Trip 2012

2012 Trip

(pictures to follow)

TRIP (need to look up)
Mileage at Delray
Mileage Leaving Middletown 7/16/2012 52,655 10 am
Saginaw Michigan 53,501 7/17/2012
Mileage arriving Astoria Oregon 9/5/2012 57,743
Mileage leaving SF
Mileage at Delray


Trip West Map

SUMMARY: from 2012 Christmas card
We spent the winter in Delray Beach Florida and left here for Rhode Island in May. We had a real nice set of visits on the way north with a few days at Tim's House. We then spent 6 weeks in a whirlwind opening the house in Edgartown, sending a truck load of stuff to auction as a result of cleaning out the house in Rhode Island to rent for a year. We finally left Newport July 15th and drove west through Niagara Falls and traversed through Marquette Michigan, the Upper Penninsula, the Canadian Rockies, Cranmore, Banf and then down to Christina Lake BC seeing Nancy's cousins along the way.
We then spent August in Hood River windsurfing, kitesurfing and mountain biking. Chris (on the J of the picture windsurfing at Maryhill WA) joined us for almost three weeks. September was spent slowly driving the coast from the mouth of the Columbia River to San Francisco.
We spent a week in San Fran and saw an edition of the AC-45 races there. The same weekend we also saw the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and Fleet Week. Then, since airfare was low, we spent two weeks in Maui renewing old friendships and of course doing some windsurfing and kiting.
After Maui we drove up through Napa and then east on route 50, known as the loneliest highway in America. Ely Nevada, Delta Utah, Moab (more mtn biking with LB and the Berwinds), Arizona, Sante Fe New Mexico, Dallas Texas, New Orleans, MS, AL and then Florida. Thankful to be home safe and sound.

Will (on the Y in the photo) has a job in New York working for OMD where he buys media for the new JCP. Chris is still unemployed after a brief contract working for Alexion Pharmaceutical. He wants to be a lab researcher and has been interviewing with Max Plank in Jupiter

Wishing you peace and prosperity in 2013.

Anyway he has just started at the Max Plank Florida Institute for Neuroscience as a lab technician. He has a 90 day trial period and then hopefully will be kept on. Someday he hopes to get a PHD but this experience will at least let him know if this really is his cup of tea.

END:

We left Middletown Sunday night July 15 and got as far as our friends house in Newport. We had spent the previous week on the vineyard in a whirlwind of action, work, racing and socializing. That combined with a 6am departure for a 7:15am boat had left us rather ragged after having worked all day arranging the van, moving things in and out of storage. We had grand plans of getting as far as the state line but had to settle for about 1 mile to the west.

We had a wonderful dinner with many bottles of wine and good stories. That night it rained hard and we slept very well.

Monday July 16  we had breakfast and said a tearful goodbye and started for the bridge, but hold it, we had to mail off a glass smoke bell from the house on Martha’s Vineyard. One had been broken by a tenant so we shipped off the remaining one to Pair Point glass works so that a new pair could be made. So off we went to the Middletown Post Office. We were making VERY slow progress to the West.

When that was done why not get the oil changed – I can’t believe I had left hat to the last minute. So up we went to Jiffy Lube where they discovered that the AC Freon (or whatever they use these days) was quite low. Also the rear differential was muddy. There is nothing like a $250 oil change to start a trip. Oh and why not also drive up to Town Fair Tire to get the tires checked and rotated.  That, luckily, was done at no charge but ut wasn’t to far North up in Portsmouth that I noticed the van was riding a bit rough. Aha I thought. I will bet they rotated the tires front to back and did not balance the air pressure. Sure enough I checked and the front was at 80 and the back was at 60. $2.00 into a gas station air station and I had them equalized properly and yes the van road a lot better.

The mileage was at 52,651 on the van when we finally hit the road heading north we went up through fall River and then West (finally West) on rte. 195 to Providence. Then a quick hop up to rte 146 and then onto the Mass. Pike where we settled in for a good long run all the way to the New York Border and world famous Niagra Falls. We found a nice camp spot at Branches of Niagara on Grand Island and then decided to check out the falls. We picked up some tasty Greek food and headed to the falls for a picnic.

