tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27639826410311475622024-03-13T15:11:42.844-07:00Our Salish AireThe kids and grand-kids have moved out of town, retirement is coming, we've decided to move our dream of many years to reality. We've sold, given away, or donated most of our belongings and bought a boat for a home. Our 1996 Nordhavn 46 was designed to create adventures, now Clarice, Norman, and Jarvis the dog plan to help it do what it was made for.Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-10451437913772956882021-09-03T17:46:00.004-07:002021-09-03T17:48:05.548-07:00<p> <span style="font-size: large;">We have now transitioned to our new blog at <a href="https://claricenorman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Life's Adventures</a> if you wish to follow our continuing tales of our life. (We wanted to leave <i><b>Our Salish Aire </b></i>intact as many folks who want to live on a boat use it as a reference.)</span></p>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-8042171517946494872021-05-31T20:02:00.001-07:002021-05-31T20:03:59.699-07:00Transition from Salish Aire the boat to Lacey home and Salish Airstream<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">May 29, 2021<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So what does one do when your blog is about traveling in a
boat named Salish Aire and you no longer own that boat?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now the blog will keep its current name
and we will transition the theme to our life after Salish Aire (which has
already happened to a great extent as we described our travels in Salish
Airstream).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Background: In case
you missed the last installment we decided to sell Salish Aire when we realized
that while we have really really loved living on her and traveling on her the
work involved is starting to get to be closer to the fun of the adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had planned to stay on her for another few
years but never wanted to wait until we “hated” living aboard before we chose
to sell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case a side effect of
the Covid pandemic has been that boats are a hot commodity and we had several
people cold-call us asking if we would consider selling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally selling a boat like Salish Aire
involves a 1 – 2 year process during which time the seller has to pay for moorage
and upkeep on the boat while trying to make sure it is available to be shown
whenever the broker has a potential customer. We were able to sell her in about
an hour to some really nice folks who were familiar with her from a prior
visit.)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We left off the last blog in the Southwest United States
with buyers for Salish Aire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jumping
around in time a bit we will start with describing how the sale proceeded as
indeed Dan and Angie Freerksen did buy the boat and are currently learning
about her as they sail around the San Juan Islands and other points in Puget
Sound (the southern area of the Salish Sea).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After dropping our Grandson off at the Airport in Phoenix Arizona (more
on that later) we drove straight through to Bakersfield California and then on
up to Olympia Washington after only two more overnight stops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived back at the boat on March 29<sup>th</sup>
and immediately set about prepping her for selling and removing our belongings
to my sister’s house where they would fill part of one bay of the garage (on
one hand my brother-in-law commented that he wondered how it had all been
stored on the boat and on the other hand it was a pretty small pile considering
it was everything we had to move).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We had about 2 weeks prep time to find out why the diesel
furnace had been acting up (again) while our boat sitter was on the boat (it
turned out to be a hole in a fuel line – easy to repair but it took me forever
to find it). We had already purchased new standing rigging (all of the cables
that support the outriggers) and since it was custom cut and non-returnable we
installed it the same afternoon we arrived on the boat (the Freerksen’s were
very appreciative as the new rigging should last at least ten years). Clarice
was not about to hand off the boat without it being cleaned from stem to stern
so she buffed and scrubbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran all of
the systems at least long enough to confirm they were working and then the
Freerksens arrived on April 11<sup>th</sup> to begin a week of sea trials and
inspections of the boat all of which we found very stressful.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Salish Aire ran perfectly for her initial sea trial and then
we had promised we would take care of transporting her north for the
inspections (called surveys in the boating world) and final transfer of
ownership in Anacortes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first leg
took us to Everett to the same marina where we had lived for 3 years when we
first purchased the boat. Since we had a couple of extra days we enjoyed the
ride and all looked good for the upcoming surveys but Salish Aire was getting
suspicious and decided to act out. It seemed excessive to us but the Freerksens
wanted 2 full days of surveys and sea trials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the end they did uncover several issues we had been unaware of (or
that Salish Aire decided to use as ways of showing she was still in control).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As background our fuel, engine antifreeze, and hydraunic
heating fluid are all tinted red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
Mexico there has been red stains down the side of the main engine most of which
were traced to leaking fuel return seals which were replaced a couple of years
ago (but we have never gotten the stains completely cleaned off).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has also been a consistent red spot
that develops on the white bilge “diapers” under the main engine which we have
never been able to track down (in several thousand sea miles the spot grew to
about 4 inches in diameter) to being fuel, hydraunic fluid, or antifreeze (this
was not for lack of trying). The first survey team saw the spot and was sure
that since it was directly below the fuel injection pump (a very expensive
part) it was fuel and was a major issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They also noticed fuel leaking behind (next to the outer wall 4” away)
from the wing engine – this was a surprise to us and we hoped it was just minor
spillage from topping off a fuel filter a couple of days before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day the engine surveyor looked at
the same spot on the diaper and was sure it was antifreeze but couldn’t
determine where it was coming from until he had us run the engine RPM up higher
than we ever had in the 7 years we had owned the boat which revealed a leaking
gasket as the source (tightening the bolt over the gasket stopped the leak but
we explained to the new owners it should be replaced before the boat is taken
on an extended voyage).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also found
the area of the leaking fuel on the wing engine and got very worked up about an
oil layer in the coolant reservoir on the wing engine – to say the least I was
very frustrated that my boat I was so very proud of was not performing as I
expected.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Backing up to our last trip in Puget Sound before taking off
for several months in the trailer, Clarice had noticed a coolant leak from the
wing engine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To make a long story short
the leak was finally addressed by replacing a cracked heat exchanger which cost
about $3000 as I recall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had replaced
all of the hoses on the wing engine at one time or another except for a fuel
return hose that runs under the heat exchanger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With the old heat exchanger removed I took advantage of easy access to
the hose and replaced it except that I didn’t have new metal washers to replace
the old ones on the fitting at one end of the hose so I reused the originals
and figured I could replace them later if they leaked which I didn’t expect as
I have reused similar (but slightly different) washers in the past without
problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I put the new heat
exchanger on and filled it with coolant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By that time I was pretty tired but went ahead and completed the last
step of the switch out which was to run the engine and check for leaks (at that
time I didn’t see any) while letting any remaining air in the coolant system
work its way out followed by a final topping off of the coolant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OOPS, for the final top off I grabbed the
wrong bottle and dumped about 1/8 cup of engine oil in the coolant reservoir rather
than coolant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few swear words I
thought it through and decided that since oil itself is not a problem in the
coolant system (it is only a problem if it is coming from the engine – the leak
is the issue not the oil) I decided to just keep dipping the oil off the top as
it all eventually floated to the top except I forgot about the oil until it was
discovered by the engine surveyor who was sure it was from a leak and indicated
a failing engine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he was still
present with the help of the boat broker we were working with we were able to
demonstrate that the oil present under the reservoir cap was only an about 1/16
inch layer and it was sitting on top of clean coolant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After he left I figured out that the reused
washers were the source of the fuel leak (the boat broker let me know that the
particular style of washer was infamous for leaking if they were reused) and
was able to get a newer style set of washers for under a dollar at the local
chandlery and had them installed within 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A run of the wing engine on our final leg
from Everett to Anacortes demonstrated the leak was fixed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The final frustration was a delay in getting the results of
oil analysis that were being done by a remote lab when the lab’s testing
machine broke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The buyers were tried to
calm our nerves by reassuring us that they had no plan to back out of the deal
but only wanted to know any problems that might haunt them later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case the deal did close and the
proceeds of the sale were transferred to our account on April 28<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later the same day we used the funds to close
the purchase of a house.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDwIOTVe6crmQJv31g8jLkVFXdAYuyy6ksNALwziaZgtaKVC1kLfB2OH1cRByGBlk_0ZmQr9NfIyFGqF8A-iXb4T_RJLb73RCoPTIEG90spwzvgIGlct05VCdl484cYy5jbEzJIyDt9iE/s1255/IMG_2336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDwIOTVe6crmQJv31g8jLkVFXdAYuyy6ksNALwziaZgtaKVC1kLfB2OH1cRByGBlk_0ZmQr9NfIyFGqF8A-iXb4T_RJLb73RCoPTIEG90spwzvgIGlct05VCdl484cYy5jbEzJIyDt9iE/s320/IMG_2336.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sailing north out of Olympia under the Tacoma Narrows Bridge for the final time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(The photo has a blue cast from being taking through the boat windshield - it seemed to fit our mood.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj2k5Fpmq4y-0EON04EeL41idkNTdI6uGyvxt4VaRF_iBJ00h7SMn5Wf7oNGzDXHCRGBzMf87eIJKO8-wU6GZEe5TV2E7qiz_XBrbXqVF97U32weN1G751CAlbhq7lm2CMtOfCg_dQye7/s1255/IMG_2367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj2k5Fpmq4y-0EON04EeL41idkNTdI6uGyvxt4VaRF_iBJ00h7SMn5Wf7oNGzDXHCRGBzMf87eIJKO8-wU6GZEe5TV2E7qiz_XBrbXqVF97U32weN1G751CAlbhq7lm2CMtOfCg_dQye7/s320/IMG_2367.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our final day as operators of Salish Aire as we headed</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">out of Everett, north via the Swinomish Channel and under</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the La Connor Rainbow Bridge.</div><p class="MsoNormal">Before we move on we will back the story up to why we were
dropping our grandson off at the Phoenix airport. Months before we had arranged to have a camp
site in Grand Canyon National Park (which is a big deal as the sites are
reserved within a very short time of reservations for the season opening). We hoped that our son and his whole family
could join us but it turned out that with a new job and a new baby and the pandemic
still a threat only our 18 y/o grandson Etienne came to visit. As this visit was so long in planning we
decided to stay in the southwest until he left.
We took the time to look at houses in Tucson Arizona (50 page HOA
agreements were a huge factor in our decision to move on). We visited a nursing friend of mine who had
retired to the area, checked out the desert museum and other fun stuff. Finally
Etienne’s spring break arrived and he flew down to meet us. </p><p class="MsoNormal">One change we had made to Salish Airstream between our Ontario trip and our trip to the Southwest was adding a very fancy (and expensive) ProPride hitch designed to make the travel much more comfortable by removing trailer sway. It Works!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0UmgrdZcAO0xi-EugqAffcsmmiiZthD5f_0HTUUZ49SxVTCx9srByvEvgV87nFO2c54xTHRF4ITiWX2pYswrwXg7bR2Bd-nVCgtywgK36j48S4537IyVwh5XP21x9nZs2_SRpNyHoIZA/s1255/IMG_2277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0UmgrdZcAO0xi-EugqAffcsmmiiZthD5f_0HTUUZ49SxVTCx9srByvEvgV87nFO2c54xTHRF4ITiWX2pYswrwXg7bR2Bd-nVCgtywgK36j48S4537IyVwh5XP21x9nZs2_SRpNyHoIZA/s320/IMG_2277.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Connecting to a ProPride brand hitch means aiming a </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">square "stinger" off the truck into this square hole. Its</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">not too hard once we got used to it.</div><div><br /></div>Some final travel photos of the Southwest as we waited for Etienne to have Spring Break and fly down.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxwW1glYjx6_X78LYWI1j8Zh4fwYxgJRcyLXFjbIWjq4scRDseP8QMxVejkcEf2pjEJxUgjtFg3Y89eu2724iVruFQ2rVF4wjBPmy9hh6L6mtOSVEB5QHLWawsXKryswaKJOuT2Axy63U/s1255/BPIZ4979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxwW1glYjx6_X78LYWI1j8Zh4fwYxgJRcyLXFjbIWjq4scRDseP8QMxVejkcEf2pjEJxUgjtFg3Y89eu2724iVruFQ2rVF4wjBPmy9hh6L6mtOSVEB5QHLWawsXKryswaKJOuT2Axy63U/s320/BPIZ4979.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We helped a close friend move into his house he bought </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">in Ajo Arizona to use while he is working at the Mexican</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">border station. The first thing we discovered was a broken pipe </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to his septic tank - while he headed off to work Clarice and I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Managed to get it dug up and patched.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0EOFjz0JWrUOR0ovkFiA4CM8aP-QEPNK8loJKkVU-cMVQ4BAHuKORQ4v7vyjqaeu3XxG7bQMrw8MK8J598z0YgJ0fAXKYgw15jN04ySXy10bZUinxtLafFGOGwH1GcJOz7fqGjAc5Yee/s1255/RORU1039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="706" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0EOFjz0JWrUOR0ovkFiA4CM8aP-QEPNK8loJKkVU-cMVQ4BAHuKORQ4v7vyjqaeu3XxG7bQMrw8MK8J598z0YgJ0fAXKYgw15jN04ySXy10bZUinxtLafFGOGwH1GcJOz7fqGjAc5Yee/s320/RORU1039.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Repairs to the sewer line underway.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41756SAFbPwgBIQE0LIHgLyY08FVWyh6TpG5gGkBlRYsEZ48SjqpZ-ankLbcBergwI5BgP3IrIX6J_6CbLdZ-3-ot0oCtbUMlRFbo9dsZnZOkoaJEXHIZIxUVidQLYH_kxdTJqUiNoc23/s1255/DSCF2915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41756SAFbPwgBIQE0LIHgLyY08FVWyh6TpG5gGkBlRYsEZ48SjqpZ-ankLbcBergwI5BgP3IrIX6J_6CbLdZ-3-ot0oCtbUMlRFbo9dsZnZOkoaJEXHIZIxUVidQLYH_kxdTJqUiNoc23/s320/DSCF2915.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyamW_gDM0xQrNUDJ-BBxxPPAbZAYh0_W1-lhQQ9n1CP_10oKv6Nal5_MVgVYl9yMUOXZjJFMhBuFIPO6U9jB1KjWS3exjaSNQxIsH6nPpM8AzGegtR9ew00BqnO6qxNemDhCFdp3EYMlu/s1255/DSCF5998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyamW_gDM0xQrNUDJ-BBxxPPAbZAYh0_W1-lhQQ9n1CP_10oKv6Nal5_MVgVYl9yMUOXZjJFMhBuFIPO6U9jB1KjWS3exjaSNQxIsH6nPpM8AzGegtR9ew00BqnO6qxNemDhCFdp3EYMlu/s320/DSCF5998.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Desert rainbow and windmills</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HUzpV_PwqDHDn6BoHddkawFbI0ZvB5g-PWfRmPjvselQ0BU2Vf1rskjXcsrrUkDcVzq95p_Fwdm8O5WK3xtMoX4KzVQ96znDmmSpP9I9TOpMNQz-40I45LhrDeYAIX-8wKtQbTU6-dss/s1255/DSCF6062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-HUzpV_PwqDHDn6BoHddkawFbI0ZvB5g-PWfRmPjvselQ0BU2Vf1rskjXcsrrUkDcVzq95p_Fwdm8O5WK3xtMoX4KzVQ96znDmmSpP9I9TOpMNQz-40I45LhrDeYAIX-8wKtQbTU6-dss/s320/DSCF6062.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Painted rocks BLM park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwIA_B4kduaqLQ9JI79otMxozGBgBu2hAw8UQrguqV8Uqamjo5J0pbvmWsO9LpWK7FFAnj6A2xYkdlbxyh5vvVDkwCqbgKlOuNBLKjxh6jM6DktVpTOuuoZVMY8SCT5sj4f-3ImJg54XY/s1255/DSCF6098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwIA_B4kduaqLQ9JI79otMxozGBgBu2hAw8UQrguqV8Uqamjo5J0pbvmWsO9LpWK7FFAnj6A2xYkdlbxyh5vvVDkwCqbgKlOuNBLKjxh6jM6DktVpTOuuoZVMY8SCT5sj4f-3ImJg54XY/s320/DSCF6098.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Retired copper mine in Ajo Arizona. For scale each</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">terrace originally had a railroad track on it and to </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">get a fully loaded train from the bottom to the top took </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">4 hours.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUQYhapLjD2aLGDpxPpasR5J2blS-deaqLDMSeYFcyJ1PHtgrpj90OHLBNPP8LaZc_bzCz34aTRe9Rmv5RAwJThrsE85IIul79q5_qmVgElj2JKQMCrfK8woYDV3Byy8EYUiw_nCurIb7/s1255/DSCF6160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUQYhapLjD2aLGDpxPpasR5J2blS-deaqLDMSeYFcyJ1PHtgrpj90OHLBNPP8LaZc_bzCz34aTRe9Rmv5RAwJThrsE85IIul79q5_qmVgElj2JKQMCrfK8woYDV3Byy8EYUiw_nCurIb7/s320/DSCF6160.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurmCZe63rPVQn78P3CJk8UqergVzjvSznLRZ0MluhvklmRVz3vHRvquAqfL2YH31gd3YfdF04dTHgcv_jDPrlnuQVtbn4X78MqKBPsCqs1NE2-MjnebqZK63l4d-7KF6Neatq45DcpWZI/s1255/IMG_2275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurmCZe63rPVQn78P3CJk8UqergVzjvSznLRZ0MluhvklmRVz3vHRvquAqfL2YH31gd3YfdF04dTHgcv_jDPrlnuQVtbn4X78MqKBPsCqs1NE2-MjnebqZK63l4d-7KF6Neatq45DcpWZI/s320/IMG_2275.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Staying in our friends' driveway in San Diego while we </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">waited for our first covid shots and a truck repair we got</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to attend an in-person church service for the first time in months.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsc6BAd_HuiTKlO7u-o170QD80JzeMKE63wzLw6EF0mMLXVvl7wm9JKGSYGq_jVXEYl4U5UyYsqtsAohB7x-n72NisiF7zncLbAzDFoAF0fHTCCpp2TroZAJMU0WDcZIsbyc2RP_XB_rJ/s1255/IMG_2291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsc6BAd_HuiTKlO7u-o170QD80JzeMKE63wzLw6EF0mMLXVvl7wm9JKGSYGq_jVXEYl4U5UyYsqtsAohB7x-n72NisiF7zncLbAzDFoAF0fHTCCpp2TroZAJMU0WDcZIsbyc2RP_XB_rJ/s320/IMG_2291.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A cayote wanders the street in Ajo Arizona</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh0okYpNw9haX_p_apPLEnF89Hc4X8O0H-KMjk5V2j8kQ5-f8qE4K-wpTv-53sIDRQdbutFRz7ivXNUv2tZikQpFS_26Z8P4eMHCCVPE8pWy-bJLxAR1aon8IQMQ5NSiGeIzFUdsdgxbZ/s1255/IMG_2294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh0okYpNw9haX_p_apPLEnF89Hc4X8O0H-KMjk5V2j8kQ5-f8qE4K-wpTv-53sIDRQdbutFRz7ivXNUv2tZikQpFS_26Z8P4eMHCCVPE8pWy-bJLxAR1aon8IQMQ5NSiGeIzFUdsdgxbZ/s320/IMG_2294.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYTHrdzVAzB3F-creSWYwO-oDOCwGkzjaiow69rSXO72JuxlUf3jfSmqbaQag8hAjJCdU3khlTIOMGLR_To_Z_t5z1sPoz_xHK-53HgP4myx4DWB7uNbOqLN41V4Q-hRckzBg33sN8Elc/s1255/IMG_2298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYTHrdzVAzB3F-creSWYwO-oDOCwGkzjaiow69rSXO72JuxlUf3jfSmqbaQag8hAjJCdU3khlTIOMGLR_To_Z_t5z1sPoz_xHK-53HgP4myx4DWB7uNbOqLN41V4Q-hRckzBg33sN8Elc/s320/IMG_2298.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clarice has gotten pretty good at cutting my hair between</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">remote travels and the pandemic.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzC4ex1Qtld-bTEtEukQJO4LCY5LW85UitzzMNj1sKzR4YNm0P2q2LZNgU8lcl6O10rpISSk_raLOAIq9Hjc1pTyqx6loks2dZKhdKVIiJN4hji7ZEnaeKYcisSL20DX9Y24WBMOX9BHg4/s1255/IMG_2302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzC4ex1Qtld-bTEtEukQJO4LCY5LW85UitzzMNj1sKzR4YNm0P2q2LZNgU8lcl6O10rpISSk_raLOAIq9Hjc1pTyqx6loks2dZKhdKVIiJN4hji7ZEnaeKYcisSL20DX9Y24WBMOX9BHg4/s320/IMG_2302.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Superstition mountains next to our campsite waiting for Etienne to arrive.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAt5HGOdR91irjE_mHzB_mYDVeR-AP9ogngA83BAjl82k9fR7CunhIfxpiAn52uuC_SuuY15d0-OIhw-pzGiRoLgWAluvwCVRnkM-bFmEUGyyf6dmkBY9wmOT3VEwTlfTg0EC_tQEPFqBl/s1255/IMG_2334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAt5HGOdR91irjE_mHzB_mYDVeR-AP9ogngA83BAjl82k9fR7CunhIfxpiAn52uuC_SuuY15d0-OIhw-pzGiRoLgWAluvwCVRnkM-bFmEUGyyf6dmkBY9wmOT3VEwTlfTg0EC_tQEPFqBl/s320/IMG_2334.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My mom got some free dog cloths she was sure would </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">fit Jarvis, the only things that did were two tropical shirts, he </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">seems really excited to wear them (yeah right!).</div><br /><div><p class="MsoNormal">The plan was to set up camp and I would stay with Jarvis
while Clarice and Etienne tried to get a stand-by spot in Phantom Ranch at the
bottom of the Canyon. This plan was
quickly thwarted by snow. I have always
wanted to see the canyon in snow and I got my wish the first morning after we
arrived and it WAS BEAUTIFUL!! It was also
slippery and even the mule trips were cancelled. The second morning the sun came out and
Etienne was finally able to see the Canyon in all of its majesty. The only
lingering issue was I was short of breath with the 7000 ft elevation with ANY
exertion. I tried using my albuterol
“rescue” inhaler which did very little for my breathing but the anxiety side
effect was overwhelming and I had to walk away from the views of the rim. After
3 days the weather forecast changed back to another snowstorm coming and we
decided the prudent thing was to leave and not take a chance of getting stuck
inside the park. After a really nice
visit with our grandson we dropped him at the airport at 6 AM and started our
fast pull back to Olympia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrb7DnJWtvnvchHfaD3sNCEXm1ZunfC-rMidXQ8GxmXMBo15vkAlJ7v2SL8r20oMcXhkV6PgWcZlNgwEJJqOdmxO5-q5v0_VvId95u6EyYNu7g8ovWt7VP_GlVPC7TSghe66pXr_UQNhs/s1255/DSCF6167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrb7DnJWtvnvchHfaD3sNCEXm1ZunfC-rMidXQ8GxmXMBo15vkAlJ7v2SL8r20oMcXhkV6PgWcZlNgwEJJqOdmxO5-q5v0_VvId95u6EyYNu7g8ovWt7VP_GlVPC7TSghe66pXr_UQNhs/s320/DSCF6167.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cliff dwellings on the way to Grand Canyon</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwY87aQPReYEDIhv_eOpLhXPI6MXp9ymIezRpzSr7GAa5AbgxADrSF8dTMNnzJ3ICfaR8FW5Q0029Vkx_v2gwZ-xxpoGrA1wZkBjCwCwjoybp4k6ZcKsYMflWOpmf_gnvz1bIbXxrmShY/s1255/DSCF6185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwY87aQPReYEDIhv_eOpLhXPI6MXp9ymIezRpzSr7GAa5AbgxADrSF8dTMNnzJ3ICfaR8FW5Q0029Vkx_v2gwZ-xxpoGrA1wZkBjCwCwjoybp4k6ZcKsYMflWOpmf_gnvz1bIbXxrmShY/s320/DSCF6185.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cliff dwellings on the way to Grand Canyon</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8OKTw_NDvnWsR-5UIRa8z_2gR5ZDfAXJ3WbWgGBGazyPnRE-pC5Y1M-tadq4Cvs0cvjBde1Iemb10aP3q3GYFtVw7OlAulSd0lB_VLV74HPQfRhQ5TQHCFegAhy-_djPKtSguHZnIW4u/s1255/DSCF2929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8OKTw_NDvnWsR-5UIRa8z_2gR5ZDfAXJ3WbWgGBGazyPnRE-pC5Y1M-tadq4Cvs0cvjBde1Iemb10aP3q3GYFtVw7OlAulSd0lB_VLV74HPQfRhQ5TQHCFegAhy-_djPKtSguHZnIW4u/s320/DSCF2929.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">South Rim Grand Canyon in the snow.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUImwfCTSV9Y58ZTzTpBLwlBb4Ge1Pk_0ROGRKrCHSgz6aQdDOSO9d4X6jvNKCJfHuYm-GAWnGngdNM41ahBZRJ7PXAFD900HdK2qCJXBD0ohm_LYL7vUibeVGNss2LU0Fcgv8JxOyYb6/s1255/DSCF2937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUImwfCTSV9Y58ZTzTpBLwlBb4Ge1Pk_0ROGRKrCHSgz6aQdDOSO9d4X6jvNKCJfHuYm-GAWnGngdNM41ahBZRJ7PXAFD900HdK2qCJXBD0ohm_LYL7vUibeVGNss2LU0Fcgv8JxOyYb6/s320/DSCF2937.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">South Rim Grand Canyon in the snow.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDrpIG5WMG95afP1asLBIi6G-wVPXgrRZwCBENyemgB_EunYhx6bZDjDLbdBRZ_LiPw62j7GycN7UwQfOMa2vbyRlraYVhRcQ4fND-KojySu4o_btTMdghudaKU5q3LDSKngnuoX5DU0T/s1255/DSCF2943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDrpIG5WMG95afP1asLBIi6G-wVPXgrRZwCBENyemgB_EunYhx6bZDjDLbdBRZ_LiPw62j7GycN7UwQfOMa2vbyRlraYVhRcQ4fND-KojySu4o_btTMdghudaKU5q3LDSKngnuoX5DU0T/s320/DSCF2943.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Morning after the snow storm</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp20IFfeFn0GPQd5_Rj74gQok0y5XraTBHMuco9EHE7YrfAGNS_NuVhBtCusZKOl4k8lKhs_aqNqHFRo7rSN76I6nbYpDvHLamqnI_7qyEPrkdcZ9gWgnYsnd3_t4TUz-iWLbtmi0JiMf0/s1255/DSCF6191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp20IFfeFn0GPQd5_Rj74gQok0y5XraTBHMuco9EHE7YrfAGNS_NuVhBtCusZKOl4k8lKhs_aqNqHFRo7rSN76I6nbYpDvHLamqnI_7qyEPrkdcZ9gWgnYsnd3_t4TUz-iWLbtmi0JiMf0/s320/DSCF6191.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grand Canyon from the South Rim</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_UqoWytJwcEyLJ_qnAKKQv8IWn0KyDWozuSKsE30Dzf0QDKfGR8BeHJy_Ws_FdAYKWGg6NHJupgvP8t7FNmfJUq3WuClLB3Pqa15q9G1nF6GyxzSOxrBzAepTdZD5aiA0wA-Rub-PFmr/s1255/DSCF6200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_UqoWytJwcEyLJ_qnAKKQv8IWn0KyDWozuSKsE30Dzf0QDKfGR8BeHJy_Ws_FdAYKWGg6NHJupgvP8t7FNmfJUq3WuClLB3Pqa15q9G1nF6GyxzSOxrBzAepTdZD5aiA0wA-Rub-PFmr/s320/DSCF6200.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Herd of elk Grand Canyon NP</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfFjuVDVN2Ql08LKp7DxOiNLOZSkmjJ5kdgjoGnR3aH_gAYepZSDrJvjTjSogi4K88H4ej47MBuhve72BjWLRTQ5WllKAi4IXxcLuYhBTiWwRBIQDSDN4PlLFkaxZcjof-54DYH3BgfAh/s1255/DSCF6216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfFjuVDVN2Ql08LKp7DxOiNLOZSkmjJ5kdgjoGnR3aH_gAYepZSDrJvjTjSogi4K88H4ej47MBuhve72BjWLRTQ5WllKAi4IXxcLuYhBTiWwRBIQDSDN4PlLFkaxZcjof-54DYH3BgfAh/s320/DSCF6216.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Luckily Clarice had her winter coat in the trailer despite </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">traveling in the "Sunny Southwest".</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrfAsb-C6d4IjbNKZpNQ-ncGEpf5sS2Ei0-ZDTWAKFBuTfTvBDGoTDZZ6CwqFGt_I4mYAK5i7QlDYEGE81_MHKrY9wsrTVbPHe9dp9-9wEDcx6VO2IU2kF4vUAGwHsgbHfFMqGIPxZ7_O/s1255/DSCF6221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHrfAsb-C6d4IjbNKZpNQ-ncGEpf5sS2Ei0-ZDTWAKFBuTfTvBDGoTDZZ6CwqFGt_I4mYAK5i7QlDYEGE81_MHKrY9wsrTVbPHe9dp9-9wEDcx6VO2IU2kF4vUAGwHsgbHfFMqGIPxZ7_O/s320/DSCF6221.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">South Rim Grand Canyon in the snow.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_9jOwpNKolPsDMTOXHpKuX-3g1aekuZhefJlniTeH3-3oxtxHXWz1F5I50XLyBqF-Nn9nPo-rmxrCq77c64TiTytP4n2XAQdeapgD34vEKBow24RB5h3BMZW5RJB02kgy1E0c9IqJpzc/s1255/DSCF6228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_9jOwpNKolPsDMTOXHpKuX-3g1aekuZhefJlniTeH3-3oxtxHXWz1F5I50XLyBqF-Nn9nPo-rmxrCq77c64TiTytP4n2XAQdeapgD34vEKBow24RB5h3BMZW5RJB02kgy1E0c9IqJpzc/s320/DSCF6228.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">South Rim Grand Canyon in the snow.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX83LavGXG9nJrWmW1EKMGVydtMJK-KbWmANktNHrWzjeEGsvCqMRcbdNV6kVm3FCHH3L1BtbBQzCAykDd-A4mHQ2NWe_noF0egpqC9gR1sAd61yJcT-ln0hQKk8jKbW0bNSEYnGshLpo0/s1255/DSCF6245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX83LavGXG9nJrWmW1EKMGVydtMJK-KbWmANktNHrWzjeEGsvCqMRcbdNV6kVm3FCHH3L1BtbBQzCAykDd-A4mHQ2NWe_noF0egpqC9gR1sAd61yJcT-ln0hQKk8jKbW0bNSEYnGshLpo0/s320/DSCF6245.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grand Canyon from the South Rim</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mNmYqnCxUYKLf03eqSHWIUYGfYOZn4stMmKtRQ8SF_YRNUk41IOfLjMsyOhP1ZbVpcGuLSBw2qaqsps3CjvGv2875pp6TEpw0frGJmBQZBgoe6LYMlXliQp-XZv9gKCfJQ8dTRGEO7qB/s1255/DSCF6310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mNmYqnCxUYKLf03eqSHWIUYGfYOZn4stMmKtRQ8SF_YRNUk41IOfLjMsyOhP1ZbVpcGuLSBw2qaqsps3CjvGv2875pp6TEpw0frGJmBQZBgoe6LYMlXliQp-XZv9gKCfJQ8dTRGEO7qB/s320/DSCF6310.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grand Canyon from the South Rim</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYrqyR4Q9kTczAdH2Ny_GKGZXfDoCFOIwV_5hFrslEkwxirQDP-6nysGkoGwmZRxxXJ0R9flxKBvSFajI9kma5GqDPyvO8d2y5lvsUDACGJwykX2oiwy4bkhEdkXmjiCOs3NBcTyHyp4X/s1255/IMG_2306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYrqyR4Q9kTczAdH2Ny_GKGZXfDoCFOIwV_5hFrslEkwxirQDP-6nysGkoGwmZRxxXJ0R9flxKBvSFajI9kma5GqDPyvO8d2y5lvsUDACGJwykX2oiwy4bkhEdkXmjiCOs3NBcTyHyp4X/s320/IMG_2306.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Camping at Grand Canyon NP</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTcRCDKx1xcxvYvWawW2_L9MB49mZk6paY45Qu1JHWGaXtj4EyGdXZdG4TFEPl7oZvnKz-O5zEEylxEubkQKn5fQ3EI8F2see-6MvLcgWYPa_1uCRwMMxLIWKYDIijNyCjmpUgCGjiwD0/s1255/IMG_2315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTcRCDKx1xcxvYvWawW2_L9MB49mZk6paY45Qu1JHWGaXtj4EyGdXZdG4TFEPl7oZvnKz-O5zEEylxEubkQKn5fQ3EI8F2see-6MvLcgWYPa_1uCRwMMxLIWKYDIijNyCjmpUgCGjiwD0/s320/IMG_2315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With our grandson Etienne</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpN_1Uof0597-8VNS48aTncp4nrjLEvW8KEfpPmv_s05RpRlOReWJOaaYGnaW8XJsZCgP11uIrZJVLGV_gq1V_juMe7oTF2NGBljRG04p6T4Ck8j-r0BdC89F172slm-ql4ACVpGMxPxS/s1255/IMG_2322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpN_1Uof0597-8VNS48aTncp4nrjLEvW8KEfpPmv_s05RpRlOReWJOaaYGnaW8XJsZCgP11uIrZJVLGV_gq1V_juMe7oTF2NGBljRG04p6T4Ck8j-r0BdC89F172slm-ql4ACVpGMxPxS/s320/IMG_2322.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grand Canyon from the South Rim</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once we had sold the boat on paper we realized we were going
to need a new place to live as Salish Airstream was never meant to be a full
time home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After much discussion,
thinking about the places we had visited in our travels, learning about the
housing markets in California and Arizona, and pondering where we were most
comfortable and were closest to family we decided to localize our hunt to South
Puget Sound in the Olympia area (near where Salish Aire had been moored since
my cancer treatment). What was quickly evident was that if the boat market was
hot the housing market was flaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Houses were going on sale and being sold within a few days often at much
higher prices than the original asking price. With this in mind we had been in
contact with a local realtor who was recommended by a boating friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we were still south we spent a lot of
time virtually looking at houses as we pared down what we really wanted, where
we wanted to be and what we were willing to pay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our final goal was to find a smallish house
with space to keep the Airstream and favorable (or no) HOA regulations,
moderately close to shopping, with good places to walk, in a pleasant
neighborhood, for under $400K.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
expected that we would be looking all through May, possibly into June, and
likely give up and start over in the fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We checked into acting as camp host at a local state park while we were
house hunting but they didn’t need anyone until June (which turned out to be
serendipitous).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end a boating
friend offered that we could stay in the yard of the house they were staying in
a bit north of our search area (which turned out to be a very luxurious setting
by our standards!)<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tyTAvPrUEsBwTN560BePvgGSl27jYXkfXJ7Feegr9bAvP9hQwpCo28Vuu6n6An_-Yhpb2Tv1EbwtcmJ_9JUFZH8T86HzHMaq23b2TJYcALgk1EuYtZQHF4L8vsyzNcecAXcT8Si7KsLC/s1255/IMG_2369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tyTAvPrUEsBwTN560BePvgGSl27jYXkfXJ7Feegr9bAvP9hQwpCo28Vuu6n6An_-Yhpb2Tv1EbwtcmJ_9JUFZH8T86HzHMaq23b2TJYcALgk1EuYtZQHF4L8vsyzNcecAXcT8Si7KsLC/s320/IMG_2369.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our friend and her identical granddaughters who let us </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">camp out in her driveway while we waited for the house to close.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_By5FV8qy1tOpOi0Eem5tAYSWBiEji1sJC-dNvpRJMoRjSGJqi8LbVx4ssWMt3taEDYBfW14fJ2FEeqPtkN2_NGoveKwjv5RDMpWaYLIb5Ybjx2MVqBPZLLu9BYdNSIMS03Q9PPPjyUX6/s1255/IMG_2373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_By5FV8qy1tOpOi0Eem5tAYSWBiEji1sJC-dNvpRJMoRjSGJqi8LbVx4ssWMt3taEDYBfW14fJ2FEeqPtkN2_NGoveKwjv5RDMpWaYLIb5Ybjx2MVqBPZLLu9BYdNSIMS03Q9PPPjyUX6/s320/IMG_2373.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Such a beautiful place to be "stuck" while we waited.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Kwc9O_BWkviYfHTtFRCHmN7Q3Gva2-WezX43d-jiDRmBPNkgcvCp25vupPonkps0xNbtby0VGQydyOwbU2ZD7zVbxsciH1eV754EOQgE-tvj_RJhkiaLpFOxdvHhMAGprnWvbm3TcEgA/s1255/IMG_2374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Kwc9O_BWkviYfHTtFRCHmN7Q3Gva2-WezX43d-jiDRmBPNkgcvCp25vupPonkps0xNbtby0VGQydyOwbU2ZD7zVbxsciH1eV754EOQgE-tvj_RJhkiaLpFOxdvHhMAGprnWvbm3TcEgA/s320/IMG_2374.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The view from the front lawn of the home where we camped out.</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">So the first two weeks we were home madly trying to get the
boat cleaned and all of our belongings off of it we were also touring
neighborhoods and several houses a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We came upon one house that met all of our criteria but knowing that we
didn’t have cash yet from the boat sale we fully expected any offer to be
rejected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we considered our
chances of getting the house to be so low we probably viewed it for a total of
20 minutes before asking our realtor to make an offer just to see what would
happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much to our surprise the
strength of a cash offer with no contingencies other than that the boat sale
closing (and going a bit above the listing price) put us ahead of 14 other
offers and we had a house on contract.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We received the money from the boat on April 28, moved it on
to the house escrow company the same day and were able to take possession on
April 30<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pulled Salish
Airstream out of our friend’s driveway about 6:30 in the morning, drained and
cleaned the holding tanks, stopped at the hardware store for paint and painting
supplies and backed the trailer onto an RV pad next to the house a short time
later. That was exactly 1 month ago and since that time we have:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Painted all of the interior walls.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Purchased and installed furniture – much of it
from thrift stores as all we took from Salish Aire was a single foot stool.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Cleaned floors, light fixtures. Etc etc</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Rewired the garage and some interior outlets and
lights. </li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Pulled a couple stumps and started getting the
gardens back in shape</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Started “repairing” the front lawn.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Built a Kayak rack.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Rebuilt the side fence.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Started pressure washing concrete work and fences.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Re-gathered artwork that had been cared for by
family and friends and got it back on display.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Cleaned out the trailer.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Got established in a local Episcopal Church.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Met the local HAM radio club virtually.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Met the neighbors.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Cleaned and checked out the furnace.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Arranged the garage/shop.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Visited family and friends.</li><li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Bought a hot tub.</li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><p></p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4Fxgj05ijkNxSoPfUWOZT6Teasqil_IBNO3v6mnyrTfmZNrjwQbm8mSSvRnG53j_Q9pUwPU3hpoPqbmYjGr-DXMe_jsQsXM54ao5t9IKgq4tK61D5iLr9lurDjheCP5p42d-qQmx6bjG/s1255/IMG_2382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4Fxgj05ijkNxSoPfUWOZT6Teasqil_IBNO3v6mnyrTfmZNrjwQbm8mSSvRnG53j_Q9pUwPU3hpoPqbmYjGr-DXMe_jsQsXM54ao5t9IKgq4tK61D5iLr9lurDjheCP5p42d-qQmx6bjG/s320/IMG_2382.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Street view of our new home.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74V_oQTlCvm9AGhVtJ-K2g_wB-5O1TiL-V7y2M-HBb21vO9Q3C_m0tOGvGIj2__9rMClUahTn56y6y86W7cD2sURGW44Ynzaf_gJwkWd3AmLORRDXBGdNUmROwH9kLF-aW5WtuK3pY0Og/s1255/IMG_2380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74V_oQTlCvm9AGhVtJ-K2g_wB-5O1TiL-V7y2M-HBb21vO9Q3C_m0tOGvGIj2__9rMClUahTn56y6y86W7cD2sURGW44Ynzaf_gJwkWd3AmLORRDXBGdNUmROwH9kLF-aW5WtuK3pY0Og/s320/IMG_2380.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clarice wouldn't allow us to move out of the trailer </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">until the bedroom was painted.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfoqvpBsgyAXd2wP_MnXzcU70wcHcfp3lOEFRInzNbALRBHqcUqzvsaexjLTy03N6QzTAUk405dcxv0lV5LZ4EpUhB75whqPAdNMWbPxx7P42w735-sEO7fmjwVJaAm0w8LIwl0xY1nxq/s1255/IMG_2381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfoqvpBsgyAXd2wP_MnXzcU70wcHcfp3lOEFRInzNbALRBHqcUqzvsaexjLTy03N6QzTAUk405dcxv0lV5LZ4EpUhB75whqPAdNMWbPxx7P42w735-sEO7fmjwVJaAm0w8LIwl0xY1nxq/s320/IMG_2381.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The trailer has a pad outside of our bedroom window.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtQW9tXE_qKeoNaPuKvZuSFGog14nDlNptCNz5ET_7c1COlAq05G9bdCVLQYVof4gXlvdcUGF8gMW2RP-jNcZX5Q88fh-AbrXPV1bMMMx3gJTRW4FlHUo4Cwocy5aWs6pb0go8B8ztr90/s1255/IMG_2389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtQW9tXE_qKeoNaPuKvZuSFGog14nDlNptCNz5ET_7c1COlAq05G9bdCVLQYVof4gXlvdcUGF8gMW2RP-jNcZX5Q88fh-AbrXPV1bMMMx3gJTRW4FlHUo4Cwocy5aWs6pb0go8B8ztr90/s320/IMG_2389.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We removed 5 layers of old flooring before laying</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">new linoleum just in time for the refrigerator to </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">be placed.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEH6byA_rcpRgmJ58O3b6AjW_jyfJqAu9pCnOSYyPyaKlTFvEhRT50oV0n9QnPgy_XrgzmYNp2sGfDqhrqgoLnFAqnjghDYKx16RZDDPN3RzX77LofQxKEa3l_RgZaJZtkOgbQfGy3kXF/s1255/IMG_2405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEH6byA_rcpRgmJ58O3b6AjW_jyfJqAu9pCnOSYyPyaKlTFvEhRT50oV0n9QnPgy_XrgzmYNp2sGfDqhrqgoLnFAqnjghDYKx16RZDDPN3RzX77LofQxKEa3l_RgZaJZtkOgbQfGy3kXF/s320/IMG_2405.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are lots of parks near us (and a hardware store</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">within walking distance!). This old railroad trail is </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">paved for over 20 miles for walking and biking.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdi5nqjZxIvymoDyiegTC8bQ8GSAfpzA8F9Xvxh6pWXtrTRLhAUIrwsaS8Scy9rdlu6UAhIaw5iCFpnS5I6ZdH37Ur1WHEoDFm7V55dbdS8nUn0OV4DkfiaxvF1K5QW-NGW-r3vDNMMMw/s1255/IMG_2420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdi5nqjZxIvymoDyiegTC8bQ8GSAfpzA8F9Xvxh6pWXtrTRLhAUIrwsaS8Scy9rdlu6UAhIaw5iCFpnS5I6ZdH37Ur1WHEoDFm7V55dbdS8nUn0OV4DkfiaxvF1K5QW-NGW-r3vDNMMMw/s320/IMG_2420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The living room takes shape.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuae5ZY3FcGAAEoq2arpxlpERCzkBOopXTLmhZeGuhOivqH2IFZmG9K863i-TXlYEKRgtesKw_ZMPaMUNolChW5roxxoq-5fU-acMiFhEoTNWKGm0cxCg1R2Ye9rrKV9r_n7lFUtB5mTrh/s1255/IMG_2421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuae5ZY3FcGAAEoq2arpxlpERCzkBOopXTLmhZeGuhOivqH2IFZmG9K863i-TXlYEKRgtesKw_ZMPaMUNolChW5roxxoq-5fU-acMiFhEoTNWKGm0cxCg1R2Ye9rrKV9r_n7lFUtB5mTrh/s320/IMG_2421.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dining room and kitchen take shape.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwfnPCSpOkj-17DR5skOTkgvTh6vQ9QqQuaaS4eKylB4eR6xH8NhObAK7urRfTgZMbL7Y16CX7ta0gLQWie13n7m_JXZsIZ4d9P8AERdlX5wUvJDjjn5Xt-gtF0hE0BLu1vTpV6oHGqTE/s1255/IMG_2422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwfnPCSpOkj-17DR5skOTkgvTh6vQ9QqQuaaS4eKylB4eR6xH8NhObAK7urRfTgZMbL7Y16CX7ta0gLQWie13n7m_JXZsIZ4d9P8AERdlX5wUvJDjjn5Xt-gtF0hE0BLu1vTpV6oHGqTE/s320/IMG_2422.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My fountain and garden project on the front walkway.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDdFojWP_Y-KLwBg66xS9yiD-fk5Lmt7xDh1Js4QcH7uU7lBBN8-7rKRECfFa51JsaLu12aHZRZ2-4e53pGn89uC-E8ZP3UmNjLVEI3YXCFZrGoQjzypJk6Z9HQkR8I8E2Rk4sLs78NFW/s1255/IMG_2423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDdFojWP_Y-KLwBg66xS9yiD-fk5Lmt7xDh1Js4QcH7uU7lBBN8-7rKRECfFa51JsaLu12aHZRZ2-4e53pGn89uC-E8ZP3UmNjLVEI3YXCFZrGoQjzypJk6Z9HQkR8I8E2Rk4sLs78NFW/s320/IMG_2423.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A new bed for the guest bedroom.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVL5iMCVRD7-MmWLkE9lo0NolvEXaeigQUBNN4K-cSTPr_gAbELuQCDgnczBbjdYInyPyUW4c4jcY2ETOy2n_Ctoqd0c2JkUH7j6eMTMjNWgs2N58GeGiVmzBwmActSVj0vL958dOdW46d/s1255/IMG_2425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVL5iMCVRD7-MmWLkE9lo0NolvEXaeigQUBNN4K-cSTPr_gAbELuQCDgnczBbjdYInyPyUW4c4jcY2ETOy2n_Ctoqd0c2JkUH7j6eMTMjNWgs2N58GeGiVmzBwmActSVj0vL958dOdW46d/s320/IMG_2425.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clarice makes final touches to the sewing room.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11ILHSYPwdJNvLMN5BI9QbKnNoa4j14bkqZRNpJ5LxRtEiKr7xLmiRVfYVSX65ZNSs7e01jXcTSwfNX69QyF41Virj3OuLlO5HfICEpN_xUepVlozLMI3FZA1elw6_A8jzuAerzzjaWCd/s1255/IMG_2430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11ILHSYPwdJNvLMN5BI9QbKnNoa4j14bkqZRNpJ5LxRtEiKr7xLmiRVfYVSX65ZNSs7e01jXcTSwfNX69QyF41Virj3OuLlO5HfICEpN_xUepVlozLMI3FZA1elw6_A8jzuAerzzjaWCd/s320/IMG_2430.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jarvis made sure his sign was in its proper place.</div><p class="MsoNormal">And now we are ready to rest a spell!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As a sad note Clarice’s father who has been ailing for some
time passed on two days ago and we believe is back dancing the Polka with her
mother who died 4 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsfUUN2CB9-8aYxFi8g_5PywiShMfU2hC-Ziw4o-K8OJG8ph2JRz1uz690_H_kb86dmP4UcQQosEyc_p4LHrJ4_NU4Y3rbYfL7PrgBsRtDC4L56ycPAITNCkdInVA-GV5lZjyjuwNyRzr/s481/IMG_2432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsfUUN2CB9-8aYxFi8g_5PywiShMfU2hC-Ziw4o-K8OJG8ph2JRz1uz690_H_kb86dmP4UcQQosEyc_p4LHrJ4_NU4Y3rbYfL7PrgBsRtDC4L56ycPAITNCkdInVA-GV5lZjyjuwNyRzr/s320/IMG_2432.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clarice's parents were frequently featured in news stories </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">about polka dancing. </div><p class="MsoNormal">As a final happy note our son and his wife brought our 1
year old granddaughter up to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Despite her having a bit of a cold we had a wonderful time watching her
explore the house and grounds and check out the doggy (who was very good as he
has always loved little girls since Valerie charmed him when he first came to
us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also took a ride up to my
mother’s apartment in Tacoma so she could have time to swoon over her great
granddaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today they headed back
home with hardly a sound (they drive a Tesla) and all is well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhT7wF75nX9CzR5-I-_2npGsL9MOaPQ8V3ltFgoI4-7pGjBymK2M7ZiEFv2ER79tjQw_2wjshckzdICh3Vrvz0uoZWF-_BVGRkGQszNTcmdgPyId7E3iBpVcR57qsys0q2Dt4UjULcWbA/s1255/IMG_2438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhT7wF75nX9CzR5-I-_2npGsL9MOaPQ8V3ltFgoI4-7pGjBymK2M7ZiEFv2ER79tjQw_2wjshckzdICh3Vrvz0uoZWF-_BVGRkGQszNTcmdgPyId7E3iBpVcR57qsys0q2Dt4UjULcWbA/s320/IMG_2438.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our 1 year old "flaming hair" granddaughter visits </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">her great grandmother and checks out the tea set.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRECeBgTYDdDTb-D7DkeQY_Y5kdU9bQAm7ax23eg8KGdu3F2eQJ9gDCMQQxZwkdut_k-0uge6SXb2KoGOu9MU1oTh9CBhGg80_duJdtYcCojUD2JzOrGTTKKAr2_56C4SAgOYlm8pqCcwh/s1255/IMG_2436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="941" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRECeBgTYDdDTb-D7DkeQY_Y5kdU9bQAm7ax23eg8KGdu3F2eQJ9gDCMQQxZwkdut_k-0uge6SXb2KoGOu9MU1oTh9CBhGg80_duJdtYcCojUD2JzOrGTTKKAr2_56C4SAgOYlm8pqCcwh/s320/IMG_2436.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My mom watches her newest great grandchild with our son Bryan.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCFH4GCvWiS5p2xm_MM-2BqBQAks-2DoQIyxuKWcdjRZEpf-7I2fwkJUNJxG7vh4z7PdfB9XKx1QUWU2OUD4TCx07RAkWXdCLh2SKkAxqKacSuBTUSrd4O22wIqZ8UgVhMcgTeaVoHuwh/s1255/IMG_2433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCFH4GCvWiS5p2xm_MM-2BqBQAks-2DoQIyxuKWcdjRZEpf-7I2fwkJUNJxG7vh4z7PdfB9XKx1QUWU2OUD4TCx07RAkWXdCLh2SKkAxqKacSuBTUSrd4O22wIqZ8UgVhMcgTeaVoHuwh/s320/IMG_2433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clarice, Bryan and Granddaughter.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct8CP3TUdzBls-lXKp8ig6nGZuLNEuvB0sPeCEeyIP1tmHj2vfXCgcK0jhjG6NlfNGXfGv6xsq0nIMEm7WS3JYPZqAhtjLfLqgkEGWqj_hkRbo0eyiQwLNlWz0NobyPVTQGstG_LZXo2G/s1255/Bryans+family+with+Mom+G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct8CP3TUdzBls-lXKp8ig6nGZuLNEuvB0sPeCEeyIP1tmHj2vfXCgcK0jhjG6NlfNGXfGv6xsq0nIMEm7WS3JYPZqAhtjLfLqgkEGWqj_hkRbo0eyiQwLNlWz0NobyPVTQGstG_LZXo2G/s320/Bryans+family+with+Mom+G.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mom with Bryan, Amy and great granddaughter.</div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p></div>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-27813776212366282242021-03-06T15:43:00.034-08:002021-03-06T20:01:11.622-08:00More Travel in Salish Airstream and news about Salish Aire<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Part I: Circling back from Ontario</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The last blog installment left us visiting our daughter and
her family in Ontario Canada in the fall of 2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is now the spring of 2021 and we are
entering the last month of our first experience as “snow birds” travelling in
the American Southwest in Salish Airstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We project that we will get home to Salish Aire about the first of April
when huge changes are afoot (skip to the end if you can’t stand the suspense).<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLx3nG-pmZK_QAbtD1QVXgYVRd8RraeN1SX9bzVQPQKcdE5iqWGB_iNcuJyDizzEtqrboWWxBGamUlfp5TdhO8JTCK7VsT-mLmwIYJ-RozVBB5m3MKf9M_QkSjbscgPyBrumHJWmIXVl5/s862/Map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLx3nG-pmZK_QAbtD1QVXgYVRd8RraeN1SX9bzVQPQKcdE5iqWGB_iNcuJyDizzEtqrboWWxBGamUlfp5TdhO8JTCK7VsT-mLmwIYJ-RozVBB5m3MKf9M_QkSjbscgPyBrumHJWmIXVl5/s320/Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our tour from Olympia to Ontario and back again</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">From Ontario we headed south into New York.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We crossed the bridge over the Niagara River
and found it weird to see only one other vehicle approaching the border into
the USA because of the Covid border restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything went smoothly at the border UNTIL
the guard noting our travel trailer just added a simple question, “do you have any
firewood?” to which we honestly answered “yes, we have two pieces we purchased
at an Ontario provincial park” figuring that if it was a problem they would
simply dispose of it as they do prohibited vegetables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may not allow firewood to cross the line
but they have no plan for disposing of it either (if we would have known it was
going to be an issue we could have tossed it off of the bridge or had a
campfire on the bridge right at the international border but we never even
considered it might be a problem).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
only options were to floor it while towing a 6000# trailer or turn back to
Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The later seemed a better choice
so we went back through the serpentine concrete blocks set up to slow would-be
terrorists (and scratched Salish Airstream in the process – a terrible sin in
the world of Airstreamers) and re-entered Canada where the border guards were
polite (as always) but incredulous that we had been sent back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem was that they also had no approved
way to dispose of firewood and now we were asking to cross the Covid closed
border without one of only a few acceptable reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The international crisis was elevated to a
higher level with station supervisors consulted and finally an un-official
solution was offered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would be allowed
to travel 1 mile (excuse me, 1.6 km) back onto Canadian soil (via a toll
bridge) where there was a small park with garbage cans that could unofficially
accommodate two sticks of prime Ontario cut firewood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After tossing the now very expensive hunks of
oak we turned back south and this time were allowed into our native country
without further delays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We spent a night camped in back of a farm stand as part of
the HarvestsHosts.com program and took advantage of the fresh produce they sold
to restock the larder we had emptied before crossing the border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Travelling through upper New York we often
found ourselves following the route of the Erie Canal which has fascinated me
for years as an engineering feat. Our plan was then to try to catch the maximum
of the fall leaf color as we headed through Pennsylvania and down into Ohio
where a close friend was collecting mail for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found a highway that led east through what
was reported to be one of the prettiest routes in the state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often find that the routes we end up on
following our GPS to some destination we are seeking for the night turn into
pure serendipity while routes we expect to be amazing aren’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This route was one of the latter as the trees
were pretty much brown and the multitude of political flags supporting a losing
presidential candidate were distressing to me to say the least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We eventually set our GPS to take us to a
reported state recreation area that was along our path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This new route took us on a very rural road
(paved but only 1 ½ lanes wide) off through the northern woods to a campground
in the middle of nowhere with a stream that had been dammed for a wading pool
surrounded by a picnic area created during the Great Depression by the
WPA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were likely the last users of
the campground as it was expected to close the next week but it was a lovely
get away and despite being far from any town had power (free) outlets at each
campsite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm1IsJ7apm5kHf201q5KP2VyA2exR-xNdE_KXewDiVe6sG132fb14hF3NzKexEGA3zba_f-emd7kXWFgI4t3as5o6chpylRviWv7N5trLWC0kNBBpbgSj-szScNXe-dF_2cJUI-yrmCWE/s862/erie+canal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm1IsJ7apm5kHf201q5KP2VyA2exR-xNdE_KXewDiVe6sG132fb14hF3NzKexEGA3zba_f-emd7kXWFgI4t3as5o6chpylRviWv7N5trLWC0kNBBpbgSj-szScNXe-dF_2cJUI-yrmCWE/w320-h240/erie+canal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">New lock and rebuild "historic" lock on the Erie Canal (New York)</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglw_dIxrBe8WkBwbdccHpKsXouDJQRtH1GQc3IgstNc9VZsgWCwcneabYwLCJqZEulIfZndjeX51oXPOWuQKUL1YFyJgVThPyQ93c7DmydrwWUwpM9_gI2lMowEZPr7IIV5kRbq7h2jbq8/s862/IMG_1915.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglw_dIxrBe8WkBwbdccHpKsXouDJQRtH1GQc3IgstNc9VZsgWCwcneabYwLCJqZEulIfZndjeX51oXPOWuQKUL1YFyJgVThPyQ93c7DmydrwWUwpM9_gI2lMowEZPr7IIV5kRbq7h2jbq8/s320/IMG_1915.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The historic Kinzua railway bridge was being rehabilitated when a tornado sent the workers scurrying only to find it fallen to the bottom of the gully when they returned (Pennsylvania)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv5RvQyFjzGp9KConu9r4jarZZxDrRxeIkM3olctPGLhos1CKu3Ev2gJ1ym4tdrbn9PWEmkmOv2p7pFD2RDfdFxjjt5NSe3SN_1fxCsCCIHcO1XkZfgM0egSdVqXI1hS4Vdh0-DIrAjcK/s862/IMG_1917.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv5RvQyFjzGp9KConu9r4jarZZxDrRxeIkM3olctPGLhos1CKu3Ev2gJ1ym4tdrbn9PWEmkmOv2p7pFD2RDfdFxjjt5NSe3SN_1fxCsCCIHcO1XkZfgM0egSdVqXI1hS4Vdh0-DIrAjcK/s320/IMG_1917.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pennsylvania campground in the "middle of nowhere" with no other campers but free power, a stream and lovely surroundings</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQZg68dU0BybGtASABYI2F89HVwBzBd9qYvw0ZBL5u818c2kjbog7buXsdWsmXRoLjTn2dthTaCQyM4l5XIC-UbeZzD-DugTeIcb-G248cnklV5tL7y9CfObeuFwC55GQFAj7HfMCejmS/s862/IMG_1921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQZg68dU0BybGtASABYI2F89HVwBzBd9qYvw0ZBL5u818c2kjbog7buXsdWsmXRoLjTn2dthTaCQyM4l5XIC-UbeZzD-DugTeIcb-G248cnklV5tL7y9CfObeuFwC55GQFAj7HfMCejmS/s320/IMG_1921.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Built by the WPA these two dams created a swimming hole and were surrounded by a picnic area (previous photo was the campground at this park)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZqUz_9sdqIqHu63vNFF8BYUBouqyTJY9T6jdMGvREMvYduA2MU-79iXHAW0Z4o0ZhRDI-vXoe1vbn2WpD-rxWOZ1h-fPStNyVFLTerCrRfZE3WPGcYbD59fhdzjmN67Z5Jyt51Q5Yih9/s862/IMG_1935.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZqUz_9sdqIqHu63vNFF8BYUBouqyTJY9T6jdMGvREMvYduA2MU-79iXHAW0Z4o0ZhRDI-vXoe1vbn2WpD-rxWOZ1h-fPStNyVFLTerCrRfZE3WPGcYbD59fhdzjmN67Z5Jyt51Q5Yih9/s320/IMG_1935.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fall tree Newark Ohio</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_KLh5hFbs8Uy9Z_kWDX2I-URMRCscuOBMqubg-UyDl1O3F7PAHmJnohMLZfZtpSw1gvHlzlyka6qEygPp83d6HCfDKCDXmVehH-ORMXkgxI7SIq459HYRoACPuTYW7V28pKMO1zIUJrh/s862/IMG_1937.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_KLh5hFbs8Uy9Z_kWDX2I-URMRCscuOBMqubg-UyDl1O3F7PAHmJnohMLZfZtpSw1gvHlzlyka6qEygPp83d6HCfDKCDXmVehH-ORMXkgxI7SIq459HYRoACPuTYW7V28pKMO1zIUJrh/s320/IMG_1937.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There was one rather humorous event (at least in our
minds).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis uses CBD oil derived from
cannabis to treat his chronic leg pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We purposefully left his supply in Canada as there were big signs as we
approached the border reminding travelers that cannabis was not universally
legal in the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We figured that New
York was a fairly liberal place but quickly figured out that they still
consider cannabis to be an illegal drug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once in Pennsylvania we asked if it was legal and were told by a young
woman that “no, that stuff isn’t allowed here”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once I explained that we needed it for Jarvis she suggested we check a
pet store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough we stopped at a
rural farm store and they had CBD products for animals in every form your pet
could need from chews to oil all nicely displayed on the front counter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Once in Ohio we visited for a few days with one of our
“unofficial God daughters” (she overheard us referring to her that way over the
phone and told us she was very very honored to have that title).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we had caught up with the leaves near
their peak of color which was something we simply do not get at home on the west
coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had hoped to stop at the
Airstream factory which is not far from her home on the way out of the state
but Covid had closed the tours so we moved on and will hopefully get to see how
Salish Airstream is constructed at a future date.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of our more interesting stops in Tennessee was Fuller
State Park just outside of Memphis on the Eastern shore of the Mississippi
River. The history of the park was that it was one of the first parks built to
be used by Black folks at a time when they were not allowed in other
parks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way we found ourselves
on the Natchez Trace Parkway which was a land route that followed the
Mississippi River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boatmen would take
goods down the river on rafts and then walk back up the trail to get their next
load. Eventually we stayed in the campground that is part of Hot Springs
National Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The campground is located
along a stream a ways out of town where most of the park’s areas of interest
lie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The town of Hot Springs Arkansas is
located at the base of a hillside from which flows numerous hot springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The waters from the springs were collected
and piped into huge spa/hotels along the main street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Historically the town attracted the major
league baseball teams who did their spring training there during the days and
caroused in the bath houses in the afterhours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was said that Al Capone had a special deal with the Hot Springs mayor
that he would not cause trouble if he were able to enjoy the town’s amenities
in peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found only one of the 47 springs
that ran where we could put our toe in the water and decided it was too hot for
comfort.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLZe0oBHsCFMJx2beFpSRW9Ctg73lgHWCWWgojn-SVFCow6reKZGO1didNkVSsKjz2_QTKK3T41UQHhZYk_Lk_lEVS2LFyPStDlBTI9-KwdPFpZn37_FowsUqzExTw7Ne3uAKuW4uA4OH/s862/IMG_1940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLZe0oBHsCFMJx2beFpSRW9Ctg73lgHWCWWgojn-SVFCow6reKZGO1didNkVSsKjz2_QTKK3T41UQHhZYk_Lk_lEVS2LFyPStDlBTI9-KwdPFpZn37_FowsUqzExTw7Ne3uAKuW4uA4OH/s320/IMG_1940.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hot Springs National Park Bathhouse Row</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">There was a predicted cold front crossing the country that
was expected to bring snow as far south as the Texas panhandle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since our whole purpose of keeping to
southern routes was to avoid towing the trailer through any snow we decided to
route clear down to Fort Worth where a good friend from my junior high and high
school days lives with her husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
parked in front of their house and were the talk of the neighborhood for a few
days including Halloween. Kim made sure we didn’t starve (letting your guests
starve is apparently the greatest fear of a Southern host and so they WAY over
compensate).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had visited Kim the prior
year for a few hours between airplane flights and she gave me the at-a-dead-run
tour of the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This visit she was
able to show Clarice and I Fort Worth at a bit more leisurely pace. When we did
get to a county park to camp in the panhandle there were branches down
everywhere and a large pile of melting snow in the local Walmart parking
lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were told that we had made a
wise choice in waiting out the storm at Kim’s place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We moved on through West Texas making sure to
visit the “Grand Canyon of Texas”, see plenty of oil wells (and wind turbans)
and get up close and personal with local long-horns.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9n3OpHohTEMhx-Y8qHpaKsW2F_Nndp9KDKbHHFLtzDrv2JACX2cqb4y2Lz1_cykxjQ-VScfje1oZ0CrSADh-6hZ4kJmVYsKqlvxP7BJGd_z6xzswQY4L_04hehy2hM-SlWt_SgX20o7QL/s862/IMG_1984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9n3OpHohTEMhx-Y8qHpaKsW2F_Nndp9KDKbHHFLtzDrv2JACX2cqb4y2Lz1_cykxjQ-VScfje1oZ0CrSADh-6hZ4kJmVYsKqlvxP7BJGd_z6xzswQY4L_04hehy2hM-SlWt_SgX20o7QL/s320/IMG_1984.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kim giving us the grand tour of Ft. Worth Texas</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4S9SWsyVtFOe5gkTDIyRIlRm98fVRBDQYJSX3brsYFyO5csH9_C2BxcWvP9OeLomBXpQWWA9Mri1a5xFNKjgoVUv8KgbZsz94EOFlXsYTJn0l26vJ6miZK1zDTVKRf4aKctfMSj-cE3D/s862/IMG_2005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4S9SWsyVtFOe5gkTDIyRIlRm98fVRBDQYJSX3brsYFyO5csH9_C2BxcWvP9OeLomBXpQWWA9Mri1a5xFNKjgoVUv8KgbZsz94EOFlXsYTJn0l26vJ6miZK1zDTVKRf4aKctfMSj-cE3D/s320/IMG_2005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Obligatory long horn steers</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3v6IxXh7akNnJQqhYjMLvZu6SZexD0CmkUb85Kgx2g8rm1dEyO7FQ5bed8jSevZuKdJs24etDS_Ds7z2ieJwFWdwpJSYBQperRgxge6mUQHAgtrSTTE1mubp3rnWffXmlAF5u8fhp8eVk/s862/IMG_2010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3v6IxXh7akNnJQqhYjMLvZu6SZexD0CmkUb85Kgx2g8rm1dEyO7FQ5bed8jSevZuKdJs24etDS_Ds7z2ieJwFWdwpJSYBQperRgxge6mUQHAgtrSTTE1mubp3rnWffXmlAF5u8fhp8eVk/s320/IMG_2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Old and New windmills in West Texas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiw5AlKv8KOW1VZQE-WXLds6SuHLqSoOr8rW1sQuC9rwj1hazcyf3dRy0EIm_2bTynCfokiFwMdQYl3yQIBvDeV5QmtWlpDNS1usYF5_CS1Bpw85E77MKfokL8e4IQrVZP6bEdA1E-reJ/s862/DSCF2742.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiw5AlKv8KOW1VZQE-WXLds6SuHLqSoOr8rW1sQuC9rwj1hazcyf3dRy0EIm_2bTynCfokiFwMdQYl3yQIBvDeV5QmtWlpDNS1usYF5_CS1Bpw85E77MKfokL8e4IQrVZP6bEdA1E-reJ/s320/DSCF2742.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our last night in Texas we camped at "The Grand Canyon of Texas"</div><p class="MsoNormal">Moving from into New Mexico we were immediately taken with
the scenery and wished we could loiter a while and enjoy it but the New Mexico
government had other ideas. With Covid
hitting the native reservations exceptionally hard and with stubborn non-mask
wearing neighbors to the east and to the west (even Texas and Arizona finally
caught on when their death rates spiraled upward), New Mexico made it clear
that tourists were not welcome this year.
To even stay in a State or County Park required a driver’s license with
a New Mexico address. We didn’t want to
cross the state without rest so we checked in with the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) office in Albuquerque who pointed us to a BLM campground a few
miles off the main freeway. The site was
lovely and being a federal campground we got our old folks 50% discount and it
was a great deal.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Arizona was more welcoming but with its spiking Covid rate
we didn’t want to be anywhere there were a lot of people (often without masks)
if we could help it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About that time we
decided that with the winter weather starting to make itself known, and Covid
rates increasing we would start to move back towards Puget Sound and home for
the holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived back at Salish
Aire on the 12<sup>th</sup> of November after leaving on September 14<sup>th</sup>.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7z2IuaRlaT2Zb1Gb-ygIy3lsbxdAJE8W1GWB_dPCEcGBXsmDVv424B-Gzm9ZeQABcXpvZJyA73honn448-WiYtQ87jRCoWl19WiL-9OBpxffBKjo5OdwpXvEriPtRZdSTvWZpFMdfWBD3/s862/IMG_2160.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7z2IuaRlaT2Zb1Gb-ygIy3lsbxdAJE8W1GWB_dPCEcGBXsmDVv424B-Gzm9ZeQABcXpvZJyA73honn448-WiYtQ87jRCoWl19WiL-9OBpxffBKjo5OdwpXvEriPtRZdSTvWZpFMdfWBD3/s320/IMG_2160.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jarvis in his travel seat. He can see the driver if he needs to make sure we are alert and awake, he can sit up and look out the window to check that no one (or other dog) is putting his truck in danger but generally he just snoozes on his pad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-RYRv7poR89vOtJdBBORrdh43AsG1Kcl3M2t2Pu6MKViG3hMGZdxp80qKp7O_cT6EcnPK0tjmt-IAhtWowXY_tO8xcrnQj2J3AXAbj7FKVJaviKIg2SFfI-5920DytILleAr2WhghUcG/s862/DSCF2746.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-RYRv7poR89vOtJdBBORrdh43AsG1Kcl3M2t2Pu6MKViG3hMGZdxp80qKp7O_cT6EcnPK0tjmt-IAhtWowXY_tO8xcrnQj2J3AXAbj7FKVJaviKIg2SFfI-5920DytILleAr2WhghUcG/s320/DSCF2746.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our last campsite east of the Pacific Coast Mountain Range before we headed out early the next morning to make it over the lowest pass we could find in the maximum heat of the day</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9sOWyCrfmEQGkR9twPTYD5-vsxmUm8ySkZHyCGC9KqJej_0fdlX0D4ATFC63SvtIRwjFTMldb31JkKQKkeIT2xpeOGbd2jmNPl6BsiVJqpRVdDYIYryFW-s13QeqJBB43zcpGZWBoXAb/s862/DSCF2754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP9sOWyCrfmEQGkR9twPTYD5-vsxmUm8ySkZHyCGC9KqJej_0fdlX0D4ATFC63SvtIRwjFTMldb31JkKQKkeIT2xpeOGbd2jmNPl6BsiVJqpRVdDYIYryFW-s13QeqJBB43zcpGZWBoXAb/s320/DSCF2754.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Part II: Home for the holidays (Covid style) and then on to
the desert</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The clear message from the CDC (which too many people chose
to ignore) was that large group gatherings for the holidays should be avoided
to keep from spreading the virus (the beginning of the year spike in cases was
dramatic).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our choice was to meet with
family members in small groups and to do everything we could to avoid being the
vectors from group to group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good
news was that we were able to see the people we really wanted to and no one
contracted the virus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched the
rain fall and prepped the boat to be left alone and prepped the trailer for
long term travel.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRTYzJ3vH6zgDhU9XQn2jrAYyqUkjCkdqgPA3N9YNSIkBM2wUaJHXVpLp0-OLCGuyCzZ1jzNg7EbYwgIJqeIyiHPm16-TFM_hXNoxP-3Ixwt-BmtJ7x-Eqz8BZBIMwWWkSQM7UZhchY27/s862/IMG_2085.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRTYzJ3vH6zgDhU9XQn2jrAYyqUkjCkdqgPA3N9YNSIkBM2wUaJHXVpLp0-OLCGuyCzZ1jzNg7EbYwgIJqeIyiHPm16-TFM_hXNoxP-3Ixwt-BmtJ7x-Eqz8BZBIMwWWkSQM7UZhchY27/s320/IMG_2085.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clarice made decorations for a small artificial tree inside the boat</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7btdTtQwu3TDi-W0uekWR4a5SHOEWC7VLQFYLZDUNiY8vBum66dRW1RKDSf0xx7twUEd7fxYlEo_a-jaqcZdFdFVlpMgaEzFuKQhjuZzaMSeiKgvNK8wp3-GT-kOfTHW3bPn3I_PdsmA/s862/IMG_2087.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7btdTtQwu3TDi-W0uekWR4a5SHOEWC7VLQFYLZDUNiY8vBum66dRW1RKDSf0xx7twUEd7fxYlEo_a-jaqcZdFdFVlpMgaEzFuKQhjuZzaMSeiKgvNK8wp3-GT-kOfTHW3bPn3I_PdsmA/s320/IMG_2087.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wanted some "real tree time" so I talked my sister and brother-in-law into decorating a spruce tree in front of their house</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV5N1VkhEE1PjFPgO-JR8A1yDwU0gkKhd7iKwDsCqOvxWP9agnLm1JLYo2xHrfchndxkYP42yDOZXMVOmQbR2GQ1XFzlH3UyqZolE4apAZLrdZ_B7Cf6gQnc2jO_Ej_OVkWjXY1rgJuw5/s862/IMG_2091.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzV5N1VkhEE1PjFPgO-JR8A1yDwU0gkKhd7iKwDsCqOvxWP9agnLm1JLYo2xHrfchndxkYP42yDOZXMVOmQbR2GQ1XFzlH3UyqZolE4apAZLrdZ_B7Cf6gQnc2jO_Ej_OVkWjXY1rgJuw5/s320/IMG_2091.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The completed Christmas masterpiece with the light of the moon (photo credit: Darrell Pelley)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbRxVI_uS3zpqVj9yLdF8Dg21BR7LLFsB8Sf5g3YMtjcv30Jyy6m6w036TkCM9-HkOzZ6TVkUwvcEtITBT3fHyvPBURAG2CEEKF8zn6mqFqDsAKQAtQ23hHA0dl3GWSB0Ry6lb3Mcq2HP/s862/IMG_2137.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbRxVI_uS3zpqVj9yLdF8Dg21BR7LLFsB8Sf5g3YMtjcv30Jyy6m6w036TkCM9-HkOzZ6TVkUwvcEtITBT3fHyvPBURAG2CEEKF8zn6mqFqDsAKQAtQ23hHA0dl3GWSB0Ry6lb3Mcq2HP/s320/IMG_2137.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My mom jumped on the nephew the artist website and bought us very specially decorated gifts</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg2IxnW1x3vNJ7cY2TelBwq3RHSWt9DqW2VwpMW9fdf_nE30P-1cCr08M5zEgQH7jNUQCtJ5-kAwgWmoXtm7535d6-96omKrEZGDkN88iemr51Tl1J0fr0g7r6NgI36Ptk-PONotrHv2H/s862/IMG_2138.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg2IxnW1x3vNJ7cY2TelBwq3RHSWt9DqW2VwpMW9fdf_nE30P-1cCr08M5zEgQH7jNUQCtJ5-kAwgWmoXtm7535d6-96omKrEZGDkN88iemr51Tl1J0fr0g7r6NgI36Ptk-PONotrHv2H/s320/IMG_2138.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mom decided on an angel theme for her coffee table in her apartment. Normally we have a family get-together for Christmas that involves about 40 people - our Covid Christmas was just us and Mom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2zVd5XJlH2sBLw6m4vDFeSDnYHmcMZGk6vTSNrPz8tKLOOm_kpTF4dcOKpeEp5aM0lFSk5p4FdSDEN-4rLrWLXPUPhZplJSzEOX9vRieN5J-PCU-3LVkCfajl_v1B4SURhHmM5muDM1H/s862/IMG_2151.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2zVd5XJlH2sBLw6m4vDFeSDnYHmcMZGk6vTSNrPz8tKLOOm_kpTF4dcOKpeEp5aM0lFSk5p4FdSDEN-4rLrWLXPUPhZplJSzEOX9vRieN5J-PCU-3LVkCfajl_v1B4SURhHmM5muDM1H/s320/IMG_2151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Deschutes Falls looked a bit different in the midst of our rain storm than it does on the logo of the Olympia Brewing Company</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLewsUIwgiDAZF44XeaNpnJOWcNZxk615QL0wcTHmjarobWnmq_dyXPHNYZoU77YrbhsaKqhNsznV1fQM7ZI4_M2qpRwsLNLG89bUrJHKWy1HdoVt8T3uPw8mRL0pR5pERAqOqff-kvm1x/s862/IMG_2116.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLewsUIwgiDAZF44XeaNpnJOWcNZxk615QL0wcTHmjarobWnmq_dyXPHNYZoU77YrbhsaKqhNsznV1fQM7ZI4_M2qpRwsLNLG89bUrJHKWy1HdoVt8T3uPw8mRL0pR5pERAqOqff-kvm1x/s320/IMG_2116.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When it rains so much that boats on your dock start to sink, its time to head south.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cXjx8RIdgVQMVEYBHIkNnjVT7TwEwi8nMxm2yv4zU62PFQ4te3kmDV167IL1tVvSZSmBMD-7OMlePzyuYrBoWIrQAfFaG9-nGF3-INCE2AbOV6pWIA6bq5u8OM0CiUZZUCU1N6_cA0Cj/s862/IMG_2119.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cXjx8RIdgVQMVEYBHIkNnjVT7TwEwi8nMxm2yv4zU62PFQ4te3kmDV167IL1tVvSZSmBMD-7OMlePzyuYrBoWIrQAfFaG9-nGF3-INCE2AbOV6pWIA6bq5u8OM0CiUZZUCU1N6_cA0Cj/s320/IMG_2119.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jarvis enjoying our morning walk in Olympia</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07oCripLKh760CEPx8zK2DsjKfklCQarbB31wGK6nW4ZBejA0vlGwuvw40fcsLl7wQ5ovlUcfRegkkNo-Anq-oMpEuDE7E2w8PjS8Xpo6PE1mjecyikee3aspdDlGWWse9XGmKUGQzr3P/s862/IMG_2122.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07oCripLKh760CEPx8zK2DsjKfklCQarbB31wGK6nW4ZBejA0vlGwuvw40fcsLl7wQ5ovlUcfRegkkNo-Anq-oMpEuDE7E2w8PjS8Xpo6PE1mjecyikee3aspdDlGWWse9XGmKUGQzr3P/s320/IMG_2122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our view of the Washington State Capital from our marina</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjNQWc-Ru6QorV6KzBqpmlXLMlsToDxeacSkp8DBYBQSO5z9EgpmXenJhValQnCbPqVUhRmLT-uaybBMbFH58Ts3C3AX0IQs6EgvvZAObIbSXWHCVbPUU1h8LigwjOD_s-ndtU0aWMX18/s862/IMG_2144.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjNQWc-Ru6QorV6KzBqpmlXLMlsToDxeacSkp8DBYBQSO5z9EgpmXenJhValQnCbPqVUhRmLT-uaybBMbFH58Ts3C3AX0IQs6EgvvZAObIbSXWHCVbPUU1h8LigwjOD_s-ndtU0aWMX18/s320/IMG_2144.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We did leave Washington under a rainbow</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0SxcmzGuskyePsGPlqMkziGfs0e8vH4-CrWjlgMx2Qo77ZwKRwvrzRjwIdqodQlc38uyq1m_fnIvWZK0YAy3gp6nLvxHO2Rk5qQ9Yu0B2Ak87ppDcx-yj-lCKC6FKx4bPVyKclYygoe1/s862/IMG_2128.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0SxcmzGuskyePsGPlqMkziGfs0e8vH4-CrWjlgMx2Qo77ZwKRwvrzRjwIdqodQlc38uyq1m_fnIvWZK0YAy3gp6nLvxHO2Rk5qQ9Yu0B2Ak87ppDcx-yj-lCKC6FKx4bPVyKclYygoe1/s320/IMG_2128.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Christmas in Portland with our youngest grandchild.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Part III: Back on the road</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">On January 8<sup>th</sup> we headed to Portland to get a
chance to visit with our son and his family for a few days before heading
out. A big part of our visit was to
participate in our grandson’s 18<sup>th</sup> birthday celebration. From
Portland we headed into Northern California where another Airstream owner in
Redding offered that we were welcome to spend the night in front of her
home. Since virtually all parks in
California were closed by order of the governor we knew we had to be creative
as traveling California from north to south is a long drive. The next night we stayed near Bakersfield
with a HarvestHosts.com host. Our last day in California was spent boondocking
in the Mojave National Preserve which meant we had crossed over the Sierra
Nevada’s without incident.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On previous trips we had camped at Valley of Fire State Park
in Nevada and it had become one of our favorite places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On every other trip we had felt rushed and we
only stayed a night or made a day visit from Los Vegas but since this was our
trip of leisure we spent several days there and took time to really enjoy all
the park had to offer (it is also one of the few parks where dogs are OK on
trails so Jarvis was happy as well).<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1zNHuDnLgcG36Ji7Z3KmKs_SLrnvfEhJcojXmAjv4DhQFQWUmLdWrxaZfcCktqwPd69b3nYpGwE3P-qLpQsshjQea3iIkEMvYbvY9VXhYgOKO711F-tKxRfQONTmYlPHmKNrGBbkAfoz/s862/DSCF2796.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1zNHuDnLgcG36Ji7Z3KmKs_SLrnvfEhJcojXmAjv4DhQFQWUmLdWrxaZfcCktqwPd69b3nYpGwE3P-qLpQsshjQea3iIkEMvYbvY9VXhYgOKO711F-tKxRfQONTmYlPHmKNrGBbkAfoz/s320/DSCF2796.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXMdU3CKQjjD1OjQ1LfSSHyScp3HjUugI2v952IdO7XYngzzPiRzENhD6YRtHFpQCX2PAcZc8JeiIoGrz4wyml0nnBx1Sl_HZ3mbZWxqLNOLPbknZsvsOLc2Ej1Ui7cERJlrjR1vR0GtT/s862/DSCF2803.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXMdU3CKQjjD1OjQ1LfSSHyScp3HjUugI2v952IdO7XYngzzPiRzENhD6YRtHFpQCX2PAcZc8JeiIoGrz4wyml0nnBx1Sl_HZ3mbZWxqLNOLPbknZsvsOLc2Ej1Ui7cERJlrjR1vR0GtT/s320/DSCF2803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJ5FKp7cgWFmOr_aytYLe7k6ng1hkCmcfeFtKQALCurseP5rTAcK9xxiic5y3VNtFfyaQKznhlSNwA3CJ7wfUW31f9_b0z7rqvZwa6dd6qX3CFlpRDD8S47DJOKtA55ZlgOdDKYO1Izsl/s862/DSCF2809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJ5FKp7cgWFmOr_aytYLe7k6ng1hkCmcfeFtKQALCurseP5rTAcK9xxiic5y3VNtFfyaQKznhlSNwA3CJ7wfUW31f9_b0z7rqvZwa6dd6qX3CFlpRDD8S47DJOKtA55ZlgOdDKYO1Izsl/s320/DSCF2809.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUfZ-2MHfiRqLdyfQ3jpLOYeg51Uk2G7zFGaB2MONvWuemli4tbZ01Hlzvw4RNfFzEvO9DnLV8aFHOdwuhrFtCHM4hYiHu04Ha10t9Lvb-egQp-FYnjf85VEPwVd_ATGJAGDVEleHYzc8/s862/DSCF2813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUfZ-2MHfiRqLdyfQ3jpLOYeg51Uk2G7zFGaB2MONvWuemli4tbZ01Hlzvw4RNfFzEvO9DnLV8aFHOdwuhrFtCHM4hYiHu04Ha10t9Lvb-egQp-FYnjf85VEPwVd_ATGJAGDVEleHYzc8/s320/DSCF2813.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfC1DuLO-wXX3GomqOwZF8iIIB2uubjgrqzxgWJH3KyzTcXaieps7GhtKsGeBTcQzWLEpxPEstzTNGrw3GEyo-CODvA5b9xvC-3Biry7a3q2A3faCiFb1LwK_VkUuFD5rLVweZpY3srgK/s862/DSCF2842.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfC1DuLO-wXX3GomqOwZF8iIIB2uubjgrqzxgWJH3KyzTcXaieps7GhtKsGeBTcQzWLEpxPEstzTNGrw3GEyo-CODvA5b9xvC-3Biry7a3q2A3faCiFb1LwK_VkUuFD5rLVweZpY3srgK/s320/DSCF2842.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJb0rLP_t-d2CIQin3MLf_CwXR9neLKzgpQZNoSBwkO_KUQzo0eCG9npFd22mab49EbOnZiKiwB1rCAZnW4nIzlM7K30TtaVcp3VO7gWf9Ofzm2BgHiDWG7lfZpZtqoZ80vrhyz5YT51kJ/s862/DSCF2843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJb0rLP_t-d2CIQin3MLf_CwXR9neLKzgpQZNoSBwkO_KUQzo0eCG9npFd22mab49EbOnZiKiwB1rCAZnW4nIzlM7K30TtaVcp3VO7gWf9Ofzm2BgHiDWG7lfZpZtqoZ80vrhyz5YT51kJ/s320/DSCF2843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6OaWncRO6jk3oq73eAskO_3AUS5SIurLRbECT0TT1odXylNv2Gq6DXjkF3zmkdl15nRQT_VcsLzusj3UAgz34amTspQ9dHu3js1YNgKjg8jXg_8CXHaoMP1AQbWAaw9wiP9_t5E2h91K/s862/DSCF2847.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6OaWncRO6jk3oq73eAskO_3AUS5SIurLRbECT0TT1odXylNv2Gq6DXjkF3zmkdl15nRQT_VcsLzusj3UAgz34amTspQ9dHu3js1YNgKjg8jXg_8CXHaoMP1AQbWAaw9wiP9_t5E2h91K/s320/DSCF2847.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpdGkYYsn7IBvRZnZLZs_2N5UL6mnau-istiPjEUp0IvDUTrAm3d2O6_xvYbPC_ADb5bw4zQqgCDiKzwOncVJ4zOM2bo_hwVreMEpIOUYj7K08uFUPdcFEjwrsFoPq_b9VPB53xFDwqEH/s862/DSCF2851.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpdGkYYsn7IBvRZnZLZs_2N5UL6mnau-istiPjEUp0IvDUTrAm3d2O6_xvYbPC_ADb5bw4zQqgCDiKzwOncVJ4zOM2bo_hwVreMEpIOUYj7K08uFUPdcFEjwrsFoPq_b9VPB53xFDwqEH/s320/DSCF2851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Valley of Fire State Park Nevada</div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Our plan when we left Olympia was to stay on the BLM open
camping lands around Quartzite Arizona.
We did enjoy that it was free and we found some interesting places to
visit in the desert. We had read that in a normal (non-Covid) year that for the
last two weeks in January Quartzite becomes RV central of the SW USA with a
huge RV show and thousands of RVs parked in the desert. We can only say we were glad it was off year
as there were still to many RVs and people for our tastes. We did go to the the
remainder of the Ham Radio swap meet (we were told it was also only shadow of
the usual event). In any case I found a
nice used base radio (HF and VHF frequencies in one radio) and a good quality
handheld VHF to replace the very cheap one that had died. I was very proud of
what I had acquired at a reasonable price – sadly the antenna I bought in
Phoenix almost doubled the investment.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnrNLkLSquX-3g-OikTiM6wTJ3fBdj8HCG-liLZGRi3Etq0M3VBOMLlbBQyT_AHeN17mVyJRZkPHDzv1CIDkWejsjhZ9vRpklD7T0MSgBoqIUsJox5_G9_lJyUX-VXcsMTV9Oad0swuJq/s862/IMG_2206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnrNLkLSquX-3g-OikTiM6wTJ3fBdj8HCG-liLZGRi3Etq0M3VBOMLlbBQyT_AHeN17mVyJRZkPHDzv1CIDkWejsjhZ9vRpklD7T0MSgBoqIUsJox5_G9_lJyUX-VXcsMTV9Oad0swuJq/s320/IMG_2206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BLM land Quartzite Arizona</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4ijYY339SaxtfFGrYOAtw9uZN_L-ERvZaPsz-ilCjZa0XWC-r2AlIma4r4GB3VobQcB4NBc-kf6iUzThs4CyUljQa8yNHU64SJzNBcwtrptdqL9wieEYd2hChgK8dWlNXZA-x6U6G2I3/s862/IMG_2207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4ijYY339SaxtfFGrYOAtw9uZN_L-ERvZaPsz-ilCjZa0XWC-r2AlIma4r4GB3VobQcB4NBc-kf6iUzThs4CyUljQa8yNHU64SJzNBcwtrptdqL9wieEYd2hChgK8dWlNXZA-x6U6G2I3/s320/IMG_2207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BLM land Quartzite Arizona</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJu_CwM5GU61NaRlxeyM8T9J-KGPz6oNULJVqsusFhX_2o2ybPvSOR_J_U16TT175SYSQQ0QHWWtba-QyFN5VLSj2PfOA5JbzvXNut2_9GK9pxF4omM4Cpk04KfRhaWi7LeVOXoViJ4Kjo/s862/IMG_2212.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJu_CwM5GU61NaRlxeyM8T9J-KGPz6oNULJVqsusFhX_2o2ybPvSOR_J_U16TT175SYSQQ0QHWWtba-QyFN5VLSj2PfOA5JbzvXNut2_9GK9pxF4omM4Cpk04KfRhaWi7LeVOXoViJ4Kjo/s320/IMG_2212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our new (to us) Ham radio!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>We needed to get some mail forwarded to us and figured that with Quartzite being Snow Bird Central that the post office would be really well set up for deliveries to General Delivery.</span><span> </span><span>Clarice went into the post office to find out what we needed to know and was not impressed.</span><span> </span><span>There was a heavy rainstorm going on outside and inside of the post office (water was coming out of a light fixture) and the postmaster indicated that general delivery mail was only made available for 1 hour a day out the side door. We instead chose to have the mail sent to a small town over the hill from where we were camped.</span><span> </span><span>The idea was good the execution not so much as mail that we expected to arrive in 3 days ended up taking over a week and involved a number of extra driving miles before it was in our hands.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">A bit of a back story: Before we headed north for the
holidays we were in a remote California campground and received an email from
one of our blog readers asking for information about Nordhavn 46s such as
Salish Aire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not an unusual
request and as we usually do we phoned the folks who emailed and spent about 2
hours on the phone answering their question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of the conversation they indicated that they had pretty much
decided they wanted to buy a boat like ours but noted that there simply were
none on the market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time of the
call they were in their RV in Port Townsend in Northern Puget Sound and about
to head south to Arizona.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We offered
that if they would check and make sure that Salish Aire was OK they could take
time crawling around an N46 to see if they were really sure about their
plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After looking at the boat they
called back with more questions and over time we got to feeling that we knew
them well even though we had never met in person.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eventually we agreed to meet about half way between where
they were camped near Tucson and we were camping near Quartzite which put us in
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near the Mexican border. The campground is
lovely and the scenery and trails kept us all entertained until my Urologist
suggested that I needed to have some lab work done to try to assess why I was
having ongoing pelvic pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we parted
a day before we planned and headed to Phoenix to visit an urgent care clinic. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL313jxndaNKUFdkGvDdT_M7KiyOMZyRzaxBMd8isjq3R2MUx350IZH-0WxckwPwYX1hAom4YZLLO95ulceDrTXQm2QwsFSk7hxz_uxSGNuVujKjcnEWAUUPBHzziL5ggHQWVW9dT33d1n/s862/DSCF2857.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL313jxndaNKUFdkGvDdT_M7KiyOMZyRzaxBMd8isjq3R2MUx350IZH-0WxckwPwYX1hAom4YZLLO95ulceDrTXQm2QwsFSk7hxz_uxSGNuVujKjcnEWAUUPBHzziL5ggHQWVW9dT33d1n/s320/DSCF2857.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Saguaro Cactii</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGEXuS5KPxC_UNmndXHu0JMnX7Sm6w0mMgKR9w2EvX5kCILfOB8ingbyQxQHdLjLAOQfz6TEwWMTw8mzXQtzsTmnttjWIRq_zp04uCfLutUnywD5DrueqAzFspRnU9EcGu1GgDkgni__8/s862/DSCF2862.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGEXuS5KPxC_UNmndXHu0JMnX7Sm6w0mMgKR9w2EvX5kCILfOB8ingbyQxQHdLjLAOQfz6TEwWMTw8mzXQtzsTmnttjWIRq_zp04uCfLutUnywD5DrueqAzFspRnU9EcGu1GgDkgni__8/s320/DSCF2862.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">New friends Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (and fans of Nordhavn 46s)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p88gew4xIZIy99bZWaFntVBFqZUm1oyibcgZghE4BPNYoz9fJGufIbjh1sxV2lC7tVXhaHGDKDP81fiauB1k4xZ4wkoiPG01fIHhrEPq_DdDPme9dTOcOJzavgjeurGDc652MvFGDucx/s862/IMG_2219.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p88gew4xIZIy99bZWaFntVBFqZUm1oyibcgZghE4BPNYoz9fJGufIbjh1sxV2lC7tVXhaHGDKDP81fiauB1k4xZ4wkoiPG01fIHhrEPq_DdDPme9dTOcOJzavgjeurGDc652MvFGDucx/s320/IMG_2219.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Organ Pipe Cactii</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFmTKTudVFjZV3TrXreJUM-ay0Qb-9G2SrCZo2UVX87imEO80mOxCW5qTirrXhpyQPrAUMt0F6jJbNGM8cZdkhO-BzBdaZ8O6U-_7wvppP90DEBsb9hT7qTmUcv32XwM5EZMBDgzfoJ8_/s862/DSCF5732.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFmTKTudVFjZV3TrXreJUM-ay0Qb-9G2SrCZo2UVX87imEO80mOxCW5qTirrXhpyQPrAUMt0F6jJbNGM8cZdkhO-BzBdaZ8O6U-_7wvppP90DEBsb9hT7qTmUcv32XwM5EZMBDgzfoJ8_/s320/DSCF5732.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Outside of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument the Coyote doesn't seem to appreciate the "Don't Feed the Coyotes" sign</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGFbvmi7RW3IDywHGURi2Q1gOvamZvCziwd3-fyPQci6-RsINM6qFevU2eD3mjmEW8XEZRs500qMhgN7qT-3FyKfw4HFRS3J0SqMF0RuDpBlpzlfQXRA6kpkQiIHALDxEeFsRuJLuYNfy/s862/DSCF5736.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGFbvmi7RW3IDywHGURi2Q1gOvamZvCziwd3-fyPQci6-RsINM6qFevU2eD3mjmEW8XEZRs500qMhgN7qT-3FyKfw4HFRS3J0SqMF0RuDpBlpzlfQXRA6kpkQiIHALDxEeFsRuJLuYNfy/s320/DSCF5736.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNe_N7mBn8gFZwcHK4GsyhyphenhypheneRrWGwpAH2JZGQJKKj2Q9xu5wG-oYjeXcl1OeCqdfHyLU64ou2ldYKcX_PTmccVphVEpBSLHpLBxSaIjZXCJdNKQ_IdXuKyd7MaUlN_Sfk5vMPVOPewGR7/s862/DSCF5747.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="485" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNe_N7mBn8gFZwcHK4GsyhyphenhypheneRrWGwpAH2JZGQJKKj2Q9xu5wG-oYjeXcl1OeCqdfHyLU64ou2ldYKcX_PTmccVphVEpBSLHpLBxSaIjZXCJdNKQ_IdXuKyd7MaUlN_Sfk5vMPVOPewGR7/s320/DSCF5747.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Which brings us back to Norman’s crappy health 2020 -2021.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>I had been having aches and pains that mimicked a viral infection for months.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>This was along with sudden spikes in my heart rate and other symptoms.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>I finally set up a phone visit with my PCP back in Everett.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>He listened and concluded that I was still suffering side effects of the Lupron shot I had back in March as part of my prostate cancer treatment.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>This was consistent with what I was learning from an on-line support group for prostate cancer survivors which was that Lupron shots last months beyond what we are told and the side effects are more extensive and really wear on you over time. The good news is that most of the symptoms initially were controlled with a prescription from my PCP and eventually went away.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>I continue to have pelvic pain that is helped by a prescription from my urologist.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>I mention all of this in case another guy like me tries to put up without saying anything and frankly finds himself fairly depressed as I was.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>There are options to help and my mood is dramatically improved now that most of the symptoms are under control.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">As we wandered about in Arizona the Covid epidemic eased a
bit as folks finally got the message that simple precautions such as wearing
masks in public and spacing out from other people really worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think having a president out of office that
made not wearing a mask a political statement among his faithful also
helped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led to the partial opening
of previously closed campgrounds and businesses in California. Another of our
favorite places to visit but where we have never stayed for more than a day at
a time is Death Valley National Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
a bit of luck I happened to check the park web site the same day they opened
their campground reservation list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
jumped in and was able to get us several nights in the main campground in
Furnace Creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We toured the valley and
as always were amazed at how beautiful sheer bareness can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My brother keeps commenting that my photos
from this part of the country “look pretty brown” (which they most certainly do
after being in the Evergreen State) but on the other hand we decided it’s like
looking at Mother Earth in her naked glory. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIM8IYTC7WMhrMYlZzmtSF-ONEGHfUw3faVmg9Z48Bzd-2sGYzpPqjX6CIdTA45-JuVWHCyJgbf-HjnmTMOagS_rNBYIXBc99PjZb9QP5TKxcTZVtBj2aey5icX9szohGY8HO4YIOKRhv/s862/DSCF5755.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIM8IYTC7WMhrMYlZzmtSF-ONEGHfUw3faVmg9Z48Bzd-2sGYzpPqjX6CIdTA45-JuVWHCyJgbf-HjnmTMOagS_rNBYIXBc99PjZb9QP5TKxcTZVtBj2aey5icX9szohGY8HO4YIOKRhv/s320/DSCF5755.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrH7O9W6ZsV3XdGy-B9jiwKjBoJve107rI5INWF7i5QeZHKeorViDa_TZbfCdikPB8A5SURAMHYecjvB0P1BhBeMdFrekH6M_Wrk1U93cafY0rOnhxaZ0OsxFS3AJWDAGI_nWxZlen6pXY/s862/DSCF5763.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrH7O9W6ZsV3XdGy-B9jiwKjBoJve107rI5INWF7i5QeZHKeorViDa_TZbfCdikPB8A5SURAMHYecjvB0P1BhBeMdFrekH6M_Wrk1U93cafY0rOnhxaZ0OsxFS3AJWDAGI_nWxZlen6pXY/s320/DSCF5763.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CDX6XOZrxTuJPRmSo6nvHZdRnIH2Y1caIA_LSs4JTRhAIZwSwe371tTIr75i2NSrsx0QPwTzTdpHE_VpEi77cTQOxPV_cD8bdIRZpRC71T0qSXFiM_ZF7Er0Jv-vfaNpw1C2Pp2obyCL/s862/DSCF5766.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CDX6XOZrxTuJPRmSo6nvHZdRnIH2Y1caIA_LSs4JTRhAIZwSwe371tTIr75i2NSrsx0QPwTzTdpHE_VpEi77cTQOxPV_cD8bdIRZpRC71T0qSXFiM_ZF7Er0Jv-vfaNpw1C2Pp2obyCL/s320/DSCF5766.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHjeuTYuyU-fCQUf3pYX8dmLBPiy8v1fBYzyo5wz7XwGp9LlYHSvx0qZRF9RIySXKPvt-gMnpLGYoA_6iWAOMQetNTH2fupkkxGgQGAlF-MAuTmAbib2aj1p9vR6KMQSRSSegF8-gBDKS/s862/DSCF5769.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHjeuTYuyU-fCQUf3pYX8dmLBPiy8v1fBYzyo5wz7XwGp9LlYHSvx0qZRF9RIySXKPvt-gMnpLGYoA_6iWAOMQetNTH2fupkkxGgQGAlF-MAuTmAbib2aj1p9vR6KMQSRSSegF8-gBDKS/s320/DSCF5769.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrT2PK0m7d3P58QCu4BkuJJlSfvm7hqQrsZVTPisO5aC7mo33gBPOiMZLxo3T3bx1LKE2tsvxj-DlC7Gt_aYEUBsCgoXRZ5ouHG1wa4ZP72oKAiIHwpUtG9aMu2pXcN4LM6pfcXLXPrXc-/s862/DSCF5786.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrT2PK0m7d3P58QCu4BkuJJlSfvm7hqQrsZVTPisO5aC7mo33gBPOiMZLxo3T3bx1LKE2tsvxj-DlC7Gt_aYEUBsCgoXRZ5ouHG1wa4ZP72oKAiIHwpUtG9aMu2pXcN4LM6pfcXLXPrXc-/s320/DSCF5786.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85MqrCP9diLe0zv_m6ALIZbX-ED7gqr2OnD5o0eQPczYHclnh_leEyqP8jgndqZCVNnKBo45-jBulpD30bYl2NAPqj0BHmz-pI33DEKCw5y_BO2rZQBzjrQGBHt6MIv1iix8rLvla4pBq/s862/DSCF5825.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85MqrCP9diLe0zv_m6ALIZbX-ED7gqr2OnD5o0eQPczYHclnh_leEyqP8jgndqZCVNnKBo45-jBulpD30bYl2NAPqj0BHmz-pI33DEKCw5y_BO2rZQBzjrQGBHt6MIv1iix8rLvla4pBq/s320/DSCF5825.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley in the foreground - Panamint Mountains at the western edge of the valley</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzORtZCfy1dmkKqxFW9Pos1VnYKn1IEOpboFNtrnltnE-kZZH2bfYqid6JgRUbjokbWBSd0O642SnBMONHZ3_FHYiOLb1l2IZrngFzo8BiC8LfUMeAon6SAwO17Svflw4Whu9sQPvZv7A/s862/DSCF5831.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzORtZCfy1dmkKqxFW9Pos1VnYKn1IEOpboFNtrnltnE-kZZH2bfYqid6JgRUbjokbWBSd0O642SnBMONHZ3_FHYiOLb1l2IZrngFzo8BiC8LfUMeAon6SAwO17Svflw4Whu9sQPvZv7A/s320/DSCF5831.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcFEjaTccaBYnFKxg0h3JmBkmqFuu0ddQSlBR8ufXWL4n9wCLGpxn7aOnJAb9bS4OPSQ1T01YCakBujUjVCqRqTEa75BJ9riFnupeBEHd5E5TqVBJV60zOTLOXfCzGbm5PBuRzEWORZo/s862/DSCF5864.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKcFEjaTccaBYnFKxg0h3JmBkmqFuu0ddQSlBR8ufXWL4n9wCLGpxn7aOnJAb9bS4OPSQ1T01YCakBujUjVCqRqTEa75BJ9riFnupeBEHd5E5TqVBJV60zOTLOXfCzGbm5PBuRzEWORZo/s320/DSCF5864.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaImgsEm-TcKS_zyWIuTR_C9Y-3cDP2neLYumxz5WkwbW7heq0CULP3uBCtcw8VjUiWVQ4UFquoqNgVKYrlcSe7qhIE7-yYmwH2RJlAJuu3hkreKThvRCaCq7G3GBdAtNrR2MbdGylm7if/s862/IMG_2197.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaImgsEm-TcKS_zyWIuTR_C9Y-3cDP2neLYumxz5WkwbW7heq0CULP3uBCtcw8VjUiWVQ4UFquoqNgVKYrlcSe7qhIE7-yYmwH2RJlAJuu3hkreKThvRCaCq7G3GBdAtNrR2MbdGylm7if/s320/IMG_2197.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF3YjePh8ft9ds8C4dVY-LmnOzbF7VWtr7L4oMv0Ym2fgDwKjcEPST5siV_D6eskqu9NIxnhKSkXUMhK5SeVAMgI9rkH1AxNWLe9YiC3-_jkDZyhOoyiNcYPDO9AwZ71pqSXaGf0wbsoj/s862/IMG_2198.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF3YjePh8ft9ds8C4dVY-LmnOzbF7VWtr7L4oMv0Ym2fgDwKjcEPST5siV_D6eskqu9NIxnhKSkXUMhK5SeVAMgI9rkH1AxNWLe9YiC3-_jkDZyhOoyiNcYPDO9AwZ71pqSXaGf0wbsoj/s320/IMG_2198.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Death Valley National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiYxYdrlEnPXIwsPLzpEV1WeOfCLT8YDbDGPO2mtzZn71O5nBclPU2gzByLJ2tXFlraO62vNjSVqApFbLRTZv_OAUMWsXLBjBNM4Xc_nBNfWXjEdM0Qh9xGTNA82Sb14_exsaaBWXREoj/s862/IMG_2199.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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<p class="MsoNormal">We continue to hang in California first visiting a pretty
cool (but underutilized) campground in the Mojave National Preserve and then on
to another favorite place, Joshua Tree National Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we headed to friends house in San
Diego where we camped in their driveway and enjoyed wonderful conversation
after a year of minimal social interaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We needed to catch up with some mail and some other big city stuff.
While we were there we were able to get appointments in the San Diego area to
get our first Covid shots which has caused us to enjoy several San Diego county
parks on both sides of the coast range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today we got our shots and are hoping to visit with boating friends who
are in town for a parts run before we head back west.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz9xnL2158j38NDHRiERrVTpuNRK3S8Gu_e-zxZ0C51pSbPPk6ilVsryGoOIWzKFYlqaqtm1sU4JbPUn3ACzCVVGeqOLtm0We1kVmddR6rD4kEaOCEnb2WhFxh321eabN0W6ubyACZBFq/s862/DSCF2885.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz9xnL2158j38NDHRiERrVTpuNRK3S8Gu_e-zxZ0C51pSbPPk6ilVsryGoOIWzKFYlqaqtm1sU4JbPUn3ACzCVVGeqOLtm0We1kVmddR6rD4kEaOCEnb2WhFxh321eabN0W6ubyACZBFq/s320/DSCF2885.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqL7EuOBJse1rgafpV1FSj4-tClSPTxhjS8t2IjVP-JRaE6B-vGbYNstwUsG7YY7SM13xpTbFfPlJuFjmitXSsqEleEokuAwL5U8QS88tq9outN5ggtWmEKHzbfrXGKnTl4BqkRkDiorSQ/s862/DSCF5672.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqL7EuOBJse1rgafpV1FSj4-tClSPTxhjS8t2IjVP-JRaE6B-vGbYNstwUsG7YY7SM13xpTbFfPlJuFjmitXSsqEleEokuAwL5U8QS88tq9outN5ggtWmEKHzbfrXGKnTl4BqkRkDiorSQ/s320/DSCF5672.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjds9rto4ZBMx9yjWux4yy1bxxtumyQ6kI87rxJwKBzoA9_h-z9f5BtiSPh60ulY-zBmURT4V6Dm1IHoi8-Aqh6B6aFoVOUtwNr1EXdo4nK6ssf-aYi_eUifgqrKvXiLH-lDKAI9YdsWWIg/s862/DSCF5891.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjds9rto4ZBMx9yjWux4yy1bxxtumyQ6kI87rxJwKBzoA9_h-z9f5BtiSPh60ulY-zBmURT4V6Dm1IHoi8-Aqh6B6aFoVOUtwNr1EXdo4nK6ssf-aYi_eUifgqrKvXiLH-lDKAI9YdsWWIg/s320/DSCF5891.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXisPYAd7bqE8cxrnujQfuYM5VCjDZhKpKS5T3JJWY1_w8tP-7yf836jSIj4SMnbYWs6zWkEfoCqGHgs9N05KjCY4ikFsw5RGVbzUS0LU3wDcXlLSJMq43NtD8uNQsF1sprcL7scIdtKAG/s862/DSCF5896.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXisPYAd7bqE8cxrnujQfuYM5VCjDZhKpKS5T3JJWY1_w8tP-7yf836jSIj4SMnbYWs6zWkEfoCqGHgs9N05KjCY4ikFsw5RGVbzUS0LU3wDcXlLSJMq43NtD8uNQsF1sprcL7scIdtKAG/s320/DSCF5896.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ujl9ANQH1EbmKncJQGuWtIGfSllPAPrdPxr11gRV4NU-awIz65iub-e033ffJVr8oBe5bSztQmHJUKx9l2bvCe-mdc8J0tf98KYYeXm02xNmid5Ak9LPU_VGCekJDW6JDTDd-Trv1b0x/s862/DSCF5898.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ujl9ANQH1EbmKncJQGuWtIGfSllPAPrdPxr11gRV4NU-awIz65iub-e033ffJVr8oBe5bSztQmHJUKx9l2bvCe-mdc8J0tf98KYYeXm02xNmid5Ak9LPU_VGCekJDW6JDTDd-Trv1b0x/s320/DSCF5898.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Joshua Tree National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCz_lMSJ-KaFnu0K6R4jMpZXV1A9LlGFZUmm0IajCa2ZIUAb8AOdr3VNH9VCVCz3E9lW6yIb-oiIXI58zKFHycfrvcl8_w6Sx40HMbsR_u5yAYbydbF1HluMMQIlFCjzUwQxPam-5q9GD/s862/DSCF5921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCz_lMSJ-KaFnu0K6R4jMpZXV1A9LlGFZUmm0IajCa2ZIUAb8AOdr3VNH9VCVCz3E9lW6yIb-oiIXI58zKFHycfrvcl8_w6Sx40HMbsR_u5yAYbydbF1HluMMQIlFCjzUwQxPam-5q9GD/s320/DSCF5921.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Joshua Tree National Park</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSbIPc0CYeqYAuWxOpYtZ0cW_DuQ8K3eIB1sgfrI4ACk1rBpBP1IR8XqX1FYEdAA0TlhXaIi99D6ckOZc8nX3qB1FAv0RLsdTzcy8ZG0xIWpVjFHS7ooGCo6oAYtnJhgBjx_imy_HJ1El/s862/IMG_2240.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSbIPc0CYeqYAuWxOpYtZ0cW_DuQ8K3eIB1sgfrI4ACk1rBpBP1IR8XqX1FYEdAA0TlhXaIi99D6ckOZc8nX3qB1FAv0RLsdTzcy8ZG0xIWpVjFHS7ooGCo6oAYtnJhgBjx_imy_HJ1El/s320/IMG_2240.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Joshua Tree National Park</div>
<p class="MsoNormal">So what about the huge changes that are afoot?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have decided to take advantage of the very
very hot market for our model of boat and sell her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have enjoyed every minute of our almost
seven years living on her as she carried us from Alaska to Mexico but we now
are starting to recognize we are feeling less wanderlust and more the weight of
keeping and operating her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided
that selling her when we don’t want to “get rid of that damn boat” but instead
are leaving her with some sense of sadness is better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We keep coming back to that it usually takes
at least a year to sell a boat like Salish Aire and in the meantime the
seller’s costs continue to mount. Remember the people who visited her several
paragraphs back? When we offered them first shot at buying her at a fair price
they let us know within an hour that they want to close the deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our current plan is to pass off ownership in
late April unless something unexpected comes up (in which case we will continue
to call her home and take her out on the sea where she belongs).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Some last looks:</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uLJij7vYNbMnOcKCFmug9z4LucWhYMCVwTKHWReZuNXYqWC-VerCP2CbxGrOpx80De3c6o-zBR-PRr4zLWfwb3CVT9H4MaZbGhFzrzEicHjzRt1dbUMQ4gONNErkuKyq272iSjEY_88-/s862/IMG_2220.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uLJij7vYNbMnOcKCFmug9z4LucWhYMCVwTKHWReZuNXYqWC-VerCP2CbxGrOpx80De3c6o-zBR-PRr4zLWfwb3CVT9H4MaZbGhFzrzEicHjzRt1dbUMQ4gONNErkuKyq272iSjEY_88-/s320/IMG_2220.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Trying to get a selfie and not fall off the bike</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIKJDL6elfUTs1gBqlJpdYz6V-98l1ap66ZiOZNSG5xAGaSEr9DHffHGeGP2aehaIiRuoQ-Vsk4jFS_Jb5G8c57Ouvy_iEUNiSCOrsSP033Bk5IdhuPVrcTBMLUj4qOEAa0Nao_waLX9U/s862/IMG_2208.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIKJDL6elfUTs1gBqlJpdYz6V-98l1ap66ZiOZNSG5xAGaSEr9DHffHGeGP2aehaIiRuoQ-Vsk4jFS_Jb5G8c57Ouvy_iEUNiSCOrsSP033Bk5IdhuPVrcTBMLUj4qOEAa0Nao_waLX9U/s320/IMG_2208.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Can't leave without a photo of a barrel cactus</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulBmcmeudTc5yM3Xlu050yC9Ua5axa4769Ab0WJmm0nLEzv5GHDeH8UaxNWOJlDb65D_NvzwkeiV3aux8iy2HiEZStA3PtouCTUEQmQQlppKtVxyfrrY9CIl258tQHy7MJEwQK94uPEI3/s862/IMG_2181.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulBmcmeudTc5yM3Xlu050yC9Ua5axa4769Ab0WJmm0nLEzv5GHDeH8UaxNWOJlDb65D_NvzwkeiV3aux8iy2HiEZStA3PtouCTUEQmQQlppKtVxyfrrY9CIl258tQHy7MJEwQK94uPEI3/s320/IMG_2181.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another Desert Mountain Sheep (factoid: they can go a whole season only living of the water from the plants they eat!)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcUoaseYEkXx8rOU63WlruIahjQMGwXbT83SE44Jmm_XOQ-ZQb6Rfl3zQMD1Yky_2M7QrG4BRtVu8ZCiTj2K1RiLBtmK5g7orXlw0_iHISwsTYRzHAnhpQa7luFrARebqtsUh7rNcmhg_/s862/DSCF5957.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcUoaseYEkXx8rOU63WlruIahjQMGwXbT83SE44Jmm_XOQ-ZQb6Rfl3zQMD1Yky_2M7QrG4BRtVu8ZCiTj2K1RiLBtmK5g7orXlw0_iHISwsTYRzHAnhpQa7luFrARebqtsUh7rNcmhg_/s320/DSCF5957.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yucca plants seem to be just starting to bloom</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSEF6o6UniwMKva0XU9HVHDZzeKS0E0MKxP1H8OfW0A5Q3NTpWWwxaPrduwZhYCaX4a8Y-Zo2vFJiCBWTeG0lEXBpAMleP9mslEifliU3Fl2ZuwB1v9zrCHJdJ3Hdeuo2HBSrHmxrfK6C/s862/DSCF5939.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSEF6o6UniwMKva0XU9HVHDZzeKS0E0MKxP1H8OfW0A5Q3NTpWWwxaPrduwZhYCaX4a8Y-Zo2vFJiCBWTeG0lEXBpAMleP9mslEifliU3Fl2ZuwB1v9zrCHJdJ3Hdeuo2HBSrHmxrfK6C/s320/DSCF5939.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A desert spring</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGslHfjvGGeUh9mG996uDAZWIWsDU-p8CG9Rr-nuII6YeSBlnD5Hf4ReBhKJld0Aq-ibiXPNzJLnmR2p06tjGKokH1Bp1a7FoxOkLwoU_fNjkkIWkmkYUcawF1H8MDUelOfyI3gsxbNAbu/s862/DSCF2879.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGslHfjvGGeUh9mG996uDAZWIWsDU-p8CG9Rr-nuII6YeSBlnD5Hf4ReBhKJld0Aq-ibiXPNzJLnmR2p06tjGKokH1Bp1a7FoxOkLwoU_fNjkkIWkmkYUcawF1H8MDUelOfyI3gsxbNAbu/s320/DSCF2879.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Joshua Tree National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-dqNRKWINd6GAK3eaMIqdoAM7I293d2ilHDkCJNCRYBsgQnkJL_PjqnhB1S51dDyxhdcad2pnOEJ95VnIWidqUh06G_YmbQ3DZ9157DyeCRfkV-7K1FWSXhlTOS0H6PSMwjtkpN8RoMR/s862/DSCF2884.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-dqNRKWINd6GAK3eaMIqdoAM7I293d2ilHDkCJNCRYBsgQnkJL_PjqnhB1S51dDyxhdcad2pnOEJ95VnIWidqUh06G_YmbQ3DZ9157DyeCRfkV-7K1FWSXhlTOS0H6PSMwjtkpN8RoMR/s320/DSCF2884.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Abandoned mine shaft Joshua Tree National Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8pQPI8mcZOVY9kESEvaaJIuyBZugYY6Dethkv2QaDEqvn9XLeZq3YQPJuYcx1nNIL_D7EXoTg1W6Mi33pggovm3ifwzXdT1p23HOTUEyru6FR9RvAOUXkOdvQ_C9qqa0YUXsBsje5FoQ/s862/DSCF5704.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="485" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8pQPI8mcZOVY9kESEvaaJIuyBZugYY6Dethkv2QaDEqvn9XLeZq3YQPJuYcx1nNIL_D7EXoTg1W6Mi33pggovm3ifwzXdT1p23HOTUEyru6FR9RvAOUXkOdvQ_C9qqa0YUXsBsje5FoQ/s320/DSCF5704.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Slot canyon Valley of Fire State Park</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSnYfe8RlhtiiR-iQ1MtKA5L6sRJlnwkRb2LAhyphenhyphenxtutut9-o8ZHK3ILygEmTVm_HK94T4SU4M62tjqzscdAapmTLjSQaRAHP56bG9HTA2D5xkkwJyrUIZVhJ8sPJ5Pe89XknbRAbRJlbZ/s862/IMG_2222.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSnYfe8RlhtiiR-iQ1MtKA5L6sRJlnwkRb2LAhyphenhyphenxtutut9-o8ZHK3ILygEmTVm_HK94T4SU4M62tjqzscdAapmTLjSQaRAHP56bG9HTA2D5xkkwJyrUIZVhJ8sPJ5Pe89XknbRAbRJlbZ/s320/IMG_2222.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cholla and ocotillo cacti</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qNIjclYxf-FLq1_L8U973kgVekJV449YuIZVfds38tgV7_4cZ-rMTdyto6eiOG39jagzgXPqWuUYV2JMZ4oYxBXvoqnAgHMBGFILxwTPMoLnKXZDbgW0QjF6bvb4uhDTN0NHAoP0UDgy/s862/DSCF5693.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="862" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qNIjclYxf-FLq1_L8U973kgVekJV449YuIZVfds38tgV7_4cZ-rMTdyto6eiOG39jagzgXPqWuUYV2JMZ4oYxBXvoqnAgHMBGFILxwTPMoLnKXZDbgW0QjF6bvb4uhDTN0NHAoP0UDgy/s320/DSCF5693.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ribbon rock Valley of Fire State Park</div><br /><p></p>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-62003320736946995092020-10-04T08:07:00.036-07:002020-10-05T05:32:36.973-07:00The Summer of Covid<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">October 3, 2020<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whew, what a summer!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I see my last blog note was posted on June 1<sup>st</sup> so I have
clearly joined a what is I suspect is a group of boat bloggers who have let our
blogs lapse with Covid-19 fatigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Someday in the future if someone looks back and reads these notes
remember that the event of this summer has been trying to figure out how to
stay engaged with the world while parks, theaters, performances of all kinds,
and world borders have been shut to try to slow the spread of Covid-19 while we
await the arrival of a tested vaccine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To top that off the United States faces the worst divisive feelings I
have ever experienced as our president fans the flames of discontent on a daily
basis. Yesterday after months of downplaying the importance and science behind
our knowledge of Covid-19, he himself became infected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my personal journey I’m finding my recovery from cancer treatment to be much more drawn out than I had hoped for
and so join many folks with some feeling of depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, I was having to do a lot of touch-up
to photos in preparation for posting them as the forest fire smoke blowing from
fires in California, Oregon, and Washington obscured the sky as far east as Nebraska
during our travels The common theme on social media is that 2020 has been a
real bust of a year. <o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNdJ5hF8ZzgLEQzNcCHFksNzCTb8LPhq6bVNxdniw0wN8u8xDrz2CGJo1u3JyMp3BrXywB3XXKtBJyFYgpONhvKpFEO6L3F731spSpGBl9ALQdzUQ7B-pDEmGoXVtkSqkRZJyM0HLqHeu/s2048/IMG_2408.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNdJ5hF8ZzgLEQzNcCHFksNzCTb8LPhq6bVNxdniw0wN8u8xDrz2CGJo1u3JyMp3BrXywB3XXKtBJyFYgpONhvKpFEO6L3F731spSpGBl9ALQdzUQ7B-pDEmGoXVtkSqkRZJyM0HLqHeu/s320/IMG_2408.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many attempts to help lighten the mood<br />while reminding folks to "social distance" to <br />help minimize the spread of covid.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinsKr3UYwJnXb25JVXeeuSndwwfG27Eg0tWD1_-Ha2pson13D-uKxbFFaRgwUYhGZj9DU8vKHdIOOMv2qeUuQ2VILSBzC4bv7Rq4puCAJJsQkKJvj3n0Jgd07mUd2Coj46U8_tF6X1eey/s2048/IMG_2407.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinsKr3UYwJnXb25JVXeeuSndwwfG27Eg0tWD1_-Ha2pson13D-uKxbFFaRgwUYhGZj9DU8vKHdIOOMv2qeUuQ2VILSBzC4bv7Rq4puCAJJsQkKJvj3n0Jgd07mUd2Coj46U8_tF6X1eey/s320/IMG_2407.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice has a "new" 3/4 size sewing machine for the <br />trailer that has come in very handy for making face masks.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Before moving on - let's take a break for babies!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8R1NNpWx1C8OHuVDAKdEunINnQE3VqYdBQUtuTqjZvk5XnAGZ3pP0twoG0g7ZoeSXJok_wG5Rg8OgOiP69Ux4noV1KTR-zcn0LcNIrGr5xmf8OjpBu3fJqXBX27hJLi3o6cOjqMswn1Y/s838/DSCF2607.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8R1NNpWx1C8OHuVDAKdEunINnQE3VqYdBQUtuTqjZvk5XnAGZ3pP0twoG0g7ZoeSXJok_wG5Rg8OgOiP69Ux4noV1KTR-zcn0LcNIrGr5xmf8OjpBu3fJqXBX27hJLi3o6cOjqMswn1Y/s320/DSCF2607.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To start our newest granddaughter H. is sitting up, giggling, and making fun noises.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWsj4FFIkFpRBsb_u8nhb0yinMT0K73WboObJZ5WqMeoha-UbdBo_vIez5go7aPVkVG2255z35kDu2IN0w-EieEPTmRHmQpKzH8PIQsROjjhW9sou7uxx_JN3Gsz5YrRfTCCO0cjpJRAG/s838/DSCF2448.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWsj4FFIkFpRBsb_u8nhb0yinMT0K73WboObJZ5WqMeoha-UbdBo_vIez5go7aPVkVG2255z35kDu2IN0w-EieEPTmRHmQpKzH8PIQsROjjhW9sou7uxx_JN3Gsz5YrRfTCCO0cjpJRAG/s320/DSCF2448.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our goddaughter Jamie has a new daughter<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHFQu4zPxVI94iNMnuWjQKasPgFYCIV7oP-lU0mlgXDVp4tJVh9hWBlLvy5JDq5eaeNG1I7ImZYc_AZxauf4NHWxobrwOUXaE4tZN1LBPy-MyaQSBWxQZZrnQ3ygEaPYLqH6LaOq84nkD/s838/DSCF2487.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHFQu4zPxVI94iNMnuWjQKasPgFYCIV7oP-lU0mlgXDVp4tJVh9hWBlLvy5JDq5eaeNG1I7ImZYc_AZxauf4NHWxobrwOUXaE4tZN1LBPy-MyaQSBWxQZZrnQ3ygEaPYLqH6LaOq84nkD/s320/DSCF2487.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of baby seals on the log booms around our marina<br />in Olympia. This little guys mom apparently decided he<br />was safest on the dock - we suspect he was less than a day old.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJTJCMfkGIzXLg1FoFFUVfF2INCarg87CfQIO3Tnyb1uuyJjdX11TzMtTI7xzfESM0IlugIyqQvt_-YtgSCU1i1xgBg_8TAOoy79kiRsxYYrEpzg2jMXn7pPgKg7zMldIUt7GrHQqnVsz/s838/DSCF2621.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJTJCMfkGIzXLg1FoFFUVfF2INCarg87CfQIO3Tnyb1uuyJjdX11TzMtTI7xzfESM0IlugIyqQvt_-YtgSCU1i1xgBg_8TAOoy79kiRsxYYrEpzg2jMXn7pPgKg7zMldIUt7GrHQqnVsz/s320/DSCF2621.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby alpacas are really cute!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIhNnDwlxQDVU-v3_RG8azMLNQiCo6ogpEB0UVfcFJdtPw6HCgVzafjbt6hpvEbBoiOshcBVSqmWES7x8OBusP0mPspxs0v683SsusXclbwrqSaMLmauuxFH07sDKkYhvqE-94b3P_gwh/s838/DSCF2634.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIhNnDwlxQDVU-v3_RG8azMLNQiCo6ogpEB0UVfcFJdtPw6HCgVzafjbt6hpvEbBoiOshcBVSqmWES7x8OBusP0mPspxs0v683SsusXclbwrqSaMLmauuxFH07sDKkYhvqE-94b3P_gwh/s320/DSCF2634.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It took this little boy a few minutes to decide he could <br />touch the alpaca but they were very friendly.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNl0nYOvrRM3dHYyI8wlrybOOzLIdzIJHOl9slh_q5_KqWUSRuhSCZlx9CX4wJM7eCyHIkLohLJIpDVWXIsho0ABT8ZE1_vHGNaz48KBHW7OdCLmXoHuPplmyDPZDha_cNMtD-iF2CSTf4/s838/DSCF2642.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNl0nYOvrRM3dHYyI8wlrybOOzLIdzIJHOl9slh_q5_KqWUSRuhSCZlx9CX4wJM7eCyHIkLohLJIpDVWXIsho0ABT8ZE1_vHGNaz48KBHW7OdCLmXoHuPplmyDPZDha_cNMtD-iF2CSTf4/s320/DSCF2642.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took the "nursery tour" option which included <br />this 1 hour old baby.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">And lets go from one end of the age spectrum to the other. One advantage of being in Olympia is it isn't too far to go visit my Mom and take her for a picnic at Point Defiance Park near where she and dad lived when they first came to Washington from Michigan and near my first home.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvXBu0K2EDaT04Gnq6L-BBGcul-nVR555GJtz7RCbtIBe_AlCyD4IZLSz8enYJJxnYi9I1EyD2IcepKAXZxXN70gZRzmVNyFcZXEcK8Ljr_JIUOy08TDUuwuvUYSKkOi-WWSfykwpy9vK/s838/DSCF2596.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvXBu0K2EDaT04Gnq6L-BBGcul-nVR555GJtz7RCbtIBe_AlCyD4IZLSz8enYJJxnYi9I1EyD2IcepKAXZxXN70gZRzmVNyFcZXEcK8Ljr_JIUOy08TDUuwuvUYSKkOi-WWSfykwpy9vK/s320/DSCF2596.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rose and dahlia gardens were in full bloom<br />when we took my 93 year old mother for a picnic in the park.<br />We all kept our masks at-the-ready in case we ended up in a more <br />crowded area. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Salish Aire is currently moored in Olympia Washington at the very very southern end of the Salish Sea within sight of the Washington State Capital building.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KafUmQ4z9w2Bx9tiFIRCRKBZ5yTTEWvFHU_7t4mW0i4nBzOZQ7vsUGNYmDePvhGqn7chO-KaPWxjOnR7Vh1Xwg5LdwHZP7l99sbDgwzlJGAihE1KS5kBK1ipejZZM6mfcvjs5ZrrCRVg/s2048/IMG_2297.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KafUmQ4z9w2Bx9tiFIRCRKBZ5yTTEWvFHU_7t4mW0i4nBzOZQ7vsUGNYmDePvhGqn7chO-KaPWxjOnR7Vh1Xwg5LdwHZP7l99sbDgwzlJGAihE1KS5kBK1ipejZZM6mfcvjs5ZrrCRVg/s320/IMG_2297.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner with Etienne at Tugboat Annie's <br />restaurant at our marina in Olympia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XvmrqLl22DA_l-0UB28C-LHOR3FON-BY_pC3xYhj1nBoV0O5qD2Q3JoGrm5ednYXrZz4yIycbq4Kj1s4oYyvAyhYEGreImZXKAxa9PlAiFa1VpKXsxkLILXTIWeaCXBqQihWuMBKiUNx/s2048/IMG_2412.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XvmrqLl22DA_l-0UB28C-LHOR3FON-BY_pC3xYhj1nBoV0O5qD2Q3JoGrm5ednYXrZz4yIycbq4Kj1s4oYyvAyhYEGreImZXKAxa9PlAiFa1VpKXsxkLILXTIWeaCXBqQihWuMBKiUNx/s320/IMG_2412.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Washington State Capital Campus is <br />short bike ride away</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdrzdg0BrR0pD6C_uFVPhglG9lzhPOh2F2U7_3wLqmXPHA8flvtpgSsbfei8WXfpu2f0gv32qUhXKo8uAMZqt7r9Y1QjcG-1bT0d26bgkYOjCOXlQl7ZKjYdkFvUmS0nPNPsUvuriASAD/s2048/IMG_2413.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdrzdg0BrR0pD6C_uFVPhglG9lzhPOh2F2U7_3wLqmXPHA8flvtpgSsbfei8WXfpu2f0gv32qUhXKo8uAMZqt7r9Y1QjcG-1bT0d26bgkYOjCOXlQl7ZKjYdkFvUmS0nPNPsUvuriASAD/s320/IMG_2413.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back from the state capital campus<br />over Capital Lake to our marina in the distance.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Remember when we last posted that we were taking short test
runs with our new truck – trailer combination in preparation for longer term
explorations on land. Going back to our
time in Mexico, I realized that I could only take so much tropical heat and so
Clarice and I agreed to base Salish Aire in the Salish Sea and use it during
the spring, summer and fall to explore the west coasts of Washington, British
Columbia, and Alaska then during the grey and drizzle of Puget Sound winters we
would see how we liked “land yachting” for a change of pace. This summer our plans for a longer trip north on the boat were not working out with Covid so we used the trailer more than we had planned.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhZeGAir93b0KiUFifQLGez20PFPBWDc_JsHLDs9C-1c0Ip-ADsCf5EeeLRNbWJ9caJOTWjD4EoL-tIJ_foR5mO310gx9yT7cfo_GJl5D3_zBg32rwHN4AyW2K-eCQnUEhMFsJOWt6_y0/s838/DSCF2479.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhZeGAir93b0KiUFifQLGez20PFPBWDc_JsHLDs9C-1c0Ip-ADsCf5EeeLRNbWJ9caJOTWjD4EoL-tIJ_foR5mO310gx9yT7cfo_GJl5D3_zBg32rwHN4AyW2K-eCQnUEhMFsJOWt6_y0/s320/DSCF2479.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A trailer outing to the North Cascades<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1ed3HzMIe54pVf79jg9V8asfaS7NtAX3uMcapXaHW14JfTRVYp3EDh8qf4TX1vyg8kCDnowRhiG86P2lBVj16lrwBTa4I8Qk44joAYAqBZ8HIExDaOsAUERoiWLaXje_vuKeZhaSWCUS/s838/DSCF2482.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1ed3HzMIe54pVf79jg9V8asfaS7NtAX3uMcapXaHW14JfTRVYp3EDh8qf4TX1vyg8kCDnowRhiG86P2lBVj16lrwBTa4I8Qk44joAYAqBZ8HIExDaOsAUERoiWLaXje_vuKeZhaSWCUS/s320/DSCF2482.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even with his bad knee Jarvis still loves to explore woodland trails<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbAFL3WbqDmXTuReihIOnKoXpqiQq60Y8eBpWsiuuMjnws7uWZwQeEukN3XQO5d1tBVzZZw1Yg6CGpZ45ZuEJbOfTaP3i-CWeb25Tp6kPWyahjUlwdYpO3uTpu6wHUuEhYxUtrneXG6gA/s838/DSCF5468.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbAFL3WbqDmXTuReihIOnKoXpqiQq60Y8eBpWsiuuMjnws7uWZwQeEukN3XQO5d1tBVzZZw1Yg6CGpZ45ZuEJbOfTaP3i-CWeb25Tp6kPWyahjUlwdYpO3uTpu6wHUuEhYxUtrneXG6gA/s320/DSCF5468.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Breaking in" the trailer at our grandson's mother's property</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOMbLU7F3Yq3-ge98xIS6SC1NFCZFdjCq7TmCv6i2KnyAygmh7FBi9ezJQfhOFjTxZyupqoHq0xRNvrhQefKCZCaOIvzc5X78iZ7Jb71O9qwEcepQ4WM9uIKDNNJKvw-gVkOTPFLSbqDU/s838/DSCF2431.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOMbLU7F3Yq3-ge98xIS6SC1NFCZFdjCq7TmCv6i2KnyAygmh7FBi9ezJQfhOFjTxZyupqoHq0xRNvrhQefKCZCaOIvzc5X78iZ7Jb71O9qwEcepQ4WM9uIKDNNJKvw-gVkOTPFLSbqDU/s320/DSCF2431.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting our grandson's mother's property</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">It is interesting how snobbish we have become about what constitutes
a “crowded anchorage” but the islands in the San Juan archipelago met pretty
much <i>everyone’s</i> definition of crowded.
