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04/10/20

Permalink 10:22:44 pm, Categories: Adventures, 2733 words   English (US)

March 2020 Seattle Trip!

March 2020 Seattle Trip!

For years the boy had talked about wanting to take a train trip that included sleeping on the train. In January of this year, we decided that Spring Break 2020 would be a great time to embark on a journey that focused on the train ride, with a little sightseeing thrown in for good measure. We scheduled the trip in January, little did we know what was coming our way. COVID 19.

We planned for a car to pick us up and bring us to the train station for our Thursday night departure from St. Paul. We would travel to Seattle in our sleeper car, spend a couple of nights seeing the sights and return via the Empire Builder. The goal in packing was to reduce the bags we had with us in the room and check a bag for clothes transfer in Seattle. We wanted it to be as stress free as possible, so having transportation both to and from the station in St. Paul was part of the plan.

We dropped the Bug off at his doggie daycare on Thursday, knowing that he would both miss us and have the time of his life with daily walks and exercise planned. Thursday evening found us all watching the clock and waiting for the time the car would arrive. Of course, dinner would be in the interim, so delivery was chosen. We had dinner and watched a movie. All of us watching the clock for the time the car would arrive.

Eventually the time came, and we sprang into action. I love that the hubby is a planner. He had our bags staged in the truck waiting for the driver to arrive. This made things super easy as we only had to transfer the bags from one car to the next. Of course, things never go as planned. Earlier in the day the internet decided it was time to reboot and reconfigure the whole system, so none of the Alexa’s were set up to respond to any commands to turn off lights, so we had to improvise. As usual, the hubby stepped up to the occasion. We were all packed up and ready to roll to St. Paul.

Given that it was a Thursday evening, during Spring Break, traffic was pretty light, and we made it to the rail station without issue. We found the staging area for the light rail and proceeded to wait. To keep the boy occupied, the hubs and the boy decided to do some exploring of the old railway building. That’s when we discovered…. we needed to the check our bag three flights down! And off on a run they went, bag in tow to the baggage check in area. They returned in time to hear the gate attendees call for boarders of the sleeper cars and we all checked in. The train was, of course, a little late arriving at the station. But we eventually boarded and got settled.

The boy was so ecstatic. The rooms aren’t what one would call roomy, but they are sufficient. He was so excited at having his own bunk bed to sleep in, windows to look out…. It was hard to imagine getting him to bed for the evening. The car attendant came by and made sure we had everything we needed (beds were set up and ready for sleeping when we arrived), we asked for ice and prepared a martini in anticipation of too much excitement to sleep for a little bit.

The boy eventually settled down in his bunk and fell asleep, Troy and I not far behind him. It is hard to get used to sleeping on a moving car. We stayed awake and enjoyed our martinis while the train worked its way through the Minneapolis area as well as the Northern suburbs. It was wild seeing my bus stop from the train windows as we headed out on our adventure.

Eventually we all headed to sleep for the night, after setting an alarm for breakfast in the morning. Schedules become important on a train as it runs through the country and the various time zones, knowing when food is available becomes crucial when you have a growing 9-year-old. The next morning found us in North Dakota with an overcast sky and our first breakfast aboard. This coincided with our first big stop of the train. The boy would find himself rapt by the passing landscape through the rest of the trip. We talked of how train tracks often went along the backyards of people’s houses, making it so we were not always seeing the best of the towns.

Breakfast was had. The boy was doing well (so far) with the motion of the train. We returned to our quarters to watch the world go by. Montana was amazing. Crossing into the state was rather breathtaking. The sandstone cliffs were amazing as they seemed to appear out of nowhere with their colorful layers. I gave the boy the handheld camera and he became our photographer for the rest of the trip. It was interesting to watch it from his perspective.

Troy had music playing as we watched the country fly by us. I found myself moving my hand in conjunction to the music. Much in the way my dad used to move his hand up and down to keep time while we were dancing during some cousin’s wedding or another. It brought tears to my eyes thinking of my dad and that he is no longer with us. Those dances that we did, at every cousin’s wedding or event eventually ended when Dad and I had our final dance at my wedding. Simpler times. I think Dad would have loved the idea of our trip. But I digress.

Montana – I understand why it is called Big Sky Country. I was struck by the expansiveness of Montana. Everything looked so wide open. At least until the snow squalls hit and visibility was reduced. While it was still interesting country, I couldn’t help but think… didn’t we leave winter behind?

