Our Fall Foliage Road Trip

Just after returning home from the reunion, we packed our trusty little Prius and hit the road, eventually traveling 7,000 miles on an Autumn road trip that was a walk down Memory Lane.  Stops included Arches National Park in Utah, Omaha, Nebraska, Nauvoo, Illinois, the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, Alice's Martin Family Reunion in Allegre, KY, a six day visit with Alice's college friend Carol, with red scarf in photo above (lady on left was our Toronto city guide), Niagara Falls, and a four day stay with daughter Margaret and her family in Troy, Ohio.  We saw so many gorgeous trees, ablaze in the typical fall colors!
Turning south, we then went to see Alice's sister and her family in Graysville, TN, stopped to do a tour of Elvis' home, Graceland, in Memphis, and then visited with two of Bill's longtime friends in Arkansas.  A stay with his cousin Gloria in Ft. Smith, AR and a visit with both Douglas and Dorothy in Oklahoma, his helpers on the trip to Puget Sound, rounded out our travels.  We did spend one night in the Phoenix area and were able to see many of Bill's children and some of his grand and great grandchildren there! A month to the day we left we returned home, tired but happy for the safe and pleasant trip... whew... and Bill drove every bit of the trip- what a guy!

Alice's 50th High School Reunion!

Bill and Alice left GreyWolf in Tacoma and headed south in mid-September so they could attend Alice's 50th high school reunion in Chula Vista, CA.  We stayed two nights with Owen and Melinda in San Diego.  Hilltop High School combined with Chula Vista High School for this event, which was attended by over 200!  We had a great time and Alice was surprised at how many people she remembered!

The World in Our Marina...

We decided not to buy fishing/ crabbing licenses this year since they are expensive for visitors to the state.  We have been fortunate to enjoy crab several times, thanks to others!  Our friends Carla and Robert have shared with us and even cooked the crabs...  The other day Bill helped a fellow tie down and in turn was given a nice-sized Dungeness crab, at right, which we promptly cooked and Bill cleaned. Robert couldn't believe that Bill didn't know how to clean crab, but now he does!

Gooey duck clams, shown at left, are an expensive Asian delicacy.  They are native to coastal Washington state and are a big business in this area.  The gooey duck boats dock in our marina and the catch is loaded right into refrigerated trucks which deliver to Seatac airport and within two days these are on dinner plates in Japan and China.  These clams must have the world's largest valves, extending far beyond their shells.  Both the valve and the clam itself is eaten.  These rest in a milk crate, so you can see how large they are!

Hylebos Channel runs right beside Grey Wolf, since she is side- tied at the end of the furthest dock in Chinook Landing Marina.  We get the full effect of the commerical traffic which comes by 24/7.  Most of the large vessels enter or exit with tugboat power.  This day the load was unusual, as it amounted to three large 'flats' of raw logs, headed for either the lumber mill up channel or to simply be loaded onto a freighter and shipped out.  This load of logs was about 600 feet long and was shepherded by three smaller tugs.  The U.S. flag in the photo is ours...

Another commerical venture in 'our' channel is a huge metal recycling business.  We have seen several barges piled high with crushed vehicles pass close by us.  There is quite an art to the process used to fill these gigantic barges.  It is difficult to see in this photo, but there is always a  pile of miscellaneous smaller pieces of scrap metal layered on top of all the vehicles, almost like a  layer cake with an icing on top!  Hmm, I must be watching way too much Cooking Channel...

We have no idea what this vessel carried, but it was undoubtedly loaded and ready to head out to sea.  With a tug towing in front and another at the stern acting as the rudder, it slowly came by our boat and our marina.  On a clear day we can see Mt. Rainier to the southeast.  It seems so near, but from Tacoma it is probably close to a hundred miles away.  Covered with snow earlier in the year, it is still deep in snow for the most part.  Our weather is finally beautiful in mid-August, with some days as hot as 80 degrees!  If we are ever bored, we can just check out the action in the Hylebos Channel... it won't be long until SOMETHING comes by... Canada geese, seals...

