Seattle, Washington!

Seattle, Washington State 2013

 

As part of our trip to the West Coast, prior to taking the Alaska cruise, we spent a few days exploring Seattle! It is a great city, awesome food and lots to do as a family!!

 

Saturday 15th June

 

After our flight landed we took the train from the airport out to Seattle. It was about a 30 min trip and rather interesting with 7 of us and all our luggage!

We checked into our hotel and headed out and about!

 

Our first stop was a trip to the top of the Space Needle! The view was amazing looking out as far as Mount Rainer and even into the Puget Sound! Sadly it was a pretty cold and cloudy day, so the mountain was not very clear to see!

 

 

Below the needle is a fabulous MUST SEE  glass garden made by Dale Chihuly. His work is like nothing we have ever seen or experienced from an artist. Just amazing!

 

We had a little walk through a park nearby and then returned to the hotel for the night. It had been a long day with flights the day before, so we were all pretty tired!

 

Sunday 16th June

 

On Sunday 16th June, we started the day celebrating Fathers Day! Col has loved having Fathers Day in the USA as it always coincides with the girls visiting, so he gets to have all 5 kids at the same time! We went to the hotel lobby for breaky and the kids had fun picking out hubbies meal for the morning lol! It was time for some quick pressies, collect the hire car and then off exploring for the day!

 

 

 

We started off with a short drive to the Discovery Park Lighthouse. It was pretty small compared to others we have seen, but so pretty! The lighthouse itself was closed but the National Park was open, so we were able to take photos of it!

 

 

 

Then visited the Ballard Locks and got to see it all work, pretty impressive! The other side of the locks is a salmon ladder. The salmon were is full swing for us, it was great to watch them! They have big sprinklers over the locks to stop the birds from eating all the baby salmon!

 

 

 

Our next little side trip was to visit the Fremont Troll! Its a fun photo op under the Franklin Bridge!

This was on our way to the Lake View Cemetery. Some people may find it odd that we went to a cemetery but it is the final resting place of Bruce & Brandon Lee. So we paid our respects.

 

 

 

We found a Safeway supermarket nearby and grabbed a hot chook (chicken for my American friends!) some fresh rolls and made a quick bite to eat!

 

We took a drive up to Snoqualmie Falls. It is a spectacular 270 foot waterfall and the drive up there was gorgeous!

 

 

 

On our way back into the city we made a detour to a place called Kerry Park. It has some really great views overlooking the city.

 

 

 

We then popped into the Pike Place Market and took a look around. I had heard about a bubble gum wall where tourists had been placing a piece of gum along a brick wall for many years. So long that it has infact become quite the unique tourist attraction! So we found a little candy store (Lolly shop for my Aussie friends!) and brought our gum to add to the wall! The market was pretty much over for the day, so we called back another time to check it out properly!

 

 

 

Our final stop for the day, given it was Fathers Day and all, was to The Pike! Being an avid home brewer, it is only natural for my hubby to taste test the local craft beers! This pub & brewery is actually under street level and the drinks were pretty good!!

 

Happy Fathers day to my gorgeous hubby!

 

 

Monday 17th June

Hubby returned the hire car and we took the train to the downtown district to join the Seattle Underground Tour. The tour is a leisurely, guided walking tour beneath Seattle’s sidewalks and streets. As you roam the subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle, our guides regale you with the stories our pioneers didn’t want you to hear. It’s history with a twist!

 

It was really interesting and quite amazing to be walking under the main roads and shops! On the footpaths at street level you would walk over the top of these glass tiles. Once you are underground, you quickly learn that they are infact the skylights for the town that once thrived there!

 

We had read online about the ferry trip over to Bainbridge Island. We thought it would be a nice way to escape the city and enjoy a few hours looking around. The view from the ferry looking back at Seattle was beautiful. It was a great sunny day and very calm waters. We treated the kids to an ice cream and made our way back to Seattle, via the ferry.

 

 

 

 

Walking off the ferry the Seattle Great Wheel caught our eye! It is a ferris wheel partially over the water at Minors Landing. There were some arcade games and a carousel inside, that the kids also enjoyed! Again, great views to be had!

 

We finished the day with the best seafood dinner at Ivars Acres of Clams on the waterfront!

 

Tuesday 25th June

 

Today we arrived back from our cruise in Alaska, which you can read all about here: Alaska Cruise!

 

Not wanting to waste the day, we dropped our luggage off at the hotel we had booked for the night and headed back into the city for one last day of exploring!

