Barb and Bill's Excellent Adventure

Not so excellent yet...

2011-07-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

We left Seattle on Sunday, July 10th, took a BC ferry from Tsawassen to Nanaimo and headed for Campbell River. Unfortunately, we burned up a wheel bearing and tire on the boat trailer south of Courtenay, BC. Not surprisingly, no tow truck big enough to handle the trailer and boat was available on Sunday evening. We used our Yankee ingenuity to fashion a sling for the axle from our new tow strap and limped into Courtenay, where a couple of mounties escorted us to a marine repair shop. We boondocked in their parking lot and, next morning, the boss took a look and sent us to Courtenay Spring and Welding. They have welded on two new spindles and are replacing backing plates, bearings, brake system, etc. Meanwhile, we have been doing our sightseeing by land! We might get the Bonaroo in the water this afternoon. I will post some photos later.
The weather is not as wonderful as it was last year - showers and cool, but we are prepared. Looking forward to getting underway...

Heading Home

2010-08-24T12:27:00.001-07:00

August 24

We cruised out of Hardy Island Marine Park on the morning of the 20th, after meeting some fellow Montanans who were anchored next to us. They had an even smaller boat than ours and have been cruising to Canada in it for 8 years! Mike has even made this trip in a 17’ canoe with a small outboard, camping ashore! And some people thought WE were nuts.

We had more rough water, so we only went 9 or 10 miles to Pender Harbor, where we were glad to settle in early. The next day, the seas were very calm, so we crossed Malaspina Strait and the Strait of Georgia to Nanaimo. We called out buddies at Stones Boatyard to let them know that we made the trip north without further boating mishaps. We spent the night at Newcastle Island Marine Park and I caught some nice sunset photos:

We cruised through the southern Gulf Islands and saw some coves and bays that we will check out next year. We crossed back into US waters yesterday, checked in with customs, and fueled up in the San Juan Islands. We made it through Deception Pass (wrong timing yet again) and spent the night anchored off of Hope Island in N Puget Sound.

We are now headed for Port Townsend to take the boat out of the water. Bill and I are both a bit sad to have the trip end, but we have so much to look forward to this fall. We will be hosting the Roving Rods’ crab gathering in Winchester Bay from September 20-30 (come on over!), and we will be visiting South Dakota, so that I can renew my drivers’ license. It will be a good chance to see my aunt and cousins who live in and near Rapid City. Then, it’s back to see all of our RVing friends at North Ranch.

I hope that you enjoyed reading about our trip and that I will soon have more to post about our continuing adventures.

We Made it to Blackfish Sound

2010-08-20T17:57:00.001-07:00

August 20

We left Lagoon Cove on Saturday, the 14th. Here’s my crabbing catch:

We didn’t go far – we tried a crabbing spot that was recommended – no luck. We didn’t like the sound of the winds predicted in Johnstone Strait, so we stayed in a small cove in Baronet Channel. We referred to it as Horsefly Haven! Yikes!

The next day we were listening to the whale-watching boats on the VHF. They were talking about humpback whales in Blackfish Sound, so we cruised on up there and got to watch three of them, blowing and diving. The photos are not very good – digital cameras are too darned slow – but here are a few:

It is certainly difficult to show just how huge these animals are!

Then we heard that the Orcas were down near Port Neville, and we were ready to begin heading south, so we decided to see if we could find them. Johnstone Strait was remarkable calm, so we put in a long day, but no Orcas. We anchored at Charles Bay after seeing lots of big boats like these:

We have visited Octopus Islands Marine Park – very popular and looks like a great place to kayak – and Rebecca Spit Marine Park, where Pogo and I went to the beach. I has a swim and he got to chase squirrels!

On Wednesday, we left Rebecca Spit and visited Gorge Harbor – beautiful spot and I told Bill that if we do this again next year, I want to splurge and stay at the marina/resort there. Maybe for our 10th anniversary?

We continued south and Bill asked if I wanted to visit Mitlenatch Island. It is a seabird refuge and I figured I would see a great variety of birds, so I said, “yes!” It is also in the middle of the Strait of Georgia. As we were heading there, the wind came up and we pulled into the small cove on the eastern side of the island. The waves were rockin’ and rollin’, but that didn’t bother the couple who were already anchored there:

They were snoozing in the back of the boat – didn’t even hear us come in – until we stared putting the anchor chain out! Those were a “salty” pair!! We spent a bumpy night and didn’t sleep well at all!

We were outta there early the next morning and fought rough seas all the way to Hardy Island Marine Park, where we spent a nice, quiet night.

For all of our friends who love to volunteer at parks and refuges, have we got a deal for you! These are the volunteer quarters at Mitlenatch Island Refuge:

A shack on the rocks, how about it? Any volunteers???

We are headed home (sigh) and should be at Port Townsend on Wednesday or Thursday. What a great trip it has been so far!!

