Marty's Travels

My new blog is up and running

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Sat, 29 May 2010 08:49:18 -0700

The new pages are at www.martincassidy.com/wordpress.

If you reach my blog via bookmarks or RSS feeds, those will have to be added as "new". I suggest you visit the new page before making the change.

Working on a new blog

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:35:43 -0700

For a variety of reasons I'm changing the software that I use to post these blog entries. I've been at it for several days now, tweaking things to suit my fancy. I should have it ready to go in a day or two or three.

For those that subscribe via RSS, you'll have to subscribe to the new URL when it's ready. Those that use bookmarks will need to add a new bookmark. My last post here will have instructions on how to switch.

I finished making my reservations for Ireland this summer, now all I have to firm up is where I leave my house when I'm gone. Meanwhile I'll be watching the Euro as the lower it goes the more money I'll have in my pocket.

I'm enjoying visits with my granddaughter Mazie, and looking forward to more in the next few weeks before I leave again.

Making Reservations

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:47:38 -0700

It was a partly-cloudy/partly-sunny/showers kind of day, a good day to spend in front of the computer making reservations for my trip to Ireland. The tough part is picking what I want to see and where I want go; there's a lot of things to see there.

The organized tours of Ireland are very good, and a good way to go for those that haven't seen the island. They miss as much as I do, but I don't have a problem driving on the left, getting lost on unmarked roads, and staying in a room only a foot larger than the bed. Heck, I've been doing that for three years in the US now. But after four trips, I'm familiar with the ways and customs in Ireland. Not so much in the US.

My flurry of activity on my VISA card prompted the expected call from Security. I know that Security is watching out for me (or is it them?), but I wonder who they are and what they know about me. I need to notify my credit union what I'm doing so Security doesn't freak out when I'm there. I think.

I found trans-atlantic airfares to be about what I expected for the season, and car rental not out of line. [Can one actually use a 1.0 litre car? I hope so, but it sounds like I'm renting a lawn mower]. Room rates are surprisingly low. Generally speaking, I think the rates are fair.

My next project is where to park my house when I'm gone....

Kicking Back in Chimacum

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Sun, 16 May 2010 17:46:37 -0700

My daughter Kate and husband Matt came up from Vashon Island for dinner and a night on my seriously questionable sofa-bed. Chuck Geno pulled in as well, completing his stint as an emergency campground host. With help from my favorite produce sellers, World Peace Produce, just a mile up the road, we threw together a pretty good meal.

My friends and family are planning a gathering in Ireland this summer, and I really want to go. I miss seeing them a lot, and it's a top priority for me to get there. I have to nail down my flights and hotel this week. I love Ireland and it's a real gut-wrenching task to choose what I want to do, given limited budget and time.

But worse is the angst caused by the Iceland volcano which tends to shut down Ireland airports. I'm going to put down some serious money for this trip, gambling that a volcanic eruption won't occur on July 22. I really want a hedge on this one, and I'll be looking at the English and Irish betting houses to cover my risk. They'll bet on anything over there, and I'm sure I can find a line somewhere. If I can get there, I can handle the stranding problem should it arise.

Oil Spill, staying informed

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:56:26 -0700

BP says there is no way to estimate the amount of oil coming out of the well, in statements to us.

BP says the well had the potential of 50,000 barrels a day, in statements to their investors. Isn't that 2.75 million gallons a day? Remember the 5,000 barrels a day estimate?

Independent analysis says the spill is now about three Valdez's, a new unit of measure I'm not quite able to grasp.

The first thing to do is to understand the problem....

Uncle Lou

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:27:43 -0700

My Uncle Lou Connelly passed away today. He was my mom's youngest sibling. I didn't meet Lou until 1996, when he called me up and gave me the most crucial information on finding my Cincinnati family.

Thank you, Lou. I'll never forget.

