In the United States, we have yet to explore much of the Midwest, Southwest, and the northern Pacific coastal states. However, we did manage to tour from South Dakota down to Salt Lake City, Utah, where we enjoyed many sights, including Mount Rushmore, the Sitting Bull Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Custer’s Last Stand, Cody, Jackson Hole, and the Mormon Tabernacle. While we are not interested in the casinos of Las Vegas, we do want to visit areas south and west of Salt Lake City, such as Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon.
We have managed to visit the San Francisco area and travel down to Santa Barbara, which included a stop at Muir Woods. We also took a day trip to Yosemite, where we had a quick photo opportunity of Half Dome and El Capitan, but it was not enough to say we had fully experienced the park.
We spent two weeks in Alaska, dedicating the first week to various land activities. We experienced the beauty of Denali National Park in Fairbanks, visited Talkeetna, and explored Sitka, all while participating in a Blue Whale tour that offered sightings of whales, eagles, and other wildlife. As John Denver sang in “Rocky Mountain High,” “You knew he’d be a better man if he ever saw an eagle fly!”
Additionally, we enjoyed a lunch trip to Orca Point, where we observed otters, seals, sea lions, eagles, and other local wildlife. In Ketchikan, we went zip-lining with rope walks through trees over a creek bed, which ended with repelling down a three-story overlook. We still cherish the exhilarating paid excursion of the Mahay Devil River Canyon Tour. It was a thrilling jet boat ride on the Sitka River with panoramic views of Denali at every turn. It also included a tour of an Athabaskan village, a stop to learn about and experience gold mining, on the way up the Sitka River to the pinnacle of the tour, idling in a rapid into a canyon blocked by huge Boulders, creating a mini waterfall for pictures. Something we would highly recommend. The trip included glass-domed train rides through the Alaska Wilderness from city to city, and the awe-inspiring quiet beauty Alaska offers.
We wrapped up our land adventures with a cruise from Whittier down the Inside Passage. Along the way, we saw breathtaking glaciers, whales, and other wildlife as we made our way to our final destination: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, before catching our flight home.
Across the pond, as they say, we spent 12 days in Italy, and to be honest, we could probably go back tomorrow. While there, we managed to attend a Papal Mass with Pope Francis on his Feast Day and took in the sights, including Venice, Cinque Terre, Assisi, Tuscany, Florence, Rome, Positano, and Sorrento along the Amalfi Coast. A trip we would definitely recommend not only for its historic value, but also for the food, wine, and the people. My wife and I have Ireland, England, France, and other European countries on our short-term bucket list that intrigue us. We also think the Holy Land would be a trip of a lifetime if they ever stop shooting at each other over there!
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