Are We Pushing It? Three Strikes

Wednesday, 8/18
This is our last day at Flaming Gorge. It is also the day I knew that another trip like this under the same conditions is NOT in the cards for me.

Sid was determined to sail. He was up early anticipating the day. I think he had been plotting how to sail to the Red Canyon we had seen last night. It would be an aggressive sail even with perfect wind. We have not only NOT had perfect, we've rarely had sailing wind.

He's been awake for hours waiting for daylight

Weather doesn't look promising as day breaks

As Winnie-the-Pooh would say, "It was a blustery day." Sid had on regular shirt and shorts. He added jeans over the top and a fleece pullover sweatshirt. Then he pulled on what he calls "rain gear." It's waterproof clothing, jacket and pull-away pants. Lightweight but watertight. 

He was determined. Brought the sails out and tried to sail. Then a problem with one of the sails occurred that required he walk out to the mast. This means tip-toeing around the edge of the cabin to get to the front third of the boat. He made it out there to correct the problem, but recall, it is blustery and intermittent rain, so the boat is slick. On the way back, you can imagine what happened. He lost his footing and from inside the cabin, I see one foot slip off, then the other, then him grabbing lines trying to stop himself from going in. In real time, it happened quickly and he couldn't stop himself. In my mind it is all in S L O W  M O T I O N. All the way in!

I resisted panic but several years of lifeguarding and becoming a WSI (Water Safety Instructor) I know what it feels like to go in the water fully clothed. In lifesaving situations, you are trained to strip down as far as you can to save energy and free yourself from the weight of wet clothes.

Sid climbs back on the boat and refuses to change clothes--he keeps all the layers of soaking wet on! I was astonished and should have known then that we may have passed the point of good judgment. Strike One! Sid falls off the boat into the water.

Clouds and storms come and go and we keep attempting to sail. Every now and then a breeze that is sailable would come up and we would make progress. Toward midday, we were making more progress toward what I thought was as far toward the dam as we could reasonably go. This led us to take a shortcut that turned out to be VERY narrow, probably 10 feet or less. Since Garmin depth-finder still was not readable, we had no idea if it was deep enough for us to pass. Hard to tell from this photo, but to my mind, it was not worth the risk to try to pass.

Fortunately, we made it and the opening in the canyon into which it lead was quite fabulous. It was narrow enough that even Sid wasn't willing to press his luck and return that way.

So, it was now late enough in the day and the clouds continued to look threatening enough that Sid decided this was as far as we would go. We turned back and to avoid the narrows, we entered Horseshoe Canyon which was the long way around to get back to our marina part of the lake.

 

Again, a stunning canyon with lots of geological delights and oddities. Sid continued to attempt sailing and noted that the winds were odd in the canyon. It was rather still and yet occasionally a strong wind could be caught. He theorized that wind is basically blowing over the top  of the cliffs but sometimes a gust will swoop down one side and start to rush back up the other side. I don't know enough about sailing or wind patterns to comment, but winds were unusual. The better part of wisdom would have said pull in the sails and motor back to the marina. But we weren't listening to the better part of wisdom; it was the last opportunity.

On this day, I wasn't much for being out in the cockpit. I was sticking pretty close to the cabin to stay out of the weather and let Sid have his fun. So I'm not a good witness to what happened next, but I can tell you what I think I saw and what happened in the cabin.

My right foot had been swelling up most days for reasons that are still mysterious. I was sitting on a bench seat in the cabin with my foot elevated on the table when suddenly the boat rotated almost 45 degrees. I slipped between the bench and the table so I was sitting on the floor, my back against the bench, my right thigh against my chest with that leg against the table. This was awkward in such a way that I was temporarily pinned and then everything behind me (the starboard side of the boat) started falling on me toward the other side of the boat. So, looking out the windows, instead of seeing canyon, I'm seeing the lake. At the same time, I hear Sid falling in the cockpit and look to see if he is still in the boat.

He is, but the wind still has the sail and he is not in control of the boat.
Strike Two! Boat knockdown.

