Sunny California

I'm in the Los Angeles area right now, Anaheim to be precise. It's going up to 80 degrees today so eat your heart out(you northerners). The drive down the California coast was well, totally spectacular. I was stopping very 10 or 20 miles to view the magnificent coast lines and to take pictures. I had to keep telling myself to stop as I would never reach my destinations. I love the ocean.

Am I tired of driving? Well, like I said, not having someone to share the sights with is kinda tough, but I'm used to that. The only problem is with my GPS lady. I often tell her to shut up when I make a wrong turn or if I'm speeding(she often says:"turn back, turn back," repeatedly if I miss a turn, or "slow down, you're over the speed limit"...a real nag at times). I guess I should appreciate the live "voice" and be more pleasant with her. But sometimes she scares me as I'm not expecting it. I'm chuckling as I write this..another entry for my blog.

Ok, in order: Nov. 16-17, Santa Cruz. Stayed with Jonna and Rich, an absolutely delightful couple who have a gorgeous house near the beach. I could hear the surf(the sound of the waves ) from my room. It was a real pleasure to stay here. I went kayaking with Jonna along the bay in Santa Cruz. We went near this big pier where 100s of seals and sea lions were resting or squatting. You could hear their grunts from 1/4 mile away. Very special to be so close to these creatures. Rich is a drummer in a band and my last night, I listened to them as they were getting ready for a gig. A nice group of musicians.

Nov. 18-19-20 Monterey: a very pretty town, with a lot of touristy things to do. The first two nights I stayed with Nancy, a member of the armed forces who is learning the Arab language. I cooked some salmon for dinner and we chatted over a bottle of wine. A very pleasant young woman and we had a good conversation about current issues ie war in Iraq, and politics.
I also stayed with Candace and I was her first couchsurfer. She had her boyfriend stay over I suspect for extra security...hahaha. After dinner, we went for a very nice walk downtown by the marina.

Then I drove down the coast and went hiking up a mountain at Big Sur. The view was not as spectacular as I would have liked but it got me out of the car and doing something physical. I think I've put on a few pounds since I've left as I'm not doing much activity and eating a lot.

I'm now staying with Ron in Ahaheim. A real nice easy going guy. He was bit by a poisonous spider a while back and it caused a lot of physical damage to his legs and his eyes. He's had to have surgery and has trouble seeing. He lives close to Disneyworld and last night we watched the fireworks from his living room window. Ok, gotta go and cruise LA. Another note: there are a lot of Mexican-Americans here, a lot more than I thought. I went to do laundry this morning and most of the clients there were mexicans. A lot of the signage is in spanish. I attendede a Ducks and Calgary Flames game tonight. Ducks won 3-2 in a shootout.
I want to add that Ron made my day when he took me to a Korean BBQ restaurant. One of the best meals I've had on the trip. Thanks a lot for that Ron.

Then, it was off to Long Beach and a new hostess, Debbie. We had a lot of fun: going to a movie about a 60's & 70's civil rights lawyer, playing tennis in the hot sun, preparing salads and an apple galette for Thanksgiving dinner. I got to go kayaking again at Seal Beach. It was another wonderful day on the ocean; I called my brother Roger while on the big waters to find out when he'd come to ride with me.

I had a special time when Debbie invited me to attend Thanksgiving dinner with her family. She has a wonderful family who welcomed me and it reminded me very much of my own family and the fun that we have. We ate turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes etc...and a yummy apple galette prepared by Debbie andd a pumpkin chesse cake made by her mom and that was great too.

Sunny California

Yes, I've found the sun: Petaluma, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, all warm and sunny. I've just returned from a kayaking run in Santa Cruz Bay with my hostess, Jonna Paz. I arrived here last night . My CS my hosts, Rich and Jonna, have a gorgeous house on the beach. I could move here. The beaches are full of walkers and surfers. I was a bit apprehensive about going into the "big" waters with my kayak as there were fair size waves coming in but it turned out ok. Jonna and I went to a large wharf where at least a hundred sea lions and seals were resting under the docks. You could hear their sounds from half a mile away. We got to about fifty feet from them and had a good look. Unfortunately, my camera's battery went dead. I think I need a new one as it was charged up yesterday and just died. Jonna took some pics and hopefully, she'll send me copies.

San Francisco was incredible however, I was only there for a day and didn't get to kayak under the Golden Gate Bridge. I got lost a few times and had trouble finding a place to put in my kayak. I went to Fisherman's Wharf and drove up and down many streets. The views were astounding: houses perched on the side of a hill, Alcatraz, beautiful harbours with million dollar boats, cyclists everywhere and good cycling lanes. It was amazing to see these cyclists going up the steep streets.

I noticed a lot of joggers too and many, many people walking their dogs. I ended up on the GG Bridge 4 times and paying $6.00 every time...it's just not well indicated. And that's how I missed the kayak launch area. I ended up on the other side of the bay.

