Chimacum, WA July 19, 2018

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When we left Birch Bay, which was our northernmost point in Washington this year, we planned to go to a campground near Port Townsend, Washington. We had a decision to make. We could either drive over four and a half hours down to and around the Seattle /Tacoma area and fight horrendous traffic, or we could drive 90 minutes to Oak Harbor and take a thirty minute ferry over to Port Townsend. Hmmm. Even with the cost of gas, the ferry was the more expensive way to go. So, take the much longer way through terrible traffic and spend less money or shorten the trip by more than half, enjoy a leisurely scenic trip on the ferry but spend more money. What would you do? Yep, we took the ferry!

From the ferry we had a short ten mile drive to our campground in Chimacum, just outside of Port Townsend, where we had a very nice campsite.

On Sunday we drove down to Bremerton. On the way we stopped in the charming little town of Poulsbo and on the advice of our friends Peter and Beth we stopped at Sluys Bakery. We waited in a line stretching out the door and had the best donuts we had ever eaten in this little family owned bakery. The very picturesque town of Poulsbo, overlooking Liberty Bay, has a strong Scandinavian heritage which is evident throughout the town. In the 1880’s ninety per cent of the town’s population was Norwegian.

After finding a couple geocaches we stopped at the nearby U.S. Naval Undersea Museum, an official naval museum which talked about the ocean environment, submarine technology, undersea weapons as well as diving and salvage.

This is one of ten Navy museums operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command whose purpose is to preserve and collect Naval undersea history and science. Exhibits included U.S. torpedoes including the Howell torpedo

and a simulated control room from the USS Greenling.

Other exhibits show the NOMOADS underwater suit.

How the US Navy uses marine life to augment searches.

Next we continued on to Bremerton, home of the Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard established in 1891, the city’s largest industry.

Bill took a tour of the USS TURNER JOY, a former U.S. Navy destroyer 1959 to 1982.

The vessel was named after Admiral Charles Turner Joy and constructed here a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

The USS TURNER JOY has been restored to her Vietnam War configuration and most of the rooms and facilities are open and appear to be operational.

Medical Bay

Engine Room

Every fifteen years stationary ships must have their keel cleaned. Last year the USS TURNER JOY was moved to a shipyard to have the barnacles removed.

On Tuesday we did some geocaching in Port Townsend, including at Fort Worden State Park where the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” was filmed.

On the way home we came across a doe and her two fawns. The fawns were happily prancing along the side of the road.

Next up we continue west to Salt Creek Recreation Area near Port Angeles, WA.

Orcas Island, WA July 17, 2018

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We continued our stay in Birch Bay, WA and on Tuesday we took the car on the ferry to another one of the San Juan Islands: Orcas Island.

The ferry made a brief stop on Shaw Island to pick up a few walk on passengers. It was another great ferry ride with beautiful scenery.

We arrived at the tiny village of Orcas on the southern shore. Orcas Island, at 57 square miles, is the largest and most rugged of the San Juan Islands. Horseshoe-shaped, it has the highest peaks of the underwater mountain chain forming the foundation of the San Juan islands.

Unlike Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, there is no big tourist area here. Eastbound, a small village along the waters of Fishing Bay, is the major town with a few restaurants, shops and art galleries. Around the island are several bed and breakfast and small resorts for those desiring a remote get away. Rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey recently bought a house on Orcas Island.

The gem of the island is Moran State Park, Washington state’s fourth largest. The park is 5,252 acres with five lakes, 38 hiking trails and several campsites. MT Constitution rises 2,409 feet from the Salish Sea and is the highest point in the San Juan Islands. We drove thirteen miles to the park along forests and hilly farmland with cattle grazing in the fields.

Once we entered the park, the road was winding, narrow and steep to the top. Almost at the top was Little Summit with a geocache and great views.

At the top is a stone tower replica of Russian watchtowers from the 12th century.

The view of the San Juan Islands, MT Baker, the Cascade Mountains and Rosario Strait was magnificent.

Can you see my prince in the tower?

This 53 foot stone tower was built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and completed in 1936. It is one of twenty historical buildings built by the CCC in the park.

While in Moran Park we also hiked to Cascade Falls and another smaller falls.

We had a wonderful day on this beautiful island, including finding some geocaches. While geocaching we saw a deer munching on some apples from an apple tree in a yard.

After we left the park we came to a rock wall with some really weird artwork. Creepy!

Before we knew it, it was time to catch the ferry home.