God righted the boat, but Sid was still unable to release the sail so turned into the wind to gain control. The only problem with that was that it created momentum...in the wrong direction.

I had extricated myself from the cabin and left the mess to try to understand what needed to be done next. Sid had turned the boat to release the wind from the sail but now we were heading toward the cliffs. Sid says matter-of-factly, "We're going to hit the rocks."

We weren't going fast enough to cause a lot of damage by jamming into the canyon wall sideways, but we had no idea what was under the water. 

My mind is racing: if the boat hull becomes damaged under the water line, we will sink quickly.
We don't have a radio.
We don't have good cell service.
We are in an isolated canyon.
We don't have a life boat.
Neither of us currently have our life jackets on.
My quick  mental calculations say the odds aren't good if the boat becomes damaged.

Canyon walls are all rock

Small view of the cabin post knockdown

Strike Three! We do hit the canyon walls but don't seem to have terrible damage. 

Sid got the sail down and the motor started so we could motor back to the marina. I have never been so sure of God's protection nor been so aware of how close we were to a different ending.

As we talked later about what exactly happened, it is called a knockdown. The wind catches the sail(s) and literally throw the boat down, turns it on its side. Certain boats are designed that it can happen frequently and sailors learn how to right them and get back on quickly. Typically, these are racing boats. Sid tried to tell me that our Catalina 22 is "unsinkable." It may have safeguards and design features that minimize the risk, but I easily found stories of Cat 22s that have sunk and apparently, it happens infrequently, but fast. 

In the end, our boat suffered no significant damage; it was righted without any significant amount of water filling the cabin. God was merciful.

Sid didn't act like he was particularly shaken, but again, that evening, we had squalls blowing so the boat was tossed all night long in the slip. Just another tough sleeping night for me, but he didn't sleep well this night either. Though he blamed it on the weather, I think there may have been more to it, given his state of mind the next morning.

Escape the Heat? Part 3

Tuesday, 8/17
In the morning as 10 am (check-out time) came and went, I mentioned to Sid we should probably get going. He looks at me incredulously and says, “There is no one else here. This is the only room they have to clean all day!” I shrugged and pointed out the signs; he just laughed. 

At 10:45, I had gathered our things by the door, and suddenly a car was driving in the parking lot and hit the brakes enough to skid. Next thing there was a sharp knock on our door, “Housekeeping!”
I opened the door to a lady (the owner) standing there literally pointing to her watch.
Lady: (in a shrill tone) “Check-out time is 10 o’clock!”
Me: (pointing to our things by the door, cheerfully) “We are just loading up.”
Lady: “I know you got in late last night, but still check-out time is 10 o’clock!”
Me: “Got it!”

What’s incredible about this is that the same lady was most gracious, sympathetic, and talkative over the phone when I called to make the reservation in June. The property is really lovely and convenient to the lake, so no other guests was a bit of a mystery to us the night before. As we drove away, we noticed a commercial “For Sale” sign near the road. I think we now know why.

It was another warm day and I think Sid was discouraged about not getting any fish. We found an open café in Manila and had “brunch” and discussed plans for the day. Sid was not excited to be out on the water in the heat with almost no wind, so proposed we go tour the dam. So we drove around the south bend of the lake on the way to the dam. We stopped often at the overlooks. First was Sheep Creek Overlook.

 

We stopped at the Swett Ranch overlook.

 

We visited the Dam Visitor Center. There are no tours, currently, due to COVID-19, but you could look around the lobby of the center including a cool 3-D topographical map and you could walk across a pedestrian bridge which led up and over the road to view the other side of the dam. I find dams of that era quite extraordinary feats and the site is fairly dazzling.

There was a BBQ food truck in a far corner of the parking lot so we got sandwiches. Sid had asked about whether there was access to the river on the discharge side of the dam. The answer was, “yes,” so he wanted to go explore, particularly once he heard that it is typically cooler temps because it is so far below the dam and the water coming from the dam is cool as well. We found the boat launch area and had a picnic there. It was cooler and the breeze off the river was cool—delightful! One guide boat launched while we were there which was a moment of fun.

