Day 18, March 29, 2010, Going to California with an Aching in My Heart or Lucy, the Devil-Cat

We got up Monday morning with every intention of hitting the road as soon as possible. Mom and Dad said 12 hours was a good estimate to make it from Sacramento to Palm Springs (yowsa!). I will tell you right now it didn’t happen. We got dressed and the car packed fairly quickly. While we were doing this Steve had been in the kitchen graciously preparing a wonderful breakfast (noticing this we realized we were not leaving in the next hour). He had everything ready to cook by the time we got finished with the car (minus the cats), but declared it smoke break time out back. Feel free to bring your coffee. We did. 20 minutes later we were back in the kitchen as he finished cooking. Finally ready to go…. Where is Thomas? My, that is getting to be a familiar question. He found himself a cozy spot on top of a cabinet above the washer and dryer. For the millionth time in a row I dragged him out of his hiding spot and threw him in the kennel. I was half way in the car when I thought to myself, “where is my wallet?” Thus began the 20 minute search through the car and the house in a frantic attempt to locate it. I was so mad at myself. This wasn’t the first time I’d misplaced it (not too long ago I spent a whole day getting new bank cards and an ID only to find my wallet the next day). Naturally, Matt was frustrated with me. I don’t blame him. Here we are already running behind with a long drive ahead of us and I’m not only delaying, I’m causing much unwanted stress at the start of the day. We finally found it. I can’t even remember where in the car. With all the stress and frustration I was nearly in tears (I was watering) when I got in the car, but I managed to hold it in. Long breaths and calming thoughts.

I’m sure our frantic search contributed, but Lucy (who is very sensitive to our emotional state) was HOWLING and wanted nothing more than to get out of the kennel. Meow. Meow. MEEEOOOOWWWW! She was pressing her face so hard against the bars I thought she was going to hurt herself. MEOWWW! I was pretty sure something like that would leave bruises. Draping a think cloth over the kennel didn’t help. MEOOOW!!!!!! I thought the darkness would calm her down. Nope. Thomas was passed out comfortably within a few seconds of being on the road. We thought maybe she was hot, so we turned up the air. MEOW MEOW MEEEEOW! No change. I tried rubbing her chin through the bars. She liked it but it didn’t change her freaking out. MEOW! IM NOT HAPPY! LET ME OUT! MEOW! It’s hard to describe, but this cat was have an all out nuclear meltdown in the first hour of a long (and sure to be much longer if this kept up) day. A few minutes south of Sacramento we pulled off. We just couldn’t take it anymore and feared she would hurt herself. From the time we decided to let her out and stopping I had decided I was going to put the harness on her and drug her. Well, sort of. We have this “kitty calmer” that’s supposedly a blend of herbal whatnot, but according to the vet also contains some alcohol. The only problem is that they have to drink it for it to work. When we’re traveling they barely eat OR drink OR poop. I did have a bottle that was originally intended to attach to the kennel (but decided to use a dish instead). So I filled up the bottle with water and added some of “the good stuff” and squirted it into her mouth like it was medicine. I was driving now and she was allowed to roam. The stuff must have worked because she spent the next few hours either in my lap or on top of the center console between the front seats- quiet. Thank the Lord for His mercy. We could enjoy our windy, boring view while listening to the book. A few hours later, we were getting hungry and Lucy was up and roaming around. She really wanted to get out of the car. We also needed to top off the tank. So at the next stop we filled up and I attempted to take Lucy out but a semi truck revved up and scared her almost of out my hands. A few new scratch marks. Fun. Back in the car with the quiet and the air conditioner was much better she realized. We got lunch from Jack in the Box before hitting the road again. While Matt had been getting the food, I tried to get Lucy to go outside again. I set her on the ground and she immediately turned back around and hopped into the car. *Sigh*

Around 6pm we started to hit the outskirts of LA.
S.K.T.

Matt taking over the writing…
“Made up my mind to make a new start, Going to California with an aching in my heart. Someone said there is a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.”
-Led Zeppelin

The road was no longer boring, as we started up and down the winding hills heading into L.A. and its northern urban sprawl. And of course, there was a noticeable change in the number of other vehicles on the road with us now. When we punched in our route earlier in the day, Google maps told us to take the 5 until it connected with I-10, and take the 10 East. This sounded like a terrible idea. Why would we want to go further into L.A. than needed? We considered getting off the 5 and heading East on Highway 58 towards Barstow, then South from there. But, in the end we just stayed on the interstates. Caught the 215, rather than staying on the 5 into LA. The traffic got thicker. This is the point where Lucy decided that she was not going to sit still anymore. I couldn’t hold her with me in the passenger seat. She wanted to keep jumping up on the dashboard again and climbing all over Sam. We pulled off the freeway and into a gas station. I took over the driving duties and Lucy was forced back in the kennel. Meow. MEOW. MEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWW! Sorry, Lucy. It is safer to have you loud and caged than quiet and crawling over the driver and the dash. We took 215 to Highway 58, through San Dimas (Excellent!). We caught 10 East from there. It was pretty smooth after an hour or so. The traffic lightened so we pulled over again to let Lucy out of the kennel. She was still stress, so we pulled over again a few miles down the road to throw her back in the kennel. By this time, Thomas was awake and making some noise of his own. Any other day, we would have called it a night and found a motel, but we were about 50 miles from Palm Springs now, so may as well finish the trip. Well into the desert, the cars cleared and the road was mainly full of 18 wheelers doing long haul through the desert. We caught the 111 and finally rolled into Palm Springs around 9pm. Well short of the 12 hour prediction and closer to Google maps 8 hour prediction. We would have been closer to that 8 hour prediction if we hadn’t pulled over so many times due to Her Royal Catness. Sam’s parents, Mike and Sue, were glad to see us. Of Course. The cats were thrilled to be out of the car. Sue had glasses of wine poured for us before we could even settle down. The large guest room, with the king size bed, was all made up and ready for us to move in for a while. We brought in just the necessities and left the unpacking until tomorrow. Some socializing and some wine later, and we were down for the count. The cats were allowed to explore the house a bit, since the birds were already put to bed. Yet again, when it was time for bed and the cats to be in with us in the guest room, Tom was nowhere to be found. We searched the house, and he was eventually found in the master bedroom. Sam tried to pick him up to take him into our room, but he wanted none of it. He flailed and scratcher her pretty bad on her hand. I was dumb enough to try the same thing but I got scratched (though not that bad) and a small hole was put in my Oregon t-shirt. He is obviously having trust issues now, as he probably thinks that every time he is picked up, he is going to be tossed in the kennel. It took both of us to pick him up, by holding his paws together in our hands. He immediately bolted under the bed when we got him in our room. Good night, Tom.

Up Next: This Desert Life (Counting Crows reference)

M.E.

Day 17, March 28, 2010, California, Here We Come

The morning started out rough. Pretty much our personal rendition of the second season of Lost except we aren’t Michael and the kid we’re looking for is Thomas, not Walt. So, maybe it’s still like Lost but we’re Walt looking for his dog, Vincent. Thomas, being the irrationally fearful cat that he is, found a hole in the gauze material that covers the bottom of a box spring and climbed in. There he felt comfortable and safe. Unfortunately, we needed to hit the road. With obviously no intention of heeding our calls and pleas I took a pen and stabbed the material and created a new hole next to the edge intending to pull him out. I got him part way out but his collar was somehow encompassing not only his neck, but a leg too and I let him go. Horribly frustrated we decided to turn the bed upside down and force him out. It worked and he tossed him in the kennel. “We don’t care if you don’t like it! You made us turn the bed upside down, you stinker. Cry all you want.” So with that taken care of we piled the rest of everything back into the car and took off. It was gray and rainy and not very inviting. A pit stop down the road to get coffee, another for gas, and we were out of Eugene. We made it to Ashland for lunch. I spent some time talking to Erica on the road and thought of her more when we hit town since this is where she spent several years attending SOU. After some difficulty parallel parking, we walked a block to Pangea that I found via Urban Spoon for some wraps and hummus. The guy behind the counter had recently been to Anchorage and we spent some time doing the usual chitchat. “How long have you lived there?” “What did you do while you visited?” “Oh, I went to this popular pizza place…” “Moose’s Tooth” yadda yadda except this guy claims that NY pizza is way better. Personally, I’ve never had NY pizza, but it seems that the only big to-do over it that the slices are HUGE. Okay, great. Who cares? Our pizza is amazing. You keep your big slices and we’ll keep our blackened halibut, pesto, bbq chicken, thai, backpacker spectacularness! Maybe I’m biased, maybe I’m right. Innocent until proven guilty. Right until proven wrong. 

