Blogposts from The Trip of our Lives 2023 are finally complete. This post provides an outline of where we went, what we saw, and links to posts associated with each stop. 

If you haven’t seen any of the posts, you may want to start at the beginning. Near the bottom of each post, there is a green link that will take you to what’s “Up next: Enjoy!”

Road Trip: Part 1 | Pre-cruise: Vancouver | Princess Cruise: Sea | Princess Cruise: Land | Road Trip: Part 2

Road Trip: Part 1

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
This is a short post about our lifelong love of nature and national parks and the inspiration behind this trip. Ever wonder why we decided to combine a road trip and an Alaskan cruise? A loose itinerary is included and the modes of transportation it took to pull it off. And why we dubbed this adventure “The Trip of Our Lives”.

The Trip of Our Lives 2023
Any trip out west requires three hard days of driving. Fargo, ND (1 night) Sleep Inn & Suites. Moosejaw, SK (1 night) Comfort Inn & Suites. Lethbridge, AB (1 night) Comfort Inn. On our trek, we saw the World’s Largest Buffalo, the World’s Largest Moose, the World’s Largest Teepee and we explored the Heartland Drive Tour.

Exploring God’s Country
Canmore, AB (4 nights) Falcon Crest (VRBO). We got acquainted with Canmore and its Three Sisters. In Kootenay National Park we walked the Marble Canyon Trail to its thundering falls of glacial water. A short trail to Numa Falls was spectacular, and several other random stops made this the perfect day – which isn’t over yet!

Oh, What a Day! (cont’d)
Our first day in Canmore, AB continues at the Skybridge in Golden, BC and the Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park. We ended at the absolutely amazing Emerald Lake. “This was one of several locations on this trip where magnificence and silence surrounded us, and God’s beauty took my breath away.”

Rain, Rain, Go Away
Our stay in Canmore, AB continues with a stroll up Policemen’s Creek Boardwalk and a trip north into Banff National Park. We drove the Bow Valley Parkway – a more-scenic, less-traveled alternative to Highway 1 with scenic overlooks, glacial rivers and Morant’s Curve. This rainy, drippy day ends at the spectacular Lake Louise.

Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive
Our stay in Canmore, AB continues in Banff National Park with a stop at Cascade Ponds. Wildlife was plentiful at Two Jack Lake and we enjoyed a picnic with Mount Rundle as our backdrop. A boat cruise took us out on the “Lake of the Spirits” and Jim stepped out of his comfort zone as we soared over the treetops in a Gondola.

A Sweet Route on Moving Day
Pocahontas, AB (4 nights) Miette Mountain Cabins. We spent today on the Icefields Parkway as we transitioned to our new digs. From Crawfoot Glacier Viewpoint, Bow Lake was magnificent with the reflections I love. Peyto Lake and Saskatchewan Crossing were equally as awesome along with several waterfalls.

Maligne Canyon to Spirit Island
On our first day in Pocahontas, AB our Viator tour-guide picked us up in Jasper for a walk along Maligne Canyon (the deepest in the Canadian Rockies). We stopped at Medicine Lake, and to the banks of Maligne Lake. From there, a boat transported us past the Hall of the Gods to Spirit Island – where blue becomes emerald.

Back Down the Parkway
Our stay in Pocahontas, AB continues. Today we’ll head back down the Icefield Parkway just a tad for two waterfalls and great views in between! Sunwapta Falls is actually a series of three falls if you’re up for a hike, but Athabasca Falls is equally as beautiful with a little less walking. We took the next day off.

Two Nights in Whistler
Whistler, BC (2 nights) Aava Whistler Hotel. En route we stopped at Mount Robson Visitor Center, Spahats Creek Falls, and Kamloops Lake Overlook before the wicked drive on BC-99 from Kamloops into Whistler. Next day it was a museum, Olympic Plaza, art in a park, and dinner – with breweries in between. What a fun day!

Pre-cruise: Vancouver

A Terrific Day in Victoria, BC
Vancouver, BC (3 nights) Westin Bayshore Vancouver. Today was a long excursion, but so worth it! We drove right onto the ferry to Schwartz Bay, where we opted to visit Fisherman’s Wharf and walk a path along the harbor back to our meeting point. Then we loaded back on the bus to Butchart Gardens for fantastic flowers!

Best of Vancouver and Bridge
Our stay in Vancouver continues with another tour. We stopped at the totem poles in Stanley Park for pictures. At the Public Market on Granville Island, we had a great lunch with water (and bridges) views. We ended the day at the beautiful Capilano Bridge Park which had a rainforest vibe and another suspension bridge.

Princess Cruise: Sea

Alaska’s First City
Grand Princess (7 nights). After a lovely walk along Coal Harbour, we boarded our ship. We had one at-sea day before our stop in Ketchikan, AK. Our first excursion took us past 17 bald eagles in one location, totem poles, squirrels in a canoe, a former red-light district, and awesome views of the Alaskan waters.

