May 1-2 - Home Again

 It's taken a couple of days to get to this, the last entry.  We woke early on Wednesday morning and were out of the cabin by 7:30.  Rather than greet the crowds at the buffet, we just got a quick breakfast yogurt and nuts at Coffee Connection and watched the morning bustle.  We saw Jan/Tom and Sarah and a few other passengers and crew and were able to say one last goodbye.  We never saw Phil/Carol, which was surprising, but we had said goodbye last night.  They were a bit late getting started, but eventually, we were called off.  Our luggage was waiting for us as promised so we collected it and headed to our transfer bus to the airport. 

It was a beautiful ride through Vancouver streets to the airport where check-in went without a hitch.  Both TSA and US Immigration and Customs are there, so you get all of that out of the way before even getting to the gate.  After Customs, there is a sign welcoming you to the USA.  That was nice, but they still wanted Canadian currency at the concession stands.  I bought a breakfast sandwich meal (including coffee/tea and a doughnut) at Tim Horton's which seemed fitting.  

We sat in a lovely large waiting area at our gate while the flight before us boarded.  Soon after that, they closed that area and we had to move.  Some poor fellow was in the restroom when they closed the doors and he set off an alarm when he tried to leave the area.  Eventually, his wife arrived with a cleaning person who let him out.  We had a long wait for our flight which boarded at 1:00 pm, but it was a comfortable wait.  

The flight to Chicago went smoothly as did the next flight to Washington DC.  With my status on United (earned by buying timeshares at Marriott!) we got seats in Economy Plus which helped a little bit.  Arrival at Dulles Airport was not until midnight, so we took the shuttle bus to the Courtyard at Herndon.  We started to board the Courtyard at Chantilly bus, but fortunately, the driver asked us to confirm which of the 4 Courtyard hotels we were heading to.  Lesson learned.

After a mostly sleepless night, we got breakfast at the Starbucks in the lobby and caught a Lyft home. The last time we took an Uber from the airport, they charged us $8 for tolls on the Express Lanes on I-66 which we hadn't even used.  Our Lyft driver assured us they don't do that, and he was right, so Lyft it is from now on.

All was well with the house and the yard is in full bloom so it looks beautiful.  We got the water turned on and heated and by late afternoon had all our laundry done (I wash everything whether it's dirty or not), the mail dealt with and grocery shopping done.  Had a light dinner of salmon and salad, watched a few TV shows and hit the sack.  Of course, I still had trouble sleeping, so I got up to finish this blog.

And one last thing:  our next cruise in in early June where we will join my sister, Sue; brother Phil; and Jan/Tom for a Princess cruise from San Francisco to Alaska roundtrip on the Crown Princess.  While waiting to depart Wednesday morning, what do we see on the next pier:

Right above the brown bit is the name of the ship.

So, I'll end here with thanks that we had such a wonderful trip with family and good friends and learned so much more about the world we live in.  Until next time, safe travels and keep smiling!

April 30 - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

 Today was our last day of the cruise.  We didn't dock until 10 am so we had a leisurely morning before our 10:30 tour "Grand Victoria and High Tea at the Empress Hotel."  We had a very nice double-decker bus and since Michael and I went out as soon as we got our bus ticket, we got the front seats on top.  Jan/Tom came out in short order (following our scofflaw ways) and sat next to us just before Phil/Carol took the seats behind.  It's interesting that without consulting each other, and with 15 tours to choose from, we all picked the same one.  I guess that's why we all get along so well.

We took a short tour of Victoria and it is a beautiful place.  The weather started a little cloudy with light showers, but it cleared up pretty quickly.

This was on the roof of a pier building next to our ship.  It looks like the skeleton of a bird's nest, but it's tied down.  Maybe it is reused by the bird pair each year.