Approaching the falls was hilarious and also a bit depressing. The first sign we see is “Stop and Park – you have arrived”. Pretty brazen effort to get people to park and pay about four miles from the falls. As we drove down the main drag there were depressing signs of a town that has been forgotten. bWe saw ums on the street, shuttered houses, vacant lots, a fancy Little Italy sign bestriding the entire boulevard with not that many Italian restaurants in evidence.  After what seemed like about a mile and a half another similarly grand Little Italy sign marked the end of god know what failed civic rejuvenation attempt. Another few blocks, bigger buildings and then men with flags waving at us to park for $5 next to or behind many Indian restaurants. We drove by them all convinced that Niagara Falls was still miles ahead but no we hit a wooded area with people walking either from the woods or into them. We took a left at the woods and then our net left and found a nice sized parking spot on the street. Score.

As we walked through the woods towards the roar of the falls the smell of curry wafted through the air soon displaced by that super fresh taste of rushing ice cold water and the sound of the wind in the trees. The moving water was creating its own breeze and soon we could see a massive amount of water moving from left to right along a low bank. The speed of the water was really astounding and for its speed it was not as whipped up as you might imagine. You could almost imagine wading out into it along the rock ledges that were clearly visible underneath the swift moving current.

Moving along the banks we were not really sure how far ahead the falls lay but then against the distant shore of Canada we started to see where the water simply stopped. I suppose that this is what sailors imagined the edge of the world to be.

Niagara Falls was awesome. The wooden railing I remembered from 1982 was gone and replaced by aluminum that itself was showing some wear. The empty farther shore of Canada was replaced by gleaming casino’s. It looked more prosperous just like going from Valdez, WA to Vancouver B.C.. Poverty to something else, something European and slightly more upper crust; younger people and a lot of cool places to drink coffee. The American falls dropped an incredible height to rocks and trees below. Numerous slides have recently precluded going of the falls in a barrel marking it as a truly insane act and not just foolhardy. The crowd was at least 20% Indian. Women in their flowing robes of silk following a few steps behind their men who were dressed in track suits or other typical American attire. Kids ran around orbiting their slowly strolling family.

We walked back up the falls and the rushing water and crossed the bridges to see Bridal Veil and the Canadian falls. It was a wonderful night. There were lots of families walking and everyone was enjoying the remarkable scenery. On this longer trek there were less foreigners. Foreigners, as I have learned, tend to stay close to their cars and the main areas of attraction.

We walked across  the several bridges to see the Canadian falls and bridal veil falls. For some reason this smaller set of falls gave you a much more impressive feeling of power and rush to annihilation that the water always seems to survive in it’s elasticity.

Leaving Niagara and driving back out we passed an enormous casino with a 80 foot TV screen on top of it advertising their coming attractions. Rush was coming but we weren’t staying for the show. That night we slept well under the stars at the Branches.

July 17^th Tuesday

We entered Canada and headed West. There is not much to say about a day spent driving.  Ontario is just different enough to make one notice but not so different that it was noteworthy. The names are in French, sometimes. The drivers are polite. The people are friendly and perhaps more friendly than the average person across the border but I would not want to try and test that notion. While travelling I try to be especially polite. I am in their land and I want them to not think, “oh no, here comes another ugly American.”

Late July Lake Louise Javalanche wifi. Great coffee with an awesome view.

August

Met Ethel Marquez, the Fish Lady and Crew at the Hood River farmers market 541-490-7637 – She sold beautiful Chinook and Steelhead for around $7 a pound. Didn’t realize how cool that was until we got to Trinidad and saw it for $22.99 at Katy’s Smokehouse

Got a frequent Smoothie card from the Juice Brothers “Wicked Good Juice” at the Farmers Market.  I only managed to drink 3 on them so the card will stay in my wallet until next year.

August 28^th – Wonderful Ride with Jon Richards down a 17 mile trail.

August 29^th – Did a downhill from Timberline Lodge to Rhododendron.  Should have quite while I was ahead because I did dump 3 times in the soft sand at the top of the ride. The second run down I dumped twice in the soft sand (even while being super careful) but then ended up having my front wheel wash sideways on me while GOING STRAIGHT. Very weird. When I fell onto my side my knee hit a rock buried in the dirt. I didn’t break anything but did require 8 stiches. Felt good enough to go to a nice dinner that night but the next day could hardly walk. Lot’s of pain meds got me through it. Stiches were in for two weeks and now (9/28) I am about back to normal with no bandage needed anymore. Still a bit of blood and scab but that’s it.