 

Hubby came up with the great idea of taking the kids on the duck ride! Its a vehicle that can drive on land and float in water! The tour guide was hilarious! The kids thought it was the most amazing thing that this "duck" could drive and float! After about half hour of touring the land, we entered the water with a nice big splash and sailed past some pretty awesome yachts and house boats. Even the one used in the movie Sleepless in Seattle!! 

 

 

 

Upon our return to the duck station, we made a short walk to an apartment building known as Escala. For those of you who have read 50 Shades of Grey, you will know exactly what Escala is!! For those who don't, the short version is..........Christian Grey, the main character in the book, lives in the penthouse of this apartment, with a rather 'interesting' room! anyhow it was a photo op that I couldn't miss!!

 

The next stop was the Seattle Aquarium. This was a great educational experience for the kids! Upon our arrival we were asked if the kids would like to join a Marine Biologist and go outside to net plankton for an experiment. Of course we jumped at the opportunity! They all took it in turns pulling the net out of the Puget Sound and took the collected plankton back into the aquarium.

Once back inside they used eye droppers to put the plankton onto slides and looked at them under a microscope, which was projected onto a big screen. The kids were fascinated by the little creatures that they saw! We also watched the giant octopus be fed and of course, we found Nemo!!

 

 

 

 

We really had a great time in Seattle. So much to do, so little time, but glad to not only have another State ticked off but visited a great city while we were at it!

 

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ALASKA CRUISE ~ AMAZING!!

Alaska Cruise ~ 2013

 

After our wonderful cruise experience with Carnival cruises last year, we decided to take all the kids on a 7 night Alaskan Cruise!

We had seen some previews of the cruise, looked over Google at photos and did a heap of research before heading off.

I am a planner and with every trip we take I spend hours, upon hours looking at every possible idea, attraction and scenic routes to add to our itinerary. I have everything planned to the day! Then I look for discount coupons, codes for ticketing etc, etc. When you travel with 5 children, these things all count!

 

Alaska was no exception and although we were on a cruise, we still had port visits that needed planning! Here's a map of our cruise:

 

 

 

We set sail from Seattle and headed out of the Puget Sound and into the inside passage. After a day of sailing we arrive in Tracy Arm Fjord. To wake up and see the most stunning cliffs, snow capped mountains, waterfalls everywhere, bald eagles flying over head and this brilliant icy blue water, was just breath taking!

 

One thing I had not planned on was taking an excursion off the ship to explore this wonderful place up close and personal! The excursion was not the cheapest and something we will never get the opportunity to do again, so Col & I really wanted to embrace it. After talking to the staff at the kids club on the ship, we headed to the bookings desk and handed over the loot!! Best money we spent!

The kids were settled into their clubs and we boarded a small vessel and headed off on our kid free adventure!

 

Our first stop was Misty Falls. Just beautiful! The picture says it all!

 

 

 

Then we sailed up to Sawyer Glacier passing by seals resting on icebergs! It was truly magnificent

 

Sawyer Glacier

We left Sawyer and headed to South Sawyer Glacier. Little did we know that we were about to witness the most spectacular ice calving!! First you heard the big cracking sound, then the pieces began to break off splashing into the water with a thunderous roar before sending waves out through the fjord. It was amazing!! We saw 2 calving's, the 2nd was the biggest. Sadly Col thought he had the video camera on record, but it was on standby!!! Lucky for us another traveler gave us their copy.

South Sawyer Glacier

 

After spending 3 hours in the fjord it was time to return to the ship! This was an experience that we will never forget and thanks to several hundred photos, we cant!!

A great photo of the Carnival Miracle by the Sawyer Glacier

When we returned to the ship we went and collect the kids and took them outside to see the glacier. The older 2 had been out to see it already, but the younger 3 were impressed!

Skagway:

The ships next stop was Skagway. I had found a tour on Trip Advisor and happily booked a local guide called Matt, who was now running his own private charters.

given there was 7 of us, we booked the van out exclusively and again had an amazing experience!

Matt took us to many points of interest including Tutshi River, Tutshi Lake, we built inukshuks, skimmed rocks in the Tutshi Lake, Emerald Lake, Caribou Crossing Dog Mush to play with the husky pups, lunch in the town of Carcross, up into the Yukon and we passed through 4 different eco systems!

We were also fortunate enough to see 2 bears by the side of the road, one on the way out to the Yukon and one on the way back!

You can check out Matts website here: Skagway Van Tours

 

Welcome to Alaska!!!!

The gorgeous Tutshi River!

 

Juneau:

 

Our morning in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, was wet and much cooler than our previous days in this glorious State! So we rugged out and headed to the cab terminal to start the days itinerary!

