Underwater: a brave new world

It's not often you get to do something so totally unusual and interesting that it literally takes your breath away. Well we did just that last week when we were on the tiny island of Roatan, Honduras.

We were invited to join dear friends, Jordan and Rebecca to celebrate Jordan's 40th birthday. He and I became fast friends while running our respective charter businesses down in the US Virgin Islands from 2005-09. We supported and encouraged one another during some tough times. We spent time fixing, cussing, and cleaning our boats and hustling clients for our snorkeling tours.

Jordan and Rebecca both are accomplished divers and were planning on spending most of the week down island under water. We tagged along and planned on snorkeling and relaxing reading while they played under 80' of water.

That all changed when we started talking to their dive master, Ricardo. He encouraged us to take is Discover Scuba Diving class. This is an opportunity to get in "confined" water and learn the very basics of scuba diving. I was a little more than surprise when Charlotte said "let's do it".

I had learned to dive when living in the islands but had not dived in over 5 years. So I thought it would be fun to get reacquainted with it. What transpired over the next few days was amazing.

One of the things you need to know about Charlotte is that she does not like confined spaces, having her face covered with anything, or what she calls 'edges'. Any place you cannot see over a ledge to her is like staring at the scariest monster you can imagine. Diving just happens to involve the following activities: being in a somewhat confined space i.e. being underwater, covering face with a mask and regulator, and staring into an abyss over 2000' deep. Other than those things, Charlotte thought it was a great idea. ;-).

Our instructor was amazing in helping her face her fears and just do it anyway. He focussed on the beauty and awe of sailing underwater while breathing normally. She bought it!

After learning all we needed to keep us alive underwater, we headed out for our open water dive to get our certifications to become official divers. If we could finish the course and pass the exams, we could dive anywhere in the world. Wow!

Things started a bit rough when we stepped off the dive boat into the Caribbean Sea. Charlotte had passed the first couple of training tests with our instructor with flying colors. But this was the ocean and full of creatures that can eat you including great white sharks and eels and coral that can burn your skin instantly! No small task to overcome internal self talk telling you that you have lost your f-ing mind. But we did it.

She had trouble clearing her ears at first and had that look of sheer panic on her face. But Ricardo took her in his care and calmed her fear enough to dive into 20' of ocean water. When we reached the sandy bottom we both succeeded in passing the physical tasks we needed to start our "real dive".

Once we got the OK sign  and firm handshakes from Ricardo we swam off into our first diving adventure in the open sea. Believe me, this is WAY different than the confined water area that had a nice gazebo in the middle we could swim to whenever we wanted. Nothing separated us from 2000' feet of dark purple water that led to the abyss. But we both started relaxing and resumed "normal" breathing patterns as we began to explore a part of the world that we know less about than we do the surface of the moon. Amazing.

We swam around the corner of the reef and before us was a wonderland of beauty that is difficult to explain with mere words. It is exotic, intoxicating, frightening, and enlightening all at the same time. it's like being IN the aquarium looking out. We saw all sorts of amazing beautiful fish including Queen Angel fish that were at least 18" tall.

As we continued along the reef we gradually descended to fifty feet below the surface of the water. It was as if we were flying. The gentle current carried us along on a tour that was nothing short of incredible. We saw a Moray Eel that was at least 4 feet long just gliding along the bottom. It turned to look at Charlotte and she quickly put our dive master between her and the eel. It's rows of razor sharp showing as it "smiled" at her. Then we saw a very large Lion Fish with it's wings spread open as if to say "don't come any closer".

After 40 minutes that seemed like 5 we began our gradual ascent to reality. We stopped at 15' for our mandatory 3 minute stop to allow our bodies to adjust to life above the surface. When we surfaced Charlotte had the most incredible smile. She said "that was so cool, I'm hooked". So it looks like diving will become another activity we can share together.

When the boat returned to the dock we shared high fives with other divers that knew we were on our check out dive. They welcomed us with open arms into a fraternity of folks that called the underworld home.

Upon reflection it was one of the greatest days of my life. Watching the love of my life step into her fears and do it anyway filled my heart with such great joy. I have tears in my eyes as I type this blog three days later. She is by far the most courageous woman I have ever known. She inspires me to do more, be more, and love more. What more could a man ask for?

Thanks for sharing our journey!!!

Capt, Ms Charlotte, and Jojo the pretty good dog

Red Dirt, Pine Trees, and long flat A's

Howdy Folks,

Yep, you might have guessed our first stop is the piney woods of deep East Texas. We are about 15 miles north of a little town named Jasper, or Jaaaasper if you are from around these parts. Yes your memory is serving you correctly that this was the town that created a national stir when three white men did what I cannot even imagine or write down on this blog to a black man. That was not one of the town's best moments.

