We pulled out of Seward just before 8:00am, and headed north on the Seward highway. I was touring for most of the trip, and I played a couple movies during the trip as well. I thought the trip went quite well. We made our first stop in Portage, at the Glacier Lodge, for some snacks and a chance to stretch and use the bathroom. We only stayed there about fifteen minutes, even though the schedule called for us to be there nearly an hour. I chose to left early so we could spend a little time touring in Anchorage.
Tour 13 is not scheduled to stop in Anchorage, but I thought it would be nice to detour a bit in town and see some of the highlights on the way through. We went around Lake Hood, and then headed out across town on Northern Lights Boulevard, because there are often moose on that road. So we spent the extra time in Anchorage, because no one really had a lot to do in Portage. Our next stop was in Wasilla.
We drove through Wasilla. I took a route that allowed the guests to see the house where Sarah Palin grew up. I figured that was politically safe, because the group was from Tennessee, which just might be more conservative than here. Well, we had one Texan on board, but generally Texans are not exactly liberal either. That ended up being a big hit, and then we stopped at the Settlers Bay Lodge for lunch, which was included with the trip. We spent about an hour eating lunch, and then continued on again.
Our next stop was at milepost 147 on the Parks Highway. There is a big Veterans Memorial there, which is about halfway from Wasilla to Denali, so we use it as a rest stop. On a good day, it also offers a good view of Mount McKinley. Unfortunately, Sunday was cloudy, with rain periodically, which meant we were not able to see the mountain. We made about a fifteen minute rest stop there. At that point, the group leader asked me what time we would be into Denali. I told her we would definitely be there by 6:30pm. That was not a good answer for her. She had signed the whole group up for a dinner show that started at 7:00pm, and they wanted to be there fifteen minutes early. She was worried that they would not have time to get to their rooms to drop off their luggage, and make it to dinner on time. I guess wen she booked the tour, she had been told that they would arrive in Denali at 4:00pm, which is simply impossible when leaving Seward at 8:00am, unless it is driven nonstop. I apologized and explained the schedule and the distances to her, and we got going again after about a fifteen minute break.
We crossed the continental divide, and arrived in Denali just a few minutes before 6:00pm. As we were arriving in Denali National Park, the group leader handed me a tip envelope, and thanked me for all the information and entertainment had given them during the trip. When we got to the lodge, I drove them right to the building they were staying in, so they would only need to walk about six feet to the door. I unloaded their luggage and then helped them all off the motor coach. After all the guests had disappeared, my tour director wanted me to count the tip money, because it would give her an idea of how she would do at the end of the trip.
It was very low. In fact, on my first highway tour like that, I had driven from Denali to Seward, and made more than twice what I made this time. I was a bit disappointed, because the first trip is supposed to the worst. I did my best and really gave them a great trip, but I could have done better financially just driving people back and forth between the ship in the airport. I know that tips are not a good indication of your worth as a person, but it is a bit disappointing when you get one of the most coveted tours in the division and then it is nothing more than a pretty drive with a lively bunch of people.
