All Aboard the Island Princess

Posted on May 27, 2013May 27, 2013 by Dusty Roads

We enjoyed a nice lunch before heading to the cruise terminal. I told Sandy that we had been able to have lunch on board when Joe and I went to Cozumel but that we almost missed it because it took so long to get through the lines and checked in. We thought we’d play it safe and eat a quick lunch before hand.

As expected there were lines but they moved fast. There were kiosks with vendors selling everything from luggage to binoculars to fleece vests. A sign said passengers could leave the line to shop. Wow! Two different ships were boarding but they had it down to a science. Princess employees stood at each turn directing passengers left or right.

We passed through customs and security within minutes. Then had our photo taken for ship security and were issued our room keys which double as our on board credit account. We filled out a declaration form for customs and then it was onto the ship. Much faster than in Miami! We made such good time that we could have had lunch on the ship!

We met the first of what I call the “Shipperazzi”, the ever-present ships photographers for our Embarkation Photo.

They had been terrible on Carnival, in your face everywhere! I was to find that they were much less visible on Princess. We only saw them in the dining room once and when we went to shore. That was so much nicer.

First up on our to-do list was to find our stateroom. We had reserved an ocean view room but a week before we were to leave we got an email with “changes”. The main change was that we moved from Baja Deck aft to Aloha Deck and our stateroom was listed as a balcony room. Gotta love free upgrades. Locating our deck and the hall we set off on the first of many long walks. Our stateroom was still near the rear of the ship, just on the port side instead of aft. Most of the restaurants and activities on the Island Princess were mid-ship. We would get our walking in on this trip. 🙂

Once we reached our room we found a welcome package waiting for us. It included a copy of the “Princess Patter “, a daily newsletter that lists activities, including times and locations. Every cruise I’ve taken has had some kind of daily newsletter and they are important to check in order not to miss anything and plan your day.

It includes interesting bits and pieces about the Island Princess and it’s staff. It also gave us the daily dress code for dinner in the dining rooms.

Our room did turn out to be a balcony room and our luggage was waiting for us by the door. That was quick service!

It’s the first time I’ve had a balcony on a cruise and I think I’m spoiled now. If I ever cruise again I will have to have a balcony.

It makes a world of difference and it will be a real blessing later on. But more on that when I tell you about Glacier Bay.

Also in the package was a scavenger hunt list. What a great way to introduce the ship. The scavenger hunt was a list of different places on the ship. When you found the location you got a stamp. The completed list was to be turned in at the Welcome Aboard Party for a prize. Off we went to collect our stamps.

A trip of a Lifetime

Posted on May 25, 2013May 25, 2013 by Dusty Roads

How does one start to tell a tale of a trip of a lifetime? Maybe I should just say that this was the 2nd trip of a lifetime for me. The first was The Big Island of Hawaii.

Now I can add a cruise tour to Alaska as my 2nd “Trip of a lifetime”.

This didn’t just happen overnight. This trip was in the planning and discussion and saving stages for over 2 years. We finally said lets just do it before the glacier’s melt!

A big part of it was the saving part.

This was, without a doubt, the most expensive venture I/we have undertaken yet but Alaska is so big the task of putting together a vacation there seemed overwhelming. So after my sister and I hammered out the basics of what we wanted to do and see I turned the problem over to the professionals at AAA.

The trip I am about to describe to you is the result.

The first decision was do we cruise to Alaska or fly in and vacation like we usually do on our own. Since this was my sister’s Dream Vacation I let her choose. She had only 2 requests; to see the glaciers and to spend 3 days in Denali National Park. A cruise tour would accomplish both goals.

We settled on a “shoulder season” because it’s less expensive and money was certainly a factor. In May the animals are just coming down out of their wintering grounds and having babies. In September they have the northern lights (aurora borealis). We chose to go for the animals. We also chose to go south to north to give the northern locations a chance to warm up a bit more. In Alaska a couple of days can make all the difference. As it turned out spring was about 2 weeks late this year so we had a lot more snow and cold weather than is usual for this time of the year.

