Mt Saint Helens thru Washington

June 18 - , 2009

Leaving Portland, we followed the advice of Suzy and ignored the coastal highway through Washington. Instead, we followed the highway to Mount St. Helens, wanting to see the sight of the 1980 volcanic eruption which both Liz and Remy remembered so vividly from their respective youths. Chances are that we both have some St Helens ash somewhere in our makeup that was drawing us back there.

We bee-lined for the Johnson Ridge interpretive centre, which faces across the crater. We learned many interesting things about the eruption, like the fact that it was a horizontal blast out the side of the mountain after a major avalanche had weakened it, and that 56 people died as a result of the explosion. The blast zone, which toppled trees and tossed motor vehicles, extended for 17 miles away from the explosion. We camped at a campground just outside the blast zone and left the next day, before the mountain, which constantly pushes up a cinder cone inside the crater, could explode again!

We bombed up the I5, not Remy's favourite kind of driving, and hung a left at Olympia. We did a short educational tour of the capitol building, which is a truly remarkable piece of architecture for its time. The grounds around it were laid out by the same person who designed Central Park in NYC! The building itself apparently has one of the largest freestanding domed roofs of any building on the world. Not bad for such a dinky state.

We drove up the west side of Puget Sound and deposited ourselves in a state campground about four miles out of Port Townsend. The weather continued to be wet and cloudy, which is not a fun way to camp. The boys, who had talked the parents onto purchasing some fireworks on one of the many reserves that we had driven through, attracted the attention of the park ranger who had to come over and tell them to knock off the fun stuff. During a walk that evening to the beach, the wind picked up as the sun came out. Liz bet Bowen that he would not skinny dip in the frigid waters for $6, knowing full well that he cannot refuse any excuse to get naked in a public place. The tough little beggar did it, completely immersing himself and collecting on the bet. An otter watched and witnessed the event. Hollis talked a good game about doing the same thing, but never got around to it.

The following day, we went into Port Townsend to check out the farmers market and while there, discovered a campground right at the marina! It is next door to a skateboard park- how much more perfect could it be? We returned to the state campground and packed up our stuff, settling in for two nights at the marina. Father's Day was approaching, and a more perfect setting could not have been found for the father of this family.

The weather started cooperating as well, which allowed Remy and Liz to enjoy a wonderful lunch outside, over the water, while the boys hung out with their new friend, Zeon (?), catching beach crabs and setting off bottle rockets under the supposed supervision of his adult cousin. Again, near-perfect fun for everyone.

Like all good things, the visit in Port Townsend came to an end, as we have, for one of the very few times over the last six months, a deadline to meet in BC. We took the ferry across the bay and made a short stop in Anacortes- after PT, we were not overly impressed with this working-class town. We stopped off for a final Trader Joe's run in Bellingham, filled up on cheap American gas, and proceeded to the border. Somehow, Remy managed to miss the turn off to the duty free shop, which upset Liz terribly. We were grilled by the CBSA guard for all of about 90 seconds concerning our activities of the past several months, then waved over the border and back into the country of our birth.

Keep your eye out for one final blog. We'll gather our perspectives of the trip overall and let you know about  our transition back home to Calgary.

 

-Remy

sandboarding, sleepovers and science

June 12, 2009

Florence, Oregon to Portland Oregon

Sand boarding on the giant dunes was something new to all of us. We met up with the fellow who invented the sport back in the 70's and he outfitted us all with the proper equipment. Honeyman State  Park was the best place in the area for the sport and was beautiful to boot. It took us all a few minutes to get used to the feeling of gliding down the hill with our barefeet strapped to the board but soon we had the hang of it and we spent a glorious day in the sun whizzing down the sand slopes. You get a bit dirty  climbing the hill  but the state park provided showers for the campers and we qualify so after a day of some awesome exercise we were off to Pacific City for dinner at the popular Pelican Pub and to find some camping

The local brew  and the food at the  Pelican Pub lived up to it's name. We just happened to entering the pub during  the last 2 minutes of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Our boys refused to sit in the seats the waitress had found for us and instead had their eyes glued to the tv set. The game ended without  a single reaction from the surfing, sand boarding and yachting set. They may as well have been watching an infomercial.

