I 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.
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.
The 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. 
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)
We 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.
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!