Showing posts with label Skagwy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skagwy. Show all posts

Monday, July 13, 2015

Summer Time - Who says the living is Easy?




By: Marcia King-Gamble
www.lovemarcia.com



It’s hot and muggy in Florida and the mosquitoes are out in full force. It gets even worse come August where the only respite is air conditioning and a dip in a lukewarm pool.  Now I know why so many people live six months of the year here and travel to cooler climates come spring.



Speaking of travel, it seems that lately I’ve been living my life on airplanes. Last month I vacationed in Alaska (not my first time there.) In a previous life, I spent many a summer in places like Anchorage, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Back in the day, I flew hunky men back and forth to Fairbanks. Oh, those were the days.



This trip, though, was about rest and relaxation. I met up with a friend in Seattle and we took the coach to Vancouver for the wonderful scenic ride.  No bears in sight, and not even a glimpse of a moose. Our cruise departed from Canada Place in Vancouver. For me, embarkation was a bittersweet experience. In my role as Director of Guest Satisfaction with a cruise line, those employees would have reported to me.





But it was good to be back in the Pacific Northwest and touring several of my favorite cities.  My first stop, Juneau; one of the bigger Alaska cities is known for the Mendenhall Glacier. I passed on going there this time around.  Not so, on a visit to The Red Dog; a Juneau staple where the entertainment is hilarious and the Alaskan ales cold.





Skagway, next on our list, is rich in history. The Gold Rush Cemetery (morbid as it sounds) is a favorite place to visit. In 1898, town hero, Frank Reid fatally shot crime boss, Soapy Smith in what is now known  as The Shootout on Juneau Wharf. The fight was testosterone driven over who would control Skagway during the Klondike Gold Rush. The bright spot here is your walk through the cemetery ends at the most serene waterfall.



Onto Glacier Bay where the Glaciers are eroding.  It's a spectacular sight but sad in its own way. Aren’t these pictures spectacular?




Last, but not least, we arrived in rainy Ketchikan. This time it wasn’t raining, but it did drizzle that afternoon. Ketchikan is known for its totem poles. We passed on salmon spawning but did tour Annie Watkins’ (a black woman from Arkansas) house of ill repute and I learned that in her day, the silver dollar was used like a diaphragm to prevent pregnancies.



Two weeks later, North Carolina here I come. I enjoyed a rather hectic Independence weekend. Now I am back and packing for New York and the Romance Writers of America conference. I am so looking forward to catch up with friends and hearing what’s new in our industry. If there are changes I’ll let you know. 





Speaking of new, my novella, Islands Apart should be released shortly. It was originally part of a Box Set that didn’t work out. The setting is Hawaii and the hunky hero is a disgraced football player. Look for Islands Apart at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and wherever e books are sold. Isn’t the cover designed by Jay Aheer, pretty?

The adventures are hardly over. There’s a weekend cruise planned for August and a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina for Labor Day.

Where are you traveling to this summer?

Romantically Yours,

Marcia

http://amzn.to/1Hrosxz



Marcia King-Gamble is a National Bestseller of 28 novels and 5 novellas. Marcia originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. She is a world traveler.