Review Sapphire Princess and 7 Day Independent Land Tour

[LarryF]

Larry,

The waiting is similar to waiting for J K Rowling's next book! We are cruising right along with your reviews and anxiously awaiting our cruise on the Diamond in August.

 

OK, OK....Your wish is my command...I just finished the next chapter and it will be posted right after this post...

 

Larry

[thawan]

OK, OK....Your wish is my command...I just finished the next chapter and it will be posted right after this post...

 

Larry

 

Ahh but the waiting makes it that much sweeter :D

[LarryF]

Hello all,

 

To continue…

 

Wednesday May 30, 2007

 

We got up around 6:30 a.m. to a nice day of mixed clouds and sun with morning temperature in the low 50s. While Amy showered, I stepped out on the deck just in time to see Corrie’s husband taxiing to the airstrip in one of his three planes. Her husband commutes to Anchorage each day and either owns or works in a air tour business.

 

Corrie had told us that their dog Radar would try to out run the plane as it raced down the runway. He used to start even with the plane but over the years as he got older he would move up the runway to get a head start. So sure enough, as the plane throttled up and began to gather speed down the runway, Radar was already about half way down the runway and began running as fast as he could, barking all the way! It was really funny to watch, but I guess you had to be there to appreciate it!

 

Corrie showed up right at 7:00 a.m. to prepare our breakfast. Amy and I had coffee in the dining room while she cooked and Amy really liked the Quilt pictures that were hanging on the walls. One had a fly fisherman in a river with mountains surrounding the water and had an eagle, moose and bear on it as well. There was another quilt that had 2 colorful puffins on it. Amy commented that it would be a nice anniversary present, but they were a little pricy and we had already gone over our budget.

 

Corrie made a delicious breakfast of eggs that were inside a mold of Canadian bacon and cheese. We also had fruit and toast. The cost for the B&B was originally $140, but Corrie told me since we were leaving so early, she discounted the price to $110! You don’t run into nice people like this every day!

 

I had already packed the car before breakfast, so we said our goodbyes with hugs all around and began our trip back up to Matanuska Glacier. I had been so pleased thus far with all the tour excursions we had taken. Amy had rolled her eyes a little when I told her we were going to fly in a float plane, watch whales from a boat that was half the size of the whales, drive to the Yukon, take a cruise tour that might have very high seas and lastly walk on a Glacier that required us to wear steel spikes on our shoes! It thrilled me so much to see her ear to ear smiles after each of the previous excursions that I would do a “thumbs up’ sign with both thumbs as if to say, “am I good or what?!” So I was a little nervous about the Ice Trekking as Amy (she’ll kill me when she reads this) is…let’s just say she’s not the most coordinated person in the world. Ok let’s face it, she’s a klutz! :rolleyes:

 

We arrived at Mica Guides, http://www.micaguides.com/, a little after 9:00 a.m. and our tour was at 10:00 a.m. There were three young ladies that helped us prepare for our tour. We were introduced to our guide whose name we think was Liz. She was in her early 20’s and was a wonderful tour guide. All three of them were so nice and helpful. First I had to take care of the payment and then we had to sign a release that basically said it wasn’t their fault if we fell and hurt or killed ourselves! The cost for the 3 hour Ice Trek was $70 per person.

 

We were then fitted into boots and given crampons that you slid into place on the bottom of your boots. It reminded me when I was a kid and I used to have the kind of roller skates that fit on to your shoes and you used a key to tighten them on your shoe. It’s very important that you have the correct size boot and crampon for maximum comfort and they took all the time we needed to make sure we were all fitted properly and were comfortable. We also had to wear helmets.

 

We were very lucky again, as there was just one other couple on the tour with us. They were from Tel Aviv and were very nice. Liz told me she had 12 people on her tour in the afternoon.

 

Matanuska Glacier is the largest Glacier that is accessible by car in Alaska. The Glacier is 24 miles long and 4 miles wide and is one of very few advancing Glaciers as it moves forward about 1 foot per day!

 

Once we were all fitted correctly, we boarded a van with Liz and she drove us down to the Glacier. On the way, we came across a moose in the middle of the road which was a nice treat. It’s about a 15 to 20 minute hike on rocky gravel terrain before you get to the ice. There is a picnic table located on the trail right where the ice begins and it’s at this point where we put on our crampons over our boots. Liz gave us good directions as how to walk properly in the crampons. You learn how to walk like a duck uphill and learn how to take baby steps going downhill. All of us took to it very quickly with the major adjustment being able to lift your feet higher than normal and to keep your legs about shoulder length apart so you didn’t scrape the crampons against your pants. When we all felt comfortable we began our expedition.

