Tag: WanderingLife

Skagway, the Yukon, and Butchart Gardens

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

After leaving Juneau, our next port was Skagway, Alaska. For this port, we had a bus and train tour of White Pass Summit with a stop in the Yukon Territory. It was an 8-plus-hour excursion with gold panning and husky puppies along the way.

The tour started with the bus portion. The bus took us through the town of Skagway, through Tormented Valley, and then into the Yukon Territory of Canada. It followed the route the prospectors hoping to strike it rich took when the Yukon Gold Rush began. They would get all their gear and supplies to make the trek along the White Pass in Alaska into the Yukon. I can not imagine the bravery it took for the men and women to traverse such an environment to attempt to improve their lives. Only a few succeeded, and many died trying to get to the Yukon.

One of the areas we drove through was Tormented Valley. It was a harsh landscape with beautiful green lakes and imposing mountains. Photographs were tricky due to the cloudy and foggy weather. I did manage to find a flower blooming among the rocks.

After we summited White Pass, we entered the Yukon Territory in Canada. Our passports were checked at the border, and then we continued on to a recreation of a mining camp. Once there, we were fed a mediocre lunch, browsed the gift shop, visited the husky puppies (future sled dogs), and panned for Yukon gold. We also got to hang out with a few goats. Sean and Angie got the most gold of 7 or 8 flakes (and I mean SMALL flakes) each. Mom found 4 flakes, and I only found two. I guess I will have to find another way to strike it rich. In all honesty, this stop on the tour is very like a very cheesy tourist trap. I believe this stop was everyone’s least favorite experience of the entire cruise.

We got back on the bus and headed to the White Pass Summit Railway. On the way, we were treated to a beautiful rainbow. We were all very excited to take a train from the summit down into Skagway! The train ride did not disappoint. It was the highlight of the day. My favorite thing about the train is that we were allowed to stand outside while the train was moving to get better views.

After the train, we hopped back onto the bus, and our driver/guide made two more stops for us. We stopped at what they call Emerald Lake. The lake had multiple shades of green in the water and was a beautiful place to stop. Then, we stopped at a tourist shop area that showed off tribal totem poles and locally made items. I picked up a bottle of Canadian whiskey barrel-aged maple syrup for Aaron while we were there. He loves his pancakes and enjoys whiskey, so I decided this was the perfect gift for him.

A Few More Pictures From the Tour

Our next port on the cruise was a day spent on the ship cruising in Glacier Bay National Park. I will skip that for this blog; it deserves a post dedicated only to it. That will be next week’s post and my last post about Alaska.

Butchart Gardens

Our final stop on the cruise was Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. We did not get into port until 8:00 p.m., but we had a planned excursion to Butchart Gardens. It was going to be a unique experience since we would be touring the gardens at night instead of during the day. Sean and Angie decided to stay on the ship and pack for our arrival in Seattle the next day. Mom and I hopped on the bus and headed to the gardens.

We only had a little over an hour, so we did not get to explore the entire garden. We focused on the sunken garden, which was a quarry before it was turned into this beautiful garden.

We re-boarded the ship for our last night and slept really well. We had a tour of Seattle planned for after our disembarkation the next day.

The scenery on this excursion was beautiful, and the train ride was the day’s highlight. The totem poles were mesmerizing to look at, and the four of us really enjoyed spending the day together and sharing all of the new experiences.

Next week’s post will have tons of pictures of Glacier Bay National Park, as well as pictures of our Seattle tour. After that, back to wandering around in the Airstream with Aaron and Murphy.

Alaskan Cruise Days 1 and 2

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

It was time! My mom, older brother Sean, his wife Angie, and I met at the airport in Seattle on Saturday to embark on a cruise to Alaska the next day! I had never been to Seattle, but this was not the day to explore that beautiful city. We had a tour planned for when we returned from the cruise. All our excitement and focus was on Alaska!

On the Ship in Seattle waiting to Cruise Away

First Day of the Cruise was at Sea

We were on our way to Juneau, Alaska! The first day was spent entirely at sea. We spent the day unpacking, settling in, and participating in some onboard activities. Mom and I went to a talk about how a cruise ship works, how it manages so many guests and crew, and what supplies it takes to keep everyone fed. Later that day, Sean and I went to a beer tasting while Mom and Angie went to play some Bingo. We also saw our first of many rainbows!

Into Juneau and Whale Watching!

Tuesday, our ship was coming into the capital city of Alaska-Juneau. I woke up that morning and looked towards our balcony. The curtains were drawn, but there was this incredible golden glow emanating from the edges. I had to get up and see the sunrise, causing such a gorgeous glow.

As Mom and I enjoyed the amazing sunrise, we noticed spouts in the water. WHALES!!! We figured out they were humpback whales. It was a magical moment. We could not have dreamed of a better welcome to Alaska. They were quite far, but I managed to get a few decent pictures with my telephoto lens zoomed in as far as I could.

The irony was that we had a whale-watching trip planned for that day while we were in port. Mom even took a picture of 2 whale tails without knowing at the time she was taking pictures of the sunrise.

