Having finished the critical repairs, we set off on a first cruise. The barometer says fair, and it’s five o’clock… OK, the clock doesn’t really work, but the barometer seems to. The weather really is fair, unlike what we expected in Seattle. And the sails work. We tested her upwind sailing ability and dumped the contents of the salon shelves over the course of a few tacks. We’re currently anchored in Blakely Harbor, just across Read more…
Erik and I have been busy with boat chores. As new, old boat owners that is to be expected. We are working to get Callooh! Callay! in top notch cruising condition. Ms Mary Lou required the same kind of up upfront care and effort, although she didn’t have all the systems that Callooh! Callay! does. Most all the repairs/work we are doing are new to us. Thank god for the internet and YouTube! Projects completed Read more…
Callooh! Callay! This is an expression of joy in the poem “Jabberwocky ” from the book “Through the Looking Glass”. That is the name of our new home and cruising vessel, a 1986 Catalina 34. We closed on the purchase last week and took two days to bring her from Olympia to her new home port in Seattle at Shilshole Bay Marina. Captain Erik and Karen had a great time bringing her to Seattle with Read more…
After traveling approximately 5,869 miles we made it to Seattle. During our trip we had to replace the car, as well as the tent, one air mattress, purchased warmer gear, had one sprained ankle, met many really friendly people, saw amazing sights, enjoyed living off the grid and had a blast! Our pod arrived from Miami and we emptied the relatively small amount of stuff from it and put it in storage in Seattle. It Read more…
We have made our way further north into Washington, visiting more beautiful parks. We camped along the Hood Canal and also at Deception Pass State Park. The State of Washington has a really nice park system. We had to add a rain canopy to our glamping equipment. Or course, since we started using it, we have not had any rain! We have also been boat shopping all over the Puget Sound looking for our new Read more…
We spent two nights on the Oregon coast camping at the beach in Newport. We went for a hike on the beach and pier, then came across a fantastic brewery to spend some time in. This is a really cool town. It was fun listening to the seals barking at night as well. The weather is cooling down so we had to break down and get one of these: No worries, we are staying nice Read more…
We spent the last week along the coast of Northern California and Redwoods National Park area. We had a fantastic campsite along a creek and under a cool tree. We went for a hike from the campground, through the gigantic redwood trees to the beach, where we had a picnic lunch and hiked back. These trees are huge! We also spent an afternoon at Crescent City hanging out on their waterfront and enjoying one of Read more…
Karen’s Death Valley post disappeared, so this is a delayed post. Death Valley is the result of two tectonic plates pulling apart. It’s one of the most unusual landscapes I have ever seen—from -280 feet at the bottom to 11000 feet at the rim. The park has lots of hiking trails, most with names like Desolation Canyon, or Badwater.
We have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit family this past week. First we visited Erik’s brother Derek and his wife Maureen who live in Petaluma which is in the Sanoma area. We went wine tasting, ate yummy food and relaxed in their house in the cozy library. We had a great time and look forward to seeing them again. We then went to the Sacramento area to visit my cousin Chris Read more…
We made it to the west coast! We may not be wearing bathing suits and swimming, but the coast of California is beautiful! We stayed at Hearst San Simeon State Park for four nights and soaked up some beach time. We also visited the Big Sur area. One of the surprises is that this is the time of year the Elephant Seals come up on the beach, give birth, and mate. These things are huge! Read more…