Morning Run and Painting

What a great morning.  Slept nearly 10 hours and we headed out for a 3.5 mile run (well, there was some walking as well).  42 degrees, brilliant fall day.  The slough was beautiful and Fall has completely taken hold of everything as winter approaches.  The blackberries, so ripe and plump seemingly just a few weeks ago are dried and shriveled. 

Wonderful way to start the day, then we headed into Seattle to help paint the new Seattle headquarters of 'Girls On The Run'.  Tonight is football and flatbread!

More Island Time

Back to the island. If were up to me, we would have left at 2 or 2:30. it’s a 4:30 boat, an hour and a half maybe 15 minutes more with some light traffic and its the off season. But Jodi suggested 1:45. Seemed early to me, but ok. We left at 1:47. As it turned out, had we left 2 minutes later we would have missed the boat.

A string of mechanical failures plagued the island run and as it turns out, the former pride of the fleet, the Evergreen State, was doing the heavy lifting on the Friday afternoon run.

She did this throughout the 1960’s and was the mainstay of the island run. But she's inadequate for today's traffic even in the off season. We pulled into the ferry line along with several other cars all at about the same time. Within a minute or two there were 5 cars behind us. We would be the 2nd to last car on the 4:30 boat. Whew!!

We caught up with an old buddy who has a farm on Lopez, then chatted with another acquaintance who was in Victoria the same weekend we were. Just off work, he was headed to the ' Rumor Mill' to play in a swing band. We were headed there as well to have dinner and watch game 7 of the world series.



We did meet an interesting fellow at the Rumor Mill. An old fisherman who was well into his 80's. He's made the run up the inside passage 70 to 80 times by his estimation. He told us his father was on of the first fishermen in Bristol Bay in 1916. He also told us of his fathers navigational prowess using horns in fog to bounce sound signals off land masses to determine where you are. These old salts didn't have all the navigational tools we now enjoy and by necessity had to instead hone their skills to a level that is rarely, if ever, seen these days.



The band cranked up putting an end to conversation and we settle in to a good dinner, watching the Cards win the final game of 2011 and listened to the swing band.



Saturday dawned suddenly. I was sound asleep and Jodi woke me up. She was either panicked or excited. I couldn’t tell at first. I thought something was wrong, She was breathless and yelling me to come outside. House on fire? No. She had been walking Rex out front and there was no sound save for the unmistakable blow of a whale. A minke whale was slowly making its way up the channel right on front of the cabin at dawn. A perfect way to start the day.

I took this shot of some impressive mushrooms.  They should have names....

Kuper, cute as always...

Not much to write about the rest of the day. Chores around the house and winterized the boat. Good dinner with Mom and pleasant conversation.



Sunday was drippy and gray, but we were looking forward to attending an 'event' that we had been invited to. It was a breakfast hosted by Barb and John whom we had met at the fair in August. They host an annual 'dead parents' swim and breakfast. While it sound odd, it’s a charming event attended by a small group who have experienced a loss. We did not partake in the swim (maybe next year), but the breakfast was great. Everything locally grown. The setting was magnificent, as their home is a log cabin. Not just any log cabin, it was inspired by the great national park lodges of Yellowstone, Paradise Inn, and Timberline. Breathtaking setting and exquisitely executed. Wonderful.



The company was great and it was really nice to have a great meal, honor those who are no longer here, and share memories about them.



After the event we went back to the house, packed up and headed for the ferry. No theatrics getting on the ferry – amazing how easy a Sunday departure is in the off season.

On the way down we had dinner at the Skagit River Brewing Company.  Nice way to end a good weekend.

Mount Washington (Again)

This is a great hike, but it's unsigned and the WTA web site doesn’t mention the summit. Which is great news. Given the fact this blog's readership is near zero, there's little risk of exposure or letting the cat out of the bag.




This would be our second time up, the first being about two years ago. the trail is unsigned at the base and not on the maps at the trail head.



To get there take exit 38 off I90 then turn right at the bottom of the exit and about 100 yards later take another right to the parking lot. You'll need that new ‘discover pass’ to park in the lot, or you can park on the road just outside the lot.



