Introduction

 My dream is to be a Tour Guide in Haines Alaska.  I'm not one yet.  I used to be a Tour Director for a Cruise Line a few years back, but Tour Guiding is different ball of wax. A Tour Director doesn't say all the commentary, the Tour Guide does.  The Director is like a traveling concierge.  I counted suitcases every morning before departure.  I took care of the ill, told jokes and kept the tourists happy.  It was an excellent job;
to be paid while traveling through Alaska and the Yukon, meeting interesting people and making memories.  I had great fun, you can tell by my photos.  I was as plump as a house cat.  Many of the meals were free or discounted for a Tour Director.  We also got to go on tours for free.  Tour Owners would encourage the Directors to go on their tour. Then the Director would tell the Tourist how much fun it was and the tour would get more bookings.  

I got to fly over Mt. McKinley (known as Denali - tallest Mt. in North America) in a helicopter and a prop plane.  Those tours run around $500. and I got to go for free.  I got to white water river raft at 6 mile river in Hope, Alaska.  That was a total blast with a class 5 rapid for the climax.  I got dumped out on that one - wheeeww what fun!  I got to visit Jeff Kings dog kennel, he is a multiple winner of the Iditarod (the famous dog sled race of Alaska).  I got to gold pan, ride four wheelers, boats, trains, luxurious buses, see shows and do hikes.  That is an excellent way to travel!  

I decided I loved Alaska so much I would just move there.  

And that is what I did.  

Jobless and practically penniless I traveled up to Haines Alaska in the fall of 2008.  I saw many great places during my Alaska travels but Haines was the most spectacular, most beautiful place I had visited.  That was where I wanted to lay my HAT.

I have lived here over two years now.  I am finally ready to reach for my dream of guiding in Haines.  It takes dedication and determination because many locals have been guiding for years.  They are excellent at what they do and they don't take kindly to someone guiding who would represent Haines in a poor manner.  Cruise Ships start coming up the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska by mid-May.  I have one month to make myself a worthy candidate for hire. Wish Me Luck!