thefouramigosblog

We woke up to a view of snow-covered mountains in Whittier, Alaska.

We traveled by train from Whittier to Anchorage. It was a domed train that gave us excellent views.

We saw snow-capped mountains and open water for miles. I hoped to spot a whale but did not.

The water has a bluish green tint being glacial waters.

Bruce took a photo of mountain goats although it’s hard to see. They were way up high.

We made it to Anchorage with time to spare before our flight. There were no lounges in the Anchorage airport except the Alaska Airlines Lounge. It would have been $70 for the two of us to go in so we passed.

We arrived in Reno late. The view from our room at Circus Circus was ok.

We rented a car and drove to Truckee to see Kami and the kids. We went to a party at Kami and Eric’s friend’s house. There were so many kids. And they were all blond except for Emmy.

Lily and Emmy spent the night at our hotel. They went into the pool and hot tub at night and in the morning.

Lots of kid time!

We woke up to another cloudy day but with a mountainous terrain out our balcony.

We had a tour booked through Viator to include learning about the Gold Rush and also going to the Gold Rush cemetery.

As we left the ship, we sighted a whale right in front of our ship. Unfortunately, I did not have my phone out to take a picture.

We met our tour guide and traveled in a tour van with 12 other people.

She drove through town talking about what it was like in the late 1800s.

Some of the buildings were from that time and like all gold rush towns this one had a red light district too.

As we drove out of town we started climbing a mountain. Across the ravine, we could see the White Pass train that we took last year.

We made it to the top and took pictures by the Alaska sign. Bruce is growing a beard.

We stopped by a nice waterfall.

We also stopped at an overlook of Skagway.

The mountains were snow-covered and we had a few snow flakes mixed with rain.

The cemetery was old and we did a little hike to get there.

It was a very nice, fun excursion with Alex, the owner of Local Skagway Day Trips.

As our vessel sailed away, we took in the breathtaking mountains from our balcony.

Tomorrow we were supposed to go cruising at Hubbard Glacier but the captain announced we will not be going there due to time constraints in getting to Whittier. So it will be just another sea day!

#alaska#skagway#cruising#vacation

Today we woke to cloudy skies and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

We wanted to go to the gym and then planned to get off the ship. The gym was empty which was great.

Looking out the gym windows we saw long lines waiting for the shuttle bus to town.

We decided to wait and use the hot tub in the Solarium. We had it to ourselves.

The lines were still long so we went for lunch and then I signed up for this North Star Experience where you get in an enclosed capsule with all windows and it takes you up and over the ocean. It’s free on port days.

At this point we decided to get together for coffee with new friends and then took a nap before dinner.

As we sailed away from Sitka the sun was peaking out.

This evening we enjoyed a hypnotist comedian which was fun to watch.

Tomorrow Skagway.

#sitka#alaska#cruising#northstarexperience#vacation#mountains

We spent two days at sea, enjoying the shows, eating, talking with new friends, and playing in the casino. I had escargot for two nights which I love.

One night we even had a sunset.

Last year when we were on an Alaskan cruise, Ketchikan was a tender port. We were going to get off but they were still calling assigned departure numbers at noon. So instead of getting off we enjoyed the ship.

Today it was raining. It seemed like a drizzle but it was pretty constant. It was looking misty from our cabin. I wasn’t sure how far I wanted to venture.

We walked off the ship planning to just go into the shops but a tour guy talked us into doing his trolley tour.

As we drove through Ketchikan our tour guide pointed out the former red light district where a famous Dolly made a name for herself.

Then we traveled out of town to the Tongass National Forest in search of wildlife.

We did see seals in the distance. See if you can see one’s cute little face.

We also saw bald eagles in the distance but no bears.

We visited a very interesting totem park. Totems are not religious but tell a story.

For instance, a man was carved upside down on the totem because he did not pay his debts.

William Seward who was Secretary of State bought Alaska from the Russians for $7 million. It was known as Sewards Folly. The local tribes honored him but he offended them so they built this totem of shame.

A few other interesting totems.

It was an informative afternoon at the totem park.

We met up with some friends for coffee and then had dinner.

The sun was finally coming out while we were eating dinner.

We went back to our cabin and I spent some time on the balcony looking for whales. No luck! But it was very nice out!

As we left Ketchikan, we passed the Guard Island Light which is a lighthouse at the entrance to the Tongass Narrows.

All in all, it was a nice day with a little excursion to see some of Ketchikan.

