Upsidedown and Backwards

Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Skagway, Ak

After a leisurely morning, including yoga on my own, I disembarked, had my picture taken with the guy in the eagle suit, then took a shuttle bus four blocks into Skagway. I had a few minutes to wander amongst the diamond shops in the restored gold rush town. Apparently, in addition to eating 22 hours a day, many people who take cruises want to save 5% on vacation diamond earrings, so you don’t have to worry about losing your good diamonds on the trip.

I met my excursion back by the ship. We hopped in a van to go to the top of Yukon Pass and bike back down. It had been rainy and cold for the last two weeks, but we had a beautiful clear and warm day!

At least 13 miles of this 15 mile ride was coasting. There was a small climb of less than a quarter mile, and a flat spot as we returned to town. One guide led the group, moderating our speed, which was fine with me.

I was sort of surprised how comfortable I felt hurtling down hill for the few sections we were off the brakes, and gently braking for the rest. Nikki, who wrangled the stragglers in the back, repeated over and over again how we should apply gentle pressure on both brakes at the same time. I’m not sure if they’ve actually ever had a guest go over the handlebars from stopping their front wheel too quickly, but they sure wouldn’t want to anyway. I have logged a few miles on a bike,

which could explain all these self-portraits with the bike helmet

but big downhills and high speeds have always made me nervous. It doesn’t feel as fast without 60 pounds of gear pulling you down, and there was no Chicago traffic either, which was lovely. The view were stunning, of course.

If I had to do it again, I think I might have liked to get up earlier in the morning, rent a bike on my own, and ride up the hill as well as back down it. But it felt great to be back in the saddle, even for a little bit. The ride only lasted about an hour, and only then because we stopped at several view points for informative talks. It always amazes me how fast you can cover ground coasting down hill.

We learned about our guide, Kristina’s, history crush on one of the entrpeneurial and and adventurous founders of Skagway. We also saw the narrow pipeline from a glacial lake that provides an abundance of hydroelectric power for the town.

I also found out that Kristina has been taking aerial silks lessons, and she was very interested in any information I had about circus performing. They even have a group that practices acro yoga in Skagway. Unfortunately, we weren’t staying in town long enough to jam.

Nikki also explained how the town’s supplies arrive every Tuesday by boat, and they hadn’t showed up yesterday. She recommended getting a look at the empty grocery store before they restocked, as the boat had made it in today.

I ate lunch after the ride at Starfire, the Thai restaurant in town. It has great yelp reviews and came highly recommended by Sadie’s boyfriend. Knowing about how it’s challenging to stock up in Skagway, I was only briefly surprised by the curt, five item menu. I’m so used to Thai restaurants having so many options! Everything having so many choices, of course, but some instances make it stand out more. The pad thai was yummy.

I ran into Ben and Becky as I strolled through town, and they wanted to hike up to Lower Lake, so I joined them. We found the trailhead by the railroad tracks and then walked up hill. It was so nice to get away from cruise shops and the paved paths and the organized groups and to finally just wander around in the woods! The steep first half mile

tee hee

took about 40 minutes, with a few twists and turns. We met one couple who had not found the lake and advised us to turn back. We followed the path in the opposite direction from where they had come. Then we ran into another couple who had easily found the lake, and felt the trail was quite well marked.

We arrived at the lake without too much more confusion, and we played around the shore.

Becky waded into the freezing water again, while Ben and I watched. Ben did not fall into the water balancing across this bouncy tree limb to a sand bar, but he certainly looked like he was going to.

We couldn’t see the end of the lake, but decided to start walking the loop trail around it. We still had two and a half hours before the ship was to sail. The first section was slow going as we picked our way through boulders and roots, and we still couldn’t see the other end. After about 20 minutes, we were wondering if we should turn back. Then a family crossed our path going the opposite direction. It had taken them only an hour and a half to get up the hill and most of the way around the lake, so we knew we’d be fine. They also said the path was about to smooth out.

What a beautiful day of adventures!

