Month: December 2019

Feliz Navidad! Christmas 2019

We have enjoyed another year filled with tons of family time, sea adventures, and land travel.  Last January we started our year in the Caribbean Sea in Bocas del Toro, Panama.  We sailed through the Panama Canal and met the Pacific Ocean—shockingly colder, bigger tides, and an  inviting coastline waiting to be surfed.  We traveled north along the coast—traveling from Panama, to Costa Rica, to El Salvador, to Mexico, and all the way up the Sea of Cortez to Puerto Penasco, a mere 4 hours from Phoenix.  Our “on the boat” highlights include:

1. Bioluminescence and surfing in Bocas del Toro and Benao, Panama
2. Transiting the Panama Canal, the good, the bad, and the ugly…
3. Climbing Volcan Baru, the only place you can see the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans
4. Costa Rican wildlife:  monkeys, frogs, toucans, sloths, macaws, sting rays
5. El Salvador pupusas, Herradura village market, smiley friendly people
6. Amazing Mayan ruins, blue waterfalls, and taco stands in Chiapas, Mexico
7. Isla Isabel, Mexico’s Galapagos: blue footed boobies, frigate birds, cool snorkeling
8. Sea of Cortez wildlife:  sharks, whales, sea lions, coyotes, fish, huge dolphin pods
9. Barb’s Dog Rescue in Puerto Penasco—puppies to cuddle by the dozen
10. Dia Des Muertos in Puerto Penasco—what an amazing celebration to experience

We arrived to the top of the Sea of Cortez mid June and began our North American Western National Park tour.  We camped all summer hitting phenomenal national parks, state parks, provincial parks, national forests, and public BLM land.  Our minivan has never been so full—6 people, 1 dog, tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, food, clothes for all seasons, and gear.  We all became experts on setting up all the tents, breaking down camp, loading the car topper, unloading the car topper, all while battling the rain and wind.  Our highlights:

1. Climbing around the Jumbo Rocks at Joshua Tree National Park
2. Big Sur and Ewok trees and our Gypsy audio guide tour
3. Drumheller—escaping the rain, free A&W root beer day, Tyrell Museum, Tim Hortons
4. Cherry picking and visiting with smoke jumpers in Montana and camping under the willows along the banks of a quick stream
5. Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump and Blackfoot Indians crafting and storytelling…STARS!
6. Being chased down the trail by a black bear in Waterton National Park
7. Getting a really great deal on a ham (or two) in Canada—and eating ham for a month afterwards every day for lunch and sometimes dinner too
8. Finishing all fruits and vegetables before crossing the border—ie. passing around a carrot and everyone taking a bite to finish it off before we reached the border patrol (we hate to waste food)!
9. Due to a very fun park ranger in Mesa Verde, Heidi got married to Bruno from Switzerland—who we luckily bumped into again at Bryce Canyon (all but Heidi were looking forward to more chance encounters).
10. Visiting St. Louis family, Connecticut family, Ridgefield friends, Wilmette friends, and rekindling friendships with college friends whom we hadn’t seen for ages

After 4 months of land travel, we happily arrived back to our boat, which has never felt so comfortable and spacious!  Beds without rocks.  The last few months in the yard, we all worked hard on lots of boat projects, took a few classes in nearby Phoenix, and enjoyed many Taco Tuesdays:  taco stands, churro stands, and ice cream spots.  We finally splashed at the end of November and are back in the Sea of Cortez.  We are currently heading south and east towards the mainland of Mexico.  We are expecting to find some rad surf spots this Christmas.

Hi! This is Heidi (now 16!) Wow this year has flown by! This year has been full of laughter, new friends, and above all, family. And another full year  cruising! A few things that I’ve picked up this year include, surfing, BSA, Sea Scouts, and psychology. I am working hard towards earning my Eagle Award this coming year. I’ve seen a few more countries, added a few more words to my Spanish dictionary, have tried so many new dishes, and met so many amazing people. I’ve learned how similar I am to all other humans in this world, how high the highest point in Panama really is, and how grateful I am to be here. I am so lucky to have these experiences and so excited to continue this amazing adventure. Feliz Navidad! 

Hey! This is Lucy (now 14). So far the year has been great! I also started scouting in BSA and Sea Scouts. Some things I have enjoyed have been sailing, cooking, surfing, seeing family and friends this summer, camping, meeting new friends, and trying new foods;) I have learned more about sailing, camping, how hard a 20 mile hike up a volcano mountain is, wilderness first aid, surfing, and my Spanish is slowly improving! 

Hi! This is Sally (12) wowsers! This year has been filled with so many awesome memories and I can’t believe it’s almost 2020. I have made so many new friends, explored most of the USA this summer, been to so many countries, surfed, and even learned how to give a puppy a shot. I am so thankful for another amazing year with my family, plus being on Love and Luck. We are all much better sailors!

Fenton, now 18, (woah!) has been having so much fun on his boat gap year that he’s extended it for another year. Right now, he’s finishing up his applications to colleges and hopes to attend one of them in Fall of 2020. This year, he’s learned to surf (kind of), taken the SAT again, and written (and revised) countless essays. Fenton is super thankful to everyone in his life, and is very excited for Christmas and the New Year, and he can’t wait to see where he ends up next.

