Thursday, August 23, 2007
Day 18 Friday August 10, 2007
So today I was looking forward to going out to see the infamous redwoods. There are several state parks scattered just a little inland up here between Crescent City and Eureka. After calling every single car rental place in the entire city I discovered that they were all completely sold out of cars. Not satisfied with this situation I even tried Home Depot as they rent out pick-up trucks but the closest one was way too far away. And don’t think I didn’t consider public transportation. Greyhound only has a bus stop here and all local buses just stay within city limits and don’t travel between cities or local areas like the parks. No tour buses either. Then I thought about bikes after noticing biking trails advertised in the area. Not a single place to rent bikes in Eureka exists! The bike shop guy was so nice he considered lending us a couple new bikes to use on a ‘test ride’ but it felt like such a stretch.
After finally getting over my obsession with finding an alternate method of transportation I reluctantly admitted we were indeed confined to the city of Eureka. My flight is leaving at 6am tomorrow morning so I knew part of my day would be consumed by packing. I succeeded in cramming all the important stuff I needed into one small duffle bag and left some other items I wouldn’t need stored on the boat (this mostly consisted of warm clothes). We decided to go for another walk across town just to see more and get some exercise. We ended up walking all the way to the other side of town and through an area with several Victorian homes that are typical of the area. Some were pretty amazing. We stopped for lunch at a great Italian deli where my Dad and I shared a Prosciutto sandwich, delicious cranberry salad, and a lemon bar for dessert. The atmosphere was great and we enjoyed a long leisurely rest there while reading the newspaper, sipping our coffee and chatting.
Back at the boat I showered, finished getting my stuff together, helped my Dad get the boat ready to go and relaxed. That night we stayed in and ate leftovers from the previous night and finished our infamous card game. Unfortunately for my Dad I scored over 200 points in our last sitting (to his measly 4 points) putting me past the 1000 point mark. I was declared the winner and I was happy with my success. Off to bed early tonight as the alarm is set for 4am so I won’t miss my 4:30 shuttle to the airport. What a great time, so relaxing and a perfect break from the obligations and busyness of my everyday life. I feel completely refreshed and anxious to get home and see everyone back home, including my sorely missed husband!!
After finally getting over my obsession with finding an alternate method of transportation I reluctantly admitted we were indeed confined to the city of Eureka. My flight is leaving at 6am tomorrow morning so I knew part of my day would be consumed by packing. I succeeded in cramming all the important stuff I needed into one small duffle bag and left some other items I wouldn’t need stored on the boat (this mostly consisted of warm clothes). We decided to go for another walk across town just to see more and get some exercise. We ended up walking all the way to the other side of town and through an area with several Victorian homes that are typical of the area. Some were pretty amazing. We stopped for lunch at a great Italian deli where my Dad and I shared a Prosciutto sandwich, delicious cranberry salad, and a lemon bar for dessert. The atmosphere was great and we enjoyed a long leisurely rest there while reading the newspaper, sipping our coffee and chatting.
Back at the boat I showered, finished getting my stuff together, helped my Dad get the boat ready to go and relaxed. That night we stayed in and ate leftovers from the previous night and finished our infamous card game. Unfortunately for my Dad I scored over 200 points in our last sitting (to his measly 4 points) putting me past the 1000 point mark. I was declared the winner and I was happy with my success. Off to bed early tonight as the alarm is set for 4am so I won’t miss my 4:30 shuttle to the airport. What a great time, so relaxing and a perfect break from the obligations and busyness of my everyday life. I feel completely refreshed and anxious to get home and see everyone back home, including my sorely missed husband!!
Day 17 Thursday August 9, 2007
After sleeping in until about 10am we checked into the marina and got a key and some information about the town. We walked to a nearby restaurant and ordered breakfast, it was okay. Here we ate, gathered our thoughts and developed a plan for the day. Since my Dad was running out clothes he wasn’t embarrassed to wear out we decided to walk to Costco. It took about 20 minutes to get there and we shopped, although didn’t buy much. I finally figured out a way to not spend over $100 at Costco….walk there!! Your arms can only carry so much! It is highly effective.
Once back at the boat we 'putzed' around, showered and then we were ready to explore the historic downtown area. We found lots of little shops and a nice waterfront area, but no Dungeness crab!! So we settled on dinner at this little Italian restaurant that was actually superb. Back on the boat we continued our card tournament.
