Two Trailer Sailors Learn Hard Lessons # 1

Blog post # 1

I may take some liberty with truths to illustrate what I feel are important points.

Mike and Tom, both own trail-able sailboats and have decided to take family vacations in the San Juan Islands.

Tom has been burning up the internet downloading and printing everything he can find.  Mike and his family are making supply lists and discussing parks to visit. The appointed day finally arrives and their little two rig caravan heads north on Interstate Five. Within a few minutes Mike’s cell phone is ringing, Tom is having problems controlling his SUV and trailer. Several times he has had dangerous swaying episodes; one time so bad the car swerved out of its lane and almost collided with another vehicle. He was lucky to be able to slow down and get it under control.  They agree to pull into the next rest stop a few miles ahead. At the rest stop, Tom is visibly shaken, his wife and kids don't want to continue, sure that they will have a bad accident. Tom says he has never experienced anything like this before.  Mike as usual, calmly assesses the situation and begins asking Tom questions while holding his hand next to one of the trailer tires which is too hot to touch. How much pressure is in your tires? What is the maximum trailer weight your car is designed to tow? Do you have good brakes on the trailer? Mike then shoves on the SUV noticing how soft the suspension is. Tom brags about how great his little truck is, and how it smoothes out the roughest roads. Tom has no answers to any of Mike’s questions, especially the last one about tongue weight.  In fact Tom offers that when they were loading gear in the boat they had to pull down on the hitch to get it attached to the car. They climb up into the boat and what a sight.  Tom and family have brought everything they own, three ice chests, a cast iron Dutch oven, cases of pop, cases and jugs of water.  The back of the boat is stacked full across the back end. Mike says, this is your problem, come on, we need to move some of this weight forward.  Tom is fortunate this time.  The experts say you should have about 10-15% or your total weight sitting on your hitch.  Inadequate tongue weight is a major cause of losing control. Shortly both rigs are back on the road and looking for a service station to get some more pressure in Tom’s tires.  Tom doesn't have trailer tires like Mike, the maximum psi marked on the side of his tires is 42 lbs.  Under inflation and overweight loads cause the tires to run hot and could eventually lead to a blow out. Mikes tires are running just a little warm to the touch, he has trailer service tires and are marked maximum 85 psi.. Back on the road again Mike wonders to himself, what’s next?

Timothy Lake Sailing (Mt Hood, Oregon)

Timothy Lake Sailing  (Mt Hood, Oregon)

Our family has visited Timothy Lake every year for more than thirty years.  Most of these trips have been so I can sail the different boats I have hauled up and over the many passes on Mt Hood.  So I have some local knowledge to share with other sailors.  First off, yes it’s a very good place to go camping and bring your boats.  Timothy Lake has four main campgrounds each with its own boat ramp.  I’ll list off the campgrounds so anyone that wants may  google them and  make reservations to camp.  #1 Oak Fork Campground, #2 Gone Creek Campground, #3 Hoodview Campground, #4 Pine Point Campground.  All four are great, but Gone Creek is my favorite for sailing. All the campgrounds have day use areas where you can park and launch your boat if you don’t plan to camp.  It’s about two hours back to Portland, thirty minutes back to Government Camp.  But don’t bring just any boat, deep draft fin keels may not float off your trailer.  All the ramps are shallow which means if your boat needs two or more feet of water to float off the trailer you may be very unhappy, or plan to do some winching and shoving.  Boats with dagger boards and some swing keels are fairly easy to launch and beach.  Hobie Cats, Lasers, Lightnings  and all the car toppers are perfect.  There are no docks so plan to beach your boat or wade to shore.  Timothy Lake is man made and before they built the earth dam back in the fifties it was a forest, so there are lots of large tree stumps just below the surface along the shore line.  The stumps are a little creepy but really don’t pose a problem, and each of the campgrounds have nice beaches that are stump free (sort of).  Unlike some lakes, at Timothy they never seem to lower the water level, we always have a full lake.  The water is very clean and clear and eighty feet at the deepest.  The water temperature is fairly warm,  children and adults have no problem swimming and spending the day engaged in water activities.  There is a ten mph speed limit so you won’t see any water skiers or jet skis unless they are risking a ticket. This is not a high wind lake in the summer.  Some days are totally calm, which is great for canoeing.  It’s a great place for beginners and children to learn boating and sailing.  Even on calm days  you can count on a little afternoon thermal breeze for about two hours.  This is not to say that the wind doesn’t come up, I have capsized Hobies and flown a pontoon many times .  Timothy Lake is about  1 ½ miles by 1 ½  miles which is small enough that you can see most the lake and know where you and the kids are, but it still makes a nice long tack depending on your boat speed.  The hiking  and biking trail around the lake is about 12 miles and very  worthwhile.  At 3200 feet elevation the evenings can get  crispy around the campfire, but 75 plus degrees day time temperatures are common also.  Many people park in the campground day use lots and boat camp across the lake in the woods.  The campgrounds will fill up on weekends so reservations are a must in July and August.

