Memory Bank update

It's amazing how time flies when you are on vacation.  The past two weeks have been delightful and reinvigorating.  We had a little of everything to deposit into our memory banks.  Imposing glaciers, enough food on the cruise ship to feed all the starving children in India for a year.  Cloudy cold days, a wonderful amount of sunny warm days, and awesome friends to share good times with.
Our last day was spent in Vancouver B.C.  We had a chance to visit Stanley Park. The third and last must see before catching our flight late in the day.  We had heard that Stanley park is an amazing recreational area to enjoy best in the summer.  We apparently had one of the best days of the year to enjoy the extensive park.  Stanley park is a step up of Central Park in New York.  It is very green and Forrest like in some areas where it's designated for hiking, and Eco friendly as well as the best and most relaxing spot to Rollerblade, walk, ride bikes all while taking in the fresh air and beach views that Vancouver is also known for.  We walked the trails around the park for about two miles in wonderment and amazement at such beautiful scenery.  After completing our hike and buying a few last minute souvenirs we headed down and out of the park to eat at Harvey's (at the recommendation of our friends the Sabot's).  According to them Harvey's has the best veggie burgers and Poutine fries (since we had nothing to compare on the first day we had them we figured clogging our arteries one last time before heading home would not kill us.  Sometimes there are times when you eat and forget all rules relating to calories, might as well since there is perhaps there is no measurement for such a Canadian palate wonder.
We are grateful, we are happy and most of all blessed to have had the experiences we have had these last two weeks.  It is unlikely we will soon forget our travels and the places we have seen, from Anchorage Alaska where we started and could not sleep because it's always daylight, to Seattle, Portland the beautiful island of Gibsons in Canada and finally Vancouver, we loved and appreciated every minute of every day.  Thank you Canada for dispelling all preconceived notions of who you were.  The east side is nothing like B.C..  Until next time, because this is definitely one of those places that we know will have a next time.  When? We don't know.  How long? we also don't know, but we promise there will be a next time.
Until next time.  Safe Journeys for all.

Grouse Mountain & Granville Market

Today (July 9th) we woke up and had a homemade breakfast of crepes made by Luc  paired with his mom's fruit spreads.  We left the Sabot home on time to catch the 10:50 a.m. ferry out of Gibsons and head to the sites that were recommended to us the night before.
On the top of the list was Grouse Mountain "the peak of Vancouver." A beautiful mountain top only accessed by the largest aerial tramway system in North America.  When you reach the top there are several activities to do.  We chose to go see a couple of bears who were orphaned and are now kept in a 5 acre alpine sanctuary. We decided to visit the bears because during the entire trip trough Alaska and now we had not seen any bears (although we we have had a few in our back yard near the golf course where we live) unfortunately Grinder and Coola (the bears names) had decided to take a nap (wish we could do as the bears do when we are tired).  Since you never want to interrupt a bear while he is sleeping, we decided to see a bird show instead.  It was not so much seeing the Owl, Falcon, turkey vulture and bald eagle that was entertaining and exciting, but the beauty of the setting where the show was taking place.  We sat in an open space surrounded by hundreds of pine trees and majestic mountains still scarcely capped with snow.  A true delight when there is no smog or interference of city notice to distract the senses.  The brochure for Grouse Mountain says: "imagine a perfect day at Grouse mountain" and that's exactly what it was.  Sunny, crisp and clear and for once NO RAIN!!
Our second stop was at the Granville Island market.  An fusion between farmers market, grand central market and old town Pasadena shops all in one place.  Pretty extensive and diverse. Bustling with people from all over the world.
We are happy to have checked off a few items off our bucket list today, we hope that as we wind up our trip tomorrow we are blessed with the same kind of experiences and weather as we were today.

