Log of Albion (and other travels)These are e-mails and letters or summaries sent back to family and friends from our travels on a Hawaii Vacation and seventh season in Mexico, 2005 -2006
2005 Summer Summary
It's starting to get a little wet in Oregon, so it's time to start heading South again. Therefore, it's also time to write a little about what we did this summer. Well, not much! The fuel prices were so high this summer that we decided to stick pretty close to home. We only made one simi-long trip with the RV up to Dosewallips State Park on the Hood Canal up in Washington. We traveled up there to visit our friends from Tucson, Nada and Dorsey, who were volunteer hosts for the month of August. While there, some other friends from Whidbey Island, came down for a lunch visit. The weather was just wonderful. Our big trip for the summer was a two week trip to the
island of Hawaii. Molly had enough air miles to get both of us a free flight and we found a nice Bed & Breakfast right on the water. We spend several months searching the internet for points of interest and activities for the Big Island. We arranged several tours; snorkelling in Kealakekua Bay next to Capt. Cook's Monument, a birding and 4x4 trip to the top of Mauna Kea at 13,800 feet, and a wagontrain trip down into Waipi'o Valley on the Hamakua Coast. Only the wagontrain trip was cancelled because of rain and fog. We did a lot of traveling around the island and probably drove every road. The first three days were tough because of heavy rain. Flood 
warnings were up on the Hilo side and several roads were closed. Overall, the trip was great. We saw many new birds for our life list, toured many musceums, rain forests, botanical gardens, and beaches. The only mistake we made was staying on the Hilo side (we called it the "dark side") for the full two weeks. It rained at least once every day, and there were several hurricanes in the Eastern Pacific that were influencing the weather and surf. When ever we traveled over to the Kona side, it was sunny and warm. The B&B, however, was nice eventhough it didn't have TV...hurrican Katrina cleanup was on-going at the time and it would have been nice to keep up on the progress....or lack of!Another short trip we made this summer was to Seattle to visit Grand-daughter Brianna. She graduated from high school in Thousand Oaks California and was accepted at the Pacific Northwest Ballet's training program on full scholorship and some living
expenses. She played the principal role last year of Swanhilda in Coppelia. This Spring she performed as Giselle in Giselle and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker last winter. Her prospects look good as a professional ballerina.On October 29, we headed south with an unscheduled stop in Reno for minor diesel engine repair (althought the price wasn't minor!). An aclimation stop for a week in Bullhead City was made in conjuction with our RV/ex-cruising buddies Tom & Sue (X-Ta-Sea) being there also. Then it was on to Tucson again for more aclimation, see friends, and Molly's "Hen Fest" with Cathy, Bea, and Joann. We stored the RV with Cathy's, as she head off to Panama, and we headed for San Carlos, Mexico in the car with boat stuff.12/10/05 Subject: Hola from La Paz
Wanted to let you all know we have arrived in La Paz. We left San Carlos on Thursday (12/1), I took the car on the ferry and Brent made the passage across on Albion. I couldn't imagine why I had to be there 3 hours before sailing time, but then I remembered, it's Mexico! It took a while just to get checked in. I had made my reservations with an English-speaking man and was informed the price for the car included the driver, but when I checked in, the non-English speaking agent seemed to want me to buy a ticket for myself also. My Spanish is limited, but "no" is the same in both languages. We went back and for a while and at one time I think he was trying to sell me a discounted senior citizen fare, but I stood my ground and finally he accepted the price I had originally been quoted. Two other Americans behind me had the same problem, but since I had
prevailed, they weren't about to pay the extra either! The ferry is not a very big one and as we all waited we wondered how they intended to get us all on there....there was a semi with a huge load of logs that looked as if it would fill the whole thing up by itself. Finally, they started loading; we all had to back on. I was first and was lucky to have a good spot for the car....I had met a retired cop from San Diego and he ended up right next to the load of logs...he had asked earlier about staying in his vehicle for the trip....was told it would be much too dangerous especially with that load of logs! He worried all night about it, but we all made it fine. They advertise the ferry as being as comfortable as an airplane....probably because they have airline seating! Apparently before they leave the dock, the lights in the restroom don't work. At least it was small like on a plane so was hard to miss and make a mistake! All in all the trip worked out well....Brent had left the marina shortly after I left for the ferry, but I had a long wait until the ferry left, so he had a good head start....we both arrived in Santa Rosalia shortly after dawn. We jumped in the car and drove to La Paz (six hour drive). Tom and Sue, we will be interested to