Frolic...!

Ahhhh the Abacos. Very simply put, there is no place on Earth like these tiny little jewels in the Atlantic. This entry chronicles three different trips we have taken to the Abacos. The first was for a friend's wedding, and the subsequent two have been just because we love this place so very much. These quiet little islands are not for everyone being somewhat primitive and lackluster in the nightlife department, however they are friendly, slow paced and uber relaxing. Time actually slows down when we are here, and its just so easy to fit in to the local vibe that I already consider it a kind of second home. Someday I hope that consideration will become a reality. Until then...

Trip #1, Treasure Cay July 2007

Kevin and I arrived a few days ahead of the wedding party and opted to stay in a little villa rather than the resort where most folks were staying. About 50 people were coming in for this special event, and we wanted a few days to ourselves to orient and relax before the duties of my Maid of Honor post began in earnest. We stayed in the Beach Villas, which are quite reasonably priced, and very conveniently located between the beach and the little town of Treasure Cay. Many folks rent golf carts while here but we just hoofed it everywhere - everything we needed was within 100 yards of our villa, including the beach.

The villa was clean, simple and perfect for us.

During these days we took our first trip to Hopetown and instantly fell in love with its colonial architecture. As we approached on ferry into the harbor, seeing the red and white striped lighthouse this town is best known for, we opted to jump shitp on the town side thinking we could walk to the lighthouse. Not so. We set off on foot, and about a mile later, drenched in sweat came upon a little oasis called On Da Beach, where we devoured cocktails and jerk chicken skewers.

It was lovely, and a local gave us a ride back to town on their golf cart where we explored the streets and shops of this charming destination.

After that, the pace of our activities increased significantly as the wedding party and guests began to trickle in. One of the family members had chartered a catamaran to the event, so we spent hours on this playful schooner and were able to visit Green Turtle Cay as well as a premium snorkeling reef that is only accessible by boat. It was awesome! Green Turtle is both the "pirate island" with lots of old, cool preserved remnants of days past and is also the birthplace of Goombay Smash, a very potent rum punch that is just about the most delicious liquid I've ever consumed. Watch out though, this stuff packs a serious punch.

As the days sauntered past and our pale northwest skin became more leathery and glowing from consistent salt water therapy, we somehow rooted ourselves to this place. Age spots be damned! The wedding festivities carried on without a hitch, including attending a bonfire sponsored by the Coco Beach Bar and Grill, and a superb dinner at the Spinnaker followed by dancing at the Tipsy Seagull, which was also conveniently a birthday celebration for me!

The day of the big event was charged with all the romance, anticipation, silliness, bonding and joy that cloaks the most enchanting of weddings. The ceremony was on the white sandy beach just outside of the Bahama Beach Club, followed by photos, food and dancing for the remainder of the night. It was a blast. At some point we all ended up in the pool in our dresses and suits... a new tradition, or one being carried forward I'm not sure. It was all a bit hazy by that point and cool water felt delicious anyway.

The morning after was already filled with a sense of nostalgia as friends packed and got ready to head back home, leaving a tiny piece of their hearts in this wonderland.

Trip #2, Treasure Cay December 2009

Here we go again. This time we visited the Abacos in December, and stayed again in a Beach Villa, although a different one. This one had no television, and it was just Kevin and I for 10 blissfully warm and slow days in paradise. Abaco in December is a cool 75 degrees almost the entire 24 hours of the day. The temperature may dip up 5 degrees in the day, or down 5 at night, but this mild warmth was just what the doctor ordered after months of rain and clouds in Oregon. Our adventures this time around included riding bikes around the village, reading, soaking up the sun, napping, drinking rum... rinse and repeat. We did visit Guana Cay for the first time, which has great snorkeling on the Atlantic side, went back to Hopetown, and also were able to catch the University of Oregon vs. Oregon State game at the Tipsy Seagull, which was an unexpected treat!

Trip #3, Hopetown and Treasure Cay

We are creatures of habit, Kevin and I. We're the type who find a place we love and return regularly. While some folks are excited more by the newness of something, we have found ourselves disappointed that we are unable to see, smell, taste or feel the familiar things we love, or to visit the new friends we make in these cherished locations. On this third trip to the the Abacos, we did mix it up by staying the first week in Hopetown, then returning to Treasure Cay for the second week.

The beaches on Hopetown are on the Atlantic side so are a bit more rugged. However, they are still breathtakingly beautiful and warm. We stayed in a house directly overlooking the ocean, it was amazing.

