Fabulous Fort Flagler, its not just for ham radio afficianados anymore

Soon I will have to start sending pictures only. If I continue to write in any amount of detail, about the places we have been over the last 30 days, this will become a book. Tedious for the writer, drudgery for the reader. I'll try and be brief. 

After the big ham radio field day, we remained at Fort Flagler but moved to an area of the campground next to the water where our internet worked. Fred toiled away every day but during breaks, we played in the tide pools, watched close up while an otter caught and ate his lunch and took movies of the resident eagle doing eagle things. 

 

They booted us out of there on July 1^st. The arrival of the big 4^th of July weekend brought with it lot of folks who thought ahead and reserved their spot for the party. Included with those incoming folks was the campground host. Turns out we were enjoying HIS spot. It was a primo site and we were sorry to vacate. The hundred plus year old Army fort was interesting and fun to explore. Nearby Port Townsend with its historic buildings, antique shops, art galleries and restaurants was a pleasant change of pace. The place was teeming with wildlife and we had to dodge fawns playing keep away from their mom's in the roadway every day. We are really glad the Mike and Key Club invited us to join them for Field Day 2011. 

Click here to check out the pictures...

from the road:

-robin

Robin ferries to the San Juans & Port Townsend

I am desperately behind on reporting back about our adventures.  It was about five weeks ago that Fred and I walked onto a ferry, sailed into Friday Harbor, and walked off onto San Juan Island.

 After a few hours, some antique shopping (bought a cool clock) a fish lunch and some ice cream, we climbed back on the ferry.  Fred wanted to see all the islands that the ferry serviced so we carefully charted (we thought) our trip to make sure we saw Shaw, Lopez and Orcas Islands, catching the last ferry back to Anacortes.  There is an ironic story about how a quick trip to a few small islands and perhaps a missed connection (or two)  would end up taking all day. And by all day, I mean a midnight arrival back at the trailerhood.  We'll tell you all about it some day when it is more funny and less contentious.

We had a wonderful time  exploring the islands and spending time  in the town of Anacortes.  The two rainy days gave us a reason to stay in and get some work done.  Soon it was time to move on to Port Townsend for my first ham radio field day.  This time we drove the bus and the jeep onto a ferry and crossed the water...
That is not a picture of the ferry you see above this paragraph.  Cool sail boat though eh? Fred has decided that we are going to learn to sail.  More about that in a different dispatch.
Click here for pics of the Islands...

Fred wrote a whole article for QRZ.com about field day at Fort Flagler.  I'll attach a link to it for those of you who are wondering just what field day entails.  Warning ladies...it is full of technical stuff and lots of pictures of antennas.  Click here for Fred's article and pics...

The place I absolutely loved was Chetzemoka Park.  We tried hard to capture the essence of this place pictorally.  Click here for the album...
Don't forget to double click on the pictures so they will get big.

Today, day 68, we left Birch Bay to drive inland toward the "heat island of America." We planned to see Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands this year but did not plan on the extreme temps. We waited it out for weeks in Washington until we ran out of patience and headed out.  I am writing this from Wenatchee River County Park in Monitor, WA.  We didn't know this place existed until Fred spotted it from the road and hit the brakes. It is booked for the weekend so we were lucky to snag a spot for tonight.  A cold river rushes past the park which is dotted with trees, is grassy, peaceful and beautiful...all for $24.00. We already have new friends. Highly recommended.  As I write to you, Fred is in full panic mode on the computer trying to solve a serious problem on the QRZ website.  The fun never stops.

from the road:
-robin

Our day at the radio museum by Fred Lloyd

QRZ visits the American Museum of Radio and Electricity

Earlier this week we were treated to a tour of the American Museum of Radio and Electricity, a must-see landmark in the city of Bellingham, Washington. The AMRE is located in the central downtown district of the city and despite it's rather plain looking exterior, inside is one of the most interesting and engaging museums of its kind anywhere.

We were met by the museum's founder, John Jenkins, who graciously took time out of his busy day to give us a detailed private tour of the entire collection, including a fascinating behind-the-scenes look of the facility. John realized the dream of his life when, after retiring from his career in high-tech in 2001, began to build a museum consisting of items from a couple of private collections including his own that he started at age 13. John purchased a couple of run-down storefront buildings in his hometown of Bellingham and began a quest that has helped to revitalize a part of the downtown while become a key attraction for the city.



The museum includes more than 11 distinct period exhibits that commence with the very discovery of electricity itself, recreating the initial experiments of Ben Franklin, Ohm, Volta, Hertz, Tesla, and others. Here, you'll find Leyden Jars, static electricity experiments, some of the first batteries ever made, the first electromagnet, the earliest electric motors, and other devices that were truly genius for their time. Sometimes, you just have to stop and wonder how these great pioneers, some more than 400 years ago, had the insight and inspiration to make the discoveries they did.

