Author: our38ftlife

Back on the Loop!!!

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Just over six months ago we put Escapade in a boat shed at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake Virginia, packed up a U-Haul trailer and moved back on Road House. We had a great 4 week, 2,800 mile road trip back across country to Palm Springs California, stopping to see friends and to check out some new places. We loved Tennessee – visiting friends in Dandridge, touring Knoxville, The Great Smokey Mountains and Nashville. From there we went on to see more friends in Festus Missouri, Oklahoma City OK, Ruidoso NM and Mesa AZ.

Who would have thought we’d be moving our stuff with a grocery cart???

Rolling back into the Outdoor Resort Palm Springs was just like going home and it was so fun to see all our friends there, catch up and reconnect.

After settling in, we flew to Portland Oregon in November and spent ten days catching up with friends. One of the highlights was fresh Dungeness crab for Thanksgiving dinner. Our long time boating friends Leslie and Jeff hosted us at their beach house in Rockaway. We have had some stellar adventures with these two over the years. It was as great to spend quality time with them and their dog Rocky. The crabbing in Tillamook Bay on Thanksgiving morning was cold but very productive. The ramp to the boat was icy so us girls just sat down and slid right on down. What an awesome day!!!

We also house hopped around Portland for a few days and despite it being cold and rainy, we loved being back and spending time with friends.

Pickleball, walking, hiking, numerous happy hours and dinners with friends filled our days in Palms Springs. We also had loads of visitors coming through town so our 5 months in the sun went really fast. It was a great reset for our spirits… we fell really defeated after our difficult summer… losing our boy Bentley was so hard on all of us including kitty Sucia.

I know she mourned him too. She slept on the floor in the spot his bed was on the boat, she looked for him and cried when she smelled his places on the coach. Honestly, she looked for him when we got on the boat again too.

Sucia had a bit of a rough winter. We found out in December that she was hyper-thyroid and long story short she was received I-131 Radioactive Iodine Treatment in February and so far, fingers crossed her thyroid levels are normal again. Hyper-thyroidism is not uncommon in older cats and at 13 years old, Sucia fell into the exact age group of kitties who have this issue. Poor girl, all the weight loss combined with trying oral medication left her literally, a bag of bones. She is slowly putting on weight again and seems to have some spunk again. The little brat hissed at me when I was brushing her yesterday – the nerve!!! She has been loving sitting in the sun on the cockpit of the boat.

Our trip back to Chesapeake Virginia was a bit less leisurely and a bit more stressful. Windy weather plagued us on a lot of the trip east and a mechanical issue on Road House delayed us in Tucumcari NM. Tucumcari is not exactly a place I’d normally want to spend five nights but in this case it was a blessing. Good karma perhaps but when the “stop engine now” warning light and alarm when off, we were not on remote Hwy 54 which we took across from Las Cruces to Santa Rosa NM. Instead we, were about 120 miles from Albuquerque Nm and 175 from Amarillo Texas on Interstate 40. Even at that, I was sure there was not going to be help so close.

Ironically, we were originally going to spend one night in Tucumcari but when the wind looked gale force for days, we rerouted to cut some miles off and get to Oklahoma City. Well, all good plans aside… Tucumcari was where we ended up. John’s Truck Service to be exact. This 40 year old family owned repair facility off I40 was not only certified to work on our Cummins engine but more than that, they seemed to take so much pride it getting us back on the road as quickly as possible. The owner Steve even took us to dinner with his wife Kim and brother Stanley one night. There are good people in Tucumcari!

The wind howled, but luckily we were tucked in on the east side of the shop, which blocked a lot of the wind. We had enough power to keep the refrigerator running and we used our generator for heat and hot water. Its wasn’t luxurious for sure, but we were glad to be able to stay in our home on wheels while we waited for the new turbo to be shipped.

Needless to say, we were so happy to be rolling again and so very thankful for Johns Truck Service. We left there smiling and with hugs all around to this wonderful family and their staff.

The biggest PIA was rescheduling all of our planned stops but we did make it to Guthrie Oklahoma and Festus Missouri to see friends.

I was doing a serious Happy Dance when we rolled the heck outta New Mexico!

So, it is a bit like groundhogs day and here we are back in Chesapeake Virginia, getting the boat ready to cruise. A few months ago, I was really not even sure I wanted to come back. Wally and I both felt a bit depressed still about Bentley, but also agreed that this was not the time to get another dog. We have never NOT had a dog since we’ve been married. WHAT?? … almost 32 years of always having a dog!!! Some times two dogs but always one over lapping the other. I know, I know, everyone says just get another dog already…

Our sweet boys, Bentley and Gus. Both came to us from the Oregon Humane Society.

Well, everyone except Sucia – LOL. She has let it be know though my friend and animal communicator, Lauren that she has parameters. No high energy puppies!! Aw, come on Sucia!!! While I know she misses Bentie, she seems perfectly happy to have us all to herself. So, for now it’s just us three musketeers doing the Loop!!!

The boat wintered well but as always there seems to be a long list of projects, cleaning, moving aboard and provisioning to do before we leave the dock here in Chesapeake. Our first cruise will be a short one as we are going to Norfolk on May 5 to attend the America’s Great Loop Cruiser Association Spring Rendezvous.

The AGLCA is an amazing organization who sole mission is to help dreamers become loopers. We have attended one of the events in Florida before we bought Escapade and really enjoyed all the educational seminars, the opportunity to get onboard other looper boats and the camaraderie of other dreamers. This year, I am really focused on attending all the route planning sessions. There is so much information on the AGLCA website but it nice to be at the seminars, be able to ask questions and talk with other people who have competed the loop… and lived to tell about it.

