LA Weekend

So we took it upon ourselves to check out Los Angeles. Saturday morning we loaded up the pooches and headed for downtown. Our destination, the L.A. Farmer's Market. I drove us through the San Fernando Valley, home to the movie Valley Girl and also where I went to PT school, then it was over Cahuenga Pass and into the heart of LA.

It has been a very long time since I've been to Los Angeles. And we were right downtown. It was quiet and we were able to drive around and take it all in. From the central business district, we headed for the farmer's market. Interestingly enough, it's right in the middle of Hollywood. It has been going for 75 plus years and, in true Hollywood, California fashion, sits right beside a HUGE shopping experience called the Grove. But hey, we weren't complaining, because lots of star-sightings occur there...just ask TMZ!

So we hung out, looking for movie stars and ate at a nice taqueria. Then it was off to the Sunset Strip, past the Whiskey a Go-Go and the Roxy. These were some of the clubs that we would go to in our early 20's to check out bands, get a little wild and try not to get arrested. Sunset is one of the most scenic drives anywhere in the Southland. It takes you from Hollywood to Beverly Hills, past Bel Air and into Pacific Palisades, before dropping you off at PCH and the beach. En Route we decided to stop by a park and walk the dogs.

Okay, picture the two of us and our three rowdy dogs walking in a nice park in P.P. Needless to say, I felt a little like the Beverly hillbillies. But they behaved themselves and all was going swell...until we ran into the Paparazzi. Yes, I'm talking the real deal here. Turns out Jennifer Garner was playing with her daughter Violet on the playground while husband, Ben Affleck held the baby. (Please don't read too much into this. Susan gave me the details) Now I would've gotten a nice shot of them, but Susan threatened be with bodily harm if I was going to follow suit with the Paparazzi, so no picture was taken. We did get within about 50 feet of them and it was definitely them. Wow, mission accomplished with my quest to see a movie star!

The afternoon was spent walking around Santa Monica and finally driving back up the coast to Ventura. It was a great day, one for the books. Maybe it was the nostalgia, maybe the holiday weekend, who knows. Only thing I know is that you can take the boy out of California, but can't take California completely out of the boy.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

From our little corner of the world to yours, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Strolling on State St

Friday night, we decided to drive up the coast and bask in the holiday spirit on State St in Santa Barbara. It was lovely night and the town was decorated and festive.

Plus, on the way up, the sun was just sinking into the Pacific. It was like watching a living watercolor as the colors shifted, brightened, muted and swirled.

We wandered along and found the BEST Indian restaurant, All India Cafe. Ok, just typing that made me hungry! It was so good I thought Erik was going to move in and never leave. Afterwards, we strolled along with the other holiday shoppers and checked out the shops. What a perfect way to end the week!

Peeping Tom

This is our neighbor, Tom. Tom is a peculiar sort of fellow and he lives in the tree next to our motorhome.

Unfortunately, Tom has no social skills and doesn't find it at all rude to peer in our windows whenever the mood strikes...and it strikes ALOT.

Since it can be quite disconcerting to have someone peering in at you when you're, say, taking a shower, we did our best to dissuade him from his new hobby......

...to no avail.

Who knew we were so interesting? I guess we should be flattered and, quite frankly, it could be worse. It could be Stan from Poughkeepsie who's living in the fifth wheel two spaces down peering in at us. Yep, when you look at it that way, Tom seems quite alright. Happy peeping, Tom!

Surf's Up

Those huge waves that hit the North Shore of Hawaii a few days ago are starting to reach us here on the California coast...and the surfers are in heaven! They're expecting 12 to 14 foot waves here and up in Santa Barbara they're warning that the waves could get as big as 19 feet!

The atmosphere is reminiscent of a block party with surfers and supporters coming out to watch the action.

Even the dolphins showed up to play. For you surfers out there who can't be here to enjoy it, check out the web album at the top left side of the page.

Cowabunga, dude!

Holiday Magic

This weekend was the Christmas Tree lighting at the San Buenaventura Mission in downtown Ventura so, of course, Erik and I had to go check it out. It was such a beautiful night and the holiday spirit was in the air.

Since we started this little adventure a year ago, we've been so lucky to be part of quite a few community events from Alaska to California but it still gives me goosebumps to be involved in them. I look around at the faces of our temporary community and watch the smiles, excitement, the greetings of neighbors and friends and I wonder what life is like in their corner of the world. The young family with the little children, the older couple holding hands, the teenagers grouped on the corner...are they happy? Do they love their community? Where are they going when they leave this gathering? What will they be doing when the sun comes up tomorrow? Are they desperate to get out or do they consider themselves lucky to be planted exactly where they are?

