OurGlobalAdventure

Leaving the salty sea air behind us, we set our sights on the central SLO Cal town of San Luis Obispo. Again, short notice availability got the better of us and we split our week between SLO and the nearby winelands of Paso Robles.

But I’m getting ahead of myself – along the way we spent the night at a Harvest Host winery, Dark Star Cellars. The chickens scratching around our feet kept us company as we worked our way through a wine tasting. The afternoon drew on and before we knew it, we had the place to ourselves. Well, us and the chickens. A delightfully warm and pleasant evening sipping wine amongst the vines.

San Luis Obispo was light on recreational activities but we had the most awesome Hipcamp camping spot.

Not a bad view to wake up to in a morning

Back in Paso and no more excuses. I got my running legs on and pootled along the winding country lanes, those adorable slopes of converging vine lines whichever way I looked.

Now that Covid restrictions are in the rear view mirror, we treated ourselves to a night out in Paso Robles. I have been known to get quite excited about good pizza. And this indeed was good pizza.

Come the weekend and Darren suggested we escape the heat in favor of a coastal walk. I wasn’t exactly convinced about escaping the heat – it was forecast to be 82 Fahrenheit (28 Celsius, easiest conversion to remember ever), which happens to be my absolute perfect temperature. Albeit perfect for hanging out, rather than perfect for hiking. I begrudgingly agreed, as the rugged yet beautiful Montana de Oro state park was only an hour or so’s drive away and promised some cool hiking opportunities.

So there’s cool and there’s cooler. Would you believe it, as we neared the coast, the temperature dropped from the low 80s to the high 50s and in rolled the fog. Boom! Our plan of hiking up Valencia Peak was a non-starter, lost in the clouds. Ever versatile, we ditched the mountain hike in favor of a bluffs walk.

Ya know, this coast is so moody and mysterious, it’s way better to experience it in the clouds. Blue sky’s overrated.

I made Darren take me to a winery on the way back to make up for it. One in the sun and in the 80s. I’ll take it.

But my absolute favorite thing about Paso (ok the Della pizza was close but this was more unique) was the Sensorio Field of Light experience. We’d heard it was optimal to arrive before sunset, but we didn’t know quite what to expect. “If you build it, they will come”. Oh no hang on a minute, that’s Field of Dreams not Field of Light. But sure enough the people came.

The first thing we saw through the throng of people was an airstream bar – made us feel right at home. We got a couple of (plastic) glasses of wine and made our way past the open fire pit tables and live music.

To this…

Yes – a gorgeous sunset and striking tree silhouettes. But in the foreground, the slopes were awash with a sea of white. A closer look revealed they were as yet unlit lights – bright white iridescent globes on stalks, like alien wildflowers.

And as sunset turned to dusk, the lights started to take on a life of their own.

And then we realized we didn’t just have to stand in the same spot to view the awesomeness. We could stroll on the trails that meandered their way through the Field of Lights. A walk that took us through 15 acres of illuminated hillsides, lit with 60,000 solar powered fiber-optic lights. We got a top up from the airstream bar and immersed ourselves.

They also had a new exhibit for 2022, the Light Towers. In deference to the hundreds of wineries in the Paso area, the Light Towers celebrate not with alien wildflowers but with wine bottles. Over 17,000 of them.

Sometimes I object to people photobombing but I think they work quite well here for scale

So there you have it. Lots of photos because I just can’t help myself. But quite honestly this is less about viewing art than feeling art. I was blown away by this exhibition and would recommend it to anyone remotely in the area. And we weren’t even VIP.

Very Important Person – Not
Very Impressed & (bit) Pissed – Maybe

Road Trip 5, Keeping It Local

By Heather Hamilton

On 14th May 2022

In 2022 Mini California Road Trip

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There are few better places to be in the Spring than California. We tend to get blue skies and warm (but not too hot) weather. The days are getting longer and the wildflowers are out in force.

The return to the office is still optional and quite frankly those in-office days have been few and far between. No real need to stick around for that then. And the feisty Basecamp was raring to go after five months of chilling out in the back garden. It gave us a look every time we went out in the garden “C’mon then, what are we waiting for? Let’s get out there and enjoy it!”

With a resolution to stay closer to home than last time (that Alaska trip kinda took it out of us), we decided to check out the coast practically on our doorstep, starting off with a week camping in Carpinteria and working in Santa Barbara. Oh and not forgetting Ventura, because our last minute plans meant we couldn’t get a camping spot for the full week. Literally last minute, as in we only thought about this trip on a Friday evening and by Sunday morning, we were packed up and on our way to the beach.

