A Parrothead's Journal

All good things must come to an end....

2011-09-18T15:13:00.002-05:00

The vacation I looked forward to for so long is over. Saturday we awoke early, went to Safeway to take care of business, returned to the cabin to clean, do laundry and pack. All too soon it was time to head to the airport. We finally arrived in Milwaukee at 9 am on Sunday. We were tired and depressed having to return to the real world. The airline lost my luggage, the shuttle took its time to pick us up, construction is all around the airport and we had a 90 minute drive home. I am now home, chilled, waiting for my luggage to arrive. Apparently it missed my connection in Los Angeles even with a 4 hour layover and ended up in Myrtle Beach. Hoping it arrives this afternoon.

As I reflect on my time in California I have one predominant thought - I WANT TO GO BACK NOW!!!!

Day 7 - Garrapata Moutains of DOOM!!!!!!

2011-09-17T13:14:00.001-05:00

We decided on our last day to have an adventure. We were going to hike the Garrapata Rocky Ridge Trail loop. This is the description from a Monterey tourism website: Keep an eye out for the Garrapata State Park sign, and then for a large pullout (probably with several cars parked in it) under a row of cypresses. You’ll see a dirt road, and beyond it a tin barn. This is the trail head for the Rock Ridge and Soberanes Canyon trails, a loop that’s seven miles long with an 1850 foot elevation gain. Gird yourself for some steep ascents as you follow the Rocky Ridge Trail up the ridge, past a conveniently placed bench, and up to some panoramic views. Once you’ve managed this uphill climb, it’s time for the steep descent into redwood-filled Soberanes Canyon. Admire the views, but watch your footing. Soberanes Trail leads through beautiful redwood forests (some of which are old-growth) on its way back to Highway One.

Sounds lovely except for the ascent but we were up for an adventure, something to remember from our last full day in California. Well, we got that and more.

At the beginning of the hike.

We start the trail and at first it is a series of switchbacks, easy elevation changes. We see some wildlife, lots of rabbits, lizards and a road runner. From the trail you just see the first mountain and foolishly we believe this is the top of the trail. The trail becomes steeper and I am soon out of breath – damn allergies. But I take a few deep breaths and continue on. I keep telling myself “I can do it, I can do it”. We reach the top of mountain one only to realize there is another mountain behind it and the trail continues up. As I wheeze with each step, I tell myself at least we don’t have to climb back down this trail. We meet several hikers, older than we are, and they tell us they do the trail all the time and they were moving slow and they had been hiking for about 3 hours. Good news - we are also moving slowly but we know have an idea that the hike is going to last about 4 hours max. We continue up the trail looking for the bench. We find it. The views are spectacular and we take a quick rest.

Rest Stop

As we head back to the trail we hear more hikers. We can't see them but we hear them. They finally come into view and we realized that we have to climb yet another mountain. We wait for the hikers to pass and then we continue on. I am overheating and at any opportunity welcome a cool breeze.

Catching a cool breeze off the ocean

Still we climb on and on and on and on. Every time we come to the top of a mountain and think we are done climbing, the trail continues on over another mountain. The mountains are deceiving - the ones in the front block your view of the ones behind it. You only see them when you reach the top. We climb so high we are now above the clouds. Oh goody - sunshine. Can I get any warmer?

Above The Clouds

We finally feel we have reach the highest we will go and now we just need to follow the trail around the ridge and we will soon be descending.

Can you see the little trail in the distance?

We keep on walking, giddy that we have reached the top. There is one very steep section and it takes us awhile to get to the bottom. Again I am happy we are going down and won't have to hike back up that section of the trail. We keep hiking in the bright sunshine hoping soon the trail will turn down. The trail is getting smaller and smaller and suddenly we come to a fence with a sign. The sign says "This Area Closed by Monterey County Parks System" WHAT!!! WHY DIDN'T THEY POST THAT AT THE TRAIL HEAD! We have two choices, carry on and follow the trail hoping it isn't impassable at some point or turn around. We decide to turn around. We have now been hiking 4 hours and are very low on water and nowhere near the trail head. We should be done by now, not stranded high on a mountain top. We start back and we are soon at that incredibly steep section of the trail that we had trouble getting down and now we have to climb up on it. Amy starts up, I take about 4 steps and I get dizzy. I quickly sit down. I rest a few minutes, get back up, take a few steps and I get dizzy and now I am also nauseous. Not a good sign - heat exhaustion here I come. I take off my shirt, hoping to catch any breeze and wait for my body to cool down. Amy is at the top of the mountain and is calling down to see if I am okay. I let her know I am still alive and in a few minutes I try it again. I now have my shirt over my head like Lawrence of Arabia trying to block the sun and catch any breeze that I can. I finally make it to the top. It is relatively level for a bit but then we have another climb. Off comes the shirt, I drag my hot and tired body up the slope with a few breaks until we finally reach the top again.

I am not throwing up - just trying to catch my breath!

As we head across the ridges I am saved by the clouds that roll in from the ocean. Amy puts her fleece jacket back on, I revel in the coolness. We continue on, walking down the mountains we worked so hard to climb up. As we walk down, it is steep and I am amazed that we climbed up this trail. I was working so hard getting up I didn't appreciate the view or how close the trail is to the edge. Down and down we go. I am now cool and my shortness of breath is no longer bothering me. We keep going down and down and down. Soon are legs, knees and feet are killing us and still the trail goes down and down and down. We keep looking for the tin shack that is at the start of the trail - when we see that the hike will almost be over. No tin shack and we continue down and down and down. When we do come to a relatively flat section of the trail, our legs hurt even more. Still we hike down - will it ever end?

We finally meet another hiker coming up the trail. We ask him a few questions about the scat we saw (coyote) and about the trail and it ending abruptly. We find out that we missed the turn down. When we rested at the bench, we were very near the connection with the other trail that would have taken us down. Unfortunately, we saw those two hikers coming down another trail and assumed the trail continued on. When we met a few other hikers on the trail, we assumed we were going in right direction. All that extra hiking and we were not even on the right trail. Laughing at our stupidity, we continue down the trail. Finally after 5.5 hours of hiking we see the shack. It takes us another 30 minutes to finally reach the end. WE MADE IT!!!

FINALLY!!!

At the trail head we encounter a hiker who graciously took the "after" photo for us. If only pain could be captured in a photo. We get to the highway and realize our car is parked at the very end of the road. We shuffle to the car and head to the cabin. I really needed a diet coke. Back at the cabin we are in no mood to eat but before we take a vicodin we need to eat something. I have a few pieces of See's candy and ice cream. Amy has smores. Soon the vicodin kicks in and I am in bed by 7 pm. Amy stays up reading. I sleep well except for the sunburn. I forgot to mention that I have quite the sunburn - my arms and neck are bright red. My back a lovely pink. We wanted an adventure, we got an adventure.

Addendum: I forgot to mention that we passed a rattlesnake on the trail. Yikes! All the pictures but one in this blog posting were taken by Amy - my camera decided not to auto-focus and we quickly discovered the mountains are home to a lot of bees! I learned quickly not to take a break near any yellow flowers.

Day 6 - Garrapata and the Elusive Sea Otter

2011-09-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

Today we woke a little later and were moving a little slower after our hiking marathon yesterday. We decided to explore the coves around Garrapata. Two years ago when we visited this park and explored the coves, we had our first kelp ball fight and found our first wild sea otter. It was overcast but the ocean views are spectacular. We found our cove and had our kelp ball fight. I found a large mushy one and when Amy caught it, kelp juice dripped onto her head. Good times! We decided to have a kelp tug of war. Sounded fun but is was a bit sticky and icky.

We finished playing in the cove and then had to find a way back up to the trail. It took a bit of crawling but I made it. Amy is as sure footed as a mountain goat and just bounded up the rocks. We continued hiking, following the coast. As we neared the end of the trail we finally found them - the elusive sea otter. Not just one but a family - mommy, daddy and a large baby. I took hundreds of photos and I hope some of them turn out. Between the telephone lens, my shaking arms and the ocean waves, more than a few will be blurry. I am posting some - you may not be able to tell what they are but when I get home I will crop and blow up the little brown dots and hopefully we all will be able to see the adorable sea otters.

Aren't they so cute?

How adorable!

While taking hundreds of photos of the adorable sea otter family, we thought we found another sea otter but it was a sea lion swimming through the surf. We followed him and he turned into our secret cove.

Sea Lion in the Surf

After all this excitement we hiked back to the car and then drove into Monterey to pick up some candy at the See's store in the Del Monte Mall. We also visited Whole Foods were you can buy individual brown organic eggs for fifty cents. We picked up a few for breakfast and then head to our home away from - Safeway. Amy is busy taking online courses for work. I am updating my blog and facebook page. As for tomorrow, we can do something incredibly stupid like pick a very strenuous hike or we can take it easy. I vote for the incredibly stupid plan. Home now for grilled cheese, beer and buttered noodles.

Day 5 - Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer & Andrew Molera

2011-09-15T19:12:00.000-05:00

Amy is trying to kill me. Really she is. She looks so sweet and innocent but don’t let that fool you. The day started off as it usually does with a hearty breakfast and we hit the road heading south to Big Sur. Our first stop was at Big Sur Park where we hiked UP A MOUNTAIN! The view was beautiful once we reached the top. Then we had to hike down the mountain to find a waterfall. The only issue with hiking down a trail is that you will have to hike back up it. A few hours later we are back in the car heading south again. On our way to Julia Pfeiffer State Park we stopped near a lookout where several cars were parked. It turned out to be some sort of trail that went to the ocean. It was breathtaking. One trail took you through a tunnel to a hidden cove. The other trail took you to a beach where there was quite the wave action.
.

Don't know how I didn't get wet taking this picture

Amy in the surf

The hike down was easy enough, the hike back to the car was so much fun. I finally make it and we are off again this time to Julia Pfeiffer State Park. This is an easy park, easy trails, gorgeous waterfall and views of the ocean. We hiked and had lunch. This time instead of a seagull begging food this time we had blue jays surrounding us. They were quite bold, jumping on our table to take food.

Worth the drive & hike

Lunch break over we head back north and our next stop – Andrew Molera State Park. The first hike is fine, it takes us to the beach where we watch the surfers and take a hundred pictures of the waves hoping one will turn out.

Surfers at Andrew Molera

The next hike is where the adventure begins. Should we take the easy trail back to the car or try the bluff trail. We pick the bluff trail. Not bad once you climb up to the trail. It follows the bluff and has wonderful views of the ocean and beach. Where I made my mistake is when we came to a trail with a significant climb and Amy says“should we take it?” I say “why not”. OMG – the trail climbed and climbed and the grade was significant. Finally it ended and at the end it was a crappy view. We turned around and then had to walk down the trail. A few slips but no falls and we finally make it back to an easier trail which takes another hour to get us to the parking lot.

Back in the car we head home into the mist. It was cloudy when we started out this morning, sun came out at Big Sur and stayed out all day until we left Molera heading back to the cabin. About two miles south of the cabin the highway is down to one lane where part of the road fell into the ocean. I’m sure that was a fluke and the rest of the highway is fine :/ As we approach our road we find most of it blocked by emergency personnel – a huge tree or trees have fallen on the highway. It was right in front of the llamas – I hope they are alright.

Finally back at the cabin, I look through my pictures and it is just as I thought – the pictures of the high surf and waves did not turn out. The ocean was silver, the waves were blue, the wind blew back the top of the waves to form a lovely mist and of course none of this appears in my pictures. I really have to read the manual when I get a chance. Tomorrow Amy says we can hike anywhere that I want to. How positively Machavellian of her. She knows I am incredibly stubborn and will ignore all my aching joints and pick some ridiculously difficult hike. Well, if I do collapse and die on a trail, it is a beautiful place to die.

Day 4 - Point Lobos State Reserve

2011-09-13T20:39:00.003-05:00

The plan today is to visit Point Lobos State Reserve. After another hearty breakfast prepared by Amy, we set out. As soon as we park the car, we see our first sea otter. We scramble out of the car, dropping everything to get a picture of the elusive sea otter. I was able to get a few pictures before it swam away. They are so darn cute.

Sea Otter

We then started to hike toward Sea LionCove. You can hear the sea lions beforeyou see them.

Sleeping Sea Lion

The day was cloudy with abrisk wind off the ocean and fog.

Mist over the meadow

Wefound seals, sea lions and a bird which I have named the Amy bird.

Amy Bird

It flew over us several times at low altitudeand I think it was attracted to Amy’s new red fleece jacket. We continued to hike through cyprus trees andaround each corner was another wonderful view.

Sea Lions

Seal 1

Seal 2

Seal 3

We had packed a lunch and after 4 hours of hiking we stoppedfor lunch. At the rest area we made anew friend whom I called Jonathon. He(or she) was very friendly and shared our lunch of guava jelly and almondbutter sandwiches, chips and cookies. Wehave learned from out last trip that sea gulls do not like grapes. What’s up with that?

Jonathon Seagull sharing our lunch

After lunch we hiked some more and finally weheaded back to the car. Guess who waswaiting for us? Yes it wasJonathon. I teased Amy that we had a seagull stalking us all day and I have pictures to prove it. Jonathon has a red dot on his beak, severalof the pictures I have of sea gulls we are able to see the beak and it has thesame red dot. Unless all sea gulls havethe same red dot, if not, we were stalked all day by the same sea gull. Freaky! We hobbled back to the cabin for a chai break and to get our hikingboots off. Soon it will be off toSafeway to update our blogs. Dinnertonight is noodles with butternut squash spaghetti sauce – yummy!

Day 3 - Monterey & Garrapata

2011-09-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

Sea Lion

Amy and her new friend - just before he attacks

The day started quite early – about 1 am. I was sleeping so soundly. It is so quiet at the cabin. The only sound is the stream that flows past the cabin. It is completely dark except for a little moonlight that is able to filter through the trees. I awoke to a noise and I just thought it was Amy. However, as I was trying to fall back asleep I realized the sound was a scratching noise and it was coming from outside my window so it is not Amy unless she locked herself out but I think she would knock and say “Lori” instead of scratching the side of the cabin. I could hear some animal walking behind the cabin, stopping occasionally to scratch at my window. I went to Amy’s room to let her know we were being stalked by some kind of wild animal and I scared her “out the crap”. We couldn’t see anything so we went back to bed. Whatever it was woke me up again in an hour or so but I just rolled over and fell back asleep. Apparently it has heard of our beer and smore parties and wants to get in.