So until then, we are doing projects, checking tasks off our lists and double checking all of our calendar reminders. We won’t have a car once we start the loop so I have been getting stocked up on some of the heavy items that aren’t easy to carry around on our e-bikes. Sucia has plenty of food on board and we have enough wine to host a lot of happy hours! Priorities seem right, don’t ya think??

Great Loop Adventure – Day 165 – Chesapeake VA

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So glad we skedaddled over here on Thursday before Tropical Storm Ophelia unleashed her wrath on the east coast. By late afternoon yesterday is was wild and windy in this part of Virginia. We felt super safe here at Atlantic Yacht Basin as the facility is on the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal and behind the Great Bridge Lock. Escapade was storm tied on the fixed docks and we had no issues during the height of the storm.

I took the screen shot below on one of our weather apps last night. This was during the peak of the storm here. The green dot is where we are at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake. The white dot is where we were at Bluewater Yachting Center. The chart shows the sustained winds but not the gusts which were around 30 mph here… can’t imagine what they were over in Hampton where we are having all the work done on the boat. The blue dot is where I hope no one was last night!!!

Yesterday afternoon…. You can see that we weren’t getting any real wind waves in the canal but it was raining sideways all day.

It’s actually the A & C Canal, silly me!

Friday morning before the storm hit, we took an Uber back over to Hampton to get Ernie and have brunch with our friends Stacy and Eric at Mango Mangeaux in Phoebus. The restaurant is adorable inside and the food is excellent. Wally and both had the Chesapeake Benedict.

Two Poached Eggs, Two Fried Green Tomatoes, Lump Crab, and a Cajun hollandaise sauce. Topped on a buttery biscuit and served with a side of fruit and ‘Mango Mango’ fruit dip. The City of Hampton is known for its crab and Mango Mangeaux’s is well known for their Chesapeake Benedict! Some how we were also influenced to have a flight of Mimosas, go figure!

The upside of being in the Norfolk/Hampton area for almost 3 months is that we made some new wonderful friends, both human and canine. Stacey and Eric have the most adorable dogs and we have really been getting sweet doggie fixes from them. We are looking forward to seeing them all when we are back in May.

This is May and Val…they are Australian Labradoodles. These two are not from Australia but the breed did originate in Australia in the 1980’s. The Australian Labradoodle is a mix of up to six different breeds including Labrador, Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, American Cocker, Curly Coated Retriever and Irish Water Spaniel.

Phoebus is a cute area on the edge of Hampton, It has been revitalized over the years and has some great shops and restaurants now. After brunch we checked out a few shops in Phoebus. Thanks Stacy for introducing us to the “Way We Were Book Store”. Thousands and thousands of books, stacked 6-7 feet high and apparently 7 more offsite storage units full of more books. Let’s just say it was an experience!!!

It’s still gusty and rainy here in Chesapeake today so it’s a good day to hunker down inside. We have started packing and getting organized to leave on Friday.

Escapade is set up with everything we need in the way of kitchen supplies, linens, towels, bedding, etc so mostly what we are packing up is anything food related and some of our clothes. Oh, and the liquor cabinet and wine stash of course!

I don’t like to leave any food items on the boat when we leave for the winter. Since we will be gone for 6 months, I am emptying, cleaning and turning off the refrigerators/ freezers too. After six years post retirement of doing the annual switch between the boat and the RV, we kinda have this down to a science.

Geez, there is only about a couple of inches left in each of those big bottles… Hmm, there are 6 cocktail night opportunities before we leave. Can we do it???

The Amarula is Wallys coffee creamer of choice so of course that has to go with us!

Great Loop Adventure – Day 161 – Hampton VA

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Well, we are still in Hampton in the boat yard but the good news is that the transmission repair is finished, the transmission is back at the Blue Water repair yard was painted yesterday. It is being installed today(Tuesday 9/19) – YAY!!! Then the boat will get launched and we will do a sea trail, hopefully on Wednesday, to make sure everything is running well and the shaft and engine alignment is correct.

Basically the transmission has been rebuilt inside. Who said diamonds are a girls best friend??  This is even better than diamonds but probably more expensive!!! It feels great to have an end in sight, even if it’s just taking the boat to Chesapeake where she will go into a boat house for the winter. Our plan is to still be rolling west in the coach on Oct 1 – YAY!!!

The hot temperatures here have finally abated and we have had several nights that we could turn off the AC’s and open up the boat to get nice breezes. It’s been great walking weather so we have been hitting our favorite places like The Nolan Trail. On our last walk, we did the entire 4.5 mile loop and we saw loads of turtles in the lake, a huge herd of white tailed deer, herons and loads of ducks and geese. Such a beautiful hike.

We also visited the Mariners Museum … of course we did, despite been grounded we still qualify as mariners!!! The museum is amazing… more than 90,000 square feet of galleries filled with maritime art, culture, science, and history. We totally reconnected with our inner maritime selves.

One of the more fascinating exhibits was the Ironclad Revolution. I had never heard of these ships but of course, Wally had and was super excited about seeing a replica of the Monitor. An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells.

The Battle of Hampton Roads was a two-day naval engagement of the American Civil War, which took place on March 8–9, 1862 in the waters off Hampton, Virginia. This battle is remarkable for the first fight between two ironclad warships: USS Monitor, and CSS Virginia. After the battle ended naval warfare had been changed forever.

Walking through the exhibits you experience the story of USS Monitor, CSS Virginia, and the historic 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads through a melding of artifacts, original documents, paintings, personal accounts, and interactives that will pique all five senses. You are immersed in the tales of the individuals who lived through and lost their lives in this pivotal period of American history.

The Mariners’ is the proud caretaker of more than 200 tons of artifacts recovered from the wreck of USS Monitor, including its revolving gun turret, Dahlgren guns, steam engine, and more.