We really enjoyed our stay in Birch Bay and nearby Blaine. Blaine is such a quaint little town with a Main Street decorated with flowering hanging baskets and America flags.

Across the harbor we could see the Canadian town of White Rock.

Next up: Another ferry ride, this time with the RV, and a new campground

San Juan Island, WA July 13, 2018

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We continued our stay in Birch Harbor, Washington (pop 8,400) which is very close to the Canadian border. In fact the nearby town of Blaine, located on the U.S./Canada border is the busiest border crossing between British Columbia and Washington state.

In Blaine is the Peace Arch Historical State and Province Park with a Peace Arch. It commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, the peace treaty between the U.S. and the United Kingdom that ended the War of 1812.

The Arch, dedicated in 1921, is 70 feet tall and the first such structure in the world. It was built on the International Boundary between the two countries.

School children from the United States and Canada donated money for the purchase of the land surrounding the Peace Arch.

It is located in a WA state park with beautiful gardens, including one garden representing the flag of the United States and another flower garden representing the Canadian flag.

We could walk freely between the two countries at the Arch with no need to worry about a passport.

It was interesting to see the houses and the street across from the state park are in Canada.

On this Border is a Ditch and Not A WALL

On Friday we took the ferry over to San Juan Island. This island is the westernmost island of the San Juan Islands and lies between the mouth of the Puget Sound and the Vancouver Island. it is also the second largest and most populated of the 172 isles of the archipelago (group of islands). We originally planned to just walk on the ferry and ride a bus around the island but decided at the last minute to take the car along if there was space available. We had to drive from our campground in Birch Bay to the ferry landing in Anacortes and arrived about an hour before departure. To our delight there was room for the car. Quite a surprise on a Friday in the middle of summer. The ride took a little over an hour and we certainly enjoyed the view of Mount Baker in the distance.

Since San Juan is the westernmost island we also passed the major islands of Shaw, Lopez and Orcas.

We arrived at Friday Harbor which is the island’s largest town, ferry landing and a U.S. Port of Entry. It is one of the last remaining 19th century wood-built fishing villages in Puget Sound. One square mile in size, Friday Harbor has about 2,000 year round residents and 15,000 summer residents. Friday Harbor is the touristy section of the island with shops, restaurants, etc. We knew the rest of the island was going to be remote and without restaurants. Because we just decided on the way to the ferry to take the car, we hadn’t packed any food or drinks. No worries. We stopped by a Friday Harbor grocery store and stocked up on snacks and drinks to get us through the day. Off we went!

The island is only 55 square miles of land and it only takes fifteen minutes to travel from east to west. We were surprised at the farmland and woodlands, prairies, as well as small seaside villages with miles of sandy beaches and bluffs. It was typical to see unattended baskets of eggs for sale along the side of the road.

First up was the English Camp part of the San Juan Island National Historical Park, located on the northern part of the island. Near South Beach and the southern end of the island is the American Camp. This English Camp commemorates the British and American struggle for possession of the San Juan Islands.

The dispute resulted in the Pig War of 1859. Ever heard of that war? Neither had we. The war began in 1859 when an Englishman’s pig strayed onto land claimed by an American and started eating his potatoes. The American shot the pig, who was the only casualty of the conflict. Both sides set up camps to lay claim to the land with neither side wanting to go to war, especially Lincoln who had the approaching Civil War to worry over. For 12 years there was a joint U.S./British occupation of the island while the countries argued over who owned the San Juan Islands. Finally in 1872 arbitration gave the San Juan Islands to the United States and set the boundary between the United States and Canada.

We read that this former English camp in a National Historical Park is the only place in the United States today where the British flag is raised each morning. The ranger pointed out that the park has an American flag on higher ground up the hill, therefore the American flag is always higher!

We were surprised to see a totem pole there as well. Dedicated in 2016 it acknowledges the history of the native Coast Salish people at the site of a Coast Salish village.

Later in the day we stopped by the American Camp. Not really all that much to see at either camp, but still a fun piece of history to learn about!

Next up was Lime Kiln State Park, a 41 acre state park named after the former lime kiln operations in the area. It is also called “Whale Watch Park” because it is one of the top places to view orca whales in the world. Unfortunately we did not see any whales even though several had passed by a couple hours earlier. We did enjoy seeing the 1919 picturesque Lime Kiln lighthouse.

In the distance we could see the snow-capped mountains of the Olympic Mountains.

