Isleton

Looking up the Sacramento
past Isleton



Ron's dock



Continued on up the river today, the Sacramento River.  In all it was less then a ten mile day.  Just about right.  I was able to get into Rio Vista and do some mailing and pick up half a dozen heavy weight cookies at the bakery, and still have plenty of time to get to Isleton.  I thought we were heading through Three Mile Slough the the San Joaquin River until someone on the dock told us we shouldn't miss Isleton and Walnut Grove. 

Walnut Grove is way up the river.  I never thought we would head that far in, but what the heck.  We need to be in fresh water about another week to kill all the salt water growth that has been accumulating on our hull.  Lot easier to do it this way then to scrub it off from the dingy.


We were coming into Isleton looking for the public dock.  Saw a nice looking one and made an approach.  Too bad, private property signs all over it.  Just as we started pulling back out into the river to find the public dock, Ron started yelling a welcome to us and waved us in to use his dock.  Turns out he is selling his place, and had buyers arriving momentarily.  Told us we were perfect staging for his dock, and that we were welcome to spend the night and hook up to his power.  Turns out we are now cheap props in Ron's life.  That's OK, saved us a bundle on marina fees, plus the steakhouse we hoped to find for dinner tonight is right across the street.

RIO VISTA

Ali and Ouest
Two of the three Bums

Foster's Bar
and Big Game Mausoleun
The must see place in Rio Vista

Foster's Bar



Our back yard
Taken while talking with Dan




"Eastern Washington" on
the
Sacramento River

 

"Eastern Washington" with water


Left Pittsburg this morning for Rio Vista, about 15 miles up the Sacramento River.  It amazed us because it looked so much like eastern Washington.  We are tied up in Delta Marina, just a short walk from down town Rio Vista.

We asked the marina guy what we should see in Rio Vista, and without a moment's thought he sent us off to Foster's.  "You'll see why when you get there."  I guess so.  It is unique.  The people there were  nice, and they do vacuum and polish the victims.  Every other week.

We did something else today.  Much nicer.  We met Pat, Ali and Ouest.  I have been reading their blog, "Bumfuzzle", for years now.  They are amazing people who sailed around the world, traveled in a VW van from Alaska to Terra del Fuego, and raced in their antique Porsche across America.  They are preparing for their next adventure, this time with an additional crew member, Ouest.

They are smart, determined people who know how to achieve their dreams.  Did I mention they were smart.  I forgot to ask Pat where I should put my 401k.  Pat, email me.....

Check out their story at: http://www.bumfuzzle.com/

PITTBURG, CA. NOT PITTSBURGH

I have heard there is a law prohibiting the use of the spelling "Pittburgh" anywhere other then in Pennsylvania. So here we are, happily, in Pittsburg, Ca.

Watched the Seahawks beat the 49er this afternoon.

Had the pleasure of meeting some folks who did not hold it against me that I was rooting for Seattle rather then SF, in fact, they came to the boat and we got a little bit shit faced.

Marvelous people. I wish I remembered their names.

I should say that Judy told me not to write a blog tonight 'cause I can beerly remember my own name, much else anybody else's. However I can state unequivocally it was my honor to watch our new friends go down to defeat along with thier 49ers.

I cannot fully express, being mawkishly inebriated, how lucky I feel, sitting here in my comfort, writing about my day. 

I have been reading about Sophocles, who wrote: 

Not to be born surpasses thought and speech,

The second best is to have seen the light

And then to go back quickly whence we came.

How terrrible it must have been in his age  to wish for nonexistence rather then life.  How fortunate to be here now, living such a blessed life.  I am truly lucky.

 SAN PABLO STRAIT
LIGHTHOUSE

BEST BATHROOM
PITTSBURG, CA.

BEST BATHROOM
PITTSBURG, CA.

WORST BATHROOM

WORST LAUNDRY

Left Sausalito yesterday for Pittsburg, Ca.  Pittsburg is kind of a gateway to the delta region, east of here its all delta country.  We will be staying here until Monday so I can see the Seahawks play San Francisco tomorrow.  It will be the only chance I will have to see them play, unless they make the playoffs.  Not likely.   I have a better chance of winning the California Lotto.  Monday we will head east, deeper into the delta.  I'd like to spend a week or so in the delta's fresh water to kill all the salt water plant life that has taken up residence on our hull.

Being a full time consumer of public bathrooms I have to make a comment about the Pittsburg Marina bathrooms.  They are the best!  The pictures show the best and worst. 

Sausalito Yacht Club's facilities rate a very very close second to Pittsburg, the difference coming down to the placement of clothing hooks.  Sausalito has them in the shower, thus exposing clothing to overspray.  A piddling point, but this is the big time here.

HIGHER POWER

JAPANESE TEA GARDEN

JAPANESE TEA GARDEN

JAPANESE TEA GARDEN

JAPANESE TEA GARDEN

CHINA TOWN
ARCHITECTURAL SPLENDOR

CHINA TOWN
SARTORIAL SPLENDOR

CHINA TOWN GATE

KISS

SANTA IN MEXICO

TIBURON AT SUNSET

UNENCLOSED GEN-SET

ENCLOSED

Keep it simple stupid.  This was the point of one of the first books I read on how to get a boat ready for cruising.  It was also the point made by the next half dozen books.  I never have been good at following instructions.  We have ended up with a very complex boat.  And one of the most complex systems has given me major grief twice in the last week.  The culprit is my gen-set.  Stupid gen-set, gen-set, stupid. 

It has a multitude of parts: valves, pumps, sensors, regulators, injectors, starters, stoppers, uppers and downers.  All of which must function in harmonious synchronicity in order to make electricity for my battery.  Today one of the little sensors broke.  It was sensing the temperature of the alternator, and didn't like what it saw, then it did like it OK, then didn't, then did.  It was doing this about twice a minute, causing the electric output to go from 95 amps to 0 amps back to 95 etc. etc.  Fortunately I'm still only a phone call away from the experts, and they diagnosed it as a sensor problem and had me remove the pesky thing, which was only an expensive optional extra anyway, and not completely necessary.  I did the appendectomy, and was back in business.  It turned out being only a 1.5 on the flop-sweat spectrum.  Hardly worth mentioning, except without the generator we are screwed 'cause we squander electricity on our boat. 

Gonna have to rethink this KISS thing.  Maybe stop playing on my power hungry laptop....nah. 

SAUSALITO YACHT CLUB MOORING BALL

We've been spending the morning at home.  We had planned on going grocery shopping, but the plan didn't survive the night and morning of high winds.  We've been having 15 knot wind with gusts above 30, and I'm not comfortable leaving the boat, even after putting another line on the ball.  We now have two 5/8" and one 3/4" lines out.  Probably enough strength there to tow the Golden Gate Bridge, but not enough for me to feel OK with leaving.  We're about three miles inside the bay, and on an ebb tide our boat could be miles out to sea before we knew it was gone.  It would probably be found by a guy on a big tug who would tow it in and, just to be nice, sell it back to us.  Or maybe some Liberian boat would run over it just for fun and crush it like a egg, sending it and all my clean underwear to the bottom of the sea.

I'm like a guy with elastic waist band pants,  a belt and suspenders, who's still afraid to leave the house 'cause his pants might fall off.  I'll get better with experience, but for now it feels right.

Judy is coping with the enforced idleness by "forgetting" to take her narcolepsy pill, and sleeping all day with the cat.

I think the wind is dying off a bit...  Might get to Safeway after all.