So my godparents saw a commercial for the Mariah Cary Christmas Concert back in October and said “What would you think about going?”  Of course they didn’t know when or any details so the travel agent in me jumped in and created a mini-vaycay for the 3 days before Thanksgiving.
 
We booked four round trip tickets on the train from Grand Junction to Denver adding two nights at the Warwick Hotel in addition to the concert for godparents, mom and I.
 
Let me tell you – I LOVE TRAIN TRAVEL!  I have traveled on the train before, when I lived back east for a year as well as a couple of other times.  This time was pure bliss.  It has been a few years since I was on a train for a trip of any sort (last time was to DC from Maryland with mom in September of 2018). 
 
The train station in Grand Jct is easy to get to and parking is free at the city public lot a block away.  (Parking in the lot at the station is limited to 2 hours – so don’t try to park there for a trip, you will get towed.)  So we drove from godparents’ house in Cedaredge to Grand Jct and I got them and mom unloaded with the bags so they could sit while I parked the truck.
 
The train station has plenty of seating and is very efficient.  They have helpful and friendly staff at the station as well as on the train.  When you book a train trip, you get an email confirmation with the QR code you will need to check in.  The very nice conductor will come by and scan your code with his special phone prior to sending you out to the platform for boarding.  They didn’t even ASK for ID…  Not sure if that is good or bad but all worked out, so a-ok.
 
Upon reaching the platform, a helpful staff member gave us four seats together and sent us to our car.  We climbed up to the second level of our very comfortable coach car and settled into nice big seats with arm rests and leg rests.  Lots of legroom and no seatbelts! 
 
My godfather brought a “special” bag containing goodies for the trip.  This included snacks and our wine of choice.  Of course if you didn’t pack your own, the Café Car is just a couple of cars forward in the train, downstairs in the Observation Car.  They have everything from hamburgers to hotdogs sandwiches to chips to candy and wine, beer and some liquor.  Reasonably priced too – not like $10 for a tiny bottle of wine on the airplane.  The bottle of wine was $3.50.

Right after we departed, there was an announcement from the Café Car that some of their refrigeration had gone out and they weren’t able to fix it when they were in California.  So – FREE hamburgers and hotdogs for anyone who would like one!  Sweet!  A pretty good hamburger too, I must say.
 
The train ride from Grand Jct to Denver took just about 8 hours – left and arrived on time.  Upon arrival at Union Station in Denver, we played “find the Uber driver” as she was unable to actually stop in front of the station.  But we found her and made it to the Warwick.  We settled into the rooms and I headed downstairs to watch the game and use our free drink tickets at the bar.

Tuesday was a chill day with breakfast at Gattara, the hotel restaurant.  Nice, relaxing and just visiting.
 
Tuesday evening we had snacks at Gattara before the concert then headed to see the Mariah Christmas Concert at the Pepsi Center.  (aka Ball Arena these days)

Doors didn’t open till 6:30pm and when we got there a little before 6, there was already a LONG line waiting to get in.  This chick is very UN-citified these days and happy I don’t live in Denver anymore!

The Christmas portion of Mariah’s concert was very pretty with lots of beautiful stage backdrops we enjoyed.  The second half was her pop / current music and we decided that you needed to be a much bigger Mariah fan than we were…  LOL  But we enjoyed the concert and were very ready to get back to the hotel.

TIP – if you are going to a concert at the Pepsi Center, I recommend taking a taxi afterwards rather than scheduling an Uber.  I had to cancel our Uber reservation as the concert was late in starting and I knew we wouldn’t be done in time to make the reservation.  And, not knowing exactly where the “ride share” stop was, it was much easier to walk right out the front door to the waiting taxis. 
 
Funny side note:
My godfather (aka papa B) doesn’t hear perfectly anymore.  When we got into the taxi, I was sitting in the back next to papa B and said to the taxi driver “Take us home, baby.” 
Papa B heard “Eddie” and thought that was his name and began calling him that. 
I asked papa B, “Why do you think his name is Eddie?” 
He replied that it was because I had called him that.  I laughed and told him what I had said and then asked for the taxi driver to tell us his name.
“Nambomba”
After telling papa B how to say it a couple times…. I just said “Eddie.  That’s his name.”  And we all had a good laugh.
 
Back to the Warwick for a good night’s sleep.  Wednesday morning it’s up and to Union Station by 7:00am.  The ride home was just as enjoyable except for the 2 hour delay we had waiting for the track inside the Moffat Tunnel to be repaired.  It’s not that the repair took that long, it’s that the workers who have to repair it come from Denver and it takes an hour and a half or so for them to get there.
 
All in all an amazing trip and I really recommend the train from Grand Junction to Denver for all.  It’s about 2 hours longer than driving from Montrose or Cedaredge, but so much easier and more enjoyable than dealing with I-70 and all the crap you might have to put up with there.  (BTW – I saw an article that I-70 is the 5th most HATED highway in the US.)