 After a good feed we drove a few miles to  the stunning Cape Lookout State Park for a sleep before heading into Portland to see Susie and Judy ( friends Liz met in Oaxaca at a cooking class)

Portland is a great city and our friends live in a very hip neighborhood within walking distance of some great cafes. restaurants and grocery shopping. Sellwood was where we would spend the next 5 days ( 2 days longer than anticipated ) as we needed some engine work done on the van and we needed to wait for parts. Of course that meant we didn't have our sleeping quarters and Susie lives in a small house with just one bedroom. It was time for a sleepover in the livingroom! Thank goodness Susie comes from a large family and is used to crowds! 

Day one was spent watching the gay pride parade and attending the Portland Saturday Market on a Sunday. We think it's much more interesting to see the market after a gay pride parade than at any other time.

Day 2 we cycled to the OMSI ( oregon museum of science and innovation) we think its innovation- could be industry.

Anyway, we ate and drank very well in Portland. Liz got to go to Trader Joes and the boys got loads of new Quicksilver threads from Susie ( she works for the company which makes her exceptionally cool in our boys eyes)

We LOVE Oregon and have already thought we need to come back here and spend more time. The camping is amazing!!

-Liz

Rednecks and Redwoods

Northern California/Southern Oregon,

 June 8 - 12, 2009

After leaving the refinements of southern California, we set out again along Highway 101 to continue our northbound journey. While this portion of the highway is set inland from the coast, it continues to be bucolic and beautiful. We are excited to be traveling through the part of California where the mighty redwoods grow, as well!

Along the way, we came across the Institute for Solar Living. This is a fascinating establishment where off-the-grid living is studied and practiced. Set in a beautiful part of the state, this would be a neat place to return to take one of the courses they offer in low-impact living, primitive skills and solar power.

A trip through California would not be complete without a visit to the Drive-Through Tree! Unfortunately, the van was too big to actually drive through it, but we were able to watch other vehicles inch their way through. We found out as our travels continued that this is not the only such tree, though they all advertise themselves as being the "famous and historical" one.

We stopped in  a small community called Richardson Grove and registered at the local private RV park. It is right across the street from the "famous and historical" One-Log Tree House, as well as the Grandfather Tree. We had access to wifi and a comfortable cafe so we elected to spend a couple of days. The nearby woods made for ideal Airsoft terrain so the boys and dad had fun, recruiting a couple of other local boys to join in with the extra guns. Fun, that is, until GI Bowen squared off with his brother in a shootout and while baring his teeth in a grimace, took a shot to one of his lower incisors. While Dad had always insisted on eye protection while the boys played, the need for tooth protection against the tiny plastic pellets had never occurred to him. The errant shot snapped half of Bowen's tooth off cleanly and ended Airsoft play until full facial protection can be organized. Bowen's smile now drops off to the left.

We soon found out that Bowen's snaggle-toothed grin would help him fit in as we proceeded north. We took all the scenic byways that we could through the redwoods, never tiring of their massive presence. The towns we passed through, though, became more hillbilly as we went, the height of things being in Willits, where we witnessed a number of aggressive confrontations just on the way from the van into the grocery store, with more inside. The boys were afraid to leave the van.

We spent one more night in the redwoods after seeing Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox. Liz remembers the same statues from her own childhood travels through here with the family. It would make an interesting tour to just travel from one over-sized monument to another.

Another long day's travel, during which we met an itinerant olive vendor from Calgary who knows all the same Italians that Liz does, saw us pass through into southern Oregon under a cloud- literally. The weather has taken a turn for the gloomier as we have headed north. We are missing the sun! A rest stop at a beachfront park allowed the boys to hit each other with sticks while Liz picked wild-growing calla lilies to take to our friends in Portland.