Bears, Poutine & Holy Bleep

Today we got up to the most amazing view of the ocean.  We enjoyed a healthy breakfast (prepared by Luc's mom) on the side deck of the house, before proceeding with our day activities.
First we were invited to hike a mountain with a very visually threatening sign, that read "recent  bear sightings in area" thankfully we all survived and have lived to tell and write about it. Funny, but in spite of the looming threat we still managed to enjoy the lush green canopy of trees and the amazing view front the very top of the mountain.  Although not a treacherous track, we climbed high enough (140 something steps) plus some areas without stairs, to have a wonderful view, and to be treated to ice cream at the end.
Our second stop kept us in the Gibsons Landing area after the ice cream.  We walked around the charming little marina and took pictures with our dear friends the Sabots.
After the refreshing break and the walk we traveled on another beautiful road and got to see the other side of the Sunshine Coast, which is called Sechelt. As we drove we were amazed by the fact that we never imagined how resort like our stay would be.  View of the ocean from every room in the house and every road on the peninsula (or the island as we like to call it).  Not only were we able to take in some sights of nature but we were amused by the signs on the road...one specially comes to mind.  The name of a vegan, cereal company called "Holy Crap". Yes it's true, if you don't believe us just go online and check out:   holycrap.ca We have not tasted the cereal, but everyone we have spoken to says it is quite tasty, we shall see how this "holy crap tastes" 😊 One food we know for sure is really good,  is Poutine.  The Canadian version of the American wet fries.  A layer of French fries, covered in gravy, followed by large curds of cheese melted into the stack of delicious (occasional)  gluttony.  We enjoyed our colossal stack of calories with A&W Root Beer and some kale and alfalfa juice (just kidding about the juice).  As if the meal was not enough, enjoying it with our good friends just made the calories melt away into our body as if it was kale and alfalfa Juice.
 In the years to come I'm sure our children will recall this day as the day they all rode in the VW Cabrio Convertible as the summer heat beat on their heads while they had no care in the world.
Our evening ended (the Sun doesn't set here until 9:45 in the summer) with an anniversary celebration dinner.  Luc's parents celebrated their 49th anniversary on July 7th,  just as we have been able to experience the blessing of having good friends, we have have also been blessed by having the over abundance of blessings the older Sabot couple has been given for their many years of service to others.  We are indeed happy to have made the effort to come and see our friends in Vancouver, more than having the opportunity to see them we have also been restored and nourished to go back and do the same for others, in our areas of work/school.
Many, many thanks, Pastor Claude and Farida Sabot, Luc, Anita, Nicole, Jeremy & Sophie you have all made the difference.  Perhaps more than we will all ever know.

Across the friendliest border.

Today we got up extra early to head out to meet our friends the Sabot's,  We had previously agreed to meet up at the airport upon their arrival from Ontario Canada, but the traffic and other factors delayed us about about 30 min.  So we agreed to meet at the ferry station instead.
Our first extremely pleasant experience today was crossing the Canadian border into Vancouver. We decided it may be a good idea to stop at the visitor center to get information for our trip (since we have no phone and GPS in Canada). Wow, were we impressed with the service, the organization and the beauty of this country.  Talk about first impressions.  The lady's at the visitor center, directly at the border crossing, gave us maps, looked up reservations, gave us detailed instructions that made all the difference in the world.
After about an hour and a half we arrived to the boat ferry that would transport us (including our car) to Gibsons Canada.  There we met up with the Sabot family, Luc, Anita, the children and Luc's parents.  We traveled on the ship but had an opportunity to get off and take in the view of the ocean.  What a beautiful place that is.  We never knew that Gibsons is called the Sunshine Coast.  It only snows once a year and is mostly sunny year round.  In Canada!!!
After a 40 min boat ride we got off and drove to Luc's parents house.  A true resort like setting.  A house on top of a mountain with almost 360* view of the beach.  From their deck and almost every window of the house.  It is so beautiful, it may be difficult to leave at the end of this leg of our trip. Thank you Sabot family for the invitation and your hospitality.

Friends become our chosen family

During the 2011-2012 school year a gentleman by the name of Mike Skolnik was assigned to work at the same school I was working at as support for the school and the students.  During that year Mike became a good trusted friend and colleague who I appreciated and admired.  At the end of that school year Mike decided to retire from LAUSD and become a free man :-) shortly thereafter he and his wife decided to relocate to Oregon and Join their son Kevin who was completing his college degree in Eugene Oregon.  Before moving to Oregon Mike had the opportunity of meeting the rest of the Leyva family.  Although we had not met Carolyn (Mike's wife and Kevin his son and their dog Bailey) we knew we shared many things in common, specifically our love for the same food, and "good finds at Trader Joe's market"  Since the Skolnik's relocated we have remained friends with Mike and have been communicating with the occasional text message or e-mail.  As we planned our trip this summer we knew we would be in Vancouver Canada (close enough) we decided to come out and experience the beautiful scenery Portland Oregon has to offer and meet the rest of the Skolnik family.
What a wonderful day we had.  We finally met Carolyn who is just as kind and pleasant as Mike. The Skolnik's are the most gracious and inviting hosts. They own a beautiful home in Lake Oswego that has a view of Mt. Hood.  It helped that it was a clear sunny amazing day.  Mike took us on a hike around the neighborhood to a farm and an awesome trail within walking distance of their lovely home.  Then we headed to a park with a huge river running through it (we believe it was the willimet river?) in the afternoon we headed to the museum of science.  A pleasant fun interactive way to learn about science and technology.
Finally the Skolnik's invited us to dinner at a restaurant on lake Oswego called Manzana's.  Which is where we had the pleasure of meeting Kevin, the youngest of the family.  A wonderful end to a very lovely day.  Thank you Skolnik family for your kindness, graciousness and hospitality.  Hope we can someday do the same for you.

