Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument

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06/18 – 06/20 We traveled north up to Dinosaur National Monument. We stopped at the Visitors Center outside of Dinosaur, CO but we were told the actual excavation site was on the Utah side of the Monument so after a bite of lunch we went around to the Utah side and were able to secure a couple of nights at the Campground there right along the Green river. Bob has been our taxi as well as our comic relief on this trip and ferried us around to the numerous petroglyph and historical homesteading sites throughout the park. This is the only place with lizard Petroglyphs. We had to hike a little ways up to the cliff face but the artwork was outstanding. We were then gifted with a beautiful sunset at our campsite and enjoyed a great hike along the river in the mornings. The amount of Dinosaur bones still on display at the excavation site is a wonder. We were also able to see how much of the mountain had actually been removed. Many of the full skeletons seen at museums came from this site. Way Cool!

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument

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06/17 – Spent the night at the Colorado National Monument Campground outside of Fruita, CO. I never knew this place existed. The rock formations and the rim rock road that runs along the top of the cliffs was not to be missed. The weather was very rainy off and on but made for a beautiful drive. The red rock sandstone cliffs were amazing and we pulled out to take a few photos before we finally made it to the visitors center. Bob started me on my Passport to our National Parks and so I got my first stamp and sticker to commemorate the occasion. As it was already getting late in the afternoon we asked if there was availability at the nearby campground and there was. The camping fairies were with us yet again. We settled in and enjoyed a relaxing evening.

A New Journey Begins

A New Journey Begins

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06/15 -06/17  North to Alaska. Well our Journey to check AK off  the bucket list began on June 14th.  We left our driveway the afternoon  and drove a whopping 4 miles down to happy valley to meet up with our friend and fellow AK traveler, Bob Bishop and to say our farewells to the Happy Valley, happy hour crowd of friends.   We headed out early on June 15 and set our first destination as Boggy Draw outside of Delores, CO.  A favorite bicycling and camping spot to get back into the rhythm of RV life.   We spent 2 nights there and although initially the weather did not seem too fair for bicycling, the rain stopped and we had a great day of riding.  Sierra, a Nova Scotia Duck Toller, and a recent and welcome addition to our trip enjoyed the run along with the bikes as well and kept up beautifully.   We have found our Water supply to be painfully small and so we are getting back into major conservation mode.   We have also found that with our small Fuel tank and the weight of our gear,  we will need to keep make frequent fuel stops as we head north.  Feels great to be back traveling again even if it is land cruising.   Looking forward to the many adventures ahead.

Off the radar!

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So what ever happened to M & C and Dancing Dolphin?

