Matthew’s web log

After two days in Los Angeles, it was time to say goodbye to L’’s friends and Tinseltown. We were off to the Anza-Borrego Desert, a few hours drive. I had never heard of Anza-Borrego, but L’, who has already hiked in Death Valley, wanted to visit another desert park. The drive out was uneventful and we got to the park’s visitor center by mid afternoon to get some hiking suggestions and pick up a map. We then checked into the hotel and returned to the park for a hike to a set of palm trees and oasis (the Palm Canyon trail).  It’s about 3 miles round trip and we finish just as it’s getting dark. It’s neat to see water and palm trees in the middle of the desert. After the hike we return to the hotel for showers and dinner at the adjacent restaurant.

We now have one full day to explore the park. The park is huge (the largest California state park and the second largest in the lower 48 states) so we use our guidebooks to find some things of interest that aren’t too far away. We visit three trails to see Native American pictographs, morteros (holes the Native Americans bore into the rocks to grind up plants), and the Marshall South home. Each of these are moderately short hikes and we drive between them. L’ conveniently omitted telling me beforehand that to get to nearly all of the interesting hiking in Anza-Borrego, we would be driving on dirt roads. No wonder we took my car. The dirt roads, or as the map calls them "primitive roads", are in decent shape and you can easily go about 10mph. Except for getting filthy, the car survived unscathed.

Each of the hikes were interesting. The pictographs show that human activity has been present here for a long time, well before Europeans came. The moreteros and remains of the Native American village show more human presence in the desert. The South’s home shows what an eccentric (that is, nutcase) can do if they really want to (a family lived in the desert without utilities in the 1930s for 15 years).

After all the hikes we drive back to the hotel and do some online research to find a place for dinner. Many places are closed for Christmas, so we struggle to find something. We finally do and then figure out that the address we have is out of date. After much longer than it should have been, we find the place and have dinner before heading home to go to sleep.

On our way out of the park, we do a short hike at the Earth Narrows trail. It’s a narrow canyon type thing that would be more interesting if I were geologist. There are different types of rock as we walk and the change between types is obvious; however, we don’t really know why this is significant or why we should care.

We then head out from the park towards the town of Julian, California. It’s a town that dates to the mid 1800s and we’re surprised how many people are walking around the downtown area. We find a lunch place, wander the town for a little while picking up some candy, and then go for a hike at nearby William Heise County Park. We then start the drive home making it past Bakersfield for the night and finish up the drive the following morning to conclude our fun road trip to Southern California.

The full photo album is here:

http://sanjoseabrams.com/photos/SouthernCaliforniaDec2009/index.html

As my friends may know, I’m a bit of a Simpsons fan. A few years ago, Universal Studios opened "The Simpsons Ride" and I’ve been wanting to go. The main reason for stopping in L.A. was for me to make my pilgrimage to the attraction. After breakfast, we went to Universal. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid.  After it took way too long to get our tickets, we entered the park.  We stopped by a couple rides and shows and then had lunch. By then, the wait times (as nicely indicated on the electronic sign) showed a reasonable wait time of about 20 minutes for The Simpsons Ride, so we hit the line.

The waiting area is well done with clever posters and new and old clips of the show. All the amusement parks do a good job of entertaining you while you are waiting (so you don’t feel like you’re on "The Line Ride"). The ride is done up as a visit to "Krustyland". It’s a motion simulator ride like "Star Tours" was years ago. They improved things a bit by making it more immersive by having the screen be nearly 360 degrees (think IMAX type). The "plot" is that Sideshow Bob is trying to kill the Simpsons at Krustyland. It had cute tie ins to the show and I liked how you were going though Krustyland and the town. All in all, I was entertained and my mission was complete.

