Alaska 2023

Our Vancouver accommodations are at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Wow! This place has far exceeded our expectations. It’s also the Convention Center, so the expectation was a huge building, lots of people and fairly plain in design. It is large, but not overly crowded (even though some type of convention is happening), and is nicely appointed. We got here about 1:00 local time. Check in isn’t until 3:00, but they immediately took our luggage, got us into our room and had the luggage sent up. After our 3:00 a.m. start, dragging that stuff around was getting old so this was appreciated. Also, all the stereotypes about Canadians being friendly – well, they’re true! Everyone has seemed genuinely nice and glad to help out. A perk the credit card got us was a room upgrade – turns out to be a higher floor (and quieter), fantastic harbor view (as opposed to a parking lot), the seaplanes and a good view of all the activity on the plaza below.  Proof again that if you work it right and pay att...

Today was a travel day. One that started with our alarms going off at 3:00 a.m., which fortunately tends to coordinate with the nightly “get up and pee”, so it wasn’t terribly disruptive except for the fact that we had to immediately become productive. No time to drink coffee and read the paper. We had chores to do so we could be ready to board the Hickory Hop at 5:00 a.m. Under the best of circumstances, it takes an hour (minimum) to do this – dismantle and pack the CPAP machines, shower and put those last few toiletries in the bag and then hope everything is still under 50 pounds. (It was – at least we have the packing part down and can usually keep to one bag, around the 40-pound mark, for each of us). Sometimes the most worrisome part of this task is getting all the cords and accessories available to go with our electronics. Stormey, instead of flying solo with Club Canine since Stitch’s passing, opted to stay next door with Uncle Matt and Lucy. They didn’t want to see us at ...

First and foremost, let's kick off this blog with a most important recognition today – Happy Birthday to our youngest, Caleb, who also just completed the requirements for his Masters of Arts in Organizational Management! Caleb Beard Master of Arts in Organizational Management '23   Now, to the topic at hand - As seasoned travelers, we've explored numerous countries around the globe, setting foot on every continent except Africa (coming eventually). Our most recent travel was to Antarctica last February, and staying true to our theme of embracing cold climates this year, our next destination is the beautiful wilderness of Alaska.   Here's a musical interlude to set the tone: Tomorrow, we'll rise at an ungodly hour to catch the 5 AM Hickory Hop to Charlotte, where we will embark on a journey to Vancouver, British Columbia (by way of Chicago). There, we'll board a cruise ship (Celebrity Millennium) on Friday, marking the beginning of our exploration of Alaska's...