On the way back to the marina, we also stopped at the Red Canyon overlook. At the dam, we learned about an app that will tell you things of interest about the surroundings as you drive. Due to my poor cell service, it didn’t work as well as hoped but it was fun and it said the road to the Red Canyon was the best place to see Bighorn sheep. Since it was near dusk, we decided to do it. Didn’t see any wildlife, but the canyon is spectacular. Unfortunately, its beauty tempted Sid to want to sail there. By the time we got back to the marina, it was again 90 degrees, dark, and the squalls were blowing. Perhaps a foreshadowing of our final day at Flaming Gorge?

Guard your children? 😂😂😂

Oh! Now I see why 😲

Escape the Heat? Part 2

Sunday, 8/15
We decided to explore church options in the little town near the marina, Manila, UT. Being in Utah, the choices appeared to be a Mormon church and a Community Baptist Church. Our best intelligence was that the Baptist church met at 3 pm. So Sid proposed a sail in the morning and church in the afternoon.

So far, the “sailing” part has not happened much at all. Sid is determined to sail at Flaming Gorge, but the winds are fickle. Just as he is getting a bit of a rhythm, he realizes that we need to head back to make it to church.

It was a sweet, tiny church. All women in attendance. A pastor and his wife drive about 90 minutes each week to serve them. This particular week there was a missionary family who serve in Bolivia who told a bit about their work and he gave a Bible lesson. After, we drove around Manila hoping for a place to eat but everything was either already closed or more permanently closed. We did scope out where our motel was for Monday night. Back to the boat for chips and salsa, but as we reached the marina, a powerful squall came up. Sid had been musing about an evening sail, but the whitecaps and everyone else zooming in off the lake dissuaded him.

Our slip is on a far-from-the-ramp dock and the closest to the lake. That sounds like an advantageous position until you realize that the sea wall does not extend to the furthest 3 docks so those boats get excessive waves from boat traffic and from the weather. Result: we were buffeted thoroughly all night as the wind swept through. I don’t really think it affected Sid, however. I actually tried to sleep sitting up on this night, because at this point, my (arthritic) back was protesting so much at the boat accommodations. That was great for my back, but my right foot was quite swollen in the morning and it was much harder to keep warm once the night temps dropped. Still searching for the perfect solution…grateful for a motel night tomorrow. 

Monday, 8/16
First day of Charleston Classical School! So happy that God got this little school launched this year. I secretly wished I could have been there. (If you don't know about my involvement, ask me sometime. 😊)

Back at Flaming Gorge: HOT again—funny that we took this trip to escape the heat. Sid fished for minnows/bait fish so he could fish on this lake. This ended up taking most of the afternoon

and he was waiting for the heat of the day to pass. So we headed out for an evening fishing expedition. Sadly, it turned out as the Yellowstone attempts had, and the Garmin depth gauge/fish finder was not working correctly. So after dark, there were breezes, so he decided to try to sail. Mind you this was to be a motel night. He’s desperate to catch a fish on this trip and I am rather desperate for a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed with relatively cool air, so we are rather at cross-purposes. Once we had lost light and had NO nibbles, I reminded him that we were to be at the motel.

We arrived at the motel about 10:30 pm. It was completely dark, and no cars…anywhere. OK, so we might be the only guests; that would definitely reduce noise distractions. I had received a pin code to open our room, but in the dark, we had a tough time finding the room number. Once found, I tried the code. The familiar sound of an electrical lock unlocking followed. However, the door wouldn’t open. Pulling out my phone for a flashlight, I tried again. Same result, except this time I could see that the dead bolt was fastened so simply unlocking the latch did no good. Embarrassed by the late hour and seeing no overnight clerk in the office building, I called (and woke) the owner. She gave me a long story about why the room was locked and why other rooms were not prepared but finally decided to give me the code to the room next door. It worked, we got into the room. 

