Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 55 of total 55 in this topic |
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 8, 2018 - 06:50pm PT
|
Seventeen years in Seattle will end tomorrow morning, when we get in the car and drive north. Across the border, board two ferries, and then spend the first night in our new home.
Oh, sure, there’ll be more back-and-forth as we finish prepping our Seattle house for sale and move loads north, but, as the song says:
We'll be leaving this town in the morning,
tomorrow we'll be able to see.
I've had me enough of this city,
and she's had enough out of me.
Seattle has felt more like home than any other place I’ve lived – a far better place than Vancouver, just across the border – but the time has come. Retirement beckons, and where better to spend it than this:
Say if I climbed to the mountain,
would you still follow me there?
Steal me away in an echo…
…the mountain will always be there.
Yes, the mountains will always be there. And the rock walls (far beyond anything in Yosemite), and the cliffs, and the boulders… And the ocean, and the biking, and all kinds of other stuff I’d be all over if I were fifty years younger. But which I still might have it in me to at least sample.
And if my aging mind and body rebel against sampling the good stuff in the hills and on the water, well, there is always the good stuff in the local Belgian brew pub.
Well I'm turning my sights on the country,
I sold everything that I own.
Heading away from the bright lights,
looking for where the wind blows.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
|
|
Geographical fixes rarely solve personal problems...
|
|
apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
|
|
Best of luck in this new life. It sounds like a wonderful choice.
|
|
the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
|
|
Congrats. Two ferries back to Squamish?
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
Well, RJ, that all depends on yer navigation skills. I’m sure Ghost will be sailing large
and fetching up in a very tidy well watered anchorage.
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
|
|
And....Best of luck...
|
|
mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
|
|
Home's where your peppers are growin'.
Best to ya!
|
|
Lynne Leichtfuss
Sport climber
moving thru
|
|
Totally Awesome, Ghost! Godspeed! lynnie
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
|
|
Powell River looks really nice. Stay in touch and let us know how things move along.
|
|
Aeriq
Social climber
Location: It's a MisterE
|
|
I chose the other direction, but the "climate" calls us all in different ways.
Plus it's like a home-coming, right?
Congrats - and a good time to leave the states, if I say so myself...
Erik
|
|
micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
|
|
Bon voyage on this next chapter. May you find opportunity, rest, new friends and grand adventure wherever you may land.
Scott
|
|
John M
climber
|
|
Say Hi to Tami on your way north for us. Please!
|
|
phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
|
|
Best of luck, Ghost!
|
|
Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
|
|
Man, David...I'm really going to miss you. Still counting one more hangout with the fam before you guys are gone to the great white/green north fer good.
I have to say that you are one of the coolest, and most interesting people I've ever roped up with--and don't argue with me. (On top of that, you wrote a damn good climbing novel!!)
Here's a pic of David (Ghost) I took at an area called The Railyard that he and Mari developed:
|
|
NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
|
|
Geographical fixes rarely solve personal problems...
Maybe if you are running away from something... but not when you are running toward something.
Retirement seems like a beautiful time to pick a new set of priorities and remove some constraints. I wouldn't mind enjoying ample down time, staring out at those snowy ridges across the water. Looks like you picked a good spot Ghost!
|
|
Scrubber
climber
Straight outta Squampton
|
|
Maybe you and Bruce Kay can get into some trouble together up in PR
|
|
Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
|
|
They have internet in Canada you know.
|
|
Bargainhunter
climber
|
|
Cool and congratulations! You couldn’t have picked a better time to sell property in Seattle!
|
|
wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
|
|
Good Luck Ghost,Canada is a great place as well.
I will be on Vashon Island at my good friend Skates house late winter,and enjoying some time in Seattle.
Wishbone Ash’s Live Dates long play is still in my personal rotation.
Enjoy your retirement.
|
|
Gilroy
Social climber
Bolderado
|
|
Adios, Ghost. Congratulations on your retirement. Nice place to get away from 'all that.' Whatever that is. I plan to relocate upon retirement in a few years. Heartily support that move.
See you on the internet!
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 9, 2018 - 06:00am PT
|
Thanks to all for the good wishes and kind words.