After a hearty breakfast prepare by Amy, we left for Monterey. We quickly found the pier and the sea lions. We walked over to area that has hundreds of sea lions. Since the last time we were in Monterey, they have installed a fence between us and the sea lions. We thought it was to protect the sea lions until Amy climbed over the fence to get a closer look. When she did that a large bull took exception to her being so close and turned and started to bark at her. We now know the fence is to protect the people. We spent a few hours walking the pier, taking lots of photos and talking to the sea lions. They are very possessive of their rocks and become quite vocal if another sea lion attempts to join them on that rock. After taking about 900 pictures, we walked back to the pier and purchased a few fleece jackets. They are very reasonably priced and you need them at night or when you are near the ocean and the wind is blowing. After all this excitement, we went to a restaurant we found last time and had the exact same crepe – cheese, tomato and avocado – that we had last time. Stomachs full, we drove to Garrapata State Park for some hiking. It was spectacular. We climbed up and down, round and round until we made it down as close to the ocean as we could. There were a few tidal pools with crabs and starfish. The wind was refreshing. We searched in vain but could not find a sea otter. Tomorrow the plan is to go to Point Lobos State Park and that is where we found sea otters last time. We are currently in our home away from home (Safeway) looking at pictures, updating our blogs, drinking chai and trying to remember what was on our list to pick up. We will remember when we get back to the cabin. Tonight’s menu includes mac & cheese, beer and smores for dessert. It will also include a few Advil for the muscle aches.

Seal (not sure what kind)

We found Patrick - still looking for Spongebob

Garrapata

The dreaded jellyfish

Day 2

2011-09-12T18:41:00.002-05:00

The day starts with some bird cawing outside my window at 4:15 am. It is still dark out, what is it squawking about? I grab a cookie from the kitchen and go back to bed. Fast forward 7 hours when I wake up again and it is after 11 am. Amy has been up for hours. She has showered, taken a walk to the ocean, read a few chapters in her book and her favorite pastime while in California – gathered sticks for the fireplace. She had quite the collection on the deck. I quickly get dressed because we need to get to town and find a wireless connection of the Internet because Amy received an offer on her house on Saturday. While we were traveling to California, Amy received a message that she had an offer. Perfect timing. We went to our favorite spot, Safeway, and while Amy conducted her business over cell phone and free wi-fi, I stood in line at the Starbucks counter. Very popular spot on a Sunday morning. We then frantically researched trying to find somewhere in Carmel open on a Sunday that had a printer available for us so Amy could print out and sign her offer. We found all we needed at the local UPS conveniently located in the same shopping center as Safeway. We then spent a lovely hour or two, printing, emailing, signing, scanning and emailing documents. We beat the deadline and hopefully all goes well and soon Amy will only own one house instead of two.

After business was taken care of, we returned to Safeway to complete our shopping. On our return to the cabin, we stopped to get an “ocean fix” at Garrapata. The ocean was spectacular as always. In the far off distance we could hear sea lions barking. A few dozen pictures later we hit the road back to the cabin. Dinner was grilled cheese and baked potato soup. Yummy. We walked to the ocean after dinner, took a few pictures of the cows and returned to the cabin for our nightly fire and smores. I decided to check out the stars and while on the deck the bat we saw yesterday and named Betty flew very close to my head. I am sure she was saving me from a big bug but she scared the crap out of me. She flew so close I swear I felt her wings on my hair. We are now relaxing next to the fire, reading and listening to my iPod with Brother Iz serenading us. Soon is it off to bed. Tomorrow we plan to visit Monterey to pick up fleece jackets, have a crepe, buy some See’s chocolate and stalk the sea lions around the pier. I will have to drag Amy away – she does love sea lions. I should tell her that sea lions attack and kill humans. Just kidding!

Day 1 - Journey to Carmel

2011-09-11T16:56:00.000-05:00

I patiently waited by the window, like a cocker spaniel, for Amy to pick me up. Every time I heard a noise I thought it was her and if I had a tail I would have wagged it. Finally she arrived. Poor girl hadn’t gone to the bathroom all day trying to get as much work done as possible before she left. Bathroom break over, car packed up and we are on the Road Again. That song stayed in my head until we got to Milwaukee. We planned on making a quick stop to pick up Pad Thai at our favorite restaurant before we checked in to the La Qinta for the night. Our trusty GPS (Cynthia) took us directly to the restaurant which we would have never found in the dark on our own. As we were getting close to the restaurant, we both had the brilliant idea that we should have called ahead and placed a pickup order. Phone number for the restaurant is now in our contacts on our cell phones. We arrived at the restaurant, placed our order, they tell us 20 minutes, we sit down, Amy takes off her work shoes (she didn’t even take time to change into vacation clothes) and suddenly they give us our order. Apparently 20 minutes in Thai translates to 3 minutes in America. With the hot Pad Thai burning my thighs (say that fast 5 times) we are back on the road and Cynthia (GPS) is guiding us to our hotel. Again, we would have never found our hotel in the dark with all the construction without our trusty GPS. We check in and then enjoy the best Pad Thai in the world. Good times!!

Saturday morning starts very early at 4:45 am. We both have left over Pad Thai for breakfast J Shuttle soon arrives and we are off to the airport. We quickly checked in and made it through security. Our flight time had changed from 7:20 am to 7:45 am – bit concerning because we have a very short layover in Memphis. We arrive in Memphis, find the gate information for our flight to LA, head to the gate and as we get there they are beginning to board. No time for a bathroom break or to pick up a soda for the flight. We luck out on the flight, Amy is alone in a row of three seats so I scoot over and we have plenty of room during the flight. Without my carryon under the seat in front of me I am able to stretch out my legs. Yippee!!! I had brought my left over Pad Thai with me. It hadn’t been refrigerated overnight but I just couldn’t leave my leftovers behind. I had them for lunch on the plane and they were wonderful even if I get food poisoning. We land in LA and have a long layover (3 ½ hours). As we are searching for somewhere to eat lunch we run into a former co-worker Kay Schuster. She and her family are on their way to Kona. Amy and I decide that we have to buy a lottery ticket – the stars seem to be aligned in our favor on this trip. We have to take a shuttle to our gate and they actually take us on the tarmac and we are passing planes and then we have to stop at a stop sign to let a large United jet taxi to the runway. We arrive at our gate, get our seat assignments and wait for the little puddle jumper plane that will take us to Monterey. The minutes drag on but fortunately we have Crabby Patties to eat and plenty of reading material. Finally they announce our flight. We have bulkhead seats so we can’t keep our carry-ons with us, we have to stow them several seats behind us. Fortunately the flight is only 42 minutes. We land in Monterey and our luck continues. My luggage made it – I was concerned it wouldn’t given the short time between flights in Memphis. Because we are a little early our rental car isn’t ready so they upgrade us to a lovely red SUV. We are quickly on the road and heading to Carmel with the help of our GPS. We head straight to Safeway to pick up necessities for the first night – beer, cookies, wood and smore fixins. Back on the road we quickly arrive at the most fabulous cabin in the world. It is exactly as we remember it. We unpack and start a fire. Now that we have kindling, it works much better than last trip. Fire blazing, we make smores and down a few beers. Wonderfully content, we head off for our beds. Day 1 of our trip comes to an end.

FINALLY!

2011-09-09T17:51:00.002-05:00

The day has finally arrived. We are off to Milwaukee to spend the night before we fly to California early Saturday morning. This vacation has been the only thing to keep me sane over the last few weeks. I am sure Amy will concur. We will be able to pick up our favorite pad thai at the Singha Thai restaurant in Milwaukee on the way to our hotel. Can it get any better - noodles and a week in California? Think not! We will try to blog when we get a chance but hiking, stalking marine wildlife, eating mac & cheese and building fires can be very time consuming. I forgot to mention sleeping in, reading fiction, and maybe a nap or two. Later Gators!

FINALLY

2011-06-11T13:34:00.005-05:00

After a year of being a responsible adult, not going on any trips, saving money and working on my house, I am finally ready to embrace my inner teenager again. First on the agenda is Jimmy Buffett at Alpine Valley - 14 days and counting. I have begun a serious exercise regime consisting of fin work, carrying my oversized margarita glass filled with sand around my house and of course hulu dancing so that my grass skirt sways appropriately. I will also begin drinking rum today to build up my tolerance. It has been a long crappy winter of sinus infections, snow storms and me stuck in WI. No more - I am ready to party like its 1999.

Trip Around the Island

2010-02-15T11:04:00.010-06:00

After our fun filled day of blisters and petroglyphs, we decided to take a leisurely drive and explore the east side of the Island. The east side receives most of the rain and has the greenery and waterfalls - the west side is dominated by lava fields. We head north and climb into Waimea. It is interesting to see all the cattle on the sides of the mountains. We see a few wild goats but still no donkey sightings. Apparently there are wild donkeys on the Island but except for the Donkey Crossing signs, we have not seen any evidence of their existence.

Waipio Overlook

Leaving Waimea we head to the Waipio Valley. It is a gorgeous view. The road to the bottom of the valley is extremely steep and only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed. If I had the time and the right footwear, it would be an interesting hike down. However, with blisters and two companions that now believe hiking is synonymous with pain, we head back to the car to continue our exploring.

Part of Akaka Falls

Next stop is Akaka Falls. On the way to the falls, we find a place to have lunch. We brought beverages along but no one thought of bringing any snacks so after 4 hours of exploring we are starving. Refreshed from our lunch we head to the falls. Pat takes the lead and decides to take the scenic route. The trail is thankfully paved but full of steps and inclines. We view the falls and marvel at the tropical landscape - so much different from the west side. Back in the car we continue south.

Surf at Kolekole Park

We stop at that park Kolekole which has a very small beach area but wonderful surf action. There is a small waterfall and swimmers enjoy the area where the river meets the ocean. Back into the car, we continue south and we finally reach Hilo. We drive around the city, looking at the downtown area, driving past the prison, and then stop at a gas station. We fill up with gas and decide to head home. I enter in our destination address and we begin the trip home. However, when soon realize that the GPS unit (Cynthia) is sending us on the Saddle Road. This is a road that runs between the two mountains and the one I was specifically warned not to take by the car rental company. We turn around and take another route. This one will take us past Volcanoes National Park and around the southern end of the Island.

We drive past the park, but we are unable to see anything due to the landscape. We continue on and the landscape doesn't change. It is miles and miles of small trees and moon like landscape. The driving isn't bad because we are coming down from 4,000 feet so we just coast along and apply the breaks occasionally and we encounter very few other cars. That should have been a sign because as we keep driving, the road becomes narrow and winding. Now for me, after driving on Pacific Coast Highway 1 in California, this is actually not too bad for a narrow and winding road. The cliffs and drop offs when we encounter them aren't that bad. Cheryl, however, doesn't like heights or roller coasters so she is not enjoying any part of the ride. The ride continues on and on and on and on. After an hour, the landscape is monotonous and we all need to go to the bathroom. No rest stops, no fast food restaurants, no gas stations. Just miles and miles of either moon landscape, macadamia trees, ranches with cattle and the occasional view of the ocean. We continue on and on. I can't emphasize enough how it seemed the road just went on and on and on and how it could be narrow and winding causing you to slow down. if only it was a bit wider and less curvy, you could drive a bit faster.

Finally we begin to see civilization. We are entering Kona. Lots of coffee farms and more cars. We made it. We finally come to a McDonalds restaurant and are able to use the restroom. We continue on, just wanting to finally make it back to our condo for a cold beer and a respite for our aching butts. We did stop at a scenic overlook to take a picture of the setting sun. We once again will miss the sunset. We drive through Kona, Kailu-Kona, the lava fields and finally arrive at Waikoloa.

It has been an experience driving around the entire Island. The area around our condo has petroglyphs carved in the volcanic rock. Many are of a person with a circle. Some scholars believe the circle represents a journey around the entire Island. I can't imagine what it would have been like to walk around the Island with its many mountains, hills, deep valleys, rivers and lava fields. It must have taken them months. After our ride we also feel the need to carve a figure in the lava somewhere and add a circle. Like I said yesterday, the Big Island is kicking our butts.

Exploring the Big Island

2010-02-12T01:03:00.010-06:00

Island cats catching a few rays

I woke up before sunrise again. It may be 5:30 here but my body thinks it 9:30 and time to get up. Cheryl also woke up and we decided to go on a walk. We headed toward the beach or where Cheryl thought was the beach. We ended up walking over a lava field but we made it to the beach. It is a very nice beach within walking distance of the condo. We say the ubiquitous mongoose as well as several cats. The hotels in the area care for them and they spend their days lying in the sun.

Back at the condo we made plans for the day. We decide to explore the area north of Waikoloa. We pack a lunch and hit the road. The first stop is Waikoloa Village. Not much to see - we just drove around and then headed back to the highway. Continuing north we find another turnoff and head to the beach. It is a lovely beach and we spend some time there. I take pictures of everything hoping that a few will turn out.

The Seashell Sisters hard at work

The Seashell Sisters (Pat & Cheryl) spend the time looking down trying to find interesting shells. A whale could splash a few feet from shore and they wouldn't notice - a sea turtle could be sunbathing on the beach and they would step over it. They are extremely focused when looking for shells. We watch a few surfers enjoying the high surf and then decide to view the petroglyphs located on the property. Cameras in hand we set off. At first the path is smooth and easy. Then we enter a forested area and the path becomes narrow, dusty, winding left and right and up and down. After a few minutes we begin to wonder if this is a good idea. After 30 minutes we know this is not a good idea. I trudge ahead leaving Pat and Cheryl behind to check out the area. Just over the hill is the petroglyph area. I take and few pictures and return to the girls.

Petroglyph

By now I have blisters because I am wearing wet beach sandals, Pat's new shoes are red with dust from the trail and Cheryl's sandals are also filthy.

Trying to get out of Petroglyph Forest

Limping, we slowly make our way back to the rental car. We take out our cooler and find a lovely picnic area where we fill out stomachs and nurse our wounds. Luckily I never go anywhere without my first aid kit. A few sprays of neosporin and a couple of Spongebob bandaids we are ready to continue exploring. Well, more like we are ready to nap. We drive to the next beach and after 5 minutes we decide to return to the condo. The intrepid explorers are finished exploring for the day. We pick up some food at the food court in the Marketplace across the street. We eat, shower, look at pictures and we are all in bed by 8 pm. The Big Island is kicking our butts.

