Logbook: Portland, OR - Whitefish, MT

This picture of me walking into the motel in Portland, OR was taken by my friends on Saturday just after they dropped me off and we said good-bye. I recall the moment precisely. Although I'd already had a number of "starts" and "firsts" on The Voyage, this one somehow felt like "the real thing." No more familiar territory, no more support of being with friends, no more pre-arrangements. The Voyage of Macgellan was beginning "in earnest" in a whole new way. With this in mind, I walked in, checked in and got online to "report my findings." As you can probably tell by the changes to this website, I spent most of Sunday working in iWeb on my beloved MacBookPro. Fortunately, the motel had a fast, stable internet connection and I made the most of it. On Monday, I caught the shuttle to the Amtrak station in Portland and headed out of town. On the train, I had a "Superliner Sleeperette" which is a little "room" (about 3.5 x 7 feet overall) that is configured with two large, comfy seats facing each other during the day that convert into a pretty decent bed at night (I didn't try the upper berth, but I doubt it is as nice as the lower). Dinner was pretty good, and I was able to converse with some folks of drastically different "world view" from my own without pissing anybody off. See... I'm learning! I woke up Tuesday morning about 30 minutes before the train pulled into Whitefish, MT so I had enough time to gulp a cup of coffee, gather my belongings and reflect fondly on my first overnight train ride... All in all, a good experience that I found to be a fine alternative to flying!

Logbook: Oregon Coast

I woke up Thursday morning after a much needed, solid 10 hours of sleep! After a good breakfast -- fruit and granola, thank you very much -- I took a nice walk down to the beach and around a bit of Newport. Okay as seaside towns go, but nothing great. By mid-morning I was packed and ready when my friends called to say they were on their way into town. I grabbed my gear and waited by the side of the road -- something I imagine I may be doing a lot of in the future -- and waited. Upon their arrival, we had happy hugs all around, threw my stuff into their camper and drove north for lunch at the famous Mo’s Restaurant in Lincoln City. (Famous, maybe... good, definitely not.) From there it was a bit further north to Tilamook where Conrad and the kids toured the dairy factory while Peggy and I shopped for supplies at Fred Meyer. What an ordeal! Even with two of us working together, it took us an hour to check off the list. I will admit that some of our time was used snickering to each other about the various life forms in that rural mega-store... ‘Nuff said.

From there we went to the campground where I was very impressed at the teamwork involved in setting everything up... Especially young Christian who did a fine job assembling my deluxe private tent! The rest of the day was happily spent on the beach and having dinner. Friday was mostly a lazy camp day, highlighted by a nice 2.5 mile walk out onto the ocean bluff. Saturday morning we all packed up and drove to Portland. We had a bittersweet parting as they dropped me off at my motel; glad to have had our special time together to kick off The Voyage, looking forward to more good times ahead, and knowing that things will be different for some time to come.

Logbook: Underway... Overweight...

At 5:30 this morning, I enacted in reality a vision I had almost exactly one year ago: With a Mac and a pack, I walked to the corner and got on a bus. Seattle Metro carried me from Greenwood and 85th street to downtown and I walked a ways to the train station. Amtrak checked me in and informed me that my pack was over their strict 50 pound weight limit, so I was very glad I had planned for “offloading” some of my gear into a small collapsible duffel! With a small adjustment made, the train left Seattle at 7:30 am and arrived in Portland at 11:15 am where I transferred immediately to a bus which took me on a 1.5 hour ride to Salem. A brief stop-over -- with just enough time to have a bowl of chowder and a salad at the quaint “Depot” restaurant -- and I was on the next bus for another 1.5 hour ride to Newport. Arriving at 4 pm, I found a so-so motel that proudly advertises its “high speed internet access in every room” (Internet, yes... hi-speed, not so much) and checked in. I poured myself a dram of my beloved scotch and made a check of e-mail (Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful and supportive bon voyages!) and a couple of Skypes. Dinner time rolled around and I was quite happy to find a decent salmon meal at a nearby diner. Now my belly is full and I am exhausted! Looking forward to a good night’s sleep and another day on the Voyage tomorrow!

Report: Formula Nine

Imagine: You are nine years old. You are in Las Vegas with your dad and his old friend Macgellan. They take you to a kart race track, jam a crash helmet on your head, put you in a kart and say, “Go fast!” For the next ten minutes you are on the gas, flying around the track and really mixing it up with a pack of twenty-somethings who have been racing karts for years. You don’t finish first, but you don’t finish last either. When the race is over, several of the older drivers pat you on the helmet, give you a high five and say, “Pretty good, kid!” Way to go, Jake! Formula Nine! (Thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the perfect, charming little soundtrack song! I love your stuff!)

