Cruise blues and other news~~~

We took a 7 day Alaska cruise out of Seattle aboard the Norwegian  cruise line's ship Jewel.  Our accommodations were perfect;  a mini-suite with a full balcony.  Daughter Steph took care of all the booking and what a good job she did.  We had tons of space and beautiful views.

Photo from our balcony ~ Ship leaving Seattle

The first two days were spent at sea and by the end of the second day as we pull into Ketchikan Howard had full blown gout in his right foot, making walking long distances very painful.  There is a lot of walking on a gigantic cruise ship not to mention the shore excursions we planned to do, but alas, it was not meant to be.  By the time we got to our first destination, Ketchikan, we were resolved to the fact we wouldn't be doing much more that sitting on our balcony and watching the incredible scenery drift by.  Plus we had mostly nasty weather, rain and fog for 6 of our 7 days.  The sun came out in Victoria, BC on our last day. Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves immensely, eating delicious cruise ship cuisine, and enjoying a trip of a lifetime.  Here's the ship's itinerary:

1. Ketchikan, our first stop, has a population of just over 8,000 and is the fifth most populous city in the state of Alaska. Local economy is based on tourism and fishing, hence the title of salmon capital of the world.
2. Our next stop is Juneau, Alaska's 3rd largest city by population.  Anchorage is first with just over 300,00.  The Aurora Borealis or Northern lights can be seen on clear nights from August through April, usually over Mt. Juneau.  There are lots of shore excursions including whale watching and trips to the Mendenhall Glacier.
3. Skagway is home to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and to both the White Pass Scenic Railway and Chilkoot Trails, two famous paths in and out of town.  
4. After another day at sea we arrived in Victoria, BC.  We've been to Victoria many times and visited Bouchart Gardens, the Empress Hotel, and the beautiful Parliament Building. The downtown and marina areas make for a good walking tour..
5. Next stop Seattle.

Along the way we saw ice bergs and glaciers, quaint towns and seaports. There was a lot of fog and rain but our balcony was covered and there were large sliding glass doors to enjoy the views. Sure we missed out on some good shore excursions, but we made the most out of our days, depending on Howard's comfort level. 

   

Marina in Ketchikan

Cool, foggy days

Glaciers

Waterfalls

We returned to the Elk's lodge in Port Townsend for a few more days, then decided to take the ferry and spend some time in Anacortes.  More on that later.  We'll be returning to Port Townsend to our "happy place" at the marina where we have a waterfront view, August 18-30.

But for the love of lamb~~~

We have been doing so good with our basic motorhome budget.  Howard keeps records in an Excel program and updates our expenses every few days. It's really a great feeling to end the month with some cash to carry-over to the next month, or to stash in a fund for a non-motorhome trip.  This latter is in the works...Suggestions anyone?

Part of this has to do with food shopping which is usually a big ticket item.  Beef is now so expensive that we're eating more chicken, occasionally pasta (trying to watch carbs), fish, and lamb.  We were pricing various meets per pound and lamb came in right after chicken for cost effectiveness.

If we buy a boneless leg of lamb for $5.99 per pound for 5-6 lbs. at Costco we get 4 good meals.  The first two are slices of lamb roast with vegetables and salad.  Then the fun begins when Howard launches his tried and true lamb/mango curry.  The little casa literally sings with wonderful smells wafting through as the dish simmers on the stove.

Boneless leg of lamb on our little rotisserie

Leftovers for lamb/mango curry *photo borrowed from the internet*...delicious

Lamb/mango curry recipe

Strait talk~~Port Townsend

The Strait of Juan de Fuca extends east from the Pacific Ocean between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula about 95 miles inland to Puget Sound.  Port Townsend is bordered by the Bay of Port Townsend and Admiralty Inlet, which intersects the Strait.  In other words, we are surrounded by big water and lots of marine activity.

Click on the maps for a more detailed view.


The town is a Victorian seaport and arts community. With its maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic, Port Townsend is an easily accessible base camp to the Olympic Peninsula and beyond. with its maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic.

