July 26-31, 2016 Ixonia to Salt Pond and CoinJock

After good-byes everyone rushed off,  We four,  Jack, Mary, Bubbie and I drove to Johnson Creek and the Kwik Trip there where I withdraw cash from their free ATM and fueled up the car.

Backseat travelers

And of course fueled everyone else up to.  They have good breakfast sandwiches.

We drove until we found a "pet friendly hotel in Jackson Ohio.  A Quality Inn which was, well not a Hampton Inn.

"I can eat it all, no problem".  

But first we had t have dinner.   Mary wasn't feeling well so Jack and I went to the local Bob Evans where, eyes bigger than his stomach, he ordered eggs and pancakes.  The waitress, using her best southern accent, remarked, "are you-all sure you-all can eat all that food?"  Jack answered in the affirmative.  The adult (me) said sure, curious if he really could pack it all away.

Well, he got through maybe half of it before agreeing he couldn't eat anymore.  The waitress gave me one of those womanly, "I told you so" looks reserved for stupid male adults.  But I gave her a big tip anyway.

And on the way back to the hotel we did stop at MacDonalds to buy some McNuggets for Mary.

Bubbies first hotel room experience ... I think

I needed rest becasue we had another long day of driving so I got a single room and left Bubbie, Mary and Jack to wrangle over the TV.  I went to bed early in the eerie quiet of a cannine-less room.

We were up and on the road at a not too early hour and near Hampton, VA encountered horrific traffic congestion die to some construction.  But we did make it to the marina before the office closed.

While Bubbie explored the marina with Jack, Mary started loading up a cart and I went to the boat to open it up, disengage the dehumidifier and start up the A/C units.

Everyone clamoring aboard.  You can just see Bubbies head

The dehumidifier work fine except the drainage hose I connected wasn't doing anything.  All the condensate went into the bucket which of course was full.   I'd better check that manual again.

The T-head dock we are on is a slanted a bit and makes clamoring around with heavy packages and luggage a bit of a challenge.  But we managed to get everything aboard using to dock carts.

We had ordered some parts etc. and they were at the Marina office too.

We had the car for a few days yet so the next day went to Yorktown.  It was a hot day but we only had a few days to do all the tourist things so to hell with the heat.

One of the few exhibits.  Many more not yet on display.

We first stopped at Yorktown Battlefield park which is a national park.  It hasn't changed much from the last time were through here.  Interesting!

We didn't do the driving tour of  the battlefield.  Its a self guided driving tour of the battlefield and its a large area.  Now that Bubbie lives with us we have time constraints so we must prioritize our off boat activities ... right Mary?

Gift shop purchases

Hard to resist a penny crushing machine

Overlooking Yorktown square

Is there a crab left anywhere?

Next we drove the two miles to Yorktown Victory Center.  The main museum is just finishing up a refurbishment and wasn't all that interesting because many of the displays weren't available.   The gift job enjoyed Jack's visit though .. several purchases.

Jack kayaking up Salt Pond

Then we drove a short distance and parked in Yorktown and walked downtown and somehow ended up at the Riverwalk Restaurant where Jack devoured a pound of crab legs.  And to think we used to indulge in Happy Meals for him only a few years ago.

Shortly after we took a slow drive through Yorktown back to the boat.

Jack wanted to kayak so I got it down for him and off he went exploring Salt Pond.

I drove off and did some shopping at Farm Fresh grocery.  Mary started doing laundry.

Investigating tidal creatures

The next day Jack and I left Mary and Bubbie alone and went into Norfolk to visit the battleship USS Wisconsin at Nauticus.  We used the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel  (not to be confused with the much longer Chesapeake Bay Bridge).   On the way to Salt Pond we cruised right over it and will do the same when we leave.

Nauticus is, beyond the battleship, a bit of a marine museum with ship artifacts, sea life etc.  Interesting place.  And its right next to a cruise ship terminal and beyond that a large river front park.

It was another hot day but the heat didn't dissuade anyone from climbing all over the ship.  Well, maybe after a few hours things became a little too warm.  At that point we left the ship for the cool of the museum and spent an hour in there.  Very interesting.

USS Wisconsin and Jack

Then it was gift shop time.  I'm not much of a gift shop goer.  Jack, is Mr. Gift Shop.  So we went in, I secured a nice comfy chair and started to read the NY Times.  30 seconds later Jack was back saying he was all done.

Replenishing after visiting the battleship, museum, and a gift shop.  

It was an extraordinary moment.  Jack?  Done?  In three minutes?  In a gift shop?  Unprecedented!

