I woke up early at about 6 am. The sun had risen about 4 am since I'm so far north. It is a bit overcast today but the snow-covered mountains in the distance are absolutely beautiful. I watched a bit of Hillary's concession speech (sniff!) and then went to the convention center at 8 am to check in for the cruise. I was able to give them my big bag and I don't have to deal with that any more and will get it in my cabin on ship.
I was about the only person at check-in which was amazing. Went very fast. I have to be back there at 12:45 for the first bus to the ship that leaves at 1 pm. It will take 1 1/2 hours to get from Anchorage to Whittier by bus.
I went to a theatre across from the Convention Center and saw a money on the Alaskan Aurora Lights - it was amazing. Tim would have really enjoyed this. That would be really special to see the Aurora lights but they are unpredictable. But the photography was spectacular. After the show, I came back to the Marriott, finished packing my carry-on bag, updated my blog and then went to the Convention Center and dropped off my carry-on bag so I could go to a "market" nearby.
Anchorage is a big nothing of a town, unfortunately. I walked around town but there wasn't much to see - but the weather was pleasant for this time of year - mid 50's. I got back to the Convention Center at 12:30 and they loaded us up on the bus at 12:45 for the 1 1/2 to 2 hour trip to Whittier. We went by Turn Again Bay where Captain Cook had to turn around since it is a dead end! We saw several glaciers - they say that they are melting 2' per year and gaining 1' per year for a net loss - hence the global warming concerns.
We got to Whittier through a 2 1/2 mile one-way tunnel - they say this is the longest tunnel in North America - I kept hoping that an earthquake wouldn't hit while we were inside - people with claustrophobia would have a tough time. Whittier was a small town too - I was surprised - the biggest thing there was our ship - the Sapphire Princess. It was about the size of the Caribbean Princess that we had just been on and the rooms and restaurants were all named the same so it was easy to find my way around.
I had cocktails and then we had the safety drill at 8 pm. We set sail at 9 pm. I had dinner - prime rib that was pretty good! I went to the Skywalkers Lounge over the back of the ship and watched as we sailed out of the channel. The sun didn't set until about 11:30 pm. Then I headed to bed.
Larry
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