Well life happens as they say.  Don’t ask me who they are……  So much has happened in the 9 years since we set out on our adventures.   We lived aboard DD for 4 years after arriving in the VI and both took jobs there on the Island.  I worked as an MA for a great Dr. Mark Livingston and Mike continued working for Angel Electric.   In 2012 we began planning our next adventure aboard DD.     Many of our friends along with our employers really wanted us to stay in the VI and made it abundantly clear that we would be sorely missed.   We sat on the Deck of DD with a cocktail and as so often happens we began a rousing round of dreaming and scheming.  We asked ourselves what would keep us in the USVI?   Mike’s answer:  # 1 – Well maybe if someone asked us to watch a really nice villa.   My response:  That would be nice but #2 it would have to be on the water.  Mike:  and #3 preferably on a bay where we can moor Dancing Dolphin.  Me: and #4 it would need to have a separate bungalow or apt so we wouldn’t have to move if owners or guest came in……and finally #5 It would need to be a paid position so we can continue to replenish the cruising kitty with freedom chips.     Be careful what you wish for…….within 3 weeks of stating out loud that intention,  I was waiting at the Ferry terminal on St. Thomas.     I happened to meet and strike up a conversation with a local Attorney.    He learned about Mike’s skills as an electrician and my background in the Medical field.   We chatted about our life aboard DD and a few days later he contacted Mike and asked for a number to contact me directly.  I must admit it was a bit unnerving  to get a call out of the blue from someone who I had not given my information to.   He asked me if  Mike and I had ever had any Caretaking experience.   “Well yes as a matter of fact we have.”    He explained that he was the Attorney who represented the owners of Great St. James Island and that they were looking for a couple who might be interested in managing the Villa there.   The job entailed managing the 167 acre Island,  a 5 bedroom Villa,  including pool, tennis court, Caretakers bungalow,  Solar System,  Reverse osmosis water system, 2 power boats, 2 private docks,  and a parking area on St. Thomas.     It was an amazing offer and it was being  handed to us if we were interested.   I asked the Attorney to give us a few days to think about it and he stated he would return in 10 days from Denmark where the owners lived.   If we were interested we would supply him with a resume and proceed with a phone interview with the owners.   I hung up the phone and marveled at the way the universe likes to play with us.   If you want to make god laugh tell him your plans.   Needless to say it was an offer we couldn’t refuse.  It met and exceeded all of our wishes.   We became the caretakers of Great St. James Island and spent another 3 years in the USVI to the delight of our friends and my boss Mark Livingston as part of the negotiations for taking the job on the Island would be that I would continue to work on St. Thomas as an MA while Mike took on most of the Caretaking responsibilities on GSJ Island.     We sailed DD over to her new home in Bare Ass Bay on the Island of Great St. James and settled into a routine of Caretaking and commuting to work via powerboat now.   The owner and his family were wonderful and we really enjoyed working for them.    We sold our beloved Catamaran Dancing Dolphin in 2015 as with our responsibilities on GSJ we just did not have enough time to spend on her and hoped she would carry a new owner on more adventures and create more wonderful memories for someone new.   We spent 3 years Managing GSJ Island, entertaining guests, owners, and visiting family.  While living and working on GSJ we acquired another member of our family,  our dog, Dede.  Another story for another post.   It was a dream job and we loved our life there but as all good things do, it came to an end in 2016 when the Island sold and the new owners had bigger plans for it than a personal private Island getaway.      When we found ourselves with the impending change of lifestyle we decided we would head back to Pagosa Springs Colorado to regroup and spend time with family.    Mike has continued working as an electrician but is tapering down his workload after training both his stepson Sage and nephew Joe as electricians and separating his shoulder Mountain Biking.   I have gone back to work for the Upper San Juan Health District as an MA for Dr. Brown who I worked with back in the early 2000’s.  We continue to Dream and Scheme and have a few new adventures in the planning stages.   I thought I would bring our many cruising friends and family up to speed with our current doings and will be posting some of our pictures and memories from our years on GSJ and our travels back to Pagosa Springs.   It might not be as exciting as some of our previous sailing adventures but I hope you enjoy catching up.   Love to you all.

 

 

 

Cindy & Kerry’s Visit

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Crystal’s sister Cynthia and her wonderful boyfriend Kerry joined us at the end of February.    With their adventurous and outgoing personalities they explored the beautiful beaches of St. John & soon knew their way around the hotspots of Love City.  They  were on a first name basis with many of the locals within a few days.   Mike and I were able to get a couple of extra days off on a weekend so we all sailed over to the BVI’s, Jost Van Dyke to experience the local flavor of the infamous Foxy’s & the Soggy Dollar Bar.   We soaked up a little too much flavor that day and Cindy’s camara took the brunt of it when it, along with Cindy went for an unexpected salt water swim.     Back on St. John while Mike and I worked, Cindy and Kerry decided they would hitchhike out to Coral Bay and hike out to the battery where a cluster of old Dane cannon are lying on the ground amidst the stone walled ruins.   They were picked up by a wonderful long time local, Georgia Wells.   When she heard they were planning on hiking out to the battery,  she took them on a personal tour of the battery and the ruins of the soldiers quarters as well.    Mike and I planned on meeting them at Skinny Legs after work.  When we arrived we found Cindy , Kerry, Georgia and a number of our other friends all gathered around a large picnic table, enjoying a few drinks and swapping stories.    It was a wonderful visit.   Kerry was rarely seen without a huge smile.