Back on the road and heading through the second pass- the one between Oregon and California. The only thing worth mentioning here are that the cats were displeased with the number of turns and that some idiot blew out a tire and pulled off on the left side of the road right after a turn and nearly caused us to wreck because he was taking up part of the lane. We both agreed it wouldn’t be long before someone did wreck. Forty-five seconds later police and ambulances we by. I hope they were okay. I forgot to mention that on the way back to the car in Ashland we passed a used book store. We had finished our two other books on CD and needed another. We really lucked out- Steven King’s Duma Key unabridged for only 10 bucks. No flipping way. This is normally $45. Good eye, Matt for seeing that one. Everything else was either lame or too expensive. We’ve been listening to this book and I recommend it. I recommend the book on CD more, because I REALLY enjoy the guy reading it. He’s 10 million times better than the guy who read the Michael Crichton’s State of Fear, and half a million better than the guy who read Clive Cussler. The later was at a disadvantage because, well, Clive Cussler’s writing leaves something to be desired. I wasn’t impressed and neither was Matt. Oh well. But Duma Key is a great story and although it’s not horror (thankfully actually), the writing and the story itself are very, very well done.
Hours later we arrive in Roseville just outside of Sacramento at Steve’s house. Steve and I worked at Terrasond together in the field. We were both in Nome and Teller in 2006 although on different vessels and we were in the Gulf of Mexico (same boat, same 12 hour night shift) for three months in 2007. So, we had gotten to be pretty good friends. It feels like much longer since I’ve seen him, but I guess it’s only been a year. Time flies. His house is big and spacious with a pool. Too much room for just one guy, but very comfortable. We put the cats in one of the empty bedrooms and spent the rest of the evening chatting, eating Chinese food, drinking port wine from 1985, and playing 3-way cribbage. Steve was the first person to teach me to play. I had a hard time learning the counting, so I never played after that summer. Matt and his brother, Dave, retaught me over Thanksgiving and now I’m addicted. We even have the iPhone apps. I just learned to play 3-way at his grandma’s, but it’s easy to pick up and I won the first round. Stomped them in fact. Just saying. Steve got the second and as I predicted Matt won the third. By that time, it was nearing 2AM and Matt and I were practically passing out in our chairs. Good night everyone!

Next Up: Lucy, the devil-cat

SKT

(The picture is of a fantastic painting on the wall behind the bar at the Working Girl Winery between Sequim and Port Angeles. I love how the girls are in the middle of a laughing fit. Isn't it an amazing capture of a human emotion?)

Day 16, March 27, 2010, Our Hearts in Oregon

I made Sam get up early. Let me rephrase that. I tried to make Sam get up early. I roused her from bed early enough to go to the post office around the time it opened so we could hit the road early. Shipped off our two boxes, which definitely cleared some room in the car. The car was still full, but at least the rearviewmirror was no longer completely useless. Cats back in the kennel in the back seat. They had been happy at the office, but it was whining time again back in the car. We hadn’t even made it into town to get gas and road supplies before Lucy spewed in the back seat. At least she got most of it in the litter box. OK, car full of gas, and cat puke cleaned up, and we were on the road. Heading south on 101, and this is a gorgeous drive. 101 winds around the Olympic Peninsula between the mountains and the water. In our case here, we had Puget Sound to the left of us and the mountains to the right. The sun was out and it made for some scenery. That all ended when we hit Olympia, where we got off the 101 and onto I-5.

We blew south on the 5 heading towards Oregon. I had sent a quick text message to some friends in Portland, saying that we would he coming through. At this point, we wanted to make it to Palm Springs as quickly as possible, so the cats could settle down and Sam could focus on studying. Thus, we could only have a quick bite to eat in Portland and then we would be on our merry way. I only received one response in the affirmative having some lunch/dinner. So, we met up with Mackenzie at the Kennedy School McMennamins. Mack and I spent three years of law school together. With the exception of first year, we probably spent more time drinking beer together than in class together. His and Emily’s wedding in Sun Valley, Idaho was the first wedding Sam and I attended together last summer. McMennamins is an Oregon chain restaurant/brewery. The Kennedy School location in Portland is an old school converted into a huge restaurant and bar. The old detention room is now a smokers’ lounge and cigar store. The other cool McMennamins location is in Bend. That one has a brew theater, similar to the Bear Tooth (for those of you in Anchorage). I do prefer the beer and food at the Bear Tooth if the two need to be compared.

Portland is a city that both of us love. It would be nice to be moving here. For starters, that would mean the move would pretty much be done at this point. Of course, the jobs just aren’t there for same in this area, and it would involve me taking another bar exam and probably going back to criminal law again. Maybe later, Portland. Not yet. The lunch was good as we were there at happy hour. The 3 of us only managed to rack up a $23 tab for food and beer (though, Sam and I only had one a piece since we were about to be back on the road).

We made it further down the 5, and stopped in Eugene for the night. This was the first time I had been back here since I moved out and up to Alaska. It looks the same. Well, except for that huge new arena they are building at the edge of campus near the law school. We made a mad search for a motel room. I figured that it would be cheap since it is spring break and not exactly football season. I was wrong. For some reason, all the motels were $70+. And it was hard finding any place that was pet friendly. After stopping at numerous places, we settled on the Broadway Motel (named for being on Broadway). I talked the girl at the desk into only charging us for one pet instead of two. After checking, I gave Sam a walking tour of campus. Some nostalgia for me, since I did spend three years of my life at UO. I took her to Rennies (UO’s famous campus bar), through campus, pointing out some of the buildings used in Animal House, over to the law school ( where we walked around the building), and finally over to Villard Street Pub (which was our favorite hang out during 3rd year of law school). Villard was dead, and the bar tenders appeared to be male, which was odd, since every bartender was female when I was in law school. We had a beer at Villard, and since the kitchen was down, the bartender gave us free chips and salsa. This was a new one, too. I was used to paying for my food and getting free drinks here. The times they are a changing.

Up Next: California, Here We Come.

M.E.

(The picture is one I took from his grandma's yard. SKT)

Day 16, March 27, 2010, Our Hearts in Oregon

I made Sam get up early. Let me rephrase that. I tried to make Sam get up early. I roused her from bed early enough to go to the post office around the time it opened so we could hit the road early. Shipped off our two boxes, which definitely cleared some room in the car. The car was still full, but at least the rearviewmirror was no longer completely useless. Cats back in the kennel in the back seat. They had been happy at the office, but it was whining time again back in the car. We hadn’t even made it into town to get gas and road supplies before Lucy spewed in the back seat. At least she got most of it in the litter box. OK, car full of gas, and cat puke cleaned up, and we were on the road. Heading south on 101, and this is a gorgeous drive. 101 winds around the Olympic Peninsula between the mountains and the water. In our case here, we had Puget Sound to the left of us and the mountains to the right. The sun was out and it made for some scenery. That all ended when we hit Olympia, where we got off the 101 and onto I-5.

We blew south on the 5 heading towards Oregon. I had sent a quick text message to some friends in Portland, saying that we would he coming through. At this point, we wanted to make it to Palm Springs as quickly as possible, so the cats could settle down and Sam could focus on studying. Thus, we could only have a quick bite to eat in Portland and then we would be on our merry way. I only received one response in the affirmative having some lunch/dinner. So, we met up with Mackenzie at the Kennedy School McMennamins. Mack and I spent three years of law school together. With the exception of first year, we probably spent more time drinking beer together than in class together. His and Emily’s wedding in Sun Valley, Idaho was the first wedding Sam and I attended together last summer. McMennamins is an Oregon chain restaurant/brewery. The Kennedy School location in Portland is an old school converted into a huge restaurant and bar. The old detention room is now a smokers’ lounge and cigar store. The other cool McMennamins location is in Bend. That one has a brew theater, similar to the Bear Tooth (for those of you in Anchorage). I do prefer the beer and food at the Bear Tooth if the two need to be compared.

Portland is a city that both of us love. It would be nice to be moving here. For starters, that would mean the move would pretty much be done at this point. Of course, the jobs just aren’t there for same in this area, and it would involve me taking another bar exam and probably going back to criminal law again. Maybe later, Portland. Not yet. The lunch was good as we were there at happy hour. The 3 of us only managed to rack up a $23 tab for food and beer (though, Sam and I only had one a piece since we were about to be back on the road).

We made it further down the 5, and stopped in Eugene for the night. This was the first time I had been back here since I moved out and up to Alaska. It looks the same. Well, except for that huge new arena they are building at the edge of campus near the law school. We made a mad search for a motel room. I figured that it would be cheap since it is spring break and not exactly football season. I was wrong. For some reason, all the motels were $70+. And it was hard finding any place that was pet friendly. After stopping at numerous places, we settled on the Broadway Motel (named for being on Broadway). I talked the girl at the desk into only charging us for one pet instead of two. After checking, I gave Sam a walking tour of campus. Some nostalgia for me, since I did spend three years of my life at UO. I took her to Rennies (UO’s famous campus bar), through campus, pointing out some of the buildings used in Animal House, over to the law school ( where we walked around the building), and finally over to Villard Street Pub (which was our favorite hang out during 3rd year of law school). Villard was dead, and the bar tenders appeared to be male, which was odd, since every bartender was female when I was in law school. We had a beer at Villard, and since the kitchen was down, the bartender gave us free chips and salsa. This was a new one, too. I was used to paying for my food and getting free drinks here. The times they are a changing.

