Sunday, July 31, 2011

Ruidoso 2, NM


Ruidoso Downs horse race track.  Billy the Kid Casino, restaurant and bar are under the stands.

You know what comes with horses?  Flies.  Beaucoup - as in a whole bunch.  We moved from our first campsite cuz the place was crawling with 'em.  Second location where we are now is better but there are still plenty - less the KIAs: my trusty fly swatter and I are a deadly duo but we're badly outnumbered.  We booked 5 nights here and that will be plenty.
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We had planned to tour several neat places in southeast AZ but high temps and August monsoons put us off.  So we're headed to another neat place that's been on our hit list: Prescott.  Elevation there is 5400' and high temps are in the mid 80s.  Perfect!  That will likely be our last stop before we head for the barn.  If we really like it, we may stay in Prescott for some time cuz LHC average highs are 106 in August.

The Hubbard Museum of the American West, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, is here.  Larger than life horse sculptures of the major breeds are staged on the museum grounds, plus this pair of fighting stallions at the entrance.
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Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War is part of the colorful history of this area.  The Kid's home was Lincoln, NM, for many years the most lawless, deadliest place in the country.  President Hayes called the road through Lincoln 'the most dangerous street in America'.  Don't take your guns to town, Bill.  Oh ..... another thing, Bill: when you're in the saloon, order whiskey, not sarsaparilla.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Ruidoso, NM

These 3 pix are of Lake Dardanelle S P, OK.  Great setting and view but too damned hot and humid to enjoy it.  Cower inside the EDGE with A/C on max.




We’re back in the high dry country and it feels great!  We'll take a break of 5-7 days after many hot sticky days on the road through PA, VA, WV, TN, AR, OK, and TX.  We didn’t spend more than one night in any one place since we left Gettysburg, never unhooked, never went out for dinner.  So, going out tonight!






Dozens of discarded spray paint cans litter the area.
Staged shot.  I picked up an empty can of paint.

Above pix are of Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.  I thought it was an old whorehouse-museum when we saw it on the map - like Chicken Ranch in the movie.  But no, it’s 10 Cadillacs planted nose down in a field back in the early 70s.  I’d seen pix of it, don’t recall when or where.  They’re hardly recognizable as Caddies anymore, having long since become a venue for spray-paint messages and bizarre art.  Still, it gets lots of visitors - including us.
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Trish wanted to drive through Roswell to see the many alien-themed signs and such.  She took several pix; I didn’t take any cuz I was driving, didn’t think they’d be blog-worthy in any case.  Your garden variety Roswell alien sign has them looking like the aliens in Close Encounters: green, hairless, delicate, large slanted oval eyes.
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We picked Ruidoso cuz of its high altitude.  We weren’t aware that there’s a major horse racing track here, Ruidoso Downs, and also a large winter ski area.  It’s an odd mix of chic and hoity-toity alternating with poor and shabby, with not much in the middle.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Foss S P, Foss, OK

It was 109 degrees when we pulled in at 4 PM, park ranger said the temps were 10-15 degrees above normal and had been for 30 days.  We’re thankful we’re just passing through - also that the humidity is much lower than we’ve seen in several weeks.
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Signs we saw along the AR/OK drive:
In Arkansas.

            1.  Toad Suck Park.  About damn time, too; haven’t had a good toad suck for God knows how long,

            2.  Pig Trail Park.  Oink, grunt and snort if you’re a Razorback.  It’s a popular ride with Harley riders for obvious reasons.  Oh, it’s not obvious?  Harleys - or Harley drivers, not sure which -are sometimes referred to as hogs because of the Harley Owners Group (HOG).  Some would say there are other similarities. 

            3.  Pig Out Palace.  Don’t know but assume it’s a restaurant.  Yeah, I can do that.

In Oklahoma.

            1.  Pottawattamie.  Gotta look on backlog of blog posts: weren’t these guys in Iowa or Maine or somewhere?  What are they doing down here?  And why did they come for cripes sakes?  This place sucks.  Just ask the toads.

