What a day!!! Best day ever!! Part 1

We don't have to be anywhere until 1 pm today so I stayed in bed a little later since I was up until 1 am blogging. I updated my iPhone since we arrived, and now I am having trouble transferring photos from my phone to my computer - because of that it seems to take forever to finish a post if I want to include pictures. Anyway, I was up till 1 am last night so I thought I would stay in bed a little later this morning. 

I got up about 7:30-7:45 which is late for me. Mairead had been up late as well.  Dan and Amanda have the bedroom downstairs so they usually go down there to watch TV later at night. I settle down on the leather loveseat to blog while Mairead relaxes on the sofa watching TV or using the internet on her phone. Mairead has been falling asleep on the sofa and ends up sleeping there even though I have told her to go into the double bed, and I would sleep on the sofa. For years I slept on the sofa when we lived on Main St. in Watertown - Johnny Murphy used to go to bed at 7-8 pm to get up at 5-5:30 am to be to work at 6:30. If I was working 3-11 or even 7-3, I would be going to bed at midnight or 1 am and would wake him up. Then he would be waking me when he was getting up. It was easier just to sleep on the sofa which was very comfortable. So I never mind sleeping on a comfortable couch.

Anyway, Dan texted from downstairs about 8:15 that he and Amanda were going out for breakfast. Mairead had just gone into take a shower. I texted Dan that Mairead was in the shower. I got dressed. I guess Dan was too hungry so they headed off to breakfast at the Picnic Club - which was no problem - Dan and Amanda could have some time alone - Mairead and I could take our time and go when they came back. Which is just what we did.

The Picnic Club is a cute little place in New Girdwood - it was very busy when Mairead and I arrived. Amanda had recommended the rhubarb waffle which Mairead had. But I wanted something more substantial so I ordered a veggie omelet. We didn't know when we would be eating next so I wanted something filling! The home fries were delicious, and Mairead said the rhubarb waffle was very good too.

Mairead wasn't interested in taking some pictures of the town so I dropped her off at home. I drove around to take some pictures of the houses we have been passing so I could remember them. The architecture is a lot different than Boston!

This was my favorite house - it had lots of colorful flowers which don't really show up here. What architecture!! It was on the Alyeska Highway - which was only a couple of miles long - leading up to the resort.

 Crow Creek Mercantile is the general store in New Girdwood - Mairead and I were in here several times. And below is a local night spot that has live music but I don't know how often.

This was at the top of the Alyeska Highway - a sign for the Alyeska Resort. The picture is dark but there is skiing on the mountain in back and a restaurant on top. Take a left here and the main resort is about a mile away. 

This is where Dan checked in.

Below are some pictures of our local neighbors.

This one is for sale!

When I got back to the house, Dan was in the dining/sitting area, but there was no sign of Mairead. Then we heard a little voice coming from the loft!! Mairead had a headache and had climbed up to the loft to lay down in the darkest part of the house. This is not good because we are going for a helicopter ride at 1 pm! But Mairead pulled through, and we got ourselves together. The airfield was only a few streets away. Dan drove over. I think Amanda said she was in a helicopter before, but Mairead was very nervous. I was quite excited.

We checked in and they told us to hang on for a while. So I was checking out the flowers outside - they had strawberry plants as well, but it didn't look like anyone picked the berries - there were a couple of big juicy ones.

Lots of strawberry plants!!

Chillin' before our helicopter ride.

So before the helicopter arrived, the staff took us into the dressing room. I had ridden in a small plane to the Aran Islands a few years ago - they weighed us before we got on so they could distribute our weight evenly - Patty, Richie, Ricky, Jody, myself and the pilot. My biggest fear in going on a helicopter was that they were going to yell out my weight in front of everyone else! But they didn't - because Dan had given them our weight when he was booking this adventure. So why were they taking us into the dressing room? To get dressed for the glacier, of course!!! We were flying to a glacier on the helicopter!! Doesn't everyone?

They started pulling out long waterproof pants - like ski pants - the gal helped me get into them - they were black with long zippers on both legs so I didn't have to take off my winter shoes that I had brought all the way from Cape Cod! in my 45 lb. suitcase!! 

Then she asked what size shoes I wore.  Why was she asking me this? I have winter boots - but she pulled out these god awful big black waterproof boots that fit over my shoes and attached to the ski pants. I was roasting by now - I had worn a flannel shirt and it was 75+ degrees outside and no air conditioning inside. I had brought a winter jacket that Dan had bought me for Christmas with this trip in mind - it is warm but light weight and very comfortable. Well, I had to put on a red waterproof jacket - OVER my own winter jacket! Could it possibly be that cold and wet on the glacier? I was so hot now that I couldn't wait to get to the cold glacier!! Then she handed me some gloves. My outfit was complete! But no winter hat - just my Alaska baseball cap. Wait a minute, won't my ears be cold?

