Show Us Your Life-Vacations!

It's "Show Us Your Life" Friday at Kelly's Korner. Another fun topic today is to show your favorite vacation spots. I looooove to travel and would do it more if time and money weren't limiting factors. Two of my favorite vacation destinations are Alaska and Michigan.

First photos from the Alaskan cruise we took 3 years ago. If you ever get a chance to go to Alaska, you must go! It is so unlike the rest of the country and just too amazing for words. I would love to go back someday, but the downside of Alaska is that it is VERY expensive. I would have loved to fly there and drive around instead of being more limited on a cruise, but the cruise was the far cheaper way to see the state.

We flew to Seattle and took Amtrak to Vancover because it cost $300 to fly to Seattle opposed to $600 to fly to Vancouver. Our cruise was a roundtrip out of Vancouver.

Getting ready to sail under Lion's Gate Bridge while leaving Vancouver:


Magnificant Hubbard Glacier. We cruised up to this mightly glacier for several hours. It was very cold and windy out of deck, but the beauty of the glacier almost made me forget the cold. Almost.






This was the Pultney Point Lighthouse I think. It's on the way to Skagway.



Our first port was Skagway. We rented a car and drove the Klondike Highway into Canada.
The sceneary was gorgeous.





There were beautiful hills, mountains, and deep blue lakes.





This is Emerald Lake and where we turned around and headed back.



In Juneau we splurged and took a helicopter ride to a glacier. It was raining all day in Juneau so the pictures from the ride weren't the best, but the view was awesome.



We landed on the glacier and walked around for awhile. It was slippery and cold, but not as cold as your would think standing on a big hunk of ice would be.



Our last port was Ketchikan. The former "red light" district of the town is now home to shops and restaurants on Creek Street.



Another lighthouse we passed on the cruise. I love lighthouses!



On our last day sailing back to Vancouver we sailed near a pod of killer whales. They were everywhere and kept jumping up out of the water. It was amazing to watch.





The last sunset of our cruise. =(






Another favorite vacation destination is Michigan. Living in the Midwest, the Great Lakes are the closest thing we have to an ocean and beaches. We have spent the last 2 years visiting areas of Michigan.

This is the lighthouse in Ludington. We climbed the stairs to the top and I was freaked out because of the height. The view was incredible from the top though.



This is the graceful Mackinac Bridge connecting the lower part of Michigan to the upper peninsula. We drove across it to St. Ignace where we had dinner.



We also took the ferry across to Mackinac Island. The island is a charming Victorian community. Cars are banned from the island so everyone rides bikes or in horse carriages. Even the UPS guy drives a horse and wagon to make deliveries. It was odd to see houses without driveways or garages, but the homes are very beautiful.



The view from Fort Mackinac on the island.



This is the view from our room in Traverse City.



We also visited Sleeping Bear Dunes. There is a scenic drive you can take with many places to stop and some short hikes to some amazing views. The water in Lake Michigan is a deep blue-green color. The water around Traverse City is supposed to be some of the cleanest water on the planet.



The sunsets on Lake Michigan are awesome. This photo is from when we returned to the state last year. This was taken in Holland. Holland is a quaint town complete with windmills and tulips.



And of course another lighthouse shot. The shore along the Great Lakes is full of lighthouses. This one is in Muskegon.


A final lighthouse shot from beautiful South Haven. South Haven is my favorite town in Michigan. It has that laid back beach town feel.



We are headed to Colorado in just a few weeks so I'm sure I will have another favorite vacation destination and lots of wonderful photos to share!