This night I know I was content to be exactly where we were, holding hands on a cool night in December standing under the warm glow of the streetlights surrounded by a couple hundred people with upturned faces waiting with bated breath for the sparkling lights on the towering pine to be illuminated. And when they were, to be part of the collective gasp, the reverent clapping and to listen to the voices of the children's choir, singing solemn Christmas carols, float softly into the night.

May you and your families have a lovely holiday season!

Ventura, California

So we're back in California, but this time we're doing it right. I landed a nice job in Southern California and we have settled into the Ventura Beach RV Resort.
We LOVE it here.
No more cold, wet, windy weather, endless sunshine and lots to see and do.
Did I say we love it here?

Mission San Buenaventura


Ventura is a cool town. It's a mix of Indy shops and restaurants with
miles of beach loaded with surfers, cyclists and runners.

Strolling on the Ventura Pier


So we are already checking out what this town has to offer.
Tony's Pizza, the taco stand on the corner or the surf shop on Seaward.

Susan is Cruisin'

Paddleboarding anyone?
(something we both want to try)

Susan's Grandmother's old home at the beach

There will be plenty more pictures and stories to come.

We Made It!

Ok, we might be motorhome-less but OMG, people! It's 65 degrees, the sun is shining and a light ocean breeze is blowing. Life is GREAT!

Leaving Las Vegas

Yep, we left Las Vegas...but a whole lot lighter than when we arrived because our motorhome didn't leave with us! Ok, before I get into that, let me catch you up to date on our travels so far. As Erik mentioned in the last post, we escaped Ketchikan on October 28th in the midst of a big storm (we're talking 50 mph wind gusts and driving rain). It was so bad that the ferry was 3 hours late and they were threatening to cancel the darn thing. But, our luck held and we made it to Prince Rupert the next morning...only to find that the storm that was dumping rain in Ketchikan dumped a good foot of snow across Northern British Columbia. Great! What made it so bad was that the snow caught Canada's road maintenance workers by surprise and most towns hadn't even pulled their snowplows out yet. Thus, the roads were akin to Lookout Pass after a good dumping. We took a deep breath and white-knuckled our way to Southern BC, swerving around a wayward moose and a rock slide along the way and nursing an increasingly sputtering RV (more on that later) and eventually made it to glorious sunshine and dry, clear roads.

We spent Halloween night in a tiny mountain town called Grand Forks located in Southern BC along the Crows Nest Highway. The moon was full, the sky was clear, trick-or-treaters were out in force and the beer was frothy at the local pub. It was heaven!The next day we rolled into Missoula like the Beverly Hillbillies with our motorhome sputtering and coughing and 3 dogs with tongues lolling and their heads sticking out the van windows. Thank god our friends, Kay and Terry, ignored the spectacle and welcomed us with open arms. Thank you, thank you, Kay and Terry!

And, geez, was it nice to be home! We spent our few precious days on doctor, vet and RV appointments with a bit of socializing thrown in. We thought we had the RV issues solved (after an additional day delay to finish up the work) and then hit the road again, heading to Arizona to spend some time with my dad before continuing on to California.

And that's where this little tale takes a bit of a turn. The RV's sputtering and coughing returned with a vengeance and it was on a hill outside of Vegas that it finally gave up the ghost. Hmm, our option was to limp into Searchlight and try to find a mechanic or coast back to Vegas where we were sure to find some help and I bet you can guess what we decided!

Yep, we coasted back to Vegas, planted ourselves at the Sam's Town RV Park and, after realizing we were going to be stuck there a few days, decided to enjoy the enforced break. Having a pool and hot tub stumbling distance away and the Vegas Strip nearby to take our minds off our RV woes certainly made it a lot easier! Let me just say, I walked into Sephora and really thought twice about ever leaving again. Ahh, civilization! I'm embarassed to admit it but, heck, I missed it!


After the retail therapy, we took a drive to check out Hoover Dam and Boulder City which really is something to see. They're busy building a new bridge to bypass the dam crossing and just looking at it made me dizzy. I can't imagine how the contruction workers manage to work on it day after day! Check out the pictures to the left if Art Deco and dizzying architecture is your thing.


By Wednesday, the vacation was over. We needed to get back to business and get this show back on the road. So, we dropped our RV off, piled a few articles of clothing and dog toys into the van and headed south towards Prescott, AZ.



And that's where we sit now. The RV is still in the shop, the van is in the shop (air-conditioning issue) but we had a great visit with my dad and Uncle Hugh and we're getting ready to head back to Vegas. Whether the RV is ready or not is still in question so, if not, we need to grab some clothes and our camping gear because Erik is due at work on Monday and the beach is calling my name. Did I mention we were on a Grand Adventure?

Ketchikan Top 10 List

So everyone has been telling us that we need to update our blog, so while we are STRANDED in Las Vegas, Nevada I guess that I have no excuse. Las Vegas will surely be Susan's post later this week!

