New Learnings

On the rails from Seattle to Portland today I learned two new things.

You know those kid movies where scrap metal machines look so ominous with billowing smoke, crushing cars and spitting them out? They really do exist and do look a bit scary.

And you know those houseboats like the one in Sleepless in Seattle? When it's time to move, no need to sell the house and buy a new one. Just hire a tugboat and move the house itself.

A Full Day

Hubby's had enough. While at our Seattle hotel he decided to spend the day watching World Cup Soccer and tennis at Wimbledon. Not me. It was time to explore.

First, I took the light rail to Pike Place Market to visit my new love, Ellenos Greek Yogurt. There is a tiny shop on the corner across the street from the market.


I've never had any yogurt like this before. Marionberry Pie Greek Yogurt? Yes, please. Lemon cheesecake Greek Yogurt? Yes, please. I took a small cup of half pie/half lemon down to eat at the park just north of the market.

The park is a good place to people watch. Tourists, drug dealers, prostitutes, police, homeless people, and cross dressers all intermingle to make for an interesting - and eye opening - experience. From the park you can also see the Seattle Great Wheel, one of the biggest Ferris wheels in the United States. Hangs out over the water, even.

I had to do it. Scooter even got to ride along. (Nice to have a ride scooter-accessible.) I kind of went picture crazy. The people on the ground look so tiny!

Next stop, the two-story Target. I've heard about these stores and the way you get the cart from the first floor to the second floor with the escalator but I just didn't get it. Now I do. Escalator for person, cart escalator for cart.

And if that wasn't enough excitement for the day, as I was heading back up to the light rail station I heard a protest of some kind going on. I usually avoid protest groups, and typically Seattle protest groups/causes are usually more edgy than the the crowd I run with. But imagine my surprise when I found the group to be teachers. Protesting what? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation involvement in the public education system. Several people spoke before they marched and chanted their way to the Gates Foundation headquarters. 

Now that's what I call a day! 

Portland tomorrow. (Lisa, hope you have good weather on the menu for us!)

He Rolls His Eyes

Hubby has been rolling his eyes at me lately. A lot.

Much of it has to do with me reading about excursions I want - and will be able - to take in Alaska someday. Float plane sightseeing. Helicopter glacier trek. Dogsledding on a glacier. A trip above the Arctic Circle to see the Arctic Ocean. See the Northern Lights.

It also has to do with this adventure thing I have burning inside me. Every time we watch TV or see something or hear about something usually my first response is, "I want to do that!" Or, "I want to go there!" Hubby is getting tired just hearing about all the places I want to go and things I want to do. His idea of vacation is being plopped in front of the TV watching sports. And my idea(s)? My list gets longer everyday.

How about visiting, in no particular order of priority...
Greenland. Iceland. Norway. Macchu Picchu. Panama Canal. Newfoundland. Nova Scotia. Easter Island. Antarctica. Fiji. Bora Bora. Australia. Scotland. Ireland. Dubai. New Zealand. Switzerland. Greece.

And those are only my top few. No wonder he rolls his eyes!

Part of the allure of traveling is the excitement of learning new things. Like what I found out today at the Anchorage airport. I noticed a very long line of men, 50 or so, with only one woman in the group, waiting to board a plane. The line was straight as could be, something unusual at an airport.Then I noticed this sign. (I waited until everyone was gone to take the picture. Scooter and I would have been a bit out of place in that group!)

So I looked into it more. ConocoPhillips and BP run their own airline, with their own pilots and flight attendants, for their workers who travel between Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the North Slope. How many ConocoPhillips and BP and their contract workers travel on their airplanes in Alaska each month? How about over 20,000?! I never knew, and never would have, if it weren't for my need for travel.

Santa School

Do you know there are a lot of older men, with real round bellies, real white hair, and real white beards? I sure wasn't aware of the number of authentic-looking Santas out there. This trip changed that. Whether on the ship or in port every time I turned around there was Santa. It's been a bit fun. (Although I did challenge a Scooter-Santa to a scooter race and he wouldn't take me up on it.)

Today all the Santas from the Santa school led a sing-a-long for the passengers. Christmas songs, of course. Who knew? Christmas in June in Alaska does exist!

Glacier Bay Day

Glacier Bay Day is always a special one. Although we didn't see any large calvings we did see a few small ones. And although it was rainy and cold I did get some nice pictures while we were there.