Sunday, July 10, 2016, Marietta Georgia

We arrived home on Saturday, July 10, 2016 in Marietta, Georgia

Friday, July 8, 2016, Ellensburg, Washington

We left Vancouver after eating those delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We passed through the border checkpoint and drove on to Ellensburg, Washington where we stayed at Holiday Inn Express.

Thursday, July 7, 2016, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

In the morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel and then rode a shuttle bus to the airport. After checking in at the airport, we ate a gyro sandwich at a Greek restaurant for lunch. When we arrived several hours later at the Vancouver airport, we took a shuttle bus to the parking lot where we had parked our car. It is always good to see your car in the same shape that you left it. We drove to the Holiday Inn Express where we stayed previously. Again we walked across the street to the Chinese restaurant. We really liked their food.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016, Anchorage, Alaska

After breakfast, we rode the bus to the train depot at Denali. We were assigned a train car to ride back to Anchorage. The train had two floors. On the bottom floor was a dining room. When we got on the train, we were told to climb the stairs to an observation car with a curved glass ceiling. We had amazing views on our ride to Anchorage. Again it was a 10 hour ride from Denali to Anchorage. At lunchtime, the conductor took small groups to the dining car. When we arrived in Anchorage, we rode a bus to Westmark Hotel. When we got to the hotel, someone came on the bus and gave us our room assignment. We were impressed with how organized everything had gone. We walked to a nearby brewpub restaurant, but left when we were told that the wait was at least an hour. We walked to another restaurant and ordered soup and salad.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016, Denali National Park, Alaska

Again we had breakfast at the main lodge. After breakfast we rode a bus to the Visitor Center in Denali National Park. After walking through the exhibits at the Visitor Center, we rode the bus back to McKinley Resort Chalet. Today Bob had scheduled a hike into Denali National Park. While Susan stayed at the lodge reading and relaxing, Bob went on his hike. A van picked up Bob and another couple at the lodge and drove to the starting point of the hike. The hike took about four hours and consisted of just Bob and the couple. The guide, Grizzly Adams, (I can’t remember his name but this sounds good) was knowledgeable and talked about the many plants and animals that call Denali home. The hike was of moderate difficulty, with a narrow, single person path and some hills. We passed three lakes and saw a beaver lodge along the way. It was an enjoyable and pleasant walk in the woods. When we returned to the starting point, we drove to the Denali Visitors Center and the couple got out of the van to see the displays. From there, they would hike to the lodge. The guide returned to the lodge and Bob rejoined Susan for dinner. In preparation for our trip to Anchorage, we were told to pack our luggage and set it outside our room. Again the elves took our luggage away.

Monday, July 4, 2016, Denali National Park, Alaska

Before we left home, we scheduled a tour of Denali National Park. Today is the day for our tour. We ate eggs and reindeer sausage for breakfast at the main lodge. We tried not to think of Bambi and Rudolph while we ate. Then we waited for the tour bus. We rode the 91-mile park road to the end and back. On our tour, we saw many animals--grizzly bears, caribou, moose, mountain goats, and ptarmigan. When we reached the turnaround point and rest area, we saw two grizzly bears on the side of the road. The bus driver pulled far away from the bears and told us that she thought that it was safe for us to get out of the bus. After several people got off the bus, one bear started moving our way. The bus driver told the people to get back on the bus. We were disappointed because we were never able to see Mount Denali due to the clouds. Typically Denali is not visible due to weather conditions.

Sunday, July 3, 2016, Seward, Alaska

When we docked in Seward at 7:00 am, we boarded a bus that would take us on a 10 hour bus ride to Anchorage and then Denali National Park. Temperatures were in the 50's with overcast skies. First we rode to Anchorage where we stopped at the Westmark Hotel for lunch. They served pasta, salad, and cookies. After lunch, we boarded the bus again and continued to Denali National Park. When we arrived at McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali, someone from the chalet boarded the bus and handed out the room assignments. The bus took the people to their lodge that was assigned to them. After we got settled in our rooms, we returned to the main lodge to check it out. We decided to eat dinner at a restaurant near our lodge. Today sunrise was at 4:13 am and sunset at 10:24 pm. It felt really strange to have it light outside when you go to bed at night. In 1917 Congress passed a bill to establish Mount McKinley National Park. Renamed Denali National Park and Preserve and expanded more than three-fold in 1980, it is now larger than the state of New Hampshire.

