Island to Alaska with Pictures (part 2)

[cworld]

The next morning we got up, no alarms, no timetables, no schedule, nothing, boredom, all that we have planned for today is to watch ice go by. Now that ranks right up there on my thrill-o-meter with watching grass grow. I’m pumped, ZZZZZ, I’m jazzed, ZZZZZ, I’m locked loaded and ready to go out on the deck where it’s cold and crowded and watch ice pass slowly by the ship. WHO-HOO.

We got up, showered, shaved, and whatever else we do in the mornings and headed for breakfast. Horizon Court again. Same song 5th verse, except this morning there were people everywhere. We scoped out a table, it ended up being one in the front part of the restaurant in that section that has the great picture windows. We had a great view of what was going on outside. All was right with the world. Mrs. C and I decided that since it was so busy, and we were a little worried about losing our table, we’d go get our food one at a time. Mrs. C went first. About 2 minutes after she left, a man came and asked if he and his wife could join us at our table.

This next paragraph should be in all capital letters with exclamation points, but since I know how hard that can be to read I’ll just have you imagine that I SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHAT? UH... NO! How rude! Just who do you think you are? And just who do you think I am? Some commoner that will sit with just anybody? Can’t you see that my wife and I are sitting her in this beautiful location, by ourselves PERIOD. Just us two lovebirds. If we would have wanted your company we’d have ask for it. And just because a table has 4 chairs doesn’t mean they were all meant to be occupied. Ca-peesh. I take up a lot of space. I like to spread out. Don’t you see my stuff all over everything? You’re talking about invading my space. I like my anonymity. I don’t know you. For all I know, you could be a serial killer, just trying to worm your way into our good graces so that you can get to know us and maybe later get together with us in some lonely place and throw us over a railing or something. How dare you? This is just not right. There’s no way I’m going to... (I feel better now.)

What I actually said was, “That would be fine, please join us.”

So Mr. and Mrs. Interloper joined me. They sat down and made themselves at home, like they deserved to be there or something. It was unbelievable. Rabble.

Mrs. C came back and sat down. I introduced her to Mr. and Mrs. Interloper. If memory serves me, they were from Vancouver or Texas or somewhere like that, and were going to do the round trip thingy. That’s about all I remember about Mr. and Mrs. Interloper. I didn’t talk them much.

I reluctantly left Mrs. C alone with Mr. and Mrs. Interloper and got my food. I came back and scarfed it down. As soon as possible we said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Interloper, picked up our stuff and left.

Showed them.

[cworld]

[quote name='mich2']I just found this thread. It is the best thread I've found in the two years I've been involved in cruisecritic! Mr & Mrs. C, you are absolutely entertaining. I love the story, can't wait for more. (Even though I'm actually reading the thread backward----I'm on page 10):eek:[/QUOTE]


I think the appropriate response would be, thanks and send money.

Ha, Ha.

[camperhawk]

Hey Carl.. still here!

Re:Interlopers ..Bet Mrs.C has quite a different view on that!

Just catching up on "THE" thread..Whatever happened to the "it" question? Did I miss the ending to that time filler?

Looking forward to more with patience;)

[Joy2Day]

Camperhawk,

I predict Cworld's answer will be ......................





PATIENCE


:D Karla

[cworld]

Karla,

You're right. Last week was one of those weeks. Big baseball tournament, and I didn't get anything done on our little story. I'll have something in a day or two. I'm still keeping the "it" line open in case someone has another idea. Come on you bright people, be creative.

And as Karla said it's time for a little PATIENCE.

Thanks

[margord]

Carl,

 

Just wanted you to know I am still with you. Can't wait for the next installment (I guess I need to also get a life--smile).

 

Marilee

[cworld]

First thing off the bat, I need to set the record straight. I goofed up. My incredible memory is failing me. The Mr. and Mrs. Interloper incident happened at lunch, not breakfast. Mrs. C, the joy of my life, the spring in my step, the reason I get out of bed in the mornings, gently reminded me that I WAS WRONG. She’s right I’m wrong. We ate breakfast in relative comfort and then went back to the cabin to discuss the day’s activities, which we’ll talk about in our next installment, whenever that might be. I’m working almost feverishly to complete it, meaning I’m working only when I have a fever, so don’t expect anything major for a couple of days. I warned you about baseball season.

 

Astros won by the way, only 161 left until the playoffs.

