Juneau was the first stop on our Alaskan cruise a couple of years ago. We pulled into port shortly after lunchtime. Lunch, by the way, was really just a snack, but it was incredible! The Pearl (our cruise ship) had a wonderful sushi bar simply called Sushi. We were afraid if we didn’t try it that day, we wouldn’t have time to eat there at all. We ordered a quick roll while waiting to port.
Pulling into Juneau, which is the capital of Alaska, we really got our first impression of what Alaska looked like. There were lots of mountains and you could see snow on some of them. You could see little houses nestled into the hillsides amongst the firs and evergreens. It was so different looking from Missouri, but looked very cozy! Apparently, Juneau is a rather unusual town because there are NO ROADS that connect it to the rest of Alaska or to the rest of North America because of the rugged terrain. Imagine if the only way to leave your town was by boat or plane…
Our first excursion was to the Mendenhall Glacier. It’s located on Mendenhall Lake and is 13.9 miles long. The glacier was rather impressive once you hiked up close enough to realize how much ice it’s made of. That is A LOT of ice! It was sad to watch the time-lapse video in their visitor center that shows how quickly the glacier is retreating and shrinking due to global warming.
The Mendenhall Glacier is located in the Tongass National Forest. There are several trails in the area, but a number of them were closed due to recent bear sightings. While we DID NOT see any bears, we walked around the Steep Creek trail area. Part of the trail was closed, but some of it was still open. It was pretty cool to see the salmon spawning as we walked over one of the bridges on the trail.
After exploring here, we headed back over to catch our next excursion which was a trip whale watching. In Auke Bay, we boarded an Allen Marine catamaran which had a enclosed cabin that had a snack bar, and an observation deck upstairs. They provided us with binoculars, a route map, and our captain was our tour guide. He guaranteed us a $100 refund if we did not see any whale, and boy, did he deliver! (On whales–no one got the $100.)
We saw numerous different humpbacks throughout the tour, and one even breached but I wasn’t quick enough to capture a pic. If you ever get the chance to go whale watching, do it! It is quite breathtaking to see these creatures in their habitat.
In addition to seeing the whales, the scenery was incredible and the atmosphere was comfy and fun, not to mention the company. We definitely had a memorable day!
Cruising
What do I think of cruising? I know a number of people who think that a cruise is the only way to go. And it is. For some destinations. Do you want to experience a vacation with multiple stops like Alaska or the Mediterranean? Then a cruise is the way to go. We took an Alaskan cruise
But a cruise is not the best way to go for me. As a matter of fact, a cruise makes me feel slightly short-changed; gypped.
First, let’s talk cost. For years I’ve heard people talk about how cheap cruises are, however, I disagree. I think they are way overpriced. Maybe I just expect too much. But yes, I would like a room with a window or a balcony so I can see the ocean we’re floating on. That just upped the price. And yes, I would like to be able to eat at different restaurants instead of the buffet for every single meal. There went the price again. Would I like to take any excursions while ported?
Of course! And there goes the price some more. Ok, so to save some money, I’m going to pass on the drink plan that covers drinks, costs additional, and is required to be purchased for everyone in your stateroom whether they drink or not. Besides, I don’t need to over-imbibe every day. Wrong! (Not the over-imbibing part.) Do you have any idea what a beer costs on a cruise ship? $14! That’s higher than ballpark prices. And a Bailey’s with decaf while cruising through Glacier Bay set me back $28! That was an expensive morning without even leaving the ship. I didn’t do the math during the trip because I was afraid it would bring me to tears. Update: I have now done the math. If you ever intend to drink more than three cocktails in a day, you’d better buy the liquor plan. By day 4, I already knew we could have vacayed for 2 1/2 extra weeks in the Caribbean or had a really nice Sandals Resorts trip based on what we had already spent just on beer and cocktails!
Second, let’s talk claustrophobia. I don’t necessarily mean in the sense that the ship felt small. I can actually feel claustrophobic on a small island. The ship was huge, it even had a pool and rock wall on the top level. 