Up Next: California, Here We Come.

M.E.

Days 14-15, Thursday-Friday, March 25-26, 2010, Last Days in Washington (State)…

Well, at least for a while.

On Thursday, Sam went with me to run some errands in town. I needed to pick up my medical report from my check up and fax it off to the Coast Guard. Stopped there first. It wasn’t ready, so come back later. We went over to the PetCo find a cool animal brush for the cats. It is one that took hair off, helping with shedding. My mom had one for the dogs, which we tried out on the cats. Sam loved it, so we had to have one. And cat food. The cats were running low. There was a brush on sale that we wanted, but only in pink. Not a fan of the pink brush. Thomas is enough of a wuss without using a pink brush on him. They had the exact same brush in another section, but it was blue, and twice as much. We took both brushes to the counter and managed to talk the store manager into giving us the blue one at the sale price. Got what we wanted and moving on. Back to the doctor’s office. Report still not ready. To the post office, but the line was long and full of elderly women. I refused to stand in that line, so we moved on. Back to the doctor’s office. Still not ready. To the grocery store and Papa Murphys to get a pizza. I grabbed wine and milk at the grocery store and Sam went over to get the pizza (had to do it this way, because I was the only one who brought an ID. I got into the pizza place and caught strange glances from Sam and both girls behind the counter when I walked in. One of the girls giggled. Confused, I asked if I had missed something. Apparently, some strange guy had walked in, approached Sam, and said that he saw her from across the parking lot and came in just to get her name. The girl from behind the counter simply told me that my girlfriend had just been hit on. I guess I can’t really be upset. When you date someone as cute as Sam, these things are bound to happen every now and again.

Back at grandma’s house, we spent the evening eating pizza and playing cribbage. Sam did some studying, but later came back in and played 3-person cribbage with us. I lost a lot tonight. Good thing we weren’t playing for money.

On Friday morning, Sam and I went to the Olympic Game Farm. It is one of those places where many of the animals are wandering around free, and you drive the car through. We got there early enough that we were the only ones in the park. You are free to feed bread to the animals while in the park. There were two main areas of the park that had the animals free to walk up to the car. The first part had llamas and yak. The llamas were the first aggressive animal we came across. They were unafraid to walk right up and stick heads in the car. They knew you had food and were ready to grab it. There was a little, black baby llama which we tried to feed but it was being blocked out by the adults, including mom. After the llamas and yaks, you come across the Kodiak bears. The bears are not free to wander up to the car. I can’t imagine why. The bear areas are fenced off with electric fences. You can toss the bread over the fence easily to feed the bears. They are pretty careful not to touch the fence with their paws. After the bears, there were smaller cages you drive around. These cages have tigers, lions, lynx, timberwolves, and other large cats. Finally, there is the area where you are told to keep the car moving. And for good reason. This area had the bison and the elk. The bison are big and will stand in front of the car. They slobber on the window and will stick their big green tongues out to get your bread. The elk chased after the car to get to the window. Sam managed to get a video of a bison eating from my hand. I tried to do the same, but screwed up with the camera. Thus, we did the tour again. We started with the bison and elk. This time, there was one younger bison that was feeling a little friskier in the late morning. He actually started charging toward the car, and we were afraid for a brief moment that he wasn’t going to stop. He hit the brakes in an attempt for food, then ran back to do it all over again. We sped up a bit to get out of the area. The elk were a bit more well behaved and were fed accordingly. They managed to get their heads right in the car while avoiding the antlers. Back at the llama/yak area, the llamas had moved and the yaks were ready to aggressively go after the tourists. Ever had a yak head in your lap? It was a first for me.

After the Game Farm, we went back to the house to do some more work. Sam went back to studying. I finished off my work project. Finally made it through all those CDs. I then spent the rest of the afternoon repacking the clothes. It was time to get the summer clothes out and get rid of the winter/Alaska clothes! We had dinner with some family friends; Buddy and Ginny. Ginny made some incredible homemade lasagna, along with these incredible toffee butter bars. I need the recipe. I am sure there is a stick of butter per bar, but, wow!

After dinner, we went back and started to pack up the car. It was time to hit the road again tomorrow. We packed up a couple of boxes to ship out to DC; full of jackets, sweaters, scarves, thick socks, etc. Good riddance. See you in December.

Up Next: On The Road Again. A Pit Stop in this Familiar Place Called Oregon.

M.E.

Days 11-13, March 22-24, 2010: More Time in Sequim, WA

Monday
Mom left Monday morning. Well, she meant to leave Monday morning, but it was more like early afternoon. Sam and I stayed in Sequim, so she could study without distractions. The only distraction around here would be grandma watching her Soaps. I had to go into town today for a doctor’s appointment. I had received an email from someone at the Coast Guard telling me that I needed to make a follow up appointment after my initial physical for my JAG application (at my own expense). This process is getting a little tedious. I have never been through so much for a single job application. But, given the experience, benefits, decent pay and of course, the adventure that the job brings, it is worth the hassle.

Monday night, we went back to the Thompsons for dinner. Barb gave us the quick tour of Gardiner, where there are some amazing houses. And not just big houses. There is a castle house, painted purple and full of gargoyle-like trolls. Unreal. Barb ran one interesting errand on our tour. She stopped at a little farm to pick up two dozen eggs. The shopping was on the honor system. No one was there selling eggs. There was just a cooler, full of eggs in recycled cartons, and a ziplock full of cash. Leave your cash and old cartons, and pick up some new eggs. We are obviously not in Anchorage anymore. If this were Anchorage, that cooler would have no eggs and no cash in it.

Dinner was awesome. I thought we had left Alaska, but here we were, eating halibut. The halibut will be the food I miss most about Alaska. Yum. After dinner, Chuck left for his firefighter training, while Bard sat and socialized with us until she was just too tired to go on. She had been working so hard on the Garden Show over the weekend, that she lacked some of her usual energy. Back to Sequim to call it a night.

Before bed, Sam and I caught a repeat of the Daily Show. I was hoping it would be a new episode concerning the health care bill. Alas, the show is on hiatus. However, this episode devoted the first segment to John Stewart acting as if he was doing the Glen Beck Show. Brilliant comedy! The absurd graphs, the non sequitur logic, and the insane (borderline asylum-like) rant, even full of fake tears. I was in actual tears, I was laughing so hard. When I find a better internet connection, I am you-tubing it, so I can watch it again.

M.E.

Tuesday
I went back into town today. The tires on the Subaru still had studs on them. The tires were great getting through the Haines Pass. But, now, those tires are going to be illegal for the rest of the trip. I took the car down to the tire place in town to have them de-studded. Somehow, this process took longer than it should have. So, I took advantage of not having the car to walk through downtown Sequim. I managed to cash some checks at the bank and find a coffee shop to get a smoothie before getting the car back. The tires now have a lot of little holes in them, but there is no sound of them tearing up the road. Stopped and the grocery store and picked up some Taco Time before heading back to the house. Sam wanted a quesadilla and expected me to stop at Taco Bell before getting back. I refuse to go to Taco Bell here in the Pacific NW. Anyone who has lived in this area knows the cast superiority of Taco Time to Taco Bell. It is taco-style fast food, sans all the grease and D-grade meat. It actually tastes good (and not just after you have been drinking, like Taco Bell).

We tried to take the cats outside for a bit, but there is an eagle nest in a high tree, not too far from my grandmother’s house. We know, from living in Alaska, that eagles have been known to pick up small pets (such as cats) and have them for dinner. There was an eagle in the nest and we saw it flap its wings a few times. So, the cats had to go back in the office for their own safety. Sam and I took a walk before dinner, and two things were noticeable walking around the residential area of North Sequim. First, there are a lot of deer around here. And they are not that afraid of humans. I remember living in Georgia for all those years, and deer would bolt when they saw anyone make even the slightest move. Here, you could walk right by them, and though they would be wary of your presence, they would not run off. I assume the obvious here: That the deer probably don’t get shot at around here like they do by all those guns in the South, so they aren’t that afraid of humans. Just a theory. The second thing that stood out were all the “No Trespassing” signs around here. It, sadly, gave this beautiful area a very unwelcoming feeling. There are a lot of very unique homes and gardens around here, along with the beach looking out towards Vancouver Island. All of this beach land seems to be privately owned. Boo on the state of Washington for letting this small piece of coastal land to be bought up and made so unwelcome.

