home again, part two...

we are home too, and mostly uneventfully. well, really completely uneventfully. seattle was fine, the hotel was perfectly adequate, the mattress was really nice. sophie only screamed part of the time on the plane. i think her ears may be bothering her. or her teeth. hard to say. but nothing like on the whale watch, fortunately. anyway, we are home now - sophie was VERY HAPPY to see lily. lily was somewhat less happy to see sophie...

anyway, pictures will be up in the next couple days. they will not be nearly as nicely sorted into dated folders as amy's, nor will they have captions - i do not have 5000 hours free to label the ridiculous number of pictures i took ;)

Home Again, Home Again

The Connecticut contingent made it home last night without any problems. I had a fabulous time on the trip but I admit I was happy to be sleeping in my own bed last night.

Here are my pictures from July 28-29 (McKinley Lodge, Talkeetna, Anchorage, Kenai Fjords).

The Florida group should be home today some time, they spent an extra night in Seattle. Sarah promises to have her pictures up in this next week sometime. If you think I took a lot, just wait until you see how many photos she took.

Farewell Alaska!

Our long, wonderful journey has come to an end. The Rosenberg portion of the group is heading to the airport at 5:15 tomorrow morning. That is waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy too early for my taste, but I was not consulted when flights were booked. Sigh.

Today was nearly a perfect bookend to our trip. For those of you reading this who were not on the trip, you may recall the "train incident" that took place in Illinois. Today, the plan was to take a train back and forth to Seward for our whale watching. We got to the station and learned the trains were all canceled because of a rock slide on the tracks. We ended up on a bus both ways. Though not as comfortable, it was a much quicker trip - yay for that! The "whale watch" turned out to be more of a wildlife boat tour - we didn't see any whales. We did see some sea lions, a whole lot of birds, some brief glimpses of some porpoises, some funny looking puffins (which made Sarah VERY happy), a really cute sea otter, and one very unhappy Sophie. It was not a good day for her at all - it seems she is teething again. She was quite cheerful during our goodbyes, though, so I forgive her :)

Assuming tomorrow's travel plans all go according to schedule, my next post should be from the comforts of home. The trip has been amazing - I saw so many wonderful things and spent lots of good time with family. But it is time to go home, and I think we all ready.

Hello from Anchorage!

We made it to Anchorage today after spending time at the lovely McKinley Lodge and visiting the town of Talkeetna. It's the town the show the Northern Exposure was based on. It was very small with a few shops and restaurants but nothing too exciting. We took the train from there to Anchorage this evening, where we will stay for 2 nights. This hotel has good wireless, so I've been busy uploading pictures, links are below.

Tomorrow we have a VERY long day planned. We are all questioning why dad thought it was the best idea to end the vacation with a super long day, but not much can be done now. We have a 4+ hour train ride to Seward at 6:45 AM, a 5+ hour whale watching excursion and salmon bake on Fox Island, and a 4+ hour train ride back to Anchorage. Spending more time on the train rather than the excursion just seems wrong. We better see good sea life... Sophie has been fabulous on our very long bus and train rides, let's keep our fingers crossed she has one more day in her (I guess two more days, but I don't have to spend 7 hours on a plane with her...)

Here are the picture links to the photos I've taken on the trip through yesterday (Monday). After I get home, I'll go through them and pull out the best, so feel free to wait if you don't feel like going through them all...

July 17-20 - Vancouver, beginning of cruise, Ketchikan
July 21 - Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier
July 22-24 - Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord
July 25-26 - Trip to Denali, tour of National Park
July 27 - McKinley Flightseeing Tour

Mt. McKinley Flight

We survived our plane flight around the Mountain. It was a bit turbulent at times (those little planes really jolt around a bit) and clouds obscured the summit of McKinley, but it was a fantastic experience. It seems I took 173 pictures during our ~90 minute flight. What did we do before digital cameras? My biggest regret is that we weren't able to fly to the summit - if we had been able to, we would have had oxygen masks to wear. That would make for some fun pictures. Dad very much enjoyed himself. David says he did, but most of the time when I looked back at him, he was sleeping. He claims he was "resting his eyes." Um, riiiight.