The trailhead is by the outhouse at the end of the parking lot. The initial trail is short, and leads to a gravel access road which in turn joins the John Wayne trail. At both junctions you'll want to bear right. Once on the John Wayne trail, look for an unmarked trail on your left. its about a tenth of a mile from the junction of the access road. This will take you on a fairly steep rocky trail which later joins an old logging road well on its way to going back to true trail status.

The WTA site covers the trail up to the Owl Look Out but there are better lunch spots further on. Unlike Mt Si, there are decent views periodically along the way.



This day was a great day for hiking, but not for picture taking. We got a late start and while the temperature was in the high 50's, perfect for hiking, it was a little gray and the light was flat.



The late start also prompted a turn around just shy of the summit. I had forgotten our head lamps and we had a turnaround time figured to get off the mountain with a suitable margin of safety before sunset.



The hike was followed by a beer and a burger at the brew pub.   The world series was on and formed a nice conclusion to the day.

Weekend Shot Sunday Morning, October 16th

Sunday morning, October 16th

Sunday evening's dinner:  Yum.

Back to Victoria

The weekend plan. Go to Victoria with Jodi’s parents. Owing to work, Jodi and her folks went up ahead of me to Friday Harbor. I trailed and went up after work. I took a bit of an odd way up by walking on and taking Lopez ferry then jumping on the inter island ferry to Friday harbor. It lopped an hour off the arrival time and it provided the chance to go down memory lane.




The inter island ferry is the Evergreen State. Built in 1954, she was the primary ferry we used as a family going to the cabin in the 60's. The Klickitat, later the Nisqually, and, if you were really unlucky, the Vashon were the other ferries. The Vashon, launched in 1930, was the smallest and slowest ferry, the Evergreen State was the largest. The newest. And the fastest. Now she’s been relegated to inter island work. She's now the smallest, oldest and slowest ferry on the island run. The Evergreen State has become the Vashon. Hopefully the Evergreen state doesn’t suffer the same end fate of the Vashon. The Vashon ran aground near Ketchikan in 1986, rolled on her side, and her remains slowly decay.



My early arrival in Friday harbor wad exquisitely timed as I dropped by the restaurant where Jodi, her folks and Tom and Tessa were eating. There were two half eaten plates of great food. Perfect.



Adverse currents in the morning made for a leisurely departure. Crossing the straits was uneventful. saw a group of Dalls porpoise either playing or fishing with rapid surfacing as if the were chasing something. Or playing tag.



We docked in front of the Empress Hotel. As we came in we did cause a bit of a stir. There were 25 boats there from the San Juan Island yacht club where Dad was a member. The exchange was related to me later, but the organizer of the event saw ‘Cambria’, looked down at his list of attendees, and said “Cambria? Is John here? He didn’t sign up.” Then he caught himself, knowing dad had passed. Another member, hearing this, said “if John is back I’ll drop to my knees right now"

Victoria is nice. Walking. Eating. And the museum. Jodi’s folks hadn't been to to the museum, so we spent some time there. We also took a splendid dinghy ride up an inlet that begs for future exploring.



Just before we hit the sack Saturday night I helped a boat dock in the darkness. It was calm, but it’s nice to have someone on the dock help with lines. The boat was a well rigged sailboat and the skipper was alone on the boat. Although flat calm, he missed his first approach and prudently went around for a second try. As he came, I said ‘long day?”. He responded “you have no idea”. Indeed I didn’t. After tying up he told me what he’d been through. Mid the previous week he had left Vancouver, headed for the horn. As in Cape Horn, South America. He intended to round the Horn single handed, but off the coast of Oregon he found himself in 16’ seas, second guessing his overall plan. If the coast of Oregon could through this at him, what could the Horn do? (Rouge waves at the Horn reportedly can attain 100 feet). His plan was to round the horn then perhaps spend some time in the Falklands, but all those dreams died in wild seas off the coast of Oregon. He turned around and sailed back non stop and Victoria was the first dock he’d come to during his brief adventure.



He asked if the pubs were still open and Jodi said ‘yes’ and pointed out a few.



A few minutes later, we went back to Cambria, grabbed a couple of cold beers and offered him one as a small greeting back to civilization. When asked if we wanted a beer, his head poked up the companion way with a big smile as he said ‘is the pope catholic?’. Good fellow and I hope he someday accomplishes his dream.



