From the Yukon to British Columbia

Yesterday morning was spent driving through the rain across many uninhabited, but beautiful, kilometers in the Yukon. We stopped for lunch in Watson Lake and also took the time to see the town's interesting and extensive Sign Post Forest. We briefly considered ending our journey for the day and staying the night in the small town, but everyone voted to just keep moving down the road, which on the Alaska Highway is a commitment. So three hours, one male moose, one fox, a herd of bison, and a couple of black bears later, we settled into an RV park outside the Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park in British Columbia, where there is no such thing as Wi-Fi or cell phone service. This turned out to be a good thing, as we spent our evening playing games, drinking warm beverages, and thoroughly enjoying each other's company. We stayed up late and were thrilled to discover that, at some point, maybe around 11 or 11:30, it actually got dark outside. We loved the Land of the Midnight Sun but found it a little difficult to sleep at night.

Sign Post Forest

A sign that my people have
passed this way before.

Clay love the big machinery graveyard
 in the middle of the Sign Post Forest.

Our first male moose spotting

Fox

We brake for black bears!

A small portion of the herd

This morning we let everyone sleep in and then had a hearty breakfast at the little onsite cafe. Once our bellies were full, we were off to check out the hot springs. We followed a long boardwalk through a swampy forest, stopping once to photograph a moose drinking in a nearby pond. At the end of the path, we found the steamy and perfectly pristine Liard River and its natural hotsprings. The area has been built up to accommodate visitors, with decking, changing rooms, and stone benches set down inside the water. It was absolutely lovely and a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a cool day. After our soak, the open road beckoned, and off we went, with our newest driver behind the wheel. It was a beautiful drive through the northernmost stretch of the Rocky Mountains. Our favorite sight of the day was a mama bear and her two cubs up in a tree. We also saw several other black bears, a bison, a porcupine, and a few Dall sheep. When we set out on this journey, someone told us we would see so much wildlife that we would get tired of it, but we definitely haven't gotten to that point yet.

Warming up in the river

Liard River Hot Springs

Why did the buffalo cross the road?

Bears in a tree

Dall Sheep

Rocky Mountain High

Our hook-up hero

The rest of the cruise*

We got off our cruise boat this morning around 6:15, with sleepy and tearful kiddos. They made so many friends on board and had so much fun that they definitely weren't ready for it to be over.

After Juneau, our next port was Skagway. We disembarked but didn't spend a lot of time in the little town, because it was mostly just rows of souvenir shops. But getting back on the boat was perfectly fine with everyone because there was so much fun to be had.

Skagway Totem

A storefront completely
covered in driftwood

Ruth decided to get in on a statue pose

At port in Skagway

The day after Skagway was spent on the boat, cruising around Glacier Bay. This was definitely Jeff's and my favorite day. It was absolutely beautiful and possibly the most serene place I have ever been. The quiet was all encompassing and the fog made it seem otherworldly. We saw and heard the glaciers calving, which was such an incredible experience. We also saw sea lions, otters, and a couple of whales.  Since the whole bay is a National Park, we also had rangers on board all day to give talks, answer questions, and point out particular places and animals of interest. We could have easily been happy spending at least twice as much time there. That night, we had our second gala night aboard the ship, and everyone was excited to dress up again and dine in the dining room.

Glacier Bay

Icy sea shrouded in fog

Margerie Glacier

Captain Nice at the Lido Buffet

Gala Night, Round Two

The final day of the cruise was a sea day, and the ship had even more activities scheduled than normal, so we were definitely well fed and entertained. The kids spent almost every moment in their respective camps. Meanwhile, Jeff and I attended a tour of the kitchen, a couple of cooking classes, a couple of trivia games, afternoon tea. We also had a date night to the dining room, while the kids were tied up with their friends and activities.

Crab appetizers in the kitchen

A large quantity of whipped cream

This should be a scratch-and-sniff picture!
Everyone wanted to linger in the bread room.

America's Test Kitchen cooking class

This morning when we got off the boat, we boarded a scenic tour train to Anchorage. In addition to the beautiful scenery, we also saw a grizzly bear (spotted by yours truly), a moose, some eagles and artic terns, and a group of Dall sheep. 

From boat to train

View from the train window

The lighter brown spot just right
and down from center is a
gigantic grizzly bear.
Here are a few reasons it isn't the
 greatest picture I've ever taken:
1. It was taken with my phone.
2. It was quite a ways away from us.
3. We were on a moving train.
4. I was saying "BEAR! BEAR! BEAR!"
and wasn't able to fully focus.

I caught the back of the train
as we went around a bend

The foreground is all glacial silt,
which is left behind as the tide retreats
at low tide. The difference between
high and low tide is tremendous .

When we got off the train, we reconnected with Usha (our faithful and beloved little RV, who came to Alaska separately from us) and met up with Jeff's cousin, who lives in Anchorage, for a wonderful lunch. We haven't seen him in years, so it was delightful to have a chance to catch up. 

Our Alaskan cruise is definitely our favorite cruise we've ever done, and this state is such an amazing place. We are looking forward to exploring more of it in the coming week.

*For those of you thinking this seems to be picking up in the middle of a story, you're right! If you missed the posting about the first half of our cruise, check it out here.

From Colorado to Texas and back again

Yesterday, we drove from Colorado to Texas so we could pay a visit to the DPS office this morning and pick up a very important piece of paper. The lady in the office was blown away by Ruth's organization and couldn't believe she had all the necessary paperwork. She said she thought it was the first time in the history of the county that someone actually got their permit on the first try. Today, we turned around and drove back to Colorado, because we're a little crazy like that. But, our new driver did get some time behind the wheel, so that was pretty exciting. We are now at one of the best KOAs ever, just outside of Durango.

Apparently, Texas was glad to see us!

This is how younger brothers wait on big sister

She's official!

Not everyone is lucky enough to do their
beginning driving in a beauty like this!

Lunch in New Mexico, Christmas style

The Caboose Cafe and Pavilion at our KOA

Pizza and a movie under the pavilion

An Inspirational Day

Our first stop of the day was the Air Force Academy. We thoroughly enjoyed driving through the beautiful campus and were so inspired in the visitor center as we learned about what goes on at The Academy to train the young officers who come out of the program. At least two of my children are now seriously considering this path for their futures.

A peek at Pike's Peak on our way to The Air Force Academy

Welcome to the Air Force Academy

Strong moral character is a fundamental at The Academy

The Air Force Falcon

After our visit, we stopped for Mexican food, before heading to yet another truly inspirational place: The Olympic and Paralympic Training Center. It was so impressive to see all the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities and to hear about the devotion these athletes have to their chosen sports. Some of the athletes live and train there for years with the hopes of someday representing the US on a podium, with gold medals hanging around their necks.

Welcome to the Training Center

Watts Homeschool 4-man bobsled team

More bobsledders

One of the amazing weight rooms

Anti-gravity treadmills help athletes
recover from injuries quicker.

A little gym inspiration

These buckets are filled with weights and attached to a pulley system. The swimmers put on a belt, which is attached to the bucket, and then swim away, trying to raise the bucket as high as possible. It was so impressive to watch!

Our last bit of fun for the day, after an exciting trip to Wal-mart, was to cookout at our campground. This is the first time we've gotten out the grill on our trip, and somehow it made us seem more like real RVers!

Cooking out under the pine trees

It's a good life!