When & If ~ Cuba??

The "When and If"

This blog update starts off from the next upcoming blog! Confused? A few days ago, we did a dry run to the dock area to find the Appledore and Jeff. Jeff sold the tickets for our sail around Key West. I struck up a conversation with Jeff about going to Cuba. It was on my bucket list. What developed from the conversation proved to be very interesting. His son, Seth, is Captain on the schooner “When & If”, which is going to Cuba in late March. They will be taking six passengers along with a crew of four. Jeff gave us his son’s business card and location of the “When & If” over at the Stock Island Marina. We biked back over to Trumbo Point for lunch and you know the conversation was on a sailing trip to Cuba.
After lunch, our curiosity got the best of us and off we went in search of the schooner. I drove into the marina and parked the truck. The marina has hundreds of sail boats, but, to our luck, right there along the main dock was the “When & If”. A young male person walked by us and jumped onto When & If! I asked, “Are you Seth”? “No”, he said, but “He’s onboard”. I mentioned the Cuba trip and soon we were talking to the young Captain Seth. He explained the details of the trip, from the legality of the trip to accommodations.
A little about the “When & If”: Built in 1939 for General George Patton to sail around the world “When the War is over, and If I survive”.

Anchored at Stock Island Marina

When and If has just undergone a two-year restoration and is open to the public for the first time this summer.
Designer: John G. Alden
Year: 1939
Length On Deck: 63ft
Length Overall: 80ft
Beam: 15ft
Draft: 9ft
Sail Area 1,700 sq. ft

"When the war is over and If I survive"

Just walking on the “When and If" was inspiring. I would have not, in my entire life, thought or dreamt that I would have walked the same deck as the famous WWII General. He didn’t get to sail around the world with his wife Bee, but did sail on the “When and If" before the war. For those of you who did not know, General George Patton was killed in a vehicle accident in Germany, after the war.
Captain Seth told us that we should change our American dollars into either Euros or Canadian dollars. American dollars are exchanged in Cuba at 13%. We have our passports and a Visa is available as we enter Cuba. Until recently, when Americans entered the country, the Cuban Customs would give Americans a paper stating that they entered Cuba legally. Today, with relaxed regulations, Americans can get their passport stamped without a problem coming back into the United States. It is still not 100% travel free restriction.
The trip down there would be a ten day trip, give or take, depending on the weather. At the end of March, the winds change from Northeast to the Easterlies, favorable for a good fast return to Key West, Fl. On the other hand, if the winds are still northeast the return trip would be slower. Normally going down to Cuba is about an 18 hour sail. On a return trip, the last time they made a nearly record 8 hour return trip.

At The Helm

Now comes the not so positive aspect of the trip. The cost and even worse…”The Obama Visit”. Yes, President Obama plans to visit Cuba on March 20th and the 21st. We would be leaving on the 28th. Knowing Obama, he will screw something up and could possibly effect our entry into Cuba or for that matter our return.
The cost per person for the sail is $2,200 per person. We could stay on board the “When and If" while there, but there is no A/C onboard and it could get buggy at times. Capt. Seth said that we could get a hotel room for $100 a night or rent a house for $300 a night. We could easily run up a $6,000 bill for just wanting to cross off a check mark on my bucket list!

The trip is not dead yet! I will keep options open and see if the “When and If" has its six passengers before sailing. Things will work out one way or another. As I always say, “We are in a canoe going down a river without paddles. Let’s see where it brings us”!

Captain Seth also mentioned that we would be going into three or four other ports in Cuba including Hemingway’s port of call.

That is what we saw and did!

Presidential Families

Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016

My dear wife Helen said, “Why don’t we go over to the ‘Little Truman White House’ and see the ‘Presidential Families Symposium’…Harry & Ike: The Partnership that Transformed the World!” I said, “Sounds pretty interesting and the cost was reasonable.

Clifton Truman Daniels, Mary Lou Pfieffer and
Mary Jean Eisenhower

Mary Jean Eisenhower and Clifton Truman Daniel spoke about their grandparents. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but to my surprise it was truly informative and interesting. Their grandfather’s roots as farm children growing up in the 1880s, the desire to serve in the military, their common views on rebuilding Europe following the war, multiple offers of Truman’s support for Ike as a presidential candidate and the feud during the 1952 election and the eventual reunion as close friends.

Mary Jean Eisenhower with the grey sweater
looks a lot like her grandfather Ike!

