Milwaukee, WI
We flew red-eye to board the Viking Octantis in Milwaukee. After
dropping our carry-on in our room, we hiked to the 5th floor to
check out the public accommodations.
Craig & Patty raised a glass to celebrate the first trip on
an Explorer-class vessel. Patty shed her jacket and visited the
World Cafe.
On this floor there is a common Living Room where people can meet and relax. On the deck outside there is plenty of room to view your surroundings.
Craig & Patty walked to their rooms on deck 3, changed, and went to the spa to relax after their overnight trip.
They decided they needed to make time each day to visit the various spa facilities. It was never crowded and included a sauna, with various types of showers along with the heated pool and concrete recliners.
Every facility was included for all passengers, so we took full advantage.
The following day we took a bus tour of Milwaukee.
On our way we passed a famous statue of 'The Fonze' from Happy Days. The series was set in Milwaukee, as was Laverne & Shirley.
This is really a water tower, not some kind of medieval fortress. It, along with the tiled one on the Vacations page, were the most unique water towers we have ever seen.
We stopped and toured the Pabst Mansion - a Flemish Renaissance Revival-styled home, popular among the wealthy in the 1890s. Here we see the view as our bus stopped - along with the formal dining room and the conservatory, where the family relaxed, away from formal activities.
The final stop was at the Harley Davidson Headquarters, where we wandered through the museum - everything you wanted to know about the evolution of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Saying goodbye to Milwaukee by way of the Memorial Bridge - and numerous seagulls, we left in the afternoon and stopped next to our sister ship - Polaris. We got these panoramic pictures and she then took our place in port. She had been tendering her passengers ashore during the day, but they were able to walk on in the evening.
Viking Octantis - The Hanger
After leaving the Port of Milwaukee, we got a chance to visit the purely scientific part of the ship in the stern. We were not able to visit this area during any other part of the voyage, so we took full advantage of this opportunity. The crew call this area The Hanger, because all the smaller seagoing craft are stored there. They have 17 Zodiacs, too many kayaks to count, two Special Operations Boats (SOBs), two pilot-like craft, and two submarines - along with the required lifeboats mounted on the side of the ship.
As you can see, The Hanger is quite large. Above are some of the Zodiacs and you can see one of the side hull doors in the left photo. On this cruise, the Zodiacs were the only water vehicles we were able to experience, but it was really fun. These are heavily used in the Artic and Antarctic cruises.
Above Patty's head and the Zodiacs, you can make out a classroom/office and we took turns attending a talk there.
Kayaks were stored wherever they would fit in, as you can see.
Below you can see Patty on the Special Operations Boat. These are very large, very powerful boats that are used to move people longer distances/bigger moves than the other craft. Patty is demonstrating how you hold on and put you hand out to feel the wind flying by.
This submarine is the most exotic craft on board and the two on this ship and two on the sister ship are the only ones in the world on commercial ships and available to the general public. They can go to 1000 feet down and are used to examine the ocean floor.
A safety requirement was that the crew had to be able to get all these craft into the water in 30 minutes - in case of emergency. This is one reason why the ship could launch the larger craft from the rear of the ship and the other craft out two huge doors in the stern part of the ship. I watched them bring a Zodiac aboard - not an emergency - via these side doors and it was very interesting how it was done. Each craft is thoroughly washed off before being loaded into the ship, to keep organisms from being spread throughout the ship's journey.
Mackinac Island, MI
Day 3 started as a very foggy day - we couldn't see 50 feet beyond the Octantis. We had been told Mackinac Island was a jewel and we would get some spectacular pictures. We did get some good photos, but a return trip is necessary to see the full beauty.
The day did get better - at least we were in the very early season and there weren't a lot of tourists, so we could move around. We were told the winter population is 500, but up to 10,000 are on the island in the summer. All this and cars are not allowed - electric bicycles are the current scourge for the local population and riders are limited to Class 1 bikes - no throttle capacity, only pedal-assist.
We had a tour guide walking through the city - horses and bicycles had right-of-way over pedestrians.