So bring on week one!

Morning runs, walks and bike rides took us along the bluffs, right from the campsite at Carpinteria

Tough to run when all I wanted to do was stop and smell the roses. Metaphorically.

A great view down to the Carpinteria seal sanctuary. Although the pelicans seem to have claimed the beach as their own.

One particular bonus of west coast life – when the sun goes down, it sinks into the ocean. And somehow, that never gets old.

Beyond the sunset, one of the main attractions in small town Carp is the legendary Island Brewing

Moving on to Ventura, it was more of the same 🙂
Sea air, palm trees and wildflowers.

Of course in amongst the recreational indulgences comes the work.
The Ventura co-working office worked out nicely.

The Waypoint campsite in Ventura was way too cool for school. It’s mainly onsite remodeled retro campers, with a few spaces for drop-ins, like us.

Cool fire pit though. And they do free s’mores.

I spy a ship in the distance, that reminds me… I need to work onboard a ship for the day at the weekend. Not this one though, this is a Princess ship.

Ah, that’s the one. Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam. A milestone indeed, first time onboard one of our ships in over two years!

And the tender ride to/from the ship wasn’t bad either. It included a free seal-watching tour.

Meanwhile, Darren had all the time in the world to enjoy himself paddleboarding and cycling along the awesome coastal bike path.

Even roped in our good friends Lisa and Paul for a paddle

And with that, it was time to turn our sights inland once again. Next up: San Luis Obispo.

Partying in Cabo… and that’s a wrap

By Heather Hamilton

On 18th April 2022

In Mexico

As far south as we could go – all the way down to the very fingertip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula, got us to the resort of Cabo San Lucas. Right up there in the top 5 places to visit in Mexico and a key destination for our cruise ships, oh yeah, Cabo is a proper party city. And we were there on the weekend, so we were ready to party!

Bars and restaurants and more bars lined the marina, so that’s where we started. Our view as far as we could see was yachts and super yachts, hmmm maybe we should re-assess the mode of transport for our next trip…?

I’ll take the biggest, flashiest one please (probably out of shot to be fair)

But for now, we’d have to make do with a sunset booze cruise. Us and a hundred or so others. That’s ok, I can share nicely.

Darren’s Hawaiian party shirt even came out for the occasion

Lots of hen do’s/bachelorette parties. This is the classic shot of the bride to be with the iconic El Arco rock in the background. (A bit like Durdle Door, only in Cabo rather than Dorset).

Let’s have a go at that classic shot then… Um, El Arco makes a nice earring

Bit quieter round the other side of El Arco as we sailed into the sunset

We were at the back of the catamaran. We had a seat and we had drinks, I wasn’t about to complain I had people in the way of my perfect picture.

There was no way I was getting a decent sunset shot without people in it. Never mind, I’ve seen sunsets before, just sit back enjoy it.

Sun done, we turned around and headed back, finally got that uninterrupted view (let’s hope I was in the way of someone else’s picture!)

So yeah we had to put up with having to share our experience a bit. But it was exactly the holiday party feels we were looking for.

While the service was excellent on the boat and the drinks were flowing, they’d perfected the art of catering for those who only ever drink on a party boat. Meaning they were somewhat cautious on the tequila pouring. Leaving us with a search for the best shoreside margaritas in Cabo.

Well this looks promising, a cornucopia of delights

Outpost restaurant offered a margarita flight – not your average margaritas either. L-R below… Avocado margarita with coconut cream, serrano pepper, tequila and gran marnier. And avo obviously. In the middle you have a black margarita with tequila, chipotle syrup, activated carbon (I have no idea what that is other than guessing it’s what makes it black) and lemon. And last up – a smoky hibiscus margarita with mezcal, hibiscus, ginger and house bitters. Seems you can call any cocktail a margarita providing it’s got tequila or mezcal in it.

Who’d have thought an avocado margarita would win out? Surprisingly awesome.

After all those margaritas, somehow I made it up for a morning run around the marina. Nothing too hardcore you understand.

Took a few pics along the way (any excuse for a breather)

Sea lion mooching around the harbor. At a faster pace than me I think.

Just about earned my hotel taco buffet breakfast

And it‘s not often I proper treat myself but I decided to splurge some of my birthday money on a massage. Not just a massage but a full on full body deep tissue thumb, knuckle and elbow massage. I could barely stand up afterwards so I lounged in the hotel swimming pool lapping up the sun instead.

