0139b2c8931e9a7029e7242aecd0335be900d59911I had the amazing opportunity to take a small cruise in Alaska this summer with the whole family. I kept pinching myself as it felt as if I’d fallen into a post card, the scenery was that gorgeous.

My kids were gung-ho to see bears, but the locals kept warning us that was NOT a desired outcome. Luckily we saw several bears in the safest possible place: Fortress of the Bear in Sitka, AK, a rescue shelter.

014114ccdd05a3bf248d7b60d8ba5bfce001e95767 In the wild we saw sea otters (they hold hands when they sleep), seals, humpback whales and tons of bald eagles. Bald eagles in Alaska was like pigeon spotting here in DC. The animal highlight for me was the evening when a pod of Orca whales (killer whales) surrounded our small ship and swam with us for 2 hours. Seeing these creatures in the wild was something I’ll never forget and they should never, ever be kept in captivity.

We also went up close to glaciers to see them calving. This is when huge chunks of the glacier fall into the ocean. It makes a sound like a freight train combined with thunder and I was sure it would cause a tsunami, but surprisingly, the water remained calm- or we were further than I thought but the enormity of the glacier made distance hard to judge. Also- glaciers are blue. Seriously blue.

012043581bcc4a9e3cd3e00613be127271a7ecbdc3The boys all had a fishing day and reeled in some huge salmon and halibut. We paid to have it freeze packed and shipped back to DC. I can safely say that when I cook it, it will be the MOST expensive meal I’ve ever made or eaten. 011c27c5cdd4294f8683b4a15ebced1a6921fd9050

After Alaska, we took a few days to explore the Pacific NW, in Seattle and Portland. Mr. Silver and fishing boy entered a donut eating contest at Voo Doo donuts. (they lost)

01a208d6ba3551a4660e633183441609be1952f778We played Pokemon Go just about everywhere, added a baseball stadium (Mariners) to Mr. Silver’s checklist. He’s more than halfway to his goal of hitting every MLB park.

010503d9b02ddb923371ace37361c129f7585556c0 Finally that’s me in Portland under a bridge at the location of The Library Annex. (Anyone watch the Librarians with Rebecca Romain?)

It’s been an amazing summer for travels and I’ve still got more to go, so stay tuned!