Saturday, July 2, 2016, At Sea

We cruised today with overcast skies and temperatures in the 50's. We spent much of the day in the Exploration Cafe reading and relaxing. During the day, we went to the Vista Lounge to learn how we are to pack our luggage. One set of luggage would go with us to Denali. The other set would go to Anchorage and wait for us to return to Anchorage on our way home. Since we are leaving the ship in the morning, we had to pack our luggage and set them in the hallway by 11:00 pm. During the night, elves took our luggage away.

Friday, July 1, 2016, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

We stayed on the ship today but cruised through Glacier Bay National Park. Before 7:00 am, park rangers boarded the ship at Bartlett Cove, the park's headquarters. After breakfast we went to the Crew's Nest in the front of the ship and got a seat by the window to get a view of Glacier Bay. One of the rangers spoke on the intercom during the day. Glacier Bay today is the product of the Little Ice Age, a geologically recent glacial advance in northern regions. The Little Ice Age reached its maximum extent about 1750. Some glaciers are retreating here, others are advancing -- unlike in some mountains in the contiguous United States where glaciers may soon be a thing of the past. Bob walked outside to get a better view and photograph the glaciers. After we left the Crew's Nest, we went to Vista Lounge to hear a native Tlingit woman talk about her native land and people. At 4:30 the rangers disembarked and we continued to Seward, Alaska. With overcast skies, the temperatures were in the 50's.

Thursday, June 30, 2016, Skagway, Alaska

This morning we docked in Skagway at 7:00 am. After eating breakfast at the Lido Restaurant, we went ashore. We rode the White Pass Scenic Railway. Years ago, the railway was the gateway to the Yukon Gold Rush. We passed through tunnels, over sky-high trestles, and remote valleys. We rode to the end of the line and stopped. The engine was disconnected from the train cars, rode on another track parallel to us to the other end of the train, and was reconnected. The seatbacks were reversed, we switched seats and we then rode back to Skagway.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016, Juneau, Alaska

The ship docked at 10:00 am in Juneau, the state's capital. We had scheduled a whale watch and rode the bus through the city to the whale boat. On the way, the guide pointed out the state capital as a white building. Susan could never find the state capital. On the way to the whale watch, we visited the Mendenhall Glacier, which is one of 38 large glaciers that flow from the 1,500 square mile expanse of snow and ice known as the Juneau Ice field. As the glacial ice accumulates seasonally¸ gravity pulls the ice down valleys. Slowly and steadily the glacier scours bedrock, grinding everything to powder or transporting huge boulders on its 13-mile path to Mendenhall Lake. On the boat that was manned by all females, we saw an eagle, humpback whales and an orca whale. The guide told us how lucky we were to see an orca whale. The Noordam left shore at 9:30 pm. Sunrise was at 4:01 am and sunset at 9:53 pm. The days are getting longer.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016, Ketchican, Alaska

We docked at 7:00 am in Ketchican. After eating breakfast at the Lido Restaurant, we went ashore. We went shopping at some of the shops onshore and walked through the shopping area. The ship left the dock at 2:30 pm. The sun rose at 4:09 am and set at 9:35 pm. The skies were cloudy with temperatures in the 60's.

Monday, June 27, 2016, At Sea

Because we climbed up and down the stairs yesterday, the back of Susan's legs were hurting so much that Susan decided to go see the ship doctor. After an examination, the doctor diagnosed that Susan had bursitis. He prescribed prednisone and a gauze bandage to wrap her knee. We decided to relax today in the Exploration Cafe.

Sunday, June 26, 2016, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

We love the cinnamon rolls for breakfast at Holiday Inn Express. After breakfast, we drove to the parking lot near the airport and took the shuttle to the airport. We then waited for the shuttle to the cruise ship. After checking in, we boarded the Noordam and discovered that the ship had upgraded our room from a room with a window to a room with a balcony. We explored the ship before the mandatory safety drill. Susan's knees were bothering her, but she thought that if she exercised it, it would help. It didn't help. Under clear skies, sunrise was 5:09 am and sunset was 9:21 pm. The temperatures were in the 70's.

