I begin to write this in shining Seattle, after spending a week on a Holland America cruise ship from Seward, Alaska to Vancouver, British Colombia, and then another fine week and a half in the mesmerizing Vancouver area. Every time I visit this part of the world, I feel I could live here. It is so beautiful, so verdant — with piles of fresh, organic produce at every turn and baskets overflowing with luxurious mixes of flowers hanging from balconies and street-lamps. I’m ready to begin watching for “for sale” signs. Then Perry reminds me that we should probably visit in January, February, or March first. We always manage to be here in August or September. Perfect. But we’re a pair of sun hogs, so the five or so months of wet and gray might not work for us. Maybe renting during the bright season would make more sense! There’s a reason we live in Kino Bay!
We’ve been “on the road” now since June 20 — two and a half months. It’s September 3, and we have another month before arriving home around October 5. We meet people along the way who ask how we can possibly be away for so long, They’ve been traveling for two or three weeks and feel travel worn. All I can say is, “It’s just another way to live.” And it’s pretty darned fascinating, once you get in the rhythm.
In some ways, it is so easy, so freeing. I have a very limited wardrobe, so there isn’t much time spent in decision-making about what to wear! I carry only two pair of earrings — one everyday and one to gussy-up. All my cosmetics fit in a little bag. I know where everything is — well, most of the time, unless I forget into which zipper pocket I put that danged whatever! Makes me wonder why I need all that “stuff” clogging the closets and drawers back home! Oh, but it will be fun to get back to it and wear something different!
It’s really nice to have several days in one hotel or b&b so we can have an occasional extra day to toss in a load of laundry and clear out the accumulated travel debris. But it’s so easy to pack it all up and move on to the next place. Our bags are manageable: light enough that we can toss them on and off buses, trains, and boats, or drag them a few blocks to a hotel or bus station. We’ve even called ourselves ‘The Travel Dragons’ because we’re always ‘dragon’ our bags around. And even though this trip has required a little more bulk because of temperature and moisture variations along the way, it’s still been doable. Plus there’s no denying that the internet has simplified things. With a good T-Mobile sim card in the iPhone, we can manage fairly well anyplace, including taking care of the rental apartments back in Kino and paying bills.
We also savor the occasional uninterrupted visit with friends along the way. We just spent fine three days with friends Hilde and Valentyn in charming “funky” Duncan, on Vancouver Island. What a great little town, and what lovely people! They were wonderfully interesting hosts, and we learned much more about where we were — history, culture, lore — than ever we would have on our own. We are truly grateful for the friends who welcome us along the way, and we try to not be overly bothersome guests.
So now we’re set to explore enticing Seattle for five days before joining other dear friends, Jon and Joyce in beautiful Port Townsend, WA. That’s where the annual Wooden Boat Festival will be happening this coming weekend. Then we’ll be heading down the coast to Oakland, CA, to be with Cici and Julie. We’ll report back when we get there.
——————————-
Here’s a little more detail on where we’ve been since the last post.
HOLLAND AMERICA’s WESTERDAM:
Seward to Vancouver
I won’t dwell a lot on the cruise ship experience. We’ve done that before. But it still remains a very pleasant way to get to places we want to see. This one, on Holland America’s Westerdam, took us from Seward to Vancouver, with stops in Haines, Juneau, and Ketchikan, and a dramatic visit to Glacier Bay. The on-board entertainment was excellent — dance, classical performances by talented young musicians, and rocking music at the BB King's Blues Club for some after-dinner dancing! The food and bar offerings were excellent; and a chocolate shows up every night, with a towel animal, named Jen on your pillow!
I’ll let Perry’s beautiful photos tell most of the story.
HAINES
This is an old army fort town — small and rugged. We had a wiry, energetic tour driver named Jen who took us to see eagles and a bear while describing her rural life of foraging food, building her own house, raising her family. And she was funny! And proud to tell us that Farley Mowett (author of The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float) is her uncle. Also happy to point out her ex-husband driving by with his new wife, this being a very small town. Another example of the resilient and resourceful people who thrive in these northern climes.