            2.  Kickapoo.  Ever read the cartoon strip ‘Lil Abner’?  They often talked about Kickapoo Joy Juice in the comic strip.  I thought the Kickapoo name was made up, turns out it’s a real Native American tribe.  I was sorely tempted to stop and ask them to fill my water bottle with Joy Juice.  Back to ‘Lil Abner’, I thought Moonbeam McSwine was HOT.  Never mind that she slept with the hogs; hot is hot.

            3.  Roman Nose Park.  A memorial to Jimmy Durante?

            4.  Chisholm Trail & Garth Brooks Blvd.  These two signs were back to back along the freeway, near OK City.  We’re talking major time warp here.

            5.  Last but not least, a sign on OK City outskirts stating that the shopping cart was invented in OK.  Holy crap!  I envision a fantastic new theme park in OKs future, rivaling Branson, and Dollyville: Shopping Cartville!!!  There’ll be a 5-star hotel in the shape of a shopping cart, shopping cart drag races, shopping cart roller coasters, shopping cart loading contests (separate prizes for highest, widest and heaviest), shopping cart demolition derbies, huge shopping carts that seat 6 tourists - pulled by Clydesdales (eat your heart out Budweiser).  The possibilities are endless!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Natchez Trace S P, Lexington, TN

We’re at Pin Oak Campground on Pin Oak Lake.  It’s a totally awesome campground with full hookups overlooking the lake.  Hard to believe there’s hardly anybody here!  There’s nobody at all in our loop besides us; it’s just us the trees and the lake, so welcome after the many recent sardinesque private campgrounds. 
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Pin oak: ever heard of ‘em?  I never had so looked in my Audubon Field Guide tree book.  Pin is short for chinkapin, a type of oak that grows only in the southeast, so named because the leaves resemble those of the chinkapin tree - never heard of that either.  Several species of oak have leaves of that shape, an elongated toothed oval that bears no resemblance to the traditionally shaped leaves of my prior acquaintance.
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On more reflection, maybe I have heard of pin oak, and maybe you have also.  Think on it for a minute: does it ring any bells?  How about if we add a ‘y’, making it pin oaky, does that help?
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Got it?  No?  Okay, here’s the last clue: add an ‘o’ after the y.
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That’s right!  Pinocchio!  Now we know what he was made of and how he got his name.  No, no - no need to thank me.  I consider it an honor, broadening the knowledge of the masses.  Hey, somebody’s gotta do it.
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Pix below are of our campground, with Trish giving Ranger his 3rd haircut with the new doggie clipper.  She gets a little braver each time, takes a little more hair off, hoping to help the Dude Dog keep his cool.





There was an armadillo rooting around in the grass when I went outside this morning.  Funny little critters, they are, with their waddling, hopping gait.  This guy (gal?) came to within 10’ of me; either it never realized I was there or just didn’t care.  They’re a lot like opossums, just add body armor.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Near Knoxville, TN

When we were planning this trip, we knew we'd be in the hot and humid when we reached this part of the country.  We didn't really intend to see or do much here although spending 2-3 days in Nashville was a possibility.  Trish is into country music big time, has been to Nashville; I'm less into the music, haven't been to Nashville, and have no great desire to visit now.  

So, we had a summit meeting 2 nights ago.  Subject: how long are we going to spend in the hot and humid, and are we stopping in Nashville?  Consensus: as little time as possible; 2nd answer, no.  We're hauling ass back to the southwest.  We'll tour the high country of NM and AZ where it will be considerably cooler and a hell of a lot dryer.

