hello jessica

Savannah, Georgia!

2010-02-03T15:55:00.000-08:00

Seven more days at sea after leaving Panama and we arrived in Savannah, Georgia. My first day off there, I did the touristy route along River Street and witnessed first hand the gobs of candy stores and sweets shops. It was absolutely nauseating. I didn't venture past the main tourist drag that day, but I still found the city quite charming. Everyone was so friendly, too.

The first of many good meals in Savannah at Vic's on the River. I had the Reuben with homemade corned beef and some really good wine here overlooking the water.

SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) and Leopold's Ice Cream, two highlights of Broughton Street. Leopold's in particular makes really good ice cream.

One night it was particularly cold so I took refuge next to the fire in the haunted basement of the Olde Pink House. Did I mention Savannah is (reportedly) a very haunted city? Full of ghost stories and historical tragedies, I couldn't resist going on a nighttime walking ghost tour. What fun!

Savannah was a city built on a grid around twenty four squares, of which twenty one still remain. These squares that boast the Spanish moss dripping oaks (except for one square that is reportedly haunted and grows no moss) and ample park benches punctuate the main streets giving the city a more homey laid-back atmosphere. (And somewhat spooky!)

I couldn't get enough of the Spanish Moss! It definitely gives Savannah a unique romantic feel. Did I mention I loved Savannah?

The buildings in Savannah are also fabulous and historical. I was told that, back in the day, the streets were dirt and incredibly dusty so they built the houses with these second level entries.

Churches are everywhere you look here.

Went to Bonaventure Cemetary one afternoon out in Thunderbolt. I don't believe in photographic ghost orbs, but what is that blob in the middle of that tree? I ended up with quite a few pictures with strange defects, though I'm going to blame the dappled light from the trees.

Spanish moss and old graves, gotta love the ambiance!

One of my first missions in Savannah was to get my hands on a copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I didn't get to read it until after I visited Bonaventure, but I have to wonder if this is the park bench gravestone they mention in the book. It does have quite the pleasant view.

Another neat historic building.

Took a carriage ride through the city at night and this was the best picture my camera could come up with. Such a shame!

Panama and the Panama Canal

2010-01-23T15:47:00.000-08:00

Though the binoculars at the Mexican coastline after leaving Cabo San Lucas.

The sunset on my birthday. We were at sea for the big day, so aside from cake there wasn't much celebration.

Panama! (Also through binoculars)

Panama city as we pulled in.

And waited in line with the other boats to dock in the morning.

Where we docked for the night.

We had the afternoon and evening off in Panama so I went for a walk. A wall of rain came my way and I ended up taking refuge here for an hour or so while it rained furiously.

That night we had a big night out dancing in the city until the sun came up. The next afternoon we left the dock and waited our turn to go through the Panama Canal! This is the Bridge of the Americas.

A Panamanian pilot boat unloads their line handlers and pilot to maneuver us through the canal.

It was dark by the time we actually went through.

The boats are tied to these little trains that essentially pull the boats through the canal.

The first of several locks.

The Miraflores Lock.

And after being devoured by mosquitoes despite gallons of bug repellent, I went inside to make homemade cinnamon buns for the crew. It took roughly eight hours to complete the canal from one end to the other, and exhausted from the big night out before, I didn't make it to see the whole thing. Oh well. Next time, right? ;)

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

2009-12-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

Steamin' South from San Francisco for about a week and we arrived at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Rounded the rocky corner with the cruise ships hiding behind them.

The view of the rocks from the other side, approaching the harbor.

"No se vende!" Random half built house declaring itself not up for sale on the desert hill overlooking the port.

Hopped off the boat only to find that it was about a million degrees outside. Ran into the shade, requested they turn the fan on me and ordered an icy refreshing adult beverage. Got to watch as the locals lined up with their signs to mob the tourists debarking from the cruise ship tenders. "Cheap as Wal-mart!"

(You can see our boat blending in with the condos at the far right.)

Tacos! Oh my goodness I think I must have devoured tacos every meal for the entire weekend we were there. After a summer in Canada, I couldn't get enough Mexican food.