Off we go again, mom and me.  This time flying to Tulsa, renting a car and driving over into Arkansas.  We were so grateful to be able to stay with our awesome friends for a few days while checking out the area as well as getting to visit with my cousins who live about an hour from my friends.
 
As is our usual fashion (I’m working on changing this) the flight from Montrose to Dallas left late and so we barely made our flight from Dallas to Tulsa by the skin of our teeth.  Something about weather in Dallas delaying the flight coming to Montrose blah blah blah…..  On the upside, mom and I got to thoroughly enjoy our $24.00 Bloody Mary (in the fancy plastic cup) at the Montrose airport while we waited…  [Yes, insert eyeroll here.]
 
Making to our flight from Dallas to Tulsa was super exciting as we had 20 minutes to go from terminal A to terminal C.  Again, thanking God that mom requested a wheelchair and it was there waiting (with someone to actually push it) and we made it to our gate and passed the entire queue of folks in line on the jet bridge to get on.  Fortunately, it was the south and people were kind and accommodating.
 
Getting to Tulsa, the wheelchair guy was again waiting – bonus – but mom was his last customer of the day.  So when he saw his ride waiting for him just outside he parked her at the doors and said “Go to the parking garage to get your car” and took off running.  That was a lovely mile-long walk but hey, at least she didn’t have to walk from the gate. 
 
Got the car and we are off for our 2+ hour drive to Hindsville, AR.  Still light out so that’s a plus.  My map gal on my phone was apparently in a pissy mood so she would not work.  After fiddling with things, we figured out mom’s map guy would work so we asked him to tell us the way. 
 
When we managed to get back on the right road, the map guy is explicitly saying stay in the left lane to go onto (whatever road) so I did.  About 2 seconds later Mr. Smartass says “in ¾ of a mile, make a U turn …”    EYEROLL AND SIGH!
 
After all the excitement, we had an uneventful drive to our destination.  UNTIL we got to Kelly’s road.  Just as an aside, for those who may not be aware, Arkansas country roads at night are dark.  I don’t mean you can see a speck of light here and there – I mean DARK.  The beautiful trees are so lush and thick that the moon couldn’t buy a spot to shine into.  And another little tidbit – Arkansas doesn’t really have a logical system to naming or numbering their roads either.  (at least in THAT area)
 
SO, after a rather harrowing drive up a steep dirt road, Kelly said I’ll come get you at the gas station.  Whew – it would have been a long night otherwise!
 
Friday morning was time to visit Fayetteville, run some errands and have brunch.  We went to First Watch – which I had never heard of.  But apparently there’s one in Grand Junction – just down the road.  And all over the front range too.  Great food and the Million Dollar Bloody Mary was yummy!    
 
Friday afternoon by the pool!  My very favorite-est getting to lay in the sun and enjoy some heat and humidity.  LOVE LOVE LOVE!  While enjoying, Skipper, the chocolate lab, entertained us with his fetch and swimming antics.  Sweet baby.  An awesome, relaxing afternoon.
 
Saturday mom and I head from Hindsville to Harrison where my cousins Lynn and Bill live.  We had lunch with them at Jamie’s Restaurant.  (Or Jamie S Restaurant depending on where you see the name in print…)  Mom had to have some fried catfish so that’s the spot.  We got to experience deep fried bacon for the first time.  It wasn’t bad, but meh…  (I’d rather have a nice crispy piece of bacon.)  Catfish and one of my favs –deep fried pickles were great.  And awesome visit with family!
 
My cuz Bill inherited his dad’s farm up on Gaither Mountain.  He took us up and showed us around the farm as well as the Hilltop Cemetery nearby where a lot of their side of the family are buried in.  Beautiful place.  And while Gaither Mountain is “only” 2,150 feet in elevation, it has some amazing views.  Plus I just love all the trees – spectacular foliage, super green and lush!
 
Sunday morning we went to Granny’s Kitchen for breakfast in Huntsville.  What a sweet little place with great food and unbelievable prices!  Cheap as and worth much more than we paid.  She even offers biscuits with chocolate gravy.  Now, my family has a chocolate syrup recipe that has been passed down and we eat it on pancakes.  So of course mom and I had to try the chocolate “gravy.”  We decided it was more like pudding than gravy but it was still tasty.    
 
Then we got to tour Eureka Springs – what a cute, cool town!  They have a t-shirt:
Homos &
Hippies &
Harleys &
Hillbillies &
Holy rollers
Pretty apt!  We took the trolley tour around town and saw some really amazing sites.  [That’s a whole blog post in itself.]  The town has so much history and trivia in addition to the beauty.  If you’re ever in NW Arkansas or near there, it’s worth the visit.
 
That evening we went to the wine bar “The Stone House.”  Perfectly named as it is a house made of stones.  And the wine and charcuterie we had were fantastic.  There was a sweet lady in there who was celebrating her (deceased) husband’s birthday and she made his favorite dessert to share with us all.  Apple pie with cheddar cheese.  I had heard of it before but hadn’t ever gone out of my way to have it.  I mean, I like apple pie and I like cheddar cheese but don’t see how they go together.  So I tried it.  It tastes EXACTLY LIKE apple pie with a piece of cheddar cheese on top.  LOL.  I guess it’s all about what you’re used to.  But we sang happy birthday to her hubby and showed her some love.
 