We'll be heading southwest on I-40, with overnights in TN, AR and OK.  AR and OK are on my permanent shit list for personal reasons.  Many readers already know why; if you don't, but want to, let me know: maybe I'll do a blog post on it.  Anyway, I didn't want to set foot in either state again - never, ever, no freakin' way, ain't gonna happen, forgettaboutit.  But, an alternate route makes no sense so I'll have to grin and bear it.  Okay, I'll bear it.  Grinning, however, is absolutely out of the question.  Sneer, maybe. 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Shenandoah N P, VA

Spent one night here in the Loft Mountain campground, altitude about 3500’ so it’s a bit cooler than the lowlands.  It’s been hot and humid the last few days so this is a welcome respite.  Since we have a Golden Passport card for seniors, NP entry fees are waived and camping is $7.50, half the regular cost.  We’ve been spending $40/night and up at recent campgrounds so the savings are welcome also.
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This park was established in 1935.  Highest peaks here are a tad over 4000’; it appears that the entire park is deciduous forest.  It must be beautiful in the fall.  The park is long and skinny, the main feature being the 105-mile long Skyline Drive that runs along the uppermost ridge of the Blue Ridge Mts.
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Skyline Drive may not be the crookedest, curviest road in the world but it ranks right up there.  If it were a string and you put your left thumb on the north end and grasped the south end in your right hand and gave it a brisk tug, it would straighten right out - and the south end would then reach to the far side of Cuba.
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Old timers will recall the song Oh Shenandoah, which, prior to yesterday, was my main Shenandoah reference.  Always loved that song, so sweet and sad with its lovely lyrics and haunting melody.  The word Shenandoah itself is mightily appealing, has a soft romantic feel to it.  Who wrote it?  Nobody knows.  What’s it about?  Nobody knows.  Shenandoah and ‘the wide Missouri’ are nowhere near each other, nor is Shenandoah, IA close to the Missouri.   
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Speculation is that the song is about a woman named Shenandoah, possibly the daughter of an Indian chief, being sung by her would-be sweetheart who is ‘out west’.  Carrying it a step further, my imagination has him located on the far bank of the Missouri, the poor bugger can’t swim and he’s flat broke so doesn’t have money to take the ferry across.  Remember the song Running Bear?  Could be Oh Shenandoah was on the same theme but hopefully with a less tragic ending.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Gettysburg, PA


Soldiers National Monument located in the military cemetery on the spot where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.


Dedication plaque of the Monument.

My infantry training included strategy, tactics, weapons placement, map reading, terrain evaluation and on and on.  There were numerous field deployment exercises in which we were given a scenario: objective, our assets, limited knowledge of enemy strength and position.  We walked the theoretical battlefield and worked up our battle plans: machine guns here, mortars there, main force dug in on the hill, reserve force covering from side hill.

Given that background, I was curious about how Gettysburg was fought, lost and won.  About 160K soldiers fought here with about 51K casualties, including 5000 rebs slaughtered in one hour - the result of the famous Pickett's Charge.  Some of the lessons of the Revolutionary War, most specifically guerilla-style warfare, were not much employed here.  Massed infantry assaults were made across open fields, straight into cannon fire and well-positioned defenders on the high ground.  No wonder there were so many deaths.

At the visitor's center, we watched an excellent film narrated by Morgan Freeman, toured the museum and viewed the cyclorama - something we didn't know existed.  Cycloramas, popular in the late 1800s, are huge circular paintings viewed from inside the circle.  The Gettysburg cylcorama is 377' long and 46' high; the viewer is on a hill in the middle of the battlefield.  Surrounding the circular viewing stand, close in, are many real battlefield artifacts positioned on what appears to be real soil.  The real stuff meshes seamlessly with the painting, making the whole extremely realistic.  Add naration, sound and light effects and you have a fantastic show complete with cannon and musket fire.  The 4 pix below are of segments of the cyclorama, followed by a plaque about its painter.








The Union officially won the battle and if they'd capitalized on that victory, may have been able to win the war shortly thereafter.  But, Union General Meade allowed Lee's army to get away so the war dragged on for 2 more years.  Lee was an excellent general but he was one of few on either side.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

CFN

Having towed the EDGE over 25,000 miles and having set it up 100 times - in every imaginable kind of campsite, I know the rig's turning and backing capabilities quite well indeed.  I also know where the hookup connections are located and the length of my water hose and electrical cord.  How could I not?

