Last boat trip in Panama City, more birds

Took a short boat trip to "Shell Island" today.  Tied up to a not used pier that was used by lots of birds as a roost.

In this case the name was not totally hype.  Lots of small shells, lots of broken shells (large and small).   Yesterdays big wind of 25 MPH caused a strange condition with the shells.  Shells end up on a small pile of sand, 1/4" to 1/2" high.  Big areas with shells like this.  pretty cool.

Pulled the boat out this afternoon, packed it up for road trip and left it in the Marina parking lot.  The marina is going to put a picture and write up about us in their newsletter. 

While getting ready to leave a Great Blue Heron stood on one leg on the dock watching us.  Looking for fish scraps, normally very shy birds.

Next; two day road trip to Ft Myers Florida.

Ocean waves

While we wait out "severe" thunderstorms in the 16th floor condo I watch the waves.  This picture shows the larger rolling waves coming in parallel to the beach along with some smaller waves forming from the upper left.  The larger rollers have been there since we arrived and are from out in the gulf.  Smaller and newly formed waves are from the current thunderstorms. 

Waiting out the Weather

Spent a day doing laundry, shopping, and hanging out in the condo in Panama City Florida. 
Frances made some laundry bags, I made a flag pole for the boat.  Outside it rained and thundered.  Looks like a couple of days with no boating weather.

Condo resort in Panama City Beach Plus big rain

Today's weather was lots of rain and thunderstorms, lots means 2 inches in one day.  This is very different from northwest rain.  Visibility down to about 1/2 mile.  We will be off the open water for a couple of days until the thunderstorms are over.  Not good to be the highest point in a big bay during thunderstorms, not only that but can't see much during a rain dump.   Luckly we checked into the condo resort today.   We left the boat this morning right as the rain started, ran errands during the rain dump, and moved into the Condo.  Now we have stuff in three places; Truck, Condo, and Boat -- this means that whatever we need is somewhere else!  But no whining, this is a great life.

Upper Florida's ICW Trees

This addition to the daily blog is by Frances:
The vegetation along the Upper Florida's ICW is interesting.  The most striking is the tall straight pine trees with their root systems.  The trees have one main root that goes straight down as an extension of the tree into the ground then there are roots that grow out perpendicular from the base at ground level (which is horizontal to the ground).  Once these shoots are 3-4 feet long, they then grow straight down/veritically into the earth.  You can only see this once the water has washed away all the sand and dirt away from the roots.  The photos are of these trees.

The rest of the vegetation is magnolia trees, small palm trees, kudzu (a vine that will climb on trees and kill them) and marsh grasses.  These are the ones that I recognize and find fascinating since none of them grow wild in the Pacific NW.

For my quilter friends that are following our blog, I went to the Quilting by the Bay Quilt Shop here in Panama City Beach on Tuesday.  It is a really nice shop with lots of beautiful fabric, patterns, ideas, notions, and small kits for pincushions and larger kits for quilts.  The ladies at the shop were really nice and I had a good time talking with them about being from the Seattle area.  I got a small pincushion kit, several patterns, a couple of charm packs and two Kaffe Fassett fat quarters (bright purple, pink, green, blue on brilliant red background).  Too much fun!!!  I think of all of you often and am missing my monthly Cascade Quilters Meeting.  I plan to go to several more quilt shops on our travels and will write about them when I do.

Back in Panama City Beach

After our trip thru the grand canyon of Florida.  we spent the night at anchor.  Its very different here than in the San Juans.  In the San Juans the problem is finding water that is shallow enough far enough from shore so that when the wind changes you won't be on land.  No problem here, in the enormous Choctawhatchee Bay which is roughly 5 miles wide and 25 miles long, none of which is deeper than 15 feet. Since the tide is about 1 foot max change that leaves the entire bay available to anchor.  So the problem becomes finding a place that is deep enough to anchor close enough to shore to give protection from the wind. 
After a nice nite in a good anchorage we are back in Panama City Beach at the Marina.

Water can have different density's

While traveling thru the "grand canyon of Florida" we observed a interesting sight.  This is apparently where fresh water comes into the salty and very muddy water of the canal.  The two waters have different densities and can exist in their pure forms without mixing unless there is something causing them to mix together.  Because the salty canal water is very muddy and the fresh water is clear it makes a dramatic difference in the apparence of the water. 

