Hagerstown, MD to Friday Harbor, WA

 Location:  Friday Harbor, WA

We posted the last blog from Hagerstown, Maryland where we were pet sitting with Lizzie the cat.  Since then we have driven across the United States, via the southern route, while pet sitting, visiting family and sight-seeing along the way.  We are now pet sitting two cats, Bodhi and Bijoux, in Friday Harbor, Washington. 

Sunrise from Seabiscuit's stern, Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes, WA

 The map below shows our route across the US.

November 4 - 20, 2022,  Hagerstown, Maryland:  We actually started our pet sit with Lizzie in late October (see the previous blog).  We had another two+ weeks and continued to enjoy our stay.  Lizzie's favorite activity was cuddling and she took every chance she had to join us while watching TV, reading, napping or working on the computer. We also took some time to explore the area and did some day hikes.  And, we bought a new set of tires for our pickup truck.  

Lizzie on the screened porch.

A lift bridge across the C&O canal in Williamsport, MD.

The C&O turning basin in Williamsport, MD.

Lizzie and Dave watching TV.

Lizzie warming up Dave's coveralls before he goes outside to mulch leaves.

Lizzie helping us pack up our stuff.

November 20 - 23, 2022 - Hagerstown, MD to Hendersonville, NC:  We packed up our stuff and left Hagerstown on Sunday, November 20th.  We stopped for the night in Blacksburg, VA.  Monday we drove from Blacksburg, VA to Asheville, NC where we stopped and wandered around downtown and had lunch at Bear's Smokehouse.  After driving through the River Arts District, we hopped onto I-40 West, then drove up the mountain roads to Cherokee, NC.  We spent two nights at the Harrah's casino in Cherokee and celebrated Dave's 70th birthday there.  Wednesday, November 23, we drove from Cherokee to Hendersonville, NC to start our next pet sit.

November 23 - 26, 2022 - Hendersonville, North Carolina:  Wednesday night, Jane and Sammy, our hosts in Hendersonville, gave us an overview of their home and what was required to take care of their two cats, Marty and Indy, and their parrot, Ernie.  Jane cooked us a nice supper and we played a game of Hand and Foot before calling it a day.  Thursday morning, Jane and Sammy left to go visit family for a few days and we settled in with the cats and Ernie.  The weather was nice while we were there and we walked every day.  Friday night was the tree lighting ceremony in downtown Hendersonville.  We went downtown mid-afternoon and watched them setting up the tree and the holiday market.

Marty checking out our cold bag to see if there was anything in it for him.

Indy liked to drink from the sink faucet.

The town Christmas tree as it was being set up in front of the courthouse, Hendersonville, NC.

Indy and Marty saying good bye to us as we left the house.

November 26 - December 8, 2022 - Hendersonville, NC to Austin, TX:  We packed our bags on Saturday morning and headed south towards Augusta, GA.  We met up with my Uncle Max and Aunt Darlene there and had a nice visit along with an afternoon walk at the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park.  My cousin Morgan had to work, so we didn't get to spend any time with him, but we did stop by his work to say hello.

Alligator at the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park.

From Augusta, we drove to Dothan, AL where we spent one night, then on to Biloxi, MS for a night at the casino.  Tuesday we drove to Casino Coushatta in Louisiana to try our luck there.  The next morning we drove into Houston.  We spent a week there, going to our annual doctor's appointments, eye appointments, etc.  Everything checked out and we got to see a few friends and hike a few trails while we were there. 

Turtles on a log at the Houston Arboretum.

Great Horned Owl mural at the Houston Arboretum

December 8 - 11, 2022 - Austin, TX:  We drove from Houston to Austin on Thursday, December 8 for a few days.  We were hoping to see the kids and grandkids while we were in Austin but the grandkids weren't feeling well and neither was Dave so, rather than spreading our germs around, we decided to wait until next time to see everyone.  We did pick up a short, one night, dog sit while we were there and enjoyed spending time with Beaux and Lucy.

Dave in the backyard playing ball with Lucy.

Beaux and Lucy playing ball together.

Beaux resting while protecting the ball.

Beaux, Lucy, Dave and I had a great time playing.

Unfortunately, the ball didn't survive.