Many large RV parks come equipped with old farts in golf carts, whose mission it is to escort you to your campsite and to 'help' you get situated therein.  This so-called service is totally extraneous in my view.  Most old cart farts are content with just getting you there and letting you position your rig as you wish.  A few, however, feel it is their duty to dictate your positioning efforts down to the last inch.  I should note here that cart farts are not necessarily hired for their intelligence, social skills or good judgement.   Last night's cart fart was well qualified to be the poster child for worst of breed.  Enter the Cart Fart Nazi (CFN).

CFN escorted us to our site and dismounted from his faithful steed.  He told me where the EDGE hookup connections were located (wrong), the best position for the rig on the site (no way in hell) and how to get into that position (impossible).  I didn't say a word.  Trish, recognising that the excrement was soon going to hit the cooling device (being told what to do by someone unqualified for the position of village idiot doesn't sit well with me) immediately exited stage left and took off for the woods with Ranger in tow.

After viewing the site, I hopped back into the truck, pulled out of the campsite and did a 180 turn so I could back the rig into position.  CFN went nuts, stomping around, waving his arms and shouting, 'Where ya goin!?'  Again, I totally ignored his shouting, didn't say a word, backed the rig into the space.  I hopped out of the truck and thanked him for his help - with a straight face, no less.  He took off in his cart, muttering as he drove away, and taking a parting shot, 'You better keep that dog on a leash.'  Piss off, idiot.  You're the one that needs a leash, a very short one with a choke chain.

Trish returned once the coast was clear and promptly removed Ranger's leash.  After we got all set up, got cold drinks and sat down outside in our folding chairs, I said, 'Where ya goin!?'  We both cracked up.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Twain & Stowe

Mark Twain and his family lived in Hartford, CT for many years.  He married money and it was her money that built their large attractive home in Hartford.  Mark earned a good deal of $ himself but squandered much of it in his early years, betting heavily on poor investments.

The family lived lavishly and entertained a great deal.  It seems that in the later years, Mark's judgement on investments improved - or maybe Mrs Twain (Mrs Clemens, really) was able to keep him on a short leash.  Here are pix of the house.




Trish toured the inside of the house and also the nearby domicile of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Upon meeting Ms Stowe, pres Lincoln allegedly said in jest that she was 'the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war'.  In my view, the war was inevitable but Stowe's book undoubtedly helped it along.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Summer Cottages; Newport, RI

Newport dates back to 1639 and became a prosperous seaport early on.  After the revolutionary war it became the country's first resort, attracting artists, writers and wealthy industrialists.  In the 1800s many wealthy folks built summer cottages along the waterfront.  Everybody who was anybody had a summer place here - or knew someone who did.  It was the place to be and the thing to do - and that continued for quite some time.  JFK had a home here.

The Breakers, above and below.



Nowadays, the cottages are mostly museums.  Trish toured The Breakers, the largest of the bunch, built in 1893 by Cornelius Vanderbilt II.  It has 70 rooms, was designed as a 16th century Italian palazzo.


Another cottage.


The Cliff Walk, which fronts some of the cottages.

This is the admin building for Salve Regina University.  Not sure if it was built for that purpose or was once one of the cottages.  It's a couple doors down from The Breakers.

After viewing the mansions, we went down to the harbor, strolled around, had lunch of clam chowder/ fish and chips.  Newport has a great setting and scads of vintage buildings.  Neat place!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Rockland, ME

Trish wanted to see Andrew Wyeth's works at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland so we stopped there for awhile.  I viewed the sculptures outside the museum, being more into 3 dimensional art than 2 dimensional.  Here are pix of the outside stuff.





This is named Link.  Impossible to show in a picture but there are 2 huge intertwined granite 'links' carved from one chunk of granite.  Impressive!

Meltdown in Maine

Our fridge is a 3-way, can run on 120 AC, 12 DC or propane.  The propane function failed while we were camped in Bradbury SP in Maine.  No hookups there so no 120 to power the fridge.  We hooked up the generator to avoid total meltdown but had to immediately cook up everything in the freezer anyway. 