 

The weather was very nice with lots of sun shine and temperatures in the 50’s. I didn’t even realize that I was walking on ice at first because the ground is black and looks more like dirt or mud, but it is actually ice. Liz was very knowledgeable and explained everything as we went along. Amy had told Liz she was a little nervous and Liz spent lots of time with Amy and made her very confident after a few lessons. We spend a total time of about 3 hours on the ice and hiked about 2.5 miles.

 

I think it’s best to describe our experience on the Glacier through Amy’s point of view. While neither of us had ever trekked on ice before, this experience for her was a kind of a breakthrough. Amy has never been one to take a walk on the wild side and in a way this expedition became Amy’s Mount Everest. She told me afterwards, she felt a great sense of accomplishment. She described the time on the ice as an awakening of all her 5 senses and I think that’s the way I would describe the experience as well. It was a neat feeling as your feet dug into the ice with the steel blades of the crampons and the crunching sound the ice made let us know we weren’t back home in Florida walking on the beach. As we viewed crevices in the ice that were so incredibly blue it just didn’t seem real, you noticed how clean and fresh the glacier air was as you took in each breath. We stopped and took a drink from one of the crystal clear glacial springs and it tasted cleaner and fresher than any water I’d ever had. The glacier ice was so cold we could even feel it through our gloves. The hiking was not strenuous at all. Liz closely assessed our skills and laid out a path to match our skill set. She told us there were several ways to get around the Glacier and if any of us had any problems she could always find a different way to get us around.

 

The three hours really flew by and I wish we could have stayed on the ice longer. There is a 6 hour Trek but it involved climbing that I’m not sure I could handle and I know Amy wouldn’t be able to. I would imagine if you have enough people that they could personalize a longer trip for a large group.

 

The temperature continued to increase and about half way through the hike, both Amy and I had removed several layers and put them in her backpack which turned out to be small blessing. On our way back to the picnic table in the rocky part of the ice, Amy stepped on one of the rocks from a weird angle and she stumbled and began falling backwards. :eek: It happened so fast, I could only watch helplessly as she fell, but fortunately when her back hit the rocky surface, her backpack that was loaded with our fleece jackets broke her fall. It was a scary moment at first, but Amy bounced up laughing and the only think that was hurt was her pride! But she did really well and would go back in a heart beat. :)

 

I made sure to generously tip Liz as she was such a great guide and with hugs all around again, we left Mica Guides, but will hold on to the experience forever!

 

We didn’t have a long ride after we left as we decided to eat lunch at the Long Rifle Lodge, http://www.longriflelodge.com, which is only two tenths of a mile down the road. I had seen some postings about the restaurant on this board and Corrie had highly recommended it as well.

 

We were the only diners in the whole restaurant when we entered at about 1:30 p.m. The restaurant is known for their great view of the Glacier and they also have 25 wildlife mounts on the walls. With no one else there, we took the best seats that had a great view of the Glacier. I was a little skeptical when I saw no one else dining, but that was very short lived when the food arrived. Amy had a salmon burger that was very good and I had a cheeseburger that may have been the best yet! The accompanying fries were really good, but it was the Blueberry Pie a la mode for dessert that evoked moans of pleasure! :D Wow, it was so good that Amy and I were almost battling each other to get the last piece! The cost including tip was $26 and I highly recommend this restaurant for lunch. I would imagine that breakfast and dinner there would also be excellent.

 

We enjoyed the scenery one last time as we drove back through the valley that was once covered with Glaciers. We drove through Chickaloon and then down to Palmer and took the junction to the Parks Highway to make our way to Talkeetna. We arrived in Talkeetna around 6:00 p.m. and once again made good time as there was very little traffic on the roads. It had started to drizzle when we drove through Wasilla and as we pulled up to our B&B in Talkeetna is was raining steadily.

 

We stayed at the Talkeetna Chalet B&B and it was definitely the nicest of the three B&B’s we we stayed at. Rachel Coleman is the owner and she has done an incredible job decorating the B&B. The brochure described the décor as a comfortable mix of rustic, antique and Alaskan décor. As you enter the B& B on the lower level there is a large sitting room that has a TV and computer station from which you can go on the internet. Right off the sitting room there is a hallway that gives you access to three bedrooms. We stayed in the “Denali Room” which was very large with a King Bed, stereo and TV and a large bathroom that had a jetted Jacuzzi tub. The other two bedrooms share a common bath. We also had access to the second floor which had a large den that has a 50” Plasma TV and a gorgeous peaceful Sunroom. The B&B is located off of the Talkeetna Spur Road and is only 5 or 10 minutes from the famed Talkeetna Downtown area.

