June 14, 2010

Boothbay Harbor, Maine

From Martha’s Vineyard Island, we decided to not to go to Nantucket Island because it was out of the way and we wanted to spend more time in Maine.  So we headed northwest through the Cape Code Canal which was a 1 ½ hour motor to travel through it.   

This brought us out into Cape Cod Bay.  From there we motored through the night and entered Booth Bay, Maine in the morning.   

Maine has many fiords left from glaciers that are now beautiful shores of granite.  And it has a lot of fog.  Even with radar, smaller boats would just pop out of the fog.  Fortunately it cleared as we neared land and Boothbay Harbor.

Boothbay Harbor, ME is a quaint fishing village that tourists love to visit in the summer.  A very small village with curving streets, shops and art galleries, plenty of fishing boats, about 800 lobster trap buoy markers, and restaurants that serve fresh fish and of course, lobster.  

The tides are more substantial here going from 8.6 feet to 10.6 feet, and the temperatures have been around 75 during the day and about 52 at night.   

Large, clumsy mosquitoes come out on the warmer nights.  After Booth Bay Harbor, we headed North to explore more inlets.  

June 10-12, 2010

Martha's Vineyard Island

So much of the Northeast reminds me of the Northwest. It’s nice because I’m a little home sick and this is just the thing I needed. Especially the early morning and late night smell in the air. Martha’s Vineyard is very reminiscent of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands northwest of Seattle.

For example:

Martha's Vineyard
Year Round Population: 1500
Square miles: 87
Population is summer: 7500
Fog: lots!
Traffic lights on island: 2
Ferries: White
Houses: Mostly gray and very large
Area Clams: Steamers
Food delicacy: Dungeness crabs

Orcas Island -
Year Round Population: 4900
Square miles: 57
Population in summer: swells but not nearly as big as Martha’s Vineyard
Fog: sometimes
Traffic lights on island: 0
Ferries: Green:
Houses: Mixed and most are modest
Area Clams: Gooeyduck
Food delicacy: Lobster

Also similar to Orcas, we had 2 days of dreary rain and 2 days of sunshine on the Vineyard. I’m so happy to be on either coast…the Northeast or the Northwest. When I’m gone too long I miss it.

 June 7, 2010

Block Island (N.E. of Long Island)

Left arrow is New York City, next arrow is Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, out to the right is Nantucket, top arrow is Cape Code.

We just spent the night here.  I couldn’t even walk the one mile into the village because of my ankle.  But the harbor was interesting enough.  It reminded me of being on Lopez Island.  Everything centered around the summer tourists which were coming in with the first race series in mid June.  Even though it’s June, not much was open.

Another dark rain storm coming in.

June 6 2010

Atlantic Ocean to Montauk, Long Island, NY

It took 2 nights at sea to arrive at the northern tip of Long Island in Montauk. It's quite chilly out here in comparison to being on land. Because New York juts out, we made a straight line which took us about 75 miles out from land.

Don knew some friends in Montauk from a previous trip to St. Thomas so we arranged for a to visit with Ed and Rori. After a nice dinner at their home, we returned to our dinghy but it was so windy that we it was going to be a very wet trip. So instead of seeing us off in our dinghy, Ed and Rori invited us back into their cozy, warm house.  Ahhh…the comforts of home.

May 22, 2010

To The East Coast
Don and I traveled with my 4 suitcases to his boat which was docked in New Bern, Virginia. New Bern is a very protected dock as it is about 150 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. And Barry and Meps were there from Seattle on their boat Flutterby. We actually got to spend some time with Barry as Meps was in Seattle. Darn. I spent a few days getting used to the boat and each day that went by my twisted ankle was getting a little less swollen. We had the good luck of having a Bed Bath & Beyond about 45 minutes away…my favorite store! So we stocked up on a little bit of everything. That and some food, oh yes food.  Our next stop which was Oriental, NC which was where we could hook up with the Intercoastal Waterway.

June 1, 2010

ICA to Hampton, Virginia

The Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) was originally carved during WWII to transport goods in protected waters away from the Atlantic Ocean and the threat of German submarines. It starts south in Miami and goes all the way to Norfolk, Virginia. Red and green markers need to be followed from one set to the next as it weaves in and out of passageways that are often only 10 feet deep or less. One minute you are in grassy low lands on each side, the next part might have larges trees on either side.

Then it might open into a lake where you follow a snaking path forever looking for the next set of markers. In between there are bridges and a lock that must open up to let you pass. If you don't make the last opening, there are some places to anchor along the way.

All in all, it was very peaceful with beautiful song birds and the heavy smell of grass in the air. Very peaceful and quiet with only a hand full of boats passing us in the small canals.

