Thisaway

Thisaway is at Powell ready for launch. More on that later.

Small world stories: First we had noticed a leak of hydraulic fluid from the Bay Star steering pump. The Honda had been centered when we started, and greadually worked its way with the ram fully extended and the tiller to the port side. I checked the fluid and it was down. So I needed fluid. I had written a post on THT about the Mil Spec of Sea Star compatable fluids. But could not find any in Page AZ. When we were filling the boat tanks. A young man was filling 20 outboard tanks in a rack on a truck next to us. He noticed we were from Pensacola, and came over to chat. He had a degree in Exercise Physiology (I had taught some courses in that subject at CSULB)--and worked at the NAS Aero Space center Penscacola. Then he went back to Law School, and could not find a job--ended up in Page, running a River running service. He asked if I had found everything, and I told him about the fluid.---no problem he had cases of it in the shop, just follow him there! I gave a donation to the guides and walked away with a quart! If you are every here, take the Discover Colorado Trip--flat water, half a day or a day from Glen Canyon Dam to Lee's Ferry--great folks.

Next--parked at the campground next to a Mini Wini--and the driver said "I have one of those C Dory 22's" It was Roger from Chicago, who I had corresponded with a number of times! No boat here, but just the RV on a Trip. We discussed that he really heeded the C Dory 22 on Powell. They are camped a short distance a way, and we hope to get some more time with them in the AM.

Now--loading. Our boat on trailer weight light was 3600 lbs with tongue weight of 600 lbs. (I took the ladded 100 lbs, off). This is a single axle trailer, rated at 4500 to 5000 lbs, so we kept the boat light, and loaded the truck. We had to transfer the 95 qt cooler, plus the cockpit box which was about 39% bigger than the cooler (holds the grill, generator, food, stove etc).
Then we had to sort clothes to be sure we had the "powell warm weather, and didn't take any extra cold weather clothers:....yep we are ready for bed, and tomorrow we will drive at 15 mph down to the water and launch.

We have several friends up river who we will meet near West Canyon if anyone is in the area. Hope to catch up with Jody and Steve later in the week!

Probably the last post until we come off the river, depending on how the antenna and amp work.
 
Bob and Marie,

We are thinking of coming to the Lake, but have commitments until Sat. the 28th.
We will give you a shout on the VHF if we get to the lower lake. We live 2 1/2 hrs from Bullfrog. Do you plan to go north of Oak Canyon?

Brent and Dixie
 
Sorry I missed you guys. I tried the radio a few times. We must have just missed each other. Friday about 11 am I was in Twilight for an hour or so. Then I was anchored about 200 yards from the floating restrooms. At 5:00 I went in to Rainbow bridge to take some pictures while everyone was gone. Saturday I headed up lake about 1:00 so I would be a little closer to Bullfrog on Sunday. My cell phone didn't have a signal there and the Mifi did not work either. I ran into Brent and Dixie between Bullfrog and Hanksville on my way out Sunday nice to talk to them for a bit. Hopefully they found you they were headed to Oak Canyon. Maybe there was a bit of confusion because most of the topos and charts have Secret and Oak reversed, the Stan Jones map is correct. If that was the case you would soon see there was nowhere to camp in Secret. Anyway hope to see you at the Sept. Gathering.
 
Jody sorry to have missed you. We started calling on 68 and 16 at about noon, and arrived at the pump out at 12:30 as we had sent in a message--but I suspect you could not get it. We had the same problem with no A T & T in the Oak Canyon area. We waited until about 1:30 (time zones can also be difficult--since we were on Calif/Az time as out friends down lake were.

Yes, we were in Oak Canyon--sometimes called Secret Canyon which is on the North East end of Oak Canyon Bay. This was the same place that one of the gatherings was in the last several years. We always go up the canyon--great fishing and more privacy. Great sandbar up at the head. Brent and Dixie came up at about 3 PM or so, and Steve also arrived Via 15 foot Boston Whaler, about the same time (but Sea Spray was with the Houseboat).

We had a great time--and even had some fish to fry for you!--However Brent did a great job with Fillet and none were wasted (we had bass about half the meals up on Powell). The Admiral was put on catch and release restrictions!

After visiting Discovery, the Admiral began to pine about selling Thataway (the Tom Cat 255!)