 We pulled into Coos Bay and checked out the local RV parks. At one, we were informed by the park regulations that we were not welcome because our vehicle fell outside the "1992 or newer" requirement. We finally ended up at the local casino, where an RV park was provided or we could dry camp in their massive parking lot for free. Of course, because we intended to only spend the night, we opted for the free option! We had access to wifi in the casino,  The sparkling bathrooms had granite countertops and the coffee was always on! ( Remy snuck over to the RV park to plug in the toaster for breakfast the next morning but that's way better than using the plug  in the bathroom.) Now if only we were gamblers we could have called the shuttle to our van to take us for a ride across the MASSIVE parking lot to the front doors of the casino!

-Remy

3 farmers markets in 3 cities in 1 day!

San Francisco to Petaluma to Glen Ellen ( Sonoma)

California

June 6- 8 , 2009

As we pulled out of the campground by the sea we immediately saw signs for the Half Moon Bay Farmers Market! We cannot resist the opportunity to sample the local flavour and perhaps pick up a loaf of great organic bread or some local, organic strawberries.  In we go.....Yum! I know we have said it before but we just have to say it again. The scenery on the Pacific Coast Highway is incredible. No wonder we are seeing so many rental RVs. These are smart people who have heard and now come to see this beautiful place.

We arrived in San Francisco early enough to attend the amazing FARMERS MARKET there too. We knew from a recent vacation there that the market is a must do event as all the local foodies gather to sell some of the most incredible food grown in California. Of course we didn't need bread or strawberries- OK, maybe just a small loaf , but we did need cheese, nuts and wine.  Let's just say that the boys feel like they have seen enough farmer's markets and not enough skate shops on this trip.  They weren't impressed at the prospect of  yet another wander down isles and isles of greens, fruit, cheese  and lavender  but hey, it's one of their parents favorite things to do and who's paying for this trip anyway?! We gotta eat, right?

We enjoyed the fruits of our labour ( pun intended) in a parking lot looking out over Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. The wine and cheese went particularly well with the ambiance we had created for ourselves inside our campervan.

We loved the cheese so much we decided to go directly to the farm in Petaluma  and buy some more. We were headed sort of in that direction and we thought it would make a great gift for our friends who would be hosting us for the next few days ( if we ever get there.)

We found the farm on yet another bucolic drive and thankfully found the family at home as they were just heading out the door for a night out- hah, not so fast. They were a little shocked to see us as they don't do direct sales but we bought a 1/4 wheel anyway and they threw in a bottle of chardonnay that they produce as well. My kind of farmers!

On our return through the town of Petaluma guess what we see? You guessed it! Another FARMERS MARKET! This time we really didn't need anything but we toodled around anyways cause you just never know. The boys played at the park there while we went for a coffee. Upon our return to gather the boys we announced that we would treat them to a slurpee for the road. The utter shock and disbelief was palpable ( those of you that know us well know we don't make a habit of feeding our kids pop) Bowen asked "really?!,..... really?!,..... really?! 

We arrived in Glen Ellen in the late evening and our great hosts, Lon and Linda, had dinner waiting for us!! We are all happy to see each other again and we spend the evening exchanging Mexico travel stories. Lon and Linda are retired and travel to Mexico in their camper van  every other year (the off years they travel to south east Asia!) We have a great time drinking wine and getting caught up but  it's obvious their beloved dog, Ziggy, is in pain with his cancerous leg and it won't be long till he needs to be put to sleep. We hope our visit will lift his spirits as he seems to enjoy the company of boys.

-Liz

Yes, Sir- We Like Big Sur

Big Sur Coast and Half Moon Bay, California, June 4-6, 2009

We are finding it difficult to get anywhere fast in this part of California, mostly due to the topography. We are continuing along the Pacific Coast Highway, which in addition to following every wrinkle and fold in the earth is one of the most beautiful stretches of road we have encountered! After our encounters with otters and sea lions in Morro Bay, we today encounter sea elephants. This is molting season for these large creatures, who instead of constantly shedding skin cells as we do, undergo what is known as a "catastrophic molt", meaning they lose all of their outer skin at once. They enter a near-narcoleptic state on the beach, waking only long enough to flip sand on their bodies as a form of sunscreen before falling back fast asleep. They spend two or three weeks on the beach until the molt is complete, not eating the whole time and only going into the shallow water at the beach to cool off. I don't think predation is much of a concern to these massive creatures as we found that when down wind, it would be very difficult to approach them- they stink!

