This year for Christmas we did something a bit different than normal. My wife booked a four day cruise on the Carnival Holiday. A short jaunt to Cozumel Mexico and back. Sailing out of the Port of Mobile Alabama it was within driving distance which for us was a plus.
Christmas Eve day we headed out for Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Figured we'd spend the night there and drive in to Mobile on Christmas morning. A short hour and a half drive to Mobile we took our time waking and readying to head out. Leaving the hotel around 9:30 a.m. we figured we'd take our time driving and would still get to the port quite early. Early is always good! As we leave Hattiesburg I program the GPS for 201 S Water Street, Mobile, Alabama and push "Go." Hmmm, GPS shows an ETA of 11:10 a.m. Easy drive to the port, and the GPS came through, led us right to the port. Yippiee!!!!!
So we pull up behind the other cars in line to the parking deck. Hmmm, there is a police car, lights flashing, blocking the entrance to the deck. One by one the cars advance, one by one the cars are sent away. Behind me several other cars pull up. By the time we got to the police car, the policeman waves his hand and makes an announcement on his cars PA speaker. "If you are here for the cruise, follow me." So we proceed to follow him. He leads us to the civic center and waves us to proceed into the parking lot. Once in the lot, several police personnel are directing traffic to park. They announce that terminal personnel will be on the way to open the center. By now, there are probably a hundred cars in the lot and more coming. People milling about, some playing catch football, some just standing around chatting. So what the heck is going on?
Ahhh, the ship is late returning to port. Seems the Port Authority has closed the port to all traffic due to dense fog. Not that evident from our view point.
Finally after about 30 minutes the cruise personnel arrive with civic center personnel in tow. The doors are opened and we are directed to the restrooms and then asked to have a seat in the auditorium for an important announcement. People still milling around, some very upset, some absolutely uncalled for arrogant, but for the most part folks were calm. A female wearing a red terminal jacket came in and started to tell us the deal. While she was talking with us, she received a phone call. A lot of, "uh huh; oh; okay; I understand; alright; and finally keep me posted, talk with you in a bit." She announces to the crowd that the ship has been given the okay to proceed to port, however ETA was 4:30 p.m. The crowd groans!!!
She proceeds to tell us what was going to happen. A bit confusing as she told everyone they would have to proceed to the terminal to drop off baggage and pay for parking. Box lunches would be ordered and everyone would be processed in at the civic center. She spoke of 80 parking spots left on the parking deck and another 100or so spots outside the terminal being available. We could go over there and park and buses would be there to bring everyone back to the center. Other option was to proceed to the terminal drop off bags, pay for parking, and return with your car and leave your car in the civic center lot. If you'd like to go get something to eat and come back thats fine as well. You did read the part where this is Christmas Day! Nothing is open. One restaurant in the, I think Regency Hotel, is open. Thats it!
My wife and I decide to go ahead and proceed to the terminal and get all that stuff done and then walk back to the civic center, probably only a walk of a few blocks. We get back to the terminal area, take our place in line and slowly creep forward. Pretty smooth operation. As we get up to the terminal we are stopped to wait until all the cars in front are cleared from the terminal baggage area. Our turn comes, we are directed forward. Porters are there, I stop, hand the guy our bag (we only had one bag) and a tip and we are waved forward. Then we are stopped, told to back up and that we would be parking outside. So we wait, not long. Then we are directed to proceed to the parking deck. We pay our $60 parking fee and proceed to the 4th level. Figure we can leave our carry-on stuff in the car and when we return to the terminal I can go up and get it. We proceed to the elevators, go to level one. Here we are greeted by a very nice uniformed lady. She asks if we are ready to go into the terminal. We explain what we were told about returning to the civic center. She tells us no. If we are ready to proceed we can go into the terminal and process in. So back up to the car, get all the carry-on stuff and proceed back to level one. She directs us in, and the processing went very smooth. We are directed to a seating area and told that our sign and sail cards would be available as soon as the ship arrived. We were also told that box lunches would be arriving for each passenger, that never happened.
The terminal filled rapidily. The few vending machines were emptied quickly. No drinks, no food, no nothing! So we wait. Lots of folks complaining and stating that Carnival better do something, or offer reimbursement because of the delay. I turned to a couple of guys that were behind me and told them it wasn't Carnival's fault. The port was closed, nothing the cruise line could do about that. Still Carnival was being blamed for the weather. Finally the ship goes by. Seems like it took an hour to turn around and get back to the terminal.
Here is where things got pretty whacky!!!!
As soon as the ship was secured to the pier, sandwiches arrived. They were placed at the far end of the terminal. Yup, you guessed it, we were at the opposite end. By the time I got in line, no sandwiches were left. Many folks were grabbing handfulls of sammies to bring back to family and friends. I waited and waited, but never got lucky enough to get a sammie. Sign and sail cards were handed out. People started to disembark. Time passes. People starting to get restless. Afterall most of us have been in the terminal for 5 hours or more. Finally comes the announcement that we were ready to board. All of us in the seated area were told we'd be first to board. That never happened! The terminal personnel lost control at this point. Basically people in the terminal shifted to the lines that were being let on. So it was quite, no, very disorganized.