We ended our travels at the far tip of the island called Cattle Point where we saw another lonely lighthouse standing guard.

We cut our visit a little short and got to the ferry early. Since we didn’t have a reservation for the car, we wanted to be sure we could get on the late afternoon ferry back to Anacortes. What a great day!

Mt Baker stands out in this area of Washington, what a sight to see.

Next up: Another ferry trip!

North Cascades NP, WA July 4, 2018

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After we returned from two weeks in Alaska we spent several days in Bothell, Washington unpacking, washing clothes and restocking the fridge.

Our next stop was in Anacortes, Washington where we spent the 4th of July holiday. Anacortes is located on beautiful Fidalgo Island. It is separated from the mainland by a bridge over the Swinomish Channel.

On Friday we visited North Cascades National Park, a 505,000 acre park located in north central Washington. The park terrain is a result of glaciation with more than 300 glaciers remaining today. The park contains more glaciers than any other area outside of Alaska, containing one quarter of all glaciers in the lower 48 states. Some refer to the area as the “North American Alps”. As well as glaciers are 500 lakes and ponds and many, many waterfalls.

Ross Lake Dam

The first inhabitants in the North Cascades dates to at least 9400 B.C. The park was established in 1968, making this year its 50th anniversary.

Gorge Creek Falls – 242 foot drop

The North Cascades Highway opened in 1972 which allowed vehicular access through this beautiful park. We drove part of the highway enjoying the beautiful views throughout the park. We stopped at the Visitors Center and watched several short movies about the park. We were last here in July, 2014 but it is always fun to go back to our favorite national parks. We followed the Skagit River which is the largest river draining into Puget Sound and the third largest river on the West Coast. We arrived at beautiful glacier fed Diablo Lake surrounded by glaciated peaks. Diablo Lake is one of three reservoirs from three dams built between 1919 and 1968 which supplies electricity to Seattle.

On Saturday we met up with Bill’s college friend Todd and his granddaughter who lives nearby. Todd gave us a tour of the area with some beautiful views of the San Juan Islands, including this one from Mt Erie, elevation 1,273. We introduced Todd’s granddaughter to geocaching which she loved.

On Tuesday we moved further north to Birch Bay, less than ten miles from the Canadian border. For the first two days Bill was fighting a cold.

On Thursday we drove to see Mt Baker, one of the beautiful mountains in the North Cascade Range.

A View of Mt Baker Driving Toward Artist Point

We drove through the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest along the Mount Baker Highway, designated a National Forest Scenic Byway.

Our destination was Artist Point, elevation 5,100 ft., which is the end of the road. This section of road is usually not open until mid July. The area has an average annual snowfall of 701 inches.

Mt Shuksan, 9,127 FT

Mt Shuksan, 9,127 FT

Mount Baker is a glacier covered volcano rising 10,781 feet above sea level. It is the second most active in the Cascade Range, with Mt St Helens being the first. It was named by Captain George Vancouver for a young officer in his command, Lt. Joseph Baker who first spotted the peak.

The drive was amazing with hairpin curves, amazing scenery, cascading waterfalls and snow. Piles and piles of snow! The temperature was 66 degrees but there was plenty of snow for people to play in, including Bill who decided to throw snowballs with Mt Baker watching behind him.

Our last view of MT Baker today.

Next up: A ferry ride

Ketchikan, AK June 29, 2018

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Before we move on to the next port, we would like to begin this blog with some additional animated photos from our whale watching expedition in Juneau.

The last port stop on our cruise was in the town of Ketchikan, pop 8,050. Ketchikan is the fourth largest city in Alaska. It was established in 1887 and is Alaska’s southernmost city at the base of the Tongass National Forest.

Situated on Revillagigedo Island, it is separated from mainland Alaska by the Behm Canal. The town was formed when a salmon cannery was built at the mouth of the Ketchikan Creek and claims to be the salmon capital of the world.

It has an average annual rainfall of 156 to 162 inches which makes it the wettest community in North America. We would agree since our day there was chilly and overcast with occasional drizzle.

Ketchikan’s economy relies on fishing, canning, mining, logging, cold-storage operations and of course tourism. The town has a large native culture with the largest concentration of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people in Alaska. This is obvious in the many totem poles in the area. It is believed Ketchikan has the largest number of totem poles in the world.

We had a nice view of this picturesque town from our balcony. We were fascinated by the extremely hilly, steep road in the distance. Very hard to capture on camera just how steep it was.

