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 .