Using 47°36' N Latitude and Google Earth to find the appropriate landing point on the Asian continent you appear to arrive on the coast of Sakhalin Island, part of Sakhalin Oblast, a federal subject of Russia. It appears to be a mainly rural area of the curved coast that is NNW of Dolinsk (because of the shape of the lower part of the island).

The plugs/sockets are different, so you'll need a travel adapter so you can just plug things in. You can often find these in drugstores - this is what a UK plug looks like: http://www.cellphoneshop.net/ukplug.html?CAWELAID=993626248&gclid=CLC0h9Ci3q8CFQJdhwodYG54Ag

Voltage is 240V AC in the UK (while continental Europe is 220V - they're both close enough to be essentially the same). For most electronic goods that have separate power units (camera charger, cell phone charger, laptop adapter and so on), the adapter or charger will have a note somewhere on it indicating the voltage range it can take; this is nearly always 100...240v or similar for most modern electronics. If that's the case with yours, then you can just plug it into the adapter as in the picture above, and it will work just fine on UK voltage.

If you have some item that is only rated for 110, then you'd need to buy a more expensive voltage converter unit. (It's somewhat rare to actually need this for casual travel, though; most personal electronics work fine on 110 or 240, and the things that are voltage-specific tend to be appliances that one generally doesn't bring on vacation.)

Not sure about the hair dryer, though; most hotels have these anyhow, so you may be better off leaving yours at home. (Not an expert, but I'd be wary of pluging a heating device rated at 110v into a 220v source for fear of it overheating.)

Wide World Books and Maps in Wallingford has everything you need.

Wide World Books and Maps in Wallingford should have copies of the British Columbia Recreational Atlas, a large format book covering the entire province. Or maybe one of the other equivalent atlases; there's one for just SW BC. None of them are as good as the DeLorme atlases for US states. Tear out the pages with the island on it. It's not going to be a whole lot better than the International Travel one, though -- I think it's 1:200,000, while the IT is 1:250,000.

I've looked at the IT maps, and I would think they'd suffice for cycling. Once you get out of Victoria, Vancouver Island is pretty simple. Alternately, you could print screens of Google Maps of the tricky parts to supplement the atlas or IT maps.

Best of all would be to buy the 1:50,000 topographical sheet maps from the Canada Map Office (the equivalent of our USGS sheets), but that's going to be expensive. It looks like Vancouver Island is covered by parts of seven different sheets, at $12 a pop, ouch. Wide World can order them for you, though. A cheaper way is to print them yourself, for free, but you'll have to figure out how to navigate the remarkably obtuse system here:

http://geogratis.gc.ca/geogratis/en/product/search.do?id=08F1CB77-F351-0F8A-EF30-CA081CA0CE61

Could it be Guaymas? That's a town in Mexico, on the Gulf of California. There were a few other Mexican destinations on that list. Guaymas isn't a big tourist destination that I'm aware of--at least not these days--but some of the Mexican resort towns that are popular now weren't as developed pre-1980 (when Hughes Airwest was bought out by Republic), so maybe it was more so back then.

The Hallmark in Cannon Beach is fantastic and super dogfriendly. Gorgeous views and a nice location. (They're more on a cliff, so there are many stairs down to the beach, in case anyone has knee issues. One childhood summer an uncle was on crutches. eep!). http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g51790-d95946-Reviews-Hallmark_Resort_Cannon_Beach-Cannon_Beach_Oregon.html

The Surfsand Inn in Cannon Beach is also really nice and dog friendly, too. It's on the same level as the beach, so no stairs (if that's a concern). I've only stayed here sans dog, but I see lots of pups around. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g51790-d95948-Reviews-Surfsand_Resort-Cannon_Beach_Oregon.html

Both of these properties are at the south end of town. The whole town is cute popular seaside village. Lots of little knickknack stores and candy/taffy places, ice cream, variety of retail and restaurants. The Bakery is tasty. There are several ice cream scoop shops. There's even an adorable community playhouse.

The Lumber Yard is my favorite dog-friendly restaurant. http://www.thelumberyardgrill.com/ They've ample outdoor seating and a nice menu.

My sister's favorite place is The Driftwood Inn http://www.driftwoodcannonbeach.com/ She thinks their french dip sandwiches are the best in the world. I'm not that impressed, but we always end up eating here at least once. They only have 2 or maybe 3 outdoor tables, so dining with the dog can be harder to accommadate.

The beach is gorgeous and Haystack Rock is beautiful. Fun tide pools to examine. Lots of room to run around. Great for kite flying, too. There are lots of nearby state parks and beaches worth exploring. There's a lighthouse you can go visit.

