The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,300 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 22 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Most surprising aspect of the trip…? Being as excited to get home as we were to leave!! Don’t get me wrong, this was hands down the most amazing family adventure, journey, and trip of a lifetime on many levels, but we are so blessed to have a warm and cozy home and wonderful friends to come back to.

After driving almost 20hrs straight on our last day, we arrived to our driveway just before midnight and decided to just “driveway crash” our own driveway.  We also decided that if we wanted any sleep whatsoever we better not even unlock the doors to the house and take a peek inside as i’m sure this would have started a sleepless night! First thing i did notice was how much the garden and landscaping had grown!

We’ve been home 4 days and one would think we were mildly manic.  We’ve socialized 3 days in a row, hosting two of the evenings including a gaggle of kids in the house.  Unloaded and cleaned RV, cut all the weeds, bought a new vehicle, crafted and decorated for Halloween, caught up on house and laundry and started a 55gal fish tank.  I probably left a few things out, but you get the general idea!

The neighborhood kids and Savannah actually earned some moola by unloading the entire RV AND cleaning it!  All i had to do was put it away and go behind them with a final “Mom clean”, and they had fun!  The jeep that we towed that was generously given to me by my Mom survived the journey, but we all decided it was in our best interested to have the four door version of this model and a few years newer.  Especially in light that we would have had to replace the engine the same week we decided to trade her in (and steering linkage, and…)  Bitter sweet… but really excited about my new ride!!! Used the rocks we collected in Montana off the Flathead river to beautify the new aquarium and i’m literally barely sleeping this week because i’m so excited to be home and tinker around the house and yard!

So.. what does a trip of this nature costs..?  Well… not including food (that’s a given life expense so we don’t count that one.. 😉 Here goes….

Fuel- $3958 which is which is an average of 7.4 MPG for 8100 miles and approx 1100 gallons.  This figure is not so shocking in my jet head.. back in the day the Lear 25b i flew was 2000lbs the first hour which is 300 gallons just for 1 HOUR! (keeping in mind we were towing a vehicle and going over some very mountainous terrain most of the trip)!!  Most expensive pump was in Canada at $6.95 a gal (exchange rate was minimal) and the cheapest was in MS $2.71 (last refueling stop of the trip!)

Campground- $1,665 (mostly KOA because they had reliable internet for Savannah’s schooling).

Touristy things- $3800 (float planes, bear watching, white water rafting, trout fishing, zodiac back country…..)

Photos- How many photos do you think i took?  8900 off the big camera and 1200 off the phone………working on the family Christmas calendar!

We traveled with 2 dogs and 2 cats.  One being a kitten…. he pretty much destroyed the tops of the driving seats using them has rocket launchers to the top bunk..  I am pleased to not clean the kitty box morning and night and back to changing the entire box just once a week here at home! haha

Not lugging laundry for 3 active people and pounds of quarters..although Jim was the super duper laundry King!

Uhmmm intimacy.. yeah right. haha WOOHOOO WE ARE HOME with LOCKED DOORS and the house does NOT MOVE.  Had to throw that in….. 😉

Our RV is 31 feet long.. if you subtract the driving station that makes it about 25 feet long.  This is not a lot of space for 7 beating hearts and the entire 7th grade curriculum and clothing for ALL weather conditions.  But i am proud and honored that while we were in tight quarters we never felt cramped or in need of space.  This trip i wouldn’t say brought us closer together, because then that would be too close.. 😉 but the changes we witnessed in Savannah and her sheer joy of exploring, learning and deep curiosity on this journey was fascinating.  It’s neat to spend time with your kid while not having the  “normal” life distractions. Our biggest stress was not hitting a tree with the awning out (yeah, JIm did that.. 😉 haha) getting eaten by a bear, and navigating! haha I would not say this felt like vacation, but a rather more like a  “living vacation”.  We learned, felt, smelt, hiked, read, and explored in depth every single place we landed.  This was truly up there on the adventure scale.

My personal favorites were Colorado/Yellowstone/Tetons/and hands down Glacier National Park.  Favorite moments were river sup’ing 3 major rivers, one i took my daughter down (this is also up there on her list along with Whitewater rafting) but her very favorite was smore’s most nights over the campfire and building the campfires! Jim’s favorite was star gazing, campfires and the chilly evenings cooking on the cast iron.  We took the time to stop and visit Mom, Sarah, Brent & Esther, and Eric and Tehyla which added an even more “fun factor” to an already awesome trip!

We are home and i was certain i would  be melancholy…  on the contrary, I feel like a little kid at Christmas that just got back from the North Pole!

Would i do this trip over again? Nope. lol Well at least night in its entirety.  We crammed a lot in only 7 weeks time, but it certainly gave me some ideas of where i want to go back! 😉

I have to throw a HUGE shout out to Jason and Corrisa Ipock.   They took care of our home and maintained the Koi Fish pond.  Of course the pond developed a leak… and Jason had to spend an entire Sat fixing it… oooops.  😉 He also checked in on Jim’s parents and eased our minds in general while being gone.  Truly awesome folks and good people.

Well those were some quickly written random thoughts post trip.  I’m a little burnt out on writing my thoughts, but i’m pretty sure my family will enjoy this blog of our 2014 adventure for many years to come.

I will continue writing about our adventures as i’m sure some will be mundane, some funny and some off the wall.  Thank you for taking the time to read and share our journey.

Stay tuned for the next adventure!!

Cheers,

Heather, Jim, and Savannah

The Southwest portion of the United States has been utterly impressive and we will have to explore these areas in more detail in the future.  However, our time is up and we must push home as Savannah has Performance Music team starting and misses her friends like crazy!  As do we!

