we were still a little tired. After breakfast, we went to the nearby playground so that Penelope could have some run around time before we hit the road. Then it was off to our ferry in Whittier.


Kenai Fjords and Alaska SeaLife Center

Posted by Jason on June 25, 2012 - 11:33pm in Our Travels.
When: 
June 10, 2012

Our first full day in Alaska. We woke up pretty early since we are still on Seattle time and it gets bright here so early. We got ready, then headed to the harbor for our Kenai Fjords cruise. The boat left at 8AM for a 6 hour cruise. Penelope did pretty well on the cruise, and was very excited to be on a boat, but she got a little restless at times being in a confined (and not toddler safe) space.

First day in Alaska - Drive to Seward

Posted by Jason on June 25, 2012 - 12:44am in Our Travels.
When: 
June 9, 2012

Today was the start of our great Alaska RV adventure. We took a 9AM flight from Seattle to Anchorage. Penelope did very well in the airport, and she was very excited when we told hr that we were going on an airplane. One advantage of Penelope being older is that we could put her down while we went through security and she will stay by our side (well, at least for now). She is also in a "helpful" phase, which means most of the time she is helpful. Having a seat for Penelope on the plane was really nice. We had a lot more room and were mucm more comfortable.

Alaska RV Adventure - June 2012

Posted by Jason on June 25, 2012 - 12:28am in Our Travels.
When: 
June 9, 2012 to June 17, 2012

As I recently mentioned in a blog post, we went to Alaska a week ago for a vacation. Katie has never been, and we wanted to be sure to go while we are still in Seattle and relatively close. For this trip, we decided to try renting an RV, since it seemed like the best way to be able to get around and see lots of different things without having to a) find lodging each night or b) pitch a tent each night. We liked the idea of the convenience of having everything with you all the time and not having to pack and unpack every day as we moved around.