I think by far the hardest decision was which cruise line to use. They all cruise to Alaska these days, even Disney, and they all offer some combination of land and sea. I was leaning toward Royal Caribbean but Sandy liked Holland America. In the end we went with the travel agent’s recommendation of Princess Cruise Lines.

I drove from my home in Massachusetts to my sister’s in New York on Saturday May 11. I left my 3 cats in the capable hands of my long time pet sitter, still this is the longest I have ever been away before. My fingers were crossed that there’d be no complications for Diane to deal with.

That Saturday night we took our mother out for Mother’s Day dinner and then headed back to my sisters for an early night. We had an early cross-country flight from Albany Airport into Vancouver in the morning. By arriving a day early we sacrificed the airport transfer but got a day in Vancouver before we had to board the ship on Monday.

Our flight was uneventful and we spotted a rainbow as we flew into a misty, wet Vancouver. Our hotel , The Best Western Sands, was a block from the waterfront and very nice.

I had been to Vancouver once before many years ago and I remember the residents being very friendly, warm and helpful. That hasn’t changed at all. I still think it is one of the most friendly cities I have ever been in. What I do think has changed is the fabric of the city. We saw a great melting pot of people of many different nationalities and ethnicities. This only serves to make an already lovely city more cosmopolitan. Vancouver has really come into its own.

Reading, Writing and Real Estate?

Posted on May 4, 2013May 4, 2013 by Dusty Roads

They say no news is good news but it makes for boring writing.

That’s kind of where I am at the moment. I did hear back from the magazine publisher. I must admit they were very kind and encouraging. They told me they had decided to go with someone with “proven credentials”. They went on to suggest that I submit ideas and articles as a “Freelancer”. Once I’ve been published a few times doors will open for me or so they say.

So onto the next and that one is a clerical-type work from home position for a real estate firm. The job I applied for required a salesperson license, which I do not have, so I coughed up the $400.00 for the course fee and have been throwing myself into it with single-mindedness. I need to complete the 40 hour course which is being doled out in 4 hour increments to get a certificate that will let me take the state exam. That’s another $100. Then if I pass he exam there will be another fee for the license.

The firm decided to speak to me about another position that would not require the license to start but if I get that job I would still need to get the license eventually so I might as well bite the bullet and do it. Having the license will open up additional opportunities. I actually got in the door for a face- to – face interview for that position. The manager promised I’d hear by May 10. Fingers crossed but at the same time I kind of believe that if it’s meant to be it will be.

Unemployment found a position for me. The only one they had was for a bilingual dispatcher. The only problem is that I am not bilingual. English is my only language and sometimes I wonder about that! 🙂

The weather has been sunny and warm and the air is filled with pollen. Even with allergy pills I’m sneezing, coughing and dealing with itchy, runny eyes. Ah how we suffer for the beauty of flowers!

The 3 cats are doing better together. Smokey still tends to “Mix things up” with Buddy which is stupid on his part.

Buddy is probably 10 years younger and 2 lbs. heavier, which is a lot for a cat, plus Buddy has claws and Smokey does not. (I did not de-claw Smokey, he was that way when I got him). I think you can see that this isn’t going to end well for Smokey so I have been intervening. Rocky holds his own. I think in his case it’s just rough play.

Other than that I’ve done nothing but fret over my weight (but done nothing), read novels, and try to figure out where to go for new material for photos and this little corner. Judging from my lack of posts this week I think you know how that’s been going.

Counting down to the Alaska cruise.

I don’t know how the WIFI connection will be on the ship and I don’t plan to pay an arm and a leg for it so my posts may be spotty then too. But I’m sure the Alaska posts and photos will be worth waiting for.

Well, now you’re up to date with my life. I hadn’t forgotten you. Aroundustyroads is always on my mind. Thanks for hanging in! 🙂

A is for…

Posted on April 29, 2013April 29, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I was thinking about the upcoming Alaska trip and it hit me that after Alaska I will still have 2 more states that start with A to visit.
Arizona
Two visits to Arizona gave me memories of the Grand Canyon, Montezuma’s Castle, Meteor Crater to name just a few of the sights.

