Summertime
I can't believe we've been in Alaska for three months already! (only four more months until our next adventure...) In April we still had a lot of snow on the ground. May was a bit chilly but dry and sunny. And June has been gloomy and rainy. But it looks like summer is finally here! Today was downright hot and wildflowers are everywhere. Just waiting for the fireweed to bloom. Glacier Creek and a couple of Girdwood's seven glaciers in the [...]
The End of the Road
At the end of our road is a short trail... Virgin Creek Falls. Girdwood, Alaska.
Alaska so far
We're getting settled into Alaska. The first month here, we stayed in a log house in the hills above Anchorage. A couple of weeks ago we moved over to Girdwood, a little ski village nestled among the mountains along Turnagain Arm, about 40 minutes from Anchorage. For much of April we still had snow on the ground but that is all gone now. I haven't spent a lot of time in this part of Alaska and I am amazed at how [...]
Video | Ferry to Alaska
Taking the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) from Bellingham, Washington to Haines, Alaska (as we did) or Skagway, Alaska through the Inside Passage is a great way to do an Alaska cruise on the cheap. The last day before arriving in Haines is spectacular as you go through narrow channels surrounded by snow-covered mountains. If you want more time to explore each stop book each leg separately as we did on our return trip. We took about [...]
Ferry from Bellingham to Haines, Alaska
Take the Alaska Marine Highway (Alaska's ferry system) from Bellingham up the Inside Passage to Haines and then drive the last 750 miles to Anchorage. That’s the plan. We left Bellingham Friday night. Saturday was spent entirely at sea cruising through Canada and yesterday (Sunday) morning we arrived at our first stop: Ketchikan. Mike and I had spent quite a bit of time here, nearly 10 years ago, when we were working for NOAA aboard the [...]
And we’re off!
We're on our way to Bellingham to hop on the ferry to Alaska! This is mostly just a test post to try out the the new camera and blogging from the iPad. The photo below was sent to the iPad from the camera via wifi and the post was created on the iPad. A first for me!
Update in Photos
What we've been up to in photos... Olympic Mountains Mount Rainier Survey Boat Surveying in support of dredge operations.
From Palmtrees to Pines and Mistletoe
We drove up to the little mountain town of Julian yesterday to get that holiday-feeling. Here in San Diego it's hard to get into the christmas spirit with near-constant sunshine and 75 degree daytime temps. Julian was chilly enough to warrant wearing a scarf but not nose-freezing cold. The town is famous for its apple pies, so of course we couldn't resist taking one home. After lunch we headed up to Mount Laguna to take in the [...]
(Mini) Van Life
Before buying a new car we thought long and hard about what to get. We'd been without a car for nearly two years while living on our boat in Mexico so it was a big decision. We like to go on long road trips but hotels every night are out of the question. We wanted a car we could sleep in comfortably, but it also had to have good gas mileage and space for toys like our [...]
Cranberry Bogs and Desserts
After a week of visiting with friends near Portland, Oregon we are back on the road. Driving south along the Oregon coast on Highway 101 we saw a 'U-Pick Cranberries' sign. Having just gotten a new recipe for cranberries and never having seen a cranberry bog we made a quick stop. I was expecting to be wading through standing water but apparently they only flood the bog when it's time to harvest so the berries will float [...]
Close Encounters
We're still in Denver enjoying the comforts of living on shore. Last week we took a little trip up to South Dakota to see "the heads" and some amazing wildlife. On our way back we nearly had a close encounter of a third kind in Wyoming... Buffalo in Custer State Park Devil's Tower (featured in the movie: Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977) Prayer-flags at Devil's Tower Mount Rushmore at night At Bear Country
From the Ocean to the Prairies
After over a week on the road we just made it to our destination of Denver, Colorado where we are visiting with Mike's family. We've been camping out of our mini van, for which Mike built a platform-bed after removing the two rows of back seats. All of our clothes and most gear is stored in under-bed storage bins below the platform. Even my inflatable kayak is under there! We visited Utah's national parks from Arches to [...]
America’s Cup
We just returned from a 5-day trip up to San Francisco to see the America's Cup boats. Right now is the Louis Vuitton Cup, the races that decide who goes to the America's Cup which starts in September. Long gone is the big helm to stand behind - these boats are steered with the push of a botton and are so fast the sailors have to wear helmets. On the way home we drove back via Highway 1. [...]
Catalina Island
We've been settling back into life in the United States. Slowly. We bought a car, have been visiting with friends and family and are getting our affairs back in order. Life in the US is a bit different than living in Mexico. Most notably: it is expensive!! But we can't neglect our boat so when Mike's parents came to visit we headed out to Catalina Island for four nights. It's just a quick overnight sail of about [...]
Baja Bash Wrap-Up
We have completed the dreaded Baja Bash! I have been agonizing over this trip for weeks and it turns out that by going at the right time of year and with good weather windows, it doesn't really have to be much of a bash at all. We actually had a rather good time except for the fact that it was quite chilly at night (anything below 70 feels like the dead of winter now) and we had [...]
Night-Watch Lentil Soup
Now that we are back in cooler weather we like to have some hot soup to keep us occupied during our long watches at night. Before we leave I make this fast and easy Lentil Soup that doesn't require any perishable ingredients. 1/2 large onion 1 14oz can mixed vegetables 4 cups water or broth 1 cup dry lentils 2-3 Tbsp bouillon powder (less/none if using broth) 1-2 Tbsp curry powder 1/2-1 Tbsp paprika powder Salt [...]
More Than Half Way!
Baja Bash :: Days Three to Six We made it to Turtle Bay this morning! It felt great to turn off the engine after three days of constant noise. We left Mag Bay late in the evening to have an early morning transit of Cape San Lazaro in calm seas - it was so calm we didn't even notice we were rounding a cape. So far we have been very lucky with the weather. Nothing but big [...]
Radar Love
Baja Bash :: Days One to Three We are currently anchored in Magdalena Bay. About one quarter of the way to Ensenada (about 800 miles in total). We are here to get some diesel (being delivered right now*) and to wait for another weather window. We departed Cabo at 5am to catch the morning calm to round Cabo Falso. As the sun came up we watched a 20 foot swell (a gift from hurricane Cosme) pound the [...]
What’s next?
We just arrived in Cabo San Lucas. What a crazy place after the peaceful anchorages we've had mostly to ourselves over the past few weeks. So, why are we here? We're on our way north! After a year and a half of living and cruising around Mexico we've decided it's time to head back to the good ole US of A for a while and maybe restock the kitty. Maybe do a little land travel. Going back to [...]
The Hard Life in Mexico Isn’t All Bad
We are back in the water after four days in the boatyard. It feels good to be floating again. Every night when the Coromuels blew the boat would shudder and I had visions of us falling over. Living in the boatyard wasn't so bad thanks to our freshwater-flush head and huge holding tank. Some people actually climb down the ladder in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom! During the day we collected wash water [...]