February 1st, 2010

Where are we???

Well, today we are in Paradise Marina in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It rained here and that is amazing as it has not rained in Februrary since they began recording rainfall! We don't mind as it cools things off a bit!

November 10th - January 30th, 2010

Well we are not really natural bloggers. Sorry for the delay we will try to be more diligent in the future. Having read so many wonderful blogs out there I must confess to a wee bit of blog envy – interesting text neatly flowing around beautiful pictures, perfectly placed. (sigh)

Here is a quick catch up of our trip to date. Hopefully we can get some photos on soon. The slideshow is new and we'll change it every so often to highlight some of our adventures.

November 10^th – 16th, 2009 Morrow Bay - Catalina Harbour, Catalina Island

We left Morrow Bay under blue skies and calm seas. Otters escorted us out of the harbour and dolphins spent the first half an hour playing off the bow. Not a bad start considering there was no sign of the predicted 15-20 knots that we hoped would push us along. Instead we motored at 5.5 knots.

Point Conception was calm and we continued motoring through Santa Cruz Channel. We saw several whales in the distance and enjoyed the friendly antics of the dolphins off and on all morning.

1500hrs on November 11^th, tired of the noise, we put up the sails at the first puff of wind and managed to ghost along at 2-3 knots. Our only excitement was a batten that flew out of the main and luckily landed in the cockpit. Oops, someone didn’t tighten the screw in enough. Our course was a bit erratic as we struggled to keep the sails full but the positive side was that we would arrive at Catalina Harbour at dawn rather than the middle of the night.

We had no trouble entering the harbour and decided to catch one the mooring buoys for our stay. It is an interesting Island, very steep and rugged with spectacular views all around. We spent several days in the harbour and enjoyed the hiking, flying and dinghy sailing. Charlie was able to fly his Weasel on the hills surrounding Cat harbour several times while the kids and I hiked and explored. There are several little guest camps around the island which offer an escape from the mainland rat race. It was pretty quiet while we were there however the local grocery still had the basics.

We saw one of the famous wild bison on the island. According to the signs posted, the bison were left behind in the 1930’s by a movie maker. Since then the herd has grown and is now controlled at 150-200 head.

November 16^th,2009 - We liked the sound of White’s Cove so we motored around (2hrs), it also meant we had a shorter day to Newport harbour. Chris went snorkelling and saw lots of great fish. Charlie changed the zinc on the prop and boy did it need it!

November 17^th 2009 Catalina Island - Newport Beach CA

9am we left White’s Cove and headed for Newport Harbour for some boat jobs. No wind so we motored. Just outside the harbour we stopped to watch a sea plane land and take off again. What an amazing amount of energy to get off the water!

Newport was a great stop for water, fuel, groceries, and boat things. We tied to a mooring in C section which left us close to the outer beaches.

November 21^st 2009 Newport Beach - Dana Point

We headed to Dana Point today. Motoring again. Anchored in the West end of the bay between moorings G and F. Nice overnight stop but that’s about it.

November 22^nd, 2009 Dana Point - Mission Bay

We left Dana Point in the dark and motored to Mission Bay, just North of San Diego. There were big swells going into Mission Bay but we were fine. Watched a sport diving boat broach, he was lucky and pulled out of it just fine. Kids were impressed with the power of the waves. Great place for the sailing dinghy and just hanging out.

November 23^rd - Dec 16^th , 2009 San Diego

We moved on the La Playa anchorage at San Diego. We shuffled between there and the police dock for the next few weeks. We had some land time visiting Nik and Lee. Great fun helping them dig up there yard! We visited some of the galleries; Chris and Charlie visited the SEAL training and the aircraft carrier down town.

A tremendous windstorm came through, flipping dinghies, knocking down trees and a few boats broke free of their moorings and ended up on the beach. Very exciting for San Diego. We got more boat jobs done, caught up on school and generally had a nice time hanging out.

December 16th -17th San Diego - Ensenada, Mexico

We finally leave the USA! It felt great to be on the water again. We left San Diego about 13:30 Dec 16th and arrived in Ensenada around 8:00 am Dec 17th. We sailed most of the way at about 2-3 knots. Not very fast but at least we didn't have to listen to the motor. There were lots of shooting stars on the night watch and the usual dolphin show!

We anchored first and then moved into Bahia Naval Marina. Incredible surge, the boat moved all over the place while tied to the dock. Time to make some chaff protectors for the lines!

The first adventure was officially signing into the country: tourist visas, import for the boat, check in and out of the harbour - we'd forgotten the paper chase!! As with all things everything happenswith lots of patience and smiles. Why get frustrated, you learn to never go anywhere without a good book to read and no time frame.

