It comes forth...The Incident

So some retro pics are up. I was finally able to download these off my camera. More to come now that I can access my card again. Laura at the base of one of the water falls at the site of, "The Incident."

Imagine all these birds going up...something has to come down.

Laura and our friend Angela.

A little hike back in to the woods to get away from the seal that was following us.

So the story goes. We went kayaking in Whittier before we got on the ship to head south. It was a pretty good day, first time the town had seen sun in a couple of weeks. We met up with Angela, suited up for our kayak trip and launched off. It was the first time Laura and I had ever been sea kayaking, some of you may have heard about the tandem river trip we took the year before but thats another story.

Angela guided us out and things were going fine and I'm looking around my boat and thinking to myself, " I'm very vulnerable right about now, I mean anything can just come right up and tip this sucker over." So I decided to ask Angela about it. She says it has never happened in Whittier but she heard of a sea lion smashing a guys boat down in the San Fran Bay. Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow begins to lurk in the water. A head pops up...it a seal, a big one. Following us. We rushed to the next cove with it following no less than 10 feet behind Laura. We later find out it was a harbor seal and doesn't really do much, just curious. Not so exciting, but a nice experience for us. We continue to paddle out to the other side of the bay to a seagull rookery. The following is what occurred, identities have been masked to protect the innocent.

Photos from the road, by laura

Our trip in photos, from Tucson to Sedona,

Slide Rock to the Grand Canyon,

and Zion to Las Vegas (of all places,)


I think that the Grand Canyon was my favorite of all our stops. It was the only time we stayed two nights camping in a row. We were able to settle a little bit, and visit the park two different times, and they were so different! The first night we got there, we caught the sunset and enjoyed a mellow stroll on the rim trail. The next morning, we got up REALLY early and hiked 3 miles down into the canyon. I was the voice of reason and kept us from going farther, although it was quite tempting...it was getting hot, and we weren't really that prepared. So the 3 miles down gave us a slightly different perspective, although in such a large place, it's amazing how little 3 miles seems! We left the canyon, and continued north, making it to Zion National Park in southern Utah. It was my first time in Utah. I highly recommend making it to Zion. It's beautiful! Talk about feeling small. And there are so many different opportunities there depending on what you want...intense hiking, mellow hiking, wading through water into the "narrows" of the canyon, climbing, ...almost anything! We went for the mellow hiking and wading through some water, and finished our evening off with sitting underneath hanging gardens. It was like it was raining! Water seeps out of the rocks, and gives life to so many plants, vines and flowers, just right on the rock. It's really amazing.
Vegas was a world in and of its own. I'm glad we went. It was interesting. I played 3 slot machines, and put an end to my gambling while I was ahead. The Elvis button was my big score! haha. $40 richer. Thank you Elvis. And thanks to college friend Mimi and her husband Matt for being so inviting and letting us crash at their house, chill with their dogs, and use their shower, after not bathing for 5 days. That was nice. :)
Our last stop was through Flagstaff. I was grateful for the opportunity to cool off after a hot few days in Vegas. We stopped in a local food joint, got some dinner, and a sweet camping tip from the owner. A 20 minute drive took us out of town and up to a lake. We saw a herd of elk, Jeff witnessed a huge shooting star, and we woke up to birds chirping from all sides. It almost sounded like Nome!

Knee Driving, Glop Foot, and Vegas (posted by jeff)

So we find our bodies in Vegas. Hmmm... Vegas, not sure its all its cracked up to be but we are going to the Strip this afternoon. So from the beginning. Laura and I got tired of the hot so our solution was to drive north to the Grand Canyon. WE FOUND IT!!! Took some side trips to get there, went through Sedona ( Slide Rock...yeah for natural water slides, Laura experienced a fall but walked away unscathed), Flagstaff, scenic drove through the forest then spent two days at the South Rim. We watched the sunset on the first night, holding each other on the rim of the Canyon watching the sky turn every shade of pink and purple, all the while Germans chatted in the back ground. Our second day found us going down the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail. We woke up around 5:30 am to reach our point before the sun cooked us. It was well worth it and had breakfast in the canyon overlooking Indian Springs. We left the next day and headed to Glenn Canyon to swim, and bathe, in the Colorado River. I think we spent more time walking through muddy water and sinking into sediment up to our ankles than any other activity. Laura appropriately named this condition " Glop Foot" as mud would cake on to our feet so thick we would gain 3 inches of height and ten pounds of glop on our feet. We made it out alive and are now in Las Vegas. After all the beauty of Zion, Grand Canyon, and Sedona I'm not sure that this city thing is for me. More to come with pictures.

