Some really late-published photos

About to write my first wedding/honeymoon trip posting, and found these pictures in a post in my draft folder. Got the pictures in the post, but no words, and then forgot about it, I guess! These are my best pics from the Alaska Ferry trip Audie and I took back in March.

Road Trip!

After visiting Maddi in the Netherlands, we flew to Arizona. Audie stayed for a day of glorious sunshine and desert hiking, and then continued traveling, while I settled in to spend a very busy and productive week with my Mom. Weather could not have been more perfect: low 80s, lots of sun, and wildflowers just coming into bloom! Just spectacular. This was a very busy week, however, with getting my Subaru, "Lucy", into the shop for some minor repairs before her road trip, buying new tires, packing lots of beloved stuff from Mom's house, and doing lots and lots of shopping for treasures one just can't find in Alaska. 

Coming from Paxson, one can read about in the New York Times online and see in one's own stock portfolios the economic tumble our country has taken, but in the wilderness it's pretty hard to notice the effect on the wider world. In Europe we didn't notice any particularly distressing signs. Not until I got to Phoenix did I see the rows of empty storefronts, and in Oregon the many, many hitchhikers and homeless. More than usual. Every store in Scottsdale and Phoenix seemed to be having a 75% off sale, and while disturbed by this trend, I was also selfishly gladdened by all of this. When you only go shopping once a year, it's pretty fantastic to have sales everywhere you visit. Let's just say I definitely did my part as a consumer to try to keep the economy afloat!

Above is Captain Jack, one of my Mom's two new kittens, exploring the fascinating world of typewriter keys. This is my beloved portable typewriter, that I bought actually only a few years ago when I was going through a particularly acute Luddite phase. I love the strong thawump! of the keys when I type, and it actually dings when I get to the end of a row. I also love that it doesn't automatically return to the beginning of the next row, but I must stop typing and give the carriage a satisfying whack to return. I still use it on occasion, and sometimes my writing performs better with the loud clickity-clack-clack. 

Captain Jack and her other kitty Hitch, both less than 8 months old, did a wonderful job of helping me pack, being the official box-packing inspectors, needing to check out every item leaving Arizona for Alaska. 

After a week of packing and shopping and sunbathing, Mom and I and Lucy started to roll, traveling north through Wickenburg (my old hometown) and on through the fantastic Joshua Tree forests south of Kingman and on to California. Our first night was in Tehachapi, where we just had pulled into our hotel room when it started to snow! A leisurely drive the following day through vineyard country landed us in Monterey, where we quickly met up with my Aunt Peggy. We did a nice walking tour of the wharfs, and had a great homecooked dinner with her and my cousin Thor. A beautiful star-filled night led us to Pebble Beach, where we searched for constellations and enjoyed the crash of the waves. 

The next day started with a leisurely breakfast by the ocean with lots of family stories and reminiscences, beach walking and bird watching, exploring Pebble Beach, driving around to view family real estate projects, and then on to the Monterey Aquarium, where I took these pics:

A pretty amazing jellyfish exhibit...

and a great live shorebird aviary, with a very realistic tide that would go in and out.

We had a wonderful visit with Peggy, who is quite the naturalist. I so want her and Audie to meet someday soon as I know they would have a lot to talk about! That late afternoon we continued driving a little ways north to spend the night at my cousin Heidi's house in Los Gatos. We had a wonderful dinner with her and her husband and two marvelous kids, and Heidi and I stayed up late, sharing stories and a bottle of wine, and doing some great cousin re-connecting. 

The next day Mom and I continued north, along the coast on Highway 1, through San Francisco, and then over the Golden Gate Bridge! This was my first time to San Francisco...I've visited friends at Stanford U., and in San Jose before, and family on the Montery Peninsula a few years ago, but this was new and exciting to drive through San Francisco! I have to admit I was a bit nervous about it, coming from Paxson where rush hour is one car an hour, and when suddenly I was in an eight-lane freeway I did let out a gasp,...but I did OK!

We were lucky with no fog and a relatively clear day to get good shots of the bridge. We then continued....guess which way: north!....through the wine country of Sonoma to the lovely little town of Sebastopol, where my Aunt Janet and Uncle Harry live. Our first stop was to Janet's extraordinarily beautiful and well-done shop, the Silk Moon Gallery, full of textiles, jewelry, and wonderful gifts from her extensive travels throughout SouthEast Asia. I'm so proud of my aunt and this gorgeous gallery she has created from the ground up. Below is a picture of Mom shopping at Silk Moon Gallery:

Harry rode his bike into town to meet the three of us for a long, leisurely lunch. We timed our visit just right: Harry had just returned the night before from a trip to Australia, and while suffering from jet-lag, at least we got to see him! And Janet was extraordinarily busy, getting ready to leave in a few days for a three week shopping trip to Cambodia. I always miss not living closer to my family: reunions for me are always bittersweet, wonderfully happy to see them again, and then so sad to have to leave! 

