Tick…tick…my pencil etched across the page as I marked two bucket list vacations off my dream list this past summer. We knew my husband’s upcoming assignment would not allow for much leave and we had the time, so semi-last minute, we jumped at the chance to vacation this summer in Vancouver, Canada and Alaska.
Many moons ago, my husband got to travel to Alaska for a TDY, and I was just a lot tad jealous! It has been high on my travel wish list and we finally made it a reality. Traveling with three boys is wild. We knew this year would be special, though. Our boys, ages 7, 10, and 12 at the time we traveled, were old enough to remember this trip, but also past the stages of needing diapers, bottles, and all that comes with little-kid travel. My friend, travel agent, and fellow military spouse, Audra (Audra Owens-Travel Agent, A Time to Treasure Travel) helped us book our Alaskan cruise. It was our first time cruising, and we all gave it 5/5 stars.
We started and ended in Vancouver, Canada with stops in Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier, and Ketchikan. Not far from our destinations is the town of Sitka, Alaska which is the home of the annual National Alaska Day celebration held on October 18th. The day remembers when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia. The actual transfer ceremony occurred on October 18, 1867, on Castle Hill in Sitka. Well, I’m glad that we get to call Alaska one of the fifty United States.
I have a goal visit all 50 states, and this was a dream trip. If you want to do it, do it! Seeing Alaska from a boat was awesome. We got to see parts of the beautiful state that you can’t access by roads or trails. The air was so crisp, which was a welcomed reprieve from the Florida heat. We booked excursions in each port, often seeking all the nature we could. Travel with kids is not easy, but it does linger in my mind that they are not getting younger, traveling as a family unit may get more challenging, and so, when we can take these adventures, we do.
Our kids learned the five major types of Salmon while floating down Chilkoot River. They got to pet 5-week-old Alaskan Huskies and hear a talk by the 2023 Iditarod winner, Ryan Redington.
They saw whales, seals, eagles, and bears! They had breakfast while passing a giant glacier, and skipped rocks under pine trees and waterfalls.
Alaska was amazing. 5 stars. Making memories with my kids, amazing. 5 stars. 
I would love to visit Alaska 😍 to see the wildlife. Great blog post and those whale pictures are perfect.