Photos from the Trip

Here are the photos from Ecuador >> Photos...

And the photos from Aconcagua >> Photos...

Aconcagua

Left the mountain at 6:00pm last night for the drive back to civilization. The climb was great. Quite bit easier than I thought it would be. Even through I was wasted by the time we got off the summit and to the safety of the high camp. Richard and I were able to do the climb quite quickly, as we were somewhat acclimitized from Ecuador. I will give all the details later, but in summary:



Day 1 - Hike to Confluencia (to 3,300mts/10,850ft and taking 3 hrs)

Day 2 - Hike to base camp (to 4,300mts/14,114ft and taking 7 hrs)

Day 3 - Rest Day in Base camp. Doctor gave all clear to go higher.

Day 4 - Load carry to Camp 1 and Camp 2 (almost). Weather starting to turn bad.

Day 5 - Another rest day (after load carry). Overnight storm, everyone above base camp retreated from the mountain. Many tents blown out. Things not looking good.

Day 6 - Forced weather day. Starting to get nervous about the weather.

Day 7 - Move to Camp 1 (Canada) and spent the night (4,910mts/16,100ft)

Day 8 - Move to Camp 2 (Nido de Condores) and spent the night (5,400mts/17,650ft)

Day 9 - Move to Camp 3 (Berlin) and spent the night (5,780mts/19,000)

Day 10 - Summit around 3:30pm after 9 hours slogging up the hill. Weather was a bit lousy, with high winds. Four teams set off from our overnight camp, but only Richard and I made it through the wind. I required full cold weather gear (no skin exposed).

Day 11 - Descent to Basecamp.

Day 12 - 24km (15 mile) hike out and drive back to the `big smoke`.



An excellent trip. But very glad to be out of a tent. Flight back to the USA is tomorrow evening. Tonight we shall celebrate with some beers.



Signing out from Mendoza (where it is warm and sunny).

Success on Aconcagua!! 22,841ft/6,962m

Hi all,



It's Monday morning and Stephen just rang to say that he and his climbing friend Richard summitted Aconcagua successfully! Stephen will fill you in on the details later. He's back in Plaza de Mulas basecamp at the moment and may get to a computer in Mendoza in the next few days.



I am soooo proud of him!!!!!!!

Hot Springs, Sunburn and Argentina

Yesterday was spent relaxing and soaking up the sun and warm water of the Papallacta Hot Springs. Needless to say I got sunburnt. The only fortunate thing is that you can`t see the sunburn.



Tonight I fly to Argentina to continue the adventure and attempt the summit of Mt Aconcagua. This will be a different style of climbing. Instead of short bursts up to high altitude, we will creep up on the mountain over 10 days or so and try to win it over. More expedition style climbing, requiring a sustained effort. This is where my fitness will kick-in. Well, I hope so.



Signing out for the last time from Quito.

Success on Chimborazo

Richard and I were successful on Chimborazo (Veintemilla) yesterday. It was a massive day making the ascent in a little under 7 hours to gain the 6,267m (20,561ft) summit. The snow condition was excellent allowing us to make good speed up the mountain. Unfortunately the wind was terrible, and we both had a layer of ice coating all our clothing and climbing equipment. We both looked a pretty miserable sight, but actually it was not so bad. We both slept 11 hours last night and are heading to the local hot pools to recover fully.



Signing out from Quito.

Success on Cotopaxi!

Just returned from a summit success on Cotopaxi, Ecuador's second highest mountain measuring in at just under 6,000mts. The snow condition was terrible, so made the climb very (very) difficult. Currently absolutely exhausted, so heading for an afternoon nap.

Chimborazo in two days.



Signing out from Quito.

Acclimization is Over - Let the Climbing begin

Just spent the last two days in the region just outside of Quito where the hills rise to 4,794mts or 15,700feet. Tomorrow we head to Cotopaxi and attempt to summit. Wil let you know how I go.



Signing off from Quito (where it is not currently raining).

Trekking the Quilotoa Crater Lake.

Just back from 4 days in the Quilotoa Crater Lake region. Had a great time. The Crater Lake is very similar to the Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, USA (but not quite as impressive). Plan was to Trek up to the Crater, the next day trek around the rim and on the last day trek down to the lake and back out of the crater. Great plan until I got a wee bout of food sickness, complete with the usual symptoms. After a day in bed, still managed the trek around the Crater Rim and down to and up from the Lake.