Finally aboard at 7 p.m.'ish, everyone was directed straight to one of the dining rooms. Open seating and not neccesarily your assigned dining room. Cabins would not be ready until 8 p.m. Dinner went okay and was quite good. During dinner they announced the cabins were ready. Luggage was delivered very quickly and a letter from the captain delivered to each cabin. Due to the delay and the still dense fog the ship stores and casino would not open until 8 a.m. the following morning. Oh well, time to explore the ship and early to bed. Also received a letter explaining that $36 per person had been applied to our sign and sail onboard credit for the fuel surcharge refund and an additional $15 per person applied for lunch meal reimbursement. We felt that to be a very nice gesture.
Our cabin, U155, was very nice. Even being an older ship, the cabin was much larger then some of the newer ships we've been on. Plenty of closet/drawer space etc. Luggage fit in the closet with no problem. The beds, probably the most comfortable bed we've had on a cruise ship. Carnival is rather proud of their bedding as they offer it for sale online! Bathrobes were provided for our use. And rather nice bathrobes at that. Life boat drill postponed until 11 a.m. Friday morning.
A little rough making our way to Cozumel. I warrant that in part to the speed trying to make up time and rough water. Not really bad, however, the little white bags were placed at elevators and other spots throughout the ship.
The ship overall is in great shape for being as old and worn as she is. Personnel were constantly cleaning, touching up paint etc. Cannot complain at all about the ships condition. All of the staff we encountered were friendly. Always smiling, always offering help.
Dining was great. Anyone that complains about the dining options and/or food are those that are not satisfied at home either. Our only complaint was the breakfast in the main dining room. It was in a word "bad." Waffles, toast, eggs were cold and the hash browns were, well I'm not sure they were even cooked, at any rate they too were cold and lousy. The Wharf and Grill on Deck 10 was great. Pizza 24/7 along with made to order calzones and caesar salads. There was such a diverse selection of foods available. Thumbs up! Late night buffets were so-so. Nothing great, but nothing bad.
Entertainment was not top of the line, but it was good and well performed. The comedian, well, in my opinion wasn't that great, but you know humor is funny that way!
XOP playing in the Tahiti lounge was good, but too loud for such a small lounge. They billed themselves as "music you grew up with."
Timmy the guitar player was good. And the piano player in Rick's lounge was absolutely great! Two nights they had Big Band dance music played by the ships band in the Americana Lounge. My only criticism here is that this is an adult function. A few kids were acting fools on the dance stage while we were trying to dance. I think someone from the activity staff should have escorted the kids off the stage. I personally asked two girls to leave the stage as they were a hazard to those trying to dance. They left, but not before they shot me a few dirty looks.
Not sure how many children there were aboard, but for the most part all were well behaved. A few runners through crowded decks, a few that did not understand "inside" voice, but other than that well behaved. Teens, hmmmm, I have to fault the ships staff. Several teens gambling, more drinking, however, still well behaved. My take, teen drinking and gambling is wrong, but not my kids and if the parents are okay with it thats fine.
Okay I think I have covered all bases. Now for disembarkation. We opted to participate in the self assist program. You carry all your luggage etc off the ship with you. We were told that we would begin to disembark around 8:30 a.m. So we set our alarm for 7, figured we'd have time for a leisurely cup of coffee and maybe a small bite of breakfast. Not so. By 7:15 they were announcing by deck for self assist participants to begin to make their way to deck 5. We were off the ship, in our car, driving out of the terminal at 7:53 a.m. The easiest, most organized disembark we've ever done.
Overall impression of the Holiday, outstanding. This being only my second Carnival cruise out of seventeen, with terrible impressions of Carnival after my first sailing on the Celebration. This ship and crew has changed my impression of Carnival and I am sure we will sail with Carnival in the future. We are looking forward to the Fantasy moving to Mobile.
I still maintain the worst day at sea is still better then the best day on land!!!!! Happy sailing!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Big Drive to Alaska
Well we made the trip, however, not without problems. Nothing serious or life shattering.
It started on Tuesday morning September 9th, arrived Anchorage Wednesday September 17th.
On the road about an hour when I looked up from the back seat and said, “Weren’t we supposed to turn in Conway?”
Oops, they, my wife Lee and brother-in-law Pat were so wrapped up in conversation that they missed the exit. So now we are some 30+ miles beyond our first exit. Okay, maybe from here all will go well.
First night was spent in a Platt City, MO Comfort Inn only 400 miles from home! Of course the day included stopping at a Russell Stover Chocolate outlet, yum-o! Woke up had breakfast and hit the road by 10:00 a.m. enroute to Anchorage Alaska.
Day two: The day was pretty good, weather fine; I’m driving, yee-haa! Ran into a little weather late in the day, but nothing too bad. Wanted to spend the night in Fargo, ND, I mean like doesn’t everyone want to stay in Fargo!!!! If you don’t understand this, you haven’t seen the movie “Fargo.”
Anyway, we ended up driving an additional 60 miles or so to Grand Forks making a day of 652 miles. Oh, why didn’t we stay in Fargo? Well they were having a Big Iron Farm Show, who knew! Guess this is a BIG attraction as all the hotels, motels etc. were booked. The Big Iron Farm Show connects over 800 agricultural exhibitors and some 70,000 attendees for the purpose of advancing agriculture!!!!
