"Adventure Move-Alaska" Day 11

By today's end, all three of us considered ourselves expert cruisers. We had the forward viewing area, port, starboard, aft bow, and 'sea-legs' all figured out. And we definitely know what Dramamine is, right Alana? ;) No one has been sea sick, but thanks in no small part to the pharmaceutical industry for that

We spent much of the day roaming the ship, reading during Sophia's naps, and even taking a few naps of our own. You guessed it; much of the crew and many of the other passengers already know Sophia's name. Her infectious smile continues to be contagious and always attracts some welcome attention, and Sophie loves every minute of it.

By 4:30 this afternoon, we had reached the Klemtu narrows, seen a few whales, some porpoises, and even a bald eagle. The scenery has been awesome so far, and the regulars tell us we're just getting started. Not a whole lot to write about really today so I'll let the pictures do the talking. Oh ya, and Buddy is hangin' in just fine. He's always excited to see us and we never miss a 'car deck' call. After tonight though, we'll start to stop at the different ports and we'll be able to take him for a walk off of the ferry for an hour or so at a time. All down hill from here!

Good night!

"Adventure Move-Alaska" Day 10

This morning we left our friends in Tacoma for Bellingham, WA and said our thankful good byes. Our epic amount of luggage continued to entertain our hosts but eventually we got it all packed up, save one of Buddy's leashes that we found out had been left behind about an hour after we departed. Funny thing is thats not the first time thats happened with that particular necessity so we just happened to have two of them.

The drive to Bellingham took about 2 1/2 hours and started out cloudy and rainy, as had been the last couple days since we got to Seattle. The scenery was still beautiful though as we passed the lakes and mountains on the way to the ferry terminal. The sky did clear up and we were finally under sunny skies when we got to the port.

Bellingham was a cool little town and the terminal was equally intriguing with a ferry bigger than anything I had pictured. It was like a miniature cruise ship (minus the clubs and casinos, or anything else to do for that matter.) We were about an hour early for our 3 hour early check-in time, so after a quick run to the grocery store for some breakfast and lunch food, Alana and Sophia grabbed a cat nap while Buddy and I made some early friends with the others already waiting. Buddy enjoyed running around since he had to spend the whole time we were on the ferry in the car. Pets weren't allowed above the car deck, so once we drove onto the ferry, we unloaded the back of the car and gave him plenty of room to stretch out and move around. We did get to go visit him every 6 hours or so to walk him around and let him go to the bathroom.

After another luggage debacle getting things to the smaller ferry staterooms using the smaller ferry staircases, (trust me, you had to be there:) we went out to the deck to watch the ferry pull out and wave good bye to the lower 48! (Check Jalen's facebook for the video of Sophia saying good bye.)

We got settled into our cabin and discovered that the beds were surprisingly soft. Sophia had a cool little corner of her own for her pack-n-play and things worked out pretty nicely. This particular night was incredible, as you can see in this picture. While we do crop and 'clean these pictures up' with iphoto, they're not photoshop'd. Probably one of the most incredible sunsets I've seen. We're all still working on our sea legs, but so far so good! good night!

"Adventure Move--Alaska" Day 9

So I've decided I'd never make it as a newspaper writer, (or any other kind of writer for that matter.) My articles would all start the same way and it feels like I'd run out of new things to say. But I'll press on since anyone who is reading this probably isn't doing so because of my witty comments or fluid writing skills :)

Today was a fun day for the three of us. Mr. David and Mrs. Esther offered to watch Sophia for a few hours today while Alana and I ran a few errands and did some sight seeing in downtown Seattle, so like any good parent we took them up on their offer and off we went. However, before the sight seeing we took Sophia to the doctor to get her ears checked, and the report came back that the only thing wrong was that her frown was broken! She had the whole office staff eating from the palm of her hand before she left and was given a clean bill of health to start the ferry ride tomorrow. Praise God for that! Now if Alana and I could just kick the congestion and sneezing...

After we returned from the doctor, it was off to the gun shop to ship my guns up to Alaska. Canada isn't exactly easy to deal with when it comes to fire arms, so rather than going through the paper work (which I would have had to start months ago), or the whims of the customs people, we took and had them shipped since by law I'm not allowed to ship guns to myself or anyone else without a dealer liscense. Then it was off to downtown Seattle where we spent a few hours walking around seeing the fish market, the first Starbucks store and had lunch at the Hardrock Cafe. We also made a quick trip for a picture of the Space Needle and then it was time to head back to the house and off to dinner at the Ram (Schwarma!). The day was full and we're settled in early for a good rest before we head off to the boat tomorrow afternoon, so good night, and thanks for all your continued prayers. Please continue to pray for Alana and I's allergies or colds or whatever it is that we seem to be fighting.

