What a Trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That just about says it all...I've been lots of places in my life but I don't think I've ever seen anything as beautiful as this! What a beautiful, beautiful part of our country. We had the most wonderful time...the ship was outstanding, we had sooooo much fun with our friends...Andy's really good friend from college and his girlfriend joined us. We had adjoining rooms and balconies...what a treat. We talked and laughed and ate and drank and laughed some more. Couldn't have been a better time. The weather was perfect everywhere we went...never a cloudy, rainy day. At each stop the locals kept saying that this was the best weather they had had since the beginning of July. The sun was out and the temperature was in the
60's...we were in heaven.
We left from Seattle on the Holland America Lines' ship The Westerdam Just as we got on board
Leaving the port in Seattle...from the deck of our ship as we pass the Space Needle.

First morning at sea brought us this beautiful sunrise... We knew it would be a perfect vacation!


We spent a day sailing in Glacier Bay...probably the most phenomenal sight ever...these glaciers are incredible...huge (getting smaller every day), beautiful sparkling white, with the most spectacular blue in the crevices and where the glacier has calved.


Our first stop was in Juneau...we went for a salmon bake (YUMMERS!)and then while exploring the area we came upon this beautiful double waterfall...

The absolute highlight of the trip for me was a helicopter trip, over the mountains and landing on a glacier, where there was a working dogsled camp. This was just amazing...many of the dogs in the camp have run and will be running in this year's Iditerod...it was amazing...I loved every second of it...but my poor man was petrified on the helicopter ride...he's afraid of heights and this was high...and then when he realized that all that was holding us up there was 1 propeller with 1 screw holding it on...well, he had very sweaty palms...but once we got on the ground he was as happy as I was
The camp is amazing...the people that take care of the dogs and do the training are mostly college kids from all over the country...our guide was a senior at Univ of Illinois getting ready to go to vet school. They stay on the glacier 6 days a week in those tents...amazing! They all said they loved working there...it was warm the day we were there...probably in the 40's but the sun was so bright and beautiful it felt like 60...until we started moving on that sled...my hands were mighty chilly.
Here are the dog houses...they're like little igloos
We got to drive the sled...look who I picked up
But the day came to an end and we had to say goodbye...

Our last stop, before sailing back to Seattle, was in Victoria, Canada...look what was waiting for us...a double rainbow...a perfect ending to a perfect trip!