One neat part of the day was stopping in Elk Point, SD at a place called “Cody’s Homestead.” A neat little rustic restaurant with easy on and off access. We were greeted and seated by none other than Cody himself. Dressed in a white chef’s coat he handed us menus and proceeded to tell us his suggestions. How can you go wrong, the chef himself telling you his best!!!!! Was it the best food in the world, no, but the hominess made up for any flaws. And how many people do you know that have had the dining experience of Cody’s Homestead!
Day three: Onward to Canada. Got to the Canadian border and stopped at customs. After several questions and producing our documentation we were directed to pull over in one of the inspection stalls. After a few minutes of waiting, we were approached by two young Canadian Borders Guards, both dressed neatly and wearing flak jackets (body armor). They asked for our documentation and asked us to please step out the vehicle and directed us to a waiting area away from the car. They then proceeded to search the car. They inspected door panels, the glove box, under seats and dash. They removed our luggage from inside the car and the trunk. They went through everything and did a pretty good job at repacking. When they were satisfied we weren’t terrorists or drug smugglers, they directed us inside to Canadian Immigration!!!! More questions, took our documentation and politely told us to have a seat. Several minutes later, we were finally cleared and on our way!!!!
Not sure why we had to go through all that, maybe it was due to our crossing on 9-11; or was it because my brother-in-law hadn’t shaved; or maybe the combination of one female and two males! Who knows! Probably took the better part of an hour, maybe a bit more, to finally be on our way. Of course my lovely wife found all this customs stuff to be “so exciting” and wanted to take pictures!!! Ugh! A quick stop at the Canadian Welcome Center and we were on our way. Destination today was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Crap, how far is a kilometer? Well we found Saskatoon to be some 600+ miles away and it was already close to noon. On to Winnipeg where we stopped for lunch. Back on the road creeping along at 100KPH, that’s like 62 MPH. No speeding in Canada, they don’t mess around and there is no allowance over the speed limit. So at this point 600 miles seems like days of driving. We opted to stop in Yorkton for the night. Not a bad little place, a lot more impressive than Winnipeg. Ate at a place called Harvest Pizza Family Restaurant and Licensed dining room! Hmm, licensed? Found out that meant they had a full bar. Yorkton had a casino as well, The Painted Hand, not Vegas, but not bad. I was fascinated with the 7 cent slot machines. Never did figure out how they paid. Lee sat at a Texas Hold’em table. And had she remembered the song by Kenny Rogers she would have done well. Oh yeah you know that song, …… know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em…..! Yep, hind sight usually leaves your money at the table!!!!!!
My days here are now running together. I cannot remember if it was day two or three that the “open door” alarm started dinging. I think it was day four or five that my brother-in-law reached over and turned the radio off and said “listen.” Okay, for what! No ding!!! Yee-haa! However, that was short lived, 10 miles down the road and the ding was back. In Dawson Creek my BIL was bound and determined to fix it, success. Well for a whole day anyway! So for the remainder of the trip that quaint ding ding ding chimed. One would have thought that after 3 or 4 days the damn thing would have burned out!
Day four: On to Alaska. Made Saskatoon for lunch. A little Greek place named Stella’s, was our choice. Nothing to write home about. The burgers were okay. This place had a casino and bar, I just told Lee not to look right!!!! Then on to Edmonton. Stayed in a really nice Comfort Inn. Lee and her brother went to a place called Characters for dinner. I opted out of dinner and I think I may have missed the best dining experience on the road. But I was beat and needed the quiet and rest.
Day five: Dawson Creek. Kind of a short driving day only 360 miles. We opted to stop here because of time. It was approaching the 5 or 6 o’clock hour and we wanted to experience the Kodak moment at mile marker zero of the Alaskan Highway! Lee’s brother opted out of dinner so he could do laundry. Lee and I went to a place named Solas. A restaurant connected to the Super 8 motel, don’t you know we were excited!!! The place was packed and the food was really great. Our fun was our little waitress. We ordered “top shelf” margaritas on the rocks no ice! She had no idea! Yep she was blonde!!!!! Lee went through the litany of what a top shelf margarita consisted of. Our little waitress’ response was “no flavor?” Poor Lee fell victim to this little ditzy blonde’s lack of bar skills. I interrupted and asked “what flavors do you have?” A smile came over her as if to say, ahh, now you are talking my language. So she rattled off the usual, lime, mango, strawberry, hmm there was a fourth and I can’t remember it. So I said to her that we wanted lime flavored margaritas with either Grand Marnier or Countreau, on the rocks no salt. Her little eyes glistened. Back she came, proud as a proverbial peacock. Popped our drinks down and asked us to taste them. Lee looked at her and said, “On the rocks!” Poor girl, wilted like a roasted flower. “I forgot that part!” Finally she got it right, returned with our on the rocks margaritas. They really weren’t bad, however, we really think she forgot the tequila!!!!!! Lee ordered wine!
Done with dinner, we headed to a little souvenir shop. This is where we noticed a headlight was out. Met Pat when we got back and we all walked over to the Wal-Mart, right across the street from the hotel, to buy a new one. Pat changed it out in the morning before we left. This was our day sans the ding ding ding. Originally our plan was to spend night six at Fort St John.
