All In

Monday, August 3, 2026

Hello! I am back with a new series of blogs about a brand new adventure. 

Turnagain Arm today, shortly after take-off

But first I have some housekeeping.

Let me begin by welcoming my new readers. Here are some things to know about my blog.

About the blog

1. Please feel free to comment through the Blogger app. I love getting comments.

2. Unless you put your name in a comment or use a Google screen name, I can’t tell who wrote a comment. (It’s ok if you wish to post anonymously.) I also can’t tell who opens any given blog post.

3. This is a travel blog. I try to keep politics out of it. Do not assume I am unaware of current events just because I don’t mention them.

4. You are receiving this blog because you asked to be placed on my mailing list. If you wish to stop receiving it, I will not hold it against you. I understand that reading about someone else's vacation might not be fun for you. Just let me know and I will remove you from my mailing list.

5. Please look at “Why Do I Blog” for a better understanding of this blog.

6. Most of the photos were taken by Ken. I took a few of them. If someone else took one, I try to give them credit.

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On my last trip I had some technical problems and had to switch to Wordpress. When I was home this summer I was able to fix the technical problems, so I have returned to Blogger.

This was a very exciting summer for us because our daughter got married. I am only going to make you look at ONE wedding picture, and then we will return to the theme of this blog:

TRAVEL

The happy couple

Now I will change the subject and talk about AI. I used AI to help plan our last two trips. There is a bit of a learning curve, but I like the results enough to keep using AI.

I initially used Copilot, but for this upcoming trip I mostly used Claude. I like it better, though it’s hard to articulate what I like better about it. Maybe it seems to be more helpful. Maybe it seems to “get” what I am asking for a little better. 

I have also used Google’s AI. It doesn’t have a name - I asked it. It’s hard to avoid using Google’s AI because it seems to be automatic when you “Google” something.

If you are using AI to plan your itinerary, be as specific as you can about what you would like AI to tell you. 

• Indicate whether you want a relaxed pace or a faster pace. Telling AI the ages of those in the group will help.
• State the date or dates you will be visiting a particular area. This will help AI to avoid sending you to a museum on a day that it is normally closed.
• Tell AI where you want to start and end your day to minimize backtracking. For example, “at the cruise terminal” or “at the Hilton hotel.”
• Be sure to mention areas of personal interest to you: are you a foodie? A birdwatcher? A gardener? Are you into architecture, nature, or culture? 
• The planning process yields better results when it is iterative. Read the suggestions AI makes and ask more questions, or ask for an alternative to one of the sites suggested. Look at a map and find the places AI suggests. (You can ask AI to show you on a map.) Does this raise any questions about transportation during the day?
• AI’s responses are not convenient to copy or save. When you are satisfied with the plans AI has given you, ask for a Word document or a “printable document.” Then you can save it and print it to bring with you. You can even edit the printable document later.
• I do recommend going through your final plan and looking up each activity and location to make sure it is not permanently closed, or too far away, or too expensive, or completely booked up already. AI does not always get these kinds of details right.
• Give AI a test run. Ask it to plan an itinerary for a 6-hour visit to the city you live in. Do you agree with AI’s suggestions? Can you get better results by changing your prompt?

I can’t wait to find out how Claude did with this trip. I certainly saved a LOT of time by using Claude.

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We took off from ANC this morning and had a mostly uneventful flight to Seattle. At one point the flight attendants called for a doctor or nurse. There was not a lot of commotion after that, so it must have been easily resolved. We did not learn what happened.

We made our way to a hotel near near the airport where we will spend the night. We had dinner at a pleasant Thai restaurant. And that’s all she wrote.

Today’s fabric is World Traveler in White, by Rifle Paper Co, sourced by Hawthorne Supply Co on Etsy.

I don’t think the place we are going to is on this fabric.

Here’s a hint for those of you who don’t know where we are going: Our first city is on an island.