We enjoyed a cup of coffee and watched the beautiful scenery the rest of the way into Juneau. We even saw our first glacier and waterfall of the trip! We also saw another partial rainbow and an iridescent cloud!

As we got closer to Juneau, there were more waterfalls, and signs of civilization.

After disembarking the ship, we took a small bus to our whale-watching boat. On the way to the boat, we stopped and were able to view the Mendenhall Glacier. It is 13.6 miles long, and 1.5 miles wide. In the photos I took, it looks like a lake, but it is all glacial ice. I have had a lifelong dream of seeing humpback whales, and our sunrise viewing just got me even more excited about this boat tour. It did not disappoint! We saw humpbacks, bald eagles, a sea lion, and even a mean old crab that was missing both his claws and missing four of his six legs.

At one point, I was so focused on taking a picture of a seagull that I did not notice the whale in the background.

The Whales

The Crab, the Sea Lion, and the Bald Eagles

The eagles were quite far away, but I had to include the shots due to the name of the ship that happened to be passing at the moment I took the picture.

This port was an excellent start to our journey. We all had a wonderful time enjoying the beauty of Juneau and each other.

We said goodbye to Juneau, and the ship headed to our next destination- Skagway. Next week will be all about our Skagway adventure, which includes the White Pass, the Yukon, and a train ride back into town.

Into the Targhee National Forest

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 1 Comment

While Aaron and I were still at Juniper Campground, we decided to explore and look for our next campsite in the Targhee National Forest. This national forest is between the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park and has a beauty all of its own. We found mountain streams and admired the crystal clear water, meadows, and incredible views. We also narrowed down where we wanted to park our home for two weeks. The following pictures are from our scouting for the next site.

A few days later, we loaded up and found our next backyard. When camping in national forests during the summer, unoccupied free campsites are more of a challenge to find- especially near such tourist attractions as Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We did not get our first choice of spots, but we did find a beautiful clearing to set up the house.

During our explorations, Murphy and I came across a man-made shelter that looked like the remnants of a survival show where they show the audience how to make shelters, find food sources, and survive in the wilderness. It was pretty cool to see.

The rest of our stay was pretty quiet and uneventful. I was still nursing my sprained ankle but walking around more, so we did not do much. I was also getting prepared for my cruise to Alaska with my mom, older brother, and his wife. After almost two weeks, it was time for us to move on and get settled even closer to Yellowstone! WE had a campsite reserved at Rainbow Point Campground in West Yellowstone for 2 weeks. Aaron and Murphy would be there while I was in Alaska, and then we would all be there together when I got back from my cruise.

We got to the campground early and quickly set everything up. We then hopped back in the truck to take a quick ride through the west side of Yellowstone National Park. I was flying out the next day, so we wanted a quick drive in before I had to leave.

West Yellowstone

Those dots on the landscape in the second-to-last picture are bison. One thing people tend to forget in national parks is that all the animals there are WILD ANIMALS. They don’t like humans, and they do not want to be bothered by humans. People have been hurt because they get too close to the wild animals. Everyone wants amazing animal photos, but they are not worth injury or a life to get that perfect shot. The people in my next set of photos were lucky; no one was injured, but they very easily could have been trampled by the bison.

I want to add, that I took those pictures from the safety of our truck.

The west side of Yellowstone is OK. It is not quite as picturesque as other parts of the park but still majestic and beautiful. Hopefully, I will have another post with tons of photos of other sights and animals from Yellowstone. But next week, and probably the week after that, the blog will be all about Alaska. I have tons of pictures to edit so that I can share the awe-inspiring beauty of Alaska. I will leave you with a quick teaser picture I took with my phone.

Welcome to Idaho

~ Wandering Cindi ~ Leave a comment

Aaron, Murphy, and I headed north from Utah Lake State Park into Idaho. Our destination was Castle Rocks State Park. We were excited! This park had great hiking trails, biking trails, and really cool granite rock formations. This was our first time camping in Idaho, and we were looking forward to experiencing a new state, new geography, and new experiences.

Unfortunately, we arrived during peak wildfire season. There were fires in California, Utah, Idaho, and other states. The views were very hazy, and sometimes, we could not see anything but smoke in the distance. We knew there were mountains around, but we just were not able to see them very well. This picture was of one of the clearer days.

The second morning we were there, Aaron was on a work meeting, I had just woken up, and Murphy was really ready to go outside. I hurriedly slipped on my shoes put the leash on the dog, and stepped out of the door. I did not remember that when we had leveled the camper the day before, we added a temporary third step because that side of the camper was quite high. I missed the improvised step, twisted my ankle and hit the ground pretty hard. So much for enjoying the hiking and biking trails, now I was nursing a sprained ankle.

Hopefully we can visit this state park again and actually enjoy what it has to offer. The only photos I was able to get were from the truck as we were leaving and heading to our next campground a bit further north in eastern Idaho.

