Archive
The Fourth with the Rollers
Six years ago, we joined the Pikes Peak Rollers, an FMCA chapter out of Colorado Springs. This year, we joined their Fourth of July Rally held in Buena Vista, Colorado. It was a good time, with lots of social interaction, events, food and local activities.
New to us this year was the annual horse race. Using 6 “jockeys”, the “horses” advanced on the roll of foam rubber dice. Since real money was used with real bookies, it was lively, spirited, and I lost all my bets.
The Buena Vista Fourth Parade was rather small, it is after all a small town But it was refreshing to see the local entries and the patriotism showed by participants and attendees alike. And the kids gots lots of candy…
The Fireworks were spectacular. Not only because of the fireworks themselves, but set against the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and evening sky it became an event unto itself. Too bad I forgot my “real” camera, these cell phone pictures will have to do….
Fireworks at Fort Vancouver
One of the benefits of volunteering at Fort Vancouver is being able to get a ringside seat for the 4th of July fireworks. No small thing; the annual Fort Vancouver fireworks are rated in the top 10 in the country.
This year, we were asked to also assist in the firewatch, which means outside the fort walls, right near the launch point. In fact, we had to stay clear of the road for fire trucks, if they were needed. What surprised me how much fire was on the ground; all that fireworks and dry grass makes for a good bonfire! But nothing was out of control, and they were quickly suppressed.
We did get a spectacular view of the fireworks. And yes, we were so close we had to wear ear plugs.
Spectacular bursts
Going up!
Truly spectacular
Multiple starbursts
Starburst
Quite a few fires on the ground
Fourth on the water
When our friend Steve invited us to watch Seattle’s spectacular fireworks from his boat, we jumped at the chance. Little did we realize we would be on a 62 foot superyacht! Seems like some of Stave and Kathy’s friends are yacht brokers and they took one of their yachts to Seattle, and we watched the fireworks from the front lounge on the ship. Must make a plug here… it was a fabulous yacht, and it’s for sale, so if you have a spare $1.7 million laying around….
So we took Steve’s boat to their friends dock on Lake Union, where the fireworks were to take place. It was quite crowded with all size boats. As dusk approached, so did a flotilla of boats, from kayaks to yachts, really filling up the bay. A little after 10:00, the fireworks started. The Seattle show is one of the top rated in the nation, and it was fantastic, with some fireworks effects we’ve never seen before. Fantastic!
The fun wan’t over, though. After the display, some 5,000 boats of all sizes streamed through the ship canal, resulting in a massive bottleneck of boats. Some boat operators had obviously tilted the bubbly a bit…
Anyway, it was a great day and a most impressive way to watch fireworks.
Steve getting his 26ft Cobalt ready to launch
A view back to Mt. Rainier as we head to meet our friends
There's our ship, docked on Lake Union
Inside the salon
Inside captain's station
Galley images
Master bedroom (total of 3 BR on board)
Engine room - twin 730HP Yanmar diesels
At last, dusk settles late here, it's 9:30PM
A small image, hard to take pictures with my little camera
Time to say goodbye to the Navigator....
Laninga's Travel Blog 