Monday morning was a relaxing morning just repacking our carry-on’s and getting ready to head back to Tulsa.  Our flight back to Montrose leaves at 6:00am on Tuesday morning so we spent the night at the Hilton Garden Inn next door to the airport.  Nice place with attached restaurant and a shuttle.
 
Another great adventure with mom is now in the books.  I’m truly blessed and grateful for our adventures even though sometimes we have a little blip.  See you when I write the next one up!

Click on the photo to see full size with description.  

Well here we are on the last full day of the ship.  Surprisingly we didn’t dock in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada until about 1pm.  This time I was the one feeling “puny” a bit and so after breakfast I just laid in bed.  (Gotta relax a little!) 
 
2:30 pm we walk off the ship and sail through “customs” into Canada to catch the horse drawn carriage.  Yep – we scheduled a little horsie ride around Victoria.  Damn – it’s cold.  AGAIN.  Overcast, pretty breezy and almost a tad bit of rain.  Fortunately, the brilliant carriage driver had blankets in the carriage and it did have a roof for cover. 
 
It was just about an hour and a half ride around downtown. It was pretty amazing checking out all the buildings and homes as well as hearing about the history of Victoria.  The prominent Parliament building looked regal – even on a dreary day.  Plenty of beautiful flowers and lush greenery everywhere. 
 
It was great to see it all but I was glad to get back to the cabin on our ship to warm up.  Now, to pack our suitcases to put out into the hall.  The ship stewards stow all the bags to be delivered off the ship on the final morning.  Make sure you have your overnight stuff and change of clothes for the morning!
 
Our “last supper” was at the Four Seasons again.  The show for the final night was the “Divas” where various gals from the ship bands and cast sang awesome songs.  Or so mom said.  I didn’t make it – still feeling not quite up to par. 
 
Back in Seattle on Wednesday morning, June 21st.  We docked at 6:00 am.  I am feeling good as new after a great night’s sleep.
 
Our last breakfast was wonderful at the buffet.  The hand “washie-washie” folks were in full on happy mode this morning.  I’m wondering if this was the day they finally got a break off the ship for some relaxation of their own.
 
After breakfast we finished gathering up our stuff in the cabin waiting for our turn to disembark.  The view from the balcony of Seattle was ominous with the fog.  But as the day wore on, the fog burned off and it wasn’t bad weather.
 
The adventure of getting from the dock was a blessing.  We had “planned” to take an Uber.  After we collected our luggage, I started a hike down the street to see about finding their designated stopping area.
 
When I returned to Mom, there was an airport van right on the curb.  Mom suggested I see if they’d give us a lift.  Well, isn’t Mom the smartest??  The girl coordinating for the driver asked where our hotel was and said “Sure!”  They’d swing by there after the airport.  Perfect.
 
Of course leaving the ship at 8:30 am and getting to the hotel (Quality Inn Sea-Tac) by 10:00 am or so gave us some quality time in the lobby.  I must say, those girls behind the front desk were super sweet and helpful.  They got us into our room by about 1:00 pm which was a nice surprise!  (no extra charge, either)  They then directed us to The Silver Dollar Casino across the street and up half a block for lunch.
 
If you ever need to spend a night in Seattle, I recommend this hotel as well as the casino for a meal.  The hotel was cheapest I could find near the airport with very good service.  And the food at the casino was great.  Plus there was a 7-11 not ½ a block on the other side of the hotel with wine and beer. 
 
Peaceful afternoon relaxing getting ready to fly away early back to Montrose.  Night – not quite as peaceful.  We discovered the next morning at breakfast there were some convention guests.  Mexican convention guests.  They enjoy their fiestas.  Into the wee hours of the morning…
 
Finally heading back to the airport bright and early.  Good thing we actually were early!  Due to construction, we probably would have had a shorter walk from the hotel.  (yes, eyeroll time)  After finally getting to the gate, we had a successful flight from Seattle to Denver.  Of course Denver didn’t get the wheelchair there for Mom.  We finagled it again and got to the gate.
 
On board the plane to Montrose, the pilot announced that due to some “storms” over the Rockies, we needed to re-route our flight.  My first thought was “And just where are you re-routing us to?  Topeka????”  FYI - The Rockies do run over the entire middle of Colorado.  Nope, just more south than direct across the mountains.  But that means we need more gas.  (Huh - maybe plan for this shit?)  SO we waited for additional fuel and were on our way.
 
I must say, I am glad they re-routed our flight.  It was some of the worst turbulence we have ever had on a plane.  Landed safe and sound to get our luggage and head to Mom’s house. 
 
What a TRIP!  I am SOOOO GRATEFUL we were able to do this for mom’s 75th.  Thanks for joining us on the journey.
 
