We've been in Japan for about a week and a half and I just realized that I've been peeing backwards. Everytime you enter a bathroom it's a new experience. We arrived in Tokyo from Vancouver and proceeded directly to a basball game in Tokyo with some friends from my Mount Abe days. Great game, great spirit, amazing excitment and fortunately some adrenaline rushing through our jet lagged bodies. Just needed to use the bathroom, so I took a chance. Now I had heard about "having to pee in a hole" possibility on this trip but wasn't fully expecting a japanese ballpark to be the time or place. But, if you know me, I take it for what it's worth and do was the locals do (later I find out the locals do it facing the other direction but give me a little credit.) Traditonal Japanese style toilets are quite simply a basin in the floor that you squat over and try your best to aim properly. Coming from the outdoors of Alaska actually helped in this situation, I was well practiced in my backcountry stance.

From my first run in with the culturally shocking women's room I've become quite facinated with this piece of Japanese tradition. In my time here I've come across the automatic lid lifter, the flushing sound effect button, the blacklight backdrop, the apricot cleanser spray, the preflush, the bum washer and sometimes, if you're lucky, it's all rolled into one. And of course, clearly stated "Please use cleanly".

Japan is completely different from anything I've ever known culturally, this just being one small piece of the puzzle but a fair representation of my culture shock. Ryan and I have prepared ourselves by going into these experiences with an open mind and appetite for a challenge but Japan has been an amazing test.

If you've never been you should go- we had a very short stay but took advantage of every waking moment we had there. Vancouver was basically built yesterday so everything is very new and doesn't have that old brownstone, Boston feel. They did however learn from others and protected an amazing amount of open space when they drew up plans for this wonderful city. Stanley Park, 1,000 acres or 500,000 trees, is at one end of the city and has a great seawall that goes all the way around the outside with a one way bike/walking path that's five and a half miles long. We were able to borrow bikes from friends and made the trip around, views of the ocean and the massive mountains in the back ground made for some amazing sights. We stayed with Jamie and Beth who have been living there for a year and a half and absolutely love it. They say the best part is that you can get to the mountains for a few runs in about twenty minutes and then hop back home and go to the beach for a swim. As we were riding the bikes around through the farmers market, arts communities and plethora of green space we looked at each other and said there's something just a little too quaint and perfect, what gives?
Part of all the new growth is in preparation for the 2010 winter Olympics and it's everywhere. They just built a new section of above ground train out to the airport and a whole Olympic village right on the waterfront. They've cleaned up some of the shadier parts of town and put in whole new blocks of stores. This place is going to be hopping come February. Look for Jamie and Beth at the women's curling event.

All in all a great stop on the tour, one of those that we didn't really plan as a destination but it did make itself on the list of places to come back to. We've passed through a few spots like that that we've decided require more exploration. So thanks Jamie and Beth- we'll be back.

We closed out our Alaska visit with a quick stop in Skagway, over to Sitka, then a few days in Juneau.

Skagway was a blur, highlighted by our day trip to Laughton Glacier.  A quick train ride (short gauge yukon pass train of Klondike fame) gets you to the trail head.  The 3 mile hike up to glacier was specatcular, with a rushing river of glacial water as your guide and views of the glacier soon into the trip.  Annie and I beat the majority of the other hikers (a couple of tours and some independents) up to the ice, so we basically had the entire monstrous beauty to ourselves.  We then had a super fun, walking day in Skagway with Rosie.

On to Sitka where the heavens seemed to open in a gush of rain.  Luckily we had secured accomodation before hand, so it was the perfect time to be sopped in.  We spent our nights at the Jamestown Bay B&B, owned by Gary and Connie McCanty.  Gary we met on our first day in Ketchikan, he also was on our Bellingham ferry.  During breaks in the rain we did the typical exploring and hiking.  Sitka was billed as the "San Francisco of Southeast Alaska".  There was certainly some charm and you could tell that there was a decent community (the last farmer's market of the season was a treat) but we just didn't get the time or the vibe to substatiate any claim of that caliber.  I'm thinking a return trip is in order.

Our last ferry ride brought us to Juneau.  Annie fell head over heels for the capital. She can't pinpoint why, but I think after the build up for Sitka and the negative press Juneau had received, I think she wanted to route for the underdog.  Our second day in town happened to land on opening day of the NFL season.  We watched the New York Football Giants beat Washington at the Imperial Saloon, with a dozen other Giants fans, free chili and hotdogs, and Alaskan beer on tap.  Straight up local!  In Juneau we were also in touch with Patty Collins, one of those dad's coworker's, wife's, brother's wife connections, which turned out to be terrific.  Patty and husband Bill weren't able to spend much time with us, but they offered up bikes, which we used to the fullest - tooling around to different places in the area.  With bikes we were able to see Perserverance Theater's performance of By the Skin of our Teeth (Douglas, AK),  get to Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves and get out to the nearest hatchery for two salmon fishing sessions (you're damn right, caught a nice silver, legally even).  We also did some hiking, enjoyed a free movie at a local bagel shop and met another cast of characters, including Bruce and Judy, a couple we first met in Skagway.