December 11 - 18, 2022 - Austin, TX to Santa Fe, NM:  We left Austin Sunday afternoon and drove to Junction, TX where we spent the night.  Monday we drove to Fort Davis and checked into a B&B downtown so that we could spend a few nights exploring the area.  We spent the afternoon wandering around the Fort Davis Historic Site, which was a frontier military post during the mid to late 1800s.  Tuesday we hiked the trails near the Davis Mountains State Park.  It was a beautiful clear night and after the sun went down, we drove up to Skyline Drive to look at the stars.  There is very little light pollution in the area and Mars and Jupiter were both visible.

Fort Davis Historic Site

Dave hiking up a trail at Davis Mountains State Park.

The view from the top of the hill.

We left Fort Davis on Wednesday morning and headed north.  This part of Texas is oilfield country and things were hopping.  Lots of drilling rigs, pump jacks and trucks hauling equipment.  We stopped in Pecos for lunch and the restaurant was full of oilfield workers.  Things slowed down after we crossed the state line into New Mexico.  We stopped in the town of Carlsbad for the night, had a nice walk along the Pecos River and bought a few groceries.  For happy hour, we had a beer at a local brewery downtown Carlsbad and then had a nice supper at a local restaurant.

We checked out of our hotel Thursday morning and drove to Carlsbad Caverns where we spent most of the day exploring.

Aoudad (Barbary Sheep) on the drive to Carlsbad Caverns.

The entrance to the caverns if you walk down instead of riding the elevator.

The "whale" formation in the cavern.

An old ladder leading down to the lower level of the caverns.

After our tour of the caverns, we drove up to Roswell, NM and spent the night there.  The next morning we went to the International UFO Museum and Research Center in downtown Roswell.  Although the museum is a little hokey, the story boards about the government "cover-ups" of the 1947 UFO incident are interesting to read.

The Dunkin' Donuts sign in Roswell. 
The town is filled with alien figures and references to the 1947 UFO incident.

A mock-up of an alien research subject at the UFO Museum.

From Roswell, we drove north up into the mountains surrounding Santa Fe.  We stopped for lunch at a cafe in Vaughn and took a hike in the Galisteo Basin.  

B hiking in the Galisteo Basin, south of Santa Fe, NM.

Our pet sit didn't start until Monday so we checked into an AirBnB for the weekend.  Saturday we went to the farmers market in the Railyard area, walked through the art market and had lunch at a local restaurant.  Trusted House Sitters, the website that we use to find our pet sits, hosted a get together for pet sitters and pet parents at a local cider house on Saturday night.  It was cold and snowing outside so it was a small group, but it gave us a good chance to chat with everyone who was there.

The Trusted House Sitters meet-up in Santa Fe, NM

Sunday morning we drove out to Eldorado, a community south of Santa Fe, for a walk through of our upcoming pet sit.  Jane and Daniel, and their son Samuel, walked us through the house, showed us where the breaker box, water shut-off, etc. were and we got to meet Heidi and Cecily, the two cats.  We stopped for a hike on our way back into Santa Fe.

The view from our hike on a trail south of Santa Fe, NM.

December 19 - 25, Santa Fe, New Mexico:  We started our pet sit with Heidi and Cecily on Monday, December 19.  The cats both loved to play and we had multiple play sessions with them through-out the day.  There are a lot of hiking trails in the Eldorado area and there was a green belt behind the house.  We went out hiking every afternoon and enjoyed the clear, fresh air of the mountain desert.

Cecily, the striped tabby, and Heidi, the calico, greeting us when we arrived at the house.

Dave spinning the fishing rod toy with the purple feather lure while Heidi and Cecily watch.

Heidi and Cecily playing with the purple feather lure.

Cecily in our shopping bag.

A beautiful sunset from the front yard.

                Heidi snuggled on B's lap for a nap.                  

         Cecily taking a break from play time.      

December 25, 2022 - January 6, 2023, Santa Fe, NM to Colusa, CA:  We left Santa Fe mid-morning on December 25 and drove west to Winslow, Arizona where we spent the night.  Monday we drove from Winslow to Las Vegas, Nevada for two nights of fun and gambling.  We didn't have any luck at the casinos this time.  Wednesday we drove into California and spent the night in Visalia and Thursday we drove from Visalia to Colusa to visit B's family. 

While in Colusa, we went for our daily walks, played cards, went out to the Colusa Casino, went to Yuba City to do some shopping and played pinochle in Willows.  We had some nice family time and enjoyed unlaxing.

