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Trippingpara's 'Legend'ary Alaskan Cruise Photographic Review


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Friday, August 24th

Vancouver, British Columbia

 

 

Thankfully, our evil rooster from hell was much nicer this morning and woke us up at a far more reasonable hour and had thankfully stopped smelling like a big pile of poo. Anyways, I was really looking forward to this day. I had booked an all-day pass to Grouse Mountain along with a surf ride up the mountain coupled with a Breakfast with the Bears. Grizzlies that is! Big, giant, furry brown ones!

 

Our drive across the channel over to the mountain was super easy and surprisingly only took us a little over 15 minutes to get there. Apparently, people don’t get up too early on their vacations since we were one of the first people arriving at the ski lodge. We pulled in right with all the employees checking in for work. That’s alright, the early bird gets the worm or, so they say.

 

We checked in, got a safety briefing and helmet for our ride on top of the gondola up the mountain. We met the rest of our group for the Breakfast with the Bears and immediately started getting questions about why we were wearing helmets (since we were the only two wearing them). After telling them that we were going to be riding on top of the gondola, a couple of them got all excited and signed up to join us. I mean, it’s not every day you get to stand on top of a gondola as it climbs a couple thousand feet up the side of a mountain! That’s completely covered in clouds. With temps reaching a high of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. And yes, if you’re wondering, we’re not all there! A few drops short of a full bucket; my mum would say.

 

Everybody loaded into the gondola while the crew dragged over a wheeled ladder to help us climb on top of the car. A couple minutes later, we began our slow climb 2,600 feet up the side of Grouse Mountain (and yes, it is pronounced like the bird, grouse – not “gross” or “groose”). The climb took about 10 minutes. The ride was very cool (literally!!) and amazing. The mountain was socked in pretty well in cloud cover so there were times, we couldn’t see anything around us. It was so cool! Creepy, but cool!

 

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Here's Lady Trip waiting for the ladder to be put into place to climb up on top of the gondola.

 

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I have determined that there is no way to possibly look cool in these helmets!

 

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Passing another gondola as we head up into the clouds.

 

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I have to admit, it was a little creepy standing on top of the gondola as it slowly slid into the clouds and everything went white. My imagination was going wild. Damn you Stephen King!!!

 

 

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Vancouver (cont.)...

 

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Notice the bear-proof garbage can to the right of the photo. These were seen everywhere in British Columbia, Yukon Territories and Alaska. Even in the middle of downtown Juneau, you would see these types of garbage cans. Proof that bears are everywhere in these areas.

 

Once we were at the top of the mountain, we dismounted and hiked over to where the grizzly bear habitat was. We oohed and ahhed at Coola and Grinder, the pair of resident grizzlies for a while before we were led into a round structure on the edge of the habitat. There was a huge breakfast spread laid out for us. The food was delicious, and the views were amazing!

 

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Grinder relaxes with his head on a rock while Coola sits in the background watching us.

 

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Coola saunters up to a nearby pond for a drink.

 

If you’re wondering (and you’re probably not, but I’m still going to tell you), Grinder and Coola are not on display like zoo animals. They were both rescued separately as orphaned cubs that would have died without their mom to protect them and to teach them how to survive. So, Grouse Mountain took them in as part of their wildlife refuge, where animals that would not or could not survive in the wild can live out the rest of their days in safety and comfort. Their space is only partially visible to the public with a very large portion of their area secluded away from people.

 

They are not fed on a regular schedule like a zoo but are fed intermittently with a wide variety of food, just like they would have in the wild. And the food is just thrown over the fence when the bears are not around, so the bears do not learn that the presence of humans mean food is coming which in turn would draw their attention to us and change their natural habits. Grouse Mountain wants to keep them as close as they can to their natural and wild habits as much as possible. Unfortunately, since they were raised without their mom, they still cannot survive in the wild since they do not know how to properly forage and hunt for food. It was great to be able to see them so close and watch them interact with each other.

 

After our delicious breakfast, we hiked over to a bee sanctuary where dozens of natural pollinating plants grow with little bee refuges placed about. It was beautiful to see, but thankfully it was too cold for the bees to be out considering I'm very allergic to those critters!