John

Anacortes Area Boat Ramps

Anacortes Area Boat Ramps

Once again, I find myself daydreaming.  I remember looking for a boat ramp near Anacortes that we could use for a San Juan Island cruise.  Sounds easy enough except not having any local knowledge and living 275 miles away in Portland makes it hard to plan a simple summer cruise. I had some specific requirements, #1 the ramp had to have a dock to get on and off the boat while we changed from a land based existence to a water based life.  #2 the ramp had to be concrete so the car had traction plus it had to be steep enough to float the boat off the trailer without submerging the car.  #3 we had to have long-term parking for the car and trailer without fear of vandalism or theft.  #3.5 I didn’t want to pay more than $10 a day to park.  #4 I wanted access 24/7 just in case something came up.  These are minimum requirements anyone would want.  Once an acceptable ramp was located we could shove off from Portland and head up Interstate 5 with our good ship “Sunshine” in tow.  There are many other issues that come into play, for instance having a bystander help me lift “Lollipop”  (our dinghy) from the roof of the Excursion is a big plus.  Having a level staging area that we can monopolize for 2 hours while the mast goes up is a bonus too. While were dreaming, how about a clean bathroom because most ramp kybos are totally gross.  Lets switch gears for just a second and ask, "Why am I looking for a launch ramp"? Many people that go to Anacortes with a boat on a trailer will go straight to one of several marinas that provide a travel hoist service and will sling the boat into the water  (no this doesn’t mean throw it) the problem with slinging the boat is #1 the cost is about $175 in and $175 out.  #2 you must schedule a time and date in advance or risk waiting all-day or overnight if you show up unannounced.  Even if you have an appointment, you may still wait overnight if the marina has problems with other customers.  They work 8 to 5 but you may show up after hours wanting to go home and on and on. On the plus side marinas have supplies, nice kybos, pretty safe parking lots, and answer the phone during business hours. In addition, keeping your trailer out of salt water is a huge benefit. 

Washington Park

There are three ramps in the Anacortes area that I have used and know something about.

Easy Way to Visit Victoria and Butchart Gardens

Easy Way to Visit Victoria and Butchart Gardens

excerpts from  www.triptalkusa.com
Recently while talking with an acquaintance about visiting Victoria, I said what's your e-mail I'll send you some ideas to help you plan a visit.  I thought I would try to put together something useful for everyone and post it on Trip Talk
As everyone knows Victoria BC is on Vancouver Island and a little tough to get to. Using the Ferry system is the only practical method but bringing your car is costly, time consuming, and not needed for a simple Victoria Butchart Garden visit. During the tourist season (flowers are best late in June, early July) the only Ferry is the MV Coho and you may have to wait in long lines and possibly miss a sailing time putting your entire trip off schedule. (there is also a ferry and bus ride via Sidney, but the MV Coho is more direct from the states) Once in Victoria your car is not needed and a pain to park, coming back to the mainland you will repeat the lines all over again. I must mention if your trip is a circle you will have no choice but to drag the vehicle with you. A circle would be to depart Port Angeles, visit Victoria, drive to Sydney and take Ferry to Vancouver or the San Juans and back to the mainland to continue your travels.  Here's what we have done several times.  Arrive in Port Angeles Friday afternoon or night, and go straight to the ferry terminal.  Find out when the first Ferry leaves in the morning, now figure out where the free parking is so you wont waste anytime in the morning looking.  Next go to a campground nearby  (or get a motel)  get comfy have dinner and a glass of your favorite beverage. First thing Saturday morning leave your campsite (don't pack up) and drive into PA, find a free parking spot and walk the 4-8 blocks to the MV Coho Ferry terminal.  Plan to arrive just a few minutes before boarding or sailing time (these are different times) depending on if you want to sleep in and stress out or not.. Yes your going as a foot passenger so bring your day packs.  With the money you have saved by leaving the car behind buy yourself breakfast as soon as you board, and take the best seats on the boat.  By now you are way ahead of all the car people still loading onto the car deck below. Some of the car people still in line on shore are likely to miss this sailing if the ship if full. When you arrive in Victoria you will disembark in the inner harbor in front of the Empress Hotel.  Everything is an easy walk, and you will be off the boat before the first car unloads.  You should plan to take the last sailing back to PA in the evening, where your campsite (or motel room) is waiting. While in Victoria there is plenty to see and do, in my opinion you must plan a visit to Butchart Gardens and plan all your other sightseeing around the garden visit.
  