Stay tuned for future adventures!

Monday, June 19th, was a full day at sea again, cruising back south along the Canadian coastline.  The fog horn began to blow about 3:15am (according to mom) but I didn’t hear it till a couple hours later when I woke up.  I am blessed with a gift of good sleep, thankfully, and thus even a fog horn doesn’t disturb me.  Mom hates my alarm because it is the sound of a warning alarm buzzer like you hear when something is going to self destruct in 10 seconds.  Ah, but I digress.
 
It’s another rock and roll day at sea, so the stairwell banister barf bags are firmly in place throughout the ship.  Mom’s feelin’ it a little bit, so she heads to lie down and rest while I go on the ‘seaweed adventure.’
 
Today, I get my second massage at the spa.  I went with the seaweed wrap massage.  Completely new experience for me and I don’t know if I will run right out and get one again…  Definitely not bad but …. kinda weird, I guess.
 
I walked into the massage room and the table was covered with a giant, space age looking, silver cellophane sheet which went all the way to the floor.  OK.  The girl (same one as before) instructed me to strip and put on the “disposable” panties and bra.  (think crepe paper with elastic in the right places-ish)  I lay face down with my hair up and she proceeds to swipe avocado colored green goo allllll over.  Flip – now the front.
 
Sufficiently coated in goo, she begins to wrap me in the silver cellophane prison.  The goo needs some time to suck out all the toxins so she’ll be back in 10 minutes.  Now – as the years have come, so has the teensiest bit of claustrophobia.  With my hands basically “fast” (ie stuck) I started thinking I might just be getting ready to throw and ever-lovin-shit-fit!  “NO NO NO, Tor breathe.  In through the nose, out through the mouth.”  And thank God in heaven, it worked and I did not throw the shit-fit.
 
Time elapsed (I think it took about 100 minutes, not 10) she comes and unwraps my burrito cover and I get to shower off the goo.  Good lord – that stuff was EVERYWHERE and it takes a good bit of effort.  And even after I was out of the shower and drying, I was finding spots I had missed…. (eyeroll)  Now for the massage – lovely again and off I go to the cabin for a real shower.  (I think this gal had figured out I wasn’t going to buy the zillion dollar, life changing products and really didn’t push it this time.)
 
Pretty relaxing day – mom and I went to the presentation with ship’s officers for a Q & A session.  Very interesting.  First they spoke about themselves and where they were each from, experience and how long on this ship.  They then spoke about the future of Norwegian and ships and what they plan to offer. Then a good Q & A from the audience.  Very genuine guys and interesting info.
 
Mom and I got all fancied up for dinner and had our professional photo taken in the atrium on the beautiful staircase.  Dinner at the Four Seasons dining room was yet again – amazing.
 
The show for the evening was very cool.  They did music and dancing from different countries around the world including authentic costumes.  Wow – such a talented cast!!  After that, the cruise staff and officers all came in the theater and we gave them a standing ovation in appreciation.  The staff then lined the exits and applauded us cruisers as we exited.  Shook hands and said thank you.  I must say, all cruise staffers from wait staff to shop attendants to cabin stewards and anyone you talked to that worked on the ship were AWESOME.  Service oriented and happy to help. 
 
Just one day left – tomorrow we go “international.”

If you click the photos, you can see full size and read the caption.

 
Not sure I have mentioned it but my dad always dreamed of going to Alaska someday …  Sadly, for us here on earth, Dad had to go up to heaven to be happy and whole again - almost seven years ago now.  So one of the things we decided when this cruise was booked was that we would bring some of Dad with us (ashes).  So today on Father’s Day we honored him.
 
Dad would absolutely LOVE the buffet with all the amazing options available. (All you can eat certainly helps the cause in Dad’s eyes.)  We tried to do you proud this morning, Dad!
 
Happy and full we head to the shuttle that will whisk us up to Mendenhall Glacier.  It is located just about 10 miles or so from the dock and it is a beautiful ride.  Our shuttle driver was a nice kid (don’t I sound OLD) who had a brother that lives in Ouray.  WOW – here’s that small world thing again. 
 
Along the way, he pointed out several interesting spots and made sure that we saw the bald eagles flying all over the place.  They nest in and around Juneau and southeast Alaska.  Pretty special to see them joining us on Father’s Day for Dad.
 
Mendenhall Glacier is quite majestic.  It is a beautiful spot and the glacier appears to be a frozen ice river flowing into Mendenhall Lake below.  The Mendenhall Valley is gorgeous with green everywhere and pretty flowers dotting the green.  A waterfall, Nugget Falls, can be heard, and seen from the right vantage points.
 
We popped into the visitors center and decided to relax and watch the short video about the ice field and Mendenhall Glacier with some history.  It was pretty amazing.
 