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A pair of bee hotels in the Bee Sanctuary.

 

Grouse Mountain was beautiful. I loved how they allowed plants to grow naturally and kept the landscaping to a minimum. It felt so much more natural, that you were a part of nature not forcing a perfectly manicured landscape into a natural setting. Apparently, the deer felt pretty at home there too.

 

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This guy was hanging out right by the Grizzly Habitat, slowly chewing on some grass watching the world go by. We were only about 20 yards away from him. He watched us for a bit then went back to eating.

 

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This big boy was seen from our chair lift as we rode all the way to the peak of Grouse Mountain. That is the first time that I have ever seen a deer in his bedding spot. I've seen plenty of bedding spots but never one with a deer in it.

 

 

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Vancouver (cont.)...

After breakfast we then went to an owl demonstration featuring a Barn Owl, a lumberjack show (quite funny) and a flying raptor show that featured Bald Eagles, Great Horned Owls, Peregrine Falcons, Red-Tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures flying all around us. It was awesome!!

 

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A Barn Owl watches Lady Trip post pictures of him on Facebook.

 

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A Great Horned Owl screeches a warning cry seconds before it takes off

 

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A Bald Eagle soars across a field

 

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The Eagle has Landed. Oh wait, not quite yet.

 

We also took a quick jaunt up to the very top of the mountain for a couple pics before packing it up and heading back down the mountain to start our journey back to Seattle.

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Here's a shot looking down from the ski lift back to the main area of Grouse Mountain. This ski lift goes to the very peak of the mountain where the Eye of the World is; a giant wind turbine that you can go to the top of for an an higher view of the whole Vancouver area. Unfortunately, the cloud layer was too low to make it worthwhile to go up it.

 

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A pair of large bucks relaxing near the peak of the mountain.

 

The drive back to Seattle was pretty uneventful although the border crossing back into the U.S. was extremely lengthy but the traffic outside of that was pretty light for it now being rush hour.

 

From start to finish, it took us about 4 ½ hours to drive from Grouse Mountain to where my sister lives in Kent, WA (a suburb of Seattle). After unpacking our car, we hung around and visited for a while before exhaustion caught up with us and we passed out.

Next up: Seattle, Washington...

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Saturday, August 25th

Seattle, Washington

 

 

Ahh, the comforts of home! A nice cozy bed, soft comfortable sheets, the wafting aroma of freshly brewed coffee, a gentle nudge from a wet snout…

 

…I slowly open an eye to see the small bulbous nose of an excited greyhound mere inches from my face.

 

Both eyes suddenly snap open. Wait…we don’t own a greyhound!!

 

Oh yeah, we’re in Seattle, staying with my sister. It’s all coming back to me now. I pull my arm out from under the covers and pat Rooney, the resident greyhound, on her head and climb out of bed. Today’s our first full day in Seattle and we have quite the day planned for us. Courtesy of a very wet and plump greyhound nose, I was now up and Adam!

 

First up on the agenda, was a reciprocal reservation for a 21’ cuddy cabin boat with Freedom Boat Club. We’re very active members with this organization back in New England and one of the great benefits from them is the ability to use their boats anywhere they have a location (there are currently 165+ locations across the U.S. and Canada).

 

Lady Trip, my sister (we’ll call her Lady Trip-sis), her hubby (Sir Tripalot) and me all piled into their cute little Mini Cooper (named Maggie) and headed up to the Queen Anne area of Seattle to the Freedom Boat Club which just happens to be located right next to the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal (aka Pier 91). Not being familiar with the marina, it took us a while to actually locate their boats. We found their offices very quickly, but their dock manager was already out prepping our boat, so we had to wander the docks to find him. But find him we did!

 

We all hopped aboard the boat, Moor Time, went through the pre-trip checklist, signed off on it, hauled in our bow and stern lines and pushed off from the pier. I slowly motored the boat out of the marina, past the towering bows of HAL’s Eurodam and Princess’ Ruby Princess and into the main harbor of Seattle. We tooled around downtown Seattle snapping photos and checking things out before we then headed out across Puget Sound to Blake Island.