Friday, the 13th of August

2010-08-20T15:45:00.001-07:00

Today, we awoke to a calm, foggy morning after a very quiet night at Port Harvey Marina. We felt as though we were sleeping on land; the boat moved so little during the night. After the wind, the creaking against the dock, and the salmon fishers going out at all hours that we experienced the two previous nights, last night was heaven!

We followed another boat (nice folks, Cathy and John Campbell from Victoria) up Johnstone Strait to Port Harvey yesterday. After the “gale-force” winds predicted, we were grateful to see 2-foot swells with a wind chop. The only dicey part was when we turned into Havannah Channel and the waves were striking our beam. Bill powered through!

We heard that there had been a pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins in the marina this morning, but we missed them. We did, however, get to see them on our way out of the bay. They really come out of the water and put on a show! No orcas yet.

We took a nice, leisurely cruise to Lagoon Cove Marina today. We had heard great things about the happy hours here, so we had to check it out. The owners, Bill and Jean Barber, provide the prawns and everyone else brings their drinks and finger foods. The prawns were great! And Bill told stories of the history of Lagoon Cove and the area, as well as some tall tales.

So, our Friday the 13th was a warm, sunny day and a lot of fun. Nice sky this evening, too:

To Go or Not to Go – Farther North

2010-08-13T19:25:00.001-07:00

August 11

We stayed at Shoal Bay until Sunday morning. The pink salmon were jumping all over the bay, so I had to try my luck. I had no luck on Saturday and blamed it on the wrong tackle. Then on Sunday morning, a family we had met were leaving and they gave me the “hot” lure and I finally caught a small salmon and got it to the net!

Shoal Bay – you gotta love a place with a sense of humor and great views as shown below:

You may not be able to read the last line, but it says, “Twinned with sister city Paris (France)”

This is the pub.

This is the view.

Sunday morning, we went to Blind Channel Resort for fuel, to do laundry, take showers, and do some grocery shopping. Whew! Prices are getting higher the farther north we go! We spent the night at a place called Beaver Inlet. There was a beautiful yacht anchored there already and we met those folks the next morning. The yacht owner lives in Sun Valley, having made his fortune in the coffee business in Seattle – with Starbucks! Anyway, nice people and we traded them a salmon filet for a couple of Dungeness Crabs – yummy!

On Monday, we decided that the forecast for Johnstone Strait was too windy for us to handle. We were headed out to Discovery Passage and south to the Octopus Islands. We stopped at Hemming Bay – a beautiful little cove that we, again, had all to ourselves. The harbor porpoises were working the area, as were the harbor seals. The loons were so loud in the morning, they woke us up! We got to the junction of Discovery Passage, Chancellor Passage, and Johnstone Strait and decided that Johnstone Strait didn’t look that bad, so we hung a right instead of a left! In other words, we kept heading NW.

We pulled in at the dock at Port Neville where there was one other pleasure boat and several gillnetters’ boats. Seems they were opening the sockeye salmon season the next morning for 24 hours. I chatted up the Canadian Fisheries and Oceans guardian who was in his VERY nice boat at the dock. Of course, I told him that I used to be a game warden in Idaho and that gave me an “in”. He was going up the inlet to check on the salmon run and asked if Bill and I would like to go along. NO question! He really opened up the throttle on his rigid-hull inflatable!

Saw some eagles and geese, but no bears. He showed us some pictographs on the rocks at the site of an ancient native midden:

He was a very nice guy and we learned quite a bit about the salmon fishery from him.

The store at Port Neville was run by the same family from 1894 until 1960. They finally shut the post office down this past January. Evidently, this was a thriving logging and fishing community at one time.

Now there is a caretaker there who shows people around and shares the history of the place. We ended up staying at the dock for a couple of days, waiting for the winds to calm down in Johnstone Strait.

Desolation Sound

2010-08-06T14:06:00.001-07:00

August 6

We cruised around Sarah Point and into Desolation Sound on the evening of the 4th – woo, hoo!! We anchored in a tiny little cove – we had it all to ourselves, so it was nice and quiet. The next morning, we poked around in Tovara Inlet and I caught a couple of rockfish. Then we went to Pendrell Sound and, because the wind was nonexistent, we were able to anchor along the shore of the Sound. The water was warm and clear, so we had a great time swimming.

Unfortunately, we were not able to take any photos, nor were we able to see the mountains, because of the thick smoke from forest fires in BC. Bummer!!!

Yesterday, we put in a long day. We left Pendrell Sound and started up Toba Inlet. The smoke was so thick that it was almost as bad as a fogbank, so we turned northwest to try and get out of the smoke. We followed a bigger boat through a couple of rapids, but then he didn’t go toward the third set of rapids. We were the only boat headed that way, but the tide and current tables said that it should be OK. On we went and Bill did a good job of avoiding almost all of the whirlpools. One kind of tossed the boat a bit, but was OK. There were several porpoises playing in the rapids, so that was fun to see.

We spent last night at Shoal Bay, which is not unlike Polebridge, MT – for those of you who have been there. Public docks and a pub and lots of friendly folks. And no smoke in the air this morning after some strong breezes last night! We are staying for another night and then we are going in search of Orcas. Stay tuned!

