Today was “Adventure Kart” day in Ketchikan. It was a two-seat go-kart with a top speed of 35 mph. We were expecting more, but the adventure was still fun. I drove up the hill with all the karts in a line, so I was limited to what the person in front of me was doing. It was a dirt road full of potholes and rocks so it was very bumpy. They told us that Ketchikan never has three days in a row without rain, but today was day three! Had it been raining, we would have been dressed in their rubber suits and come back down the hill covered in mud. Instead, we came back covered in dust which they blew off with an air-hose.

Alana drove down the hill with me trying to get her to drive in the center of the road. It looked to me that the right wheel was always thisclose to going off the road. I kept pointing to the left, but she claims she didn’t see me doing that. I’m pretty sure she was trying to make me fall out of the kart and go back to the ship without me!

We had lunch in a tourist trap pirate themed restaurant/saloon. An older gentlman provided the entertainment. He was sporting a grey goatee complete with a handlebar mustache! He picked up his guitar and started singing a Johnny Cash song. He actually sounded exactly like him!

After a little shopping, Alana headed back to the ship while I headed to a bar that had free wi-fi. After checking in to “The Asylum” on Facebook, a young couple sat next to me. It turns out they are on the same ship, but we hadn’t met yet. They are from Toronto and we talked about the marathon I ran there among other things. I told them that when I was in grade school, we were told that the US was going to use the metric system so we needed to learn it. We shared a good laugh about that!

They asked about life in Cincinnati and I gave them my e-mail address, promising them a tour of the city when they decide to come to town. Soon after that, the wife said, “has anyone told you that you look like a celebrity?” Then, she whispered in her husband’s ear. He said, “What are you doing? He’s a dead ringer! Do you think it’s a secret?” So I said, “Dr. House?” She was so thrilled that I loomed like him that she insisted that her husband take our picture do she could go home and tell people that she met Hugh Laurie!

One of the best parts of this trip has been meeting people. I now have a nodding acquaintance with a woman I met on the ship. We were waiting for an elevator and when the door opened, there was a very skinny Japanese man standing there in his swimming trunks with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. He didn’t look like he had been swimming – he looked like they just pulled him from the ocean after going overboard! He got off while this woman and I stayed on. After he left, I could tell she was about to share a laugh with her friend so I said, “stylish, huh?” They both laughed and now I have to say hello every time I see her.