HA, HA, HA ,HA

No time for an update - but !!!

I have created a link to where Ive been spending some time writing about traveling on Cypress Island and Mt Hood

Cypress Island short blurb with pics
after going here you will need to go to Dec 20 blog (Cypress Island)

Mt Hood Government Camp short blurb with pics
 after going here you will need to drop down the featured article menu and find

"Government Camp is Oregon's little known Mountain Village"

Hello, Hello, Is any one out there?

Sometimes I feel a little,  strike that, a lot home bound this time of year. It seems like when the sun goes down my day is over until the sun pops back up tomorrow.  Oh yeah, its overcast, no sun today or the next, or next.

My wife has been invited to accompany our daughter and her boyfriend (my daughters boyfriend, not hers) to Europe next year.  The plan is to travel some and visit another daughter that is teaching in Spain. I declined to go, I'm just not interested in a long plane ride (expensive too) to hang around with three women, and a guy.  I think I'm going to try to arrange a solo sailboat trip while they are gone. You know, let the wind blow me wherever, no schedules, no one to cater to. A few books, some wine maybe even bring my bicycle in case I go ashore.

San Juan Islands for First Timers

Parks, Parks, Parks

This a partial list of Island and parks I judged to be of value and worth a visit when cruising, resorts are not included;

James Island, Jones Island, Sucia, Matia, Patos, Stuart, Clark, Cypress, Saddlebag, Obstruction Pass, Spencer Spit, Odlin County Park, Doe Island, Deception Pass.

Suggested 80 mile Itinerary  (5-7 days)

The map above identifies many  (not all) common names and places

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with some locations you may have read about
This is an abbreviated version of this cruise, for the entire cruise go to
San Juan Trip for First Timers

Boat launches 

• Cap Sante  ( Anacortes)                                                
• Squalicum Harbor  ( Bellingham)
• Cornet Bay  ( Deception Pass Sate Park)

Resorts and Marinas

• Roche Harbor  (San Juan Island
• Deer Harbor   (Orcas Island)
• Rosario    (Orcas Island)
• Friday Harbor  (San Juan Island)

At www.triptalkusa.com you will find more suggested trips

www.triptalkusa.com

For San Juan Island boating, don't miss this blog
Sailing the San Juans

Ten high ranked places to visit in the United States

Ten top rated spots to visit in the USA

Los Angeles, California. If you want to see celebrities and check out their homes, this is the place to go. Visit Hollywood, the movie capital or Beverly Hills where movie stars live.  Some great scenic spots  include the Big Sur coastline, the alpine beauty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the awesome Mojave desert.

San Francisco, California.  San Francisco offers great sceneries.  Famous for the Golden Gate bridge and  cable cars. Victorian houses abound on the  hillside streets and overlook a  blue bay surrounded by mountains. The bay area, as it is often called, also features the crookedest street in the world and Chinatown.

Las Vegas, Nevada. Entertainment capital of the world with  many casinos. World-class entertainment. Las Vegas has giant pyramids of glass, multi-colored fantasy castles, replicas of the Eiffel Tower and the New York skyline. Also visit near by, the  grand Canyon, Zion and Death Valley.

Orlando, Florida.  There’s Disney World, the worlds largest  amusement complex, as well as  Universal Studios, Sea World, Wet and Wild and other attractions the whole family will enjoy.  Florida is known for its tropical beaches.

New York City.  The Big Apple, the biggest metropolitan center in the U.S. Its famous tourist spots include the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, United Nations, museums, Broadway theaters, Times Square, Central Park, as well as nightlife districts. New York is the city that never sleeps owing to the varied entertainment offered nightly at nightclubs, bars, theaters and sports centers. 

Hawaii.  Hawaii is a great place to vacation. Consisting of a string of volcanic islands in the center of the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is a tourist’s paradise with  great weather all year round, wonderful beaches with awesome surf and scenery.

