On the Hard And On the Road

 On The Hard.

It took all day on Tuesday and  21 gallons of (non-toxic) antifreeze to winterize Irish Lass's systems.  Commodore Kathleen got her steps (9 miles worth)  in hiking back and forth to West Marine repeatedly for the elusive "last jug". Admiral Maggie hid in the master stateroom.  Wade crawled around below decks draining and flushing engines, generators, AC units, and water heaters.  Not hugely different than what we experienced with our last boat, except for scale.  I mean 21 gallons. Sheesh!

Tuesday night, we moved ashore to a motel.  On Wednesday morning, we arrived back at the marina to find Irish Lass already in the slings of the TravelLift with a long-suffering dockhand power washing her hull.  (Yuck) 

We were pleased to see that her hull had come through of summer cruise in pretty good shape. Over the winter she will be fresh bottom paint, new zincs, and new cutlass bearings,  but little else seems necessary below the waterline.

It was fascinating ( and a bit unnerving) to watch the marina crew drive the TravelLift with a wireless remote control while walking her (yes, really) some 500 yards to her winter parking place in the boatyard.  They then made quick work of lowering her on to keel blocks and bracing her with hull stands.  Easy peasy. Like they do it 12 times a day.  Which actually they do, in order to haul the hundreds of boats that will keep Irish Lass company over the winter. (Sheesh) 

We tidied up her decks and made one last check of ports, doors, thru-hulls, and battery switches and declared ourselves to be full-time land dwellers again. 

Here endeth the cruise.....

All this quick, efficient work left us with a down day on Thursday, which we filled by making the trek to Mt Vernon to tour the plantation home of George Washington.  This is a fascinating place on a beautiful bluff overlooking the Potomac River. 

Owned and operated since 1860 by the Mt Vernon Ladies Association. a group formed to preserve Mt Vernon when men failed to do so.  (Don't get them started. Sheesh!)  Frankly, it is a better experience than many similar sites run by the National Park Circus....er....Service.  And it's largely dog-friendly.  We're sold.

Friday morning, we loaded up Freedom Bird and began our trek back to The World.....

On The Road

Friday's destination was Albany, NY, where we would meet our son Daniel and his fiance' Alexandria.  Traveling north thru Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York was a study in contrast.  Speed limits, fuel costs, road conditions, and COVID restrictions varied tremendously.   It seemed we would just figure out one state's toll system when we would cross a border and have to begin learning all over.  But, by the time we reached Albany, we had invested close to $50 in pay-as-you-go highway taxes.  And, contrary to a Westerner's impression, not ALL of NewJersey serves as the nation's toxic waste dump.

We made a detour to visit West Point, NY, and the United States Military Academy.  Wade's uncle George Hannan was a member of the tragic Class of 1950, which suffered greatly in the Korean War.  We had hoped to see the Cadet Chapel, where he was married shortly after graduation and shortly before deployment.  (He fell while protecting his detachment's withdrawal near Wosan a few months later.) Unfortunately, the campus was closed to visitors due to COVID.  Still, we enjoyed the beauty of the Hudson River Valley and the charming town. 

We shared a delightful weekend with Daniel and Alex in Albany.  They brought us up to date on their wedding plans (May 2021).  We toured the NY capital grounds and visited the first lock on the Erie Canal, which we hope to see again from a water perspective on our Loop next year. 

Sunday morning saw us hustling west on I-90 (our Pathway To The World.).  Upstate New York is downright gorgeous, but we started to get repeated reminders of the approach of winter.  There was a hit of color in the trees, a crisp sense of Fall in the air, not to mention snow plows pre-positioned in parking lots and DOT barns overflowing with future car rust (i.e salt). We ain't in the Tidewater no more.  Sheesh. 

Afternoon saw us barreling thru Ohio, headed on our next overnight in Cleveland.  But that's another story.......

Thanks for watching.....

Wade and Kathleen