In one bay that would during a normal summer have maybe 20 boats in it
we counted about 100. Lots of folks who
already owned boats recognized what we already knew which was that boating is a
great way to get outside and be appropriately “socially distanced” to avoid
virus exposure. On top of that boats
(and RVs) have been selling like hotcakes and finally with the border to Canada
closed a HUGE number of boats that would normally go north as far as Alaska for
the summer were stuck south of the 48<sup>th</sup> parallel.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBujFcEcC21nIkXEUByrhJDvwfSY9zKYTnsqtK4P99MFCQdEfKPVaJmkJVBIguSnt9HQSuGb39p4Ux_jBxXavI5lir_Z5SuVhYRpuPOKlzsoYlOyiYNjETKSW85HnytA6V5PXuo7L54KT/s2048/IMG_2336.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBujFcEcC21nIkXEUByrhJDvwfSY9zKYTnsqtK4P99MFCQdEfKPVaJmkJVBIguSnt9HQSuGb39p4Ux_jBxXavI5lir_Z5SuVhYRpuPOKlzsoYlOyiYNjETKSW85HnytA6V5PXuo7L54KT/s320/IMG_2336.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A short hike on Sucia Island in the San Juans archipelago</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcarjawp0_q6To087UwsPinh2NOw4Gr3gAtvLDa5fU_kzYzSCTa_eNJglGRL_b4jUSzQiR9krjjBwvfKy-CIaUDLor2s6OKSlEKiHhVA2g-Z8ux0r0Ul6HhlsffT9O0H9qVzwvGk8jj1g/s3181/IMG_2337.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="3181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcarjawp0_q6To087UwsPinh2NOw4Gr3gAtvLDa5fU_kzYzSCTa_eNJglGRL_b4jUSzQiR9krjjBwvfKy-CIaUDLor2s6OKSlEKiHhVA2g-Z8ux0r0Ul6HhlsffT9O0H9qVzwvGk8jj1g/s320/IMG_2337.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anchorages were packed compared to a normal summer<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0K4Pxq0qTnsVdlZcpyHKxjpHPPXo2DZacWzYPTHvLcC7UZYbHJa7OznzSUYBHw_NdoRxP1XSOENpjcnAcMH2isE0BH4jGT7gUg_MzxHfkCutK0xiEnt1xNK35P9kiLPmm1j5lpq9OMZa/s838/DSCF2599.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0K4Pxq0qTnsVdlZcpyHKxjpHPPXo2DZacWzYPTHvLcC7UZYbHJa7OznzSUYBHw_NdoRxP1XSOENpjcnAcMH2isE0BH4jGT7gUg_MzxHfkCutK0xiEnt1xNK35P9kiLPmm1j5lpq9OMZa/s320/DSCF2599.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia V, the last operating steamship of the historic Puget<br />Sound Mosquito Fleet pulling in in front of us in Poulsbo<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjit8WbrRzWWYJcrSSfajxLAt3uWJk7LSzbh95o0M_qMVFAfp4hc1XViyabx7-_hgE8fKKya2UZQ9QlHmedPvdiuka6nI7CDGp9AOJnh-TjEpYEVbf3bdknn1aFzOdeCTRCu0A4Hu4Ma7d0/s838/DSCF2600.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjit8WbrRzWWYJcrSSfajxLAt3uWJk7LSzbh95o0M_qMVFAfp4hc1XViyabx7-_hgE8fKKya2UZQ9QlHmedPvdiuka6nI7CDGp9AOJnh-TjEpYEVbf3bdknn1aFzOdeCTRCu0A4Hu4Ma7d0/s320/DSCF2600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was able to board the Virginia V and watch the steam<br />engine operate. In a way of thanks I dove in my SCUBA<br />gear to get a line they had lost in the water.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Much of the summer we had our 17 y/o grandson Etienne living with us. The agreement was that he would be an extra set of hands recognizing that I was going to be pretty wimpy after my radiation therapy and he would get a chance to visit with us for an extended time. While he was with us we took Salish Aire to the San Juan Islands and took our first somewhat extended test run in the trailer (now called "Salish Airstream"). Our route took us across southern eastern Washington, past the Hanford nuclear reservation where the first weapons grade plutonium was refined, on to southern Idaho where we stayed in Craters of the Moon National Park (and tested our generator / air conditioner when the temperature reached 110 F). From there we went to Grand Teton National Park and then north Yellowstone National Park and finally back to Olympia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgui2n_tWxaLWRRkjMryns9s9vVZEqXifnV2e_kq_sdGQj7FSTdo6ju_os5b_WOh23ds8wFWfbs5udFWtHwCpd7uNwlw2jAOeRaJkIlmjJgP31rIPrx06IiCE0UhhXd6l5oKw_Z3WQSMO3Y/s838/DSCF2462.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgui2n_tWxaLWRRkjMryns9s9vVZEqXifnV2e_kq_sdGQj7FSTdo6ju_os5b_WOh23ds8wFWfbs5udFWtHwCpd7uNwlw2jAOeRaJkIlmjJgP31rIPrx06IiCE0UhhXd6l5oKw_Z3WQSMO3Y/s320/DSCF2462.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up an old wagon road in Eastern Washington</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfmEJlFmSg3n4a3Vs6zGm7lxXlbPOHlVUyXeVUswpqIjke1kxuMgmBRZPIqhqtJSDq6m2RL7pj5jnMpv9ZZ6chZxL3MdrjVcoFVXS90vYfZkFMZxy9wVG1x5BFp_pgdhmyCE4ASBsDdWx/s838/DSCF5476.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfmEJlFmSg3n4a3Vs6zGm7lxXlbPOHlVUyXeVUswpqIjke1kxuMgmBRZPIqhqtJSDq6m2RL7pj5jnMpv9ZZ6chZxL3MdrjVcoFVXS90vYfZkFMZxy9wVG1x5BFp_pgdhmyCE4ASBsDdWx/s320/DSCF5476.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic Hanford reactor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO03f039pgjMS-3ca8eHhQAxB2kROL977JGvzpNkHnCvCy6GEVOSIjDe3dAqy98Lm2L-hR7vbOa4V8jTz2ovK1Bm8dmJrUOpM38suw89zGmSCFkDbSgc4z-P2w261oVyASh85IYQXPSjC-/s838/DSCF2510.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO03f039pgjMS-3ca8eHhQAxB2kROL977JGvzpNkHnCvCy6GEVOSIjDe3dAqy98Lm2L-hR7vbOa4V8jTz2ovK1Bm8dmJrUOpM38suw89zGmSCFkDbSgc4z-P2w261oVyASh85IYQXPSjC-/s320/DSCF2510.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craters of the Moon National Park<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKNmsL4uU9PDCbWIyQJtVP677zgSsKJ1QeUu2S5FOmZFY-LZ8sIqANARltyqgKv6grY5g-APlWM_8824L1NX0HpSPBxwm1YDVWFlpq0Sj676qodw-Ki3eUvKf_Dg-sK8QfBhRr97MPkwP/s838/DSCF2520.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKNmsL4uU9PDCbWIyQJtVP677zgSsKJ1QeUu2S5FOmZFY-LZ8sIqANARltyqgKv6grY5g-APlWM_8824L1NX0HpSPBxwm1YDVWFlpq0Sj676qodw-Ki3eUvKf_Dg-sK8QfBhRr97MPkwP/s320/DSCF2520.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonrise Craters of the Moon National Park<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnbGgw00aGkKD-ZvD6f5jJfSpM-yV4NxTkoeOn8WiX63zjSJ6h6zCdQvoD-r5ePGWhM9SAaam7PDVPP-w644gHub9J6DXwHqYS4LTZEBHkbMZ5UkJmX_loKaa2THTS4RJDA0cMDYi3JwQ/s1500/DSCF5489+%25281500+x+844%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnbGgw00aGkKD-ZvD6f5jJfSpM-yV4NxTkoeOn8WiX63zjSJ6h6zCdQvoD-r5ePGWhM9SAaam7PDVPP-w644gHub9J6DXwHqYS4LTZEBHkbMZ5UkJmX_loKaa2THTS4RJDA0cMDYi3JwQ/s320/DSCF5489+%25281500+x+844%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruneau Dunes State Park Idaho<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kbhkm5JFPj-9Tkh1cXWd1aVsttvMDihj2ZmSYpuu_VgI7AXWBpgaMHkXFOsQDKfJYxAAlFkKf2ufEBXCcY0vXbgf2rh1HrBF2I7TQczamKnXbASJEiK-1rccHXHCfXuvQ31EibsiMIaR/s838/DSCF5506.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kbhkm5JFPj-9Tkh1cXWd1aVsttvMDihj2ZmSYpuu_VgI7AXWBpgaMHkXFOsQDKfJYxAAlFkKf2ufEBXCcY0vXbgf2rh1HrBF2I7TQczamKnXbASJEiK-1rccHXHCfXuvQ31EibsiMIaR/s320/DSCF5506.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruneau Canyon Idaho<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXw5UXeoyo7I06uOqZv2fWvzpLe4MrznvOflnR8jDyQ_uqTuvqoHAx6PW136Q3jPXmZx-y4euU_civkxNDC_zAlQD0St57xJpVT3YltQ__2DIGVw7WhxfN40Yq8eZwHjwlNTdngDfzDl9f/s838/DSCF5503.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXw5UXeoyo7I06uOqZv2fWvzpLe4MrznvOflnR8jDyQ_uqTuvqoHAx6PW136Q3jPXmZx-y4euU_civkxNDC_zAlQD0St57xJpVT3YltQ__2DIGVw7WhxfN40Yq8eZwHjwlNTdngDfzDl9f/s320/DSCF5503.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruneau Canyon Idaho</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0DQONwmAakM5Nksio5KDmzranBS-44-8IboSf9BnA7TIdC3lK27AwUkRwE8pA72_uRj8lGKyuehCgeF7AmaJRXGZAOfA9Nqrrp-YpW34nG79wJf0kAiYWIDAFR9hBpiNR6gLhmvfjcNu/s838/DSCF2498.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0DQONwmAakM5Nksio5KDmzranBS-44-8IboSf9BnA7TIdC3lK27AwUkRwE8pA72_uRj8lGKyuehCgeF7AmaJRXGZAOfA9Nqrrp-YpW34nG79wJf0kAiYWIDAFR9hBpiNR6gLhmvfjcNu/s320/DSCF2498.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver City a historic mining town miles up challenging<br />dirt roads at 6000 ft of elevation in the Owyhee Mountains <br />of Idaho (Owyhee County was named by some miners<br />from Hawaii)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5AVOkFQNqnRh14WJ9GEKhVsj3S1SyX7Yrm_Nw3tdUrGyNG75Vno6pe9HyQvXnu-p5JKOy3bBAEwF8pV1tDkynLEd1ZCckbWB9fa6vG5W16CtvsFbW9NReCYui8LXZFoekqr_ht0FrM5U/s838/DSCF2499.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5AVOkFQNqnRh14WJ9GEKhVsj3S1SyX7Yrm_Nw3tdUrGyNG75Vno6pe9HyQvXnu-p5JKOy3bBAEwF8pV1tDkynLEd1ZCckbWB9fa6vG5W16CtvsFbW9NReCYui8LXZFoekqr_ht0FrM5U/s320/DSCF2499.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church in Silver City<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBxypN0KtFr3nA-GsLGWsJQa8peGLNHbsBsbvE8Coku3eILnIhL83UbH-LNZJUdzhFbjG2hkM_aKmwYVvjxbFID3xcyuYWvAAlPMjo-uv5JRHAJKSitNywGLeO7x9blzAIohhnGuczASY/s838/DSCF2523.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWBxypN0KtFr3nA-GsLGWsJQa8peGLNHbsBsbvE8Coku3eILnIhL83UbH-LNZJUdzhFbjG2hkM_aKmwYVvjxbFID3xcyuYWvAAlPMjo-uv5JRHAJKSitNywGLeO7x9blzAIohhnGuczASY/s320/DSCF2523.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Tetons National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynQoa_LXKuuhrLdJFd51ggF1FAbbOwC4aD8KOFH92dP8fHJqNxPMJ9z9CMDjCKuNSU6bdrjbuxDyOFWLqRUcV5DdJpak2GK19-yptP0i8UsAjAVSR_7SJ8qJhZOXQGP421mdS7l5ynkvU/s838/DSCF2564.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynQoa_LXKuuhrLdJFd51ggF1FAbbOwC4aD8KOFH92dP8fHJqNxPMJ9z9CMDjCKuNSU6bdrjbuxDyOFWLqRUcV5DdJpak2GK19-yptP0i8UsAjAVSR_7SJ8qJhZOXQGP421mdS7l5ynkvU/s320/DSCF2564.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFot6L12PDe3ymS13fRzcfLTS5e6lKkm_PvPzRJ7JXgBtLbLSYsY-M_7PG07LobL8FJrEhwW0-Ns7wL_Q3PqylFWYxLqshu3SnGHpA0Z1D9I7qnT9lK0M6enOKQe6PbKy_dyY_-tF0VBc/s838/DSCF2567.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFot6L12PDe3ymS13fRzcfLTS5e6lKkm_PvPzRJ7JXgBtLbLSYsY-M_7PG07LobL8FJrEhwW0-Ns7wL_Q3PqylFWYxLqshu3SnGHpA0Z1D9I7qnT9lK0M6enOKQe6PbKy_dyY_-tF0VBc/s320/DSCF2567.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVTwTHNEznMkpXAMXrqmriaQZUzRdLTnXj41tEzmU4jX7p5mSdt56HyqY5pEjGVqBbtUYXa1XZ5V4UtcFvWrjUImjFtdjECgrTgeuPboM8E_GpkND_5qmnuR2IL9WpZQ2QeIPg7xmLDtE/s838/DSCF2577.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVTwTHNEznMkpXAMXrqmriaQZUzRdLTnXj41tEzmU4jX7p5mSdt56HyqY5pEjGVqBbtUYXa1XZ5V4UtcFvWrjUImjFtdjECgrTgeuPboM8E_GpkND_5qmnuR2IL9WpZQ2QeIPg7xmLDtE/s320/DSCF2577.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD5iAYBH0XHXSOaMwJmnM3Dgat0bQPMVa1wlyxoVO-aHbUM-bz-dpa57a2Z__22FBSGntWKAAI8H3jQ2NW6dfSwJt5VGHuUsLeNmmC1fSxObc3sOqgqnw21rFYW5WwfN8FmZDISlsSuzU/s838/DSCF5564.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD5iAYBH0XHXSOaMwJmnM3Dgat0bQPMVa1wlyxoVO-aHbUM-bz-dpa57a2Z__22FBSGntWKAAI8H3jQ2NW6dfSwJt5VGHuUsLeNmmC1fSxObc3sOqgqnw21rFYW5WwfN8FmZDISlsSuzU/s320/DSCF5564.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When Clarice and Etienne went to get a buffalo's photon<br />they didn't expect him to be standing on the boardwalk in <br />front of them!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGcMunybnsKXYuXE557Kr_vX5AUSsxSNvVnZcXn7WNUeFJQuHlcdpQ4VPw53LJjvwkBitpwEKgXskzbNVtpQQY8ly5y4ELT7Q-lG_kff9ekyTpwC91YBa-J4e4iV9JrEEQ1hlnfs4mzsd/s838/DSCF5586.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGcMunybnsKXYuXE557Kr_vX5AUSsxSNvVnZcXn7WNUeFJQuHlcdpQ4VPw53LJjvwkBitpwEKgXskzbNVtpQQY8ly5y4ELT7Q-lG_kff9ekyTpwC91YBa-J4e4iV9JrEEQ1hlnfs4mzsd/s320/DSCF5586.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone Falls</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ-FTPa3ej3R-RH6V5nGt_TTff3Z7bAj3LPwTFh6K-OU7mtV8lsC28neAkAAMRFX2FxWcKy5IiOof76WawcEcorP1kx5J8q5ds4a8kGvDhp1gqK9n2lbIsUn6Lj_lgjciD_IotfAf_AAb/s838/DSCF5555.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJ-FTPa3ej3R-RH6V5nGt_TTff3Z7bAj3LPwTFh6K-OU7mtV8lsC28neAkAAMRFX2FxWcKy5IiOof76WawcEcorP1kx5J8q5ds4a8kGvDhp1gqK9n2lbIsUn6Lj_lgjciD_IotfAf_AAb/s320/DSCF5555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mud pot Yellowstone National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKE49QTvWZ1c9ata9MotHbuY0eK4z2PrddkF86Fu2icwU4Huzr0FfoZcrZVjRKisWkHyaAqnJNRuTve3j03JhEGpcx3ulZ2ZFBo4zMMzxbE8AYEE5m4y6VOqfFJRZAyuoQRdA15A9lqwV/s838/DSCF5589.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKE49QTvWZ1c9ata9MotHbuY0eK4z2PrddkF86Fu2icwU4Huzr0FfoZcrZVjRKisWkHyaAqnJNRuTve3j03JhEGpcx3ulZ2ZFBo4zMMzxbE8AYEE5m4y6VOqfFJRZAyuoQRdA15A9lqwV/s320/DSCF5589.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZW5xUrI9-xV2Lxe8HsZrBSZF5V6j3p7xB62JGRTVHaLU2gV4pN5z885zlwZxh33p-avjL4AW_PZ1xM3GdXOTuKJ1oCe1bvGPbEbznxefBO3Lu7cjKY8F4x3J2jP11p4I141O7ANqTloT/s838/DSCF5545.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZW5xUrI9-xV2Lxe8HsZrBSZF5V6j3p7xB62JGRTVHaLU2gV4pN5z885zlwZxh33p-avjL4AW_PZ1xM3GdXOTuKJ1oCe1bvGPbEbznxefBO3Lu7cjKY8F4x3J2jP11p4I141O7ANqTloT/s320/DSCF5545.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshRKzy1NXMjyRk_YorMdDOgLx8cXJZvuBAnoRqtZ7sBC4JkFlgPCT-p4JXMEFCBzlZhuTBdy_lbe-i6zpSBSNUgbMgiimJ0R3QchWSJnfMxI9cam9Tvod2ZAyVwgLzXN0cU3ZejVqDw0m/s838/DSCF5551.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshRKzy1NXMjyRk_YorMdDOgLx8cXJZvuBAnoRqtZ7sBC4JkFlgPCT-p4JXMEFCBzlZhuTBdy_lbe-i6zpSBSNUgbMgiimJ0R3QchWSJnfMxI9cam9Tvod2ZAyVwgLzXN0cU3ZejVqDw0m/s320/DSCF5551.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2ZnjxGHTmWJrkSFrRD9VbXsOZ_sBuheG1Rm1wvem3rYDwvSXRQb2CTx1GtqltI9XAi7G61FfWlGv-cYZIxahZCbnDTBe62vp2ZUbsmGw8gOYaYTJtBq9KGw8dCVxjaGnL7ewC-RxEkl8/s838/DSCF5530.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC2ZnjxGHTmWJrkSFrRD9VbXsOZ_sBuheG1Rm1wvem3rYDwvSXRQb2CTx1GtqltI9XAi7G61FfWlGv-cYZIxahZCbnDTBe62vp2ZUbsmGw8gOYaYTJtBq9KGw8dCVxjaGnL7ewC-RxEkl8/s320/DSCF5530.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Faithful Yellowstone National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><p class="MsoNormal">Camping has been much the same whenever we tried to get into
major campgrounds. We have found that
enjoying out of the way “boondocking” type camping has helped a lot as we have
moved about. For example there were no
first-come-first-serve campgrounds open in Yellowstone and all of the
reservation campgrounds were booked through the end of the season but we were
able to get some really amazing sites by using “disbursed” camping sites which
were often prettier and were free. Finally
we have joined HarvestHosts.com who provides names of wineries, farms, and
places like museums where you can park an RV for the night with only the
expectation that you buy a minimum of $20 worth of goods and/or services. Our first experience at a HarvestHosts site
was to set up with about 6 other RVs in the far back pasture of an alpaca
ranch. It was a great experience and I
now have some cozy alpaca wool socks.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3uRN1UeU6STPVKWXXW5g7PVfXqIngWXyFi-XXtkSG7dEZhoEHNLPBIB4-_U5c4cGwi8s0W3mygFqvIshYxROMCV2dgHfmEypoj0yn9BPW_V8D_uxRh_h14od4jeAAHfuTLuknyZHaw3c/s838/DSCF2525.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3uRN1UeU6STPVKWXXW5g7PVfXqIngWXyFi-XXtkSG7dEZhoEHNLPBIB4-_U5c4cGwi8s0W3mygFqvIshYxROMCV2dgHfmEypoj0yn9BPW_V8D_uxRh_h14od4jeAAHfuTLuknyZHaw3c/s320/DSCF2525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from one of our many free campsites<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNcNLiz_xTa1c0pCuHLLMrbRFZy56wgGOk3b-MOf6-kMDrBdffG6Ejj4C-8Beh9PHRcL7WozA1qnRCfNy3JzMNIEjK_cgdWNO5PCeBDy_sdjKHAUefU5NVMB0ZV-rg9mY2hTj5CHeisQ5/s838/DSCF2530.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNcNLiz_xTa1c0pCuHLLMrbRFZy56wgGOk3b-MOf6-kMDrBdffG6Ejj4C-8Beh9PHRcL7WozA1qnRCfNy3JzMNIEjK_cgdWNO5PCeBDy_sdjKHAUefU5NVMB0ZV-rg9mY2hTj5CHeisQ5/s320/DSCF2530.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disbursed campsite near the Grand Tetons<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oFhVlTv5L6Z4P-xoV1paDJjkkp3ElylrO1MSc17bJhgg3qXP-4uB2cQQ-6myeccbTMBb_CzuPUhCAgNJbyQ2w4TdDRdNFC1t87LVv9u87uHQbVgJlpkOu6BVzYnYL3Iq7ocgTTklNNRr/s838/DSCF2614.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2oFhVlTv5L6Z4P-xoV1paDJjkkp3ElylrO1MSc17bJhgg3qXP-4uB2cQQ-6myeccbTMBb_CzuPUhCAgNJbyQ2w4TdDRdNFC1t87LVv9u87uHQbVgJlpkOu6BVzYnYL3Iq7ocgTTklNNRr/s320/DSCF2614.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping in an alpaca pasture<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-AXZV1s2TEAw5R-sD2IJplIDiYniOCjeQovLx4gY7BCi0c0VRvoiDlpKAixSMaI3XAaupJaAJYKjO6pvy3eu7lPfwDuEwnyVU8j1b9QfYg1q_vzgNC01fuKuxT7U4M1Qhl9a5tGyu-Um/s838/DSCF2643.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-AXZV1s2TEAw5R-sD2IJplIDiYniOCjeQovLx4gY7BCi0c0VRvoiDlpKAixSMaI3XAaupJaAJYKjO6pvy3eu7lPfwDuEwnyVU8j1b9QfYg1q_vzgNC01fuKuxT7U4M1Qhl9a5tGyu-Um/s320/DSCF2643.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis gets a close look at a curious alpaca</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpQFRZL0mAVKl3tnTmqaUJvZIN0TX_R2Wu-HlZJQq6I2y5qy_k3411YtmrOeRaGlXWpyd4KFN7O0YTNZiwGKbBqVsM4ZH5UdNuT4UMoQ7RWgPK0wMRJ3XGvg1yf7JLnUtR4gD47X4Xlb6/s838/DSCF2667.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpQFRZL0mAVKl3tnTmqaUJvZIN0TX_R2Wu-HlZJQq6I2y5qy_k3411YtmrOeRaGlXWpyd4KFN7O0YTNZiwGKbBqVsM4ZH5UdNuT4UMoQ7RWgPK0wMRJ3XGvg1yf7JLnUtR4gD47X4Xlb6/s320/DSCF2667.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another HarvestsHost.com site was The Fit Quilter<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5viHENJA0RSrIpiHVoIdX0P7mM1Lra4bIslrDB867OhziUw1SyfGkVav6g6a15tL2twxcQI8jqxt0ZsGRyw-0RP08Nqah7RHi-nP8xGzC9tHv_csYW2ef13xV1quBhVx9X_3FUbYz8XV9/s2048/IMG_2394.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5viHENJA0RSrIpiHVoIdX0P7mM1Lra4bIslrDB867OhziUw1SyfGkVav6g6a15tL2twxcQI8jqxt0ZsGRyw-0RP08Nqah7RHi-nP8xGzC9tHv_csYW2ef13xV1quBhVx9X_3FUbYz8XV9/s320/IMG_2394.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our campsite near the south entrance to Yellowstone <br />(there were NO campsites available inside of the park)<br />It had been burned off but was now covered with meadows and <br />wildflowers. We and one other site each had a sturdy picnic table,<br />a bear proof food storage locker, a fire pit, and shared a concrete walled<br />outhouse which was cleaned daily by the National Park Service and it <br />was free (as was our daily entrance into Yellowstone with Clarice's <br />lifetime senior pass.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkbUAMOCLMKRwe00ZpADgjUTpG8sFJgmQh8C7TdaGhKGq-PyyhsyQRVi1kknCIleN2uDQa57EWd33MmexTfHvKIjxzghdPCmJHnG0qpeFIGc1ozpgmcdNqJjRYi934DpTdTXmFEK4j19c/s838/DSCF5510.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkbUAMOCLMKRwe00ZpADgjUTpG8sFJgmQh8C7TdaGhKGq-PyyhsyQRVi1kknCIleN2uDQa57EWd33MmexTfHvKIjxzghdPCmJHnG0qpeFIGc1ozpgmcdNqJjRYi934DpTdTXmFEK4j19c/s320/DSCF5510.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign next to the trailer says this is an "official"<br />dispersed campsite and asks that we leave it like we found it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEjB8l8cIgA0rVzbbS_lyCFgH0ou6b23vOd85ax3J3K08njtCGN-u4ywOE2h_0PPhn9VO-ef_RvirW4Vu0yLSguAeEoeklNdkTgDBqMr4XRuIfjHH3hZbsi5-NJKV3lo_TdhNB_BF9sRK/s838/DSCF5615.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEjB8l8cIgA0rVzbbS_lyCFgH0ou6b23vOd85ax3J3K08njtCGN-u4ywOE2h_0PPhn9VO-ef_RvirW4Vu0yLSguAeEoeklNdkTgDBqMr4XRuIfjHH3hZbsi5-NJKV3lo_TdhNB_BF9sRK/s320/DSCF5615.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many small Midwest towns have city parks with free camping.<br />This one had ballfields, a putt-putt golf course, a frisbee golf course,<br />horse shoe pits, AND a tree with an owl.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>As I write this we are on our first major trip in Salish Airstream. So far we have crossed the
northern tier of the USA and then entered Ontario Canada from Michigan. We were
allowed into Canada because we have family here and Canada does allow entry for
“family reunification” but only if those entering from the States (where Covid
is still rampant) are willing to quarantine for 14 days. On entry we presented copies of our daughter Erin’s
passport and birth certificate to show that she is related and a naturalized
Canadian citizen. Then we described our
quarantine plan (use the trailer as our bedroom and primary living area while
we stayed within the boundaries of her family’s property, and finally that we
would wear masks around her family if we were closer than 6’ apart UNLESS we
became symptomatic at which time we would retreat into the trailer only). We also report in to the government
quarantine department daily. At this point we have 4 more reporting days then
we are free to travel about Ontario. The grandchildren are excited to go
camping in the trailer with us so we have reserved a site in a provincial park
for Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDotjiECw66-5YIVtiH-Q3-FZE7thOMAy8aiyYgf72RO9DN0nObspPUZefw3AkeLfCD0SPmIhr1uLJ_nC_a3rNVF3cfTxSAToh8-doX4Ny8AC3Z4lgco0t5Mwk6SPpolcBYLTo9PGLzp3/s838/DSCF5591.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDotjiECw66-5YIVtiH-Q3-FZE7thOMAy8aiyYgf72RO9DN0nObspPUZefw3AkeLfCD0SPmIhr1uLJ_nC_a3rNVF3cfTxSAToh8-doX4Ny8AC3Z4lgco0t5Mwk6SPpolcBYLTo9PGLzp3/s320/DSCF5591.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took one last boat trip to welcome some friends <br />we had met during our Mexico adventures who also <br />originally came from the Salish Sea. They had planned <br />to spend 2 years in the South Pacific but on arrival <br />learned they were not welcome because Covid had made <br />itself known. Instead they had to sail with the trade winds <br />north to Hawaii and on to Kodiak Island Alaska and then<br />back south to Washington to complete their detour. <br />The photo was taken through a 400 mm lens <br />just after they had appeared out of a fog bank near Victoria. It was <br />after dark before we closed in on them in our power boat as they had<br />good wind and were using their motor as well.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4Fb7Uvz9e46JnAjxUoyi2PsChx8nPvOJppV1OoBOFL4D563mZtCJDMqeVjrz2T7uk0lu8uRJ8iBTf1gIQIzGhsit9vKGwEXNsna2DkyHArfb9QmhEup3aM76eIGU0VlfU_-TbIunlI0y/s2048/IMG_2484.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4Fb7Uvz9e46JnAjxUoyi2PsChx8nPvOJppV1OoBOFL4D563mZtCJDMqeVjrz2T7uk0lu8uRJ8iBTf1gIQIzGhsit9vKGwEXNsna2DkyHArfb9QmhEup3aM76eIGU0VlfU_-TbIunlI0y/s320/IMG_2484.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our departure was delayed a couple of days<br />as Jarvis had emergency surgery for an anal abscess.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpO7rO5iK1iuzK4iwucNi9zDfeJgA0I3qeN2S52J6U7mGS1NB7bxgeQC4ZTt14GaJjiY30VFmL6yQWOwZJyjzgfQaMA7AH0sA_8SpjTgBgN5GJxFDorrmWeQ9b7JajyhJM7Yz1PKOv97ln/s2048/IMG_2488.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpO7rO5iK1iuzK4iwucNi9zDfeJgA0I3qeN2S52J6U7mGS1NB7bxgeQC4ZTt14GaJjiY30VFmL6yQWOwZJyjzgfQaMA7AH0sA_8SpjTgBgN5GJxFDorrmWeQ9b7JajyhJM7Yz1PKOv97ln/s320/IMG_2488.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He didn't like the "girl dog" diaper but it was better<br />than the "collar of shame".<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYx09fqM16wJFV8lfCHFwSakJ6m57XnxDQ-uhQzwxRg_4btysYs0thsp4D8A4sKXG1Q0bySuEaiBHBR4WpXhv3_WRrCI91lJ_3AH08pI2SLJ5kdbTS8fnwW1r6IxV_a_VzO84oVsjnYvm/s838/DSCF5605.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYx09fqM16wJFV8lfCHFwSakJ6m57XnxDQ-uhQzwxRg_4btysYs0thsp4D8A4sKXG1Q0bySuEaiBHBR4WpXhv3_WRrCI91lJ_3AH08pI2SLJ5kdbTS8fnwW1r6IxV_a_VzO84oVsjnYvm/s320/DSCF5605.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An orange moon (after days of orange suns) due to <br />smoke from west coast forest fires<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>This is really the first time we have ever crossed the country with time to take some lesser highways and stop and see some of the lesser known but really cool sights along the way.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xjp1Xw3QKIuQBqH00UaHHqHPvwEtBd0c7k40mfAym3Kd4rpaW2gkIeDZ2i5QO18s7NCAU57SHIKZgW3vbXAtRrmmH8T1D9Dao8QxTUixdh4CSHTQoyIL2yAJilL9mpnso1ThqaP7pFeG/s838/DSCF2648.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Xjp1Xw3QKIuQBqH00UaHHqHPvwEtBd0c7k40mfAym3Kd4rpaW2gkIeDZ2i5QO18s7NCAU57SHIKZgW3vbXAtRrmmH8T1D9Dao8QxTUixdh4CSHTQoyIL2yAJilL9mpnso1ThqaP7pFeG/s320/DSCF2648.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main hot spring in Hot Springs State Park in <br />downtown Thermopolis Wyoming</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBLdvYQdSgITpKJIykC5a0y8Zl5p5Qzc7meGl-tW2B-cITxTqCeMRtTZZlYJwsCqUS6m80tsYss0tdBqAJPxJwLdLVY2OGtdIjCCs4eRKLiItC6uoAti9N8WxHl4-5W_6Un1-oQCDcBBZ/s838/DSCF2649.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBLdvYQdSgITpKJIykC5a0y8Zl5p5Qzc7meGl-tW2B-cITxTqCeMRtTZZlYJwsCqUS6m80tsYss0tdBqAJPxJwLdLVY2OGtdIjCCs4eRKLiItC6uoAti9N8WxHl4-5W_6Un1-oQCDcBBZ/s320/DSCF2649.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water that is not diverted to the soaking pools and<br />water park in Hot Springs State Park flows into the Yellowstone River.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-MXtxi0KDnq4Q6tA_l9ahqVkCxFIBOTSE7xdEQWhTmDhXsNpxHDO9diFb94aIbi84FiQKP1wRy9PJxBx-sMg215dsgWVBcymlUewGUBXTbsClC4SF8P7gxU5AhzdVbyBrYbtoJnlErEC/s838/DSCF2663.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-MXtxi0KDnq4Q6tA_l9ahqVkCxFIBOTSE7xdEQWhTmDhXsNpxHDO9diFb94aIbi84FiQKP1wRy9PJxBx-sMg215dsgWVBcymlUewGUBXTbsClC4SF8P7gxU5AhzdVbyBrYbtoJnlErEC/s320/DSCF2663.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hell's Half Acre" an area much like the Badlands of<br />South Dakota is only a few yards from the highway but<br />could easily be passed by and never seen.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf2LPn9Vvl44Fyg9tpYJuDRRhogJ5MRWjPp2nwlOU_Iv2qT9ChdPHGob56QZEQHeELM7075Dc0VKHDHc0jzbdsGor3QXzfh7EYWmtxVUM9ikhAzBYfT-Se-xuwrXF4Uob0xBSRp2vK6mk/s838/DSCF5611.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf2LPn9Vvl44Fyg9tpYJuDRRhogJ5MRWjPp2nwlOU_Iv2qT9ChdPHGob56QZEQHeELM7075Dc0VKHDHc0jzbdsGor3QXzfh7EYWmtxVUM9ikhAzBYfT-Se-xuwrXF4Uob0xBSRp2vK6mk/s320/DSCF5611.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entry to the Wind River Canyon on the Wind River<br />Indian Reservation</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ROVyYZia_w3ak7yJsppPQBqoYkos3lsA3uaXx-VdM6Cda2MEB7vQr-CA8Mpd9UEaBLilMXMRjGKYlRktxxclIegostwzOIPZmBF4vqNHDImPcGW8x4pU1ZR7gw72KlN7jeIsQqPX1HPw/s2048/IMG_2496.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ROVyYZia_w3ak7yJsppPQBqoYkos3lsA3uaXx-VdM6Cda2MEB7vQr-CA8Mpd9UEaBLilMXMRjGKYlRktxxclIegostwzOIPZmBF4vqNHDImPcGW8x4pU1ZR7gw72KlN7jeIsQqPX1HPw/s320/IMG_2496.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping along the Yellowstone River in a free city park.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3HgE5GDTNkafuZmKXavhmKnx_7Hl4aJF5B4UrUQXuhb6vKofvQPdNRaGAPoRdCxhgrnqNwD_rl3PJJC_fZstMI92Lsh0cr4KNCKchBatmPpUhWRfhXoqbs3dSRV8X1UElAvZgsx1qHp8/s838/DSCF5635.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3HgE5GDTNkafuZmKXavhmKnx_7Hl4aJF5B4UrUQXuhb6vKofvQPdNRaGAPoRdCxhgrnqNwD_rl3PJJC_fZstMI92Lsh0cr4KNCKchBatmPpUhWRfhXoqbs3dSRV8X1UElAvZgsx1qHp8/s320/DSCF5635.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We learned that friends lived within minutes of a favorite<br />Corps of Engineers campground on the Mississippi River <br />after we had left the campground last year. This year we <br />made sure to visit them.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Jarvis was pretty excited to have a yard to run in after a lot of days of being stuck for long periods of time in the truck.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzkhUA8tBrJyYiTxyQpHzwO0o2434Mhv5dRsvw01bZu343QgrYy4uYvqtWgRNqrOX5gH7KdaCXQ_GX2ahSLdg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZ3LrHT6jccCTwuRzrDxlrTPZzf_UHvV-HyqpNhNG9aj4n3Dx9qmioL1EhGuWNWdCKHyVodfFWi_DSMczsPKnwfe9so-_JEEesUV2jcl69EVHPmqJCm6aGDCuBvIQZhpV5nQTnksafVZ0/s838/DSCF5636.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZ3LrHT6jccCTwuRzrDxlrTPZzf_UHvV-HyqpNhNG9aj4n3Dx9qmioL1EhGuWNWdCKHyVodfFWi_DSMczsPKnwfe9so-_JEEesUV2jcl69EVHPmqJCm6aGDCuBvIQZhpV5nQTnksafVZ0/s320/DSCF5636.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Airstream serves as our primary quarantine<br />location at our daughter Erin's family's home.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS46T2voOR3d0IeuHlTO-RzhB9yb82fTqOf-QMW7Zv28wU153Bx25r_zqBh5JmdqpSdNT2ah4CT-bnkmz9poDCsqgQd5gGOifbPl3Ms1wzWz-uosGxcAGX1K6VTtvjfKTlnppwwJI9D72O/s838/DSCF2674.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS46T2voOR3d0IeuHlTO-RzhB9yb82fTqOf-QMW7Zv28wU153Bx25r_zqBh5JmdqpSdNT2ah4CT-bnkmz9poDCsqgQd5gGOifbPl3Ms1wzWz-uosGxcAGX1K6VTtvjfKTlnppwwJI9D72O/s320/DSCF2674.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally grandchildren time</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-lqmgEVgCnGPjgviRyglUxa4h75csMau4sZNCWt9439h3h96PPz-qQL2k8Xf2shJIbK21hIzA8zVuuEXmg_zrZq4sF5GNBmF0MXlwLYLvJsnBiRx3d69DaiTSKEXSWD65Kk9HB-9oCGK/s838/DSCF2671.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-lqmgEVgCnGPjgviRyglUxa4h75csMau4sZNCWt9439h3h96PPz-qQL2k8Xf2shJIbK21hIzA8zVuuEXmg_zrZq4sF5GNBmF0MXlwLYLvJsnBiRx3d69DaiTSKEXSWD65Kk9HB-9oCGK/s320/DSCF2671.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandkids V&H assemble a kit we had ordered for them</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP69WKtMK6_MrrR8I53wnGSzcHsQdF0hZSzHWsk8H_uAKHRRUtOuDF4aQV_buNgrcIoWdhpScFhkQ2hcoEvm11WQTwd3WUPjkQR8JY9X729JjRr6dLGybkVHQeYr7lBSRip_ZGAi7CY2L/s2048/IMG_2515.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP69WKtMK6_MrrR8I53wnGSzcHsQdF0hZSzHWsk8H_uAKHRRUtOuDF4aQV_buNgrcIoWdhpScFhkQ2hcoEvm11WQTwd3WUPjkQR8JY9X729JjRr6dLGybkVHQeYr7lBSRip_ZGAi7CY2L/s320/IMG_2515.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin and Clarice canning 40 liters of <br />grape juice from a local vineyard.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">From here we plan to head south following the Appalachian mountain
chain and enjoying the fall leaves but avoiding major cities. In reality to use
the immortal words of Indiana Jones, “We are making this up as we go along!”
and having a lot of fun doing it.</p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-2603904245128628172020-06-02T17:40:00.000-07:002020-06-02T17:40:27.780-07:00Cancer therapy in Seattle<br />
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June 1, 2020<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Hmmm a bad pattern is developing when I notice my goal of a
once a month post to the blog keeps slipping and each post begins with a “gee,
it’s been a long time since I posted note”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s just start with a summary note and then we’ll go back and cover
each topic in detail. First we loved our time in Moss Landing (despite a minor
pandemic) where I started my cancer treatment and then we had a glass-smooth
sail up the coast to Washington and finally we are currently nestled in Elliot Bay
Marina in Seattle while I get my daily radiation zapping and, Oh! we bought a
brand new truck and camping trailer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So back to Moss Landing in California where we arrived about
the time the Covid-19 pandemic was really starting to clarify that it planned
to dominate the history of the world if something wasn’t done and soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The something that was done was to tell
pretty much everyone in the country to stay home so that we humans could slow
the spread of the virus long enough for our medical systems and pretty much
every other system could catch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being
in California (where they seem to do everything in excess – example: I dare you
to spend a single day without seeing a notification that something is “known by
the State of California to cause cancer” (although I didn’t see any stickers on
the redwood trees –yet!)) we got daily notices via the emergency broadcast
network on our cellphones telling us to stay home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Driving up the coast (when you live on a boat
your home is where you are so if you are in your car you are home – right?)
state beaches were all closed (which made walking to the beach near the boat a
delight with no cars on the entry road so Jarvis got some off-leash time) but
county beaches were open in the county where we were with plenty of signs
reminding folks to use “social distancing” to help slow the spread of the
virus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since you couldn’t park in any of
the park parking lots folks parked on the roads and walked into the parks
(which was allowed) until we got closer to Half Moon Bay south of San Francisco
and there the County had coned off every pull out along the highway and the
police were out in force writing tickets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A big problem was that the State of California had decided that a
pandemic makes people not need to rest or pee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Truckers pulled off where they could to get legally and physiologically mandated
breaks and redwood trees hid folks trying to empty bladders with some
privacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, I am grateful that
the west coast governors jumped in and did the best they could think of in the
face of a huge unknown as it has become apparent that it worked (or at least
has worked so far).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are not seeing
the bodies stacked like cord-wood such as we see on TV from Italy and The Bronx
but instead my inside sources tell me the hospitals are running with plenty of
beds available and the Covid case numbers have been kept to a dull roar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully there will be a really good review
of what was done and what could have been done and notes will be kept for the
next pandemic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That review may come to
the conclusion that we did way more than needed (and could have had a lot less economic
devastation) or that every action taken was appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case only time will tell how this
whole pandemic thing plays out. (As of this writing here in Washington,
restaurants are serving food to-go and are working on making plans for opening
dining rooms to limited customers, parks are open for day use (and overnight
camping as of today) and in general folks are out and about but using masks and
social distancing as each person deems appropriate.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Enough said about the pandemic except to remind future
readers that at this moment in history it is a big deal that is ever-present in
our daily lives affecting everything from walks in the park, to shopping, to
going to church (not yet – we still attend on-line) and politics. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Back to Moss Landing and California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the state was in lockdown our movements
by private car were not challenged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since we had never really visited Central California before we would
often load Jarvis and a picnic in the Prius and head out to explore a new
direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On several occasions we
visited smaller redwood parks and loved the solitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove up to Half-Moon Bay to see what the
marina and anchorage looked like in case we decided to harbor hop all of the
way back to Puget Sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove down
the central valley and started to understand how much of our nation’s food
supply comes from this part of the world. We visited the amazing sand dunes and
beaches of Monterey Bay (we never did feel ready to go diving after my sepsis
caused me concern about my lung health).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In general we really got to appreciate how varied the landscape is from
one end of the state to the other when we finally really checked out the middle
where we had only rushed through on past visits.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLMfOcp3Liz9dd9HQ-G3jUEICeBoDhcAcc9pN9QzIMyq6ieEcutCQCKZx3V_XX_Nf7Xf_2ONPt633RViyvdy8BUbJsRlFr2-Q76fq6wNOhr54vYjXqfIUBoJCMPK-TdmvvgjsYvb17-6U/s1600/DSCF2362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLMfOcp3Liz9dd9HQ-G3jUEICeBoDhcAcc9pN9QzIMyq6ieEcutCQCKZx3V_XX_Nf7Xf_2ONPt633RViyvdy8BUbJsRlFr2-Q76fq6wNOhr54vYjXqfIUBoJCMPK-TdmvvgjsYvb17-6U/s320/DSCF2362.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out over Elkhorn Slough (AKA Moss Landing Estuary)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBkqeqfWFPHsey1oP54DVlQ3aLf1csQFOGnwa5qCmZgL9OtNIhmABYCNnin2HX4asJEw8PdoU2yip3WUEWk5Tr6swJ3tImdVxQPxJg6PYRrGWF9MtkHYtylvjujdzfWwemCZPZDgCYyXO/s1600/DSCF2363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBkqeqfWFPHsey1oP54DVlQ3aLf1csQFOGnwa5qCmZgL9OtNIhmABYCNnin2HX4asJEw8PdoU2yip3WUEWk5Tr6swJ3tImdVxQPxJg6PYRrGWF9MtkHYtylvjujdzfWwemCZPZDgCYyXO/s320/DSCF2363.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Looking out over Elkhorn Slough (AKA Moss Landing Estuary)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAax91j5b1nIDkvQM2tOupO4e2VyJRTS2xN0ljdrmo8AzYL3LlvEzBts_tC4F6OvU58cS-E-V5FuVzq3ADdwIIniilNQPN-DJCmrD8cGMSR_aqOXMu5q323KwSQ7o3niKgjd968xvy6hT/s1600/DSCF2376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAax91j5b1nIDkvQM2tOupO4e2VyJRTS2xN0ljdrmo8AzYL3LlvEzBts_tC4F6OvU58cS-E-V5FuVzq3ADdwIIniilNQPN-DJCmrD8cGMSR_aqOXMu5q323KwSQ7o3niKgjd968xvy6hT/s320/DSCF2376.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaking with the sea otters in Elkhorn Slough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtE_ZFXBi8qYfM8geE5JnIDReF9dw16lTucyE03D1t3NKiQvLcN6jsxG28J222UbH9rKcoqibTsjGGf7RIpGlv5RwC6mKOzrveTLTtIPdTIzCdxGTwgq5tvPqqbUrbkO8-IjOabGVAvJA/s1600/DSCF2377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtE_ZFXBi8qYfM8geE5JnIDReF9dw16lTucyE03D1t3NKiQvLcN6jsxG28J222UbH9rKcoqibTsjGGf7RIpGlv5RwC6mKOzrveTLTtIPdTIzCdxGTwgq5tvPqqbUrbkO8-IjOabGVAvJA/s320/DSCF2377.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis checking out the wildlife in Elkhorn Slough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscta8F6CP92_ey6eSlgbR74koGdAX_wPqYvaKnDjlKMPmnkTaNesFOFB-TXQj6FtZ6FsNU3Zs3rnKJb5aLxiLCWS2m4xGJYTz8shKBd1pxWn3HZaEZKCY0Wf-3XfFdPWH-FbK37KbG2hc/s1600/DSCF2382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscta8F6CP92_ey6eSlgbR74koGdAX_wPqYvaKnDjlKMPmnkTaNesFOFB-TXQj6FtZ6FsNU3Zs3rnKJb5aLxiLCWS2m4xGJYTz8shKBd1pxWn3HZaEZKCY0Wf-3XfFdPWH-FbK37KbG2hc/s320/DSCF2382.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea otters frolicking in Elkhorn Slough</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyhcsBaWd-46NdYRVxA21NLb3_1ZYDHdUoSDCA_D1QbbR7B2XSlvnf8SEsl_HtqUYvP1-U-RE2v4uP0m5Y9CPOMv5N2lqGMd8NSu7cxFsWhB1HD02P1ddTjD6cvbC_dghyphenhyphenBOUBsYGxiHQ/s1600/DSCF2370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="665" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyhcsBaWd-46NdYRVxA21NLb3_1ZYDHdUoSDCA_D1QbbR7B2XSlvnf8SEsl_HtqUYvP1-U-RE2v4uP0m5Y9CPOMv5N2lqGMd8NSu7cxFsWhB1HD02P1ddTjD6cvbC_dghyphenhyphenBOUBsYGxiHQ/s320/DSCF2370.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting the coast redwoods</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp1M1uWKcOG1B1XA_5739mWlsTajhULITRE5RmujU5v2AJRKNzHyMpBU-P6G2c73sC088SBFnHFA95FVuKj723MO3TG6tYqL3wrPX765whZ70GWsCohc5fMFNVNzg20oRit2sX16DGhyphenhyphen8/s1600/DSCF2394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp1M1uWKcOG1B1XA_5739mWlsTajhULITRE5RmujU5v2AJRKNzHyMpBU-P6G2c73sC088SBFnHFA95FVuKj723MO3TG6tYqL3wrPX765whZ70GWsCohc5fMFNVNzg20oRit2sX16DGhyphenhyphen8/s320/DSCF2394.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Visiting the coast redwoods<br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivnrIkpXPNWy0X-BDyannQElJmV_STl5nZ46yNJ-55CRfxg7PiW3FMV31VjV7DEkoI1Hczo8BLK4_MZ13mDUmPD6F15tYiULohAy4_PymBqlvioEDsXN9lNG7yQiiJqc2jN7IPt0pVRhs/s1600/DSCF2402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivnrIkpXPNWy0X-BDyannQElJmV_STl5nZ46yNJ-55CRfxg7PiW3FMV31VjV7DEkoI1Hczo8BLK4_MZ13mDUmPD6F15tYiULohAy4_PymBqlvioEDsXN9lNG7yQiiJqc2jN7IPt0pVRhs/s320/DSCF2402.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting the coast redwoods</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoxb9Twmj3HvhSE4qwoapyhbot9Ky0xxFLHr9yyLvESY5Zrjl6LqoVY_IS5OnFktyJjwRU_aWamkPaoDL9iz2-IZXzkcrJMiYul20OJzaaHNyLXOm_dYijB8ADev2KLlXsSDYdlUqp5Ae/s1600/DSCF2386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoxb9Twmj3HvhSE4qwoapyhbot9Ky0xxFLHr9yyLvESY5Zrjl6LqoVY_IS5OnFktyJjwRU_aWamkPaoDL9iz2-IZXzkcrJMiYul20OJzaaHNyLXOm_dYijB8ADev2KLlXsSDYdlUqp5Ae/s320/DSCF2386.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We drove the coast highways and had beaches to ourselves</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVW7oLImttENfNHLZ2_JFOMONRvDyuKm6GcWPd0FFdhIAlKu3QWcotXJl8ElDiHeXz_zWwT5lcIttaCMMWKXXvV2r_dyHVjkr3JPErbxQB1fiSV8BFYSkQKRHtJ24FabznNj_qr8zQHMtb/s1600/IMG_2223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVW7oLImttENfNHLZ2_JFOMONRvDyuKm6GcWPd0FFdhIAlKu3QWcotXJl8ElDiHeXz_zWwT5lcIttaCMMWKXXvV2r_dyHVjkr3JPErbxQB1fiSV8BFYSkQKRHtJ24FabznNj_qr8zQHMtb/s320/IMG_2223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We both loved the colors of the ice plant flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd__aLurdAkLKBJJxL5ADP39VFkCb15b2XRnuoqxq1oQFcdC3ZpEk87-goxqMhL9cfvtdSOyBAzaCnxRxdu7WXy2uQ5u3w2OYVyMypqlAfGcI0FqWw146-ul7c0xPxccsthnkRBVd8Fs4p/s1600/DSCF2387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd__aLurdAkLKBJJxL5ADP39VFkCb15b2XRnuoqxq1oQFcdC3ZpEk87-goxqMhL9cfvtdSOyBAzaCnxRxdu7WXy2uQ5u3w2OYVyMypqlAfGcI0FqWw146-ul7c0xPxccsthnkRBVd8Fs4p/s320/DSCF2387.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice was elated to learn we were in the "Artichoke Center of The World"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXKHTlMmD9lU_v5y28pMU2tTfdhzGWGvIowFxtdt5zEJg0-4d9pqvFuiQtseq7jnJYT6raeUL_RVjzjjVut2-sxdCKxs-qAe3xhIJyjbfFoC1TfPTnwIJgcifM00nU-0hR5Ad5_Ceil_q/s1600/IMG_1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXKHTlMmD9lU_v5y28pMU2tTfdhzGWGvIowFxtdt5zEJg0-4d9pqvFuiQtseq7jnJYT6raeUL_RVjzjjVut2-sxdCKxs-qAe3xhIJyjbfFoC1TfPTnwIJgcifM00nU-0hR5Ad5_Ceil_q/s320/IMG_1654.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, the artichoke plants were almost as tall as The Woman Who Loves Artichokes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxZ8a-xSS6A_T_RK9gDgyqCICsTozLjaEkjElyBOfZLHDJ3QkTCmmL_0s1FNm_f7KkBnAJqxwhaNlkYj4hwVp8zUkXNG5gEEbOzjsCqNjnsofKjfTZC7eGMuxKps3mgtfYfmIamXybR11/s1600/DSCF2391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnxZ8a-xSS6A_T_RK9gDgyqCICsTozLjaEkjElyBOfZLHDJ3QkTCmmL_0s1FNm_f7KkBnAJqxwhaNlkYj4hwVp8zUkXNG5gEEbOzjsCqNjnsofKjfTZC7eGMuxKps3mgtfYfmIamXybR11/s320/DSCF2391.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We saw signs for Pinnacles National Park so we drove up to the back gate <br />(closed because of the pandemic) and this is what we saw after a lovely drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H3uJHIeqh51DHwTS1vI1bjeRPm7WZGXEF8WICi0bTvBFKjcRMoUaOx679FVMl3YGwLtfeDtxxTfmRbkB_QJFmo4qp3yBi34cxiUpxYWmtVOPRjjojIygdEXplj-eEs85J_FPy6VAe3Mw/s1600/IMG_2201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="665" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H3uJHIeqh51DHwTS1vI1bjeRPm7WZGXEF8WICi0bTvBFKjcRMoUaOx679FVMl3YGwLtfeDtxxTfmRbkB_QJFmo4qp3yBi34cxiUpxYWmtVOPRjjojIygdEXplj-eEs85J_FPy6VAe3Mw/s320/IMG_2201.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie along the Big Sur coast.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i09xRPxeTll3KBDgK4lRWZ1yLhFxzrHE_Wih5Di7MR4xn_-A28w_8e3hjOptfyw3T7FjNVezcIxZSeyNzVNh6BtySSTTd_Wvvov6tmI-HrYmRhBozaAey06C3c7lEkGfDrab7ttsG5ua/s1600/IMG_2218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="887" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6i09xRPxeTll3KBDgK4lRWZ1yLhFxzrHE_Wih5Di7MR4xn_-A28w_8e3hjOptfyw3T7FjNVezcIxZSeyNzVNh6BtySSTTd_Wvvov6tmI-HrYmRhBozaAey06C3c7lEkGfDrab7ttsG5ua/s320/IMG_2218.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice, Norman, Jeremy and Jarvis Gregory on Gregory Way in Beverly Hills.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />On our arrival in Moss Landing, Clarice noted that there was
a marine work yard about a mile from us and that the weather was such this far
south that we could potentially get our needed haul-out done several months
earlier than in Puget Sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we
were expecting to stay in Moss Landing until at least April it made good sense
if the yard could accommodate us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The yard
was able to operate fully 2 days a week despite the Covid-19 restrictions so
they hauled us on one Tuesday and splashed us 7 days later. They had a funny
(to us) quirk in their pricing in that if you brought your own paint in they
would add $100/gallon to cover the lost revenue to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the paint was on special in Washington
we bought the 5 gallons we would need and expected it to be a savings despite
the $100 surcharge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we hauled out
we offered that we would hire their crew to prep the bottom of the boat (a job
we really don’t like to do) if they would waive the paint fee – they agreed and
we were happy to watch a young man do a very nice job while we got other work
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end the total fees were
less than we had budgeted for. While the boat was out we painted the bottom,
did some work that required pulling the wing engine shaft, and changed out
covers over our through-hull fittings to a type we can open under water. We
stayed on the boat while it was in the yard and were happy that we had gotten
everything we needed to done and wouldn’t have to take “valuable” good weather
time up north.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7urOYu-0Q3nj8E0QbLf9Ch5drIy-GE4GgWDBbVUreIaohkkt3OQl4ugOmi-FLI_UuSowT6fuQ_u3mlYiBLvmHFVTZt0GiFB5MyGGErHhPt36qbEOhM7PD5t42G3YXYLzuiLSsCIRdgXVj/s1600/IMG_2211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7urOYu-0Q3nj8E0QbLf9Ch5drIy-GE4GgWDBbVUreIaohkkt3OQl4ugOmi-FLI_UuSowT6fuQ_u3mlYiBLvmHFVTZt0GiFB5MyGGErHhPt36qbEOhM7PD5t42G3YXYLzuiLSsCIRdgXVj/s320/IMG_2211.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Aire showing off her new bottom paint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the last post we wrote about our very challenging ride
north to Moss Landing from Puerto Vallarta. We had been advised to sit tight
and stay south of Point Medocino California (a bit north of San Francisco) until April when we were likely to get a break
in the weather along the west coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every day we would pull down weather charts for the Pacific Ocean and no
matter what the general trend there were be a localized patch of ugly weather
from just north of us up to just past Point Medocino.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched storm after storm track across from
Asia and then finally we saw the fabled Pacific High Pressure zone start to
form for the summer over the northern Pacific which then started to push the
storms north to BC Canada and beyond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We looked at several options for harbor hopping if we could just get
past Point Medocino then we could duck into Humbolt Bay and wait for an opening
from there north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was the plan
until we saw a pattern develop that suggested we might be able to make it all
of the way from Moss Landing to Port Angelas Washington in a single run if the
forecasts held true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This raised the
question of how long we were willing to be at sea with just the two of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our previous record was 3 days and we were
exhausted on our final day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going the
full distance would require 5 nights and 6 days at sea without stopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>April 16<sup>th</sup> arrived with low clouds
and light winds and we left Moss Landing looking to make a night passing of The
Point when winds should be lightest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
weather improved every day until when we got to our no-go (stop in Humbolt Bay)
or go-for-it decision point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both
agreed that we might not see quite this good of an opening for some time so we
adjusted our course from near coast (where there are commonly some favorable
currents and more favorable winds in the area of San Francisco) to a straight line to Cape Flattery,
Washington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like Poseidon had
decided that we needed to be reminded of why it can be fun to be at sea as the
winds abated further every day and the seas got smoother until when we turned
the corner into the Strait of Juan de Fuca on April 20<sup>th</sup> the water
was so smooth that we could see the surface easily with just starlight to guide
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We caught a very favorable tide into
the Strait and were kept awake through the night with more boat traffic than we
had seen since San Francisco arriving at the dock at Port Angeles at 07:30 the
next morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQs17BB1Qr6h39oaLi3H14UYyvwXxjkcaPxNicieWhy8i0eiOfVaZZH4oxvWIAchypFjhVWaXQ6UaVuOBPkExOiCrGwzHNio-CsYV1HTJjCCLwXLWCHVJ4LsgqfevDz3wak87iWVx-bz5W/s1600/DSCF5460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="887" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQs17BB1Qr6h39oaLi3H14UYyvwXxjkcaPxNicieWhy8i0eiOfVaZZH4oxvWIAchypFjhVWaXQ6UaVuOBPkExOiCrGwzHNio-CsYV1HTJjCCLwXLWCHVJ4LsgqfevDz3wak87iWVx-bz5W/s320/DSCF5460.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As we approached the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca about 9 PM<br />(The mountains in the distance are on Vancouver Island in Canada)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJF6mvXsNdG9o6Ufwai9zV5PwCe59bZZaO5uiaEzq4DjIG8gHvGBJhe-lWMFYVukoRMLamHlfPuFuulIxka5yna9O3GjZ1nv4sf7WbEXI0hFGw6qTSrYoteCjV99OrePe1srs-8N0Z_Z2B/s1600/DSCF2414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJF6mvXsNdG9o6Ufwai9zV5PwCe59bZZaO5uiaEzq4DjIG8gHvGBJhe-lWMFYVukoRMLamHlfPuFuulIxka5yna9O3GjZ1nv4sf7WbEXI0hFGw6qTSrYoteCjV99OrePe1srs-8N0Z_Z2B/s320/DSCF2414.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking Jarvis for a bike ride to a little pocket park in Everett, Wa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWhPtfh34I0KhQFjmYWWrE3DF-TzJsg9hBzjBqbUlaut1tQWs7ys4WZiDq1WIEsKdW5ke8bFwUCZkmlUSVGLzxqhVfBLSFDVz_OsWyfn1vqxYK38k5NenjgZuFD-aUak4F2e24TwvXm46/s1600/IMG_2237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWhPtfh34I0KhQFjmYWWrE3DF-TzJsg9hBzjBqbUlaut1tQWs7ys4WZiDq1WIEsKdW5ke8bFwUCZkmlUSVGLzxqhVfBLSFDVz_OsWyfn1vqxYK38k5NenjgZuFD-aUak4F2e24TwvXm46/s320/IMG_2237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">On our way to Seattle we took a side trip to Liberty Bay (AKA Poulsbo)<br />where we anchored next to Nordhavn 62 "Roxia"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeNbMnsCQERDygvsJX1PVBYAHoZF5xUzSu38Sror8qnuCaMheM5dSrrhbGPJ8ueAD54gHstAcLyxg_ffUJO1FwEVbrnvfAwOR8T9UuMLCuKQV7PyaMRDUPXiiEAK45z9tFznYBMt3b7Nw/s1600/IMG_2287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeNbMnsCQERDygvsJX1PVBYAHoZF5xUzSu38Sror8qnuCaMheM5dSrrhbGPJ8ueAD54gHstAcLyxg_ffUJO1FwEVbrnvfAwOR8T9UuMLCuKQV7PyaMRDUPXiiEAK45z9tFznYBMt3b7Nw/s320/IMG_2287.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seattle from Elliott Bay Marina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here’s the update on the “cancer thing”: If there is a
good thing about the Covid-19 restrictions it is that it has made doctors’
offices very un-busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I contacted my
Kaiser radiation oncology department in Seattle and let them know that I expected
to be available to start radiation sooner than we had previously indicated as a
boating rendezvous previously planned had been cancelled. Their office
indicated that the Radiation Oncologist wanted me to weaken the cancer cells
with two anti-androgen drugs for at least a month prior to starting radiation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I offered to contact a Kaiser doctor locally
and see if he or she would start the therapy under the Seattle guidance and was
given a go ahead but told due to the separation of Kaiser Puget Sound and
Kaiser Northern California this hadn’t worked well in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few phone calls later and I was scheduled
to get my liver lab test checked that very afternoon and an injection (good for
4 months) and pills the next morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After leaving Port Angeles we moved into some good friends’ slip in
Everett very near where we had moored for the first 3 years we lived on Salish
Aire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further planning with the
radiation oncology department indicated we would start the process of getting
radiation on May 18<sup>th</sup> so shortly before that date we moved south to
Seattle where we had been graciously offered an open slip for a very reasonable
price by the Seattle Nordhavn dealer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today I completed #5 of 20 radiation sessions and we expect to stay here
in Elliot Bay until my therapy is completed at which time we have arranged for
a slip in Olympia at the southern tip of the Salish Sea.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b73sQSjUQQGmhyVUsRRv1mnXSy8G50hIJft01pqttFSZzBqAqFdC4viSDG0Ef1mHF8K9kXeqSvXwFZSW4nZGymVm44s9D6GBnnvGo6gQwG9FVg8EXq7qAReowpU9v3nucetD6UYOS98C/s1600/IMG_2286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b73sQSjUQQGmhyVUsRRv1mnXSy8G50hIJft01pqttFSZzBqAqFdC4viSDG0Ef1mHF8K9kXeqSvXwFZSW4nZGymVm44s9D6GBnnvGo6gQwG9FVg8EXq7qAReowpU9v3nucetD6UYOS98C/s320/IMG_2286.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The huge machine that zaps me every morning with high energy xrays.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To end the blog entry on a more upbeat note, we have
purchased a truck and trailer so that we can chase the sun during the northwest
winters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truck is a ½ ton diesel
Ford pickup with plenty of room for dog and grandkids to ride and it pulls the
trailer easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trailer is a 2004
Airstream 25 ft that we felt we got at a very good price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have spent the past two weekends fixing up
the trailer while camping in my sister’s back yard and grandson’s mother’s
mountain property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In general the
trailer has provided an excellent diversion while we are pretty much stuck on
the dock and I am physically dragging with the radiation therapy sessions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7fQxAsQk5zDMjLgjJ_Z0O3rvlO_d2J533wGnfDN-BIyumEVi-cjTfaiNJ9NIcM0_fbrD-69E9BIsM-bLkE4Rs1osEnl2yVaK71Uj06E0OfNdW1QiUjhFKlcMtymNzIx9HmeuSU-9TmoK/s1600/IMG_2245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7fQxAsQk5zDMjLgjJ_Z0O3rvlO_d2J533wGnfDN-BIyumEVi-cjTfaiNJ9NIcM0_fbrD-69E9BIsM-bLkE4Rs1osEnl2yVaK71Uj06E0OfNdW1QiUjhFKlcMtymNzIx9HmeuSU-9TmoK/s320/IMG_2245.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing to be "snow birds" with a new truck and trailer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkHQa12vrp90SN5EMHEiKrlX5kKgWVTweBmuk1_6JCWZJ8FW-689Smjx3jUXeZxtKyKDbvaMd4SCnNVApJ0jKHbO-cxHMcfEBeXt35bVTOUOCDp-CqjXcRhR2pBDqjLsOXY4cDKWz7aSz/s1600/DSCF2422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkHQa12vrp90SN5EMHEiKrlX5kKgWVTweBmuk1_6JCWZJ8FW-689Smjx3jUXeZxtKyKDbvaMd4SCnNVApJ0jKHbO-cxHMcfEBeXt35bVTOUOCDp-CqjXcRhR2pBDqjLsOXY4cDKWz7aSz/s320/DSCF2422.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt Rainier from our grandson's mother's property.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHchmxlfMXQFMZ4pbhqBCunO0pw2Dxbhh_tVzCFdVUVkPxedRWYUXSGMMZXmVPLwzY1UrHvVli5wmp3fOIahBh7qKKRbBI6C0PQMQ5C6cFiXMTviTvFo5XruWcs1n7UsPCmcT5cpMsBAKv/s1600/DSCF2429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHchmxlfMXQFMZ4pbhqBCunO0pw2Dxbhh_tVzCFdVUVkPxedRWYUXSGMMZXmVPLwzY1UrHvVli5wmp3fOIahBh7qKKRbBI6C0PQMQ5C6cFiXMTviTvFo5XruWcs1n7UsPCmcT5cpMsBAKv/s320/DSCF2429.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing out the trailer with a weekend camping trip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID8EqlG3Qm4yBQt1IKUCgyywkp6pALmMIG0kxieycckH1lLwUD8i62D3paoazylwV3SAgfSquNgFlD3AwDS_TrmB2dA5pkh6SCrwXantIRHiIX4uCYe4k00txXrC1YN46HeRCD_izAwKj/s1600/DSCF2433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="887" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID8EqlG3Qm4yBQt1IKUCgyywkp6pALmMIG0kxieycckH1lLwUD8i62D3paoazylwV3SAgfSquNgFlD3AwDS_TrmB2dA5pkh6SCrwXantIRHiIX4uCYe4k00txXrC1YN46HeRCD_izAwKj/s320/DSCF2433.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilltop photo near Mt Rainier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-22986244349160127872020-03-11T09:35:00.001-07:002020-05-04T19:08:13.999-07:00Back in the USA<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
March 7, 2020<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking back at our last entries we have not kept up very
well but there is a reason so with a bit of foreshadowing I will just say that
our travel plans were significantly interrupted for almost a month by a
critical illness and needing to make plans for cancer treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More about that whole mess later.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our last notes got us north as far as Ensenada Mexico where
we hung out waiting for the crazy California tax day to pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>California marinas are required to send a
list of anyone moored in the marina or to a mooring ball on January 1<sup>st</sup>
of every year to the local tax assessor who then takes a wild guess at the
value of all of the boats and then collects a year of property tax.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t matter that you have already paid
taxes and registration in another state and the sticker on your bow attests to
this fact – California does it their way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Folks have written about challenging these bills and noted that it took
up to a couple of years and the assistance of a lawyer (not free we are sure)
to clear up the mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our approach was
to wait until January 3<sup>rd</sup> to officially enter the USA via
California.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We tried out the new phone application offered by
Immigration and Border Patrol as we approached San Diego Harbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a bit of a challenge as the Border
Patrol folks have some training issues at their end (they couldn’t figure out
how to aim their camera and the agent was based at the airport and didn’t know
much about boat entry requirements) but they were polite and we got our
clearance just as we were entering the very busy and somewhat narrow channel
into the harbor proper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tied up in
the municipal visitors marina about 4 PM and tried to reprogram our minds to
speak English and that now a dollar was a dollar and to quit automatically
dividing by 20 before we broke our bank account. We provisioned with fresh food
that we weren’t sure would be allowed across the border when we entered the
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also managed to get a blood
test done to see in my prostate cancer marker (PSA) had gone up again (it had).<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmygjX2iu4PyzwoF-mB6VYrvpDGO0F3RAmhdFBPTTjHYJbS5N9sVrm_R4sMdG5lM1HsUU9IQkSGZN6y1tGEFgzlhtmH6b9LTf6lwyJYezssOgHGBKkp2ccGlgSEy46gL39KZ0hdHecODq/s1600/IMG_2142.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrmygjX2iu4PyzwoF-mB6VYrvpDGO0F3RAmhdFBPTTjHYJbS5N9sVrm_R4sMdG5lM1HsUU9IQkSGZN6y1tGEFgzlhtmH6b9LTf6lwyJYezssOgHGBKkp2ccGlgSEy46gL39KZ0hdHecODq/s320/IMG_2142.PNG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is only the second time we have tried the CBP (Customs and<br />
Border Patrol) ROAM application and it worked well after<br />
not working at all when we tried it coming from Canada to Washington.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJw7Z2_TBMY0_oPtkf3jaVtsj1KymB-_-FT-dHkuvPVRJC9FjUvmmDwm28P1VguPgkrnRaBd5r9hAwvtB2744b3Mpf_6Z5voYzDnpJ1bHIL5eWbXMGysPYEWQjl4Vgg41ngJhfoCx3F4bu/s1600/IMG_2144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJw7Z2_TBMY0_oPtkf3jaVtsj1KymB-_-FT-dHkuvPVRJC9FjUvmmDwm28P1VguPgkrnRaBd5r9hAwvtB2744b3Mpf_6Z5voYzDnpJ1bHIL5eWbXMGysPYEWQjl4Vgg41ngJhfoCx3F4bu/s320/IMG_2144.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego is the ONLY place we have seen that dinghies need to be<br />
cable locked (not uncommon) AND the oars locked for security.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5jKcwnjhZodqahd3eNWEn2AbMh8WqI4TxuKDfWrV2w5h9uNmM2ePCepKtM788x0tYICL0OrccW1X5aoVyow9jbGhIJ1VRSysRkz4QtzKW9ggIlUTRjqKouM6pmO93aVv7lPemY1b-_JS/s1600/IMG_2147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5jKcwnjhZodqahd3eNWEn2AbMh8WqI4TxuKDfWrV2w5h9uNmM2ePCepKtM788x0tYICL0OrccW1X5aoVyow9jbGhIJ1VRSysRkz4QtzKW9ggIlUTRjqKouM6pmO93aVv7lPemY1b-_JS/s320/IMG_2147.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego river on the left of the jetty (with a spillway over the top for flooding)<br />
and the entrance to Mission Bay on the right. "Dog Beach" to the left of the river.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We harbor hopped up the coast first stopping in Dana Point
for a night where Nordhavn lent us a slip for the night and then on to Long
Beach early the next morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the
highlights of our visit was a bus ride across the channel to tour the Queen
Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was eye opening to appreciate
the days of opulent travel by sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
was built for speed and luxury with no expense spared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She first served the rich and famous and then
during WWII became a troop ship and still holds the record for carrying the
most passengers on a single ship (even the swimming pool was converted to a
bunk room).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily no German gunner
ever collected the bounty on her hull by sinking her (it was said that she had
enough speed to outrun the fastest torpedoes of the era had one ever been
targeted at her stern).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Long Beach
we made a 12 hour run to Santa Barbara. We could see some foul weather headed
our way but the Santa Barbara Yacht Club kindly made sure we had a secure place
to tie up and felt comfortable using their very nice facilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQlD0E9koxMy5aebifbveOU0b6CfnBBo8VNesA3PmBVpDQibNxLOHcru8HL1J3V-cKmJRMxckycy-TIzHYerKS0BDJ4PmhXaRI2P2_yAcLuEEp0WXX41_ZcPRwTEbaqMYWL9ApUvU1S1s/s1600/DSCF2259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQlD0E9koxMy5aebifbveOU0b6CfnBBo8VNesA3PmBVpDQibNxLOHcru8HL1J3V-cKmJRMxckycy-TIzHYerKS0BDJ4PmhXaRI2P2_yAcLuEEp0WXX41_ZcPRwTEbaqMYWL9ApUvU1S1s/s320/DSCF2259.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen Mary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCb03E2E1WrrbbYIM6HTj4PPGOgqenxE0XV2cU-XyaXAJuVW6EwS8jpvmGzwEv1ZNeQoKyXc3Gs7n7Fbx1DqSjAliXB8AdXugAOg2RoZb7aEa7odT-XbUEgu8R1bhf_6HJLgrIpqenNLL/s1600/DSCF2248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="905" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCb03E2E1WrrbbYIM6HTj4PPGOgqenxE0XV2cU-XyaXAJuVW6EwS8jpvmGzwEv1ZNeQoKyXc3Gs7n7Fbx1DqSjAliXB8AdXugAOg2RoZb7aEa7odT-XbUEgu8R1bhf_6HJLgrIpqenNLL/s320/DSCF2248.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Queen Mary 1st class hallway</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREhtls2pq7Il_sG44a_k8tZL9b8i1vDJsNYCIK2nP2k36cHu_wfPV3dWg-AgKGoaN-0xLXBM1JRE8lT58ASSodwAzbS2Z3vNIJOPqe_KAxTWqKATto39OjEpn9A2-szmBiLDmXwQWiY9c/s1600/DSCF2249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREhtls2pq7Il_sG44a_k8tZL9b8i1vDJsNYCIK2nP2k36cHu_wfPV3dWg-AgKGoaN-0xLXBM1JRE8lT58ASSodwAzbS2Z3vNIJOPqe_KAxTWqKATto39OjEpn9A2-szmBiLDmXwQWiY9c/s320/DSCF2249.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Queen Mary 1st class lounge</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FBvuEkk7BqWk9H-Pt1kiqyqlt46m0FI527C1Cx4D9Z0OT6nIWdBy038g1i7ClkQOF9wk_Uv8o3AZ1R-fyAgqqr6zeGOs4sAybSlcictqb8HDBc5Tmf7KrJBIL9OeM50ZpPHXVBxton2l/s1600/DSCF2252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FBvuEkk7BqWk9H-Pt1kiqyqlt46m0FI527C1Cx4D9Z0OT6nIWdBy038g1i7ClkQOF9wk_Uv8o3AZ1R-fyAgqqr6zeGOs4sAybSlcictqb8HDBc5Tmf7KrJBIL9OeM50ZpPHXVBxton2l/s320/DSCF2252.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Queen Mary 1st class lounge</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2T_NLAdIkluvodNTyZKDNvaPauMWyQWyuABkhH4IXWxUSizchQXuDn6u-TCFJPXwH1JR88nNlY8kpOCUmjXVbHjxEhvuFRDEDOGsjn7YlbEqCTV7RlZkwnnkwK4lxkWAS1za9P_P2lnS/s1600/DSCF2254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2T_NLAdIkluvodNTyZKDNvaPauMWyQWyuABkhH4IXWxUSizchQXuDn6u-TCFJPXwH1JR88nNlY8kpOCUmjXVbHjxEhvuFRDEDOGsjn7YlbEqCTV7RlZkwnnkwK4lxkWAS1za9P_P2lnS/s320/DSCF2254.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Queen Mary life boats</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6cKEr_pSQWVO5x5p_vjKEKcsbShZ1LupwclHczPIpcp3Y_qtmd93tY-9A_RwmndM2sASeDcQFT106G1oUKR_aqdkrb5Zahhl_TB45mSl_Exun96_COBXu_bcqUuGk1UZc3V__ARY6LPn/s1600/DSCF2256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6cKEr_pSQWVO5x5p_vjKEKcsbShZ1LupwclHczPIpcp3Y_qtmd93tY-9A_RwmndM2sASeDcQFT106G1oUKR_aqdkrb5Zahhl_TB45mSl_Exun96_COBXu_bcqUuGk1UZc3V__ARY6LPn/s320/DSCF2256.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A Ham operators dream - the local ham club uses the Queen Mary's <br />original radio room to broadcast from</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbw37xRnpa4eKWM6shz696yOyP_QZa-HyP0oDrlS1JRyw4HZDN-7dfOsbT3e7kNlh11wV9xQDwODDQmvVMmrvKowhLDvZuH4cfUaqtA41kXNvI6C_1NfXaKwK9rdlQ9JwwnbDKCnuXH_2P/s1600/DSCF2260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbw37xRnpa4eKWM6shz696yOyP_QZa-HyP0oDrlS1JRyw4HZDN-7dfOsbT3e7kNlh11wV9xQDwODDQmvVMmrvKowhLDvZuH4cfUaqtA41kXNvI6C_1NfXaKwK9rdlQ9JwwnbDKCnuXH_2P/s320/DSCF2260.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Santa Barbara Harbor</span></td></tr>
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After several days of watching for a good weather window to
move from Santa Barbara around notoriously nasty Point Conception we finally
accepted a forecast of up to 20 knot winds off our bow <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are our InReach posts for the transit:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jan 13, 202011:13:15 AM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt;">Passing Point Conception. 20 kn winds. Short steep waves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #636363; font-size: 12.0pt;">Speed: </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">6.01 kts</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jan 13, 20205:21:00 PM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt;">20+ kn winds continue. Sea state awful. Occasionally bury bow in
waves paravanes help with motion but concerned about arrival time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #636363; font-size: 12.0pt;">Speed: </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">4.90 kts</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We were concerned enough about getting into Moss Landing before
dusk that we contacted Monterey Harbor and confirmed we could put in there if
we needed to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had also learned before
we left Santa Barbara that Moss Landing Marina was not yet ready to accept new
boats as their dredging project had run past the expected completion date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We frantically called the Elkhorn Yacht Club
who assured us that they could make room on their guest dock until the dredge
was out of the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brian, the yacht
club dockmaster was in frequent contact with us while we approached Monterey
Bay and helping us make contingency plans as he watched our AIS signal and
realized that slowing to 4-5 knots meant we were in foul water and behind
schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we rounded the corner
into Monterey Bay and were able to make up time as we crossed the bay to Moss
Landing (we burned a lot of fuel on that run!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We arrived just before dusk ad Brian met us in his launch to lead us
past the dredge (after he confirmed their floating pipe was sunk to the bottom)
and up the poorly marked channel and into our side tie (up wind and up current)
berth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Planning to stay in Moss Landing for several months we set about
learning the local bus system and finding our way around the local small
towns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kept waiting for the dredge to
move to allow us access to the larger south municipal marina where there was
LOTS of human activity and LOTS of sea lion activity and NOISE as they occupied
(and nearly sank) their favorite docks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the end we learned that a first come first serve spot in the South
marina near the yacht club was available to us and we decided it was in the end
very serendipitous that the dredge had kept us from moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salish Aire is now tied up in the middle of a
marine bird and otter sanctuary and the local pinnipeds are relatively quiet
and polite harbor seals that stay on their sand bar and leave the docks to boat
dwellers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can walk several hundred
yards to the Elkhorn Yacht Club whenever we want to socialize or get a good
internet connection and the folks at the yacht club have treated us like
honored guest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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A few words about the Moss Landing area are in order as it fits us well and we are very happy we learned of this harbor that is a bit off of the typical cruisers' routes. The harbor is in an enclosed estuary where the Salinas River historically outletted to the sea before moving a bit to the south. As is common for river deltas the ground is low and fertile and now covered with miles of farmland (much to Clarice's delight we are in the self proclaimed artichoke capital of the world). The local towns are small and friendly and we get plenty of chances to keep practicing our Spanish. Its about a 1/2 hour drive south to Monterey proper (with its world renowned aquarium), 1/2 hour north to Santa Cruz, 2 hours to San Francisco, and not far to see redwood forests). Every morning we watch groups of kayakers launch from our dock to explore the estuary with its many sea mammals and birds. We enjoy walking a short distance out to watch the surfers challenge the waves just over the sand dunes that are only a few hundred yards off our port beam or taking a longer walk to the 1 block "downtown" area of Moss Landing 1.5 miles away to collect our mail from the post office where we are already recognized by the 2 very helpful post mistresses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyPnsHJmveRrg4oDIkVM0USYeZ2y8rfFO9C_SitTObFT2TKGoW-ZwDKjaJsgPBMZnKOLx3OiNyx7Wdf8a2e5Ihh-jcieh_CiDr7RwG3xWG4qzULFQkg7060mseOETXuqXNHgmK6q5dbBi/s1600/DSCF2295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyPnsHJmveRrg4oDIkVM0USYeZ2y8rfFO9C_SitTObFT2TKGoW-ZwDKjaJsgPBMZnKOLx3OiNyx7Wdf8a2e5Ihh-jcieh_CiDr7RwG3xWG4qzULFQkg7060mseOETXuqXNHgmK6q5dbBi/s320/DSCF2295.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting our morning walk at dawn looking towards the dunes between us and the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFo8g3SvMMl0Je0zEOjOAxQlY3VX7bzby1rExTrnuIzRNimgLDe-WRik-KtdwFsBx5rEecXCA_fLXu-DBmQ7riPyLhYVWpbh8lKKDpHoqr0cZ0L8O2WuyxSm3JO9OhCuSJ1b0CmEFQmPbL/s1600/DSCF2300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFo8g3SvMMl0Je0zEOjOAxQlY3VX7bzby1rExTrnuIzRNimgLDe-WRik-KtdwFsBx5rEecXCA_fLXu-DBmQ7riPyLhYVWpbh8lKKDpHoqr0cZ0L8O2WuyxSm3JO9OhCuSJ1b0CmEFQmPbL/s320/DSCF2300.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaks ready for the next tours to start</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK6hvBcxwTLTBL_HqrhpuSIPKd4NSBinGeRLRXhCUOBBMhxVP468d1NPCNH6o_vpNe6PUMGaWek2grgHWhd9bTc9-apkP8uCkVfTJeG9jC3ognHLif4GizpVKJilAkpMoWM_XOl1hxtoW/s1600/DSCF2306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK6hvBcxwTLTBL_HqrhpuSIPKd4NSBinGeRLRXhCUOBBMhxVP468d1NPCNH6o_vpNe6PUMGaWek2grgHWhd9bTc9-apkP8uCkVfTJeG9jC3ognHLif4GizpVKJilAkpMoWM_XOl1hxtoW/s320/DSCF2306.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis' "private" off leash area (with lots of bunnies)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgu57NRfvLrX-XW9_iS7NaIfE8Ij3Lea0fUQQ2Nqq-04-BOdhhyphenhyphenVD-bg6rI_ERCdWjBwNq77XBXl8A03-XQk3bdBiKtqK5vU1SeMlP_9Qx4vf_vJfmz14tE-O4zvGpHrl8tMvYXbEAjzL/s1600/DSCF2310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgu57NRfvLrX-XW9_iS7NaIfE8Ij3Lea0fUQQ2Nqq-04-BOdhhyphenhyphenVD-bg6rI_ERCdWjBwNq77XBXl8A03-XQk3bdBiKtqK5vU1SeMlP_9Qx4vf_vJfmz14tE-O4zvGpHrl8tMvYXbEAjzL/s320/DSCF2310.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the many many birds in the sanctuary</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBBv7-GSyw-nlU3Sdt8bwuBmyBxyqLmV8fDGpfwE80LOa70wt8GmIG5wZZJ9uo7nXsljkOo_G_2p0HiEz3C8U42H6Gngq5GuO_QnhDfNMnBE0r7qwKIvT_Ml0yCjQlwspJFCBEZ14XRNy/s1600/DSCF2315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBBv7-GSyw-nlU3Sdt8bwuBmyBxyqLmV8fDGpfwE80LOa70wt8GmIG5wZZJ9uo7nXsljkOo_G_2p0HiEz3C8U42H6Gngq5GuO_QnhDfNMnBE0r7qwKIvT_Ml0yCjQlwspJFCBEZ14XRNy/s320/DSCF2315.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanctuary areas are on both sides of the road so Jarvis has to be on-leash</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCFBE1mJcutS-JJ7NtwruQDpF6LRQxdEEUZ2awU49-l0wgJf6b1GxecCg-1IAIpqh5l6gfblHFdKt44dQDN0AIeL8zIxXzgzGoTLmsN2VZ6LITatWABs5Vw3Bx0iqkTyAoAeQdbd4rTxi/s1600/DSCF2322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCFBE1mJcutS-JJ7NtwruQDpF6LRQxdEEUZ2awU49-l0wgJf6b1GxecCg-1IAIpqh5l6gfblHFdKt44dQDN0AIeL8zIxXzgzGoTLmsN2VZ6LITatWABs5Vw3Bx0iqkTyAoAeQdbd4rTxi/s320/DSCF2322.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Aire looking from the dunes towards the mainland,<br />
the smokestacks are a major landmark at a partially decommisioned power plant</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMZRYVEnytQIWfaAEwGQJoWRrTUVeIbtHfFMYvpgs_Mt5sWT0wymDxO5GC0Ea77DwiaxT1q_cxdlxIeIcVMHDQqeUQN6oJjn-nvDPKmDGj6HDrvaRf9f2NfpKr6vAfnlWysGeSGYSIh_e/s1600/DSCF2332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMZRYVEnytQIWfaAEwGQJoWRrTUVeIbtHfFMYvpgs_Mt5sWT0wymDxO5GC0Ea77DwiaxT1q_cxdlxIeIcVMHDQqeUQN6oJjn-nvDPKmDGj6HDrvaRf9f2NfpKr6vAfnlWysGeSGYSIh_e/s320/DSCF2332.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beyond the dunes looking north towards Santa Cruz</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking south towards Monterey with a fishing boat entering Moss Landing Channel</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5FbZ0dFZQaP28IuPLpk5seHGJPflALzlmjrvi5uwhMcY463RN0Y-i-hnJqcBxWuJXaSLu2puduYzjkCEPCEPn0CFXG0LzBePsE5f_HQD8kvZAY51-SuRRcxZXmncpkdOVY5lrCM1orE2/s1600/DSCF2349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5FbZ0dFZQaP28IuPLpk5seHGJPflALzlmjrvi5uwhMcY463RN0Y-i-hnJqcBxWuJXaSLu2puduYzjkCEPCEPn0CFXG0LzBePsE5f_HQD8kvZAY51-SuRRcxZXmncpkdOVY5lrCM1orE2/s320/DSCF2349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi172ouCtsmuELvDTfatMVf1cSvMJutst56Y63vrRoIlzJPNIzKYhAhkYk1zRnzJvx5nNYwFy5NUPNoQ1Vh5cgxc4dgGmeih_7AnQtNdNt5y6GXto8UpKvgE5stP_kZ7A0351u9mhpstJrh/s1600/DSCF2354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi172ouCtsmuELvDTfatMVf1cSvMJutst56Y63vrRoIlzJPNIzKYhAhkYk1zRnzJvx5nNYwFy5NUPNoQ1Vh5cgxc4dgGmeih_7AnQtNdNt5y6GXto8UpKvgE5stP_kZ7A0351u9mhpstJrh/s320/DSCF2354.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The north section of Moss Landing Harbor where Salish Aire is moored</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXhNOTGmn6s_ujzDJzMwoA9Pird1EzsT1uEcPPvClYCQ28Zi0QGY_sm-OI6vDqJKOueMV-bxyCxldR4UY5tt0jcPVoFJQudMQCie5Ai_kjU8P7IZaQSywKBXpubaFfodzHMHJITc0blPb/s1600/DSCF2355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXhNOTGmn6s_ujzDJzMwoA9Pird1EzsT1uEcPPvClYCQ28Zi0QGY_sm-OI6vDqJKOueMV-bxyCxldR4UY5tt0jcPVoFJQudMQCie5Ai_kjU8P7IZaQSywKBXpubaFfodzHMHJITc0blPb/s320/DSCF2355.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking from the dunes towards the mainland</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8NHXzd4lWekywIH_2Rms0GjtkD88F0VXQApli13ImiDOfs6GudSX7suqRH3BXxo5sE5CubvOVy5Ox77uERmaIe8vAtfOvOOhBbwKFV_Z-08Xn-Vp6hp0q7btr7usfO5GLl5WJaxx09q-/s1600/DSCF2360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8NHXzd4lWekywIH_2Rms0GjtkD88F0VXQApli13ImiDOfs6GudSX7suqRH3BXxo5sE5CubvOVy5Ox77uERmaIe8vAtfOvOOhBbwKFV_Z-08Xn-Vp6hp0q7btr7usfO5GLl5WJaxx09q-/s320/DSCF2360.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elkhorn Yacht Club </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAiIVPWLdUf2xcYNcebiOso6dW3wsieUnZU0jSfySZf1aW4NdwZW9B3JeRnST2OJSX9_lZGXXDjO0Bd9zXICk2M3rY8yLp-pwEJLXlG_3ACtHYJKObiJG3AxI4023hyJXZbQnaUXkn7DY/s1600/DSCF2361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtAiIVPWLdUf2xcYNcebiOso6dW3wsieUnZU0jSfySZf1aW4NdwZW9B3JeRnST2OJSX9_lZGXXDjO0Bd9zXICk2M3rY8yLp-pwEJLXlG_3ACtHYJKObiJG3AxI4023hyJXZbQnaUXkn7DY/s320/DSCF2361.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our neighbors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">With the boat safely stored we flew out of San Jose on January 21<sup>st</sup>
to Portland Oregon where we picked up the Prius we had previously arranged to
purchase from our grandson’s mother and then headed north for planned visits to
family and a speaking engagement on the opening day of the Seattle Boat Show
about cruising in the Sea of Cortez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything went according to plan and our presentation was very well
received (we have already been invited to speak next year). We then moved into
Clarice’s father’s house (he currently resides in an assisted living facility
so the house was empty) and took care of a number of things like routine doctor
visits and visits to Puget Sound friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only thing that seemed amiss was Jarvis was drinking lots and lots
of water and peeing lots and lots of urine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Our plans were that I would have a biopsy of my prostate on
February 7<sup>th</sup> then meet with the urologist the next week to discuss
the results and head back to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On February 8<sup>th</sup> life took a huge turn when I developed life
threatening sepsis (it seems that my personal crop of e-coli in my gut were
completely resistant to the antibiotic I took in preparation for the
biopsy).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to ED twice within a few
hours and ended up being admitted for 4 days when it became apparent that my
body was very rapidly decompensating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And to make the day even more interesting we learned the same morning
that Jarvis is diabetic and will need two insulin shots every day for the rest
of his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was sent home on IV antibiotics that Clarice has administered
every morning with the final dose finally planned for tomorrow (March 8<sup>th</sup>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way I have gotten a diagnosis of
prostate cancer, had a false positive bone scan (it looked like I might have
advanced cancer rather than early disease – a CT scan put that scare to rest
after a very long weekend), and lost count of my doctor visits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzQ22nthrM7IiSa73PE-RTcTtVzB0cnDLmADD5coPLHJvrJNwDSkOf_airQHrGdb4Gtoxk-oDRNVbNFm4HHdQhffCriYeIMkiDos7JXlxZ8lKHMTJx7FNj12kLXMec0_AprUfYG5NpA8f/s1600/IMG_2174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzQ22nthrM7IiSa73PE-RTcTtVzB0cnDLmADD5coPLHJvrJNwDSkOf_airQHrGdb4Gtoxk-oDRNVbNFm4HHdQhffCriYeIMkiDos7JXlxZ8lKHMTJx7FNj12kLXMec0_AprUfYG5NpA8f/s320/IMG_2174.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Yes, I really looked that crappy when I entered the hospital.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOm_bmlGYi5qksucT5BZewjMlwEwgEr_AwPCqA85pNHPCbAU4zKGPACZ5jy4aSIlXzx8dgTb0XNqSs8HKJLssY-qOPkUzrIGahfdYkppuOQpDEquVhb2bopBFsj_qFo5-zrkHqV-c7M1y/s1600/DSCF2291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="905" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOm_bmlGYi5qksucT5BZewjMlwEwgEr_AwPCqA85pNHPCbAU4zKGPACZ5jy4aSIlXzx8dgTb0XNqSs8HKJLssY-qOPkUzrIGahfdYkppuOQpDEquVhb2bopBFsj_qFo5-zrkHqV-c7M1y/s320/DSCF2291.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
Morning routine was coffee, check the news, get my daily </div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
antibiotic dose, <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">and give Jarvis his insulin</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tomorrow we will pull the IV catheter I have had since I left the
hospital and then we will head to my mother’s 93<sup>rd</sup> birthday party in
Tacoma before heading to Portland to visit with our newest granddaughter (born February
15<sup>th</sup> in the midst of all of our chaos) one more time before heading
back to Salish Aire on Monday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">March 10, 2020 (Tuesday)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Just to finish the post by saying we made the 738 miles from
Portland to Moss Landing in one day and were able to sleep in our own bed last
night. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started the today walking along
the road that provides access to the estuary, sand dunes and beach with Jarvis
and we were greeted with a split in the light cloud cover that allowed the
rising sun to shine on the low breaking waves and it was good.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGNd8RkJDczQG7BsU7QPb1kAIKgAa0AGrEWxSRYzv1_uXXjTRdJ3t1_sCnjv_FPAxZSvNZ9mwUkEg0BT3rwUH3EdxwVx4aNwMQf3zpPCOoSLODc8N6gyhKsFlH-V30ibIxniSlHPtiHP0/s1600/IMG_2185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGNd8RkJDczQG7BsU7QPb1kAIKgAa0AGrEWxSRYzv1_uXXjTRdJ3t1_sCnjv_FPAxZSvNZ9mwUkEg0BT3rwUH3EdxwVx4aNwMQf3zpPCOoSLODc8N6gyhKsFlH-V30ibIxniSlHPtiHP0/s320/IMG_2185.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-19757740356913973942020-01-08T13:21:00.001-08:002020-01-08T13:21:51.235-08:00Northbound back to the USA<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
December 17, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clarice has written about the specifics of our travels since
we left Puerto Vallarta about 10 days ago so I will wax philosophical and you
can read her travelogue notes below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are currently holed up in Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay) waiting for high winds to
abate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had hoped they would settle by
noon today but since we just clocked a 40+ knot gust we think we are here until
at least tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our thought was that
we are next to a small village with phone service on the boat and Wi-Fi service
at cafes in town we should have plenty to explore but instead we didn’t get off
the boat after Jarvis’ morning walk yesterday and today may be the same as the
choppy water doesn’t make it likely we would get to shore without a good
dousing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fevAlQXLRQnwxQe6a1_LkDIA2YZkJ5UZQpobr8VYmVXEPumNgcs9hcquRd_rJ9J7CBXpSZHxqpsCxWeM0nbJeeLAuNXKqtw97BOf2TlPaiS3mvheZ4XBgFy6SSb5V8HLvoijoMlrzPhY/s1600/DSCF2231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fevAlQXLRQnwxQe6a1_LkDIA2YZkJ5UZQpobr8VYmVXEPumNgcs9hcquRd_rJ9J7CBXpSZHxqpsCxWeM0nbJeeLAuNXKqtw97BOf2TlPaiS3mvheZ4XBgFy6SSb5V8HLvoijoMlrzPhY/s320/DSCF2231.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Boats waiting in Turtle Bay for the winds to calm so they can continue north or south </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYo-icGaIHFKcA8xiQljkAQj0OJw_5RRLhCp1NbJzSbwwYDJrY7hJv7ZrRcd1-xaT_DwRVz1x1jxWaIQJrpahKG1aeNMlQPUDzjaMI8WW0QAeJGs-nFesIdIbWKjdFd6wijFPdeqXwCmtZ/s320/DSCF2233.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtle Bay Village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYo-icGaIHFKcA8xiQljkAQj0OJw_5RRLhCp1NbJzSbwwYDJrY7hJv7ZrRcd1-xaT_DwRVz1x1jxWaIQJrpahKG1aeNMlQPUDzjaMI8WW0QAeJGs-nFesIdIbWKjdFd6wijFPdeqXwCmtZ/s1600/DSCF2233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAxmPrZJkMi1bshv5I-GcPxO2H2J3C0dsXgJ4ftTuZpYxGirlYRkzETmbwB2k6EnvL6Cu6fVUXYAtUIafVxs4RXVhQm2qNuVQHgOSP5CD1zrnQxQA5qDM2XzCnS-FMeBJFR3hoD8vKyIi/s1600/IMG_2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAxmPrZJkMi1bshv5I-GcPxO2H2J3C0dsXgJ4ftTuZpYxGirlYRkzETmbwB2k6EnvL6Cu6fVUXYAtUIafVxs4RXVhQm2qNuVQHgOSP5CD1zrnQxQA5qDM2XzCnS-FMeBJFR3hoD8vKyIi/s320/IMG_2135.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most boat fuel in Turtle Bay is delivered by this boat.<br />The owner charges anywhere from 8-11 US$ / gallon as the market will bear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If all goes according to plan we will leave Mexico for good
after January 1<sup>st</sup> the date when California collects property taxes
on all boats in its waters (no matter if they have paid taxes in another state
or not). I look forward to being back
where I am culturally comfortable and can get things like boat parts without
having to order the item to be sent to someone who can then send it to the next
person we know heading south or looking for weeks in poorly stocked Mexican
marine stores. I’m really really glad I’ve
got a smattering of Spanish under my belt but it will be nice to quit trying to
think in two languages (although Clarice and I now find that we are more and
more spontaneously thinking in Spanish with our internal voices). Perhaps most
it will be nice to be in the USA for at least one day of the Christmas season
as I am a bit of a “Christmas Nutcase”.
I’m the one who goes to the busy malls just to people watch (while
Clarice starts shopping on January 1<sup>st</sup> for the following year so she
doesn’t have to deal with crowds and gets the after Christmas specials). This has been our second Christmas season in
Mexico and it just isn’t the same – even Christmas in San Diego will not be
likely to have snow on evergreen (as in fir – not palm) trees but I will take what
I can get. Clarice did put up our traditional Christmas garland today with <i>most</i> of the Christmas balls hanging from
it (she left off the ones that might get broken in high seas yet to come).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what about spending a year in Mexico?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was good, and yes, what was bad (I often
have to remind people that no matter how interesting the adventure there is
likely never a year in your life where everything is “perfect”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the good side the scenery has been
spectacular – I’m one who grew up in the Evergreen State on the green side of
the Cascade Mountains where evergreen forests abound so I always need to get
back to the smells of a rain forest but I love the shear geologic nakedness of
deserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we watch as Earth shows
her colors ranging from red sandstone to dark black lava flows while we float
past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ever changing sunrises and
sunsets will always stick in my memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Sea itself has become a friend and a foe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She can be lovely to swim in with her 90
degree F water full of amazing creatures. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope to get an artist to paint my memories
of nights with phosphorescent waters as my cameras could not capture the
magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nights of no moon with stars from
horizon to horizon and nights with full moons casting shadows on the deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She provides us with a highway in any
direction we want to go with our floating home. As a foe she cares not how much
she bounces us when we head into her steep sided, short, short period waves
whenever the wind goes much over 10 knots. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one hand the Mexican concept of “un
minuta” meaning anything from “in one minute” to “a week from now” grates on my
cultural baggage of “timeliness is Godliness” but it reminds us that
relationships are more important than hurry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And that hurry only leads to always feeling rushed – why would we do
that to ourselves?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking with family
on the Malecon in the evening and saying “buenes tarde” to strangers passing by
brings me back to a more people and family centered time than we usually
experience in the USA nowadays. I had hoped to make close friends among the
Mexican people but can’t say we really did, likely because they don’t expect us
to stay long enough to become implanted in the community with the links of
friends and extended family that small town life encourages and expects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand we seldom met Mexican folks
who were not friendly and happy to tell us about their country and families.
Generally taxi and Uber rides led to long discussions in broken English as the
drivers practiced their language skills, and Spanish as we practiced our
language skills along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just
now getting comfortable with the Mexican cultural expectation that a “hola” or
“buenes tarde” should be accompanied by a firm handshake (and possibly a hug
and an air kiss) and an “adios” by a handshake and pat on the shoulder but I
will miss these human touches that have been lost in our current culture afraid
of “offending” everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were both disappointed that we didn’t find the incredible
scuba diving we had been told to expect (but when you measure all of your warm
water diving against Bonaire – are you being fair?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day we had a whale shark come to swim
among the boats and folks in the water and eventually bumped into me was
amazing. Watching hundreds of rays swim by in formation at 1 AM through
phosphorescent water was like watching a Disney animation only in real
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the mundane task of cleaning
the boat is kind of enjoyable in 90 deg F water and if we got bored we could
look down at all of the fish enjoying the bounty of whatever scraps we were
sending their way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The mission churches from the 1800s are almost worth a
driving trip on their own. I missed singing in a group, on the other hand when
I would sing full voice in the old stone buildings they would resonate so that
it sounded like they had joined me in song.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our trip from Mazatlan up into the mountains to Durango was
a highlight of the year both for the natural scenery and for the adventure of
driving on one of mans’ recent engineering marvels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other jungle trip was our recent trek
along a trail alternating between tropical rain forest and private pocket
beaches.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On the negative side I will never forget the heat of August
and September when our thermometer reached 110 deg F and our only hope for
comfort was to get into the water or stay in a marina with power to run the air
conditioners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really look forward to
walking in the hills around the anchorages but after 9 AM it was simply too hot
and I felt trapped in the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I missed
spring, fall, and winter as to me even though it is December 70 – 80 deg is
still summer (and the summer heat described above was just this side of
hades).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I will be singing a
different tune soon as we get further north (Jarvis is already shivering in the
morning and is now sleeping on his heated pad) but for now the idea of a thick
sweater sounds like another winter tradition I am missing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
There is also the reality of the practices of other cultures
and climates that feel very wrong and leave a bad taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Garbage left on otherwise pristine islands
and on streets in villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bumpy, dusty
roads that never seem to get fixed. Disabled folks having to put their
wheelchair in the middle of an intersection begging for money until the light
turns green not because they can’t get by on what the system offers but rather
because there is no system (I believe – maybe I’m wrong).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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We are both saddened that the police feel obligated to
always carry automatic weapons because the cartels are very real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also saddened that even though we
found the streets here to be as safe for us we were frequently asked about
safety as our own government actively works to create a perception of all
Mexicans as “rapist and murderers”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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What would we change in hindsight?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know about Clarice but I would NOT be
in the country for the months of July – September but instead would join the
multitude of boaters who leave their boats and go north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Insurance is a challenge in that the
requirements of our underwriter affected our decisions of where to be when and
I’m not sure that the decisions they forced us into (if we wanted to have the
coverage we had paid for) were the best for us nor kept us safer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice might have left Jarvis behind as
traveling with him can be a hassle with mandatory vet checks, challenges in
leaving him alone in the heat, dog hair everywhere, etc..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand his personality has been
perfect for me as I need something to cuddle with, laugh with, and run with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has helped us be welcomed by strangers
with his smiling face and constantly wagging tail and in reality I think he
entertains Clarice a lot more than “farmgirl Clarice” likes to admit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We would NOT change the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we found in Alaska, Salish Aire is made
for adventures and does well in both northern and southern waters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know how many times we looked at each
other in times of calm and stormy waters and commented to each other how glad
we are that we have a stout ship that we know won’t let us down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One thing I think we both will miss is almost daily visits by
dolphins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is seldom that we are
underway that we don’t see at least on pod ranging from 3 animals to a couple
hundred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we are waiting in a bay
for a storm to pass and sure enough 3 large dolphins just swam next to the
boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also amused for hours
watching the antics of pelicans.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So are we glad we came – YES!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we come again – likely but possibly by
land rather than sea but then again we now are much more comfortable with long
passages and we never know what the future holds until it happens.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
January 8, 2020<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
After the last note we finally
left Turtle Bay on December 18<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Looking back at our tracking notes (<a href="https://share.garmin.com/NormanGregory">https://share.garmin.com/NormanGregory</a>
)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we had a pretty rough ride again as we
continued to “bash” north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived in
Ensenada at daybreak on the 20<sup>th</sup> in smooth seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We settled in to Cruise Port Marina which was
pretty nice by our standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
concerned about the published daily price for moorage but the staff pointed out
that if we stayed over 5 days it worked out the same to pay for the month so we
did that and it was quite reasonable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The nice thing was that since we were in a shared port with the cruise
ship terminal anyone wanting to come into the port area had to pass through a
security check station about 1 block before our marina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result was that we didn’t have any noisy
local traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cruise ships had loud
announcements and horn honking periodically but in general the marina was a
nice place to stay with a number of long term cruisers to visit with.</div>
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On our arrival in Ensenada we learned we
didn’t need to prepare dinner as the marina management had provided a turkey
and fixings to go with a cruisers’ potluck for a Christmas celebration. It was a pleasant surprise as I was really
hungry after doing light foods for 2 days to avoid sea sickness and we had time
to meet the other cruisers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0o4dHQ6olNEy9m6y21RszvrDosw5EDKA-5PDzsoEu8sLpq9znFdDXXP3RtlWOSU7lIDqHVF29pssxBga7pZ2kKphdY5-zH9_O-2mawFRPofhi0aPmMnu8qhkOjs7wEiJ2mydhT6sXENPz/s1600/DSCF2235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0o4dHQ6olNEy9m6y21RszvrDosw5EDKA-5PDzsoEu8sLpq9znFdDXXP3RtlWOSU7lIDqHVF29pssxBga7pZ2kKphdY5-zH9_O-2mawFRPofhi0aPmMnu8qhkOjs7wEiJ2mydhT6sXENPz/s320/DSCF2235.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Cruisers' Potluck (thank you Marina Cruise Port for the Turkey!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
We spent the next day doing some
final work on our windlass that was refusing to lift our many hundreds of
pounds combination of anchor and chain except when it felt like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We found that the nuts holding the wires to
the motor had vibrated loose making for bad connections that were getting worse
AND it looked like a factory assembly issue with the motor had caused it to
overheat and melt some plastic parts.) The sad part is that it was a brand new
motor several years ago that we purchased and installed thinking it would last
as long as we owned the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good
news was that I did some refurbishment on the original motor and had it on
board as a spare so it was ready to be installed and should work until we get
another new motor and time to install it. We made a trip to get food supplies to hold us until we went north (after a night of hard rain and flooding) and went to Advent services at the local cathedral.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY659E3I4U4Ot9wu9HsGFwY_dcd0L_1X0ve2AObnOzKzD8o-hclJwjj4V1KiYfBBt7Qhmf3AwA60tVtTIpC1L4BsgWHb91Q0phl0_nDN1ayWdvbxenrrqS5FOXQsX0ADtpP8WigN0fkM0/s1600/DSCF2237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY659E3I4U4Ot9wu9HsGFwY_dcd0L_1X0ve2AObnOzKzD8o-hclJwjj4V1KiYfBBt7Qhmf3AwA60tVtTIpC1L4BsgWHb91Q0phl0_nDN1ayWdvbxenrrqS5FOXQsX0ADtpP8WigN0fkM0/s320/DSCF2237.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th Sunday of Advent in the Ensenada Cathedral </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRe5O-8HJBMjTokLIABxapPkquBRtm1D6212SY22sFavMdjpGIj9rkjiqSldqvEE_i5QapJ0RbY4SY5oGSOOzq55rZRR83yJ1fOOE2fT6I-E-iLguYDFofooNVLHms6uTMeWhRu7Sbtlv/s1600/DSCF2240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQRe5O-8HJBMjTokLIABxapPkquBRtm1D6212SY22sFavMdjpGIj9rkjiqSldqvEE_i5QapJ0RbY4SY5oGSOOzq55rZRR83yJ1fOOE2fT6I-E-iLguYDFofooNVLHms6uTMeWhRu7Sbtlv/s320/DSCF2240.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding a road to the grocery store that wasn't flooded was a challenge after a night of hard rain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Christmas was lovely as we drove a
rental car the final distance to San Diego where we made a mad dash to get some
supplies before stores closed for Christmas Eve and then headed to our motel
for the night where we gorged on Hallmark Channel Christmas special shows. For
Christmas we joined our friends Jerry and Holly Gray in church (where the
service was in English!) and then enjoyed feeling like part of their extended
family for Christmas dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even
caught up with our Christmas gifts from our kids (along with some supplies we
had ordered) that had been sent to Grays in anticipation of our arrival. We
headed across the border on the 26<sup>th</sup> of December and once again were
not even stopped for a passport check at the Mexico border</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
We continued to hang around
Ensenada until January 3 (after New Year’s AKA California tax day) when we
headed the last 10 hours on calm seas into San Diego and brought Salish Aire
and Jarvis back to the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the
first time we had used the border patrol’s ROAM application on our phones to
check in and thus everything was cleared over the phone (after some tech issues
on Border Patrol’s end).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a nice
feature if they can smooth out the bumps in the system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Our current issue is weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are have been looking at a number of
different scenarios to get the boat to Moss Landing in Monterey Bay but
frequent high winds are providing only short periods of smooth travel
opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this moment we are
making our first jump to Dana Point where the Nordhavn headquarters has made a
slip available for tonight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CLARICE’S NOTES:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
December 7. 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We departed Puerto Vallarta around 10 or 1030 and headed
west. Around 2 pm I saw the back and tail of a large whale, then we started
seeing turtles. Norman had put the fish line in and around 3 pm I looked in the
back camera picture and saw we were dragging something. AT<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LAST, I got the Dorado I’d been trying for.
Beautiful fish and not too large. Managed to figure out how to filet it out and
ended up with 3 large packages of fish in the freezer. We’ll have to try that
again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
December 9, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After an afternoon with higher than predicted winds and
moderate bashing for a few hours ( to the point that I’m bouncing off the V
Berth mattress thus not sleeping) we decided to head to Cabo and anchor for the
night. We anchored further away from the marina area and between that and fewer
people, we ended up with a pleasant anchorage and slept like rocks all night.
This morning we departed as two huge cruise ships are anchoring. Perfect time
to get out of Dodge ( alias Cabo).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12/13/19<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Ham nets are great to access for information. We were
trying to figure out how to manage “the Baja Bash” and the participants on the
Chubasco net were so helpful. Helped up figure out if we were reading the
weather files incorrectly (NOPE, we weren’t) and gave us suggestions for
anchorages that would be suitable for the north, northwesterly winds that are
coming our way. Spent last night in San Juanico, on the Baja side, which
interestingly enough<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is west of the San
Juanico on the sea of Cortez side of Baja.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It had a main drag that was paved, a fair tienda and so much
greenery ( trees, Palms, flowers). Pretty amazing for a Baja village. We got an
offer to purchase lobsters, but were still working on the lobsters we bought
the other day in a village further south. Guess it’s lobster season. Hopefully
we’ll get a few more offers before we hit Ensenada. We managed to get lots of
sleep yesterday during the day and night last night so feel refreshed and ready
to deal with the next 25 hr or so run to Turtle Bay ( Bahia Tortuga). We’ll
need to hole up there for a few days as a front is heading this way and we
should get there at the beginning of the winds. Its pretty sheltered so we’ll
do some things like make water, rinse off some layers of salt, housekeeping and
maybe some baking. I am beginning to put the back cockpit canvas surround back
up as it’s very moist and cool at night. With the wind, it should make us a
little warmer. I snorkeled the boat yesterday and with my 3 ml suit, the
initial shock of the water was BRRRR. It’s down into the 70’s already. I
scrubbed the beard off the water line and checked the underside. Looks pretty
clean, but if we can, in Turtle bay it would be great to do a quick all over
scrape to stay ahead of the barnacles that love to attach themselves to the
hull. We keep dragging the fishing line in hopes of more Dorado or maybe some
tuna. I’ll figure out how to store it if we get too much!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12/16/19<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Headed out of San Juanico to get to Turtle Bay on another
overnight run. It was just getting dusk and we snagged a pot ( it did have a
large bouy, however it was half black and dusk). Thought we had pushed the line
out of the way, but I realized we were only going 4 knots once we powered up
again so we were still dragging the darn thing. We stopped again and managed to
see the floating polypro line but couldn’t get it pushed down under whatever it
was hung up on. Decided we needed to cut the line, which we did in pretty short
order. Thankfully, the buoy went one direction and the line to the pot another.
Relief…we had NOT wrapped the line around the prop shaft. Diving in the dark
out in the little bit choppy water was not our idea of fun. We powered up again
and headed on our way. The next day we managed to catch a yellow fin, but the
wind was picking up so it had to be dealt with once we managed to get into
Turtle bay and securely anchored. Also managed to break our fish dip net in this
process.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A quick dinghy ride into town for lunch…a few groceries and
a good dog run. Came back to the boat and repaired the net and slept off and on
for the next day or so.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are 4 cruisers in the anchorage as of the 16<sup>th</sup>,
waiting out some very windy weather. One of the sailboats is a delivery and the
delivery crew are from Vashon Island. Had an afternoon visit with them and
discussed the weather among other things. A trawler came in last night with
alternator failure issues. We happened to have a brand new spare so sold them
our spare and will pick up a new one in San Diego.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Decided to make water and top off batteries this morning. We
found some leaks on the high pressure side of the membranes. Cleaned
connections, checked for cracks, replaced sealant and it still leaked. Finally
decided to try joint tape instead of the sealant and guess what, we solved the
leaks. The sealant is a Mexican brand and obviously was not doing a good job of
sealing the joints. We now have a happy watermaker and no leaks. The wind
continues to build with gusts in the high 20’s so we are just doing household
things and puttering for now. Hoping to leave on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday
if the current predictions still hold tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12/18/19<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Opted to Head out of Turtle Bay this morning. Yesterday
Norman needed to get off the boat so we managed to get the dinghy to shore and
walk into town with Celia from the delivery boat in the anchorage. When we came
back to the dinghy, it was upside down resting on the motor cowling, everything
tossed out and the motor leaking oil. The wind was so strong it just flipped
the dinghy over. Oddly, it flipped into the wind, and we couldn’t explain that
one. Managed to get the motor started and got back to the boat, but it’s out of
commission until the motor gets a once over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had tried to leave yesterday afternoon after the delivery
boat took off. However, our windlass decided to not lift the anchor- no power
at all. Managed to get it up, only to find out the conditions were too bad
outside the bay and the delivery boat was turning around and coming back in for
another night. We worked on the Windlass and thought we had it fixed. That’s
the key word here, “thought”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next morning wind and waves were down so we decided to run
for it. Got the anchor almost all the way up and the windlass failed again.