Meteor Crater was really impressive with an extensive gift shop, visitor, and educational center.  The information provided was shocking and scary to the “what if”.. the last meteor was 50,000 years ago and we’re do for another according to scientific studies.  This huge iron-nickle meteorite is estimated to have been about 150 feet across and weighing several thousand tons that struck with an explosive force greater than 20 million tons of TNT!! In seconds, a crater 700 ft deep and over 4000 feet across was carved onto this once-flat rocky plain.  We spent considerable time reading, discussing and speculating, and ended up closing down the museum! The road we drove to get to the crater was just gorgeous with miles and miles of flat plains, gorgeous views and the perfect run….  Savannah road her bike along side and we met Jim at the end of the road for a lovely sunset six miler.

Our last stop on the trip was the Petrified Forest National Park and the very scenic drive in this land of quiet grandeur and vivid contrasts.  I don’t think i can condense the history, scientific, and historical values in just a few paragraphs of these forests. The park included many types of scientific and historical wonders..petrified wood at Jasper Forest, Crystal Forest, and Rainbow Forest.  Here also are Tepees, Blue Mesa, Agate Bridge, the Flattops, Puerco Ruin, Newspaper Rock and Painted Desert. This area is literally considered the worlds greatest storehouse of knowledge about life on earth when the age of the dinosaurs was just beginning.

The forests are protected in the Petrified Forest National Park in a colorfully banded sequence of rocks called the Chinle Formation, which is widely exposed in many parts of the southwestern US. The rocks that form the Painted Desert are also included in the Chinle. This formation was deposited about 220 to 225 MILLION years ago near the end of the Triassic period of the Mesozoic (middle life) era on still older rocks. These older rocks are not exposed in the Petrified Forest, but some of them are visible in surrounding areas and in the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chinle National Monument. Only a few younger rocks are present in the Forest. They are assigned to the Bidahochi Formation fo the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic (modern life) era and are thought to be four to eight million years old.

Scientists tell us that during the Late Triassic, America was several thousand miles southeast of its present location and much closer to the equator than it is now As a result, ancient Arizona was then at the about the latitude of Panama but at a position that is now in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean about halfway between south America and Africa. At that time, North America had just separated from western Africa and South America and had begun drifting northwesterly toward its present location. Thus, much of the continent was then in the tropics.

The rate of fossilization varies greatly according to circumstances. In the Petrified Forest, however, it appears that fossilization of the logs must have occurred rather rapidly because most of them are nearly round in cross section, much as they were in life. In other words, they were fossilized before the overlying layers of sediment became so heavy that the logs were crushed and flattened.

Several types of fossilization are presented. The main type of fossilization is petrification, where wood and bones are turned to stone.  Two types of petrification are found in the park. In the first type, all or practically all of the organic matter in potential fossils was replaced by mineral matter. The resulting fossil has the external form of the object but little or none of the internal cellular structure is still present. In the Petrified Forest most of the logs have been replaced at least in party by mineral matter, especially varieties of quartz, and they now contain little, if any of the original organic matter. The colorful logs in the Rainbow Forest int he southern part of the park are good examples of fossils that have been preserved by replacement.

In the second type of petrification the cells and other spaces in the potential fossil are filled with mineral matter, but much of the original organic matter remains unchanged. In this type of petrification, or permineralization, much of the cellular detail in the fossil is preserved and can be observed with a microscope. Only a small proportion of the logs and stumps in the park have been permineralized, whereas most of the bones have been preserved in this matter. The logs in the Black Forest in the northern part of the park are generally black because they have been permineralized.  Interestingly, parts of some logs in the park have been totally replaced by mineral matter and other parts of the same logs are permineralized, so its is possible to find specimens contain both types of presertion.

In the Petrified Forest, the sediments deposited by Upper Triassic rivers were saturate with water, which decreased the rate of decay of the plant and animal remains they entombed. The smae water that slowed the decay of the logs and bones had earlier filtered through sediments rich in the element silicon. As the silicon-rich water slowly percolated through the logs and bones, the silicon came out of solution and combined with the oxygen to form minute crystals of quartz with in the spaces in the tissues and formed permineralized fossils. In other cases, it even replaced the organic matter forming replacement fossils.

A majority of the fossils logs here are solidly petrified, and all of the tissue has been filled or replaced by quartz. However, inside hollow logs or in cracks in otherwise solid logs the growth of quartz crystals was not restricted by cell structure or adjoining crystals. As a consequence, cavities within the wood are sometimes lined or even filled with large crystals of amethyst, rose quartz, smoky quartz, and rock crystal quartz.

The water that provided the silica for petrification also contained other elements that were incorporated into the wood and were responsible for the variety of colors in the fossils. Iron, probably the most common element incorporated n the developing fossils after silicon, produced various shades of red, yellow, brown, and even blue. Cobalt, chromium, rarely included, provided blue and green coloring. Carbon and sometimes manganese added black. Interestingly, manganese was also responsible for some of the pink coloring. Most of the wood contains a variety of colors and tones that are composed of just a few primary colors. Blends of yellow, red, black, blue, and white provide an amazing range of hues.

Needless to say this park was by far fascinating and mind boggling. Savannah is pretty obsessed with rocks and crystals in general so watching her reactions was almost as entertaining as seeing it for our own eyes.  We spent considerable time in the learning centers, reading, and researching in great depth. Savannah also received her Jr. Ranger badge for this park.

