Work before pleasure! Our morning activity was the just over 1 1/2 mile hike to Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park. We had reservations at Sol Duc Hot Springs to soak in the early afternoon after our hike.#WordyExplorers #washington #OlympicNationalPark #OlympicNP #nps #SolDucValley #SolDucRiver #SolDucFalls #waterfall #gorge #hike #hiking #WaterfallHike #WaterfallHiking
Our two mile hike through an old-growth forest to Marymere Falls helped us get over 15k steps during our first full day at Olympic National Park!#WordyExplorers #washington #OlympicNationalPark #OlympicNP #nps #NationalPark #MarymereFalls #MomentsInTimeTrail #HikingTrail #waterfall #forest #OldGrowthForest #hike #hiking #LakeCrescent #twwt
While hiking upon a trail in Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park, we came upon this black-tailed deer. Not sure why (since we have plenty of deer near our home), but we got so excited!#WordyExplores #washington #OlympicNationalPark #NationalPark #nps #HurricaneRidge #hike #hiking #HikingTrail #BlackTailedDeer #BlacktailDeer #ColumbianBlackTailedDeer #wildlife
Ruby Beach, inside the third national park of our trip (Olympic), came highly recommended due to its unique scenery - piles of driftwood logs, sea stacks and a shoreline filled with smooth stones that were perfect for skipping!#WordyExplorers #washington #kalaloch #OlympicNationalPark #OlympicNP #NationalPark #nps #OlympicCoast #RubyBeach #hike #hiking #driftwood #SkippingRocks #SkippingStones #SkippingPebbles #SeaStacks
Over the next couple of weeks we'll be posting some additional pictures and videos from our 40 days of visiting 8 national parks and so much more. Lassen Volcanic was the first of the national parks we visited on our adventure, and the boiling mud pots in "Sulphur Works" are very close to the park's southwest entrance. #WordyExplorers #california #mineral #LassenVolcanicNationalPark #LassenVolcanic #NationalPark #nps #SulphurWorks #geothermal #hydrothermal #MudPots #fumaroles #HotSprings
We wrapped up our 40 day adventure spending most of our day in 3 airports and 2 airplanes. We left Fairbanks with memories from visiting 8 national parks (only 6 more until we have visited all 63 national parks in the US) and much much more. It's still hard to believe that we finally were able to complete these past two weeks in Alaska originally planned and reserved for the summer of 2020!#WordyExplorers #california #oregon #washington #alaska #nps #NationalParkService #NationalPark #LassenVolcanic #CraterLake #olympic #MountRanier #NorthCascades #KenaiFjords #WrangellStElias #denali
We spent Day 39, our last day before traveling home, at Chena Hot Springs Resort. We spotted a few moose on the road leading in to the resort - our last wildlife sightings of the trip. After taking a tour of the resort's Aurora Ice House, we spent our afternoon soaking in the hot springs lake and hot tubs.#WordyExplorers #alaska #fairbanks #DayTrip #ChenaHotSprings #ChenaHotSpringsResort #ChenaHotSpringsAlaska #moose #SloughLake #AuroraIceMuseum #HotSprings #HotSpringsLake #HotSpring #geothermal #HotTub #TravelAlaska #OnlyInAlaska #twwt
We started Day 38 with a journey along the Chena River aboard the steamboat "Discovery III". In addition to disembarking for a short visit at Chena Village, we learned some history along the way. Upon our return to Steamboat Landing, we made a quick visit to the "40-Below Room". We spent our afternoon exploring North Pole and seeing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline before returning to Fairbanks.#WordyExplorers #alaska #fairbanks #SteamboatLanding #ChenaRiver #RiverboatDiscovery #DiscoveryIII #steamboat #ChenaVillage #40BelowRoom #NorthPole #NorthPoleAK #NorthPoleAlaska #TransAlaskaPipeline #AntlerArch
