Summer Alaska Trip - Hubbard Glacier

On Thursday, we were sailing from Skagway up to Seward.  On the way, we stopped at the unbelievable Hubbard Glacier.  It was stunning.  Words cannot describe it, and unfortunately, pictures can't really capture it either.  I've tried though.

 While we were at the glacier, some crew members pulled up a huge block of ice that was floating nearby.  Awesome!

This was the perfect ending to our Alaskan cruise!

Summer Alaska Trip - Skagway

Our last day of excursions was in the cute little town of Skagway.  Grandma Jan went for a hike, but Grandpops joined us on our triple-adventure

 Our first stop was at a dog musher's camp.  We spent a little time learning about the Iditerod race, and then we met Matt Hayashida who has raced in the Iditerod multiple times.  He introduced us to his team of sled dogs.  As he explained "they are bred for their work abilities, not their looks."  

 These dogs were so excited to get hooked up to the practice sled!  They couldn't wait to start running!

 The best part of the day was after the sledding demonstration, we got to hold the 5 week old puppies who will be future sled dogs.  Oh my goodness, they were adorable; we couldn't get enough!

 After reluctantly handing the puppies back, we got to experience the 40 Below Chamber where we spent about 5 minutes learning what it feels like at negative forty degrees.  Wow, that's cold!

 After warming back up, it was time to earn our money back in gold panning!

 So we ended up with about $20 in total, which wasn't exactly the millions that the girls dreamed of!

 After such a fun morning, David went on back to the boat to rest up and the four of us explored the town.  It was pretty neat!

 This was a great time on our last stop!

Summer Alaska Trip - Juneau

On Tuesday, Radiance docked in Juneau, the capital of Alaska.  We left the boat pretty early to catch our bus over to the Mendenhall Glacier and River.  This is my favorite family picture from the whole trip.  The glacier is behind us, and we're suited up for a float/rafting trip down the river.

 Even though it was overcast, there was beauty all around us.

 Ryan and Mia rode next to each other in the front row of the raft.

 Lily and I and another lady rode right behind them with our guide behind us, and another row of three ladies behind him.

 Simply beautiful!

 Most of the ride was an easy float down the river, but there were a few class one rapids and even one set of class two.  The girls found it very thrilling!  Ryan and I loved seeing how amazed and excited they were on this adventure.

 What a fabulous adventure!

After all the fun, we had a great lunch and then took a gondola up to the top of Roberts Mountain.  Mia and I were a little nervous on the ride up, but we made it.  

 We loved seeing the beautiful Lady Baltimore, an eagle who had an injured wing so she is under their care.  

This led to some beautiful views and another fun adventure in Juneau!

Summer Alaska Trip - Icy Straight Point

Our Monday, our boat docked at Icy Straight Point.  We realized this is a town made up of and owned almost solely by the Hoonah people group.  As we walked around town, we learned more about their history and culture.

 It was pretty cool today, in the low 50's, but it was certainly a nice change from the hot Atlanta summer!  All six of us boarded a smaller boat to go whale watching.  We were all so excited!

 We couldn't believe it, but it didn't take too long to see a pod of six humpback whales!  Several times we saw them do "bubble feeding" which is where they circle underwater to get a school of fish together and then they push them to the surface to eat.  It was so cool to watch!

 At one point, they were really close to our boat!  Seriously, just a few feet away.  David was in the right place at the right time to snap this picture.

 After watching the whales for quite awhile, we headed towards a little island where we caught our first glimpse (of many) of bald eagles.  They were so beautiful!

 After our excursion ended, we ate a delicious lunch at the little restaurant in town before heading over for a little window shopping and family pictures.

 From there, we took a little hike through the woods and then headed down the beach, building rock structures along the way, until we made it back to the boat.

 We were amazed at the true wildlife sightings today.  Humpback whales and bald eagles; what could be more Alaska than that?!