Aloha

ALOHA!

At last, it’s time to go back to Hawaii!  This trip is to celebrate our 15^th wedding anniversary and to complete a Bucket List item, i.e. find a geocache in all 50 states.

We started the trip by driving to Chicago (Picking up 5 new geocaching Illinois counties along the way.) and

Volcano in the Cascades

visiting Carl and Heather.  We picked them up and made our way to Turquoise in the Roscoe area.  This is the four of us’ favorite Turkish restaurant in the area.  We feasted on mussels, manti and kebaps…ahhh…comfort food!

Our first flight was O’Hare to Seattle on American.  It seemed that all was going well, but at the last minute a maintenance tech showed up to tell the captain that a hole had been found in the baggage compartment.  A hole?!?!  After about 30 minutes the hole was repaired (I’m thinking that better be a damn good patch!) and we were on our way.  No more events on this flight other than beautiful views of the Cascades Mountains.

Next flight is Alaska Air to Honolulu. They close the door and all seems to be going well.  All of a suddent there is a mini-conference of flight attendants.  They confer in whispers and then open the door and announce that a “customer” has an issue and wants off the plane!  They then escort a little girl, maybe 5 or 6 years old, off the plane. Then the head flight attendant says we were lucky; if she had waited to get upset and we weren't more than halfway to Hawaii then we would have had to turn back.  Whew!

Finally, our plane gets pushed back and we quickly take off.  We settle into our first class seats and prepare to relax for the five and half hour flight.  We get our drinks and warmed nuts and start to watch a movie.  Ahhhh!!!   About ten minutes into the movie a teenager rushes to the front of the plane.  I figure he’s in a hurry to reach the forward bath rooms.  But no, he’s here to give us a show!  He grabs a plastic bag from the flight attendant and proceeds to heave into said bag.  And heave.  And heave.  And heave.  I’m as sympathetic as the next person (Gina, is that you next to me?), but why did he have to turn around and perform so mightily right in front of us?!?!?  He was standing next to the restroom; surely a far better place for such activities!  At last he’s persuaded that we've enjoyed the show, but now he needs to perform for the folks in back.  He slightly bows and goes to entertain the rest of the plane.

Sunset over the Pacific

After that, the rest of the flight was pretty boring.  Eat, drink, watch movies and snooze.  Repeat.  But then about two thirds of the way through the flight the captain keyed his mike and said, “Is there a doctor on board?”  Seriously, I've heard of this in movies, but in real life?  I heard someone shout, “I’m a doctor.” and quickly there was a rush of flight personnel to the middle of the plane.  I could see someone was down in the middle of aisle and surrounded by people trying to help.  Finally, the situation appeared to have been resolved and the flight finally landed.  As we were taxiing in the captain once again keyed his mike and asked everyone to remain in their seats at the gate.  Medical personnel were boarding the plane to assist a family with a medical issue.  Soon about four medics were on board and they soon escorted out the young man who “performed” for us earlier.  He was quite pale and shaky, but did walk out on his own.  His family followed him out and we finally were allowed off the plane. 

Whew.  We were finally in Hawaii.  Aloha.

(P.S. I hope that young man recovers quickly…but is it bad of me to hope he’s not flying back on the 28th with us?)

Our ocean view

Our hotel is the Marriott Beach Resort, Waikiki.  It’s at the far Diamond Head end of Waikiki.  From our balcony we can see all of Diamond Head and we have an ocean view.  (I’m watching surfers as I type this.)  We've been to this hotel before and we love where it’s situated. If you want nightlife, shopping and beach you turn right out of the hotel’s front door.  If you want peaceful surroundings and beach you turn left.  For us, it’s the best of both worlds.

Our first day had three primary goals: 1. Find our 50 state geocache.  2. Shop at Crazy Shirts until it hurts. 3. Stay awake until 8:00 PM.  We fueled up at the breakfast buffet and headed out!

Happiness is our 50th
Geocaching State!

Our first goal was to find that cache.  We walked along the beach for about a mile towards Diamond Head. 

