Social Seattle - Happy hours to hikes - All things fun!

Description
Alaska doesn't ease you in. It arrives all at once — the scale of it, the cold salt air off the water, the way the mountains simply refuse to end. On the drive south from Anchorage, the Turnagain Arm corridor unfolds like a nature documentary you can't pause: Dall sheep balanced impossibly on cliff faces, beluga whales ghosting through the shallows at high tide, a 1910 gold mine where the owners still know every visitor's name.
The centerpiece of the trip is a full day on Kenai Fjords aboard a Major Marine catamaran — seven and a half hours out into a wilderness of calving ice and wild Alaska. Aialik Glacier is a mile wide and audibly alive; Holgate Glacier stands 500 feet tall and is still advancing. Humpback whales breach at a 90% sighting rate. Puffins, murres, and kittiwakes crowd the Chiswell Islands in numbers that defy expectation. Lunch is included. All you need to bring is your willingness to stand at the bow in the cold and stare.
Homer is its own kind of Alaska — a small art town at the end of a long road, where eagles crowd the fish-cleaning stations at the harbor and sea otters sleep on their backs in the kelp. The Spit glows gold in the evening light. Across Kachemak Bay, the mountains rise straight out of the water. On the drive back north, the Skilak Lake Road is 18 miles of gravel driven at 10 mph through the premier wildlife corridor on the peninsula — the kind of road where you stop often and stay quiet.
By the time you fly home, you'll have watched brown bears fish for coho salmon at dawn, panned for real gold in a creek that's been running since the 1890s, floated the upper Kenai River on a scenic drift, and eaten dinner in five different Alaskan towns. Nine days is almost enough.
Itinerary
Sept 4 — Fly SEA → ANC

• Evening arrival, car pickup, groceries

Sept 5 — Anchorage → Seward via Turnagain Arm

• Potter Marsh, Beluga Point, Windy Corner Dall sheep, Indian Valley Mine gold panning, Begich Boggs Visitor Center

Sept 6 — Seward Free Day

• Option A (strenuous): Harding Icefield Trail — 8.2 mi RT, 3,500 ft gain, one of the best hikes in Alaska
• Option B (easy): Exit Glacier trails, Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward waterfront

Sept 7 — Kenai Fjords Glacier Cruise ⭐ Centerpiece of the trip

• Major Marine Tours full day — 9:30 AM departure, returns 5:00 PM. Aialik Glacier, Holgate Glacier, Chiswell Islands, humpback and orca whales

Sept 8 — Seward → Homer

• Russian River Falls bear viewing at dawn, Prospector John gem sluice, Iditarod dog sled kennel, Cook Inlet volcano viewpoint, Old Ninilchik Village, arrive Homer evening

Sept 9 — Homer Full Day

• Morning: Grewingk Glacier Hike via water taxi (included in trip cost)
• Afternoon: Islands & Oceans Visitor Center, Pratt Museum, Farmers Market
• Evening: Homer Spit golden hour — eagles, sea otters, Salty Dawg Saloon

Sept 10 — Homer → Moose Pass

• Skilak Lake Road wildlife drive (bears, moose, wolves, eagles)
• Alaska River Adventures Upper Kenai Scenic Float — 2:00 PM, 2–3 hrs
• Tern Lake bird viewing

Sept 11 — Moose Pass → Anchorage

• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (grizzlies, moose, musk ox, caribou, wolves)
• Girdwood detour: Crow Creek Mine gold panning, Alyeska Tram
• Old Portage Townsite earthquake ghost town

Sept 12 — Departure

• Optional: Snow City Cafe breakfast, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Anchorage Museum
• Return rental car, fly ANC → SEA

Getting There
Fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) on September 4 and depart September 12. Book your own flights — coordinate timing in the WhatsApp group so we can arrange shared rental cars from the airport.
We will have rental cars for the duration of the trip. Coordinate with your car group on gas cost sharing.
Equipment

• Hiking: Hiking boots, trekking poles (strongly recommended for Harding Icefield), water, layers, rain jacket, sunscreen, headlamp, hiking socks
• General: Warm mid-layers (Alaska in September is cold, especially on the water), waterproof outer shell, gloves, hat, binoculars, portable charger, camera
• Sea Sickness: Scopolamine patch or Dramamine for the glacier cruise (Scopolamine requires a prescription — arrange before the trip). If using Scopolamine, apply the night before and do not combine with meclizine. Bring ginger chews as backup.