Day Six: Headlight changed, ding ding ding fixed we drive out of Dawson Creek. Decided against staying at Fort St John as that would have made for a very short day of driving. We really did want to eventually make it to Anchorage. Lee played tour guide and hotel reservationist! So we stop in Fort St John, no cell service, so bold little Lee walks into the hotel we made reservations with and asked to use the phone! She called the Northern Rockies Lodge in Muncho Lake , British Columbia some 430+ miles from Dawson Creek. They had room so she booked us. Hung up and cancelled our reservations in Fort St John.
The Northern Rockies Lodge, what an amazing place. A huge log structure, gorgeous décor and a wonderful restaurant. Probably the niftiest place we stayed. Google it to find out more.
Day seven: A great breakfast at the lodge. A misty dreary day. Packed up the car, Lee’s turn to drive, the ding is back! Just a few miles down the road and we met up with some mountain goats. Onward. Several more miles down the road and from the back seat Lee’s brother yells, “Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo.” To our right in a small ravine was a herd of buffalo. Probably 40 or so. Lee stops the car and we walk back to the herd. Snapping pictures and watching them as they protect the young. Lee was worried about them charging us!!!! Silly girl!
Lee I think had the worse conditions to drive through. The road from Muncho Lake to Whitehorse had much to be desired. Gravel and potholes and rain and fog. I think she was driving when we hit Destruction Bay as well. Miles of following the pilot car through the construction areas.
Stopped at Watson Lake for lunch. I have to admit Lee has done a great job finding us places to lay our heads and to satisfy our palates. The Chinese place we stopped at was packed and it was owned by an oriental woman. How could we go wrong! You guessed it, we went wrong. Maybe we were just not used of the way the locals like stuff cooked, or not cooked! Pat ordered sweet and sour pork; Lee ordered a chicken something dish; and I got chicken chow mein. We ended up eating the noodles and veggies. The sweet and sour pork came out drenched in a sauce, nothing worse than soggy crispy fried stuff. The chow mein was served with ramen noodles and raw, well maybe not raw, but under cooked chicken; and Lee’s dish was equally as gross. Our suggestion and recommendation is to bypass Watson Lake. Take a bite out of the beef jerky you brought and continue to drive!
Arrived Whitehorse some 422+ miles down the road. I know it looks like our driving days were short, miles wise yes, road wise no. Many of those miles were driven at 50mph or less. Yukon Territory!!!! Woo-hoo! Whitehorse was a nice town We spent the night in a West Mark Inn. We ate at a little Italian place called G&T Steakhouse & Pizza; Mediterranean, Italian, Seafood, smoked BBQ Ribs and Chicken! Not quite the restaurant marquis one would expect in the Yukon Territory. The restaurant has been in the family for twenty-five years. The food was great and the portions very large. Tummies full we headed back to the hotel.
Day eight: Breakfast at the West Mark Inn restaurant. Nothing to write home about, but it was breakfast. Next stop Tok, Alaska. Tok was only 390 miles down the road, but we knew we couldn’t make it to Anchorage 710 miles away and there really wasn’t much between Tok and Anchorage. Tok proved to be an experience. We stayed at Young’s motel and ate at Eddy’s restaurant, both an experience. The motel basically catered to hunters, fisherman, and road construction workers. The restaurant on the other hand appeared to attract all the above as well as the locals. Our morning waitress was a transplant from somewhere in the lower 48. She came to Tok to attend I think, the University of Alaska Tok Centre!!!! Our questions here were, first, how in the hell does one find such a remote place to attend school and second, what in the hell possesses a young person to want to attend such a school! Population around 1300 in the area of Tok; population of Fairbanks roughly 83,000; population Anchorage roughly 262,000; damn right I’m picking Tok!!!!!
I have to address Young’s motel. No amenities at all. Two beds, a TV with no more than 5 channels, a bathroom, a couple of lights and that’s it. Poor Lee had to dry her hair next to the TV because there were no outlets in the bathroom. So she used the TV screen as her mirror. I was so proud of her!
Day nine: Onward to final destination Anchorage. Oh did I mention at this point, the ding was still with us; brake light is out; and now the engine is missing! Clogged injector, fouled plug who knows. Nope we’re not stopping and do you think there might be, I mean even a remote chance, that Tok has a Volvo dealer!!!!!! NOT!
So Anchorage is our next real stop. Between Tok and Anchorage we stopped at a few places to eat and use the restrooms. Finally Anchorage and the Mangy Moose Bed & Breakfast. Pat and his wife are renting a little apartment here and we will be staying in the Royal Alaskan room.
The Mangy Moose B&B is run by Sally Imdieke and her 7 year old daughter Patricia. We cannot say enough about this place. Sally was the most gracious hostess. Funny how you meet strangers and they immediately feel like family. I could probably write volumns about Sally and her daughter and the Mangy Moose, but I won’t. I will, however, suggest and recommend that if you are ever in Anchorage and need a place to stay, the Mangy Moose is the place to stay. Sally makes a dynamite breakfast and keeps fresh coffee on all day.
Among the splendors of majestic mountains, free flowing water falls, and the beauty of snow capped mountain tops, we witnessed much animal life along the way. A lone Bald Eagle majestically perched upon a evergreen top in Canada; uncountable Hawks; Canadian Geese too many to fathom; herds of Wild Buffalo; a mother Caribou and her two babies; a small herd of Caribou; Elk; a small herd of Mountain Goats frolicking near the road; and distant sheep, possibly Mountain or Dahl Sheep spotting the mountain sides like cotton balls scattered about.
