Our own private dancing cruise

One of the absolute joys of this cruise was the opportunity to dance and dance and dance.

We never expected this.

Every night there was dancing, and almost nobody else showed up for it.  The band was nothing short of awesome.  It would be a good time for anyone to just sit and listen to them.  And yet, almost nobody even did that.

We don't belong in this world, I guess.

Our last stop was in Victoria, BC.  Instead of walking around the town we stayed on the boat and rested up for our final evening dancing.  We had been to Victoria two years ago with my sister and niece.

At one point in the evening one of the wait staff came to our table and brought a bottle of wine for us.  For free.  In broken English he explained that every night we had been there to dance, and so the staff and the band chipped in and bought us this bottle.

Is that something or is that something?

Tonight was our fifth anniversary, and we danced for almost three hours.  Most of the time we were the only people on the dance floor, dancing to this totally incredible reggae band.

Whales

Just sitting and having a bite to eat when the Humpbacks came out to welcome us to Alaska.  Didn't have time to install the telephoto lens, so the photos don't do justice to the experience.

We saw them coming out of Tracy Arm Fjord.  This is one of the advertised highlights of the cruise (along with Juneau and Skagway), and while it was interesting, it is not the reason to take this cruise, which we have thoroughly enjoyed.

 

To be fair, maybe we would have felt differently if we had seen it like this:

Dancing in Alaska

We did another shore "excursion" yesterday in Skagway Alaska.

Skagway was a starting point for the gold mining in Alaska around the turn of the century.  And the town is now a Disneyworld-type place where the buildings have been built to look like they did 100 years ago, complete with wood sidewalks.

Shop after shop where you can buy lots of stuff made in China.  We skipped the town, like we skipped going into Juneau.  Neither town would be anything but a few small shacks without the huge ships moored close by that vomit tourists wanting to spend money there.

So instead of going into the towns we signed up for two hikes.  Yesterday's was described as being a short, two-mile hike.  We were expecting a nature walk, but actually it would qualify for a scramble instead of a hike. Almost straight up at several places utilizing a series of ropes.

It was fun.  Hard work, but fun.  And when we reached the top of the "hike," we had a nice view of Skagway and our ship:

Then we headed back to the ship and went dancing.  One of the surprises on this cruise is the amazing dance band that plays every evening in the lounge that NOBODY BUT US DANCES TO.  They are Jamaican, so their music is at the perfect beat for dancing.

Much of the time we have the floor to ourselves.  It's like our own private dance cruise.  We aren't objecting.

We got a video of us dancing,  trying to avoid a very small passenger who was running around at our feet.   Maybe he was dancing  with us!

 

We run into a black bear on the trail---COOL!!!

We just got back from our hike to the Mendenhall glacier.  It is one of the "excursions" we could purchase on our Alaska trip.  Are we ever glad we did.

Finally, Vicky and I saw a black bear together.  I had seen two of them, including one in Tahoe two years ago, but it was gone before Vicky could see it.  Vicky had seen one 40 years ago in the Olympics. 

We were hiking along a stream, looking at the Sockeye Salmon, when about 40 feet from us a huge black bear appeared, wanting lunch.  Fortunately, we weren't the lunch it was seeking.

 We hiked in a downpour, so only had our cheap water-proof camera.  Didn't get the greatest shot of him jumping in to get his dinner, but you get the idea.

What a thrill.  

Some photos along the way:

The glacier:

STP last week--STA this week

Seattle to Alaska.  Instead of a bike, though, we were moving a propeller on a billion pound boat. 

North to Alaska

We leave this morning for our Anniversary trip up the inside passage to Alaska.  We have been looking forward to it for months.

Never done anything like this.  We aren't even sure what to pack.  Many decisions, including most importantly, which two bottles of wine should I take.  We are allowed to only bring two bottles with us, not for any particular reason except that these ships are basically designed to take as much money from you as they can.  And alcohol sales, of course, bring in big bucks.

I decided on two Italian red wines.