We found a great little restaurant just opposite the fish market and enjoyed some delicious fish tacos. The kids love Mexico and both commented on how friendly and colourful it is! We wandered around the town for a little and then headed back to the boat. Next day we found our way to the museum, small but interesting, and then the art gallery. The photo exhibit at the gallery was the most interesting, it captured the variety and spontaneity of the Mexican people. All of us are excited about the months ahead in Mexico - learning spanish, visiting different places and eating different foods. It feels like our trip has just begun.

December 19th - 22nd Ensenada - Turtle Bay

We motor sailed most of the way to Turtle Bay which was a little dull to say the least. We anchored off the village and went ashore to organise fuel and water. They bring a panga to the boat with fuel which makes it easy. For the water, we flagged down the delivery guy who just happened to drive by in his truck. We bought a couple of jugs which we transferred to our jugs and carried back to the dinghy.

December 23rd - 25th Turtle Bay - Bahia St. Maria

We were really eager to get to one of our favourite stops, Bahia St Maria so we left Turtle Bay early and headed south. Caught a Sierra mackeral as we headed out of the anchorage and that seemed to herald good sailing as we were soon flying along at 6 knots. We were soon joined by dolphins and the show began as they leapt and dove around the boat.

Our next surprise was a tuna! Then another! We kept one and let the other go. Not a bad way to start off your day! During the night we had a terrific display of shooting stars - always exciting to see!

Christmas eve found us still at sea. The winds picked up and we were soon reefing sails to keep the boat balanced and under control. We raced along through the night only to find ourselves motoring by morning. We put out the fishing lines and caught a lovely yellowfin Tuna just as we were appraching Bahia St. Maria - fish for a belated Christmas dinner!!

As soon as the anchor was down the kids were in the water and swimming. The warm water felt great and we were lucky enough to share the anchorage with only a couple of other boats. Christmas was late this year as we enjoyed our stockings and fish dinner on the 26th rather than the 25th. Nobody seemed to mind though as the day was beautiful and the beach spectacular.

We spent a couple of days hiking, exploring the beach, and swimming. It really is an idyllic place - wild and remote. We found a whale skeleton on the beach, too bad we couldn't fit it on the boat!

December 27th - December 30th Bahia St. Maria - Cabo San Lucas - Los Frailies

Can you believe it rained as we headed into Cabo San Lucas!! We only spent a couple of hours in Cabo - we needed water and that was it. The anchorage was exposed and roly so we left in the early afternoon. The wind and seas picked up so it was a little bumpy to Los Frailies. It was dark by the time we anchored but it felt great to just put our heads down and sleep!

It continued to blow for the next few days so we stayed put. The hiking and snorkeling were fun and the fishing was good too. Actually, we were not so lucky fishing but out neighbors shared their catch with us!

The kids had to work hard to paddle the kayak to shore but it was worth it. Swimming and just hanging on the beach is not a bad way to spend the afternoon after a morning of school!

A little veggie truck comes by the campground so it was nice to buy a few fresh things to supplement our dinners. The fishing camp looked deserted and we didn't know if it was just he wrong season or if they had moved on.

January 3rd - 6th, 2010 Los Frailies - Mazatlan Harbour

January 7th - 21st, 2010 Mazatlan Harbour - El Cid Marina (Mazatlan)

January 22 nd- 25th, 2010 El Cid - Isla Isabella - Bay of Mantachuen (San Blas)

January 26th- 29th Bay of Mantachuen - Chacala

January 30th La Cruz anchorage

January 31st Paradise Marina

Hanging out in Morro Bay

October 18th - November 10th 2009

Sailing by Morro Rock

Morro Bay 

We arrived at Morro Bay in calm weather and entered the harbour with no problems. ( If it is really rough or blowing the bar crossing can sometimes be a little intimidating!) A sea otter was hanging out in the entrance, they are so cute with their little whiskers.  

A bit about Morro Rock

Morro rock is a volcanic plug and one of 12 in the area. A volcanic plug is created when the magma cools in the shaft.  The surrounding rock is gradually eroded away and the hard plug remains.  It was first named in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo  and became a common stop for the Spanish galleons.  It was first claimed for Spain.  The first recorded settlement was in 1864 by the Riley family. In the 1870's schooners filled the  harbour as sea transport was the only was to transport the farm goods from the surrounding ranches. At this time you could enter the harbour on the North or South side of the rock but it had a reputation for being a difficult entry through the surf. In the 1900's the area started to expand and they began to quarry Morro rock.  in 1933 they began using the rock to close off the north entrance and build a jetty.  The south channel was dredged and a breakwater constructed to protect the entry.  Commercial fishing boats filled the harbour and Morro Bay began to grow.  A power plant was built , bringing more work and more people.  The power plant is now closed but the 3 - 450ft towers still stand.  In 1968 Morro Rock was declared a State historical Landmark and it is now a sancturary for numerous sea birds and peregrine falcons.  (info from Morro Bay tourist info & brochure)