Blue and turquoise waters, palm trees, white sand, banyan trees, hau trees, flowers everywhere….yes, this was tough bushwhacking but we had to get to get to that cache!  Took us just a few moments to make the find and finally we had completed a  Bucket List item that took two and a half years and 50,000 miles of travel!  What an awesome feeling!

Next up, Crazy Shirts!  Mona loves Crazy Shirts.  In her mind, any place that has a Crazy Shirts store makes it a worthy destination!  So, here we were where Crazy Shirts was born and where the mother ship of Crazy Shirts is located, at the International Market.  We turned back from the cache

"Is this heaven?"  "No, it's Crazy Shirts!"

location; walked past our hotel and headed deep into the heart of Waikiki bound for the mother ship.  International Market is located just four blocks from our hotel so it was a quick walk….but….wait….what?  We got to ground zero and there was NO INTERNATIONAL MARKET.  Instead, there was a construction-grade plywood wall with square windows.  Through those windows you could see a bulldozer cleaning up the last remains of the market.  All that remained was the magnificent banyon tree in whose branches we once sipped mai tais.  No International Market.  No Crazy Shirt Mother Ship.

Saddened, we turned away and began the long weary trek back to the Marriott.  But wait, what's that ahead on the left?!? Could it be that wonderful store of shorts, and tops just waiting on Mona’s credit card!  Yes, a new Crazy Shirt store on Waikiki!  Mona entered clapping her hands.  She was rushed by the store staff and they whisked her off to her own private wonderland.  Me, I puttered about for a bit and then wandered down Kalakaua Avenue seeking companionship. A couple hours later we linked back up and I lugged her bags back to the hotel.  Afterwards it was time to scope out the beach.

One of the things we love about Waikiki is the never-ending string of beaches and hotels.  None of the beaches are private so you can start at our hotel and walk for miles on the beach.  If you go Diamond Head (East) you can find some secluded beaches pretty quickly.  If you go Ewa (West) you’ll find beaches packed with people from all over the world along with hotels and beach bars right along the beach.  We went Ewa.

 

We wandered through mazes of beach-clad bodies scattered among surf boards, outrigger canoes and lifeguard stations. We gawked as appropriate especially when we saw wahinis (young women) in skimpy bikinis carrying surf boards above their heads and threading their way to the surf.  (For some reason Mona wouldn’t allow me to take pictures to illustrate so you'll just have to use your imagination.)  All this sun and surf made us thirsty so we had to stop at the Moana’s Surfrider Beach Bar and have our first mai tais of the trip.  Several people have asked us to have a mai tai for them and we take this commitment seriously.  Hence many more mai tais to come! 

Finally, it was time to resume our trek and we continued Ewa.  More sun, more surf, more bodies, more of everything!  Again we thirsted and again we stopped.  This time at the Shorebird Beach Bar.  Here we found mai tais for $3.50!  That’s a great price for commitment filling so we had a couple!  Gotta love these beach bars!

Finally, it was time to hit our third goal of the day….sleep…but not till 8:00 PM.  We went back to the Marriott and went out on the Moana Terrace for dinner.  There we were serenaded by a duo playing old soft rock favorites and we dined on fish tacos and Hawaiian flatbread else.  And, of course we had mai Tais, and these were free!

It was almost 8:00 and we were exhausted.  We laid in bed watching the clock tick down the final seconds and finally it was time!!!  Sleep.  Sleep.  Sleep.

Aloha and good night!

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North to Alaska!

For years we've talked about visiting Alaska after we retired and finally it was time for us to make that journey.  This trip would help us achieve one goal by being the 50^th state we have visited.  It would also bring us one step closer to another goal of caching in 50 states…making it the 49^th state we've cached in.  Mona really has never wanted to go to Alaska as she hates the cold but she is big on reaching our goals, so she went…but only after having lodged a formal protest.  She’d go, but that didn't mean she’d like it!

Our start was typical for us in that we took the long route to St. Louis, picking up geocaches in six more Illinois counties.  This made for a leisurely beginning to our trip and we got to cross the Illinois river at Kampsville; something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

We flew Alaska Airlines to Seattle…getting our trip started off on the right theme.  There is great scenery on this flight path especially as you fly over the Cascades and see the snow-covered volcanoes.  Our Seattle hotel was just a couple of blocks from the Space Needle so we walked over to get a few pictures before heading to bed.  Next morning our trip would begin!

