OCTOBER 201 4 SUNRAYS | 49
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
museums, saw the Mendenhall Glacier
up close, watched salmon spawning,
and dined in local restaurants (includ-
ing Juneau’s Red Dog Saloon). Too bad
we couldn’t have sent any of that rain to
Texas!
If rain wouldn’t stop our group, neither
would cold weather, and we endured tem-
peratures in the 40s for one of the jour-
ney’s greatest thrills: the Hubbard Glacier.
Our ship moved as close as it could to the
glacier, and even from the deck we could
hear the thundering sounds of the glacier
calving off icebergs.
Our seven day cruise on the Radiance of
the Seas ended in Seward, Alaska, where
we were greeted by our Adventure Spe-
cialist, Haley. Here we boarded a deluxe
motor coach and toured the Alaska Sea
Life Center, followed by an enjoyable ride
to the Alyeska Resort and dinner atopMt.
Alyeska. The next day, we attended a local
craft market in Anchorage before mak-
ing our way to the beautiful rainforests
of Denali National Park, where we would
stay for the next two nights. There, we at-
tended Iditarod Hall of Famer Jeff King’s
Homestead Tour – we were even able to
hold some of the puppies of his champion
dogs. A family-style dinner show and a De-
nali Natural History Tour topped off our
time in this beautiful natural preserve.
After packing, we set off to Talkeetna,
one of the most picturesque spots in all
of Alaska. It was this town that inspired
the TV show “Northern Exposure.” By
night we stayed in a wonderful lodge with
many amenities. By day, we went hiking,
visited the little town, took a guided na-
ture tour, went rafting, and, at times, just
sat back and took in the incredible sight
of Mt. McKinley and all its 20,320 snow-
covered feet.
The next day, we boarded a glass-domed
train car called The Wilderness Express
for our scenic ride back to Anchorage. We
enjoyed a wonderful dinner on the train,
and saw a rainbow through our windows
as we passed through Wasilla, home of
Sarah Palin.
As we rode, heading toward Anchorage for
our last night, all of us were getting pretty
tired and getting home to Sun City was
sounding pretty good. It was a wonderful
trip and experience, with many pictures
taken and memories made; but, in the
end, there’s no place like home.
One of the thrills of the Alaskan adven-
ture was the opportunity to view various
wildlife, like these bighorn sheep, left, and
this black bear, right.
PHOTO courtesy of rick and nancy wagoner
