Bermuda Run - Day 2

It was pretty calm overnight as we rounded Montauk point and headed southeast toward Bermuda. Sunrise showed us an amazing flat calm which none of us ever expected from the Atlantic Ocean.

As I took my morning watch I saw a little bird huddled down on the deck behind some coiled lines, obviously quite happy to be sheltered from some of the wind and cold. Roy fed it some bread crumbs and sugar water which seemed to really help it perk up. As the morning warmed, the bird fluttered around the boat for a while, giving us looks as if to ask where we might be headed. By afternoon it had made a couple of test flights away from the boat and back, then finally took off for good and headed west toward land.

So far, the only problem we had was that we'd run out of propane! Somehow in the process of provisioning the boat we had neglected to double check the tanks, with the result that hot meals became a thing of the past and we had no chance of hot coffee! Pete and I initially threatened mutiny, but bucked up and proceeded to get by on Nescafe made with hot tap water and an endless series of cold meat sandwiches and bowls of cereal.

We continued to sail throughout the day in generally mild seas, though the wind began to pick up, the swells were on the rise, the waves became more choppy and the temperature dropped. My evening watch was pretty cold and I was happy to be able to sit all huddled up while the autopilot steered the boat.

Overnight, sea conditions became markedly more dynamic, making sleep virtually impossible between watches and general boat keeping much more complex and demanding.

The Atlantic ocean may not have been treating us badly, but it wasn't giving us a free pass either!

At Sea!

We provisioned the boat this morning then were joined on board by Pete, an experienced sailor who has crewed for Roy in the past. We got underway just after noon and headed east to transit Long Island Sound. There's been no wind so we've done a bit of motoring, but we expect to be sailing as we round Montauk Point later tonight and head southeast for Bermuda. The sunset was excellent!

We've had a good hot meal to prepare us for a night that promises to be quite chilly, and are settling into our routine. I'll be thrilled if there's enough connection over my iPhone to post this, but don't expect to hear anything more for a few days... We're at sea!

Sailing South

I've dragged out the whole "what's next" thing about as long as I can, so here's the deal: I'm in Stamford, CT, ready to meet up with my friend "Captain Roy" and get underway on a yacht delivery to the Virgin Islands!

The boat is a 48-foot X-Yacht performance cruiser, well designed for long distance, open-ocean cruising. It's the same boat, in fact, that Roy and I moved from San Francisco to Seattle back in 2006. So, we are very familiar and comfortable with it.

This last point may become very important, because as of my last communication with Roy it was unclear how many additional crew members he has lined up for our voyage.

Although it would be great to have a couple of extra hands on board -- not only to help handle the boat but also to sit watches and allow us to get some decent sleep -- Roy and I have moved the boat alone before and know that we can do it again if we have to.

That's partly my way of saying that as great as a sailing trip to the Caribbean sounds, it will be a long, hard sail for a short-handed crew. I'm not complaining, mind you, just inviting you to keep in mind that I've got several weeks of 24-hour days ahead of me. Even when you do get to sleep, it's usually short naps in a pitching and rolling bunk, interrupted by necessary boat-keeping. In other words, it's a sailing trip that will be a fantastic experience, but not quite as pleasurable as it might sound.

We will leave Stamford as soon as we have rigged and provisioned the boat, probably on Sunday. Depending on the wind and weather forecasts, we will either follow the coast to Cape Hatteras before heading to the Caribbean, or go on a southeasterly route via Bermuda. In either case, we will probably take 3-4 weeks to reach the tropics.

That's where the fun will really begin, because the owner of the boat won't be taking over until the middle of December. Which means that if we can get there by the middle of next month we'll have use of the boat for our own enjoyment for about a month. Plenty of time to do some great tropical cruising!

What happens after the owner takes over is not entirely clear, but at this time he has indicated he plans to use if for only about 10 days -- until right after Christmas -- and would like us to then sail the boat back to Florida for him. If all goes well, I'll probably do that and be back on the mainland shortly after the first of the year.

Although we will have ample navigational and radio technology on board, we won't have any internet connection. Since we'll mostly be open-ocean sailing, we won't be making many port calls either. So, I don't expect to post many -- if any -- updates until we reach the Caribbean.

I will shoot plenty of photos and videos along the way, however, and look forward to giving you a full report as soon as I can from the tropics.

Until then, fair winds and following seas... Stay tuned!