Jervis Inlet

2010-08-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

August 2

Here are a couple of photos of the Bonaroo being lifted out of the water for repairs:

But enough of that.

We stopped for fuel at a marina in Egmont, BC and saw this great steel-hulled boat, named Teddi Bear, moored at the dock:

Notice the helicopter on the back deck! We talked to the owner and he told us that he had the boat built in New Zealand – took 3 years and he had to buy the company when it went broke in the process of building his boat. Who has that kind of money!?!?

We cruised up Jervis inlet, 30+ miles of steep-sided fjord. It was just beautiful!! Waterfalls along the way and views of snow-capped mountains around every bend.

Then we came to Malibu Rapids – a very narrow channel that you need to traverse at slack tide. A Christian youth camp sits on the bank of the channel and is very nice!

Once through the rapids, we were in Princess Louisa Inlet and, man, was it worth the trip!

Water so warm, it was swimmable! Although the water from Chatterbox Falls was VERY cold, it mixed with the warmer water in the bay, making for great swimming. And what a bathing beauty!

Here’s our little boat anchored next to Chatterbox Falls:

It is difficult to describe the beauty of Princess Louisa Inlet – some have described it as entering a cathedral. I don’t know about that, but with at least 20 waterfalls falling from the surrounding mountains and the crystal clear water, it is truly a destination spot!!

We left Princess Louisa Inlet on Saturday, July 31st and cruised out of Jervis Inlet. We spent that night at Harmony Islands Marine Park in Hotham Sound. That evening, we had our first rainfall of the trip – about 20 drops. The next morning was overcast, which added a dramatic look to the mountains and waterfalls around us.

Yesterday, we anchored in a small cove at the mouth of Jervis Inlet and Pogo and I took a short hike around the island. Bill shot a couple of photos of the Bonaroo in this nice tranquil cove: Just dangling my feet – not warm enough to swim.

We will stay here another night, stop for provisions in Lund, and head into Desolation Sound tomorrow, weather permitting!!

Leaving Nanaimo

2010-07-28T18:29:00.001-07:00

July 28
Sorry, those last two posts were published out of order.

We finally made it into the water with all systems go at 7pm last evening – hooray!! We had a setback yesterday afternoon and spent $272 for a reverse lockout kit – we only needed one spring out of the kit, but that’s how Volvo/Penta makes $$. Anywho, we spent last night back at Newcastle Marine Park and crossed the Strait of Georgia today. No problems and we are currently anchored at Pender Harbor on the Sechelt Peninsula. Tomorrow, we will get an early start to make it to Princess Louisa Inlet Park. This is supposed to be the “Holy Grail” for NW cruising with a place called Chatterbox Falls at the head of the inlet. Will post photos.

Cowichan Bay Through Dodd Narrows to Nanaimo

2010-07-28T18:28:00.001-07:00

July 19

We left Butchart Cove on the 17th and cruised up the west side of Saltspring Island. We pulled into Cowichan Bay where I bought a fishing license and some crab bait, along with cheap red wine and groceries. We then anchored in Burgoyne Bay and I caught 4 red rock crabs for dinner – Yummm! We had to re-set our anchor a few times to get it set well, but it held overnight. Here’s an interesting RV in Burgoyne Bay:

On Sunday, we motored through Dodd Narrows - ~150 yards wide and the current was really flowing!

After that thrill ride, we pulled into the bay across from Nanaimo – Newcastle Island Marine Park. Lovely spot and very busy, especially on weekends. Pogo and I took a short walk on the island after Bill got us there in the trusty dinghy.

Today we took the passenger ferry from Newcastle to Nanaimo. The waterfront walkway and parks are lovely and we had access to free wifi at the library.

Trouble in the Harbour City

2010-07-28T18:27:00.001-07:00

July 24

Welllll, we were cruising through Newcastle Passage last Tuesday on our way north from Nanaimo and trying to avoid the seaplane landing and taxiing zone, when “CLUNK” we hit the only big rock around. Disabled the prop, so Bill had to fire up the outboard while I looked up a marine repair yard. As luck would have it, we were only ~500 yards from Stones Boatyard and Marina. Called them and they said they could help. We called to some nice boaters standing on the dock to help us, as the wind and current were not helping us with our docking attempts. We all managed to tie the Bonaroo to the dock without harming it or hitting any other boats – whew!

To make a long story short, we have been sitting up on blocks in the boatyard almost ever since. The folks here had the prop fixed, put a new pin in the lower unit and put us back in the water Thursday evening. No go! Still had no forward or reverse. Lifted us out of the water on Friday morning, called a Volvo/Penta specialist who thought he had the problem spotted. Unfortunately, it was worse than he thought – the shaft on the lower unit was broken. The lower unit is now in Campbell River being repaired. It is supposed to be here on Monday. $1000 and counting…

On the bright side, we got a great deal on a rental car, so on Friday we drove north to Qualicum Beach (warmest seawater north of Mexico) and had a seafood lunch. A Canadian fulltime RVer who spends his winters at “The Slabs” told us about a couple of natural sights to see. We went to the Little Qualicum River falls and Cathedral Grove – the last remaining stand of old growth forest on Vancouver Island. Impressive Douglas firs and cedars – over 800 years old. Then we drove on to Port Alberni, which connects to the west coast of Vancouver Island via a VERY long inlet. It was a fun day and great to get away from the boatyard.

