Alaska Trip, Part I

We're home! Last week we celebrated the near-end of my residency with a family vacation. We made it an early celebration because by the time I finish in August Abby's birth day will be just around the corner, and I'll be too far along in pregnancy for travel. Jonathan's Nonnie and Papa joined us for the trip, and we had a wonderful time spending each day with our son and my parents, not to mention the beautiful sites. Seeing miles and miles of wilderness pass by our balcony was amazing, and the shore trips gave us a small taste of Alaska's beauty and some of the its towns. Here are a few highlights from our trip.


Before we left we loaded Jonathan's little backpack with his favorite small trucks and were relieved to see he wanted to wear it all day. The little blue backpack served as a harness with a tether and was so nice on the ship, where he could get down and run safely within our sight and reach. Plus, it made for quick access to essential toy cars and trucks. The plastic pitcher is just what he wanted to play with the afternoon we packed up.

Getting on the plane with Daddy! We're off to Seattle! The big smiles were before we spent 3 hours sitting on the run way awaiting a storm to pass (Jonathan's Mommy was losing her good attitude quickly as this pregnant Mommy sat hot and thirsty with a toddler bouncing around her lap), but 7 1/2 hours later we were relieved to arrive in Seattle, and from there everything went smoothly.

As a side story, I'd brought Benadryl as back-up, in the event Jonathan had trouble settling down to sleep on the plane. As the hours wore on, it was my reassurrance that come bedtime, we'd have a way to help him keep a somewhat sane schedule, despite the delay. While Jonathan has had liquid Benadryl before without problems, it seemed too messy for the flight, so the melt away tabs seemed perfect. The artificial grape flavoring was met with screams of "NO LIKE IT! NO LIKE IT!" and my poor toddler tried to paw the taste from his mouth... followed by cries for water, which wasn't available as we sat idling on the run way. Guess that's what this Mom gets for never introducing her toddler to juice, candy, or other artificial flavoring! A box of milk we'd tucked into the diaper bag and a Mighty Trucks DVD we'd spontaneously picked up at the RedBox in the airport saved the day. Jonathan did eventually get an hour or two nap in on his Mommy and Daddy's lap.

Papa's here! Lots of excitement to arrive at the airport and find Nonnie and Papa were in Seattle, too!


Riding the "bus" from the airport to the hotel brought lots of enthusiasm, too. All the excitement didn't bode well for getting the little tot into "bed" at the hotel at 12:30 at night... I think it was 2am by the time we were settled and asleep. Finally... sleeping toddler, sleeping Mommy.
The next day was a gorgeous, sunny, cool May day in Seattle. After breakfast Jonathan
played in the hotel's garden with his Nonnie. Jonathan could have spent all day throwing rocks and picking up sticks.
For Jonathan, this was a Transportation Vacation! The cruise ship was only a small part of the wonders. The taxis and parking shuttles to and from the airport were the first thrill. There was a LOT of excitement over riding each plane, bus, van, boat, or train.

As we boarded the ship Jonathan was fascinated with the tractors and cranes loading the luggage and supplies. We must have watched for at least 20 minutes before pulling away tearfully, as we tried to re-assure him that this was only the beginning -- there would be lots of fun on the big boat we were boarding. Thankfully, the same balcony that provided amazing views of the Washington, Canadian, and Alaskan coast for the rest of the trip also had a great view of the trucks, tractors, and cranes that day.

Departing Seattle... off to Alaska!

The day we left Jonathan was tickled to discover a basketball court "Backsetaball! Backsetaball? Dunk-it Backsetaball?" Even better... one of the guys let him play! It was too sweet. Every time he let Jonathan "dunk" the ball in the little hoop he made with his arms or caught the ball Jonathan threw, Jonathan would turn and run all the way back to me to be sure I'd seen all the fun, then run back to play more ball.




The helipad was another fun discovery. Jonathan had lots of fun playing with his little red helicopter with his Papa and Daddy. Thankfully, no emergencies necessitated use of the helipad during our voyage.


Big hug for Daddy!

Dressed up for formal night on the ship and off to dinner! Yum. I lived up the opportunity to "eat for two" that week!

Our first stop was Ketchikan, with a boat tour of the Misty Fjords. The scenery was just amazing -- definitely a highlight of the trip and a "can't miss" for an Alaskan trip. Jonathan enjoyed a trip up to the deck with his Nonnie to see the sites and feel the wind.




Riding the free public trolley in Ketchikan was a big hit! The driver was a Ketchikan local who shared all the local history and gossip as we toured the town.
Personal trolley tour... riding with Daddy!

The next day was a stop in Juneau, with a trip to Mendenhall Glacier and a whale watching boat tour. We enjoyed the bus ride up to the glacier.


The family in front of Mendenhall Glacier



Jonathan loved splashing in the glacier water in the waterproof boots his Nonnie had brought for him.

We also had a chance to see bald eagles, seals, sea lions, puffins, and lots of hump back whales that day. Unfortuantely those photos are on a computer that told me this morning "beginning physical memory dump"... so we're in a bit of a wildlife recovery project.

We're off to the my family's ranch for the weekend, to visit my Nana, Aunt Audrey & Uncle Mike, and Jonathan's Aunt Kimie and Uncle Daniel. We'll post the second half of pictures and Jonathan's train ride in Skagway when we return. Have a happy holiday weekend!