We took a ten day road trip to Sacramento, California this month to help a good friend celebrate his graduation from law school. We drove over Stevens Pass Thursday morning, through the small town of Thorpe to visit and old mill (We have the excellent A Road History of Washington to lead us to interesting side trips...). Once in Oregon, we stumbled on the near ghost town of Chaniko, and also made a stop at the spectacular Ogden Scenic Wayside near Redmond. (We also have A Roadside History of Oregon....) We then over-nighted in Bend, Oregon, right on the Deshutes River, and continued south on Friday to Sacramento. The graduation was Saturday afternoon, and it was followed by a tour of the McGeorge School of Law campus (part of University of the Pacific) and then a ... read more

We decided to take a winter trip around the Olympic Peninsula, and started out on Monday with a ferry ride to Port Townsend, where we stayed overnight with our friends Nancy and Mark. Our visit was great: a delightful dinner party, much excellent conversation, and a walk around their neighborhood.... On Tuesday, we drove along the Strait of Juan de Fuca for a few hours and then headed south to the Quileute Reservation, to spend two nights in La Push, on the beach. On the way, we stopped to see the newly restored Elwa River. The dam that completely blocked the salmon's access was taken down a few years ago and the wild salmon runs have come back! More info and history: http://www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/elwha-ecosystem-restoration.htm Our room here on the second floor of the hotel part of the ... read more

While the last few days in La Paz haven't been as exciting as the first two, we've been enjoying the quiet of our hotel (silence is required after 10:00pm...) and the easy accessibility to the malecon and the water. I've tried paddle boarding (a bit too windy and lots of boat wakes, but dolphins!!!); we rented bikes and cycled the length of the malecon; I rented a bike a second time and went swimming at the beach at the end of the malecon while Bill watched the Seahawks game; had an anniversary dinner at a sweet restaurant with great pasta; we rented a car and drove to Todos Santos and on to Cabo San Lucas (and back...); drove another day to the pristine beaches north east of the city in a wind storm; drove to the ... read more

Ah...the long anticipated ferry ride across the Sea of Cortez... It was great fun, except the waiting in lines! We left about an hour late from Mazatlan, but in plenty of time to watch the sun set from out on the sea... We had to arrive a few hours before departure, and then waited on benches in the shade for about an hour. Next we waited by the baggage truck, and unfortunately didn't check our suitcases, opting to carry them on. Then we waited by the ferry ramp for a safe time to walk on between the semis that were still loading. Then we waited go up to the cabin level. And THEN it got really hard: five flights of narrow, steep stairs carrying a suitcase and wearing a backpack. Then we waited for our room ... read more

Mazatlan appears to be one of the fittest cities we've visited outside the States. There are hundreds of people running, walking, cycling, and roller blading along the malecon every morning and evening. There are open air cross fit and aerobics classes. There are people (old people!) swimming laps across the immense bay. There is a body-builder public open air gym on the malecon. There are people doing yoga on the beach and mothers pushing strollers while roller-blading! Large groups of teens come down and ride the waves every day after school. There is almost no litter on the streets and beaches...and yesterday a crew was washing down the malecon with soapy water and brushes! The cleanup work seems to be a collaboration between the city and volunteers. On Wednesday night we ate the old Mazatlan institution, ... read more