This year, with so many strange weather patterns going against the normal conditions that 'should' exist, your best bet is to consult the official road conditions database maintained by the State of New Mexico.

This site will give you lots of links to various information sources:
http://www.highwayconditions.com/nm/

One link in the list termed New Mexico Department of Transportation Road Conditions will get you to this site:
http://m.nmroads.com/
It is a simplistic interface but is a hugely useable listing of current conditions especially useful if you know where and on what particular roads you want to travel on.

I picked a few roads listed on the warnings page to test it out and found detailed mention of ice on the road between certain mile markers.

I would strongly suggest you look over this extensive list of scenic roadways if you are going there specifically to see the terrain, views and small communities of this amazingly beautiful state.

http://www.newmexico.org/scenicbyways/index.php

J and I drove the Turquoise Trail one winter when there over December Break and never were surprised by any adverse road conditions (if there were problems they were prominently signed to warn motorists to reduce speed over certain sections, etc.) and had a great time stopping in the various small towns and poking around the shops and such.

Get a good map of the state road system, pick out some routes you are interested in and start watching the conditions on them. When you get there you can update just before driving and if you have some alternative routes selected you can pick those that are most free of adverse road issues.

Hoo boy, ok lets start North and work around clockwise.

Moran State Park on Orcas Island is very cool, Mt. Constitution is the highest point in the islands and you can see forever. http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Moran Moran is pretty well known, however, so it might be booked.

The San Juan County Park on San Juan Island is kind of a "hidden gem." It's on the shore of Haro Strait and not a lot of people know about it. http://sanjuanco.com/Parks/sanjuan.aspx

If you have a boat or are willing to hire a water taxi, there are dozens of wonderful boat-in campgrounds in the San Juans. I won't go into too much detail on that because I'm thinking maybe you are looking for a car-camping opportunity, but Stuart, Jones, Clark and Sucia would be high on my list of recommended boat-in campsites in the SJIs.

On the mainland, Larabee State Park up in Bellingham is a great one. It's at the foot of the Chuckanut Hills on the shore of Puget Sound, some people say it's the only place where the Cascades touch saltwater. http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Larrabee&subject=all

Also to the North, my cousin swears by the Burlington KOA. I hear Burlington, I think strip malls, but this is out on the Eastern edge by the Skagit River. Apparently it's quite nice. http://www.koa.com/campgrounds/burlington/

Silver Lake is another "hidden gem" off Mt. Baker Highway in Eastern Whatcom County. One of the few places you can rent a boat for cheap, and the trout fishing is top-notch. http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/parks/silverlake/silverlake.jsp

To the East, if you're willing to cross the North Cascades, the KOA in Winthrop is actually pretty nice. I spent last 4th of July there and enjoyed myself. The trout fishing on nearby Peregrine Lake just might be the best in the entire state. That's pushing past your three hour mark however.

Another great spot in that direction is Lake Osyoos. This is bigtime "hidden gem," I know I am overusing that phrase, but this one is for sure. It's a five hour drive from Seattle, but nobody from Seattle goes there, so it often has reservations available when all the closer campgrounds are booked http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=osoyoos%20lake

Closer to Seattle, Lake Kachess is a fun spot not too far past Snoqualmie Pass. I had a lot of fun summer weekends up there as a teenager, and managed to stay out of the Kittitas County Jail. http://www.reserveamerica.com/campgroundDetails.do?subTabIndex=0&&contractCode=nrso&parkCode=kach

On the other side of Puget Sound, check out Kitsap Memorial State Park. This is a great park that I just discovered, they have yerts and cabins, and a nice waterfront on Hood Canal. It is also one of the few public places where you can harvest oysters with a WA fishing license in most years, although it is currently closed. http://www.parks.wa.gov/yurtsandcabins/kitsapmemorial/

On the coast, the "numbered beaches" in Olympic National Park are a lot of fun too. They are just identified as "beach 1, beach 2" etc. You can camp right on the beach, no reservations, just find a spot and plop a tent, but be prepared to hike a few miles in to camp, and no dogs allowed. I got kicked out of there last time for having a dog (I didn't know). http://wikitravel.org/en/Olympic_National_Park

Hope this is useful. Washington is a beautiful place, get out there and enjoy it! Sorry for my un-embedded links. The last several times I have tried embedding links on Qland it hasn't worked.

And remember if you do cross the mountains or take a ferry, pack your patience. Passes close, ferries run late, shit happens. Remember that half the fun is getting there!