Tomorrow we are off to a local peak which is just short of 5,000m (15,500feet). So, time to gain some altitude.



Signing off from Quito (where it seems to constantly rain).

Ecuador - The Travels Continue

So after a few months back in San Francisco, it is now time to get a last little bit of travel in before the New Year. This time, it is just me (Stephen), with Caroline keeping the home fires burning.



Arrived in Ecuador three days ago. The flight was uneventful. Just spent these last three days in a Crater called Pululahua. Spent the days hiking up lava domes and around the crater floor. Really quite nice. This crater is a little unusual, as people live and farm within it. But today, back in Quito to celebrate Thanksgiving. Also visited the monument that signifies the centre of the world (or the zero latitude line). Unfortunately they painted the line in the wrong place, about 300 meters away from where it should really be. Everyone blames the French for the mistake.



Tomorrow we head to a higher crater lake, where we continue the acclimization process. We will be hiking up to 3,800m (or around 12,000ft). The main goal however is the two tallest volcanoes in Ecuador, being Cotopaxi and Chimburazo. Will keep you informed when I get to the Internet. And, feel free to send me emails of support.



Signing out from Quito at 2,850m.

Back in the Bay Area!

Between our off-road adventure and getting back to the Bay Area we have seen lots of beautiful, impressive and/or weird things. So indulge me in giving an overview in a few photo albums.
Colorado & Utah photos
Chapel, Dam & Aliens photos

On October 8th we made it to Livermore where we stayed a couple of nights with Lita and Patrick; we then crashed on Victoria and Adrian's floor for a night. Thanks guys!
Picked up our mail at Inge and Marc's - thanks so much for looking after that for us, it was a very big help!!!!!
And now we're staying at the FiGi's again in San Francisco.

What happens now?
Well, we have some options and are looking into them at the moment. Once we've mapped out the next step(s) we will bring you up-to-date here!

Greetings from Potrero Hill, SF.

Sterlin goes Off-Road, UT

Today we visited Canyonlands National Park. Instead of taking the paved roads, we decided to take one of the 4WD only roads. This enabled us to get away from the crowds and access great views of the Colorado River.

The trip started out down a rather simple sand road. Although, the ranger had told us that the road we choose was "not difficult" the road was proving to be much less difficult than I imagined. And then suddenly the sand road turned into rock, and the difficulty level went up considerably. The ranger also said the road was "not easy".

We spent 5 miles weaving our way through the rock outcrops. Caroline had to often get out of the car and act as a 'spotter' to find a managable route. Overall the trip was a total blast. Here are some photos.

Signing off from Monticello, UT.

A Touch of Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.

After Mt Rushmore we continued to Devil's Tower, WY - a close encounter of the best kind!
We then left the cornfields of Wyoming for the Rockies in Colorado. 'Rocky Mountains National Park' was worth the drive-through.
We stopped in Georgetown, about 40 miles west of Denver to visit Eric and Lisa, whom we met on holiday in Guatemala last Dec/Jan. Thanks guys for making time for us in the middle of your house-move!
The fall colours in the vicinity of Aspen were gorgeous. photos

Once in Utah the Colorado River guided us to 'Arches National Park'. Absolutely fantastic scenery! photos


Goodnight from Moab, UT.

Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse, SD

After several days of driving through cornfields (and believe me, all cornfields look alike), the Black Hills of West South Dakota were a very welcome sight. Somewhere between the cornfields of Iowa, we did manage to find a ballpark and the 'Field of Dreams' movie site. Today we visited Crazy Horse Memorial, which they have been working on for over 50 years. I would guess they need another 50 years to finish the somewhat ambitious plan. But really, it is quite impressive. Also visited Mt Rushmore, one of the must-see sights in the US. Here are some
photos

Signing off from Spearfish, SD.

Offa's Dyke : The Photos

Here are the photos from my hike in Wales.

Bolivian Experience : The Photos

Here are the photos from my trip to Bolivia

Greetings from London - part 2.

I am currently in Putney, London, spending my last couple of hours in an internet cafe - of course. In a few hours I'll make my way to Heathrow to board a plane to Chicago. Can't wait to be with Stephen again!!!!