So we headed South the night of October 28th, after I finished my last shift at Ketchikan General Hospital and after filling up on Mexican at the Oceanview. We have started a tradition over the past two assignments to list our top 10 (or so) favorite things about where we were for the past few months. And as we were eating, this is what we came up with for our time spent in Ketchikan.

10) Relaxing at the New York Cafe: I think this was the first place that we went into and it felt so comfortable. The New York had great food, live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and the patrons were always very friendly.



9) Mushrooming and Berry Picking: Wow, talk about abundance! We have always been berry pickers, but the shrooms here in Southeast are to die for (figuratively speaking.) Our friend, Sandy showed us the ropes of how to pick'em, cook'em and eat'em without having a bad trip. And the salmon berries, raspberries, huckleberries, and blueberries were a great treat while out hiking. Right Riley?



8) Hiking the Lunch Creek and Salvage Trails: We took weekly hikes to both of these picturesque trails. They were awesome trails for the pooches and Salvage was the site of Susan's infamous (and successful) bear whisperer tactics.

7) Chocolate Malts at the Dockside Galley: Okay people, notice how the post-hike reward lists above the actual hike. Well this was our little slice of sin, our treat for hiking in the heat, or the mud, or the storms, or maybe just because. We really didn't need a reason to head to the Galley for the best malts West of the Rockies!




6) Sandy and Shep's Place: So we were in need of a new perch because the Clover Pass Resort, aka the Walmart parking lot, was going to be closing at the end of September and Sandy made us an offer we couldn't refuse: stay on their property (with full hook ups), eat her AMAZING food, learn how to mushroom pick and not to mention, wake up and go to sleep in paradise. We had to sign on for that one! Sandy and her husband Shep were so kind to welcome us into their home and become our "host family" for our last two months on the island. Thanks guys!




5) Kayaking the Clover Passage: OMG. We lived in a kayaker's heaven for about 5 months. How about sailing the protected waters of the inside passage from island to island, be followed by sea lions and get to take in the wilderness that is Southeast Alaska?




4) Fishing Ward Creek: So there may only be a few fly-fishable locations in Ketchikan, but Ward Creek lived up to my expectations of Alaska fishing. I purchased a yearly, non-resident fishing license for about $150 and probably averaged less than 50 cents a fish...you do the math.




3) Full Circle Farm: So how do the locals get their fresh produce? Full Circle Farm, of course! Talk about fun. Each week we would receive a box of fresh, organic produce from a co-op in Washington state. We received lots of veggies and recipes that were new to us and we looked forward to our weekly shipments like kids waiting for the Easter Bunny. Thanks to my supervisor, Joanna, for turning us on to this. Support community supported agriculture (CSA) y'all.

2) Bar Harbor Restaurant: This was our favorite dinner spot. Great atmosphere, staff and food. It was a real local's restaurant and had a Missoula feel to it. We loved hanging out on the deck in the summer and inside, by the fireplace, when the weather turned cold. We took both Nadia and Susan's brother, Tom, here. We always had a great time.

1) All of Our New Found Friends: Ketchikan was no different than any other small town that we lived in. The locals were great! We were welcomed into their community and felt like locals ourselves by the time we left. We will remember everyone we met and became good friends with for a long, long time. Thanks for being so kind.

So there you have it. Ketchikan has so much more to it than this top 10 list, like the eagles and the ravens, the totems and the salmon, or the hordes of tourists coming off of the cruise ships. It's what makes this place unique and gives it, its character. Susan and I are glad we had this experience and will have fond memories of our time in Ketchikan.

Our New Digs

Welcome to our new digs.
We've been here four weeks now and have to say that this is one of the BEST

campsites that we have ever stayed in.
Yes, we moved out of Clover Pass Resort and into paradise.
We have met some great people in Ketchikan, people who take you in like you're family.
Sandy and Shep heard that we were looking to get out of Clover Pass, and they just happen to have an RV pad along side there shop. It is just perfect.
You see, Clover Pass was a parking lot, crammed together with all the other RV's.
There wasn't much space for us and the dogs.
Plus, they were to be closing at the end of September...for the season.
So we had to be out.

Check out our porch!
We are still "out North." This means it's a drive or bike to work,
but we're about 4 miles closer, and that makes a big difference.
Sandy and Shep live on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the mouth of Whipple Creek.
They have a beautiful place with an awesome view.
Check it out!

Looking up at the house from the stairway.

A hundred or so stairs down to the beach!

Sandy's greenhouse.

They have welcomed us in to their place and have been quite the hosts.
I call them our "host family."
We are tucked away, far off the busy main road.
There is plenty of space for the pooches and we are far enough away from the main house for
both families to have their privacy.
But that said, we seem to spend quite a bit of time at their home,
watching the water, and sipping a glass of wine.

Check out this sight!

So thanks Sandy and Shep. You guys are great!