Afterwards, we hit a couple more rides and got our picture with Marge & Homer. Before we left on vacation, I had the idea to get a picture with L’ on one side, Marge on the other, and me in the middle receiving a kiss on the cheek from each of them. Lacking the guts to actually set it up, L’ stepped up to the plate and asked Marge & Homer. Marge actually did it and L’ was ready, only the camera guy didn’t take the picture. Then Homer played along and looked upset, turned his back to which Marge consoled him. He then kissed her hand and made up. It was very cute and in the end we just got a picture of the four of us.

The studio tour tram ride was neat, but I recall it being better when I was there as a wee-one.  Now the tour feels much more like an amusement park attraction than an actual visit to a movie studio.  The only thing really movie related was seeing the set from Back to the Future and (my favorite show) Desperate Housewives.   There was a cool set of an airplane crash, but other than the sets, there was very little movie related.   L’ and I agreed that the place is fun as an adult but really magical as a kid.

After hitting the remaining attractions of interest, it was dark and we were getting hungry so we hit a restaurant adjacent to the park.  Since we had a somewhat early dinner, it was still early enough that we made a go of getting to the Griffith Observatory.  It was then that we got stuck in the infamous LA traffic. It turned out that the park the observatory is located in was home to a light show and there were tons of cars going there. We call the Observatory to find out what the deal was and were surprised when an actual person picked up. The guy was awesome and we described where we were and the traffic backup, to which he looked on a map and gave us complete directions to sidestep the jam and we make it to the Observatory. The museum there (famous for being in the movie "Rebel Without a Cause") was small but informative and the views of the city were great. From here, we headed home and went to sleep.

The full photo album is here:

http://sanjoseabrams.com/photos/SouthernCaliforniaDec2009/index.html

We had been discussing taking a short vacation for awhile and finally on Saturday sorted out the details. After living in California for 10 years, I was finally off to visit our neighbors to the south- we were heading to L.A. We left Monday in the early evening to drive most of the way at night (since I-5 is an efficient, yet boring road). We made it past Bakersfield and were within about an hour of our destination by the time we grabbed a hotel for the night.

Waking up on Tuesday, we enjoyed our included breakfast at the hotel. While watching the news, we hear that the Grapevine is snowed in and that I-5 is closed. (The Grapevine is the name for the mountain pass that we need to go through to get to L.A.). Fortunately as we finish breakfast, the news reports that the road is open and we decide to just go for it. We luck out in that there is no traffic and a scenic snow dusting on the ground makes for a pretty drive.

We arrive at the Getty Center around 10:30am and are surprised how crowded it is. I’ve been wanting to go to the Getty for awhile. The architecture is interesting as is the art collection. It’s a lot bigger than I was expecting and we spend most of the day there. Mr. Getty made his money in the oil business and then died and left his estate to from the center. It’s now one of the richest art institutions in the world with several billion dollars in endowment. As my dad would say "you can do a lot on an unlimited budget". There aren’t that many superstar paintings, but it certainly is a worthy museum.

L’ connects with her friends that we’re staying with and we plan to meet for dinner. We get to the deli early which allows us to get some items at the nearby store. It was nice to finally talk with L’’s friend and to meet her husband & kids who did not attend the wedding. We’re beat by the time dinner finishes and follow them back home to get some rest for the big day that follows.

The full photo album is here:

http://sanjoseabrams.com/photos/SouthernCaliforniaDec2009/index.html

We decided to head out of town for a weekend in October. Not wanting to spend too much time getting to our destination and also wanting some decent weather, we decided to head down to the Monterey Peninsula. We were originally thinking of going to Mendocino, but rain was forecast there; we chose well since the weather in down south was spectacular.

Leaving after work on Friday, we encountered just a little traffic. Making a french fry snack stop about half way there, we arrived at the hotel an hour or so before sunset. Our accommodations were in Pacific Grove which is adjacent to the ocean and the hotel was just a few minute walk to the water. After checking in, we walked to the beach and did a nice loop along the coast. It’s pretty at sunset and I scoped out some photo possibilities of the lighthouse in the event we’d be back there at dusk again (turns out, we weren’t).