My visit to London was absolutely fabulous - thanks to all my friends.



Silvia & Wayne: thanks for having me at no notice at all really. It is always very easy and relaxing staying with you.

Heleen: We always meet up and it was fab seeing you as usual.

Kristin: So good of you to come over from Uppsala, Sweden, to spend 3 days together. It was bubbly and the shopping spree was great.

Annemie: I've never seen anyone demolish half a kilo of mussels as fast as you did in 'Belgo'. Great to see you.

Peter-Dieter & Bettina: P-D: good to see you again; Bettina: nice to meet you. The Belgian beers in 'The Lowlander' tasted good as they should.

Dan & Lisa: very nice to stay at your place. Thanks so much for organising dinner with friends! I love your kitchen!

Pete: great to see you at dinner and nice to meet your parents.

Bruce: so good you found time to come over from Doncaster for the afternoon. Eventough it had been 7 years since we saw each other, it felt like it had only been the week before.

Dennis Hopper: thanks for being in the 'New Tate Gallery Cafe' when Bruce and I were there.

Mt Illimani - Success!!!

Just back from 6 days in the mountains, where we successfully summited Mt Illimani (6,438m/22,354ft). It was a long day involving 8 hours and 43 minutes to get up and 4 hours and 35 minutes to get down. But made it up and down safely (and with no blisters!). Now relaxing in the La Paz for 1 day and then fly back States.



Bring on Mt Aconcagua. Signing off from La Paz.

Greetings from London!

Just a quick one to let you all know that I am in London at the moment.

Have had a great time so far catching up with friends (Silvia & Wayne, Heleen, Annemie, Kristin) and wandering around. And I've got more catching up to look forward to (Dan & Lisa, hopefully Pete, and Bruce)!



I will update this blog later with more news.

I also expect to hear from Stephen today or tomorrow!



Signing off from Trafalgar Square.

Greetings from Llangollen!

I know it's been a while, but internet access in these little hamlets I've been staying in has been non-existent. The one place that did have a library with a connection I hit on the weekend, so the library was closed. So no, the cows haven't eaten my maps and compass yet!



So this is day 13.

It has been quite an experience so far. The weather hasn't been too bad (1st 8 days were very warm and sunny, 1 day of constant rain and then scattered showers and some very blustery winds) and my rain gear held up well. Did walk 3 days with wet feet though, but I don't think any hiking boots would have stood up against that amount of rain and wet grass! And one can walk with wet feet.

Some of the long steady downhills have been a bit hard on my knees - I did end up buying a second knee-brace and that helped. Blister number one is not too bad, but the 2nd one on my heel has been giving me a bit of grief.



Until yesterday I felt very good and positive (after 12days). But now I'm beginning to get more than a bit weary. Yesterday was a very difficult and long day; luckily I had 3 walking companions and we all kept each other going through the many ups and downs.

Today I decided to 'travel with my luggage' to my next accommodation - my feet and knees are ever so grateful. I am however getting a bit 'mentally' tired of the walk and am contemplating not doing too much more walking anymore. I may still go with my luggage to the next few stopping points; I may do some shortcuts or,... I'll decide today.



Don't get me wrong though: so far it's been an absolutely fabulous experience! The walks and views and people I've met (B&B hosts and walking companions) have been wonderful. Doing it on my own has been quite an experience.

But I do want to avoid finishing in a negative mood - that would spoil the whole adventure.



And last but not least: Stephen called me on the 12th and 13th and it was sooo good to hear his voice!!! His Bolivian adventure is going really well!





Good afternoon from Llangollen, Wales.

Where is Caroline?

Just spoke to Caroline, and she is doing extremely well on her long-distance-foot-path adventure. A few blisters, but apparently nothing to worry about. I am sure Caroline will give a full update once she gets to an Internet terminal. Which apparently has been quite difficult from the little villages and hamlets that she recently passed through. Go Caroline.

The Training is Over

Just back from a week in the Cordillera Real mountain range. We completed High Altitude training and acclimization. So we are ready to tackle Mt Illimani. It is wonderful to get out of a tent and into a hotel room with a shower.



Signing off from La Paz.

Hay-on-Wye at the foot of the Black Hills.