Managed to manhandle the gargantuan anchor aboard and secure it. Norman is
tearing apart the motor and trying to figure out what’s going on. Good news is
he had rebuilt the old motor we replaced and we can bolt it in place and keep
on keeping on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We expect a lumpy trip, but it’s tolerable so will just do
the two day run to Ensenada and get this over with.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12/19<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last night was pretty lumpy. Swells of 10 ft or more and
high winds in the high 20’s. Neither of us slept much. This morning the wind
finally started dying down. Opted to get the paravanes out of the water and get
some more speed. Most of the day was in 10 kn or so of wind and long swells.
This morning we noted the deposit of a number of squid that must have been
tossed aboard with all the waves that crashed over the rails all night. Got
them removed and headed to San Quintin, but the water kept improving so we
opted to continue all night and arrival in Ensendad is for early morning, after
day break.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some friends from Mukilteo Yacht Club just made it south to
Ensenada so we’ll get to meet up before we head in opposite directions.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVj8bWFxxYD282dP1BxUlN1nIYMQKuRsD8s6kB-qBmTlfSIxz7mXAU8X1IZMw1JQdN5flQpfz4c0vkf619Wu7j0J7Ruv9TTqHGnpwvJ5NIIZmQ056oQYXuEsjnxuxt7p_qOJVwuVmbTmT/s1600/DSCF2243a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVj8bWFxxYD282dP1BxUlN1nIYMQKuRsD8s6kB-qBmTlfSIxz7mXAU8X1IZMw1JQdN5flQpfz4c0vkf619Wu7j0J7Ruv9TTqHGnpwvJ5NIIZmQ056oQYXuEsjnxuxt7p_qOJVwuVmbTmT/s320/DSCF2243a.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first time we are aware of Mukilteo Yacht Club members meeting in Mexico</td></tr>
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<br />In Ensenada we ran into friends
from our yacht club in Everett.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
both happy to meet up with friends from home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They were glad to get information about what to expect as they headed
south and we were pleased that they offered to dog sit when we drove north for
Christmas.<o:p></o:p></div>
Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-31891489405796344312019-12-07T06:29:00.002-08:002019-12-07T06:29:50.977-08:00Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta<br />
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December<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>6, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
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Norman here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually
I am the primary author of our blogs but I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately (I
think a bit of culture shock plus the heat is only beginning to let up and this
will be our second year in the tropics for Christmas – not even a sliver of a
chance of snow here).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully Clarice
took up the electronic pen and wrote this month’s narrative and we should still
be in internet range long enough to get it posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will say that the past couple of days have
helped me get back to feeling better as 1) we started gathering photos we might
use for our talk at the Seattle Boat Show on January 24<sup>th</sup> which
forced me to go back and review all of the wonderful places and experiences we
have had in the past year in Mexico; 2) Feeling a bit more of the spirit of the
season with attending Sunday Mass at the cathedral (which was overflowing for
the first day of Advent AND the first day of the celebration of the Virgin of
Guadelupe and this is her designated “official” cathedral) where I was finally
able to follow enough Spanish in a printed missal to follow the service; 3)
enjoying the beauty of the hike Clarice describes below; 3) enjoying a true
fiesta atmosphere as we watched the procession of the Virgin on day 4 of 12
celebrations; 4) and finally finding a way to carry out a personal Christmas
tradition of mine when I realized that the local Woolworths (yes it even smells
like the Woolworths of our youth) does a major layaway business for Christmas –
I used the opportunity to play “Christmas Angel” after much explaining to the
manager.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We left La Paz after Dia Las Muertos. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqTCMLOqfc9nkfDEPW0lpHLlceAwPt2BZ4ZjNt3PAnjWCaORlQBRjXl93fkEoSk3NiDbcXTCRS9qBKyClAq1fEV-5dGoEbJsC50_f1u23dD4P9e7AVwrpIJcPzX4PIKxIdbva7XVCpz9K/s1600/DSCF2929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqTCMLOqfc9nkfDEPW0lpHLlceAwPt2BZ4ZjNt3PAnjWCaORlQBRjXl93fkEoSk3NiDbcXTCRS9qBKyClAq1fEV-5dGoEbJsC50_f1u23dD4P9e7AVwrpIJcPzX4PIKxIdbva7XVCpz9K/s320/DSCF2929.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young girl dressed as a Catrina</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98y7PhS1KH_HCfspJ3RRNorjjfSeKDvM-f4Sske9hvtSXwqbcrIrOhSJAMlbr8miDbXygsWryk3_67CI8PYq3TTnw5ylgI8avjpZBdNphRqw-blUVDtEETt3zogX41HAhaxxW9WtoQozw/s1600/DSCF2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98y7PhS1KH_HCfspJ3RRNorjjfSeKDvM-f4Sske9hvtSXwqbcrIrOhSJAMlbr8miDbXygsWryk3_67CI8PYq3TTnw5ylgI8avjpZBdNphRqw-blUVDtEETt3zogX41HAhaxxW9WtoQozw/s320/DSCF2934.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catrinas take the role very seriously, one must never smile and must walk as if in a fog</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTC96v7uxUKKytcwoqMrzKXXb_aOEN0yGlqeZ2v23RMKxgcGTE4bQGRPm1_qNcyK9vY1t4e3tFpYnr4zv0nwKKZlcu3VfBPBRAC8J4WiIKZ9CshT8RaMqhvhnDxv1227dZ3n3MpVKatoAz/s1600/DSCF2953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1152" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTC96v7uxUKKytcwoqMrzKXXb_aOEN0yGlqeZ2v23RMKxgcGTE4bQGRPm1_qNcyK9vY1t4e3tFpYnr4zv0nwKKZlcu3VfBPBRAC8J4WiIKZ9CshT8RaMqhvhnDxv1227dZ3n3MpVKatoAz/s320/DSCF2953.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Numbers are for the contest that all of the Catrinas are part of</td></tr>
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Jarvis got into the act by dressing up as Dante from the movie Coco for the celebration.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lVlkDPXg1xDiNptRzBPs78znVfnWubTobMvEhtnDprkc0mtoBBCm8y-Kbn_1cF6xy2HPL2ZJcNcB97CkPpRCJypwmCfvCIOiCokN1axc_0yR63nGzkLrKpdrkpjBMiOHavGcS-x1sEMF/s1600/DSCF4741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8lVlkDPXg1xDiNptRzBPs78znVfnWubTobMvEhtnDprkc0mtoBBCm8y-Kbn_1cF6xy2HPL2ZJcNcB97CkPpRCJypwmCfvCIOiCokN1axc_0yR63nGzkLrKpdrkpjBMiOHavGcS-x1sEMF/s320/DSCF4741.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis' friends Autumn and Michelle help him with his makup</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAipNeEyGs_CsjzUnRpGpY5JHJAL1iCCJSebQi1CCJ2Rn0CeidMNG8dpOKNjZBQgfUGN46s8DoSF63smpTDEAFr2gx0br52Uu7T7hKeLmRyeb7t6ebDHtEi8VJoNhDiAAQ8xbjkguvUbZE/s1600/DSCF4757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAipNeEyGs_CsjzUnRpGpY5JHJAL1iCCJSebQi1CCJ2Rn0CeidMNG8dpOKNjZBQgfUGN46s8DoSF63smpTDEAFr2gx0br52Uu7T7hKeLmRyeb7t6ebDHtEi8VJoNhDiAAQ8xbjkguvUbZE/s320/DSCF4757.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A doggy version of a Catrina </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yO4CcyEP7WwLFSiUGXEazzlibkw8f2WeZGkJoqKhU14-S6eCa72jVVWqn6Hq1L3SaXaZGlOWYVIi3dDr6MEh4nU4HlWXatPFbc5-wGyY5182Suta7uE4PzEQgqtxpFHHYJDW78xYm690/s1600/DSCF4764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yO4CcyEP7WwLFSiUGXEazzlibkw8f2WeZGkJoqKhU14-S6eCa72jVVWqn6Hq1L3SaXaZGlOWYVIi3dDr6MEh4nU4HlWXatPFbc5-wGyY5182Suta7uE4PzEQgqtxpFHHYJDW78xYm690/s320/DSCF4764.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis poses next to a traditional Dia Las Muertos altar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMeHErw7xhSBLAQp5o_7rsuVGAtBxIaf7GbW4YuU-A9dmKsGALScOilx9tS_z6XKnobDge51C5dQD0GPXwMA0h9_DQpYPGIfqkqTNulIXH9eW6jauNnXzElEJnSKa3OZoDGV8kKsfof-S/s1600/DSCF4765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMeHErw7xhSBLAQp5o_7rsuVGAtBxIaf7GbW4YuU-A9dmKsGALScOilx9tS_z6XKnobDge51C5dQD0GPXwMA0h9_DQpYPGIfqkqTNulIXH9eW6jauNnXzElEJnSKa3OZoDGV8kKsfof-S/s320/DSCF4765.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A woman and her dog in dressed up together</td></tr>
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So with that, I will gleefully let Clarice carry on with our
story:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before leaving La Paz, Norman had met a Finnish woman who
was biking on Baja. (This is the time of year when the Cruceros Cruisers Club
has bikers requesting rides over to the mainland from boaters. We have been
reluctant to take on strangers as even 46 ft can be too cozy if the people are
not a great fit).Norman asked the woman if she was looking for a ride to
Mazatlan and she said she was not, but a Dutch cyclist was hoping to catch a
ride across the sea. We contacted Rinskje and said we were leaving La Paz in
the next couple of days and heard she may need a ride. Norman asked her to come
to the boat so we could meet each other and see if this might work for both of
us. Long story short, Rinskje was a great fit. She has been cycling for the
past few years ( Asia, Europe, etc) and her current trek has brought her from
Anchorage Alaska. She was a joy to spend 36 hours with. She was very
independent, so pitched right in to help with daily chores…she did a night
watch with me. We all had the opportunity to learn about each other and their
cultures.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mccBnf4yXfzFlPlDmCV8Dwj4cQ9aP3VYNmS7GjDKN8b6s4KobjvX7VT5U4O7nzBrj6LvxuIO1HdUE1xfL7l5p1-DQNUOXjjwI_9mqVXGkSLNLymWjR666u5Mhjykewy3FafNthhbfY1Z/s1600/DSCF4787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mccBnf4yXfzFlPlDmCV8Dwj4cQ9aP3VYNmS7GjDKN8b6s4KobjvX7VT5U4O7nzBrj6LvxuIO1HdUE1xfL7l5p1-DQNUOXjjwI_9mqVXGkSLNLymWjR666u5Mhjykewy3FafNthhbfY1Z/s320/DSCF4787.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rinskje joins the crew for the crossing from La Paz to Mazatlan</td></tr>
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We left La Paz on 11/03/2019 with the ultimate goal of
crossing to Mazatlan. We decided since we need to not reach California prior to
January 1, 2020 and the weather is starting to moderate we may as well go see
some of the mainland while we are in Mexico. We had a fairly smooth 36 +/- hour
run to get to Mazatlan. We decided to stop at the first marina, El Cid. It’s a
resort complex north of town and close to the entry channel to the Mazatlan
Marina district. Two rivers empty out of this channel and there’s quite a
current, so moderate amount of surge at tide changes. Part way through our
stay, the sailboat next to us discovered they were resting on the bottom at low
tide and we then realized what the “Thumps” we’d heard were… we were hitting
bottom at low tide. After doing some reconnoitering with the portable depth
gauge, both boats moved to the next docks further inland to give some breathing
room under the keels. We were in the lap of luxury with a pool at our disposal,
so totally enjoyed it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We did a bike tour of Mazatlan the day after we arrived…or
tried to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drivers weren’t too good
about giving bicyclists room in the lanes..it was very crowded. We ended up
going over a grated road without success. Norman shredded an inner tube; I
managed to fly over the handlebars. Thank goodness no bodily harm, but we ended
up taking a taxi truck back to the boat. Next we opted to hike to the top of
Lighthouse hill ( El Faro in Spanish). Grabbed an open air taxi to the bottom
of the hill and slowly worked our way up to the top. We definitely live at sea
level, but the workout was worth it. Great views of Mazatlan and the
surrounding area. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOB95jaIdYiadBkyIkD2koQVcxOvmJOmV2EWAZTcpn8VHDuKlxUawpHaY5_wnxNuwQr5YLF93r_bcYPoW2RGgJgQMBiMy7fFnWIf43hPOah4R3OThRs-tRKL16ZFXo0pTDSrybws57ZIK/s1600/DSCF4973c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="809" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOB95jaIdYiadBkyIkD2koQVcxOvmJOmV2EWAZTcpn8VHDuKlxUawpHaY5_wnxNuwQr5YLF93r_bcYPoW2RGgJgQMBiMy7fFnWIf43hPOah4R3OThRs-tRKL16ZFXo0pTDSrybws57ZIK/s320/DSCF4973c.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Faro lighthouse at the entrance to Mazatlan Harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_8gIzosXDfAVAbBlRR1AqQjmhEyoZIM-_YFLOWXuSaGDMkOw-SNqhTTF3Of7GWdVq62HC4PvATBgNCHwGVnK-Xzd8IEQOBDG5gKmbxAut5LJf5RZnHChw60cw2bNrjBfWQanYvPy2yuR/s1600/DSCF4978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_8gIzosXDfAVAbBlRR1AqQjmhEyoZIM-_YFLOWXuSaGDMkOw-SNqhTTF3Of7GWdVq62HC4PvATBgNCHwGVnK-Xzd8IEQOBDG5gKmbxAut5LJf5RZnHChw60cw2bNrjBfWQanYvPy2yuR/s320/DSCF4978.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mazatlan from the top of El Faro hill </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="1034" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4fE-7u6uRpLh3oBq1qZE0YN__1Srejw8mBtdfK6Fg5rtlLKy4IG2uaxhSKxtloA11ygQfQ6NdE0-ythEv5RUMTrzbcvNT893WuqcMx-zc9xk9ncq1hpYWxs7bEXL7uwt8-N4iMFwRrQM/s320/DSCF5016c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Faro is the world's highest lighthouse based on a hill</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4fE-7u6uRpLh3oBq1qZE0YN__1Srejw8mBtdfK6Fg5rtlLKy4IG2uaxhSKxtloA11ygQfQ6NdE0-ythEv5RUMTrzbcvNT893WuqcMx-zc9xk9ncq1hpYWxs7bEXL7uwt8-N4iMFwRrQM/s1600/DSCF5016c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4fE-7u6uRpLh3oBq1qZE0YN__1Srejw8mBtdfK6Fg5rtlLKy4IG2uaxhSKxtloA11ygQfQ6NdE0-ythEv5RUMTrzbcvNT893WuqcMx-zc9xk9ncq1hpYWxs7bEXL7uwt8-N4iMFwRrQM/s1600/DSCF5016c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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One day I decided to try and find the quilt shop that I had
found on line. I was so excited to find true quilting quality fabrics. Great
shop run by an expat. It’s a training venue for local women to learn how to
become business women. She gets 10-20 women together for a period of time. They
get sewing machines, learn to sew and quilt and take classes in business
management. They also make items to sell in the shop. As I checked out, I asked
the cashier what I should see since I was downtown. She mentioned the Cathedral
and then said there was a new little shop of weavings from Oaxaca. I was the
Cathedral and then came across the weaving shop. Luis, the shop owner, proudly
showed me the small wooden loom his grandmother had given to him to use in the
shop. He showed me a weaving he was working on and what it represented. He has
larger looms at his home that the family all use to produce beautifully woven
goods. I ended up purchasing a bedspread that I will convert to a Duvet cover
once we get back to colder climates. Later we purchased a hand woven wool rug to go at the foot of the bed. The story of the weaver of the rug and his extended family are told here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q2Phz60uqg" target="_blank">Wool weavers of Oaxaca part I</a> ... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbTsHpe8diE" target="_blank">Wool weavers of Oaxaca part II</a> .<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74ay6ogRWqjXnhzwexiwY9EJZ39uNb6XrRI3S5YTC76sfMVbq-eKHt-oSJoOmH8cxVlIZydId_LaXRbhP-y50YCHLm5Dpvx1b9M3yViuitODINCGn43x8LNHcJ_A2QBdD46K9UPy6xnNJ/s1600/DSCF2140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1142" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74ay6ogRWqjXnhzwexiwY9EJZ39uNb6XrRI3S5YTC76sfMVbq-eKHt-oSJoOmH8cxVlIZydId_LaXRbhP-y50YCHLm5Dpvx1b9M3yViuitODINCGn43x8LNHcJ_A2QBdD46K9UPy6xnNJ/s320/DSCF2140.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand woven bedspread by Luis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ry_I7rL6gk-Q7cBVSYGbFvsA2avdq17zyaXTuaL9AsCXffaPwohm2CDITCNYLAPXKieC6PbQU3uMjycmhmWgAk0LQrWGbXPPF4TH3EPxzLSevb_sfOLZC4aYhF7WOPc-leaWSp9YdLGG/s1600/DSCF2143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ry_I7rL6gk-Q7cBVSYGbFvsA2avdq17zyaXTuaL9AsCXffaPwohm2CDITCNYLAPXKieC6PbQU3uMjycmhmWgAk0LQrWGbXPPF4TH3EPxzLSevb_sfOLZC4aYhF7WOPc-leaWSp9YdLGG/s320/DSCF2143.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand woven rug by Evencio Vicente</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Norman jumping in for a moment: Clarice forgot to mention
our amazing overnight trip to the town of Durango high in the mountains east of
Mazatlan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were asking some other
long-term resident cruisers over breakfast about renting a car and driving to
Durango and one couple suggested we borrow their Chevy Suburban for the trip
but pointed out that we should plan to stay the night in Durango and suggested
a pet friendly hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Durango is a
lovely old Mexican town with narrow cobblestone streets and the requisite amazing
cathedral but the real eye candy for this trip was the drive to and from the
mountaintop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original road was a
winding two lane mountain road requiring a 6 – 8 hour drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That road is lovely in its own right and due
to a serendipitous missed turnoff we drove on it for about 3 hours. The road
surface was well maintained but like many mountain roads it followed every
crook and curve of the hills as it wove its way up and down through valleys and
over ridges while passing slowly through very small villages along the
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We eventually got back onto the
main toll road which required some phenomenal engineering and construction (all
proudly Mexican) to create continuous grades that go on for miles rather than
following the natural terrain up and down and up and up and down again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To achieve that goal required 88 tunnels
(several over a kilometer long) and 115 bridges including two cable bridges one
of which is the tallest in the world. As a side note we are often asked about
travelling through Mexico with the “Cartels everywhere” – this route definitely
took us through historically active drug production areas but as tourists the
only thing that might have been related was that our large vehicle (which could
have carried a lot of contraband) was stopped by the State Police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two officers checked my driver’s license
and were completely polite and professional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After practicing their bit of English vs our poor Spanish they sent us
on our way with a “buenas dias”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EY6SzEvV7M_swEXXBqRNy97ngReONeEP6qpyRncL-I6ieCiksRnxJB5_R7Xwye9qdZyxeCTIq7HJV7oA-8JPC_lLQnXWZObzj7LReHg1nGUCAGVbpRnSFIxeaHUGhu-Ft_jbOCxfD2RK/s1600/DSCF4794c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="1034" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EY6SzEvV7M_swEXXBqRNy97ngReONeEP6qpyRncL-I6ieCiksRnxJB5_R7Xwye9qdZyxeCTIq7HJV7oA-8JPC_lLQnXWZObzj7LReHg1nGUCAGVbpRnSFIxeaHUGhu-Ft_jbOCxfD2RK/s320/DSCF4794c2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New road to Durango (from old road) 1 of 88 tunnels and 115 bridges</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUfoHDqBgabO35BO-3bw8dtNhS-JG9EhG5v0zRT-aZJ3RJMldf52U3n_CdiYP62ApiTjO_WcoSDv7ijgyk9MUdQ3CVGMYxM3RgbqQCcoE-kqEq7bD5by0r9qm2HF4SmO4TXeq02okXZs3/s1600/DSCF4806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUfoHDqBgabO35BO-3bw8dtNhS-JG9EhG5v0zRT-aZJ3RJMldf52U3n_CdiYP62ApiTjO_WcoSDv7ijgyk9MUdQ3CVGMYxM3RgbqQCcoE-kqEq7bD5by0r9qm2HF4SmO4TXeq02okXZs3/s320/DSCF4806.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old road to Durango</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLQGj8vXwKuRf3gB1dKfZij6WQAYzmY8R9DEXv8J8ADj5EZiF4bek6CAid6TZPuodD7b1bitb4ejlCAOLLMKYzxRuB_50SdBbStLsWjghF3aLMQIEpyeNviCA7m7UdFAobmbFXmVWaRcy/s1600/DSCF4812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLQGj8vXwKuRf3gB1dKfZij6WQAYzmY8R9DEXv8J8ADj5EZiF4bek6CAid6TZPuodD7b1bitb4ejlCAOLLMKYzxRuB_50SdBbStLsWjghF3aLMQIEpyeNviCA7m7UdFAobmbFXmVWaRcy/s320/DSCF4812.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mountains that need to be crossed and climbed to get to Durango</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXM6b6xd1UaabYdjYiK3USoy4_A8whNdQ_0w9woOM5aCGm_fG6WaA1fV6BX8NcU1cMMrn4NoUQ5yIb0Dd8jL4bStxzU1AxzhOGOVBf_Mv9JuPkIMLqNrMztL6u9N3rx5LPgwWkGfXW0PaY/s1600/DSCF4818c2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1034" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXM6b6xd1UaabYdjYiK3USoy4_A8whNdQ_0w9woOM5aCGm_fG6WaA1fV6BX8NcU1cMMrn4NoUQ5yIb0Dd8jL4bStxzU1AxzhOGOVBf_Mv9JuPkIMLqNrMztL6u9N3rx5LPgwWkGfXW0PaY/s320/DSCF4818c2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A corn field clings to a hillside along the old road while a horse munches below</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61eFFYJILSf5cLQRSayu1BsuHhAbEyOmkpEZwlq_0Jz8I52Wj1_z33Nuf7cKhOPkXLUV2ifDDZsQI2r7aCQXsi-FgqzAvLtqj4HleogoDXDvy5lyXxi2_MyLHZAadBqJsPDR3pF0li2qr/s1600/DSCF4824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61eFFYJILSf5cLQRSayu1BsuHhAbEyOmkpEZwlq_0Jz8I52Wj1_z33Nuf7cKhOPkXLUV2ifDDZsQI2r7aCQXsi-FgqzAvLtqj4HleogoDXDvy5lyXxi2_MyLHZAadBqJsPDR3pF0li2qr/s320/DSCF4824.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the old road looking at the new road where it crosses over a village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8g4Oe6tNAmCN9sn7xYtl1pIzVy5H9IYgny4LkRnTW0m9b7wt91lvhqYDfXUQ3vLRPNfzlZG8wyT-pfaeqan7EnjUXhp18mEWKW9AjF_rw23vA4pOIZUOogqZ6tF2yLOHx2K5Q8glkaOyC/s1600/DSCF4836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8g4Oe6tNAmCN9sn7xYtl1pIzVy5H9IYgny4LkRnTW0m9b7wt91lvhqYDfXUQ3vLRPNfzlZG8wyT-pfaeqan7EnjUXhp18mEWKW9AjF_rw23vA4pOIZUOogqZ6tF2yLOHx2K5Q8glkaOyC/s320/DSCF4836.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery along the way reminded of the Black Hills of SD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbshd3GJf2lMeTvY6DFLBH57QuEL96XvG79My19cY-bSQSWvkqS1jQ-7x-zOxSG7F-cMwEmg4eSLfLLw4T5ySYzClmI8D8sxu9tU22apbcewjmlmdo_W_wZolciLCKc-RiVLW9UH2yMcTG/s1600/DSCF4868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1034" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbshd3GJf2lMeTvY6DFLBH57QuEL96XvG79My19cY-bSQSWvkqS1jQ-7x-zOxSG7F-cMwEmg4eSLfLLw4T5ySYzClmI8D8sxu9tU22apbcewjmlmdo_W_wZolciLCKc-RiVLW9UH2yMcTG/s320/DSCF4868.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hay being stored in shucks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGRHiC9lFm9URy9j1HuphqCJufgiVC4joJVe0yx0ENBUW0EFxDFnJhIyItIWS54kiVnvJn2wgkbn4IcsVTzQaW5L918DwVhlCyM3tT-RFyk3epryztiwC6kwCjtGuneBSxIqoxVMhF_-f/s1600/DSCF4919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGRHiC9lFm9URy9j1HuphqCJufgiVC4joJVe0yx0ENBUW0EFxDFnJhIyItIWS54kiVnvJn2wgkbn4IcsVTzQaW5L918DwVhlCyM3tT-RFyk3epryztiwC6kwCjtGuneBSxIqoxVMhF_-f/s320/DSCF4919.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chevy Suburban stopped for a photo op on the way back down the mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7fADPpmvbeqxLJcFrEw6bAl9chT6QNNXq7BBUeI5l803AJS168slWA38N6stfeAZaONhRhVW7gmvj34zq9J5lgOp3pMejU-nI6475dYR0YCeuybkmSsulBHOmWbB3pzlpdeDwxgus589/s1600/DSCF4945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF7fADPpmvbeqxLJcFrEw6bAl9chT6QNNXq7BBUeI5l803AJS168slWA38N6stfeAZaONhRhVW7gmvj34zq9J5lgOp3pMejU-nI6475dYR0YCeuybkmSsulBHOmWbB3pzlpdeDwxgus589/s320/DSCF4945.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Scenery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHH_EKZ2JPpzCKp3pBJ2DKq6Z_KCUDVtkMCrpnYpy6KklhLhAh5fqzSjm6CRHYitAJjvfDM_7Z1LVce_85D6KlXaCwC3fbAfpWBsXIFveHRshyphenhyphenyo0h9wbk1TszCfAlKl5bRnX2AD7VkKp/s1600/DSCF4963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHH_EKZ2JPpzCKp3pBJ2DKq6Z_KCUDVtkMCrpnYpy6KklhLhAh5fqzSjm6CRHYitAJjvfDM_7Z1LVce_85D6KlXaCwC3fbAfpWBsXIFveHRshyphenhyphenyo0h9wbk1TszCfAlKl5bRnX2AD7VkKp/s320/DSCF4963.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tallest cable stayed bridge in the world</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD588rYyZybNg2D7IlU53SnSjkgVnIz4ZAhJ2CTZGMTesVD_3D7McN7bjgdUX-37Uuy7vBrfYAvjYTqIN7KYTiVZe5VFkex6K1pW-637YdUIbJZObkCHv_dw82hUMIkrXwd_4mdJWlBt9b/s1600/DSCF4969c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1034" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD588rYyZybNg2D7IlU53SnSjkgVnIz4ZAhJ2CTZGMTesVD_3D7McN7bjgdUX-37Uuy7vBrfYAvjYTqIN7KYTiVZe5VFkex6K1pW-637YdUIbJZObkCHv_dw82hUMIkrXwd_4mdJWlBt9b/s320/DSCF4969c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View crossing the tallest cable stayed bridge in the world</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1TWa3pFJslRTdS7lMGNk0qL3u3sEY9MmVe3ZmxCmOqCuwGA6yDSbc5KastEnxf3_4TEv-CflG5Tzn6whpQ4Dide6sNFEE4Jf3bS2TnzizDtY9AOHellNlXW0PXtVadniPxvzcCjb-QA6/s1600/DSCF4972c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1034" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1TWa3pFJslRTdS7lMGNk0qL3u3sEY9MmVe3ZmxCmOqCuwGA6yDSbc5KastEnxf3_4TEv-CflG5Tzn6whpQ4Dide6sNFEE4Jf3bS2TnzizDtY9AOHellNlXW0PXtVadniPxvzcCjb-QA6/s320/DSCF4972c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smaller of the two cable stayed bridges followed by another tunnel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbt6m17diuZt0YKNpn0tJnTrZE5tM3KxkTjMfBD0UPpLLoHZQgDFHID_9vxYzXIk1NJJTU6RFirUbZQnpNMbhzQYIhAw3bCJokH1sUbWBvmCCPi9ZaTC0zxP5QsYnHN9n4Yi58spbCCdo/s1600/DSCF2961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbt6m17diuZt0YKNpn0tJnTrZE5tM3KxkTjMfBD0UPpLLoHZQgDFHID_9vxYzXIk1NJJTU6RFirUbZQnpNMbhzQYIhAw3bCJokH1sUbWBvmCCPi9ZaTC0zxP5QsYnHN9n4Yi58spbCCdo/s320/DSCF2961.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Durango cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOMHNqVWceUtYp8-kfkSQcA8wTZqPpn0uFLmS-_UlbJnfPceBVjzkf8vZamjtiG1xvDNpku8vM3Of1nFo_Cg1zv26bV4V89LksCUHB_OZs1gV1kyW5Kw4N7AanyWAhG7TlmJUwnxvi3uQ/s1600/DSCF2982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOMHNqVWceUtYp8-kfkSQcA8wTZqPpn0uFLmS-_UlbJnfPceBVjzkf8vZamjtiG1xvDNpku8vM3Of1nFo_Cg1zv26bV4V89LksCUHB_OZs1gV1kyW5Kw4N7AanyWAhG7TlmJUwnxvi3uQ/s320/DSCF2982.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0B7qsqD1bn2gyqTUSxLuvsompfMY3GQG_Is2ab46FcUTwPPqi2r5ZxE97qk-rKO52q5e9zuWHcL4k9RIJ22UQGbozoAGp5iSO-rXFyyavaeyfEIuubichWicRaDmfzTWHaVL6j02mFK2/s1600/DSCF4845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0B7qsqD1bn2gyqTUSxLuvsompfMY3GQG_Is2ab46FcUTwPPqi2r5ZxE97qk-rKO52q5e9zuWHcL4k9RIJ22UQGbozoAGp5iSO-rXFyyavaeyfEIuubichWicRaDmfzTWHaVL6j02mFK2/s320/DSCF4845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Durango cathedral from the village square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We left Mazatlan on 11/13/19 with the plan to spend the
afternoon anchored at Isla Venado, just outside the Old Port of Mazatlan, until
about 4 pm. This would allow us an overnight passage to Isla Isabela with an
arrival at daybreak (We prefer to not enter new places in the dark the first
time, especially with the charts being inaccurate at times for Mexican waters).
We arrived at Isla Isabela as the sun broke over the horizon. We opted to
anchor at the south bay due to the direction of the winds. Its not a very
protected bay and the underwater area is filled with boulders ( some are huge).
Jarvis was not allowed on the island, much to his dismay, as it’s a sanctuary
for frigates and boobies. Norman and I went ashore and watched the frigates
doing their mating rituals. Quite elaborate with the males inflating a bright
red pouch on the front of their neck and of course making some noise along with
this demonstration of virility. We then walked to an area where boobies were
nesting on the ground. We saw eggs under the adults, newly hatched chicks and
goofy looking teenagers. However, none of these were the elusive blue footed
boobies that we were supposed to be able to see. We looked with the binoculars
on the cliffs surrounding the anchorage and managed to locate the blue footed
birds. The island is also home to LOTS of Iguanas. The number of birds was
pretty amazing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next item of business was a good cleaning of the hull,
including the keel cooler, props, etc. We both were down 1-2 hours and got the job
done. We also had some air left in our tanks so decided to check the anchor
since the guide book states and anchor trip line was recommended to hopefully
prevent getting stuck in the boulders. Since we knew we were leaving at oh dark
thirty the next morning, we wanted to avoid a night dive if possible to unstick
a stuck anchor. The anchor was situated in such a way that we weren’t going
anywhere and we now knew the angles to try if we got stuck. Unfortunately we
were too tired to grab another tank and do a pleasure dive. Lots of beautiful
fish were around us and it would have been fun to explore the rocks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR9FaoYmHNJfUK-HO0AuyKgWX-D1YGTUd-k4ZVBigFvxFb5KgYxLwppvVf1VeL-jKsjYDlygP3n4x_MFCBBkvxz17UZXy8mexCCXBG7BFUMwRobeWvU_yQ6EBTdYhJvQn6vtOXL1PohOb/s1600/DSCF5044c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="483" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjR9FaoYmHNJfUK-HO0AuyKgWX-D1YGTUd-k4ZVBigFvxFb5KgYxLwppvVf1VeL-jKsjYDlygP3n4x_MFCBBkvxz17UZXy8mexCCXBG7BFUMwRobeWvU_yQ6EBTdYhJvQn6vtOXL1PohOb/s320/DSCF5044c.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonlit crossing to Isla Isabele</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABb8H5x0JxywrodkKfaKiQwDlRRT261wadPjXd7_132Fsft3VPgG7g03DrYIpO_BorGw9KSJ5bV2rwxinTBMoS0gmgjc8yy1ipqQGXrCZAlZFPm3w2co_5AYGoC7jX9z-DpC3zsh9QPdD/s1600/DSCF5061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABb8H5x0JxywrodkKfaKiQwDlRRT261wadPjXd7_132Fsft3VPgG7g03DrYIpO_BorGw9KSJ5bV2rwxinTBMoS0gmgjc8yy1ipqQGXrCZAlZFPm3w2co_5AYGoC7jX9z-DpC3zsh9QPdD/s320/DSCF5061.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boobies are not at all shy about checking out the boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0snA_Y180kl7fIA4dEieTlBN1gIe41QsaGRv8QxOpYdcXSG3vylcAI3F4asOHDQnOW7kWTnUh6YK27K51SDNnh6H9cbxkYPlTNy_jv3Hpi2VO2TlJzVYy8Ft-NAFh8I1RBNgZ-QXH55O/s320/DSCF5073.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousands of frigate birds inhabit Isla Isabele</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0snA_Y180kl7fIA4dEieTlBN1gIe41QsaGRv8QxOpYdcXSG3vylcAI3F4asOHDQnOW7kWTnUh6YK27K51SDNnh6H9cbxkYPlTNy_jv3Hpi2VO2TlJzVYy8Ft-NAFh8I1RBNgZ-QXH55O/s1600/DSCF5073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0snA_Y180kl7fIA4dEieTlBN1gIe41QsaGRv8QxOpYdcXSG3vylcAI3F4asOHDQnOW7kWTnUh6YK27K51SDNnh6H9cbxkYPlTNy_jv3Hpi2VO2TlJzVYy8Ft-NAFh8I1RBNgZ-QXH55O/s1600/DSCF5073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnFQR56iP37SiXe6Cz0g1_tEoRdziXDWiPCGoYiWhWgBA3HCZkrWcsH8AacnVZq_sBf1jPZvH0RqPb_16xodjh9RAVe-2QVp3vt3nHlxd171nSKvNCiWmlNdqiThDdC3aG-VBsJdqJ9sC/s1600/DSCF5098c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1034" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnFQR56iP37SiXe6Cz0g1_tEoRdziXDWiPCGoYiWhWgBA3HCZkrWcsH8AacnVZq_sBf1jPZvH0RqPb_16xodjh9RAVe-2QVp3vt3nHlxd171nSKvNCiWmlNdqiThDdC3aG-VBsJdqJ9sC/s320/DSCF5098c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iguanas by the hundreds live on the island as well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2ipNFHDVDoPO2hS5ZRBnjlzu-v4hkKPJweAgqonj2Jwwv57oAkIDRWlPmNCiZbyXsXXJu7YG5aM3sD9TGLpYqSWM7l_h5XMbGqkbJNsC1xwT5VhFZ0RSWGu4I-kr7xvNZ7lFH9IlUkxA/s1600/DSCF5106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2ipNFHDVDoPO2hS5ZRBnjlzu-v4hkKPJweAgqonj2Jwwv57oAkIDRWlPmNCiZbyXsXXJu7YG5aM3sD9TGLpYqSWM7l_h5XMbGqkbJNsC1xwT5VhFZ0RSWGu4I-kr7xvNZ7lFH9IlUkxA/s320/DSCF5106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lady frigate can't get any rest from suitors even while she is on the nest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7p94qXH1YUMMM61bUZOl4WwPk6d4DSfoK5JCIyZIHsoBtNvIydq2cPGiVucetwUbFMk-IdlWIccSzvfhzkf6mhXB-2wiGdJP5v6KJFLS-vHW4vNTN3bMFwhckZQJR_0PoH8tvt5ZD2fOu/s1600/DSCF5127c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1034" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7p94qXH1YUMMM61bUZOl4WwPk6d4DSfoK5JCIyZIHsoBtNvIydq2cPGiVucetwUbFMk-IdlWIccSzvfhzkf6mhXB-2wiGdJP5v6KJFLS-vHW4vNTN3bMFwhckZQJR_0PoH8tvt5ZD2fOu/s320/DSCF5127c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A brown footed booby shows off her egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3RCDra5H14NkTK7uHOsSscXxYX4K8DVAncYb3yU4Fkpt9v4OcptinVscY8k9J9CXMSJAV8v19qdIj5mO467Dqp1EpTjsAPyo2lfrRNHhVF1drSmcibglZSv7VoePxe23iwEoj-g7_EAs/s1600/DSCF5131c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="1034" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3RCDra5H14NkTK7uHOsSscXxYX4K8DVAncYb3yU4Fkpt9v4OcptinVscY8k9J9CXMSJAV8v19qdIj5mO467Dqp1EpTjsAPyo2lfrRNHhVF1drSmcibglZSv7VoePxe23iwEoj-g7_EAs/s320/DSCF5131c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A teenage booby taking a stroll</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dx82SLd0Lt3nLX9QuyD_Vr9Xrk0qisMks9RW7I5TvIdSKKLyOA_ob2QyYPie2-ANgnl9FLqaRInkoI-A3oJv_d7WZVF4mxRSHctWlUdbROQa8RPzn-8XW1AWmCIt_t1CXMRNhqpkvnDK/s1600/DSCF5224c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="1034" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3dx82SLd0Lt3nLX9QuyD_Vr9Xrk0qisMks9RW7I5TvIdSKKLyOA_ob2QyYPie2-ANgnl9FLqaRInkoI-A3oJv_d7WZVF4mxRSHctWlUdbROQa8RPzn-8XW1AWmCIt_t1CXMRNhqpkvnDK/s320/DSCF5224c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Aire at anchor on Isla Isabele</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />On 11/14 at 330 am we pulled anchor without a hitch and
headed towards La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. It is called this due to a living cross
on the hill carved from the Huanacaxtle tree, but most people just refer to the
village as La Cruz. The Huanacaxtle tree is a huge tree that would be fantastic
for tree houses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we made our way to La Cruz, we discovered the fishing
lines we’d been warned about as we approached La Cruz. These are yellow
polypropylene lines that are very very long. It appears they are long line
fishing. They are inconspicuously marked with 250 ml ( 1 pint approximately)
clear soda pop bottles – yep not really easy to see until you are on top of
them. Most of the time there’s a panga at one end of the line and in the dark
they even sometimes have a light on the panga. We slow down, maybe honk if the
panga fishermen are asleep, and wait until they show us where the end of the
line is to allow safe passage without damaging their fishing set up. We got a
little cocky and thought we were through the gauntlet at one point when to our
dismay a line was right under out bow. We discovered if we went over them at a
right angle, they just rolled under our full keel without any problem. FINALLY,
as we saw La Cruz come into view we were out of the gauntlet of fishermen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are now on the jungle looking side of Mexico after
spending the past year in the desert side. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>La Cruz is a small village with cobblestone
streets for the most part. NOT conducive to bike riding in the least. We
attended the market that is held on Sundays the day after we arrived. It is
huge…not really a farmers market as there is little in the way of produce.
However, lots of food ( Indian, Mexican, bread, jams, paella, sausages, meat
pies, etc.) and you can literally eat your way through the market. There are
lots of arts and crafts booths as well. This is all along the malecon on the
side opposite<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of where we are moored.
And then there is more in the town square. Pretty amazing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qzmKtmFzKWnC_8AHC2SXBmkCvyHPDpe5I1eB-VdC-eQ17FRkzvR6asui5RppLOhpcS_KD1pJ2VDu2_Exor5-Q3lc4eCZzrriuug9dxO1eZa70WrqObJ8GhLQ4BFxSDS4JEYxd_ea2qhB/s1600/DSCF2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qzmKtmFzKWnC_8AHC2SXBmkCvyHPDpe5I1eB-VdC-eQ17FRkzvR6asui5RppLOhpcS_KD1pJ2VDu2_Exor5-Q3lc4eCZzrriuug9dxO1eZa70WrqObJ8GhLQ4BFxSDS4JEYxd_ea2qhB/s320/DSCF2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The La Cruz fishing pangas bring in their catch (including tuna 4 feet long!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />We also had some boat projects – these never end, you just
go down the list from high to low priority. There is a fairly large “high end”
chandlery in Puerto Vallarta, so we took the bus or taxis in a couple of times.
Of course “high end” means something different here than in the states, but all
in all it was pretty fun to see some quality products and a fair assortment of
items. After a week in La Cruz, we were ready to move on to Puerto Vallarta,
which we did on 11/29/19.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s only a few hour cruise ( the Gilligan’s Island theme is
playing in the background) to Puerto Vallarta. There’s no real anchorage here,
so we are in a marina. This would be an awesome Hurricane hole. It is in a
little keyhole and everyone in this marina, pangas included understand the
concept of hull speed. We don’t rock and roll at all. It’s an experience that
we’ve not had for a long, long time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Puerto Vallarta is big, but not as noisy as Mazatlan. Cruise
ships ( humongous ones) come in regularly and lots of tourists abound. Lots of
busses and Uber to get around with, as well as taxi’s. We spend the first few
days meeting up with friends, checking out the marina district and relaxing.
Again, we had access to a pool. This is such luxury!!! We explored Sam’s club
and Walmart and a few other close by places. Ate some great food.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
December 1-12<sup>th</sup> Puerto Vallarta commemorates Las
Senora de Guadelupe. There is a cathedral by this name in downtown. Each of the
twelve days there is a procession from 5 pm to midnight of the religious
faithful that participate in that leads to the cathedral. We decided to go
watch one evening for a few hours. True to manana time, the procession started
very slowly with 2 groups passing us in an hour…then it started picking up. The
procession is a mix of Catholicism and native cultures. Young girls were given
the honor to portray the Senora on floats ( thankfully they were tied to the
trailers as the floats were quite wiggly), Women in white culturally
appropriate clothing walked while carrying candles and flowers, groups of
children processed while singing , there was a band and a group of dancers that
appeared to be Aztec ( or native group) in nature. LOTS of street food that was
great tasting. We proceeded to the cathedral and it was overflowing with
flowers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuECfltUnC8XklyG3Hlhv2BlKDWmvLmxXZ-HslOtm7bXiNvZIHlEHDuhJhKFz5UfvXb4jeKQCOGJWH0Q8FlCrx3_EN5FfIEWIUMGpqVYjFsDv9H7yUBV74R2sordLRrNfpSbTNbKKO3aCv/s1600/DSCF2075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuECfltUnC8XklyG3Hlhv2BlKDWmvLmxXZ-HslOtm7bXiNvZIHlEHDuhJhKFz5UfvXb4jeKQCOGJWH0Q8FlCrx3_EN5FfIEWIUMGpqVYjFsDv9H7yUBV74R2sordLRrNfpSbTNbKKO3aCv/s320/DSCF2075.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stand in for the Virgin de Guadelupe (tied to the float for safety but she still looked pretty nervous)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihK28o2TD9jii2KeNyWMcAyHeOduoB-EgVfwqlYh83Kx7SMuaQKPuj31h9ZniBNYMI0NcbzKz-U4odO1gHPX3ELTE1q6Au9MSLoX2dI4EnWZfrg-m007GjOHZ1rzzUUsSSsLaAO6gW2pGw/s320/DSCF2076.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the floats and groups have a sponsor and come with gifts - this group was sponsored by Oxxo (think Mexican 7-11)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihK28o2TD9jii2KeNyWMcAyHeOduoB-EgVfwqlYh83Kx7SMuaQKPuj31h9ZniBNYMI0NcbzKz-U4odO1gHPX3ELTE1q6Au9MSLoX2dI4EnWZfrg-m007GjOHZ1rzzUUsSSsLaAO6gW2pGw/s1600/DSCF2076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihK28o2TD9jii2KeNyWMcAyHeOduoB-EgVfwqlYh83Kx7SMuaQKPuj31h9ZniBNYMI0NcbzKz-U4odO1gHPX3ELTE1q6Au9MSLoX2dI4EnWZfrg-m007GjOHZ1rzzUUsSSsLaAO6gW2pGw/s1600/DSCF2076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCbiW_-4tGSGOQEFa1JD43shsnnDpbdnhXeWVXj1DMNRuDXHyuNh7HeqH0DSN0RLYYJDYTbaeAZhzKcX4FBQqHHVLttaSmQORKE2a7-vrtjlTSP4MvpLZMkKBfHslFrgU5-FsK6egFl-1/s1600/DSCF2079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCbiW_-4tGSGOQEFa1JD43shsnnDpbdnhXeWVXj1DMNRuDXHyuNh7HeqH0DSN0RLYYJDYTbaeAZhzKcX4FBQqHHVLttaSmQORKE2a7-vrtjlTSP4MvpLZMkKBfHslFrgU5-FsK6egFl-1/s320/DSCF2079.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An indigenous dance troupe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0jWir7Ril4rFSWsMoQ_9vklhgbMy9Gbnq9BHLGoYwSC29dXeUnWXSBQxY9TBbNenmwaM0hifa912QjgPmoF3toFdekdmcxDvq054ItNNH6MfyJoCqy5GjaUbexVYN3q6PMl6cNSRi0xw/s1600/DSCF2089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0jWir7Ril4rFSWsMoQ_9vklhgbMy9Gbnq9BHLGoYwSC29dXeUnWXSBQxY9TBbNenmwaM0hifa912QjgPmoF3toFdekdmcxDvq054ItNNH6MfyJoCqy5GjaUbexVYN3q6PMl6cNSRi0xw/s320/DSCF2089.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the plentiful street food</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMmdVHhPHsY27BNmb6tJ_R0co9rl0BFLv00CHgTq2gZQm60nuFa9DpEQdr0REbNAxgzkN_onZLhRFx8K1q8zOqeNwIn23o8jY-Jpf_wy75H_gn3PnUrQFw9AwvXYn52O2oAA3JLb18stc/s1600/DSCF2097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMmdVHhPHsY27BNmb6tJ_R0co9rl0BFLv00CHgTq2gZQm60nuFa9DpEQdr0REbNAxgzkN_onZLhRFx8K1q8zOqeNwIn23o8jY-Jpf_wy75H_gn3PnUrQFw9AwvXYn52O2oAA3JLb18stc/s320/DSCF2097.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of the cathedral of the Virgin of Guadelupe</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NLhni4th4Diiyu6uEZofvV4WJ3dsYndDmQvaNVh0Xz3WapmSLNcGGsGG4S9xrLYfl3Xea6yRtCyQWltEqGCbL0XoWDfReR1huFViCkpZEvAt5xtsTDRC3p-9mVLlw28u_PbbBZBRUfp5/s1600/DSCF2103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NLhni4th4Diiyu6uEZofvV4WJ3dsYndDmQvaNVh0Xz3WapmSLNcGGsGG4S9xrLYfl3Xea6yRtCyQWltEqGCbL0XoWDfReR1huFViCkpZEvAt5xtsTDRC3p-9mVLlw28u_PbbBZBRUfp5/s320/DSCF2103.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cathedral of the Virgin of Guadelupe has a very unique stone carved crown</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbQQSHV4ZwWL_RvhFe2Lc6zfiL2ef3cKRH-BQs_5xTz9ysR3wXT0fMnr4IgfJCxJ4_Nrk-XezsnultkW5j9W8fLFCrZrVzD5Ur3dN9e_gFuUh8ltCxaj_a4E3cetqmf9_goQoibj_mQOC/s1600/DSCF2104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbQQSHV4ZwWL_RvhFe2Lc6zfiL2ef3cKRH-BQs_5xTz9ysR3wXT0fMnr4IgfJCxJ4_Nrk-XezsnultkW5j9W8fLFCrZrVzD5Ur3dN9e_gFuUh8ltCxaj_a4E3cetqmf9_goQoibj_mQOC/s320/DSCF2104.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fiesta street scene</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRZ_LbvYPYt_tpTYMCQC2vsZdOA1MMb7-5dW-PECW_xGXA0fd1LpMOP6lS5yEVBIAoMjur9N87jjzUC-C2AGoa3TuciFNzZ5zoZZhaN-6N1jy7fIEtxHz-MrcGAzzXWRU1iD5kcE4f5sE/s1600/DSCF2123c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1034" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRZ_LbvYPYt_tpTYMCQC2vsZdOA1MMb7-5dW-PECW_xGXA0fd1LpMOP6lS5yEVBIAoMjur9N87jjzUC-C2AGoa3TuciFNzZ5zoZZhaN-6N1jy7fIEtxHz-MrcGAzzXWRU1iD5kcE4f5sE/s320/DSCF2123c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is an every Thursday night market at the marina that included dancing by these VERY talented young folk</td></tr>
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<br />One day we opted to try a hike we had read about. We took and Uber about 1 to 1.5 hours to Boca de Tomatlan. Once there, you find the bridge across the river and proceed to follow a trail around the ocean edge towards Las Animas. We were drenched in sweat within a half hour, but the hike was beautiful through the jungle, past secluded beaches with beautiful views of Banderas Bay. Lots of stone steps as we climbed up into the jungle and clambered over areas that are in need of some maintenance. Just before Las Animas was a jungle resort where we stopped and had a fruit plate and some Limonada. We placed our order and the waiter asks if we need ice for Norman’s head. We both couldn’t figure out what he was referring to and said no. I then looked at Normans head to discover that the tree he had whacked his head on near the beginning of the hike had left quite a sore spot. He had blood running down the side of his face, but we hadn’t noticed. The nice young man brought some first aid supplies for me to clean up the wound and then we rested as we ate and drank our order.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHCsHI_6_IrXksw5NP0LGH7Oc1UzdknQa03ucNlC1P6SVh8WjC9iP17Ll2w4gGRDHA-GYVHenzdbvs8AlYNK0W7G8bQg-rQqjMzce8ni85BNy-huNo9rrVVo9RnOJn3e31uGoyYuMkEGy/s1600/DSCF2040c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1034" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHCsHI_6_IrXksw5NP0LGH7Oc1UzdknQa03ucNlC1P6SVh8WjC9iP17Ll2w4gGRDHA-GYVHenzdbvs8AlYNK0W7G8bQg-rQqjMzce8ni85BNy-huNo9rrVVo9RnOJn3e31uGoyYuMkEGy/s320/DSCF2040c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pocket beach and stream along the trail offered a nice rest stop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBDcLmR7XlbYsQWHw03JYsOdeWJx2iuAaM32h6F_QWE8UyThGkWduAbu51icFyzt9jyZslUAXgVou0rrH0iuf0GUUYBDYL_4Dv6t_-LFMPzm6z95COqGaN41xX_3gsTDEyGCcGKiOOzVm/s1600/DSCF2044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBDcLmR7XlbYsQWHw03JYsOdeWJx2iuAaM32h6F_QWE8UyThGkWduAbu51icFyzt9jyZslUAXgVou0rrH0iuf0GUUYBDYL_4Dv6t_-LFMPzm6z95COqGaN41xX_3gsTDEyGCcGKiOOzVm/s320/DSCF2044.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice trying to control the sweat from the rain forest humidity while hiking</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82dNPQBw-sdcWNWQReiLkSg_KcF5hJj_WQdx9hlCgTQ3CQ1tGyPcNqxpx4faLvTr1Stu9GfvSJdgxpd4arHesbC1ObqBmEO9cGeXCs_E_suvcxQ2h-fJ4AwXx9VpG674hZW3A1vw3hAqw/s1600/DSCF2054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82dNPQBw-sdcWNWQReiLkSg_KcF5hJj_WQdx9hlCgTQ3CQ1tGyPcNqxpx4faLvTr1Stu9GfvSJdgxpd4arHesbC1ObqBmEO9cGeXCs_E_suvcxQ2h-fJ4AwXx9VpG674hZW3A1vw3hAqw/s320/DSCF2054.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing beach near the end of the trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We were told we were only 10 minutes from Las Animas at this
point so we headed onward. Las Animas was a beautiful little indent in the
shoreline. We headed to the pier to wait for a panga to give us a ride back to
Boca. The first person said 250 pesos so we declined. A boy in a panga came up
and we asked his fee : 50 pesos each . SOLD.. we boarded and headed back to the beginning of
the days adventure. We arrived back at the boat very tired, a little sore and
very happy we had spent our day doing this.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are getting ready to leave P.V. tomorrow, December 7<sup>th</sup>.
Norman checked engine room fluids yesterday. We topped off water, secured the
topsides (tender, bikes), rigged paravanes for easy deployment and went on a
provisioning trip. Probably the last provisions until Ensenada or San Diego (
since we cannot take fresh stuff back into the states, we’ll need to use it all
up before San Diego). I have learned however that to not waste food ()when we
are approaching another country, I boil eggs up, make all the vegetables into a
salad, or stew/soup and clean and process all remaining fruit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I think we are both getting dock fever and ready to get
moving again. I prefer anchoring and will enjoy being away from the hub bub
that towns bring. I long for the peace and tranquility of remote bays so am
excited to be out of here, even though it’s been a fun week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-57731319439888596652019-10-23T16:05:00.001-07:002019-10-23T20:37:33.891-07:00Norman flies off for a month in Belize<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCI3GTQ4MIvwTr848JBH7fMG9kNJSL0or4tZEhPY71hYJq8RvTpNEgUQJuMEzadeLwvFlLFhG5xqgYNtLL2N87dFN7ZudIxnhA0LXFCNpzY9dISUFruQhMT-6JqIEOpiimczAAAkrGegC/s1600/IMG_1995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCI3GTQ4MIvwTr848JBH7fMG9kNJSL0or4tZEhPY71hYJq8RvTpNEgUQJuMEzadeLwvFlLFhG5xqgYNtLL2N87dFN7ZudIxnhA0LXFCNpzY9dISUFruQhMT-6JqIEOpiimczAAAkrGegC/s320/IMG_1995.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A reminder that we love comments about our blog but not advertisers</td></tr>
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October 23, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
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Looking back to the end of the previous entry we had just
arrived back to La Paz and were getting settled in. We had chosen La Paz for
several reasons including that it had marinas with “good power” so we could use
our air conditioners (A/C) and made life a bit more bearable, it is an
interesting place and supplies are relatively easy to obtain, we are familiar
with the lay of the land, AND the cruisers’ community is pretty close knit
since I was scheduled to fly off for a month to the Caribbean while Clarice and
Jarvis watched the boat (in the middle of hurricane season) we wanted her (well
at least I wanted her) to have folks she could call on if she had problems. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq33PqAew5ZmrX7iKCS45x4_YicOr52UTkTbPMBp66nNo4PK8f02pSXsS05lmiBj7rnsdIj9ArxXRovW8QFNlrT0JpFl025wxdcKNWYvGLCkAlfyL1L-TIX4MpgWVN50Lo1HmXT9rstmeo/s1600/DSCF4648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq33PqAew5ZmrX7iKCS45x4_YicOr52UTkTbPMBp66nNo4PK8f02pSXsS05lmiBj7rnsdIj9ArxXRovW8QFNlrT0JpFl025wxdcKNWYvGLCkAlfyL1L-TIX4MpgWVN50Lo1HmXT9rstmeo/s320/DSCF4648.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Independence Day just before I left La Paz</td></tr>
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<br />
If you look way down to the bottom of the left hand column
of this blog you will find links titled “<a href="http://ncgregory.larper.com/Belize%20Memory%20Book/Mission%20Log%20Complete.pdf" target="_blank">Belize Mission Memory Book</a>” and <a href="http://ncgregory.larper.com/Belize%20Memory%20Book/Photo%20pages.pdf" target="_blank">Belize Mission Memory Book Photos</a> that
takes you back to our musings from when we were medical missionaries in
Southern (read “very, very rural”) Belize for the year of 2004.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I returned in 2009 for a week just to see
what had and hadn’t changed and then we both returned in 2014 to go to the
college graduation of our Goddaughter from nursing school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goals of this month long visit were to
allow me to get some patient care time on my resume and allow me to give back something
of value (my skills) to a population I was familiar with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had contacted the clinic where we had
previously volunteered and offered that since I was familiar with the clinic,
the area it served, and have a lifetime Belizean RN license I could come for a
month and should be able to quickly be an asset to the clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Clinic replied that their homecare RN
would be out for maternity leave the end of September and they would appreciate
my help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We agreed that I would arrive
mid-September and leave mid-October.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Getting to Belize from Baja Mexico proved to be a bit of a
challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could go via Mexico (with
an overnight in Mexico City) or via Dallas and Miami (with an overnight in
Dallas) which proved to be the less expensive option.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCax2Q3lluTfAcvah0TvCUXRcNBtvw2NXfQQXz17kJbmPR2w8LPusbf1tvmrlir2udwIcYIjHFyB5LWIWi-WVfRjt2RQuYGn02ckjQiciag1Mu9oRnxLSNed1SispMqYrvELFzvbK5sCj/s1600/IMG_1962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCax2Q3lluTfAcvah0TvCUXRcNBtvw2NXfQQXz17kJbmPR2w8LPusbf1tvmrlir2udwIcYIjHFyB5LWIWi-WVfRjt2RQuYGn02ckjQiciag1Mu9oRnxLSNed1SispMqYrvELFzvbK5sCj/s320/IMG_1962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During my stop over in Dallas my very long time friend from<br />
Tacoma made sure I experienced Texas hospitality by touring<br />
half of Texas in 3 hours and eating far to much BBQ </td></tr>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>On my arrival in Punta Gorda Town I was taken
to Cuxlin Ha where I would stay during my visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cuxlin Ha is two miles down the same dirt
road beyond the clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had become
familiar with the owners back in 2004 and were VERY surprised to learn that
they were from the same town as us in Washington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gayle (man) is quite an artist with concrete
and tile (I knew his work as he had made the fountain at the Western Washington
Fair where I was to go if I got separated from my parents back in my
childhood).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and Dona had a dream of
building a timeshare resort AND a living Mayan village together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They then went on to lease two "sand bars" on the Belizian barrier reef and turn them into islands with trees they planted and houses they built. (There latest dream is to build a "Mayan temple tourist attraction in a local village" even though they are both in their 80's!) </span>The resort never took hold ( even though the
main building is well built) but the Mayan village continues to thrive so for
all practical purposes I stayed the month in a Mayan village.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3hG-RAkCK6l55k1OQqY0VMSzjRC49QpAcDo1KwmnpHTr9LuvMkEfPeG1W7-gcqm67QcWvmA6ic9GFm2Ut2fFBn4A_Dhk7_38WbnmHZmAg5_Twbdbmd87Y9LyjQKD-5_02IJJSS7zGYQK/s1600/DSCF2781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3hG-RAkCK6l55k1OQqY0VMSzjRC49QpAcDo1KwmnpHTr9LuvMkEfPeG1W7-gcqm67QcWvmA6ic9GFm2Ut2fFBn4A_Dhk7_38WbnmHZmAg5_Twbdbmd87Y9LyjQKD-5_02IJJSS7zGYQK/s320/DSCF2781.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back from Cuxlin Ha on the road to the village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0PRlKRsp8EP9rndpcjlkuQ70OeXtMmOTZSBSL8jFkvQbPi7BkVUcB5qxYdYmgenSmQ_rkXwLzR-ZNuy81ikKM-EkcmH5Ui-qF4g8sPaB33m6yLxEpJWLTHgH_cFS012-CpPw15fDBWai/s1600/DSCF2780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0PRlKRsp8EP9rndpcjlkuQ70OeXtMmOTZSBSL8jFkvQbPi7BkVUcB5qxYdYmgenSmQ_rkXwLzR-ZNuy81ikKM-EkcmH5Ui-qF4g8sPaB33m6yLxEpJWLTHgH_cFS012-CpPw15fDBWai/s320/DSCF2780.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main resort building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyNd4goo58YmdGK1ocmeW9MKnsAHnYG28b0WN27O1voIeveItdbO9yHhkqmC6YSbQYBLK89rn6pzwJ-yugOGT-12bbpVGjAljc7z8xzhiOPSxyXU2bLmSuRKIRBZG1HzSgTONKY5B9-fc/s1600/DSCF2729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyNd4goo58YmdGK1ocmeW9MKnsAHnYG28b0WN27O1voIeveItdbO9yHhkqmC6YSbQYBLK89rn6pzwJ-yugOGT-12bbpVGjAljc7z8xzhiOPSxyXU2bLmSuRKIRBZG1HzSgTONKY5B9-fc/s320/DSCF2729.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOF3MOVIMBbF0bLjCn-dD_X7X_pHh7s79bgcbeYoQc6y8t1dkkpixC4EvRhfAUBX6y-Wyed4kL8vb2RCaQoA9U9X_HuDoUeNBG8fxhN0CE7QG4VolmTYnYcA-d1rhczeXige6trXoeqZNC/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOF3MOVIMBbF0bLjCn-dD_X7X_pHh7s79bgcbeYoQc6y8t1dkkpixC4EvRhfAUBX6y-Wyed4kL8vb2RCaQoA9U9X_HuDoUeNBG8fxhN0CE7QG4VolmTYnYcA-d1rhczeXige6trXoeqZNC/s320/IMG_1973.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was quickly reminded to check the floor and shoes while living in a jungle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwUxVvi6xRffb46YrU6L_NeL2Gvl4QS6mCs1fK2joOzkhrg34Ual4Q0WrRqQ9fjEhJoT0xCstigyRlShyphenhyphenR1sUWfimuNgc1_jQz1HUZlf1W5UoAfI_Ju_GKDm4xAI3xdmy0O1gEGdhv8-T/s1600/DSCF2726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwUxVvi6xRffb46YrU6L_NeL2Gvl4QS6mCs1fK2joOzkhrg34Ual4Q0WrRqQ9fjEhJoT0xCstigyRlShyphenhyphenR1sUWfimuNgc1_jQz1HUZlf1W5UoAfI_Ju_GKDm4xAI3xdmy0O1gEGdhv8-T/s320/DSCF2726.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My veranda and the bicycle I used for primary transportation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOPy95dybHzFi212U1tf12J8Ht-gr4SZV1BjehwfVRBLCbZ_VmBr79FlOFGNuO-1wciY-voJU5ingxvoPV7M81SeyNphRg7ZSV7oLZq0R6fwmT_EIi4xEtOjW1kNGQy4_6GDwpFWPoPWA/s1600/DSCF2791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEOPy95dybHzFi212U1tf12J8Ht-gr4SZV1BjehwfVRBLCbZ_VmBr79FlOFGNuO-1wciY-voJU5ingxvoPV7M81SeyNphRg7ZSV7oLZq0R6fwmT_EIi4xEtOjW1kNGQy4_6GDwpFWPoPWA/s320/DSCF2791.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Cuxlin Ha Village road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kMfNYvxOhRC_xgdGO4sUyNa_a4RiXc4ntpxMFPJLD59ls7iLLj1V465n3dssc5IWzWXXNnEA_FlM7fEW-wng1GZG_h1j22fnP67RsgMKP2MucK5ejzJKCI5qBzKBOHN_MXzK74SGvdZk/s1600/DSCF2793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kMfNYvxOhRC_xgdGO4sUyNa_a4RiXc4ntpxMFPJLD59ls7iLLj1V465n3dssc5IWzWXXNnEA_FlM7fEW-wng1GZG_h1j22fnP67RsgMKP2MucK5ejzJKCI5qBzKBOHN_MXzK74SGvdZk/s320/DSCF2793.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out from the upper floor of the resort building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAOt7kjUluHwrRz2nfjIw9j48Zp8E3F8UNmFg9aFr-F8yMV2h-y6fBWp-giJaPlTRh6Qu22uyi8RgFBvrwG1ttxhtmxjZIcg00AjEg-eRP57bVtd9lTRzjbEsEHXrsBCAt9zjxynldVyV/s1600/DSCF2795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAOt7kjUluHwrRz2nfjIw9j48Zp8E3F8UNmFg9aFr-F8yMV2h-y6fBWp-giJaPlTRh6Qu22uyi8RgFBvrwG1ttxhtmxjZIcg00AjEg-eRP57bVtd9lTRzjbEsEHXrsBCAt9zjxynldVyV/s320/DSCF2795.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pool is quite lovely but only had rainwater in it while I was there</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVL2zkvBH1dyG7WTGhoY9i3P9bdLS-Lfu4zSVZwR6IcNnEuo-nvgaNS6msR18n7geZEYgFNQnJGekQxwuebyGJ8dYW5qJdS0W19twOEgTIurfp-WjYW6YxMDLfNtUBPqkzbUFVA13RaEYL/s1600/DSCF2817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVL2zkvBH1dyG7WTGhoY9i3P9bdLS-Lfu4zSVZwR6IcNnEuo-nvgaNS6msR18n7geZEYgFNQnJGekQxwuebyGJ8dYW5qJdS0W19twOEgTIurfp-WjYW6YxMDLfNtUBPqkzbUFVA13RaEYL/s320/DSCF2817.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting at the river to head out to the houses on the reef 2 hours away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjmAJnBZzwG4HPQoqxuplqrtia8DGIdKd4hmisxKtA7jm00g6lmZSkxZ8egL6Rv09iyHElxYKIF0d16nFqVoAxtPNpYLryvfAluCwGGw30LYwChnIX8Qf-Nu0dSXog8uOJ_AoVuh91pYH/s1600/DSCF2822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjmAJnBZzwG4HPQoqxuplqrtia8DGIdKd4hmisxKtA7jm00g6lmZSkxZ8egL6Rv09iyHElxYKIF0d16nFqVoAxtPNpYLryvfAluCwGGw30LYwChnIX8Qf-Nu0dSXog8uOJ_AoVuh91pYH/s320/DSCF2822.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our chariot has arrived but needs 4 hours worth of fuel before we can head out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiw7NO6z7Id6AuagbyaHCqbBCUqnevtUkDY8PLtCKsh7a51CoTWzrszMiM1SuofvyoxwLf0z2jMg3hUOkZ3_4hhngigXMzG-nkqHQPEh7O8EI5h14A_XC_AkIEI3IIbvtQhCZPHpb9VA3/s1600/DSCF2826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiw7NO6z7Id6AuagbyaHCqbBCUqnevtUkDY8PLtCKsh7a51CoTWzrszMiM1SuofvyoxwLf0z2jMg3hUOkZ3_4hhngigXMzG-nkqHQPEh7O8EI5h14A_XC_AkIEI3IIbvtQhCZPHpb9VA3/s320/DSCF2826.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching the 2 islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix17wYqAuqcxz25wzoy7rbaPMMbHorGmXQXU8fPZKDO7Bw-8hbpmAsg3dIkY2Wqk0MAI4HCKQCPDzxbW_wOrPxGd9jUM54a7sPyVNpWrBcyXwY9CkN8MMsvVBYHPcA6ClFw4OWiKieBPe/s1600/DSCF2829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix17wYqAuqcxz25wzoy7rbaPMMbHorGmXQXU8fPZKDO7Bw-8hbpmAsg3dIkY2Wqk0MAI4HCKQCPDzxbW_wOrPxGd9jUM54a7sPyVNpWrBcyXwY9CkN8MMsvVBYHPcA6ClFw4OWiKieBPe/s320/DSCF2829.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a giant beehive????</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZBL8eKU9g0hY_teWvwPLIIXKeIz9DmhzXxpAxZHgLgqaK8tdPQoge3YAQ0aUNMwHl4CY59z2t8fHSWPSnIHNTimhmyna1jOtLLJHAggJ7w1KUy9wRzF496zuLg7WkXMP3Ww35PFAA_PA/s1600/DSCF2832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZBL8eKU9g0hY_teWvwPLIIXKeIz9DmhzXxpAxZHgLgqaK8tdPQoge3YAQ0aUNMwHl4CY59z2t8fHSWPSnIHNTimhmyna1jOtLLJHAggJ7w1KUy9wRzF496zuLg7WkXMP3Ww35PFAA_PA/s320/DSCF2832.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a concrete house covered with conch shells</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_tQfzdR696n5ba_FQCQWb8vJNhRb0Pl4pUpFekYdhmqSqHdff6w2w647OzTz4YilCpd4N5xqJIyhghBvILNXh0tFlkBLpLsN6K2gan0cyUIiik2r3S9xk098WLSU3q5Cq3Bi7hoY31Td/s1600/DSCF2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_tQfzdR696n5ba_FQCQWb8vJNhRb0Pl4pUpFekYdhmqSqHdff6w2w647OzTz4YilCpd4N5xqJIyhghBvILNXh0tFlkBLpLsN6K2gan0cyUIiik2r3S9xk098WLSU3q5Cq3Bi7hoY31Td/s320/DSCF2838.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another example of Gayle's concrete art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1OlsgV64XztJ5znl6S-r2YxiswRobSlzQUDoQKRG-ucN22YdGxOO9yLR0WHk5Kj8exwHAGmjDfVLePRrVSGmdMmf3pD7tzvmx7PZi1MXzkZe9YkSicCe7usgwjVtvHEFa8TbzWMVVnsz/s1600/DSCF2855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1OlsgV64XztJ5znl6S-r2YxiswRobSlzQUDoQKRG-ucN22YdGxOO9yLR0WHk5Kj8exwHAGmjDfVLePRrVSGmdMmf3pD7tzvmx7PZi1MXzkZe9YkSicCe7usgwjVtvHEFa8TbzWMVVnsz/s320/DSCF2855.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got back just in time for sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have often wondered what it would be like staying in a
Mayan village for an extended time. Frankly Cuxlin Ha hardly counts as the
residents are used to folks staying at the lodge from when it was more of a
going concern and most of them have jobs in town and the kids commute to school
on a school bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand it
was interesting to observe the pace of the village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women walked to the corn mill in the end
house when they needed corn masa for tortillas (they tell me that with
refrigeration available they can keep it for a couple of days, in the outer
villages 3 meals a day require 3 trips to the mill).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chickens, turkeys, ducks and dogs seem to run
wild but obviously know where they need to go to be safe from wildlife at
night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The older boys have a soccer game
almost every evening with only half of them playing with shoes on the rock
strewn field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every morning I awoke to
the smell of wood smoke that had settle in as the night cooled since Mayans are
sure that tortillas and beans only taste right if they are cooked over a wood
hearth. Next to the building I was in was a community owned store where I could
buy basic supplies and food and a cold soda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The woman who often ran the store got to know me and agreed to make
flour tortillas when I ordered them and one of her children would arrive before
I left at 7 in the morning with them to start my day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The RN who I was covering for and her family
also lived in the village and provided a resource when I needed something like
a wrench for my bicycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words
the village folk quickly got used to me being around and were pleasant and
interactive when I talked to them (doing things like helping to unload a
trailer load of cement blocks and cement also helped me ingratiate myself).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand I talked a lot with
Kristine RN who had initially come to Belize as a Mennonite missionary before
she had her RN and lived in a Mayan Village for several years and even learned
to speak some Ketchi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She talked about
it being a society where you take off one layer of onion at a time and in the
Mayan world those layers are very thin and lots of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She indicated that even as long as she was
involved in the village she still had only scratched the surface of the
cultural milieu. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWATo8QvHuuYmMRo4vW5CGQyqybz7cp5Xc-t18Jxo3epG0YEmSh_4f5_m9C4yxRptLkqGnqn8niVKAuVmA-TzaDOtxJ8ZGxv0X65X4sw8P0doObTrdmMAFfxS8raJr5cdmLcd6lesh1mrm/s1600/DSCF2784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWATo8QvHuuYmMRo4vW5CGQyqybz7cp5Xc-t18Jxo3epG0YEmSh_4f5_m9C4yxRptLkqGnqn8niVKAuVmA-TzaDOtxJ8ZGxv0X65X4sw8P0doObTrdmMAFfxS8raJr5cdmLcd6lesh1mrm/s320/DSCF2784.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every village is built next to a river</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm6vj_LemnltVYjJRnj7xCBf7WwxUiUxWVQqFkvOaKjews0Zga6DP55oxN4vs_lTVf4a-tIFk7URrbHZZFWUkggOkd1B73BBCZfupoCet1QW4YqTQd3eZpyOOhZGsVirgAYPK2tDt4_vJ/s1600/DSCF2800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFm6vj_LemnltVYjJRnj7xCBf7WwxUiUxWVQqFkvOaKjews0Zga6DP55oxN4vs_lTVf4a-tIFk7URrbHZZFWUkggOkd1B73BBCZfupoCet1QW4YqTQd3eZpyOOhZGsVirgAYPK2tDt4_vJ/s320/DSCF2800.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The village corn mill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVYfEoGpb4gh8wS0OxQ_rvzrNJbzLw4A5OzA72L-rkuzvhfov3V462Yvi_h86HZgCx2jgsJs5oq97qwZ23Dg00h_67c4IwMvPl17Q7B3yuZ8BRPqCeZXXIKMOAy40V85MnCBpHfumnu_N/s1600/DSCF2804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVYfEoGpb4gh8wS0OxQ_rvzrNJbzLw4A5OzA72L-rkuzvhfov3V462Yvi_h86HZgCx2jgsJs5oq97qwZ23Dg00h_67c4IwMvPl17Q7B3yuZ8BRPqCeZXXIKMOAy40V85MnCBpHfumnu_N/s320/DSCF2804.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turning corn cooked in lime (calcium carbonate) water into masa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6O6e8NRFGNlMMoIdExK342TL0BoofiWo0Y6fQlkGz9-25_A2TqM2NT5B4PXqSrtHwuY801noArdmMbOhCnEx4jwZ2LdsOcQyiW8eOXDv3mLPauke6kowf3YN6dNhFFTbwJcxVS_7E0bH/s1600/DSCF2806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6O6e8NRFGNlMMoIdExK342TL0BoofiWo0Y6fQlkGz9-25_A2TqM2NT5B4PXqSrtHwuY801noArdmMbOhCnEx4jwZ2LdsOcQyiW8eOXDv3mLPauke6kowf3YN6dNhFFTbwJcxVS_7E0bH/s320/DSCF2806.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The daily after school football (soccer) match</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The clinic has grown tremendously since Clarice and I were
there in 2004.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only two of the current
employees were there when we were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
good news is that one of the goals of the clinic was to eventually have local healthcare
providers as medical staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently
one RN is Maya, the PTA (Physical Therapy Aide) is Maya as is the pharmacist
the public health director is also a local man who previously worked with the
Ministry of Health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a bit caught
off guard as when I was there before I worked incredibly hard (as did Clarice)
trying to fill several roles at once whereas when I arrived this time I wasn’t
sure I was really needed and initially was a bit chagrined that I had taken a
month away from my wife and home when I perceived they could have gotten along without me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The work that I did do was
to visit the home patients who would normally be seen by the RN on maternity
leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often the visits included a group
of Physician Assistant, MD, and pharmacy students and since I love to teach I
enjoyed working with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also
able to see that many of the projects we had organized that were just “getting
by” on our arrival in 2004 have now been built on and are functioning well
(e.g. Clarice took the pharmacy from a pile of boxes being attacked by termites
to an organized place with a regular inventory / ordering system, I took the
medical record system from having family charts to individual charts and then
to an electronic tracking system.) I’m afraid that I may have left a bit of a
bad impression with the staff when I let it be known that I didn’t feel they
were making good use of my time but felt it important to say something so that we could (and did) make changes.<o:p></o:p> [Today I received an email from Nurse Kristine thanking me again for my work and noting that she had found her workload to be very heavy after I left since she is now also covering home visits. Her note is very appreciated.]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN53Ia-u2NtZw65J7zduP0GCwtQCdD0G7qQrm1Pa4RLeKUk1f_AfHc3bJjekfxe_v83rQ4UQa7rSJ7MuDUhlPXdfDnYG6dFlj6GDecVptYov87O2-l6C3pOTh0mPt9aWV8j5qpsZ753xk9/s1600/DSCF2748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN53Ia-u2NtZw65J7zduP0GCwtQCdD0G7qQrm1Pa4RLeKUk1f_AfHc3bJjekfxe_v83rQ4UQa7rSJ7MuDUhlPXdfDnYG6dFlj6GDecVptYov87O2-l6C3pOTh0mPt9aWV8j5qpsZ753xk9/s320/DSCF2748.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Town square for Belize's 38th birthday </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFT5fICzIdLN7LsxCPRHmerUQOAmJE5LjDYkERte6xFBETCqT8mip6Rnf_mhfj2V3L_P3tngHDnO0H4YSrjzmA3uHkqomXYCnXyhKZWTcbABmKC_Q59UP7I0UsfSg0z8OHlaojhil0ndcm/s320/DSCF2753.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punta Gorda market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFT5fICzIdLN7LsxCPRHmerUQOAmJE5LjDYkERte6xFBETCqT8mip6Rnf_mhfj2V3L_P3tngHDnO0H4YSrjzmA3uHkqomXYCnXyhKZWTcbABmKC_Q59UP7I0UsfSg0z8OHlaojhil0ndcm/s1600/DSCF2753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFT5fICzIdLN7LsxCPRHmerUQOAmJE5LjDYkERte6xFBETCqT8mip6Rnf_mhfj2V3L_P3tngHDnO0H4YSrjzmA3uHkqomXYCnXyhKZWTcbABmKC_Q59UP7I0UsfSg0z8OHlaojhil0ndcm/s1600/DSCF2753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6SGCwDoWdUTx1z13zX5IekdZYSnK-lHNVni3JOC6WQ98lY9-2_7rZuV6L8znz0_bGWNMk2-fKhBkcjXz95n0H-NqgRRwsfZI9qc5fSMBaqOm1M3bu5y0VzIVgQ1KHUKz45gyv3A8v1id/s1600/DSCF2755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6SGCwDoWdUTx1z13zX5IekdZYSnK-lHNVni3JOC6WQ98lY9-2_7rZuV6L8znz0_bGWNMk2-fKhBkcjXz95n0H-NqgRRwsfZI9qc5fSMBaqOm1M3bu5y0VzIVgQ1KHUKz45gyv3A8v1id/s320/DSCF2755.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ and "Stew" chicken are Belizian staples</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-d2b-aTj3vIuaxhGZtGAxf1wO0ec1Zoybbz7zyrq-sSw4X1KrvngnKyadpOaps3YWTKV3L8sP8ABG0hyphenhyphenKIYr-JtmyzMVZjdpOeiyZJA0aqRKTV5Lq3RueAKiNpELA90_vWi0bYjfiGO0/s1600/DSCF2763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-d2b-aTj3vIuaxhGZtGAxf1wO0ec1Zoybbz7zyrq-sSw4X1KrvngnKyadpOaps3YWTKV3L8sP8ABG0hyphenhyphenKIYr-JtmyzMVZjdpOeiyZJA0aqRKTV5Lq3RueAKiNpELA90_vWi0bYjfiGO0/s320/DSCF2763.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Independence Day parade bringing focus to Mayan heritage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3uJNIXzpQNga_JYC5Rc1ITr9aiis7sYaJf9C5gcRNPrZpVyydeaZq56Zvz0uqgESmC_OoyD6mxoaWpUPUBz_h4SYekQSCBgS4IaymP6N2UcGEab9J1wJ9REDrn7TJdjYKlfTVpFIfwxX/s1600/DSCF2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3uJNIXzpQNga_JYC5Rc1ITr9aiis7sYaJf9C5gcRNPrZpVyydeaZq56Zvz0uqgESmC_OoyD6mxoaWpUPUBz_h4SYekQSCBgS4IaymP6N2UcGEab9J1wJ9REDrn7TJdjYKlfTVpFIfwxX/s320/DSCF2769.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are at least 3 places turning local cacao into chocolate<br />
(when we were there in 2004 the cacao was all shipped to England)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDbfRuHU3AVWD0aLM-GpdjmBvVJor9Da7pwQ5sU-tmLjo51H3v66w9pX0H01PZke-xYsClykKumcPCU-dfasXwirnPYMZBhiOmjkai_rJAge3upkxbgS4Db3B0SbzMgepn1zRPgp0jSLE/s1600/DSCF2770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDbfRuHU3AVWD0aLM-GpdjmBvVJor9Da7pwQ5sU-tmLjo51H3v66w9pX0H01PZke-xYsClykKumcPCU-dfasXwirnPYMZBhiOmjkai_rJAge3upkxbgS4Db3B0SbzMgepn1zRPgp0jSLE/s320/DSCF2770.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The house we stayed in in 2004</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNO3okaaZ8VoisXkK6CkN1Ru82B5QNwstD9QrYPJHQGVFSMpJWQl4Dj7LaV1ZOJRtMtZ0sHswTtVxSmdGKLIgbRYoUjlLRmzWrd1s6dF-IwxbWfOo9F1YK6_0v3E486gylnCsGY-APXLS/s1600/DSCF2870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNO3okaaZ8VoisXkK6CkN1Ru82B5QNwstD9QrYPJHQGVFSMpJWQl4Dj7LaV1ZOJRtMtZ0sHswTtVxSmdGKLIgbRYoUjlLRmzWrd1s6dF-IwxbWfOo9F1YK6_0v3E486gylnCsGY-APXLS/s320/DSCF2870.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barranco Garifuna Village where I used to visit every 6 weeks - this time I made home visits there</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyFh65gbaJoN-lz0i5ve8Bu51PYsqInEqfFutlDaiGOXY2TIJqectmqd4uoyQql12-RkeNv5-JmTGDfhUdCTyO2z7Sbcxd3Y0hyphenhyphenwBIYHLiuQMfjp7G6c1oE9rVb0dxh1F2z-caJq7Udzo/s1600/DSCF2873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyFh65gbaJoN-lz0i5ve8Bu51PYsqInEqfFutlDaiGOXY2TIJqectmqd4uoyQql12-RkeNv5-JmTGDfhUdCTyO2z7Sbcxd3Y0hyphenhyphenwBIYHLiuQMfjp7G6c1oE9rVb0dxh1F2z-caJq7Udzo/s320/DSCF2873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I expected this house to have blown down by now (it is barely standing)<br />
The man next to it was a child in the house.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTGnEdEVdkdq6CmVZXEyfNu3PKAGZEten79ZLXc-KMZvZxq8jfXPLGwNcnFRFY5oRqhyphenhyphentsv0p4KoEAOwGJyEZX6mEdJcDwYrOsGfMTwf-O2TYGzvdfIqBnRrqDphRPoaB-XF_ksVYGjZo/s1600/DSCF2880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTGnEdEVdkdq6CmVZXEyfNu3PKAGZEten79ZLXc-KMZvZxq8jfXPLGwNcnFRFY5oRqhyphenhyphentsv0p4KoEAOwGJyEZX6mEdJcDwYrOsGfMTwf-O2TYGzvdfIqBnRrqDphRPoaB-XF_ksVYGjZo/s320/DSCF2880.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mental Health Day. The kids got out of school to display their posters and we had a health table</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvtmDEBGChwdJTMRB8ozspdnVRNUh9juzjPsIkuuFFjcPcsprmRYY7Hdo7m__2hr6nsCQFtWT4zvNgi2z8r1JawuKOoVH0_aotQBq249rM0lDEZd67QL25yvIvw9o1r0SDyVi8n3eKmcF/s1600/DSCF2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvtmDEBGChwdJTMRB8ozspdnVRNUh9juzjPsIkuuFFjcPcsprmRYY7Hdo7m__2hr6nsCQFtWT4zvNgi2z8r1JawuKOoVH0_aotQBq249rM0lDEZd67QL25yvIvw9o1r0SDyVi8n3eKmcF/s320/DSCF2883.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group of students at the clinic who had arrived the last week I was there</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was very rewarding to see the changes in the Mayan levels
of education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was in the villages
in 2004 I made sure to ask every young child, and especially the young girls,
where they were going to go to high school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My purpose was to put the idea in their minds that they had alternatives
other than having children while they were 13 – 15 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we worked with Margery, our Goddaughter,
the idea was to let Mayan girls see one of their own succeed in college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another factor was we were not allowed to
discuss birth control even with a woman experiencing her 15<sup>th</sup>
pregnancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the clinic provides birth
control education and options (and Kristine tells me that she is observing the
younger women choosing to only have 2-4 children)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are now 2 high schools with over 1000
students each in the Mayan village areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2004 we only knew of one Mayan RN (a man) now I know of at least 2 in
Punta Gorda alone and I was followed by a young Mayan woman who wants to be an
MD on some of my visits. For Independence Day (Belize turned 38 this year) the
theme was celebration of the Mayan heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In general the Mayans are proving that they can be upwardly mobile from
their traditional place at the bottom of the social ladder. Since much of my
work in 2004 was in the outer Mayan villages I am very interested in them as a
people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjFZ2tqEZS6bchIjk4FhERRTw9e0pmBCL2w_NlI0YinrFbRX8lKrzmOvaUopbxiE1Ham8kM5Bn0m04ee3gCJSO3fwaT7STClhyphenhyphenM8QsnaKcfWSCZMnJQoJBfJZwXs4-iPTdIqLpiLfut4S/s1600/DSCF2733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjFZ2tqEZS6bchIjk4FhERRTw9e0pmBCL2w_NlI0YinrFbRX8lKrzmOvaUopbxiE1Ham8kM5Bn0m04ee3gCJSO3fwaT7STClhyphenhyphenM8QsnaKcfWSCZMnJQoJBfJZwXs4-iPTdIqLpiLfut4S/s320/DSCF2733.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Goddaughter, Margery, and her new baby (her clothing indicates she is Mennonite)</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiO3cbuTwj9dHfNyfJLTSoC-n4kcbmVYRdH14U2GAQiWO-WNmPF_kbXsgrQLKzmxS4RSTRMbNVLjyXwiDOkwE4pdzt-h_xSocbTzvAwUftKTkVSC1bStBN6kiakwgstQ6pZsKe8vqQ9B0/s1600/DSCF2859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiO3cbuTwj9dHfNyfJLTSoC-n4kcbmVYRdH14U2GAQiWO-WNmPF_kbXsgrQLKzmxS4RSTRMbNVLjyXwiDOkwE4pdzt-h_xSocbTzvAwUftKTkVSC1bStBN6kiakwgstQ6pZsKe8vqQ9B0/s320/DSCF2859.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margery and Elmer are both Mayan, both have been to college, both are Mennonite, BUT<br />
they can't speak to each other except in English. He speaks Ketchi Mayan and she speaks Mopan Mayan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3g9IEeeRyNfFPbynRCz_P3dxQlPWRsbkJmaF8PrY8nRZv0Gh1r5E7OxOQ5gZUyTxXF5JpVBn14KCHLB7Uj8hCMGQV428ua-F0RoRL7OgN4cUutBlWYCgLmofnt9lIPPgY15r_iwzVDvzs/s1600/DSCF2738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3g9IEeeRyNfFPbynRCz_P3dxQlPWRsbkJmaF8PrY8nRZv0Gh1r5E7OxOQ5gZUyTxXF5JpVBn14KCHLB7Uj8hCMGQV428ua-F0RoRL7OgN4cUutBlWYCgLmofnt9lIPPgY15r_iwzVDvzs/s320/DSCF2738.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margery and her husband Elmer's inside kitchen. (Hammocks are everywhere<br />
in Belizian homes, they are tied up during the day.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_3eInIRvGR-_qo7sDktfl5y1iNLu0D6Mc-IklQgAr8sgWW-k0CODrbZ8LehPM8MFjqA-am7tPbQRCK8jB_rovtg0wpKoNxLjgF6CacNyc_7KMr39tevofZsF4PYlfrWgG0xZUOpanblF/s1600/DSCF2739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_3eInIRvGR-_qo7sDktfl5y1iNLu0D6Mc-IklQgAr8sgWW-k0CODrbZ8LehPM8MFjqA-am7tPbQRCK8jB_rovtg0wpKoNxLjgF6CacNyc_7KMr39tevofZsF4PYlfrWgG0xZUOpanblF/s320/DSCF2739.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margery and Elmer's outdoor traditional kitchen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_dJO9qJtCb0g_wrBF_7FCVy8nhR_WyA0sxAQmE2JfhGyCGDlX-eh5mjwYrNbCvmaaE55CEue-4e-BO4goDOx1Yt82KRwrPyRRqI9pk7LVuQynTTR0q-DZhVsvD6mLBZQN4BRTpVXOUPL/s1600/DSCF2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_dJO9qJtCb0g_wrBF_7FCVy8nhR_WyA0sxAQmE2JfhGyCGDlX-eh5mjwYrNbCvmaaE55CEue-4e-BO4goDOx1Yt82KRwrPyRRqI9pk7LVuQynTTR0q-DZhVsvD6mLBZQN4BRTpVXOUPL/s320/DSCF2868.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margery pointed out that this is a "modern" hearth because it is made of<br />
blocks and concrete rather than rocks and soil.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7KsmjYC5Ya9T81qCO9cdPjaZZzd0-aCGi4viZ7pcEXW-Z0-2NgfHwzq9xFQgckiHbivNIEJt4IB9dBJeunBTp2XozQw8lSwMnHmNaR4TMMRmrsRFLDBpfp7AvO2-5iEIVRTuoqRdvIVA/s1600/DSCF2744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7KsmjYC5Ya9T81qCO9cdPjaZZzd0-aCGi4viZ7pcEXW-Z0-2NgfHwzq9xFQgckiHbivNIEJt4IB9dBJeunBTp2XozQw8lSwMnHmNaR4TMMRmrsRFLDBpfp7AvO2-5iEIVRTuoqRdvIVA/s320/DSCF2744.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elmer's wood-shop - he seems to be a very successful businessman! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkCK-9uKYyN-Da8sR47CCYZkdKR_AY8HA3PH2-oF_3EYJIS00hcCBRWqc1XFcuFZSGBa8Km46l-F3qSM08k7HeUQPCPdrmwaXyxqUFya6bzvajk5ZXS43O7IiMkCgubrxtMisW5htlC_d/s1600/IMG_2047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkCK-9uKYyN-Da8sR47CCYZkdKR_AY8HA3PH2-oF_3EYJIS00hcCBRWqc1XFcuFZSGBa8Km46l-F3qSM08k7HeUQPCPdrmwaXyxqUFya6bzvajk5ZXS43O7IiMkCgubrxtMisW5htlC_d/s320/IMG_2047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margery and her extended family preparing tortillas for a family BBQ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I arrived back in La Paz on October 13<sup>th</sup> and was
greeted by heavy rain showers (the plane was waved off from landing twice
before settling down).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Estimates were
that the day I arrived saw 3 inches in 24 hours. In any case I was very happy
to be home again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCOFjbmGHq6b-Lfbg9DQw2ziHEXwTkQn-Z16R9_blzYItV87tkfXRQD3HlVXes8rljpwaKygGT-KyyAwA4sQDQLe6hK0rjsPiAI7uiDKoYYGCfhKnLkAVw_Cq0HaDe5tIMrvuYsl3qaIL/s1600/DSCF2889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCOFjbmGHq6b-Lfbg9DQw2ziHEXwTkQn-Z16R9_blzYItV87tkfXRQD3HlVXes8rljpwaKygGT-KyyAwA4sQDQLe6hK0rjsPiAI7uiDKoYYGCfhKnLkAVw_Cq0HaDe5tIMrvuYsl3qaIL/s320/DSCF2889.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving the rain forest behind as I begin the long journey back to La Paz Mexico</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a final note I had been planning for some time to attend
a Spanish for Medical Professionals class being offered here in La Paz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The class took 4 days but took in the topics
normally covered in 3 semesters of Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The good news is I had opted to get the textbook about 2 months ago and
had gone through it from cover to cover several times so I wasn’t left in the
dust in the class sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case
for the first time I feel like I at least understand how the language is
structured and am no longer just memorizing phrases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After class on the last day the instructor
suggested folks head out to Balandra Bay as a group and I added that we could
take them for a cruise on the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had a great time with enough pot-luck food for an army, perfect swimming water,
and we timed the return trip perfectly for a spectacular sunset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An interesting cultural note was when the
instructor’s mother (her parents live in La Paz) mentioned to Clarice that she
liked this American custom of everyone bringing something so the hostess could
enjoy the party as well rather than the Mexican custom where the hostess is
responsible for feeding and caring for everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbVdHutKkEkh8EKFxT3TnHJc-LhSreDM7Tagxcexyy17lVZbaUFKupJwuayDGIDtHHbKcmwbBcZzCYctq3MI-2lfP14payizkk0mumaBleTamgNtC3css6kBQOh0YIzWn5NtACudKuLMt/s1600/DSCF4678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbVdHutKkEkh8EKFxT3TnHJc-LhSreDM7Tagxcexyy17lVZbaUFKupJwuayDGIDtHHbKcmwbBcZzCYctq3MI-2lfP14payizkk0mumaBleTamgNtC3css6kBQOh0YIzWn5NtACudKuLMt/s320/DSCF4678.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Spanish class, our instructor and her mother</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2R3iJaAwlGGThHBFLQGSnI38KUyvAhK3xmW1cKEmo9zlwyxbUHwqjfPmKChOSjCrVmoa9GHPya4XhCDQ6NaqwRv2wyiKFqsQ-KZigNP_yKjp-ABPytqUk8fEUGBXMUW5azoqZP5d8dX8/s1600/IMG_1412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2R3iJaAwlGGThHBFLQGSnI38KUyvAhK3xmW1cKEmo9zlwyxbUHwqjfPmKChOSjCrVmoa9GHPya4XhCDQ6NaqwRv2wyiKFqsQ-KZigNP_yKjp-ABPytqUk8fEUGBXMUW5azoqZP5d8dX8/s320/IMG_1412.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Spanish Class potluck. (To the right is the instructor's father)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While Norman was in Belize, I (Clarice) enjoyed some uninterrupted
time sewing and boat cleaning. One of the weeks Norman was gone a friend came
down<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to visit. We hadn’t seen each other
for a few years, but it’s the kind of friendship that you just start up where
you left off. We talked, walked, biked…enjoyed the beaches and relaxed. It was
still pretty hot while she was here so we took our mid day rests as per
requirement in Mexico. Ate lots of great food, discovered a fantastic bakery
and visited the local pottery shop. Oh my, it’s a good thing we live on a boat
as the pottery is beautiful and the temptation to buy lots is so great. I
limited myself to a couple of small items, but want to take Norman there and
may have to get a few other treasures. By the fourth week, I was ready to have
my partner back. People sometimes get this concerned look when they hear we
live on a boat and ask “how is it to be so close together all the time?”. While
it is nice to be apart for short stints and do our own thing, we luckily have
the type of relationship that has thrived on our togetherness…. If we are apart
we think of what the other one would enjoy about what we are doing. We enjoy
doing so many of the same things, including working on the boat, that we are
very symbiotic and our chores go much faster with the two of us working
together ( either to help or commiserate as needed). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course Jarvis was missing Norman tremendously.
He got some doses of petting and his walks with just me, but I obviously don’t
hold a candle to the level of devotion Norman bestows upon him. He literally
was jumping for joy to see Norman. I, for one, am ready to get back to cruising
and enjoying the water. I get pretty tired of being at a marina. I love being
anchored out, enjoying all that nature has to offer without all the stuff
associated with being tied to civilization.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A new plaza was dedicated shortly after I returned and this was the music they offered:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxNV6UIvfvvPIylDXUKNu9MfbS7RV9LTRXtHQclvjYYnpdpjYs5jviPbTenVLf8x3e5XVZh4qIIkODiYoEg_g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP7dWmIgARMZwIjUu0KjeEFUqQq7iv_9EK8I_ecSq_KjUqnRiAZ2VT_-OM2WlT6HfWDxpeRettd0S6KNWFHkv9mozouYMljpqUjyWWgkiVlh_GtxSuG64dUIO9l_penHt27xqgfb2piu_/s1600/DSCF2905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNP7dWmIgARMZwIjUu0KjeEFUqQq7iv_9EK8I_ecSq_KjUqnRiAZ2VT_-OM2WlT6HfWDxpeRettd0S6KNWFHkv9mozouYMljpqUjyWWgkiVlh_GtxSuG64dUIO9l_penHt27xqgfb2piu_/s320/DSCF2905.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our outing this morning to discover more of the area around La Paz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-58171421543971084502019-09-02T07:53:00.001-07:002019-09-02T07:53:22.805-07:00Max-PropAfter I posted the notes about returning to the Sea of Cortez I realized that I had forgotten to write up our experience resetting our "new" Max-Prop underwater. I had hoped to have lots of photos but since ideally we would have had 3 people on the project with a 4th taking photos but with only 2 of us our hands were quite full.<br />
<br />
As a reminder in his book that started it all <i>Voyaging Under Power</i> Robert Beebe recommended that long range cruising power boats should have some way of getting home should their main engine fail. In Salish Aire's case we have a second very small "wing" engine for emergency use. The engine has its own transmission, prop shaft, and propeller. The original propeller was a Martec brand 2 blade folding propeller that causes minimal drag when it is folded underway but is very weak when backing up. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharlGTdOuu-M3qY41lXjSd-Gh9Cn0FzjPUTJGPWPJBohhLlmbxufFHRwmnTuBMkjFHE1sh_eJnXP64K5hCH6FVKx1nJmm5DdU8jxwlQMkFgOqcBxm_3LTbaWRZkG-B9pbFATFp_7LETERx/s1600/Martec+folded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharlGTdOuu-M3qY41lXjSd-Gh9Cn0FzjPUTJGPWPJBohhLlmbxufFHRwmnTuBMkjFHE1sh_eJnXP64K5hCH6FVKx1nJmm5DdU8jxwlQMkFgOqcBxm_3LTbaWRZkG-B9pbFATFp_7LETERx/s320/Martec+folded.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martec propeller folded</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzU1jCNjlgPvRqYxEO9hkTwVCmsxhi2Ciu0YIqEJ2o4n4FOVvIVNQmI-gta1s7-srCq_3KDPPlr5xbmB3wg3-W9NZh4ZbaO2YeKPUE9TGcDjB_gAd_Ofvn0csmkyNSI2EOneWl0ZXYxKb/s1600/Martec+open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzU1jCNjlgPvRqYxEO9hkTwVCmsxhi2Ciu0YIqEJ2o4n4FOVvIVNQmI-gta1s7-srCq_3KDPPlr5xbmB3wg3-W9NZh4ZbaO2YeKPUE9TGcDjB_gAd_Ofvn0csmkyNSI2EOneWl0ZXYxKb/s320/Martec+open.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martec Propeller open</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Max-Props use a gear system so that they have the same torque in reverse as in forward and feather when they are not in use. When we found a used one at a swap event we decided to give it a try. After some rehab work we ended up with a $2000 prop for about $700. I had planned to dive the boat and install the prop until I realized installing it is a VERY complicated process with 24 possible different settings each involving lining up different gears marked by dots and letters. We also found that even with the settings color coded we still found assembly on dry land to be challenging just because everything must be aimed and then slipped together all at once.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MQUsCquJwBHCww0zv8Xevheh5NMSb4diaqzcmDx0MRUgor1Qqh-Qm-Dlsi5Asu-HIBj87UUg8LTPByDoHZVRhFRM1en6_98Zpteqp2mvqDFY4m_TnQZ4cgSWEVL3ciCWf1OFNjxhsmOS/s1600/Classic-2-Blade-Feathering-Propeller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MQUsCquJwBHCww0zv8Xevheh5NMSb4diaqzcmDx0MRUgor1Qqh-Qm-Dlsi5Asu-HIBj87UUg8LTPByDoHZVRhFRM1en6_98Zpteqp2mvqDFY4m_TnQZ4cgSWEVL3ciCWf1OFNjxhsmOS/s320/Classic-2-Blade-Feathering-Propeller.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max-Prop (feathered for minimal drag)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After getting a recommendation from a Max-Prop dealer for a setting to try first we decided to take advantage of our planned haul-out in Puerto Penasco to install the "new" prop. We were able to install it after several tries and hoped it worked as the installation involved cutting off about 5/8 inch of our propeller shaft which may make it difficult to impossible if we ever need to go back to the original MarTec propeller.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymD9f3_xl4zqm5YLOYvFKOU9djsVmTJ1vnzJPQjg1HmQ51LLsK8EZ593KGkugrfXImswdg-pHKrs8hAqihUs1B8iuMYwZbfwkBEW9RU54zoMlJAUn4J0BPw5FbJrYMrqFGchw_sWPmikC/s1600/Max+Prop+blowup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="693" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymD9f3_xl4zqm5YLOYvFKOU9djsVmTJ1vnzJPQjg1HmQ51LLsK8EZ593KGkugrfXImswdg-pHKrs8hAqihUs1B8iuMYwZbfwkBEW9RU54zoMlJAUn4J0BPw5FbJrYMrqFGchw_sWPmikC/s320/Max+Prop+blowup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Max-Prop disassembled - this is what we had to work on underwater<br /> (the only parts that stayed put were numbers 1-5 on the diagram).</td></tr>
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<br />
Once underway we finally had a chance to try the new installation and it was a dismal failure. The engine didn't like the load and put out ugly unburned black diesel, the boat barely moved with the propeller producing lots of tiny bubbles and little thrust. An email back to the dealer and we had an updated recommendation for how to set the blades. The problem was our emergency engine was not available for emergencies and we don't plan to haul-out for at least another year.<br />
<br />
I figured we had about a 20% chance of being able to reset the propeller in ideal conditions in the water so we decided to give it a try. We waited for low tide in an anchorage with very clear water, very little wave action and a smooth sand bottom where we might be able to retrieve a dropped part or tool. We had heard of divers using an umbrella under a work area to catch dropped tools and parts but didn't want to sacrifice an umbrella with metal parts if we didn't need to so we came up with the idea of using Clarice's swim seat as a catch basket. As best we could we anchored the swim seat with dive weights so that the mesh seat was under the work area but in reality it needed to be held in place so it wouldn't move too much. This meant that I did the primary disassembly/re-assembly while Clarice had one hand on our catch basket, her knee on the rudder skeg to steady herself, and one hand to help me keep the propeller parts from falling all over.<br />
<br />
I was able to get the propeller disassembled but when I tried to look for the tiny dots and numbers I needed to line up I just couldn't see well enough through my prescription dive mask without a close-up lens (it was also difficult to clear the grease enough to get a good look at the gears). I finally decided to take the propeller onto the boat which meant lifting it into the boat gate from the dive ladder (its fairly heavy and was in parts at this point ready to go six different directions if dropped) and removing my dive gear all while Clarice stayed under the boat keeping track of the catch basket and tools.<br />
<br />
On deck I carefully wiped the numbers and dots clean and soon realized that we had misaligned one gear when we installed the propeller out of the water! In any case I carefully color coded everything with metal marking paint after checking and rechecking the manual for the correct (hopefully) new settings. I dropped the propeller back to the bottom in a bucket, re-donned my dive gear and got back to a very tired Clarice to try to do the hard part of the whole job.<br />
<br />
Using the color coding we were able to get everything lined up and the screws in place and ready for the final assembly item of inserting 6 very tiny cotter pins with very tired and shriveled fingers. When they were in place we greased the propeller collected our tools and headed back to the surface after about 2 hours underwater.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVg6EY99G5wbbLG2MYVxnNji912CzPmHINb2LyK2s3g0j2ZKz-fqyCsl9XkIsF_L5fCrUvRPdK4aqyAGpx2ejDfmnA_NnJ9TsDkfJPLr7f31KtOyQH8p8-XiV68WGkPidxrlrY-hvHLnN/s1600/DSCF2645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVg6EY99G5wbbLG2MYVxnNji912CzPmHINb2LyK2s3g0j2ZKz-fqyCsl9XkIsF_L5fCrUvRPdK4aqyAGpx2ejDfmnA_NnJ9TsDkfJPLr7f31KtOyQH8p8-XiV68WGkPidxrlrY-hvHLnN/s320/DSCF2645.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only "selfie" we could take with our hands full as I am doing the very<br /> last action (inserting grease into the gearbox) before picking up and heading to the surface</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
So does it work??? YES! So far our experiments have supported that the prop does what we wanted and will work much better than the original.Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-4415954803140186422019-09-01T21:44:00.001-07:002019-09-02T16:17:40.483-07:00Back in the Sea of Cortez<br />
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If you care to read more about our rescue adventure near Valdez Alaska the story was just published in the September/October 2019 edition of <i>Ocean Navigator</i> magazine: <a href="https://nordhavn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/30_34_ON257_special-section.pdf" target="_blank">Valdez rescue story in Ocean Navigator magazine</a><br />
<br />
August 7, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
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After our very enjoyable trip across Canada and then back
across the USA we flew back to Phoenix and then the shuttle Clarice had
scheduled took us and a whole lot of baggage back to Puerto Penasco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had carried 1 bag (+ 1 dog counts as a
carry-on) + 2 backpacks on the plane, we had 1 free bag each (=2) + we paid for
1 extra bag (which weighed in at 47 lbs) (total luggage via the plane 6 items +
Jarvis).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had pre-shipped 1 – 72 lb
box via UPS and ordered 3 gallons of diesel treatment delivered to the hotel.
