Happy Thanksgiving! On Sunday morning, we were in Ketchikan, AK, and last night around 8 PM we finally got home to St. Louis. It was quite a ride! Our ship out of Ketchikan was delayed because of high wind. Once we got underway, it got steadily worse. Anna was in the stern where she could see out, and I had the kids in our berth watching a movie. Then it got bad very quickly. I realized that we were going to have puking kids on our hands if I didn't act, so I quick got everything secured, turned out the light, and made everybody lay down. I was fighting the nausea myself, because as it turned out, we were experiencing 25 foot swells, and 105 mph winds. I couldn't stand up to go check on Anna, because the boat was rocking so violently, and because every time I got up, the nausea and dizziness got really bad. I don't get seasick typically, so I discovered that it takes 25 foot waves to get me there.
I knew Anna must be about dead if I was feeling queasy, but I couldn't get to her, so I just prayed she was alright and waited for the sea to settle down. It took two hours to get out of Dixon Sound and back to sheltered water. The boat would ride up the wave, then slide back down as the Captain fought to keep the ferry from rolling over. Huge waves would come crashing over the bow, and I had to assure the kids we weren't going to drown. Gaelin was lying in the berth with me. He thought it was fun. "Dad, this is fun! The boat keeps going up and down!” he'd say. I didn't find it very fun, however.
The boat finally settled down, and my dizziness cleared up, so I got the kids situated and went to check on my poor wife. She was on the other end of the ferry lying on a pile of mats. I was correct. The seasickness had wiped her out. She couldn't move without vomiting, and I'm not talking about polite vomiting either. One move at the peak of the storm, and she'd be right in the bathroom trying to eject her entire digestive tract. She finally found a prone position that worked, covered her face with her coat, and waited for it to be over. I was able to get her back to the room, but it was very hard for her to walk because of the vertigo. We were very glad to make it back to nice, stable dry land.
Then began our long journey home. We drove to Smithers, BC that night, and made it to Seattle, WA by 10 PM on Monday. Thanks for praying. The weather was perfect. The roads were dry and the weather was clear, with no precipitation of any kind the whole way. We pulled out of Seattle Tuesday morning, and it took 34 hours to get to St. Louis. I drove through the night to Fargo, ND, and then handed the wheel over to Anna and got some sleep. Then I drove us the rest of way from Sioux City, IA, and we finally made it home last night. It is very good to finally be home. We will be making the rounds of our parents' homes today, and enjoying Thanksgiving together.
God bless you all. Have a great Thanksgiving!
