Return to WhimSea's Home Port. Where WhimSea Takes Us

07/01/19

Permalink 07:30:10 pm, Categories: Adventures, 210 words   English (US)

June 28-30, 2019

I debated about whether this post belonged in WhimSea or Whimz given that it involves both! We are so far into the season already, but the spring weather of 2019 has not been kind to getting the boat ready for the season. That coupled with the fact that the boy has school, makes it hard to just 'run up to the boat' for an overnight.

We spent a busy weekend prepping WhimSea for our upcoming trip to Isle Royale. So much food and drink to put away. We were able to clean out the water tanks, scrub the decks and install the solar panels despite the heat (it was surprisingly hot). With the sun beating down on us and only an intermittent breeze. But we got through and got it done. So nice to have the RV to return to at night for a good nights sleep.

Overnight the storms came up with thunder and lightning in the night. In the morning the waves were crashing over the breakwall. The parking lot was full of puddles and the place was soaked and humid. We left the marina around 10:30 and hit a local restaurant for breakfast before heading home.

We now have a scant two days to be ready to head out!

05/11/19

Permalink 06:34:37 pm, Categories: Adventures, 370 words   English (US)

May 3-6, 2019 Another Bunker Hills Adventure

Friday evening and we were ready to leave as soon as I arrived home from work. By 5:30 we had checked in at the headquarters, gotten ice and firewood and were at our campsite. A different location from last week with woods behind us.

Troy started a fire and just as it got going rain came in. It put the fire out so we retreated to the RV where Dylan had been content to watch a movie. Given the rain a change in dinner was in order so we went with stew instead. After dinner all of us piled onto the couch and watched some Firefly (great program!) which Dylan clearly enjoyed.

Saturday morning. Perhaps Dylan is becoming more familiar with the RV, or maybe the Firefly we watched the night before, but Dylan actually slept until 8:30! Nice to sleep in a bit for all of us.

Cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast and a beautiful day ahead of us. We were treated to a visit from some deer in the woods behind us. We did some bird watching as well. We decided to explore the park a bit with a bike ride, visiting the park headquarters where Dylan finally got to purchase a little lantern he had his eye on from our last visit. Afterward a trip to the playground and a ride around to look at the riding stables. We kept riding for a bit though I eventually headed back to the RV to let out Bug while the boys kept going.

The boys kept going with their ride and eventually came upon a hill high enough that there was a warning for bike's about the grade of the hill heading down, so they returned to the RV as well. More visits from the deer in the woods, some Frisbee throwing for Bug and a fire would round out the day.

We pulled out the gazebo and rug, table and chairs and we had an outdoor living room. We had hot dogs and smores for dinner. A little more Firefly and we were all tucked into the RV for the night.

Sunday morning would find us packing up between rain squalls. Home quickly. Another good weekend in the books.

04/28/19

Permalink 02:31:16 pm, Categories: Adventures, 682 words   English (US)

April 26-28, 2019 Bunker Hills

Though some could argue the weekend started on Friday, it really began much, much earlier. So much preparation into getting the RV set up to be our new home away from home. Where should the plates go? What about the food, the dogs dishes, heck, what should we plan to make for dinners? I am so grateful that Troy is a planner and our years of experience on WhimSea has helped to shape this new adventure.

So, we spent the week getting ready, with me on the inside and Troy out. I am astounded by the amount of space in the 'basement' and what we can bring with us! We were amazed by the amount of space.

Friday evening would be our maiden voyage away from the driveway. The boy arrived home from school and immediately packed his toys and jumped into his seat, announcing he was ready to go. Nothing like the stress of someone asking every five minutes if we could leave to help move you along with you're trying to pack on food and clothes.

Eventually we finished loading up and headed out. We needed to get gas on the way and discovered we have no gas cap so that's annoying, but everything else is working well.

I was a bit nervous with the drive. With Bug cowering at my feet. I'm not sure if I was projecting to him or vice versa. Hopefully for both of us it will only get better in time.

Given Bunker Hills is so close to home, we arrived at our destination in no time. We checked in and purchased ice and firewood and headed for our site.