Today, they held the 44th annual World Championship Bathtub Races in Nanaimo, so we walked to town to watch the start. To call these things bathtubs is stretching it quite a ways! They have three divisions: modified, super-modified, and stock. They look like a small fiberglass bathtub on top of a fast sled! Here is a photo of one of the boats stuck on the beach and other photos of the start: They used to race these things to Vancouver! But now, they go out of Nanaimo Harbour, up around the Winchelsea Islands, and back into Departure Bay. A total of 56 km!! Takes the winner about an hour.

Oh, and I did put my kayak together yesterday and took it out for a couple of hours:

Needless to say, Bill has been beating himself up pretty heartily for hitting the rock, but the important thing is that we are OK and the boat is fixable. Guess I’ll have to sell lots more of my beaded trinkets to pay for this unexpected expense!!!

Hope you all are having a great summer and have wonderful stories to tell!!

Butchart Gardens

2010-07-19T12:54:00.001-07:00

July 17

We couldn’t leaved the Victoria area without a visit to the famous Butchart Gardens, so we left the beautiful Inner Harbor and headed for the Sydney Spit Marine Park. We anchored out off of the sand spit and enjoyed a quiet evening and no problems the next morning when we pulled the anchor – we’re getting this system down!

We pulled in to Van Isle Marina for fuel and a pumpout. The crew there was extremely efficient, helpful, and friendly. We cruised through Satellite Channel to Butchart Cove and anchored in the quiet cove. We had some lunch and dinghied to the Butchart Gardens dock. After paying our $31/head, we took out time strolling through the gardens, which were as impressive as expected. Liz Burke would have been in heaven!!

Victoria, BC

2010-07-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

July 14

We made it!! Nice, smooth crossing of Haro Strait yesterday and no problem with customs. We are docked right in front of he Empress Hotel on the promenade. Beautiful buildings and floral gardens everywhere!

As you can see, the Bonaroo is dwarfed by some of our neighbors, but we’re having as much fun as they are.

On our way into Victoria Harbor, we passed this picturesque lighthouse:

We walked around downtown and did a little shopping yesterday. We enjoyed some of the street entertainers on the promenade and Bill found a great hot dog and ice cream float shop. More walking and people-watching last evening and then enjoyed seeing the parliament buildings after dark:

July 15

Bill went to the Royal BC Museum yesterday while I dog-sat. He enjoyed the exhibits very much, especially those dealing with the native cultures. Earlier in the day, I went to Miniature World – very well done – went to a high-end grocery (Yikes! how do people afford to live here?!?), and found a bead shop! I was looking for unique beads but found none. I did, however,find some beads that I need to complete a project – score!

It is just wonderful being in the heart of downtown Victoria! Such a metropolitan city; full of tourists, to be sure, and many friendly boaters. We plan to head to Sidney Spit Marine Park at around noon – going with the tide.

Things Get Exciting!!!

2010-07-12T16:19:00.001-07:00

July 12

Well, here I was thinking that I had nothing new to post on the blog – as my friend Liz would say, be careful what you wish for!! We anchored out in Garrison Harbor yesterday afternoon after leaving Roche Harbor. After listening to the weather forecast, we had already decided against going to Victoria today. We were sitting in the boat reading our latest Reacher novels, when Bill happened to look out the back door – just in time to watch the dinghy roped snaking over the rail!! We pulled anchor – not a quick task - and took off after it. As luck would have it, a guy on another boat saw the dinghy blowing by, got in his dinghy, and caught ours. Whew!!! We re-anchored and boy, was it windy! The boat was swinging around all night. This morning, we pulled the anchor and got the anchor rode wound up in the prop – no steering and no power!!! We were headed for a couple of other boats that were rafted together. The wind blew us to one side of them, they had great family crews, pulled us alongside them and tied us off. I got on the swim platform and was able to unwind the rode and free our boat with no harm to the outdrive or the engine. What a great bunch of folks! One guy was even going to get in a “shorty” wetsuit with goggles, go in the water, and work on the rope. Thank goodness he did not have to.

We headed back to Roche Harbor and decided to moor for the afternoon and night. Both of us were feeling a bit stressed. I got the laundry done and we will take showers later. Then, weather permitting, we will head for Victoria tomorrow. Here’s a photo Bill took of the floating pumpout boat at Roche Harbor:

The San Juan Islands

2010-07-12T16:17:00.001-07:00

July 9

We decided to cruise around the San Juans for the weekend and head for Victoria, BC on Monday, July 12. We have been having really warm, wonderful weather and calm waters. Here is a shot from our mooring spot last evening. Mmmmm, peaceful! We have been sleeping so well on the boat – the gentle rocking seems to be just the ticket!

