If you get a red X on the photos below – hit the REFRESH button or RELOAD the page.  That usually fixes it.  🙂

Okay – I have been a lot of places in the world.  I have seen some beautiful sights – but I have to say that this Alaska trip was probably the best trip I have ever been on.  INCREDIBLE beauty – everywhere.  The mountains were amazing – the glaciers were spectacular – the ocean and rivers were perfect – the weather was awesome – Victoria, Canada is incredible – seeing mother enjoy all of it was awesome.  We had a great time with Jason and Jess.

Best trip ever!  Hands down.  I am going back – especially want to go back and explore Victoria.  It is going on the list!!!! 

Took a lot of photographs – will post them below.  Put many of them on my Facebook, as well.

Temperatures were in the 40s at night and 60s during the day.  It only sprinkled on us a couple of times.  We arrived back home late last night – everyone is worn out.  Temperatures are in the 90s here in southern Illinois.  I am not a fan of the heat and high dew points.

Mihai is coming to visit from Romania next weekend and then we are heading to Europe for a month.  Going to explore Sweden and Germany.  Hopefully the weather will be nice!  🙂  Looking forward to leaving the heat behind us.  At least we hope.  Temperatures tonight are in the 50s in Sweden. So, that is not too bad.

OK – some photos from the trip 🙂

Time to say goodbye to Daisy – she is going to visit her
Cousin Levi for the next week 🙂 while we are away on the ship

Ready to go!!!

Where are we going????

Someone is falling asleep on the way to Levi’s

Mother ready to board the ship

Joey – heading out from Seattle, Washington – on the Rhapsody of the Seas Ship – Royal Caribbean
Seattle is in the background 🙂

Mother and me 🙂 with Seattle in the background – heading out!

Seattle, Washington – leaving port

Seattle

Joey with Seattle in the background 🙂  Time to head out to sea!!!

Leaving for Alaska

Mother and me on the Rhapsody of the Sea – ship
They have formal night twice during the cruise.  Dress-up
time 🙂

Mother and me – dinner on the ship – I am pretty sure we are all done with food for awhile.  No
shortage of food on the boat.

Joey on formal night

Getting ready to head to dinner

Mother and me – getting ready to go to dinner on the boat

Out at sea – near Alaska – it was actually chilly out there!  Temperatures were in the 40s at night and 60s in
the day.  Local people thought it was hot.  🙂  They should try living in our region for awhile.  I don’t think they could
make it!

Some music on the boat – they had music playing a lot.

Joey all dressed up and ready to go to dinner

Joey on the deck of the ship

Don’t blink because you won’t see me dressed up very often 🙂

Mother trying the snail 🙂

Joey and mother – at sea near Alaska – planning the day out

On the ship Rhapsody of the Sea

Enjoying the view!  The Pacific waters were an amazing blue color.  Pretty!

Out at sea – watching the waves off the balcony

Some art on the boat

Art

Time for some BINGO on the boat.  We did not win.  🙁  We played three different
days. 

Joey loving the model ship

My mom found someone to dance with on-board 🙂

At sea – heading for Alaska

Enjoying the view from the ship

At sea

Rhapsody of the Sea – Royal Caribbean ship

Mother watching the water go by

 

 
Joey had a birthday while we were away at sea 🙂 – we ordered
this cake and thought it was a real cake.  It ended up that it was
a cake made of flowers.  Now what are you supposed to do with
a cake made of flowers????

While in Juneau, Alaska we went to see the whales – they were jumping out of the water – we were able
to see their full bodies.  Quite amazing!!!

Whales in Juneau, Alaska!!!!

Beautiful creatures.

Joey in Juneau, Alaska

The views were INCREDIBLE – to say the least.

Watching for whales in Juneau, Alaska

The trip of a lifetime – Jason and Jess in Juneau, Alaska

ALASKA!!!!

Jason and Jess Darnall

AMAZING 🙂 🙂 🙂

Joey on the whale watching tour

Mother and me – whale watching tour in Juneau

Jason and Jess

Mother – Juneau, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska – beautiful to say the least

🙂

This is where we had lunch – during the whale watching

Near where we had lunch – Orka Point Lodge

Orka Point Lodge – lot of Eagles around

Orka Point Lodge – boat out on the water

Where we had lunch – during a break in the whale watching – Orka Point Lodge

Jason – Orka Point Lodge – Juneau, Alaska

Juneau area

Jason out on the whale watch tour

Watching for whales

 

Juneau area

Whales jumping out of the water 🙂

Beautiful Alaska

Glaciers near Juneau – Mendenhall Glacier

 

Mother and me with glacier in the background – Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier

Whales!  Near Juneau, Alaska

Joey with glacier in Juneau area – Mendenhall Glacier

The glacier is melting about 100′ per year.  Mendenhall Glacier

Joey broke the glacier – well at least part of it.