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Family Visit #1

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Funny, as soon as we went back to work…..family began to visit.    It has been a real treat to see familiar faces from home again, even though our time with you is limited.   One of the hardest things about cruising is being so far away from you all.   Our first visitors arrived in January.  Michael’s stepdad Vince and Mike’s Aunt and Uncle,  Barb and Glen Berndt.    Mike’s Mom Lori was also expected but as life so often does, it took an unexpected turn when Mike’s sister Kathy was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Lori flew out to Colorado to be with Kathy while she underwent surgery.    Vince, Barb, and Glen, did their best to explore the island and carry the stories of our fun time together, back to share with her.

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Our lowly state…

Our lowly state…

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Months have passed and no word from s/v Dancing Dolphin, one can only think the worst.    Has she met with foul play?  Perhaps blown off course by a gale, sent to Davey Jones Locker by the mighty Neptune or   dashed against the rocks marooning Mike and Crystal on some deserted Island?    Sorry to tell you No, although it would make for a much better story.    The reality of our situation is actually much, much worse.  We have chosen to plug back into society for a while and are currently living and working in the US Virgin Islands.   Here is a brief recap of how we ended up in this lowly state, although I don’t think I am going to solicit much pity form those of you experiencing freezing temperatures.    We have spent the last few months caring for the home and cats of our dear friends Chris and Elsa Angel who have been in the states dealing with health issues.   Chris offered Mike a job working as an electrician in addition to the house sitting position.   I stumbled into my job while we were riding the ferry to St. Thomas to look for a vehicle (a story unto itself).  Our friend James Clayton M.D. just happened to be looking for a medical assistant for one of his Doctors.   Right place, right time.  I did an impromptu interview and was hired and working 3 days later.   God works in mysterious ways.  We have spent a couple of months plugging back into society.  We have opened a checking account at a local bank picked up a P.O. Box for mail, and are considering getting a local discount card for the market here.   What a strange feeling to have to jump so many hoops and to learn a whole new set of rules to fit back into society after living free spirited and independent for so long.   “You’ll need two forms of picture ID for most transactions.”  You CAN drink and drive, but make sure you have your seatbelt on, and don’t even think of answering you cell phone while driving! (Oh yea, we have one of those now too!)  I miss my life aboard DD where the most difficult decision was whether to read 1st then snorkel  or vice versa.    I don’t mind though.  The people that I work with are some of the coolest and most professional people I have encountered.  Mike seems to be enjoying working again too.  Chris’s foreman is competent and kind and runs the business much like Mike ran BearWire.