We left the large and renown gift shop and strolled next door to the Nauticus cafeteria where we feasted on water and ice cream.  Hey.  It was a hot day!

We drove back to the boat using the tunnel again.  There is a surprising amount of traffic congestion around here.  Or maybe I'm just more sensitive to it becasue we don't drive all that much.

I made a grocery run to the nearby grocery store, Farm Fresh while Mary did some laundry. We ate pizza from Annas again and then went to bed.

I drove Mary and Jack to the Buckroe Beach and Park a few miles down the road in the morning and while they splashed around in the water and searched for dead stuff, Bubbie and I did some engine maintenance and created some alternative routes we could use when (note I said when, not if) the weather turns crappy and we have to alter our planned destination.

The beach goers called me in mid afternoon and I went to pick them up.

Cocktail Party!

By then it was cocktail hour and since we have new crew members aboard it was an inaugural cocktail  party.

The pool was being shocked because of a persistent algae bloom but should be ready for fun tomorrow.  Algae love this steamy weather and even the mild levels of chlorine in the pool cant keep it down so they periodically shock the pool which kills pretty much everything.  It's left a day so the chlorine can evaporate off leaving a sparkling clean pool for another week or so.

We went to Walmart this morning for a stocking up, shopping run.  We will be anchoring out most of the time.  Well that's the plan anyway.  So we need to stock up on food and other essential items since we wont have access to any stores.

Walmart is by far the cheapest place to do massive shopping.  I was surprised though how interested  Jack was wandering the aisles at Walmart and discovering all manner of sparkling trinkets.  The renown Nauticus gift shop paled in comparison.

We were back in record time and got everything on the boat.  I took the car back and then Jack and I hit the pool.  Mary declined to swim, and read a book while keeping a careful eye on the laundry located in a small air conditioned room behind the pool.

Then it was time to relax.

TV zombies.  All three of them..

While they immersed themselves in satellite TV I was cajoled into taking Bubbie out for her nightly walk.  

Prying her away from the TV wasn't difficult.  They were watching the intense drama from the 70's, Emergency.  Scintillating TV it is not.  

Out around the marina there was 15 minutes of smelling until I commanded, "Bubbie poop!".   And she actually did.  Under a bush so I couldn't make use of the fine little black baggies the marina freely provides so dogs can amusingly watch, while you pick up their leavings.

It was an early to bed night because we are leaving early tomorrow morning for Coinjock, NC our first stop.

We did leave early this morning and encountered rain storms approaching Hampton Roads.  We also had an encounter with a RoRo, which was doing 19 knots (via AIS) coming into Hampton Roads.  It was cutting off our route to the other side of the channel where the naval ships were docked.  Prudence being the better part of valor, or something like that, I slowed and changed course to run parallel with it until it was past us. 

We ran along the Naval piers seeing the aircraft carriers, CVN-73, CVN-75 and CVN-77,which is the newest and last Nimitz class carrier.  We saw it at the Naval Ship yard up the Elizabeth river when we came down through here in June.  So it was moved over to the Naval Base.  That would have been something to see.

Numerous other ships were there.  And a few submarines too.

As we left the naval base and began running through the commercial port the radio crackled with the announcement of RR Bridge 7 closing.  That bridge was 2 miles in front of us and we cant pass under it.  So we slowed way down and cruised at about 3 mph until another radio broadcast announced the bridge was opening.  The slowdown put a bit of a crimp in our timing.  We were attempting to time our arrival at Great Bridge Lock and Great Bridge so we wouldn't have idle around waiting for them to open.

Jack attentively tending lines in Great Bridge Lock

 As it turned out we ended up waiting for 20 minutes at the Great Bridge Lock, and then waiting another 15 minutes for Great Bridge to open.

Waiting for the bridge put the navigation in Humor mode ... ETA Never?

Bubbie meanwhile seems to have a halcyon attitude while the boat is moving.

Shade.  A fan.  A nap.  What else does a cruising dog need?

We only had a slight wait at the next bridge, and running at 1800 RPM we made North Landing Bridge which only opens twice an hour.  We sailed right thru without stopping.

Surrounded but never molested by the thundershowers 

Once in Coinjock Sound we found ourselves between severe thunderstorms.  We had some rain but luckily the heavy stuff with its companion lighting was past us.  We pulled into Coinjock by 6:08.

