Is that you Marilyn Monroe?

Hearst Castle
The town of Cambria was foggy in the morning, making it difficult to find breakfast without a GPS. We wandered around town but it seemed like nothing opened until 8 a.m. The little café took pity on us when Jaz pressed her nose up against the plate-glass window; they invited us in 20 minutes early.

Today we headed over to the Hearst bungalow… something interesting to see if you are in this neck of the woods. 

Hearst bungalow

WR hired a female architect to create this structure and then micromanaged it for 25+ years, not quite finishing it before his death. 

Julia was definitely a skilled project manager - molding around a doorway.

The architect, Julia Morgan, designed a simple house for Hearst that is pretty amazing. Also amazing was Julia – 1^st female engineer to graduate from Berkeley, first female to graduate from the European architectural institute she attended, female owned firm in 1906 with male employees…

Julia in the middle. I forgot to get the photo credit for this gem, but it was in the exhibit at the Hearst Castle.

Hearst’s bungalow was amazing, the art within is equally amazing, the view was spectacular. And the pools, you must see them. 

outdoor pool

We wandered around and discussed how the place was so big, you would have to have an army of people living with you to not feel lonely.

Indoor pool

Elephant Seal Beach

Further up the coast we visited the Seal Beach. Too late to see the males, we took pictures of hundreds of females basking in the sun. One particular female found shiny wrap and I watched her play with it – as much as a round slow fat creature with short arms can play… she wore herself out in no time and fell back asleep. Jaz and I decided they were like short-legged cows. Sat around and did not much of anything…

short legged cows no-grazing...

Tired seal with foil toy

Lighthouses

There are two lighthouses in this area; you need appointments to visit either one of them, neither of which we did. Take the time, they look wonderful.  We shot one from a distance.

Tree Bones  - Big Sur

Lighthouse and beach

Me and ocean

Right about the time we were hungry, we stumbled across this place. Some folks in the campground said the place was amazing, and the view unforgettable - sounded right up our alley. Off we went. This place overlooks the ocean. It is a collection of yurts with incredible food. This place is the base camp for eco-adventures and tourism, and if you really want to take it to the next level, you can sleep in nest. Very new age and do I dare say it… hippyish.  The food was to die for, locally grown organic and healthy. We watched whales below play in the ocean while we had lunch. Up the road is a hermitage if you’re into that. The environment here was definitely serene.

http://treebonesresort.com/

We meandered north enjoying the drive to Monterey Bay. Coastal flowers, scenic ocean vistas and occasional stops all afternoon. 

Cannery Row

Once in Monterey, we walked around and looked in cheesy gift shops, enjoyed interpretive displays about Steinbeck, and watched the sunset near Cannery Row. 

If Marlyn was young today.. what would she look like? She would have tattoos and piercings! This metal sketch was in a gift shop in Cannery Row.

Sunset and wine

This morning we head out to catch the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Jaz and Steinbeck

Is that a Kiss Dispenser?

Not that kind of kiss...

KISS PEZ Dispensers

Spring is in the air… sort of.

When I left Anchorage yesterday, it was on the tail end of 15 inches of fresh snow in my back yard. I had been thinking that we might get an early break-up and I would be able to pull the KLR out of the garage soon. Not so sure now. I think the fact that I was flying to San Francisco to meet with Jaz and screw around for a weekend helped.

The snow on my back deck buried my BBQ grill this week.

Jaz retired over two months ago. She flew south. All those years of shoveling snow, and the first chance she got she flew. She has a second bike in San Francisco, and invited me down (she also ran out of Kaladi Trieste Blend, ground for French Press – I suspect she needed the coffee more than my company). We talked about riding (me renting a motorcycle – because there is no way I would sit on the back of hers), and I did not want death by a California driver, or my lack of navigating mine fields. We rented a car.

Good thing. She has been riding down here for two months solid. She tells me “it’s like a video game, a high stake video game, you can and should pretty much do whatever you need to do to say alive. Pass a car on the right, pass a car on the left (when no passing lanes exist), split the lanes… whatever." It takes nerves of steel to split a lane with California drivers at 70 mph. One mistake and your life is over.

For those of you that do not know what splitting a lane is – imagine two cars driving side by side on the freeway. Then imagine a motorcycle rides up between the two cars and passes both while staying on the painted line.  That is splitting a lane.

I like metal – Impala metal – around me in California. She picked me up at the airport and we headed over to the PEZ Museum on beautiful downtown Burlingame.

I collect PEZ dispensers. I have always loved them as a kid. When I found out there was a complete museum dedicated to these wonderful little candy dispensers… well.. ROAD TRIP.

Not only does the museum boast an entire collection of every PEZ dispenser invented, the largest dispenser, but a pretty healthy gift shop where you can find contemporary and vintage pieces.