School included (aside from Math and Language Arts) a history of Morro Bay and a study of ocean waves, tides and currents.  It is cool to look at swells and think that the water isn't really  moving, its the energy passing through. When the waves get close to shore they slow down and get higher (surf). These are our favourite type of waves for playing on the beach!! While we were at Morro Bay there was a full moon and we could see the direct impact on the size of the tides. 

Hanging out in Morro Bay

 We anchored in the North end of the bay for a week before moving to a floating dock. The wind really blew (60knots!) so we were happy to be tied up.  The deep channel is quite narrow and right next to the anchorage it gets really shallow fast. We've seen a couple of boats anchor just a little too close to the sand bar and find themselves aground at the low tide. 

Our time in Morro Bay was spent hiking, sailing the dinghy and boogie boarding on the outside beaches.  There are really strong tidal currents in the bay so you learn pretty quickly to get in the dinghy and start rowing hard! It also made sailing a bit crazy if there wasn't enough wind to overcome the current.  Charlie got the outboard running and built a floor for the inflatable dinghy so we had an extra dinghy for exploring.  

Chris and the new outboard!

We spent most afternoons on the outer beaches, there were lots of dead things to look at. One day Steff counted 4 dead sea lions and one on its way! The vultures give them away as they circle above or feed greedily in groups.  It was interesting to watch them decay as the tide moved them further up the beach and the various animals and birds all seemed to take their little tastes. In no time at all there was very little left to identify.

There were plenty of sea birds - seagulls, plovers, long-billed curlews, pelicans and cormorants. The pelicans make a terrific noise as they dive and splash beside the boat! At night, the sea lions would start up with their chorus of barking which seemed to last until dawn. The next morning you'd see them lounging on the docks, resting up for another night of noisy barking!

Dinghy adventures in Azul

We named the dinghy 'Azul' - blue in spanish.  It was great sailing in the harbour. One very windy day Emily and Chris were rescued by the harbour patrol. They tipped over and were having trouble getting upright. They would just get the dinghy up and over it would go again as it filled with water. Oops forgot the bailing bucket! The harbour patrol were watching and finally went over to help them up and drop them back at the boat. They gave the kids points for lifejackets, tenacity and general good attitude! Em and Chris still claim they would have been just fine without help. 

It was nice to do lots of shore things and just hang out for a few weeks.  Russell came to visit and took the kids on a great tour of Cal Poly. It is a college nearby and the kids came back excited about school in a new way - they definitely have better toys at college!

Morro Bay has a great book shop so we found some new reading material and traded in some old favourites.  We all went to see 'Where the Wild Things Are' in the local theatre - there were about 10 people in the whole theatre.  We all agreed it wasn't really a little kid show but it was good.  Chris and Charlie also took in the Hot Rod Car Show in Cayoucoos. We visited San Louis Obispo for Emily's 14th birthday. (It's about a 45 minute bus ride from Morro Bay)

It is hard to believe we've stayed here this long! Just as we got ready to go the weather turned and some big seas (19-20ft) were predicted so we decided to stay put for another couple of days.

Sailing again - Morro Bay to Newport CA

Morro Bay

This is one of our favourite places to stop! 

The Grand Canyon to Joshua Tree

We had a hard time deciding whether to visit Bryce canyon or the Grand Canyon so we took a vote and the Grand Canyon was the most popular.  It really is spectacular.  Not only is it enormous but the views are spectacular. As you drive toward the N. Rim you pass through forests and meadows. We saw lots of deer. The trees were just starting to turn color.

We were lucky to see a ranger presentation on Condors.  The ranger was great, she acted out all the things as she taught us about condors and their habits. They are not particularly attractive to look at but they are kind of interesting.  It was really interesting to learn about the program to save them. They wanted to collect them to breed in captivity but they didn't want to risk losing any so they collected some  from S. America and raised those. It worked so they collected the US condors -  imagine being the person who collected the last wild condor?? The program has been successful, they have released populations and they are growing in number. Both the condors bred in captivity and the wild are doing well.  If you want to read more try this site:

http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/condor-re-introduction.htm

The drive to Joshua Tree was long and boring and hot. We stopped in a place called Bishop, not very interesting.  We were all a bit unprepared for the heat!  It had been quite cool in the Grand Canyon and now we were scrambling to find shorts and sandals in our very full car.