The fun part was that we knew that we would be required to vacate the shuttle
at the border and carry everything into Mexican territory so we spent the
evening at the hotel reshuffling everything into 2 wheeled carry-on sized bags
(the heavy stuff), 4 duffels, 2 grocery bags, and one box (and of course Jarvis
on his leash).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After checking 2 of the
duffels (and apparently deciding we wear a lot of cloths) and Jarvis’
international health certificate (value of the piece of paper alone $99 USD
(total vet bill including blood tests, heart-worm prevention meds, and 3 year
rabies booster (the 3 year shot is not offered in Mexico) $500 USD)), and
having Clarice run across the street to pay our 6 month’s visitor’s visa fees
we were allowed to move into Mexico proper and reload into the shuttle. From
there it was a non-eventful ride back to the boat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdo3hlnnPlQ4CQAtwNTw0OMwNH1mD3hVzSRRnXoEQU8atSWl-bmV1muEuwNISelao46boFWpAcj3YtatNlpYD_Fx1bq5A2W6IfkJjyWogi0csDlBvRBIJAMzoZ3ZNwL21uz_CKHPLOWde/s1600/IMG_1907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1157" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdo3hlnnPlQ4CQAtwNTw0OMwNH1mD3hVzSRRnXoEQU8atSWl-bmV1muEuwNISelao46boFWpAcj3YtatNlpYD_Fx1bq5A2W6IfkJjyWogi0csDlBvRBIJAMzoZ3ZNwL21uz_CKHPLOWde/s320/IMG_1907.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis waiting for the veterinarian to return </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZy3cdNEeYTmiUpbbCmPTocRxTwOfMfybhyVd52b3fIwL9NFL9uqRysSb6a65icWF_HxDxg-ktkiDCMPngSioLFMgzw3-XNK58lvHzoVfFjMJmxOziVkbpoLq5NzHsNiv62PFaVIlDLDAS/s1600/IMG_1908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1157" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZy3cdNEeYTmiUpbbCmPTocRxTwOfMfybhyVd52b3fIwL9NFL9uqRysSb6a65icWF_HxDxg-ktkiDCMPngSioLFMgzw3-XNK58lvHzoVfFjMJmxOziVkbpoLq5NzHsNiv62PFaVIlDLDAS/s320/IMG_1908.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for our shuttle to Mexico</td></tr>
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Knowing that it would be very hot on our return and
recognizing that we can’t use the boat’s air conditioning units when it is out
of the water (they transfer the heat to seawater) we had planned to use one day
to get Salish Aire ready to “splash” and launch the following day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It soon became clear that this schedule was
pushing the limits a bit as the boat was covered with dirt, we needed to get
the refrigerator and freezer cooled down and filled with groceries and we had
some final work to do on the bottom AND we found a through-hull valve that
wasn’t seated well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(For non-boaters a
“through-hull” is anything that requires a hole in the boat typically below the
waterline so they are always of concern if they aren’t clearly seated well.) In
this case it was a valve that had previously been used by the toilet system but
wasn’t any longer so I decided to re-purpose it for the shower drain. While in
the States I had picked up a final bronze plumbing fitting and figured it would
take about 15 minutes to install (Clarice joked that 15 minutes in “normal
time” equals several hours in “boat time” – she was right.) As I tightened the
new part it seemed like the valve moved so I had Clarice watch from outside of
the boat and she reported it was gapping from the hull a tiny bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to reseat the valve we had to remove
it completely and clean all of the old sealant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently when it was originally installed it was about 1/16 in from
tight but the sealant didn’t allow for any leaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The creatures of the sea did clog up the threads
that should have been used and required that we install it twice (once to
discover it wouldn’t tighten correctly and the second time after we had cleaned
the hardened sea gunk from the threads). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also interesting to find that after 20
some years the paint on the inside of the hull under the sealant had never
cured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case after lots of 3M 5200
sealant “jumping” onto my clothes, and lots of “gnashing of teeth” (but no
“tearing of garments”) we got it in place and once in the water it didn’t leak.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back to the problem of the very hot boat out of the
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After one night of not being able
to sleep and recognizing that we would need a couple more nights I talked to
the yard owner about renting a window A/C unit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He normally had some but they were all in use instead he offered to take
me to the store to buy a small unit and buy it back from me at a discount if
that is what we wanted to do (instead another boater outbid him and ended up
with the unit.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to jury-rig
it so it blew cool air in through the hatch over our bed and provided a place
to retreat to during the day and allowed us to get some sound sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With some good rest we were able to get our
projects done and be ready to launch on high tide Monday August<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5<sup>th</sup> at 5 PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We moved across the harbor and after checking
the weather forecast we prepared for a 3 AM departure on our way to Puerto
Refugio 100 miles south.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Based on the weather forecast we expected some wind from the
south with a maximum of 15 – 20 knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We started out in 13 knots which surprised me a bit as it is usually
calm in the early hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the 13
knots the wind continued to increase until we were bashing into 25 – 30 knot
winds and waves up to about 10 ft <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for
the next 16 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best description
I can give is imagine being in a significant earthquake for 16 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We broke dishes (that flew out of locked
cabinets), Jarvis ducked just in time to miss getting hit by a 60 pound life raft
jumping off its shelf, we had salt crystals ½ way up our engine stack above our
heads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to use meclizine to
stave off sea-sickness but, despite it label stating it is “non-drowsy”, I felt
drowsy all day (thank goodness Clarice seems to be “immune” to the effects of
motion sickness).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to keep
doors open and finally resorted to operating the generator so we could cool the
pilot house with air-conditioning (unlike the Pacific Northwest where winds are
cold, the air temperature was still in the 90s).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did talk with other boaters on the
Chubasco Ham Radio Net at 7:30 AM and were told that the National Weather
Service totally missed the winds we were facing and for that matter they were
very localized exactly where we were!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
summary; it was a miserable day, we dropped anchor after dark (luckily we had
been in the anchorage before so an exact route to follow was saved on our
electronic charts – we don’t normally enter Mexican anchorages at night as the
charts can be up to 1/8<sup>th</sup> mile off), picked up the worst of the
glass, I had a tortilla with peanut butter, Jarvis ate and drank a bit, and we
headed for bed with a nice breeze blowing through our bedroom hatch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSVcWPM1IL4oF3FIgh14iip8iAabEspq1rlrjDlBXy2CVAV7XKd5evqFabB7-QVLSw83LWcEInxQBJDCnTI2HQRCrrh8vTu1SIQl8VNQgQ2k-Zxf7Zpy3od7LY0rgO73onlcwuoQuroM0/s1600/DSCF4622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1157" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSVcWPM1IL4oF3FIgh14iip8iAabEspq1rlrjDlBXy2CVAV7XKd5evqFabB7-QVLSw83LWcEInxQBJDCnTI2HQRCrrh8vTu1SIQl8VNQgQ2k-Zxf7Zpy3od7LY0rgO73onlcwuoQuroM0/s320/DSCF4622.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same storm that had shaken us up had broken a chain plate<br />
holding a side stay for the mast on this north bound boat. Then when he went to start his engine<br />
he discovered the fuel dock had filled his tank with gasoline rather than<br />
diesel. We were able to help out by selling him 20 gallons of diesel <br />
from our tanks (its nice having a 1000 gallon capacity).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
So after a good night’s sleep we awoke this morning to a
really lovely anchorage area with no other boats about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The breezes that do come from the south are
blocked by Guardian Angel Island from creating any real waves and help cool us
off some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water is clear and warm
enough that even I (and seemingly Jarvis when we put him in) enjoy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice and I worked through the day on boat
projects and about the time we had ridiculous amounts of sweat streaming off us
we would jump in next to the boat or go snorkeling. Our expectation is that we
will stay here and explore for a few days before moving on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More to follow I’m sure.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtukSibK4v1QSGw6mPeXgWa2Emv0sA9D0BqcQv_YPm30SBkPCPRdjV6dItkuDUYBcnplSbDQe7k9FQ60PFQuNORHvooCtG8OdjwaL569Jt65YS8EqpYfMjIMHG2w6D9YObjwg_qAIEMT_-/s1600/DSCF2523crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="1157" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtukSibK4v1QSGw6mPeXgWa2Emv0sA9D0BqcQv_YPm30SBkPCPRdjV6dItkuDUYBcnplSbDQe7k9FQ60PFQuNORHvooCtG8OdjwaL569Jt65YS8EqpYfMjIMHG2w6D9YObjwg_qAIEMT_-/s320/DSCF2523crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our entry for the 2020 Nordhavn calendar from Puerto Refugio</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WOzDCMPMpGNjlRDG9QcRzyxXZWAagrUdwps0X3xZie7-M7fXOgpwe4CP_EsNr5LISphzT6HpBXwzqzibjCZ6m5NyVGhCoFcWwkEB2d2fhf6k2E2X6fizm31cwdEPLOYAqwrNBA8knYe_/s1600/DSCF2541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_WOzDCMPMpGNjlRDG9QcRzyxXZWAagrUdwps0X3xZie7-M7fXOgpwe4CP_EsNr5LISphzT6HpBXwzqzibjCZ6m5NyVGhCoFcWwkEB2d2fhf6k2E2X6fizm31cwdEPLOYAqwrNBA8knYe_/s320/DSCF2541.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Puerto Refugio</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt8c7r-kVNdsuuQXFEjzsPg0KK8jOTVxYVra-cGYUK4m0ND5E_sXSW730Z_5QHvsZZQuZt-SWkLuV6VEIsFijpUlPzmwDa5ARb8yjoTOPco3cII_sp3_4UlUoE6IQCIsYQ-w_NOvF0pjZ/s1600/DSCF2544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJt8c7r-kVNdsuuQXFEjzsPg0KK8jOTVxYVra-cGYUK4m0ND5E_sXSW730Z_5QHvsZZQuZt-SWkLuV6VEIsFijpUlPzmwDa5ARb8yjoTOPco3cII_sp3_4UlUoE6IQCIsYQ-w_NOvF0pjZ/s320/DSCF2544.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis was excited to find a big field to run in on our early morning run before it was too hot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySM8egX4PESBjmzpltvbdRpa52KVgfixaOhw4KkKoW2Dom89tZPdSxIb3gUfNpFH7fzFZE7iatpEAXOJk6zrI_WGx5cH1ZxkYw67XBQC3W1PTzGqpYIQD4Ss5LPUZadLTPg9AVf9XKZoc/s1600/DSCF2545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySM8egX4PESBjmzpltvbdRpa52KVgfixaOhw4KkKoW2Dom89tZPdSxIb3gUfNpFH7fzFZE7iatpEAXOJk6zrI_WGx5cH1ZxkYw67XBQC3W1PTzGqpYIQD4Ss5LPUZadLTPg9AVf9XKZoc/s320/DSCF2545.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jarvis was excited to find a big field to run in on our early morning run before it was too hot.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZyYz7wyMc9SiioTk-o9jVT_Cj26F3LTxYHpeweOXW7boCOGSUrgaoFqpsu0bjLZ__qYhceG1E7ZrINa_jEpEeJEiNt_ZGbJjt7YUljWHpvpCPR2mBdsmtDESmgNX-X9mst9cQX-Y13LU/s1600/DSCF2547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZyYz7wyMc9SiioTk-o9jVT_Cj26F3LTxYHpeweOXW7boCOGSUrgaoFqpsu0bjLZ__qYhceG1E7ZrINa_jEpEeJEiNt_ZGbJjt7YUljWHpvpCPR2mBdsmtDESmgNX-X9mst9cQX-Y13LU/s320/DSCF2547.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puerto Refugio</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesf98gGBjdsb6w6wSciBXMzrs474MEPBSOZr6QgrBXa0k_LJh5A8dfnyMFlI9spbkYPMQWZQsGSzF737AhPUtlUPIMCVEaFY_xisKEdJOck9xVeh79gVzgSivVSJ7YPjG3qMrOIrASK0q/s1600/DSCF2559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesf98gGBjdsb6w6wSciBXMzrs474MEPBSOZr6QgrBXa0k_LJh5A8dfnyMFlI9spbkYPMQWZQsGSzF737AhPUtlUPIMCVEaFY_xisKEdJOck9xVeh79gVzgSivVSJ7YPjG3qMrOIrASK0q/s320/DSCF2559.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Puerto Refugio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-V5TN6eQ6Uhf2T5eT-hZSbB66QjdQs1gw3b7r8a-j_P0j-ziBt9BKFsdQvDChoewa4nBGmRng65krAunbYP-AfBDvkG1sUibs3N1C-VU0PcaFOwP1nyG7DuroW7Ra5LunAdctPTsjv1Yv/s1600/DSCF2561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-V5TN6eQ6Uhf2T5eT-hZSbB66QjdQs1gw3b7r8a-j_P0j-ziBt9BKFsdQvDChoewa4nBGmRng65krAunbYP-AfBDvkG1sUibs3N1C-VU0PcaFOwP1nyG7DuroW7Ra5LunAdctPTsjv1Yv/s320/DSCF2561.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Puerto Refugio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFz2ogcoX_D6s2zv5shK2fZGsLed4h_szJkqbq2jcgYxbTF8sDGN9Co3AVsogada2_5jWZVIy1T73Khr4-oXV_RqeYgPS_TvBkMxuAGtHiyzaRUOH_QcQi3O2Ia9Cc8YReeHzMyqm80MMD/s1600/DSCF2562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFz2ogcoX_D6s2zv5shK2fZGsLed4h_szJkqbq2jcgYxbTF8sDGN9Co3AVsogada2_5jWZVIy1T73Khr4-oXV_RqeYgPS_TvBkMxuAGtHiyzaRUOH_QcQi3O2Ia9Cc8YReeHzMyqm80MMD/s320/DSCF2562.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Puerto Refugio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-wFfYWotsU7dZ49Nk19JN9ufCecbeNnjddEbFGQntXCy2pRg3zuY_r8fW7GIGVUiftcL_NTGvdmMYsPRuI9uL8kWHgv3H5S0hRpQMs9fYmKf3DEvPWh_tAmr9Ka73ncBZAohw4AAGcOT/s1600/DSCF2564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-wFfYWotsU7dZ49Nk19JN9ufCecbeNnjddEbFGQntXCy2pRg3zuY_r8fW7GIGVUiftcL_NTGvdmMYsPRuI9uL8kWHgv3H5S0hRpQMs9fYmKf3DEvPWh_tAmr9Ka73ncBZAohw4AAGcOT/s320/DSCF2564.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Puerto Refugio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtjC1gDS77rd7rY7mZpbPv_EcGuOzn5iO0v8gMFUt4JSMBUoaKZP1soLofmkSre7BQVPgw65TPNwPcv3lzrw75EQ2eyRkZo19pEZh4tRj20DCP-0NBdFdbwfPAjDCmYdhPROyhhG93Z0X/s1600/DSCF4558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1157" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtjC1gDS77rd7rY7mZpbPv_EcGuOzn5iO0v8gMFUt4JSMBUoaKZP1soLofmkSre7BQVPgw65TPNwPcv3lzrw75EQ2eyRkZo19pEZh4tRj20DCP-0NBdFdbwfPAjDCmYdhPROyhhG93Z0X/s320/DSCF4558.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vela (Sail) rock is easily mistaken for a boat under sail from a distance thanks to "paint" from the birds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpWwcNhL58w0UWuYKFNnQaBTfcXN5rlNnoWDwsglnkwXYa5hZ4YEwiG5LLvYzMYXX_9bYw-UXJzA2iwxd1WaOVK5sWgfkN3chGxf0xo7TtDdE7FoRDJb4YdIMaDL5tJyJU0iDZNGgEE7l/s1600/DSCF4573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1157" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpWwcNhL58w0UWuYKFNnQaBTfcXN5rlNnoWDwsglnkwXYa5hZ4YEwiG5LLvYzMYXX_9bYw-UXJzA2iwxd1WaOVK5sWgfkN3chGxf0xo7TtDdE7FoRDJb4YdIMaDL5tJyJU0iDZNGgEE7l/s320/DSCF4573.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These silly birds like to circle the boat (driving Jarvis nuts) and<br />
then they land in the rigging and argue over who gets the best spot.<br />
The other day two of them were trying like crazy to catch my fishing lure<br />
zipping along at 7 knots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5GMxFgWC9e-5RVqEfchclMztSii0TVY0RFTf6eHqsuXj-8MtgPm_xQ3dcEURcaX4g03ueqs2D4gF9EnDQH7zd4I5nNgY8gxHFx9YmBlrB0NDPrL0u2oAK8FilXFKJOoausdVjp2RySRl/s1600/DSCF4618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1157" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5GMxFgWC9e-5RVqEfchclMztSii0TVY0RFTf6eHqsuXj-8MtgPm_xQ3dcEURcaX4g03ueqs2D4gF9EnDQH7zd4I5nNgY8gxHFx9YmBlrB0NDPrL0u2oAK8FilXFKJOoausdVjp2RySRl/s320/DSCF4618.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another amazing sunrise</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
The dog and the radio:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have been trying to figure out what it is with Jarvis and
the High Frequency<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(HF) SSB/Ham
radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we first started using it he
never seemed to take notice then he got to where he was pretty upset by
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He shakes and climbs in my lap and
just acts completely out of sorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
asked if anyone else had a dog with the same issues and no one did but the best
suggestion seemed to be that he is responding to the modem making noise at very
high frequencies of hearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that
in mind we try to connect when we are using the modem and then turn off the sound
but he still is out-of-sorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone
suggested it was a conditioned response so with a month away from the boat it
would seem that he might have forgotten to worry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially that seemed to be the case but
today he came back from a beach outing with Clarice and I had the modem /radio
combination going but the sound off and he quickly got back to his scared
behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really coming to believe
that he is sensitive to the Radio Frequency (RF) in which case a Faraday cage
might be the answer (our engine room with its stainless fire screen should work
but Jarvis really doesn’t like being in there).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe a bit of metal around his dog house, aluminum foil hat,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who knows??? So far locking him in the
bedroom seems to help some (it is the furthest point from the transmitting
antenna). In any case RF is a real issue with boat HF radios that make LED
light twinkle, pumps come on spontaneously, and other weird stuff – maybe
including freaking out my poor little dog who will never be able to understand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
UPDATE:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we were
up north we took delivery of a top quality coax cable to replace the last
vestige of the original HF radio that came with the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original cable was very heavy duty but
when it was removed we could see outward signs of insulation cracking and heat
damage from being in the false stack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>WOW – what a difference after a bit of a false start (the factory
connector had an intermittent failure but we had also ordered extra connectors
and a crimp tool for them)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used to
have a record of a send rate on the modem we use for Sailmail email service of
about 250 bytes/min whereas today (with poor ionosphere conditions) we hit 850
bytes/min and our receive record went from about 3500 bytes / min to 13000
bytes/min (which reminds me of our excitement the first time our new 5600 baud
dial-up modem brought us data after using the 1200 baud system).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also signs that we have less RF
leakage into the cabin including Jarvis is less bothered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has also learned to head to the V-berth
when the radio comes on or we are trying to see if covering him with a metallic
shield helps (it seems to). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDOlRHTH9EVjsgBFNLG9sIWlA64biufmYKfZVXQUydRksT_I-xhYrnlkq9AjdTJPWppVdx3p-BB2OPl50r3L68Q4XI33v-137T2JkuoaMBLgbWzPtqURPFey5bGUO2jZov-Y_nzZrBUpn/s1600/DSCF2649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDOlRHTH9EVjsgBFNLG9sIWlA64biufmYKfZVXQUydRksT_I-xhYrnlkq9AjdTJPWppVdx3p-BB2OPl50r3L68Q4XI33v-137T2JkuoaMBLgbWzPtqURPFey5bGUO2jZov-Y_nzZrBUpn/s320/DSCF2649.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying a makeshift Faraday cage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heat, Hot, Really Hot!:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clarice and I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where it gets
into the 90’s Fahrenheit for a few days of the year and all of the locals think
the world is coming to an end and high humidity simply doesn’t happen when
there are high temperatures (now you know why we put up with gray skies for
weeks on end in the winter).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here we
are in Mexico where it has seldom been below 90 since we arrived and the
humidity running 40 – 50 % (which doesn’t seem like much when comparted to the
rain forest environment we lived in in 2004 and I’ll return to next month (poor
judgement???)) but it is enough to make it so sweating (or panting in Jarvis’
case) are ineffective ways to cool off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The sweat doesn’t seem to evaporate but rather just pools around where
we are standing or soaks another set of clothes so they look like we wore them
in a shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how are we coping –
overall not well the truth be known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
this moment we are anchored in a lovely cove surrounded by interesting hills
and lots of little rock islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
should be spending our days in the kayaks or hiking and exploring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do swim, frequently, but it’s more to cool
off than anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve even taken
to putting Jarvis in the water in his life vest – he seems to enjoy being
cooled off and scoots around amazingly fast with his four little paws doing the
dog paddle but he continues to not be a fan of the water. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what do we do….. We drink LOTS and LOTS of fluids. A
quick aside: before we left for the States we were drinking lots of fluids and
my weight dropped 10# and my blood pressure was dropping and I thought it was
all great. Until I nearly passed out with the blood pressure appropriate for a
16 year old female.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on Norm and Tom
Tech Talk (as our frequent radio conversations about all things medical and all
things mechanical have come to be known by our fellow boaters) I brought this
issue up with my friend Tom the Physicians’ Assistant who pondered it a bit
then asked if I was on a low sodium diet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since Clarice has a family history of hypertension she has never added
salt to her cooking or at the table so by default I am on a low salt diet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom’s advice was to eat salt so Clarice and I
chugged down a pint of electrolyte solution bottled by and sold next to the
Coca Cola and drunk frequently by the locals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now we know why as we both quickly regained a lot of energy and felt
better overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So back to the lots and
lots of fluids we drink now: Every evening I fill our many Soda Stream liter
sized bottles with water and a pinch of salt and put them in the refrigerator
for the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the day we
drink them straight or with flavoring with or without CO2 injected by the Soda
Stream thingy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We keep fans blowing on
us continually, we wear as little clothing as we can and not stick to the
furniture, we stay in the shade of the boat, we jump into the water and hang
around the shady side of the boat, and if all else fails we start the generator
and run the air conditioners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For sleep
we open the hatches over our bed and hope for a breeze while running a fan
aimed at us all night long. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Soda Stream deserves an honorable mention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like most boaters we abhor waste in general
and so to avoid carrying cans of soda pop many of us have Soda Stream devices
on board to carbonate water we are already carrying and then we add powdered
flavoring. The problem is that Soda Stream uses proprietary CO2 cartridges and
refills are not available in Baja.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
address this problem we bought a fill device off Amazon and a 5# CO2 bottle
(which we carried in our luggage with the valve removed and a sign on the
outside of the luggage to ease any concerned TSA agent looking at it on x-ray
(they still opened the luggage just to be sure)).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next problem was filling the bottle with
CO2 locally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the USA there are a
number of places that will do this ranging from welding gas suppliers to soda
pop distributers but none of those places that I checked in La Paz filled their
own bottles (they sent them away to Tijuana).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally a very kind man made a couple of phone calls for me when I
explained I was running all over town on my bicycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He provided me with the name of a company and
we confirmed that it showed up on Google maps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had no idea what the company did and when Google maps led me down a
dusty back alley I wondered what was going on until I saw a fire extinguisher
company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They took one look at the
bottle and indicated it would be ready after lunch (they even provided a label
for the bottle so now it says it is a fire extinguisher).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Word has quickly spread through the cruiser
community that we can fill Soda Stream cylinders and we have discovered we have
a highly desirable trade item (our other trade item is fresh water which
usually can be traded for fresh fish at outlying fish camps).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
August 19, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hurricane country:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our insurance (like most other policies for this part of the
world) has a lot to say about hurricanes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact the reason we are staying north of 23 degrees N latitude until
November 1<sup>st</sup> at the earliest is that our insurance company requires
that we stay out of the worst of the hurricane zone if we want to be
covered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what do we know about eastern Pacific hurricanes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are spawned as tropical lows about 10
degrees north (the equator is considered to be out of the hurricane zone) and
tend to move west and northwest as a rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once they get west and north a bit the Coriolis Effect kicks in and they
may start to rotate (there is no Coriolis Effect at the equator and thus no
rotating storms<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- yes this was news to
me but there are some interesting YouTube videos explaining it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All is well as long as the trade winds keep
them on their “normal” track which is aimed right at Hawaii (although the
cooler water usually tames them before they get there).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BUT especially later in the season they do
“funny things” and sometimes head straight up the Sea of Cortez or make a “J”
back towards the Pacific shore of South Mexico or the Baja Peninsula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they head toward Baja everyone hopes the
mountains along the spine of the peninsula will take some of the energy out of
the storms but looking at some of the damage we have seen they can, and do, wreak
havoc periodically along the Sea of Cortez shore of Baja. Since we are in
hurricane season at the present time we try to keep an eye on anything
suspicious so we can make preparations if we need to which brings us to last
evening.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We get our weather reports several ways when we are away
from a good internet source. We have an InReach satellite messenger which helps
a bit but doesn’t provide marine specific reports for this area. At least once
a day we download forecast files from our Sailmail account via the HF
radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These reports are automated and
come in both narrative and graphic (GRIB) formats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we regularly participate in the 07:30
AM Chubasco ham radio net which always includes weather information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last evening I pulled the graphic GRIB files
for a larger area than usual and noticed a tight spinning mass of ugly air
south of Baja.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I paged forward the
ugly mass moved up the outside of Baja with its high winds and rain and then
crossed a low spot in the peninsula eventually landing directly overhead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked about this on the Chubasco net this
morning and apparently they weren’t looking forward to the weekend and the
storm is only showing up in some models at this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it comes it sounds like Saturday and
Sunday could be VERY wet and VERY windy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we expect to be in Santa Rosalia with our own internet access this
evening we will be able to access the NOAA National Hurricane Center web page
and will see what develops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
meantime we are making plans of where to hunker down (after discussing options
on the Chubasco net we believe the south end of(Bahia Concepcion ) Coyote Bay
offers us the best protection without crossing to the mainland side of the Sea)
and how to best protect the boat and ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More to follow………<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back to the heat:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a heart to heart talk the other day and I (not so
much Clarice) am coming to believe that heading south to Panama may not
happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we head that way then we are
“stuck” in the tropics for a number of months more and I’m not sure I’m up to
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have always said that some of the
world’s premier cruising grounds are in the Salish Sea and on north to Alaska
so we are likely to head back north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
current conundrum is that we are required to stay north of Cabo up until our
insurance window opens on November 1<sup>st</sup> and unless the weather from
mid-California north decides to vary considerably from its historical past we
may not be able to find a window of opportunity for safe travel until spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
August 28, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since the last note we spent a week on the dock in Santa
Rosalia where they had 50 Amp electric power available which meant (Oh GLORIOUS
Day!) that we could run all 3 air conditioners continuously!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which was a good thing as the temperature hit
108 F at one point!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was also a
small but appreciated roof top pool where we could hang out and just soak in
the “cool” water while Jarvis enjoyed the shade cover and the breeze off the
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did have one nighttime rain,
wind and lightning storm that woke up the several boats on the dock waiting out
tropical storm Ivo which was travelling up the other side of the peninsula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The squall lasted about 2 hours and then
nothing so we decided it was more likely a “Chubasco” event rather than being
related to Ivo. A Chubasco wind is where rising warm air over the Gulf pulls
cooler Pacific air over low spots in the mountains and creates some memorable
but short lived squallS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We boats waited
and talked with each other and we watched the townsfolk fill their cars with
gas and appreciated the offer of an upstairs room in the marina to take refuge
in if needed and then pretty much nothing but some light rain happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(No complaints from us!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Santa Rosalia Road Runner </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old mine shafts are a common sight in Santa Rosalia</td></tr>
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We continue to make our way back towards La Paz with the
plan of arriving there within the next few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one hand the water is very clear and we
had the best dive since arriving in Mexico yesterday and on the other hand
getting back on a dock where we can plug the air conditioner in sounds
great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were anchored in front of a
huge new resort the last two nights and joined another couple out of Washington
for dinner ashore where we had some of the best meals we’ve had in Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last evening we went to bed under a cloudless
sky on a mirror smooth bay and poo-pooed the forecast of possible thunder
storms. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps we should have figured
something was up when Jarvis met us as we returned from the restaurant with a
wail of despair which was really unusual behavior for him – he is always eager
to greet us but doesn’t sound upset that he was alone on the boat. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we don’t have air conditioning we tend to
sleep with our heads at the foot of the bed so that our upper bodies are
directly under the main overhead hatch for the wonderful moments when wind
funnels down and it also puts us closer to the 12 V fan that we run all night
long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 1 AM I was dreaming about
getting splashed with water when I realized that I really was getting dripped
on from rain coming through the open hatch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I woke Clarice up and the two of us ran around and closed up the boat
except for the salon door and windows which are under cover just as the
humidity was climbing to the level “miserable beyond miserable”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All around us there was lightning but it must
have <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>been pretty distant as we didn’t
hear much thunder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did have light
rain later in the morning and the swell created by the storm rocked the boat as
we hadn’t put our Flopper Stopper out [Def: A Flopper Stopper is a metal device
about 4 ft X 2 ft with a hinge in the middle that is hung into the water in our
case from our paravane poles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal
is to keep the boat at anchor from reaching its natural rocking frequency (as
happened last night).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does this by
closing like a clam as that side of the boat dips and then snapping open and
“lifting” a very heavy load of water when that side rises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The device is very helpful but they are
seldom seen in the PNW where anchorages tend to be very protected.]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say neither we nor the other boat
anchored near us slept well last night so today we did a short 3 hour run to
the anchorage off Agua Verde Village.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flopper Stopper under water</td></tr>
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Swimming, snorkeling, and diving:<o:p></o:p></div>
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While I was visiting the manager’s office in Puerto Penasco
I noticed an updated version of the paddlewheel<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>speedometer / thermometer that came with our boat sitting on a
shelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to purchase it for a
fair price and have since installed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our older paddlewheel worked and reliably told us our speed through the
water (to compare with our speed over ground from the GPS so we can judge
currents) but the thermometer never worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We now can read the sea temperature and it has been running from 84 – 90
degrees F . <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case jumping in the
water is the fastest way we have found to cool off and frequently in the
afternoon we can be found bobbing next to the boat sometimes with Jarvis
joining us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is that after
having the water be filled with plankton on our trip north it is now very clear
and snorkeling and diving are becoming fun again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday when we dove we both wore our
thinnest wet suits even though we likely would have been warm enough without
them but it seemed a good thing in retrospect as we both felt something sting
the bare skin around our lips as we surfaced (we didn’t see any jellyfish or
other known troublesome creatures but the other boaters in the anchorage
reported that there is a near invisible creature with a long tentacle that will
sting).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We recovered quickly but were
glad that we didn’t have more skin exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In any case the dive far surpassed any previous dives with hundreds of
fish, 3 eels, corals, and a hundred feet of visibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Snorkeling today we circled a rock <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and were reminded that we are in a fish
sanctuary as the fish are much larger as a group and lots of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Near the end of our swim I spotted a large
turtle about 2 feet under me completely focused on eating something under a
rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice and I watched him for a
long time and then he suddenly paid attention to us and actually had an “Oh my
gosh!” expression as he swam off faster than I’ve ever seen a turtle swim
before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We managed to rendezvous with friends headed north in the LA Bay area for several days. A highlight was when a whale shark about 30 ft long decided to visit the anchorage. Pretty much everyone got into the water with him which didn't seem to stress him in the least. At one point he swam so close to me that I couldn't get him into a single frame of the camera and then he whacked me with his massive tail as he left. Other events we enjoyed were a potluck on the boat with A/C (ours), working to get Jarvis more accustomed to the water (often its the only way we can help him cool off) and floating in a local tidal stream from an estuary.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adults got the main floor for the potluck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids got the pilot house for the potluck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis isn't excited about being in the water but he swims well and it really helps cool him off</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX19YmZNZpoFERnrkoDB-8TeXLIcbNfzCROD1znd1SCXtcCrc1yxHvvATDKz9Da_MJGZrZS4ZF_nJVFynk5cmDDqXPUhRR3DUDqN8O7MKW9IsxXxehBZ__5wJD6iF6s7E85xeN8J86X4P/s1600/DSCF2583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX19YmZNZpoFERnrkoDB-8TeXLIcbNfzCROD1znd1SCXtcCrc1yxHvvATDKz9Da_MJGZrZS4ZF_nJVFynk5cmDDqXPUhRR3DUDqN8O7MKW9IsxXxehBZ__5wJD6iF6s7E85xeN8J86X4P/s320/DSCF2583.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
The Hegewald girls were visiting our boat when the whale shark came into<br />
the anchorage. We went in his general direction in the dinghy when he decided to<br />
swim within a foot of our bow. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmKy9PVfXnS8mlSFrMlBqueQrF_cScAJU6ZRQowKM-zz5-ZRnEMs1HGi9lKXXoaJS_Y5nBtQHmws0Q1tUzPesCm3eSHNeQLVXyM3zQZIzkr_02O1YaMtwCmeDaCiLbMWv_pUwhLNF2gbE/s1600/DSCF2585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="771" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmKy9PVfXnS8mlSFrMlBqueQrF_cScAJU6ZRQowKM-zz5-ZRnEMs1HGi9lKXXoaJS_Y5nBtQHmws0Q1tUzPesCm3eSHNeQLVXyM3zQZIzkr_02O1YaMtwCmeDaCiLbMWv_pUwhLNF2gbE/s320/DSCF2585.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whale shark next to the dinghy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOlTWtsOxW0xA_agmry4_x9_kgKF20AE7pvm2lkrMu-sXeRC6MRjJycy80De6BjTNyGlCcqKg2_pMD9q7StFKMC1dGCBJ0IuB8Jjp97lzjnolsJlRNyvFYMCSdpETtBPrSdjkYjGmdLxv/s1600/DSCF2589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOlTWtsOxW0xA_agmry4_x9_kgKF20AE7pvm2lkrMu-sXeRC6MRjJycy80De6BjTNyGlCcqKg2_pMD9q7StFKMC1dGCBJ0IuB8Jjp97lzjnolsJlRNyvFYMCSdpETtBPrSdjkYjGmdLxv/s320/DSCF2589.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh gee! Its swimming straight towards me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_B9cRXjOwFYzyH_4SloczZYMrILvY5krXA1NtKIrTi8LzOxJeR-IMPOVU5kUJVU3Lyw5Ct8Ko0y7ngSJA_0lGWzv2gqXYSTuwmeJd1k3qR904m0fH5_Qlmt8a-F5Ch9GySOtS5gZlvNn/s1600/DSCF2590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_B9cRXjOwFYzyH_4SloczZYMrILvY5krXA1NtKIrTi8LzOxJeR-IMPOVU5kUJVU3Lyw5Ct8Ko0y7ngSJA_0lGWzv2gqXYSTuwmeJd1k3qR904m0fH5_Qlmt8a-F5Ch9GySOtS5gZlvNn/s320/DSCF2590.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And past me about 2 ft away!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETQKhsELZ2ftSO_D4hK8qq2edrvEbmMCFyaQfQqIPG_QXY0mqIBafv_IzprvcousQ-CnREVLfZA91OOxtFNxO2bRE0Xp1HaBXB8GhXseNkdGEiMqLDLX-1C6tUoAN4yfwfuq3rc2_VHrb/s1600/DSCF2591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETQKhsELZ2ftSO_D4hK8qq2edrvEbmMCFyaQfQqIPG_QXY0mqIBafv_IzprvcousQ-CnREVLfZA91OOxtFNxO2bRE0Xp1HaBXB8GhXseNkdGEiMqLDLX-1C6tUoAN4yfwfuq3rc2_VHrb/s320/DSCF2591.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And its really BIG!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKN5_NjKDHjy6H9NyknW2q0aAf38tjVfJuAs-FfN_qvEB-P2qIQLPF3-S8pKggWlWtoi0mDGuCp3Q9_ZnOVYoxg6fkys6Mtc3siOH2gaCurJytiwUsMTFgA9bx9MetUHwtArSepEljVUh/s1600/DSCF2592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKN5_NjKDHjy6H9NyknW2q0aAf38tjVfJuAs-FfN_qvEB-P2qIQLPF3-S8pKggWlWtoi0mDGuCp3Q9_ZnOVYoxg6fkys6Mtc3siOH2gaCurJytiwUsMTFgA9bx9MetUHwtArSepEljVUh/s320/DSCF2592.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is there an end to it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jOeq43p-O9sa3WmO3R96r9bfFU-ZtpujNCPY7ddUVq-KR3I2_NH7lw3WcKDXIpj8tEN1qDJ9OTJ7j467_KMmtZZShKeOdl0IqjzkPka13CN3hclyR8pAlgas5i7tEsjeOQxlSSuB_5tP/s1600/DSCF2593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jOeq43p-O9sa3WmO3R96r9bfFU-ZtpujNCPY7ddUVq-KR3I2_NH7lw3WcKDXIpj8tEN1qDJ9OTJ7j467_KMmtZZShKeOdl0IqjzkPka13CN3hclyR8pAlgas5i7tEsjeOQxlSSuB_5tP/s320/DSCF2593.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeiBSzMgEavqNHhvkqvACsP3jEVufqpVW-AlXELybRfg-aHs5mWjQdIpOjgDZ1reCFxTDOWw0C35QVE1ZPMYjE7Dky7uWpG3qFzExNH0nfkLynKuJYhruLiIU5W1LNsB1vUhrYwR9skBs/s1600/DSCF2594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeiBSzMgEavqNHhvkqvACsP3jEVufqpVW-AlXELybRfg-aHs5mWjQdIpOjgDZ1reCFxTDOWw0C35QVE1ZPMYjE7Dky7uWpG3qFzExNH0nfkLynKuJYhruLiIU5W1LNsB1vUhrYwR9skBs/s320/DSCF2594.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZR4j16UjnMAOqBeCSEsLGy5HcEaXRBxGjF4W7D24_VEsPfHroUl8aY0ySTHwLFgxodoZUis-k1a39lFMtIfieaQ3YKfmfcE-yrvbY4ffARuhwdoL48XqnfV7DOf1BdkDcbh90D4_0WuO/s1600/DSCF2595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZR4j16UjnMAOqBeCSEsLGy5HcEaXRBxGjF4W7D24_VEsPfHroUl8aY0ySTHwLFgxodoZUis-k1a39lFMtIfieaQ3YKfmfcE-yrvbY4ffARuhwdoL48XqnfV7DOf1BdkDcbh90D4_0WuO/s320/DSCF2595.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbo493BB1VRzLIquu9Ojj5hP2FszE0rRNwniiylUR0wgDiBzO89heqAgvmYh7-oVzHiiElPdLRoNSGt45GI4trqDwD4BssHnopgM2WTaCiiq6Q5iruvuE3J5LNn6COTo65tZzKv8i3jlE/s1600/DSCF2596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbo493BB1VRzLIquu9Ojj5hP2FszE0rRNwniiylUR0wgDiBzO89heqAgvmYh7-oVzHiiElPdLRoNSGt45GI4trqDwD4BssHnopgM2WTaCiiq6Q5iruvuE3J5LNn6COTo65tZzKv8i3jlE/s320/DSCF2596.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That tail is really big and hard when it whacks you!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav3Ka51ZJze-2qybPsCwB7XpR4qs7GcOJ6Vrocty4Wd1-e7QLwGqx76eazJzIw_fAM3h9p9pHr_QYmhx3yg4CA88Lll9ywUx5W4ZbOqYC2TbBdiaFgnyIVq4ZbOrvmT2MwEtojPBE8hpJ/s1600/DSCF2597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav3Ka51ZJze-2qybPsCwB7XpR4qs7GcOJ6Vrocty4Wd1-e7QLwGqx76eazJzIw_fAM3h9p9pHr_QYmhx3yg4CA88Lll9ywUx5W4ZbOqYC2TbBdiaFgnyIVq4ZbOrvmT2MwEtojPBE8hpJ/s320/DSCF2597.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAxH4f9RphMjtLttnmqiiw8o0PvS-rg8uJmx7C5BgyPSywBbtaQTEMN-_4JtYapUR_XEhbSFeL4upFLS4JDOW7N-RyS7xFsd_VNhOtbGcwsasiyI4f6RX23AeghIJo6OOToozRRhpioA7/s1600/DSCF2637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="1157" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAxH4f9RphMjtLttnmqiiw8o0PvS-rg8uJmx7C5BgyPSywBbtaQTEMN-_4JtYapUR_XEhbSFeL4upFLS4JDOW7N-RyS7xFsd_VNhOtbGcwsasiyI4f6RX23AeghIJo6OOToozRRhpioA7/s320/DSCF2637.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starfish near the shore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSey8HL-MHvvauWFBwPYSJ0WB1vHEirnwMqkBoPJOKxHB_g8-A6tCYGSOugEOicX-cdDlt4NRRCc_yMxIhYc3zS3OrOx8AlMp_vB8_-L4M1rIA_HT2FZRxVS8G2vGOgEZXypL5ZPm_hp7x/s1600/IMG_1929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="868" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSey8HL-MHvvauWFBwPYSJ0WB1vHEirnwMqkBoPJOKxHB_g8-A6tCYGSOugEOicX-cdDlt4NRRCc_yMxIhYc3zS3OrOx8AlMp_vB8_-L4M1rIA_HT2FZRxVS8G2vGOgEZXypL5ZPm_hp7x/s320/IMG_1929.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A turtle nest protected from birds and other predators in Candalaria Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
September 1, 2019 Back in La Paz<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived back in La Paz last night and quickly plugged in
the boat and turned on the air conditioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The evening temperature was pleasant as there had been some rain (with
lightning) that had cooled the air off a bit so Jarvis and I took a walk down
the Malecon (seawall).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a pleasant
surprise in that several projects had been completed since we left including a
new park centered around the local artists sales store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The park includes a spray park and a skate
park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were here before we could
see that they were trying to save some palm trees that had been planted before
the ground was lowered for the park by putting raised planters around
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can now see that the raised
planters are very much part of the skate park design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bit further on our walk we noticed that the
children’s play area now includes an ADA section with wheelchair accessible
swings and merry-go-round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally there
were lots and lots of people enjoying the relatively cool evening (it was only
90 F ) although we have noticed that there are very few gringos in town for the
summer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0bz-abb194KE2HOqD9JJEWjzWzt90PzVw6WwOwKo-t5RRAA_LKzd8L_tmiLIsQezlw-GEyW2fVJSLBPIMNvrvi-G3Rli8NBgwY06SLisTK_e9FAs2cgtpVSDswEhV1xPDNCkeCp9LpUl/s1600/IMG_1930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1157" data-original-width="868" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0bz-abb194KE2HOqD9JJEWjzWzt90PzVw6WwOwKo-t5RRAA_LKzd8L_tmiLIsQezlw-GEyW2fVJSLBPIMNvrvi-G3Rli8NBgwY06SLisTK_e9FAs2cgtpVSDswEhV1xPDNCkeCp9LpUl/s320/IMG_1930.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new water park and skateboard park have appeared in La Paz since we were last here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKK4xcDRXwCPT43QRGMRxHGDO7s3lEeEe5B3520af0f6zvhITowjuX2hemKtwlWtm6OIIfo8iGBCX98VuERerKmrtRWNWTRWWdPPlVEyi_VcABoAYRgkcx-Lr4IWdPsKR1qeNTFfReFsX/s1600/IMG_1934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1157" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKK4xcDRXwCPT43QRGMRxHGDO7s3lEeEe5B3520af0f6zvhITowjuX2hemKtwlWtm6OIIfo8iGBCX98VuERerKmrtRWNWTRWWdPPlVEyi_VcABoAYRgkcx-Lr4IWdPsKR1qeNTFfReFsX/s320/IMG_1934.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the second accessible children's play area we have seen - it is new since we left town in April</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIuP270xOynHfx5MQElBegnAlGOw1FFjUA2xaaI-kR_YmIEGjfSL1Ih81dhd8zMi-DCdN4-a9gDdOYCiajTQQ8h3d502crwO_45ucVf5oRbjUmJ61pPWainIkGKjD4EQYr3sPZP056s0t/s1600/IMG_1935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1157" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIuP270xOynHfx5MQElBegnAlGOw1FFjUA2xaaI-kR_YmIEGjfSL1Ih81dhd8zMi-DCdN4-a9gDdOYCiajTQQ8h3d502crwO_45ucVf5oRbjUmJ61pPWainIkGKjD4EQYr3sPZP056s0t/s320/IMG_1935.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A new water park and skateboard park have appeared in La Paz since we were last here</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We look forward to being connected with the world (we’ve
already had long phone conversations with friends and family we have missed)
and being able to pick up parts and supplies from the relatively well stocked
stores in this the capital city of Baja Sur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A final note – as the folks up north are watching hurricane
Dorian approaches the SE USA coast we are also keeping an eye on tropical storm
Juliette that is about 400 miles SW of us and expected to reach hurricane
strength tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far we don’t
expect to feel anything from it but it is thunderstorm time of year in this
part of Mexico so that will be a new experience as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-70610731051962625542019-07-29T15:53:00.003-07:002019-07-29T15:53:51.353-07:00Vacation from the boat<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 29, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m sitting in a friend’s house in Everett, Washington where
we are house and dog sitting as we near the end of our 1 month vacation from
boating. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We ended the last blog post in Puerto Penasco<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where we were prepping the boat to be hauled
out and stored on-the-hard while we travelled. We figured we would take care of
some bottom work that could only be done out of the water, get our insurance
survey done (that required the boat to be out of the water), and could leave
the boat without worry that it would be covered in sea life when we returned.
The boat was lifted and blocked a few days before we were scheduled to fly out
of Phoenix and we went to work on re-bedding some of our through-hull fittings,
switching to a different style prop on the wing engine, and doing some general
bottom cleaning/housekeeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The surveyor arrived from Phoenix and could
not have been more complimentary – we’ll share a few excerpts from the report
but two verbal comments I liked were; “Obviously this boat hasn’t been worked
on by an armature as everything is clearly professionally maintained” (We do ALL
of the work on the boat); and “This boat is in as good of condition as many 2
year old boats I see.” (Salish Aire was constructed in 1996.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of his written comments:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Vessel shows much newer than its
actual age and the owners have equipped and maintained the vessel to top quality
standards. Owners appear very knowledgeable about their boat. This is one of
the best oceangoing yachts I have seen. A rarity. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Present Value: $428,800 [Our
estimate of the current value was between $350,000 and $400,000] Replacement:
$1,195,900 [We understand that the N46 mold no longer exists so direct
replacement with a new boat is not an option.]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6btqQNQtowPDf-3Sd98hBxhmUoDtbdAqotxP0TgUO5NxpRPzQRH2qf0WSaUFlg4AFhqePlrneIpT_8cS9qGu-J__nhoorkVWZw0atG7OOLi1UFXQ9OohpAoJTUjbebpvyyBGEmNnES4m/s1600/65156181_880515992313925_5984863277153255424_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6btqQNQtowPDf-3Sd98hBxhmUoDtbdAqotxP0TgUO5NxpRPzQRH2qf0WSaUFlg4AFhqePlrneIpT_8cS9qGu-J__nhoorkVWZw0atG7OOLi1UFXQ9OohpAoJTUjbebpvyyBGEmNnES4m/s320/65156181_880515992313925_5984863277153255424_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boatyard can only lift 2 - 3 boats in a tide cycle as the loading basin empties when the tide drops 13 ft</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2MYc430PUOOuF2dzfhZ3G83LFJXjCyHEoiKCJEcgEoeFN62j2NjuGznGMdev-TrYL8ITBf10wAYjkuq03xyknJpvf85675ZpCsFPfzgsnhTsMY_Fb0QMseIygZvFUA5iZIihrN58Mmlh/s1600/65230722_881223948909796_1207210728746909696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2MYc430PUOOuF2dzfhZ3G83LFJXjCyHEoiKCJEcgEoeFN62j2NjuGznGMdev-TrYL8ITBf10wAYjkuq03xyknJpvf85675ZpCsFPfzgsnhTsMY_Fb0QMseIygZvFUA5iZIihrN58Mmlh/s320/65230722_881223948909796_1207210728746909696_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hull #50 (Salish Aire) and hull #53 (Venture Forth) likely spent time<br /> in the yard in TaShing while they were being fitted out, they get<br />to meet again in Puerto Penasco, Mexico</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On July 1<sup>st</sup> we were met by a shuttle (after
fumigating the boat as we closed it up to try to convince a few cockroaches
that had stowed away that it was not a welcome place to build a nest) and taken
to the Phoenix airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis, as
usual, took the shuttle ride, walk through US customs, walk through TSA, and
ride on the airplane completely in stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The great thing is that after years of court battles the airport in
Everett where Boeing assembles all of its twin aisle jets if finally open to
commercial air traffic so we were able to bypass the Seattle airport madhouse
and freeway traffic!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8Pc0ntDGQghHbqqlVMY-oPfv7v_aPOWJa7ep6e5cW4G1TI5rhFzFyhZBhf5Ig2IIhM9n5Bw9KUgOlbZhpL-PCu61elG2MF8lwe-H999h9br7V-_vcWsZKMsi_3xQ-Cn0jCq5ugGRS7qL/s1600/65491907_883998221965702_3293111379015237632_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8Pc0ntDGQghHbqqlVMY-oPfv7v_aPOWJa7ep6e5cW4G1TI5rhFzFyhZBhf5Ig2IIhM9n5Bw9KUgOlbZhpL-PCu61elG2MF8lwe-H999h9br7V-_vcWsZKMsi_3xQ-Cn0jCq5ugGRS7qL/s320/65491907_883998221965702_3293111379015237632_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Dog Jarvis waits patiently for our flight in Phoenix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KrszGdvmArTBMmSeVYM6nmySo4kCvsflK4pJGYhJu9zvULo_GQ4kMCLC8KIW-jd6DYsgr4of_7o276b0z2EGUYWzm6ZkumhqF6gVuMsyBazhjENwgLw-NruafF03OoA3pL6vUOZus332/s1600/65948250_883989465299911_2419701179186413568_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KrszGdvmArTBMmSeVYM6nmySo4kCvsflK4pJGYhJu9zvULo_GQ4kMCLC8KIW-jd6DYsgr4of_7o276b0z2EGUYWzm6ZkumhqF6gVuMsyBazhjENwgLw-NruafF03OoA3pL6vUOZus332/s320/65948250_883989465299911_2419701179186413568_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis seems very curious about the whole "airport thing"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clarice had scheduled our first two days full with family
get togethers and physician visits, eye doctor visits, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All went well except that my PSA (a very
non-specific blood test for prostate cancer) has continued to climb so I spent
a lot of the vacation worrying that I was going to have to go through a biopsy
or worse before returning to the boat (last week a urology consultant (MD) and
I agreed that reasonable plan at this point is that I will get my PSA rechecked
in Mexico or the USA in 3 months and then send it back to her before we choose
the next step.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On July 3<sup>rd</sup> we drove to Tacoma and had lunch with
my sister (it was her birthday) her husband and my nephew and his S.O. at the
new Tacoma McMenamin’s .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The McMenamin
brothers have a chain of facilities (hotels, meeting venues, bars, and
restaurants) that are historic buildings that they have restored and
repurposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Tacoma McMenamin’s was a
long abandoned Elks social club building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our excitement was because our nephew, Jeremy N. Gregory, did a
significant amount of the artwork in the building and has apparently gotten
himself in with the McMenamin’s team for future assignments (no longer do we
refer to him as the “family starving artist”). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://southsoundmag.com/the-rich-history-of-mcmenamins-elks-temple/" target="_blank">McMenamins Elks Tacoma</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/tacoma-artist-creates-unique-characters-from-the-basement-of-court-house-square/281-466815774" target="_blank">Jeremy the puppet artist</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As soon as we left the family get-together we headed north
to our cross country odyssey. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our goal
was to visit our daughter and her family in Ontario Canada after viewing Canada
and (on the return trip) the USA from the ground level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had rented a Dodge Caravan mini-van with
disappearing seats to use as an “RV” (it wasn’t as comfortable as a regular RN
but was thousands cheaper to rent and much more comfortable than a tent).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often put over 500 miles a day on the
odometer but got to enjoy the scenery as we drove through the Canadian Rockies
and over the Canadian plain provinces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plains we in full glory with greens of
growing crops, yellows of blooming plants, and miles of golden grains ripening
for harvest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were pretty tired of driving
every night but we enjoyed every mile of the scenery as we drove past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only issue we encountered was thick smoke
blowing our way from forest fires until with passed Winnipeg and pretty much
didn’t see it in the 1 mile of visibility. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had seen the Rockies in the past so we
weren’t too upset that they were covered in low clouds and misty rain (which
seemed a bit comforting as a welcome back to our native climate after months of
no rain).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alberta had rolling hills with
miles of farmland between periodic small towns and occasional farm houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy the time we reached Manitoba the land was
still covered with miles and miles of crops but had become really really flat.
Finally we entered Ontario (which is really really really BIG) and the
farmlands had given way to rolling hills, short forests (they don’t have much
in the way of soil after the ice-age pushed the surface dirt south), and many
many lakes and swamps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We looked for
(and saw) moose and bear but what really kept our interest was the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The colors of the marbles and granites were
quite beautiful. Finally we reached the shores of the Great Lakes and followed
them to near Niagara Falls where our daughter lives with her children (and
husband when he is home from his work at Microsoft in Seattle).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcKJG4iFUfH2BrKIyoxwt6CCWzhAeA9y7hkR5_BNyBiFEGv6efnmxDtiTtFA3VBzj7QfUIQBj6vShjC0RJViaTB7c1HPsCmppS99vuB5vBuwZ7P8lIxMIMU6Ndhuutl8xjUd3lweuWaO0/s1600/DSCF2299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcKJG4iFUfH2BrKIyoxwt6CCWzhAeA9y7hkR5_BNyBiFEGv6efnmxDtiTtFA3VBzj7QfUIQBj6vShjC0RJViaTB7c1HPsCmppS99vuB5vBuwZ7P8lIxMIMU6Ndhuutl8xjUd3lweuWaO0/s320/DSCF2299.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In rural Canada some electric companies still use single<br /> wire distribution systems (the Earth acts as the second wire)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_kYXDGsBwirxWa7iX-8NMDVBy1gMZ7u4qLinuer3H80bKNNV86vIMxgXr-vIopOsZJYchsiE6SH1zvsWySZRkzaAOT-6sbnAxvvt2RkPu8PHde1bGq7T6B87VOkS97QSopIPHvmPheVv/s1600/DSCF2302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_kYXDGsBwirxWa7iX-8NMDVBy1gMZ7u4qLinuer3H80bKNNV86vIMxgXr-vIopOsZJYchsiE6SH1zvsWySZRkzaAOT-6sbnAxvvt2RkPu8PHde1bGq7T6B87VOkS97QSopIPHvmPheVv/s320/DSCF2302.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First night in the Canadian prairies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQM9quKU43FB4Z0CCC3OKbmPpYslN4Dn1Li-GxZUgXJSJs3FTLZ1Z6lfpARV7xUwqlbBEkmTE8BZxfTqIppEMr_BeGvwIEnhimF041gjfqpjDx1PtJpK8yt1cA4YlUniKGeji-dUzXcM-R/s1600/DSCF2311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQM9quKU43FB4Z0CCC3OKbmPpYslN4Dn1Li-GxZUgXJSJs3FTLZ1Z6lfpARV7xUwqlbBEkmTE8BZxfTqIppEMr_BeGvwIEnhimF041gjfqpjDx1PtJpK8yt1cA4YlUniKGeji-dUzXcM-R/s320/DSCF2311.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alberta prairie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZFJJCc8xib_MZZkUrXhz1m_MHWSQqRA94rXQtLyz4Yj2PTdX1YZ-cmK4boAKsQuVsj8i8XOyFAQcjzYGyAw1pL9L6s6bjfVeFtkDWy4Hpq5W598tnPBqfeh144_KGmSULHU15o52AA7h/s1600/DSCF2313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilZFJJCc8xib_MZZkUrXhz1m_MHWSQqRA94rXQtLyz4Yj2PTdX1YZ-cmK4boAKsQuVsj8i8XOyFAQcjzYGyAw1pL9L6s6bjfVeFtkDWy4Hpq5W598tnPBqfeh144_KGmSULHU15o52AA7h/s320/DSCF2313.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying "goodbye" to the Rockies in the distance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwWyEPW9wNenarZ2tF8KABDpUeWl40KOSsCq-UtkTdW40FmKuCTlUamE37dqW1ftQCbYKlBEmJl9Zy8cq-WxpsgqD1RAj4mLg6Hz3667EqdqHtHhh3dvum_nGbv_X7rD10fwoY5_mzM1s/s1600/DSCF2314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwWyEPW9wNenarZ2tF8KABDpUeWl40KOSsCq-UtkTdW40FmKuCTlUamE37dqW1ftQCbYKlBEmJl9Zy8cq-WxpsgqD1RAj4mLg6Hz3667EqdqHtHhh3dvum_nGbv_X7rD10fwoY5_mzM1s/s320/DSCF2314.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic prairie farm scene</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFgeoqj75KYjx-ew2ZpW4OEqLBykTkDc5CNhJx3dVkpeb7yMEJIWgxlGQz97hkf_QdigSmso2YhKwHNVXmsrW-gzgVhN_9YRt9pjRz1PnCIpX8swWE37z9qI7-MFEFF2t_q0jeVpJlI8n/s1600/DSCF2316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFgeoqj75KYjx-ew2ZpW4OEqLBykTkDc5CNhJx3dVkpeb7yMEJIWgxlGQz97hkf_QdigSmso2YhKwHNVXmsrW-gzgVhN_9YRt9pjRz1PnCIpX8swWE37z9qI7-MFEFF2t_q0jeVpJlI8n/s320/DSCF2316.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural grasslands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzubF6b0jl47wYO-tMBkaFp9xm6AxFss8ktDwhQVuTVTSD6gBb8SnmSDhSD0DZtjfv7yIciLIfg3TkezvK4OjN2i7JDks85BupovA54PbDylHTfLpjMs1Z627r6ay9Ll3xRkJnBpUpywH/s1600/DSCF2317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzubF6b0jl47wYO-tMBkaFp9xm6AxFss8ktDwhQVuTVTSD6gBb8SnmSDhSD0DZtjfv7yIciLIfg3TkezvK4OjN2i7JDks85BupovA54PbDylHTfLpjMs1Z627r6ay9Ll3xRkJnBpUpywH/s320/DSCF2317.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many colors of Manatoba prairie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPQm_PNjldMN7yiY47pV3dmKfeuhSw4exdj1epslxLZLWn6l0Kqd6qZy91W-MSnCwPtNSjpjwKXBgHB1RGFuae0guvW6gqmtrIpLdYbdo1qX1kdLwStdVhmdZS5SISj5bdxvnLh27FKfW/s1600/DSCF2318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPQm_PNjldMN7yiY47pV3dmKfeuhSw4exdj1epslxLZLWn6l0Kqd6qZy91W-MSnCwPtNSjpjwKXBgHB1RGFuae0guvW6gqmtrIpLdYbdo1qX1kdLwStdVhmdZS5SISj5bdxvnLh27FKfW/s320/DSCF2318.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally we reach Ontario (with smoky skies in the background)<br />still 2 days from Erin's house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFOlFkb9tbh_RXieF0Qmkct7lmch3pc4CiQwdRWSguARAXjfO9ftX2O3V7qloxYSRNxaIG0qs1vjMnHYhfMiEFotWGhmvIPhPH-nMXZIxELCK7m5p2H19c6jXtxEUyp2dTWHcIE23K_O7/s1600/DSCF2324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFOlFkb9tbh_RXieF0Qmkct7lmch3pc4CiQwdRWSguARAXjfO9ftX2O3V7qloxYSRNxaIG0qs1vjMnHYhfMiEFotWGhmvIPhPH-nMXZIxELCK7m5p2H19c6jXtxEUyp2dTWHcIE23K_O7/s320/DSCF2324.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first glimpse of the Great Lakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5djafr_-Px_8zcylOpO7UMz8Hn2_yNnm1ZBL0CVHPTkow6jOU56QrdIKW6ASmBSSm4ILF9fJifa5V7xoHaq_oDJXL5S8DzcT8zDCOmH8cHoIUlPsOb_o4pUP_F0GeDom2mh20xrvO9_B/s1600/DSCF2328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5djafr_-Px_8zcylOpO7UMz8Hn2_yNnm1ZBL0CVHPTkow6jOU56QrdIKW6ASmBSSm4ILF9fJifa5V7xoHaq_oDJXL5S8DzcT8zDCOmH8cHoIUlPsOb_o4pUP_F0GeDom2mh20xrvO9_B/s320/DSCF2328.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many rivers and streams in Ontario along the lakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nWbA5RlatsNLG531awy_ObM98hY4wqo_RH-cJOyTvh7TK87DzB_Zl8OKjav00XxICnmeK7ibTga7t7LByXhIgOGCCcu0zmsBeiY1UNi6MV9G0lNek2sNOIoD9XgBW2lKZ9hnOPxroG9r/s1600/DSCF2329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nWbA5RlatsNLG531awy_ObM98hY4wqo_RH-cJOyTvh7TK87DzB_Zl8OKjav00XxICnmeK7ibTga7t7LByXhIgOGCCcu0zmsBeiY1UNi6MV9G0lNek2sNOIoD9XgBW2lKZ9hnOPxroG9r/s320/DSCF2329.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">One of many rivers and streams in Ontario along the lakes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a great time visiting our daughter and 3 grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After camping in the van it was nice to have
a real bed for a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked with
the family and watched the kids ride bikes and show off their swimming and
tennis skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The oldest son is now
taller than Clarice and his voice may be as low as mine before long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our granddaughter and Clarice are both July
birthdays so we celebrated at a place that served really good Midwest beef and
I bought this matching necklaces with ruby like stones (Clarice had to explain
to Valerie about birthstones – she was pretty excited to match her
grandmother!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEbRzznntTivUv1S5_qFUWvURd0mQRm4wEdJ07inUMlxNhDwiOHfD-2GTHKax-sWo70kO4SxVshUeboj68gTdy2rYc0EzBsey10vNj9TTblUMhqw1PgIVhul1d3W4ucRbHFMZ0pTkPf0s/s1600/66489369_891077987924392_3313056017431920640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEbRzznntTivUv1S5_qFUWvURd0mQRm4wEdJ07inUMlxNhDwiOHfD-2GTHKax-sWo70kO4SxVshUeboj68gTdy2rYc0EzBsey10vNj9TTblUMhqw1PgIVhul1d3W4ucRbHFMZ0pTkPf0s/s320/66489369_891077987924392_3313056017431920640_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July birthday girls got "ruby" necklaces </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-d6rkgD7AyqmxeVjxQzNsg2v-BJLiERwUw5p18X_xiSaDEmt4WJX1wd43acMEDR_p4DKCXzN7a6vZnhuNXwNuUa82KvRcfwUoOrVvZvC9GEoPWcbvuz5CGA3-gusRD-4CU9Skuo4g7oXh/s1600/IMG_0973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-d6rkgD7AyqmxeVjxQzNsg2v-BJLiERwUw5p18X_xiSaDEmt4WJX1wd43acMEDR_p4DKCXzN7a6vZnhuNXwNuUa82KvRcfwUoOrVvZvC9GEoPWcbvuz5CGA3-gusRD-4CU9Skuo4g7oXh/s320/IMG_0973.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valerie birthday moose antlers and ice cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dqeyhfgl6Uuod5AaYv7o9ylM5K_SvAwsjzrfxm5DB1spC5sQ7b2ebgdUNh8G_UN_xzOonZDPOfaBb83ZJJf5Q2hV0euS5aHh6tM2HBiblKBFHC7Z1eRdsxzkZ6VWxx636kvE23mPrFYJ/s1600/IMG_1887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dqeyhfgl6Uuod5AaYv7o9ylM5K_SvAwsjzrfxm5DB1spC5sQ7b2ebgdUNh8G_UN_xzOonZDPOfaBb83ZJJf5Q2hV0euS5aHh6tM2HBiblKBFHC7Z1eRdsxzkZ6VWxx636kvE23mPrFYJ/s320/IMG_1887.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice birthday moose antlers while Carter looks on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMGHe944oTeqEM4FMIS-TPlzPgDANOE0enylGys8iO6OuigWb6BsQ6AsMZ7hMxLxuD3f2zN8P3a5KJf_QnBhA0owAMXp0uh88Q3nMTWlXjUIb1D8RKWwQOt1p4J7ebHsnDFp4ZX9JdPm8/s1600/DSCF2332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMGHe944oTeqEM4FMIS-TPlzPgDANOE0enylGys8iO6OuigWb6BsQ6AsMZ7hMxLxuD3f2zN8P3a5KJf_QnBhA0owAMXp0uh88Q3nMTWlXjUIb1D8RKWwQOt1p4J7ebHsnDFp4ZX9JdPm8/s320/DSCF2332.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Below Niagara Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q_lOnyKiJCL1HScJxy_Z4lWfKGqyztXH4L9YHIg1I2L1crhcz5TUXGmdmj7fVDjfkG2k_ennHFhSo3A-7U_fdqgpJ9DfpfjgvH00BUdVsDFoQsouUPlHmAF61V50Wq34lwnfBbRXoOHV/s1600/DSCF2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q_lOnyKiJCL1HScJxy_Z4lWfKGqyztXH4L9YHIg1I2L1crhcz5TUXGmdmj7fVDjfkG2k_ennHFhSo3A-7U_fdqgpJ9DfpfjgvH00BUdVsDFoQsouUPlHmAF61V50Wq34lwnfBbRXoOHV/s320/DSCF2339.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niagara River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ85bD4oINa2H_bljcLLiqGXULqcUljWTax3X8nMHtqTAgSAMDNm9Uyov81rcy_apmcDmEBb86Hq8rorceLrigEkHkd0EGFytpKhapp8YopFbHiFmHmbYs6UwSDTqsEDk3Hhp4cfZ-ym43/s1600/IMG_1883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ85bD4oINa2H_bljcLLiqGXULqcUljWTax3X8nMHtqTAgSAMDNm9Uyov81rcy_apmcDmEBb86Hq8rorceLrigEkHkd0EGFytpKhapp8YopFbHiFmHmbYs6UwSDTqsEDk3Hhp4cfZ-ym43/s320/IMG_1883.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Taking a cool break in the Niagara River before climbing back out of the canyon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoIxIjyrz6YGKoSuMnwDrX5fG9zb75Xh_ZGbfvfJvzHiMSrNhikHhlisuk9Szb-A1PjMvxn9y9srO7wj0dCQLh1OudR8QqPmd7bmlIt5fYAOtbnBlYuqQjfdIhMOtL6X1UIHLs3lXN_rd/s1600/DSCF2343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoIxIjyrz6YGKoSuMnwDrX5fG9zb75Xh_ZGbfvfJvzHiMSrNhikHhlisuk9Szb-A1PjMvxn9y9srO7wj0dCQLh1OudR8QqPmd7bmlIt5fYAOtbnBlYuqQjfdIhMOtL6X1UIHLs3lXN_rd/s320/DSCF2343.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jet boats on the Niagara River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UDvvVtk11-xR4AUiOoCam9gwApgiuywCNyAMuZhnkzhA9yXtDVisGlhlyKKg43m9iGgvh0BdVB_ZmdonAS7cHuiQhcW-V6kMp0n3OMiNIhvkpadNA8obvaMTu70cb1sJRpi980796Z7l/s1600/DSCF2346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UDvvVtk11-xR4AUiOoCam9gwApgiuywCNyAMuZhnkzhA9yXtDVisGlhlyKKg43m9iGgvh0BdVB_ZmdonAS7cHuiQhcW-V6kMp0n3OMiNIhvkpadNA8obvaMTu70cb1sJRpi980796Z7l/s320/DSCF2346.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valerie and her partner at tennis lessons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelfCHE46Nhia1dYvcOE6ifoYP1Z5EL5vQpqD-_S2lL6gHaTWMHLimS6DcdhsHXhZVqADvB01cTXD2HimXAYAGsVNVBAj6vhzohzMShJDaPb98amrEghfNu5u-Y0upK7-Cbn9nf_hLtRSc/s1600/DSCF2351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelfCHE46Nhia1dYvcOE6ifoYP1Z5EL5vQpqD-_S2lL6gHaTWMHLimS6DcdhsHXhZVqADvB01cTXD2HimXAYAGsVNVBAj6vhzohzMShJDaPb98amrEghfNu5u-Y0upK7-Cbn9nf_hLtRSc/s320/DSCF2351.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking to an Ontario falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP-ADejkd5Gva0WFyefUd0tWwwSga0Ff7Xg1Qy0urbMViwZpc2DeMuuukLsxF5qmeYfJ_AXL7kc4w0LA35zs1MSpXGfxOlLm72xooTWewVd5E-doTxn-wvneyjixKuN6FcHrLrQlBaaVN/s1600/DSCF2356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP-ADejkd5Gva0WFyefUd0tWwwSga0Ff7Xg1Qy0urbMViwZpc2DeMuuukLsxF5qmeYfJ_AXL7kc4w0LA35zs1MSpXGfxOlLm72xooTWewVd5E-doTxn-wvneyjixKuN6FcHrLrQlBaaVN/s320/DSCF2356.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ontario stream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next we headed south and spent a day with a couple of our “adopted
grandchildren” that we met in Belize in 2004.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At one point in their lives they needed some stand-in parents to help
them along and we were the ones they were comfortable reaching out to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then we have kept in touch and were
very excited to see their new home in Ohio (a state that neither of us had ever
visited before).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From Ohio we headed pretty much east.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We camped on the shores of the Mississippi and
Missouri Rivers and then explored the Bad Lands of South Dakota and on into the
Black Hills to see Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that we moved on to see parts of
Yellowstone we had never visited before and took time to look at the trees that
had grown up since we last visited in about 1986 when there were active fires
as we passed through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to say
that Jarvis was pretty cool and calm as he and a couple of bull elk eyed each
other from a fairly close distance (a small herd has set of camp in the
campground so trying to avoid them is near impossible).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Yellowstone we passed through southern
Idaho where my brother-in-law grew up in a “three digit” (town with fewer than
1000 people) town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to see the
tiny town that boasts it was the first atomically powered town in the world
(they forget to mention that the reactor also had the world’s first meltdown!) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped to watch a tug and barge load lock
past Bonneville Dam (just because that’s what boat people do) on our way
through the Cascade Mountains via the Columbia Gorge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTzW2iI_55xnRso2ji6Rr6bsXJe3MNFFbV8iiK1DmPEqGcE8vZKao622Z7VHx4CnzTvgIn_JwRfd0HjAauhyphenhyphen2UBYEFwuO1wQ1pcrTdyYD67Vel-XE_aVEfImFqWVuYgzxJadD2Ky031gR/s1600/DSCF2362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTzW2iI_55xnRso2ji6Rr6bsXJe3MNFFbV8iiK1DmPEqGcE8vZKao622Z7VHx4CnzTvgIn_JwRfd0HjAauhyphenhyphen2UBYEFwuO1wQ1pcrTdyYD67Vel-XE_aVEfImFqWVuYgzxJadD2Ky031gR/s320/DSCF2362.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun sets over the Mississippi River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYC3IIffEcfRaVlDnOwU6A5RHQnZuFg3oxkMclvTyN3oLdN-ZGDj-MXSe3MWICcrAU7uDQnw7LLsb9XUaTxRpMsxx4haE2C6I0xnHXStnbCHzzVhtqhsiR-FslXi2NzBd4FxWDrWs3OIV/s1600/DSCF2367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="1034" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYC3IIffEcfRaVlDnOwU6A5RHQnZuFg3oxkMclvTyN3oLdN-ZGDj-MXSe3MWICcrAU7uDQnw7LLsb9XUaTxRpMsxx4haE2C6I0xnHXStnbCHzzVhtqhsiR-FslXi2NzBd4FxWDrWs3OIV/s320/DSCF2367.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mississippi River was quite high so lots of water released over the dams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tb0eIcTCEDaniw_M5SMAN_rgRI3eNR0aJhhc_0OaBp0KMy2gwXWkUAaO3vDDb7ytVxreHSrMITW1yCVZel_MlMuO5kPH9GLaTJHpaiBeqqB71vOkisifgf-4pt62wSt9sasp0_w3opGO/s1600/DSCF2376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tb0eIcTCEDaniw_M5SMAN_rgRI3eNR0aJhhc_0OaBp0KMy2gwXWkUAaO3vDDb7ytVxreHSrMITW1yCVZel_MlMuO5kPH9GLaTJHpaiBeqqB71vOkisifgf-4pt62wSt9sasp0_w3opGO/s320/DSCF2376.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Badlands National Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCnmb9ZcGn7SyxcJ7GhKlSI_SnVBct5e83wK5z-HXGaNU7k8leSThGzMddCbhofO1_csxKaUj3SoOiPqWyil17cJJJHtaOk1zzNi4kAQ3-z6qaM1HQl9JzIpSMoJbs_WMz2dndoXupqQR/s1600/DSCF2382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCnmb9ZcGn7SyxcJ7GhKlSI_SnVBct5e83wK5z-HXGaNU7k8leSThGzMddCbhofO1_csxKaUj3SoOiPqWyil17cJJJHtaOk1zzNi4kAQ3-z6qaM1HQl9JzIpSMoJbs_WMz2dndoXupqQR/s320/DSCF2382.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prairie Dogs in Badlands National Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uIQx71v_GBRcH6dYaxda9kly_I12fSFjPvMICYukyECG0iDsMMtB3K6cP6AOftzyJpdRE7Rom6X9HjzXC8dzPw9SDKkn0yqLSzCJikKWcYDPM2L5KqF4c3leY_lBHvEI3HIfheeNKzGC/s1600/DSCF2394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="776" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uIQx71v_GBRcH6dYaxda9kly_I12fSFjPvMICYukyECG0iDsMMtB3K6cP6AOftzyJpdRE7Rom6X9HjzXC8dzPw9SDKkn0yqLSzCJikKWcYDPM2L5KqF4c3leY_lBHvEI3HIfheeNKzGC/s320/DSCF2394.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie at Mount Rushmore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgaPJrNvZ1X6uod0gpfjEzbdByMrK0bTG9ABENm-oe6B6r62nrsBbmU1n5bAs-SISYHqDgfi3CfPNLpwyhUKMcNT9ykZgyn0HhJuMYB5Jp7KglnySy7Me7SZ9Tqa6xmOWvMiXvwmASBiD/s1600/DSCF2396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgaPJrNvZ1X6uod0gpfjEzbdByMrK0bTG9ABENm-oe6B6r62nrsBbmU1n5bAs-SISYHqDgfi3CfPNLpwyhUKMcNT9ykZgyn0HhJuMYB5Jp7KglnySy7Me7SZ9Tqa6xmOWvMiXvwmASBiD/s320/DSCF2396.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy Horse Memorial now has a finished face</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrItAObeHFBaoZgTQtcNN9dLdrhYhOeCcIeaEYTHD7Aepx4JYmGO-UxFas-eBmFOCStaHtlRgpn_8p-yXaMJB5QMGO2fxQrFlixYGOEwWit4KuiPY9M2dZTywv78NpzaCBdZbGsAYIxOzI/s1600/DSCF2405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrItAObeHFBaoZgTQtcNN9dLdrhYhOeCcIeaEYTHD7Aepx4JYmGO-UxFas-eBmFOCStaHtlRgpn_8p-yXaMJB5QMGO2fxQrFlixYGOEwWit4KuiPY9M2dZTywv78NpzaCBdZbGsAYIxOzI/s320/DSCF2405.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to the East entrance of Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYDKxUY-ED-uVGrFmHMRov-vX7pyZWOLtnX5-3M6CcGwcSsvzCfROj4od6xs1QhOsJMrG_5Za3XUuAVhu2VZuGtcTivah9Yw0lDU4TwZ6JPeMZNnYjB_8P49DOuXf0gM9MWTJ7vhyphenhyphenQxZ7/s1600/DSCF2415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYDKxUY-ED-uVGrFmHMRov-vX7pyZWOLtnX5-3M6CcGwcSsvzCfROj4od6xs1QhOsJMrG_5Za3XUuAVhu2VZuGtcTivah9Yw0lDU4TwZ6JPeMZNnYjB_8P49DOuXf0gM9MWTJ7vhyphenhyphenQxZ7/s320/DSCF2415.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">On our way to the East entrance of Yellowstone NP</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrHjDyDklcQ4FyiBKGs7OG6ABowITz0KoC4MW2Mnq3FQeOU48H605EUJ5JlDiccvxYVTUjzj1KsevHJbRf2wDdAKLD_IlHYeco9F8Pg48QOmvxovOjiX2GBM7EYR3qtI6IxbXWP1VFLaC/s1600/DSCF2422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrHjDyDklcQ4FyiBKGs7OG6ABowITz0KoC4MW2Mnq3FQeOU48H605EUJ5JlDiccvxYVTUjzj1KsevHJbRf2wDdAKLD_IlHYeco9F8Pg48QOmvxovOjiX2GBM7EYR3qtI6IxbXWP1VFLaC/s320/DSCF2422.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">On our way to the East entrance of Yellowstone NP</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmudRVDPiCe958A6KLoTA7OvT7b_PpLa3jZkx3OimUaTABQ6pzEqYrb-P01AAHKZCe_rYVN1MzUkGtTILlpL6hNT5J9CALcM_sPLwWPs-E9gQ_szUowdWH_OMVv2gPmS9QGjg1JEk6TcR/s1600/DSCF2441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmudRVDPiCe958A6KLoTA7OvT7b_PpLa3jZkx3OimUaTABQ6pzEqYrb-P01AAHKZCe_rYVN1MzUkGtTILlpL6hNT5J9CALcM_sPLwWPs-E9gQ_szUowdWH_OMVv2gPmS9QGjg1JEk6TcR/s320/DSCF2441.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone River in Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kdfVeTs0aeC8Z2yp9BMJvYrNVlHux0csHY3KfUCpHOgIb6QyRHBi9OuiW_vlDG1Yy7OCqRFS905k4nk4Q2LFo7Mi9mT9VKB0T6FwU9Ti3CWNHKapEUuf7JYE_G7JhXwqXtkBVCSrbk5Q/s1600/DSCF2449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kdfVeTs0aeC8Z2yp9BMJvYrNVlHux0csHY3KfUCpHOgIb6QyRHBi9OuiW_vlDG1Yy7OCqRFS905k4nk4Q2LFo7Mi9mT9VKB0T6FwU9Ti3CWNHKapEUuf7JYE_G7JhXwqXtkBVCSrbk5Q/s320/DSCF2449.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone [River]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgn4pP5gSe46Rdyl0yefxjz2pHeAh_zBFitQXprZJh5F6k6-vqKfP648kLx_zH8Z1naZJb5KeLpCJbXlhYKVWVTPwN8FCpk_6rBDkyJLErOPCcI-8FqW33Tw5_UUw4APf-BUj3gfoeIMFK/s1600/DSCF2457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1034" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgn4pP5gSe46Rdyl0yefxjz2pHeAh_zBFitQXprZJh5F6k6-vqKfP648kLx_zH8Z1naZJb5KeLpCJbXlhYKVWVTPwN8FCpk_6rBDkyJLErOPCcI-8FqW33Tw5_UUw4APf-BUj3gfoeIMFK/s320/DSCF2457.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lower Yellowstone Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1hLIWQqcmdxCDGFFhbPI4cVkmSvsLyxkERSexjycFbNmp2UGnsLJwxAqe8_1lMuo23MDj3XD7CIrwtkJKUG5e002-LDEu0S9QTW-i2ZhagBGXjT7k1x8h_fVYn53jIl4b8UMcj69zX9X/s1600/DSCF2465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1hLIWQqcmdxCDGFFhbPI4cVkmSvsLyxkERSexjycFbNmp2UGnsLJwxAqe8_1lMuo23MDj3XD7CIrwtkJKUG5e002-LDEu0S9QTW-i2ZhagBGXjT7k1x8h_fVYn53jIl4b8UMcj69zX9X/s320/DSCF2465.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elk Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC-JG4EEnNMD-FIywvBn8GT5eZuwopSRkkij1boGY-Jx5KgzKEt25mSiFEGg0GtB7d10K-jVP5Q1KYMnx1NMYF2G2i99HfyHz-keokMIEtUFrY7J5k8EA8Axdom6tGAU1DnAj8uvSj7hm/s1600/DSCF2486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC-JG4EEnNMD-FIywvBn8GT5eZuwopSRkkij1boGY-Jx5KgzKEt25mSiFEGg0GtB7d10K-jVP5Q1KYMnx1NMYF2G2i99HfyHz-keokMIEtUFrY7J5k8EA8Axdom6tGAU1DnAj8uvSj7hm/s320/DSCF2486.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Faithful Geyser Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouOqzzd-os5xIqHiN6BCaXgGHhp2HGlZKUyzxW6PDX33Ttlz72GyQ8uA9tA2hVXPCl0K2pGvCjYj_oZpYXaYDPhWZfN8fzAzWZlIfsoR3NF1gyC1TL49QVTvTP5UxTgocNS5BXaK9g4GO/s1600/DSCF2497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouOqzzd-os5xIqHiN6BCaXgGHhp2HGlZKUyzxW6PDX33Ttlz72GyQ8uA9tA2hVXPCl0K2pGvCjYj_oZpYXaYDPhWZfN8fzAzWZlIfsoR3NF1gyC1TL49QVTvTP5UxTgocNS5BXaK9g4GO/s320/DSCF2497.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4I8sHmzWVJ3ZL_Hr0KMeqW802RR3mWAuoyCQMHssAS4cH1bvy_6fH9EwL5X1MGQFPbsp7ior4tVp5hlMJgMc4dM9OMTx2t8eAGtT-McwWNaN_WLlaIpxO_k07rBA4ng1hWQ1OkluRqpov/s1600/DSCF2506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4I8sHmzWVJ3ZL_Hr0KMeqW802RR3mWAuoyCQMHssAS4cH1bvy_6fH9EwL5X1MGQFPbsp7ior4tVp5hlMJgMc4dM9OMTx2t8eAGtT-McwWNaN_WLlaIpxO_k07rBA4ng1hWQ1OkluRqpov/s320/DSCF2506.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Prismatic Pool Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSgQv3HI2o_LznNi4z5Qju7az7-QCaXFjeW_0K5OM7lyDa6pKz1AJ6XgtVq3DS-xAk4psHs-AOyFOamyYDV820e_MrhxFBbsKLRWSYLNcC7dTDCbYyRV1ZbnFdA5BAXKcg8cTHyAwHbcA/s1600/IMG_1896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="776" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSgQv3HI2o_LznNi4z5Qju7az7-QCaXFjeW_0K5OM7lyDa6pKz1AJ6XgtVq3DS-xAk4psHs-AOyFOamyYDV820e_MrhxFBbsKLRWSYLNcC7dTDCbYyRV1ZbnFdA5BAXKcg8cTHyAwHbcA/s320/IMG_1896.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elk in campground Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02WwBnEA-bvOMgxMyL47f8sx4nxZVK78dVQgtm4YvLrXUDXnQs7GagNGlOciXrtxxVcd-FapFr7rtr9uzlA6y6zjIqoJL1bAhUmpD5wTb95eJ2rczPyfItW5iNP3UEAJ_-KVkjcPVeEP0/s1600/IMG_1899.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02WwBnEA-bvOMgxMyL47f8sx4nxZVK78dVQgtm4YvLrXUDXnQs7GagNGlOciXrtxxVcd-FapFr7rtr9uzlA6y6zjIqoJL1bAhUmpD5wTb95eJ2rczPyfItW5iNP3UEAJ_-KVkjcPVeEP0/s320/IMG_1899.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bison in campground Yellowstone NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIG58o-MolGG_PfFynK0jZowsVx7FYKPgIBaZ_nHtgNHhMp_Oj1-dGUWDSfaVzoEG25JdLb1m7SpJZ70sDhIdNNFKiNakvfG5jjm2e4HKTgtCaUDOsFvZ3R9FWN0lwOFEBcr-jnE4Mje-D/s1600/IMG_1902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIG58o-MolGG_PfFynK0jZowsVx7FYKPgIBaZ_nHtgNHhMp_Oj1-dGUWDSfaVzoEG25JdLb1m7SpJZ70sDhIdNNFKiNakvfG5jjm2e4HKTgtCaUDOsFvZ3R9FWN0lwOFEBcr-jnE4Mje-D/s320/IMG_1902.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis snuggled down in his sweater at our feet every night in the van </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coming out of the Gorge we arrived in Beaverton where we
spent time with our Grandson’s Mother <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and our son with his new wife. Finally from
there we headed north and stopped one more time at my 92 year old mother’s
house and then on to Everett to complete the circle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now I have had my urology follow-up and new glasses made.
Jarvis got a clean bill of health and a Rabies update. Clarice has new contacts
and we both have some new cloths to replace those that show the strain of
living outside with limited wardrobes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally if we can get a box of parts and supplies that were mailed to
Phoenix across the border with minimal hassle and the my replacement cell phone
replaced (long story but it seems that Apple made more than one model of the SE
and they aren’t quite the same) we will be ready to get back to our home and
get her back in the water where she belongs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OgAZEPVOIwRiQwwgXxFrdvhcH-AvO2P-MU25YQjjy3xr3u-vfHJfNyKU3m2Zs1GWUn95czKkh2O5haaLbqFlmzH8xeUjI2Jsx_ngCQ0azghO_1eDJNYa_PDdQo4RugAasqn-Zz-OJR-U/s1600/IMG_1907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OgAZEPVOIwRiQwwgXxFrdvhcH-AvO2P-MU25YQjjy3xr3u-vfHJfNyKU3m2Zs1GWUn95czKkh2O5haaLbqFlmzH8xeUjI2Jsx_ngCQ0azghO_1eDJNYa_PDdQo4RugAasqn-Zz-OJR-U/s320/IMG_1907.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Jarvis is the last one to make his doctor visit before heading back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-51216901648095505162019-06-23T16:05:00.002-07:002019-06-24T07:51:03.760-07:00We reach the northern limit of the Sea of Cortez<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">5-16-19<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After spending a week in Santa Rosalia we are headed north to
the next well sheltered anchorage about 75 miles away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winds have varied for 16 knots to 0 knots and
are now back to about 10 knots. Seas have ranged from calm to confused little
waves of a foot or two to short period swell now of about 4 feet (which is kind
of a bummer when it comes off of the bow as the short waves set the boat to
“hobby horsing” from bow to stern but this is VERY common in the Sea of
Cortez). Clarice is sitting in the captain’s chair with her bare feet up on the
counter reading a guidebook and checking out the window and checking the
instruments every few minutes. I’m sitting on the pilot house bench with Jarvis
lying snuggled up next to me in his usual “underway position”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m also keeping an eye on the radar screen
with shows nothing for 6 miles around us except for the shore about 5 miles to
our port side and we are watching a video feed from the stern to see if a fish
happens to grab one of the lines we are trailing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The outside temperature is already in the
80’s (Fahrenheit) at 9 AM with just thin clouds here and there that we expect
to dissipate before long. We are listening to the Chubasco radio net on a ham
frequency to check if there are any weather surprises that we didn’t pick up
off the GRIB file download this morning (hmmm – the first tropical low of the
season with has a very low chance of becoming a tropical storm/hurricane has
formed down by the equator – need to watch that) and listen for any messages
from our ham friends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heading towards us
we see a pod of at least 100 dolphins so we will quickly pull in our fishing
lines to avoid accidentally hooking one as they pass. In other words it’s a normal
travel day on the Sea of Cortez waters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Just to follow up on the previous paragraph it is now 12:30
and we are in calming seas after the water got rough enough that we ended up
putting the paravanes in the water to smooth some of the fore-aft motion and I
pulled out the Gin-Gins (ginger candy that helps with early motion
sickness).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice had noted some
horizontal clouds over the peninsula mountains this morning and remembered one
of the guide books saying that in this area there are some low areas in the
mountains and there is a cloud pattern that indicated strong westerlies coming
from the Pacific Ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think she got
it right as the seas were ugly for about 1 ½ hours and then the winds and
waters settled down although we could still see the waves behind us on the
radar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we are in calmer waters and
now have very very large whales (species yet undetermined) on all sides of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We managed to get just enough internet in one of our prior
anchorages to learn that we were at risk of losing our insurance on June 1<sup>st</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew that our coverage year with Lloyds of
London would end mid-July and so we had been communicating with our insurance
agent in Maine about our plans for the next year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our agent caught that we planned to be in the
Sea of Cortez in June and July and pointed out that our policy stated we needed
to be OUT of Mexico from June 1 – November 1<sup>st</sup> (we had blanked out
on that detail as we believed we hadn’t planned to have an extended stay in
Mexico until we got here and changed plans).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had enough time to get back to San Diego if we did a 24/7 run but
this was the opposite of what we wanted to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Long story short is that we have resolved the insurance issue and will
now have a new underwriter who is much more familiar with Mexico waters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new policy will cost about $5000 USD/year
and require that we get the boat surveyed (add about $1000 USD so someone can
say the obvious (that the boat is in good sea shape)).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The policy is OK that we stay is Mexico as
long as we stay from about La Paz north with fits in well with our plans.
Getting this whole mess straightened out was a major reason for putting into
Santa Rosalia where we had good internet and cell service for a week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We had our first pleasant surprise when we walked up to the office
at Marina Fonatur and were told by a very helpful young woman that our base fee
would only be about $2000 Pesos (about $100 USD if we stayed for a week) plus
fees for metered power and water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
only were the fees much less than we have grown accustomed to but the docks
themselves were in excellent condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fonatur is a government agency that has built a number of tourist
facilities (including marinas) to try to attract outside money into the
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the facilities have
been privatized after they became known for poor maintenance, some continue
with reputations of poor maintenance and then some are like the Santa Rosalia
marina where the staff clearly takes pride in the upkeep of the facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t one of the fanciest places we have
stayed but Clarice enjoyed the pool (as did Phoebe an 8 year old visiting her
grandparents’ boat berthed next to ours).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCVdtGAmZLGARbO7GJxudIUA29F1iYOaq7gVnvFGkRsnwhWt878C58USuYUsMkRTGQUbxgdkLFXlhqP63Tl8zEJsTYeLrFAUH-ijdcD4Lwon1l3fhXfc3XsWJGIaY-SQgcXbqVCazK-GC/s1600/DSCF2190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWCVdtGAmZLGARbO7GJxudIUA29F1iYOaq7gVnvFGkRsnwhWt878C58USuYUsMkRTGQUbxgdkLFXlhqP63Tl8zEJsTYeLrFAUH-ijdcD4Lwon1l3fhXfc3XsWJGIaY-SQgcXbqVCazK-GC/s320/DSCF2190.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Rosalia Marina Fonatur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I find mines and minerals to be fascinating and Santa Rosalia
is through and through a mining town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Back in the 1800’s the Boleo Mining Company was incorporated in France
and then came to Mexico to harvest the rich deposits of copper in the hills
around Santa Rosalia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “easy”
pickings were cleaned out in the 1980’s and the mine was closed until 2005 ish
when a Canadian/South Korean company invested billions of dollars into new
smelting processes, a new shipping wharf, and reopening the mines and they are
now again shipping copper, zinc, and manganese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on an island just off Santa Rosalia and
just south of town are gypsum deposits that are quarried out and shipped out as
another mineral bonanza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original
smelter is rusting along the waterfront (part of it has been restored enough as
the beginning of a museum to go along with the main mining museum in the
original Boleo Company headquarters), the breakwater around the marina is made
of slag from the old smelter and huge piles of glass sand are on the hills also
left over from the smelting process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
beach in town is called Playa Negro for the black glass sand that was originally
deposited into the bay and now has washed ashore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout town are holes in the hills next
to the roads that must have been old shafts of some kind but are now blocked
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The little town has quite a few old
steam locomotives on display that were the work horses above ground for moving
the mine products around (displays shows mules or donkeys doing the work
underground).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of all the town has a
“company town” feel about it will many old clapboard buildings and red tin
roofs.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnUhcQONxDBcGTf6HuXJ5B6TG3E9eJNetToKtAVkP6Ryb0AB9Y_WsJqqBVBFFN6yD9V6ml2V6vAxDwfSiZkuOjYu6SvrWWzvzgmU2G6NfOweGxRpFnF-iQOaZ17tTk6n_U0XE-llTy-d8/s1600/DSCF2195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnUhcQONxDBcGTf6HuXJ5B6TG3E9eJNetToKtAVkP6Ryb0AB9Y_WsJqqBVBFFN6yD9V6ml2V6vAxDwfSiZkuOjYu6SvrWWzvzgmU2G6NfOweGxRpFnF-iQOaZ17tTk6n_U0XE-llTy-d8/s320/DSCF2195.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old mining machinery on display</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNea429ET3V_f-PYB4SnNs2JfzMRW7WyZiU-kJkn_8L7RY5YgjlM6DZv1KrxiDQ_6lDKxCUcrej31RVTE4XRDyHuHqgBj_34CrOmUcpZ8k2R9xEGqHh2yV8UXTbQBQhbxzr_BXMNsHAqR/s1600/DSCF2196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNea429ET3V_f-PYB4SnNs2JfzMRW7WyZiU-kJkn_8L7RY5YgjlM6DZv1KrxiDQ_6lDKxCUcrej31RVTE4XRDyHuHqgBj_34CrOmUcpZ8k2R9xEGqHh2yV8UXTbQBQhbxzr_BXMNsHAqR/s320/DSCF2196.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several steam engines left from the mining days</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofaTpSQcNBCGzIDIUr7eRP-1OGIEsflhgEn9YpLXNyaYx_bSYepuqstk7Gm-HyBMB17WQoKhLFgZe4A5Ru9LP_AXZeOucD3CGQ2pvKQxQAhyphenhyphenyS9AqKkw2T_InyrKpwvrvWWe8Jg0XZRJz/s1600/DSCF2199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofaTpSQcNBCGzIDIUr7eRP-1OGIEsflhgEn9YpLXNyaYx_bSYepuqstk7Gm-HyBMB17WQoKhLFgZe4A5Ru9LP_AXZeOucD3CGQ2pvKQxQAhyphenhyphenyS9AqKkw2T_InyrKpwvrvWWe8Jg0XZRJz/s320/DSCF2199.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original smelter ruins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpLTPF0F3OBzDQ58bhi8tZDGawa_GhvFuPIZtzXIzv7_FaosJlr8THcbTa-CGWt3Kq2jbZ4YBz6pQGjLSYg2qEJ7vp2NK0PbJCSO0eM4SfCGmefcKn08bxzEn28r0UVZJvsd5JPQVbxTT/s1600/DSCF2201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpLTPF0F3OBzDQ58bhi8tZDGawa_GhvFuPIZtzXIzv7_FaosJlr8THcbTa-CGWt3Kq2jbZ4YBz6pQGjLSYg2qEJ7vp2NK0PbJCSO0eM4SfCGmefcKn08bxzEn28r0UVZJvsd5JPQVbxTT/s320/DSCF2201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of the smelter ruins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa3VPVqgKjco70ZOQiZlyE11sehkdYZTkH37eoCOG80sFJEy6w4rbj4K7kYSxrA8IUYqhaBRU5gS6Nsj0XarxgXAHe0VxuY7LRKeRiBGvPeKtO_LyDH97ioN5JaP-DIXs-3VXrrlWKMC-/s1600/DSCF2222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa3VPVqgKjco70ZOQiZlyE11sehkdYZTkH37eoCOG80sFJEy6w4rbj4K7kYSxrA8IUYqhaBRU5gS6Nsj0XarxgXAHe0VxuY7LRKeRiBGvPeKtO_LyDH97ioN5JaP-DIXs-3VXrrlWKMC-/s320/DSCF2222.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note how the toxic smoke was run up a hill to dilute it over a larger area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRHsKDiTA6ce9m26FGEl6sk2tG_xz_XhSELQjngirXgLL9byy2HVVqyaTndSVR3vkBZfhLHgr0rLTVEXv2YFFbMyGazSCkuFKoFjLPIjbQ5xzIHUlNGE6ImkK8-pmtnre3NKUpdhe2nU1/s1600/DSCF2188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRHsKDiTA6ce9m26FGEl6sk2tG_xz_XhSELQjngirXgLL9byy2HVVqyaTndSVR3vkBZfhLHgr0rLTVEXv2YFFbMyGazSCkuFKoFjLPIjbQ5xzIHUlNGE6ImkK8-pmtnre3NKUpdhe2nU1/s320/DSCF2188.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A true ADA playground!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdMpb6444X-7joswjRP-34GgP-xVCzErfh20WKjtzdrt9XRBOBQBFUrM-xGYZNhwPfs9Z2fkZFrNe1bEB15X13pDrc1n6fOqUVVlVfBNEZ8C6WJh54Hbqq7RHP3Vj6TSoo6c-8sVKCYid/s1600/DSCF2193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdMpb6444X-7joswjRP-34GgP-xVCzErfh20WKjtzdrt9XRBOBQBFUrM-xGYZNhwPfs9Z2fkZFrNe1bEB15X13pDrc1n6fOqUVVlVfBNEZ8C6WJh54Hbqq7RHP3Vj6TSoo6c-8sVKCYid/s320/DSCF2193.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One of the fascinating finds in town was a steel church
imported by one of the mine owners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is believed that the church was designed by Mr. Eiffel himself and was
displayed at the Paris Exposition next to the Eiffel Tower before being
disassembled and moved to Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
building is an acoustical disaster but the historical significance made up for
the priest and musicians having to use a sound system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did attend one service in the church and
it was clearly a very active place with a number of services each week and
excellent guitar and vocal music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
mentioned to the priest (poqueno ingles to go with my poqueno espaniol) that I
had never been in a Catholic Church before with an empty cross to which he
pointed to the Christ statue “walking” next to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having grown up with protestant traditions
this makes much more sense to me as Christianity is based on the belief in a
risen Christ.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnpLqrelAhOwgWH7LfbOwctlTEBKFwlLnMGRquoUDECwXPlupEJjjVDDHnG0xm0Zipas_ZcUMtQuodWv7Cids6q5cY7UXG9st7dpBigPnmkF1g_y8weXGuXqXManmmnvtKzA17J_6SyqP/s1600/DSCF2203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnpLqrelAhOwgWH7LfbOwctlTEBKFwlLnMGRquoUDECwXPlupEJjjVDDHnG0xm0Zipas_ZcUMtQuodWv7Cids6q5cY7UXG9st7dpBigPnmkF1g_y8weXGuXqXManmmnvtKzA17J_6SyqP/s320/DSCF2203.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steel Church designed by Gustave Eiffel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zgyAnHd8qJkJKu6BBbBvCZ7YTuptRQki3_VgQoUA4D3ef7Zi-S3KX65vbwc9XDlJxHYc9ba1VebPuMWlARYC92CFoAXHYuWhx8dltm7IRaerb11MJBLkPT6i67D9NgHhpfWC_b91a2oQ/s1600/DSCF2197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zgyAnHd8qJkJKu6BBbBvCZ7YTuptRQki3_VgQoUA4D3ef7Zi-S3KX65vbwc9XDlJxHYc9ba1VebPuMWlARYC92CFoAXHYuWhx8dltm7IRaerb11MJBLkPT6i67D9NgHhpfWC_b91a2oQ/s320/DSCF2197.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of Steel Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq6GFjROD_anFJM60DPmJqYXatYhH6r53y0GkgkwF8DRKoQLL-2uQbXIkXJ2g6odYJBbmJUzaeBIgcdfyFvu5fIiMZ13nvq8yHHkxyKqLFtV7mHA70Jn6PvGsAnPpLLc0Nw55_u1pr7Bk/s1600/DSCF2205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq6GFjROD_anFJM60DPmJqYXatYhH6r53y0GkgkwF8DRKoQLL-2uQbXIkXJ2g6odYJBbmJUzaeBIgcdfyFvu5fIiMZ13nvq8yHHkxyKqLFtV7mHA70Jn6PvGsAnPpLLc0Nw55_u1pr7Bk/s320/DSCF2205.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Naked cross" and walking Christ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This was another place where I was really glad to have my
electric assist bicycle so I could explore the town which is all uphill from
the marina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again I found myself
checking out the cemeteries on the hills overlooking the waterfront.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gave me pause to notice how many of the
recent graves showed dates of birth after my own suggesting that life
expectancy in the town is still not long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently this was like many smelter towns (including where I grew up
in Tacoma, Washington) where the smelters belched many toxic wastes into the
air for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Tacoma ASARCO’s answer
to complaints was to raise the level of the top of the smokestack and spread
the wastes further, in Santa Rosalia they moved the stack to the top of a hill
with the same outcome. I cannot say for sure if that is the basis of the short
life expectancy but it would be something to consider in a study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another part of the cemetery that gave me
chills was a section (later I noticed several other sections like it) where
there were small piles of rocks over unmarked graves most likely of very small
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without any dates or other
information I can’t tell for sure what happened but this would be a common sign
of an epidemic passing through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wondered if people who don’t believe in vaccinating their children would
understand the potential cost of their choices if they stood in the midst of
those piles and listened for the cries of the dying children.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFz21WsDVuF29PF2TkMoaF5fdb3_SGLciel2Bcb7lOJdXlKJ0cOZGvv5sfsowkv9vPam9mWPRcO6V26CoX6ets_kMafD7R3sN-jzEWbgp2h_Z-bBR7fr7hr8pR8Bkqwae77jpT8yxyAhlL/s1600/DSCF2210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFz21WsDVuF29PF2TkMoaF5fdb3_SGLciel2Bcb7lOJdXlKJ0cOZGvv5sfsowkv9vPam9mWPRcO6V26CoX6ets_kMafD7R3sN-jzEWbgp2h_Z-bBR7fr7hr8pR8Bkqwae77jpT8yxyAhlL/s320/DSCF2210.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hilltop cemetery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClceLOWKy4ExLYt_donFWvy1zfKyx5SEbw9axcFi4IlKQD9W8O_BL1rlHlHlMhpVaggdKqFsKTZfP54dCOcYhTjPbd0SX8RKAIku6ECUYAqeRTgdRI3UAORRC7yQX3I52INAFs5zZQXmV/s1600/DSCF2218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClceLOWKy4ExLYt_donFWvy1zfKyx5SEbw9axcFi4IlKQD9W8O_BL1rlHlHlMhpVaggdKqFsKTZfP54dCOcYhTjPbd0SX8RKAIku6ECUYAqeRTgdRI3UAORRC7yQX3I52INAFs5zZQXmV/s320/DSCF2218.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out toward the sea from the cemetery </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8ryDmal-JY9NA4y_3v7jJ7WbzJbf4pqvDTvq8m2Q5VUe6g-BDsui8kewxRdQ5mSZJJk6dIdllGEoNQE1Shrb6LxkRXyjaMjgkYnr1KD8cvikuCxi1ISWTTVeWu9VpxjAOZ5dtrGvZYKy/s1600/DSCF2227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8ryDmal-JY9NA4y_3v7jJ7WbzJbf4pqvDTvq8m2Q5VUe6g-BDsui8kewxRdQ5mSZJJk6dIdllGEoNQE1Shrb6LxkRXyjaMjgkYnr1KD8cvikuCxi1ISWTTVeWu9VpxjAOZ5dtrGvZYKy/s320/DSCF2227.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unmarked children's graves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUyAr6J96CgR4Fm0upxMuWqQj67BvNr9NZEgF0xkmiRxlq1EkOAwe7p5chgvtZulad0tQjHmnpz9c7wYSvD5Zq0hJLIDvNIGPZ8p-ZkSsEILsoZDKE4S__2RDWvwc1dsCTVMxJHZh66CW/s1600/DSCF2228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUyAr6J96CgR4Fm0upxMuWqQj67BvNr9NZEgF0xkmiRxlq1EkOAwe7p5chgvtZulad0tQjHmnpz9c7wYSvD5Zq0hJLIDvNIGPZ8p-ZkSsEILsoZDKE4S__2RDWvwc1dsCTVMxJHZh66CW/s320/DSCF2228.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More unmarked children's graves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeWs0xkVPJ7wPCmmDgUA2jenGA_MUWnMGPMB_OMQ3yTr0zmhN1lNerWnJTj4Hnn_9l_wgNG2pPxjaaO-BZHhJIQw0f0rynBS2vPaZyU8kMFWxJRktbTPInhKQrEiQmexATzetToyFLib-/s1600/DSCF2237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeWs0xkVPJ7wPCmmDgUA2jenGA_MUWnMGPMB_OMQ3yTr0zmhN1lNerWnJTj4Hnn_9l_wgNG2pPxjaaO-BZHhJIQw0f0rynBS2vPaZyU8kMFWxJRktbTPInhKQrEiQmexATzetToyFLib-/s320/DSCF2237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crosses on the hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We learned that there is no car rental agency in Santa
Rosalia and as it hasn’t really established itself as a tourist town even
though Mexico highway 1 passes through it so there wasn’t any tour services
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to get out of town and
see the scenery we decided to hire a taxi for a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The driver didn’t speak English but he was a
very good man recommended by the marina manager and we worked all day on
practicing language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our goal was the
town of San Ignacio just over the divide in the middle of the Baja Peninsula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We paid him about $100 for 6 hours of playing
tour guide to the two of us and Jarvis (whom he had agreed the evening before
would be OK in his cab after some local ladies pointed out that Jarvis was very
well trained).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On the way to San Ignacio we passed a number of very old
volcanos but on further examination we realized that some of the lava flows
didn’t look that old in geologic time (we now believe they are from the
1700’s).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The overall scenery driving up
the road to the town was lovely desert and mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The town itself is GREEN!!! (OK we are from
Washington, The Evergreen State and miss GREEN) as it is built in an area of
springs and even has a couple of shallow lakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Entering town you drive through hundreds of closely spaced palm trees
and then the town square is shaded by trees a couple of hundred feet tall. This
is another town with a very old mission church (and once again I took the
opportunity to sing in it so I could listen to the walls singing with me).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our driver introduced us to an American woman
who owns one of the original large haciendas in town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She maintains the home almost like a museum
and was eager to show us around and to answer many of our questions about the
town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate lunch and then started back
down to the Sea about noon and felt like it had been a very good day and that
our taxi fare was well spent.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBRRguWE3oWuRyKr2Osy1bG9fVwM6CF_ux6vufUcNbsvKPL_lRQigt16eCvz03r6dGpbjA_zbpyKO1CjL3s-blDja1RD8ZsO1XKpSYW4PhbokuxZQrSlopKDiEyFmnw-0zEAtzIHTmzhP/s1600/DSCF4231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBRRguWE3oWuRyKr2Osy1bG9fVwM6CF_ux6vufUcNbsvKPL_lRQigt16eCvz03r6dGpbjA_zbpyKO1CjL3s-blDja1RD8ZsO1XKpSYW4PhbokuxZQrSlopKDiEyFmnw-0zEAtzIHTmzhP/s320/DSCF4231.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volcanoes along the route up the mountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25_bypNkFg482UfC4Ot7Xp4KpyScFVjvkcBNLUMGb0wQDT5FZJsRANwClW7Kxwwzej8EmRg9xn25t-_m60eMGLMqJ2_9_6MSXbXxtPwNBHkBJFjd1UkvLtPUzL4auBuRJmHUIZLZ03DBL/s1600/DSCF4325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25_bypNkFg482UfC4Ot7Xp4KpyScFVjvkcBNLUMGb0wQDT5FZJsRANwClW7Kxwwzej8EmRg9xn25t-_m60eMGLMqJ2_9_6MSXbXxtPwNBHkBJFjd1UkvLtPUzL4auBuRJmHUIZLZ03DBL/s320/DSCF4325.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fairly "recent" lava flow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCH56Dw9sHkdfLRuVSxUyHk6qSfQqrG8qo53ajSIFy7KqCu0qPKCwShEPSa8nz9EoDeVV3ecOmIE_Gc9D3zUnIEE2xuNVbvDXqrgLHtTGUplKz4ck1rfUyEd0Et04ni5f9JzWnZs1cx39/s1600/DSCF4239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCH56Dw9sHkdfLRuVSxUyHk6qSfQqrG8qo53ajSIFy7KqCu0qPKCwShEPSa8nz9EoDeVV3ecOmIE_Gc9D3zUnIEE2xuNVbvDXqrgLHtTGUplKz4ck1rfUyEd0Et04ni5f9JzWnZs1cx39/s320/DSCF4239.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission in San Ignacio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpIsctfH-nih9TwwlvX3R0uoc5_S5TepzRgZ8DLvNxq3OMjWQQwOC4xROKYDRTZmJHzZFkR6_FEzV-QUEmloM2Egcvv9NwPX4WZCk81j4S7GplmEPgla73VobR3MFSE8PIoB5SFYNfrK7/s1600/DSCF4277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpIsctfH-nih9TwwlvX3R0uoc5_S5TepzRgZ8DLvNxq3OMjWQQwOC4xROKYDRTZmJHzZFkR6_FEzV-QUEmloM2Egcvv9NwPX4WZCk81j4S7GplmEPgla73VobR3MFSE8PIoB5SFYNfrK7/s320/DSCF4277.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Mission in San Ignacio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jUYTz-MUgSK3gafFd9z1q9TeJDp2AB0hrtlyogHoeoFnRnDyb95dOHzXrnyg8tjlCSOY_OuZZ4G5FvlsFJT86R6HEGkGAJ1-0BqogwEzNv6mk_aK2NrwSbDKJBXVDOCQowcWV7MNLata/s1600/DSCF4298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="596" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jUYTz-MUgSK3gafFd9z1q9TeJDp2AB0hrtlyogHoeoFnRnDyb95dOHzXrnyg8tjlCSOY_OuZZ4G5FvlsFJT86R6HEGkGAJ1-0BqogwEzNv6mk_aK2NrwSbDKJBXVDOCQowcWV7MNLata/s320/DSCF4298.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mission in San Ignacio</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2UiY4GVPoLgQ3eKh0hL2CY12K0DHwJ_qc2XDUEukTZLrff0UEqhPd1bD751xmnV0GmFZUL_Ag2NTnzd1YmBQUODhqJPEqmCZuTeo4zLZvA8CEqVIJ4hoIr_UI22K-kJPCW2xtohmTMex/s1600/DSCF4313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2UiY4GVPoLgQ3eKh0hL2CY12K0DHwJ_qc2XDUEukTZLrff0UEqhPd1bD751xmnV0GmFZUL_Ag2NTnzd1YmBQUODhqJPEqmCZuTeo4zLZvA8CEqVIJ4hoIr_UI22K-kJPCW2xtohmTMex/s320/DSCF4313.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town square in San Ignacio (first tall shade trees we have seen in Baja)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">June 21, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After Santa Rosalia we had hoped to enjoy some of the
outstanding clear water diving we had heard about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have so far been pretty disappointed as
the plankton blooms are pretty thick everywhere we stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have passed through a number of areas of
red algae (AKA “red tide”) so thick it made the water color range from brown to
blood red. The only tradeoff is the evening and night phosphorescent shows are
spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We moved up the north end
of the Sea of Cortez at a fairly fast clip as the anchorages and marinas are
getting fewer and farther between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
did stop at a group of islands known as “Refugio” we could see why this little
archipelago is the destination of a lot of campers and boaters as the scenery
is spectacular and we are likely to go back that way on our trip south in
August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other disappointment
(besides the clouded water) was the amount of camping garbage on the
beaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We later heard from our
friends on Saare Lil that they had met several “kid boats” in Refugio and that
some of their fondest memories of the Sea of Cortez were formed while they were
there.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We rather suddenly found the water under our keel rapidly
shallowing as we entered the realm of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado (or at
least the sand washed south for zillions of years from its formation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Colorado river no longer reaches its
natural terminus in the Sea of Cortez as every drop of water is pulled off to
feed agriculture, provide drinking water and fill swimming pools as it heads
south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand the delta that
remains is a clear testament to its history of power and Earth shaping through
the ages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Recognizing that we had sailed into an area of shifting sands
we watched our charts and depth sounder readings very carefully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we enter the breakwater of San Felipe it
looked like we wouldn’t have any problems but when we looked off our stern the
next morning at low tide we realized that at least 50% of the area within the
breakwater area is silted to the point of being dry land at the lowest
tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully other mariners had
added notes via a crowd sourcing program to our electronic charts which gave us
a heads-up on how to approach the Marina Fonatur dock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">After our last stop in Santa Rosalita we weren’t surprised at
the low cost of staying at a Fonatur Marina but we were not happy with the
condition of the docks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact after a
very long day at sea I recall feeling pretty let down when I realized we would
be moored at a dock that was long past its’ prime in an industrial area a few
miles from the main part of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
we eventually found was that Fonatur had repaired the upland parts of the
marina and was actively working to rehabilitate the docks (they put several
rebuilt sections back in the water before we left).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Security was very good with up to 3 Coast
Guard boats at the dock (with at least one of them crewed at all times) and a
full time security guard. Town was a fair bicycle ride away with the biggest
challenge being that thorns hidden in the sand along the road kept puncturing
our tires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On the way to San Felipe we had
ordered a new sewing machine for the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is simple (kinda old fashioned) but built specifically for sail and
canvas work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The machine was to be sent
to our friend’s business in San Diego for pick-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also wanted to get some new watermaker
membranes and convert our system to be able to use less expensive generic
sizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A company in San Diego had the
parts in stock and would not charge shipping if we picked them up at their
assembly shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we had a long
list of marine parts we wanted to pick up and NOT have to try to get them into
luggage from Seattle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all of this
in mind we found a rental car (in excellent condition) and drove on very good
roads to San Diego while Jarvis stayed at a doggy spa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we were in San Diego we visited with
our friends the Grays and with boating friends as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made excellent use of our time and picked
up everything without problem except for the sewing machine which had been
loaded onto the wrong delivery truck by FedEx.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The good news was that we knew it was in the San Diego area if we could
track it down and eventually while we waited at the warehouse FedEx found the
box and handed it over to us the same evening it was supposed to have been
delivered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Once back on the boat we were able
to upgrade the watermaker and are very pleased that it is making about 40 -45
gallons per hour rather than the 25 gallons per hour we could get from our old
membranes (we were especially pleased as we had been told to expect only about
30 gallons per hour until we had a chance to upgrade our high pressure pump).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sewing machine challenged Clarice a bit
as she got used to its idiosyncrasies but her first project with it was
produced with about one tenth of the frustration that she had with her
dressmaking machine and the stitches look much much better.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrMe5krNdNeN_FJ1CnliaoEBnhRBeaKOJg5Q4s8JvqGxAKAkXfCakRfqncJtpsZEUSCpWxujXH27PNJ8RCKn4bHxMO2iu0ct5SQ6m0TGSrVkgFeVdogFiQWboXvDOU4wplsQ729WNivUy/s1600/filters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrMe5krNdNeN_FJ1CnliaoEBnhRBeaKOJg5Q4s8JvqGxAKAkXfCakRfqncJtpsZEUSCpWxujXH27PNJ8RCKn4bHxMO2iu0ct5SQ6m0TGSrVkgFeVdogFiQWboXvDOU4wplsQ729WNivUy/s320/filters.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New membranes (blue on right) installed under bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_XRIgJ5N6arQSCbVwAt4NokGWtZU9VuLiw1LNt_zXaH6pKbP887Kcw4qcCjBjZurN3_Fvcrdftu-zBofo_4OtjQn2AVjEI99AKg1dJCVtPyUds5fqah0uMlgFv8AQTdU2D-3UBoM8f7R/s1600/sewing+machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_XRIgJ5N6arQSCbVwAt4NokGWtZU9VuLiw1LNt_zXaH6pKbP887Kcw4qcCjBjZurN3_Fvcrdftu-zBofo_4OtjQn2AVjEI99AKg1dJCVtPyUds5fqah0uMlgFv8AQTdU2D-3UBoM8f7R/s320/sewing+machine.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice studies her new sewing machine</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">While eating dinner we met an expat
couple who own a home in San Felipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They gave us a ride back to the boat and then visited and asked a lot of
questions about our craft and living on it. During our stay in San Felipe they
introduced us to dune buggy riding on the beach and in the arroyos and took us
to see some of the sights in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Joe used to sail on the Nimitz which for some time shaded our passage as
we left our home port in Everett where it was docked. As such he was very familiar
with boating systems and jumped at the offer to join us as we sailed across the
Sea of Cortez to Puerto Peñasco (even choosing to sleep in the pilot house
berth as it reminded him of his bunk on the aircraft carrier).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aN-UZa16FiNOGZfYZ56AxVyTcSDAmfby-Pu4pNu-ae3v8WEUC7pKhARdReTK3RB_C15oJlVJKF6_q4l7Ig05qe-zqlzlgl2PYmunoMHBpCeIyfu2Fm8wRQTwA1-B5hg1UN0HeKqZILw-/s1600/baja+buggies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aN-UZa16FiNOGZfYZ56AxVyTcSDAmfby-Pu4pNu-ae3v8WEUC7pKhARdReTK3RB_C15oJlVJKF6_q4l7Ig05qe-zqlzlgl2PYmunoMHBpCeIyfu2Fm8wRQTwA1-B5hg1UN0HeKqZILw-/s320/baja+buggies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baja Buggies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_8ooqQdJBXSpXWDYJk-EIbF1Uzx1s5y0ReYDZs2-BC3wpMuClrjxPUP5p_H7JN_3W87F-IRhc9gvPKzDGaAyDSxakwy9XkiHZiYOZOnw4sDiyYl291xiGJVzdfAK22L_Ce-Ey8XCAGuj/s1600/buggy+on+the+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_8ooqQdJBXSpXWDYJk-EIbF1Uzx1s5y0ReYDZs2-BC3wpMuClrjxPUP5p_H7JN_3W87F-IRhc9gvPKzDGaAyDSxakwy9XkiHZiYOZOnw4sDiyYl291xiGJVzdfAK22L_Ce-Ey8XCAGuj/s320/buggy+on+the+beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buggie ride on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcVTX8qSptvpJ9hAAlS7b0P4eHh_dkOJTf7qafHalN3ino27jxs97sFSdME58B0zLGDvYJ-QIYSruxdOklfrFclbXvuncPwFMcMerkvIbQGgQ3RoHUWgiEy4onEHqay3UiVMUOD29v0tl/s1600/suguaro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcVTX8qSptvpJ9hAAlS7b0P4eHh_dkOJTf7qafHalN3ino27jxs97sFSdME58B0zLGDvYJ-QIYSruxdOklfrFclbXvuncPwFMcMerkvIbQGgQ3RoHUWgiEy4onEHqay3UiVMUOD29v0tl/s320/suguaro.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New friends take us to a giant saguaro reserve</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Speaking of the Colorado River
Delta, like the Columbia River Delta back home it has created miles of sandy
beaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just outside of the breakwater
was a beach that ran for miles and was very very wide at low tide (the tides at
this end of the Sea of Cortez run up to 14 feet).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis was in little dog heaven for every
morning and evening run on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were many opportunities to increase his calcium intake sneaking
fish bones off the beach when he thought we weren’t looking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were pelicans and other birds to chase
and most of all there was lots and lots of room to run as fast as his little
legs could go.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbLGbAXxQgfzanyZ7uF6tZ2Xn81xanCinjBTl4v7WsCsSeE32uje7CWLcuHlOTMwjsoCAd6qfl9FYMFAsscMZNhlHhL0_zpAc3YIQXzgJ480BndKgIi4r8VZSbRS8eRZ4BEAMJXZAPLgi/s1600/San+Felipe+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbLGbAXxQgfzanyZ7uF6tZ2Xn81xanCinjBTl4v7WsCsSeE32uje7CWLcuHlOTMwjsoCAd6qfl9FYMFAsscMZNhlHhL0_zpAc3YIQXzgJ480BndKgIi4r8VZSbRS8eRZ4BEAMJXZAPLgi/s320/San+Felipe+beach.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis was in doggy heaven on the sand beach in San Felipe</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We are currently in Puerto Peñasco waiting for our planned haul-out next week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again we find ourselves at a Marina Fonatur and in a commercial harbor
with many huge shrimp boats tied up together and a number of tourist boats
ranging from “booze cruise” boats to “pirate ships” all of which seem to find
it necessary to have VERY loud sound systems which start blasting music and
other noise at about 6 pm while they load for the evening sunset cruises. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than that we have found its not too far
of a walk or bike ride to the larger stores and to the sand beach that attracts
hundreds of folks from Phoenix and Tucson. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZGfRhFn6Z4KJwmFZEwU0c_MVD5UqqYN39sSAakSrI7VKkNbfW-pGUbxhNEV406yoIjRCPqoFkMfS2pGwKjIPE6BESI0DPTXmO6v3QUZAL18EQEzr4RT1qdxcRF4fQWzcTaQAPYwJEZCg/s1600/IMG_1263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZGfRhFn6Z4KJwmFZEwU0c_MVD5UqqYN39sSAakSrI7VKkNbfW-pGUbxhNEV406yoIjRCPqoFkMfS2pGwKjIPE6BESI0DPTXmO6v3QUZAL18EQEzr4RT1qdxcRF4fQWzcTaQAPYwJEZCg/s320/IMG_1263.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandy Beach Puerto Penasco</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We have run into a number of boats
getting hauled in the same yard as us and in many cases they are part of the
community in motion that is the reality of long distance cruisers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had friends who needed a ride to Phoenix
where they could rent a car one-way to California and other friends who needed
a ride to the airport in Phoenix to catch a flight back on their way to home in
northern Alberta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found that we could
rent a mini-bus for about $US 200 that would carry all 12 of us and had a roof
rack for the baggage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove the van
north and enjoyed the scenery and picked up some new bicycle tires and puncture
resistant tubes then spent the night in a nice motel before driving back the
next day with a stop in Oregon Pipe Cactus National Monument. (Sadly after feeling very good about Jarvis staying in the kennel in San Felipe, I wasn't pleased with him being left in a cage in <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Peñasco</span><span style="font-size: 16px;"> - Clarice has been trying to convince me that Kennels are a good option at times but I will have to use a lot more care in choosing them before I will be willing to leave Jarvis with strangers again.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZ-4g0c0-_DcCO0Rii6KxFw1FpE8TwoFAPNIyBGV9JXo7s0vZZozfcqp23WUVoh12PFEMx1mgAxmgByGpCBhnfNT9TP1HIggoVGE8rGRg1CBP7fn5RVtakmBFPizyUjNvVwhCpScYraeN/s1600/minibus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZ-4g0c0-_DcCO0Rii6KxFw1FpE8TwoFAPNIyBGV9JXo7s0vZZozfcqp23WUVoh12PFEMx1mgAxmgByGpCBhnfNT9TP1HIggoVGE8rGRg1CBP7fn5RVtakmBFPizyUjNvVwhCpScYraeN/s320/minibus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini bus trip to Phoenix</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">DANGEROUS IN MEXICO???<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">About once every week or so we hear
how dangerous it is in Mexico. Just today I had a person write a response to my
TripAdvisor information about driving to Phoenix and back asking, “How safe is
the travel from Phoenix to Puerto Peñasco currently…. Any issues to be aware
of?”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was after a friend of Clarice’s
had reported that her brother in Phoenix wouldn’t take her on a side trip to
Rocky Point (the Gringo name for Puerto Peñasco ) because it was too
dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is the response I wrote
to the latest question, “We did not experience anything that concerned us
driving between Puerto Peñasco and Phoenix and back. We have been advised by
more than one expat living in Mexico to avoid driving at night. The only reason
given was a concern for blowing sand on the coast road from Puerto Peñasco to
Mexicali. We have heard more than one claim of "its dangerous there"
from Phoenix residents - we don't know the source of the concern. We have been
moored on our boat in the seedier part of town (its the only place to moor a
boat) for a couple of weeks with walking and bicycles being our primary means
of getting around and using common sense have been no more concerned than
walking in the seedier parts of any USA city”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On Facebook it is consistent that
those of us who are here will write that using the same level of vigilance in
the places we have visited that we do in USA cities has kept us safe so
far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were most concerned about pilferage
from our boat and dinghy in San Diego so we always locked the dinghy and bikes
carefully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand I have not
seen my cell phone for several days and am convinced it was palmed while we
were at a restaurant here in Puerto Peñasco . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Going back into the USA we were
stopped twice at border patrol check points away from the border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were only asked if we had “appropriate ID”
and sent on our way without actually showing any ID (the agent was caught a bit
off guard when he asked if everyone was a US citizen and I replied no that we
had Canadians in the vehicle).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
continues to feel “not right” to me after having lived near the border with
Canada where such check points are rare to non-existent. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it goes back to my youth and childhood
when I heard over and over about the evil East Block countries that required
citizens to carry identification papers at all times and that it was a sign
that America was a great country because we had the freedom to travel without
being stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in Mexico we often
are stopped at military check points and the officers all carry automatic
weapons but this is not MY country and I don’t expect to have the same freedoms
here as in the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Speaking of which a common question
that comes up on the cruisers’ forums is about carrying firearms on boats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The common answer is it is a pretty stupid
thing to do unless you like visiting foreign jails or having your boat
confiscated (answer to the next question: we carry bear spray in case of a low
level piracy attack – for a high level attack they can have the boat and we
will go overboard in the life-raft). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice ran into that worst case “ugly
American” response on one forum when someone wrote in, “but it’s my
constitutional right to have my guns”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All we can say is that if you don’t understand that the US constitution
only applies in the USA then please go back and take 6<sup>th</sup> grade
civics and for the sake of the rest of humanity get rid of your guns as you are
too stupid to own them responsibly!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 169.65pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So to end this section of random
thoughts, I have to ask what makes us feel safe or not safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone wrote that the Mexican police
presence with them all carrying automatic weapons made them not feel safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Curiously I think that many of the police on
the corners in Cabo are there for show so that the tourists worried about drug
cartels will feel protected. On the flip side I have long had a bad taste in my
mouth from visiting Phoenix in the 1970’s when I was a high school student with
pretty long hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was riding my bike
down the highway and was randomly pulled over by a police officer in a car (not
a motorcycle) who got out of the car with a riot helmet on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember being struck by the barrier the
officer had created between me and him just because he felt a need to look “tough”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every since that incident I have been a big
fan of “officer friendly” type programs and have gone out of my way to say hi
to cops on the beat (especially those on foot or bicycle) in appreciation of
how little it takes to make a wall between us. In another instance I recall a
student MD visiting our clinic in Belize complaining that there wasn’t a phone
in the dorm and what would they do if there was an emergency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What she hadn’t taken the time to consider
was the reality that the police might ask for her to drive and pick them up as
they often ran out of fuel part way through the month, and had they responded
they might have not been impressed at her complaint about a robber who happened
to be the cop’s brother-in-law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
does this all come down to?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end “being
safe” is a very culturally based concept and varies greatly from place to place
and person to person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are going
to travel then you are going to have to get used to being responsible for your
own safety and recognizing that every choice you make from what you wear to how
your body language expresses confidence, to where you choose to travel and at
what times defines how safe you are likely to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So is it safe in Mexico? Yes and
no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it safe in Seattle? Yes and no.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Parting thoughts and photos before I publish this post:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the May post I wrote about trying to keep my nursing brain
functioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current plan is that in
September and October Clarice will stay in a marina in Mexico where we have a
number of friends and work on boat projects (and hopefully have a long-time
friend of hers visit) while I head off to Hillside Clinic in Punta Gorda Belize
for a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the clinic where
Clarice and I spent the year of 2004 in the very southern tip of Belize Central
America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A funny aside is that one of my
motivations for choosing the clinic was that my Belizian nursing license
specifically says, “without limit of time” so I assumed it was still valid and
I wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of getting license reciprocity in
another state or country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The clinic
director had never seen such a thing as the Belizian licenses now are time
limited but on checking with the national board it was confirmed that my
license is still active. (I have always joked that I go through a sex change
when I enter Belize as well as the licenses of the era only had female pronouns
even though I know of at least one other male who was a nurse in Belize at the
time.) <a href="https://www.hillsidebelize.org/" target="_blank">Hillside Clinic Belize</a></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Boat Projects: Clarice is focused on getting the boat clean and ready for our haul out. I completed another room of my floor sanding project.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanding the floor</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2SGga2bMA2dEpX7TVMKs0Nn44bw7aeRfcXLB429aEkDSIqKy9J31BBug2cWKU_I67-XOoUaVu8RE-DHHJwxXwL-FwQwV7dK2sSvQ7o-Lwi_Rp9Ifl0UvlCcZg5809C4LhzXxk5j-adPT/s1600/floor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2SGga2bMA2dEpX7TVMKs0Nn44bw7aeRfcXLB429aEkDSIqKy9J31BBug2cWKU_I67-XOoUaVu8RE-DHHJwxXwL-FwQwV7dK2sSvQ7o-Lwi_Rp9Ifl0UvlCcZg5809C4LhzXxk5j-adPT/s320/floor.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Floor after varnish (it was the sun bleached color of the vertical wood)</div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li>We have received word that the school we have been supporting is Esperanza near La Paz is near ready for students.</li>
</ul>
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Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-15619997816353437722019-05-08T13:59:00.002-07:002019-05-09T09:40:17.651-07:00Missions of Baja<br />
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4-30-19<o:p></o:p></div>
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We seem to have passed a transition zone in the Sea of
Cortez where the scenery changes as well as the wildlife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One way I monitor if it’s time to start
typing a new blog entry is to watch the number of photographs collecting on my
desktop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the number starts to climb
rapidly it means we are seeing new sites that we are eager to keep a memory of
and thus there are more adventures and sights to share.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some time back I had downloaded several audiobooks thinking
that I would use them to help me stay awake on night crossings but since we
have not made any night crossings the books have stayed on the electronic
bookshelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the books is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Log of the Sea of Cortez</i> by John
Steinbeck and co-authored (per Steinbeck according to the introductory
information) by biologist Ed Ricketts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The book was taken off of the shelf a few weeks back when we got an
email from a friend we had gone to church with in Sitka Alaska reminding us
that Ed Ricketts family were long time members of the church and had worked to
keep his legacy alive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their boat was
the Western Flyer built in Tacoma and seen by Clarice and I both as we past it
moored in the Swinomish Channel (before it sank) and later while it was in the
beginning process of being restored at the same shipyard where we had Salish
Aire hauled out back in August <a href="https://www.ptleader.com/stories/work-ramps-up-on-western-flyer,58805?">https://www.ptleader.com/stories/work-ramps-up-on-western-flyer,58805?</a>.