Grand Canyon, Arizona. Arizona's Grand Canyon should not be missed. A natural wonder of the world, the Grand Canyon is truly awesome.

Washington, D.C. The capital of America is Washington D.C. and has many sights to see, such as numerous monuments, museums and public parks that include the White House, the U.S. Capitol and other government buildings. Many places can be visited free of charge.

New Orleans, Louisiana.  New Orleans is a blend of the Spanish and French culture with influences from Afro-American and the Caribbean.   Renowned for its jazz music, wild nightlife and Cajun cuisine. Visit during the weeklong Mardi Gras festival celebrated every February.

Yellowstone National Park,  Wyoming. A huge collection of geysers, hot springs and thermal features. Bisons, elk, bears and wildlife abound in this huge national park. Lucky visitors  get a chance to have close encounters with wildlife. Yellowstone is just north of Grand Tenton National Park, and shares entrance fees.

Destination Lake Chelan

We will be hauling the sailboat to Lake Chelan in about two weeks, I hope to have some tips and a few pictures to post when I get back.

btw, this is Cypress Island DNR not Chelan

OK, OK, were back from Lake Chelan, see some pictures and tips

Destination "San Juan Islands"

Destination "San Juan Islands"

In less than three days I'll be pulling the boat, We will have one day at home to load provisions and then Sunday hit the road for Bellingham Washington. Squalicum Harbor has free parking, so I've decided to launch there.  For a float plan I have only the first nights destination, (Eagle Harbor at Cyprus Island) after that we will decide as we go. Weather could easily (fog) make my choices for me. We have set aside up to two weeks although past trips have never exceeded one week.  I have a few stops that I'd like to include, a day visit to Olga on Orcas Island, plus a walk around the lake at Moran State Park on Orcas. Every year I want to spend the day in Haro Strait watching whales, maybe this year it will work out.  We could cross Haro and go to Butchart Gardens, but that means dealing with customs both ways and is a little bit of a negative. I really like the breakfast they put out at Roche Harbor, so food could sway me that direction. Roche also has good ice cream cones.  Just sitting and doing nothing at Jones Island could take two days; that reminds me, I need to pack some more books if I'm going to do nothing.  We are meeting some friends at Cyprus, and tentatively plan to meet up some more at Sucia and other stops.  I expect to try to motor as little as possible, using tidal currents and wind to get us around, last year we used almost

Destination "Government Island"

The stars finally line up in my favor.  For weeks or months I have been threatening a overnighter on the sailboat. This weekend, my son is away at a scout outing and Linda says she’ll go with me. I think it helped that my daughter and her boy friend had announced they were going on their first kayak trip (around Government Island) since becoming kayak owners a week earlier. The boat is moored on the Columbia river and already has lots of gear on board, all we needed to gather was food and beverage, sleeping bags, books, cell phones, cameras and hit the road. 

Government Island is up river from Portland about five miles and is about seven miles long overall.  There are numerous camping spots, some recognized, but many where people with boat just come ashore and make themselves a camp.  The island is uninhabited except for free ranging cattle that pretty much stay off the beaches preferring the tall sweet grass that only grows inland.  Our destination is one of the three improved areas, complete with modern docks, composting toilets, picnic tables and fire pits.

Costa Rica instead of Mexico "thumbs up"

Not very long ago I visited Costa Rica, and I highly recommend you visit. We flew from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta, Georgia to San Jose. The flying was a little time consuming and not cheap, but once you get there the prices were great. There is plenty to see and do. We visited both coasts and the active volcano area. Costa Rica pursues tourism and is very environmentally attuned, much more than the US and they have been eco conscious since before it was trendy. We participated in several semi custom tours where our driver would act as guide and naturalist, sometimes on our own and other times with a group of three of four couples. Everyone we dealt with spoke excellent English, except maybe the couple from Texas, more importantly all the locals are proud of their country and glad to have us visit. Few places make you want to make them your home but Costa Rica is one of them.