So much moving around. I guess I’ll have to make up for it by eating extra desserts! Oh wait, I do that on the cruise anyway.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Juneau, AK

So, speaking of small world, a few weeks before we left, Sadie, with whom I biked down the west coast last June, posted on facebook that she was leaving soon for Alaska! But I’m about to leave for Alaska, too, I messaged her immediately. We cross-checked schedules and discovered we would be in Juneau on the same day!

I started the day with stretch class at 7am, which was a nice warm up for yoga on my own. Sadie texted that she would meet me at 10am at the Sandpiper Cafe. I figured they’d have wifi, so I got there early and got one blog post finished.

On the Road Again!

It was very exciting to meet Sadie’s boyfriend. He had lived in Alaska for a few years, and was very interested in moving back. He had a lot of information about the areas we were visiting, and it was not surprising to find out he works as a programmer.

Sadie and Krishna had to get to the airport, so after brunch I jumped on the Blue Bus to the glacier. Justin, one of our trapeze instructors, used to live in Juneau and told me about this bus. Other than that, I did very little research for this trip because I imagined I’d have ample down time to lounge around on deck and surf the web. Not possible. There will never be free wifi on the ships, one of the fitness guys told me. It would keep people from spending money. Whether through being informed consumers, or just from having something to do with their time, I guess he’s right.

Krishna and Sadie had taken the train up to the Klondike Summit, and at the end of the ride, the guides thanked everyone and said, “Now, a representative will be coming through the train with special Skagway Klondike t-shirts that are not available any place else. So, put your money in your hand and be ready when they come through your car!”

That’s what pretty much everything on the ship is like. Put your money in your hand, so we can come and take it from you! And a surprisingly high percentage of people seem happy to do this.

But we’re on the cruise for a family vacation, with 15 of us traveling together. It works really well for us to have dinner together each evening, and then we can do activities throughout the day or in port in smaller groups or on our own. It’s fun to run into each other and share intel on snacks or hang out for a while when wandering around the ship looking for new places to nap.

But it was nice to know about the bargain bus to the Mendenhall Glacier. My ride out was a private trip. The driver told me how he just up and leaves sometimes. Once he hitchhiked to Seattle, then Spokane, across Idaho and most of Montana.

At the visitor’s center, I checked out the trails. The east glacier trail went into the woods, not to the Glacier. The Nugget Falls trail went to the bottom of the falls, not to the Glacier. The west glacier trail went closer to the glacier, but the trail head was several miles away at the other park entrance.

I took off on the falls trail. It was crowded with many cruisers continuing their habit of stopping in the middle of the path and blocking the way. But there was a lot of moss and wildflowers as I wound through the newer deciduous forest, which had formerly been covered by the glacier. Up higher, you could see the older coniferous forest which had not been under the glacier at one time.

At the end of the path, I picked my way around a boulder field to find a better view of the glacier and the falls. It looked like I could almost make my way around the falls. Well, if I had climbing equipment I knew how to use. I can dream, can’t I?

I took lots of photos and headed back.

I had practically returned to the starting point when I came across Ben and Becky, so I turned around and went back down the trail with them. Becky took of her shoes to wade through a stretch of frigid water and get a better view of the falls.

Ben and I stayed back to shiver, and we got to see a kid fall in, whose dad told him not to stand on that slippery rock.

As the three of us reached the end of the trail, we discussed what to do next. Ben and Becky had been scheduled to take a helicopter ride on to the glacier, but it had been cancelled due to the weather. They were really disappointed, but had jumped on a last minute whale watching trip and had seen on orca family up close, which even got their guides excited.

Then I got a text from Sadie– their flight was actually for the next day and they were returning to town! I rushed back to meet them. We had Mexican food, dug around a used book store, visited a natural foods store, and sat in a coffee ship and used the wifi.

Just like old times! I didn’t see whales up close or set foot on a glacier, but I got to spend the day with Sadie, which is how I really like to travel!

Monday July 8, 2013
Ketchikan, AK

At our first stop in Ketchikan, I chose to go snorkeling, probably mostly so I could say I did. Well, I did! The water was about 60 degrees, and we wore 7mm wetsuits with hoods and booties and gloves. A warm current comes in from around Japan, so the water’s not as cold as you might think. But I was ready to get out and drink hot chocolate by the end.