Professor Mary Lou Pfieffer, of Florida University, was the moderator. The information that was presented was too numerous to detail here in this blog, but I can tell you we listened to some neat stories about their grandparents! Mary Lou did a marvelous job as a moderator.

What I found the most fascinating was Mary Jean and Clifton’s recollections of meeting the grand children of famous world leaders: Nikita Kruschef (sp), President of Russia, Charles DeGault, President of France and Stalin’s grandson.

General McArthur’s putdown answer when asked what he thought of General Eisenhower running for president. His answer was. “He was a great clerk”!

When fishing was GOOD!

Mary Jean recounted that when McArthur was asked by the president of the Philippines to help buildup the Philippines Armed Forces, before WWII, he said, “If am going to act like a president, I should have better living accommodations. She said she visited his super luxurious living quarters at the best hotel in Manila. She couldn’t believe how much luxury he had swallowed up for himself.

JFK On tour after the Cuban Missile Crisis

Clifton recalled how Ike’s son was serving in the military in Korea during the conflict and he (the son) didn’t want to leave his post when his father was sworn in as president. Both Ike and his son didn’t want him to come, but Harry Truman said, “As president I ordered him to come”. That started a rift between Ike and Harry that lasted a long time. Eventually, both men became friends again. During the Eisenhower era, the Interstate Highway system was built. As one section from Harry Truman’s home state of Missouri to Eisenhower’s home state of Maryland was built, the name on the Truman end was called “The Truman and Eisenhower Interstate Highway”. On the Eisenhower end it was “Eisenhower and Truman Interstate Highway”. One wonders if this was still a tiny part of the rift between the two presidents?

The symposium atmosphere was very casual. I felt like both Clifton and Mary Jean were sitting in my living room having a quiet evening chat. Of course, my living room doesn’t hold 100 people, but the hundred were quiet as church mice.

President Jimmy Carter

One has to stop and think of how many world leaders have sat in this very garden. How treaties and world problems were discussed and resolved and some not.

The Little White House was built by the U. S. Navy in 1890 as the home, on the waterfront, to house the base commander and paymaster. Truman used the house for 175 days as both a retreat and functioning White House. He did this when the Big White House in Washington was being totally rebuilt.

Secretary of State Colin Powell

I discovered why John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Colin Powell visited and why the Little White House became a working Presidential Office where new policies and the Department of Defense came into being.

In March of 1918, Thomas Edison resided at the “Little White House” at the time known as Quarters A&B, while donating his services to the Navy. In 1912, President William Howard Taft visited the Naval Station on route to inspect the Panama Canal. There aren’t many dignitaries that haven’t been or stayed at this historic building (now a museum).

In summing up, we were impressed!

That is what we saw and did!

The first two top pictures are mine, the rest were taken from "The Little White House" publication

Solvania and Croatia...Better Than Expected!