However, in the midst of all that there are some fine, friendly folks, that live here and just happen to be my relatives. I thought Ms Charlotte ought to meet my mother's side of the family, also known as the Mustian Clan. They ended up in these parts after getting off the boat from France in New Orleans over 150 years ago. They were indeed French gypsies that lived off the land and also rounded up wild horses and trained them to be ridden. So west Texas was a perfect place for them to settle down, near the town of Winters which is about three beers south of Abilene and four north of San Angelo. They eventually spread out from New Mexico to Jasper over the years.

I knew we had arrived in this part of Texas when we were running along a dirt road this morning and a fellow stepped off the porch of his double wide to inform us his beagle dog was prone to Yapping, which is East Texas speak for barking and when we offered to take the dog off his hands he replied "you'd be brangin' im real shortl.  He's a pistol. Nor sure exactly what that means down here, but I didn't ask.

When you leave the friendly confines of Interstate 30 just outside of Texarkana, Ark/Tex you begin to notice quickly the changing topography. The hills get a little flatter, the dirt is the color of Tang, and they sell Frio Beer at the Beer Bait and BarBQ store. And the speed limit is 75 MPH on state roads!

It will take us a few weeks of setting up and taking down the camper when we stop at parks to regain the rhythm we had developed last summer on the road. But it will come back to us as we meander our way across the lower part of Texas over the next few weeks.

It is my intention to describe our travels in a way that creates more inspiration than envy as you read.
Just keep asking yourself, "what is keeping me back from doing exactly what you really want to do?"
C'mon, get off the couch and get out there in the world and see what is waiting for you to discover about yourself.

Life is either a grand adventure or nothing at all. You get to choose.

Fair Winds,

Capt Coy, Ms Charlotte, and JoJo the pretty good dog.

It's about Time

Dateline January 29, 2014

It’s about time.

Today while sitting at a funeral it dawned on me that over the past six months I have not blogged. Several people attending the event mentioned enjoying my blogs and I started thinking about why I stopped blogging last fall.

It all boils down to one thing: an ipad. Yes, and ipad. I realized that since acquiring this addictive little piece of equipment, my writing has dropped off the map, or chart if you’re on a boat, but I am not at this moment, so let’s just stick with map.

ipads are wonderful little tools of distraction. They keep me occupied hours of the day checking my “status on Facebook” and discovering what hour of the day will be the warmest so I can ponder going for a walk or hike or run. Notice the word ponder, which means to contemplate an action, or to weigh in the mind with thoroughness and care. To deliberate on a idea or action.

So I have been pondering whether to start blogging again and after a bit of cogitation I have decided to resume my ramblings as to my life and my thoughts about such things.

Life has certainly been interesting and fun for us over the past few months. We returned to Arkansas and put our beloved camper, Andiamo, in storage for the time being. After being back in the house a few weeks we both realized we liked living in our camper more than the house, so we are selling the house and heading out on the open road on a full time basis until we find “the place”. Should be fun. And just a little scary.

Our current plan is to leave Arkansas in Mid February and start heading west to see what is out there. Some of the places we plan on visiting include Jasper, Austin, and Marfa, Texas as well as spending a week in the Big Bend National Park.

Then we will mosey on West to the Southeastern parts of Arizona before landing in the Tucson area for six weeks or so. Then maybe back up into Colorado before heading back down to the Caribbean for a couple of weeks in May with friends.

We have discussed driving up to Alaska this summer and may still do that as well.  We are both itching to start fly fishing again, so I know a big part of our summer will be on rivers in the western US chasing trout with a stick and a string with feathers tied to the end of it.

We have decided to slow down from now on in terms of staying places longer. We logged just at 10,000 miles in less than 5 months last summer and are ready to spend more time in less places this summer. Hopefully that will allow us to get involved with service projects in some of these towns along the way or find ways to help some folks less fortunate than we are. We shall see what pops up on the radar of life.

We did spend two weeks in Colorado in December with friends and kids and grand kids, which was great fun. Then after Christmas we ventured down to the Virgin Islands and sailed for two weeks with friends. Charlotte has shared some of our pics and we hope you enjoyed them.

We are both missing our kids, so I am sure we will be spending time in both Colorado and Ohio this spring.

It feels good to be typing once again and sharing our adventures with you. We do hope you are entertained but more so inspired by all the stuff we are up to these days.

Remember that this is the only trip you have, so make it a good one. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re too old or too fragile or too poor or too whatever to get out there and live your one wonderful life. You never see a hearse pulling a U-haul trailer.

Until next time, always remember one thing ……

Chapstick

LIfe Happens while making plans to do something

This statement has always been a fascination to me. I guess I am one of those folks that tend to live as close to the moment as possible without stepping in my own mess.