After dinner, Sam and I were given the rare treat of two back-to-back new Lost episodes. We missed the previous weeks lost due to being on the boat. Sawyer was finally back and we got that Richard episode which we had been waiting for all season. No spoiler, but how Richard got to the island was fairly obvious at this point.

M.E.

I feel like I don’t have much to contribute since mostly I’ve been studying. I have been reading through the Surveyor’s Reference Manual and discovered a few topics that I need more info on and don’t have the right sources with me. Rats! So, at some point I’ll be browsing the net for answers and explanations. I am happy that most of the material is just review. Terms and concepts I already know so instead of having to really learn it I am just jogging my memory. Once I make it through the book I will start over with the sample test book, hopefully with better results.

S.K.T

Wednesday
I started in with the test booklet again. Matt was back on the Jailhouse recording project. I made it halfway in the 6 hours I spent studying. VERY slow, but I spent time trying the problem and then studying the answer at the back. I want to make sure I understand how to approach them so next time it won’t take so long. Tomorrow I am going through the second half. I need to get more information on map scales, easements, and field surveying. I wouldn’t have such a hard time with field calculations if I would set the problem up correctly. Trying to remember the difference between zenith angles and vertical angles, various types of easements, and scaling maps is frustrating. Also not helping is my HP33 is DOA. I need to replace the batteries. It’s hard to do a bunch of calculations when you have to manually convert degrees- minutes- seconds to decimal-degrees on a basic 4 function calculator. GRR!

With the cats now having the office in addition to the small bedroom and bathroom to run around in they are able to get more exercise. We took them out on the leashes in the backyard for a bit. Lucy was super excited, but Thomas loudly protested and just wanted back inside. He spent the rest of the day weary of me for fear I might make him go back out. Lucy and Brandy (the schnauzer) got along just fine while Luce invested every nook and cranny of the yard. Brandy never even barked. We were all surprised.

After dinner we watched Survivor and American Idol. I haven’t watched those in years. Then, Matt and I watched the next three episodes of Flash Forward to catch us up on the season before tonight’s episode.

Oh, we also learned about Blackstrap Molasses. Here, I thought it was only good for cookies. It has a whole list of uses both edible and non-edible. According to Earth Clinic, a tablespoon can help with digestion, iron, brewing beer… It can also be used as an ingredient in mortar for bricklaying, fertilizer, fishing bait, removing rust…
We are going to pick some up at the store.

S.K.T.

I have nothing to add here, except a comment on American Idol. I have never watched that show. And after being subjected to it tonight, I never plan on watching it again. That hour of TV gave me a much better grasp on why some of our world’s citizens hate America.

M.E.

Days 9-10, The Weekend, March 20-21, 2010: Olympic Peninsula

On Saturday, we got up late. It was nice to sleep in without having to get up, worried about hitting the road or in a bunk, concerned about the cats and getting some work done. Had breakfast, coffee and socialized all morning.

Sam, Mom and I (and Mom’s dog, Sage) took off about midday for Port Angeles and then south into the Olympic National Park. Mom and I had hiked up to Hurricane Ridge a few years ago. We remembered it having an incredible view of the Straight of Juan de Fuca and over to Vancouver Island. We drove the ways to the top and realized that Spring had not quite reached the mountain peaks. People were up there snowboarding, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing. And it was windy. Sam and I got out, snapped a few pictures and decided that we had had enough of the snow and wind before we got on the boat out of Haines. We hung out at the Base Station, took some pictures, and that was about it. On the flip side, Mom and Sage loved it. They went for a walk down the trail a bit in the snow. It was Sage’s first time in the snow.

We came back down the mountain and stopped at the Olympic Cellars Winery on the way back into Sequim. For anyone who may visit in the Olympic Peninsula, this is a place where you need to stop. The winery is owned by a group of three women. When we walked in, they were celebrating one of the owners birthday with this intensely rich chocolate cake. Anyone who walked through the door was entitled to a piece. We bought a wine taste and I got some dessert wine to go with the cake. Showing some restraint, mom bought a bottle of the Dungeness Red to open tonight and that was it for us. We also bought a package of Walnut Cranberry Pancake mix. It sounded really good. Sam and I will come back later.

My grandmother is the biggest hockey fan that I know. Watching hockey in her house is like a religion. Saturday night is Hockey Night in Canada. We are so close to Canada that CBC is a channel on the cable package. Thus, the evening centered around watching hockey. Game 1: Montreal v. Toronto. Game 2: Detroit v. Vancouver (right across the waterway). Lots of relaxing, wine and hockey tonight.

On Sunday, I got up and made those Walnut Cranberry pancakes for breakfast. Mom and Sam went into town for the Garden Show which we learned about from Barb on Friday. I passed. My time was better spent watching my alma mater be eliminated from the NCAA Tourney. Georgia Tech sucked me back in with their run in the ACC tournament. I really believed we had a shot at beating Ohio State. The team was obviously as talented as the much higher ranked team. Of course, another sloppy game against a better coached team, and that was our season. I should have known better. They played an ugly game, and break my heart again. How can a team this talented turn the ball over that many times at this point of the season?!

Mom and I tried to walk Sage down the beach when they returned. It rained. We had to vacate the walk a little early.

The four of us went to the 7 Cedars Casino for an early dinner. Of course, we had to do a little gambling while there. I have gone to this casino many times with my grandmother. Without fail, she wins at the slot machines every time I go with her. And it happened again. I watched her turn $20 into $100 at one of the slot machines. Then, she did it again. Good for her!

Back at the house, it was wine, beer and cards. We played Phase 10 again- I won muahaha- and Sam and I taught them how to play Oh, Hell. I am happy to say that Sam has gotten along great with both my mother and grandmother. This part of the trip is going great. Now, we need to refocus Sam for the rest of the week. She needs to study starting Monday.

M.E.

I’m supposed to write about the garden show. Before breakfast Matt and I did our morning check on the cats. When we walked back to the house (the cats are staying in a detached office/garage) we were standing in the kitchen and his grandma walked in from her bedroom and gave me a pair of earrings. The night before she had asked me what my birthstone was. It’s garnet- a dark, almost blackish red. I’m not particularly fond of it. She handed me two studded earrings. They have a very small red jewel in the center surrounded by what looks like very tiny pearls so that each one looks like a flower. They are from Prague. I was really shocked. I’ve heard Ward gave her lots of jewelry over the years, but I never would have expected she would be giving me some it within 48 hours of meeting me. Thanks! I have the sneaking suspicion they are not garnet. The red is too light with just a hint of pink to be garnet. I didn’t say anything just in case she thought they were; although I’m sure someone with nice jewelry knows more than I do. Maybe I should ask. Anyways, they are beautiful and I immediately put them on!

Kris and I left Matt and Grandma to fight over watching the hockey and the basketball game. The two of us and Sage took off to the garden show at the Boys and Girls Club. We were allowed to bring Sage inside if she was on a short leash. She was very well behaved and patient as we slowly made our way around the 60 booths. Naturally, there were a lot of lavender products. We learned a lot about Mason bees because she is raising them for the first time this year. It seemed like every booth had something new to learn. Types of housing, larvae info, plants they like, where to put the house, how to keep them around. Sage was a good way to meet people. She’s a people magnet. I think we stopped and chatted at every booth except those with just potting flowers. Eventually we headed out but we made a stop at Ace Hardware just to do more looking at things we want but don’t need. Of course!

S.K.T.

Day 8, Friday, March 19, 2010: Washington (State, not DC)

Tag team today…

Up bright and early. 6am boat time; 7am local time. First thing I did was check my iPhone for internet service and NCAA tourney scores. Back on American service, and look at all those upsets. According to ESPN, this was one of the best days of the tournament ever. Naturally, I missed all of it. After I managed to pry Sam off of her bunk, it was back to more urgent matters. Let’s get our crap together and get off this boat!

M.E.

We gathered up what was left of our stuff, dropped off the stateroom keys at the pursers desk, and headed to the top of the stairwell to the car deck to wait. Our bags were heavy and after 15 minutes everyone was getting impatient to get down. There were several young guys behind us that chatted and joked around (I found this annoying- it is too early for this much talking). Finally, they let us go down and start loading our cars. Unlike the other port calls on the way down, today we were unloading from the aft meaning we were one of the first in line to get off the boat. This also meant we needed to move quickly. I jumped in the car and quickly shoved the cats back into the kennel. I was a bit rough on Tom and he made this known by whining from this point on. Matt had used the Urban Spoon app to find us a breakfast spot on the cheap with great reviews and just a few minutes away. The Avenue Bread and Deli was fairly empty with just a few patrons. We ordered egganues (breakfast sandwiches) and coffees. They were delicious. While waiting for the food to arrive we made all the typical phone calls and texts to parents to let them know we survived- as if there was any doubt! Then it was back in the car and heading to Keystone on Whidbey Island to catch the ferry to Port Townsend. We decided to take the scenic route down Chuckanut Drive to catch the 20. It started out of Bellingham following the coast. It was a gorgeous day: fresh spring air, blue skies, flowering trees. We rolled the windows down and turned up the heat a bit (hey, it was shady and a bit cool). The coastal view turned into farm land and we saw many cows and calves, alpacas, and crops. We arrived at the ferry terminal and got tickets for ourselves and the car. It was only $11.80! We double checked. That includes the car and two people? Yup. Hooray! After spending $1500 on the last boat ride this was awesome news. Matt expected at least $30. We pulled into lane 5 and decided to let the kitties stretch their furry little legs. Put them in the harnesses and leashes and took the opportunity to clean the litter and replace food and water.

