You’ll never get me on a cruise. Unless it’s to ALASKA! Recap and New PTR Link! 2/1

[1moremile]

Okay, I have to interrupt this intellectual report to say that I have a visual image of a 50's group in my head - matching yellow turtlenecks and white buckskin shoes - maybe that was early 60's? Smokey Robinson???

Did someone say Smokey Robinson? Just saw him this summer at Hoosier Park in Anderson Indiana...AWESOME!! The 71-year-old-man can still shake it!

http://youtu.be/IjcoESc-mJU

Back on topic...I am LOVING this TR! Would love to take a trip like this sometime. your pics are absolutely beautiful!

 

[eandesmom]

Did someone say Smokey Robinson? Just saw him this summer at Hoosier Park in Anderson Indiana...AWESOME!! The 71-year-old-man can still shake it!

http://youtu.be/IjcoESc-mJU

Back on topic...I am LOVING this TR! Would love to take a trip like this sometime. your pics are absolutely beautiful!

I remember seeing him on Idol and being VERY impressed. He's still got it for sure.

Thanks so much!!!!!!! I'll get another update up this week, promise!

 

[Stefy]

Oooh zip lining looks like so much fun and what an awesome setting for it

 

[eandesmom]

Oooh zip lining looks like so much fun and what an awesome setting for it

it really was!!!

 

[eandesmom]

So where did we go to celebrate our successful zipline?
Well…..

Mary Ellen called it.

The Skagway Brewing Company!

I’d actually done a little homework before our trip. Jeff and I, being the good Pacific Northwesterners we are, are semi beer snobs. We like a good microbrewery beer and specifically, a good IPA (India Pale Ale). Which, is not for everyone. No matter, more for us. On the way up to ziplining our wonderful guides had mentioned they could drop folks wherever on the way back. We mentioned where we were thinking about going. You’d have thought we mentioned we were joining their cult. Because apparently, they are fans. BIG time fans. DUDE, that’s so cool, we LOVE that places. We will TOTALLY take you there. Actually we are all going there anyways as this is our last run. Our kids know this about us, in fact my entire family fits into the description of beer snob, geek, whatever you want to call it. Larger family parties are often about who got the coolest most esoteric hardest to procure pony (or whatever the smaller one is called) keg. I digress. Here’s the thing though. Good pubs, with good beer, generally have really good food and are often quite family friendly. I’d done enough research to know this would work for all of us and our kids know enough to realize that they love these places. Not just to eat but…for the homemade rootbeer or sasparilla! Yes…you may recall now that we made such a stop in Vancouver on our way up and the kids shared the joys of a hand crafted root beer with random strangers from Britain. Skagway Brewing Company had rave reviews all around and most importantly (for us) an IPA on tap.

Though this had been discussed on the way to ziplining, it was of course discussed again, on the way down. On our tour, as I think I mentioned, was a dad and his 2 boys (I think they were 13 and 15 maybe?) who live not far from us. His boys got ramped up in the van about the Brewing Company and talked their dad into going there as well.

It has been updated a bit

Then

Now

Notice the sign? “I’m a Lebowski”? Apparently they do a Big Lebowski party that our guides were intimately acquainted with.

Once inside we got settled and placed our orders. Beyond the delights of homemade rootbeer, the boys wanted a snack. Dinner was still a good 3 hours away so…why not! Jeff however kept trying to steal their treat.

Evan looks less than thrilled about Jeff’s actions it doesn’t he!

That reminds me of…MINE MINE MINE!

The adults were equally content

We had the most lovely server. If memory serves, she goes to Western Washington University which is in Bellingham, Wa. Not far from us, we passed through it on the way to Vancouver and had stopped there for lunch on the way back from Whistler just the month prior. She asked us if we were on one of the cruise ships and then “are you on the Disney Cruise?”
We said that yes, in fact we were. She got this big smile and said “Friday is our favorite day!” Before we could ask why, she told us that it was because that was the day the Wonder came into port. Apparently this was her 2nd summer working at the Skagway Brewing Company. When the staff heard Disney was coming they were very apprehensive, expecting tons of spoiled and whining little ones with demanding indulgent parents. She said instead, the Wonder passengers were by far the nicest, most courteous and happiest and just a pleasure to wait on and their children the best behaved! She said it really seemed like the Wonder’s passengers loved their experience onboard and it reflected in their attitudes in port.

