Design: Travel Printable

I have been scrapbooking up a storm the past week. I am so far behind! There were several pages that I had almost completed, but I was missing the title or some finishing touches. I finally knocked out a bunch today and I am feeling somewhat accomplished.

One page that I needed to finish up was from our Alaskan cruise. Yes, that was almost two years ago. I know to some it might seem normal to be that far behind. But for me and my passion for scrapbooking, this is a huge deal! I was looking for something to summarize the page and trip. Originally I was thinking about doing something like the Alaska state outline and a title mentioning Charles' 30th birthday. Then I had an idea to incorporate a quote related to traveling. There are so many amazing quotes out there. I am truly inspired when I read them. It was hard to choose the best one for this trip, but I ended up using a Jack Kerouac quote that I found on Pinterest.

This printable could be customized with any state or country. Interested in your own custom version? Let me know and I'll be happy to assist!

Fonts used:
KG Hard Candy Solid
Keep Calm Med

Cruising: Ketchikan

Our last port before returning to Seattle ended up being Ketchikan, AK. It was a little rainy that day, but not horrible. We did not book any excursions in advance, but planned to check out the Lumberjack Show and purchase our tickets off the boat. However, when we walked over to buy tickets they were sold out. Instead, we took a trolley tour of the town.

Salmon capital of the world!

We saw a ton of bald eagles while on this tour! The one on the right is a bald eagle, but it is a juvenile so it hasn't turned white yet.

Lots of kelp on the shore during low tide

More eagles waiting for some lunch

It's hard to see, but there is a little crab between the rocks.

One of the totem poles we saw

After the tour, we walked around their downtown area, bought some souvenirs and took some pictures. We were not in Ketchikan for very long.

Creek Street has an interesting history of brothels for the fishermen and miners back in the day

Then it was back on the boat to head toward Victoria, British Columbia.

Cruising: Glacier Bay

Our next day at sea was spent cruising through Glacier Bay National Park. Our ship arrived in the bay super early that morning and some park rangers boarded to be on deck pointing out all the interesting things about the park. We slept in a little, but still saw some nice scenery.

We saw one of the glacier calve a couple times. I did not know at the time of viewing this happening that it was not an everyday occurrence. But later, during a seminar, we learned it was a spectacular showing.

We have a bunch of pictures of this ice calving. It's neat to view them like a flip book to see the action.

I was hoping to see some wildlife in the bay. We did see some harbor seals and sea otter. Although they were very far away and I could barely see them even with binoculars.

Oh, and we saw a ton of seagulls hoping to snatch food off of the passengers' balconies.

As we were leaving the bay, we were told we might see some humpback whales. But we did not see any. Oh well!

 

It was just a little chilly

The park ranger boat pulling up alongside the cruise ship so the rangers can climb down and go back

 

Cruising: Skagway & Haines

Our next stop for the cruise was Skagway. We walked off the boat to a gorgeous, sunny day! I was so happy. On the agenda for our day was kayaking. I have never in my life been kayaking before and it always made me nervous. I have no idea why. I have been canoeing several times and really enjoyed it. Maybe a kayak did not seem as stable.

First we took a ferry ride to Haines, AK. We met our guides and they drove us to the lake for kayaking. We geared up and loaded into kayaks. We had a tandem kayak with me in back steering. We were the last to get loaded which was nice that we did not have to wait very long to get out on the open water.

Lots of fishing boats

 

Our guides were fantastic! They were super friendly. We had a lot of fun and I cannot wait to go kayaking again sometime.

After paddling around for a while, we had a picnic type lunch of sandwiches, chips and cookies before heading back on the ferry to Skagway. In Skagway, we walked around the town to see the billion jewelry stores and other souvenir shops that pop up in any cruise port.

Cruising: Juneau

The second part of our trip was an Alaskan Cruise via the Golden Princess (Princess Cruises). I forgot how crazy the cruise terminal is, but we got through and on the ship without too much annoyance. Our room was tiny (as is expected), but comfortable with a nice window.

The first day at sea was rough. The boat was very rocky and I got seasick. That has never happened to me before, but luckily I brought medicine with me. The only downside to the meds are they make you sleepy. I felt bad for Charles because it was his birthday and I just had no energy. We did go to formal night, so it was not a complete loss.

Normally I do not share crappy pictures of myself, but this just shows how bad we felt that first day at sea.

At least someone was able to do some decorating for his birthday

Happy Birthday cake!

Our first stop (and I was glad to get off the boat) was in Juneau, AK. It was a little rainy and gloomy, but we were going on a hike to see a glacier. And you have to say glacier the British way just because it sounds better.

The hike was lovely, although I probably complained about hiking at least half the time. I just cannot appreciate things as they are happening. However, we got to one part that looked like you had to rappel up a mountain. I could just picture myself slipping on the wet rocks and tumbling down to my death. I was not doing that. Charles climbed up to see the glacier and I waited below.

After our hike, we took the tram to the top of the mountain for lunch and a view. We also saw a short film about the Tlingit people, a native group to Alaska. It was very informative.

A rescued Eagle