Here are 2 (of the 173) that I took:

View from afar (and above).

One of the ridges of McKinley, not yet up to the summit.

Update from Denali National Park

Sorry for the lack of updates - it is hard to find reliable internet in the Alaskan wilderness. I will refrain from posting a lot of pictures due to the EXTREMELY slow internet connection. As I post this, it is after 9 pm and still perfectly daylight outside - so weird!

The last update left off with our day in Juneau, I believe. We visited Skagway the next day. Dad took a train trip into the Yukon. He really enjoyed himself. Sarah, David, and I went to a glass-blowing workshop where we got to create our own glass ornaments. That was a really neat experience. I decided I wanted mine to look like the Earth - everyone else in the group was jealous they didn't thing of that :) Hopefully it comes out ok. We got to see the finished products but they hadn't cooled yet so the colors were off. They will be mailed home. Skagway was my favorite of the ports we stopped in.

The next two days were spent touring Glacier Bay and College Fjord. That was pretty awesome - the massive glaciers were spectacular. We got off the ship in the rainy weather yesterday (a theme - lots of rain and clouds on the cruise portion) and boarded a train for a 10 hour trip up to Denali. That went pretty well, but then again some of us are already seasoned train travelers. Sophie was pretty good on the train - overall very cheerful (she just seems to be such a happy kid most of the time - I'm not sure if there are more pictures of her or of the scenery). We saw lots of beautiful scenery along the way - the weather cleared up and it was mostly sunny.

Today we took an eight hour bus tour of Denali National Park. That was pretty phenomenal, too. I don't know if I can pick my favorite scenery of this trip - there has just been too much. I do know that I won't be picking cornfields :) Anyway, we had a remarkably clear day for our tour today - Mt. McKinley is just so impressive, words can't really do it justice. Tomorrow, David, Dad, and I are hopefully going on one of those tiny planes that will take us on an aerial tour to the mountain. We're all really looking forward to that.

Tomorrow afternoon we head to another lodge on the southern border of the park for the night. After that it is back to Anchorage for 2 nights. We have a whale watch planned for Wednesday before we fly home Thursday. I promise lots and lots of pictures after I get home but here are a couple from the last few days:

Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay (watching the huge chunks fall off into the water was neat)

A pretty view from our train ride to Denali

Sarah and Me. Oh right, and Mt. McKinley behind us.

Cruise Pictures, Part 1

On Saturday, July 18th, we departed Vancouver. Being in a suite, we were provided with complimentary champagne for sail-away. Clink!

But before we could sail away, we had to have our muster drill. Sophie did not try her life jacket on but had she done so, she would have been in a papoose-style contraption.

Here we all are viewing the sailaway, and after that is a picture of the Vancouver Bay Bridge that we sailed right under. David told us it was green. Now we know he isn't color blind.

Here are a bunch of scenery shots. How pretty.

At formal night, Sophie was definitely the belle of the ball. She's been quite popular all around.

Our first stop was in Ketchikan. We saw lumberjacks. While viewing the burly men doing their lumberjack thing, look what we got a picture of! Ketchikan was known for its gold mining. So is David.

Later that night, we spotted lots of humpback whales, though they were a bit difficult to catch on camera.

Today's stop was Juneau, the capital of Alaska. We saw the governor's mansion from our bus. To quote our tour guide, "Sarah Palin was the first governor who didn't live here. Now she's not our governor anymore. That's the last thing I'll say about that."

We visited Mendenhall Glacier, where we saw the glacier. We also saw a bald eagle and sadly did not see any bears. Dad was happy about that; we all know how worried he gets about bear attacks.

We also visited a salmon hatchery. Sophie LOVED the fish, both real and costumed.

We also saw a lovely waterfall at a salmon bake. Yum!

We've seen other stuff since then such as pretty gardens, glass blowing, more glaciers in Glacier Bay, and Dad and/or David sleeping. Uploading pictures has proved to be time consuming and a pain in the neck, so it'll be done at some future time yet to be determined.

Non-Picture Picture Update

We had a post all ready to go filled with pictures from the first several days but there is apparently only one computer in the internet cafe where you can upload photos and a super-slow couple will not get off that computer. So pictures will have to wait until another day. Hopefully we can get them up at some point tomorrow. Apparently the internet connection in Skagway is a bit iffy, but we'll keep our fingers crossed...

