The Great 2021 Escape!

Adventures West by train and ship…destination Alaska!

By Ellen Carpenter

Every adventure needs a backstory and here is mine: 2019 was a travel year to remember! My second full retirement year from AppState found me traveling to Egypt (see blog pages for January, 2019) with Road Scholars, and Israel (blog pages May, 2019) with Milligan College alumni. In October I took in a special photography class and trip to West Virginia with Road Scholars and Mountaineer Photographer, Ron Gaskins. (Mountaineer Photo Excursions).

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Retuning from my time in West Virginia, my daughter, Lori, got me in touch with Donna McNeil from Wilkesboro, NC about going on a music bus tour with my favorite singing group, Scythian, to Ireland. What a great road trip. (See blog pages for November, 2019).

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2020: I was “in the groove” for travel, I had booked a trip with an ASU colleague for the Summer adventure to Poland and signed up for a February Photo adventure with Ron and Amanda (Mountaineer Photo Adventures) to the Golden Isles of Georgia! Such great opportunities for photos that I didn’t have time to write. Here are a few photos:

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My last 2020 adventure was on February 29 (Leap year day) for a Scythian concert at Beech Mountain with the largest group, over 250, that I was to be with in 2020…

Then COVID-19 HIT!

The rest of 2020 is somewhat of a blur as I had groceries delivered, attended church on ZOOM, read and re-read some great books and took walking photo excursions on two deserted campuses. (Good News: my 2020 trip to Poland has been rescheduled for 2022)

A Traveler must dream and plan, so early in 2020 I investigated the idea of train travel across the US. I love train travel. I’ve traveled by train in England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Egypt, and from NC to NYC many times. I checked out Amtrak for their USA Pass. Talking about my ideas to my cousins, Harriet and Bruce James, in WV in October, 2020 started our BIG Escape Plan. We would get a 45 day pass, travel across the country visit Glacier National Park, travel down California, rent a car to see California, and back again to Chicago by way of AZ and NM and the Grand Canyon renting a car again to see the sights. Then Amtrak pulled the pass with a promise to put it up again soon.

The next two trips to WV became planning trips as soon as Amtrak released their limited time only 2021 USA pass for 30 days of travel with 10 trip segments for only $299. What a deal! We were on our way for FALL 2021! Then plans had to change again, Summer brought Fires to California and big covid numbers to the Southwest. The trip across the northern states to Glacier National Park and Seattle was still on, but what about the other days we had planned. Bruce and Harriet had been on a Holland American cruise to Alaska and checked about a trip in September.

Bruce booked the last trip to Alaska for September 25th and the three of us will now travel from White Sulfur Springs (WSS) at the Greenbrier to Chicago on Wednesday the 22nd and arrive in Seattle to board the ship for seven wonderful days of adventures.

Before you ask, the cruise is for vaccinated adults only. Each person must show valid proof of vaccination and a 48 hour or less negative covid test to board the ship. Inside the ship there will be a mask requirement and we will get a second covid test halfway through the cruise. The train also requires masks 24/7 except when eating. (there goes my diet!) Harriet, Bruce and I have all had our booster and flu shots. Photo of the three of us coming soon!

Schedule:

* Train to Seattle by way of Chicago Sept. 22-25 (our longest time on the train)

*Holland American Cruise to Alaska Sept. 25-Oct. 2

*Seattle October 2-6

*Train to Glacier National Park Oct 6-7

*Glacier National Park with my brother Ray Stahl Oct. 7-11

*Train to Chicago October 11-12

*Chicago October 12-16

*Train to White Sulfur Springs, WV Oct 16-17

More to follow!