Beartooths

So after the wheel-almost-falling-off-Sylvia fiasco, you can imagine that we may have some apprehension about heading out for long distances in her, especially in the direction of Butte. We waffled back and forth on whether to attempt an adventure to Seattle in her via Glacier/Waterton and then through Canada to the Pacific Northwest. In the end, just a day before our departure date, we wimped out. We opted instead to take her down to the Absaroka-Beartooths, over the Beartooth Pass, through Yellowstone and squeak back home again just in time to pack up my car to head to Seattle. On our way to Red Lodge it dawned on us that we should spend the first night in East Rosebud Canyon with its gorgeous Yosemite-esque scenery. The area burned about fifteen years ago clearing the trees and opening grand views of the looming cliffs above. We were treated to stunning scenery and loads of ginormous huckleberries as we hiked up to Elk Lake the following day. We spent that night outside of Red Lodge poised below the Beartooth Pass. The next day Sylvia pulled strong through thin air over the 11,000 foot pass as her passengers oohed and ahhed over the high alpine scenery. We settled into our 10,000 foot elevation campsite at Island Lake and then headed out on an oxygen-deprived hike along a chain of high alpine lakes across the Beartooth Plateau. The next day we stopped to check out an old fire lookout and its spectacular views where we jumped at the opportunity to look through a solar telescope. We could see sun spots and watched a solar flare grow over the hour we spent there. Very cool. We then buzzed through Yellowstone and rolled into our driveway with 36 hours left before we needed to hit the road to Seattle.

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Montana Summer

Did I mention that we live in a beautiful place? And have amazing friends? We have had an incredible summer at home enjoying both. Our summer started with evenings of archery, sword fighting and fencing, balanced a few weeks later with a good old-fashioned barn dance. We spent weekends rock climbing, biking and hiking. We filled each week with friends, farmers market and slack-lining. We camped with friends and canoed. And in preparation for our early-August departure we had early birthday parties for the boys. Isaac decided on a biking/playing capture-the-flag-in-the-woods party. Our biking destination was the rugged Emerald Lake trail so it was a small riding party, only Isaac, Jason and I. Aaron spent the morning with friends who planned to meet us at Palisades Falls for party mayhem! Isaac did an amazing job maneuvering the rocky, steep trail and emerged from the ride tired, but unscathed. We are so proud of him. I on the other hand, had technical difficulties which landed me in a creek four miles from the trailhead with a broken wrist. Fortunately camelbacks double really well as slings and I met three amazing 70+ year-olds who were kind enough to take my bike, give me an ibuprofen 800 and walk out with me. They were absolutely incredible. They are in better physical shape than I have ever been, with hundreds of marathons under their belts as well 100-mile-adventure runs. One had just turned 70 so they were heading out to Glacier to celebrate by hiking 70 miles in 7 days! I cannot thank them enough for their kindness, stories and inspiration. Down at the party, we persuaded the boys to stay behind to play and romp in the woods with their friends while Jason and I went to the ER. The following day we had Take 2 for Isaac's party with water guns, presents and chocolate pot-o-cream. A big thank you to our friends for taking care of our kids and showing up for two birthday parties in two days! Aaron decided on a camping birthday party the following weekend which was action packed with loads of sword-fighting but no major injuries to report. We wrapped up the summer at home with a week of Sweetpea Festival activities before heading out on more adventures. 

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So what to do now?

Sylvia was in need of some junk-yard parts that were days away so I emptied her out, we bid her adieu and hopped into our Ford F-150 rental with bikes loaded in the back and stuff piled up around the boys. Over pizza we pondered the fate of the upcoming week before we detoured to Fairmont Hot Springs so the boys could ride the water slide. As we meandered closer to home we stopped at the Sacajawea Hotel for dinner, something we've been meaning to do for a long time. We re-realized over the course of the day that we live in a pretty amazing place, where people fly into from all over the world to recreate, and maybe we should take the week to enjoy it. It was settled....we were opting for a staycation. We adhered to a strict regime of alternating days of mountain biking/climbing all week long, with one rest day in Helena to visit family, and capping it off with an epically beautiful hike up Elephant Mountain. Exhausted and happy, we spent the next week recovering. We are no longer twenty. 

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Butte - 2, Sylvia - 0

There's something about Butte that wants to keep Sylvia forever. Two years ago, on our first attempt to pass through the boom-and-bust-copper town, her engine imploded and she sat in the shop for a month getting a rebuild. This summer, on attempt number two, her wheel bearing seized up encouraging her wheel to try to fall off and we just barely shuddered into a mechanic before her nose ended up on the ground.