 

We like to go to the garden late in the day and walk the tour just before dark, then wait for dark and walk again after the lights come up.  One of the scheduled double decker  bus tours is timed to arrive back in Victoria in time to make the last sailing of the MV Coho.  BTW I highly recommend taking a double decker bus out to the garden, you will get a mini tour of Victoria and the driver will act as your guide the entire time or you can walk alone and even catch a later bus back to town, if you want to spend more time at Butchart Gardens. Back in Victoria here's a short list of my  "must dos" you should walk through the Empress Hotel including the garden out back, by all means, don't miss the Provincial Museum (plan a couple hours), visit the Government Building in front of the Ferry terminal, walk through Totem Park, tour the waterfront, (our last visit was by boat) watch the mimes and street musicians.  The Undersea Gardens and Wax Museum barely make my list.  Lastly walk the streets and malls, you will find more than enough to fill your day and your stomach.  When you get back to camp in PA you will be dead tired, sleep in Sunday morning then head for home.  I outlined this trip for a weekend so as to not miss work, but you could do it any day of the week and miss some of the crowds, or make it part of a larger visit to the great northwest. The main point I would like you to remember is not to bring your car to Victoria unless you must.   TJ

Both buildings pictured below are directly across from the ferry terminal

GOVERNMENT BUILDING  VICTORIA BC CANADA

EMPRESS HOTEL VICTORIA

How Not To Plan For Your Next Trip

How Not To Plan For Your Next Trip

Trip Talk USA

Should you plan your next trip or just let it happen?

While browsing for quality content for this web site ( www.triptalkusa.com ) it suddenly occurred to me how much I disagreed with an article I was considering.  In fact I opted to immediately jot down a few thoughts racing around in my head.  For instance, how 30 years ago on a Friday afternoon, we would go to our favorite mountain lake campground and stake out our family site and maybe one for my sisters family too.  It was my obvious chore because I was the only one that could leave work early and beat the rush.  Then as years went by and the campers turned into mobs, I had to take Fridays off and claim our sites on Thursdays.  Soon though if we wanted a Weekend waterfront site I had to show up on Wednesday to corner people, asking when they were leaving so I could be first in line when they vacated. I remember all too well how stressful it was, not knowing if we would get a good site or any site at all.  I remember being forced to take sites we didn’t want, because the option was to go home.  Then one year it was all over, the forest service hired a reservation service, we no longer stressed out over getting the perfect spot. All we had to do was reserve a site six months to the minute before our arrival. If it was five months twenty nine days, twenty three hours and fifty nine minutes, we were too late and the site we wanted would be already reserved.  I would have to pick another day and try again. So in effect the stress was in January and February to reserve a site for July or August.  Which brings me to my disagreement, the author was stressing how important it is to have done your research, to make plans, to leave nothing to chance.  Right down to having games and reading material readily available so there is no chance someone might be bored or say I have nothing to do at any time during their travels. I respectfully offer alternatives, now before anyone jumps on me, I already know what I’m going to suggest will not work for all people, on all trips, all the time. To illustrate I will outline a trip my wife and I embarked on a few years ago. The plan was to go to the Grand Canyon and visit places in the area and on the way. 

