Wrapping it all up – Ketchikan – [09/21/2011]

Ketchikan Park District

It’s hard to believe that this is the last Alaskan port I’ll see until next season, and that’s always assuming I get the Alaska run next season. That’s never a sure thing. As it is we’re ending the season with a full day here, which means I actually got to *see* Ketchikan, something that hardly ever happens. Ironically my next ship was in port with us today, so I was running into people from my other team all over the place. A strange and somewhat bittersweet mix of “whoo hoo last one!” and “hey sweetie! See you next week!”

Mostly though, I needed the charge, I needed the fresh air. It’s been raining a lot here lately and therefore the river is running high, and there’s nothing like the sound of rapids to clear the cobwebs of a rough couple of days from your mind. So I wandered the wooden pathways of the park district, sipping a London Fog bought for me by my *next* EM (“Consider it the ship, you owe me a coffee next week girl! Can’t wait to see you!”), and generally letting my mind settle. A lot has happened to me this contract, not the least of which was gaining a family member (AND a sister-in-law no less!)…and I think I needed the mental reset that last night and this morning provided…

Anyway…

Mother nature continues to send us off with a bang. Last night we had to sail out into open water, and when I logged into my computer that morning what should be waiting for me but the dreaded message from the Captain:

WARNING EXTREME WEATHER EXPECTED, SECURE ALL AREAS TO STORM/HURRICANE LEVEL MEASURES.

Cue me, on my hands and knees in the library at 9:30pm, in an evening uniform reminiscent of a 1940s pin-up girl style flight attendant (seriously I LOVE that uniform! I really do! It just takes some getting used to!) – lashing down anything that could roll, tumble or otherwise fall during the night. It was a production show night, which meant that every single one of my friends was in a potentially dangerous position. Ultimately they cancelled the ten PM show after only 25 minutes, for which we are all very grateful, the last thing you want is a dancer with a broken ankle or worse…

As for how we ultimately dealt with the storm when it came? Well Alasse (yes my dear sister-in-law I gave you a nick name, how do you like your name in Elvish?) and I did the only logical thing. Sat in the front row of the party-band set and sipped cosmopolitans for an hour. There are perks to getting shipboard discounts.

So there you go….so long Alaska….

Next stop? Bring on China…