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Boat Lust at the Seattle Boat Show - 2024

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Recently we attended the Seattle Boat Show.   It is one of the largest on the west coast of North America.   The indoor portion of the event was held at Lumen Field, the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League, the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer, and OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League.   The in the water portion of the show was on the Seattle waterfront at Bell Harbor Marina.   We were in town visiting kids and grandkids and decided to take a couple of days to visit the boat show to see what was new.   While the grandkids were in school, we took Seattle’s Light Rail from my daughter’s house to Lumen Field.   It was a short walk from the station to the venue.   We purchased a multi-day pass for $40 each.   This gave us access to both the indoor and in the water venues as well as a bowl of Ivar’s delicious clam chowder for lunch.   As soon as we entered Lumen field is was clear that the boat show was a major event for Pacific

San Francisco: A Wonderful City to Visit

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The Ferry Building and Coit Tower The crew of Amy Marie took to the rails for a two-night visit to San Francisco.  We patterned our trip on a technique we often use while boating.  Public Transit!  In the bay area, it is better than ever.   We live ~ 50 miles north of San Francisco, in Santa Rosa, in the middle of the wine country.  In fact, Amy Marie is currently docked on the Napa River adjacent to a vineyard.  After booking a room for two nights near Fisherman's Wharf, we discovered the hotel parking fees were $65/night.  That is a little steep. Time for a new plan.   Smart Train Santa Rosa is served by a light rail system called the Smart Train.  The southern terminus of their system is in Larkspur in Marin County, but still north of the Golden Gate bridge.  From Larkspur, you can catch a ferry which will whisk you to the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  The cost for a roundtrip adult ticket, from Santa Rosa to San Francisco on the Smart Train and the Ferry, is a very af

Road Trip: Johnston Canyon, Alberta, Canada

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We reached Johnston Canyon via rental e-bikes.  It is about 30 miles, round trip from downtown Banff.  All except a short section is a car free route.  We were fortunate that in September, the section of the Bow River Parkway, from Banff to Johnston Canyon, is close to vehicles.  This allows visitors to enjoy a ride which maximizes your enjoyment of the stunning scenery and wildlife encountered along the way.  To see pictures taking on our ride to Johnston Canyon, visit our Banff Blog Posting . This section of the trail is suspended over the canyon. In many places the trail must continue via a cantilever construction, suspended over the canyon.  Hope the bolts attaching the structure to the cliff face hold! The canyon is a cool, shaded location if the day is warm. Beth supports the over hanging rock so that we can pass safely! As you gain elevation you pass a steady staircase of water falls. The water runs clean and clear.  It is not a glacier melt fed waterway or it would have been an