Mile 0.  This is the Western starting point of the Trans Canada Highway which goes all the way across Canado to Newfoundland.  Our guide told a funny story that he and his girlfriend drove the whole thing over many days right up to the very last bit which is a 14 hour ferry ride to Newfoundland.  She decided she didn't want to do the ferry part, so they turned around and drove home.  She's now his ex-girlfriend.

A lovely park in the middle of the city.  I didn't get a photo, but we saw a pair of ducks crossing the street in the pedestrian zone.  Even the ducks here are polite.

It's a little hard to see, but the bike lanes (in green on the right) have their own stoplights.

The Empress Hotel through the bus window.  We parked around back so I didn't get a better photo.

The entrance to their Chinatown.  It's not very large, only a couple of blocks, but only the Chinatown in San Francisco is older.

There's a tiny street, called Fan Tan Alley. right where that man is standing.  It's just about 3 feet wide.  They filmed a motorcycle chase down it for a movie and they had to shave down the handlebars so it would fit.

On to High Tea at the Empress.  It is a beautiful iconic hotel completed in 1908 and has been serving High Tea ever since.  I'm afraid no one was really dressed up as one would have back in the day, but we did see a couple of young girls in dresses with nice fascinators (English hats like they wear at weddings) which was fun.

We had 3 types of tea (fruit, green and black) and a lovely assortment of scones (the best ever with clotted cream and jam), sandwiches and sweets.  It's a good thing we had a light breakfast.

 

So you can steep your tea for the correct amount of time.  Heathens that we are, we didn't pay any attention,

It is a beautiful tea room.  You may notice our waiter on the left with his hands on his hips.  He's staring at a couch where a family with 2 very young children had been.  Apparently one had an accident of some kind because, after this picture, they spent a very long time cleaning with spray bottles, gloves and masks, moving pillows and cushions, etc.  We didn't notice any problem, but it was amusing.

The decorated postal boxes are supposed to discourage graffiti artists.

The Legislative Assembly building

What a lovely tour to end the cruise.  We've been to Victoria on cruises before, but never took the plunge to splurge on High Tea.  Since our tours are "free" (pre-paid) with Regent, it was the perfect opportunity.

Back on board, we returned to our suite to find the dreaded "Farewell" cover and our suitcases on the bed.  We have to have the checked bags out by 10 pm.  Sigh ....

The seven of us had one last dinner together at Pacific Rim and it was wonderful, as always.  Here's one last photo.

Phil, Carol, Tom, Jan, Sarah, Michael, me

We're scheduled to be called off the ship around 8:20 am for our transfer to Vancouver airport.  The checked bags are out in the hallway, and we are ready to crawl into our bed for the last time.  Tomorrow will be a long day.

April 29 - At Sea

We've been hearing a lot about the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) lately.  They've been seen in the area over recent nights.  Last night I got up around 12:30 am and looked north from our cabin and saw a very light-colored greenish glow on the horizon.  If there had been a big city in that direction, I'd have thought it was the glow from that.  But there is no city and as I looked, the glow sort of changed shape very slowly.  I woke Michael and he saw it too.  We think it might have been the Lights.  A few hours later I was up again and the glow was still there, but had grown.  I told this story to another passenger and she said that on one of her cruises they were called out to the pool deck to see the Lights.  She described it as a sort of vague glow also.  However a professional photographer took their picture and with his fancy camera and proper settings, they could clearly see the Lights behind them in the picture.  So I'm sticking with my story that we saw the Northern Lights.

  Today was our last sea day.  The weather was dreary all day with gray rainy skies and gray rolling seas.  

We didn't get any calls about our Customs form, so I guess we're good to go.  And Naveen was able to get my eyeglasses repaired, so all is well.  Fortuately, I had brought a backup pair.

