Memorial Day

Monday, May 30, 2016
What a gorgeous day!!! The temperature hit 88 with a little breeze and spring flowers blooming all over.  Jen's rhododendrons almost in full bloom, various colors of iris are around the yard, and pink peony's are in bloom by the front sidewalk.  She has a gorgeous fuchia in a hanging pot in the tree that is just loaded with purple blooms and my geranium is on her front porch putting out all kinds of red blooms.

The family spent a fair amount of time in the yard in the morning and early afternoon pulling weeds, trimming the grass, getting the little fish pond running, and preparing the bonfire area for a fire.

Then in the late afternoon families began arriving (23 people in all) for a picnic, games, socializing, and just plain fun spending time together.  Rachel had requested this gathering of all her friends from the homeschooling gym class she attends each week locally.  I ended up playing some board games with the youngest attender (9 year old Isabella) and Noelle for a while then we all went outside to enjoy a fire, make somemores, and play with sparklers.

Traveling Home

Saturday/Sunday, May 28/29, 2016
We are finally back to our motorhome which is parked in our son's driveway in Pennsylvania.  It has been a couple of very long days with a huge change in time zones and weather.  We started in Vancouver at 6:15 am (3:15 am EDT), finished the first day at 10:30 pm (EDT) at the Quality Inn by the airport where it was still in the high 70s (It had been 88 earlier in the day).  The second day we were up at 8:00 am EDT and off to Pennsylvania after breakfast arriving around 3:30 pm to temperatures around 88 degrees and staying awake till late in the evening to try and help our bodies adjust.

Our experiences in the Vancouver and Toronto airport positively wore us out.  It was pouring rain when we got off the ship and on to a huge bus that took us to the airport.  There they unloaded us outside after off loading all the luggage and leaving it sit in the rain.  Then we had to walk a distance to the entrance to get into a line we were directed to by an airport employee.  There were easily 200 people in the line with all their luggage and only 2 check in people!!!!!!!!!!  And the line continued to grow behind us as more busloads came into the airport.  All of us wet and getting just a bit anxious because our flights were due to go out soon and we were stuck in this line.

Then someone appeared and said we should go to another area to check in.  Most of the people left but we just stayed where we were since now the line was quite short.  Once we checked in and had our large suitcase taken care of, we headed to the security line.  That took awhile but we finally made it through and then set off on a very very long walk to the far end of the terminal to get on the plane that was already in the process of loading.  (When we arrived we still had 2 hours till loading would begins so that gives an idea of how long we were in lines and walking)

The flight went fine though Ken and I ended up being in the very last row of a huge plane with 11 seats across (5 in the middle, 3 on each side)  By the time the stewardesses got back to us with food that could be bought for a lunch (very limited choice) most of the food was gone but Ken managed to get a sandwich and I had some cheese and crackers)

When we arrived in Toronto, we had just short of two hours till the final boarding time for our flight to Detroit.  That rapidly disappeared as we went from security station to security station to security station (different types) and waited in long lines making long walks as well.  By the time we got out of the final one we had an escalator to go down and couldn't find any board to tell us what gate we were going out.  After hunting we located that but then missed the turn to the long long long hall and regular set of stairs (no escalator or elevator) that took us back to a narrow crammed end with 4 check in desks for planes all leaving at the same time and well over 200 people trying to figure out where to go to get to their plane - most of whom were frantic like us because the final boarding time was when we arrived and they were just trying to check everyone in.  What chaos!!!!!  But finally we got on our very small plane (only 12 rows with sets of 2 seats on each side) with me in row 6 and Ken in row 9 and carryon suitcases jammed quite literally in the small overhead space.

We arrived in Detroit Metro at the furthest end of the long concourse around 9:30 but by the time we walked to the exit area, got our luggage, found the way to the transportation (required 2 different elevator rides), got on and went to the parking lot for our car and from there to the Quality Inn it was 10:30 pm and we were exhausted!!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully we'll never have to do that again!!! Especially the nightmare trip through the Toronto airport.

After a night's rest, we were up just in time for to grab a little breakfast at the motel as it was being cleaned up.  Then we were off for Pennsylvania in the car.  Luckily it was the Sunday of a three day Memorial Day weekend so while the roads were busy they weren't packed with people trying to get somewhere for the whole weekend.  We enjoyed our lunch at Panera at a rest stop along the Ohio turnpike and got to Dan and Jen's home and our motorhome (in their driveway) around 3:30 pm.  We were able to get unpacked and start the clothes washing process before supper with the family.