Finally we arrived at Joshua Tree (everyone knows the trees from the U2 album). Joshua Tree is in the desert but actually combines 3 deserts.  The rocks are mostly granite, weathered into these incredible shapes and forms.  The rocks are a golden red color and seem to glow at sunrise.  We found a campsite and settled in  - climbing tomorrow! It gets dark fast in the evening but it is so warm it is kind of nice to sit around outside.

Last time we went to J tree, it was in the middle of winter, and it got REEEAAAAALY cold at night, and there was still snow on the ground.  I liked that better (so did Christopher).  It was cooler in the daytime, so it was much nicer to climb then, whereas in the summer, its so hot that you  can pretty much only climb early in the morning or in the evening.

Mom wants to put something educational and informative on J tree in here =D, so here you go:

Joshua Tree Geology

>Joshua Tree National Park is situated on the edge of the Pacific and the North American plates (tectonic plates),  which is marked by the San Andreas Fault. 

>The San Andreas Fault runs just south of Joshua Tree (but we didn't go there).

>There are several types of rock that make up J tree, most of which is granite. Granite is an igneous rock (formed volcanically) and is formed of quartz, silica and feldspar.

>Another type of rock found at j tree is gneiss ,(pronounced nice) which is a metamorphic rock. (metamorphic rock: rock that has been changed by heat and pressure.)

>There is gold at j tree, too, and people would look for veins of quartz to find it. (as rock hardens, the quartz takes longer to cool, so it runs into the cracks in the rock, forming veins. Gold and silver are associated with quartz)

( if you want to add something or correct what's already there, please do =D )

Anyway, J tree was lots of fun, (as always!) and then we went to Lake Tahoe to see some friend, mountains, at last! It was so nice to finally have, fresh, COOL air, because the desert is really nice, but after a while, its just too hot.  

At Tahoe, we went on this great hike, and it was so pretty! We hiked around these glacial lakes, which you could swim in, the water wasn't too cold, but we didn't because the air was a little cold.  After that mom, Christopher, Tony (we were staying with her and her husband, Russell) and I all went on a bike ride up to Squaw Valley, and we made some candles. (it was pretty cool!)

From Tahoe, we went back to Sausalito, and then we set off (sailing) down toward Morro Bay. On the way, we stopped at San Simeon, it was really sweet, and there's some of castle, called Hearst Castle or something.  Then we went down to Morro Bay, which is where we are now.  when we gor there, we went into town, and found some boogie boards, wet suits, and a skim board in a 2nd hand store! When we went boogie boarding that day, it was horrid and cloudy and raining a bit, but the wave were great, it was sooo much fun!!!!!

Now we're just kind of hanging out in Morro Bay, relaxing and boogie boarding.  Don't know when we head to San Diego, probably in a week or so?

More on that later....

(we'll add pictures, too!)

The Road Trip Continues: Death Valley, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Zion Canyon and The Grand Canyon

Driving through Death Valley was hot with temperatures nearing 100 and this is the cool season! We camped in Panamint Springs that night.  As soon as we got out of the car the camp host told us to get out of the sandals and into shoes or boots - they have rattlesnakes and scorpions! 

The next morning we had school and then headed off to explore more of Death Vall

ey.  We stopped at Furnace Creek and t

hen the Dunes.  There are sand dunes in the 

mi

ddle of Death Valley - where do they come from?? We also saw lots of dust devils. You see a little sand moving then you see t

wo thin lines twist up and form a mini tornado. They were all around us, it was pretty cool.  We also stopped at the salt lake.  We hiked down to walk on it, it felt like you were walking on frozen ground as it crunched under your feet.  There were smooth round bubbles of salt and inside there were long thin slivers of salt 

connecting the sides of the bubble, they looked like stalagtites. We were below sea level!  We drove on and stopped at Zabriskie's lookout. What a view. The rocks were rounded and there were smooth worn cliffs. You could look down across the valley - it was so beautiful.

The drive down to Las Vegas was more desert. 

 Just before Las Vegas we saw Red Rocks in the distance. The rocks were sooo red!!! 

We Stopped and camped at Lake Mead.  Lake Mead has 550 miles of shoreline and was created when they built the Hoover Dam.  The campground was great with these little birds with tuffs on their head ran all around.  There was lots of Oleander which they warn you is very poisonous.  We could walk down to the lake and swim.  It was a long walk because the lake was quite low. We learned later they are in the 7th or 8th year of a drought. The lake was warm but weedy.