Sleepless in Seattle (thanks to Starbucks)

Sleepless in Seattle because of Starbucks
Today we got off our cruise ship in Vancouver, Canada.  We rented a car and traveled south, Portland bound to see our friend Mike Skolnik and family.   Little did we know that the border crossing line was just as tedious (but not as long) as when you cross Northbound from the Mexican side to the U.S.A.   After an hour wait in gloomy rainy weather we finally crossed and were finally on U.S soil, thank goodness!!!
Since we ate a light breakfast we decided to stop and eat at Pikes peak in Seattle.  What an interesting place that is.  A combination of farmers market with restaurant row options.  Pikes peak is an endless sensory bombardment.  We saw fruit hybrids we had not seen, smelled seafood we would rather not smell, and were able to taste the kind of food you can't  have everyday.  After strolling through Pikes Peak market we exited and decided to eat at a restaurant called Beecher's, a cheese making restaurant featuring all the menu items with their "homemade" cheese.  Tomato soup, sandwiches and an array of other menu items with the best cheese ever! A wonderful fattening dinner to go down on the records for more than one reason.  After our rich and creamy laden meal we walked a few feet and were able to see the original Starbucks coffee shop.  We would have had some coffee but the line to get in was a few hours long.  Something we did not want to do since parking was $15.00 p/hour.   I think the parking owners thought we wanted to leave our rental car for the moth for the price they were charging.
Our day finally ended when we arrived in Portland at sundown 9:30 P.M.  Although we drove most of the day it was one good day.  Thank you Seattle for your sights and experiences, we will not soon forget you.

Oh, say can you SEA

Happy Fourth of July!!! Today we sailed all day therefore there are no good adventures to describe.  We got up, ate, ate some more, rested, then ate again.  Oh, we did work out before we started our eating marathon, so that we could workout the little cherry on top of the drink we had.
A few years ago we were on foreign soil on the Fourth of July, so we made it a point to go to an American restaurant to have dinner and feel the spirit of the holiday.  Today, since we sailed on Canadian waters almost all day, the only thing we had to remind us of the celebration of the wonderful country we live in, was a red, white and blue balloon arrangement in the center piazza of the ship.  No fireworks, no parades, no BBQ's not even the occasional random illegal firecracker.
The only different and familial experience we had was the opportunity to celebrate a Shabbat Shalom service at the religious chapel of the ship.  It was such a peaceful happy occasion that we may just adopt the custom in its plenitude.  The service was led by an actual Jewish Rabbi and Cantor from Orange County California.  She and her family guided the service from beginning to end including the Concord grape wine and Chelah bread with sea salt (which was really good).   This final experience was the final touch to end a peaceful relaxing cruise.  We felt blessed to share the week with each other and with others who wish to rest and set a side a day to contemplate the majestically made universe we live in.
Shalom and good night.  Until tomorrow when we disembark and cross the border for a few days and travel to Oregon to see our friend Mike Skolnik & family.  

"The Plane, The Plane"

Many people may be unaware that Juneau is the single state capital  that can only be accessed by ship/boat and plane.  You continuously see small Cessna's landing in the water next to the port.  Anyone interested in relocating to this city may be surprised to know that the city, besides being frozen more than half the year, has forests, glaciers, lush greenery and waterfalls.
Today we had the opportunity of exploring the lush greenery as we hiked up a trail at the end of our tram ride.  The trail was called "the Father Brown's Cross (elev. 2030' ) a total of 1.5 miles round trip, but the most beautiful scenery we have ever hiked.  Green majestic mountains and a cross at the end (at the summit)  to top it off.  A true spiritual experience even with visuals to remind us.  We also got to see "Lucy" a n adult male bald eagle held in captivity due to her injuries from a gun shot wound to her left eye that left her blind some years ago (it is a crime in the USA to shoot eagles by the way)
Unfortunately other than the daytime activities, there seems to be nothing significant there (in Juneau), it's like the government  just gave up ( insert Obama  joke ).
We believe (and have the souvenirs to prove it) the entire state lives off of tourism, nevertheless Juneau IS a beautiful state Capital, it's beauty certainly makes up for many of its shortcomings.
Tomorrow we head to our last stop before we cruise for 48 hours and end our cruise in Vancouver.  We are scheduled to stop at Ketchikan, Alaska.  It is known as the salmon Capital of the USA.  Perhaps it's a good idea to have some Lox there.