hear what you think of the drive down the Baja....don't know about the northern part, but the southern part, after you leave the coast, is a whole lot of nothing! We got to La Paz in time to arrange with the marina for a parking spot for the car. We found the bus depot and learned there would be a bus heading back in the morning at 7 AM. We found an inexpensive hotel in the same block (except for the fact that the hot water was just not as cold as the cold water, it was okay), we had a quick dinner and went to bed. We had no alarm clock, but managed to wake up about 6:30 and got to the bus in time. We were back to the boat by 3 PM that afternoon. Heavy winds were predicted for several days so we sat it out in Santa Rosalia. I managed to come down with some sort of bug....by Wednesday, the weather had improved and I thought I was feeling better so we left. The winds were down but the seas were still rocky and so was I, so we didn't go as far as planned that day (30mi, to Punto Chivato). Had a nice quiet anchorage and got a good rest that night. The next day was still rougher than we liked so didn't go as far that day either (55mi, to San Juanico). Finally on Friday, it was flat calm and little wind so we planned to make it a long day....I was still not feeling well so spent the entire passage in bed. Brent is a real trooper and since the weather was good, went all night to get us here (160 mi) Saturday morning! Actually we got here so early (still dark) we anchored in a little cove nearby for a few hours rest before we headed into the marina. It is good to be at the dock again and we both slept real good last night (12 hrs) so maybe I am on the mend finally. The check-in/check-out procedures are definitely changed. It's gone from one extreme to the other. Checking out in San Carlos was just a matter of filling out a slip of paper with the boat information on it, crew list and destination and leaving it with the marina. In Santa Rosalia, Brent filled out a similar paper upon arrival and departure. Here in La Paz we just wrote the info in the marina's log book. What a change. Wonder how long it will last? We have WiFi here on the docks and are enjoying being able to connect whenever and best of all, we don't have to pack up the computer and go somewhere just to check e-mails. Brent's priority upon arrival was to get the satellite set up for the TV....and just in time for me to enjoy football today and the Survivor final tonight! We are looking forward to exploring La Paz and the surrounding areas. Hope you will all be enjoying a happy holiday season and staying warm wherever you are. So far, it's pretty comfortable here and not as cold as other cruisers have indicated it would be. Hope the weather holds! Take care.Molly
12/22/05 Subject: Life in La Paz
I am still not up to par, so taking it pretty easy here in La Paz. There was a nice classical guitar concert last week just across the street from the marina and we also went to an "open mike" session at a local restaurant. A friend of ours was singing, so we went to listen to her. Other than that we have stayed pretty close to the boat and haven't ventured out to try any new restaurants. It is Christmas week and things get pretty crazy so it's best to just stay home. Maybe after Christmas, we may take a trip down to the Los Cabos airport to check it out so when Jeanette comes we don't get too confused. Bought a kilo of shrimp today....will probably be
eating shrimp for the next three days! We had our satellite dish on the dock and were waiting for the marina to move us to a permanent slip to put it on a pile, but finally the marina decided we could stay where we were so we bought a mount and now we have it more stabilized on the pile....much better....don't lose the signal every time someone walks down the finger pier! But we were told Direct TV has changed their satellites and so we don't get all the channels we used to.....guess there is no reception change in the states, but here in Mexico (where we really aren't supposed to be getting reception anyway) we aren't getting the New York networks and a lot of the other stations....it's a bummer to have to stay up later to watch the LA networks (we're an hour later than their broadcast)....have started taping any late programs. We only get about a 70% signal strength, so some of channels we like to watch occasionally stop and studder, or are just on in the morning not in the evening.Molly
1/2/06
I am finally beginning to feel like I may be getting better. We ventured out for dinner on New Years Eve. There's a very nice restaurant right around the corner from the marina. It is overlooking the bay and it was a very nice evening with no wind, so very enjoyable. We had a great dinner. We got back early and have to admit that we didn't stay up to ring in the new year....cruisers midnight seems to come around 9 pm! We drove to Cabo last week just to make sure we would know where the airport is when Jeanette comes. Cabo is bigger and more hectic than it was in 1999 when we came through on the boat! We had a difficult time finding Latitude 22 Road House restaurant for lunch since it burned down after we were here last. The drive along the coast was very pleasant. I did a small quilting project. Hated all the measuring and cutting, but was fun once I got to the sewing part. Think I have a lot to learn about it.
