My only other sky tram experiences include riding with the cavemen dummies at Santa Cruz and Portland’s arial tram to OHSU, neither of which prepared me for the Mount Roberts Tramway. When the doors open at the top, I can peer down through the large crack and see that we’re suspended above the trees with no solid ground in sight. While I appreciate the fact that the windows open for prime picture taking, I can’t shake the visions of people falling through and I keep my picture taking to a minimum.

We’ve got time to hike the short trail, though I’d like to revisit and take the steep trail down through gold valley to the city. After getting a few panoramas in, we’re just in time for the American Bald Eagle viewing and measure our armspams against wingspans.

With an hour to spare, we make it back to the boat just in time for me to make it to my first game of Duplicate Bridge which deserves a post all on its own. For now I’ll simply say how pleased I was to play with such a gracious and patient group, high ranked ACBL players and all. I’d also like to thank my father and brother for always beating me at games growing up, as they taught me how to lose graciously and still love the games.

Extra: Today* is Day 31, Post 27 of my 30 day blog challenge. Click ‘Follow’ at the bottom of the page to receive weekly updates in your inbox or follow me on Tumblr if that’s your scene.

* Living on a boat for 10 days, I had limited access to the internet so post-dating my entries for the date written (vs the date actually uploaded).

The post Day 7: Juneau, Alaska appeared first on Jewels.

No, I didn’t know that Moose were so freakishly big! Or that “halibut” came from a Middle English word for “flat fish we eat on holy days” and that they can grow bigger than a … than an otter! Or that a Bald Eagle doesn’t get its white plumage until it’s 4 and can live upwards of 30 years in the wild (though the average expectancy is 15-20). While I certainly don’t cram everything in, I enjoy the large room filled with fabulous taxidermy tableaus including plenty of animals (including birds) I’ve never heard of, let alone seen in the wild, before. The bird handlers are all very friendly, especially a younger girl who can’t be over the age of 12 who I’ll later relate to the little girl in “We Bought a Zoo.”

At this point, I don’t have time for a full hike to the top of any mountain anymore, so I walk beyond the edge of town a ways on a gravel road that’s no stranger to tourists, checked out a hiker and cyclist only campground boasting bear-safe rope ties for food supplies and squeeze in some local art skimming before joining up with my fellow travelers.

Highlights from our evening tour include the tour guide herself for her stories and verve after a long day entertaining folks from the largest boat Haines gets all year. While taking us out to the mud flats (where folks have to time their walks to and from home with the low tide) and a hippy community of artists and tradespeople, she squeezes in history and personal anecdotes that have me dreaming of a life living in Alaska during the summer and Mexico during the winter. We even get to see another glacier.

After spending a music fest or two with an Alaskan who belts her state song better than I’ve ever heard it, I snap a quick shot of the fort building where the song was born. And then comes the Hammer Museum with an impressive nail display and chatty guide. Her story starts with a man who wanted more hammers and a wife who put a limit in the house at 100. As one would expect, he starts a museum and a few short years later, he’s amassed over 5,000 including donations and contributions from the Smithsonian. They have a hammer dating to the making of the Pyramids, hammer patents and countless varieties including “drink hammers” from the golden era of talkies when folks needed a way to let the waiters know they needed another drink. I imagine all bars sounding like weddings. And I want to bring the drink hammer back. (Not to be confused with bringing MC Hammer back, though I’d love to see a picture of MC Hammer at the Hammer Museum.)

More photos from Haines, Alaska.

Extra: Today* is Day 30, Post 26 of my 30 day blog challenge. Click ‘Follow’ at the bottom of the page to receive weekly updates in your inbox or follow me on Tumblr if that’s your scene.

* Living on a boat for 10 days, I had limited access to the internet so post-dating my entries for the date written (vs the date actually uploaded).

The post Day 6: Haines, Alaska + Cabin Fever appeared first on Jewels.

Now it’s just me against the fog and it burns off quickly. Everyone who’d been to Alaska before warned me of the rain and lack of sunshine, so I’m not quite prepared for what the day delivers. Bright sun, warm breezes and a ship full of photographers make for my longest day yet of walking. Faye and I stake out prime spots on the promenade where a Princess paparazzi bombard us with pleas for poses against this glacier and that glacier and the magnanimous backdrops. After the umpteen decline, they finally recognize us and stop asking.

While the glaciers seem like little more than snowy crevasses from afar, as the cruise ship gets close we can see the colors pick up and splashes of icebergs breaking off into the ocean. They suddenly tower and hint at an ice age that was as recent as 20,000 years ago. (I have some history to learn!) Needless to say, I take several photos and enjoy an evening at sea, watching the glaciers fade into the sunset and trying to avoid picturing them fading away forever.

All Glacier Bay, Alaska set on Flickr … I hope to share the panoramas soon.

Extra: Today* is Day 29, Post 25 of my 30 day blog challenge. Click ‘Follow’ at the bottom of the page to receive weekly updates in your inbox or follow me on Tumblr if that’s your scene.

* Living on a boat for 10 days, I had limited access to the internet so post-dating my entries for the date written (vs the date actually uploaded).

The post Day 5: Glacier Bay appeared first on Jewels.

Like standing on the banks of the Willamette in a city of a million, I stand alone near the lifesaver at the aft of this floating city sleeping 2,000. What I just learned is that the back of the boat is warm and sheltered from the cold, ocean spray. The pool is heated. And I’ve seen too many movies to feel comfortable standing this close to the only barrier between myself and the Pacific Ocean.

The sea foam, while not phosphorescent, sines a bright white with no moon and I find myself mesmerized by it. I can watch it as I watch my fish eat: with a quiet mind, no impatience nor purpose.

I suddenly can’t wait for morning. To curl up around a warm cup of anything and a sweater jacket I didn’t bring. And breathe an early sunrise through a fog. I’m tempted to set an alarm as our room has no access to real morning light and I know I can sleep through morning.

As I finish my lap (1/3 mi) back to my room, I think of the 5th Element and how ‘like every other hotel’ this ship is decorated. A little remodel would be cool. A hint of Battlestar Galactica’s Cloud 9 could transform the stale into paradise.

I’ve been in software or webware (or virtualwares) my entire adult life. Change is cheap here. As much as I dream of building cities and remodeling spaces and rewiring cultures, I wonder if I can persist through the snail’s pace and astronomical cost and effort of change in the physical world. Hm, is it the lack of persistence and patience needed to spark and support change in the virtual world why I love it here? I follow this 80’s themed carpet back to my dorm to sleep.

Extra: Today* is Day 25, Post 21 of my 30 day blog challenge. Click ‘Follow’ at the bottom of the page to receive weekly updates in your inbox or follow me on Tumblr if that’s your scene.

* Living on a boat for 10 days, I have limited access to the internet so will be posting as I dock and time allows. Date written is what’s marked as posted.

The post Day 1: Insights from a Change Junkie on a Cruise appeared first on Jewels.