Our Summer Guests

Whew, finally people! This is my third attempt at posting. Blogger rejected my first two attempts, citing some html gibberish that I didn't comprehend.

So this is my long, overdue blog entry. It seems the last month has been very busy. My brother-in-law, Tom, made his first trip to Alaska to visit us. He got here in time to celebrate my birthday and brought a gift, Dinosaur Jr. This guy is great! It was Tom, I think, that finally got me off of my '80's big-hair rock kick and introduced me to many different styles of "alternative" rock. This is one of the many advances in my mindset that I truly appreciate. Thanks Tom.

Tom, Susan and I toured Ketchikan. We saw the totems and went into the shops. We scored some great eats, of the likes of Cape Fox Lodge and Bar Harbor (our favorite). We hiked many of our favorite trails and Susan even got him out on the kayak. The weather was gorgeous and fun was had by all.

But wait, there's more. While Tom was here we were also dog sitting our friend Michelle's dog, Chloe. What a cute little Bassett. And she took a liking to Tom, too. So just try and picture the three of us and this unlikely team of hounds. It must have been amusing.



So, just as Tom was ending his trip, Nadia arrived. Nadia just needed an excuse to come to Southeast Alaska. You see, Nadia is an extreme boater, be it canoes or kayaks, and she and Susan enjoyed some awesome kayaking. I got a chance to go out some too and it was fantastic. The weather started to turn, so Nadia got the chance to experience the Southeast in its more typical climate. We can't complain, because we've had such a great summer. We've had literally weeks of sunshine which is unheard of. Nadia and I fished and caught, Susan and she shopped and bought, and we all drank and were merry.

So that catches up 'til about two weeks ago. There is still a whole lot more to talk about, but I'll save that for our next blog. Thanks for being patient on this one.

Cheers.

Ebb and Flow

There is a certain rhythm to life here in Ketchikan, an ebb and flow...of tides, tourists, seasons, salmon... It's a dance that you find yourself slipping so easily into and in such a short time that, before you know it, you can't remember the frenetic, exhausted, unorganized state you were in when you first arrived.


The tides here are celebrated. There are morning radio announcements letting you know what to expect, tide table books are everywhere, from restaurant counters to sporting good stores, and there is happy chatter all over town when the tides are at their highest and at their lowest. High tides bring the salmon into the streams, gives boaters access to areas previously unreachable and makes kayaking a breeze. Low tide ushers the salmon out, strands tourists in rented boats on sandbars that locals know to avoid which in itself brings the town great delight and offers hours of entertaining stories to be told at the local supermarket and watering holes. With the lowest of the low tides, hikes out to islands are arranged and treasure hunters comb the beaches and exposed sea-bed that hasn't seen the light of day in who knows how long.


Then you have the cruise ships and marine ferries that sail in and disgorge thousands onto the street. It's like a circus has come to town and then, just as quickly, the thousands are sucked back up leaving the streets quiet and expectant, waiting patiently for the next ships to come in. The locals are able to plan their town errands around the ebb and flow of the out-of-towners by picking up a local paper which prints an arrival and departure list of the expected cruise ships. You can also tune in to the local morning radio show which goes a step beyond the list of times to announce the actual number of tourists that are to be expected to be wandering aimlessly on the streets of our fair city.


And let's not forget the salmon. I have never seen such a cohesion of community as I've seen over the comings and goings of salmon. It's like a constant buzz in the air, talk of which kinds are running or who has seen what in the creeks. There are silver in the ocean but they haven't hit the streams yet but, woo boy!, are those pinks coming in strong! A school of orcas just came through so you'd have better luck fishing up Behm Canal. Hey, what kind of flies are the silvers hitting on? People stop each other in the street to find out where the hotspots are, information is passed among the locals in coded messages, secret fishing spots are actually shared...with relish. Heck, I don't even fish and I still catch myself peering with bated breath into every creek I cross hoping to catch sight of a spawning salmon.

Oh, and of course not a day goes by without a mention of the weather. The flow from seventy and sunny to fifty and pouring rain happens seamlessly and seems to bring a reassurance in its constant change. When the sun is shining, I couldn't count the number of people who make sure I know that rain is expected in two or so days time and when the rain comes, the talk turns to when we can expect the sun. There are no grumbles or complaints, just a sharing of information, because the locals know you just have to wait a bit longer for that sun to shine again.

And it's in that ebb and flow of life that I feel most connected to the residents of Ketchikan. It is so strong here that I can only liken it to feeling as if you're witnessing the earth breathe in and out. I've been lucky to live in a variety of locales, urban to rural, and I have to say I have never felt this tie as strongly as I do here. Is it the unending wilderness that surrounds us, the vast ocean lapping at the shores, the small population gathered together in this small little pocket of the world? I certainly couldn't tell you but I do know that I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to experience it and join in this beautiful dance.