AKA: I'm too lazy to find the cord for the "good" camera and download the pictures so you get cell phone pictures.
For those of you who didn't know, the Warlick family went on an Alaskan cruise. Brad's dad and step-mom decided to go and we happily tagged along. I won't lie, cruising with two young children is no easy feat, but it was definitely worth it. Mike loved so many thing about the trip (the glaciers, the water, the birds, the train, the bus, the airplane, etc) and Ryan was his sweet self, well, until he got really sick and wasn't. We took a red-eye flight into Anchorage (also not so great with two little kids, but it definitely made adjusting to the 3 hour time change easier) then a bus to Whittier. We boarded the Diamond Princess and set sail for Yakatuk bay and Hubbard Glacier. After our first up close and personal view of a glacier we set sail for Glacier bay. The weather was gorgeous, the scenery was even better and the glaciers were amazing. We set and watched Margerie glacier calf over and over again. Huge chunks were crashing down into the water (Mike loved this as well). After our amazing day in Glacier Bay we headed for our first port - Skagway. Here we booked a ride on the White Pass/Yukon railroad and were not disappointed. After the train ride we wound our way back down the valley in a tour bus stopping in Liarsville for a salmon bake after a bit of shopping we headed out for Juneau. While Brad's dad and step-mom (Mickey and Tammy) headed out for another excursion we took it a little slower and took a bus out to Mendenhall Glacier. After watching the salmon fight their way upstream to spawn, we hiked out to Nugget Falls adjacent to the Glacier itself. The whole experience was fantastic. After a bit more shopping (and soaking up the nice sunny weather in Juneau) we headed for Ketchikan where Brad took off to do a little salmon fishing while Tammy, Mickey, the boys and I headed to Bight Totem State Park and the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. A fun day all around (and more sunshine to boot). That night things took a turn. Ryan caught some bug resulting in a quickly escalating fever. Luckily I had packed a thermometer and children's tylenol, but that only seemed to take the edge off. He was one unhappy boy and refused to sleep unless someone was holding him. Friday we were at sea on our way to Vancouver and Ryan continued to be a sick little boy. We took him to the medical center on the ship to rule out an ear infection (since we would be getting on an airplane the next day). His sickness continued through Friday night, again demanding that he be held at all times. Saturday was a bit better and we all made it home without too many headaches. So long story short, great trip with a really poor ending.
And now for a ton of pictures:
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| Ryan on the bus ride from Anchorage to Whittier |
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| Ryan hanging out with Pockets |
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| Mike being very excited when he finally realized we were on a "big, huge boat" - he didn't believe us until the ship started moving. |
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| Mike enjoying a documentary on the deck with turtle. |
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| New quilts for the boys specially made by Nana. |
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| Watching Margerie Glacier calf. |
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| Riding the White Pass Yukon Railroad |
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| One BIG bear |
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| Mike throwing rocks in Mendenhall Lake just below Mendenhall Glacier. |
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| Mike coming out of the clan house at Bight Totem State Park. |
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| The little chair made by a lumberjack at the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show just for Mike. |
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| Posing with the lumberjacks. |
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