Five years of pure happiness with the best friend of my life.  I can’t believe it’s already been five years, but what a joy they have been.

We’ve been looking forward to a five year anniversary trip for a long time.  When Kathryn’s mom offered to watch the girls for us, we jumped at the offer and decided to make this five year trip happen.  After some deliberation, we came to the decision to go on an Alaska cruise.  It sounded pretty nice to get out of the heat and to go out and have a relaxing adventure where we really didn’t have to worry about anything other than not gaining too much weight.  We took a seven night cruise from Whittier Alaska down to Vancouver Canada.  Here is a map of the itinerary.

DAY 0: Final preparations

The time finally came.  Work was done for the day/week and after so much anticipation, it was time to finally head out on our adventure.  We ended up being out of our house for nine nights in a row.  That’s quite a bit to pack for!  Also, we were a little short on some gear, so on our way up to Salt Lake for the night, we stopped at Dicks Sporting Goods to pick up some last minute essentials, those being mainly raincoats.  Notice the seat Ashley fashioned in the shopping cart.

DAY 1: Long Travel Day

Our first day out was definitely a travel day, but we still had a lot of fun doing it.  It is so much easier and more enjoyable and less stressful to travel as two mature adults with the kiddos at home.  The cruise embarked from Whittier Alaska which is about 1.5 hours South of Anchorage.  Whittier is a major port for Alaska because it remains open and ice free year round.  We arranged our travel so that we could have a couple of hours in Anchorage before we needed to head out for Whittier.

Per the recommendation of our taxi driver, we ate lunch at the Glacier Brewhouse.  It was a great choice.  We enjoyed delicious ribs and a monster burger that I’d say is tied for #1 favorite burger I’ve had.  Being a brewhouse, they had lots of choices on the drink menu and we were delighted to see a fresh crafted cream soda.  So good.

With our tummies happy and full, a precursor for the rest of the trip, we used what time we had left to wander around downtown Anchorage and check things out.  We both found some fun hoodies that we got and enjoyed wearing through the rest of the trip.   Soon we were on our bus headed for Whittier.  It was a gorgeous  drive and a sample of some of the amazing scenery we enjoyed throughout the trip.  Once in Whittier, we got all checked in and soon we were on the boat ready to embark on our voyage aboard the Island Princess ship.  We were happy to get news from home that the girls were having a fantastic time and that everything was going well.

DAY 2: Hubbard Glacier

Day two was spent entirely on the boat without much to see.  We spent most of the time avoiding the rain and trying to get me over some sort of Alaska bug that bit me hard sapping all my energy, strength, and giving me throbbing headaches.  We explored the ship as much as we were able to, and got some good use out of our new raincoats that we bought.  In spite of the Hubbard Glacier being mostly occluded by the clouds and fog, it was still an impressive sight, and sound.  White Thunder is what they call the huge rumble the glacier makes every once in awhile when it scrapes its way down the mountain.  Many of the glaciers will move several feet each day.

This was our first opportunity to try out our dinner restaurant.  The food and service were fantastic.  The culinary highlight of the day, and one finalists from the entire trip, was the Chocolate Hazelnut bar with Citrus Cream dessert.  It was part of the Chocolate Journeys series of desserts created by Norman Love.  We liked it so much we asked our waiter if we could get the recipe.  The next day he came through and delivered the key to this magical dessert, after running the request up the chain of command several levels.  The only problem is the recipe is all in kg and is sized for 50 servings, and there are many ingredients we’ve never had in our kitchen or even heard of.

DAY 3: Glacier Bay National Park

No Alaska cruise can be complete without a visit to Glacier Bay National Park.  It was majestic and stunning.

Day three was a beautiful day in the sunshine enjoying Glacier Bay National Park.  They said it’s rare to get such a clear day like we got,  but we welcomed the sunshine after the previous day’s rain.  The glaciers are amazing to see.  Also amazing are the mountains that spawn the glaciers.  The Muir Glacier is almost a half mile wide at the terminus and begins some eleven miles up on the slopes of Mount Orville and Mount Wilbur.  The Margerie Glacier is an equally impressive sight.  It begins at the slopes of Mount Root and descends 21 miles to end at its mile wide terminus where it’s total height is 350 feet with 100 feet being underwater.   One of the most impressive factors of these mountains is their prominence.  Mount Fairweather rises to an impressive 15,000 feet elevation…from sea level.  Mount Timpanogos, for example, rises 7,000 feet above the valley floor to shy of 12,000 feet.  These mountains and the glaciers they form are simply massive and impressive.