A 4:15 am cab ride to Juneau International and we said so long to the 49th state of the Union.  So, thanks for the folly Mr. William H. Seward... we've enjoyed your icebox immensely.

Quick post to let everyone know we've made it to the Land of the Rising Sun!  We finished our time in AK, spent a few night's with Jamie and Beth in Vancouver and landed here Saturday afternoon.  From Narita Airport we ditched our bags in a railway station lockers and b lined it to Tokyo's Jingu Stadium to watch the Yomiuri Giants take on our Tokyo Yakult Swallows.  What a start! More to come... Until then all the best.

Southeast Alaska. Part one of our year long adventure is drawing to a close as we pack up in Sitka and hop aboard the Alaska Marine Highway one last time. Our time here has been amazing in many ways but the two things that stick in my mind the most are two very different modes of transportation, hiking and ferry rides.

One day we were walking in the woods, actually a lot days we walked in the woods, and I looked at Ryan and asked "Did you know we were going to be doing this much hiking in Alaska?" I guess I knew that you go to Alaska to see the outdoors and the beauty of mountains but I really didn't know it was going to be the center of our journey to climb everythig we could get our hands on. It has however made for some amazing views and frequently quality time just the two of us. It's not like hiking up to sunset rock in Lincoln where you're bound to come across three or four groups along the way, we often walked alone. I cherish our time on top of those mountains as the wind creates sound and all you can see are more peaks. We've also found that the Alaskans are not afraid of a good pitch. When creating these trails, they get to 3000ft in a hurry. It's been great to get out in the wild and get our bodies ready for whatever comes next.

Alaska has been a great stepping stone for us as we settle into our packs, our budget, and each other. I think we're figuring it out and Japan will test that in a little over a week as we enter a new culture, land and mode of transportation.

Haines, AK is like home to us.

Here's why:
$5 ocean front lodging - Portage Cove Campground

Met another Vermonter immediately - First afternoon we were there we met Kelley, works at the local bike shop: Sockeye Cycle. He's working at Bike Center in Middlebury VT next summer...true story.

The wildlife - we saw feeding brown bears, black bears, bald eagles, mountain goats

Access to Canada - we rented a car and took a day trip to the Yukon.... you hear me, the Yukon... like Yukon Cornelius from the animated classic "Land of Misfit Toys"... well that's what it should've been called named

Fireweed - with their amazing specialty pizzas and calzones and carbonated beverages (see "Their beer") This place also held an open mic, with local musicians doin' their thang.

Their beer - Haines Brewery boasts a nice IPA and Red, plus their own delectable Spruce Tip Ale. Annie-O's favorite. Served at all the local establishments around town and the brewery had $10 growler refills, 1 1/2 mile walk outside of town.

Friends - Met a nice lady, Rosie, who is traveling to all 50 states in a year. She's on thirty something, but after Hawaii, her drive back to the Midwest will get her to fifty. The she plans on getting a graduate certificate in urban planning and helping Detroit become self sustaining..how 'bout that!?

More Friends - Met a couple, Annie from Maine, Paul from DC, during a 10-mile. Annie from Maine, was carrying a Red Sox hat with her and a simple "BoSox fan, eh?" turned into a rendezvous later that evening at none other than Fireweed. Turns out these two have spent a lot of time conserving and protecting the trail we were hiking when we met them. They sat down, we shared a couple pitchers and agreed to see them again. Later in the week, we brought a growler of IPA and a growler of spruce tip to their house, near the town's salvation army and chatted and sipped for an afternoon. Just great stuff - they're headed back to Maine for their yearly Autumn trip..six weeks to see the leaves change, then back to AK! Paul, accommodating to a fault was the one who told us to go up to the Yukon. He wanted to do it himself.."Annie, we should really take a drive up there with these two tomorrow. We haven't been there in a while." Annie, knowing they had plenty to do before heading back East listened and let it go for a while, but eventually said, "Paul, now, now I have to say something... we just have too much to do and don't have the time." Put a smile on my face, both Annies always level headed and calculated

Trails - We had our best hike in Haines: 7-mile saddle, to 3920, to Mt Ripinsky north peak, then south and down, a ten mile jaunt that took us to uh...3920 ft above sea level, but had us gain more than 5000 ft total...and our worst in Haines: Mt Riley. River trails, mountain trails, great variety.

