Exit Road Rollerblade alters summer - 6/24

Cement is hard. This was again brought home to me when I hit a rock on my rollerblades and crashed landed upon my hip. My new rollerblades with the 100 mm wheels are fast. The combination of fast blades and hard cement is great when you're upright, not so good when you fall.

Exit Glacier road has been a favorite place to blade because it's a spectacular 8 or so mile drive through the mountains alongside a glacial river to the Glacier. You never know when you're going to see an eagle, moose or bear . Unfortunately the road surface has always been marginal for blading due to a lack of a wide shoulder and the fact that you always need to watch for gravel on the road. I thought I was watching. My blading style is a little like speed skaters swinging their arms. When I launched I was mid swing and when I landed I did so on my hip rather then my knee pads or wrist guards. I was wearing a helmet but my head didn't hit. My hip took the brunt of the fall with my little pinky finger getting a deep cut across the knuckle.

My bleeding finger initially got my attention but as  I struggled to climb out of the ditch I realized that my left leg was not working. A passing RV saw me and slowed to a stop. They were kind enough to hop out and help me out of my blades and into their vehicle for transport to my car.  As I drove home I called Kat to tell her to get the steri strips and 1st aid kit out. By the time I made it to Lowell point I knew we'd be heading back into town for a visit to the ER.

At the Seward  ER X rays confirmed my fears. I had a complete femoral fracture near the top of femur at the neck just below the ball. Fortunately the femur was aligned. The ER doc Julia Sicilia began making calls to Anchorage and was able to connect with the Dr Tower the orthopedic surgeon that had worked on her ankle. We had an appointment for 9am the next day in Anchorage. The photo above shows me settling in to the back of the Explorer for the drive to Anchorage. This would be my home for the next 16 hours as I figured it was easier to leave me in the vehicle then to move me into Harry and Courtneys and out again. Courtney hosted a very nice tea party in the Explorer when we arrived at their place. After a sleepless and painful night I questioned my stay in the Explorer decision.

In the morning it was off to Providence Hospital and a day of waiting for surgery. In late afternoon I was wheeled into the operating room and a few hours later woke up with three new pins in my leg.

By early the following morning I was ready for something other then perpendicular. The nurse let me take my first steps with the help of a walker.

Here's a photo of my hip.  I'm not exactly sure how long the bruising will be present. Each day I'm able to crutch a little further and have a bit more mobility with my left leg.  Dr Tower has told me that I will need to use crutches for the next 6 weeks and that while using crutches my left leg can be partial weight bearing.  I slowly walked around Lowell Point today. My best physical therapy is walking. I'm going to need to be walking because friends keep helping out by delivering us great meals. Fortunately some have also volunteered to go walking with me. Maybe we can find a balance of the calories gained by eating the goodies and lost by the walking.

Here's an photo from several years ago of Kat and I on Exit Glacier. I'm looking forward to a return climb before the summer is out.

Godwin Glacier Escape 6/18

Its amazing how time flies when you're totally engaged. Our spring whirled by in a flurry of Sunny Cove  activity and now summer solstice approaches. Non SC adventures have been limited lately so this morning phone call was pleasant surprise. Could we rally for a 8:30 flight to the Glacier and some dog sledding?

I had to say yes even though it meant finding someone to watch the office for Kat.  The temptation of her first ever helicopter flight and my promise to bring enough warm clothing won Kat over to this sudden change of plans for the morning. 

We have friends that guide for Turning Heads Kennels and they wrangled us an invitation to do some mushing. Godwin Glacier is a 10 minute flight from the Seward Airport but a world away in terms of scenery. The dog Kat is petting is a former Iditarod lead dog. 

We got out for a short loop with the dogs and our friend Tom. It was fun to be back on a glacier on such a beautiful day. The dogs seemed to be enjoying the outing as much as we were. 

It was truly a thumbs up morning.. a 2 hour trip to a very different universe. 

Our thanks to Mike and Tom for a very fun adventure 

Ferry North 3/8-13

All good things eventually come to an end. I'm ready to be home.

It's been an incredible fall /winter. Time for adventure, family, skiing, sight seeing, new friends, old friends, new places and old places. I feel very lucky to be able to have a life which allows these experiences. Especially our family time. Our ability to spend 6 weeks with family provides us the quality family connection that nearly overcomes Alaska's remoteness.

For my voyage north I selected the open air stateroom. I thought I'd might have to share space but  I had the whole area to myself. Deck chair, sleeping bag and a rest room close by, what more do you need. Driving sleet eventually moved me into the solarium, but I enjoyed three nights with gentle breezes and some great scenery.

The inside passage was softly dramatic on this trip. Lots of clouds and fog. You sensed the surrounding peaks but rarely saw them.

We had a couple of brief stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Yakutat. Downtown Ketchikan was quiet, shops waiting for summer tourists.

As we began our Gulf crossing the seas picked up. The Kennicott rocked and rolled but not enough for me to be sick or really uncomfortable (although walking without a handrail was exciting). It took a couple of days for me to lose the rock and roll sensation back on land.

We arrived in Whittier to a driving snowstorm. I was excited about the possibility of catching a run at Summit. As it turned out snow turned to sleet and I headed home.