We drove through the beginnings of the redwood forest that characterizes this part of California and came across the Henry Miller Library, tucked away in a beautiful grove right beside the highway. The author of "Tropic of Cancer" (a racy novel for its time) and consort of Anais Nin (a racy author for her time), he is the local favoured son.

I cannot for the life of me remember where it was we camped that night! We continued on the next day, with more beautiful vistas on the windy road. We pulled another long day's driving, thinking we would make it to San Francisco. We were waylaid, however, in Santa Cruz, where we rode an 85 year old roller coaster (still exciting after all those years) on the beachfront boardwalk. We wandered around town and did another Trader Joe's run.

We had been in touch with our new friends that we met in Mexico, Lon and Linda, whom we were planning on staying with in Glen Ellen, north of San Francisco. We had intended on seeing them days earlier, but our progress had been arrested by the beauty of the California coastline. On their advice, we elected to sit out the rush hour through SF and so did not leave Santa Cruz until well after supper time. We continued until dusk, only making it as far as Half Moon Bay. Arriving at dark on a Friday night was not good planning, and the "Campground Full" sign was not encouraging. Luckily, we got the last remaining site ( the small campervan comes through again!) and the boys were able to meet some fellow skateboarders, so we all settled in happily for the night. Tomorrow, San Francisco! 

-Remy

Sea creatures in Morro Bay- California

June 3, 2009

 Morro Bay, California

Pacific Coast Highway

Continuing north along the scenic coast we landed in Morro Bay State Park for the evening. The boys enjoyed feeding the squirrels while Remy took a bazillion photos of otters frolicking in the bay. Liz watched from the warmth of the van as she is still struggling with the cooler temperatures here in California.

The Sea Lions seem to enjoy this part of the world too and can be spotted hanging out on the docks posing for the few tourists. After our fish and chip dinner at the dock  we watched them all lounging and  spotted one that had a nasty, bleeding hole in its flesh that bubbled when it got wet.  Ewwwww. We think it must have punctured a lung or something. It grossed everyone out so much but we all couldn't take our eyes off of it. Eventually the other animals pushed it off the dock and it swam away nursing that nasty gash. Nature can be so cruel.

Speaking of cruel....it's cool here at night and inside the van is where we all prefer to be. Bowen thinks it's fun to dress up in underwear and give us a dance routine. I'm feeling the need for some girl time soon!

-Liz

living large in LA with Shannon, Mathew and Caliope

Los Angeles, California

June 1 - 3 /2009

More friends to visit!  Shannon, Mathew and Calliope live in the beautiful suburb of Studio City on a quaint little street unlike anything we expected of an LA neighborhood. It looks more like the set of Desperate Housewives. We still seem to be suffering from reverse culture shock because we can't get over how shiny and manicured  everything is. There is so much to do here it is hard to make a decision so for the first day we just hang out and watch how actor/ screenplay writer, and gallery owner live their lives in Los Angeles with a small child.

It's fascinating to us to hear them talk of their life here. Mathew has written a horror movie and is now trying to produce it (if anyone has a spare $5 million to invest, he'd like to talk to you- he does plan to shoot it in Canada). Shannon opened up a hip art gallery exposing new artists who have created edgy, challenging art. These are two very cool people who have risked their life savings to try to make a go of it here and if talent and ambition have anything to do with it they should be wildly successful. We'll keep our fingers crossed for them.

Anyway... back to us! 

Given that Mathew is a musician as well as an actor he had all sorts of cool toys to amuse our boys. He took Bowen on a scooter ride (Remy and Liz buzzed around LA on it as well!) they played Guitar Hero - like for real, and watched several movies on the big, big screen.