YES, that's a bear!
JUNEAU
The capital city of Alaska. It’s land locked! The only way to access Juneau is by boat or plane. They tell the story of a plan to move the capital from Juneau to Willow, the official start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and about halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks. But that plan was tossed after it was estimated to cost 2.8 billion dollars — back in 1982.
Yes, that's a whale!
A boat tour from there took us in search of whales and other wildlife, and then a visit by bus to the huge Mendenhall Glacier. Seeing Alaska’s glaciers up close and personal is an emotional experience — for their breathtaking beauty together with the painful awareness that they are melting away ever more rapidly.
In the Visitor's Center, we found the most sensible water dispenser! Forget single-use plastic bottles. Take your own stainless steel bottle and refill it!
The day ended with a Salmon Bake...in the rain...before returning to the Westerdam.
KETCHIKAN
This is a very wet place! Situated in the Tongass National Forest, a rare lush and dense temperate rainforest. It rained the entire time we were there, and one got the feeling it was far more the norm than the exception. Luckily, I had borrowed a really good Eddie Bauer raincoat from friend Bonnie and handled it just fine!
We visited the Rainforest Sanctuary and Totem Park and got a glimpse of the complex relationship between the native Tlingit people and the outsiders who “discovered” these lands back in the 1880s and never left. One of the totems, known as the Seward Shame pole, was erected to ridicule Secretary of State William H. Seward (who in 1867 engineered the purchase of Alaska from Russia) for failing to repay the gifts he had received from Chief Ebbits, clan leader of the Taant’a kwáan Teikweidí and one of the most high-ranking men at Tongass Village.
Then, at the end of the day, we were back on the Westerdam, for the last leg of the cruise, to Vancouver, BC.
Along the way, a cruise through Glacier Bay
No narrative needed...
HANGING OUT IN NORTH VANCOUVER
We stayed in Vancouver, British Columbia, for five short (clearly not enough) days and fairly much admit to being enchanted. What a delightful city!
We lucked out getting a showcase AirBnb in North Vancouver. The owners left on a cruise the day we arrived, so we didn’t get to meet them; but we were so fortunate to find their place — impeccable taste, great art, and outstanding amenities, all in a perfect location.
We could walk to great eateries — including Beans Coffee, where we found ourselves often for breakfast — and to the SeaBus between North Vancouver and the big city across the bay.
We spent a day in Stanley Park, an absolutely huge green space, mostly surrounded by water and attached to downtown Vancouver. We were last here in 1986, for the World's Fair, and were glad to revisit this excellent park.
Another afternoon took us to the Vancouver Art Gallery, where they just happened to be filming a television show outside. Inside was a fine Giacometti exhibition.
Of course, we walked and walked and walked, stumbling onto surprises along the way! And when we ran out of leg power, we’d use our Compass Card to hop a bus and ride it to the end of the line and back!
We may have to come back to fill in some blanks in our experience!
DAYS IN DUNCAN
It is a blessing to have gracious friends in enticing places!
We have spent some time in the past on Vancouver Island and sailing in the Straight of Georgia with New Mexico friend Deb, who keeps her Island Packet 35 sailing boat in the Comox area. I have vivid memories of those experiences, so it was a pleasure to return. And this time, we were the fortunate guests of Bahía de Kino friends Hilde and Valentyn, who live in Duncan, BC.
Duncan turns out to be a very hopping place! Hilde and Valentyn have deep roots — Hilde’s family goes back generations, to homesteaders in the 1850s, and she can point out where ancestors’ homes once stood — some now reclaimed by the forest, others replaced by the march of development. They know everyone! And “everyone” includes lots of talented, interesting, busy people!
We were there for three days and attended three musical “events,” wandered the farmers market, walked in the forest to a salmon stream, ate fine food, and drank beer at a charming bar overlooking the waterfront where Hilde and Valentyn once docked the large commercial fishing boat that Valentyn built! He currently has several fine guitars under construction, and Hilde does regular singing gigs around town. Once again, I think I’ve found another place I could live. (Maybe. If it weren’t so far north!)
