Post Number 48

Wow...... It has been along time since I sat down and wrote. Let's see.. Other than the plea to try and sell my trailer in April, I really haven't said a word since I announced my engagement way back when. So.. here's something...

Bad cold. That lasted at least four months and was originally diagnosed as COPD. I already forgot what the "C" and the "O" stand for. Possibly.. Chronic and Obstructed. But the PD stands for Pulmonary Disease! Freak out!!! First symptoms of.. Take your choice, chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Long story short. Don't have it. Went to the best Pulmonary Specialist in town and ran a million tests and came up with nothing. Dolphin Lungs he said explaining why the lungs looked swollen or larger than they should. Good news except I still panic in any wave over... double overhead. Dolphin lungs or not. The cold finally ended with an intense inner ear infection and a 20 day run of antibiotics. Needless to say this did keep me out of the water quite a bit but..

Just about the time my birthday rolled around in May. My beautiful wife, Jenny (not a wife yet as of May 14) pulled off the best birthday surprise of all time. She told me we had to go somewhere (couple days before my birthday) to get my present/surprise. So I am thinking what the heck? Plus we had too be there at a certain time?? So I think about this for a couple days and don't really come up with much. My best guess is we are heading out to GoWesty in Los Osos to get a new awning for the the Syncro. This would be very nice, as I obviously need one. We had talked about doing some wine tasting out here but, Why the specific time? Plus she had to get back so it didn't seem quite right. So the day comes and we head out taking the 154 over the Santa Ynez Mountains, out past Paradise Road... Basically on the way to her Mom's in Santa Ynez.


Let me point out now that what I really need is a new surfboard. I have been riding my "vaquero" for almost 4 years, and while still almost always my board of choice.. It is getting soft, and I am suspicious at times.. Now the "vaquero" is shaped by Marc Andreini, who I have never met, but who has completely change my life as far as surfing waves go. The "vaquero" is a "hull design".. What? Think late sixties and early seventies, George Greenough. Kind of a reverse concave.. hmmm... it's a hull really. And really, really fast, at least in the neighborhood around me which includes, Rincon, and 23 other righthand points. I would like to go on about the "vaquero" but, I am heading to Mexico tomorrow, so must move along. Mine is green, and about 7'0". Of course it is a single fin with a 9" high aspect flex fin that allows for turns that spring. They sell them at the Beach House here in SB, right where State St meets the beach...

So we continue on past, Lake Cachuma, countless ranches, and then she says "wait what was the name of that road" We are in the middle of nowhere as far a birthday gifts go. So she gets on her phone and makes a call to a message which I can't quite make out. Then says to look for "Amour Ranch Road" Okay... I got it! We are going on a Hot Air Balloon ride. Not a surfboard, or an awning, but pretty cool. I have seen them float over this region before. Still.. She had to get back?? Just a ploy I guessed. Now she starts asking me what do I think it is? Well... I just figured it out so, I couldn't give it away. So I say.. I thought we were going to GoWesty. Or maybe the wine tasting. Then how I wanted the surfboard.. How I thought maybe, we were going up to get a board personally from Marc Andreni. But he lives way north of here.. Just then we pull onto Amour Ranch Road. I seen a cowboy with a surfboard blank lying across the back. So I pull up to these Vaquero's de los Olas.. Just grinning... Marc pulls out this beautiful blue vaquero out of his van and say's "this must be yours" Well there is a lot more to the story than that but... I was 100% certain I was getting married to the right woman on June 21st, 2007. That's another story but here are some pics... things are good here in Santa Barbara..


Summer Solstice 2007

FOR SALE - BY OWNER - RINCON SURF PARADISE 2 + 1 $119,000

This is the perfect set up for the single surfer, or very small family who needs to live near Rincon. I hate to sell this place but, I'm getting married, and moving to town. I not giving up my position at Indicator but, I will have to drive 15 minutes further now. Arrg...