PEZ Dispensers have been around since 1948; the actual candy was invented in 1927. The original “candy” was a breath mint, and came only in peppermint (they were very similar to Altoids). It is considered the first breath mint.

 PEZ is not made in amerika; they are Austrian. The first dispensers were flat with no “heads” on them.   

First generation "headless" PEZ Circa 1950's

The name PEZ is derived from the German word “pfefferminz”.

In 1952, PEZ wanted to expand to the amerikan market and knew they needed a gimmick… the character heads were invented. They change yearly, with about 900 different varieties produced. 

 PEZ still produces them; now about 30 new designs per year. Not all are carried in this country.

Jaz and I rolled in front of the museum. 

There are over 900 different PEZ characters to choose from.

Psychedelic PEZ Circa 1960s

1970s special releases including Uncle Sam Vintage 1976 Bicentennial Edition

Modern sets - Star Trek Generations

There is also a section of famous toys, and banned toys to view. 

This Atomic Energy Lab kit Circa 1950's actually came with four vials of radioactive material to play with. Note the "Safe" advertising on the box. Obviously banned.

 Also classic toy section:

First Easy Bake Oven - 1963

First Barbie - 1959

I had been wanting to come to this museum and I was finally here, ready to add some to my collection! I bought the complete Charlie Brown set (with Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie and Luzy), Catwoman, and the snowman (replica of world's largest PEZ). And guess what.. there are conventions.

We rolled out of the PEZ museum and headed south. Jaz argued with Zumo GPS of the trickster clan for about 10 miles. I dozed. The scenery was gorgeous as we headed down Highway 101, but I had not slept much since the night before. I hear the phone ring… it is the rental car people.. calling her to see if she likes the car. Now folks, this has never happened to me. Have the rental car people ever called you and asked you if you like there car? I am convinced they found her driving record, or were monitoring our progress and thought about reminding us we can’t leave the country. She considers asking him how to get the airbag back into the dash after it has deployed… and thinks twice about it. All is good as we pass vineyard after vineyard.

We rolled into Cambria (2^nd thing on my list is the Hearst Castle) and walked the town. My legs were killing me from the flight and car ride - nothing like stretching out your legs to read the local bumper stickers. 

I always thought God likes snipers too... I got confirmation in Cambria that it is so...

We grabbed some beer, cheese and tapenade and sat out by the fire pit contemplating the palms.

Kicking back blogging with my Blue Suede Shoes...

Tomorrow the Hearst Castle.

Resources:
Museum
http://www.burlingamepezmuseum.com/

Conventions
http://pezconvention.com/

Main company
http://pez.com/

PEZ Dispensers?

I'm taking off next week to meet Jaz in San Francisco... I hear they have a museum dedicated to PEZ Dispensers... stay tuned!

Will TSA Confiscate My Voodoo?

I needed a break from the small city… the cold gray days of Alaska. My good friend Marla invited me to the bigger city of Portland, Oregon for the weekend. Off I went.

Now Portland is one of my favorite towns to spend time in. Unlike its sister city Seattle, it actually measure up to alternative, interesting, and sometimes a little edgy. One loose end I have been trying to tie up in Portland for many years is a successful trip to Voodoo Doughnuts. I have tried 3 other times in the past, all with the same turnout – a declaration that the line was too long to stand in just for doughnuts.

My strategy this time… was to get in the mind set of standing there for an hour.. probably in the rain… waiting for these damn doughnuts. Mindset properly aligned, coffeed-up and a stop to the little girls room out of the way, and we were ready! Marla and I showed up for the wait.

Long wait at Voodoo

Marla speculated that it really wasn’t about the doughnuts at all… it was about “The Pink Box”. She shared that folks in Portland stroll down the streets proudly holding their boxes… like a pink badge of courage… stating they had weathered the line. It was true… I witnessed several instances of the box being carried around town like it was precious cargo.

"The Pink Box" - can be seen being carried around Portland, OR. by glassy-eyed peeps.

It was not raining when we showed up. The line wrapped around the rail like a snake. It is a good thing I didn’t know that there was a line in the shop too! The crowd was made up of all kinds of peeps, families, tourists, the local alternative scene, lawyers and web managers, some with tattoos some without. It took us 45 minutes to get to the counter. 

Voodoo Doll, Maple Bacon, Gay Bar, and Rice Krispy

We made our purchase:

Voodoo Doll

Maple and Bacon Bar

Gay Bar

Rice Krispy Square

We immediately went home and proceeded to make ourselves sick. Too much sugar, thick frosting that seemed like marshmallow topping, jelly thick the color of blood… way too much for the lawyer and the web manager…

Jelly-blood oozes out of the Voodoo Doughnut.. note the pretzel stake... allows you to poke your doughnut.

