Epic Alaska!

I’ve been looking forward to this very moment…with every click of my camera shutter I captured this wild land….Epic Alaska!

It’s nothing short of amazing to pull up to a port when you are on a cruise. The magic happens two ways…either you are wide awake & can watch everything as it unfolds. Or you have a peaceful night of sleep at sea, you wake, pull back the curtains & there’s the beauty of land right before you.

My 7 day Glacier Bay cruise on the Carnival Legend offered me both. I’ll never forget being out in the open sea & watching as land came into focus. Alaska is au natural, with beautiful snow capped mountain views as far as the eye can see.

As much fun as it is to be at sea, Carnival makes sure that we have the most epic shore experiences as well. Our first port of call was Juneau, the capital of Alaska.

(Instagram Video http://replayapp.com/v/49hWGpqwBf/ )

You can either book excursions on carnival.com ahead of time or visit the excursions desk on ship while you cruise. There are plenty of offerings for everyone. I recommend if you really want to do something, book it ahead of time to ensure a spot.

This is the town of Juneau, the capitol of Alaska. Not too far from town is the Mendenhall Glacier.

For me, a dog lover extraordinaire, it was a given that any opportunity to visit Alaskan Husky sled dogs was going to be unmatched. I booked 2 excursions with these cuties. One in Juneau & one in Skagway. We got to meet the dogs, learn about them & experience a musher adventure tour. Think my next job might be dog mushing!

Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier via Helicopter

Have you ever been on a helicopter? This is such an amazing experience & I recommend you do it if you can. We were whisked away from the mainland & in seconds we were over snow capped mountains & the Mendenhall Glacier. This 13 mile river of ice is located in the Tongass National Forest. The views are beyond gorgeous & the pilots took great care of us! It’s so special to see these epic moving mountains of ice. They helped to form the Earth as we know it today. You are watching history & our future unfold all at once when you view a glacier.

We landed on top of the glacier at a sled dog puppy camp. Alaska Icefield Expeditions is a carefully maintained mobile summer camp where groups of pups run daily to train for the Iditarod & other similar races.

(Instagram video here http://replayapp.com/v/bIftvqmX4o/)

Not only did we meet & get to play with the dogs, they also pulled us on their sleigh! It was so cool watching these muscular animals do the thing they love the most. Here’s a cool fact…Alaskan Husky dogs are actually mutts. Mixes of shepherds, Siberian Huskies & others. They are bred for performance & strength.

I fell in love with each & every one of these pups…especially Puff. She would be the perfect girlfriend for my doggy Moose.

After this journey I had a Chicken Caesar Salad & glass of vino at the Red Dog Saloon. This restaurant was awesome! It was a full house, with saw dust floors and a crowd cheering for a piano playing elder who busted out the tunes!

(Instagram video here http://replayapp.com/v/4CS37t7cq8/)

Dog Sledding Helicopter Flightseeing in Skagway

I was so into this dog sledding experience that I repeated in in Skagway. Skagway is an adorable small town that reminds me quite a bit of Telluride, CO my home town. I stopped in for lunch and a glass of wine at the Red Onion.

Again I got to fly in a helicopter, this time over the Taiya Inlet. We flew to the Denver Glacier, where the puppy camp is parked.

These sled dogs are so well loved. They live such a wonderful life, in the great outdoors. Training for epic adventures of their own.

I even got to meet an 8 week old Alaskan Husky puppy!

After the tour I went to a play that I highly recommend you see if you visit Skagway. The Days of 98 Show is a wonderful musical production about the history of this small mining town.

Ketchikan Canopy Adventure & Wildlife Expedition
Ketchikan is another port where the Carnival Legend stops. It’s an adorable seaside town with lots to see & do!

I had lunch at the Alaska Fish House, fried salmon & thick cut french fries…a decadent & delicious treat!

(Instagram Video http://replayapp.com/v/5yGAJk37cM/)

At our final Alaska port I went zip lining over the wild Alaskan forest canopy. This was the first time I had been on a zip line. I was kind of freaked out…not as much about the height (and oh were we high) but more about the speed. I knew not to slow down in the middle of the line, to avoid getting stuck. So speed it was! This experience was beyond thrilling, it was so cool to be literally in the middle of nature. The forest views were amazing!

I crave adrenaline rushes & trying new things everyday. With each of these experiences I certainly stepped out of the ordinary. I will never forget all this magic! Thank you to the Carnival Legend for providing a beautiful ship to explore this beautiful land & sea!