It was really a lovely, clean place, but there were an extraordinary number of signs everywhere. (Reminded me of a song from the 70s.) Signs about what food you could and could not prepare on the counter, signs on the waste cans about what you could not put in the can, (wait, what?) signs about check-out time; heat, A/C, lights usage; signs about reusing the towels, signs about only cooking in the outdoor kitchens, etc. We didn’t think much of it, probably because we were so tired. Silly us!

In Memoriam

 Saturday, 8/14

My Dad and Mary
1984 wedding

July 2016 - My final photos

Yes, that's Sid--photo bombing

The 1 pm graveside service was attended primarily by Mary’s family, my brother and Sid & I, and a handful of my Dad and Mary’s church friends. A reception followed at their church, Crossroads Baptist, and then we drove all the way back to Flaming Gorge.

When I traveled for business, I did a lot of listening to audio books. Sid doesn’t have the same taste or patience for long books, even though we have tried, so I procured a few to listen to on the trip. Because I didn’t download them before I left, I have only made it through one so far, The Dutch House. I don’t think I’ve read any Ann Patchett before, but this was a pretty good book. I bring it up because on this day, there seemed to be a three-way intersection between one of the book’s themes, my reflection on knowing Mary, and how Sid has rather aggressively been striking up conversations with strangers on this trip. It has caused me to ponder my duty to love my neighbor who is close to me (family) versus loving my neighbor who is not so near (church folks, neighborhood folks, strangers/people God brings into your path). 

How do you strike the right balance?
Are there seasons of life where that is different?
Should I be willing to spend my life on others no matter what?
I know that when I die I want to be all used up, completely spent.
Is it OK for family to languish while you serve others if God calls?
Does God really call us to love strangers more than our family?

I still have so many questions and so few answers.

Escape the Heat? Part 1

Thursday, 8/12
It was less than an hour drive to the Lucerne Marina on the west side of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The lake is mostly in Wyoming but crosses into Utah. You cross state lines several times while driving to the marina. The poor maps app is constantly stating:
"Welcome to Utah!"
"Welcome to Wyoming!"
"Welcome to Utah!"
"Welcome to Wyoming!"
Salt Lake City is just over 100 miles to the west, so we are in a stark, desolate desert. Beautiful nonetheless. We chose to take the western side, shorter route to the marina.

“Flaming Gorge” was named for the bright red rock in many walls of the Green River canyon. But I secretly believe it is because we are back to flaming hot weather. So much for the “Sail the Rockies Adventure” to escape the heat. 🔥 😂

We DID learn a lesson in Glendo, however. At Flaming Gorge, as we begin to step the mast for launch, we followed a strict 15 min in the sun, and at least 15 out, resting and drinking water. It worked-we got the mast stepped and the boat launched. The goal was to get the boat into the slip and then take off the next day to drive across WY to Cheyenne and Pine Bluffs and that happened. But we were back to hot nights! 

Friday 8/13
We are traveling to Pine Bluffs, WY (right on the Nebraska border) for a graveside service on Saturday for my dad’s wife, Mary Della, whose homegoing was in May.

We started this drive by going the rest of the way around the lake. So we headed south and then east to cross the dam, then back up the east side. Truly beautiful in the way only the desert can be. When we got back to I-80 the rest of the drive was uneventful, except for the places we stopped for gas and they were out of certain grades. (Sid’s surprised face: 😲)

We did learn that the Rock Springs, WY, Walmart is exceptional; the Rawlins, WY, Walmart is not. We arrived in Cheyenne to do laundry and have dinner, because Pine Bluffs is a very small town with no laundromat and only one known-to-me restaurant. I wasn’t sure it would still be open after COVID or by the time we arrived. We stayed at a didn’t-know-it-was-there-until-this-trip motel and were pleasantly surprised. (Pine Bluffs is 20 miles from where I grew up, so I knew it pretty well back in the day, but in recent years was only there because it was where my dad and Mary had attended church prior to the need for assisted living and memory care. It had been over five years since they were able to attend, but were still known and well-loved there. My dad passed in 2016.) 

One more photo from the drive: