We keep looking for a piece of property to settle on when we tire of this wandering life. The operative terms that we focus on are:
1. Equally inconvenient for both our children. ie. Show no favoritism.
2. Somewhere to store our stuff.
3. A place where we can do pretty much as we please.
4. Temperatures in the 70’s most of the year.
5. Close to doctors.
This new prospect looses in two out of the 5 categories. Today’s temperature is 89, and the doctors are far away and over at least 3 major passes. It is over 7000 feet elevation, in southwestern Colorado. It has a functional house, plenty of room to park RVs, (several,) with direct access for all right off highway 151. And best of all it has water frontage on the Deloris River. The name of this place is Slick Rock, Colorado.
Slick Rock is a real place, although the post office was closed in favor of the one in Egner a few miles south. SlickRock is known as a processing plant for Uranium and Vanadium. Hot Stuff; really, like radio active hot.
On second thought maybe we should let this opportunity slip through our fingers.
Tonight we are tucked into the Outpost Motel and RV Campground in Dolores Colorado.
We are still in high country, 6974 ft in Dolores, and there are ominous signs just everywhere. The Aspen are turning golden colored and we saw a flock of Western Bluebirds milling about smartly as though ready to start a long journey. All it would take is a little “Winter Weather Reminder Dust.” on the tops of these 9000 Meter peaks around here to get me to retreat to the South-Lands.
Still, the rugged San Juan Mountains in mid Colorado are quite spectacular. Wayne and Karen Hall took us to the heart of the mountains and a high mountain lake to soak in the beauty. I certainly see why they love the area. The gallery of photos shows the little fix-er-up-er in Slick Rock, some golden Aspen and a quiet lake behind the 1938 CCC constructed Chapman Dam…with who? Karen swimming in it. Also some quick shots of Box Canyon Water Falls in Ouray and one of the Galloping Geese in Ridgway. These from this morning’s explorations.
To get to see the photos follow this link:
https://www.dinsmore-enterprises.com/2018/09/20180918-yet-another-property/
Gallery: Wayne at Merideth Store
CCC Medalion from 1938ChapmanLake with Karen SwimmingBox Canyon Water Falls, Ouray CONice Restorsation of a Smaller Galloping Goose, a BuicLever Action Car Jack, Chain to stop car, and water spoutHard Working Volunteer
We are “On the Road Again” after two days off to visit family, the Morgan clan, and friends, long time Bluegrass friends and renewed acquaintances from a chance meeting in Yukon Territory in 2007.
So first we joined the Morgan family for Sunday supper at a nice pork chop dinner. Conversation centered around Abe and Carrie’s oldest son, Gavin, who was recently accepted into the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh Scotland. He will be traveling there next week. Younger brother, Layton, will be a Junior in high school. We must get by here more often than every 6 years. My, my how my grand nephews have grown and changed. Continue reading 20180828 Family and Friends:→
On Thursday, August 2, we got serious about getting back to Brownsville Marina and Seabeck. We have been gone exactly 3 weeks now. We gathered our resources for the quick run behind Whidbey Island down to Kingston. Then it is a quick hop around the corner to Abby Normal’s home in Brownsville Marina.
Gary (Papa or Skipper Emeritus)Skipper GlenBryce, (Swab and Deck Hand)Judy and Barb kept this whole thing together. (What can I say!}
On Friday I took a full length video of our transit of Deception Pass. It is “boring.” so you will only get to see clips of it. I really needed to get a video of the North bound trip. There we rushed the timing to pass through the rapids a few minutes early, and the ride was wild. This time we rushed the timing by a full 20 minutes and it was flat water and a light following wind. The difference is due to three factors, the phase of the moon, it was a week after a full moon. We are having “neap tides” and the tide simply doesn’t go up and down very much. Second: we chose the high slack time period to pass through Deception Pass. So the water is full depth and the rocky bottom doesn’t throw up the big standing waves we get on the low ebb. Finally there was little wind outside the pass to throw wind waves at the cliffs. “Boring.” It was a little chilly this morning at 7 am with s threat of
rain. In the afternoon that cleared away and we are set for more idyllic warm weather.
One of the things that Judy, Glen and I found fun to do has been a bird walk each morning. The sun rises early these days we’re not inclined to sleep in. About 5:30 a.m. We gather up the camera and my cell phone and choose a so called “Hot Spot.” Recently Judy has been doing all of the camera work. I keep track of the identified birds in an application called e-birds. The e birds app is a free application for tracking your bird finds and helping you identify birds. It does more than that. You start by identifying where you are going go birding. You then indicate if you’re going to move or stay in one spot. You then pick a spot that other people have birded at, or create one of your own spots, like your own back yard. E-bird sets up a bird list containing birds that would be expected in your area.
While the app is running, it tracks where you go by GPS, and how much time you spend. You add new birds by scrolling to the correct species and tapping the counter. You can search out species by typing a few letters of the name.
If you are unsure of the bird’s identity, you click on the name and a page is opened with access to photos and details about the bird. Things like range and voice help narrow down the possible choices. When you finish your walk you check off a couple of information blanks and submit the report right from your smart phone.
This next part you might want to do first. Go to ebird.org and sign up for an account. You link your mobile app to this account. When you submit a list it shows up in your account here. You can then edit your check-lists, add photos, add or delete species etc.
As I write this, we are on the last leg of “The Grand Adventure.” When we pass through Agate Pass, we will enters Abby Normal’s home waters. That will be the sign that we are finished. The next task is to pack all the gear up the ramp to the cars and clean up Abby Normal.
