August 12-13

Monday August 13
Hanna has a plane to catch, so Uncle Raymond started the engines while Trenton and I went out in the dinghy and released the stern line to shore.  As we rolled up the rope, Uncle Raymond raised the anchor and we set out across the Malaspina Strait for the Fisherman's Resort at Pender Harbour.  We tied the Sandollar to the dock at Madiera Park so we could later reprovision the boat with food, but for now we lowered the dinghy down so we could run Hanna across the bay to the seaplane dock.  The seaplane was right on time, and right as the pilot hit the throttle to takeoff, my aunt made the remark how awful it is to have someone leave the boat.  At least her vacation ended in a really fun way to get home.  
Sunday August 12
Today we hiked Jedediah Island from our anchorage on the southern end out to the northern end where the old school house is still standing.  Someone many years ago set up a plantation on the island and brought over goats; the people are long-since gone but the wild goats remain as the only inhabitants of the island.  The water in the bay where we were anchored was just under 65 degrees, which took some serious convincing to get in the water but after about a minute of shock and your body going numb, it felt good.  We had pork roast in noodles and sauce for dinner, then after dark Trenton volunteered to jump from the top of the salon deck into the water to demonstrate the glowing phosporescence in the water. Any movement in the water after dark results in a really cool glowing effect that Trenton was happy to demonstrate.

Weekend of the 11th

Saturday August 11
The marine weather forecast we heard on the VHF radio indicated strong wind and waves would hit the Straits of Georgia by afternoon, so we left the dock at 6:00 a.m. and made the 28 mile crossing while the seas were calm.  I went back to sleep for a couple of hours--I absolutely love being in the V-birth of the boat (the forward-most stateroom where I stay) while we're under-way; the sound of water splashing against the hull and the rocking motion is the recipe for the best sleep ever.  I awoke to breakfast--crepes with fresh organic raspberries and peaches topped in whipped cream. We pulled into Codfish Bay on the south-eastern side of Jedediah Island and ended up with one of the best anchorages we could imagine.  We anchored in 38 feet of water, protected from wind and waves and the water was 65 degrees, warm enough to swim.  It's really beautiful here.  We unloaded the dinghy and kayaks off the roof of the pilothouse and put the toys to use. After hot rueben sandwiches for lunch, Hanna and I paddled north into Deep Bay, which is actually quite shallow and the water a nice blue/green color, and there's a beach tucked back into the bay that is frequented by kayakers spending the night.  There are almost always kayaks pulled up on the beach and tents on the hill that have views in almost every direction.  Later my Aunt wanted to go for a paddle, so we set out to the southwest, circumnavigating about one-third of Jedediah Island.  The west side of the island has granitic walls that raise ~250-300 feet straight up out of the water, making for a really fun and interesting place to paddle.  We read earlier in the trip that this area was one of the best places to paddle in the world, and now we see why.   For dinner we had barbequed organic steak, seasoned fresh vegetables and red bell peppers and cucumber dipped in tadaziki sauce, followed by our favorite card game, Spite and Malice.


Friday August 10
We woke up to another gorgeous day, weather was probably in the high 70s to low 80s.  We spent most of the day walking around Nanaimo, visited the Friday morning farmer's market, had a great lunch down on the water at Penny's Palapa and we explored the upper area of town I have never seen, even though I have been here many times.    

More Canada, but with exciting news

Thursday August 9
We packed up in the morning and started our way toward Naniamo on Vancouver Island, planning our arrival at Dodd's Narrows at slackwater so we could safely make the narrow passage without having to also deal with a swift current.  We ran up the inside of Wallace Island and the Secretary Islands, while enjoying Aunt Christine's fresh made french toast with strawberries, real canadian maple syrup and whipped cream.  39 miles later we arrived in Naniamo, typing up to the F dock, just down from the wharfinger's office and with a great view of the shops on the waterfront.  Yet more ice cream was consumed and Hanna and I enjoyed a nice walk along Naniamo's new waterfront walkway.  At this point the sun had just set, the waterfront was quiet, with only the sound of boats rocking against the docks.  We found a nice grassy hill to sit and enjoy the scenery and each other's company, and I asked Hanna to be my wife.  She happily said yes, and now Naniamo will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