Massive rains from Hurricane Rita over 500 miles distant, left mudslides and cut all power. The train car is the hotel registration office.

Railroad bridge converted to cars is a little scary.  The country abandoned railroads all together.

How is it possible that you can fly cheaper than drive

It seems to me that gas has gotten so expensive that you can fly to the next town cheaper than you can drive your car.  Maybe I don't see the big picture, I would be glad if someone would enlighten me.  On the news we always hear about the airline industry being broke. Well maybe that's true and why its cheaper to fly then drive. If that's so why aren't the airlines gone? I can understand flying to Europe or Hawaii, but driving to the next county should be affordable, if not our prices are way out of line. 

What I'm really worring about is that we are seeing a fundamental change to our society, gone are the days of visiting the sea shore, gone are the days of a drive in the country, we may be seeing the end of travel as we know it.  Only the rich will be traveling regularly, the rest of us peons will save a lifetime for that special road trip to Disneyland, or Yellowstone.

Boat Camping

If your missing the good old days of camping and your like me your missing the stress free get away feeling of sitting around a campfire.  Nowadays for us we must have a reservation, we must pack properly, we must act properly, arrive on time leave on schedule and on and on. This systems creates stress and anxiety for me, not at all what I remember. I remember grabbing a tent and sleeping bag, sacks of groceries and arriving at my favorite beach or mountain.  Then picking from one of many campsites to settle in for a few days of doing what ever I wanted. Not any more, there are just too many people and too little camp sites.

So enter boat camping, simply get in a boat, kayak, canoe, ski boat, inflatable dinghy, and go across the lake or to an island, or a beach around the corner where cars can't get. Scrounge some driftwood and relax around a camp fire just like the old days.  Now if you poke holes in my scenario (its illegal, its trespassing, no toilet, etc.) then you just don't have any old days to remember and should consider a cruise to relax. (ker-ching)
John 6/6/11

Summer is just around the corner, but are bad times here to stay?

Here in Portland, OR our weekend forecast is for temps in the 80's and sunshine.  I know that this great weather after a particularly dreary winter is all it will take to get people to make their summer plans.  My vacation rentals will get a boost of reservations for the summer.  I'm finalizing my own vacation plans also.
The stagnant economy has become a way of life for us and I hate it.  I remember in late 2008 saying we should kiss goodby any recovery for 2009, that 2009 was a lost cause, a year where real estate prices, jobs, everything would be flat.  What a horrible outcome our politicians have brought upon us; 2009 is long gone, 2010, more of nothing, 2011 is half over and all we get are gas prices so high all our money is gone. Yes I blame the politicians, and I blame ourselves for continuing to vote the same failures into office. Oh you can place responsibility on banks, wall street, world events, but these people are reacting to policy and laws enacted, or not enacted in Washington. You and I have no power except our votes, and our spending; and of course we also act and react to policy and laws, just like the big bad guys.  The members of congress, our senators and the current president are the real bad guys, they are the reason gas prices are high, they are the reason your house is no longer your nest egg.  On the local level there is just as much blame, our local city and county government have enacted so much regulation and fees that mom and pop business is reeling, new start ups are almost non existent, real estate development is dead largely due to outrageous  costs and regulation.  We as a society have allowed ourselves to lose what we hold dear.  By always saying yes to costly, touchy, feel good earth saving rules and regulations we have ruined our way of life and become indebted to the point of no return, and yet when faced with opportunity to do something, instead of saying "no" we quickly vote our special interests or self serving law makers. I know I only speak for myself, I know that many (about 50%) people are happy with life the way it is.  Polls announced on the news are always showing  satisfaction with our politicians; are you one of them?
John 6/2/11