Day 2 was a visit to Universal Studios! In an attempt to engage the boys' imaginations Liz gave them a few hints as to what they might experience there. Apparently Hollis has an overactive imagination, though, because once we were through the gates and paid almost $300 in admissions, he refused to see any of the attractions or go on any of the rides. He had convinced himself that  even the studio tour would be scary. UGH. So we have a family showdown right in the middle of the park! There is no way we are paying the exorbitant entrance fee only to have him sit everything out. Arms crossed and tears in his eyes, Hollis was holding his ground in a way we have never experienced with him before. We threatened, cajoled, pulled, pushed, pointed out the very small girls that were lining up for the tour and made many, many angry faces until Hollis finally relented. He agreed that if the Studio Tour ( where the motorized shark from the movie, JAWS, makes a surprise appearance) scared him too much then he could sit out every other attraction in the park. WHEW!

Hollis made it out of the Studio Tour in one piece but was still a little mad at the three of us for making him go in the first place. It didn't take long though before we all started having fun and in the end Hollis only missed out on one ride-The Mummy Returns rollercoaster.  Bowen went on it TWICE! which in the future will be great  ammunition for Bowen to use against Hollis  when big brother gets a little too cocky and needs to be put in his place.

-Liz

Palm Springs- swimming in Elvis's pool!

May 31 - June 1 ,09

 Palm Springs California- 100 degrees 

We have an old friend living in Palm Springs that Liz met on a booze cruise in Puerto Vallarta 20 years ago. Over the years we have visited with him either in Calgary ( he used to live there and still has a few friends there) or Liz has made the trip to see him twice now in Palm Springs. He's 80 years old so you never know when it will be the last time!

Bowen was very excited to meet Cliff and see the semi famous house that Elvis Presley once lived in. Cliff and his 83 year old partner of 39 years have lived in this house for over 20 years. It's just a few doors away from the home of Liberace and across the street from  the home of Alan Ladd  but Bowen wasn't at all interested in those places. Elvis rules!

Before descending on our friend we decided to tour Palm Springs a bit. The over - the - top  home decor stores are plentiful as are the gourmet food stores. We settled on a $5 ( american!) gelato for each of the boys and a much needed pedicure for Remy and Liz. Remy's pedicurist could not get over the sad state of his feet and has consequently shamed him into a regular foot care regime.

We couldn't resist taking a peek at Liberaces' old house that happens to be for sale. It seemed like a good photo op to drive the van around his driveway too!

Off we went to Cliffs house, proudly displaying our newly softened and buffed feet looking forward to a swim in the pool.

We weren't there for more than 10 minutes before the entire family was frolicking in the wet coolness while Cliff continued reading his novel in his air conditioned house. He was a generous host despite the fact that he was recovering from 2 recent surgeries. We enjoyed a great meal of spaghetti and meatballs while Cliff poured us copious glasses of white zinfandel from the box. At 80 years of age he has decided given up drinking so was eager to deplete his stock of cheap box wine ( his words, not mine) 

The evening was spent around the kitchen playing backgammon while the boys lounged in Cliffs bedroom watching their beloved TV. We camped out on the street which made for a bad nights sleep not because it was noisy but because we had to sleep with the doors wide open to alleviate the heat and Liz was worried a neighbor might come a knocking to see what the heck this old  van was doing parked in the otherwise perfect and shiny  street.

We never did see Cliffs partner, Harry, as he spends most of his time at the casino these days  but we had a great visit with our spirited old friend. Bowen thinks Cliff is the coolest "old guy" he has ever met.

-Liz

Joshua Tree Park - breathtaking

Joshua Tree National Park

California 

May 29 - June 1 , 2009

We were eager to continue on our way once the brakes were fixed- what a difference that makes in the driving! We loaded up on groceries and made tracks out of Blythe.

More desert driving took us to the General Patton Museum. For Remy, an ex-tanker in the army, this was like a pilgrimage. Patton was quite a character, and the museum was excellent. The boys were interested in all the guns and military gear, while Liz patiently let all the boys be boys.

It was stinking hot, again, and we felt some trepidation about our plan to camp in the desert. That was allayed as we began the climb into Joshua Tree National Monument. We entered into one of the most beautiful places we have encountered on this trip. We now know what was the inspiration for the sets of all those Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons. Water was in short supply, but there was an abundance of massive boulder piles. We explored a few campgrounds before settling in Hidden Valley. Just in time- the weekend was upon us, and people were arriving in droves from all over!

