A visit with Santa

Hello Blog Pals,
A fresh and found Fox reporting live for his blog post.  I wanted to report on the cool holiday cards I got from my pals.

I know it's past the holidays but I was out and about finding myself and I didn't get a chance to get to the mail.

Do you recognize this art?  I always know when a letter comes from Jerry and Ben.  

They sent a cool card with a good looking bear on it.  My kind of card.  Thanks Jerry and Ben. 

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Droopy and his gang sent a fun reindeer card.  This card has some glitter on it and we get a reflection on it from the Christmas tree.  Thanks Droopy, Patches, Spunky, and Grandpa Angus. 

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A card came this afternoon and there is a bear on it!  

Ajdin, Uncle Tibbs, Parker (woof), Ms. Feathers, and Ooogie sent this cool card with a bear on it.  Thanks guys, I love how everyone in Ajdin's gang has different signatures (unlike Drunk Fox and I who have surprisingly similar signatures, go figure). 

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A letter came from Canada today.  Looks like the Vancouver (BC, not Washington) post office has gotten their act together.  They probably hired a few stuffies to supervise and manage the mail delivery personnel.  

Sandy saw this badge and thought about me and the philosophical journey I took this year. 

The pin looks great on my winter scarf and says "May the forest be with you".  Thanks Sandy, it's perfect!

Thanks everyone for the cards.

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After reading the cool cards from the gang I decided to get in line for a visit with Santa.  Now, Christmas is over, sigh, but that's OK because this Santa is working on Christmas 2018. 

After reading about Ajdin's experience waiting in line during Black Friday Santa Bear decided to enlist a reindeer to work security.

Not a bad turnout for Santa.  It seems that a squirrel, another reindeer, and little bear have started the line.   

Oh my, I need to get in line.  Drunk Fox is ahead of me and he takes hours with Santa.  I wonder if he will let me sneak in front? 

Wow, the line isn't even moving yet.  Apparently Santa Bear is on a break or something.  That's Ok, it will give me time to refine my list. 

My list:  snacks, trips, a new scarf, hiking book, dog treats (to keep Sequoia in line) and some new archaeology gear.  Yep,. that ought to do it for me this year. 

The big question and answer.

The starting point is now, the end is up to you.  - Ron Kaufman.

Oh, hello blog pals.  I didn't see you there. I am about to wrap up my blog on my journey.  Here are some things I learned when I set out to find myself.
1) There are lots of quotes about finding one self on the internet, who knew?
2) Travel is always fun but it's good to get back home.
3) Don't be afraid to try new things.
and the million dollar question......did I find myself?????????  Well, yes.  Yes, I did.

Now that we got that taken care of it's time to return to regular programming.  I think I need to dust off my snowshoes, say hi to Sequoia, and start supervising my roommates so there is more time for adventure.  Oh yes, I better get Drunk Fox a gift for all of his help with the blog.  Hmm, I wonder if there is a gift shop on this trail?

Time to start heading north.

"The only journey is the journey within."  Rainer Maria Rilke

Blog pals ~ I hope all is going well. I have left California to head up to Northwest Washington.  Today,  my journey has taken me to Whidbey Island.  I started out my adventure at Whidbey Island's Deception Pass State Park.  Canada is in the foreground (way far in the foreground but I believe it's there).

The forest is calling.   Apparently, there is a hike to the Deception Pass Bridge and then a viewpoint beyond.    

There are some great views on this hike and it's not raining too hard. 

I made it to the Deception Pass Bridge (underneath the bridge, that is).

I wonder why they call it Deception Pass.  Aha, apparently Capt. Vancouver had a team of explorers explore the area (that's what they do) and they thought this island was a peninsula and when they found it was two islands they were deceived, hence Deception Pass. 

Now that I learned about the naming of this area it's time to explore.  There are lots of hikes around here (Deception Pass is Washington's most visited park).  I think I am going to check out the summit since the weather is holding out. 

Made it to the summit.  Now I wish I had a sandwich. I am hungry.

I hear that there is a place called Fort Casey in the area that has some great views.  Let's go!

There are the old barracks in the background.  Fort Casey isn't active anymore however it's being used as a conference center for a local university. 

I better be careful.

Fort Casey was one of three forts set up as defenses to the Puget Sound area in the late 1890s.  They put these big guns at different batteries throughout the park to sink any enemy ships that might want to enter Puget Sound.  Most of the guns at Fort Casey were removed during WWI and then the rest were scrapped during WWII.  With the invention of the airplane Fort Casey was too vulnerable to be a good for so they gave the land to the Washington State Park system. 

There is a lot of history at Fort Casey.  They have an old lighthouse that gives tours, a marine exploration area, hiking trails, and camping.   

I wonder if the lighthouse serves lunch?

A big adventure in Big Sur

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ― Lao Tzu

As with most of my adventures it starts with a warm cup of hot chocolate. As you can see I am in the seaside city of Carmel, California.

Once I fortified myself with hot chocolate I was off to explore.  There is an old mission in Carmel that is calling my name. This mission was part of the El Camino Real road, a trail that connected all the 21 Spanish  missions in California to each other.  

The mission was started around 1770 and then fell into disrepair in the 1830 it was divided and half the land was given back to the native american's and the other half went to the non-native american mission residents.  Around the 1860s the Roman Catholic Church took ownership of the mission and in the 1880s it began rebuilding. 

This mission is the only mission in California to have it's original bell tower. 

There is a mission school in operation now. 

 They also hold special events. I found a BBQ on the back end o the property, I am hoping they fire it up so I can get a nice snack.

Sigh, no snack for me. My next stop is to see Big Sur, California.   The geography of the beach looks similar to the Oregon Coast. 

I decided to stop at the Bixby Creek Bridge, one of the most photographed bridges in California. The bridge was built in 1932 and before the bridge the residents were cut off from Carmel and Monterrey during the winter as there was no safe passage.

I made it!  Big Sur Lodge, another famous lodge/hotel on my journey.  It looks beary nice with lots of trees, natural light and a unique entrance. 

The inside is just as you would expect.  Wood furniture, a fireplace, and lots of common areas to hang out it.  

Rumor has it that the land was owned by John and Florence Pffieffer from 1880 to 1933.  Florence decided to start charging visitors for food, rooms, and boarding for their animals around 1908.  Her business boomed especially since she was known as a good cook (and she stood up for animals who were mistreated, Yeah Florence!!!!!).   I hope some of Florence's legacy is still around in the restaurant of the lodge.  This fox is hungry.

Apparently, I am a little early for dinner.  That's OK, I will wait here till dinner service starts.