Eventually making it to the restaurant for a late dinner, we enjoyed Passion Fish in downtown Pacific Grove. The food was excellent, service a little slow, but overall a good restaurant. We’re often disappointed that dining in our travels is not as good as what we get down the street from us, but that was not the case this time. We walked back to the hotel after dinner and slept well.

We started Saturday with breakfast (stale bagels) in the hotel. We then went back to the ocean near the hotel to take in the views. By mid-morning, I was already racking up the photos on the scenic coast. As I’ve said before, we are spoiled to have such beautiful scenery so close to home. After wandering the coast, we hit the 17-mile drive through Pebble Beach. It’s about $10 for the drive. We made various stops along the way, taking in the sites – coast, golf course, sea lions, birds, the Lone Cypress, future residences (why not take both $24M houses- it’s so hard to choose), and overall pretty scenery.

By early afternoon we were nearly done with the drive so we stopped at the Lodge for lunch. They have a nice restaurant overlooking the putting practice area and one of the tee off areas. Since the weather was spectacular (mid to upper 70s), we ate outside (added bonus- heckling golfers).   The food was very good and not too expensive considering the location. Most importantly, I saved room for a $7 chocolate milkshake. To partially quote Pulp Fiction, it was a good milkshake.

Now properly hydrated and full, we exited Pebble Beach and returned to Highway 1 southbound. Aside from the scenic drive along the coast with a few photo stops, we headed to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The main attraction there is a waterfall that is right off of the ocean. It’s only a short hike to it and is neat to see. We wander around the park a little bit, but need to head back north to clean up in time for dinner in Carmel.

After an evening in Carmel, we returned there on Sunday. Our first stop is another California Mission, the Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo. Like most of the missions, it is mostly rebuilt and not original. Being the non-Jewish Sabbath, there is mass going on so we can’t just roam the inside in our t-shirts and transformer pants. We take a quick peak and wander the grounds, courtyard, and exhibits. We return to downtown Carmel and notice on the drive what our guide book had pointed out- there are no addresses in Carmel. The houses just have names and people navigate there by cross street. I suggest that we should start referring to our house in this way, but L’ is less than enthusiastic. We wander the galleries and shops of Carmel and get some lunch and snacks for later.

Leaving Carmel we again head south, this time towards Garrapata State Park. It’s a short drive and the weather is still sunny. The top of the trail has a view of the ocean. We start hiking and there are minimal signs and no paper maps available. It’s a straightforward loop so we just start going. After winding up at a river instead of ascending, we back track and find the unmarked fork in the trail that we had missed earlier. Now we go up, and up, and up and up. It’s very steep (20-30% grade, I found out later) and the traction is poor. It’s a struggle, but we make it to the top. The view is good, but not worth the effort to get there, in my opinion. It’s about an hour past when we had planned to head home, but we finally are back in the car and on our way. We pick up pizza once we get home and are just glad to have had a fun weekend out of town.

View all the photos from the weekend:

http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/MontereyOct2009/index.html

All of the Alaska Trip Reports and photos are online.  As I’ve done recently, the photos are all in one album.  You can use the links below to jump to a particular section.

San Francisco to Denali

Trip Report

Photos

Denali National Park

Trip Report

Photos









Denali to Setting Sail

Trip Report

Photos









Glacier Bay

Trip Report

Photos









Skagway

Trip Report

Photos









Juneau

Trip Report

Photos









Ketchikan

Trip Report

Photos























Cruising to Canada

Trip Report

Photos








Vancouver

Trip Report

Photos

It cost more than a night’s hotel stay to fly back on Monday so we stayed a night in Vancouver and returned home on Tuesday.  Most hotels were all the same price so we picked what seemed like the nicest of the bunch.  When we asked someone in the cruise ship terminal where the hotel was located, they said "you’re here- just take the elevator upstairs".  We couldn’t have done better if we actually tried and it couldn’t have been easier.