Next Stop…Juniper Campground

Juniper Campground was very aptly named. There were juniper trees everywhere. We had a one week stay planned at this county run campground. I was starting week two of the ankle injury and was spending almost all of my time in the camper with my foot elevated trying to use it as little as possible. I needed it to heal! I have a cruise to Alaska with my mom, my older brother, and my sister-in-law coming up in a few weeks. So minimal walking and weight bearing was my plan.

Murphy kept me company for most of the week while I was nursing and babying the ankle.

We had only planned on staying for a week, and then we had planned on spending two weeks in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. About mid-week, Aaron found out he needed to take a three day trip to Dallas, Texas for work. Since Juniper was close to Idaho Falls regional airport, we decided it would be better to stay there for a second week. We looked, and the campsite we were at was not available for the next week, so we drove around the campground looking for other available sites. They had two loops of sites that were first come first serve only. We spotted a couple that we really liked and decided that on moving day, we would claim one of them.

Shortest moving day we have ever had! The site was better than the one we had the week before. We were closer to the Snake River, had more room for the dog to play, and more privacy. My ankle was healing some, and I started to slowly walk on it a bit more each day.

While Aaron was gone, the dog and I took short walks exploring the cliff overlooking the river. It was good to get my ankle moving, and the pup needed to run and sniff and explore. The pup and I found an almost complete deer skeleton. The skull was missing. We saw a partial rainbow during a sunrise on a stormy morning. We really had some beautiful views!

Murphy also found out that he really like playing in sprinklers! There were two of them in front of our camper, and when they came on he would run back and forth between them playing in the streams of water.

Aaron got back from Dallas, and we enjoyed the rest of the week at Juniper Campground.

Our two week, two campsite stay at Juniper came to an end. We assured the camp host that we would return, and headed northeast into the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

Family, Field of Dreams, and a Basilica in Iowa

~ Wandering Cindi ~ 1 Comment

It was time for my quarterly visit to Iowa to spend time with my mom, my brother and his family, and my dad. Aaron and Murphy stayed with the Airstream in Utah in Provo at Utah Lake.

Even though this is not the best picture of Dad, I am happy I actually remembered to take one this time. We stopped for pizza, at his request, before his doctor appointment. He suffers from dementia and other health issues and resides in a nursing home in Illinois, so any trip away from his residence is exciting for him. He is very content and well taken care of there, but just like anyone else, he enjoys getting out and about every now and again. It was good to see him doing well and happy. We sang to 50’s music in the car, which brings him lots of joy. After saying goodbye to Dad, I went back to Mom’s house in Iowa to enjoy another week exploring Iowa and spending time with family.

One of my all-time favorite movies, Field of Dreams, was filmed in Dyersville, Iowa. The farmhouse, the ballfield, and the corn fields are all still there and open for visiting. It was about a three hour drive from my mom’s house, so we decided to make a day of it. It was pretty cool to see where most of the movie was filmed.

This is the farm house from the movie. They offer tours, but we decided that we did not need to see the inside. It was kind of strange that there was a sign that said “If you build it” but, there was no sign that said “They will come.”

The bleachers James Earl Jones and Kevin Costner sat on during the movie.

One ting that was really great-anyone could play on the ball field. There was an older gentleman and his son playing catch, a younger father pitching to his kids while they took turns batting and running the bases. The have a supply of gloves, bats and balls for everyone to use if they want to play. There was one little guy who would hit the ball off of a tee, go get the ball with his bat in hand and then proceed to run the bases with bat and ball in tow.

Centerfield corn where the ghost players appeared in the movie. I also grabbed a few pictures of the ballfield.

When we were leaving, we saw this plaque, so of course we had to her face as well. As you can see in the next picture, her nose is the most popular spot to rub for good luck.

Denise Miarecki Stillman and her husband purchased the movie site property in 2012, adding a youth baseball complex and preserving the movie site as well. She also worked towards a Major League ball game to be played there, but passed away from cancer before it happened. But, it did happen, and there are youth tournaments on the property every year.

Our second stop in Dyersville was to the only basilica in Iowa, Basilica of St. Francis Xavier . There are only 93 basilicas in the entire US. Neither my mom or myself are Catholic, but the chance to see a basilica is rare, so we decided it would be a great stop.

The basilica was very ornate, had beautiful stained glass, a very pretty pipe organ, and tons of detail and symbolism everywhere you looked.

We spent 30-45 minutes just wandering and looking at all the sculptures and art work.

I enjoyed my time visiting with my brother’s family. We had dinner together a few times, and as usual, I did not get any pictures. We were busy running our mouths and enjoying each other’s company. My mom and my niece and myself were able to go play some indoor mini-golf. We had a great time, kept score, were terrible players, and threw away the score sheet before we tallied it. My niece, Tori, and myself know that Mom kicked our butts. It was great fun!

While I was enjoying Iowa, Aaron and Murphy were settled in at Utah Lake State Park in Provo, Utah.

On Saturday, Aaron and Murphy picked me up from the Salt Lake City Airport, and I settled into the camper for the night. Sunday was moving day, and we were headed out of Utah up into Idaho. Our next stop was planned for Castle Rock State Park, just over the Idaho State Line. Next week, our journey continues there,