North to Alaska

August 27th, Vancouver : Friends come together.

After a few fitful hours of sleep and a final good-bye to Chico the cat, I set my luggage outside the front door and waited for the cab. At 4:30 a.m. the driver chided me as he hoisted bag after bag into the trunk. "Just you going?" . (It seems that whether I cruise for 2 weeks or 7, I take the same amount of luggage.) As he unloaded them 20 minutes later at the airport, he made one parting remark that the big red bag "must be the one with the kitchen sink in it".

The flights to Toronto and Vancouver were smooth and uneventful, and I passed the time watching movies on the in-flight entertainment system. "Star Trek" was a feast for the sense to this former Trekkie, and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was equally entertaining. Upon arrival in Vancouver I gathered my bags and set off for the Airport Marriot. Dave was less than an hour behind me arriving from Connecticut, and we met for cold beer and smoked meat sandwiches at Harold's Bar and Bistro, where Nancy and David also headed after their arrival from Georgia.

Dave connected with his friend John and the five of us agreed to meet at 5 for a ride on the newly-opened Canada Line subway and a water taxi to Granville Island, where we did a round of tasters at the local Brewpub and sat down for a light dinner at the Keg. Five weary travellers then decided to call it a night.

Tomorrow: Embarkation