My "New" SP Kennel Dogs

"My dog" Teddy -- seen here in a photo I took at the end of the 2006 Iditarod in Nome -- has officially retired from racing. She is one of the truly great team dogs of all time and the dog who first really hooked me on sled dog sports.

By all accounts, Teddy is enjoying her status as a doyen of SP Kennel, spending her days between lounging around her dog house and training youngsters about what it means to be a sled dog who never quits. Teddy is a "dog-dog" -- as opposed to a "people-dog" -- and belongs with her pack mates at the kennel, rather than somewhere else on someone's couch. She may be retired from professional racing, but she's got a long, full coaching/training career ahead of her.

Like most humans who have ever met her, I have always been in awe of Teddy, and I have been honored to sponsor her for the past five years. Thank you, Teddy, for everything you are.

Aliy called me the other day to ask which dog's sponsorship I wanted to pick up now that Teddy is retired. We both had a good laugh, actually, because the answer to that question was decided two seasons ago when I pointed to a very special puppy with whom I bonded the moment we met and said, "I dibs that dog!"

Mac is now officially "my dog" and I wish him all the best as he becomes all that he can be. One of the truly great things about SP Kennel is that every dog is recognized and respected as an individual. Mac may turn out to be a long-distance racing dog, or a middle-distance racing dog, or even a freight dog. We don't know, and we don't care. We only want what's best for him. He's an outstanding canine, full of life, energy and love. My life is already better for knowing him, and I look forward to being a part of his future… Whatever it may be. Get after it, Mac!

I have also decided to "go public" and "make it official"… Happy is my dog, too!

Some of you may recall that Happy and I have a special relationship, made famous by a kiss. It is so hard to describe Happy in a few words, because just when you think you've got her figured out she completely surprises you. She acts like an idiot most of the time, but she adapts easily to whatever is thrown her way. She'd never raced in her life, then finished the Iditarod. She barks her head off at the kennel, then she behaves like a princess when staying at a fancy hotel. She constantly does "the Happy dance" like a dervish, then sits as quiet as a mouse on an airport waiting room chair. There's something about Happy that has always amazed and inspired me, and I bet that's true for many of you as well.

I don't know if Happy will ever race again, and I honestly don't care. She's already proven herself as a fantastic, amazing dog, far beyond any expectation or imagination. What I do know -- and care very much about -- is that one day Happy and I will be together. Whether we're driving cross-country in my rig, open-ocean sailing or just hanging out, she'll look at me -- probably like it's the first time she's ever met me -- and say, "Hi, I'm Happy! I'm always happy! That's why they call me Happy!"

(Note to Aliy: That's me saying "I dibs Happy in her retirement!")

To Mac, Happy and all the fantastic dogs at SP Kennel, I wish you a great season and another fine year of a dog's best life…

Love, Macgellan

Update: Time Flies!

After completing my US 50 road trip, I drove up to south-central Pennsylvania and spent a week visiting with family and friends. It rained almost constantly -- sometimes what I'd call "Biblically" -- but I stayed dry and comfy in my camper, and Darth had no problems with anything, of course!

Last week I drove upstate New York to do a little preliminary scouting for something I've got in mind for next year. It's not nearly clear enough to describe yet, but if it comes together I'll let you know.

The highlight of my week, however, was having dinner in Rochester with my niece Christine and her friend Tyia. You may recall that Christine and I last dined together in Paris, and although we had a Mexican feast this time we did our best to maintain tradition by ordering multiple desserts. Thank you ladies for a very memorable evening!

Over this past week I've cleared out my camper and put it in storage. I've handed Darth over to my good friend Marty -- whom you may remember from my summer travels in Alaska -- for him to use and take care of this winter. I've also packed up a bunch of stuff and stored it in the garage at my parents' condo.

Why have I done all this? I promise to reveal "what's next" very, very soon… Stay tuned!

US Hwy 50 "End-to-End" Part 3: St. Louis to Ocean City

Here's the video for "Part 3" of my US Highway 50 "End-to-End" road trip:

All of the images are from my DashCam, which shoots still photos once per minute whenever I'm driving and video whenever I want. The music is one of my favorite pieces by Jonathan Coulton which I've long wanted to use and finally have a video for which it kind of fits!

Note: Now that it's done, this series of DashCam videos doesn't seem as cool to me as it did in my mind when I started. I'm not sure it's worth the effort, and I'm ambivalent about doing it again on my next road trip. Let me know in the comments if you like it, if there's something else you would like instead, or if I should just skip it… Thanks!

US Highway 50 -- "End-to-End" Officially Complete!

