Road tripping

The adventure of towing Guppy over 2,000 miles, through 7 different states from Texas to Washington to participate in the Salish 100 2019 event.

Life is a journey, not a destination

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I pulled Guppy out of the garage and hit the road for the ultimate solo road trip early Sunday morning, June 16, 2019. I noticed a few nervous butterflies and slight disbelief that this highly anticipated adventure was about to start. I had packed all of the possible necessities, trying to anticipate potential needs and imagine situations that may arise. I was to be traveling for a total of 3 weeks, 2 of those weeks would be on the road and 1 full week would be on Guppy sailing in Puget Sound. Quiet excitement that was mine alone filled me as I drove away from my house with Guppy in tow. My dream sailing adventure was starting.

My first day was spent driving completely across Texas to New Mexico. I planned to camp at Oasis State Park where there was a little lake to possibly paddle board in. I found the park online and it looked like a nice spot to explore. The drive was uneventful, and I listened to an audio book to pass the time. I started with 438 Days by Jonathon Franklin. It was about a man who survived adrift at sea for 438 days and an incredible true story. This kept my attention and after about 9 hours from departure I made it to my campsite in New Mexico. It was a beautiful spot that had nice shade trees. The heat was different here than my home in Texas. It was dry and deserty. I walked around the little “lake” which was more like a pond. Families were at the water’s edge enjoying fishing; it was father’s day and was being celebrated. I saw an adorable family of ducks with ducklings and noted thunder clouds off in the distance. As evening approached, it cooled nicely and I saw the full moon rise. There were jack rabbits around my campsite, the crickets were softly singing and it was peaceful. I decided to camp in my car that night. One of my friends offered a great idea of attaching fly screen with magnets to the car so that you could sleep with the windows down and not allow any bugs in. This worked like a charm…. until it started raining in the middle of the night. I woke up to the smell of rain and the sound of rumbling thunder, I sleepily rolled the window up. All things considered, I had a decent first night’s sleep stretched out in the back of my SUV.

The morning was beautiful, and I soaked it up while brewing the all-important coffee. I had originally wanted to paddle board, but signs posted around the lake made it clear that people were to stay out of the water, that no wading nor boating was allowed. I then started the drive towards my next state of Colorado. I enjoyed music in the morning and audio books or podcasts in the afternoon. I had packed meals in my cooler, so I could save money, eat healthy and stopping for lunch was always fun. Cortez, Colorado was my second night’s planned stop, and I was very excited for this one because I would be staying in my first tiny home. I have been interested in tiny homes, tiny boats and really in any minimalist way of life. Maybe one day, I will have a tiny home. So after an 8 hour drive day, I made it to Colorado. Guppy had been towing along nicely and I continually stopped to check on her and the trailer throughout the trip. The tiny home was so adorable and sat on acres of beautiful private land. I watched the sunset with the mountains in the distance, did some relaxing bedtime yoga, and had a nice hot shower. The little house smelled warmly of cedar and was so very cozy. I slept like a rock in my loft queen sized bed with a sky light displaying the stars overhead.

The morning was so beautiful, and also surprisingly cold. It was 42 degrees and this Texas girl was in shock. After breakfast, I said goodbye to my lovely tiny home and hit the road again. We set out for a dreamy lake in Utah that I found online to hopefully get a little sailing in. It was called Deer Creek Reservoir, and I had planned for this drive day to be only 6 hours to hopefully spend more of the daytime sailing. I was in awe as I arrived to Deer Creek, which is just outside of Provo, Utah. This clear, dark blue lake looked like a sapphire jewel surrounded by green and snow capped mountains. I thought for a bit that I may be in Switzerland. My campsite had a view of the lake and the winds were a nice 10-15 mph with the occasional gust. I took a rest and a snack and then drove to the boat ramp with Guppy. It was just too beautiful not to take Guppy out. I was lucky to have energy. I took my time setting Guppy up and paid close attention to all details. The wind gusts were catching my attention and raising a few nervous butterflies, but we were not going to miss the opportunity to get out on this gorgeous lake.

As I backed down the 5 lane wide boat ramp, I noticed that there were no other sailboats on this lake, yet lots of wake boarders. As I got her in that crystal clear water and walked her over to the dock, the water’s cold temperatures took my breath away. I set up the sails and started up the motor trying to dodge the wake boarding boats. We cleared out from the dock and Guppy had some admirers (very typical). She sparks the imagination by being so small yet possessing so many big boat qualities; she is a fine little ship. Once I was out on the open lake, I realized why there were no other sailboats out. The steep mountains surrounding the lake seemed to funnel the wind in confusing patterns. Random gusts that were shifty, strong, and inconsistent challenged us. The multiple wake boarders added to the excitement by creating rough and choppy water. It took me a while to calm down and actually get into a groove. I decided to heave-to for a bit, not only for practice, but because I really needed a break. We were on the water for almost 3 hours, I had my heart set on sailing to a little island that appeared to be close, but as soon as the sun started to set I realized I did not have enough warm clothing and needed to head back quick. With teeth chattering, we started back to the dock, the winds lightened and shifted to our bow. I started up my motor and within 30 minutes we were back at the dock, with a sliver of sunlight behind the mountains. I hurried up to the car and backed down the ramp which was full of big trucks getting their fancy wake boarding boats loaded. I waited for the one closest to the dock to open up and then backed my trailer down. I got Guppy secured and then headed back to the lot to pack her up. What fun we had! I scarfed down some cheese and crackers for dinner while packing and securing Guppy using a flashlight. We got back to the campsite and I decided to sleep in the car again. Nestled by the cooler and wiped out from our fun sail, I slept hard.

