11-13-21 First Dives of the 2021-2022 season - Molasses Reef, Key Largo

We arrived back in the Keys for the winter season on October 30th. After dealing with water leak and ceiling damage it was time to get back in the water when the winds cooperated and my dive partner was available. J and I headed out early morning as I had to be back in time to pick up Dave R. from the airport.

We elected to head to the SW end of the reef where the coral has recovered the best. Conditions were OK and it was a fund dive. Check out the video below and look for the Juvenile Queen Angelfish

Fall Road Trip back to the Florida Keys via North Carolina - Oct 23-30, 2021

Sugar Mountain - Banner Elk, Appalachian Mountains in NW North Carolina

Our semi-annual relocation between Minnesota and Florida began on October 23 with a 2 day drive to Sugar Mountain NC, with stops in Iowa City and London KY along the way. Unfortunately the ACC gave out again on our car about 100 miles south of Mpls. So the rest of the trip was without any cruise control.

We had rented a 2 BR condo in Sugar Mountain through VACASA. It turned out to be a gem. We arrived around 4 pm to find a beautifully appointed and cozy unit at 4950’ elevation with wonderful mountain views (with occasional times in the clouds). We ended up having the whole building to ourselves.

We booked a 3 night stay to give time to explore more in detail the area we briefly visited about 10 years ago. We planned to revisit Linville Falls, and Grandfather Mountain as well as drive portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We also planned out to check out Blowing Rock NC and spend time driving the mountain roads in search of fall colors. Well our timing was perfect for brilliant colors - the best we’ve seen in our many fall trips through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee, North and South Carolina and Georgia.

Our morning trip to Linville Falls was a cloudy, but the sun broke through just as we arrived. Lots of people there and the leaves were brilliant. We then spent the rest of the day driving mountain roads, including parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Blowing Rock Hwy US 221. Some great photo ops.

Day 2 started at nearby Grandfather Mountain with clear blue skies and light breezes. Perfect for a visit to the mile long bridge. From there we drove the Blowing Rock Hwy to Blowing Rock and a visit to the Blowing Rock Cliff. We returned to Sugar Mountain via the Blue Ridge Parkway. Being only halfway to our Florida Keys destination, we got an early start for the 2 days of driving ahead of us with an overnight stop in Brunswick GA.

Unfortunately upon arrival at our home in the Keys we were greeted with an entry covered in water and a ruined ceiling. Turns out the AC condensation line had plugged up and water backed up above and ran down unto ceiling below. A $6300 repair bill to fix it.

Linville Falls

Grandfather Mountain

Blue Ridge Parkway

Blowing Rock Highway

The Blowing Rock - Tourist Attraction in Blowing Rock NC

Famous cliff featuring strong wind gusts that blow lightly thrown objects back to the thrower.

Lake Superior Road Trip - Part II - Duluth and the Northshore Drive Sept 21-23 2021

Duluth to Tofte MN and Blue Fin Resort Sep 21-23

After 3 nights in Wisconsin, we headed back west through Duluth with a stop on Skyline Drive overlooking downtown and the harbor. A little food truck lunch at the beautiful Enger Park and then climbing Enger Tower for some great clear weather views of Lake Superior and Duluth Harbor. You could not ask for better weather.

Northshore Drive up to Tofte MN

Very Nice Waterfront Condo at BlueFin Resort with super views

Temperance River St. Park

Cascade River State Park

September 2021 Lake Superior Road Trip

LEg 1 Sept 19-21- Apostle Islands - Bayfield and Cornucopia WI

SIskiwitbay Lodge

Late September was time to make a trek to the shore of Lake Superior . First with a great 3 night stay in Cornucopia WI at a at the Siskiwit Bay B&B. http://www.siskiwitbaylodge.com . The first day included a long 4 mile hike along the shore and then back through Duluth and up the Northshore to a favorite spot at BlueFin Resort in Tofte MN. We had a great 1 BR Suite with Kitchen at the BB - with beautiful views of Lake Superior. Weather was warm for our hike on Sunday when we arrived, then cooled down quite a bit.

The highlights of the Wisconsin leg of the trip was the Lakeshore trail hike and the boat trip out of Bayfield to see the outer island ice caves. We were fortunate that the weather cooperated and we were able to make it out as it was spectacular!

Lakeshore Trail Hike

Scenic Boat trip through the Apostle Islands with Apostle Island Cruises. www. apostleisland.com

Houghton Falls State Natural Area - Near Washburn WI

Lost Creek Falls - 3 mile hike out and back. NEar Cornucopia WI

Roadtrip back to Minnesota May 8-12, 2021

Delays due to car problems lead to a late departure. The ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) on my Porsche Cayenne failed just days before we were to leave. We hung around for a week waiting for a part that never came and finally left on May 8th without benefit of any cruise control. First stop was in Brunswick GE where we cruised the historic downtown with the old courthouse and city hall.

City Hall

Courthouse

Next leg was to Winston-Salem NC, where we planned to visit and hike a couple of state parks. But first we decided to make a brief stop at Morrow Mountain State Park along the way for some scenic viewing and a brief hike.