We couldn't find an RV service place enroute to our next 2-night campground, Molly Stark SP in NH, so we cranked up the generator again there.  While driving, the fridge is 12 DC powered.  12 DC is okay for keeping a fridge at proper temperature but too wimpy to chill down a fridge full of room-temp food.

Based on our cell phone conversations with RV service people, we bought a can of compressed air at Staples and used it on the fridge gas burner.  It's now functioning normally.  We had to toss a quantity of food, milk, mayo, etc but not that big a deal.  End of story.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Bradbury SP, ME

Got rocks?
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Along the Maine coast roads you frequently see open areas generously stocked with boulders and rocks.  It reminds one of the rural roads in Ireland.  On our drive here, we passed one of these rocky areas and I remarked, “Look at all those rocks!  There must be Irish folks around here.”  Sure enough, 5 miles down the road there was a road sign that read ‘Belfast, 12 miles.’  When we reached the Belfast outskirts there was a sign advertising a Celtic Festival.  Huh!  And here I thought I was just being a smartass.
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What is it with the Irish and rocks?  I’m half Irish: am I supposed to love rocks?  I don’t.  I do appreciate mountains and colorful rocks and especially rock formations majestically sculpted by water and wind.  But - your average garden variety ho-hum rock - not so much.  My brothers and I picked tons of rocks in the fields of our MN farm when we were young.  It wasn’t much fun.  Furthermore, getting up close and personal with several thousand rocks did not endear them to me in the slightest.
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If you know any Irish folks, best not tell them about my rock heresy.  I might be disbarred or excommunicated or defrocked - whatever it is they do with nonconforming Irish lads.  Oh!  It just hit me: they stone ‘em. 
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Stick with me now cuz we’ll be following one of the many poorly marked trails that meander through my sick, twisted mind.  Fellow Minnesotan, Bob Dylan, sang ‘Everybody must get stoned.’  I’m guessing here but I suspect Bob is Irish, and that he doesn’t like rocks any more than I do, and that he found about the stoning thing and wrote that song about it.  And what did he get for his trouble?  He got stoned - over and over, if the rumors are to be believed.  The poor devil.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Acadia NP, ME

We did the Acadia NP loop road drive on a perfect weather day, then stopped in Bar Harbor (Ba Ha-ba, to the locals) browsed the tacky tourist traps and had lunch.  Following lunch, Trish set up her folding bike, and ducked into a shady alley for a super quick transformation into BIKE BABE!  She headed off to ride the Park's carriage trails; Ranger and I, slackers that we are, went home and took a nap.


Frenchman Bay,one of the view stops along loop road.

Sand Beach, the only real beach in the park.  Ya gotta admire these Maine folks for their originality and imagination in naming things.  Wow!



On top of Cadillac Mountain, great views and rocks.



I'm liken' the lichen.

Cruise ship near Bar Harbor.


Short hiking path on Cadillac.


Lunch in Ba Ha-ba.


The scene of our second Lobster Pound dinner, both scrumptious.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Guest Blogger – Trish, the amateur dog groomer

We’ve been on the road six weeks and Ranger was over-due for a haircut.   Three days ago I called several groomers in the area we are staying.  All were booked solid.  So today I bought a set of clippers and decided I’d learn how to trim him.  I watched the video that came with the clippers and gave it a try using the longest setting.  I’ve got a lot to learn, but at least he won’t be so hot now.  I will build my courage and try a little shorter clip in a week or so.  The boy is exemplary on the table, so that isn’t a challenge.  He just suffers my ineptitude stoically and looks at me as if to say, “You silly muggle.  Where’s Katy, my regular groomer?”

The top is a little flat, but he is still the cutest boy in the whole world.

Just some of the hair I took off.

