August 29, 2009 Seven Falls, Colorado Springs, CO

We're not really back to traveling yet, but we did take a day trip with our daughter and son-in-law from their Denver area home down to the famous Seven Falls near Colorado Springs.

Before we even got to the Falls, we had to stop and admire this yard art we found along the way:

These were all working weather vanes and we enjoyed watching them glide majestically into the wind as it changed directions.

Now, to the Falls. The Seven Falls cascade 181 feet down a granite cliff:

We weren't able to stay for the nightly colored lights show, but you can get some idea of the spectacle by clicking on this link to the Seven Falls website.

Even more memorable to those of us who hike are the 224 iron steps that lead to the top of the falls and the mile trail with a 400 foot elevation change that leads to the overview of downtown Colorado Springs.

Here are the first half of the steps:

And here is the hike's reward:

Beautiful downtown Colorado Springs, CO.

Downtown Colorado Springs in the middle left of the picture with the edge of the known world somewhere between 75 and 100 miles in the distance (we're told).

Tomorrow we're to be reunited with the moho. Please say a little prayer for us that everything still works after nearly 3 months in dry dock!

We still haven't decided on the next destination. Santa Rosa, CA, Coos Bay, OR, and West Glacier, MT are all in the running and all about 1000 miles distant. Stay tuned!

MMG and DDG

August 24, 2009 Housekeeping

Just a note to let everyone know that we got back to Cary from Seattle without a hitch.

Spent some time getting maintenance done on DDG (everything is A-OK), then drove the toad out to Denver where we are spending a week visiting our daughter and her husband and attending the wedding of a couple of our daughter's friends that we have gotten to know and like over the past couple of years.

Sometime in the next ten days we're going to go to Grand Junction, reclaim the moho and get back to traveling/touring as it was meant to be!

Will resume travel blog postings then.

MMG and DDG

August 2 and 3, 2009 Ketchikan to Vancouver and Vancouver to Seattle

Sunday was a "day at sea" as the Island Princess had to cover 500+ miles to get us to Vancouver by Monday morning. We did not miss much by being "at sea" as the weather was pretty gloomy. Here's a typical view:


However, the sun did occasionally break through and during one of those times, we were treated to "The Little Tug That Could":

The little tug on the left is pulling the crane and both of the trailing barges!

At almost sunrise, MMG snapped this picture from our deck as were about to enter the Vancouver harbor:


The skies cleared and the sun shone brightly on the waterfront downtown of Vancouver as we maneuvered to dock at the well camouflaged docking facility:


I don't usually waste pictures on seagulls, but the gulls competing for the offerings of a man feeding them on the dock below the ship were wheeling in the sun and I was trying to get the light and shadowed effects. Instead I got these. Sometimes accidents are good! When we get home I'll try to sharpen these up and resend them:




I know I said in the last email that this was "The End", but his time it is true. This one was taken from the bus window as we were leaving for Seattle and the flight home tomorrow (Tuesday).

THE END, again!

Love to all,

MMG and DDG

August 1, 2009 Ketchikan

First, a flashback to Skagway for a picture that was left off because of a hurried sign-off:

Really fresh Salmon, anyone? Scene from right beside our ship!

Ketchikan! The first city in Alaska AND the Salmon Capitol of the World! Here's proof:


After making port and be able to disembark (get off the boat) we took a tour to and through the Tongass National Forest. We wanted to see what a rainforest in Alaska looked like. Rainforest in Alaska? You bet! The second largest rainforest in the world. 160 inches of rain per year. 17,000,000 acres in the National Forest.

Here's some of what we saw:

Ferns. Alaska? Yep!

Another wet lands denizen -- Skunk Cabbage.

Renewal. Note that the downed tee trunk is covered in mosses. A young tree has taken root in the mosses but has sent out root tendrils (the white "strings" in the left center of the picture) to try to reach more substantial soil for future growth.

When all goes well, that young tree will look like this in 25 to 50 years:

Those tendrils have quite the growth future in store!

But the rainforest is home to not just flora, but fauna, too. Here are some:

"Nevermore"

Juvenile Eagle posing in abandoned sawmill. He won't get his distinctive white head and tail until about age 5.

The Real Deal Soars!

And Another.

This Great Horned Owl is undergoing rehab, but wanted to be included.

Then it was back to the ship for a late lunch and an afternoon of, what else?, shopping. To escape terminal boredom, I made up a game for you. It's called Where is MMG? The game board is below. I guarantee that MMG is in this picture!


