Monday, September 10 | From J-Town to Bay View
On Sunday, we had a great adventure into the city of Juneau. Heading through the passage between cliffs of evergreens and low-lying fog, we docked amongst the other cruise lines of Celebrity, NCL and Princess. The weather was overcast and a bit chilly but my friend Don and I had signed up for a 5-hour excursion which was titled "Bike & Brew". Once the group congregated (21 of us total) we were herded into vans and taken out of the main part of the city. We were all outfitted with mountain bikes, helmets and assorted gear to begin our 9.5 mile trek up to the Mendenhall Glacier. We made it around Mendenhall Lake to take some photo ops and visit with the other cyclists.
Once we finally finished the short trek, we were rewarded with a tour (and of course a beer tasting) at the Alaska Brewing Company. I find it funny too that living in Seattle and having the opportunity to purchase the Alaska brews, I've never done so. I'm now hooked on the Summer Ale, which now of course is seasonal and I probably won't see until next year!
Once we all got back into "J-Town", I decided to solo it and stroll the shops. What a dangerous thing to see "end of season" sale signs. I found a goldsmith shop and found an 18K gold ring that just jumped out of the case and onto my finger! What the hell happened to my budget??
Later that night we dined at the Pinnacle Grill on board the ship and then participated in the costume party. I didn't really bring anything in particular to wear so my Nasty Pig fireman pants had to fit the bill. The costume contest went very long (I didn't participate) and as usual, you get the good with the bad in these events! But there was some great creativity as the contestants tried to win the $1,000 grand prize. It was fun all around and Paul Williams, our host for the event, kept it moving along with side splitting humor. I found I was rather tired from the day and decided to retire early (that being 1:00am).
So now today we got into Glacier Bay. The weather is overcast and rather cold but the viewing conditions are perfect! It's amazing to view the sapphire color of these ice cliffs. The ship went slowly in and out of the inlets and rotated around so no matter where you were on board, you would get a grand view. A few of us were invited to a private suite viewing party where they had champagne cocktails and munchies (all I need...more food on this trip!) We were treated by visiting seagulls swooping along side the ship so naturally we were throwing tidbits of food their way and watching them dive and battle for the scraps. It was like a scene from "The Birds" at one point!
This afternoon is the "Lumber-jock" party. Hmmmmm...we'll see how that goes! I'm sure there will be a few die hards baring skin at that event.
The bear sightings on board are a bit too much at times...but at least they're friendly!
Tuesday, September 11 | Sitka Bound
Well, as I stated above, there were quite a few die hards that took the "jock" thing quite seriously. My favorite were the ones that had raccoon tails sewn onto the back of the waistbands! Sort of gave the impression of a naked "plushy"!
I got up earlier than Don and headed into Sitka to stretch a bit and take in the sights. I did notice that walking down the sidewalk was rather challenging due to the fact that when you're on a rocking boat, you compensate for balance. I felt like I was still on the ship and having the sensation of trying to keep upright. Everyone I ran into (not literally) was having the same predicament.
It's a quaint little town with lots of character and I found another piece of artwork to take home. Man, I'm going to be spending a lot more money just on having to frame all these pieces I keep buying!
Tonight is another night at the Pinnacle Grill on board but we have a nice party of about 7 of us. Amy Armstrong and Freddy are on the big stage in the Queen's Lounge tonight and I'm sure they'll put on a great show as always! Tonight is also country dancing. Let's see just how easy it will be to two-step on a swaying ship!
Wednesday, September 12 | Catch a Man in Ketchikan
So another late night of partying is keeping me from actually getting rest on my vacation! It's all good, but a little exhausting. The Amy and Freddy show was spectacular and if you're not familiar with them, check out their website, amyfreddy.com (not amyandfreddy since that will take you to a porn site...LOL)
Don and I headed into the little town of Ketchikan where the big tourist attraction is the lumberjack show (we didn't go). It took us quite a while to find a coffee shop which isn't fun when you're from a city with a Starbucks on every corner! I was beginning to get a bit cranky needing my morning fuel and having to go up and down the blocks to find it. Once that task was accomplished and I settled down, we hit a few shops that all began to look alike. I was becoming a bit disheartened at all the tourist shops so I left Don to his own devices and headed back to the ship to relax a little.
The big leather party (which apparently is a tradition on these cruises) was scheduled for 10:30pm so we decided to do some country dancing first and attend the leather event later on. I'm glad we did! Just about everyone was commenting on the bizarre energy that seemed to fill the space. I lasted about 1/2 hour and then decided to go to bed...that was about 1:30am. Again, these late nights are going to cost me...I just know it!
Thursday, September 13 | The Queens Invade the Queen's City
From Ketchikan we then sailed to Victoria BC, which was our last port before heading home to Seattle. The guys in our little group, besides Don and myself, all had plans to go see Butchart Gardens as an excursion. Since I've been to Victoria before, I just wanted to pick up some toffee and shortbread cookies to bring home...yeah, again with the food! Don and I walked into town and found our treasures and then headed back to the ship. We didn't really have all that long of a stop as it was an evening one anyway.
To reflect, most of the day was spent laying around on the Lido deck and watching the bears play in the hot tubs. Talk about Bear Soup! We could feel the effects of the week and it was catching up with us. But being able to spend the day lounging and chatting was quite nice. No big events to attend and in retrospect, to spend time with our new friends made the day all worth while! Bedtime hit around midnight as we knew we'd be in Seattle first thing in the morning.
Friday, September 14 | There's No Place Like Home!
As expected, we awoke to the banging and clanging of rigging at around 6:30am. They were beginning the retrieval of the luggage from the lower bays to clear the ship. We had to have all our luggage packed and in the hallways the night before by 11:00pm, so all we had were our carry-ons and a change of clothing. I, of course, had to deal with the hauling of my artwork off the ship myself, but at least the gallery had wrapped them up together for me in a nice carry bundle.
We had our final breakfast in the Lido restaurant at around 7:00am and then the disembarkation process began. We were cleared and off the boat by 8:30am. Wow...too efficient if you ask me. It was almost like "don't let the door slam you in the ass on your way out"! Hugs, email addresses and phone numbers were exchanged during all this as new friends and tricks were departing! I'm just thankful that with all the luggage and carry-off, we didn't have to deal with the airport as many did!
The guys in our little group were all staying for the weekend in Seattle so there was no rush to say goodbye to them. We agreed to meet out later in the evening for dinner and then to go dancing...like we didn't get enough already (?)
The End of a Great Vacation!
So, all in all, this was one of the best vacations I've ever had. I was able to forget about work, not deal with emails or phone calls and just let my hair down and tear loose. I will definitely consider another cruise in the future, and having it be a gay cruise made the events, entertainment and comaraderie even better!!
(photos to be posted later)
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