Recently in 2008 Road Trip Category

I recently went on my annual sailing fall trip. It was scheduled for last Sunday - Wednesday. Why did I end up back at the marina on Sunday night when I should have been sailing?

On Sunday afternoon after a gorgeous day of sailing, my rudder fell off the 34' Hunter I had chartered. I was sitting next to the helm and the helmsman said "We've lost our rudder." I calmly said it would come back, because it looked like we were weather clocking. I then blathered about possible putting a reef in since there was so much wind. Then, to get my attention, the helmsman pointed at the rudder floating in the water and said "no we lost the rudder." Seeing the rudder got my attention quickly.

The rudder floated away quite quickly. We were in 212' of water off the tip of Michigan Island. Luckily, there were no resultant leaks from the missing rudder. We laid a beam in the 6-8' swells that developed after the rudder left our possession. It took well over an hour for help to arrive. Luckily, the nearest lee shore was in Canada. Quite likely we had enough food to get there.

We were greeted with a very small, but powerful twin engine tow boat from the Marina. Towing felt a bit like slalom water skiing through the water - but without the fun. The tow line chafed and snapped once. We anchored which was a delightful respite despite the fact that we were exposed to the wind and now way too close too a lee shore for my comfort. The crew made a better makeshift bridle for towing from lines on board and we continued. After a hour or two so of 'crack the whip' towing at 3 knots the waves calmed. We rafted up together with the tow boat for the next 3+ hours back to the marina sans the slalom effect.

I suppose in retrospect we could have tried to sail, steering only with sails. I'm not sure if we could have kept a course, but it would have been smoother than lying a beam in the swells.

The marina replaced our boat with a newer and nicer vessel and we went back out in the morning. They did an amazing job with a hard tow. I really appreciate their willingness to put themselves on the line to rescue us and the boat.

All my crew did their jobs and kept their heads throughout. Luckily, no one got sick either.

So I broke a boat in two pieces but saved the larger piece :)

Here I am in a taxi in Bombay. I spent time with locals -- they all called it Bombay. I was the only one saying Mumbai. Evidently, that convention is more of a political idea than one embraced by the local populace.I spent Saturday in Bombay seeing the sites. I went to Elephanta Island, did some shopping and got the grand auto tour.

The highlight of the driving tour was seeing Bandra Reclamation. My driver stopped to show us a new bridge being built. We saw the bridge, albeit from a distance, but the bridge wasn't our focus. We noticed the hundreds, perhaps thousands of couples gazing romatically at the sea. I've seen spots in the U.S. where couples "make-out" or "neck". All of these spots feature privacy and room for a few cars -- perhaps a dozen. Here at Bandra Reclamation, there were cars and couples as far as the eye could see. All in a country where people don't generally "date" like we do in the U.S. and even casual public acts of affection seem muted by U.S. standards. Don't forget Richard Gere was charged for kissing someone on the cheek. Love or perhaps lust always finds a way. My driver said that it was generally much busier on a weekday when workers would claim that they needed to "work late" but would find their way to meet their love interest.

I took a longer motorcycle ride this trip, still riding on the back - thankfully wearing a helmet this time. Riding a motorcycle connects you with the road in ways cars never can. You smell the exhaust, breathe in the dust, hear the driver in the next car and feel the bone rattling pothole. I felt more like I was really there when I was on the back of a motorcycle. Thanks Milind for the cheap thrills.

India touches me in a way other places do not. It isn't the ancient buildings or the colorful scenes of everyday life. The people that I know in India - they are why I feel like I've left part of my heart there. More than any other group of people I know, they exist in a connectedness that I don't experience here. You sense the connectedness in their hospitality and the way the are quick to celebrate. It's not the way I was raised. I was raised as a only son, of an only daughter, in a culture that values the "go it alone" pioneer spirit. Now grown, when I see what it is like to live connected with others it resonates with me.

It's hard to say goodbye.

900+ miles today. I made it through Nevada, Idaho well into Montana.

I had some of the best biscuits in memory this morning in Nevada at the Cowboy Cafe in Lovelock.

The views I saw today were really unforgettable. I didn't stop to take photos too often because I had to keep the pace, but I really want to go back and explore more.

Yesterday I elected to not go to bed. My flight was at 6:20 AM, so I stayed out with the gang until 3:30. I hit m room, packed and found a cab to the airport. I made the flight to Salt Lake City and slept like a baby. I made a few phone calls and three hours later I flew to San Jose. Once there I was picked up, bought the car, took a quick shower and headed out on the road at about 3:30 PM. Of course, I was in stop and go traffic for three hours in the Bay area. Once out of the Bay area things moved, but slowed down a little at Sacremento where I got a little sleepy. I took a catnap, had dinner and kept moving. After one more catnap near Donner pass I made it to Reno around 11:30. I decided it might be a good place to stop and took the Motel 6 on the outskirts of town.

At least I can spend one more night in the blessed state of Nevada.

What have I learned so far.

• California might as well be a "developing country" if you judge it solely on the basis of it's roadside rest areas.
• If I wanted to eat at non-chain restaurants I should have not planned a freeway route. Chain restaurants clump around freeway exits like cholera victims clumps around pump handle.
• I need a navigator.
• I'm going to need a lot more coffee to complete this trip. I've had one cappuccino so far and it's not enough. I need a thermos.

More later; I have miles to go ...