You really 'otter' be here!

The flora and fauna are definitely different up in these here parts... the river otters posing for Alice just one example.  One morning this mother and her twins were foraging under our dock, so out came the camera- with the telephoto lens- and the results were pretty amazing.  Mother climbed onto the dock, followed by the two young ones, one of which had a small fish dangling from its mouth!  The downside to having otters on your dock is that they use it as a potty... oh, well, WE have intruded into their territory, so that is what we get!  The Hylebos Waterway where our marina is located is a manmade extension of the Hylebos River, hence we have river otters here, as opposed to the more well-known sea otters that lie on their backs and crack open shells with rocks.

Our First Raft-Up!

In late July we decided to head to Gig Harbor for a couple of days with our friends Ted and Carolyn.  We were hoping for free space on the Public Dock, but no such luck.  So Bill and Ted took the leap and rafted our two boats together.  We had already anchored when they arrived, so Ted had to manuever into place so we could walk from boat to boat!  Between plenty of fenders and plenty of ties, it worked fine.  We always enjoy going to Gig Harbor... with a beading store, a quilting store, a marine store, and lots of other interesting places to shop, it's a good thing we don't live there!!!

The Wonders of Nature Abound

On a clear day, we can see Mt. Rainier from our boat in Chinook Landing Marina, Tacoma, WA.  It is odd to drive down the street and see Volcano Evacuation Route signs, but after the incident with Mt. Saint Helens it is a real concern.  With the unusually cold winter and spring this year, this summer is running about 15 degrees cooler than normal.... brrr. 

After we left Bellingham we headed west to the San Juan Islands, the American part of the numerous islands between the mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  We anchored out for three nights and then headed back 'home' again, knowing that we would be back to explore some more.  While we were anchored off Sucia Island, Alice saw this bald eagle in flight and followed it to the uppermost branches of this evergreen tree... a nest? Who knows, but a rest perch, for sure!

There were NO harbor seals on the breakwater during the 4th of July celebrations (300 boats in the bay plus three full marinas) but when we returned to Poulsbo recently the seals were numerous.  There were several babies and this appeared to be the very newest of the bunch.  It appears the poor thing is chained down, but, actually, the chains hold huge logs together and this is where they love to lie out in the sun.  In some areas they are considered nuisances, since they catch and eat salmon trying to return to spawn.

Water, Water Everywhere...

We traveled to Bellingham, at the base of snow-covered Mt. Baker, to see Owen and Melinda who had flown in from San Diego for his family's annual reunion.  We enjoyed the opportunity of visiting with his parents and his sisters and their families.
Returning from Bellingham, we came across this magnificent sailing vessel, replete with all sails billowing.  The crew must have been training, as they were not on a direct course anywhere, but rather crossed our bow and then paralleled the coastline of the island seen behind.

We spent nearly a week in Poulsbo on the Olympic Peninsula during the 4th of July holiday time.  Our friends Ted and Carolyn were in the marina there, while we anchored out.  One day, as we were sitting on Ted and Carolyn's boat, we noticed this Viking crew rowing around Liberty Bay!  Replete with their Viking helmets, they were a fitting display, as Poulsbo was founded by the Norwegians over a hundred years ago.  The Sons of Norway Lodge is an impressive building on the waterfront and the local bakeries beckon with their wonderful wares!

Alice noticed one canoe approaching our marina in Tacoma one day.  Soon there was another and then another! Eventually there were numerous Indian long canoes converging on our Indian-run marina.  The tribal members in the photo above are from the Lummi Indian Tribe of Bellingham.  Some of them may be Owen's parents' neighbors since they live on the Lummi Reservation.  It turned out that we were witnessing the annual Indian journey- a joint venture by various tribes from western Washington.  What a neat way to pass on their heritage to the younger generation.

