We had a great trip out of Seattle and spent 2 relatively calm days at sea. Race had a great time in the kids program, Adventure Ocean, and we had a good time learning our way around the ship. We saw movies and a musical show. Bowzer's Rock and Roll Review (yep, Bowzer from Sha Na Na) featured great hits from the 50's. The highlight of the show was the dance contest with a 14 year old girl, a 19 year old girl and our our friend, Shelli, who proudly announced her age as 60. Shelli was the crowd favorite and won a t-shirt, a bottle of champagne and fame; yes, for the rest of the cruise Shelli was the center of attention for her adoring fans. She was shocked at how many people recognized her both on ship and during the shore excursions.
Our first stop was in Juneau and we spent our time taking a bus tour to Mendehnall Glacier and riding the tram to the top of the mountain where we had lunch and took some great pictures. We also spent some time shopping. I got a beautiful Skagen watch and Elizabeth found a reversible pendant with rose quartz/gold on one side and Amalite on the other.
Day 4:
We spent the night at sea and arrived early the next morning at Skagway where we boarded a bus for Frazier, British Columbia. At Frazier we boarded the White Pass Railroad for our trip back to Skagway retracing one of the most famous routes on gold fields. The scenery was unbelievable. The pictures just don't do it justice.
Day 5 and 6:
The next two days were spent at sea. We spent a rough night in 12 foot seas. Elizabeth, Dave, Shelli and I went to a Broadway Musical but left early when a lady a few seats down projectile vomited over the 2 rows in front of us. The smell drove us out, but the vomit drove out her victims. I went to get Race from Adventure Ocean while Elizabeth went back to our cabin. When she arrived the Adventure Ocean staff called and said Race wasn't feeling well. Fortunately, I was already there to get him. All the kids were carrying barf bags, just in case, and they all looked a bit green around the gills. Race was just a little queasy and he kept his barf bag ready as we waited for the elevator. We entered the elevator with a mother and.her child. I immediately told Race to turn around and get off the elevator, but it was too late, he saw the barf dripping down the control panel onto the floor from a previous occupant and lost it. The poor kid filed two bags before hes stomach stopped churning. The other little girl on the elevator did the same while her Mom and I fought our own queasiness. We made it back to the cabin and called Dave and Shelli. Dave came over and let us borrow some of his sea sickness medicine. Thank God it worked and we managed to sleep through the night.
The next morning we were scheduled to transit Tracy Arm Fjord, but it was still too iced over. So we made our way down an alternate fjord to Dawes Glacier. The Captain stopped the ship just off the glacier face and used the bow and stern thrusters to spin the ship around twice in place to give us all the best view possible. Our presence seemed to annoy the Sea Lions who raised their heads and gave us a stern look before they went back to sleep. Back out to sea into slightly calmer seas then Day 5 had offered and the sea sickness remedy's provided by Dave and Shelli had no problem keeping our stomachs calm.
Day 7:
Victoria, BC was beautiful, but rainy. We went ahead and took the shuttle bus to the Empress Hotel and wandered around downtown. We made our way back along the coast and stopped for fish and chips on Fisherman's Wharf. In truth, we were all exhausted and made a short day of it.
Day 8:
Back to Seattle. Dave and Shelli left the ship and flew home. Elizabeth, Race Grandpa Don and I rented a car and went to Pike's Place Market, and then the Space Needle where we had lunch. Race was especially impressed with the Space Needle shaped noodles in his Macaroni and Cheese. We made our way north to Everett and Elizabeth's Aunt Jan and Uncle Tom's house for a great grilled Salmon dinner. It was really nice to spend a relaxing evening shore with good wine and even better company.
Day 9:
We got up early and headed to Mukilteo for a tour of the Boeing plant. We were escorted through the largest building by volume in the world and watched 747-800's, 777's and 787's being built on moving assembly lines. We had a lot of fun in the museum looking at jet engines and playing in a 707 cockpit. We flew out of Sea-Tac at about 5:30 and made it back to Oakland and, finally, home about 9:00.
We woke up the next morning and discovered that the cupboards were bare. We found some frozen bread and American cheese and had grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, going shopping and laying around the house trying to recover from vacation. We have got to find a way to vacation that doesn't leave us exhausted and in need of a rest.
-Dean
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