Land Ho!

Top: We could Bare-ly stand it!

Bottom: Laraine & Kathy at the Bar AGAIN...Laraine just had to have another drink...

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We finally got off-ship and landed in Seward Alaska. Seward is named after the Sec of State who purchased alaska, who was coincidently from just down the thruway here in new york. A short van drive took us to anchorage, where we spent a morning doing laundry, and evening having an incredible steak dinner with our friends who live there Burns and Stephanie, and a really fun walkabout at the local sat morning farmers market.

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Anchorage is a nice city, far and away the largest in alaska, and has most everything you'd expect in a city. You can actually see Denali from certain highpoints, which is incredible given that the peak is something like 120 miles away. That's how big it it.

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Tom and I rented some bikes and did a nice ride along the coastal trail which was very scenic. We then biked around the city for a couple of hours, and really got a feel for it. It was a nice place, and would be ok to live there for 6 months when they have daylight.

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"Anchor-age's Away" Lumpy out

Hail Hail, The Crew's All Here

Our crew poses in front of Hubbard Glacier, our last stop on the Alaska Cruise. From left: Kathy, Laraine, Tom, Koz, Jan, Lumpy, Alexis, Carl, Ginny, and Bob.

That everyone for a great trip!

Next up: The Austin's and Gallagher's go land surfing.

Hubbard Glacier...AWESOME!

TOP: Glacier "up close and personal"

2nd: Laraine & Tom on deck

3rd: Ice "calving" off the glacier

BOTTOM: The glacial "river" as it flows through the mountains to the sea. That face of the glacier is about 15-20 stories high to put it in perspective

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Today we hit was was to-date the highlight of the trip...the Hubbard Glacier. After an all night cruise at full speed, we entered the fjord where the glacier is located. It was full of icebergs, surrounded by 2-3k ft near vertical mountains, and had a deadening wind whistling through it.

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After a couple of hours in the fjord, we came around a bend and saw Hubbard glacier...it was magnificent, and we thought we'd be there in a few minutes so we scrambled up on deck. As it turns out, we were WAY off on the scale, and it took us another couple of hours to get to the glacier itself. It was huge, mage 15-20 stories tall, and since the water was calm, the Captain elected to back us in to within about 200 meters of the ice. He said it was far and away the nicest viewing day of the entire summer tourist season.

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We watch ice continually calve of the glacier, we could see underwater rivers flowing from below the glacier, and the sea was awash with huge icebergs. The Captain spun the ship about 270 degrees so that everyone topside could see the glacier from different angles. It was truly a magnificent site to behold.

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After a couple of hours of viewing, the Captain reluctantly began heading out of the fjord, and we bid adieu to Hubbard. But, that is without a doubt, one memory that will forever stick in my mind.

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"Hubba-Hubba Hubbard" Lumpy out

Skagway...Finally, Real Alaska

TOP: Housing in Hoonah at its best...seriously

2nd: Rafting in Skagway. Our guide had already done the Appalacian Trail, and was attempting the Pacific Crest Trail next summer...impressive

BOTTOM: Hiking the trails in Skagway with 50 of my closest cruise friends

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Our next port-of-call was a little town called Skagway, and this to me was the first taste of "Real Alaska". The people were way more interesting, they had an awesome brew pub, good hiking and rafting, and a real rustic feel to the town.

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Tom and I went hiking in the morning then rafting in the afternoon, then struck out for the brew pub. We had a 6:00 deadline to be back on-ship, giving us a good couple of hours to sample the local hops.

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OK, so at 5:55 we decided we had better make a beeline for the ship (they had already left passengers at 2 prior port-of-calls) and headed out the door in a dash...or as much of a dash as two old, gimpy guys can do. As we're headed shipward, turns out the the group dashing alongside us is 4 of the musical entertainment for the ship...they also just leave them behind if they don't make it. And, let me tell you, I don't know how they played that evening, as they were shitfaced drunk at 6pm.

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We made the ship with moments to spare, the ramp went up, and we got totally bitched out by the womenfolk. I guess not having our wallets or passports on us could have been a bad thing also. We'll be better prepared next time.

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On a positive note, damn good beer.

