It’s another hot, lazy Saturday with little on my plate. I’ll continue to stay inside, out of the sun, as I continue to nurse my red, itchy eye. This mysterious  case of pink eye is getting better thanks to the antibiotic drops that my doctor prescribed. Yesterday, I decided to take a home Covid test to see if maybe there were some other issues involved. I tested negative but still don’t feel great, opting for just the minimum mile on my run this morning. I struggled to get out of bed, spent too much time talking with neighbors, and messed around tying to get my ear buds working. By the time I was done stalling, the outside temperatures rose another five degrees.

I booked our cruise shore excursions yesterday afternoon, another step in Alaska vacation planning. Spa and dining reservations aboard ship are next. There are just 66-days until the Viking Orion sets sail with 930 passengers, including my wife and I. It will be my longest time ever on a ship – three weeks. One of the challenges will be getting in my daily run. I’m currently on a pace to exceed a thousand miles a year but between flights, travel deadlines, and weather conditions it will be tough to maintain my 3.1 mile daily goal during the course of this cruise. 

First up, however, is our 3,000 mile drive in two weeks. We have a tight schedule of people and places to adhere to during this multi-state mission. It will be a welcome disruption to our boring daily routine here in Florida. We’re at the mercy of weather, time, and potential mechanical problems trying to navigate the 16-cities we plan to visit over 22-days. There isn’t much room for flexibility, but by the time we get back home we’ll be grateful to embrace the boredom.