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The Norwegian Bliss sits at anchor at the downtown cruise terminal.

 

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See? I told you I always have a camera in my hand!

 

We were lucky to find it! The low laying cloud cover masked most of the islands until you were almost on top of them. The weather was also very crisp and cool keeping most of the other boaters off the water which meant we had almost all of Puget Sound to ourselves (and the ferries). After cruising around Blake Island, we then headed back across the sound and up towards the Ballard Locks but were running out of time since we were scheduled for a crime tour in the afternoon. Plus, it was now raining so we headed back to the marina and docked the boat.

 

After checking back in at the dock, we then drove a couple miles further into the Capital Hill neighborhood for our crime tour with PrivateEye Tours. There were about 10 of us on the tour so we all piled into her van (the owner and tour guide’s name was Jake and yes, she was a female). The tour was focused on famous criminals (mainly murderers) in Seattle’s sordid history. The only one I really knew was Ted Bundy but she also talked about other famous Seattleites such as Jimi Hendrix (saw his statute and where he went to school) and Bruce and Brandon Lee (their gravesites) as well as Kurt Corbain (the house he committed suicide in). The tour was really interesting and got to see a lot of Seattle that is definitely not seen on most tours. However, Jake was a bit dry so to speak. She really knew her stuff but she seemed to operate on a script and was very monotone. Nobody was really engaged and we all just stared out the windows taking pictures.

 

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The infamous Jimi Hendrix statue

 

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The Space Needle captured in the middle of the Black Sun statue in Volunteer Park

 

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The gravesite of father and son. Lady Trip and I both study martial arts (Krav Maga) so we really look up to what Bruce Lee was able to achieve. Both lives cut too short, too early.

 

Next up on the list was a quick stop at Ballard Locks. As soon as Jake dropped us off at the parking lot that she picked us up in, we were off to Lake Union and the nearby Fisherman’s Terminal and the Ballard Locks. This was really cool to see. There are a couple locks of different sizes that move boats from the Puget Sound into the higher waters of Lake Union and further down into Lake Washington. We also got to see where the ships from the famous show, Deadliest Catch are based out of and even got to see the Brenna A come out of the locks as she headed back into port.

 

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The Breanna A returns back to Seattle from summer salmon tendering in Alaska

 

The rest of the night was just hanging out and enjoying each other’s company and catching up on lost times.

 

 

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Hello, Trip.

 

I am really glad I found this review here on CC. The pictures you have posted thus far are absolutely incredible!

 

My hubby and I are booked on the Legend out of Tampa in November of next year. This will be our third sailing on the Legend. The first two sailings were back in 2009 & 2010, way before she received her upgrades during dry dock. So, naturally I am excited to continue following your review and seeing all the new features added to this already beautiful ship.

 

This particular cruise will be quite special for us. My hubby and I were married on the Legend in 2009. When we found out that this ship was returning to Tampa, we could think of no better way to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary than to sail the same ship where we said our "I do's." We even managed to book the same cabin we had on that cruise, a vista suite with a wrap-around balcony on deck 5.

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Before we move on to Seattle, I just wanted to post a couple more shots and videos from Grouse Mountain...

 

 

 

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We visited Grouse Mountain before our cruise a few years ago...a fantastic time and definitely a must see in Vancouver. Great photos!

 

 

 

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I have to totally agree with you here. Being a first time cruiser I didn't know if I should be as annoyed as I was over the chair hogging in the Unicorn. Made it very difficult to find a place to sit down and eat. We took our food upstairs and outside a few times which was no small feat with a special needs seven year old in tow!!

And the day we cruised Glacier Bay it was totally ridiculous!!! Son and I were shocked to find there were hardly anyone out on the serenity deck. I know I am from the PNW but we didn't think it was that chilly outside.