Hid from the scorching sun in the shade with the misters and the fans.

Took a water taxi to Lover's Beach under the rocks on the point.

The water taxi driver took us through the rolling waters that smashed angrily against the rocks and Cabo's iconic rock arch at Land's End.

Dropped us off on the beach.

Really interesting rock formations lined the beaches.

Young surfers took on the massive waves.

And away we went. Back underway for another week or two until we reached Panama.

Dolphins, birds and endless schools of flying fish accompanied us on our journey south. For all of the dolphins we saw, this is pretty much the only picture I got. It's a lot harder to photograph them when you're doing twelve knots and they're in and out of the water in a flash. So fun to watch, though. Especially when you haven't seen anything else in days.

San Francisco, California Part Two plus San Diego

2009-12-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

Took a stroll along the waterfront.

To Pier 39, Fisherman's Warf, which must be one of the biggest and gaudiest tourist traps I've come across. Not really my scene of choice, but I had to check it out and experience it for myself. It was certainly something else.

Masses of sea lions congregate along the back of Fisherman's Warf. I hung out there for a while and watched people watch the noisy sea lions.

Papyrus? Really? This fancy waterfront restaurant has their logo plastered all over their building in Papyrus? *Gag* The rest of the city prominently displays its fantastic design skills, but looks like they missed out.

Later that night I took the ferry back to where our boat was docked. It was one of those moments where I genuinely felt proud of myself where I am with my life. Had I never left my office job, there would be no chance I'd be sitting on a bench on a public ferry with the lights of San Fransisco shrinking into the distance on the way back to my "home" on a boat. I'm grateful for all of the neat experiences I've been able to collect on my travels.

My little moment was also probably attributed to the few drinks I had while waiting for the ferry.....

While the boat was in San Fransisco, I hopped a plane to San Diego to visit my family who were vacationing there at the time. We all stayed on a little sailboat for the weekend. Seems I just can't get away from boats!

Sailed the harbor and met the locals.

Speeding! 0.9 Knots, yahoo!

And back to the port of San Francisco again.

Coit Tower on the right, the piers in the foreground.

Goodbye San Francisco. Goodbye California! We departed again to continue our five week long journey that would take us from Western Canada down through the Panama Canal and up to Savannah, Georgia.

San Francisco, California

2009-12-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

After being underway for four days from Canada, I awoke early one morning to being greeted by San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge!

We had come at the right time, the fog had opened up just for us.

Alcatraz.

Alcatraz again. A view of one prison from inside another. Ha.

Land! After a few of the bumpiest days at sea I've experienced, I was elated for land. And San Francisco, especially since I'd never been!

We got coffee at an outdoor cafe and the bird at the bottom left stole the show. He waited patiently beneath our table and when our food arrived he sang the prettiest little song to win our hearts and weasel us out of our lunch. Unfortunately, the picture does no justice for his rainbow of iridescent feathers. Meanwhile, the pigeons with their blank dumb stares tried to get in on the action, but we continued to shoo them away. When the neighboring table received their food, our little song bird twittered out his pretty little song for their lunch as well. I was in love.

Had Thai for lunch in China Town.

Was impressed by the San Francisco's buildings.

And more buildings.

And hills lined with buildings.

And more hills lined with buildings. What exercise!

Climbed up to Coit Tower to enjoy the view overlooking Alcatraz. Stay tuned for San Francisco part two!

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island

2009-11-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving and I'm currently in Savannah, seated with a slice of homemade pumpkin cheesecake. This pumpkin cheesecake came out so well that I may never feel the need to make a plain pumpkin pie ever again. There's also really good spinach and artichoke dip, but I digress.... I'm months behind in blogging so I probably won't be writing much in an effort to catch up.

Got a weekend free and caught the bus down the coast of Vancouver Island from Campbell River to Nanaimo.

In honor of Nanaimo, I made a batch of Nanaimo Bars before I left.