Our ship was the Carnival Miracle, the smallest cruise ship we’ve been on.  The smaller ships are pretty much standard for Alaskan cruises because the big ships can’t fit in the narrow passages.  Of course the term “small” is relative as the Miracle is about a thousand feet long, weighs 88,500 tons and carries 3000 passengers and crew.

We boarded the ship about noon and spent the next few hours getting acquainted with its layout.  At 4:00 we stood on deck as the ship left Seattle and cruised west on the Puget Sound.  The skies were clear and the seas were calm…we had our fingers crossed hoping this would set the tone for our trip. We even saw a whale spouting while we ate dinner; surely, this was a good omen!

Next morning we woke to driving rain and eight foot seas.  Winds were steady at 45 mph with gusts over 50.  Hmm….what happened to our good omen?  No matter, we had a full day of shows, games, meeting new people and of course whale watching.  We managed to spot a couple in spite of the rain.  I was starting to worry that Mona’s fears of a cold and rainy trip were to come to pass.

Whale watching 

 

Next morning we woke to calm seas and sunny skies.  We had left the Pacific and were now in the Alaskan Inner Passage cruising to Tracy Arm Fjord.  It didn't take long for us to spot our first whale.  Then another, then another!  There were humpback whales everywhere along our route!  There were also pods of Dall’s porpoises, sea lions, and harbor seals swimming alongside our ship.  Utterly amazing!!!  Oh, and of course the scenery was nothing to sneeze at…towering snow-capped mountains plunging straight into the sea.  This route is simply awe-inspiring!

There's whales out there!

Our excursion boat pulling up to the ship

Our ship turned into the Tracy Arm Fjord, going ever so slowly so it wouldn't scrape against the side of the sheer walls and so it would not hit any of the bigger icebergs that cluttered the passage.  We got about two miles away from the South Sawyer Glacier before we stopped.  We could see the top of the glacier, but it was too risky to take the Miracle any farther.   Luckily, we had pre-booked an excursion to get a closer look.  A small boat came up to our ship

Iceberg

and we stepped across a gangway laid from our ship to the boat.

In no time, we were speeding farther up the fjord for our closer look with our boat weaving its way around the icebergs that had calved off the glacier.  The bergs are beautiful and all different sorts of shapes.  Some of them have the most iridescent cobalt blue color that seems to shimmer in the sunlight. Our guide told us that this is because the ice is so densely packed in the berg that it captures all the spectrums of light except for the blue.  We had never seen anything like this before!

Growlers, Bergies and Bergs

The fjord was created by glaciers.  In fact, the entire Inside Passage was formed by glaciers.  They gouged out all these channels in the last ice age which ended about 15,000 years ago.  Most glaciers are now in retreat, and many are receding at an alarming pace due to global warming.  Our guide told us that the South Sawyer Glacier had retreated over a mile since she started working there three years ago.  As the glaciers retreat the seas rushes in.  The result is spectacular scenery with shear walls of stone covered with forests of green.  The water is filled with growlers, bergies and icebergs.  Growlers are small floating pieces of ice that the boat can run over and they make a growling sound as they pass under the hull.  Bergies are small icebergs, less than 3 meters in height and icebergs are the big dudes over 3 meters tall.  As you look at the pictures, remember that ninety percent of the iceberg is below water.

Our first glimpse of South Sawyer Glacier

Finally, we turned a corner and there was the face of the South Sawyer Glacier in all its glory!  It was HUGE!  It’s about 700 feet high and about a mile wide.  Up close you can’t get a full picture of it.  We got within about a quarter of a mile of the glacier; any closer and the boat would be in danger from the icebergs calving off the huge glacier.  The glacier has immense areas of compacted white ice, other areas of dirt/rubble that it has gouged out in its travels from the ice shelf and finally caverns of cobalt blue ice.  Absolutely breathtaking!!!!  We saw several icebergs calve off the glacier with a huge roar and we saw harbor seals riding on some of the bergs.  We were in awe the entire time we were near the glacier…I wish I had better words or better pictures….it’s simply indescribable!