My one big gripe here was not the café but the people. There were many times that people would camp out in the café and take all of the chairs and tables by the windows (where the vast majority of the seating was) and they weren’t eating. They were just sitting there with their binoculars and some were even sleeping. Really?? There are flipping thousands of chairs by windows all over Decks 2, 3 and 4 if you don’t want to be outside watching the beauty of Alaska sail by. I get that you want to see it but please don’t take all of the chairs and tables during the main feeding rushes. That’s just rude. People that were trying to eat had to juggle their plates and drinks as they searched all over for seating. Slam me if you think I’m wrong, I don’t care. The tables and chairs in the buffet area are for those eating. If you’ve done eating or have no intention of eating, please move and give your spot to those that are trying to eat. It’s called courtesy people. Rant over. Overall grade for the buffet (not the people)..."A"

 

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I have to totally agree with you here. Being a first time cruiser I didn't know if I should be as annoyed as I was over the chair hogging in the Unicorn. Made it very difficult to find a place to sit down and eat. We took our food upstairs and outside a few times which was no small feat with a special needs seven year old in tow!!

And the day we cruised Glacier Bay it was totally ridiculous!!! Son and I were shocked to find there were hardly anyone out on the serenity deck. I know I am from the PNW but we didn't think it was that chilly outside.

My one big gripe here was not the café but the people. There were many times that people would camp out in the café and take all of the chairs and tables by the windows (where the vast majority of the seating was) and they weren’t eating. They were just sitting there with their binoculars and some were even sleeping. Really?? There are flipping thousands of chairs by windows all over Decks 2, 3 and 4 if you don’t want to be outside watching the beauty of Alaska sail by. I get that you want to see it but please don’t take all of the chairs and tables during the main feeding rushes. That’s just rude. People that were trying to eat had to juggle their plates and drinks as they searched all over for seating. Slam me if you think I’m wrong, I don’t care. The tables and chairs in the buffet area are for those eating. If you’ve done eating or have no intention of eating, please move and give your spot to those that are trying to eat. It’s called courtesy people. Rant over. Overall grade for the buffet (not the people)..."A"

 

 

Hi MominWA, glad to see I wasn't the only one that was frustrated with that. I did see quite a few people walking around with trays of food trying to find a seat with a rather "unhappy" look on their face as they paced around and around. I can only imagine the additional challenges you faced with a special needs child in tow too. I've seen this on other cruises but never to this extent. I did see that Carnival tried to alleviate this by bringing out additional chairs but it didn't seem to help much.

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I couldn't get your videos to work. Anyone? :(

 

Hi fyree39. Sorry about that. I logged into several different computers and am able to see them. Is anyone else having this issue? I have to admit, I'm not the brightest when it comes to posting videos and always have problems so I may have done something wrong.

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I'm enjoying another of your wonderful reviews, Trip. Your pictures are beautiful and I can't wait to see the Alaska ones. And, I can't see the videos, either.

Heather

 

Hi Heather. Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it! And thank you for letting me know about the video as well. I'm wondering if it's because I had them listed as "private". I just made them public so please let me know if you can see them now.

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Hi Heather. Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it! And thank you for letting me know about the video as well. I'm wondering if it's because I had them listed as "private". I just made them public so please let me know if you can see them now.

 

Success! I can see them now and really enjoyed them. I've been to Grouse Mountain before so I enjoyed the view, but we didn't do anything that you did. :)

Heather

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Success! I can see them now and really enjoyed them. I've been to Grouse Mountain before so I enjoyed the view, but we didn't do anything that you did. :)

Heather

 

Oh good! Glad that you liked them. Although my main camera is very popular with vloggers, I've never delved too much into videos so mine tend to just be simple, pretty standard ones shot on my phone. Some things are just best seen as a video to truly capture the moment. Thanks for letting me know the videos worked.

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Sunday, August 26th

Seattle, Washington

 

 

The Evil Rooster from Hell woke us up again, but it was so much easier getting up since it was a reasonable hour. We had another very busy day planned touring the Seattle Center area. Our first stop of the morning was at the infamous Pike Place Market on the waterfront. It was only 9 am but the place was already starting to get hopping. What a cool place!! And it’s huge! Far bigger than I ever thought it was. There are 6 levels that meander all over the place. You can find just about anything you can ever think of there.

 

Of course, we had to check out some of the standard staples like the throwing of the fish, the bronze pig and the beautiful flower stalls. The smells and sights there are incredible! We highly recommend a stop here. The original Starbucks is here if you’re a fan but if not, (we’re not) there were several other outstanding little coffee shops dotted around the place.

