Mike and Beth's Adventures

Beth and Mike are Nomads Again!        In the words of the immortal Willie Nelson, "On the road again Goin' places that I've never been Seein' things that I may never see again And I can't wait to get on the road again " Instead of our boat, Amy Marie, we are travelling the country in a Winnebago Travato Van named "Boomer".   Size wise, it really is very similar to our Ranger Tug R-27.   It sleeps two, has a refrigerator and freezer, a toilet and shower, a range and microwave, a TV, and a 10-Kilowatt Lithium Battery Pack that will provide power for 3 days while we are boondocking!   We love it! Boomer loaded with Bikes and ready for Adventure! Prior to starting our cross- country odyssey, we tuned up with 2 short shake down cruises to familiarize ourselves with the vans systems and their operation.   We were satisfied that it would be a good platform for terrestrial exploration, so we have initiated an open-ended drive to the east coast and ...

The site of the British Garrison on San Juan Island is now a National Park First a little island history on an unusual incident, in the 1860’s, associated with clarifying the border between Canada and the United States.   As a result of uncertainty on the islands ownership, both the US and Great Britain maintained military garrisons on opposite ends of the island.   Tensions rose briefly when an American killed a British pig.   A satisfactory resolution was arranged, and the island continued to be jointly occupied until 1872 when Germany was asked to intervene and render a judgement on which nation should be the sole owner.   The ruling favored the United States, so the British Garrison reluctantly left for Vancouver Island. Today, there are national parks at the sites of the two camps.   The American Camp was on an inhospitable shoreline swept by continual winds and fog, devoid of protection, and continually cold. The British Camp was on Garrison Bay, a p...

Mike and the Mangrove Cut February 19 th , 2022 We traveled through a great variety of features on our voyage to John Pennekamp State Park .   The density of Keys and shoals increases as you head east to Key Largo.  With more obstacles to safe navigation, there are cuts through mangrove islands, cuts through limestone and coral formations, and considerable weaving to remain in water sufficiently deep to provide safe passage.  A challenge, but we loved it! Mangrove Cut on the way to Pennekamp The traffic volume was also greater due to travelling on a Saturday.  It is best to avoid travel on weekends in Florida.  On weekends,  people explode from land to sea, and want to see and do it all at 50+ miles per hour.  Boating courtesy, such as slow passes disappear and it is not unusual to have a sport fishing boat, with multiple outboards pass you in close quarters at high speed.  Wake management is no-existent.  It is every boater for them...