ALASKA!!!!!!!!!
27 July 2013 | Too many points to mention
Becky
Busy, busy couple of weeks.
The highlight of this blog is our trip to Alaska. Our niece, Mary Catherine , lives in Fairbanks. Her wedding was in Homer, AK, on July 20th.
We had a wonderful trip--- we flew first class--- NICE!!!! Arrived in Anchorage at 1:30 am on the 18th. I can't believe it's still relatively light out. Rented our car--- a tiny Nissan Versa--- headed to our hotel and crashed! After a few hours of sleep, we packed ourselves into the Versa and headed for Homer.
The drive was gorgeous!! Snow-capped mountains, lakes, rivers, fly-fishermen- hard to take it all in while zooming down the highway.
We stopped for lunch at a greasy spoon cafe--- had what they called homemade Buffalo chili---- tasted more like Hormel from a can!!! Oh, well, every meal can't be perfect!! At least the beer was cold.
We arrived in Homer late afternoon. We are staying at the Seaside Lodge--- part of the Driftwwod Inn. Once again, we are surrounded by Mother Nature's beautiful bounty. The lodge is right on the water, with a backdrop of mountains. The temperature is a little cool, but all we need is a lightweight jacket or a sweatshirt to be perfectly comfy.
The other guests/family arrive soon after we did. We went out for dinner at a local steak and seafood restaurant. Scallops, king crab legs, halibut, calamari, and of course, wine and cocktails. Good, not great meal, but lots of laughs and great fellowship with family.
Friday is a busy day--- the groomsmen, the groom and other male guests are scheduled for a charter fishing trip, and the gals are planning "girl stuff":: bridesmaid luncheon,etc.
Everyone is up early to see our fishermen off-- they have a 6:00 am charter.
No sooner than they leave, they return. Their trip is cancelled due to rough seas and high winds. We all enjoyed coffee and a hearty breakfast together, now the guys have to vacate the premises--- they're off to Homer Spit to check out The Salty Dawg Saloon.
The girls enjoyed a lovely luncheon, catered at the lodge by a local caterer--- the food was delicious and prepared as a work of art!!! The bridesmaids and the bride have a manicure/pedicure party, and the rest of the gals nap, or head to the saloon to join the guys.
After a pre rehearsal party at the bar, we head back to the lodge for wedding rehearsal and dinner. Short rehearsal, now dinner time. Many more guests have arrived, and the lodge is hopping. Food and drinks abound. Dinner is grilled salmon(caught earlier by the bride and groom and frozen), fresh Halibut, baked potatoes ( at least 100 of them!!!!!). I cooked 3 ovens FULL!!!!!, salad, bread--- enough to feed a small army--- and don't forget ----WINE!!!!! Cases and cases of wine!! What fun!!
Some of the younger folks head back to the Salty Dawg, but most of the crowd needs sleep before the big day tomorrow!!!
Saturday--- wedding day, dawns beautifully sunny and breezy. Setting up the tables for the reception was somewhat of a challenge, due to the wind-- nothing a little tape can't handle, though. I made a quick trip to the local farmer's market-- fun, fun.
The wedding ceremony was lovely-- very simple, and sweet. Mary and Chris wrote their own vows, and Mary sang to Chris. I just love weddings!!!! The beginning of a new life together is a thing of beauty. So glad we were able to share in this joyous occasion!!!
The reception was fantastic!! More great food, more wine, champagne. Great fellowship with family and friends, both old and new!!!
After the reception, it's back to the Salty Dawg!!! Party, party, party.!!!!!
Everyone straggles back to the lodge for some much needed sleep.
Sunday morning comes very quickly--- something about all this daylight hours makes for a short night, ( not to mention the late night/early am bar scene).
Robert and I are heading to Seward this morning, and the back to Anchorage for tonight. After cramming our bags and ourselves into the Versa, it's goodbye to all the friends and family. We're on the road again!!!
Seward didn't impress us too much--- the little town was quite lovely, but our
Lunch experience was a bummer. Worst service ever at Chinook restaurant. The waitress "lost" our order, so we waited 30 minutes for nothing. We paid for our wine and cocktail and left-- leaving NO tip!!
Back on the road, heading for Anchorage, and hopefully a nice dinner. Traffic was very slow--, but we just rolled down the Versa's tiny little windows, and enjoyed the ride. Lovely scenery.
We got back to Anchorage around 6:00 pm, checked into our hotel, had a cocktail and made our dinner reservations. Dinner was wonderful!! We ate at Orso--- delicious seafood verde for appetizer, a seafood pasta dish for our entree. Crab Mac-n-Cheese as a side dish. White wine for Becky/Red for Robert. Great service and scrumptious meal.
Back to the hotel after a walk to "burn off" our carb load-- to bed shortly after.
Monday, we head down to Whittier for a glacier tour. All I can say is WOW!!!! Breathtaking views. We were able to see numerous glaciers, sea lions, porpoise,otters, and waterfowl. The tour was aboard a catamaran-- average speed 36 knots. We covered 145 miles, and saw 26 glaciers in 5 hours. Smooth ride!!!! We sat at a table with a couple we had never met before--Ed and Jane. Now we have new friends!!!!! Good lunch of fish and chips--- cold beer, and great friendly service. FANTASTIC DAY!!!!!!!!
On our way back to Anchorage for our departing flight, we stopped by the nature conservatory. I just knew we would have spotted a moose or a bear with all our "road time", but as luck would have it, we didn't. Determined not to leave Alaska without a moose and bear sighting, we entered the conservatory and paid the $25 admittance. It was OK; the animals could be seen at a short distance away. We saw moose, elk, brown and black bears, and a bald eagle.we made it back to the airport, turned in our tiny little Versa at the rental booth, and settled in to wait for our flight home--- at the bar, of course!!
Our flight home was long, but good. First class seats did allow us to sleep a few hours, and the meal service and cocktails were good, too.
We landed in Richmond, VA around 8:00 pm. Headed straight to Enterprise rental car---- we opted for a Fiat 500 since we had not rented one before.when we entered the garage, and the attendant showed us to our car, we both just hooted with laughter. We thought the Versa was small!!! This car is microscopic!!!!!! With barely enough room for our bags and the two of us, we folded ourselves in and buckled up. Guess what??? This car is so small that each passenger shares one armrest!!!!! We laughed our way to a Mexican restaurant for dinner, did a little shopping, and headed towards Urbanna.
Arrived in Urbanna about 10:00 pm-- unfolded ourselves from the car and head to SeaQuell---- what a beautiful sight. We are welcomed home by a full moon shining on Urbanna Creek. Mother Nature has outdone herself once again.
We had a wonderful trip, but coming home is always good, too!!! Tomorrow we'll return this tiny piece of a car--- right after we retrieve our sweet Maggie from the boarder. Then it's back to the usual wonderful routine for a week.
Next week's plans include a quick overnight trip to Wilson, NC. Our daughter's nursing school pinning ceremony is on Wednesday. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Planning to bring our oldest grandchild, Brett home with us for a few days visit. Robert will be traveling for business at the end if the week. Guess Brett and grandma will enjoy lounging by the pool, bike riding, ice cream eating, and assorted other things.
Stay tuned for more Nordstrom adventures aboard SeaQuell and places beyond!!!! Having a blast/ living/ lovin' every moment!!!!