We are officially eastbound!  We are only a few days from home and i’m finding my photos outdoing my writing! I could bore you with the funny details of our trip.. like locking the keys inside of the jeep and calling a locksmith… which also landed us at a super awesome Mexican restaurant while we waited.. then getting stuck in traffic for 3 hrs due to hwy maintenance and driving some hard mountain miles in the dark along with all of the semi trucks, which also landed us in the quaint little town of Williams off Route 66 where we found a little piece of time still stuck in the 50’s and 60’s!

Our last day in Yosemite we visited the Mariposa Grove, home of many giant and very old Sequoia trees. We hiked 5 miles in and out of the trails leading us around these majesties. It’s amazing how much you learn attending Ranger seminars, reading the plaques and taking it all in.  The Sequoias are fascinating not just in their sheer size, but also how they grow, reproduce, and survive so many hostile conditions. They are fire resistant, yet fires help the seeds to germinate.  The seeds are minuscule in size compared to what they turn into… it is said that a seed is to a mature tree, as that tree is to the Earth sizewise!  Years ago, the early settlers tried to protect the trees from fire, which scientists later figured out was actually slowing down the reproduction.  They now have controlled burning, or actual forest fires that keep the Sequoias healthy and reproducing naturally.  The heat literally germinates the seeds.. just fascinating. I’ll enclose some information in the photo section of a few more Sequoia facts of the plaques in and around the forest.

The drive through the Sierras Nevada mountain range was spectacular!  Since we had an exceptional Sequoia experience in Yosemite and time is not on our side for getting home, we decided to bypass Sequoia National Park which would have made an additional 3 days tacked on to our trip,due to required online classes and school, then hiking time… so we pushed East to the Grand Canyon!

There are no words or photos that can do this geological wonder proper justice.  All i can say is WOW! We avoided the tourist rim trail and visitors center on this portion due to the “touron” factor.  We’ve visited MANY parks on this trip, and i’m pretty sure i can’t take anymore tourists! haha (even though i am one… lol) We decided on a half day hike that took us down the South Kaibab trail to Skeleton Point.  A strenuous 2700′ descent, 6 mile hike into the canyon with breath taking, unobstructed views. That is one way to get away from the average tourist! The red sand was fascinating and seemed to cling to my camera and every part of everything! We are literally a 2 day drive from our home to the Canyon and will plan a more serious overnight (or week long) back packing/rafting trip for 2015.  Who’s in?

Arriving to camp after dark, we decided not to build a fire and sit out under the stars, but rather hit the small town a few miles away off of Route 66 and become official “tourons” ourselves! 😉 Great food, and window shopping and a lot of nostalgic 50’s and 60’s memorabilia. At an elevation of 6000′ and late Oct, the air was clear and brisk.  Felt like a winter stroll in the desert!

FYI.. the push home is to make the Performance Music team’s first meeting.  Savannah made the team and the school has been beyond accommodating.

Also… Savannah made HIGH Honors for lessons 1-20 and 20-40 (there is both “high honors” and “honors” recognition).  “Road Schooling” has been challenging at times and we’re very proud of Savannah’s hard work. Congrats young lady, we are SO PROUD of you.

Sorry the photos loaded all out of order!

We knew starting out on this adventure that we would take our time, not rush, and to be back by Halloween, or at least back to Grandma’s house by Halloween.  Our trip planning has gone smooth as butter, until hitting Auburn where biking trails and friends lured us into a longer visit, topped with a lovely stomach bug that made the rounds with Savannah and Jim. I won’t go into details, but when your child gets sick from the top of her bunk bed and doesn’t get down in time… well.. just imagine.

Since we didn’t visit Victoria, BC and scooted through Washington and Oregon fairly quickly, we had some time in the bank (about 4 days). However, with Savannah and Jim being sick for 2 days each, that was how we spent it.  That being said… I had a BLAST riding the mtn biking trails in and around Auburn the “endurance capitol of the US”.  Jim was able to ride the day of the night he got sick, and Savannah was able to hit the trails after her speedy recovery.  You can literally run or bike a different trail everyday for a month in Auburn!

We had a tough time deciding whether to backtrack to Squaw Valley and travel easterly back through Colorado and Kansas to Grandma’s.. OR, continue with the original plan of heading South from Auburn through the Sierra Nevada mountain sites with no backtracking and new sites all the way back to Pensacola before Nov 2 (that is our deadline).  After much thought, i am writing the blog this am from Yosemite, NP. 🙂  We could probably make MO after passing Flagstaff.. but would only gives us like 2 days there with significant driving for just two day. Guess we’re buying Grandma an airplane ticket for Thanksgiving! 😉

Saying our final good byes to the Warshower family we hit the road.  I expected the drive to Yosemite to be non climatic, but i stood corrected!  After popping out the South side of Sacramento, we headed into the little two lane farming roads, gorgeous plots of rosemary, huge citrus trees, vineyards, almonds… just spectacular.  The mountain range was in the far distance and the drive was lovely.  As we headed deeper into the rural Sierra Nevada the towns were quaint, and bustling on a Saturday afternoon.  On hwy 49 we ended up having to make a hairy U turn with a lot of people starring at us since they had closed the only road that accessed the town of Angles Camp, due to a BIG street fair. The detour put us back on hwy 49 on the OTHER side of the closure where we continued on course until our next turn off onto hwy 120… of which we had to turn around once more because the road did not permit RV’s or trucks.( (thank fully we noticed the signs). Our only choice was to get back onto hwy 49 which took us across the outer edges of the canyon.  Probably the most hairy driving i’ve ever done, especially driving an RV and towing. The drive had very steep gradients and sharp hair pin turns with towering sheer walls of rock on one side and literally two feet of gravel separating the road and 1000 ft down.  There were several pull outs to let cars pass us, but we only saw motorcycles on the road.  Guess this was a clue.  I must have done an excellent job driving, because we’re here to tell about it!