Pictured is one of the bridges that needs to be open to pass.  We anchored three nights along the way on the way to Hampton.

After rounding a quiet bend, you suddenly come into the large, military town of Norfolk, Virginia.

Hampton is just around the corner from Norfolk. Here we rented a car and drove the 40 minute drive to Williamsburg, Virginia.

Williamsburg was the colonial capital of Virginia before the Revolutionary War. It was restored in the 1930's. There are 4,000 employees here many of whom walk around in costume of the era and talk to you as they did back in that time. The common greeting was "Good Day". It was fascinating.

We also took in a 3D Shrek movie on Imax, ate local blue crabs, drank some very good local pale ale (yes, they have good micro brews here too Seattle) and took in a history museum.

June 6, 2010

Atlantic Ocean to Montauk, Long Island, NY

It took 2 nights at sea to arrive at the northern tip of Long Island in Montauk. It's quite chilly out here in comparison to being on land. Because New York juts out, we made a straight line which took us about 75 miles out from land.

Don knew some friends in Montauk from a previous trip to St. Thomas so we got to visit Ed and Rori. When we tried to get back to the boat, it was so windy that we were going to get very wet. So Ed and Rori invited us to sleep at their house. Wouldn't it be nice if every time it was a rough trip back to the boat friends would  invite us in their house to stay over!!!

Ed also gave us a tour of the Hamptons which is a few minutes away.  Now I know where the Kennedys and Steven Spielberg hang out during the summer.

May 16, 2010

Dark Stairways in Guanajuato, Mexico

During my last week in Mexico I had the misfortune of falling on a stairway in a hostel in Guanajuato. The night caretaker would turn off the hall lights so he could sleep. At 6am in the dark, I thought I was on the bottom stair. Wrong. I sprawled out on the landing hitting a small table as I went down. I crawled back to bed and hoped the pain would go away. When it didn't, I thought I broke my ankle. We waited later in the day hoping for the swelling to go down and finally went to the hospital to get an x-ray.

Fortunately it was a very bad sprain so they put my foot in a half cast and told me to try to find a walking boot to use in a couple of weeks with my crutches. Don managed to find one by traveling to Leon by bus. Twice to get the size right. What a guy!

In Guanajuato I had the fortune of seeing one of my best friends that I hadn't seen in 14 years. Marcia and I were buddies when I lived in Santiago, Chile. She happened to be going to Mexico with her girlfriend.

With my foot, I couldn't go around town like I wanted to but I managed to spend time with her never the less. What a treat!!! After 14 years!!

Some of the many underground tunnels in Guanajuato.  The old narrow streets can't support the amount of modern traffic so tunnels have been built underneath the city.  On the right, a musical group performs outdoors across from our hostel in front of a Don Quixote  & Pancho Sanza statues.

I think this was the original 'happy face' from the mid 1600's.

One parade of many in Mazatlan.  This group carried their altars.

Trying on Frida Kahlo costumes

May 20th - One week later, my braces were finally removed. Yehh!!! It took a year to complete from start to finish. If I was in Seattle, the dentist from the same school of dentistry as my dentist in Mexico said it would take 2 years and a few months. Hmmmm…… Anyway, the orthodontist in Mazatlan was excellent!

May, 2010

During My Land Travels

It’s now May and I found a great orthodontist in Mazatlan who studied at the same school as my dentist in Seattle. This means that she uses the same orthodontic system. She thinks the braces could come off at the end of May. This means that I can entertain myself for 3 months while I wait for my teeth to move. So land travel it is.

My friend Don from North Carolina came to travel with me. This is great as it’s more fun to travel with someone. I have 10 days in between appointments so we first journeyed south along the coast to La Cruz and San Blas. These are ports I have cruised before and we got the opportunity to meet other cruisers who are currently cruising. Then it was on to Puerto Vallarta where we did zip lining through the wooded tree canopy 400 feet above rivers. There were 11 very long zip lines. But the best part was hanging upside down over the canyon feeling like you were going to free fall at any minute without a parachute. Definitely an ‘E Ticket’!

In between, it was time for me to return to Mazatlan. It was a 9 ½ hr. bus ride both ways with 15 hours in between for sleep and the appointment. I returned to Puerto Vallarta, and together we headed out for a 9 hour bus trip to Patzcuaro, a very quaint colonial town with 3 plazas all within 3 blocks. We stayed at one of the older homes on the plaza that was converted into a hotel. It was so beautiful! It felt like a mansion/castle.

From Patzcuaro, 11 hours away, we went to Guanajuato. It’s a beautiful small university colonial town with 33 plazas and lots of cultural activities. I still have some time left until June when I plan to leave Mexico and head for North Carolina on the East Coast to sail north to New York and Maine for the summer on a 46’ Amel. We’ll see what adventures await for me there.