DAY 4: Skagway Alaska

Welcome to Skagway Alaska, gateway to the Klondike.  This small town was once a mecca of activity for the Klondike Gold Rush as people came hoping to strike it rich.  Now it is a quaint little town that is a popular port of call for cruise ships.  The town strives to keep alive and share the story of the gold rush that created it.  Prospectors would come to this town or the neighbor town Dyea via steamship and with their supplies and make the arduous trek up the mountain to Bennett Lake and then build barges to travel to Dawson City Canada.  We followed the Dead Horse trail, but in the comfort and speed of a tour bus, up to the White Pass  and then into Canada.  O Canada, this was our first time setting foot on your land.  It was fascinating to watch the plant life change as we climbed from a more temperate sea level climate all the way up a subarctic climate where the trees struggled to grow more than a couple of feet in their entire lifetime.

After being away for several days now without internet access, we were happy to again have cell service for our phones.  We were able to do a facetime call with Kathryn’s mom and get a chance to see and chat with our girls.  They were doing great and didn’t seem to miss us too much if at all.

DAY 5: Juneau Alaska

Welcome to the capital city of Alaska.  This place is only accessible via boat or air, there are no roads that lead here.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t cars though.  People still need to get around.

We enjoyed a peaceful Sunday in Juneau.  We attended a Bible Service on board the ship, but were surprised to see only one other couple there.  They were a wonderful couple from Alabama.  We had a pleasant conversation with them regarding the life and the challenges it holds, along with some of our favorite stories from the Bible.  They were genuinely good people and we enjoyed spending some time with them.  After that, we took a short ride through Juneau out to Fritz Cove where we went out on ocean kayaks.  It was really fun to be out in the beautiful cove looking for wildlife and enjoying the view of Mendenhall Glacier.  We saw several bald eagles, both adults and juveniles.  It was a childhood dream come true to see this many eagles.  We were able to get quite close to them and watch as they roosted in trees or flew around looking for fish.

Later that evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and our waiter surprised us by bringing out a delicious chocolate creation and singing Happy Anniversary to You to the tune of the Happy Birthday song.  After dinner, we headed outside for some whale watching.  We were lucky to see several humpback whales and even a couple of them up close.

DAY 6: Ketchikan Alaska

Ketchikan is the self proclaimed salmon capital of the world.  They also are famous for their Great Alaskan Lumberjack show.  We were luck enough to be able to experience both.  The lumberjack show was great entertainment and it gave us a glimpse into the history of logging.  The show was set up as a competition between the Americans of Spruce Mill and the Canadians Dawson Creek.   They competed in events such as chopping, sawing, tree climbing, axe throwing, and log rolling.  We were on the side of the stands assigned to vote for the Americans, and we were happy that our team eked out a winning the final event, the log roll.

After the lumberjack show, we headed back to the dock to set out on our salmon fishing adventure.  Neither of us had been salmon fishing before, or really much of any fishing to be honest, so this seemed like a good opportunity to try it out.  We headed out with captain Al, or Al Captain as he liked to be called, and three other fellow fishermen.  We had a great haul and each person maxed out with six pink salmon.  It was really pretty lazy fishing to be honest.  The captain got all the lines set in the water and then we just trolled around until we found a good spot.  We were out on the bay so the water was really smooth and we were up against really pretty scenery.  Once we found a good spot, be started reeling in the fish.  Once they were all in, we’d set the lines and turn around and do it again.  After a short while, everyone was maxed out and we headed back to the dock an hour early.  That’s my kind of fishing.  We had the fish processed and flash frozen and shipped home to us.  Now we have a nice stash of our very own Alaskan salmon in our freezer.