We made camp just outside of the Yosemite Park in a lovely wooded campground.  We arrived early enough to decorate our table with a fall setting of pumpkins and pinecones. (be sure to bring your pumpkins in at night or the bear will eat them!) We filled the cast iron with yummy comfort food and had a wonderful evening. We even got to see a bobcat sneak past our site!

The drive through the canyon leading to Yosemite was eerie and a bit claustrophobic to me.. Between the landslides, rubble, and marks on the canyon wall and streaks of fire retardant from the fire fighting plane that went down the previous week was intense. However the site of El Capitan quickly snapped these thoughts away.  This massive, granite monolith stands 3,593 feet from base to summit. From Spring to Fall, climbers come from all over the globe to scale El Capitan.  There was a climbing festival at the park on our visit, which was really cool to see all of the hot bodied younger people, camping and climbing. The park was very busy in general with other tourists such as ourselves, i can’t imagine it in the summer! We had planned our hike the evening before, so it was just a matter of finding parking which ended up being over a mile from the trail head to the top of the upper falls.

The Yosemite Falls is the 5th tallest waterfall in the world falling 2,425ft. We climbed to the top!  Hiking to the TOP of the upper falls- Yosemite, 7.2 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 2700 ft. We then continued further to the overlook, making an 8 mile day in 5.5 hrs. Hiking guide pamphlet suggested 6-8hrs.. guess that explains why my calves are so sore today! Jim hiked with us to the upper falls about a 1000 ft gain and 4 miles round trip before his sciatica got the best of him. Not to mention he was pretty sick just 2 days prior.. (either that he wanted to watch the.. uhm..female climbers.. haha) Even thought the lower and upper falls were dry as a bone, it was fascinating to see how the granite has been molded and sculpted by the water falling from such a grand distance.

Hiking with my daughter solo to the top however was really amazing.  There were not a ton of people and the sense of adventure and exploring was really surreal.  Towards the top the wind was howling and when you looked up up or down you would get instant vertigo. Savannah was totally amazed by this.  In the distance you could see Half Dome which is a seasonal hike on a permit lottery system.  That hike is 17 miles round trip with a 4,800 ft gain This has been added to the Momma/daughter bucket list.  It seems the more we empty our bucket list, the more we add to it at the same time!

Even if you are not climbing mountains with your child, time spent with your preteen at this tender age between “child and adult” is truly magical.  It’s almost like a secret pathway between two different lives.. quite fascinating if you don’t fight it.  Kids in this age have such an interesting outlook and take on things, and they really do like to spend time with their parents!

We arrived to Auburn for our Warshower family (Eric, Tehyla, Nicholas, and Michael), visit over a week ago.  Which hasn’t left much time for writing in the blog!  We have known Eric and Tehyla for over a decade.  Tehyla and i met while pregnant and living in Puerto Rico, they now have 2 boys ages 12 and 9.  They moved away from PR about 5 years before we did, but we have stayed in touch, and enjoyed many visits to each others homes over the years.  It’s special to watch the kids grow, change, and enjoy their time together each year. We also had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with Tehyla’s mother who is visiting from Cuba. Such a sweetheart!

As soon as we arrived to Auburn (biking/running capitol of the US!) we were on a serious bike hunt for Savannah and I.  The Walmart, mongoose bikes were just not cutting it for the type of riding and distances we have been logging.  I ended up scoring a used Specialized-Fate/expert, full carbon frame/wheels, super lightweight, hard tail-29’r, mountain bike.  It was the barely used, previous bike of the bike shop owner’s wife, who also happens to be a pro rider.  We also found a killer bike for Savannah.  Then of course Jim said we needed a proper bike rack to go on the back of the jeep. Needless to say we have been doing a LOT of biking!

We spent a better part of the week days catching up on school, tests, and laundry, (their kids are also home schooled) all the while driveway crashing their spacious, yet cozy home that is nestled in the foothills of the Tahoe forest and packed with trails and stunning views.  Tehyla and her Mom cooked gourmet lunch and dinners while in Auburn. We enjoyed the open aired, beautifully decorated table, on the back porch with mountain and river views for many delicious meals!  (You’ll learn with Tehyla to just let her have her way in the concina, because she will “take over” regardless of your skills to cook!) 😉

Thursday afternoon we wrapped up school and bike purchases and loaded up for some Squaw Valley action!, In years past i would fly out with Savannah during winter and we would snowboard our hearts out. However, this time we enjoyed the Autumn side of Squaw Valley and ran, hiked, and biked our hearts out!  We also got to sleep in a king bed and use of a giant shower!  If you need a great place to stay in Squaw Valley, please let me know as they have two beautiful condos in the village that they rent out. Gorgeous views and ski in ski out…

We ate out ALL meals while in Squaw for the weekend (this is almost feeling like real vacation now!) and enjoyed family bike rides along the trails and rivers, Lake Tahoe lunches, hiking, mountain biking, Starbucks dates, and even arts and crafts at a village hippie store, where i was promptly handed a job application!(must have been the tye die yoga pants…);)

The dogs also had a party!  Lots of leash free running, hiking, and ball chasing for them as well.  We headed back to Auburn since it’s on the way to Yosemite.  Catching up on school/work before hitting the road again and also taking advantage of the Ford dealership close by to get the RV serviced.  We’ve already driven 5500 miles, pretty sure she’s ready for new oil and filters!

As amazing as this family adventure has been we are all getting a little home sick and missing our P’cola friends very much. I’m pretty sure the RV has shrunk as well! 😉 Officially working our way home tomorrow with some fun stops on the way! Cheers!

