Branson Trip - Day 5

Today is our final day of our holiday in Branson. The temps dropped & we enjoyed our morning coffee in front a roaring fire. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and just enjoyed our lakefront scenery. Mid-morning we headed out to shop for Christmas gifts.

After returning to the cabin to pack for the ride home, we relaxed a bit before dinner at our favorite restaurant @ the College of the Ozarks. It was comfort food, pot roast for me and meatloaf for Hubby. Later when it turned dark we visited a 2 1/2 mile Christmas Light display in Shepard of the Hills. It was beautiful.

We went back to the cabin to load up the car for our return ride home, and we had snow flurries. A fitting end to our holiday in the Ozark Mountains.

Branson Trip - Day 4

After breakfast, we went on a short hike of the area near our cabin. It had rained the night before and everything was wet. We showered and headed out for 4.5 mi hike through Table Rock Park.

  The trail took us around the lake to a marina & back to Tabke Rick Dam. It was lunch time when we finished.

We had lunch at the College of the Ozarks, Keeting. Hubby had 3 pigs sandwich, made with farm raised pork while I had a pork quesadillas and we shared a helping of their homemade potato chips. They have their own mill, dairy & grow their own vegetables. It is an experience you do not want to miss while staying in Branson.

After lunch we took a tour of the dairy and watched them milking the cows, it was very interesting. Next, we did more shopping before returning to our cabin for a short rest.

Our show tonight was the Hughes Brothers Family Christmas Show. A wonderful holiday experience! The brothers, along with their wives children and their Dad gave us a beautiful show.

Branson Trip - Day 3

We first enjoyed our morning cup of coffee in the cabin porch while viewing our first incredible sunrise across the lake. Afterwards, we dressed for a hike along Table Rock Lake. It was breezy and was pretty as all the colorful leaves fell as we walked.

After breakfast, we went in search of craft shows. The first place we found was a lovely indoor craft store. We bought some handmade woodcrafts & fig preserves. The second place we found was more of a flea market. The most interesting item I saw was a case of coke that was found in someone's basement after 20+ years, we didn't purchase anything.

Next, we drove to Table Rock dam, we enjoyed breathtaking views of the lake and the Branson skyline. Afterwards we drove to a small university.  It was quaint and all the students work at various jobs to earn their tuition. We purchased their freshly made fruitcake & preserves for gifts. We do plan to go back to eat in their restaurant before we leave.

We saw our first show tonight. I am a huge fan of Elvis impersonators so we choose Legends In Concert. Along with Elvis, they did Dolly, Alan Jackson, Blues Brothers & Ray Charles. My fab was Alan Jackson, Hubby liked Elvis the best.

 It was raining so we headed straight back to our cabin afterwards. Driving on these curvy mountain roads are....er interesting, especially with the lack of street lights. It was a good day!

Branson Trip -Day 2

We ate a nice supper on the front porch of our cabin with a great view of the lake. Afterwards, we walked along the lake enjoying a beautiful sunset.

We checked into our cabin on the lake around midday. Rustic is absolutely the correct description. Furniture was old, the kitchen contained an electric cooktop, micro & full sized fridge. A small rustic dinette with four chairs, a queen bed, sofa & fireplace in one room. A bedroom with two full beds plus an old but spacious bath. It seemed clean... Just outdated, does that mean rustic? lol  After unloading the car, we drove through Branson to purchase show tickets and see the area. We stopped off for groceries and headed back to our new home.

After supper  , we walked along the lake enjoying a beautiful sunset.

 

Hampton Inn-Pine Bluff

This hotel obviously just opened. Everything still smells nice. We had a king nonsmoking room overlooking the front parking lot. Checking was quick & the guy was extremely helpful & courteous. The room had a beautiful large tv, microwave & a small fridge. Breakfast was in typical Hampton Inn style,eggs,bacon,turkey sausage, continental breakfast items,juices & coffee.

