Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost up the Creek (Sumatra and Shelley's favorite blend of Base Camp Coffee)
Today is Happy Birthday day for my number one adventure partner. I can always guess (accurately, I might add) what her birthday request will be. Ermilio's Italian restaurant in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
I'm not sure exactly how much of an "Adventure" it is, but I'll never complain about a drive for excellent food.
Happy Birthday Babe
Adventure Quote: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Woods (Colombia/Costa Rica)
Today we found ourselves needing to make a run to the corner of the state for some equipment for the Marina Inn. Knowing we would be just a few miles from a couple of our favorite "Day Trip" destinations, we chose to make a day (and evening) of it and drive through Roaring River State Park. Roaring River is all about Trout Fishing. There is a hatchery there fed by a huge spring emitting out from a cave. Beyond the hatchery, the stream meanders through the park with waterfalls and ripples making the trout fishing an epic experience. Hiking trails are abundant as well.
If you end up staying at Marina Inn (or the treehouses for that matter) and want something other than a Branson experience for a day, Roaring River is a nice one hour, more or less, drive away and worth the trip if you've never been there before!
Adventure Quote: “Go somewhere you know nothing about and see what happens.”
Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost at Sea (Just kidding - Highlander Grogg)
Today is another installment of the Treasured Times weekly video's. Each time they load a new one up, I miss our trip there all over again. Treasured Times Cruising is our kid's big adventure. They are getting ready to begin an "Adventure Charter" business and we had the chance to be their first guests in early February and go with them on a "Shakedown" cruise out past Key West. It was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to do it again!
Adventure Quote: “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost up the Creek (Sumatra)
As mentioned in yesterday's posting, I'm taking on the challenge of learning to operate some video and video editing equipment. I had wanted to do this way back when we purchased the Treehouse Resort and began work there. I just never had taken the time to learn to do it. After watching my daughter Adreane produce her Treasured Times videos, I got re-inspired. (There's links to some of her video's below)
SO........ here we go!
Adventure Quote: “How will I know who I can become if I don't give myself the chance to try new things, to push myself beyond my normal boundaries? Who might I be if I am away from the things that I currently use to define myself?”
Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Fog (Guatemala Decaf)
I've felt a little "Lost in the Fog" this past two weeks. As I write this, I'm nearly two weeks behind on the Resort Adventure postings. Mostly that has to do with the ramp up schedule we've been on getting the Marina Inn ready to go for the season. It's not just the resort itself though. This time around I've personally been on a handful of "learning curves" that are just about maxing out my mental capacity. There's the reservation system we inherited which is different than any I've used and much more complex (not in a good way either) Then there's the water system, which is pretty much exactly the same as the one at the treehouses. However it has additional equipment to treat a relatively high iron content in the water and that is complicated (in a good way) but still a challenge to operate correctly. I'm working with a little bit different lead generation process (something else to learn) We installed a Point of Sale system both here and at the treehouses (MUCH better than anything we've used in the past, but still something new to learn) Finally, I've decided to begin doing some video editing of the activities around here so that means learning video cameras, GoPro's, and editing software. OH...... and don't forget the new marketing platform for the rooms. I's working great, but I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread all the time just keeping up. OH...... and then there's the tackle shop which is still scattered out all over three rooms.
So much for writing a world class novel and going through astronaut training!
I think I'm about ready to go back to Florida!
Adventure Quote: “Until you step into the unknown, you don’t know what you’re made of.”
Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost at Sea...... (Just kidding, Lost on the Lake! Colombia/Sumatra blend in honor of todays Resort Adventures posting which is the day 3 video aboard Treasured Times in the Florida Keys)
I've decided to revisit yesterdays posting on the day three video of our Treasured Times cruise back in early February. As mentioned in the post yesterday, we encountered a mechanical problem on day three. It was certainly an issue, but once identified, it actually made perfect sense why it happened. Treasured Times is a 52' Vitech Motor Yacht. It had been home for the previous owner for five years docked in a marina and had very little ocean time. The Motor Surveys proved the motors to be very sound and in overall excellent shape. Our third day at sea was a choppy one with wind kicking waves up to about four feet. After about an hour or so, the engines and generator began having problems. Mike discovered air bubbles flowing through the clear fuel lines. Definitely not normal and something of a concern as diesel engines can stall out if enough air flows into the injectors. (My diesel truck will shut down on occasion if the filter is getting air or water in it to prevent it from reaching the engine) In this case, Mike discovered clogged filter screens leading from each of the fuel tanks.
The Culprit..........
The five year mostly dormant life of Treasured Times with the previous owner had been enough time for the fuel tanks to grow some algae. Yeah, I never heard of that either, but evidently it's a thing. The older fuel was treated to give it life back last fall and all the old fuel had been burned up since then with fresh fuel in the tanks now. However, the algae sediment that had collected in the tank must have gotten stirred up in the rough surf and become suspended in the fuel and then made it into the filter screens clogging them to the point of choking off the fuel supply to the engines and generator. The draw of the fuel pumps were desperately trying to pull fuel through clogged lines causing air to seep in through fittings which would normally never happen.
Once identified, the fix took probably 15 minutes. We were never concerned with this delay or problem. Part of what makes the Treasured Times crew so perfect for the "Adventure Charter" business is their knowledge and skill at all levels of boat operation. One of our goals was to put the boat through a long distance charter specifically to try and identify anything that might present a problem. We found only one and it's been identified as a new part of the daily maintenance routine to keep things running smoothly for future guests.
Day 3 of our "Adventure Charter" on Treasured Times.
Adventure Quote: “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”