Saturday was pretty idyllic, but a leading edge of a weather front tore thru the area in the wee hours of the morning. High winds hitting the stern made for an uncomfortable night in the aft cabin, but the forward cabin was mercifully quiet.



In the morning it appeared as if the front had passed and we headed out. At first it wasn't that bad. A moderate 2 foot lump that wasn't terrible. At that point in time, 2 things started. Jodi went down below to start breakfast and the seas started to build. About 3 minutes after she brought up a platter of food, we were in the thick of some very impressive waves. I hadn't lashed things down nor had I prepared myself or the group for that level of wave action. They were 4-6 foot short stacked seas.



Jodi said “why don’t we turn around”, and in my mind I tried to form an argument to keep going, but the logic wasn’t there. Bad things happen when little things start to go wrong. We had a gas can on the aft deck that wasn’t lashed down. There was clutter in the cockpit. Small things can lead to big things – or at least distract you from the big things. The right thing to do was turn around which is exactly what we did.



We waited a few hours then headed out again. We did hit some waves and had a gear failure. The block and tackle for the main sheet separated from the track. But with everything lashed down and everyone prepared, we dealt with that and continued on. We buried the bow a few times, but Cambria held up nicely. We crossed the straits with rain showers sweeping over us and checked into Customs at Roche. We had an absolutely stunning sail down San Juan channel and tied up without any further drama.



Nice weekend adventure.



The museum was a highlight and below are pictures of the visit.

Maintenance Weekend

This will be the first time on the boat alone since dad passed. The boat he had built some 30 years ago and the one we have co owned for nearly 20 years.




I can sail, navigate and maneuver her fairly well. Other than blowing out a sail in 94, I haven’t caused her any damage in all our travels. But other than checking fluids and focusing on specific major projects, I just haven't spent much time in the engine room. dad supervised most of the maintenance. This will be my ' get acquainted' weekend with the focus on the gaps in my knowledge of systems and prioritizing what needs to be done on the boat.



I picked the worst jobs first. We've had a pesky leak in the lazarette and that involved emptying out all the contents of this remote recess on the boat. I may have fixed it but only a good rain will prove it. I also attacked the engine room. Years of spares are stowed here.



Dad had many talents and strengths. One of his weaknesses was leaving either a hardware or marine store with visions of scenarios where 'that' could come in handy. He would see ‘that thing’, and think ‘that’ could come in handy sometime. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next month or next year, but sometime, ‘that’ could really come in handy. There are hundreds of 'thats'.



50 years of gadgets, parts, little things that 'someday' might come in handy. Some of them are cool. a sextant, bought on a whim. It may provide a challenge in the future. Mastering celestial navigation. Cool. I like that. Then there are the two industrial magnets designed to retrieve something made of ferrous metal that has dropped overboard. One was in perfect shape, the other so rusty it was nearly unrecognizable. One stays one goes. And there were scores of things like that.



The other task involved the aft deck lockers. Emptied out everything, cleaned everything, painted the inside of one (being a contortionist would have helped) and clear the drainage tubes. I ended .up replacing and re engineering one of them to prevent water from coming in, hoping if not to outright solve the actual leak, preventing water from coming to the lazerette.



All these little things that need to be done and far more, but there’s good momentum. Dad and I prepped the boat for the round Vancouver trip, now I just have to leverage that and continue. Brightwork will wait till next spring. 

Note: at the time it didn't occur to me to take an pictures of the actual work.  The pics are random shots from the weekend.

Crab and no fish weekend

Another Friday Harbor weekend. It didn't quite work out as planned, but we adapted. Devin, Jodi and I came up and wanted to fish and crab and also do some chores out at the house. Unfortunately the only option available was to use CAMBRIA, which is what we ended up doing.




Friday we drove right on to the ferry. One of the last ones to arrive, we never stopped in line. Paid at the toll booth and rolled right onto the ferry. Bellevue to Friday harbor in 3 hours. Not bad.



Saturday morning we worked out at the house and completed a list of chores. Back on the boat we motored over to Wescott bay, set the traps and had Jodis Bbq burgers.



On Sunday we fished. CAMBRIA doesn't make an ideal fishing platform, but dad had rigged pole holders and while its difficult to land a fish on Cambria, the act of fishing is rather comfortable. We did successfully get around the difficulty of landing a fish by not catching a dang thing. All day. But it was fun. Family friends were aboard and we had a good time.