Morrow Mountain State Park

Hanging Rock State Park

After overnighting in Winston-Salem we headed off to Hanging Rock State Park, where we intended to hike to up the trail to the overlook. Part of the Sauratown Mountains, they are separated from the nearby Blue Ridge Mtns. Peaks rise to more than 2500 feet in elevation and stand in bold contrast to the surrounding countryside that averages 800 feet. It was a strenuous 2 mile hike up in muggy weather, But the view was spectacular and the wild flowers were in full bloom. Well worth the effort. After that hike and a brief rest we hiked a short distance to a small mountain lake and then another longer hike to a waterfall.

Never tire of waterfalls!

Pilot Mountain State Park NC is 2nd stop of the day

2nd stop Monday May 10th was Pilot Mountain State Park, NC. The iconic geologic knob once was a navigational beacon to the Sakura tribe. From the park’s summit drive viewing area you can view the big pinnacle as well as panoramic views of the Piedmont and the skyline of Winston- Salem to the south and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north. To the East you see the Sauratown mountains including Hanging Rock St. Park-behind the pinnacle. Dynamic views!

After overnight in Wytheville VA, the next day we headed into West Virginia to visit a new National Park - New River Gorge. We had been there a few years ago and were interested in seeing what was new. We tried a few roads and stops we had missed before. A very nice park. From there it was 1200 miles and 2 long days of driving.

New River Gorge National Park, Beckely W. Virginia

4-18-21 Diving the grottos of French Reef (Sand Cave and Hourglass Cave)

What turned out to be the last dive of the 20-21 season, J and I headed to French Reef. He had not experienced the grottos there before and although visibility was not great, we had 2 good dives and then finished with a snorkel at White Banks on the way back home.

Below is a link to a video of the dive on my YouTube Channel

4-1-21 Diving Conch Reef

Dave Ruftt has left the Keys after he and Lisa sold their home. So my new diving partner is J. VanSwaay. We did a late afternoon dive at Conch Reef. Visibility was good. No current and 1 other dive boat that left soon after we arrived. I used the balance of a tank, so the dive went for around 40 minutes. Nothing spectacular to see, but a nice Goliath Grouper. Some nice new Staghorn Coral has been planted.

Click below for a YouTube Video of this dive.

3-2-21 Molasses and Pickles Reef

This has been a windy winter. That combined with Dave and I fishing more this year, meant only 1 dive in February! So on March 2nd we did our first dives in nearly a month. We decided to stop at Pickles 1st as the buoy at the Pickle Barrel wreck was open and it was a busy day on the water. Visibility was good and we saw the usual large schools of snapper and grunts as well as a turtle once again. This is a good shallow water location that has a deeper channel that seems to attract lots of fish. This is always a good dive.

The 2nd dive at Molasses was a gem. Visibility was stellar and we covered the section of the reef with the best coral. Lots of angelfish and a turtle swim along.

Below are links to videos of these dives. They also include clips from March 15th dives at the same locations.

2-8-21 Alligator Reef and Davis Ledge

After days of wind and cool weather, today was warm and seas were calm. Time to dive. We decided to head southwest and stopped first at Davis Ledge. Visibility was poor and we decided to try further southwest after this dive to a patch reef near the Eagle wreck. But visibility was so poor we couldn’t see bottom in 18’ of water. So the decision was made to go another 4 miles further to Alligator Reef. Visibility was still poor, but better at depth. We encountered more than a dozen nurse sharks and moray eels. They were everywhere. Also a turtle and a sting ray and some moon jellyfish.

Click the link below to watch my YouTube video of the dive at Alligator

1-27-21 Diving at Davis Ledge and then fishing afterward nearby.

Dave and I decided to try another combo of fishing/diving. We elected to head in the direction fo Davis Reef. So first we did one dive at Davis Ledge. Although this reef has suffered a lot of coral die-off, it usually is home to lots of fish and critters. That proved true today as we saw multiple nurse sharks, moray eels, a stingray and a scorpionfish and a pair of lionfish. Lots of good photo and video opportunities! See the photos and then video below. After about a 50 minute dive we were ready to warm up and try some fishing nearby. We caught a lot of large grunts but no snapper. But it was a satisfying conclusion to a wonderful day at sea.

Click the link below to watch my YouTube video of this dive.

1-23-21 Molasses Reef and Pickles Reef Dives

Saturday was perfect weather for diving. Calm seas and sunny skies. It was the busiest weekend on the water I’ve seen in along time. Boats everywhere. We headed out in the late morning to take advantage of the down time for commercial dive boats over the noon hour, giving us less crowding on the reefs. For our 1st dive we went to Molasses buoy #2 on the SW edge. There was some current out of SW that reduced visibility. Dave and I invited a new diver to join us. We had met J at lap swimming and learned he was an experienced diver that share our love for diving the Keys reefs. We encountered many large schools of barracuda hanging just below the surface, common in this section of the reef. Hard to video with the sun behind them, but you will notice one with a hook and fishline hanging from its mouth.

Click below for the link to the YouTube video of this dive.

For our 2nd dive we headed to Pickles Reef and the Pickle Barrel site. Always challenging on busy days as there is only 1 mooring buoy available there. We were in lucky. The buoy was open even though there were lots of other boats in the area. A commercial boat came by just as we finished our dive and we gave them the spot. Although not as many large schools of fish as in past trips, there were still quite a few as well as a turtle and scorpionfish a nurse shark and other photo;/video opportunities.

Click the link below to view a video of the Pickles Reef dive