Getting ready to rob the stagecoach!

Hiker or Stagecoach Robber?

We're continuing to have a blast here along the Sonoma Coast.  The scenery is spectacular and we've certainly managed to escape the hot and humid temperatures of Florida for the time being.  We've actually escaped the heat and humidity so well that it's been downright chilly on several occasions.  Will Rogers is quoted as saying, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".  Beth and I are in agreement that this is the coldest June we've ever spent, but we're certainly not complaining.

Wild flowers and the Pacific Ocean (Kortum Trail)

More wildflowers along the Kortum Trail

The small town of Jenner from the bank of the Russian River.  It's population is listed as less than 200.

Sunset from Bodega Head

These two young bucks were enjoying the sunset as well.

We're continuing to enjoy the trails, especially the Birdwatch and Cheney Bridge trails that lead to Doran Beach.  You're required to have a mask with you on the trails and to put it on when you pass others.  The compliance isn't quite 100% but it's pretty darn close.  As soon as you pass your fellow masked human you take it off until the next person approaches.  There are quite a few people on the trails so it's a constant putting the mask on and taking it off.  No matter how many times we do it we always have two thoughts; it's sad we have to do this and we look like a bunch of cowboys pulling our masks up as final preparation for robbing the stagecoach.  Crazy Times!

Excellent Clam Chowder from the Spud Point Crab Company!  This nice table was across the street at the local marina.

Bodega Bay

It's not only a Doo Rag, it's a mask for when we pass people on the trails.  It's required that you have on a mask when you're on the trails.

Beth and I fell in love with Bodega Bay before we had a reason to fall in love with this area.  In other words, before Sarah, Joey and James relocated to the area (they are about forty miles away from Bodega Bay).  With them here, and with the addition of Emma Joy to their family, it's even more fun visiting this area.  They are the reason we're here now!
We're very grateful to have found an amazing house to rent that sits right on the bay.  We wake up to sea lions barking and enjoy our coffee and tea while watching the occasional seal swim in the nearby channel. There are pods of white pelicans and numerous other birds hunting for their morning breakfast in the tidal area.  In the afternoons, after the tide comes in, we enjoy watching the wind surfers and kite surfers zip across the bay at high speeds.  Not a bad place to isolate while we count down the days until we can visit the family.

Isolation with a view!

Bodega Bay is located in Sonoma County and has a population of under 1,000 people.  It covers an area of 12.5 square miles, of which 33% is water.  It's western border is the Pacific Ocean.  There are numerous wide beaches including Doran Beach which is just a ten to fifteen minute walk from the house.  A short drive either way along Highway 1 (Shoreline Highway) will take you not only to other beaches but also to a variety of scenic overlooks with great views.

White Pelicans at low tide.  Taken from our balcony

View from the same balcony.  Looking across the bay (high tide) to Bodega Head

Bodega Bay
In the 60's there was a plan in place to build a nuclear power plant in Bodega Bay.  Protests by local residents combined with them finding a fault line when they starting digging the first reactor hole quickly and thankfully brought the plans to a halt.  Something about the words "nuclear reactor" and "fault line" just don't seem to go together! The hole remains and is now filled with water.  It is affectionately and appropriately known as "The hole in the head".
There have been numerous movies and TV shows filmed in the area.  The most famous movie is Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", which was released in 1963.  It wasn't anything like the psychotic slasher movies of today, it was downright terrifying........at least it was to me!  Getting your eyeballs pecked out by a bunch of birds just makes for a really bad day.  The house where we are staying has a DVD copy of the movie.  We're looking forward to watching if I can ever figure out how to get the TV and the DVD player to talk to one another.  A few of the filming locations are very close by and we're looking forward to seeing them, but we want to see the movie first if at all possible. Thank goodness we have a month!
California is opening back up at a much slower and more deliberate pace than the rest of the country.  Just this past weekend some of the restrictions were lifted and the beaches, parks and trails have reopened.  Short term rentals are still not available and restaurants have restrictions that limit them to outdoor seating and carry out.  Maybe their slower, more deliberate pace is the right one, maybe it isn't.  I just know it's sad to see so many small, family operated businesses sitting closed at a time of year that is critical to their survival.
The easing of restrictions has opened the many numerous trails in the Bodega Bay area.  According to the All Trails App there are over 500 trails in the area.  Thankfully during this period of isolation we are able to get out and exercise and have taken advantage of a few of them.  While we won't touch them all, we look forward to exploring others over the remaining three weeks.  One of the things we really appreciate about the trails in this area is that many of the best trails have very little elevation change.  We're getting kinda old and we spend a lot of time walking in Florida.  We don't do extreme elevation changes well.
Birdwatch/ Cheney Bridge/Doran Beach-Just a few hundred yards from our house is the Birdwatch Trail Head.  The Birdwatch Trail is a flat, one mile looped trail that offers great views of Bodega Bay.
The Birdwatch Trail connects to the Cheney Bridge Trail which is a half mile trail that connects to Doran Beach and Doran Regional Park.  Doran Beach is a little over two miles in length that at low tide is several hundred yards wide.  The beach sits in a cove facing in a southeasterly direction so it is somewhat protected from the northwesterly winds that pick up in the afternoon.  Although the water is way too chilly for us, there are many swimmers frolicking in the small waves along the shoreline.  It's easy to make a combination walk on these three trails whatever length you desire.