 

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The infamous Pike Place Market. Please note, it is NOT Pike's Place Market. This apparently is a constant source of ire to the locals!

 

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There is where the fish tosser are located at. Wait...that's doesn't sound quite right. Let's try, this is where the fishmongers are located at. (I can just imagine some of the Brits out there snickering at the term "fish tosser"!) The crowd to the left is where they are actually at. You can also see Rachel the Piggy Bank sticking her head out of the crowd at the far left.

 

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Rachel the Piggy Bank - seriously, she is a piggy bank. The funds that she raises goes to a local charity.

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Her brother, Billy the Piggy Bank.

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The signs of Pike Place Market

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The fresh produce of Pike Place Market

 

You could easily spend an entire day just at Pike Place Market. It is so easy to get completely lost in the maze of hallways and levels. This should absolutely be on your must visit list when you come to Seattle even if it's just for an hour or two. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people watching...and of course, the shopping!!!

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Seattle (cont.)

 

We had timed tickets already purchased for the Space Needle as well as tickets for Chihuly Gardens and MoPop. We walked down the street to catch the Seattle Center Monorail over to the Seattle Center. The monorail is a great way to get across the city, especially if you want to see Pike Place Market and the Space Needle in one day. We parked at the Westgate Center (which is only 3 blocks away from the Pike Place Market) and also happens to be the starting point of the monorail. There are only two stops on the monorail, the Westgate Center and the Seattle Center, so it’s pretty much impossible to get lost on it!

 

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One of Dale Chihuly's art works sitting near the base of the Space Needle.

 

The Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens and MoPop were all right next to the monorail station at Seattle Center. After climbing down the stairs from the monorail, we strolled over to the Space Needle and quickly hopped on the elevator all the way up to the top.

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Downtown Seattle from the top of the Space Needle. Note the tall black building in the background. That is the Columbia Center and is the tallest building in Seattle and has an observation deck that is taller than the Space Needle. Many people say that is the better one since it is taller and less crowded. Don't know, never got to go there.

If you didn’t know, the Space Needle has undergone a $100 million renovation that is almost finished. If you have even been there before, it is completely different looking. The outside portion now has no roof and glass walls that you have to photograph through and you can go down a couple flights of stairs to a new area that revolves around the tower and the floor is made of glass.

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Lady Trip standing on the glass floor in the Space Needle. The floor also rotates around the central base of the needle. It's a little unnerving at first.

 

Super cool! I believe this glass floor area will become their restaurant shortly. They are still doing some minor construction work on both floors, but they are fully open and do not impede on your visit there.

 

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Looking down on MoPop

 

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The Armory. A collection of restaurants and open meeting area. The Tibet Festival was going on there when we visited. Love the artwork on the roof! I spent about half an hour staring at it trying to figure out how the artist got it to look so 3D!

 

We then made our way back down and crossed over to the Seattle Armory to grab some lunch. We ate at Quincy’s, a sit-down fast food restaurant inside. Note, when you’re at the top of the Space Needle, the building that has the giant spiders crawling across the roof is the Armory. Anyways, after lunch (which was quite tasty by the way), we headed over to Chihuly Gardens.

Up next: Chihuly Gardens

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Seattle (cont.)

 

 

Being a student at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), I am well acquainted with Dale Chihuly since he studied there and was a professor in the glassblowing department there as well. If you’ve never heard of Dale Chihuly or any of his work, please Google him. His work is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!

 

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This was my favorite exhibit. I would love to have a room like this in my house. This piece is called the Persian Ceiling.

 

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This view reminded me of a dragon with a ball at the tip of it's tail (which was outside the building)

 

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The exhibits were also all around the outside of the building. You could walk around for hours and keep finding new things hiding in the grass and plants.

Next up: MoPop...

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This Pic here is just breathtaking!! Thanks for doing this review. Alaska is on my bucket list!

 

Hey cruzin Phillis. Thank you so much for such kind words. I hope you continue to follow along, Alaska is amazing! Glad to hear it's on your bucket list, it really deserves it's place there!