Anyway... This is an all ages park. I have lived here by myself mostly, for the past five years. My kids are up here more often than not, so it is very livable for a minimalist family of three. The second bedroom is really what I would call a "half bedroom" or maybe an "Alcove" The wall was removed to give it more space. Great for traveling surf bros that might stop by, or a kid or two. You might think Rincon is too crowded? A lot of days it is.. But... a lot of days IT IS NOT! When you live two minutes from there, I guaranty you are going to catch it good. Yes I said Guaranteed!!! Did I say how great Carp is? Best town in America. You can get anywhere on your bike in about ten minutes, usually faster than jumping in your car. There are only "3" street lights in the whole town!!! I usually only deal with one. Santa Barbara is great but... I really do hate to leave Carp...

About the place... Nestled in a well maintained park, right next to Carpinteria Creek. My place is on a dead end lane, so it is pretty quiet, and has some nice views of Rincon Mountain, and the Santa Ynez Range. The creeks is right there, along with a bike path, which is also short cut under the freeway to the market. Farmers Market is on Thursday. The closest surf spot is TarPits. About 5 minutes by bike. That is also the closest beach at the State Park (camping), also there is Jelly Bowls the summer hang out for locals. You could walk it in 15 minutes but why? Bikes are fun! You are also right near the Northern, Southern California's only seal rookery. Sick Oxnard Barrels are about 25 minutes to the south, Ventura is about 15 minutes with surf spots all the way down. El Capitan, is about 35 minutes north, with about 20 right hand points in between... The space rent is running me about $575 per month right now but I don't know how they do it when new owners come in. Should be about the same though...

This is an old single wide. Classic... 1969 It's old school, made of aluminum,and of course, paneling inside. This is some of the nicest paneling going though. Take a look at some other old single wides, and you will see what I mean. There are not many of these single wides left. This means you usually are going to have to pay around $200,000 to get anything. We did look at the option of putting in a new doublewide in here but... to tell you the truth, those things have no style what so ever. I would rather live in a Yurt. My place is a wider than average single wide, with a nice extension, and raised ceilings in the living room. The porch is nice and roomy, far superior to any of the new double wide options... The kitchen is pretty roomy, but I am running my business out of it so no photo's yet. I am painting the bathroom as well. The living room is comfortable and quite livable. The bedrooms are small and really made for sleeping or napping. People... Please stop working so hard and take a nap! The carport is great and keeps my Westy nice and clean. It is also perfect for your 22' Foot Outrigger. Where am I going to put that?

You will need new carpet. It has a small yard... Some other repairs are inevitable. I will gladly pay for all of that, if possible, through escrow... Email me for more a slide show if you like.. If you have your own agent great. I need someone to put all the legal details together.

Last detail for now... I am getting Married on the Summer Solstice in June, so the place will not be ready for move in till early July!

BREAKING IT DOWN...

Some complained my last post was a bit unclear, confusing, muddled, hard to read between the lines. So I will try to clear things up a bit. A double overhead wave is basically, just how it sounds. About twice the size off the average human, about 10'-12' from the top of the lip to the trough, or bottom of the wave. Yes, I'm getting married. You could also call a wave this size, about 6'. The only valid reasoning on this, would be that the open ocean swell which creates a wave this size, would be about 6'. Depending on wave period (distance between wave peaks), the period also plays a huge affect on the size as the swell finally hits the shore. it may very well jack into a 12' wave face, maybe bigger, and often smaller. It will be a small intimate affair at the beach, of course. Another cool reason for calling a 12' wave, 6', would be, when someone asks you how big it is, you could say " It's about six foot, pretty fun" Then they can paddle out, and get completely worked by six foot waves, they go in thinking they are wimpy and out of shape. The Hawaiians use this technique the best by calling everything "3 feet, maybe 4', brah" Yes, we do have a tentative date picked out, but I can't tell you now. Most people are using the knee, waist, chest, head, overhead, overhead++, double overhead, etc... Wave height systems which of course has it's flaws. Yesterday in the Goleta, I had it in the Overhead to Overhead++ range which is just about perfect for me. I am super happy to be getting married to my best friend, lover, soul mate, camper, surfer girl, nurse, massage therapist, on and on.. oh... and did I mention she learned to snowboard in about 3 days. The point is when it hits solid double overhead.. it is all business... If you would like to know more about the surf try this. Wetsand.. do not support Wave cams!

SWEET SUNRISE...