Alaska’s Capital City
Our Princess cruise continues with a stop in Juneau, AK, where we visited the awe-inspiring Mendenhall Glacier and its falls. A catamaran to Colt Island at Orca Point Lodge included a beautiful and delicious luncheon, with whale-watching on the return. Duck Farts and beer finished off our day back in Juneau.

Gateway to the Klondike
Our Princess cruise continues with a stop in Skagway, AK. Our dapper storyteller/tour guide (on a cool streetcar) told us how the gold rush led to men seeking fortunes, which led to conmen and thieves, and a new railway that changed transportation forever. We finished with a float trip down the fantastic Chilkat River!

Scenic Cruising: Grand Finales
Our Princess cruise ends with two days at sea in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. Both days were absolutely spectacular, with two very different experiences that provided two very different emotional responses to the icy waters of Alaska, its snow-capped mountains, and its remarkable glaciers.

Princess Cruise: Land

Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula
Cooper Landing, AK (2 nights) Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge. We had a dreary drive from Whittier thru the longest highway tunnel in North America to our lodge. With awesome views all around, even doing laundry was a treat! An eleven-mile float trip down the Kenai River was icing on the cake.

Mt. McKinley Wilderness Lodge
Trapper Creek, AK (1 night) Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. Another dreary journey to our next destination gave us some time in Anchorage and our first close moose sighting! While Jim took a (poorly-planned) float trip, I explored Byers Lake and a creation of the Treehouse Master.

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
Denali National Park, AK (2 nights) Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Here we had more fantastic views from a deck! We experienced our most exhilarating float trip and a very memorable Alaskan Native presentation. We learned about the Iditarod and got to hold a Husky puppy!

Our Alaska Farewell
Fairbanks, AK (2 nights) Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. It’s fun to experience history first-hand! We rode a big train, a small one, and a sternwheeler. Then we panned for gold, saw a sled dog demo, and the Alaskan pipeline. And we visited a native village and topped everything off with an Alaskan salmon bake.

Road Trip: Part 2

A Sneak Peek at the Park
West Glacier, MT (3 nights) West Glacier Cabin Village. We checked into our cabin and had the rest of the day to explore the lesser-known area north of Apgar Visitor Center. We traveled up Camas Road to McDonald’s Creek Bridge, McGee’s Meadow, and an old wildfire burn site to see a few of the outstanding parts in this Park.

A Day on the GTSR
Our stay in West Glacier continues on the Going to the Sun Road. Words cannot describe the beauty of the “Crown of the Continent” – Glacier National Park. From the lovely rivers at the lower elevations all the way to Logan Pass at 6,646 feet – pick your favorite adjective for awesome, because they all work!

Exploring West Glacier, MT
This post will finish up the West Glacier stay of our visit to Glacier National Park. We’ll drive along McDonald Creek in the lower elevations of the Going to the Sun Road to witness fabulous waterfalls, glacial potholes, amazing bridges, and take a peaceful walk in a forest to witness art in nature.

En route to St. Mary Village
St. Mary Village, MT (3 nights) St. Mary Lodge & Resort. We turned the two-hour drive from West Glacier to St. Mary Village into a six-hour day. Instead of taking Going to the Sun Road (been there, done that), we took the longer, but shorter route with a lot of beautiful distractions, like Two Medicine Lake and St. Mary Overlook.

GTSR West to Logan Pass
Our stay in St. Mary continues. Today we traveled west to Logan’s Pass by Jackson Glacier Overlook. We experienced panoramic views of high peaks and meadows, waterfalls that stretched from their origin to the level ground way below, and my favorite tunnel of the whole trip. A hike offered wildlife and views I will never forget.

Day Trip to Many Glacier, MT
Our stay in St. Mary continues. Today was a very relaxing day in the Rockies and a case was made for a quick return (with a camper). Stunning mountain peaks, gorgeous glacial lakes, and waterfalls – what more could we ask for? Well, maybe a moose – well, maybe next time!

Glacier Grand Finale
Waterton Park, AB (1 night) Prince of Wales Hotel. The Prince of Wales Hotel was the perfect ending to a perfect road trip with a very relaxing atmosphere, a great vantage point for views, and lots of interesting history. A beautiful drive on the Red Rock Parkway was icing on the cake.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Sidney, MT (1 night) MainStay Suites. After a chat with the owner at dinner, we added a quick detour to our homeward trek. Since Teddy Roosevelt is forever linked with national parks and we had just spent six weeks in some of North America’s most beautiful ones, we couldn’t think of a more fitting ending to this road trip. With one more night in Fargo, ND (1 night) Sleep Inn & Suites, we drove HOME.

Another great road trip/cruise tour/road trip is officially in the books!

Back to the Top
Road Trip: Part 1 | Pre-cruise: Vancouver | Princess Cruise: Sea | Princess Cruise: Land | Road Trip: Part 2

Up Next: Finishing up Seeking the Sun 2023

Happy trails,
Barb