Instead of taking another excursion, we decided to spend a relaxing day exploring the town. We took a free shuttle bus around the town and then got off a mile from the ship in the touristy area. Here we walked around the Creek Street Historic District, a notorious rowdy part of Ketchikan’s past. This area, with houses built on stilts, was a red-light area of town from 1902 to 1954. Not really a street, it is actually a zigzagging boardwalk of pilings with at least 30 former bawdy houses. During prohibition, bootleggers would smuggle in Canadian whiskey for the bawdy houses and saloons. The bootleggers would wait until high tide and row their rowboats upstream to deliver their goods under cover of night. Most of the houses had hidden trap doors underneath to receive the goods. There was a “Married Man’s Trail” which was a staircase and wooden boardwalk where men could visit the houses without being seen going in the front door.

Today the area has art galleries, gift shops and a museum. Of particular interest was a museum, Dolly’s House, where infamous Madam Dolly Copeland Arthur lived from 1919 to 1970. The “street” was built over water because it was too difficult to blast away the rocky hillside. For this reason much of Ketchikan was built over water. Creek Street is one of the best places to see salmon spawning and swimming upstream.

On our walk back to the ship we found several geocaches and did a little shopping. We stopped at The Rock, a Monument to Ketchikan which is called “The First City”. It is not called that because it was the first city established in Alaska but because it is the first city you reach when coming from the lower 48 states north along the Inside Passage. The seven figures represent the city’s history which includes a fisherman, a miner, a logger, a bush pilot, a frontierswoman and a Native drummer. Chief Johnson, the seventh figure stands atop the rock, who as a Tlingit, represents the fact that his people were the first to make their home in southeast Alaska.

The final day of our cruise was spent at sea as we headed towards our destination of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a day spent relaxing, eating of course, visiting with Peter and Beth and packing since we had to have our luggage outside our door by midnight.

Today, June 30th was also the fifth anniversary of our living our dream of exploring this beautiful, great country in our RV. When we first started we agreed to give it five years and then evaluate whether we wanted to continue. We not only want to continue, but hope to live this lifestyle for the unforeseeable future, God willing. We have traveled to 46 states (we don’t count a state unless we sleep there) and 22 countries. Of those 46 states the RV has not been to Alaska or Hawaii. Of the 22 countries the RV has been to Canada and Mexico. We hope you have enjoyed reading our 345 blogs and will continue to do so. We always love getting comments!!

July 1st we arrived in Vancouver where we boarded a Holland America bus which took us to Seattle.

We had a wonderful time exploring Alaska, made even better when Peter and Beth joined us. Even though it was a great trip, we were very happy to get back to our house on wheels.

Juneau, AK June 28, 2018

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Our next port stop was in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, pop 31,275. Juneau lies along the Gastineau Channel at the foot of the snow covered Mount Roberts and Mount Juneau. The mountains give a natural protection against cold winds giving Juneau a milder climate, but also isolates Juneau from the rest of Alaska. The only way to reach Juneau is by ship or plane. It was named the capital in 1906.

In 1880, Joe Juneau and Richard Harris discovered gold in this area which started the first gold rush in Alaska. Juneau and Harris laid claim to the area which they named Gold Creek. They built a town along the banks and in 1881 gold miners voted to name the town Juneau.

From our balcony on the ship we could see the Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway which is a five minute ride to the 1,800 foot level of Mount Roberts. We didn’t ride the tram because we really didn’t have time and it wasn’t a clear day so the view from the top wouldn’t have been very good.

On the way to the boat we past a field of Eagles, we could not believe we were seeing that many Eagles at one time in one area. They appeared to be drying their feathers in the morning sun.

While in Juneau we went on another whale watching excursion along the Gastineau Channel of the Inside Passage. Remember the rough ride on the Haines excursion? This ride was as smooth as silk. Everyone could comfortably walk around and no fear of seasickness. We were so excited to see several humpback whales, including some breaching. They are really quick and so hard to catch on camera. But Bill and Beth were hard at work getting these great pictures!

We also saw bald eagles, more harbor seals and those lazy sea lions enjoying their day. What a life!

After out boat excursion we went by bus to the Mendenhall Glacier and Visitors Center. The glacier is 13 miles long and 1.5 miles wide at its widest point and is fed by the 1,500 square mile Juneau Icefield. It is one of 38 large glaciers that flow from the Icefield.

Nearby is the lovely Nugget Creek Falls. We really wished we had more time here but we were limited to one hour.