This shot of Ted and Carolyn's boat 'Coronautus' was taken as they approached the public dock in Gig Harbor.  This was the first place we visited after we had settled into the marina in Tacoma.  It is a darling little town with many waterfront shops and a lovely ambience.  We caught the Gig Harbor fever and will be going there periodically since it is only an
hour by boat from our marina.

Because Puget Sound and the islands directly north are so heavily populated, the ferries run back and forth at a steady pace.  Since they move very quickly and we move very slowly we must be careful to avoid getting caught in the path of one of them, as they do not want to stop for anyone.  After all, they have a schedule to keep!  Notice the identical ends... they do not even turn around during their runs... they don't have to~

... and Alice was traveling, too!

  When it was time to travel north to meet up with Bill in Tacoma, Alice planned a four day trip to break up the 1300 miles she would have to drive.  First she stopped in Clovis to visit daughter Alison and her family.  Although it was just for an overnight, she was able to see Alison and Rod and all nine of their children.  James, now 21, will leave for BYU in August.  Blake, now 19, will leave June 22 for a church mission to Peru.  The day after Alice left, their family flew to Hawaii for a weeklong family vacation- probably the last for a long time!
 Then Alice drove to Central Point, Oregon and stayed the night with her high school friend Shirley.  We talked, and ate, and walked, and talked some more, especially about our upcoming 50th high school reunion.  The next day she drove on the Eugene, where she had lunch with her college roommate, Susan, who took her to a Naked Lady Party... well, a clothes exchange- what fun! 
  Driving on the Portland, Alice followed her GPS directions and Stephanie's as well via phone, to find her at her apartment.  We spent a fun night of talking, eating, and even the traditional backscratch!
The next day we did some shopping and then drove to the Portland LDS Temple in Lake Oswego. Although it was misty, Alice took quite a few photos, including the above photo of Steplanie. It was so good to see her again, since the last visit was in 2008.   By that night she was in Tacoma and back on good old Grey Wolf with her honey hubby!  Whew!

  This snowy scene is of the Wasatch Mountain Range in central Utah, where Alice traveled for ten days following Bill's departure from San Diego. She saw six different families and even spent an evening with Justin's friend Ruxandra who was in Salt Lake City on business that week!  The weather was bad all but one day, actually the day she took this photo...  Regardless, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane, visiting families she knew in Fresno and Indio who have relocated to Utah.

   It was tulip time in Utah and, in spite of the inclement weather, they were in their full glory.  It seemed like everywhere she went, Alice saw tulips! From front yards to shopping centers, to temple grounds, they were outdoing themselves.
   Having never stopped to visit Thanksgiving Point, a tourist hotspot just north of Provo, Alice was thrilled to be able to meander around the complex with her good friend Margo who now lives in Lehi, Utah with her family.

THE REST OF THE STORY...

Part way up the coast of the United States, Douglas had a close encounter of the wicked kind, falling and cutting a pretty good gash on his nose.  His Aunt Dorothy was quick to the rescue and applied her nursing skills to fix him up.

Bill also took a bad fall and gored himself in the chest on a sharp corner of the helm.  As he lay writhing on the pilot house floor, Dorothy thought he was having a heart attack...  No, he just managed to pop a rib.  He is still holding his chest when he sneezes, but is mending nicely now that he is here and safe in Tacoma!

Between cooking, washing, cleaning,  nursing, and helping stand watch, Dorothy managed to keep a journal of the trip north.  Alice asked her for a copy of it and that is how she found out what REALLY happened on the wild ride north.

Even though she was assured that the seas were "not that bad" and "nothing we haven't already be through", she found out that it was way worse than anything she and Bill had experienced in Latin America...  Now she knows why her first reaction to traveling north was the right reaction:  "What a great idea:  I will meet you there!"  Regardless of the frightful times, both Douglas and Dorothy have volunteered to take the boat SOUTH if we ever do!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub: Three in a Tub!