The Point Wilson lighthouse at Fort Worden

We've been coming here every year, same site, since 2009.  We had been staying at the SKP's Evergreen Coho RV park in nearby Chimacum and took a drive one day to check out Port Townsend. We were drawn to the Point Hudson Marina mainly to see the boats and splendid views. The RV park is nothing special.  Most of the full hookup sites are expensive, graveled, and close together.  We decided to check in at the office for more information and were told they had two boondocking sites for $20 each per night (since upped to $25). Our site 361, is about 50 feet from the water and entertains us with a constant flow of boat/ship traffic.  Never a dull moment though lots of lazy ones.

An afternoon parade of schooners (insert Howard drooling)

Jefferson County Courthouse - Uptown

In years past we have done many all day trips to see Seattle, Port Angeles, Sequim, and all the local hangouts.  There is RV parking at Fort Worden State Park and Fort Townsend State Park as well as the Elks Lodge and Jefferson County fairgrounds.

There is a great little local theater that shows currently running movies as well as art and eclectic films, and the best ice cream at Elevated Ice Cream, both located downtown. There are lots of shopping opportunities from second hand shops to chic, expensive ones. There is Doc's restaurant located here at the marina which we enjoy for the convenience and every type of eating pleasure you can imagine in town.

Victorian downtown

During our 10 days we have hung close to home, not feeling any pressure to do a daily tour as in year's past.  We've been catching up on our reading and exercise. And both of us got haircuts (whoopee).  A walk from the marina uptown is a long steep hill that gathers momentum as it reaches it's high point in town then starts back to downtown again. Three or 4 outings like this gets the old legs aching and the knees screaming!

The ferry docks are busy during the summer season with two ferries running about every hour, making for easy travels between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, about a half hour scenic trip each way.  The downtown streets are packed with tourists arriving by small cruise ship or ferry. We will load the motorhome and car onto the ferry tomorrow for a sail to Whidbey Island and on to Anacortes on Fidalgo Island.

The hot dog spot downtown framed by a great mural

This is what we do most of the time!

We'll see you soon in Anacortes, another great northwestern maritime town.

For us the convenience of staying at the Elks Lodge in Petaluma is pure parking perfection~~~

During part of the spring and summer months we hang out in Petaluma in Northern California, about 30 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Elks Lodge in Petaluma has become "Ground Zero" for us for several years.  We're near family, medical facilities, and beautiful places to sight-see.

An artsy rendering of our Petaluma Elks Lodge parking

If you are a member of an Elks organization like we are, the lodge in Petaluma offers the best RV parking available in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are 18 sites on asphalt with full-hookups for $25 per night, many suitable for larger RVs, with grassy dog runs and overflow parking.  Their system now offers reservations making it convenient for planning ahead.  Janis, the very best RV host, has lived in Petaluma most of her life and will assist in making your stay memorable.

Enjoying our grassy, manicured back yard.  There are tables and chairs for afternoon happy hours The doggies love it too!

This is an opportunity to enjoy the delights of a beautiful old historic city packed full of great restaurants, regional parks and hiking trails, all within an easy drive to San Francisco to the south, Pacific beaches, and the famous Napa valley wine country.

Ahh...The Golden Gate Bridge...we have about 30 miles to go north to Petaluma.

Going down...to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse

Vineyards offset by coastal hills and clouds at Green String Farm

The Petaluma Visitor Center used to be the old train depot in 1914...

Historic downtown Petaluma

Shollenberger Park has miles of trails and is an easy walk from the Elks.

There is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail around the lake, part of which lies adjacent to the Petaluma River which is navigable and runs in to the San Francisco Bay.

A hike at Helen Putnam Park involves a lot of hill climbing.

Layers of coastal fog and farm land lie to our west as we hike the trails of Helen Putnam.

Another side of Helen Putnam Park, groves of old oak abound.

Napa Valley...where we hope to be next week!

Here we're enjoying a beverage and some fine food at Dempsey's Brew Pub with a river view of course.

Another day and the sun performs perfectly with shadows and colors.