First stop was Mendenhall Glacier. Whilst there we took a short walk out to Nugget Falls, which also gave us a better viewing point of the glacier. We saw some bear prints in the sand by the falls, but no bears in person! It was quite pretty but sadly visibility was poor due to the weather!

 

 

Mendenhall Glacier & Nugget Falls

 

 

The cab returned for us and dropped us off at the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. We enjoyed a quick guided tour and took a look around the small aquarium they had there. It was a short port visit so that concluded our time in Juneau. Off course the clouds lifted as the ship set sail!

 

 

 

Ketchikan:

 

Today we went on a bus tour to the Saxman Village. Saxman Native Village is known for their collection of Native American Totem Poles, the largest collection of standing Totem Poles in fact, but that's hardly the end of it! There is a gorgeous Clan House, Native Carving Shed, Gift Shop, a short walk through the rainforest, and active eagles next just across the street.

In the carving shed the natives put on a welcome dance for us. They asked if anyone wanted to partake and of course hubby jumped at the opportunity! Taquira also joined in. They got to wear the traditional clothing and were shown some moves!

 

Taquira (3rd left) and Col (in the front) doing some native dancing!

Some of the many totem poles at the village

We left the village and went into town to catch a lumberjack show. They split the crowd into 2 groups and you had to cheer for your lumber team. They competed in many events showing us their skills. Some of the crew are part of a television show. The kids were happy to meet them after!

The kids with the crew from the Lumberjack show!

Victoria B.C ~ Canada

 

Our last day on the ship had a 3 hour port call into Victoria B.C. The ship didn't dock until 7:30pm so the kids went off to club and Col & I took a quick bus tour out to Craigdarroch Castle. The castle itself was well presented and we got to self tour through most of it. The family sold off most of the land, so it wasn't as grand as I'm sure it was in its day. We felt the bus tour was a rip off as entry into the castle was a quarter of the price we were charged. The bus also did the usual tour thing of here is this out that window and look out that window at this! Due to it being night, we really didn't see too much. We did get to have one 10 min stop in town to grab some photos of the parliament house.

 

Craigdarroch Castle 

Parliament House



Victoria Harbour

This is just a small sample of the magnificent trip we took.

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I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS..............

Christmas 2012 ~ Canada!

 

Since we have arrived in the US it has been a dream to have at least one White Christmas. We spent the first year at home in hope, but it did not start snowing until the new year!

So this year we decided to head North and go where we were guaranteed to have a White Christmas!

 

 

Hubby and I really wanted to see Niagara Falls. So we planned the trip in 3 parts:

 

Niagara Falls ~ 21st Dec - 23rd Dec

Log Cabin in Haliburton ~ 23rd Dec - 27th Dec and

Toronto ~ 27th - 30th Dec

 

We wanted to be home for New Years Eve so we could celebrate with family & friends!

Family photo after we took a dog sledding tour!

 

 

NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO:

We wanted to hit the road early and avoid all the peak hour traffic heading into Washington DC. So we loaded up the car the night before and dragged ourselves out of bed for a 4am start!

We definitely avoided the traffic! The drive up to Ontario was really easy. The kids slept, watched dvds and played with their electronic devices. The scenery was really beautiful. Within 2 hours of driving we started to notice the snow on the side of the roads.

By 4 hours in, there was snow everywhere!!!

 

We had a few stops along the way but made it to our hotel by 2pm. We booked for a fallsview room at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls. It was a really nice hotel, the breakfast was amazing every day!! Big selection of hot and cold food, including an omelet station! We were a little disappointed with our room as it was an obstructed view, but they had upgraded us to have a spa suite! It was still a nice view, just not what we had hoped for.

 

We went and checked out the falls that day, amazing!!! So big, loud and of course freezing cold! There was not a lot of snow around on the day we arrived but 2 days later when we left, we had enjoyed a really nice coating!

 

We went and checked out Clifton Hill which we describe as being Vegas for kids! It was all lights, gaming arcades, museums, mini golf etc. We brought a fun pass that saw us enjoy a 3D ride, a lazer game, $5 spending at the arcade, glow in the dark mini golf, the wax museum and the Skywheel.

 

It was a great fun filled day. the view of the falls from the Skywheel (big ferris wheel) was really spectacular. We had lunch at Dave & Busters, better know as D & B's, which also included 2 gaming cards for the kids to play the arcades. It was snowing pretty much all day! We also headed back to the falls once the sun had set and got some really nice photos of the waterfalls both lit up.

 

As it was just days before Christmas, the strip that runs right opposite the falls had a heap of Disney inspired light displays set up. We enjoyed walking along and seeing them all, but boy it was really cold!!! It was nice to get back to the hotel and enjoy the hot spa!

