Goodbye Friend

Our hearts and souls are filled with sadness today as we had to say goodbye to one of our most beloved family members. Cali has climbed more peaks, hiked on more glaciers and gone on more expeditionary trips than most people we know. She greeted everyone with joy, treated every creature she met with kindness and asked for nothing in return... except for a nice back rub, a massage behind her ear or an invite to swim in a high mountain lake. Her sweet disposition, silly grins and eagerness to explore will be missed dearly. She touched everyone who met her. Her heart and spirit will be with us always in every mountain we climb, every trail that we hike and in every adventure we partake. Cali is a perfect illustration that life is a journey; not a destination.

We dedicate our trip to her enduring spirit and enthusiasm
(Caliente "Cali" Feb 15, 1993 - April 23, 2007)

Information Age

In searching the internet for information on the Chilkoot Trail and Kayaking the Yukon River, I came across Dick Postma's website. I sent Dick an email with many questions. Dick was kind enough to call me and give me the skinny on his adventures, precautions and gear. Dick is a retired LA Policeman. As such, not much scares him, he did however, reveal to me that he wished he had taken a rifle on his Yukon River Adventure to provide that extra level of comfort with the bears. He witnessed a couple of bears ripping apart a canoe at a camp at one point in his Yukon river journey. Thanks for the phone call and the info Dick. Much appreciated. Check out his website... good reading. http://www.qnet.com/~dpostma/

Departure Date: May 26, 2007

"RubiKon Warrior"

Last September we purchased a used 21' V6 Toyota Motor home. The reasons are obvious, they're inexpensive to obtain, very economical, legendary reliability, 14-17 mpg and parts are readily obtainable... need we say more? To get her "expedition worthy" we made some modifications such as: re-enforcing the rear frame; a custom rack for a stow box and 2 bikes; a roof rack for the boats; removed the roof air (who needs air cond in the North?) and added amenities such as a flat panel TV display and new stereo. She is 14 years old, w/29K original miles. We store her in an airplane hangar during the wintery PacNW months. The picture shows the metamorphosis she has under gone in our preparations, including pics in her former desert home and her new home in the PacificNW... and yes, that meant driving in the snow a few times. An absolute cutie; she will be the hub of our existence and we are counting on her to get us there and back with no problems.

Departure Date: May 26, 2007