We enjoyed the rest of the day, watching the country fly by us. Making the occasional stop at some small town or another. We enjoyed the service that Amtrak provided us. Friday evening and we all hit the sack. Tired from a day of watching the world travel by us and meeting new people at each mealtime. We all hit the sack for a good night’s sleep. It was a long day and the night before was short.

Friday, March 13th and Troy and I awoke with to a huge jerk and crash! What was happening? Why isn’t the train moving! We saw no one walking about, though we could smell an acid like smoke in our cabin. We could see a roadway that was crossing the railroad tracks. It was clearly obstructed by the train as we could see cars drive up and turn around when they realized the train was definitely not moving. But we didn’t know what was going on. Then, the fans stopped. Air circulation was clearly off. This is not good! But as we couldn’t find anyone to ask, we finally just gave up and went back to sleep.

We found out the next morning that the train hit a tree that was across the tracks. They had to call for a replacement engine and replaced it in the night. This would make us three hours late arriving in Seattle. This would end up being a good thing since we couldn’t get into the hotel room right away and wondered how we would spend that time. We were also quite glad that we didn’t pre-book the airplane ride we planned to take that day since we would not have made it on time. Seattle was very windy on arrival, making me believe it would have been cancelled regardless.

Checking into the hotel, it was clearly not busy. We got a free upgrade to a city view room on the 22nd floor which was pretty amazing. We had booked a suite so there was a separate sleeping and living area which was also awesome and made for plenty of play space for the boy and a desk for Troy to set up (and a wet bar!) My boys were happy, I was happy.

We unloaded our bags and went to the bar for a late lunch of smoked salmon with goat cheese and capers on naan bread followed by tacos. We also took a little bit of a walk around the area and were able to visit the Gold Rush National Park Museum. We looked around a little and picked up a booklet for Dylan to complete so he could earn his junior ranger badge for that park. We figured we could do it in the morning and return on Sunday. We were all pretty beat and given the delay hadn’t been fed lunch on the train, so I think there was a little hangriness going on too. The time changes were also doing a bit of a number on us. Showers, some play time, downloading of photos and finally bed followed.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful. Since we had picked up the Junior Ranger booklet from the Gold Rush Museum, we figured we could have our continental breakfast and the boys could work on that while I took a look at what we could do with the day. We knew we wanted to go back to the Museum and get the boy his badge, we also had been considering things like Underground Seattle, the Lock Tour and the Duck Boats. Of course, the boy had seen the Great Wheel from our room and was begging us to go for a ride.

The boys dug into the Ranger book and I set to work on research. As luck would have it, many things were already closing including Seattle Underground and the Locks Tours. We deemed it a bit cool for the Duck Boats and decided we would head to the Museum and wander over to Miners Landing and the Great Wheel, planning to check out the shops there, especially the Pirates Plunder and find somewhere for lunch. The previous day, Troy had placed a Target order for pick up so we could have an easier time with luggage for the trip back, so we knew we also had a Target run to do that day. A busy day ahead planned.

We headed to the Museum and the boy completed his booklet, took his pledge and got his Junior Ranger Badge. He was pretty proud to have another badge. After ward we wandered over to Miners Landing, taking our time walking and getting some good photos of the unique architecture of the area. The boy, of course, was very excited about the idea of taking his first Ferris wheel ride. We wandered through the shops, stopping along the way to keep a keepsake or two, with Dylan’s proudest item being a pocketknife with his name on it. It was nearly his birthday after all. We all boarded the Great Wheel, with the boy in charge of the camera and off it went. I am, of course, very afraid of heights, but the boy absolutely loved it. I have to admit that it provided some pretty awesome views of the city including a nice view of the Space Needle (which was also closed). After the ride, we made our way to the Crab Pot for a late lunch. Earlier in the day, I had told the boy about it and he was pretty excited by the idea. If you have never been, I absolutely recommend visiting. They provide each person their own mallet (bonus according to the boy) and a bib and dump your food out on the table for you to eat. We had a variety of shellfish including shrimp, muscles and clams as well as three variety of crab, red potatoes and corn on the cob. It was absolutely delicious! And such a feast. I have never seen the boy eat with such joy before. Being able to hammer open his own food definitely had something to do with it. He ate everything! I think they only thing he didn’t eat much of was the red potatoes, but honestly that is no surprise to me since he is such an adventurous eater.

From there we Uber’d to Target to pick up our order and back to the hotel. We did some unwinding and Dylan unpacked his new toy and started on the process of packing up. We had picked up a large, hard sided suitcase to make it easier to check things and protect the computer we found we really didn’t use in the train. It would be a lot easier to move our bags around in the cabin for the trip back.

