Mike and Beth's Adventures

Happy Birthday! If you read our last post, you know that our plans to splash Amy Marie in the Pacific Northwest were delayed for 10 days due to a wheel bearing on the trailer that decided it had worked too hard for too long,  and quit.  Thank goodness we got it fixed and were able to launch Amy Marie in Kingston Washington.  Great little town.  Many people know it as a stop on the Washington State Ferry System.  It is a shortcut to the Kitsap Peninsula for people living on the Seattle side of Puget Sound.  We love it for it's variety of restaurants, the town green near both the marina and the ferry terminal.  Events and markets are hostedall summer long on the green.  We also have extended family who live there. Miss Bones welcomes you for a slice of Kingston Pizza It was important to be in the water and moving so we could join a week long celebration of two family birthdays.  Consequently,  we were unable to linger in Kingston.  My...

Back On The Water Again! I'm back on the water again Out where a fish is a friend And the Orcas jump and play while the Humpbacks splash and spray I'm back on the water again. Ridin' the waves once more Where the rocks do line the shore And the winds do often roar Back on the water again Whoopi-ty-aye-oh Rockin' to and fro Back on the water again Whoopi-ty-aye-yay I go my way Back on the water again Port of Kingston We launched the boat at Kingston Washington and spent a two days getting her sea ready.  This entailed laying in the required stores, setting up all the systems and verifying proper operation as well as stashing the truck and trailer in their storage spots for the duration of our Pacific Northwest cruise.  It all came together.  It sure felt good to cast off the lines and head out on Puget Sound.   Sea Scouts Returning from Cruise Almost immediately we spotted a friend on AIS. (AIS is a system which tracks and displays other vessels on your chart plo...

T his summer’s exploration was meant to focus on the Puget Sound and Canada’s Gulf Islands. As every traveler eventually learns, flexibility is part of the adventure—especially when plans change without your permission. Ours certainly did. A wheel bearing on our boat trailer failed while we were rolling north on I‑5 near Salem, Oregon, abruptly transforming us into involuntary explorers of the Willamette Valley. If you’re going to get stranded somewhere, though, this is not a bad place to do it. More than 160 years ago settlers flocked here for its famously fertile land, and they chose well. The valley remains an agricultural powerhouse today. The Willamette Valley is known globally as the grass seed capital of the world , producing most of North America’s cool‑season forage and turf grass thanks to its wet winters and dry summers. But grass seed is only the beginning. The region supports more than 170 commercial crops , making it one of the most diverse agricultural areas in the count...

June 10, 2025 Beth in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia Nestled at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, has long stood at the crossroads of American history. Originally inhabited by Iroquois peoples, the area was first settled by Europeans in the early 18th century. In 1747, Robert Harper, a Quaker millwright, acquired the land and established a ferry service, giving the town its name. Its strategic location and abundant water power made Harpers Ferry a natural hub for industry and transportation. In 1799, under the direction of President George Washington, the U.S. government established a federal armory and arsenal there, which would later supply the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the 1830s further cemented its importance as a transportation and manufacturing center. The bridge which utilized these old piers was washed away in a 1936 flood But Harpers Fe...