The only thing I did not like was there was only a shower, no tub. This is a personal preference for me, if showers are your thing, you will like because it is very big.

Branson Trip - Day 1

We left home 6am for our adventure to the Ozark Moutains in Branson Missouri. Originally, we had planned to drive straight through. We changed our mind and decided to stop off at Pine Bluff, Arkansas so we wouldn't be searching for our cabin in the dark.

We stopped for a quick lunch Lake Providence, Louisiana, very pretty. I think our next trip through this area, we will stay in a cabin along the many lakes & National Parks along the Arkansas/Louisiana border instead of a hotel.

Vancouver~The last day

Today was our final day in Vancouver and also my birthday. In retrospect, we really should have left for home today. I made the decision to stay another night because I did not want to fly home on my birthday but honestly we had seen everything we wanted to see. But we were here so we decided to make the most of it. After breakfast at our hotel we decided to check out Stanley Park

It really is a very nice park, very big.  We took photos with some of the totem poles and along the waterfront.



After Stanley Park we headed over the the bridge to Granville Island,

it was a nice area on the water with shops.

We especially loved the market filled with fresh fish, vegetables and handmade items.

Alaska Trip-Day 7& 8~Vancouver-Day 1

We drove from the cruise ship pier to Vancouver and arrived around Noon.  We booked our room at the Hampton Inn downtown Vancouver.  We were delighted to find our room ready for checkin.   The room had 2 queen beds, a kitchen with full size refrigerator and a microwave.  I forgot to take room pictures this time, sorry.  We deposited our luggage and then set out on a quick tour of the city.  We headed to the waterfront where we watched as float planes took off and landed.  The view of the waterfront was pretty.

Afterwards, we headed back to our room to unpack before heading out to find a place for supper.  We ended up at a little diner nearby,  recommended by the front desk.

 We were seated at a table only huge windows so we could people watch as we ate.  We thought the prices to be high for what we ordered.

We retired early because we had to meet our guide for the train ride 6am.

AlaskaTrip~Disembarkation

Disembarkation was a breeze.  We elected to carry off our own luggage, we left the ship by 7:09 & were in our rental car by 8:09. By the way, National Car Rental was speedy and efficient. I would highly recommend.



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Location:Seattle

Alaska Trip-Day 6

We arrived into Ketchikan at Noon.











It is a quaint little town, with wooden bridges and walkways. There are totem poles at every turn.





We walked the short to our scheduled Lumberjack show. It was amusing and the girls seemed to enjoy it.





Afterwards, we did some souvenir shopping while walking around town.













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Alaska Trip-Day 5

Glacier Bay was more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed it would be.   We spent the day in our Pajamas watching God's beautiful work from our balcony.







We entered the park 6:00 am and greatest show on earth was in front of us.








Prepared with plenty hot coffee/cocoa we spent the day on our balcony.








We passed from one awe-inspiring glacier to the next.





Each one more magnificent than the next 

Each one more magnificent than the next. A park ranger was invited onboard ship & he gave lectures on each area as we passed. It was a truly wonderful experience.
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Location:Glacier Bay Nat'l Park

Alaska Trip~Day 4

This morning we awoke to the far away sound of fog horns. I was in gazing at another cruiseship traveling along side of ours, when it disappeared instantly in fog as thick as soup and then cleared just as quick.

It started a light misty rain as we left the ship for our Whale Watching excursion. We were told the rain made good weather for whale sightings. We boarded a bus which drove us 30 mins to the boat. It was a speed boat with sliding windows & decks in front and rear. It the held approximately 20 passengers.

We sped away to 3-4 different areas as we were treated to beautiful views of whales 10+ ft. larger than our boat. They were magnificent to see as they splashed their huge tails.

After our 4 hour tour, we watched fisherman catch their daily allowance of 2 salmon. We also saw eagles perched all along the roads. Finally, we were dropped off downtown for more sightseeing and shopping.

