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Denali Done Right

 in Alaska / Wildlife/animals  tagged Alaska / caribou / Dall sheep / Denali / grizzly bear / moose calf / tour by

Denali’s ban on private vehicles not only eases congestion, it increases sightings through sharing inside the bus and between guides.  Our busload was stoked and quickly chalked up sightings of caribou, moose, and Dall sheep.  Then, far down in the valley, a charging grizzly caught someone’s eye.  As the bus pulled over, someone else noticed that the bear was chasing a moose and calf. The pair had a fair lead, and as they passed through a wooded area, the calf split off, turning east up the valley slope.  Mom kept herself visible and kept the bear on her trail.  When she reached the river our valley ran into, she drank and then rolled in […]

Wanna Meet a Bear?

 in Alaska / Wildlife/animals  tagged bears / British Columbia / Hyder Alaska by

In 56 years a Coloradan, I never saw a bear in the wild.  That changed in a hurry when we set out for Alaska by way of British Columbia.  In two months I went from zero to 18.  A longer stay in Hyder promised more interesting encounters.  According to a local, there was a bear trail through the middle of town, and bears sometimes stopped cars to lick smashed bugs off the license plates.  We walked a boardwalk along a stream where we would have seen bears fishing–almost close enough to touch–if the salmon had been running, but our timing was off there too.  I don’t know why Steve […]

Alaska’s Diva Mountains

 in Alaska  tagged Alaska / cruise ships / Denali / glaciers / Haines / Hyder / Kenai Fjords / Mount McKinley / mountains / Valdez / waterfalls / wilderness by

Much as we Coloradans love our Rockies, Alaska’s mountains have ways of kicking infinite majesty up a notch.  Cloud boas, shimmering falls, and glacial bling are de rigueur for Alaskan summits.  Add lush wilderness settings, and there’s just no contest. Sadly cruise ships often miss the best mountain views.  We found stunners in Haines, Valdez, and Hyder, but cruise ships seldom pass their way.  Cruisers who take the Denali extension will get great views, but Mount McKinley itself is likely to be shrouded in clouds.  If diva mountains are a priority for you, book a cruise that includes the Kenai Fjords.  OMGs guaranteed.

Kayaking Alaska

 in Alaska by

I have two treasured memories of Alaskan kayaks.  One is of watching a distant speck backed by a snowy peak, grow into a kayak paddled by two young women singing a sweet, simple, soul-stirring verse. The other is of a guided paddle in Prince William Sound.  My daughter Katie and I zigzagged along correcting our overcorrections, wondering how the guides managed to whiz by without a wobble.  We wished we could get a better look at the occasional brown bumps across the bay, almost certainly otters.  But the beauty of the scene overpowered any feelings of frustration.  Before we finished I’d decided that I would talk to Santa about a kayak. Katie and I took my kayak out a […]

Cruise Makers

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise / Gratitude by

Our River Navigator cruise director and concierge do everything but sing us to sleep at night.  They give us maps on our way out the door to take tours, suggest things to see at every stop, and never stop working or smiling.  I really suspect that Veronika’s positive energy is some sort of superpower, so many details, so flawlessly executed, and all the while exuding FUN. Still, I’d have been in a bad way without Laszlo.  He showed up beside my dining chair a couple days into the cruise and said, “I’ve been shopping for you.”  He had gluten-free pasta, bread, cereal, and flour, so I could […]

Beach House Thanksgiving

 in Gratitude  tagged Atlantic / beach / beach combimg / celebrations / family / Thanksgiving / waves by

As I mixed Grandma Marie’s stuffing this morning, I dredged memories of the celebration opus our family built around a Carolina beach house last year.  I wanted a full house for Mom, too long alone with her grief.  We all love her, but the kids are scattered from the Atlantic to the Rockies and ever so busy grappling life’s dragons.  Thanksgiving week on the beach proved an ideal no-refuse-offer. The waves, foamy gray, loomed so high that the sun sometimes shone through, illuminating the living green within.  One monster put three-year old Conner to flight.  His sprint propelled him ten times beyond its reach.  He’d never been to the beach; how was he to know what a wave might […]

Eastern European media list

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise  tagged Eastern European history / European river cruise / movies / Pasa Sokolovic Bridge / Sissi--Forever My Love / The Bridge on the Drina / travel books by

Reading ahead ups my enjoyment of a trip no end.  Big cities, and architecture never did much for me, but after reading Chicago’s history and triumph in building skyscrapers on mud, I couldn’t wait to see them. Before our cruise I searched for something to read about Eastern Europe and came up short.  Maybe I can save someone else from a similar fate by sharing this list of books and movies our guides mentioned is noteworthy. Our cruise director introduced  Sissi–Forever My Love by telling us that she grew up watching it every year around Christmas.  It has the feel of a sixties-era Disney production–cutesy music, hokey characters, cheesy humor; but I was so glad to […]

Team Inspiration

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise  tagged aging / elder travel / European river cruise / inspiration / personal development by

Steve is driven about getting out early in the morning, so while I sleep, he goes up top and talks to whoever’s there.  Often it’s Bruce, a fifty-year-old arborist, who looks like a kid amongst all these seasoned seniors.  Bruce is traveling with his 93-years-young father, Jim.  Jim doesn’t need an escort.  He walks with the best of us and shows no slippage in the knowhow department.  On one of our first stops, Bruce passed us on a street somewhere in Franconia and asked if Steve had seen Jim.  He sounded concerned, so we asked other passengers to keep an eye out as […]

Smart Travelers Speak “Stupid”

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise / Travel tips  tagged European river cruise / Philippines / speaking the language / Travel tips / World War II by

Two of our friendliest fellow passengers are Ray and Nedy, who both immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. Before I tell you about their travel smarts, I have to tell Ray’s story.  Baby Ray was born during World War II, and when the Japanese invaded, he was put in line to be bayoneted.  Just as his turn came, the soldier fell dead.  He’d taken a bullet from an American sniper. Ray and Nedy learn everyone’s names, especially staff members.  They believe in using the local language, even if it’s only a few words.  To reinforce the rudeness of […]

Danube Dogs

 in Grand Eastern European River Cruise by

In the back garden of a historic house, a sleepy pooch sported a metal strip about the size of a jumbo bobby pin on its ear.  Why?  When Bulgarian dog catchers nab a stray, they neuter it, tag it, and release it back onto the street.  We watched two of these mutts work a lock as our ship passed through.  Trotting alongside, they waved their tails and greeted the boat so eagerly, my heart ached to feed them or at least scratch behind an ear.  The six homeless fellers bedded down around our Black Sea port suggest that Romania’s policy must be similar. Is it kinder to put homeless […]