She asked what we thought of it and we gave her our glowing reviews of our experience to date. It was such a nice, unsolicited compliment (that she obviously included us in) that it really made our little stop that much more special. Which really was icing on the cake. The beer was very good, the wings outstanding and the rootbeer a perfect old fashioned sarsaparilla style. Knowing we were hop heads (and being a kindred spirit) she suggested we stop at the Red Onion Saloon and try the Harmon IPA which they had at the Red Onion but not at Skagway (who understandably only sold their own beers). “Harmon? “ we asked, we knew of Harmon, it is in Pendleton Oregon. Not what we expected to find in Alaska! Yep. Harmon.

Huh. Well ok...it is a Northwestern Beer at least and with those reviews, we were curious! Mind you we'd had a rather lengthy discussion of the merits of various IPA's, this girl knew her hops and she definitely got us interested. Plus I thought it was cool she'd recommend a "competitor".

With that it was time to head out. A quick stop in the store procured me a new pint glass as my first official souvie of the trip. It wasn’t of the IPA we’d so enjoyed but it referenced the Chilkoot trail which I thought was cool so I picked that one up. Walking back down the main drag we spotted this.

Some of you may recognize this, we sure did.

Rainier Brewing Company (1884–1999) was a Seattle, Washington, company that brewed Rainier Beer, a popular brand in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Although Rainier was founded in 1884, the Seattle site had been brewing beer since 1878. While the beer enjoys near iconic status, it is no longer brewed in Seattle, nor is the company owned locally. In the late 1990s, the company was sold to Stroh's, then to Pabst Brewing Company, though Miller contract brews most of Pabst's beers. The brewery was closed by Pabst in 1999 and sold.

In 2010, Emerald City Beer Company rented and renovated a portion of the building, brewing the first batch of beer from the Old Rainier Brewery in 11 years on September 23. The brewery itself is a well-known fixture in the south end of town, adjacent to I-5 just north of the Spokane Street Viaduct. The plant is also home to the Tully's Coffee headquarters, Bartholomew Winery, Red Soul Motorcycle Fabrications, as well as artist lofts, band practice spaces, and a recording studio. The trademark red neon "R" that sat atop the building was replaced with a green "T" when Tully's was using the plant to roast coffee. The neon "R" is now in the collection of Seattle's Museum of History and Industry. (Let me tell you, a LOT of people were really upset that anyone would dare replace the R and for me, working at Starbucks at the time, it bordered on sacrilegious!)

Following the repeal of prohibition, the brewery was purchased by Lethbridge, Alberta brewers Fritz and Emil Sick, who then repurchased the Rainier brand and began brewing Rainier in 1935. The brewery went through several names, such as Sick's Seattle Brewing and Malting and Sicks Rainier Brewing Company, during the 1935–1977 period

"Rainier Beer" after the end of Prohibition and its advertisements became ubiquitous in the Seattle-Tacoma area, a rumor began circulating that the brewery's owner, Emil Sick, had bribed a Washington state committee with free beer to name the local mountain "Rainier". This, however, is an urban legend and can still be heard today among Tacoma residents who preferred the alternate name of "Mount Tacoma". Sick did, however, purchase the local baseball team and named them the Seattle Rainiers for this purpose.


What I really remember though, is the ads. The beer, to me, was never memorable. The ads though, pure marketing genius. I can still picture the running of the MFR's!

During the 1970s, Rainier ran a number of memorable television ads in the Pacific Northwest, largely conceived by Seattle designer Terry Heckler, assisted by several of his staff, especially Ed Leimbacher, writer/producer for Rainier print, radio and TV for a dozen years.