Time flies when you’re having fun.  However we’re trying our best to not be on a schedule but time is flying by faster than we can log the miles.

Our final day at Browns Bay, Savannah and I went exploring together on our paddle boards.  We surprised two deer that appeared to be stranded on a small island, that promptly swam ashore.  We observed the seals observing us, and investigated sea kelp. The tide was ebbing and we paddled in the mist and light rain around the peaceful and cold, clear waters. The following afternoon we were able to go fishing with our awesome guide Bruce, with whom we took a fishing charter a few days prior when Savannah caught her 10lb coho.  Bruce owns http://www.whitewolfcharters.com and invited Savannah to go river Salmon fishing with his son. Of course we rallied last minute to take advantage of an awesome opportunity and Savannah brought in two salmons on the fly rod!

We said our final goodbye’s to Brent and Esther and headed south with the idea of staying in Victoria, BC.  On the drive we also inquired on the ferry schedule and campground availability. Everything was booked in the Victoria area and if we didn’t delay, we could catch the ferry out of Victoria that same day.  We were the last ones on the ferry and also occupied the last space to accommodate our RV with a tow behind. With literally 2 minutes to spare, the ship casts her lines and closed the cargo door and locked up we were!  Even though we bypassed this beautiful city, this will certainly be a destination we will return to for a weekend honeymoon trip.  Actually this has become somewhat of an inside joke between Jim and I…. anything “honeymoon” sounds excellent.  Uhm… 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a kid in a 30ft RV does not facilitate the romantic side of the trip!

We ended up spending the night just outside of Port Angeles upon debarking the ferry and clearing customs.   We had originally planned to explore Olympic park via the jeep and base camp in Port Angeles, but later decided to hit the area in the RV, while still towing the jeep such that we would not have to back track. Olympic is a very large area, so we decided to wing it with no agenda and see what we found based on our little State Park map of trails, lakes and waterfalls.

Our first stop was at Crescent lake in Olympic National Park, the  600 foot deep, crystal clear lake carved by glaciers many, many, years ago!  We splashed the paddle boards in from a pull off on the roadside and took one of our first flat water, cruising paddles of the trip.  Savannah and i road tandem and Jim took off like he either wanted a good work out or as far away from us girls as he could get! Savannah and I chose to cross the lake and see what was on the other side.

The lake had incredible visibility with hues of blues and turquoise.  On the other side of the lake, an old railroad track bed had been converted into a trail according to the runners that stopped to give their morning greetings while i asked them about the trail. That would absolutely be the next stop of the day, post paddle.

After loading up the boards and driving along the lake a few miles we saw a boat ramp at the end of the lake, campground signs, and almost certain to find the trail we paddled upon earlier.

Upon entering the campground, our jaws dropped at the sheer beauty of this primitive camping, magic little forest adorned with dark pines, ferns, moss, and boulders.  The combination of the light filtering through the landscape and the turquoise color of the lake through the trees, was utterly breathtaking and gorgeous.

Now one would think being in an RV would not be considered “primitive camping”, but considering we had NO water in the tanks, one bottle each to drink, no fire wood (most parks do not let you take in wood from foreign areas due to the beetle infestation) and of course no power, AND this was the last night the campground was open for the season it was almost like RV roughing it. haha The first thing we did was go on a campground fire pit wood hunt!  We scored some amazing dry cedar and picked up lots of twigs off the ground, along with a huge piece of a cedar block of which we did not burn, but rather put inside of the jeep to mask the funky, wetsuit boot smell…

We then unhooked the jeep and drove about 5 miles to the trail head to then take a spectacular family bike ride along the lake and on railroad converted to paved, pine covered miles of trails. Truly beautiful.  Post biking was followed by a cedar burning campfire, moon rising over the lake, delicious dinner and Savannah entertaining us with her guitar talents.

The following morning i was chomping at the bit to go run the trails along the lake rather than the level above that we road our bikes on the previous afternoon.  Again, we drove to the trail head where i ran and the rest of the family biked.  The trail was a rocky, waterfront trail with hills, bridges, overhangs, and half finished railroad tunnels.  Honestly i think this was the best 6 miles i’ve ever run.  Funny, i could base an entire trip on just the running alone!…

After the run we arrived about 6 hours later to Cascade Locks with the idea of exploring Mt. Hood, the falls, and sneak a Gorge river paddle in.  However, after having a intimate, night-long experience with the Pacific Union train, we decided to spend the next night elsewhere.  It’s one thing to be waken up by a train, but it’s an entirely different story to have heart failure every time the train blasted its horn 20 feet from your pillow!

Over coffee and discussions of our train affair, we sorted out a new plan.  We decided to push through Oregon without “passing Go”, nonstop THIRTEEN HOURS later to Eric and Tehyla’s house in Auburn CA! We figured everything we could do in Oregon we could do in Auburn and Lake Tahoe WITH friends.  Years ago Jim and i spent considerable time on the Oregon Coast and explored the area preparing a ship for the Panama canal, that would transport raw material for Jim’s business.  That is an entire story just in itself…

Long stretches of driving always sound good in theory.  We crossed over several mountains, forests, lakes and rivers. Stopped at a very cool bakery run by a family that owned and operates a farm that provides the food. Absolutely delicious treat!

After passing by Mt. Shasta, I allowed my mind to wonder and fantasize that I was going to climb Mt. Shasta (seems like a realistic goal).  Now on the hunt for the next good mountaineering book by Krakaur to get inspired and begin this journey already, even if just inside my head.  Considering Jim hogged the day’s driving, i had to keep myself occupied, so mountaineering was a great 10 minute thought.:)

We arrived to Auburn just before midnight.. killer driveway crashing at the Warshower residence and looking forward to the week’s adventure with our best friends!