Oregon Coast

Wednesday September 5 - Drove to Cape Disappointment  in search of the Ark Restaurant and found the Depot Restaurant which used to be a train station. Very nice meal with Oystcargot as a weird app. The Oyster flavor is not as good as the traditional snail. We then found a nice campsite at Cape disappointment. 

Thursday 9/6 - Oysters (again) for breakfast at Lauries Homestead Restaurant then on to Astoria to mail a kite to FLA. No Fedex or shipping office in Astoria so we had to stop in Warrenton, OR to mail a kite to a IKitesurf purchaser. The stop at the UPS store was a comedy of errors. $12 box  + Quote of $60 for shipping. I processed my own label on the internet for $37 and was then told that it was insured for too much and that they could only take items insured up to $500 on third party shipping. I had to drive 5 miles to the UPS depot to hand the package in there. Needless to say the cute UPS clerk at the depot had never heard of such a thing.

We then went on to Fort Clatsop which was where Lewis and Clark spent the winter with the Corps. Of Discovery. The shot 131 Elk over the time they were at the Fort.

We then travelled down past Manhattan beach to Rockaway Beach, Canon Beach and picnicked on 101 then camped at Manzanita. 

Friday 9/7 – on to Tillamook and Ocean Beach. Urban camped at Tillamook near the Hospital and spent a quite evening. Had good Wi-Fi reception from the Hospital all night and watched Netflix.

Saturday 9/8 – Had breakfast at Muddy Waters Café with a total of three tables and 4 chairs at the counter. This type of small restaurant was seen quite a bit in small towns and resemble someones kitchen rather than the commercial kitchens you may be used to seeing.

There was a wonderful farmers market in Tillamook outside of the Pioneer museum which was truly amazing and not just for the pioneer displays. They had incredible taxanomy of many different types of birds, animals and fish. There were perhaps 500 displays and several large scale dioramas similar to the ones in New York at the Museum of Natural History. We then started down the three capes scenic hwy.  Saw a jet ski competition at

Had a wonderful meal at Local Ocean Seafoods on Bay Street in Newport OR. They ended up comping me my meal because they had run out of the special and then my second choice. Pretty unbelieveable service and the food was equally wonderful. This was a recommendation from Mike Clemett and I happily endorse it. Charlie Branford is the chef -  www.localocean.net

September 16 -23 at Trinidad California
Nice vacation house/apartment
Peter E. Martin
1872 Patricks Point Dr
Trinidad, CA 95570-9706

707-677-0399 (H)
707-498-6397 Cell Diqui
707-496-4478 Cell Peter

Maureen Martin, Stacy Graves, Brennan Burke-martin, Diqui Lapenta

We got a very nice one bedroom apartment in a house 3 miles north of Trinidad along the Pacific coast. Nancy’s back needed a rest and we needed to get off the road for a bit. We arrived on a Sunday and on Tuesday Nancy took a bike ride into town. This really hurt her back and she was down and out. I brought her into Eureka to see Brian Bellinger, D.C. at Grace Chiropractic. He was recommened by our landlords wife Diqui. He said that she had some kind of internal contusion or sprain/strain that he could not help her with. We then went to the Urgentcare facility at St. Joeseph’s Hospital and saw Dr. Ziegler in the ER. He took X-Rays and then prescribed several strong drugs and rest. Some of the terms he used were Ridiculopathy, Sciatica, SI joint sacrem and pelvis, LS spine up to thoracic spine

September 23 Monday

Spent last night at the Hayden Flats Campground and drop a bit on route 299 through the Trinity – Shasta National Forest

Sunday at Hayden Flats. 

Monday Reading, CA sundial bridge

Tuesday 9/25 drive 36 thru Platina and Wildwood. 

Wednesday 9/26

Night at Cuneo Creek Horse Camp and then to Big Trees park. 

Big Tree Champion

Avenue of Giants. 

Mendocino and Cafe Beaujolais 

Urban camp

9/27 Breakfast at The Good Life Cafe. Plenty of Internet via Verizon

Down coast in fog

Rte 128 thru 2nd growth redwoods

Roderer Estate

Navarro vineyards 

Healdsburg 

Toad Hollow

Beat Western Dry Creek Inn

Frank & Ernies Steakhouse 

From IPhone

9/29

Woke up at Olema camp and drove to Cape Reyes and had breakfast at the station. While hanging at the market ran into Steve Brock. 