Cost
The total cost is $1,350 per person for 6 spots total. This covers all lodging and the following included activities:

• Major Marine Kenai Fjords 7.5-hour glacier cruise
• Alaska River Adventures Upper Kenai Scenic Float
• Grewingk Glacier Hike via 49 North Alaska Adventures (includes Kachemak Bay water taxi)

Not included: flights, food, gas, and optional add-ons (sea kayaking, Alyeska Tram).
A deposit of $500 secures your spot. The remaining $850 is due by July 1, 2026.
Accommodation
All lodging is in private Airbnb/VRBO rentals — no hotels. We have rentals in Anchorage (arrival night), Seward (2 nights), Homer (2 nights), Moose Pass (1 night), and Anchorage (final night). 6 total spots.
Refund Policy

• Full refund available until July 1, 2026
• $500 penalty for cancellations between July 1 and August 1
• No refund after August 1, 2026 unless a replacement is found from the waitlist

Waitlist
Spots fill in order of payment. If the trip is full, your $500 deposit secures your place on the waitlist. If a spot opens, I'll reach out — if you're still in, great; if not, I'll refund you in full. Anyone not off the waitlist by the departure date will be refunded.
Payment methods: Make sure payment is for friends/family

Join us on this gourmet gastronomic holiday as we rendezvous with the cuisine & culture of France.

This is a foodie’s dream. Around every corner we will find open-air markets, artisanal chocolatiers, macaroon shops, boulangeries, cheesemongers, local butcher shops with the finest cured sausages and hams
. . . and YES - world-class wine shops where we can savor the flavors!

We will start in Paris, home of some of the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Pompidou, Champs-Élysées, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and so much more. Of course, we get to visit some of them...BUT French cuisine is such a huge part of this country's culture and history! Learning about it and experiencing it, is the main goal of this tour.

In Paris, we will savor the culinary artistry of Michelin-starred chefs and indulge in the city's iconic pastries. We will journey to Normandy, where lush landscapes yield exquisite cheeses and apple-infused delights. We will follow the Loire River to discover the vineyards and châteaux of the Loire Valley, where fine wines and gourmet experiences await. Let the flavors of France enchant our palate as we explore these culinary treasures!

Cooking classes, gourmet food tastings, wine tours, and enough free time to explore to our heart’s desire with centrally-located first class accommodations.

The Itinerary in brief:

Day 1 Paris arrival and Welcome Dinner with Corsican Cuisine
Day 2 Paris sightseeing tour, Seine river cruise,French bread making class
Day 3 Paris Museum Day. Dinner along Canal Saint-Martin
Day 4 Paris-Auvers Sur Oise Auver. Pay homage to Van Gogh and the many famous painters who lived there. Paint our own masterpiece! On to Giverny for a visit to the Gardens of Monet. Overnight in Rouen.
Day 5 Rouen - Camembert - Caen. Cheese tasting
Day 6 Caen - Mont St Michel. Stop in Calvados. Apple brandy, anybody?
Day 7 Mont St Michel - Rennes - Nantes. Cooking Class
Day 8 Nantes - Tours with stops at 3 Chateaux Vineyards for wine and chocolate tastings
Day 9 Tours - Orleans. Stops at Château of Clos Lucé, Leonardo Da Vinci's home. Visit an underground cave for farming mushrooms. And yes, some mushroom tastings!
Day 10 Orleans - Paris On the way, a stop at an artisan chocolatier and more wineries
Day 11 Paris. Visit the famous Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen (the flea market) for some amazing shopping. Farewell Dinner in the Montmartre Area

Join us for an unforgettable feast for the senses!