As I looked at some of the experiments, such as Hertz's wave measurement device, I was humbled by the discoveries that were made using little more than a spark gap and a few pieces of wire and glass insulators. Here before me was a device that could be built from Home Depot plumbing parts that was responsible for the discovery of waves, wavelengths, and SWR, back before the concept of radio as we know it was even thought possible. Looking at his work, which took place in the middle of the 1800's, it is hard to imagine how far electromagnetic technology has since advanced. In less than 100 years after his death, we have satellites, microprocessors, cell phones, the Internet, and a whole world of technology that can be directly traced back to this early work.



The AMRE's exhibits take the visitor step by step into each successive generation of technology and soon we find ourselves in the crystal radio era, followed by the first light bulbs and vacuum tubes. Samuel Morse is also featured here and the real story behind the Morse Code is somewhat different that what one might expect. For example, did you know that Morse's first machine didn't use a telegraph key? Or that its operators, tired of having to work with a tempermental paper inscribing machine found it easier just to 'copy' the machines clicks and decode the messages in their heads and write them down? This story and many others are presented in wonderful detail for visitors to explore and the examples shown are presented either with vintage hardware or painstakingly accurate modern reproductions.

The overall collection is quite large with a catalog of many thousands of items to look at. Some pieces are truly one-of-a-kind and can't be seen anywhere else on the planet. Some of the radio gear is rivaled only by the Smithsonian and is truly priceless. The vacuum tube collection, for example, contains some of the rarest examples anywhere, and in some cases, the first prototypes that were ever produced.



The age of radio is presented with a collection of home receivers that is more comprehensive than any I've ever seen. Right along side are amateur radio sets, which as we all know share a common history with the earliest days of wireless communications. The collection includes numerous spark gap transmitters, early single tube designs, and a collection of more contemporary amateur radio gear from the 40's through the present. Their crown jewel is an Icom IC-7800 which is hooked up and available for visiting amateurs to operate on request. They also have a complete Collins S-Line station, and a Hallicrafters station, all setup and ready to go. The only thing missing are operators and I, for one, regret not having the time to sit down and spend some quality on-air time while I was there.



The above bears repeating: If you are a licensed amateur and would enjoy operating a brand new ICOM IC-7800 station then you definitely should go down to the AMRE and take the microphone (or key). The facility is staffed with a great many knowledgeable volunteers who are eager to spend time with you and your family.

Another thing that bears pointing out is that most of the items in the collection aren't behind glass or set back behind rope lines. A large number of the exhibits are hands-on and many of the rare collectables can be gently touched without setting off any alarms. You will feel completely at home here, as a member of the fraternity of radio and electronics world, as will your whole family. The admission is just $5 for adults, which is in incredible value considering its a place where you can literally spend hours wandering through the expansive collection.

In addition to the photos posted here, we've prepared a collection of more pictures here...

On your next visit to the pacific northwest, be sure and make Bellingham one of your destinations. It's a must-do, bucket list destination for any radio enthusiast.

The American Museum of Radio and Electricty is located at:

1312 Bay Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
Phone: 360.738.3886

Last edited by AA7BQ; Today at 10:03 PM.

Anacortes, our gateway to the San Juan Islands

Day 17, Tuesday June 14 (a full month ago now) was another moving day for us. Promptly at the crack of noon, we hit the road headed for Anacortes our home base for ferry trips to the San Juan Islands. After an easy 90 minute drive we called it a day and pulled into our new home. The RV park was in a wooded area with nice wide lots and clean gravel at our site. There were lots of trees around the perimeter and good placement for satellite reception. We snagged us a dandy spot for the week.

Fred and I drove a couple miles into the town of Anacortes and found a quaint marine town, more beautiful scenery, with temperatures in the low 60's. The views across the water to the other islands were just breathtaking and everywhere we looked it was green, lush, and beautiful. The front yards were bright green and ringed with flowers in full bloom. We took a picture of a deer munching on someone's carefully landscaped lawn.

By the end of the day we stumbled into a restaurant called Adrift and were rewarded with dinner and a show. You never know what you are going to get when you choose blindly in an unexplored town. We sat at the bar, overlooking the kitchen and the three male cooks. One guy was from Tempe and they chatted with us while they cooked with flames a blazing and sauces sizzling. The food was unique and tasty. If a visit to the San Juan Islands is a dream for you like it was for me, eat at “Adrift” for a guaranteed taste of local charm.