Spent the day wandering around shopping. Found several great used bookstores and this time bought an armload since I wasn't flying back. Also spent most of my time trying out different restaurants. Essentially spent the weekend eating.

Checked out the Old City Quarter.

Stayed at a really adorable B&B.

French martinis. :)

Bunnies!

Took a walk through Bowen Park.

Can't get enough of the lushness of the Pacific Northwest!

Apparently, it was the forest of love.

Hearts on trees everywhere.

Mt. Washington, Vancouver Island

2009-11-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

One weekend we rented cars and drove up to Mt. Washington on Vancouver Island.

The girls bought lift tickets and the boys went off mountain biking.

It was a really pretty ride up the mountain.

It was a shame it was such a hazy day, though. The view was very limited.

At the top there were more inukshuks! The rock stacks made this landscape look somewhat alien, especially with the modular ski lift building in the background.

This is back down in the city of Campbell River, where we were docked. Dubbed the Salmon Capital of the World, this is where the Campbell River meets Discovery Passage and the salmon pass through in droves to return to their birthplace to spawn.

While we were docked here, we went to see some racing.

Found ways to amuse ourselves.

Picked blackberries until they came out our ears. Made and devoured several pies.

The little dots on the water are fishermen attempting to catch the prize 30+ pound salmon that will allow them into the Tyee Pool. A prestigious club, their rules dictate that the fish be caught from a boat that is being rowed or paddled and they must only use a 20lb line and a single hook. Each evening during the salmon run season, these little man powered boats gather as do their audience from shore who come to watch them.

Vancouver, Canada Part Three

2009-10-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

My little B&B in Vancouver was literally a five minute walk to a SkyTrain station. This was the view of the city from the edge of the neighborhood.

Random things I saw while in Vancouver for the weekend:

Was having lunch at a sidewalk cafe while I was passed by a shouting Jesus dragging his cross up the street.
Followed a cocky family of five with matching frosted haircuts (and very similar outfits) for a while along the waterfront. They were the kind of family you'd expect to find at a low income middle America Walmart. Okay, so maybe they weren't that trashy.
Kept running into brides and bridal parties milling around the city posing for pictures of their big day.
Teenage zombies were everywhere. On the subway. Eating in restaurants. Walking around. I finally stopped a couple and was told that it was a Zombie Walk. Was sad to learn I had missed it.

Sunday was beautiful and perfect for sightseeing with a crisp freshness blown in off the Pacific.

My B&B was also just a few walking minutes from The Drive. Commercial Drive is a fun street lined with restaurants, trendy bars, unique shops, heritage buildings and cafes. What gets me though, is on a street with nineteen coffee shops, why would you go to Starbucks?

Spent a large portion of my morning in a used bookstore greedily gathering an armful of interesting reads... only to be sobered up by the realization that I would have to lug them around all day and then onto the plane and then back to the boat. I put all but one back.

Visited the Vancouver Art Gallery and found Reece Terris' installation, Ought Apartment fascinating. Intrigued also by the works of Andreas Gursky.

The Sky Train opened their connection to the airport the day after I left. Oh well.

Flying back was another airplane where you could reach out and touch the pilot. I actually had to get up from my seat and step back a few rows to get the picture.

Out the window on the way back to Campbell River.

Once back on the boat, we did more guest trips to Desolation Sound and the surrounding areas. As a result of not blogging about this until months later, I couldn't tell you where the following pictures are from. But the whole area is gorgeous.

We shared the sunrises and sunsets in these secret little coves with a few other boaters.

If you look closely, you can see the little kayaks that were taken to the beach for a stroll.

This is the view I get out the window at the pantry sink while washing dishes. I am, of course, always wishing I could be outside enjoying the scenery instead of working. But I also appreciate that my "office window" always has a view of something new and interesting.

Vancouver, British Columbia Part Two

2009-10-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

To continue, more of Stanley Park in Vancouver!

Among a large network of trails, there's a trail along the water, looping around the park.

The trails attract bikers, rollerbladers and runners. As with the rest of the city, there were many families riding rented bikes everywhere. After a mostly cloudy day, it was as if the entire city was collectively outside enjoying the unveiling of the sun, welcoming the good weather.

