Claire Gulliver #04 - Cruisin' for a Bruisin' Read online

  “Oh goody, a gift shop.” Millie loved to shop.

  “And food. I’m a little peckish. What about you all? Do you have time for a bite of something?” And Ruth was always interested in having something to eat.

  Claire and Lucy checked their watches and agreed they did have time. “We’ll need sustenance to prepare us for our hike this afternoon.”

  “Oh dear, I hope it won’t be too strenuous. I mean it sounded like it’s for serious hikers, Claire. Do you think you’re up to it?” The frown lines appeared between Millie’s eyes.

  “Mother, relax. I’m sure I’m up to it. I’m in pretty good shape. All that lifting and shelving cartons of books keeps me strong. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it and it’s a good way to see some of Alaska, the real Alaska.”

  Lucy nodded her agreement. She wasn’t worried about keeping up with the others as she belonged to a hiking group which went out once a week. The range of mountains on the San Francisco peninsula, which separated the Pacific Ocean from the bayside communities, provided many opportunities for hikers and Lucy’s group took advantage of their proximity.

  “But I do want to pick up some bottled water and some snack food. You never know when you might need them when you’re in the wilderness. It’s best to be prepared.” Then she laughed at Millie’s alarmed look. “Relax Millie, we always take supplies when we hike. It’s only sensible. I’ve never gotten lost or met a bear.”

  “Well you’ve never been in Alaska before,” was Millie’s terse reply.

  * * *

  The sun was blinding, the crowd confusing, as people lined up to get on the right bus for their shore excursion. Others wandered about looking for friends and a few people negotiated with taxi drivers. Anita glanced at her watch as she drifted toward the street, trying to avoid being caught up in a group destined for one of the buses. Dreamy Seas was docked right behind a mammoth Holland American liner, so the crowd was a combination of passengers from both ships.

  She still didn’t see her friend. She wondered if she would show. She sighed. She was looking forward to visiting St. Terese’s Shrine, but if Kim didn’t show up, she didn’t intend to go back on board for a while. She would just wander around town and enjoy being on solid ground.

  Where was Kim? She turned around scanning the crowd, pulling her coat tight around her because of the sharply cold wind.

  Honk, honk!

  She looked at the jerk sounding his horn, did a double take and then hurried to the street. “I was looking for you in the crowd,” she said, pulling open the door to the battered old Jeep Cherokee. She climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt. “Where did this come from?”

  “Rent-a-wreck, just what we need, huh? Did you think I was standing you up?”

  Anita nodded, a sour expression passed over her face. “I thought maybe your boss wanted you to do something for him. But I’m glad we’re going. I need to talk to St. Terese about a miracle.”

  “Oh, something wrong?”

  “I swear Mrs. Bernbaum is losing it. She was up until all hours last night. She even went dancing after dinner, mind you. Dancing! She’s more than ninety; she should act her age. It’s all because of this nephew of hers. He is really a bad influence on her. He gives her these shots of vitamins, at least he says they’re vitamins and she feels she can do anything.” She paused a moment before she predicted with gloom, “She’s going to dance herself right into the grave.”

  “Well, at least it won’t be an early grave.” Kim giggled.

  Anita frowned at her. “That’s not funny. She’s usually very sensible, but now she’s acting like a flighty teenager. Staying up late, having the ladies over for tea parties, going dancing, and now, today, she’s going on a tour of Juneau with her precious Dickie. They’re planning on taking the tram.” She nodded her head at it as they passed the tram station. “This is not going to last. Mark my words. If she doesn’t slow down, she’ll wear out. Kaput! And that’s just what I told her this morning.”

  Kim looked impressed. “So what did she say?”

  “She just waved me off. She told me to go ashore and have a nice day.” Anita looked straight ahead her face settled in a grim expression. “It’s just not natural. She’s an old woman; she should act like one.”

  Kim had managed to turn the Jeep about so they were now headed down the street in the opposite direction. “Well, let’s do that, let’s have a nice day. I got some maps and I talked to the people at the Tourist Information booth so I know just where we’re going. And if we go too far we’ll just run out of road and have to turn around and come back.

  “Did you know that Juneau’s road only goes forty miles and then ends? You can’t get in or out of this town by car. So every person, every car or truck and everything they sell has come in here by boat or plane. It’s like being on an island.”

  Anita interrupted excitedly. “Oh, look, there’s the Red Dog Saloon. They talked about it in the lecture about Juneau. I saw it last night on the TV.”

  Kim swerved to the left with the road, following the flat land along the water’s edge instead of going straight, which would have taken them up the hills where the town climbed up toward the mountains.

  “Maybe when we come back we can go in there for a sandwich. I’d like to see it. I understand it was built during the Gold Rush and inside is like stepping back in time to those days.”

  “Sure, why not?” Kim was amenable. She knew they wouldn’t be visiting the Red Dog, but didn’t see any reason Anita should know that, too.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The hikers were strewn along the boulder-edged path enjoying a well-deserved break. They had been hiking for a while and the last half hour had been uphill. Claire had taken off two of the multiple layers under her windbreaker, one sweater she stuffed in her backpack and the other, the heavier one she had tied around her waist. She wasn’t panting, but she definitely felt a little winded. She fished out her bottle of water and took a long drink. Lucy was next to her and looked as fresh as she was when they started.

