Whale of a Tale

And now... for our 1000th post I give you: Our last port of call 

August 14th 2008

A real life Mounty!

Today we hopped aboard a two story boat and cruised North Coast's Inside Passage to see whales, wildlife & historic lighthouses.

Hanging out  on the back of the boat.

A real live eagle out and about in nature!

The waters were abundant with gray whales.

Paul got an incredible shot of a whale's tale.

Sadly there was no time to explore the town before or after our tour today as because of rough waters the night before the ship was very late getting into port. We actually had to run back so that we did not miss our departure. Of course before that happened we stopped for one last picture.

Riding the Rails

August 13th 2008

Today was an early morning as we headed out for an 8 hour Ultimate Railway Adventure. Soon as we departed the vessel Cyndi was jumping up and down and pointing at something. She had found a family of otters underneath the bridge we were walking across to get into town. The otters were playing and chasing each other around. We had a few minutes to walk up and down a few streets before we needed to head to the train depo. A random Alaskan woman heard us talking about breakfast and suggested a place just up the road that the locals frequent (also the only place open at that hour).

Our first adventure of the day was taking the White Pass Railway on a 65 mile journey up through Alaskan mountains at a peak of 3,292 ft. and on into Frasier, British Columbia.

We saw majestic peaks, rustic bridges, waterfalls, Bridal Veil Falls, Dead Horse Gulch and Inspiration Point and lots of FOG!

Look Ca-ne-da

At the Canadian border they checked all our passports before we were allowed to get off the train and everyone took a moment to stretch our legs. Then it was time to board the bus that took us up the Klondike Highway and onward to the Yukon.

Our guide allowed us to stop multiple times to get out and enjoy the beauty of the unspoiled wilderness, take some photos and breath in the fresh air. These photos are in front of Bove Island.

The tour guide told us that something like 90% of tourists never see any wildlife on any of the trips. He also said that the caribou and moose had mostly moved on up North for the winter already. So we didn't get our hopes up. Shortly after one of our stops a lady two rows in front of us jumped up and started yelling, "Bear! Bear! BEAR!" The driver hit the brakes and pulled over, entire bus on their feet snapping photos left and right of a small cub who was desperately trying to climb a steep incline.

This is a glacier lake it is an unbelievable aquamarine color.

Glacial lakes can be green as a result of the glacier crushing different minerals as it moves. Chunks of the glacier will break off and settle in areas carved out by the entire glacier, when the pieces melt they create a lake.

Our next stop was for lunch and boy were we hungry. We were treated to a delicious chicken barbecue with all the trimmings topped off with grandma's famous homemade donuts. We were given a couple hours to meander around the Yukon museum which had exhibits of local wildlife, visit the Dog Musher's Village with the opportunity to have a team of dogs show you what it is like to be in a dog sled race, take photos with the racing dogs and pups. There was also a "gold mining" station set up, and of course Cyndi had to go see the horses. This was on the outside of the building where we had lunch.Welcome to Carcross Desert. It is known as the smallest desert in the world. This area was originally covered by a large glacial lake, when the glaciers retreated it caused the water level to drop and it left behind a sandy lake bottom. Strong wins from Lake Bennett have beat this sand constantly making it difficult for vegetation to survive. We took note of this handwritten sign and made sure to pay for all the "treasures" we came across on our journey.

Journal 11/18/08

I didn't sleep good last night.  Gizmo was a hyper-hypo and made lots of noise and bite marks.  The boys were acting up again today.  They always do when it gets close to the holidays, but this year seems to be worse than others I can remember.  We prepared for it as best we could, so we'll see how it goes.  Hopefully things will settle down a bit.  I had to stay late for a staff meeting, which meant leaving during bad traffic.  When I got home, Cyndi made some seasame chicken for dinner.  After that, we went to Biola to work out for a couple hours.  We came home and watched a little tv.  I chatted a bit with mom and siblings online.  Cyndi went to bed at her normal time.  My mind is awake, but my body is sore all over so I'll probably go to bed fairly soon.  Tomorrow is a late shift and a drive out to Loma Linda for a kid's doctor appointment.

Burrrrr

Evening August 12th 2008

We had an early departure time today so that the ship could take a side trip out to Sawyer Glacier. On our way over to the glacier we took the opportunity to grab tons of photos. It was freezing out on the deck of the boat so we had to take breaks and go inside to warm ourselves.

Paul the photo guy.

Cyndi enjoying the brisk air.We saw many sailboats out in the middle of nowhere.Cyndi thought this piece of ice looked like a cruise ship.Coming around the bend.We see it! We see it!Looks like someone has been making treads all over the ice.Sawyer Glacier is amazing.Quick take a pic before the ship turns.Beautiful.

Hutchins Fishing Trip

Yesterday, the Hutchins fishing trip finally happened. My dad used to go fishing a lot, but hadn't been in years. We decided to fix that by giving him a day trip for Father's Day. Sadly, it took this long for us to find a weekend when we were all free. So bright and early Saturday morning, we made our way to the dock at 5am (ok, one of us actually made it there at 5, but I'll protect the guilty). We got all our stuff and away we went, out towards Catalina.


"I'll bet my paycheck that before the day is through, he'll say he's the King of the World."

This was one of the first fish that was caught. Yeah, it was mine. However, that was the end of the Hutchins fish haul for quite a while. Eventually we got some tips and each pulled a few more out later in the morning.

They fixed up all our fish at the end of the day. We got 4 bags of meat, and enough filets for several meals. Now we just have to convince my mom and Cyndi to cook them up.

On the way back in, we heard about the Yorba Linda fire and could see all the smoke. As sad as that was, the smoke and ash in the sky made for an awesome sunset. We spent the trip back taking a lot of pictures and talking to the other guys on the boat. One guy in particular explained more about the underworkings of Vegas than one could imagine. Crazy stuff. We made it back to San Pedro about 5pm. When we got there, the exact cruise ship that Cyndi and I took to Alaska was just leaving the harbor. The tourist season in Alaska ends in September, so that ship now goes between LA and Mexico. Here are some pics from the trip back home.

40 already?

Last Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Marc Henning's 40th birthday. Everyone gathered at Samer's house in San Diego to celebrate Marc. This is the view from the backyard!Chillin'Erin and Tiffany.Party was catered with great Mexican food. Singing "Happy Birthday" Marc blew out the candles before we finished, he said he thought if the candles were blown out we would stop singing. Catching up with old friends.

There was a great turn out of VGC'ers of yester-year. I had a nice time catching up with familiar faces and talking about where we have all been and what we've done with ourselves for the last 7-10 years. Jason, Erin (Dolbey), Myra, Tim, Erin, Samer, Kjirsten, Nichole, Annie, Erica, Bethany, Brandi, Jordan and Andy just to name a few. Some brought husbands, wives and children. It was crazy to see what paths life has taken us down. I look forward to another mini "reunion" in the future.

For your viewing pleasure

Now starring Gizmo in "Places I don't belong"

Now happening

New posts at Perfect Storm and Honest2Blog check 'em out.

Lift them up

I am asking anyone who reads this blog and prays to keep David Fabarez (on the left) and his family in your prayers. On Sunday Dave had a stroke it was believed to have been caused by a spike in blood pressure and blood sugar. He was able to go home from the hospital today. The area that they still see effects is in Dave's speech. He is now diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. Please pray for a full recovery from the stroke as well as getting these new diagnosis under control with the help of skilled doctors and medication.