Friday Harbor was so crowded yesterday that we fueled the boat and got the heck outta there!! I was going to get groceries, but there was not room on any of the docks to tie up! We went to Fisherman’s Bay instead and it was a long, hot walk to a very nice grocery.

Today we cruised up the east sound of Orcas Island past the Moran Mansion at Rosario Resort and Spa. A float plane took off right in front of us, but I didn’t have the camera handy (grrrr). I did get a couple of photos of the mansion: Then, we decided to see if there were any spots available for moorage at Jones Island – HAH!! The little cove on the north side was stuffed with boats!! So it was on to Reid Harbor at Stuart Island State Marine Park. Lots of boats there, too, but we found an available mooring buoy. The captain (Bill, of course) maneuvered the Bonaroo so that the deck monkey (yours truly) could grab the mooring buoy and get us tied up securely.

By then it was time for happy hour and for admiring all of the other boats here in the harbor. Bill “dinghied the dog” while I cooked dinner. Ahhh! We have decided that we could get used to this life! We’ll see how we feel when we run into rough seas and/or nasty weather.

July 11

We spent two nights at Reid Harbor enjoying the weather, walking around on the Stuart Island, schmoozing with a few Canadians. Lots of other boats in the harbor and lots of other folks doing the “dinghy the dog” duty!

Today, we went to Roche Harbor at the NW end of San Juan Island. We fueled up and picked up a few groceries. I have never seen so many yachts in my life! One was at least 100’ and was from Park City, UT – or at least the owner was. Obviously, not everyone is feeling the economic pinch!! The Dulcinea, Park City, UT !?!?

We continue to enjoy sunny days, but the wind has come up, so we will likely not make the Haro Straight crossing tomorrow. They are predicting 25-39 mph winds. Better stay here in Garrison Bay for an extra day, snug at anchor.

Will post this when we have better internet service…

Heading North

2010-07-08T16:22:00.001-07:00

July 7, 2010

Yesterday, we left Port Orchard in the afternoon and cruised to Appletree Cove where we anchored out for the first time. We awoke to find ourselves in shallow water full of eel grass, so up came the anchor! We moved out into deeper water where we finally had our morning coffee. Bill bought be a great camp-style French press for this trip and it has been great!! I have never made coffee in a French press before – very full-flavored coffee.

Life on the boat has been a fairly easy adjustment for us. No doubt our experience as RVers has helped immensely. We are used to close quarters and to behaving civilly with one another. The galley and head are even smaller than our travel trailer, but the Taurus seats at the dinette are more comfortable than the seating in the Nash.

My biggest worry has been Pogo’s potty ritual. We bought a Potty Patch for use on the boat and he has shown absolutely no inclination to use it. Therefore, Bill has had to “dinghy the dog” to shore a couple of times.

And here they are now…

Today we put in 69 miles – from Appletree Cove, across Puget Sound, up the east side of Whidbey Island, through Deception Pass and into the San Juan Islands. This evening we are tied to a mooring buoy in a cove at James Island State Park. What a glorious day and evening!

Here is a photo of the Bonaroo in front of Mt. Baker. She looks good, doesn’t she?

We are getting better and better at our GPS skills and have been plotting our waypoints correctly.

Hope you are all having a wonderful week – we’ll be in touch!

2010-07-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2010 Happy Independence Day!!!

With a great deal of help from our friend Chuck Palumbo, we launched the Bonaroo at Port Townsend. Shortly thereafter, we realized that the fuel tank had a locking cap and we had no key! Bill and Chuck started drilling out the fuel cap while I went to West Marine for a replacement. The replacement was the wrong size – back to West Marine for another cap that was not a good fit, but Bill made work. After taking the boat out in the bay for a trial spin, Chuck tinkered with the carburetor for better idling. We took Chuck back to the dock, spent more than $300 for gas (gasp!), and were on our way.

We had an uneventful, smooth trip to Illahee State Park where we tied up for the night. We disrupted the crabbers and squid snaggers who were using the dock, and Bill did a professional job of docking the boat.

Pogo keeping an eye on the cook!

4th of July in Port Orchard – took my sister and her husband for a cruise around Blake Island and into Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island. Scads of boats out on a holiday in Puget Sound.

Beautiful homes on Bainbridge Island

Sailboats, cruise ships, Seattle in the background.

July 5, 2010

“The cop climbed out of his car exactly four minutes before he got shot.” This is the opening line from a Lee Child book starring Jack Reacher – I wish that my blog entries were as riveting!! I’m just not much of a humorous or exciting writer. Oh well, if you get too bored, I guess you will just stop reading!

Stayed in Pt. Orchard for an extra day to do some more work on the boat. Turned out to be a beautiful afternoon after an overcast and cool morning. We think that we will be ready to head north tomorrow. Sure was quiet here on the dock after all of the 4th of July festivities! Met some nice people on a boat (big boat!) named the Big Sky. The boat is from Seattle, so I just had to ask if they were at least FROM Montana. The woman said that her husband was born and raised there and that, since when boating we are always under the big sky, they chose that name for their beloved boat.

