We’re on Our Way

Today was the day I had been waiting for, and Tim and I finally departed for our Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing cruise. We “flew” from Fort Collins to Denver, where we boarded a United Airlines flight to Frankfort. There, we changed planes to an Air Dolomiti flight to Florence.

Some People Get Freaked Out by Blue Mustang and Its Piercing Red Eyes at the Denver Airport

Tim and I had decided to “stand by” on an earlier Landline bus to Denver since it was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Our Lyft driver arrived on time, and we were able to get on the bus. 

The Denver airport did not seem that busy, and we were through the TSA Pre-Check line in minutes. We thought we’d try the new Capital One lounge, but it was closed because of a broken pipe that flooded the space. So, we went to the United lounge and took advantage of the delicious offerings while we waited for our flight. 

It goes without saying that we enjoyed our United Polaris business class seats. This time, instead of selecting two adjoining seats in the center of the plane, we chose window seats, one in front of the other. That turned out to be a good idea. No, we weren’t together, but the seats were more private, plus we each had a window. The flight left on time, and we enjoyed the dinner and all the amenities. Though I didn’t sleep as much as I had hoped, I was so grateful to have a lie-flat seat.

My View from Seat 5A on the Way from Denver to Frankfort

Dinner and Breakfast Were Quite Tasty - You Have to Love a Chocolate Sundae!

We landed in Frankfort the next morning and were surprised to park in a remote area, where we deplaned to ride a bus to the terminal. Immigration was a breeze, and it was a relatively short walk to our connecting gate. Frankfort was a much easier airport to navigate than I had been led to believe.

We had a bit of a wait before the departure of our Air Dolomiti flight to Florence, and again, we took a bus to our plane. Tim was in business class, but I was in economy, at the back of the plane. The horrors!!! No one sat next to me, which was nice, and I took a nap.

400 Days to Go!

Although our immediate focus is on our upcoming Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing cruise, I just happened to notice that we board our Viking World Voyage in 400 days. Very cool!

A Few Facts About Our Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing Cruise

It seems that Tim and I have been going non-stop since returning from our two-and-a-half-month volunteer stint at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Tim has been working as an Election Judge for Larimer County for the past week, just as he did last year. Today is election day and his final day on the job. We’ve also been busy scheduling doctor and dentist appointments, haircuts, and all those other things that must be done before we leave for Europe in two weeks.

We will fly to Florence via Frankfort on November 21, 2023, and will spend five nights there. It will be nice to be able to explore this incredible city at a relaxed pace while we recover from jet lag.

Next, we will join our pre-cruise extension, Ultimate Italy – Tuscany, and will spend three nights in an eighteenth-century villa. Our days will include tours of Tuscany, Florence, Sienna, and San Gimignano.

On November 27, we will board our ship in Civitavecchia, the closest port to Rome. We will follow the coasts of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal with multiple ports of call before our mid-Atlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale, where we will disembark. The cruise will last 24 days.

Mediterranean Explorer and Crossing

We will be sailing on the Viking Neptune, one of Viking’s newest ocean ships. As soon as we disembark in Fort Lauderdale, lucky guests will then embark for the 2023-2024 Viking World Cruise.

Like the Viking Venus that we sailed on last year, the Viking Neptune carries only 930 guests. That’s one of the things we love about these ships. Once again, we selected a Deluxe Veranda Stateroom on deck 3, also known as a DV6. 

Despite our growing proclivity to upgrade to higher levels of accommodation elsewhere, such as business class airline seats, we were quite pleased with our DV6 cabin last year. In fact, we found that we preferred its location to other more expensive cabins. We know we will enjoy our cabin again on this upcoming cruise.

Viking Neptune Deck Plan - Our Cabin Is Circled in Red

Our Deluxe Veranda Stateroom Layout

We Got New Phones

Over the years, Tim and I have been Verizon and then AT&T wireless customers. Our plan for some time, however, had been to switch to T-Mobile because of its free international roaming service. With AT&T, we have spent several hundred dollars on each cruise for internet access.

We would have switched to T-Mobile before our France’s Finest cruise but discovered that AT&T was the only service available at AGFO. Although we had free Wi-Fi there, we didn’t want to lose our ability to make and receive phone calls.

Yesterday, however, we finally made the switch to T-Mobile. Not only do we get unlimited data while traveling internationally, but our new plans are much cheaper than AT&Ts.

We also got new phones, and they are quite an upgrade from our old ones. Existing promotions made the costs extremely low. I decided on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, which Tim had also picked. However, once he saw the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 at the T-Mobile store, he changed his mind. That is a very cool phone, and I’m a bit jealous. 

Our New Phones (images courtesy of T-Mobile)

I’ve transferred everything from my old phone to my new one. Now, I just need to learn how to take advantage of all the new features.

An AGFO Facebook Post Mentioned Us

Since neither Tim nor I are on Facebook, Tera Lynn sent us a link to AGFOs Facebook post today about the contribution of volunteers to the park. Thanks for recognizing us!

That's Us (image courtesy of AGFO Facebook page)

Finishing Our Projects at AGFO

On our way back from South Dakota, we returned to AGFO for two reasons. First, we had to pick up the RV, which we had left there when we went to the conference. We also had a few loose ends to complete for projects. We wrapped up those in a few hours and finally hit the road for Scottsbluff, where we spent one last night. 

Tim and I have worked on many projects in national park units all over the country, but this time at AGFO has been one of my favorites. Completing the redo of the Archives Room was extremely satisfying and one that spoke to my organizational skills. 

Tim and I have also worked with lots of volunteer coordinators at these various parks, and Tera Lynn certainly ranks as one of the best. She always had a smile on her face, and she has the most positive attitude of anyone I’ve ever met. Tera Lynn went out of her way to enable us to successfully complete our projects. She was also a lot of fun to be around! 

Sarah, Tera Lynn, and Tim

We also loved working with the rest of the staff at AGFO, and everyone was so helpful to us. Because it’s such a small park, we got to know everyone, from administration to interpretation to maintenance staff members. There is such a strong sense of community here, and we were lucky to become a part of it.

The Staff at AGFO Was the Best!

Last Sunday, Tera Lynn hosted a potluck to say “goodbye” and “thank you” to both the departing seasonal staff and the volunteers. What a nice evening! The park even presented Tim and me with volunteer “swag,” including a huge NPS umbrella, an arrowhead cutting board, and an NPS mug. Thanks everyone! It’s been great spending the last few months with you!

Thanks So Much!

Plains Anthropological Society Conference

Sessions for the conference started on Thursday. While Tim attended the presentations, I took the day off. I originally had planned to take a road trip to several national park units in the Upper Midwest while Tim was at the conference, but I reluctantly decided to scrap that idea. I was just too tired after working nonstop at AGFO for the past several weeks. Driving long distances no longer appealed to me, and I decided to take a break. It was a good decision.

One of the parks that I had hoped to visit was Pipestone National Monument. By chance, one of the rangers from the park was at the conference. She was doing a pipestone carving demonstration, and I was able to watch her for a bit. It was quite interesting.

Pipestone Carving at the Plains Anthropological Conference

On our last evening, Tim and I ventured to downtown Rapid City. The city has done a wonderful job with its historic district, and I admired the historic preservation efforts underway. We ate dinner at an early fire station that is now Firehouse Brewing Co. It’s the same restaurant where I ate on my Retirement Road Trip in 2005. The food is still very good.

Rapid City's Historic Fire Station, Now Firehouse Brewing Co.