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"No skanks in Skagway" Lumpy out

Do Juneau What I Know?

TOP: Tom of the mount. You should have seen the lightning when I went inside!

2nd: Ugly heads collection

3rd: Laraine, not drinking for once, proving that the wethead is not dead

BOTTOM: Lumpy (almost) overboard

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We cruised through the night from Ketchikan to Juneau, and deboarded there. Juneau was bigger, and the state capital, but still a small town by Lower 48 standards. It was pouring outside...not just raining, but a Noah-like rain. Everyone was soaked, many folks elected to just stay on the ship, and the cold wind just added to the fun.

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We took a small van tour, with a moron driving, telling all about Sara Palin, how the country has gone to hell with the blacks and gays, how mine and logging waste was a good thing, why bikers shouldn't be allowed on the road or kayaks on the seas, and how alaska should secede. I couldn't have gotten out of there fast enough, but it definitely was an intro to the "alaskan mindset", sad as it is at times.

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We spent most of the afternoon at the famous Red Dog saloon, a touristy-crusty establishment with sawdust on the floors, mouthy waitresses, and cheap beer. We had planned to kayak, but the rain was so heavy and the seas so tumultuous that we bagged that idea. All in all, Juneau was a bust.

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"Juneau I couldn't get out of there fast enough" Lumpy out

Land Ho!

TOP: Small boat cruising the fjords near Ketchikan Alaska

2nd: The fjordettes (Laraine, Jan, Kathy) getting windblow topside

3rd: Skateboard Kathy moosing about

BOTTOM: Kathy and Lumpy touch down on their 50th state!

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After a few days of cruising the open seas, we finally did the old "Land Ho!" into Ketchikan, Alaska. It was really cool to see the Captain dock this monstrous ship into dock, alongside 3 others, in a town that was probably smaller than any one of the ships individually. Apparently this goes on from June-September all summer long, every day 3-4 ships with 3,000-5,000 passengers and crew arriving for day trips. And, every one of them wants to buy "tourist crap" at the warfside markets.

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We exited the ship, above, and in doing so bagged our 50th state!!!!!! How cool is that, and the culmination of our multi-year adventure. (Ed Note: Next Up: 100 countries).

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Ketchikan was a dinky tourist trap, so we all grabbed a small ship and did a boat tour of the fjords. They were awesome, all sorts of spikey islands, and massive, vertical walls, some rising 1,000 feet or more off the waterline, and at least as far straight downward. Well worth the trip. After a quick walkabout around Ketchikan, back onboard and cruising on to the next port.

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"50 state down" Lumpy out

Celebrate Good Times, Come on!

Celebrating our (soon to be here) 25th anniversary on the ship. What a memory!

A Sailing we will go, A sailing we will go

TOP: The welcoming buffet, complete with carver watermellons

2nd: Jan (AKA Gopher) in her sailing whites on the red carpet

3rd: OK, so perhaps posting this may be a bad idea, but hey, if you know how to accessorize, you just HAVE to flaunt it!

BOTTOM: the entire crew at the Captain's dinner. Just like we eat at home every night...

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As soon as we (finally) onboarded, we made a mad dash to the topside bar. The view from the, oh, 20th floor as we exited Vancouver harbor was priceless, with the skyscrapers, the mountains, and the bridges in full glory. We ordered up a round of drinks, including a bunch of deep blue, glacial ice and curaco"Blue Alaskans", to which Koz asked (I swear) "Which one is the Blue Alaskan?".

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We did a long walkabout to acquaint ourselves with the ship, and then decided to get a workout in. Thankfully, they had a decent workout room (treadmills, spin bikes, some weight machines) otherwise I think tom and I were going to go nuts. Koz signed us all up for a spin class, and then showed up 15 minutes late totally smashed; seems his mixology class included 2 hours of tasting their creations. The instructor wouldn't even let him on the bike.

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We had decided to vastly scale down our Internet usage, which was pretty easy with it costing $30/hour for access. So, we'd just have to focus on the onboard activities, including food, gambling, BINGO, food, sauna, spa, food, bars, shows, and, oh, did I mention food (In the end, I was up 10 POUNDS from this vacation, a first for me). The buffets started at 5 am, and continued on to about 10pm. We just ate non-stop, and for those who know me, having a "food governor" is not way up my list...if it's in front of me, I just keep eating. I did make a point to have a salad every day, but that paled next to the endless cookie and ice cream bar, fresh omlettes, 8 or so main dishes including italian, indian, and asian, and pretty reasonable booze, the only thing that we really had to pay for on the cruise.