Their rivers - Chilkoot and the Chilkat, very different, unique habitats and fun to explore

Sea kayaking - in the fjords, e'nuff (z'nuff) said

Their coffee haunts - Ripinsky Roasters at Mountain Market was the beez neez.

Their public library - open until 9 PM, donation based internet access, a large supply of movies

Their pie - Northern Light's blueberry pie was ridiculous

When you find yourself really enjoying a place it's interesting to stop and ask why. Why am I liking this place better than others? When the result of your question is a list the length of the one above, you know you've found a fit. You also begin to see, through repetition what's really important for you in a community and place to live. For us, it's never been a secret... mountains, waters, wildlife, food, libations and people are the key. But experiencing the importance of an active public library in Haines opened my eyes a bit.  It's something I've always taken for granted. I can't tell you the last time I was in the Bixby Library (public library in Vergennes, VT). I don't know what they're doing for the community or to what level it's being taken advantage of. After seeing the large role the library plays here and in other small Southeast Alaskan towns, it makes me want to ensure that the community we end up in, has these types of resources available. If not, then we should work to make them available and ensure people know what's out there.

We ended up spending just under 72 hours in Petersburg, but boy did it leave a mark. It's a town of around 3,000 people built on the proper combination of fisheries (mostly), logging (minimal), tourism (minimal). It sits a'top (northern most point) Mitkof Island and is accessible from the south through the Wrangell Narrows - an impressive waterway, which when navigated by the ferry we arrived on I liken to boating up otter creek to the Vergennes falls.... shits tieeeeght! One of the Narrow's best parts, besides its natural beauty, is that it doesn't allow the large cruise ships through, thus no cruisers (ah yes they have a name) clogging up Petersburg streets throughout the summer. After Ketchikan (three to four boats a day) that was amazingly refreshing.

It's a fishing town with north, mid, and south docks lined with trollers, seiners, gill-netters and charter fishing boats... the docks are awesome. We actually met a born and bread Petersburg fisherman, Mike, through our Petersburg host (owner of Alaska Island Hostel, Ryn). After meeting Mike at the Hostel Saturday afternoon noon, we saw him again that evening on his boat, as he prepared for a three day silver (coho) salmon trip. The trip are all regulated by the state to maintain sustainable fish populations. He super nice, loved answering questions and sharing knowledge of the art. Talking to him you realize, in these parts...everyone fishes. You don't have to work for a company, you are the company and everyone sells their catch back to the local cannery. Mike's been doing it himself for years, with side gigs here and there. I was this close to heading out with him, little first mate, deck hand action, but wasn't in the cards; just means we'll have to return. We've got a picture of his boat which we'll post once we get wifi back. Just awesome stuff.

While walking the docks Sunday (the next day) we saw two of the kids that were on our original ferry ride up from Bellingham, WA. They were twenty somethings, decked out in rain gear obviously now assigned to a boat and workin away. It was the first realization of how small the Southeast Alaska community could be if you traveled throughout it at any length. I wonder how often people travel outside of their town or borough, to other parts of SE Alaska... my guess is not much.

On Sunday, we also followed, what seemed like, everyone's advice and partook in a local greasy spoon favorite: Halibut Beer Bits at Coastal Cold Storage; a small deli slash fresh and frozen seafood joint on Nordic Ave (the main drag). It was deeeeelic, sided with fries... which were also very good. Annie said it was like they had "hand picked the best McDonald's fries and put them in one basket". Don't act like you don't know what we talkin' about!

So... to sum it up: good people, good scenery, still, calm waters, 3,000 foot spruced peaks, boats galore, good food and - although we didn't talk about it - an interesting fashion statement centered around 16" tall rubber boots (wait for the pictures), it's spectacular.

I'd like to come back here, jump on a boat and learn more about the lifestyle of a commercial fisherman. It seems like everyone knows a bit more about the crabbing and fishing industries of AK now with the Deadliest Catch (out of Dutch Harbor, AK) and the other reality shows cropping up... I'd like to see a show like that turn to a Mike, to teach us more about the trade, rather than focusing on the greenhorn who is pissing off the captain and not doing his job right. These guys know so much about the ocean, the weather, and wildlife (fish and other). I'd like to learn more from them, rather than see the soap opera. I guess that's why we've got the history channel, NatGeo and Discovery, no!?

Aaaaaaanyway (that's a shout out to my friend erik hausler), been a GREAT few days here in Haines. Did the 10 miler yesterday - 5,100 ft of total elevation, was incredible. Tested us both physically and mentally, but was so well worth it. Can't wait to post about it soon.

"Catch" you in a bit... wow, that was awful.

Take care folks.