DAY 7: Inside Passage Canada

For the last day on the cruise, we worked our way down the inside passage enjoying the ship and beautiful scenery.  We went to a little salsa dance class and learned some of the basic steps.  We also got to take a tour of the ship’s galley and see how they prepare the food.  It’s quite an impressive kitchen to make that many meals everyday.  We said goodbye to our dinner friends Mike and Annie.  They were a lot of fun to get to know throughout the trip.  We also were lucky to catch a gorgeous sunset.

DAY 8: Vancouver Canada

O Canada, thanks for the one great day we had with thee.  We really enjoyed our day in Vancouver.  We arranged our travel so that we’d have the morning and afternoon to explore before we needed to leave for the airport.  One of the most popular things to see in Vancouver is the Capilano suspension bridge.  It can get quite crowded, so we headed over first thing after getting off the ship.  It was certainly a pretty place to visit.  It’s technically a rain forest, even though I usually think of rain forests being in much hotter places closer to the equator.  The suspension bridge was quite impressive, and they had a series of smaller bridges set up in the trees that allowed you to be up much higher in the trees and explore the rainforest from that perspective.

After visiting Capilano, we followed the recommendation of Ben and Emily and rented bikes.  We rode the loop around Stanley park.  This was really quite a bit of fun and I’d pass the recommendation on to anyone visiting the area.  The trail is very flat, and we were on eight speed cruisers which are quite comfortable for out of shape bikers like us.  It made us seriously consider doing some biking at home.  As part of our ride, we went back to Canada Place, the cruise ship terminal, to go do the Flying Over Canada ride.  It’s basically the same thing as the Soarin’ Over California, or now Soaring Around the World, at Disneyland.  We would highly recommend spending the extra two bucks per person and getting the fast lane passes.

Soon the time was come and we returned our bikes and made our way to the airport via the Sky Train.  It’s Vancouver’s version of the Subway.  We had a pretty uneventful trip home.  Adam picked us up from the airport and soon were were back at Kathryn’s house.  We had a quick sleep and soon we were woken up by our Ashley girl.  It was so much fun to get to see Ashley and Eliza after being gone for eight days.

Thank you so much to Suzanne, Tim, Adam, and everyone else that helped out with our girls and made our fabulous trip possible.  This definitely will be a trip we remember for the rest of our lives.  Happy anniversary Babe.  I love you.

Posing on the cliffwalk

 

This July 4th weekend we had the awesome opportunity to go up to the Hairpin Ranch in Montana for a family reunion on Kathryn’s side.  This was our 2nd time up to the ranch, and the first time with the girls.  The family was really great playing with and helping with the girls.  We had a blast and really enjoyed our time up there.  The sky just feels bigger in Montana.  Thanks Spencer and Kristen for our hospitality and inviting us to come along with the girls.

Over the past several years I’ve gone on quite a few trips for work to the East Coast.  Back before Ashley was born, Kathryn met up with me in DC for an awesome trip.  Other than that, the family has stayed on the Western side of the country.  I’ve found myself wishing that Kathryn could come on some of my trip and see the countryside and enjoy the food with me.  This was the impetus for our Carolinas trip.  My cousin Nancy and her family live in the Raleigh North Carolina area, and Kathryn’s brother James and his wife live in the Charlotte North Carolina area.  WIth a destination in mind, we started pricing out a trip.  We were excited when we found direct flights from SLC to Raleigh for under $300 a ticket.  The icing on the cake was I could get all our tickets for free with our skymiles I’ve been accumulating.  Over the course of time, the trip evolved.  First, Kathryn’s family decided it would be fun to come out as well for the James and Marta part of the trip.  Then a stop in Charleston South Carolina was added to the itinerary.  It was a great trip with lots of fun, food, family, and adventures.  If we don’t count Eliza being up frequently in the nights, the girls did awesome.  Here are some of our adventures.

Getting to the airport was a very stressful adventure.  We left with plenty of time for a normal day, but we didn’t take into account two huge wrecks and delays on the freeway.  We were the last ones on the plane, and they called our name over the local intercom.  Luckily we weren’t to the point for the airport wide intercom.

It was a 5 pm flight out, so that makes for an 11ish pm arrival EST.  Then we had to get our rental car and drive for 30 minutes to Nancy’s house.  We made it though.  Thank goodness for navigation on our phones.  It’s hard to imagine a trip like this without it.  Driving through the winding countryside in the middle of the night is challenging enough.

