After 10 months of hard work at GSIS the Wendling family were ready for a vacation and to spend time with family in Canada.
However, before coming back to Port Colborne it was decided that it may be a good idea to stop in Vancouver for a few days. After a little research Rosanne found that some of the cruise lines were offering some pretty good deals...so...away we went.
So on June 6th the Wendling family flew from Seoul to Vancouver with their Austrailian friends the Schumachers, who were spending the summer in Canada and fellow Canadians - the Leigh family. Joining our 15 friends was Me Mere. Yes, somehow...somehow...Rosanne and others convinced her to join us in Vancouver for this trip.
The cruise began on Sunday, June 7th from Vancouver and headed North to Alaska.
Our first stop was in Ketchakin. A small pleasant little town in the southern part of Alaska. On this day the Wendling's decided that they just would walk around town and take in the sights. One of this sights was the Lumberjack Show.
This pitted two teams of Lumberjacks against each other in various events. During the show one of the Lumberjacks showed off his expertise with a chain saw by making a "bunny chair". Then he choose Mia to have the chair, providing that she introduced herself and gave him a high five.
The second stop was in Juneau. On this day the Wendling's and Schumacher's ventured out together to go Whale Watching. We were guaranteed to see whales on this trip or our money back. In fact, it is difficult to count the number of whales that we saw on this day.
Although the whales were spectacular to see, so was the view on the water in Juneau as you can tell by the pictures.
The last stop on the trip was Skagway. This port was by far the most interesting as the Wendling family spent the day:
Taking a bus through Alaska to the Yukon...
...on the way seeing bears and other wildlife...we were lucky to keep Rosanne on the bus...
...at the end of our trip to the Yukon we had the opportunity to go on a sleigh piloted by mush dogs....
...these dogs were a lot smaller than we thought...but tough as heck as they dragged us around the track...
...in fact we had a chance to pet the puppies and see them close up...
...after a leisurely lunch...
...we took the train back to Skagway...OK maybe not this train...but you get the idea
..what a view it was...
...with cliffs....
...and spectacular views...
...then the journey ended as we headed back to the boat.
A great trip it was with time for our family to relax after a tiring, but exciting, year in Korea. A great trip as well because it united Rosanne, Justine, Kyara, Matteya, Ariel and Mia with Me Mere who they all missed during the 10 months in Korea, (OK, Kevin missed her too).
Although there was lots to do on the ship and in the various ports, still the best part of the cruise were the incredible views and sunsets. In Korea, there are many tall buildings and Suwon is usually pretty hazy if not polluted, so seeing a sunset is really not the norm. During thsi trip we were able to take in the canvas the God paints every night for the world to see was something that we realized that we missed being in another part of the world.
After returning to Vancouver the Wendling family spent a day around town, in Stanley Park, as pictured below. They sure make these trees pretty big in British Columbia.
Well another adventure has finished and the Wendling's are in Port Colborne for the summer...a summer which will end at the beginning of August as they travel back to Korea and to GSIS.
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