Once back at the boat we 'putzed' around, showered and then we were ready to explore the historic downtown area. We found lots of little shops and a nice waterfront area, but no Dungeness crab!! So we settled on dinner at this little Italian restaurant that was actually superb. Back on the boat we continued our card tournament.
Day 16 Wednesday, August 8,2007
By 6 am sharp we had pulled out onto lake ‘Pacifica’ and as you may have guessed the seas were very flat and wind almost nonexistent. It is not my imagination it actually is warmer, halleluiah! After the fog lifted around noon I enjoyed a sunny day reading in the cockpit and enjoying the view of the coast. We obviously motored the entire way to Eureka. To keep myself busy I let out the fishing line again today. I even changed the lure when the weather changed from overcast to sunny. But I still didn’t catch anything, darn!
We made the 67 miles to Eureka by around 6pm, but it had taken about an hour to motor all the way up the bay to the marina at the north end. We docked at the public marina and soon discovered that we were trapped! The gate to the dock locks from the inside and outside and we had no way to get a key until the office opened the next morning. Oh well at least we could relax and get a good nights sleep. They also have wireless here so that kept me busy for a couple hours at least. It is nice to be able to keep up with my emails and find out what is going on in the world every once in awhile. It seems that this will probably be my last port as it has been a while since I have seen my husband. I booked a really reasonable flight out of Eureka airport (who know there was an airport in Eureka?) for Saturday; I figured this would give me two days to see the sights. We’ll see what Eureka has to offer…
We made the 67 miles to Eureka by around 6pm, but it had taken about an hour to motor all the way up the bay to the marina at the north end. We docked at the public marina and soon discovered that we were trapped! The gate to the dock locks from the inside and outside and we had no way to get a key until the office opened the next morning. Oh well at least we could relax and get a good nights sleep. They also have wireless here so that kept me busy for a couple hours at least. It is nice to be able to keep up with my emails and find out what is going on in the world every once in awhile. It seems that this will probably be my last port as it has been a while since I have seen my husband. I booked a really reasonable flight out of Eureka airport (who know there was an airport in Eureka?) for Saturday; I figured this would give me two days to see the sights. We’ll see what Eureka has to offer…
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Day 15 Tuesday August 7, 2008
As night turned into day I enjoyed watching the coastline appear as if from nowhere. The shore was scattered with large rocks that I was happy our computer had navigated us passed in the dark. I listened to my ipod all morning and enjoyed the calmness of the ocean. It is so peaceful out here with just the birds floating by to keep us company. I took awhile figuring out the lay of the land ahead of us, getting ready to navigate us through the series of green and red buoys marking the entrance to the harbor.
We docked the boat and practically ran ashore not even bothering to shut and lock the hatch like we always do when the both of us leave. Again we were surrounded mostly by fishing boats but there were at least a handful of pleasure crafts on our dock. So we wandered around the harbor area not finding much of interest. The 101 was right next to the dock and we could see a series of hotels on the other side of the highway, we also saw a gas station and a restaurant. We walked over to the Fisherman’s which is like an upscale Denny’s and ordered two cups of coffee. What else were we going to do at 6:30 in the morning? After deciding I could probably make a better, less greasy, breakfast back on the boat we walked back.
Eager for a shower I packed up my bag at headed off to check in at the marina office and gain access to the harbor facilities. I paid for one nights stay, which came to $15 and the office lady told me a little about the city. The shower felt wonderful and there was plenty of hot water. Back at the boat we both did odds and ends to tidy up and prepare for our departure the following day. Then we took naps.
Forcing my self to get up a little after 4pm I dressed and talked my dad into going for a walk. After deciding the actual downtown area of Crescent City was probably going to leave something to be desired we took a walk towards the lighthouse at the western most point of the bay. It turned out be quite a walk as we came to one dead end and had back track a bit and then walk around a small creek flowing into the bay. Soon there was a path which took us through a large park toward the lighthouse. The sun had finally come out and by this time there were blue skies for the first time today. And it was warm! I mean warmer. I walked in just my t-shirt and jeans and was very comfortable. We had made it to sunny and warm California. Hopefully this was a sign I would no longer need to wear my beanie and ski gloves. On our way back we decided to have dinner at this pizza place right off the 101. It was alright, nothing to right home about (uh…..ha ha). After a movie we were off to bed and sleeping soundly by 10pm.
