The beautiful Pacific Northwest

I know, we grew up here, but it still takes our breath away! The blue skies, the Cascade Mountain Range, the cold nights/warm days, and the wonderful smell of pine trees - everywhere!

We left Alameda on July 16, but didn't make it very far. We spent the night in Redding, where the temps were 100 plus - but it was a dry heat - hah! We did a quick tour of the Sundial Bridge - pretty cool.

Right now - we are in Sunriver, Oregon, staying at Phil and Danette's cabin on the Deschutes river. It is beautiful and we are enjoying all of the amenities.

Phil and Danette joined us for the weekend and we spent the days exploring. We rented bikes and had a great time racing (hah) to the nearest watering hole. They have some wonderful bike trails that take you around the golf courses, the river, and the beautiful homes.

We drove up to the Newberry Volcano - Paulina Peak to check out the volcano, caldera, and the lakes. It is a pretty amazing place.

Also, a wonderful view of the waterfalls.

I have to say, there is lots to see in Central Oregon. You should check it out.

We have also been exploring the brewpubs - it is true! The Pacific Northwest is famous for its brewpubs. There is 4 here in Bend. Beers are good, but the food is amazing.

We will be hanging here until July 26. Next stop is Tri-Cities, Washington. Upcoming events: a visit from Doug's family, a Warren family reunion, and a fishing trip to Ocean Shores. Can't beat that!

Alameda highlights...

What good friends we have. Tim and Karen (Sogno D' Oro) let us stay on their boat - how nice is that? We have moved in and are very comfortable.

Since we arrived in Alameda, we have spent lots of time socializing with our boating buddies, attending happy hours, visiting our old haunts and generally enjoying ourselves. A special treat, Fern and Brian (La Paz amigos) stopped by for a visit and joined in on the fun!

Some highlights -

We attended the Alameda 4th of July parade - very old fashion and lots of fun.

We threw a 4th of July party at the marina - lots of old and new faces, great food, plus a spectacular fireworks show.

We went sailing on Sogno D' Oro. It was a little cool, but we enjoyed the beautiful views and the wonderful company. Thanks Tim and Karen!




We toured San Francisco - what a wonderful city.

The ladies spent the time shopping (and giggling); the men touring Fishermen's Wharf (and the pubs).


It was great to re-visit some of our favorite places.



And, of course, we ate way too much, but we enjoyed every bite!

Safe and sound back in the Alameda!

Well, it took us 8 days, but we made in back safely - thanks to Steve and Ana! We did get stopped crossing the border, but only because we couldn't decide what kind of meat was in the tamales we were smuggling. After opening our "stuffed" trunk, the border guards decided they needed to inspect further. No problemo!

We spent one night in Tucson and enjoyed our first microbrew and an American hamburger - pretty darn tasty.

We spent four nights in beautiful Sedona. Christina and Mark (Steve and Ana's relatives) were gracious hosts and we enjoyed all of the amenities. We did some hiking, threw a party, and ate and drank way too much.

Next stop, Glendale, Utah (sort of). Mike and Jeanette invited us to stay a couple of nights and tour southern Utah - it was amazing! We toured the Twisted Forest and Zion National Parks and other sites - just beautiful!

One more over nighter in Bakersfield, which is nothing special unless... you know about the Wool Growers restaurant. A local place serving amazing Basque food - we loved it, but ate way too much!

Finally, back to Alameda. It seems like we have been gone much longer than 8 months. We are looking forward to seeing our old boating buddies!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Sorry we aren't with you to celebrate, but we are thinking of you!

Love Carla and Doug

Make a Smilebox greeting

Locking down Moondance...

We are happy/sad today. This is the last time we will see our boat/home until ~October. We are definitely going to miss it, plus the adventures and all of the wonderful people we have met along the way.

We have spent the last 12 days getting Moondance ready for the extremes: temperature 120 degrees, high humidity, 70+ mph wind, waves, bugs, and whatever else might happen!









We have -

• Removed the sails, canvas, life raft, dinghy, and anything else that might blow away and stuffed them inside (like a turkey).
• Cleaned the engines, holding tanks, fridge, pipes, and whatever else might corrode or grow something nasty.
• Wrapped ports, hatches, winches, etc. with aluminum foil and blue tape - very pretty and it will keep us safe from alien transmissions!

We are pooped, but all of this work (and sweat) have a slimming affect on our waistlines. We don't eat much, but beverages go down very quickly!

In between projects, we attended a wedding reception for local singing sensation, Mark Mulligan. We didn't know the bride and groom, but the beer and entertainment were free!

We dined out a lot (propane issues) and found some great places to eat, plus enjoyed some of the local entertainment - Mark Mulligan performed "Jimmy Buffet" music at La Palapa and an AMAZING Mariachi band at the Marina Cantina. How fun!

Our vacation starts today. Our wonderful friends, Steve and Ana, picked us up in San Carlos and we are now in Tuscon. It is very surreal to be back in the States. All of the conveniences and luxuries right at your fingertips!

Our route to Alameda will be:

• Tucson, AZ
• Sedona, AZ
• St. George, UT
• Bakersfield, CA
  

Might as well have some fun along the way right? We will be back in Alameda on June 30.

We look forward to seeing everyone. If you don't want company, don't answer your phone!

PS: We will still be blogging this summer, so please check back!

Hanging with Totem

How fortunate we have been! Our good sailing buddies on Totem are also docked at Marina Real - just three slips away.

We have all been very busy getting our boats stowed away, but we took some time to hang out with Jamie, Behan, Niall, Mairen, and Siobhan.

We are all cleaning out our perishables, so we had steaks (filet mignons) on Moondance.

We were invited over for Gourmet Pizza Night on Totem. A lost track of all of the wonderful creations that Jamie baked, but I know they were all good.

And threw a party on the beach. We played some boccie ball, tried to ski down the sand dunes, played in the water, and laughed a lot.

Totem left on Thursday heading back to States. We were very sad to see them go, but we will all meet again - on our boats in the Sea in the Fall!

We were robbed!

Can you believe it?

While we were sleeping last night, something (Raccoon?) climbed inside our boat and stole the Brownies that Behan (Totem) gave us (which we were saving!).

The evidence -

• Brownie bag moved from our galley (kitchen) counter to the deck
• Brownies scattered across the deck
• A chocolate paw print left during the getaway

Doug thinks I must have scared it as I prowled around watching the thunderstorm - the thief didn't get a chance to finish devouring the Brownies.

I am glad I didn't see the thief - I would have had a conniption!