Molly
1/11/06
We started our Spanish class this week and at times it was a little overwhelming. It does feel a bit like having a job, as we have to be up early every day. Class starts at 8:30 and goes til 12:30. It is easier for me since I have had some Spanish classes in the past, but Brent is doing well and studying a lot more than me so it probably won't be long before he passes me up. We will meet Tom and Sue on Monday to get our mail. They will be on their way to Cabo and not stopping in LaPaz with their RV Caravan. We will drive to Todos Santos where they will be staying that night. They wanted us to spend the night with them, but we would hate to miss our class the next morning, so will have to pass on that. We will see more of them when they come back this way later. I am going to a ladies luncheon tomorrow after class. Apparently it used to be just a marina ladies thing, but many of them have sold their boats and now have homes here so it's a mixture of marina and town folks. I had heard of it on the net last month but didn't feel up to going and also didn't want to go alone. One of the ladies in the Spanish class told me about it so will go with her tomorrow. Guess this month it's at Applebee's...can you believe that....come to Mexico and eat at Applebee's!
Molly
2/8/06
We like LaPaz a lot....the weather is just about perfect...not too hot, a little cool at night, but the days are usually sunny and warm. We did have one day of rain a couple of weeks ago. We are planning a ferry trip to Mazatlan where we have more friends and it will be nice to see all of them again. We've had lots of boat projects lately. First the water heater started leaking again...explored getting it replaced. It's $875 not including freight from the east coast and who knows how long it might be in customs here. Carlos, from the shop here at the marina, took it and had a new heat exchanger portal made and rewelded; then after Brent got it back in, the gasket for the heat exchanger insert was leaking, but he was able to replace it without taking the whole thing out again. Of course just getting it out in the first place meant taking the stove out....and when the repair was finally complete, we had a leak in a propane line in the stove! Once again it was Carlos to the rescue. Brent took the copper tube to him and he was back that afternoon with a new one. In the meantime our four house batteries finally turned toes up and we had to replace them. We can't complain as the old ones were the ones we left Portland with in '99. Then we thought we had a leak in the drinking water pump but it seems to have healed itself, so we are just watching it for now. Today we are going to start cleaning and lubricating the winches....what fun! Other than all that, we finished the Spanish class....can't say we are anywhere near fluent for sure, but I think we learned more than we think we did. It was a good review for me, having had it in high school and a couple classes since then. Brent was frustrated most of time, but has worked very hard at it. He's much too studious and typed up his notes every night. Most of the rest of the class got to depending on him to pass those out the next day! We did go to dinner the other night and spoke Spanish through it all. Brent was even able to ask if it was alright that he had parked the car in front of the restaurant next door. She didn't speak English but understood exactly what he said because she went ouside and checked it out, came back and said it was ok where it was. And I learned that a glass of water is not the same as a glass of wine. A glass of water is "vaso" de agua and a glass of wine is "copa" de vino, or stemmed glass. After all that, we decided we needed some time off, so when another cruising couple needed a ride to the Cabo airport, we offered to give them a lift and took the opportunity to
spend a few days with our friends Tom and Sue (ex-X-Ta-Sea) who are there in their RV. Had a good visit with them. They are making the most of their time here, spending over a month in the San Jose del Cabo area before heading north. They will be here sometime around the first of March. While we were there we checked out a few hotels so we could spend a day there with Jeanette before she flies back after her visit here in March. Cabo is about two and a half hours from here, so driving down the day of her flight would make a long day for her by the time she got back to Portland. And it will give her a chance to see the Cabo area. Yesterday we bought our tickets to go to Mazatlan next week. I am sure the night passage 
