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A Sunday Night with the Southern Cross

March 4, 2015August 11, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 6 Comments

“Well, the boat is not sinking,” my friend Chris Rundlett yelled to me over the noise and hiss of the wind and waves. It was 11:30pm and we were a few miles off the west coast of St. Vincent. We were delivering “the boat” in question—a Catana 47 sailing catamaran—from Port Louis, Grenada to Rodney … Continue reading A Sunday Night with the Southern Cross

On The Hard–Stuck in Paradise

February 26, 2015August 11, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 6 Comments

We are back on dry land.  "On the hard," as sailors say to confuse the landlubbers. After a great sail from Grenada up to Carriacou and Petit St Vincent, we have now retreated back to the SE Coast of Grenada.  Stuck in paradise--otherwise known as the Grenada Marine Boatyard in St David's Harbour. Every boat is … Continue reading On The Hard–Stuck in Paradise

Until Next Time Dominica

February 10, 2015October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 9 Comments

The second phase of our adventure starts tonight.  We are leaving Dominica, flying to Grenada and moving onto a sailboat, which is waiting for us in the Port Louis Marina.  The catamaran La Bella Vita will be our floating home for the next +3 months.  That sounds very strange to say.  In fact, as I … Continue reading Until Next Time Dominica

Bush Rum & Grandma in the Bathtub

February 7, 2015October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 5 Comments

Friday night.  If we were back in Wisconsin, Sarah and I would likely be out with friends having a traditional Wisconsin fish fry and a Brandy Old Fashioned.  But we're in Dominica, so instead we spent last night drinking Bush Rum and playing Dominos at Toto's Rum Shop. Toto's--The Reason I Slept in Today Every Dominican … Continue reading Bush Rum & Grandma in the Bathtub

The Jacko Steps

February 3, 2015October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 4 Comments

Between 1600 and 1870 approximately 4 million West African people were imported to the Caribbean as slaves.  A mind boggling number.  Many of these people fought against and escaped their captors.  These escaped slaves, known as Maroons, often set up their own communities out of the reach of the planters and European powers of the … Continue reading The Jacko Steps

Your Boy Fell Down

January 28, 2015October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 3 Comments

Going to church in a foreign country is a great way to meet folks—especially if your son gets over-heated and passes out in the entryway.  More on that below. This past Sunday we accepted an invitation from Isalene George to attend Catholic Mass in Calibishie, the town where we are staying. A Three-Hour Mass This … Continue reading Your Boy Fell Down

Serendipity

January 23, 2015October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 7 Comments

I admit it. I tend to over plan vacations. As my family can attest, I'm the guy that reads everything in the guidebooks and then sets a withering pace during our trips. Each day starts early and includes multiple pre-planned activities.  Think Clark Griswold and the world's largest ball of twine and you won't be far off … Continue reading Serendipity

Yep, that is a Boiling Lake

January 19, 2015October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 2 Comments

"Wow, that lake is actually boiling," I said out loud, but mostly to myself.  The sight in front of me was so incongruous, so strange, that I needed to explain it to myself I guess.  Our family had just made it to the overlook of the Boiling Lake here on Dominica after a pretty muddy … Continue reading Yep, that is a Boiling Lake

Arrived in Dominica

January 15, 2015October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 6 Comments

We made it to the first official destination on our trip—Dominica. Dominica (dom-ah-nee-kah) is not the Dominican Republic. It’s a mountainous, wild island, about halfway down the Eastern Caribbean chain of islands. From our guidebook: “With its unspoiled, pristine rainforest-shrouded peaks, it has been said that the island is the only place in the Caribbean … Continue reading Arrived in Dominica

Old San Juan

January 12, 2015August 11, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 3 Comments

Fresh air and sunshine! After a great night at my parents’ house in Beloit and a chilly 5:30AM drive to ORD, we arrived in Puerto Rico. Such a strange feeling to see the snow out the airplane window and know you won’t feel winter’s bite again this season. Adios Winter!   We had a 24-hour … Continue reading Old San Juan

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Winter Moon
New post up at markjmcguire.com on our Atlantic Coast ride. We join forces with Adela Wagner to take on corvettes, storms, and old folks packing heat on the outer banks. Link in bio. #bikelife #allcitycycles #eastcoastgreenway
This Thanksgiving I’m so thankful for the kindness of people we met on our Atlantic Coast bicycle trip. Amazing people like Joyce, who prayed for us and helped us even though her son was dying in a hospital near by; Adela, who we shared part of our journey with and now call a dear friend; John and his wife Becky, who put together a goodie bag of food for us when we were hunkered down hiding from a tropical storm at a campground; Don, who biked up behind us to chat and ended up inviting us to his home for an outdoor lunch, and Keith, who saved us from insane Miami traffic by leading us to a bike boardwalk. These kind hearted people, and dozens more like them went out of their way to help us. You filled us up on our trip and revealed a beautiful America that looks far different than what we see on cable news every day. I’m so thankful for each of you and I hope I can pay forward your kindness. Thank you! #bicycletouring #bicycletravel
We made it to Key West and the end of our four week Atlantic Coast Ride! 1,317 miles of roaring cars, beautiful sunsets, tropical storms, long bridges, and kind people. We are already planning our next ride. #keywest #bikelife #bicycletouring #allcitycycles
So long Miami. Next time we promise to wear fancier clothes #miamibeach #bikelife
Today was a great day. My daughter @maddie_dockry announced that she is expecting our first grandchild, we crossed over 1,000 miles on our Atlantic coast biking trip, and we watched a rocket launch with an actual rocket scientist. Not sure I can top today anytime soon.

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