On the way back we stopped in Prynier's Cove - we were the last boat in the water. What a weekend we had!

Yup, that's me!

Clear sky again a short while later.

Having our first coffee in the morning, looking out into the anchorage, fog lifting. At night it was thick with fog, barely were we able to see our own bow.

Anchoring in historical Picton harbour.

The Fall colours are out ...

Thanksgiving ... a long weekend is coming up and we are heading West, with following winds (we are lazy sailors!).

Our Fall destination - weather permitting ....!

We have had very unpleasant weather the last couple of weeks. We wanted to go the islands and see the fall colours and spend our weekends there, but with heavy rain and low temperatures in the forecast, we were happy if we made it out on the boat for a single night - if at all.

Here are some views of things we are missing ....
http://www.visit1000islands.com/Gallery-1000Islands/

Instead, we are getting ahead on our house projects - well, some benefits of a lousy Fall weather!

Our summer is coming to and end ... sadly, so are our trips in the near neighbourhood. Here we had a nice walk up from Cape Vincent (US) to the Tidbet Lighthouse along the St. Lawrence Seaway.

We came across a short Quicktime movie, giving you a 360 degree view of the area - not much to see apart from the entry to the St. Lawrence Seaway:

http://www.skypanther.com/tibbetts.htm

Fishing is an all-around sport - some catch fish ... others imitate them! That's what Christian of Nomad chose to demonstrate!

I had a great skipper for the day - Antoine - all professional and eager to drive our dinghy. It was fun to have him touring us around ... as fast as the engine (4hp only!!!!) would allow. But the two of us got the dinghy flying!

Thanks Antoine, I loved your company!!!

On our way to the winery ... before Marleyne sprained her ankle. Buth then a nice car, a Jaguar, drove past and offered her a lift back to the dinghy - Marleyne had timed her fall perfectly. But it hurt a lot, and 2 weeks later, is still hurting. A momento to remember this summer holiday (?).

Sailing ... holidays?

We had a short break and went sailing for about 9 days. These were hot days on land, and we were pleased to spend the time on the water; temperatures were in the upper 30sC. Given the time frame, we did not travel much in distance, but re-visited some nice spots, and re-visited the wineries in the Prince Edward country. Unfortunately, Marleyne sprained her foot badly, which put a damper on things (and which happened on her way back from a winery ...).

But we had a good time, and eventually, we met up with friends and some very nice people.

... cooling off!

Enjoying the wineries ... by sights, smell and taste!

Passing "The Rock" on our way west.

And when it gets too crowded in the Islands - we escape West ... there are some wineries in our region (http://www.winedining.net/prince.html).

We enjoy visiting them - they have a fantastic view over the bays and anchorages, we never can get enough of sitting outside, looking at our boat in the anchorage, or who is coming in from the lake.

Here we will post some pictures, impression of our weekend breaks.

Enjoy

... and another channel ...

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands ... passing along a channel

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands ... on the way to Gananoque

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands

Our summer sailing region ... one of it. The 1000 Islands, a short run East of Kingston.

The Thousand Islands are a chain of islands that straddle the U.S.-Canada border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. The islands stretch for about 50 mi (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario.

The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario. The U.S. islands are in the State of New York. The islands, which number 1,865 in all, range in size from over 100 km² to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, to even smaller uninhabited outcroppings of rocks that are home to migratory waterfowl. The number of islands was determined using the criteria that any island must be above water level for 365 days per year and support at least one tree or shrub.

The area is rich in history - it was a favourite hunting ground of the Iroquois before European exploration, with immigrants travelling along the river and up to the northern lakes in the 1700s and early 1800s.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007992

And with railways built subsequently, tourism arrived at the shores of the 1000 Islands.
Still, the area is home to both: cargo transport via the St. Lawrence Seaway, and individual exploration; at times, pleasure boaters and cargo vessels join the same waters in very close proximity.