We would allow up to three weeks and leave asap.  We both packed several changes of clothes including cold weather and hiking shoes. I grabbed an Insulated cooler, portable cook stove, coffee pot, flash lights and a few books we were currently reading.  We pulled both bench seats from the van and tossed in a foam mattress and sleeping bags. Five minutes at the fabric store plus a bag of clothes pins and we had some cheap curtains for privacy. After talking with the children about responsibility and outlining chores, we were ready to hit the road, alone.  Heading south on I 5 we both were totally relaxed and stress free. How could we have stress, two days earlier we had no idea we would be leaving on a trip. I had no idea what road to take or where we would stay the first night, but we brought with us a ten year old road atlas and figured we could buy in route, food or whatever we forgot or needed.  Whoa, not so fast pilgrims, it is true we had previously talked about how we would like to take a trip to the Grand Canyon, but we had never made plans or set a date.  We had certainly never discussed any camping or lodging arrangements. On the road again, Linda studied the atlas maps observing potential routes to take.  One choice was to drive south until opposite Las Vegas, then turn left, another was turn left sooner and visit Lassen Peak or Yosemite. So we settled on Lassen Peak as our first destination.  Now what about dinner when we get there, we had left home with only a bag of trail mix and some fruit. Linda checked the atlas and decided that Redding, CA was our turn off point and last chance to find a major store.  While in the store we realized we better buy breakfast also, but dinner tomorrow could wait until tomorrow. We settled into this routine for the entire trip, we stopped when and where we found ourselves.  We went on some hikes and spent all the time we wanted at visitor centers.  We didn’t move on until we were ready. Every morning before school we talked with home, and every afternoon after school we talked again. Even though I never knew for sure where we would camp, I never worried about it because I knew we could sleep in a rest stop (we did one time) or take a room at a motel (we did twice).   I am not advocating not planning your trips, and I don’t totally disagree with those that plan and plan and plan.  Just consider that you can take off on your traveling before the stress catches up with you, stay one step ahead, and make it happily home again. In my opinion, truly a good way to travel. Now then, can you leave tomorrow before noon or would breakfast on the road be better?  John 2010

Trip Talk USA

Things To Do At The Central Oregon Coast

Places To See and Things To Do At The Central Oregon Coast

Locals generally refer to Oregon’s coastline as North, Central and South.  Lincoln City is undoubtedly considered the core of the central coast. The main road from Portland and Salem (hwy 18) terminates  at hwy 101,  this is the Oregon Coast Highway.  From this point travelers go north and south along the coast. Starting with Lincoln City we have thousands of overnight lodging rooms available, from hotels to private vacation homes for rent. Lincoln City is home to Chinook Winds Casino and of course many seafood restaurants offer excellent quality. The beach is seven miles long, all public and is accessible from numerous points. While in Lincoln City don’t miss driving around Devils Lake, stopping at several City parks. For camping choose Devils Lake State Park, it is walking distance to the beach and yet right on the lake. Lincoln City is also home to the  popular  Tanger outlet mall as well as hundreds of stores including many antique malls. Heading south about 10 miles on hwy 101 don’t miss a short stop at Boiler Bay State Wayside, at the very least you will have spectacular ocean views.  if you’re visiting in the winter you may see waves shooting 100’s of feet in the air as ocean swells are funneled into a hole in the cliff.

Boiler Bay State Wayside

Continuing south just 2 miles brings you to the city of Depoe Bay, plan on stopping to walk along the sea wall and taking in the visitor center.  If you wait around a while you will be rewarded with seeing local fishing boats making their way in and out of the worlds smallest natural harbor.  In the winter, waves routinely splash people and parked cars along the highway.

Dreary November day along Depoe Bay seawall

Two Flags denotes gale warning with winds 37 to 47 knots, Storm warning is a square flag 48 to 63 knots Forecast


Depoe Bay Bar and Harbor Entrance closed  by Coast Guard due to dangerous breaking surf

Entrance to boat basin is narrow and twisting


Calm waters inside, but no boats will be going out today

 Keep heading south passing picturesque Whale Cove and Rocky Creek Wayside as the scenic road climbs up over Cape Foulweather.  At the top turn down the short road to the view point, stop and treat yourself to the fantastic view 500 feet above the ocean. Don’t worry about getting a perfect picture, they have postcards for sale inside the gift shop. Continue south you will shortly be back down to sea level racing alongside white sand beaches as the arrow straight highway guides you to Newport, the largest city on Oregon’s central coast.  Be sure to stop just north of Newport at Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area. Plan several hours for this unique experience, This will be your best tidepooling on the central coast.

Image from http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/yaquina/photogallery.php
Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Outstanding Natural Area.

When you finally force yourself to leave Yaquina Head drive into Newport where you will find all the major shopping centers including Walmart.  Don’t miss Newport’s old town on the waterfront just before the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Old town is only a few crowded blocks, but find a place to park and walk around.  You may even find a lunch cafe on the dock or at least get to watch the sea lions.

