Back In Canada's Shorts

After smooth sailing through US Customs & an extremely short stint in Bonners Ferry, ID (we literally spent 30 minutes total in Idaho, which included both driving across the tiny tip & stopping at a casino) we made it to Glacier National Park.  Our only regret regarding our quick trip to Idaho was that we did not eat a baked potato there...hopefully we have a layover in Idaho sometime in our future to make this culinary dream come true!

Glacier National Park
Since the Rig was not allowed on Going To The Sun Road, we took full advantage of the park's
shuttle system, which worked out great...we saved a ton of gas & even met a fellow traveler from Australia

Our first stop of the day - Logan Pass
We took the last Express Shuttle here without any extra stops & it still took about an hour!

Babbitt "rock climbing" before our hike on the St. Mary Falls Trail
This spot wasn't really marked on the park map, but our new friend from down under told us not to miss it 

The O'Babbitt's at St. Mary Falls
After a quick picnic at the falls we hiked back to the shuttle stop, where we
then spent the majority of our park time waiting for the shuttles to arrive

Jackson Glacier
This is the only glacier we saw while visiting Glacier National Park
A full day hike is required to see the other glaciers...we also learned that each year the
glaciers are getting smaller & by the year 2030 there will be no more glaciers in Glacier National Park

Hidden Lake Trail
This never-ending trail went uphill on a wooden walkway for quite some time,
but it was totally worth it when we saw billy goats & a hoary marmot
Our intention was to do another hike after this, but the long shuttle ride practically lulled us to sleep 

O Canada!

When we woke up in Vancouver, B.C. we had a very important decision to make.  Should we drive back to Seattle, WA...through the U.S.A. to reach Glacier National Park in Montana or should we drive through the remote highways of Canada?  In the end, we decided not to backtrack & instead moved forward through the Canadian wilderness!  Before we left, however, we made a few stops & made Babbitt's dreams come true at Canada's very own, Tim Hortons.

Babbitt sipping hot tea at Gain Wah in Vancouver's Chinatown
We couldn't pass up the chance to see one of the world's largest Chinatowns
Babbitt loved the extremely authentic Chinatown chalk full of hanging raw meats & dried seafood...
Katie was less than thrilled, so she put on a happy face & requested that her lunch be meat free

Babbitt at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, B.C.
Babbitt was prepared to pull a quick U Turn when we arrived at this park, but once Katie
convinced him to stay we saw meticulous flower beds, 360 degree views & fun rock formations

Babbitt taking it all in at Tim Hortons on our way out of Vancouver
Tim Hortons was somewhat of legend in Babbitt's mind, because of all of his time on the Internet...it was all
he hoped it would be, mostly because of the Timbit Donuts, which for you Yanks out there are just Munchkins

The beautiful Okanagan Valley Sunset
Well, we made the right decision...after we started our drive through the Okanagan Valley
we learned from the AAA Book that this is one of the most coveted drives around

Canada has rest stops too!
Although Katie was worried about a possible late night attack,
our evening spent at this rest stop couldn't have been safer

Katie biting into an outstanding apple at Gerry's Fruit & Veg Stand in the Okanagan Valley
AAA also let us know that some of the BEST apples on Earth are grown in this valley &
since bringing fruit across the border is frowned upon, we thought breakfast would be enough

Our last meal in the Great White North - The Black Rooster Classic Bar & Grill in Castlegar, B.C.
We were drawn in by the giant rooster & left feeling good, but a bit underwhelmed

America's Top Hat

After being detained in Victoria, B.C. we were 99% sure that the Canadian Custom Officers were going to have a field day inspecting the Rig from top to bottom when we crossed the border.  However, we were happily surprised when we got waved right through & weren't even questioned about the amount of booze we had on board.  We then made a couple of stops in North Vancouver, B.C. before crossing the Lions Gate Bridge during rush hour to make our way into the city of Vancouver, B.C.

Babbitt crossing the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, B.C.
This park was packed with tourists, which did not make us feel very secure while crossing this bridge

The enormous warning to hikers before entering the Grouse Grind Trailhead

Katie wasn't that concerned about this trail, that is until we saw this & actually 

started the 2.9 KILOMETER hike straight up the face of Grouse Mountain

The O'Babbitt's on top of Grouse Mountain
After about an hour & 10 minutes on "Nature's Stairmaster"
we made it to the top & celebrated with a bowl of poutine

Babbitt the Lumberjack on top of Grouse Mountain
After our hike we were treated to views of Vancouver, the Birds in Motion Show
& one of the best forms of entertainment we've seen, the World-Famous Lumberjack Show,
which featured some very good looking champion lumberjacks (in Katie's opinion anyway!)