Tomorrow Sitka!

#alaska#ketchikan#totempark#tongassnationalforest#wildlife#seals#redlightdistrict

It was time to say goodbye to Vancouver and our lovely hotel the Fairmont Pacific Rim. We spent most of the morning showering repacking and trying to organize our stuff.

Check in on Royal Caribbean‘s Ovation of the Sea wwas 2:30. It was an ugly, rainy day not one for site seeing. We did spend some time in the cafe at the hotel. They had excellent almond croissants.

Check in was a little difficult due to having to clear customs but all in all it probably took about an hour.

We found the Two70 where a band was playing Caribbean vibes.

Our cabin is nice with a good size balcony but not as big as we had on the Emerald Princess.

We have a set dinner time and the table is for 6 but we were the only ones there. The good part about that is we were able to get to the 7:30 show. It was a comic named Rondell Sheridan. He was very funny.

We went back to our cabin to unpack and we were out on the balcony when we set sail at 9:30.

We cruised under the Lions Gate Bridge.

And now we are on our way to Alaska.

#canada#ovationoftheseas#royalcaribbean#lionsgatebridge#cruising#vacation#fairmontpacificrim

We are on our way back to Vancouver after a wonderful few days in Banff. Our route this morning has been quite lovely with clear blue skies.

The mountains were gentler with y’all trees and lush green landscaping and little snow. But as we grew closer to Vancouver snow-capped mountains began to appear!

There were also waterfalls flowing from the mountaintops.

Mountains around Vancouver were still covered in snow. I believe one of them might be Whistler, a local ski mountain.

Another little tunnel.

Finally, we arrived in Vancouver. We are staying at the Fairmont Pacific Rim directly across the street from the cruise port. It’s a very nice hotel. We were going to try the hot tub but it looked stormy.

So we went to the gym and then relaxed for a bit—the view from our room.

I had sushi for lunch and dinner. I can never go wrong with that. We hung out in the lobby restaurant and listened to music and people-watched.

So a few pointers about driving the Trans Canada Highway. It’s very scenic. It’s a 10-hour drive. Traffic around Vancouver is heavy but most of the trip traffic was good. Make sure you have enough gas as you get closer to Banff. There is an area of about 50 miles where finding gas could pose a problem.

There are no tolls which is great! Coming from Vancouver Revelstoke is more like 70% of the drive. If you have the time spend two nights there. Stay in Banff at least 3 nights but 5 would be optimal. There is a lot to do!

Our stay at Hidden Ranch was good. The bus practically stopped at our door. But there are many places right in town.

Go to Lake Louise. And maybe visit after June 1st so the snow on the lakeshore is melted, and the colors are brilliant.

But definitely, this area is a bucket list place!

#canada#mountains#driving#vacation#whistler#fairmontpacificrim#banff#

Today we started our journey back to Vancouver. The weather was rainy and chilly so we had the best days in Banff.

Not that some of this dreary weather doesn’t photograph well. It actually makes for interesting compositions. The mountains with clouds.

An overpass in the distance. These are bear crossings. They wouldn’t cross without the foliage.

Things you can see as you travel the Trans Canada Highway between Banff and Kamloops. Bridges!

Tunnels and passes.

Many waterfalls!

A reflective moment!

Farmland and barns!

It was lovely to see the ever-changing landscape.

The snow disappeared and everything was so green.

And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – a different type of horse.

After almost seven hours we arrived in Kamloops to spend the night. A little sushi and a hot tub and off to write and rest.

#canada#travel#transcanadahighway#mountains#kamloops#

I can see why Banff and its surrounding areas are so popular. The breathtaking beauty, the fun activities, and the charm of a place so diverse in population it’s hard not to appreciate the world we live in.

We started our morning at Downtown Sally Cafe & Bakery. I had an almond croissant and coffee and Bruce had what they call a cruffin filled with strawberry and cream.

We sat outside at the cafe and enjoyed the bright sunshine.

Sitting at the bus stop, we can see mountains all around us.

We took the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. The views were fabulous.

At the top, we stopped for a buffet lunch at the Northern Lights Alpine Kitchen.

It’s a buffet lunch. A little expensive at $45 Canadian each but it included coffee, tea, and soft drinks. And it was worth it for the breathtaking views.

The building also held a little theater showing a movie of Banff. There were also exhibits. Can you guess what this is?

After lunch, we walked out on the boardwalk. From the top, I took this panoramic shot of the mountains.