Along long, long, time ago, on a small organic farm, far, faraway, in Eastern Washington.. There was a little girl. She called herself... Sunrise Over the years, many roads were taken, many paths were crossed, a wrong turn here, a wrong turn there, then a butterfly flapped it's wings, halfway across the world, and... we almost met. Almost... she surfed the Cove, and I at Indicator. I new she drove a brown Westy' much like mine, and she new I drove a red one. What she didn't know was, there was an upper parking lot at Rincon. So on we went, close, but I never even saw her van.

Till one Wednesday, December 21st, 2005. Typical of most Wedensdays that fall on the Winter Solstice... The waves were huge! Of course we missed each other again that day. She going south to Rincon to watch the some nuts, skilled professionals, and local kamakazes, take off on the triple overhead lines marching around the little corner by the sea. La Rincon del Mar.. Waking up early to see just how big it was going to be, I went out to the bluffs here in Carp, and watched a wave feather and break way outside Venaco's Pier. No boats coming in or out out of there today, and no way I am getting in the water anywhere near here. So I took off to the north, to find something. Something maybe, in the double overhead range. They say the difference between an overhead wave, and a double overhead wave, is like the difference between pleasure, and business. Not being much of a business man these days, I can't even imagine the difference between double overhead and triple overhead...

When the ocean gets this big, things change... Houses wash away, land is rearranged, and large boulders are moved around like rubber ducks in the bath tub. If you paddle on out there for awhile, you will change too. At the very least, you are going to come in with a very clear head. To the point... "She's surfs, and drives a WestFalia? I would have to be an idiot to not go out with her" So it was on, December 27th, 2005... Giving up on a meeting at Rincon, as the surf continued to pound, we choose the slightly more protected waters of Campus Point in Goleta, well.. on the UCSB campus. I got there a little early, definitely nervous, but hey it was just a meet for a surf, no worries mate' A brown Westy' finally pulls up.. This cute woman with blue eyes, long beautiful hair, an awesome body, and two dogs jumps out of the only Brown Westy' I could see in either direction. And I thought to myself... "She loves dogs, drives a WestFalia, and Surfs.. I am definitely going to marry this woman"



Sunset.. December 27, 2005 The end of a great day,
and the start of something even greater...

A LETTER TO SURFLINE!

WTF... What's with all the new reports?? el cap, the shores, come on... Give us a fucking break. You don't even check these sites out in person anyway so, why are they listed? It's fucking misleading and a travesty. Is this to impress the sheep with your full coastal coverage? Or.. just to make things even more crowded, so you can make even more money selling expensive trips to uncrowded locations around the world. Which btw are becoming even more crowded as well. Fuck you, you money grubbing corporate sheep herders...

don

just north of la conchita...

ps..

I have nothing against your forecasts. Forecasts, swell direction, technical info is great. So are a lot of the other things on your site. Surf news, Local Knowledge, bring it on, Photo's... Just get rid of all the cams, and individual spot reporting, and have some class. There are enough cell phones to get the word out..

Click here to send your own letter...

FreeSurfReport

THE SUMMER OF '76 - BAHNE 30"

I am remember this clearly... for the most part. I was up on a family vacation in Mammoth Lakes, CA. Duel purpose trip actually. Little bit of the summer vacation but, more importantly we had just bought the family condo. Here, check out the condo cam for a live update...
By the way. The kids and I, as well as Jenny, and Julia are heading there this Saturday, to spend Christmas in the snow.. I get mixed feelings from people on this one. On one hand... Hey! I want my own new traditions. On the other hand, my Parents, Grandma, and all others involved seem to have their own traditions, which usually involve heading to my Mom's in the morning for gifts, Locks & Bagels, then on to Grandma Kathy's for the BEST MACARONI IN THE WORLD.. I am not kidding, it's the best. Not to mention my beautiful girlfriend, Jenny, and her family traditions. Ok.. I am getting way off track here but bare with me, and quite possibly I will be able to "loop back" ( my new writing term learned from Allan C Weisbecker, my new writing guru) I guess "looping" is highly frowned upon by "idiot editors" and other people in publishing, that "don't actually do any writing" I may loop back to Allan's new book, "Can't you get along with anyone?" but hopefully not in this blog which has gone uncontrollably off the rails. This of course would be a double loop back, which is best reserve for roller coasters, and not early morning blogs.