A blur to Tucson, by laura

On a Ben & Jerry's quest to the grocery store tonight, as the sun was past setting at 7:45pm, I was realizing how far we have come in the past three weeks. From the Nome, Alaska summer sun, through Anchorage clam digging in the rain, bundled in goretex, trains, ferries, buses, biking and sunburning in Portland, we've finally made it to our temporary destination. And the biggest question we've been answering, is, "What's your plan?" Saying we don't have one feels equally freeing and irresponsible. But we're trying to keep our heads on our shoulders and enjoy it at the same time. Tucson has been an interesting comfort to me. The wide open sky feels reminiscent of Nome, just...hotter. But the time meeting Jeff's family has been nice, and we're planning trips as I type. First, this week, we'll be exploring the southwest, and heading to Sedona and the Grand Canyon! I'm really excited.
Our trip south was wonderful. We went clam-digging in Anchorage, kayaking in Whittier, and glacier-viewing in Juneau, all because of Nome friends for whom I'm very thankful. We met some new friends along the way too! John and Bob, a couple middle-aged English blokes joined us at our set of seats on the train ride from Anchorage to Whittier. We learned they are venturing from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica before Christmas, hopefully, assuming all goes to plan. They shared an adventurous spirit and told us of days sailing around islands in Indonesia and across the Atlantic. They turned up on our ferry from Whittier to Juneau, and invited us to stay in their cabin, as they had extra beds, to keep us from sleeping on the boat deck, as we planned. After a short deliberation, Jeff and I decided it could only make for a more interesting trip, and we took them up on it! We were sad to part with them in Juneau. Luckily we were able to hold onto a few more friends to spend some time with. The second leg of the ferry trip from Juneau to Bellingham was long, but exciting. We saw some great places in Southeast Alaska, and enjoyed the forced relaxation that ferry-riding requires. And what a luxurious place! I was impressed. We popped our tent up right out on the deck, enjoyed places to sit and enjoy some quiet, watched movies, had a drink (or two) in the bar, and even played music in there at the bartender, Tony's, request. It was a fun time for sure! The tent community was great. We met a great couple from Seattle, who spent an entire sunny afternoon out on the ferry deck, talking about great places we should move.

In Bellingham we spent the morning relaxing with some good food, enjoying a good bookstore, and taking advantage of the cupcake store! for a birthday treat. It was a glorious day. Jeff sang (quietly) to me on the bus on our way to Seattle as I sat with my cupcake in my lap, waiting to take a bite. Then we hopped on the train to Portland, and made it just in time, thanks to a really nice busdriver, to hear my friends Colin and Brian play a set downtown. She even invited me up for a song!
Portland was day after day of sunshine, biking, and amazing food. Jeff and I loved the city, and loved how accessible it is on bike. We explored downtown, went to a giant street fair, ate, and ate, and ate. Colin and Brian were the nicest of hosts, and even took us out to the Gorge on our last day. We did some hiking, and saw some amazing waterfalls, dipped our toes in some not freezing water (Jeff got all the way in!) and we ended up on a grassy bank overlooking the river, basking in the sun, watching colorful kiteboarders soar through the air.
Ever since arriving in Tucson, I've been amazed at how VAST this city is. It's not for me, but we're enjoying being here. Meeting Jeff's family has definitely been a good thing, and it's fun to see him reunited with his precious Karly dog. After realizing who he was, when we first got here, she plopped her massive Newfie body at his feet, whining and crying away, as he rubbed her down. I think she missed him.
I miss Nome a lot. We've been able to speak to a few, and have been keeping in touch through Facebook stalking. Hopefully this will help too. I sometimes can't believe we just aren't on a big vacation with intentions to return...but I guess you never know! For now, we're exploring possibilties in this lower 48 country.