Two Trailer Sailers Learn Hard Lessons # 7

Blog post #7

 Violent storms, some with winds near 100 mph had pummeled the island last winter.  The kids gather lots of blow downs and dead limbs for firewood; soon they have a massive bonfire blazing.  It’s not very long before some boaters with buckets come rushing up the dock. Seeing Mike and Tom one of them demands “are those your kids?” they can’t have a fire like that here.  That could burn the whole island.  There’s no fire protection.  If that fire gets out of hand, everything will go up.  When the adults reach the fire the kids are relieved to see with them buckets of sea water, for they were already worried the fire was out of control.  In short order the fire is brought down to a safe size.  The boaters leave them with the buckets, offering to pick them up in the morning.  As daylight recedes and the darkness creeps in, the requisite scary stories are told and retold.   Everyone thoroughly enjoys eating hotdogs and marshmallows cooked over an open fire.  There is something special about a charcoal tasting hotdog and charred marshmallow for dinner after a hard day at sea.  When conversation slows and the fire dies down they pour water on it causing billowing clouds of rising steam.  The fire gasps its last breath and the exhausted group is ready for sleep, they head back to the boats.  Tom comments on how steep the walkway has become and worries to himself that the tide has dropped.  When the both families have boarded, he can feel the unmistakable thud and shudder from the keel touching bottom.  With each minor swell or movement the boat bangs aground again and again.  Mike and Tom quickly discuss what to do and decide they have no time to lose.  They must get Toms boat away from the dock and into deep water before any damage is done. If the tide falls further, Tom’s boat could become trapped, possibly tipping over on its side.  If the boat tipped on its side it could down flood and sink when the water rises again. Tom’s boat draws 4 ½ feet, and with all the people, gear and provisions it is probably closer to 5 feet. Working fast the two men help all the family to the dock asking them to be patient. With everyone off, Toms boat appears to be floating free again, they hurriedly cast off and using Mikes boat and motor they make their way to deep water about 100 feet from the dock.  Tom tosses out his anchor while Mike unties the two boats.  Soon they are back at the dock with only one boat.  Mikes boat has a lifting keel and draws only 2 feet so even at very low tide his boat will be just fine.  I guess I won the race after all Mike jokes.  In the morning the tide will be higher, you can up anchor and raft next to us again, but in the meantime I guess you guys are stuck using your dinghy to get out to your boat. Good night, and Mike goes below, sliding the hatch shut behind him.

Two Trailer Sailers Learn Hard Lessons # 6

Blog post #6

James Island is a dog bone Island, with two summits connected by a low narrow isthmus.  The shape forms east and west coves which are almost ideal anchorages.  The east cove is open to Rosario Strait so it is subject to more wind and wave action. The west cove is a little larger with room for six or more thirty foot boats at the dock and quite a bit of anchor room a dinghy ride away.  On shore are a number of campsites with tables and fire pits, and of course the popular composting toilet. Trails circle the island and lead to the summit which is somewhat rounded and knobby, opening the question of exactly where the highest point is.  All of James Island is a State Park, camping or using the dock overnight requires paying a self service fee as do the anchor buoys.  Anchoring in the cove is free and many choose to do so. Campers on shore or at the dock can expect local residents paying them a visit, and not just after dark.  Raccoons are seen ransacking kayaks pulled high up on the beach while their oblivious owners are only a short distance away.  Boats at the dock and anchored out are open game for Otters that will climb lines and chains, leaving behind distinctive footprints on deck, evidence of their transgressions on private property.  Yes, that thump you heard during the night was real, you’ve been boarded, and not by pirates.

While Mike and Tom’s family take care of exploring and preparing for a campfire dinner on shore the two men busy themselves dropping Tom’s mast. Taking down a mast on a stable trailer in the parking lot is one thing, but a rocking unstable boat is precarious at best. In Toms hurry he almost loses the mast over the side,  Mikes quick action securing a temporary stay does the trick.  With the mast lowered they screw the radio antenna to its base and retrieve the wayward halyard. Tom sees the wisdom of having a spare halyard. 