We had a nice meal of fish and fruit for dinner (can’t believe anyone was hungry) before heading up to the room for an early night. The time zone changes were affecting us, for sure.

The next morning we planned to go out for breakfast instead of hitting up the continental provided by the hotel as Troy and I wanted to indulge in a mimosa, but were greeted by the announcement that the restaurant was now closed for indoor eating. Looking further, the Great Wheel was now closed as was most of the city. Good thing we were planning to head home. Given that the boys school had closed, we considered staying longer, but with the entire city shutting down, it really didn’t make sense.

We checked our bag at the rail station and made sure the train was on time. We had planned to check out bags and find somewhere for lunch, but at $10 per carry on bag (for a few hours’ time), we quickly changed our plans. The boys ran out to find somewhere for sandwiches and I was on bag guarding duty. The boys found a local market that did excellent sandwiches and brought them back the station. Sandwiches, drinks and a few cribbage games later and we were ready for the announcement that the train was ready to head out.

Only it wasn’t.

They announced a delay instead. Worse, a delay with no idea of timing on how long the delay would be. That means we would be trapped in the station waiting for word on when we could board. Would it arrive before the dinner hour? Should we risk it and send someone to find sandwiches? How long would the delay be? (we had a car ready for the return in St Paul, would we make it?)

Luckily, it was only about forty minutes late.

We eventually boarded and got very lucky in that the entire lower half of our train car was empty save for one couple that apparently boarded the wrong car. Luckily, they would be departing part way through the return trip. Our car attendant, Tashi, was so nice and took such good care of us. He offered to let us use any of the other rooms for sitting or playing cards if we wanted.

The return trip was quite beautiful and fairly uneventful. There were no snowstorms to mar the view or the photos we could take. We met some very lovely people at each meal. And Troy got an opportunity to talk with Tashi more about his history and his family. Tashi even sent us some vintage Amtrak posters after we returned home and shared with Troy his history growing up in a Buddhist monastery. Probably the best gift of all was that he shared a set of Buddhist Prayer Flags with Troy. I am amazed by the generosity of people and humbled to know Tashi. A truly awesome person.

We returned home without issue, the car waiting for our return to St. Paul. It is a new world we live in now with everyone under the Stay at Home Order. We wondered if it were wise to head to Seattle at the beginning of this, but I am very glad we did. The people we met along the way were amazing.

Would I recommend this trip to others? Absolutely.

Permalink

10/16/19

Permalink 05:38:22 pm, Categories: Adventures, 444 words   English (US)

October 16, MEA weekend, Wild River Campground

We arrived at the campground at dusk, rather surprised by the lack of trees. There were a few campsites occupied, including, of course, the one next to ours. Given that it was halfway through October, the water and most of the bathrooms were winterized already already. Had it been earlier in the season, the site would have been perfect for its proximity to the head. But it was closed. There was, however, an open head at the nature center.

The next day we checked in, since they were closed when we arrived, and asked about a new site. Alas, they were fully booked for the entire weekend. We shouldn't be surprised, I guess, it was MEA weekend after all.

So, we returned to our site and got re-set-up. The site next to us had a fifth wheel, truck and trailer with ATVs. Quite a full site. We were surprised to see them parking in the adjacent campsite, but thought maybe they had thought ahead and rented two spots.

They eventually headed out with their ATVs and we pulled down the bikes to explore. It was a nice park, however, the sites were far too close together and there just weren't enough trees to block out the other sites.

The boy and I played the ladder game, and we were swarmed by ladybugs! They were everywhere. I absolutely need another vacuum for the RV. As it was, I didn't even have a broom. More things for the purchase list.

The park began to fill up, including the spot our neighbors were parking their ATV trailer in. I guess they didn't rent two spaces after all. So, when they returned they had to find another spot for their trailer. They took another site and went about fixing one of their ATvs. Luckily, they were able to finish before the person that actually rented that site showed up and they had to move once again. It became a bit of a game to watch.

In the meantime, the boy was busy making friends and running around the park. They played a game with flashlights in the growing dusk. Ghost in the graveyard I think they called it. It seemed to consist of them screaming and running about. But he was having a blast, clearly.

Another new camper and the neighbor is once again kicked out of the spot they were squatting in. They finally resigned themselves to using their own campsite, storing the ATV trailer and truck there instead. I guess our entertainment is finished.

