Author: Bill

After recovering from the loonng trip from Oz and baking in Florida for two months we are going to Alaska. One state we have not been to. I stopped at Anchorage briefly to refuel on my way to Viet Nam in 1971 but neither of us have spent any time there. Rather than take a ship and skip around the outside coastline, we are flying to Anchorage, taking a train to Denali, tour Denali, and then a train to Fairbanks. Then drive a car back across to Valdez and other points south. Many activities along the way, every day.

14 July 2022 – Good Morning …. Happy Birthday Christian!! Hello Everyone!! We made it to Alaska, Anchorage Specifically, at 8 PM Anchorage time. It was a long day with two fairly long flights but everything went well with no delays or cancellations. (Yeahh Delta). We were in Seattle long enough to get a sandwich and a beer, then on to Anchorage. It occurred to us that we had traveled, diagonally, across the North American Continent. Wow!

Only pictures I have so far is of Mt Rainier from the airplane, the snow capped mountains, from the airplane, and the view from our hotel room. We checked into our hotel, unpacked a little, waited until 10:30 PM to call our Grandson Christain in Australia who is celebrating his Sixth Birthday today (yesterday for him). We had a nice chat and watched him open a few pressies.

Today was an extra day we had added to our itinerary to ensure we did not miss part of our planned events due to arriving late. We looked at it as an extra day to explore Anchorage and see what happens in Alaska’a largest city.

First I must apologize for not posting anything for a couple days. Our schedule got the best of us and we are finally taking a break so I can catch up.

We started the day with an Uber ride out to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The center was created to help preserve and promote the culture of Alaska’s native population. We arrived there and spent a several hours watching native dances, a talk about native customs, and listened to some native songs. After that we walked around a nicely presented area that contained native houses, some artifacts, and interesting sculptures. We concluded our time there by walking through their museum and some local artists selling their crafts. All very interesting.

A quick note before we get to the pictures. July is Alaska’s rainiest month. The good part of that is all the flowers are in full bloom and very beautiful. Where they don’t grow wild, they are planted. Very nice. The down side was we ended up with a bit of rain and plenty clouds. It rained part of the day and cleared up in the afternoon. The cultural center was part inside and part outside. We were fortunate that most of the time that it did rain we were doing the inside. Interesting thing about Alaskan rain. It seldom rains hard, it’s mostly just a misty type rain or foggy. Now for some pictures.

After the Cultural Center we Ubered back to downtown Anchorage just to check it out. Lovely City. Downtown is modern but picturesque. Lots of flowers, shops, restaurants, etc. Had lunch at a popular local watering hole called Humpy’s. We had Reindeer Cheeseburgers and a beer. We were going to go out to the site of the Earthquake damage from the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. We asked at the information center and they recommended seeing a movie about it shown at the nearby Federal Building … So we did. No pictures from the movie but was quite the catastrophe. You can google it and there are many pictures and the story on the internet. Funny how we forget these things happening. Anyhow, we bummed around for a wile and ended up at the 49th State Brew Pub, sat way up on the top deck, and had a local brew. We had along day and an early start the next day so we went back to the hotel for a good nights sleep. Here are some shots from Anchorage.

15 July 2022 – Leaving Anchorage today via the Alaskan Railroad. We depart Anchorage a little after eight AM and were scheduled to arrive in Danali in mid afternoon. Took an Uber from the hotel to the train station, checked in and had a latte waiting for the train. We departed on time and we were happy we had selected to sit in the “Gold Star Class” because we sat up high with big windows that went right over the top. Train was full but comfortable.

We were escorted down to the dining room for breakfast and later Lunch along the way. Scenery was impressive but a bit redundant (lots of trees). It was an interesting ride, food was good and nicely served. Met some interesting people but didn’t get many good photos. One of the reasons I don’t like public ground transport is you can’t stop to look at or take pictures of stuff. You just hope to see it as it whisks by.

Okay … We arrived in Denali, we were scooped up by our Hotel, and taken to our room. Got to the room about 4:30 and prepared to go on our 6:30 River Raft Adventure.

Our Hotel was way up on this mountain side so every time we went somewhere I had to put on my mountain goat attitude. Anyhow, we met the pick-up bus for the Raft Ride and checked in. Because the rivers here are coming directly from a melting Glacier, the water is about 34 Degrees, Fahrenheit. If you fall in you don’t last long. Consequently, everyone has to wear a dry suit with neoprene cuffs around your neck and arms and your legs are in neoprene boots that are part of the suit. Took a while to get all this stuff on and was very cumbersome. After everyone was suited up we bused over to the Nanana River and jumped into our boats and were off. It was a two and a half hour float and we got started at about 7:30 PM. The float we went on had a number of level two rapids and a couple level three. We were not looking for thrills, just a float trip. The guide was good and the other six people in the raft were pleasant people so it was a nice trip … no one fell in. We got back to the hotel at about 10:30 PM after turning in all our gear and walking back to our hill top cabin. Our Hotel is actually a series of cabins. So … here are the pictures.

Okay then … That was our raft trip. Got finished at about 10:30 PM. walked back to the mountain top cabin (It’s still daylight) and hit the sack because we have a 5:15 pickup for our Tundra wilderness tour (Denali National Park formerly Mt McKinley NP) tomorrow morning.

16 July 2022 – Got up at 4:30, (it’s still daylight … or daylight again!) had a coffee, and headed down the mountain to meet our pick up. Got on the bus at 5:30 AM and started our bus tour of Denali. Cars are allowed to drive only thirteen miles into the park, our bus (A National Park Tour Bus driven by a National Park bus Driver/Guide) can go to 43 miles … the end of the drivable roads in the park. Only one road in the park, this was it. Guide was good, knowledgeable, witty, and a good driver. Our tour took five hours and included many stops and much explanation. Good tour, saw lots of stuff. Thing to keep in mind as you enjoy the pictures … we are on a bus, bumping along and everything is far, far away! Many shot s are just views. An incredible place to see.

That ends our time and adventure at Denali. Tomorrow we sleep in a bit, have some coffee, and catch the train to Fairbanks. Had a delightful dinner this evening, going to get some well deserved rest. Next Post from Fairbanks.