Troy had me direct him into the spot though he really didn't need it. Given his practice with our first boat, Bucephalus, he backed it in like quite the pro. Five minutes later, we were set up. I have to admit it was pretty sweet, it was really no effort at all! Loving the RV thing. The boy and Bug were both pretty excited to check out the camp. Dylan took his bike and ride around, making sure to meet all the neighbors.

Dinner would be hot dogs and smores on the fire. We were up late enough we felt the chill from the evening before heading in to bed. The heater on the RV worked great and everyone was quite cozy.

Saturday morning and it is quite cool in the morning. We enjoyed our couples with cinnamon rolls (yeah oven!) I also had an opportunity to do a bit of bird watching. With the leaf cover not yet in, they were pretty easy to spot.

Before we knew it, the boy was hungry for lunch (breakfast pizza) and we were able to get in a bit of a nap. Since it was overcast and dreary it seemed fitting.

Magically when we awoke from our nap the sun was shining and it was a completely different day. So we all went on a bike ride and explored the park a bit, ending at the headquarters for ice and firewood for the evenings' fire.

Dylan had the camera and spent time taking loads of pictures and selfies around the site.

Since we were able to see how close the playground really was, we let Dylan take Bug for a walk as far as the playground and back. He returned and traded Bug for his bike so he could play with the other kids in the campground. Clearly we will need radios for the next visit to the campground.

Troy made a fire and we relaxed in front of it for much of the evening. The smell of smoke and chill in the air was magical. We ended up staying out far later then intended. Being chased in by the cold I think we saw 35 degrees that evening, but everyone was cozy in the RV.

Sunday and its time to pack up while we have our coffee. It was a short, but memorable trip, especially for the inaugural run. We'll be back to Bunker Hills for sure.

04/21/19

Permalink 02:08:04 pm, Categories: Adventures, 356 words   English (US)

April 20, 2019 - Inaugural adventure!

So, we've owned the RV for a whopping five days so of course, it was time to sleep on it overnight and see how comfortable it is. We took her out for a little spin so Dylan and I could experience how she drives. Troy was right! It was much louder and a bit stiffer than I had expected. But it wasn't bad. I would say everyone except Bug enjoyed the ride. I say Bug didn't groove on it since he tried to climb into my lap (he's 40 pounds!). When that didn't work, he climbed over me into the footwell and eventually half hid under my chair. My guess is because he didn't know where we were going since the last few times he had been in a car he ended up at the vet or the kennel. Once he realizes that this is an adventure mobile, he'll change his tune I suspect.

It was a beautiful weekend to spend outside collecting all of our camping gear and unboxing newly arrived ones. We all slept well with Dylan and I sharing the bed and Troy and Bug on the fold out couch. Of course since Sunday was Easter, the boy woke at 6 certain it was morning. I tried to convince him it was still too dark out, but a neighbor or two thwarted me by driving by. According to the boy's logic, if other people are up, he could be too. While I can't fault his logic, it was rather early for me.

The boy got up and found most of his eggs without issue and his basket, though it was quite an adventure given there were so many new possibilities for hiding places. With Dad's help he finally located the last one in a wall sconce. That silly bunny.

Breakfast was enjoyed at the local cafe, followed by the boys playing some catch, more work, more cleaning, more catch, visiting with the neighbors. All in all are pretty successful first 'outing' even though it was in the driveway. Of course our list of other things to buy keeps growing, but we expected that at least!

08/21/18

Permalink 03:28:24 pm, Categories: Adventures, 1162 words   English (US)

August 2018 Isle Royale Trip

Headed up to Washburn on Thursday night after work. We were on the road by 6:30 and made good time all the way to Moquah. There was still a detour in place due to the flooding in the area, so we had to go through Moquah to get to the marina. We had an appointment to drop off Bug and didn't want to keep John waiting long. As we turned down towards Moquah and were surprised to find traffic stopped dead. It turned out there was a fatal motorcycle accident just outside of town. We were held up for a little over a half hour while the emergency crew came in. Since they came from Ashland, we didn't see anything, not even flashers, so it was really odd. We finally made it to Washburn and dropped off Bug and hit the sack, planning to pack the boat in the morning.

Friday with northeast winds called for, we knew it would be a fight to the island, so we stayed at the marina and got a lot of work done. The water heater now works, got a new set of batteries and some gelcoat repair done to fix a gouge made in the Apostle Islands Marina.