Another night of kids running about in the dark, screeching and suddenly another adventure is over and we were packing for home.

Permalink

08/30/19

Permalink 05:25:49 pm, Categories: Adventures, 463 words   English (US)

Labor Day weekend, 2019

Willow River Campground

We were all packed up and ready to head out for a nice RV weekend at the Willow River Campground. Close enough to home that holiday traffic won't affect us much, far enough that it would be an adventure.

And suddenly it strikes us, we won't have a power hook up! What to do? Of course we must pick up solar panels, that will get us through. We did try to switch to an electrical site, to no avail.

We got to the site and were all set up fairly quickly.

Saturday we set up the solar panels without issue and got the frig turned on. Afterwards, we decided to go on an excursion to the nature center. Little did we know, it would be quite a trip. The trail to the Nature Center (via bike) was quite hilly with some trips down hill being a little scary even!

The Willow River area without the damn was wild, to say the least. Large blocks of stone that appear to be dropped willy nilly in the riverbed. Overgrown with weeds yet abutting what was clearly a swimming beach.

The return trip to the RV was particularly hard, given it was completely up hill. There were multiple times the boy gave up and just walked his bike uphill. I can't say I blame him. We likely covered a good four miles on our bikes.

We had dinner made over the fire. Very relaxing after a taxing day. Dylan did pull out his new lawn game and we played a couple of times. Of course, he won.

Sunday we decided to hike to the falls themselves. The path down was exceedingly steep. We were disappointed by the amount of garbage along the trail, but the boy was quite the trooper and did a great job picking up garbage along the way to the river.

We did stop at the old gravesite along the way and saw their view of the river. The machinery strewn along the riverbed was quite the sight to see.

The falls themselves were quite remarkable. The way the water fought the stone to make its way to ground, so amazing. The only negative being the garbage of those that came to visit and that they left behind. Disgraceful really.

The trip back up the hill was much harder then the trip down. I barely made it, despite multiple stops along the way. But up the hill we made it and back to the RV we were.

The boy also discovered the playground and how much he enjoyed it. So many kids, so much fun. We woke early on Monday and packed up while the boy played. Back home early enough that he's ready for his first day of school.

08/09/19

Permalink 08:50:16 pm, Categories: Adventures, 881 words   English (US)

August 9-19, 2019

So many days ahead of us and zero plans except to drop Bug with John for his vacation. Do we go back to Isle Royale? Do we bum around the islands? We have supplies for either option aboard.

Before our trip, Troy had commissioned the marina to replace our starter. This will turn out to be very important. But they got the work done before we headed up.

Saturday we headed out to Frog Bay to anchor for the evening. Given the lack of wind we motored the whole way and anchored without incident. The boy enjoyed swimming (of course) and we enjoyed not being tethered to land and not having to bring Bug ashore. An excellent anchorage and a very peaceful evening.

Sunday, after coffee and listening to the weather, we decided to head towards Stockton Island. We started the engine, pulled up anchor and headed in that direction. We had some wind an decided it would be a good day to take our time and sail there. The wind was somewhat fickle, but we stuck it out until we reached Stockton.

But then. No engine.

No matter what Troy tried, she just wouldn't start. We had plenty of battery power, but no dice. We pointed towards the marina and debated trying to sail back, but when our speed dropped to half knot, we called for a tow. Thank goodness for Black Warrior and TowBoatUS unlimited towing insurance. At least it was Sunday, we reasoned, the marina would be fairly empty and we wouldn't attract too much attention.

Alas, the fate's were not with us as the breakwall in the marina was lined with former shipmates from Knife River! I guess we were meant to head back to catch up with them. We had a great visit and hoped that the marina could fix the engine Monday.

Monday, it did end up being a quick fix and the marina felt badly about the issue. We were back off the dock and heading out again towards Stockton and Presque Isle Bay. Thankful that we didn't go to Isle Royale.

We dropped anchor and Dylan went swimming. After a bit, he convinced Troy to take him ashore and I dropped a line in the water. We had seen a boat go into the dock that looked remarkably like Rain or Shine, but convinced ourselves that it couldn't be Dave and Debi. The boat was too small, the canvas not brown.

Soon, however, I heard a familiar voice from the kayak visiting the boat anchored next to us. It's Dave! We couldn't believe it. He came over to WhimSea and chatted me up a bit before heading ashore to visit with Troy and Dylan Shortly after, there was a commotion ashore. Dylan's submarine had gone missing. All three searched for it for quite some time before Dylan eventually 'followed the clues' and 'discovered' the submarine buried in the sand and marked with a rock, right where he left it.