——————————-
PICKING BACK UP IN SEATTLE
We’re here for five days in another outstanding city. Maybe we try to cover too much territory. We could easily spend a month or two in Seattle, I’m sure, (or Vancouver!) ferreting out all its treasures. And maybe we’ll try it some day, when we’re finally worn out from hopping on and off trains, dragging bags, searching for places to stay. (But not yet.)
We stay at the Mediterranean Inn, a nifty older, very comfortable hotel in the Queen Anne district. We arrive late, and dinner is just a block away at the famous Mecca Bar and Grill. It doesn't look like much — dark and murky, sort of like an old, uhhh, bar! But the food is great, and the light fixtures are unique! The marquee reads: "Alcoholics serving Alcoholics since 1930," and "Soup of the Day: Whiskey." Walking back to the hotel, we notice a peaceful symbol shining down from a nearby building.
Just a few blocks away is the Seattle Center and the iconic Space Needle. There’s so much going on in Seattle Center that one might spend a week right there! But we also have to get to know a bit about the Belltown district, with its entertainment, bars, and restaurants.
Right next to the Space Needle is the MoPop museum of music and pop culture. We spent an afternoon with Seattle leglend Jimi Hendrix and home boys, Pearl Jam. The latter has used its power to address issues of musician's rights, social justice, and homelessness in the Seattle area.
And then there’s an afternoon spent at the Pike Street Market — that famous multistoried warren of quirky shops, restaurants, and bars stacked along the waterfront – as we enjoy dinner and a ‘sleeve’ of beer at the old Athenian bar, watching the ferries cast off below for Bainbridge and Bellingham.
We take the infamous Underground Tour to learn about the literal underbelly of the city, created by the great Seattle fire of 1889 and the subsequent rebuilding. It’s among the best of the “wild west” tales, including courage, tenacity, graft, corruption, and the euphemistic “sewing circles.”
We spend nearly a full day at SAM — the excellent Seattle Art Museum, then take a long, lovely walk back through Belltown to the hotel. We haven't seen enough of Seattle, but we've had a delightful taste!
PORT TOWNSEND & THE WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL
Our last stop before heading south to Oakland and time with our daughter, is in Port Townsend, WA, to spend a few days with friends Joyce and Jon.
We first visited Port Townsend over 25 years ago and just happened to arrive in the middle of the annual Wooden Boat Festival. It was like a fairyland for sailors. And we were sailors at that time, nurturing dreams of becoming full-time world cruisers. Much water has passed under those wooden boats since then, but it is still a delight to hang out on the docks and witness the products of such dedication, skill, and love. And still to dream.
We also are reminded again of what a seductive place Port Townsend is — strung along the water’s edge, with a quaint little downtown and rolling hill neighborhoods, charming architecture, lush gardens, and a civic commitment to its preservation. It’s a place where people seem to be very much aware of and grateful for the specialness of the place they live.
Jon is a sailor, woodworker, philosopher (and oh so much more); and Joyce is a long-time, well-known weaver/designer/fabric artist. They moved from Albuquerque to PT many years ago and are now totally imbedded here. How fortunate we are to have them as hosts and guides!
They also generously drive us back to the Bainbridge Island dock where we take the ferry back to Seattle. And in the morning we board the famous and scenic Coast Starlight train down the West Coast to Oakland.
——————————-
WINDING DOWN IN THE BAY AREA
It's always a delight to be in Oakland and Berkeley with family and friends, immersed in music, social justice and activism, enticing neighborhoods, growing things, art, good food... Here's just a little pictoral taste of what we find there!
Some of our up close and personal buddies:
Julie Wolf... Vicki Randall...
——————————
And so we leave this great summer adventure behind us. If you’ve come along with us through these posts, you know that it isn’t the trip we originally planned. But it is one I can’t imagine being any better! If our objectives include pushing our boundaries, testing our resilience, and learning new things (and they do), it’s been very effective. There’s just never enough time!
From here we’re headed to Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and Tucson, before arriving back home in Bahía de Kino in early October. We hope you’ve all had half as good a summer as have we! Thanks for joining us. — CJK