BAJA--NO BETTER SUNSETS!

Grey Wolf lay on anchor in Bahia de los Angeles when Alice spied this spectacular sunset developing in the western sky.  This is just one of the several shots she got before the sun set.

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse~

Bill took his super-great 5D Canon outside on the night of December 20 to capture the lunar eclipse.  We had carted around his tripod for years and hadn't used it, so we took it HOME just this past year! He rose to the challenge of doing handheld shots directly over his head, as that is where the moon was at the point the eclipse began!

It took a while for our naked eyes to see the beginning of the shadow cast by Earth to appear on the surface of the Moon.  However, the camera was able to capture it as it began to blot out the brightly lit Moon.  This was about 11:45 PM Mountain time in Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur.

By 12:20 AM, Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice had actually begun and the Moon was slipping slowly away, with only a slice showing at the top.  Bill was having more trouble capturing the image, as he had to slow down the shutter speed to increase the visibility of the image.  It is remarkable how well he did in steadying the camera since he was pointed it straight up into the night sky!

By 1 AM the eclipse was complete and the red cast of the Moon shone down on us for quite a while.  Bill tried several shots from the dock by our boat where he had taken the other ones, but he could not steady the camera enough.  So he went up to dock ramp and braced himself against the ramp handrail to get this remarkable shot of the Moon!  It would be another 1 1/2 hours for the eclipse to reverse itself- we just went to bed at that point!  What a show!

Thoughts of Christmas from the Captain~2010



Christmas fun on Grey Wolf




Alice has been playing with her early Birthday/Christmas gift from Bill:
a new lens for her camera- a fixed 50 mm which allows her to takeclose-up shots with the blurred background you see in this photo!  It will take practice, but it will be fun learning a new technique for close shots~





CHRISTMAS?
What comes to your mind when you are reminded that Christmas is almost here?

Most people think about the amount of money that they will HAVE TO spend.  There is Mom and Dad, if you are lucky enough to still have them with you, Husband or Wife, and children of all ages.  You will do what it takes to make your loved ones happy and that is wonderful that people the world over will stop to show their love to family and friends.

But for the Christian it is a reminder of that joyous occasion when Christ first came to earth to teach and to go to the cross to pay our debt.  It was a debt we could not pay ourselves.  We now have the great joy of remembering that we are saved by simply faith that Christ CAME and died and we know we are HIS through faith only.  It has always been faith!!  Those before Christ looked forward with faith that the Messiah would come, and He has.  We now look back on the fact that He has and that is the reason we are filled with so much love at Christmastime~ because He first loved us.

Take a moment and read Phil. 2:1-8.  What great love that He would leave the place of glory and come to take the form of man!  The word HUMBLE is the one word that stands out to me.  Then in John 10:1-10 Christ explains Salvation and compares Himself to thieves and robbers.  He came to save, while others come as a thief to just get what they can for themselves.

As Christmas comes upon us so rapidly let us examine our Faith.  Are we trying to be good enough?  We have failed all through the years to be good enough.  Isa.64:6 tells us that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. 

What a wonderful season we have now, being able to look back on the birth of our Lord and Saviour, knowing that He came and is still gathering His flock.  Let us all have a wonderful Christmas, but let us all take time to thank and Praise the Lord for the season we are celebrating!

Merry Christmas from Captain Bill

GREY WOLF GETS A FACELIFT!

Grey Wolf, sparkling white with the new paint job Bill did this

summer, moves across the north end of the harbor at Puerto

Penasco on her way to be pulled out for bottom painting...

The haul out here is primitive compared to using  a Travel Lift as

we have done before.  She will be hauled out on a rail and lifted

just far enough into the boat yard for painting- the first time they

tried, the equipment broke. After a welding job, they got her out!

Here is Grey Wolf in dry dock.  You get a good idea of the size of

the boat with the workers standing nearby.  Bill put in a new through

hole to install a piece of equipment, while two workers prepped and

painted the bottom~  all done at last!  Bill had to do some touchup

work right at the water line once back in our slip...  This paint job

should last longer in the cool waters of the Pacific Northwest, where

we are headed next year!