Check out these two little buddies.

Ditto

Nancy has this great museum / kids place call the Museum of Life and Science.  It was awesome and had so much fun things to do like a giant treehouse village, a fun stream to splash around in, animals, puzzles, a space section that I loved, and so much more.  You could spend days there.

Check out this hands on toy.  It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve played with at a place like this.

After the museum, we went to a fun BBQ place then after that, Nancy and family went home to put the kiddos in bed and  we went to a popular local creamery for some delicious ice cream.

DId I mention that Eliza didn’t sleep well?  She had a bit of a stuffy nose and couldn’t breath very well while sucking on her binky and we were in new unfamiliar places.  Anyway, it made for terrible nights.  On Friday morning we were planning to head out for Charlotte after having breakfast, but Eliza woke up at 4 in the morning and we decided to just go for it and get a jump on our day.  So we quickly packed up and threw everything and everybody in the car.  Both the girls slept for several hours of our 5 hour trip to Charlotte so that was great.  We finished listening to the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell on the drive.  Great book and very thought provoking.

We met up with the Hawker Clan at the hotel in downtown Charleston and in no time we were off on another adventure.  We visited the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.  It was very pretty.  Lots of different plants than we’re used to.  It was hot and humid too!  Really a fun place though.

What better way to cool off after a hot afternoon than to go swimming!

“I get you mom!”

The next day we went on a carriage tour of the city by Palmetto Carriage Works.  It was fantastic!  We had a native Charlestonian retired college professor as our tour guide.  He was very knowledgable about the city and had lots of fun stories and facts to share.

After the carriage tour, we split from the group and headed off to the beach.   We crossed the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge on our way to the Isle of Palms beach.

The water was a perfect temperature.  This was my first time swimming in the Atlantic.  I’ve walked on the beach several times, but never made it in the water.  We all had a blast playing in the waves.

When we were done at the beach, we packed up and headed out for James and Marta’s house in the Charlotte North Carolina region.  The next day we had a great Sunday with them enjoying food, fun, and family.  Ashley really loved her uncle Adam.  He was so great with her!

The next morning we were off again on another adventure.  We got breakfast at a little boutique waffle place.

Then we stopped at Lake Norman.  It’s a large man made lake for hydro power, water for the surrounding cities, and lots of beachfront property.

“Seriously Mom!?  Another picture?!  Ugggg”

The next adventure of the day was pretty awesome!  We drove out to the Lazy Five Ranch in Mooresville NC.  It’s a drive through zoo where you can feed the animals.  It was a really fun experience.  The emus were particularly creepy when they’d come right up to you and stare you down.  It seemed like at any second they would start pecking out your eyes.

Here is a video to get the full experience.

Here was our sweet ride for the trip.  Now it was time for our final adventure, the trip home.  We worked our way back to Nancy’s house that evening and had a fun time with them.

We really appreciate their generosity in hosting us twice, especially since we disappeared on them twice in the wee hours of the morning.  We were out of there and off to the airport before dawn again.  Ashley was a little loopy in this picture 🙂

Wahoo!  Toe touch!  We made it back to Utah!  “I’m sooooo glad to be off the plane!!”

This whole luggage rack was our stuff.  We had quite the system to move all of it through the airport.  Luckily most of it was checked.

We had a fantastic trip.  Thank you to everyone that made the trip possible and so much fun!

This is a random smattering of fun pictures from the last little while.  We love our family.

Kevin’s graduation.  Woot woot.

Last rides before we sold the bike.

Tim’s first concert.

Work trip to Hood River.  Such a pretty valley.

I’ve been to Multnomah Falls many times now, but this was the first time I’ve hiked up to the top.

First ever painted nails!

We love these guys.

First dirt bike ride of the season.

ATV ride up to the top of Powerhouse mountain overlooking Springville.

Tin foil dinners.  Things were going so well until Eliza decided to fall out of her chair and split open her head.  We threw everything back in the car as fast as we could and made record time getting back down the canyon and to the Instacare.  Sorry sweety.