There was a lot of kelp, just like southern California, as well as sea stars, sea sunflowers (they have more legs), sea cucumbers, sea urchins and jellies. I also saw a rock fish blending in to the rocks and a small orange eel.

We spent an hour paddling around the coast line, with our guides stopping periodically to pull up some animals, tell us about them and pass them around. They were very knowledgeable, and it was also interesting to hear about their seasonal work. One of the guides was from the Chicago area, but now spends most of his time as a dive guide in warmer climates. This was his first season in Alaska.

We also saw several bald eagles around the shore.

Later, I wandered around the Creek Walk, which was a raised boardwalk along the river. It used to be the red light district, but now is filled with tourist shops and small exhibits.

There was also a funicular that takes you up to a resort, with their own totem poles,

at the top of the hill. It’s like a cross between an elevator and a tram car.

Of course I paid my $2 so I could say I have ridden a funicular!

I also had patchy cell reception today, and got Facebook messages from two friends. It turns out Adam, from the Boston TSNY, had worked for four months on the ship we were on, and recommended the Burger Queen in Ketchikan. Unfortunately, they’re feeding us so much on the ship, it’s hard to eat on shore! Micah, a terrific acroyogi, was just arriving in Alaska on another cruise, but our schedules made us just miss each other. The world is so small, as usual

Sunday, July 7, 2013
At Sea

I slept poorly, so it was no trouble at all to be up for a 7am stretch class. Then I stayed for the 7:30 abs class, and then did yoga on my own for a while. Then there was breakfast in the dining room and laying around on the thermal stone tables in the spa. Then, a bit of shopping. I bought a watch. There is not readily accessible wifi or cell service after all, so I needed one.

Katie and I attended a talk on acupuncture, which was really a sales pitch. I’m already sold on acupuncture, but am not going to pay $150 per treatment on the ship. I have an appointment at Ravenswood Wellness Center already scheduled for when I get home!

We also listened to a naturalist talk about glaciers. It was mostly about what the naturalist used to do: “Here’s me almost getting washed off a boat by a 50 foot wave! Here’s me losing thousands of dollars worth of equipment in a snowstorm!” These are all the reasons why he works on a cruise ship now, he said. He also mentioned that when Yellowstone explodes, which it will, because it’s 40,000 years overdue, it will kill everyone in a 500 mile radius. At the end, he said that our captain is very good about getting quite close to glaciers on our scenic cruising days, so we’re all looking forward to that.

I also went to a TRX class at the gym, which involves doing exercises using your own body weight and two straps suspended from the ceiling. I don’t usually do any workouts that involve reps. Left on my own, I would have happily tried a few of each. After three sets of each exercise, goaded on by the instructor, I’m still very sore two days later. Sort of my idea of fun, but not really.

We also laid out on deck for a while. Here’s Katie and Jared in their lounge wear. We also took in a Genesis concert on the big screen.

So many places to nap on a cruise ship!

It was formal night, so we all got dressed up for photos on the stairs and dinner. I do think it’s fun to get fancied up, and I don’t usually have the opportunity to do so. I think a lot of people get something out of the fancy dress, like at Halloween or Burning Man, which is why I like to wear boots with my formals!

Saturday July 7, 2013
Chicago to Vancouver to Sea

I met my brother and sister and their spouses at O’Hare this morning, on our way to an Alaskan cruise. Katie and I had made a plan to meet at the check-in counter between 6:30 and 6:40am. She texted me last night to say they just found out their shuttle wouldn’t get them there til 6:45, and was it ok if we changed the plan. I thought it was an ish plan in the first place, so of course I was fine with it. Ben and Becky had just been dropped off by her dad when I walked up from the blue line entrance. Katie walked in the door exactly at 6:45.

We waited in line much longer than necessary because one couple had a three agents with furrowed brows problem that got resolved with frowning passengers and the customer service representative smiling at the end. We still made it to our gate with plenty of time to spare. I ate my traditional airport breakfast of McDonald’s egg and cheese biscuit, and I threw an extra yogurt parfait in my bag for later. (Cringe and shudder all you want, but that’s what I eat at airports. Except for Midway Airport, where you can get great baklava. So there.)