Oh yeah, and walking tourists like me. The trails pass an array of park beaches with lovely views.

Was treated to a fabulous sunset along the trail.

Inukshuks! Rock stacking is apparently all the vogue in Canada. Stacks are everywhere, including their Winter Olympics logo. This little guy is even anatomically endowed.

I mentioned stacks were everywhere, right?

Some inukshuks are pretty amazingly balanced.

A view of the Lost Lagoon looking at downtown Vancouver at sundown.

And, I swear the mosquitoes that came out after the sunset were as big as this swan! Yoiks! Stay tuned for part three.

Vancouver, British Columbia Part One

2009-10-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Got the weekend off, so what better to do than fly to Vancouver?! Such a small little plane, the pilots practically sat in my lap!

Got a beautiful bird's eye view of Vancouver Island.

And the coastline.

In Vancouver I stayed at a lovely little B&B who just happened to have a last minute opening for me. Fantastic! Set in a perfect location, it was only a few minutes walk from a SkyTrain station which made getting around very easy.

Spent most of my time walking around the city and people watching.

...and eating! I loved this to-go sushi setup. Cheap and easy made for a perfect picnic for later. Unfortunately, since I gobbled most of it up, it didn't survive for much of a picnic.

And Nanaimo bars, too! I'm not sure if I missed them in the states or if they're mainly a Canadian delicacy, but I was thrilled to be introduced to these amazing goodies back in Tofino. I'm hooked.

Took (what was left of) my sushi and Nanaimo bar with me on the way to Stanley Park.

Rather expansive, Stanley Park is located right across from downtown and is covered in trails and public use spaces. More on the park in Part Two of this blog entry.

Tofino, Vancouver Island BC

2009-09-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

After the Coombs Fair, we continued along across Vancouver Island to Tofino.

We stayed in a rather crummy "resort," but the beach it sat up on made up for it. It was gray and eerie and I loved it. Probably the first beach I've seen where everyone wore shoes. I took off my flipflops and went barefoot anyway.

This was the "art" in our room complete with cobwebs. Crooked, even.

Following the packaging advice, we made string cheese monsters.

Poked around town and discovered a really great tea shop. Yum! We also had some fantastic meals. I'd recommend the Shelter and then after dinner drinks upstairs overlooking the water at the Schooner.

Took a "hike" on a trail through the forest.

We saw a bear! The first and only bear I've seen in the wild thus far. He was as startled as we were, and after a few moments of both parties staring dumfoundedly at each other, he turned around and disappeared into the thicket.

Saw some rather large trees on the way, too.

And popped out onto another beach full of fun rocks to explore.

At the Coombs Fair, Vancouver Island

2009-08-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Rented a car (and was given a minivan) and headed off across the island for the weekend.

The guy who rented us the car (minivan) had suggested we visit Coombs for their annual fair. We were quite pleased to be greeted by the line dancing seniors decked out in western gear. The fair was an adorable collection of good old fashioned wholesomeness. (Wasn't until after we left that I learned that this fair has been going on since 1913!)

A "Celebration of Agriculture," the 4H club had an impressive array of poultry on display.

It was as if the whole island came out to show off their projects.

Just in case you were wondering what you should feed your worms. If they're stinky, you might be overfeeding them.

The prize bird and his ribbons.

Girls lounged in the barn with their cattle, inviting visitors to pet their cows.

Tee hee! Snoozing pigs!

The riding team put on a nice horse show. Hung around the arena and barn were handmade informational posters that detailed various aspects of horses and horse care.

On the way out of town, we passed the Country Market whose tagline is "Goats on the Roof".

No joke, there were goats on the roof!

And finally, a random picture that doesn't really fit with the rest of the post. During one of our guest trips, the power went out for several hours and, not able to continue in the laundry, I crafted little paper animals as turndown gifts for the guests.

Strathcona Park, Vancouver Island

2009-08-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

We eventually docked on Vancouver Island and on our day off, we rented some cars and drove towards the center of the island to visit Strathcona Park.