Hopetown also offers a bit more in the activity / restaurant / night life arena. During trip 2, we happened upon a box car derby race, and during this trip we feasted at the many restaurants and socialized with the super friendly folks on this little island. Our two favorite spots hands down are Cap'n Jacks and On Da Beach.

One popular attraction on Elbow Cay is called Tahiti Beach. Its at the very southern tip of the island and is worth the trek. As you can see whether the tide is low or high, one can walk for yards and yards out into the shallow blue/green water.

Wherever you visit on Elbow Cay, its just a really playful and friendly island... many days we just raced our golf cart up and down every road we could find in search of hidden treasures.

Then it was back to Treasure Cay with its lengthy sweeping beach, tiny little stores and shops, and water as smooth as glass. During this visit we drove to the southern tip of the island visiting Sandy Point, and had delicious fish and conversation with the locals. We stopped in Little Harbor, which looks exactly like it sounds - a quaint development mainly for folks who boat everywhere rather than drive. The road in is very rough and narrow. We also strolled through Marsh Harbor and took the ferry to Guana Cay, which has a very fun pub called Nippers, where you can hang out all day beaching, snorkeling, replenishing your thirst and hunger while enjoying a party-like, music infused energy. The bar even has a pool if you prefer. The week was lazy and almost uneventful, but not quite. My parents came to join us near the end of the week and one night we were all socked in with no power and large waves as Bret arrived. Kevin and I flew out the following day but my parents stayed on through the week and the storm, surviving this prelude to Irene, thankfully. Below are just a random conglomeration of final photos that really don't justify the allure of this Eden.

We keep saying our next trip will be somewhere else... we've got to see other places. We'll see.

Old school! In 2003, we took a trip for the records. It was Spring Break, I was still a high school teacher of special education students at that point; Kevin was still at UPS. It was also pre-cell phone, pre-digital camera, and believe it or not, I had not yet owned my own computer at that point either. My mind is genuinely blown when I stop to think about how quickly technology has infiltrated our daily habits. Now, my cell phone is my digital camera and my personal computer. Wild. Anyway, this trip was documented in a journal, using film glued to paper, and ink pen hand written on paper, can you imagine? I can... it wasn't so long ago.

At this time, Kevin was working at Heron Haus in Portland, and we were able to take advantage of some B&B trades. We had an opportunity to stay at some of the most breathtaking and upscale Inns in trade for his labor. Why not? Gotta love the age old practice of bartering. From Portland, we took the 101 through the Redwoods. If you have never done this drive, you should. If it's only once you're going to do it, wait for sunshine and aim for late morning to be the time you drive through that section of the 101, the lighting and shadows are haunting and spectacular.

Our relationship at this point was in the new, raw and addictive state of falling. We were both riddled with jealousy, intensely possessive and desperate for that unreachable crosswalk where stability and forever meets excitement, angst and lust. Of course we were both fiercely independent as well, and this was our first travel experience together.

2003 - Spring Break 001

This is a picture I drew... the H&H stands for hot and heavy.... ;0)

2003 - Spring Break 002

A sketch of Kevin.

2003 - Spring Break 006

Along the 101 we crossed paths with this panda, low and behold, I was wearing a panda shirt. What are the odds? Then we arrived at the Wine County Inn. What a spectacular inn! Our room was a suite overlooking the vineyards. The morning was filled with the scent warmth, earth and hope. The lighting was heavenly. It is truly the most memorable and romantic place I've ever stayed.

2003 - Spring Break 007

2003 - Spring Break 008

2003 - Spring Break 009

During that short trip we went to Mumm, Beringer, V. Sattui and Sterling. Every glass of wine I had that trip tasted better than any other I'd ever had before or since. And the GTI... Oh how we sped our way to many speeding tickets in that littler orange rocket!

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2003 - Spring Break 012

From there we stayed one quick night with Kevin's brother in San Fransisco doing the typical touristy things... Golden Gate, the pier, Ghirardelli. Then it was off to Monterey Bay.

2003 - Spring Break 013

2003 - Spring Break 014

While in Monterey Bay we went to Cannery Row, drove the 17 mile loop that winds right through the Pebble Beach golf course. It was stunning. During a quick photo stop, we encountered some seriously aggressive geese, though, and Kevin nearly got stranded down on rocks! We fearfully and somewhat shamefully resorted to throwing rocks at the geese in order to facilitate his escape then realized we weren't in Oregon; no one cared that we were throwing rocks at mean geese. Monterey was the southern most destination of this trip, and we started heading back north. On our way to to the Sierra Nevadas, we had to make a quick (Ok maybe not so quick) stop at the Budweiser Bottling Facility in Fairfield, CA. This proud north-westerner actually won a taste test on that visit. Yeah me! From there it was off to Tahoe for one night... then to Reno.