 

When we arrived we were greeted by Rachel who gave us a nice tour of the house. There was one other couple staying there as well and we met them as they were running out the door. They had made reservations for a flight and glacier landing with Talkeetna Aero Taxi. They told us there was room on their flight if we wanted to join them. This is the one excursion I had really wanted us to take, but couldn’t fit it into our budget. I was temped to join them, but it was raining and we were pretty tired from our day’s adventure, so we passed. They had been told that the weather was much better by Mt. McKinley, but as it turned out the flight was canceled.

 

We spend about an hour getting settled and relaxing for a while and then we decided to take the short drive to main area in Talkeetna and to do a little shopping and have dinner. As it was after 7:00 p.m., most of the stores were already closed for the evening, but we found a couple open and bought some gifts for family members back home. We were still a little full from lunch and didn’t want a large sit down dinner, so we dined at the Mountain High Pizza Pie restaurant. It was pretty crowded, so the service took a while, but we were in no hurry so it was no big deal. We both ordered a couple of pizza slices and they were ok, not great by any means.

 

When we returned to the B&B we found out from the other couple (can’t remember their names) that their glacier flight had been canceled and they were going to attempt to go on it tomorrow. I again considered going with them, but we already had a 12:30 p.m. rafting reservation in Denali. We found out that they were staying at the same B&B as us (Denali Lakeview Inn) on Thursday and Friday and that they were also on the same 6:30 a.m. shuttle into Denali on Friday.

 

Once back in our room, I could really feel the aching muscles in my back from today’s ice trek and took a nice relaxing bath in the Jacuzzi tub. Tomorrow we would be traveling to Denali and perhaps this had been the most anticipated part of our journey. For over a year I had dreamed about seeing Mt. McKinley and although I knew we only had a 1 in 3 chance of seeing the great mountain, I just knew that we were going to see it. But it was still raining outside when I turned off the lights in the room and now I wondered it we were going to be amongst the majority to not see the Mountain…:(

 

To be continued…

 

Larry

[cjnky]

Thanks Larry!! Now don't make us wait so long for your next installment! :p

[LarryF]

Thanks Larry!! Now don't make us wait so long for your next installment! :p

 

Sorry for taking so long to write the last installment, but free time is hard to find lately.

 

I'm very busy at work Monday and Tuesday and don't know that I will have time to write much over the next two days; However, I am planning to take off from work Wednesday - Friday and can promise you I will have the last three chapters finished by Friday. I also think you will find the wait very worthwhile :) ...

 

Larry

[Tyrkitty]

After writing the great Alaskan novel you need to book a cruise to somewhere for a rest. I think your posts have been even more fun with the anticipation of the next day of your trip.

[MAGNOLIA1134]

Thank you so much for this review. I'm going to be sorry when it's over.

[pretenda]

This must be the best review ever written - we're really looking forward to the next installment. Thank you so much.:)

Your fantastic review has persuaded us to take a cruise to Alaska - won't be until fall 09 though as we are booked up right until then!!!

Many thanks once again.

Glenda

[LarryF]

Thanks again for all of your kind words. I am enjoying writing about our trip very much. I think I procrastinate a little because I know once I'm done with the review the trip will really be over then!

 

I should have the next chapter posted no later than tomorrow night. I'll give you a little hint by saying you will see another side of me that might surprise you! (I just couldn't resist another little cliffhanger)! LOL :)

 

Larry

[travbee]

Well Larry, I am really trying to figure out the other side of you that you are talking about. As I know about most of your trip this will be a game with myself to try and figure out what you are referring to. I'll let you know if I get it before you post it. Great writing!

 

Barbara

[Trish52158]

:) Hi Larry!

Trish here from Serenade of the Seas, April 2006 (Mike & Trish). Mike and I just looked at your photo album from the Serenade and we found our picture at the pool and at the cruise critic gathering. Your Alaska pictures are awesome! We're also cruising to Alaska on the Sapphire Princess. We fly to Vancouver next week and sail July 14th. Looks like you did a great review. I'm going to read over it again in more detail. This will also be our first trip to Alaska. I'm excited because my boys are going with us on this trip. Tell Amy hello from us!

[LarryF]

:) Hi Larry!

Trish here from Serenade of the Seas, April 2006 (Mike & Trish). Mike and I just looked at your photo album from the Serenade and we found our picture at the pool and at the cruise critic gathering. Your Alaska pictures are awesome! We're also cruising to Alaska on the Sapphire Princess. We fly to Vancouver next week and sail July 14th. Looks like you did a great review. I'm going to read over it again in more detail. This will also be our first trip to Alaska. I'm excited because my boys are going with us on this trip. Tell Amy hello from us!

 

It's great to hear from you Trish. Amy and I loved meeting you last year. You will have a great time in Alaska. Let me know if you have any questions...