BACON DOES NOT BELONG ON A DOUGHNUT! There… I said it.

A great way to ruin bacon... and a doughnut!

 

I’m crossing off Voodoo from my bucket list. Prolly never return (I’m not a sweet gal).

I did bring “The Pink Box” back to Alaska with me.  I was stopped by several people in the Anchorage airport… who got all glassy eyed and wanted to touch my box… some saying… “You got Voodooooo… “

Another Year of Adventures - 2013

I'm sitting around putting together a wish list of all the adventures I want to put under my belt this year. The usual Alaskan trips filter in, a hodge-podge of hikes and pedal bike rides (Hope, Matanuska Glacier, Crow pass, Harding Ice Field, and Gull Rock), as well as a couple of minor instate motorcycle rides (Cordova, Denali Highway, Manely Hot Springs, and Petersville Road). I'm also planning two out of state trips; one to southern Utah to visit Neil and Jen and another Canadian trip.

Harding Ice Field (aktrailhead.com)

Michael and I are going to head south to ride red rock country and do a little camping, filming and photography. It should be a blast. Neil and Jen are tagging along in a jeep with coolers filled with beer and steak! (We better make sure we get real beer - this is Utah).

Secondly, I am plotting my second attempt to Inuvik, Canada. Jaz and I made it the arctic circle before we called it because of the dangerous road conditions. This time around, Michael and I are planning a July trip that will hit the northern most community of Canada at one of the dryer times of the year. If you missed the last attempts, check out my blog for those details.

Finally, I am hitting the beaches, Robinson Crusoe style, with Marla and Bonita. French Polynesia will be a different kind of vacation for me. One of relaxing, reading, and visiting with old friends. I might even have time to take in the local culture and history. This is the plan for November.

(Amazon.com)

Sprinkle in a couple of weekend trips to Portland and Seattle; a business trip to Washington DC, Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Glacier Bay National Park, and the year gets very full!

Somewhere in all that I need to run, learn to swim better, and learn to play the Navajo flute I got last year on the road. OH! Lets not forget the Zipline in Talkeetna...

Happy Holidays!

Another year about to roll over... Good cheer and health to all!

And keep on having adventures!

The BMW has gone Utahn... or Utahan?

I lived in Utah for 27 years; you would think I would know the answer to this question. I guess it could easily be Utahian... or maybe an ite? How about Utahtite?

Playing catch-up on the blog today, I thought I would wind my year up and finish lose ends. When last I wrote, Michael and I were freezing in the Utah temperatures on account of trying to get to Salt Lake City for Thanksgiving.  We rolled out of Beaver and drove north through western Utah all the way to Grantsville. I like western Utah for the ride. There are not a lot of services, but no people either. The miles and tarmac rolled out in front of us with occasional cattle crossings and lots of time to relax and think.

Western Utah meditation.

The cold offered challenges, including a light frosting on the bikes and road early morning hour and a constant windchill in the high 20s and low 30s most of the day. We dressed warm and used heated gear. I forgot to pack my heated gloves and suffered a little bit, but luckily Michael had an extra set of glove liners. This and my heated grips took the edge off.

Judy pre-helmet head warmth

Michael happy to be on the road in Delta, Utah.

 We rolled into Grantsville, Utah and parked the bikes at Ron's house. He is storing them for the winter. The plan is to ride to down to Arches in April and spend some time doing a little photo shooting and filming in red rocks in the spring. Just for the blog!

Michael's parents Gene and Arlene fed us lunch (thank you, thank you) and dropped us off at the airport for a rental car. We were able to visit family for a bit. I spent a little time with my mom, uncle, and youngest daughter Linzy.

Back in Utah, without any real beer, the holiday season upon us, and being in Utah... left us with the unfortunate task of trying to get wine and beer for the holiday dinner... let me say it again... in Utah. This was not something we were looking forward to.  I still can't figure out why they need to make it so difficult to get wine and beer. If we were having dinner in Seattle with my other daughter Nikole, in the words of her friend Mandy... "we could get stoned and marry a lesbian" (gosh that sounds like a great blog title.... maybe when I visit her this spring)...  but NOOOO here we are standing in a long-ass line for wine for Thanksgiving Dinner.... Let's GIVE THANKS:

Getting "whine" in Utah

Linzy and Ryan had us over for a wonderful vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner... so many dishes and so much food! It was wonderful... Linzy has become quite the cook!

Quinoa and bean stuffed peppers

Yogurt - granola -strawberry parfait Santas

I got a flight back to Alaska the next morning. Michael hung around for a couple of days visiting, then flew to New York to spend a week with a friend.  He then flew up to Alaska, putting his feet back in the snow after several years in the sand of Arizona. He showed up without a coat...  it was -14 outside.