When we returned from our excursion Bill and I grabbed some lunch in town and walked up to the state capitol building. All uphill I might add! Of course we had to continue our goal of touring every state capitol building. There is a running joke among Alaskans about how ugly their state capitol building is and they joke it is the 50th prettiest capitol building in the country. Well, they are right. Unlike other capitol buildings, it did not have a guided tour and had one of the most unfriendly and indifferent greeters at the information desk we have ever encountered. We picked up a self guided tour brochure and walked around. Very little to see. The building was constructed in 1931 and underwent a $36 million dollar renovation in 2017. Outside the building across the street is a statue of William Seward, former secretary of state under presidents Lincoln and Johnson. Seward played a large role in purchasing Alaska from Russia.

Walking back towards the ship we found a couple of geocaches.

Another great day in Alaska!

Haines, AK June 27, 2018

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On the third day of our cruise we arrived at our first port city, Haines, pop 1,715.

Incorporated as a city in 1910, this area has one the largest congregations of bald eagles in the world which feed on salmon in the nearby Chilkat River. And, we saw many! Every November Haines has an Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. Fort Seward, the site of the first permanent Army post in Alaska, was built in Haines in 1903.

Fishing is done year round in Haines with cod, crab and shrimp,as well as salmon in the summer and halibut year round.

Located in southeast Alaska and the northernmost point of the Alaska panhandle, Haines is one of the few towns in this part of Alaska which is connected by both a highway system and a seaport.

Our main activity while in Haines was a whale watching excursion on a catamaran named Fjordland.

We saw a couple whales in the distance, as well as sea otters and sea lions.

The sea lions were the most entertaining.

The highlight was seeing the beautiful Davidson Glacier.

The ride out was very rough and rocky and I was very glad I had taken Dramamine. Bill and Beth took some great pictures. I don’t know how they managed to get them with the boat rocking so much. I spent a lot of time in my seat because I could hardly stand much less walk around and I didn’t want to get sick. Beth loves lighthouses and was happy to see the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, a picturesque octagonal lighthouse constructed in 1906. The property is now for sale.

We saw seals near the lighthouse island.

When we returned from our excursion we did take a free shuttle bus around the town with a very friendly and helpful driver. Only one cruise ship visits every week and the town shows their appreciation by providing this free service. We were told that the bus is paid for with tourist port fees. We did stop in a couple small gift shops in town. Haines has a Hammer Museum with a collection of over 1,600 hammers but we didn’t have time to visit.

When we returned to our ship they were in the process of having their monthly crew drill where they employ the lifeboats. Really interesting to watch.

Many thanks again to Beth for some of the pictures and for the great sea lion video where you can actually hear the sounds the sea lions made. See/select the below video:

Bald Eagle Trivia:

Bald eagles can fly up to 30 mph
They can dive through the air up to 100 mph
A bald eagle can spot a fish up to a mile away
It is illegal to possess a bald eagle feather unless you are a Native American

Glacier Bay NP, AK June 26, 2018

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Our first full day on the ship was a day at sea, June 25. Besides plenty of time to relax by the pool or deck and of course eat, Holland America has the day filled with classes you can participate in with everything from computer classes to cooking classes to self improvement sessions. Also available is a library, games, trivia, a casino, live music and nightly entertainment.

We were continuing to enjoy the long days and short nights. A noise awoke me and it was Bill on our balcony taking pictures of the sunrise. When I asked him what time it was he said 4:30. What??? Seems like it had just set!

Our second day was cruising Glacier Bay National Park. Several national park rangers boarded the ship to spend the day narrating our time in Glacier Bay using the ship’s public address system. The ship didn’t stop, the park rangers took a very small boat to the ship and boarded by climbing ladders. They joked it was an exhilarating way to begin their day!

Glacier Bay National Park is only accessible by boat or plane and is made up of 3.3 million acres of mountain peaks rising over 15,000 feet including Mount Fairweather, forests, waterways and glaciers.

To protect the Park and the endangered humpback whale, only two cruise ships per day may enter the area each day. The park was first a national monument in 1925 and became a national park in 1980.

Amazingly 250 years ago, Glacier Bay was all glacier and no bay. In 1750 the glacier had reached its maximum. When Captain George Vancouver sailed here in 1794 the glacier had retreated five miles. By 1879 conservationist John Muir found the glacier had retreated forty more miles and was no longer “a sheet of ice as far as the eye could see” as described by Vancouver. Instead Muir saw ice that had retreated enough to see wilderness areas. Today the glacier is gone, having retreated north and you must travel 65 miles up the bay to view a tidewater glacier. The bay, having been carved by a glacier, is filled with saltwater as the glacier retreated which created a fjord. Much of the bay is over 1,000 feet deep and is 65 miles long and 2.5 to ten miles wide.