Musing: €urosophy

Despite the fact that I have arranged multiple means of “electronic” access to funds -- including debit cards, credit cards, online banking, PayPal and ATMs (which are now quite ubiquitous around the world) -- I have decided to carry a modest amount of cash on the Voyage. After all, you just never know when a little cash will facilitate the speedy resolution of certain... er... “circumstances.” After some research and deliberation, I have elected to carry about half the amount in euros. Among my reasons: 1) using euros will enable me to appear a little less “American” whenever that may be prudent, 2) the €500 note -- equal to more than $600 -- allows me to “pack more punch” into a much smaller wad of bills and 3) the euro has clearly become a robust, valuable, worldwide alternative to the “almighty dollar.” It is this third reason in particular which got me musing: “How did I miss the euro?”

You see, when the euro was proposed as the “single currency” of the fledgling European Union, I was convinced it wouldn’t happen. There was just no way so many sovereign nations would subordinate their monetary policy to a central bank. Even if the euro was created, I figured it would be a flop. Who outside the Eurozone would want the thing? Let’s face it, the dollar was pretty well entrenched as the international currency of choice. Well, it turns out I was wrong. The euro is now the official currency for 12 nations (and counting) -- more than 300 million people -- and it has been heartily accepted by much if the world. What did I miss? The answer, I think, is that my US myopia blinded me to just how much the rest of the world wanted an alternative to the US dollar and the US hegemony it represents. If you give people something they want, they’ll buy it -- even if it isn’t perfect. The world wanted an alternative to US currency, and the world has been buying euros. So simple. I missed it.

(PS -- First, I think it was an excellent strategy for the EU to issue the “jumbo” €200 and €500 denomination notes which offer such “efficient” alternatives -- and competition -- to the $100 note. Let’s face it, if the €500 is good for Macgellan to carry, it is also good for every smuggler, drug-dealer and “under-the-mattress-stasher” in the world. Thus, for many people, the euro is not just an alternative to the dollar, it is a “better” product. [For an “interesting” dialogue about the impact of “jumbo” euro notes on the more than $250 billion worth of $100 bills held abroad, click here.] Second, although I have bought some euros and do a little bit of currency hedging with them, I am still not convinced of their long-term viability. I just cannot make myself believe that all of the member nations will indefinitely adhere to the EU’s strict monetary policies. Sooner or later, some of them will need to solve their massive internal debt problems by doing what all governments -- including the US -- have always done: inflate their currency. When the bills come due, I think the euro -- perhaps the entire EU -- will be in jeopardy. But who knows? I’ve been wrong before.)

Report: Joe Stratocaster

I was just wrapping up my day and getting ready for dinner when the sound of some scorching hot electric guitar licks and riffs came through my open window. At first I thought one of my neighbors must have been sharing his favorite Jimi Hendrix with us, but I quickly got the sense that the music was live. I stuck my head out the window overlooking the alley and realized that the sound was coming from the back of the Pig ‘N Whistle Bar & Grill three doors down. Figuring there must be a band playing a Saturday night gig at the Pig, I grabbed my camera and went to check it out. What I found was a guy -- by himself -- sitting on an overturned plastic bucket outside the kitchen door, absolutely wailing on a beautiful Stratocaster. I listened in awe for a few minutes until he stopped playing and looked up at me. I knew this was something special to share, so I said: “I want to put you in my next podcast. If you give me three minutes of your best stuff, I’ll give you ten bucks cash money, I’ll put you on the web and I’ll burn you a DVD of your jam.” His reply was simply, “That sounds like a deal.” So, I fired up the camera and he scorched the guitar. While the music in this Macgellan Report may not be everyone’s “cup of tea”, I’m pretty sure you will all appreciate the mastery... and I’m almost certain you will find the ending a bit of a mystery.

Report: Fremont Fair - The Summer Solstice Parade

Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood calls itself -- and wishes to be known as -- “The Center of the Universe.” While I can’t vouch for that appellation, I can report that Fremont does add a great deal of... um... “character” to the city. For 35 years, Fremont has celebrated the Summer Solstice and -- according to their website -- “the best of our community” with a fair that draws thousands upon thousands of folks from all over the city, the state and quite possibly the universe. Without doubt, the highlight -- though some might say the nadir -- of the fair is an event known far and wide as simply “The Solstice Parade.” Starting with naked bicyclists and including a cast of characters that one might easily imagine could be found at an intergalactic gathering, the parade simply defies description. If you’re ever in the center of the universe at the time of Earth’s summer solstice, you owe it to yourself to check out the Fremont Fair. In the meantime, Macgellan is pleased to be able to share this little video of the Solstice Parade.

