John & Anne Wiley

2012/08/28

Long Ago

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random — John @ 06:07

The effects of “prop advance” that I’ve mentioned before have combined with the fact we holed up for a while after arriving home. So these pix from our 8/8 flight have the feel of something long ago. Having had all the coastal flying during the return trip on my side of the plane adds another long ago note to these pix from the flight North. As I wrote back then, nearly all of the scenery was on Anne & Joy’s side of the plane. So it’s a little surprising to see that I did manage to snap a few pix I like on that day.

1690 SF Bird Rocks

1690 SF Bird Rocks

Because they were offshore I snapped these bird rocks in the churning surf just before we reached Pedro Point. A minute later the Point itself came into view, and I like the stark angularity of it.

1691 Pedro Point

1691 Pedro Point

A moment after as we crested the Point, this tiny settlement intrigued me. Was it once a fish camp? Have those boxy beach houses ever been impacted by high tides, seas or a tsunami?

1694 S. Bay Beach Houses

1694 S. Bay Beach Houses

While the gals were taking in San Francisco and starting to talk about their view of Golden Gate Park and the bridge not far beyond, I pondered scenes like this. We’ve flown along this coast several times, yet after so many miles of just open sea on my side the deprivation led me to notice it. Luckily, after the bridge our views were more equal as we angled inland.

1715 Vineyard Quilt

1715 Vineyard Quilt

The angular shapes of this vineyard near Rohnert Park were part of a welcome relief from all that ocean. Again, I probably paid more attention to this part of the flight than on previous flights over this area. So maybe this pic is less magical for you than it still is for me. I could crop it so that only the vineyard shapes are showing, but to me the way the quilt integrates with the rest of the landscape is part of the art. That small squiggle of creek at the left edge. The straight edge of road and bare square fields. Even that clump of trees at the top where I learned online the historic Washoe House still serves meals as it did long ago.

2012/08/25

Seconds

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Nature,Random,SB Region — John @ 08:18

I’ve started going thru pix from our AB Joy Adventure, and thought you might enjoy a second helping. Here are two lighthouses I like. First up a view along the shoreline of the Point Sur Lighthouse, on that spectacular coast.

1647 Point Sur Light

1647 Point Sur Lighthouse

For some reason I really like this perspective on the Santa Cruz Light. I guess it’s the low angle, plus the light angle that colors it into a gem on the water.

1669 Santa Cruz Lighthouse

1669 Santa Cruz Lighthouse

2012/08/23

Home Sweet

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,People — John @ 05:55

Home feels SO sweet!! Just got in an hour ago, having tucked Tripp into her spot at familiar SBA, and unloaded all the stuff (most of which we never used) back into our place. The car was so full, how did we ever get all that into Tripp much less all the way to High Prairie and back?! We bid a tearful farewell to sweet Joy, after arranging to meet again next week for a slide show and debrief. Have now enjoyed what sister Dori calls a “spa” (refreshing damp face cloth to cleanse the skin and soul). Now this quick note to update you (no internet and barely any phone service last nite), and a few pix like this one from today.

3711 Division

3711 Division

Last nite we danced along the dividing line between inland smoke and coastal low clouds. As I mentioned at the start of this Adventure, there are many fires in the hot inland areas of western states and provinces making lots of smoke that’s sloshing around unpredictably with the shifting winds. Similarly unpredictable cool coastal low clouds and fog are shifting with those same winds. We wound up placing our bet on a little airport named Andy McBeth. The tiny town of Klamath Glen it’s in does seem to be some combination of a dwarf Mayberry (Andy Griffith’s town), and a Shakespearean drama. I’ll probably share more about that stop in the next few daze. But back to the pic above: Soon after taking off today we encountered thickening smoke so we climbed to 7,500 feet and got this view of the North Pass Fire near Covelo. You can just make out the crescent moon at the top edge of the pic, and the whole pic shows how we danced along the vertical division between earth, sky and smoke while dancing the horizontal division between fog and fire.

3725 Sonoma Stop

3725 Sonoma Stop

We planned to stop several times on this last day of the adventure, to better enjoy the places we saw. But somehow the only landing we made was in Sonoma. Approaching the airport I snapped the City Hall and town square where we’d soon be sampling the fabulous fare at the Basque Cafe. It’s visible at the upper left if you know what to look for. Having stopped there once before and gorged on their incredible cookies, we know where to look. 🙂

3738 Take Out

3738 Take Out

We savored a bag of sandwiches and cookies under the shade of the town square’s redwoods near the fountain. Then back in for another bag we brought home to share with friends tomorrow. Typing this my mouth is watering as I imagine a cup of Anne’s Perfect Coffee with the second best (Anne’s are unbeatable) cookies.