The last drive of my US Highway 50 "End-to-End" road trip began with a stint across the rolling hills of Virginia, and through a few quaint, really old villages. Despite the heavy overcast, it was lovely.

Because US 50 passes right through the heart of downtown Washington, DC -- right along Constitution Avenue and everything! -- I decided to leave my camper rig back in Winchester and make the drive in Darth unencumbered.

I am very glad I made that call, because I can't imagine having to drag my rig through the DC traffic!

With that mess behind me, I entered Maryland where the landscape really opened up and offered me an easy hour or so drive to the coast.

I arrived in Ocean City and have checked into a little beachfront Holiday Inn -- my other home! -- for the night. Before doing so, I stopped to find the sign I've been waiting to see since I saw it's reciprocal 3,073 miles ago in Sacramento!

With that, my US Highway 50 "End-to-End" road trip is officially complete! It's been a fantastic drive: Over the California mountains, across the desert on the Loneliest Road, over the Rockies, progressively across prairies, grasslands, farmlands, woodlands and, finally, over the Appalachians and on to the Atlantic Coast.

I've made the trip a lot faster than I originally planned -- for reasons that I promise to explain very soon! -- but that didn't really detract from my enjoyment of it. There's something fantastic about rolling so far across such vastly different regions that's hard to describe. Every time I do it, I am strongly reminded that America is quite probably the most varied country in the world, and that regional differences in the republic should be protected from the kind of "one size fits all" lawmaking that seems to be the vogue. Drive coast to coast sometime and see if you get what I mean.

I'm going to return to Winchester tomorrow and collect my rig, then head up to Pennsylvania to visit with family and friends for a couple of weeks. After that, I've got something pretty amazing lined up... Stay tuned!

Click here to see exactly where I am posting this from on Google Maps.

Beauty and the Beast

It's really hard to describe my last drive, but the best that comes to mind is "Beauty and the Beast."

The first half of my drive across eastern Ohio and western West Virginia was simply beautiful. A fantastic, smooth, high-speed roadway rolled up and down the foothills of the Appalachians, each vista nicer than the one before. I dialed Darth into a perfect speed/gear combination and he just motored along. I had my current audiobook -- The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes! -- adding to the entertainment. Life was great!

When I crossed the river and entered West Virginia, I smiled at the sign which reads "Wild and Wonderful", not having a clue just how wild and not so wonderful the next portion of US Highway 50 was going to be.

Just past Clarksburg, the road changes from a great, four-lane affair to a truly miserable, barely two-lane ordeal!

For the next hundred miles, it's up 5 miles of 9% grade, down 5 miles of 9% grade, a moment of flat in the valley, then repeat about a dozen times!

When I say the road is barely two-lanes, I'm not kidding. Plus, there's no shoulder on either side, so when any of the many, many trucks that come the other way pass by it's a door-rattling experience.

To top it all off, I don't think the roadway has been paved in decades, and the patchwork is horribly uneven. So, poor Darth was constantly changing from low-gear churning up hill to motor-braking going down, getting rattled to death by the traffic and pavement, generally working himself like crazy. If I ever had any concerns about the durability of my road rig, I certainly don't anymore.

This stretch of road was easily one of the worst I've ever driven -- even worse than the Haul Road in Alaska! -- and while it might be fun-ish on a motorcycle or in a sports car, it was miserable in a 9,000 pound truck hauling a 7,000 pound trailer!

'Nuff said... The road improved upon entering Virginia, and I am spending a couple of days here in Winchester before making one more push to the end of US Highway 50 on the coast!

Click here to see exactly where I am posting this from on Google Maps.

What's high in the middle and round on both ends?

My drive today was really nice. All the way through eastern Indiana and western Ohio, the scenery was mostly a mix of wooded, rolling hills and lush, tidy farmland. Every few miles I passed through quaint old towns or crossed lovely little rivers.

The road itself has been pretty good, and I've enjoyed driving around twists and turns for a change!

Click here to see exactly where I am posting this from on Google Maps.

Into Indiana Territory

I had a very nice couple of days with friends in St. Louis, and hit the road again this morning. After getting through the traffic in St. Louis -- which isn't bad compared to some cities but still bad enough to vividly remind me I'm not a city guy -- the drive was very nice across south-central Illinois.

Upon entering Indiana, the landscape became a lovely mix of rich farmlands and wooded hills. I've stopped in Bedford and plan to take the day here tomorrow before continuing east on Saturday.

Click here to see exactly where I am posting this from on Google Maps.