At South Sawyer Glacier!

All too soon it was time to leave.  Our little boat worked its way back west and then went up another channel to our second glacier, the Sawyer Glacier.  Its face is a little smaller than the South Glacier, but it’s just as beautiful and breathtaking.  We spent another half hour there, but finally had to reluctantly leave to link up with our ship.  We got there just in time because our ship headed north as soon as the last person crossed from the boat to the ship.  Back to ship life: shows, music, dining, whale-watching, etc. etc. etc. 

Glacier Closeups

Next morning we were in Skagway, Alaska.  This is a tiny town of 900 in the summer (200 in the winter).  It was a boom town of 25,000 in the gold rush years of 1898 and 99.  Here we finally touched Alaskan soil for the first time…our 50^th state!  We walked from the ship to a narrow gauge train for a trip up the mountains to the Yukon.  This was yet another ride with amazing scenery as we made our way up, alongside a steep valley carved out by glaciers.  We didn't see much wildlife on the ride, but the scenery was outstanding!  After about ninety minutes we crossed the border into Canada, into the Yukon.  Just across the border they uncoupled the engines, brought them to the back of the train, recoupling them so we could return to Skagway.

After the train ride we wandered the nine blocks of the main street of Skagway.  This is where all the tourist traps are, along with the restaurants.  We found a couple of caches, achieving our 49^th state and we shopped for trinkets to bring home.  We then had lunch in the local brewery; sipping beer flavored with spruce tree tips and sampled the locally-caught halibut and salmon sandwiches…which were incredible!  We ended our Skagway visit by walking back to the ship with a crew member from the Philippines.  A nice ending to a great day!

Hmm…about that term “day”.  At this time of the year it never really gets dark.  Sunset is at 10 PM and sunrise is at 4 AM, but the sun never gets very far below the horizon so it’s kind of twilight all night long.  

Downtown Skagway

Next morning began with us docking at Juneau, Alaska.  A few facts about Juneau.  It’s the capital of Alaska and about thirty thousand people live here.  There are no roads to Juneau and you can only get there by plane, by boat or by birth canal. As we docked, bald eagles circled our ship and dive-bombed into the waters alongside to fish.  We hadn’t seen any eagles on the trip until now, but Juneau definitely made up for the dearth from the other ports!  We disembarked and boarded a bus for our next excursion: whale watching.

Whales!

Soon we were on a smaller boat headed out into Stephen’s Channel.  Within minutes we spotted our first whale.  We followed it around as it spouted three or four times, and then dove, showing us its tail as it began its deep dive.  Love this!!!  We then moved on to other whales, with them repeating the sequence of several spouts before they dove.  We even saw a pair of humpbacks doing this in synchronization!  Thrilling!!!  No matter how many whales we see it’s always an emotional experience!  Most emotional was when we saw one whale seemingly stand on its head for several seconds before it plunged to the deep.  A 45 foot animal weighing in at 90,000 pounds and it stands on its head!??!?!  No pictures of this as we were too spellbound to even breathe, much less to lift a camera to our eyes.

Our boat then came up alongside Shelter Island where there was a colony of sea lions basking in the sun and frolicking in the water.  The young sea lions seemed to be playing tag in the water and there were constant splashes and yelps as they played.  There were also bald eagles in the trees above them…kind of like life guards, watching over the youngsters at play.

Mendenhall Glacier

After about four hours on the boat we reboarded our bus and headed to see another glacier.  This is the magnificent Mendenhall Glacier, just outside of Juneau.  Here, you walk down a little trail from the visitor’s center where you take in the glacier in all its magnificent glory.  Amazing.  Beautiful.  Breath-taking.  Awesome…..none of those words is worthy of describing this glacier!  This was a short visit and all too soon we headed back to the bus.  While waiting on the bus we heard a stirring in the bushes behind us.  It was a porcupine!  Neither of us had ever seen one in the wild before.   The porcupine didn’t mind us at all.  He just kept going from bush to bush…snacking on the way!

Duck Farts

Our first wild porcupine!

The Miracle from Mount Roberts.