Finished my 5th day of hiking and 'conquered' the Black Hills! Yep, I know, they are only hills and not mountains, but for me - and doing it on my own - it was quite something! I actually had to walk up twice as that was how my accommodation worked out.



My last 3 days were each about 21km/13.5m. I usually reach my accommodation between 2 and 4pm on those longer days. Plenty of time to relax. Accommodations have been really good so far: B&B's with a family feel, working farms with B&B, room above a pub.



I haven't gotten seriously lost yet (the path does not go over roads but through fields and paddocks and the like - am actually getting braver at crossing the ones fool of cattle!) and am getting better at reading the Ordnance Survey maps. Those together with the guide book and my compass have kept me on the right path.



The weather is still quite gorgeous; so far my offerings to the weathergods have paid off!



Am currently in Hay-on-Wye, a cute little township full of bookshops which I will go and explore now.



Good afternoon from Hay-on-Wye!

The Bolivian Experience has Started

Like Caroline a quick post to let you know the adventure in Bolivia has started. Landed after a reasonable flight and getting a reasonable amount of sleep. La Paz airport is at 4,000m (the highest major airport in the world). So was a little breathless just dragging the luggage to the Taxi. The first day was spent relaxing, soaking up the city. Day 2 involved a long bus ride to see the local ruins. Day 3 (today) was an acclimatization hike day. We woke up with an amazing view of Illimani. Spent 4 hours hiking to the local high point (which we did not quite make). But it was wonderful - and tonight we sleep about 800m lower. Also last night in the city, so had a good meal. The next 7 days will be spent in the mountains learning mountain craft.



The other clients and guides are all good people. Pretty lucky since I am spending the next 20 days with them. And everyone else has more gear than me.



So, signing off from 3,750m (La Paz).

Started Offa's Dyke

Hello all!

A short update as I am in a free-internet cafe and don't want to take up all the time.



Arrived safe and well in the UK, albeit exhausted after no sleep on the flight from Chicago and a long trip from London Heathrow (where BA almost had lost my hiking poles, but luckily they were found while I was registering them as missing) to Chepstow, start of the walk.

After a good night's sleep I felt reasonably refreshed to start day one. After day one jetlag was almost over!

I am now in Monmouth after my 2nd day of walking. These were 2 short days: 13.5 km each. Tomorrow the real fun starts: 21 km (and some 24 and 21 and 19 for the next days and some more serious hills). The weather so far has been fine and I'm getting better at reading the map!



Greetings from Monmouth,

Caroline.

Chicago, IL

First visit to Chicago for both of us and we liked it a lot!

The architectural mix is intriguing and impressive - even a bit surreal every now and then. Made me think of some of the drawings of 'Schuiten en Peeters'.
The transport system that runs above the roads in Downtown gave us the feeling we were in 'ER'.
We walked around Downtown, in Grant Park to the shores of Lake Michigan, Millenium Park, did a self-guided architectural tour of 'The Loop' (part of Downtown), took the 'El' (metro) to some of the suburbs to get a flavour of something other than Downtown, walked around 'Graceland Cemetery' and prepared for our upcoming trips.

So yes, we could live here.... at least in summer... will have to come back and check the place out in winter! Maybe for some x-mas shopping!
Goodnight from Chicago.
photos

High Altitude Mountaineering Course, Bolivia

Spent last night doing a pre-pack for my trip to Bolivia. As usual, I have way too much 'gear'! But at least I think I am ready. Of course, we had to do one final run to REI to pick up some last minute supplies.



Really looking forward to the trip. There will be a total of five of us on the trip. Two guides and three clients. The plan is to spend 12 days learning skills necessary to climb high altitude peaks. And then 8 days attempting the local high point: Mt Illimani. Skill instruction and review will include glacier travel, ice/snow climbing, crevasse rescue, multi-pitch snow climbing, short roping, ice/snow anchoring, belay techniques, etc. During the instruction will we attempt a few peaks between 17,000 and 19,000 ft. (5,000 and 6,000 m.). Possible options to be attempted; Janko Laya (18,187 ft.), Janko Huyo (18,079 ft.) and Condorri (18, 525 ft.). These peaks are the warm-up to the Illimani Expedition. So after 10 days in the mountains we return to the city to get some decent food, beer and get organized for the expedition. All going well we should be heading up to Mt Illimani (21,200 ft./6,461 m.) around mid September. This will be the highest that I have been.