They make it really clear, if you're up and out of your seat. They also direct people into cars according to their destinations when they board, so you won't have to move when the train splits--so if you're in your assigned seat, you'll end up where you should be.

There is a Travelex currency exchange on the top level of Westlake Center. I believe that is your ONLY local option other than at SeaTac Airport.

Another source, the Associated Press:

http://www.ap.org/washington/pron.html

There is no mention of a store on the Our Lady of the Rock web site.

I visited Lopez Island late spring 2011 and remembering reading in a brochure on the ferry that the nuns had retired from running the store. Agree that it would have been very cool to buy beer from a nun, but alas, no longer possible, it seems.

Perhaps staying in the monastery and joining them in prayer would be an acceptable substitute for a cold beer -- check with the boyfriend.

Yes, I'd say the 101 is the NSA answer to your question -- it IS the least snowy route -and easiest for a truck and trailer with no traction- if all other considerations are secondary.
But it'll eat up time - becomes a 3 to 3 and a half day trip instead of 2. The lower speed works to your advantage with a trailer, depending on how unweildy it is. 101's almost always clear as far as snow goes -part of it being oceanside-- though mudslides and overturned logging trucks have the potential to ruin your whole damn week since it's so narrow. The key is to time your trip so you don't hit LA or SF at any rush hour times.

Jack's right that anything east is effectively in the rockies and therefor at altitude and a snow risk.

If speed of travel is a factor at all, I-5 is worth the gamble. Do you have an iPhone or mobile internet or GPS with traffic maps? You can always head up 5 and then make your call as you go, using googlemaps with the traffic filter on.

My mother-in-law lived there, so we visited a few times. Tucson has awesome thrift shopping, because old people move there with all their finery and winter clothes and then just live in Tommy Bahama. Seriously, minks and cashmere and good mens suits. I can't recall the name of the neighborhood with all the vintage shops, but if you ask around and find it, there are fun bars and restaurants around there. I don't recall any microbrews, but Google says there are some, so there you go.

The Arizona Desert Interpretive Museum is fun, and an medium/easy walk for seniors/olds. A great way to see and learn about the flora and fauna of the desert. You may just see a javelina - they smell terrible. The folks here would be good people to ask about hikes - where to go and what to bring with you.

Mission San Xavier de Bac is a 200+ year old Spanish mission church out on the 19. It's in the process of being restored, so check to see if it's open the public. We went one year at Christmas and it was very beautiful and with an interesting (colonial, troubling) history. It is an active mission for the Tohono O'odham people, so be respectful. You can buy frybread and Indian crafts in the parking lot.
http://www.sanxaviermission.org/

I've experienced enough snow and ice down there that it closed the Cajon and Soledad -and Tejon too -- that was one February. I had to take the 1 and then 101. So yes, that pass does get snow - though it's rare. Any reason not to take the 5 instead?

This week? Ouch -bad timing. For Cajon Ranger District -San Bern. National Forest-, there's a winter storm warning in effect right NOW and for the next day or two: day time is in the 40's and 50's but lows are in the 20s, so the rain that falls in daytime may turn it to an icerink. Snow levels are at 3500-4000' for monday night, and Cajon pass is 3700 or so.

Jack's Yucca valley plan isn't a bad idea, except that Lucerne Valley is expected to get snow, so you'd have a short stretch of shit there. If you can wait a week, might be better off.

Nothing is fucked, as long as he is flying into SeaTac and not Vancouver International Airport.

Passports are required to enter Canada by air, no ifs ands or buts. The rules for entering Canada by land or sea are a little looser.

Your friend should assemble everything he can to prove he is who he says he is. Driver's license, birth certificate, social security card, high school yearbook, draft card, voter registration card, etc etc and just go to the border.

The Canadian border guards will probably let him into Canada. Bear in mind that they have the discretion to refuse him or admit him, so he needs to be on good behavior (lots of "yes sir, yes ma'am's).

According to the law, he will need a passport to get BACK into the United States. Here's what will probably happen. You'll go the border. The US Customs & Border Protection Officer will scream bloody murder at him and read the riot act. You'll be pulled into a little room and interrogated with him. He'll be told to never, ever, ever do this again. And then, they'll probably let him back into the United States.

Absolute worst case scenario at this point, and this is highly unlikely, they will refuse him entry back into the United States and he will be referred to the United States Consulate in Vancouver. There, he will have immigration officials from the State Department view all those documents he brought with him to prove his identity, whereupon they will bark at him and tell him that he's a moron and he should never ever do this again... then they will charge him a steep fee $100 or $150 and print a passport while he waits.

