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October 2005
17th-Getting there
(Eric) Monday – Oct. 17 , 3:oo am, full moon, partial lunar eclipse at 04:00 (cloudy to us) After staying up drumming all night at another fun and busy Barter Faire, we start driving to Colorado at 03:30. The drive is long, and after a short while we find that we have a small oil leak, dripping oil and blowing it all over the manifold, where it burns off creating a smoking engine. Rather disconcerting, but not too serious. Add a quart and a half of 10w30 over the day. Matia, Katie and I trade the driving and sleeping and push on through. After going through Washington, Idaho, Montana, Montana, I can’t believe we are still in Montana, and Wyoming, we finally arrive in Fort Collins at 01:30, staying with Katie’s friend Beth. 22 hours of driving, we have gone some 12:00 miles. At this rate, we will travel as much in the next three days as we will in the next 6 months on the boat.
18th-Kansas City
Tuesday, sunny and warm, Finally Locate a Master Lube affiliate to look at the car (leak on the front seal of the engine, possibly,) danger that it could blow at any time. Mechanic was really nice (Rocky Mountain Quick Lube, Fort Collins), not charging and giving two quarts of oil. We decide to push on, and drop Matia off in Boulder, Sad to say good-bye, but maybe she will joins us later. By the time we are really on the road, it is already 13:00, and then we lose an hour to time zone change. Drive into the night to get across Kansas, finally reaching Katie’s parents house in Kansas City at 01:30, again. Yeah! We made it 1909 miles from the Barter Faire.
19th- Still on the road
Hi everyone, Katie here. We have had two days of a much needed rest at my parent’s house in K.C. Good family, Good food, Good friends, Good smiles, and Good rest. After many hours of fiddling (and excellent help from my brother, Stephen, and David), we now have a very functional computer, which we know how to use.
It has been nice to be home, but it has been very busy. Eric and I were down at the lake (Lake Quivira, where my parents live), and we saw a most beautiful sight. A bald eagle flew about 12 ft over our heads! Then Eric turned around and found some oyster mushrooms on the tree, and boy they were they tasty! Nature is sure sharing her bounty with us. The other good news is that the wonderful people at Sailors Auto (a rather serendipitous name) fixed up my Subaru and we are good to go. So we will rise early in the morning (3am) and get on the road. Tennessee here we come. I am very much looking forward to meeting Eric’s family, as well as the boat I will be spending the next 6 months on!
21st-We made it!
Well we have made it to Tennessee and we actually arrived before dark! Eric’s father, Leaf, and his brother, Hawk, were there to greet us with a very warm welcome. I had no idea that Tennessee was so beautiful! From the moment we got into this state from Kentucky there has been nothing but rolling hills coved with trees. That’s not including Nashville, although that place has some mighty character! We did stop for a stroll around “The District,” and the irresistible music of Johnny Cash was playing (being covered by a real country band), which drew us into Tootsie’s for a refreshment. After a confusing time of making our way back out of Nashville, we got back on the road to do the home stretch. And, so here we are on this sacred land in Tennessee. It will be nice to settle in here and be done with driving for a good while. I am very excited to meet the boat tomorrow, the place that will be my home for 6 months.
22nd-Meeting the boat
An overcast morning sky gave way to a sunny afternoon. Great weather for working on the boat. Yes, I met the boat yesterday! The first thing that struck me was how small it was. Yes, I got a brief reality check! However, the more time I spend with the boat, cleaning it and doing a bit of sanding, the more I start to fall in love with it. It was made with such care and wonderful craftsmanship. It wasn’t just the boat I fell in love with, it was the quiet of the Tennessee River and the calmness I feltbeing on the water. And so the countdown begins, we have roughly 3 and a half weeks until we depart these shores. A lot to be done, and a lot for me to learn about sailing!
26th-Preparing the boat
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Changing times: From sustainable River Keeper to Sustainability Project |
Wednesday. Sunny and cool. Morning frost followed by 60 degree day. After scheduling and preparing, we are ready to take down the mast. It has been standing for 15 years, and it is time for some care and maintenance. It is in need of a paint job, and hopefully not much more. The family comes down to the boat to help, and everybody is needed. We rig up a block and tackle system from the mizzen mast, and after a few head scratchings and foiled ideas we are ready to lower it down. We slowly lower it down to the deck, and it goes as planned! Alas, in taking out the last pin from the forestay, sploosh!, it goes over board. Luckily the water is not too deep, and after a couple of attempts I find it (whew!) Katie paints part of the cockpit (still a few coats to go) and I work on stripping down the mast so it is ready to be sanded and painted. Overall, progress is moving along, and we are getting closer to our departure.