 

Larry

[232271]

Wow, you could publish this review, it is wonderful!!

 

I have never been to Alaska and thought a cruise would be great, you make it sound spectacular!

 

Have you been on Caribbean cruises as well, can you tell me how they compare? My hubby is concerned we would not enjoy Alaska as much as the warmer cruises we have taken. Since, Alaska costs more I have to need to convince him otherwise!!

 

thanks!:)

[LarryF]

Wow, you could publish this review, it is wonderful!!

 

I have never been to Alaska and thought a cruise would be great, you make it sound spectacular!

 

Have you been on Caribbean cruises as well, can you tell me how they compare? My hubby is concerned we would not enjoy Alaska as much as the warmer cruises we have taken. Since, Alaska costs more I have to need to convince him otherwise!!

 

thanks!:)

 

This was our first cruise to Alaska. We have cruised 14 other times all to the Caribbean. We have been to the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean on NCL, RCCL, HAL, Carnival and Princess. Every single cruise to the Caribbean was great. I too balked at going to Alaska for the past 3 or 4 years for similar reasons as your husband.

 

Before I committed to the Alaska Trip, I spent at least a week reading reviews on this board. What surprised me about the reviews was that very few of them gave much information about the cruise ships; quality of meals, entertainment, ship board activities... as most reviewers talked about their great shore excursions and their time viewing the Glaciers. The more I learned about Alaska (not the cruise ships) the more excited I got about the trip.

 

IMHO, the difference between going on a Caribbean Cruise and going to Alaska is that one is a relaxing cruise and the other one is life changing adventure.

 

Now that I have experienced Alaska, I can honestly say that our Alaska experience was the greatest vacation we have ever taken. We will definitely go back (the sooner the better!). We are also planning to go on other adventures we normally would not have considered such as a cruise around South America and Antarctica! And we will definitely be cruising in the Caribbean many more times as well!

 

Be sure to share with him some the great reviews and pictures that can be found on this board. Go to some of the great tour excursions websites and share with him the different exciting adventures he can do in Alaska.

 

I'll also be happy to talk to him if you think that will help!

 

Good luck,

 

Larry

[pinoy1]

Larry, you are great. Thanks for your excellent reviews. I am in the process of convincing my DW to take an Alaskan cruise and I believe that success will be forthcoming especially after she and I read your manuscripts. We haven't been to Alaska inspite of having 22 cruises under our belt. We are scheduled to cruise Hawaii in October and plan on doing South America(Buenos Aires to Valparaiso) in January. DW says that Alaska has very close similarity to South America. Is she right?

 

BTW, were you former residents of Atlanta? There's a company in Atlanta that trains individuals to learn public speaking and storytelling. You, Larry, do not need training since it appears you are natural. I would like to seek that company and learn. Congrats to you again and may your tribe increase.

[LarryF]

Larry, you are great. Thanks for your excellent reviews. I am in the process of convincing my DW to take an Alaskan cruise and I believe that success will be forthcoming especially after she and I read your manuscripts. We haven't been to Alaska inspite of having 22 cruises under our belt. We are scheduled to cruise Hawaii in October and plan on doing South America(Buenos Aires to Valparaiso) in January. DW says that Alaska has very close similarity to South America. Is she right?

 

BTW, were you former residents of Atlanta? There's a company in Atlanta that trains individuals to learn public speaking and storytelling. You, Larry, do not need training since it appears you are natural. I would like to seek that company and learn. Congrats to you again and may your tribe increase.

 

I'm not sure as to how much you can compare the bottom of the world with the top of the world, but I walking with Penguins is definitely on my "things I have to do before I die" list!

 

Amy and I did live in Atlanta from 1975 to 1984 and attended UGA from '70 to '74. Do we know each other?

[232271]

:eek:

This was our first cruise to Alaska. We have cruised 14 other times all to the Caribbean. We have been to the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean on NCL, RCCL, HAL, Carnival and Princess. Every single cruise to the Caribbean was great. I too balked at going to Alaska for the past 3 or 4 years for similar reasons as your husband.

 

Before I committed to the Alaska Trip, I spent at least a week reading reviews on this board. What surprised me about the reviews was that very few of them gave much information about the cruise ships; quality of meals, entertainment, ship board activities... as most reviewers talked about their great shore excursions and their time viewing the Glaciers. The more I learned about Alaska (not the cruise ships) the more excited I got about the trip.

 

IMHO, the difference between going on a Caribbean Cruise and going to Alaska is that one is a relaxing cruise and the other one is life changing adventure.

