Alaska Day 3: Anchorage to Whittier

Morning, y'all! Today I bring you day three of our Alaskan adventure. While Denali was amazing in it's own right, we were all ready to get to the boat and got our cruise on and relax. We woke up bright and early, at breakfast and then jumped on a bus back to Anchorage. 

GOOD BYE, Denali!

On our way to Anchorage, we stopped at a WW2 memorial. It showcased all the branches of the military and was a very powerful memorial. I loved the stars with the trees in the background. We were only there for a short break, but it was a nice way to keep the bus ride from getting too monotonous.

Once we returned to Anchorage we had two hours to eat lunch, peruse the city and of course shop. Le Husband, Daddy and I went back to Humpy's for lunch and I was bummed my lunch wasn't as good as our previous dinner. But, it was still a good time with my two favorite guys.

After eating, we wander back around and met with rangers and vendors set up. It was a warm day and it was really nice being outside and talking to people who knew about wildlife. We were given another version of what to do with bears. This ranger told us the difference in grizzly, brown and black bears and the reactions we should have for each. #idprobablyjustdie

On the bus ride out of Anchorage, we were taken by the nation's largest seaplane lake. It's incredible how many people in the state have their pilot's license, but it's often the only way to get around.

Before we arrived in Whittier, our guide to us to a wildlife preserve that was home to many different Alaskan animals. We finally were able to see our moose, bison and reindeer! The park was really cool and it was awesome see animals up close.

I feel you, I want a nap, too!

Every day, this bald eagle comes and sits in this tree. It's wild, but it's mate was hurt so badly it couldn't fly anymore. The park shelters him inside, but his 'wife' comes and watches over him everyday. 

Talk about majestic.

SOOOO CLOSE! SO COOL! A BEAR!

T-BONE enjoyed the park

After a fun time on the reservation, it was time to skeddadle to Whittier to catch our cruise. We were kind of on a time crunch because the bus had to get to a one tunnel before a certain time or we would be stuck while traffic traveled the opposite way through the tunnel. It was a pretty nifty piece of engineering and our bus made it with plenty of time. The drive to Whittier was beautiful and scenic and gave us all time to relax before boarding the boat.

This is the town of Whittier. Pretty much the whole town. Cruise ships embark here because Anchorage has too shallow of a port. A small town makes for no traffic ;)!

Our bus was one of the last ones to arrive, so we were some of the last people to check in for the ship. We had to take care of some paper work and then pass through 'customs'. Normally you have to declare any wine brought on board, but all of the check in stations were all ready gone when we passed through, so woohoo free wine!

We spent the first bit aboard the ship checking out our rooms and exploring the ship. The four kids looked like a  bunch of kids checking everything. And of course, posing for silly pictures.

During out exploration we found the spa and all booked a massage the next morning. We found  the bar, coffee and hot chocolate and grabbed a quick snack to bring back to the room. After exploring, my family headed to a show, while Le Husband and I continued our exploration. The show started a well known comedian and somehow T-Bone ended up on stage for one of the skits. He completely stole the show and many people thought he was a plant. The rest of the trip people would approach him on the ship and say 'T-BONE!!!! It's T-Bone"! Thanks to him we became the 'celebrity' family )!

Le Husband and I wanted to take in the sights on the upper decks. The fog and time of evening provided some gorgeous light for breathtaking pictures. It was a lot of fun playing with our camera with such a beautiful landscape.

picture of a picture taker!

glacier

Framer

We joined my family for dinner, which was surf and turf night and yummy. After dinner everyone hung out for a bit then we headed off to bed to get ready for our first day at sea. Our Alaksan cruise had finally begun.

Linking up with *megan* *kristin* and *annie*