I didn’t get this posted on Sunday, but the thought is the same. Here are photos of our motley crew.
On Thursday, August 2, we got serious about getting back to Brownsville Marina and Seabeck. We have been gone exactly 3 weeks now. We gathered our resources for the quick run behind Whidbey Island down to Kingston. Then it is a quick hop around the corner to Abby Normal’s home in Brownsville Marina. On Friday I took a full length video of our transit of Deception Pass. It is “boring.” so you will only get to see clips of it. I really needed to get a video of the North bound trip. There we rushed the timing to pass through the rapids a few minutes early, and the ride was wild. This time we rushed the timing by a full 20 minutes and it was flat water and a light following wind. The difference is due to three factors, the phase of the moon, it was a week after a full moon. We are having “neap tides” and the tide simply doesn’t go up and down very much. Second: we chose the high slack time period to pass through Deception Pass. So the water is full depth and the rocky bottom doesn’t throw up the big standing waves we get on the low ebb. Finally there was little wind outside the pass to throw wind waves at the cliffs. “Boring.” It was a little chilly this morning at 7 am with s threat of
rain. In the afternoon that cleared away and we are set for more idyllic warm weather.
One of the things that Judy, Glen and I found fun to do has been a bird walk each morning. The sun rises early these days we’re not inclined to sleep in. About 5:30 a.m. We gather up the camera and my cell phone and choose a so called “Hot Spot.” Recently Judy has been doing all of the camera work. I keep track of the identified birds in an application called e-birds. The e birds app is a free application for tracking your bird finds and helping you identify birds. It does more than that. You start by identifying where you are going go birding. You then indicate if you’re going to move or stay in one spot. You then pick a spot that other people have birded at, or create one of your own spots, like your own back yard. E-bird sets up a bird list containing birds that would be expected in your area.
While the app is running, it tracks where you go by GPS, and how much time you spend. You add new birds by scrolling to the correct species and tapping the counter. You can search out species by typing a few letters of the name.
If you are unsure of the bird’s identity, you click on the name and a page is opened with access to photos and details about the bird. Things like range and voice help narrow down the possible choices. When you finish your walk you check off a couple of information blanks and submit the report right from your smart phone.
This next part you might want to do first. Go to ebird.org and sign up for an account. You link your mobile app to this account. When you submit a list it shows up in your account here
. You can then edit your check-lists, add photos, add or delete species etc.
As I write this, we are on the last leg of “The Grand Adventure.” When we pass through Agate Pass, we will enters Abby Normal’s home waters. That will be the sign that we are finished. The next task is to pack all the gear up the ramp to the cars and clean up Abby Normal.
I didn’t get this posted on Sunday, but the thought is the same. Here are photos of our motley crew.
We were having just another one of those perfect days of sailing in the Gulf Islands. You know, the winds are about 5 to 6 miles per hour coming from exactly were we were going. This simply means we get to tack a lot, (that is turn into the wind and sail close to the wind in a zig zag up wind direction.) Unfortunately familiarity breeds contempt. We have gotten so good at tacking that we decided we needed to spice it up a little. Continue reading 20180728 The Grand Adventure – Part 3→
It’s 17:35 on July 13th 2018 we are just underway for the tour of the San Juan and Gulf Islands.
This video highlights the exciting parts of the first day of the trip. As you watch the video watch for the highway bridge crossing over Agate pass.. we actually wound up motoring all the way and then it was nip and Tuck whether the sun would go down or we get to the marina first.
The sun won.
Now the second day heading for Oak Harbor and there is a nice breeze we went under sail at 11:30. Our speed is not looking good for a continued sail. 32 miles is a long ways to go.
We lasted about 30 minutes sailing then we had to get the motor going again.
Now we have arrived at Oak Harbor. The day almost ended in disaster. The spin-on fuel filter for the engine, spun off a little and started leaking diesel into the bilges. We spent the evening cleaning up.
Third day:
This is the big day; we got an early start (7 a.m.) so that we can reach Deception Pass at the exact time of change of Tide at 11:40. (To take advantage of slack water)
But first! We stopped near the entrance to our overnight moorage, and retrieved our Crab Pot. Waiting for us; 4 very large, very male, crabs. Success beyond our wildest dreams. Four hours later we are approaching Yokeko point about a mile from Decption Pass. we saw some speeds over 7 knots along this stretch. We had arrived a good hour early. That gave us time to get some Diesel at the marina. No luck there. But a group of sailboats of about our size started heading for Deception Pass. Taking this as a good sign we started out ourselves. Smooth as silk was the water. Then the point of no-return, we are looking at a turbulent rapids spreading out before us. Right in the center are three standing waves. The first one, wwhheeee… the bow plows the wave into two furrows and we are on to wave number two. Abby Normal is bucking like a bronco, this time the bow splits the wave and carries on through. Wave number three is looming just a boat length further on. The third time is the charmed one. Abby dives into the wave, some of the water goes up on the deck and Abby hesitates before going on. Diving into the wave had slowed us from 7 knots to about 3 knots. From there on it is just turbulent water all moving at five or six knots. I was running the camera in video mode. I have a special talent for this neat trick. The camera starts out shooting video. Here is the action scene coming, “click”, “click” there was the action scene, neatly snipped out because I get out of sync. Well maybe in the next life I will be more co-ordinated. The photo gallery has some photos of the crabs and other highlights of the trip.
See this on line at
https://www.dinsmore-enterprises.com/2018/07/20180713-the-gra…adventure-part-1/