The main reason I drove this route to Seattle from Arizona was to visit family I hadn't seen in a couple of years. Very important for me. An added bonus of driving the coastal route of California was to finally....finally!....visit the Redwoods. Audie advised me that the redwood experience in Humboldt Park is better than in the Redwoods Park, so Mom and I made a point to drive the scenic drive through Humboldt and allow a few hours for hiking and tree-gazing. That's me in the pic above. The weather was perfect for us here: dappled sunshine, not too cold, and few other tourists so all we heard was the wind in the giant trees. This was a very special stop for me, and I'm sure for Mom too. 

And then on to the Oregon coast! Audie and I drove about half the coast a few years back, and I wanted Mom to see what I think is the most spectacular stretch of coastline in the US (sorry, California). Mom and I ended up driving the entire length of the coast, from the southern border all the way to Astoria in the north. We drove leisurely too, only 300 miles or so a day, so lots of time to get out and explore beaches. 

And above is a picture of one of the most amazing wildlife encounters I've ever had and, besides reconnecting with family, my favorite memory of the trip: the Sea Lion Cave, near Florence. Audie and I stopped here on our trip a few years ago, but upon walking into the office which is a pretty tacky gift shop, Audie and I marched right out again, thinking it a tourist trap. How wrong we were. Once Mom and I got past the tacky gift shop, and descended in the elevator to the cave, I knew we were in for something special. Upon exiting the elevator, there was a strange noise, like some weird piped-in music that was supposed to sound like sea lions cavorting. How strange, I thought, until we turned the corner in the cave, heard the crashing waves and peered through the wire screen to see the view in the pic above. Hundreds, hundreds, of sea lions grunting away in satisfied sea lion fashion. The sound accompanied by the waves, amplified by the cave, was incredible. I'll never forget it. The smell was of wet rock and wet sea lion bodies. And the view: undisturbed, close-up viewing of sea lions in their natural habitat. Apparently this is the only such cave on the western seaboard and the world's largest, and with the seas rough that day, many sea lions were taking a break. Snoozing, climbing over each other, grooming, contemplating. Two almost got in a fight! And some had climbed rock probably two stories high! It was awesome just to watch them, listen, be a part of their world. I can easily say this is definitely one of the most awesome wildlife viewing experiences I've ever had. I'm still gushing about it to anyone who will listen, and I can't wait to go back. 

Mom loved the Oregon coast, as I knew she would. Our last stop before hitting Seattle was to stay the night with her friend Gloria in southern Washington, girlfriends since they were both in the seventh grade. We had a nice time with her and meeting some of her extended family and grandkids. And then on to Seattle, driving interstate freeway for the first time since a short stretch in southern California. I hate interstates, preferring backroads and local highways and byways, like Highway 1 and 101. But we were in a rush to get to Seattle to pick Audie up at the airport! We had just pulled into town, got some pizza for lunch, when Audie called to say he caught an even earlier flight. Good timing again! We picked him up, and headed back to my brother Dan's house, where we celebrated with piscos and Thai food.

The next day we did touristy things! I've been to Seattle to visit Dan and his wife Tilly many, many times and have done many touristy things there, Audie's been to Seattle many times and almost never done touristy things there, and Mom had never been to Seattle before, so off we went to Pike's Place Market, which is great, no matter how many times you've been! That's Mom in the pic above, with Dan and Tilly with their backs to the camera to the left. After shopping in the market, we explored more and inevitably ended up at Elliot Bay Bookstore, which is my favorite bookstore on the planet. I wanted Mom to see it and its wonderfully creaky wooden floors.

And it was a fantastic day there. Sun, no rain, no wind. Perfect Seattle weather.

The next day Mom was flying back to Phoenix, and Audie and I driving up to Bellingham to catch the Alaska Ferry. That's Lucy, my Subaru, above, in Dan's driveway, loaded to the gills. But not too loaded: after we dropped Mom off at the airport, we made one last run to Trader Joe's and still managed to stuff 13 boxes of Charles Shaw wine in her! 

Next entry: the Inside Passage!

Happy Days in Holland

A new trip and destination for the blog! Holland, for almost two weeks, this February. This was my first trip to continental Europe. I'd been to Ireland many years ago, and most of my travels usually take me to Latin America, so this trip was to be a great cultural excursion for me, as well as a wonderful family visit: Audie's sister Maddi has lived in the Netherlands for many years, and his two nephews were born there. The following are a few select photos in a very random order:

Windmills! The iconic representation of Holland, and they are truly fantastic. This one was in a field, near Maddi's cottage, and although not still in service, it was pristine and well-cared for. Massive modern wind turbines are what are really in use these days, and although windswept Holland is replete with these, they don't make nearly so pretty a picture. 

