Friday May 29th and Saturday May 30th!

Friday May 29th - The day "If we used it, it broke"!! Just one of those days, everything we touched required repair! Still got a bunch done though.

Early start - Art and Dewey headed into town for fuel with the AJ and the barge - this time for diesel!

Kicker and I headed out fishing early, drug bait around for about 4 hours and NOTHING! Had to come in and get ready for my run to town to pick up a small order of supplies and 2 new crew members.

Put 52 gallons of fuel in the Whaler and started towards town - half way out of Yes Bay, port engine quit - water in fuel!! Limped back to the dock on the starboard engine. Changed fuel filters and emptied the ones on the engine. Starboard fired right back up and was fine,port engine was a major problem, had to take half of it apart to get to the injector rail and drain it of water, emptied the fuel filters again and took off for a test run. More water, drained the filters again and then was finally off for town. Since we were not sure if we would get the Whaler running again we had Art pick up the crew in the skiff and take them out to the AJ and barge, a ride out, but a long one! I headed in and met up with them around half way to town, transferred crew to the Whaler and ran back.

In the meantime the house staff was steam cleaning the carpets in the Lodge and both steam cleaners had to be taken apart and cleaned and repaired to get them to work properly.

Kitchen staff fixed a great dinner of roast beef, red potatoes and vegetables and a salad and fresh made french bread!! Fantastic!

Saturday May 30th - Pumped fuel from the barge into the fuel farm this morning, involved moving boats and pumping close to 4000 gallons of fuel into the storage farm.

Worked on crab and shrimp pots and did some work in the tackle room - no trip to town today!

Smoked Turkey for dinner tonight!! Cant' wait!

New guides arrive tomorrow - they are in town tonight, will pick them up tomorrow afternoon! Looking forward to finally having all the crew here.




















The sun came out this afternoon, warm, clear sky and sunny! Just before dinner took a walk around the front yard shooting some pictures of the wildflowers!!



Enjoy,

Capt Jim

Wednesday May 27th and Thursday May 28th!

Wednesday May 27th - First trip to town to pick up crew. We have a total of 6 crew arriving, 3 returning guides and 3 new people, including the new chef, a server and prep chef and the bartender!

Seemed like a good crew, pleasant trip out although it was rainy, very rainy while loading up. Once out to the Lodge we unloaded and everyone got directed to their rooms and settled in. First dinner in the "crew room" tonight and it was fantastic - Nicky really did a great job. Baked chiken, mashed potatoes, sweet corn and a great salad!

Thursday May 28th - Early start, breakfast in the crew room. The down to the tackle room to get gear assigned to the guides boats. John (Axman) and I loaded line on enough of the new reels for everyone, so we are ready for the rest of the guides to show up!!

I made another run to town to pick up another crew member and also beer and soft drinks and bottled water for the bar! It was a huge load...boat was really loaded down! New crew enjoyed the ride out, killer whales playing and jumping on the way out, made the trip special!

Everyone settled in another fantastic dinner - baked snapper, sauteed vegetables, salad, rice and fresh biscuits.

Art and Dewey make a barge fuel run tomorrow for diesel fuel about 6000 gallons or so. I make another run into town for crew and some more supplies.

Took another good picture of Nikko our 2 year old Karelian Bear Dog - see attached and one of Dewy emptying shrimp traps in the rain!!




Enjoy,

Capt Jim

Monday May 25 & Tuesday May 26th

Monday May 25th - Today we finished painting the kitchen and cleaning up around the Lodge. I cleaned the laundry room and finished up some Lodge laundry. The place is really starting to look ready. Ran the big generator and dried out one wing of the Lodge with the heaters on, ran the dishwasher in the kitchen and started getting everything cleaned and put in its proper place.

Tuesday May 26th - Today Dewey and I head into town to make a grocery and supply run. Fishing supplies are in and the first grocery order, so it will be a huge boat load. Dewey will help Art switch out a couple motors on the boats then bring out one of the small boats with more groceries and supplies. Lots of loading and unloading today.

Some crew arrives tomorrow so it will be another trip to town for me, after working on sorting out the fishing gear and starting to get that all set up in the tackle room.

The weather finally turned to normal, been raining for the last couple days...

Jim

May 23 and 24th - Meet Cinder our Karelian Bear Dog

Cinder is one of three Lodge dogs. It is a Karelian Bear dog and its job is to keep bears away from the Lodge. We also have another younger Karelian bear dog - Nikko and then we have an older husky named Cassiar. All three are in the second picture....the only way to tell Cinder and Nikko apart is Cinder has some grey hair around its nose and face.