There were two lectures today.  The first by Terry Breen called "Devil Beneath the Sea: The Story of Ripple Rock" was really interesting.  We're sailing down the Inside Passage now.  Before 1958 there was a narrow passage along here that was the most direct route, but it had a big problem in that there were 2 mountain peaks just under water that caused wicked problems in the fast currents in the narrow passage.  Boats would have to wait for slack tide and then make a run for it hoping to avoid being thrown around or worse.  More than 100 people had died, ships had been destroyed and millions of dollars lost in time wasted waiting for slack tide or lost cargo.  In 1958 engineers devised a way, after 4 years of study and construction, of drilling tunnels under the channel and up into the underwater rock mountains to plant a massive amount of explosives.  As with any new undertaking, they were pretty sure it would work, but not 100%.  Fortunately, it did and we will sail through later tonight.  Terry had a movie produced by DuPont, who provided the blasting materials, that documented the whole affair.  It was most interesting.

The second lecture by Diana Preston was "The Evolution of Charles Darwin".  Diana and her husband have written a book about Darwin and this lecture was very good also.  I hadn't realized that his 5 year voyage on the HMS Beagle was his only venture outside of England.  Or that there was another naturalist, Alfred Wallace, who had come to almost identical conclusions as Darwin on evolution and was thought to be getting ready to publish his theory.  Darwin hurriedly finished and published his paper "On the Origin of Species" which he'd been sitting on for nearly 20 years for fear of criticism.  

While waiting for the lecture to start, I realized I had no pictures for today, so I took a photo of the theatre from my seat at the back.

Those brown posts are a real nuisance.  Whoever designed the theatre must not have ever sat in it.

Today was the last Trivia and again the women beat the men, but still out of the points.  We gave some of our points to Tom so he could get a jacket he was working for and the rest to Phil/Carol who are bringing their kids/grandkids on this ship to Alaska in July.  Their kids might be able to use them for T shirts.

Tonight was the Krew Kapers show, and again it was fun.  The same show as before, but still a fun event for all.  We were invited to join Brandon, the Food and Beverage Manager, for dinner in Chartreuse.  Also present were Mark and Arlene who we sailed the Grand Arctic with in 2022 and another couple whose names I didn't get.  Also there was Peachie, the Head of Housekeeping.  We had dinner with the two of them on the Voyager last year in the Eastern Med.  We think they must be an item.  It was a delightful evening where many stories were told and behind the scenes info shared.  We feel honored to be included.

April 28 - Ketchikan, Alaska

 We woke up to see this outside our cabin window.

We aren't docked right near town as we have been in years past.  RCL (the parent company of Regent Seven Seas Cruises) has its own dock now outside of town.  It's sort of a shame because we used to be able to just get off the ship and be steps from town.  Perhaps other ships dock there now.  A shuttle is provided so you can get into town about 5 miles down the road if you want.

Our tour today was Alaskan Lodge Adventure and Seafeast.  Phil and Norm/Margaret were also on our bus.  Norm/Margaret live in BC and were also on my pub tour yesterday.  We took a bus for 20 minutes north to meet a boat which took us to a lodge.  It was a nice, large, enclosed flat bottom boat so the ride was quick and smooth.  The tide was out so it was a very steep ramp down to the boat and then back up to the lodge.  There was no chance of slipping, but it was still a little hairy.  At the lodge (less National Park Lodge and more fishing lodge) there is a boardwalk through the forest which is beautiful.

The terminal is a converted mill building and is huge.  There is a very large souvenir and sundries store inside, although it's not heated, so it was rather chilly.

The boat to the lodge

One of the interesting chainsaw wood carvings along the walk.

The number of mosses around was amazing.

Ketchikan normally gets 8-10 feet of rain every year.  The record is 15 feet.

This spruce tree is estimated to be 1000-1500 years old and is 40 feet around and 180 feet tall. Forest fires don't happen because it's so wet and lightning storms are very rare. Wind is what does the most damage in the forests as the trees have very shallow roots and they all intermingle their roots.  If one goes down, it takes several others with it.  This tree was leaning towards us, but it was a calm day, so no worries.  