The bus dropped us off at the ship and at the foot of Mount Robert’s Tram.  We took the tram up the mountain and we loved the great vistas of Juneau and the surrounding waters.  There were even two bald eagles in trees near the top.  They look as big as three year old kids sitting in the tops of the trees.  After returning on the tram we visited The Red Dog Saloon.  This place has sawdust floors, rowdy musicians and an even rowdier staff.  The specialty drinks were Duck Farts and The Cheap Shit...no wonder everyone is rowdy!  Had a blast here and we highly recommend stopping at this particular tourist trap!

Victoria Harbor Scene

Our final port of call was Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.  We strolled alongside the harbor…enjoying all the flowers and landscaped gardens.  This is a very English area with a Parliament building and double-decker buses.  It’s well known for its beautiful gardens and formal afternoon teas.

 All too soon our cruise was over.  We both teared up at the thought of leaving so soon.  Yes, even Mona was teary eyed.  She really likes Alaska….and yes, Margaret & Pete, Maryellen and Brian, we hear you saying “I told you so!”

Miracle Lobby Atrium

This was a wonderful trip in every respect.  The Miracle is a fantastic ship and we had great meals and enjoyed the largest stateroom we've ever had.  The weather in Alaska was perfect with temperatures in the 50s and sunshine every day we were in port.  Even the locals were amazed at the good weather.  They said, we were seeing mountain peaks that are rarely seen because of the rains and clouds.  Also we saw lots of wildlife including more whales and dolphins than we could count! Alaska is truly amazing!

We're going to miss
 the great seafood!

We ended the trip with an extra day in Seattle.  We cached at Geocaching Headquarters and we wandered around the piers the rest of the day.  We had two fantastic seafood meals including our first dungenesss crab.  Total yum!!!  We caught our Alaska flight early the next morning and we got our final Alaska Trip farewell as we flew over a another magnificent glacier in the Cascades.

This was indeed an incredible trip and I’m ready to go again!

Palm Desert 2014

It was time for our annual trip to Palm Desert so we packed our bags and hit the road, this time with Monte and Aleta.  We decided we wanted to get away from the snow and cold as quickly as we could so we headed straight south to take “the southern” route.  With four drivers we were able to get to Mt. Pleasant, Texas by early evening without wearing anyone out.  When we got there the temperature was in the 60s; almost balmy for us Decaturites.

Over the next couple of days we covered a lot of miles; motoring through Dallas, Abilene, Midland and finally El Paso.  Then for a few miles we were in New Mexico and shortly after we were in Arizona.  Soon we started seeing saguaros....that’s when it began to really feel like we were away from home!  

Soon after Tucson we stopped at the Saguaro National Park.  This is a great park with lots and lots…and lots of saguaro and every other kind of cactus you can find the Sonoran Desert.  We did some learning up on desert plants outside the visitor center and then took a drive on the Bajada Loop which winds its way through thousands of saguaros, some over 200 years old.   Saguaro has lots of trails and we want to revisit here and do some serious hiking!

We spent the night in Casa Grande so we could visit the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.  This dwelling/observatory/canal control center was built in the 1300s by the ancient Sonoran Desert people.  They lived and successfully farmed in this arid desert by building a network of canals, starting from the Gila River and then winding throughout the valley.  Casa Grande (big house) still stands tall after all these years and it remains as one of the largest pre-Columbian structures in North America.  The structure is four stories tall and has adobe walls that are several feet thick at the base.  Historians still aren’t sure what the building’s primary purpose was, but it has several windows/ports that align with key celestial events; thus, lending credence to the observatory theory which would help the ancients decide when to plant.  Casa Grande is another one of those “I didn’t know that, did you?!” sites that we love to find when we travel.

After our visit, we hit the road for our final destination: the Coachella Valley which includes two of our favorite cities: Palm Springs and Palm Desert.   Our first stop was Palm Springs for our Coachella Valley arrival ritual.  Yep, Blue Coyote and their Wild Margaritas.  (After one Wild Rita you’re howling at the moon…or at anyone who happens to be walking by!)  Then we went a few hundred feet down Palm Canyon Drive to Azul’s for a little more relaxation….and howling.  We spent the night in Palm Springs and were to able to deal with our post-howl morning by visiting our favorite breakfast spot, Pinocchio's.  Not only is the food great but they have all-you-can drink champagne...which we skipped because we needed to head to Palm Desert.