**Because we are on vacation and will not have the opportunity to speak to friends and family in person for the next few weeks, we appreciate keeping this news out of the world of Facebook until we return. We look forward to sharing our excitement in person and those that follow this blog simply get the news first.**


Wednesday August 8
Hanna and I made breakfast sandwiches with english muffins, eggs, bacon, avocado and cheese while we made our way toward Ganges on Salt Spring Island, a total of 18.7 miles.  We went due north out of the Ganges Harbor and through the Pender Canal and under the small bridge that separates North Pender and South Pender islands.  It was windy as we set anchor in 30 feet of water.  We set 120 feet of anchor chain to hold our 20-ton boat plus Al's 24 ton boat that would be rafted to us later in the afternoon.  We took the dinghy to shore and walked around our favorite shops--a couple of small island clothing stores, the outdoor and kayak shop and the bookstore in Ganges.  We sat at the Treehouse and had "wired monkeys," consisting of banana, chocolate, espresso and whipped cream, as well as whole coffee beans while we collected and caught up on email and posting the blog.  We had dinner on Al and Jean's boat, a hand-made beef, bean and cabbage stew with fresh bread and cornbread.

Canada - August 3-7

Tuesday August 7
Following breakfast we packed up in Al and Jean's dinghy and made our way to the government dock on Stuart Island.  It was myself, Hanna, Trenton, Aunt Christine, Jean, Miah (Al's daughter), Trevor (Miah's husband) and their two kids Collin and Tia.  We hiked to the northern end of Stuart Island to see the Turn Point Lighthouse.  From this point Canada is only 3/4 mile away across the channel.  While we were away, Uncle Raymond and Al worked on the two outboard engines, both Hondas, which decided to have the same problem at the same time (thermostat plugged with salt).  Our was fixed but on Al's the two bolts holding the thermostat housing on the engine corroded and broke off.    

Al & Jean's boat

Stuart Island from our anchorage

The small school on the island sells shirts and souvenirs and it's all on an honor system where you can mail them a check later.

Canada is between here and the island in the background

Ranch on Stuart Island

After eating lunch we loaded up the kayaks and the dinghy, finishing just as rain started to fall.  We departed Prevost Harbor enroute to Bedwell Harbor, only 6 miles away, to declare customs, arriving just before dark with an impressive thunder and lighting show.  After clearning customs we dropped the anchor in 40 feet of water just north of the customs dock.  For dinner we had an amazing lamb curry over rice with vegetables and wine and naan bread with tadaziki sauce.

GPS showing the border crossing.

Monday August 6
Following a quick trip into town for groceries we loaded up and headed north between the various San Juan islands.  Here the shorelines get steeper and rockier with lots of evergreen trees with dispersed madrone trees near the water's edge.   Today we traveled a short 15 miles to Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island, the northern-most island in the United States.  We dropped the anchor in 32 feet of water; there were approximately a dozen or so other boats in the bay, including Al, a friend that also shares covered moorage with my family.  We unloaded the kayaks and the dinghy and headed to shore to check out Stuart Island.  The island consists of both private land owners and a significant chunk of state parks land, including the lighthouse on the northern tip of the island.  Back at the boat, Trenton jumped in even though the water was only 58.5 degrees--I elected to stay high and dry.  When dinnertime arrived we sat on the boat deck and enjoyed lamb burgers infused with rosemary and thyme and nice glass of red wine.

Approaching Stuart Island

Sunday August 5
Today we traveled north 46.2 miles, passing under the Deception Pass bridge and across Rosario Straits into the San Juan Islands.  We threaded our way between Lopez and San Juan islands into Friday Harbor (on San Juan Island).  We discovered that the refrigerator was not properly cooling when running on propane, so Uncle Raymond had the refrigerator out in less than one hours time while we walked into town and picked up a new ice chest that would serve as our stand-in refrigerator.