A little about the breed. The Karelian Bear Dog has a good sense of humor. It is sensitive, independent, intelligent, skillful, tough on itself, and energetic. A robust, persistent, and powerful dog, it is willing to take on virtually any game animal. This dog is very loyal to its owner's family and makes a good household companion when it has owners who know how to and the dog is extensively trained. This is not a breed for the casual pet owner, the Karelian Bear Dog is a hunter of unyielding bravery and determination. It will put a bear to flight or attack it with great pugnacity. The true outdoors enthusiast and dedicated hunter can look to this hard-working breed with delight and utter satisfaction. Owners must be capable of handling this very forceful canine. An owner who understands canine behavior, how to communicate displaying authority over the dog, proper training socialization are absolute musts. It may try to dominate other dogs and are perfectly willing to fight. Owners must communicate this is not an acceptable behavior. This dog needs a handler with natural authority. The training should be very consistent with both a firm hand and affection. This is not a breed for inexperienced dog owners. They are affectionate towards people and will announce both welcome and unwelcome visitors. Visitors the dogs knows well will get an enthusiastic welcome while strangers may be treated coldly. This breed is very protective. They will protect you with their life. The Karelian Bear Dog can live with other household animals if they know where their place is in their pack (below all others) and if the training and socialization is properly handled. This breed has a small appetite for its size.

Saturday May 23 - Today was the day to start to get the kitchen squared away. It was cleaned real well at the end of the season, so today we paint! Nicky, Dewey and I painted the entire kitchen including the ceiling and all the shelves. Quite a days work. It came out beautiful, so good in fact we are going to paint the last wall on Monday.

The lodge switched from the 20Kw generator to the 40 kw generator. Still shutting down at night, but more power and it meant hot water in my room, which was a real plus...after all that painting a nice warm shower in my own room was a pleasant experience.

Nice dinner tonight, Nicky made rice and some nice sockeye salmon fillets which we cooked on the grill...very good!!

Dewey took Art back into town so he could continue to work on the last few boats and make a supply run around town for us on Monday and Tuesday.

Large food order has been placed and we are going to pick up the new fishing gear for me to get ready for crew arrivals which begin on Wednesday and continue through Sunday the 31st.

Sunday May 24th - Day off today, had to do a little generator work, 40 is kicking on and off, seems to be fixed now, but we will only be running it a few days until crew starts to arrive, then we will switch to the big generator and start warming up the guest rooms and drying everything out, although it is not damp at all this year, but with more people we will need more electricity anyway, plus we need to fire up the kitchen cooler and dock freezer, which take a ton of power.

Monday we will finish up the kitchen and start on some dock repairs. Tuesday is a run to town for groceries and fishing gear and we will bring out one more small boat. They are almost all out here now, only a couple more to go total.

More Later,

Capt Jim

Getting closer to Open

Friday May 22nd...

The boys left early this morning for a fuel run into Ketchikan. Took the AJ and the barge for fuel. Time to get the big generator running and need gas for all the fishing boats.

Yesterday afternoon was spent cleaning the boats we brought out yesterday, 2 more to clean today!

Nicky arrived yesterday, what a wonderful trip out, calm and there were humpback whales breaching at the mouth of Yes Bay. Beautiful!

Everyone here is anxious to have everyone arrive and get the final polishing touches done on the Lodge and ready to fish!!

May 17-20th

Sunday May 17th - Finished Arts boat up and did general cleanup of the shop and things we had out making the repairs around the Lodge. Art headed back into town in the afternoon.

Afternoon we took off and relaxed.

Monday May 18th - Rainy day, so we kept busy doing mostly inside work. Weather is supposed to clear tomorrow, so we will be moving boats from town.

Tuesday - May 19th - Clear sunny morning, so we painted the portion of the Lodge where we had to replace the siding. Then got the boat that was damaged during a run out a couple weeks ago ready to head back into town. No top or windshield so it will be a cold run in. Dewey and I made the run in, calm seas, just cold...met Art at the marina, he has 2 boats ready for us to bring back out, he put the damaged one on the trailer to get the windows replaced and a new top.

Dewey and I ran the 2 boats back out, very calm, beautiful trip. Once we go back, brought out a new lawnmower, so we assembled that and fired it up. Dewey cut the front yard. I got my boat loaded up so we could catch the afternoon tide change and see if we can find a fish or two.

