Exit Glacier -- Seward, Alaska

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The BEST THING was getting to be so close to the glacier and getting to touch it. Part of why this was the best was you could feel how solid the glacier ice is. It's so hard that when I tried to throw a piece against a rock, it just bounced off!

At the end of the glacier there was a big area full of gravelly stuff (till) that had been left there when the glacier retreated. It had streams running through it from glacial melt. To get to the foot of the glacier, there wasn't a trail for the last quarter mile. We had to walk across the gravel and ford the streams--yes, our feet got wet!

Kenai Fjords Glacier Cruise -- Seward, Alaska

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If you're ever in Seward, Alaska, you should take one of the Glacier Cruises. When you're on the boat, ride for at least a little bit of the time at the front (bow) if you are allowed. I liked riding up front because it felt like you could see around better. You could also feel that the boat was moving--you didn't have to look around to see it. Some of the negatives of being up front are that the wind blows so hard it makes your hair go crazy and that when the boat hits waves you get drenched in spray!

While we were on the boat, we got to see some whales, both orcas and a humpback whale. The humpback whale was coming up, blowing a spurt of water in the air, then taking a breath and going back down. We saw the spray and then the tail as it dove. We saw the fins on the back of the orcas, and we also got to see them jump out of the water a couple of times!

Geocaching -- near Tok, Alaska

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BEST THING: Actually getting to GO Geocaching cuz we haven't gotten to do it in ages! We did two caches:

The first one was near the Four Mile Lake. We had to walk on dirt and then on "muskeg" under the trees. (It's fun to walk on muskeg but kinda hard. When you step the muskeg squishes and your foot sinks in!) I got the prize from this one--a set of fancy barrettes. We left Elmo & Cookie Monster hair scrunchies!

The second one was over a BIG hill and then past that. I didn't find it--Jakob and Dad did. Jakob got a postcard for a prize and left some fancy button decorations.

The MOST SCARY thing was they went over a hill with tons and tons of snow. I sat near a bush and waited for them. At first Mom stayed by the road cuz she didn't think she could climb the steep part. But then when I was alone, Mom called and didn't get an answer from any of us. So then she came up to find me. Then I felt better!

FAMILIES should definitely try to geocache near Tok Alaska. The first one is good for everyone, but only do the second one if you have very big kids.

S.S. Klondike -- Whitehorse, Yukon

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The S.S. Klondike is a place that the entire family will have fun walking through on the tour. One of the coolest parts was being able to see the size and furniture in the rooms. The first class people slept in rooms about as big as me and Anna's!!!

On the tour you get to see the places the passengers ate, slept, and had fun.

Besides that, you can see the sort of cargo the ship would have carried, and how the ship was powered.

We had fun looking at all of these things and a few more.

Families--come here and take the tour for a fun time!

The Yukon Beringia Centre -- Whitehorse, Yukon

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We went to the Yukon Beringia Centre while in Whitehorse, and I had a lot of fun. When you first go inside there is a small room with a model of a type of cat that existed during the last ice age and was believed to be a hunter. One of the things we did was we watched a 17 minute long movie about Beringia.

After the movie, one of the people who worked there gave a demonstration on the atlatl. The atlatl is a piece of wood that is designed to work almost like an extension of your arm so you can throw a longer distance and with more force. The atlatl is about the length of the user's forearm and has a small point at one end facing the other end at an angle so it can hold the spear. I learned this from the demonstration and then I got to try it three times!!

Even without that the place was a lot of fun. All families should come here at least once.

Dad tried the atlatl also. Here are some photos:

Yukon Beringia Centre -- Whitehorse, Yukon

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The BEST THING was getting to see what a glacier might look like, complete with water running down. This was the best because I've always wanted to see what a glacier would look like for real.

I thought that hearing some of the stories and watching the movie were the MOST BORING things there. The reason I found this boring was because it was too complicated for me to understand very well.

I really think that FAMILIES should come here. Something that they need to do is look for the glacier wall.

Reid Cemetary & Reid Falls -- Skagway, Alaska

:-( -- Cemetary

Don't bother to stop and look at the cemetary if you have kids! Cuz it's really BORING!

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Go to the waterfalls back behind the cemetary. We guess it falls about 600 feet---but not all at once. It falls from ledge to ledge to ledge all the way down.

We found a good place for a fairy house, but I didn't get to go back to it to play. We drank some of the water and took some back in our water bottles. It was GOOD!