This is my snow boot over my own winter shoes - the boot is strapped to the ski pants.

Then we trudged outside to wait for the helicopters. Mairead had brought her own winter jacket that is waterproof so she did not have to wear one of theirs. 

There were 6 other people going to the glacier. One of the Alpine Air Alaska gals went over safety - do not step on the bars on the bottom of the helicopter - they can break; don't pull on the helicopter door or it will fall off!! There is a bar inside that you can grab onto; zip everything up because it is so tight inside the helicopter. Make sure you buckle up. Grab a headset when you get in so you can hear the pilot. The top rotating blades are 11 feet high so no need to bend over but do NOT go near the back of the copter because of the lower rotating blade there that could hurt you. Okay, no big deal. 

And here comes the helicopter! Wait a minute, that looks awfully small!

The red and blue helicopters were VERY small - I was surprised by how small. The other 6 people headed out first - 3 in each chopper. It was an 8 minute ride to the glacier - a couple of minutes to disembark the passengers and pick up people who are returning to the airfield - and 8 minutes back to base. I was dying of the heat - I had unzipped my 2 jackets  - I was afraid I was going to pass out - not from fright but heat stroke!!

Then we heard the helicopters approaching - then we saw them - closer, closer they came - I was very excited - they landed, and we waited for the passengers to get off. Now it is our turn!!! Dan and Amanda get on the red one. Mairead and I walked out to the blue helicopter. Mairead jumped into the front - I was supposed to get into the back. But what the heck! How HIGH did I have to lift my right leg? There was no way I could get my right leg up that high. There was equipment in the seat beside me - if I could have used the door on the other side, there would have been no problem. It was flashing though my mind that I was dressed in all these roasting hot clothes and had waited so long for this, and now I couldn't get into the helicopter!!`

But one of the employees ran to a shed and got a box. He turned it upside down. I climbed on and between us I got my right leg in, slid along the seat a bit and pulled up my left leg. I was in!! And it was very tight!! The guy who helped me in now strapped me in and put a head set on me. Then we were off!! in this tiny helicopter! Dan and Amanda were in the red one ahead of us. They seemed to be flying at a good clip, but we seemed to be having trouble getting off the ground - were Mairead and I too heavy, too much weight on the left side - shouldn't I be in the right sided seat to balance us? We were flying low but gradually going up. I was squeezed in so tight that I couldn't get my hand into my pocket for my cell phone to take a picture. But the scenery was spectacular! We were flying way up above trees, climbing between mountains - then we could see the snow covered glacier ahead of us. There seemed to be a lot of sheds  - people standing in a group. We were descending, lower, lower - then we landed pretty smoothly on the Punchbowl Glacier in the Chugach Mountains. 

I slid out of the helicopter. THIS WAS AMAZING!! I started following the others - I was sliding because of all the loose snow - even with these clodhopping black boots! Someone grabbed my arm and steadied me. Once I was away from the chopper, the ground seemed more packed and less slippery. But I was being very careful I tell you.

We gathered around one of the gals who worked there - she just had on a vest - another gal just had a T shirt on! I had already unzipped both of my jackets. So this gal started giving us safety instructions because we were going on a DOG SLED RIDE!! That's right - a dog sled ride on the snow of Punchbowl Glacier! She was talking about all the dogs that were there - two sleds go at a time - when they return, those dogs rest, and another 2 sets get hitched up to the sleds to take more customers on a 2 mile run. This is training for the dogs for the Iditorad. The dogs are NOT pure huskies - they are dogs specially bred for their strength, stamina, and ability to run. They are fed a special diet to keep them lean. These dog sleds use 12 dogs while 14-16 are used in the Iditarod. They can run for a couple of hours but then need to rest. We were told not to pat the dogs until after the dog sled ride.

The dogs are chained to the metal spikes and each has its own little hut. This dog on the left loves to sit on his hut and watch what is going one.

Next the gal talked about the sleds. There is the Princess seat in front, then the musher stands behind at the 2nd seat, the 3rd person stands on the back runners and holds on to the curved metal handle. I definitely wanted the Princess seat! I could just see myself falling off the back runners. But wait, the other people had 6 in their group so they broke up 3 and 3. The 3rd person in both groups has to stand up on an attached sled that is pulled behind that first sled - they have to shift their weight as the sleds turn, move over to one runner when turning or for something - I can't remember what else - I just know thank god that we were 2 and 2 - it's sounded so dangerous for that 3rd person! 