  “Whew, you don’t even look as if you need a break.”

  Lucy smiled. “Maybe not, but I love the chance to sit and look around. You never know what you’ll see.”

  That was true. After they startled some deer and what someone said looked like a bobcat, and in spite of her reassurance to her mother that they weren’t likely to find bear, she had been warily eyeing the forest. If they did come across bear, she’d rather see him before he saw her.

  But their guide assured them they would be safe and he had a rifle slung across his back which he said was mostly to reassure them, but held powerful enough tranquilizer darts to stop a dozen bears. Actually, he was full of information which he passed on to them at the beginning of the hike, while they were still occasionally meeting other hikers on the trail.

  “Don’t be wandering off,” he told them. “A few years ago a young man from one of the cruise ships, who fancied himself an experienced outdoorsman, took off into the mountains on a hike. When it came time for the ship to sail, it left without him. His family stayed to help search for him, but even with tracking dogs the search teams had no luck. He just disappeared. The following summer he was found, at least his remains were found.” He shook his head, a sober expression on his face. “Alaska has its own Bermuda Triangle. It starts in Juneau and goes north and west. We actually lose the equivalent of one person per month here. Sometimes a plane goes down, never to be found; sometimes a boat disappears and many times someone just walks away. ‘Gone Missing’ is what they say.” He shook his head. “Alaska is beautiful, but it’s a wild land; don’t ever believe it isn’t extremely dangerous.”

  He meant to impress them with the importance of taking prudent precautions before entering the wilderness. He made his point. Take water, food, maps of the trails, tell someone where you’re going, or better yet, take others with you. If you get separated or lost, stay where you are, blow the whistle he gave each of them and wait for someone to
find you.

  It had been a sobering start to their trek through the wilderness. And as they had moved further into a remote area where they no longer met up with other hikers, they were careful to stay within sight of the others in their party.

  “I’m so glad we signed up for this hike. You can just imagine we’re following a game trail and there are no people anywhere around,” Lucy murmured as she lay back against the rock, her eyes dreamy, listening to the music of nature, silence.

  The others seemed to be of the same mind, content to sit quietly and absorb the air, the smells, the sounds of Alaska. After a while there was a general stirring as people made ready to continue their hike. This time the guide set a slower pace as they strolled through the forest heading for the waterfall he promised to deliver for the next break. Now the path was very dim, really only a game trail, certainly not like the trail prepared by the Forestry Service which they started on. When they were in the shade they could feel the bite of the cold, the promise of the winter soon to come, but in the clearings and the meadows the sun made itself felt. It was easy to understand how the Alaskans grew such splendid vegetables and flowers in their short growing period, the sun apparently tried to make up for its short appearance with intensity.

  They heard the waterfall before they saw it, even if initially they didn’t know what they were hearing. The soft roar, first only background noise, kept getting louder as they approached and when they emerged from the trail on the outcropping of granite, there it was. A deep gorge with steep granite sides was in front of them. To the right of where they stood the water fell from above; cascading, foaming, crashing against rocks and slamming into the wall of the gorge on the way down. The spray caught the sun beams, flashing rainbows in all directions, while the water roared its way to the bottom of the gorge.

  The guide gathered them around and shouted so they could hear him. They would spend some time here and then head back to the van. If anyone wanted to go down the gorge a bit there was a trail, he pointed over the side of the gorge, but reminded them every step down would mean a triple effort coming up. He instructed everyone to assemble in a half hour at a spot they had passed a little way back.

  Claire loved the falls and spent most of her time trying to capture the rainbows on her digital camera. Lucy wandered off with a couple of the other hikers to check out the source of the water. A couple of people investigated the trail down the side of the cliff, but it wasn’t surprising to see them decide against going down the deep gorge. It would be a very steep ascent.

  Eventually Claire joined the others assembling at the meeting spot. She fished her water bottle and an energy bar out of her backpack and settled herself in for a snack while she was waiting.

  “How you doing?”

  She stretched out her legs, wiggled her toes in the sturdy walking shoes she brought at Lucy’s insistence and smiled. “Great. I might have some soreness in my calves tomorrow, but right now my blood is tingling through my body.”

  Lucy nodded. “I don’t know what I like best about hiking, what it makes my body feel like, or how it affects my soul. You know when you live in cities and are surrounded by people you just need a little solitude and a commune with nature once in a while.”

  Claire agreed, thinking she should make more of an effort to join Lucy’s hiking group from time to time. Then she gathered up her trash, stuffed it with the water bottle in her pack and got to her feet, ready for the final stage of the hike.

  This last stage was actually the more difficult. She realized her concern about aching calves was nothing compared to her new concern about the muscles in her shins and at the tops of her knees, which were feeling the strain of the downhill trek. She decided she would rub some ointment on them before she went to bed and maybe tomorrow would be a good day to try out the Jacuzzi.

  She was glad when they reached the wider trail near the end. Now the hikers spread out, walking two and three abreast, talking quietly amongst themselves.