I also spent a day in Petaluma(north of S.F.) hosted by Neil and Linda. They also have a very charming house that they are sprucing up with paint and having the hardwood floors redone. We went for a walk downtown and they pointed out areas where the movie American Graffiti was shot. It's a beautiful city with many old buildings that have been preserved and maintained. A very charming place.

The drive down he coast was breathtaking. I was stopping every 15 to 20 minutes to admire the vistas and take pictures. Absolutely stunning views and they tell me some drives further south are even more beautiful. This is where travelling alone has its drawbacks: no one to share the moments with. So, I called my daughter Julie and my mom and then I felt good.

I bought a cell to keep in touch and it's pretty inexpensive.

Coos Bay, Oregon

Coos Bay, Oregon
What a nice, pleasant and laid-back place: reminds me of Manitoulin Island. I finally got to put my kayak in the Pacific Ocean. It was a warm and SUNNY!!!!! day and I was very happy. There were sea lions swimming close to me which was a bit scary and at one point, one dove and I was wondering if he could come over and tip me, so I got out of there...fact is they probably swim faster than I can paddle.

Coos Bay had a huge lumber operation years ago that has since closed down. Now, it's mostly fishing (a large oyster farming area), tourism and a casino. My hosts, Tony and Crystal, are very gentle and easy going people. Like most couchsurfing hosts, they are trusting and generous. Both left this morning and I was alone in their home. When they leave, they hardly ever lock the doors. Tony says there is little crime in the area. Tony is a very interesting guy...an original hyppie(his own words). He even had a VW van during the 60's and travelled all over with it. He's a surfer, musician(plays 9 instruments), and jack of many trades. Thanks alot for hosting me.

Some trip facts:
odometer reading for trip so far: 8,657km
Cost of gas: close to $1,000.00
Cost of motels: over $1,000.00
Couchs surfed: 4

Beautiful Oregon

Nov. 10, drove to Portland, Oregon. I was driving along a hill when I noticed large container ships along the river. Strange thing: it's 100 miles(160km) inland. I was taken by surprise as I never thought it was a port city, being so far inland. The ships come up the Columbia river. Who would have thought! Anyways, it's a beautiful city with nice bridges. I then had my third couchsurfing experience at the home of Holly and Ben, their three children and a boarder, Patrick. All of them had interesting stories to share. In the evening, we were all on computers doing different stuff, me trying to find more couch hosts and looking at e-mails, others playing games or watching videos. Holly had us listen to some weird music videos of "dogs in drag" or hand puppets with a "whatever" attitude.

Then it was off to the Pacific Coast again, heading to Coos Bay. I took side roads because you can't see much from the freeways. When I came to Newport, I was in for a treat: beautiful coastlines with gorgeous vistas. It seemed that I stopped every other mile to take pictures. In one bay, there has to be thousands of seals warming themselves on a beach. I was way up on a hill and your could hear them even with the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. Later, past Florence(my mom's name), the seashore was all dunes. These huge mounds of sand for miles and miles. Tomorrow, I'll see if I can put my kayak in and go do some exploring near them.

I arrived at Coos Bay and met with my CS hosts Tony, Chrystal and 6 year old Stella. They live in the south end of town and have chickens, cats and a big dog on their property a few minutes from town. For the first time, my GPS failed me as it refused to accept my host's address so Tony came to meet me at the highway.

Leaving Canada

Well, I'm leaving Canada from Victoria. I went to Butchart Gardens today. Very nice gardens indeed...pics to follow. I'm sure the gardens are much prettier in spring and summer. It was just amazing to see the work put in by a few individuals. The gardens remind me of Paradise Island in Korea. Both were just beautiful.

I went to an old growth forest with cousin Clem yesterday. I'm glad I went and now, I'm a true tree hugger. These forests are amazing and to think logging companies want to chop them down. I can understand why environmentalists would fight and even go to jail to protect these icons. Some are over 8oo years old...centuries before Cartier came here.

Victoria itself is a beautiful city. It's very clean and has many old buildings. I didn't get to see much as Butchart Gardens is out in the boonnies and I had to be at the ferry terminal by 2pm.

I'm on the ferry now, enjoying the view and a pretty sunset. There are mountains everywhere. Today was sunny but still a bit cool. I was told there are three women to every man here. Maybe I'll have to come back. Many people come here for the weather. It is mild, that's for sure but the sun sometimes doesn't shine for weeks at a time. That has to be depressing.

I still haven't put my kayak in the water. But I hear there are wonderful places to put in along the Washington and Oregon coasts. I have a couple of Couchsurfing hosts waiting for me, one in Coos Bay and one in San Francisco. The one in Coos Bay is a "real" surfer and says there's good kayaking on the ocean near his place.

