My First Group

I finally got started with my first tour the other day. All tours are numbered and all TD’s (tour directors,) DG’s (driver guides) and supervisors refer to all tours by number. This was a big part of our 50 questions test that we had to take at the end of training. Since I was leaving training first, I had to take the test before the rest of my group. Don’t worry, I passed. So after the test, I had my briefing with the Fairbanks Supervisor and my parallel guide (we were doing the exact same tour.) Then we had the exciting job of sitting in the back lobby of the Westmark Hotel waiting to greet our guests as they arrived from the airport. This process lasted from 2:30 – 9:30, and still only ½ of my guests had arrived, the rest came in on the late flights. The next morning I met the group for a day in Fairbanks. This included a trip on a riverboat, with a few stops, a city tour, a stop at the pipe line (pic 1) and finally a trip to a gold dredge. Something that is important to know about the division of labor is that the TD’s are all about logistics while the DG’s are the experts on the area they drive and give the commentary. So remember this was my first day out and it turns out it is also my DG’s first day. Great pairing. He was a cute 21 year old that was a huge hit with the grandma’s. We both made it through the day. Fairbanks isn’t the most exciting of places but my guests really liked this day and I will have to get used to it because I will be spending a lot of time there. Side note – my schedule is putting me in Fairbanks for 4 days next week. The redeemer of that time is that the hotel restaurant, where we get great discounts, is a fantastic place. Food saves the day. The following day we headed off to see what everyone takes a land tour to see - Denali. We had a 4 hour train ride to the parkand arrive at our beautiful mountain resort, The McKinley Chalets & Canyon Lodge. (pic 2) The weather was fantastic, the accommodations were great and the free time was abundant. My guests took an 8 hour trip into the park and saw the grand slam, McKinley, bears, moose and golden eagles, they returned raving. The rest of the day the guests headed out on their own adventures and I had a free afternoon, what was left of it. After dinner in the employee dining room we went on an ATV adventure at 9:00. It was like reliving part of my childhood. This morning we had a leisurely start and didn't board the train until noon. Eight scenic hours later including amazing views of The Mountain, (pic 3) we arrived in Anchorage. Tomorrow we are off to Seward and then the next will be a day on Resurrection Bay followed by a final goodbye at the ship. That is my tour thus far in a nut shell, I promise to delve deeper into the bits and pieces.

Thanks for reading.

Where to start...

I have seen so much in the last few days and done even more. I am tired, drained, excited and anxious all at once.

While in Alyeska, I watched a friend go paragliding (pic 1) in the most beautiful setting, from the top of a glacially carved valley with the Turnagain arm in the background. Then we ate lunch there too. On the way back to Anchorage we stop at the Alaska Conservation Park and got our first look at bears, moose, reindeer, muskox, etc. Once in Anchorage, we ran some desperately need errands, went home repacked and head out to enjoy solstice. We went to a karaoke bar with our boss and I karaoked for the first time. I know, I am not the same person anymore.

Friday we had to get up very early, after a late night, and board the train to Denali. The trip is 8 hours and would have been amazing but there are more then 20 wild fires in south central Alaska so the smoke was thick (pic 2). The trip was still very nice, good thing to since I will be spending a lot of time on the train. I found out on Thursday that I will be on the "rail belt." That means that I will be leading trips from the port in Seward, through Anchorage, to Denali and finally ending in Fairbanks, or vice versa. I also am being pulled out of training 2 days early to start my first tour, which will be Monday.

Saturday we had a full day. River rafting in the morning, a Jeep Tundra tour, tour of the hotel property, then a dinner show. All of the events (except hotel tour) are options for our groups so it is good to have first-hand knowledge. This morning we were up early for a natural history tour (pic 3) of the park and we got our first glimpse of Mt. McKinley. It was slightly obscured by clouds but it is so amazing to see. The top of the peaks were blindingly white amongst the scattered clouds and even from near 100 miles away it is overwhelmingly huge. They say that only 30% of people trying to see the mountain actually are able because of clouds, so we were quite lucky.

Well I must study for a test and prepare a presentation for my boss, and if time permits, a short nap.

Thanks for reading.

We

WOW!!!

We started on-the-road "training" yesterday. I put training in quotes because these two days have been so amazing and beautiful that I don't get how this is work. We departed Anchorage @ 8:15 and had a brief tour of the town by our driver. A side note about the job is that the TD's (tour director's) are in charge of logistics and the drivers are in charge of commentary. Then we headed southeast towards the Kenai Peninsula. In the town of Seward, where the ships dock, we had lunch and then went to a great sea life center. After checking into our beautiful hotel, we took a 6 hour boat trip of the Kenai Fjords. To set the mood, let me say that my classmates are terrific, fun people and the weather was amazing. As we head out of Resurrection Bay we come across all types of birds, Stellar sea lions, humpback whales and Dall porpoises. It was the most stunning thing I have seen. Then it got better. We head to the Aialik Glacier and eat dinner, salmon, on the boat right in front of it. It is massive and beautiful. We see ice bergs calve off, hear the sounds and are mesmerized by the way the light is reflecting off the ice. For the jouney back we sit in the cabin as a group, joking and talking.