And a little oddity to share. We had to come all the way to Ketchikan to catch this picture of both ends of the road transportation continuum:

The latest in battery powered cars in the front, the horse-drawn wagon in the background.....

THE END!

We still have to sail down to Vancouver where we will catch a bus to Seattle, but the cruise is really over, so this seems appropriate.

Our love to you all.

MMG and DDG

July 31, 2009 Juneau and Juneau to Ketchikan

Woke this morning already docked in Juneau. We had barely stepped out on to our deck when this dude flew by!


Then, we turned to the left and nearly all of Juneau was spread out before us. It may be the capitol of Alaska and the third largest city in Alaska, but is still pretty much a small town:


Believe it or not, we elected to take a tour to see yet another glacier! The Mendenhall Glacier is among the largest of the 38 glaciers fed by the Juneau ice field, which covers an area of about 1500 square miles. Mendenhall is the only one which can be approached by car.

As our tour bus dropped us in the parking lot and we started up the trail to the visitors center, we immediately got our money's worth. Here are a couple pictures of a Mama Black Bear and one of her two cubs. Mom's sent the cubs up a tree why she takes a break on the ground:

First, the best I could do with Mama in the undergrowth. She's looking straight at us:


Here's junior taking a nap on a branch high up in a tree:


Too cute not to do twice!


Here's what Mama was looking for. Not a koi! One of the millions of Salmon that are making their annual breeding "run":


Finally, the glacier:


We even got to touch some actual glacial ice from the glacier:


Educational stuff, but interesting:


Then it was on to the Salmon Hatchery. This is a non-profit, non-commercial operation that puts about 125,000,000 8-inch salmon into these waters every year. Since the Salmon always return to the place of their birth to breed (and then die), it's no wonder there's a long waiting line at the fish ladder that leads to the hatchery:

The way they are stacked up in the lower left, it looks like you could walk across them!

The Salmon work their way up the ladder to the hatchery, are relieved of their eggs and milt, and then about 20% are turned into dog and cat food (remember that they are going to die anyway) and the balance returned to the Salmon waters to provide whatever they would have provided in the wild.

We spent the afternoon shopping, then returned to the ship which promptly left port so we could be in Ketchikan tomorrow. On our way out of the bay, this whale waved goodbye top us!

We were really wishing we had brought MMG's big camera and lens. The whales were thick here!


And we had another great sunset!



The End!

More tomorrow from Ketchikan!

OH! The real high point of the day was the announcement that Hanna Ilyssa Nesbitt joined the world this afternoon! 19.5 inches, 7lbs. 11oz. Mama Sara and Proud Papa Peter and baby all doing fine!


Love to you all!

MMG and DDG

July 30, 2009 Skagway!

We arrived at the Skagway dock around 5:30 this morning.

Skagway is located at the end of the 2nd largest and 2nd deepest fjord in the world. While it is an ideal transportation port for this area, it got its first real growth by being the closest port to Dawson (200 miles) during the gold rush. After the rush was over, it relied on shipping traffic for the lumber, oil and mining industries. As those have diminished in volume, it has become a center for the tourism industry during the summer months. The railroad that used to carry freight and miners now carries tourists on a ride of a bout 20 miles up into the mountains, gaining 2500 feet elevation in the process. The route is along the trail that the gold rushers followed on the way to Dawson and gives one a real good idea of the hardships they faced.

These pictures will tell the story better than my words -- and show why the rushers didn't just go some easier way!

Boat basin and downtown Skagway as seen from the bridge of the Island Princess.

The train we rode as seen from an upper deck of the Island Princess.

Not our car, but just what it looked like -- definitely not "modern"!

View from part way up the mountain. That's Skagway in the bottom center. Those white dots are cruise ships.

Just a view from the track.

Another view from the track.

And another. That's our engine in green and yellow up there. The pink flowers are fire weed.

More mountains and flowers.

Another view of the dominant mountain.

A view of another mountain on the trip.

A couple pictures of the track we rode:

Actually, this bridge is retired. It is, however, on the National Architectural Registry, right there along with the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge. Its cantilevered design was a really advanced concept for its time.

A couple of other aspects of Skagway:

We just think the snow blower is a modern contraption. This 123 ton beauty was built in 1898. Its powerful steam engine's output was used solely to spin the knife-sharp blades of the blower. This blower had to be tough enough to cut through snow banks turned to solid ice by the extremely low temperatures experienced here. The snow blower was pushed along the track by 2 regular steam engines.

Gotta get this on the way. MMG just pointed out that we've left port and I'll be losing the signal soon!

Love you all.

MMG and DDG