There is a special way to get onto the Princess seat - you sit down on the side - do not stand on the lines or the runner because you can break them - swing your legs over - only hold onto a certain bar so you don't break the sled.

Everyone got that? Holy moly!!

So now they broke us up into 2 groups again - the other 6 people were going first so the staff started hitching up the dogs.

So why did that other group get to go first? What's up with that? Who decides who goes first?

These are all questions we will get to in the 2nd installment of The Best Day Ever!!

Cruise of Resurrection Bay

I don't know what day it is - I don't know what time it is - I haven't acclimated to the change in time or the longer days. It is just barely dark when I go to bed at 11. When I wake up at 6 or 7, it is daylight. I am used to going to bed at midnight or later, and it is dark then at home, but I am too tired to stay up that late here. It is a lot different from the time change in Ireland. I think it is Sunday, but I know we are heading to Seward to take a cruise along Resurrection Bay. It is about 2 hours to Seward, and we have to be there at 11 to check in for our noon time cruise so we are leaving about 9 am.

We head back the way we went yesterday until we hit the divide for Seward vs Homer - passing signs warning about Moose crossings, areas with falling rocks, and avalanche warnings.  Adopt a Highway signs - Sam's friend adopted one area, and the following sign about 2 miles away says Sam's Other Friend adopted the next area. 

Above sign warns of the danger of an avalanche, and the bottom sign lets you know that danger has passed.

We didn't pass as many little fishing areas as on the other side of the  Kenai peninsula - there was more space between little groups of houses. It seemed like such a remote area until we came into the Seward area where there were more houses, shops, businesses - they were pretty well spread out until we reached the immediate outskirts of Seward which was a lot bigger port than I expected. Everything was again new looking. Opposite the harbor were gift shops, a hardware store, coffee shops, fast food joints. There were a couple of restaurants and pubs on the harbor past the Kenai Tours building where we checked in. There was a Holland Cruise line ship docked in the harbor.

A nice gift shop in Seward

This is a restaurant - look at the low lying clouds in background. 

A look down the sidewalk in Seward

We got in line and moved up to the counter where we got our tickets for the cruise which includes a salmon and prime rib buffet on Fox Island. Dan and I each paid about $14 extra for king crab legs - we each got an extra ticket for the crab. We had about half an hour to park the car and look around the shops.

Kenai Fjords office and gift shop

My ticket for the buffet.

When I headed to the loo, Dan took the car to the parking area and

came back by shuttle. Amanda had gone for coffee; Mairead and I had walked across the street to look at a couple of gift shops. Poor

Dan thought we had abandoned him when he got off the shuttle.

He's not interested in shopping so he walked along the harbor. 

We all met up on the deck outside the tour building. We watched people boarding 2 Kenai Fjords tour boats close by - those tours were 8+ hours long. Ours is 4 hours.

Look at all the boats! That was a surprise.

Holland American cruise ship in background - Dan had considered a cruise at one point but then decided on doing our own thing.

At 11:30 am the loudspeaker told us that we could start boarding. We walked all the way down the pier and boarded the ferry. 

Mountains in background as we walked down the pier.

Nunatak was the ferry we were taking. 

All the seats outside were taken so I went down to grab a table inside - and found an empty one near a window. Mairead stayed up on the open decks. Dan, Amanda, and I sat at a table for 6. After the necessary safety instructions, we were under way. We had not gone too far before the captain pointed out a bald eagle sitting on a buoy! He was explaining that the area lies at the juncture of a temperate rain forest - think broad leafed trees in an area with a lot of rain - and a boreal forest - think coniferous trees like pine and spruces. In between these 2 areas are the Kenai Mountains. I really had to shake out the cobwebs from my brain when he was talking about rain and boreal forests!

The captain talked about the earthquake in 1964 - it hit 9.5 on the Richter Scale. He said that Seward township was located much closer to the water at that time. He told us that what the earthquake did not damage in 4.5 minutes, the 30 foot tsunami, that came in its wake, carried a quarter mile inland! The Tsunami reached as far as Oregon. Now Seward and other coastal communities are rebuilt further inland - like we saw in Girdwood. The captain also told us that there are 25-30 minor earthquakes daily in the Seward area. He said it is not a question of whether there will be another large earthquake - the question is when will it occur!! Good lord, between avalanches, earthquakes, and North Korea's missiles, I'd be afraid to live in south central Alaska!!

This is the RV park which was built after the earthquake on the original site of Seward.

Scenery on way out of harbor.

The captain turned to the left/port so we could see some sea lions resting on the rocks.

Brown sea lions sunbathing on the rocks. 

The boss checking out what is going on.

