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!

Trip Update Jan 2012 Part 1a

Sandhill Crane
Canoeing Alexander Springs in Ocala NF
Great Egret
Young gator

Trip Update Jan 2012 Part 1b

Black-crowned Night Heron
Break time
Baby gators
Wild Rhesus Monkey

The day after New Year’s Day we flew from Baltimore back to Orlando to pick up our RV and canoe trailer. Our trailer problems continued - the bearings on one of the trailer wheels over-heated and seized up. It looked like the wheel was toast, but we were unable to find a replacement wheel. Eventually we found replacement bearings and got the wheel repaired.

Last year, when we returned to Albuquerque, NM from our New Zealand trip we found an oil leak from our generator. Prior to that, a mechanic, while changing the oil, over-tightened the drain plug and cracked the housing. We had been trying for six months without success to get the dealer to refund our repair cost. Recently, we contacted the Good Sam Club for assistance in resolving this problem, and suddenly the dealer was happy to refund our money.

In Florida we drove to the Ocala NF and canoed Alexander Springs - one of the prettiest river trips in FL. This year we sought out county parks for hiking and future camping. Lettuce Lake was one of several new interesting places we found with lots of wildlife and hiking. We attended the RV Super Show in Tampa but it was too big to cover in one day. We also had a fun day at Busch Gardens. It must have been Brazil day because I think we were the only speaking English visitors.

We traveled as far south as Sarasota before heading back to Ocala. In between we visited the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and canoed four more rivers. At Silver River SP, an 84 yr old man told us about his ‘cracker’ life as a boy growing up in rural Florida. (The term “cracker” refers to the rural, poor, white people of southern Georgia and northern Florida who cracked the whip as they rounded up their cattle.) On weekdays, he shares his like experiences with the 3^rd and 4^th graders in his county.

Trip Update Nov-Dec 2011 Part 1

Petersburg battle defenses
Tom, Pat and Julie touring Savannah
Christmas Boat Parade
Broken tow arm

After our return from Africa, we spent three weeks in MD/PA visiting friends, relatives and doctors. We did celebrate my father’s 89^th and Pat’s father’s 84^th birthday with our families. On Nov 21^st, we picked up our canoe trailer that Randy and Marti stored for us and headed south. We stopped at Petersburg Battlefield and took the driving tour of the battlefield. Grant said, “The key to taking Richmond is Petersburg.” A nine and a half month siege proved him right and led to the Confederate surrender seven days later at Appomattox.

We canoed 3 rivers on our route south: the Lumber River in NC, and the Little Pee Dee and Lynches River in SC. We enjoyed a private tour of Rivers Bridge Battlefield, a little known Civil War battle where a small band of confederates in SC tried to slow Sherman’s advance north. After Thanksgiving, we meet Tom and Julie in Hilton Head and shared a very nice timeshare with them for a week. We took a day trip to Savannah and took a bus tour of the locations where many movies were shot (Forest Gump and Glory for example).

Trip Update Nov-Dec 2011 Part 2a

Gator in the Okefenokee
Ft Clinch, FL
Bulow Creek State Park, FL
Pat on the trail

Trip Update Nov-Dec 2011 Part 2b

Heron on Merit Island
Mrs and Mr Clause
Jacobs Family
Christmas gathering at Linda and Rick's

After Hilton Head, we camped for a few days at beautiful Hunting Island State Park in SC and watched a Christmas boat parade in Beaufort. We had a few trailer problems when we got to Georgia. The tow arm failed and we had to get an emergency road side repair. Now the tow arm is stronger than when it was new. I gave up dealing with the unreliable Yakama bike rack, recycled it and found a way to carry the bikes on the trailer without the bike rack. We canoed in the Okefenokee Swamp, and got drenched on the Tomoka River in FL. On the 17^th we parked the RV and flew to BWI from Orlando.

Our first stop was Carol and Cordale’s annual Christmas party which we always enjoy. We spent the next two weeks running back and forth between Laurel, Baltimore, York and Philly. Tom and Julie, Phil and Connie, and Floyd and Lauren were kind enough to share their homes with us. We spent Christmas Day with both of our families. We continued our tradition of New Years Eve bowling with Pat’s family.

The year ended on a sour note when my prostate biopsy came back positive for cancer. I guess I’ll be seeing more doctors in 2012!