And would you believe it, the pool had a swim up bar. Will this party weekend never end?

End it did, and next up was La Paz for a week. And here pretty much our Mexico fairytale came to an unfortunate end. Put it this way, this was my view for most of the week…

Yeah I got sick. And then Darren did too. When you think how much traveling we’ve done, it’s kind of surprising we’ve not been more ill along the way. Negative Covid tests when we got home but not felt so fatigued in a long time. Suffice to say, a few days knocked out in bed in La Paz and hence not much to write about.

But there’s always photos. Some from before, some from after. No more of the fan I promise. So here you have it, the last of the trip is a photo summary…

Beautiful malecon along the waterfront in La Paz

With the cactus. You’re never very far from a cactus.

There were two inspirations for our Mexico trip. The first was the friendliest grey whales on the planet. Ticked off on the way down and totally lived up to the hype. The second was a kayaking trip in the aquamarine waters of the Sea of Cortez around the rocky shores of the island of Espiritu Santu. Unfortunately, the lurgi put paid to that. But we did make it down to the beach to see where we would have gone. I guess it just means we’ll have to come back sometime!

The beautiful island of Espiritu Santu around which we did not kayak

And so began the return journey up through Baja

A picturesque spot to stop and get the drone out

Overnighted in Mulege. Yes, they had a brewery.

On the road again. Came across this eclectic Cowpatty Bar, very much in the middle of nowhere

And that’s a wrap. Baja done. Home sweet home!

Todos Santos

By Heather Hamilton

On 16th April 2022

In Mexico

The big thing 1,000 miles south gets you… is warmth. We hadn’t been short of sun in Tijuana but it felt a bit like that British sun, you know – the one with not much heat in it. Now we were darn sarf, we really felt like we were on our hols.

The Airbnb wasn’t quite as palatial as the one in Tijuana, but we were smack bang in the middle of the Pueblo Majico of Todos Santos. The town had a vibrant arty feel to it, with striking Mexican skull art adorning the walls and bright colored flags flapping exuberantly in the street, all adding to the fiesta feel.

Our home for a week – The Vibe (disclaimer, not our jeep)

That’s the back of The Vibe building just right there

Todos Santos is on the coast, backed by the picturesque Sierra de la Laguna mountain range. In contrast to the hard-packed sand at Playa de Tijuana, and the seafront esplanade in Loreto, there were no such easy running options in Todos. The terrain favored hiking instead, so hiking we did.

Our starting point down on the beach at dawn

I couldn’t avoid the running forever though. I just had to run the gauntlet past the crazy Mexican dogs. Arriba, arriba. Luckily the worst ones were tethered behind gates or fences but I managed to attract quite a pack at one point. Four or five of them gathered around me, yipping and yapping, leaping and bounding. Quite excitable that they found some poor unsuspecting gringo to take them for a free walk.

Not this one though, he wasn’t going anywhere

Perked up a bit as I got closer.
Check out his black and white feline friend in the background.

That down there is Todos Santos and the many residential streets I had to run through to get to this dirt track and up the hill…

There was no shortage of top notch Mexican food in Todos… in particular, they really rather excelled themselves on the taco front.

Meanwhile, the margaritas came thick and fast. As did the ceviche and the molcajete.

Um, not sure how much of a Mexican tradition pizza and salad is, but it was delicious.

That tamarind jalapeño margarita with mezcal should be memorialized. The beet salad wasn’t half bad either.

We soaked up the holiday feeling and chilled out with the holiday flow, enjoying sunset from the Skylounge bar. There’s something that feels just so damn decadent about a rooftop bar! I switched out the Tequila for a Hendricks G&T, garnished with cucumber and rosemary, and served in a wine glass. A refreshing change after all that lime. Truth be told, we might have spent a few evenings up there.

The flock of birds, stage left, provided quite the entertainment, swooping around in circles

The walk we did before work was so enjoyable, we did it again. At the weekend. Only this time we were able to explore a little further without the need to cut short to get to work. So we brought along our old friend the drone, which hasn’t seen much daylight recently. Simple pleasures. 🙂

The Saguaro & The Whales

By Heather Hamilton

On 9th April 2022

In Mexico

Ooh, we do love a good roadtrip. Over 1,000 miles was on the cards for us over the weekend, so we took the Friday off to give us some time to play along the way. Our goal was to get to Todos Santos, all the way down in the south of Baja, by Sunday evening to check in to our next AirBnB. And to take in a bit of the Mexican countryside – the real Mexico, along the way.