Looping back to Christmas, and then on with the story, I swear… We are living in the most perfect location in So Cal, if not the world, most of the year so... I want to go to the snow for Christmas. That is simple enough. Although, with the advent of the new Driftwood Christmas Trees, and the likely Christmas Swell… I will stay around next year. (That was almost going in the direction of a triple loop, and it is only 8:30 in the morning) Why Mammoth? The kids don't get off all the time for school these days to go skiing, like I used too so.. Got to hit it for the holidays.. Ok now, here we go..

Back to the summer of '76. The big bi-centennial. Despite the mass genocide we perpetuated on the Native Americans, and recent Vietnam war, not too many people wanted us dead. It was a good 200 years.. The US was a pretty cool place, and quite possibly worth celebrating. So comes the Mammoth Lakes, 4th of July Parade, down Main St.. Starting up at Whiskey Creek, moving on down the slight incline on Main, pass the little hole in the wall ski shop known as The Cornice. (RIP) Then on past Andersen’s Pea Soup Restaurant. (RIP) Yes! Hap Pea & Pea Wee, both lived in Mammoth at one time serving up the finest split pee soup known to man. Oh well, that's gone too. So is the one in Carlsbad, and possibly to one way up north on Interstate 5. Well if you do happen to visit Andersen’s in Buellton. Take a look at the place mats and you will see Mammoth Lakes clearly on the road map. (Don’t forget to head over to the Hitching Post for dinner and a bottle of the Corkdancer, or Highliner, Pinot Noir’s , quite good, and made famous in the movie Sideways) I won’t be looping back to Buellton anytime soon, so this is more of a “Sideways Note”

The parade continued on past Safeway, now Von's, and in a different location all together, and was replace by Thrifty's which as you may know is now Rite Aid. What's this have to do with skateboarding? Good Question.. We sat somewhere in-between Whiskey Creek, and Andersen’s Pee Soup, on the right side on the road for the up- coming parade. Basically it was going like any small town parade . Some floats, mayors, city council, maybe the McCoy’s, the fire dept, ya know... Wait. What's this? Some early skateboard team ( Possibly Hobie, but definitely a team, noted by the matching uniforms... gag) I was a 14 year old, sheltered valley kid, and had never seen anything so cool... My life plans took a direct hit that day, and no longer did it seem I was going to become a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams. This was it. I checked out a small contest they threw in the Cornice parking lot, then went into the Cornice Sports Shop and just drooled over this 30" Bahne they had on display. I had to have that board! Well, my folks didn't see it that way, and it took some time but eventually I was able to procure one from my future arch nemesis, Val Surf... They were after all, the Skateboard Capital of the World. It's was weeks later, but finally, I had in my hands... A Bahne 30" Fiberglass deck, complete with Chicago Trucks, and Cadillac Wheels, just like this one…



This board looked great in the store but, no kicktail, and not really what I was after I think. So I took it to Big Bear with my friend Kenny, who also witnessed the Mammoth Skate Demo, and his folks, Ken & Kitsy, who was fortunately a nurse, for some high speed downhilling.. more on that later...

Note: Since I am now blogging in three locations... I have decided to make this my main blog in which I will repost any other blogs, I might be doing over at the Green Sector Underground, or donjayne music, or anywhere else... Thanks!

More notes and numbers.. I have just past 500 feedback points for RinconRaxWorks. Since only about 50% of the people leave feedback that's not easy. Today as I write this I am at 509 positive feedback points... 100% Positive. See this eBay thing is a piece 'o cake compare to having a store. I guess thats the worry. Also "Reckless Love" has now surpassed 300 Plays, which is definitely, a gold record I think! haha

Happy Holidays to all and have fun. "There is much to think about but, nothing to worry about" - Sara Jayne

OVER HERE... LOOK! - ANOTHER BLOG

I had a visit from Mr Sean Cliver, last Friday, to shoot some photo's for another book he's working on. I am quite sure most of you are unaware who Sean is, so check out his site right now. disposable - the book..