Zodiac ride through the turmoil waters of the upper passages, grizzly bears in the bush, and amphibious mail run overhead the North West Passage, one room school rooms…

Who says you can’t have fun while being sick? By taking out the manic exercise and hiking, I could manage 3 hr zodiac boat rides in full artic survival suit. It was the next best thing from being fed chicken soup and swaddled by your Mum!

The waters here must truly be respected as I mentioned in an earlier blog about my paddling experience. Zipping through the Northwest passage on a yellow zodiac through some narrow and frightening passages proved to be one heck of a thrill! We skirted giant whirlpools, and current lines, while taking in the incredible landscape, dotted with the occasional multi million dollar home or the small shack occupied by the hippy living off the grid.

A great, but very dry read on the area from a sailors point of view is the “Passage to Juneau” by ????? Read this years ago and may need to re-read after spending time up here.

We stopped briefly on our zodiac adventure on Stuart Island for a sandwich and coffee in a quiet little community marina, then off again to our final destination of Butte Inlet.  Riding up the inlet, Savannah was fascinated by a Chinook helicopter ascending steeply up the mountain with a steel cable and log claw dangling underneath like an eagle’s talon. It would clamp down on a huge log and swiftly crank down the mountain in high speeds such to stay faster than the free falling log. She would then gently release the log into the water where the rest of the crew would bundle the timber and put them in log enclosed raft-like structure that would then be towed by a tugboat to the nearest lumber processing plant. Big and impressive business up here.

Once arriving to Butte Inlet, home of the “Homalco” Indians, we piled into a VERY small bus WITH our survival suits on WITH 6 other people WITH their suits.. I looked back at Jim in the back row and he was totally having a claustrophobic moment and stripping down. Haha We then were dropped at a small outpost to remove the suits, use the facility and get then get on another bus! The roads were extremely rough, bumpy and muddy from the logging trucks and equipment.

Our guide said the bear sitings had been good the past few weeks, but we would be lucky to see one.. if we saw more than one that was a “good day”.. but no guarantees .. “after all we are in the wild”.. I’m thinking.. g r e a t, I’m with fever, surviving off Tylenol and just want to lay down and you’re telling me we won’t see bears?? The first post we stopped at.. no bears so we moved on. Second post, again, no beers. By this time I’m thinking, man this will be the most expensive nap I’ve ever taken. By the third stop we hit the bear lottery.

I could probably write 10 pages on just the bears alone. We saw 18 bears in a 2 hr span. Only about 25 bears inhabitant that particular area. However the fish spawn this time of the year, then die, giving the bears an excellent food source for their final meals preparing for winter hibernation and pregnant mamas.

The first set of bears were a Mama and her 3 cubs. Typically it’s a Mum and only 2 cubs, so seeing her with 3 was something very special. About 10 minutes later ANOTHER mama and her THREE cubs appear. The two Mom’s gave each other a bit of stink eye but both backed down and ate their salmon in peace from a modest distance away from each other. The first family decided to later leave the area. Cubs were on one side of us gawking tourists, and the Mama decided to walk the OTHER way.  We were officially between a Mom and her cubs… not exactly what the “what to do if you encounter a bear book suggests..” I’m of course not sick all of a sudden and snapping away about 300 photos a second like the paparazzi! (along with our guide/owner and his mama jama camera) The Mom walked all around our bus as we stood our ground, then joined up with her brood and continued on her way, cubs in tow. You’ll see that photo below. They did not go far, just a little down stream where you’ll see a photo of the Mum leading her cubs down a log. Spectacular.

In the meantime I guess the other set of cubs and their Mum also had their share of salmon and decided to take a siesta! All four of them groomed and sprawled out on the river banks, basking in the filtered light of the forest for a big bear nap.

Then we have Papa bear make his presence… he didn’t not see the other Mom and her cubs fishing away, and was happily and obliviously making his way up the river. The cubs actually got wind of him first, then Mama bear. She made a few grunts, but old Papa bear must have been hard of hearing as he kept heading towards the cubs. I’m like great. I really don’t want to see this………

He hopped over the log, Mama stood up on her hinds and man that dude took one look at the Mama and booked out there so fast! (they must be Ex’s or something..? ) He only exited the area a few hundred feet down stream and began fishing. He kept his face buried deeply into the water peering and pawing around for salmon. All the while strutting around on a log showing off his masculine physique. He was certainly handsome and charming.

We saw several more bears along the way and always stopped. That being said our tour on land was longer than anticipated and we still had a 2hr boat ride ahead of us. We arrived just before dusk to our home for the week…www.brownsbayresort.com   Great adventure trip and I would recommend to anyone if they’re in the area! www.eagleeyeadventures.com

We were greeted on the dock by an awaiting Esther! She and Brent have bent over backwards and gone beyond the call of duty to make sure out stay has been utterly perfect. Needless to say she was as stoked as we were upon hearing of all the bear sitings! We then headed up the hill where she had prepared dinner and we had a lovely evening.. I could get used to this!

The adventures continued into the next day. Still feeling under the weather I could not pass up the mail run on a float plane ride! Are you kidding me? I was grinning like a little school kid on Christmas morning. This was more than just a flight.. much more.

My father’s life long dream was to become a bush pilot in Alaska. After reading through some of his letters to my Mom and his parents many years ago… he mentions the flying several times. He did not pursue this dream until much later in life, when he became not only just a licensed private pilot but also an aircraft owner! I’d like to say I inspired him in some ways, since I made an aviation career jetting around before settling down….

