My difficult, but noteworthy (due to the discover of Berry Blast 5 hour energy shots), ride up to Bellingham ended with a car deserted in the ferry terminal parking lot, keys left in the gas tank door. I pushed my over-packed self and my heavy laden bicycle up the iron grated ramp as fast as I could. I was moving slightly faster than a monk in meditation. A boat full of carefree travelers smiled down upon me from the upper deck and I arrived minutes later alongside them, only to see all of the sleeping spots had been commandeered. This was probably due to the 48 Mennanites from Virginia, high school students traveling across the country on a big red bus.
It was time to switch into Super Traveler! First, I threw my pile down, sat atop it, and took break. Then, I began to do the rounds; making friends, sharing stories, and smiling... a lot. Within the hour, I had a bed and a new friend named Bryan. He got a bed too.
The rest of the ferry trip went as expected. I saw many whales: humpbacks and orcas. There were beautiful views and lots of people to teach about the Inside Passage ecosystem. I stepped off the ship Columbia and back onto land in Juneau at 4:45 yesterday morning and then re-boarded a new ferry a few hours later. Despite the climate it navigates, this ferry is called The Fairweather and it is the newest of all the Alaskan state ferries. The coffeeshop looks like a set bar for The Starship Enterprise.
One of the engineers offered to take me on a tour of the deck and though I wasn't sure what that meant, I said, "Yes please!" I followed him past the "crew only" doors up and up until we had the best seat in the house. Upon entering the sacred control room, the captain turned to me and said, "Welcome to The Starship Enterprise." I felt like a 4 year old in playland. It was sooo cool!!
By the time I left the bridge, I had an offer to captain one of the engineer's boats from Sitka on a 3 day king salmon run in a few week's time. Another of the engineers designated himself my new photography student and I saw two more whales.
Finally, I made it to Sitka and to the hostel. I am now in the process of working up a life. Will I be working at the bear center, the hostel, bike and hike guiding, or selling photographs? Maybe on this foreign planet called Sitka, I will find a way to do it all.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Disney World
I returned from a week in Disney World with Tanya, my personal cast member guide, a couple days ago. The trip was awesome! If you know me well, that should come as a surprise. It did for me.
It was a trip of many things for me. You could call it a trial run for my new telephoto lens or an extended farewell to Tanya who I won't see for many months. It was a chance for me to try and see Disney from her perspective, one full of wonderful memories, fun, and yes, magic. It was a much needed break from my house that I have been ready to move out of for a long time now and the overcast skies of Portland. In the end, it was wonderful. Disney surpassed all my expectations.
Predictably, my photos are mostly of wildlife despite spending six full days in Disney parks. We went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Typhoon Lagoon. There are so many stories to tell, but for now, I will only be posting the photos.
By the way, I leave for Sitka, Alaska by ferry in five days. More posts will be coming soon.
Disney World
Animal Kingdom, wildlife safari. The truck we rode in looked eerily similar to the overlander I safaried from within back in 1998 for real. The tour guide pretended to be in the Kilimanjaro vicinity. They called it the Harambe Wildlife Preserve and the shtick included chasing poachers, saving a baby elephant, and learning some Swahili. It was very weird and very accurate. The shops, the architecture, and the food in the whole East Africa section of Animal Kingdom were totally accurate to the real world. After being in Kenya and Tanzania, experiencing the same setting (sights, sounds, and smells), but now full of white people was a bewildering experience.
Tanya has spent the last couple of months working The Muppets 3D movie and this is part of the sculpture that stands out front. It's a great fountain! Ms. Piggy, unfortunately, demanded all of my telephoto but around her are many other silly Muppet characters. 
Doesn't he look amazing?We stayed at the Disney All Star Resort, Jazz. The house-keepers leave animal shaped towel sculptures in your window each day. We got baby bunnies...I think ;-)
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