We left Seattle on October 1st, a frenzied departure after getting the house emptied for our renters. We said our goodbyes to family and friends and headed east toward Spokane. Our potential boat was in Baltimore, MD - we had made an offer and held the survey (kind of like a home inspection) to make sure it was the right boat for us. Unfortunately, the survey identified issues that would have required more time and money than we were willing to invest to stay on our timeline...so we had to let that boat go. We found ourselves "homeless" in Spokane with no boat to head toward. Time to regroup! We spent two weeks in Spokane, visiting with Eric's dad, Henry, and with Eric's sister, Linda, and her family. That was enough time for Eric to research and come up with a list of other potential boats that met our specs. List in hand, we continued eastward - first stop Bozeman, MT! We had a great visit with our niece, Emily, who attends Montana State University. From there we ventured south to Yellowstone National Park. It was the last week the park was open and we were lucky enough to secure a room for two nights at the Snow Lodge right at Old Faithful. The weather was sunny and cold, and the two days of exploring made it really feel like vacation for the first time since leaving Seattle. There were no crowds to fight so the sightseeing was great. The animal highlights were wolves, bison, bear, elk, deer while the landscape of waterfalls, canyons, lakes, geysers, mudpots, and mineral springs were breathtaking - especially in the cold morning air. From Yellowstone we traveled through WY to SD to visit Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. It was great to see parts of the country that Eric and I hadn't traveled in years and to give Ava and Reed a feel for just how big the US is in terms of geography. It was not always a comfortable ride - plenty of fights over radio stations and who had more room in the back seat - but overall, everyone did great! We arrived in Onalaska, WI, at Karrie's parents' house on Sunday Oct 19th. Eric got right to work finalizing boat options - the best one looked to be Night Music, a Tartan 37, located in New Bern, NC. They accepted our initial offer and Eric flew down for the boat inspection. The kids and Karrie had fun playing cards with Oma and Opa, and taking daily walks in the many wildlife refuges in the area, as well as a side trip to Minneapolis to visit friends and family. The boat inspection went well and the offer was finalized. It was time to head east toward North Carolina! After a fun Halloween at Oma & Opa's, we drove east again toward NC on November 3rd. Another great leg of the trip, with stops in Indianapolis to visit childhood friends, in Cincinnati to visit Karrie's co-workers and friends (and many of their new babies!), and a last night in Asheville, NC, before reaching our destination of New Bern. It was a beautiful drive through the peak of fall colors. Since we arrived in New Bern on Nov 6th, it has been a lot of hurry up and wait. The final paperwork was signed - Night Music was officially ours! - and now the list of things to do before the sail south became real. She is now out of the water at a boat yard for a fresh coat of bottom paint and to have dinghy davits installed (they hold the dinghy on the back of the boat). A few more items left to go before she is back in the water and we can sail her back to our marina and move aboard. While waiting for the work to be done, we are staying in a condo near the marina. The kids love the condo because it has 3 TVs, all with cable. Definitely an upgrade from home! There is also a rec center with a pool, ping pong, putt putt golf, bikes we can use, and other fun activities to keep them busy. We also had a weekend side trip to Annapolis to visit friends - great fun. While it is disappointing to not yet be living on board, the condo has been a great option to unload all of our stuff and take stock of what we still need (and don't need) for our adventure. So - what's next? We hope to get our "To Do" list done within the next two weeks and start heading south toward Florida via the protected Intracoastal Waterway. The plan is to spend Christmas in Florida visiting friends and then sail east across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas around the New Year and stay in the Bahamas through June of 2015. At right are a few pictures from the first months are shown a right. Enjoy! | |
15 Comments
Darcy Conlin
12/2/2014 08:52:40 am
So Exciting!! Can't wait to follow your journey online. Love to all of you.
Reply
Tricia Chinitz
12/2/2014 08:58:34 am
Great blog - loved the pictures - and the boat is beautiful. Can't wait to hear more!
Reply
Maureen Burkle
12/2/2014 09:48:12 am
oh, this is so wonderful! thank you for sharing your experience......what fun for us all to feel a part of it. much love my pioneer friends!
Reply
Jay Jones
12/2/2014 10:16:00 am
Ava - great job on the blog, I really like the layout. They boys and I were excited to see what you have been up to, and are anxious to follow your adventures. Have fun on your trip south and be sure to look up JoAnn & Greg in Charleston.
Reply
Chris, Frankie & Natalie
12/2/2014 11:18:23 am
Cool! For us non face-bookers we can finally stay tuned. We miss you but are psyched for your adventure. K, that pic w you & Ava,.. Is that a fake rock backdrop? It's so pretty. I swear it looks photo shopped. Are you all just hiding out in your basement? Really! C'mon! Tell the truth.
Reply
Eric
12/2/2014 11:25:19 am
It looked photo shopped standing there at the moment. It was a perfect time of day to be in the badlands. The drive out of the park as dusk turned to twilight was surreal as stars materialized with the landscape still visible. Memorable.
Reply
Karrie
12/2/2014 11:36:30 am
Shhhhhhh - don't tell anyone that we are hiding in our basement
Lara
12/2/2014 12:15:51 pm
Wow! I love love love your pictures! Everyone looks so happy and relaxed (I do know that probably isn't the case all the time ...) I hope your kids know how lucky they are to have seen all of those sites. Growing up in AK I saw none of them. Spending our summers in AK, my kids have seen none of them and I don't know when they ever will. It took me a few weeks to realize that you all had left ... I was sad for me and happy for you at the same time. I miss the Sandersons a ton - BUT - I am so extremely excited for you all to be on this journey and to have this time together. Thank you for update and I can't wait for more. Happy Holidays my friends!
Reply
Karrie
12/13/2014 03:06:52 am
We know how lucky we are - it may take the kids a while to realize it. Happy Holidays to you as well!!
Reply
Karrie
12/13/2014 03:06:03 am
Family meetings are a must when we have this much transition going on!
Reply
Kate Johnson
12/5/2014 04:38:09 am
I'm looking forward to living vicariously through you all as you sail the blue waters! Enjoy and be safe!
Reply
Ava
12/5/2014 10:49:20 am
Chris , it's not a backdrop, its real😄 how's Momo ? Hope you are doing well
Reply
Dan Bunker
12/5/2014 02:41:52 pm
What a great adventure! We will be following you all a long the way. Maybe a detour to Scandinavia?
Reply
Karrie
12/13/2014 03:07:33 am
Ha! If we get that far north, I'll be flying, not crossing the Atlantic!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsWe are Karrie, Eric, Ava, and Reed Sanderson. Our house is in Seattle but our home is wherever the four of us are...and for the next two years, our home is Night Music, a Tartan 37 Sailboat. Archives
June 2016
CategoriesDO YOU WANT EMAIL NOTIFICATION FOR NEW BLOG POSTS?
Sign up below! |