American Embassies and Consulates abroad can print passports on the same day to get American citizens back home. The service is intended for people who lost their passport, they don't like it when people "game the system" like this, but at the end of the day, they're going to get you back to the United States.

Bottom line, just try it. The Canadians will probably let him in. If not, there's some cool bars in Bellingham he can hang out at. If he does get in to Canada, the US will probably let him come back, but if not, he can get an instant passport at the Consulate.

If you are on a domestic flight the most you can expect is free drinks and some sort of complimentary meal. You may also get free access to any in-flight entertainment system that is installed in the seats, if they have that installed. You might also get free Wi-Fi if the plane has inflight Wi-Fi.

In my opinion the best thing about first class is:

1. More room, the seats are comfortable and you don't leave the plane feeling like you have clots in your legs.

2. Closets for hanging up your jacket.

3. More attentive flight attendants (although this can be very hit or miss depending on the airline)

4. A bathroom dedicated to the first class cabin.

5. Express security line, you get to hop to the front!

6. You also get to board the plane after the pre-boarding types.

7. Free booze is fun but I put this last because I think it's the least important perk.

If you are flying international you can expect a much more plush experience but I have only flown first-class on domestic flights and will let others detail internal flight perks.

You should still check-in online and then use the first-class line to check your bags.

Is this the sort of tree you're talking about? I think they can grow in the northwest region: http://www.nurserytrees.com/Italian%20Cypress.htm

I bet you could introduce an Italian Cypress to the area if you want one. King 5 even did a report on adding one to your garden: http://www.king5.com/archive/60068182.html

If I had to guess, I would say they're not common in the northwest because there are so many types of evergreen to choose from. There are other types of cedar that are native to the NW region. I've seen those tall, skinny cypresses elsewhere in the country, so they do grow just fine in the US.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I know an expert who does. If you want to apply for resident alien status you should hire Greg Boos at Cascadia Cross Border Law. He is the best Canada/USA Immigration attorney around.

http://www.cascadiaimmigrationlaw.com/

Absolutely! Provided you are polite and friendly, and willing to butcher the language in your attempts to use a phrasebook, you should be fine. Honestly, your attitude is what will matter most. English is spoken, at least partially, by many folks. And everyone in the service industry is used to dealing with tourists...and dependent upon you for their wages, right...so even if they don't know english, most hostel, hotel, restaurant staff will be helpful.

I spent 2 weeks backpacking around Italy in 2003. On many occasions, I watched pushy/rude american tourists yelling "do you speak english?" This question will be MUCH BETTER received if you learn how to say "Parla Inglese?" I just found this site that lets you hear how to pronounce a few basic phrases. http://italian.about.com/library/children/blconversation01.htm In fact, on two occasions, I witnessed folks just begin speaking in English (to the train ticket station, and to a museum front desk) and the person responded in Italian that they didn't understand. So I didn't even bother asking "Parla inglese?" as I had just seen the answer, instead, in my terribly pronounced Italian, using the guidebook I tried to get two reservations for tomorrow's train. The ticket seller responded in beautiful english. Ha!!

Really, don't let the language scare you off. Bring a bit of politeness, a bit of patience, and a willingness to mime to help get your meaning across. Tour guides and tourist industry folks are used to this, and you'll get along just fine.

ESPECIALLY if you're looking to do a package tour, there should be a system to help guide you. But even without that, common sense and basic manners, and you'll be fine. Don't let the language scare you away from a great opportunity.

And now, depending on what you're looking for in Italy, a high school friend and her NYC-chef sweetie are running what looks to be an amazing farm and cooking school in Italy, if interested. http://www.latavolamarche.com/html/

Pretty much any modern laptop's power cord includes an AC adapter that should work most anywhere in the world. Check that your adapter says it is good for 110 V - 240 V and 50-60 hz (pretty typical). All you need is an adapter for the plug itself so that it'll fit into a Thai outlet. I traveled around there a little this past year with an American-plugged laptop and used a Euro two-pin converter and did not have any difficulty with getting electric power into the laptop. I agree that surge protection is a good idea.

It's usually the day OF the holiday, and not any time before or after.

For example, Christmas day is supposed to be really cheap.

The peak window for larches varies year to year depending on weather / moisture, but is usually mid-October.

The best way to track the progress of larches is to keep an eye on hikers' trip reports at Washington Trails Association's website, wta.org: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports

There aren't any reports that I can see of larches yet; it's too early.