Some of these surrealist advertisements noted by Seattle Magazine included the Running of the MFRs (Mountain Fresh Rainiers)(a parody of Running of the Bulls featuring bottles with legs), frogs that croaked "Rainier Beer" (a motif appropriated many years later by Budweiser), Mickey Rooney appeared in several TV ads, most notably a parody of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald's "Indian Love Call" from the 1936 MGM film "Rose Marie". Mickey was dressed in a Mountie costume alongside his wife Jan as they sang. (most airings of this commercial ended with Rooney pouring a bottle of Rainier into her proffered glass, but occasionally a version was aired in which he poured the beer into her cleavage). A motorcycle that revved "raiiiiiiiii-nieeeeeeeer-beeeeeeeer" while zooming by along a mountain road. (A version of this commercial played on radio featured the sounds of different brands of motorcycles making the "rainier beer" revving sound.)

Other ads featured a Lawrence Welk double (played by actor Pat Harrington Jr.) leading his band in "The Wunnerful Rainier Waltz" complete with bubble machine and soloists blowing on beer bottles, and a performance of a parody of the song "You're the Tops" while thousands of Rainier bottle caps fell like dominoes in a giant "R" frame (the whole commercial was reportedly shot on the first take, a great relief since it took all day to set up). Rainier also produced humorous posters such as a "National Beergraphic" parody of a National Geographic Magazine cover depicting tourists encountering a MFR in the forest, and a Flash Gordon/Star Wars poster, "Fresh Wars" that recalled the bar scene in Episode 4. There were even costumed MFRs that made promotional appearances at Supermarkets during this period.

Other ads featured were due with cultural icons of movies, televisions and spokespeople. Two of the ads were in reference of popular Saturday Night Live skits: one featuring a Gilda Radner lookalike in her role as Roseanne Roseanneadanna in a Weekend Update skit for Rainier Lite commercial. Another was featuring a parody of the Coneheads called the R-Heads, with Rainier 'R' logos on the top of their heads. Two commercials that feature Tarzan where his yell is "Raaaiiinn-iiieeer!". A commercial that features a silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock who morphs into a beer bottle. A commercial that features a John Houseman imitator when Houseman at the time was a spokesperson for McDonald's. Another series features a Lee Iacocca impersonator walking through stacks of beer cans. One last series of commercials was the Rambo like character called "R-bo", played by Dan Roland. The commercials were filmed in three parts; only two of those commercials were aired. The third commercial was never aired, because Rainier Brewery was bought out by another brewing company.

These ads were part of my childhood (sad I know), I can still picture them. So to see rainier bottles was a major WHOA!

There was a cool little blurb about it being distributed during the gold rush, how it got to Alaska and all that. There was even a mock bar next door, wax statues and all!

Northwest beer trivia over, we meandered down. The Red Onion is literally on the end of the street, practically staring at our berth. The E’s were done. Which might imply we’d been out boring them out of their minds during the hour we'd been at the Brewing Company, the reality was…there was a movie they wanted to see that was starting soon. Namely
Cars 2 It had already started. They didn't care.

We really wanted to try that IPA.

Evan asked, “why can’t we just go get on the ship and you guys have your beer?”

Well…

“Pretty sure you can’t just get on without us dude”

“Can we try?”

“Pretty sure you can’t just get on without us dude”

“Can we try?”

“Pretty sure you can’t just get on without us dude”

“Can we try?”

We are talking maybe 3 blocks total from the Red Onion, to the ship and really only one of it in town, the rest is dockfront, just walking around to the gangway. We can see the ship. We have a phone on us. Because we are in Alaska, it actually works. Sure there will be roaming but both calling and texting work. Jeff’s phone is in the stateroom and they can call us using that. With Evan, there are times I give up. He has to learn the hard way. I could tell him the sky is blue in 10 different ways and he is convinced it is green, until he sees for himself that actually it is blue. I've learned to pick my battles and this one well....