Two Trailer Sailers Learn Hard Lessons # 5

Blog  post #5

Mike and Tom’s boats are now about halfway to James Island and about halfway across Rosario Strait.  Plainly marked on Mikes nautical chart is Bird Rocks and Belle Rock and they are headed right for them.  Mike chooses to go west  of the rocks; this course will take them well clear of the commercial traffic channel in the middle of Rosario Strait.  Keep a good watch out and pay close attention to your depth sounder Mike radios Tom, we will be less than ¼ mile from the rocks.  The fog begins to lighten and in a few minutes they are completely in clear air. While dealing with the fog they were so busy keeping watch they had not noticed how wet and miserable it had become. Now in warm bright sunshine everyone is noticing how they and the boats are dripping wet . Tom points to Bird Rocks on the starboard side, right where expected. Then up ahead is today’s destination, James Island is only 1 ½ miles away. A fresh breeze is building on the beam, Mike kills his motor and begins hoisting the mainsail, Then he unfurls the jib sail and starts pulling away from Tom’s boat.  The outboard motors are no match for a little wind.  The last thing Tom hears is “were going sailing, race you to the cove” Mike sets a close hauled course to clear Belle Rock, he plans to shoot out into Rosario and then tack back in time to still make James Island. Tom and his crew are still motoring, apparently when he was rigging the boat he had not tied off the main halyard and somewhere along the way the halyard had run up the mast, so now there was no way to raise the main sail. In a little while Tom’s jib sail is up and he kills his motor also.  The rest of the afternoon is beautiful sailing, exactly what they had come for. Mike repeatedly cuts across Toms bow taunting the other boats crew knowing they don’t have a chance of keeping up with only the jib up. When Mike reaches the cove he blasts right by, it’s hard to quit sailing when the conditions are so perfect.  They make several more tacks in the channel between James and Decatur Island. Tom drops his jib and starts his motor outside the cove afraid to sail the last 500 feet to the dock.  Meanwhile Mike has almost overtaken Tom and continues charging for the cove.  Both boats are racing for the dock and Mike with all sails up is pulling ahead until with only 250 feet to go the wind in the cove dies. Tom cheerfully motors past Mike and takes the only free space left at the dock.  Tom’s boat is completely tied up and the family has gone ashore by the time Mikes boat, sails hanging limp slowly ghosts up to Tom’s boat. Mind if I raft up to you tonight skipper, asks Mike, it seems there’s no room at the dock. Sure says Tom, if you don’t mind helping me take down my mast,  someone left the halyard at the top, right next to where the antenna goes.