In 2007 my father crashed his beloved plane and both he and the plane were critically totaled… All due to an improperly crimped aileron cable, which caused the aircraft to fly out of control. His final moments were in the woods near a monastery site.   If you knew my father, this would have been a fine place for a funeral….

So this flight was in honor of my Dad. I have not been up in a small plane since going up with him years ago and having him show off his skills to me. He was a good stick and sharp pilot. Too bad the guy that worked on his plane didn’t possess the same talents.

The mail flight, a Cessna 185 modified with floats, made 3 water takeoffs and landings. Absolutely spectacular, just the thrill of flight, landing and taking off in the water and docking a plane was almost sensory overload for this girl! The smell of aviation gas, Savannah’s smile, and Jim’s white knuckling were also some serious entertainment! We flew over seals basking on rocks, the maze of kelp, fishing boats, gunk holing boats and gorgeous clear water with little islands dotted like freckles on a smile child’s cheeks. One of the stops was pulling up to the only floating post office in Canada (photo below with the green po boxes) at Surge Narrows on Read Island. A remote island to say the least. The inhabitants survive off the land, with propane, generators and river turbines for power. The Pilot was kind enough to let us walk up the hill to visit the one room classroom that happened to be in session. The 12 kids only attend school 3 days a week. He said to just let ourselves in.   Wasn’t sure if the teacher was going to come out with her rifle and scoot us on our way or what. The door did have a sign that read, “please leave your dog on the leash while in the classroom”… The “one room school room” was actually pretty nice. We entered into the “mud room” where all the kids shoes and packs were removed and hanging. Loved seeing the life vest hanging on the wall, as apparently one child travels a good bit by boat. Her mother drives her to school 3 days a week in all sorts of weather and water conditions year round. Her husband travels 5 weeks at a time leaving this Mum and kid to fend for themselves in the back country. In my book this woman is a stud. The gymnasium was to our left and enclosed with huge log beams and had a gorgeous wood, full length basketball court. To our right were several large rooms and the sounds of kid’s voices. Three teachers were present and beyond friendly, they promptly stowed the rifles and gave us a look around with open arms. The kids sort of just stared at Savannah and Savannah just sort of stared back, very interesting exchange. The school was being powered up by propane generators. You could hear them purring on the walk up to the schoolroom. The 12 kids ranged in age and were currently working on some crafting. What a life these families must lead. By the end of our visit, 2 of the girls that were Savannah’s age apparently did not want us to leave, they were so intrigued by our presence. I didn’t want to leave either! But the pilot was on a schedule, so we had to get on our way, but not with out taking off with our post cards for my Mom and Jim’s parents as part of the mail delivery! J

After our final landing I got out and kissed the dock… lol and we then made our way into Campbell River for some light provisioning, after all was my turn to surprise Esther with dinner at her house! She wasn’t expected home until after 7pm (judo and soccer for the boys) so we cooked up the rest of Savannah’s salmon and had another feast and great conversation on top of the hill at Browns Bay.

If you’re looking for that “get away from it all vacation” with a fantastic on site marina, restaurant, fishing charters, cabins and spectacular views… I suggest a trip to Browns Bay Resort and Marina~Vancouver Island, BC. Mornings with a coffee or tea and just gazing out at the ever changing Discovery Passage with her tides, fogs, and fishing boats is just mesmerizing in the early am first light.

The water is so beautiful and clear I couldn’t wait to drop in a paddleboard. That being said, I don’t recommend paddling as a novice in these mysterious waters. You’ll notice I was wearing a pfd in what would appear to be very docile and calm bay waters. Honestly it was some of the trickier paddling to date. The water turmoil that you could not see would yank your board almost out from underneath your feet. The tides drop significantly in the Northwest Passages, and the currents run 15kts plus during tides. There are whirlpools that have sank 30 ft sailboats. I paddled 4 miles in two hours (this would normally take around :45 minutes)…. I was greeted by a very large sea lion, who thankfully did not want a ride on the board, but did however stay with me for about a mile. The visibility of the water is more than 30 feet and just magical. The kelp in the more shallow areas were a single arm coming up to the surface with a massive bow of ribbon or mermaid looking hair flowing away from the current. To me this was just stunning. The water is very cold, about 12C, but apparently some of the best diving around. Next visit I’m bringing a dry suit and going for a swim with the seals.

Oh the seals! If you ever need an instant smile, these guys have the power to do so. They have made their home in the marina and are beautiful, hilarious and friendly. They love to be watched I believe as much as we like to watch them. Savannah was able to feed a seal some anchovies by hand. There is also an adorable baby seal frolicking around the harbor!

The marina restaurant sits in a bay over 100 ft deep protected by foam filled, ex-railroad containers for the breakwater. (soon to be concrete). Humbpack whales come in to say hello and killer whales are not far behind. The Narrows restaurant is fantastic.. if I keep eating here I will look like a whale. Absolutely fabulous food!

Sunday was a gorgeous day and we took a half-day Salmon fishing charter. Had some big bites and an entertaining captain. As the sun was setting and temperatures dropping quickly, Savannah finally landed a 10lb Coho Salmon! She has been dreaming of catching a salmon this entire trip. Of course we were hoping for more of a catch, but just seeing Savannah’s face reeling in that bad boy was worth every fish we did not catch!

After Savannah’s big catch we had a beautiful Bald Eagle swoop down next the boat and take some bait fish right before our eyes. What a site! We saw numerous eagles perched at the top of high trees while listening to their calls. Beautiful.