At any rate, I have been wanting to put my own collection up on the web ever since the shop closed and my collection ended up tucked away in my closet, or worse, sold off for cash. ouch! So... this was the perfect time to, shoot along with Sean while everything was out. Skateboards that is. Most of my Snowboards are locked in a shed, I have lost the key for. It's just one of those weeks. Oh well.. I did manage to shoot most of my skates and they are now posted here. the greensector... underground... Sorry Trav, for stepping on your name but... we are underground.. and you can't find us! btw.. The Green Sector Underground, was the original name for the swap meet biz which lasted two weeks before my head exploded from all the success! This would also be a good time to credit Mr. Vince Kitchen, for pulling that name, Green Sector 27, out of thin air... More on that some day. Something about.. Red Sector A! Santa Cruz and fungus...


Well... I have grand delusions of re-releasing some of the old t-shirts and stuff, and hopefully reconnecting with a lot of the old friends & customers, from the halcyon days of my retail carreer, I loved so much, sometimes.. Ha. If nothing else this is where you can now publicly view, the Green Sector Skate, Snow, and Surf Museum. Plus you don't miss the my new blog detailing one misguided boy's journey from, bright starry eyed 8 year old, with a Hobie Super Surfer and a skinned knee, to highly successful yuppie snowboard shop guy, to surfing recluse, ensconced in an aluminum trailer, about 2 minutes from the Queen of the Coast, with a beautiful woman 15 minutes to the north, and two beautiful daugthers a half hour to the south. No wonder all the oil blew out the back of my van. Criky!! From the east to the west. to the north and south. Oh crap, this going to take awhile..

A long, long, time ago... My Grampa Bob had this really cool Hobie Super Surfer hanging up on the wall in his garage. I couldn't help but notice it. He was a carpenter and had ton's of woodworking equipment in the garage. This board is still in my collection. It's missing the sticker, and the Super Surfer Wheels but, If you look closely, you can see the hole he drilled in there to hang it on the wall... But he didn't build this. This was something else. Something very cool, I thought. I was probably in second or third grade, making me... Hmmm about 8, I guess.

VANARU UPDATE???

Well... I guess I should update you a bit on the Subie 2.2 Conversion... It is faster! Much faster!! It is fun to drive... more funner.. ha... It acts and feel like a normal car, and it even get a bit better gas mileage. All of the oil came out yesterday, and spewed all over the back end of the van... Waaahahhaaa. I should end this blog right now, here, before I cry, but no... I am going on. I don't know what happened yet, and almost don't want to hear. I can only hope it has something to do with the oil pump they resealed a couple weeks ago.

When I signed up for this deal.. I was under the impression that these were used engines that Seth at Mastercraft, took apart, looked at, said there's nothing to fix here, and closed them up. Actually, what he said was... The engines they have been rebuilding, have looked really good inside, and we can throw one of these used ones in with for "X" amount of money, and thats - how I can do this conversion for "X" amount of money. Well... that is still sounding pretty good to me. Because these subie engines are pretty reliable, and you can get three low mileage engines for the price of one rebuild. About 45,000 miles according to Seth... Not to mention, the first used one they put in for someone else, has been rolling along great I understand. Ok... That's all I can say about it for now.

I did enjoy a nice little trip out to Jalama a couple weeks ago, the heater was still malfunctioning at that point, but the engine was running well. It was great to go back there, and we are heading there this weekend for Sara's 14th Birthday, and some Jalama Burgers. We may have to take Jenny's, stand by Westy... but it is all good! Btw... I now know how Jalama's premier surf spot, Tarantula's, got it's name, and it not the fact that it gets big, hairy, and has sharp fangs...

SAYING GOODBYE TO THE WASSER BOXER...

Yesterday was the day. I have made the decision to go with the Subaru's Legacy 2.2 Liter Engine, in my beloved Syncro Westy. Seth down at H&R on Haley, now Mastercraft Motors, will be doing the work. Seth has been working on both my vans for years, is the best, most honest mechanic I have ever known, and the preeminent Subaru Conversion Specialist in the country... Sunday afternoon, the alternator went down. No biggie, unless your engine is on the way out, and you are thinking, conversion! I called too see how much for alternator and, Seth made me an offer on Subie, I couldn't refuse. I feel a little torn by parting with the old German Wasser Boxer engine, in favor of the more polished construction of the Japanese 2.2 Liter Boxer, by Subaru. My WBX has lasted a remarkable 180,000+ miles, and was not really done yet. Most recently it was the alternator. It seemed set to go another 10,000 or more but was showing signs. More leaks, Loss of Power, Loudy, loudy, Louder!!! So before I threw more money to the beast and it's impending doom, something jogged free in my head, and I had a sudden peace come over me, and knew this was the time...