Spent about 3 hours trolling, managed a couple hits, but nothing in the boat. Lots of bait around and we saw signs of fish, but they just weren't feeding? Maybe in a day or two we can get out early in the morning and catch the morning bite.

May 20th - Dreary windy day, had planned on a trip into town, but decided against it due to weather. Spent this morning finishing up the final paperwork and application for the Lodge Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

Now going to work on a "Fathers Day Special" email blast. This is an inside day. Dewey is cutting wood, before the rain he put a second coat on the new siding on the Lodge.

Wind is up a little today and the air seems colder than it has been.

More later,

Capt Jim

May 15th & 16th - Second and Third Day at the Lodge

Start the day by finishing what you started the day before. A little more digging, wood we need to finish the job arrived last night. Art brought out some pressure treated 2 x 4'S and a few sheets of T-111 siding. While the boys finished that, I worked on getting supplies ready for my boat trips out...safety stuff, life jacket, flares, throw-able cushion, fire extinguisher and rope, so if I get stopped I have everything I need. And also, if something should happen...

After that worked on getting Arts new boat equipped as well. Installed a new VHF radio, took the leaking front windows out and we fabricated new plugs for the window holes out of wood, painted the inside of the boat, put a heater in there to dry everything out including the paint.

Living at the Lodge is a little different when the Lodge is not open. Meals are up at the house with Dewey and Art. There is no hot water yet in the Lodge so I am showering up there. Generators are on all day, but get shut down around 10 pm, so no lights all night until around 6:00 AM.

First night I cooked ribs and potatoes and corn, great meal!! Last night we had spaghetti and tonight we had pork tenderloins on the grill with buttered parsley potatoes and green beans. Great food!!

Today - Saturday - finished Arts boat, more paint installed the plugs for the window holes and generally cleaned up the mess we made for the past three days. Easy afternoon, watched TV and did some computer work. Resting afternoon for me. Dewey and Art went out and checked the crab traps while I showered and rested watching TV and starting dinner.

Weather permitting tomorrow (Sunday), we will head in to town with Arts boat so we can launch another Lodge boat and I can drive it back out to the Lodge, hopefully early enough to allow for a little fishing when I ge back to the Lodge.

The weather may be a little nasty tomorrow and if so we will do some more work around the Lodge and maybe fish on Monday.

Anyway, another couple good days at the Lodge, with lots getting done. Arts boat came out nice with the new replacement "windows", shouldn't leak now and no need to look out of the cabin anyway!! The windows were leaking badly and virtually worthless, so better they come out.

More later..

Capt Jim

May 14th - First Full Day at the Lodge

It seems the back yard of the Lodge decided to intrude on the lower level of the Lodge. The steepness of the back yard causes continual erosion towards the Lodge. In one section it reached a critical stage as the moist wet snow and dirt caused some damage to the floor and one of the structural members!

So today was the beginning of the "FIX"...nothing like digging wet dirt on your first day back at the Lodge! So, the first project was to remove all the dirt resting against the bottom of the outside wall on the Lodge and remove the old framing and clear around the support beam so it could be replaced.

So we dug and cut for about 4 hours and ordered the wood from town to facilitate the repair. Boy was I stiff and tired at the end of the day. We replaced the main support beam by cutting out the old and jacking the building up to put in the new beam.

Tomorrow, we reframe the wall and put on the new siding. and construct a temporary retaining wall to slow the dirt slide!

Two day project completed on time!!

Tomorrow, we start on some boat repairs and replace one more small post! Also need to do some work on the dock, replace some boards and fix one joint that was damaged by ice.

Busy place around here, always something to do! Sunday I head into town and bring out another boat and fishing gear and start to get boats set up!

Enjoy,

Capt. Jim

Arrival Ketchikan

Arrived this morning in Ketchikan, the 13th of May, ship touched dock at about 9:30 am, I was all packed and ready to disembark right on time. Had to go to the front desk and check out and then clear US Immigration and Customs...another pain, but they were pleasant and since I was the only one leaving the ship it was pretty uneventful.

Went straight to the office at Yes Bay, then Kris and I headed to the grocery store for supplies, then off the Knudsen Cove marina to meet up with Art and get my boat in the water and head out to the Lodge. It was a little dreary with light rain this morning, the first of my trip. But it soon cleared up as I headed towards Yes Bay.