Tourist Day

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:37:55 -0700

I called up Chuck and said we were going into town to do some tourist things since it was his day off. We got on the ferry and his cousin Mary called and invited us out to lunch. She's a super lady, and since we talked about the Space Needle, it was on her expense account. I'm hoping to meet up with her again because we had a good time.

I gave Chuck a quickie tour of the Market, which I think he enjoyed. We were pressed for time to get back, which is always a bad position to be in when you live on the Peninsula. Just as we got to the Hood Canal Bridge the state patrol blocked traffic and I thought "Oh no, a Trident submarine". They wouldn't open the bridge at 5 o'clock would they? Yep, they would. It isn't that it takes a long time for a submarine to go through the bridge, it's the half-dozen other vessels that have to accompany it that takes the time.

Ferries and Bridges are a way of life here. When people ask me how long it takes to get to Seattle, my answer is two to six hours. Seems long for such a short distance, but things happen along the way. It's worth it, though, and it doesn't take much to adapt.

Getting settled in

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:44:44 -0700

I had the chance a couple of times to go over to Seattle and visit with family and friends and get caught up with what's going on. My granddaughter, Mazie, is wonderful and quite fun to see.

Next order of business is to get re-acquainted with the towns and roads in the area.

Then, it's the annual clean-out of stuff I haven't used and won't need for the upcoming year. The goal is to free up some storage space for, of course, putting in new stuff as I travel around.

Chimacum Escapee Park

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:27:22 -0700

I pulled into the Escapee park today and paid for a month's stay, though I'm sure I'll be here longer. It's real quiet at the park right now.

Parking under trees just doesn't work with solar panels; I was going deeper and deeper into a hole with my batteries, using more power than what went back in everyday.

Chuck and Nancy went to the airport to send her off back to Michigan, and Chuck will be taking the motorhome back a little later. She was very happy to be going to see her family. Chuck's going to hang out at Seal Rock until about the 15th, then work his way cross-country hosting if he can. He's got the perfect disposition for this: extremely outgoing, very wise in human interaction, and perfectly capable of coming down hard if necessary.

Except for the tree thing, Seal Rock is a beautiful place. Despite having lived on Puget Sound for most of my life I wasn't aware there was a shrimp fishery here. It ran from 0700-1500 on Saturday, and the same hours today. There's another "season" in July, I think. The shrimpers were out there this morning.

It was an oyster "take" this last weekend, and I was astounded how the shore was picked clean by the time I got there. Both the shrimp and oyster harvests are recreational only with very limited takes allowed.

It's good to be back in the PNW....

Brinnon, Washington

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Sun, 02 May 2010 19:10:20 -0700

My friends the Genos got a campground host "job" at Seal Rock, on Dabob Bay, which attaches to Hood Canal, which is attached to Admiralty Inlet on the Pacific Ocean. I'm parked next to the rocky/oyster-strewn beach under a dense thicket of cedar, spruce, madrone, maple, and doug-fir in the Olympic National Forest. I am in yet another beautiful spot next to the water.

The tree canopy runs right up to the shore so I can't avoid the impact this has on my solar-powered life, and the impact is considerable. It's 40 miles in any direction to a decent grocery; my guess is that one cannot get any more isolated in the Puget Sound area.

It's to be seen whether I can get enough sun to satisfy me, but I am low on water and will have to hitch up and leave when I run out. I'm hoping I can hang for several days.

US 101 and the Coast

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Sat, 01 May 2010 17:13:20 -0700

If this isn't the most spectacular drive in the lower 48, I'd love to hear what beats it. It's the variety of scenery that sets it apart: the vineyards, the redwoods, the beaches, the rocks, the mountains, and the towns along the way. I've been moving far too quickly to do it justice, and I had a lot of rainy weather that took away some great opportunities for sightseeing. Still, it was excellent.

There is no end of RV parking places along the way of any type which one would desire. But, during the peak season, there is no end of RVs to fill those spaces. While I enjoyed fairly light traffic, that would be a much different situation in season. The highway from Eureka north is for the most part good, usually two-lane but a lot of 3 and 4 lane sections. Sometimes it gets slow as the road winds between trees or around a headland, but logging trucks use it regularly. I'm going to jump off 101 tomorrow and head over to Puget Sound, but continuing up the Washington coast and around the peninsula is just as spectacular.