S.K.T.

The cats got out of the car and soon decided that they wanted right back in. We freed the cats in the car and then took a little walk along the beach before the ferry took off. The weather is awesome! So, this is what spring feels like. No snow and jeans and t-shirts. The ferry ride was a quick jump across Puget Sound from the Island to the Olympic Peninsula. Half hour trip. We managed to have ourselves back on a boat after all of four hours not being on a boat. We didn’t take any pictures while on the ferry. After the last few days on the Alaska ferry, we had seen plenty of mountains over water. We got into Port Townsend sometime between noon and 1pm. At this point, we allowed the cats to roam free in the car rather than couping them up in the kennel. Headed out of Port Townsend and took the 101 West, across the top of the peninsula. Sam was going to meet my grandmother for the first time today in Sequim, WA. But first, we were stopping in the small town of Gardiner. The Thompsons (Barb and Chuck- Erica’s parents) live here. Erica is Sam’s best friend from Kodiak High School. I had met them over the summer at Erica and Dan’s wedding in Kodiak back in August. I think that from the moment I met Barb, I was being ordered around to help prepare for the wedding. It was funny to learn that they now lived so close to where my grandmother lives. Or, maybe it wasn’t that funny. The upper Olympic Peninsula is full of retired Alaskans. Barb and Chuck have a beautiful home that overlooks the water. We let the cats out of the car and put them in the lower level of the house, to wander around for a bit. We had salmon sandwiches, fresh apple juice (made from the trees in the yard), and cheesecake while we socialized for a few hours. Barb tried to convince us to stay with them. And she was not kidding when she said that they have plenty of room. But, I hadn’t seen grandma for a while and she needed to meet Sam.

We made the short drive to Sequim. My grandmother has a nice, ranch-style house on the northern end of Sequim. On a clear day, you can see all the way across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to Victoria, B.C. Grandma, of course, was thrilled to see us. We made it from Alaska! There is a separate garage from the main house, with a two-room office and full bathroom. It was a perfect place for the cats to stay. My grandmother has a mini schnauzer, Brandy, who does not get along with cats. She and Lucy would have issues. We put the cats in the office and Lucy immediately found the window sill where she kept watch over the back yard. Mom arrived from Puyallup a few hours later. She brought Sage, a black lab/border collie mix. Sage was also not allowed in the house. She got to stay in the garage area of the office.

I tried to watch the Georgia Tech tournament game against Oklahoma State. Alas, it was on at the same time as the Gonzaga/Florida State game. Gonzaga, being a Spokane school, was our regional game. Thanks to Gonzaga being in the same state, CBS made us watch that game until the bitter end, despite Gonzaga being in control from the outset and the result never really being in doubt. GT/OSU was close all the way. At least, I got to watch the final 2 minutes, when the other game mercifully ended. GT wins and gets the other OSU on Sunday morning.

Mom had brought all the Christmas presents that never made it to us over the holidays. It is always nice getting a little Christmas in the spring!

Grandma made a Thai chicken dinner. We opened up the bottle of Kung-Fu Girl wine that Sam had been saving since her birthday. We ate really well today after all that processed food on the boat. After dinner, we played cards (Phase 10), finished off the bottle of wine (and dove into the Midnight Sun beer), and socialized. The card game went until after midnight. Phase 10 may be the most maddening game ever. Every time I play this game, I will cruise until one of those phases that I am stuck on for about five hands. No different tonight. I lost. Grandma won after being stuck on phase 3 for 7 or 8 rounds.

Introducing Sam to my grandmother was a success. She had already met mom, which had gone really well. She seems to be a hit with my side of the family.

Up Next: No Travel, Just Relaxing on the Peninsula

M.E.

Day 7, Thursday, March 18, 2010: Canadian Waters

Not a whole lot happened here. We were at sea all day with no stops in port. The NCAA Tourney started today. No TV to watch and I couldn’t even keep up with the scores on my iPhone. Sure, I was getting service, but it was Canadian and would cost too much to even bother trying to connect. Sam studied. I continued to listen to jailhouse recordings. There was our day.

We put down the books and CDs at sundown to watch the sunset behind the mountains. All the snow was now gone, except on the mountain peaks. Spring has obviously come in the Pacific Northwest. I saw a porpoise dive in by the boat, but never saw him again. Porpoises will play and run with boats. But, this guy was content to do one jump on the wake made by the ferry, and he was gone.

We packed up in the room in anticipation of reaching Bellingham tomorrow. The lady making announcements told everyone that there would be a car deck call at 8:30pm. My phone said 8:30. No announcement for the car deck. At about 9pm, an announcement came that the car deck call would be delayed due to the upcoming boat rocking. Wait, what time is it? The boat stays on Alaska time even when we hit the Pacific time zone. Of course, all the cell phones change time when they hit the Pacific time zone towers. So, what time do we get into port? The itinerary says 8am. Is that 8am boat time or local time? Arrival time is Pacific time; all other time is Alaska time. Got it? Got it. So, we never were allowed down to the car deck until 10:30pm boat time. We watched more Flash Forward to pass the time. This show is addictive. Set the alarm for 7am Pacific time which is actually 6am boat time, because we get into port at 8am Pacific time (on the itinerary) which is 7am boat time.

Up Next: Washington (State, not DC)

M.E.

Day 6 Continued….

We finished up with dinner with Scott, Sam’s former R.A. at the dorms at UAA. He does taxes in Ketchikan. When I see towns like these, there is always a brief thought in my mind, saying “I could live here.” Then I remember the remoteness, the expense of getting out, and the lack of any perks from living in civilization. Nah, it is better just to visit. Ketchikan was bigger than I expected though. A few stoplights and something resembling a highway here. We jumped back on the boat to check on the cats while we were allowed in the car deck. They seem to still be doing fine. Back in the stateroom, I looked out the window to see what appeared to be large fins coming out of the water. Orcas! We ran topside to get some pictures. A full pod of them were swimming through the straight between downtown Ketchikan and the airport! The airport in Ketchikan is completely separate from the rest of the town. You actually have to take a ferry over from the mainland to get to airport. A group of sea lions were also playing near the side of the boat. Now, I am no wildlife expert, but I believe orcas will attack sea lions and seals. These orcas seemed happy enough to be on their merry way through the straight. It would have made for a nice photo opportunity if they decided they were hungry, though.

We left Ketchikan, and Sam and I decided to go back to our projects in the bar. Again, not drinking, it is just the easiest place to have a table to do some work. We had a great view of the sunset from our table off the starboard side, right behind the mountains. After a few hours, we retired to the stateroom. At dark, we hit some open water, and the ride got a little rough. Sam used her iPhone carpenter app to gauge the tilt of the ferry. We were rocking up to 7°. This went on for a good hour. At some poiunt we, crossed the border into Canadian waters. Our phones both had a Canadian signal. Those are both going into non-use so we don’t get hit with international fees. When we hit the narrows again, the car deck was open again. Checked on the cats, and someone blew chunks. We’ll use kitty Dramamine next time. The rest of the evening was spent drinking wine and watching more episodes of Flash Forward. This show seems to continue to borrow actors from Lost. Now we have Sawyer’s ex and the heroin addicted hobbit is the uber bad guy. Naturally, we are fans of both sci fi mystery shows.

M.E.

Day 6, Wednesday, March 17, 2010: Central Marine Highway

The Day Thus Far...

Set the alarm for 7am. We had a 7:15 port stop in Wrangell. It is a good chance to go to the car deck and check on the cats while in port. I got up to go fill our travel mugs full of coffee. For the second time in as many days, I got a comment on our travel mugs. I was told again that they are the best travel mugs ever. Contigo travel mugs. You can get them at Costco. 2 pack for $20. If you see them and like your morning coffee; trust me, make the purchase. These things have started two conversations on the boat about their awesomeness.

Cats are fine. They were pretty active when we get in the car. Sam refilled the food and water dishes, and changed the litter box. We got off for a brief minute while in port. Literally, a brief minute. In port less than an hour, so we walked off and walked back on. It is rainy and overcast, anyway. The dock worker didn’t even need to check our tickets to re-board. We had cell service, so I made a couple of quick calls to mom and dad. We are fine. Breakfast of instant oatmeal again and back to work. Sam stayed in the stateroom and I went up to the top deck for a table and big window. Not much to see due to the low cloud line. Sam calls this the airplane deck. It seats do look like airline seats, but it is quiet and I have a big window.

