Southern Motion

Hi folks! I'm writing from the deck of the m/v Carteret somewhere between Ocracoke, NC and Cedar Island, NC. We have been on the road for almost a week now, and finally feel like we are adjusting to life on the move. It was a frantic dash to pack up the Red Hook apartment and get going, but it's all starting to feel worth it. We spent our first night just across the river from our Red Hook apartment at Lake Onteora. After a sad but exciting good bye with old friends who decided to tag along for the first little leg of travel, we hit the road and drove three hours west to Ithaca. Though our first "real" stop was in the wrong direction, it felt necessary to visit a close friend and former roommate before heading out of New York for good. We spent most if our time upstate cooking, reading, hiking gorges, and generally relaxing. After a two day detour, the real journey began. We hit the road with a fury, and drove all the way from New York to Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains beckoned to us, but not before Ben's second, and my first stop at The Thunderbird Cafe for a bite. Once we both felt satiated, it was up to the Skyline Drive and over to Loft Mountain for a cool, windy night of fireside chatting and folking (thanks for the pumpkin beers, Joanna!). One of the few things I really looked forward to seeing on the East Coast was the Outer Banks of North Carolina. So, without much ado, we rolled out if the mountains in the early morning light to zig out to the Atlantic for a breath of fresh salty air. The first night we ate seafood sitting sea side, and camped on the dunes just south of Nags Head. In the morning, Ben, Gunk, and I walked down a stretch if windswept beach, littered with pelicans, shells, and anglers. Later that day, the three of us made our way down coast via vehicle and ferry to Ocracoke Island where we walked, longboarded, and ate more seafood. That brings us neatly to this morning during which we woke before sunrise to hop another ferry back to the mainland! I think I'll sign off so I can soak up some sun and salt before the long haul to Atlanta today. Hope everyone is healthy and happy. Looking forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks!

A gorge in Ithaca

Fall foliage

Sunrise over ocracoke island

It has been a good and relaxing week. Several storm fronts have come through, making S-Turns (the break across the street from our apartment) pretty much unsurfable and the rest of the west side water choppy and too big for snorkeling or much of anything else. Staying out of the water has been a bit of a bonus, though, providing time for us to clean house and catch up on other things that have been recently thrown by the wayside in favor of getting outside to play.

My camera finally made it back about a week ago, and I've been out shooting almost every day. Today, I saw a man being pulled on his skateboard by his leashed husky, a line of six red cars parked in a row and a giant sea turtle on the beach...among other things! It's been a relief to get out and take pictures again.

Ben and I spent a day in town recently, checking out a few places we hadn't been before and making the rounds on a few old haunts, including the book store. Ah, the bookstore, my one true addiction. Every time I go, I end up spending more money and coming out with more books than I ever mean to. At least it's towards a higher purpose, right? Anyway, this time I ended up with the best and most complete vegetarian cookbook I have ever seen. It's 350 recipes long and full of interesting and helpful references about how and when to use both common and unusual ingredients. It even explains the particulars of more difficult cooking procesesses. It's called "Vegetarian Planet" by DiDi Emmons. Last night I made calzones and butter bananas, and tonight Ben's making gourmet potato skins and gaspazcho. Yum! Check it out, if you're looking for something delicious, new and meatless!

Now that we're on the subject of information, let's talk movies! Last night, we rented "Food Inc." by Magnolia films. It's a very well done documentary on where our food comes from and the way it's produced. The movie is so full of information that isn't readily out in the open that it's overwhelming and a little scary. Some of it I knew already, but the parts I didn't were shocking enough to make me even more curious about America's "factory" approach to food. One of the more interesting points the film made was that with a very limited number of cash crops (corn, soy beans, etc.), we have a very limited number of ingredients that are used in increasingly stranger and more chemically modified combinations to make the variety of flavors we enjoy today. It details how the corporate structure of American food is based on a series of quick fixes that are often inefficient and harmful in the long run. In any case, veggie or not, it's really really interesting and I HIGHLY recommend it!

Work is going smoothly, however boring it may be. The weather's great, as always, but I'm starting to miss the snow more and more. Our fourth roommate Ryan left for Juneau a few days ago and we're back to the original three. All in all, things are going really well! More soon,

Molly

Well - it seems that everyone wants me to continue updating the blog even though we're no longer on the road. So, by popular request, here's a new entry. And I'll do my best to make them more regular from this point on!