Our Sixth Anniversary! How Time Flies~

The entry to the Mission Inn in Riverside is laden with old ivy growth, indicative of the many years this entrance has stood welcoming guests.

August 28 marked our sixth wedding anniversary!  Bill was home for a brief break from working on Grey Wolf, so we took advantage of the opportunity to get away for a couple of days.  First we went to San Diego and then to Riverside. where we spent the night in this hotel that is one of the Historic Hotels of America, having opened over a hundred years ago.  Alice had always wanted to stay here; Bill had been here for his brother's wedding years ago.  So we lounged  and looked and ate and Alice even got in the jacuzzi!  We also walked and snooped around the immediate area surrounding the Mission Inn.  One of the impressive displays is the gallery of American presidents who have visited here.  Bill even sat in the oversized chair made especially for President Taft when he visited... Alice could have sat beside him, but she was taking the photo!

Six years!  And what a great time we have had!!

Goodson Family Reunion in Idyllwild, CA

Bill and Alice, five of her six children and their husbands and children gathered at a lovely log home in the mountains above Palm Springs for a Family Reunion.  Five members of son-in-law Jeffrey Robinson's family were in attendance also~

Alison, (Stephanie who did not attend), Justin, Eric, Margaret, Melinda- Alice's Six

We had SO much good food- lasagne, chili, pulled pork, Mexican, etc!  Thanks to all the great cooks.  The kiddies had ample opportunity to play games and run around.  We attended a concert in the local park one evening and went to the Nature Center for Butterfly Daze- the one day each year when people can 'play' with Monarch butterflies before they are released to the wild.  Each evening there was a devotional with a spiritual thought- thanks Bill, Jeff, Rod, and Rob!  We played games, went for walks, made crafts and even had a 'yard sale' on Saturday morning- no money exchanged, just a time to trade for someone else's goodies.



Nicole, Jacqueline and Andrea show off their painted faces at Butterfly Daze!




And a good time was had by all... what a lovely home we stayed in, made of imported Finnish wood!





Welcome to the world of KAYAKING

We have been talking about buying kayaks for some time, but the new ones were expensive... while in La Cruz, Banderas Bay, we learned of a boat in Nuevo Vallarta with two kayaks for sale!  A good buy with seats and paddles included, we decided to take the plunge... well, Alice had already taken the plunge in 2008 when she fell out of Barry's kayak on her maiden voyage... but back to our kayak story. The boater was kind enough to drive his boat over to the marina near our anchorage and deliver the kayaks since we had no vehicle for transport.  Getting them onboard was a trick, but in time Bill had stainless steel holders made and now they grace the bow of Grey Wolf nicely.  It is a two person job to get them in and out of the water, but we are tough!

Alice and friend Gina took off one morning for an adventure in Bahia Concepcion. She was so very kind to tow her kayak with her dinghy from their anchorage some distance away~ what a gal... she was rewarded with her whale shark sighting that day!  We went along the shallows and saw tons of seaweed, some coral, Sargeant fish, and starfish.  On the way back we checked out a good-sized rookery island where both seagull and pelican chicks were hopping about under the watchful eye of their parents... a very neat experience~  I'd considered taking a camera but was afraid it would wind up in the drink~~ what a shame...

Catching the Local Critters in Action~

At the end of our kayaking in Bahia Balandra, Alice began snooping for shells in the shallows near the beach.  Then she spotted a school of long, slender silver fish swimming near three Angel fish! A quick trip to the dinghy and she was back in time to take pictures of 3 Angels and one silver fishy- see him?

A feeding frenzy of dolphins on their breakfast run was quite a sight one morning... They were just far enough away that even with her zoom lens Alice did not get a close-up photo.  Some of them were really 'feeling their oats', as the farmers might say!  Remember, this is a dolphin, NOT a fish...