Eventually the boys bid Dave goodbye, making plans to meet up the next day and returned to the boat.

Tuesday dawned bright and clear with a fair wind to sail out of the anchorage. Though we hit some areas of little wind, we were eventually cooking along on our way to Raspberry Island where we planned to anchor with Rain or Shine.

Along the way we saw our old marina mates from earlier in the week and spent time hailing them on the radio. Suddenly, we were hailed by a new, yet familiar voice. It was Ted and Carol, formerly of the Seven C's. They had sold the boat and left Knife River before we did. They had another boat and were anchored in Raspberry Bay, not far from our intended anchorage. They would let us get settled and dinghy over for a visit. What an amazing trip with so many voices from the past.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be as the engine wouldn't fire as we went to anchor. Once again, we were forced to consider a tow back to the marina. Unfortunately, Black Warrior was having technical difficulties and we couldn't reach them. We decided to begin sailing back after making arrangements to meet up with Dave and Debi at Cornucopia Marina the next day.

We eventually got the tow company via phone and they towed us back once again. Hoping, of course, for an easy fix. Luckily it was, but by then it would be too late to get the boat all the way to Cornucopia, so we decided instead to drive there and meet up with Dave and Debi for dinner. Unbeknownst to us, the local restaurant had closed so we ended up driving to Bayfield for dinner. We had a great dinner and a wonderful visit before returning to the marina for the night, intent on heading back out again in the morning.

The next day found us heading to Raspberry Bay where we were able to connect with Ted and Carol for a great visit and loads of swimming. We also spent some time exploring ashore, more swimming, fishing and boat watching.

We were able to spend the last days bumming about the islands and enjoying ourselves immensely before returning, picking up Bug and reluctantly returning home.

07/20/19

Permalink 08:10:23 pm, Categories: Adventures, 1555 words   English (US)

July 2019 - Isle Royale

Wednesday left the house a little after 10 in the morning on July 3rd after loading the truck with the fresh and frozen food, clothes, books and electronics. It is amazing everything that we feel we need to bring aboard. Given the vagaries of the weather on Superior, you never know if it will be baking hot or cold, if we will be outside or stuck below watching rain squalls pass by entertained by movies. We are ready for all scenarios I think.

Thursday and Troy is quite busy installation a new solar panel control box that will allow for better output in more conditions, securing the panels, removing unnecessary items and organizing. It is hot, yesterday the thermostat below hit 91 as we were putting away our supplies. We got some relief from the heat when we went to Patsy's for burgers for dinner, but we were all wiped out, both by the heat and our exertion during the day. Today it is already 80 in the marina at 10:30. Troy filled up our ice stores and purchased flares, we only had to empty and secure Charlie before heading out. Despite the threat of rain and possible thunderstorms, there was little wind and since it will only get hotter in the marina, we decided to head out to Stockton and anchor in the bay. If the clear skies hold (doubtful), we thought we might be able to see the fireworks from Bayfield. Friday's forecast is not promising for the crossing with open water calling for widespread fog all day. While navigation is not an issue with the radar, it is usually cold and damp making things miserable.

We departed the marina by 11 on Thursday in bright sunshine and watched the clouds amalgamate over the Bayfield peninsula. There was a sailboat race underway near Madeline and all the boats began heading in as the storm built. Clearly, they cancelled the race. We passed between Madeline and Bayfield listening to the thunder and watching lightning. About halfway up Madeline and the rain hit. It's big thick drops are cold and penetrating. Troy stayed topside under a raincoat and his southwester, but his shorts are quickly soaked through. At least it will be cooler! The coast guard put out a warning to mariners to find safe harbor when we were two hours from Presque Isle bay, but we pressed on. The warning for hail, cloud to water lightning and 30 knot gusts mention only the islands nearest the mainland so we think we are at the northern edge of it.

We decided to anchor in Quarry Bay instead since it was closer and the rain was relentless. We missed most of the storms and there was a small break in the thunder allowing the boy to do some swimming which made him quite happy. Dinner of La Choy chow mein topped off by fortune cookies was followed by a rousing game of Yahtzee as rain continued to fall off and on. It was the perfect night to introduce the boy to the Princess Bride which captured his attention and imagination, especially the sword fighting.