P.S. We will be at sea on the the "evening" of July 3rd, and all day on the 4th of July.  We will not be able to post until July 5th when we are on US soil.

Summer in Skagway

Today we got up relatively early so that we could get ready for our first disembarkation since we set sail 48 hours earlier.
We arrived in Skagway and as promised the weather was absolutely amazing.  Sunny, crisp and beautiful.  Skagway is a single street town that has mostly souvenir and jewelry shops.  It is a mining town with mega popularity in the summer and absolutely nothing to do in the winter.  According to the locals, most people that live in Skagway in the summer, run for their lives and hibernate in another city or state in the winter.
Upon our return to our ship we had dinner then headed to the "cafe" for an array of desserts and diet unfriendly treats.  After our caloric overdose we decided that working out at the gym was absolutely not a option we could decline.  We were able to work out at the gym with the best view ever.  Since the ship was still anchored, as we worked out we could see down into the marina and the little town of Skagway.  What a nice treat to make a not so pleasant activity something enjoyable.
Tomorrow we arrive in Juneau, hopefully we are as smitten as we were today.

Glacier Bay

06/30/14
On our second day at sea we have been encouraged by our cruise ship personnel to hang out, relax and enjoy the scenery (They forgot to mention eating as one of the primary activities we should take part in).   At the end of the day we can proudly say we have successfully, triumphantly, joyously fulfilled our obligations to do as we were instructed.  We got up earlier than usual so we could have an opportunity to exercise and burn about 250 calories of the millions we were about to consume throughout the day.  It was our intention to go out on the deck and see if we could spot some whales, but if tradition serves us right we can not go this long on a Leyva vacation without some rain.  Today was that day, we woke up to gray skies and lots of rain.  Never mind whale watching it was not meant to be for us today.    Right after breakfast our ship made several stops so that we the passengers could stand in awe of the magnificent glaciers that surrounded us. Fortunately for us the rain ceased for a while and we were able to experience, Glacier Bay.   After the relaxing morning/afternoon we were invited by the cruise ship social coordinator  to participate in a paper airplane flying contest. Out of 50 or more participants nobody won at the very end. This tells us, getting the little plane through the hoop they set as the goal was  beyond challenging.
This day started peaceful and ends in the same way.  Tomorrow we stop in Skagway and we are finally able to disembark and explore a new place. Our destination is called, Skagway it is called the "Sunshine" Capitol of Alaska, for it's low moisture level.  It rains very little compared to other parts of the state.  We shall see...
Goodnight.

(Our posts are written on the day they occur, but are posted on the the first opportunity when we have internet access)

A step into Antartica (or a Kitchen Freezer)

                           
The last 24 hours have helped check off a few "First" on our lists of things we have never experienced.  1.  We had never had un-ending days.  Our eyelids were droopy and our bodies told us we needed to rest,  yet the sun was out and indicated to our brains that it was only 5:00 P.M. At midnight.   Never had we seen people so alert at 1:00 A.M. We arrived in Anchorage, got off our flight, picked up our luggage, attempted to resolve our transportation problem with regards to the transfer from Anchorage to Whittier, then proceeded to rent our car from the rental car company located at the airport.   All while it was light out as if was perhaps 6:30 A.M. On a summer day in L.A.  It was so difficult to sleep when it was light out, even with the dark thick curtains.   2.  After our brief middle of the night "nap" we got up and got ready to drive to the port of Whittier,  what a wonderful visually stimulating experience that was.  The beauty of creation at it's best.  On our way to Whittier (which is a drive of about an hour and a half from Anchorage we had to pay a toll to cross the longest, darkest, and scariest tunnel we have ever been through.  It must of been about 3 miles long and were it not for our headlights we would have been in total darkness! The kind of tunnel you see in scary movies.
3.  Towards the afternoon of our first full day, we were instructed to line the deck of the ship so we could see Hubbard Glacier,  what a cold and different experience that was!  huge magnificent pieces of ice would detach and fall into the ocean.  The temperature outside must of been in the low 30'f.  Too cold for some of us but definitely forever in our memories as something that was worth the freezing weather for.  We will see what tomorrow brings to nourish our traveling memory banks.