Oh, it is St. Patty’s day. A look through the bag and I forgot to bring anything green on the boat for the occasion. There is my obnoxiously bright green Oregon shirt, but it seems that it is still in the car. Sam managed to pack her fluorescent green Two Sisters shirt from Homer, AK. She changed. I will try to find a green shirt the next time the car deck is open. Wonder if they will have green beer at the ferry bar today…

Managed to talk to my kid brother for a brief minute today. I had asked him to try to get us some Pearl Jam tickets for the DC show on May 13 during the pre-sale today. Gave him my login for the pre-sale on the PJ website and my credit card number. He scored the pair for us. You rock, Dave!

We saw a great rainbow after lunch today. Right outside the boat. The end fell into the water. And on St. Paddie's Day!

We spent all morning working. Arrived in Ketchikan at 2pm. Got off the boat to meet one of Sam’s old friends. Sitting in a restaurant/bar, putting this post up. Next post will probably be on Friday when we hit Bellingham.

Up Next: Back in Canada Again, Eh?

M.E.

Day 5, Tuesday, March 16, 2010: The Northern Alaska Marine Highway

Checked out of the hotel a little after 8 after packing up the car. A 10pm boarding time for a ferry may seem late, but those of us who have lived in Alaska for any amount of time are used to the late night/early morning departures. I think every flight I have ever taken out of Anchorage left sometime between 11pm and 1am. 10pm is early for a departure! Oh, and Happy Birthday, Lucy!

Got the car on the boat; parked at the very edge of the aft. Sam got the cats situated while I got our stateroom and took everything up that we would need for the journey. Somehow, we wound up with a 4 berth stateroom. I remember only asking for and paying for a 2 berth. Ticket check. It says 4 berth. Turned on the computer to check our original itinerary. It says 2 berth with the same prices as the 4 berth on our ticket. Free upgrade! We would later figure out why this happened. We were originally book on the Matanuska. However, we seemed to be standing on the Malaspina. The two boats are identical in size and capacity, with the exception of the number of staterooms. Less staterooms, but bigger ones on the Malaspina. Hence, the nice little upgrade.

We went to bed almost immediately. There was an announcement that we were in port in Juneau at about 3am. We were allowed down in the car deck. We are only allowed down in the car deck, where all pets must stay, about three times a day and during port calls. Sam wanted to go check on the cats, since this was our first chance. Groggily, we hiked below deck. Cats are fine. We went topside, since I had never seen Juneau. I still haven’t seen Juneau. All I saw was nighttime and a ferry dock. Back to bed.

Rolled out of bed to the beauty of the Inner Passage. Better described as the Alaska Fjord. Got coffee and made some of our store bought instant oatmeal for breakfast. We both had work to do today. Sam has her Fundamentals of Surveying Exam coming up in April. She is taking it in California. Now that the packing is done, it is time for her to hit the books. I took on a lawyer project for Rex. Listen to a stack of jailhouse phone call recordings and write a memo on it; listening for our hero or his co-defendant to say anything incriminating while talking on the phone. (Seriously, guys, there is a warning that your calls are recorded out of the jail, unless you are talking to an attorney. That warning isn’t an empty threat. ) We spent most of the late morning and early afternoon attending to our projects. Sam stayed in the stateroom. I set up shop on the forward deck so I could enjoy the scenery while working. I would get up and take pictures occasionally. The ferry was stalked by a Coast Guard Helicopter for a while before getting to Sitka. I don’t think this had anything to do with the Department of Homeland Security.

We took a break when we docked in Sitka for a few hours. There was an announcement that, for a fee of $10/head, a bus would take anyone into downtown Sitka and back. We were in port for over two hours, but that sounded like a price gouge if I ever heard one. Right up there with the “bag handling fee” the airlines are now charging. The town of Sitka didn’t look too impressive as we pulled in. We’ll pass on the $10 bus. I hear Ketchikan is the best of the SE towns, anyway. We checked on the cats, then got off the boat. Ah, so that is why there is a bus charging money to go into Sitka. The actual town was 7 miles from the dock. We bummed around the docks and the little park next to the boats for about an hour, before getting back on board and back to work. It is interesting to note that when we got back on the boat, it was rather hard not to notice how many vehicles cleared out of the car deck. Half the cars and trucks down there cleared off in Sitka. I would guess that more people got on the boat going to Sitka than all the way to Bellingham. Maybe the Coast Guard was sending a new crop to the Sitka station.

We both moved to the bar area. Not because we wanted to drink (don’t want to pay $5 for a 12oz bottle of beer), but it was not crowded and no screaming kids. There was also a nice starboard side window. The moment I sat down, I looked up to see a whale’s tail right outside the boat. I have been on numerous whale and glacier watching cruises out of Seward. I have seen plenty of gray and humpback whales. It is so rare to actually see the tail breach the water. And here I was, not looking for whales, on a boat where the purpose is to get us from point A to point B, not to see wildlife, but there was a tail right in front of me. Very cool sight. Later, the captain came over the intercom to point out a tree full of pink flamingos on a small island. A picture of this interesting phenomenon was sent to the University of Washington. A professor gave some possible explanations of why a flock of flamingos would wind up in SE Alaska. Possibly some strong trade winds and they were high up in the tree due to the cold water. Of course, these flamingos really didn’t appear to move and their feathers had a glare which would appear plastic. The captain said that the local Coast Guard could not confirm, deny or comment on how these plastic-looking, immobile flamingos wound up on a remote SE Alaska island. Join the Coast Guard and play pranks on professors and tourists!

After another store-bought microwave meal (Grandma’s cooking is going to taste great when we get to Sequim), we lay in the stateroom, watching FlashForward. In anticipation for the trip, I downloaded the first 10 episodes on iTunes. The show looked interesting and neither of us had a chance to watch it yet. We watched the first two episodes. Two of the main characters are Richard and Penny from Lost. It is Tuesday, and we would otherwise be watching Lost now. Maybe in Ketchikan we can get some internet to buy the new episode we are missing on iTunes. Calling it a day. We are going to miss Petersberg, because it is another middle of the night port. Wrangell first thing Wednesday morning.

Up Next: More of the Marine Highway

M.E.

Day 4, Monday, March 15, 2010: A Day in the Life of Haines, Alaska. The Marine Journey Begins

I am writing this entry a little early, because we are getting on the ferry in a few hours. I can’t imagine that we will have any sort of internet service for a while. Here is the itinerary for our ferry adventure (all times Alaska time):

Haines Departs: Monday, Mar 15, 2010 10:15 PM

Juneau

Arrives: Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010 02:45 AM

Departs: Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010 04:45 AM

Sitka

Arrives: Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010 02:15 PM

Departs: Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010 04:30 PM

Petersburg

Arrives: Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 03:30 AM

Departs: Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 04:15 AM

Wrangell

Arrives: Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 07:15 AM

Departs: Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 08:00 AM

Ketchikan Arrives:

Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 02:00 PM

Departs: Wednesday, Mar 17, 2010 05:00 PM

Bellingham Arrives: Friday, Mar 19, 2010 08:00 AM

Last night would have been the most restful night we have had thus far. The cats were good all night. No meowing. No whining. However, at about 4 this morning, someone’s car horn starting go off. It was not a car alarm. It just sounded like someone laying on the horn. And it wouldn’t stop! No one walked outside to claim the annoyance and try to stop it. It just went on and on until the horn finally died. This took a good 10-15 minutes. To whomever that car or truck owner may be: I hope your battery died and you need to fly all the way to Anchorage to get a new one. The motel advertised a free continental breakfast between 7-9am. I got out of bed around 8:40. Ran upstairs in my pajama paints, slippers and a hoodie. With the prices of food in these small towns, I was not going to skip a free meal. Of course, the free continental breakfast consisted of bagels (no cream cheese), blueberry muffins, cinnamon raisin toast, coffee and juice. At least it could be filling. The view was nice for muffins, coffee and juice. Grabbed Sam a bagel, butter and some jam since she could not pull herself out of the comforts of sleeping in to join me.

After finally getting the blog up and going for friends and family (the motel had a computer with internet), we ran some errands and explored the town. Hit the one grocery store in town. Food on the Alaska ferries is ridiculously expensive. The ferry does at the very least have available microwaves and hot water (thanks for the info, Megan). We cleaned the store out of Betty Crocker Bowl Appetits. Granola bars, oatmeal, noodle boxes, plastic silverware and bowls. Some beer and wine. We are good to go!

