Category: Going Places

Another Tuesday Cruiseday

This is Chapter Four. Thank you for returning. Today we will visit Icy Strait Point, a made up destination for cruise ships.

In 1999, the Tlingit folks in the town of Hoonah on Chichagof Island decided to turn an old cannery into a tourist destination. They spent the next 5 years planning, buying property, spiffing it up, learning about the cruising industry, courting cruise lines and turning a former factory into a terrific place to spend a day, with things to do and see, places to eat and shop, and all of it staffed by very genuinely friendly and helpful people.

cannery

They only allow one ship in port at a time. The ship uses its lifeboats to go ashore. We had only noticed these while walking underneath them on Deck 7, the Promenade Deck.

life-boats

cannery

We spent some time walking along the shore, looking at the water and then walking a trail. I was amazed to see the same flowers as we have in Mineral King – fireweed (above), columbine, cow parsnip were among the familiar wildflowers.

columbine cow-parsnip

Trail Guy and I had the unique privilege of meeting one of the people who had the vision for this wonderful destination, the son of a Norwegian captain and his Tlingit wife, a native of Hoonah.

johann

Johann spent some time explaining how it all came about, and he showed us the house where he grew up. He also showed us the retaining wall that looked as if it was made of layers of rock or old wood. Nope! Look at this: (hint – think cannery)

cans We walked the 1-1/2 mile into the town of Hoonah. The town is only participating in the tourist thing at a small level, but we enjoyed the rainy walk along a nice sidewalk that followed the water.

Look at the size of that ship!

big-ship

No, really, look at that! Can you see the tiny orange dealies on the side all in a row? Those are the life boats.

We didn’t mind the rain, and with that nice sidewalk, it wasn’t muddy. In spite of the exploring, the trip recount keeps being all about the ship. You have to be careful on these cruises to thoroughly enjoy your brief stops, because it really is all about the ship.

Next time, I think I will go by ferry, part of the Alaska Marine Highway. I bet the folks traveling that way look at our giant ship and sneer. They might be every so slightly envious, but they are probably seeing much more of Alaska than we did. (P.S. I just talked to someone familiar with the Alaska Marine Highway and that would be a SUPERB way to see Alaska!)

Alaska Alaskan Cruise

Another Tuesday Cruiseday

Cruising isn’t a very efficient way to see a place. Within the 10 days of the cruise, we had 4 days with our feet on land, and 3 of the 4 were in Alaska.

I loved Alaska when I spent 3 weeks there in 1977. I thought it was so fantastic that if I ever returned, I would never leave.

Seventeen-year-olds know precious little, but I digress.

Our first port was Ketchikan, Alaska.

ketchikan

ships-in-port

We rode the city bus 12 miles north of town to Totem Bight State Park. This is where the cruise lines want you to go, but they prefer if you hire a van or one of their buses. Haha, we spent $1 each on the city bus. (The blue line, if you are planning a visit).

“Bight” is pronounced “bite” and it is a bite out of the shoreline. (So why is it spelled funny?) I think the poles look so interesting and would sort of like to have one in my yard.

totem-pole-section

Tide pools were the added benefit of the park. Didn’t see much in them, but it was fun to be along the water.

totem-pole-top

Totem poles tell stories. They are not idols, but are diaries or journals. If I had one in my yard, it would contain pencils, a cabin, and a zillion cats. Oh, and yarn!!

Next to Totem Bight is another totem park called “Potlatch”. It is more extensive, has a store, a carving room, a workshop room where children visit and work on a group totem pole, little cabins, a canoe, benches, totem poles (of course!), no entry fee, flush toilets, and fewer visitors because they don’t seem to be part of the cruise line network. It was better than the state park in terms of more to see, and it felt more authentic.

After we got home, I learned this is a salmon berry. It might be because the seeds look like salmon eggs.

We should have come to this park first. It was so very interesting!

We were blessed with a brilliant and sunny day in Ketchikan. Rain is their normal weather.