 

Now that I have experienced Alaska, I can honestly say that our Alaska experience was the greatest vacation we have ever taken. We will definitely go back (the sooner the better!). We are also planning to go on other adventures we normally would not have considered such as a cruise around South America and Antarctica! And we will definitely be cruising in the Caribbean many more times as well!

 

Be sure to share with him some the great reviews and pictures that can be found on this board. Go to some of the great tour excursions websites and share with him the different exciting adventures he can do in Alaska.

 

I'll also be happy to talk to him if you think that will help!

 

Good luck,

 

Larry

 

thanks so much! this should help! I knew it would like a cruise of a lifetime, and with FF miles to use to fly us there from Dallas, Texas, it makes it a little less expensive. I am excited as I research ports.

BUT the problem is which ship to do? there are so many Princess ships next summer!

[LarryF]

:eek:

 

thanks so much! this should help! I knew it would like a cruise of a lifetime, and with FF miles to use to fly us there from Dallas, Texas, it makes it a little less expensive. I am excited as I research ports.

BUT the problem is which ship to do? there are so many Princess ships next summer!

 

My top priorites for booking our cruise ship were as follows in this order:

 

1. Itinerary - I wanted to see Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, Glacier Bay and College Fjord.

2. Reputation - I wanted to cruise on a line that had a good reputation cruising in Alaska and had a good naturalist on the ship.

3. Departure Date - I wanted a ship that sailed sailed on a Friday or Saturday North bound so we would have a full week for our independent land tour.

4. Price

 

Also as an FYI for everyone reading this tonight, I am about half way done wiht the next chapter and should finish it tomorrow morning...I've been typing all night and it's almost midnight...so I'm going to bed now! Goodnight ...

 

Larry

[qiangf2]

Larry, are you slacking off? It's been 2 days since your last chapter! Just kidding! :) Have enjoyed your smooth storytelling so much and both DW and I are totally hooked to your travelogue.

[cruise-bunny]

Larry

FANTASTIC review! Glorious Pictures.

I also felt the same way about Alaska until I went on the Sapphire last summer. Although I too love the Caribbean, like you I now want to cruise around South America.

thanks again

Sandy

[Trish52158]

Larry, you've done a great job on your review. I've read it several times. I can't wait to hear the rest. You've got me excited about our trip. I'm more a Caribbean girl. We decided on Alaska because of DH (Mike). Mike has always talked about going to Alaska so this one's for him. I'm on cloud 9 about going because my sons are going with us. We travel a good bit but it's rare that both of the boys are with us at the same time since they are 22 & 27. Thanks for all the information. We leave in 6 days and board the Sapphire Princess July 14th.:D YEAH!!!

[LarryF]

Hello all,

 

To continue…

 

Thursday May 31, 2007

 

I woke up around 7:00 a.m. and took a peek out the window and saw that it was still very cloudy and raining lightly. I had seen the Alaska weather change quickly all week long, so I was still very optimistic about seeing Mt. McKinley and looked forward to our trip to Denali.

 

I had slept really great in the big king bed and found the room to be very comfortable and relaxing. The bathroom was very large and had a great separate shower from the Jacuzzi tub. I took a long hot shower and found myself singing North to Alaska and probably waking up the other guests!

 

Since we began the land portion of the trip I had two pairs of pants that I alternated wearing each day. I wore a clean t-shirt each day and alternated between two different sweatshirts that I wore over the t-shirt. Then depending on the temperature, I would wear a fleece jacket and/or a rain jacket as my final layers. Amy alternated some of her clothing as well, but not quite as much as me.

 

I was dressed and ready at about 7:30 a.m. and breakfast was not until 8:30 a.m., so I used the computer in the sitting room to send out some emails to friends telling them about our great trip. When Amy was ready I went ahead and loaded the car so we could get right on the road after breakfast.

 

Rachel prepared us a feast for breakfast that included scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit, orange juice, coffee and toast. It was all very delicious and very filling! If you are going to stay in the Talkeetna area, the Talkeetna Chalet is a great choice. The website for the B&B is http://www.talkeetnachalet.com. Since we stayed over night on May 31 we just squeaked in to get the low season discount and the cost of our room was only $115. During the busy season the Denali room costs $165.

 

As I mentioned in the last post, the other couple staying at the B&B were going to try to go on the Glacier landing tour with Talkeetna Aero Taxi. They were also staying at the Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy where we were going to stay as well. Since we don’t remember their names, I’m going to call them Joe and Michelle as those names sound familiar and those may have been their names. So we said our goodbyes to Rachel and thanked for her great hospitality and told Joe and Michelle we would see them later at the Lakeview Inn in Healy.