Coastal wonderings 3/3 to 3/8

Beautiful but wet … with wind pushing 40 and sand migrating in waves on the beach, a perfect day to sit inside and enjoy the view. My day had other commitments. I was Washington bound. I had a dinner date with Mike and Teresa Tetreau. It was a wet drive.

I did come across the Worlds largest Spruce tree in the Quinalt forest. I had to stop. At 191 feet it wasn't the tallest tree but it was a fatty (58.11 feet in circumference). The photo taken in driving rain doesn't capture the size but does give you an idea of the climate it takes to create a 1000 year old giant like this.    My spruces at home would be proud.

Mike an Teresa live in Forks, Washington, a former lumber capital recently made popular by the Twilight movies. Located in the middle of the Olympic Peninsula we had lots of good hiking choices. Here Mike discusses our options with a local.

I left my camera behind for one memorable hike in the Hoh forest where we had moss draped maples, perfect light and three feeding deer all a snapshot away. I did manage to catch a pic of chickens and elk in the Tetreau's back yard. 

We also got to see more big trees always awe inspiring to me. 

No hiking on the peninsula would be complete without checking out the coast. Big trees and big waves. Kayaking along this coast would be a challenge.

Room with a view 3/2 -3/4

The Oregon Coast has always engaged me. It's a place of power and beauty cloaked in soft greens and white mist clouds. From Boise I headed west all the way to the coast. My room at the Ester Lee motel provided a base for some coastal explorations. 

The Yachats area provided a good starting point. Mixing driving with short beach walks and hikes made for an excellent day out.

Along the way I found an old CCC building perched on a cliff and a number of impressive sea stacks.

A hike out to Cape Lookout provided a nice opportunity to stretch my legs and brought back memories of a family trip years ago when my mother, father, sister and I visited Oregon and attended Bob and Bets 50th anniversary. I think Jody and I had hiked the Lookout trail on that trip. If I remember correctly I may have even run part of the trail to avoid having the parents sitting around too long.

Today I had a pleasant stroll out to the Cape. Even noticed the first flower in bloom, although my photo of it was out of focus. Spring is not that far away. 

SLC 2/27 - 3/1

We arrived in a rainstorm. Put our name on the list and waited outside. The Red Iguana always has a line. Its always worth the wait.

This is Dave Taylor's favorite restaurant. Its becoming one of my favorite restaurants and I'm not usually a fan of Mexican food. Dave, Bernadette, Kat and I had a good time drinking habanero margaritas and eating the Yucatan inspired dishes. As we ate we talked about how much snow was falling at Snowbird.

The following morning we found out. Joined by a small band of seasoned Snowbird skiers Taylor led us to the goods. I'm sure we found the best snow on the mountain all day long. I'm also pleased that Ditti, caught a couple of shots of me skiing. I think its the first ski photos of me this winter.

It was a fantastic day of skiing. As we exited the mountain the wind was picking up and it was beginning to snow. By the following morning the storm was in full force and Kat and I were Boise bound. 

Moving on

Colorado has been good to us. From plentiful powder to comfortable housing we've enjoyed our time in Salida. Kat especially liked the little loft where we spent our last week.

 I was pleased that my last Monarch ski day was one with a foot of fresh snow. 

From Salida we headed west to Glenwood Springs and Sunlight ski area. Below the Glenwood hot springs pool. With this pool the lap lanes went cross pool. If you were willing to weave around people a bit you could do almost five laps in one lengthwise swim. 

Sunlight offers excellent glade skiing, even days after a storm. 

From Glenwood we pointed west and headed to the Wine Country Inn a favorite staging point on past Van W/O Plan trips for skiing Powderhorn. Alas, new management and much higher prices made the once great deal less of a deal. We splurged for one night. 

Powderhorn however was fun. We got a two for one ticket from a gas station and I had a good day of skiing for $ 30. With my knees I've now become a connoisseur of groomer runs. Powderhorn has a run by the name of Red Eye that winds its way down the Mountain in a rhythmically fun way. The run pictured below is not Red Eye. 

Powderhorn also has nice glades and is unique in that the ski area goes from the base to top of a mesa. The top of the mountain is flat and offers excellent xc skiing. 

Utah's next .

Off to Purgatory

With Kat in the driver seat (and back in Colorado) we decided to explore a bit of Colorado. Kat doesn't especially like steep cliff lined roads unless she's driving. The roads to Durango have mountain passes like the passes surrounding Silverton.

We did a loop taking in Wolf Creek ski area, Pagosa Springs, Durango, Ouray, Gunison and back to Salida. One of the trip highlights was spending time and exploring Durango with our friends Pam and Tom.

 We had a beautiful afternoon for a tour. Elk backstraps headlined an evening feast at Pam and Tom's. The following morning we headed out toward Purgatory, now called Durango Mountain Resort by tourists and the resort owners.

Tom and I had a great day skiing Purgatory while Kat and Pam decided to try the Nordic trails nearby.
Kat found an icy spot and had a hard spill. She's currently nursing a sore knee. Today we did therapy at the hot springs pool in Salida.

We have a few more days of playing in Salida before heading westward. Snow is predicted for tonight and I'm watching the clouds gather as I write this. Powder tomorrow.