Friday and the sun is shining hot. The boy got more swimming in as we had our coffee and a visit from Dan and Pam from Pachanga, old marina mates from Knife River. The anchor was up and we were on our way by 10:30. There is little wind so we find ourselves motoring through vast swatches of pollen interspersed with deadheads from the previous days rains washed into the lake. The boy was not happy to give up his swimming hole, but he'll be able to get back into the water at Windigo. For now, he is content to be watching movies on my tablet as we head to the Big Island.

The passage was uneventful. The fog came in making visibility low and somehow not affecting the heat of the sun. Troy laid down for a nap and I read and checked the weather. After a time, we switches up so I could nap.

The boy alternated between watching movies and checking our progress. After my nap it was much cooler, the sun now completely obscured by the fog. Long pants and jacket weather as we enjoyed a single martini before a dinner of beef stew.

The sun set with colors stretching horizontally across the sky in the breaks of clouds and fog. It was a beautiful orange, pink and red hue.

After what felt like an eternity, the Rock of Ages Light came into view. As a light among the shadows of twilight. She's always the first sign to let us know we've nearly arrived.

The first rock appeared out of the water as black sharp relief in the gathering twilight. There was enough ambient light to see the water and sky with the rocks in sharp contrast. With no moon and the stars obscured the rocks and islets of the entry are deceptive, the twilight gave them shadows on the still water lending the appearance that they were twice as large as they were. The air warmed as the island opened up Washington Harbor to us.

We were shocked to see the dock virtually empty with one small fishing boat on the rangers side. Of course there are no lights on the dock save the red warning light. So Troy lighted it with a flashlight allowing me to step easily ashore as he came to a stop. I must admit to some trepidation in docking at night in the blackness given our last experience left me in the water. Troy too. But we came in as easy as can be.

All three of us sat at the picnic table that is usually on the dock and watched as fireflies lit in the darkness of the trees. The clouds even cleared a bit showing hazy stars above. It was 11:30 when we docked. 13 hours after raising anchor.

Saturday and we awoke by 9am central to a bustling port. One plan in, another waiting to dock. The Voyaguer came in (with some difficulty) while we hit the head and as they departed the Sea Hunter waited to come in. They had trouble with the wind blowing them off the dock so we pulled WhimSea forward as far as we could to give them extra room.

We enjoyed a nice, easy day. Greetings from Steve and Valerie. Checking in and a lighthouse talk, followed by pizza and beer at the store. Dylan and I followed that with a walk to the moose exclosure where we saw a moose outside of it. Troy also saw one by the creek while we were out. Oh, and of course Dylan started the day with swimming, the little fish.

More relaxing, visit from Steve and Valerie outside of their uniforms. Other hikers too. Dinner was hot dogs and potato salad. While we were dinner for the mosquitoes we took down the outdoor living room and all retired early.

Saturday, July 13 finds us heading back to the Apostle's. Todays weather was good for the trip and Sundays seemed uncertain given they are now calling for torrential rainfall on Sunday. We are glad we decided to depart a day early.

It was so easy to become part of the island rhythm. The visits from the Sea Hunter and Voyageur bringing new hikers and day trippers on the Hunger. Each eager to start their adventure. Both vessels loading up folks for their return trips home. Throughout the trip, Dylan made many friends. Friends for a day, maybe two. But he enjoyed th time he had with them nonetheless.

We were able to entertain Steve and Valerie for dinner. Saw Andy and Ally (from Washburn Marina), met plenty of hikers, fishermen and day trippers. We met a great family from Brooklyn staying at the camper cabin that Troy taught to fish. Dylan hung out with the kids. There was the new intern, Seth, and even a visit from Marty, the historically stand offish maintenance manager!

Troy and Dylan did sail Charlie in the harbor. Dylan and I went to the moose exclosure where i saw a moose outside. It was such as trip, as if he hadn't moved, I wouldn't have seen him. I heard him though, crashing through the undergrowth. I looked up in time to see the form of the big bull moose. Ten feet away and then just as quickly he was gone. I didn't even have time to point him out to the boy.

We saw two bull moose charge out of Washington Creek, one clearly on the tail of the other. One of the divers from the dive boat Discovery (captained by Ryan) walked toward the fuel dock and ran into a bull lumbering towards the main area. Dylan was able to catch sight of it as it went up the hill towards the visitors center.

Our crossing was sunny and without rain or fog despite the threat. We anchored in Julian Bay by the light of a three quarter moon. What a beautiful night. We let Dylan stay awake. The bugs were asleep, the moon and stars were out and the frogs were singing. The boy laid down on the deck, staring up at the stars. He eventually decided he was ready for bed (a first) and went on his own.

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