 

Oh, yeah a hint on the “it” thing, Gail was on the right track in post #233. Close but no cigar (OOP’s can you say that these days?). There... that’s a pretty big hint. Good Luck.

[Joy2Day]

I'll go with check email.

 

 

Cards win! Cards win! Cards win!!!!!!!

[mich2]

So......you'd have cigarette?????? Is that "it"?

[Sea Fan]

Okay Gail was close with a email from home....So was it like getting the hometown newspaper???? Wait how would you get the paper from home??? Now I have got to go back and find the question. :cool:

 

Dianne

[Mrs. cworld]

So......you'd have cigarette?????? Is that "it"?

 

 

Nope, please refer back to Posts #260/261 from March 19, 2006.

[mich2]

Was it getting a postcard from each port and mailing it home?

[noj]

Did we try getting email from family at home? Or not getting email or a call from work as the big IT????

[cruzluvr2]

I say "it" is what mich2 says. Finding that perfect postcard, writing a few lines to those you love at home, and then finding somewhere to mail it from. When I went to Alaska a few years ago I beat my postcards home by a week or so -- and I toured almost week after getting off the ship.

 

Gail

[margord]

This is almost as bad as the suitcase issue. Please tell us soon, what "it" is.

 

Marilee

[cworld]

Now what? I had brought the wonder camera so I could take wonder pictures. So being that I am a wonder type person, I wondered out onto the balcony and took some wonder pictures of the wonderful glaciers as they went wondering by. It was wonderfully overcast and me being a wonder photographer (I wonder what I’m doing while I’m taking wonder photographs) I didn’t get any really wonderful wonder pictures. I’m still playing with settings for taking wonder pictures on wonderfully overcast days. I’ll show all ya’ll wonderful people some of the not so wonderful wonder pictures just to prove that I actually took pictures.

 

GLACIER BAY.

 

Today we are going to be in the awe inspiring Glacier Bay. Today we are going to see glaciers that have been around since the beginning of time or something along those lines. This is going to be great. I’ve seen the videos of the cruise ships that travel between the mountains of ice, and the great shards, the size of small cities, breaking off of the great glacier, and falling down to the ocean with a great crash. This is what I was expecting as we pulled in to Glacier Bay.

 

It was an overcast but serene day in Glacier Bay. There wasn’t a ripple on the water except for what the Incredible Island Princess stirred up. It was a little chilly, I’d guess about 50 degrees, not bad, but not the great weather we had come to expect.

 

Picture of the serene entry to Glacier Bay.

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/351554714/1353251636070712923KNXIKJ

 

In just a few minutes, we came to our first glacier. I don’t have a clue the name of this glacier, so I’ll just call it Number one. We slowed down a little and Carol, (Mrs. C said I couldn’t say dumpy, so I’ll be nice and say) our extremely interesting, captivating, helpful naturalist, talked about the Number one glacier... STOP, Carl... Stop right there.... You’re about to make a big mistake and have to do another of those mea culpa bits (that’s and apology and correction for you people living in Arkansas). Carol didn’t say anything during our Glacier Bay excursion because the Rangers from the National Park Service were on board and were doing the commentary.

 

Oops, that’s right. The Ranger talked about the Number one glacier and gave us tons of great insights into it’s history, and if I could remember any of them, I’d spout them for you right here. But alas, I can’t even remember the glacier’s name.

 

Picture of Number one:

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/351554714/1353251690070712923LetDlV

 

So far I’m not real impressed with glaciers.

 

Sorry, it's kinda short, but things around here are really hopping. I can't promise anything for the next couple of weeks, unless it starts raining in Oklahoma. If it starts raining, I might get a little "free" time. Again I appreciate your incredible PATIENCE.

 

On the "it" thing, I just can't bring myself to end a contest without a winner (Really?). So I guess I'll keep it open for a little while longer (imagine that).

 

If I remember correctly, email had been mentioned before and discarded as a possibility, because we didn't check emails the whole week. Newspaper has to be about the most creative, but I'm not sure how that would actually work. We have problems getting the local paper delivered to our house, much less to Alaska.

 

Noj - a call from work wouldn't actually thrill me. I'm pretty lucky in that my work almost never calls me. So getting away from that wasn't a problem.

 

And finally, mich2... what can I say... Every one else tune out for a minute, this is just a private conversation between me and mich2.

