Astoria

If you've been carefully following our story so far, you'll remember that it was so hot in Rainier that we had babies flopping all over. So, we stayed in the air-conditioned luxury of a motel near the marina.

Yesterday we got up early, raced like chickens down to the boat from our motel room, leaped aboard, futzed around for a while fixing things up and preparing to leave, and then raced away from the dock at the break-neck speed of five to six knots.

We motored down the river, with the current but against the wind, for about six hours. The view of the world from the river continues to be very different from what we're used to. We arrived in lovely, cool Astoria yesterday afternoon. We continue to have a string of very excellent luck with the docking.

The damage to the boat on this particular passage seems to be an alternator that draws the batteries down, rather than charging them up. I've read the manual several times, and I'm almost certain it's not supposed to do that. Due to amazing planning on my part, or possibly Dan Pence's part, I can't remember the details now, I have a spare alternator. It's kind of half-installed now, and we'll finish up tomorrow.

For a year-long trip like we originally planned, I think most people would expect to spend the first two or three months in shake-down mode, figuring out where the weak links are, and getting everything ship shape. We've cut the trip to two or three months, which I expect will be mostly shaking down.

It sounds worse than it is, though. So far in Astoria we've walked to the movie theater and seen a movie, taken the tiny skin heads bowling, randomly bumped into one of Molly's favorite people, her cousin Lori, met several people whose company we enjoy, and otherwise taken in the city at a different pace than our normal. It's nice, and cozy, and most of us sleep like the dead in our little beds at night.