Along the way, there are many little hikes that take you along various routes of interest. This one in particular was .6 kilometers and took us through the trees to a little waterfall.

Another short trail offered a glimpse of the water...

and opened up to offer gorgeous views from the shoreline of Campbell Lake.

Farther into the park we stopped along a bridge. This is the in-camera panorama my camera pieced together of one direction.

And this was the other. Not a bad feature for my little point and shoot.

Nibbled at a picnic lunch and enjoyed some wine.

Myra falls was another impressive hike.

The scenery was epic.

The boys went swimming in the icy water while we all poked around to explore.

Icy!

Vancouver Island and Desolation Sound

2009-08-11T22:30:00.001-07:00

Cruising along the costal waters of Vancouver Island has been really pretty.

One afternoon, the crew went to the beach...

And set up a beach BBQ lunch for the guests in style.

This was my first Canadian beach experience and was surprisingly warm with loads of sand dollars and jellyfish in the water. The big boat anchored way out in this picture is home.

Many others were out enjoying the beach as well.

Our talented chefs whipped up yet another culinary delight (including kangaroo kabobs!).

Back on the boat, the view from my porthole on our way to our next destination, Desolation Sound.

Curiously dubbed, Desolation Sound was breathtakingly beautiful.

Pictures don't really do it any justice.

Every chance I could get, I tried to look out the window as we moved through the Sound. Most of my work is inside so I don't often get to see where we are unless we're anchored somewhere for a while.

Heading towards our anchor spot for the night.

And here's another late afternoon view out the porthole.

Victoria, BC and Buchart Gardens

2009-08-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Just a bus ride North from Victoria lies the Buchart Gardens.

Originally started in a limestone quarry by the wife of cement manufacturer, the gardens that were once intended to merely cover up the expanse of the quarry have grown to become an immense tourist attraction.

The sculpted gardens seem endless and surreal as you wander them.

There were many very interesting types of flowers that required a closer look.

These guys were my favorite.

Some gardens were high, some gardens were low.

A Japanese garden, too.

I think our visit to the gardens proved that one can actually be "gardened out". It's possible. We felt it.

Back in Victoria, we enjoyed plenty of shopping and the little artists/farmers markets that pop up along the main drag. This building along the waterfront is the Empress Hotel where we planned to have afternoon tea, but unfortunately never had the time.

Victoria has many very interesting and very tasty hip eateries. And a very young, attractive crowd. This was the microbrewery the Canoe Club that we visited frequently. One bar even had beach volleyball courts on its rooftop.

It was here in Victoria that I had the best hot dog ever from a street vendor. Grilled for me on the spot on a homemade whole wheat bun it was simply to die for. Heaven. And street art.

Seattle and Vancouver Island

2009-07-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle and grabbed a taxi on my way to meet my new boat.

And here's my new boat docked in Seattle. Home sweet home.

The view out of the skylounge windows of the docks and city in the distance.

Across the water was Gasworks Park.

Took a quick evening stroll across the drawbridge. Still getting used to the idea that the sun doesn't set until nearly nine at night.

Over to the Google and Adobe headquarters area.

I wish we had more time in Seattle, I'd eat my way through the city. This sushi restaurant where the food passes by on a conveyor belt made my day. (Thanks to my iPhone for the photo.) The dessert shop down the way was equally yummy.

Got front row seats at a Mariner's game courtesy my new boss. Yay for baseball, hot dogs and beer.

And then we left Seattle and headed for the San Juan islands.

Dropped anchor in a little cove in Friday Harbor for the night.

And spent another night anchored in ... forgot the name, I'll have to ask...

And eventually ended up in Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This view, through the window of the pantry is pretty much the only crew view of the starboard side of the boat. Most of my pictures have a similar frame of window and boat. Victoria was awesome, but more on that later.

