Alaska, day 5

Ben got up super early and hiked Mt. Marathon.

Here's his video:

It was a foggy morning and I enjoyed a little down time by the water.  It was cool to see the mountains pop out as the fog moved.

We left this little town just as a huge cruise ship was descending upon it.  I know it's good for their economy, but I preferred it when it was quiet.  It was time to pick the boys up from camp!

The boys had a great time.  Naturally, some parts of camp were uncomfortable and I'm told the food was pretty terrible, but overall they were glad they went.  Highlights included canoeing, camping, meeting new friends and making up a dance that the whole camp learned.  Apparently one boy in the cabin snored so loud that the counselor had to go buy everyone earplugs...they were just a little tired by the end of camp :)

We refueled with pizza.  It was a popular spot and we saw several families from camp there as well.

Somehow they mustered up enough energy to swim at the hotel that night.

 

Alaska, day 4

Breakfast with this view is the best way to start the day.

We hiked Lost Lake Trail.

We were yet again stopped by the snow and didn't make it to the lake, but we did see 2 bears across the mountain range.

That evening we walked around Seward and got some souvenirs. 

Alaska, day 3

The day of the boat tour.

I was nervous for this day, but google said it was worth it.  I got a prescription sea sickness patch for the first time, just for this excursion. 

We were lucky enough to be in Alaska for their few days of summer, but weren't so much prepared to be hot.  I dug out the only t-shirt I brought for the beginning, but it didn't take long once we got out on the water to get cold.  We were thankful for the clear weather and sunny skies for a day of looking for animals.

6 hours sounded so long when we booked it, but the time flew by!  I think we saw more wildlife than usual and I was not complaining in the least.  We followed 3 humpback whales for awhile...I could have watched them all day.

p.s. thank you Ben for taking such amazing pictures for us.

Another highlight for me was seeing otters.  We even saw a mama carrying a baby on her tummy.

I believe this is where we saw the bald eagle...or sheep.

We made it to the glacier and I was shivering!

We sat here for awhile just watching the snow break off and listening for the crash into the water.

Then they served "glacier margaritas" which I think really was gatorade, but it was still fun.

On our way back, we saw seals (they're on the rock, but blend in)

and puffin

and more humpback whales.

And this is me celebrating that I made it through the cruise without getting seasick!  Thank you to whoever invented those patches!

 

Alaska, day 2

We started the day here:

We hiked the Harding Icefield Trail as far as we could, until the snow became to deep.

I loved how the waterfalls were abounding this time of year.

Best picture of the trip:

Then we did the little hike at Exit Glacier.

Just documenting the first time that Ben has EVER pulled over to take a picture.  I lost count how many times he said, "Yep, I could live here."

We had dinner at the Cookery.  For having just a few restaurants, Seward knows how to do food!  Everything was delicious!

That evening, Ben got some really cool pictures of Seward from his drone.