Very calm and uneventful trip out the 34 miles to the Lodge. Only took me about an hour and a half, was greeted at the dock by everyone at the Lodge. Kevin, Dewey and Kevin's family and all of the dogs!

It was truly like arriving home after a long trip. Gear up to my room and spent the afternoon squaring everything away and realizing a couple things I had forgotten..oh well, that's what post offices and mail order are for!

Busy day tomorrow, the hard winter has taken it's toll on some sections of the Lodge...more on that later...then next few weeks will be some hard labor around here, getting everything ship shape for the incoming crew and guests!

Thanks,

Capt Jim

Last Day of Cruise - Glacier Bay

If you’ve seen one Glacier you’ve seen them all. We spent a glorious day cruising through scenic Glacier Bay. It was very beautiful, however, seeing chunks of ice and static glaciers proved to be a little boring. The overall scenery was fantastic, however, for some reason, possibly too early in the season and cold, the glaciers were not calving. We sailed up close to at least 3 Glaciers and probably saw another half a dozen in the distance. It really was quite spectacular, and everyone on the ship seemed to get quite a thrill!

There were harbor seals on the ice flows, at least 2 bears on the beach at quite a distance and a number of whales spouting in the distant, so for many it was quite a scene and it was shown by their enthusiasm and crowding on the bow of the boat.

Great sunny day and reasonably warm, freezing temperature in the early morning, but once the sun came up it warmed to the mid-to high 40’s and was quite nice as there was not much wind while we were motoring so slow.

Arrive tomorrow in Ketchikan, I am really looking forward to getting “home”. The cruise was a great adventure and I really enjoyed it, but I really can’t wait until the season starts at Yes Bay!!

Enjoy,

Capt Jim

FW: Day 4 - Skagway

Day 4 – Skagway – Another beautiful sunny day. It was a little chilly this morning with a cold mountain wind on the dock. Thank Goodness my clothes had arrived, managed to bundle up a little more for the Fast Ferry ride from Skagway to Haines. I had signed up for another Photo Tour, this one was a total of 6 hours, including the Ferry ride back and forth to Haines. The ferry was a beautiful boat. Water Jet Catamaran designed to hold about 60 people. Top speed was 45 knots, we cruised over to Haines at a leisurely 30 knots or so. Nice trip nothing really to see along the way, except the beautiful mountains and some harbor seals on several of the rocks along the way.

Upon our arrival in Haines we were met by a couple people who were to take us up the Chilkoot River for our photo trip. There were only 2 other people besides myself who were signed up for the tour, so it was nice, not a large crowd. The tour company had three people total as they were using the opportunity to train a couple new people who will be running the tours throughout the summer, when it gets busier.

The mountains that set behind Haines are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. We drove about 10 or 12 miles out of town and made a stop at the mouth of the river. Saw some fresh bear tracks and bear feces, but no bears. The photo trip turned out to be primarily landscape stuff, since there was nothing really blooming yet and we didn’t manage to see much wildlife. The river itself was very pretty and we made several stops to get out and take some photos. At one stop as if on cue a Bald Eagle flew across the river from his perch and circled us for several minutes, allowing everyone the opportunity to get some decent in-flight photos.

On our way back into town we stop one last time before lunch and was able to get a couple good shots of the town of Haines with the wonderful mountain backdrop. Sadly the tide was out and the reflection tide pool was not large enough to get the shot with the entire town in reflection in the water, but I did manage to get some of the mountains in the shot, which turned out nice. Then the wind came up a little and put ripples on the tide pool which eliminated the reflection entirely.

We had a wonderful “Seafood Sampler” lunch at a very nice restaurant overlooking the Haines Small Boat Harbor. It was a very good lunch and was included in the tour. After lunch we went to Old Fort Seward right in downtown Haines and saw some totem poles which have been placed there and did a little exploring of some of the old buildings.

I really enjoyed the tour, however, there was not much to photograph as it was early in the year and nothing had started blooming and the wildlife, other than the Eagle, was nowhere to be found.

Boarded the ferry back to Skagway a very pleasant ride, calm seas and bright sunshine. Took a couple pictures of the Ryndam as we arrived in the harbor of Skagway.

Stayed aboard ship, missed the tourist traps that are in downtown Skagway. Went back to the boat, charged up batteries and my computer and downloaded photos before dinner. After dinner managed a few cocktails with some people I have met and shared stories of our travels that day. Several were disappointed that their tour had been canceled at the last minute, but they were able to make some other arrangements in town for something else, so all was not lost!