I have a multipage blog done, and will post when I get better Internet Connections.

All is well on Thisaway--the crew is tired, mostly because of 99 degree heat (in the cabin) as we went from water to land mode. All systems worked perfectly--except one spinning reel....but plenty of fish anyway!

Again--sorry to have missed you Jody.
 
Welcome back Bob! Marie, sorry about missing the TC.. :sad

I will give you your gold rod holders though!

Have fun, raining here in Maine but we're going to pick up a dozen lobsters for tonite, so things are looking up!

Charlie
 
Well we were probably anchored a quarter mile apart I was in site of a house boat, not sure if it was the same house boat though. I should have gone up the canyon. I thought I beat you there and you would have had to go right pass me in the bay. Sounds like you had a good time. Hopefully will meet up in September. I did manage to get pictures of John Wetherill's 1909 inscription at Rainbow Bridge this time. I have been looking for a lot of years.

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and Saturday night I did find a nice quiet spot tied up between two cottonwood trees.

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Have a safe trip see you in September.
 
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This is where Thisaway was hiding in Oak Canyon....

This part of the road trip is over; we ran over 7500 miles. Over 5,000 miles was towing the C Dory 22 without incident. Thisaway is safely tucked in a enclosed warehouse at Lake Powell, waiting for the next leg of the journey.

The truck (2012 GMC Yukon XL) was a good choice for towing the C Dory 22. There were many lighter vehicles which would have done the job, perhaps with better fuel economy. However, this was a very safe and comfortable truck. We rarely used the service brakes on the down grades with the locking torque converter and close ratio of the 6 speed transmission in tow haul mode down hill. No overheating of disc brakes or hubs. There was plenty of power to go up the grades at full speed.

We averaged 12.9 miles per gallon when towing at 55 mph. On the 2000 miles back to Penscola we averaged about 15 mpg, but were driving at the legal speed limit (or above). We covered this distance in 3 days. The Admiral says we won't do that kind of tracking again!

The RV will go on our next leg, and most likely I'll tow the boat with the RV--but probably not into Calif. (overall length will be over 65 feet).

The most stressful part of the trip was taking items from the boat to the truck and visa versa. We kept the boat light because of the single axle trailer. Thus much of the weight was in the front part of the truck.

The next part of the trip also requires that we convert the Yukon to a "TOAD"--Blue Ox baseplate and 10 K tow bar have been shipped. The Yukon has a neutral transfer case, and thus can be towed 4 down with little modification and the tow bar base plate replaces the tow hooks on the front of the Yukon.

We will also take the boat AC unit, and are adding a 1.7 cu foot Wesco chest freezer, and perhaps another group 31 battery to run it--for both the RV and boat. This will allow Marie to prepare more frozen food. (We just are not "no cooler" boaters)

More photos as we continue to recover from the trip "home".
 
It was great to see you two at the Friday Harbor gathering. You have covered plenty of miles since then - glad you made it home without incident. Did you stay in motels on the way back to Florida? Motels don't do it for us anymore - boat or RV, thanks.

Keep us posted on your travels. Where to next?

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan
 
Dr. B&M,

Was nice seeing you again at Friday Harbor, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the Powell CBGT as well.

Sounds like you have the towing 'nailed, but that doesn't surprise me.

You mentioned having bought a "Westco" freezer chest. I bought a WAECO freezer chest (48 quart as I recall) last year, but haven't had an opportunity to use it until this summer. I'm looking forward to giving it a try. It's the 110V/12V model and seems to work very well in both modes. George Hone and I rigged charging cable that run back to the boat from the tow vehicle and it seems to keep the battery up so the freezer can be operating while towing. ...and a couple extra 12V plugs in the cockpit are convenient for running the unit.

I'm currently in The Villages, but return to Seattle(Anacortes) on Thursday to get Katmai ready to 'splash on the 9th or 10th. I'm definitely ready to "Let the Fun Begin!"