Perth to the Inverness Ridge to Shoemaker chute

Sativa - sour diesel

9/30

Wilder Ranch SP

Zane Grey Old Cabin

Lunch on the ocean

1:30pm

Cash call loan company for mortgage

9/31 drove to San Fran dropped off van and 

10/1 dropped off bikes 

10/2 Road Cable car to SFYC then ate at Crab Hoyse overlooking the bay. 

10/3 Had a beer for lunch then road the cable car to the SFYC then dinner at Rue Lepic

10/4 Dim Sum with jC. Saw Annie Benneville on the way. Them private tour of Oracle compound with Steve Brock then watched races at SFYC then drinks at bar then Oracle private party. Met Coutts family then Sushi with Dan Faria then stop at apt. Then the Irish House. Great band. UCLA coach sang. 

10/5 Lunch at Harvest & Rowe then to Mikes Bikes, then REI for new shoes. 

We rode our bikes through the city while the blue Angels screamed overhead, all the way to the SFYC where we watched the races. 

Then met Matt jones on GiddyUp with Alli then on to the Balboa Cafe where I bought the Marines drinks. The back through town via the weave to the Hyde St. Seafood House and Rawbar. 

10/6 Saturday

HSB

Saw Patty Griffith and Robert Plant

The lumineers

Robert Earl Keen

And dancing with the Hellmans 

Then

The Plough and Stars to Meet Tony Bove

Biked back to hotel.

10/7 Sunday

More HSB

Steve Rowan

Ralph Stanley and the clinch mountain boys

Dwight Yokum

Patty Smith

Emmy Lou Harris

Then dinner with Seth Besse , Jacqueline Malan, Frasier and his girlfriend. 

Biked back to hotel. 

10/8 Monday

Packed up and moves out of the Steinhart Hotel. 

Drive to Alameida and had lunch with Steve Calder and Fuzz from NZ and borrowed his kite bag. 

Drove to Kentwood and packed for Maui under some solar panels. 

BBQ at Hellmans. 

10/9 

Flew to Maui. Obama jaws kleisa 

10/10

Adi Rappaport rain on Maui

Country club for wacky Wednesday 

10/20

Easy AM. Breakfast at Charlie's which was not as good as before. 

Work on VCJ. 

Lunch in Paia at La Piñata then to beach to see Jess Richman do killer tricks. 

Met Patty and Steve Sadler. Very nice RE. Selling Angela's place. She had a Terri Le accident to her heal courtesy of a ladder. 

10/22 Monday

Angela's bagels

Naish test of 6&8

Packed up

10/26 Friday

Left Nevada Hotel in Ely on 50

65 windmills with 25 not turning before mtn range before Great Basin. Now back on 50 after the Lehman caves. 

Trip West

52,665 v?

52771   24.86 gallons 3.45

Lunt Brothers Vancouver

Michael Berwind Kickapoo River

Gooseberry Mesa near St. George

White rim trail

Virgin rim trail

Bart

Mckenzie River Trail south Portland

Sincline in Washington. 

Lewis River Trail in Washington

Emma 541-490-3763

Rosen 

Port Oroford, OR Paula's Bistro

Florence, OR. Old Town, set back old post office

11/4/2012 (visit to O’Keefe Museum – date may be late

How do I feel about what the world has given me - Georgia O'Keefe. 

Eumie Imm-Strokoff

Same frame as Alligator Pears, 1923

same width but square

Blue Iris?

The Black Iris, 1926

August was spent in Hood River windsurfing and mountain biking and even a little golf (some improvement but still work to do).
We left there are traced the Lewis and Clark journey to the mouth of the Columbia river at Desolation Point and then to Fort Clatsop.


The coast of Oregon was amazing. Cold water and fog and the fall salmon run.
We spent four days on a farm in Myrtle Point Oregon near Dora. That was truly out in the boonies. Cows, Deer, no cell phones, apples and the remnants of early homesteads from the turn of the century.
We camped in the Redwoods at Jedediah Smith State Forest then Del Norte Forest and then Flint Ridge in Klamath near the coast trail.
We stayed a week in Trinidad on the pacific coast resting up and enjoying running water etc..
We are now spending about a week in the Shasta River - 6 Rivers - Trinity area checking out the mining and history. This land is virtually straight up and down except of occasional "flats" where camps and towns exist.
We will be here for a few days and then down the coast to San Francisco to watch the AC races October 2-8. We then go to Maui for two weeks to see some old friends and do some, you guessed it, more windsurfing.
Then back across the country through Moab and Arkansas to Florida by mid November.