Highlights of Anchorage: The Army Navy Outlet Store had their yearly tent sale. Four days straight we went. The owner kinda befriended Lee. Seemed like each day we got a better deal. We bought shirts, coats, thermal undies, socks etc. Heck I got a Columbia Waterproof Parka for like $15, a Columbia shirt for $10. Lee got an HH, Henley and somebody, parka for $30. Even her brother Pat and Pat’s wife Suzanne found some good deals. I really think the owner was humoring us, "had to come all the way from Arkansas to find a good sale!!!!"
Ate at some really good restaurants and Lee took a fondness to Halibut. First time in our 12 years together that she actually ordered fish off the menu!
Took some nice sightseeing trips. Went to Girdwood and rode the Aleyeska Ski Resort Tram to the top of the mountain. Hiked up to Table Top mountain. Saw salmon in their spawn run at Campbell Creek. Saw Moose, Bison, Bears, Eagles and Elk at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. And finally Lee got to see a Moose; yep after we paid $15 at the conservation center, we were headed to dinner and a moose sauntered across the main roadway. Next day, our B&B hostess Sally comes running up the stairs after dropping Patricia at the bus stop, yelling “Lee, Stan moose, moose, moose.” A huge bull moose escorted Sally home! Very elusive, but we managed to get a couple of pictures. Wish I were an artist so I could paint the picture. Lee in her pink pajamas, wearing hiking boots, walking around the neighborhood trying to sneak a peek of this huge moose!!!!!
One thing Lee got to see that many folks never get to see and that is Denali. Denali meaning the Great One. Clear as a bell, covered in snow, standing against the blue sky, a picture few get to witness.
We went to Talkeetna a tiny remote little Alaskan town. Got some good pics by the river and had a great lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie. Lee ordered a half Boca burger, it was the biggest half of anything we had ever seen.
At this point I know I am missing much. We had some great lunches and some great dinners. Oh gosh, almost forgot Granny B’s. Pat brought us here for lunch. Enjoyed a wonderful navy bean soup with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Lee enjoyed a half order of a Granny Nelson. Basically that was a cheeseburger without the bun! Let’s see, I’d describe it as a bed of lettuce topped with tomato, onion, burger and cheese. Went to a neat little Bistro, this is where Lee actually ordered Halibut. I was so proud of her. And she ate it all to boot!
We ate at the Moose’s Tooth, and the Bear Tooth, which is a sister restaurant of the Moose’s Tooth. Food was good in both, better at the Moose’s Tooth. Had King Crab at the Mining Company and were treated to a wonderful Italian dinner at Little Italy Restaurant. Oh and lunch at Sack’s, Snow City Café and Kaladi Brother’s. I cannot forget Café Savannah, a little tapas restaurant, awesome food. Needless to say I have missed listing many places. I can say we did not ever go hungry!!!!
We flew home via Alaska Airlines and American. This is a trip that we actually packed to enable us not to check any baggage which was pretty cool. Only screw up was our landing in Chicago. I reached up into the overhead bin, grabbed my blue bag and Lee’s green bag, so I thought! Got all the way into the walkway when Lee said, “you grabbed the wrong bag.” Well it was green; I didn’t realize that someone had pushed our two bags apart so they could fit their bag in. No big deal, the guy that owned the bag came out, I gave him his bag, and one of the workers went and got ours. When we landed in Chicago, we ended up at Gate L something and had to make our way to gate G-11. Plenty of time. Then they announced we were to fly out of
G-5, so down to G-5. No sooner got there and sat down when they announced we would be flying out of G-9, due to “equipment” failure!!!! Sheesh you would have thought the folks at G-11 would have known the plane was broke at G-5!!!!!
Finally home! Home sweet home. Great adventure with plans to return in June or July to fish!!!
Here is the link to my photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/568579132KvLhhM
It started on Tuesday morning September 9th, arrived Anchorage Wednesday September 17th.
On the road about an hour when I looked up from the back seat and said, “Weren’t we supposed to turn in Conway?”
Oops, they, my wife Lee and brother-in-law Pat were so wrapped up in conversation that they missed the exit. So now we are some 30+ miles beyond our first exit. Okay, maybe from here all will go well.
First night was spent in a Platt City, MO Comfort Inn only 400 miles from home! Of course the day included stopping at a Russell Stover Chocolate outlet, yum-o! Woke up had breakfast and hit the road by 10:00 a.m. enroute to Anchorage Alaska.
Day two: The day was pretty good, weather fine; I’m driving, yee-haa! Ran into a little weather late in the day, but nothing too bad. Wanted to spend the night in Fargo, ND, I mean like doesn’t everyone want to stay in Fargo!!!! If you don’t understand this, you haven’t seen the movie “Fargo.”
Anyway, we ended up driving an additional 60 miles or so to Grand Forks making a day of 652 miles. Oh, why didn’t we stay in Fargo? Well they were having a Big Iron Farm Show, who knew! Guess this is a BIG attraction as all the hotels, motels etc. were booked. The Big Iron Farm Show connects over 800 agricultural exhibitors and some 70,000 attendees for the purpose of advancing agriculture!!!!