The city of Vancouver from the Grouse Mountain Skyride
Since it is forbidden to hike down the mountain we got a discounted fare to travel safely to sea level 

The O'Babbitt's enjoying beverages at the Top of Vancouver - Revolving Restaurant
We are obviously suckers for any revolving bar with views!

The full moon lighting up the city of Vancouver, B.C.

One of many Vera's Burger Shacks in Vancouver, B.C.
We had trouble getting dinner while in Vancouver...Zero One Sushi was closed,
because they were out of sushi rice & the first Vera's we went to was out of veggie burgers...
 luckily we didn't give up & were fed well before sleeping in a safe, but rando Vancouver neighborhood

Fresh Fish For Sale

We thought we would be heading towards Vancouver, B.C. after a quick stop to Pike Place Market, but there was so much to do in Seattle that we ended up staying another day and a half!  We are pretty sure Seattle is the last, big U.S. city we will be seeing for quite some time, so we were tried to get our fill of the city life.

Babbitt getting ready to fork a piece of coffee cake at the 14 Carrot Cafe
We read that this is the place to get THE best coffee cake...since coffee cake is one of Babbitt's
favorite foods & we happened to spend the night right across the street, we had to try it
Our first clue that the coffee cake might be less than par was that it wasn't listed on the menu
...guess you can't believe everything you read

Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA
Although packed with tourists, this market really did live up to the hype; fish were thrown, samples
were given, food vendors were plentiful & we found the best deals on beautiful fresh flowers around

Katie drinking a Chi Tea Latte (her secret, guilty pleasure) at the first ever Starbucks Coffee Company
Katie has always been very anti Starbucks...that is until she was introduced to this drink
Thanks to Court & Mama Mc for the Starbucks gift card we used here

Babbitt with fresh jumbo king crab legs at Pike Place Market
Sadly, we spent most of our parking meter time waiting in line at Starbucks,
but we still had the pleasure of seeing this market running at full speed

Babbitt with the mascot of Pike Place Market, Rachel The Piggy Bank

The O'Babbitt's at Gas Works Park in Seattle, WA
We tried to see Seattle's underground city, but failed when we found out that the tour is in fact
corporately owned & only 3 blocks long...instead we opted to check out this former synthetic natural gas factory turned public park & have a late lunch at the greasy spoon, Beth's Cafe

The Bizzarro Italian Cafe
After some frustrating driving through Seattle, a run around Green Lake & a trip to
Archie McPhee's we had one of our favorite dinners & favorite servers at this funky cafe

Babbitt at Red Mill Burgers - Our last stop in Seattle, WA
This quaint restaurant took time with their veggie burger & Babbitt gave his burger a 7 out of 10

Silver Reef Casino Winnings - The O'Babbitt's favorite casino
For the last 7 months Babbitt has been telling Katie that casinos give away free buffets...
well after 62 casinos we finally found one that did on our way to Vancouver...we also got
10 free dollars, $10 to spend in their cafe, bottles of water for days & a free place to spend the night 

Back Home, In The Lower 48

Our luck ran out as soon as we stepped foot off the Oosterdam...Katie dropped our camera while exiting Customs, our shuttle bus left us for dead at the wrong stop & when we finally got back to the Rig our luggage/grocery bag fell out of the shuttle leaving the many travel cereal boxes Katie "took" from the ship strewn across the street!  BUT, after some regrouping & Katie yelling out to be back with Captain Van Der Loo we were able to drive into Seattle for another full day!

The Space Needle & the Experience Music Project Museum in downtown Seattle, WA

Seattle's Hempfest - Photo taken from the Stephen Colbert Bridge
When we found out the hefty admission price at the Space Needle decreases after 5:00 p.m. we weren't
sure what to do in the meantime, that is until we realized that Hempfest was a close walk away..we
can't say much for this gathering, it was hot & consisted mostly of fried food stands & underage stoners

Dick's Drive-In
Ever after a week of cruise buffets, Babbitt still had to try Dick's Deluxe Burger, Fries & Strawberry Shake
Although good, the burger was not Babbitt's favorite, but the prices were the most reasonable we've seen 

The O'Babbitt's at the top of the Space Needle
No trip to Seattle is complete without a ride to the top of this iconic attraction, but we quickly
found out that the views of the city are much better looking when the Space Needle is included

The city of Seattle, WA
If you look very close you can see our house parked on the street below
O'Babbitt Tip: We found out that Kerry Park also has some of the best city views around