We had grand plans to camp through the Seeley/Swan/Flathead Lake area on our way up to Glacier/Waterton National Parks. Jason had even taken time off for our family vacation so we could explore our own state a little bit. Butte had other plans. We set off on a Friday to the Pipestone Pass area where we leveled Sylvia onto two flat rocks in a remote campsite close to climbing. We spent the afternoon bouldering on the outcrops of rock dotted throughout the area and in the evening we built a fire and warmed ourselves around it in the drizzling rain. Everyone was happy to be back in the camper van. The next morning we headed down the dirt road to the mountain highway where we caught the first sounds of impending trouble. On the highway the sounds became much more distinct, but it was only occasional at this point....maybe just a rock catching in the wheel.  As we got closer to Butte the frequency increased and I began to scour the Internet for mechanics open on Saturday. We spotted a mechanic almost instantly as we entered town and pulled over. They only worked on truck engines but they informed us that there was another mechanic a mile and a half down the road that was open. Jason eased Sylvia into reverse and cranked the wheel to back out. It was here that we heard a crack and got a very good listen to the now much louder grinding noises that were emanating from below. We hobbled out of the parking lot, with the wheel grinding and the front of the van swaying to and fro.....but we only had a mile and a half to go, right? It became very apparent, very quickly that this distance was much too much so we pulled over and called for a tow. We were informed that a tow was three hours out and none of us were too keen to sit in the entrance of the Butte airport for that long so we gave it another shot. With emergency flashers flashing, we inched along the side of the road hoping the wheel would stay on long enough for us to make it. I should also mention that at this point we virtually had no brakes. Each time we would get close to a stop light we would hold our breath and hope that we would roll to a stop in time. Luckily, we were moving very slowly and we managed to hit all the lights just right. With much relief we made it to the mechanic where we hung out, soaked up the Butte culture and listened to hair bands blair over the radio.

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Friends in Seattle

When we  learned that a friend needed to travel to Seattle for surgery we offered to go with her to help so we hopped in the car and headed back to out. The day before her surgery we spent the day hanging out with her and her husband. They came to the boat to drink tea, we walked to the beach and ate fish & chips, and then we all grazed at the fabulous Ballard Farmers Market. Being seasoned veterans at the all-day progressive dinner, we encouraged them to pace themselves as we headed to Pike Street Market next. It was so fun to have them in Seattle and get to show them around a little bit. With much relief and joy, I am so happy to say that the surgery went as well as it possibly could. After two-and-a-half weeks of on-site recovery and minus two lobes of a lung, my friend was able to head home to recover in the comfort of her own home.

While we were there, in addition to offering a helping hand, we got to enjoy Seattle for the wonderful city that it is, getting to know it and the area around our marina much better. During our stay the weather was insanely gorgeous and the spring flowers, even more so. The boys and I played at the park and on the beach, visited the zoo twice, and wandered through the flowery arboretum. We made two attempts to hike up Mount Si in the Cascades. On attempt one we left a sunny Seattle to find Mount Si socked in low clouds with an even lower fresh snow line. As we hiked, we dodged sloppy snow bombs falling from the branches above, only to be turned away by a very slushy, slippery trail higher up. On attempt number two, Aaron and I made it to the top where we were treated to spectacular views of Mount Rainier and 84 degree, sunny weather. One afternoon, we took Jason's team out for a sail where we watched everyone's face light up as each took a turn at the helm. Our friends' son flew in to visit so we took him and his dad out for a sail, clocking our fastest speed yet at 9 knots through the water. They also paddled the kayaks, with the boys as guides, to the beach, meeting Jason and I for fish & chips on the way back to the boat. On a sunny Saturday, we took another friend and his wife out for a sail in the sound. When we reached a headland there was a lull in the breeze so we took the opportunity to eat fancy crackers and cheese, washing it all down with bubbly water. A short distance from the boat, a fur seal feeding frenzy began. We spent an amazing hour watching as the huge, furry beasts thrashed around grabbing monstrous fish and shaking them violently before munching them down. We spent our last evening enjoying a gorgeous sunset sail before we bid Seattle ado. All in all, it was a very busy and successful three weeks, I am very thankful things went so well.

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Poulsbo to Seattle

Poulsbo is a cute, little Norwegian fishing village that holds tight to its Scandinavian nautical heritage. Enticed by the large number of yummy restaurants to choose from, we decided to spend two nights here so we could relax, explore, and eat. Jason was delighted by its used marine parts store as he searched its cluttered shelves of wonders for treasures for the boat. Isaac nestled into a used book store while Aaron buried his nose in a mountain book. We all took a walk along a boardwalk overlooking the picturesque harbor with views across the bay to pastoral, green fields reminiscent of photos we have seen of Norway. With its fun mixture of natural beauty, Scandinavian flare, delicious food and two-hours-by-sail location, we will definitely be back for another visit.