Two Trailer Sailers Learn Hard Lessons # 4

Blog post # 4

As the two boat flotilla makes its way north in Rosario Strait the fog thickens, soon land is not visible.  Sailing is not possible, there’s not a breath of wind. They motor along at about 3 mph plus the speed of the current.  Mike has previously determined he would follow a compass course of 300 degrees magnetic. This course would keep the boat pointed in the right direction and as long as they kept making forward progress they would eventually cross the strait. The current was constantly pushing them north, so it was important they get across the strait or risk being swept past James Island. As the fog thickened the two crews felt more and more isolated. The laughter and joking gave way to quiet as the seriousness of their situation became apparent.   Mike is wishing he had radar; Rosario Strait is travelled by commercial vessels that not only could run them over but their wakes present a danger to small boats as well.  The two boats run much closer now; they desperately want to keep each other in view. When the fog thickens even more, Mike calls Tom on the radio and says to be sure to keep a course of 300 degrees if they lose sight of each other. About once a minute Mike has the kids ring a brass bell he keeps on the boat, Tom’s boat does the same thing. Hearing the bell is reassuring to them as the fog swirls around threatening to separate them.  Peering deeply into the fog ahead of them Mike spots what appears to be a wall of white water or surf breaking on a beach.  For a second Mike is in disbelief how they could be headed for disaster.  He quickly scans his depth sounder and GPS, the boats have 40 fathoms below them and they are in the middle of the strait. It dawns on him that they are headed for a tide rip; the incoming tide they are riding is meeting the outgoing tide.  The recent minus tide must have created a monstrous opposing force and now they are heading right into the face of a six foot over fall. Mike swings his boat around and Tom seeing the wall of water follows him.  Both are now fighting the current but their little auxiliary outboards are barely able to make headway against the incoming tidal rush. Mike has read about tide rips in Rosario Strait sometimes extending across the entire 3 ½ miles. There seems to be no real good solution to their situation, continuing to run away from the tide rip will use up all their fuel, attempting to run towards shallow water near shore may make it worse plus in the fog they could run aground. The skippers decide to batten down the hatches, keep everyone in the cabins and trust their boats to carry them safely through.  Turning the boats once more towards the wall of water quickly brings them squarely face to face with nature’s awesome power. The distance closes faster than Mike thought possible. Tom is white knuckled steering his boat, there is no turning back now, his wife peers out from below the cabin hatch, looking for support in Toms face. He tells her to hang on. Tom sees the over fall double in height as they get closer, and thinks he can hear the thunderous roar of the standing wave. In an instant it is over, the two boats hardly feel the wave as they ride up over it. Tom and Mike can see now that the tide rip over fall was only one foot or less. Their eyes have been tricked by the fog and their own imaginations.  In almost pure white out conditions they have had no depth perception, nothing to compare or judge what they were seeing. With things back to normal everyone on both boats get back to watching and bell ringing, the fog has taught them a lesson they won’t soon forget.

Two Trailer Sailors Learn Hard Lessons # 3

Blog post # 3

Once again they hit the road north; the delays for repairs weren’t that time consuming.  Stopping along the way for snacks and last minute supply shopping breaks up the drive, plus gives Mike a chance to apologize for calling Tom an idiot. They arrive at Deception Pass State Park boat ramp in late afternoon and park the boats side by side in a level area of the parking lot.  The kids take off exploring the park and fishing docks while the adults organize the boats.  Tom and Mike help each other with rigging and stepping masts. Soon Tom is backing his boat down the ramp stopping just short of the water to unhook the bow eye and discuss their next moves.   Mike is on the dock holding the lines, Tom begins to back the trailer into the water.  At the last second Mike notices the brake lights and  yells wait wait, but it’s too late, they had forgot to unplug the trailer lights and the hot bulbs all pop as cold water floods around them.  The boat floats free and is quickly tied to the floating dock.  Mikes boat goes in the water next and is tied behind Toms, their homes for the next week eagerly tugging at the lines waiting for the adventure to begin.   Unfortunately there is no fresh water rinse hose so they are forced to leave their salt water doused trailers to the corrosive forces of nature.

They have planned to cast off at low tide when the water in Deception Pass is slack. Since it was now low tide they had no time to lose, the water would soon be coursing back through the narrow pass increasing velocity by the minute. Everyone boards the boats and put on their pfd’s except Tom.  Tom explains he is a good swimmer and with all the help and two boats he will be perfectly safe. As fate sometimes gets the last word it is fitting that Toms son at this very moment loses his balance and catches himself on the boom. The very same boom that Tom had forgot to secure swings over and soundly whacks him in the head leaving him throbbing and slightly dazed.  Tom’s wife after seeing that he is still alive demands he either go in the cabin or put on his life jacket.  As they approach the pass Mike is relieved to see smooth water and little current, but in the distance he can see Rosario Strait and a slight haziness warning of possible fog forming.   For safety the boats keep a short distance apart and it is difficult yelling so Mike radios Tom to alert him of the possibility of fog reducing their visibility.  When Tom responds his transmission is so poor Mike asks if the radio is working right.  That’s when Tom realizes he forgot to screw the antenna on to the top of the mast.  Their plan is to reach James Island State Park a distance of about 10 miles, with the incoming tide pushing them along Mike expects to be in the little protected anchorage in about two hours.

