Anchors Aweigh, My Boy

  Yes, it really is Anchors Aweigh and not Anchors Away as one may think.

Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation.

 

The two weeks Justin was home on leave just flew by.  He kept pretty busy doing things he wanted to do.  

Mike and Justin

Cousins, Michael and Sandi dropped by in the evening for another farewell. This time Michael and Justin compared wits trying to defeat each other in a game of Magic.

Last supper

One of the finishing touches to his visit was a trip to the Ape Caves again.  He and his family love that hike.  So, Sabrina and Jordan decided to play hooky and do that with him.

Packing up

The hike is at the base of Mt. St. Helens.  Actually, there are two hikes in the Ape Caves.  Both hikes are underground and part of the longest lava tube in the continental US.  One is a fairly easy trail at about 3/4 of a mile.  The other one takes a little more of an adventuresome soul.  That’s the one I did a couple years ago so I’m speaking from experience when I say it definitely was a workout.  This upper trail is close to 2 miles long and involves climbing over  27 boulders and scaling an 8 foot lava fall.  A good flashlight and good shoes or boots are very much a necessity.

Final touches

On the following morning the alarm started going off about 3:30 AM.  Justin had a flight out of Portland with Norfolk, Virginia as his destination.  We were all up to wish him goodbye.  We certainly enjoyed having him here and most definitely will miss him loads.  It was early for us but Justin had been up all night packing.  No sleep for him the night before his departure.  He was excited though with a brand new adventure awaiting him.

 

It was time to go.

 

Speaking of the U.S. Navy … and we are, you know.  It is just about time that the US Navy and Coast Guard along with the Canadian Navy plus Maritime ships start converging on Portland for their Rose Festival ceremonies.  In the past we have loved staying at the County Line RV Park ($10 per night) and watch the Navy ships as they travel from the Pacific Ocean into Portland.  This is one of our most favorite places to be at this time.  It’s a magnificent parade all of its own and only a few get to see this.  However, this year with our travel to and from the property we’re working on we decided not to add the extra 40 miles a day that staying there would require.  It’s back on our schedule for next year though.  We certainly plan on visiting the waterfront in Portland during its most festive time.  However, driving downtown is not going to happen.  We’ll take the Max.

These are the ships that will be visiting during the 2012 festivities.

United States Navy USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) USS Dewey (DDG 105) USS Ingraham (FFG-61)

United States Coast Guard USCGC Alert (WMEC-630) USCGC Henry Blake (WLM 563) USCGC Adelie (WPB 87333) USCGC Invincible II (WLB 52313)

Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Oriole Historic Ships Sternwheeler Portland PT 658

‘Tis life on the road.