The Cheney Creek Bridge on the Cheney Creek Bridge Trail.  This short trail connects the Birdwatch Trail to Doran Beach.

The Cheney Creek Bridge Trail

The south end of Doran Beach at low tide

The wildflowers are plentiful at this time of year (Birdwatch Trail)

Bodega Head Trail-To access this trail head simply take Westshore Road from Highway 1.  Drive until if you drove any further it would look like the final scene from Thelma and Louise.  You'll find yourself on a high peak overlooking the rocky shore of the Pacific Ocean.  There are numerous trails that can be accessed from here including one that follows right along the rim.  The ocean views are fantastic.  Also keep an eye open to the grassy fields.  There are plenty of deer to be spotted as you enjoy the walk.

Sunset from Bodega Head

Kortum Trail: Shell Beach to Blind Beach-Shell Beach is located about 8 miles north of Bodega Bay on Highway 1.  The entrance is very well marked and there is decent parking available, although I'm sure it fills up quickly on weekends.  There are stairs down to the beach but it is also where the Kortum Trailhead is located.  This out and back trail is approximately 4.5 miles in length (total distance).  It is basically a flat trail along the rim overlooking the ocean.  Near the turnaround point at Blind Beach there is an elevation change of a few hundred feet. The grade up and down isn't bad at all and the views from the top and other side toward Blind Beach and Goat Rock make the climb well worth it.

On the Kortum Trail

Wild Flowers along the hike

The Kortum Trail can be seen on the left side.  This was taken from the top of the highest peak along the trail.

These are great trails, made even better by the fact that daily high temperatures have been in the low/mid 60's with very little humidity. That's a far cry from June in Florida!
One other thing as I wrap up this blog.  I cancelled my Netflix account a few months ago because we weren't using it.  For some reason I didn't start it back as the pandemic broke out, so we're a little behind.  We're only through the third episode of Tiger King.  We weren't sure what all the fuss was about, now we know.

The Masked Travelers..........

There's a first time for everything!

