Alaska Cruise Part 15.....

Or.....home, almost. I think I can see the Golden Gate Bridge.

Thanks for all the concern and comments about Wanda. She was sore for several days. To Mary: We didn't have the doctor do an exam. We both knew nothing was broken, so no worries about the billing.

I've cruised out under the Golden Gate Bridge eight times. Each experience has been different. The time of day and the time of year dictate the weather. No matter, each time has been thrilling. I've also sailed into San Francisco several times but always in darkness. This was to be my first time in daylight as we were due under the bridge around 9 AM. Isn't this a beautiful picture of the bridge and the city? I took it in 2008. 

This is what we saw the morning of our return.

San Francisco is synonymous with fog, especially at the Golden Gate Bridge. The mornings weather, while a bit of a disappointment, was not at all surprising. 

Last night we packed and set our suitcases out for pick up. We usually take advantage of the self carry for early disembarkation. Our paperwork had us leaving the ship at 10:50. And as we were asked to vacate the cabin at 8 AM we didn't want to deal with the luggage for almost three hours. 

So, as we approach San Francisco the cruise winds down. 

We went up to the Horizon Court buffet for breakfast and it was packed. The last meal people were out in force. Neither of us is much of a breakfast eater. We didn't feel like dealing with the crowd so we went down to the restaurant.

This was the first time in almost ten years of cruising we've had a sit down breakfast on the final morning. We both had oatmeal and an English muffin, pretty predictable. 

After breakfast we went to our assigned waiting area and waited. Wanda took out her tablet and I opened my book. For thirteen days I've been opening and closing and carrying a six hundred page book. As of this morning I think I've read a dozen pages. At the rate I'm going I'm sure to need cataract surgery before I finish it. This experience was a great advertisement for tablets and readers. In the past I've always taken something out of the ships library and will do so on the next cruise. 

I never seem to get much reading done. Unless it's at night before bed. Even if we are in the middle of the ocean with nothing to see for hundreds of miles I'm afraid if my nose is buried in a book I'll miss something.

On one of the past Alaska cruises we were having breakfast in the buffet when Wanda yelled, "Whale" because she saw, a whale. People in the food line dropped their trays and ran to the windows. You would have thought we were passing out hundred dollar bills. That morning we were with our good friends Marilyn and Pat, it was 2007. Wanda says every time one of us tells the story her whale yell gets louder and more people come running. But, really, you never know what you may see out there.

When we settled in our waiting spot I happened to check my cell phone. I had a message form older daughter Jennifer. She was on her way to pick us up and needed details. The pier in San Francisco is old, really old. How old you may ask? I don't know. I do know several WW2 war movies had scenes filmed here. The pier is old and the traffic leading to it can be terrible. Jenn knows the city really well and has a "back way" to the piers. She wanted to know if she should be at "the usual spot."

She took the morning off work and was more than half way to the city when I sent her a return text. No, no, no, do not come pick us up. We have a ride home. Sometimes having all this communication technology gets me even more screwed up. I'm not sure how we got our signals crossed. Jenn said it was OK. She would rather come to get us when we didn't need her than forget to come when we did.

As I people watch I thought about a group I saw yesterday at the indoor pool area. There were a dozen, in their 30's, that pushed three of the round patio like tables together. From above they looked like a snowman, not the people, the three tables. They were having a great time. Princess has a beer special in the afternoon. I think it's buy a bucket and get six for the price of five. The beer is bottled and served in a plastic bucket full of ice. Two of the guys had empty buckets on their heads and looked like Beer Kings. I wondered how they felt this morning?

By this time we were rapidly approaching our berth at pier 35. The fog was starting to lift. I looked over to our dock area and there was the Disney Wonder. I'm not sure why it surprised me, cruise ships dock here often.

Even though we would soon leave our ship and end our vacation. Even though it was soon back to the regular world. Even though a glorious and fun thirteen days of three cruises, two ships, and a city was over, I looked at those mouse ears and smiled.

Thanks for all your comments and questions. Over the course of the past three weeks I have been writing about our trip and our life. I've included our friends because without them this wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. I wrote the first entry on October 1st and since then this blog has recorded 2,949 hits. I hope those of you responsible for adding to that clicker have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. We had a great time living it.

Wanda and I are both Lord Of The Rings fans. The other night I was looking for information about the soon to be released Hobbit films. The first will be out in two months. The second in December 2013 and the final film, July 2014.

I read the dates to Wanda who said, "A year apart is too long. They should release them sooner." I said, "ya, but that's what the did with LOTR, 2001, 02, and 03." Wanda said, "that was ten years ago, we're not getting any younger."

If there is something you want to do and there is any way you can do it....we're not getting younger, not one of us.

Tomorrow: final thoughts and an answer about THE MAZE