The timing for beginning to listen to the book could not have been better as
Steinbeck and Ricketts stayed in many of the same anchorages that we had and we
were able to mentally compare what he described from the WWII era with
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only place that seems to have
changed completely is the area at the tip of the peninsula where Cabo San Lucas
has been planted (and grown into a rather unruly mess in our perception).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The coves and other sites he tells about are
still there today just as he described them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even his description of entering La Paz has not changed nearly as much
as one would expect with the sand bars just as he described them and the range
(navigation) lights still in the same locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now at the point in the book where he
describes the changes in what they are observing and we are seeing pretty much
the same things as we move northward.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In Steinbeck’s book I have just finished the chapter on
Puerto Escondido which seems appropriate as the last blog note ended with our
entry into the harbor but with little description of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steinbeck describes Puerto Escondido, the
Hidden Harbor, as “a place of magic” and comments on how perfect of a natural
harbor it is [Chapter 16].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is such a
perfect harbor that we had questioned if perhaps two areas between hills
surrounding the harbor had been filled in as man-made breakwaters but since
Steinbeck also mentions them as present when he visited the bay they are
clearly natural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To enter Puerto
Escondido the navigator must first find the narrow entrance hidden among the
hills. Thanks to unusually accurate charts and GPS this was not a terribly
difficult challenge in 2019. You then pilot the boat nearer the reportedly
deeper south side of the narrow entrance channel (now dredged but not deep
enough in Steinbeck’s time so that his crew chose to anchor in a cove next to
the entrance now known as the “waiting room” as larger boats sometimes anchor
there while waiting for a high tide).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once inside of the channel the harbor is nearly a perfect pool and quite
deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water was not clear for us as
algae tends to bloom in enclosed harbors and when we lost our boat hook in 40
ft of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>water it was lost for good since I
could only see about 2 ft when I dove to the bottom to look for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMm_tV-RqmabARTBvMizREv3y9LQljejtlswxzaYKDanPDqB5BD-ehG7HhZFJJew_kz8H4M0cLXdBwB8Pf8nf07BUnLCV72kfj-b8lGQhuBu6PNhzca_ICZ7mf89_AwV-WQS2Efa22EU9/s1600/DSCF2095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMm_tV-RqmabARTBvMizREv3y9LQljejtlswxzaYKDanPDqB5BD-ehG7HhZFJJew_kz8H4M0cLXdBwB8Pf8nf07BUnLCV72kfj-b8lGQhuBu6PNhzca_ICZ7mf89_AwV-WQS2Efa22EU9/s320/DSCF2095.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puerto Escondido</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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Puerto Escondido keeps trying to make itself into a very
high-end marina and housing development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Initially the project was started by the Mexican government but it
wasn’t well maintained even though they had built some well-designed buildings
and some of the nicest boulevards we have seen in all of Baja.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
couple of years ago it was taken over by a private concern and they have
upgraded the docks and built a 6000 Sq ft hacienda <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>between one of the dug canals (with private
docks) and the lovely boulevards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one
hand I wish them the best with their endeavor but on the other I would really
hate to see this incredible natural setting become another Cabo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Puerto Escondido is about 20 minutes south of the town of
Loreto by car on a highway in very good condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rented a car and used Puerto Escondido as
a base for several days of exploration and provisioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Loreto is the oldest non-native settlement
in Baja with the oldest mission church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Steinbeck visited the same church and commented about it being in ruins
with the roof fallen in and only the bell tower and one small chapel
standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The church has obviously been
rebuilt since then and is now shared as a museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had looked forward to Easter Sunday in
this culture that we considered to be “very Catholic”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We scoped out the mission on Saturday
afternoon and understood <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that church was closed until 7 PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We assumed there would also be a Sunday
service and after talking with several people were convinced it would be at 7
AM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived at 7 AM Easter Sunday and
the building was locked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 7:30 the
bells rang and the building was opened to the public but no formal
service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We came to believe that the
service the evening before had been THE Easter service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since it was still early and we had been told
that the mission church at San Javier high in the Gigantic mountains was well
worth the drive we decided to head there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Steinbeck describes going up a mountain trail out of Loreto to go
mountain sheep hunting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While they never
did see any sheep they loved the trip and spent a night at a cascading
stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I strongly suspect that the
trail he followed was to the San Javier Mission and that the road now follows
much the same route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even believe that
a spot where I commented to Clarice about it would be amazing to see in the
spring with water falling over the cliff may well be the same spot where
Steinbeck’s party camped.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D801f1pmf9lJVGYpXkXn_6Z2yoIDDJBaZS3nsXUjZ8z4_S8Na57qhxAWeBjt-pLpbpdEuFyOBtdNHz5mQGxXxv8noYrqG249mD2JS5O5b4ilgN2KAzrEW9erZziFsB-OEljN80nIo-ox/s1600/IMG_1824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D801f1pmf9lJVGYpXkXn_6Z2yoIDDJBaZS3nsXUjZ8z4_S8Na57qhxAWeBjt-pLpbpdEuFyOBtdNHz5mQGxXxv8noYrqG249mD2JS5O5b4ilgN2KAzrEW9erZziFsB-OEljN80nIo-ox/s320/IMG_1824.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission at Loreto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In any case we drove up and up on a very windy mountain road
that was thankfully in excellent condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While the scenery along the road was spectacular we kept wondering why
the crazy Jesuit priest had gone way the heck up in these mountains to
establish a mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we arrived we
understood as there was water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
mission is in a valley where even in late May there was running water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mission was really quite lovely and it
has aged well since being completed in 1758 on the site where the mission was
founded in 1699.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the original
irrigation works made for the mission gardens are still intact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The oldest olive tree in North America is
also on the grounds having been started along with a vineyard (gotta have that
wine!) by the priests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to
establish that the Easter service was scheduled to begin at 1 PM<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so we walked around town, napped in the car
and in general got very warm in the heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finally at noon we agreed that since scheduled at 1 PM in Mexico likely
meant a 1:30 start and since we had a dog in his crate on the boat, and a 1
hour drive back down the mountain, we would forgo Easter services this
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to contact some friends
once we were back in cellphone range of Loreto and that led to an enjoyable
afternoon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Back in the Episcopal Church we attended in Snohomish
Barbara and Bill Bates and their children were major pillars of the community
and the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I only knew them
from church, Clarice being native to Snohomish, had gone to school with one of
the Bates’ daughters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another friend
from the church follows us on Facebook and noted that one of the Bates sons and
his wife were at their second home in Loreto so she put us in touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While neither of us had met Stuart or his
wife (also a Barbara) we fell in easily with them as they clearly had the Bates
family trait of being “good people”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They came out and visited us in the marina and on the boat for Easter
afternoon and offered to take us to see their home and the town the following
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day that we visited them at
their home we were impressed at the housing development where they live and
even went so far as having a realtor show us around in case either of our
children wanted to go in on a place in Mexico (they didn’t).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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A little about the changes in what we are seeing in the
Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are diving more as the water is
starting to warm up a bit and get clearer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have been told that the northern Sea is a divers’ paradise especially
when the water clears in the summer (the exact opposite of what we are used to
from Salish Sea diving).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The numbers
and variety of sea critters are clearly increasing although the water is still
fairly cloudy at depth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the shallows
where we snorkel the water is often crystal clear with huge varieties of
animals. Steinbeck mentioned swimming white crabs about 2 inches long that I
had never seen until a couple of nights ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most nights we hear many splashing noises as fish gather around the
boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The light from our windows and
deck lights attracts millions of krill and other tiny tiny life to the water
next to the boat which in turn attracts schools of small fish (and the other
night probably 100ish little swimming crabs) which in turn attracts schools of
larger fish including one evening a 4 foot green eel swimming near the boat and
another night a sea snake or small eel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We delighted in seeing 6 inch flying fish with their gossamer “wings”
swimming just under the surface and periodically “flying” across the
surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we turn a strong
flashlight downward we have a virtual aquarium right next to the boat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today as we motored north to the anchorage at San Juanico we
were delighted to see a pod of 100 or more dolphins heading towards us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put the 400 mm lens on the camera as they
were expected to pass at least 200 yards to our starboard side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as I was finishing setting up the lens
the dolphins decided we looked interesting and did a 90 degree turn to visit
within a few feet of our hull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried
to get a video with entirely the wrong lens but at least a couple of frames
could be pulled out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case it is
always very exciting when the dolphins visit as they seem to be as aware of us
as we are of them and they seem to exude pure joy as they play in our bow wake
and leap out of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were
near the entrance to the bay (with three sets of charts which all showed rocks
and islands in entirely different locations) we saw areas of brown in the blue
water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We immediately slowed the boat
and I went to the bow to try to ascertain if there was a reef near the surface
that threatened to ground us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we
finally realized was that we were seeing an orange/brown algae bloom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water here in the bay is currently thick
with green and orange algae after friends told us it was crystal clear this
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznw0Szpp0WPXVelqkJEBh2yKSCYWwsHGEFPj_05imWTseSNBCLpFFB0SOjoAlXmKYJ2TqNwA4LwfaZEydrOrdAwUaTyBtpHNNxT1xytnPCy_LoXoTGFIXPVeim_P_I8GDLIGlKvZqT_Uo/s1600/Dolphins+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhznw0Szpp0WPXVelqkJEBh2yKSCYWwsHGEFPj_05imWTseSNBCLpFFB0SOjoAlXmKYJ2TqNwA4LwfaZEydrOrdAwUaTyBtpHNNxT1xytnPCy_LoXoTGFIXPVeim_P_I8GDLIGlKvZqT_Uo/s320/Dolphins+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRsCVF8H9ASjLd4J79-RBU1EC29Ez9LGZj1p5Rjni2ugaEazYRGU0yLH3fIPgCdghAkpWjzjvAzzmcSa6h9dQBmApDL2yYbmzYN-vmFW4wEiILbkO6HGiPvndJ-VN8X0R3rPfBnMd1xvm/s1600/dolphins+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRsCVF8H9ASjLd4J79-RBU1EC29Ez9LGZj1p5Rjni2ugaEazYRGU0yLH3fIPgCdghAkpWjzjvAzzmcSa6h9dQBmApDL2yYbmzYN-vmFW4wEiILbkO6HGiPvndJ-VN8X0R3rPfBnMd1xvm/s320/dolphins+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Friends on S/V (Sailing Vessel) Korvessa had mentioned that
the night before the bay was alive with phosphorescence after dark so we made a
point of checking the water after watching a video and wondering if the algae
bloom might be a portend to a big light show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To say the bay was alive would be a huge understatement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have paid to go on trips to so called
phosphorescent bays and they were only a 10th as bright as we saw here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The millions of krill each caused a minute
sparkle in the water as they moved about like twinkling stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below them as deep as maybe 8 or 10 feet we could
see the clear images of fish swimming past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the distance fish jumping would appear as a flash in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overhead it was a moonless night with
zillions of stars so bright that their reflections completed with the
phosphorescent images in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>THEN
came the final act!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 1:30 AM Jarvis
woke me with a gentle "woof, woof".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not his usual "I gotta get a drink and pee" bark but enough to
waken me in any case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he stayed on
his bed I went up on deck to check things out and was rewarded with a scene
straight out of a Disney animation movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A parading school of rays about 20 feet wide(each fish about 2 feet
wide)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was about 10 feet off our
bow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not see the front of the
line in the distance but could only see the rear guard coming so when Clarice
didn't respond to my call I stood watching alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under the Milky Way the rays were each
clearly lit with the blue-green light as they flew through the water slowly
flapping their wings with a few breaking the surface to make even a brighter
light. My only wish was that I had the skill of Jeremy Gregory or Elise Lebeau
to put brush to paper to record the scene as our earlier attempts to photograph
the lights proved our cameras were not up to the task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truly this will be one of the most magical
nights we have ever experienced in our memories.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBTsqiBLOwI4PJLmp-4rBMpisR2kIlMCWvYR6aOL4LHI1LnyuX7v8IN3LTNDmUlrrEPVe1hPGwVn2KdXuHGk-USjaIl_wqiujNdgFs-4uoFrrbv0e8xzXy0pubuDb0hJlJPs-7ogPwGbZ/s1600/phosphorescence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1034" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBTsqiBLOwI4PJLmp-4rBMpisR2kIlMCWvYR6aOL4LHI1LnyuX7v8IN3LTNDmUlrrEPVe1hPGwVn2KdXuHGk-USjaIl_wqiujNdgFs-4uoFrrbv0e8xzXy0pubuDb0hJlJPs-7ogPwGbZ/s320/phosphorescence.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using our most sensitive camera and with Clarice swishing a kayak paddle the best we could do was give an idea of the glowing color of the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I have always wondered how the great baleen whales and whale
sharks could live on the tiny shrimp known as krill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How could they possibly gather enough of the
tiny creatures to make a meal for such huge animals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We now understand krill better after seeing
them swimming en-mass under our flashlights at night and seeing how many cling
to our wetsuits after we clean the bottom of the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The primary stuff that clings to our main
hull here is a thin layer of some kind of biological slime which comes off easily
in sheets using 12 inch wide stainless Home Depot plaster knives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently the krill live in or on the
bio-slime and when it is stripped of swim to the nearest dark colored refuge
which happens to be our wet suits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
other day a friend mentioned that he had been paying to have his keel cleaned
only to find that the diver was only cleaning down as far as he could see with
a quick inspection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On closer inspection
he found that his wing keel was not being touched especially on the lower
surface. He was trying to catch up on the cleaning by free-diving (breath-hold
diving) and using a 3 inch wide putty knife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I offered to take a look at the keel after we had been on a recreational
dive and I had a lot of air left in my tank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I got to the bottom of the keel I found hard growth as thick as 2
inches and had to whack it as hard as I could with my plaster knife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was thinking I was glad that no
representative was in the area from the save-a-reef association as they might
immediately serve me with a stop work order for destroying a new reef in
formation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand I thought
about suggesting that Mark try to make some income by offering his boat as a
model for the next Disney movie, perhaps the next Pirates of the Caribbean
filming could use it as a ship that floated around the sea after having been
abandoned and was being slowly reclaimed by Poseidon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In reality the growth slows a boat noticeably
and costs a lot of fuel when underway using the motor so it is best to keep the
boat’s bottom clean and so I whacked and scraped and eventually was able to
clean the whole hull before my air gauge showed I was below my safety reserve
and needed to surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On surfacing I
found that every bit of my suit and gear were covered as deep as 3/16 of an inch
with krill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rubbed off as many as I
could in the water and then had Clarice spray me with the forceful stream of
our seawater rinse system and finally I stripped and she rinsed my gear again
in fresh water while I took a shower and got most of them out of my hair and
off of my body (I think the final one was cleaned out of my ear a day
later).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In summary we now viscerally
understand that there is enough krill in the ocean to feed the great creatures
that depend on them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Speaking of charting challenges, we were given a free set of
electronic charts on the agreement that we would help show the variations
between those charts and another set we had paid for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will include a sample of one variation that
we sent to the chart company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we can
say is that we were certainly spoiled in British Columbia and Alaska where
rocks are charted within a couple yards of their actual positions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we give ourselves a +- of about 1/8 mile
and recognize that many rocks are not charted at all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96VBJfsCvvDKT95cg1fXk44pdLuAud3dMbJ8s8I1BadY8KQjO2o3BccJMHe8jR8bFzy546n5BQzBT4QrGM4M7FqzbZRMdgi7C-P6ubHkg20qfRmxBBNH-bhhH28w2J5lkQS1cEzXn_m18/s1600/C+Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="617" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96VBJfsCvvDKT95cg1fXk44pdLuAud3dMbJ8s8I1BadY8KQjO2o3BccJMHe8jR8bFzy546n5BQzBT4QrGM4M7FqzbZRMdgi7C-P6ubHkg20qfRmxBBNH-bhhH28w2J5lkQS1cEzXn_m18/s320/C+Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map data program "A"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5S1kZf_Q18IldnxxL8iqG1UifnzXyeJayoaeQNUQ7StqzzSVQDo79WeuknGkb4R0kb8TAXDQ_ZFZdFxhdEPYuQNN0QknV1pm20eKG0xYlBlZEqsF35dxUdH8MFfB32Oi718ihQND-BdU/s1600/Navionics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="705" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5S1kZf_Q18IldnxxL8iqG1UifnzXyeJayoaeQNUQ7StqzzSVQDo79WeuknGkb4R0kb8TAXDQ_ZFZdFxhdEPYuQNN0QknV1pm20eKG0xYlBlZEqsF35dxUdH8MFfB32Oi718ihQND-BdU/s320/Navionics.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map data program "B"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2AUdVonHGrnX47PjY9-BcpL-Fx6bs0xeUG8gjwxpZ_-_cf4LjdlQ4NyT0bWt8vRzxQzXrtsP5adm_mQf_8oX_Ktx2JYSwdbCkipKRGD8Xf9lPJrkjvVmfZ5HLeTVU99ejh0bAsmnNhek/s1600/Breeding+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2AUdVonHGrnX47PjY9-BcpL-Fx6bs0xeUG8gjwxpZ_-_cf4LjdlQ4NyT0bWt8vRzxQzXrtsP5adm_mQf_8oX_Ktx2JYSwdbCkipKRGD8Xf9lPJrkjvVmfZ5HLeTVU99ejh0bAsmnNhek/s320/Breeding+chart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chart from guidebook</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One of our challenges is planning far enough ahead to have a
clue of what we are going to do and to keep our insurance carrier appraised of
where we will be within the next policy period but at the same time not over
planning to the point that we aren’t comfortable changing course if we simply
aren’t having fun anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently our
plan is to continue moving north in the Sea of Cortez to its very northern
reaches where we will have the boat lifted out of the water so that we can enjoy
some “vacation” time for the month of July.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After that we will move south as the hurricane weather allows and
eventually cross through the Panama Canal to the Atlantic Ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the question comes up what is it we are
looking for – what is “fun” – what is “adventure” and to me I keep asking “what
is my purpose”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not the first
time we have asked these questions nor will it be the last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case I often find if I write down my
random thoughts they become more ordered and start to make sense.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For those who missed the detail along the way, Clarice and I
are both retired Registered Nurses (I am never sure if I should put “RN” for
fear someone will associate it with captaining a long distance pleasure boat
and assume it means “Retired Navy” which is absolutely not the case).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are both licensed in the State of
Washington (and also in the Country of Belize but that is another story) under
the category of “Active Retired” which translates to we can still work as RN’s
but aren’t required to put in as many “practice hours” or take as much
continuing education nor pay as high a license fee in exchange for the
limitation that we can only work a limited number of hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Washington was clever in creating this
category in that it keeps nurses who might have stepped completely away from nursing
available to fill-in when there are shortages (which happens more often than
not in our profession) and it keeps we old mentor types around to pass on the
skills that are honed only with time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are both coming up on dates when we will need to either let our licenses lapse
or be ready to demonstrate that we practiced our craft and continued to study
the art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting the continuing
education is not the issue as we can always get credit over the internet if not
in other ways but we also need to do jobs that require an RN after our names if
we are to meet the practice hours <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>requirement
and we are not sure at this moment how we will do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will speak for myself and say it would be
hard to set what has become a very significant part of my self-image aside on
one hand and yet I am very burned out on the other. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Back when I became an RN in 1983 there were very few men in
the profession.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was assumed that you
were ex-military or gay if you were a man who was a nurse and I am neither so I
felt even further afield.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways
it was fun to be “special” on the other hand I quickly learned that anyone who
is a leader (by plan or happenstance) is watched very closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my case I was also challenging tradition
and traditions don’t like to be challenged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Early in my career I chose to be a labor and delivery nurse as we were
having children at home and I was excited to be a part of this time in my
patients’ lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a lot of folks know
that my master’s degree is in perinatal (moms, dads, and babies) nursing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am among a very small group of nurses who
specialized in caring for fathers during childbearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem with this is that care of mothers
is traditionally women’s work and some of my co-workers went out of their ways
to protect that tradition which made my life difficult at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recall my first week working at a major
hospital where I was the only male nurse in the building when they needed a
model for some public relations photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I loved the work I did, I loved the hundreds of patients I cared for,
and I loved the hundreds of students I mentored as a professor of nursing and
as their supervising nurse in the hospital so why did I feel so unburdened when
I retired almost 2 years ago?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About that
time either in an interview about her book or in her book, I can’t really
remember where she made the comment, Michelle Obama talked about her last
helicopter ride as First Lady.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She cried
the whole ride in sheer relief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
looking back she realized that as the first Black First Lady and the wife of
the first Black American President every word she said, every expression on her
face, every button on her clothing was scrutinized and she had to always be the
best she could be because she was setting the standard and a whole lot of
people wanted to see her fail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
read (or heard) that comment I realized that I felt somewhat the same as I had
spent from 1983 to 2017 being scrutinized and trying to always do my best
knowing that I was breaking barriers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was exhausting but with the pride I feel and the knowledge I carry and the love
I have for caring for patients and teaching new nurses I’m not sure I’m ready
to step aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So keep abreast of the
blog and we’ll see what happens together and Clarice and I are still making
this up as we go along. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news
is that when I talk to the many young men now choosing to be RN’s that they
assure me they have not experienced those same barriers so in many ways I
believe I left a solid legacy in that sense and made the profession better by
opening it up to a whole lot of folks who love what they do and are good at it
but might have never considered becoming nurses except those of us who took the
early lead. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now back to moments that make our travels remarkable and can
never, ever be recreated on film or in a book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are the moments that happen at times when it just seems like we
are just “bobbing around in the ocean”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jumping back to Alaska I think of the bay in Kenai Fjords where we were
surrounded by at least 6 glaciers and could hear the hanging glaciers calving
into ice-falls and all-the-while a whale swam around and kept us company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Alaska I think of sitting in a remote hot
spring, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>watching a couple of bears
forage on the beach while the sun was taking forever to set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming down the coast the first time we were
accompanied by porpoises and then later shutting off all of the lights on the
boat on my night watch and watching the phosphorescence from our wake and seeing
stars from horizon to horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing
the rays swim past the other night looking like a scene from Finding Nemo
combined with Avatar is a moment that is almost beyond my own belief and I was
there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we visited a mission
yesterday that was hundreds of years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We and friends and our taxi driver were the only ones in the chapel with
its four foot thick ancient stone walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I took the opportunity to sing with my full base voice and the walls of
the chapel came alive and sang with me, another experience I could only have by
being there at that moment in time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
we will continue to bob around and be open to such wonders when they happen and
hold those moments in our hearts and do the best we can to share them with our
readers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D_LCyOnJ2GUdKQXCgQqcVs9awTafxxXKQ0wHzn1DOh8UQXxQbBPC38SlnKVeWj5rivqW4xU6zEaqFoqglyVYQ16XOT9ZHMibOicohiX3DhuT5UtEGC0ZIDnINEAEp2k9y5_Phaot0eg5/s1600/DSCF2164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D_LCyOnJ2GUdKQXCgQqcVs9awTafxxXKQ0wHzn1DOh8UQXxQbBPC38SlnKVeWj5rivqW4xU6zEaqFoqglyVYQ16XOT9ZHMibOicohiX3DhuT5UtEGC0ZIDnINEAEp2k9y5_Phaot0eg5/s320/DSCF2164.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission Santa Rosalia with our friends from S/V Korvessa</td></tr>
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The final question about our purpose is still out
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Clarice and I started this
quest we were very clear with each other that we didn’t want to consider having
cocktails on the beach (the cruisers equivalent of golfing every day) to be our
goal in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wanted to feel that we
have given back to the communities and peoples we have come into contact
with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Helping with the school fund raising
was a part of that (although I’d much rather mix concrete and help with
construction than raise funds but that would be taking from the local laborers
rather than giving).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>arranged for a parents’ night out for cruising
families with children and we have gotten to be known as the place to turn if
your boat breaks down or you need a hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These things make us feel valued but I’m not sure they rise to the level
of “purpose” yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, God
has always challenged my limited patience while he prepares me for His work and
this may just be another one of those times. (Maybe he thinks I should be able
to do more than order my meal in Spanish first – gotten keep working on my
lessons!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, keep reading our blog
and time will tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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5-7-19<o:p></o:p></div>
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We still aren’t in an area with general internet access so I
will keep writing on the draft of this posting even though it is getting a bit
long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday we helped Korvessa take
on fuel from our tanks as they were getting concerned since they have used more
than planned between more need for generator use and less time under sail than
they had expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evening we
moved a short distance to Bahia Burro with the plan of leaving early for a hike
up Bell Mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This morning we left
at 7:30 up what we thought was the correct trail (it wasn’t but eventually we
found the cairns that let us the right direction).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lower half of the trail pretty much
involved scrambling over rocks up a gully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Later we intersected what appeared to have been a very old road of some
kind which left me wondering if it was an original mission trail or perhaps a
mine access route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final fifth of
the route was short slippery switchbacks to the base of a rock pile that was
Bell Mountain so named as some (but not all) of the rocks that fall from it
ring like bells when struck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still
cannot find any obvious difference in appearance between those that ring and
those that don’t but tapping them with the hardened tips of our hiking poles
quickly revealed the ringers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any
case the sound was very distinct and very bell like on some of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did make the hike down the mountain go
more quickly as we tapped rocks along the way looking for the ones with
tone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was especially interesting that
the ones that rang only seemed to have come from the single small peak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail was also reported to have
petroglyphs along it so we watched for them the whole way up and the whole way
back only to discover their location as we exited the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were all within 30 feet of the highway
but at least we did get the satisfaction of finding them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>waited this hike out <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and was glad to see us when we returned to the
boat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQ392lPPSn2SpVtntAJF6-ohlY1daZsu14qshaLWpIxwIpr58IDHOJIkmaQLMn1tb8ueG1vmCvJ6B5TZlNVEQK2XDtCDIWTkFVKakNCoAsCMfXQIuwqKsxjlOo3cDcvUv4QTLIFWOBH0K/s1600/DSCF2181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQ392lPPSn2SpVtntAJF6-ohlY1daZsu14qshaLWpIxwIpr58IDHOJIkmaQLMn1tb8ueG1vmCvJ6B5TZlNVEQK2XDtCDIWTkFVKakNCoAsCMfXQIuwqKsxjlOo3cDcvUv4QTLIFWOBH0K/s320/DSCF2181.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petroglyphs at the base of Bell Mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq0wvv1drrTfu3okD3X00eVDR2LLg7zjvKXxXmv3h46yfdoVZFlsmhvmyodBlHripuKf4gRlDC3tUcAvE0BFYAvmMrl4GkR27aWrP75R8lclg9lMW4u3538OQZIydMoECof53ujPouEKO/s1600/DSCF2180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq0wvv1drrTfu3okD3X00eVDR2LLg7zjvKXxXmv3h46yfdoVZFlsmhvmyodBlHripuKf4gRlDC3tUcAvE0BFYAvmMrl4GkR27aWrP75R8lclg9lMW4u3538OQZIydMoECof53ujPouEKO/s320/DSCF2180.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petroglyphs at the base of Bell Mountain</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKFCj2iyjM828tsGDWQHVtc1Rb-PoMYl7PEsl12oQxsPh37gAvzfYyuRY-9IxT73F5kILcCPqaEY0JZ8o_snNY3qYpL2VSLJWJ9rlmzmj-iabOI3shhfxl_LgftKKfteyhI5F-YUBvykY/s1600/DSCF2182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKFCj2iyjM828tsGDWQHVtc1Rb-PoMYl7PEsl12oQxsPh37gAvzfYyuRY-9IxT73F5kILcCPqaEY0JZ8o_snNY3qYpL2VSLJWJ9rlmzmj-iabOI3shhfxl_LgftKKfteyhI5F-YUBvykY/s320/DSCF2182.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "bell" rocks seem to all come from the little peak in the center of the photo</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzNIn8yycU4CqwGlFV9jq__lfPaJu-8Bc-IuFXRBe_PEY1mtpimcE9WwzHXXaE3Vx_JzhCodcYsO3MIWYoAog' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Video of the bells of Bell Mountain</div>
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Finally just some random photos since the last blog entry:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLOnRJTW0zWOa5Vzbf4_bK07RyHHA_rmSRkFVkCHipqBe5bPMyUk1ODD2YbpLXdPYrz4YsuGHsyWSZJjNX3LM-Se6BAKW4f3u-k4-b5tZzMG41CLeM_7UhKYvebj1puqxulhfjKer89Kh/s1600/DSCF3985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1034" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLOnRJTW0zWOa5Vzbf4_bK07RyHHA_rmSRkFVkCHipqBe5bPMyUk1ODD2YbpLXdPYrz4YsuGHsyWSZJjNX3LM-Se6BAKW4f3u-k4-b5tZzMG41CLeM_7UhKYvebj1puqxulhfjKer89Kh/s320/DSCF3985.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddle boarder with whale shark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNKzs0i1k1Dih-FJLR5j1nirul32IQbJOdlIAUsjgCjh9-6SXdD4Rvj0BAVT0WLenE93jx7__LAKgkKYvtDqnYj-ExFpj5yfX0A_LyLLYtdX-p0FIBO4AHnvwLkLBsYhlVaXfumokjvro/s1600/DSCF3996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1034" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNKzs0i1k1Dih-FJLR5j1nirul32IQbJOdlIAUsjgCjh9-6SXdD4Rvj0BAVT0WLenE93jx7__LAKgkKYvtDqnYj-ExFpj5yfX0A_LyLLYtdX-p0FIBO4AHnvwLkLBsYhlVaXfumokjvro/s320/DSCF3996.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonlit night</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdyQMuwLXB2NN_YsldH3iLz2fjPiptmvCCWDjc8aMGdKoWK7xsEuD3rshJm2C_CIYbeAUOjrP6nBzVJEL_uOUGnML0Mnf575jt2ynvpQ9SbcDk6W2OBvhCYu4mB8VgqM0uS6fQi8KbJa4/s1600/DSCF4006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1034" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdyQMuwLXB2NN_YsldH3iLz2fjPiptmvCCWDjc8aMGdKoWK7xsEuD3rshJm2C_CIYbeAUOjrP6nBzVJEL_uOUGnML0Mnf575jt2ynvpQ9SbcDk6W2OBvhCYu4mB8VgqM0uS6fQi8KbJa4/s320/DSCF4006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc3mOxvJUvHN1FTm6M8lWGOfHvA_BDCC-_TUs9ko1UYPLo7ej3LMvNyEWpsX-9pCIe_p-gQwLo6NvoDqscN-dz8Fl94BU3msnM4Gbaef2Pt-J6wNo5-hhNWV6OAVVxHvuJ7xD5Q2-1VVE/s1600/DSCF4015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="1034" height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLc3mOxvJUvHN1FTm6M8lWGOfHvA_BDCC-_TUs9ko1UYPLo7ej3LMvNyEWpsX-9pCIe_p-gQwLo6NvoDqscN-dz8Fl94BU3msnM4Gbaef2Pt-J6wNo5-hhNWV6OAVVxHvuJ7xD5Q2-1VVE/s320/DSCF4015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiegMvU0g9DezRK9TT3yXbnSUUZ39UuYSReq3sHzXIhlxPGdUyvyofbDVyRwSUg1Aw3P5X1Ae2OC9GVim6VKzo-g_frMVxAAvtRaeBN6tFlIkYwkAM38jeckc1EMk03G4BgHrQePUuhV09/s1600/DSCF4045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1034" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiegMvU0g9DezRK9TT3yXbnSUUZ39UuYSReq3sHzXIhlxPGdUyvyofbDVyRwSUg1Aw3P5X1Ae2OC9GVim6VKzo-g_frMVxAAvtRaeBN6tFlIkYwkAM38jeckc1EMk03G4BgHrQePUuhV09/s320/DSCF4045.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flock of "little diving birds" - a flock will suddenly disappear below the surface and then reappear a bit further on</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGDEw4R-PPVRNI2x6hnAsXDqwR0jQB4oPGnTc_zRJoXK3Dp40uvLiUi5cAZ94ngm15n6gYkYMc6Y9mhKjcBsvMDLuAWj8Mvkc80mp8mFO7h2gpALosJUJA0UBBvwDyt6uB5YTeqxI-AT2/s1600/DSCF4065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1034" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGDEw4R-PPVRNI2x6hnAsXDqwR0jQB4oPGnTc_zRJoXK3Dp40uvLiUi5cAZ94ngm15n6gYkYMc6Y9mhKjcBsvMDLuAWj8Mvkc80mp8mFO7h2gpALosJUJA0UBBvwDyt6uB5YTeqxI-AT2/s320/DSCF4065.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice hiking</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXozMDvGxbErI1laa3AGAS15Qm6_ua1DXFabWxZsIouByPheyoRvxpMsw9OENkx2ewVL_8R0iOAQo9cdpV95gTg7rJSCyVZ4nV-IBRgEWmLAaAetiWEZjjKDnCZdsF5kpSUMrU70CcOsSB/s1600/DSCF2101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXozMDvGxbErI1laa3AGAS15Qm6_ua1DXFabWxZsIouByPheyoRvxpMsw9OENkx2ewVL_8R0iOAQo9cdpV95gTg7rJSCyVZ4nV-IBRgEWmLAaAetiWEZjjKDnCZdsF5kpSUMrU70CcOsSB/s320/DSCF2101.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis taking a break in his hiking boots</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS-2_7eTydbE1DFbVjJUrNoaZQnAHE-NhLtnXyJsKVoTcnH2hExVYe6fOM18i8lCFT9AVbx9yxrkYthTBfajefRvDeltg7p9Ac9tsEqFvgpmPUvrBvMbGl5-o7cBMN0O_BG8njUj6tiHB/s320/DSCF4087.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coronado Island volcano</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS-2_7eTydbE1DFbVjJUrNoaZQnAHE-NhLtnXyJsKVoTcnH2hExVYe6fOM18i8lCFT9AVbx9yxrkYthTBfajefRvDeltg7p9Ac9tsEqFvgpmPUvrBvMbGl5-o7cBMN0O_BG8njUj6tiHB/s1600/DSCF4087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCS-2_7eTydbE1DFbVjJUrNoaZQnAHE-NhLtnXyJsKVoTcnH2hExVYe6fOM18i8lCFT9AVbx9yxrkYthTBfajefRvDeltg7p9Ac9tsEqFvgpmPUvrBvMbGl5-o7cBMN0O_BG8njUj6tiHB/s1600/DSCF4087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSypBkCBmprBdMRZ1AguocK5JV6NBnHaZPNvN5qQZPEywwe68fgUj-nXAKEWTh33qPp_7fCLDRUlRNVD1mXVhHtJGU5RWWxDYBvGtqbWQNE-E0eov_BEchzPWWhfwDAb4o7ljnOarAUhm/s1600/DSCF4093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSypBkCBmprBdMRZ1AguocK5JV6NBnHaZPNvN5qQZPEywwe68fgUj-nXAKEWTh33qPp_7fCLDRUlRNVD1mXVhHtJGU5RWWxDYBvGtqbWQNE-E0eov_BEchzPWWhfwDAb4o7ljnOarAUhm/s320/DSCF4093.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Aire from the top of Coronado Island volcano</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCa812KoUnZgGI551P0Znx8IQP6fIFtxdssgkGxakVOvD6Mb8UW7a8015KVD64arccaRtRBF_NLm73k1Ki0jpzsPYc94EwQYIl80T09RC9Av6X0CWwKApnLhijZ6YSixsMInJ-8NEAhKg/s1600/P4275625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCa812KoUnZgGI551P0Znx8IQP6fIFtxdssgkGxakVOvD6Mb8UW7a8015KVD64arccaRtRBF_NLm73k1Ki0jpzsPYc94EwQYIl80T09RC9Av6X0CWwKApnLhijZ6YSixsMInJ-8NEAhKg/s320/P4275625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> These creatures cover themselves with other sea life we assume for camouflage </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jhKZyx8sfaoIe4sOPvvUOa3YvaM-xp2ikK6tNOHINhPwzltRbOggYsOIRvGMazl2j1tKwjbMTwlxf1pFkM1kBaI3WEBUNNLqj1dK81-9r6K_73XhPXv5l7AGtX3d4yYVd9zR1RFvMIPi/s1600/P4275641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6jhKZyx8sfaoIe4sOPvvUOa3YvaM-xp2ikK6tNOHINhPwzltRbOggYsOIRvGMazl2j1tKwjbMTwlxf1pFkM1kBaI3WEBUNNLqj1dK81-9r6K_73XhPXv5l7AGtX3d4yYVd9zR1RFvMIPi/s320/P4275641.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many kinds of sea stars we see while diving</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBUs3KTiSQ-_suksiDG9Hm16kEmDmMlWvaYTNkF8BzrCCoyygIsSVAFBFrTDS8eJqjf4m1RXIOH8DmWIpx5JF1GHVQi3m6b2LPbnuUJu9ZmVuQhzMmUKaAxZM5_9JGwBh7LLjklPZLgFW/s1600/P4275647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBUs3KTiSQ-_suksiDG9Hm16kEmDmMlWvaYTNkF8BzrCCoyygIsSVAFBFrTDS8eJqjf4m1RXIOH8DmWIpx5JF1GHVQi3m6b2LPbnuUJu9ZmVuQhzMmUKaAxZM5_9JGwBh7LLjklPZLgFW/s320/P4275647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bulls-eye ray we saw while diving</td></tr>
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Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-53422529731439540682019-04-21T07:01:00.001-07:002019-04-21T07:01:10.840-07:00Stuck in La Paz<br />
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4-20-19<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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I often find it harder to start writing after I have “played
hooky” for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More out of
embarrassment that I haven’t kept up than anything else (kind of like slipping
on a weight loss resolution and then getting back into it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My official excuse is that we kept hanging
around La Paz and nothing much happened but that really isn’t true at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case all I can say is, “blog on!!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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First in the way of closing some stories from the previous
chapter:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I flew back up to Seattle for my younger
brother, Tim’s, memorial service the beginning of March. It was a lovely
service with an SRO crowd in the church he and our family had attended for many
years. It kept making me feel a bit off balance when someone would introduce
themselves who I hadn’t seen since they were Tim’s playmates in junior high
school and they were suddenly middle aged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s very clear that he had made an impression on a LOT of the kids he
was in school with and been on sports teams with and that he had kept in touch
with them in various ways. We were initially very upset that we had to delay the
service because of the snowstorm but in hindsight it really was better as we
all a bit more time to absorb the shock of his death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we work through his affairs we learn more
and more about his life as an adult after he pulled away from our family
somewhat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He will always be missed by
many more people than I had ever realized.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Frequently we have to just say,
“It’s Mexico” when we hit a cultural barrier we don’t expect and that is
exactly what happened with the Esparanza school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found out that our $US 1200 check had been
accepted by the local bank who had to send it on to their Mexico City
headquarters because it was “such a large amount” (we suspect anti money laundering
rules may be part of the reason).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
headquarters said they would take a $US 300 fee!!!! to cash the check at which
time the local Rotary in La Paz demanded that the check be returned as they
could not see ¼ of the donated money go to overhead in good conscience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On further review they learned that if
instead we had donated two $600 checks they would be cashed without a fee so
the original check was torn up and we wrote two $600 checks which were promptly
cashed without problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next issue was
that friends we had known in Snohomish (now living in Florida) and staunch
Rotarians had offered to match our contribution and we had hand carried a $1200
check from them which we now knew would not clear without a ridiculous (“It’s
Mexico”) fee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We contacted them and they
agreed that if we tore up the original check they would send down two $600
checks with Carol and Charles who were going to see a new grandchild in the
States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NOW the good news: We received
word that the national Rotary agreed to add $US 1000 to the pot and work has
resumed on the school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is expected to
be completed in time for the next term!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIeUebuSjRCIZmSNLgdfMPtWmflaSXMHW8_jxIWdrpUEne7CITsci3sH_ahXbq9wOwy6r3gvlyli-ke1qGD2GPSllHquZbbfOfWjVxORKcAdAxaJudOgQC1ioi1cDdTfz5I52V2_PF28h/s1600/Emplaste+paredes+frente+y+lateral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIeUebuSjRCIZmSNLgdfMPtWmflaSXMHW8_jxIWdrpUEne7CITsci3sH_ahXbq9wOwy6r3gvlyli-ke1qGD2GPSllHquZbbfOfWjVxORKcAdAxaJudOgQC1ioi1cDdTfz5I52V2_PF28h/s320/Emplaste+paredes+frente+y+lateral.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stucco is added over the rough block walls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWx4Io_T2JFUo1SVWyHFKg8Imy9wADw1JdhQ16U52B_pIpGnSPsJ_ebcua5WH88Afr3-ObgcF1iNZ3_11UKLHhRBr5PZ77lER77hnAD2XO5NwE1J1pdF2XIpaxkFzZI2LmFArdYwj-xjy/s1600/Tuber%25C3%25ADa+para+fosa+c%25C3%25A9ptica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="610" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWx4Io_T2JFUo1SVWyHFKg8Imy9wADw1JdhQ16U52B_pIpGnSPsJ_ebcua5WH88Afr3-ObgcF1iNZ3_11UKLHhRBr5PZ77lER77hnAD2XO5NwE1J1pdF2XIpaxkFzZI2LmFArdYwj-xjy/s320/Tuber%25C3%25ADa+para+fosa+c%25C3%25A9ptica.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pipes are laid to the sewer tank</td></tr>
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A lot of what happened since the past note was we continued
to explore the islands, remote anchorages and villages north of La Paz so we could
make the highly anticipated visit of our grandson, Etienne, and his mother
Elise’s visit as enjoyable and varied as possible.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
When I returned to La Paz from Tim's memorial service Mardi Gras was in full swing. A parade runs first from one end of the Malecon to the other then the next night it goes the opposite direction and on Tuesday night it turns around and heads back for a final (almost) hurrah. The final hurrah occurs the following week when the same floats are filled with children for the Children's Parade.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLkMDMR_fPSUB-W-ArCGAsrvesyKmD7YS8Y2DQJDS2B93eyQ8xOvaO58h8SROpdr0nlzJJxPy_poAzemO21H_i6uKyZkmDN6mVxWOtMMNj3q1RX2JQKi7j6TesseQ3hFX1X1Ht_Qm27Y_/s1600/IMG_1745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLkMDMR_fPSUB-W-ArCGAsrvesyKmD7YS8Y2DQJDS2B93eyQ8xOvaO58h8SROpdr0nlzJJxPy_poAzemO21H_i6uKyZkmDN6mVxWOtMMNj3q1RX2JQKi7j6TesseQ3hFX1X1Ht_Qm27Y_/s320/IMG_1745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEiwxY_fXB0" target="_blank">YouTube of La Paz parades (low resolution)</a><br />
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On one of my previous arrivals into the airport in San Jose
Del Cabo I had taken photos of the maze one has to transit in order to get from
the plane to the La Paz shuttle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
includes going through a room filled with hundreds of people waiting to check
in with immigration which itself takes only a couple of minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The airport is rapidly expanding but
currently experiencing severe overload in the early afternoon when planes are
parked out on the tarmac and visitors shuttled in and out on busses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once through immigration you pick up your
baggage and after letting the customs officer know if you have tobacco or
liquor to declare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the answer is “no”
then you are instructed to push a button and if you get a green light (so far
we have only gotten green lights – knock on wood) then you are free to enter
Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BUT first you have to pass two
rooms full of taxi and shuttle drivers who are all trying to convince you that
you are going the wrong way and that you really would be better to use their
services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once past the gauntlet of
shuttle drivers you exit the building and move on to looking for the correct
shuttle company representative under the VERY crowded “umbrellas” (AKA
awnings).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The company we use to go
between La Paz and the airport has an agent with a sign under umbrella 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you find the agent the world gets better
as he speaks excellent English and has the ability to put you on an earlier
shuttle if you get out in time or a later shuttle if you got out later than you
had planned (both of which have happened to us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elise and Etienne arrived at a very busy time
but using our guide photos and getting a green light they were able to get to
the shuttle an hour before we expected and were put on an earlier bus which
made everyone happy.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHMls_2kUEWZq5s5kd1TdakZQjeZvkDG3pSBzrDNbZrMSJOxesYF9gh3tPmQbJxMoJNXQ8MgXIqx8BQnYaqSkhKzFbfNBNKoEYMTnwXbPNc699pasK0vgA6mJFhbgRYZU1mSNmmwgEvp5/s1600/IMG_1707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHMls_2kUEWZq5s5kd1TdakZQjeZvkDG3pSBzrDNbZrMSJOxesYF9gh3tPmQbJxMoJNXQ8MgXIqx8BQnYaqSkhKzFbfNBNKoEYMTnwXbPNc699pasK0vgA6mJFhbgRYZU1mSNmmwgEvp5/s320/IMG_1707.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immigration waiting area La Paz airport</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtriBSq3J_kIHhWfGYkVY6asIC9YVibbntbKVrb_DTH2iI5Z08AvXuJb0fWdA0DIQI4635bobbmyxD20M4LUIuag48Ofhx4zS_XNnUPNCDJaKG7zfxBT6qutsZiNj_JP37zyEYMgQWaW0K/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtriBSq3J_kIHhWfGYkVY6asIC9YVibbntbKVrb_DTH2iI5Z08AvXuJb0fWdA0DIQI4635bobbmyxD20M4LUIuag48Ofhx4zS_XNnUPNCDJaKG7zfxBT6qutsZiNj_JP37zyEYMgQWaW0K/s320/IMG_1718.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Umbrellas"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGROeg4iHtLvrs61x1tTSJAlr6wdU4-38I64gCfk-Qr_Jlmf2j3d1QR-OuBDuoQMfmgSaQEXO9PY5-sXqenloDF6T-OScfWu06u5nDuSXWA0ezZ5IR2UsqRrXl7ylp2l7n0yri6AeALnaL/s1600/IMG_1719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGROeg4iHtLvrs61x1tTSJAlr6wdU4-38I64gCfk-Qr_Jlmf2j3d1QR-OuBDuoQMfmgSaQEXO9PY5-sXqenloDF6T-OScfWu06u5nDuSXWA0ezZ5IR2UsqRrXl7ylp2l7n0yri6AeALnaL/s320/IMG_1719.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz shuttle representative </td></tr>
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Etienne’s high school Spanish class has an extra credit
opportunity for students who visit a Spanish speaking culture during the term
and so we had planned to give him as many cultural learning opportunities as
well as amazing scenery opportunities as possible during his stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once off the shuttle van he and his mother
were immediately swallowed up in a holiday crowd as there was a huge bike race
being staged down main street in front of the bus station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then walked to the boat and deposited
luggage before heading to a restaurant at the head of the dock for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I instructed the waitress that Etienne was in
school for Spanish and if he didn’t order is Spanish without help he would not
get fed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She laughed and helped with his
learning experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to say he
immediately demonstrated that he has learned a lot in his Spanish lessons and
continued to help us with translation throughout his visit!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl1fgZkeJgyfIUZnGk6O1s0bHYFRGv4XZxPJ2mgJSvIJpL3RtVUSinp-PiC_1Z9CGJLacUCbZoPbYj5vuDKixrxCSW7kQqqpGL3_aTvTwFrHkM-5vvFTBYLFEW5dHYkrZf4fu21N8ioic/s1600/DSCF2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl1fgZkeJgyfIUZnGk6O1s0bHYFRGv4XZxPJ2mgJSvIJpL3RtVUSinp-PiC_1Z9CGJLacUCbZoPbYj5vuDKixrxCSW7kQqqpGL3_aTvTwFrHkM-5vvFTBYLFEW5dHYkrZf4fu21N8ioic/s320/DSCF2005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etienne and Elise</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The winds were cooperative while they visited so after
spending two days introducing them to “big city” La Paz making sure we visited
everything from the street vendors to the bigger stores as well as the Gringo
community, we headed out to the islands but not before we paid a tour operator
to take us snorkeling with whale sharks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For the past couple of years whale sharks have chosen to bear their
young in the waters just outside of the peninsula that protects La Paz
Harbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The locals have instituted a
very strict plan for snorkeling with the juveniles which requires that you ride
on a licensed guide boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able
to swim with two of the fish (whale sharks are the largest fish (NOT
whales/mammals)and filter feed from the plankton rich waters).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all decided that the experience was well
worth the costs and tipped the guides well after they went out of their way to
help water-timid Etienne have a great experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO08ZYAcAHk52DAPkTc98LMHzL1GZWASLx-5nauKiAVEdNGvHAtmwWn9VyVBZZCuOB89aet_YyRH5bGR9kfkYD5iOKDF1pH-sJr97rkua94r0TuwSoGcVbhEHaQ8hgCd68r7AEoIgRuy6K/s1600/DSCF1996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO08ZYAcAHk52DAPkTc98LMHzL1GZWASLx-5nauKiAVEdNGvHAtmwWn9VyVBZZCuOB89aet_YyRH5bGR9kfkYD5iOKDF1pH-sJr97rkua94r0TuwSoGcVbhEHaQ8hgCd68r7AEoIgRuy6K/s320/DSCF1996.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming with whale shark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On our way to the islands Elise was totally delighted when a
pod of dolphins swan a couple of feet from our bow long enough for her to catch
a video of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited a number of
our favorite anchorages and made it as far north as tiny fishing village of San
Evaristo where Etienne could get a chance to be immersed in rural Mexican
culture for a short time. After a week that went very quickly we waved good bye
as they headed back to the airport on the shuttle van so they could return to
the clouds and rain of Portland Oregon.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUPigQWJ2pnmaOPdCRefhFimiDdcCgEHaU-7CzfPRyREuHiYDAdNzsEo7mpHUwzcI3tH7rF6E6GWasC02igy7kahXdyrIRCfYfciBXTLo3UUxJSf54SA2_qox44Itu63mhrlXGs-3-7OV/s1600/DSCF3895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="813" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUPigQWJ2pnmaOPdCRefhFimiDdcCgEHaU-7CzfPRyREuHiYDAdNzsEo7mpHUwzcI3tH7rF6E6GWasC02igy7kahXdyrIRCfYfciBXTLo3UUxJSf54SA2_qox44Itu63mhrlXGs-3-7OV/s320/DSCF3895.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Elise in her favorite spot on the boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had planned to head out as soon as they left but
recognizing we needed a few days to provision and upon learning that the
cruisers’ club would do their annual Bay Fest the next week, we stayed on in La
Paz for a few more days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also were
taken up on our offer to do a presentation on cruising to and in Alaska which
was well received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will post the link
to the PowerPoint program here <a href="http://ncgregory.larper.com/Chapter-Pages/Cruising%20to%20and%20in%20Alaska.pdf">http://ncgregory.larper.com/Chapter-Pages/Cruising%20to%20and%20in%20Alaska.pdf</a>
.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I write this we have just moved north of our previous
most northern exploration within the Sea of Cortez when we pulled anchor at the
village of Agua Verde this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have “joined” an informal group of friends that have gotten to know each other
as we move along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tom, Sandi and kids we
met when we moored directly off of their bow on the way south in the port of
Dana Point only to learn that Tom is a Physician’s Assistant who had practiced
at the same hospital where I worked as an RN (we were both there at the same
time but don’t recall meeting previously).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We met 9 year old twins “Isle” (pronounced with a silent s, as she is
quick to point out) and Lily on the dock and at the cruisers’ club in La Paz
and they live aboard the boat Saare Lill which translates into “flower island”
so it is named after the girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Habe
Hoba and Habe Hoba II are slowly working their way north as well where they
hope to sell Habe Hoba which has been their home for the past three years but
is now protesting the plan with engine breakdowns and other maritime
pouting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case we have lots of
time to get to our eventual goal at the very north end of the Sea so instead of
staying for a night at most in an anchorage we are often staying for several
days and taking time to explore.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our explorations include diving in ever increasingly
beautiful dive sites, visiting the villages and trails on shore, and taking
time to watch a whale shark swim around the bay collecting its diet of
plankton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we move north the islands
are becoming more common and the Baja mountains steeper and more scenic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we can say is that everyone who has been
north in the Sea reports it is “amazing”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Clarice here – I decided to add a
little entry to this latest update. We’ve worked hard on keeping the bottom of
the boat clean as the sea growth occurs quickly in these southern waters. Also
realized one of our Ultrasonic hull cleaner transducers had separated and thus
was not performing. We’ve reattached it and will see if it helps keep the
“garden” on the keel cooler a little less abundant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Norman taught me how to splice
Dyneema so that makes me pretty happy. We realized we needed to replace the
straps on the sling we use to lift the dinghy to the upper deck when one
decided to break abruptly ( not while raising thank goodness) and another one
was almost cut through one layer. We made a nice Dyneema hoist system so hoping
that will last a little better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
We’ve done a lot of “work” dives on
the bottom of the boat, but now we are doing some fun dives. We went to a
pinnacle outside of Agua Verde and dove while a friend tried to spear fish. We
stayed around 35 to 40 feet and saw huge schools of fish – Beautiful Cortez
Angel Fish, Sargent Majors, Parrot Fish, Cortez rainbow wrasse and multiple
others. Circled the whole pinnacle and it was beautiful. The coral is present,
but bleaching. Multiple fans were present as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Fresh fruit and fresh variety of
produce is becoming more difficult to find in the fishing villages. I’m working
to be creative with the meals to keep from eating getting boring. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Jarvis has decided he is going to
be highly anxious when we run the generator or wing engine. He doesn’t like rolly
anchorages, but then neither do we. He also gets stressed out when we get the
dive gear set up…some of these are new anxieties, but we’ve noticed his age is
showing more and more. He appears to have some arthritis in his hips and
aspirin helps that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
It’s getting more and more remote
as we venture farther north. The water is sort of warming up, finally. Love the
clarity of the water – it’s fun to be able to check your anchor from the
surface.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just some final notes on how things are going after nearly 6
months in sun and warm water:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Clarice already commented on Jarvis
getting more nervous with engine noise and boat movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he dislikes rocky anchorages even
more than I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have also purchased rubber
shoes for him to see if we can reduce the number of burrs he picks up and other
injuries to his foot pads from sharp rocks and shells when we take hikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally we have not yet tried his new carry
sling but since he is very eager to go hiking with us but sometimes tires out
and needs to be carried home we are hoping it will help.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Clarice also mentioned our bottom
cleaning woes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Pacific Northwest
and Alaska we would clean the bottom of the boat every 2 – 3 months whereas in
these warmer waters we need to do it every couple of weeks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are learning to stay ahead of the harder to
remove growths by checking places where the growth starts frequently while a
brush with a dive glove is enough to disrupt the growing garden patch (any
unpainted metal fittings such as intake ports, keel cooler and propellers seem
to be the quickest to start showing growth on them).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our new favorite tools for removing the scum
that develops on the hull is a pair of stainless sheetrock knives from Home
Depot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scum peels off in sheets but
releases hundreds of krill into the water that seem to be attracted to our wet
suits for some reason.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
We have read that in this part of
the world your water maker will become one of your most used appliances and we
are finding this to be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ours
requires that we be connected to shore power at a dock or running the
generator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 25 gallons an hour we seem
to need to run it for a couple of hours every few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our sailboat friends can’t imagine using that
much fresh water but since we have fresh water flush toilets, fresh water
showers, rinse the anchor chain with fresh water, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we use a lot that we don’t have to in
survival mode but once again we remind ourselves that we chose to make this our
house rather than “long term camper”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most marinas don’t guarantee their water is safe to drink so even
sitting at the dock we fill our tanks from our water maker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our other choice is to fill the tanks and add
a tiny amount of bleach but chlorine is a threat to the water maker membranes
and we have gotten used to the very pure taste of the water we produce
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are concerned about the
age of our water maker and have replaced and upgraded a number of parts
already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is that it is
made up of parts scattered under our bed rather than a single unit so we can
replace and upgrade pieces more easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bad news is that when it was built the membranes that are the heart
of reverse osmosis water makers were all priority to each manufacturer whereas
the new ones are more generic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
believe our membranes were last replaced in 2009 which makes them about 10
years old and beyond their expected life span.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Replacing the membranes will mean we need to change the high pressure
vessels to ones of standard size and this one-time costs is about $1000 total
for the two vessels we will also need two membranes at about $200 each.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
We are also starting to see how
quickly fabrics and ropes fade and deteriorate from sun and constant
motion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve also joked about trying to
make money selling sea salt made at sea by scraping the layer of salt that
coats everything whenever we transit rough water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is especially frustrating for Clarice
who takes any substance other than boat wax on the hull to be a personal affront
and requires scarce fresh water to make it completely go away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Overall we are loving the
weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Virtually every day is sunny
with temperatures in the 80s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
both quite tanned and getting used to wearing wide brimmed hats, avoiding
walking in the heat of the day, and drinking a lot of fluids.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since we seem to have reasonable internet here in Puerto
Escondido we will stop at this point and get this posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember we love to hear from readers (NOT advertisers
trying to get free press!!) so please leave a comment or send us a message at
salishaire@gmail.com. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl891ChvUx_WFxYN-Yf4FOUql8VeLWIrchPBxnAw8Cfk1iH-7HVBKFW_aoC6eHrtUGqM-5z65SF0PleYyeS1CwwZvQyjWjDQrY1rqBNhsPRg13H_M1IzpH0k0lqBpXC8rwXo4pl70T1mPA/s1600/DSCF2029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl891ChvUx_WFxYN-Yf4FOUql8VeLWIrchPBxnAw8Cfk1iH-7HVBKFW_aoC6eHrtUGqM-5z65SF0PleYyeS1CwwZvQyjWjDQrY1rqBNhsPRg13H_M1IzpH0k0lqBpXC8rwXo4pl70T1mPA/s320/DSCF2029.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kayaking mangroves on isle San Jose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV2-OsGFPKF_DV0z1jav5JfSleu_QO58YHblUp8V5DOuuY8mnK3rBbEfUkHzcYhjXMNVyBFXAdXiJE03sDlLkOkQ5N3ZZiEhBJ0mMKp1xqM9esuP8-L9bmO81kzct466ZQr63imKwyomS/s1600/DSCF2033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV2-OsGFPKF_DV0z1jav5JfSleu_QO58YHblUp8V5DOuuY8mnK3rBbEfUkHzcYhjXMNVyBFXAdXiJE03sDlLkOkQ5N3ZZiEhBJ0mMKp1xqM9esuP8-L9bmO81kzct466ZQr63imKwyomS/s320/DSCF2033.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kayaking mangroves on isle San Jose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4aVgwjFsF0J6tnwSf9JH3JQZ4Jamd_WRWb3pJPrrw1A8lS-H9ImEN_f8SBYdRleCaFCCSW_S99zVdBM-UQ3nyjQOMu9BABJrPhRHfbSLZgt284A3bwuen2QfqD6VH34qpWmS-KCOseK4/s1600/DSCF2044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4aVgwjFsF0J6tnwSf9JH3JQZ4Jamd_WRWb3pJPrrw1A8lS-H9ImEN_f8SBYdRleCaFCCSW_S99zVdBM-UQ3nyjQOMu9BABJrPhRHfbSLZgt284A3bwuen2QfqD6VH34qpWmS-KCOseK4/s320/DSCF2044.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend from Korvessa (red dinghy) and Saar Lil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg-i1PRnb25bjD5oojiN5FhCCf2LfmSnHdZbqQErOPLDBLiz22sFaP3D3srBRl_xLacp4OzjRHxNpoczthqfAenB3ai2l40OR39IN4KoiI9uDx8v4_ukqRGy1uopQalBq91v5bvuotBIh/s1600/DSCF2046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg-i1PRnb25bjD5oojiN5FhCCf2LfmSnHdZbqQErOPLDBLiz22sFaP3D3srBRl_xLacp4OzjRHxNpoczthqfAenB3ai2l40OR39IN4KoiI9uDx8v4_ukqRGy1uopQalBq91v5bvuotBIh/s320/DSCF2046.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach at Gato Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqX81GHKVrovMHEpXP5WuS2s3bTwAnFLi8kZwDLc2rZrcLLaxpoOZ6aoN0fsesAcMHMyy2rHMMn8RFu1RKgzy1Cre75qJcIgZvUX-4vP2waqfJhqRly-7RL8lcQprXzE_pErj1iPu1uVI/s1600/DSCF2047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqX81GHKVrovMHEpXP5WuS2s3bTwAnFLi8kZwDLc2rZrcLLaxpoOZ6aoN0fsesAcMHMyy2rHMMn8RFu1RKgzy1Cre75qJcIgZvUX-4vP2waqfJhqRly-7RL8lcQprXzE_pErj1iPu1uVI/s320/DSCF2047.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landing the dinghy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyQ5ZMv0Z_fzb4DuE-TGJXHNl2ijt78aSUBC7dhLv9tFZhUxOEfqBtqI_WWBq0i1xZzxgzMS5YeQZeLHsMcUKefW4WBaEiTym8Chq9CYr8ZWhKedA6BEkdjBgdnQepCoizzUZRxUDbe0r/s1600/DSCF2050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyQ5ZMv0Z_fzb4DuE-TGJXHNl2ijt78aSUBC7dhLv9tFZhUxOEfqBtqI_WWBq0i1xZzxgzMS5YeQZeLHsMcUKefW4WBaEiTym8Chq9CYr8ZWhKedA6BEkdjBgdnQepCoizzUZRxUDbe0r/s320/DSCF2050.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach at Escondido</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdgZ15lVeDjpszC_I_ANWNuThr7ml1bepiw7uyW8K-ajfRVyJ5XIsRUxr2cZuG6bhHc_DQYQGiVejJ61tdIYH86gKcKipVL-ODPF65ZuqLWXZrQm1cN1UeUZc8hUMtV1_xoJ3vF47YY8z/s1600/DSCF2051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdgZ15lVeDjpszC_I_ANWNuThr7ml1bepiw7uyW8K-ajfRVyJ5XIsRUxr2cZuG6bhHc_DQYQGiVejJ61tdIYH86gKcKipVL-ODPF65ZuqLWXZrQm1cN1UeUZc8hUMtV1_xoJ3vF47YY8z/s320/DSCF2051.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis exploring with kids from Saar Lil and Habe Hoba</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUamqweQb1iAXmPFNpO92ed3W_2-DWMund_Mu7YrKZYaUNHI6Anq9JTD_xIjXyEI0Pjn_M9VpV-QSXBFKwHwFpFfJq5wO8aQQL6JFF0icJmN8FTtilZisJMms-JSho__mXRiSgriATQ5R4/s1600/DSCF2052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUamqweQb1iAXmPFNpO92ed3W_2-DWMund_Mu7YrKZYaUNHI6Anq9JTD_xIjXyEI0Pjn_M9VpV-QSXBFKwHwFpFfJq5wO8aQQL6JFF0icJmN8FTtilZisJMms-JSho__mXRiSgriATQ5R4/s320/DSCF2052.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice adds more shells to her collection</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigI57jpZf2o_xHnKfd90Lp11UxYAh35_sXDVRBfBS7rk6N8BeqB_3Xr-KZJbE7_F7QsVC_Ui0dRiPtd_2gIkPGnVuby_Hi-gx-qa9OGuHdvBidqFKvNBfNmYZkmJhivXek4wFmN6Zen4ZI/s1600/DSCF2061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigI57jpZf2o_xHnKfd90Lp11UxYAh35_sXDVRBfBS7rk6N8BeqB_3Xr-KZJbE7_F7QsVC_Ui0dRiPtd_2gIkPGnVuby_Hi-gx-qa9OGuHdvBidqFKvNBfNmYZkmJhivXek4wFmN6Zen4ZI/s320/DSCF2061.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat kids exploring tide pools</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVUAVcyS-cf4khtFmvo-hE7cKbfcr09SHS3-4wQ3Y-XtudK6KElqVRTIauaxPxARVX_ZhHH9sGaxqflWwFwH25qJAzvINE-5glfrZLvyZ6ZwGEsz3ndtzEeMBRZouMy_Uu-PvDYZTv0BY/s1600/DSCF2064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVUAVcyS-cf4khtFmvo-hE7cKbfcr09SHS3-4wQ3Y-XtudK6KElqVRTIauaxPxARVX_ZhHH9sGaxqflWwFwH25qJAzvINE-5glfrZLvyZ6ZwGEsz3ndtzEeMBRZouMy_Uu-PvDYZTv0BY/s320/DSCF2064.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat kids exploring tide pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-33303827269386607862019-02-24T14:39:00.004-08:002019-02-27T05:31:53.140-08:00A wild start to the New Year!<br />
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(Since it is tax time we are looking back over last year’s
cost-of-living<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and decided to write a
side paper describing what we have learned <a href="http://ncgregory.larper.com/Chapter-Pages/The%20cost%20of%20living%20on%20a%20boat.pdf">click
here</a> or go to the side column to read about what we learned in our first
full year of cruising full-time.) <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s been a bit of a wild time since our last blog was
posted just after Christmas with one planned trip to Seattle and a very
unexpected death in my family leading to another unplanned trip to Seattle. In
the mean time we have been exploring La Paz and had time to get a small taste
of the surrounding countryside both on and off-shore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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La Paz has been our base for a month and a half now and we are quickly realizing why it has a reputation as a place where cruisers get “stuck” as it has a very large and active expat community of cruisers who have done a great job of making themselves welcome in the local community. The town is pretty middle class and feels very safe. As long as we are courteous the local folks work very hard to help us find what we need even though our Spanish is pathetic. All and all we “get” why several cruisers haven’t moved their boats in 10 years. With that said I will divert to a couple of events of the month and then end the blog note with impressions of La Paz.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Knowing that we have two parents in their 90’s we both feel we need to get back to the Seattle area periodically with the knowledge that “this visit may be our last”. We had a serendipitous set of events occur the final week of January that allowed us to travel north from the 23<sup>rd</sup> to the 29<sup>th</sup> during which time the Seattle Boat Show and Nordhavn Seattle Annual Get-Together <i>just happened</i> to occur. First was a low point in travel after the holidays which also meant that our ticket prices dropped and by using an about-to-expire companion fare we were able to travel affordably. Second was a friend’s mother was coming to La Paz from Seattle during the same time period and a) she needed a place to stay as his boat was too crowded, b) she has spent lots of time on a trawler before so she was used to the accommodations, and c) she likes dogs. The result was that while we were in Seattle Max’s mother and daughters were thoroughly spoiling Jarvis while they enjoyed the space of our boat AND we knew that the boat and dog would be safe until we arrived back aboard. (It even worked out that Max was able to rent a car to take his mother the 3 hours to the Cabo airport and pick us up from our flight in one trip!)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHt9yCw-M-nMVUU0PiIXKfdvTMgu0hqByu3GzdIBOiLbjN_Oq-qn49SQeLMNCbDq8mXcPfvWBlOG1OKO1MffCROSGZpAwLVNpily-dEum0GBTB8zeNhlopkvaQgCxwuyxD_n1bGKihwfL/s1600/DSCF1503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHt9yCw-M-nMVUU0PiIXKfdvTMgu0hqByu3GzdIBOiLbjN_Oq-qn49SQeLMNCbDq8mXcPfvWBlOG1OKO1MffCROSGZpAwLVNpily-dEum0GBTB8zeNhlopkvaQgCxwuyxD_n1bGKihwfL/s320/DSCF1503.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying out of Seattle after our whirlwind New Year's visit [looking west with Bellevue in the foreground towards Mercer Island and the University of Washington]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIItszW3vLk4C1vvLducned-v_Pq6DDzG76J-PgAhJA65DunMTF3X3ZeRthVLyyYeYICBbM8d0LiRl3rQCkB-Blgrky9_cYy59832TN8anl_d4iNqsxAQ8PEn1itJ39P9l5BlsmpZFdhx/s1600/DSCF1517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIItszW3vLk4C1vvLducned-v_Pq6DDzG76J-PgAhJA65DunMTF3X3ZeRthVLyyYeYICBbM8d0LiRl3rQCkB-Blgrky9_cYy59832TN8anl_d4iNqsxAQ8PEn1itJ39P9l5BlsmpZFdhx/s320/DSCF1517.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying out of Seattle after our whirlwind New Year's visit [Mount St Helens and "New" Spirit Lake]</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAxHySqzxF4vD1o0c_CkJxWn3xS13zKLftgiItTahJt2KyQ8IPud27VvMPRZqUPU39rLMziLqVuQMtZsrt2a7k0d88Fj3uSkmeAyFihrfoJzB9_ioLywuodqHN0HZ9JWzj2u2baGCkWSv/s1600/DSCF1521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAxHySqzxF4vD1o0c_CkJxWn3xS13zKLftgiItTahJt2KyQ8IPud27VvMPRZqUPU39rLMziLqVuQMtZsrt2a7k0d88Fj3uSkmeAyFihrfoJzB9_ioLywuodqHN0HZ9JWzj2u2baGCkWSv/s320/DSCF1521.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying out of Seattle after our whirlwind New Year's visit [Mt Hood]</td></tr>
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When we planned for a week up north we thought it sounded
like a lot of time but by the time we landed at the Seattle airport we had
every minute planned ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to
visit Clarice’s best friend of many many years when we camped out in their
camping trailer in their back yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were able to visit a number of our Snohomish County friends and my old
Providence Hospital friends while we were up that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Snohomish County is also where Clarice’s dad
and siblings live so we visited them as one of the main goals of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we visited the Seattle Boat Show and
Nordhavn get-together on Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
boat show is always fun as we look to see if there are new “toys” that we could
use in our home in the future but the highlight for us is the Nordhavn get-together
sponsored by the Seattle Nordhavn brokerage and the Nordhavn Company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the get-together we enjoy meeting with
other owners that we have met before in-person and to put faces with owners we
only know from the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of the
interesting people we met were James and Jennifer Hamilton who are the third most travelled Nordhavn
owners having put 70,000 NM under their keel (remember the earth is only 25,000 NM
in circumference). James has done this
while he maintains a very high level position with Amazon as he works remotely
from his boat while he travels. He also
got one of the very very rare Nordhavn “high latitude” pennants for going to the far north or south. <a href="http://www.mvdirona.com/" target="_blank">(MV Dirona Blog)</a> A major Seattle highway was shut down just before we arrived
while final preparations were made to open the new tunnel under the city. Knowing that this closure of a major traffic
route was expected to cause major slowdowns in a city known for lousy freeway
traffic anyway, we headed south after the meeting ended and spent the night in
our grandson’s mother’s tiny house overlooking Alder Lake near Mt Rainier. Since our brains are used to waking in the
Central time zone we were up before the sun and enjoyed an amazing view of a
starlit sky above just visible mountains across the lake with everything below
us shrouded in fog. We headed out early
and were able to have breakfast with Norman’s brother and his wife that live in
SW Washington before heading into Portland to visit with our son and his wife
and our grandson and his mother. Finally
we headed back north and stopped in Tacoma for a nice visit with Norman’s
mother and his sister and some of her family. By the time we were back on the
boat we were exhausted from our “vacation” and glad to be home with plans to
head out after a day of provisioning to explore the islands and towns north of
La Paz during the month of February.</div>
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We had just returned to one of our new “favorite anchorages”
on Isla Espiritu Santo and were starting the time of exploration we had been
really looking forward to when, as they say, life got in the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had anchored the night in a cove with no
cellular service and awoken to a lovely morning. It was February 2<sup>nd</sup>,
Groundhogs Day. After taking Jarvis ashore for a walk we decided we would move
to a different cove we had passed coming from La Paz and go SCUBA diving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We weighed the anchor and headed out of the
cove and around the point and were about to enter the cove where we planned to
dive when my phone tinkled with a text message and then immediately indicated
“no service” again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message was:
“Norm? This is Tim’s [my 50 year old younger brother] girlfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He collapsed at my place. Paramedics brought
him to St Joe’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are admitting him
to ICU.” – and thus began a very sad tale. Initially we tried getting messages
to other family members via our satellite messenger device and the ham radio
Mariners net.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the message
reached my older brother from the ham radio connection we entered an area of
more consistent cellular coverage as Clarice had turned the boat back towards
La Paz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned that Tim had entered
ICU the night before in a coma and that his girlfriend could only find our
phone number so we were the first of his family to know of the crisis even
though we were in Mexico bobbing around in the Sea of Cortez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before long the ICU nurse spoke to me with the
words every nurse understands, “come NOW”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To make a long story short; while Clarice drove the boat “at flank
speed” towards La Paz I arranged for a ticket from Cabo to Seattle, spoke to
another boater who I knew had a car (and a good heart) about the need for an
emergent ride from La Paz to the airport 3 hours away who immediately offered
to help, and arranged for a crew to help Clarice the last hour from the
entrance to La Paz Harbor (where I caught my ride to the airport) into a slip
she had been able to arrange in town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
9 PM Pacific time I was at my brother’s bedside and even though he looked like
so many people I have cared for on life support who later woke up and smiled, I
knew he was brain dead after a hemorrhagic stroke and his body was being
“preserved” so that others could benefit from his healthy organs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvmhOQdm5oSWK76T2FrjF18DqwL-xXjJFzmIDqvul__xRBaHFuIKwCcgCiss658G8ysuAclVN9uGPiGiEcYHJyB_wPikiYqN4uFedj26h65QODoODZCd0l8PBoD7V-nUSY6Gyp9BFxKyN/s1600/DSCF1546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="610" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvmhOQdm5oSWK76T2FrjF18DqwL-xXjJFzmIDqvul__xRBaHFuIKwCcgCiss658G8ysuAclVN9uGPiGiEcYHJyB_wPikiYqN4uFedj26h65QODoODZCd0l8PBoD7V-nUSY6Gyp9BFxKyN/s320/DSCF1546.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timothy Collins Gregory<br />
August 9, 1969 - February 2, 2019</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tim was a few days old when he was left on the hospital
steps by a birth mother who for whatever reason knew she could not care for a
premature infant. We know he has dark
skin and have always referred to him as “black” without really knowing his
genetic heritage. He came to us as a foster child only to worm his way deep
into our hearts and we chose to adopt him.
I was 12 years old at the time and Tim was the little brother I had
always dreamed of. He was good looking,
a natural athlete, and his personality quickly made people drop their
prejudices about black people. Friends
over and over commented how Tim made those around him happy with his natural
laughter and sense of fun and general love for people. I’m still coming to grips with his being
gone. Our 92 year old mother is
devastated as Tim was “her baby” even though he was 50. We had hoped to have
his memorial service on the following Saturday so that I could get back to
Clarice in La Paz as quickly as possible when life got in the way for a second
time and a major snow storm hit Seattle.
We delayed the memorial and I was able to fly out before the snowflakes
flew but now a third trip is in the planning for the end of February so I can
help close his affairs and attend the memorial.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgFaRQtWBGFW52XFt1iBRssCNKMzNWDIFu39bfDAYtIuYv-E8VW9ULYPR8pb_ciACYmEwacMVFRFsdx-dkRgiuKOBrYxIVQfH6TbB0nShYcXC0zQYBokxIeHx1qxdW7Yl8jeWb9SA7GPQ/s1600/Tim+Christmas+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1600" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgFaRQtWBGFW52XFt1iBRssCNKMzNWDIFu39bfDAYtIuYv-E8VW9ULYPR8pb_ciACYmEwacMVFRFsdx-dkRgiuKOBrYxIVQfH6TbB0nShYcXC0zQYBokxIeHx1qxdW7Yl8jeWb9SA7GPQ/s320/Tim+Christmas+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Tim and Mom decorating the family Christmas tree (year unknown)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p><br />Back in La Paz we have come to enjoy walking the streets as
each corner seems to bring a different perspective. With a Sears store and other specialty stores
next to street vendors selling everything from food to jewelry. Often private homes are behind wrought iron
gates but some of the entries and gardens make it clear the owner is proud of
their dwelling. Busses are everywhere and range from very fancy inter-city
buses to converted school buses operated as a private collective throughout the
city. Most stores and restaurants will
politely let customers use their toilets but it is still common to see an
expectation that you pay the person servicing the toilet 5 or 10 pesos as is
common in Central American countries. As I walked around I asked a number of
people if I could get their photos as “typical Mexicans” some seemed suspicious
of my motives and said no but many agreed.
It feels like we are getting repetitive but the local Mexican folks are
as a whole very very friendly and outgoing and it is clear that families are
cherished. Since we haven’t become
familiar enough with the location names to make use of the bus system we have
learned that Uber is very inexpensive and there is usually a driver within a
couple of minutes of us when we signal we need a ride (and many of the drivers
speak good to fluent English).</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2knB2oaEAAiXQZ7U-tvJOqgIo7ecmhw2LBY64M3YWnb9Jq9fXCC71Jp0Kp0VFtSEycNpJWbEkvenxJl5HMuDTxMaemwRsnkwNgnNmUXBuSG9WDOJKnTr3228SrIeKKuPxbMffgqpPPee_/s1600/DSCF1550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2knB2oaEAAiXQZ7U-tvJOqgIo7ecmhw2LBY64M3YWnb9Jq9fXCC71Jp0Kp0VFtSEycNpJWbEkvenxJl5HMuDTxMaemwRsnkwNgnNmUXBuSG9WDOJKnTr3228SrIeKKuPxbMffgqpPPee_/s320/DSCF1550.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz Harbor</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU240dABc_a4FKRIWXSAOBrkD2cpm3y8IgY2-Dm04ouRUpFJQ4IdgokJDPw9vxJbRZ9qFDAZ0-hOxBz-Kqy9K9OGd15PiX2woPOLX4x_JIwsLXXdSwaGZCS4u-stZjflAwJbwknOemYjnU/s1600/DSCF1553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU240dABc_a4FKRIWXSAOBrkD2cpm3y8IgY2-Dm04ouRUpFJQ4IdgokJDPw9vxJbRZ9qFDAZ0-hOxBz-Kqy9K9OGd15PiX2woPOLX4x_JIwsLXXdSwaGZCS4u-stZjflAwJbwknOemYjnU/s320/DSCF1553.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family spending a day on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufokpncI9cLrbQdX_tLgiOEhnO1BRKtExrS_2uLi-bEEd27q6Mzz0oZqZbYKMgxPfKNP7T5MMkd2gleIS-d5RKcQVl3fQflgQgZVVn8w3rbhoDe2LXM7wqTuOvzKmNoB9Yupj8TBEg4a2/s1600/DSCF1554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufokpncI9cLrbQdX_tLgiOEhnO1BRKtExrS_2uLi-bEEd27q6Mzz0oZqZbYKMgxPfKNP7T5MMkd2gleIS-d5RKcQVl3fQflgQgZVVn8w3rbhoDe2LXM7wqTuOvzKmNoB9Yupj8TBEg4a2/s320/DSCF1554.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many statues this one is "Paraiso del Mar" ["Paradise of the Sea"]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkGzHIP35M9VMPlnDUGN-ZCyODOibsuuTUqhhZ3OLDxmDKe5SDYkKuKBZBBhrQOC9TcXYYOi9e1_Wz-qrGSvCP6mTtbnTinz-S1Z9NzXZhQRX1F7X243TFRRHiLME0A9Snce0CLqVVCBh/s1600/DSCF1556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkGzHIP35M9VMPlnDUGN-ZCyODOibsuuTUqhhZ3OLDxmDKe5SDYkKuKBZBBhrQOC9TcXYYOi9e1_Wz-qrGSvCP6mTtbnTinz-S1Z9NzXZhQRX1F7X243TFRRHiLME0A9Snce0CLqVVCBh/s320/DSCF1556.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This statue, "El Viejo...y el Mar?" ["The Old Man ...and the Sea?"] always reminds me of my father who would join in any children's games if it made the children happy. If he had been asked to wear a paper boat and a paper hat and it made children smile then he would have happily done it with a smile on his face.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6M1HMRl2rE5H8mBleVb2-VESQUHIl3L916Ks_dEq9FVKRoG2MRp7PPQ_AC6_Pb6IvBBI1HXbOzWCvJfE08-_CdNptKs6dSwgDp2tUXGpoi5GHQ4BnfahJdaGOmJgX9Cj6wAEd-FRW6WB/s1600/DSCF1560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6M1HMRl2rE5H8mBleVb2-VESQUHIl3L916Ks_dEq9FVKRoG2MRp7PPQ_AC6_Pb6IvBBI1HXbOzWCvJfE08-_CdNptKs6dSwgDp2tUXGpoi5GHQ4BnfahJdaGOmJgX9Cj6wAEd-FRW6WB/s320/DSCF1560.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A family on the Malecon [seaside walkway]</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15JuWsY13G8mjKS1PXzgLKKriCnzAu1O892OyDWixZxssKmNM3TfHsLYjHq8HN2Yogh5MktKZ60D_rcN4GfJe-do9MzeVMi-BTTPxFj5jfy-fkju2e0hmkGW09gH-gGjTkknWs44xyRYh/s1600/DSCF1564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15JuWsY13G8mjKS1PXzgLKKriCnzAu1O892OyDWixZxssKmNM3TfHsLYjHq8HN2Yogh5MktKZ60D_rcN4GfJe-do9MzeVMi-BTTPxFj5jfy-fkju2e0hmkGW09gH-gGjTkknWs44xyRYh/s320/DSCF1564.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This man is out every evening selling his blow-up toys to the kids who seem to get a great deal of enjoyment from them.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM94fx7er25kuW1i-mT5vJnp-GmDcDWF4avF3gszIuUGRHF6T3nnuTM1HmEeUc0DtFlu6jFOKsAAD9Jt5TsA4umkMgpeb9Awh6KhaFpm_kVkdkveeO2GchCjN-MnOYwzIdZR0yNJUxeS0G/s1600/DSCF1570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM94fx7er25kuW1i-mT5vJnp-GmDcDWF4avF3gszIuUGRHF6T3nnuTM1HmEeUc0DtFlu6jFOKsAAD9Jt5TsA4umkMgpeb9Awh6KhaFpm_kVkdkveeO2GchCjN-MnOYwzIdZR0yNJUxeS0G/s320/DSCF1570.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several mini-cruise ships ("National Geographic Explorer" I think) that land in downtown La Paz (Larger cruise ships have to land at the entrance to the channel as it is fairly shallow into town) </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcv7_7DObtBtvDzpKT7L387bTe78oswnddQLkQKoJVYibsJUExVc2NaVk-EFZeqQjAK3Yl21KekKHU4_40lAfCGEyKchmXFOrk6haR01HxjpV816PBHvNjgRO7dXtGZ4fEZ431DTZDFeHX/s1600/DSCF1573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcv7_7DObtBtvDzpKT7L387bTe78oswnddQLkQKoJVYibsJUExVc2NaVk-EFZeqQjAK3Yl21KekKHU4_40lAfCGEyKchmXFOrk6haR01HxjpV816PBHvNjgRO7dXtGZ4fEZ431DTZDFeHX/s320/DSCF1573.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz sign and another sculpture on the Malecon</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkbkkeflDYlTdWj68UCRX9hOqhWeK3cN9h3gS-q4axu0G_Veqqyh8dv4LlLh70QjfjGe0J9CLjXSkbQ1pLjrhyCouXyFLjH-_Tn8kqJkdLOz8uLD816uPfNO4S_brhgL2yuMCAcuuREqi/s1600/DSCF1574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkbkkeflDYlTdWj68UCRX9hOqhWeK3cN9h3gS-q4axu0G_Veqqyh8dv4LlLh70QjfjGe0J9CLjXSkbQ1pLjrhyCouXyFLjH-_Tn8kqJkdLOz8uLD816uPfNO4S_brhgL2yuMCAcuuREqi/s320/DSCF1574.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz side street with several cafes</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllUE1Fi1quwOSEE5TFWevePRMwrPODfqMOz_PER2eY_G6b-h4PXd20saLilkRBpCukrs7ES1_6vQQEm_iMvaxtLsFZiu6StZp8ouO_o68mZ4isSubqCRYsHU9OJwJRC8hTl56Lopmkof8/s1600/DSCF1576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllUE1Fi1quwOSEE5TFWevePRMwrPODfqMOz_PER2eY_G6b-h4PXd20saLilkRBpCukrs7ES1_6vQQEm_iMvaxtLsFZiu6StZp8ouO_o68mZ4isSubqCRYsHU9OJwJRC8hTl56Lopmkof8/s320/DSCF1576.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
As in most Central American countries it is not uncommon to be asked to pay a small fee to pay for cleaning and supplies of public toilets</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nGOuoekag_FLhSTQKJ0goZhQDYq34kA-TmxituD7yXRjcngKDn_VZ7LTc30zrsCE6lA18MrZCbtQ_MmUMOROeFiW33T2XXo7btfkm_y__1NH9cqu0iHTMjWcpf9B_Rnu5MW3gm8w6IrT/s320/DSCF1577.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz Sears</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nGOuoekag_FLhSTQKJ0goZhQDYq34kA-TmxituD7yXRjcngKDn_VZ7LTc30zrsCE6lA18MrZCbtQ_MmUMOROeFiW33T2XXo7btfkm_y__1NH9cqu0iHTMjWcpf9B_Rnu5MW3gm8w6IrT/s1600/DSCF1577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nGOuoekag_FLhSTQKJ0goZhQDYq34kA-TmxituD7yXRjcngKDn_VZ7LTc30zrsCE6lA18MrZCbtQ_MmUMOROeFiW33T2XXo7btfkm_y__1NH9cqu0iHTMjWcpf9B_Rnu5MW3gm8w6IrT/s1600/DSCF1577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86giJZCP998vuMqET61w0Ks9sW3mq89ZP7C1jIawcaW9qQP8hN9vKi0Ajv04icxXY8wO_9l9padSmdyAIUHk9EDF9dgrTOUiirVKNhlBf7W2MKj1UT2_8-5r45inafmib04Gu9p-auMAC/s1600/DSCF1580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86giJZCP998vuMqET61w0Ks9sW3mq89ZP7C1jIawcaW9qQP8hN9vKi0Ajv04icxXY8wO_9l9padSmdyAIUHk9EDF9dgrTOUiirVKNhlBf7W2MKj1UT2_8-5r45inafmib04Gu9p-auMAC/s320/DSCF1580.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of quinceañera dresses on display</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMU1UIN1_fl_H-saqaJhHb4qE1UX4MjOpBG-aRcMGzduCYDUO8ZiXqwy6bBDkTjugwJFMJCZ7L46A8GSoydrf-LdLzCOBVftSYhWD_9pJ91Ygq9c0dDeQEokQbW109sUl5AQU87qfJz_-/s1600/DSCF1581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMU1UIN1_fl_H-saqaJhHb4qE1UX4MjOpBG-aRcMGzduCYDUO8ZiXqwy6bBDkTjugwJFMJCZ7L46A8GSoydrf-LdLzCOBVftSYhWD_9pJ91Ygq9c0dDeQEokQbW109sUl5AQU87qfJz_-/s320/DSCF1581.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz cathedral</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuk15AEe2L-f54_GlsqFd4eTSvLU6TLDnSb9QgCCumGNB6xFGH7xjtecILkSTi6r3cPKkFQOoS8zkpLrtfnI7xHBPi4XiihtoL8c5JiOsex_eavTkbCX-fSyhdx97jEqGUKbe91Facjyj/s1600/DSCF1586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="800" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuk15AEe2L-f54_GlsqFd4eTSvLU6TLDnSb9QgCCumGNB6xFGH7xjtecILkSTi6r3cPKkFQOoS8zkpLrtfnI7xHBPi4XiihtoL8c5JiOsex_eavTkbCX-fSyhdx97jEqGUKbe91Facjyj/s320/DSCF1586.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuns selling home baked goodies outside of the cathedral</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_UpE7XqXxsY44AuWtdic6GQjK1Y-LxeTmMySRgSCJOgDorJO0Ugz_Ky_qugHIwdIFGELC11REAz0-X5uIpG00DJRrv9ekovaHN4JCBZmkqNfmbIhXajokePWJZ6oHUTH5XBT7rOLR1Xu/s1600/DSCF1591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_UpE7XqXxsY44AuWtdic6GQjK1Y-LxeTmMySRgSCJOgDorJO0Ugz_Ky_qugHIwdIFGELC11REAz0-X5uIpG00DJRrv9ekovaHN4JCBZmkqNfmbIhXajokePWJZ6oHUTH5XBT7rOLR1Xu/s320/DSCF1591.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of zapaterias [shoe stores]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0Pu_Rj_oOO-fV0G_yWDqAYshGNjAhy0XRN6FVbVZsc8omYBAuNTUeZyL6TwYkJM3siayJsfuPRRJbiAxhZK-leFzRCOKpVsHzmedrAwz7YN6A78v1VnM-llpR4YMvqYvK0IntbPf3FR0/s1600/DSCF1598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0Pu_Rj_oOO-fV0G_yWDqAYshGNjAhy0XRN6FVbVZsc8omYBAuNTUeZyL6TwYkJM3siayJsfuPRRJbiAxhZK-leFzRCOKpVsHzmedrAwz7YN6A78v1VnM-llpR4YMvqYvK0IntbPf3FR0/s320/DSCF1598.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Private homes are behind fences but often have fancy courtyards and entryways</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdrhQ98p4k2JyTKNtlagRG3deofze5FIBFIJ0yZaYL8cfldkgvBNEpJ483uJmtVacWXHYhdncNFyQupSNhI_T9qDvEJa4Hd5qCmiiRnS8wy_D8i6McoLtQ8evQv1HYTW-oOocTQAERtgU/s1600/DSCF1612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdrhQ98p4k2JyTKNtlagRG3deofze5FIBFIJ0yZaYL8cfldkgvBNEpJ483uJmtVacWXHYhdncNFyQupSNhI_T9qDvEJa4Hd5qCmiiRnS8wy_D8i6McoLtQ8evQv1HYTW-oOocTQAERtgU/s320/DSCF1612.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A peddler with food to sell</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQIQwIlw7Jm9ETX9jHsyHlN6skYMFoMxNDicU0OFCjkFx1kWWl_P5gtXFb0XMucqI154t_WgMHzwmnaxtaU3vrxEx2PdffubCt87_LldK4EHoE72APNJcBXDPxTuzyHZDPHyyOUrMkfkm/s1600/DSCF1616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQIQwIlw7Jm9ETX9jHsyHlN6skYMFoMxNDicU0OFCjkFx1kWWl_P5gtXFb0XMucqI154t_WgMHzwmnaxtaU3vrxEx2PdffubCt87_LldK4EHoE72APNJcBXDPxTuzyHZDPHyyOUrMkfkm/s320/DSCF1616.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buses are private but are very very common</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLhpEVdasj8tscGSjp7_fCHgamig400GS9rmV06W1BNMNBmV6rNMy1h2eJ25prICePKzbBW7y38YAipU_bILSX1ctePvHBMGm7qFl0rgn29RZ17v27G4xYHGfVGDdWboHEsL_P2wbND1K/s1600/DSCF1620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLhpEVdasj8tscGSjp7_fCHgamig400GS9rmV06W1BNMNBmV6rNMy1h2eJ25prICePKzbBW7y38YAipU_bILSX1ctePvHBMGm7qFl0rgn29RZ17v27G4xYHGfVGDdWboHEsL_P2wbND1K/s320/DSCF1620.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another street food peddler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XRNt9WxyKQ3ReUJmzh37AGji0Dlc7LCzAkCqeaKBCiCz0wLJ9LNOwDtSLl4qnLdbYSKuwzI1QbgbHhyjiNgGgcdxqM1zPZYYfqFuoD-bpZlyLmgwsBq9dBpjzWYxySyubekwnM5GLAaG/s1600/DSCF1623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5XRNt9WxyKQ3ReUJmzh37AGji0Dlc7LCzAkCqeaKBCiCz0wLJ9LNOwDtSLl4qnLdbYSKuwzI1QbgbHhyjiNgGgcdxqM1zPZYYfqFuoD-bpZlyLmgwsBq9dBpjzWYxySyubekwnM5GLAaG/s320/DSCF1623.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peddlers selling snacks to kids as they leave school</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRhFZnsmVxL71NqlwL2f3-kF8HwzzieZ70trH8pJWOhZir_Ciu8rqmBpM9vag7JBS1TAyJTeH7626ePH0IWDTmoJUMGcryNEE6b1foYRcLZsaIggP-WNSLdMdGOEpCyZQr36oizu2NjhJ/s1600/DSCF1624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRhFZnsmVxL71NqlwL2f3-kF8HwzzieZ70trH8pJWOhZir_Ciu8rqmBpM9vag7JBS1TAyJTeH7626ePH0IWDTmoJUMGcryNEE6b1foYRcLZsaIggP-WNSLdMdGOEpCyZQr36oizu2NjhJ/s320/DSCF1624.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked a number of people if I could get a photo of "Mexicanos ordinarios" [ordinary Mexicans] some turned me down but many were happy to help out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQYxUSf0VsdOI8dgCBYEbLJeRhN8ibqIMTsvnqsrUgjPV-NgERKvfnZ35IRzFmGMXGfTfy9_eoRsJlZ-BdSbz-FFvstHAQxHF_2lHwb2j7qvGYjxvFvbDTc8g7b_cCgBqFrDevwKOMWuK/s1600/DSCF1625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQYxUSf0VsdOI8dgCBYEbLJeRhN8ibqIMTsvnqsrUgjPV-NgERKvfnZ35IRzFmGMXGfTfy9_eoRsJlZ-BdSbz-FFvstHAQxHF_2lHwb2j7qvGYjxvFvbDTc8g7b_cCgBqFrDevwKOMWuK/s320/DSCF1625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexicanos ordinarios</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhJWneS4kNsTPg2UXTWl14UPcwtKPdHOI_yLRL0EVlV0WEr1XPBq5LnInHMhmYsbX-24UjySLB_w-lTLvuY4cOn0zpZJvEzAwg1N_eGKdro3rPvUp-_XSVe7k_0CgSkpl3IfBH0SkUTxw/s1600/DSCF1627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhJWneS4kNsTPg2UXTWl14UPcwtKPdHOI_yLRL0EVlV0WEr1XPBq5LnInHMhmYsbX-24UjySLB_w-lTLvuY4cOn0zpZJvEzAwg1N_eGKdro3rPvUp-_XSVe7k_0CgSkpl3IfBH0SkUTxw/s320/DSCF1627.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street side shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWXdHJMoBNyNdeHkLreGVGBqjVkjyGnI8lMCmczunkJ5ZoXfRl8kdmCuBN_CEvlnPCoveERM7b4uYH781h3-5JOG3tWMB-22I74bl3kmMXHA23722qgWuGgE50LJDpHYxnz-wcKFDxxt4/s1600/DSCF1630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWXdHJMoBNyNdeHkLreGVGBqjVkjyGnI8lMCmczunkJ5ZoXfRl8kdmCuBN_CEvlnPCoveERM7b4uYH781h3-5JOG3tWMB-22I74bl3kmMXHA23722qgWuGgE50LJDpHYxnz-wcKFDxxt4/s320/DSCF1630.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidewalk shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOC59AGONJH2-3t0-zvOU6j-J3sGzOXCF9KQixi7UXK3CDw4oaO53gKVn18QkFGisI8mmLK67NzA-4JOlvYyjRuUiJS1z6-X4sdp2qNhKmvb44fJeV-Sg9nG-z5hHMTuWIzk60k0wIMKQz/s1600/DSCF1640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOC59AGONJH2-3t0-zvOU6j-J3sGzOXCF9KQixi7UXK3CDw4oaO53gKVn18QkFGisI8mmLK67NzA-4JOlvYyjRuUiJS1z6-X4sdp2qNhKmvb44fJeV-Sg9nG-z5hHMTuWIzk60k0wIMKQz/s320/DSCF1640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sidewalk shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxB9seJurE4M-I7IR1w_32mKCQ5TjPAGCmBg7gj_StdEogKAEnBPio3gkWX3KdAyfX7e9J5xPORPVh3cnbOPNqcei2ws_9uB_BM6rI_M8sRtg0WNvv0cD8q3kzvg4xBIpN3ktNApuzD3W/s320/DSCF1652.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexicanos ordinarios</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxB9seJurE4M-I7IR1w_32mKCQ5TjPAGCmBg7gj_StdEogKAEnBPio3gkWX3KdAyfX7e9J5xPORPVh3cnbOPNqcei2ws_9uB_BM6rI_M8sRtg0WNvv0cD8q3kzvg4xBIpN3ktNApuzD3W/s1600/DSCF1652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxB9seJurE4M-I7IR1w_32mKCQ5TjPAGCmBg7gj_StdEogKAEnBPio3gkWX3KdAyfX7e9J5xPORPVh3cnbOPNqcei2ws_9uB_BM6rI_M8sRtg0WNvv0cD8q3kzvg4xBIpN3ktNApuzD3W/s1600/DSCF1652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-WTpghjwh6VqPcJifgt4x7ePj_W_OtCU2BVwtrvxPPLmmVaQi4CPjPK2dQgdptJxaiTFnX5btJ99c3B7b5yc7YUX6aSYNSbUDBXSa_rXaFCVv6-UFvMwiRMm8QK8zSIZIoBRu3s9w8m1/s1600/DSCF1654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-WTpghjwh6VqPcJifgt4x7ePj_W_OtCU2BVwtrvxPPLmmVaQi4CPjPK2dQgdptJxaiTFnX5btJ99c3B7b5yc7YUX6aSYNSbUDBXSa_rXaFCVv6-UFvMwiRMm8QK8zSIZIoBRu3s9w8m1/s320/DSCF1654.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many many food stands (often only open for 1 meal a day)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZa4fgpfuwkx5aa5z9nygR7fshMv5p8Es8iO0ztQDckWJABoMhtdAKIKPv4SYNH1EaMZh62AEJMHxptNrrpnnaLVZaTheqW3EEktWpZhnzPn1NpyR4aQwIktpde8cRsrdA_v5fG0UMB5S/s1600/DSCF1657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZa4fgpfuwkx5aa5z9nygR7fshMv5p8Es8iO0ztQDckWJABoMhtdAKIKPv4SYNH1EaMZh62AEJMHxptNrrpnnaLVZaTheqW3EEktWpZhnzPn1NpyR4aQwIktpde8cRsrdA_v5fG0UMB5S/s320/DSCF1657.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More quinceañera and wedding dresses on display</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccsXAwLgAnfKWNP5uJe9zAOtatUM4tEaIvvx8khLU_yo0oy_wX6mKYvMrsOfQoe4sMFDb4fHjJ8C9aljhujyWfkrfIHDUJRfy_Dt-_6hNhoRL7WGLInlbg_CRtkRKA4MubqqWXzJJp5QB/s1600/DSCF1660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccsXAwLgAnfKWNP5uJe9zAOtatUM4tEaIvvx8khLU_yo0oy_wX6mKYvMrsOfQoe4sMFDb4fHjJ8C9aljhujyWfkrfIHDUJRfy_Dt-_6hNhoRL7WGLInlbg_CRtkRKA4MubqqWXzJJp5QB/s320/DSCF1660.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice asked that I be sure and get photos of some of the murals in town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4hTHgbvP3kds1hnIQ4t2s58HJPXOgu4ES9dpvaz3tDeZtTjIZcK5MwXRlpeHcsiLMm31r_yi_e-DuLuTDx_rpBwRStcYvitdaQoOk_Kz-h4ewk1xGLsSgX61JDZCWXYJ_xMcHn7N-uAB/s320/DSCF1662.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural on a building</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4hTHgbvP3kds1hnIQ4t2s58HJPXOgu4ES9dpvaz3tDeZtTjIZcK5MwXRlpeHcsiLMm31r_yi_e-DuLuTDx_rpBwRStcYvitdaQoOk_Kz-h4ewk1xGLsSgX61JDZCWXYJ_xMcHn7N-uAB/s1600/DSCF1662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4hTHgbvP3kds1hnIQ4t2s58HJPXOgu4ES9dpvaz3tDeZtTjIZcK5MwXRlpeHcsiLMm31r_yi_e-DuLuTDx_rpBwRStcYvitdaQoOk_Kz-h4ewk1xGLsSgX61JDZCWXYJ_xMcHn7N-uAB/s1600/DSCF1662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikc3x0pYTKn55wG6BCmdJld4Ad__ga19PdHz88XbZ2zMToCj4G0VTEd3I3n9vq8CbnF7nZOWLjhwkjPIY2swDRWUGrJaKH3wnVXBFulZVf7GKHOXAUfqrso-5o7PzeM8hyphenhyphen2Of25aYw90yf/s1600/DSCF1663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikc3x0pYTKn55wG6BCmdJld4Ad__ga19PdHz88XbZ2zMToCj4G0VTEd3I3n9vq8CbnF7nZOWLjhwkjPIY2swDRWUGrJaKH3wnVXBFulZVf7GKHOXAUfqrso-5o7PzeM8hyphenhyphen2Of25aYw90yf/s320/DSCF1663.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another mural</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTcB4n-QMG0TC82CEzMBL33BQhTuX6Nd1ZI4oxXRIpMuliBnxfCb9FLOVt5sFS8M5YQUfNQ_u3QPPm4he7vYjTzDU6e_esblvv3RHXhT-WX6bQ9Iutyll8wLnbdHAey1QvU1ibvWWGIHM/s1600/DSCF1565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTcB4n-QMG0TC82CEzMBL33BQhTuX6Nd1ZI4oxXRIpMuliBnxfCb9FLOVt5sFS8M5YQUfNQ_u3QPPm4he7vYjTzDU6e_esblvv3RHXhT-WX6bQ9Iutyll8wLnbdHAey1QvU1ibvWWGIHM/s320/DSCF1565.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite ice-cream shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGm3cMF2JYCOzHWhRVij393gK956WcstvZf76crBorryg7ZtHkrEqHfhritPOUqYg5ZocnNbKehRzfOt80EhzBbQKEyct1aOdy2Og5KL4iqQtegtlKg3i_dWuoqvwVYYojUoIzRXOlllXx/s1600/DSCF1665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGm3cMF2JYCOzHWhRVij393gK956WcstvZf76crBorryg7ZtHkrEqHfhritPOUqYg5ZocnNbKehRzfOt80EhzBbQKEyct1aOdy2Og5KL4iqQtegtlKg3i_dWuoqvwVYYojUoIzRXOlllXx/s320/DSCF1665.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice-cream shops are very common and all serve lots of flavors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtjiZ4h60B2k0nIoCOsfWGAJj2dY-lL024PdXoxn9AnANdZ4BzLYW183S0YOtTwfY-Upwl5cj_VNYuOahvwHiDrjRlVF1ozqx3Uwk11GgrDjPupFEMbVKxz3tusrzkOEN272-js_Epd_E/s1600/DSCF1666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGtjiZ4h60B2k0nIoCOsfWGAJj2dY-lL024PdXoxn9AnANdZ4BzLYW183S0YOtTwfY-Upwl5cj_VNYuOahvwHiDrjRlVF1ozqx3Uwk11GgrDjPupFEMbVKxz3tusrzkOEN272-js_Epd_E/s320/DSCF1666.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying their ice-cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZAWp9sx2OOwf34Qrz3AI8H94ZKnwR0-P0-NSj59irluuzrxjndrqkZi8ULiem2xTWen4hJt0-CRZzttSrxMQYzYOVoPRb3tZVdeE5luOlTvTJJOklsQSBcKjuFobliHRh8iYQZC1KRiK/s1600/DSCF1667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZAWp9sx2OOwf34Qrz3AI8H94ZKnwR0-P0-NSj59irluuzrxjndrqkZi8ULiem2xTWen4hJt0-CRZzttSrxMQYzYOVoPRb3tZVdeE5luOlTvTJJOklsQSBcKjuFobliHRh8iYQZC1KRiK/s320/DSCF1667.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexicanos oridinarios enjoying helado</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2psa9AjUCgar1K52Jja-yhLCXopefWztI6-ko_otZMtZU0T1z34lcWY9ksRg-reclTO_0YyVlWRYOKCWu50lvnnHjhuLL1ZeGq0hVkVt6N4Wmd7dl2YSsdYOGL5QNBG-NO_lrBZhNmGX4/s1600/DSCF1668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2psa9AjUCgar1K52Jja-yhLCXopefWztI6-ko_otZMtZU0T1z34lcWY9ksRg-reclTO_0YyVlWRYOKCWu50lvnnHjhuLL1ZeGq0hVkVt6N4Wmd7dl2YSsdYOGL5QNBG-NO_lrBZhNmGX4/s320/DSCF1668.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of manual laborers keeping the Malecon tidy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFJwsvf-Es2IsIIj9mVSdt3AZPIZJoweBbJZRkL7sI1CmbRAdYS_buikN7pm2xEVLd3u_7L2L8H7kBDR710E5SwJtj61lMNPcNcEuL_qx_wvCAL_KVRBVOYl_C9luKtKs0y_hHlciRmGd/s1600/DSCF1673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFJwsvf-Es2IsIIj9mVSdt3AZPIZJoweBbJZRkL7sI1CmbRAdYS_buikN7pm2xEVLd3u_7L2L8H7kBDR710E5SwJtj61lMNPcNcEuL_qx_wvCAL_KVRBVOYl_C9luKtKs0y_hHlciRmGd/s320/DSCF1673.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We continue to get a 'cultural slap' when we walk on the sidewalks which are on many levels. Our understanding is that each property owner designs and builds the sidewalks the way that they think works best for them. (notice the sudden drop of about 16 inches just beyond the tree so a driveway can cut through the sidewalk).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw-Qplcw5IxKyJKQBd1a4WesC53gM7MuGbo_T82N26zzbn_0V8QC_TzFITCao7U_G24L4mMnaMZDPrjN7WctA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Eclipse of the moon from La Paz January 21, 2019</div>
<br /></div>
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We were able to talk a fellow cruiser and his wife into
taking us inland while they helped deliver school supplies on behalf of the
Bahia de La Paz Rotary Club to a rural pre-school and while they were there
they showed us an unfinished secondary school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The pre-school was not in session as the teacher was in La Paz for a
teacher education day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very
impressed with how the teacher had been able to turn a building constructed out
of discarded shipping pallets into an effective classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rotary presented them with a water cooler
that they had converted into a water filter which was effective enough that
they have been shown to significantly decrease the incidence of waterborne
disease when they are used, and also left some school supplies and educational
toys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story of the secondary school
is that the Mexican government has a rural schools support agency that takes
young adults who have made it through high school and then gives them a year of
teacher training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are then sent to
a rural area where there aren’t enough students to justify a regular school and
they teach for their first year to pay off the teachers’ training while the
local community makes sure they have a place to live and are fed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are encouraged to stay on and teach
beyond the first year with the offer that they will earn further education for
themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another advantage of this
system is that it supports bilingual teachers in indigenous villages where
Spanish isn’t spoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand
if there is not a building for a school then the kids are sent to a neighboring
boarding school away from their family and village. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpda71C1x2fVRLCLxduHEE_JSqnMD4I-Ujp3lT87Ig5qbIx4WwsP-6KLIZBNuqVuhq512PFyOZOXlXtPbghW-RSo_Dv-CneMBDjTNWmHKLbeHqlAKwKlqxMaPH0hyucr4dt_oL4S-8eG_/s1600/DSCF1483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpda71C1x2fVRLCLxduHEE_JSqnMD4I-Ujp3lT87Ig5qbIx4WwsP-6KLIZBNuqVuhq512PFyOZOXlXtPbghW-RSo_Dv-CneMBDjTNWmHKLbeHqlAKwKlqxMaPH0hyucr4dt_oL4S-8eG_/s320/DSCF1483.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preschool made of surplus shipping pallets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwCgDFPAGMic39MKpc04c-rFmvxbMesl85Wz7qIgCzMgxpn4QAmHYGHbShQvEwzEYNVI1wAQ1FNum-5gNWCdAvFuSOUq4JZp0hJhqt0yZzLh9uH4HTfHvPpwbdjUe6siXOBjPlAHmrobH/s1600/DSCF1492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwCgDFPAGMic39MKpc04c-rFmvxbMesl85Wz7qIgCzMgxpn4QAmHYGHbShQvEwzEYNVI1wAQ1FNum-5gNWCdAvFuSOUq4JZp0hJhqt0yZzLh9uH4HTfHvPpwbdjUe6siXOBjPlAHmrobH/s320/DSCF1492.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotary brought supplies for the preschool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqauN-i2BKMoAppUchxVn5-bECWA-EC409CvOhwovItYaIym4FDicAWXijm9uaqFOagDw7ILF07yFKCr0hIc-FEVn_Qp2nTvVsjVraZ3Ztdc1H4zDVsOsM5mdbIkhINe3roviBiNLzMbgB/s1600/DSCF1494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqauN-i2BKMoAppUchxVn5-bECWA-EC409CvOhwovItYaIym4FDicAWXijm9uaqFOagDw7ILF07yFKCr0hIc-FEVn_Qp2nTvVsjVraZ3Ztdc1H4zDVsOsM5mdbIkhINe3roviBiNLzMbgB/s320/DSCF1494.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 children were playing with a newspaper in the wind so we fashioned paper hats which made them very happy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_XUrklkgC-vvGtUMGubv_39vfgpwFoclL2MClh3xjZYbEJwq8O9pRuA7IKL1ncOfzSZL2QQg7IVCqZ_oKaqpBssod-Dff9QFo4ILXHGxjnW8MNdWQP5GSKZ2fX0g_Df5dag3DnPb8moU/s1600/DSCF1502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_XUrklkgC-vvGtUMGubv_39vfgpwFoclL2MClh3xjZYbEJwq8O9pRuA7IKL1ncOfzSZL2QQg7IVCqZ_oKaqpBssod-Dff9QFo4ILXHGxjnW8MNdWQP5GSKZ2fX0g_Df5dag3DnPb8moU/s320/DSCF1502.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esperanza secondary school in need of money to be finished</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Esperanza Village has the walls and roof in place for a
school for the 10 local secondary students but the money is not yet there to
finish the structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local Rotarian
familiar with the school tells us that only $US 3000 is needed to finish the
floor, add windows, etc..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have set
out to try to find $US 5000 so the school can be completed and furnished. So
far we have given check for $US 1200 to the Rotary Club and have another $US
1200 pledged . If readers would like to help out the club has a new web site (February 24th update: not yet posted) with a PayPal donation option (PayPal does not take a fee from the non-profits
for donations) and donors can indicate the money is for the Esperanza School. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would also like to note how warmly we were
welcomed when we visited the Rotary Club despite being outsiders who did not
even speak the language.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBL7cqE37ENhaTrrD8Esygm0wdXjFH0U0GFwYwesbQ5Msho8dBqdI3VxrcQJqXpw3TmCKzbZYrohD-hi-5uGUJR6tmPUmeDmFmzgIZy2-B9HkE6lGrjdxE60JwlZ3iAuEJSukHs5jhcgc/s1600/IMG_1683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCBL7cqE37ENhaTrrD8Esygm0wdXjFH0U0GFwYwesbQ5Msho8dBqdI3VxrcQJqXpw3TmCKzbZYrohD-hi-5uGUJR6tmPUmeDmFmzgIZy2-B9HkE6lGrjdxE60JwlZ3iAuEJSukHs5jhcgc/s320/IMG_1683.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bahia de La Paz Rotary club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpznYW1nYg8sYWJ-q1GwNB2dIkWcRHvCbygYRcf02mklJwCkmCScudV5y3SKEjHAF8_M2qIsnyFZFwDOhZEtnMlqePqklvuYlL1xu8JmNo2RW4WIoTD30JpCUkW8OLxRUYehMkxzMGZaP/s1600/IMG_1684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpznYW1nYg8sYWJ-q1GwNB2dIkWcRHvCbygYRcf02mklJwCkmCScudV5y3SKEjHAF8_M2qIsnyFZFwDOhZEtnMlqePqklvuYlL1xu8JmNo2RW4WIoTD30JpCUkW8OLxRUYehMkxzMGZaP/s320/IMG_1684.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accepting donation check</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Small world side note: Our contacts
with the Rotary Club are Charles and Carol Moorhead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I needed an emergency ride from La Paz
to the Cabo airport about 100 miles away it was Charles who jumped in and made
sure I caught my plane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I was
riding with Charles I was texting my brother-in-law in Tacoma to arrange for
him to pick me up in Seattle. I mentioned to Charles that my brother-in-law had
been a computer geek back in the Fortran days for Weyerhaeuser Company to which
Charles indicated he and Carol had worked in Weyerhaeuser IT during that same
time period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we compared notes
Charles, Carol, and my brother-in-law all knew each other from working
together.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Much of our travel in the Sea of Cortez is ruled by the
north winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a high is over
California swirling clockwise and a low is over Arizona swirling counter
clockwise the wind between then heads down the Colorado River valley and on to
the Sea of Cortez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speed of the wind
is not the issue but rather the short choppy waves the wind raises very quickly
once it hits about 15 knots (which it does frequently).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traveling north with these choppy waves can
be miserable as the boat thunks along (the local term for this wave pattern is “a
herd of buffalo” with describes the scene pretty well).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday the winds settled and are predicted
to stay calm until the weekend so we headed north to Isle de San
Francisco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bay where we are spending
several days is so scenic that it was chosen as the cover photo of<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Cortez-Guidebook-Shawn-Breeding/dp/0980090113/ref=asc_df_0980090113/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312400961658&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3832394734233401563&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026481&hvtargid=pla-571646700897&psc=1" target="_blank"> Sea of Cortez: A Cruiser’s Guidebook byBreeding and Bansmeer</a> .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There seems to
always be something to do and watch as one day Jarvis and I climbed the rim of
this caldera, another we walked across a salt flat to the other side of the
island, and Clarice has enjoyed swimming to the beach and back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bay is filled with thousands (if not
millions) of fingerling fish that constantly jump and churn up the water and
attract pelicans who dive for them and dolphins who fish for them as well as
local fishermen who use hand nets and jig lines to catch them for bait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived we were one of only about 4
boats but with the fine weather several other boats have arrived including a
mega yacht and a micro cruise ship from the UnCruise Company. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>A sampling of our photos from the islands and villages </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>north of La Paz as far as Bahia Aqua Verde</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqwxHHm5tjJVTMZMcnrflwMTntb696voNMGhn9chQwqAOyIp2Y7FQHtl0J1vQmV9aq5p8d_-raJs4bP19d_C-2qv1VATxUl-Ma2tU5pjtNS2JgmObWcLl-BdrzVDd-kmziPlkiRqBaC7t/s1600/DSCF1736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqwxHHm5tjJVTMZMcnrflwMTntb696voNMGhn9chQwqAOyIp2Y7FQHtl0J1vQmV9aq5p8d_-raJs4bP19d_C-2qv1VATxUl-Ma2tU5pjtNS2JgmObWcLl-BdrzVDd-kmziPlkiRqBaC7t/s320/DSCF1736.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Village school St Evarista Village</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNH5bj6ZDhEte6OvZnyz-tcdjaxqt6iUzQzRHrkISLKmwpCza_qoX_jREBqmkQVkd_BJPdlCaSnoX9sbyFqFGCt-2WsHfP0uUTxW817nK9duEeRuJcgEPv0xOXiOkm4dOzzBJK8oNzPxY4/s1600/DSCF1737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNH5bj6ZDhEte6OvZnyz-tcdjaxqt6iUzQzRHrkISLKmwpCza_qoX_jREBqmkQVkd_BJPdlCaSnoX9sbyFqFGCt-2WsHfP0uUTxW817nK9duEeRuJcgEPv0xOXiOkm4dOzzBJK8oNzPxY4/s320/DSCF1737.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roadside shrine in a natural rock grotto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt evaporation ponds San Everista Village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuLuTvDIi_gHasq9sHi8o6LgRNRBquzhLULHmR_AbHviNdfFTvzI8B_NQYDc5JIMD6c0ZuBO_mx3ZR2OsxNf64zzpywmTHHRe9e9AMcGKqn3YUpdS6dewZuykYzzUf_oXCVqSgN2aZHNL/s1600/DSCF1741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuLuTvDIi_gHasq9sHi8o6LgRNRBquzhLULHmR_AbHviNdfFTvzI8B_NQYDc5JIMD6c0ZuBO_mx3ZR2OsxNf64zzpywmTHHRe9e9AMcGKqn3YUpdS6dewZuykYzzUf_oXCVqSgN2aZHNL/s320/DSCF1741.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh Sea Salt </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1lMg1eJJM2gEtp4BQY6JKdOj2qyZRGm0Z9xWwLVZY7k8xIox__V5EF-NvAwwy2bw3g6eOBNXKrUFNwmRerawPSqazbIqK7OkpapkATCOye1iJAugvWsGVMh8jpVjyhkLjpzjwQ-J29Sy/s1600/DSCF1743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1lMg1eJJM2gEtp4BQY6JKdOj2qyZRGm0Z9xWwLVZY7k8xIox__V5EF-NvAwwy2bw3g6eOBNXKrUFNwmRerawPSqazbIqK7OkpapkATCOye1iJAugvWsGVMh8jpVjyhkLjpzjwQ-J29Sy/s320/DSCF1743.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh water plant San Everista Village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman and Jarvis enjoy morning coffee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon set at sunrise</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sierra Gigantica Mountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbTXC2ziYzi4fbMR_Qs9yAR4wUIVZOvzdACJotfzL7a3mW4_ewjXUrXhDIyEAOr_fxvJJ0QIUzdEpzTfb7bNVzYbbBtPG9pNXh94mWguDRJ2nlBpq2enoP751_E5mNr3dQqps1O4zhyphenhyphenqU/s1600/DSCF2919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbTXC2ziYzi4fbMR_Qs9yAR4wUIVZOvzdACJotfzL7a3mW4_ewjXUrXhDIyEAOr_fxvJJ0QIUzdEpzTfb7bNVzYbbBtPG9pNXh94mWguDRJ2nlBpq2enoP751_E5mNr3dQqps1O4zhyphenhyphenqU/s320/DSCF2919.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please enjoy the video below featuring the pelicans of Isla San Francisco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Video: (YouTube version - lower resolution, faster streaming) </span></b><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCxJbntphe8&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">The Circle of Life on Isle de San Fransisco</a></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Video: (MP4 version - higher resolution) <a href="http://ncgregory.larper.com/pictures/Life%20on%20Isla%20De%20San%20Francisco1%20w%20music.mp4" target="_blank">The Circle of Life on Isle San Francisco</a></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-77446501488109191082018-12-30T11:21:00.001-08:002018-12-30T11:24:03.897-08:00Christmas 2018<div class="MsoNormal">
Cabo to La Paz<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
December 2, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since I got quite behind on my last blog entry I decided it
might be best to get back into the habit of writing as we go and then it
wouldn’t feel like a burden to catch up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So our last post was put up yesterday using lots of my
limited patience with very slow wifi (and slower 3G cell service) at a
restaurant in Ensenada Muertos. On one
hand it’s not quite the fiber optic speeds we had in Washington but on the
other hand we were anchored in a lovely cove with warm clear blue water and had
kayaked up to the only business for miles around and low and behold were able
to be in contact with the world. We were
able to talk with my mother with a fairly clear cell signal as long as we
followed the directions posted in the restaurant and “walked down the path and
sat under the mesquite tree”. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After we left San Juan Del Cabo where we hauled the boat to
do more stabilizer work we headed north with the goal of finding kid friendly
places to anchor and moor before our daughter’s family arrive on December 15<sup>th</sup>. The kids love the water so we believe if we
can find a place with relatively calm water and lots to see snorkeling that
they will be happy campers. So far we
have checked out Bahia Los Frailes which is at the southern edge of a national
park that aims to protect Mexico’s only Pacific side coral reef. It was a bit bumpy but with a stern tie to
keep the bow into the swell and our handy flopper stopper it was pretty
tolerable. It has lots of white sand
beaches, a few easily accessible coral heads with lots of fish to see, a
fishing camp, hiking trails in the desert, and friendly local expats from
Washington. It remains high on our list
of places to go. We also got high
recommendations from Michelle (11 y/o) and Autumn (9 y/o) on SV Xpression (<a href="http://svxpression.com/">svxpression.com</a>)
who we had met with their dad in San Diego and then met up with them again here
in Los Frailes now with their mother an RN from Madigan hospital south of
Tacoma on board (she flies in and out while her husband Max (a fellow Evergreen
State College graduate!) home schools the girls underway).<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7FlBFCF1wUeVa7Sk1qJRaW1RDURPwf1-JjfGNS-D8eB3ssqojY1ch13AuNjQkvH_07ZyWRofPxrFKWQBN4fQ8UYsMgHvTTc-j7M73JFTVyAxrJ7ktkOVHPSX2caZQ8o2MqdXDTB5dsvT/s1600/DSCF1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7FlBFCF1wUeVa7Sk1qJRaW1RDURPwf1-JjfGNS-D8eB3ssqojY1ch13AuNjQkvH_07ZyWRofPxrFKWQBN4fQ8UYsMgHvTTc-j7M73JFTVyAxrJ7ktkOVHPSX2caZQ8o2MqdXDTB5dsvT/s320/DSCF1254.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner on SV Xpression</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The past two nights we stayed in Ensenada Muertos which was
surprisingly calm even in higher winds.
The guide book indicates that this is supposed to be an up and coming
resort with a golf course etc. . Currently there are some amazingly huge homes
on the hills, some beautiful desert scenery, and a single restaurant around a
well protected cove much appreciated by
mariners going north or south between Los Cabos and La Paz. The golf course
amounts to some signs and watering systems and flat areas covered with new
desert brush indicating a totally failed enterprise.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsoWqz1qzA-klmVtB6Abaqn2tjApX1PNeNk-I7j_-iv6dJVLiO-FtfdTqNlRDpml2kNWT8FsiHvtLimx0RbrVe-w7DiwPM2fr5W1NcMOs1dtev7EzUGyMNStfwWWQVDLZw_v8FVOW0zoV/s1600/DSCF1275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsoWqz1qzA-klmVtB6Abaqn2tjApX1PNeNk-I7j_-iv6dJVLiO-FtfdTqNlRDpml2kNWT8FsiHvtLimx0RbrVe-w7DiwPM2fr5W1NcMOs1dtev7EzUGyMNStfwWWQVDLZw_v8FVOW0zoV/s320/DSCF1275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ensenada Muertos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ2YGrYV10D-MGzGCo8iqr0aYu-3ZCBOhdIx6DhOL9DYgUdk0UNBxWYCR_eYGP_Q79ccLw_1DWwSZzCBZWt73lOoSRcX-KJEoOAK3HOtMsT9JYZWmJX3xNK1cS0nHE6qXIa8JYwtrJKBL/s1600/DSCF1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQ2YGrYV10D-MGzGCo8iqr0aYu-3ZCBOhdIx6DhOL9DYgUdk0UNBxWYCR_eYGP_Q79ccLw_1DWwSZzCBZWt73lOoSRcX-KJEoOAK3HOtMsT9JYZWmJX3xNK1cS0nHE6qXIa8JYwtrJKBL/s320/DSCF1281.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golf course dream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdhZNbOkQpd2AIc2VthLoOZmO0b6MZXAwnvtIViX_Pvz5xVc0m9mzAg4d7OHW_4WMw6QBiwpuxuBd2BIgqiKxwjqyryTqb8OChiKu0t65etd1iwGenPmQecbzOMV8fSAJZ7BHtYTk4Hu4/s1600/DSCF1284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdhZNbOkQpd2AIc2VthLoOZmO0b6MZXAwnvtIViX_Pvz5xVc0m9mzAg4d7OHW_4WMw6QBiwpuxuBd2BIgqiKxwjqyryTqb8OChiKu0t65etd1iwGenPmQecbzOMV8fSAJZ7BHtYTk4Hu4/s320/DSCF1284.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golf course pro shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMRBtgFK-PwHcfe5vmZcTw4GN9JZye-4zvPoNmMzxfIKunPg6g7Tkw7yOHIZ6EYdP7HaL8DlRDBpIAgCD7IipMrpn6lECyjCf_56LgEG9c20phDSgLGUVhfDLJZ3zk1LNpW_VVOP35Th0/s1600/DSCF2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMRBtgFK-PwHcfe5vmZcTw4GN9JZye-4zvPoNmMzxfIKunPg6g7Tkw7yOHIZ6EYdP7HaL8DlRDBpIAgCD7IipMrpn6lECyjCf_56LgEG9c20phDSgLGUVhfDLJZ3zk1LNpW_VVOP35Th0/s320/DSCF2365.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dream home overlooking Ensenada Muertos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfF84n8beVtwYat9mo0dwFC8qq61U3fOs4iK9vriPmoiqy6-V7XUmL9VrBNCqsYtvkI1mkC9EKl2iVj_yw1s_7GPU8UuUqx35hslEfJ3TqaOZLmmbETfhzabMNsLUKaDxr9MZaQhQxYLz/s1600/DSCF2380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfF84n8beVtwYat9mo0dwFC8qq61U3fOs4iK9vriPmoiqy6-V7XUmL9VrBNCqsYtvkI1mkC9EKl2iVj_yw1s_7GPU8UuUqx35hslEfJ3TqaOZLmmbETfhzabMNsLUKaDxr9MZaQhQxYLz/s320/DSCF2380.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea of Cortez sunrise</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some comments on the full-time live-aboard life:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do things get broken in ways they wouldn’t in a
“dirt house” – YES! The other day we forgot to batten down one of the small
porthole windows in our bedroom. We
ended up in very snotty head seas and when Clarice ventured into our bedroom
she found sea water had soaked our settee and gotten into our DVD player and
printer/scanner (both “let the smoke out” when they were plugged in). We are in the process of replacing a $1000
(USD – not pesos) pair of binoculars that jumped off the counter during rough
weather. We have a backup pair but they
don’t serve nearly as well as the electronically stabilized ones that we have
had for 2 years so there goes another “boat unit” (boater speak for $1000).<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do you ever get tired of constantly being in
motion – YES! I (Norman) am (hopefully) getting past a period of minor “being
in the dumps” after weeks of travel followed by a major repair and never ending
boat movement. I am hoping this is
similar to culture shock and will dissipate in a couple of weeks when I let go
and start enjoying the adventure again.
It would be nice if life was all roses but it’s not even while living
the dream.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Category, questions we’ve heard that we never
realized people didn’t understand:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Where do you anchor when you are at sea at
night? We don’t. We take turns making
sure the boat is running correctly and that we don’t hit anything obvious (like
a cruise ship) and just keep going. As slow as we travel (6.5 knots average
(about 7 miles per hour) ) we need to keep going or we would never cover some
of the distances we need to between ports.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->How do you get to shore when you are at anchor?
We have a rubber and aluminum 10 foot long dingy we lower into the water with a
crane or we have 2 kayaks we use to get to shore.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Do you worry about fresh water? Yes, it is
always a concern. We have a capacity of
about 250 gallons so if everything fails we can go a long time without access
to clean, fresh water. Our problem in
Mexico is that much of the fresh water is not “clean” to the standards are
immune systems are used to. As a result
we are now running the generator 1 -2 hours a day to not only charge batteries
but more importantly to use our reverse osmosis system to make fresh water from
sea water at a rate of 25 gallons an hour.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->How about fuel?
We topped the tanks in San Diego where the fuel was reputed to be less
expensive than in Mexico. It has taken
us about 500 gallons of diesel to get from San Diego to here. When we get down a bit more (we carry about
1000 gallons) then we will start watching prices and try to top off before our
credit card has to take a huge hit. From Port Angelas, Washington to now we
have consumed just under 1000 gallons of diesel between the furnace (which
heats our hot water at anchor), the generator, and the main engine. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->How much do you steer the boat? The boat is steered by computer 99.9% of the
time. The times we do hand steer we
realize that if our autopilot ever fails it will be a major problem as it is
very tiring.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->How do you navigate? We have 3 computers with
current charts on them each connected to their own GPS. Our iphones actually have a very good
navigation program on them as an additional backup. We carry paper charts in case of electrical
failure and have done map and compass navigation in the past. (We do carry a
sextant but have yet to get a good position from it due to lack of training –
it’s on the todo list).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->How does Jarvis tolerate the boat and where does
he pee/poop underway? Jarvis would really rather live in a house with a big
backyard but he is happy being wherever we are.
When we had a house and started to load the boat to take it out he made
it very obvious that he had no intention of being left behind. He loves being off leash on a new shore where
there is lots of new nose candy and he can run free. He seems to enjoy riding in the dingy and
kayak as long as he’s not getting splashed.
He tolerates peeing on an artificial turf pad we have for him but he
despises pooping underway and will put it off until he is so miserable he is
shaking. If the boat has a lot of
motion he has finally figured out how to lift his leg to pee but keep it braced
against a wall to steady himself. If
water is coming back through the deck scupper (a drain through the sidewall of
the deck) near his pad, he will make us move his pad to a new location before
using it. All and all he is a pretty happy little dog and adapts well. He is showing his age a bit now that he is
about 8 years old and has some gray hair.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Where does human sewage go? We divide waste water into 2 categories: Gray
water and Black water. Gray water is the
drainage from showers and sinks which goes directly overboard. We work very hard to choose soap products
that are designed to minimalize any environmental footprint for both human and
cloths washing. Our Black, toilet, water
goes into two 50 gallon tanks. Areas
with a large number of boats in limited waters tend to have pump out facilities
where we can vacuum the tanks out into the city sewers. Out at sea we join the fish and dolphins and
whales and pump our sewage into the water where natural bacteria treats it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Are you afraid for your safety in Mexico?
NO! We were very concerned about theft
in San Diego where even oars had to be chained to dinghies or they would gain
legs. We have been treated kindly and
with courtesy by the Mexican folk. That said, a friend did have his very
expensive dinghy sail away on its own accord while they were in a remote
anchorage. Also see below our
experiences in La Paz.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
December 10, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
It’s very hard to appreciate that the
Christmas season is upon us. While our
friends up north report cold and snow we complain when the air temperature
drops to the high 70s. Music seems to be
the strongest reminder for me that Christmas will come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Sunday
December 2<sup>nd</sup> we arrived in La Paz at Marina Cortez. We had barely tied up when a neighboring
boat mentioned that the weekly rate in the marina was only slightly more than
we had been told we would pay for 2 days.