Now that this decision was made then we can turn our attention to less important decisions such as the clothes we need for dancing (Vicky has packed four--4--dancing dresses even though I have explained that the "dance floor" is probably the size of a postage stamp and that people will likely be doing wiggle dancing on it leaving little room for us;  but we'll find a way somehow), our hiking gear, and so on.

We have signed up for two shore excursions--both hikes.  We could have signed up for shopping excursions instead, but if we wanted that we could have stayed here and gone to a shopping mall to celebrate our anniversary.  Besides, what (besides maybe another dancing dress) will we need to buy?

One part of the journey will have special meaning to Vicky.  Many years ago she ended up befriending an elderly woman who became very important to her.  For about year Vicky brought her dinner every night...until she died.

In Grandma Shook's younger years, around the turn of the century, she was a cook in the gold fields in Alaska.  She had to go by horseback to get to where she cooked.  She said she baked "hundreds of apple pies" for those "boys."  Vicky got her pie crust recipe from the recipe Grandma Shook used.

We have a number of items in our home that Grandma Shook gave to Vicky, and they are special to her, and to us.  

Here is our ship: 

Stop reading at this point unless you are a baby boomer, and can remember Johnny Horton's song North to Alaska, and the John Wayne film that told the same story:

Way up north (north to Alaska)
Way up north (north to Alaska)

North to Alaska
You go north, the rush is on
North to Alaska
I go North, the rush is on

Big Sam left Seattle in the year of ninety-two
With George Pratt, his partner and brother, Billy, too
They crossed the Yukon River
And found the Bonanza Gold
Below that old white mountain
Just a little south-east of Nome

Sam crossed the majestic mountains (mush)
To the valleys far below (mush)
He talked to his team of huskies (mush)
As he mushed on through the snow (mush)
With the northern lights a-runnin' wild (mush)
In the land of the midnight sun (mush)
Yes, Sam McCord was a mighty man (mush)
In the year of nineteen-one (mush)

Where the river is windin'
Big nuggets they're findin'
North to Alaska
They go North, the rush is on

A-way up north (north to Alaska)
Way up north (north to Alaska)

North to Alaska
They go north, the rush is on
North to Alaska
They go north the rush is on

George turned to Sam
With his gold in his hand
Said, 'Sam you're a-lookin' at a lonely, lonely man
'I'd trade all the gold that's buried in this land
For one small band of gold to place
On sweet little Vicky's hand       (Note, I made a subtle change to this line)

'Cause a man needs a woman
To love him all the time
'Remember, Sam, a true love is so hard to find
I'd build for my Vicky, a honeymoon home      
Below that old white mountain
Just a little south-east of Nome'

Where the river is windin'
Big nuggets they're findin'
North to Alaska
They go north, the rush is on
North to Alaska

They go North, the rush is on
Way up north (north to Alaska)
Way up north (north to Alaska)
FADES-
Way up north (north to Alaska)
Way up north (north to Alaska)
Way up north.

STP 2016

This is our fifth STP together, and my sixth with Jules.  As Jules said, it is more of an event than a ride.

Our pattern has been to leave for the ride about 4 miles from the start line, in the early morning dark.

Here we are, riding away from Jules and Jess's home about 5:00 a.m.  Heading for the start line.


 
 At the start line.  Such excitement:



 Jules, who is in a different class from us in terms of speed and power, typically goes on ahead by himself at this point.  It is almost impossible to ride that distance at anything but your comfortable speed.  For us it is about 13 mph, and for him it is between 16 and 17 mph.

 A common experience on the STP:  waiting in line for the porta potties.

There is a sort-of big hill, at Puyallup.  For my first STP in 2009 I was awfully worried about it, having read a lot about how steep and long it is.  Now, it is a nothing--we do hills like this about every day on Whidbey Island.  And, like on Whidbey Island, Vicky is stronger than me on the hills, so gets to the top first and takes a photo of me.





A rest stop along the way.  On the trail from Vader to Tenino:


 

At 105 miles we reach Centralia, and have our yearly Creamsickle.  Tastes sooooo good:



Centralia is the official half-way point.  But fortunately I found a place to stay in 2009 in Napavine.  We stay with a family, along with a number of other riders, who have become important to us.  As Vicky said, seeing them each year is like coming home for Christmas.  They are warm, friendly people who make a great dinner and a great breakfast to start our next day. 