Kona

2010-02-11T00:44:00.010-06:00

View of the mountains from our lanai

After a leisurely morning enjoying left over plane snacks and freshly brewed coffee, we headed to Kona to explore, buy a few souvenirs and then pick up our groceries. On the way, we were surprised by how many wild goats live in the lava fields. We found a parking spot and headed into the downtown area. We had breakfast at a local Mexican restaurant. I had a loco moco which is rice with a hamburger patty topped with an egg and smothered with brown gravy. It is a local dish and not as bad as it sounds. Cheryl had chicken fried something with sausage gravy and Pat had an omelet. The restaurant was across from an ABC store and had a lovely view of the cruise ship anchored offshore. After filling our faces we visited the first church built in the Hawaiian Islands. We found a small beach where we watched the waves, jumping fish, smoking snorkelers and discovered a colony of lava crabs.

Lava Crabs on the lava wall

They are black and live on the lava rocks so I named them lava crabs.

Cheryl "hanging loose" in Kona

Bags full of tacky tiki souvenirs, we headed to Wal-Mart and Safeway to purchase supplies for the week. At Wal-Mart we filled our cart with Hawaiian print shirts and more souvenirs. At Safeway, we filled our cart with a few groceries and lots of bread and beer. This should be a fun week. The highlight of the shopping trip was of course the chocolate chewy cookies that can only be found at Safeway. Back to the condo where we relax on the lanai and enjoy the scenery and wildlife. I saw a mongoose run across the golf course and I named him Rikki Tikki Tavi (only mongoose name I know). We watched lots of birds and then we were visited by the geckos. Of course on Hawaii even the geckos are more colorful.

Garry - our Hawaiian lanai gecko.

Cheryl saw one first and named him David. Who ever heard of a gecko named David?

Hibiscus flower outside our condo

After relaxing we decided to find us a lava flow. We head to the King's shops which is just next door and we found one - a $8.95 one and that was happy hour prices!! We continued to explore, visiting the shops, picking up more trinkets and snacks. We even visited the King's Road which is a road that was cut into the lava fields to connect the villages of Hawaii. I can't imagine walking from one village to another on this road. It is open to the elements and difficult to walk on - I hope they had good sandals. The sun set during our exploration and of course we missed it. It was dark on the way back to the condo but fortunately we all had our new Hawaiian LED flashlights that we had just purchased from the ABC store conveniently located across the street. Back in the condo, I blog and the girls write out postcards and drink a lukewarm beer. Apparently our refrigerator cooling level was too low. We increased it and tomorrow we will have a cold one (hopefully).

Aloha cold weather dwellers - tomorrow we are off to the beach, or the volcanoes, or the rain forest - so many options and all of them fun!

Aloha from the Big Island

2010-02-11T00:15:00.003-06:00

We made it! After 17 and a half hours of traveling we finally arrived at the Kona airport. With all the snow, we kept our fingers crossed that our flights wouldn't be cancelled. Luck was on our side and we left the snow and ice for sun and warmth. The flight was looooooooong and they packed us in like sardines. When one of us shifted position, all the passengers in the row had to shift. I hope to regain feeling in my lower extremities within a few days. It was a balmy 75 degrees when we landed. I missed a gorgeous sunset standing in line to get our rental car. Cheryl tried to take a picture but her battery was dead and Pat has a new camera and she doesn't know quite how to use it yet so no pictures of the gorgeous sunset.

We drove to our condo and checked in. We are staying at the Outrigger's Fairway Villas located in the Waikoloa Beach resort area. It is an oasis of green in the midst of the lava fields. Pat went to bed first at 7:30 pm local time (11:30 pm WI time). I went to bed next at 8 pm soon followed by Cheryl at 8:30. She tried to watch Lost but just couldn't stay awake. We were awakened by music from an alarm clock that had a 9:30 alarm set by a previous guest. My cell phone started ringing at 5:30 am and I had to dig through my luggage to find it to turn it off. We were all up before sunrise. It may be 6 am here but our bodies are still on WI time. The sun came up and we enjoyed the warm weather. We are planning on visiting Kona today. We need to pick up groceries and it is Social Security Day so Pat is flush with cash. Lava flows will be flowing in Kona today and I don't mean the hot red molten kind.

Ahh - the Sunshine State

2009-11-17T09:31:00.006-06:00

We left for Florida very early on Saturday morning - our flight left at 6 am. The flight to Chicago was uneventful - all 35 minutes of it. Our flight to Orlando from Chicago, well that was another story. We were seated behind a family of 5 and the youngest screamed all the way from Chicago to Orlando. She finally fell asleep as we landed. It was so cute that one of the other children stood up in his seat and apologized that his little sister cried all the way. The temperature in Orlando when we landed was 80 degrees. Yippee!!! We picked up our car - this trip's rental car is a white Nissan Pathfinder. We easily found our house due to the use of our GPS Cynthia.

We have a lovely 5 bedroom home with a heated pool. We dropped off suitcases and quickly went to our local Wal-Mart where we stocked up on food, soda, inflatable alligators and killer whales, Spongebob beach towels, Madagascar Penguin slippers and beer. Just the essentials, we can pick up everything else at another time. Back to the house and into the pool - well we first put away the perishables.

The pool is heated and fabulous. We splashed around for a while but soon some of us were very very tired having had 5 hours of sleep the previous night. Lori and Grandma head off to their rooms for some much needed sleep and the young ones continued to party. They played in the pool and then spent some time in the game room and as a result Todd is complaining about his shoulder. Apparently he puts too much spin on the ping pong ball. Finally everyone is in their bedroom, enjoying the thoughts of spending 7 days in Orlando where the temperature is expected to be over 80 degrees each day. Wonder how cold it is in Wisconsin?

All Good Things Come to an End

2009-09-19T21:13:00.005-05:00

Lori kindly gave me the opportunity to post the last blog for this trip. . . .

Well first we must thank our wonderful friend, Kathryn, for sharing her family cabin with us. Yes, Kathryn, we did take a look at your family photo albums and we do think you were quite the catch in your 70's auburn pant suit. The chance to cook comfort foods, warm ourselves by a nightly fire, hear the bubbling brook, wake up to the birds chatting busily, and feel the filtered sun through the giant redwoods truly restored our spirits. Not to mention we were 2 1/2 minutes from the ocean and endless breathtaking vistas.

After a breakfast of mac & cheese (after all, who am I to let cheese go to waste?) and some time spent cleaning etc, we finally said a sad goodbye to "our" home.

We then drove to San Jose with Cynthia (the GPS unit) as our trusty guide. It only took us about an hour and 15 minutes. We had wanted to do the scenic drive to San Jose thru the mountains, but Kathryn had kindly warned us the beauty would come at the cost of twisty, winding roads and our stomachs just weren't up to that challenge. Just another excuse of why we need to come back. . . . In San Jose, we were going to explore the city, but with the knowledge that we would soon be back to reality, we suddenly felt quite tired. As soon as Amy saw the pool, though, she perked right up. It must be noted the temp in San Jose was 20 degrees warmer than the average temp in Carmel, so Amy was quite eager to soak up some warmth.

While Amy was basking in the sun, Lori opted to return our rental car, so that we wouldn't have to worry about this later. This took a bit longer than expected, so Lori was quite happy to climb into bed and relax a bit before supper.

We then walked to a local restaurant, the Sonoma Chicken Coop, or as Lori likes to call it, the Sonoma Chicken Co-op. Amy tried another local beer - Anchor Mist, I think, out of San Fran. With our bellys' full and a 6 am flight tomorrow, we will be heading to bed shortly.

So if you see us this winter, our eyes glazed over as we stare into space, we will be "California Dreaming on Such a Winter's Day" Until next time California.

Signing off, Lewis & Clark

Finally Learning How to Relax

2009-09-19T15:33:00.005-05:00

We decided that Friday was to be our “relaxing” day. We slept in, lounged about the cabin and didn’t leave until after 12:30. Talk about rebels. We then went to the Mission San Carlos Borromeo Del Rio Carmel which is located in Carmel-By-The-Sea.

It is a beautiful Spanish mission with lovely architecture and gorgeous gardens. We wandered about, absorbing the serenity - missions can be so peaceful. We also learned a bit of history. The intrepid explorers almost fall asleep in the courtyard, lulled by the sound of the fountain and the warm California sun.

Is it siesta time yet?

After the Mission, we needed to run a few errands and we decided to explore a bit of the area. We ended up at the Barnyard shopping complex. We wandered around surrounded by a busload of French tourists. We soon realized that we were hungry and we found a Mexican restaurant. We thought it tied in nicely after visiting the Mission. Amy ordered a new beer which we can’t pronounce but we love. Lori (designated driver) ordered pineapple juice. We feasted on semi-authentic Mexican food and by the end Lori was stuffed but very very happy. Amy was happy due to the beer she had.

We (Lori) waddled back to our car and headed to Safeway to blog. The usual Wi-Fi guys were there and we spent an enjoyable 90 minutes posting our blog. Apparently, uploading video takes forever using their Internet connection. Blog post finally completed, we head back to the cabin to begin cleaning and preparing for our departure on Saturday :( As we drive home, we notice that the visibility over the ocean seems endless and it should be a beautiful sunset. We arrive at the cabin and frantically begin cleaning, laundry and packing. Soon it is almost time for the sun to set, so we head down the canyon road on foot. We set up camp next to the cow pasture and begin documenting the sunset. Amy’s camera again stops working so it is up to Lori’s little Nikon to document the event.

We then walk back to the cabin where we continue to clean and pack. It is amazing how much of a mess you can make in just 6 days. We start our usual fire and Amy prepares dinner for herself. She is attempting to finish the food we purchased. Lori is still stuffed from lunch and can only manage a beer - we had 2 left and Amy can’t drink both of them. Soon it is bed time and our California adventure is quickly coming to an end.

Garrapata

2009-09-18T17:53:00.028-05:00

As we have driven back and forth to the cabin, we have been passing Garrapata State Park. We finally were able to fit it into our busy schedule on Thursday. We awoke, packed up and headed out. As we reached Highway 1 at the end of our road, we first noticed the clouds. The Charlie Brown cloud that follows us in Wisconsin had finally made it to California. He was upset we hadn’t told him of our travel plans. We parked our car and headed out into the mist. The first sign we see warns us of loose rocks and steep cliffs.

Maybe a loose rock will knock some sense into us!

Undaunted (or just plain crazy) the intrepid explorers walk toward the sound of the ocean. The path is a bit obscured but we will be careful.

Where did the ocean go?

We finally see a bit of sun and we run toward it.

I see sun - follow me Lori!

The scenery is of course spectacular. The wind is a bit rough and the temperature has dropped but Amy puts on her winter, sorry spring/fall coat, and we enjoy the wonderful views.

We found the ocean again!

We continue to explore the cliff edge, following each and every turn to make sure we see everything. Suddenly, we come upon a path that appears to lead down to a sandy cove. The intrepid explorers carefully make their way down. Lori uses the “slide on your butt” technique. Amy has a more dignified walk upright approach. Our persistence pays off and we find ourselves once again in a beautiful sheltered cove with a lovely sandy beach. Lori is as happy as a clam.

I'm as happy as a clam - halfway to Hawaii!

Amy is more adventurous and wants to enjoy the sand between her toes. After all, she is on a beach. Shoes off, she heads into the water.

It's beautiful - I just can't feel my feet!

Please notice the combination of bare feet and fleece. We spend time exploring the cove before reluctantly leaving -but not before having a kelp ball fight!! A first for the blog – VIDEO!. Please enjoy the excellent cinematography.

We finally climbed out of the cove taking a different path that looked much easier. Well, actually no. It was much more difficult. However, the scrambling on our knees (just Lori) was worth it. In the cove just south of the one we had been playing in, we finally found a wild sea otter. He was a very industrious sea otter, continuously diving, eating and grooming. We quickly whip out our cameras, both still and video and spend another 30 minutes documenting the every move of this lovely ocean creature. Now Amy is as happy as a clam. We actually see a second sea otter but he stays farther out.

At last - the elusive wild sea otter!

We finally continue on our hike and suddenly Lori’s cell phone rings. We are on the backside of a mountain, a few feet away from the ocean, and apparently we now have service. It is a text message from Kathryn giving us advice on how to build a fire. Lori of course replies - it is the polite thing to do and we continue on our hike. Several more scenic outlooks, followed by a hike up the side of a mountain, we return to our car. It was at that point that Lori found the box with maps for the park. It might have helped us a few hours before but a box with “Maps” on it was too obvious for us. We need someone in a Yogi Bear hat and green vest to give us a map. Reviewing the map, we head off in search of Garrapata beach to eat our picnic lunch. We quickly find it and head down to the beach. The view was spectacular and we quickly finished our PBJ, grape, chip and cookie lunch. It was then we realized it was only 2 pm. We usually hike until much later. We decide to return to Monterey in hopes of seeing a sea lion. We have heard them, taken pictures of them from very far away, but we hope to get closer at Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey.

We easily find our way to the Wharf. We park and we can once again hear the sea lions. We make our way over to the end of the wharf and we find two floating in the bay and a few on a deck under a building.

Much bigger than dots in the distance.

We quickly whip out cameras and begin snapping and filming. Once again Amy’s camera doesn’t work. It only happens at Monterey Bay. What’s up with that? We continue to walk around the wharf finding a few seals and sea otters but we can still hear a cacophony of sea lions in the distance. And then we see it. At the end of a rock formation in the bay are sea lion dots – we are now experts at finding sea lion dots in the distance. However, this time, we think we can get closer. We begin walking towards it finding lots of seals basking in the sun.

That better be your flipper I feel!

We only stop momentarily; our quest is the sea lion dots. Then finally we find them, hundreds of sea lions sleeping, sneezing, drooling, barking, fighting and whatever else they do at the end of a pier. Amy is the happiest a clam has ever been.

We will never settle for dots in the distance again!

Amy spends several minutes attempting to talk one into returning home with her. He ignores her.

So Lori, how much extra room do you have in your suitcase?

They have a fence at the end of the wharf to keep Amy away from the sea lions. Several hours later, Lori drags Amy away from the sea lions. (Hint for Christmas – Amy wants a sea lion). This obsession explains her choice of dogs – really big, brown, furry and drooly. Amy believes she connected with a large sea lion she named Louie. Louie might disagree. We stop at the wharf shops looking for tacky souvenirs. Once again, Lori is foiled and Amy needs to buy another suitcase for all the fleeces & sweatshirts she's purchasing.

