Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach Bradley Creek Marina

I spent a large portion of my childhood hanging out at this marina! We always stopped here to gas up our boats and we also had a lot of work done on our boats at this marina.

The Last Week of Hike a thon 2020

 It was a busy week the last week of Hike-a-thon. I was doing trail magic for Ryan on his Pacific Northwest Trail hike over on the Olympic Peninsula, but I was able to take some time for myself and get in 2 miles at the Fort Townsend State park on the Bluff Trail, the Historical Walk and the Trillium Trail. 

Terrific information on the Historical Walk

Bit of a view

Trails were empty (Good during Covid times)

I also did 2 miles at Mount Walker. I did it the easy way and hiked the 2 miles down hill from the viewpoint at the top to the trailhead at the bottom. 

No views at the north viewpoint this morning!

But the trails were sunny

Downhill all the way

A splash of color

I have a total of 17 miles this year, but stay tuned, I am doing my first ever solo back-packing trip 3 days and 2 nights September 5-7 and I will be blogging about it 

Thank you to my donors this week:  Anonymous, Alisa and Tom

If you want to make a last minute donation, you will have to do it online for it to count. Anything mailed now will not get here in time.  I just need 10 more donations of 10 dollars to meet my goal. 

You can click on this link to go to my WTA fundraiser page to make that donation! 

https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/2808889

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach: Oceanic 1910

Another Postcard that I decided to show the back of it. During the early 1900's the rules for postcards changed from Only an address on one side to allowing a message to be put on the back. This postcard was not divided on the back, so originally it was printed to have the address only. You can see where the person writing the card penciled in their own division to separate the message from the address. The postmark is Jan 22 1910 from Norwood, NC and was sent to Washington, DC.  Norwood is a small town inland in North Carolina between Charlotte and Rockingham.

A reminder to folks who are fans of my postcard posts. Coming in 2021, I will be highlighting the cards that you guys send to me. So send me a postcard! And you will see it on the blog in 2021.  Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

More Hike-a-thon adventures!

 Before I set off to work last week I was able to do 2 miles on the Alki Beach Trail at home, I started at Jack Block park and walked along the waterfront past the Ferry dock and Don Armeni Boat Ramp. 

The beach at Jack Block Park

Divers in the water

A line to get food at Marination Ma Kai

Lots of Kayaks and Stand Up Paddlers in the water

 On a nice layover in Denver, CO, I did 2 miles on the Cherry Creek Trail that runs right through downtown Denver 

While providing trail support for Ryan on Whidbey Island I hiked 2 miles on the trails in Dugualla State Park. 

I got 6 more miles under my belt and my sprained ankle is still healing quite well. I should be able to do more mileage this last week of hike-a-thon. 

Thank you so much to my friends and family who sent support this week:  Wendy, Jennifer, Marianne, Betsy, Holly, Chris, Judy and Cecilia

Please consider making a donation to my WTA hike-a-thon. Any amount from $1 to $100 is welcome. In fact $5 is a very popular amount right now, just donate the cost of that Starbucks coffee! 

You can click on this link to go to my WTA fundraiser page

https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/2808889

or you can send me a check (made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) or just a dollar in the mail would be very welcome.

to: Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Nancy Drew Hardy Boys Super Mystery: Mystery Train

Mystery Train Super Mystery

I am so happy to report that I have found another Super Mystery that deserves the title. Mystery Train was published in 1990 and starts with Nancy Drew, Bess and the Hardy Boys all teaming together aboard a mystery themed train from Chicago to San Francisco. They are there to solve a 15 year old mystery of a stolen diamond. The folks organizing the event have invited mystery authors and professional and amateur detectives on board in a competition to solve the mystery. The prize is $20,000 dollars from the auction house that was robbed 15 years ago. Two young actors are also along the way to provide entertainment.

Of course, Bess and Joe immediately have crushes on the two young actors. Joe really makes a connection with Kate. Kate is on her way to the west coast to audition for a famous producer. When Kate goes missing, Joe is a suspect, but this is totally a red herring as we all know. I was suspicious that the whole Kate missing story line would end up being part of the actors script for the train trip. If you have ever been to these mystery dinners, you NEVER trust the actors!

I was so happy that romance definitely took a back seat in this story. Frank and Nancy are keen to solve the mystery while Bess and Joe fiddle around, but that is expected. Nancy and Joe are the ones who save Frank from a close call. The girls and the boys equally fight the bad guys.

Only in one instance was I disappointed in Nancy Drew. She is on a silver mine train tour and it has been sabotaged and is out of control. In her attempts to help, she is trying to join the guide in the lead car. The guide tells her twice to keep back, but Nancy comes on...and the guide, only because she was getting up to stop Nancy, hits her head on a beam and is knocked out. Now Nancy, alone has to stop the runaway mine train. She is heralded as a hero by the other passengers. If I was the guide, I would have been very angry. The guide was only knocked out because of Nancy's interference.