 

We got on the road at 9:30 a.m. and it was still raining and the temperature was about 45 degrees. We needed to get to Denali by 12:30 p.m. as I had made reservations for a scenic two hour raft float tour on the Nenana River. We stopped a few times at some turn offs for scenic viewing, but with all the clouds you could not see too much. There is a turnoff for the south viewing area of Mt. McKinley that has views of the mountain on clear days and I had to laugh at an elderly woman who was marveling at Mt. McKinley when all she was looking at was the base of the mountain!:rolleyes:

 

It took us about two hours to reach Denali Park. We turned into the Park and followed the signs to the visitor center which is about 2 miles from the entrance. It was at this point that the mild mannered Larry that you have all learned to love and admire began to slowly go over to the dark side (Luke… I mean Larry …use the force…)!

 

I went to the information desk at the visitor center to check in for the raft tour and a nice young lady looked at me very strangely and told me that there were no rafting tours in Denali Park. She said all the rafting companies were located in the main attraction area a few miles further on the Parks Highway (Glitter Gulch). So we left the park and drove to Glitter Gulch where thankfully we found the rafting office, but to my dismay we were told that they had no rafting tour at 12:30 p.m. I showed them our reservation document and that’s when we discovered that our rafting tour was with a company called Alaska Raft Adventures. They told me they had never heard of Alaska Raft Adventures, but there was another rafting company just down the street, so we got back in the car and found the other rafting company. They had not heard of Alaska Raft Adventures either, but the representative did have a phone listing of all the raft companies in the area (there were dozens of them) and we found the phone number. I immediately called the number, but no one answered and I left a message on their answering machine that we were trying to find them for our 12:30 p.m. tour (….help me obi-wan-kenobi).

 

We then got back in the car and began driving again. As we drove on the north side of Glitter Gulch, we passed the McKinley Chalet Resort on our left and I happened to see a banner on the left side of the Resort that said, “Alaska Raft Adventures”! Finally, we had found our tour company! I did a quick U-turn and pulled into the Resort Parking lot. There was no entrance under the sign, so we walked to the Resort entrance but could not find any kind of tour office for Alaska Raft Adventures (ARA) in the Resort. I then went to the front desk of the Resort and told the clerk that we had reservations for a 12:30 raft tour with ARA and asked if she knew where I could find them. She said we were in the right place and they had a van that would pick us up at the front entrance. It was 12:25 p.m., so thank goodness we had made it to the right place in time.

 

We waited about 15 minutes with no van in sight when my cell phone rang and it was ARA returning my earlier call. The man on the phone was very nice and apologetic. He asked me where we were staying and I told him we were staying at the Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy. He said that our reservation showed that we were staying at the Denali Bluffs Hotel. He asked if we could change our time to 6:00 p.m. because it would take them some time to pick us up at the Lakeview Inn. I told him that we were at the McKinley Chalet Resort at that moment, not the Lakeview Inn. He then said he could have a van pick us up at 1:30 p.m. and we could be on the raft by 2:00 p.m., and I told him that would work.

 

It was 1:00 p.m. now and we had not eaten, so we drove across the street and went to Subway to get a sandwich to go. Of course the line was long and we barely had a chance to get back and eat our sandwiches before the van arrived.

 

The van arrived about five minutes late. There was another couple already on the van, but we found out they were going on the more adventurous white water rafting tour.

 

Well, you’re not going to believe this one…the van pulled away from the entrance to the Resort and turned right on a dirt road on the right hand side of the Resort and after driving no more than 50 yards down a hill, the driver pulled the van up to the Alaska Raft Adventure building. We could have walked there just as fast! It all seems so funny now as I write about it!! LOL! Why the person I spoke with on the phone did not tell us they were located less than 100 yards away from us is beyond me!:confused:

 

Well at least we were finally there! Again, the people with ARA were extremely nice. They helped us quickly store our things and fit us into wetsuits. It was a very awkward process to fit into the wetsuits. The suit fit over my clothes and completely covered my entire body from the neck down. There was no way any water was going to get into the suit! It took a tremendous effort on their and my part to get my head through the opening in the top of the suit and once I did get it through it was very tight around my neck. I made a comment about how tight it was and they told me that’s the way it was supposed to fit. We were also fitted into large gloves that went over the wetsuit fabric that already covered our hands. We also had to wear a life preserver on top of everything else! Unfortunately I did not have my camera as they said it would not be wise to take it on the raft. Also there is no way I could have taken a picture with the large gloves covering my hands. All I can say is Amy, who is only 4’10” and barely weighs 100 lbs. now looked like a baby elephant! :D I don’t even want to imagine what I must have looked like!

