Category: North America

My Many Alaska Cruise Excursion Experiences

Alaska is a popular travel destination, and there is no easier way to see southeast Alaska than on a cruise ship. Use my Alaska cruise excursion tips for Alaska’s most popular cruise ship ports to help you plan your best bucket list Alaska trip.

I love cruising and have sailed all over the globe. But, I think that if you ever only take one cruise in your whole life, it should be to Alaska. This is a huge state with some of the least accessible national parks in the US, including the very popular Glacier Bay National Park which can only be visited by boat. The various ports of call and the many cruise excursion options offered on an Alaskan cruise provide opportunities to easily see more of this incredibly scenic state.

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PhotoPOSTcard: Saving Bears

One of my Alaska cruise excursions in Sitka took us to The Fortress of the Bear, a non for profit sanctuary that saves orphaned bears. When a bear mother dies, her orphaned cubs cannot survive without her and would have to be euthanized by state game officials. The Fortress of the Bear organization has converted old, unused water clarifier tanks from a defunct paper mill into large habitats for orphaned Alaskan brown bears and black bears. The sanctuary serves as both a rescue and rehabilitation center and as an educational facility. It’s probably the closest you will ever be able to get to a bear and see them behave as they would in a the wild.

 

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Just A Man And His Dog

A cruise with one of the major cruise lines is certainly the easiest and most economical way to see Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. But when looking at the glaciers from the top of a huge ship it can be difficult to get a sense of size without something else nearby for perspective. In this case, a kayaker and his very well behaved dog provide the much needed scale to be able to get the true sense for how tall the Margerie Glacier really is.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: You’re Pulling My Ear

This post was recognized by the North America Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) in the 2019 awards competition with a Silver award in the Sports, Recreation and Adventure – Online category

Leroy Shangin attempts to win in the finals of the Ear Pull event at the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO) in Fairbanks, Alaska. As with all the games at WEIO, this event is rooted in traditional games that tested and prepared the indigenous people for survival in the cold and harsh climate of the region. The Ear Pull tests a contestant’s ability to withstand pain, especially in the extremities due to possible frostbite. The event is played with two opponents looping a length of sinew around their ears and pulling as hard as they can until one of them gives up.  A match is best two out of three.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

“Under the Midnight Sun” – Original Quilt Design

Many of the quilt designs that I make are inspired by my travel destinations. In this case, the quilt came first, but I really was not sure what to do with it. Then, when I had plans to go to Fairbanks, Alaska, for the midnight sun season, I knew this was the perfect quilt to take along. Continue reading ““Under the Midnight Sun” – Original Quilt Design”

PhotoPOSTcard: Pretty in Pink

During my stay in central Alaska this summer, I saw fireweed blooming everywhere. It is a colorful pink perennial which easily grows in sunny spots along the roads and the shores of lakes and rivers. It is one of the first species to come up after a fire, which is how it got its name. Supposedly it is also a harbinger of winter. I was told that the flower blooms from the bottom up and when the blooms at the top are done, winter will arrive in six weeks. I clearly caught it in mid bloom and mid summer.

Please note that my visit to Fairbanks was hosted by Explore Fairbanks. All content is my own.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

 

PhotoPOSTcard: Midnight in Fairbanks, Alaska

This is what midnight looks like in the land of the midnight sun in Fairbanks, Alaska in mid July. I went to the Chena Lakes Recreation Area to get an unobstructed view of the setting sun over water. The sun did dip below the horizon, but just barely, so that it was this bright all night long.

Please note that my visit to Fairbanks was hosted by Explore Fairbanks. All content is my own.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

There’s a Little Bit of Paradise in the Garden of the Gods Illinois

The Garden of the Gods Illinois and Shawnee National Forest provides outdoor recreation, interesting history and beautiful scenery, all of which is within an easy 6 hour drive from 30 cities and towns in the Midwest. After road tripping through the Midwest, I am sharing my list of things to do in Garden of the Gods, Illinois.

Despite having lived in Chicago for many years, it is only as a recent visitor back to the state that I discovered the wooded beauty of the Shawnee National Forest and the Garden of the Gods Illinois. Who knew there was so much scenic wilderness in a state known for growing corn?

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