I am continuing to work at the burger joint in downtown Lahaina, but searching for something more interesting and rewarding in the way of a job. Cashiering is easy, but not so engaging, if you catch my drift. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm really happy to even have a job at this point and don't plan on quitting any time soon. Ben is still searching. As he says - "Searching for a job is my full time job!" And it's true - you can really feel the economic impact in Hawaii. Everyone is struggling to find a job or hold on to the one they already have. Homelessness in the state is at an all time high and procuring unemployment insurance is extremely difficult or even impossible. There are too many stories to count of perfectly honest and hard working individuals getting layed off and spending almost a full work week in the unemployment office just trying to get what they're owed. It takes some real gumption to receive your benefits here. The state government has actually taken to flying the homeless back to the mainland for free, because it has become such a widespread problem throughout the islands.

Homelessness and unemployment aside, we're doing pretty well. We bought a couple of old second-hand 9'2" surfboards about a week and a half ago, and we've been surfing like crazy! There's a great break about a block away from our apartment and every chance we get, we go out and ride the waves. While it's not snow, it is fast becoming a good activity to fill the snowboarding/skiing void in my winter. There's just something exhilarating about defying friction and going fast! Both of us are pretty well able to catch and stand up on waves now, so we don't make total fools of ourselves, but it's there's still a long way to go on the learning curve.

Speaking of waves, my parents flew in for a week during Christmas and Ben, my dad and I took a great surfing lesson in the downtown Lahaina Harbor. That's where the surfing bug bit us! Rick and Chris (my parents) rented a car and we showed them all around the island. One of my favorite experiences with them was driving to the other side of Maui to Hana, a tiny town in the middle of tropical utopia. If you think Lahaina is beautiful, just wait until you get to the other side! The lush green-ness, the steep cliffs and amazing beaches are a thousand times more beautiful than the west side. It's easy to imagine old Hawaii in the awesome yet peaceful ravines, forests and water of the east side of Maui. It's the paradise you always imagined you'd find in Hawaii and the landscape that great Hawaiian kings and even greater Hawaiian battles must have taken place against. In a word - amazing!

We're making plans to rent a car and spend some time on the blacksand beach near Hana camping, hiking and having fun! For the time being, we don't have any big plans - at least not until we have a little more money to waste. It's the weekend, though, so I had better get out and enjoy the sunshine while I still have some time today!

Hugs and Kisses from Maui,

Molly

Hey all!

Good news on the Hawaii front: Molly finally found a job! She starts tomorrow at Cheeseburger in Paradise as a cashier/hostess. Ben is still on the hunt, but is sure to find something soon. We both have put in an amazing amount of applications, but the economic situation is becoming more and more apparent with every un-returned phone call and extra application. Not to worry though, we're confident everything will pan out. =)

The first month in Maui has been wonderful and lazy! Our roommate Monica calls it "funemployment" and it truly is. We wake up late, cook lots, ride our bikes everywhere and hang out on the beach. Another Juneau kid just got into town (Ryan Ferrel) and is staying with us while he hunts for a job. The break on rent is nice and Ryan is a constant source of entertainment, for better or worse. Monica is working more and more as the whales begin to arrive in Maui's waters for the winter season of fasting, mating, birthing and calf raising. We keep an eye out for them every time we pass a beach (which is pretty often!).

Today dawned sunny and warm, but it's pouring buckets now, and we're under a flash flood and high surf warning. It'll be nice to get some moisture and cooler temps, as it has been 85, sunny and breeze-less for the past three or four days. Hot!

Happy holidays everyone!

Ben and Molly

Aloha Maui!

Hi all!

It’s been quite a while, our apologies on the wait. We made it to Hawaii safe and sound and moved into our apartment right away. Our other roommate, Monica, is great! We both met her the first year we worked for Allen Marine and Ben actually lived with her then. She’s the one who found the place we’re living in and signed the lease before we got to Maui.

Lahaina (the town we’re in) is rather touristy, but beautiful none-the-less. We live on the third floor of a big complex. One has only to walk across the street and through the resort on the other side to get to the beach. There are several shops downstairs and the Maui Brewing Company is about a block away. The food is to die for! My favorite so far is beer battered brie…mmmm!