Isn’t this the coolest canoe ever? Can you imagine carving this with primitive tools? They must have had carpal tunnel syndrome.

ketchikan alaska

Tuesdays are Cruisedays

trail-guy

What are you looking at, Trail Guy?

There is a tiny little puff of water out there. It is a whale, but you probably need binoculars to see it.

This deck was quaint. I had wanted to sit here to knit, but unfortunately, it was a smoking area. During the day time there were blue cushions on these chairs – very attractive. Sometimes we could circle the entire ship at this level, but if the water was rough, the forward of the ship was closed off. When we asked why, we were told that if someone went overboard, no one one see them!

Oh. There’s a whale. The big deal was seeing one clear the water, something called “breaching”. Another big deal, although more of a medium deal, was seeing the tail, called a “fluke”. It was a fluke if I saw one, because they were sort of far away.

Sunrise? Sunset? Can’t remember. Continually I forgot if I was fore or aft, starboard or port. The sides and the ends of the ship reflected each other, so I was constantly looking out the window to see which way “the water was moving”. Yes, I know, the ship was moving, not the water. So, you now understand why I can’t even tell the difference between sunset and sunrise?

Alaskan Cruise

Tuesdays, Cruisedays

All-righty-then, no one has said, “Shut up about your stupid cruise already.” So, here is Chapter Two.

I couldn't get enough of walking the decks. — I couldn’t get enough of walking the decks.

Check out these two Mineral King tee shirt models. But how did Trail Guy meet David Letterman??

This trio is from Hungary – a violinist, pianist and bass fiddle player. They were fantastic, simply out of this world. They are called the Rhapsody Trio, and I could listen to them every day. I did, in fact. Too bad the CD is sort of second-rate. Ships are always selling stuff, ALWAYS.

But no one could sell us stuff on our balcony, so there.

A California Artist Goes Cruising

Remember I said it was probably time for a break? I made a paper cutting mistake while working on The Cabins of Wilsonia. I painted an entire painting of the Kaweah Post Office upside down.

I wasn’t kidding. You thought I was just bravely soldiering on, pushing through the obstacles, keeping my nose to the grindstone, and blogging away.

Nope. I was on a cruise ship.

Me on a cruise ship? Yep. With Trail Guy, my sisters and their husbands and my incredibly generous little mama.

gg-bridge

Weird. I don’t even own a microwave or dishwasher, and we live without electricity at the cabin, cooking on a wood stove. Suddenly, there we were, immersed in a life of luxury, excess, ease, servants, entertainment, and with more people than live in Three Rivers. Mountain people on the ocean. Cabin people in an entirely different sort of cabin.

ship

I have a ton of thoughts about it all and haven’t decided if they belong on this blog. Guess I’ll go on about it for awhile, and if my readership plummets (if I can remember how to check the numbers), then I’ll shut up.

Here’s the deal: everyone needs to see and do new things to keep from becoming boring, stuck, stale, and same-ole-same-ole. So, I will share a bit of our trip with you on Tuesdays.

cruiseship

That’s it – Tuesdays will be Cruisedays, for awhile, at least until I run out of photos, ideas or readers, that is.

Anyone want to say something about this subject?

Alaskan Cruise

More Refreshment

When Sophie and Louise and I went to Sequoia National Park last week, we walked around Crescent Meadow and Tharp’s Log. Want to see?

That isn’t the meadow or the log or a big tree. It is mosses on a rock. I pet them. They didn’t purr, but I did.

This is the corral by Tharp’s Log. I’ve painted this scene several times, but now the tree is busted off. Whoa. When I talk like an idiot, you know I am tired. I meant the tree was broken. 😎 I’m not showing you the paintings because they are all sold and I don’t want you to feel sad.

However, I do accept commissions.

Both Sophie and Louise remember being able to go inside and see Hale Tharp’s stuff inside. I remember being allowed to go in, but no stuff was left. Now the visitors have to stay outside.

I don’t know these people, but I took their photo so you can get an idea of how big The Big Trees aka redwoods aka sequoia gigantea really are.

