Back from Baycation 2016
15 August 2016
The season is over now, along with a week each in Petersburg, Bellingham and Williamsburg. We finished up in BB with 166k, and a base price of 75 cents. PSG was cool and drizzly. Hiked RR with Ri and Kokanee on a n especially soggy day. Won the Paddle Battle from Papke's to Sandy each. Hung out on the Hawkeye II with Jordan and Rachel. Beautiful boat, beautiful folks and they taught us "Soy Dos". Hiked the pipeline to Crystal Lake with Ri, Margaret, and Kokanee. There are some awesome campsites on the beach north of the dam.
In Bham Ri had a good bike trip with Kait and Co. I had a nice paddle down to near the end of the Chuckanuts from Mud Bay. Got a lap in on the Boat launch wall and found the nude beach. Also, the first time biking to launch the boat and talking to the owner of the house by the boathouse. Mike's a good guy.
I'm sitting next to Ri now somewhere over Iowa probably, on the way back from Virginia. It was great visiting the grandparents, uncles, and dogs. Also got to do some exploring around Virginia Beach. Saw an otter, ospreys, turtles, herons, pelicans, big spiders, a water moccasin and a black racer.
We started at Sandbridge beach for lunch and a swim, then drove through the beach house hood down to Back Bay Wildlife Refuge. They wouldn't let us hike in to camp in False Cape State Park on account of not reserving a site 24 hours in advance. Primitive camping my ass. Now they won't put coffee in my travel mug for sanitary reasons. I guess I'll sanitize my balls when I spill hot coffee on them or something. They say it's company policy and every airline in the U.S. is the same. Not true for Alaska. I suspect a cup company contract is the reason.
On our way to Virginia Beach we stopped at a military surplus store called Double Tap. Like Bin Laden or Zombieland style. We found a mesh bivy sack called the Catacoma that looked like it would fit the two of us. Also got good deals on a Z-lite and a Silva Ranger. As it turns out, claustrophobia is possible when surrounded by mesh only. So Ri slept in the rental car with the windows down in a swamp. Uncle Clay's worst nightmare. Then we had a black racer in camp the next morning. Our vacations are most of my family's worst nightmares I guess. W gave them a slideshow of Ecuador, Bristol Bay, Colorado and Washington. Grandmarie kept asking "Why did you go there?" when we showed pictures of spiders and ice climbing. I just had to keep saying "To take that picture, Grandma."