Where time has no meaning

So much to say! So much has been done, seen and felt since I last had access to a computer (God bless Homewood Suites and free internet). Aside from the constant feeling of rocking earned by three nights on a ferry boat, I'm experiencing another new feeling. Time has no meaning in Alaska, at least in the summer, and especially on a ferry boat. The sun doesn't set, it doesn't rise, the days are perpetually cloudy and there are no appointments to make. Even eating becomes a matter for when the stomach declares it to be an issue, not when you "ought" to eat. I learned this the hard way when I started getting grumpy and hungry without understanding why until I looked at the clock and realized it had been many hours since I last ate.

Sleeping can follow this path too. We were scheduled to come into Prince William Sound, a lovely area by all accounts, very early in the morning so instead of going to bed early, I took a nap when nothing much was happening, woke up when Peter came in with reports of tons of porpoises (which were mostly gone by the time I got out, sadly) and a lifting of the clouds so that that mountains could be seen. So we stayed up until midnight, watching the sun set ever so slowly over the Gulf of Alaska, then woke up five hours later to see the incredible mountains and glaciers of Prince William Sound (no orcas though).

Even now, as I type, I am refreshed from a nap that I took after a shower in our lovely hotel room, awake at 11:30 PM so that I can use the busy business center for this little update. With any luck, I should also have some pictures to post as well.

I'm afraid my sleeping schedule will be even more off this far north, as the sky apparently is only dark for about an hour, but unlike on the ship, there is much to do here and certain times where things happen. May you all sleep well tonight!