This museum has way more to see and experience that just this small part I am writing about. History buffs, civil war aficionados, boaters, it has something to offer everyone.

If you are looping, there are many marina choices in this area on the James River. We are at Blue Water in Hampton which is a very nice Safe Harbor Marina. You would definitely want to rent a car if you wanted to see more but I suspect Uber could easily get you to this Museum in Newport News.

Another fun town to explore was Smithfield… they have a nice Farmers Market on Saturday’s and the nearby Windsor Castle Park has miles of beautiful shady walking trail which we really enjoyed. The park features a woodland trail system, picnic and open area space, dog park, kayak/canoe launch, fishing pier, mountain bike path, scenic overlooks and the historic manor house — Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle Farm was originally part of a 1450 acre parcel patented in 1637 by Arthur Smith, an ancestor of the town’s founder, Arthur Smith IV.

FYI… There is no castle and no one seems to have any clue as to why its named Windsor Castle – Oh well!!!

HAHA…. Not Windsor Castle but the Smithfield historical area is filled with beautiful old Victorian homes.


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If you like ham, you are in the right place… Smithfield is known worldwide for its famous ham curing process. Nope, we did not tour any of those facilities but instead wandered around the quaint downtown area. There is a ham shop that you can taste at and have lunch too. Bacon, BBQ, Breakfast Sausage, Deli Meat, Fresh Pork, Ham, Lunchmeat, Marinated Pork, Ribs, Smoked Sausage, Snacking – they got ya covered.

Okay, that made me laugh out loud!!!

Loopers or boaters could easily take a side trip to Smithfield. The James River is beautiful cruising and will take you to the Pagan River which will take you to Smithfield. There is a small marina in Smithfield that is about a half mile from historical area and 3/4 miles from Windsor Park.

Several weeks ago we took a drive to Cape Charles to check out this quaint fishing town and its beaches. For much of its history, Cape Charles has been a center for the fishing and seafood industry. The area is particularly known for its clams, oysters, and crabs.

The beautiful sandy beaches are within walking distance of the historic district and the marina. Because the beach is on the Bay side it is very safe and no real surf to speak of. There is also a nice fishing pier and it was fun chatting with some local folks who were fishing for spotted trout or flounder, but would have been happy to hook anything! If you are doing the Great Loop it’s definitely worth considering a stop there. There is a really nice marina and it’s a very short walk right down to the main street or beaches. The Shanty, where we had lunch is also located at the marina.

We enjoyed a stroll on the beach, lunch at The Shanty and a cider tasting at Buskey Cider. I had a delicious bacon and soft shell crab sandwich at the Shanty and the water view wasn’t bad either. Do you think I really liked that sammie??!!

Our lunch at The Shanty was delicious and without a doubt very unhealthy but a girl has gotta splurge occasionally.

The Main Street area has loads of restaurant choices and cute shops to browse in. Like a Sailor was my favorite shop…. So many funny items and its expected that you will laugh out loud while shopping!

No way you can’t laugh out loud in this store!

Just one of many awesome dish towels in Like A Sailor.

The drive to Cape Charles is interesting as you have to cross the Chesapeake Bay where it opens to the Atlantic Ocean to get to the eastern side of Virginia. To do this you will drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Between the toll plazas on the north and south ends, the bridge-tunnel is 20 miles long. Counting the approach roads, the facility is 23 miles long. Each of the underwater tunnels is over one mile long, and the entire project is a major engineering achievement.

The drive is really beautiful and the idea that you are under the bay for over a mile is kind of creepy cool. As you drive along on the bridge, at a distance it appears that it just ends and you will drive off into the water. It’s quite an optical illusion and for this cool adventure, the price of admission is only $14 each way!!

That’s the update for this week… hopefully the next update will be filmed on the water!!!

Great Loop Adventure Day 152 – Hampton Virginia Life in the Boat Yard…

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My last update wasn’t the most uplifting … sometimes life is messy and hard. That said, we are healing emotionally and physically we are well again.

We sure are missing our sweet Bentie Boy.

The good news is that we finally have a target date to get Escapade back in the water. WOO-HOO, hoping its next Friday… fingers crossed!! Once the transmission was pulled apart at Great Lakes Power in Chesapeake, they found out that the pinion gear was damaged (that’s where all the metal pieces Wally found in the oil came from) and that the clutch plates needed replacing. Fortunately, they were able to source a good used pinion gear so the repair work is in process.

Living on a boat, out of water, in a working boat yard isn’t exactly dreamy. It’s a side trip on the Great Loop that I don’t recommend. Plus it’s been hot as hot as h-e-double-toothpicks this last week. Why didn’t we just move off the boat … into the coach or into a hotel? Good question.

She looks a bit sad out of the water…

With Bentley being sick, that just wasn’t an option. Then we got sick, then the boat got hauled out and we thought it would go back into the after after the transmission was pulled. Then there were high wind possibilities because of a hurricane Idalia. Then we thought the repair work would be done in a week or 10 days so it didn’t make sense to put it back in the water and then pull it out again to reinstall the transmission. Then we needed more parts for the transmission. The “thens’” just kept changing and about the time we made a plan, it would changed again. SOOOO, long story short we have been living on our boat, out of the water in a working boat year for the last 12 days with two portable AC units running 24/7 to keep the boat almost habitable. We can use all of the boats systems EXCEPT the reverse cycle heating/cooling system as it draws raw water from ocean, lake or river to cool it. UGH…

Of course, it had to go and get all hot here in Virginia again, so there have been a few days that it has been exceptionally hot … inside the boat… with both portable AC units running. UGH… even poor Sucia the cat was too hot! The good news is that with the second portable AC unit, the lower part of the boat where the staterooms are is the coolest and we have been able to sleep comfortably. We’ve even brought in our folding chairs one hot night and had happy hour with Sucia in the Master Stateroom – creative right!!