Drove down to the ferry terminal to check in and get the lane assignment for the car. The guy checking us in mistook Mom’s travel agency, which booked our trip, for the federal government travel agency. He thought we got away with having the government pay for us to take the cats on the ferry. For a brief moment, Sam and I believed him that the government took care of our bill. Did the Coast Guard already accept me for JAG? I just completed my federal background check paperwork last week. Nope. Just Mom’s travel agency as the booking agent. After checking in, we drove all the way to the end of Alaska Highway 7. It was only a few more miles. Gorgeous houses and got some nice shots. This place looks awesome when the weather isn’t, well…raining and overcast.

M.E.

Turning the blog over to Sam…

I’ve know Tim and Jan Davis for several years now and had the opportunity to get to know a lot of the family that lives in the Anchorage area. Jan’s parents, Pat and Wendell, live in Indian (about 20 min south of Anchorage) used to live here in Haines. Many of their kids were born here, but the only one I know for certain in Jan. She was born in the house next to the Port Chilkoot Bible Church where Wendell was the pastor. The house has since been renovated, but the location is still the same. I learned a bit later that Danielle (one of Jan’s nieces) and a friend of mine was also born here. I can’t remember the details of how long everyone was here or how long ago that was, but I enjoy learning about and seeing places of people’s past. So, Matt and I went searching for the church. All I could remember was the name and that is was in Port Chilkoot. I remember this being described as outside of town, so we headed out toward the ferry dock which is Lutock road and several miles long. It eventually deadends and the top of the Lutock Inlet. We made several stops for photos and a couple of turnaround to satisfy my curiosity. No success on finding the church, but the view and the houses were entertaining. We drove back to town and out the other end on Beach Road. I called off the drive when it seemed clear that this would not be a good location to have a group of people driving every Sunday en masse. We took Beach Rd back to town and ended up at the Lighthouse restaurant for lunch because we were both getting pretty hungry. While waiting for the chicken (Matt) and veggie (Me) pitas I googled the church. Apparently it’s the corner of Ft. Seward and Portage. According to my map we’ve near that about half a dozen times. Figures! I bet the Davis’ and Terwilliger’s will find this amusing. After we ate (it was very delicious!) we easily found what we’d been looking for. It is a small red building. Very quaint. We parked the car and got out to take pictures. So, mission accomplished. I didn’t think it would be so hard to find something in a small town, but I should have known. After living in Kodiak for three years and visiting many a tiny town in Alaska, the buildings are small and the signs aren’t giant neon lights. What I mean is that the only people who know where something is in a small town are the folks who live there. Stores aren’t easily recognizable chain (Matt’s insistence on asking for Safeways and fast food chains is amusing). They might be in a normal looking building or street shop and they might be right next to a house. Being difficult to ship to and from structures aren’t as well kept as in cities. In fact, the nicest building here by leaps is the bank. I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t mind the longish adventure to find something that ended up being right in town (I suppose over the last few decades what seemed to be outside of town is now actually in town) because we got to see the whole town from one end to the other. The layout reminded me a lot of Kodiak. Out the road in Lutak Inlet is a mini version of Bells Flat and the other end of town out Beach Road is a mini Three Sisters area. Maybe that’s just me?

S.K.T.

And now to the ferry terminal.

Up Next: A Ride Down The Marine Highway

Day 3, Sunday March 14, 2010: Hainesward Bound

It is 3am again. Meow. Meow. Meow. We closed the bathroom door tonight to keep Thomas out, as he spent most of the previous night meowing in the can. Well, here we go again. We had both woken up a couple of hours earlier, thinking it was later than 1am. In the process, it was quite noticeable that the cats were quite well-behaved. No such luck a few hours later. Thomas at least had a nice back window that kept his interest for while. The crying was a lot less intense than the previous night, and he let us get back to sleep about an hour later.

The thought on why Thomas would cry in the bathroom. At the old condo in Anchorage, there was a light fixture over the sink and toilet. It was strong enough to hold the weight of both cats. Sam would put a mat or a towel up there and both cats would spend hours lying up in the bathroom light. There was a big dresser in the corner of the bedroom as well. We stuck a mat on top of it. Thomas’s favorite places to sleep in the condo were these two places; high up. Neither motel room had something equivalent to these two places, where Thomas could lay down at the highest point of the room.

So, we woke up late today. There was no rush. Only about 150 miles to Haines. No point in hitting the road at the crack of dawn. I called to management to get a late checkout, so I could watch the ACC Championship Game. A noon checkout was fine. Shower. Coffee. TV. Wait, that Score channel told me yesterday that the game started at 1 Eastern Time. We crossed a time zone into Pacific Time Yesterday. It is now 9:45am and it appears the game is 8 minutes into the first half. What is the time zone for the Yukon Territory? Are these clocks right?

I’ll make this next part as short as possible. Begin Rant. Georgia Tech lost by 65-61. I hate Duke. GT was obviously the more talented team. We turned the ball over an insane amount of times during stretches of the game. We missed a lot of free throws early on. Despite all that, we still hung tough the entire game and even made a late run to cut a 10 point deficit to 1. Of course, the Dookies shot a full dozen more free throws than Tech, and it wasn’t from intentionally fouling late in the game. Of course they did. They are Duke. They always get the free throw advantage. Naturally, because they are Duke, they shot free throws extremely well. This is the part you will never hear from Dickie V on ESPN. The ONLY reason Duke won that game was because they shot free throws extremely well. Then again, if GT hadn’t beaten themselves over and over that game, we would have won it in impressive fashion. Sam’s reaction to the game: I wish Duke would stop getting to shoot free throws, because I don’t like these close-ups of that Singler kid. He is ugly. Yes, Duke was at the line so much in the second half that even Sam, who hates basketball, made comments about how often Kyle Singler got a close-up due to free throws. End Rant.

We packed the car (3^rd different way in as many days), filled our travel mugs full of coffee and were on the road a little after noon. There was a sign leaving Haines Junction, heading toward the Southern Canadian/Alaskan border, saying “When lights flashing, conditions dangerous due to snow and high winds.” There were two red lights at either side of the sign. They weren’t flashing, but the left light was on and the right light was off. Ummmmm, what does that mean? The first part of the drive was clear and the scenery was up to the usual high standards of driving these Northern Highways. We were stopping at least once every 15 minutes for pictures. We drove slow, taking our time, knowing that the drive was short today. Eventually, the road went from pavement to white. Snow was blowing across the highway due to high wind. Ah, so this is what the sign meant. Not really dangerous, though. Just don’t drive too fast. At one point on the drive, we saw nothing but white. Road was white, the mountains were completely white, the sky was white. It was an incredible sight. The road still seemed fine. We had studded tires and all wheel drive. The side of the road was marked with these poles with reflectors on the top of them on either side. No traffic. It was a fun drive. At one point, we even saw someone off the side of the road, para-skiing. He was on a frozen lake, scooting around on skis with a parasail. It looked like a lot of fun. Lucy was up to her usual whining and trying to tear up anything in reach of the kennel in the back seat.

Eventually, we crossed over from the Yukon Territory to British Columbia and then to the border again. I predicted earlier in the trip that the Canadian Border Officers would be nicer than the American Border Officers. Of course, I was half right. The American Border Officers were pleasant, but we had an issue. Rather, I had an issue. We were asked the usual questions. Where are you coming from? Where are you going? Why are you moving? Check the passports. That is where the questions ended for Sam. Further questions asked of me: Can I see your Social Security Card? What is your birthday? What did you do in Anchorage? Do you have any proof that you are an attorney? Can I see your bar card? I need to get my supervisor. What is your middle name? Do you have a brother? What are your brothers’ names? What are their middle names? Have you ever had any problems crossing the border in the past? Door closes and the two border agents talk amongst themselves. Can you step out of the car, please? Me to agent: Is there a Matt Ellis out there with an arrest warrant? I was not given the courtesy of an answer. Do you have a distinguishable scar? No scar on your left arm? I thought they were about to have me take off my shirt in the snow. How much do you weigh? Where were you born? When was the last time you were in Indiana? My answers seemed to satisfy the agents who decided that I was not this person who probably committed some crime in Indiana. They were even nice enough at this point to give us a booklet on things to do in Haines. We were on our way, again, Southward and Downward to Haines.

There was definitely a weather shift as we headed down the mountain pass. The snow turned to rain as the temperature went up a bit. Road was wet, but easier to manage without snow and ice. As we pulled into Haines, it was obvious that we had left the Alaska climate we were used to. Welcome to the Northern most point of the Pacific Northwest. We saw the water. Mountains jetting up immediately from the coast. Low cloud-line. And it was raining. Coming into Haines, we saw about a half-dozen mature bald eagles. We kept our stopping at a minimum to get the cats into a motel room.