Our timeshare villa is located at the Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert.  Once there we unloaded, unpacked and began our typical Coachella Valley activities: hiking, reading, swimming, geocaching, dining, walking, cooking out and just relaxing in the sun.  Ahhhhhhh!!!!!  That pretty much defines our week except for one excursion up the mountains.

Scenic, but cold!

We have been talking about visiting Idyllwild for years so one morning we took a ride up into the mountains to check it out.  Our route took us up Route 74 which rises up from Palm Desert’s elevation of 25 feet below sea level to well above 5200 feet above sea level.  It takes a lot of switchbacks and hairpin turns to do this and Mona loves to drive it about ten miles per hour over the speed limit.  Me, I keep my eyes closed and try to keep my screams as silent as possible.

Idyllwild is nice…artsy and crafty with lots of little shops and art galleries along the streets; very quaint.  But we soon made an important discovery….Idyllwild is cold!  We decided that we hadn’t driven this far just to be cold again.  We found a cache, grabbed a quick lunch and safely headed back down the mountain.  Safely, because this time I drove!  J


We love to drive a convertible in the valley so we rented another Mustang; we’ve had yellow, and we’ve had black, but this year Mona chose red.  I think that color fit her perfectly!

Another of our favorite places to visit is Indian Canyons.  This is Cahuilla Indian land just south of Palm Springs.  As you drive past the entrance it appears that this is barren desert…almost a wasteland.  But as you travel deeper into there  you find hidden oasis filled with Washingtonia Palms and frigid torrents coming down from the mountains above.  These places feel like a little slice of heaven.  We come here to relax, recharge and reflect.  This time we brought a picnic lunch and found the perfect spot on a boulder right in the middle of the stream.  That was one of the best meals of the trip!

Another must-do for us is Sunday polo.  As usual, we started the morning with field-side breakfast at

The Proper Tools for Divot Stomping

the Eldorado Polo Club.  Here you are so close to the field that the horses ride within feet of your table.  Then we moved to the Empire Polo Club and got settled into our seats.  These seats are also close to the field, but they are elevated so you can see more of the action.  One of the features of Empire is the Champagne Divot Stomp.  Everyone gets a free glass of champagne which you then drink as you stomp divots on the field.  The trick is making sure it's a divot and not a biscuit! 

I know it’s a cliché but, all too soon it was time to leave.  We turned Hi (that’s what Mona calls her Highlander) east and headed for Arizona.  At Quartzsite we turned north on Route 95 on our way to Cedar City, Utah.  This route is yet another beautiful Arizona highway as it follows the Colorado River leading us to Lake Havasu City.  There we checked out the London Bridge…the one that was falling down and then shipped to Arizona and rebuilt there.  After our break we continued north making our way through the middle of Las Vegas, where we appropriately marveled at the glitz, and then finally arriving at Cedar City, Utah…where it’s also cold like Idyllwild!

There are several ways to get from Cedar City to Bryce Canyon.  The obvious route is straight west.  The other two require an extra 30 minutes each.  I was skeptical about the obvious route because of the how "squiggly" it looked on the map so I asked the desk manager which route was better.  She said the direct route was the best.  Next morning at checkout I asked the morning manager which route was best.  "Direct route," came the reply.  I asked if there was snow on it.  "No, no.  There's snow alongside the road but the road is clear."  So, that's the route we chose. 

The direct route is Highway 14.  It starts out in Cedar City at a gentle incline...winding a bit as we merrily make our way through the pass.  Life is good.  Then we see this sign, "Snowchains required until March 31st."  It's March 27th.  Hmmmm....  We continue on our way....a little less merry.  Then we see a patch of ice on the road.  Okay...not, bad.  Then more ice.  And the temperature drops from 36 to 16.  We are still climbing and the road is squiggling and now the road is coated in ice.  No guard rails.  Hairpin turns.  White knuckles at 5 mph.  The entire trip is supposed to take only 60 minutes and we've now been on this mountain for 90 minutes before we finally reach the crest at 9600 feet.  Whew!  But wait…our relief was premature.  Now we have to make it down this mountain…still with squiggling roads and ice, but now also with a blinding sun in our eyes.  Yikes!
Short story: we lived.  But I definitely do NOT want to do that again! 