After a consult we decided…what the heck. If they can’t get back on, they come back. We were having 1 beer, it’s not like we are planning a night out. Besides, at most we only had 1.5 hours left in port before the ship left and really only we had an hour at best to spend to allow enough time to get ready for dinner. If they got on, more power to them. Evan is in 7th grade, we do let him babysit…within limits. Part of the joy of this cruise for them was testing freedom, and having more than usual due to the safe nature of the environment. I know not all will agree with the fact that we let them go.

But we did.

And guess what.

They got on.

I REALLY didn't expect them to pull it off! I mean they had their KTTW cards, which show their pictures when scanned but it did surprise me.

And called us, per strict instructions, to confirm they’d made it on and were in fact headed to the movie and would be taking a wave phone with them.

As for us, we were here

Thanks random website that I stole this photo from…actually the website is called top beer bars! Pretty funny as it’s the only reason we stopped by there.

Built in 1897, The Red Onion was the classiest dance hall and saloon in the bustling gold rush town of Skagway. Our upstairs bordello consisted of 10 cribs (or rooms). Each crib was very small in size, but elaborately decorated. The cribs all had 2 or 3 doors for escape purposes and temperature control. A weary miner could wander into the Red Onion for a taste of “liquid courage” and a dance or two with a beautiful lady. When the time came to cure his thirst for some love and affection, the anxious gentleman would choose his girl in a very unique way. Behind the bar were 10 dolls that represented the 10 girls upstairs. As each customer would choose a doll of his choice, the bartender would then lay the doll on her back, indicating that that girl was “busy”. Once the gentleman came back down the stairs, the doll was sat upright so every customer in the bar knew that she was once again available.

Oh my!

They have a Brothel Museum.

“One of our lovely Madams will take you on a tour of the upstairs and tell you stories of the famous women who endured the Klondike Gold Rush while helping the miners quench more than their thirst. You may even catch a glimpse of Lydia, our resident ghost.”

The madams were walking around and a tour starting but we just had our one beer, as planned. I have to say…the Harmon IPA was amazing, it ranks up there with one of our favorite IPA’s ever.

With that, it was time to head back to the ship and check on some boys. We ALL had dates to get ready for!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Fascinating stuff about the beers!!
And the Red Onion!!! Oh my - what a history!

Sounds like the boys did well! Getting older and trying out new responsibilities is something we're starting to deal with here now too. DH and Sarah walked up to Target last week, but they had the dog, so DH stayed outside and sent Sarah in to buy two things. She did it "all by hereself"! She was very proud.

 

[eandesmom]

Fascinating stuff about the beers!!
And the Red Onion!!! Oh my - what a history!

Sounds like the boys did well! Getting older and trying out new responsibilities is something we're starting to deal with here now too. DH and Sarah walked up to Target last week, but they had the dog, so DH stayed outside and sent Sarah in to buy two things. She did it "all by hereself"! She was very proud.

They did do well. In retrospect I am very glad we allowed them to try. With middle school a lot more is being asked of Evan in every way and this was a good practice run.

I let the boys walk to the mini market...they LOVE that! This summer Evan was able to go, solo, to meet friends at houses, our towne center and really expand his radius. I was a nervous wreck (he'd be on his bike or scooter) but it was time. This was far safer than that. LOL!

I think Jeff is still a little bummed he didn't get a t-shirt from the Skagway brewing co, though he made up for it later in the trip.

 

[glennbo123]

Yeah, maybe it's a good thing the boys didn't tour the Red Onion with you.

All in all, it sounds like a great day in Skagway though!

When we have trouble reaching agreement with our kids, (and particularly James), we say "what color is the sky?" When they say "blue", we say "well, at least we can agree on something!"

 

[eandesmom]

Yeah, maybe it's a good thing the boys didn't tour the Red Onion with you.

All in all, it sounds like a great day in Skagway though!

When we have trouble reaching agreement with our kids, (and particularly James), we say "what color is the sky?" When they say "blue", we say "well, at least we can agree on something!"

No kidding! I knew it was a historic bordello but really didn't consider the, uh, "art" inside (both the art on the walls and the "tour guides"). Evan would have noticed.

I may steal that "what color is the sky". Sounds like a great diffuser!

