TO BE CONTINUED

Dear FFF:

Got back to Camano Island Friday night so will try to catch up on the most fabulous trip ever!!!  We could not get a signal north of Fairbanks, or all the way down through Canada! (which took 7 days of driving)

Okay, left Denali and headed north to Fairbanks.  On our way, (while Laurie was looking in the coupon book for a place for lunch) she found this coupon for a river raft ride down the Kenai River.  Two for one!!  "Hey lets call"  We were 200 yards from the rafting place...............must be fate!  After being outfitted in rain gear, big ol' boots, and life jackets, we climbed into a rubber raft with 4 other people and the guide and drifted down the river.  Saw tons of eagles and some of the most peaceful nature.  It was a delightful spur of the moment adventure!!

Then off to our bed and breakfast in Fairbanks.  I had not told the girls because I wanted to surprise them.  These folks had bought several train cars from The Alaska Railway and turned then into the most delightful b & b.  We had an 80 ft. long Pullman car with 4 berths (I was too long....I think people were shorter back then)  They had rehabbed it back to its original glory, right out of the 20's.  The diner car was down the track a few cars and was so cool.  Susan and Mike were great innkeepers and took such good care of us.  It was so cool at night, we stretched out in our berth and looked down the mountain to the lights of the city!!!  Course, it never did get dark!  On our last day there we went up to the house to pay our bill and walked in to a stuffed polar bear standing on it's hind legs to about 12 feet.  Well out came the pictures and story!  Back in '98 Susan and a friend were up in Barrow, Alaska when her friend was charged by this bear.  He could not  get to his rifle in time and the bear picked him up and threw him around like a rag doll.  Susan was able to get the gun and started shooting, but now before the bear swiped his paw across the top of her head.  The bear finally dropped, but he had laid the top of her head open.  Some nearby folks called 911 and got a helicopter in and they flew her to Seattle where she remained for a month.  It was a miracle that she even lived.  Unfortunately her friend did not make it.  Alaska is FULL of stories.

I will continue this tomorrow.....my signal if failing........more to come later!

More pictures

FINALLY!!!!!

Dear FFF:

Good Golly Miss Molly, haven't had the time or the signal to let you all know what is going on!  Ours days start at 6:30 and don't end until 10:00.  (Stays light til at least midnight)

Drove from Anchorage down to Kenai and had the cutest little cabin in the woods overlooking a bog which is where we watched a caribou family for hours at a time.  The rack on the bull had to be at least 5 feet wide and that is not a fish story.  We could watch through binoculars but couldn't get a good picture because no one has a good telescoping lens.  Unfortunately the three days we were there were rainy but we went to Soldotna and found more fabric and yarn shops.  Between my three friends, I think we can make a king size quilt and knit hats for all the orphans in North America.
We did get one clear afternoon and walked to the neighbors working farm ...... up close and personal with horses, new foals, llamas, cows, etc.  Took a walk through the woods trying to find the lake but all we came upon was bear scat so we skedaddled back to civilization!  Tried to build a campfire our last night but everything was too wet.....worked a puzzle instead.

Next morning, off to Homer (by far the best spot so far)  On the way, however, we needed a potty and nothing for miles so we pulled over and I squatted by the van which worked, BUT, my phone fell out of my pocket and I didn't realize it.  Drove on down the road to find a lunch spot which was when  realized I was missing it and drove back.  There is was........in the mud!!!  I was lucky though and was able to clean it up and we were back on the road again!!  Stayed at the Beluga Lake Lodge which overlooked the lake where we watched bush planes take off and land (taking folks out it the hard to reach fishing spots)  We joined a charter boat and took out for halibut (the premium fish around here)  We each got our limit of 2 and I was lucky enough to catch a HUGE (no fish story) silver salmon......Even the guide was impressed.  We were fishing in 170' of water with a 10# sinker on the line and the fish weighed over twenty pounds, so I felt like I was reeling in a submarine from China!!!  So much fun!  Went to the farmers market where you would pay $7.50 for 3 pounds of potatoes or $5.00 for a bunch of carrots.  No wonder Eskimos are not vegetarians.  Took a ride to the top of the mountain and looked down on the Homer Spit.......what a view. The whole area is breathtaking.