An early dinner of fish and chips from Patsys and early to bed followed.

Saturday and we were off the dock by 5am and headed to the Island. We had a fairly uneventful crossing. There were some swells left over from Fridays winds, but we ended up motoring the whole way. Fifteen hours and we were dropping the hook in Washington Harbor.

Sunday found us in fog waiting for space at the dock. We waited for other boats to depart then pulled up the hook and headed to the dock. Both the Voyageur and the Sea Hunter came in after we were docked. The Sea Hunter was carrying a group of folks that travel about taking lighthouse tours. We hoped the fog would lift enough for them to see the lights around the island. Of course the boy went swimming and later in the day a sailboat docked with another seven year old boy giving him the boy someone to play with. Abbey Road, who was carrying a crew of Boy Scouts were also there and really good with the boy, giving him tours of their boat. They even jumped in and did some swimming with Dylan.

The next day, Monday, Abbey Road departed, but another boat slid into her spot, which is actually our favorite berth as it gives Dylan a good place to swim and play on Charlie. But he enjoyed himself just the same having learned the joys of jumping off the boat and climbing the dock ladder.

Charlie was still on deck and we weren't up for taking her down just yet, so we went for a hike looking for thimbleberries. While we did find a few, there weren't many ripe enough quite yet. It was a beautiful hike though. Not too many hills to worry about and there was even a beautiful little amphitheater on the nature trail overlooking a stream. So peaceful and serene.

More swimming followed the hike and then dinner and a movie before bed.

Tuesday and the other boats on the dock departed. So we worked WhimSea around to our favorite spot and the boy got to do even more swimming. We did a bit of entertaining. Elmer on the Wind Calm was back and we met Tim who had his 20-something foot sailboat at the finger docks.

We also got some fish as Elmer had come in with both Trout and Salmon and when he went to bring it all ashore, he dropped his fillet knife in the water. We have one on board and gave it to him. He was on the first few days of a fishing trip and not having a knife would really curtail it. While we meant to have the fish that evening, the talking went on much longer then expected. We met three guys from Detroit as well. They stopped by looking for some whiskey (which of course we don't have) but Troy broke out the scotch instead.

A little while later a hiker came up begging for some beers. It turns out it was his first trip and he was from Northeast Minneapolis, but they arrived too late to buy beer from the store. While we had no beer to offer, we were able to give him a couple of bottles of sparkling wine instead. We found out the next day it was his honeymoon, so it was pretty appropriate.

Dinner of hot dogs, the fish would have to wait, a movie and bed.

Wednesday and it was calm enough, at least in the morning, to take Charlie down and work on her. Troy redid the standing rigging with Steve's help and now she is much more taut. Unfortunately, the wind came up and we were not going to put her in the water since Dylan would just beg to go out.

Dylan put on his ranger hat and vest and was up at the Visitor Center telling everyone of the wonders of the island. It was sweet of Val to come and tell us what a good job he was doing.

And I almost forgot the swimming! Steve had put on his wet suit and dove for Elmer's knife so he and Dylan jumped in together a few times. Dinner and the fish is finally cooked, it tasted great grilling them on cedar planks.

Thursday and it is still too windy for Charlie. But Steve is still off work so he came down and offered a tour of his boat Jibou, and it is sweet. Beautiful interior, the rudder is so smooth and it looks like a great pocket cruiser.

Friday and Dylan finished his book to earn another park badge. We went up to the Visitors Center so he could go through his booklet with the ranger. He was pretty proud to earn that badge and everyone in the Center stopped to watch him repeat his oath.

Since we were at the Center, Steve brought us in the back offices and showed us all the pirate flags the rangers had made for the Island. They were pretty cool.

Afterward, the boys got the sail on Charlie and took her out for a sail.

Saturday and we headed back towards Washburn. Since we had a little time yet, we stopped at Stockton, dropping the hook in Julian Bay. It was a beautiful night and so relaxing to be able to stop and chill a bit on the way home.

Sunday we went back to the marina and picked up Bug who was very excited to see us. In talking with John, it sounded like Bug had a vacation of his own with lots of hiking and playing with John, his dad and his girlfriend. Another awesome trip in the books.

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