Upon arrival in Vancouver, we made a big mistake and decided to get an Uber to our hotel…we should have taken one of the many taxis that were waiting at the cruise port, in a covered area. It was POURING rain and we had to walk a few minutes to get to a spot where the Uber could pick us up. Absolutely soaked, and our driver almost left without us because he didn’t bother to look over and see us frantically waving at him. But finally we were inside the car, headed to our hotel. We were really happy to hear that our room was ready and we could check in early…we needed to dry off!

Originally, we thought we’d spend a few days in Vancouver, but the World Cup was starting just a few days later and the hotel rates were already getting more expensive than usual; we decided to just spend one night so our time there was limited. Fortunately, the rain ended before noon, and we were able to do some sightseeing. We did a hop-on, hop-off tour, figuring it would be the easiest way to see a lot of the city in a short time. We stayed on the bus for a while and saw some of the architecture of the city. Much of Vancouver is very new, since it really boomed after hosting the 1986 World’s Fair that put the city on the global map.

We got off the bus at Stanley Park to walk around and enjoy what had turned into a beautiful afternoon. Stanley Park is almost 1,000 acres and sits on the waterfront. The rose garden was incredible – so many varieties in full bloom and the fragrance was everywhere! Wow! From there, we walked along the water and found our way to the popular Brockton Point Totem Poles, while enjoying the beautiful views.

We hopped back on the bus and took it to Granville Island which houses the public market and lots of shopping and dining. We found a yummy dinner there, and then took the Aquabus ferry back towards our hotel. We got a small sample of the city, and may just have to go back to see more someday!

On Sunday, we made our way to the Vancouver airport…not to fly home, but to rent another car to continue our journey! We crossed the border at Peace Arch in Blaine, Washington, and realized the last time we crossed the US-Canada border was in 2020, when COVID started and we had to pick Connor up from the Toronto airport after his shortened study abroad program. Hard to believe it’s been six years since we were last in Canada!

We then drove a couple hours Southeast to Concrete, WA to another cabin the middle of nowhere, and my brother Jay met us there a short time later. He lives just North of Seattle, so this was about a two-hour drive for him and the perfect place for us to meet up and spend some quality time together. We spent the evening catching up over a pasta dinner, cooked with the groceries we picked up en route, in the cabin’s well-stocked kitchen.

Monday morning, we packed lunches and headed East into North Cascades National Park. To continue the recurring theme of this trip, it’s the most glaciated area in the US outside of Alaska, with over 300 glaciers…along with jagged mountain peaks, forested valleys, and lots of waterfalls. There are several hundred lakes and ponds, and many have a beautiful turquoise color to them thanks to finely ground rock particles from glaciers.

We drove through the park as far as we could; a section of the road was closed due to severe winter storm damage. We stopped at several overlooks and viewpoints to enjoy the impressive views; the park is often called the “American Alps”, and having been to the French & Swiss Alps, there are definitely some similarities to the mountains. We had a nice dinner at a small restaurant in Concrete for the official celebration of our 30^th wedding anniversary.

On Tuesday, we packed up again (the packing up was getting old – this was our 7^th time) and headed South to Seattle and our hotel just East of the city in Bellevue, WA. We spent some time in the afternoon visiting the impressive Bowlero South Seattle location where Jay is the General Manager, and then had dinner with him in Bellevue.

Wednesday was our day to be tourists in Seattle. We started with the Space Needle and headed to the observation deck, 520 feet above ground. And once again, our incredible luck with good weather continued and we had a gorgeous, sunny day in the low 70s…practically unheard of in “Rain City”. We had great, 360-degree views of the surrounding area, but unfortunately, Mt. Rainier was hiding in the distant clouds and we couldn’t spot the highest peak in the contiguous US.

Our next stop was Chihuly Garden & Glass; Mark and I have been there before, but were happy to make a return visit so Jay could experience the fabulous display of Dale Chihuly’s glass.

We then caught the free waterfront shuttle and headed towards the water. This part of Seattle has changed dramatically since our last visit in 2015…and it’s wonderful! I love what they’ve created here – a vibrant, walkable area full of shops, entertainment, and restaurants…we spent quite a bit of time walking through and enjoying what used to be a highway. Next stop, Pike Place Market, a must-visit in the Emerald City…and of course, the infamous gum wall. Dinner overlooking the water, and it was a perfect day in Seattle.

Thursday morning, we headed to the airport, fully aware of some rough weather in Chicago’s forecast, but hopeful we’d make it home. We boarded the plane, the captain was doing his safety checks, and then the announcement came…a five-hour ground stop was in effect at O’Hare due to thunderstorms and potential tornadoes and we’d need to deplane and wait for a new departure time. We didn’t wait long…soon enough, they announced the flight was canceled. Oh goody, a bonus day in Seattle…it would have been nice, except after 18 days, we were both anxious to get home. But, we’d rather be safe on the ground in Seattle than flying through that kind of weather.  I quickly rebooked us for the same flight on Friday, and then found a hotel near the airport to spend the night. We took the hotel shuttle from the airport, and as we approached the hotel, Mark realized he was missing his backpack containing his iPad. Uh oh. He took an Uber back to the airport, searched around, and finally, with the help of “find my”, was able to locate his bag at the shuttle stop. Phew!

On the bright side, we had an incredible view of Mt. Rainier as we approached the airport Thursday morning…

Friday went off without a hitch…we left Seattle on time, got in to Chicago a little early, and then had a brutal 1.5-hour taxi ride home in Friday rush hour traffic…but we made it, safe and sound!

What an experience! Alaska is so beautiful and so completely different than any other place we’ve visited. If you’ve been there, I hope this brought back some memories. If you haven’t been, I encourage you to GO – you will not regret it!

I’m thrilled with how the whole trip went and honestly, I’m giving myself a pat on the back for all the planning and research that turned into an incredible, memorable time in The Last Frontier! It was the perfect trip!