I mean claustrophobia in the sense of knowing that you are limited by boundaries. Knowing that you’ve already walked the entire ship 10 times in a day and you will NOT see anything different until the next port. There are only so many times I want to sit at the Ice Bar, watch another show in the theater, or donate more money in the casino in a day. And I don’t want to go watch TV in my room. I can do that at home.
Finally, while I think a cruise is a good way to see multiple places in a short period of time, if you’re on the cruise because there’s one place on the itinerary you really want to visit, be prepared to only spend a few hours there. The hours you are ported at a location really only give you enough time to take an excursion (maybe two if you’re there longer). If you are really hoping to immerse yourself in a particular place, you should really just take the entire trip there.
Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to travel in comfort from port to port, even while sleeping, eating, or getting a massage in the spa. So maybe that was worth some of the cost. And I’m sure it was the best way to see the glaciers calving in Glacier Bay. 
Aside from that, I’m just as happy hopping a plane to my location, getting there quickly, spending as much time as I want sight-seeing and experiencing the culture and even having money left over to go do it again somewhere else later. Bon Voyage!
Seattle, WA / Great Eats / Good Drinks
This is my own review of restaurants we stopped in at while visiting Seattle. I’ve listed them in order from favorite at the top–but I can’t even say down to least favorite. There really was no “least favorite”–everything was incredible! The opinions expressed here are in no way based on any iota of scientific data, they are purely my own opinions. They may also be slightly foggy depending on how many adult beverages I had had prior to each stop.
Casual Dining
Fisherman’s Restaurant: http://www.thefishermansrestaurant.com/index
- we went here for lunch
- incredible Clam Chowder and Prawn Cocktail
- amazing atmosphere under the Great Wheel
El Borracho: http://www.elborrachoseattle.com/
- Mexican taqueria we went to for lunch
- UNBELIEVEABLE Nachos–they were a work of art
Palace Kitchen: https://www.palacekitchen.com/
- we went here twice with the intentions of eating, but never actually ate
- I discovered Montucky Cold Snacks here thanks to our server
- this opinion is based mostly on the fact that they put baskets of pistachios on the table instead of peanuts and that our server gave us a huge bag to take with us
Fine Dining
Aqua by El Gaucho: http://elgaucho.com/dine/aqua/
- we went here for dinner
- beautiful atmosphere out on the deck overlooking the waterfront
- another photo worthy meal and my absolute favorite
- Sea Scallops AND dessert of traditional Crème Brulee
Cutter’s Crabhouse: http://www.cutterscrabhouse.com/
- we went here for Linner (late lunch/early dinner)
- had a seafood laden salad that was awesome
- can’t wait to go back here again and REALLY throw down
Margaux: https://www.margauxseattle.com/
- this was the restaurant at our hotel, The Warwick
- we actually ate breakfast and dinner here and checked out Happy Hour
- I had a delish Northwest Salmon dish that just makes me think Seattle
The Brooklyn: http://www.thebrooklyn.com/
- we stopped in for Happy Hour
- $2 Oysters! Fresh, caught out of the ocean just a few blocks away
- would have liked to stay for dinner
Drinks
Suite 410: http://suite410bar.com/
- stopped in for a cocktail
- the décor was very classy
TapHouse Grill: http://taphousegrill.com/
- wasn’t really interested in their grill menu
- FINALLY found a Bud Light here
Margaux Lounge: https://www.margauxseattle.com/
- they had a delish lounge/tapas menu
- 3 tapas for the price of 2 during Happy Hour
Assaggio Ristorante: https://www.assaggioseattle.com/
- stopped in here late evening to check out their menu and have a Bailey’s and decaf
- met our friend Angie (the bartender here) and another lady who accompanied us back over to the Palace Kitchen to close out the night
If you check out any places on this list, send me pics and your opinions. I’m also taking suggestions for our next trip.
Solar Eclipse 2017
It has been 38 years since the US last saw a total solar eclipse and almost 100 years since an eclipse has crossed the entire continent. My town of Columbia, MO was one of the lucky handful of cities that lie in the “umbra” or path of the eclipse, which is also being called the Great American Eclipse. I don’t really remember the last solar eclipse, but Monday I got to experience this solar eclipse. AMAZING, was the exact first word that came out of my mouth during today’s.