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Unfortunately, I got a bit seasick (if you can believe that) the first day out on the open water, and basically slept for 24 hours. Not sure what all happened, as I'm an experienced seaman (go ahead, have fun with that), and kayak a great deal. I just totally lost my equilibrium...everything was in motion when a sat or stood up. So, I totally crashed and just slept it off, finally coming around after a day or so. Then, I was fine for the rest of the trip.

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Every night we did a show or game, did some gaming, walked the deck in the moonlight, and played cards topside. Soon we would be in Alaska, our 50th state!

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"Roling, rolling, rolling" Lumpy out

Dos Harbores

TOP: Radiance of the Seas dockside

2nd: Dumb and Dumber after their 2 mile run to make the ship

BOTTOM: Ok, so maybe am SUV would have been a good idea.

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Big day today; we board the ship and set sail for Alaska..YEAH!!!!!!!!!

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We started the day with a quick bfast, and then figured we'd get in about a half day of touristing before heading out. We drove around Vancouver proper for a while, through Stanley Park, the eclectic villages, and such, and bid to say goodbye. It's been a very nice trip, and I will undoubtably go back to vancouver again for something...likely a kayak or bike trip.

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We loaded up the car to head to the harbor, and realized just how much LUGGAGE laraine brought. Fortunately, she folds up small in the back seat, as evidenced above. The hotel people were in tears watching us load everything up into the compact car.

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Now the real story begins....we drove down to the harbor, and dropped the girls and all the luggage off at the dock, adjacent to the ship. Then, tom and I drove over to the car rental return, dropped the car, and started our mile or so trek back to the harbor. When we got there, the ship was not boarding yet, so we just hung out. At one point, I noticed that it was a holland ship, and I asked kathy "hey, I thought you said we were on royal carribbean". Wow boy, that set a bunch of things in motion....we were at THE WRONG DOCK!!!! Seems that although this was the main cruise ship terminal, our ship was too big to fit there, so they docked it at the freight terminal miles away. Holy Harborfreight Batman!!! We commandered the only cab nearby, stuffed the girls and the luggage into it, and sent them on their way, while Tom and I started the "arthritic old men" jog to the terminal. Since the cabbie told us it was not even a mile, we figured we'd make it with plenty of time to spare...that is until we finally got there an hour later, drenched and tired, as the harboer was over 3 MILES AWAY.

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We got on the ship, tracked down the kozlowski's and the heidick's, and immediately headed towards the bar. We order up a round of drinks, bring them back to the table, where koz asks "which one is the blue hawaian?"....an interesting question, given that there was 4 beers, 2 scotch, 3 wines, and one cocktail...which was, surprisingly enough, blue.

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But hey, we're on the ship, we have booze, and we're off to Alaska!

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"Bon Voyage" Lumpy out

Richmond, China

TOP: Laraine in high-speed pose

2nd: A beginner skater. Luckily for him, Laraine was able to get out there and correct his form before the Olympic Trials began

BOTTOM: Laraine and Kathy relaxing after a hard day on the ice.

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We returned from Whistler last night, got a good night's sleep, and went for a long walkabout in Richmond today, a suburb of Vancouver. Richmond is famous for its ChinaTown, and they didn't underestimate it. Very densely packed, there were a ton of shops. One of our favorites only had dress for a size 0 AND UNDER!!! Of course, Tom was the only one that fit into those, wimpy little person that he is.

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We went over to the Olympic Oval, where speed skating will be contested in January, and it was a very cool place. Literally. They had a bunch of Olympic contenders training there, and it was incredible to see just how fast they were able to go...I'd estimate at least 30-40mph. The building had been designed to become a community resource after the games, with babysitting services, weight rooms, etc. Very, very nicely done.

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We tooled around the area for most of the day, went down to one of the little seaport villages for dinner, and called it a night. Tomorrow, we set sail (well, motor anyways) for Alaska!