Abbi enjoyed sharing her outfit for the special dance she'll attend with her sister and parents on Friday in Lancaster with all of the gathered Veritos homeschooing families from around the country. Abbi and Rachel are really looking forward to meeting kids they've shared classes with over the last couple of years while attending on line classes provided by Veritos.

Our Last Day At Sea

Friday, May 27, 2016
This is always the toughest day, cause it is the last day of a cruise.  We feel like we've just gotten into the groove and ready to go when suddenly we get the disembarkation information and are told the luggage must be outside our door by late evening.  It's done???  How could that be?  But alas it is. :-(

Last night we had to move our clocks forward an hour so already we are facing the major time changes that lie ahead.  Now we are on Pacific Time and already sleeping in a bit put us behind on the schedule we'd set for ourselves.  Soooooooo, we just relaxed over breakfast and chatted with a couple from Redding, PA rather than try and race and make it to the activities we were going to try to do.  After all, we're cruising and that means RELAX!!!!

Since the big suitcase had to be packed and put out later in the evening, we took time in the morning to do most of that packing and reorganizing of our stuff before just reading for a bit and doing the paper and pencil games that are put out each day in the library.  I managed to solve the "fiendishly tough" Suduko puzzle and Ken figured out what countries various well know streets were in.  And before we knew it, it was time to eat yet again.

Our little Pop Choir - 8 strong - gathered shortly after lunch for a final rehearsal of our five songs. Since the presentation was to be almost immediately after, we had to change into our black and white oufits right after lunch.  Then it was off to sing sing sing.  Dave Rumrill agreed to take a few pictures on my camera so I even have a couple of pictures of us performing in the atrium for all the people who lined the stair cases and railings on the 5th - 8th floors.

We were really quite amazed at the number that came to cheer us on.
Here are most of us with our director, Miranda in the middle.

Once that was over, we returned to change to the clothes we'd wear tomorrow and the rest of this day and packed the rest of the stuff.  That job was done!!  And there was time for Ken to take a short nap and for me to do a little work on this blog before heading off for our last dinner on the ship.  That of course included the fun Baked Alaska parade.

We and lots of cheering for our wait staff.  We really had a terrific waiter this time.  His sense of humor and ability to interact with us provided alot of entertainment this week.

While we were eating a couple of people at our table spotted whales out the window (Ken and I had our backs to the window so didn't see them)  We were passing through the Seymour Narrows which apparently is a good spot to see whales. Unfortunately it poured rain all day today, so visibility was low but even so several times as we walked around the ship we were aware of people gathering at windows and exclaiming "there's one".  Lots of people were very happy because that was on their bucket list for this trip - see a whale.

After dinner we attended the Voice of the Ocean show in the Princess Theater.  Potential competitors had tried out earlier in the week and it had been reduced to six competitors with three members of the staff acting as judges including one of the entertainers on this trip.  The singers were surprisingly good but one girl was outstanding and ultimately ended up the winner receiving a trophy for her efforts.

The final event of the day for us was attending the staff show in the Princess Theater.  It was fantastic with a couple of singers, a drummer (he is a wine steward on the ship), a Chinese dancer (from the housekeeping staff) and a couple of skits that had us in stitches put on by the cruise entertainment staff.  What a wonderful way to end our cruise!

Ketchikan

Thursday, May 26, 2016
We arrived in Ketchikan after breakfast this morning which meant we could enjoy beautiful scenery out the huge windows in the buffet while we were eating. The amazing thing was the weather.  We actually had some blue skies - the first we've seen on this trip and here we are coming into the rain capital!

We could see most of the small town as we were parking at the dock - one of four cruise ships in port. 

Here you are right in town when you arrive.  In fact the dock has been added to the land to make the area larger so ships park nose to tail all along the boardwalk. This sign welcomes visitors arriving by water - the only practical way to get to the town since there are no roads in.

And right on the dock is this statue representing the history of the town

We joined the huge numbers of people getting off as we had purchased tickets for the lumber jack show in the morning.

 The stadium was just a couple of short blocks away.  And the show began shortly after we arrived.  One of the first things that happened was a passenger of one of the other ships was introduced.  He had tried his hand at throwing an axe on the ship and got a bulls eye so he was invited to do it at the show.  Here is a shot of his ax flying through the air but as you can see by how low it is he did not get a bulls eye this time.