Night before last one of those magical times that life happened right before us while we were making plans to go fishing.

We left the Teton Valley and started our trip back South and East. We will be back in Denver tomorrow night if all goes well and the fishing isn't too here on the North Platte River in Saratoga, Wyoming.

But the real story is from a couple of nights ago. We had no reservations at any campgrounds when we left Driggs Idaho. We ventured over Teton Pass which was the steepest both up and down of any of the 14 passes we have encountered on the trip. It was a solid 10% grade for at least 5 mile up and then longer going down the Jackson Hole side. But Red Rooster did a great job of pulling Andiamo over the hill.

Arriving in Jackson to shop and get some fuel for the truck was like a couple of kids from the backwoods being dropped in times square. We were shocked at the pace and the people we encountered. Getting into the gas station was like trying to fit 10 pounds of flour in a 5 pound bag. We were glad to be out of there as soon as possible.

We followed the Snake River south to Hoback Junction before deciding on a whim to head more easterly. We came up and over the hills and dropped down into Pinedale, Wyoming. What a great place with great people and amazing Mexican food!!

When we pulled into our campground on the Green River we were itching to fish since we had been off the water for almost a week. As we were scouting the place to fish we came upon a couple of fellows that were sort of sketchy looking and disheveled and carrying what appeared to be a gun! YIKES

We cautiously said our hellos from a distance and at that point they started walking right toward us all the while hiding the gun. They introduced themselves as Steve and Allen from England. At that point they produced a BB gun that had been made up to look like an old west rifle. Come to find out these blokes were pretending to be wild west cowboys. They were hilarious.

After a short chat Steve asked us "Have you ever seen anything that you cannot explain?" This started a spirited conversation about UFO's and all sorts of other things. They had been to several well known "Sci-fy"places including Marfa, Tx to see the the "lights" and they were asking everyone they met the same question they asked us.

Charlotte and I agreed instantly that they should join us for dinner. When we asked they were ecstatic because all they had to eat was little sausages and stale bread.

Charlotte and I managed to catch one "keeper" size Rainbow Trout and we added that to fresh Halibut from the market in Jackson Hole and some Carne Asada that I had marinated. We also fried a huge skillet of Yukon Potatoes with Shallots and Garlic. All this was topped off with our best box wine and some of their cheap whiskey. What a grand time we had together.

The next morning they were still blown away by the meal we put together. We exchanged emails and sent them on their way with a small bag of fishing flies for them to put on the caps. They thought mine were really cool. In exchange they gave us a small splinter of wood from the windmill that James Dean climbed in the movie Giant in 1950's. In turns out both of our buddies were huge Dean fans.

So there you have it. While wer

We made it!!!

We have finally reached our goal of The Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival here in Driggs Idaho. It’s been quite a journey to this point. We have covered over 7200 miles, camped in over 30 places, fished over 25 rivers and creeks, spent more money on fuel than I expected, and met some amazing people in both meanings of the word.

Now we are enjoying listening to some of the best bluegrass and Newgrass bands in America today. We decided the traditional mountain music played by Foghorn Revival is our favorite so far.

It is Sunday morning and everyone at the festival seems to be moving slowly for some reason. We are slowly getting into our “festival mode” and trying to decide when to head over to the grounds.

Our camp spot is located on a hill overlooking the main camping area that is filled with all sorts of car camping and tent camping festivarians. Our view is to the west so we get the sunsets that have been spectacular.

Yesterday we hiked in the morning before heading over to listen to the music. We have met folks and families from all around this region of the country. Tomorrow we begin the final leg of our first big adventure trip to the Northwest part of America and Canada. We are setting our sights on a road trip to Alaska next summer. Stay tuned.

We are both a little sad because Jojo the pretty good dog is in a kennel while we party down. I am sure she will be ecstatic to see Charlotte tomorrow and somewhat glad to see me.

We intend to be in the Denver area until the snow flies in late October. Our time will be spent playing with kids and grandkids, playing music with friends and assessing the “true needs” of all the stuff we have in the camper. I am sure that at least 25% of my stuff will be heading to a thrift store near you. :-P

Andiamo,

C,C,and J

Don't talk to Strangers

I think I must have heard my mother tell me this a thousand times when I was young. After repeated scolding for talking to anyone that we did not know personally. So I learned at an early age not to trust strangers or speak to them.

As I grew older I began to think about this statement and challenge it. Any of you that know me will agree that I am usually the first to speak to a stranger or as I like to think,  a friend that I haven't met yet.

