Utah Wyoming Roadtrip 2018

August 29, 2018

Truly, traveling with my darling husband is exactly like traveling with a Toddler! Just as the Lyft driver, sweet Naomi, was pulling into our driveway, Rob discovered a stain on his shirt, so off he went to change.:( And, as usual, Atlanta morning traffic was a disaster, which means our drive to the airport took 76 minutes!  Luckily, we had allowed plenty of time for a coffee.   During our wait, our gate was changed three times.  Hope that's not an omen!

 Then, as we approached the Salt Lake City Airport, our plane began ascending instead of descending.  The pilot announced that we had a "missed approach" due air traffic control.  I'm really starting to hope that this isn't another omen. I could have stayed at the baggage claim all day witnessing the return of families reunited as their Mormon missionary child returned home after two years.  It was soooo heartwarming. We quickly picked up our rental car from Enterprise to officially begin our road trip, BUT, I put in the wrong address which brought us to Bountiful, UT instead of Salt Lake City, UT.  Fortunately, we only lost about 15 minutes.  Smoothly, we checked into our hotel, then dashed off to a local restaurant, Legends, for a quick lunch.  Rob napped, while I read, until it was time for a Great Salt Lake Sunset Tour. Before reaching the lake, we stopped to watch antelope play in the grasslands and a variety of birds in the marsh. The state bird of Utah is a sea gull.  Who knew? The weather was "Chamber of Commerce" beautiful, and I honestly do not believe that I've ever witness a more spectacular sunset!  I actually waded into the lake, and later was amazed to find salt dried on my legs.

Wednesday is sail boat race day, so we enjoyed watching all the beautiful sailboats.  Our tour guide explained that the Great Salt Lake is shrinking, and may one day totally disappear.  We also learned that Utah became a state in 1896 as the 45th state. We booked our tour through Viator, which I highly recommend! Once back at the hotel, we decided to walk to Starbucks for an evening coffee and oatmeal since we never had dinner.  Time for bed because tomorrow is another full day!

August 30, 2018

After a hearty breakfast, we ventured to what the locals call "the traxs" to catch our free, public transportation to Temple Square.  One thing we've noticed in SLC is that the place seems deserted!  But a local explained that the streets are very wide, and the blocks are very long, so people are more spread out.  Seven SLC blocks equals one mile.  We arrived at Temple Square with time to spare, so I roamed around the visitors' center while Rob people watched.  We had a private tour with two very sweet "LDS Sisters" from the Philippines and Thailand.  We learned SOOOO much from these enthusiastic gals.  Once again, I would definitely recommend taking the free Temple Square Tour if you visit SLC.  After our tour, we went to the noon Mormon Tabernacle Organ recital.

  The Tabernacle was constructed by a gentleman who had built bridges previously, but never a building.  The acoustics are amazing!  Without using a microphone, you can hear a pin drop from the pulpit all the way to the back row, over 176 yards away!  The organ recital was incredible!  We especially enjoyed hearing, "Oh, Danny Boy" accompanied by a flutist in the balcony.   We walked by an optical place, so we dashed in so Rob could have his lens replaced in his sunglasses.  While we were touring a lens fell out, but thankfully, a very honest/caring lady picked it up and returned it to Rob.  The folks in the optical store repaired his glasses (Toddler time again) with no charge, and we were on our way to lunch.  We enjoyed an absolutely divine lunch at The Copper Onion!  It is another "Can't Not" place to visit in SLC.
   Rob rested while I updated our travel blog.  Then we ventured back to the Temple Square area.  At 7:00 PM we witnessed a fountain show at the City Creek Mall like none I've ever seen before!  In the middle of the water fountain show, flames of fire emerged!  This amazing show was designed by the same gentleman who designed the Bellagio Hotel in Los Vegas.  We could have stayed there for hours, but it was time to go listen the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse in their gigantic Conference Center while holds over 40,000 people.  One thing we definitely learned was how very hard those singers worked.  The full orchestra accompanied these very talented singers.  What was quite entertaining was the conductor who kept stopping the rehearsal to ridicule the singers!  I expected to only hear religious songs, but they actually spent quite some time on Disney's "When You Wish Upon a Star."  The rehearsal was two full hours, but we only stayed for one hour because we were hungry.  We dined on delicious yakisoba noodles before heading back to our hotel.  And another day in wonderful Salt Lake City ended.

Friday, August 31, 2018

After a hearty breakfast, we checked out of our hotel, and began our journey to our next destination, Kanab, Utah.  The drive was really easy because there was little traffic and the speed limit was 80!  We stopped at the Rocking V Café for a quick lunch before heading over to the hotel to check in. Rich, Rachelle, and Connor beat us by about 30 minutes, and our rooms are close to each other, so all is well.  After a short visit, everyone went their separate ways until our meeting time, 7:30 for dinner.  The hotel recommended a great place, across the street called Iron Horse.

 What a great fine - live music, great bar, and delicious food.  It was a fabulous place to reconnect with our Arizona family!

September 1, 2018

This is a day that we'll always remember and cherish!  After meeting for breakfast, we gathered into our tour guide's, Caleb Henderson with Kanab Tours, truck to travel to Bryce Canyon.  The trip took a little over an hour which gave us time to talk about our day, Bryce Canyon, and Utah in general. We stopped at the Visitor's Center to get a stamp in my National Park Passport, take a quick bathroom break, and purchase a few items, then parked the truck.

After viewing the canyon from the top, Rob opted to spend his time relaxing and reading his Kindle, which proved to be a very wise decision because the terrain was treacherous.  As we hiked down, the little pebbles cause several other hikers to slip and fall. 

