Even a Long Ride in a Motorcoach Can Be Amusing

I know the Yukon Territory and Alaska are large land masses but I didn't appreciate how much ground we would cover on our trip until we were actually doing it. The two longest stretches that we covered by motorcoach (motorcoach, not bus) were from Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon (340 miles) and from Tok to Fairbanks, Alaska (206 miles). Even if the motorcoach is comfortable, the only memorable impression I generally have after a long trip in one of them is a flat spot on my butt. This trip was different because of our engaging and fun-loving tour leaders: Adam Johnson, Mike Harris, Jeannie Robertson and Micha Pauza.

Adam Johnson was our Tour Director who was incredibly organized, always had a smile on his face and was bound and determined that we not get bored. On one of our long stretches in the motorcoach, he decided that we should all participate in the Moose Migration Exercise. All forty of us were given a piece of paper and asked to write our name at the top of it. He then asked us to draw the body of a moose -- just the body, nothing more. We were then told to pass our paper to the person behind us. Adam then requested that we draw the front legs on the moose and pass the paper to the person behind us. This went on for a while and we were all doing just fine until he asked us to draw the dewlap on the moose. The what??? It was hilarious to see how many different versions of dewlap this crowd came up with. The finale was when we had to write a poem about our moose. Needless to say, we drew some pretty odd-looking moose and at the end of this exercise I was laughing so hard my sides were about to burst. To give you an idea, take a look at Colleen's Moose and Steve's Moose. My moose has both udders and antlers --- go figure!

Mike Harris was our driver/guide and had some interesting stories to tell about Alaska. I was particularly amused by his tale about dressing up in a moose costume because he wanted to be sure his guests actually saw some wildlife in Alaska. There are many more men than women in Alaska and Mike warned the women that although the odds are good, the goods are odd in Alaska. There are two seasons in Alaska: winter and construction. Did you know that if you split Alaska into three states at low tide, Texas would be the fourth largest state in the union? While in Canada, Mike entertained us with a song by The Arrogant Worms called Rocks and Trees.

Jeannie Robertson and Micha Pauza did a wonderful job telling us about all of the interesting Alaska cruisetours that Holland America offers. They are 10 to 20 days long, include a 3 to 7 day cruise, showcase different areas of the Yukon and Alaska and include accommodations from remote Alaskan lodges to luxury resorts. After taking this trip, I'm convinced that Holland America offers a cruisetour for everybody and that people will really miss a big part of Alaska's heart and soul if they choose to take the cruise only.

Here is photo that was taken by one of our guides at the Alaska/Yukon Territory border:

Answers to two questions I know are on your mind:

1. What's the difference between a motorcoach and a bus? A motorcoach has a bathroom. I used it only once and by chance I happened to choose a moment when we were bumping along on one of the roughest sections of the Alaska Highway. Let me just say that it was one heck of a wild ride back there in the toilette.

2: Dewlap: A long, round flap of skin and hair that hangs from a moose's neck.