I suspect Internet access in the Bolivian Andes will be a bit difficult. But I will try and send an update when I am in La Paz. Wish me luck...

Relaxing in Madison, Wisconsin

After 10 days of solid driving (we left Anchorage, AK on Aug 15th and arrived in Madison, WI on Aug 25th) we made it to Madison. It was a long 10 days and the drive through the prairie-lands actually got a bit boring. But what does one expect after spectacular scenery in Alaska.

So now we are relaxing a few days with friends (Sarie and Alejandro) in Madison. We're sleeping in, doing washing, catching up and preparing for our trips to Bolivia and Wales.
The current weather here is a bit of a surprise to us: it's very hot (25-29C) and very humid - another good reason to just laze-about really.

Sarie and I are both from Eeklo, Belgium; her parents are amongst my best friends; so it's been absolutely wonderful cathing up with her and meeting her partner Alejandro. They've made us feel very welcome in their home.

>>photos

Greetings from Madison.

Anchorage, AK to Dawson Creek, BC

We flew into Anchorage from San Francisco on 14 Aug around midnight. First stop: long term airport parking to pick up Sterlin.

The next day we started our trek in the general direction of Chicago.
We stopped in Tok, AK; Dawson City, YT; Whitehorse, YT; Liard Hot Springs, BC and Dawson Creek, BC - where we are tonight.
So far we have done 1810m (2890km) of the total roughly 3900m (6230km) to do by Aug 30. So yes, we are moving!

- Our favourite place of this part of the trip: Dawson City, a 'living museum' of the goldrush days.

- We spent a lot of miles (500-600) driving in smoke from different fires.

- On the Alaska Highway we have seen the most wildlife: moose, caribou, lynx, bear (it was either to dangerous to stop or those animals were to swift to be captured on photo), stone sheep and buffalo.
>>photos

Goodnight from Dawson Creek, BC, Canada.

3 Days and 3 Nights in and around San Francisco.

We just couldn’t stay away!



As mentioned previously we had to be back in SFO for fingerprinting. No choice really… so as we had to ‘interrupt’ our trip we decided to make the most of it.



On Wednesday August 11th we arrived at SFO airport in the evening and were met by ‘The FiGi’s’ (Fil & Gina). They also provided us with Wi-Fi enabled accommodation for 3 days and we had their truck at our disposal - thanks guys! It was good and easy staying at your place!



Thursday we kicked off with breakfast with Alison; Caroline then enjoyed a mid-morning coffee-chat with Olivier while Stephen went to the dentist.

Afterwards we paid a visit to our storage locker.

In the afternoon we visited Leslie who introduced us to their brand new baby girl Maelle.

Around 5pm we made our way to Inge & Marc’s. Stephen went for a run in Sunnyvale, which gave Inge and Caroline a chance to do some serious catching up. We were then treated to a yummy ‘stoverij-met-frieten’ dinner with homemade mayonnaise. Leslie and Erwan joined us for dinner.



On Friday morning we had an appointment with our immigration lawyers (always more forms to sign) and in the afternoon we went to Oakland to be fingerprinted – again.



Friday night we went to our former local pub ‘21st Amendment’ where we had drinks with friends: Fil & Gina, Tory, Jack, Siska, Claudine & Yves, Henk & Gwynne. Kathy & Scott: thanks for stopping by.



On Saturday morning we enjoyed a nice, slow breakfast with the & Gina and then we took it easy till we had to catch our flight back to Anchorage.



It was great to see you all again! We’ll let you know when we are in the Bay Area next!

The next 6 weeks.

So here we are in Anchorage, AK, from where we fly to San Francisco today Aug 11. We just missed the place too much to be away for so long.... Just kidding (although...). No, we need to go back there to be fingerprinted again for our 'still-and-forever-running' green card applications. A bit a of a bummer maybe that we have to interrupt our travels, but on the other hand we get to catch up with friends again! We fly back from SFO to ANC on Aug. 14.



We will then turn Sterlin in the direction of Chicago. With 2 weeks to do those 3,000+ miles we even hope to do some sightseeing on the way! So yes we'll be moving fast those weeks.



We have to be in Chicago on August 31st as we both have flights booked from there.