January 6 - January 12, 2023 - Colusa, CA to Anacortes, WA:  We left Colusa on Friday, January 6 and drove north to Medford, Oregon for the night.  We spent Saturday night in Vancouver, Washington and on Sunday we drove into Anacortes.  We stayed on Seabiscuit at the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes for a few nights.  It was nice to be on board and we enjoyed our time in the marina.  Steve and James, our boating friends on High Slack, pulled into the marina on Wednesday night and we had a nice visit with them, telling sea stories and catching up.

Seabiscuit at the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, WA

On Thursday, January 12 we caught the ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

Watching another ferry leave Friday Harbor as we were approaching.

Approaching the ferry dock in Friday Harbor, WA

We had a few days of handover with June and David before they left for their vacation in Mexico.  The two cats, Bodhi and Bijoux are keeping us entertained.  The island is beautiful; we have found most of the hiking trails and have been hiking almost every day.  

Bodhi enjoying some time on Dave's lap.

The view of the Cattle Point Lighthouse from the Mount Finlayson trail on the southeast side of the island.

Sunrise over Willow Pond (our front yard)

Bijoux helping B with the computer.

Bodhi attacking Dave's slippers.

A red fox near the Cattle Point lighthouse.

Dave has been back and forth to Anacortes a few times to do maintenance on the boat and has done some maintenance on the Chevy.  B is volunteering at the local animal shelter two days a week.

Bijoux contemplating the box.

Bodhi in the box.

Snow day!  We woke up to a winter wonderland.

Bijoux likes to dig through the toy box and pick out the next toy she wants to play with.  If you look closely you can see her paw on the kicker toy.

Bijoux playing with the kicker toy that she selected from the toy basket.

Bodhi in the bag.

Dave working on our pick-up. There is a well known issue with the transfer case on our Chevy make and model year:  the pump in the transfer case can rub against the case, create a hole and cause it to leak and eventually self-destruct.   
Dave removed the transfer case and installed a BRNY adapter plate to prevent this from happening.

A view of the house from across the pond.

We're be here until early May.

Until next time...

Freedom, NH to Hagerstown, MD, USA

Location:  Hagerstown, MD

After a fun vacation in Mackinac Island with my mom and cousins, Dave and I spent time in New England with family and friends, drove to Virginia for an overlander show and a pet sit, flew to Las Vegas and we are now in Maryland on another pet sit.  

Pete and Dave working on our Chevy

Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA September 24 - October 6, 2022

Dave picked me up at the airport in Portland, Maine where we spent the night.  The next morning we drove up to Edgecomb to visit with friends Brian and Kathy.  The last time we saw them was when they spent the night with us on Seabiscuit, anchored near Camden, Maine, ten years ago.  It's amazing how fast time goes by.  We enjoyed catching up, told lots of stories, took a walk in the woods and ate supper in Damariscotta.

Kathy, Brian and Dave hiking near Edgecomb, Maine

From Edgecomb, ME, we made our way to Freedom, NH to visit with family.  Dave and his brother, Pete, spent their time doing maintenance on our pickup trucks.  Most of the work was preventive.  Our 2007 Chevy Silverado has over 170,000 miles on it and Dave researched things that typically fail once they reach a certain age and/or mileage.  We're planning on doing some overland travel with the pickup after we sell Seabiscuit and want to make sure things are in good condition before heading out into the boonies.

On our Chevy, they replaced the water pump, the serpentine belt, the idler pulleys, the temperature sensor, the transmission cooling lines and pressure tested the turbo, plus got the radiator repaired.  They spent a lot of time chasing parts and disassembling things so that they could reach the things that needed to be fixed.  

While the guys worked, Cathy, Julie and I visited, hiked and enjoyed the local area.  We spent most evenings out near the fire pit, relaxing in the cool night air.

Pete and Dave working on Pete's truck.  They took off the passenger tire to gain access to the cold air side boost tube so Pete could check the clamp torque.

Dave taking things apart on our Chevy to get at the things that need to be fixed

Pete getting out from under the truck.  Ouch, it hurts to be old!

Pete and Dave taking a cookie break after a hard day's work

A hole in the radiator, how did that happen?

Cathy, Julie and B drove up the Kancamagus Highway and took a hike along Rocky Gorge on the Swift River

B and Cathy downtown Wolfeboro, NH

Something more fun, working on Pete's motorcycle jacket heater.

