We Take Ourselves With Us

Ned reminded me that I forgot to include this photo in the blog.  It's from an above-the-fold, front page story in the Anchorage paper that was available in our hotel. On our last two family vacations, I've tried to sum up our experiences: once with a song , once with a video .  To me this photo is our trip in a nutshell: surprisingly sunny and friendly, and eerily, supernaturally beautiful.  And, always wearing a fantastic hat. Need I remind you? Keep it "remarkably alive," Alaska! We love you!

On our last day in Vancouver, we slept in: our flight home wouldn't leave until 11:30pm, so we were in no rush.  As we searched for a lunch destination, the Wallflower Modern Diner offered great GF/DF options and was in a hipster neighborhood we had yet to visit.  So, we were in. The diner was great; the crowd uber-cool; and it served mac and cheese with rice pasta and vegan cheese and GF apple pie w coconut milk ice cream.  Yes! Harper noticed a cool boutique across the street, and Penn--who's changing his style up from "licensed t-shirts" (his words)--wanted to check it out, too.  They picked up some surprisingly well-priced dresses, shirts, a bomber jacket, and a new charcoal Herschel backpack to carry it all along with us to our day's destination: the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park . The park grew out of the bridge itself, which has been around for over 100 years in some form.  In the early 80s, the park was purchased and began a period o

When we landed in Vancouver--after a layover in Seattle--we were worn out.  Even the Alaska Air pilot's inexplicable request for the entire plane to sing along to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" on a 6:30am flight, generated little interest.  Once in Vancouver, we jumped in a cab with a driver who the travel gods clearly put in our path.  He asked us what we had planned.  We stared dumbly, um, we don't know, like exploring the city and stuff.  Our turbaned guardian angel sprang into action.  By the time we exited the cab--back at our Hotwire-home, the Sheraton Wall Centre--we had our marching orders: 1) take a tour of the city; 2) take the ferry to Victoria and go to the Butchart Gardens; 3) walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge; 4) go to Goose Mountain. Thanks, random kind cab driver!  Though at that point, we just wanted to sleep. At the hotel, I managed to talk us into a room super early (though the desk clerk slid me the key very surreptitiously, as sh