Found in Maddi's village! No, it's not a SmartCar. It's smaller even than that! It'd be lucky if the average American male could fit in the driver and passenger seats combined! I'm not sure how Dutch men, who are often quite tall (but not nearly so wide!), can fit in it. 

Maddi's village is only a few hours by train to Amsterdam so we made a couple of day-trips there, to visit museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum) and admire the canals and architecture of this amazing city. Notice the very obvious lean and odd window angles above? I took this picture dead-on, as you can tell from the two neighbors. Talk about being squished! Audie's theory is that the only way they could shoehorn it into such a narrow alley was to squeeze it so it popped.

I am in love with the houseboat lifestyle, and even though it was winter, many had wonderful gardens on their rooftops. And by the way, I thought February was a fantastic time to be in the Netherlands. No other tourists! We didn't get to see the fields of tulips or the magnificent city landscapings, but the museums were manageable and the trains weren't too packed. As is so often the case when we travel, our happiest times were just spent wandering, getting lost, discovering hidden alleys. And it wasn't too cold either...of course, only Alaskans go to the Netherlands in the winter to warm up!

Relaxing with a beer after our Van Gogh Museum foray. The museum had a special exhibit of Van Gogh's night paintings, centered of course around Starry Night, on loan from NY's MOMA. A headset recording with appropriate music, readings from Van Gogh's letters, and biographical information made the paintings soar to life. I've never before come close to crying in an art museum, but the beauty of the paintings, the intensity of the artist's life, and the music combined to make an overwhelmingly beautiful experience for me. Although many of the paintings are quite famous and the images are common printings in our everyday lives, to see the real painting itself, to study the brushstrokes and lines, is to feel inspired to be near such genius. Another happy museum moment for me was in the Rijksmuseum, with Vermeer's paintings. I have long been a fan of Vermeer's work, particularly his play of light on simple subjects. I felt very blessed to stand in front of his original works, and with museum crowds light at this time of year, one could linger and feel at peace with the art.

Lots of tramping around the Low Lands makes one quite hungry! While enjoying particular Dutch favorites like pannekoeken - as it sounds: pancakes - and split pea soup, good hearty fare, we also made a point to enjoy another cuisine the Dutch are famous for: Indonesian food! Here we are at a traditional rijstaffel. Although that specifically translates to "rice table", more apt would be "sumptuous feast"! Covering our table are perhaps thirty or so samplings of different dishes, all fantastically delicious. A small sampling of thirty dishes ends up equaling a lot of food on your plate! Audie's nephew Alan recently came back from an eight-month backpacking jaunt through southeast Asia, with stops in Indonesia, and says the Indonesian food in Holland is the best!

More of the rijstaffel in the beautiful city of Utrecht, with sister Maddi, nephew Alan, and our waiter. We had a number of very nice family dinners and socials with Maddi's friends while we were there. Visiting family or friends in a foreign locale certainly makes a trip extra special! Audie likes to joke that it always throws him for a loop to hear his sister and nephews conversing fluently in Dutch. It is amusing to watch family members talking freely in a language you can't understand!

I posted this picture on the other blog already, but it's my favorite picture from the Netherlands so I post it here again. This windmill is the same as the first picture on this posting. We awoke one morning in our guest cottage at Maddi's and this was the view from the window! I've seen lots of pretty sunsets in my life, but this is probably the nicest sunrise I've ever been witness to. 

There are many things to admire about the Dutch culture, and the bicycle lifestyle is certainly one of them. Bikes are everywhere, and with everyone riding bikes, they've got to park them somewhere, hence: bike parking garages! The one behind me is three stories high. 

Being so close, we also went to Belgium, to Antwerp, where we enjoyed famous Belgian beer and the most exquisitely delicious hot chocolate I've had in my life. 

Jenny of the Jungle

So after the dry desert extremes of the Atacama Desert, and the staggeringly impressive Machu Picchu and our tour of the Incan realm, we entered one of the other extremes on this planet: the Amazonian rainforest, the place with the highest biodiversity on Earth. It has been one of my life's most important goals to spend time in the Amazonian rainforest, so this was probably my favorite excursion of our entire trip.

We decided to stage this phase of our trip at one of the first lodges ever opened in the rainforest, Explorer's Inn on the Tambopata River.  Audie long had yearned to go there, as his graduate-school roommate had conducted his own research while based at Explorer's. In fact, the grounds around this Inn still hold the world records for the most number of bird species, butterfly species, species of vegetation and other such biodiversity markers.

To get there we flew from Cuzco to the seedy jungle-access city of Puerto Maldonado. A van picked us and a few other guests up at the airport and then we drove for a few hours along a muddy, rutty (potholes as big as the van), bumpy backroad to reach the village from where we'd transfer to a boat for our 3 hour Tambopata River ride to the lodge.