We parked among the Joshua trees at the foot of a boulder pile. We were amazed at the abundance of life in the area, with birds, rabbits and ground squirrels sharing our space. The rocks are a destination for rock climbers from around the world and we heard many different accents and languages. The rocks made for some fun climbing, though it was easy to climb quickly into situations which in hindsight probably were not so sensible. We hiked into the "Hidden Valley" to check out a dam made by ranchers earlier in the century, back when rainfalls of 10-20" per year, instead of the now typical 2-5", made ranching viable. We were lucky enough to experience a rainfall while we were here- we felt honoured! And damp.

The rock piles in the desert made for excellent Airsoft terrain, so Remy, Hollis and Bowen spent time littering the desert with tiny plastic pellets and gaining a few scrapes and welts along the way. The smooth surface of some of the nearby boulders made great resting places for us to enjoy our breakfast in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening- we feel fortunate to be here without a care in the world and the time to appreciate the beauty.

Altogether, Joshua Tree is one of the more beautiful places we have visited with an almost magical quality to the atmosphere.

-Remy

Taking a Brake in the Desert

Silver City, New Mexico to Blythe, California, 27-29 May, 2009

We packed up in Silver City and looked forward to driving back into warmer climes in the deserts of Arizona. Strong headwinds made for exciting driving in the wind vane that is our rolling home, especially on the narrow two lane highways that we drove. We crossed into Arizona and pointed ourselves toward Phoenix.

Much as we had anticipated, as our elevation fell, so did the temperature climb. It topped out at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees C) as we drove through the wasteland that is the Sonoran Desert.  We now know the exact temperature at all times as Liz has purchased a handy thermometer that she checks endlessly. She became obsessed with the temperatures in Mexico but was unable to know exactly how HOT is was because we couldn't find a thermometer. Mexican don't appear to care that much- It's HOT, what more do you need to know? 

We picnicked at the birthplace of the founder of the Lions Club. We saw much mining. We drove and we drove.-11 hours in total.

The passage through the Phoenix area took forever, as we passed from one suburb to the next on the 12 lane freeway. We had elected to try to camp somewhere west of Phoenix, and so were glad when we finally passed beyond the city's limits into the desert beyond. Unfortunately, we discovered that there are not a lot of camping options on this stretch of Highway 10. There are no National or State parks, which tells you something about the desolation of this area. There are a lot of private RV campgrounds, some of which number nearly 1000 sites. That tells you what sort of camping it is- nice in a Walmart parking lot kind of way. These places are designed to warehouse old people from harsher climates in a type of preservative environment. They are also somewhat expensive, so we elected not to stay at one of these. We did consider trying to park overnight at a rest stop, but Remy does not sleep well when he is worried that he is breaking the rules.

What finally made the decision for us was the brakes on the van. They had stopped making the strange honking noises that they had been through the Gila Mountains, but that had coincided with the beginning of quieter but more disturbing grating noises and an accompanying diminishment of braking performance. Remy had removed the front wheels and done a visual check of those brakes in Silver City, but it was now apparent that we no longer had any rear brakes. While they only account for 25% of braking, that is a significant amount when the vehicle is as heavily loaded as our gypsy caravan!

We pushed on to Quartzite, Arizona, which we have since learned swells to about 100 times its size during the winter, when thousands of snowbirds descend on the town and it becomes one of the largest solar-powered communities in the world. It is known as a gemological centre, with many rockhounds trading their wares, and its flea market is one of the largest in the world. Unfortunately, in the off-season it is depressing dive with no mechanics, so we had to continue on to Blythe, California, thereby having crossed Arizona completely in one hot day.

Blythe is a depressed, hot, agricultural town, but at least it had mechanics. We set up at a motel with a pool and air-conditioned rooms and had to spend two nights while parts were shipped from Phoenix to repair the scorched rear brakes. Another holiday within a holiday as we dealt with the extreme heat in the middle of nowhere.

-Remy