Saturday, June 25, 2016, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Today we took a bus tour of Vancouver after eating breakfast at Holiday Inn Express. The bus driver told us how expensive it was to live in Vancouver. When Hong Kong was ceded to China, many wealthy Chinese immigrated to Vancouver. They purchased property and the land values increased dramatically. Vancouver population consists of forty percent Asian people. The typical house in Vancouver can be valued in the millions of dollars. We drove through Stanley Park and stopped to look at the totem poles. Later we drove to Granville Island, a shopping area under a bridge. We walked through the Public Market looking for lunch and ate at a small cafe. We ate dinner at the Chinese restaurant across the street from the motel.

Friday, June 24, 2016, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

We walked to McDonald's and ate breakfast. Before checking out of Holiday Inn, we did our laundry. Then we drove and checked into Airport Holiday Inn Express just a short distance away. In the afternoon we walked across the street to Costco. In the evening we walked to a Chinese restaurant across the street to eat dinner. We were one of two Caucasian couples in the restaurant. The rest of the diners were of Asian descent. The food was very good.

Thursday, June 23, 2016, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Today we crossed the border to Canada. We stayed at Holiday Inn in Richmond, British Columbia. We ate dinner at the motel.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016, Seattle, Washington

Getting close to Vancouver, we stayed at Comfort Inn & Suites in Seattle. It was an older motel, but in good condition. We actually had a suite consisting of a living room, kitchen and bedroom. We drove a few blocks to a seafood restaurant. Sue had her favorite fried oysters and Bob had salmon for dinner.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016, Spokanne Valley, Washington

After driving through Idaho, we stayed at Comfort Inn in Spokane Valley, Washington.

Monday June 20, 2016, Butte, Montana

We drove through the Big Sky Country and stayed at Holiday Inn Express in Butte, Montana.

Sunday June 19, 2016, Glendive, Montana

We ate breakfast and packed the car. When we were ready to leave, we noticed the high winds and decided to stay in Glendive for a rest day. We often take rest days when we travel and decided this was a good day. The winds were very gusty and we were ready to relax. That morning, we drove to a state park and took pictures. It was not as scenic as Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but was interesting. We returned to the motel and relaxed and got ready for the drive on Monday.

Saturday June 18, 2016, Glendive, Montana

On our way to Glendive, Montana, we stopped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. We drove through the park and stopped at the visitor center. The park had several prairie dog towns where we saw prairie dogs sitting up straight near their holes watching for predators. On our ride Susan kept looking for bison in the badlands section. Finally we saw a herd of bison. She was so happy! We shared a sandwich at Flying J in Beach, North Dakota. We stayed at Holiday Inn Express in Glendive, Montana and ate dinner at CCS Family Cafe.

Friday June 17, 2016, Billings North Dakota

After eating breakfast at McDonald's, we drove to Bismarck and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. We shared a salad for dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Bismarck.

Thursday June 16, 2016, St. Cloud Minnesota

We love eating breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express because of the delicious cinnamon rolls. After driving to St. Cloud, Minnesota, we stayed at Holiday Inn & Suites. We ate dinner at Granite City Food & Brewery in St. Cloud.

Wednesday June 15, 2016, Janesville Wisconsin

This morning we stopped at McDonald's for iced tea and a latte. After stopping for gas, we drove to Janesville, Wisconsin. We stayed at Holiday Inn Express and ate at Olive Garden.

Tuesday June 14, 2016, Marion Illinois

We left Marietta and drove to Marion, Illinois. We stayed at the Comfort Suites. Across the street was a restaurant, 20's Hideaway We walked across the parking lot and had dinner. It was a steakhouse with a 1920 style decor, including a piano player. The food was great and we will stop here again if we returne home via Marion. Bob had a Philly cheese steak sandwich. It was the best cheese steak not made in Philly.

Monday June 13, 2016, Marietta Georgia

Home in Marietta