This morning I went up on deck to find that it was raining quite hard. It was interesting to see that the horizon melted into gray and that the end of the ocean couldn’t be seen. It is a little disheartening to see rain on this trip, but then, this is the great Alaskan wildnerness we are going to see and rain may be part of it. I hope not, but we shall see.
During our recent voyage to the Caribbean, one thing that was very evident was the intense turquoise blue color of the water. You sure don’t see that on most spots on the Pacific side of the planet. It was just gorgeous, and of course we loved going to the beach and playing in such clear and beautiful water.
Flying above the Gulf of Mexico was also an experience. I looked out my window, from 40,000 face and saw that same intense color of water. Looking at that water from that height, I wanted to return to St. Thomas, just recently visited. I hope someday maybe even to be able to afford a home there. Anybody want to go in on a time share?
Walking down a hallway on a cruise ship can be an illuminating experience. We were recently on Deck 14 on a ship, and for the length of the boat, approximately 3 football fields worth, the hallway ran straight and true. Not only do you not see that much in a building or vehicle on land, but also, the fact that they can build it straight and true for such a long distance is a demonstration of just how incredible the engineering and construction of one of these boats is. It is incredible that they can build ships that well, that carry so many people upon the face of the oceans, lakes, and rivers of the earth.
In 1492 Sailing the Ocean Blue
Having been on the ocean in the area that Columbus is said to have landed on and discovered in 1492, my mind was brought back to sailing in those days, versus sailing in these days. The ocean is so vast, the skyline marked by nothing but water, that one wonders how it was they sailed and found places in those days.
It is a real testimony to the spirit of those men that they could sail the ocean, using a sextant and their judgment, wind power, and wooden ships, and still get to where they needed to go. It is a miracle they found the new world.
Today we have computers aided by GPS navigation satellites that can tell a ship Captain exactly where the ship is within 5 feet. The same computer drives the ship propulsion and navigation systems to they can get to where they need to be right on time. We have miracles today too, but it is the mechanical kind rather than those that came from men with only bravery and a crude way of navigation.
Diverse Cultures But One Humanity
My travels around the world, as limited as they are, have taught me some important lessons. First, we have a lot of diverse cultures. I have loved going into new places and seeing how people live, and what they enjoy doing. On a beach in St. Marteen I heard several ladies, natives of that island I assume, talking Creole while we all were laying out on the beach. They were obviously having a good time. None of them were well off, but they have a unique culture.
Despite these differences in culture, all of us have the same basic desires. We love and treasure family. We want shelter, and want meaning in our work and in our existence. It has been a constant that is everywhere I visit. We live together in groups because we are interdependent on each other and need each other’s expertise. It is true that we are different, but also the same.
Cruise Ships Versus Troop Ships
I have had the privilege of being on a cruise ship. My dad was on a Troop Ship. What a difference they have been.
I have had luxurious accommodations, food that was second to none, entertainment, and a ship designed to minimize the amount of motion that an person would experience and therefore minimizing the chance of sea sickness.
My dad had a very different experience. His ship had food that was adequate but not fixed to tantalize the pallet. The ship rocked and rolled, and many good very sick from the motion of the ocean. Finally, the only entertainment was that which the men produced for themselves, and lights were out at night because it was the time of a World War, with the enemy often lurking underneath the sea in submarines. You feared that your ship might never make it to it’s destination. I have no doubt that we will arrive just in fine shape. Yes, my dad was a brave man, and he experienced the seven seas in a way different from me.
When you drive a car somewhere, hoping that you will get their close to the agreed upon time, you will inevitably be lucky if you arrive there within 15 minutes of the planned time. This is greatly aggravated if you are driving cross country for 500 to 1000 miles. Yet, you get on a cruise ship and the ship will leave port within 10 minutes of its scheduled departure time, and will arrive at the destination almost to the minute. How in the heck is this possible. Well, one reason is the use of GPS systems and computers. With computers able to link into a GPS satellite to locate itself on the face of the earth, and then have a computer that can quickly calculate the amount of speed, directional control, and outside forces like wind, it makes it so the computer can drive the ship much better than the old seaman used to, or us car drivers can do now. It is amazing to have the Captain tell you we will be docking at 7am in the morning, and then actually do what they tell you the ship will do.
I hate traveling during the winter. I am getting older, and it shows in my huge distaste for traveling during the winter. On Saturday we traveled from Payson to Laramie and it was just crazy, traveling through the huge storms, out in the middle of nowhere. I just hate the worry of whether we are going to end up in a ditch somewhere. We were traveling through snow so thick that I could barely see the reflectors on the side of the road. Trucks would come by (in a hurry of course) and cause a whiteout. It wears on you in a hurry, and I have 500 miles of this to go through when we travel in the winter. I am hoping that I can move somewhere warm in the winter and not have to deal with snow forever more.
Recently I have been cruising on the Atlantic Ocean in the Crown Princess. Usually I was no more than a 100 to 150 feet above sea level. On the Grand Turk island, I was all of maybe 10 feet above sea level (you could easily see the ocean on both sides of the island as we approached the island on the ship.
The thing that is hard to believe is that I also saw a picture I had taken in Kingman, Arizona. That sign said, “This spot is 3333.33 above Sea Level. It is so interesting to realize the variety of landscapes, the differences in altitude, and the differences in plants and animals that inhabit this good earth.
And I Thought Wyoming Was Windy
Recently I was on the Sun Deck of the Crown Princess in the Caribbean Sea. It was so windy. The wind was whipping across the deck, hitting me in the face and blowing doors shut. All of a sudden I was comparing this desert called an ocean with the desert called Wyoming. Both are just so windy, in fact I would stay that the ocean, based upon the three trips that I have been on, are perhaps the most windy places I have ever seen before.
Why is that the case? I just realized that all of the geography lessons may actually mean something. I remembered that the “trade winds”, as these winds may be, or caused by the warming of huge masses of air. They are also caused by the rotation of the earth, and the blessing of these winds allowed our ancestors to cross the ocean when they didn’t have the blessing of a huge engine room that developed the power to drive the screws that drive the ship. It was a wonderful revelation. Yes, I have come to the conclusion that the plains of Wyoming are nice and wild and windy. Moreover, I love the wild windy ocean. I love the site of the waves breaking against the side of the ship. I love the dolphins jumping out of the water, and watching the ocean fish doing the same thing. I love the wild windy ocean.