Larches are pretty high in elevation, so the best viewing is done by hiking up to them. The Enchantment Lakes Basin is one of the best hikes in the state for larches if you time it right. Carne Mountain st Stevens Pass has a big stand of larches. Lake Ann / Maple Pass Loop off the North Cascades Highway is one of the easier hikes to see larches.

See this piece on Fall Color Hikes at wta.org: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/seasonal-hikes/fall-destinations/copy_of_fall-hikes

Be sure and walk up and down Newbury Street in the Back Bay. Lots of shops, and it's its own little architectural tour -- about a decade per block, starting at the Gardens end.

Another great place to walk around is Beacon Hill. Here's what you do: get off the T at Park St -- oldest subway station in America. Walk up Tremont Street toward the State House, then left onto Beacon Street between the gorgeous bow-front houses -- many with original panes of purplish glass -- and Boston Common. Don't miss the memorial to Robert Shaw and the all-black 54th Regiment in the Civil War; it's an impressive work by Saint-Gaudens. Continue as far as Spruce Street and turn into Beacon Hill proper. Right on Chestnut, Left on Walnut, left again on Mt. Vernon. Go down the hill to Louisburg Square, where the REALLY rich people live. Right through the square, right on Pinckney, left on Anderson, left on Myrtle, which curves into Revere Street after a couple of blocks. Revere will take you to Charles Street, the main shopping drag; go left, and you'll end up back at Beacon Street at the dividing point between Boston Common and the Public Gardens. If you're pressed for time, just continue down Mt. Vernon to Charles -- downhill always takes you there if you get lost (bring a map).

If you go to the North End, which you should, make sure you start at the Blackstone Block near City Hall. It's not much -- a couple of tiny blocks behind the Union Oyster House, Scott Alley and Salt Lane, but it's the real old Boston street layout. You come out on Hanover Street, which is the main drag of the North End; turn right and cross the stupid wasteland where the elevated freeway used to be (and shiver at the prospect of doing this to Seattle, as many hope for), until you get to the North End proper on the other side. Be sure to check out some of the side streets. Here: up Hanover to Richmond, turn right and proceed to North Street, turn left and go past Paul Revere's House (1680), left onto Prince Street, then a short and a long block to Salem Street. Turn right on Salem to Hull Street, admire the Old North Church (lovely and plain inside), then left onto Hull Street up the hill to the Copp's Hill Burying Ground. Revolutionary War-era bulletholes in some of the gravestones. Note the 10-foot wide "narrowest house in Boston" across the street from the entrance at #44. Cruise back down Snow Hill Street, left onto Prince again but only for a second, then left onto Thacher Street, left on Cooper Street, which will take you to Salem Street again. Right on Salem past many shops to Cross Street and the former freeway again, where you can cross back into downtown Boston.

Another fascinating corner that few people ever see is Bay Village, a tiny little slice of Beacon Hill that drifted off south of Boston Common. Just a few streets -- Piedmont, Winchester, Melrose, Fayette -- the last two are the prettiest. Go south from Boylston Street Station (also the oldest in the US -- what's a subway without at least two stations?) on Tremont, left onto Stuart, past Charles, left again onto Church Street into Bay Village.

You can combine these walks easily; downtown Boston is really small.

You need to go to a passport issuing office, usually located in a federal facility of some sort (like a courthouse or post office).

From the state department: http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/DefaultForm.aspx

Yah, what everyone else said. I did it many years ago and my experience was the same. An advantage is that you are free to move about the train as much as you want (and the Empire Builder is pretty big). The seats are very roomy, much unlike any airline coach class seat. If the observation car is empty at night you can cat-nap there.

One disadvantage is the odd stops/slowdowns. Every train I've been on experienced odd stops or slowdowns (like slowing to a crawl), for up to an hour at a time, sometimes more. The crew did not inform us ever as to what was going on. Do not plan on arriving in Chicago anywhere near on time.

You will not regret it. Seeing so much of the Rockies at ground level is amazing.

Two words: Sod Farms. Oregon is the sod capitol of the world. If you are allergic to grass you shall be miserable periodically.

Is there a seasonal variation?

I know Everett has free parking, though you have to check in with security if you're going to leave a car there for longer than 72 hours. Edmonds also has free parking, but I think whether you can park there long-term is ambiguous. We always used to leave a car there for up to a week when we went hiking on the Olympic Peninsula, but that was back before the Sounder and Cascades services had really taken off.

I'm not familiar with the Tukwila station, but the website says it has free parking too.

Richard McIver recommends the Four Seas. Although I don't know if he is much of a Bloody Mary man.

Hrmmmm. I happen to know of a couple.