Bye, bye Colorado

And on our last day with our friends, we had a short outing short in the wilderness. Britt trying to catch some fish in the Vallecito creek ... while we were there, he was unsuccessful (but as soon we were safely back in Kingston, his catching skills returned ...?). Blame it on the fast running river!

But we had good fresh dringing water - hand pumped!

And the stories Britt could tell about his days as a ranger, spending 10 days in the wilderness with his horse and two mules, ... loosing his horse down a ravine .... oh man!

old mill tools everywehere ...

People lived and worked here, throughout the whole year, mining.

And us taking a lunch (and chocolate break!) At snow level (see left hand corner ...).

Ghost town - mining (2)

Ghost town - mining (1)

Leaving town, visiting a mine on the way out, we drove up, up and up. At one point, the sign suggested that this road was not recommended for non-4 wheel drive vehicles ... as Britt pointed out, "not recommneded" does not mean: closed to regular cars, and on we drove - slowly. Our Toyota made it - no problem, and we arrived in our "ghost town", at about 11000' elevation (3300m).

And there was a shoot-out, again, who had more fun? The locals, or us?

Right!?

And if we don�t pay our bills, there is always the local prison:

... with some movie references, this one had been shot in the neighbourhood ...

.. it felt "wild" ...

Britt knew a bar ... what else is there to say!

And that was our first day in Durago.

Next day, a visit to a mining town, Silverton, and "ghost town", of which there are many in Colorado.

Those who live there, and there are about 400 souls in this town year round, must love the isolation of this place, especially in the winter months.

The town seesm to have fun entertaining us visitors, and I was wondering, who had most fun: we looking at them or they at us (look at these tourists ....!).

and with a great view over the valley ...

and �running water� was already available at that time in these villages ...

In this park, we visited more than one side, and at Balcony House (http://www.nps.gov/meve/cliff_dwellings/balcony_house_tour.htm>) we had the fortune to have a guide with a Ph.D. in Archeology. What a treat that was.

... and Ilana and Marleyne wondering to put the living room ...

... what an amazing, breathtaking place ...

A ranger took us down, and we walked among these amazing ruins, taking it all in.

After booking our tickets and tours, we drove, most of the time on top of these mountaneous plateaus, to the only recently �discovered� sites (about 100 years ago).

And the first impressions were like this:

We did not realize that the National Park �Mesa Verde� was close by. It is a place where early Americans lived in �villages� under a rock cliff. As a boy I had read with wonder about these Ancestral Puebloans (remember: Karl May!), and we were eager to see this place - but had no clue what to expect.

A short drive away, about 40 miles, we entered the Park, and the plateau type mountain greeting us was impressive enough to think we had arrived.

One small town that caught our attention was Del Norte with its very interesting museum (http://www.rgcm.org/) and its numerous artifacts recounting life in the Rio Grande County. We had the pleasure to talk with the museum curator, who had a keen interest for John C. Fremont, whose adventures were recounted in the museum (http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/co/see_riog.htm)

The first sign that we were in an area which was previously famous for its gold and silver mines could not be missed

(http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html).

History, American history was all around us, and we would not get enough to discover this part of America.

Following our arrival, Ilana and Britt took us for a little hike to see Durango from the top. At over 2700m elevation, we felt, not surprisingly, short of breath (we live at almost sea level!). We got the first taste of why they had chosen to leave here ....

Both had suggestions what to do - there is so much to do (and so little time!).

One small town that caught our attention was Del Norte with its very interesting museum (http://www.rgcm.org/) and its numerous artifacts recounting life in the Rio Grande County. We had the pleasure to talk with the museum curator, who had a keen interest for John C. Fremont, whose adventures were recounted in the museum (http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/co/see_riog.htm)


http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html

The first sign that we were in an area which was previously famous for its gold and silver mines could not be missed (http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html). History, American history was all around us, and we would not get enough to discover this part of America.

Following our arrival, Ilana and Britt took us for a little hike to see Durango from the top. At over 2700m elevation, we felt, not surprisingly, short of breath (we live at almost sea level!). We got the first taste of why they had chosen to leave here ....

