Wide Open Spaces on Land Reminds Us of Wide Open Spaces on Water

We unpacked from the East Coast and repacked to head to Wyoming and a visit with family.  This year we flew instead of driving as it is a two day drive from MO and a 3hr. flight.  We had a babysitting obligation in MO for the end of the month and didn’t have the luxury of the extra driving time.  We did miss the wonderful scenery thru Nebraska and Wyoming and seeing family that we saw last year.

 We arrived in Billings, MT. at 9:30 am and headed to Cody.  The majestic mountains were off to the right and the sky just opened up all around us.  The bigness of the country is awe inspiring.   Arrived in Cody by noon and went straight to mom’s, she is great and loving the idea she will soon be 90yrs. old.  Good friends have opened a winery, Buffalo Jump, in Cody and the wines are superb.  Since it was Friday we were there in time for Wine Down Friday an afterhours wine tasting club they have started.  The winery interior is rustic, the walls being from an old barn found out in the plains. 

Buffalo skin in the winery

 

 

 

 

 

Scott and Beckey enjoy the winery

Leslie, sister Ally, and Scott and Becky

 

Starting Sat. my sister, who now manages the thrift shops for the Episcopal Church, put us to work and we volunteered for the next ten days.  This is quite an undertaking and very successful for the church and community.  We were amazed at the variety of donations. 

 

The Beer Fest at the edge of town

contestants made their own tap

 

Sat. night we went to an annual brew tasting.  Local brewers (garage type) present their brews for voting.  Some really good home-made beer were consumed, my favorite was a pumpkin ale which surprised me.

Leslie admires the Yaks

Chewbaca

Friends of my sister who used to live where we grew up have moved to Cody and have a Yack Ranch.  I now know where they must have gotten Chew Baca’s character on Star Wars, uncanny look alike.  Yack meat is delicious and good for you as it is lean.

Reconstructed guard tower at camp

Reconstucted Barracks

We took a morning and drove out to Heart Mountain Internment Camp.  This is the site where more than 14,000 Japanese Americans were confined during World War ll, making it the third largest city in Wyoming.  At one time the camp encompassed 47,000 acres with barracks type housing.  A family was only allowed to bring with them what each could carry. All their possessions were confiscated.   A family was allotted approx. a 20’by 24’ space with multiple generations living together; as many as 10 people could be sharing this space.  The space included an army cot, a mattress and a blanket for each person.  There were no bathrooms except public baths and no cooking facilities except the camp cafeteria.   The barracks had no insulation in the beginning and the coal furnaces were a constant worry for fires in these flimsy buildings.  The “camp” eventually included a hospital, internee-managed fire, police and judicial systems, a post office, a sewage treatment plant; a power station; a water system, two grade schools in barracks, a high school building and several cooperative enterprises.  Internees formed a very active recreation program and developed an agricultural program to provide fresh vegetables, poultry, pigs, and cattle. 

Picture of the camp under construction

 

 In 1944, the US government decided to draft the 18 yr. old internees, 88 refused to go and were sent to prison, 800 served our country with distinction.   Even though the Japanese-Americans were resourceful, they were living inside barbed wire with guard houses surrounding them.   The last train of internees left Heart Mountain on Nov. 10, 1945 each person receiving a ticket to the West Coast and $25.00.  Many of these people went on to recover what they lost, some became doctors, lawyers and even politicians but some never recovered, a phenomenal testimony to human spirit.  If you get to Wyoming this is a must visit.

Buffalo Bill Museam

Each dot pin is a place he performed his show, impressive

           Another must see in Cody is the Buffalo Bill Cody museum and Old Trail Town which is where Cody first laid out the town of Cody.  The refurbished Bill Cody exhibit had reopened and the man was fascinating.  We included a picture of the US which shows by all the stick pins where he performed The Wild West Show with Buffalo Bill Cody.  He employed hundreds of people from all over the world and had to transport and set up these shows at each destination.  The show also went to Europe where it was extremely popular.

Part of Old Town

          On our last night in Cody we went to a wild crazy annual Halloween party where the beer cooler is a real casket in the front yard.   We must now head back to MO. and babysit our grandchildren then onto GA to babysit our other son’s children as he and his wife will be on travel over the next 2weeks.  Eric and family will drive down for Thanksgiving so we will all be together.  Carl has many projects to finish yet in anticipation of returning to FROLIC.

Ready to Party!

Beer casket

 

 

 

The Boat Show and New England

Upon arriving back In MO on the mainland of the US our first adventure took us east to the Annapolis Boat Show.  Staying with Debbie in Delaware makes this an easy and affordable trip.   This is a sailor’s boat show as many of the people working the equipment booths are sailors and many are live a boards using the product. 

The boats at the Boat Show

Booths at the Boat Show

 

 We needed some high ticket items and boat show prices have proved to be considerable savings plus you can compare the actual products.  We went expecting to spend $8,000-$10,000 for a water maker and found exactly what we needed for $3500.  More to spend in other areas!!  I guess it is not how much you save but how much you can pack into the car at the end.  We can now get a generator when we get back to the islands, much more multi-purpose and now affordable with the water maker taken care of.    We found a Fortress Anchor that will be very useful next hurricane season as we play duck and hide. 

More boats

 

 It seems that the little things do add up and one small grocery bag easily has $1000 worth of parts in it.  Unfortunately Leslie still has not found her affordable electric winch but she did find a manual for the dingy davits.  Seems the dingy gets water in the between hulls and with a 70lb. motor attached she has trouble pulling it up on the davits so the winch will make her life easier??   Of course there is the fun stuff too.  The Lagoon Owners tent with wine and water makes a comfortable stop for resting feet and finding out all the new Lagoon models and innovations.  Of course Hendricks Gin is the ever present party barge with their unlimited samples of tasty concoctions made of gin and ????. 

