To Blue Skies...May They Someday Return.

      Ahhh. As the summer comes to a close the days grow shorter and the air grows crisp and cool with the trees showing their first hints of color. No wait. I’m in Florida! The air is not crisp and cool, it’s warm and so sodden with moisture there’s little difference between the rain falling and the water vapor rising. The rains have been relentless for almost three months now, surely enough time for an entirely new species of mushroom to evolve. The July rainfall in Tallahassee was almost 8” above the norm, and as of late August it is still raining. When I hear thunderstorms at day break I know we’re in for it. The storms sit over the warm water on the coast waiting to rush inland like a race horse at the gate.

     To think a month or so ago we were standing on the Columbia Ice Field just south of Jasper in Alberta, Canada. It was cool, not cold (I wore shorts). Tracey’s plans for our family summer trip included visits to the Glacier parks in both Canada and the US, and wouldn’t you know, we met some Florida Boat people on the bus ride back from Logan Pass; Dave and Connie McBride. They were on a side excursion while sailing up the East Coast on a Bolger Sharpie. These folks have some real sailing and boat building chops and you can read about them in a blog Connie maintains called Simply Sailing. She also has articles featured in Small Craft Advisor including an issue from last year.

Here's the Prince of Wales Hotel from the walking trail that begins behind the Park Visitor Center. We got up to the saddle and back down just before it was too dark to see the trail.

     If anyone is looking for a nice mid-summer trip I highly recommend exploring the Glacier parks on both sides of the border; just do it soon. Most of the remaining Glaciers were in the form of hanging valleys-the small upper decks of the mountain ridges, and their melt water seasonally has the rivers and streams running full tilt. I read there's maybe another thirty years or so before they are no more.

     Be sure to book a room at the Prince of Wales Hotel located in Waterton Lakes, part of Canada’s National Park System. During the period when the railroad barons were connecting the rails through the mountains, they built a string of lovely big hotels to encourage tourism. Now here’s a place where a hiker might wear knickers and stockings, and not look out of place; lovely old seasoned wood everywhere, six floors of it, resplendent in it’s dark creaky abundance. We had the topmost floor, right underneath the peak, and it reminded the girls of Hogwarts in one respect; semi-hidden staircases.

     The place has authenticity that just feels right. No TV’s, no wifi, and you better be okay with stairs, as the only elevator is for the bell hops. It sits lakeside, and our balcony door opened to this astounding view.

       Tracey was warned to keep the windows and door shut, as unpredictable gusts come through the valley and will leave the room in an disheveled mess. I dared it to happen, but, it must be the wrong time of year. The place had a charming, worn feel to it, like a weathered old sea boat. I sensed it’s a place someone who is used to staying in four and five star hotels might pass by. But of course it was five stars in it’s time.

                                         I ran across my favorite western bird, the American Dipper. If I'm not mistaken this 
                                         is our only aquatic songbird. These characters brave swift icy rivers to hunt for small 
                                         fish and insects among submerged rocks and logs. This individual I suppose was resting 
                                         and warming up after a morning spent foraging in the glacial runoff.  

     Back home in July we got in a nice afternoon sail in with my Mom and an old family friend Mary Claire Dant who resides in Naples Florida. Jody and I took them to Dickerson Bay as the beach there is excellent and mostly deserted. The wind checked out permanently in the morning so it was a motoring day, but in the wildlife category the trip was a knockout. I’ve never seen the Bay so active. The water was alive with rays scooting every which way under the hull and often breaching in huge splashes! We saw sea turtles, jellies, and a family of dolphins who accompanied us throughout the afternoon. These were some very large individuals, and they made a show of jumping, along with a baby who must have been less than a year old, still nursing I presume.

     At the beach we sat comfortably under a sun shade and enjoyed the group of birds gathered behind us. This included willets, terns, and a new sighting for this beach...marbled godwits! Further down were the unmistakable oystercatchers who preferred to keep their distance. Clouds began building just north of the ramp and in only twenty minutes brewed into a full thunderstorm with the tops arching way over to the south above our heads. This is the first time I have had that happen although one expects it every summer. The sea breeze usually pushes these forming thunderstorms just inland, and that could be said of this storm. We were even able to break down the masts and sails and button everything up for the road home before the rain really kicked in. It was an amazing days considering the only wind we had was in our face provided by the thunderstorm.

     I resolved to shorten my posts, so I declare the end of this one. We hope to sail again soon, although life returns its normal pace with our kids returning to school. But they are always happy to have me out of the house on a Sunday so perhaps we will go again soon. If anything interesting happens....I’ll post. Till then, keep your hand on the rail and your sunscreen well applied.

Salute!

Brian

Sorry, I had to close with one good shot of the Prince of Wales Hotel.