After my last update in Anchorage, we went out to dinner and then hung out in Chilkoot Charlie's bar. The motto is "We cheat the other guy and pass the savings on to you." It was a tremendous bar and I think most of the twenty-something Alaskans were there.
The next day we drove a lot. The day after we also drove quite a bit and went back into Canada. We split up in Haines Junction and all did our own thing in the Kluane National Park for the day. That night was our final night of camping.
The next day we drove back into Alaska. We got on to the ferry in Skagway. The M/V Columbia was our home for the next four nights as we cruised down the Inside Passage along the Alaska Marine Highway. The boat made stops in Sitka and Ketchikan for us to do a little sightseeing.
The boat ride was an excellent way to end the trip. It was the recovery vacation that everybody always needs after a hard three weeks of camping. We napped during the day, played cards, read books, hung out in the bar, and generally relaxed for three days. We slept on deck chairs on the deck and ran to the side of the boat whenever the captain announced the presence of orka whales.
On Friday, we went to the Boeing airplane factory and then went to Seattle for the day. We had a nice dinner near Pioneer Square and thus ended a great trip.
I forgot to mention one of the highlights of the trip. At Moose Meadows, in Canada, the mosquitoes were very bad. When I got into the van to go to bed, there were several hundred mosquitoes waiting for me. I rolled up a company brochure and spent about one hour killing the bugs. There were little bug bodies smashed all over the windows, floor, ceiling, seats, and every other surface in the van. I finally got too tired and went to sleep. In the morning I finished slapping mosquitoes and made sure the doors were never left open the next day.
After the Klondike trip, I had eight days before my next trip, by far the longest turnaround between trips I have ever had. I worked for three days and goofed off for the rest of the week. One day a bunch of us went to Mt. Ranier and did a long hike. I was sore for days.
Mostly I have been hanging out with other tour leaders. My friends have been coming and going all week and last night there were ten tour leaders hanging out at the hotel. I felt like I was back in college this week. I slept late and hung out with friends all evening. It has been a good week.
Tonight I meet my thirteen new passengers and tomorrow we start our three week trip to New York through Canada. Right now, the plan is to spend four days in New York and then do a three week trip to Los Angeles along the southern U.S.
I should finish working on the 20th of September and fly to India on the 14th of October, after a brief visit with my mother and with my father.
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