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Alaska here we come!

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 inner passage.

Now, let's get back to the heart of the matter -- getting ready! Traveling doesn't faze us. We know that unexpected things happen – flights may be delayed, luggage might decide to take its own journey, and hurricanes can pop up and disrupt plans. But that's all part of the adventure. Before you can embrace the "adventure" part, there's the "work" part – specifically, figuring out what you'll need and fitting it all into luggage that meets airline requirements and is still manageable to lift.

This time around, however, we faced a unique challenge. Apart from our incredible Antarctica expedition last February, it's been three long years since we've truly "traveled." The COVID-19 pandemic certainly clipped our wings, grounding us for an extended period. Consequently, all the travel gear we had accumulated for those spontaneous trips had somehow scattered throughout the house, making for quite a pre-travel scavenger hunt.

First on the list were luggage tags – not the flimsy paper ones the cruise ship requires you to print out, but the sturdy plastic holders that our friend Don gifted us last year that make sure that the flimsy paper ones actually stay attached to your luggage.  After an hour and a half search, we found them in a bin under the bed in the guest bedroom.

Then there were the Apple AirTags, which we had purchased last winter but never bothered to set up, aside from the one on LJ's backpack (which had not been activated). Initially, there were three more of them somewhere in the house. After a search that felt like an eternity, one of them miraculously surfaced. At least now we each have one to place in our luggage. So, if by chance, our bags decide to go on a solo adventure, we can track them and ensure they're having a better time than we are.

Multiply this treasure hunt experience by a dozen or so missing objects, accounting for extension cords, sunglass cases, caps, and more, and you'll have a good picture of the chaos that has occurred for the last week or so.

It's now about 7:00 p.m. the day before departure and most everything is assembled and packed as much as possible in our luggage. Anything we might need for tonight, i.e, CPAP machines, will find their place in the luggage tomorrow morning, just before we venture off again.  Anything we can't find -- well, we either didn't need it anyhow, or there'll be a place to find one along the way.

Thanks for following along on our journey!


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