Escapade is normally bright and light inside. She has windows and a floor to ceiling glass sliding door in the salon. Natural light is usually wonderful… except when is 95 degrees outside and you are sitting on land in a boat yard with zero shade and no breeze. So, we put reflective insulation in all the windows which has definitely helped reduce the solar load and temps inside. It’s not a look that I want to embrace long term, for sure but sweltering inside isn’t great either.

Come on, we all know reflective foil is all the rage in the latest kitchen trends!

Our biggest strategy has been to just get the heck off the boat during the heat of the day and go do something. At a cool 77 degrees, Sucia has figured out that the master stateroom is the coolest place to sleep the day away. And just in case she forgets, we have been blocking her down there when we leave.

Of course she has her own mini fan!

Since we were past the virus shedding period, last weekend we met some new friends, Stacy and Eric at our favorite Cider place in Hampton – Sly Clyde Cidery. We also took a walk around Fort Macon and went to the local Farmers Market. Part of the fun of traveling is meeting new people and since we have been in Norfolk/Hampton over two months now, we feel like locals.

Sly Clyde Cidery House doesn’t have a kitchen so there are often foods trucks out back on a Friday night. The pizzas were really good too!

We also discovered the Nolan Walking Trail at the Mariners Museum and Park. Miles of shady walking trails around beautiful Mariner Lake… bonus points for all the great doggie fixes we have been getting there.

Friday we took a drive to charming little Gloucester VA and explored a bit despite the 90 degree heat. There are so many small charming towns on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay.

Gloucester is also home to Walter Reeds Birth Place. Please leave me a comment if you really knew who Walter Reed was. Of course, my Walter knew who this Walter was so we had to go have a look. He said he was an important Doctor … hadn’t I heard of the Walter Reed Hospital?? Of course, I had to tease him just a little about who the heck was Walter Reed??? I think you just made that up, Mr Makie Uppie. I was promptly told that of course he learned about him in some history class, but of course. Turns out Doctor Walter Reed helped cured the world of the “scrourge” known as the Yellow Fever. Impressive for sure, we both agreed that this was one of the highlights of our time in Virginia so far!!!

Gloucester has a old historical village right at the end of Main Street at the round about… its a bit weird how you can drive around this two block area and never get out of the car to see the tiny village. Obviously, we did get out and walk around but it’s just odd. LOL, had we gotten there earlier in the day when it was hot as hell, we might not have gotten out of the car so maybe it is actually a brilliant design!

Main Street in Gloucester was all but rolled when we got there around 5 pm on Friday. About the only thing open were the restaurants and for such a small town there were some good choices. I had done some online research and made a dinner reservation at LuLu Birds Kitchen. Best meal we have had since we arrived in Virginia – very much farm to table, great cocktails and wine pairings. Wally had Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops and Risotto and I had a Shrimp Étouffée. The Chef did a spin on the Étouffée and served it over fresh Papadelle Pasta. Both entrees were excellent and paired really well with the White Bordeaux that our waitress Jenny suggested.

Check out my new friend… This was another weird thing in Gloucester. No idea what this was all about but the dude was actually kinda creepy. I was almost, kinda sure that he was NOT a real dude but I still said “Hi” before I sat down. When he didn’t reply, which I really expected him to, I thought I’d get a look at what he was reading. Turns out the article was about a Peeping Tom in a plaid shirt that the local Police were looking for… – HAHA not really. But he was super creepy!

Despite the heat, Wally has been checking off some smaller boat projects as well. The boat yard is going to touch up our bottom paint and running gear – can you say Cha-Ching. So, fingers crossed all the repairs are completed next week, Escapade gets back in the water and that our credit card doesn’t explode when the final bill comes in.

Great Loop Adventure – Hampton Virginia

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It’s been a while since I posted anything and honestly August is shaping up to be the worst month we had since starting the Great Loop Adventure… possible the most epically bad month I can remember.

As you know, we have been hanging out at Bluewater Yachting Center in Hampton Virginia waiting to get parts to repair our port transmission. Annoying yes but definitely not the worst par of the month.

The last ten days have been consumed with end of life issues with our sweet boy Bentley. We knew he was slowing down, we knew 12 years old was getting on for a Boxer and we knew the inevitable would happen someday. But it just happened so quickly and we are reeling from it.

He was fine one day and really sick a couple of days later. A trip to the veterinarian revealed some serious heart issues. We left the vet with a bag of meds, a referral to a cardiologist and we were somewhat hopeful. Less than a week later we were were back at the vets office saying good bye to him.

After we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t breathe and went outside and just wailed. 12 plus years with him, our hearts ache and it’s hard to see the joy he brought us through the grief right now. I know this too shall pass and his bright light and the joy of him being a part of our lives will return, just like it did with Gus, Bob, Lacy and Chauncey before him.

Bentley will always be the tether ball champion!!!

He was such a big part of our lives and so many of our adventures, especially since we have been retired. Such a silly, goofy sensitive soul who loved to play ball, chase butterflies and lay in the sun. When I was still working he went to work with me almost everyday, he loved going to the beach with us, he cruised the San Juan Islands and all the way to Desolation Sound British Columbia with us. He traveled thousands of miles with us in the coach through out the US and Canada. I know he had a wonderful life but damn it we just were not ready for his passing.

It’s painful to go through his things, remove his beds from the boat, clean out his food and treat cupboard… it’s like I am erasing his presence. We have never not had a dog and we’ll see how long we last before another four legged fur baby enters our life. But for now, our Kitty Sucia is trying to fill the void. Extra headbutts and lap time, but she too is missing him. He was her pack.