We did catch some crab and we experimented with different ways to cook and clean them.



Sunday night we had a nice sunset cruise back to Friday harbor.

A Weekend in the Woods

The original plan was to hike and camp high up on Mt Adams but reports of snow kept us away. There were parts of that trail that were sketchy enough when the trail was dry. Snow could have made for an uncontrolled screamer slide down the mountain side.




A few plan B's were discussed and we land on Deer Lake, just south of Skykomish. Looking at the map, I was surprised at how deep we could drive into the alpine lake wilderness area..



5 of us gathered our packs and headed out. The first part of the trail is incredibly well maintained. And the stairs! We got tired of stairs. About 2 miles in is lake Dorothy, seemingly home to every Boy Scout troop in the area. Every unprepared and ill equipped Boy Scout troup in the area (take the tent out of the box before you strap it on and ditch the coolers…). Does anyone teach these kids how to pack a pack? Soren, if you are reading this, come back. You have work to do…

After hiking the length of lake Dorothy, the groups thinned out and after over 4 miles of hiking with a full pack, the real elevation gain started. Sweat step sweat. 2 tough miles later we found our spot. We turned out to be the only ones spending the night on that side of the lake. Perfect.

Jodi made her appetizer, which would have fit in well at an SYC green box party. Out here backpack it was decadent.

It continues to amaze and delight me that with a modest amount of effort you can still get to a quasi remote place on an August weekend. Very few people at Deer Lake, and no one within a quarter mile. Nice.

Dad

Dad passed away on Wednesday night, August 17th. Through the extra effort of a good friend, the generosity of a stranger, and perhaps some other forces at work, I was unexpectedly in Bellingham when dad was flown by helicopter from Friday harbor. I was aiming for the 4:45 ferry out of Anacortes but an old friend went above and beyond and arranged for me to fly over to the island from Bellingham. I was at the airstrip when I got the word that dad was being flown to the nearest hospital. Bellingham. I met the ambulance at the door and was by his side until he passed, about 2 hours later. Initially alert and talking, he went downhill after about an hour. The details don't belong in a blog, but it was the most difficult 2 hours of my life by a very wide margin.




Julie, our nurse that night, was superb. She proved to be a solid, competent nurse and a gem of a human being. Dick, the chaplain, took over after dad passed.



A few years ago dad told me that when it was time, all he wanted was a simple ceremony with family and a few close friends for quiet goodbye. That is as close to his exact words as I can recall.



I think he would have appreciated the efforts with more extravagant productions, special music and other gestures, but I also think he meant what he said.



He would have appreciated the simple gesture of captain Daniel Evans, skipper of the schooner ‘Adventuress’. 2 days after dad passed, the 101 foot, 98 year old Adventuress unexpectedly, and coincidently, anchored out in front of the cabin. In the 50 years that we've had the cabin, not a single boat has anchored out in front for the night. It just isn't a good anchorage. The holding is good, but it’s exposed and only on the calmest of evenings would it provide a decent place to anchor. 48 hours after dad passed, Adventuress anchored in a place she'd never anchored before, right in front of the cabin.

Saturday morning I kayaked out to Adventuress to inquire why they chose that spot to anchor. The skipper told me that one of the mini goals of the trip was to anchor her in places where she had never anchored before. I pointed to the cabin and told him of my father and his 50 year love affair with the islands. The conversation was brief and I headed back to shore.

Later that morning were getting ready for our 8 bells ceremony, a nautical tradition to honor a passing. In sailing days long since gone, seaman did not have their own time pieces and were expected to stand 4 hour watches. Bells were used to keep track of time. 1 bell for the first 30 minutes, 2 bells for the first hour, till the fourth hour when 8 bells signaled the end of a watch. The man standing watch looked after the entire crew, looking out for any dangers. Dads watch was complete and we were getting ready for our 8 bells ceremony to be held later that day aboard CAMBRIA.



Mom was at the house cutting flowers for the ceremony and we were at the guest cabin when we all heard the unmistakable sound of a ships bell. We looked out to the water and captain Evans had the crew of the Adventuress lined up on the deck facing the cabin. They rang 8 bells.



That gesture was incredibly kind and made for a great story for a great guy.

Kendall Katwalk

One of our favorite hikes.  Great day!