We started off Day 37 at Denali's Sled Dog Kennels. After meeting the huskies and learning about their "jobs", we explored the National Park Visitor Center and hiked a couple of short (soggy) trails. After having enough of the rain, we rode one loop on the park's Savage River Shuttle - the falls colors were stunning, even in the rain! We wrapped up our day aboard the Denali Star train enroute to Fairbanks.#WordyExplorers #alaska #denali #DenaliAlaska #DenaliNationalPark #DenaliNP #NationalPark #nps #SledDogKennels #SledDogs #huskies #hiking #hike #MorinoTrail #SpruceForestTrail #SavageRiverShuttle #FallColors
Day 36 was our one full day to spend in Denali National Park, our 8th park of our trip. Our hopes were to see both Mount McKinley (aka Denali) and lots of wildlife. As we've learned is fairly common, parts of the mountain were in hiding through the entire day, so we never had a great view. We did have some wildlife sightings, just not as many as we had hoped!#WordyExplorers #alaska #denali #DenaliNationalPark #MountMcKinley #MtMcKinley #TransitBus #EastFork #EastForkTransitBus #wildlife #GrizzlyBear #ArcticGroundSquirrel #DallSheep #raven #WillowPtarmigan #moose
After breakfast in Talkeetna on Day 35, we were off to the train station to ride the rails to Denali. We got checked in to our hotel and had just enough time to get ready for an evening ATV adventure. We definitely got muddy as we zipped through puddles and stopped at a couple of scenic views on our way to a BBQ dinner.#WordyExplorers #alaska #denali #DenaliAlaska #backcountry #atv #AllTerrainVehicle #ATVAdventure #BlackDiamond #DenaliBlackDiamond #BlackDiamondResort #twwt #adventure #AdventureTravel
After a ride aboard the Denali Star train from Anchorage, we spent most of our Day 34 in the cute town of Talkeetna. We explored the "downtown" Main Street, visited the Ranger Station and more. We wrapped up our day with an early evening float on the Talkeetna and Susitna Rivers. #WordyExplorers #alaska #talkeetna #TalkeetnaAlaska #TalkeetnaRoadhouse #DowntownTalkeetna #MainStreetTalkeetna #TalkeetnaMainStreet #NagleysGeneralStore #RangerStation #TalkeetnaRiverGuides #FloatTrip #TalkeetnaRiver #SusitnaRiver
We left Glenallen in the morning of Day 33 and headed back toward Anchorage. Enroute, we hiked to Thunderbird Falls (missed earlier due to rain and snow) and explored a bit of the Eagle River Nature Center. We made a quick stop at a fish hatchery and before calling it a night, we explored some more of the city's downtown.#WordyExplorers #alaska #GlennHighway #anchorage #DowntownAnchorage #AnchorageDowntown #ChugachStatePark #ThunderbirdFalls #EagleRiverNatureCenter #WilliamJackHernandezFishHatchery #FishHatchery #CaptainCookMonument #hike #hiking
Day 32 started off with a hike to (and on) Root Glacier inside Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. After hiking about 2 1/2 miles, we strapped on crampons so that we could explore the glacier - crunch, crunch, crunch! (We logged over 21,000 steps for the day, including a trek across the footbridge again to catch our shuttle back to Glenallen.)#WordyExplorers #alaska #kennicott #WrangellStEliasNationalPark #WrangellStEliasNP #WrangellStElias #nps #NationalPark #StEliasAlpineGuides #HalfDayGlacierHike #GlacierHike #hike #hiking #crampons #RootGlacier
We started Day 31 off with a ride on the Kennecott Shuttle from Glenallen to McCarthy, Alaska. After walking across the footbridge, we quickly explored the town of McCarthy. The Coppertown Shuttle brought us over to Kennecott where we explored on our own before joining a Mill Town Tour.#WordyExplorers #alaska #glenallen #McCarthy #kennecott #KennecottShuttle #footbridge #WrangellStEliasNationalPark #WrangellStEliasNP #WrangellStElias #NationalPark #nps #CoppertownShuttle #StEliasAlpineGuides #MillTownTour #CopperMill
After admiring the snow covered landscape on our Day 30, we departed from Glacierview for our 7th national park. We started our afternoon with several hikes near the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Copper Center Visitor Center and wrapped up hiking along the Aspen Trail (created by school age children in the town of Glenallen).#WordyExplorers #alaska #glacierview #glenallen #nps #WrangellStEliasNationalPark #WrangellStEliasNP #WrangellStElias #CopperCenter #hike #hiking #trails #HikingTrail #CopperRiverBluffTrail #BorealForestTrail #ValdezTrail #hiking #AspenTrail
