CROSS COUNTRY #31 Master of the Universe

Barry: Yesterday I was introduced to the Master of the Universe (Explorer.) An inconspicuous looking man considering his lofty position. He wears a mustache that makes it impossible to tell if he is smiling - important since he has to smile when posing with 750 people at his cocktail party.

My first impression, when walking onboard was that of grayness, ill health, and concern for the poor ship's doctor who probably is doing this for a free "vacation." Between AARP and Elderhostel, the mean age must be about 84.. Outside, the skies are overcast and gray. We are sailing through clouds, endlessly. They have graylight (my term) till 11pm.

Leaving Vancouver on the inland waterway, we are sailing to Wrangell, first port on this two week Alaskan cruise.
The scenery outside (the little we can see) is still striking. Mountains on either side, snow capped, seemingly never ending forests of evergreen trees intermittently broken up by waterfalls. Occasional fishing boat, otherwise no sign of human presence. After the congestion of Seattle, San Francisco Bay area, Phoenix and other places on our journey, I have a sense of relief that
humans have not overwhelmed the environment everywhere on the planet.

Opening a book of short stories by Jack London, I read: "Day had broken cold and gray, exceedingly cold and gray, when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail and climbed the high earth bank, where a dim and little- traveled trail led
eastward through the fat spruce timberland." Yes, gray. All shades of gray. I have just spent 12 days in Seattle
where a typical weather report was "Rain this morning leading to scattered showers this afternoon. Isolated showers
tomorrow." Subtle distinctions elude me. All I know is that I will probably never see the sky again. Goldie says: "De Skies are in Disguise." I'm not unhappy. I'm just being the weather. I'm gray.

Goldie: We have downsized from Minnie Vinnie into the stateroom closet we now inhabit (which is probably the size of our future NY City apartment if we find one) Adding a thirteen year old to the equation of our new marriage and having him sleep on a shelf over our bed should qualify us for either the intimacy Olympics or sainthood.

This is billed as an environmental education cruise, which is why we selected it as my son Mark's bar mitzvah present (the big day is Oct. 16). The ship is....well, ..it's oldish, has seven decks, very much made of  iron and holds 700 folks. It's dwarfed by the other cruise ships, which is good because we get to go into narrow side channels to see wildlife and unique geological formations...into lots of places the big casino boats can't fit. We've been to bird watching, geology, biology, history and
dulcimer talks so far. We are assigned to a lifeboat which alleges to hold 150 people.( Women and children really are
asked to go first.)

Barry: I didn't hear Goldie, the feminist protest.

Goldie: Mark has already gotten into trouble for posting notes indicating that Viagra samples are available in some random room, which thrilled neither the occupant nor the management. He has also dubbed the steepest staircase: Viagra Falls. On the other hand, being gregarious and loving, he's adopted a handful of grandmother types onboard already, they've issued blanket
forgiveness.

Barry: He has also attracted a 12 year old female who goes by the name of Crystal. Mark is acting real cool and feigning disinterest. Crystal is going to find herself tossed overboard if she keeps calling our cabin. She has woken me up twice today. Mark of course sleeps through her calls.

Next Day - Wrangell, Alaska

Barry: We have struck an inverted oasis! The clouds parted revealing a glimpse of sky, then they dissipated into a day bathed in gloriously intense sunshine. Even the old folks don't look so old. Lest you think I'm exaggerating, they have been
broadcasting steadily for the ship's doctor and the cruise director told Goldie she may have to do last rites or something for
two passengers.

So the day was spent sightseeing, viewing petrogyphs (rock carvings thousands of years old) on a beach, checking out totem poles, and hiking a rain forest. Learned the noble savages demonstrated their wealth by the number of slaves they sacrificed on building a new clan house. Ritual included a live slave crushed to death under each corner post. I have a problem with the
sacrificial system whether it's a red heifer or a slave.

Goldie: The native people's totem poles are different here, flat backed with huge three dimensional faces of humans and full-size animal shapes upon them. From bottom to the top each tells a tale of an adventure, usually involving great bravery and
someone's death. They have "mockery totems," another facet to the fairly brutal Tlingit culture.
Whatever your misdeed, it was carved in a stacked, ritually encoded caricature of the episode and then posted in front of
your home until you made restitution or fled of shame.