Saturday,  Oct 3, 2015

Time check 3am. No, the alarm hasn't gone off yet, but my biological clock certainly has and that is a normal occurrence for me. I didn't get up until a little after three thirty. We all did our bathroom thing and were ready and out the door by 4am. The bus pickup point is just three hundred feet around the corner. It was already there and we were first to board. A total of 12 people were signed up and all were early. Francesca, our tour guide, spoke Italian and oddly enough English with a pronounced British accent. Later we found out that her mother was Italian and father British!
The bus no soon started than it started to rain heavily with thunder and lighting. Francesca said that the boat Captain would cancelled the boat part of the tour if it was to choppy or visibility up to par. After dosing of for two and a half hours the bus descended into the town of Trieste. This is the last major city in Italy before we crossed into Slovenia. This is also a Euro National State and no border restriction or stops were encountered. 
From this sea level port our journey took us up into the mountains again. The road twisted and turn around many valleys and ridges. There were many farms with vineyards of grapes and orchards of olive trees. It had stopped raining and we now had a little hope that the tour would be a success or partial success and not a total washout.   
A little information here about the Croatia and the Istrian Coast. The length of the Istrian coast, along with islands and inlets is 324 miles. The west coast of Istria is more indented, and, together with islands, it is 202 miles long. East coast, together with inlets  is 131 miles long. The above information comes from the pamphlet  that Francesca gave us upon entering the bus.
Another interesting fact is on the Karst and the limestone grounds. The sinking of Karst recess created specific and branched bays, such as the Pula port, the Medulin bay, the Rovinj coast and the Porec coast that we visited. Lost in the spelling and pronunciation of the words above? So are we! (Above taken from tour literature)
The coast is well developed with lots of bays, deeper small bays and rivers mouth. 
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. During the 2nd century BC, Roman Castrum was built on a tiny peninsula. 
Ok, enough of history of the area! Upon arriving at Paranzo (Porec) we walked towards the boat that we would be taking on our land and sea tour. Being a small group, we were early and had an hour to spend exploring the old port town. 
Many of the villages and towns in Europe have small cobbled stone streets, but Porec was very unique in that the street, in the old section, were narrow, but the cobbled stones were above the rest as far as patina is concerned. They were still wet from earlier rain and just had that magical glow that a photographer is looking for. It was  early and just a few people were out and about. This added to the charm of the pictures that I took. Francesca, happened to be walking in our direction and guided us to an ancient church. Some of the original mosaic floor was discovered three feet below the existing and was left opened to view and photograph. 
It was good to have the extra time before the cruise. As we walked toward the boat Monvi, the locals were opening their shops, hand sweeping the cobble stone streets, some were hosing their street dining areas and a few little old ladies were heading off to the market. 
One of the first things we did on the boat was checkout the best spots for viewing. Here again, Francesca gave us help hints. She said that the open top deck might be to hot if the sun came out. Speaking of sun, once underway we stopped at two other pickup points for more passengers and by than the sun came through for us again! The temperature climbed into the high seventies by the middle of the afternoon 
In about an hour an a half we made our first stop. Has we pulled in port of Rovigno (Rovinj) the towering church steeple came into view. Wow, what a view! 
A little history about Rovinj. Rovinj was already a settlement of Illyrian tribes before being captured by the Romans. This makes it very, very old. The town certainly has a long history. We disembarked from  the boat and Francesca gave us a couple of options to get to the church on top of the hill. She said, basically take the low (long gradual road) or the high road (up a quick, but strenuous) road. The first thing that we encountered was the local market with vendors begging you to sample food items. We did managed to sample some, but weren't interested in carrying larger bags around for the rest of the time in Rovinj. Walking through the many side streets, actually no main street to go up to the church, we were overwhelmed with the artist, vendors and photographic opportunities on the way home. 
A wedding in the church was about to take place. A lot of people were mulling around and taking photos. Francesca had told us that we could climb the bell tower, 192 steps, for a small fee of 3 Euro. Up we started, the first three steps were a foot high. The next 189 steps were all little steps of three to four inches. We took our time and  Joan, Helen a I made it to the very top. Sam, who has had two hip replacements elected to wait in the shade in front of the church.
Wow, what a view! All four sides were simply spectacular! We were five or six people at the top. I just happened to look at my watch, 12 noon it read. I wonder if they ring the bells? Bong, Bong! The giant bell four feet above my head was rocking back and forth as a huge hammer, three foot high inside the bell, did its thing! This wasn't bad enough, a pigeon just above, on a beam, let go! I don't mean let go of the beam! The adventures I put myself through!
Going down the stairs was a little harry also. Because the steps were not constant in height, one had to step over one foot while holding on to the railing and slowly head down to meet Sam.
From the church we took a direct path, well as direct as possible down to the bay. When we arrived we got twisted around for a second and headed for the other side of town. We quickly turned around toward the boat. One final stop was to buy some Chestnuts roasting on a propane fire at the outskirts of the market. 

Homeward Bound, But The Adventure Continues!

Friday, July 18, 2014
      Location this morning is Deer Lake, Newfoundland. The sun is shining with a bright blue sky. Our plan was not to rush home, but to explore anything that caught our fancy.

Salmon Fishing ~ Deer Lake

We weren’t even a mile from our night’s stay location at the truck stop, when we were intrigued by a row of fishermen, with waders standing nearly waist deep in the inlet of Deer Lake. What looked odd was the shoreline filled with spectators. After talking to some of them, we discovered they already had their two Salmon limit, hence they were cheering their fellow fishing buddies. For those of you who are wondering, the fisherman were catching Salmon left and right.

Bringing in the Cod!