The view from Mary's Mountain, Freedom, NH

Julie making zucchini bread

Bill (Amy's cat) and Ollie (Pete's cat)

A hike around a pond, Freedom, NH

Enjoying time with the family around the fire pit - Mia, Erin, Mike, Mariah, Cathy, Dave, Pete and Julie

An afternoon with Maura and Brad's dogs, Carma and Saco, on the shore of Lake Ossipee

With the work on the pickup trucks complete, Dave and I said our goodbyes and headed south.  We drove Highway 1A down the New Hampshire sea coast, past Wentworth by the Sea where Seabiscuit spent the winter of 2011, along Rye Beach, and into Massachusetts.  

We arrived at Patti and Al's house in Beverly Farms in time for happy hour and supper and enjoyed an evening reminiscing about the good times we had cruising down the coast in the summer of 2012 and the annual trips that they made with us in other exotic location.

Al, Dave and Patti telling stories at Patti and Al's house in Beverly Farms, MA

The next day we all loaded into the van and drove the scenic route along the coast and through some fancy neighborhoods to Gloucester - first to West Beach, then Singing Beach and Black Beach and along Hesperus Drive to Manchester and Magnolia.  We stopped at a bakery in Gloucester for a loaf of french bread then drove back to the house.  We had delicious roast beef sandwiches from Ellie's then spent the rest of the afternoon chatting.  For supper, Al and Dave made fresh lobster rolls, yum!

West Beach

The Patti Party Van

The next day, Dave and I headed west, through Vermont and into western Massachusetts.  We drove some of the back roads, stopped and bought Vermont Maple Syrup and cheddar cheese and looked out over the hills at the trees changing from their summer to fall wardrobes.  

The fall foliage in Vermont.

We stopped for the night in Williamstown, MA.  The next morning we drove south down Highway 7 through the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, through Sheffield where Patti grew up, into Connecticut, across the southeastern corner of New York and into Pennsylvania.  We stayed the night in Wilkes-Barre.

Hiking in October Mountain State Forest near Lee, MA.

The West Cornwall Covered Bridge, CT.

Motorcycles entering the West Cornwall Covered Bridge, CT.

Waterfalls at Kent Falls State Park, CT

Virginia and Las Vegas, October 7 - 24, 2022

We left Wilkes-Barre, PA on the morning of October 7th and drove south to Lancaster, PA in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  We had lunch at the Central Market in downtown Lancaster and bought some goodies to take with us on the road.  From there we drove south and west through Maryland and West Virginia and into Virginia where we stopped in Staunton for two nights.  

Overland Expo East was in Arrington, Virginia for the weekend.  We spent most of the day on Saturday wandering around the Expo, looking at the displays of camping and off-road gear and talking with the owners and manufacturers of pop-up truck campers.

Pop-up truck camper manufactured by Four Wheel Campers

Pop-up truck camper manufactured by OEV (Overland Explorer Vehicles)

We had a few days to explore before our next pet sit, so we decided to go to Virginia Beach for a few days.  The weather there was beautiful and we spent our time walking along the beach boardwalk and eating at the seafood restaurants along the shore.

A statue on the Virginia Beach boardwalk.

On Wednesday, October 12, we drove from Virginia Beach to Midlothian, VA, a suburb of Richmond, for a pet sit with Cricket.  The house was near the James River and we walked down to the river almost every day.  We spent a day at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in downtown Richmond, did a few yard chores and enjoyed our time with Cricket.

Cricket, Midlothian, VA.

Dave splitting wood

A walk along the James River

Cricket in her back yard.

Cricket's parents, Gay-Lynn and Bob, returned home from their vacation on Monday, October 17th.  On the 18th, Dave and I flew to Las Vegas for our annual October trip. We, i.e. Dave, was really lucky and hit two big jackpots playing Pai Gow poker at the Flamingo.

The Texas Divas from Houston watching the Astros play-off game at the Bellagio sports bar.

Our first night in Vegas Dave hit a Royal Flush at the Pai Gow table.
On our last night in Vegas, Dave hit a Royal Flush at the Pai Gow table, same table, same seat!

We flew back to Richmond, VA on Saturday.  On Sunday, we drove to Charlottesville and on Monday we toured the house and grounds at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's estate.

Monticello near Charlottesville, VA

Hagerstown, Maryland October 25 - November 20, 2022

We are now in Hagerstown, Maryland, pet sitting with Lizzie the cat.  We're here until November 20th.

Lizzie ready to help cook supper.

Dave mulching leaves

Statue of "The Fishing Lesson" at Hagerstown City Park

Lap time with Lizzie

Until next time...