Stephen is going to Bolivia to do an intensive advanced moutaineerings course and will then attempt to put all that training into practice by trying to summit Mt. Illimani (in the Cordillera Real in the Bolivian Andes).

Caroline is going to the UK where she will attempt to walk 'Offa's Dyke' in Wales, one of the UK's famous long-distance footpaths.



We get back together in Chicago on September 23rd. We have friends in Madison, WI (not far from Chicago) so we'll go and rest on their floor for a few days after our seperate adventures.



The original plan was to then continue on towards the East Coast of the US, but because of that 3-week side trip we fear that the weather may start to get a bit too 'wintery' there, so we're thinking of giving that region a miss (there will always be later opportunities to go there) and to concentrate on the Middle of the US. But we're getting ahead of ourselves... and that is past the 6 week plan ... we will decide what to do once we are both back in Chicago!



When we find some time we will update our website ('Route') accordingly.





Caroline.

Denali NP and Kenai Peninsula - AK

After our 'Dalton Highway' adventure (and I have finally been able to add a photo album there, so you may want to check that post again) we started heading south. Let me add that for both of us this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip so far.

First stop was 'Denali National Park and Preserve' where we hoped to catch a glimpse on Mt. McKinley. For the last 2-3 months the mountain hadn't been seen because of cloud cover. But lo-and-behold, the day we booked our tour of the Park the weather was absolutely gorgeous!!!!! The next day the clouds were back so we were very lucky indeed! And seeing the mountain in all its glory definitely motivated Stephen to go and climb it next year! We also saw 7 grizzlies (incl. a sow and 2 cubs) and some caribou and a moose, but all where too far to give good photo's, so I've spared you the 'try-and-spot-the-animal-pictures'. >> Photos...

From Denali NP we drove to Talkeetna, a small, laid-back town that serves as a base for climbing Mt. McKinley. We rather liked the place. >> Photos...

We then made our way to the Kenai Peninsula, where we slowed the pace down a bit. We actually spent 2 nights in one campground and then 2 nights in the next campground. It was nice to wind down a bit, read, sit by the tent, and we managed to organize the next 6 weeks! More about these plans in the next blog. >> Photos...

Greetings from Anchorage, AK.

WiFi Mecca

Finally achieved the ultimate in camping. To access email remotely through a Wi-Fi connection. Ha. Camping will never be the same again (this post was made from a campground).

Prudhoe Bay, AK

Just squeezing in a quick post before heading off to Denali National Park. The last week has been spent driving North, and I mean North. We crossed the Artic Circle (66Deg33') and continued to a place called Deadhorse on Prudhoe Bay. Did not venture for a swim however. Deadhorse is a total Oil Town, with a smattering of tourists. There is absolutely no culture there. I loved it. Sterling did wonderfully, coping very well with the rough roads. The only scars being three windscreen chips. Unfortunately we did not see the midnight Sun, it was there, except it rained for three days solid. Did make the roads a little more adventurous however. We even got some light snow. >> Photos...

So, signing off from Fairbanks, AK.

Skagway to Anchorage, AK

Obviously we made it successfully from Juneau to Skagway.  However, no more ferries for us (at least for a while).  We plan to be land-based for the next few weeks.  Skagway was quite the quaint little tourist town.  We preferred it to Juneau.  It did however have numerous jewelry shops, which have absolutely no historical relevance, but do cater nicely to the Cruise tourist.  Caroline even managed to get some free diamond ear-rings (value undeclared...).  The drive from Skagway North to Whitehorse was rather spectacular actually.  Dramatic mountains along the South Klondike Highway and up the pass to Carcross.  This is one of the two historical paths followed by the early gold-rushers.  Had no hassles from immigration entering Canada.

Whitehorse, not much to say...

Headed more North and West to re-enter Alaska on the Alaska Highway.  Very annoying immigration dude, who gave us 10 minutes of grief.  But hey, he let us back into the United States.  I am not sure he knew what to do with our documents, and decided it was just easier to let us go.  More beautiful mountains and lakes along the way.  Stopped the night in Tok (in a campground with a WiFi access point).

Stopped at the Matanuska Glacier and went for a bit of a walk on the Glacier.  It was quite stunning.  First time Caroline had been on a Glacier.  Stayed the night in Palmer, which is famous for nothing.  In Anchorage today.  Signing off from N61°12', W149°50' >> Photos...