17 July 2022 – Today we spent a lot of time waiting to do something. Our checkout out of our mountain top retreat was 11:30 so we checked out. Our train for Fairbanks left at four so we only had four and a half hours to kill. We sat in the lobby, took a shuttle to the station, waited in the station, and finally got on the train. I will admit, the train ride from Denali to Fairbanks, although only taking four hours vice eight from Anchorage to Denali, was far superior to the first leg (Anchorage to Denali). The views of the canyon where we rafted a couple days ago were terrific, then following the Yenana River to Fairbanks was interesting. We had dinner on the train, it was good. Had dinner with a Russian gentleman who spoke no english or german. Very nice guy. Was going to visit his daughter who lives in Fairbanks. Here are some Photos from our train ride.

Once we arrived in Fairbanks we grabbed a hotel shuttle to out hotel, checked in, had a night cap, and went to bed. Early up tomorrow.

18 July 2022 – After an early breakfast we took the airport shuttle to the airport and picked up a rental car which we will be using for the next eight days. So we flew in, rode a couple Ubers, a train, a bus, another train, and now we are going to drive a car … Using many modes of transportation. We had two major events today. One visiting a Gold dredging operation and the other a Steamboat paddle ship ride on Alaskan waterways. Both turned out to be very interesting, informative and fun. We even panned for Gold and Nancy and I, in one scoop of gravel each, panned out forty dollars worth of gold. Here are all the exciting pictures! They will be in three parts. We saw the Alaskan Pipeline (Biden hasn’t shut it down yet but did reduce the flow) A gold dredging operation, and the paddle boat ride.

Then the Gold Dredging Operation

… and our Paddle Ship Cruise

That concluded a very busy day in Fairbanks. Tomorrow we drive on the Richardson Highway from Fairbanks to Valdez. No tours or attractions planned but keeping an eye out for interesting things. See you then.

19 July 2022 – Welcome to Valdez. We got a good night’s sleep, a pleasant breakfast, and an early start for our nearly 400 mile road trip from Fairbanks to Valdez via the famous Richardson Highway. Rain, fog, washouts, and construction filled our day but we had a nice trip, saw many interesting sights, and made it safely to our hotel by just after 3 PM. One of the bridges just south of Delta had washed out a little over a week ago so about 30 miles of the road was one lane and you had to be escorted by a pilot vehicle to get through. We past through several other construction sites, some of which were one way, but we didn’t lose much time overall. Sometimes the stop was a welcome break. Once past the Denali turnoff, about 100 miles from Valdez, we climbed our way through Thompson pass in the Alaska Range and then down through Keystone Canyon. A deep narrow canyon with many waterfalls along the sides from the snowmelt. Very beautiful. The Alaska Pipeline runs kinda along the same route so every so often we would spot it running along beside us like a an old friend. Sometimes it would go under ground or under a river but eventually, there it was on its way to Valdez as well. It passes 35,000 gallons of oil every minute which equates to 500,000 barrels a day. Heres our trip.

See Ya Tomorrow!

20 July 2022 – Incredible day cruising Prince William Sound. An amazing place abound with sea life, islands, ancient forests, and commercial activities. We departed around 8:30 AM. It was quite foggy as we slipped out of the marina into the Sound. There were many commercial fishing boats heading out, some small, some bigger. Today was what the locals call an “opening day”. Some days you can fish, some days you can’t. It’s the way the Department of Natural Resources manages the salmon population to ensure it does not get overfished. As today was an “Open Day” everyone was headed out to make a living catching the Pink Salmon that hatch here and come back two years later to spawn.

The boat was comfortable and not crowded so we could move around, up and down, forward and aft, as much as we wanted. It was also quite cool, breezy, and cloudy but there was promise of nicer weather as the day progressed. The day ended up being quite erratic as the sun would come out occasionally and it would get foggy or rain every so often. We just tried to enjoy as much as we could. It was along trip and included a little breakfast and a bigger lunch. The trip took nearly eight hours but was well worth the time.

Once we got away from the Marina and out into the sound our pilot and guide stopped the ship and we watched while he explained the fishing process. In order to ensure they don’t kill off all their livelihoods, the commercial fishing industry funds several large Salmon hatcheries in the area where millions of small Salmon are hatched. Once they get to be about the size of your little finger they are released and they all head out to the Pacific Ocean. They live, eat, and grow there for about two years, then, guided by nature and their DNA they head back inland, up the same course they followed out, to lay thier eggs, and die. When they are still in the ocean they are large, plump and healthy. As they swim inland, up the streams, they use all their body fat and eventually, by the time they lay their eggs, are skinny and exhausted. Consequently, the sooner you can catch them coming in from the ocean, the better they are to eat. The problem is they are all spread out in the ocean so they are more difficult to net. Once they get into the Sound, they tend to swim close to shore so that’s where the fisherman try to catch them.

The moutains around the Sound are snow capped and incredible.

We came upon a great herd of Stellar Sea Lions enjoying a day at the Beach.

The sea has been lapping at these rock islands for thousands, even millions of years. The edges of the islands are very interesting.

The captain spotted a Pod of Orca Killer Whales. He tried to cruise next to them for a while so we could watch then swim.

Three ladies shared the seat we had. All three were from China. One was a tour operator from Las Vegas, another was a dealer for Harrah’s in Las Vegas, and the third baby sat her grand daughter in San Fransisco. They were an interesting group to spend the day with. Very pleasant ladies.

We also met two couples from Denmark who were traveling together. One of the guys collects Amber on the beaches in Denmark. He gave Nancy a couple rather big pieces. Nice people.

The Islands in Prince William Sound are abundant and interesting. Most have at least a few trees on them, others many. Some are of the Islands are large, some tiny. All Interesting.

Soon we started to see small chunks of ice floating in the water. As we went along they became more abundant, bigger, and some had seals on them.

Our destination was to see Mears Glacier. This Glacier is actually advancing rather than shrinking. It once was way past where it currently is, receded for a couple hundred years, and is now advancing again. A truly impressive sight. While we parked by it, we could hear the ice crack, then a big chunk would tumble into the water ( Calving)

We proceeded back to Valdez from there. The captain told the story of when the Exon Valdez dumped 2 million barrels of crude oil into the sound and all the things they have done since to prevent that from happening again.