We docked the boat and practically ran ashore not even bothering to shut and lock the hatch like we always do when the both of us leave. Again we were surrounded mostly by fishing boats but there were at least a handful of pleasure crafts on our dock. So we wandered around the harbor area not finding much of interest. The 101 was right next to the dock and we could see a series of hotels on the other side of the highway, we also saw a gas station and a restaurant. We walked over to the Fisherman’s which is like an upscale Denny’s and ordered two cups of coffee. What else were we going to do at 6:30 in the morning? After deciding I could probably make a better, less greasy, breakfast back on the boat we walked back.
Eager for a shower I packed up my bag at headed off to check in at the marina office and gain access to the harbor facilities. I paid for one nights stay, which came to $15 and the office lady told me a little about the city. The shower felt wonderful and there was plenty of hot water. Back at the boat we both did odds and ends to tidy up and prepare for our departure the following day. Then we took naps.
Forcing my self to get up a little after 4pm I dressed and talked my dad into going for a walk. After deciding the actual downtown area of Crescent City was probably going to leave something to be desired we took a walk towards the lighthouse at the western most point of the bay. It turned out be quite a walk as we came to one dead end and had back track a bit and then walk around a small creek flowing into the bay. Soon there was a path which took us through a large park toward the lighthouse. The sun had finally come out and by this time there were blue skies for the first time today. And it was warm! I mean warmer. I walked in just my t-shirt and jeans and was very comfortable. We had made it to sunny and warm California. Hopefully this was a sign I would no longer need to wear my beanie and ski gloves. On our way back we decided to have dinner at this pizza place right off the 101. It was alright, nothing to right home about (uh…..ha ha). After a movie we were off to bed and sleeping soundly by 10pm.
Day 14 Monday August 6,2007
Overcast weather today didn’t help to warm things up at all. There is still next to no wind at all. I am beginning to think NOAA likes to exaggerate their weather forecasts because every time they predict 5-10 knots of wind we have less than five. And when they say 10-15 they seem to really mean 5-10 which is really more like 5 when you are traveling almost directly downwind like we are.
I read almost all day and most of last night while on watch. I finished another book, I think this is number 5 since I came aboard or is it 6? I can’t remember. I am getting cabin fever and feel like I should have brought more to do with me on the boat. I could have knit a blanket to keep myself warmer by now. Especially if I could knit in the dark on my watches I could really rack up the hours if that were the case. I started jogging in place for awhile just to my fidgeting fix.
Played cards with my Dad for awhile it is still a really close game 662 to 693 with me in the lead. Then I made pad Thai pasta and added canned chicken to it, not half bad. My dad had seconds so I took that as a compliment. We also munched on fresh veggies. Our next stop is going to be Crescent City, California and we were getting pretty close by sunset. Around 2am my Dad actually slowed us down so we wouldn’t get there before it was light out. For the first time ever I actually got really sleepy on my watch and even as I was reading my eyes wanted to shut. So I decided to play games on the computer and was impressed with myself for winning 4 out of 5 games of hearts. By the time my 3rd shift of the night came at 4am I did the math and I increased our speed so we would get to the entrance to the harbor right at dawn. I am ready to get off this boat!!
I read almost all day and most of last night while on watch. I finished another book, I think this is number 5 since I came aboard or is it 6? I can’t remember. I am getting cabin fever and feel like I should have brought more to do with me on the boat. I could have knit a blanket to keep myself warmer by now. Especially if I could knit in the dark on my watches I could really rack up the hours if that were the case. I started jogging in place for awhile just to my fidgeting fix.
Played cards with my Dad for awhile it is still a really close game 662 to 693 with me in the lead. Then I made pad Thai pasta and added canned chicken to it, not half bad. My dad had seconds so I took that as a compliment. We also munched on fresh veggies. Our next stop is going to be Crescent City, California and we were getting pretty close by sunset. Around 2am my Dad actually slowed us down so we wouldn’t get there before it was light out. For the first time ever I actually got really sleepy on my watch and even as I was reading my eyes wanted to shut. So I decided to play games on the computer and was impressed with myself for winning 4 out of 5 games of hearts. By the time my 3rd shift of the night came at 4am I did the math and I increased our speed so we would get to the entrance to the harbor right at dawn. I am ready to get off this boat!!
Day 13 Sunday August 5, 2007
I slept in this morning and it felt good. As I was asking my dad if he wanted a second helping of oatmeal he suggested that we leave right away. After listening to the weather reports all morning he said it sounded like there was a good window opening up for the next couple of days. I think we both wanted to see a bit of Newport and we decided we were running low on fresh groceries and despite our seemingly endless supply of canned spam and canned corn …we decided to go in and stock up. Of course we had to leave right that instant to catch the next shuttle into town. And of course we both new ‘groceries’ was just an excuse to ride the shuttle across the neat-o looking bridge into the unexplored Newport.