180,000 is quite a long run for the 2.1 WBX. My former Westy was out at 132,000, Which seems quite a popular number. Jenny's, a 1985 with the 1.9 WBX was out at 162,000. So anyway I was quite proud of the my WBX. (Hey this one didn't even have Vanagon Syndrome) Well.. it just made it's final trip/ adventure up to Grass Valley, down an extremely hot Highway 49 through Gold Country, out to Yosemite before heading over Tioga Pass. The highest route over the sierra's before ending in Mammoth. It got us where we needed to go. Ah yes.. Quite slowly some times, in second gear to be sure. See Kalie’s Sweet Sixteen Blog for more on that trip. This really wasn't an easy decision to make because... I really like VW's!

There are lots of options out there for the under powered 6000 lb beast. VW's Syncro Transporter with Westfalia full Camper Conversion. Here' would be a good time to mention. This is not just a camper. It's my daily driver. Despite living only 2 miles from Rincon, it seems I drive a million miles a year. Kids in Oxnard, Jenny in SB, a few trips a years, and I easily do 20,000 miles a year... Well, there a lot of choices, to be sure, on the conversions. But, really there were only three I was thinking about.

1. The VW 2.0 TDI


2. The Subaru 2.2 Legacy


3. Another 2.1 WBX

Well... the TDI is my dream engine. It's German and stays in the VW family. I like the higher miles per gallon, better torque, the possibility of running veggie oil. I don't know much else because I have never really seen one. Or heard it run... Louder.. Loudy… Loudy? Well anyway,it's expensive, realitivly speaking, and the cleanest work on those seems to be coming from David Marshall's Fast Forward Shop, out of Vancouver BC, I think. I am not sure I could even have made it that far. Ok I don't have that kind of money anyway... Not to mention possible the Smog Hassle with CARB. (California Air Regulatory Board or something like that) I have heard everything from, You can't put a diesel in a gas power vehicle in California at all. Period. To.. lot's of hassle and paperwork. Yet... I have also heard it's as simple has filling out a "change of motive" form at the DMV stating this vehicle now runs on diesel.

As far as getting a new WBX. I was pretty certain this was the way to go for me. I am not too worried about speed. The WBX does fine on flat roads and downhill. Mine actually used to pull the San Marcos Pass at 50 mph, which is not bad. It pulled grapevine about the same. Anything steeper though and you were shifting between 2nd and 3rd way more than necessary.. It even seemed fine off-road with the low granny gear I thought hey, not to shabby! Possibly a new WBX by Go Westy, in Los Osos, who seem to be making some great engines, from the original WBX but… The best of those, are also pricey and worse, require premium gasoline, Ouch. Oh come on the Wbx... it is really slow, and I could use a little extra power off-road for sure...

Ok... Why the Subie. Well... Like I said, Seth, has been my mechanic since I had the 2wd Westy, and started dreaming of owning a Syncro. He always had a few in the shop, and I was awestruck by how such an ingenious vehicle could ever me made. Four wheel drive, Air lock Differential, These things can do some fairly serious wheeling, in you don't tip them over. .. When you get there. Pop the top, crack open, an ice cold beer out of the frig, hahe, and whip up some dinner. Take a nap, go to sleep, whatever. You can't beat them, they are the best vehicle ever made, and I am never selling mine. They turn on the dime, are fun to drive, carry just about anything you would ever want, and you can whip up some tea, at a moments notice. Not to mention. It is a great daily driver, and far cooler the those freakin, mini vans. Hehahe.. But, why the Subie… I will let Seth explain

Seth Hatfield on the Subaru Conversion

Here it is... Looks better than factory.
Click on it, to check out Seth's Shop!