 

 

 

 

BLISS COTTAGE ~ HALIBURTON, ONTARIO

We had a nice easy start to our day trip out to Haliburton. Hot cooked breaky, re-packed the car and headed off around 10:30am. The drive out took longer than expected and we even saw Santa & Mrs Claus headed towards Toronto!!! It was snowing quite a bit, infact everything was just a blanket of white. really beautiful. As we took the turns off the highway and made our way through the back roads of the Lake Kennisis towards to cabin, it was evident that this was going to be quite an experience! None of us had ever seen so much snow in our lives! We even passed a few people out exploring on snow mobiles!

 

The road that the cottage was on had not been plowed. So we found ourselves driving, very cautiously, over snow! All was exciting UNTIL......................we were driving down a hill with a bend in the road at the base of the hill. Hubby was driving slowly down and started to turn the corner when all of a sudden, the back wheels kept going. As we slid sideways, the snow thankfully built up a little retainer wall and although hubby tried to maintain control of the car, it was evident that the snow had won this one.

 

I was completely shaken up, all I saw as a passenger was a 5 - 6 foot drop down an embankment right out of my window. We had come to a stop, with the back passenger wheel hanging over the embankment. We all slowly got out of the car to assess the situation. I felt it was safer that we all got out incase the snow gave way and car ended up rolling. The cottage was only a few houses away so we walked there and called the caretaker of the cabin to help us out.

 

The kids and I stayed in the warmth and safety of the cabin, while hubby walked back to the car and met the caretaker. He pulled the car out and before long it was all but a memory.....a scary one at that!

We unloaded the car and then sadly had to get back in it and drive to town for food supplies for the next 4 days! This, I did not like at all! I was still shaken up and of course the road had still not been plowed. Much to hubbys annoyance, I had him driving at no more than 15 miles an hour until we hit the main, plowed, roads! It took us an hour to get to the store, but we stayed on the road!!

On the way back into the cottage, it was snowing and thankfully they had plowed the roads. I  was still freaked out though! Infact every single time we had to get in the car and go anywhere, I freaked!

 

 

 

 

 

The next day was Christmas Eve and as a part of the kids Christmas pressies this year, we booked us all on a half day Dog sledding tour. We arrived at Winterdance dog sledding and helped get the dogs all hooked up in the harnesses. Then it was time to head of on what we have dubbed as the most amazing adventure of our lives! It really was like a winter wonderland. The scenery was beautiful, the dogs were awesome and it was just a whole load of fun! I had to control a sled myself and had one of our sons in the sled. Col (hubby) had another sled with the youngest 2 kids in it. The older 2 children got to ride with the 2 tour guides. The older 4 all got to hop on and help control the dogs throughout the tour. They LOVED it. We all loved it! I highly recommend you doing this tour if you ever find yourself in Canada!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight's dinner was pretty special too........meat pies and sausage rolls, thank you Canada for giving us a little piece of 'home' this Christmas :)

 

Christmas Day!

It was Christmas day, it was very white outside and there was the lightest snow falling. Yay we had achieved our main goal for the holiday............ a White Christmas!!!

The kids all opened their pressies, as did Mum & Dad!! They had most of their gifts from us at home before we left as we were limited on space and..............well you just dont take a trampoline overseas with you!

We enjoyed a traditional Chrissy feed, roast Turkey, potatoes, pumpkin, beans and carrots and even found plum pudding at the local store!!!

 

We spent the afternoon building a snowman by the front entry of the cabin. I had picked up a snowman kit at a local shop before we left that included the hat, carrot nose (wooden), eyes, buttons and even a pipe! So he was well decked out! After a few family pics, snowball fights and exploring the property, it was time to thaw out by the log gas fire!

 

The kids also enjoyed decorating a gingerbread house whilst dinner was cooking.

 

Now the funny part.......we had internet access and I had an email from our neighbour to let us know it was snowing at home....very lightly, just a flurry but still snowing on Christmas day!! lol

 

 

 

 

 

Last day at cabin:

Today was the last day at the cabin and it was snowing quite a bit, so we decided to head back into the town, grab some souvenirs and find the local toboggan park!! The first park was a bit of a dud, not enough snow. The 2nd one was much better. Although we couldn't use the whole hill, we were able to have some fun from the midway mark. All the kids had a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back and packed and cleaned up as much as we could, ready for the trip to Toronto tomorrow!

 

Hubby and I ventured down to the Lake which was at the back of the property. It was really well set up with a look out patio and then a pontoon onto the lake that even had a diving board! This would be awesome in summer! but for us it was partially frozen!