After a full day in Juneau, we headed for a late supper of lamb & ribeye steaks.






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Location:Juneau, Alaska

Alaska Trip-Day 3

OMgosh, we all slept like rocks! We left the balcony doors open, the sounds of the sea combined with gentle rocking of the ship = Best Sleep Ever ;-)






Today is a Sea Day. We had a scrumptious breakfast beside wall-Ceiling windows.





Afterwards, our little one begged to go to the onboard Kids Kamp while the older one chose to explore the ship, Hubby went to the Casino, leaving me with two glorious hours alone......

....a little onboard shopping , a history lecture on Alaska, a margarita on top deck & finally a quite hour on our private balcony soaking in sea air, ahhhhhh!

Both granddaughters went Rock wall Climbing today. At the same time, we enjoying breathtaking views of Alaska's Inside Passage from the top deck.

Dinner tonight included New York strip for Hubby & Older Granddaughter, Hot Dog & fries for the youngest and tasty Alaskan Salmon for myself.

The entertainment was impromptu comedy. Surprisingly, even the girls enjoyed it.



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Rockymountaineer to Whistler

Today was our big train trip as part of our youngest granddaughters birthday.  We were all excited about our first trip on the the Rocky Mountaineer.  We had reservations on a glass dome car, including breakfast and high tea.  It was a gorgeous train ride.  It was a 90 minute trip each way.  They picked us up at our hotel by bus and was brought to the boarding platform.

The seats were extremely comfortable, breakfast included coffee, eggs & fruit.  High tea also included tasty scones and finger sandwiches.  The views were absolutely gorgeous.  It is a wonderful way to view the Canadian rockies.  Our time in whistler was short, after a light lunch we did a little shopping before boarding the train for the return trip to Vancouver. I would highly recommend, especially if you have a train enthusiast inside ;)

Alaska Trip-Day 2

We had breakfast @ the hotel. Arrived at the ship approx. 11am. Embarkation was very swift & organized.

Once we entered the ship, we were quickly directed to the buffet for lunch. Our staterooms would not be opened until after 2:00pm, so we used the time to explore the ship.

After the routine emergency drill, we went top deck to watch as we sailed away. It had rained lightly earlier, but had stopped. It was windy and cool.

Supper was at the Summer Garden Dining Room. Our waiters were wonderful. The Asst. Matre'D stopped by our table and was enchanted by Paige who made him laugh. She proudly informed him it was her birthday (which is actually a week away), to her delight he ordered a cake brought to her and he personally sang Happy Birthday along with our waiters. Paige was very happy the rest of the evening.

After Supper, we headed to the theatre for the show. Tonight was a variety show which included a tribute to the Four Tops, a Cirque-type performer & a comedian, all were very good.

Paige had enough excitement & fell asleep 9:00pm. Sunset is not until 10pm. Long days here ;-)

Tonight we are to set all clocks back one hour. The extra hour of sleep will be nice ;-)

While I stayed in the cabin with Paige, Ronnie left to explore the casino & Brooke explored the Teen hangout.

It was a fun day.

Location:Seattle,United States

Seattle-Alaska Trip-Day 1

We arrived at the Airport @5:30am. Security was a breeze and our 6:40am flight took off as scheduled. The granddaughters both squealed with excitement as the plane left the runway.







Paige was especially fascinated by the cotton-like clouds.













After the 5 hour plane ride we reached Seattle. We were met at the airport by towncar service I found through Yelp (excellent!).

We were pleased to find our room was ready. We dropped our luggage off and set out to do some sightseeing.

We walked to Pike Street.







It was fun to watch them throw the fish whenever someone ordered.

We had lunch at a very casual restaurant @ Pike Street Market, Soundview Cafe.







It had a nice view






The Clam Chowder was very good!

Afterwards, We bought some delicious fresh cherries to snack on while we strolled around the rest of Pike Street.

We returned to our hotel exhausted from our travel & sightseeing.

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