After our walk in the woods, we went back to the lodge for a shrimp/crab boil feast.  Very southern style with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn, and potatoes all served right on the table that was covered in old newspapers.  No plates or utensils required, but there were a few condiments.

After lunch, we took the boat back to the bus, and along the way we saw some more sea lions sunning themselves and an island with a bald eagle nest.  Those eagles began to stir as we approached in expectation of the fish that the guide threw out to bring them soaring near the boat.  This was the best shot I could get through the boat window. With at least 4 tour boats today, they got some easy meals.

We were very lucky with the weather today.  It rained just a little bit occasionally but passed on quickly.  We were told that it rained nonstop yesterday.

Again we played men vs women in Trivia and I think it was a draw between us, but neither team ended up in points territory.  We had 8/15 and supposedly at least one team had 14/15.  It's always the same team that has the highest score so we are a bit skeptical.

Nine of us went to Compass Rose for dinner and again they put us at the center Captain's Table.  We have been given Customs forms for Canada and we were comparing notes on having the forms rejected by the Reception Desk.  Even though the form clearly says members of the same household may use the same form, Regent is insisting on one form per person with no scratchouts or corrections.  The say CBC want perfect forms and one per person.  Every one of us had had returned forms. No use arguing, so we had to get 2 new forms on our way to dinner, and I folded them into thirds to fit into Michael's shirt pocket.  While filling them out "perfectly" after dinner, I noticed a red notice that said Do Not Fold Form.  Uh oh.  I submitted them anyway, and after a thorough check, they accepted them.  We may still get a call, but for now we're OK.

We lose our last hour of time tonight and have a sea day tomorrow.

April 27 - Sitka, Alaska

 I slept pretty well again and this time I didn't use the Nyquil, only a teaspoon of honey.  I think Naveen is on to something.  Unfortunately, Michael woke up with a muscular back problem, which is rather unusual for him.  He went for breakfast but wasn't moving very easily so he decided he better not do our tour today which was a Sitka Pub Pedal.  I decided to go on ahead into town on the shuttle and decide once I got there whether or not I'd go.

So after walking around town for an hour or so, I decided, what the heck, and joined the tour.

More cherry blossoms!

The Russian Orthodox Church

Front view of the church.  I think it looks better from the other side.

Spotted an endangered species.  According to the internet, there are only around 500 still in the US.

The pedal bike holds up to 12, but there were only 7 of us on this tour.  Not sure if that was good or bad: less weight, but fewer legs to pump the pedals.  It was harder than I had anticipated and by the time we got to the first stop, Ernie's Pub, about 10 minutes later I was pooped.  Fortunately, they offered glasses of water first thing.  We made 2 other stops and our guide Anthony did most of the hard work, sometimes jumping off his seat and just pushing us along.  At the second bar, The Pioneer, I struck up a conversation with the fellow next to me (not on our tour) and it turns out he is a pilot for Alaska Airlines.  I teased him that I hoped he wasn't flying today, as I looked at his half empty beer glass, and he was quick to assure me that he didn't take off for another 20 minutes - obviously just kidding.  (He'd flown in from Fairbanks that morning). He was an interesting guy.  We chatted a bit about the challenges of airport landings in Alaska.  He said when he first was stationed up there, his supervisor told him you better not make it long as there are either mountains or water at the end of the runway, neither of which are good for planes.

 I'm sure my legs will remind me of this outing tomorrow.  But it was fun and I'm glad I did it - one of those memorable tours that are different from the usual.

The seats were rather hard but at least we were covered from the occasional passing light shower.

This is a "Duck Fart" which is layers of Kahlua, Baileys, and Crown Royal.  You have to sling it back at once, otherwise you just get straight whisky in the first drink.  It was very nice.

The bar's menu had some interesting drinks.

Can't remember the last time I saw a cigarette machine.  Notice the price of $20 for a pack.

These are electronic dart machines.  For one of the oldest pubs in Sitka, Ernie's keeps up with the times.

