Cruising Alaska:

5-11-09
I'm starting this journal of our Alaskan Cruise at the airport. After packing last night and this morning, and wearing a turtle neck, sweater and coat to the airport, I'm tired and and over heated. It's Mid May. It feels good to sit and rest as we wait for our flight to Seattle to leave. I ate Cherrios for breakfast but feel a little hungry. I will feel better after I find a large warm chocolate chip cookie, I am sure. (I weighed 119.6 this morning before my shower, 123.5 last night, dressed, as I prepared to hold a suitcase on the scale to see how much it weighed. Ron's suitcase is heavy so we had to adjust to be under the 50 pound maximum weight.) Time to line up...

How exciting to meet up with Cooks & Bureshs in Boise. The plane stopped there. Mel boarded with the first group, with a cane. We saved seats together until the girls boarded.
We have planned for this trip for months and months and now it is finally happening.

In Seattle we waited for our bus to take us to Vancouver, British Columbia. There are birds in the airport and a note stuck to each table saying $100.00 fine for feeding the birds.

The bus driver called the bus a 'coach', the ride of which took several hours. I didn't realize it was so far away. They estimate 4 hours which was pretty close. Looking around the 'coach' I notice there is one young couple. Only one. Most of the group is 'mature'.

At the Canadian border I filled out a customs declaration noting I had apples, oranges, & bananas and a tuna sandwich. (Let me tell you, it was good to have food with us!) Except the customs officer came on board the 'coach' and called out our name. Cunliffe, and another couple had to give up the apples, including the apple core already eaten. I gave the officer a plastic bag to carry the used stuff in. Ron thought he was being a 'jerk', anyway, the bag was useful for trash.

Vancouver was nice. Houses along our route were separate and neat, although not in the best of neighborhoods. I suppose it helps to have the greenery and beautiful flowers all around to improve the view. Azaleas and bright pinks and reds adorned the way as well as some very bright yellow flowering bushes. There were lots of Asian populations along the route. Along the hillsides against the waterways , homes & tall buildings were neatly lined up in rows, it seemed.

Before boarding the ship in Vancouver we had to go back through customs again and declare that we weren't sick. The ship is huge, the walkways neat and pleasant to view. I was amused to note that the luggage was hoisted to the ship in a 10-12 foot cage.

Finally on the ship:
We find our room...