Take care, everyone, and have a great summer!

Countdown to Launch (cont.)

2010-06-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm trying something new to get photos to upload. Here I am painting the ceiling and installing laminate flooring (with Pogo's help, of course).

And this is the Bonaroo!

Countdown to Launch

2010-06-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hi, all! It has been 3.5 years since I posted to this blog, so bear with me! We are finished working on the cabin for the summer - whew! Bill and I accomplished most of what we wanted to complete - new front door with knob and lock, painting and covering plywood gaps in the ceiling, installing flooring, installing wiring in bathroom, more work on plumbing, insulating the walls in bathroom, putting up sheetrock, taping sheetrock, new doors in bathroom, new wiring and lighting in main cabin, installing wood/gas stove, new propane tank and propane lines into cabin. I think that's about it. Next step is to texture and paint bathroom walls, insulate ceiling in bathroom, finish ceiling and put in flooring. We may not get to that until next year. Then we can finally place the bathroom fixtures - woo, hoo!!

Now, we are loading the truck and travel trailer with gear for the Bonaroo (our new - to us - 28' Bayliner Victoria cabin cruiser). Our expected launch date is July 1 at Port Townsend. Our friends Chuck and Peggy Palumbo have agreed to let us store our truck and boat trailer on their lot while we are cruising, saving us big bucks.

2006-11-12T07:40:00.000-08:00

Howdy! Yes, we are indeed back in Montana and it is 21 degrees!! And to think that just a few days ago we were in Florida complaining about the humidity and the bugs. We turned around from the Florida Keys on November 3rd and seemed to be headed in the wrong direction, judging by the number of RV's we passed. We spent two nights in St. Louis visiting Barb's friends Paul and Isabel. They were generous hosts and it was wonderful to visit with them and their kids (and I use the term loosely) again. We drove downtown to the new Busch Stadium - very retro - the home of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals!! We visited the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the Chihully blown glass exhibit. And, of course, we had to buy a bag of "slyders" at White Castle. Greasy, tasty little burgers that are a tradition for Barb when she visits St. Louis.
Then we drove to South Dakota and established residency there - our new address is 3700 S. Westport Ave., #1063, Sioux Falls, SD 57106-6360. Things go around in circles - Barb's father was born and raised in South Dakota. We woke up in an RV park in the Badlands on Friday Morning to 4" of snow - we gotta get going and get where it's warm!! We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD and at Wall Drug - what a hoot! We visited Mt. Rushmore and the as yetunfinished Crazy Horse Monument. Then it was on to Rapid City for a visit with Barb's Aunt Audrey and cousins Linda, Rodger and his family. It was a nice visit, but too short. Next time we will stay longer, when there is no snow on the ground!
We have had a wonderful trip and have seen just a few of the beautiful regions of this country. We have made some new friends and have re-acquainted with some old ones. When we do this again, we will allow more time in each locale and less time on the road. Now it is on to Plains, MT, Florence, OR, Redding, CA, Death Valley, and Phoenix! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Barb and Bill

Florida!!

2006-11-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

Flooded street in Key West

Barb with cousins Jim and Olga A nice sunset at Bahia Honda State Park

Roosting white ibis

With cousins Jim and Marisa Alligator!!

After we left Bill's sister Kathy and her husband Ron, we headed south to Naples on the gulf coast. My friend Ann was visiting her mother and brothers and we dropped by for a brief visit. Ann and Barb have been friends for 30 years and Barb had never met any of Ann's family - time to fix that! We had a nice visit at Mrs. Goetten's house and Ann gave us a tour of the beach and pier in Naples. Bill was blown away by the growth in the Naples area since he was there last (47 years ago). We visited the Big Cypress National Reserve and Everglades National Park. We viewed many species of wading birds never seen by Barb before - wood stork, tri-colored heron, little blue heron, great white heron, and a couple that I can't remember right now. Also saw several red-shouldered hawk and a peregrine falcon. We saw at least three dozen alligators - from the safety of the truck! They ranged in length from 6-12 feet. We also had the opportunity to watch the final game of the World Series at a neighbor's camper. He didn't have room for us inside, so we watched through the window while being bitten by mosquitoes! It was worth it - hooray for the Cardinals!!!
We visited Bill's cousin Jim and his wife Marissa in Ft. Lauderdale. These are relatives that Bill has never met, but contacted via e-mail after learning about them through a Google search. Great folks who treated us to a wonderful seafood dinner and a selection of good red wines. Now we have another reason to return to Florida - spend more time with these cousins!
We headed for John Pennecamp State Park on Sunday, October 29. Barb took a snorkeling tour of the Florida Underwater Preserve (part of it anyway). Saw many species of reef fish - just beautiful! She also did some snorkeling over the seagrass flats along one of the keys and saw a sting ray - gave it a wide berth! Bill went fishing and caught a black grouper and a jack crevalle - what a fighter! We had a great time, except for the "no-see-ums". They ate us up on our first night. Bill bought some mosquito coils and we lit one in the camper - got rid of those little devils, so we could get some sleep. Nevertheless, we both look like we have the measles!
We spent two nights at Bahia Honda state park in the lower keys - a beautiful park, but the weather was not condusive to good snorkeling. We went to Key West in the middle of a thunderstorm! Walked along Duval Street and had lunch at Sloppy Joe's - a Key West tradition. The next day, we met Bill's other cousin Jim and his wife Olga. They just happened to be in Key West for the "Meeting of the Minds", an annual Parrothead reunion. These folks are REAL Jimmy Buffett fans! They and their friends are so much fun! It poured down rain all afternoon, so what were we to do but sit on the porch of their B&B drinking beer and shark piss. Shark piss is a mix of equal parts mango, coconut, and pineapple rums - Yikes! Then we made our way through the flooded streets to a Cuban restaurant for dinner. We had never eaten Cuban food and it was very flavorful and yummy. Great time with some fun new friends! Too bad about the weather, but we had a great time anyway.
Today we made the turn and are headed north to Montana with a stop in St. Louis to see Barb's friends Paul and Isabel Allen. More later...