However it did need to be a quick trip. The shuttle ride was interesting…actually I’m not going to lie, it was hilarious. As more and more quirky men climbed aboard the conversation ranged from whether or not babies came from the storks or was it pelicans? And the man wearing the bright red hat with a crab head and legs sticking out was sure to correct another gentleman that no pelicans don’t gather in herds but rather flocks. They talked about local politics and the local pub that they all denied going to because it was nothing but trouble, etc., etc.
The friendly and helpful driver dropped us off conveniently close to the grocery store. We shopped/wandered for almost an hour and then packed up what we could in my backpack and three plastic bags. After just missing the shuttle we decided to walk a mile or so down the hill to the main touristy area near the bay. By then it was a little after noon and our tummies were rumbling. Did I mention that Newport, Oregon is the Dungeness crab capitol of the world? Now you know why I really wanted to take a trip into town!! We found this little café/ fish market where they served crab and ordered one big one to share. It was delicious!! SO good. We made sure to time our lunch right with the shuttle and were about 10 minutes early to the pickup spot one block away. I looked around, what could while I wait? As I my eyes fell upon an ice cream/coffee shop I had my answer. I walked over and ordered myself mint chocolate chip ice cream on a waffle cone, because I deserved it! Then we watched the fishermen unload crates of fish onto the dock below us. It was amazing watching this one woman cleaning, skinning and filleting these fish in seconds. Then our shuttle came and whisked us away.
By 3pm we had the main sail up and were cruising out of Newport under the bridge. This had been the most interesting place stop so far and it was our shortest visit. I would like to comeback sometime and wander around the downtown area more, visit Nye beach, the lighthouse/state park area, and dine at more of the highly recommended seafood places.
After we were a distance from shore my Dad and I resumed our game of Gin Rummy for awhile. The seas were 4-6 feet again not spaced far enough apart and soon enough the pitching and swaying of the boat almost had me sick. With not enough wind to really fill the sails, we continued motoring with the main sail flapping to and fro. Late into the night the seas eventually began to mellow out more. Even though my Dad and I are able to take our ‘watch’ from behind the dodger it is still really cold and I am still really wearing my long underwear plus I doubled up on my layers of socks!!
However it did need to be a quick trip. The shuttle ride was interesting…actually I’m not going to lie, it was hilarious. As more and more quirky men climbed aboard the conversation ranged from whether or not babies came from the storks or was it pelicans? And the man wearing the bright red hat with a crab head and legs sticking out was sure to correct another gentleman that no pelicans don’t gather in herds but rather flocks. They talked about local politics and the local pub that they all denied going to because it was nothing but trouble, etc., etc.
The friendly and helpful driver dropped us off conveniently close to the grocery store. We shopped/wandered for almost an hour and then packed up what we could in my backpack and three plastic bags. After just missing the shuttle we decided to walk a mile or so down the hill to the main touristy area near the bay. By then it was a little after noon and our tummies were rumbling. Did I mention that Newport, Oregon is the Dungeness crab capitol of the world? Now you know why I really wanted to take a trip into town!! We found this little café/ fish market where they served crab and ordered one big one to share. It was delicious!! SO good. We made sure to time our lunch right with the shuttle and were about 10 minutes early to the pickup spot one block away. I looked around, what could while I wait? As I my eyes fell upon an ice cream/coffee shop I had my answer. I walked over and ordered myself mint chocolate chip ice cream on a waffle cone, because I deserved it! Then we watched the fishermen unload crates of fish onto the dock below us. It was amazing watching this one woman cleaning, skinning and filleting these fish in seconds. Then our shuttle came and whisked us away.
By 3pm we had the main sail up and were cruising out of Newport under the bridge. This had been the most interesting place stop so far and it was our shortest visit. I would like to comeback sometime and wander around the downtown area more, visit Nye beach, the lighthouse/state park area, and dine at more of the highly recommended seafood places.
After we were a distance from shore my Dad and I resumed our game of Gin Rummy for awhile. The seas were 4-6 feet again not spaced far enough apart and soon enough the pitching and swaying of the boat almost had me sick. With not enough wind to really fill the sails, we continued motoring with the main sail flapping to and fro. Late into the night the seas eventually began to mellow out more. Even though my Dad and I are able to take our ‘watch’ from behind the dodger it is still really cold and I am still really wearing my long underwear plus I doubled up on my layers of socks!!
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