Countryside is probably not quite the word for it. Wilderness is more like it. Of the desert type. The type of desert with cacti in, not the sand dune type. Lots and lots of cacti.

Without fail, the scenery looked like this the whole way

With the odd random horse or mule or cow by the roadside to keep you on your toes

After leaving Tijuana, we drove through the tourist trap of Ensanada (do not pass go, just get the hell through there) and continued down ‘The 1’ (pretty much the one and only main road down the whole of Baja). After skirting the west coast, our route took us inland past El Rosario, where there was unfortunately no room at the inn due to a large contingent of bikers in town.

We pushed on, realizing that there was a whole lot of nothing for the next few hundred miles. Nothing is maybe a tad unfair to the Joshua Trees and Saguaro cactus, but nothing in the way of civilization.

Until that is, we arrived at the ‘town’ of Catavina. Four side streets, a petrol station and get this, a hotel! That’ll do nicely.

Relaxing with a well-earned beer after the long drive

The next day took us past more cactus. I think in Mexico there are more cacti than there are grains of sand on the ground or stars in the sky.

It was a delight to arrive at the oasis that is San Ignacio, a small town (but not quite Catavina small) surrounded by lush date palms, centered around a striking Mission church. They also happened to have a bar offering the best margaritas in Baja.

Oh go on then! For me, certainly the best in Baja so far.

Next up after a long and bumpy dirt road (somewhat regretting that margarita) was a night on the shores of Laguna San Ignacio, winter sanctuary to hundreds of Pacific Grey Whales and one of the reasons we wanted to do this whole trip. We’d booked a whale watching trip the next morning, and in the meantime enjoyed an idyllic sunset and a few more margaritas.

Think the pelicans enjoyed the sunset too

Even this little whale tour boat couldn’t resist taking a moment to watch the sunset

At this point, putting up the tent in what had turned into a howling windy evening was not seeming like a viable option. So we settled for a night in the truck instead.

Rise and shine was early doors. What with the time zone change as we entered the southern State of Baja Sur and on top of that, there was the change to daylight saving time. So it wasn’t just one but two hours earlier we had to get up. Or so we thought. With diddly squat phone signal, we were none the wiser. But it turned out that the summertime change across the whole of the US didn’t affect Mexico at the same time – they do it on their own terms, a few weeks later.

The combo of sleeping in the truck and the fake two hour time change left us a little bleary eyed. But one look at the choppy water in the lagoon soon woke us up – we were convinced our boat trip would be canceled. The boats they use are kind of tiny and they weren’t just bobbing around on their moorings, I would more say they were careering uncontrollably.

Luckily, a bit of patience helped, as we whiled away that extra hour.

Entertainment was provided by a super-sized osprey’s nest perched on a platform. The chick was very vocal at being left alone while mum went off a-hunting.

Meanwhile, so much whale paraphernalia. Such a tease!

The waters eventually calmed somewhat, miraculously enabling us to board the still vulnerable-looking boat. Well, a bit of sea water spray flying in your face and sloshing into the boat never hurt anybody. We were on a mission: to find the friendliest grey whales on the planet.

The pictures paint a thousand words and I can’t possibly compete.

Suffice to say, we were privileged to have the most amazing whale interactions. Both mothers and babies approached the boats to glide alongside, blanketing us in spray as they exhaled through their blow holes in unison. A little further away, a cheeky whale head popped-up – an inquisitive look-see to check out what was going on.

Overall, this was one of those truly memorable experiences that make it all worthwhile. Yes, even with that rocky little boat.

All that remained was to continue the journey south for our next working week in Todos Santos. Including a night camping on the shore of Conception Bay over on the east coast and popping in to the town of Loreto for a quick hello. Oh and in case you’re in any doubt, yes there were more cacti. Always.

View from the tent out to Bahia Concepcion

Right next door to our tent was this happy bus.
Times like this you really miss the Basecamp.

A quick run along the waterfront in Loreto

Maybe the guidebook cover should have been a clue to the scenery

The mighty Saguaro. And it’s goodnight from him.

Adios California, Hola Tijuana!

By Heather Hamilton

On 19th March 2022

In Mexico

What no Basecamp? The truck was loaded to the brim for a month long road trip and yet we felt half naked as we rolled out of the driveway with no airstream in tow.