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2003 - Spring Break 003

We stayed at a complete and utter dump. All rooms in the city of Reno were taken due to a women's bowling competition and a Bill Cosby live event. Our motel room's sink screens were even missing... ghetto. However, the silver lining here is that a series of photos of the room numbers made for a cool photo project.

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2003 - Spring Break 017

And finally these are sketches of our room and of my future hubby relaxing on a bedspread worthy of super-fund distinction. Hey - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

2003 - Spring Break 008

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2003 - Spring Break 005

bc

bridge

canada ocean

We were just plain broke, or so it felt, when we got married. After a lively elopement in Vegas, in which many friends and family joined us, we decided to drive north to BC for our honeymoon. No one knew that one of us was recently unemployed... it was our little secret. We'd be damned to let that ruin our time, though.

Come to find out, maybe due to our limited travel experiences at that time, we could not have picked a more quirky, natural and beautiful place to celebrate the beginning of our quirky, natural and beautiful marriage.

Little did we know that this weekend was celebrating some level of playoff for the Stanley Cup... something like that; neither of us are really into sports. However, because we were so intimidated by these hard core hockey fans, we faked our way through week lest we leave with our skin ripped off like these 40 chicken wings! The town was mad with Canuck fever!

bones

Nuts

Despite the madness, we went on with our ordinary play. We drove all over the city, were enthralled to see floating gas stations. We picnicked and pampered each other in a park, and decided $25 each was way too much to walk across a hanging rope bridge, especially when they were abundant back home in Oregon.

dinner

Yum

floating gas

pedicure

picnic park

My photos of the PRIDE parade in Seattle are organized with the BC trip. I truly can't recall if they coincided or not. We may have run into it on the way home, or it may have been an entirely different trip. That was seven years ago at this point, and I simply can't recall. However, it was a surprising blast! Seattle has all of the natural and artistic draws that Portland has, but it's substantially larger. Those days in Seattle were really my first. Kevin had spent lots of time there, where most of my local travels were to the southwest. As you'll see later on in this blog, we spend more time in both Seattle and the Southwest.

KCM

MM

Seattle Stairs

Glide

The Gorge @ George

This was a quick trip during Memorial Day weekend, 2004. Kevin and I joined friends for the epic Sasquatch Festival, a multi day camping / concert extravaganza. The lineup for this year included such gems as The Roots, Built to Spill, Cat Power, The Shins, The Postal Service, and I swear Gary Jules sang directly to me during his side stage quiet performance. It was amazing. Too bad we'd missed 2003, we could have seen Elliot Smith, RIP.

Starving

Meliza

Frolicking

BFFs

Crater Lake 04

Blue Wizzard 04

As natives, we often tend to overlook the most obvious miracles and natural wonders that surround our immediate home turfs. During my brief four year stint in Arizona, I am ashamed to admit I never made it to the Grand Canyon. Other than those four years, I've lived in Oregon my entire life, and prior to this weekend had never visited Crater Lake, even though from the tippy top of the mountains that surround my childhood home, it is visible on a clear day.

On Labor Day weekend 2004 we were supposed to attend my 10 year high school reunion. Kevin and I had been together a few years at this point, and had gotten married in April. I'd only kept in touch with a few people from high school... remember this was pre-Facebook. We drove down to my parents with full intentions of going, although were both dreading the awkward small talk about careers, children, pets, homes, weather. We'd brought our camping gear due to the long weekend and wanted to be ready for whatever opportunities arose.

Once we got to southern Oregon the weather was so nice. It was dry, sunny, and smelled like juniper, pine, and days of playing hookie. Sticking around my parents just suddenly seemed too constricting. We decided to get the hell out of there and go see the majestic basin of blue that had been my neighbor since the 1970s. Rather than reacquaint ourselves with old friends, we decided to introduce ourselves to Crater Lake.

Love Birds 04

As luck would have it, without reservations, we scored a secluded and seriously large campsite located conveniently to the restrooms. It was perfect. We spent hours biking around this enchanted forest and had a wonderful fireside dinner that evening.

Bikes! 04

Fire Queen 04

Touching the Water 04

On the way home to Portland, rather than driving I5, we opted to go through central Oregon and make a quick stop at the Newberry Lava Fields outside of Bend. Since we were in a tourism theme this weekend, why not?

Head Lamp 04

Newberry Lava Tubes 04

Newberry Lava Fields 04