One neat part of the day was stopping in Elk Point, SD at a place called “Cody’s Homestead.” A neat little rustic restaurant with easy on and off access. We were greeted and seated by none other than Cody himself. Dressed in a white chef’s coat he handed us menus and proceeded to tell us his suggestions. How can you go wrong, the chef himself telling you his best!!!!! Was it the best food in the world, no, but the hominess made up for any flaws. And how many people do you know that have had the dining experience of Cody’s Homestead!
Day three: Onward to Canada. Got to the Canadian border and stopped at customs. After several questions and producing our documentation we were directed to pull over in one of the inspection stalls. After a few minutes of waiting, we were approached by two young Canadian Borders Guards, both dressed neatly and wearing flak jackets (body armor). They asked for our documentation and asked us to please step out the vehicle and directed us to a waiting area away from the car. They then proceeded to search the car. They inspected door panels, the glove box, under seats and dash. They removed our luggage from inside the car and the trunk. They went through everything and did a pretty good job at repacking. When they were satisfied we weren’t terrorists or drug smugglers, they directed us inside to Canadian Immigration!!!! More questions, took our documentation and politely told us to have a seat. Several minutes later, we were finally cleared and on our way!!!!
Not sure why we had to go through all that, maybe it was due to our crossing on 9-11; or was it because my brother-in-law hadn’t shaved; or maybe the combination of one female and two males! Who knows! Probably took the better part of an hour, maybe a bit more, to finally be on our way. Of course my lovely wife found all this customs stuff to be “so exciting” and wanted to take pictures!!! Ugh! A quick stop at the Canadian Welcome Center and we were on our way. Destination today was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Crap, how far is a kilometer? Well we found Saskatoon to be some 600+ miles away and it was already close to noon. On to Winnipeg where we stopped for lunch. Back on the road creeping along at 100KPH, that’s like 62 MPH. No speeding in Canada, they don’t mess around and there is no allowance over the speed limit. So at this point 600 miles seems like days of driving. We opted to stop in Yorkton for the night. Not a bad little place, a lot more impressive than Winnipeg. Ate at a place called Harvest Pizza Family Restaurant and Licensed dining room! Hmm, licensed? Found out that meant they had a full bar. Yorkton had a casino as well, The Painted Hand, not Vegas, but not bad. I was fascinated with the 7 cent slot machines. Never did figure out how they paid. Lee sat at a Texas Hold’em table. And had she remembered the song by Kenny Rogers she would have done well. Oh yeah you know that song, …… know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em…..! Yep, hind sight usually leaves your money at the table!!!!!!
My days here are now running together. I cannot remember if it was day two or three that the “open door” alarm started dinging. I think it was day four or five that my brother-in-law reached over and turned the radio off and said “listen.” Okay, for what! No ding!!! Yee-haa! However, that was short lived, 10 miles down the road and the ding was back. In Dawson Creek my BIL was bound and determined to fix it, success. Well for a whole day anyway! So for the remainder of the trip that quaint ding ding ding chimed. One would have thought that after 3 or 4 days the damn thing would have burned out!
Day four: On to Alaska. Made Saskatoon for lunch. A little Greek place named Stella’s, was our choice. Nothing to write home about. The burgers were okay. This place had a casino and bar, I just told Lee not to look right!!!! Then on to Edmonton. Stayed in a really nice Comfort Inn. Lee and her brother went to a place called Characters for dinner. I opted out of dinner and I think I may have missed the best dining experience on the road. But I was beat and needed the quiet and rest.
Day five: Dawson Creek. Kind of a short driving day only 360 miles. We opted to stop here because of time. It was approaching the 5 or 6 o’clock hour and we wanted to experience the Kodak moment at mile marker zero of the Alaskan Highway! Lee’s brother opted out of dinner so he could do laundry. Lee and I went to a place named Solas. A restaurant connected to the Super 8 motel, don’t you know we were excited!!! The place was packed and the food was really great. Our fun was our little waitress. We ordered “top shelf” margaritas on the rocks no ice! She had no idea! Yep she was blonde!!!!! Lee went through the litany of what a top shelf margarita consisted of. Our little waitress’ response was “no flavor?” Poor Lee fell victim to this little ditzy blonde’s lack of bar skills. I interrupted and asked “what flavors do you have?” A smile came over her as if to say, ahh, now you are talking my language. So she rattled off the usual, lime, mango, strawberry, hmm there was a fourth and I can’t remember it. So I said to her that we wanted lime flavored margaritas with either Grand Marnier or Countreau, on the rocks no salt. Her little eyes glistened. Back she came, proud as a proverbial peacock. Popped our drinks down and asked us to taste them. Lee looked at her and said, “On the rocks!” Poor girl, wilted like a roasted flower. “I forgot that part!” Finally she got it right, returned with our on the rocks margaritas. They really weren’t bad, however, we really think she forgot the tequila!!!!!! Lee ordered wine!
Done with dinner, we headed to a little souvenir shop. This is where we noticed a headlight was out. Met Pat when we got back and we all walked over to the Wal-Mart, right across the street from the hotel, to buy a new one. Pat changed it out in the morning before we left. This was our day sans the ding ding ding. Originally our plan was to spend night six at Fort St John.