We didn’t just forget to hitch up though, it was a conscious decision. Our destination? Baja California – the little sticky out finger protruding into the Pacific on the west coast of Mexico. A round trip of around 2,500 miles in less than a month, on a route not exactly flooded with co-working office options. And have you seen the price of fuel lately! So the BaseCamp got an extended vacation in Santa Clarita instead.

Since getting back from our Christmas/New Year UK trip in January, we’ve been home nearly two months. We caught up with friends and I even poked my nose into the office, which was still far from back to normal. Those itchy feet were inevitable. Mexico is practically on our doorstep and it’s been a few years since we made it down there. And so ARRIBA!!! Off to Mexico we go.

But first, a wee weekend jaunt in Newport Beach along the way. Just enough for a breezy hike in Crystal Cove State Park, a picnic meet up with one of Darren’s work colleagues, a run/bike ride round Back Bay – stunning with spring flowers, and the must-do bone marrow and pizza at Mozza. Newport Beach, done!

The Mexican border was a breeze, no queue to get in, no strip search, no check for blueberries. We didn’t even have to show our passports. Yes, I’m acutely aware this is going INTO Mexico and it won’t be quite the same getting back into the US, but still, I’ll take it for now.

Our first stop – an airbnb in Playas de Tijuana, just a hop, skip and a jump into Mexico. From where we could work and play for the week. It might not be the most upscale of towns but the ocean views right from our doorstep could not be beat. It was quite distracting seeing dolphins frolicking past while we were on work calls.

That’s us sorted for the week – the white building with the big windows and the long balcony

A wider angle view. Good job we didn’t take the next door option

Indoors it was quite palatial, sooo light and bright with the sun streaming in those windows

Darren’s desk set up for the working week

The pre-Trump border wall is an ever present reminder that even though you can see San Diego right there, the American dream is to some, just that.

San Diego in the distance, on ‘the other side’

Probably not the most pin-point accurate of signs, but directionally about right

And there goes the wall, stretching into the ocean

Look closely… the cheeky blighters don’t stop trying! Check out the camouflaged makeshift ladder!

One of my favorite things the whole week was being able to step out from the Airbnb before work, and run along the hard-packed sand of the Playas de Tijuana.

So peaceful at that time in the morning.
And comforting to see the cruise ships on the horizon.

And when I was too lazy to run, there was a pretty boardwalk to stroll along, lined with colorful heart art

At the other end of the day, we reveled in the awesome sunsets from the comfort of our balcony.

The balcony sunsets really gave us that holiday vibe, way to end the working day! We also checked out a couple of other establishments in the local vicinity… margaritas and tacos going a long way to cement that feeling of experiencing a different culture.

I can reliably inform you that tamarind margarita is an acquired taste.
Darren took the safer option of a Mexican beer.

Another sunset option – Norte Brewing Company was located on top of a multistory car park, with floor to ceiling views of downtown Tijuana

Delicious lobster of insane proportions, drizzled with melted butter

A shot of tequila delivered with flair. Not to mention a range of citrus options and two different types of rock salt. I do believe we’re in Mexico!

1SE Fvck Covid Mashup Videos (1 Second Everyday)

By Darren

On 27th December 2021

In 1SE

Heather has been making separate 1SE (1 Second Everyday) videos throughout the trips. Here is a your one page view of each of them and a mashup to view them all together (if you have 11 minutes and 15 seconds to spare!).

If you want to make your own 1SE you can download the app from here:

https://1se.co/

1SE June 2020-November 2021

Updated in 2024…. It wasn’t actually the last trip before back to the office! Watch the full 1SE here

Homeward Bound: Santa California

By Heather Hamilton

On 14th November 2021

In 2021 Go Big or Go Home Alaska Road Trip

On what had turned out to be a 16 week ‘Go Big or Go Home’ trip, it was time to do the Going Home bit. After Grants Pass in Oregon, we eked out our last few weeks of the trip on the California coast, with a week in Santa Cruz and a week in Santa Barbara, before finally heading home to Santa Clarita.

What a wet write off of a weekend driving down to Santa Cruz.

Wet leaving Oregon. Wet arriving in California. Wet before, after and in between.

Santa Cruz:

In the run up to Halloween, the fun NextSpace coworking office was full on decked up

My coworkers on video calls had no idea 😆 🕷

As the weather transitioned to more of what we expected from California, we made the most of the waning after-work light to enjoy a brief sunset walk along the bluffs.