October travels

2006-10-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

Bill and his sister Kathy Bill at the old fort in St. Augustine

On the beach at St. Augustine Charleston, SC

Smokey Mountain fall colors Old grist mill at Smokey Mt. Nat'l. Park

Barb at Marine Corps Memorial Tomb of the Unknowns
Wow! We have covered so much territory since our last post!! It has been difficult to find an internet connection and we have been sooo busy! We spent a few hours with my aunt Edna in Laurelton, PA. She is 93 years od and is sharp as a tack. Her son Raymond and his wife Ruth also came over for a visit ( along with a lemon sponge pie - a real treat). Barb had not seen these relatives since she was a teenager, so it was good to renew acquaintance with them. We spent a day at Gettysburg, driving around the battlefield and reviewing the history of the area.
After that, we camped in Maryland and rode the Metro into Washington, DC for three days. Barb had not been to DC since she was 15 and Bill had never been there, so we had a lot to see. We went to the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Natural Hisory, and the Art Museum. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Women in Military History Memorial, and the WW II Memorial. We also saw the Arlington Naitonal Cemetary and the Iwo Jima Memorial. There is so much to see, we could have spent a week there, but on we went...
We drove to the Smokey Mountains and again were in time for the beautiful fall foliage. Barb ate boiled peanuts for the first time and they were O.K., but she still prefers the roasted variety. We met up with our friends from Van Wert, OH, Ray and Linda, in Pigeon Forge, TN. The home of Dollywood - what a tourist trap!! We had never seen so many gift shops, junk shops, and dinner show places before! Seems like a great place to avoid in the future!
We drove to Charleston, SC and Barb took a bus tour around this beautiful old city. So much history here and a place that she would like to visit again. Last night we spent in St. Augustine, FL - another beautiful historic town and are now in Ft. White, FL visiting Bill's sister Kathy and her husband Ron.
We are enjoying seeing new birds, Spanish moss on the HUGE live oaks, and the Florida weather. We will try to post some photos in the next few days. We have been having a great time and have enjoyed seeing new parts of this beautiful country. If you need some tips on what to see or where to stay, drop us a line and we would be happy to share our experiences.
Stay tuned...

Pennsylvania

2006-10-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

West Quoddy Head Light house, Campobello Island,
New Brunswick with a BIG tide rip
Atlantic salmon pens
Lubec, ME harbor at sunset

East Quoddy lighthouse, ME

During the past week, we spent three days at Acadia National Park - what a beautiful place!
We drove to the top of Cadillac Mt., the tallest mountain on the eastern seaboard and enjoyed a 360 degree view of the Atlantic, islands, bays, and lakes in the immediate area. Most of the land in the park was donated by wealthy people, including the Rockefeller family, who owned summer "cottages" on the island. Rockefellers built miles and miles of carriage roads which are now open for hiking and biking - no traffic! We had a couple of great rides. Then we ventured northeast to Lubec, ME which is the easternmost town in the USA. We had coffee with a couple of local guys who filled us in on some of the history and commercial fishing operations in the Bay of Fundy. We drove across the international bridge to Campobello Island, New Brunswick and saw FDR's summer cottage as well as several lighthouses. The tide swings were 21' last week!
Monday, we turned south back through Maine, NH, and VT. We drove through New York and dropped down into north central Pennsylvania. We are here to visit my 93-year-old aunt before we head to Gettysburg and Washington, DC. Enjoy the photos!

New England Colors

2006-10-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

Barb and Pogo at Bar Harbor, ME On Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park

A Vermont covered bridge

We are now in Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine. The weather has cleared and it is colder, but sunny! We have included some photos taken in Vermont and New Hampshire - the "leaf peeping" as they call it here, is wonderful. We ate the obligatory fresh Maine lobster dinner last night - Oh, boy! So sweet and tasty! I guess we are eating our way through New England, having stopped at Ben & Jerry's creamery as well as the Cabot Cheddar Cheese factory. Well, the weather was crummy - whadda ya gonna do? We have seen some beautifully maintained old homes and farms. The economy seems to be much better in Vermont and New Hampshire than it is in Maine. We have run into some "Mainiacs" speaking "Maine - ese". No r's in their vocabulary. We will be staying in this area until Sunday and will head up the coast a bit further before heading to Pennsylvania to visit Barb's mother's hometown of Lewisburg and her 93-year-old aunt in Laurelton. Then on to Washington, D.C.

