Trip Update Feb 2012 Part 1a

Does anyone know the Heimlick Maneuver?
Along Weeki Wackee Springs
Zebra longwing butterfly
Roseate Spoonbill

Trip Update Feb 2012 Part 1b

Green Heron
Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables
Venetian Pool in Coral Gables

We started the month north of Tampa at a FMCA rally along with 24 Born Free Motorhomes and hundreds of other RVs. While we were there we stopped in to visit our Rialta friends Larry and Edith. Larry was recovering from a heart attack. We also canoed the Weeki Wackee Springs and saw manatees under the canoe. We moved over to Lake Louisa SP, and put the canoe and trailer in storage since it would be more of a headache than a benefit in south FL. After a few days at Highland Hammock SP, we headed to Ft. Lauderdale and had dinner with my Aunt Bernie and her daughter Mary. Pat’s nephew Randy met us for lunch the next day. We continued south to the Everglades NP and hiked all the trails there. We did find something totally different to do there. As a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a secret Nike Missile Site was built hidden in the glades. Park Rangers provide the tour of the base. Most of the buildings are still standing and some are being used by the NPS. It was interesting to relive the days when people were building bomb shelters in their back yard. I remember when we had air raid drills in school and had to duck under the desk. I never realized at the time that those desks provided bomb and radiation protection. On our way back north, we visited the Miami Zoo, which has recovered nicely from Hurricane Andrew in 2005. We also took an airboat ride in the Everglades, which was a bit disappointing. We enjoyed dinner with our cruising friends Patty and Don.

We checked into a timeshare in Weston, FL for a week. We found out that Weston (10 miles west of Ft. Lauderdale) is a planned community. Apparently the planners didn’t envision us showing up in a motorhome. We had to park our RV 2.5 miles from where we were staying and commute back and forth by bike or walk. Next my computer died and I couldn’t find anyone nearby to work on it. To top the week off, the city decided that the day we needed to pack for the cruise would be a good day to test the resort’s fire alarm system. The alarm in our room rang almost continually for 6 hours! The only bright spot for the week was the bus tour we took of Miami and surrounding areas. We left the timeshare a day early due to the sailing date for the cruise. I dropped the computer off for service in Ft Lauderdale and after lunch with my Aunt Bernie we headed for Port Everglades.

Trip Update Feb 2012 Part 2

Welcome dance in Samana
Marin, Lois, Pat, Eldon & Don

Curacao at night

Our first hassle was finding parking for the RV. Port Everglades is located very close to Ft Lauderdale Airport. This is great for those flying in for a cruise, but parking between the two is certainly at a premium. We finally found semi-secure RV parking at a convenience store for $14/day. We arrived at the Holland America’s Noordam two hours before scheduled departure. That is when we found out that the Norwalk virus had made people sick on the previous cruise. Extra cleaning crews were brought in to do a thorough cleaning of all areas of the ship while all the passengers were sent to a waiting area. No one complained about the wait - we all wanted the ship cleaned. They must have done a great job because no one got sick from the virus.

Our first landing was Half Moon Cay, which is an island owned by Holland America. The beach was very nice, although the snorkeling was a waste of time. On Grand Turk we took a dune buggy tour of the island. The off road portion of the tour was fun, but most of the tour was on roads. The island did have a great beach. Next we went to Samana, in the Dominican Republic. We took a bus tour; the highlight was Taino Park, a museum about the culture and history of the Taino Indians and their demise due to the Spanish soldiers. After a day at sea we landed at Bonaire. Fortunately, our friends Eldon and Lois were staying on the island at their cottage with their daughter Marin at the time. Eldon picked us up at the boat and Lois had breakfast ready for us. We spent the day with them. We also did our best snorkeling there. On Curacao, we took a bus tour to Hato Cave and did a walking tour of the port city. In Aruba, we had a beach day on DePalm Island; unfortunately we had to cut our snorkeling trip short due to the rough conditions. After two more days at sea we were back in Ft Lauderdale. Overall, we were very happy with the cruise - great entertainment, food and weather. What more could you want!