Life in Ft. Lauderdale

2009-07-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much over the last several months because I've only been in Ft. Lauderdale and didn't have regular internet access or enough interesting material to post. I have since joined a new boat and am currently up in Canada for the summer, so I'm digging back through my pictures to catch up. This is the view of the intercostal waterway from the 17th Street bridge. The building on the far right of the horizon is Bahia Mar, just one of many hotels along the beachfront.

The drawbridge on 17th Street goes up on the hour (and sometimes half hour).

I finally bought an iPhone and started taking pictures of daily life. This is the drive down the A1A along the beach, essentially right across the street from the boat.

This was the galley on the boat where I was eventually hired full time as crew cook/stewardess.

Thursday nights we usually wandered down the beach to Cafe del Mar to enjoy the live Spanish Guitar.

Took the TriRail to West Palm Beach on occasion.

Played skiiball and other cheesy fun games. I love skiiball!

Visited the casino where we had some very disappointing "Mexican" food and gambled our pocket change at the penny slots.

I took a bartending course, and this was the view out the back of the stripmall. There are waterways all over Ft. Lauderdale, earning it the name the Venice of America.

And these guys were everywhere! Actually, they seem to be all over Ft. Lauderdale.

For the Fourth, we watched the fireworks show from the beach. The lights in the distance are all of the boats that lined up to watch them from the water.

Back to Florida: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and the Jungle Queen

2009-07-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

After my little visit to Arizona was up, I flew back to Florida to continue my job search. Spent a day at the beach in Miami, was there for the boat show.

It was a cold, windy day and I fell asleep on the beach. This was back in February and I still have the remnants of that sunburn on my right leg. Oops!

Spent a lot of time entertaining myself with the nice long walk to the library.

I moved onto a boat to help out with their watch schedule. Even though it was an unpaid position, they fed me and gave me free rent so it made the job search much less stressful.

Goofed off in the crew mess.

In the same marina as our boat is Bahia Cabana, an interesting little waterfront bar.

Also part of our marina is the home of the Jungle Queen. Announcing it's daily departures at 9:30, 1:00 and 6pm with horn-tooting fanfare, the Jungle Queen is a riverboat tour through Ft. Lauderdale's waterways. I hopped aboard one afternoon for a leisurely sightseeing cruise.

Draw bridges punctuate the way.

The Jungle Queen takes you to their campy little "island" where they unload their flock of tourists.

Pull out your cameras and gawk at exotic animals in cages.

And be entertained by the alligator tamer (whose sole income is apparently tips).

I managed to trip over this big guy when he was munching on lettuce. Scared both of us equally and people remarked (not so quietly) under their breath of their horror that I could do such a thing, but an iguana isn't exactly like a cat or dog that you can go console. Felt bad for tripping over him, but what was I supposed to do? He just stared at me in dumbfounded tense horror "don't come near me, lady!" Oh well.

Southern Arizona Wine Country

2009-05-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yikes! It's been a while since I posted, hasn't it? I've just been job searching here in Florida and where I'm staying I don't have much access to the internet. So, to catch up, it's back to Southern Arizona where we went wine tasting. Just like in years past, we piled into the car and headed south of Tucson to go sample what the vineyards had to offer.

First stop, the Grasslands Cafe. Last year, we randomly stumbled upon this adorable little place nestled in (aptly) the grasslands and were absolutely blown away by the goodies at the bakery.

Of course we planned a stop this year. With so many yummy looking choices, how on earth do you decide? Check out all of the homemade jams and honeys on the wall. Most everything here is made from scratch and is organic when possible.

These chocolate cherry tarts are probably topping the list for my all time favorite dessert. Everything we got from this place was amazing, although perhaps a little pricey. A quick look at their website reveals that they're for sale! (www.grasslandscafe.com) Oh no! Hope they're still making my tarts again next year.

Which way? There are wineries littered all along the roads of Sonoita and Elgin.

Looks like every direction is a winner!

Can't beat a $6 bottle of really good local white wine.

Looming storms threatened as we drove from vineyard to vineyard making for a beautiful background to our adventures.

Finally, the weather caught up with us and we watched the hailstorm outside on the vineyards. While sampling wine, of course.

