The Front Porch Swing

[perchie.girl]

Wow what an ordeal Blooie..... You did get to see those areas you had read about right? Was it a steam engine?

Thats amazing that they held the ship.... did you have to keep ship time or did it not matter....

I cant wait for the pix....

deb

 

[Blooie]

The train going around a curve with its one puny little engine....we were in one of the last cars so I was able to take pictures of the front half as it went around curves.

Not exactly where you want to have engine trouble on a downgrade!


We backed up and went forward again over this border so many times!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Nice tie-in to my story, Blooie! and that is why rhubarb is so popular in the northern Wisconsin area, after the long hard winter, everyone needed that bust of Vitamin C. Rose hip tea is also somewhat popular, my mom drank it all the time. Rose hips have alot of vitamin C also.

It sounds like an interesting side trip, it is always neat to be able to tie stories you have read to real places. Kinda fact checking the author.

 

[wyoDreamer]

My dad wears Welligton boots. He cleaned and oiled them up before going on his Alaskan vacation. All the cruise people who went ashore at one of the ports were meeting at a restaurant that was down a 1/2 flight of stairs from the walkway. Their friends said they knew it was my Mom and Dad before they even opened the door and walked in. They recognized my Dads boots as they walked by the window.

 

[TexasLisa]

The train going around a curve with its one puny little engine....we were in one of the last cars so I was able to take pictures of the front half as it went around curves.

Not exactly where you want to have engine trouble on a downgrade!


We backed up and went forward again over this border so many times!

Excellent story and beautiful pictures! I want to see a picture of you wearing the hat, please.

Lisa

 

[bruceha2000]

Cool pic, Bruce! Is that an interstate highway?

In Southern California?

Heck no, that looks like a dirt road to me (remember I found the picture on line).

Called "freeways" in California, the interstates in the more populated areas (which includes basically ALL of Southern California west of the desert) look like this:
http://www.octa.net/weeklyupdate/061812_content/I-405-traffic.jpg

That isn't a big one, only 4 lanes in each direction plus the "diamond (high occupancy) lane" rather than 6 plus HOV. It took us 2.5 hours to go < 90 miles to the wedding Friday, leaving the house at 2:30 PM.

We saw more cars Wednesday on the 100 mile round trip from my sister's in Huntington Beach to my Aunt and Uncle's in Upland than we would see in Vermont in a year.


To be fair, it was a lot more open when we went down to San Diego at 7 AM Sunday to visit my step sisters and go to Sea World; 90 miles not much more than 90 minutes. I bet it was just as ugly as the picture though when my sister, BIL and niece went back home, leaving San Diego ~ 6:30 PM. Luckily, we flew back to Vermont from San Diego so we didn't have to suffer the return drive.

Oh, and just have to vent this out for a second... Sorry all! I was super nice and got my adorable four year old son a kids popcorn tray (little box, comes with popcorn and a drink). The lady asked "do you want an icee or a soda for the drink". What!?! I'm getting him popcorn! I'm going to give him a cup of sugar too? I told her water. Then we got the tray and it had an airhead to. I threw away the airhead. I mean, my son just had his first root beer float last night, he's had a drink of soda a few times, but really? Water isn't even an option to ask people in something your giving a four year old? Should have seen the look I got!

Oh, and my son only had a few bites if popcorn, but we had to get up twice to fill his water. Most of the time if we go somewhere and he gets juice he won't even drink more then a few drinks, then asks for water.

I don't disagree that there are better things for us all to eat than what is put in "kid's meal" things but I would be surprised if she had asked "do you want water or a sugar drink?" "Kid's meals" are generally all about stuff kids will eat and that means sugar. No surprise SHE was surprised when you DIDN'T want it, I bet not one in a hundred answer with other than one of the 2 choices she gave you. Glad your kid has a preference for healthier drinks.

In all the train trip down, scheduled to take about an hour and a half, took over three and a half hours. We got to our tour bus at 20 after 3 instead of noon. We had already filled out our orders for the meal, either "Gourmet Chicken Pot Pie" or Smoked Salmon Pasta, and their staff had been advised about our delay so they were ready for us when we got there. Tyler dropped us off at the restaurant and said he'd be back in an hour to take us back to the ship, and that the ship had been notified of the problem and was prepared to wait for us. Lunch was absolutely awful - worst stuff I've ever put into my mouth! As hungry as I was, there was no way I could take any more than the two bites I did. If anyone ever offers you "Gourmet Chicken Pot Pie", RUN! I swear the owner had just discovered seasonings and tried them all in one dish! I wasn't the only one, either! And I didn't know that the gravy in chicken pot pie was supposed to be PINK! Not kidding here! Tam ordered an iced tea - it would have been nice to see a menu ahead of time to know that it was an herbal iced tea.......tasted exactly like the taste you get in your mouth when you are spraying OFF insect repellent on your skin on a windy day! We had all eaten breakfast on the ship at 6 am, had nothing until that lunch at 3:30, and not one person ate their lunches!! The restaurant used to be a bordello during the gold rush - the new owners would make more money and have more satisfied customers if they had kept it as one!

We made it back to the ship at exactly 4:25 - then had to go through security to board, which took a little more time. It was so funny to see all of the people on that particular train hitting the nearest restroom and then beating feet for the buffet lines. But while we were sitting on the train waiting for the 5 other trains to go by, the kids running the tour came to front of each car with a bag full of hats. They announced that the hats are usually for sale at the end of the train ride for 10 bucks each, but for our trouble they were going to give them out at no charge. Tam said she didn't want one - I made her take one for Evan anyway. Then I wore mine the rest of the day, as did many others! I figured I earned that hat!! Later on the ship announced that we'd all get a refund for that portion of the shore excursion, and heck, 50 bucks is 50 bucks!