Hendricks Gin Booth

The Gin was bottomless

 

 

 

 

 

Carl at the Sunsail Party

Music at the Sunsail Party

 

Saturday night is not to be missed at the Sunsail Pusser’s street party where the Pain Killers flowed and there is no pain in the wallet!   A great mixture of good deals and good fun makes the Annapolis Boat Show a must. 

The Sunsail Party was a Blast!

From here we drove to RI through NY and a visit to Carl’s father and then to check on what is left of our worldly goods in storage and see our old neighbors.  As usual it was a gathering on the street to catch up.  The house and neighborhood look the same, even picked pears off my old tree.  Staying with cousin Alice made a nice family visit and we were able to do them a favor and give them a lift to the airport. 

Overlook at Castle in the Clouds

 

On to New Hampshire and visit with friends in Center Harbor.  We spent the day hiking at Castle in the Clouds, an old mansion that the state has made into a park.  The lands meander along rivers, streams and rolling hills at the foot of the White Mountains.

Bridal Viel Falls in NH

 

 The water falls were magnificent since there had been some significant rain.  The weather was perfect for a day of hiking.  After a great week it was back to St. Louis to repack and head west to Wyoming.

Covette Club at Castle in the Clouds

Great Falls on the hike at Castle in the Clouds

 

 

 

 

Putting Frolic Away for the Season

The hurricane season is well in swing and we have kept a careful eye on the weather as we sail between the various Virgin Islands. Also the Annapolis Boat Show is getting close as well as the holiday seson, so we are looking forward to leaving and spending the holidays with family and friends. We ducked into Brewer’s Bay to avoid Isaac and she kept her distance. Tropical Storm Leslie hung north of the Virgins Islands for a long time and we watched her carefully as the time for hauling Frolic approached.

We are hauling in Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda, but spent three days in Leverick Bay Marina preparing for the haul out. We washed the boat with fresh water and man, what a different feel it gave to the deck! We pulled off the jib, tied down the main, and changed the engine oil while we were in Leverick Bay, but still have a long list of things to do before we leave her in the yard. One of the last things we did before leaving the dock was a fresh water wash out of the holding tanks. Hopefully this will keep the heads smelling fresh and clean.

Waiting to be hauled out

It was a tight fit as we came out

We pulled into the haul out channel and it was a very tight fit! We had about 3” on each side.

 

 

The lifeline caught on the lift strap!!

 

When the slings were fastened under the boat they accidently caught the life lines.  We anxiously watched as the boat was lifted and moved out of the water so we could climb up a ladder and undo the life lines before they could possibly be pulled out of the railings.  Nerve wracking but no damage done. They blocked us up and then drilled holes to put in sand screws which would then be attached to straps that would be attached to the boat.

We are settled in on the blocks

We are blocked and dinghy down

 

With the boat secured I removed the salt water pump impellers and salt water inlet valves. The sail drives had their oil changed and we found water in the port drive. We washed down the inside of the boat with anti-mildew solution, closed all the thru hulls and put corks in them all to keep out any critters. The outboard engine got a fresh water flush and new lower unit oil before being fastened to the deck railing. The bimini came down last and the boat was ready for the season. While we are gone the yard will change the sail drive seals, replace the port engine bolts, and fabricate a new cabinet to replace the after seat at the saloon table.

The dinghy engine gets serviced

Holes are drilled for sand screws

Frolic is all strapped down

 

 

 

 

 

The yard has a great way to store large boats. They put a concrete hole in the ground and lower the keel of the boat in the hole so instead of being 6-8' in the air they are only 2 or 3' over the ground. We found a number of Newport RI registered boats in the yard.

Big boat lowered into the ground

Another Newport boat

 

Diving the Virgins

Although there is diving throughout the Caribbean, the British and US Virgins have an abundance of well-marked and easily accessible scuba and snorkel sites. They have a great system of buoys. One has only to pick up the buoy and follow the line down to beautiful underwater sights. Unfortunately on the dive with my sons I found a couple of teaspoons of water in my underwater camera case. I thought my camera had survived, but then the flash would not work and a few days later the zoom quit and a week later it wouldn’t even turn on. So one of the tasks when we get back to the states is to get a new camera and underwater case.

Pictures don’t do the underwater beauty of the Virgins justice, but my best attempts are depicted below. It doesn’t matter if you are snorkeling or Scuba diving the underwater diversity and beauty is astounding!
Wreck Ally is between Cooper Island and Salt Cay and has 4 wrecks in it.

Wreck Alley restroom

Tug Boat at Wreck Alley

 

tubular sponges are very colorful

He was really quite friendly

I love the turtles! We saw a lot of them in the shallow waters.

The Wreck of the Rhone is the premier dive of the BVIs! We have dove in many times over the years, but is always different with more to see.

After section of the ship's ribs

Looking through the forward section of the Rhone

Fire Coral with a small sea urchin

The corals are wonderful

This crab was very active

We saw many Sting Rays gliding above the bottom

Sting Ray at rest

A great dive in the US Virgins is the Cow and Calf. It has a number of swim throughs. I have tried to make some short movies using a Go Pro in an effort to depict some of the excitement I feel as I glide through the thick clear liquid through the beautiful alien environment. Click on the play arrows to play each short video clip.

 

There are so many wonderful dives; wrecks, coral reefs, walls, chimneys and tunnels.  We have found this to be a beautiful underwater world.  Some of our other favorites are the Indians in the BVI and the Chikuzen which is between the Dogs and Anegada.  The Indians are a favorite for snorkeling also and is close to Norman's Island and the Willie T for an after dive libation.  The Chikuzen is 12 miles off shore so it is a good sail out and then a sail to Anegada or to North Sound  in Virgin Gorda.