Readying lines for Coinjock marina in the distance

We and three other boats were on the dock.  Not busy day for them.  Once were all tied up and secure it was off the restaurant.  They are famous for their delicious (and huge) Prime Rib.  Jack, on his quest for sea food rejected the prime rib and went for ... what do you think.

 No prime rib for this guy.  It's Crab Legs!

After eating Bubbie was walked by Jack and Mary while I talked with the guys on a few boats that had passed us in Coinjock Sound, Queen Bee, and Venture an old commercial dinner cruise boat.

Talked with the first mate on Venture and he related a tale of woe, 3 weeks of repairs, new equipment purchases, dirty, boat etc.  He and the other two guys in the crew are acting as a delivery crew, taking it to the Virgin Islands.  Ironically that’s where he lives.  I forget his name, but he’s a retired musician, and nationally known although I never heard of him or his band, Tin something-or-other.  Nice guy though.

Forecast looks ominous tomorrow but I’m not sure which forecast to believe.  My gut tells me it’ll be a ok day, but very stormy night.  Since we have Jack and Bubbie on board I’m thinking we’ll play it safe and stay here another night.  We'll figure that out tomorrow morning.

July 2016 Wisconsin

In no particular chronological order, a high level compendium of activities for the few weeks we were in Wisconsin.

A train delayed an already anxious grandmother.

We rolled into Wisconsin in the late afternoon and after stopping for a train in Oconomowoc, went right to Greg and Laura's house to see Seany and Sam.  Well and Laura and Greg too.

We hung around until Greg came home from work and then went out to eat.  After dinner we went to the Hagens and our temporary room for a few weeks.

We were presented with presents from Jack and Jonah! 

Jack, Seany and Jonah at Pewaukee Lake

We took the kids along with Laura and Sammy to Pewaukee Lake and met Jennifer there.  Seany was anxious to try out his new snorkel and fins.  Alas, the mask and snorkel were lost in the murky water.

We also spent some time at City Beach on Lac La Belle lake with the kids.

Blue Light Special was the band.  Local and pretty good.

One night we attend a concert in the park at Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc.  Very nice.  

One day we joined Laura, Sammy and Seany at the Milwaukee County Zoo.  And we even took the train!

Insect exhibit with replicas.  This thing squirts water and it got me full on

Sammy the train rider 

Sammy and Seany at the petting zoo

Sammy delightfully feeding the goats

Seany, another train rider

We stopped to see my mother and met Kathy and Dave there.

Visiting with Dave and Kathy too

My mother and sister surfing the web

LeAnn drove in from Minnesota to see everyone for a weekend.  And Dave treated us to a subdued fireworks display since it was well past the 4th.  I was able to test out my new bug zapper which is basically a tennis racket type thing which fries any little flying critters that come in contact with the wire mesh.  Quite effective.  And it does induce a slight shock if you touch the mesh.

I had called back to the marina to arrange for a pump out of the boat.  But they ultimately decided it was to risky without us being aboard.  Go figure.

Glass work!  Love those hanging LED shop lights

Mary had a chance to do some glass work thanks to David and his garage.

A few times we packed up all the grandsons int the car and went off to the Y to swim.  Sorry Sammy.  In a few years!   

One trip we had the  brilliant idea to get everyone changed into swim suites at house.  Cloths flew every where.  Once out of the pool no one had anything proper to wear.  We forgot to bring any real cloths along.  Quite a miss-mash of outfits but everyone chowed done just fine at the Y's little snack bar.

We saw a few of Jack's swim meets at the Y.   And we went to one of Jonahs baseball games too.

Jonah, waiting for the pitch

Jonah on second base taking a little break

Grandma ordering for Jonah and Jack at Chocolate Factory

And of course a few obligatory stops at the Chocolate Factory.

My Droid 4 phone is pretty much given up the ghost so I ordered a new Nexus 5 and it arrived a few days after I ordered it.  It was verified to be compatible with Verizon, but the Delafield Verizon store guy said it couldn't connect.   So I left there with my old phone working again and my new phone not.  But have a new nano SIM card in the new one.  Now what?

After a call to Verizon they did their magic and in 5 minutes it was working just fine.

We had to be in Green Bay for doctor appointments and such for a few days so we joined Greg and Laura in Door County.  We made a visit to the Train Museum in Green Bay and stayed at the Suamico Country Inn are usual hotel when we are in town.

Prepped with a snack and ready for a Train Museum, train ride

Then on to Sturgeon Bay where we stayed while visiting Washington Island.  We drove up there and then took the ferry across to the island.

6 month trip across country?  Nah.  Weekend in Door County

We took the Viking train since the Cherry Train was booked.  