Traveling South towards Corner Brook, we looked at many side roads that followed Deer Lake. If they looked interesting, we just meandered of the main road and explored the small villages. I was always looking for that special photo opportunity. In no time we arrived in Corner Brook and revisited the tourist info center. “What have we missed in this area”, I ask the young lady. She said, “Have you

Fishing Village Life

been to Lark Harbour”? “Yes”, I said. “How about the, ‘very scenic hiking trails near Little Port’? “No”, was my answer. It was only mid-morning as we headed towards Lark Harbour. This time we looked very carefully as the road weaved passed small fishing villages. I spotted several small red boats on shore in the village of Frenchman Cove . If anything else, they would make for a colorful picture. A dock just prior to the little red boats

Lobster Trap ~ Harmony Wave

caught my eye as a fishing boat was starting to unload some fish. I parked and started to walk over to get a better look and take a few pictures. I could see the fish were Cod and soon I started a conversation with the fishermen. A lady wearing a safety vest and hardhat was taking tally of the basket weights and recording the numbers on a clipboard. She was obviously from the fish processing plant. Helen and I walked around the dock taking pictures and finally walking through the village towards those small red fishing boats for more pictures. A little further at the end of land, a half dozen larger boats were on shore. I imagine they only put them

The "Cave" in background

in the water when the fishing season is open, for that particular type of fish or lobster. What really caught my eye was the names of these boats. Some were female names, one as to wonder who they were named for?… Girlfriends, wives, children or grand-children. Another noticeable thing about the locals, walking around the village, was their rubber knee-high boots. I’m sure they looked at us and said, “Another bunch of tourist with their sneakers”.

Wild Raspberries!

Our forty-five minute ride to the end of the main road brought us to this huge pile of Lobster traps. They were constructed a little differently than the usual type and warranted a picture of them all piled along the fence line. We had driven through villages of Benoit’s Cove, York Harbour and finally the end of the road here at Lark Harbour. One final side road called Little Port road was were the Visitor Center had sparked our interest in some hiking trails.
On a side note…  Last year, on our first visit

Odd Rock Formations

to Bottle Cove, we had stayed overnight in a gravel parking lot at the end of Beacon Road. This was our destination today. We weren’t too excited about tracing last year’s adventure again. The parking lot overlooks Bottle Cove and a spectacular view of a fairly large cave facing the ocean. At high tide, water enters the cave. I don’t think one could explore the cave unless a boat was used. In any event, it was still a spectacular view for us this year.
What we didn’t do last year, was hike this area. On the edge of the parking lot ,was a crew of men working on the trail. We talked to them and they assured us it was worth the hike of the views we would see on the other side of the mountain. The trail made a large loop. Another couple ahead of us took to the left and we took to right just to keep the journey as pure as it could be. The trail had primitive rest areas with log benches here and there. At this junction, so far the trail we heavily wooden with softwood spruce

Clear Ocean Water

and pine trees. No ocean views, but peaceful forest with moss covered grounds.
The trail soon opened up to a meadow with wild raspberries and flowers sprawling throughout the large meadow. The trail led to the edge of the meadow and rocky cliffs, with the emerald green ocean below. The water, even though green emerald in color, was clear and the multi-colored stones below the surface shined in the sunlight. The camera was at the ready and I was looking for composition from different angles. Miranda Cove is, in my book, a five star location for photo composition. The unusual thing is the rock formations. Unlike glacial rock that is scratched, scraped and worn,

Little Port and the Mountain

these formations seem to be melted together as in  some sort of volcanic lava creation. We spent some time admiring these formations before hiking to the higher cliff locations.
So far, we enjoyed this hiking relatively alone. Hiking to the higher terrain, we could see more hikers on the lower trails. I carefully made my way to the highest point of the land. You know I’m always looking for that magical photo opportunity. This brings me to a note of caution. For many years, I feared no heights, able to walk a 2x4 wall on many construction sites. Well now that I’m nearing my 70th year of adventure, I must say I must now plan my footsteps.My balance is still there,

Edge of Miranda Cove ~ Volcanic Rock Formations

but now I have to think about it instead of being on auto pilot. In any event, this old dog still plans to travel and see what’s on the other side of the hill and share what I discover.
After our little hike we left Bottle Cove and drove a couple of miles to Little Port. We had visited here last year, but I wanted to see how many  boats were anchored. Little Port lies adjacent to a very high mountain. If we would have had more time I think we would have taken the trail up this mountain. I’m sure their would have been impressive views from the top.

That is what we saw and did!

Technorati Tags: Baby Boomers,Adventure Travel,Truck Camping,Retired Military,Nature

Pinware to Red Bay…The Basque Whaling History

Wednesday, July 16, 2014
This morning we awoke to a very quiet campground with only the gentle sound of ocean waves rolling on the shore. It was foggy and stepping outside of the camper the dreaded Labrador mosquitos invasion attacked. Luckily we only had a few steps to the washrooms. I later emptied the holding tanks and filled with fresh drinking water.

