Living the Dream in Retirement
Whatever we expected of the weather in Alaska was completely different than our experience. Having packed layers, waterproof jackets and footwear, gloves, hats…..you get it. That said, the week we spent there was sunny, warm and perfect for enjoying the beauty around us and the flowers were thriving.
On my recent Alaska cruise we visited Skagway. Due to recent rockslides, the port wasn’t accessible but a short tender ride later and we were onshore. We boarded a bus to take us to the base of the Tongass National Forest, then walked in until we reached the camp. It’s an uninhabited expanse of land with mountains, water, fields and wild flowers and we had perfect weather.
Base camp looked interesting but before we explored it, our guide hustled us aboard a huge open air vehicle, very high off the ground. This took us way up into the forest on a twisty, bumpy, one-lane dirt road as our guide gave us fun facts and history of the camp. Occasionally a zip-liner would zoom overhead through the trees. When we got to the top we met our Mushers and our group was assigned to one of three dog sleds. The dogs were hooked up and ready to go. Our Musher was a young woman who was passionate about working with these beautiful animals. She let us know we would meet the dogs after our sled ride and away we went. We were amazed at the speed as we careened down those same twisty roads, our Musher calling out commands when necessary.
As we were returning to camp, our guide pulled off for a scenic overlook of the valley and mountains where we’d first arrived. Breathtaking!
Back at the camp, we had a presentation on how the sport of Mushing came to be as well as a history of how certain breeds of dogs were mated to get the strength, endurance and love of running resulting in the mixed-breed dogs they use today.
Next came our favorite part – getting to meet and snuggle puppies. My sister and I were giddy as we held them. They were so sweet!
Our first excursion was in Juneau. If you follow my blog you know I have a passion for gardening and this excursion appealed to me on so many levels. I’ve excerpted the highlighted information from their website for accuracy.
Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventures in Juneau, Alaska, opened in 1998 by local entrepreneurs Steve and Cindy Bowhay, and have greeted guests from around the world who have come to admire the unique and awe inspiring environment at Glacier Gardens. Located in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, Glacier Gardens is a vibrant Alaskan botanical garden paradise nestled in the grasp of the lush Southeast Alaskan temperate rainforest habitat. Guests will board covered rainforest adventure vehicles and embark on a guided tour through beautifully manicured gardens and into the old growth rainforest on Thunder Mountain. Panoramic views of Juneau await 580 ft above sea level on Thunder Mountain and offer one of the best views found in the Capital City.
The trip up to Thunder Mountain on an uneven dirt one-lane road was…..bumpy. Our driver gave us a wealth of information about the history of the glaciers and how it impacted this area. He was knowledgable about plants, trees – even the moss that grows like a lush carpet on the forest floor. My favorite part was the “upside down trees”. To see them was truly thrilling as I never knew they existed and their beauty took my breath away. It was like being in a magical forest. I took a ton of photos because it’s what I do when I’m surrounded by nature.
Dotted throughout the garden are upside-down trees, known as “Flower Towers,” that have their tops buried in the ground and their roots thrust up in the air, forming a basket that cradles colorful trailing flowers. Netting and mosses form a bed in the center of the root ball, where begonias, fuchsias, and petunias bloom brilliantly bright and delicately hang down from the overturned tree.
I found it fascinating that as the end of the season, all of these plants are dug up, moved into the greenhouse and are replanted the following year, blooming even more robustly than the year prior. The greenhouse also had a charming gift shop and even more lovely photo ops.
Should you find yourself in Juneau, take this tour!
My first-ever cruise was in April on the Enchanted Princess and this recent Alaskan cruise was on its sister ship, Discovery Princess. I love the layout of the ship which was familiar to me though I have to admit I got lost a few times.
I wanted to share some photos of fun on the ship in this post. We saw Rock Opera, Spotlight Bar and the ABBA tribute show – all were excellent and we also did the Yes/No show one evening – always funny. Several of my group attended a cooking demo followed by a tour of the ship’s galley. The galley tour was fascinating and the cooking demo, done by the Chef and Manager of Restaurant Operations was hilarious – they could have careers as stand up comedians!
If you’ve followed me on social media you know that I’m all about the food – in day to day life but even more so when traveling.
I just returned from a one week cruise to Alaska on Discovery Princess. In Seattle, I met up with my cousin and her husband from Portland (Oregon) and my sister and brother-in-law from Vegas for pre-cruise dinner, drinks and a few toasts to the cruise ahead and fun times with family.
This trip exceeded our expectations and judging by the volume of photos I took there will several more blog posts coming soon.
We set sail on 8/3/24 and as we were pulling out of the Seattle Harbor the Captain announced that the Blue Angels were flying for an air show. It was a special treat and great beginning to our cruise. I captured some Blue Angel photos though you may have to squint to find them against the Seattle skyline.
I’ve just returned from Las Vegas where of course I had to visit the Bellagio Conservatory. The theme for this display is Higher Love and as always it was stunning. I took so many photos but after reviewing and cropping I’m sharing the “best of the best”.
A darling boutique near me recently announced they were closing but were offering a final craft class – a “garden sparkler”. It was on Saturday late afternoon and I signed up at once!
Of us nine attendees, I was the newby but not for long. After receiving our supplies and instructions, we started the process of choosing beads, cutting wire and assembling our creation. It was a spirited group with lots of great conversations happening simultaneously.
After 3 1/2 hours we were winding up so I knew this morning I’d need my trusty glue gun to assure everything would stay put. While doing so, I got out my beading supplies and added a cute beaded topper and strand of sparkling beads to wrap the cork.
Here’s my creation, and while not perfect it’s very pretty – and it does sparkle!
For the last week Michigan weather has been a bit erratic with lots of rain, sun, gloomy, very hot then cooler than usual – and very windy. It’s hard to photograph flowers with the wind whipping them to and fro. Early today, before the wind picked up I went for it and captured these beauties.