Sammy running around before having to sit in the blue car

We took that around the island and even stopped at School House Beach and skipped a few stones.   Another thing I could do with aplomb some years ago.  Now my efforts rarely skip, but just plunk.

Then we took the ferry back and drove to Sturgeon Bay and the hotel for a swim and then bed.  

Next morning we had breakfast and at Cedar Crossing Inn. 

Seany and I were engineering a stable coffee creamer tower waiting to eat

After we toured the Maritime Museum  and even went on the tug boat John Purves.   After that Greg and Laura headed home and we went back to County Inn in Suamico because we had doctor appointments in Green Bay the next day.

What better way to prepare for a doctor visit than spending some time at Anduzzis Bar?

We always seem to stop in here when we're in Suamico

I turned, ah, a little older this month, and the kids held a nice little party for me.

Golfers Jack and Brant

While LeAnn and Brant were here, he and I along with Brant and Jack went golfing.  Jack is getting pretty good.  I had an awful round and noted the Wilson Duo balls weren’t any better than any other ball I ever played with.  That's not an indictment of the balls per say.  Just the my skill at hitting them.

Jonah and my belt

I needed a belt for the wedding so Jonah and I went shopping.  At Goodwill to be exact.  And he found one right away.  So a reward was in order.  

And now the reward....  

Or better said, reward(s).  Grandparents are so easy

Not Amanda's work

Mary couldn't get her hair done with  Amanda when we were in Green Bay so she went to a local pace in Oconomowoc.  Jonah, when asked how it looked replied with his standard serious expression, "It's pretty.  But your not gorgeous".  

See Amanda?  Your still the best.  

Wedding attendees.  We got to watch cartoons on the way there!

Wedding goers, Mary, LeAnn, Brant, David and Jen

Went to Jessica Carey's wedding held in Lake Geneva.  Brant and LeAnn had driven down to attend. Fun.

It rained though.  We watched the thunderstorms roll in at the start of ceremony.  

Began raining a few minutes after the ceremony began.  After a few sprinkles we all moved  into a vestibule to finish it off.  Quite fun.  

Stopped at the drugstore for medical supplies That's LeAnn's bleeding elbow held up. 

LeAnn almost did a header running out of the reception as we left later in the evening.  She fell and gashed her elbow.  On the way back (we were all in Jen and Dave's van) we stopped at a drug store for medical supplies to tape up the wound. 

We loaded up the car today, Sunday, a day after the wedding.  

And then we went over to snatch the unsuspecting Bubbie from her life of leisure.  She'll soon be  plunging into a new life of adventure and intrigue on the high seas.  New sights to see, many new smells and sleeping late are a few of the perks Bubbie.  It'll all work put.  Plus we are criminally lavish treaters.  Prepare to gain weight!

So Bubbie came back to the house with us much to Jonah's joy.  She and Jack will be sharing the back seat of the car for 1,000 miles on the drive back to Virginia. 

The victors

The year long "discussion" about getting another dog was finally over.  There was a victor. 

 And a looser.     

We elected to leave on Monday instead of trying to rush around and leave Sunday, the day after the wedding.

And the first stop as always will be the Watertown Kwik Trip for fuel, money and breakfast.  Get ready Jack...

July 2016. Top Rack to Salt Pond, and then on the road to Wisconsin

We wanted to leave Top Rack before 8AM to get into Salt Pond before low tide.  The Salt Pond is one of those places known for shoaling.  They dredge it once every two years but its still less than 5 feet in places.

Gilmerton Bridge

So we were up and moving out of the slip at 7:45.   It was an easy trip for the most part.  All the bridges were open and the Gilmerton Bridge, which has been undergoing repairs, closed but still gave us was 35 feet which we clear easily.

Once clear of the bridges the next few miles winds through a commercial shipping area with large freighters, tugs pushing barges and other assorted commercial boat traffic.  All very cool to watch as we glided by.  We only encountered two barges moving through some of the more restricted areas waterways but no issue there.

Emerging from the commercial shipping section, we entered the Naval Shipyard area.  The Elizabeth River winds through here and down to Portsmouth and Norfolk before getting to Hampton Roads.

CVN 77

As we made our way down the river we passed  the newest Nimitz class carrier, USS George H.W. Bush, CVN 77.  It was in the yard being outfitted.

There were numerous other ships in dry docks or at  refit piers.  A few I even remembered from the last time we were here.  It’s always fun running down through Norfolk and gawking at all the ships and listening to the radio chatter.  A busy place.