Napavine is 15 miles beyond the mid point.  It is perfect because, although the first day is awfully long (120 miles), it means the second day is much shorter (90 miles.....although as I am writing this I am not sure why 90 miles on a bike when your butt is already hurting is something to celebrate just because it isn't 120 miles). 

Here we are the next morning, getting ready to do those final 90 miles. The excitement is hard to describe.  Even after all of these times doing the ride:

Heading out to the main road to start day 2:



Perhaps our favorite part of the ride is the first 15 miles on Day 2.  There are typically few riders at that point, and the farm land is stunning:

Our first stop on Day 2.  See me?

At mile 40 we cross the Longview Bridge into Oregon.  Always a big marker for the ride.

A friendly person took our photo after crossing the bridge:



Forty miles later we cross the St. John's Bridge into Portland.  At this point we are about 9 miles from the finish line:

And then we are there--the finish line.  About a block of people clapping.  We don't see them.  Nobody needs to clap.  We know we have done 210 miles in our late 60s over two days.  

We are looking for our family:  Jessica, Jules, Ian, and Adam are there, somewhere.  Hard to see when you are so tired and there are so many people. But they are there (off to the left), cheering for us!!!!

Such energy at the finish line.  Everybody is happy!!!

The three happy riders.  Our fifth STP together. 

Wild Thing FINISHING the STP

Click here to watch her (look closely in the crowd for Jessica, Jules, Ian, and Adam):

WILD THING!!!!

Just finished the STP!!!!!

Here we are getting ready to leave for our second day, which was early this morning. The ride was awesome.  More later, but right now I am too tired to write.

Training completed for our 5th STP

Hard to believe it is already here again.  The STP.  Seattle to Portland 210 mile bike ride. 

We trained very diligently.  This spring there were a lot of rainy days, which made it more difficult.  We avoid riding when it is raining if we can for safety reasons.

Starting from the middle of March we rode 75 times.  We were out of town for 14 of those days. 

We rode 1550 miles in that time, averaging a little over 20 miles/ride.

Now, we take it easy for five days, letting everything heal so we will be at our best.

And all that is left is planning, with Jules, our outfits.

That is what Vicky calls them, our "outfits," and whenever she does I tell her:  "I don't wear OUTFITS!  I'm a BOY!"

But I do.  I admit it.

Which cycling shirts?  Which pants?  Several emails to Jules to coordinate.......outfits.

Where else, except cycling, can he-men like us wear "outfits" and get away with it?

This week we will clean the bikes, prepare our gear, and get our food ready (we don't eat much food at rest stops, preferring the more "real" food that Vicky makes that we tote along with us).

It is so much fun.

We are very excited.  This will make our fifth year together riding this ride, and my sixth with Jules.  We have cycled over 9000 miles together in the slightly less than five years we have been married.  The STP provides a yearly goal for this incredible hobby. 

It is all very special.

Here we are after our last ride of the season in preparation. Don't we look happy!!!

Centennial trail with Jules: Our final long ride before the STP

This was a terrific century (100 mile cycle ride).  Jules planned it out for us, the weather cooperated, and some parts were just simply beautiful.

The Centennial trail runs from Snohomish, WA to the Skagit County line--30 miles.

It ends at an historic structure, the Nakashima Barn. 

We then rode up Finn Settlement Road to Lake Cavanaugh Road to Mt. Vernon, and then back to the Nakashima Barn.   Some of the prettiest roads in Washington.

98 miles, so we did an additional two-mile loop to get to 100.  If we are that close, we just HAVE to get to 100.

Good test for the STP.  Can we do something like this comfortably?  Yes.  The hills created more elevation gain than either day of the STP, so that meant we were in fine shape for the ride to Portland.

We will start taking it easy now, riding 12-13 miles a day until we take a five-day rest before the STP.  The goal now is to just maintain our gains and not injure our fragile-in-our-late-60s knees.

We are so excited.  This will be our FIFTH STP with Jules.  Amazing.