I let mom poke around the gift shop and I took out to find a spot for Dad’s ashes.  This park is very nice with paved trails roaming all around so it is easy walking.  I ventured down toward the lake bank and found just the right place.  After grabbing mom, we went to the spot and she agreed:  lake view, glacier view and the sound of Nugget Falls made for a beautiful, restful spot for some of Dad to remain here.
 
Back on the bus we head into Juneau for the tram.  The Juneau Tram aka Goldbelt Tram aka Mount Roberts Tram took us up to the top of Mount Roberts overlooking Juneau.  A beautiful ride up 1800’ – one of the most vertical trams in the world.
 
The top offers The Mountain House with a restaurant, gift shop and theatre with a Native American gentleman (in his 70s) talking about the history of the area and the Tlingit people.  He was very soft spoken so, hard to hear sometimes but interesting info.  He spoke before they showed the film, “Seeing Daylight.”
 
After the theater, Mom checked out the gift shop offerings and I headed out to search our second spot for Dad.  It was beautiful up there with gorgeous trees and wildflowers again as well as some interesting totem poles and an eagle’s nest.  I found the perfect spot right next to a totem pole overlooking the valley including the town and water.  Amazing view and the totem can watch over Dad’s ashes.
 
Ready to head down the hill, we stood in line for the tram back and got to watch some Indian dancing.  On TV, but still – pretty cool watching the beautiful dress with even the little ones getting into it.
 
Right at the bottom of the tram is Tracy’s King Crab Shack.  “Tracy gave me crabs.”  That’s what the t-shirt says and gosh dang it – it was true.  Well, I got the crab bisque over rice with crab cakes and mom got the crab cakes but it was crab.  And it was delish!  Dad LOVED crab.
 
After a great day honoring Dad on land, we had to wrap it up with dinner on the ship.  We went to our third (and final) “fancy” restaurant – Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse.  Since my cousin asked, I will clarify, NO, Dad was not part Brazilian.  He LOVED steak!  Actually Dad was a big fan of food in general but he had some favorites.  (Maybe that’s where I get my foodie fanaticism from….?)
 
Moderno is cool!  You get a GIANT salad bar and then they bring around spits of meat and you get “cuts” off as you like.  They had a few different cuts of beef along with lamb, chicken and pork to choose from.
 
We were not terribly hungry to start with and then the salad bar was indulgent and we ate too much of that.  So when the meats started coming, we did our best but, didn’t get too much.  You are given a card (coaster like thing) with a green side and red side.  Green = more, more, more.  If you’re full then red it is. 
 
Of course, Dad LOVED dessert so we just had to…  And tonight was the night I told them to bring Mom’s birthday surprise – a birthday cake.  They sang happy birthday too!  Fortunately they did allow us to box up and bring the birthday cake back to the cabin with us.  We were stuffed!!!
 
So happy heavenly Father’s Day, Dad.  I know you enjoyed your day with us!

If you click on the photos you can see full size and read the captions.

Skagway today!  Bright and early (as is the norm) and great breakfast.  Now, off we go to our excursion and checking out the town.  This stop totally reminded me of Silverton (Colorado). 
 
Our first adventure had us boarding the train with the White Pass Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad.  We are bound all the way to the top of White Pass to see the route that the gold miners took their supplies and made their way to the gold fields of the Yukon.  The train picked us up right at the dock and off we go – through town and starting the ascent up.
 
Since the “Inside Passage” is a rain forest, the flora and fauna are abundant.  The trees and bushes were all green and leafy with wild flowers dotting the landscape throughout.  All along the track were waterfalls and off the side you can see the river as in continues to “shrink” the higher we get. 
 
We got to pass the old wooden bridge and see how they constructed it back in the late 1800’s.  Some of the curves are so tight that you can see the train in front of you from where you’re sitting on it.  Riding all the way into Canada (see the picture with the flags which denote the border crossing) we never stopped so we didn’t have to show the passport.  A loop at the top rerouted us back to town.
 
Back off the mountain, we meandered around a couple of the shops but decided it was time for lunch.  The Red Onion Saloon (aka the local brothel) was calling to us….  It was a fun, old-time-feel spot with some cool memorabilia on the walls.  Of course – not to be missed – the tour with the madam herself.  So here you go boys, just $10 to enter the brothel.  Have fun!
 
Mom and I decided the “personal” pizza would be great for lunch.  She ordered her flavor and I ordered mine.  Oh good LORD.  Apparently “personal” in Alaska is defined as a 12” pizza.  You’ve been warned.  Great pizza and we didn’t leave hungry.
 
Finished up with lunch it was time for a couple more shops and the shuttle back to the ship.  Really nice folks ran the shuttles.  We hopped on the first and driver gal explained we were on the wrong one – but hey, no worries, she took us right where we needed to pick up the right one.  At no charge, might I add, even though a shuttle ride costs $3.00.
 
Back in the warmth of our cabin, time to get ready for the second of our “fancy” dinners.  Tonight:  Teppanyaki.  This is a Japanese style hibachi restaurant.  Dinner and a show!
 