As we left Hospital Point and entered the Hampton Roads, Mary took over the helm and I went down to grab a sandwich.  I was coming up on the bridge and noticed a large warship off our port bow a few miles away when a sudden shrill alarm went off.  At first I thought we were being assaulted by one of the many little security boats that patrol the Naval Base.

A quick scan of the instruments highlighted the problem immediately.  The starboard engine was over heating.  I shut it down right away and our speed dropped to 4.5mph.  This was going to alter our arrival time in Salt Pond to somewhere around noon.  Noon, as it could only be, was low tide. Ugh …

Mary drove while I went down to diagnosis the trouble.  I first suspected the raw water pump but it looked fine.  It was then I noticed some odd circular metal pieces lying in the bilge.  Not good.

The engine was to hot to take the fan shroud off so I just blocked off the starboard shaft which was rotating from the forward motion of the boat and went back up to wait awhile for the engine to cool down.

The temp sensor was showing a high of 190 degrees so I don’t think there is any damage aside from whatever caused the problem.  And that, I’m pretty sure is a shredded belt caused by a seized pulley, water pump, alternator or the belt tensioner.  The belt was replace a few years ago and looked in fine shape the last time I checked.

USS Arleigh Burke

A few minutes after I came up to the fly bridge, the radio came alive with calls from warship 51,  USS Arleigh Burke.   It was a general call to anyone n the vicinity to maintain a position, 500 yards away from the ship.

They even called us personally with a warning not to alter our course.  We felt so important for few moments as the ship slide by us.  We were riding a crest of current at that time and making 6mph on one engine.

Once they were passed we put tour boat on autopilot and I gazed at the ships as we passed the naval docks.  Submarines, and all manner of surface ships.  And USS George Washington(CVN-73) was in the last dock of the naval base where carriers are berthed.

USS Leyte Gulf

Shortly after passing the the naval docks, warship 55, USS Leyte Gulf came barreling towards us from the ocean.  They were bound for dock 5 in the naval base. There were no escort patrol craft or tugs.  But its an AEGIS Cruiser, one of billion dollar electronic marvels so maybe they don’t need any extra protection.  But they did have manned, large caliber have a bow and stern caliber guns.

So we stayed 500 yards away from them too.  And I knew they were headed to dock 5 because they were being met by a yard tug which confirmed this on the radio.

Tensioner pretty well blown apart

After that ship passed I went down again and was able to take the unbolt the fan shroud and get it off to see what happened.  Sure enough, the tensioner had must have locked up, shredding the serpentine belt and the tensioner casing and spilling ball bearings all over.  Belt dust covering everything.  The water pump and alternator spun fine so they are OK.

But we have only on operable engine.

I removed what was left of the now crumbled tensioner and went up top to start hunting for a source for another one.  But of course, it’s a holiday weekend.  Nothing open on Saturday.   I called the marina about our situation and they suggested I contact Old Dominion Marine which does repair work and more importantly located right in the marina.

In the meantime they decided to have us tie up on the T-head of  L dock instead of a cozy slip on J dock.  This, because we cant maneuver very well at all on a single engine.  The rudders are too small to be very effective. 

Entering the Salt Pond Channel from the Bay

Entering the channel to Salt Pond is tricky.  Especially at low tide.  I did mention it was low tide, right?

The channel starts in the Bay and then after about 1/2 mile, there is a hard turn to port taking you into Salt Pond channel itself.  The instructions for large boats are to stay well to the green side and then well to the red side after the 90 degree turn to run down through the pond.  Staying to the green side or red side simply means maneuvering closer to the red  or green buoys which mark the channel.   

After the turn and in Salt Pond

I tried to do that but there were small boats coming out and not moving over far  enough to let us pass.  We didn’t ground, but it was close.  It was worse after the turn where I could see some docks literally all high and dry.  Our depth sounder screamed several times as we made out way down the pond.

Salt Pond is really a rather narrow slit of water behind a barrier finger of land that fronts Chesapeake Bay.  Its quite protected and is packed with boats.  And its shallow.

We pulled into L dock and got tied up with the help of a few dock hands.  The docks are floating which leave a good 5 feet to jump.  Spry old me can still do it, but its not a grandmotherly activity.  So we brought out the ladder.

We just made the turn and saw this.  Low tide!

I immediately went looking for the mechanic and obtained  his number from the marina office where we walked after securing the boat.   George, a gracious, mild mannered guy, said he could do it and would stop by that evening.