The 4 participants in the show were Rob and Boone Scheer, a father and son duo who both hold championship titles in lumberjack events and two other younger fellows who also have won events. They are 4 of the 12 who compete in these shows at various times - two of which are female.  One of them, Cassandra who goes by the nickname Sitka, was the narrator today.

The following a few pictures taken of some of the events:

After the show, we spent some time walking around the town first enjoying all the beautiful flowers 

We visited the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center where we enjoyed a film on the area as well as interesting displays depicting the wild life, fishing, lumbering, and other aspects of life in the area. They also had this huge 3 D wall map of Alaska that helped us see where we'd been and where we would be going including the waterways had been traveling.  No wonder we always had land in sight. There is a lot of it along the peninsula areas on the two sides.  (Note that Alaska is our largest state - 2 1/2 times larger than Texas and when put on a map of the lower 48 pretty much stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific)

There were a variety of totem poles around the area including this one in the building

And this one that is close to the entrance to famous Creek Street

We then wandered through Creek Street where the homes have become shops and restaurants.

On our way back to the ship for a very late lunch, we got this picture that shows the ship in relationship to the buildings and in the foreground is one of the many people around town who holds crossing signs to stop traffic and allow people to cross safely.  I guess that provides employment and keeps them from having to put up stop lights for the short tourist season.

Later in the day, I stopped to watch a Fashion show in the atrium with passengers as the models showing off some of the items sold in the shops on board.

Then after dinner, we enjoyed the production show, On the Bayou, with its elaborate staging including a mock Preservation Hall that opened so you could see the blues singers and instrumentalists playing inside.  The stage had a moving circular section in center that made it look like a boat was being poled down the river.  John Herrick was sitting in the front row along with the Blacks and Rumrills and got pulled up by one of the dancers to participate in an ending number. Then at the very end lots of colorful pieces of shiny long pieces of confetti fell down over the audience.

Juneau

Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Our time in port in Juneau was shorter as we were back sailing by 3:30 in the afternoon.  Since we'd been here two times before and had no major things we wanted to see (and it was raining), we decided to stay on the ship and just enjoy the amenities available to us.  There was a movie showing that Ken wanted to see: Bridge of Spies, and I was eager to meet and see the pictures that Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod was showing while we were in port.

Libby won back in the 80's at the age of 28.  She competed many more times but never again won it but has remained actively involved in the race community and continues to raise sled dogs.  She told us a bit about the physical strength needed to do the race as well as the tenacity and need for perseverance.  She told us the story of her first day of racing to demonstrate the need to never give up as well as demonstrate what a tight community the racers were.  Mid way on that day she stopped for a rest but did not make a proper tie up of her sled.  While trying to undo her knot, the dogs took off and she grabbed a branch attached to the rope but fell flat on her face and was dragged for four miles before having to let go while the dogs continued on. Luckily another sledder was able to stop them and tie them up assuming the driver would eventually show up.  She was offered a ride by another competitor after running and walking some of the distance.  From there she once again was off eventually winning!!!!  Her photos and videos were beautiful and certainly reenforced the ruggedness of the route and demands on the bodies of both the racer and the dogs.

At 3:30 when the ship left port there was a Pop Choir rehearsal.  Another chance to interact with Miranda (who was from Sarnia, Ontario where my grandmother lived) and the other members of the group as we worked some more on the words, tune and motions for our performance that will be on Friday.

After our dinner, we attended the production show: Motor City, in the Princess Theater.  We've seen it before but still loved seeing it again.  The energy of the dancers and singers and the neat scenery make it a super show.  The very first act they have a convertible on stage in a service garage setting.

And as always there was enjoyable time to spend on our balcony just enjoying the beautiful scenery while searching for signs of wildlife.  This is the port area of Juneau as seen from our balcony once the rain quit and the sun came out. The ship was another Princess ship that was there with us along with two others not seen in this picture (another reason for not just getting out and wandering around - thousands of visitors would have been milling around with us)

A Visit to Skagway

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

We arrived in Skagway before we were even up this morning.  Since our 7:00 am tour had been changed to 1:00 we just slept in and then had a very relaxed breakfast time in the Horizon Court - the buffet on the ship.  It was quite windy, cool (48) and overcast so we felt no need to get off and wander the town that was nearby so we just enjoyed our view from our room (note all the painted rocks most of which are symbols for various cruise ships)

and the front of the ship which looks toward town and the little campground where we stayed in 2009.