It has been warm and sunny most days with a little bit of rain in the afternoon or evening. Yesterday, the two of us took a bus into town and bought bikes from Poali, the owner of a “recycled” bike and board shop. Most places like that on Maui are chop shops, probably including this one, but it’s hard to pass up $50-$100 bikes. So, now we have three lovely modes of transport: bus, bike and scooter! That’s right, we bought a moped. It’s a zippy little white thing that gets up to 45mph pretty easily. It seems to be a tried and true method of transport, as lots and lots of people own them and ride them all over town. However, it’s necessary to be acutely aware of your surroundings when riding it. Cars, trucks and busses seem to have trouble noticing scoot riders on the shoulder, but so long as you keep a sharp eye out at intersections and don’t ride in the rain, it seems to be just fine!

We’ve been on several adventures since arriving in Maui. Last week, our roommate took us up north to see shooters and the amazing lava cliffs. It was a muggy, cloudy day, but beautiful even so. It has been rather stormy since our arrival, and in keeping with bigger wind, the waves have been huge! The sheer size and force of the ocean was readily apparent as we watched the water heave, boil and crash into the rock face below us. Though we were perhaps one or two hundred feet up, the force of the water hitting the cliff wall was sometimes great enough to send spray up and over the edge and blowing into our faces. It was awesome and sobering. It refreshed our memory as to why the ocean is so fascinating, terrifying and beautiful!

Last weekend, we went to the upcountry (the mountains) to visit Monica’s friend Leaf and her daughter Lotus, who live near Makawow. We arrived late in the evening and had a big bonfire with all the clippings from yard work and renovation. Leaf’s home includes avacado, star fruit, lemon, mock orange, and banana trees (which are actually a grass! Go figure!), in addition to Lilloquoi (passion fruit) and numerous gaudy, jealously competing flowers. Leaf is an artist. Her studio is an old WWII building at the back of the garden. She and her mom hand dye and screen-print beautiful bags, potholders, sarongs and t-shirts to sell in the community. Her home, studio, and the upcountry were gorgeous, and the weather was considerably cooler and wetter.

As we settle into this new life more and more, the need for jobs is becoming apparent. Both of us are on the hunt, waiting rather impatiently to find something. Sifting through mounds of applications and advertisements, resumes and interviews is becoming rather tiresome, but hopefully it’ll all amount to work sooner rather than later. The economic situation becomes more perceptible with each phone call turned down with a “we’re not hiring, actually we’re laying people off,” or “check back in a few months. Maybe we’ll have something then.” But not to worry, there are some promising prospects, and in the words of Jimmy Buffet, really, “only time will tell!”

Here’s hoping everyone is happy, healthy and well loved.

Xoxoxo,
Molly and Ben

Just a quick picture-less update (Molly's camera is on the fritz. Yikes, we need an address soon!):

Since the last post, we've covered a lot of ground! We spent the night before arriving in Arcata camping about forty miles south in a big river-cut sandstone canyon. It was beautiful and DRY. The stars and moon shined all night and the sun rose early and bright. Other than Molly's unfounded, yet profound fear of mountain lions, we had a thoroughly wonderful camping trip.

Arcata was lots of fun! Miraculously, the weather cleared up for the majority of our visit to northern California and it was warm and sunny for several days. We spent most of them basking in the sun and soaking up a little vitamin D before we head back north to Portland. Cate, Kevin and Amanda (Molly's friends), took us to several very pretty beaches just north and south of the city and the two of us spent a few afternoons disc golfing and wandering around town. Every evening, we cooked something for the housemates in lieu of rent and hung around watching movies and wasting time.

Yesterday, we packed up the car and headed out and back up north towards Portland. Instead of going back on 101 or making a straight shot up I-5, we decided to maximize our time and sight-seeing in Oregon and take a detour up route 97. Our initial plan was to visit Crater Lake National Park, but the north entrance was closed, and to get to the south entrance would have taken thirty extra miles south and some snow. That's right, as we drove up into the Cascades, it started snowing on us at around 3500 feet! As a next-best, this afternoon, we stopped at The High Desert Museum and got a chance to stretch our legs and look at some cool history of the area. The exhibits included some wildlife in captivity and lots of information about the Native Americans and early American settlers of the area. Molly's grandmother was actually born in the high desert of Oregon in a homestead much like one we saw at the museum!

In other news, we made it to Bend this evening and plan on taking it easy and getting a hotel on the river for a really good night's sleep. Molly is sick, but Ben is holding strong and still healthy as ever. We leave for Hawaii on the 10th and are both getting excited! More news soon.

Molly and Ben