Meanwhile Mary went back up to the office to pay and then stood around admiring the pool.  I called the car rental folks and but they couldn't pick me up for a few hours because they had no cars yet.

Mary was returning top the boat and as she was walking back down the dock, became engaged in conversation with Jim and Judy on a Looper boat a few slips from where we were tied up.  Mary, was slowly walking to our boat and Judy was following and then she and I got into a conversation as Mary slyly slipped on board and into the cabin.   After a while we all just escaped back into our boats and the cool air.  It was hot!

That's us, last boat on the right sticking past the piers

The long walk to the parking lot and pool

The pool and marina office in the background

I was perplexed though about Jim and Judy who I thought we had met somewhere, but evidently not.

We basked in the cool air for a bit before getting the laundry ready and then walking over to the laundry center up by the marina office.  I brought along some money so we each devoured an ice cream sandwich.  As we walked back to the boat, it started pouring.

Tricked out golf cart owned by one of the boaters here

We enjoyed a few hours of thunderstorms before a lull allowed us to go back to get the laundry into a dryer.  And as we walked back to the boat it poured again.  Karma?

Salt Pond is really located in Buckroe Beach which is sort of a suburb of the city of Hampton.  Its a bit of a beach town with some pretty poor sections.  The beach, which looks out over Chesapeake Bay, looks quite inviting.

Just as I climbed aboard once again  Enterprise called me.  This incredibly cherubic young lady was all excited saying they were ready to pick me up. It was pretty funny.  Such excitement!

So I got some dry clothes on, took my phone and went up to meet Isaiah, the Enterprise driver who drove me to the office in downtown Hampton right next to the Hampton Marina.  Isaiah was quite  talker.  He moved her from somewhere in northern Virginia and had worked in Virginia Beach prior to being transferred to the Hampton office.  He gladly provided some directional suggestions, the most poignant being the importance of  Buckroe Road, the road which leads to the marina.   

We have a Dodge Charger, a high powered racy type car instead of a nice standard old sedan with a big trunk.   I didn't have much choice since it was the only car left.

I drove back to the marina trying to remember the route we took getting to the office.  Nothing was looking familiar so I resorted to using Google which, sure enough, placed me on Buckroe Road.   Can I even read a map anymore?

Once back, we settled in for some dinner and then began a marathon Fraizer watching session only to be interrupted by George the mechanic who came on board.  He’s very busy this weekend and said he wont be relaxing but working all every day.  

I said I just need some parts but didn’t have a line on a good part place that was open.  It all boiled down to him doing the work and getting the part so we could leave before the 4^th.  The marina though wants us to vacate this T-head so we maybe not be able to leave until after the holiday since we aren't able to maneuver well enough on only one engine.

Tomorrow we will find out what happens.  We're lucky in that these are all very nice folks

Woke up at 9.  Mary worked on her glass project.  Then we went to store, Walmart and Home depot.  Buying more stuff.

We are tying a new technique to limit closed up boat odors.  Lay charcoal laid in rectangular planters and then place the planters in the bilge.  

After we returned we got the charcoal / planters situated in the bilge.  I cleaned up the debris and residue from the exploded tensioner.  And then got the dinghy cover back on.  To finish off a productive day I cleaned out both shower sumps and showers too. 

An exciting day leading to a more exciting day tomorrow when frantic packing occurs

Never saw George the mechanic today.  He was going to show up  but evidently was too busy.

Desert comes first?

We cleaned and packed all day getting the boat ready to stay alone for a month.  We did drive to Anna's Pizza.  It was ok, but nothing special.  Mary was hungry so ate some chocolate concoction for desert.  First.

It rained for a good part of the afternoon, a Nor’Easter with plenty of wind.  I went out and put out a second aft spring line and we closed up all the screens.

Later the air became cooler and less humid as the day moved along and the showers dissipated.

Taking advantage of the kindly weather we started hauling luggage to the car.  We have to park it on a gravel lot which is over a 1/4 mile away.  Dock carts are wonderful inventions.

Uneventful day.  Well not really.    We got up, hauled the rest of the luggage to the car, set up the dehumidifier and did the other “leaving the boat for a month” things.  I closed it up, did a last check on the lines and then we walked to the car and set off to the nearest MacDonalds for breakfast even though it was after 10AM.

We hopped on the I-64 and off we cruised at a unsettling 70mph while resurrecting the Hampton Inn / cheaper alternative argument.  I usually win these, one of my rare victories.    The day was on again, off again torrential rain showers and tornado warnings.  Ugly weather!  We should be able to make it to Wisconsin the next day.