Briefly the fog lifted and we got this shot of Ft. Mackinac. Valuable in its time, it is now the Boy Scouts who help tourists around the museum.
Our guide advised us that Arch Rock was a must see attraction, but she wasn't going there, so we left her and hiked about a mile out of town - finding there were an additional 280 steps up before we could view this natural wonder.
As you can see, the fog reestablished its hold on the area by the time we started up the steps. It seemed to take forever and when we got to the top a couple of horse drawn carriages were depositing tourists who didn't want to make the climb.
The ground in the center of the hillside was softer than the outer wall, so over time erosion hollowed out this round hole called Arch Rock.
By this time it was late morning and we started to get hungry. Just before we left our guide, she told us that a somewhat hidden spot, right on the harbor - the Watercolor Cafe - was a good place to eat. We found it and enjoyed a sandwich and the view.
Behind Patty is the center of the city, with Ft. Mackinac on the hill.
While the majority of the flowers were about two weeks away, it was still a colorful scene in at the Mission Point Resort.
Here's what the center of town looked like. Bicycles and horses ruled the day.
Alpena, MI
The following morning we woke up off the shore of Alpena in Thunder Bay. Again we had to tender into the town.
We had signed up for a walking tour of Alpena an it turned out it was a typical small town and the landscape was as flat as Florida. The location was in Thunder Bay, famous for ill weather and ships foundering in the nearby waters.
The Flatiron building shown here was the most significant landmark, but it looks so different from the Flatiron Building in New York, as it has no real building surrounding it.
On the walk back along the river we saw a number of ducklings. Apparently it is unusual to find this may ducklings surviving this long in nature. We over the pedestrian bridge seen in the background and past the Alpena water tower.
The tour ended at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Inside a replica schooner named Western Hope was constructed as if it were foundering in a storm. This picture shows Patty at the helm, facing towards the stern???
We shot this picture of the Octantis while taking the tender back. Note the bow, for cutting through ice.
Weather Balloon Release
Detroit was a day-and-a-half away so we spent the afternoon in the spa - Craig in the hot tub open to the outside and the sauna, Patty in the Snow Grotto. Craig seems to need to ease up on the eating, but that's for when we get home. Patty was shocked at first, but she did come back for more at a later time. No Snow Grotto for Craig.
Later we attended a talk in the two-story auditorium in the stern of the ship, above The Hanger. In the evening the moon was large and we were scheduled to release a weather balloon at the same time as other official weather locations were to release them around the world. We were tracking many different data points and GPS locations, all the way to 24 kilometers, where the balloon exploded 1.5 hours later. After the release we went down to the 2nd floor science area where the computers were set up to track and report the data.
Detroit, MI
We docked, literally, in front of the famous GM headquarters and took this shot of the waterfront. GM is selling their buildings here, but it is still iconic.
Our tour this day was to the Henry Ford Museum of Innovation. There were many famous old cars, but the Kennedy limo and Rosa Parks bus were front and center. Patty even got to sit in the seat Rosa Parks did. It wasn't the 'White Only' section then, but a mixed section where 'Blacks' were asked to move from if too many 'Whites' boarded. Yes, the Kennedy limo did have a top placed on it for Presidents Johnson and Nixon.
This is the earliest race car Ford ever made (#999). Henry Ford drove it once and indicated he would never drive it again.
The exploded version of the Ford Model T showed that one of the manufacturing innovations was how really simple they were able to make the car.
Point Pelee, Canada
The next morning we were off Point Pelee National Park of Canada. Point Pelee is the southernmost point of mainland Canada. This is the 42nd parallel and there are 23 states that are located north of this point. On the West Coast this point is south of the northern border of California.
After a customs inspection we were to be tendered to a beach aboard Zodiacs. The first step was to launch a number of Zodiacs for the Expedition crew to take ashore and be sure all things were ready for our landing and to transport everything needed for a lunch BBQ to be cooked ashore. It looked like a bunch of black seagulls scattering all over in the early morning, before they all took off for the beach.
There were about 7-8 people loaded on to each Zodiac, along with the operator and we headed to the beach. There was a specific procedure for stepping into the Zodiac from the ship and another for 'swinging our legs over the side' and getting off on the beach.
