Norfolk, VA
To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.
Question that came in through a professional connection on Linked In.
"As I start looking at an early retirement, I am seeking advice on any sites you may recommend where I might educate myself. I am leaning more towards a power cruiser style rather than sail, but still welcome any …
We've done this a few times before. Tape out a box on the floor. Move stuff into the box we want to keep. Everything else goes to charity.
Almost ten years ago, we taped out a box the size of a U-Haul trailer to move to Norfolk. Last year, we …
It's been a great year in Nevada. And.
It's drawing to a close.
We're about four weeks from casting off the dock lines here, and making the long voyage back to the Chesapeake Bay.
Stand by. Keep your weather eye open for a double headsail ketch, trimmed in red. Not …
Also Know As "Dispersed Primitive Camping".
See https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/recreation-activities/nevada for details.
This is essential anchoring out. Except with a truck. In the desert.
What's essential here is there are no services available. The BLM interactive web site maps are hard to use.
Not on the boat. Not near the boat. But. Thinking boaty thoughts.
Boulder City, NV, is the home of the Hoover Dam. There are lots of things related to trains and heavy construction. Including an ancient poster for a 65-horse-power diesel engine that consumed "0.44 pounds of fuel per …
Yes, you read the title correctly. Arrived.
While we got to Las Vegas on May 28th, we haven't been able to move into an apartment until today, June 20th.
That's three weeks split between a tiny Air B&B, my daughter's house, and a hotel.
Living …
Not really. We covered about 3100 miles in about 7 days. Distance is about 440 miles per day. Our top speed was about 75 MPH; the 80 MPH speed limit seemed a bit much for a heavily-laden Corolla. This meant we drove six to seven hours a day.
Previous vacation …
Bam! Done!
Today's drive through Utah's central basin was perhaps more breathtaking as any of the last three days.
The northern part of Utah (and western Montana) had snow-capped mountains and pine trees and the kinds of things I grew up with in the Adirondacks of New York.
As we …
Winding down the mountains and through the pine trees of Yellowstone was an amazing end to yesterday and start to today.
Emerging from the Targhee pass into Idaho, the land transforms back to the plains. It looks a lot like Montana looked. Big farms. Cows. More Farms.
Yesterday, I thought the Badlands were amazing. I'm not changing my position, but when you emerge on the west side of Billings and see the actual mountains, it transcends the mere amazement at the badlands.
It was almost "pull over to the side of the road …
Sh*t just got real.
For me, the center of this journey for me was crossing the Missouri in Bismarck, ND. That seems to be the entrance to the west.
The drive from Jamestown to Bismarck is — well — a lot of telephone poles. The exits have numbers and …
Yes, we crossed Minnesota in a day.
The shift in terrain is dramatic. To me, anyway.
Eastern Wisconsin is rolling, with a lot of low, but steep hills. More relief than the northern part of Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio. Nothing like actual mountains of Western Pennsylvania. Enough ups and downs …
Skipped through a little bit of Illinois. This was a cool parallel with D-Day: start in a huge city and work your way further and further out of town. In this case, It was Chicago to Milwaukee to Madison and then off toward St. Paul and eventually Minneapolis.
After the hustle and bustle of getting out of DC, today was a fun drive. It was fun until we needed to find a hotel. Hammond, IN, is in the greater Chicagoland, so, suddenly all roads are jammed with vehicles.
Dropping the hook at 4-ish makes it possible to find …
There's a complex last-minute dance to get everything done in an order than makes sense. It's as complex as departing a dock in Red Ranger.
Pack the car. This is the high-risk activity. If something won't fit, we'll make last-minute runs to UPS.
Take out the trash. Some things simply …
That wasn't half bad. Red Ranger is in good shape. Surveyor had been all over her. We just ran through her checking on — well — a few things. Battery water, stowage, bilge-pumps. Things look good.
Our old home and our ride to another temporary home …
We're ready.
Friday was D-3 (3 days before departure.) CA unloaded all the cabinets, emptied all the furniture, and stacked things around the apartment. The galley is closed. No more food in the apartment.
Saturday (today) is D-2. We have a U-Haul scheduled …
There are a few ways to get to Las Vegas. The complication is using one of the passes through the mountains. We've decided to follow a northern route. Something like the following
Day 1 I-270 N into Maryland I-70 W into Pennsylvania I-76 W — somewhere in Ohio we'll stop
Day …
We've enjoyed our sojourn in Virginia. Met many wonderful people. Worked on cool things at work. Lived in a luxury high-rise apartment. But.
All things grow, mature, and ultimately change.
In the background, you can see the roof of the shopping mall. It's a boring …
Land Cruise? Good question. Let's review.
A long, long time ago (2009, specifically) we bough Red Ranger. We fit her out for three years. Then we quit our day jobs and took off in the boat for two extended voyages. One to the Bahamas and back up to Annapolis, the …