The Vancouver airport has a nature exhibit, basically an indoor river, that you could nearly kayak down. Unfortunately, we could only gaze longingly at it from above as we hustled, not through customs, but to our direct transfer to the cruise ship port. With a flash of our papers, we were escorted onto a bus which was promptly shut and officially sealed, I am not at all kidding, with a sticker, to prove, when we arrived at the dock, that we had not set foot on Canadian soil. We traveled across Vancouver for 55 minutes, through downtown in our hermetic bubble, in the city but not of it, trapped with a bus driver practicing his most dated and sexist tour guide shtick. We gazed longingly at the mountains, the parks, the artsy shops and the Asian influenced restaurants, the expensive real estate with the fabulous weather and the strong social safety net and almost non-existent violent crime rates, and the amiriteguys “jokes” droned on.

Our seal was checked at four separate check points to make sure no one accepted dangerous packages from strangers or defected for a free liver transplant or smuggled in farm animals or fruit or a second bottle of booze. I wondered if anyone of my fellow pre-cruise cruisers had read David Foster Wallace’s essay, ” A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.”

Then we were off the bus, and we followed guides through two more checkpoints, and I horrified everyone by declining to set my bags down again and have my memories of boarding photograph taken in front of the fake scenery in an otherwise bare concrete hallway, with dirty windows looking out on the Cascades. Then we were divided at a fork, abruptly and almost forcibly, Ben and Becky to the left and Katie and Jared and I to the right, and then we were in our stateroom, so we had gotten on the boat. Becky had called out, “Meet you at the buffet on 14,” as we were prodded down our separate hallways, and we wondered how she knew there was a buffet on deck 14. The only reason I had boarding passes or seats on the plane or arrived on the correct day at the correct time was because my sister actually read the ten pre-cruise emails they sent us and printed out important documents for me and sent me texts telling me what to do and when to do it, with confirmation codes included, without me requesting that she do so. But neither of us had any idea about the ship’s geography until we were in it.

But we were hungry, and after staring at the tv for a few minutes, because a plane had crashed earlier today at SFO and 75 percent of my immediate family on this trip is diagnosably anxious if not outright scared of flying. As usual, the outlier being me, who likes everything about flying, down to on-board lavatories with their vacuum flushing and economical and well-labeled use of space, and ashtrays, even though it is a federal offense to light a cigarette on an airplane.

So we determined it was around 2:00, though our cell phones were roaming and sending us messages that it cost extra to send and receive texts because we’re in Canada, ostensibly, and none of them showed the same time. And we knew that our Muster Drill was at 4:30 and dinner was promptly at 5:30 and we might have time to shower somewhere in there after sitting in transit, sweating the sour sweat of getting out of bed very early and waiting and nerves and the opposite of exertion through several time zones all day long.

Katie and I mustering

And we found our dad and the rest of the family, who had flown in earlier in the day from St. Louis, at the buffet as soon as we walked in the door, as if that were on our itinerary as well.

And then dinner was over and we did not know what to do. We did not have a schedule any longer. We discussed our options, came to no decisions, and went for a walk. We stopped at the fitness center to determine class times throughout the week, and I ended up flying Sergei and Christo, the trainers, and Sergei was a pretty big guy, and they were impressed, and said to come and see them again.

Then we discussed what we could do tonight again, and settled on the hot tub, and then sat around in the water, and then for a while out of it. Another passenger, unasked, informed us where there were changing rooms and we could get more towels.

So far there is no cell reception, and wifi is really expensive, maybe fifty dollars an hour, we heard, so we sat without our phones and with nothing to do, and we thought about things we left undone at work, and that was it. And Ben and Katie and I discussed how we had all taken gymnastics lessons for years, and were never any good at it.

When Katie and I returned to our room to turn in for the night, we reviewed the Princess Patter schedule for the next day. We could show up for a new activity every half hour starting at 7am. Or we could sleep in and then lay about the deck interspersed with spurts of eating and scanning the horizon for whales. The first world questions remain: do something or do nothing on vacation? Are we wasting our precious free minutes, or using them wisely? I set my alarm for 6:30 just in case.