Ellsworth, ME

Regular readers are aware that Trish and I enjoy golf and that we prefer inexpensive par-3 courses.  Most courses are well-maintained and a pleasure to play.  In LHC our favorite course costs $18 during the week but only $9 on weekends, and it’s a fine little course with great mountain and lake views.  Yesterday, we paid $19 to play 9 holes on the absolute worst course we’ve ever seen.
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The fairway grass was as high as the rough on most courses.  There was 1 ball cleaner on the entire course - with not a drop of water in it.  There were 6 sand traps, only one of which had a rake.  The cart paths were rocky, bumpy, and overgrown with grass and weeds.  Last - and least - were the greens, which, in this case, were more appropriately called ‘browns’.  Imagine the driest, brownest, baldest, most weed-infested vacant lot you’ve ever seen, with the dead grass and weeds mowed right down to the ground. 
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We had several good laughs at our own sarcastic observations and colorful comments as we searched for our balls in the jungle of tall grass.  When (and if) we found them, we’d give ‘em a few good kicks, launching them to a spot where you could take your next shot without employing a weed whacker.
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‘If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.’  We’ve all heard that saying.  I think it included the words ‘about someone’ after ‘nice’.  In the spirit of being positive, I offer this: the flags, those fabric things on top of the rods that are stuck in the cup on the greens, were quite nice.  Woo-hoo!       

Friday, July 8, 2011

Ellsworth, ME

We’re taking a 7-day break here.  It’s time to restock, clean up, do maintenance and service stuff, eat lobster, play golf, ride bike, hike, eat some more lobster, tour Acadia NP, kick back and mellow out.  Last night we had a lobster dinner at a ‘lobster pound’ 5 miles down the road: mmmm - good!  What’s a lobster pound, you ask?  Sand!  What else?
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Nah, just pulling your leg.  Originally, lobster pound referred to a salt water holding tank or enclosure where live lobsters were kept until sold, like dog pound is a holding area for dogs.  Usage of the term has evolved and now refers mostly to casual roadside eateries where you walk up to a window to order your food - and eat it outside, although some have indoor seating as well.
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We’re in a nice private campground.  It has wifi but it sucks: strong signal, pissant capacity.  When you connect to it there’s a caveat: if you use too much broadband width, it will automatically limit your access.  We’ve run into this the last few places we’ve camped, must be an east coast thing.  Campgrounds have wifi installed so they can advertise it, but it ain’t worth a shit, can’t even log onto the web at times.  So, the hell with it: tether up the smart phone.
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Maine is the home of L L Bean, and they have a factory outlet store here.  Trish is excited about visiting the store, likes their products a lot.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick


This shot and the 3 below are the Flowerpot Rocks at high tide.



Blow up this pix (double click) and you'll see kayakers in the lower left.

We’re camped on the Bay of Fundy which has the highest tides in the world at 40’ plus.  We visited The Rocks Provincial Park to see the Flowerpot Rocks, pictured above.  Trish went back after dinner to ‘walk on the ocean floor’ at low tide; I opted out on that, am not especially into mud.  They call this area of water the Chocolate River for obvious reasons.  The turbulent water stirs up lots of silt as it rises and falls.

The 3 pix below were taken at the same place as those above, but at low tide.  At high tide, the water surface would be 35' over Trish's head in the first picture.




The Bay is the home of the only tidal water power plant in North America, in operation since 1984.  It’s small, compared to the huge hydroelectric facilities and the big dams in the western US.  It’s actually a pilot project but still employs the largest straight-flow turbine in the world and produces enough juice to power 4500 homes.  We did a guided tour of the facility, found it fascinating.  Harnessing tidal power has great potential as a renewable, green energy source.
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Today we return to the US, concluding the second leg of our travels, 2 short ones down, 1 long one to go.  First leg was LHC to Minnesota, second was MN to and through the Canadian Maritimes, third and last will be our journey back to AZ.  To date, we’ve logged 5000 miles; we’ll add another 4000 on the last leg but at a more leisurely pace.  It’ll be good to be back in the States.  Things are spendy in Canada, especially gas - our biggest expense by quite a margin.