Our office closed for 3 hours in order for us to observe and participate in eclipse activities. We walked around FoodStock for a little while, but it was a rather hot and humid day and it wasn’t long before we headed back to a shady spot close to the office.
I set up my pinhole projector, which actually ended up having 2 pinholes (OOPS! 2 eclipses projected!) I know it doesn’t look so pretty, but it did it’s job! It was like watching the eclipse on TV but with a much smaller image.
As we got closer to totality, the atmosphere began to change. The air got cooler, and it gradually began to get darker, dusk-like outside.
There was one point when the crickets, locusts, and cicadas began chirping quite loudly as if night were coming, then all at the same moment, they fell silent. We should have been able to see a 360 degree sunset, but it was really more of 180 degrees for us due to the slight cloud cover. The sunset to the west was very pretty. It was kind of weird when all the dusk-to-dawn street lights began lighting up–this was early afternoon.
At totality, it was safe to remove our eclipse glasses and look around. It was almost as dark as night and rather eerie since it was the middle of the day. I didn’t really get a good pic of totality because I was completely overwhelmed and awed at observing the moment. Talk about an awesome phenomenon to get to experience in my lifetime! This was a most humbling event to experience.
If you ever get the chance to check out a solar eclipse, do it. Now I’m eager to find another Eclipse coming to a place near me (my husband will love to hear that). I would really like to catch another eclipse again!
Seattle, WA–Day 3
If you’re exhausted about reading my posts about Seattle, then you almost know how we felt by Day 3! After walking around the city and putting so many miles on our feet, we decided to have a mellow day on our last day there.
We hung out at the Warwick during the morning, having breakfast in their restaurant, Margaux. After wandering one last time around Pike Place Market, where we mostly people watched, we had a great lunch at El Borracho.
We ended up back at the hotel for the rest of the afternoon, hanging out in our room and napping. Have I mentioned how much my feet hurt by then?
We did venture back out later, walking down to Pier 70 to have dinner at Aqua, by El Gaucho. Because the weather had been so beautiful, we decided to dine on their expansive outdoor deck. Talk about another incredible meal!
Since my favorite seafood is sea scallops, I had the sea scallops in lemon beurre blanc over risotto. UNBELIEVABLE! Then, since I LOVE crème brulee–I mean the classic kind, not any novel flavor–I also had the crème brulee for dessert.
Lucky for me we still had a trek back to our hotel since I was completely stuffed after this dinner and needed the exercise. Walking back to the Warwick, we could see the Space Needle.
A perfectly beautiful ending to a perfectly beautiful trip. I can’t wait to visit Seattle again!
Are You Going to the Eclipse Frenzy–2017?
Even though I won’t have to travel anywhere to see the Eclipse, I won’t get to act like a tourist in my town here in Missouri either. Since we are right in the middle of the path of totality, there are pre-eclipse parties the day before–selling out like crazy. There’s the Foodstock Solar Eclipse Festival at Corporate Lake which will celebrate the Eclipse with live music, food trucks, beer tents, crafts, games, kids activities, and fireworks. There are even Solar Eclipse Chaser Groups formed, prepared, and ready to go.
I get it, this is going to be it for the next 40 years. The last Eclipse was in 1979. This Eclipse is kind of a big deal and should be something really cool to experience. If I had my way I’d be doing it all–the pre-party, the festival, maybe chasing it down, maybe not. There’s a good chance I won’t be around for the next one, so I wouldn’t want to miss out on a thing. It sounds like an astronomical event that I would love to celebrate.
But, alas, the closest I’ll come is from the office of my day job. Our office is located right next to where the Foodstock Festival will be. I believe, if I actually make it through the traffic and to the office, I will be able to see Foodstock from our building no matter which set of windows I look out of. We are going to be allowed to take a long lunch in order to head over to Foodstock to experience the few minutes of Totality and grab some lunch, and I have already assembled my pinhole projector. But, to truly celebrate–check out the bands playing or take a hot air balloon ride? Naw, I’ll be watching from my window. Drop me a line and let me know if you are working or off for the Eclipse.