Setting the fishing nets!

To the North up to Red Bay our last section of paved road. I must say that we met a fellow camper here at Pinware Provincial Campground and I had an interesting conversation with him about his travels. He was from Virginia traveling alone except for his dog “Galette”. I asked him if he was traveling further North? He said, “No, I just came from the North”. How were the roads? “Well, I had too flat tires, ripped the wire harness for the trailer. (He was towing one of those very small tear drop travel trailer with his SUV) He further said that there was considerable wait time as blasting was being done on the road from Red Bay to

Whale Oil shipping barrels from long ago

Port Hope Simpson. He also said he was having car trouble, but didn't elaborate. At this point in time I made the decision that going up to Happy Valley Goose Bay was not in the cards. So far the adventure has been without major incidence and we both want to keep it that way.
Arriving in Red Bay we were surprised to see many, many people walking around the small community of 300 local inhabitants. This was due to the cruise ship that was docked in the bay. Eighteen hundred to be exact. If you think they looked odd to us, you should have seen their expressions when they saw us

One of the fatal shipwrecks

and realized that we were from the States and where here with a truck camper. “How did you get here?” This question was repeated several times. The cruise ship will eventually travel to Cartwright, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and the Scandinavian Countries.
The history…Red Bay was the major Basque whaling port. The port sheltered the whaling ships from the storms coming down the Strait of Belle Isle. It is said that 25,000 whales where caught here by the Basque. They processed the whales here in Red Bay. The shipping barrels were brought

Giant Whale Bones Flower arrangement

from Europe, unassembled, and reassembled and made watertight here. The whale oil was then shipped back to Europe in the barrels. We boarded a shuttle boat which took us over to the island to view the archeological excavations, shipwreck site, the boiling stations and processing points for different parts of the whale carcass.
The island is just off the mainland by a quarter mile or so. The weather, as expected, was raw, windy and cool to cold. There are well marked walking trails around the small island. Every few hundred feet were markers with numbers that corresponded to our legend map describing what took place at that spot. One has to stop and think how these people worked and surviv

Sea Urchin carried on shore by Seagull

ed in this northern land. Remembering that we were here visiting in the best climate time frame. Our boat captain, a native to Red Bay, said that in his youth he remembered the bay freezing sold and the locals would drive their pickup trucks onto the ice to go ice fishing. Remember that this is salty ocean water that does freeze at 32 degrees, but at a much lower temperature. We made the circle foot tour of the island and headed back to the shuttle boat for a return to the mainland artisan shops and relief from the harsh winds.
Lunch in the camper, a short rest and off again to the edge of town and a look at the fork in the road. To the right, the sign said; Battle Harbour, Happy Valley/Goose Bay, to the left Blanc Sablon. The road to the right was muddy red with fresh memories of our fellow camper friend’s troubles from the north. I’m not afraid of boon docking, but by the same token I’m not looking to deliberately put the

Last of the paved roads!

truck/camper at risk of damage or excessive ware and tear. To the left we went after taking a picture of the road sign. It was the second time that we decided not to venture way up to Happy Valley/Goose Bay. I've accepted that it just wasn't meant to be…the forest fire on the first trip and the horrible road conditions on this trip.
Our adventure wasn't exactly over yet. Returning towards Blanc Sablon wasn't the end of the road and a wait for the ferry. On our first trip, we talked to two Canadians who mentioned that traveling pass Blanc Sablon was a unique geological adventure also. The barren rock formations were very

Stream next to our roadside
campsite

notable. That was our direction after stopping on the road side and watching local fishermen set their fishing nets.
With Blanc Sablon behind us to the east the paved road soon was filled with construction signs ahead. A major road paving projects was being done for many miles as we found ourselves in the middle of all of that reconstruction. The road was now gravel and as we climbed onto the plateau it started to drizzle. We kept watching for a good spot to stop for the night. Nothing was even close to being acceptable. At one point we encountered a handful of cabins with each driveway gated off with a large wire cable. There was no sign of people around. The cabins were probably fishing or hunting camps. In any event the cable plainly said keep away. We had been on the road for a little over an hour and with no place to pull off the road I made the decision to head back some fifteen miles to a off road parking lot. I pulled in to the farther side away from the road. During the evening made a half dozen vehicles went by, some not even noticing us. We hit the pillows around 9pm and had an extremely quiet night.

That is what we saw and did!

Technorati Tags: Truck Camping,History,Baby Boomers,Retired Military,Travel Adventure