Stella Maris comes home to Henderson Nevada

Stella Maris

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Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
1,500
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Non-Fluid Motion Model
Helmsman PH38, 11' Boston Whaler, 9' Boston Whaler
Vessel Name
Destiny
3:15 am… The alarm clock is making a horrendous racket… Whyyyyyyy????? I ask myself. It is time to get up and start our trip from Seattle to Henderson Nevada with our new R-21-EC, Stella Maris in tow.

While Maureen showers, I make final preps to the truck as well as load the few pieces of luggage that needs to go. By 4:00 am, all is ready and we start our 1,200 mile trip. Our plan is to drive straight through which should put us in Henderson no later than midnight.

As we roll out of Seattle, the rain begins to fall. By the time we reach the top of Snoqualmie Pass, it has turned to snow. Fortunately, it is not heavy enough or really cold enough to stick to the roads. We continue to make our way east and, by the time we reach the I-82 interchange, the sun has come out.

We travel south on I-82 crossing into Oregon where we pick up I-84 and start the journey to the South East. We figure we will arrive in Boise by 2:00 pm where we will stop and grab a bite to eat. Well…. You all know how that goes. 7 miles west of La Grande Oregon, we come to a stop…

It seems a big rig has decided to realign the concrete center divider. Unfortunately for us, this means we sit idle on the interstate for two hours. Oh well, what are you to do. Maureen continues crocheting a blanket while I wile away the time napping and just looking around.

At last, the accident is cleared and we once again begin to move albeit, two hours behind schedule. At last we make it to Boise where we stop and refuel the truck as well as ourselves with sandwiches which we will consume as we continue our drive.

At last, we make it to Twin Falls where we head south on State Route 93. It is now a straight shot to Vegas and then into Henderson. As we make our way south, we are buffeted by 60 mile an hour cross winds. Stella Maris just continues to follow right behind the truck as we battle the winds. At last, they subside. However, they are replaced with very large storm clouds dropping heavy quantities of snow! And yes, we are now in Nevada and seeing the worst winter weather of the drive!

We finally reach Ely Nevada where we stop and take on the last tank of fuel we will need to make it to Henderson. The snow has stopped; the stars are now shining above!

We head out of town onto the pitch-black highway. Not a car or truck to be seen. About every 25 minutes, we will see lights approaching from ahead. There is life in the middle of "Nowhere" Nevada! The lights go by and then; once again we are on our own in the total darkness of the Great Basin.

At last we make it to I-15. We are now within 20 miles of our destination. I now long for the solitude of State Route 93 as we are being passed by cars and trucks at what seems to be an incredible rate of speed. The lights from the city are blinding. The benefit to all of this madness is, we will be home soon.

At last we arrive at our exit. The journey is not quite over yet though. We will need to park the truck and Stella Maris at the storage facility behind our condo and then walk the rest of the way home.

With the truck and trailer parked and secure, we walk the remaining quarter mile home arriving at just after 2:00 am.

In a few hours, we will walk back over and retrieve both and bring them over for a thorough cleaning. First though, it is time for some much needed sleep!

It may seem like a very crazy life we lead but what a great life it is!
 
Not crazy just living it fully... Don't stop 🙂
 
It is great you two have the energy and health to lead your fun-filled while very busy lives!
 
We have made that run maby times on our way from Seattle to Surprise Az and back again. However never in one day.
Usually stop in Twin Falls Id. The drive down the great basin is onr favorite part, along with the Blue Mountains.

I'm guessing Lake Mead will see a lot of a great little character boat. Good luck.
 
We will head out to Lake Mead this Friday afternoon for our first overnight adventure aboard Stella Maris. Then in two weeks, we will be headed to Lake Powell for a week of cruising. It is great being able to have the best of both worlds, Destiny takes us all over the PNW while Stella Maris will give us the opportunity to once again explore the desert lakes.

Today after going to the DMV here in Henderson to register her trailer, I stopped and topped off the fuel tank. With 12.5 hours on her, she took a whopping 4.2 gallons. That comes out to just .336 gallons per hour... Not sure if I can afford that kind of fuel burn...

When I came out of DMV, there was a small crowd gathered around her (you have to have your VIN verified on the trailer to register it and you can only do that at DMV). They were all wanting to know where she came from, how old she was, how big of a motor she had etc etc etc... Took a good twenty minutes to answer the questions before I could make my escape.
 
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