Babbitt, Katie, Becca & Dylan after dinner, drinks & spectacular views at the Little Water Cantina
Katie's lifelong family friend, Becca recently moved to Seattle with her boyfriend, Dylan,
which was perfect timing for us to visit, catch up & sip on the best spicy margaritas in town

Yep, We're Back In Victoria Already

Since the Oosterdam's final port of call brought us right back to Victoria, B.C. & we weren't planning on getting off the ship, we decided to tie one on the night before.  We listened to Jessica & The HAL Cats play live Motown music & got kicked out of the Michael Jackson Hour (Katie requested, Remember The Time, her all time favorite MJ song & cleared the dance floor!)  Needless to say, Babbitt refused to get out of bed during our last day at sea, so instead of recapping his whining, we thought it'd be better to recap our onboard highlights from Early Morning Stretch Class to drinking wine in the Crowsnest & everything in between!

Our only professional cruise photo, "The disheveled stowaways preparing to board"
Babbitt refused to be photographed with a man in an eagle or bear costume & since we couldn't take
any formal photos, we'll forever be remembered on the cruise DVD as the passengers without luggage 

Babbitt taking 1st place during Round 2 of the Hole-In-One competition with Marco
The cruise was a real confidence booster for us...Katie took 3rd place during Round 1 & another cruiser
claimed we were the most interesting couple she had met, keep in mind our competition was very sparse

Babbitt biting into 1 of 2 surf & turfs delivered to our stateroom
Our lack of formal attire did not stop Babbitt from getting his lobster fix...
naturally we also had an additional dinner at the Lido Deck Buffet that night

Box of wine purchased in Ketchikan, AK for our remaining days aboard the Oosterdam
Not only did our eating increase while cruising, but so did our boozing & when we learned that
through 2013 crews view a box of wine as the same amount of liquor as a bottle of wine, we knew what
had to be done...luckily the buffets & in room dining make cruise ships the perfect place to be hung-over

Towel Monkey...each night we were welcomed to our room with a different towel animal
Although Babbitt was reluctant to let the stewards into our room he loosened up after seeing these
creations, plus they made up for our lack of whale sightings (Katie only saw a blow hole & Babbitt is
downplaying the gray whale he saw breeching while smoking a cigar, so Katie won't feel so left out) 

The 800+ man crew of the Oosterdam, who kept everything SHIP SHAPE during our cruise
This hard working group entertained us well during our stay with free liquor tastings, afternoon
high teas, Mike Robinson's ventriloquist act, the illusionist, Leo Ward, a free round of BINGO
& Babbitt even won a complimentary makeover during the Fine Jewelry Raffle

Deja Vu: The Port of Victoria
We wanted to recreate our photos from our virgin trip here the week before, but ate dinner instead

The TRUE Land Of Many Totems & Rainfall

Our Cruise Director, Drew offered so many activities on/off the ship that we were staying up late every night & getting up early every morning.  So, although groggy when setting foot in Alaska's southernmost city, Ketchikan, AK we perked up to board the six-passenger DeHavilland Beaver Float Plane that took us to see Misty Fjords National Monument.  After an unbelievable flight we got caught in quite the downpour before checking out Creek Street & the shops around town.

Welcome to Alaska's 1st City
Ketchikan is known to be The Salmon Capital Of The World, it has the world's largest
collection of standing totem poles & some say it's North America's rainiest location

Our Southeast Aviation DeHavilland Beaver Float Plane arriving for our pick up
It was cloudy, but we were happily surprised that there was no rain when we arrived for our flight

View of Ketchikan during takeoff
The float plane was loud, but the takeoffs & landings were extremely smooth

Our pilot, Mark taking us into Misty Fjords National Monument
Babbitt even got to co-pilot the plane on the way in...essentially this meant that he got to sit up front

View from above
Katie took close to 1 million photos; so if you're not bored yet & want to see more, just say the word

The O'Babbit's in Misty Fjords National Monument
Our excursion also included a stop at this remote dock, where we even saw a lone seal

Reserving the last two seats on this flight was a definite highlight of our trip & the
Southeast Aviation staff couldn't have been better...four enthusiastic thumbs up in our book

Historic Creek Street, which was once home to Ketchikan's Red Light District
We got drenched on our way here, but the rain didn't last long...
honestly we would have felt cheated if it didn't rain during our visit

Babbitt tasting salmon in downtown Ketchikan
After walking along Married Man's Trail & watching the salmon climb the fish ladder,
Babbitt had to see if the freshest salmon tasted any different to him, but sadly he's still not a fan