The chefs were, as expected, entertaining as well as great chefs.  Soup, fried rice, vegetable sashimi, chicken and shrimp along with a slice of green tea cake with a ginger ice cream (if I remember correctly) for dessert.  For entertainment, we were serenaded with various hits from the 70’s and 80’s – which most of us were singing along with.  There was even the interactive hit “We Will Rock You” where we all participated.  Fun night full of smiles and laughter.
 
If you click on the photos, you can read the captions.

 
It was really a “sea day” but still amazing scenery.  The ship did a nice, slow cruise through the bay where we could see Hubbard Glacier.  It’s a big ‘un!  While we were cruising through the bay, the cruise director announced over the loud speaker lots of great facts about the glacier, glaciers in general and the history of Hubbard Glacier. 
 
After a fortifying breakfast at the buffet, I bundled in the arctic gear again and went to the Spinnaker.  That’s the bar that is all the way forward on the top deck.  It includes a deck (outside) that you can go out and walk around the front of the ship.
 
It took me only 0.2 seconds to realize that – holy crap – it’s frickin’ FREEZING!  Windy, raining sideways and the temp about minus 430F.  (alright, a slight exaggeration).  I tried getting some pictures through the observation windows.  Not so much.
 
Hood up, jacket fully zipped, gloves on I brave the elements for a brief minute to get some photos.  It’s pretty spectacular to see a glacier like that for the first time.
 
Upon meeting back with mom at the cabin and warming up, we decided to take in some of the daytime entertainment.  The various members of the crew have little games, contests or demonstrations in the different bars throughout the day. 
 
We decided after the ‘very’ long walk to Bliss lounge, we must have the drink of the day – Mai Tai.  The staff on the ship was great fun.  When I ordered the “Mai Tai” at the bar, the bartender retorted “Your Tai?”  Took me a sec.  After my standard eye roll we had a good chuckle.
 
Once we got out of the bay where the glacier was, the seas kicked up again and were really rough causing mom some sea sick feeling.  We had an easy (and quick!) dinner from room service.
 
Mom feeling better so we headed to the show for the evening – a Tribute to Burt Bacarach.  While I didn’t recognize his name right away, I really knew a ton of his songs.  He passed away earlier this year and it was a show to remember! 
 
Nighty night – just wait for tomorrow!

Our second stop in the largest state of the union brings us to another cold spot.  Icy Strait Point – or I just called it "Icy" for short.  This is a dedicated, privately owned cruise ship stop near the town of Hoonah.  The property is owned by the Huna Totem Corp and the only privately owned cruise ship port in Alaska.  We dock here at 10:00 a.m. today, but before docking, I have my first on-board massage. 
 
The young lady who does my massage is also very sweet and does a pretty good job.  She finds that ‘spot’ – ever present – next to my right shoulder blade that is usually about 29 inches of solid rock (aka my knotted muscle) and exclaims “It is soooo bad!”  Yep that’s the spot, dearie, just keep going.
 
Upon completion she explains to me about her life changing and extending products that I simply must buy to survive.  Yes, yes I know – and now I must be going to meet mom for our tour.
 
Mom and I bundled up in our arctic wear and headed for land.  Small gift shop, small museum and tram stop greeted us as we arrived.  Humph.  Not much here, but if you take the tram across the way there’s a tad bit more to see. 
 
With our tour starting in about 30 minutes we just found what we wanted to buy at the shop and headed back to wait for a boat.  (Yes, I see the irony, cruising on a boat and then getting off and waiting for other boats.)
 
Back by the ship we are waiting to go Whale Watching culminating with a Seafood Feast.  Fortunately, we found a spot under an awning where mom could sit and I could stand without getting rained on. 
 
We got on the (thankfully) ‘enclosed with plenty of comfy seats’ boat to head out to sea to spot some humpback whales during their annual feeding trip this time of year.
 
Cool point of interest:  in January, 2020, mom and I took a trip to see friends in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  (That was a trip for her birthday too, now that I think of it.)  We went on a humpback whale watching boat tour then as well. 
 
Now, we get to see the same whales feeding in June in Alaska.  We saw whales both times.  Although I must say, we saw a lot more whales and a lot more of the whales in PV.  I think they prefer warmer weather too.
 
On this tour we got a bonus of seeing a sea otter colony as well as some sea lions on a buoy.  One helpful suggestion I would like to offer any tour operators that are doing Whale Watching Tours (north or south):  2 hours watching these spectacular mammals is plenty.  Seriously. 
 
We were finally heading to the seafood feast portion of this excursion.  Thanking God and the Baby Jesus in heaven (again)!
 
We arrive to an outdoor picnic area where they have a southern style crab boil for us.  Snow crab, shrimp, mussels and sausage along with potatoes and corn on the cob – all you can eat. 
 
A small fire roaring in the center of the area melted the marshmallows for our s’mores dessert.  Food was great!  I can’t say for sure if it is easier or harder to shell crab with numb fingers.  Either way, just as messy. 
 