Hanna in Friday Harbor.

The weather was slightly on the warm side, about 86 degrees, surely perfect justification for a cherry chocolate waffle cone while we walked around Friday Harbor.  We spent the evening tied to the customs dock where we had a great vantage point for boats docking and seaplanes and ferries coming and going.  We enjoyed hearing the custom's agent interview incoming boaters, which just made us more curious about their jobs.  I eventually gathered enough nerve to directly ask the customs agent about some of the tools they have at their disposal for customs and security clearance; this discussion alone no doubt will land me on the no-fly list.

Saturday August 4.
Hanna and I caught a late flight to Seattle on Friday evening and headed straight down to the boat in preparation for an early morning departure on Saturday morning.  On the boat this trip are my Uncle Raymond and Aunt Christine, my 13-year old second cousin Trenton and Hanna and I.  We cleared the boat locks on Lake Washington around 1:00 p.m. and pointed the boat north.  We covered a calm 49.1 miles, traveling up Saratoga Passage between Whidbey and Camano islands, rather than deal with potentially rough waters in the Straits of Juan de Fuca (we affectionately call them the Straits of Juan de Puca).  We spent the first night anchored in the bay outside the town of Coupeville in Penn Cove.  With the anchor set we lowered the dinghy and went to shore, walking a couple of miles around town.  Typical of small coastal communities we found a small government pier, ice cream shops, lots of waterfront restaurants, as well as storefronts to support their once-thriving mussel (seafood) industry.  Back at the boat we had linguine pasta with pesto and garlic/permeasan sauce and pork spare ribs in bbq sauce.  Our main task for the eveing involved sitting on the top of the pilot house watching the full moon rise above the town.  There were a dozen boats in the bay but hardly a sound to be heard.

Clearing the boat locks at Lake Union

Coupeville

June 2012

Happenings in late-May to late-June:

May 19 - Day trip to Tahoe with Hanna and Aunt Christine, the latter of which had not seen Lake Tahoe since she and Dad grew up there 30 years ago.  We went up via Hwy 50 to Stateline to show her the new condos and Heavenly's gondola--certainly South Lake looked nothing like this when she lived in the area.  Had a nice picnic lunch at the beach and proceeded up the west side of Lake Tahoe stopping at the Emerald Bay overlook and checking out all of the cool houses on the water. 

We drove through Tahoe City and Truckee and back to Highway 80 with a quick diversion past Donner Lake and over the historic Donner Lake bridge.

May 20 - the landscape uplights I purchased to illuminate my front yard trees were repeatedly filling with water and shorting out.  Home Depot handed me new ones three times in a row but after those failed they were good enough to give me my money back.  This time around I bought some really nice professional grade lights--they are solid brass and weigh several pounds each.  This time I used one 3-LED spotlight to illuminate the base of the front yard tree and two "well lights" that are recessed into the ground to light up the canopy.

May 25 - welcome the new furry creature to the household--Aston.  He's cute, furry, loves to play, and hey--he actually plays fetch!  Throw his ball and he will retrieve it and bring it right back to you.  Two thumbs up.

 June 2-4 - Went camping at Big Reservoir with some of Hanna's friends.  We did the 50+ mile loop down Mosquito Ridge Road past French Meadows and Hell Hole reservoirs...lots of exploring to do in this area.  Took the 4Runner on some ATV trails to a trailhead where we hiked 3 miles down a *steep* canyon to the North Fork American River.  This is a beautiful canyon.  Returned home via Iowa Hill Road--a really nice canyon drive.

June 9 - Bike ride with co-workers.  Lake Natoma Inn to CSUS and back.
June 16 - Day trip to Sonora to see grandparents
June 21 - River Cat's game & Joe's crab shack with friends
June 22 - Eagle Lakes and Signal Peak 4x4 trail with Mike.  The trail was more difficult than I expected.  We will be back.

 

View of I-80, Lake Spaulding and historic RR lookout:

June 23 - Day trip to Tahoe with Mom & Hanna.  Rode the Heavenly gondola to overlook and Tamarack Lodge.