And if all that that isn’t bad enough… we both have COVID! Two days after Bentley passed we both felt tired and rundown and the symptoms have just gotten worse from there. So while I wallow in my self pity, I also know this too shall pass and we actually have a lot to be grateful for. That said, we are both ready for this month to be over and looking forward to a better September.

I’ve been looking at photos and videos of our sweet boy and will share a few with you. Rest in peace baby Bentie, we are blessed to have had you as part of our family.

Bentie was an adorable puppy, his buddy Gus helped us raise him and taught him some manners too. They were the best buddies and I hope they are together again.

That boy loved the beach… and with those long legs he could fly like the wind! He wasn’t much of a swimmer but wading was big fun!

Bentie on Patos Island…

Bentie on Matia Island…

Bentie at Kwatsi Bay in the Broughton Islands British Columbia…

Bentie on the boat…

Bentie in Santa Fe New Mexico…

Bentie in the desert… The Lemon Dog was his nickname. He discovered lemons at our RV Resort in Palm Springs and loved playing with them and chewing on them. Lemony fresh breathe!!!

All good things got to come to an end

Rolling ’till it ends in the sea
Our pleasure grows
Rolling ’till it ends in you and me
Rolling ’till it ends in you and me
Here where the angels
Have appeared and are gone
Your face like an ember
Glows in the dawn
But I want you to remember
All wild deeds live on
All good times, all good friends

Great Loop Adventure – Hampton Virginia

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It’s not usually good news when the captain is doing routine maintenance on the boat and greets you with the following words “I think we have a problem”. Well, it’s a boat so yeah what’s new I thought. Then he showed me this…

Nope, those are not gemstones or black diamonds, those are metal pieces that he found in the oil of our port (left) transmission. First he found 3-4 pieces in the oil, then put a magnetic wand in the oil drain and found a lot more… NOT GOOD!!! After some discussion with a ZF/Hurth Transmission expert, the consensus is those little metal bits are likely from our transmission clutch gears. Nope, not good at all.

The irony (pun intended), is that we have traveled almost a thousand miles with ZERO issues. No tale tail clunking, grinding or rough shifting. So our first though is can we keep cruising, take it easy on the engines and transmissions and have it fixed this winter while the boat is in storage.

Nope, not a good idea at all and the worst case scenario is that something could happen at the worst possible time and do even more damage to the transmission. UGH, we are not gamblers so continuing on our merry way didn’t seem like a good option. Our transmission experts were a bit puzzled about these bits of gear in just one of our two transmissions. They said this isn’t due to lack of maintenance – this usually happens because of an incident. Did we have an incident??? Nope, but there was one when the boat was being pulled out for the pre-purchase survey. Thats another long story, which I won’t bore you with. But honestly none of us including the engine and hull surveyor even thought about transmission damage. After describing that incident to the transmission expert, he agreed that it was indeed possible that this damage had happened then.

So now what??? We decided to bring the boat over to Bluewater Yacht Center in Hampton to have the transmission pulled and sent to Great Lakes Power to be repaired. Unfortunately , this type of repair can’t be done any other way. 

The good news is we can stay on the boat while the repairs are being made but the bad news is our 1998 ZF Hurth Transmission isn’t easy to find OEM parts for. The Great Lakes Power folks found everything except the gasket and seal kit. It might be available by late September. UGH… after some looking we found an aftermarket kit made by a reliable company so we are going to go that route.

Yes, we are both a bit bummed as an extended layover in Hampton was not on the agenda for sure. So … no cruising for us until the repair is done but at least we have our trusty SUV Ernie to go exploring in. The marina is nice, we have a pool and laundry facilities and a really great cider place nearby!!

Plus it really pretty here and Mother Nature put on a show last night just to cheer us up!

Great Loop Adventure Hampton VA – Day 116

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With a 95% chance of rain and expected accumulation of over 1/2 inch it definitely wasn’t going to be a day to be exploring outdoors. After a leisurely morning with loads of hot coffee, we decided to get out and brave the deluge of rain. It’s weird to dress for a warm, wet day… I’ve mostly been living in shorts, a tee shirt and flip flops so I was puzzling on what to wear, LOL!!! So, I could have just thrown on a rain jacket over that attire but I figured it might be cold inside places we might go. Usually the air conditioning is set on high almost everyplace we’ve been into in Virginia. In the end, I chose a pair of lightweight, quick dry capri pants, a capped sleeve shirt and a pair of slip on boat shoes. EWW, shoes!!! Of course I forgot my light sweater but somehow I survived with my fashion choices and yes, I really did need that rain jacket!

We decided to explore locally and started off with lunch at Venture Kitchen and Bar in Downtown Hampton. Their website described handmade pizza dough and a wood fired oven, so that seemed like a perfect lunch on a rainy day. The young man who waited on us was great and very chatty. Not sure how we got on the subject but he was fascinated by The Great Loop and kept coming by to ask us questions. He has a friend who lives on a boat… that is not operable, but still, he totally got the magnitude of doing a 6,000 mile loop around the US on a boat. Maybe it was more the idea that a boat could could actually run for that many miles??? I loved his curiosity and interest in traveling and so hope he follows his dreams, gets out and sees the world.

After lunch, we headed over to the NASA Langley Visitors Center which houses the Virginia Air & Space Science Center. Wally worked for NASA in the early 90’s and is always game to visit anything NASA, Space or Aeronautics related. It was a very heady time in his career and the spacecrafts he designed electronic hardware for all launched into space and gathered some really amazing science.