  “Well, we’re at day five, have you found romance yet?” Lucy inquired with an arched eyebrow.

  “Me find it? I thought you were in charge of that?”

  “Well, I managed to secure three eligible candidates at our own dinner table. I think I more than delivered.”

  Claire couldn’t contain her spurt of laughter. “You? You secured the table mates? Good try, but I think fate was responsible for that, or maybe your friend, the maitre d’.”

  “Whatever. Do any of them interest you? And what about your mother? Is she interested in either the charming Ian or the sweet Sean?”

  “Actually, she hasn’t said, but I’m sure she’s been enjoying their company, especially on the dance floor. It’s nice to have a variety of partners willing and available so we don’t have to vie for the attention of the hosts in order to dance. But as far as I’m concerned, they’re all either too old or too full of themselves.”

  “You mean Dickie or Richard as we know him? He’s something, isn’t he? Oh well, Mrs. Bernbaum is charmed by him and he treats her well, so that’s all that counts. I guess I’ll have to look around for a different sort for you. Maybe Antonio knows someone who would do.”

  “Well, speaking of Antonio, Lucy, what’s up with you two?”

  Lucy laughed. “Those Italians are so charming, aren’t they?”

  “How would I know?”

  “Well, you were in Italy not long ago. You should know how they are. He’s no more interested in a serious relationship than I am. But he loves to flirt and I’m fortunate enough to have attracted his attention. He’s says on the very first evening he knew he wanted to get to know me. And believe me, with all the unattached women on this cruise, I’m flattered.”

  Claire watched her friend closely. Seeing how pleased she appeared, she only issued one caution. “Well, just don’t lose your heart. It’s only a shipboard romance, certainly not worth a broken heart.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Claire. I’m not intending to ever lose my heart again. I’ve been there, done that, more than once. I know what I want, and it does not include a serious relationship. I just shudder when I hear Mrs. Bernbaum talking about her one true love. I don’t believe it.”

  They fell silent, each occupied with the thought of true love. Claire didn’t know if she believed in true love or not. Her mother apparently did, but then the little cynical part of her wondered whether it was her mother’s love for her deceased husband or her fear of the unknown which prevented her from finding, or even looking for another love. Mrs. Bernbaum was convinced her Nate was her soul mate even though she had been married once before and once after Nate. And truthfully, her last husband sounded like a true winner. Even so, he was cheated out of her full love by Mrs. Bernbaum’s preoccupation with Nate. It sounded like Gone with the Wind, with Scarlett O’Hara ignoring the sexy Rhett because of her infatuation with the wimpy Ashley. What a terrible waste that was, Claire thought.

  And there was Jack. There was definitely something about the combination of her and Jack which was attention getting. She thought how much more fun the cruise would be with him on board, but then she reminded herself sternly, he wasn’t. However, she realized that maybe one of the reasons she wasn’t looking for a romantic interest on board was she was always comparing other men to Jack and they fell a little short. Not that he was a paragon. No, in fact, sometimes he was very annoying. But he did make her blood tingle, he did make her laugh and when they were in danger, somehow being with him made her feel safe.

  Enough of these useless thoughts about Jack, she told herself as they reached the van. But, she said a silent prayer that he was safe wherever he was.

  Everyone was subdued on the ride back to the dock, tired from their hike, and in awe of the country they had seen. Back at the dock, Lucy glanced at her watch and said, “What say we have a beer at the Red Dog Saloon?” She nodded toward the picturesque saloon sitting down the road where it forked to follow the waterfront.

  Claire agreed, secretly please
d to have the chance to see the historic saloon. “I just have to get on board with enough time to clean up and change before dinner. Even though tonight is a casual night, I don’t think they mean this casual.”

  The saloon could have come straight from an old western movie. Its double swinging doors faced the street corner. Its brash honky-tonk music spilled out on the sidewalk. It was jammed with cruise ship passengers, who apparently all had the same idea. Undaunted, they squeezed themselves into the crowd and looked around for a place to sit.

  “There, see? That’s Heidi and Bob. We had breakfast with them one morning and they played on our Trivia team. Come on, she’s waving us over. We can share their table.”

  Bob stood up and secured an unused chair from another table to add to the three they had. Claire and Lucy gratefully joined them and Claire introduced Lucy.

  “What do you think? Isn’t this something? It’s probably just like it was in the heydays of the Gold Rush.” Bob sipped from the large glass of beer in front of him.

  Heidi was drinking iced tea and picking at the plate in front of her. “Just to tide us over until dinner,” was her explanation of the half eaten portion of smoked salmon, diced onions and crackers. “We took a helicopter ride over the glacier. It was amazing, wasn’t it Bob?”

  When the harried waitress arrived they ordered the same beer as Bob was drinking and then looked around at the interior of the saloon. It was dark, smoky, grimy and full of character.

  “Not only has it been here since the Gold Rush Days, but they still have all the dust to prove it,” Lucy commented. No one appeared to mind the grunge, people were eating and drinking, while they stared at the stuffed animals and the bric-a-brac stuck to the walls. And the beer was good and cold, what more could you ask?