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Seattle (cont.)

 

A couple hours later, we left Chihuly and walked over to the fountains for a quick photo or a dozen and then over to the Museum of Pop Culture (otherwise known as MoPop). It is quite the quirky place. Just look at it and you can tell its strange! The building itself is very oddly shaped and inside is no different. It was designed by the famed architect, Frank Gehry (who is widely known for his unusual buildings). It covers everything about pop culture from TV and movies to music with a focus on Seattle based artists. There are special sections on Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Jimi Hendrix as well as areas featuring Horror, Sci-FI, Fantasy and now there is a special feature on Marvel comics.

 

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The giant musical tornado that dominates the main lobby.

 

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A replica of Pearl Jam's recording studio. I've been in a few recording studios in my days and they are one of my favorite places to be.

 

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One of David Grohl's drum sets during Nirvana's "Nervermind" tour. I used to have the exact same Tama drum set back then too. Even the same stands and Zildjian cymbals. Except my kit had a whole lot more drums. "More drums, more drums!" shouts Animal from the Muppets.

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I'm not afraid to admit that I was a big Devo fan growing up. In fact, I still am a Devo fan! "We're through being cool!"

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It wasn't all about music. There were large sections devoted to T.V. and movies. Here are some prop heads from the Walking Dead series.

At the end of the day, it was interesting. Not super cool, but interesting. Glad we went but not sure if we’d rush back there again. That really wrapped up our day. The rest of the evening was again just sitting around, chilling and relaxing. Just some good ol’ family time spent together. Until next time…

Up next: Last day in Seattle and Crystal Mountain/Mt. Rainier...

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I forgot to mention that we ran into an Internet celebrity while we were at the Space Needle.

 

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That's Maxine the Corgi otherwise known as Mad Max, Fluffy Road. Unfortunately, every time Maxine would look back at me, I didn't have my camera ready. It was funny to watch her flop her head back to look at you. Check her out on Facebook and Instagram. My God, I don't believe I actually know about stuff like this!!

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Monday, August 27th

Seattle, Washington

 

 

Uggh, I don’t want to get out of this bed!! It’s soooo comfy!! But then again, I don’t want to miss out on Crystal Mountain. Lady Trip-sis had told me all about her previous trip to Crystal Mountain so I was pretty pumped to go there. And to top it off, the weather forecast was calling for an absolutely beautiful day.

 

After our morning routines, we petted Rooney the greyhound goodbye and loaded up into the van (no Maggie, the Mini Cooper today) for our trek south into the mountains. It was about an hour and a half drive there. Of course, we stopped at Kelly’s Coffee on our way there for some great go-go juice and donuts. The scenery on the drive was great and a terrific way to pass the time.

 

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Rooney, the Greyhound

 

Before we knew it, we were pulling up to Crystal Mountain. Since it was still fairly early in the morning, the parking lots were practically empty. We pulled into a spot, got our passes, grabbed some hiking poles that were free to use and hopped onto the gondola for our ride up to the summit. Unfortunately, Crystal Mountain does not offer the ability to “surf” on top the gondola, so we had to ride inside like everyone else. Oh, the humility of it all!

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Here we go again! Back into the clouds.

 

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Lady Trip on the ride up.

The ride took about ten minutes and we were extremely bummed to find the summit fairly socked in with clouds when we arrived there. Our main purpose for coming here was for the fantastic views of Mt. Rainier. The weather report for the mountain was saying that the clouds would be parting shortly. We opted for patience and hopped that the report was right.

 

And our patience paid off. A bit longer than the report stated, but Mt. Rainier did come out to play. Slowly but surely, a white, snow capped peak started to appear through the clouds. We opted to start hiking down one of the trails while the clouds slowly dissipated. We were hiking our way along the trail when suddenly she appeared in all her glory. Woah!!!! She’s beautiful!!!!

 

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Thar she is!

 

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Mount Rainier as seen from the peak of Crystal Mountain which is roughly 14 miles away

 

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One of the overly friendly chipmunks runs up to Lady Trip and begs for some food. Please do not feed these guys. I know that they are super cute, but M&Ms do not make good food for them.

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