Friday (June 5) we did something that we hadn't done in a while, we flew.  When we last stepped off a plane in mid-January after welcoming Emma Joy to the family we didn't know how much the world would change over the next six months.  Wash your hands often, sanitize your phone, wear a mask in public, don't wear a mask, shelter in place, social distancing, no gatherings larger than 500.....make that 100......make that 50......make that 10.  Someone wisely tweeted, "if they make these gatherings any smaller, somebody's going to have to come get some of these kids".  It's been a strange 2020 and unfortunately it just keeps getting crazier and sadder.  Hopefully we'll turn the corner sometime soon, put the pandemic in the rearview mirror and start being kind to one another.
Our destination for this journey was California to see those precious grandkids, and Sarah and Joey, of course!  We continue to be vigilant in making sure that we comply with the latest guidelines from the CDC, which at times is a moving target. 
We boarded the plane with enough hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and masks to outfit a small army.  In addition to the masks we packed, we each had one on from the time we arrived at the airport in Tampa until we were out of the terminal in Oakland.  The only time they were off was when we had something to eat or drink.  I guess after a while I got so used to wearing the mask that several times I tried to eat or drink something while it was still in place.  It didn't work so well!
We flew Southwest, which as I've stated many times is far and away my favorite domestic airline.  As usual they did a great job even if we couldn't see the smiles of the cabin crew or airport agents.
The planes were super clean, although we took extra steps to wipe down the seats, tray tables, seat belts, etc.  Additionally, they are operating at reduced capacity on all flights, blocking off several rows of seats completely and leaving the center seats open on all available rows.  I didn't do a head count, but it looked like there were around 80 fellow masked travelers on the Tampa to Denver flight.  From Denver to Oakland, the gate agent announced there were 44 passengers.  We know we've taken a calculated risk in flying here.  Hopefully all will work out.
So how was it?  It wasn't bad, probably better than we were expecting, but it certainly was a different experience.
Now that we're here, the experience continues to be different.  We've rented an amazing house in Bodega Bay for a month.  We'll be isolating here until a safe time has passed and we get to hug and kiss those that we came to see.  Unbeknownst to James, we did see Sarah and Emma Joy in the parking lot of the local high school for about 10 minutes and at a distance of 10 feet away.  You talk about something hard to resist, imagine seeing your daughter and grandchild for the first time in five months and not being able to hug them.  Emma Joy, who has spent most of her five months on the planet "sheltering in place" looked at us with amusement as we tried and were finally successful in getting her to smile.  This meeting in the parking lot was unbeknownst to James who at close to four wouldn't understand why his MiMi and Pop can't squeeze him in our arms.  If all goes as planned, there'll be plenty of time for hugging on him and the entire family soon.

The toughest social distancing test we've faced since this whole thing started!

Strange times we're in!

Moving our bubble.........Highlands, North Carolina

The Idiots plus one in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park

We're still standing and still speaking to one another after close to two months of "sheltering in place".  In a strange way we were probably somewhat prepared for some aspects of what we've all been going through.  Not having a permanent home and spending so much time traveling, especially the past four years, we understand the importance of liking to spend time with one another.  There hasn't been too much time when we haven't been together.  The challenging part for us has been being in one place for an extended period of time.  By my best calculation, we woke up in the same bed for 93 straight mornings.  That's some kind of record that would date way back to when the kids were at home.  Another record that I'm equally proud of is that I went 57 days without putting on underwear.  Nope, I'm not a nudist or anything like that (try to erase those horrible images from your mind).  I'd just put on a pair of workout shorts in the morning and the next thing I knew it was the end of the day.  It kept happening over and over and over and over!
We've taken this pandemic seriously and our hearts break for the suffering and isolation that everyone has gone through.  Hopefully there are better days ahead, although in my mind there's going to forever be a new normal.  Like everyone, I'm just wondering what it's going to look like. Travel will most likely continue to be a big part of who we are and what we do, but it's going to be different.  It really makes us appreciate even more the places we've visited around the world.
We do the socially responsible things to protect others and ourselves.  We only grocery shop when necessary, which for us is about every two weeks.  When we do grocery shop, buy gas or run into CVS it is with masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.  We maintain our social distancing from family and friends.  I have so few friends it was pretty easy for me!  All in all I think we've earned an A when it comes to following the CDC Guidelines.  Our A grade pales in comparison to Beth's sister Debbie who in my mind has earned an A+.  If there was such an award, I'd nominate her for the Donald J. Trump Social Distancing Champions Award.
As things have gradually opened up over the past couple of weeks, we've continued to respect the guidelines, but slowly and cautiously merged Debbie into our bubble of two, making it a bubble of three.
Looking for a change of scenery but not wanting much additional risk, we decided on a road trip.  Our destination was the cool mountain air of North Carolina.  We found an Airbnb in Franklin, North Carolina and booked an eight night stay.  Our bubble of three left Holmes Beach at 4:00 AM on Monday, May 11 on a nine hour drive to a complete change of scenery.  We were armed with our own groceries so we could prepare every meal at the cabin.  We also had enough masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes and bleach to sterilize a suite of operating rooms at a major hospital.
On the drive up, being the socially responsible citizens that we are, we stopped just one time.  Our stop was for the holy trinity of road trips; gas, bathroom and a chick-fil-biscuit (drive through).  We  made great time in reaching what we thought was going to be our humble abode for the next eight nights.