And, yes, the internet is available in Canada, so leaving the US doesn't mean leaving Supertopo.
|
|
Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
|
|
what is the novel???
It's an excellent and compelling read with climbing as the subtext. It is one of those novels that manages to walk the line between not too much indecipherable jargon that a non-climber would be confused by, and letting the climbing reader know that it's written by an actual climber. Not a thing that's successfully pulled off that often.
I believe it was up for the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, at one point.
Sorry for the crappy screen grab:
|
|
jstan
climber
|
|
In the late 50's Powell River's pipe band, MacMillan Bloedel Limited put out a very fine album. Grade 1! Look them up.
|
|
Winemaker
Sport climber
Yakima, WA
|
|
Hey Ghost, congratulations!!! I just bought your book on abe.com; a couple of places are asking $200 for it!
|
|
Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
|
|
Bye Seattle, it was nice to know you. It was a nice run.
Speaking of runs, I'll come up when the Steelhead run. Powell River looks like fishing Heaven. See you soon I hope.
|
|
hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
|
|
You're gonna like being retired-every day is your day to do what you want
|
|
steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
|
|
Congrats on making it to the (semi) finish line David!!!
Come visit the sun sometime!
|
|
Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
|
|
There will be a pop quiz at the border, you must name one Canadian supreme court justice
Just flash a pic of this guy in the Santa suit.
Nice duds, but it would never work here. We don’t do right honorable any more.
|
|
yanqui
climber
Balcarce, Argentina
|
|
Canadian supreme court justices wear Santa suits? Can they find out who's naughty or nice? I love it!
|
|
phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
|
|
Ghost, after you get settled, you might want to look into buying a motorhome and joining the vast number of other Canadian snowbirds who come to the SW USA for the winter. Lots of great climbing down here too!
|
|
Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
|
|
Canadian supreme court justices wear Santa suits? Can they find out who's naughty or nice? I love it!
As I think of it, you could just flash a pic of Santa. Do it quick enough and nobody will be the wiser.
|
|
MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
|
|
An airplane and a climber. Is it like The White Tower?
Welcome back to Canada, Dave.
I was remorseful when we left Seattle for Toronto but things worked out ok. I hope to hear more from you through internet or otherwise. Salt Spring Island is crazy good and you should come visit. Remember to get a through-fare on the ferry, and the senior discount if you are traveling M-T-W-Th.
|
|
Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
|
|
Wait.
Is the senior discount available to ‘Murkins.
How about Argentines, and would it be a señor discount then?
|
|
MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
|
|
Is the senior discount available to ‘Murkins.
How about Argentines, and would it be a señor discount then?
Check with BC Ferries but tell them you are from Byzantium and they will take you as one of their own.
|
|
Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
|
|
|
Oct 10, 2018 - 01:00pm PT
|
Retired 20+ years. The key is having plenty of money, toys and younger friends.
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 10, 2018 - 09:00pm PT
|
A couple of very full days have now drawn to a close, and I can post a brief update.
First, and most important, are the wildlife sightings. All the bumpf about how great the sea kayaking in this area is includes lots of blather and photos of whales. Well, yeah, on the ferry as we approached, we were treated to a bunch of whales surfacing and blowing whatever it is they blow up into the sunset sky.
And, that night, driving down from our new place toward a Japanese restaurant, we passed through a herd of deer.
But the wildest of all wildlife sightings was this morning. We don't have anything to eat or drink in the house yet, so we drove down to the far end of town to an espresso bar/yuppie food market to get coffee and breakfast. With breakfast over, I...
...okay, back up for a minute here. While we know a fair bit about our new hometown, we don't actually know any people here. Except one. Most of you probably remember Bruce Kay. Posted a lot on ST, and then overdosed on the politard crap and left. We don't know him well, but, based on our ST acquaintance, he joined us for a day of climbing when he passed through Seattle about four years ago. And I'd heard that he'd since moved to Powell River...
...okay, so I finished my coffee and breakfast burrito and wandered into the adjoining yuppie food mart. Pretty empty at that time of the morning, but when I rounded the end of one of the aisles, there was this old guy, shopping. WAIT. IT'S NOT JUST SOME OLD GUY, IT'S BRUCE!!!!!