The boardwalk extended from one mountaintop to another. We decided to go halfway. That was good enough.

We could see the town of Banff below!

The very blue lake in the foreground is Lake Minnewanka.

Bruce is taking in the scenery.

Snow everywhere but I wore just my top most of the time. The sun was warm. I was wondering how long the snow stayed on the mountains although the glaciers always maintain snow.

This was where the boardwalk went. Quite a distance but I’m still not up to that high a hike. We were up around 7,500 feet.

We did get to see a mama mountain goat and her kids.

I thought going down would be like a roller coaster but it was very smooth.

Once down we sat around a fire pit waiting for our bus.

This evening we went into the hot tubs at the resort. What a fabulous view.

We are off to Kamloops tomorrow.

#canada#banff#gondola#travel#sallycafe#vacation#

I hate it when I’m on vacation and I get sick. And it’s usually a given that I get sick when I get home. But this time it started with a bad sore throat, and yesterday, on our drive to Banff, I was pretty much out of it.

We traveled through the national parks and I was able to get some great shots.

Our trip took us through Revelstoke, Glacier, Yoho, and Banff National Parks. We finally made it to Banff at 7pm.

Today we were off on a small tour to Lake Louise and Johnson Canyon.

On our way, our guide pointed out Castle Rock, named for its resemblance to an old castle. The side view made it appear much smaller than it is.

We finally reached Lake Louise which was magnificent.

There was still snow on top so we couldn’t see the brilliant colors that the lake has in summertime. However, we did catch a bit of the color.

The famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Our driver was a character. He took our picture and then a video.

Our next stop was Johnson Canyon for a little hike to a waterfall.

Of course, there were beautiful mountains everywhere. And a deer!

The water in the river was glacial gray-green.

It was a half-mile hike but it was slippery in spots.

We walked most of the way but did not complete the hike.

And for the grand finale of our tour and by far my favorite part was we saw bears. And not just any bears. A grizzly mama and her cubs. It was strange how she didn’t react to everyone coming as close as we did.

Bravo to William! He came through. I said I wanted to see bears and I saw bears.

He dropped us off in town and we had fish and chips at Brazen and now back to Hidden Ridge to rest up for tomorrow!

#canada#alberta#banff#lakelouise#castlemountain#johnsoncanyon#grizzlybears#hiddenridgeresort#brazen

It was a rough start to the day since I woke with a sore throat. I can’t seem to catch a break from getting sick on these journeys. I’m always prepared though with antibiotics and prednisone if it seems like it’s going to turn into something worse.

We had an Uber pick us up at the Marriott Pinnacle to take us to the Hertz rental. I think it must have been his first job but with a lot of going around in circles, we made it.

We are renting a KIA SUV. It seems pretty nice. We started on our journey but we were both hungry. Tim Horton is a Canadian fast-food restaurant that used to have restaurants in Maine. We figured we would try them out. I had an egg and sausage on a croissant, and Bruce had a bacon, egg, and cheese on an English muffin. It was pretty good.

The traffic was much heavier than we expected leaving Vancouver. It was going to be a long day.

We drove over the Fraser River on the Port Mann Bridge.

And then we started to see snow-covered mountains.

And a lot of farm land.

We came to an area called Bridal Veil Falls. It was a 15-minute hike and we really didn’t have enough time. So we took a picture from a distance. And it really is hard to see the falls in the middle of the photo.

It is a very scenic drive. We stopped in the town of Hope.

Lots of rivers and lakes along the way. The rivers are fed by the glaciers.

The area around Kamloops looked a little drier and sort of desert-like.

Our day continued on and finally we reached close to our destination of Revelstoke.

We passed the beautiful Three Valley Lake Chateau on Lake Chateau. This is also connected to a ghost town.

We are staying at the Alpenrose Bed & Breakfast. It’s a lovely little place in Revelstoke. We have a view of a snow-covered mountain out our window.

A&W seems to be big here. I have not had a root beer float since I was a kid and thought we could get a bite to eat and a float for dinner. This franchise didn’t have floats so we got a slushy. The hamburger was strange. Boy were we disappointed. I’m not much of a fast food eater but this was to be nostalgic. No more. Salmon and salads are good for me!

Driving back to the B&B I couldn’t miss this shot!

Now off to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow!

#vancouver#transcanadahighway#hertz#mariott#portmannbridge#hope#fraserriver#revelstoke#a&w#rootbeerfloats#snow#timhoeton#canada#britishcolumbia