Best,
Casey
 
Casey,
Great to see you if only for a short time. I miss spelled the freezer/refer--it is indeed a WEACO--used to be Adler Barber and now Dometic branded with the Danfoss compressor: Probably the same model"
52 Qts. (1.7 cu ft) 12/24v DC - 110/240v AC 45 Watts, 3.75 Amps
24.8"L x 19.4H x 14W 40 lbs. dry weight. I have owned several of the Norcold similar chests before--and think that perhaps the WAECO is slightly more efficient (?). We have done the 12 volt wiring to the boat in the past, and have the material to do that on the return trip. We will use the Genset to keep the batteries up (30 amp charger available). We are also making a "shell" of foam and a "blanket" which will be reflective bubble foil, with ventilation, to make it more efficient in the heat. Of course if Marie can keep up catching the bass, then no reason for any other meat!

Jim and Joan great to see you both. When can we get the CD?


Yes, we stayed in motels--on the way back from Powell (and that is one reason for the rapid transit. We had picked out one, and they wanted $160 plus tax!--I got on the phone and found a nice up grade about 150 miles down the road for half the price. Some times in West Texas there are not a lot of choices.) This is why we are driving the RV on the next leg of the trip. We probably will not return home between mid July and early Oct, so will have both the C Dory and RV to "live in" ----no motels!

The Admiral with a string of bass....


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Miss Angel the Poodle thinking how good that Bass tastes.
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Above the "Songsters" at Friday Harbor.....
 
Wow--its been that long since we posted on this thread! Casey--we do have one of the covers, and it is great. It is insulated. We had the refer off for a day by accident, and the temp was only up to 46 degrees.

After 10 days in Yosemite, the Catalina gathering and then storing the boat at Powell we headed North.

We left “Thisaway” at Big Water (Lake Powell), after a stay in Mustang NV on the way up. Next stop Salt Lake City and then up to Bozeman, MT and a few wonderful days in the driveway of distant cousin Charless and Marjorie. We got to meet some more wonderful people and had dinner with Montana Kevin. Charless purchased a C Dory 22 recently. I think I am in trouble for suggesting projects! Charless and Marjorie are great additions to the C Brat family, and currently are at the Yellowstone gathering, which we missed.

We had never really explored central Montana, and so off too Great Falls, MT. Charless warned me that there are two seasons in MT—Winter, and road repair. We experienced lots of the latter! Fortunately we have a “skirt between the RV and the Yukon we tow. Great falls has the wonderful Charles Russell Painting museum/gallery. We spent the next day at the Lewis and Clark interputative center. Different, but also a wonderful exibut. It motivated me to begin to read their journals again.
After Great Falls, it was off to Helena and then East Glacier National Park. We stayed by St. Mary’s lake. It was a great campground, but no WI FI or A T & T cell phone coverage. We had to buy a Verizon phone to be able to have the close coverage we needed to help care for a friend for which we are successor trustees/agents of Power of attorney. We drove to East Glacier, Two Medicine Valley, Waterton Lakes, in Canada, McDonald Lake and up the canyons. Spent a day in Canada—where our American dollar was worth less! It was a beautiful area, but there was a lot of smoke so the high moutains were not as clear. There was a Mama Grizzley Bear on a golf coarse, where the trio played right by the bears! There were mountain goats on the road and people getting out of their cars to photograph them. Then a 2 days drive over to Cody, Wy where we are now. All of the above need to be on everyone’s bucket list. But one of the highlights of the journey was the 5 museum Bill Cody historical center. I was in 7th heaven with the world’s largest gun collection and Museum. There was an art gallery, Bill Cody section, Natural History museum, the museum of the Plains Indian and the fire arm museum. Also was a night at the Rodeo. We were impressed on the close family interactions, with mothers and fathers taking children who could barely sit up on their horses to learn the art of Rodeo. On Labor Day we drove to a nearby small town: Meeteetse, pop 327. They were having their 100 anniversary Rodeo, and we spent about 7 hours watching small town rodeo. One fellow sat next to us, and he was from N. Calif. Had moved there for his children. The Cody Schools have multiple tutors so children all have an excellent opportunity. All of the kids are involved in some form of arts, Athletics or horsemanship. His children were involved in the professional night rodeo in Cody—90 straight nights they were in the drill team who presented the colors. They also performed at the small local rodeo.
All of this review of our American Heritage reinforces why America was successful, with a work ethic, which seems to be lacking in some sectors of our current society! Also so evident was the bad way which our government treated the native Americans.
Old Town (buildings moved from all over of Wyoming) was interesting, but the most impressive, was the Techumseh’s Minivillage. This is an open diorama of the history of the Cody area in a 7,000 sq foot room which was built by one man ( Jerry Fick)—now in his 70’s who started at age 8! There are thousands of figurines, and many buildings, trains, forts etc. Jerry still makes custom dear skin suits and shirts etc. He gave me a bag of “Scraps” to make some pouches for my smaller CCW hand guns. Of course I could not help myself buying a new felt hat, and a locally made stag handle sheath knife with an Eagle carved on the handle. Almost every thing was on 25% off for end of season….even better was the 50% off on many items at the Sierra Trading post. Yep, I gave in and we purchased several new shirts, a pair of pants and some other items….just what we need more “stuff” in the RV. (OK I forgot the 5 books I bought at the Cody Historical Museum)….We have been "kept" in Cody--not a bad place!--trying to arrange care for our friend.