 

[Poolrat]

All in all, it sounds like a great day in Skagway though!

When we have trouble reaching agreement with our kids, (and particularly James), we say "what color is the sky?" When they say "blue", we say "well, at least we can agree on something!"

When we said " the sky is blue." DD would give us " no, it's not," before even looking up.

DS - would remark with what shade of blue, and perhaps the percentage of blue.

We called DD Mary - as in Mary , Mary quite contrary because she would also get on a "NO" jag. We would stop with " Do you want some candy?" right in the middle of the questions. That was when she was early Elementary school though.

 

[eandesmom]

When we said " the sky is blue." DD would give us " no, it's not," before even looking up.

DS - would remark with what shade of blue, and perhaps the percentage of blue.

We called DD Mary - as in Mary , Mary quite contrary because she would also get on a "NO" jag. We would stop with " Do you want some candy?" right in the middle of the questions. That was when she was early Elementary school though.

oh dear!!!!!!!!!!!

I keep trying things that don't work very well, like

"Are you really sure you want to keep asking about this?"

"Do you think now is a good time to ask about this?"

Although maybe it is. He caught himself 3 times yesterday. Started to ask the question and then caught himself mid ask and said...never mind.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

When we said " the sky is blue." DD would give us " no, it's not," before even looking up.

DS - would remark with what shade of blue, and perhaps the percentage of blue.

We called DD Mary - as in Mary , Mary quite contrary because she would also get on a "NO" jag. We would stop with " Do you want some candy?" right in the middle of the questions. That was when she was early Elementary school though.

I've got a couple DDs like that too!

 

[glennbo123]

No kidding! I knew it was a historic bordello but really didn't consider the, uh, "art" inside (both the art on the walls and the "tour guides"). Evan would have noticed.

Poor Jeff just wants a beer and would end up having to give "the talk" (or expounding on it a little, since it's probably already been given).

I may steal that "what color is the sky". Sounds like a great diffuser!

It only works once or twice, as Pat illustrates so well:

When we said " the sky is blue." DD would give us " no, it's not," before even looking up.

DS - would remark with what shade of blue, and perhaps the percentage of blue.

We called DD Mary - as in Mary , Mary quite contrary because she would also get on a "NO" jag. We would stop with " Do you want some candy?" right in the middle of the questions. That was when she was early Elementary school though.

You poor thing!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Cynthia, your zipline trip looks and sounds amazing!! WOW!

I love your beer hoping tour!!! It sounds fabulous!!! I actually thought of you at Raglan Road! I tried some yummy beer and it made me think of your beer in May!

Can't wait to hear about your night on the ship!

 

[Charleston Princess]

What a fun post! It made me wish I liked beer!

What a delightful experience at the Skagway Brewing Company -- I love that your server thought the Disney cruise guests were the best -- we knew this already, though, right?

I enjoyed reading about the Rainier beer and its ads -- I don't think I have ever mentioned it before, but I was born in Bremerton, WA (my dad was stationed at the naval base there). My mom always claimed hiking Mt. Rainier caused her to go into labor with me. LOL! Which really doesn't have anything to do with the beer, but you know how word associations work.

I think your decision to send the boys ahead onto the boat was a good one. I know what you mean about Evan and the battles you choose -- Chelsea is the EXACT same way -- stubborn, stubborn, stubborn, and I couldn't possibly know what I am talking about. Of course, it doesn't help when she is proved right -- as I am sure you felt to a certain extent when the boys made it on the ship.

 

[jenjolt]

Oh My what a wonderful day!!!!! I would have really enjoyed the Brothel tour LOL!!!! I love the history of Alaska and Canada...even the shadier sides of it LOL!!!!

I'm glad you were able to find some IPAs that you liked (not that I have a clue what that means LOL)!!

Can't wait to hear about yoru dinner dates!

 

[Poolrat]

oh dear!!!!!!!!!!!

I keep trying things that don't work very well, like

"Are you really sure you want to keep asking about this?"

"Do you think now is a good time to ask about this?"