We pulled into Haines at sometime between 4 and 5pm. The town looked a lot like Seward, Homer or Kodiak, but a lot more worn down. Those former 3 towns are probably a lot more tourist friendly. We tried a few motels trying to keep the price down below $100. Half the hotels in town were closed for the season. That turned out to be impossible if we wanted someplace that didn’t look like a rat hole. We checked into the Captain’s Choice Motel, which has a nice view of the water. They apparently don’t change their prices by season. The woman at the front desk was nice, and cut the price down on our room and didn’t charge us for the cats. Just over $100. She was from Oregon and was here because of her husband. The 3 of us had a nice little chat about how much we like Oregon. In the room. Cats happy. Because the ferry doesn’t leave until 10pm tomorrow, we decided to pay $65 to check out at 8pm Monday rather than the usual 11am. That should keep the cats content for the day. They are about to spend the next 4 days in the car on the ferry. We’ll pony up a bit of extra money to give them some room for a few more hours. The rooms have become progressively nicer. The corner of the room even had a shelf over the clothes rack. Perfect place to put the mat for Thomas to have his perch. He was up there for all of five minutes, before he was more interested in looking out the window.

Now that I could get internet on my iphone, I checked the NCAA Tourney bracket. GT got a 10 seed and apparently was one of the last teams to get in. Dook got themselves a 1 seed with that win today. There is the difference between an underachieving team and an overachieving team. At least we are in. The basketball gods smiled on me a bit, though. GT doesn’t play until late on Friday, meaning we will be off the ferry and settled in Sequim when the game is on 

We had kept our eating to granola bars and chips. So, we were starving. Not a lot of places to eat in Haines this time of year. The motel manager told us about a pizza place. There was a sandwich and burger place just down the street, but she said it was nothing special and expensive. Pizza it is! The pizza place about a mile back down the road looked more like an espresso stand than a pizza joint. $20 for a 12 inch pizza. Took it back to our room, watched the Simpsons and had wine for dinner. The pizza was surprisingly good. We crashed out early with the Northern part of the drive now over. Nothing to do tomorrow but pack back up, do some grocery shopping and get on the late ferry.

The cats are being good, too. Both of them seem very content in this room. The window gives lots of cool stuff to look at, as people and dogs keep walking by our room and down below, by the water. The high perch on the shelf seems to be helping, too.

Up Next: A day in the life of Haines, Alaska. The Marine Journey begins.

M.E.

Day 2, Saturday, March 13, 2010: Yukon Ho!

Meow. Meow. Meow. This is all we heard at 3am. Thomas decided he was not happy in the motel in the middle of the night and was going to let everyone else know about it. Thus, it seems we have one unhappy cat by day, and another unhappy cat by night.

We woke up at about 8:30. It was 0°F outside and we had to pack up the car. I left my jacket out in the car all night, and learned that a North Face fleece makes a strange sound when it is frozen solid. Despite the cold, we managed to make some adjustments to packing the car, which made it a bit more comfortable. The passenger seat could actually push back! The cats would not be free to wander the car today. Stuck them in the back seat with the kennel door closed. Thomas seemed okay now, but Lucy sure was not happy. Meow. Meow. Meow.

Grabbed some travel mugs of coffee, took a right turn at The Intersection and we were off to the Canadian border. 15 minutes later: crap, forgot to fill the tank on the way out of town and we had a quarter of a tank left. One u-turn and a fill up later, and we were heading toward the Canadian border again. There is so little civilization in this part of the world; that I actually recognized the Shell station where we filled up. No actual convenience store here. No one even working the pumps. Just four pumps that triggered when one swipes a card. The station next door was boarded up. This was the same scene my brother, Chris, and I saw at the same place when I moved up the Alcan in 2007.

No civilization out here, but the scenery is spectacular. We made frequent stops to get pictures. Sam spotted a survey marker at a rest area, so we had to run through knee deep snow to get some pictures. Somehow when the car stopped, the meowing from the kennel ceased. It now seemed obvious that the car’s movement was the cause of the crying. No getting around that one. At least we didn’t have Lucy jumping up on the dash today. She was sticking her paw out of the kennel in an attempt to destroy anything within reach, though. She was given a roll of paper towels to appease her anger.

So, Tok isn’t the last stop before the border. There is another Northern Junction with an Alaska State Troopers station. We watched our speed. I can’t imagine the troopers have much to do this time of year. Not exactly hunting season. According to a sign, a city actually exists right on our side of the border. We stopped at Border City Lodge to fill up our tank with American priced gas. The car had burned exactly 2.8 gallons of gas since Tok. Off to the border. This is an interesting border crossing. Those who have crossed the U.S.-Mexican border would laugh at this. We blow through the American Customs and Immigration without even stopping. A few miles down the road, we saw the signs and flags welcoming us into Canada and the Yukon Territory. Naturally, we stopped for pictures of the signs of both sides. So, we are now in Canada with the passports out and ready. However, Canadian Customs and Immigration is about 20 miles down this snowy mountain road. Canadian Border Agents are really nice. Quick chat and the required document check and we were further in Canada (but through customs and immigration). We now lost an hour with the time change in the process. The next town was Beaver Creek, YT. No restaurants and I was starving. The gas station with the snow machines filling up at it said it had a deli. By deli, it meant the owner made up sandwiches with store bought Oscar Meyer meats. It was that or continue scarfing the granola bars in the car. One turkey sandwich to go. And, no really, the gas pumps were set up to be the size for snow machines to roll in and fill up!

At some point after Beaver Creek we finished the abridged Cussler novel. The action/adventure/sci fi story was fun, but good god man, drop the love interests parts of your books. “I want to know more about the ‘whatever.’” Clive, it is obvious that you want to write the next James Bond series, but just drop the forced love interest.

Meow. Meow. Meow. Shut up, Lucy.

Wow, the scenery is breathtaking.

The roads were great until I just couldn’t drive anymore. My butt hurt and my right leg was getting numb. Of course, right when the seats switched, the snow started coming. We were passed by a car with a local plate. A few miles later, said car was in a snow bank on the side of the road. We got out in the snow and single digit weather to assist the poor soul who wound up stuck in the powder. It was the least we could do after I fish tailed yesterday and almost did the same thing to our car. We tried kicking the snow to clear the tires out. I started to think this was going to take a while, when a truck with an Alaska plate pulled up behind. The driver, Thor (not making that name up), had chains to pull out the local (missing all his front teeth). Pulled into Haines Junction, YT at about 5pm Pacific time. Plenty of signs advertising the motels in town. The Cozy Corner sounded cozy. Pulled in and there was literally no office. Just a phone at the corner of the building. Picked it up and it automatically rang the owner. He came up to the adjoining (Closed) restaurant to check us in. We had our room for the night. Got the cats in and Lucy was instantly happier. Meow. Meow. Meow. Shut up, Thomas. I instantly tried to check the TV to find ESPN and the Georgia Tech score from the ACC Tourney today. There was no cell phone service for the entire drive. Um, where is ESPN. I see ESPN Classic and a bazillion other channels (including every hockey game with different announcers ) on a sweet satellite setup on a crummy TV, but no ESPN. After going through the hundreds of channels, I found a station called Score, which had a SportsCenter like program. Yes! GT beat NC State. GT v. the Dookies tomorrow for the ACC title! And it will be broadcast in Canada on this Score station. Score! Now to convince Sam that we don’t need to take off until after that game, which starts at 10am Pacific. It is only about 150 miles to Haines anyway…

Some facts on Haines Junction (thanks to the little booklet, made by the Village of Haines Junction, in the motel room):

It is “snuggled” beneath the Auriol Range and sits at the junction of the Alaska Highway and Haines Highway (like Tok, it has The Intersection). Haines Junction was originally the homeland of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. Its modern history started in 1942, when the Alaska Highway began construction. Another road was built the following year to connect Haines Junction with Haines, Alaska. Haines Junction is also the base for the Kluane National Park and Wildlife Reserve. In the summertime, this place looks like an incredible adventure site.

We took in the box of wine taken from Morgan and Anna’s. I recognized this box while we were housesitting. It was one of the many Bota Boxes purchased for our group outing to Sheep Mountain back in October. This box had never been opened. Seemed perfect for motel rooms and the ferry. Thanks, Morgan and Anna. It is ours now! We popped the cheap Cav Sav and watched cartoons for about an hour to unwind. Then, to dinner. Only one restaurant open in town after dark this time of year. We crossed The Intersection at the only stop sign in town. Anyone running the stop sign deserves a ticket. There was a large stop sign, a small stop sign and a flashing red light. The Alcan Restaurant seemed to have a modern day Jim Crow thing going on. There were two sections. We were seated in the main area with some other travelers at a few of the tables (we were all white). The smaller section had a group of Native Americans. This seemed a little strange.

We agreed that Haines Junction is nicer than Tok. The mountains are right on top of the town/village. There is also a nice central area to the town. Of course, this seems like it would be very touristy. According to our MilePost (the ultimate guide to the Alcan), there is actually some higher quality lodging and dining around here. Not all open this time of year, though.

Up Next: Hainesward Bound.

M.E.