There are about eight million more viewpoints, counterpoints, and pointless ramble out there... Get on the Yahoo Syncro list, and you will see what in mean, it is definitely ,a very sensitive issue. And I don't think there is a definitive answer really. But, hey Seth is my mechanic... He has people coming in from all over the country to get the Subie Conversion. Man, I am right down the road. Subie! That is my final answer. Take this thing to Mastercraft Motors on Haley…

On a side note… It’s not by coincidence, I just put some very expensive Vintage Skateboards up on eBay. With some more to follow… Maybe some Snow Stuff too.

RinconRaxWorks

RANDOM ALASKA...

The fishing was great!
I love this pic of me reeling in this one..



We are heading to are final destination, Vancouver, and should arrive tommorow morning. I thought this is a good time to touch on some random pictures and thoughts...



Coffee... It grinds and makes a great fresh cup of coffee every time. Lattes, Cap's Esspresso, you name it. It got me by but… There is no subsitute for Jen’s stove top esspresso maker, which makes a hella strong cup, and is then knocked down a bit with some milk and honey. Seen here aboard the glamorous, SS Westy.

We really didn't see a lot of wildlife. For that I recommend, Paradise Road, in SB. We did see a few humpbacks, a couple goats, and this Bald Eagle. No Killer Whales... But maybe today...



There is nothing quite like landing in the middle of a misty glacial lake, hopping out and hanging ten on the pontoons. I can just imagine going to all these back country lakes, fishing, hiking. Maybe checking all the surf spots too. This is the best way to get around Alaska.



Everyone says it just rains here all the time. This day in Ketchikan was really the only day it rained. Sara... lovely with here polka dot umbrella..




Of course we had a pool, shuffle board, paddle tennis, and ping pong.. The the tender getting us to shore in Ketchikan, and Sitka. Oh yeah... The wildlife parks, Museums, Rings, and things, the Train Ride to the Klondike, Stunning scenery everywhere you look, food, food, and more food..




The Beaver. Our ship is in the background.

FLOATPLANES IN TONGASS...

Big… That’s what Alaska is. It is fucking huge. It is impossible to capture in a photo. No matter how you line up your shot, it comes up short. There is just too much. The fish are big. The bears are big. The Moose are big. The water is deep, and the whole freakin state is half the size of the US. (I think) Really… I wished I ended that whole big thing,a whole lot bigger than that. Because, it is big. Today, our port of call was Ketchikan… The Salmon capital of the world. It was named by one of the early founders. You ketch ‘em, we’ll kan ‘em. Salmon, that is. According to local bus driver legend….


So… Today was pretty fun.. I was actually having my best day of the trip, till the time my dad made a comment about Bloodlines, Native Americans, and Europeons, and I got up, and walked way from dinner. I love my Mom and Dad, and I would probably be a homeless pyscho bum without them, but there is no way, no how... Oh well, whatever, never mind forget it! Anyway, before that, my Dad, Kalie, and I, took a great excursion aboard the Beaver... Floatplanes, second to only the Otter. Really, I don’t know which one we were on but, this was the small one. It is a great feeling being aboard one of these pricey yet, floaty toys. Being a water person, I don’t know why I would fly any other way. We flew an Ama (one pontoon off the water, banking, while taking off) on the take off out of this lake.. Unbeleivable!

The taxi out, and take off were smooth as butter. In what locals would call October weather. If you were a local you would know what I was talking about, if not, that means… Rainier and windier than usual. Which means… considering it rains 13 - 16 FEET a year, it wasn’t the best day for flying. Really, it wasn’t that bad compared to the year La Conchita slid as far as I am concerned. Either of those years.

Our destination is the Misty Fjords. Now if you have been paying attention, a fjord is a deep granite valley cut by glaciers and filled with water. Kind of like Yosemite, but filled with water. I don’t know what the deepest ones are, but I hear 1200 to 1500 feet deep all the time out here. The Misty’s are filled with both sea level ocean water and higher elevation lakes. This is what I mean by BIG! I was taking in up to three elevations of fresh water, waterfalls, and connecting streams, along with a big deep fjord of sea water all in one view. This all took place in the TongAss National Forest. Anyway… None of the pictures can really show what it is all about, and next time I come up here will be in the much slower, yet trusty, Westy. But have a look anyway.. Btw, click on the pictures for a full view…