Two days in Homer than off to Seward .......was looking in the coupon book for a lunch place and came across a deal for a raft ride down the Kenai River.  What a hoot!  Even with rain gear, Glacier sight seeing boat which a six hour sail around all the islands and up close to a glacier.  Saw seals, whales, puffins, otters and more.  Had a beautiful prime rib/salmon dinner on the boat.  Unfortunatly many people got sea sick and lost that good dinner over the side of the boat!  Our group all did well.

Now it's off to Denali...........On the way we got to a clear day (8unusual around here) and stopped in Talkeena and Laurie and I took a bush plane ride up to Mt McKinley.  We went up 13,000' and actually landed on a glacier.  Got out and stood on 3,000' feet of snow.  Walked around best we could (it was quite slushy) and had a snowball toss.  Took off after 30 min8utes of moon walking and flew around the rest of the mountain WOW WOW WOW  Definitely the high

light of the trip.

Gotta go.........try to update in a few days.

Love, GJ

uploading pics is very slooooooooooooooooooow today will add later if I can

WE'RE ON OUR WAY!!!

Dear FFF:

Lauri, Jacque, and Bard are sitting on the tailgate with everything loaded and ready to head to the ferry at 10:30 am (the fact that it didn't sail until 6:00pm didn't mean we were anxious or anything)
We sailed Sat. and Sun. then went into port in Ketchikan at 7:00 am Monday...only had three hours but found the town to be great.  Back on the boat and sailed overnight to Juneau on Tuesday am....again we docked at 7 and returned to ship by noon.  Wed. am was a 5:00 stop in Yakatat, but didn't get off cause we only had an hour and it was too early for everyone!  While on the ferry we met so many nice people from all over and played cards, worked jigsaw puzzles, watched movies, saw whales (not close enough to get a good picture) saw glaciers, gorgeous sundowns and just lots of fun.  

That all ended when we left Yakatat and hit 9 - 10 foot swells.  Everyone just kind of danced down to our cabin and spent the day on our bunks.  Got into to Whittier Thurs. at 5:00 and to our cars by 6:00 am.  drove off and headed to Anchorage!!!  Drove about 30 minutes to Girdwood to a bakery we heard about theat had the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted.  It measure about 4" by 4" and with an endless cup of coffee cost $5.00.  (prices have not been as high as we thought they would be...might be different when we travel to more remote places)  BUT NO SALES TAX.

We are in Anchorage until Sunday and have been to the Indian Cultural center, for a sled dog ride, toured a Musk Ox farm, and checked out the fabric stores (I am with 3 quilters and knitters)  Tomorrow is a hike to Flat Top Mtn and the Blueberry Festival downtown. 

Will try to update at our next stop...................love, Gypsy Joyce

Great trip to Michigan

Dear FFF:

I'm here at Marc's for my last day in Michigan.  What a great month it has been!!!  Had a chance to visit all my good friends in Hillsdale/Jonesville, enjoyed fireworks on the 4th in Kalamazoo, spent several days in Columbus OH, met with girlfriends from grade school!, lunched with neighbors from the old neighborhood, had 4 wonderful days with my kids that were visiting from China, had a picnic with all 5 of my kids (and grandkids) saw  Ernie, The Play (Tiger announcer Ernie Harwell who died recently) celebrated 50th birthday with son John, and finished up with a Tiger game yesterday!!!!  Phew, what a wonderful trip!!!  Oh, and I found a townhouse co-op in Westland that I want to move into!  I put my name on the list and hope the timing works for when I drive back to Michigan in November.

I board the plane tonight for my trip back to Seattle and have 4 days to get my act together in time to leave for Alaska, August 3.  LIFE IS GOOD.  I am so blessed!

Keep your eye on my blog.....I will try to update it often so you can see Alaska as I do.

Lo

ve, Gypsy Joyce

High Tea in Victoria, BC

Dear FFF:

Now I know how Royalty live!!  Jacque and I took a four day trip up to Vancouver Island to see a bit of England.  We drove onto the ferry boat up in Anacortes, WA and sailed for three hours through the beautiful San Juan Islands (which by the way was voted fourth best in the world by National Geographic) and landed in Sidney.  We drove about twenty miles to the famous Butchart Gardens and spent several hours meandering through some of the most beautiful flowers and landscaping I have ever seen.  The winters are so mild out here that grow some really gorgeous stuff!!!  From there we went to the Butterfly House (similar to the one on Mackinac Island) and saw more beautiful tropical plants and butterflies all over.

