Today was super busy, but full of great adventure!!
Yet again, woke up super early and thought that since I was up that maybe I would catch the sunrise .. And, like all the other days, it was much too foggy/hazy to even think about seeing the sunrise (and it was raining, yet again)! So, back to sleep I went (if it was only for 45 more minutes)!
We all got up around 6 because my mom and grandmother had an excursion that met in the Wajang theater at 8:30. They went on a tram ride in Hoonah, and said they had a good time. I was originially supposed to join them on this excursion, but decided that I wanted to go kayaking .. So I switched and decided on doing it @ Icy Straits. I am very glad that I took advantage of this excursion .. Even if it was partially due to the fact that the kayak instructor was close to my age and cute .. Cute guys always enhance the situation!!
We had to tender in to the pier in order to catch the excursion. I went to shore approximately 45 min early so that I could check out the area and see if there was anything worth seeing. When I got there, a humpback whale came into the cove, approximately 500 feet from the shore!! Can I just tell you how much I was kicking myself for not having my camera!!!! I decided that I was not going to take my camera with me since I had never been kayaking before and I was worried that if I capsized then my camera would not survive (if that happened in the middle of my trip I would be absolutely devastated!!!). I had left my camera with my mom since she wasn't going anywhere near water, but at the time was really wishing I hadn't done that!!
When our kayaking excursion finally started we set off after the whale that was still in the cove. We got approx 100 yards away from it!! It was about absolutely amazing!!! I still wish I had my camera, but won't risk that until I have a waterproof housing to protect it. However, I really do want a kayak now!! I want to take it out to Heber and just explore .. Who's with me?!?!?
Anywho, while kayaking I saw a humpback whale, bald eagle, old graveyard and jumping fish (one of which almost got into the kayak with me!!!).The kayak was a double seater and I had a great partner - thank goodness!! Once we got out to the furthest point we were going to go, a storm started rolling in - making it super tough to get back to shore! It felt like it took us forever to get back in because the water was so choppy! It was, however, a great experience and I'm almost wishing I had gone for the longer kayak tour!!
After returning from the kayaking trip, I met up with my mom and grandmoer at the pier to prepare for our next excursion. Lucky me they had grabbed half a turkey sandwich for me (which I gulped down b/c the next excursion was coming soon)! I ran into one of the shops and got a really neat black leather bracelet with lime green beads - very cool. Then I got on the bus and we headed out for a tour of Hoonah.
So far, Icy Straits/Hoonah has been my favorite port. I think this may be because Hoonah is one of the only privately owned piers - it's owned by the Native Alaskan Society. This means that it is much less commercial and almost all of the products were handmade/Made in Alaska. What made it even better is that the sun began to come out and it hardly rained at all!
For those of you curious, I have not come across any "Eskimos", although technically that is who the Native Alaskans are. After speaking to several locals, winter here can be tough (unlike the other 2 ports that are enveloped in a rainforest) - this past year they got over 25 feet of snow .. I can't even imagine! According to Michael, the kayak guide (yes I remember his name .. ;) ), most people up here barricade themselves in their homes during the winter, only going out to chop firewood. Majority of the locals have the largest flat screen tvs that are made because they spend most of the winter inside watching movies!!! After talking to people in Ketchikan and Juneau, depression runs rampant in Alaska during the winter due to the prolonged periods of darkness, very little to no sunlight and a lot of liquid sun (i.e., precipitation).
I find that when the clouds are gone (even briefly), this place is beyond amazingly beautiful! I wish I knew someone who lived up here so I could come visit!!
After our second tour, we caught the tender back to the ship and made some last phone calls home before leaving port (and loosing service). We went up for dinner in the dining room (I missed dinner yesterday since I was out on the photo safari and just barely managed to get a bowl of chili before Lido deck closed). Tonight I went with the "crab tower" with avocado (VERY good), salad with buffalo cheese and Chille Relllena (green peppers stuffed with mozzarella cheese) and then German chocolate cake for dessert ... probably one of my favorite meals so far!! (although that may have been because I was starving and exhausted from a long day of activities!)
After dinner we went to the show - a comedian, Jeff Nease, who was absolutely hilarious! One of the best laughs I've had in a long time!!
As I write this, I'm sitting in the Crow's nest listening to Karaoke Amsterdam Idol .. What a trip!! (no, I'm not planning on participating .. Just being a bystander!) We are headed into a storm and it is bound to be a very bumpy, rocking and rolling night as well as day tomorrow (it has already started .. And I'm super thankful for the motion sickness patches!!!).
Tomorrow is a day at sea and then Friday we'll be in Anchorage. I probably won't have cell service/internet until then so I'll be sure to submit this post and any others when we get there!! Hope everyone is having a great week!!
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