I'm having trouble finding CS's along my route. If I have to stay in motels all the time, I may have to come home sooner than expected, unless I win the Lotto Max.

So, tonight Port Angeles, tomorrow: Washington State

Nov 9. I've had a long day...driving in the pouring rain for hours and at the end, in the dark. I'm in Kelso, Oregon tonight. What are you doing there, you ask? Hell if I know!!!! Took a wrong turn. Thought I was going south. Well, actually, I couldn't find a motel and a gas bar guy told me to just go up the road. All motels were full so I kept going....and going...and going. So, Kelso.

I think I missed some beautiful country so I may have to go back....not.
I have to say Americans are really nice. They are helpful and sometimes go out of their way to give advice or directions.

Old growth forest

While on Vancouver Island, I visited with cousins Clem and Margie Jean in Courtnay, BC. They were wonderful hosts as all Jeans have been(and the hosts at couchsurfing). Clem took me to an old growth area full of 5 to 800 year old Redwoods. Very, very impressive and I can now relate to those tree huggers who fought logging companies to prevent them from cutting down these centuries old trees.
I'll try to add a few pics of these behemoths.


I'm now on my way to Butchart Gardens. My mom visited this place in the 1970's and I've always wanted to see them. When I was in BC in 1986, I didn't visit Vancouver Island because I knew I'd be back and I'd have to leave something new to visit.

Nanaimo Ferry

Nanaimo Ferry
It's 8 pm; I'm on a ferry going to Nanaimo. It's a cold, wet and windy day.
The ferry is pretty neat. $58.00 to cross to Vancouver Island. I had to tip my kayak over(it was too tall) or pay an extra $30.00. I'm so cheap. So I did it in the wet, cold and blistering weather. I cursed a few times because it wasn't easy. Then I'm thinking to myself:"Why did I bring the stupid kayak anyways?" I haven't used it once. But maybe this will be the place...the big island. I hear they have great kayaking spots but again, the weather may interfere with the enjoyment. I spoke to staff on the boat who say a lot of surfers go to Clayoquot Sound(where I thought it would be spectacular to put my boat in), but people go there to surf.!!! So, I'm thinking to myself: 20 foot waves, in the ocean, with sharks and whales, and I haven't learned how to roll. Don't think so. I'll have to find a nice quiet bay somewhere. I can always contact a kayaking ourfit for advice.

Anyways, the weather is a bummer. I know BC is nice but taking shots of scenes shrouded in fog, misty rain or just plain rain doesn't get me excited.

Back to the ferry ride. The ship is huge, with a snack bar area and a cafeteria that serves bugers, salads even salmon. But it's now dark and there is nothing to see except Vancouver's lights in the distance. When I take the ferry from Victoria to Washington state, it will be in the morning and I hope it's sunny.

I'll be visiting with Clem and Margie Jean tomorrow. They are the last of the cousins that I had planned to spend time with. So, more to come on this on.

Travel trivia:
I've driven 6243 km so far.
Stayed in 2 couchsurfing places,
Gas is between 99.9 to 1.09 in BC
Temperature is around 12cel.
I talk to myself alot
Sometimes I wish I were back home
They have beautiful roads and I'm sure, no potholes
I have not seen one highway police car in all my travels unless they are in unmarked cars.
I got stopped twice by the same police spot check. I was lost and ended up going through and back again.

Whistler, Stanley Park

Did a bit of sightseeing these last few days. Drove up to Whistler on the SEA TO SKY highway. A nice road leading to one of the sights of the 2010 Olympics. It was a beautiful drive on a mostly new road. Went through Squamish and a few other pretty towns. There wasn't a lot to see in Whistler as some of the venues were not accessible to the public.

It's not surprising to find many easterners living in the Vancouver area getting away from our cold winters. The problem, however, is lotsa rain and cloudy days. Sometimes the cold and snow aren't that bad. Today, they are predicting up to 100 centimeters of rain. I remember this summer when we had less than that and half of Sudbury was flooded!!!
Stanley Park was nice too but the devastation caused by a storm a few years back was very visible with tree trunks all over the place.
Today, taking a ferry to Vancouver Island to visit the last cousin on the list who lives in Courtenay, BC. I was planning to kayak in the Clayoquot Sound area but with the 100 centimeters(2-3 inches) of rain predicted, I may just sit on a road and wait for the current to float me away!!!!
Tomorrow, Victoria and maybe head for the USA.

Vancouver, 2nd couchsurfing experience

Staying with a woman from Sudbury and she is a cousin of one of Lucien's employees. Small world.

I'm in Vancouver

Here for a few days. Will have dinner with a woman originally from Sudbury. Tomorrow, try to contact a cousin and later, off to Whistler and Vancouver Island and another cousin. It's cloudy today(usual for Vancouver) but I had 2 sunny days driving here and it was great after all the clouds, rain and snow.