We have spent time in the Sea of Cortez four different years and this is the first experience we have had with a whale shark!  One was sighted in the bay during Loreto Fest and we did see his fins... When we were anchored in Bahia Concepcion, however, this big boy (15-20 feet long) came swimming by our bow!!  Our friend Gina happened on him the next day while out in her dinghy and she cut the motor and drifted around him close enough to see into his mouth and she pronounced that he was toothless- wow!

Traveling in the Sea of Cortez- 2010

It was fun to catch up with sailboat friends Randy and Gina on 'Balena', seen here hauling their dinghy onto the deck in preparation for leaving.  We hope to see them in Puerto Penasco in the summertime.

We were anchored at Playa Santispac, Bahia Concepcion for two weeks.  While we were there Barry's dinghy went out.  The two brothers worked numerous time to see if they could fix it, but their efforts were in vain.  They ruled out the battery but it may be the starter or the cables... to be continued. Barry finally had to resort to using his big banana (yellow) kayak to get around to shore and to Grey Wolf!

The morning we left Puerto Escondido there was a mass exodus of Loreto Fest boats. Two trawlers are visible just ahead of us and both a sailboat and Barry on 'Grumpy' followed us out.  It was a great day for traveling, as you can see by the calm of the water ahead of us.

Loreto Fest 2010

April 30-May 2 was the annual Loreto Fest- a Cruisers Party produced by and for the cruising community in the Sea of Cortez and land-based friends, as well.  Barry's friend Naomi flew in from Omaha, Nebraska for the event and to travel with us for a few days to the nearby islands.  We were able to pick and choose those events and workshops we wanted to attend.  We saw some old friends and made some new ones, too!

The Ups and Downs of the Sea of Cortez

Shortly after returning to Grey Wolf from our Copper Canyon trip we decided to head south to catch up with Bill's brother and head on to Loreto Fest.  The wind had been blowing out of the south which is not good for us to go south, so we waiting until it turned around.  The first day was fine, but about evening the wind decided to blow out of the WEST and knocked the stuffin' out of us.  The anchor 'jumped' out of it cradle and smashed through the right front porthole, sending glass and seawater all over our stateroom ~ but we were not aware of it for a while, so a ton of water rushed in as we were in high seas... UGH.  Everything that could fall, did.  We ducked into Bahia de Los Angeles as soon as we could fight our way south and anchored for several hours while we did damage control and Bill cut a plywood window and glued it in the gamping porthole.  Then we traveled on calm seas until the middle of the next night when we were again assaulted by west winds!  That time Alice had been sleeping on the salon sofa and awakened to the violent lurching of the boat... only to be tossed across the room and into one of our director's chairs. Fortunately she was only bruised- nothing broken, but she was certainly shaken by the experience.  The rest of our trip south was fine and we were blessed by the chain of good boater friends who suggested getting Plexiglas in La Paz, getting the Plexiglas for us, and shipping it to Loreto Fest on a northbound boat! Now we are secure again with a decent-looking porthole!

Copper Canyon Slideshow ~ Click on photo, please!

BARRANCAS DEL COBRE ~ aka COPPER CANYON

Barrancas del Cobre, located in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, is actually larger than the Grand Canyon, and consists of a number of canyons.  The area was a big silver mining area a century ago.  Plans were first made for a train to traverse this rugged area in the mid 1800's, but between changes in management, wars, and other difficulties it took 100 years to finish.  Now run by the Mexican government, the Chepe train runs from Los Mochis on the Sea of Cortez to the city of Chihuahua.  Bill and Alice, along with friends Ted and Carolyn from Idaho, spent parts of four days on the rails during the week we explored Copper Canyon!