Both had suggestions what to do - there is so much to do (and so little time!).

While the day-time temperature was high, in the 30s C), it was pleasant due to the dry air (less than 20% humidity); nights were surprising cold, down to 10 degres C or less.

We took our time, because we were going to stay overnight - somewhere.

Old mining towns all around us.

While the day-time temperature was high, in the 30s C), it was pleasant due to the dry air (less than 20% humidity); nights were surprising cold, down to 10 degres C or less.

We took our time, because we were going to stay overnight - somewhere.
And we wanted to see things, visit museums, all of which we did while driving to Durango.

... and those of you who remember �Bonanza�, here we are on the road ...

We picked a good plane connection, arriving early afternoon in Denver, picked up our rental, and left - direction Durango. Britt had suggested a scenic route, which we followed. Within an hour we were up in the mountains (nevermind, Denver is already pretty high) and drove onto the highway called �On Top of the Rockies�. Indeed, we were on top of the rockies; most of the time, elevations were around 9000' (2700m), and at times well over the 3000m mark (10 000'), with a backdrop of 14 000' high peaks.

In 1999, on our sailing trip to destinations south, we met many wonderful people, and with some we stayed friends even after we returned to our lifes on land. One of these lasting relationships is with Ilana and Britt from Windom.

If you want to hear more about their travels, have a look at one of their many websites; they posted great stories and fantastic pictures there.

http://windom.cybox.com/blogger/

http://windom.cybox.com/index.html

Their "life on land" takes place in Durango, Colorado. We had a long standing invitation to come and visit them ...an email from Britt that the guest room was ready tipped the scale (although, there was not much tipping required, but it made an excellent excuse to drop our work, book a flight and GO!).

And so we did, via Denver, which is about an 8 hours drive away.

And YES! We had fish for supper - about every day, freshly caught.

And a stop-over at Oriental - the �Key West� of North Carolina. Well, it�s pushing it a bit. Nevertheless, the beer on the Veranda was great, the �Carribean� music gave it a certain exotic charm, and it smelled of harbour and water.

Dream Garden ....

Marleyne found her dream-garden here. On one side of the house a nice (and how rich the air smelt!) spice garden; on the other side, facing the sound, a flower garden. Marleyne had tears in her eyes because of all the beauty. I am sure she was wondering how to make our own garden to look something like this!

Then we moved over to Edenton, on the Albemarle Sound. A place we had heard about often, but again, when traveling south by boat, bypassing it, because it is off the ICW (by about 15 miles). But next time, we just want make the detour .... A place full of history.

Bath, Pamlico Sound

Bath on the Pamlico Sound

Eastern, 2006 ... well, the forecast for Kingston, Ontario wasn’t great, actually, pretty bad. BUT! The forecast for North Carolina was fantastic, with summer-like temperatures. Summer as in Kingston summer.
It did not take us long to load the car (and the tent, just in case), and to drive off to North Carolina.

We wanted to see flowers, we wanted to have warm sun, good food (fish!) ... and a change of scenery.

And we like North Carolina, we passed here through many times - by boat, but never took our time to explore places away from the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW); although the guidebooks were full of niece descriptions of old towns and romantic places.

Now, we had the time - and the car with us.

Indeed, the weather was great, enabling us to pitch our tent close to New Bern/Beaufort, and run day-trips from there. Up the Pamlico Sound, up the Albemarle Sound, making use of the free ferries carrying us over.
Bath was a romantic little town, sleepy, nicely located on the water. We wished we could have had a coffee here, to sit down and do nothing than just looking - no luck here. The only café was still closed for the season, indeed, we seem to be the only tourists here! And that around Easter!

It is 2006 ... a year we want to fill with travels (since there must be more to life than just work - right?). In this blog we want to share our places with our friends, places we had visitited during this year.

Enjoy the images and the stories!

Heiner and Marleyne