The Valdez end of the Alaskan Pipeline was more visible so I took a couple more pictures of it.

So that was it for our tour of Prince William Sound. We had a pleasant dinner and sacked out for the night.

21 July 2022 – A travel Day. We are going from Valdez to Seward. The agancy split the trip into two days so we are spending the night in the Sheep Mountain Lodge near Sutton. Interesting place with several glaciers on one side and impressive mountains (including Sheep mountain) on the other side. All the rooms are little cabins. We’ll spend the night here and drive the rest of the way to Seward tomorrow.

See you tomorrow on our way to Seward.

22 July 2022 – Yeah!!! We made it to Seward. Once again, fog, rain, sunshine, etc. Alaska in July. Good trip though. Saw a bunch of interesting scenery, Nancy spied a couple Sheep on Sheep Mountain, interesting parts of the world.

23 July 2022 – Today we are going on a cruise that includes Kenai Fjords National Park. OK … Got’er done! Cruised the Kenai Fjords National Park. It was a cold, windy, rainy cruise but interesting. Much like our cruise out of Valdez. Saw a few more hump back whales and a mountain goat (not a Dall Sheep). The glacier was big, but not as impressive as the Mears Glacier in Valdez. Guess once you’ve seen one they all kinda look alike. Here’s my photo’s. Alibi here … taking pictures of things a long ways off using max telescopic is like trying to find something looking through a straw. Then, with the ship biobbing up and down it gets really interesting. To placate the fussy I have added some pictures I have taken of posters, pictures, and other photograph’s that are a bit more impressive. They are of things we have seen but I just didn’t get a picture, at least a good one, of the subject. Enjoy.

We shared our seating spot with a couple from Isreal … interesting people, enjoyed their company. One of the better parts of traveling is meeting people from different places and different walks of life.

I know the pictures are pretty underwhelming. Like I said .. the boat was bobbing up and down and shooting a distance was tough. Here are some good pictures of things we saw that some professional photographer shot. Enjoy.

That wraps up the day. Was one of the coldest and wettest so far. Tomorrow we drive back to Anchorage to start our return to home.

24 July 2022 – Driving back to anchorage today .. Sunny day, temps supposed to reach the 70’s. Go figure! Just a few shots from along the way.

We arrived in Anchorage with no problems, went downtown for dinner, and ended our trip. Flying back to Tampa tomorrow. Thanks for coming along. Next trip will be to Europe. See you then.

After 26 months of trying to convince the Australian government that we should be able to visit our family, the government relented and started allowing parents of people who live in Australia visit them. Wheeeeww!!! ** A note: Oz is Australian for Australia. They shorten everything they say to one syllable, then they add an “ie” to the end of the abbreviated word. For example, Breakfast would be Brekie. So, Australia would be “Ausie” but it’s cooler to say “Oz”.

So it was that on the 25th of February we arrived in Brisbane after two fifteen hour legs from Miami to Doha, Qatar, to Brisbane. We arrived in the early evening to a heavy rain and nearly deserted terminal. We had all our paperwork in order so we were through immigration before our bags came out. We didn’t look suspicious so the Customs folks waived us through and we were on our way to the rental counter. There we found the counter was closed due to lack of business and that we were to proceed, by airport shuttle, to the domestic terminal where there was another rental car counter. We nearly drowned dragging our four bags through the heavy rain but did find the bus, did get to the domestic terminal, and did find the rental counter. No worries there, we got our car and drove from Brisbane to Coomera (about 40 miles) in a heavy rain … at night … on the wrong side of the road … with the steering wheel on the right side of the car … all while hanging upside down on the underside of the Earth.

When we left back in Jan 2020 Australia was on fire. There were, major fires all along the east coast killing thousands of animals, destroying hundreds of homes, and causing severe damage. Now, in Feb 2022, they had epic rains that were killing thousands of animals, destroying hundreds of homes, and causing severe damage. Even the roads where we stayed were closed in some places where the creeks and rivers overflowed over the road.

The rain eventually stopped and now only downpours on occasion. The creeks returned to their banks, the bridges opened, and the mud dried up. Best part of all is that we were back with Andy, Candice, Samantha, Cathy, and Christian (our Family) again. Samantha had graduated from St Stephan’s College last November and she was leaving for Uni in Perth in a week so we were pleased we got to spend some time with her. She was selected to attend Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts. It is a well noted university that specializes in the performing arts. Hugh Jackman and Frances O’Conner are a couple of their alumni. **Note: Colleges, in Australia, are private schools that educate children (and young men and women) from Kindergarten through High School. Post High School education is at establishments called Universities … Unies.

So far we have settled in for our stay in Oz at the “Folly”. The famous bungalow in Willow Vale, Australia which is close to where our family lives. I have had pictures from previous trips in this blog but here are a few of and around the Folly.

We have also attended a very cute and well performed “Grandparents Day” at St Stephan’s College, the School where Christian is now in Kindergarten and Cathy is in year nine. Grandparents Day was put on by grades Pre-Kindy through year six. The Pre-Kindy and and Kindy students presented an Easter Hat parade and the year one, two, three, four, five, and six students performed songs in the auditorium in groups of two grades at a time.

One weekend we went to a big tent display of Dinosaurs. It was mostly for the kids but was interesting to see.

School years start in Late January and end in early December with their Summer vacation being over December and January. Christian and Cathy had their first quarter break in early April so we rented a Houseboat and spent five days sailing around the “Broadwater” area. Coomera is right on the east coast of Australia and is near the Pacific Ocean. Between Coomer and the Pacific are several long off shore islands that create a shelter from the ocean much like our “Outer Banks” in Virginia and North Carolina. Several major rivers flow into this area and create a shallow but peaceful body of water called “The Broadwater”. That is where we sailed.

Raining this week but more activities to come. Check back and see what’s happening in OZ.