Early to bed, as we arrive in Glacier Bay tomorrow morning, we left Skagway at 8:30 PM….

Enjoy,

Capt Jim

Day 4 - Afternoon - Juneau

Arrived in Juneau today….wonderful weather, sunny and reasonably warm. We arrived in the afternoon, our morning was spent cruising along the Lynn Canal with beautiful scenery the whole trip. The seas have been extremely calm throughout the entire trip up from Vancouver.

I am scheduled on a Land & Sea photography tour this afternoon for 4 hours. I checked with the front desk and they are still trying to locate my baggage, the Holland America staff have been fantastic, checking and letting me know their findings every day, at least twice a day. Everyone is hoping I catch up with my luggage here in Juneau.

Photo Tour. A small group of 14 people are on this tour. We departed from the cruise dock and were bused to Auk Bay Marina a distance of about 20 miles, here we met up with our boat captain. We boarded the boat a very nice rigid hulled inflatable with a fully enclosed cabin. The boat was built specifically for whale watching and photography tours. The side windows fold up against the ceiling with padded arm rests on the window sill to lean against while taking pictures, there is also and open bow area to stand and shoot or watch the whales.

About 15 minutes in to the trip we managed to hit a log and had to stop and check the motors…damn those submerged logs! While stopped we noticed directly ahead a humpback whale, so we slowly motored over to await it’s next surfacing. The whale surfaced several times but failed to wave his tail for us, so we moved on to another whale a little further along. This one was much more cooperative and gave us all several opportunities to capture the famous “Whale Tail” photo!! See included shots!

The radio crackled from another boat that there was a pod of killer whales nearby so we closed the windows and headed further out to find the pod of killer whales. We managed to arrive just a one of the large males Orcas launched himself completely out of the water, sadly not one of us had our cameras ready or the window up to be able to capture the shot, but the sight itself was impressive. We spent about 30 minutes with the pod of small killer whales surfacing all around us. Not one launched themselves again to our disappointment. On our way back to the dock we stopped at a floating channel marker buoy which had several seas Lions on board as well as a bald eagle…it was quite a sight, we slowly circled the marker and listened to the arguing Sea Lions and harbor seals. There was a definite conflict going on. It was very interesting to watch.

Back in Auk Bay Marina we disembarked the boat and made our way back to the parking lot where we were met by a small bus to transport us to the Visitor Center at Mendenhall Glacier. As we arrived at the visitor center and gathered around our guide to determine which trail we were taking and where our bus would meet us at the end of the hike. As we were milling about we heard from another guide there was a bear sleeping in a tree nearby along a walkway, so off we went. Managed to get a few photos, however the bear was quite a ways up and with enough branches around him to make it tough to get a good clear shot, but it was interesting.

After this little side trip we headed back across the parking lot to the trail we were going to take, the “Trail of Time”. This trail has markers along the way which report the years and locations of the end of the Glacier Ice as the glacier has been receding the past 40 years that the glacier has been studied. It was a nice trail with several opportunities to take some interesting shots.

About an hour later, we met up with the bus to return to the cruise ship! The van had bottled water and candy bars for our return snack! This was a very nice tour and well run. I have written a letter on behave of the Tour Company to Holland America.

Upon arrival back at the ship my first stop was at the front desk to check on my luggage. Nothing heard as yet! They hoped it was going to be on a 7:00 pm Air Alaska flight. I departed for downtown to pick up a couple more shirts and some more cash! Upon returning I went to my room and changed my shirt for dinner. The ship was scheduled to depart Juneau at 10:00 PM. After dinner I went to the Ocean Bar on the 8^th deck for a couple drinks, Then went down for one more check on my luggage before we departed. The gangplank had already been raised and the front desk said they had not heard anything yet, so I assumed that I was set for another day without my stuff! Went back to my room and there was my luggage! So I spent the next hour getting unpacked and things put away!

So here is the story, which I found out later by the Holland America Front Desk Supervisor. The luggage arrived in Seattle, not sure on which airline, I am working on getting that information, supposedly US Air. I had filled out information with them on my itinerary so it was up to them to get the luggage to my next destination. Instead the luggage was flown on Alaska Air to Ketchikan and delivered to the Holland America Port Agent Office in Ketchikan, who took it upon himself to contact each of the Holland America ships to determine which ship had me as a passenger and was missing luggage. Upon contacting the Ryndam of course he found out I was aboard and the ship was due to arrive in Juneau, so he arranged to have the bags flown to the Holland America Port Agent in Juneau, who immediately delivered it to the ship, just before we departed.