Sea Lions on dock at Old Town in Newport

Get back on hwy101 heading south over the historic Yaquina Bay Bridge and turn off as soon as you cross the bridge to see the Oregon Coast Aquarium and next door the University of Oregon Hatfield Marine Science center.  You will have to pay an entrance fee at the aquarium but the Marine science center is free and well worth a visit, plan 1-2 hours at each place. If you’re interested in boats or fishing go across the street to the city dock and boat basin.

 Image from Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University

Newport Bar, small boat basin, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon Aquarium,
fishing docks, all conveniently located About 40 miles south of Newport is the Sea Lion Caves and after that sand dunes for people with atv’s. I recommend saving the Sea Lion Caves for another trip and  turning around heading back over the bridge at this point. As you head back north retracing your steps plan on stopping at the places you missed. Agate Beach is one place, Fogarty Creek, Beverly Beach and many others.  If you really want to tidepool you will want to know beforehand when it's low tide, because you can’t do it at high tide.  You may want to plan your Yaquina Head visit for low tide.  When you get back to Cape Foulweather turn off on the Otter Crest Scenic Loop rd.  You will avoid the 500 foot climb and miss the high cliffs but you will see the low cliffs and still get around the cape.

On another day you will want to head north of Lincoln City staying on hwy 101, about 13 miles north is Neskowin, a small community known for Proposal Rock and quiet beaches, take a quick break here, but keep going all the way to Pacific City and Cape Kiwanda a distance of about 23 miles from Lincoln City.  You will need to turn off the Oregon Coast Highway (101) just before Pacific City, the signs will say “Three Capes Scenic Route” Pacific city, Cape Kiwanda.  Highway 101 turns inland here but you will still be driving right along the coast which is why you’re here I believe. Pacific City has a small fleet of dorys (flat bottom boats) that fisherman launch in the surf and motor away. If you happen to be visiting at the right time you may get to see some come and go. The real draw here is Cape Kiwanda, at the north end of the beach the cape suddenly juts up and out into the ocean.  You can drive onto the beach and park at the foot of what looks like the tallest hill of sand you will ever see. Turn the kids loose and bet them they can’t climb all the way to the top, or try it yourself.  For even more fun and less strenuous hike the cape trail out to the point. You can make the round trip in under two hours, and you’ll have great views.

 Local Knowledge* back at the Cape Kiwanda parking lot on the north side, up in the scrub brush, look for feral rabbits (domestic rabbits gone wild) there are hundreds and hundreds of cute little bunnies living the easy life.  You can  approach them but they  hop off keeping about 10 feet away.  Walk across the road to Tiny Web County park and you will see hundreds more.  Ok it's time to go, keep heading north on the Three Capes scenic route and pretty soon you will go by Sandlake Recreation Area, a huge sand box set aside for dune buggy riding. Just past Sandlake you will come to Cape Lookout jutting about a mile out into the Pacific ocean. Park at the trailhead and take the 2.5 mile hike out to the point.  People see whales during migrations. By now you may have enough adventure and it’s getting late so Cape Lookout is a good place to turn around back to where your staying. But If your just road tripping you’ll still have plenty of time to keep going north towards Cape Meares, on the way stop by the Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge.  Just past Cape Meares is Bayocean, the town that fell into the sea.  In the early 1900’s  Bayocean was a planned resort community. Through man induced coastal erosion the entire place was slowly washed away.  Stop and read the informative signs then continue on. The scenic Three Capes road skirts Tillamook Bay and winds around back to rejoin  hwy 101 in Tillamook. You can quit here and head south on 101 or go visit the very worthwhile Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, it's free but supported by visitor donations.  You can find it downtown on second street.  Next keep going north on 101 and just a few miles out of town is the World Famous Tillamook Cheese Factory.  They have free tours and lots of cheese to buy, I recommend stopping by for an hour and some ice cream.  By now you will have had a full day and just like yesterday when we went south, this is a good turn around point.  As you head back south don’t go back on the Three Capes Scenic, stay on 101.  If you want to see the bunnies again you can cut over a little later when the signs say Cape Kiwanda/Pacific City. For airplane buffs, Just a short distance south of town is the Tillamook Air Museum which is housed in a world war two blimp hanger.  Like yesterdays return trip, try to stop at the places you missed. Its only 50 miles back to Lincoln city, relax and take your time. When you see its getting close to sundown and your near a viewpoint, pull over and wait for a great sunset photo opportunity, maybe you’ll get to see the green flash.   John  2010