Staying at the same hotel we enjoyed in 1995, the Captain Cook.
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We slightly overslept. Finally got it together with Glenn. D wanted a morning off so she stayed in the room.
Glenn & I went south on AK-1, the Seward Highway. We wandered along looking for wildlife. We found a pull-off place that looked likely and started looking. We saw a little white dot in the water (left) that appeared and disappeared. It came closer until we could see it was a Beluga Whale. Several more came along. Glenn managed to get a picture of two of them sounding.
We turned around and came back toward Anchorage. Where there should have been Dall sheep on the the cliffs there was nothing but rock and grass.
Back in town we picked up Dolores and went to the Native American Heritage Center. They have a bunch of exhibits including replicas of dwellings of each of the five major tribes. Athletic performances were going on, and a singer was doing native songs to drums. We made the rounds and learned things.
Finally we left, returned to town, and turned in the car to the Hertz office across the street from the Captain Cook.
We took a couple of personal hours then got back together for dinner. After walking to Club Paris (jammed to the rafters) and back, we ate in the Whale's Tail in the Captain Cook.
We did a bit of organizing for tomorrow morning. And now it's off to bed with a book to see how long i can remain awake.
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Up a little early to prepare the suitcases for pickup at 0800. Then we grabbed a breakfast sandwich in the Cubby.
We loafed in the room. I went to the Brown Jug across 5th Avenue to buy a couple bottles of wine. The person at the door carded me. Must be a city ordinance to card everyone.
We sat in the sun on a ledge outside until the bus came. We boarded and headed out driven by Bob. Bob gave a running monologue all the way to Portage, where we stopped at the Wildlife site. Bob dropped us at the far end of the pastures and we walked back past a black bear, Sitka black-tailed deer, elk, porcupine, muskox, and others. We visited the gift shop. Then we boarded again.
We went to our cabin D611 and started getting organized. Had to call Guest Services to have the bed reconfigured. Glenn called so we went exploring the ship. Got lost a few times because this ship is nothing like the Holland America ships to which we are accustomed. We had a drink in the Wheelhouse room (left).
Then to the room where we put stuff away and prepared laundry bags for submission.
Lifeboat drill came along. We found Gerry & Steph on the ladder, then Tom & Peggy, then Tom and Sandy, then Rich & Joyce. After the drill Beak and Marlene came along.
D & I went to watch the ship pull away, then went to the Lido for a snack. Ran into Tom & Gerry and we all agreed to get a night's rest and get going tomorrow.
Then back to the room to rest.