Florida's Grand Canyon

We went today thru the land cut called "Florida's Grand Canyon".  This is a stretch even by Florida standards.  Given the highest point in Florida is 345 feet, the land cut can be no more than 100 feet at its highest, hardly compares to the grand canyon at more than a mile (5280 feet).  But suspend disbelief of the name, its pretty cool.  A canal dug to make the ICW connect Panama City with Desitin about 50 miles long.  It is used hardly at all, we saw two boats on the canal.  The soil is like a very soft sandstone or a packed sand.  Even the dark bands that look like rock are a dark sand pressed together that crumbles when touched.  The banks show some dramatic erosion results.  The dreged materials are dumped along side the upper bank of the canal.  Some of these remain as large sand dunes and have 4 wheeler tracks in it.

Entering the cut from the west end (Panama City End), actual at this end a swampy creek.

 

oops a navagation marker bouy out of place. Thats whay they don't all match the charts.



 

Starting to climb the cliff at the deepest cut.

Looking east from the top of the deepest cut.

 

Boat and Fran at the Base.

Eroded cliff.

 

We are at anchor in Hogstown Bayou for tonight with a beautiful sunset.

 

 

 

Day at the Marina and Birds

Today we stuck around the marina.  Cleaned up the Boat,  a bottle of vanilla spilled and made a sticky mess, a can of soda exploded on the floor from the cold temperatures. Ran some errands for supplies.  Of course we went to a famous quilt shop...By the Bay and Frances had a good time.
Fishing is big here and the marinas have a fish cleaning station with running water and a table.  This marina discourages throwing the scraps to the birds but not everyone does, thus when the birds see someone at a table near the water they come over and hang out looking for a handout.  Frances got some very good shots of Pelicans and Great Blue Heron.

On the Dock at Panama City Beach

Changed from Road trip to Boat trip mode.  Complicated because it is still too cold to leave cold weather gear in the truck.  So the boat is packed.  Did the set up and transfer in the Motel parking lot.  Took a couple of hours.  Here we are ready to roll to the boat launch.

After getting boat launched and on the dock we went for a walk to the beach.  Very windy!  Fran picked up some shells.  She is limiting herself to a single small container for all shells to take home.  we will see if this holds up.

This is a very good marine for Trailerable boats.  For the normal per foot, per day fee ($1/foot) they include using their boat ramp to launch and retrieve and park the truck and trailer.  The season her does not really get going until March so we mostly have the place to ourselves.  Her we are on the dock.

Big road trip over

We saw the Gulf at 12:30 today.  Checked out the Marina, Checked into Motel for one more night, washed the road grime off the boat.  Shopped for groceries, and washed clothes.  Boat in the water tomorrow!  Total miles 3222, in 10 days. 

Very close to destination for Road Trip

Today in Dothan Alabama.  We are two hours away from the end of the Road Trip.  After yesterdays over doing it today wa a much better day of 331 miles.  Total miles as of today is 3098.  Miles per gallon have varied from 9.2 to 11 MPG.  Variables are mountain slopes, head wind, and truck speed.  I think but am not going to do an experiment to prove it that the wind shield I built adds about 0.5 MPG.

Now in Tupelo Mississippi after driving from Joplin Missouri,  Went all the way across Arkansas and cut the corner of Tennessee.

We were so excited about being close to the end of this road trip that we went too far!  More than 500 miles and 10 hours of driving!  It beat us up.  New Guidelines, limit to 6-7 hours driving per day.

Relearned somthing we already knew,  don't believe everything on the Internet.  Fran searched for quilt shops and reviewed their ratings, we tried to go to one but it was in fact a persons home and not a shop.  Interesting drive but no result at the end.

Another observation is that in our mode of life, retired and traveling, you may not be aware of events going on in the rest of the culture.  Sure we knew it was valentines day on thursday but didn't tie into that friday after valentines day and before a long weekend would cause the restaurants to be packed.  Plus here in Tupelo Mississippi restaurants can serve booze while the 8 surrounding counties are dry.  This added to the packed restaurant, so we sat at the bar and had a great meal with drinks.  Turned out pretty well.

