If you follow my blog at all, you know I am a traveler and explorer. My family has road-tripped the country since I was a baby. I am turning 38 next month, and Alaska was the last state to mark off my list of 50. On Sunday, Sept 29th, 2024, I finally wrapped up my 50th.

Our Alaskan itinerary:

• Seattle, Washington- CLICK>>>Seeing Seattle
• Day At Sea
• Juneau, Alaska
• Skagway, Alaska- CLICK>>>>All Aboard to Adventure: Skagway’s Scenic Summit
• Haines, Alaska- CLICK>>>>Haines, Harbors & Hammers
• Hubbard Glacier, Alaska (no port)
• Sitka, Alaska
• Icy Strait Point, Alaska
• Ketchikan (Ward ), Alaska ***Canceled
• Victoria, British Columbia
• Seattle, Washington

Our trip began a little rocky. Not only was the day at sea, literally rocky, I started the trip with an intense sinus infection. My body apparently did not enjoy Seattle as much as I had. Luckily, I felt the beginnings in Seattle, so we loaded up on the appropriate meds. We were thankful for our day at sea to relax and sleep, let me attempt to recover, and just be in a mucinex daze. In between naps, we enjoyed lovely meals on the ship. Unfortunately, through the second night, we worried I would not physically be able to do our day in Juneau. We had booked an excursion for a helicopter ride. Seeing that the weather was perfect. and I couldn’t imagine skipping such a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I pushed myself to make it happen. Somehow the photos do not reflect how badly I felt at moments.

Our ride took us atop Mendenhall glacier, where we were outfitted with crampons and toured the glacier for about an hour. We had the opportunity to drink fresh running glacier water directly from the source. Luckily, I felt great while were out in the crisp cool air. The helicopter ride itself was something neither Chris nor I had experienced before. We were able to see the Jueneo area from above for a 30-minute ride before landing on the glacier.

If you missed it, check out Seeing Seattle to see the beginning of this trip.