The morning began in the usual way...the bike at the gym. I feel like I should explain my bike/gym thing a little more clearly. It's not that I'm obsessed with fitness, it's that this is the best and quietest spot on the ship that is also inside and has a primo view...
The gym is on deck 10 and sits just one floor above the bridge. Also, there are two channels on the TV that show what the captain sees. One station is an electronic chart with an icon showing the boat's position as well as the temperature, sunrise, sunset, and speed. The other is a split screen that shows the view from a fixed camera on the bridge, featuring the giant H (helipad), and other info like the arrival into the next port, and departure time.
From my seat on the only recumbent bike in the front row I faced floor to ceiling windows, the option of two different crew eavesdropping channels, a more elevated view of the sights and scenery than the captain, Zac Brown Band on a perpetual loop on my iPod/iPhone, time to edit the pictures I took the day before, access to the notes section of my phone to type this blog...coffee...and NO ONE trying to talk to me. There were days when I spent over two hours on the bike. I figured that if someone wanted me, they'd text me. Otherwise, why sit in some public place and listen to other people yap.
(I made the mistake of sitting in the Cosmo Lounge one morning as we docked. And I was horrifyingly subjected to the incessant blabbering of a group of French speaking women WEARING THEIR PJs & BATHROBES! This is precisely the reason why I crave time by myself when I am in control of my surroundings to some extent...hence front row at the gym with my iPhone.)
Stepping down from my soapbox...
This day we visited Juneau. We had no scheduled plans but we all wanted to see the Mendenhall Glacier. (Actually, any old glacier would do, this one happens to be easily accessible by car.)
So, as we got off the ship, Summer noticed that the dock was decorated with a giant compass rose featuring the world's time zones in nails. It was hard to see with all of the other passengers walking all over it. (Wink wink.). But we did get a much better chance to enjoy the urban art when we reboarded the vessel since at that time there was no bottleneck of people.
I love this: "YESTERDAY/TODAY"
There is a line in a Jimmy Buffet song that says something like, "There's a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning." Meaning, on Saturday it is ok to party but come Sunday, put on your church clothes and pray for the sinners. I think that line is great because I think I'm that person, sometimes...judgemental, a lover of some good gossip, and occasionally indulgent in the drink but then...flip the switch and I'm all "God this and God that."
But this..."YESTERDAY/TODAY" is so beautiful because the this line between what you did yesterday is just a symbolic reminder that what you did yesterday is on the other side. If you've done something that you wish you didn't, it's yesterday and now it's today. Start anew. If you've done something that you're particularly proud of, it's also over and done with. You have to also have to start anew and not rest on your laurels. Genius.
Stepping down from soapbox once more...
So, Shawn found a nice lady cab driver who agreed to drive us to the Mendenhall Glacier where we listened to the park ranger talk. He had an open mic Q and A and we all asked him a ton of "stupid questions". At my request, he patiently explained the difference between a glacier and snow that never melts. He presented an analogy about an overflowing bathtub. The ice field (where the snow never melts) is the bathtub and the overflow is the glacier. The glacier is made from the snowy ice field. For the first time, I get it.
Summer listening to the Q and A, trying to look independent.
Nicholas attentively listening, waiting his turn to ask the next question.
A pretty white cluster of flowers.
As a family, thanks to Grandma's purchase of a book called, Heart Stones, we are always looking for heart shaped things. Summer found this piece of glacial ice in a heart shape on gloves with heart shapes tread marks. (Summer took no heed in the fact that this ice has been around for literally AGES! She ate it.)
Looking at the glacier from the observation deck at the visitor's center. (If you want more information about Visitor's, Visitors', Visitor, Visitors)
Summer at the glacial lake.
She's had enough.
While we were there, there wasn't any calving but there were tons of icebergs floating around.
When we got back into the town, we went to the famous Red Dog Saloon for lunch. Luckily, it was around 2 or 3 and the lunch crowd was headed out. So, we got primo seats on an elevated deck next to the "stage".
Nicholas and Shawn
Blurry view of the restaurant.
I bought the kids ball point pens in the shape of a red dog. They both wrote their names on the wall. Summer made a special "Liz -N- Nick" since the reason why we were here in the first place was because of their 50th anniversary. Stupidly, I didn't take a picture of any of our "graffiti".
After lunch, we strolled around the town to collect up all of our free stuff. The gondola ride (Mount Roberts Tramway) was fogged in, so there wasn't going to be a trip to the top of the mountain. We walked up and down the streets of the town. My mom bought me a shirt.
I purposefully only brought one t-shirt along with me because I wanted to buy souvenirs. This one says, "Alaska" in Russian (or so I was told). It seemed like I wore this shirt almost nonstop! I love it!
Summer had a mushing dog encounter! Ho hum. Just an ordinary day.
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