In the morning I was greeted by chipmunks all around my campsite. These little guys were playful and provided joyful entertainment while I drank my coffee. After packing up, organizing, and then a shower, I hit the road for the next stop in the mountains of Idaho. Lucky Peak Lake was a gorgeous lake that I found online that I was hoping to sail or paddle board on. After a late start and a 6 hour drive, I arrived around 5 pm at Mack’s Creek Park. The lake was stunning, and it was ideal sailing weather, but I was tired and it was late. I opted to inflate my paddle board to explore this green-blue mountain lake. The scenery was beautiful and the water was oh so cold. I paddled around and found a private and secluded beach, I laid out on my board and watched the sun set. I am blessed.

I pulled my board onto the dock, and I shivered a bit. Curious ducks nearby came towards me and my board, quacking. I went back to my campsite and prepared for sleep. I stretched and did some yoga, to reduce the stiffness related to the long drive days. I climbed into my car and noticed how very cold this night was. I had my beanie, woolly gloves, and several layers of clothing on and was bundled in my sleeping bag, yet I just couldn’t shake the chill. The cold seemed to have gotten to my bones, and I kept waking up shivering. It was my first very restless night.

Morning was finally here and I couldn’t stomach the thought of another cold cereal breakfast. I left the beautiful park and started the drive towards Boise for a big hot breakfast and to find proper cold weather clothing. I enjoyed eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes and coffee while checking the internet on my cell phone for outdoor stores nearby. What a delicious breakfast, I ate like I had been starving. When I entered the outdoor store, I was greeted by the store clerk who asked how she could help. I informed her I needed warmer clothing and that I was from Texas and was surprised by how cold it was here. She showed me some pants, and I responded, “These look nice and all, but do you have any snow pants?” She started laughing. I left with a parka, wool socks and thermal leggings. It was expensive, but I knew it would be money well spent. June up here is very different than June in Texas. After food and warm clothes, I was all set for my next stop in Oregon.

My first impression of Oregon was that it was literally freezing, sleeting as we crossed into the state. My expensive winter clothing purchases now seemed even more justified. Another note worthy thing about Oregon is that you cannot pump your own gas there. Interesting. As I made my way up the steep and winding roads in the mountains near Mosier, Oregon, Guppy towed behind effortlessly. My next stay was to be at a yurt in the wild mountains of Oregon. There was no cell service in these mountains, and I got a little lost without the GPS telling me where to go, but eventually I found my way to the yurt. The yurt was adorable and surrounded by wildflowers overlooking the valley below. It had a wood burning stove and an outdoor rock shower (with hot water, yay!). I was able to start up the stove after several failed attempts. The wood logs crackled and popped, while I made a dinner of chicken and dumplings. I ate dinner on the porch enjoying the mountain views, when a black tail deer became interested in me and I in it. We watched each other, almost communicating in a way. I never felt lonely on this trip. I enjoy solitude. The yurt was so cozy and lovely. I slept well with a heavy wool blanket to keep me warm.

I awoke in the cozy yurt after a nice sound sleep to my final drive day. It was only a 3 hour drive to Olympia, Washington, where I was supposed to meet my mother, who graciously offered to be my ground crew on the Salish 100. We were to have dinner, attend a S100 meeting and stay at an Airbnb cottage before the next day when I was scheduled to set sail. This last beautiful stretch of drive was following the magnificent Colombia river. There was lots of wind that day, so I slowed our speed down to 60 mph. Guppy was holding up so well. I drove along and watched the wild windsurfers and thought, why does everyone think that I am crazy with my sailing adventures? Look at those wind surfers!

It was a beautiful drive. I made it to Olympia around 11:00 am. My first order of business was to wash Guppy. Towing her across the United States had made her the dirtiest I had ever seen. I found a car wash where I could drive her in and scrub her down. She was now looking as cute as ever. Then, we drove to the bus stop to pick up Mom, who had flown into Seattle and was taking a bus to Olympia. Guppy drew attention at the bus stop while we waited for mom. She called me as she got off the bus, and when we saw each other, we embraced. It was so good to see my sweet mom. We were both so excited. We went to eat first and then find where I was supposed to launch Guppy. We chose a brewery near our Airbnb to eat. We enjoyed a decadent burger and tried the local beers. I was relaxed and excited all at once. We then found the marina that we were supposed to launch called Swanton Marina. As we drove up, I got to meet Marty Loken, the genius and creator behind the Salish 100. He suggested that I go ahead and get Guppy set up and into the water tonight after the meeting so that she will be set for the next day. We went to the skippers meeting, met fellow sailors, got information and then I set up Guppy with excitement. I got her into the water and into a slip without incident. A seal greeted me as I motored to my slip. I was officially ready for the next chapter, the sailing part, of this adventure.

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