The idea of a week of no travel appealed to both of us (and Jarvis!). We were a bit concerned after beating into
the wind for a good part of the day and feeling a heavy swell in the slip but
quickly realized the motion was generally not bad. The funny thing was that we were paired up in
a slip with the sailing catamaran “Salish Dragon” who we had met in San
Diego. What were the chances of two
boats whose owners had gone out of their ways to provide unique regionally
(Washington/British Columbia) special names for the boats ending up in the same
slip in Mexico?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXtNR9Lfs294O3j6stgfJ1cjEPdOeIb5ZCo5zBgrBXTf44qDy9MKeq98WeFB5zhbyJxg2fyAlgCh2gvCKW-RBQFd6OAvGnRkBC8GEVK6Q2SZKDadqQIoifyB7iSpSIc1d_X8FoRh1hVjU/s1600/DSCF1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXtNR9Lfs294O3j6stgfJ1cjEPdOeIb5ZCo5zBgrBXTf44qDy9MKeq98WeFB5zhbyJxg2fyAlgCh2gvCKW-RBQFd6OAvGnRkBC8GEVK6Q2SZKDadqQIoifyB7iSpSIc1d_X8FoRh1hVjU/s320/DSCF1349.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Paz Malecon (Sea wall promenade) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBIBFr-bP1kaXGOovlhuA5qdhFhhjHm7XZ9pkfkTQc3xsidSYaaEcV0dU9eQnpIw_p7kaJjob8BP24lUN7se_ib5N1ZcwMriX5kYoiVIHCEQmCQKe4l6gWGFqFayCFrROiQmLP_3u29dC/s1600/DSCF1354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBIBFr-bP1kaXGOovlhuA5qdhFhhjHm7XZ9pkfkTQc3xsidSYaaEcV0dU9eQnpIw_p7kaJjob8BP24lUN7se_ib5N1ZcwMriX5kYoiVIHCEQmCQKe4l6gWGFqFayCFrROiQmLP_3u29dC/s320/DSCF1354.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many public sculptures in La Paz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFul-lSDdacKqUTVtJgY_3r3Sf1LyJVqGcDyzSZbl3gqnO_ugiNB-Qkr14iPHrP6gC9YmVR4tKLr61RhsHKwmVZ9yBCtOQjslvCeVSItRv7PK1iIx03QsTeIjGnWctWNd8rMOqC5By07l_/s1600/DSCF1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFul-lSDdacKqUTVtJgY_3r3Sf1LyJVqGcDyzSZbl3gqnO_ugiNB-Qkr14iPHrP6gC9YmVR4tKLr61RhsHKwmVZ9yBCtOQjslvCeVSItRv7PK1iIx03QsTeIjGnWctWNd8rMOqC5By07l_/s320/DSCF1355.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another public sculpture in La Paz (we finally found an iphone app that tells the story of each one)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zrrePJcfKzjHC5BdPq0MZG_U0RK98X-Q20heYkxXqpLr8W3Aqi-UxyhRM2gkaQ3e-2a2U1aTpu-YAeqcQ0YTNsfIcQMH5Idvn1SWCzR509inSNhCEx1LMs5Hi_jTs2m921SDgWJC1WGp/s1600/DSCF1357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zrrePJcfKzjHC5BdPq0MZG_U0RK98X-Q20heYkxXqpLr8W3Aqi-UxyhRM2gkaQ3e-2a2U1aTpu-YAeqcQ0YTNsfIcQMH5Idvn1SWCzR509inSNhCEx1LMs5Hi_jTs2m921SDgWJC1WGp/s320/DSCF1357.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out for a morning walk in La Paz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUrSFllZhqzJc7qI3D9XfqlfFvZ7ldSchXKr7vD_DMdljSxDi1oQk-m84ykIemc56LbCmrKYJdMksn5m-GBFUambQO5JQPWbyKWbeoELz3Dn0moHWXoteJ91FL-VWC6V5x9G1d5gkd9Lp/s1600/DSCF1358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUrSFllZhqzJc7qI3D9XfqlfFvZ7ldSchXKr7vD_DMdljSxDi1oQk-m84ykIemc56LbCmrKYJdMksn5m-GBFUambQO5JQPWbyKWbeoELz3Dn0moHWXoteJ91FL-VWC6V5x9G1d5gkd9Lp/s320/DSCF1358.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I waited for this vendor to enter what I thought was a quintessential Mexico street scene - he make it even more authentic when he stopped and tipped his hat and said a small prayer at a Virgin Mary alter on a post next to the street. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcQUeaNMonuuWNIx0M5TRK-M387WxLYELGEnbgl_Kl1emIELnhgObLdxB7BLNgMadbqtRlIVx72DqHJyypcigitiGYazGHObxf-s1KeVvj1-hTWfoBLZdrJXwSzF1SzRBq6TsKQDjaNJ1/s1600/DSCF1360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1393" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcQUeaNMonuuWNIx0M5TRK-M387WxLYELGEnbgl_Kl1emIELnhgObLdxB7BLNgMadbqtRlIVx72DqHJyypcigitiGYazGHObxf-s1KeVvj1-hTWfoBLZdrJXwSzF1SzRBq6TsKQDjaNJ1/s320/DSCF1360.JPG" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical sidewalk. One section may have a marked ADA ramp followed by a very fancy inlay section then someone will build the next section 10 or 12 inches higher with no step followed by a section with no paving at all.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1Y9kD9x2JB-mXfs-JhQuCKbOl8qie8oq15HWd3F2AxkO4QI46w99AbsLI1EiL4DoHnUgBQsZDGgXqXX-25MSONnzsCCnraqSuvJa9Ip3-zkwe_AZe4k4MQqTjO6p6jMf8mLp-SGxOMHa/s1600/DSCF1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1Y9kD9x2JB-mXfs-JhQuCKbOl8qie8oq15HWd3F2AxkO4QI46w99AbsLI1EiL4DoHnUgBQsZDGgXqXX-25MSONnzsCCnraqSuvJa9Ip3-zkwe_AZe4k4MQqTjO6p6jMf8mLp-SGxOMHa/s320/DSCF1363.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 130 peso (about $5 USD) breakfast. The cups have a broth that seems to be traditional (not much to our liking) and always a selection of sauces, limes, and other toppings to add.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
We had heard along the way that La Paz has
a very active cruiser community who meet every morning at 8 AM on VHF radio
channel 22. At 8 AM on Monday we tuned
in and learned the weather and tides as well as who had arrived (us!) and
departed the area and we had a chance to ask any “local assistance” questions
such as “can we catch a ride to Walmart with someone” (yes, we could). The net runs from ½ to 1 hour 6 days a week
and is followed by coffee at Club Cruceros
(Cruiser’s Club) where the local cruiser community has its home base
with a library of books and DVDs and events such as a Christmas Bazaar yesterday
providing funds for local charities. We
also realized that a LOT of boats have ended up in La Paz and never leave.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UKwsf90sQ0dfWyRtkMl8YSE9yWRb7oA7MJftDeylOPoGYv6RGFITVumDvO_LsUOEN1RVffrCZ4Ase2vpKJKD85A2KmzRbqCB5io9dYZ3XxkFMt-v6tTiJmEuRF-neV7TS0BKX1gaNTH6/s1600/DSCF1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UKwsf90sQ0dfWyRtkMl8YSE9yWRb7oA7MJftDeylOPoGYv6RGFITVumDvO_LsUOEN1RVffrCZ4Ase2vpKJKD85A2KmzRbqCB5io9dYZ3XxkFMt-v6tTiJmEuRF-neV7TS0BKX1gaNTH6/s320/DSCF1347.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Club Cruceros (Cruisers' Club)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
We also decided that folks from the PNW are
heavily represented here with a number of Puget Sound and BC boats. We were on the same dock with Max, Stephanie
and their daughters on Xpression as they waved goodbye to Stephanie as she
headed back to Tacoma for two months of work before she can visit the family
again for another month. On one hand Max
points out that the month the family has together on a small island in the sea
amounts to more total time then when they try to combine school and jobs and a
“normal” household life but he agreed the months apart can be hard. In any case the girls are clearly doing very
very well with both schooling (they are home schooled on such topics as math
with celestial navigation) and social wellbeing. We also ran into Sandi and Tom and their
small boys on Korvessa who we had met in Dana Point where we learned he trained
as a Physicians’ Assistant at the same hospital where I worked in Everett. Next to us was a boat with 2 Jackhuahua’s on
it and beyond them SV Agatha from Seattle with an English / Australian couple
and their 13 year old daughter. We had a
lovely evening with Nordhavn (X2 boats!) owners from the Vancouver area, Penny
and Larry Talbot who we had met in Seattle. Across from us was our friends on
Nordhavn One Life, and the list goes on as we get to know more and more boats
by name and the folks who live on them.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvqDH-y7a961d3oKtCqUt9tN7qApCLYHlSdivpR7TeuTaNjbDZ8PIPniEHw-lQfya9swSkiCAxBZUulgpSXtdD9oAz9DZkDkghaCl3tZUpl1bp7H0qlJ94e7q4AtpeUPjPpoVbc8qCYge/s1600/DSCF1346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvqDH-y7a961d3oKtCqUt9tN7qApCLYHlSdivpR7TeuTaNjbDZ8PIPniEHw-lQfya9swSkiCAxBZUulgpSXtdD9oAz9DZkDkghaCl3tZUpl1bp7H0qlJ94e7q4AtpeUPjPpoVbc8qCYge/s320/DSCF1346.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">This boat used to be named Isis and was in the same marina as us in Everett.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
I had read that an outcome of NAFTA was the
establishment of a middle class in Mexico.
My memories of Mexico as a child were of impoverished Tijuana and
Ensenada with beggars everywhere and everyone living in shacks. Those days are not gone but they are going in
the bigger towns we have visited so far.
On one hand things still don’t
work as we Yankees think they should but on the other hand the locals seem to
feel in control of their own destinies.
During a RAIN STORM (capitals for emphasis – it rained more than cats
and dogs – maybe elephants and horses) the sewers were quickly backed up, water
ran into buildings because the tile floors had been laid with an inward slope,
and cobblestone streets developed holes 2 feet deep but the next day MOST
things were cleaned up and the water swept (literally with brooms) out to
sea. On the other hand much of the
damage will likely not ever be repaired as ongoing maintenance is rare – a
project gets done and then no follow-up.
(E.G. I tried to ride in a bike lane but a man-hole had been added in
the middle of the lane 8 inches above the rest of the lane with no lid and no
sloped approach.) Our friend needed to
make a report at the nice new police station (reported to have been built with
USA funding) but the city didn’t have money for copier paper. On the other hand families are out walking in
the evening along the newly completed seaside promenade and taking time to try
to practice their English with me as they greet Jarvis with a pat on the head
(a well-trained and friendly dog seems to be very much appreciated). We’ve only seen two beggars. One man was making his way with his below the
knee amputation on a knee crutch like Clarice used with her broken foot. It was obvious that this was a long term
solution for him and that he likely wears out knee crutches on a regular
basis. We offered to give his Clarice’s
old one and he clearly fully expected to pay for it and was very very gracious
when we gave it to him as a gift. At
Walmart I saw a group of young people with uniforms that seemed to indicate
they were nursing students. When I
explained to two young men that I am an enfermero they were very excited to
have an example of an “old guy” nurse who is a male. We bought their supplies for them and wished
them Feliz Navidad! Walking with Jarvis
one evening about 8 secondary school kids came up to us to greet Jarvis and to
practice their English. I later learned
that one of the girls was celebrating her birthday was the purpose of their
party so I sang Happy Birthday with my base voice turned up so everyone in the
marina knew she was celebrating – the kids and parents clapped and the dog and
I went on our way. Perhaps the person
who gave us this piece of wisdom said it best: “If you tell a Mexican they
should do it like we do in the United States, they will point out that their
society is a couple of thousand years old while our country has only been
around for a couple hundred years.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
So today we are heading back to Ensenada
Muertos after having waited out some high winds the past few days as we head
back to San Juan Del Cabo to pick up Erin and her family on the 15<sup>th</sup>. The wind today is again from the north at
about 15 knots with short seas but they are much more tolerable from astern
than beating into them from the bow. Our
learning here is that winds predicted in the Sea of Cortez coming from the
north at greater than 10 knots need to be taken seriously as: 1) the speed
estimates tend to be low, often by 10 knots (so a 10 knot prediction yields a
20 knot wind) and 2) the bay is long and narrow so it doesn’t have swell as
such but does develop very steep sided short period waves that can be miserable
for mariners.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
December 11, 2018 – “Misplaced Passports”
OR “It Takes a Community”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Just as I was finishing the last note and
Clarice and gone downstairs for a nap we had a moment of internet coverage and
we picked up an email from the marina we had departed 5 hours prior that our passports were in
their office. Hmmm, what to do: 1) turn
against the following wind and following seas and beat back to the marina to
arrive after dark or 2) call on The Community.
Here is what transpired among the group of boats travelling together:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Stray Cat, Stray Cat from Salish Aire”…. (no
response)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Salish Dragon, Salish Dragon from Salish Aire”
…. “Salish Dragon here”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Salish Dragon do you know of anyone coming to Muertos
tomorrow who could bring our passports down?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Break, Break, this is SV Valhalla, I believe Epiphany
is coming tomorrow, I will see if I have contact information”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“This is Salish Dragon, I will also text my
cousin who is still in the neighboring marina to see if she can contact
Epiphany”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Valhalla back to Salish Aire – I don’t have
contact information for Epiphany”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Salish Dragon back to Salish Aire – my cousin
on Red Shoes says Epiphany isn’t coming south but is sure she can find someone
through the morning net or perhaps you can catch a cab from Muertos back as its
only about 45 minutes” (later it was confirmed as 2 hours over rough dirt road)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Email sent to friends still in Marina Cortez
explaining our situation.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Salish Dragon back to Salish Aire, my cousin
has picked up the passports and will hand them off to Kwaai “<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Email from the Marina Office confirming that the
passports had been picked up by Red Shoes<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Email back from friends confirming that they
will help if our current plan doesn’t work out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->8:30 PM - Text message that we should expect the
passports between 5:30 and 6 AM today and to listen for Kwaai on channel 6<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->5:50 AM, “Salish Aire from Kwaai – we can’t tell
which boat you are in the dark”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->“Salish Aire back to Kwaai we will turn on our
deck lights”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->5:55 AM a trailer launched panga (small
fiberglass fishing boat ubiquitous to Mexico and Central America) pulls up next
to our boat with a 2 Canadians and a Mexican boat operator – hand us the
passports and then zip off into the dark to go fishing<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Spanish lesson: Bahia = Bay; Ensenada = Cove; Cabo =Cape;
Muertos = Dead; Frailes = Friars)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
December 29, 2018<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes it’s hard to believe how full our days are even
though we are doing “nothing”. Today was
forecast to be “extremely cold and windy” (its 65 Fahrenheit) so I put on long
pants, shoes, and a long sleeve shirt and planned to get my blogging caught up. We saw a Mexican night watchman wearing quilted pants, a heavy coat, a neck scarf, a stocking cap, and heavy gloves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the last note we continued on to Ensenada Muertos where
we put on our scuba gear and found a rock reef with thousands of fish about 20
feet below the surface and were entertained for some time. We identified the constellation of the
Southern Cross (not visible much north of here) and watched Venus, Mercury and
Saturn in the eastern sky. I practiced
taking sextant readings as a woman from Spain living in La Paz offers twice
weekly free lessons to anyone who shows up.
Then we moved south to Bahia Frailes where we climbed the significant
hill (I’m from the Pacific Northwest – it takes a lot of elevation to be
considered a mountain!) that constitutes Cabo Frailes and protects the bay from
the northern winds. Along the way I let
out a loud “WOW” that brought Clarice running to the pilot house as I saw a
blue whale breach three quarters of its body out of the water. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttHFDxWLz3gawl8MlxEUSU7DLTsUo_2yq1hkF4nuo1fJ2ddfbSEQLlcsKGflxU4O5nK62-ilbpOL7fwPkRKRIJEwmolvHQ_pA4Gubb9mQRs403v-74FDr63t07XkNjrciGvZ8OwTdymVS/s1600/DSCF1256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="1600" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttHFDxWLz3gawl8MlxEUSU7DLTsUo_2yq1hkF4nuo1fJ2ddfbSEQLlcsKGflxU4O5nK62-ilbpOL7fwPkRKRIJEwmolvHQ_pA4Gubb9mQRs403v-74FDr63t07XkNjrciGvZ8OwTdymVS/s320/DSCF1256.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach at Bahia Frailes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwi9J3e4rxNmPLGmMlNdata-VxzJxIC9O0VTLgdrf87Bs7kJKGF0-d-Qlg00vnqRodcoU2c4tJfCbkFRyRJelth4HJPVlpaF9JowMnSlE7Vr84chYV02c6e7Zng5Cm33e9Z3ulq6lHJf9/s1600/DSCF1264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwi9J3e4rxNmPLGmMlNdata-VxzJxIC9O0VTLgdrf87Bs7kJKGF0-d-Qlg00vnqRodcoU2c4tJfCbkFRyRJelth4HJPVlpaF9JowMnSlE7Vr84chYV02c6e7Zng5Cm33e9Z3ulq6lHJf9/s320/DSCF1264.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny fish that congregate under the boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75TZVsGAoi6TJdKxwyY-fFeuvVL86GoCxBvVctYkmmJX5VBwlt0xwL6d89CgAX5zGJFr9wQ7LLZqn5-HYJK3MFxcBVx74t3KcWfNlSDhY-dCaSQ-Hf-LKznpeubLg7N_Q-BSnWDc5CenE/s1600/DSCF1285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75TZVsGAoi6TJdKxwyY-fFeuvVL86GoCxBvVctYkmmJX5VBwlt0xwL6d89CgAX5zGJFr9wQ7LLZqn5-HYJK3MFxcBVx74t3KcWfNlSDhY-dCaSQ-Hf-LKznpeubLg7N_Q-BSnWDc5CenE/s320/DSCF1285.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bahia Frailes from part way up the hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeMBNsv8V-yoKoud3Z-OBA22VotAjxxD4ECOY4WFz0NkY-0k8tnTfWJ5PVNcVGlWvHKGhQAG73WSGv9sCpa2qO8fG3V-K26YHcqXfhTXy_qEJrIFTYQPR78T6ygjs6xP6qj7Vyok2IUxD/s1600/DSCF1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeMBNsv8V-yoKoud3Z-OBA22VotAjxxD4ECOY4WFz0NkY-0k8tnTfWJ5PVNcVGlWvHKGhQAG73WSGv9sCpa2qO8fG3V-K26YHcqXfhTXy_qEJrIFTYQPR78T6ygjs6xP6qj7Vyok2IUxD/s320/DSCF1289.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis leading the way up the Frailes hill trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88LUrdghXR-bq7dG2i8KznVXqSVyFmihWf_dWruGoDP5ufU1tnJ26evU3SpMcwesJ2lPG3UAlPNRa70BqnT55sKlbm50HXIjUGmcJ1HCkPpVGKvvZwkT3TiEQd_q9yhLXzJ9tT2U_1E1C/s1600/DSCF1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88LUrdghXR-bq7dG2i8KznVXqSVyFmihWf_dWruGoDP5ufU1tnJ26evU3SpMcwesJ2lPG3UAlPNRa70BqnT55sKlbm50HXIjUGmcJ1HCkPpVGKvvZwkT3TiEQd_q9yhLXzJ9tT2U_1E1C/s320/DSCF1292.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of the hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvOswPVh9ibx1uOV6mHo5oIzcdreNTIDabCgpHdWPrD_tVxEKmoSte5y1Rv-00reBmVDKrR1YdBiJ1zP15R4kkOk8W7tl_g7hDEYzXWwY7gNfzi2M2YLeZn7G7PMS5_hbA1PyySPS8oMN/s1600/DSCF1301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvOswPVh9ibx1uOV6mHo5oIzcdreNTIDabCgpHdWPrD_tVxEKmoSte5y1Rv-00reBmVDKrR1YdBiJ1zP15R4kkOk8W7tl_g7hDEYzXWwY7gNfzi2M2YLeZn7G7PMS5_hbA1PyySPS8oMN/s320/DSCF1301.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cactus in bloom along the trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On arrival back in San Jose Del Cabo the dock attendant
immediately recognized the boat and directed us into a slip after having left
Bahia Frailes about 5 AM so we would have plenty of time to get organized
before Erin’s flight from Ontario arrived followed an hour later by Paul’s
flight from Seattle where he is on contract with MicroSoft for a year. We were irritated that the local cabs were
charging about $50 USD from the airport to the Marina so we set about finding a
better solution. In the end we learned
of a local car rental company who would provide an 8 seat van at a reasonable
price but I needed to pick it up at the airport. I jumped on my electric assist bicycle and
headed out. Picking up the van was a
no-hassle event as Cactus Car Rentals apparently is very focused on getting
repeat customers as was obvious by how they greeted (and were greeted) by folks
who had clearly rented from them several times and considered the customer (manager)
to be a personal friend. I waited in their comfy waiting room a short time and
they recommended that Erin and family jump in their courtesy van from the
baggage area where they had gotten through customs with no issues.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We used the van to tour town a bit and to make a run to Cabo
San Lucas Costco and Walmart for provisions.
The kids tried out their new snorkel sets in a protected beach at the
marina and all was almost well (two of the kids had very short lived belly illnesses
most likely from a previously obtained bug and/or extreme fatigue and over
stimulation).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a day to acclimate in town we headed out early in the
morning back to Bahia Frailes before the kids were awake so they didn’t have to
endure much of the 5 hour ride. On the
other hand I had prepared reward forms where they could get pesos for observing
sea life. Valerie was on the front deck
as soon as she was awake with her list in hand and soon spotted a gray whale.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clarice would have loved to show the kids Ensenada Muertos
but we decided with the wind forecasts it would be best to just hang out in
Bahia Frailes. This turned out to be the
right choice as the kids were completely happy with playing in the water and on
the beach. We gave them underwater
cameras for their Christmas presents and they took photos of the fish as they
snorkeled. We hung dive lights next to
the boat and hundreds of fish were attracted to them. They watched as a park ranger dug about 100 baby
turtles from a fenced in nesting area and released them into the sea. We woke
them just before dawn so they could see the Southern Cross and zillions of
other stars with little in the way of light pollution. To the local folk 75 degree water was really
cold – to kids from frozen Ontario Canada it was just fine. Finally we headed back to San Juan Del Cabo
and after riding a local bus (always a bit of a cultural experience) we walked
around town and they had fun negotiating prices so they could afford souvenirs
with their sea life scavenger hunt pesos.
The scary part was how fast Valerie, at 8 years old, can convert from
pesos to dollars in her head. By the time
they left after 8 days we all felt we had a wonderful visit together.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysgvpSIUKrsa1u9iYbc7E3njk8Sma-y2Fc5z5KD1oPFI3l9mdpG4nY_Z-Q88FVgwdPYncmGsPvwOgBGS9hiGGRWBgPIlvq-VFiNNVVVKGE8LcqxPwq73LRlLiSOR_AYI1obfdy8nio3-x/s1600/DSCF1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysgvpSIUKrsa1u9iYbc7E3njk8Sma-y2Fc5z5KD1oPFI3l9mdpG4nY_Z-Q88FVgwdPYncmGsPvwOgBGS9hiGGRWBgPIlvq-VFiNNVVVKGE8LcqxPwq73LRlLiSOR_AYI1obfdy8nio3-x/s320/DSCF1302.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henri warms up in a ditty bag after his first swim in Mexico</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x76-4D1lkpnWPlcZASsoa1iMtR2GVOB9dCHoc26j68JAuy74nX-6yjJglwR0fOR3BSJCe681BdoD6eMB_d1QDnSw-leCvtJ4YzR4KtpvWP-HUzw9srWU5YMlrP49LwRIqfJfafw0JPfA/s1600/DSCF1305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-x76-4D1lkpnWPlcZASsoa1iMtR2GVOB9dCHoc26j68JAuy74nX-6yjJglwR0fOR3BSJCe681BdoD6eMB_d1QDnSw-leCvtJ4YzR4KtpvWP-HUzw9srWU5YMlrP49LwRIqfJfafw0JPfA/s320/DSCF1305.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids and Erin spent hours on the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5TecVsNdDP2UT8Zq3VdJtPLJqOjxm6bqSCipCj-ghfAqLbBr1pt3u_Leg0HdogpGAAM8XMaM8ZgEbLXG7-2TfMhRzSZRb15P_X69LU_fwHxfT5UEoLLtq57cZ0xaZvrtKBHvte4bZp-z/s1600/DSCF1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5TecVsNdDP2UT8Zq3VdJtPLJqOjxm6bqSCipCj-ghfAqLbBr1pt3u_Leg0HdogpGAAM8XMaM8ZgEbLXG7-2TfMhRzSZRb15P_X69LU_fwHxfT5UEoLLtq57cZ0xaZvrtKBHvte4bZp-z/s320/DSCF1307.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice got a collapsible basin for Christmas which Jarvis promptly tried out for size (he hates baths so perhaps he thought it would make a good bed?) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61yVq24NsP9dg_TjkKfL64toQq7C7ro5lxYBJcPj5M-MINYIq-RXctb9htqp9BnuQ2Zn9hOTvvokwXSJybT11eFhhAP7I8g2fExLyNeLia3QONSqZuhPW6Vtr2N7J0Ny82Q5HEI7kzx23/s1600/DSCF1310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61yVq24NsP9dg_TjkKfL64toQq7C7ro5lxYBJcPj5M-MINYIq-RXctb9htqp9BnuQ2Zn9hOTvvokwXSJybT11eFhhAP7I8g2fExLyNeLia3QONSqZuhPW6Vtr2N7J0Ny82Q5HEI7kzx23/s320/DSCF1310.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bucket of baby turtles just out of the nests</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLGkXXrVx3VtuuChlQ_KAStafQ4B72gf-BDtoOSx7tSJwVVp3nodrn3O0nYz8CF1N5h5qm-bnmjFHMxm62YNrL08Tm4Se-9ryjkcQPFc5-Lpk_pBhsQh0JibP1ULYuQ5XEjWCBQ7vhYPQ/s1600/DSCF1312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLGkXXrVx3VtuuChlQ_KAStafQ4B72gf-BDtoOSx7tSJwVVp3nodrn3O0nYz8CF1N5h5qm-bnmjFHMxm62YNrL08Tm4Se-9ryjkcQPFc5-Lpk_pBhsQh0JibP1ULYuQ5XEjWCBQ7vhYPQ/s320/DSCF1312.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Baby turtles scramble to the water </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KpuxNZHnrCQ_bz3GDSi1lJKjaQsY5jX4x3yf5aKRwm8RQdCZbHtWZqcoFyU8QTW73dIs9Bf2awgm5S5ovEGEjuErE72PhmdP7xKzMgdA-ACU1zDaoB0u1WvW-94J9lm3wgjM8eN1GsCj/s1600/DSCF1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqf1t7Kn-bHySK_KSEq90XtcIccB9j5VVSXE8yQU6LjHh2f5u8FO_He1I9tyOg8LzACOTdBbFhb_UscAihYO7XUxNBmk6rrV_UCdJHDrWkdTZmMYf8OWOXlhliAHTojN29yL72-_b-mem/s1600/DSCF1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqf1t7Kn-bHySK_KSEq90XtcIccB9j5VVSXE8yQU6LjHh2f5u8FO_He1I9tyOg8LzACOTdBbFhb_UscAihYO7XUxNBmk6rrV_UCdJHDrWkdTZmMYf8OWOXlhliAHTojN29yL72-_b-mem/s320/DSCF1316.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We watched for about an hour before all of the baby turtles were swimming away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-jwBq1JMDb8U_HRSbda3_jIHCs-ibF1xXf6TIeESO5lqn-RfSYH4wuAghjhqnwx8e39FUuAA5Y3UwTFyLuLsE_UGYqE7ekeg6-KWgOKZiQlNq2kee4aTbKfEiJAhtF6ixLxH9iXpJczy/s1600/DSCF1320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-jwBq1JMDb8U_HRSbda3_jIHCs-ibF1xXf6TIeESO5lqn-RfSYH4wuAghjhqnwx8e39FUuAA5Y3UwTFyLuLsE_UGYqE7ekeg6-KWgOKZiQlNq2kee4aTbKfEiJAhtF6ixLxH9iXpJczy/s320/DSCF1320.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin practiced her sand penmanship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9bUq5CsOLpxp-L6PVDpWLO0Rm5VzX3tCG0DRtvCG3hHp9-0CPE5L7UZJV7LdtkzwR_RfiX5UGGZ6eXTb3wSPSfkigkjmTWHhctiQ-4GGIJQX3q9LZzrOo6FzenAJaq_cEiR1X4ezRlMk/s1600/DSCF1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9bUq5CsOLpxp-L6PVDpWLO0Rm5VzX3tCG0DRtvCG3hHp9-0CPE5L7UZJV7LdtkzwR_RfiX5UGGZ6eXTb3wSPSfkigkjmTWHhctiQ-4GGIJQX3q9LZzrOo6FzenAJaq_cEiR1X4ezRlMk/s320/DSCF1323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henri and Carter built a sand fort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjRshDatfiYBJpWZQ5K3n-zOrcW62WRKZjGm3JMi3y5sIesENvxLihjaZmt020JSQbqF6AzZjL7ly0Q0BOU1vs135B_kFFCiAIT6KhvMw0sJIZv1NJ9FgLyy0Zkwongqov9iCz21A0KW2/s1600/DSCF1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjRshDatfiYBJpWZQ5K3n-zOrcW62WRKZjGm3JMi3y5sIesENvxLihjaZmt020JSQbqF6AzZjL7ly0Q0BOU1vs135B_kFFCiAIT6KhvMw0sJIZv1NJ9FgLyy0Zkwongqov9iCz21A0KW2/s320/DSCF1324.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valerie made shells she had collected into a necklace and castanet </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYude8liZ74uiEnzLxqDiyvxxk3lwH6Nh_AT9Sot40iIMS9Bff1xk3IkGqBKGr9XiUt6LqVuizSUnCRLLZrOSMp04m8Q_yZpxOCxaSNZdUNekqfwenRyOC0NDjvhoIXnBuovSA9hBzT1c/s1600/DSCF1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYude8liZ74uiEnzLxqDiyvxxk3lwH6Nh_AT9Sot40iIMS9Bff1xk3IkGqBKGr9XiUt6LqVuizSUnCRLLZrOSMp04m8Q_yZpxOCxaSNZdUNekqfwenRyOC0NDjvhoIXnBuovSA9hBzT1c/s320/DSCF1327.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way up the hill with the Lyttle family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjon5LreaAOaxx3saxi2rNcCfiyZHZuKN6I0PMs75vP4WrkH7ILPRJaRyYx5YCeCrGTmyn615rLm0AfHus73bv03EeaLgN2Q9v7vqUuUWAip6MDJ5HtAKz3axqwuFqwMW7LRMiNIKTQ9qVT/s1600/DSCF1340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjon5LreaAOaxx3saxi2rNcCfiyZHZuKN6I0PMs75vP4WrkH7ILPRJaRyYx5YCeCrGTmyn615rLm0AfHus73bv03EeaLgN2Q9v7vqUuUWAip6MDJ5HtAKz3axqwuFqwMW7LRMiNIKTQ9qVT/s320/DSCF1340.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking from south to north over Bahia Frailes with the hill in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ebmgoopd98e_-f72Ht4M5O-8a6Yj9aOhhk7EAhV4hCR1q7kL-y_eD3B4BHsvvKGrt6oGeGANCVl6mBkTcP_aSKK7D6bpNywGbdLfXbkkAAyg93CH2s32kIRPefklpLedI27ud2ou9q5b/s1600/DSCF1342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ebmgoopd98e_-f72Ht4M5O-8a6Yj9aOhhk7EAhV4hCR1q7kL-y_eD3B4BHsvvKGrt6oGeGANCVl6mBkTcP_aSKK7D6bpNywGbdLfXbkkAAyg93CH2s32kIRPefklpLedI27ud2ou9q5b/s320/DSCF1342.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lyttle kids checking out the Christmas decorations in the La Paz town square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZmKRQX282WhOddinwJa-MjB0EPogPsXto4JwDrE61kgMpkNVEA_VTVW_9pYtyVc1sCSOb4Z-s25OvrG7NYmV7R7xgvCXHXB7JfYHrOytrBN0NpPuuUkrq76rUcdBTSg2EmZbcfAs-dNL/s1600/DSCF2391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZmKRQX282WhOddinwJa-MjB0EPogPsXto4JwDrE61kgMpkNVEA_VTVW_9pYtyVc1sCSOb4Z-s25OvrG7NYmV7R7xgvCXHXB7JfYHrOytrBN0NpPuuUkrq76rUcdBTSg2EmZbcfAs-dNL/s320/DSCF2391.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valerie playing with Bananagrams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa1Mo22vtPnLEeIk5y_AW9NT3AnHphS4OMIVwaF8Tffs_PahyXWTYJYyuYsVUr03HqbKRICFrYlQinA7JPyVayVh7dWGipABCcEo4uCGAgTc7Dihe5XeikyRbvZvUZ1zhELGOkFPOiFVT/s1600/DSCF2395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGa1Mo22vtPnLEeIk5y_AW9NT3AnHphS4OMIVwaF8Tffs_PahyXWTYJYyuYsVUr03HqbKRICFrYlQinA7JPyVayVh7dWGipABCcEo4uCGAgTc7Dihe5XeikyRbvZvUZ1zhELGOkFPOiFVT/s320/DSCF2395.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valerie and Henri play a video game in the pilot house while Jarvis supervises</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53FF5e16RQWmzg-r3IU7CeSmoQcx7lYtlhyphenhyphenayIHJjPgKsKTHUnRNXrsNm6Uz77EY6tWcYZXKZijTnxWuRJ-KokXaB9_CFdeoaGVMqhZdhzS1L_ymz-eegScm5DkoKo0kDiifKduKSdNLW/s1600/IMG_1585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53FF5e16RQWmzg-r3IU7CeSmoQcx7lYtlhyphenhyphenayIHJjPgKsKTHUnRNXrsNm6Uz77EY6tWcYZXKZijTnxWuRJ-KokXaB9_CFdeoaGVMqhZdhzS1L_ymz-eegScm5DkoKo0kDiifKduKSdNLW/s320/IMG_1585.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Erin and Valerie head for the water with their full face mask/snorkel gear </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyFxZG-X5Qgw_Et8x6YljaR05bSnHbFpwpZYlGZ1wuIWGXwmsexQEM2tjr9o5YapNIXxpW2WJ1euFFhy-AHk0O3U4VMECFm400GkvS2CxywWdT5gTM0FzY3UaYqjZIgmiDXtDi28rFTEg/s320/IMG_1586.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henri was the only Lyttle child to make it to the top of the hill saying, <br />
"I'm sad I didn't want to come because its really pretty."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyFxZG-X5Qgw_Et8x6YljaR05bSnHbFpwpZYlGZ1wuIWGXwmsexQEM2tjr9o5YapNIXxpW2WJ1euFFhy-AHk0O3U4VMECFm400GkvS2CxywWdT5gTM0FzY3UaYqjZIgmiDXtDi28rFTEg/s1600/IMG_1586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyFxZG-X5Qgw_Et8x6YljaR05bSnHbFpwpZYlGZ1wuIWGXwmsexQEM2tjr9o5YapNIXxpW2WJ1euFFhy-AHk0O3U4VMECFm400GkvS2CxywWdT5gTM0FzY3UaYqjZIgmiDXtDi28rFTEg/s1600/IMG_1586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsWR_f19LLoFuvlX6Mh1Lgjkm3l3dR_ojV6-XD1f_VqyWxFHMYPWhRqR3NYA4I4LEGsjLnQebm6aR3bSsNuk_qBHMFimORQFY_2Ty7dliNjN3dqfBmgKCZh7ZlO5YUTI1QVOpjzPfstJJ/s1600/IMG_1588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsWR_f19LLoFuvlX6Mh1Lgjkm3l3dR_ojV6-XD1f_VqyWxFHMYPWhRqR3NYA4I4LEGsjLnQebm6aR3bSsNuk_qBHMFimORQFY_2Ty7dliNjN3dqfBmgKCZh7ZlO5YUTI1QVOpjzPfstJJ/s320/IMG_1588.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin and Paul on the top of the hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKNaQABSHxJtTEpZh_XOCW5Ju9Xyc97t1PiaPchOukjTzzRngbA13lJiooaSsbQ9ScMC7dxEhcdOIKZxQ9FZuH520_ZgeIZwDknLI5Br5UUgtoKLKOaTjKotP3hZHvPnTQeTDUw4AAAVf/s1600/IMG_1590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKNaQABSHxJtTEpZh_XOCW5Ju9Xyc97t1PiaPchOukjTzzRngbA13lJiooaSsbQ9ScMC7dxEhcdOIKZxQ9FZuH520_ZgeIZwDknLI5Br5UUgtoKLKOaTjKotP3hZHvPnTQeTDUw4AAAVf/s320/IMG_1590.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frosting Christmas cookies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWN4J08FTweA8270Y16n3I_nnvfXAiXi9vZymS3IOkHLKchvZ4qggFl0bjjNoHbTXBij4sKQVFd4BMClvtJF2kFcCmRzPuT3uuuzKjgAeT2wrMnYZl1z6f1rU14ZjY_6rBJNBM8nV_VjhC/s1600/IMG_1596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWN4J08FTweA8270Y16n3I_nnvfXAiXi9vZymS3IOkHLKchvZ4qggFl0bjjNoHbTXBij4sKQVFd4BMClvtJF2kFcCmRzPuT3uuuzKjgAeT2wrMnYZl1z6f1rU14ZjY_6rBJNBM8nV_VjhC/s320/IMG_1596.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing a card game with Grandma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About a half hour
after our guests left for the airport we slipped our lines and headed north for
a 19 hour run back to La Paz so we would arrive in a place where we felt we would
have a community to join in for Christmas celebrations. The run north started with the usual
headwinds coming from Arizona down the Sea of Cortez and making for an
uncomfortable bounce. Between wind and
currents and using our paravanes we were slowed to 4.5 knots (AKA “really slow”)
and all we could do was hope that we had read the weather charts correctly and
all would change in the evening. Sure
enough at about 9 PM the near full moon came out, the wind and waves dies out,
and we had smooth sailing which brought us into La Paz about 10 AM.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We confirmed on the morning radio net what time the
Christmas Eve Club Cruceros potluck would be and then settled in for a much
needed nap (with A/C running on December 24<sup>th</sup>!). We enjoyed the evening meal with Max and his girls at our table and then
attended a lessons and carols type service in the marina parking lot. The next day Clarice and I walked up to the
local Catholic cathedral and joined in the Christmas service. While the service was in Spanish the message
was clear in meaning. We did find in
surprising that the church nativity scene was a snow scene with a campfire for
the Christ child. The photos don’t
include the Baby Jesus because he was being greeted at the front of the church
by each of the congregants one at a time after waiting in line.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So with a very unusual (for us) Christmas past we are trying
to get the boat cleaned after having housed 7 people for a week (Clarice’s
present was to have a local man wax and polish the boat). The motor oil has been changed and so Salish
Aire is mechanically ready to take us out whenever we are ready to go which for
the next month will be in the La Paz area as we have secured a slip in La Paz
for a month.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFesCwnDRcsyi2gufe-1eTPY-y1U_FgeE_9nfxKhv8w0ktCmF_IJGelw7mztAr4fmmmSogy_-E24q8lRf_Ous134qTsjsy0Gm8mROEhuiiQuexCcsIAJqi0T5gVI1Epqo-uX0GYw9uazi_/s1600/DSCF1364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFesCwnDRcsyi2gufe-1eTPY-y1U_FgeE_9nfxKhv8w0ktCmF_IJGelw7mztAr4fmmmSogy_-E24q8lRf_Ous134qTsjsy0Gm8mROEhuiiQuexCcsIAJqi0T5gVI1Epqo-uX0GYw9uazi_/s320/DSCF1364.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boat waxing team at work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgU1AubwwnI7WOAlN4hTE6YqVImdqw1DrGxAkBYeO9w3FZ0GLtenkqstBSJuhbMxmt8B05pAEpUdPn-VIBaDjnAAX7_MZtXbaGgDAlUiRJZ4wtOhJgS5KzJKV_dIkyuSD5V4ExO5gTbK1/s1600/DSCF2417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgU1AubwwnI7WOAlN4hTE6YqVImdqw1DrGxAkBYeO9w3FZ0GLtenkqstBSJuhbMxmt8B05pAEpUdPn-VIBaDjnAAX7_MZtXbaGgDAlUiRJZ4wtOhJgS5KzJKV_dIkyuSD5V4ExO5gTbK1/s320/DSCF2417.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boats lit up for Christmas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6tNS-RJQvN5mxLkZjCn0-klUMYkDNUQNhBZ38LInhn3RPfDniRb1GNm9rEm9WunvXwWuYL2Ahiu2i7X9cS31vjFp5DuzvOhYOGOcG37FU8D-Vr0bkc0ayA10Ca7hU1D3Ywyx4nDxTmz0/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6tNS-RJQvN5mxLkZjCn0-klUMYkDNUQNhBZ38LInhn3RPfDniRb1GNm9rEm9WunvXwWuYL2Ahiu2i7X9cS31vjFp5DuzvOhYOGOcG37FU8D-Vr0bkc0ayA10Ca7hU1D3Ywyx4nDxTmz0/s320/IMG_1604.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nativity scene in the cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJCx7mFjh7klUh84oI2CqHuL3EZbiZZDfUeMoS3TG49hyN_LB068s7BvRTm3QJCxitRYXT9kmk3hbCYBQpg3jT-fLyU5OCXSO8emn-TpEYO6S0amKuGnJSMv8W-1jay8KhthB6yQDLraj/s1600/IMG_1560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJCx7mFjh7klUh84oI2CqHuL3EZbiZZDfUeMoS3TG49hyN_LB068s7BvRTm3QJCxitRYXT9kmk3hbCYBQpg3jT-fLyU5OCXSO8emn-TpEYO6S0amKuGnJSMv8W-1jay8KhthB6yQDLraj/s320/IMG_1560.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shirt says it all!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-83633947553973538912018-12-01T11:08:00.000-08:002018-12-01T11:08:46.385-08:00San Diego to Bahia Frailes (Friars Bay)<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wow, have I been procrastinating getting an update done. I
see the last note ended when we were approaching San Diego Harbor.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzofiQNF5XY8Z_xkryDPBP9D7yXoPhdlywkU0UHc5669nDvyW42cNmnhuPruih5fA11R-DgJKB5ENgaPs0s7dbFIM3NmeztYfL5zBUyW68YgdD84bjwdePyLQ7uCcGW4iMUCL6lAMuefu/s1600/DSCF1793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzofiQNF5XY8Z_xkryDPBP9D7yXoPhdlywkU0UHc5669nDvyW42cNmnhuPruih5fA11R-DgJKB5ENgaPs0s7dbFIM3NmeztYfL5zBUyW68YgdD84bjwdePyLQ7uCcGW4iMUCL6lAMuefu/s320/DSCF1793.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching San Diego</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysPjYghwJCSMOAAS0jZeIskhW5DKmue-_jKBGNkegl3zEA0Fs5F0b2XSovo9i5NuE-RbEBfp-jUHBYHjDD3GXCKKW79jYTD5SfxhETcpdKigCj-ALBtqJHg3z_4BEiddLzdEApuYyMbxm/s1600/DSCF1070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysPjYghwJCSMOAAS0jZeIskhW5DKmue-_jKBGNkegl3zEA0Fs5F0b2XSovo9i5NuE-RbEBfp-jUHBYHjDD3GXCKKW79jYTD5SfxhETcpdKigCj-ALBtqJHg3z_4BEiddLzdEApuYyMbxm/s320/DSCF1070.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego downtown from our spot in the "cruisers anchorage"</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
San Diego is a bit of a challenge from a cruising boat’s
point of view as anchorages are very limited and transient berths at marinas
very expensive and scarce. The city harbor authority has helped out some by
creating a “cruisers’ anchorage” area where those from outside of San Diego
County can get up to 3 – 30 day permits to anchor in a 1 year period at no cost
(that’s the good news).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To qualify for a
permit you need to present your boat for an inspection at the police dock near
the harbor entry where they confirm that you have holding tanks, fire
extinguishers, and a generally seaworthy boat. The anchorage itself is across
the street from San Diego International Airport (luckily at the usual landing
end of the single runway so the noise from the airport is fairly minimal).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The anchorage lies directly between Coast
Guard Station San Diego and Naval Station San Diego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fun begins when the new CG helicopter
pilots practice hovering seemingly for an hour at a time and or the Navy
decides to send a jet or two out from the airport BUT the real is the boat
traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had never understood when our
friend, John,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who grew up and learned to
sail in San Diego talked about there is really nowhere to go like we were used
to in the Pacific Northwest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In San
Diego there is one very large harbor or open ocean to choose from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From about 10 AM to 8 PM we were constantly
in motion from wakes from passing pleasure fast boats, big fishing boats, navy
craft (up to and including aircraft carriers), and tour boats that decided we
were of interest to their customers with our paravanes so they made sure to
pass close by and explain their function over the loudspeakers multiple times a
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting to shore meant a run on the
dinghy to one of 3 very crowded dinghy docks where we carefully locked motors ,
fuel cans, life jackets, and other contents into the dinghy and then locked the
boat to the dock with a ¼ inch stainless cable (this was highly recommended by
the harbor police and other boaters as even unlocked oars quickly walked
away).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the positive side there are
lots of marine focused services within an easy bike ride and with the Baja Ha
Ha rally of 130 boats about to head south there were even low cost seminars to
help us prepare for Mexico.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other nice thing about San Diego was that John’s
brother, Jerry, and his wife still live there and own a local business. They
were very helpful in getting us to church services, making sure we saw the
sights, and accepting packages for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also met a number of other cruisers while we were there who also were
planning to leave after the Baja Ha Ha like us to avoid the crowd (we jokingly
referred to this group as the Ha Ha Baja folks).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some other friends with a Nordhavn 46 also
came into town and we had time to enjoy their company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All and all the friendships we built and
renewed have already proven their value as we have spent the past two evenings
with a family from Puget Sound who are anchored near us.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMf1s476GWaYmGxX0siPwFXBZOXLEUYRWplEj8XIwUA2dq1TA1a6Keiz832v3WQ9L6gwwirkJPnfs5zRsDSbJPvWNqwZRrxeKGPGOvgoGulUmoKqve-6mND1iU_-kkZeBku7rBePyPTp9/s1600/DSCF2081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMf1s476GWaYmGxX0siPwFXBZOXLEUYRWplEj8XIwUA2dq1TA1a6Keiz832v3WQ9L6gwwirkJPnfs5zRsDSbJPvWNqwZRrxeKGPGOvgoGulUmoKqve-6mND1iU_-kkZeBku7rBePyPTp9/s320/DSCF2081.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stealth navy tri-hull warship passes in front of an aircraft carrier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1vIbIbiEtt8H1tX-YQ1AzPMSLUidAfIGfeQ8mC_apnlE2R8e6WdQ_tVvHdnzKa1DPMBQrFhvRB-mMi0ZOBJI0YJSsxNXdXyyjJimGg-fn4jHXyAYa29feMLo6JHrz8PGyQ7pPIHATKfm/s1600/DSCF1072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1vIbIbiEtt8H1tX-YQ1AzPMSLUidAfIGfeQ8mC_apnlE2R8e6WdQ_tVvHdnzKa1DPMBQrFhvRB-mMi0ZOBJI0YJSsxNXdXyyjJimGg-fn4jHXyAYa29feMLo6JHrz8PGyQ7pPIHATKfm/s320/DSCF1072.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Aire at anchor San Diego</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />I periodically check in on the progress of Space X on the computer. I happened to look just in time to see an announcement that in about 15 more minutes "southern California should get a good show from a launch from Vandenburg AFB. The cloud cover was perfect for a spectacular show. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VlfhdelVGpXCqUNeyQtDPlS2UKzEvgtElScj7XNiMMH9uuaD4oz8n99GRuJmVrmIkkznNmZG4ylp4ccqfkBOeqQcB5EGw9DVqyt7Sz4uITOIffKeGJDoxl_iigoE1oxUOVW7Psogk19k/s1600/DSCF1801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VlfhdelVGpXCqUNeyQtDPlS2UKzEvgtElScj7XNiMMH9uuaD4oz8n99GRuJmVrmIkkznNmZG4ylp4ccqfkBOeqQcB5EGw9DVqyt7Sz4uITOIffKeGJDoxl_iigoE1oxUOVW7Psogk19k/s320/DSCF1801.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second stage of the Space X rocket is on the left while on the right the first stage burns to<br /> prepare for the first ever land rocket landing on the USA west coast.</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We did some touring while we were in San Diego including a
bike ride up to the Zoo which deserves every accolade it has ever gotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always been amazed at how Disneyland
takes a number of “lands” and stuffs them into a very small footprint and yet
you really feel like you travel half way across the world going from one land
to another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The San Diego Zoo seems to
have taken that skill one step further by adding the animal displays in the
native habitats. We also took time to take in some of the other San Diego sights.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YbyzOIL7MQthsgqDgdIQHH9EeZxK1aerduLm-VcWFk4D34msDTs9OAdcpMPNzbrR-S-zNv5hhlXPalC7pHT5Po4Hmb-vkxpFHbrYsA9wBQZdqZ_FC0BH8AbOkLq6lWc_u9iRGTUGXvPB/s1600/IMG_0960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YbyzOIL7MQthsgqDgdIQHH9EeZxK1aerduLm-VcWFk4D34msDTs9OAdcpMPNzbrR-S-zNv5hhlXPalC7pHT5Po4Hmb-vkxpFHbrYsA9wBQZdqZ_FC0BH8AbOkLq6lWc_u9iRGTUGXvPB/s320/IMG_0960.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego Maritime Museum</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKMWl9Zzvvga3vHF5ONjMLdHyFi-9SOifdLoiPafFdBi4WoYkehA9UOB64fKwYL4LenLve9-kn2ronxgE6iow40ktN5FYcvtNE0CKSAORWzkE6jOFtkFIfRsneeF2tgOPX0W4fAqq9TXU/s1600/IMG_0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKMWl9Zzvvga3vHF5ONjMLdHyFi-9SOifdLoiPafFdBi4WoYkehA9UOB64fKwYL4LenLve9-kn2ronxgE6iow40ktN5FYcvtNE0CKSAORWzkE6jOFtkFIfRsneeF2tgOPX0W4fAqq9TXU/s320/IMG_0962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Old Town San Diego</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI983DeadBMXCVjZbTfWDiikis3rtT5s2AECDpqu3cHTByl5hTaG0j6Q-Wjq71suRG6VctWLF1qYEXV47kCGrSA-lEyhT9SoMChiXJdnabsm0kX6Ybnn_51HTC2-hjHmZ6t_N6tz61_rEf/s320/sailor.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sailor's welcome home</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHNCFZMGbEeSwr8z4eQh2mHghxTg5kfUZrv-kiwMd6-evHM115lZXod8ElIIK8Jod1BgjKR8ndOO7Td_wTt1pGQkXtAlH_R42IITwoeOxhctFFPRl3naqgTnJKXRUb8jQX7NDQJ9nV8nI/s1600/Jarvis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHNCFZMGbEeSwr8z4eQh2mHghxTg5kfUZrv-kiwMd6-evHM115lZXod8ElIIK8Jod1BgjKR8ndOO7Td_wTt1pGQkXtAlH_R42IITwoeOxhctFFPRl3naqgTnJKXRUb8jQX7NDQJ9nV8nI/s320/Jarvis.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis visits Little Italy on Halloween</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We also rented a car for a couple of days and loaded the pup
tent, sleeping bags, single burner backpacking stove, and Jarvis and headed for
the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up in Joshua Tree
National Park and once again fell in love with the desert scenery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve driven on the freeway across the southern
edge of the Joshua tree area but have never really explored the part before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty amazing and well worth the
drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The previous Friday we had gotten
pelted at our anchorage in San Diego by a fast moving front and
thunderstorm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently the weather
made it over the coast range and dumped on the desert as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Driving through the town of Joshua tree we
laughed to see snow plows being used to move huge amounts of desert soil from
the roads where it had washed down in the rare rainstorm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We didn’t have the opportunity to travel to
the south entrance of the park as the road was washed out!) <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumbo Rocks campground Joshua Tree NP</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGngE2Q3dxTbyx-JSvuvdupst5_g_uyq-E3Jb9uoQH2o70nHwW-8LWsrK4kQfoU0l03bvgZHh3lPAtRcJshwFD1KAEFDlExsbT5S4ExDaaEqp0YT2FnHOoaWN34qmu2Eg9Cs7JLDbi0d8W/s1600/DSCF1094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGngE2Q3dxTbyx-JSvuvdupst5_g_uyq-E3Jb9uoQH2o70nHwW-8LWsrK4kQfoU0l03bvgZHh3lPAtRcJshwFD1KAEFDlExsbT5S4ExDaaEqp0YT2FnHOoaWN34qmu2Eg9Cs7JLDbi0d8W/s320/DSCF1094.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvbrsarKnm-o_aTqVF1PMF_ZtIINoYUHUkkWwKHHB4lFE-guOwnR20Y3oKdBbm4mi7ZY6ydKU_IHteWZqJWbHt93M9nXPdTFu19LyilShRCJefY5KUrIMjig6UvoXyWkjfzBzBjahaqgt/s1600/DSCF1098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvbrsarKnm-o_aTqVF1PMF_ZtIINoYUHUkkWwKHHB4lFE-guOwnR20Y3oKdBbm4mi7ZY6ydKU_IHteWZqJWbHt93M9nXPdTFu19LyilShRCJefY5KUrIMjig6UvoXyWkjfzBzBjahaqgt/s320/DSCF1098.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vJF026Nc31UQqGc95V0HPdRdPu1cbOD-32omKsoXnpMiPSrnSJUFv-Dlx1eMiBIq-aGYeGmAkq1JFllkD2EUjaj4FFRTFzrtfpmq9Zy39Q0H3_mVXt1F_bRVTSaxdX-PHO-gl7ih0HxO/s1600/DSCF1106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vJF026Nc31UQqGc95V0HPdRdPu1cbOD-32omKsoXnpMiPSrnSJUFv-Dlx1eMiBIq-aGYeGmAkq1JFllkD2EUjaj4FFRTFzrtfpmq9Zy39Q0H3_mVXt1F_bRVTSaxdX-PHO-gl7ih0HxO/s320/DSCF1106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwW5JUCrF0WZhMeIHvQxBqMVnxMcHSTmSJvfFy50KQBiRo-U_5t6fuB5SZaYarXrEEsp5hQvJz2bX0BdnqCWfv5B7pM6M0bNeeKwFJfQ_zgqP2ex0wCXcDpmqidwYxQdDMtqsbpCVZj34/s1600/DSCF1854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwW5JUCrF0WZhMeIHvQxBqMVnxMcHSTmSJvfFy50KQBiRo-U_5t6fuB5SZaYarXrEEsp5hQvJz2bX0BdnqCWfv5B7pM6M0bNeeKwFJfQ_zgqP2ex0wCXcDpmqidwYxQdDMtqsbpCVZj34/s320/DSCF1854.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwXOp9sIwAsMmO9Tp620Naq2wmaBMsWtial1NkGQJXosf9dKzNl0LXKlj5oRdWbdMmKf_J-DXhChYah2My_3MPFkslYJYJA5V96trYMt2b52a2oK1mPkJe7YJQ7kGMUBGAPilaTzE3mDU/s1600/DSCF1932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwXOp9sIwAsMmO9Tp620Naq2wmaBMsWtial1NkGQJXosf9dKzNl0LXKlj5oRdWbdMmKf_J-DXhChYah2My_3MPFkslYJYJA5V96trYMt2b52a2oK1mPkJe7YJQ7kGMUBGAPilaTzE3mDU/s320/DSCF1932.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyzAT1wwime1hdG-PWh3ogM-7TaKv62H3PwjZ1aZ2Vi_xXhO8RpTonbnYM-SpUV_x9Z2Kq1CEV4D9rlkw1VVcK70IKgi_AlEqUnon5dItD6hrRIVC0Bc9OxfTCmouB0rJMl0k3Em5vo-z/s1600/DSCF1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyzAT1wwime1hdG-PWh3ogM-7TaKv62H3PwjZ1aZ2Vi_xXhO8RpTonbnYM-SpUV_x9Z2Kq1CEV4D9rlkw1VVcK70IKgi_AlEqUnon5dItD6hrRIVC0Bc9OxfTCmouB0rJMl0k3Em5vo-z/s320/DSCF1974.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From Joshua tree we headed south past the Salton Sea and
ended up in Anzo-Borrego Springs State Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had been there as a child and once with Clarice and the kids always
hoping to see the storied flower blooms only finding a dry desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I chose to walk a trail to a small
oasis up in one of the canyons – the transformation from a dry canyon strewn
with house sized boulders rolled in the periodic floods from high in the
mountains to a lush growth of palm trees and reed grasses was worth the effort.
The GPS led us on a mountainous twisty road back to San Diego and we felt like
we had left the sea behind for a few days.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tC1xc3M5a84ItaXfvUJs2YqTvrnsg6igEdprqfCHJFaaenAkxEXRPsnvh7Yg7V8ZTKJOERAhX8svrPtGItJZkAH3cCwxTlUmd6OHX3nSDXZCZwDv13wQzBvwKNuoStORziU6XVjWtghx/s1600/DSCF1115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tC1xc3M5a84ItaXfvUJs2YqTvrnsg6igEdprqfCHJFaaenAkxEXRPsnvh7Yg7V8ZTKJOERAhX8svrPtGItJZkAH3cCwxTlUmd6OHX3nSDXZCZwDv13wQzBvwKNuoStORziU6XVjWtghx/s320/DSCF1115.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salton Sea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdl5MIxinJxSr4GSXURfXfb6oKB4xs-y6MWSKN8sEL9hAcwkXQy_bcnHJcgQpIjTovXWDndEjLEqs9npY1xFVfyok_xUM88CwwTqcOeYJc-uzuPSI6wCpMbRy1ZUOvYVi0uH6N-_hvJQaU/s1600/DSCF1119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdl5MIxinJxSr4GSXURfXfb6oKB4xs-y6MWSKN8sEL9hAcwkXQy_bcnHJcgQpIjTovXWDndEjLEqs9npY1xFVfyok_xUM88CwwTqcOeYJc-uzuPSI6wCpMbRy1ZUOvYVi0uH6N-_hvJQaU/s320/DSCF1119.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail in Anza-Borrego State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLy9HM6FTSmiWqoQP5O4pQU9P0KpZicGd1UdhcPjy74ffDxG6qcPI8Ab4r003Io6NymdKTizz1irqgPToi1v2FEJZ7uGTuNO6TAMdScKkF7F-Wc1psAb4bjtMd1cB-SUR_-GXvWqsbc4NK/s1600/DSCF1120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLy9HM6FTSmiWqoQP5O4pQU9P0KpZicGd1UdhcPjy74ffDxG6qcPI8Ab4r003Io6NymdKTizz1irqgPToi1v2FEJZ7uGTuNO6TAMdScKkF7F-Wc1psAb4bjtMd1cB-SUR_-GXvWqsbc4NK/s320/DSCF1120.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail in Anza-Borrego State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNQmaXn1JgfpXgVAxnmhhxeIAOPdF7Q_FycYFxBr0riAcRGODza5Fxf0zGYDPnxydW_wmo8UaMQ9RjnPKrMBl4czytVW2fQSK7TAg4FYH3zoZZNGBd3riCDm0v0khj2Jan2hr1rZ9a6hc/s1600/DSCF1123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNQmaXn1JgfpXgVAxnmhhxeIAOPdF7Q_FycYFxBr0riAcRGODza5Fxf0zGYDPnxydW_wmo8UaMQ9RjnPKrMBl4czytVW2fQSK7TAg4FYH3zoZZNGBd3riCDm0v0khj2Jan2hr1rZ9a6hc/s320/DSCF1123.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oasis in Anza-Borrego State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimStH-_TLoCKXbEhfJ7KOefS7cx2k7LeUnH6kxrOdns5HjweWQLjewhgT55NsBB5nwktX_BbXk6XVPQYV-IhLD4RvE-Ak5euPLRj1ODregIXRTjgToY44-N-YDe4N2BFsEVKSw4AlzzXjw/s1600/DSCF2056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimStH-_TLoCKXbEhfJ7KOefS7cx2k7LeUnH6kxrOdns5HjweWQLjewhgT55NsBB5nwktX_BbXk6XVPQYV-IhLD4RvE-Ak5euPLRj1ODregIXRTjgToY44-N-YDe4N2BFsEVKSw4AlzzXjw/s320/DSCF2056.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oasis in Anza-Borrego State Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My big purchase in San Diego was a new electric assist
bicycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew the battery on my old
bike was near the end of its service life and a new one would cost $400.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had also ridden my bike through the winter
in Sitka where the road salt and sand took its toll making my bike in much
worse condition than Clarice’s matching one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I kept looking at a very nice folding bike with a couple of generations
newer battery and motor at a local bike shop and finally bought a Pedagio Latch
from Sean (I had been by the shop so many times I started to refer to myself as
the “Latch Stalker”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best
demonstration of its capability was a 30 mile round trip ride (including a VERY
substantial uphill run) to REI to buy a bike trailer for Clarice like one she
had seen on another cruising boat.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzMTiM8ji_GnGxMffQ8M93WD3CoF4VYLU5yB9G0P2BRireDJQ7LWGj2HM2tSTTDY24Mu73FG_JiS0J4KG-Oj1zqD_uYCoEA11onlXqUGMUa201bcuUskw8kbfk6Hnl7Qnz-vZXmSxOZ92/s1600/Latch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzMTiM8ji_GnGxMffQ8M93WD3CoF4VYLU5yB9G0P2BRireDJQ7LWGj2HM2tSTTDY24Mu73FG_JiS0J4KG-Oj1zqD_uYCoEA11onlXqUGMUa201bcuUskw8kbfk6Hnl7Qnz-vZXmSxOZ92/s320/Latch.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I pick up my new Pedego Latch from Sean at San Diego Pedego</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our last two days we stayed at the city dock where we topped
off our batteries and water supplies and headed out of the United States on
November 1<sup>st</sup> for a short run to Ensenada Mexico.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had previously arranged to stay in Ensenada as the local
marina includes a “get you through the paperwork” guide service as part of the
moorage fee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ensenada was really a nice
place to visit so we stayed a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While we were there we took Clarice’s new bike trailer (no bike – using
it as a hand cart) and went grocery shopping bringing back 40 # of oranges and
other commodities we weren’t sure would be allowed across the border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were docked near the cruise ship area and
enjoyed the local market and splash fountain (kids (and I) play in it during
the day and in the evening it is fenced off and becomes a music and light
show).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were pleasantly surprised at
the low cost (as long as we paid in pesos) of eating out and enjoyed many
varieties of fish tacos and other local foods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After 3 days we finally had all of our papers in order (LEARNING POINT:
customs is very easy on a Saturday after being closed for a Friday holiday when
there is a long line forming just as they opened and they had 2 cruise ships in
town to process ;-)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>). <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn9f06fYTWbbGgoOqwDbLhMohjHl-3VQKGWp27a0JGQ5tq3cViGFHQzVj5oqQewZgzLlDdlKFOlIyLbFR3fYVqdIcQmAqks1dwJU3Npwf7V_OAu57yLu9_jmbZMfWeKBNiMv27kBhj9qR/s1600/DSCF1136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn9f06fYTWbbGgoOqwDbLhMohjHl-3VQKGWp27a0JGQ5tq3cViGFHQzVj5oqQewZgzLlDdlKFOlIyLbFR3fYVqdIcQmAqks1dwJU3Npwf7V_OAu57yLu9_jmbZMfWeKBNiMv27kBhj9qR/s320/DSCF1136.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Children" racing through the fountain trying to beat the spray</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DDAu7jen6gcVNFmFev25bEwHcDzKWVy8Ow_Iid63XamC6b6Q563kbkqp_JjfLbtdyjdMVXl_yGkH-ikjMbYjfU9te-R22R00UEuZU6-0tK-qMi6iloE_CkToJGilPXSrJqT1E8s9_bf1/s1600/DSCF1138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DDAu7jen6gcVNFmFev25bEwHcDzKWVy8Ow_Iid63XamC6b6Q563kbkqp_JjfLbtdyjdMVXl_yGkH-ikjMbYjfU9te-R22R00UEuZU6-0tK-qMi6iloE_CkToJGilPXSrJqT1E8s9_bf1/s320/DSCF1138.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain and massive Flag of Mexico</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5BP86g5omJC7f7iY0TpoLjUVaVpUMNV-MD7Tu6Ww4Tjnl5ZXDruTNeG6S3blGPkHJmfhIMlPpXhCS6iSEB1h5j8fb-KOiUVxv937akskTLk-_RA5K0qvsaCCGm4ALmO6fCTxRuVPXuHB/s1600/DSCF1141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5BP86g5omJC7f7iY0TpoLjUVaVpUMNV-MD7Tu6Ww4Tjnl5ZXDruTNeG6S3blGPkHJmfhIMlPpXhCS6iSEB1h5j8fb-KOiUVxv937akskTLk-_RA5K0qvsaCCGm4ALmO6fCTxRuVPXuHB/s320/DSCF1141.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ensenada</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVrK_re_jviULR4BKUeuY8MKUnAMs4afxPEjyeEFsLJhw3YdXp-wApTjhjc48qGthmnfoyE8_6Kj73WAjbuUJSSzhI2S8EFAKzczTSmSIpq9Gi35QvQ-Y700NoBlCftBGEboE8iCbe-0k/s1600/DSCF1144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVrK_re_jviULR4BKUeuY8MKUnAMs4afxPEjyeEFsLJhw3YdXp-wApTjhjc48qGthmnfoyE8_6Kj73WAjbuUJSSzhI2S8EFAKzczTSmSIpq9Gi35QvQ-Y700NoBlCftBGEboE8iCbe-0k/s320/DSCF1144.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruise ship in Ensenada </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We left Ensenada early Sunday morning November 4<sup>th</sup>
for our run to Bahia Colnett (Colnett Bay) the next major protected anchorage
south. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmR4nRpNY_SzWH0rU3hmFZrKeZjLHNoBIRLh8XwrvmMF26hfnlWPdm-TsONF5h-NbGCxZfvkmwOaOi-XbpetH3iAgnHKJhqbVAI8DACEyGknujm2QjEsvAEnrBp05DkgnFNN29ot798EI/s1600/DSCF1147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmR4nRpNY_SzWH0rU3hmFZrKeZjLHNoBIRLh8XwrvmMF26hfnlWPdm-TsONF5h-NbGCxZfvkmwOaOi-XbpetH3iAgnHKJhqbVAI8DACEyGknujm2QjEsvAEnrBp05DkgnFNN29ot798EI/s320/DSCF1147.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turning oranges from Ensenada into orange juice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPP1Qc7tgW_ptl3lXtP-5g-JInIVc3u4qL1L0NygcfcMjqz09ItJzpTeRmAImvArYsJdFehonCo-8r3ryD3mIrCnzrsVp4geze3gofpDwhnWOhIxgdW05CN7SOS8KgraVxNw7E2Ya02Pk/s1600/DSCF1148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPP1Qc7tgW_ptl3lXtP-5g-JInIVc3u4qL1L0NygcfcMjqz09ItJzpTeRmAImvArYsJdFehonCo-8r3ryD3mIrCnzrsVp4geze3gofpDwhnWOhIxgdW05CN7SOS8KgraVxNw7E2Ya02Pk/s320/DSCF1148.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turning oranges from Ensenada into orange juice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Our next anchorage was Bahia San Quintin where
we had a quiet night at anchor. On our way we managed to catch two tuna before
we had fully let our hand line out each time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a small pocket beach where we could land the dinghy and climb
up to a trail above the rocky beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
trail ended above a small fishing village on an estuary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t talk ourselves into crossing the
sandbar but watched a fisherman run his panga onto the bar while riding a
larger wave and then push it across to the other side finally motoring into the
village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met up with another sister
ship, Nordhavn 46 “One Life” here and continued south along with them for the
next couple of anchorages.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qzHOcwOS9N8ocnk23mNHts17f2QtNhaXsJNromNpni7GTpg7llgeraw-ieMDJxxy-6vc8U5MHD4rxl8hzuyWcdxhJmVCyr3tXOoJRBpYQNn7fdTGXTsd2LlnhiPRIfjtZSWof55jRWMr/s1600/IMG_1531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qzHOcwOS9N8ocnk23mNHts17f2QtNhaXsJNromNpni7GTpg7llgeraw-ieMDJxxy-6vc8U5MHD4rxl8hzuyWcdxhJmVCyr3tXOoJRBpYQNn7fdTGXTsd2LlnhiPRIfjtZSWof55jRWMr/s320/IMG_1531.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuna caught before the line was fully in the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzaYy27pqS8W_h9jOhRybbIPmsLSAzrRM8cjBLn3wcR34q-pvFSvwjTEf3zsocyQNflIA3dzqMP2jcvrjAXzOPC6cCWdJ70iUs6OjL9YpnhlkyS4KWbQyKZwb5xEW-6dZaasHYry2fDGJ/s1600/IMG_1532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzaYy27pqS8W_h9jOhRybbIPmsLSAzrRM8cjBLn3wcR34q-pvFSvwjTEf3zsocyQNflIA3dzqMP2jcvrjAXzOPC6cCWdJ70iUs6OjL9YpnhlkyS4KWbQyKZwb5xEW-6dZaasHYry2fDGJ/s320/IMG_1532.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuna converted to taco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33e33v_FJqSL8xHSkQCJZ-dpSata033TdUaS0g_qqVQvEt216gB0PXpZMlTLto8nmEBrDLFzWCsZ_zsYsu6J2gomkprrguxbJk0wqLCb37dIkAXjB9VnBQ38u6Jnh3i9BjslAKPVdwinr/s1600/DJI_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33e33v_FJqSL8xHSkQCJZ-dpSata033TdUaS0g_qqVQvEt216gB0PXpZMlTLto8nmEBrDLFzWCsZ_zsYsu6J2gomkprrguxbJk0wqLCb37dIkAXjB9VnBQ38u6Jnh3i9BjslAKPVdwinr/s320/DJI_0006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drone photo of Bahia San Quintin thanks to Doug on One Life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrl123gkNqdDgIaB-8AiH0y_KpbVvx6HPVx3io1SZk1Eh5wtsO-yGgo2_Fa8ZClAJmZBDZd-wjr0ajq5xHxPdHSq6w2ucSFDbasHvLczjVEWi6u9HDcOnAlVGGEaWEqNL97nr-sn8Gno4o/s1600/DJI_0029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrl123gkNqdDgIaB-8AiH0y_KpbVvx6HPVx3io1SZk1Eh5wtsO-yGgo2_Fa8ZClAJmZBDZd-wjr0ajq5xHxPdHSq6w2ucSFDbasHvLczjVEWi6u9HDcOnAlVGGEaWEqNL97nr-sn8Gno4o/s320/DJI_0029.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drone photo of Salish Aire (foreground) and sister ship One Life thanks to Doug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From Bahia San Quintin we made an overnight run to Turtle
Bay. It was a long night for Clarice as she had to frequent the bathroom
frequently in addition to her regular watches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was nice to have One Life in range of radar and radio should
something go amiss. This may be one of the nights when Jarvis alerted me to the
porpoises next to the boat during the night and one of the times a little black
storm petrel decided to hitchhike on our bridge. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_U9lDrwWDec49tqDHQ3FX2LiQNR1dkl2jWh-Y-B96NkRLjYDyy2Cq3LUc3jobfNNwN2W5qL3sm8n27MQEixzYAZiusjChd9sKHS_zLCUDnLxBHx5gQU0AvaupJaPNe4nz1xS6s9g8GVi/s1600/DSCF1133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_U9lDrwWDec49tqDHQ3FX2LiQNR1dkl2jWh-Y-B96NkRLjYDyy2Cq3LUc3jobfNNwN2W5qL3sm8n27MQEixzYAZiusjChd9sKHS_zLCUDnLxBHx5gQU0AvaupJaPNe4nz1xS6s9g8GVi/s320/DSCF1133.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis takes care of Clarice when she's not feeling well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhO9RRYMIr_cTAhb9cRePzizqGtD1s988_PYoYRXwnWymmhV6RRumcGWm9ENyykL4zE9tDDi3CzFxDEQqFN88rq2frbhQWJdl_IgB0Lqx56v18_VUlZKO5Jl0qzJEUrUomgdaLido-8qa/s1600/DSCF1149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1034" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhO9RRYMIr_cTAhb9cRePzizqGtD1s988_PYoYRXwnWymmhV6RRumcGWm9ENyykL4zE9tDDi3CzFxDEQqFN88rq2frbhQWJdl_IgB0Lqx56v18_VUlZKO5Jl0qzJEUrUomgdaLido-8qa/s320/DSCF1149.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several Storm Petrels hitchhiked on our Portuguese bridge overnight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Turtle Bay is a regular stop on the Baja Ha Ha and the
locals look to the boats for income.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a one armed man who watched for any dingy approaching the
shore and was sure you must need assistance with garbage, or directions to the
store, or moving your boat up the beach or something that would earn him a tip
– sadly he overdid it and made himself rather unwelcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand everyone else we
encountered was friendly and helpful as we made our way with our pathetic
Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The town had a beautiful church
that we understand was started as a gift of gratitude from some stranded
sailors when they were helped by the villagers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The phone service only covered voice so I visited the internet café a
couple of times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speed was just
above dial up and using a Spanish language keyboard was quite the challenge
(e.g. to create an @ for an email address required pressing ctrl then 6 then 4
if I recall correctly).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say
I did a couple of emails only but the young lady running the store / internet
café was patient with my Spanish, had cold sodas at hand, and a cool floor for
Jarvis to rest on. I took a walk with Jarvis to the top of a little hill and
decided that this and much of Baja reminds me of the Badlands of South Dakota. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doug from One Life and I walked up to check
out a colorful little village we could see from the anchorage, it turned out to
be one of two miniature villages / cemeteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The best I could ascertain was that a family would bury their dead close
to each other and eventually build a memorial house over the graves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The houses were quite crowded together and
looking through the windows revealed that they were very elaborately
decorated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was an interesting
contrast to the houses for the living that didn’t seem to be nearly as well
cared for (keeping in mind that this was shortly after dia de los muertos<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when they would likely have been spruced up
per Mexican Catholic custom).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhu2xFJZC16k5YKCLAtOgtHUkmBxOshH9Jrtw3EA-BrdYnojVp7RiKpKHDTyPsilI34vwkxL6kHIhbImKKx9SaNYuUvOciyiv_3hj6GdFhN_c9Lhbo-zXUnGknGzxkkv4zfBm3c6tpX9C/s1600/DSCF1157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhu2xFJZC16k5YKCLAtOgtHUkmBxOshH9Jrtw3EA-BrdYnojVp7RiKpKHDTyPsilI34vwkxL6kHIhbImKKx9SaNYuUvOciyiv_3hj6GdFhN_c9Lhbo-zXUnGknGzxkkv4zfBm3c6tpX9C/s320/DSCF1157.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqtnJ7JqdqY4d60049zB4Ux7jZPtMg_6MYRy8WWZNPcohMo0YL7vw9FMJV5QsREUepNEoYAf7JOhEjEh4F0j3tyHzxjb5GjxYC7Ai4RUs8NPeCPyM1Nd5Dqbjs0iuvCT3uIC6nKSx1f4H/s1600/DSCF1162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqtnJ7JqdqY4d60049zB4Ux7jZPtMg_6MYRy8WWZNPcohMo0YL7vw9FMJV5QsREUepNEoYAf7JOhEjEh4F0j3tyHzxjb5GjxYC7Ai4RUs8NPeCPyM1Nd5Dqbjs0iuvCT3uIC6nKSx1f4H/s320/DSCF1162.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay) church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4Ab7rt2e73W9HkqXs4dh0oPUpZ4i3hu0L6swlDZJxVGCa9H33hPwVhcnqO_TRnRi_TrtbapBzyf-lwx_JLz8ySE4iNFlKJQ4jryFmT3phW-P9bNihC7PIKTBZt7U3W_Z4sNahCwjbeIB/s1600/DSCF1165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4Ab7rt2e73W9HkqXs4dh0oPUpZ4i3hu0L6swlDZJxVGCa9H33hPwVhcnqO_TRnRi_TrtbapBzyf-lwx_JLz8ySE4iNFlKJQ4jryFmT3phW-P9bNihC7PIKTBZt7U3W_Z4sNahCwjbeIB/s320/DSCF1165.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bahia Tortuga (Turtle Bay)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLLH0osLJ-NSXyHhzJKmtWgYqYyt0EFYkKk1pdLzmkQEGMWBplHAWh0rZYHVegbdQShLLhzGZWs5k6Cg0q-rQI5aZOFncqNLBUqfXib1xTTjxQ0ZNTu_wOFX8QecpWpfnjb0UTla5MptY/s1600/DSCF1178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLLH0osLJ-NSXyHhzJKmtWgYqYyt0EFYkKk1pdLzmkQEGMWBplHAWh0rZYHVegbdQShLLhzGZWs5k6Cg0q-rQI5aZOFncqNLBUqfXib1xTTjxQ0ZNTu_wOFX8QecpWpfnjb0UTla5MptY/s320/DSCF1178.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cemetery "village"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65awdQasSxvV5dRXUaaWtUrAuRV_w3kCQTgVTzYtG669Ae5QsJ8ilSAeP7brXfiLviFjHWapsYVCZMtb8CPMl_enSyGRobjBc8vXTYeZhXrFGBd7Ke_u7tYKevjMHXB3g3tdr2xyZnCOA/s1600/DSCF1179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65awdQasSxvV5dRXUaaWtUrAuRV_w3kCQTgVTzYtG669Ae5QsJ8ilSAeP7brXfiLviFjHWapsYVCZMtb8CPMl_enSyGRobjBc8vXTYeZhXrFGBd7Ke_u7tYKevjMHXB3g3tdr2xyZnCOA/s320/DSCF1179.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking through the window of cemetery village "house"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5h03H9ZDEqKWmbcuFv9CEtRJewcCTqerrD6GpPd_KUzkcIg-HcxC9TlyHCZKk31RWBTNRlb1ZiYF6b99Ccoi9jzbav7GkRcpfdFpewG_97ifNqBi7sydDqTj6_DyR4lOmbhncEh4sGKt/s1600/DSCF1182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5h03H9ZDEqKWmbcuFv9CEtRJewcCTqerrD6GpPd_KUzkcIg-HcxC9TlyHCZKk31RWBTNRlb1ZiYF6b99Ccoi9jzbav7GkRcpfdFpewG_97ifNqBi7sydDqTj6_DyR4lOmbhncEh4sGKt/s320/DSCF1182.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelicans enjoy a break on a local fishing boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2MMjj8MjaIxjUWl79rzANeNHcbHmhoiOS2T7Jcf09wPnGN4RkpPowB_jxDHYeP-S6BWMm_ezGAkLucN6CEEpKyZqRxP8ny1-5rrPtKb9p02Gd0iEvwduRx50ctFwJjEpcCJ7DqJOlQ4N/s1600/IMG_1552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1034" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2MMjj8MjaIxjUWl79rzANeNHcbHmhoiOS2T7Jcf09wPnGN4RkpPowB_jxDHYeP-S6BWMm_ezGAkLucN6CEEpKyZqRxP8ny1-5rrPtKb9p02Gd0iEvwduRx50ctFwJjEpcCJ7DqJOlQ4N/s320/IMG_1552.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terrain around Turtle Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From Bahia Tortuga we headed out for an overnight run to
Bahia Santa Maria just outside of Bahia Magdalena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My notes indicate we had a starlit night as
we headed south finally getting to Bahia Santa Maria with just enough time
before dusk to take Jarvis for a run on the beach. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next morning we moved into Bahia Magdalena
proper. The dune backed sand beach was a Jackhuahua’s dream come true where he
could run as fast and far as he wanted, chase birds and bark to his heart’s
content and sniff and pee and poop wherever he wanted just like his wild inner wolf
said he should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was our last stop
before another overnight run to the tip of the Baja Peninsula and turning the
corner to our current goal of the Sea of Cortez.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPyKKAPZquRiJjf9OH9-STA5uv7wodBfOn-hjoJ10YeTF86GtX4qo0C-1M5VarEV4F0z80fmrhQXTyr_IexZ6vVNEBzykJc1_eAt7GFMb0fM53o-Mdz5_HYKDzdhooXIiPAqfAm-sLOUm/s1600/DSCF1186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPyKKAPZquRiJjf9OH9-STA5uv7wodBfOn-hjoJ10YeTF86GtX4qo0C-1M5VarEV4F0z80fmrhQXTyr_IexZ6vVNEBzykJc1_eAt7GFMb0fM53o-Mdz5_HYKDzdhooXIiPAqfAm-sLOUm/s320/DSCF1186.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Village in Magdalena Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZU450uoQMk_MGOQsrXlQ6uUfsVZ3knGYejWLQZ0nPP-XTlbDe7xS97k_cahd2dzNPS4kzpznZ3EpVB6G9Zafj0FJXXGIxv_uG2ap7TccynEHgOoSjgHO4Fg-ubLhsupaN2yegUaJ_x88/s1600/IMG_1555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="776" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZU450uoQMk_MGOQsrXlQ6uUfsVZ3knGYejWLQZ0nPP-XTlbDe7xS97k_cahd2dzNPS4kzpznZ3EpVB6G9Zafj0FJXXGIxv_uG2ap7TccynEHgOoSjgHO4Fg-ubLhsupaN2yegUaJ_x88/s320/IMG_1555.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach in Magdalena Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First some orientation: Cabo San Lucas is a resort area at
the tip of the Baja Peninsula. San Jose del Cabo is the original town and is a
few miles north of Cabo San Lucas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>San
Jose del Cabo is also where the international airport is located. Los Cabos is
a term dreamed up for marketing purposes and refers to the whole “Cabo”
area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJHtGAX-NG9xR9l_vH4eqyM5mMHC7H_kWKHf4abnoRnWPMrz8e8-jA8fzpoTlnVddbBqq1KS8u0mMjMOfdyelb2ouqms9Q0uNJrVBmdH2Sio4C2hCagxDoRj7Jj4d26pXN09Pk1LN6qJ6/s1600/DSCF1195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJHtGAX-NG9xR9l_vH4eqyM5mMHC7H_kWKHf4abnoRnWPMrz8e8-jA8fzpoTlnVddbBqq1KS8u0mMjMOfdyelb2ouqms9Q0uNJrVBmdH2Sio4C2hCagxDoRj7Jj4d26pXN09Pk1LN6qJ6/s320/DSCF1195.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arch at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wFTI_NO4S7wGVWVOzYTjF9IJrpLmt5FYke4CWXfMMBUfhn6XPJ5tBFbkqYCQ_WSbkNjGYXL0Uf1IhISD3-y0ayagwJjRYwrvStLKr5RcQouwquswJVrc8cgeBF0lOfqPdLWfP8BIeC91/s1600/DSCF2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wFTI_NO4S7wGVWVOzYTjF9IJrpLmt5FYke4CWXfMMBUfhn6XPJ5tBFbkqYCQ_WSbkNjGYXL0Uf1IhISD3-y0ayagwJjRYwrvStLKr5RcQouwquswJVrc8cgeBF0lOfqPdLWfP8BIeC91/s320/DSCF2339.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern tip of Baja Peninsula</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEDAgvn6JSFBOAv8EcZCMv2wOCtPwviQGsaz72EnGv6SW_3nnapuo1tpgVVKb9sOvampuoAjna5n6JRV61Um1Hqk2yeadI6iMggoQ3RY8UuBUqy8DGtFI8ksIz69aipAaps3yRiEDbCOm/s1600/DSCF2349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEDAgvn6JSFBOAv8EcZCMv2wOCtPwviQGsaz72EnGv6SW_3nnapuo1tpgVVKb9sOvampuoAjna5n6JRV61Um1Hqk2yeadI6iMggoQ3RY8UuBUqy8DGtFI8ksIz69aipAaps3yRiEDbCOm/s320/DSCF2349.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Cabo San Lucas </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
We initially tied up at the rather expensive but very nice
(and with potable water!) marina in Cabo San Lucas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gave us a chance to get our land legs
back and well rested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also topped all
of our water tanks and our battery banks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Walmart in Cabo San Lucas is a really big and really nice store
where we were greeted by an “English assistant” who helped out whenever we
needed something translated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode our
bikes to the store and came back with probably 50# on my heavy duty back rack
and 50# on Clarice’s fancy trailer (our San Diego splurge purchases are proving
their worth already!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent about
$80 USD for what would have cost us about $150 USD back in Washington and much
more in Alaska.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I later rode to Costco
but didn’t find it to be as inexpensive in comparison and curiously it seemed
to primarily have USA folk as the customers who bought the same things they
were used to getting at Costco in the States (it was nice to find unscented
laundry soap in Mexico).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly
tired of getting asked if we wanted to buy a hat or a trinket or a meal or if
we needed a massage (hmmmm – not sure if legit or not).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did finally find the Port Captain as we
are required to check in and out of every major port as we move along (this
sounded strange until we learned that foreign boats in the USA face the same
requirement).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After two days we moved
out of the marina and anchored off of the main beach where we swore we were in
the middle of an interstate freeway with all of the tour boats and water taxies
whizzing past us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a nice
pocket beach where we could land the kayaks and let Jarvis run while we would
take turns snorkeling and checking out the many fishes. Otherwise to get to
shore we would just hail a passing water taxi and get a ride. The bad thing was
the NOISE!!!!!! .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both in the marina and
anchored was like being in the middle of a discotech 20 hours a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunset tour boats would go out with
loudspeakers blaring and lights flashing and the open-air bars on the beach
would have music or DJ’s blasting and yelling with the volume turned to high
late into the night. When the three day holiday weekend in celebration of the
Mexican Revolution ended we were finally able to get in to see the Port Capitan
and clear out before we lost our hearing for good.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnpIoxwyQTs_qlaW1Hjecn0FA4mkhXd1hvgwhVRaMiVN6YL94RTTmd0dASdJXnYk91Nvdw0ErekHqtPpBfgOX11DJwI12GQcB0mLbs3aNW1SayZz63XgKaX_hhW0RA2xMgNaXJIAr52Og/s1600/DSCF2351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnpIoxwyQTs_qlaW1Hjecn0FA4mkhXd1hvgwhVRaMiVN6YL94RTTmd0dASdJXnYk91Nvdw0ErekHqtPpBfgOX11DJwI12GQcB0mLbs3aNW1SayZz63XgKaX_hhW0RA2xMgNaXJIAr52Og/s320/DSCF2351.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Resort Row Cabo San Lucas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mIouwhdTEgZbuXcGac2tSuhhvn9joYFafRvbPI8ROCPdPgLG9U5aga_OraoOZ2Bk02vmJyhul59y4HYWd6z-ZYl6m5w2deWt5YhKTTp9A7BMGtxMRiUMLOOAwy2XL42f6LfviozAGksa/s1600/DSCF1242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mIouwhdTEgZbuXcGac2tSuhhvn9joYFafRvbPI8ROCPdPgLG9U5aga_OraoOZ2Bk02vmJyhul59y4HYWd6z-ZYl6m5w2deWt5YhKTTp9A7BMGtxMRiUMLOOAwy2XL42f6LfviozAGksa/s320/DSCF1242.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabo San Lucas beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anchoring in Cabo San Lucas was a bit of a concern as the
water drops off into an underwater canyon pretty close to shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were a bit concerned that an off-shore
wind might come up during the night and pull our anchor off of the
drop-off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To allow us to sleep more
soundly we decided to put out a stern anchor to make sure we stayed stern to
the shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">HOW NOT TO SET A STERN ANCHOR: We moved out of the expensive Cabo San Lucas marina today and set an anchor in front of resort row. The water here is quite deep and drops off pretty quickly so even with 300 ft of chain out we were concerned about the possibility of the wind shifting and pushing us off shore. THEN </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100010665961208&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARDwIiN45G5apYzqk8zVOF1JUfYw72PHTOMItfUT-TXL9ph42NWhtOR6BQW-lcHkrVlJkS9RMruuBmIy%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/clarice.gregory.3?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARDwIiN45G5apYzqk8zVOF1JUfYw72PHTOMItfUT-TXL9ph42NWhtOR6BQW-lcHkrVlJkS9RMruuBmIy&fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;">Clarice Gregory</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> mentioned that she had read that folks sometimes set a stern anchor here to keep the boat pointed the right way. Setting a stern anchor before the </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">main anchor is fairly straight forward but since we already had the main (bow) anchor set it seemed best to carry the stern anchor back and drop it. This is commonly done using a dingy but we didn't want to launch the dingy just for this purpose and I was concerned about balance if I tried to carry an anchor and chain on the kayak. So I opted to float the anchor with a type I life jacket and the chain with 2 throwable cushions and swim out with fins and snorkel through a virtual freeway of water taxis and personal water craft (AKA PWCs ). I managed to get far enough from the boat and not get run over (I also towed a bright orange diver down "sausage") AND get the flotation devices off of the anchor and chain simultaneously. It worked but definitely qualified as good cardiac exercise. Finally a word of thanks to the water taxi driver and PWC operator that watched out for me while I was in the water.</span></i><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recall that while approaching San Francisco we hit two logs
one of which caused considerable damage to our port stabilizer fin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had gotten new hydraulic cylinders and a
new hydraulic pump in Dana Point and installed them so the system was back and
operational.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we worked on it there
we noted that there was grease coming out of the top seal on both fins which
could be a sign that the lower seals were failing or that the grease had come
through the seal two years ago after we replaced the bearings and we had never
noticed it as there are covers over the top of the mechanisms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided not to panic but to be prepared so
we ordered new seals and a used main casting and a used torque arm that we had
delivered to Jerry in San Diego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
hope was that once the grease was cleaned up it would not return and we would
store the parts until our next planned haul-out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the grease did recur then we had the parts
we expected to need in hand and could make repairs wherever we could arrange to
haul the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry to say but the
grease reappeared on our way down to Cabo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The reason for the main casting was that when we sent underwater photos
of the top of the fin to a person very familiar with our type of stabilizers
after the collision he mentioned that it appeared that the casting had been
mounted too low when it was originally installed so it protruded about ¼ inch
into salt water and was likely suffering from corrosion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In retrospect we recalled that when we had
replaced the bearings in 2016 we had done some repair to corrosion damage on
the lower edge and made a mental note to keep an eye on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the log had apparently loosened the
casting it seemed a good time to address both issues at once, the log damage
and the installation issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The torque
arm had clearly bent about ¼ inch with the collision and I was able to bend it
back only about half of that distance and then had to grind off a bit of the
end of the hydraulic ram to make it fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again it was working as I had it but it seemed prudent to do a full
repair whenever I had everything apart. While we were in Cabo San Lucas we
started calling yards as far north as La Paz to try to get a plan for hauling
the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up deciding to use a
yard in San Jose Del Cabo.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxOmEE9eVZBsK8wfNwliKzOMnNQlKjMrUDTuPzRzIiVxczCoieADE6BhXGjYJK7OgPi5_CJfbxGbpQbixb8np9fRWO_9W8S67cIQwxlxaLVi8FtuCXmqqwpBGS-AaLHntu5Y7H27Qb3R7/s1600/DSCF1237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxOmEE9eVZBsK8wfNwliKzOMnNQlKjMrUDTuPzRzIiVxczCoieADE6BhXGjYJK7OgPi5_CJfbxGbpQbixb8np9fRWO_9W8S67cIQwxlxaLVi8FtuCXmqqwpBGS-AaLHntu5Y7H27Qb3R7/s320/DSCF1237.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the church, marina on the left, boat yard is the large building to the right, town is in the distance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQrmcvMUkht4-x_bwV3iOkqarUXi24-Z5YPCvg9OF373SLX2TO2jxjOd_idvh3ZvVu08pDod9PPc4FCiLzXuI-RZj3eZcvkAdfu4n7I6PgYvUWwylW2GBrEi0X4SkS4aMGGV0ud4_pO-4/s1600/DSCF1240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQrmcvMUkht4-x_bwV3iOkqarUXi24-Z5YPCvg9OF373SLX2TO2jxjOd_idvh3ZvVu08pDod9PPc4FCiLzXuI-RZj3eZcvkAdfu4n7I6PgYvUWwylW2GBrEi0X4SkS4aMGGV0ud4_pO-4/s320/DSCF1240.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From "Container Restaurant" (its build from shipping containers)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs8N2qMKnD_mDOZ0hrkUzmjvM6VDINHs2UHwgwzxTVjd_8HcFFF9chyphenhyphen3o-Op-S5n56VFp8tFS7-KJ_W-g8tsnOkeYcw0ateSPYuwui63dxfD7uLES7yV3M1DZltPK3WMUm3Ui0K1GFfY-/s1600/DSCF2363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs8N2qMKnD_mDOZ0hrkUzmjvM6VDINHs2UHwgwzxTVjd_8HcFFF9chyphenhyphen3o-Op-S5n56VFp8tFS7-KJ_W-g8tsnOkeYcw0ateSPYuwui63dxfD7uLES7yV3M1DZltPK3WMUm3Ui0K1GFfY-/s320/DSCF2363.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many sculptures around the marina is this massive cross that lights up at night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
San Jose Del Cabo may only be a few miles north of Cabo San
Lucas but it is as different as night and day when it comes to being quiet and
relaxing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The marina is about a mile
from town which is much less resort and much more local in nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boat yard was not inexpensive as we had
been led to expect – apparently folks from southern California are used to very
expensive boat yards and consider the Los Cabos yards to be a good deal but we
are from Puget Sound and points north where yard rates are much cheaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said; the yard itself was very clean and
had excellent equipment and staff eager to help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They agreed that we could work on our own
boat and arranged for us to stay on it by providing us with an access key. (The
marina allowed us to keep our keycard<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The manager was telling me his background and it turns out that he used
to manage the Bayliner plant in Arlington only a few miles from where we raised
our children while he lived in Mill Creek near where our final terrestrial
house is located – talk about a small world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We worked our fannies off in the Mexican heat so we would be sure to
find any surprises with enough time to correct them and not extend our yard
time beyond what we had budgeted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it
turned out there were no major unexpected findings and we were able to enjoy our
final day in the yard as it was a Sunday and no one was around to launch the
boat anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old casting was not as
hard to remove as I had feared once I bought a “gato” at Walmart (it turns out
gato translates to both “cat” and “car jack”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bearings showed no signs of water damage (we didn’t have bearings
with us so if they had needed replacement they would have had to come from San
Diego) which was a relief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did make a
HUGE mess when we emptied the motor oil that the hydraulic system uses as a
fluid and pulled out all of the 20 year old hoses as we decided to address
another hose project while we had the system apart anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we returned the boat to the water on
Monday we had to do some minor corrections but we were able to head north the
next morning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanXBfTPODbbx6UECO80PMIYoG2EUs2Q_DEyrHl1k7TxBjyjZvngokKivGolKonXjq0D70sHsvUHKuTVl3AAsKIzM_ZEmky8yRhK38XoJft8KWI3KrDgc6LptDluGNCk45hjnbTUJfvYG4/s1600/DSCF1219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanXBfTPODbbx6UECO80PMIYoG2EUs2Q_DEyrHl1k7TxBjyjZvngokKivGolKonXjq0D70sHsvUHKuTVl3AAsKIzM_ZEmky8yRhK38XoJft8KWI3KrDgc6LptDluGNCk45hjnbTUJfvYG4/s320/DSCF1219.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoses where labeled before removal to aid in reassembly (hmmm - some of the labels washed off at the hose shop)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqJgyVLYT52cWkSx9Pq7qlzBit64WeHb0MZA1nS0lXVJOLMhTgy0KKkEElRQdhBfitX5gq6lH5wFyTukCf6rdUAWJSi7rEd-N7OdBXog1_8NpZu0wT2OmEL8qGgLeCEUbw32M_EQfzjYR/s1600/DSCF1226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqJgyVLYT52cWkSx9Pq7qlzBit64WeHb0MZA1nS0lXVJOLMhTgy0KKkEElRQdhBfitX5gq6lH5wFyTukCf6rdUAWJSi7rEd-N7OdBXog1_8NpZu0wT2OmEL8qGgLeCEUbw32M_EQfzjYR/s320/DSCF1226.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A big hole in the bottom of the boat once the casting was removed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbs86GiHdFBABg0HBMAjGf-IFPFg_KK_u2mmFk8S9rb1iVGCrHrM3KSky3BXdFG3NQLu8s-2em6jqwkVUphX57ZUlyxMiRAEYLTywTgztebuZ1nb_BGjzrkjqKRGNryD3XZ9qa8L3oHw3h/s1600/DSCF1227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbs86GiHdFBABg0HBMAjGf-IFPFg_KK_u2mmFk8S9rb1iVGCrHrM3KSky3BXdFG3NQLu8s-2em6jqwkVUphX57ZUlyxMiRAEYLTywTgztebuZ1nb_BGjzrkjqKRGNryD3XZ9qa8L3oHw3h/s320/DSCF1227.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />The replacement casting </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEc1QKQdmrV6CXdjdr7cmMp2wEIVCj-Ofimw-9V0X7qReX_vdHP0oFm9tLlr_UPyNEWv-2l5ooeSzI5n_fXleV5l_opLvbgM4D9GiIeJCiQ7IwPziw202Vpgj7klKE2AdKP_Ab3I7SyEP/s320/DSCF1229.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the water we discovered that the log impact had crazed the gelcoat about a foot back on the fin, Clarice sanded it down and applied an epoxy coating then new paint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEc1QKQdmrV6CXdjdr7cmMp2wEIVCj-Ofimw-9V0X7qReX_vdHP0oFm9tLlr_UPyNEWv-2l5ooeSzI5n_fXleV5l_opLvbgM4D9GiIeJCiQ7IwPziw202Vpgj7klKE2AdKP_Ab3I7SyEP/s1600/DSCF1229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHEyPdlCnVx6j1aEcF_51OJLzHm1BCIqikjyTY5mgd0Lc_OdoaIGVD1T0cFv8QF3iQXADCYEJUDb3UllYOZ8Ca-IHKT1G4mtRXunXVLSEePdrigXeqSnSa7YhgVSJhQLA0OHnJcdMZa5P/s1600/DSCF1230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHEyPdlCnVx6j1aEcF_51OJLzHm1BCIqikjyTY5mgd0Lc_OdoaIGVD1T0cFv8QF3iQXADCYEJUDb3UllYOZ8Ca-IHKT1G4mtRXunXVLSEePdrigXeqSnSa7YhgVSJhQLA0OHnJcdMZa5P/s320/DSCF1230.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scraping old sealant from the hole</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSfOAwVGKGcZtxoj2MF9T0ati8a7eBKEesoV99hoUSV5_hm8v6szNcPHaqSDhm1REuy2FfglA1lhbq14fkQ829Mc0I7FGBsQZI7Jl_Q7FFM1ecNhifZoRUOOSM5Qiye4MEZaj-RFPVlsx/s1600/DSCF1235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSfOAwVGKGcZtxoj2MF9T0ati8a7eBKEesoV99hoUSV5_hm8v6szNcPHaqSDhm1REuy2FfglA1lhbq14fkQ829Mc0I7FGBsQZI7Jl_Q7FFM1ecNhifZoRUOOSM5Qiye4MEZaj-RFPVlsx/s320/DSCF1235.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"On the hard"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting hydraulic hose demonstrates some of the challenges
of working in a foreign culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of
the yard folk took the hydraulic hoses to a local hydraulic store as soon as we
pulled the boat out of the water (we had pulled the hoses the evening and
morning before being lifted). The next day we were told the new hoses would be
ready at shortly after noon and that the yard could provide a translator /
driver to get us to the shop where the hoses were being made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan was that we would pay directly for
the hoses so that the yard would not need to add a markup for running the costs
through their accounting system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
arrived at the hydraulic shop I confirmed that they could take a credit
card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we stood around I realized that
the hoses were not quite finished as they had apparently needed some additional
fittings (likely from 2 different sources).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We find this to be common in that small operations cannot afford to
stock as much as we are used to so they will accept the order and then have an
employee run to another location to pick up supplies (e.g. I’ve ordered orange
Fanta pop a couple of times and rather than saying it’s not in stock, an
employee zips out the door to the grocery store down the block to buy a single
can.) When we tried to run my credit card it wouldn’t go through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called my credit card company and they
indicated that the charge request had never reached their computers but assured
me they would accept the charge when it did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To make a very long story short, it turned out that the bill was for $Mx
32000 pesos (about $US 1500) but the shop didn’t normally get orders that large
so the bank had only set their credit card system to accept charges up to $Mx
5000 pesos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our next step was to go to
the bank and try the cash machines but they only could dispense<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$Mx 6000 pesos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the bank manager couldn’t help with a
solution (and the teller line looked like it was a DMV office).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end we gave up and asked the yard to
cover the bill and we would pay a premium for their service.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monday morning we broke a few rules and paid for it. We
generally try to watch weather forecasts for a few weeks in a new cruising area
so we can get a picture in our minds of what happens when.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew that there was wind expected from the
north at 10 -15 knots but we didn’t know what that meant on these waters nor
did we know how accurate forecasts are or aren’t in this area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also usually try to leave pretty early in
the morning so we get going before daily winds pick up in the afternoon, on
this day we figured we only had a 4 -5 hour run so no need to rush.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We generally have a rule that if our “gut”
says something isn’t right then we need to consider why we are feeling that way
– I felt rushed and noticed that a number of other boaters chose to stay in
port rather than head out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
always heard that when you cruise on a schedule you are asking for trouble and
we chose to leave primarily to save paying another day’s moorage fee in the
marina. Finally before we head out we walk and crawl around the boat to make
sure everything is ready for the sea, since the water was calm when we headed
out we ignored this step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About an hour
into the trip the wind picked up off our bow to 17 -20 knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than have gentle swell of 2 meters we
had short period wind waves of 2 meters making the boat slam up and down from
bow to stern – did I mention we didn’t set up the paravanes that are our defense
against this kind of motion despite our practice of always doing so when we
head into open water?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we are bumping
along and just enduring the trip when Clarice checks down below in our berth
and finds a porthole that wasn’t battened closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salt water is gushing in with each wave onto
our bedroom settee and onto our printer/scanner and DVD player which toasted
their electronics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we can say was
that the anchorage in Bahia Failes was well protected and the beaches lovely
and the snorkeling great and the friends who visited were great company so
after a couple of days and nights it was all worth it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Some parting shots of wildlife at sea including one of about 50 turtles that were resting on the surface in one area and dolphins jumping way out of the water. We have not yet been able to catch a photo of rays doing up to 3 head over tail flips out of the water or the schools of fish that visit the boat at night.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwa4ABy6yprQQTjVXZt3qpqUYBMy-S4mX9nmq18wA2_hjJbxl2M81rZrdD8OP_oYKnrpPgXmjuUsBVuCYbDrQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0i_Org5mVUlSMxhQBFdUUOkys3vKeFyoJKnvA2rijmoQJywhuWDqa1SFkpU9ADmv4o8MZP9Pm4COfLHSuyQoFQw7WhDrMe-zb5DkJTFxOTcAD_7zR62JPAd7sUrPGgZhGH_GsfozZIwGC/s1600/DSCF1202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0i_Org5mVUlSMxhQBFdUUOkys3vKeFyoJKnvA2rijmoQJywhuWDqa1SFkpU9ADmv4o8MZP9Pm4COfLHSuyQoFQw7WhDrMe-zb5DkJTFxOTcAD_7zR62JPAd7sUrPGgZhGH_GsfozZIwGC/s320/DSCF1202.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snorkeling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Mmrp6MQS71fBs9wYHWQ7nJ3Z4MCUhTMja4xF5mhEdpjY5P0E-p1Y1tpb4ewvZ-lZZV-V46T2yQj6_6-7F1Cok09JVIlBDhefwQx2MGK4ymI-SDta-5aOL6_qqeXA6GPWWntFiSdFiRwE/s1600/DSCF1208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Mmrp6MQS71fBs9wYHWQ7nJ3Z4MCUhTMja4xF5mhEdpjY5P0E-p1Y1tpb4ewvZ-lZZV-V46T2yQj6_6-7F1Cok09JVIlBDhefwQx2MGK4ymI-SDta-5aOL6_qqeXA6GPWWntFiSdFiRwE/s320/DSCF1208.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snorkeling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHLS7NjKGLnsGJt6LbLOee5WbH63-MQUYDMoJoFmPvDrDWX1SCwzblEfNDsLjvybFlAMgsWcBD3OZU-gRmilCxgRqrx8HYBWwkqw67yYwQ3A75dg1Y-AJWg_ezsSQz37Ic0dh3fCd90D6/s320/DSCF1218.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just get a kick out of pelicans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-uSUzTrpK1cB7VhizjHQxrjtPNBZkA4DcNpMSOTC50dlg8f8znGMGSu7alE2TZ4uWlTtiGIBrzVtDolLenFZryfMHSRWJjNi46nS_jafVqyYKCC51g_AQx7r9tWqAWCbBoy0UZZTciCu/s1600/DSCF2266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9-uSUzTrpK1cB7VhizjHQxrjtPNBZkA4DcNpMSOTC50dlg8f8znGMGSu7alE2TZ4uWlTtiGIBrzVtDolLenFZryfMHSRWJjNi46nS_jafVqyYKCC51g_AQx7r9tWqAWCbBoy0UZZTciCu/s320/DSCF2266.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of about 50 turtles we saw in one area</td></tr>
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<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-31804060849881958672018-10-06T18:10:00.002-07:002018-10-06T18:14:56.670-07:00From the Salish Sea to San Diego<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
October 6, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I start to write this we are within a few hours of San
Diego California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that (excluding the Bering Sea) we have traversed pretty much the entire
west coast of the United States and Canada from the northernmost point of
College Fjord Alaska south over the past couple of months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we can start to say we have gained
some serious “cruisers’ points” along the way. Our longest non-stop run was 625
nm from Astoria Oregon to San Francisco California which included 3 nights at
sea. We have now earned our 10,000 nm banner from Nordhavn (which was presented
to us by the company CEO at their head office in Dana Point California).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our worst sea conditions have been 25 kn
winds off the stern with 8-10 ft confused seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our worst event has been a log collision that led to serious damage of
our port stabilizer fin. On the flip side the 15 minutes or so when about 100 dolphins,
30 seals, and 3 whales had a party around our boat was magical. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our current plan is to stay in San Diego Bay until the end
of a very active Eastern Pacific hurricane season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there we need to get some final
paperwork done in preparation for taking the boat (and Jarvis) to Mexico. Since
we are not planning to be part of any of the cruisers’ rallies that head to
Baha about the same time as we will be leaving we hope to gather information
about what to expect as we head south and to start making contacts with other
cruisers heading the same direction (a process that is started in Puget Sound
and has gained momentum as we’ve moved south until we met a sailboat family and
another Nordhavn couple on the same dock as us in Dana Point headed the same
direction.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of our last notes we mentioned our plans to fly
back to visit our daughter and her family at their home in Ontario Canada (we
had visited with her husband much more recently as he was our extra crew member
crossing the Gulf of Alaska from east to west but it’s been a long draught
since we’ve visited the whole family).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we headed back, all three of us since we have decided it’s often
cheaper <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pay $100 each way for Jarvis
that it is to pay for a kennel and I (Norman) don’t worry about how he is
doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out that he is a perfect
passenger as he walks on his leash through the airport, passes through security
on his own when called, waits in his open kennel at the gate, and then sleeps
under the seat for the duration of the flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we left our grandson told Clarice he was sorry to see Jarvis leave
but didn’t mention us, his grandparents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess we know where we are in the children’s’ eyes!<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxB6NkAV75_Y4Kr6ZRXMyNmoAFExfD_GS0bvMpgFSRn-MU9a5GSDsMGb8OPO_VkdwFkPta6VXyco7eq2TQoz_8xpXUArEE_zP3khdf7AvIHxeIFaglKQ967YKj5u38EpGRAega1RdksyyO/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxB6NkAV75_Y4Kr6ZRXMyNmoAFExfD_GS0bvMpgFSRn-MU9a5GSDsMGb8OPO_VkdwFkPta6VXyco7eq2TQoz_8xpXUArEE_zP3khdf7AvIHxeIFaglKQ967YKj5u38EpGRAega1RdksyyO/s320/IMG_1338.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis waiting for his flight to be called at the airport</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ0n9O4xgGvzKrfw9nVP93nAQ92hOhHdXYGiFiYV2AOAiZwT4AANix6Qi6MirRoMawfDvRqal6cODU4Dqyd5hUgksHVC5MGdXNlG7o2NJ4ZU0f6hyYIPHYURD5tIxBw4uTiyRNQ6DMihb/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ0n9O4xgGvzKrfw9nVP93nAQ92hOhHdXYGiFiYV2AOAiZwT4AANix6Qi6MirRoMawfDvRqal6cODU4Dqyd5hUgksHVC5MGdXNlG7o2NJ4ZU0f6hyYIPHYURD5tIxBw4uTiyRNQ6DMihb/s320/IMG_1336.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis making sure Clarice and the kids play fair from his perch on the hassock </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had never been to our daughter’s house, a bit north of
Niagara Falls, in warm weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
really had a lovely time in the mid-west villages and forests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis had children to run with, lots of
trails to walk his people on, and a back yard with trees, grass and sun all to
himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very enjoyable week
and passed quickly before we returned and made our final preparations to head
south.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIRmJIedMIPV9tRpTqYGFhNxbH_c3pYxbM3kGWL-lU4HCD9mWmGwoVcCfp9twRFeRpETnrkmpczyHTTjpypbn36jgnozT6fR67kapeQ_pSFxBGeMy_Q7KWUr76xQpWefNIjvwZsABYWiU/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="1600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIRmJIedMIPV9tRpTqYGFhNxbH_c3pYxbM3kGWL-lU4HCD9mWmGwoVcCfp9twRFeRpETnrkmpczyHTTjpypbn36jgnozT6fR67kapeQ_pSFxBGeMy_Q7KWUr76xQpWefNIjvwZsABYWiU/s320/IMG_1329.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Requisite family photo in front of the falls </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lH2hyphenhyphen0GBUe-wyTWW4spMOksneGC3xxuZcgoPnkjKm8_5EIKwqTqo0Y6dNU4soRq-ybVg2-Lx92pFtOgyvcZ5W19DAa7ERSMg4HJHRO9rxmjIIHEBk-wbDLaGeZmGIUb0IpoFUO7iew8l/s1600/IMG_1333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lH2hyphenhyphen0GBUe-wyTWW4spMOksneGC3xxuZcgoPnkjKm8_5EIKwqTqo0Y6dNU4soRq-ybVg2-Lx92pFtOgyvcZ5W19DAa7ERSMg4HJHRO9rxmjIIHEBk-wbDLaGeZmGIUb0IpoFUO7iew8l/s320/IMG_1333.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niagara Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPb-BC-Stj7VldBQZpRlmoUGZXLD2Jjj36bF0rMGwLfe12P_xTUVccg3lCJgxPNyPVscoYSce4ggg047l9RvAh0Bnd7L0aq4HlRCv49JWoY94b3x7D2re-awFhSFyfaLcphd7Nam3Y_tF/s1600/DSCF0362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPb-BC-Stj7VldBQZpRlmoUGZXLD2Jjj36bF0rMGwLfe12P_xTUVccg3lCJgxPNyPVscoYSce4ggg047l9RvAh0Bnd7L0aq4HlRCv49JWoY94b3x7D2re-awFhSFyfaLcphd7Nam3Y_tF/s320/DSCF0362.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family in front of museum in Toronto </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nlnkac6SoqrFxSNz3vv1b7gnVxQkfgjxlFzPy8lBfwWRBYq6GsraYgLgb0NIAJg9bG1g65Jp3KXrLlMEhQXYcEBifLsWgHKVqrD4HggbSO0P3MHZLiYq9fxo1sy8-GY5a28DGUhRCzB-/s320/DSCF0372.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henri aflight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nlnkac6SoqrFxSNz3vv1b7gnVxQkfgjxlFzPy8lBfwWRBYq6GsraYgLgb0NIAJg9bG1g65Jp3KXrLlMEhQXYcEBifLsWgHKVqrD4HggbSO0P3MHZLiYq9fxo1sy8-GY5a28DGUhRCzB-/s1600/DSCF0372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nlnkac6SoqrFxSNz3vv1b7gnVxQkfgjxlFzPy8lBfwWRBYq6GsraYgLgb0NIAJg9bG1g65Jp3KXrLlMEhQXYcEBifLsWgHKVqrD4HggbSO0P3MHZLiYq9fxo1sy8-GY5a28DGUhRCzB-/s1600/DSCF0372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvOckUlyJbYWMFYlzN1MEvNAIN3Spvuc0u1e92VqyU7r4uJ_Q3tcXME_rv_noC2NCCr_1UQqfneIzp_upaDC-ObndhhwKJhg8u9Jagyw7-MWKRAc8tyJqnEWYXS-QLhp_8jfvCZwTLu_I/s1600/DSCF0380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1108" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvOckUlyJbYWMFYlzN1MEvNAIN3Spvuc0u1e92VqyU7r4uJ_Q3tcXME_rv_noC2NCCr_1UQqfneIzp_upaDC-ObndhhwKJhg8u9Jagyw7-MWKRAc8tyJqnEWYXS-QLhp_8jfvCZwTLu_I/s320/DSCF0380.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul and Carter checking out the falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyDVX6JWy1Zwl3Qs3URK-TB7DmRA68Reh9UUzxpha__Tbj3PhXNG57Zyt2PsyP96YW4t6nTAU90j5Y49H-wU_OKRvcRXjlkb97JeNs9iCCF2JHTyIUTpMTs4CNhSntnXtUrvb8WngYJ5F/s1600/DSCF0387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1108" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyDVX6JWy1Zwl3Qs3URK-TB7DmRA68Reh9UUzxpha__Tbj3PhXNG57Zyt2PsyP96YW4t6nTAU90j5Y49H-wU_OKRvcRXjlkb97JeNs9iCCF2JHTyIUTpMTs4CNhSntnXtUrvb8WngYJ5F/s320/DSCF0387.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic mill on the Niagara Escarpment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivODaj1ph0ZRKsc8N-ZuLHMtIWojzqzRI23I7heCPIVHETILhRBfWdQ4U9HS2JiiTl31RQYeGnexyoYosZvYHuFvf1cV7LnMOjKpQMtl6GML7b4Y4MghOa_P2c9ZbYS81Zuik0uaiy59p9/s1600/DSCF0388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1108" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivODaj1ph0ZRKsc8N-ZuLHMtIWojzqzRI23I7heCPIVHETILhRBfWdQ4U9HS2JiiTl31RQYeGnexyoYosZvYHuFvf1cV7LnMOjKpQMtl6GML7b4Y4MghOa_P2c9ZbYS81Zuik0uaiy59p9/s320/DSCF0388.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Where else can you get a carousel ride for a Canadian nickle?</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a cooperative weather window we headed out of the
Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angelas for our first over-night run at sea
with just the two of us on the day of our 42<sup>nd</sup> wedding anniversay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the run was the “Graveyard of
the Pacific”, better known as the Columbia River Bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When one of the continent’s mightiest rivers
combines its flow with trillions of gallons of tidal outflow and then pushes it
against waves that have gathered strength unimpeded from the eastern shores of
the Pacific Ocean, the result can be some of the most challenging waters on the
planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To a great extent the violence
has been calmed by controlling the outflow and the shallowness of the bar with
jetties and dredging. We consulted all of the guidebooks and internet resources
we could find and then called by brother who lives and fishes at the mouth of
The River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The consensus was that we
should cross the bar in mild weather on a slack or flood tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We timed our arrival based on the tide and we
ended up having a very pleasant time passing another of the sea monsters that
have concerned us for years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4NeI3Q1ZPj49l6Sa45vAbF3gdJA5X2rODrQAXh1rdSm4n21lfnW073aPwSgKZ_vf-iBydKqBtw-0s6mWoO6heyEjI2uELt8GzWD7u0329lYuQrWz-q43XhwwiXS_QAFTJOPCxpChHtcZ/s1600/DSCF0402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4NeI3Q1ZPj49l6Sa45vAbF3gdJA5X2rODrQAXh1rdSm4n21lfnW073aPwSgKZ_vf-iBydKqBtw-0s6mWoO6heyEjI2uELt8GzWD7u0329lYuQrWz-q43XhwwiXS_QAFTJOPCxpChHtcZ/s320/DSCF0402.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mouth of the Columbia River looking upstream</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimb3GVxdEs4b9vW5hX_HS7J6fHuoFCOxa3zJe27UcKYzbYiTXgrAMHQhJ-HTCBLK6diR_7u8KEcFnrr4Cu86BnddOZH95NKhbLG9rvhkB40Z_eIqdaOPT4ggTDHu2Tjfrd_EdG9E5I3yaY/s1600/DSCF0404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimb3GVxdEs4b9vW5hX_HS7J6fHuoFCOxa3zJe27UcKYzbYiTXgrAMHQhJ-HTCBLK6diR_7u8KEcFnrr4Cu86BnddOZH95NKhbLG9rvhkB40Z_eIqdaOPT4ggTDHu2Tjfrd_EdG9E5I3yaY/s320/DSCF0404.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moored under the Astoria Bridge</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
We shortened our stay in Astoria (and sadly missed visiting
with our son and his family) as there was a weather window open but it would
get skunky going into San Francisco if we didn’t get under way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our concerns had been that we had
delayed a bit longer than we should have and the Pacific High Pressure area
that typically builds in the summer months and moderates the weather along in
the North Pacific was starting to break down and fall storms were starting to
move west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had some long talks with
an owner of a sister boat to ours who, along with his wife, had done many boat
deliveries along the coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
recommendation was that we get about 50 miles off-shore where we wouldn’t have
to worry about crab pots and flotsam in the water and would be in the major
shipping lanes if we got into trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also agreed that my reading of the weather maps was likely correct
and that if we left sooner rather than later we would be able to get into the
protection of San Francisco Bay ahead of a building minor storm.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This would be our longest ocean passage to date with just
the two of us (and Jarvis) on board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
predicted a day with winds off our bow of about 10 knots followed by a calm day
and then following winds building to as high as 20 knots before we entered The
Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really hit our predictions dead
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The calm day in the middle was great
as we caught up on rest and showers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
also started seeing small to huge pods of dolphins on a regular basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had purchased a hand line tuna rig at my
brother’s suggestion in Astoria and shortly after putting it in the water
pulled in about a 20 # tuna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice
tried her new fish cutting board and we had fresh tuna steaks for dinner and
lots of tuna in the freezer. The last day the waves were off our stern but were
large enough to make the going uncomfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKozPpbBsDX0C0WByE6-701La3kPRrg9sy_PRIB9o9xFX4gCJKpj2mc0ykSrJQCs38wsHNEd_eIYYUSWZPAJMyZtpMwAOTcRhR42522IDQPy_UEoGKGF1jQAxcwslmERhEeFbi2uPRxcI/s1600/DSCF0419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKozPpbBsDX0C0WByE6-701La3kPRrg9sy_PRIB9o9xFX4gCJKpj2mc0ykSrJQCs38wsHNEd_eIYYUSWZPAJMyZtpMwAOTcRhR42522IDQPy_UEoGKGF1jQAxcwslmERhEeFbi2uPRxcI/s320/DSCF0419.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuna!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We find that if we launch our paravane “fish” when the
movement of the boat is uncomfortable that having them in addition to our
hydraulic stabilizers really helps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
first time on the trip that we had them out I missed seeing a log about 1 ft in
diameter by 15 ft long that we hit pretty hard with the starboard hydraulic fin
and then it got caught in the paravane rigging for a short time. We checked the
boat and didn’t find any signs of significant damage and so we continued on our
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit a second larger log with the
port side stabilizer fin when we were in the heaviest weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quickly apparent that we had lost use
of the fin and on close inspection we had the tiniest weep of sea water coming
in around the fin housing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We shut down
the hydraulic system and put the locking pin in the starboard fin (the port fin
was jammed just out of position so the pin could not be set).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sent telepathic thanks to the previous
owners of the boat who had installed the paravane system as a redundancy for
just such an emergency. We didn’t have cellular coverage at that point so we
sent out a satellite message to the delivery captain friend asking about
options for an emergency haul-out of the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also sent out an email via our high-frequency radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our last action was to radio the coast guard
and ask if there was a haul-out facility any closer than San Francisco as we
were still about 10 hours out to which they replied there was no closer
option.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We gradually convinced ourselves
that we were not in danger of catastrophic failure and looked at our best options
to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplSzGSx0gILQbMG8LicrrkUfdvKvWIVeE_oarwP_tqHvV5OYxmc-R0H83Jz8PSryi0HlD8q5PAAcJhFscTm_rODxxeJmyOguRdg0Ef4cZzgmsWEgRRGdPRgzlOwA5SUMpDbELUvMZAblW/s1600/DSCF0423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplSzGSx0gILQbMG8LicrrkUfdvKvWIVeE_oarwP_tqHvV5OYxmc-R0H83Jz8PSryi0HlD8q5PAAcJhFscTm_rODxxeJmyOguRdg0Ef4cZzgmsWEgRRGdPRgzlOwA5SUMpDbELUvMZAblW/s320/DSCF0423.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We head away from log #2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Click to view: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkT4fgo6VIY" target="_blank">A video we made about launching paravanes</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had originally planned to pass under the Golden Gate
Bridge on a favorable morning tide when we had daylight but had gotten a bit
ahead of schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the prospect of
a nighttime passage through a challenging entrance channel when we were already
exhausted and with uncomfortable seas we looked for a closer safe harbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We noted on the chart that Point Reyes stuck
out at just the right angle to block the wind and waves from the angle they
were coming from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guidebooks and
chart indicated it should be an easy anchorage (after Alaska – many more places
now qualify as “easy anchorages”) so finally about 1 AM we dropped anchor onto
a sand bottom and let out lots of chain so we had litter concern that the boat
would move during the rest of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We both slept very soundly for 4 hours so we felt well rested when the
alarm woke us up at 5 AM so we could ride the incoming tide under the famous
Golden Gate Bridge (and mark passing under the bridge off my personal bucket
list).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had previously arranged to
dock at tiny marina on Treasure Island and were glad that we had the
harbormaster on the phone as we entered Clipper Harbor so he could guide us via
the deepest water to get to the dock. Jarvis was beside himself he was so
excited to get his paws onto ground that didn’t move and we were happy to have
a chance to catch up on badly needed sleep after we stretched our stiff legs.