We head home, first stopping at Safeway to pick up a few things, say hi to the Wi-Fi crew and post our blog. Unfortunately, it takes forever to upload an image. We miss the sunset and don’t get back to our cabin until late. Amy quickly starts dinner (spaghetti) while Lori gathers tinder and starts yet another fire. We use lots of paper (Kathryn) and we get the fire started but we can’t seem to keep it burning for more than a few hours. Lori learned at Girl Scouts how to start a fire, they never taught her how to maintain the fire. We then finish our second course (sour cream mashed potatoes) and it’s time for bed. Tomorrow we plan on relaxing and visiting the Mission in Carmel.

Lewis & Clark signing off.

Smelly Dirty People

2009-09-17T20:48:00.013-05:00

Today was to be Wash Wednesday but we encountered a few issues which we will detail later in our blog. The plan for Wednesday was to visit Point Lobos State Preserve followed by visiting Garrapata State Park. We arrived at Point Lobos just after 10 am and headed for the Sea Lion Rocks. As we exited our car, we could hear the bark of sea lions. We quickly bundled up and headed out. The wind off the ocean was exhilarating and the scenery of course was beautiful. We climbed down stairs, hiked over strange rock formations until we were at Sea Lion Cove. And there they were, hundreds of sea lions barking and basking in the sun on the appropriately named Sea Lion Rocks which were way far away. We took lots of pictures and hopefully the blobs we saw will actually show up on the picture.

Look - sea lion dots!

We then started to hike toward the tide pools when we noticed a cute little harbor seal in a small cove very close to us. Well, we started snapping pictures at a frenzied rate. Imagine our delight when we notice another seal. Cameras, both still and video, continued to frantically document the cute little seals (now 2). Suddenly, we realized a third seal is already on a rock sunning itself. It was quickly followed by two more. Then, the drama begins. Little seal number 4, wanted to get up on the rock with the other harbor seals. But try and try as he might, he just couldn’t make it. Video cameras in hand, we shouted encouragement each time a wave came in. “Now” we yelled, “you can do it number 4” as we continued to snap pictures and record video. Flash forward 45 minutes – Number 4 as we call him, finally pulled himself out of the ocean onto the rock. “Whoo Hoo” we yelled, and continued to take pictures and video.

Seal #4 is the fourth seal from the right.

It was then that we noticed several other seals in the small cove, playing in the surf and jumping on the rock. Number 4 should take lessons from Number 5. He got up on the rock in one try. We said goodbye to the cute little seals and headed to the tide pools.
On our way to the tide pools we passed several rocks that had more seals on them but being blind, we didn’t notice them until someone else points them out or we notice them taking pictures. Apparently, there are a lot of harbor seals at Point Lobos. Finally we make it to the tide pools. We climbed down bizarre rock formations looking for small pools of water hoping they hold trapped sea life waiting desperately for the tide to return. We didn’t find any starfish or sea urchin but we both found lots of crabs. Bigger red crabs and little bitty hermit crabs.

Big Crabs

Little Crabs - hiding in the sea shells.

The two intrepid explorers (Lori & Amy – it is our blog after all so we can be intrepid explorers), never ones to take the easy way, decided to climb down to an area that was difficult to reach and free of pesky tourists. In this desolate and dangerous crevice, we encountered the magnificent Kelp Ball Sea.

The Magnificent Kelp Ball Sea

Since we are the first explorers to find it, we get to name it. Lori foolishly goes first and touches the icky kelp balls. A thought occurs to her, “how about I toss one at Amy?” So begins the first ever kelp ball fight. We invented it – we get to name it. Amy is stranded on a ledge across from Lori, separated by the Kelp Ball Sea. Lori attempts to help Amy cross the sea by tossing her a very long piece of kelp rope. Unfortunately, the lasso didn’t make it to Amy and she had to scramble down the jagged rocks unaided.

Try to catch it when I throw it Amy!

We explored the area, name the largest rock Lewis & Clark Mountain – again we can name anything we discover. We continue to explore the coast, climbing up and down rocks, scrambling through crevices, hoping to find trapped sea life.

Suddenly, we discover we are hungry – it is almost 2 pm. We walk back to the parking area. It takes us about 20 minutes. Hiking is a lot faster when you stick to the path and don’t take a picture every 3 minutes. We forgot to mention that Lori lost the map. It must have happened during the harbor seal rock climbing drama. You remember, number 4 couldn’t get up. Lori purchased another map and we were able to find a picnic area. We selected Whaler’s Cove where we enjoyed our usual scrumptious lunch of PBJ sandwiches, grapes, chips and a cookie. While eating lunch, Lori notices that Amy’s ears are red. Amy says “not as red as your nose”. Lori’s nose isn’t that red, it is just reflecting Amy’s ears. Lunch finished, the intrepid explorers press on. We now have a map and we know where we are going. Yeah, right.

Where did we park the car?

We start on a simple trail around a few coves. We end up back where we originally started in the morning. Not too bad but our car is parked at Whaler’s Cover. We take another trail to double back. We don’t. We find ourselves even farther from the car. We take another path and by some miracle end up close to the car. By now Lori is hobbling (sore toes) and Amy’s ears and nose are about to erupt into flames. Needless to say, we are done for the day and we will not be visiting Garrapata State Park.

We head back to the cabin where we plan on enjoying hot showers followed by a lovely dinner of potatoes, sweet corn and spaghetti and then the evening’s entertainment – laundry. Upon entering the cabin, we realize we don’t have any power. We can’t call anyone because the phones are cordless and they need power. We can’t use our cell phones because we don’t have any service. Like any intrepid explorer would do, we head back to town and electricity.

Upon entering Safeway, our safe haven, we notice that the quick wash up job we did in the dark with cold water – well we missed a few spots. We say hi to Wi-Fi friends we have made and quickly post our Monterey trip on the blog. It’s only 5:30 – what to do now? We decide to have Chinese food in town. We read the menu and decide on frozen yogurt at the Yogurt Heaven instead. It is now 6 pm. What to do? We head to CVS to pick up batteries for the flashlights and candles. Once there, we realize we don’t know what size batteries we need and they only candles they have are small scented votive candles. We head back to the cabin to prepare for a rustic evening. Upon arriving, we decide to visit our neighbor Laura who is also the caretaker. She graciously gives us her flashlight and tells us that they say the power will be restored by 2 am.

Back to the cabin, we light candles and start our daily fire. We had picked up tinder for the fire and while building it we realized we had gathered up a hanger. Only Amy could blindly, randomly collect a wire hanger with the rest of her sticks and never realize it. (Amy thinks Lori planted it.) (Lori knows Amy picked it up, she also attempted to pick up the water line.) Fire started, we eat anything that doesn’t need to be cooked. After a refreshing dinner of bananas and one cookie, we attempt to entertain ourselves by telling stores and pretending to be living in the Little House on the Prairie. Amy is kicked out of the Little House when she can’t bring in more firewood because she has just lotioned her hands. Lori is kicked out because she can’t keep a fire going.

As we sit in extremely low light of the glowing, not burning logs, we realize we have one thing going for us. The scented candles are masking our smelly dirty kelpie body odor. And with Wednesday our scheduled laundry day, we both are a little short on clean clothes. Did we forget to mention that the hot water heater uses electricity? That means no hot showers for you! When we are at the depths of our despair (9 pm) suddenly the power comes on. Yippee!!! Amy quickly makes herself some spaghetti and we both enjoy a beer. All is well in our world. Tomorrow, clean clothes!!!!

Monterey

2009-09-16T19:11:00.014-05:00

Look - we got canned at Cannery Row!

Tuesday we went to Monterey on a mission to visit the Aquarium and find the adorable sea otter. Thanks to Cynthia (GPS) unit we easily found the public parking ramp. On our way to the aquarium, we were quickly distracted by all the tourist shops selling fudge, magnets, sea otter apparel and everything they could print, paint or embroider Monterey Bay on. $100 later we finally made it to the Aquarium. The Aquarium is fabulous!

Awwwww!!!!

First stop is the sea otter exhibit. Those guys are the cutest wet furballs in the entire Pacific Ocean. Amy has always been fascinated by the sea otter. In fact, she found out she sleeps just like one – one her back with her hands and flippers tucked up. An hour later, we decided to check out the rest of the Aquarium.

Look Mom - Harry Otter!!!

We viewed giant squid, a kelp forest, murre birds diving for food among giant fish and assorted other aquatic life that we could actually see because they provided magnifying glasses. We enjoyed the interactive displays where we touched sea urchin, star fish and whatever else was in the exhibit. The current “special” exhibition is the secret life of sea horses. Well, their life is not so secret after viewing the exhibition. They are adorable and the male actually carries the babies and gives birth. After the excitement of the sea horses, we head to view the jellyfish. They were spectacular. We tried to identify the species that stung Amy in the Cayman Islands. We selected the coolest one.

Purple Stripe Jellyfish

It is called purple stripe of something with purple in it. What, we never said we were marine biologists.

Happy as a clam - again, why are clams happy?

After the Aquarium, we had lunch at the Monterey Crepe Shoppe. It was lovely, all warm cheese, avocado and tomato. Fortified, we head off to the wharf to find more sea life. We find a parking spot and head to the beach. It was a lovely walk but we decided on the way back to take the recreational trail that runs parallel to the beach. Lori’s ankles decide to stop working and we spend some time on a park bench. After the rest, we continue on our quest to find more sea life but at a much slower pace. (Note to Lori – pick up a pair of orthopedic walking shoes). We finally make it to the wharf where to our delight we see sea otters. They are diving and eating and then diving and eating, right in front of us. Well, in the ocean about 30 yards away. We quickly pull out cameras and start clicking away. Well Lori starts clicking with her small digital camera – Amy’s fabulous camera with the zoom lens suddenly decides not to work. Lori shot her pictures blind – in the bright sun you can see what is being displayed on the LCD screen. Amy was able to record them on video but they are much more active in the wild than in a display at the Aquarium. We continued to walk the wharf (Lori hobbles instead of walking) to find more sea life. We find a sea lion floating near a boat but he/she won’t cooperate and pose for pictures. We also are amazed to see a ton of jelly fish visibly swimming in the ocean right next to the pier. On the other side of the wharf we hear barking and are just in time to see a sea lion dive into the ocean and swim toward a boat that was tossing fish scraps into the water. A plethora of pelicans also joined in the buffet. We continued on hoping to find a sea lion sunbathing and we did determine where they were. Unfortunately, Lori’s feet were unable to make the journey in the time span allowed – we only had 20 minutes left on our parking ticket. We vow to return another day with a working camera and working feet.

Cynthia helps us find our way back to Carmel but she likes to recalculate and suddenly she wants me to turn left instead of right and it made for an interesting drive home. We did determine we are about 20 minutes from a California Pizza Kitchen restaurant – good to know. We are now experienced drivers on Highway 1 and we are able to negotiate the rush hour traffic easily and find our way back to our second home in Carmel – Safeway. Lori visits the CVS pharmacy to pick up an ace bandage and more memory cards – we seem to be taking more pictures than usual. We find a spot at Safeway where they have free WiFi in their Starbucks. After we post our blog we head home for grilled cheese and tater tots. Amy is the cook and Lori is the firestarter. We return to the traditional methods of paper, tinder and wood and no more of those fancy firestarters from Duraflame. Fire going, Lori takes a little white pill to take away the pain in her ankles. Magically the food appears and during dinner we view our pictures and video. We again realize we need to take a photography class. But that is the beauty of digital photography, you can take thousands of pictures and only keep the ones you like and delete the others. We take care of our night chore of recharging all of our equipment in preparation of the next day’s adventure. Fire out, we go to sleep dreaming of sea otters.

Holy Guacamole!!!

2009-09-15T19:02:00.009-05:00

Home Sweet Home

Go get yourself a drink and go to the bathroom – this is going to be a long one. It is Monday night and we are sore, tired, cold (just Amy) but very very happy. Sunday we drove from San Jose to our lovely cabin. Kathryn gave us directions but we relied on Cynthia, Lori’s new GPS unit. She quickly took control of the car and we stayed right as directed for 80 plus miles. As a result, we didn’t follow the scenic route over the mountains, instead we went through the valley. On the bright side, we went through the artichoke capital of the world. We found home for the week but Cynthia had us turn into the cabin just before our cabin. She was so close. We unpacked, made our beds up quickly and explored the area. We designated the upper cabin as the time out cabin and if you are naughty that is where you are spending the night. We then went back to Carmel to purchase food and provisions (aka beer) for the week. We easily found Safeway and filled our cart with wholesome food (wink wink). The highlights of Safeway are that they have Alaskan Amber beer, guava jelly, and these extremely delicious chocolate chewies which are like brownie batter suspended. It’s like magic. Lori also found her favorite Maui onion chips. We did pick up bread, butter, pasta, cheese and more cheese, fruit, diet coke and sierra mist, and a few other items to make our tummies happy. Lori signed up for a super saver card and we saved $23.28. We loaded up the car and headed back to the cabin. Dinner was delicious. Amy prepared her world famous asparagus and three cheese ravioli with a lovely marina sauce. At least that is what I thought we ate under the three pounds of grated parmesan cheese. Note to Mr. & Mrs. Martin – we need to plan a cheese intervention for Amy when we get back. We ate al fresco (outside) enjoying the beauty and the lack of mosquitoes. Can you believe it Mrs. Martin? No mosquitoes!!!! Nightfall soon arrived and we went inside the cabin. What to do? Raised on TV and addicted to the Internet we stood dumbfounded in the middle of the cabin trying to find something to do. Here is a list of our activities; we perused all the books in the library and picked a few to read, we started a fire and actually kept it going, we cursed ourselves for forgetting marshmallows at Safeway and we ate more cookies. Did I mention that they are delicious?
Look Mom - fire!!

Now it’s 8:00 pm (10:00 pm to you Midwesterners). What else can we do? Amy spent an hour in the game cupboard looking at the games and deciding what we would be playing. Our choices are Yahtzee, Time the Game, checkers, chess, scrabble and Jenga. I know, we are quite the party animals. Amy wisely left Twister in the cupboard. As we have said many times, that is how rumors get started. It’s now 8:30 pm. We now understand why the Amish have such large families. Without a quilt to sew or butter to churn, what else is there to do? We then checked out the video collection. Among the many possible choices we found Lori’s favorite movie that she hasn’t seen in over 25 years – Strange Brew. Take off you hosers. Eh! Can you believe that Amy has never seen it! It is timeless though Amy is probably thinking Lori had a really boring time during the 80’s if this was her favorite movie. Time for bed. Lori sleeps comfortably with a down comforter in the master suite while Amy piles on several comforters in the kids room. Oh, forgot to mention it started to rain and we couldn’t figure out what was knocking on the skylights. Amy thought corn was popping and I thought really big leaves were falling from the trees. Slight problem, no popcorn in microwave and we are surrounded by conifers. They don’t drop leaves. On that note, the two Einsteins turn in. End of Sunday!!!!!