I know My Mom and Dad read this from time to time so… I will take this time to publicly thank them for this trip. While we are completely different, I had a great time, I still love you, and wish you another 45 years of happy marriage. Jenny, I love you, wish you were here, or I can’t wait to get back! This is our last port of call before Vancouver and I hope to find you the appropriate gift. Shaq, Kobe, Fish, Fox… Wait that’s the book I’m reading. Ok… Charlie. I really think you really belong up here flying Beavers and Otters into the Misty Fjords of Ketchikan. When I think of Alaska, I always think of you ,and your family canoeing down the Yukon when we were kids….

CAPITAL CITY!

It was freakin hot! (Over 80) In the capital city of Alaska today.... Guess_______ I can't escape the heat! Hint... It starts with a J. Speaking of J, I would like to play a game of scrable with Jenny today, or play anything really. That's it. It is way to hot. Just like California. Except for a ton of Salomon jumping all over the freakin' place. J_____ is a small town with about a 100 jewelery shops. Reminds me of Big Bear Lake except with whales, and the float planes. Oh Okay... It's better than that. I just miss Jen... Ok. More tommorrow from aboard the Seven Seas Mariner. MATU UTU... Take me to the South Pacfic. Ok, I am whipped. But... since when was that a bad thing? Bye!

SITKA!!!

On the way to Whittier.... AK

Hey… First off, I really, really, really, miss my better half , Jenny I love you! Whaahha. It’s hard to explain what goes on in ones head when I am are here to have fun on the trip of " a life time" Yet, a huge chunk of me is missing. Oh well. I love my kids and... Today my parents were remarried by the Captain of the ship. Phillipe?? It should have been me. Haha.. Not really. Ok, Really Reckless... YES! I do! Just came back from the fanciest restaurant aboard the ship, so I might, be slurring my writing a bit here. Ahhhhhh… grgr. The wedding was pretty informal despite the informal attire, which in fact, if quite formal in my opinion. Finally got to break out the Volcom Blazer today though, because my Dad had an excellent pair of Callaway slacks that matched perfectly! Four!!! I have a Big Bertha so this fits in fine with my way of life.

It is 10:36 PM tonight and still light, of course. I’m down her in the Library/Game Room/Internet café/Coffee machine deluxe center. Just push a button and you coffee dreams come true. For me it’s a Cappuccino and a shot of espresso… Despite cabin fever, excess food and excess drink, it has been pretty fun. Yesterday we closed in on the Hubbard Glacier. It made huge thundering sounds as it calved into itself and the see. An awesome site for sure but, many years ago it extended out another 35 miles down the fjord and stood about 2000 feet tall. Can you please go around and turn off your lights… Thanks you! That’s easy for me to say as I sit upon the grand mariner or grand opulence or… whatever this is… The ship of so much excess that they don’t even use 50% of the silverware, or dishes at your table. I guess, in a way it is self contained so maybe I could let that go…. Maybe…

The weather was freakin unbelievable today. It probably hit seventy, easy… The water is 57 degrees and tempting. Coming off my high jumping escapades I was thinking sixth floor easy.. But you can’t leave the boat without them swiping your card, sop…. Oh well. It’s beautiful… I wish I was getting married myself. Oooppppss. No, really, I do! Trees, islands, whales, salmon, puffins, and even the grandest, most regal of birds, the Bald Eagle! Really… America’s bird, just kicking it at the harbor entrance. Almost unreal looking that bird. But alas. This is the perfect day for salmon fishing and it was great… Four hours or fishing bliss with just Kalie, Mike, Captain Marcellus, and myself. ( he didn’t look like a Marcellus) Marc… took us to his killer hot spot, and we were hooking up in a matter of seconds. Both Mike and I losing fish simultaneously on cue. I lost the first Silver of the day. We only kept the Silvers, the Pinks are going back. Never saw a King all day. Everyone had a great time and we had the boat to ourselves. Cost of each of the fish we are sending home. Well at least $200 each. Yummy! Canoeing on the Mendahal glacier tomorrow. Bye… Love you Jen!!!! It’s dark.. As it gets. Blog Time 11:14



Sitka... Free Faliin'