Some Vaca pics

[[JiF]Top321us]

We just got back from an amazing trip and wanted to share a couple pics. What an adventure!

[[JiF]Daterminaytah]

very nice!

[[JiF]Uncle Stinky]

I take it that was not the outskirts of Lincoln, NE.

[[JiF]FrenchAfroman]

na its more like hudson bay, i guess. News in germany told me it was getting cold up there

[[JiF]major confusion]

I've seen those in Lake Michigan. The glaciers too!

[[JiF]pop51]

Looks like you had a great time

[[JiF]Brick]

Looks like Alaska.
I've been there Three times!

[[JiF]ALargeWoodenBadger]

na its more like hudson bay, i guess. News in germany told me it was getting cold up there

lol - Hudson Bay has two seasons: Winter and Mosquito. I swear it’s the only place on earth where the Mosquitoes are equipped with ice augers.

My vote is with Brick: Alaska! (As evidenced by the glaciers, mountains, humpback whales, northern fur seals and a guy wearing a "Keep Calm and Chive On" T-shirt- which I believe is the new state motto.)

[[JiF]Top321us]

LOL
Alaska it is. We had a great time. We did a week cruise from Vancouver to Whittier, then got a car and drove south to Seward, then North to Talkeetna. Amazing time. Landing on a glacier on the side of Mnt Denali was an amazing end to one of the best trips ever!

[[JiF]Mike]

That is awesome! Wife and I have been talking for years about taking an Alaska cruise someday. Looks like ya saw some cool stuff!

[[JiF]Brick]

Eagle in Homer, AK

Alaska is Awesome!
The first two times we flew to Anchorage and rented an RV for two weeks. There are nice parks with hookups everywhere.
The last time, we flew to Iowa and drove an new Winnebago RV from the factory to Anchorage. http://www.greatalaskanholidays.com/spring.html
We got a good deal because we are doing the dealer a favor. They get about 150 of them every May.
That was an adventure, but way too much driving in two weeks. Northwest Canada is beautiful!

[[JiF]Top321us]

Mike
Do not wait. We saw way too many VERY elderly folks who wished they would have done it sooner.

The cruise was very cool. The drive from Skagway to Emerald lake was the prettiest drive we had.
Very good whale watching from Juneau.
Great country and glaciers in Glacier bay and College Fjord.

We then rented a car and drove to Seward. Seward is a crappy little town but our 10 hour wildlife boat tour from there was exceptional.
We then drove north to Talkeetna and took a plane ride around Mount Denali and landed on a glacier on the side of it. Such a cool ending to an incredible trip.

Really - Do NOT wait!

[[JiF]ALargeWoodenBadger]

Mike
Do not wait. We saw way too many VERY elderly folks who wished they would have done it sooner ... Really - Do NOT wait!

LOL. Suddenly I have a picture in my mind of Mike moving across the glacier with an oxygen cylinder strapped to his walker while Mrs. Mike shouts warnings about his heart.

Beautiful pictures. I hope to get a chance to make that trip some day (sighs like a love struck teenage girl). The closest I got was Sonora Island, which is situated in the inside channel about 3/4 ways up the length of Vancouver Island. Surround by mountains, killer whales, bears and eagles but still a long long way from Alaska. It was amazing but there is no chance of watching icebergs calving. Did you get to see that? It is something I suspect you could have witnessed based on the second photo.

[[JiF]Top321us]

I have an great video badger, but I can not get it to load to the web site.
I will keep trying, you would like it. A HUGE chunk of ice calved off. It was very cool

[[JiF]ALargeWoodenBadger]

Many years ago I was in a town called Twillingate on the north coast of Newfoundland. I had been sent there as an auditor on behalf of the provincial government. While there I had taken to eating my lunch on a secluded narrow beach just out of town. I was enjoying watching the ice that move along the coast in springtime. There were a couple of large icebergs founding just offshore. The largest one was putting on an amazing show in the sunlight. It was glistening turquoise and melt water was jetting from the sides forming waterfalls that could be heard over the breaking waves. It was amazing just to listening to the growling the icebergs make as they scour the bottom. The second day I was there I watched a chunk of ice the size of a house break off the top of the berg and plummet to the ocean. The whole berg surge and rolled. I stood there watching in awe right up until the waves generated by the two events hit me in the chest and nearly sucked me out to sea. I discovered two things that day 1) The north Atlantic is colder then it looks, especially when filled with icebergs, and 2) It is very salty.

I had chosen this spot so I could be alone with nature (or some bullshit like that). Regardless, I was happy no one was around when I crawled out of the surf got in my rented Impala and drove back the motel. When visiting a small town on business, especially as an auditor, the last thing you want is to be noticed for nearly drowning at the hands of a rouge iceberg. That kind of thing tends to hurt your authority.

This is how you know you’re in a small town. When I arrived I found the motel manager standing by the door to my room. She had my door wide open and she looked at me and simply said “I laid out your blue pants, white shirt and there a bag inside for your wet things”
I said. “er?”

I took a quick shower and headed back to the office I was assigned to “evaluate”. As I walked through the door the office manager handed me a big glass of water and said “this will help with the salt”
I said “er?”

Later that day I stopped at the local bar for a beer and the waiter, someone I had never seen before in my life, handed me a rum and coke and said “this will help take the chill of the sea out of ye. On the house”
I of course said “er?”

Turned out dinner at the restaurant was also on the house. “To help ye regain ye strength b’y.”
Never one to break a pattern I smiled and said “er?’

Later that evening a young lady, well maybe “lady” isn’t the right word, suggested a way to help me “wring out ye wet things”.
I said “sure”

OK, it’s not funny but at least it rhymes! It’s also true.

For the rest of the week not a single person ever directly mentioned my “accident” but a hundred little helpful things occurred. An amazing place.

I have another true "iceberg” story involving co-ed camping, drinking, swimming and penis size. I also say “er?” at least twice in it, or was that “brrr?”

Now where was I going with this? Oh, don’t go through too much trouble but yes I would like to see your video. I have seen ice calving on film before but my Twillingate adventure is as close as I’ve come to it so I'm pretty jealous.