On my second trip I even got to share some of those experiences with my sister.

There’s still so much more to see there as well.

Slot Canyons and Monument Valley to the north and Saguaro National Park and Tombstone to the south and much more. I could plan return tips every year and not see it all.

Alaska

Coming up in just a couple of weeks is another “trip of a lifetime” but this one is to Alaska. From Vancouver to Anchorage by sea and the interior for a stay in Denali. We have a full schedule but once again we’ll only be scratching the surface. I’d love to see the bears of Katmai especially during the salmon run and the aurora borealis.

Alabama

Museums, battlefields, botanical gardens and nature trails. I’m sure there’s more. Usually when I start looking at a state more and more places of interest crop up. When we went to South Dakota the most common question I got was “What’s in South Dakota?”. Way more than you’d think but I’ll save that discussion for “S”.

Arkansas

And the 4th state starting with A is Arkansas. The thing that comes to mind first is The Clinton Library. National Geographic lists a drive through the Ozarks as one of the “Drives of a Lifetime” . Blanchard Springs Caverns are ranked among the most beautiful underground discoveries of the 20th century. National Parks, a diamond mine, civil war battlefields, even a restore antebellum town to explore, seems like Arkansas has a lot to offer when its turn come up.

So tell me, have you been to an “A” state? Do you live in one? What can you share about any of the “A’s”?

Ospreys and Eagles …Oh My!

Posted on April 20, 2013April 20, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Time to head to the docks or should I say a dock. I’m heading out on an Eagle/Osprey cruise. I last went on one of these trips on a cold day in February 2011. Of course I picked the coldest day of the year to go at that time. https://aroundustyroads.com/2011/03/04/eagles-on-the-connecticut-river/

This time the weather seems a bit warmer even with the stiff breeze.

The cruise leaves from the dock at Eagle Landing State Park which is located in Haddam across the river from the Goodspeed Opera House.

I am always impressed by how personable and knowledgeable the crew of Riverquest is about the sights along the river and the birds that can be seen. They are the ones who first pointed out Gillette Castle and gave a thumbnail history. They also knew the ID and history of the impressive building that turned out to be St. John’s. Plus they have “eagle” eyes when it come to spotting birds!

Today the cruise is billed as an Eagle and Osprey tour and we certainly got to see Osprey. We also got off to a quick start with the eagles. Barely out from the dock 4 birds were spotted circling very high up. Binoculars came out and a discussion ensued but finally it was determined that there were 4, possibly 5 juvenile eagles soaring on the thermals.

Juvenile eagles are not as distinctive as their more mature counterparts. They start out brown and progress through stages as they age. An eagle expert can tell the age of a juvenile by how much “mottling” the feathers show. They don’t get the trademark white head until they are 5 years old.

We started watching Osprey right at the dock. A pair are trying to build a nest on the center tower of the swing bridge but are having a tough time because of the wind.

As we headed down the river it seemed like every buoy or marker had a pair of Osprey trying to build a nest. It was clear that there is a thriving population of Osprey on this section of the Connecticut River.

We also saw double crested cormorants, a peregrine falcon buzzed the bow of the boat, and even a red-shouldered hawk (as opposed to a red tail hawk) took to the thermals watching for prey. Common mergansers with their funny “bad hair day ” crest floated on the river while Black Backed gulls patrolled the skies.

We passed a mute swan and spotted a loon. And then we saw the large eagle nest on an island ahead of us. The captain brought the boat in as close as he could but even then it was pretty far away. At least it wasn’t hidden by leaves yet so we had a clear line of sight and there they were. Two adult eagles , fully mature, with their white heads gleaming in the afternoon sun. As one moved off the nest to a nearby tree we could just make out the head of a baby eagle above the edge of the nest.

The pictures aren’t great because of the distance but lack of pictures didn’t dampen the excitement of seeing these gorgeous birds in the wild.

All in all it was a successful and enjoyable trip down the Connecticut River and I will continue my quest for that iconic photo of an eagle in the wild. Maybe I’ll get a chance in Alaska!