Finally Going

I think it's been 10 years ago that the Boss and I first decided to spend some vacation time in Alaska. We had a cruise planned, but not booked, when my father got very sick. In a 3 month period I spent at least half of it away from home to be near Dad and other family members. Being a salaried employee I was paid for that time. It didn't seem right to then take a paid vacation, so the Alaska trip was cancelled.

About 3 years ago the Boss had another Alaska trip planned that would not be a cruise, but strictly on land. It was all the way to telling the travel agent to book it, but the Boss decided to wait until I got home and have a final discussion with me. If it was good for both of us, the trip would be booked the next day. I lost my job the day the trip was finalized but not booked, so we scrapped that trip also.

A year ago last spring we were starting to plan for Alaska once again. I learned that I had to attend a 2 day business meeting in Germany, so we spent some vacation time in Germany and Poland instead of Alaska.

Late tomorrow morning the Boss and I will board a plane heading for Dallas, then Seattle and finally Anchorage, Alaska. We'll spend a few days seeing the sights and traveling across land through Denali, Fairbanks and then back to Seward. In Seward we'll board a ship for a 6 day cruise through the Inside Passage to Vancouver, where we'll fly home.

As with the cruise we took 1-1/2 years ago, and the trip to Germany, I'm going to feel a little naked. I won't be carrying for a few reasons. The first is that cruise lines frown on firearms, and then there's the airports in Vancouver and Chicago coming home.

In Vancouver we're getting off a ship from the US and flying to Chicago. I wonder if we'll be escorted past the customs gates, or if we'll have to go through from US to Canada and then back to the US?

So after tonight you won't be hearing from me until the first of September. We're not taking a laptop. We need some 'two of us' time. We'll have our cell phones, but a lot of the time there won't be any service and I doubt they'll be turned on until we're heading back home. Anything going on around here can wait. We're getting away. We're out-a-here.

PS: I might manage to post a few pictures when we get back.