Here's our guide Anthony pouring a few samples of local beers.  One was very smoky, almost like barbecue, and might have been good with barbecued chicken or hamburgers.

I got back around 2:30 and hadn't had lunch, so gimpy Michael and I went down to Coffee Connection for a snack.  He still wasn't moving very well, so he had a French Coffee (coffee with Cointreau and Grand Marnier) for medicinal purposes, of course.  That seemed to help because he made it to Trivia.  We had 8 players and played men vs women again, but, alas, the men beat us this time.  However, we did know that a baby rabbit is called a kit and they didn't, so we'll take that victory.

The others had dinner plans, so Michael and I elected to go to Sette Mari.  We got there about 5 minutes before opening and were lucky to get a table for 2.  It is very popular so you have to get there early.  I find that interesting because it is my least favorite venue and the menu doesn't change very much.  We got our own appetizers at the buffet, otherwise they bring too much food.  It used to be that everything they brought was available at the buffet anyway, but that is no longer the case.  We did find enough to choose from, however.  For my main, I had a small portion of penne bolognese, but the pasta was a little too al dente for my taste, so Michael finished my portion after his spaghetti with garlic and olive oil.  We were done by 7:45 so we stopped by the Explorer Lounge for an after-dinner drink and we saw Sarah leaving Compass Rose so called her over to join us.  Michael is feeling much better, thank goodness, but still it was off to the cabin by 8:30.  We're such party animals!

April 26 - Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

 Today was an absolutely gorgeous day.  We woke to partly cloudy skies but it just got better as the day went on.  I'm feeling much better, except for this horrible-sounding cough that comes on me if I laugh.  I blame my co-travelers for making me laugh too much.

We had 2 lectures this morning, the first by Jeana Rogers on "The True Beauty of Alaska's Wildlife" which was OK.  But the second, by Terry Breen on "Glaciers: Rivers of Ice" was wonderful.  She was so clear about what we would see at Hubbard Glacier and how glaciers are formed and the various types, I learned a lot.  The average glacier moves around 1-2 feet a day, but Hubbard moves 3-5 feet.  It is about 76 miles long and roughly 6 miles wide and is one of the few that is not retreating.  About 1/3 of the glacier is seen above sea level, and I believe she said we can see about 300-400 feet of Hubbard, so there is another 600-800 feet below the sea.  Calving, or the breaking of ice from the face, is often observed.  But ice also breaks free from below the surface and will come shooting out of the sea like a missile, which is another reason ships don't get too close.  We got to about 1.5 miles from the face.  On the way, we passed an area where lots of sea lions were sunning themselves.  We could hear them growling and grunting and diving into the water.  I tried to get a photo, but they were just too far away.  Other than a few stray birds, that was the only wildlife we saw.

The outside temperature was around 45 degrees and there was no wind.  We spent most of the viewing time on the back deck behind the buffet where there were almost no people and we had a perfect view as the Captain turned the ship around so we could get a 360 degree view.  The glacier was magnificent. We could hear it moving down the gorge and if we were looking just right, see calving.  The noise was sometimes like the crack of gunfire and sometimes like a crash of trucks or the roar of an airplane.  I loved it! Nothing like Mother Nature to put you in your place on this planet.

We spent about 2 hours hanging around and enjoying the beautiful day with blue skies and white snow.  Terry Breen gave a commentary occasionally on what we were seeing.

These bergs were as big as houses

I wish I could have recorded the sounds coming from the glacier.

These mountains were so beautiful, they looked fake.

One of these days I'll get the hang of selfies.

The Captain sent this lifeboat out on a mission to collect some glacial ice.  We didn't hear if they were successful.  If so, and it was clean, they would serve it in your drink.

Bye, bye Hubbard.  Thanks for the wonderful show.

We had dinner with Phil/Carol and Jan/Tom at Chartreuse.  Our time together is getting short.

Dinner at Chartreuse

It's another calm sea night and tomorrow we're in Sitka.