Two Trailer Sailors Learn Hard Lessons # 2

Blog post #2

Tom takes the lead, Mike holds back wanting to watch how Toms shifted load handles at freeway speeds.  Soon they are at 75 mph and Mike is becoming worried, not that Toms trailer is going to sway any more but that Tom is speeding and on questionable tires at that.  Suddenly something blows out of Tom’s trailer landing in the gravel median; Mike quickly slams on the brakes and pulls over to retrieve someone’s favorite wind breaker.  Seeing in his mirror that Mike has stopped, Tom pulls off also.  While meeting to return the jacket the two men notice that Toms right rear trailer tire is almost flat.  Mike comments how lucky it was that they had pulled off just as the tire was losing air, another few minutes at 75 mph and the least damage would have been a ruined tire, the most could have been a horrific accident.  Let’s get your jack and spare says Mike, Tom’s blank stare tells the story, no jack, no spare, and no tire wrench.  I don’t need that stuff, I’ll just call AAA or a local tire store says Tom as he gets out his Blackberry.  Ten minutes later he says that AAA will call back within an hour to let them know what to do. Clearly exasperated Mike says look, were only an hour into our vacation, I have some tools and a jack.  We can do this ourselves and be on the road again before you know it.  Quickly Mike gets out his bottle jack and four way spanner, remarking how glad he is that the flat is on the shoulder side of the trailer instead of next to the high speed freeway traffic.  See these cracks in your tire sidewall Mike points out, this tire is rotten, old age and sunshine have destroyed all your tires even though they have lots of tread.  There are tire products to protect against ozone damage.  Soon Mike has more bad news, all your lug nuts are rusted, when I force them, some may break off, or worse, break off later.  Sure enough two studs next to each other snap off, were going to need an auto parts store and a tire store says Mike.  Using his Channel Locks Mike pops the wheel bearing cap off and pulls out the cotter pin and bearings allowing him to remove the wheel hub. See these bearings says Mike, they are almost bone dry, another failure waiting to happen, and a burned out bearing at freeway speeds besides being hazardous can be very expensive if you have to replace spindles and hubs too.

The two of them  take the kids with them in Mike’s car, leaving the wives alone and broken down beside the freeway. While Mike was pulling apart the wheel, his wife was calling ahead to locate a Tire shop and auto parts store.  Luckily she finds what they need across the street from each other about ten miles further up the freeway.  The wives have been best friends for years and this trips problems are not unexpected.  While underway Mike explains the facts of life to Tom, first testing their friendship he calls Tom an idiot for thinking he could leave town without doing routine maintenance, furthermore he is risking his family and both their vacations. Next Mike explains fixing the one wheel is not enough, they need to do all four, Tom totally agrees sensing Mikes growing exasperation.  At the tire store Mike leaves Tom to make the best deal he can buying four new tires, stressing to him that paying a little extra for trailer rated tires is preferable over cheap passenger tires especially if he expects to continue over loading and fast driving.  At the auto parts store Mike places the hub on the counter asking for twenty replacement studs with nuts.  Soon they are on the way back, they have been gone less than hour when AAA calls back, Toms cancels the emergency roadside assistance assuring the operator they will be OK. It takes Mikes only seconds with his hammer to pound out the remaining studs and tap the new ones in place. Not surprising Mike has with him a can of waterproof wheel bearing grease that he quickly applies to the dry bearing. Tom is quite pleased with himself, not only are they about to be on the road again, but he has not had to do a thing except get out his credit card. Meanwhile Mike is using his waterless hand cleaner thinking unspoken words.  At the tire store, they get instant service when they arrive. Mike passes to the technician the remaining fifteen studs and nuts requesting that they switch them at the same time they grease all the wheel bearings including redoing the one Mike had done by hand.

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?