Mars Pathfinder was one of the most exciting projects that Wally worked on during his time at NASA- JPL. I will never forget the excitement of seeing it launch in Florida and then seeing it actually land on Mars and start collecting data.

Hampton, Virginia is the birthplace of America’s space program. The Virginia Air & Space Science Center features interactive aviation exhibits spanning 100 years of flight, more than 30 historic aircraft, a hands-on space exploration gallery, unique space flight artifacts, and more! The Center is home to the Apollo 12 Command Module and the Orion PA-1 Test Vehicle – COOL!!!!

A unique collaboration between the City of Hampton and NASA Langley Research Center started in 1986. NASA Langley Research Center expressed a willingness to relocate their visitor center to downtown Hampton, so more people would have access to explore the past, present, and future of air and space. The City wanted a new place to highlight Hampton’s wealth of history. Hampton is America’s first permanent English speaking settlement and the birthplace of our country’s air and space technology so it appeared to be the perfect collaboration.

The museum isn’t big so it’s amazing how it can house so many aircraft’s. YF16, F4 Phantom, Burt Rutan’s Experimental and the FA18 which a friend based out of Whidbey Island Washington flew over our marina on occasion!

It was a perfect rainy day outing and it wasn’t really crowded either. There were more kids there than adults as the museum has an excellent educational program. They provide educational experiences through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to students who will one day become our next 21st Century explorers of the future. We had fun watching a group of kids being led by a teacher doing an egg drop experiment. The goal is to drop your egg from a high point and have it land intact – think humans in the first Apollo mission!!! The girl with the balloon design and the boy with the coffee filter design nailed it!! We helped a few that landed early on the second level of the museum where we were watching. Sadly, some of those egg astronauts didn’t survive their space flight.

It was a real walk down memory lane seeing all the Apollo exhibits. It was an exciting time in American history to see Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. My mother worked in High Tech and her group manufactured some of the high reliability power supply’s in these Apollo spacecraft that we saw in the museum. She was incredibly proud of that work and we all excitedly watched so many of the Apollo launches. Who’da thunk I’d eventually marry a man who helped send space craft to Mars and Saturn???

After the museum, the weather gave us a break so we took a walk around Downtown Hampton. There is a nice river walk that winds along the Salters Creek. Don’t know if was the rain, but we wehardly saw a soul out and about and the area had ZERO vibe. Not good, not bad or indifferent, WTH??? We will have to check it out again on a weekend and see if that changes.

For boaters, Hampton is a nice stop if you are interested in the Museum and a checking out a few restaurant within walking distance. The Docks at Downtown Hampton is an option for boaters and it is right off the Hampton River in Downtown. Personally, I wasn’t impressed with it BUT the location is perfect. Safe Haven Bluewater which is a great marina is another option but it would mean taking their water taxi or Uber to get to downtown.

LOL, there was definitely no Joy at the Joy’s Marina. Looks like its hasn’t been operational in years!

After our walk around Hampton, we decided to drive over to the Phoebus Neighborhood and check out Sly Clyde Ciderworks. I really like this eclectic little neighborhood, it has all kinds of cool eateries, a few art galleries and a nice middle class vibe.

Wally is a big cider fan… me?? Meh, most are too sweet but when a good one comes along, I am all in. Wally had ordered a Sly Clyde Submursive Hard Cider at lunch and I liked it so much, that I decided to get one too. WooHoo, day drinking on a rainy day. We knew the brewery was local, so now we were really motivated to check it out. Again, there was not a soul on the streets and NO one inside at Sly Clyde when we got there around 3:30.

We had a great time with Amy, who was behind the bar. It’s really interesting and fun to connect with people who are locals. She is putting in a few extra hours at the ciderhouse on Friday and Saturday to top off her kids colleague funds. Otherwise, she is a bean counter at a nearby shipyard so we got to talk with her about that, which was fascinating! We also met her daughter who is in Vet School in Grenada but home for a summer break. The ciders were all great and we had more fun conversation with Amy and some friends of hers that stopped by with their adorable Cocker, Poodle Doodle Dogs. .

We started with a tasting flight but Amy kept the samples coming off the taps. Even a few of her own concoctions, which were delicious. The ciders were great and of course we left with several four packs and a few new friends. A very good rainy day indeed!

Great Loop Adventure Yorktown Virginia – Day 115

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We took a short drive on Tuesday to Yorktown to take a walk along the York River and to also check out the American Revolution Museum.

Yorktown was established by Virginia’s colonial government in 1691 to regulate trade and to collect taxes on both imports and exports for Great Britain. By the early 1700s, Yorktown had emerged as a major Virginia port and economic center. Seems you could sail from Great Britain all the way to North American but you couldn’t hide from the tax collector – NOPE!

The walk along the York River was peaceful and beautiful which gave way to thinking about everything that has happened in this area since 1691. The siege of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in North America, and led to the surrender of Cornwallis and the capture of both him and his army. The Continental Army’s victory at Yorktown prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict, making way for an independent United States of America. Pretty heady stuff indeed.

The museum is really quite amazing and I loved the interactive exhibits, the films and the immersive experience. Admittedly, I tend to get bored at museums that are all signage and displays. Clearly, they had my learning style in mind when they designed this museum. It’s amazing I managed to get through reading the 900 plus page Michener book Chesapeake, LOL. Seriously, that was a really good read and a great introduction to this part of Virginia.

The museum allows you to discover Virginia through the lens of the Stuart monarchy, whose royal foothold impacted and influenced early America and shaped the struggles and determination of those who lived in the colony in the 17th and 18th centuries.

I thought this an interesting view of history.

There is also an outdoor replica of an encampment at the museum complete with docents in period clothing at different areas explaining how the soldiers lived during the war. While the area around the encampment is absolutely beautiful, the conditions then were grim, especially during the winter months.