We’ve also enjoyed some down time here at the resort. It’s a wonderful place to just relax. Something not normally in my vocabulary, but here I’ve been able to enjoy mornings of coffee and just taking in the sites. Unfortunately I had some forced relaxation as well… with a flu/chest bug that hit with a sudden and full court press. Fever, chills, aches.. the entire kit and caboodle.

Even though my fever broke upon waking this morning, I’m not sure if I will make the killer whale/old town, and full day tour into the back country on a zodiac boat and bus, including full survival gear and lunch. Looking for the energy to just properly get dressed for such an adventure… stay tuned.

This trip has literally one highlight after another!

Let me first start off by saying what a view I have for jotting down some thoughts for the blog. Sitting here in Brown’s Bay, British Columbia~ Vancouver Island, nose to, looking at the narrow mouth of the Discovery Passage, with kelp beds just feet below our campsite and playful seals and Robins hopping around the shore entertaining the kitten. (yes Robins.. not Seagulls.. lol). Along with rolling fog banks, mountain tops, light house, marina, bluffs, fishing boats and the loan early AM cruise ship that passed by. Just spectacular.

Brent and Esther Hollink are dear friends that we have not seen in almost a decade. We would see them down island at the Bitter End Yacht Club, Virgin Gorda where Brent was the marina manager and Esther worked at water sports. They now live here on Vancouver Island and work their tails off owning, managing and running the amazing Brown’s Bay Resort. (link here) We used to call in on the radio to Brent so many years ago to request a slip at the Bitter end… in now we have done it again in our “land yacht”, somehow linking two very far points of land..! Esther working at water sports, would always let Savannah be part of the kids camps and activities even though she was barely old enough to walk. The little curly, toe headed toddler, that ran around at the Bitter end in bikini bottom, pfd, and “who to talk too” about an ice cream bar when Mom and Dad were not looking! It was fun to see Brent and Esther’s faces on seeing Savannah now! Same for us as they have two gorgeous and smart little boys of their own! We were treated to an awesome dinner with plenty of Heineken on tap and all you can eat dungenous crab. Jim also received a lesson on how to properly eat one! 😉 The kids stayed out late catching up… or should I say early..? The good times have commenced Bitter End style so soon!

The evening before in Vancouver, we met up with some dear friends David and LeAyne Dunbar that also live in Pensacola that just happen to be in Vancouver on business the same time as us. What are the chances of that?! We all met downtown and enjoyed the city sights, laughs, dinner and a walk along the waterway. We all spotted the Oriole at the same time.. an absolutely stunning, and gorgeous 102’ steel, ketch rigged, canadian naval training sailboat with the most sexy lines and workmanship. LeAyne was gasping at the teak that had to be maintained as she and David just finished a teak job on their trawler this past summer… The IPA’s had already gone to my head so I had no qualms waking up the ships on call “social media guard”… after he realized we were not just a bunch of Pensacola drunks on a stroll and all of us knew a little about sailing, we were welcomed aboard and given a grand tour. David was literally like a little kid in a candy shop just grinning ear to ear!!! Really fantastic treat to tour such a vessel at 10pm! The Vancouver skylights were reflecting off the waters around the dock, the air was cool, and it made the return to civilization quite nice actually. That compounded with running earlier in the day through the famous Stanley Park. Something about coffee shops and running trails that is so appealing. Maybe I’m a city girl after all?

Oh and I must mention the grocery shop we provisioned the next weeks groceries and supplies. We might as well have been in Holland or France.. so many exotic meats, cheeses, and cookwear. With exotic pricing to go right a long with that Kangaroo or ostrich meat or even nipple covers… (that’s another story….).

To get to Vancouver Island we boarded a ferry at Horse Shoe Bay bound for Nanaimo. The ride was very pleasant even with the nagging feeling of over indulging the previous evening… We drove the RV while towing the jeep right up into the belly of the ship. Savannah road shotgun and was getting pretty tickled at the idea of doing this. On the upper decks were comfortable seating, Starbucks and GREAT shopping on board, felt almost like an airline terminal. Pretty excited to have purchased a clearance Kiltec rain jacket and killer Koi socks! Yes, everyone needs a pair of knee socks with koi on them. Also began “Gumboot Girls”, a story on adventure, love & survival on British Columbia’s North Coast…… this won’t give me many ideas. J

Ester suggested that on our ride up to Browns Bay from Nanaimo we drive inland a bit and visit Cathedral Cove to see the gorgeous Douglas Firs of Vancouver Island, some of which are over 800 years old. This was probably the most spectacular, fairy wooded garden REAL make believe land I have ever been in. At home I often create little fairy habitats of mosses, lichens, ferns, adorned with driftwood, shells, figurines, and little houses. This was like the giant real version and absolutely incredible. I have to go back with my good camera and get some photos to frame… I only used my camera phone while I pulled off a run to really absorb this beauty. One time around the path was not enough, about 12 times around was better….

We arrived to Browns Bay ….http://brownsbayresort.com/  just before dinner reservations and were immediately greeted by Brent and Ester and their beautiful family. Followed by Heineken on tap, delicious food, and great catch up conversation. Did I mention the Heineken on tap?

One of the best parts of this trip is catching up with all of the friends that we have not seen in years and getting to spend time with them along our journey. This for sure has been a highlight. That and drinking hot tea and reflecting the past days’ events on the blog with this

incredible view from the campsite. The water is crystal clear and the seals are frolicking in the kelp beds just in front of our site. What a treat!

Looking forward to paddling, fishing and grizzly bear siting… and just some plain down time for reading and relaxation.

Note: Jim and I met in Sitka Alaska 1999.. a few miles up the passage.. 😉 The area and landscape is sparking some very fond memories that changed both our lives forever. Sheer fate.