Report: Yacht Delivery - Part 2 - "The Experience"

After a few unsuccessful attempts at editing an iMovie short to convey our “Yacht Delivery Experience”, I realized it would be best to simply provide a montage of unedited video clips and let them speak for themselves. All I will offer as an introduction is to say that far from being a “pleasure cruise”, a “delivery” is work! As you will see, we started with high hopes of high times and ended up worn out, half stir-crazy and hoping only that the trip would soon be over. The fact that we were equipped with every modern technology -- radar, GPS and auto-pilot -- was a mixed blessing. While, it made our “job” easier in terms of navigation and boat handling, it made the monotony of being under power with nothing to do but watch the gizmos work almost unbearable at times. The endless succession of “4 hours on, 4 hours off” watches was tiresome enough with a crew of four -- there was at least someone on watch with you -- but it became a true test of endurance when Tom and Jen got off the boat half-way through the journey. Captain Roy and I spent the last two days in a zombie-like battle against exhaustion. All in all, though, it was an excellent opportunity and a very valuable experience. Plus, the fact that I can add “experienced delivery crew” to my resume may very well help me arrange passage in the future on The Voyage of Macgellan! (PS - Sorry about the wind noise in some of the videos... I’ll try to fix it in the future.)

Report: Yacht Delivery - Part 1 - "The Boat Journey"

On Monday, May 29th 2006, I got a call from an old friend -- Captain Roy -- who said he had a "delivery" job to move a sailboat from San Francisco, CA to Anacortes, WA in advance of the owner's family vacation sailing around the San Juan Islands later in the month. ”The weather service is predicting a window of perfect weather with strong South Westerly winds. I've been looking at your website and thought I'd invite you to go along as part of the crew. Are you interested?" I explained that while I have had some experience on small sailboats, I have little experience on "yachts"... and none on the Pacific Ocean. "Don't worry," he replied, "An experienced friend of the owner will be on the crew and so will (our mutual friend) Jen. Come on... It'll be a fun adventure!" "Okay," I said. "I'm in!" Early Tuesday morning he picked me up, we met Jen at the airport and flew to San Francisco. After a brief meeting with the owner, we met his friend Tom, rigged and provisioned the boat and got under way. We got hammered by rough seas and bad weather the first night out, but the journey settled down after that. Except, of course, for the fact that we had no wind the entire time and had to motor for 900 miles -- 5 days -- with nothing much to do except stay awake, stay in the boat, not hit anything and keep an eye on the combination of radar, GPS navigation and auto-pilot. This iMovie short, set to a perfect seafaring song by Hobo Jim will give you an overview of our “Yacht Delivery Boat Journey.”

Musing: Maritime Monotony

About 4 o’clock Sunday morning -- half-way through my watch -- I was just about bored to death. Just sitting there, watching the auto-pilot make an endless sequence of tiny adjustments to keep us on course, checking the radar screen every few minutes to be sure we weren’t going to hit anything, viewing the GPS plotter to see how much progress we’d made in the last few minutes... Ugh! I found myself wondering what it might have been like for mariners of old who didn’t have all our technology. In a fit of I-don’t-know-what, I decided to try a little experiment. I shut off all the hi-tech gizmos, grabbed the helm and actually “drove” the boat for an hour with nothing to guide me but a compass. What a nightmare! A dark, bleak sea and a dim, bleak horizon were all I could see. Rolling waves kept pointing the boat away from my desired course and forced me to make annoyingly frequent corrections. My feet and hands got numb and my back started killing me. What’s more, it was even more boring than watching the technology!

By the time the hour was up, I had absolutely no idea if we were anywhere near the course I wanted -- I had even less idea how to figure it out -- and I started to worry about my inability to clearly see what might be ahead. (Captain Roy’s admonishment to “Stay in the boat and don’t hit anything” was, however, quite clear in my mind!) So, I terminated my experiment and turned on all the gizmos, fully convinced that mariners of old must have been a lot tougher -- not to mention more skillful -- than I am and had a far higher tolerance for boredom than I do. With a tip of my cap to those old tars, I plugged in my iPod and went back to “sitting” my watch. I’ll take the technology, thanks.