This week was mainly a working week for us but usually by 4:00 we venture out to see the local sights. Fred loves trains, planes, boats, buses, heavy equipment, dams and bridges. He photographs all these things and then leaves it to me to slog through hundreds of pictures to find the few that I think will interest you. We drove to an area called Deception Pass which we crossed via an impressive bridge.
 

We stood by the bridge and watched colorful kayaks down below as they darted in and out of the rapid, swirling currents. In person, the water and surroundings were stunning. Although a photograph can never convey what the eye sees, I am going to include some of the pictures Fred took and hope you can get some sense of the beauty we enjoyed. We proceeded to the beach and strolled along the water's edge to pick up several nice memento rocks. I liked the beach, Fred liked all the jets flying around from the local Naval Air Station.

By Day 19, Thursday June 16^th, Fred decided to buy parts for our leaking water pump. I suspected he wanted to wander through the boat yard and the boat parts store so I let him explore on his own while I remained at the bus. He had a fabulous few hours and ordered parts, excited that he could return to the parts store the next day. I am not going to share the pictures he took INSIDE the parts store. He loved that place so much he took me back the next day thinking that I too would be thrilled. I pretended to care and to not notice when he flirted with the very knowledgeable sales gal. He does love a smart girl who knows her parts.

So I was treated to a truly (not) exciting trip to the marine hardware store , then a second antique hardware store, and then to Ace Hardware; that's THREE hardware stores in one day in case you ladies are counting. Fred finally had his fill and we took a walk up the street and poked our head into the Majestic Inn, a large, 5 story hotel built in the late 1890's. The desk man waved us in and suggested we take the elevator up to the cupola for a view of the town. That's where Fred took a lot of the town pictures that you will see.

We saw a notice posted about a concert in the park which sounded better to me than nuts and bolts so we went to check it out. Turns out it was a youth music festival being held by some church group in a small but pretty park down near the water. It was interesting however we felt like the grandparents of dinosaurs. We left in search of an adult beverage suitable for two antiques.
click for more pics...

From the road:
-robin

I see Seattle

Days 10 – 16 June 7th - 13th

I have always wanted to see Seattle, Washington and on June 7th, I got close.

Our next campsite was just outside Seattle in the town of Bothel. It was a nice spot next to a lake full of geese. It was very wet, however, and goose poop was everywhere. Fred said it was a fair trade for the Sprint broadband (4G) and we got a good position for the satellite dish. Hey, you can't have everything. The place was called Lake Pleasant RV Park and it was just that, pleasant, with every site along the lake. We called it our office for the week and worked very hard. One day Fred drove me into Seattle to see the sites. We went to the Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square with trees wrapped up in sweaters We saw people having their wedding pictures taken next to the “gum wall” and made friends with a fish monger. We saw the location of the very first Starbucks and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation offices. We got a free primo parking spot beneath the Space Needle and went up there to take pictures from high above the city. Now I can cross Seattle off my bucket list. I know most of you have been there but for me it was a very big deal. I didn't know it then, but within a few short weeks I would see the Seattle skyline again, this time against the backdrop of beautiful Mount Rainier as we crossed Puget Sound by ferry on our way to Idaho. That ferry trip is skipping ahead of the story so I will just send you a few pictures of our week in Bothel and Seattle. I must hurry with this blog because I am anxious to show you the pictures of the most beautiful city park I have ever seen.

Click here for the pictures...

.... from the road:

-robin

The mother and child reunion is only a motion away....oh, little darling of mine...

It was Day 8 of our adventure, Sunday June 5, time to pack up and move to Vancouver, Washington where Josh was awaiting our arrival. He had moved and changed jobs since we saw him last and we were excited to see him and his new digs. We picked him up from work at FedEx Office and took him out to dinner and back to the bus to watch a movie. This was the first time we had seen Josh since we started this bus adventure thing so we wanted to give him a sample of our life on the road. New flash, my baby boy is sprouting some gray hairs. I feel so old!

Monday the three of us drove into Portland to play. Josh directed us to a FedEx Office and helped me get some Real Estate paperwork done and mailed. It was located downtown in a square city block that was lined with food carts. Portland has a lot of these, mostly re-purposed travel trailers, where you can choose from a variety of flavors and cultures. From forty carts, Fred chose, of all things, the Thai Spicy cashew tofu stir fry, yuck. It made him smile and Josh and I were all too happy to have real food to choose from.

With our tummys full, we explored the city by car and on foot. We spent a couple hours cruising the riverfront park where a carnival was set up. The riverfront was nice but a bit cool with temps in the low 60's and cloudy. Seeking shelter from the cold, we fell into an excellent Irish pub called Kells for a bit of joy.

Cockles warmed, we walked back to the car and drove across the bridge to the landing for a dinner cruise. The cruise went up the Willamette river which was about 16 feet higher than normal. Many docks were flooded and some trees were nearly submerged, however the 2 1/2 hour ride was spectacular. We saw some extremely beautiful waterfront properties, some that were in the multi-million dollar category with sea planes standing at the ready. There were also numerous "houseboats" which were really just moored floating homes, some in the 3000 – 5000 square foot range, with 3 or 4 stories! We were truly surprised by the beauty of the place. Contrary to the bad reviews we pulled up on Google, we found the food to be great and the scenery, stunning. We had a wonderful time and it was fun to take Josh on his first dinner cruise. I'm probably sharing too many photos of these houses but you all know how much I love real estate! Maybe you can imagine you were with us, eating fresh Copper River salmon and sipping on champagne. Simply delightful.

We left for Seattle feeling satisfied that Josh is thriving in Vancouver, living solo in a nice apartment and enjoying his job.   

Click here for the full picture gallery for much more...

Next stop: Seattle

from the road

-robin

Seaside and Astoria Dispatch #2

On day 5 we arrived at our first scheduled destination of Seaside, OR and got a primo spot at the 1000 Trails campground. We headed off to downtown Seaside, a typical beach town with lots of curio and ice cream stores. After our early bird dinner (we found it is common for old folks like us to have supper at 4:00) we took a stroll down the main drag and boardwalk looking for some action. No people, no action and everything closed at 5:00. We returned to the bus so Fred could set up his new Spiderbeam 40 foot pole for the first time. He tuned up the ham radio and made a contact with Russia on the first try on the 20 meter band. Evidently that means something to folks who operate radios.

(By the way, Fred wanted me to tell you that if you click directly on the pictures in the blog, they will get bigger for those of you with eyesight issues)

We were parked right next to the golf course so we have a few pictures of us getting in 18 holes. Fred cheats. I won.

 

Friday, June 3^rd was setup day for the hamfest. We drove to the convention center, got our credentials and had a whole day to fill. The bus was showing some grunge so we hired a guy in the campground to wash it and took his advice and drove to the coastal town of Astoria, a few miles north. They had a first class maritime museum that we attended and numerous other museums that we couldn't fit in. We visited the Light Ship Columbia and spoke with a ham radio operator who had volunteered there for 27 years.

We drove all over town which was very hilly like San Francisco and were drawn to a 110 foot tower. As we got close we saw that it was all decorated with the story of Lewis and Clark, a big name in these parts. The Astoria Tower was built in 1927 and restored a few times since. Fred climbed all 164 steps to the top while I stayed below to call 911 if necessary. He was thrilled with the scenery laid out before him and turned it into a fabulous photo op

The way home led us to the Fort George Brewery in a fantastic 1920's building where we had a sampling of their beers and a short tour. A Costco appeared in the middle of nowhere on the way back to Seaside and we couldn't resist. Costco is not a good store for people living in a bus. One package of toilet paper would fill our whole bathroom, so we just wandered and felt a little at home. It is informative to see the different products that are stocked in different parts of the country. Kayaks and camouflage...big sellers evidently.

Saturday was Sea-Pac Hamfest day and we had to get up at 6:00 to move the bus to the convention center. Fred wanted to beat the traffic but we had not seen dawn for awhile and he was nervous about operating without the benefit of coffee. Fred was so nervous that he disconnected everything the night before except the electric to insure a quick get-away. Morning arrived, Fred disconnected the electric and as he started to reel the cord in it caught on the cover cap that he had failed to raise and stalled the reel motor. There he stood, looking at 30 feet of dangling electric cord with the reel motor no longer “motoring.” If you know Fred, you know that he HATES to be late even if it is a self-imposed timeline. By now he has been staring and thinking for 30 minutes and I have been wisely leaving him alone. I am asleep. He decides that it has to be a fuse and runs in to retrieve the bus schematic and traces it to fuse #39. It is a 15-amper that luckily he has in his spare parts kit. It was a tough fuse to change but he had it done in about 10 minutes, the cord reeled in and the bus rolling.

 

We arrived at the convention center, Fred parked, made coffee and woke me up. Perfect. Almost immediately the bus caused quite a commotion and people began taking pictures of the Zed with themselves standing in front of it. Later, Fred gave his talk to about 40 people to rave reviews after which we opened up the bus to tours. The line was not as long as the line I stood in to see Dolly Parton's coach in Dollywood but the ham radio folks seemed to be as excited to see Fred's house as I was to see Dolly's. 

When the crowds disbursed, Fred and I took off for lunch and found a completely different town than the night before. Throngs of people stuffed the shops, arcades, streets, boardwalk and beach. We were told it was the warmest day on record for the area in the past year and were thanked for bringing the sunshine. It was a great hamfest, one which we will probably revisit.

Click here for more pictures of Seaside and Astoria...