We had lunch at Wuksachi, which is a lodge without lodging but it does have a restaurant. Okay, it has lodging, but not in the same building.

I don’t get out much. Hence, I was so thrilled with the food (sweet potato fries are the ONLY fried food I like) that I had to take a photo. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

Check out this dessert. If that doesn’t thrill your little heart, then maybe you get out too much.

big trees California Artist Sequoia National park

Goofing Off Instead of Working

How does a California Artist goof off? Lots of ways!

She has a friend visit for several days and they go walking together. (If you take food, it’s a “hike”. If you don’t, it’s a “walk”.)

She visits the Big Trees (Sequoia National Park) with her friend who moved far away and wondered if she’d ever get to see them again.

They climb Moro Rock. These chicas have been friends since age 17. They have probably climbed Moro Rock together in the past, but they can no longer remember.

They walk (no lunch) out on the High Sierra Trail because the view is definitely a source of inspiration. Hey! That was a business trip!

California Artist Sequoia National park

Wildflowers at a California State Park

There was a great variety of flowers at Montana de Oro.

The poppies came in three colors. Don’t know if I’ve ever seen a yellow poppy before!

This two-tone was so pretty. I thought these only came from greenhouses where people mess around with seeds and test tubes and who-knows-what-all.

This one looks normal to me.

I was going to ignore these little orange flowers but they made me think of my friend Shannon, whose favorite color is orange.

The Indian Paintbrush grow everywhere, all elevations, including Mineral King and above. These were the brightest I’ve ever seen.

Sometimes Morning Glory is called “bindweed”. I don’t know if it is native or if it is an invasive pest. I do know that farmers hate it, but it is pretty. I prefer the blue kind.

These were oranger (is that a word?) in real life. They are shaped like a monkey flower.

I KNOW these are not natives! The nasturtiums from someone’s garden got away. Maybe it happened from the farmhouse at Montana de Oro that is now a visitor center.

Statice out on the bluffs? Really? This grows very well on the Central Coast of California, but is it a native?? Or, is it like the nasturtium? So many questions. . .

California Artist on California Beach

If you ever go to Morro Bay and look across the bay, you can see a strip of land. It is called a “spit”, and it provides a very long strip of beach for walking. Or, if you like to ride a bike on the beach, it is a good place for that.

It was a foggy day, but the other Morro Rock (not to be confused with the Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park visible from my yard) was visible through the fog. I love long walks on the beach. I might have gone 8 miles, maybe 9, maybe 10. Since I’m not training for anything, I didn’t keep track. I wore shoes going and came back barefoot. My plantar fasciitis cooperated – it was there, but not too bad. The sand felt wonderful!

These guys posed well for me.

Tomorrow I will show you the wildflowers we saw at Montana de Oro.

Montana de Oro Morro rock

A California Artist Goes to The Beach

I love the beach. I love the mountains. When I lived in Sandy Eggo, I missed the mountains. Now that I live in Three Rivers, I miss the beach. There’s no hope for it except to stay here in the middle.

Meanwhile, here are a few inspiring photos. Some day when I am finished with The Cabins of Wilsonia, I will paint again. These photos won’t be wasted, and thus, going to the beach is always a business trip. (Had to mention that on Tax Day. When art is a business, that nasty topic is always lurking.)

Trail Guy at the beach.

This is the Bluffs Trail at Montana de Oro, a great California State Park. (What has become of all the money squirreled away by that outfit??)

Uh, Trail Guy, you wanna step back, please??

This was a finger of turbulent water.

Here is a tower. The sun came out briefly.

These cliffs were gorgeous and interesting, and we didn’t mean to walk so far that day but we just kept going. Should have brought lunch with us instead of leaving it in the car. . . What is the difference between a walk and a hike? I think a hike is when you bring food and water along.

The water was all sorts of shades of teal, my favorite color. My current favorite combination of colors is brown with teal. I LOVED this walk. (with apologies to Craig B. for not telling him we were in his neighborhood)

Montana de Oro