April, 2010

Traveling By Land Versus By Sea
 
I have land traveled Mexico over 3 months now. This is in contrast to the year I traveled by sailboat down the West Coast of North America. The two methods of travel offer unique opportunities.

Sailing is turtle-like. Your shell home goes with you. You have all the comforts of home with dolphins, sunrises and sunsets, swimming, diving, your favorite peanut butter, etc. Your friends are your fellow cruisers who share experiences, local knowledge, favorite marinas and anchorages and most importantly friendship.

In contrast, traveling by land I have to carry everything I need on my back. A couple of books, a couple of shorts, a couple of shirts, and before you know it, including your water, you are loaded down. But learning the daily routines and lives of local people is truly astounding. The architecture, food, music, dancing, sights and scenery are obviously great. I met a crafts person and know his personal life; a B&B owner and learned his family heritage for generations; a woman who shared her personal relationships and how she managed birth control and the men in her life –- all memorable experiences. I found Mexican people generous, easy to be with, peaceful, extremely polite, helpful and fun to be around.

So all in all, after living on a sail boat for a time, it’s energizing to spend time on land. However, being a cruiser in my soul, I can’t wait to get back to my life on the water. Both lives are wonderful. And like all things in life, I appreciate a nice balance.

April, 2010

Guanajauto

Guanajuato was enchanting.  I was here 20 years ago and the old colonial section hasn't changed much.  It's about 400 miles East of Puerto Vallarta.  Like Patzcuaro, they work hard to keep everything looking like it did in the 1700's.  It's hard to find modern signage of any kind.  You have to look hard to find the grocery stores and banks but they are there.

Always a busy area in the main plaza at Teatro Juarez.  At any time of the day students are sitting on the steps.  

 

The park is on the other side of the street from Teatro Juarez.

After you go up the funicular, you get a great view of the city.

A favorite street for breakfast.

We took a tour to get an overview of the city which included a mine.  These keys are hanging as a reminder of the cruelty the Spanish imposed on the slave miners.  If the miners gave them any trouble, they just closed their lips with a a chain and a lock.  Ouch!!!

A fabricator's 'shop'.  They are gluing quartz, jade and various stones onto crosses to sell to mostly Mexican tourists.   An older tourist guide told me that when he was younger, the guides had to learn English as most tourists were from the USA or Canada.  Now English isn't as important because starting around 1970, Mexican tourism began and now most tourists are from Mexico.

 Some of the sugar treats that are available.

 

We listen to the Estudantinas play almost every night.  It's a tradition that comes from Spain.  Students used to play instruments and sing to earn money to go to school.  They are all dressed in traditional cloaks complete with colorful ribbons.  After a crowd has gathered with their songs and jokes, they lead the group through winding alleys playing along the way.   

There are many different groups.

OK, maybe it's a little corny, but you can see how big this paper mache devil is.

April, 2010

Men's Cantinas

A typical cantina bar in Mexico is a men’s watering hold. Last night we wanted to grab a beer and we ducked into a place that we thought might have beer on tap. When we entered, I realized it was a men’s bar. ‘Uh oh,’ I told the bar tender, I think I made a mistake and came into a hombre only bar. ‘Not to worry,’ he assured me, ‘No problem, women can come in here.’ ‘Fine!’ I said. Mexico might be opening up to the idea of women in the bars. So we talked to the male bar tender a bit and then sat down at a table to drink our beer. There was only one other patron at the bar who apparently had been there for a while. In came another person and I heard the distinct sound ‘kreeettt…..phetttewww’….. of spitting. It was unmistakable. ‘We’re inside’, I thought, ‘Where could they be spitting? I didn’t see any spittoons.’ So I looked around and saw that between the bar stools and the bar, there was a 4” rain gutter for spitting into. Yukk! Standing, spitting down at your feet to hit a 4” gutter in the floor didn’t sound very sanitary. ‘Well, OK, I can deal with that.’

The 'spit gutter' running along the lower bar on the floor

Then while we carried on our conversation, a guy left his stool and went to the corner of the room next to the bar and started peeing in a stainless steel cabinet that looked like it was meant to hold ice cubs. Another Yukk!!! He stood there a long time and I was incredulous that he was doing his duty a couple feet away from the bar. Then a guy came in off the street did the same thing in the corner, no hand washing involved, and then headed back on to the street. Wow. I feel like I’m in some surreal movie scene. Ladies, we aren’t missing anything by being excluded from these drinking establishments.

Bar on the left, pee box in the corner with sink on the other side

Can you imagine just for a moment if a woman designed a drinking establishment? Let’s see, soft chairs to lounge upon, beautiful mirrors and lighting with nice scented soaps in the bathrooms…