on the ferry will be better than any we have done on Albion. It's an eighteen hour trip, so we got a cabin for an extra $40....am sure it will be worth it! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there. Art and Rose (Summer Rose) are there this month staying in the same condo as Will and Joann (ex-Tica). We have a reservation there also. Joann and Will have already reserved the place for five months next year and Art is saying maybe they will do two months next year. I think they are enjoying it very much. There is a restaurant at the condo, so Will doesn't ever have to worry about getting something to eat if Joann is off somewhere! Joann also made an appointment with our dentist so we can get our teeth cleaned by someone we know and trust. There is a monthly ladies luncheon here that originally was mostly cruisers but now a lot of them have moved ashore, so it's a mixture of cruisers and landlubbers now. I went last month with one of the ladies from the Spanish class and plan to go again this Thursday to Los Magueyes restaurant. It does give me a chance to find out about some of the local restaurants and make some new friends. This activity has been going on for over ten years I guess.Molly
2/11/06
Met some nice people in our Spanish class. We visited one couple today, Phil and Yvonne, where they are building their new house. Later we took them for a cruise on Albion We had a really great time. Another lady from the class, Leah, also is building in the same neighborhood so got to see her house also. Then we went to an open house at a new business nearby and ended up going for fish tacos with a group from the neighborhood. It was fun. We really haven't done much socializing here so it was a welcomed change. We also visited another couple from class, Mike and Laurie, camping out at Playa Tecolote in their 5th wheel, nice beach-front property.Molly
2/24/06
We just got back from a week in Mazatlan seeing friends and all the new building going on around the marina. We stayed in a condo on the beach, but with the average age of most of the folks there and having a restaurant right there, it felt a lot like assisted living! But all in all a good place to stay. We had enough Sauvie Island Yacht Club members there in their boats and just
visiting, to hold a meeting. We had pot luck snacks in Art and Rose's room and then all posed for a Yacht Club photo. We took the ferry over and back. It was great, only 16 hours....and the night watches were a piece of cake! The ferry was pretty basic, without any frills, but comfortable. We had a small inside cabina on the way over, so reserved an outside cabina on the way back with a forward facing window....much better! The meals, provided, were also basic....rice, beans, and chicken or shredded beef. Breakfast was potatoes, beans, and eggs or shredded beef. Good enough so that we didn't starve! Met some nice people on the way over and back, a Mexican 
couple from Mexico City and a couple from Colorado who were renovating a house in Mazatlan. We later bought return ferry tickets and reserved our old cabina for them since they couldn't get them early and they were in Cabo for a wedding.Brent
3/9/06
Jeanette, our daughter, came for a week long visit and just left. We were looking forward to it for months, and it seems a little depressing now that she's gone. We drove down to San Jose del Cabo to deliver the ferry tickets to Joe and Kerry Haska (the Colorado couple we met on the ferry). Even though we didn't get them our old cabin, we did throw a fit and got them a window cabin (they don't sell outside cabins on the way "to" Mazatlan, only "from" Mazatlan.....no reason....it's just Mexico!). Anyway, after we dropped the tickets off, we headed for the airport to get Jeanette. We got there a few minutes late and waited and waited and waited. I checked with the ticket counter and they said her flight had arrived and departed already. After about an hour, she finally walked through the turn-style. Apparently about 5 planes arrived at the same time and there was quite a line for the customs check-in. During her stay, we did a lot of exploring by driving out to Playa Tecolote, Playa Balandra, the mining town of San Juan de la
Costa, snorkeling along a rock outcropping near there, and walking the beach of the Peninsula el Mogote (looking for Nuatilus shells). We also visited some of our friends in the area, went to a local youth musician concert at the Cio Molino restaurant across the street, shopped down town La Paz, toured the aquarium, toured the La Paz malecon monuments, and laid on the beach. Of course we had to take her to several of our favorite restaurants, so she probably ate more than normal. To work that off, she went 
jogging, walking, or did exercises 
every morning.We decided to take her to the airport a day early and spend the night in Cabo so it wouldn't be such a long day on her way home. San Jose del Cabo is 2.5 hours from La Paz. On the way, we stopped at the artist community of Totos Santos and browsed the shops. Then it was off to Cabo and fight the crowds from two cruise ships wondering around town. The place we stayed, Marbella Suites, was a very nice with a great view of Cabo's "land's end" and the anchored ships. Jeanette even got to lounge at the pool. The morning of her departure, we drove to San Jose and did some additional shopping along Blvd. Antonio Mijares. WE HAD A GREAT TIME!Now it's time to get the boat ready for a fast trip back up the Baja and across the Sea to San Carlos for an April 12 scheduled haul-out.
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