We looked back and joked that after being directed to take a far off-shore
route so we wouldn’t have to worry about things like logs we had seen exactly
two items of concern, both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">after</i> we
had hit them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU3IEWe8LU5joXgSEVR7lJvnaBizcRCIjCVuHy5F7KYZo8pJNPQ8oakjPNPnzSx6lTbAIMuOpRFK2FK-_vAIQDoEVcYbXLnCCHIewRsSwffrnji0VRsW-kMTr9PI6hR8OO64g0hdhM8N5/s1600/DSCF0425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU3IEWe8LU5joXgSEVR7lJvnaBizcRCIjCVuHy5F7KYZo8pJNPQ8oakjPNPnzSx6lTbAIMuOpRFK2FK-_vAIQDoEVcYbXLnCCHIewRsSwffrnji0VRsW-kMTr9PI6hR8OO64g0hdhM8N5/s320/DSCF0425.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz Island and Prison</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOuIn_jJfJhteFcDjK2lR8cj5pRTi_B4hCjCJBHKIvlBbDVHoAlEME61NrdrtWMTRQ6L_NSINgNk2eVgHKcPh-_Nq7GanJzN_n5azq_0yyV7s4DIxaEYbECpaRzmatdGUiOoXpW2U8rml/s1600/DSCF1609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1108" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOuIn_jJfJhteFcDjK2lR8cj5pRTi_B4hCjCJBHKIvlBbDVHoAlEME61NrdrtWMTRQ6L_NSINgNk2eVgHKcPh-_Nq7GanJzN_n5azq_0yyV7s4DIxaEYbECpaRzmatdGUiOoXpW2U8rml/s320/DSCF1609.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Golden Gate beckons </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-AHCxkLMtdr0RskJRTreM3Y5oaYu-tZNzvMTDbXuRKV6kizOoLg9M8dZPnuIv5Va8Cli7OgHlyJHRJHUYNQEpCvLoPavaNB3tkTDmGhhf3bemVrExg8ADdgp_ro3587v80lC9k9WHqLF/s1600/DSCF1618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1108" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-AHCxkLMtdr0RskJRTreM3Y5oaYu-tZNzvMTDbXuRKV6kizOoLg9M8dZPnuIv5Va8Cli7OgHlyJHRJHUYNQEpCvLoPavaNB3tkTDmGhhf3bemVrExg8ADdgp_ro3587v80lC9k9WHqLF/s320/DSCF1618.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz in the distance as we get ready to pass under the Golden Gate Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Treasure Island Marina is badly in need of renewal and
the staff were worried that our 60,000# boat might further damage their
docks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The marina is in Clipper Cove
which is a recommended anchorage so we moved off the dock and set the anchor
for our stay in San Francisco. I dove the boat after it was anchored and found
that the first log had removed a small (6 inch) fin that is designed to keep kelp
from getting caught on the main stabilizer fin on the starboard side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The damage was minimal in that it had pulled
the screws out of our hull but since they didn’t come close to penetrating through
the hull there was no danger of leaks. The port side was very confusing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I confirmed that the fin would not go into
its neutral centered position and noted that at the top of the housing I could
tell it had moved outward about 1/8 inch based on how the paint looked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took photos of everything and called every
expert I could think of and pondered a lot. One expert (as in he had installed
the fin systems for 40 years) looked at the photos I had emailed him and talked
to me at length about what had happened and what I saw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was convinced that the fin was not jammed
but rather the hydraulic system was damaged (in the end, it was a bit of
both).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I disengaged the hydraulic
ram from the torque arm that turns the fin and had Clarice start the engine
(which turns the hydraulic pump) it was quickly obvious that our hydraulic
cylinder had broken when the ram came popping out of the assembly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also found that the torque arm had been
bent down just enough to rub against the assembly housing and was jamming the
works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we left San Francisco we
had arranged for parts to be mailed to our next stop in Dana Point California,
had tightened the hold down bolts which stopped the leak, had dove and put an
underwater putty around the top of the assembly where it entered the boat to
protect the non-stainless metal that was in contact with salt water, and
finally had ground a bit of metal off where the parts were rubbing so that the
fin could be pinned in its neutral position. We were also directed to buy some
hydraulic hose plugs to plug the hoses to the damaged cylinder so that the
still functioning starboard fin could operate solo and were assured it would
work quite well (which it did) until full repairs were made<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPei2EjRo9nTToNwxXYfKxXvy3bbWxAWKNjRR09zd_JXUfvxIPupaLvohEB0KmLlg3kaNMJhnNgAPetLH5Re-ytkrYZiPTqaajPst3Y4uIQxcwX18JF-btHAecs_NQlBTav-Nx60vyMIj_/s1600/2+Port+shifted+seal+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPei2EjRo9nTToNwxXYfKxXvy3bbWxAWKNjRR09zd_JXUfvxIPupaLvohEB0KmLlg3kaNMJhnNgAPetLH5Re-ytkrYZiPTqaajPst3Y4uIQxcwX18JF-btHAecs_NQlBTav-Nx60vyMIj_/s320/2+Port+shifted+seal+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCiJLB5h8gz2L6upQKQ4yqUNX9WJG37BjpOBlqc1aV0RpAJbxw0DcYp-74iqHEVw1QrNH_Kmlsrk2wRG2P3GXd6IXvGfAh4J6eYa92kuPu1cyMrsPn5SEDWyo9lkQf6fDcvADjMAoCGsE/s1600/4+paint+damage+Port.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCiJLB5h8gz2L6upQKQ4yqUNX9WJG37BjpOBlqc1aV0RpAJbxw0DcYp-74iqHEVw1QrNH_Kmlsrk2wRG2P3GXd6IXvGfAh4J6eYa92kuPu1cyMrsPn5SEDWyo9lkQf6fDcvADjMAoCGsE/s320/4+paint+damage+Port.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA8ijXTLg_CyKObvOKml_uMsnSsILslVBfUSVPPAlD4tawRGIvdZVEG00tYKBQ90unjELGJVVuwyMLzCGJ2s69yC-ekqfwp5Xvnvr69QLHD6gWA5ypQ9w42bizSs-7Fo3TNMo20_hE9q8/s1600/5+Port+mis-aligned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA8ijXTLg_CyKObvOKml_uMsnSsILslVBfUSVPPAlD4tawRGIvdZVEG00tYKBQ90unjELGJVVuwyMLzCGJ2s69yC-ekqfwp5Xvnvr69QLHD6gWA5ypQ9w42bizSs-7Fo3TNMo20_hE9q8/s320/5+Port+mis-aligned.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuVt0Q4R-PRTvSfX5SekRzm8p00I_k5wfJcgmGGxGlxbfK9RZNQKbiWswE0yFSoAgMI3sCTUJoTcWm2NIeb9GbISwTqcD_vfv_1sQpvm4RX5AINAcqlI6ODQXa0_C8gUdl5Rlu1-QgzK2/s1600/6+Stbd+missing+line+cutter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1059" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTuVt0Q4R-PRTvSfX5SekRzm8p00I_k5wfJcgmGGxGlxbfK9RZNQKbiWswE0yFSoAgMI3sCTUJoTcWm2NIeb9GbISwTqcD_vfv_1sQpvm4RX5AINAcqlI6ODQXa0_C8gUdl5Rlu1-QgzK2/s320/6+Stbd+missing+line+cutter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIBlgZCX6K7xtyl0J8u2m_WH4N5iRGata3mJdbhjjezIYio3p7KFh5Yjl_b5BtC_jfxklaKtJHbqPtopvuxNy6UecK4brbyEGsVclwTjwJ3nfRTbozGvTrXjU5ANMgkqfW7KIPK00ruKL/s1600/DSCF1009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIBlgZCX6K7xtyl0J8u2m_WH4N5iRGata3mJdbhjjezIYio3p7KFh5Yjl_b5BtC_jfxklaKtJHbqPtopvuxNy6UecK4brbyEGsVclwTjwJ3nfRTbozGvTrXjU5ANMgkqfW7KIPK00ruKL/s320/DSCF1009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">access to work on mechanism for port fin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeI3jm0lxiIgr4nbLP-cVZkTnzID8KEZ-k2ruhvLqneHjGF4fJKGZPqvDl-kZOsuiUAECquuRYsflEYh6mMyKLjLWYAyhDiaUgng23dIZuQIKhxyZ_5wd5hBLLqhi1tB9qnSKLAMmyl2uL/s1600/DSCF1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeI3jm0lxiIgr4nbLP-cVZkTnzID8KEZ-k2ruhvLqneHjGF4fJKGZPqvDl-kZOsuiUAECquuRYsflEYh6mMyKLjLWYAyhDiaUgng23dIZuQIKhxyZ_5wd5hBLLqhi1tB9qnSKLAMmyl2uL/s320/DSCF1043.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New (black) cylinder next to original (grey) cylinder</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once we had a plan in place for the stabilizer fin issue we
took time to enjoy Clipper Cove and San Francisco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clipper Cove is between natural Yerba Buena
Island and man-made Treasure Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Back in one of the San Francisco boom times it was felt that good times
deserved a celebration so they dreamed up an international exposition. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About the same time the first Bay Bridge was
nearing completion and would use Yerba Buena Island as a point along its route
(it lands on one side of the island, tunnels through the island and then a
second section of the bridge completes the route).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, Pan American World Airways needed an
airport for its sea planes as they were preparing for their famous China
Clipper service across the Pacific from San Francisco to Hong Kong. This all
came together in 1939 when the Golden Gate International Exposition opened its doors on newly
minted Treasure Island ( Click for: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_0t545ykZM" target="_blank">Newsreel of the 1939 exposition</a> )</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUW6kVHcIsPqNE-ouBUCOHcIM419526JB2kyNVhbUj9B0g-bolLaWqDq9DkSji2HG7qwIikCXV-Bhr-Q7Ac8F2AYENkQADse8QEKFY0Nw1GAMB76QlCDeUQM8yr999pXepH_iXBAG8bux4/s1600/Golden_Gate_International_Exposition_%2528map%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="350" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUW6kVHcIsPqNE-ouBUCOHcIM419526JB2kyNVhbUj9B0g-bolLaWqDq9DkSji2HG7qwIikCXV-Bhr-Q7Ac8F2AYENkQADse8QEKFY0Nw1GAMB76QlCDeUQM8yr999pXepH_iXBAG8bux4/s320/Golden_Gate_International_Exposition_%2528map%2529+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(By Source, Fair use, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22499167" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22499167</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> )</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfJGqqm9Q28wLtf5HRvrEE1dYHo2IktfaEBuhJiL8ltnOuv97887xHamwv_1gFB3N-V5oLLq12iirXnlRwQjfC2EyBbPzeA4KvQ6inACobVFsD3U8iY-oHJf9zxLo9VNl8wuEcpygm1QX/s1600/DSCF1667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1108" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfJGqqm9Q28wLtf5HRvrEE1dYHo2IktfaEBuhJiL8ltnOuv97887xHamwv_1gFB3N-V5oLLq12iirXnlRwQjfC2EyBbPzeA4KvQ6inACobVFsD3U8iY-oHJf9zxLo9VNl8wuEcpygm1QX/s320/DSCF1667.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Bay Bridge from Clipper Cove Anchorage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we were anchored on one of the most famous aircraft runways in the
history of aviation, next to two huge hangers where Pan Am worked on its fleet,
and got our anchorage permit (free) from and office in the original
administration building from the world’s fair (the last 3 standing
buildings).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to muse a bit that we
seem to have some strange connection with the flying boats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were in Sitka we often took a short
cut when we walked to the grocery store through a Turnaround Skateboard Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The parking area for the park was a strange
circular concrete drive that looked like it had been part of a boat ramp at one
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until I was looking at
some old photos adorning the walls of the Sitka Airport that I recognized the
circle under a passenger seaplane being readied to be sent back down the ramp
of the first Sitka Airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later we
were moored in Juneau Alaska and had lunch at a small café in the Auke Bay
parking lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to looking at all of
the Pan Am photos on the walls and finally realized that the building was the
original Pan Am terminal for the Seattle to Juneau seaplane route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmmmm, I wonder where we will find our next
bit of Pan American World Airways history.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgCTDuFByAHrBktBkUL6T7SP_2hhWv_1iYcPxFd79OV7RR8K0yILLp5EIrpV0ZMtBEuxE8zOfta2B6WZhg602SuOjh_YvyN7d5f8L5rPBTh5_i5fFS4wBGgxCwl_YYVVUSwOS-vzXeXIQ/s1600/Sitka+Airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1108" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgCTDuFByAHrBktBkUL6T7SP_2hhWv_1iYcPxFd79OV7RR8K0yILLp5EIrpV0ZMtBEuxE8zOfta2B6WZhg602SuOjh_YvyN7d5f8L5rPBTh5_i5fFS4wBGgxCwl_YYVVUSwOS-vzXeXIQ/s320/Sitka+Airport.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Source: Google Earth) Circle in the center is the original Sitka Airport<br />
(Skate park is under the roof at the bottom left of the turnaround circle)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
CeGetting to downtown SF from Clipper Cove was easy as city
busses ran every 20 minutes. We would
take our dingy over to the marina where we had paid a small fee for daily
access to the locked facility and then walk 1 block to the bus stop. We rode the cable cars (fare has gone from 10
cents on our first visit to the city before we were married to $7 now and the
service and suffered considerably), and found the electric trolley cars to be
one of the most efficient ways to travel to and from the tourist areas. We took the ferry out to Alcatraz Island and
toured the prison where I found the foundations laid down during the Civil War
era to be fascinating. In the end we found the city to loud, noisy, expensive
and not particularly friendly. This was
a fun place to visit but we were ready to move on.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvAy0NmcCT_p6pb2T7bnbLKs-8DrbK4C0OUtZKOi1Jb8d9y7pTsddgMFL0GfDoNHqS-NS_Mpl56dYqzurHE_lx0Ww1600Mr6SAdOjLRhLYOrP6LBLD6_-QHKJEQRIL3va6Vb-JPbT8RlL/s1600/IMG_1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvAy0NmcCT_p6pb2T7bnbLKs-8DrbK4C0OUtZKOi1Jb8d9y7pTsddgMFL0GfDoNHqS-NS_Mpl56dYqzurHE_lx0Ww1600Mr6SAdOjLRhLYOrP6LBLD6_-QHKJEQRIL3va6Vb-JPbT8RlL/s320/IMG_1453.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cable car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-xOp_6lMQ7wWuyoxRTknfyygcz2elnoU-vJbz3EXpXdcJQDqum2P6FVP0-IQQf1F4OXXySax1u8Gm_wiwTRwXUX1onpLULg-729g68Iib3Igms8nCIxnz-Sb8Hxa3FEIO7_09TMMmfY2/s1600/DSCF1030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-xOp_6lMQ7wWuyoxRTknfyygcz2elnoU-vJbz3EXpXdcJQDqum2P6FVP0-IQQf1F4OXXySax1u8Gm_wiwTRwXUX1onpLULg-729g68Iib3Igms8nCIxnz-Sb8Hxa3FEIO7_09TMMmfY2/s320/DSCF1030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz cell blocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_RAttxdp7KAYGjOKPOhwzLa9UcYkXJADROPfNmh9z93uKu22jQzIi2vXSMPfZAwl9NpanrnWohaj__cbYGnaZKJmJ27VCuDDsJcxYgypCO9Sxn3f7UXHBQeIZRkn0Fj3TXMxdfZuZB0e/s1600/DSCF1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_RAttxdp7KAYGjOKPOhwzLa9UcYkXJADROPfNmh9z93uKu22jQzIi2vXSMPfZAwl9NpanrnWohaj__cbYGnaZKJmJ27VCuDDsJcxYgypCO9Sxn3f7UXHBQeIZRkn0Fj3TXMxdfZuZB0e/s320/DSCF1031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking towards Alcatraz wharf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_G5-axP8VeA3wBaJZ_9B2oc78K1SDjz1wZq6FMRXKBUhru9Qcy_Xvuqo3XKL03-PZqJ6XkXMSkx-fFcRb81cwBTIrZHfhWLhCdZNq_8GrtNUC4FY0Zv2IsyDwSB5YWjIZcvHKzbApZfT/s1600/DSCF1032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_G5-axP8VeA3wBaJZ_9B2oc78K1SDjz1wZq6FMRXKBUhru9Qcy_Xvuqo3XKL03-PZqJ6XkXMSkx-fFcRb81cwBTIrZHfhWLhCdZNq_8GrtNUC4FY0Zv2IsyDwSB5YWjIZcvHKzbApZfT/s320/DSCF1032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Civil War era construction Alcatraz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzwQtRHDMnxbsvDs79iJXGO5bV0lRFNQeyVxm6Bnhrn0eQWL0IuRQin-fP-Q7-BaJr1hOtE8nLL0IvsvzOizy3-l4Gy1vL-ia4arvCCQRYovbjUhz0-G7XFJ_0sM6UUNM0hIcqwl2rOGj/s1600/DSCF1033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzwQtRHDMnxbsvDs79iJXGO5bV0lRFNQeyVxm6Bnhrn0eQWL0IuRQin-fP-Q7-BaJr1hOtE8nLL0IvsvzOizy3-l4Gy1vL-ia4arvCCQRYovbjUhz0-G7XFJ_0sM6UUNM0hIcqwl2rOGj/s320/DSCF1033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Civil war construction on the lower levels Alcatraz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4kh7_tsvrszhB5rEIe5s9MERCtJ7yj0SmdGFS0aSH18KdL6lM6fQ4capdb1EbT_mohy5GLqIClmFI7Uax4frmhRU1AgEA5uIl8-_eIObGE9MWsfLXpBb6qB3hjeNtE_GaaWeEfZXeslA/s1600/DSCF1036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4kh7_tsvrszhB5rEIe5s9MERCtJ7yj0SmdGFS0aSH18KdL6lM6fQ4capdb1EbT_mohy5GLqIClmFI7Uax4frmhRU1AgEA5uIl8-_eIObGE9MWsfLXpBb6qB3hjeNtE_GaaWeEfZXeslA/s320/DSCF1036.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">staff housing Alcatraz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
From San Francisco we headed to the Channel Islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice’s personal sea monster was Point
Conception where the warm waters from the south meet the cooler waters from the
north and can be rather unpleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We planned to get into a cove on
one of the northernmost islands before dusk but arrived too late.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chart showed lots of rocks and the water
was snotty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chart showed a cove on
the next island south that looked like it would be better protected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We called the coast guard who was able to ask
someone with local knowledge about the cove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were assured that with the current weather conditions (officially
small craft warnings with wind and waves from the north) we were likely to find
the cove to be a safe harbor for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We pulled in next to a 200 ft NOAA ocean research ship that assured us
by radio that there were no rocks or other boats to worry about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did advise that they had dropped a
second anchor because of the strength of the wind coming over the island (we
compensated by letting out lots of “Alaska proven” anchor chain).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we anchored next to Santa Cruz Island and
headed ashore with Jarvis in the dingy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On arrival at the beach we were told by the National Park personell that
dogs were not welcome on or off a leash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Poor Jarvis had his mind set on getting his paws on land for the first
time in 2 days – he was pretty upset to be taken back to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were both tired and cranky but I
appreciated the issue a bit more when I spotted one of the indigenous , kitty
cat sized Santa Cruz foxes near the dock and knew that Jarvis would not be able
to keep quiet around his smaller cousin.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYd6z85-LYATN0tj0ghvGs_G4ZOMDjJRvCzADvP9nxc1MiQ2cVQP9aldRH0SnicDPH4nJO4cENehLGEP_kPWgZG7pPxoJOUdedZ5WmsbYiW6eajZjxf4v7A_ztsvojLA5SbVV8aAKJro32/s1600/IMG_1454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYd6z85-LYATN0tj0ghvGs_G4ZOMDjJRvCzADvP9nxc1MiQ2cVQP9aldRH0SnicDPH4nJO4cENehLGEP_kPWgZG7pPxoJOUdedZ5WmsbYiW6eajZjxf4v7A_ztsvojLA5SbVV8aAKJro32/s320/IMG_1454.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Santa Cruz Fox</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
To compensate Jarvis we headed to the mainland the next day
and took a mooring ball in Redondo Beach where we found plenty of places to
walk him (he even got to play on the sand beach one evening before we realized
that he wasn’t welcome there).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Redondo
Beach is quite the tourist haven reminding us of our stay in Ocean City New
Jersey when are kids were quite small. There are lots of dedicated bike trails
and we rode for miles along the beach. The local paddle board, kayak, and
paddle boat concessions do a lot of business partially thanks to a raft
dedicated to the use of seals and sea lions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were on the path from the dock to the (VERY noisy) marine mammal float
and so Jarvis spent his days barking with wild abandon at human powered craft
as they passed by our mooring.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0wSkPL7yY3b9-WTav1hWNmRu80YhEIyO6Qy5bpT0Cu0-VpQeSEkmT1j8oE5rbgxD_4O9i-HZFXqm8Dt4eGnfGktzi2SjYVFrcOjVrY5M-vHzVcltXvvw1YNdpFhiB_GuT2R0yl8DjFG3/s1600/IMG_1463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0wSkPL7yY3b9-WTav1hWNmRu80YhEIyO6Qy5bpT0Cu0-VpQeSEkmT1j8oE5rbgxD_4O9i-HZFXqm8Dt4eGnfGktzi2SjYVFrcOjVrY5M-vHzVcltXvvw1YNdpFhiB_GuT2R0yl8DjFG3/s320/IMG_1463.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They added a day to Lobster Fest (Oct 1) and gave a special deal if you bought 2....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVx2Tojnj7fnUZXreCOeiNCv34Ebp2sIZBVQ49CglaSuazSH1J6At7Y1P2UFtbP_bH5XmzMYRzEpCsiP4kxVlyUCbgeM5BJqEO5Q2ovDkipXePQ7jHlvt9cc2b2wdbvl_otzAbY7soVE2/s1600/IMG_1462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVx2Tojnj7fnUZXreCOeiNCv34Ebp2sIZBVQ49CglaSuazSH1J6At7Y1P2UFtbP_bH5XmzMYRzEpCsiP4kxVlyUCbgeM5BJqEO5Q2ovDkipXePQ7jHlvt9cc2b2wdbvl_otzAbY7soVE2/s320/IMG_1462.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">....so we bought 2.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDv28mNVG4OVzQZ-R2TTVFbgESfj3ufSsou3dUoV5sm-msn_NTz1Z2YzEwrEF6s5h5s8Nr2_pxRirkybRGttBB-s7lQXrWqVGrpRnUvQMt6VyR5p5D2cVOTVWbpYsGOBmFMuTriEGLwWh/s1600/DSCF1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1108" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDv28mNVG4OVzQZ-R2TTVFbgESfj3ufSsou3dUoV5sm-msn_NTz1Z2YzEwrEF6s5h5s8Nr2_pxRirkybRGttBB-s7lQXrWqVGrpRnUvQMt6VyR5p5D2cVOTVWbpYsGOBmFMuTriEGLwWh/s320/DSCF1785.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds on the breakwater behind our mooring ball.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYSUCDeac-0AuzqPBKemdK4QCySK48iUxLeJrcFdW7RKn5fNt1SW_14TU39T8vaNhDY2TYY1_yWPFyzasTcheOvfq_02VpdNgMaly2FMgmEl9uHnEs12EgOd9Aynp9ZnszsrpIAK33fDv/s1600/DSCF1789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1108" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYSUCDeac-0AuzqPBKemdK4QCySK48iUxLeJrcFdW7RKn5fNt1SW_14TU39T8vaNhDY2TYY1_yWPFyzasTcheOvfq_02VpdNgMaly2FMgmEl9uHnEs12EgOd9Aynp9ZnszsrpIAK33fDv/s320/DSCF1789.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marine mammal barge and tourist in a paddle boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0DlUTS-YxY2zU32bQYjWML_tVZ-Wza_CRStxl_lm6m0zMuPbd3CVlY-kzB8LcmbpgRvoOEI0J_Oim7N_7G7_ZsjB7XbwdLVD8CNJVtr6Ai0pLOQfHaipHu2437_KIYEzEZ48FCM4rUm_/s1600/IMG_1456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0DlUTS-YxY2zU32bQYjWML_tVZ-Wza_CRStxl_lm6m0zMuPbd3CVlY-kzB8LcmbpgRvoOEI0J_Oim7N_7G7_ZsjB7XbwdLVD8CNJVtr6Ai0pLOQfHaipHu2437_KIYEzEZ48FCM4rUm_/s320/IMG_1456.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelicans on the inner breakwater (there were hundreds of them!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After leaving Redondo Beach we made a short run to Dana
Point where Nordhavn company headquarters are located. Several years ago I read
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Two Years Before the Mast</i> by Richard
Henry Dana and found the book about his journey which began in 1835 to be
fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Books of sailing ships of
the era were pretty much all written by the ships officers who never ventured
below deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dana was the exception as he
was college educated (eventually becoming a lawyer specializing in defending
seafarers) but was losing his vision and fresh air was the recommended
treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He chose to sign on as a
seaman aboard a trading ship headed to California.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the beginning, as a greenhorn, he was
given a berth near the rudder (in steerage) but eventually earned his place
before (in front of) the mast (which was wet and much more uncomfortable but an
honor none-the-less).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In California they
traded off the goods they had carried with them and then collected cow hides
from the local ranches which were tossed off the cliffs onto the beach to save
carrying them down the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once they were
ready to leave they loaded their ship the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pilgrim</i>
until the timbers literally were swollen with the load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They headed out to Magellan’s Strait in June
which put them in the strait in the middle of the southern winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I recall it took them a month with ice
covered rigging (and the loss of one of the eight crew members overboard) to
get through the strait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time they
got north to the Caribbean one the of the remaining crew members was in quarantine
with scurvy (which was dreaded and believed to be contagious).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A local brought a load of onions to the boat
in a dugout canoe and they were amazed at how good they tasted raw (background:
scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet, onions are a great source
of vitamin C) and how quickly the crew member was cured of scurvy “by the warm
air” and back at his post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dana Point is
where the ship loaded the hides and is named in honor of the author.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyNhj_JyDgwUF1UahK5Q-tkjtVT9ARc1w80DLGSFk6MEQF4LTY6PlqdJPTG-IuVLEoaWQDulMXbOy8HMz5hmzYeDaEbcZk7SMIZar_BS5kupXhYR_cgT7XsXtFmoP1F6Gf2Xp2aYNECgL/s1600/DSCF1057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1108" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyNhj_JyDgwUF1UahK5Q-tkjtVT9ARc1w80DLGSFk6MEQF4LTY6PlqdJPTG-IuVLEoaWQDulMXbOy8HMz5hmzYeDaEbcZk7SMIZar_BS5kupXhYR_cgT7XsXtFmoP1F6Gf2Xp2aYNECgL/s320/DSCF1057.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A replica of the <i>Pilgrim</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RM8311cMLvVV52VI7ksWpLevxpdYKAzItnunTsUpTOrm6JKwwwDbnbdIrEbK0HWnNoSyFlExc6arY04iETvn7yPAz43KUEdRI_2My-grlKiMEaw7vMKfKNI6EMmbZCRo6uhSdDlB4m0L/s1600/DSCF1066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="623" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RM8311cMLvVV52VI7ksWpLevxpdYKAzItnunTsUpTOrm6JKwwwDbnbdIrEbK0HWnNoSyFlExc6arY04iETvn7yPAz43KUEdRI_2My-grlKiMEaw7vMKfKNI6EMmbZCRo6uhSdDlB4m0L/s320/DSCF1066.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Henry Dana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4H4qyZb-OI0hTHBDptFWqW8a1fB99V3InHKbPyMxl3BFQonyerKhKPIVo2MRBD2dcfx5EePuZd6cnmghS9zcaCUhmbIs5Uw8V9U4yKnd9AOLv9FGklc1giBuxZQQS8sm_F6UejzLhZIq/s1600/DSCF1049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR4H4qyZb-OI0hTHBDptFWqW8a1fB99V3InHKbPyMxl3BFQonyerKhKPIVo2MRBD2dcfx5EePuZd6cnmghS9zcaCUhmbIs5Uw8V9U4yKnd9AOLv9FGklc1giBuxZQQS8sm_F6UejzLhZIq/s320/DSCF1049.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliffs where the skins were thrown to the waiting crews below</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On arrival in Dana Point we walked over to the Nordhavn
office and collected our stabilizer parts which had been mailed there for us.
The parts took about 10 hours of work but are now installed and seem to be
working well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The silver lining in all
of this is we knew we had one of the early boats with “undersized” cylinders
and hydraulic pump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cylinders we had
were long out of production and even with new shaft seals one of them always
leaked a tinsy bit of oil. In summary this has long been a project on our
priority list but as they were working the way they were and would cost about
$2500 to upgrade the swap had remained at the bottom of the priorities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a broken shaft they moved to the top of
the list and I’m convinced are now moving the fins more effectively than in the
past.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We arrived in Dana Point on a Tuesday and had been told we
were invited to a pizza lunch so we could meet the staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nordhavn is one of the most customer focused companies
we have ever encountered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may have
one of the lowest value boats with their brand name on it but they treated us
royally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there we were awarded our
10,000 mile banner and given logo shirts and jackets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(A bit of foreshadowing here: we were also
told that a great honor among Nordhavns <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">may</i>
be coming our way.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiPH2Ad8flSwOJLzWed05s6sehR5rG_n60tz7JOtii8hnXQCcETo6Kf6hy_yzlB0uukPTvIfbH2MChwiZMuGXtS5npuBkpIsJFprtKaRdtMgouxwQN7uhAJ2ZLCmAZvgiOxdzZS6dzaWB/s1600/Nordhavn+pennant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1195" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiPH2Ad8flSwOJLzWed05s6sehR5rG_n60tz7JOtii8hnXQCcETo6Kf6hy_yzlB0uukPTvIfbH2MChwiZMuGXtS5npuBkpIsJFprtKaRdtMgouxwQN7uhAJ2ZLCmAZvgiOxdzZS6dzaWB/s320/Nordhavn+pennant.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan Streech of Nordhavn presents us with our 10,000 nm pennant<br />
(photo credit: Nordhavn/PAE)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are now approaching San Diego Harbor where we expect to
lay for the rest of the month. So I will sign off and get ready to prepare for
landing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-67519272359615400682018-08-29T18:09:00.002-07:002018-09-01T05:33:17.250-07:00Returning to the Salish Sea<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
August 28, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh dear, I’ve gotten way behind in my notes so I’ll try to
do some speed writing to catch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
see, our last notes indicated we were waiting for our son-in-law, Paul to join
us in Seward so we would have a third person for our first planned 3 day crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan was that as soon as we saw a good
weather window forecast after his arrival then we would head out across the
Gulf of Alaska.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially we had planned
to head directly from Seward to Ketchikan where there is an airport served by
Alaska Airlines<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so we could get Paul
onto a plane back to his home in Ontario, Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We figured the distance would require
travelling<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5 days straight before
landfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we did some refiguring
and realized that if we made landfall in Sitka (to the north of Ketchikan) we
would make landfall in 3 days, get a good rest, get to see our friends in our
new “hometown” and still get to Ketchikan with only a few hours of extra travel
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Paul arrived in Anchorage at a bit past midnight and our
very good friend Bruce picked him up and let him catch a few winks on the couch
before taking him to the Alaska Railroad station for a ride to Seward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reported that after he had napped for a
bit on the train that the scenery was pretty impressive along the spine of the
Kenai Peninsula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He arrived in Seward on
schedule at 11:05 AM and we fed him some fish and chips and gave him the news
that there would be no further rest for the wicked as we had a favorable
forecast and the boat was ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So by 3
PM we had departed the western gulf heading back to Southeast Alaska. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfNbErusAeUB7X_UuD7beDEjj_9d6Lk1M8S6xvi2lcF8rfPGCEpGABcTNjh8NQJGNP7F-J6_87BocN52NWfj7J6-7J7TXM4-_3vITiRAoMFghUY1DLi_IpNzoDb-0LbwZwmD1P3cCI8Wc/s1600/DSCF0289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfNbErusAeUB7X_UuD7beDEjj_9d6Lk1M8S6xvi2lcF8rfPGCEpGABcTNjh8NQJGNP7F-J6_87BocN52NWfj7J6-7J7TXM4-_3vITiRAoMFghUY1DLi_IpNzoDb-0LbwZwmD1P3cCI8Wc/s320/DSCF0289.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul got a quick orientation to boat procedures including trying on his assigned immersion suit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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A couple of geography notes: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Initially I put a starting point on our
electronic chart just outside of Resurrection Bay and an ending point just
below Mt Edgecomb outside of Sitka and let the chart draw a line between the
two (actually it drew a curve as at that latitude it doesn’t take much distance
before a great circle route curve is shorter than a straight line).</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Remember back to the story shortly after we
had arrived in Alaska where we were reminded of the importance of zooming in on
a route before accepting it (recall a photo of a 75 ft yacht high on the
rocks), I decided to follow my own “silly” rule and recheck the route in a
closer zoom, even though it went through a very empty stretch of very deep water
– well almost…. Middleton Island sits on the edge of the continental shelf
about one-fourth of the way across the Gulf and low-and-behold our lubber line
passed right through the island.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">After
reading the fascinating history of the island as a NORAD radar station, I moved
the line a bit south into deep water.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">As we were exiting Resurrection Bay I noted that
if we hadn’t made a sharp turn to port we would have eventually come very close
to the big island of Hawaii. Later that day I made contact with a ham radio
operator in Maui and he asked why we hadn’t chosen to come visit to which I
replied that without a full load of fuel we might will end up floating around
the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (Then there would be the matter of a daughter
with a bit of a temper being told that her husband got to Hawaii without her.)</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We did pull into Sitka harbor late afternoon 3 days later
after a pretty non-eventful trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
water wasn’t bad until about the final 24 hours when it got somewhat choppy
coming off the stern but the boat was fine and no sea-sickness on this run! We
were monitored along the way by fellow ham operators especially Darlene who
kind of a boater’s godmother to all ham operator / boaters in Alaska.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived in Sitka it wasn’t long
before we were talking with another boater who on learning our names told us
that Darlene had given them the task of making sure we arrived safely.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During our time in Sitka we filled out our stores of
perishables and met up with as many friends as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to visit St Peter’s by the Sea
and visit with our friends there before we headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since Paul had expressed that he would rather
stay aboard than fly home from Sitka, we chose to anchor for a night at one of
our favorite places, Goddard Hot Springs.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZCMA3B07BMVWVv5pMJMDKVYeSQGkUvRFRhkuSXOGjhg5KdPPpXXWODT3XJkAtJoJ1f4FEQVICye9rElsSqJFY8DnJaWrB1fnjZy5u61f7CahcmoMv2_qAacnQYc5UawfM7-veg-heEY_/s1600/DSCF0299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZCMA3B07BMVWVv5pMJMDKVYeSQGkUvRFRhkuSXOGjhg5KdPPpXXWODT3XJkAtJoJ1f4FEQVICye9rElsSqJFY8DnJaWrB1fnjZy5u61f7CahcmoMv2_qAacnQYc5UawfM7-veg-heEY_/s320/DSCF0299.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul tries out an Alaska hot springs with us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point I’ll add a side story about the equipment set
that caused us concern:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Radar fun<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Salish Aire came to us with 2 radar
units, an older Raytheon (CRT screen era) likely original to the boat and a
state-of-the-art when it was installed Furuno that was added by the Goldbergs
in 2005. When we purchased the boat we assumed that the Raytheon radar was
likely at the end of its service life and had even gone as far as selecting a
successor to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand it
worked well and the old CRT screen was very easy to read so we decided to hang
on to it until it failed. Furuno company is famous for their factory support of
even the older devices so we have planned to upgrade and repair that radar as
long as possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2HCnvdn_JBD1ESEKBoYxK2iZ11peAcL61eJUnu16Jdvu1YupckiD6XL_EHa95N3wgVYqRNhDXJeA3OJeviW5JltisuutJ-f2MpyuJnPKZlxjdAtvRFdTvSzR8t-bhMf8bx2z6shlYJPn/s1600/Ron_and_the_new_radar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2HCnvdn_JBD1ESEKBoYxK2iZ11peAcL61eJUnu16Jdvu1YupckiD6XL_EHa95N3wgVYqRNhDXJeA3OJeviW5JltisuutJ-f2MpyuJnPKZlxjdAtvRFdTvSzR8t-bhMf8bx2z6shlYJPn/s320/Ron_and_the_new_radar.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ron Goldberg installing the main radar in 2006 when it was state-of-the-art<br />
Photo credit: Nancy Goldberg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
The biggest frustration with the
Furuno system was that while the chart-plotter/radar display screen functioned
as designed, the chart cards for it were becoming very difficult (and
expensive) to find even on the used market so when we learned that the next
grade version of the chart-plotter would plug directly into our current system
but could handle much wider area and much more available SD cards we set out to
find one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did find a used one by
putting our need on the Nordhavn Owners Group list and figured that the savings
in chart card cost alone would pay for it in short order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it arrived we realized that it probably
needed a new internal clock battery and that I needed to install the ARPA
(radar target tracking) board and video board from our old chart-plotter as it
didn’t have these extra capabilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After two tries (and a few unkind thoughts about the person who designed
the battery to be soldered in) all of the connections were happy and the new
chart-plotter/radar display booted up and actually demonstrated some really
nice upgraded software and graphics features we had not expected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
With the new chart-plotter/radar
display installed we headed for our first-ever 3 day continuous run across the
Gulf of Alaska.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way we noted that
the Furuno radar was really only effective to about 7 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bit of research indicated this was likely
due to an aging magnetron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But alas; We
had an extra magnetron on-board from another Nordhavn owner who had upgraded
his system and generously donated his “radar guts” to our spares supply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But no-joy: Apparently the spare was in worse
shape than the original.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did notice
that the old magnetron needed to be rebooted periodically which made us nervous
except for the happy knowledge that we always had the Raytheon as a backup
which was really important as we still had about 750 nm to go in notoriously
foggy waters before arriving back in Seattle. …..Then the Raytheon just quit –
burned a fuse (and the replacement fuse). Now it was time to be very concerned.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Happily as we headed to Ketchikan
we were able to contact a dealer in Petersburg who had a compatible magnetron
on his shelf. He put it in the mail and with only a partial day delay we were
able to install it and be on our way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is now clear to us that the magnetron has likely been failing since we’ve owned
the boat but since we usually operate in closed waters it had never been clear
to us that we had a problem. In the end we have a much nicer
chart-plotter/radar display and a fully functioning primary radar (and a new
Furuno mini radar waiting for us in Seattle to replace the Raytheon as our
backup system).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQrl7gi-1nODWDQISp0VoHMrfDMepQgCHOJ4Vq4O8adRSBYSo8TN3AdoqREBvFJDIr4UGeN-bkShkvTxhsS2sa7JCogzyJhx3h3Q9N34Qm9i2wFYwf_rGBVbVgWjN1GDkNtTUJqMJ5vQc/s1600/DSCF0314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQrl7gi-1nODWDQISp0VoHMrfDMepQgCHOJ4Vq4O8adRSBYSo8TN3AdoqREBvFJDIr4UGeN-bkShkvTxhsS2sa7JCogzyJhx3h3Q9N34Qm9i2wFYwf_rGBVbVgWjN1GDkNtTUJqMJ5vQc/s320/DSCF0314.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fog ahead makes a radar a necessity </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our run from Sitka to Ketchikan was otherwise uneventful and
once we saw Paul fly off and the radar repaired we continued our sprint
south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We reentered Canada in Prince Rupert
and then stopped at the villages of Hartley Bay and Klemtu and by August 1<sup>st</sup>
we were back in the protected water behind Vancouver Island.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJjunFXYRQATkZh4DDAE3YWL_nrADLjAROFGEFz1LlHvWBLU4TPOtBQ2_jibtoJgtw92Vid_sToJJ7l-v-XI-wedK4WDVEk7R9qOmHyeSHewQR7XMeTmJDlY2aEKE6d1n5mPgDVESTZcz/s1600/DSCF0308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJjunFXYRQATkZh4DDAE3YWL_nrADLjAROFGEFz1LlHvWBLU4TPOtBQ2_jibtoJgtw92Vid_sToJJ7l-v-XI-wedK4WDVEk7R9qOmHyeSHewQR7XMeTmJDlY2aEKE6d1n5mPgDVESTZcz/s320/DSCF0308.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Big House Klemtu village BC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we headed further south Clarice couldn’t understand why I
was getting irritable – she didn’t know that I was about to face a personal
demon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our previous three trips up
and down Vancouver Island we had always taken the slower, safer route which
avoids Johnston Strait and Seymour Narrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For years I had read about the perils of this heavily travelled route
and, frankly, I had let the guidebooks freak me out. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Vipond, A. & Kelly W.; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Best anchorages of the Inside Passage. 2006 </i>P-194:
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The steamships have been replaced by
cruise ships, but under the control of that great gatekeeper, Seymour
Narrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the leviathan liners are
very careful about timeing their transit for slack water at this pass, with is
one of the most formidable on our coast with currents reaching 16 knots.
…”Everything hinges on Seymour Narros, It tells us how fast to go from Sitka<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>all the way down the Inside Passage,” Captain
Ympa Ercka of a Holland America Line cruise ship confirmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Asked about other hair-raising passes or
navigational hazards of the coast, Ercka shook his head: “There is only Seymour
Narrows. Nothing compares.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seymour Narrows is at the south end of Johnstone Strait
where if the tide is moving one way and the wind racing the other, waves can
rapidly build to challenging heights. The way for a small boat to traverse this
route is to carefully plan to ride the tide to Seymour Narrows and then pass
through them at slack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The evening
before our passage we worked our way south against the start of a northbound
tide and were quickly reminded of the power we would face as our speed over
water was maxing out at 9 knots but we were only making about 3.5 knots toward
the marina where we planned to spend the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We checked and rechecked the weather forecast to confirm that while the
winds were likely to pick up they should be off our stern and with the
tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We calculated our travel times to
The Narrows several times until we were fairly satisfied we had a plan (then we
radioed a passing commercial tug and barge and rechecked with the experienced
captain).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our goal was to reach The Narrows for an 11 AM slack tide
after riding the flood south as the waters where from Campbell River north come
from the north end of Vancouver Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We left our moorage at 4 AM as planned and immediately felt the current
add speed to our boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last of the
night and early dawn were beautiful and seeing the stars that had been lost for
several months in the Land of the Midnight Sun was a treat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current increased and before we knew it
we were at the entrance to Seymour Narrows 2 hours ahead of schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our backup plan was to sit in one of the
coves at to the north of the narrows should we arrive too early and we were
making plans to do so when we had the opportunity to watch a commercial fishing
boat with basically the same hull shape as us transit the narrows with little
trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we went for it and watched
our over ground speed (we plan on about 7 knots) creep up to a record 13.5
knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We passed over some upwelling
water and minor whirlpools but nothing as bad as we have experienced in the
past in other tidal rapids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we
knew it we watched Campbell River pass behind us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just to add to the fun we slowed a bit as the
water coming from the south end of Vancouver Island started to ebb southward
and we were off again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of the
day we had travelled 84 NM in record time and my personal sea monster was tamed
forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx62rLhIU27bjWKnBIj9Kb-_bRe8jfHWBk9uVLbdh4uAXjd82JfkHOyoyVUbaqHJYUMoeIeKMUG8OhOsuYTTYYEiKvBGzDCVKfwSBkhiGKP2vFlHz0Y4BKfZyuZKnZGj0bZWxwih-wXTbo/s1600/DSCF1415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="764" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx62rLhIU27bjWKnBIj9Kb-_bRe8jfHWBk9uVLbdh4uAXjd82JfkHOyoyVUbaqHJYUMoeIeKMUG8OhOsuYTTYYEiKvBGzDCVKfwSBkhiGKP2vFlHz0Y4BKfZyuZKnZGj0bZWxwih-wXTbo/s320/DSCF1415.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Sunrise in Johnstone Strait </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhackND0uKbbGzZy6GQRs7K2lgLYUAE7pHimuwn_ayPmpk4shOHk0m0vhzb3mQUDuDX4J-SYrc67iBoDXyba5RWWhs1o4lvfXWRgXgz4Jks5K3KFDS67yRHNeYNjWBo8Bvy9HTGaU9e6utg/s1600/DSCF1416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="764" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhackND0uKbbGzZy6GQRs7K2lgLYUAE7pHimuwn_ayPmpk4shOHk0m0vhzb3mQUDuDX4J-SYrc67iBoDXyba5RWWhs1o4lvfXWRgXgz4Jks5K3KFDS67yRHNeYNjWBo8Bvy9HTGaU9e6utg/s320/DSCF1416.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in Johnstone Strait</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
We had talked about moving around a fair amount in Puget
Sound using reciprocal moorage privileges and state park docks to save money
but in the end we ended up at the guest docks in our old home marina in
Everett. Since we have access to
Clarice’s dad’s car here, and friends to help out when we need it as well as
being familiar with the area’s resources in the way of grocery stores, marine
stores and such it has worked out well.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We did follow our plan to haul out in Port Townsend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boat was pressure washed and blocked by
noon on Friday and by that evening Clarice had the port side sanded and I had
the keel cooler drained and removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Saturday our brother-in-law Darrel came to help and the starboard side
was sanded and the first layer of paint applied while I cleaned the keel cooler
and started to separate the propeller shaft from the transmission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunday our longtime friend Grant came to help
and the second coat of paint was applied and Clarice and Grant reassembled the
keel cooler and put it back in place. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpMMeCw_-fGbzyuI8__16odpokCPRHtpUQRbm_P6ZrvbSvvt7OI1T-gmXheMpqwzMbIs3AWCT1vIF-Bkm0dxjY5Jtk8ZoyWeh6CRHdsTR23bBucuVUsyAd0jAOOk2fs1FYLyqAXkWtxG-/s1600/DSCF0322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpMMeCw_-fGbzyuI8__16odpokCPRHtpUQRbm_P6ZrvbSvvt7OI1T-gmXheMpqwzMbIs3AWCT1vIF-Bkm0dxjY5Jtk8ZoyWeh6CRHdsTR23bBucuVUsyAd0jAOOk2fs1FYLyqAXkWtxG-/s320/DSCF0322.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dirty boat fresh from 2 years at sea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wLgGffdVmlPMrUaHz5N-hwzn0CICoUQ99idjQO2NgDaz214d5rOPq5W5BqfND5TI_-FxPFo6_kc_pfUYTWFHT6HJltFEoRk2TiQPFZ5mTNXGkFLQ3GZ9fuYDfiBhseclZgb3wbtyMmH0/s1600/DSCF0333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wLgGffdVmlPMrUaHz5N-hwzn0CICoUQ99idjQO2NgDaz214d5rOPq5W5BqfND5TI_-FxPFo6_kc_pfUYTWFHT6HJltFEoRk2TiQPFZ5mTNXGkFLQ3GZ9fuYDfiBhseclZgb3wbtyMmH0/s320/DSCF0333.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanding a bit to help the paint adhere better</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeiJBF80XqVDx4HMyq7ZMSMyi5MVIUptVrqfAGP9E4_bms09GwJPLzX-CEZl4hON5lZ6jlgJlzm3Djrw5U9zgkFJgLhFXGGK1Kn38g-k3QwqCcPAWWyiQJFsRvRTImgUvcgQqc5HoOdR9/s1600/DSCF0334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigeiJBF80XqVDx4HMyq7ZMSMyi5MVIUptVrqfAGP9E4_bms09GwJPLzX-CEZl4hON5lZ6jlgJlzm3Djrw5U9zgkFJgLhFXGGK1Kn38g-k3QwqCcPAWWyiQJFsRvRTImgUvcgQqc5HoOdR9/s320/DSCF0334.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guard dog Jarvis atop his kennel making sure Darrell is safe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws1MFlSH1vyRg3bZbC9JoIKIOpHVP3t7SXSPlLBuKubVbKsqI2-Jgkt4ZW0-Me0akeClG_UR5Ao6_gSsBIG_q39RxhcUcv88n9LXnP0jtF6k7vRv0R3ptw5ZTKGOC38BAMfa3-7BRPwCu/s1600/DSCF0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws1MFlSH1vyRg3bZbC9JoIKIOpHVP3t7SXSPlLBuKubVbKsqI2-Jgkt4ZW0-Me0akeClG_UR5Ao6_gSsBIG_q39RxhcUcv88n9LXnP0jtF6k7vRv0R3ptw5ZTKGOC38BAMfa3-7BRPwCu/s320/DSCF0337.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darrell and Clarice finish prepping the prop for </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqqzw-AMeDBkGsO-NHgInCMO9DsHn11S7p7jjd5bne3eECgRJUtUm3RBp_9Jx3irn0vT0lnh2ZHr-ItiIM1NeMdaeDEmHwEowCgoflYHBAEqE__6_HlK7oeSvNX9kDTN-kA01ItcYuzgV/s1600/DSCF0344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqqzw-AMeDBkGsO-NHgInCMO9DsHn11S7p7jjd5bne3eECgRJUtUm3RBp_9Jx3irn0vT0lnh2ZHr-ItiIM1NeMdaeDEmHwEowCgoflYHBAEqE__6_HlK7oeSvNX9kDTN-kA01ItcYuzgV/s320/DSCF0344.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three cheers the paint is on</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaTfoKNyz6VRY6kl2oFu7G6b1yBETiRfsuqVJ71HW92w2skYoVxYB23b9XCZc9Vq0mIPKrAP-pWzb8UiWZ4dpZzm21Kd_GMSqP3kphvF66kzQWMN_zkiSiX9J1WOhZEt8U3c7yrbTAHCm/s1600/DSCF0351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaTfoKNyz6VRY6kl2oFu7G6b1yBETiRfsuqVJ71HW92w2skYoVxYB23b9XCZc9Vq0mIPKrAP-pWzb8UiWZ4dpZzm21Kd_GMSqP3kphvF66kzQWMN_zkiSiX9J1WOhZEt8U3c7yrbTAHCm/s320/DSCF0351.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Aire returns to the sea with a pretty blue bottom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We try to make sure that if there is a big project that
needs doing while the boat is out of the water that we plan it along with the
biannual bottom paint job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year it
was replacing a rubber hose called a shaft log that provides a seal between the
hull and the packing gland that seals around the prop shaft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been warned that changing the shaft
log was not a huge job but getting the prop shaft loose from the transmission
so it could be changed was likely to be very difficult – it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I took about 16 hours using every
trick I knew to break the shaft loose from the collar that mates it to the
transmission including using a breaker bar on a puller of sorts, a torch,
banging with a hammer, and more than a few choice words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only position I could be in and work on
the project involved jamming my right foot next to the transmission and bending
my left leg over the top of the bilge area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With my total lack of flexibility this led to cramps for days
afterwards. It wasn’t until Monday morning that the shaft came free and it only
took about another hour to change the hose and then one final hour to
reassemble the shaft to the transmission (with lots of Never Seize to hopefully
make it easier to take apart next time (hopefully when someone else owns the
boat)).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-AOQ38RRgEfhVgMXx3ZK-7yl3IuRAhgAZp_t6ZTZ4Vs997UTlb7ULdpFeeQf-829f3the86eC3TM5dBcZ8co-u5-CduYS-R_t3KhWEOl1NI-c33ZloCL4uC9cYiPUEpOGp9HkXRK94Gr/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg-AOQ38RRgEfhVgMXx3ZK-7yl3IuRAhgAZp_t6ZTZ4Vs997UTlb7ULdpFeeQf-829f3the86eC3TM5dBcZ8co-u5-CduYS-R_t3KhWEOl1NI-c33ZloCL4uC9cYiPUEpOGp9HkXRK94Gr/s320/IMG_1307.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original shaft log hose to be removed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpuuJe4hjE3lznxWzjnQeP_KLXTUEhaktpOSY_ZDZrGTXcfEQDGTX5tcjOP-GknvDakmumkSh-oElFfvteSRM-Q80uNvs7ZMGuM6sNQGeI5b94ySlTM4VquOQ6ocTbHRjP-6P49dpc1Jv/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpuuJe4hjE3lznxWzjnQeP_KLXTUEhaktpOSY_ZDZrGTXcfEQDGTX5tcjOP-GknvDakmumkSh-oElFfvteSRM-Q80uNvs7ZMGuM6sNQGeI5b94ySlTM4VquOQ6ocTbHRjP-6P49dpc1Jv/s320/IMG_1304.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These bolts were tightened to the max in order to get the collar (left side of the photo) to let go</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZDqSXbR4kpywNN8v4L9POsK7KWEFw66K3G25CGpTja4lUPhPT62ERbomRJvHKO6LJKd51vRCH_9UBVS9WpOrQ3WeOJ1p1QCfW7o5JJ9IT8ffFKn0GN4w3prG9qTbIgCX-mtqN5HFHjBl/s1600/DSCF0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZDqSXbR4kpywNN8v4L9POsK7KWEFw66K3G25CGpTja4lUPhPT62ERbomRJvHKO6LJKd51vRCH_9UBVS9WpOrQ3WeOJ1p1QCfW7o5JJ9IT8ffFKn0GN4w3prG9qTbIgCX-mtqN5HFHjBl/s320/DSCF0355.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new shaft log finally in place and ready for sea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
We finished our final small projects on Tuesday and were
able to have the boat lowered back into the water early Wednesday a day ahead
of schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then headed to Oak
Harbor marina, known for cheaper fuel prices, for the night and added 500
gallons of diesel the next morning. (We expect to get a warning letter from the
coast guard as we had about one half gallon go out of our fuel vent into Puget
Sound which is a big no no – frustrating as we are very careful when we fuel to
avoid that mistake.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After arriving back in Everett and retrieving Clarice’s
dad’s car we have been busy with provisioning, family get-togethers, doctor
visits, and final cleaning and prepping projects on the boat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtLQlcC0MOFcAGbUgmyiFzDQ3qBZmDIBRQL2EWWhR6LsHw6j_qjrJ3NMXR7CBpZt8JDVlGgaQ24FLBuKg-DvE7jRaPtpY80L1WMvDOkqCar4izYix9XKjFSkhyU2epuF75kD3iliOpZxs/s1600/DSCF0353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtLQlcC0MOFcAGbUgmyiFzDQ3qBZmDIBRQL2EWWhR6LsHw6j_qjrJ3NMXR7CBpZt8JDVlGgaQ24FLBuKg-DvE7jRaPtpY80L1WMvDOkqCar4izYix9XKjFSkhyU2epuF75kD3iliOpZxs/s320/DSCF0353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gregory family picnic at Point Defiance in Tacoma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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One of our projects was to do our twice a year wet check of the bilge pump system. The system <i>should </i> work thusly: Step 1 the water is about 2 inches deep and the regular bilge pump activates and empties it. Step 2 the water reaches about 4 inches deep and a loud alarm sounds. Step 3 the water reaches about 10 inches deep (still only about 1/4 of the capacity of the deep bilge section) and a really big pump kicks in. The test went well except the alarm didn't sound because the tiny switch to silence it was in the "silence" position in the pilot house and had gone un-noticed. Had this been a real leak event that would have been a BIG problem. The solution was to take out the tiny, easily hit, switch and change it for a key switch so we think this problem will be much less likely to recur. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHlrKCn-7pvArvmEDqMp_L-HnYqcrNLnLj1A7hUOSVz_kfiBzu-zsvOpyih0yw_znPmH-tQ8iWXH3I_8y91AtcjOKSjnQZxZYZF0PKoU-ueqiBDKFIdenFwxMjuwwqfbgRAMoDlbtpqCx/s1600/DSCF0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHlrKCn-7pvArvmEDqMp_L-HnYqcrNLnLj1A7hUOSVz_kfiBzu-zsvOpyih0yw_znPmH-tQ8iWXH3I_8y91AtcjOKSjnQZxZYZF0PKoU-ueqiBDKFIdenFwxMjuwwqfbgRAMoDlbtpqCx/s320/DSCF0358.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now it takes a key to silence the bilge alarm</td></tr>
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We will be off to
Ontario to visit our daughter and her family in two days then when we return we
plan to take a day to add fresh veggies and if Neptune and the weather gods
agree we will be off for Mexico.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are asked, "What was your favorite thing about Alaska?" Our favorite memories are 1) The beauty and people of Sitka. Wintering there was one of the best decisions we made. It truly became a second home to us. 2) and 3) The amazing scenery of Misty Fjords National Monument and Kenai Fjords National Park. Will we go back - a definite maybe but there is a lot of world yet to see.</div>
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With that we will leave some of our parting photos as we headed back to the Salish Sea.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXzLxA4bujn22l89EInYbTPHoeavfOB7Pkp0XZ7adafgLSsnV4Mjf5ylv81cEUNRhu5fg96IzW_FUd1BPtso7kFLAceIN4qRffY1bAe7L5J0JLjYTVA7ByO4avIE4kRQJxAryfHraGMsK/s1600/DSCF1142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXzLxA4bujn22l89EInYbTPHoeavfOB7Pkp0XZ7adafgLSsnV4Mjf5ylv81cEUNRhu5fg96IzW_FUd1BPtso7kFLAceIN4qRffY1bAe7L5J0JLjYTVA7ByO4avIE4kRQJxAryfHraGMsK/s320/DSCF1142.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We will miss our friends the sea otters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2fNO4fSYytHOpLu-XptcIfdMUVuMtnHOXa6Rda-5stWk6ri9pSO6vUgUeQEXJ_p0l8xDYRHhW_thacP-ymE6BOV16A-X7M7_uyw0o5cyQBG0a_VvP7uYTcY_uMTy-iecA5cD-fUB1pyw/s1600/DSCF1169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2fNO4fSYytHOpLu-XptcIfdMUVuMtnHOXa6Rda-5stWk6ri9pSO6vUgUeQEXJ_p0l8xDYRHhW_thacP-ymE6BOV16A-X7M7_uyw0o5cyQBG0a_VvP7uYTcY_uMTy-iecA5cD-fUB1pyw/s320/DSCF1169.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Resurrection Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeSG6K2RZDc804QV9les3uZ9umd62_p9sf6xhgyqzIaamAF558vfBbTpOVDrY7ypAemdizkvOpo1k7efqSiPUfr0M7s-eD1ItwYck13CrqQ9gkcS_2_B6wKxIdCHfpY1dmNPZnX_xPksG/s1600/DSCF1213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeSG6K2RZDc804QV9les3uZ9umd62_p9sf6xhgyqzIaamAF558vfBbTpOVDrY7ypAemdizkvOpo1k7efqSiPUfr0M7s-eD1ItwYck13CrqQ9gkcS_2_B6wKxIdCHfpY1dmNPZnX_xPksG/s320/DSCF1213.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shear cliffs of Taz Basin on Granite Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwkgK6xkFAVSNTGLOp_Nsl7s-vl_Xhkj1d6Wzd1IecrrDolZOoEGAtEMlfM23Rnb-vKDVx86O1IPDxOBZUgtMPbDBhN02A7bV-3qTqs0cJG2c-I31hKQP0t8GzMrKddhbJajYaRr5F55p/s1600/DSCF1233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwkgK6xkFAVSNTGLOp_Nsl7s-vl_Xhkj1d6Wzd1IecrrDolZOoEGAtEMlfM23Rnb-vKDVx86O1IPDxOBZUgtMPbDBhN02A7bV-3qTqs0cJG2c-I31hKQP0t8GzMrKddhbJajYaRr5F55p/s320/DSCF1233.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taz Basin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kh5NZiBMRUrxkx-YrQExOCLqpoPsdDzS-YH-lIOVvTC6ce7FORZ-5S9f4c9u8cyY4O5he3Q2SNXmSzBEvEPdqo6Mc-6S9HabDir6Ss-m3dKpsKkAESzE4U0l4cVyKhHfSS37kmxb05_v/s1600/DSCF1248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kh5NZiBMRUrxkx-YrQExOCLqpoPsdDzS-YH-lIOVvTC6ce7FORZ-5S9f4c9u8cyY4O5he3Q2SNXmSzBEvEPdqo6Mc-6S9HabDir6Ss-m3dKpsKkAESzE4U0l4cVyKhHfSS37kmxb05_v/s320/DSCF1248.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seal rookery in Taz Basin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWdMtiWjRQ3c8JhSzD7YaUo1O6WtjLNVnlwT34HG-z8eUjI3gidXu1KCaMbtBxvZoY46h3rL9AGSoAlFEPIyb_dijFqnqMsu6xmLPcUDIbNU9pj_Iv_SYHv_Sr0V0agTnXa4Pl09eGp0h/s1600/DSCF1255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWdMtiWjRQ3c8JhSzD7YaUo1O6WtjLNVnlwT34HG-z8eUjI3gidXu1KCaMbtBxvZoY46h3rL9AGSoAlFEPIyb_dijFqnqMsu6xmLPcUDIbNU9pj_Iv_SYHv_Sr0V0agTnXa4Pl09eGp0h/s320/DSCF1255.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset with forest fire smoke</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1WfHjNK5He923hiUSa29XSMEhI49KPbah8xjcj_CjrNwhLJ-Wb2zhs9UC5LOLBuHGF2_NIQlHVjJkL9dANgfArPEKnNpickOXhkzrX4IttseFbXEpsHsjsThmz1eHNF8JVs0tae4o_fF/s1600/whale+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1WfHjNK5He923hiUSa29XSMEhI49KPbah8xjcj_CjrNwhLJ-Wb2zhs9UC5LOLBuHGF2_NIQlHVjJkL9dANgfArPEKnNpickOXhkzrX4IttseFbXEpsHsjsThmz1eHNF8JVs0tae4o_fF/s320/whale+.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only whale we observed breaching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p><br /> </o:p></div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-29503443723244004512018-07-15T21:54:00.000-07:002018-07-15T22:01:20.349-07:00Seward and Kenai Fjords<br />
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June 30, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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We made our exit from Prince William Sound via Elrington
Passage with a visit to New Chenega Village along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During our winter in Sitka one of the books I loaded on my Kindle was <i>The Great Quake; How the Biggest Earthqake in North America Changed our Understanding of the Planet </i> which was about
how the earthquake of <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">1964</span>. In the book was the story
of Chenega Village and how 1/3 of the population was lost to a tidal wave while
the ones that survived hung together at the schoolhouse on a hill next to the
village. I had heard that will the native folks ask that you not go ashore at
the original village that the schoolhouse was still standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our way past Chenega Island we took time
to look at the village site from out in the cove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could see the schoolhouse (on a much shorter
hill than I had imagined) and the pilings from the old pier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could also see why the village had been
sited on the cove as it is a very picturesque location that looks to be well
protected from storms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand
the gently sloping beach that attracted the village children to play on it on
that fateful day also proved to be a perfect funnel for a tsunami.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Village folk originally were moved into
another village but long standing rivalries made that situation less than
ideal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end they were able to
establish New Chenega Village.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
New Chenega Village has about 30 full time residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways it confused us as visitors as the town was very quiet with few people out and about but perfectly graded roads (including to a new housing development with no houses) a graded and lighted gravel runway, a modern dock/marina, a ferry dock, a clinic and community center, and a gorgeous Russian Orthodox Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I expressed interest in the church the woman with the key allowed me in and the decorations were amazing. The entire ceiling and most of the walls had been hand painted by an iconographer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed on the village dock for a couple of nights.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbb1zyplABXiRTCexgcjmuvH_LMmAf6Vbpj-yEXcEJK7UT46XrLIgpr3OF2s40wH37HNgYVA1ujOxJEx41ezW7VGRXiMXai9ib-fDxT6pXmq20RuJ-LRhU4GxnQeGXq4iBrgZG-pDqstjR/s1600/DSCF0096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbb1zyplABXiRTCexgcjmuvH_LMmAf6Vbpj-yEXcEJK7UT46XrLIgpr3OF2s40wH37HNgYVA1ujOxJEx41ezW7VGRXiMXai9ib-fDxT6pXmq20RuJ-LRhU4GxnQeGXq4iBrgZG-pDqstjR/s320/DSCF0096.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chenega housing development with no houses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA2_1yigHO6qeUKrtHdLHtcT6jV3-YCjoC4nuJVuJpKlwLmhbCdjBQEx_e5q27hhdSafRImE2-EkiD3eQYHs4roLbltqeP-m8jBE9QKEluhwnrlxoVGb8qdfGcPqonYsUKclOG2u5uFpC/s1600/DSCF0098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA2_1yigHO6qeUKrtHdLHtcT6jV3-YCjoC4nuJVuJpKlwLmhbCdjBQEx_e5q27hhdSafRImE2-EkiD3eQYHs4roLbltqeP-m8jBE9QKEluhwnrlxoVGb8qdfGcPqonYsUKclOG2u5uFpC/s320/DSCF0098.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chenega Community Center</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Fs8mScwi5H77tOhJchLDka4ZNKPxvFtiiojm09-j8xCqY7l_i1rH1MzkWM5f0IfAaEDw-IK33i7M43Of_lLo3OyoVdmElVmYGo0opSYgEqrjOguhoX0si5QztipPQa_2aOgFtbuEYER9/s1600/DSCF0099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Fs8mScwi5H77tOhJchLDka4ZNKPxvFtiiojm09-j8xCqY7l_i1rH1MzkWM5f0IfAaEDw-IK33i7M43Of_lLo3OyoVdmElVmYGo0opSYgEqrjOguhoX0si5QztipPQa_2aOgFtbuEYER9/s320/DSCF0099.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Chenega Russian Orthodox Church </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIZmYSZNsrVvGZ56ZeXJmtXdfX8j3KeYreK7FNpOQ3Z3lL0ZcaS9PdhUwL5lsvEykSPIbtxVTUeDhA_bkqNQIxfEbBtMnWSPUVLjzHd57cTP1n64JIlXYPonx5Hbc12aoaTEdk0dHuFpr/s320/DSCF0110.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Chenega (notice the boats on the beach)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIZmYSZNsrVvGZ56ZeXJmtXdfX8j3KeYreK7FNpOQ3Z3lL0ZcaS9PdhUwL5lsvEykSPIbtxVTUeDhA_bkqNQIxfEbBtMnWSPUVLjzHd57cTP1n64JIlXYPonx5Hbc12aoaTEdk0dHuFpr/s1600/DSCF0110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIZmYSZNsrVvGZ56ZeXJmtXdfX8j3KeYreK7FNpOQ3Z3lL0ZcaS9PdhUwL5lsvEykSPIbtxVTUeDhA_bkqNQIxfEbBtMnWSPUVLjzHd57cTP1n64JIlXYPonx5Hbc12aoaTEdk0dHuFpr/s1600/DSCF0110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaDLadIiUv8vEsKxW-r4QhxfFP5d2cnjR3NBAlvKBrdmIdNFro3MWhoiNrYvYbRGWXF3hzy8xyct0io8iKAcHlD_PIKkCFqdeveFB217xoVBA3_4hL2jnh1Xid2LZmBy4LobCfm9X_Qfy/s1600/DSCF0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaDLadIiUv8vEsKxW-r4QhxfFP5d2cnjR3NBAlvKBrdmIdNFro3MWhoiNrYvYbRGWXF3hzy8xyct0io8iKAcHlD_PIKkCFqdeveFB217xoVBA3_4hL2jnh1Xid2LZmBy4LobCfm9X_Qfy/s320/DSCF0118.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of Russian Orthodox Church</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwzfHvwQa95F_HDENs39KmKCmdajgPXDnS5SiIhjyDNCEj_KBsz_5q-S3xHwPp9JqOR22IFKfre_NebhMfy6p_seRcFW1bHbZDApUiY0BG4hBtPOOIfZfJyeBpyEuMwoJtN7coyJsVg2F/s1600/DSCF0121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwzfHvwQa95F_HDENs39KmKCmdajgPXDnS5SiIhjyDNCEj_KBsz_5q-S3xHwPp9JqOR22IFKfre_NebhMfy6p_seRcFW1bHbZDApUiY0BG4hBtPOOIfZfJyeBpyEuMwoJtN7coyJsVg2F/s320/DSCF0121.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of Russian Orthodox Church</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Prior to arriving in the village I noticed that at some
point the top 8 feet of our high-frequency radio antenna had gone swimming
(apparently the threads stripped that held that section on).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had still been able to use the radio but
knew that it would work a lot better at its full design length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed to cobble together some 3 ft sections
of stainless rod I had and then tried to stiffen it with some plastic rods and
PVC pipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looked pretty pathetic as
even when we tried to use guy wires it still leaned over like the top of a
shepherd’s crook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news was it
did transmit well enough that we were able to make contact with a ham operator
in the Virgin Islands. While we were in the village I mentioned the problem to
an elderly native man who was chatting with myself and several fishermen on the
dock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He offered that we could use the
antennae off his old boat now permanently grounded above the tide line if I
could get it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did manage to climb
up to the crow’s nest despite the boat having a 30 degree list as it sat
partially buried in the sand, and did get the old antennae to mount on our
boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used that antennae until our
friend Bruce bought one for us and carried it down to Seward for us so now we
have a new antennae for the first time since we have owned the boat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgO9WONYPK2q2RPhG2RSEoCOBSQuMjh5kEV-lEcwWBkt5RZ10tFHb4glw3MafwVycyd9CeMPbEBH9_Jsopp15K6ckA-Pv5sJmZyyGC3AffvNJiown-PwG9nR5paQfJsAF0aB-I12Pj7tw/s1600/DSCF0111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgO9WONYPK2q2RPhG2RSEoCOBSQuMjh5kEV-lEcwWBkt5RZ10tFHb4glw3MafwVycyd9CeMPbEBH9_Jsopp15K6ckA-Pv5sJmZyyGC3AffvNJiown-PwG9nR5paQfJsAF0aB-I12Pj7tw/s320/DSCF0111.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boats on the beach - Antenna came from the boat on the left</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbCtsIGwO-s9yZH88y8xnrjb7k9Agyzwd04KgqWVmoTO6mtesflNewp_UsjByrjmqD-X8A6oprQ2g2Zqwrxwnp1flJ_1n9RalhMLJTy9i3H7Wozrq2DHDM2CT6qGiNjGgoU3GWoz9KnHM/s1600/DSCF0112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbCtsIGwO-s9yZH88y8xnrjb7k9Agyzwd04KgqWVmoTO6mtesflNewp_UsjByrjmqD-X8A6oprQ2g2Zqwrxwnp1flJ_1n9RalhMLJTy9i3H7Wozrq2DHDM2CT6qGiNjGgoU3GWoz9KnHM/s320/DSCF0112.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Frequency radio antenna we used until a new one was delivered in Seward</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other thing that was fascinating while we were in the
village was that there was a commercial fishing 12 hour opening in the bay
which was expected to have a good run of fish as a fish hatchery is at one
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the weekend we got to talk to
several purse seine boat fisherfolk as they prepared their boats on the dock
for the Monday opening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Monday at 8 AM
the boats were off and running and it was quite the rodeo as they each tried to
lasso the biggest batch of fish possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We didn’t see any collisions but would not have been surprised as they
ran their boats at top speed to get their nets out within a few feet of where
the next boat was doing the same thing. We don’t know how many total fish were
caught as we headed out about mid-morning.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTZFBKnkczeatBE3ZGhwv8b5WGhTvs8BNbpb2V76JDtsw52uH8KPNMglIS_R5Sre1qIhY68zxxN_kz9HvQ6tPpfrebYgjs6XhPHcEQQzsP8-fPLQng1A_qXbv5rLKLENsHQtrzeeylizK/s1600/DSCF0117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTZFBKnkczeatBE3ZGhwv8b5WGhTvs8BNbpb2V76JDtsw52uH8KPNMglIS_R5Sre1qIhY68zxxN_kz9HvQ6tPpfrebYgjs6XhPHcEQQzsP8-fPLQng1A_qXbv5rLKLENsHQtrzeeylizK/s320/DSCF0117.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing nets over the weekend for the Monday opening</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NFQLAxx52OSW9nWUyAXod4CwxkI4-FpF8dXSxsE7j85nhVN6vXXu48WE7u_479QSvmK-UC9ndov-S7qNHHat9EIXEUSVMj7wgiyaAi6_hCnetVPsk-Gbagh2j13vFK6FNoet_H6OyJJ8/s1600/DSCF0152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NFQLAxx52OSW9nWUyAXod4CwxkI4-FpF8dXSxsE7j85nhVN6vXXu48WE7u_479QSvmK-UC9ndov-S7qNHHat9EIXEUSVMj7wgiyaAi6_hCnetVPsk-Gbagh2j13vFK6FNoet_H6OyJJ8/s320/DSCF0152.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race to get nets in the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK38yWze0qFR5rSLVXv3MN8GTmWpOaIRyl7RHSTeNJf2K5UtoaQQiWKVdMJwCCXAzpJAZ7JADirVvt4t5ewCh8RfFrIpCzDMxHzQm6U6fblFZaNp5FiUy7t4nphsriHDYMaH154O9R0Pxv/s1600/DSCF0167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK38yWze0qFR5rSLVXv3MN8GTmWpOaIRyl7RHSTeNJf2K5UtoaQQiWKVdMJwCCXAzpJAZ7JADirVvt4t5ewCh8RfFrIpCzDMxHzQm6U6fblFZaNp5FiUy7t4nphsriHDYMaH154O9R0Pxv/s320/DSCF0167.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of purse seiners </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VXpryyIAdNo96Mmbmz-ECFOpR_V5_Z5wyip4EJ_CUTzAg16f0BjzxCo13ncYOlNADQV8EoyPGKt89AXftc-fYHL1eWFqwTpcQuGP94uB8BjzD7QlBkClVFCcgHC-NXqxwaLHy_inksPN/s1600/DSCF0188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VXpryyIAdNo96Mmbmz-ECFOpR_V5_Z5wyip4EJ_CUTzAg16f0BjzxCo13ncYOlNADQV8EoyPGKt89AXftc-fYHL1eWFqwTpcQuGP94uB8BjzD7QlBkClVFCcgHC-NXqxwaLHy_inksPN/s320/DSCF0188.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Closing the purse </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdAj0uCDxqhSG0AwhOOTmm6orVDuXDUpd3SvWPGsZ3mhEnwG2g76OF4-AOwXCH9yKYD8qK_i3WmPOTXuI7zHwdCLjCeLRwZzt__dN40v5X1pgBIerneksquoEKuBLYOzKo6eckQhXMtg6/s320/DSCF0200.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hauling in the fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Seward located at the head of Resurrection Fjord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was our first look at Kenai Fjords area
and what immediately struck us was that the scenery and geology was very
different than it had been in Prince William Sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We immediately started seeing different
wildlife as well with our first sighting of a puffin in the wild shortly after
turning into Resurrection Fjord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
arrived in Seward we found a town much bigger than we had expected and were
greeted as soon as we tied up by other local cruising sailors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is another boat of the same model as
ours that is moored in Seward and we were eager to see if they were in port but
soon found out they were out on the water but everyone seemed to be familiar
with the boat and by association with ours.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9J7JbTEuHx1owfmkRjoPe12dtJuKm1GP9dg4L3f1Pzs7aL9e27cRp51__Elt3wZ2qmDnihOROJ1CsxRuKEYeXXnnDujhmrcz6ZtMrkEfh-AiDf4hZXR4VAViw95gTHbUnMYTEO1bqi5u-/s1600/DSCF0317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9J7JbTEuHx1owfmkRjoPe12dtJuKm1GP9dg4L3f1Pzs7aL9e27cRp51__Elt3wZ2qmDnihOROJ1CsxRuKEYeXXnnDujhmrcz6ZtMrkEfh-AiDf4hZXR4VAViw95gTHbUnMYTEO1bqi5u-/s320/DSCF0317.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mountains around Seward and Kenai Fjords are very different than Prince William Sound</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvNh4YF_dluHE-UEqk6WjKuDqe-qE1FTgMWUKSAP_ERVgZmy26gUlE5mHK6TwV9EKaalyoIaXjSJb9uvIvVbZcCQELmVLGDZ8LI55cvsCpWU3_AT6sSnw0DvFoV7oQXEdo9SpLMXNLeT6/s1600/DSCF0332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvNh4YF_dluHE-UEqk6WjKuDqe-qE1FTgMWUKSAP_ERVgZmy26gUlE5mHK6TwV9EKaalyoIaXjSJb9uvIvVbZcCQELmVLGDZ8LI55cvsCpWU3_AT6sSnw0DvFoV7oQXEdo9SpLMXNLeT6/s320/DSCF0332.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stark mountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoWaj0PFBrK1Zq4uuXnakJI-DT1xlUKZApiW9HWq9YeJflmOSKgkepNelpbq1FCDNOCeGweiufeWIVTx1XEDgI3pw93VaNzRG94JUKEgGYMLtVXHKH76-8bp-OvJIGvB7N67DkaoTVE09/s1600/DSCF0345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoWaj0PFBrK1Zq4uuXnakJI-DT1xlUKZApiW9HWq9YeJflmOSKgkepNelpbq1FCDNOCeGweiufeWIVTx1XEDgI3pw93VaNzRG94JUKEgGYMLtVXHKH76-8bp-OvJIGvB7N67DkaoTVE09/s320/DSCF0345.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marathon Mountain behind Seward</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We stayed 2 nights in Seward as we needed some rest with our
lingering respiratory infections that had been making us miserable for a number
of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the second day I was showing
signs of recovery (having begun my illness a week before Clarice) and decided
to explore town a bit (especially to look for a certain magazine – more to
follow on that).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I visited the SeaLife
Center aquarium and was very impressed with the whole place but especially the
shore bird aviary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a walk-in
aviary with 30 species of local sea/shore birds including several species of
puffins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The birds have grown very
accustomed to people being among them and it was not unusual to have a bird fly
within inches of your head or to choose to sit on a rock a couple of feet away.
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_OJnfFXZOnh9_3gZCE2wBxnsQt9AaVBV4V5y1RogwzQ0mngbhaLMDeN1JQbs-GjvrLjfJHB2k95vXJJ3JN_HNLid7w6mVGhUIl9xhNu0oiW7SUrUm9Bnmtv1TBNrKVsduJUhp0wk1L7J/s1600/DSCF0264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_OJnfFXZOnh9_3gZCE2wBxnsQt9AaVBV4V5y1RogwzQ0mngbhaLMDeN1JQbs-GjvrLjfJHB2k95vXJJ3JN_HNLid7w6mVGhUIl9xhNu0oiW7SUrUm9Bnmtv1TBNrKVsduJUhp0wk1L7J/s320/DSCF0264.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tufted Puffin in SeaLife Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mKmZw-FsJe6pWs-DTu5imfjvCKHWkrIwJqFHgu2bb8gEco4Kkwev0vTLVQfNTRaiLigAF5dtVILBDrG_HCeL0Ns3qOsMHATbq3YoPBptcBO720qPvzpMMw8mQg6Owzpcq-vhzOB1gSeb/s1600/DSCF0272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mKmZw-FsJe6pWs-DTu5imfjvCKHWkrIwJqFHgu2bb8gEco4Kkwev0vTLVQfNTRaiLigAF5dtVILBDrG_HCeL0Ns3qOsMHATbq3YoPBptcBO720qPvzpMMw8mQg6Owzpcq-vhzOB1gSeb/s320/DSCF0272.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eider SeaLife Center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJGxLH1U8donHYH6vE_VO5T87OxmgX19vfUdf_gykQIzrHNlJ_uFDZMZCawP-CEApqkkPFPePWVjenu6bh0FkZqNR94ANYu7ceU_UH5tf_kgQ9_XFpFykj1kAyMPZvxX5dUZeGQMEgi2v/s1600/DSCF0623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJGxLH1U8donHYH6vE_VO5T87OxmgX19vfUdf_gykQIzrHNlJ_uFDZMZCawP-CEApqkkPFPePWVjenu6bh0FkZqNR94ANYu7ceU_UH5tf_kgQ9_XFpFykj1kAyMPZvxX5dUZeGQMEgi2v/s320/DSCF0623.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird habitat islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9r4Nrg0NTfNg1UaitxuvLUI1TDmRmAUm1V6TzMbKBzZfqmzuWxwXYLVYK_KGtrPF40YDw83inD2ht1BTeVwH-MUBRcYma0awlyNqes3TPF9S62nrzTxE4nva8_K3ZVZs24dpESEbhel4/s1600/DSCF0650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9r4Nrg0NTfNg1UaitxuvLUI1TDmRmAUm1V6TzMbKBzZfqmzuWxwXYLVYK_KGtrPF40YDw83inD2ht1BTeVwH-MUBRcYma0awlyNqes3TPF9S62nrzTxE4nva8_K3ZVZs24dpESEbhel4/s320/DSCF0650.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousands of birds nests in these islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8nfQVjGF6Y04Yuq5FA-YDJzrRUnZs8H1gqFgpb1wAlri4VzqSYBF_1VCCnUebFR1uodRxWo8s3cztUa3XguTS9bREyvM8PuU9fosSRwf_xg4FD7A5t0QNNdpq-vjeiVQImo0mDX1HFKW/s1600/DSCF0704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8nfQVjGF6Y04Yuq5FA-YDJzrRUnZs8H1gqFgpb1wAlri4VzqSYBF_1VCCnUebFR1uodRxWo8s3cztUa3XguTS9bREyvM8PuU9fosSRwf_xg4FD7A5t0QNNdpq-vjeiVQImo0mDX1HFKW/s320/DSCF0704.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousands of birds nests in these islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyuqI5K9KygF59nS7hBmllWGR9R6OZ6d7vTALclmtnaJipo16XYWU7UhqOz-YGYWqu3abjplbVbhchGyO36-bNuQszPK-7w5QI4jfGmSEx59BIh03CeHbF4JkHzKhKCcvOyqE_jsL-tJX/s1600/DSCF0747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyuqI5K9KygF59nS7hBmllWGR9R6OZ6d7vTALclmtnaJipo16XYWU7UhqOz-YGYWqu3abjplbVbhchGyO36-bNuQszPK-7w5QI4jfGmSEx59BIh03CeHbF4JkHzKhKCcvOyqE_jsL-tJX/s320/DSCF0747.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puffins at Sea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since we had been off the grid (AKA no cell service or
internet) for a number of days we started catching up as soon as we approached
Seward and got a cellular signal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among
my email was a request that I immediately sign some forms and email them back
as an article I had written was to be in the July edition of Sea Magazine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to find the edition was already
on-line and was very pleased with how they had presented my work. ( <a href="http://www.seamagazine.com/digital_edition/july-2018-sea-magazine-digital-edition/" target="_blank">Sea Magazine article</a> )<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One reason I was looking in every store that
carried magazines in Seward was I was hoping that I could find a paper copy to
read but alas no one carried it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We left Seward on a rainy, cloudy day and then added wind to
the mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After putting up with
uncomfortable water for a while we radioed a local tour boat who told us where
there was a protected cove where we could anchor comfortably for the night. The
next day we were able to move into the next Fjord south but the rain and low
clouds persisted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fairly early in the
day we decided to put down the anchor and take a nap as the bits of ice from
glaciers at the end of the fjord were getting pretty thick and we couldn’t see
much anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the tide changed the
ice moved to provide a path and we decided to go up to Aialik Glacier and see
what we could see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though it
continued to rain the glacier was pretty spectacular and we were glad we made
the trip in to see the face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then
turned back and anchored in a very protected and spectacular cove and hoped for
clear skies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This morning clear skies did prevail and both of us are
finally feeling much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaving
Aialik Bay we passed some island where we saw thousands of sea birds including
hundreds of puffins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were pretty
overwhelmed by the whole show.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OfJYD_cpS9EDnPvYg8v7PkAEHbq0-bcidI7BMV6HaOSXzjG2nxe5ic6LzRFkJZkh3Mn7x5qAmxr42iJhRYjmzggImXvoSfW2x0dwGReHnh0-WSeB1nUa-wrn3IFZ9Aba-ZiHp5rnaxAh/s1600/DSCF0373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OfJYD_cpS9EDnPvYg8v7PkAEHbq0-bcidI7BMV6HaOSXzjG2nxe5ic6LzRFkJZkh3Mn7x5qAmxr42iJhRYjmzggImXvoSfW2x0dwGReHnh0-WSeB1nUa-wrn3IFZ9Aba-ZiHp5rnaxAh/s320/DSCF0373.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30v3mcHdqa8_1lykkrLt5J0ElyQnYRVQJfkCLhDew-eyvxiYMg0QuVgwpKenFPj4GqTs4WSf3FpKUE8WiVY_jDXISzw7syzHXOdwIYPt8s6Ao8FBXAVNzWkEJHqzxlQm9UUTsOvasxpB-/s1600/DSCF0422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30v3mcHdqa8_1lykkrLt5J0ElyQnYRVQJfkCLhDew-eyvxiYMg0QuVgwpKenFPj4GqTs4WSf3FpKUE8WiVY_jDXISzw7syzHXOdwIYPt8s6Ao8FBXAVNzWkEJHqzxlQm9UUTsOvasxpB-/s320/DSCF0422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We continued into Northwestern Fjord on the recommendation
of our guide book that referred to it as a bit of hidden gem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WOW what a gem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every 15 minutes a new vista of different
mountains and more glaciers would open up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is one of those places that after 3 days of rain, low clouds, and
feeling ill reminds us of why we are here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the way into Northwestern Fjord we were hailed on the
radio – or rather our sister ship from Seward was hailed. We responded and
reported that we were hoping to make contact with Four Seasons but were not
them even though we look very similar. While we were conversing with the first
boat a second boat broke into the conversation and indicated that they had spoken
with Four Seasons this morning and suggested that we anchor near them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are now anchored in a bay with a glacier
about ¼ mile off our stern feeding a stream that empties into the bay behind
us. To our port side are 3 hanging glaciers, 2 of which send ice falls down
onto a snowfield forming a glacier at the bottom of the cliff extending almost
to the shoreline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have heard about 6
ice fall events since we have been anchored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Off our starboard side is, well, just lots of phenomenal scenery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally off our bow is just another snow
capped mountain range with a number of glaciers sliding down including one to
tidewater.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We visited the boat sharing the anchorage and they related
stories from their 7 year odyssey of going south to the Sea of Cortez only to
decide to keep heading south and through the Strait of Magellan and then back
up to Labrador only to make a U turn and head back through the Caribbean and
the Panama Canal and back to their home port in Alaska. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIW5bUEpgW_aqocRODzKG3EDhbzhCP0MHa0qWCxmm68Hio8gmNb9iCdNiFkEocFkHATE-zq9Pvy-3bVQkpgTpmIH6noXBqq2GLdlmVeXyLrWg8rLGIgM1EldgBJP3uT85hQXRmWkWi1p4/s1600/DSCF0960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1034" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIW5bUEpgW_aqocRODzKG3EDhbzhCP0MHa0qWCxmm68Hio8gmNb9iCdNiFkEocFkHATE-zq9Pvy-3bVQkpgTpmIH6noXBqq2GLdlmVeXyLrWg8rLGIgM1EldgBJP3uT85hQXRmWkWi1p4/s320/DSCF0960.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This wooden boat has been on a 7 year odyssey that included travels through the Chilean Canals (it is a motor vessel with sail assist and sail stabilization)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 4, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since the last note we continued south until we finally
reached the point of feeling satiated (or perhaps overwhelmed) with the wild
beauty around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point we are
moving back north towards Seward. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It finally feels like summer may have arrived with several
sunny and warm days in a row and more and more wildflowers blooming. The only
stain on the record was a day when there was thick fog low to the water
reducing our visibility to less than 1/8<sup>th</sup> mile at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even that day had spells when the fog would
back off for a few minutes and allow us a glimpse at the scenery around us and
then finally toward evening the skies cleared nicely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had discussed getting into Seward in time
to see the fireworks and festivities but decided against it especially since
Jarvis is often left as a shaking puppy of nerves after fireworks (and why do
they have fireworks in Alaska in the summer anyway – they were scheduled for
midnight when it is about as dark as Seattle at 8 PM this time of year).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last evening I was sitting on the deck trying to recall what
little I have taught myself of playing the recorder (we bought a set of 3 nice
ones for the boat to play in all of our “bored time” – they haven’t been out
since winter in Sitka).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was making
music (noise?) accompanied by a whale that spent most of the evening feeding in
the cove, waterfalls, birds, and seals slapping the water (perhaps a comment on
my playing).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were the only humans
that we were aware of despite being able to see for miles around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally gave up my playing when no-see-ums
were deciding I would make a good dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After that I lit a bug coil in the back cockpit and sat and talked to
Jarvis a while before Clarice and I finished out the evening with a video we
had along.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiY_EsBy5MyfCvIU3QLdQ7K4Vo2OYJiJ6G4dFrPJBFe7NVB71nGVtsuHeuexVV6eJc0aoo_0CjowX-WwvJ8I4UOawY3Fatsoi-00_9gkNEZge_pQJCnA1Jbu_Kr-RgXkP5kHXYi2ORp6V/s1600/DSCF0071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMiY_EsBy5MyfCvIU3QLdQ7K4Vo2OYJiJ6G4dFrPJBFe7NVB71nGVtsuHeuexVV6eJc0aoo_0CjowX-WwvJ8I4UOawY3Fatsoi-00_9gkNEZge_pQJCnA1Jbu_Kr-RgXkP5kHXYi2ORp6V/s320/DSCF0071.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis attired for a shore outing in his life vest, bear bell, and water activated strobe light</td></tr>
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Today we set about trying to address my remaining Alaska
bucket list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to catch a halibut
or salmon, get a really good photo of a puffin, and finally get a really good
photo of a bear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fish simply haven’t
cooperated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Puffins abound along our
route but always where there is a sea swell and trying to use a 400mm lens on a
moving boat has proven to be a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The closest bears we have seen have also been too far away to allow for
the perfect shot (and also there is the issue that I really don’t want to be on
the same beach as the bear while taking its picture).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the bucket list still challenges me, we
have instead found more of the unexpected bits of wonder we have come to
expect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a kayak trip across the
bay to a somewhat interesting looking beach and found it to be a mini-wonderland
with a tiny islet, a sea arch doorway to the next beach, and a beautiful
waterfall cascading down the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jarvis was completely entertained<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>barking at the waves as the beach was open to the Gulf, I took photos ,
and Clarice took a shower in the waterfall (you’ll have to take my word for it
as she forbid photos) seeming to forget that the water originated in a melting
snowfield only a short way above the cliff. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkcRvfsROBMW6j5oxO21C1G5czlsOMT8ADf9lUIW9XcwZmWZolJv1Naxu1-SMaNdn_cpbePUlwsmOCiZWBpLAYbYXFT4_PH5n7fp7Rua71_egjHh_o79IZioWVoEGNtKTrQXWUOVWgB94/s1600/DSCF0233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibkcRvfsROBMW6j5oxO21C1G5czlsOMT8ADf9lUIW9XcwZmWZolJv1Naxu1-SMaNdn_cpbePUlwsmOCiZWBpLAYbYXFT4_PH5n7fp7Rua71_egjHh_o79IZioWVoEGNtKTrQXWUOVWgB94/s320/DSCF0233.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice's Shower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZVgjdpOhURQLM0B1dy3BbVPY38BOtfzf92KaC60JxFJersd-8ERFRAsgBfFSy4eHq6znCOmAkoLi6cTSpzxlccbgd7_XMB6pv3edrOso9vqILGs_48__OKGhY5FGe5wEDk5b2OCPkHU6/s1600/DSCF0236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZVgjdpOhURQLM0B1dy3BbVPY38BOtfzf92KaC60JxFJersd-8ERFRAsgBfFSy4eHq6znCOmAkoLi6cTSpzxlccbgd7_XMB6pv3edrOso9vqILGs_48__OKGhY5FGe5wEDk5b2OCPkHU6/s320/DSCF0236.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sea arch leads to the next beach</td></tr>
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July 11, 2018</div>
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At this point we are biding our time and making final preparations while we wait for our Son-in-law, Paul, to arrive as our crew member while we cross back to SE Alaska. He is expected next Tuesday and so far the weather tea-leaves look fairly hopeful (after the past several days when we have endured the remnants of another tropical storm with constant high winds and buckets of rainfall).</div>
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When we got back to Seward we had several packages waiting for us in general delivery which gave us plenty to do while we sat on the dock and watched the rain. </div>
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Boat Projects:</div>
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I understand that my grandson Henri now looks forward to the boat projects notes in the blog and always points out that any little boat project always seems to become a big boat project. This series of projects seems to fit that pattern pretty well.</div>
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#1: <i>The little leak that wouldn't quit</i></div>
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In the last blog entry we mentioned water in the guest stateroom on the floor. Before leaving tie boat we were able to determine that the source was a very small leak around the flange that holds the inspection cap on the forward fresh water tank when the tank is completely full. The leak has probably been long standing but we were never able to find the source before. In any case over time the water fills a reservoir of sorts under the dresser in the main berth which it turns out does not have a natural drain to the bilge. We believe that when Bruce and I were trying to troubleshoot an intermittent problem with the water maker (more on that to follow) we added a bit of water to the already full reservoir and all it took was the weight of two adults sleeping in the guest berth on the same side of the boat to cause an overflow onto the floor. When we got back to the boat we decided to make a repair with the dreaded ("dreaded" because it is impossible to remove if there is an error) 3M 5200 sealant / glue. We managed to pop the flange loose and put 1/2 tube of 5200 "fast cure" ("fast" being 24 hours) on it after it was cleaned and then dropped it back into place (keep in mind this is all being done down in a restricted area access hole under our bed). 24 hours later we filled the tank and the leak had gone from a seep to a gusher - oops, apparently dropping the part in place was not enough to cause the 5200 to seal. Back in Seward for our rainy day project we cut the dreaded 5200 loose with a vibrating saw and started over. This time we used normal cure (normal being 7 days) black 5200 with almost 1/2 tube being carefully smeared on the flange and almost 1/2 tube being carefully smeared on the tank and all of the remainder ending up on the floor and hoses surrounding the project, my tools, my hands and arms, my shirt, and most stylishly the black cement on my white hair. We haven't been brave enough to fill the tank yet to see if this fix worked - we might try it after next Saturday when 7 days has passed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkGzZNObvJJf_gxm_7GQuYc66X2Q8vmT2n48szFducl4y2PN27QjOA5dccS5On-zJHj3bZ6Q58K6OOjyfarjB094d1oBwhzjDqSU1p7d6oowYRY-Nlv_PhB1TAK5QU1RUPYAQXrb6wsR2/s1600/DSCF0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="1034" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkGzZNObvJJf_gxm_7GQuYc66X2Q8vmT2n48szFducl4y2PN27QjOA5dccS5On-zJHj3bZ6Q58K6OOjyfarjB094d1oBwhzjDqSU1p7d6oowYRY-Nlv_PhB1TAK5QU1RUPYAQXrb6wsR2/s320/DSCF0048.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The leaky flange</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reaching through the floor while kneeling under the bed to scrape off the old sealant</td></tr>
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#2: <i>The pump that almost could</i></div>
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So back to the intermittent water maker problem. Our water maker is a rather old unit that is spread all over under our bed. The main components are a low pressure intake pump, some pre-filters, a high pressure pump and then the reverse osmosis membranes. We weren't even sure it worked when we purchased the boat as it had been "pickled" (preservation chemicals added to the expensive membranes to preserve them for long term storage) and we didn't want to mess with the pickling process until we had time to work with them. We have since confirmed that the system would make water but have already had one minor catastrophe when the top of one of the pre-filters split and we flooded under the bed some time back. This time the issue was traced to the low pressure pump (which lives tucked up in the bow under our bed) not putting out enough pressure to push the water through the pre-filters. (And of course this was discovered when we have realized we don't dare fill our primary fresh water tank to the tippy-top for fear of it leaking so we had to watch our water consumption carefully as we can't store our full capacity and we can't make more.) We looked into a new pump (less the electric motor) and learned it was $600 so the $300 for a rebuild kit didn't sound so bad. We had the parts ordered by aSeattle dealer from the California manufacturer (who refuses to mail to USPS general delivery) who then reboxed the parts and sent them on to the Seward Post Office. After removing rubber parts with scrappers that should have just dropped off and removing a seal with a Dremel cutting tool we recognized the pump had experienced a hard life. After a nice re-painting of the motor and rebuild of the pump it now seems to work reliably and well.</div>
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#3: <i>The "Jack Sparrow" compass</i></div>
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Fans of the <i>Pirates of the Caribbean</i> movie series will be familiar with Jack Sparrow's compass that points any direction but north. We are working with a similar problem. The main radar unit on Salish Aire is industrial grade and displays on a chart-plotter / radar display unit which has the ability to also overlay the radar image on top of the chart image IF it has a compass connected to it. We have the compass and while it has always been a challenge to keep it correctly aligned it does work. Our original chart-plotter display unit had the Achilles Heal of using only chart cards that are no longer made and becoming more and more difficult to find on the used market. We learned some time back that the next generation newer chart-plotter would plug directly into our current wiring and would accept more available cards. In the long run we figured that getting a used chart-plotter of the newer design would quickly pay for itself in savings on chart cards (we use it as a back-up to our primary navigation computer). We were finally able to acquire a newer chart-potter and get it installed. Installing it involved removing two circuit boards from inside of the original unit (they added extra capabilities that the new one didn't have) and replacing the memory storage battery (which was spot welded to the circuit board and so a pain to change). The first time I turned it off after putting it back together it refused to boot up so I pulled it back apart again and re-wiggled connectors and ribbon wires and then it was happy. It is now working <u>except</u> that the electronic compass still doesn't consistently point the right direction. Perhaps it is trying to lead us to pirate's gold - but more likely than not it will just take more time (and/or parts) before it all works as it was designed to.<br />
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July 15, 2018<br />
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We are back in Seward doing final preparations for our trip back across the Gulf of Alaska. We expect our son-in-law Paul to join us Tuesday and then will head out as soon as possible as we appear to have a stretch of good weather coming our way (after getting slopped around badly enough yesterday that I got seasick again - no fun). Wish us luck, or better yet send your prayers.</div>
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A cabin in the forest - abandoned or just gone temporarily ?? </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Older signs of making a go of it in the forest</td></tr>
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<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-72833961856963800662018-06-20T22:31:00.002-07:002018-06-20T22:36:21.058-07:00Cordova to Whittier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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June 8, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:30 PM thinking about being sunset as we leave Cordova area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:30 PM thinking about being sunset as we leave Cordova area</td></tr>
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It’s been an eventful several days
as we traveled to then from the town of Valdez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tatitlek Village on the way to Valdez</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwZvBugQSl13Ww8flAC4lO6s_OnvrD933mohZsPod_bQFA_lBpSwwAs2UdoU3JVFk1nPiI9I5nLAhN-qfj9uFTbwll3CifVCmutdHrfXIfYjI9KgAgoIlAZ0_jr-saFQFW0U2aY075ubE/s1600/IMG_1209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwZvBugQSl13Ww8flAC4lO6s_OnvrD933mohZsPod_bQFA_lBpSwwAs2UdoU3JVFk1nPiI9I5nLAhN-qfj9uFTbwll3CifVCmutdHrfXIfYjI9KgAgoIlAZ0_jr-saFQFW0U2aY075ubE/s320/IMG_1209.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern terminus of the Alaska Oil Pipeline</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valdez from the air</td></tr>
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One our way to Valdez we stopped
and spent a night at anchor in the outer harbor of Shoup Bay State Marine
Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The park is at the toe of Shoup
Glacier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a glacier moves forward it
pushes a pile of dirt and rocks (moraine) which often stay and act as a dam as the
glacier recedes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shoup Glacier has an <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>outer moraine that can be crossed by larger
boats with the central passage about 15 ft deep at low water<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and an inner moraine about 1 mile further
with a very well defined channel that can be crossed with a small boat on high
tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The outer moraine defines the bay
as it is pretty much salt water and the inner moraine defines the lake as it is
primarily fresh water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you enter
the lake it’s about 1 ½ miles across the lake to the toe of the glacier which
is back a short distance from the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fjiord leading into the glacier was covered with fresh bright green
growth with the arrival of spring and many waterfalls from the snowfields at
the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The effect was much like the
opening scenes from the movie Jurassic Park except it was cloudy and cool
rather than hot and muggy. In any case the scenery was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After anchoring in front of one of the public
use cabins with a shore tie as the shelves out from the shores are fairly
narrow with steep drop offs, we waited for the tide to come in and then took
Jarvis in the dingy to visit the glacier toe. We (including Jarvis who seemed
very interested in the glacier for some reason) were in awe and just wished we
could see what the bay would look like on a sunny day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sRScTF4oGzCKGSkbBKey9UAfWgzl1cZ_a8odjCG5Kqeq2AgWb_3MqEypHDOGCBB2v3DJSGuJ0eqH62InCRmHDzwoHEiaRgLPsAuCurE1pSAMmvxANrNEMbVfKD0RT_N9NDrH-5mucTIT/s1600/DSCF9442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sRScTF4oGzCKGSkbBKey9UAfWgzl1cZ_a8odjCG5Kqeq2AgWb_3MqEypHDOGCBB2v3DJSGuJ0eqH62InCRmHDzwoHEiaRgLPsAuCurE1pSAMmvxANrNEMbVfKD0RT_N9NDrH-5mucTIT/s320/DSCF9442.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting for Jurassic Park Ice Age - Shoup Bay State Park outer bay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiMEPyjj6UndGRn772vuhkHnoGq21ANDtVAJ4e6OmmVvYc3DSXhepuC55VDo_dspIQP9dPc5BaodWYJCd58Ux2bLzgQaE1cY1jdr9r8bmAqJzgZJ6H4vnY1XJxS3DbkUKozRRyrwT8XIH/s1600/DSCF9447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiMEPyjj6UndGRn772vuhkHnoGq21ANDtVAJ4e6OmmVvYc3DSXhepuC55VDo_dspIQP9dPc5BaodWYJCd58Ux2bLzgQaE1cY1jdr9r8bmAqJzgZJ6H4vnY1XJxS3DbkUKozRRyrwT8XIH/s320/DSCF9447.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking across the lake/lagoon toward Shoup Glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MplooesX94kI-fMBXOIeFYLiAcWS_SuTKxBLL9BHEclxHDO-OhrUtBDJ9A7PkWp6U29p47WyulPR22Zdq1lcUFG2kIz_dpPvzT2hyphenhyphen8hbolRNoTHRhMNSTclQs9wR9aKpoW7E0Dx-W3Mz/s1600/DSCF9477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MplooesX94kI-fMBXOIeFYLiAcWS_SuTKxBLL9BHEclxHDO-OhrUtBDJ9A7PkWp6U29p47WyulPR22Zdq1lcUFG2kIz_dpPvzT2hyphenhyphen8hbolRNoTHRhMNSTclQs9wR9aKpoW7E0Dx-W3Mz/s320/DSCF9477.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis was quite intrigued by the glacier and walked right up on the ice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPW2rM7aI9Vj9nQF_pwyIQoXmGgHBmjpndi-fofvpMVnAdjPNdO2kOLruz8YaMRbYv406uInD4zss1F3EL3LhQ37Jz7_jOHSbmki-lBQHHlIsA7YKo4t1_9T0wBTC2nzagU4VFayiYv3GZ/s1600/DSCF9482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPW2rM7aI9Vj9nQF_pwyIQoXmGgHBmjpndi-fofvpMVnAdjPNdO2kOLruz8YaMRbYv406uInD4zss1F3EL3LhQ37Jz7_jOHSbmki-lBQHHlIsA7YKo4t1_9T0wBTC2nzagU4VFayiYv3GZ/s320/DSCF9482.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foot of Shoup Glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39l2gAnhhJOESQz-dum2EOvxWjLSN1udIRPmr725WYRXmKCYnE1DhxhWsJTHHis-jLm1JEofqA7uzwCQdbjuB0u-g0_pXWKbNZWQVnPsfjD5w4ab-nORi8Jj5luz6pPDblwGlZ07Z5Es8/s1600/DSCF9486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39l2gAnhhJOESQz-dum2EOvxWjLSN1udIRPmr725WYRXmKCYnE1DhxhWsJTHHis-jLm1JEofqA7uzwCQdbjuB0u-g0_pXWKbNZWQVnPsfjD5w4ab-nORi8Jj5luz6pPDblwGlZ07Z5Es8/s320/DSCF9486.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On his way to see the ice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SqjRwfutUoPVJ8YlFwZVYMsKV89QsI7jIsfjHQodItKDdqmup63lmRacQCDQjgnqV-_sPKZrqWM5dCKt4jS4C59KhRD6gX8ZbBSXYzQTJeczFHWF1sMsl0FZrTN3e32CV1StU7DBPENE/s1600/DSCF9499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SqjRwfutUoPVJ8YlFwZVYMsKV89QsI7jIsfjHQodItKDdqmup63lmRacQCDQjgnqV-_sPKZrqWM5dCKt4jS4C59KhRD6gX8ZbBSXYzQTJeczFHWF1sMsl0FZrTN3e32CV1StU7DBPENE/s320/DSCF9499.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice cave at the foot of Shoup Glacier</td></tr>
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The next morning we awoke to
perfect blue skies and decided to go back into the lake to check out 2 other
cabins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got through the channel
into the lake we saw that a float plane had come in while we were sleeping to
one of the cabins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We offered the couple
in the plane a boat ride over the lake to the toe of the glacier and they were
glad to have the chance to see it. When we were about to land back at their
cabin they offered us a ride in their float plane. Perfect weather, incredible
scenery, and a chance to do something on my bucket list – I couldn’t say
“YES!!” fast enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They took us
(including Jarvis) for a flight over Valdez and the surrounding mountains and
glaciers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to see the
immense Columbia Glacier from the air and even got a couple photos of Salish
Aire at anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only one with some trepidation
was Jarvis but he seemed to settle in after a bit as he usually does with new
experiences.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixW0_qfXmSBOo-cYDLtt6OfQIzDWEEHo9XJwfuSZlYF7qx7xuNeasKHLCidhDBLXGD6jDXH2-qwzCM0Q_wiJowzaO05TkgDNoWt8vBqdvD5aMKNA6AE1wIUzmwmR1tM3KbN1pyTqVM-hCQ/s1600/IMG_1194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixW0_qfXmSBOo-cYDLtt6OfQIzDWEEHo9XJwfuSZlYF7qx7xuNeasKHLCidhDBLXGD6jDXH2-qwzCM0Q_wiJowzaO05TkgDNoWt8vBqdvD5aMKNA6AE1wIUzmwmR1tM3KbN1pyTqVM-hCQ/s320/IMG_1194.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey, would you like a ride in our float plane?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55Z4Ap1p8bF2fKOaRqgGkOJQmjyegFzFkIyA_TO4IRSLXSttSF0CrPAmwHol-IoYHhFrI9oPwDOnQACOzC-bLwqJXTbsr8Zfta-UGV8GEQQn_UAKQpRpdm11-nkYK6FmearqpObGB-xJw/s1600/DSCF9543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55Z4Ap1p8bF2fKOaRqgGkOJQmjyegFzFkIyA_TO4IRSLXSttSF0CrPAmwHol-IoYHhFrI9oPwDOnQACOzC-bLwqJXTbsr8Zfta-UGV8GEQQn_UAKQpRpdm11-nkYK6FmearqpObGB-xJw/s320/DSCF9543.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking from Shoup outer bay over the moraine to the glacier at the head of the lake/inner lagoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQChHMTO_BR1h-P7LOJgqSyuZf0pvG-mzDkX1pl2O0pcfo0dLp_6h99YFNLDXGyghcWNeMEToejym4GBa10E8h3HLuqAipxQ0v96za0dAMhuMVowuhp22PuB0ERsKrBUuvE1uASjnBXN5/s1600/DSCF9539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQChHMTO_BR1h-P7LOJgqSyuZf0pvG-mzDkX1pl2O0pcfo0dLp_6h99YFNLDXGyghcWNeMEToejym4GBa10E8h3HLuqAipxQ0v96za0dAMhuMVowuhp22PuB0ERsKrBUuvE1uASjnBXN5/s320/DSCF9539.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ship at anchor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xLrkpET6tCIUB7NdflCL1lfnJtI-FetBG6VeXLO4DFnw1sjtB92nqBPsirwFY1nJQlEkGFOC-0HDibbn5b7lO9NHkLH1ZR08Q7v4dtGEV0ho8dQrFlrsfUEB5qu2zo6owd4X0d_3EPTt/s1600/IMG_1199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xLrkpET6tCIUB7NdflCL1lfnJtI-FetBG6VeXLO4DFnw1sjtB92nqBPsirwFY1nJQlEkGFOC-0HDibbn5b7lO9NHkLH1ZR08Q7v4dtGEV0ho8dQrFlrsfUEB5qu2zo6owd4X0d_3EPTt/s320/IMG_1199.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Initially Jarvis didn't know what to think but he got used to the ride very quickly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52MNuyz7ZK8hj5XUI0cHqP-AW5pWxDUxd6ei4O4nTK9d6-wCbpEkZ274V4i8v7ZdEMopjBdP-EZCz3Mma9jkUIGvzuwzQg3C60jD8_vbBcY9keGy0UAIbmi2LAuzFNMRUAUdilaqG_421/s1600/DSCF9525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52MNuyz7ZK8hj5XUI0cHqP-AW5pWxDUxd6ei4O4nTK9d6-wCbpEkZ274V4i8v7ZdEMopjBdP-EZCz3Mma9jkUIGvzuwzQg3C60jD8_vbBcY9keGy0UAIbmi2LAuzFNMRUAUdilaqG_421/s320/DSCF9525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do we get a tax advantage for having the boat used as an airport?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From Shoup Bay we travelled
through Valdez narrows (after confirming with traffic control that we didn’t
have to compete with any oil tankers) and on to Valdez where we got a nice spot
on the dock. We enjoyed the town that was really gearing up for tourist season
with RV parks and fishing derbies advertised everywhere. I was excited to have a “red meat” dinner of
ribs that tasted great and noted that the Radio Shack store had a forest of ham
radio antennas sticking out of it. The
next morning I met with AL4O “Larry” and we yabbered about radios and boats for
a while. At the end of the conversation
he offered us his truck so we could drive up the Richardson Highway to see the
scenery between town and Thompson Pass.
The pass still had a lot of snow and clouds were low so it was scenic
but not “super wow”. On the other hand
the highway passes through a narrow canyon with several amazing waterfalls that
made the trip well worthwhile.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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After we returned the truck we
headed out in somewhat mucky weather to anchor in Sawmill Bay State Marine Park
south of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been settled on
our anchor for about 2 hours when I heard a radio call that sounded very close
including the information that a child was unconscious likely from carbon
monoxide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I yelled at Clarice to grab
the first aid kit and oxygen tank while I grabbed the AED and then we both
headed to the dinghy deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We normally
take about 20 minutes to launch the dinghy but we believe we had it in the
water and loaded with gear in less than 10 minutes and were on our way to the
only other boat in the anchorage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
arrival we found a man who was lucid who reported that they had been running
the generator and trying to start one of the engines for about 20 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a young boy who was rapidly losing
mentation until when Clarice got to his side within seconds he was
unresponsive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A third adult woman had
been throwing up and was only partially lucid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I opened doors and windows while Clarice put oxygen on the child and we
were able to have everyone in somewhat better shape by the time the Coast Guard
showed up not much later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 6 young
men loaded everyone on their boat (including Clarice and I as they didn’t have
the medical expertise we did) and we headed back to Valdez at over 30
knots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we last saw the family,
everyone was much more lucid and the child was able to walk to the ambulance
with just minor assistance. In looking back our honest assessment is the child
may not have survived had we not been able to respond as quickly as we did.
Clarice decompressed with her sister and our eldest grandson on the phone and I
said a few prayers of thanks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also
were publically thanked on the radio by the CG and we made sure they knew how
much we appreciated their response as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjab84gRKsfaXgpXEhEE0Sc1a3Kpd6UEfu4WAltPyitw_yDpBBAJxvG-3m3Tqwni1b5NcAG0DS445Aw3IUPDu578O8MWtz7sRCsXTsUhca2B85vIqcQ77Hx0oInM58WUBs_qdeBN4kDSz9H/s1600/CG+news+release.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjab84gRKsfaXgpXEhEE0Sc1a3Kpd6UEfu4WAltPyitw_yDpBBAJxvG-3m3Tqwni1b5NcAG0DS445Aw3IUPDu578O8MWtz7sRCsXTsUhca2B85vIqcQ77Hx0oInM58WUBs_qdeBN4kDSz9H/s320/CG+news+release.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CG press release about our rescue with kind kudos for "the nurses from Salish Aire"<br />
<a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/1f5c882" target="_blank">https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/1f5c882</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bR_nElIRjyTBS0IF52VEPnFcQNKMzBDTF55itJS6DSv81hkfejJUKvdx0vdzPU5IeZ0QuCFRLaKwIC8EWdNmYOhpqBgn7HEyNypFeyUiiBOhw8yPFmMDlDEbtVXll55ob9Vu5yWJ6EmQ/s1600/DSCF9621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bR_nElIRjyTBS0IF52VEPnFcQNKMzBDTF55itJS6DSv81hkfejJUKvdx0vdzPU5IeZ0QuCFRLaKwIC8EWdNmYOhpqBgn7HEyNypFeyUiiBOhw8yPFmMDlDEbtVXll55ob9Vu5yWJ6EmQ/s320/DSCF9621.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Raft" of otters in Sawmill Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 165.0pt;">
<br />
June 16, 2018</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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After the last notes we anchored
for several days as we moved towards the town of Whittier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our first Anchorage was in a bay connected to
the fjord leading to the Columbia Glacier which we had flown over during our
float plane ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were pretty excited
to see the face from the water if the ice flows would allow but didn’t really
have the chance to get close enough as it has receded quite a bit from where
our charts show it to be. In any case the day we arrived we put into a cove
separated from the main fjord only by a shallow moraine. The moraine allowed us
to travel over in our dinghy but kept the many large icebergs away from us. The
first evening we watched a glacier tour boat go quite a way up the fjord and
likely the tourists got some nice photos of the face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next morning the ice that had been
gathered near the glacier end of the fjord was now spread throughout the length
and we were really glad we had anchored behind the protective moraine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did take the dinghy and found a path among
the bergs to travel about 2 ½ miles up the fjord to where we could just start
to see the face at which time we turned around as the air was pretty cool
coming off the glacier and icebergs and we were all getting cold.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7_BQO25eq1gd0265w0XTCG4fQ8IKQZCgr4udOSUZ28YSwZIL9jkI04gl8Qgph44ES_h1pgiycN9ld9TY1WwBFo7haGIJOA54i0eayrJ7uMuLVKp1sEsLoObwbQg4QjaRS3uOCsJm6F6K/s1600/DSCF9713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7_BQO25eq1gd0265w0XTCG4fQ8IKQZCgr4udOSUZ28YSwZIL9jkI04gl8Qgph44ES_h1pgiycN9ld9TY1WwBFo7haGIJOA54i0eayrJ7uMuLVKp1sEsLoObwbQg4QjaRS3uOCsJm6F6K/s320/DSCF9713.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old moraine kept the large icebergs out of our anchorage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaX5XsnLdL14T49Bl3xzVizsokVh4eELbBBvz7v2LlsNl2Pl6sYG7MXaD1qYe3jsHrE3VDh9ZJZIiCnECEAGWKsmRKtHl476hqm6T-3Sc28-_JbEKX2Xg7Vz-RdufdY2g1eU5rWuYRoar/s1600/DSCF9837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaX5XsnLdL14T49Bl3xzVizsokVh4eELbBBvz7v2LlsNl2Pl6sYG7MXaD1qYe3jsHrE3VDh9ZJZIiCnECEAGWKsmRKtHl476hqm6T-3Sc28-_JbEKX2Xg7Vz-RdufdY2g1eU5rWuYRoar/s320/DSCF9837.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oyster Catcher flirting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyezC6L4fU2uIKh0DCLRtxflEBrGjpv1Ct5PYP-u3WUt-6GVFlWVcuyprfx43xbllRNxmBLA2a4xGNzz3RSKmD6h1skZsLSW_Ct5iStu9ZRl61PZP6TA_ZtbwvqckgIqM8rwU9rtJpVEV/s1600/DSCF9722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyezC6L4fU2uIKh0DCLRtxflEBrGjpv1Ct5PYP-u3WUt-6GVFlWVcuyprfx43xbllRNxmBLA2a4xGNzz3RSKmD6h1skZsLSW_Ct5iStu9ZRl61PZP6TA_ZtbwvqckgIqM8rwU9rtJpVEV/s320/DSCF9722.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Columbia Glacier from the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidK6l65JZ5jZd1YR3scz5kUUyqEbSGpg0NY-pWAK93z0GM0od7mYVzMO1pt60JhqB1ngAydZzGUiwXrciMUtwFgv9I0DKH-EI1DNcbdE96uy9Z8Kk7wPs78e94lx40_pyH6FI3YPRX87Qo/s1600/IMG_1227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidK6l65JZ5jZd1YR3scz5kUUyqEbSGpg0NY-pWAK93z0GM0od7mYVzMO1pt60JhqB1ngAydZzGUiwXrciMUtwFgv9I0DKH-EI1DNcbdE96uy9Z8Kk7wPs78e94lx40_pyH6FI3YPRX87Qo/s320/IMG_1227.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Columbia Glacier from the air</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Next we moved to Ester Bay which
is a virtual fairyland anchorage that was a kayak heaven surrounded with open
meadows and mountains on Esther Island.
