Mike and Beth's Adventures

San Simeon: California's Alluring Central Coast The beach near San Simeon The next leg of our van odyssey took us to San Simeon and Hearst Castle.  Getting there was more difficult than normal as a landslide, in January 2023, closed Highway 1 between Big Sur and San Simeon forcing us to backtrack from Big Sur to Monterey and then Salinas, to access Highway 101 south to Paso Robles, then west to the coast, and north on Highway 1 to San Simeon State Park.  The slide, which interdicted the coast highway, turned an 80-mile drive into a 180 mile journey.  John Steinbeck Truck & Camper from his book "Travels with Charlie" The detour gave us the opportunity to visit the John Steinbeck Museum in Salinas California.  The Citizens of Salinas are rightfully proud of their native son.  He was a prolific writer who realistically portrayed the struggles, loneliness, social isolation and violence that accompanied the Great Depression.  During World War 2 he served a...

Captiva Beach February 5th, 6th, 7th, 2022 You might expect that Looping has a rigid planning process, one that carefully schedules visits and involves contacting marinas months in advance, especially in high demand areas, so your progress is an orderly affair.  Bsssst - Wrong!  At least for the crew of Amy Marie.  We are organized in the sense that we have a maintained list of spots we would like to visit or attractions to see.  Beth maintains this in Google Maps.  This app allows you to create "Lists" of saved locations.  The benefit is that when you open Google maps and your list, you can see what you have saved from talking to others, reading articles and blogs, and whatever other sources you encounter.  It works pretty well.  We loosely plan with a horizon of 3 days, and then have difficulty remembering where we were 3 days ago.  I think this is a good indicator we have transitioned to living in the moment.... Beth and Mike - Captiva Bac...

Sunset during our 20 hour Gulf Crossing- Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs January 18th-19th, 2022  Preparations Every day on the Loop is different.  This helps cultivate your sense of adventure.  Even as experienced boaters, we constantly find ourselves challenged in new ways.  Our 20 hour open water voyage from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs was one of those challenges that you will remember forever.   My navigator is confident she can guide us to the other side First of all, the Gulf crossing seems larger than life.  The type of event where you can easily build a "boogie man" that grows in size, proportionate to your  anxiety level.  Many hours are spent in discussions, conversations and musings anticipating "the crossing"   There are so many tasks that must be completed or learned. which puts this in a different category of life experiences.  The decisions you make, and the care you have taken, to prepare yourself and you vessel w...

November 29,2021 Pensacola, home of the Blue Angels, Joe Patti Seafood, warm weather and blue skies.  We berthed at Palafox Marina, right on the downtown waterfront.  The area had the appearance of recent redevelopment, all tastefully done in a traditional late 1800's early 1900's style.  Sprinkled through the area were refurbished original buildings, both brick and wooden.  Old warehouses, in the Seville district, had been converted into restaurants, bars, retail and residential use.  The architecture leaned towards New Orleans style with cast iron columns and adornments, and second floor balconies providing shade for those at street level.   Our first night, we joined the couples on three other Looper boats for an excellent dinner at Jocho's.  It is located on the sea front at Palafox Marina.  Beth and I split a appetizer and an entrée so we could have key lime pie for dessert.  Always leave room for dessert! Seville District The next ...