Cruisin' to Alaska

The first week of August, Colin and I went on a cruise to Alaska with my parents, my brother, Ryan, and his wife, Micah.  It goes without saying that it was absolutely beautiful!  It was so wonderful to see a new part of this beautiful world God has created for us. 

Our destinations included Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Victoria, B.C. 

We went on a whale watching excursion in Juneau, and were lucky enough to see killer whales (fairly rare to see in that area), and a whole pod of humpback whales bubble net feeding (extremely rare!).  They would all dive down (we counted about 13) and start circling a school of fish, trapping them by releasing bubbles (something fish are afraid of), and drive them up to the top so they could eat them.  It was incredible to witness!

In Skagway, we went on a scenic railroad tour 20 miles up into the mountains.  We crossed several bridges, saw some baby black bears playing, lots of waterfalls, and picture-perfect landscapes each way we turned.

While in the Glacier Bay, we took a few pictures from our balcony in front of the Margerie Glacier.

In Ketchikan, we went to a fun lumberjack show and watched some lumberjacks compete in a variety of challenges.  Spruce Mills Camp (Team U.S.A. lost, but it was still fun none the less).

In Victoria, we went to the butterfly gardens and then the famous 55-acre Butchart Gardens and saw some exquisite flowers.  The only thing that would have made this better was if there was more light since we were there in the evening.

 

It was an incredible week!  If you ever plan to travel to Alaska, you definitely need to look into a cruise!