After safely making it to US 89 it was only about 40 miles to Bryce Canyon, a bucket-list item for us.  We made our way to Inspiration Point and there it was….a breathless overlook of one of nature’s wonders. It’s almost impossible to describe the hundreds of spires of red rock…we’ve never seen anything like it, and so a picture will have to suffice.  But a picture doesn’t really transmit the depth and wonder of this canyon.  You’ll need to see it yourself…and learn what hoodoos are!

There are several national parks in this area, each with wonders of nature and beauty.  We would have loved to visit them all, but those visits will have to wait for a return trip.  We have commitments back home and need to continue on.

Our plans were to head east on I 70, visit Arches National Park, and then head east only stopping in Denver to visit our friend, Paul.  However, that was not to be.  A look at Colorado’s DOT site showed that a 110 mile stretch of I 70 west of Denver was snow-covered and chains were required on big trucks.  Odds were good we could have made it, but we had no provisions in case something went wrong: Not one glove, no heavy coats, not even an ice scraper.  It was obvious we needed to turn south.

South it was, back down US 89 towards Kanab, Utah, then eastward where we would cross the Colorado just below the Glen Canyon Dam.  This is a beautiful route with mountains, mesas and incredible scenery on both sides as you twist and meander your way south.  We stopped here and there, a rock store, or a place to get a Navajo Taco…wherever took our fancy.  Our fancy let us to stop at an overlook for Lake Powell where the ice blue colors of the water were surrealistically painted against the red rock canyon.  If we had seen that on a painting we would have thought the artist had dreamed up that palette of colors.

Loved walking this bridge!

We also stopped at the Glen Canyon Dam Visitors Center.  Here is a museum telling the story of this massive dam’s construction and providing an overlook of the dam.  Awesome. Mona and I took the opportunity to walk across the adjacent Navajo Bridge which spans the Colorado just below the dam.  What incredible views!  Walking the bridge gives you a better appreciation of the engineering and effort it took to harness the Colorado.  It’s hard to believe this was built in the 1930s!

Afterwards, we continued south on US 89 to Flagstaff and then turned Hi eastward.  Only 1200 miles to home!

This trip has spanned over 4000 miles.  Over those miles we’ve seen so much of this beautiful country and we've met new friends everywhere we go. And of course, the four of us have had a lot of fun together, in the truck for all those miles and in all the restaurants and hotels we’ve visited.  We are so lucky to be able to travel like this.   We can’t wait to pack our bags and head out again!

February Cruise Trip

It's been awhile since I blogged anything.  Not much has been going on other than snow, recovery from my foot surgery, and snow and snow and more snow....and cold.  Did I mention snow?

We had enough snow and cold so decided it was time to head south for a little relief!  Our first stop was in

Memphis staying at a hotel near Beale Street.  Early in the afternoon we visited Sun Studios where many great old time rockers got their start.  Visiting this place is like stepping back in time!

Next up was Beale Street...about four blocks that are filled with live-music venues and restaurants.  And there are blues musicians on almost every corner playing for tips and trying to get discovered.  This is blues heaven!  Our two primary locations for the evening were Rum Boogie and B B Kings.  At Rum Boogie's we filled up on BBQ and red beans and rice.  Then caught an absolutely great band called the Jeff Jensen Band.  They came to our table to talk about some of the great blues places in STL...they love that city for its blues. This is a great blues band and the lead guitarist is one of the best we've ever seen.  B B Kings is a great venue for the blues and we had great seats.  The band wasn't the best, but it was still a good time!

New Orleans was our next stop.  Our hotel was two blocks from the French Quarter making it a perfect starting point for our first foray into the New Orleans Mardi Gras.  We started our visit with Oyster Po Boys....just exactly what we've been craving for so long!  Then came the required trek up and down Bourbon Street....gawking at the amazing, laughing at the silly, and quietly moving along at the awkward.  There is no place like Bourbon Street at night.  Not sure if that's good or bad, but it's fact!