Debbie, with mask in place gives the thumbs up sign from our stop on the drive up.  Beth was waiting at the car with the hand sanitizer and wipes. 

The cabin in the woods we had booked looked great.  However, the poorly maintained road with numerous washouts made it hard to reach even in an all wheel drive SUV.  The broken hot tub, which we had been assured was working, had us changing our minds.  Thankfully Beth went right to work and within a couple of hours we had booked another place in nearby Highlands.
Highlands, North Carolina
The place we've called home this past week is awesome.  Debbie has her own floor with two bedrooms and a large game/living room and we have the upstairs master bedroom, with a wonderful kitchen and large gathering area.  There's also an outdoor firepit that we've enjoyed nightly for both relaxing and cooking our evening meals (more on this in the pictures below)  Oh yeah, the narrow, hilly mountain road to the place is nicely paved and the hot tub works perfectly!   If you're ever looking for a place to stay in this area, message me and I'll send you a link.  By the way, after a little fussing we received a full refund from Airbnb for the first place, but I'm not sure we're going to be on that particular host's Christmas card list.

Our Cozy Lodge in Highlands!

We've had a great week relaxing, soaking in the hot tub and taking in the spectacular scenery of Western North Carolina, Northern Georgia and even a little bit of Tennessee. 
Below are some of the images of a few of the places we've seen and things we've done.........all while maintaining proper social distancing!

Sunset Rock overlooking downtown Highlands

One of the many small churches in Highlands

My criteria for a good Boiled P-Nut Stand:
1.  Sign must be hand painted on a piece of plywood, old door, or section of a tin roof.
2. P-Nuts is the proper spelling.........NOT Peanuts!
3.  There must be smoke billowing from a fire
This one met all the criteria.  It also got bonus points because the owner was a Vietnam Vet and Pork Rinds were also on the menu.

There are over 1000 waterfalls in this area.  We missed a few but saw some spectacular ones.

We had a blast mining for gems at the Old Cardinal Gem Mine in Franklin, NC

Old Cardinal Gem Mine

Debbie proudly showing off the treasures she found at the Old Cardinal Gem Mine.  A nice mix of real gems and a few rocks she just couldn't part with.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long.  We only did a couple of miles of it on this trip before turning around and exploring more of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

I was going to hike the 1972 miles of the Appalachian Trail to Maine.  I quickly realized I forgot my backpack, tent and water bottle..........maybe next time.

Along an uncrowded trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Picnic in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Soaking our feet in the chilly water near the Old Iron Bridge just outside Highlands

Another of the many spectacular waterfalls we enjoyed.  This one was near the Old Iron Bridge.

We saw three black bear near Unicoi State Park (Northern Georgia)

Along the trail around Lake Trahlyta in Vogel State Park (Northern Georgia).  We spent two weeks here every summer when I was a kid.  That was a long time ago.  It hasn't changed much and the great memories always come flooding back.

Why cook on a gas grill when you can cook over an open fire pit?  One night I was a little too impatient.  I put the bacon cheeseburger patty melts on before the fire had properly burned down.  I probably set a record for the fastest cooked bacon cheeseburger patty melts ever cooked!  I burnt a few hairs, toasted a few fingers and said a few choice words in the 90 seconds it took to cook everything.

Hunkered Down!

100 Piece Jigsaw Puzzles...…….Beth gets to the finish line much quicker than me!

Like everyone else, I'm mostly at a loss for words.  Beth and I are safe and hunkered down in Florida.
Fortunately we are able to get outside a bit while maintaining the social distance recommendations.  We're reading some, doing jigsaw puzzles and have even tried a few exercise video classes.  Our attempts at stretching, tai chi and yoga have been fun and provided some comic relief.  Thankfully there is no video evidence out there.
During this crazy time lets love and support each other...….at a safe distance!