Monday, we awake early but neither of us are sure if the noises we hear are the other person so we creep around very quietly for an hour. We finally run into each other in the kitchen and the day can officially begin. Amy starts breakfast by making pancakes. Lori gets the newspaper dressed in her Spongebob pajama pants and lovely moose socks. Standard uniform when staying at a cabin. The pancakes were delicious with the guava jelly purchased on sale at Safeway. Dishes washed, plans are made. We decided to head south to Big Sur. We then realize we need to shower and dress. 45 minutes later we pack up our car, exit our little private road, and turn left on Highway 1 (we normally turn right). The drive is actually not that many miles, however, we stop at every vista possible.
Holy Guacamole - this place is beautiful!

After several hours of ohhhing and ahhhing and Holy Guacamoling we make it to our first stop Andrew Molera State Park. Now we are not sure how to pronounce it, I prefer to make it rhyme with cholera. It took us several attempts but we finally got on the trail. First Lori forgot her diet coke which necessitated an immediate return to the vehicle. We then tried to unlock the wrong car. Guess how many white rental cars are in California? Answer – lots. We then took the wrong trail. We finally got under way and had a lovely hike. We found big leaf maples, California ground squirrels, lizards, lizards, lizards, and of course the ever present poison oak. Amy likes to point it out and try to touch it. Naughty Amy! We passed through several eucalyptus groves. This prompted a fierce debate. Amy believes they smell like Vick’s vapor rub. Lori says it smells more like eucalyptus and Amy needs to get a new perfume. (hint for Christmas as long as it doesn’t smell like vick’s or icy hot) . We agreed to disagree. Continuing on, we hiked toward the lookout (officially Molera Point). Again, ohhing and ahhing ensued and we meet our first surfer dude.
"I hate when my wetsuit creeps up on me"

He is about 65 and he can no longer stand up when he surfs, he kneels. However, since Lori can’t get up without help from the ground and Amy is constantly in knots, he kicks our butts. We hike down from the Point and we are faced with a decision. Do we walk back 2 miles and take another trail to the beach or do we wade across the Big Sur River to the beach? Amy decides to be the brave one and tries it first. “No problem Lori come on over!” Amy yells. Lori takes off her boots and socks, rolls up her pants and sticks her feet into the freezing water of the Big Sur River. “Yikes!” replies Lori. Amy says “did I mention I can’t feel my toes”. Lori says “ah, NO”. Lori secretly wonders what all the Vick’s vapor rub fumes have done to her friend but now is not the time. Pressing on, the intrepid duo reach the Pacific Ocean. Look Mom - big kelp ball!

We didn’t find any seashells but lots kelp and purple sand which Lori got stuck on her sunglass clipons when she dropped them in the sand. Time for lunch. We head back to the car because we forgot to bring our lunch with us. We had packed a lovely picnic lunch consisting of grapes, chips, cookies and the main course almond butter and guava jelly sandwiches. We prepare to eat and Lori takes off her sunglass clipons to reveal Groucho Marx eye brows . Apparently, the purple sand has magnetic qualities and it stuck to the clipons and also stuck to her face. Hilarity ensues. We finish lunch and head back on the road South. We stop and take a plethora of pictures and also get a bit queasy on the winding, curvy, up and downs, twisting, turning, etc…..road that is Highway 1 through Big Sur. We stop at another state park looking for the gigantic redwoods.
Look Mom - big tree!!

We want to see the Jurassic trees, the ones that have been around for a very long time. Unfortunately, as we are deciding on our hike, we find out that the trail is closed due to fires and mudslides in 2008. Luckily, we were able to find a few near the parking area and photos were taken. Back on the road for more stomach churning driving to the next state park. Our goal is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. We finally make it and it was worth the drive. The scenery is spectacular and it has a waterfall. Another hundred photos and it is time to return to the cabin. With dreams of mac & cheese, we jump into the car and speed up the coast. The trip back flies. Apparently, if you don’t stop every 5 minutes to take pictures, you can quickly get to where you are going. However, we remember that we didn’t pick up firewood at the Safeway on Sunday. We bypass the cabin and head back into Carmel. While at the Safeway we also picked up more guava jelly. Amy heads off in search of firewood. Asking an employee, we find out that firewood is in Aisle 9 next to the school supplies. We pick up a box of wood (seasoned) and a firestarter. We head back to the cabin where Amy whips up mac & cheese (Mrs. Martin’s recipe thank you very much) and Lori is in charge of ambiance. Englebert Humperdink is on the iPod, beers are quickly opened and Lori reads the instructions on the firestarter and tries to start the fire. The firestarter guarantees it will start a fire. Firestarter my a@@. We tried and tried and tried but no fire. Just glowing logs. Duraflame will hear about this! $%#$#@#$#$%%^#@ The logs are still glowing. We then try to download our pictures and view them. We both need to take a photography class. And we are running out of space on every available medium because we are taking so many pictures. Hard drives, jump drives and memory cards are full. Tomorrow’s plan is to find more memory for more pictures!!! Depending on our pain level in the a.m., we may spend the day in Monterey. Lori is excited because they have a used book store! So, dear readers, we are off to bed, where we should have been over an hour ago. Did I mention that damn firestarter didn’t start? Sorry, gotta let it go. Lewis & Clark signing off.

Finally Made It!

(Amy's footnote: Can you tell Lori was a bit inebriated when she wrote this? And I thought she just talked more when she's drunk - as if that was possible. Now I know this also translates to the blog. No more beers for Lori when she is blogging.)

California Here We Come

2009-09-13T00:06:00.012-05:00

Well faithful readers, it is day one on Amy & Lori's California adventure. As usual, the day was filled with fun and excitement. It started out with the Highway 47 ramp being closed when I went to pick up Amy. We then took JJ to bypass the traffic on 41 and to get to the airport on time. We made it but our 12:05 flight didn't leave until after 1:00 because President Obama was in Minneapolis and Air Force One commandered the airport. We finally took off and were about to land when the President decided to leave early and we were put in a holding pattern and flew around and around and around and around and around and around the airport. We were about to fly to Eau Claire to refuel when suddenly we were allowed to land. We headed to our favorite Chinese restaurant where we had some lovely noodles and rangoon. We were then off to explore the airport. First stop was visiting Norwegian Land. Amy looks good as a blonde but I could use a shave.We have officially changed our names to Lars and Helga. We want to fit in. Uff Da!

Amy and I then signed up for flight lessons. We did have a few hours to spare. We quickly earned our diplomas and were put to work right away.

Amy was assigned a quick flight to St. Paul and I was to help her taxi. It didn't work so well.

We then ran into a giant moose. Amy was dignified and I got a little too friendly.

Our flight took off on time and we finally made it to San Jose. We got our rental car and tried to find our hotel. It took us a few tries but we found it. Because we are on vacation, we are staying up until midnight and sleeping in. (Midnight Wisconsin time, not midnight California time) Well, dear readers, it is late and we have a lot of adventures awaiting us. Tomorrow we attempt to make it to the cabin. Our plan is to stop at any sign that says pie or whale or fudge or chocolate or beer. We may not make it there for a few days. Wish us luck!

Cruise Photos

2009-02-23T15:06:00.029-06:00

Amy's daily cruise wear

Look Miami!

First foot picture of the cruise

Can you believe we stayed up until 10 pm?

Smooth sailing to Mexico!

Our first towel animal

Corona commercial feet

Siesta time - what is up with the skirt?

Does this hat make me look fat?

Mas mudslido, por favor!

Look - two foot pina coladas!

Sunbathing Amy style!

We love you Mr Hot Chocolate Machine - please come home with us!
Meeting the locals

Shark? What shark?

Look more 2 foot pina coladas - we love the Caribbean!

Making new friends

No problem Mon!

Local beach wear

Farewell Cabin 1049

Day 7 - Last Day at Sea

2009-02-21T12:33:00.004-06:00

We begin our last day at sea by sleeping in. We awake around 8 and head for the breakfast buffet. Because we slept in, we had a limited selection of deck chairs available to us. We found two on the starboard side of the ship. Unfortunately, they were open because they were beneath the ship's funnel and we were soon in shade. We read and napped and soon it was time for the lunch buffet. I went down early to get a table because the buffet of the day was CHOCOLATE. I quickly made two trips to the chocolate buffet and then decided that I should eat some regular food to help balance out the sugar overload. Amy then joined me and while she was eating her regular food lunch I was on trips 3 and 4 to the chocolate buffet. I then rested and waited for Amy to catch up. I had one more piece of chocolate sushi and Amy had a final rice pudding.

We returned to the sun deck to discover it was now the shade deck. I tried to nap but it was too cold without the sun. I returned to the cabin for my afternoon nap and Amy stayed on deck wearing her sweatshirt and scooting her deck chair as close as she could to the sunny area. I tried to nap but the heathen children in the next cabin made that impossible. Amy joined me in the cabin and I went on a walk searching for a sunny resting place and Amy took a nap in the cabin. We have become addicted to the buffet/nap cycle. We eat, then sleep, then eat again, then sleep, over and over and over. How are we going to cope in the real world if we have to stay awake during the day and prepare our own food? What a barbaric concept!!! Amy awoke and was able to make it to the chocolate buffet before it closed at 3 for a final chocolate snack. I found Amy in the dining area finishing her chocolate snack. I continued to search the ship for an appropriate resting area and I finally found it. It was on the third deck and it was sunny, quiet (no music blaring) and very few people. Unfortunately, it was 5:20 pm and the sun would be setting in an hour and the buffet would be opening at 6pm. Amy and I found each other and we headed for the buffet. After eating, we stumbled back to the cabin to rest and decide what to do with the rest of the evening. After a short nap, we went to pick up Amy's underwater pictures she had developed. I am amazed that I actually was able to get her in the pictures I took while snorkeling in Grand Cayman. It is very difficult taking pictures when both the subject and photographer are bobbing in the ocean, breathing through a tube and their masks are fogging up.

We returned to the cabin where we packed in preparation of disembarking the ship on Saturday. Packing and paper work complete, Amy ordered from room service and I went to the buffet to pick up our dessert and a diet coke from the bar. We set up an early wake up call and fell asleep. All too soon it will be morning and back to the real world. :(

Ahoy Mateys!

2009-02-19T17:57:00.000-06:00

Day 4 – Grand Cayman Island, British West Indies
We once again selected a shore excursion that involved snorkeling. I just can’t wear my new suit enough. We got up early, had a quick breakfast and then waited for our tender. Grand Cayman Island doesn’t allow cruise ships to dock because of the reef. Instead, you board smaller boats called tenders and they take you to the dock. We waited for our tender and soon we were off to the Island. We walked with the other snorkelers to our snorkel spot and it was just 5 minutes from the dock. The mask we received was better than the mask we used in Cozumel but the life vest gave us major wedgies. As you entered the water, you came face to face with a school of tarpin. They are huge, around 4 feet and look like very very very big minnows. They told us not to worry, they don’t have teeth. However, they feed them chicken to keep them in the area, so apparently they are meat eaters. We swam out and the fish were incredible. They have a nice reef and lots of fish. We could only identify the parrot fish and there were several different types of parrot fish. The other fish are currently unnamed, we hope to find a fish book or chart to help identify them. Amy purchased fish food and we were very popular with the fishies. My bag was quickly emptied and I was surrounded by tropical fish. One actually tried to take the bag from my hand. As I wrestled with a tropical fish, I laughed and water got into my breathing tube. Amy fed her fish and we hope some of the photos turn out. I was taking them and we are bobbing in the ocean and we can’t see because we have to wear contacts, not our glasses so we will probably have 71 pictures of blurry blue water. We snorkeled for about 90 minutes which is a record for us. Amy gets cold very quickly in the water and my feet cramp up – we are quite the pair. We dried off, changed and hit Georgetown.

We decide to have lunch and get an outside table on the second floor of breezes where we order coconut shrimp. As we are waiting for our food Amy asks me if there are jelly fish around the Island. Apparently, while snorkeling, she felt a sharp sting on her hand. She shook it, came up for air but since we are both nearly blind, didn’t see anything. Her hand stings and it has several blister like thingies. I told Amy about the Friends episode where Monica was stung by a jelly fish and Chandler urinated on it to stop the stinging. We both agreed that since it was on her hand, she could do it herself. We also decided to save the home remedy if we were unable to find actual medicine to help with the stinging. We finished lunch (coconut shrimp) and we went to a local pharmacy and asked what to do about stings from jellyfish and the pharmacist recommended Benadryl. Fortunately we had some on the ship. We then decided to ice her hand so off we went to Margaritaville. We ordered the largest pina colada they had, a lovely 24 inches of frozen delight, and quickly iced Amy’s hand and my internal organs. When we left, we were no longer feeling any pain or the heat.

Our last task on Cayman was to order duty free alcohol. Task complete, we made a few purchases and returned to the ship. The buffet was French and we enjoyed a lovely potato and eggplant tart with a plethora of unusual salads and a steaming cup of hot chocolate. We love the instant hot chocolate machine and are trying to devise a way of getting one home. We then went on deck and found empty deck chairs to enjoy the sun and catch a last glimpse of the island. I am, of course, a lovely shade of pink and Amy is browning quicker than a Pillsbury crescent roll in a 400 degree oven. Soon we were underway, heading to Jamaica. We then did our daily tasks on ship, checking out the sales, mailing postcards and checking the dining room menu. We also decided to try our luck in the casino. I lost $5 but Amy immediately won $25. She quickly cashed out and we followed our tradition to have a good beer after winning in a casino. We decided since we were on a cruise, we should have a tropical drink. We quickly downed 2 Yellow Birds and headed for our nightly buffet. We returned to our cabin to nap – however, on the way we noticed that Kung Fu Panda was playing on the widescreen on the Lido Deck. We went back to our cabin to put on warmer clothes so that we could enjoy the movie. We returned just in time for the next showing and enjoyed the movie under the stars. After the movie, we went back to the buffet for a hot chocolate and a dessert. I had a lovely hot chocolate cake and Amy had tiramisu. We then stumbled back to our cabin, tired and full. We realized that we did more in one day than we do in months at home; snorkeling, shopping, lunch at a restaurant, Happy Hour at Margaritaville, sunbathing, reading for pleasure, eating in a restaurant for dinner, gambling, shopping on board, another Happy Hour, going to a movie and a final nightcap. Tired but happy, we go to bed.