Other pleasant evenings gave us an opportunity to enjoy al fresco cooking and dining at the BaseCamp, it felt a long time since we’d been able to do that. I was well chuffed to find both Wholefoods and Trader Joe’s supermarkets within spitting distance of NextSpace (after what seemed like an eternity of sub-par grocery stores!). And for pre-dinner snacks, I was still working my way through the Canadian salt and vinegar crisps stash.

A sheltered spot at Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park

In keeping with our trend of bumping into friends and work colleagues, we met up with one of Darren’s Twilio buddies for a lighthouse promenade and beach walk.

As the light faded, I realized I hadn’t even taken a pic of our motley crew

As luck would have it, our penultimate week coincided with the reintroduction of Flex Fridays, meaning I got to take Friday off work. Which meant a sunrise walk and an opportunity to explore a bit more of Santa Cruz.

More lighthouse pictures – but a different lighthouse! And sunrise instead of sunset.

Surfers out and about doing what surfers do

Surfer statue. I think the wig and sailor hat were an afterthought.

Pigeons on their morning break, having a chin-wag

Pier art. Ooh, maybe they have otters round here somewhere?

No otters but the barking sea lions were a treat to see and hear

The Weekend:

The driving distances from one place to the next seemed tiny down here after Alaska. Getting to our next destination was measured in hours, not days. However, the rugged coastal drive down Big Sur, one of the coolest highways in California, is notoriously slow and winding with lots of scenic viewpoint distractions and hikes along the way. It’s been a few years since we’ve done the drive and we had the time, so why not.

* Stock photo of Big Sur – just to give you an idea

Luckily, we checked on the roads before committing to the Big Sur drive. All that rain in last week’s storms had caused erosion and landslides, putting paid to any through trips. Plan B it is then.

We didn’t actually have a Plan B, so we pulled in for coffee and biscuits and a little chill out in the BaseCamp. Out came the phones, and while Darren was diligently doing some Google research, I had a quick skive on Facebook. I did a double take when I saw a FB post from our good friends Brian and Lindsay. They were in Monterey for the weekend celebrating Brian’s birthday. And we were about 10 miles from Monterey. Not days or even hours away, we were like right there.

A few frantic back and forth messages of the “No way?” “Way!” variety later, and we’d arranged to meet up for brunch. Yet another of those bizarre yet fortuitous meet ups – and we got to wish Brian a happy birthday in person. Cheers Brian & Lindsay, so great to see you!

With Big Sur out of the question, we headed inland and down the alternative 101 route. The wineland area of Paso Robles was just a few hours south, and we set our sights on nearby Tin City, a little huddle of wineries and other artisanal outlets, including gelato (ice cream), cider and Barrelhouse Brewing.

Santa Barbara:

Santa Barbara is only an hour and a half away from home (Santa Clarita), but we’ve never spent a full week there before. Nestled in the Santa Ynez mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean, SB is an upmarket resort destination, often referred to as the American Riviera. If you want any more indication of its poshness, Meghan and Harry live in them there Montecito foothills.

I’m going to have to do you another stock photo, because yet again we were cursed by the weather. This time the gloom and doom of thick all-encompassing fog, with occasional clearer yet overcast patches.

* Not my photo. This is what Santa Barbara looks like when you can see it.

And this is what it looked like to us. Not quite the same in the greyness.

A rare brief glimpse of the sun through that one tiny crack in the fog cloud

Nice open space to work in at The Sandbox office

We did have one evening – ONE – when it was clear. Perfect for a sunset wander along the Mesa and Arroyo Burro beach.

And then it was back to this…

My mum asked me to take a picture from the pier. She’s been here before and has a bit of a soft spot for Santa Barbara, being called Barbara herself. I think she was expecting something along the lines of the stock photo above. Sorry mum, here’s what we got!

And with that, it really did feel like it was time to call it a day. Go Big or Go Home? I’m officially renaming the trip Go Big AND Go Home!

The Border, The Blueberries & The Bridge

By Heather Hamilton

On 10th November 2021

In 2021 Go Big or Go Home Alaska Road Trip

Just one last border crossing to go to get us back into the US. I dutifully checked in advance a) it was open, and b) no Covid test required. The Canada US border represented a notable milestone on our Go Big Or Go Home trip, as we inched ever closer to home. So we were cheerful and upbeat as we rolled up to the customs booth. The customs official, unfortunately had gotten out of bed the wrong side that morning and cheery he was not. With the border closure still in place for Canadians, the crossing was super quiet. Which left the brunt of his sullen temper to be borne by us.