Douglas De Fluter, Dorothy Mathews, and Captain Bill Johnson

On the calm morning of May 10, 2011, Captain Bill and his crew of two,  friends Douglas and Dorothy from Oklahoma, set out on an amazing journey to Puget Sound, Washington.  Alice waved them off and then rushed to the end of Harbor Island to capture their departure on her camera.  Seventeen days later they arrived at Chinook Landing Marina, Tacoma, Washington!  The guide book we'd purchased said that it would take a month if one traveled each day and rested each night.... that was certainly not the case for Grey Wolf.  She took on three Pacific storms, getting damaged all three times, and the crew sought shelter three times on the way north:  Morro Bay, Eureka, and Crescent City.  Otherwise, they traveled day and night.  Now, Captain Bill does not get seasick, and Dorothy had her home remedy of ginger juice to get her through the rough spots, but poor Douglas really felt the effects of being on the water even when it was SMOOTH.
We had been warned that it would be very cold, and indeed, it was even cold coming north from Cabo to San Diego.  What we didn't realize was how cold it would get:  49 degrees in the cabin as they approached the Strait of Juan de Fuca and turned east to meet the waters of Puget Sound!  Dorothy was very grateful she had packed thermal underwear and Bill just kept reporting to Alice that he was COLD~  his thin "Mexican" blood will thicken in time...  Now it is time for Alice to drive the Prius north and meet up with her awesome husband, Captain Bill, who now has another notch in his belt~ having conquered the wicked Alaska current in the Pacific Ocean.  He reported swells way above the height of Grey Wolf and even tried to photograph them, unsuccessfully.  That give him another mental memory, as we call it, for those times when one sees something so stunning that there is not time to capture it on camera.

Leaving San Diego, with Point Loma in the background.

GREY WOLF RETURNS TO SAN DIEGO!

On  Sunday, March 27, 2011 Grey Wolf left her anchorage near Marina de la Paz and ventured out through the San Lorenzo Channel and south to the anchorages of Los Suenos and Los Frailles in preparation for the journey around Cabo San Lucas and north to San Diego.  Just an hour out of La Paz we spotted this large humbpack putting on a show for a whale-watching boat!

Our first stop after rounding Cabo and getting the stuffin's knocked out of us was in calm Bahia Santa Maria, where we anchored for eight hours.  We had no more than dropped our anchor when two fishermen approached with lobsters for sale!  50 pesos ($4 and four AA batteries is what we paid for these four beauties.  Bill did emergency repairs on a water leak, Alice fixed a good HOT lunch (we were freezing) and then Bill rested before traveling on.

The reason Santa Maria was so calm is this headland pictured above that protects the bay from the ocean currents.  As the morning turned into afternoon the fog began to creep up and over the mountain and towards us, much like the fog that invades San Francisco 'on little cat feet'- this, however, was rolling and soon covered the entire headland.  Thankfully, it had dissipated by the time we left.

As the sun set over the Pacific Ocean this night, we were digging in for yet another overnighter. Five of the seven days  from Los Frailles to San Diego involved all night travel.  Alice got plenty of sleep and Bill very little, as the water was rough most of the way and the captain did not want the first mate to get hurt!  We were very happy to find Judy, a friend of brother Barry's, waiting for us at the Customs Dock in San Diego. She helped us tie down and got information regarding the Police Dock which has courtesy slips for just such folks as us, arriving from the great beyond~  At $10.50 a day it was a great place to begin our month of repairs and provisioning for the big ride north to Seattle...

NOT ALL IS PLEASANT ON GREY WOLF...

While we were in Santa Rosalia, Bill discovered our 50 amp power plug had burned and was fused to the outlet at our dock!  Try as he could he could not pull it out.  After reporting the mishap to the marina office, someone came to disassemble the outlet involved, eventually extricating the damaged plug... This is not the first time we have had power problems in in Mexico.  Unfortunately, these big boys are not cheap to replace!