The pedestrian bridge across the river takes us to Main Street and all the fun stores.

Tuesday's eastside Farmers Market.  There is also a Wednesday evening market in town and Saturday morning at Walnut Park.

And this lovely bouquet is for you!  Thanks for coming back...

Yes, there has been a long hiatus but I plan to correct that!  I have been sick but am mostly back to normal now.  It is a long story and at some point I may decide to write about it.  Right now, it is just too raw.

Our plans now have us on the road soon.  We have been near Sacramento where the temps are near 100.  Our daughter has a nasty combination of gall stones and Pancreatitis, a very serious condition to say the least.  Hoping now to have the pancreatitis under control, they plan to remove the gall bladder this coming Saturday.  I'm sorry but having an operation on Saturday doesn't bode well with me!

We plan to spend a couple of days next week in Calistoga and the Napa Valley Wine country making up for our 21st anniversary which was yesterday, the 24th.  We are looking forward to our yearly dinner at the Greystone Culinary Institute.

Chilling in Borrego, cheers with new friends, hikes, repairs, & dumping for fun~~

The New Year brought a deep chill, as in below freezing temps, and our mountains were topped with snow.  It was a beautiful sight to behold, and happens every few years, but by late afternoon we were bundled up and huddled by a fire, or inside.  Our oh so efficient Wave 6 catalytic heater kept us warm and toasty, running on low throughout the night.

Our new friends, Heather and Dan, have entertained us non-stop.  Heather loves to cook and invited us and friend, Richard, who camps out over at Peg Leg, for a New Year's feast of spiraled ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, and just baked white buns.  We brought a salad and there was lots of good red wine to last the evening. The sun was out, though the temps were dropping. They have a great little set-up outside their small toy hauler; comfortable table that will sit 6, gas barbecue and fireplace.  Very cozy indeed.  We did say goodbye just as the sun was setting to go home and catch the last quarter of the Oregon Ducks beat Florida State in the Rose Bowl game.

Richard, Heather, Dan, Lynda, Howard

Spiraled ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, homemade white buns, & salad...Delicious

On a trip into town one day we had to take a detour to check out the Breceda sculptures, a drive we do every year.  They never cease to amaze me and were even more impressive against a background of snow on the mountaintops.

Prehistoric camel

The dragon

The padre and his dog

In an effort to get off our lazy behinds and shed unwanted pounds, and with a lot of inspiration from young friends who are fitness nuts, we're trying to walk or run an hour a day for 6 days a week, and do some strength training a couple of days. Now bear in mind, we're working up to this!  They use a simple pulley system by TRX Training and the basic equipment would work fine on the motorhome, suspended from the ladder, and not take up much space, ridding us of the hand weights and other paraphernalia we haul around.  We're also reading the book Younger Next Year, which has actually been recommended by several friends.  Hey, we'll try most anything to keep doing what we're doing and love, for a few more years.  So on that note, we headed up Coyote Mountain for a two hour hike!

Up the rocky, steep slope

We nod at the deadly serpent but we have higher goals.

Over by Henderson Canyon,looking west...

 We get a TRX demonstration!

The car was due for maintenance and the motorhome needed the generator serviced, so Howard went into Tito's Auto Repair, talked to Tito, and felt comfortable having them do the work.  We had not been there before, but had received recommendations.  The car went in yesterday and attention to every detail was thorough and complete and we felt the price was very fair.  Today we took the motorhome in for generator's oil change and replaced the oil, fuel, and air filters.  Again, efficient and thorough.  From there we headed up to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park to use their facilities, dump and water, which we do every 10-14 days, and for the $7 price of admission, we get a day use pass to park, have a picnic, and enjoy a hike to the Palm Canyon.  Today since we were later in the day, we just parked and had lunch and got to say hello to friends, Tom and Carolyn, who had just arrived.

The State Park for day use

Parking for a picnic or a hike...

We rounded out our week with temps warming back up into the mid 70s, clear blue skies, and basking in the light of a full moon.  Life is good, indeed~~