Spectacular sights – Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska

Whale 🙂 – rare to see them jumping out of the water like this.  It happened three or four times while we were
there.  The tour guide on the boat said we should never go whale watching again because we would never
see something like this.

Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier

Roar – be careful there – might bite.  Mendenhall Glacier area in Juneau, Alaska

We did not see any live bears 🙂

Waving 🙂  Juneau, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska

Enjoying Victoria, Canada – Butchart Gardens

Enjoying Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada

 

Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada

Tea in Butchart Gardens

 

Jason and Jess Darnall – Tea in Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens – Victoria, Canada

Mother with Jess in the Butchart Gardens

 

 

Mother – Buthcart Gardens – Victoria, Canada

Tea in Butchart Gardens

 

Butchart Gardens – Victoria, Canada

Mother and Jess

 

Butchart Gardens – Victoria, Canada

Mother and me- Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens

Jess taking photos of the beautiful flowers

Butchart Gardens

 

Butchart Gardens – Canada

Butchart Gardens

 

Butchart Gardens

Joey – Jason – Jess – Mother

 

Joey in Butchart Gardens

Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada

Mother in Butchart Gardens

 

Butchart Gardens

 

 

 

Butchart Gardens

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

We went for a train ride in Skagway – the train took us to the top of the mountain – we crossed into British Columbia
by the train – INCREDIBLE views

 

 

 

Waiting to get on the train in Skagway, Alaska

 

Skagway, Alaska – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

On the train 🙂 – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Mother on the train – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

 

View from the train – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride – heading into Canada – British Columbia

 

Train view 🙂 – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride – near Skagway, Alaska and British Columbia

 

Mother enjoying the view on the train!!!!!!!!!!  White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Train ride up into the mountains – pure beauty – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Arrived at the top – in British Columbia.  Mother – me and Joey

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride – my mom

 

Skagway, Alaska – getting off the boat

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Once the train stopped 🙂 – this is where we arrived – British Columbia.  Way up on the mountain!  Above Skagway

 

Mother – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Jason and Jess – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Joey Dillon – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Skagway, Alaska – our ship in the background

 

Mother – White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

That would be me 🙂  White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

 

Top of the mountain – at least one of the mountains.  White Pass Scenic Railway Ride trip.  Fraser, B.C.

 

That would be me in Fraser, British Columbia

 

Mother in Fraser, B.C. – Canada

 

BEAUTY – Fraser – British Columbia, Canada

 

Mother looking out over the lake in Fraser, British Columbia

 

Fraser, British Columbia

 

 

Rhapsody of the Sea – Skagway, Alaska

 

 
🙂  Beautiful

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

I found WALDO in Skagway, Alaska!!!!  I have looked forever and a day for Waldo!!!

 

White Pass Scenic Railway Ride – on the way back down the mountain we stopped here – border of British
Columbia and Alaska

 

Up on the mountain 🙂

 

Jason and Jess

 

The train we road from Skagway up into the mountains.  White Pass Scenic Railway Ride

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

 

Skagway, Alaska – can you imagine living here???

 

 

Ever wonder how they remove the snow from the train tracks?  🙂
Skagway, Alaska

 

Skagway, Alaska.  The snow removal equipment for the railroad tracks

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

We just had to stop in here 🙂 – Skagway, Alaska!

 

Monument in Skagway, Alaska

 

This is where we had lunch in Skagway

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

Which way should we go 🙂

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

We had some ice cream in Skagway 🙂

 

Fire station in Skagway – nice 🙂

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

Jason and Jess ready for the train ride

 

The cars in Skagway are nice 🙂

 

Skagway, Alaska

 

 

Glacier near Skagway, Alaska – amazing!!! 
Tracy Arm Fjord the Sawyer Glacier

 

 
Tracy Arm Fjord the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Tracy Arm Fjord the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Tracy Arm Fjord the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Tracy Arm Fjord the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Mother in the Tracy Arm Fjord with the Sawyer Glacier in the background.

 

 

Tracy Arm Fjord and the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Tracy Arm Fjord with the Sawyer Glacier – mother and me 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother in the Tracy Arm Fjord with the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Tracy Arm Fjord with the Sawyer Glacier

 

My mom Judy – Tracy Arm Fjord with the Sawyer Glacier in the
background

 

 

Tracy Arm Fjord the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

My mom and me – glacier in the background!!  Tracy Arm Fjord the Sawyer Glacier

 

 

Sunset at sea 🙂

 

 

My mom and me – formal night on the boat

 

 

Mother and me

 

 

My mom had a great time

 

 

Joey and me on the boat – formal night

 

 

Formal night on the boat – as formal as I get 🙂 

 

 

Happy birthday Joey – this cake you can actually eat – unlike the
other one

 

 

 

 
Happy birthday Joey

 

Joey had a birthday while we were away 🙂

 

On the ship – they had music

 

 

ALASKA!!!!