Now to sleep, perchance to dream…

2012/08/21

High Jumps

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Inner World,Nature,Random — John @ 06:47

There wasn’t time for a post last nite, and not much time tonite. But suffice it to say we’re having a blast! It’s hard to believe that we were in Valemount (Jasper area) nite before last, and Creston (3 miles north of the U.S. border) last nite. So many incredible scenes we have dancing in our heads. Many high flights along mountain passes thru the Rockies and Cascades. Lots of pix to share at some point but for now here’s one of our fav parts on today’s flight thru Stevens Pass to Renton where we greatly enjoyed a brief stop with Anne’s sister & her husband.

3031 Stevens Pass Gatepost

3031 Stevens Pass Gatepost

This is near the western entrance to the pass, and is one side of a relatively narrow notched peak far above the highway and river below. There’s a tiny lake nestled up there, and views like this on either side. After a nourishing stroll along the river near the airport and a tasty meal, we left Renton at sunset for a beautiful flight directly over SeaTac airport and then direct to Olympia. We’re in a cozy hotel downtown, and hope to have some time for a quick exploration in the morning before heading for our last night of this amazing journey.

It feels like the whole trip has been high jumps. Even the parts where we flew fairly low or even explored on the ground. Each portion of the journey has been so intensely fun and completely different, because we’ve gone “high” in between stops. Up into a totally different dream realm where time, space and place tumble like thrown dice. Except every landing brings very good luck in rewarding experiences, and the air time is enchanting.

2012/08/19

Rounding Robson

Filed under: AB Joy Adventure,Flying,Happiness,Has Photos,Nature,People,Random — John @ 05:28

Well, we saw many magnificent things on this our first day of the journey home. But none can match the spectacular views we had flying nearly around Mount Robson, perhaps the most famous peak in Canada. The air was almost calm and devoid of clouds, but the smoke from fires afar made it impossible to get a good long shot of the entire mountain. By climbing to 10,500 feet and getting relatively close in the clearer air though, we did get views like these.

2420 Robson "Dark" Side

2420 Robson “Dark” Side

First this view of the “dark” side. Like the moon, Mt. Robson has a side that few see other than adventurers and people like us riding magic carpets. Unlike nearly all of the others, this glacier makes it all the way down into a lake. Working our way around, you can overlap the features from one pic to the next and see the different faces. Flying counter-clockwise this next face still isn’t really visible from the highway far below, even on one of the extremely rare cloudless days like this.

2424 Mt. Robson Side

2424 Mt. Robson Side

Partway down this side are some great waterfalls, some probably 100 feet tall or more, that only aviators and exceptional mountain climbers ever see.

2426 High Falls

2426 High Falls

At last, here’s the part that’s visible from the highway, though the angle would be much different from so far below. Up here we had a sense of greeting Robson face to face, from a respectful couple of thousand feet below as if to say, “Thank you, sir.”

2428 Robson Familiar Face

2428 Robson Familiar Face

Continuing around, we begin to see another glacier at the right, the long waterfall on the familiar face, and another long fall in a rock crevice in the center of the pic.

2433 Robson Other Side

2433 Robson Other Side

Below is a zoom shot of the high glacier. Though this one’s getting more sun and is thus much more melted than the “dark” side, it still gives the effect of a great powdered wig atop the honorable gentleman.

2442 Robson White Wig

2442 Robson White Wig

I doubt anyone ever ventures onto this glacier, because it’s obviously very unstable. Countless avalanches tell their tales in the tortured surface. Last up in this Robson roundabout is this wider view from a little further around. The evidence of glacial action is everywhere up here, though most of the ice is gone.

2445 Robson & Neighbor

2445 Robson & Neighbor

It would be fun to come here on a totally clear day. No clouds, smoke or even a hint of haze. Fly in with one of those 360 degree ultra-resolution video cameras. We could figure out a way to share that with you on a surround screen. Then you’d have a much better idea of what we just experienced, and why I was so eager to share even these very few of our pix from only this small slice of today’s flight.

But for now, we’re settled into a hotel in Valemount, BC (we can’t seem to stop calling it Voldemort, though it’s undeserving of that). As we left Tripp at the airport riding the hotel shuttle into town, an RCMP cruiser passed at high speed and I started worrying about her. On the highway a moment later, another cruiser actually pulled us over. “My boss was worried,” he said sheepishly. Apparently drug runners have used the airport, but few others fly in here. Too bad, because it’s a great airport and a sweet little mountain valley (thus the name Valemount) town. “I was worried about our plane,” I said to the officer. “Oh, I’ll be keeping a close eye on it tonight,” he assured me. I’m still a little worried, but hopefully we’ll find her safe and eager for another day of delights.

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