There are seven tidewater glaciers which are great rivers of ice that flow to the sea. We could see chunks of ice in the water that had “calved” from the glaciers.

The highlight of our time in Glacier Bay was seeing Margerie Glacier which is about one mile wide with an ice face that is about 250 feet high over the water and with a base about 100 feet below sea level.

The ship spent an hour at this one spot, giving everyone plenty of time to see Margerie. We were even able to see the glacier calving! See/select the below video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDuANpJUhOo

Instead of words, the best way to show you Glacier Bay National Park is through pictures. And thanks once again to Beth for sharing her pictures!

See/select the below video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQSRkI7nl-s

Train Ride to Seward, AK June 24, 2018

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Sunday morning we returned the rental car to the Anchorage airport and met up with representatives of Holland America for our week long cruise from Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia. But first we had to take a bus from the airport to the train station. Along the way we passed the Alaska Statehood Monument which marks President Eisenhower’s signing of Alaska as the 49th state on January 3, 1959.

From the train station we took a train to Seward to board our cruise ship, the Noordam.

This blog will describe our five hour train ride through the beautiful Alaska countryside and Chugach National Forest. We had driven from Anchorage to Seward by car our first day in Alaska a week earlier see Seward, Alaska June 17, 2018. But seeing it by train felt entirely different, and much more relaxing than driving. Even better, Bill’s college friend Peter and his wife Beth had flown in from Florida to join us for the cruise. The train was comfortable with a table where the four of us could sit together and chat.

I will let pictures describe the train ride. Some of these pictures are courtesy of Beth. Many thanks Beth for sharing your pictures and allowing us to use them in the blog!

An Icefield or Glacier

The Glaciers are Getting Closer

The Eagle’s Nest

A Zoomed View of a Pretty Glacier

The Train Followed This River

Another Pretty Glacier

The Train Went Through Several Tunnels and Here we Circled Back Over Our Own Tracks

This is a Pedestrian Bridge Built For Hikers to Go To The Glacier

Our Train Comes Into View on the Many Curves

This Is a School For Training Pilots to Land on Water

About 5:30 pm we arrived in Seward and boarded the ship for this second half of our exciting Alaska adventure.

Panoramic View of Seward Waterfront and Mountain Range

Our First Glacier We See As We Sail South

Along the road to Anchorage June 23, 2018

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At the end of the last blog we were still on a quest to see Denali mountain, and things were not looking good with cloudy overcast skies. As we drove towards Anchorage we stopped at several overlooks hoping for a glance.

One View Along the Parks Highway Driving South to Anchorage

This picture was taken at an overlook about 42 miles from Denali and still no luck. It was amazing to see the number of people at each overlook hoping to see that elusive mountain. After all, it is one of the iconic symbols of Alaska.

Denali Mountain is Growing 3/4 Inches a Year because of Tectonic Plates!

We gave up and continued on our way. Suddenly Bill looked in the rear view mirror and said, “There it is!” We made a U turn and stopped on the side of the road for pictures. The clouds had lifted enough for this view about 50 miles from Denali. Amazing how excited two people could get over seeing a mountain!!

Along the way to Anchorage we stopped at the Alaska Veterans Memorial. A beautiful memorial in a lovely peaceful setting along the road.

We arrived in Anchorage, the largest city in Anchorage and home to about half of Alaska’s population. It was established in 1915 as the headquarters for the construction of the Alaska Railroad. The downtown area was destroyed in 1964 by the Good Friday earthquake.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much time to explore the city. I had to do laundry at the hotel before the second half of our Alaska adventure starting tomorrow!

Next up: A bus, a train and a ship

Through the Eyes of the Selphs

Bill and Diane's travel notes and pictures

Chimacum, WA July 19, 2018

Orcas Island, WA July 17, 2018

San Juan Island, WA July 13, 2018

North Cascades NP, WA July 4, 2018

Ketchikan, AK June 29, 2018

Juneau, AK June 28, 2018

Haines, AK June 27, 2018

Glacier Bay NP, AK June 26, 2018

Train Ride to Seward, AK June 24, 2018

Along the road to Anchorage June 23, 2018