Welcome back. It’s now the last day of April and we are preparing to leave Oz and return home. I’m sorry to report that we did not take any rel exciting tripd or do over the top exciting things. It has been a long time since we saw our family so we are just spending time and doing things with them. Following are several set of photos about things here in Oz that I have found interesting or at least different. Although Australia is a very modern western country, it has a heavy European flavor and is still inhibited by a number of British customs. Regardless, it is a very interesting place to visit. The people are very friendly and polite. Customer service in just about any store is exceptional with clerks, waiters, bar tenders, cooks, etc all being very helpful and friendly. For the most part, except perhaps when they are driving, Australians are very polite and will seldom call someone out or challenge someone. They are very tolerant for the most part.

Because of the heavy European influence much of the architecture is European and most mechanical things are heavily heavily over engineered. Frames on anything are normally twice as big and/or strong as they need to be, machinery is heavy to the point of being clumsy, and home additions like steps, patios, etc are all very heavy and over done with beams and struts. That all comes from Europe … same thing there. The difference is in Europe they keep these old things and use them for centuries, here, Australians like new stuff and much of the old, built to last forever, is left behind. I think that is due much to the high number of other nationalities that live here. Here’s a breakdown of their population. Ethnic Groups: English 25.9%, Australian 25.4%, Irish 7.5%, Scottish 6.4%, Italian 3.3%, German 3.2%, Chinese 3.1%, Indian 1.4%, Greek 1.4%, Dutch 1.2%, other 15.8% (includes Australian aboriginal) … I think the Chinese numbers are a he soccer player’s parents.little low as well as there are a significant number of people from the Philippines and New Zealand that live here. Actually, based on what we have observed the many times we have been here, there are many more Aisians here in Australia than these numbers reflect. That is one of the main reasons that the old European buildings and traditions are lousing ground fast. To illustrate my point, Nancy and I were recently invited to the home of some friends we have here. They are nearing retirement so they sold their big home and have moved to a Condo near the beach. They had a little, informal, house party for some of their friends. Here they are: I will not bother with their names but from the front left going around the table is; The lady is a Medical Doctor who came here from the Phillipines long ago. The guy behind her is from Portugal, the Doctor’s partner. Next to and behind him is a gentleman from Nigeria. He is a Catholic Priest who immigrated here to attend the Seminary. Behind him is a young lad who is the best soccer player in Queensland, he was born here but his parents are from Sri Lanka. Next are two Americans (do they look familiar?), they don’t do much of anything but loaf around. Next is our host, the guy standing in front of the mirror. He and his wife (the photographer and our hostess, not in the picture) immigrated from South Africa and they are of Indian decent. They are both educators at local high schools. The front right couple are both from Sri Lanka, they are the soccer player’s parents. The lady owns a beauty shop in Brisbane and he runs an automotive store in Brisbane. It is very common to find mixes of this type anywhere in Australia where regular people get together. Missing from this picture are is a Lady from England and her husband. He was an airline pilot and they moved to Spain recently. Also missing is a couple from New Zealand. They are not there because the husband is in advance stages of Altheimers. Pictured but not mentioned is all the awesome, authentic South African food with an Indian twist.

Anyhow, here are some of the areas we have found interesting so I’ll just post the pictures and fill in captions to explain. Enjoy! The first ones are more from around the place we stay at.

Nancy and I have some favorite things we do to pass the time. Time here is the same as at home in Florida. The hours of the day need to be filled with something. We spend as much time as we can with the family but they go to work, school, etc, have their own lives and activities so we too have ours. We usually get up between seven thirty and eight and have coffee, review the news, emails, send out jokes, do puzzles etc until around ten or so. Then we do what chores and other activities we need to do until noon or so. Some days we go out for lunch, some days we go to a local coffee shop for a Latte and and some sort of sweetie. The afternoons are spent walking, shopping, touring, or whatever. Sometimes we just stay home and read, or write, or nap. Not the most exciting life but then, we are retired and to me it sure beats working half days (Six Am to Six PM). Here are some random shots of some of our activities.

However, before the thrilling pictures, let me tell you about some of the way things are around here. Restaurants: There are not many, just plain restaurants. Those that are are fairly fancy and expensive. People go to them on special occasions. Where most people eat is at taverns. Most taverns have three parts. A bar where you can quench your thirst or eat snacky things, like we do in the US. They also have a dining area the is seperate from the bar. There you are usually seated by a host or hostess and provided menus or the digitl menu is available on a q-code thingy on the table. Once everyone decides what they one, one or more members of the table walk up to a counter and order what everyone would like, pay for it, collect the required number of utinsels, napkins, and seasonings and sauces and return to the table with a number on a stick. Some places have their tables numbered and instead of a number on a stick you give your table number. You then proceed to a bar (not the tavern bar) and get your drinks (both alcoholic and non). Then go back to the table and enjoy your drinks and table partners until your food comes out. The meals are brought to the table. If you use the q-code thingy it all happens right there at the table on your phone. (Menu, order, pay, drinks, pay, q-code knows what table you are at) and it all comes out by server. While this does seem a bit more hands on, it does eliminate waiting for a waiter to take your order or a waiter getting your order wrong. You then enjoy your meal and when your done, you leave (you already paid for your meal when you ordered it). No waiting for the waiter to bring the bill, come back and get your credit card, bring back your payment, etc. One last thing. There is no tipping in Australia. Wait staff are paid around twenty five dollars an hour. They do excellent work because they want to keep their jobs. Yes, the cost of a meal is higher but you no longer need to decide if and how much to tip, etc. No one can short a waiter because they are cheap or didn’t like their service etc. I kinda like it. I’m tired of service businesses expecting me to pay their employees and employees not reporting their income Anyhow, back to the third part of a tavern. The Pokies. The pokies area separate room where there are all kinds of slot machines and para-mutual betting. They call them “Pokies” because you poke money into them. How clever is that?

Anyhow, that’s taverns. In addition to taverns there are all kinds of take out places that sell just about any kind of food or meal you can imagine. They also have bakeries (big and little), butcher shops, and grocery stores where you can get food. The taverns all have basically the same food but some are a little better than the others. Chicken Parmies are the big thing. That’s a big ole chicken breast, breaded, fried, and covered with some kind of sauce. French fries of course (they call them chips here) and a dab of some salad (whatever they can pick along the road side). In my humble opinion, there is very little good food in Australia. I’m sure some place has good food but we have not found it yet. Some of the little coffee/pastry shops have interesting food, and the fancy restaurants have better than average food, but for the most part their food is just like what you get in England. Bland, mostly carbs, and covered with some kind of gravy or sauce to kill the taste. My favorite food here to date is a chocolate muffin from Zarraffa’s (a coffee shop). Pizza is pizza here .. a good work around as is some of the ethnic foods. Much Asian and Indian cuisine available. So here are the random shots:

That’s about it for now. We won’t be here much longer so I don’t know if I will post more or not. No big exciting plans.

