#3 Cruise Skagway-Glacier Bay-Sea Day

Skagway was a cute, old fashioned looking small town. (The sidewalks were plank boards.) It was charming. Chris and a few others got up early and explored Reid Falls. It was a bit more of a hike than they were expecting but it had great rewards!


They also visited Gold Rush cemetery full of interesting old headstones.

Later on, we all met up together and boarded a ferry that took us over to Haines. From there we went on a 4x4 trek up the mountain to have a halibut bake and beautiful views. We drove these mule carts which were pretty powerful. We had a great time and the halibut was very good.

Heading up the trail!

Our view along the way.

Grace and Kyle loved it! Grace especially thought all the bumping was funny.


When we got to the top of the trail, we all got out to take in the view.

Todd felt the urge to frolic in the nearby meadow.

We took a calmer approach.

The 5 sisters!

Zack and Ashley checking out another stop at a mountain lake.


The next day was spent cruising through glacier bay. It was amazing! I had seen glaciers before on land but seeing a massive cliff of ice drastically stop at the sea was breathtaking.

Majerie Glacier: Notice the tiny kayaker in the water.

Grace, Jenny, and Heather.


After viewing the glacier on deck for a while, we went back to our stateroom and decided to step out on our balcony. . . just Chris and I.

The kids didn't like that.

John Hopkins Glacier

The next day our cruise ship made its way through College Fjord which is suppose to have fantastic mountain views, but we wouldn't know it since there was thick fog the whole day. Oh well, we had fun participating in other events on the ship!

On our last night, we were served Baked Alaska. It is a delectable dome dessert consisting of a small bottom layer of cake (or brownies), then layers of ice cream, covered in meringue, and then lightly set on fire (or briefly put in the oven) to brown. They gave Grace a MASSIVE slice, which we all helped her eat of course. Our friends, Erik and Emily Olsen, made Baked Alaska for us when we first moved up here. We fell in love with it then but the whole process of "cooking" ice cream has kept me from being brave enough to try making it myself. I guess I should try to become a pro at it before we move away however, so I can claim it as one of the best things I learned in Alaska. It is a marriage of Chris's favorite dessert - ice cream - and mine - brownies. YUM!