Posting comments to the blog is sometimes difficult.  If you want to e-mail and let me know how you're doing I'd love to hear from you.

Kent.Tucker0731@gmail.com    

Spring Training Tour 2020

Although it looks more like an orange, it's the Grapefruit League!

Last week Beth, Ben and I enjoyed something that has become a ritual in recent years.  We took in several spring training games.  With the exception of 2018, when we went to Arizona for a few games in the Cactus League, our annual tours have been to Grapefruit League games in Florida.  Calling it a "tour" may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it makes for a nice title.

Before hitting the ballparks we enjoyed an afternoon on AMI with some very special friends, Steve and Melissa Liverani.  

While showing Steve and Melissa around AMI we ran across the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!  Not something you see on the island everyday.

This year our "spring training tour" consisted of four games in four days at three different ballparks.  All three ballparks are not only spring training homes to major league teams, they also are homes to minor league teams that play in the Florida State League.
Our first two games were in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field which is the spring training home of the New York Yankees. Steinbrenner Field is huge when compared to other spring training stadiums.  Without question, it is the Taj Mahal of these things. Why?  Because they can.   After all, they are the New York Yankees and they have 27 World Series Championships (the team with the second most titles is St. Louis with 11).

Day 1-Steinbrenner Field, Tampa

Game one was the Yankees and the defending world series champions, Washington Nationals.  The weather wasn't exactly "spring training" weather.  The temperature was in the high fifties.  It was overcast, windy and a little rainy.  We didn't have all the family, but it was "family time" and it was baseball.  It would have been perfect if the Martin's could have joined us.
Game two had us back at Steinbrenner Field to see the Yankees against Ben's favorite team, the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays are a really good team and compete well with the Yankees, even though their payroll is a fraction of that of the Bronx Bombers. The rain was gone, but the cool, windy weather was still with us.  Again, no worries, it was family time and baseball.

Day 2-Steinbrenner Field

Game three was at LECOM Park (formerly known as McKechnie Field) in Bradenton.  LECOM Park is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  They are a team with a great past.   They just aren't very good at the present time.  They were playing the Baltimore Orioles, also a team with a nice past that's struggling at the present time.  This ballpark has been around a while.  It opened in 1923 and the price tag for the original park construction was a whopping two thousand dollars!  The park is loaded with charm and character and is often referred to as "the Fenway Park of the minor leagues".  The Pirates have called Bradenton and LECOM Park home since 1969.  Prior to that, the A's, Braves, Red Sox, Phillies and Cardinals held their spring training here at various times.  In addition to baseball, from 1941 to 1945 (World War II), the field was converted into a US Military training base, known first as Camp Bradenton and then Camp Weatherford.  Without question, it's my favorite spring training facility.  For this game the weather had improved dramatically, the temperature was in the low 70's and there was not a cloud in the sky...….the reason Florida is so popular at this time of year.

All smiles on a perfect spring day at LECOM Park, Bradenton

We finished up the baseball extravaganza with a night game between the Rays and Braves at Charlotte Sports Park (formerly known as Charlotte County Stadium) in Port Charlotte.  Thanks to the close proximity of the stadium to Beth's sister Debbie's house, and her awesome grilling skills, we had a great meal with her prior to the game. The Rays moved their spring training headquarters here in 2009.  Prior to the Rays, the Texas Rangers held their spring training here from 1987 until 2002.

Baseball at sunset-Charlotte Sports Park

Going to Charlotte Sports Park is always special for us because we have so many great memories of attending games here back when we lived in Port Charlotte from 1985 until 1992.  We attended many Texas Rangers spring games as well as numerous minor league games of the Charlotte Rangers.  We had the opportunity to see many future major league stars as they were starting their career.  I haven't been able to put my hands on it yet, but somewhere out there is a picture of me and Beth holding this tiny 2-3 month old baby who was attending his first baseball game.

In just about these same seats we have a picture from 1988.  Beth and I haven't aged a bit.  Ben's gotten a little bigger and grown a beard!

As a family we've made so many memories attending games.  We added some great memories on our 2020 Spring Training Tour.  Proving once again, it's hard to have a bad day at the ballpark!

Great ad in the urinal at LECOM Park!