Australia is a very interesting and unique place. I can’t imagine coming here for a week and trying to experience it all. I will say, experiencing any part of it is interesting so should not be missed. We wil continue coming here as long as we can. Have trips to Tasmania planned and other parts of the country. Enjoy.

We have talked about doing a cruise through the Panama Canal for quite a while. We had it scheduled for last year but it was cancelled by the Cruise line due to COVID restrictions. We booked this one in hopes we would be able to go by now, and we were. So, off we went. The cruise was from Ft Lauderdale, through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. Here is a map of the cruise and stops.

A week or so before we left we were notified that the stop in Nicaragua was cancelled due to COVID restrictions. Oh well. The day before we left home, we took COVID tests via the internet, passed, and packed. The next day we rented a car and drove to Ft Lauderdale and turned in the car at the airport and spent the night near the port. The port, airport, and hotels are all fairly close together. We walked to a pleasant dinner that evening near the hotel, spent a quiet evening, had a nice breakfast the next morning, then caught a shuttle to the port. The first thing they did at the port was to take our luggage, confirm our tickets, and give us another COVID test. Once we passed that we were processed onto the ship. Not sure what they would have done if we had failed the test to get our luggage back but that didn’t become an issue. Anyhow, we got on board the ship around one O’clock, and started our vacation. The boat was supposed to leave around four but was delayed, for some reason, until after six. No worries though. Nancy and I explored, tasted, tested, rested, relaxed, and snooped until we got the lay of the boat.

We finally got under way. We were informed that our stop in Columbia had been cancelled due to new COVID rules the country had come out with. (We were disappointed with this news because Nicaragua and Columbia were the two countries on the cruise where we had not been yet. We were looking forward to seeing them. Not much we could do about it now and we were still going to do the Panama Canal, the primary reason for the cruise.) Because we were not going to Columbia we would be at sea for four days before we got to the Panama Canal. So, for four days we cruised doing ship board activities. There were plenty and we had good weather and a nice time. Got some sun, met some people, you know, old people cruise stuff!

After the sea days we got to Cartagena, Columbia. I know, I told you it was cancelled, but for some complex reason the ship had to stop there for a day to qualify for a certain kind of voyage. That’s what the captain said anyhow. So we pulled in, never docked, several little boats went back and forth, then we sailed in a circle for a while and finally we left.

We left Columbia and headed towards the Panama Canal. I’ll show you some of the inside of our ship while we are underway.

We were going to go through the new locks because the cruise ship was too large for the old ones. Both still operate. The Panama Canal is actually two set of locks. One set on the East side of Panama from the Atlantic, and one set on the west side from the Pacific. The area in between these two sets of locks is now a huge, man made, lake that allows the ships to travel across Panama. The two sets of locks, one east and one west (Actually, the canal runs northwest to southeast because of the curl of Central America. I will call everything east to west just to keep our directions straight.) are like big dams that hold the lake there. The boats go through the locks to get to the gate, then across Panama on the lake, and out the locks on the other side. This takes a fair amount of time so some shipping companies unload on one side and truck their cargo to a ship on the other side. At each end there are many, many boats waiting to go through. The canal operates from east to west in the morning and west to east in the afternoon to avoid collisions on the lake. The lake, being man made on a mountain valley has many islands that were once ridges. Three towns were covered by the lake. The lake is about 80 feet above the two oceans it connects.

The locks raise the ships about 80 feet from sea level to the lake. Instead of having one large chamber, they use three so three ships can be raised at one time, each about 25 -30 feet per chamber. That allows the locks to use water from one chamber to pow er the next.

Congratulations! You have just passed out of the Atlantic Ocean into Lake Gatun. We will spend most of the day meandering through the lake to get to the Pacific Locks.

We are now anchored at Panama City. We have a day ashore here. We booked a tour that takes us to the old locks and the downtown area. The tour included about 40 people so it was kinda unorganized. We did get to see the old locks and down town though so here they are.

So that was Panama City and the canal. In case you were wondering they have different price scemes for a ship going through the canal. Cruise boats are charged by the rooms they have. It cost our ship just a little over $500,000.00 to go through!

The tour was too big for the one guide we had. He spent more time trying to keep track of everyone than guiding and seemed overwhelmed most of the time. Traffic and lost people used up more of our time on the ground than seeing interesting things. It was interesting, just frustrating … and HOT!

So we went back out to sea and motored up to Costa Rica. The ship offered a number of cruises there but Nancy and I were in Costa Rica just last year and had nothing we wanted to redo. We just walked off the boat and into the “Trade” area in the harbor. Checked out a bunch of souvenirs, listened to a band, had a couple beers, and went back to the ship. Quite relaxing.

Off we go again. Another day or two at sea. Then ashore at Hautulco, Mexico. This little fishing village is a hidden jewel. Far enough from California that all the pretty people haven’t been there yet. They have devoted a lot of time and effort to making the place pleasant and it has a lot to offer. We had booked a full day tour. The harbor and ocean then a tour of the old city. The tour of the harbor and sea was first.;

I think, if I ever wanted to drop out of society, I would go to Huatulco, buy a small home on a hill, a small motor bike, and a medium sized (30 – 45Ft) sailboat, and a small dingy type motorboat and live there. The people are friendly and welcome people that want see or live in their city. It is only eight hours or so from a bigger city, and it has an airport so you can really get to anywhere n the world you would want to go to. The weather is mostly pleasant with low humidity and moderate temperatures and the ocean is very pleasant there.

Enough dreaming. So we set sail again and our next stop is Porto Vallarta, Mexico. This place WAS found by the pretty people of California and is over ran by tourists, both transit and time sharing types. It even has a Walmart and a Sam’s! All the major fast food outlets and many of the chain stores we have right here in the US.