So, it was Holland America who was truly responsible for finding the luggage and making sure it got to the proper location, while all the airlines did was screw up, I mean they could not even forward it to the correct port after I left them my itinerary.

So last year while at the Lodge my project was to create a photography book of Family Photographs…this year it will be to terrorize the morons in the baggage handling sections of AirTran, US Air and particularly the Station Manger for Air Tran in Orlando, since it was his poor decision to not unload and forward the luggage while we were delayed in Orlando. His exact statement was, this arrival was an unscheduled arrival and his staff had to work the regularly scheduled flights and could not take the luggage from our flight. I will be anxious to find out the details of how many others were affected by the morons inability to step up to the plate and make the correct “Customer Service” based decision. I have already contacted an old friend in Orlando who is working on getting this guy’s name for me and once I have that information, I intend to write a searing letter to his supervisors.

So, Day 3 – was a great day…Great Tour and the end of the day with meeting up with my luggage was a huge plus!!

Enjoy,

Capt Jim

Day 3 - Beautiful Day!! Well Almost!

Things are a little better today, managed to access at least one of my email addreses...without your computer you are really in a mess! Who can remember all the various passwords to access all the accounts!!

Anyway, if you want to email use: captjim@captainjimlucas.com

All the others won't get responded to until I get my computer back! Need a battery charger for it...we'll see about picking one up in Juneau, of course, with luck, my luggage will be there and all will be solved.

We are cruising up the outside and the weather is spectacualr. Very calm seas, making a good 19 knots, light winds and sunshine. Little cool but still very beautiful!

All set for my photography tour tomorrow afternoon in Juneau, weather promises to be more of the same. Laundry tonight, so at leat I will have clean clothes for my day in Juneau.

No luggage and I will be off to Wal_Mart for some serious shopping...also try and find a charger for my computer...

I hope to be able to post some pictures tomorrow, if I get the computer back up. Full moon tonight and if the moonrise is as good as last night, there are some great pictures there.

Post comments away!! Enjoy my misery you bastards!! I'm still the one on a cruise, on my way to Alaska, so I'll appreciate your comments!!

Capt Jim!!

Day 2 - Not much better

Stayed in Seattle near the airport and went over to search for my luggage first thing in the morning all to no avail. Grabbed the bus shuttle to Vancouver, took all day, arrived JUST IN TIME to board the ship!! I need to bitch to my buddy at TSA because they were terrible!!

Wonderful departure from Vancouver, beautiful ship and me in my old blue jeans and same shirt for three days! Went to the store as soon as it opened and managed to discover a couple things to wear, a jacket and a sweatshirt and long sleeved T-Shirt - of course it all cost more than the national mint could afford!! But it will have to do. IF No bags in Juneau, then it will be a trip to Wal-Mart for me!!

Biggest issue is the charger and electrical hookup for my laptop is in my luggage, so when the battery is dead I am doomed!! Also my cell phone charger!!

Things are going to hell in a handbasket!! But I drank heavily last night and it seemed to help!!

Good food and good drinks and wonderful staff, who are doing laundry for free and are trying to track down my bags....so hopefully they will be successful!!

Pictures last night were beautiful, as soon as I can figure out how to get them from the camera to my computer...I will post some, otherwise it will just have to wait!!

Best to all...prayers for my luggage to catch up with me!!

Capt Jim

Day 1 - The day from HELL!!

Well, I hope the trip finishes better than it started.

Yesterday I boarded my flight on AirTran fro Tampa to Atlanta, halfway there we had a mechanical issue and were diverted to Orlando. Missed my connection to Seattle in Atlanta, so they booked me on USAir from Orlando to Philadelphia, just before arrival we were diverted because of weather to Baltimore for fuel...stayed on the plane and waited. Finally Philadelphia opened and we arrived late, but still made my connection to Seattle. Have no idea where my luggage is!! Arrived Seattle at 9:30 PM local time, well past midnight by my body clock...NO LUGGAGE!

Missed my shuttle bus to Vancouver so got a hotel near the Seattle airport in hopes of finding luggage this morning!!

Update later today!! Hopefully with luggage in hand, otherwise it will have to catch up with me in Juneau!! I am going to see about buying some clothes before I board the ship!!

More later, pics to follow on arrival in Vancouver!!

Jim