We met Deb, our energetic, ultra efficient Princess tour director at a breakfast buffet. We also met Al and Julie from Lanai. This was exciting! They are the first people we've met from Lanai. We hit it off right away.
It was a dreary, rainy day. Art had checked the weather before we left Hawaii and was feeling a little miserable that our two weeks in Alaska were forecasted to be wet and cold. We also learned from the Anchorage weather channel that August is the rainiest month. Sigh...
We boarded a comfortable bus for the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
We passed Wasilla. Our tour guide said, "No, you can't see Russia from here."
It was drizzling throughout the bus ride.
We stopped at the Iditarad Training Center and got to learn a little about dog sledding. Art was drawn to this sled puppy.
I think this is a yarrow flower. It was fun seeing all the beautiful flowers everywhere.
I finally learned how to use the darn macro feature on my Canon. Just in time!
Art was a good sport about sticking his face in this moose sign when we dropped off the bus in Talkeetna.
We had lunch at the Roadhouse Café. Talkeetna is the inspiration for Cicily in Northern Exposure. It was fun to walk around and enjoy the flowers and plants in the area.
We took a free shuttle to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
We took a free shuttle to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
I have no idea what this flower is called, but we thought it was pretty.
We saw this fireweed plant everywhere we went.
We were told that only 30% of the visitors to Denali are able to see parts of Mt. McKinley which is the highest point in North America.
We weren't able to see any part of the mountain. We didn't even know exactly where to look for it.
There was free WiFi available, but it was very slow. Still, it was nice to know we weren't completely cut off from Internet.
Appetizers, entree, dessert and beverages were all part of our tour package. It included this $40.00 crab dinner which was a great way to start the vacation.
I did get on the scale before we left Hawaii and I wondered how much weight I'd be gaining because I managed to clean my plate (all of them) ... except for the potatoes.
Deb had arranged for mom and Auntie Grace to have a special room because of mom's bad knees. The room was also right next to the restaurant. How sweet is that?
Lovely pictures here, very nice of Deb to arrange for the room, loved the one of Art and he is a good sport with the moose picture. All the flowers were very interesting, haven't seen any of them before. Looks like a great start to your holiday.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the mountain will appear in a later shot?
ReplyDeleteThe service sounds very good, most considerate.
What a great trip and the photos...I love the flowers. Have a great trip.
ReplyDeletewow, great photos,, a lot of it looks so familiar!I think you must have had a great time!
ReplyDeletebeautiful flowers, hope it didn't rain all your vacation...
ReplyDeleteWow! I get to go on the entire trip and it is free! I look forward to tomorrow's post.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures Kay and looks wonderful. Hope the weather holds out and damn I was sure you could see Russia from Wasilla. Another dream dashed!lol
ReplyDeleteenjoying your photos, now we get to see what Alaska's like.
ReplyDeletehttp://alaskatrekker.com/flowers.htm
ReplyDeletetry this link... you can always google the description of the flower and find out its name that way....
Hope the forecast was wrong and you had sunny weather the next few days! Wishing the best for you! But, so far, I'd say it was an interesting trip.
ReplyDeleteWhat nice pictures! Glad you are all having a great time!
ReplyDeleteAs always, thank you for sharing. Seems very cold in Alaska, maybe all year long? Wow, never been to Alaska, so I am excited to see the rest of your trip. Your remarks are also so interesting.
ReplyDeleteL.
Fabulous!!!!!!!!!! I love going on vacation with you and Art!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is my third attempt at commenting. Somehow, my computer had signed me out of Blogger.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had great service and people interested in making sure you had a good holiday, especially your mom and your aunt.
We were in Alaska in July '07 and it was raining. There is no perfect weather on the far north coast. Too bad.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
So you started out with a land tour to Denali National park. Yes, that mountain is very illusive. But the flowers love the long days of sunlight/daylight.
ReplyDeleteNOW you are starting to think like a true RFP (rational frugal person, aka 'cheap buggah' ..leave the potatoes and rice. I can have those anytime at home. When you hit the buffet, cram on the expensive stuff!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete...this is all in inverse proportion to the 'shame factor,' you understand. Hell, I've stood there with my jaw agape in admiration at others who have even less scruples than I do, who whip out their plastic baggies at the buffet line and shamelessly store up them calories for next winter. It is times like that, that I wish mens fashions would allow me to saunter around such buffets with one of those huge bags that look more like a military duffle bag.
aloha,
walt
The food in that part of the country is absolutely out of this world. I'm glad you got to sample it.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful! Love the yarrow. It's so nice seeing the world through your blog. I could never afford to actually travel to any of these places. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLet me see if I understand. You flew to Anchorage, took a bus tour to Denali, and you are taking the Princess cruise back to...? Seattle? A tour package through Princess Cruise Lines?
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your pictures and tour updates. Looking forward to tomorrow's entry.
Jo: Yes, the tour package was through Princess Cruise Lines and we cruised to Vancouver where we caught a flight back to Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteInteresting trip .Hope you saw sunny days later in your trip.I like Walt's comments on your post :)
ReplyDeleteI've just started to read your travel accounts! How interesting, Kay!
ReplyDelete