I recommend this trip to my traveling friends if they haven't seen it yet. May or September can work, April or October if you can live with the rain. Allow a month.

Tomorrow I'll head for Quilcene for a visit with my friends hosting a forest service campground. I'll be "home" then, at least within striking distance of Seattle whenever I want to go over there.

Cape Disappointment State Park

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:14:28 -0700

I moved across the bar to the Washington side and it's state park and lighthouses. Nice place, right on the shore, but cell service is very weak. I'll move up to Puget Sound on Sunday.

Birds

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:24:00 -0700

I'm doing my annual northward migration to the Puget Sound, after spending the winter in warmer climes. I'm tracking the birds which do the same thing. I'm on the coast, so am on the Pacific Flyway. Birds going north follow the coastline all the way from the equator to the arctic circle to breed.

Another great flyway is from Mexico east of the Rockies to the tundra in Canada. It's a great place to watch the migration this time of year.

Another important flyway is a bit more challenging. Birds that have wintered in the Amazon forest work their way to the Yucatan, cross the Gulf and head north into Canada. For those in the Great Lakes region, these are your spring birds, the warblers and other great singers that you associate with spring.

For those that launch from the Yucatan, the fly over the Gulf to the next landfall is somewhere around Biloxi, MS. Migrating warblers don't just fly in and make a gradual landing on the coast here, they crash in completely out of energy. We've wisely set aside refuges for these migrants, a restaurant so they can fuel up for the next leg.

But what if we cover the coast with oil? The birds come in on empty and hit a hostile environment. Goodbye birds.

It is critical migration season. The birds require a good restaurant when they crash. The oil spill is threatening the restaurant.

Fort Stevens

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:53:43 -0700

Others have commented on this large state park, and I concur that it is a dandy. It is a part of a national/state system like Redwoods, called The Lewis and Clark National & State Historical Parks, and includes state parks in both Oregon and Washington straddling the mouth of the Columbia. The camping area is large and very roomy, and there are many things to see in the park as well as nearby. Astoria is spiffed up for tourism, and the visitor center at Fort Clatsop is a treasure trove of L&C stuff and ideas for seeing things.

I've seen all the rivers that drain the coast ranges of California and Oregon from the Sacramento north, but none are as dramatic as the Columbia. Big rivers in the lower 48 generally go to sea in a peaceful, relaxed manner through an estuary which is a nicely balanced environment between fresh and sea water, a partnership that benefits both, and provides unknowable benefits to fish, fowl, and animal. [Provided humans haven't screwed it up]

The Columbia and the sea meet in anger, both fighting off the other as they battle at the "bar". The battleground itself is hostile to most other bystanders, but to fish and men in particular, crossing the bar is essential to life in four states and one province.

This is the place to see this unique natural phenomena. Highly recommended.

Oil Rig in the Gulf

nospam@example.com (Marty Cassidy) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:56:02 -0700

A good citizen is an informed citizen, so I try to stay informed.

USA Today reported on April 1:

Improved technology and greater safety standards have made offshore drilling less of an environmental threat, said Erik Milito of the American Petroleum Institute, which represents oil companies.

Milito said there hasn't been a "significant environmental incident" from offshore drilling in more than 40 years.

ABC reported on April 23:

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry told reporters the decision to halt the search was very difficult.

Earlier today, Landry told ABC News there is no crude oil spilling from the oil rig that sank after the massive explosion and fire, easing fears of a massive environmental disaster.

"We've been able to determine there is nothing emanating from the well head," Landry said.

FOX, April 26:

A fleet of boats and nearly a thousand crew members are working around the clock, trying to contain and stop an oil spill that has the potential to become a very serious problem for 4 states and hundreds of miles of coastline.