Entering the anchorage was the first time we have seen a number of
salmon jumping and the local net fishermen tell us the season is finally
picking up.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpv4EnakdfCEiv_E_CKnT3GfwrhXxY-7dr1LXra9yL7ynXAKgATaJ0WbFhsW4uC1l6rIC89kOm0HMWH4ORJLsrtJQreuoJTYbpQmuUJVUraz_9jURiYm8PbqHzgxFVAsmYAFT5dafl-RZ/s1600/DSCF9884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpv4EnakdfCEiv_E_CKnT3GfwrhXxY-7dr1LXra9yL7ynXAKgATaJ0WbFhsW4uC1l6rIC89kOm0HMWH4ORJLsrtJQreuoJTYbpQmuUJVUraz_9jURiYm8PbqHzgxFVAsmYAFT5dafl-RZ/s320/DSCF9884.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Ester Bay Reflection </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSxaaaKV0ozHaqClaNF4kSapiMSY0Ppq5QwNZ-O_khonE39USpXXQl3lD9eRTt8iLaJprclOy2cDbjkb7pWO3m1zKtwjMG70LgRSHTJGqKMSnWsZScU0GQxZvHZvy0lVNnv4QPV2q1L_O/s320/P6090028.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice setting a stern tie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSxaaaKV0ozHaqClaNF4kSapiMSY0Ppq5QwNZ-O_khonE39USpXXQl3lD9eRTt8iLaJprclOy2cDbjkb7pWO3m1zKtwjMG70LgRSHTJGqKMSnWsZScU0GQxZvHZvy0lVNnv4QPV2q1L_O/s1600/P6090028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvAZRkM2ZxMQxU6s_jBduTDa2iLfn7lOKgbqGSBIrK3AbQFb4jjC-78KnfJ9IoM3m-8oSGUYt5MQLuMYqSnatqHQLC0EeZoRhM9ABZX4UPvGtJkhOOV9j7j65bcxQUX_ok1H0x3J20eOj/s1600/P6090037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvAZRkM2ZxMQxU6s_jBduTDa2iLfn7lOKgbqGSBIrK3AbQFb4jjC-78KnfJ9IoM3m-8oSGUYt5MQLuMYqSnatqHQLC0EeZoRhM9ABZX4UPvGtJkhOOV9j7j65bcxQUX_ok1H0x3J20eOj/s320/P6090037.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ester Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ND5c2APrg8C6MbeB9Lc7mvnG3IeUsOvambHNhfHBoiqRAZ7lVdM9QW7HmDNa8ljRGEFC54RfM8UksdaMHT_A1yrZ_Cb7HkytmPyF-BCsdgN-E8ppYeDvgyDIc29o9ba-aUejdWccjNb0/s1600/P6090038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="838" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ND5c2APrg8C6MbeB9Lc7mvnG3IeUsOvambHNhfHBoiqRAZ7lVdM9QW7HmDNa8ljRGEFC54RfM8UksdaMHT_A1yrZ_Cb7HkytmPyF-BCsdgN-E8ppYeDvgyDIc29o9ba-aUejdWccjNb0/s320/P6090038.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esther Bay meadows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We then picked up some longtime
friends from Anchorage in the town of Whittier and took them to Surprise Cove
Marine Park for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The anchorage
is lovely but the surprise turned out to be a rocky bottom that would not hold
an anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It usually takes us about 15
minutes to set an anchor securely instead of the hour it took us there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it did set it held well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day the weather turned from lovely
to windy and even the locals indicated it was an unexpected change. To add to
our frustration (we were supposed to be showing Bruce and Tina how smoothly we
had the whole boating thing under control) we discovered water on the bedroom
floor when we returned to the dock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After pulling everything out from under the beds and lots of mopping and
work with the water vacuum we felt we had things under control but left the
boat in a big mess as we headed into Anchorage with our friends to visit their home
but not before we had to fight with the shore power GFI to get it to stay
connected to keep the batteries up despite the refrigeration drain. (The source
of the water turns out to be a long standing seep from the top of the fresh
water tank when we fill it to the brim – it had pooled and then overflowed when
we used the watermaker and added weight to the port side of the boat – not
terribly hard to fix (we hope) when we decide to take time to work on it.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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The weather in Anchorage was very
warm and sunny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed being back in
a large town where we could visit big stores and take in a movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really enjoyed catching up on the news
with our friends and they took us to their lakefront cabin on Big Lake north of
Anchorage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jarvis was pretty happy having
a whole back yard to himself to explore as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LtjNj7sQLtEvbEExABuE8gY5mZzzU4JiwC4mF1Ltdhh54OKTHQ0Z9NbMWu2MwUY5JkX8YHOjyU-IjLyjg4LYf30XcHqmIT_Ffu1Z2gtEpq1hTeShEwcy-YBP_ZaR6wKhxsMcZKuG1IGw/s1600/DSCF0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LtjNj7sQLtEvbEExABuE8gY5mZzzU4JiwC4mF1Ltdhh54OKTHQ0Z9NbMWu2MwUY5JkX8YHOjyU-IjLyjg4LYf30XcHqmIT_Ffu1Z2gtEpq1hTeShEwcy-YBP_ZaR6wKhxsMcZKuG1IGw/s320/DSCF0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce and Clarice paddle on Big Lake north of Anchorage </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwvUZsgKL4UfbtxjHJsFJ1FE5HjANINE1ZvqLNMPVWGH8k3L3AHgNPCGfBwbY5fJ9TOfd7Zc_mzepbNiHwSPZLiISBvHD8hyphenhyphenKvSfYNUCE0v0btouDhutAgWa_nK5YsP3dpzcY1ahLPlVL/s1600/DSCF0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="838" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwvUZsgKL4UfbtxjHJsFJ1FE5HjANINE1ZvqLNMPVWGH8k3L3AHgNPCGfBwbY5fJ9TOfd7Zc_mzepbNiHwSPZLiISBvHD8hyphenhyphenKvSfYNUCE0v0btouDhutAgWa_nK5YsP3dpzcY1ahLPlVL/s320/DSCF0012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce and Tina's cabin on Big Lake north of Anchorage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjarv7OMdbXOv6uQXZB58egg1OBQ9Hxpc_9xerj5jQEyHaR4yiFhKojHQZTgTr_4_8rIzBzhOcz3X4LVAkHys3RQcIlG3HcDTNg4tK-tbLk9-KmVmKAFcZau_BiK_GvW3N1eCTvMsCKGj/s1600/DSCF0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjarv7OMdbXOv6uQXZB58egg1OBQ9Hxpc_9xerj5jQEyHaR4yiFhKojHQZTgTr_4_8rIzBzhOcz3X4LVAkHys3RQcIlG3HcDTNg4tK-tbLk9-KmVmKAFcZau_BiK_GvW3N1eCTvMsCKGj/s320/DSCF0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">top to bottom, left to right: Bruce, Tina, Norman, Clarice, Jarvis</td></tr>
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We are now tied up in the Whittier
Marina while a windy rainy storm passes through after having one sunny day when
I was able to hike to scenic Portage Pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whittier itself is a really unique place. Whittier is at the head of a
fjord that happens to be just a short distance from the city of Anchorage with
the small problem of a large mountain blocking the way. Natives and later
everyone from miners to railroad builders used the Portage Pass route over the
mountain and associated Portage Glacier to take a short cut to Anchorage for
many years rather than the very long route down around the Kenai Peninsula and
back up Cook Inlet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the coming of
WWII the military was very concerned that the primary route to get materials
into the interior of Alaska was via the Port of Seward and then via the Alaska
Railroad which they felt was very vulnerable to attack and challenging in the
winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result was that a 2+ mile
train tunnel was bored through the solid rock of the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For many years if you wanted to “drive” into
Whittier you drove onto a flatcar and were brought into town on the train. That
changed when the railroad rules changed and no longer allowed riding in cars on
flatcars so something needed to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The tunnel was then converted so that it now serves cars and trains but
only one way traffic at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outbound
cars and trucks leave on the hour, inbound on the ½ hour and trains when there
are no cars with a rather sophisticated control system.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The town itself is interesting in
that everyone who lives here lives in one concrete high-rise building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are two huge cold war era concrete
buildings one of which is an abandoned military headquarters and the other
which was military housing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The housing
building now has the city offices, a store, and the post office on the first
floor and condos for the rest of the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since it is connected to the school next door by a covered walkway it’s
possible to be a resident here and never go outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounds strange but the folks point out
that it is no different than apartment living in a big city but with incredible
views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a Yoytube by a local
school teacher: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naPguX84Amg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naPguX84Amg</a>
.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFj-_X5jDs1hvP-9gyMj4v1SRoufr5wnw4U2nrAMgTnWrr2y5bw8ChmSg4sptNpRvY8fr-ipBKJoWOo4s2vgjc1CKMOJQjvY5uLwHoLOVH4z70t76BVbHLpOuJxIF51f_CbmMYBgq6cdk/s1600/DSCF9917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="838" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFj-_X5jDs1hvP-9gyMj4v1SRoufr5wnw4U2nrAMgTnWrr2y5bw8ChmSg4sptNpRvY8fr-ipBKJoWOo4s2vgjc1CKMOJQjvY5uLwHoLOVH4z70t76BVbHLpOuJxIF51f_CbmMYBgq6cdk/s320/DSCF9917.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whittier Alaska where the whole population lives in the tall building in the center<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4grA27BWDhP2_JTLKgKSQRzCgREI2KmVQjRxLmZfKfUIMTwvJlE_LUP9MT4ysyLUPy6iOhC_k1xLye4fmuLbFTvh7dhjtahpqQgLicYaLIXissJxXEKqsEsp4oXQsSDyDFk68FfW5-RpU/s1600/DSCF0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4grA27BWDhP2_JTLKgKSQRzCgREI2KmVQjRxLmZfKfUIMTwvJlE_LUP9MT4ysyLUPy6iOhC_k1xLye4fmuLbFTvh7dhjtahpqQgLicYaLIXissJxXEKqsEsp4oXQsSDyDFk68FfW5-RpU/s320/DSCF0020.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shortcut to Anchorage before the tunnel was built</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP6sdPWDhqPaKy7m_eVKcQ-z-9sr53OepY2wWIIrhGOBnfjuxgRxpfT0QOsIoQTIFQEWdIYdlzZ5dE4vklF294lynmWz52TgsS9C-0mHGhghF4b_EvWBY8CJEfN025MCp5l0XXsyKhJNk/s1600/DSCF0027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiP6sdPWDhqPaKy7m_eVKcQ-z-9sr53OepY2wWIIrhGOBnfjuxgRxpfT0QOsIoQTIFQEWdIYdlzZ5dE4vklF294lynmWz52TgsS9C-0mHGhghF4b_EvWBY8CJEfN025MCp5l0XXsyKhJNk/s320/DSCF0027.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portage pass looking back towards Whittier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqy5-4iWJkkYgd5SQVNZttvbwSmKI3F0d5teXm0o-QMjr21yb1bLGtkouRaJxjABAY9MpSNZb0HddTPN2e-8dKpXRl7VPuextstK72kSHKDbnNKLrkVOc29iPq6n_1X7KnKyO9deTKDPX/s1600/DSCF0031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvqy5-4iWJkkYgd5SQVNZttvbwSmKI3F0d5teXm0o-QMjr21yb1bLGtkouRaJxjABAY9MpSNZb0HddTPN2e-8dKpXRl7VPuextstK72kSHKDbnNKLrkVOc29iPq6n_1X7KnKyO9deTKDPX/s320/DSCF0031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lupine flowering along the trail</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaNqHTojIPAMZgLFwnaGgDXwkqR2b4HMzli0YRCFDbE7ivFXuO4T0uIPBsyQgdJHDKZI26jQkDnNUFFIKx12ct-rlkDbrkj5t_Z0bcQNJno9e6G6g2W2i1pJWnGok08UZCG0s3RDeWFFa/s1600/DSCF0032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaNqHTojIPAMZgLFwnaGgDXwkqR2b4HMzli0YRCFDbE7ivFXuO4T0uIPBsyQgdJHDKZI26jQkDnNUFFIKx12ct-rlkDbrkj5t_Z0bcQNJno9e6G6g2W2i1pJWnGok08UZCG0s3RDeWFFa/s320/DSCF0032.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portage Glacier from Portage Pass</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vuVKXjf6d4eoMtmVoY5Xmy32Yyvt1bEDhAlA3k48DKl7anNVCD1xWmocqB-M_ZhyWA3dlfpxltPVmiX46AhScAMj-JrFbV_-AxnsI-Np_LEDvzJDtGp6rka661V1wuPt-54TEJzS2C3H/s1600/DSCF0036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="838" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vuVKXjf6d4eoMtmVoY5Xmy32Yyvt1bEDhAlA3k48DKl7anNVCD1xWmocqB-M_ZhyWA3dlfpxltPVmiX46AhScAMj-JrFbV_-AxnsI-Np_LEDvzJDtGp6rka661V1wuPt-54TEJzS2C3H/s320/DSCF0036.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking advantage of a sunny warm day before the weather got "Whittier"</td></tr>
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June 19, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were finally able to leave
Whittier today without getting blown away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently the past few days of torrential rain and wild wind were the
remnants of a tropical Pacific typhoon. Since our daughter reads this to our
grandchildren for bedtime stories I will soften the common description of
Whittier’s weather to “It’s a whole lot worse in Whittier” by taking out the
common rhyme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Whittier sitting at
the head of a fjord it gets the worst of the wind and rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we headed out the tunnel (a total of 3
times) we found Anchorage to be relatively warm and pleasant and today when we
left the entry to the fjord we say blue sky peeking through the clouds after
leaving in very low clouds and drizzle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yesterday there was a major commercial fishing opening and the word on
the street is that the little bow picker net boats fought 8 ft seas all day –
we just can attest to the wind never dropping below 20 knots Sunday night and
Monday morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am very susceptible to sinus
problems brought on by allergies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
enjoyed being off my allergy medication for several months but didn’t think to
start it when spring sprung and now I am rather miserable with gunky sinuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add that to the wind and rain and knowing
that Seattle is basking in 80 degree weather and I was ready for a major
downfall which came in the form of a failed repair. Going back a couple of
paragraphs you will be reminded that we found the source of a very slow but
long standing leak around the flange that holds the lid of an inspection port
in our forward fresh water tank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
decided to fix it once and for all with a glue product so strong I seldom let
it on my boat known as 5200.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cleaned
the offending flange and laid it in a bed of 5200 and then rented a car to pick
up an updated chartplotter that had been mailed to our friends’ house in
Anchorage and to catch a movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
returned this morning and tested the flange – the slow seep is now a major leak!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that but it took a half a day to run
new hoses to the tank under our “if we are working on a part with old hoses
they will be renewed at the same time” policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The hose replacement should have been easy except that the hoses were
hooked to the tank and run up the wall before there was a wall so basically
they were part of the structure of the wall and a total pain to remove! The
only thing that has saved this day is that the mountaintops are starting to be
visible this evening and I was able to demonstrate that the updated chartplotter
will work with my older radar even though it is not listed as an option in the
instructions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuVHUTmte2q4ruEOlCL8QxrUlaqOQ7sNsW4fBIB2i-1eDscFz3o_eYktrYqiO-tYJmqZJdIxOBwws1i4k64GLRnl49MIKFd-XeLSzqg9LiRBNMRdPi_1z1mCqIWDP1XKeD117FLCIm4kZ/s1600/DSCF9924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuVHUTmte2q4ruEOlCL8QxrUlaqOQ7sNsW4fBIB2i-1eDscFz3o_eYktrYqiO-tYJmqZJdIxOBwws1i4k64GLRnl49MIKFd-XeLSzqg9LiRBNMRdPi_1z1mCqIWDP1XKeD117FLCIm4kZ/s320/DSCF9924.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One advantage to my sinus problem is that I was up at 4 AM to see the sunrise</td></tr>
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June 20, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today we had broken clouds
overhead and took the opportunity to travel up College Fjord until dodging
iceberg bits was becoming a bit too much of a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted they were pretty much all too small
to damage our fine ship but if they run through the prop they do make a pretty
good “thunk”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a tour boat
company in Whittier that advertises a “26 glacier tour”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had wondered if they were exaggerating until
we went up College Fjord and realized that they could just about make their 26
in that channel alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is a bit
goofy is that all of the glaciers are named for colleges or college related
names (e.g. Harvard and Yale Glaciers are at the head of the fjord).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispS3ICAR5w5AWyaMaEVRKxwwlNYFnZyRrZJozNOzEJCpy3E-xyoDlD7FclM2B-fJuS-nE3UL6v3hhGIUYebWskI6l1YW5y71PywV3cMlubd-oHahqA5UdIngCtldxGroCNdGCeD1GMXD6/s1600/DSCF0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispS3ICAR5w5AWyaMaEVRKxwwlNYFnZyRrZJozNOzEJCpy3E-xyoDlD7FclM2B-fJuS-nE3UL6v3hhGIUYebWskI6l1YW5y71PywV3cMlubd-oHahqA5UdIngCtldxGroCNdGCeD1GMXD6/s320/DSCF0015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seal on an iceberg</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzgZw4VZ0qOtafH1XG9QgITp3fX6nSMJPLKRS8_xJs5RDALxDEa4szIWVqI9YpoVHq82SX4S-88I3IBUJAdOdrXD5dEPdtSfsb8LCGPq_xEG4dqHJx_nFlGQSWkKoUw7zRJx9jXRfRgvl/s1600/DSCF0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzgZw4VZ0qOtafH1XG9QgITp3fX6nSMJPLKRS8_xJs5RDALxDEa4szIWVqI9YpoVHq82SX4S-88I3IBUJAdOdrXD5dEPdtSfsb8LCGPq_xEG4dqHJx_nFlGQSWkKoUw7zRJx9jXRfRgvl/s320/DSCF0023.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the glaciers in College Fjord</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoi6YJccbY3ZWNrdlYY2koarrSatatWDYSS1pAhNHWzX5qBlMM-6Th_cl_2Ds4-j0RMwt4uC7W-rXS8cZhO0-a6UoZCcBy02sJ_F1bEu-7hmNOOQgt_TW8Z1md2424JGXFrA9qBA3w7De6/s1600/DSCF0063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoi6YJccbY3ZWNrdlYY2koarrSatatWDYSS1pAhNHWzX5qBlMM-6Th_cl_2Ds4-j0RMwt4uC7W-rXS8cZhO0-a6UoZCcBy02sJ_F1bEu-7hmNOOQgt_TW8Z1md2424JGXFrA9qBA3w7De6/s320/DSCF0063.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harvard Glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NoXu9kWM9SF2_k-41QLMHbiz9c6zf-VB2g8Z8wlGe448OSgKAau28XLSwXNzjcTOvgVBqIy9QtFx0C83RS_vJ3vFI0hhniRqUaVLpjfAIbAvvTdu4PhNugmGS95zfcnWRH2WR3Gx2gYv/s1600/DSCF0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NoXu9kWM9SF2_k-41QLMHbiz9c6zf-VB2g8Z8wlGe448OSgKAau28XLSwXNzjcTOvgVBqIy9QtFx0C83RS_vJ3vFI0hhniRqUaVLpjfAIbAvvTdu4PhNugmGS95zfcnWRH2WR3Gx2gYv/s320/DSCF0066.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yale Glacier</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqsusp9See23nNT8u6foJFn1q8COkc07NOACYrqZ6Mn4dDfQYbok_XP3gsT7H8Pym4uDCmval-LzwJGiy_UdF_c3W5hkIBJLyhkOENmbHhHwfVbVEUSCblNDwVeNXcf6xlzuOwah3NXqT/s1600/DSCF0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="838" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqsusp9See23nNT8u6foJFn1q8COkc07NOACYrqZ6Mn4dDfQYbok_XP3gsT7H8Pym4uDCmval-LzwJGiy_UdF_c3W5hkIBJLyhkOENmbHhHwfVbVEUSCblNDwVeNXcf6xlzuOwah3NXqT/s320/DSCF0076.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granite Cove Marine State Park our anchorage for tonight</td></tr>
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<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-42367211889724587522018-06-04T15:31:00.001-07:002018-06-04T15:31:23.281-07:00The Gulf of Alaska<br />
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May 31, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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Crossing the Gulf<o:p></o:p></div>
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In some ways things went as planned in others they went
awry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original plan when was that we
would pick up our crew member, Joel, in Juneau and then quickly cross to Hoonah
near the exit of Icy Strait where we would meet our buddy boat Serenity. Before
we reached Juneau we were contacted by Serenity and alerted that they were
running behind schedule by a couple of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We asked Joel if he wanted to wait before meeting us and he indicated
that no, he would look at this as a chance to get oriented to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that in mind we took our time moving
west from Juneau with a side trip to Glacier Bay and then ending up in Elfin
Cove.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We waited for Serenity in Elfin
Cove only to have them make the difficult decision that they weren’t
comfortable enough with the weather outlook to be sure that they could get back
to their jobs in time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We chose to go
ahead and head out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPQZwvS4wgAmpVA74jiPe6g3fZvJQsp_gu13UHg8pq1i_45duKOVGCShEqr-wXP1UIgKpW_MHE8nENIF3iS7KbhQ2noKUJTUGvmpOiesWkHdh909NpMyFBVNJDLJn6t2wjh3R5JPXemIz/s1600/DSCF8028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPQZwvS4wgAmpVA74jiPe6g3fZvJQsp_gu13UHg8pq1i_45duKOVGCShEqr-wXP1UIgKpW_MHE8nENIF3iS7KbhQ2noKUJTUGvmpOiesWkHdh909NpMyFBVNJDLJn6t2wjh3R5JPXemIz/s320/DSCF8028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taku Harbor rocks (south of Juneau)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2n_ZGsbGqy0m8Fen-S0n9QnZJVaxQbet0d32kkFa327IcadKgByOb1qAxqQRp5aXgUhkTV2YUojkJKZaHeCuvRdkOa8jIpmUHD5D2mW2Xpnf18WfqHAbaZQCIHf6bxHuMtEVGYlzJigx/s1600/DSCF8896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2n_ZGsbGqy0m8Fen-S0n9QnZJVaxQbet0d32kkFa327IcadKgByOb1qAxqQRp5aXgUhkTV2YUojkJKZaHeCuvRdkOa8jIpmUHD5D2mW2Xpnf18WfqHAbaZQCIHf6bxHuMtEVGYlzJigx/s320/DSCF8896.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light and whales as we head out of Juneau</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7UL2GAgE1-0Ubj11vWw2i6s2bP1SbMZEzsMyHEiXwYtK5vJ3rZISmUXVBKJyufczm_RjbetQm2eQwBdk0v8PUOISKUnEM-yf9A1vHojx42SjKDtcAo8qgC34sUDTKh7R45OeETC76yDI/s1600/DSCF8925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7UL2GAgE1-0Ubj11vWw2i6s2bP1SbMZEzsMyHEiXwYtK5vJ3rZISmUXVBKJyufczm_RjbetQm2eQwBdk0v8PUOISKUnEM-yf9A1vHojx42SjKDtcAo8qgC34sUDTKh7R45OeETC76yDI/s320/DSCF8925.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elfin Cove outer dock looking into town</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiMYO5Sq7nS5EhNYrzdjldJrOdfJaxoGPiUK3g1aHR_qQGUoRj0pNGPdVrITMS6TMoP8CdSVjaipMkgMtmiI30Mqn99LDy9XPqc4MzEyCKo5qypVAGaTV3AZ4VH2vrz3RdFpuVE7uIsZH/s1600/DSCF8930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfiMYO5Sq7nS5EhNYrzdjldJrOdfJaxoGPiUK3g1aHR_qQGUoRj0pNGPdVrITMS6TMoP8CdSVjaipMkgMtmiI30Mqn99LDy9XPqc4MzEyCKo5qypVAGaTV3AZ4VH2vrz3RdFpuVE7uIsZH/s320/DSCF8930.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salish Aire on Elfin Cove outer dock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HKlTDwItw9s6IOGYZLZcfdb5gu5Ja74EgZ0R1h5E8wy0-aur755qCDFpmvv-o0RBYOWgeMHtSiyXD7ghPZ2vH0XX8IUTQyz6g4Be8IAA0nDbuc1FZzbScYaAw2DyHc35guDg5_aoFhyphenhypheni/s1600/DSCF8937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HKlTDwItw9s6IOGYZLZcfdb5gu5Ja74EgZ0R1h5E8wy0-aur755qCDFpmvv-o0RBYOWgeMHtSiyXD7ghPZ2vH0XX8IUTQyz6g4Be8IAA0nDbuc1FZzbScYaAw2DyHc35guDg5_aoFhyphenhypheni/s320/DSCF8937.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elfin Cove General Store</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MhFnGW5__YcOPWTUydVZy6fg6CHUG5Fk3Gi8iGGVMi3aXmprTZeO7xjMcwmgFxTvNleny3aVPlx_ioxZV0TDYHBkT7vjEnxGzzlXT23Vpm5eejfivhjp1dyyQVqwVYwRhyphenhyphenS-ztH5Nui2/s1600/DSCF8959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MhFnGW5__YcOPWTUydVZy6fg6CHUG5Fk3Gi8iGGVMi3aXmprTZeO7xjMcwmgFxTvNleny3aVPlx_ioxZV0TDYHBkT7vjEnxGzzlXT23Vpm5eejfivhjp1dyyQVqwVYwRhyphenhyphenS-ztH5Nui2/s320/DSCF8959.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Channel into inner harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fGsYxNPoik2yJtMzV4PYxbO0bdKC17rnA0nnCwZXwKQiu1sLb3Qy6IoJkOYUXQe1m1mVoVM_-YNdZ2Er_aJYGKxeq9Ltu2BgKTuJe4XZFGaJZ8wT4P0mkVlIejARzQLaOXESGYJMxtYQ/s1600/DSCF8962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fGsYxNPoik2yJtMzV4PYxbO0bdKC17rnA0nnCwZXwKQiu1sLb3Qy6IoJkOYUXQe1m1mVoVM_-YNdZ2Er_aJYGKxeq9Ltu2BgKTuJe4XZFGaJZ8wT4P0mkVlIejARzQLaOXESGYJMxtYQ/s320/DSCF8962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inner harbor Elfin Cove</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAKDNTlX_A6s1Yei_bFle3Fdutz3eI9PIHPbNjJwxKJY8XasQVSCpsCAkkc0xMoVk5-S9hBVnMtmQlu4qyCQFF9Vhfx3s0dDETay-AYX8WwLD2cUnAFIgeys5b_aZYcIuozQqDaUIz4wB/s1600/DSCF8971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAKDNTlX_A6s1Yei_bFle3Fdutz3eI9PIHPbNjJwxKJY8XasQVSCpsCAkkc0xMoVk5-S9hBVnMtmQlu4qyCQFF9Vhfx3s0dDETay-AYX8WwLD2cUnAFIgeys5b_aZYcIuozQqDaUIz4wB/s320/DSCF8971.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elfin Cove US Post Office (and school when is now a museum)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpoUcG1g7utr0jQqve89114qWzwwb-d6vkLwOhl2epmZSK54CmR6kQTlS-TtBgLIB1C_era3MmB9nKQnKtpQkWAuEFyQS9smJU-ZIASwoP4D6HTNR3wIzI0WM95fbUdmvQX77_TsTAKqZc/s1600/DSCF8995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpoUcG1g7utr0jQqve89114qWzwwb-d6vkLwOhl2epmZSK54CmR6kQTlS-TtBgLIB1C_era3MmB9nKQnKtpQkWAuEFyQS9smJU-ZIASwoP4D6HTNR3wIzI0WM95fbUdmvQX77_TsTAKqZc/s320/DSCF8995.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis walks on the Alaska State Highway in Elfin Cove</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1noFUywUQYBwsr-d15BxcLP5w1nDu0Fvm0DTG1DB5XzKkcE6YSXbDSA8cxYJrAW1hjjk9u5yzDGDSljbdw8MdM-oosV1oIenbyK6dzLt7vOEvk323fvhVhW7a0AB2kYc_nEqr1brzam4/s1600/DSCF9002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1noFUywUQYBwsr-d15BxcLP5w1nDu0Fvm0DTG1DB5XzKkcE6YSXbDSA8cxYJrAW1hjjk9u5yzDGDSljbdw8MdM-oosV1oIenbyK6dzLt7vOEvk323fvhVhW7a0AB2kYc_nEqr1brzam4/s320/DSCF9002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterfall along the Highway</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQZmyNGhmOIDqzE6-ArOn92V5oWAynJ3W_ypzWmN8Dxs8dw34r00JAAR4g8TsG3x8RQnAuQUgnuR7xXk1qNs1cZqPS1R2ikUvG8aitQbpO1ZO_webXFMnL0LIp95QoQtnW57hfYAaOh0w/s1600/DSCF9005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQZmyNGhmOIDqzE6-ArOn92V5oWAynJ3W_ypzWmN8Dxs8dw34r00JAAR4g8TsG3x8RQnAuQUgnuR7xXk1qNs1cZqPS1R2ikUvG8aitQbpO1ZO_webXFMnL0LIp95QoQtnW57hfYAaOh0w/s320/DSCF9005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The State of Alaska maintains the boardwalks through town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had basically two options: One option was to hop up the
coast taking advantage of various coves and anchorages but with the
disadvantage that the route would keep us in the rougher waters close to shore
and add about 7 hours of total running time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The second option was to head in a virtual strait line (with slight
compensation to a Great Circle Route) to the entrance to Prince William Sound
(PWS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We initially looked and believed
we had 24 hours of really good weather so we headed for the village of Yakutat
about 22 hours northwest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way we
pulled updated weather charts that suggested less than perfect weather but very
doable for the next couple of days followed by very questionable weather
patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made the decision that
“doable” weather was better than potentially a long stay in Yakutat and so
swung the wheel to port and a route directly to the entrance to PWS. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLzRic5j4M7I_Wm6uXzDYrDntDwUaCzaIs3-_YHBWU-he_Fi2W2vkS5zMHW1KsyIcV5e3sBG-UNYKaS8FWV4xQALwSKTCFkzapM3w3rMqyZHZVGeFu4UeX2G70wZ0r0nugQchCxq1zCOQ/s1600/DSCF9026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLzRic5j4M7I_Wm6uXzDYrDntDwUaCzaIs3-_YHBWU-he_Fi2W2vkS5zMHW1KsyIcV5e3sBG-UNYKaS8FWV4xQALwSKTCFkzapM3w3rMqyZHZVGeFu4UeX2G70wZ0r0nugQchCxq1zCOQ/s320/DSCF9026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last look at SE Alaska (and any land for a while) Boat is an Alaska State Ferry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOj2ax-bn-3IcUTRxZuhSgscD0bImQ6SbL0Sc0ZCOYJMhsTrHLWLOQGvZr-19WPtBa5godDmrqdZyIGHih9aSxd9lXY1I53-7nSJz5UpK1hP3fGNZbpEkg5TkKPBrHjn5R6eDYLVMzmyo0/s1600/DSCF9041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOj2ax-bn-3IcUTRxZuhSgscD0bImQ6SbL0Sc0ZCOYJMhsTrHLWLOQGvZr-19WPtBa5godDmrqdZyIGHih9aSxd9lXY1I53-7nSJz5UpK1hP3fGNZbpEkg5TkKPBrHjn5R6eDYLVMzmyo0/s320/DSCF9041.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rivers of ice </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt88gBxynTzM_yP2jKi5DT_JJnX8NxoPTEV8RQXzd1X15-rxa8gJzXzdVZPfx0AAybOZFPGOnKCoKLmFmk9HFRaI2nGic3MjmNRhdcZ3E0jLxRvj2tzqBH875Yc46ksgLTLagGUG0iZdU/s320/DSCF9049.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 PM on our first night crossing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt88gBxynTzM_yP2jKi5DT_JJnX8NxoPTEV8RQXzd1X15-rxa8gJzXzdVZPfx0AAybOZFPGOnKCoKLmFmk9HFRaI2nGic3MjmNRhdcZ3E0jLxRvj2tzqBH875Yc46ksgLTLagGUG0iZdU/s1600/DSCF9049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a reminder: This was our first extended (overnight)
crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our goal was to test our
abilities while we had Joel on board in case we needed to grab the third person
quickly. The first night was pretty uneventful with almost no wind waves and a
gentle 1 – 2 meter swell. With a half moon and only a couple of hours without
sunlight we never faced a time when we couldn’t make out the horizon. Clarice
and I slept fitfully as we tried to get into a routine but were very nervous
about this “BIG FIRST”. Joel, meanwhile got a very solid night of sleep which
was very helpful the next day when he was able to function at 100%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day the gentle swells turned into
corkscrew waves that are fairly uncomfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Up to that point we had been using our hydraulic stabilizer fins only
(with the side poles out to help soften the role.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the more uncomfortable seas we decided
to put our rarely used paravane stabilizers in the water in addition to the
hydraulic system. The difference was a dramatic improvement in how the boat
handled the conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had expected
to lose up to 1 knot of speed with the paravanes but in reality the difference
was negligible. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second night none of us slept as well as we would have
liked but we worked out a plan where 2 people would be in the pilot house so
that the third person could sleep soundly without worry that the person on
watch would have an emergency and not be heard. The second person could even be
asleep but they would be within shouting distance rather than in the more
isolated berth areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also helped
that about 1 AM we made landfall with Kayak Island off our Starboard rail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had planned to do only a slight course
change to Starboard once we passed the island but instead chose to turn to a
course that within an hour had us in the lee of the island so the wave action
was much more comfortable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Midmorning we approached the entry to PWS and called Valdez
Traffic Control on the radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
confirmed that they were aware of us from our AIS signal and indicated we
didn’t have any ships exiting the Gulf towards us – only a cruise ship
overtaking us to enter PWS before we would get there. Once in PWS the
difference was dramatic with much calmer waters and winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The clouds started to lift and we were able
to get a small glimpse of the fabled cruising ground we had entered.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About 8:30 PM we were able to find a berth in Cordova small
boat harbor after 63 hours of straight running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bad news was the winds that we had hoped would run 10 – 17 knots
were more like 17 – 22 knots and the wave action was very uncomfortable at
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news was that we
correctly predicted that the winds were always off our stern so we never faced
pounding into head seas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I (Norman) was
the only one to get sea sick enough to throw up once which had as much to do
with a lack of sleep as with not tolerating the motion. Bringing Joel was a
good thing – we could (would) have made the trip without him but having him to
spell us, and just knowing he was available decreased our stress
dramatically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are sorry that Serenity
turned back but as their boat does not have both types of stabilizers they
would have had even a wilder trip than we did so we are convinced that for them
it was a good decision. Our fuel usage was right where we had anticipated at 3
nm/gallon and our speed was where we had hoped (7 + knots) rather than were we
planned (6 knots). In our final assessment Clarice and I agreed that the
experience reminded us once again of how solid of a ship Salish Aire is as she
never missed a single beat during the crossing with the big Lugger engine
chugging along and using no oil at all and the autopilot only needing attention
when we chose to make a course change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We learned that this type of crossing in similar conditions is well
within our abilities as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
good to get a good night’s sleep in a quiet harbor when it was all over.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Footnotes:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We wish to thank Joel profusely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He covered his own travel expenses and never
asked for anything from us other than the chance to join an adventure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even put up with me being grouchy when I
was sleep deprived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you Joel (and
Barbara for letting us borrow him for a week).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also realized that about 2/3 of the way across the Gulf, I
quit referring to Salish Aire as a “boat” and started to mentally refer to her
as a ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has earned this
designation and I plan to continue to use it for her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cordova<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Back in my nursing days in Everett I was very instrumental
in helping set up a very unique medical unit at the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The unit was designed to care for medical
patients with behavioral issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of
our patients came to us with severe infections related to their severe drug
addictions and others came with medical problems related to co-existing
psychological issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To treat these
patients took some of the most dedicated RN’s and CNA’s I have ever
supervised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of amazing CNA’s who
worked there was Debbie. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Debbie and Jerry’s stories are related in this article: <a href="https://www.heraldnet.com/news/couple-shared-tragedy-loss-of-oso-but-found-love/">https://www.heraldnet.com/news/couple-shared-tragedy-loss-of-oso-but-found-love/</a>
.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To summarize: Debbie was at work one
day and Jerry was out of town when a huge mudslide washed away their homes and
Debbie’s beloved husband and Jerry’s wife and son in a tragedy that few from
our part of the country will ever forget. Debbie and Jerry found love and
comfort in their shared experience and married each other and I knew they often
visited Jerry’s family cabin near Cordova. With some sleuthing on Facebook I
was able to find a phone number for Jerry and left him a voice message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Debbie told me that they had only just
returned to the cabin a couple days before after being away for 2 years when
Jerry asked if she had any idea who the guy leaving the message was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we have been here we have helped them a
bit at the cabin where their water line had slid down the hill and Debbie and I
were able to catch up on some memories of the wonderful work we did when we
worked together at the hospital.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Debbie and her husband took us in their truck to visit one of several local glaciers that are easy to access and then to the Copper River Delta. It was pretty amazing to see how a river that has never been diked, or dammed, or had its delta filled in for a town looks, especially one surrounded by untamed mountains and glaciers. We still have not seen any local bears (although Debbie and her husband always carry a firearm and we are back to carrying bear spray) but we did see a moose and 2 calves and many birds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCi3wIcR1eh7TWzVxQ4XZL4kQoj2zMWmNV_pnCnEN5Wt5YmgY-8Xi8oa6yFOMjJ8KESIyUTJop9v6HpjaimORbwnUY5P-EVJARTaNY8f6UtZqpyfZ6-CkvmerubBIaczhiKe6AKkE92UXS/s1600/DSCF9109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCi3wIcR1eh7TWzVxQ4XZL4kQoj2zMWmNV_pnCnEN5Wt5YmgY-8Xi8oa6yFOMjJ8KESIyUTJop9v6HpjaimORbwnUY5P-EVJARTaNY8f6UtZqpyfZ6-CkvmerubBIaczhiKe6AKkE92UXS/s320/DSCF9109.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheridan Glacier near Cordova</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtdaojRCO18FvQURduFUJJv9m0ySZ_vBRp4ssmcsdvMDBxmziZ0HJ7XH1Q9Aokv5F3azpWstaG6vKP0QEIevxsJeBZqgPASRaH2OqbPA7u5iBfGc8ejPVCQH66w8JzzoxTfQLqQsg3sml/s1600/DSCF9120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtdaojRCO18FvQURduFUJJv9m0ySZ_vBRp4ssmcsdvMDBxmziZ0HJ7XH1Q9Aokv5F3azpWstaG6vKP0QEIevxsJeBZqgPASRaH2OqbPA7u5iBfGc8ejPVCQH66w8JzzoxTfQLqQsg3sml/s320/DSCF9120.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheridan Glacier lake and ice </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDFGiIgif_WlbT0mxqmLOkscpXCJTF1c-FF6hUjuBE-64QzSX3nN9ir0b0ZprDU7V3fmiDOz2ahhYZ_Mal7bLx7E4fZoIYuxHL82v6aLCCCyvitCIp0JIBHbSfKX8kLO5QPIKaWCobxM-/s320/DSCF9129.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice looks at the Sheridan Glacier lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDFGiIgif_WlbT0mxqmLOkscpXCJTF1c-FF6hUjuBE-64QzSX3nN9ir0b0ZprDU7V3fmiDOz2ahhYZ_Mal7bLx7E4fZoIYuxHL82v6aLCCCyvitCIp0JIBHbSfKX8kLO5QPIKaWCobxM-/s1600/DSCF9129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDFGiIgif_WlbT0mxqmLOkscpXCJTF1c-FF6hUjuBE-64QzSX3nN9ir0b0ZprDU7V3fmiDOz2ahhYZ_Mal7bLx7E4fZoIYuxHL82v6aLCCCyvitCIp0JIBHbSfKX8kLO5QPIKaWCobxM-/s1600/DSCF9129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisIqKQzG6LxtJd2YYuOPRhV0V4Q7gXmRimmBsAyvaIgT62qyGKpgFnatAYS1IZqvzhyphenhyphenH7PwK-xfaojYyEKCUm8TqgyNdEBdICKxB66JMezSL_e6yz1agIV_xrIHP3l_5J3KpU7W6gbMEF/s1600/DSCF9149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisIqKQzG6LxtJd2YYuOPRhV0V4Q7gXmRimmBsAyvaIgT62qyGKpgFnatAYS1IZqvzhyphenhyphenH7PwK-xfaojYyEKCUm8TqgyNdEBdICKxB66JMezSL_e6yz1agIV_xrIHP3l_5J3KpU7W6gbMEF/s320/DSCF9149.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheridan Glacier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRTlXRChwt3ZLq1G_xb9UrtcQh5AJ3xTsO9m6B62dcC7Ei4DfMkO7arLgROtlkMb_zEkW-iKORiCcysHPlgqWRGMgf3jIrUYX3GCpQabrWBQgISfaJ8sCtafShVqDBC2kCJyztajqAl4U/s1600/DSCF9168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRTlXRChwt3ZLq1G_xb9UrtcQh5AJ3xTsO9m6B62dcC7Ei4DfMkO7arLgROtlkMb_zEkW-iKORiCcysHPlgqWRGMgf3jIrUYX3GCpQabrWBQgISfaJ8sCtafShVqDBC2kCJyztajqAl4U/s320/DSCF9168.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice looks at the ice a few feet from her</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0925I-M3N8CeFY2Hgtync3F6TJWsD3Ca6WEgt9Wdwk9tVd9ArSnS-UY471XPZCoYK_ka1lhanQ4Q_7Cwz3g-tfcUHqOhbnZyxpdvJjLli3f-XNVjv0A74Lrd76FLJ-l3SpEW3xmNG4tF/s1600/Glacier+Crop+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0925I-M3N8CeFY2Hgtync3F6TJWsD3Ca6WEgt9Wdwk9tVd9ArSnS-UY471XPZCoYK_ka1lhanQ4Q_7Cwz3g-tfcUHqOhbnZyxpdvJjLli3f-XNVjv0A74Lrd76FLJ-l3SpEW3xmNG4tF/s320/Glacier+Crop+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Jerry and Debbie at Sheridan Glacier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC0OvT54HwU_CjrykmDL18Ii_MahKzI_kqHOc5KZZV6lXkjdKH1qDgv7yf9fsj7xazkZ032IhjqBleXvpdhL8IHuPhznYVc7vyOjJ7c-tR5mFY1F6kYN23Mj6-Twwn1beUdOMaVxmtXfl/s1600/lake+edit+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixC0OvT54HwU_CjrykmDL18Ii_MahKzI_kqHOc5KZZV6lXkjdKH1qDgv7yf9fsj7xazkZ032IhjqBleXvpdhL8IHuPhznYVc7vyOjJ7c-tR5mFY1F6kYN23Mj6-Twwn1beUdOMaVxmtXfl/s320/lake+edit+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice and Jarvis at Sheridan Glacier Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1xxB_Dgey5NxC7nBd2mdHeHIar-Y9NkRfmVUINtpsDUX3UMEArVrXDSRR1ixLtS5k7QJxBTCkK6xPfhjWG8hFfChIAJcMqLs1Pk5CEZWK12IUtiyGMMX0EuJF_CGDu8RenYJ9NZPxZ_R/s1600/DSCF9192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1xxB_Dgey5NxC7nBd2mdHeHIar-Y9NkRfmVUINtpsDUX3UMEArVrXDSRR1ixLtS5k7QJxBTCkK6xPfhjWG8hFfChIAJcMqLs1Pk5CEZWK12IUtiyGMMX0EuJF_CGDu8RenYJ9NZPxZ_R/s320/DSCF9192.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9beu2m1OJclx-0M2K2Bm2zl6J9N5UWyqdavQt9OxNcDY8YNiu6DVPu-dJkGubKlhC0Vcp1gOuHQJKDgCFXbMuH3XQJS0BqCG3J9RTkzbWDtWdbZnRY4wgwdLk3EcI3S_lVW9-z0IiHsgY/s1600/Swan+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9beu2m1OJclx-0M2K2Bm2zl6J9N5UWyqdavQt9OxNcDY8YNiu6DVPu-dJkGubKlhC0Vcp1gOuHQJKDgCFXbMuH3XQJS0BqCG3J9RTkzbWDtWdbZnRY4wgwdLk3EcI3S_lVW9-z0IiHsgY/s320/Swan+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans on section of Copper River Delta uplifted during 1965 earthquake - <br />
now turning from sand flats to marsh and forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
June 3, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesterday we left the noisy Cordova Marina to spend the
night in a quiet cove a couple of miles from town. The marina was exceptionally
noisy as small gillnet fishing boats were milling around revving their straight
pipe dual V8 engines as they waited for allotted times to run out to the
fishing grounds of the Copper River Delta and other places in PWS to try and
catch “their portion” of fabled salmon runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The problem was that the fish were not arriving on schedule (likely
because a cool spring has kept the rivers low as the glaciers and snow fields
have been slow to melt).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you have a
whole lot of folks whose very livelihoods are made or broken in a few short
months anxious and milling around and reminding me of the very salmon they were
waiting for as the salmon milled around at sea waiting for the rivers to rise.
Interesting to watch but between 1 AM dusk and 2 AM dawn we weren’t sleeping
well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two days ago there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and so we did
sunny day boat projects at the dock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Clarice cleaned and polished and I dove below the keel to confirm there
was no damage from something big that we had run over while crossing the Gulf
(we suspect a log).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no damage
so I cleaned a bit of marine growth from the engine cooler and replaced a small
zinc that had mysteriously disappeared<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>and declared the ship fit to continue on her/our journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are now on our way to really explore PWS planning to
visit a couple of coves on our way to Valdez at the southern end of the Alyaska
Pipeline with its northern terminal at the Arctic Ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be interesting as we followed the
pipeline from Fairbanks to Dead Horse deep in the arctic in 2000.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
June 4, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent the last two nights at anchor in the types of coves
that show up in cruising magazines and advertising brochures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was oh so quiet and peaceful after the
noise of Cordova. We currently have a weak but stable high pressure area over
us so we have minimal winds but they aren’t strong enough to push all of the
clouds away although as I write this the sky is about 50% clear / 50% clouds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have yet to catch an elusive halibut or shrimp despite
hearing over and over that they are both so easy “you just need to put a hook /
trap in the water” – yeah right. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We did see our first really really big brown (grizzly) bear
yesterday after we had returned to the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was just ambling around the stream at the end of the cove (Jarvis and
I chose to avoid the stream this morning for our morning walk and to carry bear
spray –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and have Clarice watching from
the boat with radio contact if she saw something – and Jarvis was back on his
leash with his bear bell). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also watched an eagle swim to shore near the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eagles will sometimes catch fish that are too
heavy to allow a water take-off so they hang on to the fish and paddle with
their wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen videos of this
before but it was pretty cool to watch in real life. When he reached shore he
had about a 12 inch flounder or halibut that quickly became dinner. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipa-iUyIvEyKQx-NldMUCdFfPyB3jNjiS8pIW2Pik-qX8266RY5Mjj8lwnDOU4K_FgpOvbiPWhZbiw0DrYYH2G23413Z1VW4MT8Ai5uxAFv7hCweeS22gTp2bsVPMopb64IbHEi4tk9T05/s1600/bear+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipa-iUyIvEyKQx-NldMUCdFfPyB3jNjiS8pIW2Pik-qX8266RY5Mjj8lwnDOU4K_FgpOvbiPWhZbiw0DrYYH2G23413Z1VW4MT8Ai5uxAFv7hCweeS22gTp2bsVPMopb64IbHEi4tk9T05/s320/bear+crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hopefully the next bear will be closer for a better photo (but still far away for safety)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq60N64kSh094Mhji3Vl0Q541dFdBfLuxkBsKOlzrdvk6nss50ZRLKHayIrnIImiMAFA2btIUPeb-wOn1dfcegSr7aELJ19zsz3iLkH50JJdgTNFDTHpZ3flgCX-kHxq95opUCn1OFu6GQ/s1600/DSCF9288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq60N64kSh094Mhji3Vl0Q541dFdBfLuxkBsKOlzrdvk6nss50ZRLKHayIrnIImiMAFA2btIUPeb-wOn1dfcegSr7aELJ19zsz3iLkH50JJdgTNFDTHpZ3flgCX-kHxq95opUCn1OFu6GQ/s320/DSCF9288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Matthew's Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGU6fNdo7emHVCwrhTNGomFpuy0rrBK3DDnjGktQI7edJLbKpIQiRxsAO3q0vhAmdLSszUwPRMq45E4QxDNqYZMXixXdgcNNnCjFdPDVW8O9hf96sfiq0qkUZ-B04H8cisk9i-QXTVwQe/s1600/DSCF9292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGU6fNdo7emHVCwrhTNGomFpuy0rrBK3DDnjGktQI7edJLbKpIQiRxsAO3q0vhAmdLSszUwPRMq45E4QxDNqYZMXixXdgcNNnCjFdPDVW8O9hf96sfiq0qkUZ-B04H8cisk9i-QXTVwQe/s320/DSCF9292.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Matthew's Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro11Dr0P6RM76Xi0G1alJi40J7Y_htozJhGzMoJROoGB0XiMjKBCTrBcyMtV2wGYvClpxidssXmq4aj8ICE-Z_4C9gvwv20jVCMctKVkS5WHv1NVlH_v_I03ioOSQccMqGos1Lc9Zz_JX/s1600/DSCF9321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro11Dr0P6RM76Xi0G1alJi40J7Y_htozJhGzMoJROoGB0XiMjKBCTrBcyMtV2wGYvClpxidssXmq4aj8ICE-Z_4C9gvwv20jVCMctKVkS5WHv1NVlH_v_I03ioOSQccMqGos1Lc9Zz_JX/s320/DSCF9321.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Matthew's Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXXEk9ZsbOjSfFmqd2FUOxFGsvy04sX0cxHTDFjPoHM5rZPXEqCRGf1Q1OKsOCRM_CFOp41yQyPDUn2o7t2ZlJ-GCLEy40zDX0hmOw3kBiq6_HuAf5HMD8hQ1R995j9Lj0tzdVZxC2nkq/s1600/DSCF9342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXXEk9ZsbOjSfFmqd2FUOxFGsvy04sX0cxHTDFjPoHM5rZPXEqCRGf1Q1OKsOCRM_CFOp41yQyPDUn2o7t2ZlJ-GCLEy40zDX0hmOw3kBiq6_HuAf5HMD8hQ1R995j9Lj0tzdVZxC2nkq/s320/DSCF9342.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Matthew's Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Life on Board:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of the time in the Salish Sea we anchored for a day or
so and then were back at a dock with an inexpensive electrical power connection
and water supply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here even the marinas
may or may not have power and often the fees are quite high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With more and more time spent off grid we are
developing a pattern that seems to best use our on-board resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Electrical power: When we are off shore power and not
generating our own electricity we pull from two large deep cycle battery
banks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a forward bank with about
1200 amp hours of capacity and an aft bank with about 600 amp hours of
capacity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We charge them one (or all) of
3 ways: 1) we have solar panels on the roof of the pilot house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the disadvantage of not being
tilted toward the sun but are designed with micro grooves to pull some sun from
the off angles more efficiently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
been pleasantly surprised how well they work in these high latitudes and forgot
to consider that even late at night we are often making a few free watts as the
sky is light about 23 hours a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
a sunny day we can put off a generator run an additional day just with the
boost from the solar panels. 2) If we are running the main engine its 160 amp
alternator is able to push a lot of power back into the batteries depending on
the number of hours we are running. 3) We are finding that if we run our
generator for about 2 hours on a typical morning it will replace about 24 hours
of typical battery use and wash and dry a load of cloths.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Water: We have tankage for 260 gallons of fresh water which
last us at least 2 weeks of unlimited usage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most marinas have water on the dock and we always top off before we
leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are in a clean anchorage
(minimal silt and/or oily scum) then we run the reverse osmosis (RO) watermaker
during our generator run which also helps with load control for the generator.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heat: When we are underway we heat using heat from the main
engine as there is a heat exchanger in our hydronic heating system that
transfers the heat to the circulating water. At anchor we heat with the diesel
furnace during the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At night we are
choosing to only heat our berth to save diesel and batteries (Jarvis and I both
have electric pads we sleep on as Clarice likes a really cool bedroom).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fruits and Veggies: Clarice has figured out that apples,
oranges, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and potatoes hold up quite well in the
lazarette which is kept cool by being down in the seawater so she buys those items in bulk when we find a sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For fresh greens we have been quite
successful growing a mini garden on the back deck which produces enough to make
fresh salads about twice a week (thanks to that 23 hours of daylight
again).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally when we are in town we
pick up whatever else we need at the local grocery (and close our eyes as we
check out to not see the total costs).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AEXsdiLJMDbQKEICfKuyO6XqImQ1FYFZAqnKqUJS8jwrMNZVeVrocNOM2Y5YxV_loQtN8UI5aj_OLqaSbktwNc3uzxFTxv4ZrfarW1pJKvFs3ojO2aojLIEBHxbvQRBJyecNPbVWuFBw/s1600/DSCF9356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AEXsdiLJMDbQKEICfKuyO6XqImQ1FYFZAqnKqUJS8jwrMNZVeVrocNOM2Y5YxV_loQtN8UI5aj_OLqaSbktwNc3uzxFTxv4ZrfarW1pJKvFs3ojO2aojLIEBHxbvQRBJyecNPbVWuFBw/s320/DSCF9356.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Milk: On one of the trips to Seattle we purchased a 50# bag
of powdered milk from a restaurant supply store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have found that if we mix the milk with
water using a bar blender that the milk tastes very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also found a glass 2 qt bottle to store it
in – initially we used a plastic bottle but could not get it clean enough and
the milk soured early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice has found
that if she buys Nido brand powdered milk that it has enough fat in it to allow
her to make her own yogurt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Breads: Clarice has really gotten into making bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have everything from homemade bagels, to
sourdough, to English muffins, to breakfast scones with eggs, cheese and bacon
bits in them. Again, bringing a 50# bag of whole wheat flour north from the restaurant
supply in Seattle has saved a lot of money (and thanks to a lady at church who
gave us a good sourdough starter).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sleep: Previous owners had installed blackout curtains on
the 3 skylights in the berth where we sleep – they are a necessity here as our
brains simply can’t get used to the hours of daylight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Entertainment: We download a lot of books on our Kindles
when we are in port and usually there is a book exchange at most marinas where
we swap books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also download movies
from Amazon and Netflix onto our iPad when we have internet service and then
watch them when we are ready.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Internet / phone: We have a phone plan with a LOT of GB of
data included.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been surprised at
some of the places in the middle of nowhere where we get a good signal.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jarvis: Jarvis has gotten a lot less fussy about using his
pad to pee on but we still have to take him out as he won’t ask unless he is in
misery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t like it when water
comes up through the scupper onto the deck where his pad is usually located
during rough weather so we have to move it up to the protected Portuguese
Bridge when the going gets rough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
DOES NOT like to poo on the pad so we have to watch him when he hasn’t been to
the beach in a while and if he pants and/or shivers, take him to his pad until
he produces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise he likes having a
captive audience to lie next to and just hangs out until we make landfall and
can take him to a beach. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Travel: One change I've noticed is that now that we have done our 3 day/2 night run in good and bad seas, distances seem shorter and we are much less bothered by rough water. It was good to get over that hump. We seem to be gaining more comfort with a travel style that allows for longer stays in port or at an anchorage if we want to see more rather than feel like we always need to keep moving.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All is well as we continue towards Valdez.</div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-74717766555461147112018-05-16T22:58:00.000-07:002018-05-21T09:11:27.569-07:00Spring Cruising Begins<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are those that say you should never start a journey of
any importance of Friday – much less Friday the 13<sup>th</sup> but for better
or worse that’s what we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>April 13,
2018 we slipped our moorings in Sitka and headed to Olga Strait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our friend Elizabeth stopped by for final
hugs on her way to work and our radio pals wished us the best as we reached the
limits of the VHF repeater and then the first sight we saw of Sitka back in
September when we arrived became the last sight before heading behind the first
of many islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a comment to
someone about the “three months” we had spent in Sitka and Clarice quickly
corrected that it had been nearer to eight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps that says everything about our stay – we had held some
trepidation about how long the winter would be in a small Alaskan town and
instead the time passed faster than we knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So with the sky now being light before we get up at 6 AM and remaining
light when we go to bed at 9:30 PM we are eager to continue our adventure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had been told that Deep Bay, just past Sturgis Narrows
might have Dungeness Crabs in it so after passing through the narrows during the
slack tide we turned in for our first night at anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did find a couple of crabs in our trap
after a long walk with Jarvis on the river delta at the head of the bay on low
tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely day with lots of
sun but the snow still lingered on the beaches. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbFckpaNpEclIpbvAEgnUmWjwb5Hqc9LsHfC3DcWY6DAQe9_cG-w7gPl_aw0ISMOXiIDr2739lyGUNEYGyjNq2q7mT3S-PPRHdpkOgwhAa4bajVzGDcCvn0q4e_zR5f341hTZpJB7j8Zy/s1600/DSCF7409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbFckpaNpEclIpbvAEgnUmWjwb5Hqc9LsHfC3DcWY6DAQe9_cG-w7gPl_aw0ISMOXiIDr2739lyGUNEYGyjNq2q7mT3S-PPRHdpkOgwhAa4bajVzGDcCvn0q4e_zR5f341hTZpJB7j8Zy/s320/DSCF7409.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back out on Chatham Strait</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh8QRbYC82PfXZNPEH7jAgv-JI5HtkqaWMEnIwGSwT1v_bLY7MgJXrNLIeo2lvOBYLei-UBq6jd0vEQRnuWAYWSP8-v0ndCvuFUOBh7F1XYfvnQ8OfaFnO0-FiDLRXAuAj3nGCvwV75fN/s1600/DSCF7454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh8QRbYC82PfXZNPEH7jAgv-JI5HtkqaWMEnIwGSwT1v_bLY7MgJXrNLIeo2lvOBYLei-UBq6jd0vEQRnuWAYWSP8-v0ndCvuFUOBh7F1XYfvnQ8OfaFnO0-FiDLRXAuAj3nGCvwV75fN/s320/DSCF7454.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our few orca sightings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomqwc4HYG8h0mRo9-hWEAfd8eFQqndj40zlzbodLIsEi01N15aR9VTmXVYfwMlthJpO8GrhOFgP2Kl3N-uIFgYYxsSEsgEI_pI2a7_kKUHJ-G99SsSaXomUVaKUVRkf7pwLMdUH29cGad/s1600/DSCF7469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgomqwc4HYG8h0mRo9-hWEAfd8eFQqndj40zlzbodLIsEi01N15aR9VTmXVYfwMlthJpO8GrhOFgP2Kl3N-uIFgYYxsSEsgEI_pI2a7_kKUHJ-G99SsSaXomUVaKUVRkf7pwLMdUH29cGad/s320/DSCF7469.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Baranof Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Jac3QFW-Ibglc8kA_qSyCZKc3-yfVnA2NHIfvhxX7oUsPFx5BoLTnmhWsXn0shBSeO02cHsMn72Bh-_S8GoGsPQJjN7UCSWh3PNAsCkzZRjkik4GKwqawgcUMnPav8dbXoD72RIzSkI3/s1600/DSCF7504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Jac3QFW-Ibglc8kA_qSyCZKc3-yfVnA2NHIfvhxX7oUsPFx5BoLTnmhWsXn0shBSeO02cHsMn72Bh-_S8GoGsPQJjN7UCSWh3PNAsCkzZRjkik4GKwqawgcUMnPav8dbXoD72RIzSkI3/s320/DSCF7504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had never taken time to visit the Native Village of
Angoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we headed across Chatham
Strait we were able to reach a local sail boat on the VHF radio who explained
that entering the east side of the peninsula that Angoon sits on to reach the
village docks was not advised in a displacement boat on an ebb tide as the
currents were quite swift and rocks very plentiful. After some discussion we
decided to anchor next to the new Alaska State Ferry Dock on the Chatham Strait
side of the peninsula behind some small protective islands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We launched the dingy and carried our bikes
to dingy docks conveniently co-located with the ferry landing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then rode our bicycles the 2.5 miles to
town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the buildings on the way
to town were well kept and fairly new but a fair number of the buildings in the
village itself were boarded up and/or in poor shape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked to the historic Russian Orthodox
Church that is now boarded up and starting the process of returning to the
soil.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLc5WrBb5t6zr0d9f4_rSeUa5w13yDQ-JU3ZWuC2Csc-5-UiXhxv1B-ozQ6fdMh1ojlW8F0rko2Tl8esQ9FoCrwiezFoLBGFpF6P7HZ7j0lLVs4Rd4uR67kdojQSoWicIRcXnsyhQhCxb/s1600/IMG_1127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLc5WrBb5t6zr0d9f4_rSeUa5w13yDQ-JU3ZWuC2Csc-5-UiXhxv1B-ozQ6fdMh1ojlW8F0rko2Tl8esQ9FoCrwiezFoLBGFpF6P7HZ7j0lLVs4Rd4uR67kdojQSoWicIRcXnsyhQhCxb/s320/IMG_1127.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatham Strait side of the Village of Angoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PxO42FCHHBPQ1T4iAIx77XrFeax0WX_2d7hHecjOmQYdZwffb4XT9HMLj12RylxZkLXf97eehC75C0dweDhrBEFu0mSEm8avHFJgu8dZdZSBdyYeE5owo2Z48ZqjeSAhSM3yet60PPtP/s320/IMG_1128.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking from the Russian Orthodox Church back towards the bay side (east side) of Angoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PxO42FCHHBPQ1T4iAIx77XrFeax0WX_2d7hHecjOmQYdZwffb4XT9HMLj12RylxZkLXf97eehC75C0dweDhrBEFu0mSEm8avHFJgu8dZdZSBdyYeE5owo2Z48ZqjeSAhSM3yet60PPtP/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PxO42FCHHBPQ1T4iAIx77XrFeax0WX_2d7hHecjOmQYdZwffb4XT9HMLj12RylxZkLXf97eehC75C0dweDhrBEFu0mSEm8avHFJgu8dZdZSBdyYeE5owo2Z48ZqjeSAhSM3yet60PPtP/s1600/IMG_1128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uu5xBQ1AVdqBY_1c55ny1oX5PVhTWoze0MmMxTERa94PHlnMV0V6Vjd6O3vka5UmuMUEU1eW1wyO0QmarOCnVJxBXu_t4s1ZCjG6cpmNIbGSI8MaMNU6byugGb-qzXEjAI9IWWIDSdOx/s1600/IMG_1130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uu5xBQ1AVdqBY_1c55ny1oX5PVhTWoze0MmMxTERa94PHlnMV0V6Vjd6O3vka5UmuMUEU1eW1wyO0QmarOCnVJxBXu_t4s1ZCjG6cpmNIbGSI8MaMNU6byugGb-qzXEjAI9IWWIDSdOx/s320/IMG_1130.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking over the Village of Angoon towards the Russian Orthodox Church. Grave crosses on the hillside and in the forest beyond the church.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day in Sitka a new skiff arrived at our dock and we
invited the young couple who owned it over for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They explained that they were permanent staff
at a fish hatchery on the eastern side of Baranof Island and had come to town
for one of their few outings to the “big city”. Their names were Emily and Jon
– more about them and young folk like them later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to take them up on their
invitation to visit the hatchery for our next stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They showed us around the operation and
explained that it is the largest hatcher in North America producing several million salmon a season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many
of the salmon they release in the bay where they are located but even more are
taken by boat or plane to other bodies of fresh water and released.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the lakes where they are released
have waterfall outlets that the salmon can’t return back up so they make a
one-way trip as smolts down the falls (or in one case, down a water slide) and
then go to sea to grow for four or five years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When they return the plan is that natural predators and human fisherfolk
will eventually catch them all. The hatchery is owned by a private
not-for-profit company that makes its income by charging the fisherfolk for the
hatchery grown fish they catch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
identify the fish they “bar-code” their otoliths (ear bones) by varying the
temperature of the water they are raised in soon after they hatch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each hatchery has a specific code that can be
interpreted under a microscope and then the number of fish interpolated and the
hatcheries paid accordingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently
the fisherfolk feel they get a good deal and plenty of stock in easy to catch
locations and we the consumers have plenty of wild raised salmon to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a dinner of fresh caught BBQ shrimp
tacos we slept soundly at the hatcher dock and then moved on the next day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosN1kFeuJ7t8rYx3_YWDn4oM809-enQ2hiV2Bfxj9VUgzThkoBuPjwtr5y9VTGeMEmMhzzcZHTRw9-bXinV067J1Wne2DVcmrysq30qeX8iKfF-MU5Wd9M63H4rKDvWAv3CuX1vt8wukL/s1600/DSCF7489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosN1kFeuJ7t8rYx3_YWDn4oM809-enQ2hiV2Bfxj9VUgzThkoBuPjwtr5y9VTGeMEmMhzzcZHTRw9-bXinV067J1Wne2DVcmrysq30qeX8iKfF-MU5Wd9M63H4rKDvWAv3CuX1vt8wukL/s320/DSCF7489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Hidden Falls fish hatchery dock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrkHO7e8exxWUem486CGux4Kl47qlTX9JhMbhn4iTvDd2texJxHCfCoQ01bytnbn7LxSoZVrjjT2QgJEhE6eQ1b3JRMEHFb_nnA5QfwMVWeqzmynH-0useSXJ5_CMJkD6N0i7EpPbLaga/s1600/DSCF7492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrkHO7e8exxWUem486CGux4Kl47qlTX9JhMbhn4iTvDd2texJxHCfCoQ01bytnbn7LxSoZVrjjT2QgJEhE6eQ1b3JRMEHFb_nnA5QfwMVWeqzmynH-0useSXJ5_CMJkD6N0i7EpPbLaga/s320/DSCF7492.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry to Hidden Falls hatchery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoKN7x2O5lJMhhcXwHwVI6sJgxfV51-jDehJ_HuFrXiLLBeN4pkDfGU6CBtlaA0iSl4UlaEY15kdERDeTGndUwpITtp4p1s9q0fMOsslwAUZ-m6Q2mRgMDUPRX8Ap1aHXPi23CeWwZVz9/s1600/DSCF7498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoKN7x2O5lJMhhcXwHwVI6sJgxfV51-jDehJ_HuFrXiLLBeN4pkDfGU6CBtlaA0iSl4UlaEY15kdERDeTGndUwpITtp4p1s9q0fMOsslwAUZ-m6Q2mRgMDUPRX8Ap1aHXPi23CeWwZVz9/s320/DSCF7498.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily and Jon's house at the hatchery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkaf72Tm1aeO4L_SImd-ckqdqf5AfUXM-nI8F-ImuO46YqM50MFTrHtGKgjcCHx3t5MlrmOQfAPG3iaiwLfbCTvp8a2fhb_jDXyZtXKW6SdN3vJYu6-7aPRgRrba0K00HGcaUklI-w71J/s1600/DSCF7501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkaf72Tm1aeO4L_SImd-ckqdqf5AfUXM-nI8F-ImuO46YqM50MFTrHtGKgjcCHx3t5MlrmOQfAPG3iaiwLfbCTvp8a2fhb_jDXyZtXKW6SdN3vJYu6-7aPRgRrba0K00HGcaUklI-w71J/s320/DSCF7501.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidden Falls hatchery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our next plan was to spend enough time at Baranof Hot
Springs to be able to really enjoy the springs and to explore the area a
bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On arrival we walked up to the lake
that supplies the waterfall which still had a layer of ice over all except the
exit stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really rather
beautiful with the surrounding mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We laughed when we learned that row boats and canoes grow on trees (or
so it appeared the way the locals stored their craft for the winter).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our way back down the hill Norman took
time to soak in the natural hot springs pools next to the hot spring source of
the village’s warm waters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIWPKqbdXnsBVBB8JRjvFzcyDYNi6eoXtkhMqc7W669YgtzYC3BPgpUyfi_GuUPrjpxQUbI6aJ55fXkV1zxIXMi5qaK8eyuISmUyI33oZcC_HBObVP2DSQqtIPhplv9FnQ8e08PwhB7ml/s1600/boat+tree+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="971" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLIWPKqbdXnsBVBB8JRjvFzcyDYNi6eoXtkhMqc7W669YgtzYC3BPgpUyfi_GuUPrjpxQUbI6aJ55fXkV1zxIXMi5qaK8eyuISmUyI33oZcC_HBObVP2DSQqtIPhplv9FnQ8e08PwhB7ml/s320/boat+tree+crop.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently boats grow on trees in Alaska (or their owners only want to carry them up to the lake one time and choose to store them this way over the winter)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRID7v4GaAicmFNOfge8a8yIvhQ9QTt1t5kA63w91AjR8OmQ_Hu_qCE82Hab3foU_qjr805I_L5dewEtqW4fLSoxCYrgGxtILQJ9gk_F66RTSf0MAmCU_D8hzZM5XgCpn_21noU4KotwPF/s1600/DSCF7555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRID7v4GaAicmFNOfge8a8yIvhQ9QTt1t5kA63w91AjR8OmQ_Hu_qCE82Hab3foU_qjr805I_L5dewEtqW4fLSoxCYrgGxtILQJ9gk_F66RTSf0MAmCU_D8hzZM5XgCpn_21noU4KotwPF/s320/DSCF7555.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baranof Lake above the hot springs (still mostly ice covered)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAHQtRV4jQ8GkH-e0Ys1EazWv2jWlscgm9q8v0xKhi8-oQa9P-m_tgFsMXtSyhor1xrjxK-a2oC8ygM9K3aVAjOxbDpk54rjEfTKnNCueNzPBC6CCy2W6IcbSMSdeuKau1IExuI_WCxp9/s1600/DSCF7576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAHQtRV4jQ8GkH-e0Ys1EazWv2jWlscgm9q8v0xKhi8-oQa9P-m_tgFsMXtSyhor1xrjxK-a2oC8ygM9K3aVAjOxbDpk54rjEfTKnNCueNzPBC6CCy2W6IcbSMSdeuKau1IExuI_WCxp9/s320/DSCF7576.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice enjoying the sun at Baranof Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5gYeZN3HfV6juwAWYUEz866ceheqfyTTfVjxFa_fiWXCy8K3JTb4fzKyiDsT7RY-pqn_IOy2cfgDEs-JFCPiB9KQsrE-sNnpbnUu-k9nReVjMAsPAOkrn1BYfr2D06fhOF8qTRhFIMQm/s1600/DSCF7587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5gYeZN3HfV6juwAWYUEz866ceheqfyTTfVjxFa_fiWXCy8K3JTb4fzKyiDsT7RY-pqn_IOy2cfgDEs-JFCPiB9KQsrE-sNnpbnUu-k9nReVjMAsPAOkrn1BYfr2D06fhOF8qTRhFIMQm/s320/DSCF7587.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family "selfie" at Baranof Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyVuL65kXNyQifShhigxEqXXFRggEOZjSepLxngsRZHq2SgUGCDXMgLaIUO_9AJDR7x1jOJD3wQLB5NBV-a6Rq3AScePxT8IJ_rsLjpQgCVNj8gUYj5ynB9o57tDfPKrrqdB5qq-8Xapm/s1600/DSCF7604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyVuL65kXNyQifShhigxEqXXFRggEOZjSepLxngsRZHq2SgUGCDXMgLaIUO_9AJDR7x1jOJD3wQLB5NBV-a6Rq3AScePxT8IJ_rsLjpQgCVNj8gUYj5ynB9o57tDfPKrrqdB5qq-8Xapm/s320/DSCF7604.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural hot spring pool next to the river outlet from Baranof Lake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We met a
young couple with their one and three year old children that served as this
winter’s caretakers for the homeowners association.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They explained that after sailing for years
across the open seas they didn’t find staying at a cove with only a very rare
visitor to be too much of a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For lunch and dinner we were invited by the caretakers of the fishing
lodge next door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2-6ITaVcBcmYrvKFWK-OnUmD02TcNlfyV31LUTrekqB4tfP_ckyD86OnQG3VLXNF_2Krby0J7o9_RwoxNWnXRWGqtcee5t_wJ8utb12B7gv5wcKcIfEYDtD5UFUU1HgQ9R_Iku065VSH/s1600/P4180119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2-6ITaVcBcmYrvKFWK-OnUmD02TcNlfyV31LUTrekqB4tfP_ckyD86OnQG3VLXNF_2Krby0J7o9_RwoxNWnXRWGqtcee5t_wJ8utb12B7gv5wcKcIfEYDtD5UFUU1HgQ9R_Iku065VSH/s320/P4180119.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Baranof Hot Springs Potluck breaks up for the night</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
During the day we
launched the kayaks and rode the rising tide into a tidal lagoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to leave before the tide changed
and learned a lot about paddling against a strong current and using back eddies
for rests until we eventually paddled clear of the entrance slot.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5Jg5O7nElg92iTkKTgvo1gsumIHkSoSHceEt_m4_b8rpilMCgK8y3Hl3z8A0qVqy7N6fLRYUa4br6Loe06DsagPHxb2DjK9eQ4hDgQDVMywLcOlVj-eufyz4pNpKdFG_fRkiVagwzfxg/s1600/P4175433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5Jg5O7nElg92iTkKTgvo1gsumIHkSoSHceEt_m4_b8rpilMCgK8y3Hl3z8A0qVqy7N6fLRYUa4br6Loe06DsagPHxb2DjK9eQ4hDgQDVMywLcOlVj-eufyz4pNpKdFG_fRkiVagwzfxg/s320/P4175433.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jarvis navigates as we head through the channel into the tidal lagoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlCNjLl2I6-vs0NNXngmU0diHh6T6GjgMfEUOaiIwVoNl_sweq_GTOF0FlmNIVeHfY5tgW7Qc7f2z8omRbmxVArJ7QH_5Z0qCINdjVzCADXi7gbb-xSIbSlRNZQGwpP1q_xNOP8Xk5HBj/s1600/P4175435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlCNjLl2I6-vs0NNXngmU0diHh6T6GjgMfEUOaiIwVoNl_sweq_GTOF0FlmNIVeHfY5tgW7Qc7f2z8omRbmxVArJ7QH_5Z0qCINdjVzCADXi7gbb-xSIbSlRNZQGwpP1q_xNOP8Xk5HBj/s320/P4175435.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice rides the incoming current into the lagoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKImbCWUUXYh5KZEnoCIIM2dqq8xoQEk8kfY2rbrVdtwTjZ3lp71P953-RSP1QdV71DaCnRV-XSTmwqmkanQE6tU7JAAcXwz93RFMLpxyGFmZDSbwkMJdpPf-G5rArlp1t2dfRq7W7ua7/s1600/P4175448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKImbCWUUXYh5KZEnoCIIM2dqq8xoQEk8kfY2rbrVdtwTjZ3lp71P953-RSP1QdV71DaCnRV-XSTmwqmkanQE6tU7JAAcXwz93RFMLpxyGFmZDSbwkMJdpPf-G5rArlp1t2dfRq7W7ua7/s320/P4175448.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside of the tidal lagoon off Warm Springs Bay (Baranof Hot Springs)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3diTAxMVilFv37gU5O7khH6ExZXjkJOb8DXPxsJei2HXKaKXhmnHj_NHAKMJBNYM4nueuDUDJpTA923SmkQjwAWGFaknJQr5hABKf_Zlwsekc_RPIDDiaA933JHoJpC3nhMJWhaD25oD7/s1600/P4175452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3diTAxMVilFv37gU5O7khH6ExZXjkJOb8DXPxsJei2HXKaKXhmnHj_NHAKMJBNYM4nueuDUDJpTA923SmkQjwAWGFaknJQr5hABKf_Zlwsekc_RPIDDiaA933JHoJpC3nhMJWhaD25oD7/s320/P4175452.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the current to let up so we can exit the lagoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Before the
evening was out a couple that run deliveries to these scattered outposts with
their retired army landing craft pulled in to get out of the weather. Speaking
of the weather, after it being sunny and warm for two days we planned to leave
the next morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke to rain and
decided caution would suggest listening to the weather forecast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems a nasty cold front is bringing gales
for two days and so we decided to sit tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When two much larger commercial craft joined us we knew we had made the
best choice. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
April 20, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today the weather turned for the better and Lituya left
followed shortly by us with both boats headed to Petersburg about 9 – 10 hours
away. Lituya is owned and operated by Hillary and Chase who join a number of
young couples we have seen who have joined together not only as a couple but
also as business partners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily and Jon
at the Hidden Falls Hatchery are another such couple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were in Sitka our friends Jacquie and
Zack are another such couple who recently purchased a fishing boat, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">FV Axel,</i> as their family business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hillary and Emily especially stand out as
they are both very petite (and Hillary even has the blond hair and blue
eyes to carry out the "full ultra-petite look") but after watching Hillary handle the lines on their landing
craft I would not suggest asking her to arm wrestle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same goes for Emily whose husband proudly
tells the story of her bagging her first mountain goat after climbing a
trailess mountain requiring crampons and ice-axe and then carrying the 125
pounds of meat down the mountain on her 95 pound body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The characteristic that all of these young
men and women share that stands out to us is their self-confidence – these are
“strong women” (and men).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clarice
commented that she has noticed that they are comfortable joining in
conversation with folks of any age group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I once commented that seeing kids from high school on up that appear
comfortable with themselves without feeling the need to dress up or make sure
their makeup was on just right before leaving the house has been
refreshing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These “kids” are the future
of Alaska and they are taking it seriously as demonstrated by Jacquie and
Zach’s involvement in the local seafood cooperative and Jacquie’s getting involved in reaching out to get training for the next
generation of fisherfolk (we simply saw too many women involved in the trade to
think “fishermen” is the correct term anymore).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXy5T6TVRtA-JjOQL5mA4bchnCT_EMrGaLAxsZykacmbZ13AQIU4M_SBVBv8oonxXbwVMy2Nn6I9HYEBJnwv6DRAxDgTMdXqI7QfRy3W4LsQrTZBUV9SZ63aQSB-rciEBRYF3FlUyrEHm/s1600/DSCF7623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXy5T6TVRtA-JjOQL5mA4bchnCT_EMrGaLAxsZykacmbZ13AQIU4M_SBVBv8oonxXbwVMy2Nn6I9HYEBJnwv6DRAxDgTMdXqI7QfRy3W4LsQrTZBUV9SZ63aQSB-rciEBRYF3FlUyrEHm/s320/DSCF7623.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hillary and Chase in front of their landing craft Lituya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM_iaOE9DU9ejVWBdO0PY1JEK6axWwEGKQZfTsSgNlcwre7gW43_OqbKY9DScNrHg5PQxOfrNoCPsxpYEYXD8dAw3q3blZR66yd15fmJsemekzsabV_hNeeSBqbr-Hj8aQ1C_y8eTLavl/s1600/Jacquie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggM_iaOE9DU9ejVWBdO0PY1JEK6axWwEGKQZfTsSgNlcwre7gW43_OqbKY9DScNrHg5PQxOfrNoCPsxpYEYXD8dAw3q3blZR66yd15fmJsemekzsabV_hNeeSBqbr-Hj8aQ1C_y8eTLavl/s1600/Jacquie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacquie and Max on the family fishing boat Axel (<a href="https://www.alaskagoldbrand.com/2014/09/18/family-friendly-seafood/" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">https://www.alaskagoldbrand.com/2014/09/18/family-friendly-seafood/</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> ) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrOFWViubhDVW3-ayt6aHT-Plph3aY0FhZsy3weMt0q6S0YL7AhTy-q9O5-D2bLgz_1wMwOAeFx339X4LFdMrHONnxS2rN3-NUxuuQlYC4RCJCdPdUhI156MQ_war304hJ29hwLAKYgvs/s1600/Zack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="819" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrOFWViubhDVW3-ayt6aHT-Plph3aY0FhZsy3weMt0q6S0YL7AhTy-q9O5-D2bLgz_1wMwOAeFx339X4LFdMrHONnxS2rN3-NUxuuQlYC4RCJCdPdUhI156MQ_war304hJ29hwLAKYgvs/s320/Zack.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zack and Max on the family fishing boat Axel. (<a href="https://www.alaskagoldbrand.com/2014/09/18/family-friendly-seafood/" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">https://www.alaskagoldbrand.com/2014/09/18/family-friendly-seafood/</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> ) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
April 26, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a fair weather run to Petersburg we watched heavy rain
for 3 days. We didn’t exactly sit as there were indoor places to visit and
stores to check out but it was not what we had hoped for as Petersburg is a
lovely little Scandinavian village at the north end of Wrangell Narrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had made a special effort to go there as
we had nice memories of the place from visiting for the Nordhavn rally in 2015
and wanted to get a chance to check out favorite sites and to see new
ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did visit the local Episcopal
Church on Sunday morning with its tiny congregation. We immediately recognized
Heidi from a discussion with her the day before about some luggage we need to
get repaired but I kept feeling that I should know her from something
else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally put it together that
she was one of the primary hosts for all-things-Norwegian during the Nordhavn
rally (providing meals, leading dances and dancers, etc).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was good to get a chance to enjoy her and
the other folks company. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally the weather broke on Wednesday and we planned to
leave fairly early but we still had not had a chance to check out the south end
of Mitkof Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was walking Jarvis
when Chase from Lituya drove by and stopped to say hi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later in the morning he took Clarice and I
for the tour we had been hoping for. Mitkof Island was well worth the effort
and along the road we saw our first black bear (rather than Alaskan Brown Bears
that are common on Baranof Island), a cow moose walking in the road and a
couple of dear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Since leaving Sitka we
have seen our first pod of Orca, Dahl Porpoises playing in our bow wake, geese
flying north in huge Vs, and mountain goat since our trip began.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are currently heading out of Tracy Arm. Tracy Arm is a
bit of a gem well known to folks in SE Alaska but not well known elsewhere as
it is not a national park or monument.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It IS an incredible fiord that has two tidewater glaciers at the far
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we visited in 2000 we followed
the advice of locals and took time to go into Tracy Arm on our way to Juneau
and have always considered the side trip to be one of the highlights of the
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were a bit concerned as there
were low clouds and rain when we pulled anchor this morning but the clouds rose
and rain stopped and the “WOW” factor began as we travelled up the fiord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chart shows water over 1000 ft deep only
yards away from 1000 ft tall cliffs and higher mountain tops on both sides of a
channel so narrow that when we were here in 2000 a cruise ship had to radio and
ask us to take the inside of one curve as he could barely make the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where we saw two tiny dots on the
cliffs that turned out to be a pair of mountain goats and twice we watched dramatic
ice waterfalls come down the cliffs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
South Sawyer Glacier was pretty impressive but we were limited in how close we
could get as the channel in front of it had a solid layer of ice for some
distance out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our memory was that the
North Sawyer Glacier could be seen from the main channel when visited 17 years
ago but this time all we could see was a steep walled curving channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our way back out we turned into the
channel and passed over a bar that was located where we remember the glaciers
snout to be in 2000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We continued on for
another 1.5 miles, past the point where the glacier was charted to end on our
2015 charts and came to the snout; it was well worth the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun was trying to break through and the
ice bergs were spread out enough that we could get as close as we wanted to the
intense blue ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The canyon walls
themselves were quite dramatic as well having only recently been exposed after
being scraped by the ice. In the end we agreed that Tracy Arm is in many ways
much more dramatic than the much more storied Glacier Bay National Park.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdkyk6reooNWmVSTzihAhrkn_O21iTD0vhNHzghR72AOiVDwZ_WKnvyF-YBNIrYVncFDwMi-Lt2emfc2OSqwamprymxdYE4aSrQZgMjkkiTYIZ6ufS9JWzUw-A0aRhsfeN9wcoKqxcWXi/s1600/Tracy+Arm+glacier+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdkyk6reooNWmVSTzihAhrkn_O21iTD0vhNHzghR72AOiVDwZ_WKnvyF-YBNIrYVncFDwMi-Lt2emfc2OSqwamprymxdYE4aSrQZgMjkkiTYIZ6ufS9JWzUw-A0aRhsfeN9wcoKqxcWXi/s320/Tracy+Arm+glacier+close+up.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracy Arm North Sawyer Glacier closeup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIAFYZXRs3GpJ_idjxsjNzgSON9WdBc-KgHV7Wv5l-YcIC7eCf15gV4xALbLSACDzAW5wWCc8mQ1676rx8AiuzmRJ46dNwCwt5UMHZSS3syYC25Q8havSxIxdmOJcIuh264mY7RKKQsvF/s1600/Tracy+Arm+glacier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIAFYZXRs3GpJ_idjxsjNzgSON9WdBc-KgHV7Wv5l-YcIC7eCf15gV4xALbLSACDzAW5wWCc8mQ1676rx8AiuzmRJ46dNwCwt5UMHZSS3syYC25Q8havSxIxdmOJcIuh264mY7RKKQsvF/s320/Tracy+Arm+glacier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracy Arm North Sawyer Glacier</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwF_wQzQF2WJGISZ9Lh8QXvevUr8DSuxVWLecb5nrhpczV3nzdKZMMUdAQRKHxWT__JuPSn1rSAuwLoDjrdnAZxRTLIH9p256kwWPxbXV5zGGqh4HRurpHjgwZZKMW00laLNdGtbtmCi1/s1600/Tracy+Arm+goats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwF_wQzQF2WJGISZ9Lh8QXvevUr8DSuxVWLecb5nrhpczV3nzdKZMMUdAQRKHxWT__JuPSn1rSAuwLoDjrdnAZxRTLIH9p256kwWPxbXV5zGGqh4HRurpHjgwZZKMW00laLNdGtbtmCi1/s320/Tracy+Arm+goats.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracy Arm mountain goats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May 2, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We visited Juneau for several days (a bit longer than we had
planned due to foul weather and looking for a lost piece of mail). We rented a
care with 213000 miles on it (that sounded like a logging truck until it warmed
up) and made runs to several stores for provisions and other supplies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On April 29<sup>th</sup> we drove to the
south end of town (AKA: Cruiseshipville) and noted that it was still pretty
vacant except for a few establishments setting up their wares and doing
employee training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On April 30<sup>th</sup>
we visited again when the first cruise passengers of the year were
disembarking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t understand how
every cruise port can support several blocks of jewelry stores but they
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked into several stores and
looked at watches and was immediately accosted by at least three salivating
salespeople per store eager to practice their newly memorized scripts about how
wonderful their brand of watch was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was fun to be in a “big city” for a few days but even better to move on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today our plan was to return to an anchorage that holds very
fond memories from our trip in 2000. We first had to find the entrance and
since GPS coordinates were just finding their way into guide books and weren’t
always accurate it was a bit of a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We remember going through a “J” shaped narrow channel against a fairly
strong current to get into a totally enclosed bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were hundreds of salmon jumping all
around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we couldn’t figure out
how to catch any a commercial fishing boat tossed us two fish out of sympathy.
Clarice had made a note on our chart, based on her guide book research, to only
enter on a high slack tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived
early (at the now correctly charted entrance) and looked at the current through
the binoculars as we motored past a couple of times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our final decision was that a 60,000 pound
boat with a top speed of 9.5 knots just doesn’t maneuver like a very light 25
ft boat with a top speed of 18 knots and that we would need to either wait for
full slack or it would not be prudent to try entering. Instead we travelled a
bit further north to a well protected bay where we can enter or exit on any
tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since we have been here we went ashore in the dingy and
enjoyed the beach (especially Jarvis) and checked out some old logging
equipment abandoned from days gone by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Later I took the dingy for a fast ride around the bay and once again was
glad we had purchased the newer, lighter, and bigger boat before we left
Everett. It was fun to zip along and then when a small creek or flock of birds
caught my eye to slow down and take a closer look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One group of white “rocks” also caught my eye
and I couldn’t tell from the water if they were covered with guano (but why
would the birds only choose to poop on one set of rocks??), or a grounded
iceberg, or???.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally pulled ashore
and walked over to discover that there was a natural outcropping of white and
gray marble that had been smoothed by the water to look just like melting
icebergs. Its these little discoveries that break up the times of boredom that
make this adventure worth doing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May 13, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After our night at anchor described in the last entry we
moved on to the town of Haines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting
into the marina was a bit of a challenge as the wind was blowing at about 15
knots and wanted to push Salish Aire’s bow anywhere but into the assigned
slip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about five tries and with
calm support of my deck crew and the harbormaster we got her settled in and
tied to the dock without hitting anything or anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wind was just the warning of what was to
come with 20 knots steady and 25 knot gusts the next couple of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally got a break in the weather on
Sunday May 6<sup>th</sup> and headed up the final short distance to
Skagway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Haines held fond memories for us from our visit in 2000 as
it was one of the few towns in SE Alaska that have not sold their souls to the
cruise ship companies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this trip we
had planned to spend some time touring on our bicycles but the wind and rain
made that idea not sound entirely fun so instead we hired a local tour guide
who gave us a generous guided ride around town in his van (it was good practice
for him as well with the tourist season just about to ramp up).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned that there is a Chilkoot River and
a Chilkat River with Haines on a peninsula between the outflows of both. The
Chilkoot River is fairly short and small to the north of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Chilkat River is interesting in that it
carries so much sediment that it’s delta extends outward at a rather fast
pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The river and the mountains around
it can be seen as stand-ins for the Tiaya River and Chilkoot Pass for the
Disney movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">White Fang.</i> (The
original movie set was moved to the Haines fairgrounds where it stands today
making a viewing of the movie mandatory while we were there to see if we could
pick out the landmarks and buildings.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clarice lived with Nancy Bayer while she was in nursing
school in Seattle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nancy is a native of
the Juneau-Douglas area and now lives in Fairbanks and remains a very good
friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For years she has talked with “sparkles
in her eyes” and written with “glitter jumping off the page” about her family’s
cabin in Atlin British Columbia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have
always wanted to see this place of wonder after hearing and reading about it
for 40+ years so we rented a car in Skagway and drove up over White Pass into British
Columbia Canada then swung north into Yukon Territory Canada and back south
into British Columbia and finally arrived at Atlin town on Atlin Lake where we
were greeted by Nancy’s sister Susie and her husband Jerry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of the shortest 150 mile drives I
have ever done because the weather was perfect (we both ended up with sunburns)
and the scenery so spectacular. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Atlin
was the sight of a “gold rush after the gold rush” and continues to produce a
lot of the yellow metal even today. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
the stampeders to Dawson discovered that all of the claims had been staked on
the Klondike River they heard about a new strike in Atlin and headed
south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today the active claims move
mountains of gravel with heavy machinery but are reported to be finding enough
gold to make it well worth their time. Atlin Lake itself is simply incredible
to see and the town was fun with its long gold rush history. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3hyphenhyphenJqByhTVZhO_jZmqSP5YNXwwZMcCzgbNmC6fc8geDNJha29Oc0Q9jARnYkxkqGPyyg8bl6lxmWVNBIKH-p4yGiRZcIagFv2G9ugBb1pEpPl1IbSLYWGkHHNZvRl1Ce6pJQyT9rRGT3/s1600/DSCF8162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3hyphenhyphenJqByhTVZhO_jZmqSP5YNXwwZMcCzgbNmC6fc8geDNJha29Oc0Q9jARnYkxkqGPyyg8bl6lxmWVNBIKH-p4yGiRZcIagFv2G9ugBb1pEpPl1IbSLYWGkHHNZvRl1Ce6pJQyT9rRGT3/s320/DSCF8162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road to Atlin - White Pass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wlPdM5uPVFcZPHQw4NQ2zPd5AIVaMgB0L9mmMg_lMi3D2daVRj_eFje1sPNQqQi3Rld0nAvBVexgyBPNlns-B0MctLDEUmE768631tkdVgNK6DpVVe2OJ85cCtMrdBXsIhwog8lt6m4K/s1600/DSCF8165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wlPdM5uPVFcZPHQw4NQ2zPd5AIVaMgB0L9mmMg_lMi3D2daVRj_eFje1sPNQqQi3Rld0nAvBVexgyBPNlns-B0MctLDEUmE768631tkdVgNK6DpVVe2OJ85cCtMrdBXsIhwog8lt6m4K/s320/DSCF8165.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road to Atlin - White Pass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5w6PQMROXxgJK9M_DL1ZQtwfwlOyJTPmTs82nj2fvzFmDWzq4uKVFtDbrfVLI1YHWOl4uAv11vDLLlBCe5nRJ7r7i0WqDjJBWe-JX6lLEPm-RPDzkNYzD7Y3p8Bjk2Fk4QdRcW4RwH0Z/s1600/DSCF8171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5w6PQMROXxgJK9M_DL1ZQtwfwlOyJTPmTs82nj2fvzFmDWzq4uKVFtDbrfVLI1YHWOl4uAv11vDLLlBCe5nRJ7r7i0WqDjJBWe-JX6lLEPm-RPDzkNYzD7Y3p8Bjk2Fk4QdRcW4RwH0Z/s320/DSCF8171.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road to Atlin - White Pass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUULHuFMPiU_1NsmWqrh6gts0Zzkmiv0nsorqlCKx1IAbO2x_ETgL7Spj6i7UVTRCFL9pbBWOzpanSZzOH1NDNcZffY8KpcvHiQxiHcJ4m9JQEavbKiqRoV1-ahaSaSPW46QRT2fo48axI/s1600/DSCF8188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUULHuFMPiU_1NsmWqrh6gts0Zzkmiv0nsorqlCKx1IAbO2x_ETgL7Spj6i7UVTRCFL9pbBWOzpanSZzOH1NDNcZffY8KpcvHiQxiHcJ4m9JQEavbKiqRoV1-ahaSaSPW46QRT2fo48axI/s320/DSCF8188.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road to Atlin - wild flowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8P20f7_7La4-Vfj3PZu-1D-OFjNT965x76XDhCZaAbRJ7ganvsnoH-944CbEGk1X94rs7Nqbm-rGuxjjWQYf0oIdynV5qve7b487bvuFxf9TjwSBudfsoHCF952cJ21EpRH0W-2Y6BhU/s1600/DSCF8220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB8P20f7_7La4-Vfj3PZu-1D-OFjNT965x76XDhCZaAbRJ7ganvsnoH-944CbEGk1X94rs7Nqbm-rGuxjjWQYf0oIdynV5qve7b487bvuFxf9TjwSBudfsoHCF952cJ21EpRH0W-2Y6BhU/s320/DSCF8220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Road to Atlin - 2 Moose (one is in the brush and barely visible)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJM8J0RsPGUYZjqoronOoR1GPVba3goNCAJqz0nmlHX68uDVv7_7wpnVAzebpHkz_DF2oQZ1eW2LCMk88YfYvd18nYLSVeGr-mIS5P7hNhZt4wJQTNz3ob8U5UXoYmrmAIevyI_dAaeFJ/s1600/DSCF8225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJM8J0RsPGUYZjqoronOoR1GPVba3goNCAJqz0nmlHX68uDVv7_7wpnVAzebpHkz_DF2oQZ1eW2LCMk88YfYvd18nYLSVeGr-mIS5P7hNhZt4wJQTNz3ob8U5UXoYmrmAIevyI_dAaeFJ/s320/DSCF8225.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice and Susie explore downtown Atlin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOqGIOflS0SgnZObu8DkRIwmxLBs7BY_u6Si8SuiK7PAYU3RQD-ibAU84ap6YkmX_x2K18ToZLYbtmIH0euC8CJMKXb9V-rdx290IJ4MId9G6iOmD5l4c3czVGSepbN5jMjFIykk7dcJF/s1600/DSCF8231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOqGIOflS0SgnZObu8DkRIwmxLBs7BY_u6Si8SuiK7PAYU3RQD-ibAU84ap6YkmX_x2K18ToZLYbtmIH0euC8CJMKXb9V-rdx290IJ4MId9G6iOmD5l4c3czVGSepbN5jMjFIykk7dcJF/s320/DSCF8231.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from main street in Atlin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDK1G5q0ROKFF8zhh1nGlKPEkw-Eg9qsHN7rWZ-GOFKnk_txzGYlgiHO02UdNdSdrGdZndu7nOeSi3mO1ls_4FprwdzTdYjgf2UDqZxJB_ubRZNRqdCoSe1Ri-IWw22_pTRchn0zL7-G3R/s1600/DSCF8240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDK1G5q0ROKFF8zhh1nGlKPEkw-Eg9qsHN7rWZ-GOFKnk_txzGYlgiHO02UdNdSdrGdZndu7nOeSi3mO1ls_4FprwdzTdYjgf2UDqZxJB_ubRZNRqdCoSe1Ri-IWw22_pTRchn0zL7-G3R/s320/DSCF8240.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlin Lake from Atlin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jQ3lxqFLCyxzu0NvmLoT3bIx590iif2PsC0kCPESGHsaNymJVxXWf6JTZ8Kx3H4E0_o-JRKsrjaE_ytW_RExiC0YcTVM_W6gQpqFOyxoZdaWJ5cNeuDM8AFgOqkg0yA2Ce7OYU69q6RI/s1600/DSCF8253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jQ3lxqFLCyxzu0NvmLoT3bIx590iif2PsC0kCPESGHsaNymJVxXWf6JTZ8Kx3H4E0_o-JRKsrjaE_ytW_RExiC0YcTVM_W6gQpqFOyxoZdaWJ5cNeuDM8AFgOqkg0yA2Ce7OYU69q6RI/s320/DSCF8253.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold claim posts (likely they represent the corner of 3 active claims)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVxDk6IeBQNdsP2KNtEzu6UW4uL6joIMIMG814baw-iNr6ItWl5aUMjT1D6SPUCO74KF_rw8j1BBrMvFkK-Eh_0PiR9fxSRzrY9QAD59xnUcZrdi6sL4AhA4e0xjUZzsNXmYB0Ncu2dcg/s1600/DSCF8258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVxDk6IeBQNdsP2KNtEzu6UW4uL6joIMIMG814baw-iNr6ItWl5aUMjT1D6SPUCO74KF_rw8j1BBrMvFkK-Eh_0PiR9fxSRzrY9QAD59xnUcZrdi6sL4AhA4e0xjUZzsNXmYB0Ncu2dcg/s320/DSCF8258.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original miners' cabin and lake boat abandoned in Atlin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another bucket list item for me (Norman) has been to ride
the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon Railroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The railroad was built in a short 26 month time span (can you imagine
even getting permits in 26 months nowadays) up over White Pass and made the
Chilkoot Pass and White Pass trails no longer necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The track width was designed and built at 3
ft (rather than the standard 4 ft 8 inches) to save cost and very importantly
to allow the trains to turn sharper corners that were blasted out of the sheer
cliffs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at the track today I
kept expecting to see a Disneyland train show up rather than full sized engines
and railcars (one of the railroad employees told me that they don’t find the
trains any more top heavy despite the narrower wheelbase).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike many gold rush era railroads the
company made money, and continues to make money, first moving stampeders and
their supplies, then road building supplies for the Alaska Highway along with
military supplies in WWII, and finally now is strictly a very busy tourist
railroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They pull most of the trains
with legacy diesel engines but also have two steam engines (currently getting
refurbished) that most summers run the route and until 6 years ago pushed the
working steam powered snow blower over the pass.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTnIcvBpg05CJm_wFqaJ3FXT0iyblgLfr_zL5Np1qBr705zeDhKSgDdXHHtWXRmhL4gvGPON_oE-eSL0LkAkSaOttD3Ow1bMCjn7FO5rkdFVSQtCulIwxNict2XdASNn0Oqi2iuJxPpQA/s1600/DSCF8305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTnIcvBpg05CJm_wFqaJ3FXT0iyblgLfr_zL5Np1qBr705zeDhKSgDdXHHtWXRmhL4gvGPON_oE-eSL0LkAkSaOttD3Ow1bMCjn7FO5rkdFVSQtCulIwxNict2XdASNn0Oqi2iuJxPpQA/s320/DSCF8305.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginning of the fabled Chilkoot Trail to the gold fields of the Klondike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dPdznIsMEAhDykxdp3j-Fi7FC_YuOCVzzTma5GApIkN3l2RqDFv-IM3r3UC6lFmwfg3oREt6UBCQDykeb65ihBX1yXxGOqWvqwHJt2sSunZECiWhZEPtiT0J3jmO0ue2_PpozWP4P5p7/s1600/DSCF8308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dPdznIsMEAhDykxdp3j-Fi7FC_YuOCVzzTma5GApIkN3l2RqDFv-IM3r3UC6lFmwfg3oREt6UBCQDykeb65ihBX1yXxGOqWvqwHJt2sSunZECiWhZEPtiT0J3jmO0ue2_PpozWP4P5p7/s320/DSCF8308.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chilkoot Trail follows this valley up to the Chilkoot Pass over the mountains in the distance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7n7dMP8ElLl5bXRBexL_mHIx4VGiQo3w38sd7X3zk3Fj5dKZhfUGmzV_X95KsXHhazdFSB0TeBodFUtmOzdahQsgcXTg1DkoaYZG3EhBG5q9FlJEGXEVJPHcXsOjgy8YCrmWvj7eJvY7/s1600/DSCF8392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7n7dMP8ElLl5bXRBexL_mHIx4VGiQo3w38sd7X3zk3Fj5dKZhfUGmzV_X95KsXHhazdFSB0TeBodFUtmOzdahQsgcXTg1DkoaYZG3EhBG5q9FlJEGXEVJPHcXsOjgy8YCrmWvj7eJvY7/s320/DSCF8392.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Pass and Yukon Railroad taking us up into the clouds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-kbEYyWn0p1TnV4Wmm6vdp5OtgO6OS2Zaodo3VEktKblgcbE3tXN8kyP60gAalX6vOatZTCB898-ZAQxVnQa1JHeY9F_Ae-0I_cqTnsnFKIR7SgMPgPSxBUb9O_ZzdOCNVEcrOhbGiqj/s1600/DSCF8447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-kbEYyWn0p1TnV4Wmm6vdp5OtgO6OS2Zaodo3VEktKblgcbE3tXN8kyP60gAalX6vOatZTCB898-ZAQxVnQa1JHeY9F_Ae-0I_cqTnsnFKIR7SgMPgPSxBUb9O_ZzdOCNVEcrOhbGiqj/s320/DSCF8447.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The WP&YR cars are kept cozy with oil stoves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TH8rDXEm4btsjvORxJW_qgV63sx8YECfFci7vtgrUjr5krqdHSXD4ujEznc-xJrvarDciM6Pig78od_6G0mkviAciTn4vfBafA5Lq1q4-szAdqCjBNf5fTjveMA4O65qfU6B0d0wZdDy/s1600/DSCF8467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TH8rDXEm4btsjvORxJW_qgV63sx8YECfFci7vtgrUjr5krqdHSXD4ujEznc-xJrvarDciM6Pig78od_6G0mkviAciTn4vfBafA5Lq1q4-szAdqCjBNf5fTjveMA4O65qfU6B0d0wZdDy/s320/DSCF8467.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exiting one of the two tunnels on the way to White Pass</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4tljClmp7mHgb18TvIvTRajXRiJ687DEy-00lz25v9nRh_0r_3ji2MCzjtdBJpsm14J3OTNLbncWEW6IuvxANQdxVr2eQgquS8377qTqto_m1KwdH89FLnbBwwvlPSOjNB_6tTiKvUW7/s1600/DSCF8488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4tljClmp7mHgb18TvIvTRajXRiJ687DEy-00lz25v9nRh_0r_3ji2MCzjtdBJpsm14J3OTNLbncWEW6IuvxANQdxVr2eQgquS8377qTqto_m1KwdH89FLnbBwwvlPSOjNB_6tTiKvUW7/s320/DSCF8488.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bridge is no longer in use but considered to be an engineering marvel (it is now bypassed by a shorter bridge and tunnel)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uJ5FkmKDMets24COBGorOVA00E0p5LnH3KIhepZoMMLVfOkKz1PjUQcQtTX5j6oilGdm4iMj01sxyvs99v4TLYbIug75lLWN9VSs0rdh5T-APHOx0zVXjRtebVaAaUsPtRtwW4jHHY0w/s1600/DSCF8532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uJ5FkmKDMets24COBGorOVA00E0p5LnH3KIhepZoMMLVfOkKz1PjUQcQtTX5j6oilGdm4iMj01sxyvs99v4TLYbIug75lLWN9VSs0rdh5T-APHOx0zVXjRtebVaAaUsPtRtwW4jHHY0w/s320/DSCF8532.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The border of the USA and Canada at White Pass</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBvIIe2UmeOPJ_S8ad5hobQlB1nBRP44ZK-g7A5K_KZLbWKFDRaeIYvHcszq9sY2ccgWzXqgHqW29xvp-Vd9T9mPSRdJqnuZxS4o3V0RkBcpMw_Ivxj5xras5P-BVRL6n2szBAt3NMo50/s1600/DSCF8619+edit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1600" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBvIIe2UmeOPJ_S8ad5hobQlB1nBRP44ZK-g7A5K_KZLbWKFDRaeIYvHcszq9sY2ccgWzXqgHqW29xvp-Vd9T9mPSRdJqnuZxS4o3V0RkBcpMw_Ivxj5xras5P-BVRL6n2szBAt3NMo50/s320/DSCF8619+edit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back down the valley to Skagway</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjwRgbKW2AARLj-eCjdX_3vTAAh14TRTi8gyke3tiIu-HvLlvSzAEKQsUjrx7AA8EDw3s8LYEAn9cexS1j1ux_Hb62tNhvZZRp26rUd9loDnPPcEJFxG0X23JMEM5X-3lSY3wqPLeuHco/s1600/DSCF8632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjwRgbKW2AARLj-eCjdX_3vTAAh14TRTi8gyke3tiIu-HvLlvSzAEKQsUjrx7AA8EDw3s8LYEAn9cexS1j1ux_Hb62tNhvZZRp26rUd9loDnPPcEJFxG0X23JMEM5X-3lSY3wqPLeuHco/s320/DSCF8632.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final bridge over the Skagway River on our way back down to town.</td></tr>
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We enjoyed hiking the hills around Skagway as well as
visiting the historic buildings and seeing the start of the famous Chilkoot
Trail but we keep asking how much jewelry can the cruise ship passengers buy? The
clerks in the seasonal tourist focused stores really need to learn that
pouncing on every potential customer can lead a lot of us to avoid walking in
the door. After staying in Skagway for a week (primarily due to more high
winds) we jumped at a short weather window to start moving south today with the
goal of getting out of the Lynn Canal wind funnel while there is a half-day
lull forecast. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The plan is to get to Juneau sometime this week and pick up
our final supplies, fuel, and crew member before meeting Dale and Glenda
Findlay on Nordhavn 43 Serenity in Hoonah next Sunday in preparation to cross
the Gulf of Alaska together.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
May 15,2018<br />
<br />
Finally: Enjoy some humpback whale photos we took as we sailed into Juneau.<br />
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<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2763982641031147562.post-50184609799541587522018-04-11T20:25:00.002-07:002018-04-11T20:25:45.151-07:00Preparing for Spring and Summer Cruising<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 28,
2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We now have
a some dates and a plan for our Spring cruising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the number of herring boats has not
been what it was in the past our slip in front of the Totem Inn serendipitously
remained available for our use until the end of April.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have promised to vacate by April 31<sup>st</sup>
but will likely leave on or before our current payment period ends on April<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>20<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still have a number of sights we want to
see in the northern part of SE Alaska so we plan to cruise the protected waters
until we meet up with Dale and Glenda Findlay on Nordhavn 43 “Serenity” in
Hoonah for a May 20<sup>th</sup> departure for Prince William Sound<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the Western edge of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Gulf of Alaska.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We enjoyed
our visit with our grandson Etienne and his mother Elise for the past 5
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly the weather only partly
cooperated but they were able to enjoy an overnight trip with us to Goddard Hot
Springs and to see whales in the distance and to appreciate the mountains that
surround Sitka.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdJMYALroVStPEZIN3_0CilhldjBslUyMKD-DWsy85-WuKfmyKdk8GX6udfI6iiI9K46WP3rZue41aWhRUvdCIXxuzkfg9hnTWaJ-IHrEbZZ_2uUPY3i8s_CjgdE-8q6BvCJOD2lSnppE/s1600/image3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdJMYALroVStPEZIN3_0CilhldjBslUyMKD-DWsy85-WuKfmyKdk8GX6udfI6iiI9K46WP3rZue41aWhRUvdCIXxuzkfg9hnTWaJ-IHrEbZZ_2uUPY3i8s_CjgdE-8q6BvCJOD2lSnppE/s320/image3.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etienne and Norman spent a night ashore in Tom Young Cabin at Goddard Hot Springs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etienne enjoyed a teenager sized burger at The Bay-view Pub</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prior to
their arrival we had been diving and per our usual routine checked the bottom
of the boat on our way to the surface. Much to our surprise and chagrin we
noticed that the rubber liner of ourstrut mounted cutlass bearing for our wing
engine propeller shaft was partially protruding out of the front of the
assembly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cutlass bearing is a water
lubricated bearing with an outer shell of bronze and an inner rubber liner that
supports and maintains the alignment of propeller shafts. The bearing was still
intact enough so that the prop shaft did not vibrate and cause any damage but
it was clear it needed to be replaced as soon as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmU2b3WjaGN8ika6iJ2n1KPDCp64boeofngccQskWejX1a4xvtYBrZZNkVenvxBOpaZwXloWZ3EksiSU5ZHZE5CMntbE3Uh11phqnuEzuMOMRU8FMUf6KTkSpWqBlN-sIxwZIxviIfwH2/s1600/P3165364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmU2b3WjaGN8ika6iJ2n1KPDCp64boeofngccQskWejX1a4xvtYBrZZNkVenvxBOpaZwXloWZ3EksiSU5ZHZE5CMntbE3Uh11phqnuEzuMOMRU8FMUf6KTkSpWqBlN-sIxwZIxviIfwH2/s320/P3165364.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The black rubber bearing liner was protruding from the front of the bearing strut.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We have never replaced a cutlass bearing
before so we did our internet research and asked lots of questions around town.
We did find a shop that normally carried the bearing we needed but his stock
was depleted. He did assure us that he could likely have one in within 3 days.
We also learned that for $400 we could order a device for removing the bearing
without removing the prop shaft, only the propeller itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we will likely only use the tool one
time we decided to make one rather than buy the professionally created
device.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGRZ5DxLhyQryiB9KvoFTGUaTzC8ksUSbw3YVD3cK93Pc9M9I57lDrkB5adPWiYZRUCBU9r2c9kP4XM9omJGKShm43COEa34IxiOTouI82Av0DCix_sqwgEWaZGW2r3ojSQ9n75Q_RBY8/s1600/P3225383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGRZ5DxLhyQryiB9KvoFTGUaTzC8ksUSbw3YVD3cK93Pc9M9I57lDrkB5adPWiYZRUCBU9r2c9kP4XM9omJGKShm43COEa34IxiOTouI82Av0DCix_sqwgEWaZGW2r3ojSQ9n75Q_RBY8/s320/P3225383.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The home built bearing removal tool.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Finally we had all of our parts
and tools in hand and the tides looked like they would cooperate so we put the
boat on the Sitka tidal grid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tidal
grids are fairly common in British Columbia and Alaska where 14 ft tides are
common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A set of beams is set on the
beach next to a dock or bulkhead where boats can be tied securely so they don’t
topple as the water drains out from under them and leaves them high and dry on
the beams on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tidal grids are
effective, simple and inexpensive (in Sitka $10/day + power at $5/day compared
to the hundreds of dollars charged for a haul out in a sling.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpahepQCtSn_G4EF2YEPe-oy_rCNuJVGlJKFweOPoQdxKM5s-T1_cmRTGHqVT3bDYPhlkbG7S73NP4fd9pc2C6LmtoB_dTWRwwbHxPZZQzDxCpQWGeMDjO8lk8XMmOhIyHkUAUlZcQkjg/s1600/P3220096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpahepQCtSn_G4EF2YEPe-oy_rCNuJVGlJKFweOPoQdxKM5s-T1_cmRTGHqVT3bDYPhlkbG7S73NP4fd9pc2C6LmtoB_dTWRwwbHxPZZQzDxCpQWGeMDjO8lk8XMmOhIyHkUAUlZcQkjg/s320/P3220096.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the tidal grid for one of the three low tide cycles the job took us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /> The down side is
that “tide and time wait for no man” so the time you have to access the bottom
of the boat is limited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SE Alaska has a
diurnal tidal cycle with two highs and two lows each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually on set of highs and lows is less
extreme than the second. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had hoped
that the tool would be uber effective <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
the bearing would pop right out and the new one back in and within a single low
tide cycle we would get the job completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The folding prop came off fairly easily with the puller set we have
on-board but it went downhill from there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVof-oyooU3QqdKSUtKycUIRG2_7NPCkxpn1TirrOUYR0RwNJH0Xr9H2iIgbp4HzpmEsByb5Aa0Prkd7z7-tDr9JCWV06ZgrkXK2NWIc4cuAr-Gz4DNKxP3m7dveuILoxaSVfqHqrijvA/s1600/P3220093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVof-oyooU3QqdKSUtKycUIRG2_7NPCkxpn1TirrOUYR0RwNJH0Xr9H2iIgbp4HzpmEsByb5Aa0Prkd7z7-tDr9JCWV06ZgrkXK2NWIc4cuAr-Gz4DNKxP3m7dveuILoxaSVfqHqrijvA/s320/P3220093.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice cleaning the folding prop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The tool I had made of 3/8 steel plate bent without moving the old
bearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kept trying until we were
cold within our dry suits<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with the water
up to our waists so we gave up and went to bed at about 11 PM. We slept poorly
as we had to keep checking the lines as the boat moved up and then back down
next to the pier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the next low cycle
we were able to finally remove the original bearing by cutting at it with a
hack saw, beating it with a chisel, and using the puller tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We literally were ready to give up and wait a
week or two when it decided to pop out a bit with a final “hail Mary”
tightening down on the puller nuts followed by a heavy whack with a brass
hammer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had kept the new bearing in
the freezer overnight hoping that it would contract a bit (there is no dry ice
or liquid nitrogen available in Sitka) which seemed to help until it warmed up
with about ½ of the bearing still sticking out of the strut and the tide
rapidly rising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxYuRfYUfeSHkKwOlFG_IE5JvoV91380OnNC2nPxTcr27unjqzpbcwus_mXt8-RKj3kMKQBCEHDS-FuKf_jrHSp5PssQuz_fA4DaXNachvbS6Jktklvr1Q3Jv28RrNOSpqgzX7tLK9TID/s1600/P3225386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxYuRfYUfeSHkKwOlFG_IE5JvoV91380OnNC2nPxTcr27unjqzpbcwus_mXt8-RKj3kMKQBCEHDS-FuKf_jrHSp5PssQuz_fA4DaXNachvbS6Jktklvr1Q3Jv28RrNOSpqgzX7tLK9TID/s320/P3225386.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />New bearing partially installed when the tide rose too high to continue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3-7RX0CbOPVCmXZdnfPgHKS4amSuLbk4rt8RS-iK1pyoD_2Zy4EEzFwpWZhyphenhyphen1Ik25cgGZ7QnPecp-TfVqiMjT2jXD18J4WyK0H2jnfKONqvb50-aR7Z3vXoGfeOkat1wt1oO472zcRfF/s1600/P3225388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3-7RX0CbOPVCmXZdnfPgHKS4amSuLbk4rt8RS-iK1pyoD_2Zy4EEzFwpWZhyphenhyphen1Ik25cgGZ7QnPecp-TfVqiMjT2jXD18J4WyK0H2jnfKONqvb50-aR7Z3vXoGfeOkat1wt1oO472zcRfF/s320/P3225388.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is about the water level where we would start and end our work cycle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69ny_8kuXSL6UYT7ViVGU6gWJ019AtnNIg-cNYWNkf28L1NtTuP5wpbQU_VetzU7AlCx-Ah_k5tY-hQ5e0Dy-CaMAHaDoIic_j56IJ6KbnRdxJZE2JMT8Ro5eo-iv6GRwweRcntd7nFaV/s1600/P3225389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69ny_8kuXSL6UYT7ViVGU6gWJ019AtnNIg-cNYWNkf28L1NtTuP5wpbQU_VetzU7AlCx-Ah_k5tY-hQ5e0Dy-CaMAHaDoIic_j56IJ6KbnRdxJZE2JMT8Ro5eo-iv6GRwweRcntd7nFaV/s320/P3225389.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even in our SCUBA dry suits we were very cold by the end of the tide cycles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />I spent the high tide
cycle rebuilding the tool so it was better suited for installing (rather than
removing) the bearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rebuild
included doubling the 3/8 in steel on one end and using ¼ inch stainless for
the other end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the next low tide
(which wasn’t low enough to even drop below the bottom of the keel) we finally
were able to get the new bearing in place by tightening the (now grade 8) bolts
until the stainless was flexed and then hitting it with the brass hammer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prop was replaced and we exited the waist
deep water about 11:30 PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next high
tide lifted us free about 4:30 AM and we headed back to our berth before we
were stuck on the grid for another 24 hours as the next high would not have
been high enough to lift us free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
end we decided we hope this bearing lasts another 22 years and if it doesn’t
the next time we’ll spring for the $400 tool.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 6,
2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Final
preparations continue for our spring cruising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have changed the oil in the wing engine and generator as
planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also got concerned about our
generator seeming to run at the maximum allowable temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After taking the heat exchanger apart and
some other troubleshooting I finally gave our friend from Northern Lights a
call before I changed the thermostat and coolant temperature sensor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bob was patient as usual and understood my
troubleshooting but told me before I went any further to make sure and look for
corrosion in the connections between the generator and the control panel as a
known symptom of poor connections with this particular machine in a high
reading on the temperature gauge and a low reading on the oil pressure gauge.
Sure enough I pulled apart the connection he referred me to and it was tied in
the not-recommended position (so it was more likely to get moisture in it) and
found classic signs of corrosion. Cleaning the connection seems to have fixed
the overheating<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>problem which was not
really a problem at all. We did end up with fresh coolant as part of our spring
preparations as a result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6J9MLG1T_SNjvE6QrOqGqHkISyoWxjvhX7xdgtmWVSNjqEQ-UvhA9WljikVasNwQO71BQd3j6mRmPv9nNtT9d5SHCPJAVzmu60Her4OeRx0Zl8uQbNtiyiDTORp1SCag1cswhH7vuVb8/s1600/IMG_1115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6J9MLG1T_SNjvE6QrOqGqHkISyoWxjvhX7xdgtmWVSNjqEQ-UvhA9WljikVasNwQO71BQd3j6mRmPv9nNtT9d5SHCPJAVzmu60Her4OeRx0Zl8uQbNtiyiDTORp1SCag1cswhH7vuVb8/s320/IMG_1115.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corrosion in a connector was the basis of our false temperature readings. Thank you Lugger Bob!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our preparations also included buying immersion suits after we were reminded in a Coast Guard Auxiliary class we took that we had always planned to get them before our first outing significantly off shore. (In the case of being in the 50 degree F water they can keep a user alive for 10 hours rather than the normal 1 hour.) It's always interesting to spend $650 buying something you pray you never get to use.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNUwhQaJk_YIdNfArNG6NGElRy7z97xJCYQlNxsxE58EbvgxFGx-Kzj7jxJkdfMLvR5n0Nh9FnBSM-vgxMrgH8l8FoqHh24a4gNVqOJNwWSGqCl6kxzg4NHAVc2c1J4ezd52ZK60jggwS/s1600/immersion+suits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNUwhQaJk_YIdNfArNG6NGElRy7z97xJCYQlNxsxE58EbvgxFGx-Kzj7jxJkdfMLvR5n0Nh9FnBSM-vgxMrgH8l8FoqHh24a4gNVqOJNwWSGqCl6kxzg4NHAVc2c1J4ezd52ZK60jggwS/s320/immersion+suits.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying on the immersion suits in the local marine store before purchasing them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Clarice
spent about a week waxing the hull to what she considers an acceptable
shine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is it goes much
faster now after she has worked on it for several years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bad news is that the positions and arm
work she does leads to significant joint pain for a few days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RNiR7vpkRPs4DvzP3nUexjb2dgTM4Q_sxhIGGAF1rEDo8t_LOf6cQOQilqAJq3BeekQ1WBD-q9OkSgDZHqee8AwlYFnyq-H1nDmyqulkOXQbOSjjN_W2DSl_KiThfLDwnsppDU2wTvGa/s1600/DSCF7288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RNiR7vpkRPs4DvzP3nUexjb2dgTM4Q_sxhIGGAF1rEDo8t_LOf6cQOQilqAJq3BeekQ1WBD-q9OkSgDZHqee8AwlYFnyq-H1nDmyqulkOXQbOSjjN_W2DSl_KiThfLDwnsppDU2wTvGa/s320/DSCF7288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clarice ended up with belly bruises from leaning over the edge of the dock but she got the boat done "her way".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />In the
ongoing saga of the Hurricane furnace we believe that maybe, just perhaps,
finally, the gremlins have been exorcised from it. It ran almost continuously
for the past 2 months since we installed a new control board and only asked for
a nozzle cleaning yesterday (after shutting itself down correctly when the
flame wouldn’t light rather than dripping diesel all over the engine
room).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good news is it has kept us warm
through our Alaskan winter when we didn’t have enough shore amperage to keep
the electric heat on all of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
bad news is it isn’t the most efficient furnace in the world as a lot of heat
goes out the exhaust pipe resulting in a lot of diesel burned while we sat at
the dock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are now
going through final stocking of consumable items and long term purchases we
have been putting off such as immersion suits in case the worst happens and we
get dunked into the Gulf of Alaska for an extended time. Today a store in town
had a produce sale and Clarice bought everything she thought she could store
successfully (the sale was such a big deal that there was a line up at the door
when she arrived at 6 AM – and the produce manager reported that even though
they had planned ahead that the spoilage on the barge ride from Seattle had
reduced the inventory noticeably).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
loaded 8 gallons of motor oil that costs $20/gallon here when my records show
that I paid $13/gallon at Costco in Everett before we left. We checked fuel
prices and will go ahead and top off here in Sitka before we leave as a price
check of other ports all showed that diesel costs more per gallon
elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will get a chance to stop
at Costco and Fred Meyer at some point in Juneau and that should finish our
provisioning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the
subject of the fabled Sitka Herring Roe Sac fishery where historically tens of
thousands of tons of fish are taken in a very short time to satisfy the
Japanese market for herring eggs; it was a bust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About ¼ of the planned harvest was
caught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The circus that means spring in
Sitka with boats and planes everywhere tracking and capturing the huge schools
of fish really didn’t materialize as the 40-some boats with herring permits
chose to do a cooperative fishery of uncooperative fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the income from the fish was shared
after expenses were paid to the boat owners who actually fished (you could stay
tied up in Seattle and still collect your share). The hope is that the fishes
internal guide of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when to come to shore
and reproduce didn’t match the fisherfolk’s calendars and they will still make
lots of little herrings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fear is
that the resource has been over-fished and the last great herring run in Alaska
may be going the way of the other historic runs that no longer exists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And an even greater fear is that with no
little fish around that the bigger fish and whales will stay away as well. In a
town where 99% of the citizenry is associated with fishing in some way or
another, this is a really big deal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOqK8G1nFhmaxYQOScoMyKiMbx9CBk2K_08Has6TXuyQ76gVxr5hRn7L6l0Tf495evRn6Rf46sOCygutqdnubDHHP2ds5UzGZr_XrTdd9Oxs9AR-e2xCO9i81hykivJHeB20X4YBG-VdN/s1600/DSCF7388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOqK8G1nFhmaxYQOScoMyKiMbx9CBk2K_08Has6TXuyQ76gVxr5hRn7L6l0Tf495evRn6Rf46sOCygutqdnubDHHP2ds5UzGZr_XrTdd9Oxs9AR-e2xCO9i81hykivJHeB20X4YBG-VdN/s320/DSCF7388.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One day we noticed Ida Lee was riding low in the water.<br /> Her captain told us it was a good thing as his holds were filled with black cod (AKA sable fish)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEg1v2-D4QwoKuUpYpo7fNbr0M_GQQAIj1epT7Lkc4om4xoT03tG4jzlLnKW5oE1ZzlLd5ezRTBIoxcB46hEBViXGdwTRzr9wAnT7kBke1BalWUqQ3f3WAqPuuIQ2DIgrvlj6DpF1wnwa/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEg1v2-D4QwoKuUpYpo7fNbr0M_GQQAIj1epT7Lkc4om4xoT03tG4jzlLnKW5oE1ZzlLd5ezRTBIoxcB46hEBViXGdwTRzr9wAnT7kBke1BalWUqQ3f3WAqPuuIQ2DIgrvlj6DpF1wnwa/s320/IMG_1117.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fish caught in about 3600 ft of water (over 1/2 mile of line just to get the string <br />of hooks to the bottom) await processing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixfelw8uZqGmEBULx6ZyqBtOgHhSLb4YulwKklsGAcKuHJeUhWZlegFi7KxWIsNtB0nCG9HySvFS-4ClF-uiECyeLR9WkX1g6-gr5P8_AheI2sng00-fdBzqp3f0OoElyMc0z4vyYCTur/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixfelw8uZqGmEBULx6ZyqBtOgHhSLb4YulwKklsGAcKuHJeUhWZlegFi7KxWIsNtB0nCG9HySvFS-4ClF-uiECyeLR9WkX1g6-gr5P8_AheI2sng00-fdBzqp3f0OoElyMc0z4vyYCTur/s320/IMG_1118.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cannery "slime line" where the fish heads and entrails are removed in preparation for freezing for shipment.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />On another
wildlife note the eagles certainly have been keeping us entertained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sitka Raptor Center takes in injured
raptors and those that can be released are let go in the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching them release 7 eagles (some needed
surgery, others just left the nest too soon) was impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After spending months in the indoor flight
room and then being carried hooded to the launch meadow, I assumed they would
at least take a few seconds to get their bearings before taking off but they
were off within a second or so of being let loose and into the air where they
acted like they had never been away from the wild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W7v8PlZY3Z53QqXAVDStdXy92GLkk-NuiTfl7pw1ISweUZW12ryP522MpcUs8ZqYUCR4G2bfIdQIwBRNeXPPbBudoZgWvh6_UzV4xwktMtNZhTCJX3tl7PT5rFUzBa4FJzkejq5G0GTW/s1600/DSCF7100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W7v8PlZY3Z53QqXAVDStdXy92GLkk-NuiTfl7pw1ISweUZW12ryP522MpcUs8ZqYUCR4G2bfIdQIwBRNeXPPbBudoZgWvh6_UzV4xwktMtNZhTCJX3tl7PT5rFUzBa4FJzkejq5G0GTW/s320/DSCF7100.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raptor Center volunteers and donors were given the honor of releasing the eagles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dBSSVo0l8UHEOEMioWjzq_5GQsxupHSPHMzAD0iLFhyphenhyphenzw1yv83HegTHbrOKVMmK9fPpOs9NpNdcJXsN5CHSz9ZhiZdpUQuN85uE6ia6qhgK6Hwa210nt3YTV89k81-7fKdEbWxkBq3Fg/s1600/DSCF7102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dBSSVo0l8UHEOEMioWjzq_5GQsxupHSPHMzAD0iLFhyphenhyphenzw1yv83HegTHbrOKVMmK9fPpOs9NpNdcJXsN5CHSz9ZhiZdpUQuN85uE6ia6qhgK6Hwa210nt3YTV89k81-7fKdEbWxkBq3Fg/s320/DSCF7102.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The handler removes the hood.....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj1KVMWGwdD49mkLSX6IzuiYKEveNZnlg3Rk7ddk38nbcgm8IWZ4ViaDa0s-fXX4XGnI-JkhWoxcH4etnLhhzWnnfjwH5PY20KkDuBu4PGSzj9Tw5NxVrPUAFxgLM2_cdADyKyKrp0v_s/s1600/DSCF7108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj1KVMWGwdD49mkLSX6IzuiYKEveNZnlg3Rk7ddk38nbcgm8IWZ4ViaDa0s-fXX4XGnI-JkhWoxcH4etnLhhzWnnfjwH5PY20KkDuBu4PGSzj9Tw5NxVrPUAFxgLM2_cdADyKyKrp0v_s/s320/DSCF7108.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">....the eagles quickly take wing....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCvMvJuyJB_oEdP6x7OANgMJALQ1sBHXq8lqzqUFV4jFC01xhEEZrOoUMGGWQgjVIXPV9wLK_z3fU6IccazxLMuCIFFwmYsp-CmlnV2_wScF-jnMTmbhsfeEmYIENZIXIcRwXuShYvPjp/s1600/DSCF7126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCvMvJuyJB_oEdP6x7OANgMJALQ1sBHXq8lqzqUFV4jFC01xhEEZrOoUMGGWQgjVIXPV9wLK_z3fU6IccazxLMuCIFFwmYsp-CmlnV2_wScF-jnMTmbhsfeEmYIENZIXIcRwXuShYvPjp/s320/DSCF7126.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.....and they are off to the wild.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We have also had quite the influx of eagles
outside of our window on Sitka Channel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought there were a lot when I had 15 in a single camera shot but the
locals told me that any less than 100 in sight at one time was no big
deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days later there must have
been fish guts or herring in the water as we did see TNTC (Too Numerous To
Count) eagles everywhere at once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX44GU2oVgqi0N3bFj8zZZ3DGsf6VQOwPw6DAl8IvYED3EdbxZ_KVinzFV5LYbbnMuMgsGSmLAWyYuY89By_Oh9mfF0yx5JkIPqSHTHY8xK755mLMzeCuvnBIuyacl76DZ0Lywre0DjUbd/s1600/DSCF7309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX44GU2oVgqi0N3bFj8zZZ3DGsf6VQOwPw6DAl8IvYED3EdbxZ_KVinzFV5LYbbnMuMgsGSmLAWyYuY89By_Oh9mfF0yx5JkIPqSHTHY8xK755mLMzeCuvnBIuyacl76DZ0Lywre0DjUbd/s320/DSCF7309.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I caught 15 eagles in one photo frame.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Clarice has
finally gotten bread making in the propane oven down to her satisfaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is making both sourdough and wheat breads
and having them come out nicely browned. note: I (Clarice) have managed to keep
the sourdough starter thriving (donated by a person at church), which is good
since I couldn’t seem to make my own starter flourish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXc8KTgkSUim01iLXqfQayvS7FXOrLHIdPBPscM0NERESloRprmvYIzf56Fi8EdGC-8r2GxBZGwTFgTJgTp9kZ_nr1OsXuKtuui9dmxjEgNTid_anTX9u-GiTkEc2QeEzbSEBWSgVgET8/s1600/DSCF7290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXc8KTgkSUim01iLXqfQayvS7FXOrLHIdPBPscM0NERESloRprmvYIzf56Fi8EdGC-8r2GxBZGwTFgTJgTp9kZ_nr1OsXuKtuui9dmxjEgNTid_anTX9u-GiTkEc2QeEzbSEBWSgVgET8/s320/DSCF7290.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy wheat bread</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_bq8mx-c02xhLbsFbyY4dwLfRyLfwWdaFJeTvlfOXC1NJ5SV9JflG8ZMohi2QECVwZOY3rnVyU2WDeiPLHJkxhVmLVVHoxaRx4qxvqrRjSd_NowXyhKc5uNxQB7BkAmAs-cNrzkDmXOx/s1600/DSCF7390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_bq8mx-c02xhLbsFbyY4dwLfRyLfwWdaFJeTvlfOXC1NJ5SV9JflG8ZMohi2QECVwZOY3rnVyU2WDeiPLHJkxhVmLVVHoxaRx4qxvqrRjSd_NowXyhKc5uNxQB7BkAmAs-cNrzkDmXOx/s320/DSCF7390.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One loaf of sourdough just from the oven and another ready to bake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally as
we waited to get some final mail delivered to us here in Sitka we took the
opportunity to join a kayak class in the local middle-school pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experience was great for us as we have
never been properly shown, nor had a chance to practice, exiting the kayaks
under water or re-entering them in deep water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VDJ_MkZQbPFLxwjSAW-LsneBjhTfu1CKdotF8yoy_RvYsCiCrv0LumHDPIokDc5Eq-oPHOu7iUStXw0kdlgWobeQFBZ2j3-ZHfK9UeRLI-IDAadoANW3bvgfOK0Rxg9pqJfeQq53cr8w/s1600/P4105425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VDJ_MkZQbPFLxwjSAW-LsneBjhTfu1CKdotF8yoy_RvYsCiCrv0LumHDPIokDc5Eq-oPHOu7iUStXw0kdlgWobeQFBZ2j3-ZHfK9UeRLI-IDAadoANW3bvgfOK0Rxg9pqJfeQq53cr8w/s320/P4105425.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two local women who made the class available demonstrate a self rescue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I (Clarice)
decided to add a bit to this entry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After months
spent trying to memorize a bunch of nonsensical ( to me) data, I managed to
pass the test and now have my General Ham Radio license. I don’t need it to
download weather faxes, etc, but can now communicate with people around the
world on bands that actually work. The Technician license didn’t really offer
me much in the way of bands to use for the way we use our marine High frequency
radio. Since getting a license doesn’t mean you have a clue how to use the
radio, Norman’s work is cut out for him as he attempts to teach me how to use
the it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We have
totally enjoyed Sitka over the winter. We’ve been told it was a mild winter,
which we were fine with – not too cold, not too wet and plenty of sunny,
beautiful days. There was always lots to do to allow us to get off the boat if
we chose to. The local Shark Ham Klub and St Peter’s Church have been so
welcoming. Everyone we’ve met have been so kind. We’ll miss the people that
make Sitka such a wonderful place. Many people have asked when we’ll be coming
back and have assumed we’d be here next winter. As Norman says… “better to be
missed when you leave than to have people wanting you to leave”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As much as
we’ve enjoyed our stay, I think we are both excited to get back to cruising
again and will spend the summer exploring Alaska before we decided to head
south to further adventures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2-fQzHXu9kfDUOa8TDuxqUyR0t1jJW0wwgVzeW_Zop9a0ynYebSjkugetyyfmc5XUa8N5fqics9Ux0kkP3661OFGzu3jfQMprFWQ4E_m8r1YjfGmJzAEqivhNU0tfygpg5NfU_omrjna/s1600/IMG_1114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2-fQzHXu9kfDUOa8TDuxqUyR0t1jJW0wwgVzeW_Zop9a0ynYebSjkugetyyfmc5XUa8N5fqics9Ux0kkP3661OFGzu3jfQMprFWQ4E_m8r1YjfGmJzAEqivhNU0tfygpg5NfU_omrjna/s320/IMG_1114.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crocuses are out in Sitka - its time to move on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Normanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13685071571707667345noreply@blogger.com0