Think of me when you click or hear the song below:
Bonnie Tyler–Total Eclipse of the Heart
Eclipse Frenzy–2017
I guess I’m one of the lucky few who will not need to travel ANYWHERE to see the Eclipse. Apparently, I live right in The Path of Totality (sounds ominous, right?). Since I live right smack in the middle of Missouri (we call it Mid-Mo) right smack in the middle of the US and we’ll have something like 2 1/2 minutes in the shadow, it seems ALL of the general public is expected to travel to us. Really?
“They” say we are to expect 400,000 people to descend on our big, little city of 120,000. “They” say we are to expect congested roads and traffic delays for the weekend proceeding and the hours following. I’ve even heard some of “them” say, “I have a friend who is renting out rooms in his home (at $500/room) for the eclipse.” “They” are even warning us to gas the cars up and get groceries prior to the weekend. It drives me nuts when I don’t have a clue who “they” are.
Of course, since Missouri is the Show-Me State, I turned to the tools I am familiar with so I could see for myself what the expectation should be. A quick check of Expedia
So, it looks like “they” are right. A huge amount of people are coming to our town. I’ll be prepared though! I’ll have the car gassed up, and groceries bought. I already have my Solar Eclipse Glasses – CE and ISO Certified Safe and a back up pair.
Now I just have to decide–TO LOOK OR NOT TO LOOK? Drop me a comment and let me know if you will be looking at the Eclipse where you are.
Seattle, WA–Day 2
Up early and back at ’em! We still had so much left to see and do in Seattle, WA. We started the morning off by cutting through Pike Place and grabbing a watermelon juice from The Juice Emporium. If you’ve not tried it, watermelon juice is pure goodness–nothing but the juice of a watermelon. There is no added sugar, flavoring, etc.
We got down to the waterfront and headed over to the Seattle Aquarium which was included on our CityPASS. I guess I expected more from the aquarium since Seattle is located right on the ocean. It felt geared towards young children, but the otters were pretty cute to see!
From there we ventured over to the Argosy Harbor Tour which was also included on our CityPASS. This was a nice one-hour tour of Seattle from Elliot Bay and Seattle Harbor, not to mention a great opportunity to sit down and take a break. Cocktails and snacks were available for purchase.
We then headed towards Pioneer Square, where there was an underground tour I had heard of and was eager to check out. We had our choice between Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour and Underground Paranormal Experience. We went with the Underground Tour because the Paranormal Experience wouldn’t start until after dark. What a fascinating story! Before the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the streets of this part of town actually used to be a full story lower than they are now so there’s a whole underground part of Seattle down below. You can read about in Seattle Underground
Seattle Underground: In which the Truth, the whole Truth, and a lot More than the truth is told about the Forgotton City which Lies Beneath Seattle’s Modern Streets.
It was getting late in the day and we knew that the walk back was probably going to seem even longer, so we decided to make stops along the way. We stopped in at the Klondike Gold Rush Museum which was quite interactive and more detailed than what we ever learned in history class.
We bought truffles from Fran’s Chocolate (which we learned was a favorite stop of Michelle Obama’s). We had some killer oysters at The Brooklyn Seafood, then stopped in at Suite 410 for a cocktail.
Next, we checked out the Tap House Grill where I was finally able to find a Bud Light beer and then on to The Palace Kitchen for dinner. (You know how Texas Roadhouse brings peanuts to each table? The Palace brings out pistachios!)
After dinner, I did try a Montucky cold snack which was pretty good. We wrapped up the evening by walking around the block, stopping in at Assiaggio Ristorante, and making new friends who walked the rest of the way around the block with us back to The Palace Kitchen.
Luckily, we were only a block away from our hotel by then. Our wonderful waitress bid us goodnight by sending us back to our hotel with a HUGE bag of pistachios!
Seattle, WA–Day 1
Seattle, Washington. We’ve all heard how much it rains there, who in their right mind would want to visit there? Returning from an Alaskan cruise a couple of years ago, we decided to stay in Seattle for a few extra days, because we knew it would never likely make it ON the travel wish list and we figured we might as well check it out while we were there. I LOVED IT, and now I can’t wait to go back! If you ever get close to or have the chance to pass through Seattle, or just want a neat place to go, plan on spending a few days there.
