Alaska

Orange Coast College sophomore Joanna Johnson and freshman Chelsea Spadaro have transferred to play volleyball at the University of Alaska-Anchorage and the University of Hawaii-Hilo, respectively. Johnson, who helped the Pirates to back-to-back state titles, notched 83 kills, 43 assists, 56 digs and 31 blocks as an outside hitter, who earned second-team All-Orange Empire Conference honors. Spadaro, the starting setter on OCC's state championship team, collected 973 assists, the most in a single season in the program's history.

AVIVA GOELMAN There is a certain degree of excitement tied to the unpredictable. I know this, because when I signed up to join 34 other seniors from the Costa Mesa Senior Center on an Alaskan cruise, I had no inkling of the journey that lay ahead of me. And so I was very excited with the anticipation of the unknown. What transpired was the trip of a lifetime. There are some people who don't enjoy "organized" group trips. But I must say our journey was well organized, thanks to the Senior Center's travel department, and I came away from our trip convinced that this is the only way to travel.

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - The Newport Harbor High boys basketball team will settle for a third-place game in the Anchorage Tournament after losing a nail-biter, 66-65, to Lathrop in the semifinals of the tourney in Alaska Friday. The Sailors (11-5) were led by senior Tony Melum, who scored a game-high 28 points. However, Lathrop (9-1) hit a three-pointer with two seconds left to grab the final lead of the game. Newport will play for third place tonight.

Fred A. and Cindy Lynn Rowe are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter Jamie Lynn Rowe to Nancy and Charles' Cargo's son, Christopher Austin Cargo. Christopher proposed during a San Francisco Giants game Wednesday, Feb. 2. The couple plans to wed in Alaska in January 2020.  

Imagine the money they’re saving on gas. With no fanfare or cheering section to greet them or to urge them onward, a Kentucky family push-bike riding its way up to Alaska quietly passed through Newport Beach on Monday afternoon. The Harrison family, Bill and Amarins, with daughters Cheyenne, 6, Jasmine, 4, and Robin, 3, rode up Pacific Coast Highway on their five-person, yellow tandem bicycle. The family, determined to show their kids all that North America has to offer in the way of sights, culture and foods, set off from Renfro Valley, Ky., last August in a trip up to Fairbanks, Alaska, by this summer.

Tom Moulson My wife Tita and I stepped out of a helicopter onto the surface of a moon: cold, silent, blue and white. We were atop a glacier one mile deep. This was the highlight of our trip to Alaska. It began with a night in Fairbanks, in the middle of Alaska, after flying in from John Wayne. The next day, we boarded the Midnight Sun Express south to Denali through a spectacular landscape of winding rivers, craggy mountains and treeless tundra, homes to moose, caribou and bear, though we saw few of these.

Lisa Diane Murar of Sacramento and Matthew James Soughers exchanged vows June 17 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Calistoga. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. James Murar of Newport Beach. Her matron of honor was sister Amanda Murar. Bridesmaids were Dona Jackson, Ann Yunker, Tami Serber, Heidi Hill and Joy Wobido. The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Soughers of Kodiak, Alaska. His best man was Rob Ruddell, with attendants Rob Murar, Michael Murguia, Daniel Meyer, Rob Rogers and Jeff Nielson.

Violet P. Woodhouse is a successful Newport Beach-based trial attorney, negotiator and one of the nation's top financial advisors on complex divorce issues. Woodhouse is also a successful author of "Divorce & Money: How to Make the Best Financial Decisions During Divorce," now in its sixth edition. Woodhouse grew up in remote areas of Alaska, made her way to California in the late '60s and has been here ever since. The Pilot's Luis Pena recently sat down with the 55-year-old attorney.