 
June 24 - The Volvo commuter car is officially dead.  Coolant hose blew, it lost all of its coolant on the freeway and the temperature gauge never indicated a problem.  It at least blew the headgasket and likely did far more damage than that.  With a low 133,154 miles too; luckily I only paid $1,000 for it.  I bought this car because Hanna's 940 turbo has been a good car, however a quick glance at the forums reveals that 1993 is basically the last good Volvo, just like 2009 was the tragic end of the good Toyota 4Runners.  I threw it on craigslist for $750 and had to delete my ad after receiving 38 emails; seems as though there a bunch of Volvo folks interested in the car.  I have no interest in fixing it.

 

 June 29-July 1 - Returned to Big Reservoir with Mike, Marin, Maggie and Max, as well as Rose and Stuart.  We had two water-front sites and all of our equipment was REI brand...looks like an advertisement to me.

We took the really long way home and headed up Foresthill Road toward Tahoe.  Foresthill Road eventually turns into Soda Springs Road and the last 25 miles is dirt road until it reaches Soda Springs off Highway 80.  The scenery up there is really nice.

There's a vacation on the horizon, check back for more frequent updates.

May update

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The rain has been pushed aside and replaced with sunlight, the new plants in the yard are blooming nicely and this 80-degree weather has been perfect for working outside and hiking and mountain biking.  This past month has been very busy with a bit of overtime work in the evenings and the occasional portion of a weekend, trips to the gym, Tuesday night (and occasionally Thursday as well) mountain bike rides with friends and fun-packed weekends.  I am starting to feel pretty good about the amount of exercise I am getting and my riding has definitely improved for the better with increased strength and endurance.  And we have Hanna on the bike following her recent purchase—she bought Maria’s really nice Kona full suspension mountain bike.  She has only ridden four times now and on our last ride she cleared *all* of the obstacles on the single track at Granite Bay, including a nasty boulder that requires a hop onto it followed by a careful descent off the ledgy backside.  If she’s this good already, she’s going to be a very good mountain biker.  Bill told me randomly the other day “jesus dude, she’s a really good mountain biker.” 

The house has seen a lot of visitors lately including Hanna’s family, my Aunt from Seattle and a friend who will be staying next weekend from L.A.  And there is a new full-time resident in the house…not surprisingly, Hanna.  We are currently consolidating our belongings, which is finally forcing me to better organize my stuff.  Some stuff has been moved to the attic, one of the utility closets off the hallway has been converted to a multi-use storage area, the top half consisting entirely of camp tents (yay, got a nice new tent!), sleeping bags, camp dishes and the bottom half still serving as a linen closet, with a few random things like a new boxed chandelier I haven’t bothered to hang, suitcase storage, vacuum cleaner, etc.  The matching closet on the other side of the wall is the overflow pantry for canned foods, paper and plastic bags and cleaning supplies.  We are using a portion of the spare bedroom closet for exercise equipment—weights, yoga mats, medicine balls, skis, kayak paddles, camelbacks, etc.  One of the spare bedrooms acts as the guestroom with the standard stuff including a bed, dresser, nightstand, lamp and Hanna’s extra flatscreen TV and the other spare bedroom is a joint office/spare bedroom.  The only home improvement item accomplished lately includes planting two ginkgo biloba trees on the west side of the house.  These will be tall enough to shade the house yet not so full that it will cause problems like the willow tree I removed last month.

Hanna getting lugged around Green Acres in the cart.

We helped Bill celebrate his 40th birthday along with Maria & Ricardo, Beth & Tom, Chris & Loryll, Rose & Stuart, Nehal and Robert.  We rented a cabin in King's Beach, Tahoe within easy walking distance to the beach and the bars and restaurants in town.  We hiked Martis Peak, did a lot of visiting and I did a little skiing on Sunday on our way down the hill.  This was the first time I had been skiing since I was injured and it felt absolutely wonderful to be back at it again.  

Happy Birthday Billy!

View from Martis Peak

That's it for now...thanks for reading!