And here is the river: typical muddy, brown river of the Amazonian basin. The Tambopata is a tributary of the Amazon River itself. When I saw this view of the river we had been traveling on, I was so happy: I was in the rainforest!

And here were our trails! We arrived at the height of the rainy season. Thankfully the lodge supplied us with knee-height rubber boots. This is what we were sloshing around in for five days...always quite an adventure. Especially our first morning there, when they woke us up for a 4:30 am Death Slog to the Lake. We hadn't yet seen the condition of the trails, so stumbling about in the dark, trying to avoid falling into muddy pools with possible poisonous snakes swimming around in them, the intense humidity, the mosquitos, the rain, the howler monkeys crying, the hoatzin calling their prehistoric cries: what an introduction to the rainforest! And then when I did trip and quickly learned: don't reach out and grab ANYTHING, because first trip in the mud I grabbed....

one of the arms of the walking palm, above. My cries of terror and pain at the half-inch long needle that impaled and wedged itself into my palm did nothing to teach me about the rule of  "don't touch anything". Because I quickly collapsed in mud again and reached out to steady myself (it's such an instinct!) and grabbed a twig, or something, that was covered in fire ants, upon which hundreds of the devils swarmed onto my hand and arm. Hence: Death Slog to the Lake. Although the lake itself, our destination, was worth it: caimans (one of the alligators), piranhas (I put my finger in the water and one nibbled me!), giant river otters, and many, many birds. 

And the impressive lianas!

And the bugs!

And here I am in our room with my new friend Tomas, one of the lodge's two pet macaws. Such an affectionate bird, he wanted to be with people all the time, so he was constantly passed from one shoulder to the next. 

And here are Tomas' wild cousins, at a claylick we visited early one morning. Some of the fruit that macaws eat in the jungle are difficult to digest and they need certain nutrients in the clay. 

Here I am with one of our guides in a dug-out canoe. A very tippy dug-out canoe. My nerves weren't helped by our other guide telling me the pond was full of piranhas...only when we got to the other side did I learn what a good jokester she was!

 And some enormous trees! Audie and I are here with our bird guide, Reto. 

I loved the jungle, although five days was enough. Jungle rot was starting to set in. My entire torso was covered in small itchy bites, chiggers we believed. Life in the jungle is hard. The constant, intense humidity is a force to deal with. We'd come back from every day's hike just soaking wet, and clothes do not dry out. Clean clothes I had to keep stored in plastic zip-lock bags in my backpack or they'd be just as wet as the clothes I hiked in. My bed (& the lodge only has twin beds...you DON'T want to sleep with anyone!) was wet when I'd crawl in it. We'd dry ourselves off from our cold showers in wet towels. 

Our lodge didn't have electricity, so we only had candles in our room, which I loved. However, the matchbook would get so wet that I'd try to light ten matches before one would finally alight: they were too soaked in humidity to spark! 

Some things I loved about my jungle experience: howler monkeys; night walks with no flashlights to just listen to the amazing night sounds of the forest; the cacique and hoatzin birds; the amazing amount of LIFE everywhere; how overwhelming the color green can become; the German snake-loving guest who tried to find and eventually caught a fer-de-lance (one of the most poisonous snakes that exists) and the lodge employee who let it loose on the lodge grounds!; our night boat rides on the river to look for the red eyes of the caimans; the chef who prepared food gathered from the jungle; and....most of all....just feeling, experiencing, and living in one of the most important ecosystems on this planet, the ancient Amazonian rainforest. I hope to return! But if I don't, I will treasure my time in the Amazon forever. I feel so lucky to have experienced it. 

Machu Picchu

Everyone has already seen tons of pictures of Machu Picchu elsewhere, and better ones too, but here are some of mine. It was drizzling almost the entire time we were there, so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked. But the rain didn't bother me at all: in fact, it created a rather mystical backdrop, more so than sun would have, and evoked mystery and silence. Machu Picchu doesn't disappoint in any weather. Like has been said so many, many times: Machu Picchu is an unforgettable splendor. It is awe-inspiring, humbling, and stirring.

Ready to get on the train to head to the town of Aguas Calientes, where we spent the night in order to get on the first 5 am bus to Machu Picchu in the morning.

Now THIS is a river! The Rio Ucaylali that winds its way around the base of the mountains that house Machu Picchu. On a river-running scale of 1 to 5, I think this one is a  9! A pretty good enemy deterrant, but how did the first Machu Picchu builders cross it?

I love bromeliads, and the forests surrounding Machu Picchu and on the Inca Trail were full of them.

And here are some scenes of the staggering site itself:

We spent almost the entire day wandering around here. From 6 in the morning until about 3 in the afternoon, then we walked back to Aguas Calientes on the Inca Trail, enjoying the lush forests and birdlife.