The next pesky problem has been termites!  A few years ago Alice noticed droppings that tipped us off to their presence, but it wasn't until this past winter that we had sporadic incidents of the little devils in their winged state... we read about them, we sprayed them, we even found new droppings under the stateroom bed.  We cleaned them up and then they would reappear... ugh. Alice grew up in an old frame farmhouse that was infested yet still stands in San Diego County, so we don't anticipate that Grey Wolf will sink any time soon--- well, not at ALL, as it has a fiberglass hull.  We just wish we knew where their nest is...

Sunrise~ Sunset~

Our friend Jim on Sun Hunter met up with us while we were on anchor in Bahia Concepcion, off the beach at Posada.  Bill snapped this early morning sunrise over Jim's boat and Alice caught the moonrise over Sun Hunter one early evening. We will miss the spectacular shows the sun has provided for us the past 5 1/2 years, as we have never seen the blazing colors of Mexico back in the U.S..  Nevertheless, we are on track to trek north to San Diego in April and on to Seattle by summer!  A new adventure awaits us...

THE RUNNING OF THE PIGS!

The 26th annual Pig Races were held on February 13, 2001 in the little town of Mulege, Baja California South.  Although we have been in the area many times before, we had never attended, so it was a first for us!  It was a first, and probably only, experience for these little piggies, too.

Since we were anchored out near Playa Santispac we had no transportation.  But sailors are resourceful, and a bunch of us hooked up with visiting Canadians camping on shore and rode in with them- the Baja Boys,shown above, are from four different American boats.

The races pitted three little piggies against each other.  Each was anchored to a guide wire that ran down the track.  #6 was having none of it, as you can see.  Some took off like they were pros!  Some of the spectators bet on the four races, with profits of this event going to the local Rotary Club's charitable organizations.

SUPER MAN!

Can he fix it? Yes, he can!
That's why he's my Super Man~
Computer down?  Not for long,
Toilet leak? He knows what's wrong!
Generator sat too long?
Now it's singing its old song~
Too much water in the bilge:
Can he fix it?  Yes, he will.
Vacuum broke- give it to Bill-
Takes it apart, finds what's ill!
WD40 may
Often help him save the day.
But when it comes down to it,
No matter what he uses,
The reason things get fixed here:
Is SUPER MAN, Bill, my dear!
 by Alice, Posada Anchorage

Baja California  February 2011

Fun With Friends in Santa Rosalia

We've had a great time hanging out with friends this past month.  The above shot was taken one evening as seven of us headed uptown to have World Famous Hot Dogs! Deb and Dave on Wave Sweeper, Alice (and Bill behind the camera) on Grey Wolf, Alan and Barbara on Native Son, and Jim on Sun Hunter all enjoyed the great hot dogs- 15 pesos each,  and then trekked across the street to our favorite Neveria for one or two scoops of ice cream for a mere 12-20 pesos~ (12 pesos to the U.S. dollar these days)

Grey Wolf Gets A New Door!

Our main door, at right,  had become a source of difficulty, with the high rolling track beginning to deteriorate, making the door VERY hold to slide.  Bill had taken it apart and lubricated it before, and it had begun acting up again.  When he told a boating friend about it, he suggested Bill go to a local glass store and see if they could make a replacement door! 

Not only did they make a new door, but it came with a screen and was very skillfully installed on our deck by a couple of young men!  No more heavy steel door with a little window in it:  now we feel like we are in a fish bowl, so to speak...  Actually, it is a lovely door that slides easily and gives us better protection from the cold winter winds that have been whipping around us the last two months!  All that for $250 American!  Wow!!



Oh, and speaking of WIND, here is a very windy photo of Alice beside the new decals we have applied to each side of the pilot house and even a smaller version in the center of our new door, so no one will accidentally bounce off of it, thinking it is open when it is closed.  (Actually, it will be a miracle if Alice can keep it clean enough for that to even happen! )  Some people have a hard time seeing our name written on the stern of the boat.  Now it will be easy to identify us...