Mike and Beth's Adventures

I am always a bit sad when our time in the PNW draws to a close.  Each visit is amazing.  Maybe I feel this way because of the grandeur of the experience.  One never knows when or if you will again visit.  It is like saying goodbye to an old friend who lives far away, hence there is uncertainty about future time together.  The PNW experience invokes strong emotions, feelings and thoughts.  It is beautiful in its stature and harmonious in its vastness.  It is the kind of emotion that feeds the soul.  You do not want it to end.  Being in nature reminds you that there is a rhythm to life that is simplifying in that it strips away the unnecessary chaos which waits to assault upon return to “civilization”.  Perhaps my reluctance to leave is procrastination.  I like the simple rhythm and want to delay the tenseness and harshness that accompanies chaos.  Perhaps this all boils down to the fact that I like being on vacation and the sim...

The Pacific Northwest showed it's snarly personality during our Salt Spring Island visit.  Three days of rain and high winds plagued our visit. On the fourth day, we awoke to glorious blue skies and calm seas.  Wasting no time, we cast off and pointed Amy Marie toward Mill Bay on Vancouver Island.  This was a short trip of barely over 20 miles. We traveled south at 6 knots so Beth could cook a good breakfast and we could let the calm envelop us. The Gulf Islands are many and spread over a large area.  Inter-island travel is by boat or seaplane.  Our departure from Ganges was marked by a continuous stream of sea planes arriving or departing on a strip of water marked expressly for that purpose.  Yes, a nautical landing strip!  Watercraft were to stay outside this zone.   I just love the head turning sound of a de Havilland Beaver round engine revving for takeoff.  The PNW has resonated with this sound for the last 75 years as the Beaver f...

Free Public Pier at Mill Bay We docked here to get provisions in town We departed Tod Inlet the morning of June 6 th to move northward.  At lunchtime we stopped in Mill Bay, at the Public Dock to eat lunch and provision.  On the walk to town, we passed homes and cottages nestled in the trees with nice views overlooking the bay. After walking less than a kilometer, we reached our destination, a nice shopping center on the left-hand side of the road.  Just about anything you might need was conveniently located in one easy to access location.  It was a cruiser’s dream! Beth is carrying provisions back to the boat Amy Marie at the Mill Bay Free Public Dock   Our first stop was Subway for lunch.  The menu was all new and quite tasty.  Beth had a salad, and I had a BBQ beef brisket sandwich.  Following lunch, Beth visited the grocery store to replenish our food supplies and I visited the liquor store to replenish our wine supplies.  We try to ...

Chicago! There is nothing like the experience of approaching a major city from the water.  The skyline gradually comes into view on the horizon. It is similar to raising the curtain on a much anticipated theater performance.  You move closer until it's full majesty fills center stage and you just know this is going to be one terrific show as the city gleams in the light. Chicago's opening act was welcoming and peaked our excitement as we speculated on what adventures and experiences awaited.   Touring Chicago with Dick and Emily Our friends Dick and Emily met us at the boat.  We had not seen them in several years and, as they were locals, we looked forward to touring the city with their guidance.  One of the first stops, after a quick overview of the town, was a Greek restaurant for lunch. We then visited a French Market Chicago's Union Train Station Union Station had recently been remodeled.  The architectural details were impressive   Clearly th...