Greetings from Ketchikan

We docked in Ketchikan early this morning. Everything's going great so far - no bear attacks and David hasn't been thrown overboard, so I think we can call it a success so far. Also, no boat/car collisions, so that is always a good sign...

We are going to a lumberjack show today. Hopefully the rainy weather will clear out soon but it's the first bad weather of the entire journey so I can't complain too much. Last night was formal night #1. Sophie was the best dressed person on the ship - we'll have to post pictures later... We also saw a bunch of whales last night - that was neat.

Pictures will be uploaded tonight or tomorrow. And in case anyone was wondering, I am currently in the lead in the family UNO tournament. Go me :)

made it to vancouver

made it to vancouver. crazy baby slept for 15 minutes on the plane. out of six hours. sob. then we drove for an eon from seattle to vancouver. really canada, 5 lanes of traffic down to one lane? REALLY? sob, again (me and sophie both, this time). going to sleep now.

Picture Highlights from the California Zephyr

In case you don't feel like sifting through the pictures of the train trip on the California Zephyr, here a few of the highlights:

Damage to one of the sleeper cars after the train accident. Wires hung from the ceiling inside.

This is the cornfield we sat next to for 6 or 7 hours (or more?) after the accident. It got old pretty quickly.

View from high in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado

Ruby Canyon, Colorado - several times we saw river rafters moon the train but I was unable to manage a good picture despite a few tries...

The Wasatch Mountains, Utah. I see a face in the rock, do you?

Sunrise in Nevada

Desert in Western Nevada - interesting landscapes for a little while but got a bit boring after a while...

Donner Lake, California - the Donner Party wintered here after failing to make it over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846. In order to survive, some resorted to eating the dead. We did not feed David to anyone though we might have been tempted at times ;)

t -1 : all packed & ready to go.

bags are packed, baby is sleeping, cat stuff is laid out, lists are checked & rechecked, amy's needle & dental floss are thrown in, car service is engaged, and hopefully will be here bright and early tomorrow, cat guy is all set, dishes are washed...oh, and hair is STILL STRAIGHT. we'll be there tomorrow!

Hello from San Francisco!

After an eventful 4 days aboard the California Zephyr, we have finally arrived at the end point in San Francisco, California. As everyone seems to know by know, our train hit a car about an hour after leaving Chicago on the 13th. Three people were killed in the accident and the train sustained significant damage due to the fact the train hit the car, which then hit a signal tower. The signal tower and parts of the car then bumped along the outside of the train, causing damage. Windows were knocked out, engine trouble occurred, and some other damage was created. The sound of the impact was tremendous and seeing pictures of the accident scene from one story, it is amazing that 2 people apparently survived the crash. All in all, we fell 24 hours behind and it took us 22 hours to get out of Illinois. If I never see another corn field it will be too soon. It seems every place where we had to sit for long periods was next to a corn field.

Despite the bad start, the trip was quite nice. The scenery (besides the corn fields) was beautiful, my favorite was riding through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The opinions about the sleeping accommodations will differ depending on who you ask. I had a lower bunk that was quite wide, so that was fine. David was on the upper bunk and it was really narrow. It's tough to be the youngest ;) We did change our plans - we'll be skipping the west coast train trip and instead are flying to Vancouver tomorrow to meet up with the rest of the family. Let's all hope this is the end of the bad things on the trip...

A few links of interest:
News story about the accident - similar to the others posted, but watch the video story about the accident - it's pretty interesting
Pictures from July 12-14 - includes pictures of damage to train
Pictures from July 15 - includes pictures from the Rocky Mountains
Pictures from July 16 - includes pictures from the Sierra Nevada Mountains

I may come and fill more details in later tonight, depending on internet, sleep, and repacking...

