February 11, 2013

When not to take a nap on vacation


My mom had a brilliant idea 10 years ago: “Honey, why don’t we go on an Alaskan cruise?”

I’ve learned over the years that I’m not the biggest fan of cruises, but of the ones I’ve taken, this one stands out.  Seeing glaciers calve and spotting seals and whales that pop up out of the water really is ridiculously exciting - much more so than watching rhythmly-challenged people attempt to strut to some Top 40 song in a bikini on the pool deck and not spill their $12 fruity cocktail.

One of the excursions that Mom and I opted for was a floatplane ride over a glacier.  We were paired up with an older couple for our flight in a tiny 6-person plane.  Not that this was surprising, since pretty much everyone on this cruise had gray hair and an AARP membership - except for me.  

The pilot offered the front passenger seat to the older man, who graciously accepted.  Mom and I took the middle seats, and the man’s wife sat in the rear. 

We took off and hurtled our way over the mountains to the glacier nearby.  The scenery was incredible.  The ice formations and the shapes they made - sometimes jagged, sometimes strangely swirly - fascinated me.    My jaw was on the floor as I stared out the right-side window.  Mom (and her jaw) mirrored me on the left side.  Neither of us had ever seen anything like this. Who knew that snow and ice could be so gorgeous?  

“SnnnnooooOOOOCCCKK.”

Mom and I snapped out of our trance at the sound coming from the back of the plane.  We turned around to see what the obnoxious interruption was.  The woman in the back seat was sound asleep and snoring.  We were gliding just a few hundred feet above some of the most amazing scenery I’ve ever seen (and scenery that isn’t easily accessible, either), and this woman just zonked out.  

Really?  Really.

Also, this flight was not cheap.  For Mom and me, it was completely worth the price.  But for Captain Narco, well, she probably took the world’s most expensive nap.  I hope she got some good rest.

7 comments:

  1. Too funny! I love this...it brings back my own memories of the Alaskan cruise I took in 2004 with a friend. Truly amazing! Agree that there should be no sleeping on this trip. We both jolted out of bed early to see the glaciers breaking off and falling into the water-sounded like thunder.

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  2. A couple of friends and I did this in a tiny helicopter in 2004 or so. We landed on a glacier and drove some dogsleds around then the pilot flew us around a bit to see the scenery. NOT something to sleep through for sure!

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    1. Awesome! Also sounds dangerous to sleep through. Can you imagine waking up stranded on a glacier? That would be a bummer.

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  3. A couple of friends and I did this in a tiny helicopter in 2004 or so. We landed on a glacier and drove some dogsleds around then the pilot flew us around a bit to see the scenery. NOT something to sleep through for sure!

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