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Arrival on St. John

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Mike and I made our way to Great Cruz Bay on St. John and picked up a mooring near our friends Ken and Katy on s/v Diana.   We will spend the winter here taking care of our friends Chris and Elsa Angels’ house and their cats until they return from the States in early April.   We have spent the last couple of weeks getting reacquainted with life on the rock or as s/v Daniel Storey likes to call us…..CLOD’s  Cruisers Living On Dirt.    Mike has reconnected with a number of old friends and we have made quite a few new ones thanks to introductions by Ken and hitchhiking from the house down to town while we looked for a vehicle.    Michael is working again for Angel Electric and I am working as a Medical Assistant in a Family Practice.   I came by the position by chance as we were riding the ferry to St. Thomas.   We ran into an old friend Dr. James Clayton who owns and operates 3 family practice clinics, 2 on St. Thomas and one on St. John.  He asked if I was looking for work.   I did an on the spot impromptu interview with his office manager in the Red Hook Clinic and was working within a couple of days.     I will be working mostly in the Red Hook but will rotate occasionally into the other 2 clinics and work primarily under Dr. Mark Livingston.   We purchased a Car on St. Thomas that ran for all of 2 days before it decided to begin acting up.   We had to negotiate with the Car Dealer to get a different car.   We are did our best to get into the Christmas spirit.  We attended a great Christmas performance by the St. John Singers in the old Moravian Church.  There are a number of houses sporting Christmas Lights and decorations.  But truthfully, it just seems wrong to see a plastic snowman under a palm tree.   I put up our little table top Christmas tree that I had on the boat last year here at the house.    We have 3 days off together and so perhaps we will hop aboard DD and go for Christmas cruise.    S/V Daniellstorey, s/v Sanctuary, and s/v Diana and all here in the neighborhood and so we will try to plan to spend some time with them over the holidays.   Many of our friends and family are happy that we are settled down in one place for a bit and we have plans for visits from a number of them already.   We are looking forward to seeing them all.  It has been nearly a year since our last visit with anyone from home.   I am missing our traveling adventurous life on the boat but working again is opening up other opportunities.   It also makes me appreciate that much more my time off and the subtle pleasures this Island life offers.

 

Sailing with Santa

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We left early in the morning and made our way over to St. Maarten to avoid some strong winds and weather that was predicted to be heading our way.    The timing of our arrival couldn’t have been better,  we sailed into Simpson Bay and right through the open bridge into the Lagoon.   While the winds gusted up to 25mph inside the lagoon, Mike and I spent the better part of the next few days doing maintenance on DD and wandering around the local Simpson Bay area.  We found a really cool Ice Cream parlor with a Carousel.   We also spent some time with some new friends.   Ever wonder what Santa does to relax prior to the hectic holiday season……well,  He, Mrs. Claus and their favorite Elf sail off to the Islands,  incognito, of course aboard their sailboat Tanana ll.    We spent time with our new friends Charlie and Robin Boulding and their daughter Tory who truely are from way up north,  Alaska to be precise.  Charlie and Robin bred and raced Sled Dogs in Alaska for many years including the famous Iditarod.    They live in a cabin and have a fishing camp in the woods along the Tan-a-na River that can only be reached by boat, or sled.  We enjoyed hearing about the life they lead in the wilds of Alaska and the interesting details of their remote way of life as well as Sled dog breeding and racing.     We all watched the weather reports for an opportunity to make our way over to the Virgin Islands.  We finally saw a small window where the winds were supposed to be favorable but the seas were expected to still be a little big.    We left  at 6:00am to cross the Oh my Godda (Anagada) passage to the VI on Thanksgiving Day along with our friends Charlie, Robin, and Tory.   It was the first time they had buddy boated and Tory was excited to see DD sailing along beside them.   The seas that were predicted to be upwards of 8-10 ft fortunately had dropped to around 6 – 8 ft.   The winds were out of the ENE and gave us a nice push along with the current.  We were lucky to be visited by a pod of small dolphins who were having a great time surfing the waves and the bows of DD.   It was a great Thanksgiving day treat.    We arrived in the North Sound on Virgin Gorda at Sunset.  We anchored  and caught a ride with Charlie, Robin and Tory over to have a really bad Thanksgiving dinner at the Rock Cafe but the company was great and it was a fun evening together.

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St. Barts

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We pulled anchor at 5:00am, had a good sail and pulled into St. Barts at Sunset and decided we would overnight here and leave 1st thing in the morning for St. Maarten.    St. Barts is known as the playground of the Rich.        There were a number of Mega Yachts at anchor including the Maltese Falcon.      We took a short walk around the waterfront shopping area and I found a great handbag for only $10,000 and remarked how unique it was, casually reminding him that Christmas was coming.    When Michael didn’t take the hint I commented that there wasn’t much love in the air…..he replied he could buy a whole lot of love with $10,000 dollars.   After a good laugh and a playful slap we walked arm in arm back to Mighty Mouse rich in laughter, love, and life!