This book is also stellar because of the contributions by Bess. Bess rises to the occasion several times. She is on spot with her research into the original crime. "Good old Bess, she does know her stuff, doesn't she." And she is instrumental in the silver mine train situation by calming the passengers and overcoming her fears to help others.

There are the usual common tropes, such as runaway trains, people climbing onto the roof of the train in a chase, and running to catch the train as it is leaving the station. But I can over look all those silly things because in this super mystery, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are seen as equals.

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach: Blockade Runner Aerial View

Aerial Views of the Blockade Runner Hotel.   When I was a kid, we would go to the Blockade Runner for Sunday Brunch at special occasions like Birthdays or Mother's Day.

Hike-a-thon 2020 As usual, I am such a clutz!!

I started out this week on a layover in Fort Worth, TX. I had never been to Fort Worth before, so I was excited to visit and I saw that they had some trails that went right through downtown along the Trinity River, so I decided to hike along there for hike-a-thon.  I tripped on a sidewalk and wiped out. damaged my left leg and twisting my right ankle. Yuck!! But I did get in 2 miles along the Trinity River Trails before my mishap. 

I came home to do trail magic for Ryan on his Pacific Northwest Trail hike and I did some easy short hikes near Concrete, WA. I did a half a mile on the Shadow of the Sentinels Trail 

Then I did 2 miles on the Cascade Trail which is a rail trail that parallels Highway 20

Nice flat rail trail

Taking a break on the Cascade Trail

 

I also did 1 mile on the Pomona Grange Park Trail near Burlington, WA.

 So my grand total so far this month is only 7 miles!! However, my ankle is healing up nicely and I hope to do some more mileage while I am in Denver, CO this weekend! And again in the PNW when I return to do more trail magic for Ryan next week. 

Thank You so much to my latest donors. Karen, Kathy, Suzi and Harry, and Angele! You guys ROCK

Please consider making a donation to my WTA hike-a-thon. Any amount from $1 to $100 is welcome. In fact $5 is a very popular amount right now, just donate the cost of that Starbucks coffee! 

You can click on this link to go to my WTA fundraiser page

https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/2808889

or you can send me a check (made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) or just a dollar in the mail would be very welcome.

to: Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach "Modern" motels

These postcards are from the 1960's-1970's 

The Surf Motel  711 South Lumina Avenue

The Ocean View Motel 17 East Salisbury Street

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You First hikes for Hike-a-thon 2020

After having no donations last week, this week everyone sent in their donations! Big Big Thank You! Goes out to Anonymous!! Jenny, Richard, Deirdre, Kim, Slade, Janet and Robin!! Such a great start to the month and Hike-a-thon. Usually I would have a slow trickle of donations from July to August and this year was the first year that I had a week with nothing. It was surprising, but now everyone has ponied up Thank you so much to everyone!!

Ryan had a little snafu at the end of last week and had to come home for a few days with horrible blisters and raw heels from wearing BRAND NEW HIKING SHOES!! Let this be a lesson, always break in your shoes folks! So I had to pick him up at Ross Lake and then drop him off again, after his heels healed. 

So my first mileage for Hike-a-thon was on the Ross Dam Trail for 1.5 miles dropping Ryan off for the PNT AGAIN. 

Extremely FULL parking lot at Ross Lake Dam Trailhead

And 1 mile on The Trail of Cedars

Then I had to come home and go to work...and even though I did walk a lot through airports, I really don't think I should count those miles. I am going to stick to the Trail mileage just like every other year. 

And Thanks again to Anonymous, Jenny, Richard, Deirdre, Kim, Slade, Janet and Robin!!

Please consider making a donation to my WTA hike-a-thon. Any amount from $1 to $100 is welcome. In fact $5 is a very popular amount right now, just donate the cost of that Starbucks coffee! 

You can click on this link to go to my WTA fundraiser page

https://give.wta.org/fundraiser/2808889

or you can send me a check (made out to WTA (Washington Trails Association) or just a dollar in the mail would be very welcome.

to: Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach USO Club

The Wrightsville Beach USO Club opened in 1941. It was said to have the best USO facilities in North Carolina. Service members from Camp Davis, Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg and many other installations came for dancing, recreation and entertainment. Between 1941 and 1945 this and a few other USO buildings in the Wilmington, NC area ( including a USO club on Nixon Street in Wilmington for African-American servicemen ) hosted approximately 35,000 visitors every week. In fact, Military Cutoff Road in Wilmington was an un-named and unpaved road used by troop convoys from Camp Davis to reach the USO club at Wrightsville Beach and the army had it paved soon after the United States involvement in WWII.

This postcard was postmarked May 26 1943 from  Camp Davis and what is interesting is where it is supposed to have a stamp, it says FREE, so the servicemen got so send these for free!