Today was the day Flat Ninja had to be shipped back to Kevin in Aurora, Illinois. He had a really nice trip on the boat, but he will be very glad to get back home and to visit everyone at school.
Thanks for coming with us, Flat Ninja!!
Gale and Maureen
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
We left New York City this morning and began our journey up the Hudson River. Interesting sights along the river included Pallisades State Park, West Point Academy and the ruins of an old full size castle, Bannerman Castle, on Pollepel Island.
For the first day, we made it halfway to the Erie Canal and stopped at what appeared to be a really small town, Hyde Park Landing. The signs along the riverbank announced that there were two buoys offered for transient boaters, such as ourselves. We hooked on to one of these and spent a very comfortable evening here.
Monday, May 25, 2009
This morning Flat Ninja had his photo taken from the boat as we ate breakfast on the Manhattan waterfront in the 79th Street Marina. This afternoon, we walked to Central Park and met Gale's nephew, Chris, and his wife, Lindsay, there. Chris & Lindsay showed us alk around the Park! Flat Ninja really enjoyed the big fountain we walked by! We also saw a couple of small lakes, open fields, woods, bike trails, heard lots of different kinds of music and saw many different people relaxing and enjoying their beautiful park and lovely weather.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
We got to see the Statue of Liberty again today because we anchored in the park next to her last night. We took a few more pictures at the Statue before heading out into the harbor. Flat Ninja had his photo taken with the Empire State Building in the background.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
We spent the last two days enjoying the warm and sunny weather at the Atlantic Highlands marina. Today we headed to New York Harbor to see the Statue of Liberty. She was very beautiful!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The big day has finally arrived! After four years at the US Coast Guard Academy, it was time to celebrate and acknowledge Casey’s accomplishments. The weather was ideal: clear skies, calm winds and warm temperatures which made the outdoor graduation setting perfect, or as Gale always says, “It was a Bluebird Day.” The scene from the grandstands was beautiful with two Coast Guard cutters (very big boats) anchored on the Thames River, the colorful flags, the decorated stage, and the white chairs set out for the cadets – it was all so inspirational and patriotic. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, was the commencement speaker and she gave a very emotional and uplifting address. To see the 300 graduating cadets – now Ensigns - all dressed in their “whites” throw their hats in the air as a US Coast Guard jet and helicopter flew overhead was very moving.
At 6:30 pm we met Casey and Teresa at their hotel in Mystic, Connecticut, and walked across the street to the S&P Oyster Factory for a wonderful seafood dinner.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
This photo is supposed to be of Flat Ninja against the New York City skyline; however, the smog obscured the view. We will give it another try in the next few days. Today we drove to Hartford, Connecticut, to pick Kelle up at the airport. The drive took 4 hours since we found ourselves in the heart of New York City during the evening rush hour. If driving through during the day or at night, it should only take between 2 and 3 hours.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The winds and waves were so high yesterday, that we stayed at anchor all day. There was a small craft advisory in effect until 2 pm today, but because there was no rain in the forecast and the winds were expected to decrease by the time we arrived at Sandy Hook on the southern edge of New York Harbor, we decided to set out. The ride was rough but not nearly as bad as we experienced on Friday. About halfway to Sandy Hook the New York City skyline came into view. As the day wore on and we brought ourselves closer to New York, we were able to see a spectacular vista of the harbor and the skyscrapers. While rounding Sandy Hook we could see that the name of the point described the geography to a tee. From there it was downwind to Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, and to a beautiful area and marina. It was a perfect spot to leave the boat for a few days while we travelled to New London, Connecticut, for Casey’s graduation. Casey is Kevin's uncle and will be graduating from the United States Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Today we travelled 25 miles from Barnagat Light to Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey.