Although maybe it is. He caught himself 3 times yesterday. Started to ask the question and then caught himself mid ask and said...never mind.

You are making progress then... Getting them to actually think about what is coming out of their mouth is the first step.

I've got a couple DDs like that too!

A couple... I'm sorry.

It only works once or twice, as Pat illustrates so well:
You poor thing!

She was a tough child. Thank goodness the two took turns being tough. In turn that actually made her an easier teenager. Of course it was not too eay but there were things that thank goodness we never had to deal with. For that I am grateful.

The candy thing actually went on for longer that it should have. She would start with NO's and then we would throw that in there, she would say no and then realize what she did. No changing your mind now.
It was like she was Daffy duck in Duck season: Rabbit season.

 

[eandesmom]

I've got a couple DDs like that too!

thankfully we are long out of the NO phase, but we are deeply entrenched in the BUT phase.

Poor Jeff just wants a beer and would end up having to give "the talk" (or expounding on it a little, since it's probably already been given).

Not sure it's been given in THAT context

It only works once or twice, as Pat illustrates so well:





You poor thing!

True dat, might have to pass on it then. Eric's the real issue lately, not Evan. Although catching himself 3 times in one week isn't exactly a full trend. Yet. One can hope!

Cynthia, your zipline trip looks and sounds amazing!! WOW!

It was really really fun!!!!!!!

I love your beer hoping tour!!! It sounds fabulous!!! I actually thought of you at Raglan Road! I tried some yummy beer and it made me think of your beer in May!

Can't wait to hear about your night on the ship!

Oh I can't wait to go back to Raglan, I love that place!!!!!!!!!! Which reminds me, i need to look for that beer here. Hopsexutioner!

What a fun post! It made me wish I liked beer!

What a delightful experience at the Skagway Brewing Company -- I love that your server thought the Disney cruise guests were the best -- we knew this already, though, right?

I think my Mom feels the same way. She is NOT a beer fan at all and very out of place that way in our family. No red wine either...she's an outcast!



Our server was wonderful, it was a delightful experience. Very much our kind of place!

I enjoyed reading about the Rainier beer and its ads -- I don't think I have ever mentioned it before, but I was born in Bremerton, WA (my dad was stationed at the naval base there). My mom always claimed hiking Mt. Rainier caused her to go into labor with me. LOL! Which really doesn't have anything to do with the beer, but you know how word associations work.

I do know how that works! I recall that, about Bremerton (my brother, exSIL and nephews live there) but didn't know the Mt. Rainier connection. On a clear day we can see it from our front porch and bedroom.
Those ads were pure marketing genius.

I think your decision to send the boys ahead onto the boat was a good one. I know what you mean about Evan and the battles you choose -- Chelsea is the EXACT same way -- stubborn, stubborn, stubborn, and I couldn't possibly know what I am talking about. Of course, it doesn't help when she is proved right -- as I am sure you felt to a certain extent when the boys made it on the ship.

Exactly. While I was happy for them (and us) that it did work, it didn't help either!

 

[eandesmom]

Oh My what a wonderful day!!!!! I would have really enjoyed the Brothel tour LOL!!!! I love the history of Alaska and Canada...even the shadier sides of it LOL!!!!

I'm glad you were able to find some IPAs that you liked (not that I have a clue what that means LOL)!!

Can't wait to hear about yoru dinner dates!

You would have gotten a kick out of it for sure. It was yummy beer and a fun afernoon.

You are making progress then... Getting them to actually think about what is coming out of their mouth is the first step.

We will see how long it lasts...or if he was just sucking up that week.

She was a tough child. Thank goodness the two took turns being tough. In turn that actually made her an easier teenager. Of course it was not too eay but there were things that thank goodness we never had to deal with. For that I am grateful.

Ours take turns being tough. Though in our case it's a two on, two off situation.

It was like she was Daffy duck in Duck season: Rabbit season.

 

[KatMark]

Great updates, Cynthia. Very fascinating info on the beers (I'll ahve to show that to Mark when he gets home). I think you did the right thing letting the boys try. I do have to tell you that I don't miss those days at all though.