Expedition or Vacation?

"The essential question about travel is: Why? Perhaps you've dreamed of Kenya ever since seeing Out of Africa as a child, or want to meet your distant relatives in Ireland, or long to see a lemur in the wild. A journey away from something -- work, stress, societal norms that frown on drinking before 10:00 A.M. -- is a vacation. A journey toward something -- a trip with an objective -- is an expedition." ~Mark Adams

I found this quote in the second chapter of Tip of the Iceberg by Mark Adams. Isn't it lovely? Don't you want to take both kinds of trips? T&L are setting out today for a trip that sort of sits straight in the middle of a vacation and an expedition. I have always, ALWAYS, wanted to go up the Inside Passage.  I've been to Alaska countless times, but with the exception of one trip, most of my time has been within a day trip of Anchorage. In the sense that I am finally going to set my eyes on part of Alaska that I've been wondering about for so long, we're going on an expedition! But...we are going on a cruise ship. :) That right there takes some of the adventure out of it, but it does insert days at sea where there is nothing to do but play cards, read books, and sit around and do nothing but have a vacation! So, our journey, will be a little bit of both (how perfect is that?).

I'm only half way through Tip of the Iceberg, but I am enjoying reading about Mark Adams' expedition (in the truest sense of the word). The author follows the path of the Elder in 1899, drawing parallels between his journey and the original.  The Elder was a ship taken by Edward Harriman to survey the Alaskan coast. On the ship, in addition to family and friends were a deep collection of scientists, including John Muir, who would lead conservation efforts in the coming years in Alaska and beyond.

You know when I'm dipping in to history and I haven't even left Cannon Beach yet, that I'm PSYCHED! I haven't packed yet, so that's a small detail, but T&L are out of here in just a few hours! We're anticipating beautiful scenery, fantastic shore excursions, and joys not yet discovered! We hope you'll be along for the ride!

Now I seriously do have to go pack...