Friday, May 15, 2009
The winds blew at 30 knots all night long. We awoke at 5 am to find the water as smooth as glass and pulled up anchor at 6:00 am to head out. Five minutes after leaving our quiet anchorage, we were in 4 to 6 foot seas. By 6:45 am, Maureen was seasick! It helped her to lie down for most of the trip. We followed the coast line about four miles out in the ocean where it wasn’t quite as rough. Coming into Barnagat Inlet was difficult due to fog, high seas and a narrow passage. By shortly after noon we were inside the cove and things calmed down considerably. Barnagat Lighthouse is as beautiful as the pictures portray. The town, Barnagat Light, NJ, is a quaint little fishing village where we decided to spend the night. From our anchorage we had a terrific view of the lighthouse.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
We pulled the anchor up at 7:30 am and motored out of port. It was a beautiful morning – somewhat cooler and breezier than yesterday. We used our motor most of the 41 miles to Atlantic City, but did take about 30 minutes to sail with the headsail right in front of the Atlantic City casinos. The winds were just a bit too light for the direction we wanted to go, however, we very much enjoyed having the motor off for awhile. At 4:15 pm we anchored in a small, quiet pool near Rum Point just north of the town basin where we could see the lights of most of the casinos. Flat Ninja had already gone to bed, but Gale and Maureen took a few photos of the casinos all lit up for the night.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Preparations for taking off in the sailboat have been continuing for the last few days. Finally, the day has arrived for Blue Heron and everyone aboard to depart and it is an absolutely perfect morning! The temperature was in the mid-50’s with clear skies and a slight haze over the water. At 6:39 am we threw off the dock lines and motored away from Delaware City. At 9:45 am we passed our first lighthouse, the Ship John Shoal Lighthouse, and slowed down to take a few pictures from the boat. The day turned out to be quite lovely with temperatures around 70 degrees and light breezes. We travelled 50 miles and entered the Cape May Canal at 3 pm escorted by a single dolphin.
Friday, May 8, 2009
The sky is clear, the sun is shining and Blue Heron is in the water! We held our breath as she was lowered into the canal, but everything went smoothly as we fueled her up and found her place on the dock! Another very exciting day!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
While in Delaware City getting the boat ready to launch, we've been eating dinner most every night at Crabby Dick's, a local hotspot. Tonight I had my picture taken with the crab lady in the dining room. Her name is Anita.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Delaware City, Delaware, is a quaint small town located just off the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. Flat Ninja had his picture taken a few times in the downtown city park. Some of the pictures were taken with Lucy, Gale and Maureen's dog.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
For the next three days, Gale and Maureen worked on emptying the truck and organizing things on the boat. It rained almost the whole time!! We did take a little walk down to the point at the end of town on the Delaware River and took a photo looking out over the water.
Friday, May 1, 2009
After 23 hours and several driver switches, we arrived in Delaware City at 5 pm Eastern time. When it wasn’t raining, the skies were still very overcast making for another gray day. We pulled into the “ Relax Inn” in New Castle, got settled, ordered pizza and made a few phone calls home.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wow! Flat Ninja worked really hard today! Gale and Maureen had rented a small truck to haul their belongings out to their boat in Delaware. They are going to live on the boat for more than a year as they travel "America's Great Loop" around the eastern half of the United States. At 5 pm, the truck was packed and Gale, Maureen, Lucy the dog, and Flat Ninja were on their way down the road.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Today Flat Ninja went to a Bon Voyage party. He didn't realize that he was going to meet so many people today! He had his picture taken with Kevin's Great Grandma Pat and with another boy who had worked on a Flat Stanley project at his own school last year.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Flat Ninja Stanley arrived in Clear Lake, Iowa, today and was dropped off by the FedEx delivery man at Gale and Maureen Goranson's house. Gale and Maureen are Kevin Thul's grandma and grandpa and they are getting ready for a big adventure on their sailboat, Blue Heron. Almost as soon as Flat Ninja came to Clear Lake, he found himself in the car on his way to Iowa City to pick up his Uncle Kelle. While in Iowa City, he visited the Old Iowa Capitol building and took some photos. Iowa City was the capitol of Iowa from 1846 to 1857. In 1857, the capitol was moved to Des Moines. Today the building is owned by the University of Iowa.
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