Oh, hope you enjoyed the cruise…

1. This seems awfully Trollish.

2. These are they.

Squid: $1000 I could handle,,,$10,000,,,NOT! Thanks for the input, though. Gives me something to dream about.

GAry 7

The cruise I was on visited Sitka. In all my cephalopodic glory, I ran about the town.

Actually, I mostly visited the bird rehabilitation centre, an inhabitant of which you can see here.

I used to live in Sitka and Juneau – I *really* miss the old splashing grounds.

I do have a suggestion for those of you who really want to see the area. Skip the cruise ship. Book a ride on the Alaska Marine Highway. It’s a lot cheaper, and, in my experience, you see a heck of a lot more.

Not as much as from a 180 ft Buoy Tender, and I was PAID for that! But still, it’s a hell of a trip and worth every penny. (last time I looked, you could stagger your trip – ferry to Ketchikan, for instance – fool around there.. catch the next ferry north to.. oh.. Juneau… take a few days to do the local ferry/tour ships, etc)

I wonder if Rosie’s is still in Pelican…

Phil – as you cruise past the northern tip of Admiralty Island, pay attention to the lighthouse. I’m negotiating (ok begging) with the Coast Guard to let me retire there.

A long time ago, in a place called “The Canadian Communications Research Centre’, where I worked as a writer, editor, liaison with NASA, coordinator of inter government meetings and design reviews – and so, a general factotum, I was asked what I considered to be the ideal flight crew for a long duration mission to Mars.

After reflection, allowing others smarter than me to express their views on the matter, I suggested they should select the crew from among Trappist monks. Monks tend to be very erudite, adaptable and have a great thirst for knowledge. Especially, they have learned patience in putting up with the irritations of living in community without putting their desires for murder and mayhem into practice.

As they are eminently educable, they could easily pick up all the knowledge and skills such a voyage would be needed of them. Their common language, whether Latin or Greek would help to avoid emotional assesments of technical problems, and their discipline of silence would be ideal in fostering cooperative living.

If they should die owing to technical failure, then their deaths would
serene, though perhaps not without a yelp or two.

I confess the idea is not mine alone, as I had read “A Canticle for Leibowitz” around the time of this discussion.

Objections raised: The spacecraft would need to incorporate a chapel; Mass wine for a two and half to three year trip would have to be added to the vittles, thus adding weight. As all communication would be in one sacred language or another, reports would need to be translated for the engineers on the ground who are, as everyone knows, incapable of learning a second language unless it happens to be acronyms. Upon their return, it would be impossible for the President of the United States to decorate them and have them to supper at the White House.

Still, it’s a thought, and a darn sight better than selecting boys and girls for the trip… speaking for myself, I’d murder the first one to use hair spray – with my bare hands.

What do you think ?

Cordially,
Paul Fournier

I wonder if the costs involved with these big events are part of the reason people don’t often realize there are so many of us young’uns. It would DEFINITELY be great to see more things happening locally. Bus fare… that’s something I could potentially afford. Unfortunately, I’m not much of an organizer.

Thought-provoking though a bit timid when it comes to suggesting root cause.

http://www.amazon.com/Only-Kayak-Journey-Heart-Alaska/dp/1592288944/ref=sr_1_1/105-9762753-8142051?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188926213&sr=1-1 .

Nuh uh… 1000 yogic flyers bouncing on their butts can harness their positive vibrations to yogically bounce the ship right off the face of the earth.

Alternately, 1000 devotees praying to their invisible sky-man can have Him will the ship off the planet for no energy.

Another way would be to get everyone in China to jump up and down simultaneously. The resulting seismic shock would bounce the ship to the moon.

Depends on the cruise line and the cabin you wish to be in, but figure on something like $1000 – $10000 per person, not counting air fare to/from the departure point.

On some cruise lines, if you book early, you can basically book a bilge level cabin at the bilge level price, and be bumped up to better cabins at no extra charge as later and later bookings request the cheaper cabins. That can save a bundle but you have to plan far in advance.

I know you’re just joking off the cuff, but that prompts me to calculate that it’d take power > 3.9 gigawatts to sustain an acceleration radially away from Earth (for a ship of that tonnage). That’s like the combined output of several typical domestic fission reactors. This sounds like a job for Project Orion.

Oops, forgot about there being no atmosphere. Ah well, it was a good idea anyway.

So, do you get to see any killer whales or such like?

About a decade ago, I watched seals chase salmon ashore just north of the Russian River on the Calif. Coast. That was quite a sight and the Salmon was delicious.

So, how much does a berth aboard such a cool vessel cost these days? Just wondering if it would be an attainable vacation for a retiree.

GAry 7

Ditto on that!

You mean, kinda like a church? (Sorry, couldn’t resist…) Enjoy yourself, and don’t spew Pepsi all over the place while reading the comments on your Colbert call-out.

And yes, I too am very jealous.

-OEJ

I wish I would’ve been there, but it’s a bit costly for a young just-out-of-college girl like me.

Skepticamp: 1
Drinking Skeptically: 0

Win!

(Actually, I just may be involved with both. :^)