Sol Searching

What started out as a mere trip down the West Coast, to escape the dreary Vancouver winter, turned into a genuine road trip all the way to Bisbee, Arizona. 

Our treacherous trip south, on black ice and slush, started out with an accident that stopped traffic in both directions when a jackknifed semi took out this light pole and a few cars.

This was the scene outside Des Moines (Washington) on our way to Portland. Olympia had 14 inches of snow the day before we passed through.

The only food pic this post. This groovy breakfast spot in Portland specializes in biscuits done many ways. Our version, with mushroom gravy, was quite tasty, if not heart-healthy.

Our first sun sighting, outside Ashland, Oregon, where we spent our second night.

This beach is by Eureka, California. We have had only sunny days since.

Our sole reason for diverting to Eureka was because it is home to Lost Coast Brewery, maker of Tangerine Wheat, a taste for which Patty developed in Vancouver (at $6.50 a bottle with the health tax).

Patty's Tangerine Wheat on the left; my Downtown Brown on the right.

These are the giant redwoods outside Eureka in the Humbolt Redwoods State Park. We took a 30-mile diversion from Coast 101 to follow the Avenue of the Giants, the old highway that's too narrow for today's traffic.

How many redwood deck chairs could you make out of this bad boy?

With our nieces Janice and Teresa in Santa Cruz (next to Felton, where we spent a couple of days).

Near Santa Barbara on the 101.

Finally, we made it to Hollywoo.

Patty with my former students Paul and Sam, next to the Griffith Observatory. Paul and Sam established and run the Center for the Working Poor in L.A. Yes, Newt and Mitt, the poor do actually work.

Only thing with more pricks than this cactus is any golf club in Scottsdale (where this Medusa resides).

My sister Trish's cat, Lucinda, parked on her favorite perch.

Trisha and Lucinda in symbiotic embrace.

One morning hike took me up to The Shrine, atop a hill on the outskirts of town.

From up here, one can get a pretty good view of Old Bisbee. Trisha's house is up on the right.

WTF

We've decided to head south after two months of grey and rain and now this. Cripes. Of course, the day before our planned departure, a major snowstorm is expected to pummel the Washington and Oregon coasts. Tune in. There may be some posts from our road trip during snow days. First stop: Portland, Oregon (Thursday, we hope).

Then it's on to:

• Ashland, Oregon (to see Patty's Aunt Mary)
• Eureka, California (to visit the Lost Coast Brewery, and drive the Avenue of the Giants through Humbolt Redwoods State Park)
• Felton, California (to see our nieces Teresa and Janice)
• L.A. (to check in on my former students Paul Engler and Sam Pullen, who started the Center for the Working poor)
• Joshua Tree National Park (just because)
• Bisbee, Arizona (to impose on my sister Trish and see all her wonderful friends, and do some desert hiking—yeah!)

Ciao for now.

Hooters

This was a nice big pair.


This week we headed down to the sea dike on Boundary Bay, twenty-five minutes south of Vancouver, to check out the Arctic Snowy Owls. These huge birds live in the Arctic tundra. They occasionally come south, however, when the Arctic lemming population declines.  


Apparently, lemmings are easier to find closer to the States.

Just down the road from the dike is the Owl Rehabilitation Society, for birds who, for whatever reason, no longer give a hoot.

True to their tundra origins, Snowy Owls roost on the ground, not in trees.

They generally tend to sit there like, well, bumps on a log

Males tend to be whiter; females tend toward a mottled, more fashionable coat.

Hootie was a loner after he left the Blowfish.

It takes a bit of patience even to get a walking shot of one of these birds, who rest to store energy for the long flight home. Check out the nice matching spats.

There tended to be groups of at least two. I'm assuming these two were a couple, but they might just be logging time together.

I've run out of stupid owl jokes, so this is the caption you get for this shot.

There was other wildlife on the dike that day. Some bipedal predator  primates.

Apparently, the measures meant to keep this species in check weren't working very well.

Some of these bipeds also had tripods. I can't say I was without telephoto envy, with my teeny weeny point-and-shoot.

Patty, and our friend Alana (fellow primate), who joined us for our second outing.

These salt flats attract a lot of birds, including this bald eagle....

....and this more ordinary barn owl (about a third the size of the Snowy Owl).

Not sure what this bird is, or what kind of apple tree it's perching on. So much for an informative blog, eh? However, I liked the colors.

On our first outing, we followed up with lunch at The Beijing Noodle house. I had soup noodles with veggies (青菜面汤).

Patty had the Dan Dan Noodles (担担面).

Their scallion pancakes (葱油饼) were freshly made and quite delish.