Day 29 started off much cooler than our first few days in Alaska, but that didn't hinder us. After a guided tour at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, we began our drive from Anchorage to Glacierview. The skies (and trees, roads, & everything else) unexpectedly began filling with rain followed by snow after our visit to Eklutna Historical Park and hike at Reflection Lake Overlook!#WordyExplorers #alaska #AlaskaAdventure #anchorage #palmer #glacierview #AlaskaNativeHeritageCenter #EklutnaHistoricalPark #ReflectionLakeOverlook #SheepMountainLodge #twwt #snow #GoExplore #hike #hiking
After picking up a rental car in Anchorage on our Day 28, we watched a few floatplanes land and take-off at the Lake Hood Floatplane Base. From there, we explored some of the parks in the city in hopes of spotting some wildlife. Our first stop, Earthquake Park, ranked as our favorite thanks to a moose sighting!#WordyExplorers #alaska #AlaskaLife #ExploreAlaska #anchorage #AnchorageAlaska #ExploreAnchorage #LakeHood #LakeHoodFloatplaneBase #floatplanes #EarthquakePark #PotterMarshBoardwalk #moose #wildlife
We started Day 27 off with the Northwestern Fjord Tour. We boarded the Coastal Explorer which took us into Kenai Fjords National Park. Between the two of us, we took over 600 photos of the wildlife and glaciers that we saw on the 8 hour boat ride. Almost immediately after the boat tour, we departed on Alaska Rail for an evening train ride from Seward to Anchorage.#WordyExplorers #alaska #seward #KenaiFjordsNationalPark #KenaiFjordsTours #CoastalExplorer #NorthwesternFjordTour #fjord #glacier #wildlife #BaldEagle #eagle #whale #FinWhale #SeaLions #StellarSeaLions #HarborSeals #DallsPorpoises
Day 26 was our first day to start out rainy. Disembarking from Ovation of the Seas and a stroll along Seward's Waterfront Park were soggy, but fortunately the skies partially cleared as we began exploring the Exit Glacier Area of the 6th national park of our journey - Kenai Fjords National Park!#WordyExplorers #alaska #seward #WaterfrontPark #KenaiFjordsNationalPark #KenaiFjordsNP #KanaiFjords #ExitGlacier #glacier #nps #NationalPark #hike #hiking #RangerLedHike #LowellCreekWaterfall #IditarodMile0
It's Day 25 and anyone who has been following us for any length of time already knows of my obsession with towel animals! Here's our latest haul from our Alaska cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas. (The "animals" kept us company as we packed up for disembarkation and our final 14 days of our 40 day adventure!)#WordyExplorers #cruise #CruiseVacation #alaska #CruiseAlaska #AlaskaCruise #RoyalCaribbean #OvationOfTheSeas #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOfTheSeas #OvationOTS #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOTS #cabin #CruiseCabin #StateroomAttendant #TowelAnimal #TowelAnimals
We spent much of the early part of our Day 24 in our cabin (or on our balcony). It was perfect for admiring the view of Hubbard Glacier while listening to the TV broadcast of the onboard naturalist sharing information about the glacier. #WordyExplorers #alaska #yakutat #YakutatAlaska #DisenchantmentBay #HubbardGlacier #RoyalCaribbean #OvationOfTheSeas #WrangellStEliasNationalPark #WrangellStEliasNP #cruise #CruiseVacation #glacier #TidewaterGlacier
We spent the 23rd day of our trip at the Port of Skagway. On our last visit to Skagway, we didn't have time to take the tour of the Red Onion Saloon, so that was our first priority. Before our tour, we had time to see the historic locomotive & snowplow, enjoy the views from the footbridge and explore the Klondike Gold Rush Visitor Center. #WordyExplorers #alaska #AlaskaCruise #CruiseAlaska #cruise #CruiseVacation #RoyalCaribbean #OvationOfTheSeas #OvationOTS #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOfTheSeas #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOTS #skagway #footbridge #KlondikeGoldRush #RedOnionSaloon #RedOnion #saloon #brothel