Also, as we're on the ferry I doubt we'll have internet access or even cell phone service for that matter so you can expect the next few days blogs to be posted sometime on the 20th. Until then...

"Adventure Move-Alaska" Day 8

Well, we've made it to Seattle and are settled into the Still's beautiful home overlooking Puget sound. They are such a blessing and God is so great to provide such a needed, comfortable rest before we move on to the ferry and our last two days of driving into Alaska. Today was less eventful than some of the others but still provided some gorgeous scenery and the first fall colors of the trip.

We started the day with a nice breakfast in the room from the inn's waffle bar and then a walk on the beach while the mist had lifted just enough to see the famous Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. It was pretty impressive and Cannon Beach as a whole was gorgeous...just like the rest of the Oregon coast. After that it was back to the room to pack, bathe the dog, and press on to the next stop. Buddy had his first tick which we discovered during his bath, but we removed it uneventfully and applied the tick/flea meds that the vet gave us prior to leaving, so he's all set now!

Just up the road we hit Astoria, Oregon, right on the Columbia river and drove up for a quick pass and a picture at the Astoria Column, and I reminisced about our family vacation as a kid and remembered seeing my grandparents quarters on the naval base and so forth. Great memories. We also saw a freightor going under the bridge and a few lined up in the river. Such massive ships. We drove across the huge bridge over the Columbia and into Washington for the last leg of our road trip, at least for the next few days anyhow. Coming into Seattle we saw the first yellow leaves on the trees and were reminded that it won't be long before we see increasing color, and eventually work our way into winter by the time we reach Alaska, where we expect that it will be started snowing already, or at least be down in the temperatures to do so. We spent the evening meeting Stephanie and Paul, Tom's sister and brother-in-law and visiting with Mr. David and Mrs. Esther about all sorts of things. Dinner and desert were great and I can't say enough about their graciousness. Thanks so much!!

Tomorrow brings a precautionary trip to the doctor to see if Sophia has an ear infection since she's started pulling at her ears again and decided to refuse her bottle tonight. We think it might be the teething, but since we're about to spend 3 days on a ferry, we figured it best to be sure. God continues to answer prayers and provide for our needs so thanks for all your prayers and we continue to ask for safe travel and healthy bodies.

Good night!!

One of these pictures was copied from the internet due to weather. Can you guess?

"Adventure Move-Alaska" Day 7

So another day on the road is done, and let me tell ya we're all starting to feel the road weary effects of the travel. Spirits are still good though and we continue to look forward to what each new day will bring. We also pray each day that God will keep us safe, healthy and in His will and he's answered all three so far! Thank Him for that.

Today we left Newport for Cannon Beach, but not before a couple short stops for a new trip permit for the trailer, some more baby food and the highlight of the day at the Aquarium in Newport. We had a ball showing Sophia all the new and interesting animals, and watching the sea lions do tricks for their food. We even saw the shark feeding and one of the sharks took a stingray that was in the tank for food and bit a chunk out of its fin! It scared Alana to death and even made me jump since neither of us were expecting it. The underwater tunnel is a cool way to see the animals though. Too bad Sophia is too small to remember much of it.

Travel was pretty short today which was nice. We stopped at Otter Rock and saw the Devil's Punch Bowl, as well as the Flying Dutchman Winery, where we continued to add to our wine collection.

We got to our hotel in time to make a quick walk on the beach before dinner, and Buddy enjoyed it more than any of us. He ran non-stop in big circles until we left to go eat dinner. A quick burger in town at a local brewery and now its time for bed! Praise God again for safe travels, and I'm praying that he'll clear my sinuses for the days to come. Other than that we're all still healthy, save a few allergies.

Tomorrow we head to Seattle to stay with my good friend Tom Still's folks for a couple nights before getting on the ferry on Friday. Good night!

By the way, did you know that in Oregon you're not allowed to pump your own gas? Full service gas everywhere. Also, Alana took our new favorite picture of Sophia today (top, left).