The drawn butter was a lovely touch.  And it stayed melted till we got to the table, put a bite of crab into it (after the shell removal) and was only slightly solidified for the first bite.  Post first bite involved putting butter paste on the crab if you so chose.  
 
Melting the marshmallows was a wonderful opportunity to be reminded of that thing they call “heat” and I was hopeful the sugar might give some increase of blood flow back into my extremities.  Marshmallow melted, time to put on the chocolate and graham cracker.  Alas, the cooling of the marshmallow from the fire to the table did not allow for any chocolate melting, but I ate it anyway.  (refer back to the dream of sugar rush increasing blood flow)
 
Fully stuffed from our feast, we head for the tram to ride back to the ship and potential for that distant dream of heat and feeling my fingers once again.  Here I am being reminded – it’s the little things that matter in life.  Even mom was cold and that is not a common occurrence!  I believe that I now know where the saying “colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra” may have started…
 
Upon return to the luxury liner with heat, a sun on the side and a Starbucks in-side, I headed for coffee.  With Bailey’s.  Ironically, the 3 shots per cup (yesTHREE) of Bailey’s I had the barista add to each LARGE cup of coffee were included with my drink supplement.  Each cup of coffee cost about $6.  Right then, I would have paid $60.
 
Finally warm and feeling most of the fingers and toes, we headed for our “fancy” dinner at Le Bistro – the specialty French restaurant.  The spot where I did the wine tasting. 
 
Ooo – la – la!  In a gorgeous dining room with a table next to the window, the servers were spectacular.  The appetizers of cauliflower puree and cream of mushroom soup were nothing short of luxurious.  Entrees of crusted pork chop and filet were melt-in-our-mouths delicious and the decadent dessert, an éclair, may just have been life changing.  (Maybe I should tell the spa girls about this…?)
 
A night cap listening to the playful piano music in the Windjammer topped off a great day.  Yes, despite my frozen fingertips, it was another great day full of fun.


NOTE:  If you click on the pix, you can read the captions and see the entire photo.
 
 

 OOOOO – we are HERE!  First day in port with our first tour planned.  We were up and at ‘em nice and early having breakfast at the buffet.  I must say – their buffet was very, very good.  Tons of options and huge variety and all of it was very tasty.
 
After breakfast, I went to see about where (in town) we could find some cough drops & cough syrup for mom.  She had this nagging cough that was just hanging on.  The nice gent at the service desk told me to do what they (the staff) do and catch the free shuttle to Walmart.  While that is exactly what we planned, the nice gent failed to explain that there is an exclusive shuttle that goes directly to Walmart and back to the ship.  (We discovered this little fact after our day was over.)  SO, we hopped on the free shuttle for the cruise shippers to head into Ketchikan.  As we passed Walmart (and waved goodbye) I thought ‘surely we can figure out how to get back.’
 
Once off the free shuttle inyo town, we learn that there’s a free Ketchikan shuttle that makes a loop around town and we can take that to Safeway.  Ok – that will work.  It was 8:30 a.m. so most of the tourist / souvenir shops were still closed.  We hopped on the bus and enjoyed the ride.  Cool surprise – we stopped at a Ketchikan museum, The Totem Heritage Center.  The driver apparently takes a 10 minute break there so I hopped out and took a bunch of pix of the totems.  Sweet!
 
We made it to Safeway and headed in to get supplies.  DAMN – stuff is expensive!  I know, we all hear how it’s very expensive in Alaska, but the truth just smacks you right in the head!  Cough syrup was about $25 for a bottle.  NOT a gallon, just normal size.  The photo below shows $9.99 for a 5lb bag of apples or oranges.  Glad we’re just visiting!
 
So we head back out at the bus stop where the free shuttle will pick us up and take us back to where we catch the bus back to the ship.  (I’m not sure if you’re aware, but my sense of direction and distance can occasionally be slightly “off” to say the least.)  As we are standing waiting, I’m looking at this building about a block or so away and say to mom, “I think that’s the building right by where we catch the bus to the ship.”  We have a little discussion and agree – sure, we can walk.  GOD BLESS MY MOTHER.  It was obviously NOT the building by the bus stop we needed.  About 2 miles later, we made it there.  I told her she could be mad at me, and she probably was because her knee was killing her, but she took it all in stride.
 
Back at the dock, we stopped in the gigantic warehouse that had been turned into a market for the cruise shippers.  Little did we know then, it was some of the best shopping for prices and variety that we would have all trip.  I am grateful because that is where I bought my jacket:  fleece lined, water proof, hooded and warm for ONLY $30!  I don’t think I could have bought it for that price, that nice, at home.  SCORE and I really needed it (much to my chagrin).  Quick lunch and head to the bus for our tour.
 
We went out to learn about crab fishing in the Bearing Sea on the Aleutian Ballad.  For anyone who has watched “The Deadliest Catch” this is the infamous ship which was overtaken by a freak 60 foot swell and almost sunk.  It was caught on film and has been the most requested / watched clip of the show ever.  (here’s the clip)  The crew on the ship was very cool and educational.  The ship sailed out to sea near the Metlakatla Indian Reservation where the crew was allowed to feed the Bald Eagles.  It was soooo cool – they just swarmed the boat when we got to their feeding area. 
 
