Another Salt Water No-Tire Run; What's it Like to be Lee

Pics and reports of non-tire related events.

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iaccocca
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Another Salt Water No-Tire Run; What's it Like to be Lee

Postby iaccocca » Sat Oct 20, 2012 9:38 pm

I know, many of you wonder what it is like to be Lee. Well let me tell you, sometimes, it is not too bad. Most of you know that I am married to a beautiful woman whom I adore and that I run with two Jeeper chicks that are the great blessings of my life. But, periodically, there is a bit of icing on the cake.

Last weekend I got to go pheasant hunting with my hunting buddy of 20 years. He procured us access to hunting on private land near Lewiston, ID. The birds were there and he had his limit before 9:30 AM and I had done my damage by 10:30.

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He lives in a small apartment / house in a small complex on a hill overlooking Lewiston. His landlords' complex is a few buildings... a shop, a couple of houses, etc. They are sort of bohemian artists. The gentleman is a sculptor and one of his clients is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who of course contracts sculptures of the Arnold. Chickens roam the complex freely. They have two acre vineyard visited often by deer. The evening following the hunt we dined with them outdoors on grilled wild steelhead, carrots from their garden, roasted potatoes, and, of course, their homemade wine. It was one of the most enjoyable meals of my life.

At the end of the weekend I pointed the Jeep to home to exchange my hunting gear and clothing for my seafaring attire (pretty much the same clothes, just had to wash them.)

My dad is a Coast Guard Licensed Skipper and he had been contracted to move a client's boat from Blaine, WA to Victoria, BC and I was to be his crew. On Monday Dad showed and drove us to Blaine where we stayed on his boat. We spent a few days supplying and prepping his client's boat, a 53 foot Grand Banks power boat with twin diesels for its journey to Victoria and on to New Zealand afterwards.

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In a window in the weather on Wednesday we went from Blaine to Victoria. On the 55 nautical mile journey I piloted the boat for more than 6 hours.

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On the journey we were joined by dolphins that played in our bow wave. We saw seals (sea lions?) but no whales. The dolphins rock!

[video to follow]

We checked in with customs in Victoria and got to do a rather interesting docking / parallel parking maneuver to secure the boat to the dock where it would live for a week.

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As per my want, we found the best microbrewery in Victoria, The Spinnaker. I can recommend the IPA, but not the ESB. And, by the by, there is money in Victoria.
Thursday morning found us tourists until we climbed aboard a seaplane that ferried us to Vancouver.


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Been a long time, too long, since this pilot found himself in a small plane, so I was absolutely giddy.

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A limo ferried us though the border back into the good ole USA and we were back on Dad's boat. Friday we made our way over the pass.

Then, I had to suffer playing 3 ball with my friends on Saturday. Oh, the crosses I bear.
Okay, we're a little crazy to have a Duramax for a daily driver. But if we go off our meds, we might wind up in a Prius.
If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.
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Postby tobyw » Tue Oct 23, 2012 6:07 am

Good stuff! By land, by sea, and by air all in a short timeframe... That's bawlin 8)
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...
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Postby TJDave » Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:01 am

I have to confess, I have never wondered what it would be like to be Lee!

But I am glad to know. :lol: Great pics for sure. Looks like a ton of fun.


So, after recently being in the Sound under sail and under power, which do you prefer? :?:
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iaccocca
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Postby iaccocca » Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:18 am

It doesn't hurt being Ricky Bobby. I'm not gonna lie to you. uh, I mean... Lee Retterer.
Okay, we're a little crazy to have a Duramax for a daily driver. But if we go off our meds, we might wind up in a Prius.
If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.
N7EEL WROD249
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Postby OldGreen » Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:27 am

I thought I was the ultimate tourist. . .until now. . .

In the last three weeks I have eaten Turkish food in a basement in Midtown Manhattan, partied in Margaritaville on the Vegas Strip, wandered the river walk in San Antonio and then capped it off by having beers on Rainy and Dirty 6 in Austin. . .

I'm in my office for lunch, but dinner is in San Francisco, breakfast in Sacramento and dinner at my table. . .