That was the only thing we were curious about so when we did get off in anticipation of our tour we walked down to check it out.  It still looked the same (though not many RVs since it is so early in the season) and helped us do a little reminiscing when we were parkers for our Winnebago caravan.  We were there several days and in the evening would sit out side the gate facing the dock to watch the cruise ships move out.

Our tour took us on a 45 minute fast ferry ride

to Haines in the Chilkat Valley. To get there you travel the same waterway, Lynn Channel, as the ship does going from Skagway to Juneau and Ketchikan.  So you see much the same stuff we saw on our trip in a small boat back in 2009 when we traveled with our Alaska caravan group to Juneau.  Along the way we saw many of the same waterfalls as well as seals, whales and eagles.  I wasn't as successful getting pictures this time but this is the kind of stuff we saw. (Fast ferries don't slow down so you can take pictures)

Haines is over 350 miles from Skagway by road so most people choose to go there by boat.  It was home to an army base, Fort Stewart, built in 1903 to help resolve disputes with Canada and later sold to Army veterans and now used for a variety of things - especially visitor housing in the officer row of homes.

In 1896 when gold was discovered in Alaska this was home to over 100,000 gold seekers and filled with tent homes while they gathered the necessary equipment for moving on.  Today it is home to about 2,500 residents.  But over 11,000 years ago the Chilkat and Chilkoot tribes of Tlingit Indians had crossed the ice bridge at the Bering Strait and made this area their home.  It was fantastic for fishing as the Chilkoot River at the base of the mountains never freezes

and fishing became their major source of food.  All five kinds of salmon can be found in this river which also attracts bald eagles who make this area their home - as many as a thousand or more. Forty-eight thousand acres were declared the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve by the governor in 1983.

We stopped for a short visit at the American Bald Eagle Foundation to visit a few raptors of the area that are being treated for wounds so in cages.

This eagle had injured feet and problems with one wing

And this barred owl was quite intrigued with us choosing to sit right at the front of the cage and stare at us.

The main caretaker brought this owl out for us all to see.

Our bus trip took us along the side the river and preserve area as we traveled to the Jilkaat Kwaan Cultural and Heritage Center which just opened last week in the village of Klukwan.  In fact, one of the members of the tribe was on our bus and was able to tell us a bit about what we would be seeing. Some of the ancient pieces are considered sacred and we were asked not to take pictures of them.

Living in this area so abundant in fish, game, edible plants, and wild berries allowed the Tlingit to develop a rich culture and establish an empire that extended by land and sea from interior Alaska and Canada to California.  The are known for their trading, oratory, and arts and crafts.   The traditions of Tlingits are still recognized and practiced today, such as Chilkat and Raven's Tail weaving, wood carving, spruce root and cedar basket making and story telling. Our guide was instrumental in getting this Center up and running and helped to provide some of the examples of the arts by making them herself - especially the fantastic weavings.  

She first took us to the area that shows how the fish were caught, cleaned, dried and smoked. 

Then we visited the carving and wood area where long canoes are created as well as totems and other wooden art objects such as tribal head pieces. 

This fellow showed us the tool he created to remove the surface of wood to make it much more resistant to wood rot caused by water. 

From there we visited the clan house with its ancient (over 500 year old totems)

Here we were treated to a show demonstrating some of the dances and costumes warn while doing them.

And from there we went to the museum which was off limits to the camera but so many neat things to see inside.  These people are very artistic and it sure shows in the things they had on display along with a huge map of their homelands and their history time line.

There was a small shop that sold a few handcrafted items along with a book about the life of this tribe written by our guide that several people purchased.

Then we went outside where tables were set up with a light meal for us to enjoy while watching the rapidly moving water and the Eagle Preserve area on the other side trying to spot one in flight or sitting on a branch.

On our way back to the port and the ferry, we passed a moose and her couple day old baby alongside the rode.  Then we said farewell to Haines

and headed back to Skagway

and our ship, the Coral Princess.

It was well past our dinner hour so we simply went up to the Horizon Court for the buffet supper and then returned to our room to relax for a bit before calling it a night while the ship pulled away and began the trip to our next destination, Juneau.