He handled our British passports with disdain and practically threw them back at us saying we should only have given him our US Resident Green Cards. Whoah, it’s not like we gave him a mouldy cheese sandwich! I think most people could be forgiven for innocently handing over their passport to a customs official.

Darren kept his cool with the questioning: “Any guns?” “Nope” “Any drugs?” “Nope” “Any alcohol?” “Erm, some wine and beer” “How much?” “Erm, about a Yeti cooler full”.

The interrogation continued. This guy was on a mission and he wasn’t going to stop there. Brutally, he handed us a red card and we were pulled over to the sidelines for a strip search. We opened the BaseCamp, laid bare at his mercy, as he brought in reinforcements with latex gloves. (I can’t help thinking one of them spotted us way in the distance and said “ooh look, there’s one of those cool BaseCamps, let’s pull it over so we can have a proper look inside”).

After an eternity of searching, the SWAT team emerged from the BaseCamp triumphant, satisfied smiles all around. They skulked off back into the shadows as just one official approached us, arm raised holding some confiscated contraband found in our trailer. At this point, I started getting nervous. I had an undeclared stash of Canadian salt and vinegar crisps – I was really hoping they weren’t going to confiscate those. At the same time, I was pretty confident we had no drugs or guns.

As the customs official drew closer, we could see that she was brandishing a punnet of blueberries. As part of the earlier interrogation, we’d admitted to carrots and onions but forgot the damn blueberries. Turns out they were illegal blueberries from Peru. This time and this time only, we were to get away with a telling off, a wagging finger and a slap on the wrist. And they got to keep the blueberries.

Seemed like a lot of drama but with that we were on our way. And I made a mental note to add to my next border crossing checklist: check it’s open, check on Covid requirements, check we’ve got no blueberries!

Of course, no pics at the border (didn’t dare add that to our list of misdemeanors). But here we have the next section of the trip, as we continued down through Washington, and into Oregon.

Getting through the US Canada border relatively unscathed is Epic in my book

‘Twas a grey day as we stopped for a wander on the beach at Mukilteo, WA

Just us and the tiny sailboat far out at sea

Met up with one of Darren’s colleagues from work for a weekend lunch

Overnighted at a Harvest Host brewery car park we’d stayed at previously – North 47

Awesome beer and WiFi, what’s not to like

I think someone’s telling porky pies. This is Long Beach, WA. At 28 miles, it is anything but the World’s Longest (which is over 150 miles). Secondary claims to fame are the World’s Longest Drivable Beach and World’s Longest Continuous Peninsula Beach. I guess they couldn’t fit all that on the sign.

Astoria, Oregon:

Camping for the week overlooking the Columbia River, which marks the state line between Washington and Oregon. ‘RV Park at The Bridge’ campsite sat on the Washington side of the river.

Our daily commute over the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Oregon

Open Office, our coworking office for the week, was housed in Pier 12

The other side of Pier 12. Our office? All the way at the far corner, top right.

Favorite office, full stop. Like being in a greenhouse with sea views. We were on constant seal watch during meetings.

The view from the balcony right outside our office. Ooh look, there’s the Astoria-Megler bridge again. Can’t quite see the BaseCamp from here.

And then a cruise ship went past!
(Not one of ours)

Made it out to Fort Stevens State Park one day after work for a sunset walk

The ghostlike remains of the Peter Iredale shipwreck, which ran aground in 1906

Rounded off the week with a proper night out, starting off in Blaylocks Whiskey Bar…

…hit up a taco truck along the way, and ended up at Bridge & Tunnel tap room and bottle shop

Two of the more exclusive bottles from our Bridge & Tunnel haul. The one on the left says ‘Enjoy within 5 years’. The one on the right ‘Enjoy within 25 years’. Must be a typo. Didn’t last much longer than 25 minutes.

The Weekend: The Oregon Coast

Altogether now: “Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside” 🎶

The moody, stormy Oregon coast – the sun didn’t get much of a look in

Hike up to a viewpoint overlooking Manzanita

Our Harvest Host for the night – Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook

The BaseCamp fitting right in among the rustic farm machinery

They also had a little farmyard petting zoo

Wouldn’t be a visit to a cheese place without a BaseCamp cheese plate party

Grants Pass, Oregon

The Hivve coworking office in Grants Pass couldn’t quite match up to our waterfront office in Astoria. But we felt right at home in the phone booth.