We stayed in the Warwick Hotel, which is just blocks away from Pike Place Market. Since we had just disembarked from a cruise and it was early morning, they did not have a room ready for us. So, I picked up a Seattle CityPASS using my smartphone
Oddly enough, we were there during a “drought” and it didn’t rain while we were there which meant we walked ALL OVER the place. The Seattle CityPASS allowed us to visit 5 of 7 Seattle attractions, and allowed us 9 days in which to use it. We were only going to be there 3 days, so we made the most of our time. We could use the pass to visit the Space Needle twice (a must!) during day and night, the Seattle Aquarium, take an Argosy Harbor Tour, check out the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) or the Woodland Park Zoo, and visit Chihuly Garden or the Pacific Science Center for $79/person. This was a bargain for all we got to do.
The first thing we did was go up in the Space Needle. You cannot visit Seattle without checking out the Space Needle. You ride an elevator up 605 feet to the observation deck, which allows you incredible 360 degree views of Seattle. It’s pretty breathtaking up there. There was also a restaurant you could eat in once at the top.
After that we ventured over to the Pacific Science Center that was very educational yet fun. The added benefit is a most beautiful butterfly exhibit that was worth every minute we spent there.
From there, we headed back to check into our hotel. The Warwick Hotel was located right in the heart of most Seattle attractions and we had a most comfortable, awesome room with a small balcony that looked out into downtown.
Once we were settled in, we ventured back out–this time headed to Pike Place Market, which is a huge, Farmers/Crafts/Specialty Foods Market. I LOVED Pike Place. You could walk/shop/people watch for hours and there was a lot to take in.
We stopped at Pike Place Fish Co. OMG, I couldn’t believe the varieties of seafood they were selling and the quirkiness of their presentation. The guys would also sing a song every time they made a sale, which was non-stop.
We bought some Salmon Candy
Once we got down to the waterfront below Pike Place, we made our way over to Pier 57. We had a tasty late lunch at a place called The Fisherman’s Restaurant–incredible clam chowder–and then made our way to ride the Great Wheel.
We wrapped up our day by grabbing some dinner at a place called Cutter’s Crabhouse. I had the most wonderful Cutter’s Signature Louie Salad and have vowed I will return to this restaurant someday for dinner again! The rest of the dinner menu looked awesome!
Since I just realized how long this post has gotten, Seattle will be continued. For more Fun And Interesting Things To Do In Seattle Washington, click here
Coral Reef Seafood
This is just a brief public service announcement, my own opinion really. The past weekend was one of the hottest on recent record. We didn’t really have any plans, except to stay cool, so we headed to the Lake of the Ozarks for the weekend. What could be cooler than staying in the water most of the weekend? Since “The Lake” is only an hour drive from home, we don’t really consider it a trip. But, it is just far enough that with different activities, shopping, and scenery they have down there, it is like a mini-vacay.
The weekend’s best discovery goes to Coral Reef Seafood. If you like seafood, fresh seafood, that can remind you of being on vacation and you know how to cook it, this is a place you have to find. I’ve known they were at the Lake for years, but when they moved to their current location, I lost track of them. Sunday, before we headed back home, I found them. They are located at 5370 Osage Beach Parkway at the Case Rd exit.
I went through that entire store, TWICE! Their prices were pretty reasonable for seafood, and I ended up picking up some Crab and Shrimp stuffed Orange Roughy to take home for dinner that night. It was easy enough to bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees and needed nothing added to it to make it scrumptious!
I also picked up a pound of large, raw shrimp which looks like it will be for dinner tonight. Steamed until they turn pink, they should go well with a nice, big salad, which is all I have appetite for in this heat!
My last favorite find was that they carry some of Jamaica’s Island Spice –specifically the Fish Spice. Now, the next time our friend Paul comes to visit from Jamaica, I will have the Island Spice Fish Seasoninghe uses in many of his recipes.
At any rate, I urge you, if you like to cook fresh seafood and you are anywhere in the Lake area, you MUST stop at Coral Reef Seafood. I’m already making my list for the next time we go back.