Mt. Lemmon, Arizona

2009-03-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of snow and catching up with people in Phoenix, I took the scenic route south, past the Superstitions to head to Tucson.

Once there, I met up with my brother and we wandered down to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. There we were positively overwhelmed by all of the vendors and the endless tables of (as you probably guessed it) gems, minerals, fossils and just about anything else you could think to sell at a booth.

We ogled meteorites and a few other goodies, but found we had an unfortunate lack of disposable funds coupled with a short attention span. So we hopped back in the car for an afternoon drive up Mt. Lemmon.

From the base of the mountain to Summerhaven, the little town at the top, the Catalina Highway is a spectacular drive that takes you up out of the desert...

...up above the scrub...

...to the forests that await you at the top. The rock formations along the way are pretty impressive as well.

Mt. Lemmon is also home to another one of my very favorite street names. Incinerator Ridge Road. Gotta love the sound of that one.

Due to the splotches of leftover snow and the biting icy wind that greeted us at the top, we didn't linger long and headed back down just in time to catch the sunset. This is a shot of the aptly named Thimble Peak as we zipped around one of the many curves.

Back in Tucson, I parted ways with my brother and caught up with another friend to relive old times by going for a nighttime walk through the downtown and Bario districts. This time however, we realized we had never followeded the blue painted line on the pavement that is the Turquoise Trail. Connecting some 23 historic sites, the line winds through the Presidio as a little tour. We followed it dilligently until we were thrown off by conflicting lines and one that led us to nowhere and ended. We suspected hooligans with blue paint and a sense of humor. Defeated, we just blamed our inabilitiy to find the line on the darkness.

Arizona Snow

2009-03-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Bidding a fond farewell to the Bahamas, we hopped one of the tiniest commercial planes I'd ever been on for a short 30 minute flight back to Florida.

Shortly thereafter, I flew back to Arizona for a visit. There, I met up with some friends and we piled in the car in search of snow. We drove from Phoenix up past Strawberry and Pine, crossing our fingers that there would still be some leftover snow to play in.

Winter weather loomed around us on the drive North.

The scenery was a good reminder of how much I missed the desert.

First stop in Payson: (and I hate to say it) Walmart, to procure additional sledding devices and tasty beverages to keep us warm in the snow.

Look, trees! Being on a boat, I hadn't seen real trees in ages.

Fortunately there was still some leftover snow waiting for us!

We gathered discarded intertubes to act as cushions for our not-so-shock-absorbent sleds.

Some of us did more sledding, some of us did more chilling.

All bundled up and grinning like fools from all the sledding.

Demonstrating the emptiness of our drinks in the car on the return trip home. All gone.

Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas

2009-03-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

Stormy Bahamian weather that made for fantastic sky scenery followed us everywhere.

Next stop: Atlantis. Our dock at night with the monstrosity of a casino resort towering in the background.

Getting ready for the boss' birthday.

I'm still not quite sure what the hippie theme was all about, but it was really great for a laugh. Big goofballs, yup, that's us.

As part of the resort, Atlanis boasts a massive water park complete with a shark slide. You can see a tuber's feet entering the scene on the right side of the picture.

What the shark slide looks like from the inside.

The view of one of their private beaches from the top of a water slide. It was the coldest, windiest day ever, but since the owners told us to go play for the afternoon, we had no choice but to obey. Rough life, right?

At the bottom of said water slide. Note the "holy crap, it's like ice!" expression.

Tubing on the lazy river. (The palm trees act as the only true indication of the weather in this shot.)

We tubed and did the water slides 'till we were purple. Or at least until I was purple. I practically ran back to the boat to thaw out in a very nice, hot shower.

Harbour Island, Bahamas

2009-02-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

It was mostly cold, cloudy weather for the time we spent in the Bahamas. Our next stop was Harbor Island.

While we took refuge there from the storms, the weather finally granted us some sun.

Very typical Bahamian housing. Bright, happy colors everywhere.

For a few hours one afternoon, we zipped around the island in island style (in a golf cart). They drive on the "wrong" side of the road here.