Next up thru Yellowstone and to the Tetons, Jackson Hole and back to Powell. The plan is to arrive Powell somewhere about the 12th or 13th of Sept, and spend a couple of weeks on the Lake before heading to home!

On the way home, we will try towing the C Dory 22 behind the RV--total length will be about 70 feet. We have noticed the difference towing the Yukon (6,000 lbs) vs the Honda Pilot (4400 lbs, about the same as the C Dory when going up grades).
 
Great part of the country - rugged and beautiful. Good to hear you are taking the time to enjoy it... many do a "drive through" and think they've "done" that area.

We look forward to the next time our paths cross.

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan
 
Hi, Bob and Marie

Good to see you enjoying the cool rocky mountain west. See you at the Powell gathering.

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Yes you can tow a CD 22' behind the motorhome. We did it last week for 1600 miles without any problems. About 72' overall length.

Brent and Dixie
 
Today completed our 5th trip over the continental divide this year. (maybe several more due to criss crossing in Idaho and MT....

We left Cody--great place, but it was closing up shop. In Yellowstone there were the usual cars stopped in the middle of the road with folks jumping out to photograph Bison or Brown bears.

At Bridge Bay we arrived to find Far West on the launch ramp on its way out for the season, and so John joined us for lunch in the RV (He brought his own) It was wonderful to again spend a few hours with John--what a resource!) The docks will be vacated this Sunday, and the season is over.

As we came down into the Jackson Lake Valley, there was a light dusting of fresh snow falling on the Tetons, and light rain in the valley. Jackson Hole was full of traffic--almost as bad as LA! Not sure what is going on, but no RV sites there. We found a better place up near Teton City off Hwy 390.

Tonight it is going to be 36 and down to 34 tomorrow. Next week in the 20's! We will spend a few days here and then head down for Powell!
 
Well....the "summer adventures" of 2012 for "Thisaway" are past history, as we returned home today. Since we were driving in tandem--I drove the RV with the boat (70 feet LOA), Marie drove the Yukon--we only made 300 miles or so a day. 6 days from Powell to Pensacola. A few RV problems on the way. No issues with the boat or trailer. We did repack the bearings before leaving Powell, and checked the temps on the hub and brakes every 2 hours.

We first headed out on April 12 and returned in June 2, did our doctor's appointments etc and headed back out on July 12. The Yukon has put over 10,000 miles on it since new this spring, and the RV over 9,000 miles since leaving home. The Yukon was also towed about 4,000 miles behind the RV (4 x 4 with neutral transfer case--easy to tow!) Thisaway logged just over 100 hours on the Honda 90 (trouble free), and went about 900 miles this summer. Everything on the boat worked very well. I will do a post on Lake Powell cruising. But I do want to mention the freezer here. We used it in the RV and Yukon as well as in the boat. For the boat we had a group 31 AGM battery, which would run the freezer for 24 hours when fully charged. If we ran enough to charge the battery off the alternator, that was enough. However every few days we stopped for a day or so, and then ran the Honda EU 1000 for a few hours to top off the battery. We used a West Marine battery charger which puts out 30 amps (Portable), and ran the temp of the freezer to zero with the 110 volt power supply when the generator was running. We had also switched out the Guest 2 battery/10 amp charger for a Mastervolt 20 amp charger (much better than the Guest) and ran that to top off house batteries. (two group 27--which will be changed out for two group 31 AMG (East Penn purchased at Sam's club for less than half the price of the same batteries at Sears).
 
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