This morning, we visited a couple of the other properties that HAL uses in Seward and then head for Portage Lake. There we have a nice lunch and go by the interactive and informative visitor center. It talks about the shrinkage of the glacier over the last100+ years and the importance of the area to trade in the age before cars and planes. Then we take a cruise out on the lake and get to see the Portage Glacier up close, 300 yards. Once again the weather is perfect and very unlike Alaska. Then we visited a reserve for injured animals and I finally saw my first moose and bear in Alaska, even if they were in captivity. Tonight we are in the resort of Alyeska, near Girdwood. The hotel is beautiful, it is a winter ski resort. We had a buffet dinner that included salmon, of course and then a few of us spent sometime in the bar. I know, shocking. Tomorrow, back to Anchorage.

In other news...Similarly to Ireland, the locals are commenting on how hot it is while, I am still cold. Please tell me that my body will acclimate. Also tomorrow is the solstice, did you even realize that? Here it is a big deal. Maybe I will actually stay awake to see dusk tomorrow night.

Thanks for reading, Christina. :)

The Nuts & Bolts

The Salmon Parade hits Anchorage. A perfect day. Downtown fishing @ 9:00pm

So tomorrow we leave Anchorage and begin our training in earnest. Since I arrived on Friday, I have walked downtown Anchorage so many times that my feet actually hurt but I now know it well enough to help out guests. The city feels more like a town, though it has a Nordstrom’s and a Banana Republic but only one Starbuck’s. It also feels a bit like Davis since all the streets downtown are either letter’s or numbers. Third & G is an important corner here too. The fish is terrific. I have had a salmon quesadilla, Copper River salmon, crab cakes and calamari. The weather has been outstanding, it feels a bit like Tahoe in the fall. The sun has been shining, for hours. We hear that the solstice on Thursday turns into a late into the night party.

Training started bright and early on Sunday morning. However, my roommate and I didn’t get there until 10:15, since we never received the revised schedule. Fortunately it was not an issue with our boss and we only missed some of the hospitality portion, Training felt a lot like being back at ITMI, we covered much of the same concepts. Today was mostly about procedures, forms and the ever exciting OSHA portion. I am glad we are done with the classroom portion.

Tomorrow we head out for two days to see Seward, then a small resort area of Girdwood. We are going to see the Portage Glacier and the Kenai Peninsula, so I should start having some exciting pictures finally.

Thanks for reading.

Coffee, Pigs and Ferries

What do two friends that haven't seen each other in a year and a half do for two days in Seattle? We seek out coffee, pigs and ferry boats.

Not much explaining to do about the coffee, the city is filled with it. There are a few at each intersection, 3 Starbuck's in one mall but none near the hotel. Now I am generally more for the small, non chain shops but we are in Seattle so we had some from each of the big 3, Starbuck's (pic. above is the original location), Tully's and Seattle's Best. I don't know if I could tell you which was better, though most of the time I was pleased with the beverage. We were on a rigid of schedule of at least two a day, thank goodness she loves coffee as much as I do. That must come from the many trips to France.

The pigs are a little harder to explain. At Pike's Market there is a pig that represents the piggy bank that used in the early 70's to raise money to save the market for being destroyed. So this year is the 100th anniversary of the market and to celebrate, businesses sponsored the decoration of the pigs and then they were placed all over the area near the market. So we sought them out and took pictures. What better way to Seattle then through a camera looking at a ceramic pig.

Ahhh, ferry boats. I love that Seattle is so dependent on them. For a town surrounded water, what better way to get around then on a boat that sells you alcohol. We took the ferry out to Bainbridge Island, wandered around and had lunch. Did I mention that the weather was fantastic the days we were there? Sunny and 75 for the most part.

Lastly food!!! We had great food. On our first night, a friend met us and we went to a locals restaurant called Ray's Cafe. I had an amazing linguine and clams, it wasn't like how I make it but it was fantastic. CR got to try Copper Creek salmon (from AK) which is at it's peak right now, she said it was very good. Our favorite meal, however, was at Cafe Campagne, yes it is French. It is at the Inn at the Market, a great little hotel with a beautiful view from the 7th floor. We had decided that we had to have French food together, so I did a little research, on line, and found this highly recommended. It was cozy but not over the top, though a French couple was seated next to us, allowing us to dream that we were in Paris. The food though...we split a chevre chaud salad (warm goat cheese on toasted French bread on a mixed greens salad), then I had steak frites (steak and fries) and CR got here mouth watering duck confit. Finally, for dessert, lavender ginger creme brulee. Need I say more??? Oh and we split a great bottle of malbec from the Cahors region (a place we visit together in France.) Well, after that amazing couple of hours we eschewed public transportation and made the much need walk to the hotel.
We had a great time together, though we usually do.

That's the Seattle wrap. Thanks for reading.

I have arrived!!