Nancy and I had booked a tour here but after our experiences in the last two tours we had we cancelled it and decided to just take a cab to what was called the Malecon (Seaside Promenade) and walk around and see what there was to see. So that’s what we did. Had a great time. Here’s some pics:

We took a taxi back to the ship and called it a day. Our next stop was our last stop at Los Angeles. Busy place but the boat people made it work well. It was the Saturday before the Superbowl in LA so everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was busy. We did get out, were delayed and nearly missed our connection in Atlanta … we made it but our luggage didn’t (it was delivered to our house the next day). A couple pictures from the port in LA. (They are blue because the pictures were taken through a window on the ship.

That was our Panama Canal Cruise. Like I mentioned in some of my blather about us in the intro to this website, we don’t like big tours, crowds, or lots of people. The cruise had them all but we did have a good time, met some wonderful people, and got to see the Panama canal.

This was our last stop for our time in Peru. We flew into Lima from Cusco and spent the night in a hotel at the airport. We stored out luggage there, packed a couple of backpacks and some “Jungle” clothes and took a flight out the next morning to Iquitos.

Iquitos is far in the Northeastern part of Peru and is accessible by air and river only. There have been no roads cut through the mountains and the Amazon Jungle to reach it. The city was established long ago as a trading center for the huge rubber plantations that existed in that area. Being unable to hire enough local people to work the rubber plantations, owners brought in boat loads of Chinese laborers to do the work. Recognizing the value of the product and the climate it grew in, the workers smuggled home seeds and clippings of the rubber plants and started growing them in China. After a while the Chinese market for rubber outgrew the Peruvian market and the Peruvian market collapsed.

Iquitos is now a old town with residents that make a living doing the things everyone else in Peru do. They farm, have shops, and have trades. The primary mode of transportation in Iquitos is the motorized bicycle of various sizes.

We landed in Iquitos at the airport and were taken to a hotel downtown. It was claimed to be the best hotel in town but was a little rough around the edges. Everyone was very friendly and helpful so Nancy and I had a pleasant evening in restaurant. Nancy even taught the bartender how to make Gin & Tonics even thought Nancy speaks no Spanish and the bar tender spoke no English. We had a fun time.

A little about the trip. The next morning we were picked up and taken to an outfitters shop. We were fitted for and provided with a pair of heavy rubber walking boots that came up to our knees. We each got a pair. We were also briefed on the trip to where we were going, what our camp would be like and that we would be four hours from the nearest civilization and there was no phone or medical service where we were camped. The boat we went down the river on was a long (about twenty to twenty four feet long) and narrow with a canopy over the passenger section. There was one seat on each side with a narrow aisle down the middle. Soon we were ready to go so they loaded us up in a pickup and took us to our boat. The boat was at the bottom of a set of stairs off of one of the streets. It was not a harbor but just a place to tie up your boat when you came to town. We passed our gear down and helped them load supplies for the camp. There was the guy who drove the boat, his assistant, and our guide, Moises. The driver again briefed us the trip would take about four hours but assured us there was a “rest area” along the way. Off we went.

We were on the Amazon for five days including our arrival and departure days. We spent four days and three nights in the camp. Each day at the camp we would get up and have breakfast. Our guide would brief us on the day and we would go out for our morning trip. The trips would last two to four hours and we would get back for lunch. After lunch we would again go out and return around sunset for dinner. After dinner we would do a night time activity. We were busy but it was fun. Some of the trips were on land and some were in boats … some were both. I’m not going to do this day by day but rather just show you most of the tings we did. Enjoy!

So we made it back to Iquitos, turned in our boots and gear, and they took us to the airport. A most interesting trip.

We made it back Lima, picked up our luggage and spent the night at the airport hotel. Next day we flew home with many, many fond memories. Super trip.

From Cusco we took a ride to a small resort where we spent the night before being taking an early train that would take us to Agua Caliente at the base of Manchu Picchu. The train had a viewing deck so we enjoyed that. We arrived in Agua Caliente early, had a coffee, and hopped a thrilling bus ride to Manchu Picchu. There we met a guide and spent the day touring the mountain. That night we spent in an interesting hotel in Agua Caliente. The next morning we went back up to Manchu Picchu and explored for much of the day. We came back down and caught a train back to Cusco.

You can hike into Manchu Picchu from where the train starts but it is a four day hike, you need porters and you cross 12,000 and 13,000 foot mountains. We opted not to do that. We didn’t know it until the train stopped where you get off but there is a one day hike you take from that train stop. It takes nearly a full day but you don’t need porters and lots of camping gear. Both trails end at a point above and looking down at Manchu Picchu called The Sun Gate. It is on the east side so that’s where the sun appears each day. We also had a pass to climb a steep mountain in the middle of Manchu Picchu but it was raining the day were had the permit for and we didn’t want to risk slipping and getting injured. I know that sounds whoosy but we had a lot of stuff planned and doing it on crutches was not an option.

That was Mancu Picchu. Pictures just don’t do it justice. It is one of the most impressive works of man that I have seen anywhere. The story of it’s discovery by an English Explorer in the late 1800’s and the work to restore it is an amazing story. Check it out.

That was our two days and three nights in Paracas. We were then picked up the next morning and rode the bus back to Lima to the airport. There we were to fly to Cusco. Cusco is a large city in the mountains of Peru. It is considered a stepping stone to Manchu Picchu because it gives you a chance to get accustomed to the altitude. Cusco is at 11, 150 feet MSL. We were taken to our hotel and told to rest for the rest of the day to get used to the environment. We were accustomed to this altitude because our Cabin in Colorado is at 11,500 feet so instead of resting we walked about Cusco.

We were in Cusco a couple times during this trip. Once on the way to Manchu Picchu and once on the way back. Each time we did walk abouts and tours. I will label the highlights.

That was Cusco and the surrounding area. Again, we were here two different days but enjoyed both visits. We had a full day to walk around and explore Cusco. A delightful old city. We found the highest Irish Pub in the world at Cusco … at least that’s what they claimed.