Day 6 – Jamaica
We didn’t select any excursions for Jamaica. We decided to sleep in and have a relaxing day in Jamaica, check out the beach and pick up a t-shirt at Margaritaville. Relaxing is not quite the word for Jamaica. We actually started to count how many times we were approached on the sidewalk for a taxi ride. We just wanted to go to the craft market and then Margaritaville. When we finally made it to the craft market, we went down one aisle and quickly down another and back on the street. We turned around and headed back to the cruise ship area. 10 more offers for a taxi ride to “the falls” we finally made it to the Island Shopping Center where Margaritaville is located. We found a table and ordered 2 Island drinks. Feeling adventurous, we decided to order some local food. We decided on a jerk chicken pizza. Well, we quickly realize that we have a very low spiciness tolerance. We quickly downed our Island drinks and were asking for water. (6 hours later, we are still feeling the effects of the pizza)

I went to finish my shopping, I needed a few things. Amy stayed to enjoy the beach. As I walked off the beach, I noticed that the inside of my foot hurt. Apparently something bit me on the beach. If I develop a strange rash or a high fever, remember I was bit by something on a beach in Ochos Rios, Jamaica. I found what I needed and returned to the beach. Amy decided to go into the water and I decided to order a pina colada. Apparently, when your order a pina colada, they give you an additional shot of rum. I soon was not feeling the bite on my foot and I was seeing 6 foot green parrots. Luckily Amy also saw the large green parrot, so I wasn’t suffering from heat stroke. All too soon it was time to return to the ship and we made our way to the dock. We were only approached 3 times for a taxi and once to braid our hair. One nice gentleman wanted to jump into our bags and return home with us. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any room available due to the duty-free rum and the t-shirts we have been purchasing from Margaritaville. Back on board, we quickly eat something in an attempt to extinquish the fire in our intestines. We found empty deck chairs and enjoyed the sun as we left Jamaica on our back to Miami L. Tonight is “Cruise Elegant”. We are on our way to mail our last postcards and check out the menu. Unless it is fabulous, we will be heading to the buffet. I am not putting on a skirt for anything less than crème brulee. ***We decided not to dress up and instead headed to the buffet for hot chocolate and a sandwich.

Viva Mexico!

2009-02-17T18:08:00.003-06:00

***Important Notice - we are having difficulty uploading pictures. It may just be a text blog until the damn satellite works properly.*****

Oh, where to begin? As we left off on Sunday, we were preparing for the Captain’s Dinner. We skipped the pre-dinner party, preferring our shorts and tank tops to dresses. We finally dressed and went to dinner. We had two appetizers which consisted of stuffed mushrooms and roasted pumpkin soup - yummy. The main entrée was lobster and shrimp. We were so full we skipped dessert. However, on our way back we stopped for our nightly cup of hot chocolate and I noticed on the buffet they had molten chocolate cake. Never one to pass chocolate by, I brought one back to the cabin. It was very good – a double yummy!!!

We also received our first towel creation in our station. It was an adorable elephant.

We then gathered any necessary items for our big day in Cozumel. We set up an early wakeup call and placed an order with room service for our breakfast. We then went to sleep, dreaming of coral reefs and sombreros.

Monday – Cozumel
5:30 am arrived long before we wanted it to. We quickly prepared for our big day in Cozumel. My issue of the morning was my new swimsuit. It was tight where I didn’t want it to be tight and it has a skirt. What is up with skirts on swimsuits? Suits on, sunscreen applied, bags packed, breakfast finished we head to Deck 0 where we can leave the ship and find our catamaran. We quickly get to the deck and find the Fury already loaded with people. Another cruise ship docked before us and they were able to get on the catamaran first. We found a spot near the back of the catamaran and we were quickly off. During the short trip to the snorkeling area we were instructed on what to do and various hand signals to alert staff if we needed assistance or if we were okay. Floaties and masks on we dive into the ocean!! Ok, it was more like a herd of slow moving buffalo trying to get down steps while wearing flippers. Finally in the water it was wonderful. There was a plethora of brightly colored fish swimming around us as well as the 120 other snorkelers. Amy was able to indentify me by my brightly colored swim bottom and I could recognize her by her brightly colored top. We didn’t swallow too much salt water and we didn’t get hit by any of the other snorkelers. A man did tickle my leg – he said he thought I was his wife because we both had the same underwater camera. Totally different suits but the same camera – I can see how he mixed us up. We took several pictures with our underwater cameras and hope at least a few turn out. Too soon it was back on the catamaran for a sail to our private beach. During the trip to the beach we were served complimentary margaritas, beer and soda. Amy actually tried the beer. It was a little ‘stinky’ for me. Amy tried the beer because she was freezing. Again, 0% body fat does have its disadvantages. Her suit was wet and the breeze as we sailed along was contributing to her hypothermia.

She moved into the sun and drank beer in an attempt to warm up. Luckily we soon arrived at the beach where we laid in the sun and warmed up. We could have taken out a sea kayak or rode horses or took a parasail trip but we enjoy sitting in the sun and doing nothing. It is a skill worth perfecting.

All too soon it was back on the catamaran to return to the cruise ship. We quickly went to our cabin, changed clothes and hit the buffet. It was Indian food day and I didn’t want to miss it. We had lovely samosas, rice, salads and lentil fritters. Amy actually ate more than I did. Stomachs full we are ready to head to downtown Cozumel.

We catch a taxi and are dropped off in the middle of tacky tourist town. Everywhere we went, we are accosted by salespersons. Look at my stuff, come into my store, etc…..we did stop in a few looking for a hat for Amy’s pink scalp, a sweatshirt and sweatpants to help keep her warm in the 80 degree weather, a cover-up for myself to hide my pink skin and of course the pirate paraphernalia. We were sadly disappointed – no hats except sombreros, no sweatshirts, no decent cover-ups and only pirate t-shirts. I have several pirate t-shirts from previous cruises. What I need is additional pirate paraphernalia; hats, wind chimes, jewelry, underwear, etc….anything but t-shirts. Do you think Amy’s wearing just a bit too much sunscreen? Maybe that’s a strategy for when the overbearing sales people grab her arm – they’ll slide right off!

We decide to make our trek to Margaritaville. Don’t tell Amy but I booked this trip because at each stop there is a Margaritaville. We arrived very hot or should I say I was very hot – Amy was in temperature heaven. In an attempt to avoid the salesman, we had crossed the street and walked along the ocean front in the full sun. I quickly found several t-shirts and as a bonus, I received a free hat. Apparently when you spend over 1,000 pesos you get a free hat. I am not sure what the conversion rate of pesos to dollars is due to my heat stroke. In an effort to cool down, we decided to enjoy a cold beverage on the back deck. My first drink was a Miami Vice and Amy had a Kahlua boat drink. Luckily I received the necessary medical attention I needed in time and I soon recovered. In an effort to prevent additional heat related issues I ordered another drink – a mudslide! I loved the drink - it did save my life!

Now that the crisis had been averted, we began to enjoy our brief sojourn in Cozumel. Taking advantage of the fact we were in another country, we used as much as we could of our limited Spanish vocabulary. I’m sure the wait staff enjoyed our culture sensitivity. No longer feeling hot (or any pain), we jumped in a taxi that returned us to the cruise ship dock where we visited the fake Mexican village and bought tacky and cheap souvenirs for our friends and family back home. We finished shopping in 15 minutes and headed for the ship. Unfortunately, I was feeling hot again so we had to stop at Fat Tuesdays where we each purchased a 2 foot pina colada. Again, it was for medical necessity.

Once again, the heavenly concoction of ice and rum helps lower my internal temperature. It also lowers our IQ. We are soon befriended by a German tourist. We know even less of German than Spanish but we try to communicate. After a few minutes he leaves because he has to return to the ship to eat. What he actually does is move two tables away from us and try to pick up the two girls wearing bikinis. Lucky for him we are now in a very good mood. We decided to continue shopping. Amy finds a lovely hat and I pick up a pair of maracas. Amy has one and I have the other. If we ever get separated, we use them to find each other. We then begin the quest for a Speedy Gonzales t-shirt. We had seen one earlier but didn’t buy it. Now we really want it. Amy the philosopher says “if it was meant to be, we will find it”. We then meet some lovely locals who help us with our Spanish. Apparently muy humerouso isn’t Spanish for very funny. We learned it is muy grasiosa or something like that. I called Amy muy grasiosa and they agreed. We then continued the quest and we found the t-shirt. Amy’s is orange, mine is black. The only color they had in adult sizes is black. So Amy’s t-shirt is……yep, she can fit in a nina shirt. I, of course, needed a grande. Quest completed, we then head to the ship. It seemed very far away but we made it.

We ate at a buffet but we don't remember what we had to eat. We then went back to the cabin and ordered grilled cheese sandwiches. Amy was asleep when they arrived. We quickly ate them and fell asleep. Thankfully Tuesday is a relaxing day at sea, we will be able to recover from our Mexican Fiesta. Wednesday we plan on snorkeling near Grand Cayman followed by another visit to Margaritaville and the duty free rum shop. Until then Dear Readers, adios from the dos amigos. See we did learn some Spanish on this trip.

Photo Montage of Day 1 & 2

2009-02-15T17:33:00.009-06:00

Notice the high quality of the pictures. Apparently the photography classes paid off. Can you say Shrek and Cousin It? Amy can certainly position her subjects and I click at the most opportune moments. Amazing that National Geographic hasn't offered us a job in their photo journalism department.

The Adventure Begins

2009-02-15T17:25:00.001-06:00

Okay Dear Readers – sorry that we haven’t posted sooner but we have been very busy. The flight from Appleton to Minneapolis was delayed but luckily we had a 3.5 hour connection. We had a lovely dinner at the airport in Minneapolis and boarded our flight to Miami. I had a terrible headache so I took a little white pill and then slept most of the way. Amy did something; I’ll have to ask her how the flight was. We landed in Miami where local time was 11:30 pm and the temperature was ….drum roll please….77 degrees. Hotel was conveniently located and they give you cookies. Small glitch, even though I confirmed on Thursday our room, they stuck us in a smoking room with one king size bed. This is how rumors start. We slept in, enjoying our time away from animals. We spent part of the morning lost in the Miami International Market. It was adjacent to our hotel and I was looking for a swim cover-up. What we found was store after store after store of bling. We could never live in Miami, we are too bland.

We then checked out and took a lovely taxi ride to the Port. Our taxi driver knew a few shortcuts and didn’t believe in lane markers. We arrived safely (phew!) and quickly made our way through security, picked up our cabin keys and ditched the omnipresent photographers. We quickly made our way to our first buffet – ITALIAN!!! We enjoyed a lovely eggplant tart and miscellaneous salads with pesto, etc…..did I mention I had ice cream first? It was then followed by my first pina colada. Amy enjoyed lemonade and huddled in her sweatshirt. Amy’s new name is Huhnuk Hunukaa Clucknauka which translates to “girl who wears sweatshirt on cruise”. We then found our closet, I mean cabin, and unpacked. Then we took part in the mandatory life boat drill. We looked fab in our safety gear and in the event of an emergency we are set. We then explored the ship and after a few hours were able to find our cabin again. The shops have a delightful combination of tanzanite and pirate paraphernalia. Guess what I am buying? Amy will be purchasing the sweatshirt, sweatpants and windbreaker. Hopefully she won’t be wearing her winter coat, which she packed.

We had dinner reservations at 8:15 and decided to try a pre-dinner martini. It was a wonderful chocolate martini but as Amy and I soon discovered, we are “frugal” drunks. It only takes one drink and we are swaying on our feet and unfortunately it wasn’t because we were on a cruise ship. One good thing about the drink is that it warmed us up quite quickly. We made it to the dining room where we managed to stay awake and between us we may have said 20 words. It is Valentine’s Day, a Saturday night, we are on a cruise and what are we doing? Yawning and holding our heads so they don’t drop and hit the table. Shrimp cocktail was our appetizer and then we had an Indian Vegetarian dinner and Pan Seared Tilapia. Guess who had the vegetarian dinner? Yes it was me. Amy had the fish. Doesn’t she know that fish swim around in their own giant toilet? I learned that as a child and it has served me well since. Dessert was a chocolate decadence creation with hearts galore. They even gave all the women a red carnation. We then stumbled back to the cabin where we foolishly attempted to blog. Needless to say it didn’t work and we quickly went to bed. Oh I forgot, Amy was still cold so we turned the AC off, the heat up, put an extra blanket on her bed and she even put on her robe provided by the cruise ship to warm up. Funny! If only I wasn’t tipsy I would have taken a picture. Day 1 of Amy & Lori’s cruise is complete.

Day 2.
Amy awakes early and explores the ship in jeans and a sweatshirt. She strategically saves 2 chairs for us near the pool with a perfect view for the hairy chest contest at 1:30. Too bad I shaved for the cruise, I might have been a contender. I was awoken by kids stomping and screaming in the hallway. We had a lovely breakfast on the deck. The croissants aren’t as buttery as past cruises. We are currently reading, and enjoying the sun. Amy actually went back to the cabin and changed into shorts. The sun is warm, the skies clear and the water a deep blue. Like is good.

We continued baking in the sun. Amy actually warmed up enough to change into her bikini. Our stomachs alerted us to the fact it had been 3 hours since our last meal. Quelle horror!!! We quickly scampered to the buffet, and as they were just opening, we were first in line. Today’s buffet was a Caribbean theme. Yumo!!! Fried plantains, fritters with squid (yucko but Amy ate one), fabulous salads with wasabi, pickled squash, noodles with mung paste, fried dumplings, etc…….we are sampling quite the variety of foods on this cruise. Don’t worry, for the non-adventurous foodies out there, you can always get a hamburger or pizza. Dessert was fabulous, some sort of cheesecake and a strawberry thingy. Stomachs happy, we return to the oven (deck) to continue our baking. Amy has a lovely mocha shade going on. I am as pink as a lobster, even with 50 SPF sunscreen. We then watched part of the Hairiest Chest contest but soon realized it was an indication that the moral fabric of our society was unraveling before our very eyes. I feel asleep and Amy continued to bake, she is almost thawed out. A few more days and she will be room temperature.