Unfortunately, the weather was not as well planned and it was raining.  We left the bags at the hotel and started walking along the waterfront towards Stanley Park.  We get to the park and there is a good view of the city.  We wait too long for the "every fifteen minutes" shuttle bus and ride it to the totem poles.  We take in the poles for a little bit, but it’s raining rather nicely at this point.

We’re getting hungry and waterlogged so we board the next shuttle and ride it as it loops around the park.  We get off at the entrance and start walking back towards the hotel.  We aim to walk through a portion of town that the concierge  recommended as a shopping area.  We find a  sushi place.  Lunch takes way too long (I know my chicken teriyaki needs to be cooked, but are they out fishing for L’’s tuna roll?).  We go back to the hotel and get our room.  I watch a little tv and nap.  L’ gets bored after the first hour of my nap and goes exploring.  She returns after my 2nd napping hour and my shower.

We get an Italian restaurant recommendation in the gastown area.  Food was good and we wander around afterwards.  We run into the steam clock which was something I had wanted to see.  It was then back to the hotel for final packing.  We ran into a few people from our first night on the cruise in the hotel bar and chatted for a bit.  Finally, it was off to sleep. 

Of course on Tuesday it stopped raining.  We had breakfast and went to the airport.  Our honeymoon vacation was over and we returned to life in California as a married couple.

With our last day at sea, we relax while amusing ourselves with onboard activities.  In the mid morning there is a cooking demonstration and galley tour.   The tour was interesting.  It’s an amazing operation storing food for 3000 people for two weeks.  The ship loads up nearly all of the food in Vancouver and then just picks up some fish in Alaska.  At home, we can’t even make it a couple days without stopping at a grocery store.

In the early afternoon, there was a talk by the navigator about navigation in general and specifics to our ship.  It was okay, but not that informative.

The rest of the day was filled with eating (both of us), exercising at the gym (L’) ,and napping (me).  We packed up our luggage in time for pickup and then slept our final night at sea.  We would wake up in port and in another country.

There was one unusual thing today and that was the Alert Bay Trumpeter.  The captain of our ship announced we would be entering Alert Bay (surely you’ve heard of it) and would be serenaded by the Alert Bay Trumpeter.  Not sure what to expect, I grabbed my jacket and camera and made my way to the top deck.  A small motor boat appeared alongside our ship and one of the two people on it began playing on a trumpet.  The ship would pass him and then he would head to the front of our ship as we sailed by him again.  Each time he played a different song.  It was corny and partly off key, but amusing in its absurdity.  He got a nice cheer from those on deck.
 

Our good fortune on the weather finally ran out- today it rained.   This isn’t surprising because Ketchikan gets 170 inches of rain per year (about ten times what we get back home). 
We get a map of town and head towards the Totem Heritage Center.  Native Alaskans carved enormous totems out of whole trees.  The climate and abandonment of native towns lead to totems throughout the state needing a place to be preserved.  As part of a public works project of the Great Depression, many totems were moved to Ketchikan and are at the museum.  Only a few are on display, but they are neat to see.  We see and learn about the different animals and symbols used from the museum’s well done displays.

The Totem center is small and we then proceed to the bald eagle center and salmon hatchery next door.  The short guided tour is mediocre, but we do get to see a couple eagles up close.  While fun, it doesn’t compare to when we saw them in the wild a couple days ago.  It is, however, very nice to be out of the pouring rain.

We consult Lonely Planet and find a Mexican restaurant for lunch.  I’m not normally a fan of Mexican food, but L.P. says they have good fried chicken and their sign claims the town’s best pizza.  Our waiter from the cruise is coincidentally already eating at the place.  Since he hails from Mexico, we figure it will be good.  The food is good and by the end of lunch the rain has nearly stopped. 

We wander down Creek Street, the city’s old red light district.  As they like to say, it’s where men and salmon go upstream to spawn.  When Ketchikan boomed for mining and fishing, it was male dominated so brothels did big business.  The town now survives on fishing and tourism.
 