Just wanted to let you all know that I made it to the Great White North today. Everything went very smoothly, from the flight to getting into the apt., which was a worry, to the weather. It is beautiful here today @ 80 in the sun. Beats 95 in the shade in Davis. One of my roommates is training with me starting Sunday, the other 10 are already out on the road. SM (roommate) and I wondered around Anc (Anchorage) today getting a feel for the town, then dropped by the HAL (Holland America) office and ran into my pal from ITMI that was just returning from a tour. Great timing! EK, SM and I went to lunch, then he had paper work to do so SM & I went by the museum and are now hanging out. SM and I are getting along very well, she loves wine and wants to branch out with beer. Music to my ears. I think we are going grocery shopping later and relaxing for the rest of the day. Hopefully I will have the energy to catch you up on Seattle later.

Thanks for reading.

Thus far

So yes I left CBC at the end of March. It was difficult to say good bye to the people but not the work. Fortunately I left on great terms, my bosses were happy for me and very supportive and I still see my friends from time to time. I headed off to Ukiah to help my dad with the end of tax season, it was a good way to visit with both of my parents before I headed off to Alaska.

The rest of the spring was filled with spending time with my sister, nieces and friends, working for two companies giving 4th graders history tours of Sacramento and getting ready for K to move into my house. My niece was born on April 22nd and is beautiful. The older niece is also amazing and I have enjoyed being able to spend a lot of time with her that my old life would not have allowed.

So my big foray into the world of tour guiding has been with 4th graders. They are cute, still listen and want to learn. I spent many hours at the state capitol, Sutter's Fort, Old Sac, the Railroad Museum and Coloma seeing where gold was discovered. It was a great way to ease into the tribulations of dealing with people, time schedules and memorizing ridiculous amounts of information. It was all great and I learned so much.

I also got to "work" as a tour guide for Napa Valley Bike Tours leading biking wine tastings. Yes, biking and drinking wine, how much better could it be. That job is waiting for me when I return from Alaska and I look forward to seeing Napa Valley during harvest.

That is a short synopsis of my spring. Please comment, ask questions and pass the link along to someone that might be interested.

Thanks for reading.

Back Story

Welcome to my blog.

I had intended to start this months ago but as usual I procrastinated and now need to back track.
Here is the letter I sent out to many, a few months ago. It gives my history for those who don't know it.

Now that I have your attention, this is a small update to inform everyone of a very big change in my life. As many of you know I have been contemplating, dare I say dreaming of; find a way of traveling for my career. Well, after many years, much deliberation and an amazing amount of support, advice and encouragement, I am making the leap. As of March 23, I will no longer have the steady, dependable job at Capital Beverage Co. and will be facing the world of seasonal employment and a capricious industry. I am becoming a tour director.

Yes, tour director, guide, manager, whatever you want to call it. Though I didn’t take this leap without looking, that would be extremely out of character for me, and yes, a college degree does carry weight in this field. In December, I attended a two week course at the International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco and then went to their conference in January in Charleston, S.C. I made some great contacts and some even better friends. During the conference, we participated in what I call speed interviewing; I met with 11 tour companies for 8 minutes each. From those I received 3 follow-up interviews, all of which I received job offers from and have another possible interview at the end of March.

So following my departure from Capital Beverage Co. this is my plan. From March 28^th through June 10^th, I will work for WorldStrides and Educational Discoveries. Both companies handle the 4^th grade groups that come into Sacramento for the California History field trip. I will be leading tours of the Capitol, Railroad Museum, Sutter’s Fort, Old Sacramento and the Coloma gold discovery site. Also during this time I will be guiding wine tastings by bicycle in the Napa Valley for Napa Valley Bike Tours. Working for them will most likely be on the weekends and maybe if I get specially requested (hint). On June 15^th, I will head off on my biggest adventure, 3 months in Alaska leading land tours for Holland America Cruise Lines. After some training, I will be let loose on a bunch of unsuspecting tourists, leading them around the wilds of the Kenai Peninsula, Denali Nat’l Park, Anchorage and Fairbanks. I will be working long hours, with little time off but I can’t wait. After my return on September 21^st, I hope to work more for NVBT and find another company to work with through autumn. Fall foliage tours in the Northeast sounds like fun. I hope to celebrate a belated 35^th birthday in Paris in November or December with some friends and then head into the new year with great experience and hopefully a full work schedule.

I know I didn’t get too deep into the realities of these jobs but honestly I am still unsure of those myself, however, if people of have questions, I am happy to answer them. Also if you have suggestions on dealing with 4^th graders, must reads on Alaska, California history or Napa Valley and/or leads on future employment, I would love to hear about them. Below I have attached the websites for the companies I will be working for, if you are curious. Thanks for the support from everyone and I will keep people you posted on my adventures and send photos.

http://www.worldstrides.com/california/california.asp

http://www.educationaldiscoverytours.com/education.html

http://www.napavalleybiketours.com/

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-destinations/alaskayukon

Thanks for reading.

The Journey Begins

Hi Ho Hi Ho...it's off to Seattle I go. Touring and Visiting, Alaska awaits for me....