Interesting side-note about Skagway and Wyodreamer's hubby's gift of rhubarb to all.....in Skagway during the gold rush days one intrepid young man figured he'd never make it to the Yukon but there were other ways of making money. He had rhubarb seeds! Miners and others were dropping dead of scurvy, so he used the seeds to start growing it there. It's cold hardy, comes up early in the spring, and is full of vitamin C. Now you can't see a yard or a lot without rhubarb growing on it! Tyler said that Skagway has so much rhubarb that it now grows wild.

Wow. Well, it wouldn't have been a good trip if you didn't have at least one story to tell

You are, of course, going to post a picture of you wearing your hat, right?

Bruce

 

[Blooie]

Wow what an ordeal Blooie..... You did get to see those areas you had read about right? Was it a steam engine?

Thats amazing that they held the ship.... did you have to keep ship time or did it not matter....

I cant wait for the pix....

deb

If a passenger books the shore excursions through the cruise line the ship will wait for them if something delays their return. However, if they get off the ship and then take one of the excursions offered dockside - even if it's the same tour company - and something delays them the ship will leave them and they have to find their own way to the next port of call. No guarantees! I'm not sure I understand your question about keeping ship's time - every time the time changed they announced it and put a reminder in our communications box at our door the day before to set our timepieces either an hour ahead or an hour behind. I think we did that about 3 times. So the ship kept their time set at the local time, and told us to do the same.

They are steam engines, and I got a first hand, long look at the places that I'd read about, especially the Tormented Valley and Dead Horse Gulch. There is still a trace of the original trail running along the tracks for a short distance. That day we were all supposed to back aboard, no matter what excursion we took, no later than 4:30. We were standing in the security line at 4:25. The ship left port shortly after 5:15. That cut it a little close for comfort, but it helped knowing that they were aware of the issue and were going to wait for us. If tides had been such that they absolutely had to leave, then transportation to meet the ship in the next port would have been provided. I don't know how many passengers were on the train because it was pretty long (until they shortened it by 5 cars and one engine) and because there were also people from the Star Princess, which was docked right next to us, on that tour. But only our tour had the gourmet lunch at the end. We had the option when the bus got to the restaurant of either eating our late lunch or just going straight back to the ship. I think about 25 of us opted to eat - I almost had to because I had meds I was late taking and two of them must be taken with food. When the ship was in port the buffet line times changed slightly so I wasn't sure I would be able to eat immediately after getting on board.

In the end it was all in the attitude. Tam and I looked at it a little differently than the grousers did. We figured we had time to really take in the scenery, they got us down safely by taking the time to do things right and not cutting corners, and we made it aboard with a great story to tell the kids when we got back. Oh, and we each got an ugly black hat and a 25% refund to add to our cruise account to boot! As I said, what we experienced couldn't hold a candle to what those miners faced crossing on foot, so it was all good in the end.

Nice tie-in to my story, Blooie! and that is why rhubarb is so popular in the northern Wisconsin area, after the long hard winter, everyone needed that bust of Vitamin C. Rose hip tea is also somewhat popular, my mom drank it all the time. Rose hips have alot of vitamin C also.

It sounds like an interesting side trip, it is always neat to be able to tie stories you have read to real places. Kinda fact checking the author.

Thanks, Wyo! I thought it was kinda cool that you were talking about giving away something that the early miners and pioneers would have given everything to have! I think you're right about why almost every yard in the midwest has rhubarb, even if the family living there doesn't use it. It was planted just to break that winter diet monotony and health risk after a long winter without fresh fruit and veggies.

My dad wears Welligton boots. He cleaned and oiled them up before going on his Alaskan vacation. All the cruise people who went ashore at one of the ports were meeting at a restaurant that was down a 1/2 flight of stairs from the walkway. Their friends said they knew it was my Mom and Dad before they even opened the door and walked in. They recognized my Dads boots as they walked by the window.

 

[Blooie]

I'll have Tam take a picture of me wearing my trophy hat when she comes over for our big family dinner tonight. Didn't get one that day - a few other things on our plate! teehee

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Wait.... I missed it..... YOU were in San Diego this week? That link looks like somewhere in LA area.... Though my Commute from twelve miles away looked like this when I commuted from the coast to Santee. Some times it would take 45 minutes to an Hour. There are a few places where they move the divider between North going and south going traffic to give an extra lane to the heavier traffic..... About a five mile section of moveable partition....

sort of like this. I know they have one on the Coronado bridge

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...G/220px-Barrier_Transfer_Machine_Auckland.JPG

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
The one cruise I took was in the Bhamas from Florida to the inner islands and there were about three time zones crossed. To facilitate getting people back on the boat in time they asked us to set our watches to "Ship Time" which was the same as was in Florida I believe. It was highly stressed when we got off the boat to remind us to keep to ship time or we would be left.

This was 34 years ago so stuff may have changed.

With regard to the train I love love steam engines.... I am amazed as to how quiet they are.... My first steam engine ride was at Roaring Camp and the engine was a Shay.... Being a gear head as I am I was amazed by the workings.

http://www.roaringcamp.com/history

deb

deb