Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Juneau Minipost

In a net cafe in Juneau, though I plan to buy a package for the laptop on-board ($55 for 100 minutes PLUS use of the wireless net card for the duration of the journey, still expensive but a far cry from the 4$ a minute I expected). Much to say but not to bother about now, mostly about the cruise itself, as I've been "blogging" by word processor during the journey and plan to post tomorrow morning when I finally get things set up there. We're docked for another hour or two, and I don't want to waste the time indoors, but since the cafe offers a great deal for me -- $5 buys a full hour to be used here OR in Skagway or Ketchican, the other two port-stops we make on the cruise, I thought it might be nice to save the big bucks for later and serve my adoring public by hitting a few of today's high points.

And high points there were. Spent this afternoon seeing glaciers by helicopter, a private hire for the entire family (Mom, Dad, sis, bro, wife and child). The helicopter ride was stellar, the view incredible and indescribable. Lots of video and pix will surely follow.

Better still, we landed on two of the glaciers; I can now report that glaciers are a deep blue, often gritty and dirty up close, and full of crevices that drop down forever and could swallow us all whole with nary a thought. Imagine some future alien culture half a million years from now digging us up? Weirdness.

Willow ate some ice off the glacier, lthough I couldn't bring myself to do the same. But the rocks in my pocket are still cold from the surrounding ice where I dug 'em out, and -- get this -- have never been touched by another human hand. Ever. Coolness, literally.

Fish for supper -- fresh Halibut Oscar, with local crab and store-bought artichokes -- at a restaurant a bit scummy-looking but ultimately full of locals with ties out for a fine night out, which is always the best sign of real food in a toursit town. Now the 'rents and the baby have gone back to the boat with Darcie, and the three siblings wander the streets alone. This town is just 60k people, a tenth the total population of this country the sixe of the entire Louisiana Purchase.

More later, already written, about whales, Filipinos, seasickness, cruise ships, etc. Until then, stay warm -- it's about 50 outside and getting colder, and the snow's been falling in the glacier fields above our heads already this summer, so think of me if it's hot where you are, and expect a full retro-blog -- about three days worth -- tomorrow. 'ta...