Photos

2006-09-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Parking at Sam's Club in Niagara Falls, Barb on the upper Hudson River in the Adirondaks.

Bill at Niagara Falls, the crowd in our blue bags on the Maid of the Mist approaching Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls.

Pogo and me at Niagara Falls, Barb and Scott Belknap at the start of the Masabi Trail in Grand Rapids, MN, and new friends Ray and Linda St. Clair at Van Wert, OH.
O.K., here are some photos from our past week...

Beautiful New York State

2006-09-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here we are in beautiful Lake George, NY! The day started out badly - we boondocked on the grass at a boat ramp access site and it rained most of the night. You guessed it - we couldn't even get out of the mud in 4-wheel drive - AAAARRGGGHHH! A tow truck came to the rescue and we were off, if a bit later than we planned. The skies have cleared and the rest of the day has been great! We toured the Sarasota National Historic Park and saw battle sites from the revolutionary war. Beautiful scenery and a history lesson, to boot.
Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown - fascinating stuff for an old baseball fan like me! If you have never been and you are even a "sort-of" baseball fan, it is worth the time. The town is full of beautifully restored and maintained homes and stores. The Otesega Hotel and clubhouse at the Leatherstocking Golf Club is stunning! A beautiful 4-storey brick mansion with over 100 rooms.
Prior to that, we spent a day and evening at Niagara Falls and were very glad we did - the ride on the "Maid of the Mist" was awesome! They take you right to the base of Horseshoe Falls; the falls are on three sides of the boat and it feels as though you are nearly under the water. Very wet ride, but spectacular! We had a New York-style deli lunch, that even my New York-born brother-in-law would have approved! MMMMMmmm! We waited and waited for them to illuminate the falls in the evening and it was worth the wait - very dramatic!
Tomorrow we will drive into the Adirondack State Park before heading to Vermont and New Hampshire. Will post photos when we locate the card reader ;(

Escapade

2006-09-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Van Wert, OH! Where?!? We are at an Escapee's rally called an Escapade and we were relieved to learn that we are NOT the youngest ones here. We are attending seminars on many useful topic such as "Improving your WiFi Experience" and "RVing in Alaska" and "Solar Panels and Electrical Circuits", etc., etc. We have experienced our first rain since we started our tri on 9/1. Otherwise, we are having a great time and learning a lot. We have met some fun folks and have seem some eople who can barely walk, yet they are full-time RVing !!! We will be here until Monday morning and will then be headed to Niagara Falls, searching that part of the country for Lebanon bologna. Hope that all is well with you...

2006-09-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

We're back in the USA after a wonderful trip to Canadian parks and the Royal Tyrell Museum. The museum has an elaborate display of dinosaur skeletons and a tremendous amount of information about paleontology - we spent three hours there and could have spent even longer, but info overload took effect! We are currently visiting a former Missoula All-Maggot friend of mine, Scott Belknap and his wife Jeanne in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Having a wonderful visit and remembering our misspent youth. Beautiful part of Minnesota - everyone lives on a lake or across the street from one. Here are some photos from Jasper and Banff parks and one of Bill and T. rex -

Canadian Travels

2006-09-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Jasper National Park! What can we say - incredible, spectacular mountains all around!! We heard the elk bugling from our camp site last night and saw "mouflons sur la route" (bighorn sheep on the road) today. Bill spotted a big, fat black bear eating grain under the rail cars in the town of Jasper.
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday at Wells Gray Provincial Park in B.C. We watched chinook salmon jumping in the falls and waled to several towering waterfalls. We camped by the river and enjoyed the sound of the water as we slept.
So far, the weather has been beautiful and tomorrow we are heading to Lake Louise and Banff National Park. I can't believe we don't have to go back to work next week!!
Love to you all - Barb and Bill

Getting Ready

2006-08-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

Bill and I are getting ready to leave Plains, MT after having spent a productive and fun two months here. We have gotten to know our neighbors and they are the BEST! Bill improved the shallow well and installed an electric pump - no more handpumping water to the 5th wheel! Whew! He cleaned up some buildings, burned two big piles of old debris, cleared some brush, built stairs down to the river, etc., etc. I waged war on weeds by hand-to-hand combat and chemical warfare. We have several piles of debris ready to burn next spring when we get the O.K. from the Forest Service.
On Friday, we will head for White Salmon, WA to attend my friend Ayme's wedding and on Sunday we will take off on our tour to Jasper and Banff National Parks in Canada and on to Minnesota, Ohio, New England, The east coast, Florida, and back here from there.
Stay tuned...