Day 22 was the second day of our northbound Alaska cruise when the Ovation of the Seas was docked in a port city. We learned some history about the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States, watched the "salmon run" and explored Sitka National Historical Park (another stamp for my National Parks book!). #WordyExplorers #RoyalCaribbean #OvationOfTheSeas #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOfTheSeas #OvationOTS #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOTS #alaska #AlaskaCruise #CruiseAlaska #cruise #CruiseVacation #StMichaelsCathedral #BaranofCastle #TotemSquare #TotemPark #SitkaNationalHistoricalPark #SitkaHarbor #SalmonRun
The first port day on our northbound Alaskan cruise from Vancouver was at Icy Strait Point (Day 21). We walked from the port to the cannery area and then along the Veteran's Memorial Sea Walk to Hoonah and back again. Our step count for the day was just under 21,500 steps (our second biggest step day since leaving home).#WordyExplorers #alaska #IcyStraitPoint #hoonah #RoyalCaribbean #OvationOfTheSeas #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOfTheSeas #OvationOTS #AlaskaCruise #CruiseAlaska #cruise #cannery #VeteransMemorialSeaWalk #TransporterGondola #IcyStraitPointDIY
Day 20 was our first full day aboard Ovation of the Seas. One of our hopes was to enjoy some rest and relaxation on our 7-day cruise after almost three weeks of going non-stop! We did take advantage of a time slot for the North Star Basic Experience.#WordyExplorers #RoyalCaribbean #OvationOfTheSeas #RoyalCaribbeanOvationOTS #OvationOTS #LoyalToRoyal #CrownAndAnchor #CrownAndAnchorSociety #NorthStar #NorthStarBasicExperience #AlaskaCruise #CruiseAlaska #VancouverToSeward #PanoramicView
On Day 19 we officially started phase two of our 40 day vacation. During the next week, we traveled onboard Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas. Check out this video introduction to the "obstructed balcony" cabin that was our home away from home!#WordyExplorers #canada #BritishColumbia #vancouver #PortOfVancouver #RoyalCaribbean #OvationOfTheSeas #OvationOTS #LoyalToRoyal #CrownAndAnchorSociety #CrownAndAnchor #Crown&AnchorSociety #Crown&Anchor #CruiseAlaska #AlaskaCruise #VancouverToSeward #cabin #Stateroom
We started Day 18 off with a morning train ride between Bellingham, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. Since we visited Vancouver just a few years ago, we chose to have a more relaxing day reminiscing about some of our memories from our last trip - like the Gastown Steam Clock!#WordyExplorers #canada #BritishColumbia #vancouver #VancouverBC #VanCity #HistoricVancouver #ExploreVancouver #gastown #GastownVancouver #SteamClock #timepiece #GastownSteamClock #SteamClockVancouver #travel
On Day 17 of our journey we said goodbye to our rental car ... but first we needed to travel between the cities of Concrete and Bellingham in Washington state. Before returning our car, we did a little exploring around Bellingham and checked in to our evening accommodations at Stones Throw Brewing!#WordyExplorers #washington #bellingham #BellinghamWA #downtown #fairhaven #mural #boardwalk #sundial #MaritimeHeritagePark #StonesThrowBrewing #StonesThrowBrewery #RoadTrip #twwt
Day 16 was our one and only day at the fifth National Park of our trip. We enjoyed the scenic drives, soaked in the views at scenic overlooks and hiked a few trails including Trail of the Cedars and Ladder Creek Falls in Newhalem plus Rainy Lake Trail - all at North Cascades National Park!#WordyExplorers #washington #concrete #ConcreteWA #NorthCascades #NorthCascadesNP #NorthCascadesNationalPark #newhalem #ScenicDrive #ScenicOverlook #overlook #viewpoint #vista #hike #hiking #TrailOfTheCedars #LadderCreekFalls #RainyLakeTrail #RoadTrip