Not On the Road - Day -3

so, we had a mostly unexciting day. i got a haircut - but the stylist was bored or something, so he blew & ironed my hair straight. STRAIGHT. i know, it's craziness. i can hardly believe it myself. sophie was a little surprised as well. it'll only last until i wash it, but until then...

other than that, and playing travel agent for the rosenbergs-on-the-road, not much going on here in t -3 & counting-ville.

yet another update from the rosenbergs on the road...

or on the rail, as the case happens to be.

yes, they are still on the train. when last i spoke to them, they were just outside of omaha. plan is, take the train all the way to emeryville (san francisco area), spend the night, then fly to vancouver from there. keeping my fingers crossed...

another update from the folks on the road.

they're...still in illinois. at this rate, they will arrive in california sometime in 2012...assuming they don't fall a lot more behind, the plan is to stay on this train until sacramento or san francisco, then find alternate means of transportation to vancouver. since they will already have used planes, trains & automobiles to make their journey (and buses & boats are still to come), i was thinking maybe they'd go on horseback. or maybe bicycle. or covered wagon. or perhaps house-balloon, like in Up...(yes, i am still a disney employee at heart).

Not On the Road - Day -4

ok, our day was positively boring compared with the on the road contingent. went to the dentist, got some new fillings (joy). ran some errands. got everything on the todo list for today done. picked up steve's suits, very exciting. coming tomorrow, a haircut & lots of laundry. yet more excitement. at least no drilling is involved.

an update from the folks on the road.

so it sounds like today did not go as swimmingly as yesterday. the train left chicago more or less on schedule, but it made it an hour and half, and then there was an accident. it is unclear at the moment as to whether the train, which has been damaged, will be going forward, backward, or not moving at all. updates as i hear them...

eta: another story, though not really any additional details...

eta: looks like the train will be moving forward. slowly. hopefully. it sounds like everyone who has a stop before omaha has been taken off the train via bus, and the train will be heading straight to omaha with no stops to get some replacement equipment and whatnot. keeping my fingers crossed...

Not On the Road - Day -5

Not such a satisfying day here. We got caught in the mall parking lot in a rain storm, Apple wouldn't fix my phone (unsurprising, since it's got very tripped water damage indicators), and IKEA closed at 7, just before we got there. Then we each got 4 hours of sleep because Sophie was not into the whole "sleeping" thing last night. Stupid teeth. We did have cheesecake factory for dinner, and get some house stuff done, though, which is good, I guess.

As a preview of day -4, today I have a dentist appointment. Yuck. While you are choo-chooing away, I will probably be getting drilled. Joy.

Have a good day :)

On the Road - Day I

Day one worked perfectly according to schedule.

Dubious Cab Company showed up right on time to take us to the airport where David discovered he'd lost his driver's license and Amy got a tad panicky until I took out David's passport (which David is not allowed to have, posess or hold until after we get home).

United left and landed on time, in spite of the fact we were flying into O'Hare.

The bags all made it without a problem.

Catastrophes and new experiences are much more fun to write about (well, I supose landing at O'Hare on time is a new experience....)

Very Good News for the folks in D101, D105 (and D107, as well)

Dad remembered to buy (anti-)snore strips.

One More Day!

I'm all packed. Are you??

By 'you,' I mean you boys. I don't trust either of you to actually pack ahead of time. Pretty please prove me wrong.

(And yes, I am writing this at 2 something in the morning. I like to think that I am preparing myself for west coast time. Sigh, if only that were true...)

we will not go hungry

in case anyone is like me, and likes to know what to expect...some sample menus from princess, and specifically the diamond princess, though not our itinerary:

princess sample dinner menus
diamond princess menus from a few years back/a different itinerary
princess sample lunch menus
princess kids' menu

and, last but not least...

princess sample dessert menus

3 days...(for the northern contingent)

hope you guys have started packing ;)

my emergency kit is all set - and don't worry, it does include duct tape, among other things...

Note to Self:

don't let sarah book any travel plans until double-checking all dates with her ahead of time. calendar reading can be difficult sometimes...

Six days and Dad is no longer responsible for any tickets....

They've been moved from my one envelope to somewhere in Amy's folder/binder thingie with forty-sixteen pockets or more.

That's organization?

Seven Days.... Okay, I'm beginning to panic....

Normally, I consider packing the day before a trip being way ahead of the game. This time, it's a week ahead and already I'm getting anxious.

Oh, wait.... It's probably just the Chantix kicking in.... Never mind....