When we arrived back in Ballard on Sunday from our ten day freezy vacation, I thought we would take Monday as a rest day to recover a little, but Aaron's little eyes blinked open, saw sunshine and the first words out of his mouth were, "Sunshine! We should go for hike today." Thus began the mad-dash to get us ready for a hike before we had to get Jason to the office in the morning. We skipped breakfast opting instead to grab it at Whole Foods as we passed through Redmond on our way out of town. We took the long way to the trailhead through the Snoqualmie River valley to our old house at Lake Marcel. We parked the car and walked around the lake, that I had walked around so many times while pregnant with the boys and after they were born, showing them where they used to play and what they had said as toddlers in each spot. It was so fun to be there again and to relive memories of when the boys were so tiny and contrast it with how big they are now. As we drove through the beautiful river valley with gorgeous views of the Casacade Mountains, Aaron kept saying, "Wow! It's so beautiful. Why did we ever move?" Finally arriving in the afternoon, we hiked up Little Si where Aaron soaked in the big sunshiny views.

The next couple of days were a whirlwind of activity cleaning and buttoning down the boat before heading home.

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NW March Sailing is Cold

After a night in Gig Harbor, we took a short sail over to Tacoma where we met up with my brother and his family. We stayed at Point Defiance marina because we wanted to explore the giant wooded park it is named after. Our slip was the narrowest slip we have squeezed into so far and also, for lack of a better word, the crappiest. We were sandwiched between rickety docks lined with aluminum shacks that looked as if they may come down in a good blow, with a view of a black slag-heap that is used as a breakwater. We met my brother and family at the park and went for a sweet little almost-two-year-old-paced walk. I had forgotten that when you walk with little ones how everything must be explored and how no puddle is left un-splashed. We then piled into their cars and they took us into town where we ate dinner at one of their favorite Asian restaurants. It was so fun to catch up and see how Nate's little ones have grown. We spent the next day hiking, under mostly sunny skies, through the park. Aaron was on high alert for bird sightings and listenings, and Isaac marveled at how much he loves hiking through Pacific Northwest forests. The Seattle heritage runs strong in his veins. Late in the afternoon we caught a bus into Tacoma where we checked out a bookstore for Isaac, a toy store for Aaron, and a grocery store for me. Unfortunately, our plans with my brother didn't work as they had a sick kid at home. After dinner we stepped off the bus near our marina all in unison said, "whoa!" and stopped dead in our tracks when we looked up and saw Mount Rainier hulking over our crappy marina. Back on the boat, the view we had from our cockpit through the floating shacks surrounding us, was by far the best we've had of that monstrous mountain.

The next morning we set out through the Tacoma Narrows and under its two suspension bridges bound for Penrose State Park. In the afternoon we hiked in the rain through the park and the boys logged some beach time. We then settled in for the night and all of the next day as a gale set in, the temperature dropped to 35 degrees, with snow and 30 knot winds. Luckily our anchorage was well protected and not too rolly. The next day we hunkered down to the serious business of playing board games. I made cookies and soup and continued reading the Hobbit to the boys. Jason worked on our heater that, of course, decided to act up during the coldest days of sailing we have yet experienced. Happily, he was successful and we slept in warm, cozy beds without shivering through the night. The next day the south winds had calmed to 15-20 knots so we headed north, back to Blake Island in crisp, sunny weather with the occasional hail storm. We enjoyed a nice sail running downwind thirty miles with just our jib. For the majority of the time we managed to stay in a patch of blue sky between two lines of dark, forbidding clouds. When we finally collide with the storm ahead of us, the sky blackened and wind suddenly changed from south to north, forcing us to beat into the wind for the last couple of miles. Strangely the air temperature warmed considerably after one storm and then became very cold after the next one blew through.

Once we reached Blake Island, we decided to stay at the dock just in case our heater decided not to work again.  At least we would have electricity so we could run our small plug-in heater. Near the dock is a big park with campfire shelters strewn throughout. After dinner, Jason had a difficult time coaxing the boys (and me) out of the warm boat into the frigid air where we huddled by an itty-bitty fire and looked across the sound at the brilliantly lit Seattle skyline with mugs of hot cocoa steaming in our hands. The next morning Pika and I stepped out onto icy docks as we headed to land for her morning duties. Brrrr. We spent the morning on an unexpectedly lovely hike around the perimeter of the island where we saw a Golden Eagle and experienced both sunshine  and a frozen, icy rain. Sailing in March is definitely not the warmest thing we have done and my fingers and toes have the chilblains to prove it, but the afternoon brought sunny skies and a nice passage to our next destination.

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