We took a bus from the beach to the Visitor's Center. No cars were permitted beyond this point. We then boarded a tram, taking it as far as it could go without damaging the environment. Then we had to hike the remainder of the way to the southern tip.
It was near the end of the Spring northward bird migration and we were disappointed we didn't see more different types of birds. We were told some of the most dense and varied bird migrations happen through this part of the Great Lakes.
However, the vegetation was both dense and varied, so it made up for not seeing as many birds as we had hoped.
The French originally settled this part of North America and named this Point Pelee - the bald point. As dense as the forest was, it suddenly ended and there was nothing but sand from there to the end. This is because this area is constantly expanding and receding - the lake/ocean makes sure nothing takes root here. That and the heavy rip tides from both sides make sure nothing wants to stay here very long.
Of course Patty has to make it to the very tip - she is also in the picture to the left.
On our way back we saw this Special Operations Boat (SOB) taking some passengers around. We tried, but couldn't get on this tour.
This is a good picture of Craig on the way back to the ship after our 2nd Zodiac tour.
Our shore side activities over, we approached the ship, with the last photo showing Patty being helped onboard.
Niagara Falls, Canada
Niagara Falls is actually three falls in one, two on the American side (American Falls & Bridal Veil Falls) and the largest (Horseshoe Falls) on the Canadian side.
The smallest, Bridal Veil, was used to keep water flowing when the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers sealed off the American Falls for repairs and study in 1969. Since that time a good part of the falls have been diverted to hydroelectric power and one result is the massive reduction in the erosion rate of the falls. If not for this, the falls could recede into Lake Erie and empty much of the Great Lakes in our children's lifetimes.
We took an elevator down from the street to the base of the falls, using the large concrete structure on the left above. A funicular is also used to transport people. After we boarded our boat and set out for a dousing in Horseshoe Falls. We quickly got the great view of the Rainbow Bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada.
The mist almost took over the area around American Falls and we spotted another boat, taking people over near Bridal Vale Falls to get off, hike up, and actually walk behind the falls.
Here we see Craig & Patty, with ponchos on, preparing to get wet while getting up close and personal with Horseshoe Falls. A wet and fun time was had by all - except those who chose to stay inside the boat cabin.
On our way back to the boat dock, we saw this rainbow. Most sunny days rainbows are all over the area, but this was ours and we took advantage of the momentary opportunity to take this picture.
Then it was back to our buses and back to the ship - after a stop near the huge Canadian hydroelectric power plant - to continue our trip on the Welland Canal.
Welland Canal, Canada
Our last event was transiting the Welland Canal. We had arrived early in the morning - before the Niagara Falls tour - and started our journey in the late afternoon.
There are eight locks, with a maximum width of 78' and a drop/rise in each lock between 43' and 49'. It is truly amazing to see a huge freighter being raised over 40' in just a few minutes. Patty and Craig watched this one early in the evening.
After the freighter was leaving the lock beside us, Octantis started to drop. It was a bit scary, as we had our room window open and could actually reach out and touch the wall seeming to rise up beside us.
This experience watching a freighter rise up, then our own ship sink over 40 feet in the canal really makes you realize what an engineering marvel canal locks really are. The Panama Canal - which we traversed last year - isn't as awe-inspiring because you are farther from the canal walls and the drops don't seem as great. Perhaps it is just that those ships are bigger than what can fit through this canal, so you feel more removed.
There are different kinds of bridges spanning the canal. From draw bridges to lift bridges, each has its own reason for being. The lift bridges - shown in this picture - impose a height limit on ships in the canal. Our ship did not come close to this limit.
Our early morning arrival yielded this view of the Toronto skyline.
We had time to grab a quick breakfast and leave the ship. Most of our luggage had been transferred to the airport, so we boarded a bus, endured an awful traffic jam - accident just before our turnoff - and caught our non-stop flight back to Los Angeles.
This trip certainly has been more than we envisioned when we booked it last year. Another bucket list item checked off and another added to the list - Antarctica.