Alaska Land & Sea Photo Blog — July/Aug 2025
Tour Name: Alaska Land & Sea
Tour Dates: July 31 – August 10, 2025
Tour Director: Karen Coffey
Tour Director Highlights:
There’s a reason that Alaska is a “bucket list” destination. It’s not like any other place with its glaciers, mountains, and of course, the sea. It screams God’s majesty at every turn! Our BNT trip highlights both the land attractions and the ocean cruise—both breath taking. Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley) is the highest mountain in America, and we had the rare privilege to see the mountain glistening with its glorious peak-covered top. The excursion through the National park is full of vistas of grandeur while you’re searching for the wildlife that calls it home. What a relaxing day playing the animal version of “Where’s Waldo” looking for sheep, caribou, and bears. We also had a different kind of domestic animal experience when we visited the training camp of Iditarod dogs. Our hostess was an amazing four-time winner. What a joy to see the eagerness of the dogs to run. There’s a spiritual lesson in being eager to be all God’s created us to be. We learned about First Nation peoples and their lifestyles through a living history stop as well. Fascinating! The railroad down to the coast on the domed rail cars…well, it’s hard to imagine anything nicer. We were treated to a delicious served meal, a fun and informative tour guide, and spectacular, majestic scenery. Rounding out the trip with the Holland America cruise was wonderful as we sailed down through mountains and glaciers to new ports, enjoying the luxuries of being waited on for all the meals (or having breakfast delivered to our room!), and rooms cleaned every day along with sweet “animals” made from the towels. I’ll never forget the “up close and personal” look at the glacier we got on an excursion, or the upside-down flower gardens at Mendenhall Gardens. Each city had its own unique opportunities for excursions, or free time to hang out in the town or on the ship, where they served afternoon tea each day—or other activities such as trivia or pool time. So many options. Having choice entertainment every night along with informative talks about places we were traveling through provided lots of opportunities to fellowship with old friends and make new ones too.
Majesty. That is the word that sums up Alaska. God’s handiwork displayed in a spectacular setting! ~Karen Coffey
