Alaska/Vancouver: Days 9 & 10

Sunday was our last day at sea, and we made the most of our lazy day onboard.  We read, attended a magic show, took a juggling class, and enjoyed one last fancy dinner.  After so many days of delicious, elaborate meals, we became spoiled by the wonderful food.  I lamented once we got home, "Where is my menu with multiple dinner courses listed, and where are Sam and Mahesh (our servers) to cater to our every desire?"  Menu planning and grocery shopping in the real world are not nearly as fun!

Learning how to juggle.

A few other tidbits about our time on the Disney Wonder:  

• Luke lost a tooth in the middle of the week, and for those who are wondering, the Tooth Fairy does come to cruise ships!  
• There were multiple opportunities to take photos with Disney characters onboard, and our kids scoffed at every one.  I was perfectly ok with avoiding the long lines to take pictures, but it is funny how little L&L cared about Mickey, etc.
• The shows every night were amazing.  There were live musical productions, award winning entertainers, and great family friendly fun for all.  
• The Kids' Club onboard was our children's favorite thing to do during unstructured time, and there were scavenger hunts, games, and sports that they loved!
• One day, Leah had 3 bowls of jello for lunch.  She thought that this was the best thing in the entire universe.  Cause ya' know, when on vacation, Mommy doesn't make you eat veggies with each meal...

On Monday morning, the ship returned to Vancouver, and we all (very glumly) disembarked for the final time.  We weren't flying home until the next day, and our mood brightened as we checked into our hotel and hopped on a bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in North Vancouver:

The park is part of Tongass National Forest, which is the largest temperate rain forest in the world.  Tongass is also the largest national forest in the United States, and it stretches over Vancouver and much of Southeast Alaska.  The park contained many areas and included educational displays about the geology of the Pacific Northwest and the ecosystem of the living forest.  Many of the trees were huge, and the oldest one that we saw was almost 1500 years old:

View from the forest floor to the canopy.

Learning about different rates of tree growth. 

Giant Douglass Fir.

Totem Poles are made from these Red Cedars.  

Beautiful rainforest vegetation.

The kids had fun exploring the park, hugging trees and climbing on stumps:

The main attraction of the park is the 450 foot long suspension bridge that was built in 1889 and crosses over the Capilano River.  This bridge is HIGH (230 feet) and narrow, and sways considerably as you walk across it.  Some of us liked this more than others, but even those of us who do not embrace heights (Daddy) thought it was a neat experience to cross the bridge:

Looking down at the river below.  

View of the bridge from afar. 

We also enjoyed a squirrel's eye view of the rainforest as we walked along the TreeTops Adventure section of the park.  We ventured through a series of 7 smaller suspension footbridges which connect eight giant douglass fir trees.  These 250 year old trees each have a viewing platform attached to their trunks, and we had great views as we perched 110 feet above the forest floor:

We also checked out the Cliffwalk at the park, which is a series of cantilevered and suspended walkways that jutt out from the granite cliff face above the Capilano River: 

Back on solid ground, we spent the rest of the morning exploring the forest and having lunch at the park: 

On Monday afternoon, we walked along False Creek in Downtown Vancouver and found a playground, where the kids played for a long time as we soaked up the sunshine and admired the views of the city:

We had dinner at an adorable Italian pizzeria/gelateria, where we dined alfresco and thoroughly enjoyed our last evening in Vancouver.  On Tuesday morning, we woke up bright and early to get to the airport and through customs.  It was an easy day of travel, and with the time change, we arrived at our home right before bedtime.  It truly was the trip of a lifetime, and we are forever grateful to have so many wonderful memories of our Alaska vacation!