A New Adventure

On this wild ride that we find ourselves on, Erik and I get the opportunity to see some pretty amazing places. And without the luxury of having some additional time to explore and really get to know them, I shudder to think of the gems we would have missed had our stay been just a quick weekend or a rushed week-long vacation. So, I'm really excited that I'm going to have the opportunity to share these places and events, along with some insider information on where to go and what to see, with our friends, family and the rest of the world as I've just signed on as the Missoula Road Trip Travel Examiner with Examiner.com. I'll do my best to organize the articles in a way so that if you find yourselves hitting some of the fabulous places we've been lucky enough to visit, you can look back and find the information to help make your own adventures grand!

I hope you enjoy them and if we find ourselves in one of your favorite corners of the world, I'd love your hints and suggestions on where to go and what to see!

Will you be mine?

With Valentine's Day come and gone, I thought that I would pay homage to the romance, the love and the commitment that we have in our lives. First, I have to say that I have the most lovely wife. She loves me so much and shows me on a daily basis. Hey, it takes a special woman to run 5K on V-Day then cheer on her husband's half marathon...all before breakfast. No sir, no breakfast in bed, no back rubs, just pounding the pavement. Like I said, my girl is special!

On Friday Susan baked cookies that were to die for. Have a look at her blog. They were absolutely the best cookies that I've ever had. Wow!

She is there to support my quest for 100+ mile bike rides, or for epic trail runs and is there to be my support at work too. So thank you baby for all you do for me. I hope I can at least make you smile and be there to support you, too.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Sunbathing

Chloe and Riley soaking up that California sun. Daisy, on the other hand, is convinced we're trying to cook her and stays as deep in the shadows as she can possibly get. Thus, she is not in the picture.

Vegas, Take 2

Ah, Vegas. Last time we saw you we were down on our luck and the wheels were definitely off the Happy Bus. Now, we might be a motley bunch in this here RV, but one thing we're not is quitters. We decided we needed one more crack at it to put the bad memories behind us (and, ok, the RV had some unfinished business with the repair shop) so back to Vegas we went. And this time we did it right!

After dropping RV Rin Tin Tin off at the shop, we all piled into the van and headed out to Red Rock Canyon. Wow!, pretty much sums it up. The sky was blue, the rocks were red and there was still snow on the ground which is like crack to Chloe. She can NOT get enough of snow! We hiked out to the Keystone Thrust and took a look back down the valley. Unbelievable that the Las Vegas Strip is less than 10 miles away. It seems like another planet!

If you haven't ever visited Red Rock Canyon and you're a nature lover, GO! Put the poker chips down, walk away from the cocktail waitress and get your butt out there. It really is worth losing a few hours of gambling to clear your lungs of the stale smoke and stretch your legs on some of these trails. And the good news is the lights, the action, the noise and excitement of Vegas proper will all be waiting there for you when you're done.

And of course, we then took full advantage of it. We ate at great restaurants, indulged in some retail therapy and even took in a show. Neither of us had seen a Cirque du Soleil event before so we checked with the discount ticket place and managed to get tickets for Mystere. Again, Wow! Who knew humans were even capable of some of the stunts they pulled? I guess a better question would be, And wouldn't you love to be there at the beginning when they think these things up? Like, who is the sucker who gets to be the first to try it? "Yo, Joe, I've got an idea. We'll dress you in some weird costume and then you can stand here and I'll jump on this thingy and shoot you into the air. Yea, yea, we'll work on the landing later." All I can say is better Joe than me!

With all the fun being had by the humans, the canine contingency decided they needed to get in on the action so off to the dog park we went. We just discovered this amazing dog park right around the corner from Sam's Town and it was all we could do to get the canines to come home. They would have stayed there the whole weekend if they could have. They made new friends, ate things they shouldn't have, peed on anything that stood still and ran, and ran, and ran.

And to make the weekend absolutely perfect......Chocolate Cake! Yum, yum, yum.... I'd say the wheels are definitely back on the Happy Bus.

Rain, Rain, Go Away.....

Day 3 of the deluge. There's panic in the streets, people are huddled under umbrellas, flip flops are floating by in the wash, news crews are out covering the devastation, and every 5 minutes the local TV stations break into the programming to give us updates with STORMWATCH 2010. Dahn da daaaaaaa..... Are you kidding me? This is just a normal day in Ketchikan, AK.

So, yep, there is this strange liquid falling from the skies that has the locals here in Palm Springs in a tizzy. And I do mean TIZZY with a capital "T". Their hair is getting wet, makeup is running and there are these ugly splotches all over their cute little golf outfits.

But, worst of all, the golf courses are under water. Such a shame, especially since the Bob Hope Classic was in full, um, swing (sorry, bad pun) until this nasty, horrible water started falling and ruined everyone's fun.

When will it end everyone asks? Plans have to be changed, they can't go outside, roads are closed and the local street fairs and farmers markets refuse to open. It's like ARMAGEDDON for godssakes!

As for us, heck, after doing 5 months in Ketchikan, this is nuthin'! I just pulled out my Xtra Tufs, popped some Vitamin D, and the dogs and I went looking for rainbows.....

Transitions

Transition. A movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another. That pretty much sums up our last few months. We've moved from the wettest city in North America (Ketchikan) to one of the driest (Palm Springs). Where we once avoided stepping into muskeg bogs, we now watch that we don't stamp on cacti. At one point I was practically sleeping in my XtraTufs and now I wouldn't know what I'd do without my flipflops. Our skin is adjusting from humid ocean air to dry desert air. And the dogs are wondering who the heck turned up the heater!

Another transition we're making is from learning to dodge seagulls and their unerring aim to learning to dodge errant golf balls and the drivers who are chasing them down. I'm still startled to have an 80 year old in an electric cart come whizzing by me in the bike lane.

But, all in all, life is settling into normal here in the desert. And who knew there was so much going on in this little oasis! We've attended film festivals, street fairs and farmers markets. Erik has hooked up with a cycling group and running group and has been in athlete heaven. We're signed up to do the Palm Springs Half Marathon and 5K (I'm sure you can guess who is doing which) and Erik has gone further and signed up for a century bike ride and triathlon (I plan to assume my role as athletic supporter for those two events). Heck, we even get the weekly rag so we can plan our next entertainment attack.

But for all the transitions we make as we move from one state to the next, there is one constant that neither of us can get enough of....incredible sunsets and the desert has those in spades.

Two weeks ago, I was yearning for the beach, the salt air, the crashing of waves on the sand, dolphins fishing just offshore and now, sitting outside in the evening as the desert cools off and the smell of mesquite and sage starts wafting by and the birds start their evening serenades...it's hard to imagine a better place to be than right here...right now.

So long Ventura...Hello Palm Springs

I'm sorry to say that our dream assignment of living and working at the beach has come to an end. Yes, I was given my notice to hightail it out of Dodge as the nursing home that I was working at had found a permanent PT, and that meant that I was out.

So with a trickle down our cheeks, we say sayonara to lovely Ventura, California. During our time here we met some great people and had some fun times. We have to say that we did it up "L.A. Style" and enjoyed every minute of it.

But all good things eventually come to an end. And on January 1, 2010 we loaded up Big Bertha and headed to the desert. We arrived in Palm Springs optimistic that our next assignment would be as great as our last. Okay, we are trying to stay positive, but the beach will be VERY hard to beat!

Palm Springs is nice, don't get me wrong. The weather is incredible and the people have already welcomed us in. There is an awesome cycling scene here and plenty of open space for us to get away. The only real drawback is that we are pretty isolated.

So with an open mind we wait to see what the desert will bring. Stay tuned...

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!