Dreary With A Chance Of Overcast

The results of last night’s game was not as exciting as the previous night but the weather has modified a bit today. There is still a serious pileup of clouds which will be with us for a while.  At least the driving rain has let up so we’re off today to visit a couple more lighthouses as well as some of the beautiful fishing fleets, harbors and beaches on both the Atlantic side as well as the bay side. We started with a visit to the Nauset Light, another of those moved back from the original position because they were threatened by serious cliff erosion.  Since most all ships now have GPS, the role of the lighthouse has slipped further back into the history books. Gone are the days of the lonely keeper ever on duty to provide a beacon to ships in danger of piling up on the rocky coast. From there we drifted on over to the Chatham Light next to the Coast Guard Rescue Station. Signage here told of the Mayflower’s trip from England, their landing near Provincetown to take on their first fresh water in more than 65 days and their eventual trip northward to Plymouth. Maybe I was absent from school the day they talked about the original land charter being nearer to the mouth of the Hudson River but due to a rip current, they had to turn around. The history of this area would be very different otherwise. During a short stop at the commercial fishing harbor in Yarmouth, we visited with a fisherman who was repairing holes in the drag net he uses to fish for squid. We talked about the bum rap most drag net fishermen get. His little net does not disturb the bottom or wreck coral. In fact coral, if it were even in the area would do more damage to his nets. He even commented on the impact the huge commercial drag net operations have on his livelihood. These factory ships impact the fisheries regulations as well. At another little harbor, I got permission from the harbormaster to go out on the floating docks to get closer to a resident swan, recently returned from it’s winter grounds. I took more than 20 photos over a 15 minute period but all she did was preen her feathers. Actually, I think she was a bit camera shy.  I can’t say enough good things about the local Chamber offices we visited. The one in West Yarmouth helped us find a place to fill our propane tank for the camper and directed us to a little out of the way place called Gray’s Beach. The Bass Hole Boardwalk juts out into the marsh area allowing access to tidal flats one wouldn’t normally be able to view. We watched several shore birds wading through the canals searching for bits of crab, clams and fish. The sun popped out just in time to turn the incoming water from that flat cloud cover gray to a bit more interesting steel blue. The dunes in the distance provided an interesting contrast. The patches of blue disappeared almost at once making my question to Carl about sunset photos moot. There will be no sun visible to set. Our last stop for the day was at the Truro Vineyards where I enjoyed a wine tasting seminar, including commemorative glass for just $10.00. This isn’t the way most vineyards we’ve visited do things but it was effective. I became convinced I had to buy a bottle of  a semi-dry white. Turns out this particular wine isn’t even made here.

Day 91- Ausable Caverns vs. Irene

After the tremendous thunder and lightening show Mother Nature put on last night which was followed up by substantial rain, it was a blessing to see the sun light trying to shine through the thick stand of pines we’re camped under. All in all, it was a pretty good night. The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays, Baltimore beat Tampa Bay and Time Wakefield finally got his 200th win after 7 previous attempts. There was a bit of a chill in the air but not enough to convince me to close up the camper window on my side last night. I just love that fresh air. It did, however, make me think about wearing slacks into the Chasm a little later in the morning. We settled up with the office where they informed Carl his admission would be free because of his military service. My fare would be reduced because we’re staying in their campground. The shorts won out over the slacks and after a short walk across the street, we found ourselves at the welcome center. Military ID’s were offered to the lady at the cash register and we both were given free access to the privately owned geological attraction that has been wowing people since 1870. And when we learned the volume of water had risen more than 60 feet during Irene’s stay in the New England area, we were not surprised to find several bridges and hundreds of feet of catwalk had been completely washed away. The gorge, part of Lake Champlain’s drainage was also littered with a variety of materials which included Styrofoam, various types and sizes of lumber, car tires and even a propane cylinder. It was relatively easy to find the high water mark by the flattened shrubbery or torn up and scarred trees. We were allowed to walk down into the Chasm along some of the platforms to within feet of twisted metal and broken off concrete. The shear power of water in a gently flowing state is often mistaken and can be very damaging so imagine more than a hundred feet of water being forced down through the narrow rocky gorge. We saw rocks from a totally different part of the chasm sitting more than 100 feet above the current level of the water which seemed peaceful enough down where they were sending off the rafts. Yes, you can walk more than two miles along the rim of the chasm or you can walk part way through and take a raft ride down over two small scale rapids and a whirl pool before hauling out on a sandy spot downstream. We chose the long walk without the raft but did accept the offered trolley ride back to the welcome center where they dropped you off at the gift shop. We had lunch there, pizza for me and a chicken patty sandwich with fries for Carl, followed by the always popular souvenir shopping, the last of the post cards to send and the last of the magnets to live the rest of their lives on my refrigerator. It never ceases to amaze how many photos I take during a day like today. The warm sunshine was broken with light clouds, the walk was pleasant and the scenery was geologically breathtaking. I can’t get over how many layers of sedimentary rock make up the steep sided gorge, some more than a foot thick while others are a mere inch or two. We got an up close and personal look at the Rainbow Falls at the head of the Chasm where two hydroelectric buildings still provide power to the grid. We also saw a large eroded area near the bridge. All in all it was a great few hours and even though I’ve often said there is no such things as bad pizza, I’m not sure I’d rush over there to have another piece any time soon. And here is something else to consider. This was another place where there was no signage offering military personnel free admission. Over the 13 plus weeks of our trip, we are now in the habit of bringing out those cards as our preferred form of identification. Carl’s military service along with so many others shouldn’t be reduced to having to ask for reduced admission. There should be signs everywhere proudly proclaiming servicemen are welcome with all thanks. Everyone seems to fly a flag and think that’s enough.