The hearth of the Tlingit tribal homes was square and large...several different fires with different stews and brews would be cooking. They didn't have fixed eating times, rather folks could come in and graze as they pleased. (Works for me.) A Tlingit woman with a doctorate in anthropology addressed us at one point. Her male colleague pointed out how important the
arrival of women in the social sciences has proven, his example being our ability to study areas of tribal life that are not open to the presence of men...while useful, I hope we contribute more than that!

Made pastoral calls to two rooms....one person who has been beeped that their kidney transplant (they've been waiting 2 years) is ready, they'll be airlifted tomorrow. Another looks to be dying of end-stage emphysema and will be taken off the ship tomorrow. Both had essentially the same comment, they're joyful to have lived to fulfill their dream of coming to Alaska. Earns, I believe, the same afterlife credits as having seen the alps.

My mom says that when she was little she remembers that a parent would always wrap a child sick with scarlet fever or polio in his tallis, hold them while pacing the floor and pray. So when I visit someone who is ill, if it's ok with them, I spread my tallit
over them and let prayer come through with or for them, depending upon the circumstances. This time the person who
will be getting the transplant gathered the fringes together, help them up to heaven and kissed them, then kissed me.


IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN JUNEAU - THE CAPITAL OF ALASKA.

Barry: We went to sleep about 1 am last night. Watched a very lovely movie The Mambo Kings while Mark indulged in a shipboard chocolate buffet and played scrabble. This morning we were up at 5am having been tipped by the biologist on board that we would certainly see whales in the channel coming into Juneau (we didn't.) It was fun watching the meshugannas
on vaction out on deck when they could be sleeping.

Goldie: On deck at 5:30 a.m. with all the bird watchers, scopes focused for spouting whales. The air has an unfamiliar light sweetness, it's something simple...purity. The temperature is rising past the promised 55 degrees Farenheit, the sky is cloudless and blue. Morning prayers pour through in Reb Nachman's sense: A person who does not spend an hour each day in nature
has not fully prayed.

Barry: No whales, though we were treated to blue skies and scenery that took our breath away. Goldie said we were having a whale of a time. Eventually we saw a blow of a whale calf and this was our call for breakfast and decaf (get it?) A short nap then we hopped a bus tour of Juneau and the local glacier. We had forsaken the excursion offered onboard which
would have offered us a lot less tour for double the money. Our guide Mike, is a young guy who seems to be having his own whale of a time. Example: on seeing Arctic terns he tells us about the terns that feasted on marijuana - no tern was left unstoned. Etc. Actually these amazing tiny white birds that were dive bombing for fish all around us, migrate 15,000 miles - from Antarctica to Alaska.

"What a day, what a day!" our guide keeps yelling. He is filled with the joys of spring and remarks on every attractive single female walking past as we drive to the glacier. Apparently unmarried good looking women are an endangered species here. (2:1) Not so the American bald eagle. We see many nesting and flying by. Coincidentally, I believe Clinton signed a
proclamation today taking them off the endangered list.

Back to Mike. He is wound up because it rains 25 days out of the month and there isn't a cloud in the sky. This entire area of Alaska is situated in a rainforest area. A question in the local tourist brochure says it all: "Does it always rain in Juneau? Answer. No, sometimes it snows." And blows, with 100 mile an hour winds through downtown. And avalanches. In
1984 the town was buried by one. So we are not ready to move here yet, despite it being the most beautiful city I have seen besides Cape Town.

Juneau has a frontier, free and easy quality about it. Thirty thousand people, half of them government employees. Totally cut off by road from anywhere, the only way to get in or out is by plane or boat. Mike tells us that if a car is stolen it's a misdemeanor
with a $50 fine. If the ferry is in town, it becomes a felony since the vehicles can be taken across borders. Penalty is then 7 years in jail!

It's light from 2.30 am till 11.30pm. Even without Crystal calling it's hard to sleep, being so beautiful outside. Mark has been particularly cute. He is doing his best to expand his menu. He uses his napkin to wipe the sauces off his food. Tonight he offered to (wink, wink) to stay out late so we get some sleep (wink, wink.)

Read about salmon: "They battle currents, fling themselves at waterfalls, thread their way around obstructions, dodge bears, butting and biting each other until finally, exhausted by the struggle, they reach the gravel spawning beds where they were born. Once there, males fight other males for the right to fertilize a female's eggs. They spawn, and then, the cycle completed,
they die. It's all part of nature." I think of we humans - how we struggle with careers, relationships, develop skills,
knowledge and wisdom at last. Then, when we are equipped for life, we die.