That was our first couple days in Peru. On the third day we were taken to the Bus depot and put on a bus (In First Class) to Paracas. Paracas is a coastal town a ways south of Lima. It had been damaged quite badly by an earthquake several years ago but was in the recovery mode. Paracas is famous for two things. The Balistas which is a series of rock islands just off the coast that are inhabited by millions of birds and thousands of seals. There is a company in Japan that comes to the Balistas about every five years and harvests all the bird poop (Guana) that accumulates on the islands. The seals are there just for kicks. The other attraction is Paracas is the closest city to the Nasca lines. The Nasca lines are huge carvings in the desert that resemble creatures in flight or just standing around. By huge I mean miles long and wide. The desert between Lima and Paracas is one of the oldest in the world and has a thick crust (about 6 – 12 inches thick) covering it. The Nasca lines are carved through this crust exposing the white desert sand below the crust. No one really knows who made them or how they got there. My theory is that someone from space came and put them there and they mean something to someone. Anyhow. Here’s Paracas, the Balistas. and the Nasca lines.

The last few pictures of the Nasca lines, the figures, I downloaded from the internet. The ones I took from the airplane were of the same figures but much poorer quality because of the windows, movement, and my camera. They really do look just like this and are huge. Look’em up!

Welcome to Peru. Manchu Picchu was high on Nancy’s Bucket List and I always was curious about the Nasca Lines so one day we decided to see if we could get to Peru and see some of these wonders we had heard so much about. We went on line and found a site called Peru Tourism, told a young lady there what we were looking to do and see. She said she would email us a proposed itinerary and some associated costs. We went back an forth a few times and settled on the trip we took. I have broke this trip up because of the number of pictures. The website gets weird when there are too many pictures. This first one is the lead in and covers an over view and our time in Lima. There is also a post for Cusco, a post for Paracas, a post for Manchu Picchu, and a post for Iquitos and our time on the Amazon.

Peru was one of our more enjoyable trips. Each thing we saw was with a different company that was contracted by Peru Tours. Our groups, when we had them were small, we met some interesting people, and saw a bunch of interesting things. (If we look young it is because we did this trip eight years ago).

We flew from Miami and arrived in Lima, Peru late in the afternoon. We were met by some helpful gentlemen who took us to our hotel, made sure we were checked in, and told us a lady would meet us in the hotel lobby the next morning.

The next morning there was indeed a young lady waiting for us in the lobby, we sat down and she went over our itinerary, gave us the tickets would would need during our trips, and described how our tour would work. When she finished she told us we had the rest of the day to rest and become accustomed to the higher altitudes (although Lima was not that high).

Here is a map of Peru with the places we went circled:

Not wanting to rest but to see what we came to see we decided to walk down towards the Pacific ocean and see what Lima had to offer. It was very foggy for much of the morning but we did see some interesting things.

That was out time in Lima. We returned three times to Lima. Twice just to the airport to go to another city. Lima is an impressive city. Much culture, many warm and welcoming people.

Merry Christmas Everyone. Our Christmas Holiday season is being spent relatively local this year. Travel restrictions still keep us from visiting our family in Australia so we are just enjoying what we can where we are. We officially opened our Christmas Holiday Season by sending out our annual Christmas letter.

We have received many cards and emails again this year. It is always fun and interesting to read, and see in many cases, how people have changed or spent the year since we last heard from them. Always good to hear from friends and family.

On the 10th of December Nancy and I went downtown Tampa to enjoy the Tampa Symphony perform their Annual Christmas Concert Special at the Straz. A lovely evening. We spent the evening in town, had dinner at an excellent Moroccan Restaurant, enjoyed the symphony, had a night cap at an Irish Pub, and spent the night at a hotel downtown. We returned home Saturday morning.

So, now we are preparing to spend Christmas itself. We have attended dinners and parties in our neighborhood. Visited and greeted friends and neighbors all around where we live. Tune in later to see what we did for Christmas and New Years.

CHRISTMAS DAY – Again, Merry Christmas Everyone. We are snuggled into a quaint cabin in a ridge above Pigeon Forge, TN. Below us you can see all of the Pigeon Force city area as well as DollyWood.

We arrived here on the evening of 22 December after a scenic drive up though Florida, Georgia, and through The Great Smokey Mountain National Park from Cherokee, NC to Pigeon Forge, TN. The last leg, through the park, was sixty six miles at thirty five miles per hour but very scenic. All the leaves are gone so it’s a bit drab but still very impressive We did see a herd of Elk grazing in some of the lower pastures the park provides. As I mentioned, we arrived here in the evening of 22 Dec. I carried our stuff in from the car and Nancy unpacked the coolers and whatever needed unpacking. It was late so we drove down to Pigeon Forge to find food … you know, Hunting! We lucked out and found a very nice Brewpub (we like brewpubs) that served good food.

After a fulfilling dinner and a couple IPA’s we proceeded back to the cabin, unpacked and went to bed.

The 23rd was set aside for setting up for Christmas in our cabin and doing whatever we wanted. There was a very nice tree already here (with bunches of bright flashing lights) but Nancy still put our little tree up. I may be prejudice but I like ours better. I get photosensitive epilepsy from the flashing lights. Consequently we leave the big tree unplugged. It looks quite nice without the flashing lights. We do keep our little tree lit and shining on us throughout our time in the cabin.

After getting everything squared away at the cabin we decided to go back downtown and see what they have to offer. Pigeon Forge is much larger than one would expect and has an endless variety of shows, rides, restaurants, souvenir shops, museums, and whatever you can imagine. We drove around a bit and then parked and walked through an area called the Island. Interesting place. Best part was a huge fountain that performed to music. Comfortable chairs set up all around it so you could sit and watch and listen as long as you liked. We strolled, shopped, watched, and had a pleasant afternoon.

That wrapped up the twenty third. Christmas Eve morning found us enjoying home made cinnamon roles and coffee as we worked our way into a day of relaxation and meditation. Here are a few pictures of the cabin where we are staying and the view from our back patio.

Last night we went to a Christmas Mass at a local Church. First packed service we have seen since the COVID stuff started. A long but nice service.

When we got home we called our family in Australia. Being way down under they were already well into Christmas day. We got to talk with all of them, joke about our presents, and had a very pleasant conversation. They are all doing well … Thanks for asking. We adjourned for the evening and turned in.