"Adventure Move-Alaska" Day 6

So last night we camped, if you can call it that. The location was gorgeous, quiet and had all the amenities I would never expect when I sleep in a camper. That being said, I wouldn't change a thing given it was the first night we'd used our new camper as a family, it was Alana's first night in a camper ever, and we also had Sophia with us which adds a whole 'nother element to camping by itself. Not to mention a whole lot more luggage. All in all though it went pretty smoothly. Not sure I would do it again with this much 'stuff' with us, but that can't be helped since we're moving and all. We definitely we're the smallest rig in the park, with the next smallest being a 33' twin axle 5th wheel across the way. We felt a little under prepared but we had running, hot water, electricity, a heater, and a soft bed so what else do you need besides a little more square footage for our 9 suitcases we brought. (had to be the joke of the night for the other folks there:) Anywho, not a bad experience either way. We slept ok, and I spent the better part of the night making sure Sophia wasn't cold. We are definitely glad to have a nice hotel room tonight with a jacuzzi and a nice bed for the evening. Its right on the water too so that doesn't hurt. (Alana done good!)

We started the day tearing down camp and repacking some of the stuff in the camper which made life a little easier after the fact. We seem to continue to acquire junk in the car as we continue to each new place, but we found a spot for it in the camper so life is a little better in the car now...just ask Buddy, who got his spot back from all the clutter we moved.

When we got up the weather wasn't very pretty. The standard low fog was in place and there wasn't much to see so we pressed on to the West Coast Game Park where we got to see and pet baby tigers, leopards, ground hogs, ferrets and even a skunk! It was quite the tour and much fun was had by all. After that it was 3 more hours to Newport where we're at tonight with a couple stops for scenery pictures, to include a great look at the first lighthouse of the trip from the overlook about half a mile away. The mist had burnt off and the view of the coast and lighthouse from the overlook was incredible.

As we approached Northbend, OR and were distracted by all the impressive bridges and logging operations, we hit the 1500 mile marker for our trip, and our little Honda Pilot was averaging 14 MPG so far...not bad I thought.

Thats about it for today. I'm starting to battle a bit of a sinus issue so I'm off to bed. Tomorrow brings the aquarium and hopefully some sea lions on our way up to Cannon Beach. Good night, and praise God for safe travels so far!

"Adventure Move-Alaska" Day 5

Today was an incredible day for those who appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. After stopping a little short last night, today only required a short 1 hr dive up the coast to Whaleshead beach resort where we’re sleeping in the camper for the first time. We dropped the camper off and accomplished the initial setup and then backtracked a bit to go check out the Redwood forest.

We headed to Jedediah state park where Alana had read about “Howland Hill road.” What an impressive drive that turned out to be. Right in the middle of the Redwood forest and everything we had hoped to see all within a 6 mile stretch of gravel road. I can’t begin to describe the size or grandeur of these trees to you, so hopefully some of these pictures will give you an idea. They could never do this forest justice however, for that you’ll just have to see it for your self. Some of the highlights for the day came when Sophia got tired of being in her seat so we brought her up front while we putzed along and quickly learned that she’ll be wanting to drive at an early age.

A few quick facts I never knew prior to today: 1) Redwoods can be up to 3,200 yrs old; Alana and I could stand hand in hand, arms stretched as long as we could and not equal the diameter of the majority of trees here, however their roots are only 10-15 ft. deep; Redwoods are also the tallest living things on earth and grow ONLY in this part of the country; finally, Sophia will fit between the cracks in the bark of a Redwood.

As you can imagine though, one ginormous tree begins to look just like the next, so once we finished our drive, it was on to look at the coast and find some dinner. We ended up at “Spinner’s” for super in Gold Coast, just north of where we were staying. We both had sea food and it was great. It was a little nicer than we had planned on though and to add to the fun, Sophia thought it was a great time to test the volume and pitch limits of her vocal chords. But then she grinned back at the few who turned to look and everyone was once again our friend before we left the restaurant. I don’t know how I’m going to teach this kid not to talk to strangers when the only people she sees are friends she hasn’t met yet…

We finished dinner just in time for sunset and went out to the beach just outside of town and Alana continued to polish her photography skills. I’ll be opening up our on-line gallery soon to start selling the prints (wink-wink), but for now you can see them all on facebook. She’s turning into quite the photographer.

Now we’re all snuggled into the camper with the heater on and its time for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow its on to the Newport aquarium. Good night! (Genesis 1)