We then drove a few more miles to downtown Victoria and checked in our hotel.  We were only 10 blocks from the waterfront so we set out to find a fabulous dinner.  We weren't disappointed when we found Barb's Fish right down on the wharf.  Sat outside in the sunshine and had fish & chips with malt vinegar. 

The next day we walked downtown again, this time to the century old Empress Hotel which has had guests like The Queen, Princess Di, Hemingway, Teddy Roosevelt, and on and on.  What a grand place it is!!!  The most beautiful interior hand carved wood!  We had reservations for "High Tea" at noon and pointed our baby fingers when we drank from our English Bone China.  Absolutely delightful and absurdly expensive, but now I know what it used to be like, and I think I'm glad I am in the 21st century!!

Spent the rest of that day and the next walking and checking out shop and after shop, many with English, Irish and Scottish goods.  Like Vancouver, it is a very vibrant city alive with people and dogs walking or riding on every imaginable mode of transportation.  Could live there in a minute but boy is it expensive....17% sales tax!

Very relaxing ride back home on the ferry.....I am so thankful I am getting to see so much while I am out here.  The Pacific Northwest is definitely one of my favorite adventures.  And then...................today I had the opportunity to take a tour to downtown Seattle to see the underground city.  Now that was fascinating.  Hard to explain but I'll try:  Just before the gold rush, Seattle was in a lumber boom but had so many problems because the city was built right at sea level so there was always problems with the tide coming in. At that time, the hills were at a 47% incline and so traversing was difficult.  They used water sloths to push all the dirt off the hill (after the timber was cleared) down to the waterfront where they built high walls of rock to hold the water out. All the buildings were built of wood and they had a fire as bad as the San Francisco one and the entire city burned to the ground.  They put in pilings and huge support poles and built the city 30 feet off the ground.  It was now law that buildings had to be of stone or brick, no more wood structures.  A block at a time was built (up high don't forget) and the only way to get from one block to the next was to climb down a ladder to that original level, cross the street, then up a ladder to the next block of businesses.  The next step was to build abutments across that ground level and put in streets and sidewalks!  Today, eleven miles of underground city still remain with partial remnants of the old buildings.  It was so cool!!  Man I am getting so smart.  Just wish I could remember all the history I have been learned since I came here!

Well, next step is 30 days in Michigan in July, then back here and off to Alaska.  Will try and keep everyone posted!  Love and miss you all..................GJ 

Pictures: gardens, Empress Hotel, High Tea, Wind surfer down on the beach, House boats along the waterfront.

Trip to Vancouver

Dear FFF:
Finally got up to Vancouver...........and what a city it is!!!  Several million people and all healthy and vibrant.  There is so much energy! 

Jacque and I took the Amtrak from Stanwood (just 7 miles from here) and enjoyed beautiful scenery going all the way up the coastline.  We got a really nice hotel room on the seventh floor over looking downtown.  Walked a few blocks down to the waterfront and took an "Aqua Bus" across the water to Granville Island.  A tourist attraction for sure; I heard people speaking French, German, Russian, Chinese, and a few languages I didn't recognize.  Center focus was a huge market with all kinds of exotic fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood stands, bakeries, and a great food court with everything from soup to nuts.  Surrounding the market were many shops with lots of unusual and beautiful things.  Fun place to shop and eat!!!!

That night we met up with my dentist from U of M.  I knew he lived in Vancouver so contacted him and we had a great reunion!  He sent us to The Cactus Club, which was right on the beach!  While waiting for Kevin to join us, Jacque and I had the house specialty.... a Bellini....Yummy drink made of peach schnaps, white rum, sparkling wine, peaches and Sangria.  Could have had six of those!!!
We were sitting, looking out on the water, and saw a swimmer doing laps; would be normal in the summer, but it was 50 degrees out and raining!!!  Following him was what we thought was his dog, but with further examination, we realized it was a harbor seal!!  Kevin said it was a common scene that the seals like to play with swimmers.  What a fun thing to watch.

Came home the next day but decided we need to go back again to see Victoria, sooooooooo this Sunday we are going to drive onto the ferry boat and go over to Vancouver Island and Victoria which also has some fun things so check in again and see what we find.  So much to do out here and I am enjoying every minute!!

Love, Gypsy Joyce