For those of you who are boaters or future boaters considering the Great Loop, Yorktown is a great stop and very well set up for boaters. The City run Riverwalk Landing Piers provides 1,200 linear feet of T-pier dockage on the York River. The piers allow overnight stays and provide electrical, water, and sewer pump-out. The concrete floating pier system looks to be very new and in wonderful condition. The depths at dockside range from 27′ to 50′ on well over 1,000 feet of dock frontage space. The Waterway guide also mentions that there are discounts for stays Mon-Thursday. When we were there on a Tuesday, there were only a few boats on the docks.

The museum is an easy .75 mile walk from the Waterfront Landing along the York River. If walking isn’t your gig, there is also a trolley. This FREE air-conditioned (and heated) service will take you from the Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center all the way to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, making several convenient stops along the way including Yorktown Beach and Riverwalk Landing. Apparently the drivers take the schedule very seriously as one of them almost ran us over in the cross walks by the museum. Or maybe they just don’t like us walkers!!!

There are also several restaurants just steps from the pier along with some really nice swimming areas.

FYI, there are some rules at the swimming beach. No potty mouth allowed but I think you can still laugh and have fun!

Great Loop Adventure… Out and About in Norfolk Day 94

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We have driven all over and around Norfolk since we arrived but we hadn’t explored the downtown area which has a lot to see and do. It is very compact and best explored by foot so we opted to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Downtown Norfolk. The ferry is an easy walk from our marina in Portsmouth and delivered us right to the Waterside area which is a great place to start exploring.

A cute ferry and only $4 round trip.

This great walking map is posted at the Waterside Park and the signage along the walk is great. We followed the waterfront trail to the left and headed towards the Naval Museum. We have toured several aircraft carriers and battleships so we opted to just explore around the area and not tour the ship.

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is an official museum of the United States Navy and reports to the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C. This free museum interprets the history of the U.S. Navy in and around Hampton Roads, Virginia from the Revolutionary War to the present day for service members and the general public. It is very well done and is well worth a visit.

There are several really pretty small parks along the walk as you head towards Freemason Street.

Freemason Street was perhaps the prettiest part of the walk and is part of the city’s oldest freestanding neighborhood, featuring tree-lined cobblestone streets filled with old, historical homes. It was a cool respite on a very hot day. Some of the wrought iron gates and iron fences were really beautiful. Freemason Street derived its name from the location of the original Norfolk Masonic Lodge (just east of the neighborhood).

From Freemason Street we opted to take Grandby Street back towards the waterfront. Grandby Street was named in 1769 to honor Englishman John Manners (1721 – 1770), Marquess of Granby. The original street ran three blocks from Bute Street south to Town Back Creek, a semi-navigable stretch of marshland running the length of today’s City Hall Avenue. I am happy to report we did not have to navigate thru swampy marshland to get back to the waterfront!!

Honestly, sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when we decided to spend the summer in this part of the country. Yep, it’s hot and humid most days which makes exploring by foot not as exciting but what the heck, we gotta get out and do it anyway!

We found a really cute coffee shop along our walk to cool off in. Wally had a good laugh with the barista… unbeknownst to him, he had a nice size spider riding on his shoulder. While he was ordering, apparently the barista was staring at it and Wally asked her if something was wrong. She nervously told him about the spider, which Wally quickly brushed off and dispatched. Aww, poor spider… Seems this barista has seen a few interesting pets come in with customers … like snakes, tarantulas… ugh, so she thought maybe it was Wally’s pet spider – HAHAHA!!!!! We had a cold brew iced coffee to jump start us to go back outside and walk some more!

The mermaid has been the signature symbol of the City of Norfolk since 2002.   The idea of a “Mermaid Parade” came up in 1999, and was implemented with local bronze sculptor Kevin Gallup mass-producing 130 mermaid castings for local businesses, artists and homeowners to sponsor and decorate.   To this day the mermaid is the symbol of the city, and is part of the official city logo, its website and social media sites, and it now has this much larger mermaid fountain in Town Point Park on the edge of Elizabeth River, next to the Nauticus maritime museum.

The result has mermaids all over the city, and enthusiastic support for the city adopting the mermaid as its symbol.  At least 80 mermaids have been customized and placed around the city. It was fun to look for them as they are each uniquely different and quite the work of art.

Norfolk has no shortage of art … everything from beautiful museums to outdoor murals. We made a beeline to the Glass Light Hotel and Gallery. Inside the hotel is the Perry Glass Art Collection featuring beautiful glass pieces from local and internationally renowned artists. The featured art includes a rotating selection of pieces, which guests will find throughout the gallery as well as the hotel.


These six-foot glass bunnies, “Pops and Bunny”, crafted by renowned Dutch artist Peter Bremers are ready to greet you in the lobby and restaurant.  


This private collection encompasses two floors of over 65 glass art pieces from world renowned artists.  Some currently being featuring are Dale Chihuly, Stephen Rolfe Powell, Nancy Callan, Karen Lamonte, Peter Bremers, Katherine Gray and Lucy Lyon. The Gallery is free to hotel guests and the public to enjoy. 

All that exploring had us hungry and I knew just the place that Wally would love – The Grilled Cheese Bistro!!! I had read about this restaurant and knew it got rave reviews.

What happens when you combine two pieces of bread, slice of cheese, and a frying pan? The answer — a winning business model. The Grilled Cheese Bistro is a cozy downtown restaurant that launched in 2015, and has quickly become a staple for both foodies and novices alike. 

