Meeting at Quigley’s Restaurant
593 Columbia Turnpike
East Greenbush, NY
October 27, 2016

Members Attending (14): Debbie Rodriguez, Murray Forth, Pat Bailey, Bill Dowd, Jim Leyhane, Dick Drumm, A.J. Amato, April Dowd, Ray Hannan, David Taylor, Doris Calamaras, Dean Calamaras, Becky Raymond, Julius Frankel.

Guests (2): Mike Stangl, Frank Von Rienen.

PROGRAM: “Alaska: The Final Frontier”

Club members Dean and Doris Calamaras took us on a photo tour of Alaska with a side trip to the bustling metropolis of Vancouver, British Columbia.

On their early summer trip, Dean and Doris flew into Anchorage, a very busy airport with jumbo jets from all around the world. In addition to seeing the activity of the state’s largest city, Dean pointed out Earthquake Park, an area that became a park in the aftermath of a major earthquake in the 1960s that caused an entire swath of homes and residents to be dumped into the sea.

Their trip, via Holland America, included travel on a cruise ship, a tour bus, etc. They chose this time of year because there still was snow on the mountains, which created contrasting colors that defined the terrain. They stayed in the lower half of the state, far from what then was called Mt. McKinley and now is called Dinali, the native name for the mountain. They also toured the Dinali State Park and were fortunate enough to spot many examples of the local wildlife — sheep, Soldatna bears, brown bears, moose, etc. Luckily, they avoided what Dean referred to as “the state bird” — mosquitoes.

Also on their tour was a closeup view of a glacier. As Dean noted, seeing glaciers in books and photos doesn’t provide the same insight as experiencing first-hand the intense dampness and cold.

They also visited Juneau, the state capital, and Ketchican, a busy seaport with its own drydock facilities, and in both places cruise ships abounded. Dean said that in some cases, such ships travel convoy style, particularly around islands and areas where there are watery dangers such as submerged rocks. As Dean explained:

“The individual ships could keep to any schedule they wanted if they traveled to the west, in the Pacific Ocean proper. By navigating through the islands, they shorten the trip and avoid the wave action one experiences on the open seas.

BUSINESS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

WELCOME — President Debbie Rodriguez welcomed members and guests Mike Stangl (member Becky Raymond’s husband) and Frank Von Rienen.

WORLD POLIO DAY — Debbie, Roberto Martinez and Jim Leyhane attended the “World Read More »