Dramatic tides, I guess?

Closeup on the roots of a dead tree that we happened upon. It stood in the middle of nowhere on this empty sand.

Parked the golf cart and headed to check out the Pink Sands beach.

What a lovely place to spend the afternoon. (Unfortunately we had only a half hour or so.)

Our view from the bar. My heart always goes out to the emaciated-looking horses that belong to the typical touristy pony rides. Yes, I would want to ride if it looked like they ever fed them or took care of their feet, but these guys just looked sad after being let loose by their owner for the afternoon. So much for "paradise". Hungry ponies forlornly traveling the beach kind of ruins the illusion.

Chickens! Harbour Island was full of chickens. Everywhere! They'd be darting out of the way everywhere you turned. Insert "chicken crossing road" joke here.

Bright colors on everything.

And hey look, I match!

Grand Bahama and Port Lucaya

2009-02-18T17:52:00.000-08:00

A water taxi ride away was Port Lucaya. Like everything in the Bahamas, it was bright and colorful.

But the cheery paint didn't fool me. Run down and empty, it was another ghost town experience.

Half of the stores were closed and out of business despite promises to "Open Soon!"

I went into the drug store and was too afraid of the dodgy shopkeeper who stared at me to take pictures.

For New Year's Eve, we took the water taxi back to Port Lucaya to find some celebration. We found a rather wonderful little restaurant, Agave, serving surprisingly well priced and tasty food. I enjoyed several chocolate martinis and enjoyed the people watching. For once it seemed like a busy place and it wasn't just the locals. Everyone was out to have a good night.

The restaurant passed out party favors and noise makers, encouraging the tourists to partake in the festivities. I was thrilled. It's the little things, right?

Other uses for party hats.

The next morning we took the tender down the shoreline to find a nice beach to spend New Year's Day at.

It was by far the nicest place I had seen on the island.

Once we got the jet skis in the water, we spent our afternoons off exploring the island.

I had a lot of fun driving the jet ski, but man was I sore after the first day!

It was endlessly fascinating to see straight down into the crystal clear water.

Grand Bahama

2009-02-17T12:59:00.001-08:00

On one particularly hectic day, we rented a car to do a whirlwind provisioning run. This is where the Garmin told us Super Target was located. (After having already visited the site of a Target that had been torn down for rebuilding.)

Dougie Fresh showing off his second helping of Ice Cream Tower while I was playing with my new camera. My old camera finally had enough of being tossed around in my bag and refused to focus anymore, so I bought myself a waterproof, shockproof, pocket sized little point and shoot to beat up. The underwater part was especially exciting since we were headed off to the Bahamas.

On Christmas day we departed for Grand Bahama. We spent the day underway and Hannah made a turkey. Had I not pasted over her face, she probably would have made me take it down. That's what she gets for making faces.

The Grand Bahama Yacht Club, where we docked, was a nice enough place but suffered from the same ghost town feel as the previous location. Much easier on the eyes, though.

We did have a neighbor on a smaller boat for a while. Meet Sad Boy. He would sit there looking so sad, sometimes crying, while he video chatted with someone we assumed to be his girlfriend. Poor, poor kid forced to vacation on a yacht with his parents over the holiday. Actually, I kinda felt for the kid... it was a really lonely place to be.

We spent most of our daylight free time at the pool since you had to take a water taxi ride to get to the beach. Not being high season, the pool and its bar/restaurant was always eerily empty.

One day, we took the "bus" to the grocery store to buy food. It was actually just a van.

I have no idea how the impoverished locals can afford to eat on this island! Everything was easily double, if not triple, the price it would be in the states. And the quality of the goods often left a lot to be desired. They must all eat ramen.

It was cold! Well, to be fair, I tend to get cold when it drops below 75. Here I am sporting a ridiculously fat jacket for a tender ride while the other tourists (all three of them) were in their bathing suits. I didn't feel too bad, though--the locals were all bundled up too.

Sunset from the treadmill on the second deck. This is the view I ran to every night. Not too shabby at all.