Juneau, AK - continued

Hokey... we're back. As said we were chased out of the cyber cafe by the fire alarm. Made one addition to that previous blog: a photo link of the Inside Passage.

Juneau, Alaska's State Capitol - a city that can only be reached by plane and boat. And oh boy do the boats know how to reach it ... especially the massive cruise ships. It looks like at any given time there are 4 cruise ships docked in downtown Juneau (probably a summer thing). As a result of that downtown is crawling with tourists during the day; in the evening they go back to thei cabins and life on board. Downtown is filled with 'tourist shops' selling jewelry, jewelry, more jewelry and plush animals.

Very dramatic setting though, hemmed in by moutains and glaciers. One of which is very close to the city and very accessible: The Mendenhall Glacier. So naturally we went for a closer look!

Ferry sailings gave us 2 choices: either 1 or 3 nights in Juneau. The weather and the cruise ships made us decide on 1 night.
So on Wed Jul 21 we took the ferry to Skagway. >> Photos...

Goodnight from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

Juneau, AK

We will keep this post very short (as internet and phone seem to be a real problem here).  Just wanted to let you know that we touched down in Alaska.

Took the ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert - 15 hours on the water (all in Canada).  The Inside Passage was absolutely amazing.  So was the weather - on the first leg.  The boat was full of dutch speaking tourists.  Very enjoyable way to travel I must say.

Spent a day in Prince Rupert, before boarding the ferry to Juneau - 24 hours.  Prince Rupert was ok!  Unfortunately managed to lose my wallet there, so had to spend several hours looking for it, advising the local police and cancelling all our credit cards.  A bit of a bummer not to have credit cards while travelling.  The Alaskan Inside Passage was not too bad either, unfortunately it kind-of rained the whole time.

Currently in Juneau, land of the cruise tourist and yucky shopping.  Saw the amazing Mendenhall Glacier.  Got to go, fire alarm just went off.  >> Photos...

Host Olympic City 2010

Greetings from Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.  Crossed the border from the US to Canada on the 9th of July (Friday) and headed up to Whistler.  Hiked a local trail with Dad where we discovered that there is no rainbow at Rainbow Lake (although it was chucking down with rain).  Caroline discovered the comfort (and bar) of the new Four Seasons Hotel where she shared wine and nibbles with Penny.  On Sunday, headed to the foothills of Vancouver where we had a chance to enjoy the city and prepare for the trip (things in San Francisco were a little hectic, and maybe we were not as organized as we could have been).  On Monday, Sterling was fitted with front bars at the local Land Rover dealership.  I also managed to squeeze in a few camping stores.  Not too sure what happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I am sure it was enjoyable.  Funny how the days tend to drift by.  I do remember buying some expensive glacier glasses and a rather expensive pair of fleece pants.  These being critical items for the now confirmed High Altitude Mountaineering trip to Bolivia.  Great to savour some home cooking from Mum.

 

Today was a milestone day.  We have just confirmed ferries to Alaska via the Inside Passage.  It feels like we are actually on our way (first sailing from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert and second sailing from Prince Rupert to Juneau, AK).  So we are setting off tomorrow morning at 10:30am.

 

Signing off from Vancouver.

'Northern Exposure'

Hi All!

Remember the TV show 'Northern Exposure'? It was set in a fictitious place called 'Cicely, Alaska'.
Well, on July 8th we drove east out of Seattle on Hwy 90 for 80 odd miles to get to Roslyn, Washington, the township that stood model for it! Thought that one deserved a mention here as I absolutely adored that show!

In 'Dr. Fleishman's office', 'KBHR' and 'Ruth-Anne's General Store' filming was done inside and outside.
'The Brick' was used for the outside only. Or so I was told. >> Photos...

Good afternoon from Vancouver!

Mt Rainier, Washington (14,410 ft)

Thought I'd better send a quick post to let you all know that I was successful in my summit of Mt Rainier!