We then decided to book our excursion for Cozumel. After much discussion and research, we are going on the Deluxe Sail, Swim & Beach Party. We board a catamaran, snorkel in the Gulf somewhere off Cozumel, we then go to “one of the finest beaches on the Yucatan peninsula” where we will enjoy complimentary cold beers and margaritas. Dos Coronas por favor!!! We then will return to the dock, where we will visit local shops and purchase much needed prate paraphernalia for Jimmy Buffett and of course, 3 foot sombreros to match our 3 foot pina coladas. We hope to be on board when the ship sails at 10 pm for Grand Cayman. We returned to the deck to continue the thawing process and it was so warm we ordered our first lava flow. They didn’t know what a lava flow was but they improvised quite nicely. One ice cream headache later, we were relaxed and enjoying the waning sun. They also had the Daytona 500 on the jumbotron. Go Jeff!!!! The sun disappeared from our location, and in the shade Amy began to stiffen with cold.

We are now in our cabin, blogging obviously, but we will be preparing for the Captain’s Dinner. Apparently it is a big deal. My question is, who is driving during the party? We have been on board for a little over 24 hours and we have had more fun and done more stuff than we do in months on the mainland. Stay tuned readers for our next blog. It won’t be until Tuesday because Monday is booked solid with sun, water, fish, beach, alcohol, shopping, pirates (ARRRRGHH), sombreros, sunburn, salty hair and strange people staring at us. Like they never saw a Godzilla and a hobbit covered in sand, wearing sombreros, saying ‘arrrgh mateys” as they stumble to a cruise ship. It happens every week in the Caribbean. Enjoy the photos, we are sure there will be plenty more of this quality. Adios from Dos Amigos somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico!!

Finally!!!!!

2009-02-13T07:38:00.002-06:00

It is finally February 13th and we will be flying to Miami via Minneapolis this afternoon. It seems like forever since we booked the cruise but this week has been frantic trying to finish school, pack, shop and of course, work. Good news is that I found a swimsuit. Bad news is that I found a swimsuit. Never fear, no swimsuit pictures will appear on this blog. Crazy last minute preparations are underway and soon Amy and I will once again be on another adventure. However, we are so tired it may just be pictures of each us napping - on the deck, on the beach, at dinner, while snorkeling. Yes, while snorkeling - it could happen! We are very very very very very tired. Did I mention we are tired? Hopefully a few days of relaxation, sun and tradewinds will revive us so we can begin our quest for the perfect pirate t-shirt. Arrrrrrrr Mateys!!!!!!

Amy & Lori's Next Adventure

2009-01-27T15:59:00.004-06:00

Greetings from the frozen tundra!! It was a balmy 4 degrees below zero this morning. Again, I ask myself, why did my ancestors travel thousands of miles from a cold dark European location to a colder, darker American location? My black RAV is white with all the salt residue and despite the numerous humidifiers I have at home and work, I am slowly turning into Snake Woman. But enough of my whining about hypothermia - Amy and I are gearing up for our next adventure!!!!!! We will be cruising the Caribbean, enjoying the warm weather and cold blended drinks. My only concern is that we spontaneously combust when our pale skin is liberated from the multiple layers we have been wearing and is exposed directly to sunshine. Well, I actually have another concern - I may not be able to fit into any of my summer clothing. Visit often for pictures of me in a muumuu. Countdown to cruise is 17 days, one long flight and one short taxi ride to the Miami port.

Memories of Alaska

2008-06-21T18:22:00.008-05:00

As we reflect on the days we have spent in Alaska, a kaleidoscope of images flow through our memories. Eagles flying over the crystal waters, Amy's finger with her unique crab bite, crazy deer, a plethora of seafood, aching muscles, incredible scenery, delicious food, moose hats, moose socks, rain gear, rain, sunshine, mountains, beer...the list goes on and on and on. And of course the people we met; Aunt Alice, Mike, Dustin, David, Mary, Jack and all the other wonderful people we met and created memories with - they made the trip a truly remarkable experience. Then of course, our home sweet home in Petersburg, the wonderful, fabulous, cozy, quaint Sugar Shack where we spent 9 relaxing days. Alaska said goodbye to us with a gorgeous sunset on our last evening. But it isn't goodbye but "au revoir" because we are definitely coming back to Alaska! We hope you have enjoyed our blog - we sure did. We have included a few pictures that didn't make the initial cut. We would like to share them with you now. Later Gators!

Crab Attack - Amy's finger after crab encounter.

Friday night in downtown Petersburg. Heidi is along to protect us.

Sugar Shack at sunset on our last night.

Panning for gold with a Badger hat. Note to self - hats don't work.

Moose scat - now if we can just find the original owner.

At Last - the Elusive MOOSE!

2008-06-20T14:25:00.004-05:00

We finally saw our moose. Well, Amy actually saw it. I was heeding nature's call after a few beers. Luckily, Amy had her camera and was able to get this picture. I can't wait until we get back and enlarge it so we can see more detail. Good work Amy. Who says she is blind without her glasses? We also had a small party for the deer in the neighborhood. Everyone was getting along fine until Patsy crashed the party. She herded all the deer together and then chased them out of the yard. Amy and I were in the middle of the stampede and a bit bewildered by the events. I would post a picture but they are all blurred - don't know how that happened.

A New Convert!

2008-06-20T14:21:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, my favorite pastime is drinking beer on my porch in my underwear. Amy has seen the error of her ways (drinking beer with her pants on) and has joined the club. We did have to make some concessions to the weather, notice the hats, sweatshirts and boots. Or in Amy's case, moose slippers. We were partaking of an exceptional local beer from the Alaska Brewery - a lovely amber. They also have an IPA, a stout and seasonal flavors. Gotta go, we have a 24 pack to finish by Saturday.

New Furry Friends

2008-06-20T14:16:00.004-05:00

On our way into the harbor, we encountered the Dangerous Sea Lion. Don't be fooled by their calm demeanor! They are resting before they swarm the harbor, trying to steal fish and biting the butts of local fishermen. True Story! Word of advice, don't put any bait in your pockets.

Pop goes the Shrimp Head

2008-06-20T13:58:00.007-05:00

Here is Amy with her new friend. She wasn't friends very long. While I was assisting the Captain in guiding our boat, Amy and Mike were 'popping' the heads off the shrimp. The shrimp are of various sizes. The largest are called spotted and you leave their heads on and place them in a container. They remind Amy of lobsters. The spotted shrimp are the most expensive and only experienced shrimpers are allowed to pop their heads - sorry Amy. The pink and the small striped shrimp are given to the locals with their heads on. The larger striped shrimp are decapitated and these are the shrimp that are sold on the dock. The striped shrimp are actually vegetarians. Again, who knew? They eat kelp. The others will eat just about anything. The nets pick up all sorts of stuff, from the shrimp obviously, but also flounder, skaters which are like sting rays, red snappers that have bulging eyes from the pressure change, large pieces of coral, crabs, large barnacles, starfish, and bullheads (see picture below). They have even pulled up a kayak from the bottom. If you lose anything in the ocean, buy a shrimp boat and begin dragging the bottom. We picked up an iceberg (from the Le Conte Glacier) to keep the shrimp chilled. Most convenient - saved us a trip to the local 7-11. Our sorting table full, we head back to harbor. Amy once again shines in her new position of killing seafood. The job pays quite well. If the Controller thing doesn't work out, she has a bright future on a ship in Alaska. Again, who knew she was capable? Note to self - keep on her good side.

Shrimp Happens!

2008-06-20T13:54:00.004-05:00

Even with our limited knowledge of shrimping (all learned from watching the movie Forrest Gump) we found shrimp. This is the shrimp we caught during our first drag. They don't look anything like they do in the store. Apparently, shrimp have heads. Who knew? Amy says they are "fiesty suckers". They jump around and are hard to hang on to. Amy and Mike donned their "shrimping gear" to help out while I returned to the Captain's chair to help guide our vessel to our next shrimping location. Plus someone had to keep an eye out for icebergs - literally.

I Know Everything There is to Know about Shrimpin'

2008-06-20T13:46:00.004-05:00

Here I am, the Shrimp Boat Captain that I have always dreamed of being. I am checking the waters for shrimp. Unfortunately, they are not found on the surface. Bubba never mentioned that. We needed to be on board the shrimp boat by 4 am. We didn't get a chance to take a shower but the shrimp didn't seem to mind. We enjoyed the quiet time on the water before we hauled in our first catch.

The eagles were diving for herring and the water was as smooth as glass. We didn't see any whales, apparently they don't like herring. Who knew? We have several more hours before we haul in the nets. I need to go below and study the charts or whatever a shrimp boat captain does.

The Day After - OUCH!

2008-06-20T13:41:00.004-05:00

This is how we would like to remember our trip up Petersburg Mountain. What we would like to forget is the pain we have been enduring since. On Wednesday, Amy and I walked like we had a stick placed in a sensitive area. We were the entertainment for the family. We used the day as our relaxing day and tried to catch up on reading while we were downing ibuprofen and cursing the fact I left my vicodin at home. Lesson learned - flat landers need to incorporate more vertical slopes when working out.

Stand back Sir Edmund Hillary

2008-06-17T21:56:00.007-05:00

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. Back to our blog. We gleefully (see picture) prepare for our ascent of Petersburg Mountain. The mountain is located across the narrows on Kupernauf Island. We are guessing on the spelling of Kupernauf.

(See picture of mountain from boat dock - we are hiking to the summit covered by clouds). After the boat ride, we begin by walking 3 miles to the trail head. We have the option of taking the skiff to the trail head but once again, tides are a factor and we decide to walk. Soon we are at the trail head. We start our ascent and soon we are peeling off our layers. I ran out of layers to peel off within 30 minutes. It was quite warm in the woods. New hobby - naked mountain climbing. Luckily, reason prevailed and we continued up. It was a difficult trail. At times, we passed mountain goats taking a break on the climb up. More than once I asked if this was the trail - and it was. Soon we were in agonizing pain - okay that was just me. Again did I mention mountain goats taking a break?

Amy has waited 23 years to hike this mountain and I am not going to let her down. I continue to put one foot in front of the other and soon I am walking out the door......sorry, flashback to a Christmas special. The boys and Mike, sure footed Alaskans, bound up the trail as Amy and I slowly crawl - okay again just me. We met some young Forest Service workers that are working on a new trail to the top of the mountain. At one time I asked why do they need a new trail. I now know, they really do need a new trail. In fact they just need a trail. Dustin was my trusty sherpa, carrying my pack up the mountain. Only downside was my water was in the pack. Thankfully, they stopped every so often and we would catch up and get some water. When I thought I couldn't go another foot, we suddenly begin to see snow. We are almost there....I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Another hundred steps straight up and we are there - well apparently almost there. Amy and I rejoice that we have reached the top of the mountain. Mike informs us that no, we have an additional vertical ascent before we reach the summit (see picture) One small problem, there is so much snow, we can barely find the trail and the cable that is used for the final vertical climb is not visible. Darn, we can't go any further. I am so upset!!! Well, more like relieved. We have a quick snack and the boys begin sliding down the snow. Thinking this is an ingenious way to get down the mountain, Amy and I give it a try. (See lovely starfish picture below - I'm the one with the moose hat) Unfortunately, we run out of snow and we now have snow up our pants and our sleeves. However, a wet butt will come in handy when we reach the middle of the descent - see peeling of layers story above. We return to the trail and begin our descent. I thought it was painful going up - going down is no picnic either. It actually hurts more. Our legs are fatigued from the ascent and the trail looks even more challenging from above. I actually slide on my butt many times because I couldn't find a good foothold and when I thought I found one, it moved and I ended up sliding on my butt again. Mike and the boys are of course miles ahead of us. We know we have to get down this mountain so we begin our one step at a time program. What seems like forever passes when we finally reach the trail the Forest Service workers are constructing. They graciously allow us to use the new trail they have been working on instead of returning on the old trail we used for our ascent. It was amazing, log stairs, flat boards connecting the log stairs and then steps with actual rocks and not mud in between. It was like being upgraded from coach to Super Duper First Class. It literally saved my life. We continued down the mountain, still at a slow pace because all of our muscles were rebelling against us. I talked my knees into continuing the journey and they reluctantly accepted. Amy and I were never happier in our lives than when we reached the trail head again and only had 3 miles of glorious flat hiking left. We kept plodding on and finally, 45 minutes later, we arrive back where we started. While putting all our layers back on, I notice information about the trail and the hike. According to the US Forest Service, the hike up Petersburg Mountain is rated MOST DIFFICULT! Enough said. Note to self - always check difficulty rating of proposed hike!!! With aching muscles, we roll into the skiff, and return to Petersburg. Our chauffer, Aunt Alice, meets us at the harbor and whisks us to her home. The next 15 minutes are spent trying to get our boots off. We then make the wise decision to blog instead of returning to the Sugar Shack where a jacuzzi tub awaits us along with a cold Alaskan Amber. Seeing the error of our ways, BYE!

Awwwww

2008-06-17T21:41:00.003-05:00

We awake early on Tuesday in preparation of our ascent of the Petersburg Mountain. But first, check out Bambi. Isn't he/she adorable? Amy found the fawn while doing some yard work at the Sugar Shack. Patsy once again was in the yard, eating the flora when Amy found the fauna. Joke for all you botany geeks.

Journey to the End of the World - Dundunda!!