Kansas Tall Grass Prairie

We took a side trip to visit the Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, Kansas.  It preserves what once covered 1/3 of north America.  To be truthful it looks like the rest of Kansas Hills covered with grass.  It also preserves a reminder that newly rich people go overboard in all ages.  A fellow with money from other ventures sets himself up on a Kansas ranch in 1882 and builds an over the top house and barn and outbuildings.  In current dollars about $1.5 Million on a ranch.  Called spring hill ranch built with local limestone blocks.
Here is the barn,

Here is the House,

The outbuildings are built the same way with limestone blocks; ice house, outhouse, curing house, and my favorite the chicken house.  A vaulted roof covered with sod and grass, old gas pump in front.

Of course we found the quilting connection.  A quilting frame as an exhibit in the house.

We were totally off the interstate highway today.  The midwest states were settled and gridded N/S and E/W.  Thus there are virtually no diagonal roads, they all follow the grid, so we followed a stairstep pattern of south for 20  miles, then east for 20 miles on state roads.  Tonight in Joplin Missouri.

Keel boats and Great Lunch

Day 6 of road trip.  Weather is much better with temps in the mid 50's.  A park in Nebraska (Onawa) has four replicas of the keel boats Lewis and Clark used to go up the Missouri in 1804.  Roughly built with walking platforms instead of thwarts (seats) used to pole the boat upstream.  Like a barge with slight rounding of the bow.

For lunch we had a farmers meal in the town of Auburn Nebraska at Darlings Cafe. Real farmers in coveralls.  Generous servings lunch special today;  cold slaw, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, corn, ice tea.  All for $6.50, and a selection of a dozen types of Pie. We took out leftovers and had it for dinner as well. 

Quilt shops, birds, buffalo

Our personal best today....3 quilt shops more than 75 miles apart in a single day!  Used all the tools to find them,  published books, cell phone for calls, cell phone for maps. 
Here is the inside of one shop.

Saw two herds of Buffalo ( no pictures, went by too fast and Frances slept thru one.

On a liquid spot surrounded by ice and snow on a creek feeding the Missouri river in the town of Chamberlain ND saw lots of ducks resting and flying around.  zoom in, the spots in the water are large ducks.

Out of the snow and the daily high temp was 42.  It changed quickly when we went from east bound to south bound at Sioux Falls ND.  Tonight in Sioux City Iowa.

Day 3 and 4 of Road Trip..thru the snow

Last two days getting thru the snow.  I think we are out of it now. Tonight in a small summer town in South Dakota. Murdo. When I say summer town, almost everything is closed for the season. We are one of two rooms used in best western motel, only one restaurant open in town.

While driving through the snow/ice from yesterdays storm, I realized that being in Florida in the winter may be great but getting there from the frozen north could be difficult!

This is Sunday during a snow storm on the way to Sheridan Wyoming.

This is today (monday) clear and cold with temps about 20F.

After 50 miles of this the road cleared and it was a great wide open vista day across Wyoming and into South Dakota.

 

On the way to one of the excellent rest stops in Wyoming we saw these mud daubber nest under the freeway.  Excellent rest stop means heated, with hot water.  Different from Washington state rest areas.

 

Day two of road trip

Tried to find a Quilt shop in Spokane that Frances had bought fabric from over the web, had address in a quilt book..but no longer there.  New travel guideline....use phone and call first to make sure attractions are still there.  It's a new world where we carry phones with us and maybe us older people are not fully there yet.   Went over three mountain passes today, Milage still at 9.7mpg.  Roads bare and dry until close to Butte Mt where they got very slippery.  Stopped for the night in a very busy Best Western In Butte Mt.

Here is Frances at a rest stop with light snow.

First day of road trip

We left home at 12:12pm after a morning of finishing packing!  Do we have what we need, only time will tell.  Even so it's a pretty civilized country so we could find what we left. Day one milage 274.
I am pretty pleased to be going.

the full rig, including wind deflector to give better milage.

Feb 5, 2013
Busy packing and making curtains and screens.  Aim to leave Friday very early!