Then we moved closer to the rocks to see the bird colonies - these in the picture are cousins of penguins - I can't think of their name. There are also guillemots, sea gulls, magpies but my favorite is a puffin. There is also a colony of puffins in the Skellig Islands in County Kerry - Skellig Michael is where Star Wars filmed. Puffins are lovely creatures. The pictures I took of them didn't come out though.

We headed by another group of sea lions relaxing on rocks.

Look at those mountains in the background!!

Next we headed to Fox Island where we were having the Salmon and Prime Rib buffet for lunch. And you know I was not touching that prime rib!! The island reminded me of the island that the Norwegian Cruise line owns - when we go on our 4 day cousins cruise, one day we stop at their island to swim, etc. and for a BBQ.

Here at Fox Island the food was delicious - I had silver salmon, great mashed potatoes, green/wax beans, and salad. I split the crab with Mairead - then I was stuffed. It was really scrumptious considering how many people they were cooking for.

The crab legs, that Dan and I had paid extra for, were split in half which made it so much easier to eat the meat.  They all seem to be enjoying the prime rib, salmon, and crab, don't they? 

Dan enjoying the crab legs!

I think Mairead had said that she had never had crab legs before.

My napkin was flying away.

We chose outdoor seating.

Creek running by restaurant.

Fox Island's rocky beach where kids were throwing stones - our ferry in the background.

What scenery!! And those clouds!!

There were reports of a humpback whale in the area so we headed in that direction. Not spotting anything, we sailed toward a glacier which is a massive body of dense ice constantly moving. We didn't see anything as dramatic as a glacier calving - when a large chunk of ice drops off the glacier - we'll save that for the next trip! We saw a snow covered mountain of ice with patches where the snow had melted.  And we also saw some dolphins at a distance playing around near the glacier. 

Then suddenly the captain announced that the humpback whale was  again in our area. All the boats started circling the same area waiting for the whale to surface. I was startled when the captain yelled "That she blows!" - I guess I saw the tail entering the water or was it all the excitement that made me think I saw it?

We hung around for a while longer but no whale appeared. So we had to head back to the harbor.  We disembarked - Dan and Amanda went to get the car on the shuttle while Mairead scurried into a gift shop and I searched for a cup of coffee before they came back with the car.

I don't really like coffee - I normally have a cup of instant Folgers coffee every afternoon - or if I am out, I occasionally buy Paul Newman's iced coffee at McDonald's. I don't really like Dunkin Donuts, and I hate Starbucks - I hate strong coffee. So I go into this cafe and ask for a small ice coffee with extra cream and no sugar. It took the kid a couple of trips to get ice cubes - when he finally brought it to me, there was no cream.  I didn't want to keep everyone waiting, so I put 2 sweeteners into the coffee - it still tasted like crap - I added a third - still tasted lousy - but I figured a sip here and there would keep me awake till I drive home - the rocking of the very ferry had relaxed me so much that I felt like sleeping!!

So it was a surprise when Dan said he would drive home.

The others had thought about stopping and trying this guy's jerky, but in the end we just passed him by. They have tried several kinds of jerky - they seem to be interested in local jerky.

The tide had come in on those mud flats, and we had missed it - it is a bore tide - I believe it is a 10 foot high wave that comes rolling in over the mud flats. Would have been nice to see it, but I had forgotten to look up the tides. Next time!

It was surprising how tired we all were. But Mairead wanted to take a picture of the mountains at the end of our road to the Seward highway. So she and I drove down to the little shopping mall so she could take pictures. Dan and Amanda have been talking about getting tattoos in Fairbanks - now Mairead is thinking of it as well. She thinks she might like the outline of the mountains across the river along with something else - she is sketching designs.  Not me - I don't like pain - but more to the point, what happens to tattoos when your skin gets old and wrinkly and sags as you age?! But we'll see.

Mairead taking pictures of the mountains.

The intersection of Seward highway and Alyeska Highway

Our local shopping mall - Coast Pizza, The Ice Cream Shop, the Tourist Trap gift shop, Subway, a bakery, and a gas station shop - we didn't need anything more!! And if we did, New Girdwood has a general store.

We took a ride around New Girdwood - found the small airport, checked out some cute houses, but people were home now, and Mairead said I would look like a stalker taking pictures with people in their yards. We did find Girdwood's laundromat and shower facility which was voted #1 in the country last year! Imagine - you can take a shower while your clothes are also washing!!

There was also thrift shop with these two blokes out front. I'll have to tell Amanda - she loves yard sales - a thrift shop can have the same treasures!

Time to catch the news and weather - hoping tomorrow is a good day as well - like the last few days!