2008-06-17T21:10:00.004-05:00

Again, the dundunda is suppose to be the sound of danger. We began our trip to the end of the road by stopping off at the new ferry terminal at the south end of the island. We then went to Green's campground where we enjoyed the scenery and the boys (Dustin and David) enjoyed the nets. The nets were suspended above the ground in the treese. The boys looked like monkeys. No sign of the elusive moose anywhere. We continued to the end of the road where we didn't find a moose but we did find some bear scat. That is what the picture above is. It proves that the old saying about a bear and the woods is no, they prefer to scat in the road. We returned to the cars and our next stop was Wilson's creek where we picked up our landscaping supplies (rocks for Aunt Alice's garden at the Sugar Shack). Back into the cars and we stop next at Ohmer Creek. At the this location, we attempted to revisit our youth and skip rocks. Dustin and David attempted to teach us the proper form for throwing rocks. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough rocks on the beach for Amy and myself to learn how to properly throw a skipper. (See picture to left) Next stop is Man Made Hole. The location is much prettier than its name. Back into the cars and the next stop is the fish hatchery. We viewed very teeny tiny King Salmon aka the Chinook. Amy and I selected 2 of them and we plan to return in the future to catch them when they weigh more than 1 ounce. Back into the cars and we are off to Blind River Rapids. This is a lovely location with a boardwalk over the muskeg. We walked down to the rapids and several fisherman were attempted to catch the Salmon. Again it has something to do with tides so Amy and I are clueless. When it is low tide and water is going out, salmon get caught in pools making them supposedly easier to catch. Tide comes in, salmon can move around, harder to catch. Much easier to buy a salmon at Coastal Cold Storage. We jump back into the cars and race to Petersburg. Tonight is the night we celebrate Jack's 17th birthday. He is leaving on Tuesday for a 10 day trip with the YCC. They will be repairing a cabin and constructing a new outhouse. Thank you Jack. We do enjoy a nice outhouse when we are in the bush. Dinner consisted of salmon patties, hot dogs and brats, potato salad, chip and dip and both pie and cake. Jack grilled all the meat. Apparently, it is a custom in Alaska to cook your own Birthday Dinner. Good thing we live in Wisconsin. (I won't mention the cheesy potato birthday incident Mom). Gifts were opened, laughter ensued, and we ate way too much. Once again, we drag our sorry, tired, bloated bodies back to the Sugar Shack.

It's a Fawn

2008-06-17T21:01:00.004-05:00

We now know why Patsy was unable to join us for breakfast - apparently she was in labor. Later that morning, we saw Patsy and her new bundle of joy or rather her new bundle of fur. Meet Bambi (we were low on sleep when we named it). Doe and fawn are doing well. We would love to help Patsy with her new baby but we are off on our next adventure - journey to the end of the road. Dundunda!!! That is a pathetic attempt at trying to spell out a sound of danger. Work with me people.

Patsy the Deer Part 2

2008-06-17T20:41:00.003-05:00

After Patsy declined our first invitation to breakfast, on Monday Amy tried to entice her to join us. As they walked to the cabin, Patsy remember a previous commitment and we have a rain check for later in the week. Today's agenda includes touring the island. We are going to the end of the road and hope to see the elusive moose.

We are Saved!

2008-06-16T21:26:00.003-05:00

Fortunately, Mike was with us and he had a better plan. We are going to walk down the coast to see if Don and Jenny are home (his closest neighbors). Amy gets to put down her stick and we are off. Mike says it is only 20 minutes to their house. 35 aching minutes later, we stumble upon their cabin. It is wonderful. Don and Jenny built it themselves. We can't even build a log cabin with Lincoln Logs and they build one from scratch. We arrived wet, cold, hungry and with sore feet. Did I mention the coast is actually just rocks? Lots and lots of rocks. They quickly whisked us upstairs. Jenny fed us hot chocolate and homemade donuts. It is amazing how resourceful everyone in Alaska is. Amy and I would last a week, tops. After a lovely snack and recipe sharing, we head back to the boat. The tide is coming in and we should be able to embark. We arrive back at the cabin and the boat is actually further out of the water than when we left. Zoinks. Okay Amy, find your stick. No, it isn't time to panic just yet. The tide is coming in and we just need to be patient. We occupy ourselves by replacing Mike's haul out line. I would explain it to you but I have no idea what it actually does. Something about the boat and tides which is why we don't get it. It took 5 of us to replace the rope - believe it or not it was only after Amy joined us were we able to pull the rope through the underwater anchor thingy. I would use technical terms but you land lovers wouldn't understand. The rope is replaced and the tide is in. YIPPEEE! I don't have to share my M&Ms. We climb into the boat and head back to Petersburg. We are tired and cold and guess what? It starts to rain. Now we are tired, cold and wet. Well just our faces, we are covered in latex or gore-tex or something waterproof. We arrive back in the harbor safe and off to Aunt Alice's where a warm meal awaits. Adventure over. Note to self - get a tide book.

No Tide like Low Tide

2008-06-16T21:19:00.002-05:00

Well, apparently the tide has a lot to do with what you can and can't do and where you should and shouldn't go. We spent just a little too much time in the woods looking for a moose. During this time, the tide went out. Here I am with boots full of cold ocean water trying to get our boat off the rocks. Lori vs. the Pacific Ocean - guess who won? Now its time for Plan B - wait until the tide returns. Thankfully I never venture anywhere without chocolate. However, with 5 of us, the M&Ms won't be enough. Time to send Amy into the woods with a sharp stick.

Ignorance is Bliss

2008-06-16T21:08:00.006-05:00

With the visit to the cabin complete, Amy and I posed for a picture in our waterproof clothing. We are as happy as Dungeness crabs with a salmon. The ocean was as smooth as glass and if you can believe it, it had actually stopped raining. We searched for whales but we didn't see any. Apparently it has something to do with low tide. To two flatlanders from the lower 48, who cares about low tide.

Little House in the Big Woods

2008-06-16T20:59:00.004-05:00

We visited Mike's cabin on the eastern shores of Mitkof Island. It took us about 30 minutes in his boat. For the boat trip, we were both decked out in the latest in waterproof clothing. I had on rubber bibs, my Gore-tex rain jacket and Amy had her rainsuit. We arrived safely and visited the cabin. All building supplies for the cabin had to be brought by boat and then hauled up the hill. We explored the area around the cabin in search of the elusive moose. No luck finding a moose but we did find moose droppings. If anyone would care for a copy of the moose droppings picture, please send $1 and SASE to me.

The Wild Life

2008-06-16T20:40:00.004-05:00

We awoke on Sunday, relaxed and hungry! We made delicious chocolate chip pancakes. You don't care but we loved them! As we were waiting for a ride, a deer (Patsy) wandered into our yard. I tried to talk her into joining us for pancakes, but she doesn't like chocolate. Next time we will have to make macadamia pancakes - apparently they are her favorite. Who knew? Our ride appeared and we were off to church. We visited the Petersburg Baptist Church where we enjoyed the sermon and the brownies. We then returned to Aunt Alice's house to finish off the halibut bites. Our big adventure for the day is to visit Mike's cabin on Frederick Sound across from the Le Conte glacier.

Just for the Halibut

2008-06-16T20:25:00.003-05:00

We don't have a picture yet of a halibut, we plan on fishing on Wednesday, so we are using this photo from Ketchikan. Saturday we explored the sprawling metropolis of Petersburg. That took 15 minutes, no just kidding. I bought some lovely boots that you will see in later photos and we went grocery shopping -YIKES!!! If we lived here, we would be extremely skinny unless we ran over a moose and had meat for the year. Now for the halibut. Dinner was a special treat - deep fried beer battered halibut bites without the beer. Amy and I were unwilling to share our Alaskan Amber beer ($20 for a 12 pack). We met a lovely couple from "up the river" which means the Stikine River. Earl and Mary Benitz regaled us with tales from the back country. Earl likes to watch the wolves from the outhouse and Mary has seen plenty of moose. She views them from her house - not the outhouse. They promise we will see a moose if we stay with them so next time we are heading up river for a few days. The evening ended with a rousing game of Pictionary. Ask Amy how she draws a Moo. Ms. CPA was stumped with that one and being from Wisconsin, shame, shame, shame on you. (Amy speaking - in defense, I'm with Mrs. Einstein herself, who has used more words I can't understand than you would believe. I was trying to complicate the "moo" and well . . . okay, can I say I was drunk from the halibut? . . . . ) Remember readers, the halibut batter was without beer. Nice try Amy! My team won, naturally, even with my pathetic drawings and the words we were given. Try drawing a turnstile or margarine - not as easy as it sounds. We headed back to the Sugar Shack where we tried to drink beer on the porch in our underwear. Sorry readers, the pictures were too dark so we need to try again in the daylight - anytime between 4 am and 10 pm.

Crabalicious

2008-06-14T17:31:00.004-05:00

Revenge is sweet!. Amy is gleefully gnawing on the crab that attacked her. We returned to harbor after our successful crab hunt and Amy learned how to "harbor dress" a crab. You begin by ripping off the shell, followed by breaking it in half and then ripping off its lungs. You then place it in a bucket and take it home. Mike was kind enough to boil up the crab. We then spent a lovely hour spraying crab and shell all over the dining room. Thankfully Amy and I wear glasses so we had protective eye gear. The crab that we manage to extract from the legs was quite delicious! After 4 legs, we were so tired that they had to take us back to the cabin and tuck us in. We are planning on eating more crab on Saturday when Aunt Alice makes us her famous crab melts.

Master and Commander of the Crab

2008-06-14T17:11:00.003-05:00

The boat trip was a rousing success. We saw humpback whales!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure they remember me from Maui. We checked 5 pots and we caught a total of 30 crabs. We now know how to hold a crab or in Amy's case not hold a crab. She still has 10 fingers but one has a lovely smiley face bruise courtesy of Mr. Crab. We can tell a female crab from a male crab and no, it is not what you think. Here is Amy, the new crabmaster with her favorite crab. Notice she ripped a leg off. It was all we could do to keep her from eating the raw crab. Apparently, it was in retribution of the pincer attack that resulted in the bruised finger. Don't get Amy angry is all I can say. She is ready to send her resume to the boat Northwestern to land a job as a greenhorn. If you watch the show Deadliest Catch, you know what that means. I don't watch it because it isn't on PBS. We are heading home on the "bouncy" seas to boil up some crab.

Ahoy Mateys!!

2008-06-14T17:05:00.003-05:00

Our first nautical adventure of the trip. Amy and I are off to check the crab "pots" with Mike and Dustin. Mike is kind enough to take two Deadliest Catch wannabees out on the ocean to check his crab pots. FYI, they are not pots but actual round wired cages baited with salmon or cod and then placed on the ocean floor attached to a float by a rope. Wearing our new hats and PFDs, we are out in search of the elusive Dungeness crab.

Sugar Shack at Last!

2008-06-14T16:58:00.003-05:00

We made it to Petersburg. It took us 56 hours by auto, plane and ferry but we are here. We were met at the ferry landing by Aunt Alice and Mike. They chauffered us to our home for the next 9 days, the infamous "Sugar Shack". Dear Readers, it is anything but a shack. We have a jacuzzi bathtub, chocolate on our pillows, incredible views of the Narrows and it is bigger than both our houses. Meet our neighbors, George and Martha Eagle. They enjoy fishing, pleasure flying, long walks on the beach and dining on fresh crab on our lower lanai. We met them our first morning - how nice of them to visit us so soon. I do hope they keep it down at night, we want to relax and enjoy our vacation.

Bon Voyage

2008-06-14T16:49:00.004-05:00

Amy and I boarded the M/V Taku for Petersburg. We had a lovely cell, I mean cabin. Check out my cell mate in the lower bunk - she had one too many Alaskan Ambers on the trip! It was a nice cabin and we were able to nap so thanks Mom for the extra $$$. It was a 10 hour trip and we had ample time to view the scenery, eat halibut burgers and of course sample the local beer. Alaska Amber Rocks!!! I love it so much that I am going to marry it, just call me Mrs. Alaska Amber. We tried very hard to stay up past 10 but we are still on Central Standard Time.

Farewell Ketchikan

2008-06-14T16:42:00.004-05:00

Sorry, faithful readers that I haven't posted anything lately but Amy and I have been very busy. Where do I begin? Let's start with leaving Ketchikan. We had a lovely 20 hour stay in Ketchikan but it rained most of the day. As you can see from the photo of Amy drying her pants. It only stopped when Amy and I boarded the ferry. We had a lovely stay but we are off to Petersburg.

Day 2 of Amy & Lori's Alaskan Adventure

2008-06-12T09:26:00.005-05:00

Yes it is day 2 of our great Alaskan adventure and we awake much too early - our bodies are still on Central Standard Time. Looking out the window, we are greeted with typical Alaskan weather - it is cloudy and raining. When we landed yesterday it was a bright and balmy 55 degrees. The good news is that I met someone. He is warm and fuzzy and we are getting along famously. It's just his fish breath that I have an issue with. Gotta go, my turn for the shower and then its off to see what kind of trouble we can get into. Later Gators.

Are We There Yet?

2008-06-11T23:42:00.006-05:00

Yes we are - we finally made it!!!! It seemed like forever but suddenly we were landing in Ketchikan. Amy had trouble with security at O'Hare. Apparently, they have never seen anyone with so much chocolate. We made several new friends on our trip to Ketchikan. Shout out to my new peep Betty! It was a very long day so I am going to quickly wrap up what happened - Amy can't work hair dryer, Lori forgot to put Sponge Bob in car, couldn't find ticket counter, Amy stopped by security (see above), met Betty, flew to Seattle, saw big mountain, had trouble ordering bagels, found Maui chips, flew to Ketchikan, landed on island, not alot of women, ferry from island to taxi, taxi to hotel, on second floor no elevator, luggage very very heavy, quaint plumbing in room, went for walk, found moose hats, bought moose hats, talked each other out of buying moose pjs, went for another walk, found a Thai restaurant but didn't go in because they spell Thai without a H. Not really sure if they are Thai so went to another restaurant. Had a beer, that explains this blog. Had soup (um um good) and creme brulee for dessert. It is only 8:52 pm Alaskan time but we are sooooooooooooooo tired. It is still very light outside but we are going to sleep now.

And the Vacation Begins .... I said the Vacation Begins!

2008-06-10T17:17:00.004-05:00

Here I am trying to convince Amy to leave her desk. It is now 5:20 pm and vacation officially started at 5:00 pm. However, Amy must be working on Alaskan time already and she believes it is only 2:30 pm. My next option is to delete her network computer accounts. Try to do work when you can't login!

2008-06-09T15:32:00.000-05:00

Lori & Amy's Big Adventure - Alaska 2008

The countdown has begun - 25 hours and 30 minutes until we hit the road heading south for Chicago. From Chicago, we fly to Seattle where we board our connecting flight to the lovely city of Ketchikan. Total travel time is 9 hours and a mere 2,391 miles. My only concern is have we packed enough chocolate for the flight. Let's do the math - an average of 3 chocolate snacks per hour times 9 hours equals 27 chocolate snacks per person times two travelers equals 54 chocolate snacks. Zoinks - we need to make a quick stop at Woodman's or better yet Wilmar's before we hit the road. We may need to jettison a sweatshirt or two to make room. Could be a problem for Amy - I wonder if she is packing her space heater? Note to self - pick up travel space heater for Amy's Christmas present.