Mark had a great year traveling from Panama to Canada – and all spots in-between.  He truly enjoyed sailing over 3,000 miles and driving an additional 21,000 miles (yikes – that’s a lot).  It was great to see so many places, experience so many different cultures ,and realizing how, at the end of the day, that people are fundamentally the same everywhere.  Now that we’re back on the boat, he is continually fixing things as they come up, consulting with a few different clients, and sometimes has time for a Crossword puzzle.  He is a big fan of podcasts which he shared with us ALL summer long.  He is always up for a good family game and is our best fisher person.

Julie is loving this new lifestyle—exploring new places, meeting new and different people, being a part of nature, and learning all kinds of new things all with the whole family.  It is truly an adventure to travel with your kids, experience new cultures together, and watch our family values develop.  Our backyard is always amazing, forever changing, and full of new creatures daily.  I wish all of our friends and family could easily drop in for a visit—you are missed!

Willie is happy to be back on the move.  He jumps up and sniffs around as soon as we are entering the harbor to anchor somewhere new.  His favorite spots are a short dinghy ride away from a deserted beach to sniff at, run around, and play in the water or to find a trail to explore.  He still likes to herd us and is happiest when we are all together.

2020 Plans…Sailing west across the Pacific

March: Sail a long way from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to the Marquesas, French Polynesia

April:  Explore the Marquesas, French Polynesia

May:  Explore the Tuomotus, French Polynesia

June:  Explore the Society Islands (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora), French Polynesia

July:  Explore the Cook Islands

August:  Explore the Kingdom of Tonga

September:  Explore Fiji

October:  Travel to New Zealand

November:  Settle in New Zealand for a while…any job leads out there?

We wish you a very happy and healthy 2020, full of Love & Luck!  Please let us know if you have any opportunity to visit.  We have learned there are airports everywhere and we can always make room!

On June 18, we packed up the boat for safekeeping in Puerto Penasco for hurricane season and started our driving roadtrip through the western USA…Our route began by crossing the border, a quick stop at Pipe Organ National Monument and then on towards Joshua Tree National Park.  We camped all summer.  We’ve found some great apps for finding free campsites which happily worked out right away.  It took a bit of adjusting to unloading the camping gear, learning how to best cook at campsites, reloading the gear…and finding enough space for everyone in the car (including Willie).

Joshua Tree NP Fun Facts

1. Joshua trees are yuccas, not your typical tree.
2. Joshua tree means the tree of life.
3. Roadrunners are real and they eat scorpions.
4. Deserts are HOT!  Shade is good!
5. Hiking hours are 5-8 in the morning and evening in the desert summer.

Our next stop was Sequoia National Forest.  The Trail of 100 Giants turned out to be one of our favorite “big tree” hikes.

Sequoia Fun Facts

1. Sequoia roots can spread out an acre in search of water.
2. Sequoias drink 500 gallons of water each day.
3. Sequoia is the only word in the English language that uses all of the vowels-A,E,I,O,U.
4. The lowest branches on the sequoia are high up from the ground which keeps them from burning down in fires.
5. Tannins make them red and heal burn marks.

Our next stop headed us back to the beach.  We visited Big Sur, home of many car commercials, surfer towns, cool beaches, wildlife and beautiful scenery.

Big Sur Fun Facts

1. Big Sur is the stretch of 101 from San Luis Obispo to Monterey.
2. Hearst Castle is the most visited state park in California.
3. There is an elephant seal rookery just north of Hearst Castle.
4. Th road has closed due to mudslides, falling rocks, and wildfires quite frequently.
5. There is a heard of wild zebras remaining from Hearst’s zoo.

We visited Stanford.  We all decided we want to go there.

Stanford Fun Facts

1. Students jump in the now chlorinated fountains for fun.
2. There are more bikes on campus than students.
3. The waitlist for getting married at the church is 3 years.
4. Themed housing—foreign language, outdoors, sports, clubs for everything, over 700.
5. Love the tree mascot!

We headed north along the coast to Redwoods National Park.  

Redwoods Fun Facts

1. The average life span is 600-700 year old, but they can live to 2000.
2. 93% of all redwoods were chopped down.
3. They are the tallest trees in the world.
4. Their pinecones are the size of a lemon and the seeds are the size of an oat.
5. They are part of the sequoia family with tannins that protect them.

We continued up the coast north, to the Oregon Gold Coast.  Beautiful beaches and rocks.  Then, out to Crater Lake…which was still quite snow covered on June 26th.

Crater Lake Fun Facts

1. It is the deepest lake in the USA.
2. It was the sixth national park.
3. It is the clearest lake in the world with visibility to 143 feet.
4. Blue, blue, blue!
5. It averages 43 feet of snow each year.  Cold!

We continued heading north for a quick visit to Portland, Oregon.  We hit most of the tourist spots and then headed out to Mt. Hood.  We saw a sign for a 4th of July Lumberjack festival, so we decided to check that out.  We stopped at the local Goodwill to find flannel for everyone for the festival (and to keep us warm with all the cold weather and rain)!  The festival was pretty fun!  From here, we headed to Mt. Rainier National Park.  But, Mt. St Helens was on the way, so we stopped there first and saw all the volcano damage.  Amazing how an eruption changes the landscape.  Next stop is Olympic National Park.  We did a lot of hiking in the rain forest, at the beach, and up in the alpine zone.  What a diverse park!  We all want to spend more time in Olympic when the weather is better.  Next stop is North Cascades National Park.  Sunshine, blue skies, and huckleberries abound.  We really enjoyed this park—so much so that we all ached after lots of great hiking.  We made huckleberry jam at our campground, did a 10+ mile subalpine hike with Willie, and enjoyed all of the short hikes through the park.