Goodbye USA
by pendanablog.com 4 May 2018 13:23 BST
Sad times indeed as Pendana is about to be hit with multiple, sad events!. One, saying farewell to Abi who is about to officially leave Pendana for life back in Australia and two, saying farewell to the west coast of the United States of America. Ah, how we will miss them both!
Who would have thought that the one country in the world I really didn't like (when I was working) has come full circle and turned out to be truly, a very real gem. Our time here on the west coast of America has, in a word, been, fantastic. We love the convenience of the place, the speed of the internet, the prices of most things (cheap compared to Australia!) the people, scenery, Wal-Mart and for Adam Bs sake, lets not forget Costco!
For us Kodiak and Prince William Sound, Alaska are truly Gods gift to the world. Please don't die until you have visited north Alaska, as for us, motoring through the picture perfect postcard of north Alaska will I honestly doubt, ever be topped. Perhaps good old Cliff Rome aboard Oasis was right when he said, James, I feel sorry for you as once you've been to Prince William Sound its all downhill. Honestly, Alaska makes Canada look decidedly mundane and while we were expecting the reverse to be true, it certainly didn't work out that way. For all of our Canadian friends please do take offence as we loved our time in BC, but as far as the scenery goes there is simply no match or comparison to the brilliant and unspoiled, north Alaska.
There are some things in the USA we still find as travellers a little odd, for example, there are commercials and huge billboards for lawyers everywhere. Commercials for prescription drugs which apparently need to list all side effects, with most commercials ending in the fact that the drug may cause sudden death. The gap between the doors in public restrooms is large enough to drive a car through! I have heard it's for a variety of reasons from cutting costs, minimizing loss from vandalism, and/or deterring public sex or doing drugs. Whatever the reason is, its seriously a bit strange! Everyone in the USA seems happy to wait patiently in line unlike Australia, or is that just me and finally, pedestrians walk out in front of motor cars with seeming confidence that the car will stop, while in Australia, pedestrians don't walk anywhere near cars as they are likely to be hit. Just some of the fun differences that for us, really stand out!
From Kodiak Alaska and its rugged landscape and abundance of wildlife one could be forgiven for thinking we were in fact living inside a postcard, to Prince William Sound, the place Gods hand most certainly created his finest work. From Seattle, a city full of surprise with the beautiful Ballard where I might add, we could happily live if not for the winters, to San Francisco with its insane traffic, relentless wind and cold to LA, where Marian del Rey, Santa Monica and downtown turned on its charm and the OC displayed its somewhat retro beauty. From Kodiak to San Diego and all points in-between, the west coast of the USA has been simply superb.
The other sadness engulfing Pendana is that our darling Abi, our conning tower girl, master line handler, engine service assistant and our beautiful daughter is about to leave Pendana for life beyond the seas. To have spent so much time with her over the last three years is, in a single word, irreplaceable and while we sure did have our ups and downs along the way, I am sure that the time spent exploring this planet will hold her in good standing for her life which is yet to come. Sad days indeed!
Before heading south and before Abi departs forever there was much to get done and still lots to see and do. With Bianca's friend Amelie arriving from Australia for a visit and with Disneyland, downtown LA and Magic Mountain high on the list of their priorities, Claire and I managed a quick trip north to Hearst Castle before Amelie arrived. Honestly, not much to dislike in southern CA!
With the girls settling into a weekend of fun at Disneyland, Claire and I headed further south to Orange County and more specifically, Dana Point (HQ to Nordhavn/PAE) for the Nordhavn 40th Anniversaryx get together.
The Nordhavn 40th Anniversary event was a fantastic tribute to a brand and a boat that is truly capable of crossing oceans. Four decades ago, a trio of 20-somethings with a love for cruising-style boats, a scant few dollars in their pockets, came together to form Pacific Asian Enterprises, a company that would make a historical impact on the world of ocean-crossing sail and power boats. Today, PAE (Nordhavn) is stronger and more influential than ever thanks to the continually ground-breaking Nordhavn brand.
It's now time for me to start making sure Pendana is ready for the 6,500nms / 10,500klms of travel that lay ahead before we make landfall once again in the USA, but this time on the east coast. What will we think of Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas and Florida? I guess that's the beauty of travel, only time will tell.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of pendanablog.com