Meeting folks along our path over the past two months has been one of the greatest parts of our journey. Sure the countryside is awesome, but somehow those pictures don't stick in my brain like the memories of sitting at a gas station in Ritzville, Washington, chatting with a guy that loved our truck and wished his Dodge had the white gold trim and then learning about the wheat harvest from this man that worked for the railroad in the area. We learned about a one mile circle of track that is used to fill the grain cars during wheat harvest because there is so much wheat being brought into the silos. Amazing trivia.

Or meeting Bill and Alene in Lethbridge, Alberta at the RV park. Bill is legally blind so Alene does all the driving. They live 6 months in Canada and 6 in Arizona. What I remember about them was their generosity. They offered us coupons for discounts at the food mart and gave us a voucher for two free nights stay at an RV Park near Vancouver ( which we used and got three free nights and saved us over $150 in fees).

Or Dennis the manager of the oil changing operation in the back of Walmart who told me all about his love for Dodge trucks. We chatted about how Canadians and Americans view each other based on the media and not on first hand experience.

We met Peter at a laundromat in Kimberly, British Columbia and found out he and his family had lived on a sailboat for 10 years. He told us of live on Vancouver Island and the hefty price they charge you to ferry your RV over and back. We also learned that his son Dillon was on his way to becoming a world class mountain bike racer and had is eyes set on the Olympics at some point.

Last night we spent time with Tony and Annie, two amazing people from Boise, Idaho. We talked about everything from how to back up a 5th wheel trailer to how to use enriched uranium to replace the aging dam systems along the Columbia River. We are both proponents of setting intention and how it shapes our reality. We were definitely kindred spirits. Tony is currently learning how to teach folks to play gold using a different part of their brain! We know we will see these folks again someday on the road of life.

So the life lesson for me in this is to trust your gut when going through life and don't allow your preconditioned notions control your behavior. Challenge your thinking when you notice yourself following some set of rules that were poured into your brain many years ago.

It's been said that life happens while we are making plans to do something. So today, allow yourself to meet a stranger along the road and maybe you will find a kindred soul.

Andiamo!!

Coy, Charlotte, and Jojo the pretty good dog

Along the trail

We have been following the life of Lewis and Clarke for the past week and continue to be amazed at what they accomplished in their discovery of the Pacific Northwest. They were some tough hombres for sure.

This morning we are sitting along the banks of the Salmon River about 12 miles south of Salmon Idaho. We drove here from a tiny spot in Idaho called Cataldo, which sits along the banks of the Coure D' Alaine River. It may be the most beautiful stretch of river I have ever seen. The fishing was so so but the people were amazing.

We strolled into the metropolis of Pinehurst, Idaho on Saturday to find "Pinehurst Days" in full swing. Their were people from all walks of life walking up and down main street. The big event was a car show that would rival any anywhere. There were hot rods from 1930 to the 90's. My favorite was a 1950 Mercury Montego that was painted black with purple flames. It was awesome. You can see some pics of the show at www.smugmug.com/taters

They had kettle corn and brats and beer and all sorts of local artists, including someone that made art out of old guitar strings. We stopped in at Barneys pretty good grocery and True Value Hardware for some staples to take back to Andiamo.

On our way down hwy 93 out of Missoula Montana we stopped at one of the many fishing access points along the river to see if we might catch a fish in the Bitteroot River. Charlotte met and elderly fellow that informed us the river was closed everyday after 2pm because of the heat and how warm the water gets during the day.

This fellow turned out to be a living legend in the Bitteroot Valley. He is a famous fly tier, guide, and fly box builder named John Foust. He was wearing red suspenders,and very old and oily Orvis hat and smoking a winston cigarette. He showed us the most beautiful fly box I have ever seen and told us how he makes them and the materials he uses. To me he seemed a little sad as he stared out across the river and spoke of how it was around here 25 years ago.

John also told us about his role in the movie "A Rive Runs Through It" and how Robert Redford paid him $300 per hour to assist in the catching of the famous huge fish in the movie. That fish now hangs on his wall at home with a picture of he and Redford.

We are finding the joy of just following our guts and instincts about when and where to stop. Charlotte has found us some amazing places to camp along the way as well as where to find good pie and bad coffee. Tomorrow I will tell you about the little hamlet of George, Washington. I am not making this up.

Today we have labeled Lewis and Clarke day. We are heading into Salmon to the museum and then up to a pass between Idaho and Montana on the continental divide that they crossed with some native american chick, but I can't spell her name. Should be fun. We must also find a laundrymat which is always an adventure as well.

We are continuing to learn about life on the road. It is not as easy or romantic as I make it sound. There are challenges and problems to solve almost everyday. But it's worth the ride.

Once again, thanks to everyone for following our crazy adventure along the roads of life.

Andiamo!!

Coy, Charl, and Jojo the OK dog