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Postby iaccocca » Tue Oct 30, 2012 3:48 pm

OK, so it is not always great to be Lee, but Lee doesn't know that so mums the word. To recap, one weekend of hunting on private land :thu: , one week of bouncing around between boats and plane that pretends to be a boat :thu:, a kick a$$ game of three ball with my friends that even had me kids screaming wee-wee-wee :thu:, and this last weekend my whole family turned into weenie tourists.

We went to see Tut (the boy king).

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That of course put us at the foot of the Space Needle and my kids love elevators. (Of course that is the most expensive elevator), $85 later we enjoyed the great 360 view of Seattle.

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Of course there is the monorail. Cheaper and it got me and mine in proximity to Pike's Place and the required smoked salmon.

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We touristed Seattle then the next day pointed us to Paine Field to see Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection of WWII airplanes. If you are in that neck of the woods, you like planes, history, or just absolutely cool stuff, take this tour. We had an old duffer that gave us a tour and as we went to the planes he would tell us about the WWII pilots, many of which he knew or met. We were also introduced to one of the pilots that has the privilege of flying these planes for shows in the summer. Every plane is in flying condition, but a few are never flown. because they are the last example.

http://www.flyingheritage.com/TemplateHome.aspx?contentId=1

The fun part about this is on the way to the Heritage Collection we got lost and ended u p at the restoration center for The Museum of Flight. This was my Field of Dreams moment. My brother-in-law was asking directions to the Heritage collection and I wandered into the hanger. My family came to get me so we could leave... but there were these voices, "Ease his pain." And, "Build it and Lee will come." So I (we) wandered. There was a mostly restored De Havilland Comet, was the first production commercial jetliner, and we climbed aboard. They have 727 airframe #1. A completely restored WWII Wildcat. Mechanics were working to restore a Vietnam era jet. A Jeep CJ-10, a Jeep carrier tug (for the planes not the ship.) The place is a shop!. Tools, stink, grins, it ain't no museum.

http://www.museumofflight.org/restoration-center

To complete the tourist thing we took the kids on the ferry to pretty much no where and rode it back. Supposedly to see the city lights, but in the rainy Seattle weather :? My little Libbicans did crawl out on the most forward part of the deck and play King, err, Queen of the world.

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It's pretty good to be Lee.
Okay, we're a little crazy to have a Duramax for a daily driver. But if we go off our meds, we might wind up in a Prius.
If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.
N7EEL WROD249
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Postby tobyw » Wed Oct 31, 2012 4:23 am

iaccocca wrote:My little Libbicans did crawl out on the most forward part of the deck and play King, err, Queen of the world.

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THAT one is a keeper. :)
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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iaccocca
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Postby iaccocca » Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:59 am

tobyw wrote:
iaccocca wrote:My little Libbicans did crawl out on the most forward part of the deck and play King, err, Queen of the world.

Image



THAT one is a keeper. :)


I couldn't drag her back inside. Felt bad leaving her there. ;-)
Okay, we're a little crazy to have a Duramax for a daily driver. But if we go off our meds, we might wind up in a Prius.
If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.
N7EEL WROD249
8-) Image 8-)

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iaccocca
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Postby iaccocca » Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:48 am

More pics from the restoration hanger for the Museum of Flight we broke into...

This Cessna is armed for bear.


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Me and my bro-in-law in front of a plane that seems to have too much engine and not enough propeller and wing. I guess that would make it a heck of a trainer.

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This is Libby with a model of how a radial engine works. I should have videod it; no wonder they sound like a rattle can in a drier.

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Millie and her cousins playing king, err queens, of the world on the bow of the ferry.

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They are all a bunch of ninnies, lovable, lovable ninnies.
Okay, we're a little crazy to have a Duramax for a daily driver. But if we go off our meds, we might wind up in a Prius.
If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans.
N7EEL WROD249
8-) Image 8-)

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Postby Livin4Today » Mon Nov 19, 2012 7:46 pm

Is my eyes? Looked like Gril kings....
Lance

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