The Senior Scene

Alaska is still one of the most beautiful areas you can cruise – and so easy to do from our area.  Even with very little notice, you can usually find some space. That is what we did. On the spur of the moment, we managed to gather a small group and head out on Golden Princess for a beautiful, restful week.

We left Seattle on a Sunday afternoon, headed into the Inside Passage.  How nice to have an entire day at sea on Monday to learn our way around the ship. We were very lucky to be able to obtain cabins next to each other. It made it so easy o decide what we would do each day, and every afternoon we shared tea time.

The first stop was Ketchikan, the self-described “Salmon Capital of the World.” We rented a large van and took off to see what it was all about. Our journey took us past small creeks and rivers where the salmon annually return to spawn. We spotted eagles on the shore and in the trees waiting for their chance at dinner. Even a bear was out foraging. Totem Bight State Park has 14 intricately carved and painted totem poles offering insight into the Tlingit and Haida Indian cultures.

One of the wonderful things about an Alaska cruise is the lighter, longer days. We were up very early on Wednesday morning and hanging out over the balconies as we entered Tracy Arm Fjord.  You could almost touch the shoreline and feel the spray from the many waterfalls as we glided through this truly magnificent scenery. Glacial ice floes drifted past, and we learned the true beauty of “ice blue.”  Wrapped in blankets off our beds, we spent a great deal of time just watching and finally ended up staring straight into a glacier. It truly makes you see the wonders of this world we live in.

Leaving Tracy Arm Fjord, we headed for Juneau, the capitol of Alaska. Sarah Palin wasn’t out to greet us, but we did take a tour that went past the capitol building and then out to the spectacular Mendenhall Glacier. Such a site, but a disappointment as well when you think of global warming and how these massive structures have moved back so far in recent years.

The highlight of our touring, however, was The Red Dog Saloon. Here is Alaska as you always picture it during the gold rush days. The rowdy bar room crowd sings along with a piano player and enjoys good food and fun. They even sang “Happy Birthday” to Audrey Stacy, one of our own, who was celebrating her 98th on this cruise.

It was then off though the waters of the Upper Lynn Canal to Skagway, which gives off the feel of those in the area with the fever for gold. The buildings have remained with that look. The year-round population is 965, but that swells to more than double during the summer cruise season.  It was a bit of a rainy day, but we headed to visit the Red Onion Saloon, which was Skagway’s most exclusive bordello in the day and now is a National Historic Building. The ladies are dressed in costume, and you can take a tour.

The next couple of days were spent at sea as we headed back south toward Victoria and eventually our return to Seattle. There was still plenty to do on board with Movies at Sea, a full casino, shops and even restaurants we had not had time to enjoy. Cruising is a wonderful vacation with everything taken care of. We will continue to do it.

Plans are already being made for a cruise sometime in the winter. Keep a watch here for further information or call me at 253-927-8207. Have your name added to the e-mail list at linda.finch@gmail.com. There still might be time for you to join the Leavenworth theater group this month or get on the list for Cuba in December. New adventures are added all the time.

There were a couple of hitches in our adventure to Harrison Hot Springs, but a bridge collapse and detours didn’t stop our group from heading north on a beautiful spring day. Actually, the detour through Conway and the agricultural portion of LaConner was not only easy but much more attractive than taking I-5.  It allowed us to stop at the Skagit Casino for lunch and continue up to Blaine for a duty-free stop and into Cloverdale for a pharmacy stop. Miles into Canada, we made that turn into Agassiz and on to Harrison, where we were suddenly at lakeside surrounded by mountains still topped with snow.

Harrison Hot Springs Resort was built in 1925 after the original hotel (1886) burned in 1920. It was the first resort-style property in southern British Columbia. During the 1940s, it was a sanitarium for women who had participated in the European war effort. After the war, it was returned to its original function and has been serving guest in its rooms, pools and Copper Room ever since. 

The hot spring itself turns out water at 165 degrees and is then funneled into holding chambers and portioned out to each of the pools on the property. We tried them all and came home refreshed and ready to try something else in the near future.