Our first stop was at Paraiso del Oso Lodge near Cerocahui, right at a mile high! There is a rock outcropping above the lodge with a distinct side view of what the owners affecionately call Yogi Bear (see slideshow). This rustic hotel was a fun place to meet the locals who work there and the turistas passing through. It was cold enough to enjoy the wood stove in our room both nights~ We took a tour that included a mission and the overlook to Urique, an old mining town 4,500 feet below us in Urique Canyon. Our next stop was Creel, north of the canyons and the center of this area, at 7,200 feet.. The huge Lodge at Creel is run by Best Western! Another tour took us to several unusual rock formations, two mission churches, a lake and a waterfall.  The Tarahumara Indians are the local natives and the women do marvelous work with pine needle and other baskets. Carolyn and Alice went a bit crazy... Alice also bought two lovely pottery bowls made in Chihuahua State. Now to get them home without breaking them!  Our last stop was at Mirador Hotel on the rim of Copper Canyon, above.  The food throughout the trip was first class, and the chef at Mirador undoubtedly earned the award for great presentation~  The dinner the last night as we returned to El Fuerte and our truck was exquistite as we dined on freshwater lobster, hosted by the hotel owner and his wife.

The highs and lows of Puerto Penasco

We have arrived in Rocky Point, aka Puerto Penasco, northernmost port in the state of Sonora, Mexico. We are only an hour's drive from the international border, with Lukeville, Arizona on the other side!  We have come here for several reasons:  Bill's brother Barry is here on his boat, the marina is inexpensive, AND we will be able to travel to California in just a few hours~  which we will do on March 1.

Barry has been showing us around the town and made sure we got

to have the chili size and the Sunday breakfast at one of his fave

restaurants-  The Pink Cadillac, a cool fifties themed place.

Puerto Penasco 'enjoys' some of the world's most

extreme tides, and with the full moon this weekend,

it was even more extreme! Our depth under the boat

measured less than three feet during this photo...

Au contraire, in THIS photo we were at 25 feet!  Pretty crazy, huh?

This wide swing doesn't affect us much, unless you want to walk up

or down a ramp at LOW tide- that means a work-out!  The place

featured in these photos is the local boat yard... where we just may

have the boat painted this year- pulling out at high tide, obviously!

What a Two Humpback Whale Show!

Almost on cue, two huge humpbacks begin to rise from the

sparkling blue water of Bahia de La Paz.  We were one hour

north of the city when we noticed a boat making circles ahead

of us.  Only when we got closer did we realize why AND that

the boat was a whalewatching vessel!  We got a free show!

The two whales came very close to the boat that was allowed

to approach them.  We had to stay back, but still got quite a

show.  You cannot see the whale in front of the boat, but the

one to port looks like he is waving, "Hey, look over here!"

The La Paz Singlar Marina Mascot Greeted Us...

This sunning sea lion had staked his claim at the end of the fuel dock

the day we pulled in to fuel up before leaving the La Paz area.

After getting warmed up, it was time for a dip in the

harbor.  This pelican seemed totally oblivious to him.

After cooling off, it was time to climb back on the dock!

We are greeted by leapfrogging sea lions in Bahia La Paz!

At first we thought we were seeing the ever-present dolphins, but at

second glance we realized it was a seal show unfolding... amazing!

...and the winner is..!  We had never seen seals showing off like this.

A Different View of Mazatlan

We were anchored in the old harbor by the ferry and cruise

 ship docks. The redstacked vessel is a maritime transport, while the
Baja Ferry runs between Mazatlan and La Paz. Between these two,
 the two visiting cruise ships can be spotted.  What a busy place!

Isla Creston is attached to the city via a causeway. Even though

this lighthouse is high above the waterline, it appears to be the only

light.  We could see no other when we left port at 1 AM for La Paz.

Our favorite restaurant in Mazatlan is called Panama!

Dessert carts are wheeled from table to table to tempt

the customers.... even at breakfast~ too much for even

our sweetooths!!

The first two times we visited Mazatlan we stayed in one of the marinas on the north end of the city. This time we decided to anchor out on the south end!  It was a neat experience and we even got a lot of excerise in, since we walked to the city center twice- quite a hike.  Alice also walked to church and back on Sunday- another sizable hike.  Alice likes to walk for the sake of walking, while Bill will walk willingly for a purpose. She thought it would be cool to walk to the top of Isla Creston, the lighthouse island right next to our anchorage.  However, after hiking switchbacks part way up we heard that there are then 300 steps! No thanks!!  We did all our walking on relatively flat ground.