Day Six: Headlight changed, ding ding ding fixed we drive out of Dawson Creek. Decided against staying at Fort St John as that would have made for a very short day of driving. We really did want to eventually make it to Anchorage. Lee played tour guide and hotel reservationist! So we stop in Fort St John, no cell service, so bold little Lee walks into the hotel we made reservations with and asked to use the phone! She called the Northern Rockies Lodge in Muncho Lake , British Columbia some 430+ miles from Dawson Creek. They had room so she booked us. Hung up and cancelled our reservations in Fort St John.
The Northern Rockies Lodge, what an amazing place. A huge log structure, gorgeous décor and a wonderful restaurant. Probably the niftiest place we stayed. Google it to find out more.
Day seven: A great breakfast at the lodge. A misty dreary day. Packed up the car, Lee’s turn to drive, the ding is back! Just a few miles down the road and we met up with some mountain goats. Onward. Several more miles down the road and from the back seat Lee’s brother yells, “Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo.” To our right in a small ravine was a herd of buffalo. Probably 40 or so. Lee stops the car and we walk back to the herd. Snapping pictures and watching them as they protect the young. Lee was worried about them charging us!!!! Silly girl!
Lee I think had the worse conditions to drive through. The road from Muncho Lake to Whitehorse had much to be desired. Gravel and potholes and rain and fog. I think she was driving when we hit Destruction Bay as well. Miles of following the pilot car through the construction areas.
Stopped at Watson Lake for lunch. I have to admit Lee has done a great job finding us places to lay our heads and to satisfy our palates. The Chinese place we stopped at was packed and it was owned by an oriental woman. How could we go wrong! You guessed it, we went wrong. Maybe we were just not used of the way the locals like stuff cooked, or not cooked! Pat ordered sweet and sour pork; Lee ordered a chicken something dish; and I got chicken chow mein. We ended up eating the noodles and veggies. The sweet and sour pork came out drenched in a sauce, nothing worse than soggy crispy fried stuff. The chow mein was served with ramen noodles and raw, well maybe not raw, but under cooked chicken; and Lee’s dish was equally as gross. Our suggestion and recommendation is to bypass Watson Lake. Take a bite out of the beef jerky you brought and continue to drive!
Arrived Whitehorse some 422+ miles down the road. I know it looks like our driving days were short, miles wise yes, road wise no. Many of those miles were driven at 50mph or less. Yukon Territory!!!! Woo-hoo! Whitehorse was a nice town We spent the night in a West Mark Inn. We ate at a little Italian place called G&T Steakhouse & Pizza; Mediterranean, Italian, Seafood, smoked BBQ Ribs and Chicken! Not quite the restaurant marquis one would expect in the Yukon Territory. The restaurant has been in the family for twenty-five years. The food was great and the portions very large. Tummies full we headed back to the hotel.
Day eight: Breakfast at the West Mark Inn restaurant. Nothing to write home about, but it was breakfast. Next stop Tok, Alaska. Tok was only 390 miles down the road, but we knew we couldn’t make it to Anchorage 710 miles away and there really wasn’t much between Tok and Anchorage. Tok proved to be an experience. We stayed at Young’s motel and ate at Eddy’s restaurant, both an experience. The motel basically catered to hunters, fisherman, and road construction workers. The restaurant on the other hand appeared to attract all the above as well as the locals. Our morning waitress was a transplant from somewhere in the lower 48. She came to Tok to attend I think, the University of Alaska Tok Centre!!!! Our questions here were, first, how in the hell does one find such a remote place to attend school and second, what in the hell possesses a young person to want to attend such a school! Population around 1300 in the area of Tok; population of Fairbanks roughly 83,000; population Anchorage roughly 262,000; damn right I’m picking Tok!!!!!
I have to address Young’s motel. No amenities at all. Two beds, a TV with no more than 5 channels, a bathroom, a couple of lights and that’s it. Poor Lee had to dry her hair next to the TV because there were no outlets in the bathroom. So she used the TV screen as her mirror. I was so proud of her!
Day nine: Onward to final destination Anchorage. Oh did I mention at this point, the ding was still with us; brake light is out; and now the engine is missing! Clogged injector, fouled plug who knows. Nope we’re not stopping and do you think there might be, I mean even a remote chance, that Tok has a Volvo dealer!!!!!! NOT!
So Anchorage is our next real stop. Between Tok and Anchorage we stopped at a few places to eat and use the restrooms. Finally Anchorage and the Mangy Moose Bed & Breakfast. Pat and his wife are renting a little apartment here and we will be staying in the Royal Alaskan room.
The Mangy Moose B&B is run by Sally Imdieke and her 7 year old daughter Patricia. We cannot say enough about this place. Sally was the most gracious hostess. Funny how you meet strangers and they immediately feel like family. I could probably write volumns about Sally and her daughter and the Mangy Moose, but I won’t. I will, however, suggest and recommend that if you are ever in Anchorage and need a place to stay, the Mangy Moose is the place to stay. Sally makes a dynamite breakfast and keeps fresh coffee on all day.
