For the West family vacation, Joan’s parents dreamt of an Alaskan cruise.
A way to have three generations of the family together and enjoy different aspects of the experience.
We got a chance to catch up with Joan’s parents, get to spend some time with Joan’s sister and our brother-in-law and enjoy the company of our niece and nephew.
Though not our typical vacation experience, it allowed us to see places we usually would not see.
In this case, we traveled along the Inside Passage of Alaska from Seattle to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and then back.
And that meant hiking in Ketchikan for 12 miles and 3000′ gain and seeing the lush landscape that gave way to tundra –
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And I’d be lying if we did not enjoy the evening wine with Joan’s folks as we watched the sunset –
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Or the early morning coffee while watching the glaciers –
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And then getting in more hiking above Juneau later that day and taking advantage of the long Alaskan days –
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And then another day of hiking to a high lake that reminded me of my formative hiking years in New Hampshire –
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It’s not a vacation we’d typically plan, but it pleased Joan’s family, gave us some ideas for future outings, and we enjoyed the time spent together.
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