Serendipity to the max. Turned out we were both fully occupied for today, but an evening in the Townsite Brewery is on tap for tomorrow.
So far, so good.
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
|
|
|
Oct 10, 2018 - 09:18pm PT
|
tell Bruce he was great when he posted here...
|
|
Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2018 - 07:00am PT
|
Nice, Ghost. I think I met Bruce way BITD when I was climbing in Canada. Yer new location looks awesome. Post more pics of the crib and environs.
BAd
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2018 - 07:08am PT
|
Congrats to you and Mari! Looks like a lot of new route possibilities.
|
|
ionlyski
Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2018 - 08:56am PT
|
ditto on Bruce. Bring him back
|
|
MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2018 - 11:00am PT
|
A good restorative to hear of Bruce Special K Kay.
Eerily similar to me meeting Randy A on SSI.
And Jon Nelson was here, too.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Oct 11, 2018 - 12:14pm PT
|
You mean you haven’t been attacked by a bear yet?
And do let us know how soon the toe fungus starts!
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 12, 2018 - 07:00pm PT
|
Not too much of an update yet. We busted our asses cleaning up the debris of a couple of decades of renters, started the renovation process (not too jumbo -- the place is quite livable as is) and then bailed for Seattle in order to continue the renovation process there.
But, if you are interested, a couple of photos...
A bit of background first. Powell River is just 65 miles from Vancouver and 62 miles from Squamish. As the crow flies. But crows can fly over water and you can't, so, to get to Powell River from anywhere on the North American mainland requires two ferries. Which takes time, but which can also be time well spent. Peaceful. Great views. And...
...okay, here's a couple of photos of the return journey to Seattle last night:
Of course, ferry operators are no different than tools elsewhere...
But, while they might not let you climb on their boats, they can't stop you from climbing on things like this. See those three peaks in the middle distance? Click on the photo and blow it up. There is some granite there...
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
|
|
|
Oct 12, 2018 - 08:12pm PT
|
Why would you leave Seattle for that...?
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Oct 12, 2018 - 09:51pm PT
|
RJ, better growing conditions - for toe fungus. That’s the last blue sky they’ll see for 6 months.
|
|
wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
|
|
|
Oct 13, 2018 - 06:20am PT
|
Say hey to Bruce ,it all looks great.
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 14, 2018 - 07:37pm PT
|
|
|
MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
|
|
|
Oct 14, 2018 - 07:43pm PT
|
Directions on how to get there.
|
|
rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
|
|
|
Oct 14, 2018 - 08:18pm PT
|
Then move to San Bernadino Aunty Christ......
|
|
Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 14, 2018 - 08:38pm PT
|
Directions on how to get there.
From Salt Spring Island? No way. You're stuck there.
However, if you can get someone to rescue you, and get you to either the mainland or Vancouver Island, you might have a chance.
It will not be easy, but you will be made welcome if you arrive.
|
|
MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
|
|
|
Oct 15, 2018 - 11:51am PT
|
These days I leave SSI only reluctantly, but I'll be going to YVR on Wednesday.
Transport cost to get there:
bus to ferry: $2.25
ferry to Swartz Bay: $0.00
ferry to Tsawwassen: $0.00
bus to YVR: $1.85
|
|
BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
|
|
|
Oct 15, 2018 - 12:43pm PT
|
I'm wishing you all the best in this next phase of your life. It sounds like a wonderful move, full of many opportunities. Take care and be well.
|
|
Winemaker
Sport climber
Yakima, WA
|
|
|
Oct 16, 2018 - 05:05pm PT
|
Hey David, just finished the book. Do Alex and Linda make the drop? Inquiring minds want to know; you can't just leave us hanging! Pretty good, except the FCC is the Federal Communications Commission; I suspect you meant the FAA! Nice touches with location; it's obvious you know the locales, but, as I'm sure you know, it no longer takes 25 minutes to get from Seattle to Tacoma.
Looks like you chose a great place. Enjoy.
|
|
| Messages 1 - 55 of total 55 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!