Even though the concept of a grilled cheese seems rather simple, the culinary combinations that the chefs make are truly remarkable. The menu includes names like; Sam I Am, Gooey, Hangover, Dreamin’ of Reuben, and Guiseppe (Melon, Prosciutto, Basil, with Local Wild Flower Honey, Balsamic, Mozzarella & Fontina), so I was all in to try it! Damn, it was good… sooooo many delicious calories in those huge sammie’s. They were so big that we ended up each taking half of our sammie’s home. Dinner was recreated with a fresh garden salad …. Does that help reduce the overall calories??

After that delicious gut bomb lunch we were definitely walking a bit slower… or maybe it was hotter?? We headed back towards the waterfront and made a last stop at Slover Library and Selden Market Shops. The Slover Library blends traditional library functions with the best of contemporary library resources and services. The beautiful, innovative space design creates a vital and dynamic center for the community and is also known as an attraction for visitors. It’s welcoming spaces make it a great place to spend sometime reading.

Selden Market is Norfolk’s first retail incubator. They supposedly offer a mix up-and-coming concepts in retail, food and more from local, small businesses. They market the shops as the perfect place to shop for unique gifts offering products from home decor, jewelry, wallets, skateboards, apparel and more! The Selden Market is a great concept but it was disappointing as there were hardly any shops open and many of the spaces had no vendors occupying them.

We had a great day exploring downtown Norfolk but now we were ready to take our buddha belly’s back to the boat and plop down or have a nap!

Taking a Break Great Loop Adventure Day 79-92

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Sometimes the joy of traveling is not traveling – LOL!! Seriously, it’s exhausting to be on the move everyday so taking a break for a few days or a few weeks is great. Technically we are in Portsmouth VA but are just across the river from Norfolk and I couldn’t be happier with the location. It’s easy to get to Norfolk proper and also explore the area with our trusty SUV Ernie.

We really wanted to be in Norfolk for the 4th of July… it just seemed so fitting to celebrate our independence surround by navy ships and personnel. Our slip at the Tidewater Marina gave us a birds eye view of the firework show and it was quite spectacular.

I use an app called Bands in Town… it helps you find musical events in your area. You can set your location and choose your favorite band or musician. Based on your preference it will alert you when a musician you like is in the area and also give you alert for similar musicians. I just happened to go on the app to update our new location and up popped The Doobie Brothers 50th Anniversary Concert tour at the nearby Atlantic Bank Pavilion. Wally loves the Doobies so of course we had to buy tickets for July 3rd. Concert day rolled around and by late afternoon a massive electrical storm was brewing. Thunder, lightening and torrential rain started around 5:00 pm. I was sure the concert was a no go and poor Bentie was shaking. We had good communication from the venue via social media so after the first big storm stopped we walked 10 minutes to the pavilion. Right as we got there. – KAPOW – another storm starts rolling thru. Geez, I was sure again it was doomed but long story short after two delays we got into our seats and the concert started at 9:00 pm.

It was poring buckets … You couldn’t even see Downtown Norfolk a cross the river.

The Doobie Brothers band was really tight and the concert was a blast. Michael McDonald was on keyboard with his still great voice and the saxophone player was incredible. They even had a guest artist join them for the last few songs – Bruce Hornsby – who I LOVE!!! I also really liked the multimedia show that was playing behind the band. Seeing the old film clips of the much younger Doobies were really fun.

It’s been quite warm here so we have been doing our walks and exploring in the mornings. Or, we are finding indoor places to explore like the Chrysler Museum of Art and Glass Studio. This museum is really well done and I love that they have made art available to everyone by not charging admission. We also had a nice lunch at the museum cafe .. the food was really good and its a nice way to support the museum.

Of course, we have found all the necessities like grocery stores, West Marine, Lowe’s and Home Depot!!! There is even a Farmers Market every Saturday in Portsmouth and it’s a nice walk to get there. I’ve gone twice and done a side trip through the old town area to look at all the beautiful, historical homes.

My yummy lunch with spoils found at the local farmers market. Basil and heirloom tomatoes with a goat cheese and chive quiche.

There is an adorable family of ducks who have come visiting frequently. They seem to know when I will be sitting outside in the early evening and Mama duck quacks really loud to announce their arrival. Of course I scramble to find something to feed them … I am a sucker!!! They have been the happy recipients of stale bread, tortillas, corn and oats. Wonder if I can find some Purina duck chow somewhere??

Mama was trying to get the full attention of the brood… she seemed to be giving them a lecture on being grateful for unexpected gifts.

We have had some repairs and maintenance to get done on Escapade, so that is another great reason to tie up here for a few weeks. Our gal needs engine and generator oil/filter changes and we are replacing the house batteries as they are getting long in the tooth. Captain Handy aka Wally will be doing that as well as replacing the AC main water pump. He got the AC pump done earlier this week and after a couple of failed starts, he got the system working – YAY. All the AC’s are working again, they are much quieter, producing cooler air and not cycling on and off. YAY and more YAY – everyone is happier on board too. The portable monster unit we bought at Walmart in Elizabeth City saved our bacon and I was sure glad to have it.

It wa a little janky but it did the job. I put the vent tube out the porthole window and stuffed a towel around it to keep the warm air out.

The furbags are happy to have all the AC units working again too.

We have found plenty to keep us busy and entertained since we got here PLUS Wally drove to Florida in Ernie to bring Road House, our Entegra Coach here to Virginia. We really wanted it out of Florida during hurricane season. It was a whirlwind 5 day road trip for Wally but I stayed on the boat to look after the furbags. I found a great indoor storage facility about 50 miles from Norfolk. It’s a massive cinderblock building in the middle of nowhere. Definitely not worried about the weather with her inside that building.

Road House is all tucked away inside for the summer.

There is so much to see and do in this area so we will take advantage of having wheels. Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Cape Charles and Hampton are a few of the places we want to check out so stay tuned for more land based adventures.