Skagway

 

Today we docked in Skagway which turned out to be our first port at which we compete with multiple (4) other ships.

As I mentioned in one of my first posts, this resulted in the crowding that ends up being annoying even to the point that the locals who depend on the tourist trade have begun to say “enough”.

The big attraction in Skagway is the White Pass Railway which takes tourists up into Canada and back in vintage railway cars paralleling the path used by fortune hunters in the days of the goldrush. The sights once the trees thinned out were great.

The following image is not particularly scenic, but I a including it because it shows the original trail used by some of the gold hunters to reach the interior,

Glacier Bay

We have visited Glacier Bay on a previous trip to Alaska and stayed at the Glacier Bay Lodge. Like so many of our early trips, I am certain I took photos which probably resulted in prints, but I have no idea where these keepsakes are. Go digital. The opportunity for beautiful photos is endless.

When we visit Glaciers I cannot help think of what the glaciers tell us about climate change. Any time we have had a guide or descriptive signs available when viewing glaciers the topic of receding glaciers and climate change has been part of the message. We seem more aware of the issue now, but sadly it has become politicized even though scientists overwhelmingly accept the reality.

Internet access allows me to do some research as we travel and here are some climate change findings related to Alaska. 

Over a 50-year interval—between the 1950s and early 2000s—glaciers within Alaska national parks shrank by 8%. From 1985 to 2020, glacier-covered area in Alaska decreased by 13%, indicating that the rate of glacier loss accelerated in recent decades. Talks presented while we were in the Bay pointed to areas in which glaciers no longer exist. 

Climate change is a reality in Alaska. Sea ice loss has caused the polar regions to warm over twice as much as the rest of the Earth. Alaska has experienced a 5ºF (~3ºC) increase since 1949. Some climate change topics bring up the possibility of a tipping point. For example, as the temperature rises more areas of land become exposed which means less sunlight is reflected and more heat is absorbed. As this trend continues, the rise in temperature begins to feed upon itself.

It Comes from the land down under

 With apologies to Men At work

I had decided to collect food images and post several together. I changed my mind for this topic. Things pop into my head and sometimes to purge them I have to write about what has possessed me.

I was walking through the breakfast cafeteria line and found this bottle. It created a flashback. I tried Vegemite during a visit to Australia a couple of decades ago. You spread it on toast and as I read somewhere it is an acquired taste. I keep trying. It is supposed to be good for you.

You may be familiar with the Men at Work song - Down Under. As soon as I saw the bottle the song popped into my head and now I can’t get it out. You have been warned. Try the link and it may take several days to escape the curse of the Vegemite sandwich.

He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich

And he said

…..

"I come from a land down under

Women they go and they sun there

Wrangell and Hoonah

 Our first couple of stops were at smaller locations - Wrangell and Hoonah. Our ship is not one of those large vessels with many thousands of passengers which means we can enter smaller ports. It also means we skip some of the larger potential stops I suppose to avoid the crowding that can occur.

Wrangell

I assume Wrangell will be the smallest location we visit and may not have as much developed for tourists as some of the other locations. I did include a photo of our ship as this was first time I had a chance to find a location to take a photo of its entire length.

Alaska has large tidal variation which means that docks must be able to accommodate such changes in the height that boats may require.

I was able to find some interesting creations and totems to photograph.

Hoonah

Hoonah provided a very impressive gondola experience owned by the local indigenous people.

The landscape photo opportunities here seem to be everywhere.

Here is a bonus video Cindy shot from the ship.

Writing about writing

Trying to engage in some adult education, I attended a writing lesson titled “finding your muse.” I have been searching for my muse for decades and have pretty much given up, but I thought I would give it one more try.

I had hoped an experienced writer would explain her process and I would take careful notes, but no. She handed out pads of paper and pens and did that freshman comp thing where they tell you there is a writer in everyone struggling to be set free. I did not have the urge to be set free, but I was sitting towards the front and decided I was there for the duration. 

Her two prompts “I remember when” and “something about your street” did result in my being able to put words on paper for the 10 minutes provided. 

One thing I learned was that my cursive skills have seriously deteriorated. It was hard to decipher when it was time to share with others. I bet I haven’t written a dozen sentences using a pen at one time in a decade or more. I do need my keyboard. 

Since I don’t teach writing, I have never thought about what makes a good writing prompt. I started to consider this issue. First, it seems that the prompt should allow for writing without stressing your content knowledge. The focus should be on encouraging expression rather than function as a test of what you know. Perhaps, the openness of the question even serves to determine whether you can quickly assign yourself an appropriate topic. Second, I think the prompt should emphasize the type of writing the author should strive to produce. Should what is produced be funny, conjure feelings or imagery, or share information. I decided the goal of our prompts were a request for words arranged in a proper order. Perhaps it was a kind of “see if you can put words on paper” goal.

So, what did I write about? For the recollection question, I described my first foray into research that involved feeding the chickens I cared for different diets and keeping track of the number of eggs produced. For the recollection about a familiar street, I described the experience of watching the water slowing move up our street as the Red River of the North flooded Grand Forks, ND.  Why these choices? I have no idea, but I was under time pressure, these topics popped into my consciousness, and they seemed good enough. Maybe it was my muse. 

There will be more writing sessions. The leader and her husband who teaches bridge (beginner and intermediate) are here for the duration. I think I am done with writing sessions. Maybe I should try the free bridge lessons.