I set off at 10:30am Monday from the car-park arriving at Camp Muir around 3:00 pm. After a light dinner, we were all tucked-up and in bed by 6:00pm. Although it was somewhat hard to sleep as it was still bright sunshine outside. Got woken up at midnight and set off some 90 minutes later. After six hours of hiking and four rest stops, successfully gained the summit. Yihaa!!! On the descent, the gods decided it was time to reward the fine weather of the previous day with high winds and driving rain. Due to poor weather, it took eight hours to hike back down to the car-park (completely soaked I might add). Nothing a quick beer can't fix however. Would I do it again; probably not - certainly not with RMI, but maybe as an independent (meaning, without a professional guide). >> Photos...

Goodnight from Seattle, Washington.

Portland, Oregon

What a surprisingly pleasant and nice city! There's a bit of a European feel to it. Lots of funky, trendy, leafy neighbourhoods: Hawthorne, NW23 (reminded me a bit of Balmain in Sydney), Downtown.
I loved the Japanese and Rose Gardens: 2 very different and very enjoyable gardens; spent quite some time in both. Fabulous views over the city, Mt Hood and Mt St Helens.
Powell's Bookstore is enormous, they give you a map at the entrance so you wouldn't get too lost! But it's fun just to wander around. Couldn't leave without visiting REI and Columbia Sportswear.
I enjoyed the '4th of July' fireworks on the Willamette River at the Hawthorne Bridge.

Alison and Eduardo, thanks very much for showing me your new city and home and for a most enjoyable BBQ!!!!!
Olivier, thanks for suggesting I'd visit this city!

In a few hours I'm taking the Greyhound to Olympia, WA. Stephen will drive there from his climb of Mt Rainier. Can't wait to find out how that went! >> Photos...

Greetings from Portland, OR.

Lassen Volcanic and Crater Lake National Parks.

After numerous previous trips whizzing up and down the I-5, we made the right decision to go a little inland and visit these two great national parks. Mt Lassen (10,457 ft) remains covered in snow, with the various lakes just starting to thaw out now. This would be an absolutely magic place to visit in winter, and I am sure I will be back to ‘knock off’ the stroll from the car-park to the summit. From Lassen we regained the I-5 at Mt Shasta, where we camped the night at Lake Siskiyou (near Mt Shasta township). I think Caroline might even have enjoyed camping. Of course this camp-ground did not have Internet Access (hmmmm).

The following day, we were totally blown away with Crater Lake. What a beautiful Lake (which I think tops our list of most beautiful Lakes – along with Lake Louise in Canada). So we spent several hours on the rim road just soaking up the views.

We continue to head north. Caroline to Portland and me to Rainier National Park. Goodmorning from Bend, Oregon.>> Photos...

Finally on our way!!!!!!

You wouldn't believe how much stuff fits in a small, 2-bedroom appartment! And it just seemed to keep coming out of the ground!!!!!!!

But finally after 3 days of packing and stuffing things into storage, we got on our way today at 4pm!!! Said goodbye to the lovely people at our leasing office in South Beach Marina Apartments; a few small errands, filled up Sterlin and off we were .. .and immediately all the stress from the last few days evaporated - not that Stephen was stressed at all!



Amidst all that stress I managed to have a nice birthday though. Stephen got some wonderful take-away thai food for us and we enjoyed that with a bottle of Veuve, on our camping furniture, in our living room.

Went for drinks in 21st Amendment with good friends for our last evening - thanks guys!



Greetings from Red Bluff, CA from where we will go to Lassen tomorrow!

40 and Away Party

Hey Guys!

I should turn 40 and give a party more often!!!

Thanks to all for being there and making it a birthday and going-away party to remember!!!

Welcome to our BLOG

You made it to our travel log!

This is where we post our updates (or weBLOGs) during the trip. The travel log also provides a place for anyone to comment, and yes, we would love to get your comments, travel tips, advice etc! You will need a blogger account to post comments, but this account is easy enough to set-up. We do not plan to publish too many photos in the travel log, instead we will use the Ofoto website. It provides a much better user interface and unlimited storage for photos.

We will start the travel log for 'real' once we are on the road. Mainly because the next few weeks will be spent getting the car (Sterling) ready for the trip, getting the apartment packed up and everything into storage. And of course having a going away party. We can't believe it is only 2 weeks until we head off.

We are not sure how often we will update the travel log. We will endeavour to do this at least once a week - hopefully more and not less. So if you want to see what we are up to, then make sure to return to our website on a regular basis.