From Hurricaines to Hells Gate (New York)

 As many of you may have read....we crossed the river some days ago to seek shelter and safety in a nearby marina.  

The goal was to get some much-needed items done, such as laundry and groceries.  

The groceries were a success, the laundry not so much.  

Leaving me with a pile of damp and musty clothes, due to a closet that is excellent at capturing the rainfall and saving our bilge the burden of the fallen water.  But hey hiccups.  

The marina we had thought would grant us much-needed sleep, and a rest from the worries of locals.  

However, much like life, we found ourselves trading one reason for restless sleep for another.  

It seems no matter your placement in life, there are always things to overcome.  

The brilliance of always being on the "road" is that we never have time to get accustomed to the sounds that surround us, or the new movement of the boat aka bed!

For me especially the tides challenge my sleep patterns, waking me to the jarring of the new felt tides and current that seemed determined to whisk us away.  

Thankfully, our lines held us snug to the dock and safely in place.

Our one night stay quickly turned to three, as we awaited a friend to join us and for Hurricane Lee to take his leave.  

Finally finding our window, we set out behind our "buddy boat" which was a little bigger than us. 

This meant that we could sneak in behind him as needed, and allow for his boat to break up the waves and soften our route if needed.  

Also captained by someone who had already made his way to and from Florida on many occasions.  He gifts us with yet another set of eyes, we hope to trust in increasing the overall comfort of our first big journey.

So there you had it....off we went.  Bound for New York City once more! 

I will tell you that IF I had the choice to avoid this section of the route - I still would!  And to be honest we tried!  

This time around we found an off chute that lead us through the "core" of downtown.  Granting us yet another new perspective of the BIG City that towered over us as we gazed up in awe.  

One building captured my attention, as we guessed just how many people lived in that one building alone!  

It truly is astonishing how many people and things we jam into one small place, as one author I| recently read pointed out that once you reach such a state....the people themselves become mere things.  Things to avoid, embrace or just not even notice.  Sad really.  Think about it...how many of you even know your neighbor's names? (not just their dogs!) Or who parks beside you in the parking garage at work?

Dont get me wrong, our new route through New York was something to be seen, or at least experienced.  However, I am certain it will not make the top 10 list when this trip is done.  It too will merely have become a tick in the box that had to be done to get to the next chapter of our journey.

As we made our way through our new route, it spit us out at Hells Gate.  This is an area where 3 rivers meet undecided on who is in charge and all fighting for their position! 

The boat heaved as we forced our way along our own destiny.  This quick little passage only lasted a mere 15-20 mins; compared to the last attempt up the Hudson that seemed like hours.

Trying to share the journey we logged onto and off of social media, trying to share the journey with anyone bored enough to watch.  

As we finally found our bearings once more, the Statue of Liberty once again stood in the distance.  

We never would have or could have imagined the site that surrounded her.  Of skyscrapers and ships....of ferries and fishing boats!  

The mess claiming her beauty, and transforming her into once again a checkmark in a box, instead of the breathtaking moment I had thought we would cherish. But hey we survived and only had to most likely due it a few more times (aka we still have to come back!)

With little time to process the accomplishment we neatly tucked under our belt, we were off to add another pin to our hat.  

The OCEAN!!!

At least now as the waves splashed up over the boat, we could taste the salt air!

The waves seemed both similar to those we had already crossed, yet somewhat seemed more kind to us.  With fish leaping out of the waves in the distance, we continued to scan the horizon for our long sought-after new friends!  

After a long and memorable day, we now find ourselves nestled amongst a few hundred other boats. Anchored, to what I must assume, their dreams as well. 

Filled with memories of when we once visited friends in the Bahamas on their boat, we realize that we truly are doing it!  

Such a crazy thought, that so many of us never truly experience this feeling.  That living our dreams is often only left for hours of rest that we awake to often not even remember.

We truly hope this isn't true for those that read this...or glimpse by a photo we have posted...heck anyone!

I dare you to stop right NOW!!

Pick an "I wish" or "One day moment" no matter how big or small, and MAKE IT HAPPEN!  

Seriously pick something now....what made your heart leap when you stopped to think about what that would be?

There is no reason why it cannot be true, you are the only person holding yourself back, and you will not convince us otherwise.