All good things come to an end. This cruise was more than I’d ever imagined. On Day 7, our ship left the waters of Alaska and entered the maze of islands known as the Inside Passageway of British Columbia, CA. More beautiful skies and summer temperatures made the scenery even more impressive. A pilot usually boards a ship as it enters the port to guide the ship into the docking area. Our pilot boarded the ship a full day in advance to steer the ship through all its twists and turns. What appeared a short distance on the map actually took over 24 hours to navigate.

Vancouver, B.C. is a beautiful city. Someday I’m going to have to go back and visit it again as a destination and not just a city to pass through. We stopped long enough for some pictures, but alas another adventure was waiting and meant we had to move on.

In 1991 Janet and I left our home in Missouri and took our three year old son and newborn daughter to live in Portland, OR so I could lead music at the Beavercreek Baptist Church. During that time, I established my teaching career, beginning in elementary music, then moving to kindergarten and finally third grade. We left Oregon in 1998 and moved back to Kansas City, but that’s a story for another blog. Getting back to the point, we decided it would be a total shame to be this close and not take a trip to Portland and spend the weekend reconnecting and seeing how things have changed in 25 years. We booked a shuttle bus to Sea-Tac airport where we rented a car and braved the traffic to Portland. Traveling consumed more of our time than I’d anticipated, but we made it in time for at least one visit before checking into the hotel. On the shuttle I couldn’t help but snap a picture of Mt. Baker, one of the crown jewels of the Cascades.

Our friend Karl has recently converted to the religion of sailing. I say religion because his passion is infectious and he shares his knowledge as if he’s on a proselyting mission. He invited us to join him on his boat for a sailing adventure on the Columbia River and we eagerly accepted. We’ve been on many boat excursions, but few that we had to work for our ride. The work was anything but toil. Janet chose to steer while Karl had me manning lines and raising sails. The wind wasn’t strong, but we certainly had a fantastic time navigating the river in the shadow of Mount Hood. We docked in Vancouver, WA and enjoyed a Latin lunch in the new development along the shore. Though the cruise was over, the excursions continued!

The remainder of the day was spent retracing routes we’d followed decades ago, seeing places we’d lived, and schools the kids had attended. The highlight of the evening was dinner with our dear friend Del and his daughter Jacque. Del is the pastor who invited us to Oregon 30 years ago, He and his wife Tammy became our closest friends shortly after Janet and I married. We spent many years working and playing together both in Missouri and later in Oregon. We lost Tammy two years ago to Myotonic Dystrophy, a disease that Jacque also shares. This was our first time seeing them since Tammy’s death and it was good to reconnect and share memories.

On Sunday we attended the services to hear Del preach. We appreciated the newer building, hugged familiar necks, and relived memories in the room with colored windows where we used to lead music. It was a wonderful day and brought a needed closure to this amazing adventure.

On our way to the airport, we stopped by two of the schools where I began my teaching career. So much has changed in my life, but these buildings looked almost exactly the way I remembered them.

Janet and I are amazingly blessed at this time in our lives to be able to travel as we do. Many people have asked if we’re retired. Though I wish we were, alas we still work and I have to use my 25 vacation days wisely. We made our way back to the airport to board our red-eye flight back to Boston so I could be back to work the next day. I can’t waste any of those 25 days sleeping! As the plane rose to cruising altitude I got some awesome pictures of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. We made our connection in Salt Lake City and were pleasantly upgraded to first class. We’ve had many outstanding adventures, but I know this one has risen to one of the top five! It may be a once in a lifetime trip as there are so many other places to see and things to do. Until the next one, I’ll continue living in New England like a tourist!