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"General Tsang" Lumpy out

Whistleri (ing a Tune)

TOP: Finishing curve on the bobsled/luge/skeleton run. Riders will be going around 90mph at this point, and totally horizontal

2nd: Laraine, always the watersports person, getting into the Pacific Ocean...well, OK, it WAS a major tributary to the Ocean

3rd: "Tyra" modeling at the finish line

BOTTOM: Zipline rider (find the horizontal cable, look to the left to find the actual rider) traversing a canyon

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We were pretty puckered out after the day in victoria, the gardens, and the ferry rides, so decided to make it a lazier day today by driving up to Whistler, the home of the 2010 winter olympics. Laraine is an olympic junkie, taping something like 200 hours last summer, and she was really psyched to try out some of the venues. Luge is her forte actually, what she competed in back in college...you know, in those rare days when she wasn't driniking.

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Along the way we stopped at Squamish, where the last vestiges of the Pacific Ocean reach far, far inland through an incredibly deep fjord. It was all we could do to stop laraine from diving into the ocean. We had to practically tie her to the car. She was screaming "let me be free"! We finally settled her down with some sushi and a cafe'and moved on "up the hill" to Whistler.

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Whistlers was also quite beautiful, nestled in the mountains. There was a mountain biking race on the calendar the day we visited, so we watched a bit of that (the hill climbs were incredible, they biked up hills that I don't think I could walk up!), and walked around the various ski towns for a while. We came upon the sliding centre, where they host the luge, skeleton, and bobsled, and a bunch of workers were busy trying to wrap up the wiring, lighting, and TV so that they could freeze it up and start testing the track under race conditions. One of the workers kindly gave us a guided tour, and told us how they put the workers on roller-sleds to test out the track after it was first constructed. Oh, yeah, that's what I want to do...be first down an untested track on a bobsled at 90mph.

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Fortunately, the town had lots of coffee for me, tom, and kathy, and a nearly endless supply of vodka for laraine. We'll be waiting with baited breath to see the Winter Olympics in January, so we can yell out "We were there!".

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"Can you ride skeleton if you're Lumpy?" Lumpy out

Gardens addendum

TOP: Something fishy going on there...

2nd: Hanging baskets the size of small countries

3rd: The continuously morphing fountain

BOTTOM: In a site that brought back memories of home, statue of mercury alongside a massive hedgerow

Laraine Drinking again...

Man, what a lush...Unfortunately, the ferry had a bar...

Butchart Gardens

In the afternoon we went over to Butchart Gardens, just expecting some nice shrubbery. Well, were we ever surprised! The gardens were incredible, they had stage show scattered about, waterfalls and fountains, trellis and arbors, it was quite the site. The pics just don't do it justice.

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"Flower Power" Lumpy out

Victoria addendum

TOP: The Swan hotel, home of the best breakfast in Victoria

2nd: If you see this man...

3rd: Crew studying the tourguide on the ferry over

Bottom: Kathy getting "Mount-eed"

Lovely Victoria

TOP: Pastry shops abounded, which was NOT a good thing for my waistline given I had 7 days of unlimited buffets coming up onship!

2nd: A typical Victoria shop. Everything you looked, flowers, flowers, flowers

3rd: Victoria harbor

4th: The BC parliment building

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The Gallagher's and us took a small (400 people!) ferry today to Victoria, the island capital of BC. I had read good things about it, but was really, really impressed when I got there. It's a beautiful little city, on a major (300 miles!) island, that is mostly uninhabited. If only we could be so lucky with Washington DC :-) The island has a 7000' mountain, galciers, and an incredible garden (next post).

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We walked the city for hours, stopping at the quaint little swan hotel for an awesome breakfast. Victoria has an "old" chinatown, and a lot of water based activities. We saw boat and cyclists everywhere, and Tom and I were itching to get out for a ride (which will have to await our return trip!). The south end of the city contains a huge park, with endless vista looking out on the sound/straight/bay/whatever the heck the name these bodies of water.

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After a great half day around town, we headed up-island to see what was purported to be a good garden. Good was a MASSIVE understatement...

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"A Farthing for Your Foughts" Lumpy out