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Alaska 2021

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In the summer of 2021, we spent 11 days exploring Alaska with our ten and seven-year-old.  Below is a recap of our trip.  It was reproduced from my Facebook posts, so they are quick sound bites with a selection of some of the photos I posted.   Day 1 Recap : It was fourteen hours door-to-door. It really couldn’t have gone any better. Our flight out of MEM was delayed. We were still home when we found out and we rebooked our MSP to ANC leg immediately and we were actually still able to sit together even though it was a full flight. We arrived at the airport early, anticipating long lines, but checked our bags and got through security in less than 20 minutes. It was pretty smooth sailing from there. The kids didn’t sleep the entire time and are very proud that they stayed awake until 1AM local. I actually think that will help them adjust because it’s early morning here in Anchorage and after a full night of rest, they are stirring. Then we can really get this vacation going. Day 2 Recap
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Costa Rica Adventure, Days 6 and 7: Pura Vida

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This was our final full day of our tour.  Chris and I awoke early and were able to enjoy our coffee in the living area of our suite at El Mangroove without disturbing the kids, who were still sound asleep.  While we were sipping coffee, we heard monkeys in the trees outside our window.   When the kids woke up, we dressed in bathing suits and cover-ups and headed to breakfast.   The breakfast buffet at El Mangroove did not disappoint.   Overall, the breakfasts were my favorite meals throughout the trip.   It was excellent at all three of the properties where we stayed.   After breakfast, we took a leisurely stroll down to the beach to wait for our catamaran.   There is no dock at the beach, so our catamaran anchored as close as it could.   A small motor boat ferried us from the beach to the catamaran.   This one was the cleanest catamarans I've seen and the crew was top notch.   They provided plenty of water, punch, and beer.   After getting everyone on board, we pulled anc
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Costa Rica Adventure, Day 5: Hit the Beach

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Our fellow adventurers at the Chocolate Rainforest Experience After three amazing days in Arenal, it was time to say goodbye and head to the Pacific coast.   We packed up our bags and set them outside our room before heading out to our last breakfast at the Kioro Resort.   While we were at breakfast, our bags were collected and loaded on to the bus.   Adventures by Disney really does make it that easy.   Today would be a big travel day and one that involved a lot of windy roads.   Easton is prone to motion sickness, so I was little concerned.   The adventure guides reserved the first few rows on the bus for those who suffer from motion sickness.   Thankfully, he held it together on the ride, but at one point, he did announce very loudly that he didn’t feel good and he thought he might throw up.   We sat in the front row for the remainder of the trip holding a bag, just in case.   To break up the day’s long drive, we took part in a private tour at the Chocolate Rainforest.  
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Costa Rica Adventure, Day 4: Reach for the Sky

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Arenal Volcano The most anticipated day of the trip had finally arrived!  These kids were ready to zipline!  After breakfast, we loaded on the bus for the short ride to the other side of the Arenal Volcano to the zipline outfitter.  Due to cloud cover, we hadn't seen Arenal since our arrival.  Right as we were unloading the buses, the clouds cleared and we had a gorgeous, clear day.  We were quickly outfitted with harnesses, helmets, gloves and our pulley.  We were given a safety briefing and then lined up to enter the sky tram, which would take us up to the zipline platforms.  An alternative activity is offered for those who choose not to zipline or do not meet the minimum age or minimum/max weight.  In our group, every single person chose to zipline.  We even had a grandfather in his 80s participate.  If I'm still ziplining in my 80s, I've done life right. Due to their weight, Easton and Clara would zipline together with a guide except for the first and last
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