 

The more adventurous white water raft actually puts in the river right there at the rafting facility, but our tour began about 13 miles up river. So we boarded the van again and were driven to the launch point up river. There, we met our guide Susan who we instantly liked and knew would be a good guide. She first gave us thorough safety instructions and then we got on board the raft as she launched us into the fast moving river. While the rapids were not large and very exciting the scenery was very pretty. The clouds had parted and the sun was shining and temperatures had climbed into the low 60’s. Our guide was very knowledgeable and guided the raft with great expertise and explained all the sites as we floated by. I know this all sounds nice and all, but from the time I was fitted in the suit, the suit just got tighter and tighter around my neck. I was pulling the fabric away from my neck every 2 or 3 minutes as it truly felt that there was no blood reaching my head! I probably should have asked to be fitted into another suit, but I thought it would get better as time went by. The trip took about 2 hours and had I not been so distracted and annoyed with the tight suit, I would have a much better narrative about the trip, but quite honestly I don’t remember much of the trip! It was such a relief to finally get out of the suit! I think I may have lost some brain cells during the trip! The good news was that Amy immensely enjoyed the trip and she now says that she would be willing go on a more adventurous trip with level 3 and 4 rapids!

 

Since we returned from the trip I have kind of figured out why there was such a mix up with the raft tour. I found this tour in the Toursaver coupon book. It’s listed on page 42 of the coupon book. The website listed takes you to a site that I thought was Denali Park, but it’s actually Denali Park Resorts. The phone number listed on this website and also on the Toursaver coupon is answered by a person working for a reservation service for the 4 Resorts that are part of the Denali Park Resorts. I did not know this at the time and I thought I was talking to a representative with Denali Park. I made a reservation for the rafting trip and also for the Cabin Night Dinner Theater. When I received the confirmation letter, it did not list where we were supposed to meet, so since I thought I made the reservation with Denali Park, I assumed that was where we were supposed to go for the tour.

 

I am sorry to ramble about all this, but I want to make sure that those of you that may want to raft in Denali don’t make the same mistake I did. If you want to use the coupon from Toursaver, be sure to explain to them when you call and make your reservation that you are not staying at one of their resorts (unless you are) and ask them when and where you should meet for the tour. I would also ask them for the direct phone number for Alaska Rafting Adventures and call them directly and confirm with them directly. I have yet to be able to find a direct website for ARA.

 

We were back on the road just a little after 4:00 p.m. and drove to Healy which is about 10 – 12 miles north of Glitter Gulch. The drive is nice and scenic and only takes 10 to 15 minutes to reach the turn off road for the Denali Lakeview Inn. To get to the Inn you take the Parks Highway to mile marker 247 and turn left on Otto Lake Road and the Inn is on the left a little over a mile away.

 

The Inn is 3 stories high and divided into 2 sections (east and west). There are a total of 17 rooms and the rooms vary in size and amenities depending on their location. We were located in the west side on the bottom floor in the Mountain Glow room. The room was very spacious with a King Bed. The room has a TV, recliner chair, a small dining table, dishes, silverware, refrigerator, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. This was an upgraded room that also had a Jacuzzi Bath, a large deck from which you could use as the entrance to the room as well as the standard entrance. I wouldn’t really classify the Inn as a true B&B, but thought of it as a very nice motel with certain B&B amenities.

 

When we arrived at the Inn there was an information board located at the entrance. There was an envelope with our name on it attached to the message board. In the envelope were instructions about where our room was located and the house rules and policies. The two major rules were to take your shoes off when you entered the Inn and a very stern no smoking policy for the entire property (inside and out) with the threat of a $200 fine. They are very serious about the smoking policy! The other two B&B’s we stayed at had similar policies.

 

We unloaded all our luggage from the car and lugged it down the stairs to our room. I didn’t know it at the time, but we could have driven the car around the building and loaded directly in to our room. Once we were settled Amy decided to wash some of our clothes and I decided I wanted to unpack all 4 of our suitcases and re-pack them so we would have the right weight distribution for the plane on Saturday (…beware of the dark side..anger, fear, aggression..).

 

Sometimes when my world is out of order like not seeing Mt. McKinley because of clouds, not being able to find our rafting tour and almost choking to death with no escape on a raft in fast moving river, I sometimes find a need to bring order to the world. Some call this tendency of mine OCD; I like to call it COD (crazy old dude)! It’s time like these that Amy must be saying to herself, “…and I’ve been married to this guy for 30 years?!” Anyway, within minutes the entire room was covered with clean clothes, dirty clothes, gifts, souvenirs, toiletries and other stuff. I worked fast and furious to perfectly pack each back at equal weights of 48 lbs. each! That was going to be pretty difficult since we didn’t have a scale. LOL! The process took me about 45 minutes; Amy cautiously came close to me and zipped the last case closed as I sat on top of it. The bags were packed perfectly and I lined them up in a very straight line in the closet making sure they were all faced the same way and in descending order based on their height (…my metamorphosis to Darth Vader was complete)!