I’m now sufficiently water logged and return to the ship to dry off, while L’ wanders to the town library for a quick internet check.  Soon we will depart on our day and a half trip to Vancouver.

The ship docked in Juneau in the early morning.  We were surprised to learn that we would be leaving port  by mid afternoon.  We bit the bullet and set the alarm for 6:30am so we’d have time to squeeze everything in. 

The main attraction in town is the Mendenhall Glacier.  There’s an express bus from the cruise terminal to the glacier, but it doesn’t start until later in the morning.  We take the city bus instead.  It’s longer, cheaper, and let us off about one mile from the visitor center.  As we’re walking towards the visitor center, the express bus passes us.   Oh well, at least we’ve been moving and got a tour of Juneau.  On the walk, an older guy walked with us and told us about his journeys to all the counties in the U.S. and how he has less than twenty to go.

From the visitor center, we can see the Mendenhall Glacier.  It’s neat and there are icebergs floating around in the water in front of the glacier.  We don’t see it calve like we did in Glacier Bay, but it was neat anyway.  With limited time, we go on the 3.5 mile loop trail.  This doesn’t get us on the glacier, but we have some views, get some exercise, and hunt for bears (didn’t see any)

We’re back at the visitor center around noon and catch the express bus back to town.  Since we do have to rush, we just get a snack at McDonald’s (man, their fries are good) and then press on to the sights of Juneau. 

Juneau is the state capital.  We see various government buildings- the capitol, governor’s mansion (former home of Sarah Palin), and the Assembly.  We also walk to the old octagonal shaped Russian Orthodox church.  All of these sights are unspectacular.  The city hall building, like many buildings. are drab and uninteresting.   Alaska is not memorable for its architecture.

Our time is running out so we get back on the ship before the mid-afternoon departure.   After showers and naps, we get dressed for the final formal night on the ship.  Dinner is good and we swing by to hear our favorite onboard crooner.  After a few songs, some of which we’ve already heard, we retire to our stateroom.
 

I also need to mention that L’ lived up to her other nickname (trouble) at dinner.  She reminded our waiters that my birthday was approaching.  To honor the occasion, they returned to sing me a song  and to sing both of us a song to celebrate our honeymoon.  It was, uh, cute.
 

We docked in Skagway early in the morning.  After breakfast, we got off the ship.  There is a bald eagle preserve in the area that we wanted to check out.  After comparing the cost to get there as estimated in Lonely Planet, for a slight premium, we booked a raft float tour through Princess.   This started in the late morning which gave us a little time to wander around Skagway.

As we walked into town, I commented that I bet a place like this has a fudge store.  It just had that look to it.  When we got into town there were friendly folks on the corner to help you find things in town.  I asked the nice woman if there was a fudge store.  I was in luck- there were two!  We wandered around the town and made sure to stop for some fudge (which turned out to be disappointing).  Skagway felt like just a tourist shopping trip and was not particularly interesting.  Our main adventure was the bald eagles and that was up next.

There was a lot of overhead to get to the bald eagle preserve, but it was worth it.   Once we made it there and had lunch, for about an hour and a half, we floated in a large raft down the Chilkat River.  The guide does all the rowing and steering- we are just passengers.  There were six of us in the raft.  We saw 10-20 bald eagles, including one take off from its nest.  It was very neat.  Seeing all these birds in the wild was spectacular. 

The weather was cool and mostly overcast, but with all my laers on, I was comfortable.   We were not getting in the water since it’s a chilly 40F.  We didn’t even get wet.
At the end of the float, they had hot chocolate and cookies waiting for the group (about 40 of us total).  My kind of rafting.
On the ferry back from Hanes, we had another run in with wildlife.  There was a humpback whale that was using its tail to confuse fish.  It does this by crashing its tail into the water surface.  We watched this for several minutes before it was out of view.  Soon we departed the ferry and returned to the ship.  We showered, went for dinner, caught some music onboard, and went to sleep.