 

Mich2... Buddy... (putting my arm gentlemanly around your sholder) I'm very thankful that you are enjoying our little adventure, and am really glad that you took a shot at chiming in, but (Don't you just hate when someone sticks that little word in to a conversation? Hey, what are you people doing reading this. It's only for mich2.) you might want to pay a little more attention. I know I've mentioned at least once or ten times that Mrs. C and I don't smoke. Sorry but you answer was not correct.

[margord]

Carl,

 

Thanks for the posting. I can't get the second picture (of the First Glacier) to work.

 

Marilee

[Gusti]

Oh my goodness, just came across this again, after months and months you are still here, hurrah.

I been on a Transatlantic and in a few weeks the pacific coastal to Sitka and you are still at it LOL

[cworld]

Carl,

 

Thanks for the posting. I can't get the second picture (of the First Glacier) to work.

 

Marilee

 

I had the same problem. Here's the link. Maybe it will work this time.

 

http://community.webshots.com/photo/351554714/1353251690070712923LEtDlV

[margord]

Thanks Carl,

 

That worked. Great Picture.

 

Marilee

[scottjeanne]

I found this posting on Monday April 10, 2006 and started reading. I have neglected my job, family and other obligations. I could not wait to get to the end. You need a warning at the beginning. If you start in May 2005 you will be reading for a year! And it still is not over. We sail for Alaska on HAL June 18 (is anyone else-I posted it on the roll call with no response-what's up?). Will the saga end by then?

 

I am loving it. I am also a kamakazi Disney fanatic. Love it.

[margord]

Just wanted to stop in a say hello and wish everyone a Happy Easter and/or Passover.

 

Marilee

[cworld]

Around an hour into our treacherous journey through the cavernous glacier field, the very helpful National Park Service Park Ranger came on the intercom and announced that there was a bear on the shoreline. Right there off of the Starboard side of the boat. Mmmm... Starboard, that’s us, we’re on the starboard side of the boat.

 

Where? Where is the bear? We looked high, we looked low, but we couldn’t see the bear. We looked up and down. No bear. I want to see a bear. Mrs. C wants to see a bear. I want a picture of a bear. Bears are suppose to be everywhere in Alaska, right? Where is the stupid bear. Here Mr. Bear... Here Mr. Bear...

 

Mrs. C grabbed the binoculars, and I grabbed the “BIG” lens for the wonder camera, so maybe we could se the bear. The very helpful National Park Service Park Ranger said it was a brown bear right on the shoreline at 9 o’clock from the bridge. Now that’s helpful. I understand that. That’s right down my alley. 9 o’clock, he should be right there... Ahh, there it is. Right where it should be. At 9 o’clock from the bridge.

 

Right there.

 

A Bear. A Big Brown Bear (BBB). It was amazing. The BBB was so far away that we couldn’t really see the bear with the naked (or not so naked if you wear contacts or glasses) eye even after we knew where to look. If you look at the pictures below, you can see that with the wonder camera and the big bad lens, and some help from Photoshop, that BBB pops out. Just like you were right there beside the BBB.

 

A real life, honest to goodness BBB. My life’s dream has been fulfilled. This trip has been a success, I’ve seen a BBB. Ahhh... It doesn’t get any better than this. The best thing was that there was about a mile of water in between us (especially after all of the stuff in the news about the bear in Tennessee or Maine or wherever on the east coast). Being a mile away made seeing a real live BBB even more better.

 

Pictures of BBB:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/351554714/1353251768070712923tnZjFW

http://community.webshots.com/photo/351554714/1353251825070712923rZSkYg

[cworld]

I found this posting on Monday April 10, 2006 and started reading. I have neglected my job, family and other obligations. I could not wait to get to the end. You need a warning at the beginning. If you start in May 2005 you will be reading for a year! And it still is not over. We sail for Alaska on HAL June 18 (is anyone else-I posted it on the roll call with no response-what's up?). Will the saga end by then?

 

I am loving it. I am also a kamakazi Disney fanatic. Love it.

 

 

scottjeanne,

Glad to have you aboard. Will the saga end by June 18? I sure hope so. I'm sorry about the lack of a warning at the beginning, but when this thing started it was only going to take a week or two to finish.

 

Thanks again for your support,

PS. I can not be held fiscally responsible for any monetary loss you may have incurred during your period of becoming addicted. (Now that's a disclaimer that should have been on the first page.)

[Sea Fan]

Carl, I personally hope you don't end this by June 18, I am afraid you have become a part of our CC lives!! Why a week with out Carl (and Mrs C) is like a day with out sunshine, or something like that.

Hope you have another cruise planned for the near future we need these reports!!!:)