With Latasha

Our focus was live music and it's everywhere on Bourbon Street.  You just walk along until you hear a sound you like.  We heard Zydeco coming out of the Krazy Korner and grabbed a couple of seats.  The lead guitarist and lead washboarder were wearing white shrimp boat boots and were incredible!  This was Danny T and the Blue Crawfish!  However, the star of the show was the washboarder, Latasha.  She was incredible!  Who would have thought a washboard could add so much to the music!

Next up was The Beach!  Yet another great band, The Wild Wild Band, was playing.  Reminded us of Smash Band from STL.  The Beach has a great dance floor and we'd highly recommend it!

Afterwards, it was time for more oysters....a perfect way to end our first day in New Orleans!

We started our next morning with another New Orleans tradition, at least it's a tradition for tourists.  We bought beignets and coffee and headed to the Mississippi Levee to dine and watch all the boats.  Nice and sunny up there!

With our beignet sugar high we were ready to tackle our first Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. Wandering through the French Quarter we ran into members of the parade getting assembled and starting their parties.  No wonder the paraders are all so happy...they get started at nine AM!  But, no judging here, this is New Orleans!

We wandered for a bit, window shopping and taking in the sights...all the Mardi Gras decorations and all the Mardi Gras revelers.  Finally, we wandered back to Bourbon Street stopping here and there to listen to live music, until finally settling back in at Krazy Korner for more Danny T and Latasha on the washboard.  It was nearly parade time and the crowds got bigger and crazier as parade time approached.

At last, it was here...our first New Orleans Mardi Gras parade.  This was nothing like the St. Louis Mardi Gras parades....no floats here.  This parade had about a thousand costumed people walking, laughing, singing, playing instruments and throwing beads.  It was a riot!  This parade was by Krewe of Kork so the theme was wine...and there was plenty of wine flowing!  What a great way to have a parade!!!

All kinds of people like Mardi Gras!

Mona has required at least 4 meals a day during this trip...what else is new?!?!?  That fits perfect with New Orleans because there is so much great food! Oysters about any way want them, gumbo, shrimp in every form .....on and on and on!  Much of that we've tried before, but after the parade we discovered Boo Fries...a plate of French fries, topped with grated cheese and then smothered in rich brown gravy.  O.M.G!  This recipe is coming home with us!!!

Finally, it was time to board our ship, the Carnival Elation.  The port parking lot in New Orleans is adjacent to the dock.  You literally get off the garage elevator and walk into the boarding facility.  Very easy!

This cruise is a five night cruise with two full days at sea, one day in Cozumel and another day in Progreso, Mexico.  We spent our time doing what everyone does on a cruise: eating, dancing, going to shows, eating, playing games, eating, ....and then doing it all over again.  There were people from 56 nations on this ship and it was fun meeting many of them. We talked to people from Siberia, the Philippines, Ukraine, Croatia, and England...just to name a few.  Of course, we also met lots of new friends from here in the US.

In Cozumel we did a little geocaching and walked around San Miguel, soaking up the sun.  We ended up at Wet Wendy's and had another great meal there.  In Progreso we found our way to the local beach.  It's lined with restaurants and clubs which all have thatch-covered huts on the beach.  We choose Tommy's and claimed a couple of chairs under a hut.  We spent the entire day there...enjoying the sunshine, talking to vendors and walking the beach.  It was Mona's birthday and our waiter helped Mona celebrate by continually bringing her free shots of tequila.  We had a blast!

Thatched huts in Progreso

All too soon we were back at the dock in New Orleans.  We had no definite plans and ended up driving to Baton Rouge and then down to the coast of Louisiana. We saw only one alligator, roadkill, but saw lots of other animals including a couple of dolphins.  We wound up in Port Arthur, Texas, and spent the night there.

Next up was Hot Springs, Arkansas.  We wanted to see the National Park and then go to the horse track. However, the forecast of up to one inch of ice and extended power outages changed our plans and we hit the road to home.

It was a great trip...we got to meet lots of new people and the warm weather was wonderful!  We even heard people complaining about the heat...in February!  That definitely was not the case with us...we loved every degree of every day!