Among the splendors of majestic mountains, free flowing water falls, and the beauty of snow capped mountain tops, we witnessed much animal life along the way. A lone Bald Eagle majestically perched upon a evergreen top in Canada; uncountable Hawks; Canadian Geese too many to fathom; herds of Wild Buffalo; a mother Caribou and her two babies; a small herd of Caribou; Elk; a small herd of Mountain Goats frolicking near the road; and distant sheep, possibly Mountain or Dahl Sheep spotting the mountain sides like cotton balls scattered about.
Highlights of Anchorage: The Army Navy Outlet Store had their yearly tent sale. Four days straight we went. The owner kinda befriended Lee. Seemed like each day we got a better deal. We bought shirts, coats, thermal undies, socks etc. Heck I got a Columbia Waterproof Parka for like $15, a Columbia shirt for $10. Lee got an HH, Henley and somebody, parka for $30. Even her brother Pat and Pat’s wife Suzanne found some good deals. I really think the owner was humoring us, "had to come all the way from Arkansas to find a good sale!!!!"
Ate at some really good restaurants and Lee took a fondness to Halibut. First time in our 12 years together that she actually ordered fish off the menu!
Took some nice sightseeing trips. Went to Girdwood and rode the Aleyeska Ski Resort Tram to the top of the mountain. Hiked up to Table Top mountain. Saw salmon in their spawn run at Campbell Creek. Saw Moose, Bison, Bears, Eagles and Elk at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. And finally Lee got to see a Moose; yep after we paid $15 at the conservation center, we were headed to dinner and a moose sauntered across the main roadway. Next day, our B&B hostess Sally comes running up the stairs after dropping Patricia at the bus stop, yelling “Lee, Stan moose, moose, moose.” A huge bull moose escorted Sally home! Very elusive, but we managed to get a couple of pictures. Wish I were an artist so I could paint the picture. Lee in her pink pajamas, wearing hiking boots, walking around the neighborhood trying to sneak a peek of this huge moose!!!!!
One thing Lee got to see that many folks never get to see and that is Denali. Denali meaning the Great One. Clear as a bell, covered in snow, standing against the blue sky, a picture few get to witness.
We went to Talkeetna a tiny remote little Alaskan town. Got some good pics by the river and had a great lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie. Lee ordered a half Boca burger, it was the biggest half of anything we had ever seen.
At this point I know I am missing much. We had some great lunches and some great dinners. Oh gosh, almost forgot Granny B’s. Pat brought us here for lunch. Enjoyed a wonderful navy bean soup with a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Lee enjoyed a half order of a Granny Nelson. Basically that was a cheeseburger without the bun! Let’s see, I’d describe it as a bed of lettuce topped with tomato, onion, burger and cheese. Went to a neat little Bistro, this is where Lee actually ordered Halibut. I was so proud of her. And she ate it all to boot!
We ate at the Moose’s Tooth, and the Bear Tooth, which is a sister restaurant of the Moose’s Tooth. Food was good in both, better at the Moose’s Tooth. Had King Crab at the Mining Company and were treated to a wonderful Italian dinner at Little Italy Restaurant. Oh and lunch at Sack’s, Snow City Café and Kaladi Brother’s. I cannot forget Café Savannah, a little tapas restaurant, awesome food. Needless to say I have missed listing many places. I can say we did not ever go hungry!!!!
We flew home via Alaska Airlines and American. This is a trip that we actually packed to enable us not to check any baggage which was pretty cool. Only screw up was our landing in Chicago. I reached up into the overhead bin, grabbed my blue bag and Lee’s green bag, so I thought! Got all the way into the walkway when Lee said, “you grabbed the wrong bag.” Well it was green; I didn’t realize that someone had pushed our two bags apart so they could fit their bag in. No big deal, the guy that owned the bag came out, I gave him his bag, and one of the workers went and got ours. When we landed in Chicago, we ended up at Gate L something and had to make our way to gate G-11. Plenty of time. Then they announced we were to fly out of
G-5, so down to G-5. No sooner got there and sat down when they announced we would be flying out of G-9, due to “equipment” failure!!!! Sheesh you would have thought the folks at G-11 would have known the plane was broke at G-5!!!!!
Finally home! Home sweet home. Great adventure with plans to return in June or July to fish!!!
Here is the link to my photos: http://community.webshots.com/album/568579132KvLhhM
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Annie Laurie
Here she is a 2005 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer, powered by two 6.2L V-drive engines. We cruise exclusively on Lake Ouachita, Arkansas. A Corps of Engineers lake spanning some 40,000 acres at normal level of 568 feet, the lake touts right at 1,000 miles of shore line, with numerous islands and niches to enjoy. The lake is also noted as one of the cleanest lakes in the US.
We upgraded from a 1994 Rinker Fiesta Vee 265, Basic Needs. She was exactly that, a basic little starter cruiser. She lacked many of the necessary amenities like heat and air, a generator and room! The Annie Laurie provides us all we need to spend a day or a long weekend on the lake.
We named her after my wife's mom. We lost her Halloween day. We are also going to document her. So the name will be "Annie Laurie" Port of El Dorado, Arkansas.
All the old folks got their start in El Dorado, and bought into Murphy Oil. Through the years it's been passed down, inherited etc. So we figured that we would honor her mom with giving our boat the name her daddy used to call her and pay tribute to where the $$ came from.
By the way, don't bother looking, there ain't no port in El Dorado, i think there is a river though.
This will be our first season with her and we look forward to spending many days and nights aboard her.
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