 

I don’t remember a whole lot after my packing madness. I remember lying back on the bed and Amy waking me up a couple of hours later. COD can make a person pretty exhausted! After a quick shower and change of clothes, we made our way back to Glitter Gulch and the McKinley Chalet Resort where we had 8:30 p.m. reservations for the Cabin Night Dinner show. When we checked in at the front registration desk and the clerk had a puzzled look on her face and asked where we were staying, I almost used the force to strangle the woman, but she quickly recovered and found our reservation. She gave us directions of how to get to the Show, which was just on the other side of where the rafting facility was located.

 

The Dinner Show is held in a stand alone structure that seats several hundred people. The room is full of tables and benches that seat 8-10 people around each table. As we entered the room we were happily greeted by one cast member after another (they were also the waiters, host and hostesses and bartenders). We were quickly seated at a table where there were 4 other couples already into the rowdy country spirit of the evening. I wish I could tell you that I yelped out my best, “Howdy Y’all, I’m Larry and this is my beautiful wife Amy and it’s good to meet all you good folks”, but I didn’t. I still don’t know what had set me off to my not so great mood; maybe it was being away from home for almost 2 weeks (which we have never done), maybe it was the amount of driving I had done the last 6 days, but whatever it was, it was my choice and hopefully at some point I would choose be happy again!:)

 

Looking back through much happier eyes now, I can tell you that the show was very corny, but was fun and enjoyable. Amy had a great time and enjoyed the evening immensely. Our waiter was great and set up a rule from the beginning that if we needed more food or anything else, that collectively we would all raise our napkins in the air and scream at the top of our lungs, Rooooggggeeeerrrr! And he did come running every time our table called his name. The show was a musical story about the history of Alaska and the gold rush town of Kantishna. Some of the cast could sing, some couldn’t; there was lots of audience participation singing “Oh Suzanna” and “She’ll be comin round the Mountain among other old time favorites.” There was a mix of old and not so old people in the audience that seemed to enjoy the show very much.

 

What I can tell you regardless of my mood was that the food was pretty bad; even Amy agrees! We were served dressing drenched salad, greasy pork ribs (they were ok but not great), Salmon (most people didn’t take more than one bite it was so bad), the most horrible baked beans I ever put in my mouth (I had to spit them out they were so bad), peppery corn that I liked but Amy didn’t, and a mixed fruit cobbler for dessert that was the worse dessert we had all week. It was all you could eat, but the only seconds and thirds that our table yelled for were for more ribs.

 

So, would I recommend the Cabin Night Theater Show? If you’re looking for a great meal, or a quaint quiet evening, no. But if you’re looking for a fun energetic sing along with Mitch kind of evening and have the Toursaver two for one coupon and the food is not your main objective, absolutely. If you have to pay full price, $57 per person, save your money and put it toward a Glacier flight tour or something like that!

 

We made it back to the Inn a little after 11:00 p.m. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and it looked like it was about five o’clock in the afternoon. The view off our deck was beautiful and I could finally feel myself begin to relax as the peaceful scenery encompassed me. A surge of adrenaline pulsed through my veins as I became excited about our journey into Denali tomorrow. I knew my dream of seeing Mt. McKinley was going to come true. All seemed right in the universe right now as I got into bed and peacefully closed my eyes. I knew I would dream about the mountain as I had many times over the year and I hoped tomorrow it would be as pretty and awesome as it had been in all my dreams (Concentrate...feel the Force flow. Yes. Good. Calm, yes. Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future...the past. Old friends long gone…)

 

To be continued…

 

Larry

[cjnky]

I think I may have lost some brain cells during the trip!

 

LMAO!! You sure didn't lose many of them Larry! Another great chapter!

[LarryF]

Larry, you've done a great job on your review. I've read it several times. I can't wait to hear the rest. You've got me excited about our trip. I'm more a Caribbean girl. We decided on Alaska because of DH (Mike). Mike has always talked about going to Alaska so this one's for him. I'm on cloud 9 about going because my sons are going with us. We travel a good bit but it's rare that both of the boys are with us at the same time since they are 22 & 27. Thanks for all the information. We leave in 6 days and board the Sapphire Princess July 14th.:D YEAH!!!

 

Have a great time Trish! Let me know how great it was when you get back!

 

Larry

[LarryF]

LMAO!! You sure didn't lose many of them Larry! Another great chapter!

 

 

Glad I could make you laugh! :D I'm hoping to have the next chapter done by tomorrow night and the last chapter soon after...It's almost over :(