Next morning we were up early and off to the Hoover Dam. It was really cool. We did the tour and walked inside the dam and the power  plant. To start construction of the Dam they built four tunnels to reroute the Colorado River. The Dam is 221.3 m high and 13.7m wide at the top and  the base  is 201.2 m wide!  It is 379.2m long. They started construction in 1931 and finished in 1935.   They used  2.6 million cubic metres of concrete.  To help it set they put long pipes went in through the concrete squares and cooled the concrete - if they hadn't done it the concrete would have taken 125 years to cool which meant it would have cracked and crumbled.

The have 17 commercial generators in the power plant and the maximum power is 2.08 GW.  They moved all the big stuff with trains and you could see the rails in the plant. 

One side of the dam is Nevada and the other is Arizona.

We drove on  to Zion Canyon. Driving was boring again, mostly 

desert and dry hills. Once we reached Zion is was dark and the campground was full so we camped just outside. Next morning we were up early and found a spot in the park. There was a great creek for puddling and swimming. We stayed for two days.  So far it is the most beautiful place we've visited.  We hiked to Angel's Landing, it was a very steep hike with a stunning view of the canyon.  You took little shuttle buses around the canyon so there was not much traffic.  There were lots of little hikes into magical places with names like "The Emerald Pools" (they were named that because the algae made them look green). There are waterfalls and a place called the "Weeping Rock" where the water seeps out of the rock to create these wonderful hanging gardens. 

The canyon stared as sand dunes, 3 times higher than the dunes in the Sahara.  An inland lake formed, covering the dunes and hardening them into sandstone. Then the Virgin River began to cut its way down through the rock to form the canyon.  Some rock broke off in arches and some in squares so you see different shapes throughout the canyoon.  The fantastic colours of the canyon come from the minerals either running down and staining the rock, or leaching out of the rock. You see reds, yellows, desert varnish (black), white.  You also see green when it rains but that is a moss growing on the rock which becomes a vivid green whe

n exposed to water.

The second day we went on a walk with the Ranger at the Temple of Sinawava. It was called the Riverwalk and it ends at a place called the Narrows.  The talk was interesting, they have a really small snail only found in the park and they live on the walls where the water seeps from the rocks.  The ranger told a great Paiute story about the angry rocks which explains why rocks can't walk. 

It went something like this:

One day two gods were talking and decided what they made was a bit boring so they said "everything take a shape" and the gods walked around and named the shapes: animals, mountains, trees etc. Then they came across a shape that had fallen off the mountain and didn't have a name.  It could only roll. It was angry and it rolled and tumbled after 

the gods until Night Hawk came to save the gods. She dove and dove at the rock, beating the rock with her chin and wings.  Finally the rock broke up and the gods decided to punish the rock so they decided that all rocks that fell off the mountain would break into many small bits.  The Paiute don't walk in the Zion canyon because the angry rocks might fall at anytime.  It also explains why the night hawk has the white markings under the wings and chin - that is where the gods bandaged her after she beat the rocks. 

Time was getting short so we had to make a choice:  Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon or straight to Joshua Tree. We took a vote and 2 voted for Grand Canyon so off we 

went.  The drive wasn't boring it was spectacular.  There were huge cliffs, banded with so many different shades of red and we passed this field of rocks balanced on little points.  You could see where the sand had been worn out around them and they were left on tippy toes - it was amazing that they didn't fall over!  We chose the North Rim because it was less visited so we hoped t

o have fewer people for a change.  We stopped at Jacob's Lake to set up camp and then drove on to the Canyon. WOW. We were all very glad we visited the Canyon - it was spectacular and amazing.  

More about the canyon tomorrow .......

California road trip

      We arrived in  Sausalito just in time for the Sausalito Art Festival! It was great, except that I lost my camera!  Grrrrrr!  Right now, we're on a road trip to Yosemite, which we did  yesterday and the day before, hiked up to Half Dome, but didn't go all the way to the top; there were too many people going up.  Now we're in Death Valley, heading for the Grand Canyon, and maybe Zion or Bryce, then Joshua Tree for Climbing, Tahoe and then back to the boat in Sausalito!  And for all that I won't have a camera!  GRRRRRR!

      Anyway, the driving so far has been pretty boring, (driving usually is!) but Yosemite was stunning, it's all forest, big, rocky mountains and glacial lakes and streams.  The campsite we stayed in wasn't actually in the Park, it was just outside of it, and we had a little stream that went by right below the campsite, so we could swim and puddle in it!  

      We left Yosemite through Tioga Pass and it looked a lot like where we lived in France, all beautiful alpine country, then when you get to the other side of the Pass, it looks more like a desert!  

       So far, the trip's going well!!!

  ( I'll try to get some photos on from Mom's camera.)