Day 22- In Glacier

This morning was cold! I don’t know why. We’re at altitude and the mountains still have deep snow and glaciers on them. I had left every window in the camper open because it was unbearably hot last night so Carl jumped out of bed to get half of the windows while I grabbed the other half. Then it was back to sleep for a couple more hours. Carl didn’t want to run the generator at 8:00AM because our neighbors from VT have small children and they weren’t up yet. Instead of making coffee with the Keurig, I boiled water, in a pan on the gas stove, for tea. Breakfast was pancakes, banana for me and blueberry for Carl. I made a few blog notes and then Carl decided we should pack up to move to our reserved site for the next two nights. He can’t do anything about calling AAA until we are settled. Our luck was a little better today because the people on site A5 had checked out by 10:00 so we could move right in. The Rangers have been very helpful and notified the West Glacier gate there would be a wrecker coming. Carl set the generator up for me before he left. Now, he and the truck have gone off for who knows how long. He took his cell phone so he could keep me updated. I’ve made a slow cooker lasagna and at the stroke of 12:00 I cranked the generator over. The lasagna takes three hours but I can only have electricity for two. I may push it for an extra 15 minutes and then the residual heat should finish it off nicely. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I also took the time to vacuum the carpet in the bedroom area and under the dining room table. I don’t know what I was thinking, but even taking our shoes off at the door, it had gotten really bad in only three weeks. Can’t imagine how it would look after ten. Before we left Helena, we had purchased a convertible stick model by Eureka that you can attach a handle to for larger jobs. I wasn’t expecting much for $35.00 but I‘m happy to say it did an okay job. When my two hours of “civilization” ends, I’ll take a walk with my camera and see what I can find.

Day 12- Sioux Falls, SD to Rapid City, SD

Last night Sioux Falls was hit with a severe thunderstorm accompanied by 60 mile an hour winds. We were there during the storm. There were times when I felt as if the camper lifted from the ground. I kept watch for a tornado but none materialized. This morning we found out winds were measured at 63 mph. What a wild ride! I think the only thing that saved us from further damage was a tall hill we were camped beside. Most of the wind went over us. Our travel route today was on rte I-90 for over 350 miles. It’s a good thing there was plenty of stuff to see, to begin with. There were large marshy areas with white caps in most of the pastures we passed and we noticed muskrat huts on more than a few of them. This area like most of the Midwest has had way more than their annual rainfall so it’s hard to tell where the normal water level would be but we noticed many fields with a number of large round bales of hay partially submerged in water. While Walnut Grove, MN is the childhood home of Laura Ingalls, De Smet, SD claims her after her marriage and while she was writing her memoirs. We stopped often for rest room and stretching breaks along the way. We took in the view at a couple of scenic overlooks. At one of them, we were treated to a spectacular view of the Lewis And Clark Memorial Bridge and at another, we got a sneak peak at the outskirts of the badlands. Now, don’t yell but we passed on the Corn Palace and Wall Drug. The Badlands will have to wait for another trip as well. The flat windswept plains with its oceans of waving multihued grasses gave way to the gentle rolling hills of cultivated crops and finally to the rugged landscape where numerous breeds of cattle, both dairy and beef, and horses grazed. Every once in a while we would see black tailed deer and pronghorn antelope grazing as well. Both Carl and I had to laugh at exit 127. You see, it was just there. No sign announced what town or road was to found in that direction, only the fact that at the end of the ramp was a dirt road running in both directions. In the distance I could see two homesteads. Imagine having an interstate exit all your own. Our home for the next two days is the Lazy J RV Park And Campground.

