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!