From Cheryl: Awoke today shortly before my steamed milk was delivered.  I use it to make my “homemade lattes” with the Nespresso machine in our room.  The porter has reminded me every day that I can get a latte at several places around the ship, but I tell him that this is my morning routine and I enjoy it.  He probably thinks I am strange.  

We attended a lecture on the history of the Pan American highway this morning, followed by a lecture by Captain Mike Foreman about his journey to become an astronaut, starting as a young boy in Ohio.  Ohio has made an impressive contribution to the astronaut pipeline for NASA, including Jim Lovell, Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Judy Resnik and of course, Mike Foreman, among others.  Mike’s photos and videos are fantastic and give the audience a real sense of what it was like to be part of a crew, live in a space station and view the earth from 250 miles away.  

From Bob: The following picture was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom.

To add a bit of color to Cheryl’s comments: The Pan Am highway talk was really interesting. I have heard about it before but the speaker really gave a great overview and history. It really is the longest road (route is probably a more accurate description) in the world.

Mike Foreman, the former NASA astronaut, is very engaging (and self-deprecating). He highlighted how he applied eight (8!) times before being accepted at NASA. He also applied frequently to test pilot school before being accepted there as well. This man did not quit.

I was able to stream the Indiana Oregon NCAA semi-final game in the afternoon. YouTubeTV still does not know I am in the middle of the Pacific. Kind of wish I had not been able to see it live. Tough game for Oregonians to watch. Having said that, the image below was my viewing setup, not bad really. The NFL playoffs start Saturday and I will be glad to have that setup and not be nearly as invested in the outcome.

Being at sea is pretty nice. However getting to Hawaii will be a nice as well. One can only look at endless water for only so long…