A Keurig coffee machine, a kettle and a rock music-inspired seating area at the Hivve

Found a bar in Grants Pass – Oregon Pour Authority, which had more tin tackers than on our shed back home

Takeout beer from a Portland brewery to create our own little flight in the BaseCamp

A short hike after work up Dollar Mountain. Lovely view back down to the town of Grants Pass.

The “It’s the Climate” sign on the main street. First erected in 1920 to celebrate Grants Pass having great weather. Clearly, they weren’t thinking about October (I prefer a little less wind and rain myself).

When all else fails, what left but to find a brewery

Or a pizza place. Must be nearly Halloween. Time to move on.

Squishler (Squamish & Whistler)

By Heather Hamilton

On 6th November 2021

In 2021 Go Big or Go Home Alaska Road Trip

From Whitehorse down to Squamish in British Columbia (near Vancouver) is just shy of 1,500 miles. So another three day driving weekend was needed, with 10+ hours on the road each day. Rather than just reverse our northbound journey on the Alcan, we turned off at Watson Lake and took the Cassiar highway instead.

No great wildlife pictures unfortunately but we did see mooses galore, even a few bears. I’ll spare you another detailed road trip post – I tried to pick out just a few photo highlights this time – here you go.

Another awesome overnight boondocking spot

We arrived to a drizzly overcast Squamish and that’s pretty much how it stayed. Seemed like a nice enough place, what little of it we could see through the oppressive grey clouds and relentless rain. Morning, noon and night through the week, the rain persisted.

Our commute. Pretty much dark before and after work. And wet. Very wet.

The poor BaseCamp is a SoCal gal (like my good self), not made for this nonsense. The campsite was heavily forested, the BC tucked hiding among the trees, craving shelter from the elements. To no avail. The trees captured the rain in their leaves, collecting water more effectively than an inverted umbrella, only to hurl it down in large water bombs. The false sense of protection from the trees belied their wicked sense of humor. We patched up the worst of the BaseCamp leaks outside. Inside, the supporting cast of dishcloths, sponges and good ole kitchen roll did their bit to stem any remaining inflow.

It was left to beer and pizza to see us through.

And the British aisle in the Canadian supermarket. That helped.

I happily stocked up on Horlicks, mint sauce, Galaxy minstrels and sherbet lemons. No crisps but I’ve rather got a taste for Canadian crisps now anyway.

All the while, our work life continued at Aligned Collective.

And then one day, just like that, the rain stopped raining and the clouds cleared. Before our eyes, Squamish was revealed in all its glory. I did a double take. We were surrounded by mountains we didn’t even know existed.

Enjoy the view? Oh look, there IS a view. Not just graffiti on the road after all

Check out the size of those sunflowers – proof they do actually get their fair share of sun in Squamish (just mostly when we’re not there)

After two weekends of heavy mileage on the road, we felt the need to stay put for a weekend – to enjoy our surroundings and get back to some of that hiking and biking we know and love. And as luck would have it, a friend of ours Martin was staying at a condo in nearby Whistler.

Which meant that the boys had each other’s company to go play at being boys on their mountain bikes. They did some hardcore trails, steep muddy single tracks and obstacles. I think they call that fun. Anyway, it freed me up nicely to go pootle around Lost Lake on wide, gentle, unassuming gravel trails. My main obstacles were unruly toddlers on rental trikes.

A lone angler in Green Lake, as I mooched past on my bike

Some rather exceptional food and drink followed, courtesy of the Rimrock Cafe. Which is the most decent place we’ve dined out at in a long time. It is nothing like a cafe and every bit like a restaurant, the only exception being they let riff raff like us in.

Not to be outdone, Martin rustled up some top notch Old Fashioneds

Come the next day and we were delighted to find it wasn’t raining 🙂 Perfect hiking weather then! Off we popped to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park to do a steady uphill trail climb with stunning scenery, waterfalls and glacier-fed turquoise lakes.

Oh, and mushrooms. Let’s not forget the mushrooms.

After Lower and before you get to Upper, you have Middle Joffre Lake

Martin points out Matier Glacier at the far side of Upper Joffre Lake

The Joffre Lakes Trail is unsurprisingly one of the most popular hikes in the area. It’s also one of the most popular hangouts for Whiskey Jacks (also known as Canadian Jays). These grey and white feathered friends are bold yet endearing. They politely introduce themselves to tourists by landing on their outstretched arms to say “Hi”. (“Hi and what’ve you got to eat”, more like.)