Day 2

Day 2
The day started early for all of us. When I say "day" I mean it in the literal sense as in a new day. This is because there certainly wasn't anything you could call daylight happening outside. The was what is unofficially called "O'dark thirty" The five of us and our plethora of baggage headed down to the airport shuttle, originally a Dodge Sprinter, but then the driver saw our cavalcade of bags and brought out "the bus." The time, sadly enough was 0500Hrs. EDT or 0200Hrs. PDT. since we were about to be forced to do the time warp. "It's just a jump to the left." Unto Dulles airport we went. Boldly we set forth to cast the ring back in the fires of Mount Do....oh....sorry...where was I. Yes the airport. "And then a step to the right."
The more people you travel with the more exponentially difficult it becomes to keep everyone together and on the same track. After clearing baggage check in and security it was off to Gate C7. After something to eat and a stop at the "Subway" sandwich shop to stock up for lunch, as you will recall the airlines sell you food now instead of just giving it to you, we boarded the Airbus A319, United Flight 239, non stop, Dulles to Vancouver.
"Put your hands on your hips."
Another thing to note about air travel lately is the seats. For the longest time the width of the seats has steadily decreased to the point where the average sized, or slightly larger than averaged sized person, fits in the seat, how shall one put it, snugly. It's far better to sit in the seats next to a family member, because you will definately be invading someone's personal space. This would only be acceptable if the other person was: 1: Friendly. and 2:Attractive.
The other problem that has crept in is the space between rows. It has gotten hideously narrow, perhaps as small as 18 inches between rows. It is almost bad manners to try and recline you seatback. Any attempt to do so more than a few inches is met with anything from mild disdane to bodily assault.
So the next six hours on board was no the most comfortable. I probably would have been more confortable driving in my car for six hours.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of the trip was that we had audio on our seats. In addition to the usual music channels there was one channel that fed the cockpit radio to us. We got to hear everything that went on, starting from Dulles Ground Control to Departure, handoffs from one regional center to another, Approach control for Vancouver, Vancourver Tower, and finally Vancouver Ground Control. It was very interesting but it helped if you knew what you were listening to. To some people it sounds like a foreign language.
Getting from the airport to the hotel was only slightly a problem. We went to the taxi stand and had to try and secure a minivan for the approximate 14 mile trip. While standing in the taxi line we all see an man wearing a red beret and a red jacket. As we get closer we see that he is indeed dressed as a Guardian Angel. For those of you who have no idea who the Guardian Angels were, either because of your tender age or unfamiliarity with New York City, let me briefly explain. The organization was formed when New York City, especailly the subway system was experiencing a crime problem. They wore a red beret, not a raspberry one, and a white t-shirt with the Guardian Angels logo. They were a citizens patrol to help people feel safer. It was a volunteer organization. I'm sure wikipedia has much more information for you.
Anyway, here is this Guardian Angel in Vancouver of all places. As the man gets closer to us we see the name embriodered on his jacket, "Curtis." Then the lightbulb went off. This man was Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the organization. Who knows what he was doing in Canada. A secret weapon against crime? We said hi and shook his hand when we awkwardly told him that we knew who he was.
We took a white knuckle cab ride with a gentleman of the Asiatic Indian persuasion to the Hotel. We almost wrecked twice.
The"Renaissace Vancouver Hotel Harbourside." 1133 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC. After a bite and libation in the cafe we went up to our room on the Ninth floor. Room 933 has a spectatular view of the harbor. It was only slighly obstructed by another building and some construction cranes. From our windowed veranda we could see the mountains, the waterfront, the floatplane docks, and the cruise ship docks.

The ms Statendam was currently in port. A smaller Holland America ship compared to the ms Zuiderdam. During the day and evening we were treated to many takeoffs and landings from the floatplanes. Later in day the ms Statendam left port.
Later in the evening the remaining three of our group had arrived from Seattle. We all went out for some eats and then into the hotel hot tub for some of us and the swimming pool for the two young ones.
Then we retired to our rooms for the night. The beds, pillows and sheets were awesome. The matresses were soft on top and firm underneath. So comfortable.

Day 1

The madness has begun. Our parties have been split into two. Two thirds of us, five out of eight, have gone forward to Herndon, VA where we are staying together the night before our flight out from Dulles Airport to Vancouver, B.C. The other three will be flying out of BWI-Thurgood Marshall to Seattle, WA. Once there the Seattle folks will be travelling to Vancouver by rental car. For us in Herndon, this is perhaps the most mundane portion of our trip. The five of us are cramped into a room in a Comfort Inn. Don't tell the front desk because we only registered four guests. The little one has a sleeping bag on the floor. Ah, youth.

We have an 0830Hrs. flight out from Dulles. The airport shuttle from the hotel is set to take us out at 0530Hrs. It will be an early morning for all of us. Flight time is expected to be approximately six hours. Air travel sure has changed. United Airlines is allowing us
to bring our own food on board or we can purchase a meal from them. It seems as though the airline industry has decided to charge us for
anything and everything in order to make a profit. Can they charge you for Oxygen? "Breath shallow Ethel!" ,"No thanks, it's a short flight
I'll just breath my neighbors exhale."

For those Google Earth'ers that are playing along, here are my current coordinates:

38Deg. 58'00.00" N 77Deg. 22'08.52" W
399' Elevation

Next stop Vancouver!

ms Zuiderdam

Greetings. I found a decent photo of our cruise ship, so here it is:

We will be boarding at Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday, July 29. We depart at 5P.M.
I'll post more of our itenerary later.

For anyone who doesn't know, my whole immediate family and I are packing up and taking a seven day cruise to Alaska. I'm going to use this here thingy to try and keep everyone entertained and updated while we travel. I'll even try to post photos. Like the one above.
Sooo...between July 29, 2006 and August 5, 2006 we will travel from port in Vancouver to Tracy Arm and Juneau, then Skagway, then Glacier Bay, then Ketchikan, than back to Vancouver.

While I'm in Juneau I've arranged a helicopter flyout to a glacier. Then I get to walk around on the top.

In Skagway, my brother and I will be taking a Jeep Wrangler for a 5 Hour, 140 Mile trip through the Yukon. We will by traveling through areas with such colorful names as: Pitchfork Falls, Moore Bridge, Dead Horse Gulch, Bracket Wagon Trail, and Tormented Valley, as well as the headwaters of the Yukon River.

And while we are in Ketchikan, we are going to see the Misty Fjords by small boat and then by floatplane.

It should be a spectacular event. Look for more details as things progress.

What was I thinking?

Okay! Listen up! This is the first time I've experimented with posting my thoughts out in cyberspace. It may work. Then again... My inspriation to start this was my upcoming trip to Alaska. I'm going to try and keep this updated from the ship's satellite link during my stay. It should be interesting at the very least. I'll try and post regular photos and links to videos as I go. Keep a lookout for hopefully daily updates.
And to all my fellow crimefighters, stay safe.