 

Col held onto the rails of the ladder from the pontoon and decided to bash his feet onto the ice to see how thick it was........his feet went right through it!! not enough to get him wet, but enough to break through the ice! it wasn't quite an inch thick. We took some really nice photos.

 

 

TORONTO, ONTARIO:

WOW!!!! We woke this morning to at least a foot of snow overnight. The car was covered, the lake had all but froze over completely and it was snowing really heavy! Col make the trek in and pout with all the bags to pack the car. the kids and I enjoyed the warmth of the fire inside lol!!!

I did go and help pack the things that were travelling in the car with us, such as dvd players etc and also helped close the lid of the roof top pod down!

 

The only problem with this is that I saw the car was now sitting on a bed of ice and we had an uphill descend to get out of the drive. it was really snowing heavy, you could not see very much in front of you. So I opted to walk up the drive and meet hubby at the top! I was still freaked out and yep it was another VERY slow drive out! even the main roads were covered and that was with the plow working overtime!

 

Part of the drive saw us on a 4 lane highway with literally 2 lines to drive on! One for each side of the traffic, so down to one lane each way! There were convoys of snow plows and sadly quite a few accidents. I know too well how easy it was to slid of the road and these conditions were far worse than what we initially had driving in!!

 

We made it to Toronto without incident. It was still snowing, just not as heavy. We got the motel which was Clarion Suite in Downtown. We wanted to be close to the attractions!

 

Day 1: We took a drive out to the CN Tower. We were told it was the best place for views of the city. As the sky had cleared up and visibility was pretty good, we went up to check it out. I have to saw the $200 we spent just to get to the lookout was not worth it!!! Dont waste your money! The best views of the city were taken by the restaurants they had on the same level. So although we got some photos, it was not what it could have been. They also advertise their glass floor, so we walked down one level to have a look at that. Hmmmm it was a few clear glass tiles that looked down onto a carpark!!!

This was such a disappointment for me. I really think they could have done that tower better. Oh well as they say "been there, done that!."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2: Today we headed to Casa Loma. Its a big castle in the middle of Toronto. This, I highly recommend!! It was heated, yay, and was really spectacular to see. You could walk through most of the rooms and it had a free self guided recorded device that you could punch the number of the room into and listen to the history etc. The kids enjoyed it to. They had people in costume and did a kids scavenger hunt where they had to collect stamps in certain rooms for a small prize, so it kept them all occupied too!

 

After that hubby decided he wanted to take us ice skating. I opted out and happily sat on the side of the rink with everyones shoes taking photos! I dont mind ice skating, but I was cold enough as it was and my hand was really painful for it. (I have a medical condition that sees me with no muscle in one hand, so it gets cold quick!) They really enjoyed it. The girls took a little time to get use to it and Taquira kept trying to give up, but with a little nudge she stayed out there and had fun.......until she fell and broke her wrist, but thats a whole different story!! She is ok and sporting a lovely hot pink cast for the next 4 weeks!

 

We found a sports bar nearby that was kid friendly, so I enjoyed a cocktail and the warmth!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3: Our last full day in Toronto and we planned to go to the zoo. We woke up, rugged up and headed out the door..........to more heavy snow! We decided to take the drive out to the zoo anyway and see if the conditions were a bit better. No, they were not! So plan B kicked in and we took the kids bowling and to the movies instead.

 

Bowling was really interesting, in that you are very hard pressed to find a 10 pin bowling alley, they were all 5! So we thought why not, after travelling to 2 different places to still find 5 pins!

We hired the lane for an hour and it was quite a bit of fun. Mitchell, our 5 year old, particularly liked the fact that the balls were also mini sized so he could hold them and bowl without assistance!

 

The movie was Monsters Inc 3D, which was ok. Not sure that the 3D part was worth it though. Anyhow it was a nice warm thing to do!!

 

Incase you have not caught on, by this stage I was well and truly over the cold, the snow and after 10 days in minus temperatures, I was looking forward to getting home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home sweet home:

We had a really good drive home, it was snowing on and off quite a bit. The kids were happy with their dvd players and new movies they had got for Christmas. We didn't get home until midnight after leaving at 10am, so it was a really long trip home.

 

All in all we really did have a great time. The highlight was def the White Christmas and the Dog sledding......would love to do that again but for a whole day next time! The low point for me was running off the road, it really spoilt the experience of the whole snow business as I was very fragile after that!

 

Now to start planning the finer details of the next big family trip.....a cruise through Alaska in June!!

 



 

 

WHITE CHRISTMAS ~ BING CROSBY

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