Christmas morning found Santa had come through and filled our stockings. Nancy cut some German Stolen, I made some coffee, and we set out to see what he had brought. A pleasant morning remembering Christmasses past, opening gifts, answering texts from all over, eating Stolen, and drinking coffee.

That was our Christmas Morning. This afternoon Nancy gave me some more pool lessons. Beat me at Cribbage and Gin several times, and we listened to bunches of Christmas music. Later Nancy will be serving one of my favorite dinners; Cornish Hen. After Dinner we will again call Australia to wish our son Andrew a Happy Birthday. More tomorrow.

Wow!! Who would believe it’s the 6th of January in a new year?? My only excuse is that my films got lost at the photo center and I had to wait for them to be found. I’m sticking to that one.

We did call Andrew on his Birthday. We had a nice chat. We also undecorated the cabin from what we had put up and went down to the Brew Pub we started at for dinner. We had a nice dinner, came back to the cabin, packed the car, and got ready for an early departure the next morning. Which we did.

The drive from Tennessee to Florida is kind of interesting and takes about ten hours to drive … if you don’t get stuck in a traffic jam. Which we did. About one hundred miles from home we encountered the transformation of I75 from an interstate highway to a parking lot. Traffic stopped or moved very slowly. We finally bailed off of the interstate and zig zagged across Florida to the west coast and came home that way. We got home only a couple hours later than we had planned. On the 28th we unpacked, Nancy washed, we repacked, did some errands, spent a few hours with some friends, and prepared for our New Year’s event which was meeting Nancy’s Brother Brian and his wife Deb in Miami and driving down to Key West to spend New years. We drove to Miami on the 29th and checked into a hotel near the airport. We were tired so we just walked to a nearby pizza place for dinner. It turned out to be quite interesting as it claimed to be an Italian Pizza Place, but was ran by a Cuban guy who had lived in Italy. He had some friends there from Venezuela. It was an interesting group, we had a pleasant dinner, had an interesting conversation, and went back to the hotel and turned in.

The next morning we picked up Brian and Deb at Miami International. Was an interesting event as there was no parking available so we would park at some curb until the police chased us off and we would move to a new spot. Thank goodness Brian and Deb we only about an hour late. We scooped them up and headed south to Key west. It was a ninety mile drive that took four hours! A bunch of people were joining us!

We checked into our hotel, which was on Duval Street, and walked towards downtown looking for dinner. We found some food at an upstairs place that over looked the street. Shared several appetizers.

We spent the rest of the evening exploring and turned in to rest up for the 31st.

The 31st we spent the day visiting local points of interest, local watering holes, and celebrating New Year’s Eve. Fun day, long, but fun.

We had a very good diner at a nice restaurant on Duval and continued the evening’s activities till about one or two. I think I crashed first.

New Year’s day was kinda mellow. The hotel provided a pleasant breakfast so we enjoyed a leisurely time having that. Then we walked about the pier watching the big Tarpon swim around. Stopped at an interesting place for a late lunch, then boarded a big Catamaran for a Sunset cruise. The cruise was great, the sunset spectacular.

That was it for New Year’s day. It was up and at them the next morning. Brian and Deb had an 8 PM flight out of Miami and there were rumors of bad traffic all the way there. Consequently we left early and encountered a little traffic but not bad. Because we got back to Miami early we decided to show Brian & Deb The Everglades National Park. It is Winter so there was not much activity. It was a nice drive and we did see a lot of birds.

We got them back to the airport in time for their flight and they were off. I did find an interesting advertisement.

This is the real thing. If you want to be treated for a hangover they inject fluids and vitamins and you are supposed to feel great immediately. None of us tried it but we did run into one guy who had and he said it worked great.

So that was out holiday season from Pre-Christmas to New Years. It is different each year and a chance to try and enjoy different things. Wish you all could’ve been along.

We decided we did not want to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas at home and we still can’t go to Australia so we decided to “Get Away” by renting a cabin for each of the holidays. For Thanksgiving we rented, through Airbnb a two bedroom cabin in Hayesville, North Carolina. We have never spent much time in the Smokies so we decided to give it a try.

It turned out really nice and while it was a long drive it was not really a trip. It was just getting there and back. Hayesville is about six hundred miles from where we live so we decided to drive it in one day. The drive was uneventful even though it went through Atlanta. The heaviest traffic was in the suburbs to the Northeast of Atlanta. Fortunately we made it with no problems and just a few colorful words by Bill regarding other “drivers”.

The cabin turned out to be really nice, quite remote and private … and nice and quiet. It had plenty of room for the two of us. Was very nicely furnished and provisioned. Nancy brought everything she would need to prepare one of her wonderful Thanksgiving dinners so we were all set. Interestingly enough the cabin did not have a TV and only a slow Satellite Internet link. We don’t really watch all that much TV and usually only use the internet for our email so that was no problem. The owners had left a number of board games, we brought a deck of cards and a cribbage board, and I brought an old laptop I had that still had a DVD player so we each picked out a couple movies from our library that we could watch in the evenings. We were never bored, enjoyed several old movies we had not seen in a long time, Nancy abused me at Yatzee, and I squeaked out a victory or two on the cribbage board.

Here are some pictures of the cabin.

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we decided to drive up and see Great Smokey Mountain National park. We originally had a couple ways to get there but found that one way had been blocked by a landslide. We took a route that was west of where we were and it turned out to be quite a day. Part of the drive included a famous piece of road call “Tail of the Dragon” which features 380 curves in eleven miles. It is a favorite Summertime drive for Bikers and sports cars. We did it in our Subaru and it was still a ot of fun. I saw my tail lights a couple times. Great Smokey Mountain National Park is great but it was packed. The holiday weekend was clear and sunny so everyone took one last drive to the park. The park is just south of Gatlinburg and Knoxville so all the tourists from there came by. Sorry but no pictures. On the way home we stopped in Hayesville and had dinner at the Nocturnal Brew Pub. It was a great day. Saturday we just veged out. Played some cards, relaxed, packed a bit, and had leftover turkey for dinner. Sunday we drove home. Great trip.

For Christmas we have rented a Cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee which is a little father north from where we spent Thanksgiving. My Christmas Holiday post will include things we do at home, ouir time at Pigeon Forge, and our trip to Key West for New Years.