Down Day

Those gathering clouds I mentioned from last night didn’t go away and I wasn’t thrilled about finding myself in the Everglades in a small boat during a storm. We passed on a small Manatee Watch today but we may go another day. By late afternoon, the rain was falling fast and hard but their wasn’t any lightening show. Oh, and I was called by Security about 9:30 this evening because my drapes were open. The Loggerhead turtles are coming ashore to lay their eggs on beaches all over SW Florida. The beach out in front of our resort is no exception. Marco Island has passed a "blackout" ordinance from May through September. Lights on shore confuse the turtles who exhaust themselves during the ordeal of laying their eggs. In this confused state, they sometimes mistake the resort lights for the moon and head inland instead of returning to the ocean. And, of course, I complied with the request as soon as I was off the phone.

Wintery Weather

By the time February roles around, the back of Winter is pretty nearly broken, as a rule. When I say this I mean the super harsh cold of sub zero January is past, the days are beginning to lengthen and you can usually find some signs that the change of seasons is approaching. Maybe it's a super warm day that gets the skunks moving about. You can smell them in the air. Maybe it's a slight color change in the bark of the poplar trees. During the dead of winter, the bark is ash gray but with the first flush of sap corsing through it's veins, the bark begins to take on a greenish tint. Maybe it's a small patch of dried grass that has finally fought it's way through the drifts to appear in the sunlight. That's not happening this year because we have been hit with one winter storm after another. In fact, over the past ten days, we've had no less than four major storms. These storms ran the full gambit of natures fury with wind, deep heavy wet snow and even rain and ice. Our snow depth is now more than we've had all winter and as I write this, it's snowing and there is a promise for more over the weekend. I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer for the back of winter to really give way.

Later...

While waiting in Honolulu for our plane to Dallas, which was delayed ( go figure ), I happened to notice that it was getting dark outside. I glanced out the window “mauka” which means towards the mountains and noticed a double rainbow. Sadly, I couldn’t get outside to take what would have been a gorgeous photo and had to settle for trying to take the photo through the dirty waiting area windows. Still, it gives you the idea.

When The Lights Go Out

It's been a very long three days! I was working at my computer on Monday, the day of the April Nor'easter, when a tremendous roaring began outside. I brushed the curtains aside near my desk in time to see the evergreen trees behind my studio lay over as if a massive hand had pushed them aside. This happened over and over, each gust of wind seeming to be stronger than the previous one. I could hear limbs snapping and the rain was driven sideways into the windows of the house. As the intensity of the storm grew, so did the damage outside. The small broken trees of just an hour before were being quickly surpassed by trees of more substance. It was then that the lights went out. They didn't come back on until Thursday afternoon. It was three full days of burning candles, worrying about the meat in our freezer, wondering if the electric crew forgot us and pacing the floors because every time I remembered something I needed to do, it took electricity to make it happen. We have become so dependant upon the almighty wall socket, we become as disconnected as the wires do from our homes. That first night there was an unnatural quiet. No hum from the computer, refrigerator or florescent light bulbs. The three of us sat in silence until, out of boredom, I began to play solitaire, badly. My husband and grown son joined me and for two hours, we played rummy and laughed, but more importantly, we talked. Not the "did you take out the trash?" kind of dialog. It was more like three friends that haven't been together for a while. If you ask me, I say loosing the electricity did us a world of good.