Leavenworth is our next overnight adventure with two nights hotel and three plays (“Sound of Music,” “Flashdance” and “Grease”). We will be gone Aug. 15-17 for a cost of $420. Space is still available at the time of this writing.

A day trip to MOHI (Museum of History and Industry) is planned for November.  What better thing to do in winter? Unless you want to find the sun, and then take a cruise out of San Francisco to Hawaii and back. This 15-day cruise, departing in November, stops at all the islands and lets you explore. You might just decide to go back to Maui with us in the spring for a couple of weeks.

For reservations and further information, call me at 253-927-8207 or e-mail me at linda.finch@gmail.com.

 

We went to Kauai for two weeks and brought the sunshine back with us.
It was amazing while we were there. We rented three houses, which turned out to be quite modern (two of them sold while we were there for a combined total of $1.5 million) and spacious. Our days were spent in and out of the pool, cooking in the large kitchen, and exploring the island with its mountains, valleys and beaches.
The promise of the Smith Family Luau later in our trip had us stopping at all the thrift stores in search of muumuus for everyone. Cooking for a large group meant many visits to local groceries and farmer’s markets. Curiosity took us down dead-end roads, up mountain highways and onto “forbidden “ beaches. We even went to Barking Sands, the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility, for their beach and a nice lunch.
The time was not without interesting turns of events. There was a six-hour delay for mechanical trouble before leaving Seattle, but Hawaiian Airlines was very accommodating with luncheon vouchers and flight credits. We met a wonderful young gentleman while waiting who said he had a 96-year-old mother who would love to have us all for dinner. We took him up on it and spent an evening at their home on Baby Beach. Not everyone would invite 14 strangers for dinner. It is the aloha spirit.
Some of us took a helicopter ride over the island to really see it all. We did a boat ride on the Wailua River up to the Fern Grotto, where we were rewarded with the Hawaiian Wedding Song and then back to the luau grounds for food and entertainment with the Smith family. At the end of our adventures, we did a
“tubing” float trip down the sugar cane canals. All in all, there were many adventures to talk about when we got home, and we are already making plans for Maui next year. Be sure to let us know if you want to be included in that planning.
June takes us to Harrison Hot Springs, which will be next month’s column. There is also a small group traveling to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills.
In July, we are staying around home but still will be on the move to the Aviation Musuem, Diablo Dam and a mystery trip.
August brings Leavenworth for a two-night stay to see “Sound of Music,” “Joseph” and “Footloose.” You must sign up early for that trip to make sure that there are enough theater tickets.
September has an Alaska cruise, as well as an exciting trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
And don’t forget Cuba in December. Reservations are filling fast.
For reservations and further information, call me at 253-927-8207 or e-mail to linda.finch@gmail.com.

Spring finally caught up with us and now it really is time to start getting out and doing things.
April took us to the Tulips in LaConner. What a quaint little town with neat shops, good restaurants and beautiful tulip fields.
The Dinner Date meant a trip into Seattle for Thai food at Wild Ginger. The Mystery Trip meandered into the countryside to daffodil fields, Flaming Geyser State Park, Black Diamond Bakery for lunch and then on to Enumclaw and the Pie Goddess for dessert.
At the time of this writing, we are packing for two weeks on the beautiful island of Kauai. Remember “South Pacific,” “Jurassic Park” and even Elvis in “Blue Hawaii”? These were all filmed on Kauai. Watch for next month’s column for more about this trip.
In the meantime, think ahead to Harrison Hot Spring and Banff, S. D. and Mt. Rushmore and even Alaska. More exotic places like Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and, of course, we are still adding people to the Cuba trip. We are even working on a cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii and back . There comes a time in our lives when we have to just decide that there are things we want to do while we still can. Maybe it is that time in your life. So why not just join us on one of these fun trips? Need a roommate? We will help you find one.
For further information, call me at 253-927-8207 or get on the e-mail list at linda.finch@gmail.com