They showed us the crab traps (huge!), a trap they use to catch octopi who steal their catch, the various fishing lines and how things worked.  A very special moment was when we got to put a message to dad on a tag and it will be put on the main crab trap (with lots of other memorial messages).  Now let me tell you, crab fishing ain’t for the faint of heart.  And you better know what (the F) you’re doing or just plan to perish.  I got some great photos and this link talks a lot more about the boat and how the tour came to be.  While I was shivering pretty much the whole time, it was a very interesting experience and worth the cold.
 
Straight back from the Ballad to the cruise ship (our tour was late) and we got back to our cabin so I could warm up!  Dinner was again fabulous and the highlight of our evening was the show that night.  Rob West from the UK did a tribute to Frankie Valli.  One of our favs!  We enjoyed and headed to bed for a big day again tomorrow.

The first full day of cruising was a “sea day.”  That means no stops and we were just cruising up the coast of Canada heading to Alaska.  It was stormy, windy, rainy and cold.  In fact it was so rough on the sea that the ship’s staff had fastened… oh hell – just call them what they are:  barf bags - to the banisters (both sides) on each deck of the ship.  It was apparent this was not their first “rock and roll” day at sea.  They were quite fancy little barf bag holders with straps that held them in place right at easy-grab level.  The rough seas (Captain said 9-10 foot swells) didn’t bother me but mom was feelin’ a little puny (i.e. motion sick or flu or something yuck).  In spite of that, she did spend a minute on the balcony enjoying the view.
 
That morning I indulged with a facial at the spa.  Quite lovely and relaxing.  The esthetician was a cute young thing from India and did a great job.  Afterwards she explained and showed me all the products she used and stressed how important it was that I buy these in order to live a long and happy life.  Ok, maybe she didn’t quite use that pitch but she was very disappointed that I didn’t buy the (approx. $600 worth of) products right then and there.  She was very careful to explain that if I did decide to buy I REALLY needed to get them from her because she’s the only one who would know exactly what I need.  Yeah, yeah – it’s called getting old, darling.  I’m gonna be OK.
 
So while mom was relaxing in the cabin, I went exploring the ship again.  I, by sheer accident and happy luck, managed to get in on the wine tasting at Le Bistro (the French specialty restaurant).  Normally $49 additional cost but my “drink supplement” got me a discount so I paid $20.  SCORE.  It was fun and interesting and quite entertaining to watch the participants.  The lady next to me was a single participant as well, and you could tell she was feeling the need for those barf bags strapped to the banisters.  The couple on the other side were NOT impressed with the wine (one rosé and three reds).  The couple across from them were winos like me and sucked down every drop of each glass.  The sommelier was one of the waiters at Le Bistro and very helpful.  At one point while explaining all the ‘deets’ of the wine, a particularly strong swell caused him to sway and hold on to a pillar he was standing near.  He said, “Have any of you seen the Poseidon Adventure?”  I laughed out loud.  Some others were not amused. 
 
Back at the cabin, mom had powered through and was ready for dinner.  We were heading that direction when we were walking past a guy from Effy, the on board (fancy) jewelry story, and I mentioned something about taking a picture to mom.  The guy said, “You can take pictures of my beautiful jewelry.”  So in the spirit of supporting the staff (and checking out dazzling jewelry) I stopped and looked at the table he had set up – not really paying much attention to him.  He asked where I was from – Colorado.  When I asked him he said “Honduras.”  I said, “Honduras huh?  I lived in Roatan for nine years.”  He said, “Oh my god I’m from Roatan!”  We then proceeded to talk about Pensacola, Flowers Bay, Gravels Bay and the places we know on the island.  While we were chatting I was admiring a particularly pretty tanzanite bracelet with little diamonds which he put on my wrist.  Mom walks up and said, “Ooo Tor – that’s pretty!”  I agreed and asked Marshal, my new Roatan bud, how much.  He said, “Well since you’re from Roatan, I can give you a discount off the $12,000 dollars to …” and I cut him off to say, “I lived in West END, remember?  Not West BAY!”   We all had a good laugh and I politely handed the spectacular piece back.  It was fun seeing him several more times during our cruise.  What an awesome surprise and it truly is a small world.
 
Dinner at the Four Seasons dining room again tonight.  All delicious and the “s’mores mousse” I had for dessert was particularly decadent.  After dinner off to the see the Classic Rock show by the Norwegian Theater Group.  Band, dancers and singers - they were really good!

Since I had had a more sleep, I was actually able to stay up and catch the sunset this evening.  Pretty darn beautiful – but I still think I prefer Roatan – on the beach – in the heat.  No complaints though!  Tomorrow we stop at our first port, Ketchikan. 

NOTE:  if you click on the photos, it will bring up the full view - some with captions.


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