Been dreaming of a white Christmas? The Newport Harbor High girls' basketball team didn't need to this year. Instead the girls are dreaming of the sun and waves. That's because the Newport Harbor girls' team left today for a trip to the big island of Hawaii for the World Youth Basketball Tournament 2006 Holiday Edition in Kona. The tournament runs today through the New Year but you won't hear these basketball players complaining. For the girls, the trip represents their longest since their travel to Alaska three years ago. "I decided it could be something that would be fun," said Newport Harbor Coach Jen Thompson.

ABOARD THE ALASKA EAGLE, at sea in the South Atlantic — We departed South Georgia Island on short notice. Our weather routers, New Hampshire-based Commanders' Weather, gave us an immediate "go" when we asked for a good departure date within the week. So we sailed for Buenos Aires five days early to increase our chances of avoiding extreme weather on our 1,600-mile journey from South Georgia Island. The Alaska Eagle's eight-leg schedule demands being on time for changing our student crews.

ABOARD THE ALASKA EAGLE, anchored at South Georgia Island — We've spent the last week exploring the southern half of this extraordinary sub-Antarctic island. Our days have consisted of sailing to a new anchorage in the mornings and going ashore in the afternoons to visit the abundant wildlife and do some incredible hiking. We have found that sailing 15 or 20 miles to the next cove involves 40 to 50 knots of wind. After three weeks aboard, the Alaska Eagle's crew is now taking heavy-weather sailing in stride.

ABOARD THE ALASKA EAGLE, off South Georgia Island — With 30 knots of wind behind us, Alaska Eagle was flying along at 11 knots. Suddenly we found ourselves in fog with 200 feet of visibility. "Up for ice!" Peter called from the mast. As we quickly turned toward the wind, a golf cart-sized chunk of glacier slid by to starboard. In clear weather, the ice is easy to spot by our four lookouts, but the fog now demands more attention; hitting a ton or two of a bit of iceberg can do serious damage.

Fred A. and Cindy Lynn Rowe are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter Jamie Lynn Rowe to Nancy and Charles' Cargo's son, Christopher Austin Cargo. Christopher proposed during a San Francisco Giants game Wednesday, Feb. 2. The couple plans to wed in Alaska in January 2020.  

ABOARD THE ALASKA EAGLE, off Cape Horn — We are anchored in Martial Cove on Herschel Island, just eight miles north of Cape Horn. The wind is howling through the rigging at a steady 40 knots, with gusts up to 50 knots. The Alaska Eagle is sailing back and forth on her tandem anchors and heeling over in the gusts. Sometimes a blast shakes the mast and the whole boat vibrates. Even in this well-protected cove, 2-foot foot waves are rolling past us, and the lead-gray sea is covered with streaks of white.

A state title is a state title. No matter at what level, where, or how a player achieves that level of success, it is something special. And for an athlete, it is a memory that can last a lifetime. For Orange Coast College sophomore Karlee Skalla, the memory of her 2009 state title with the OCC women’s volleyball team, will be her last of the program. It was announced recently that the second-team All-Orange Empire Conference outside hitter will be transferring to University of Alaska-Fairbanks this coming fall.

Imagine the money they’re saving on gas. With no fanfare or cheering section to greet them or to urge them onward, a Kentucky family push-bike riding its way up to Alaska quietly passed through Newport Beach on Monday afternoon. The Harrison family, Bill and Amarins, with daughters Cheyenne, 6, Jasmine, 4, and Robin, 3, rode up Pacific Coast Highway on their five-person, yellow tandem bicycle. The family, determined to show their kids all that North America has to offer in the way of sights, culture and foods, set off from Renfro Valley, Ky., last August in a trip up to Fairbanks, Alaska, by this summer.

COSTA MESA — During the fourth quarter it seemed Davon Joyner was mired in a funk. But the Estancia High junior waited until the final second to redeem himself and lift his boys’ basketball team to an emotional victory. Joyner made good on a driving layup at the buzzer to give the Eagles a 57-55 win over Dimond of Anchorage, Alaska in the consolation quarterfinals of the Estancia Coast Classic Monday. “I was excited because I knew I kind of played bad in the fourth quarter,” Joyner said of his game-winner.