Once down in the bottom of the canyon, we took amazing pictures.  Caleb saw one of his friends, also hiking, that he grew up with in Alaska!  Small world.  The climb back up the canyon was a bit challenging for me, not because my legs were tired, but because I was having difficulty breathing as we climbed back up to elevation 8,300.  BUT, I pushed on, only stopping twice, and was quite proud of my accomplishment.

We then drove over to Historic Ruby's Inn for a delicious lunch!
Next on our agenda, quad ATV rides on the sand dunes, woods, and eventually down to Peek A Boo Canyon.  Richard was our driver, while Connor rode with Caleb.  I can honestly tell you that I was petrified at first, but soon that adrenaline rush kicked in and I loved every thrilling moment. Even Rob said he loved it!

The pictures we took in the canyon look exactly like National Geographic!  I am so happy that I switched to my Samsung phone, because the pictures are spectacular!  When the ride was completed, we were all covered in sand!  I even had sand under my contact lenses!  Man, did that shower back at the hotel feel refreshing.  Now, we're off to Houston's Grille for dinner.
Dinner at Houston's Grille was okay, not great.  The food was decent, the dessert was super, but we could only order beer!!!!!!  Oh, well, calories saved, I suppose.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Opening statement - YOU SHOULD PLAN TO ARRIVE AT ZION NATIONAL PARK NO LATER THAN 0800 HOURS!  Luckily, I had called the park prior to our trip, and the ranger advised that we arrive as early as possible, because by 0900 hours, the Visitors' Center Parking lot would be full.  So, we left our hotel at  0630, arrived at 0745, and had no problem finding a parking space, plus the line at the canyon shuttle bus was only a 15 minute wait.  We took the shuttle to the last stop, #9 Temple of Sinawava.  The ranger warned everyone before boarding the shuttle that we shouldn't enter The Narrows due to the possibility of flash floods.  This seemed a little crazy since it was a sunny day, but he mentioned that it was raining in four areas around us.  Okay, we were convinced, but you can't even imagine the nutty folks who entered The Narrows anyway.  Along the way, we encountered a very friendly squirrel that we ignored which turned out to be a good thing since squirrels are the most deadly animal in Zion.  Apparently, when folks try to feed them, the ungrateful little creatures bite the humans and give them rabies!! We did hike down to where The Narrows begins and back.

 We all rode the shuttle bus back to the Lodge where we got Rob settled with a coffee and his kindle.  We then hiked to the Emerald Pool.  Along that path, we saw a baby deer, and Richard heard a rockslide. When we looked over to the other side, we could see the cloud of smoke left by the tumbling rocks and boulders.  On our hike back to the Lodge we saw a tarantula and cute stripped lizard.  Lunch at the Red Rock Grill (at the Lodge) was delicious, plus we had an amazing view.  By the time we returned to the Visitors' Center around 1300 hours the line for the shuttle bus snaked back to the parking lot with an approximate two hour wait and absolutely NO available parking!  We saw cars parked along the road with "Tow" signs, as well as one with a $700.00 fine!  Like I mentioned earlier - ARRIVE EARLY!!!!
Now, we're off to dine at "On the Ridge" to celebrate Rachelle's birthday. After a little confusion, we finally arrived at this gem hidden away, actually in Fredonia, AZ - who knew?  Our dinner was fantastic!  Rich, Rachelle, and I ordered "cold NY strips" that had been marinated for five days in a fridge.  Once cooked, this process created an incredibly delicious crust.  You can bet I'll be researching for this recipe!  Rob and Connor ordered bison burgers that they raved about.  We celebrated Rachelle's birthday with a great brownie with espresso ice cream!

  It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend!

Monday, September 3, 2018

Happy Labor Day!  I set my alarm early to get started on laundry, and by the time we all gathered for breakfast, it was almost completed.  Sadly, we said our good byes to our AZ family, because they had a six hour drive home.  I finished our laundry, we packed for our next destination, and checked out a little before noon for Green River, Utah.  Once again, the traffic was extremely light as we drove through places that resembled another planet!  River Terrace Inn is a truly gem in the dessert, strategically located on the Green River, with lovely landscape, pool, and gigantic rooms with amazing views.  After settling in, we walked next door, but first encountering a wiggly snake, to the Tamarisk Restaurant, another gem!  We enjoyed coconut crusted tilapia, and I had a pleasant surprise with delicious local wine, Petroglyph White.  Yum!  We watched the hummingbirds feed on the many feeders at our hotel before returning to our room for computer time, showers, reading, and bed.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Trip Advisor reviews raved about the breakfast at the River Terrace Inn, but I was skeptical.  I mean, breakfast is breakfast, right?  WRONG!!!  This place offers a "made to order" breakfast with everything imaginable, plus a huge buffet with the most delicious locally grown melons.  Little did we know that melons are grown here in Green River!  We had planned to explore the town, BUT there was one problem, there is no town!  So, I decided to visit the John Wesley Powell River Museum across the street.  Very good decision!!  The twenty-minute video explained the exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers by John Wesley Powell.  If your travels ever bring you near Green River, it is certainly worth the stop.
Next, we ventured over to Arches National Park, and to our pleasant surprise, there was absolutely no traffic.  After a quick stop at the Visitors' Center to get my passport stamp, we traveled over to "Delicate Arch" which is so associated with Utah that it is the symbol on their license plate.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, so the hike up to "Delicate Arch" was pleasant.  From the parking lot to the viewing area, it is only about 1/2 mile with a few steps. We continued through the park, stopping at "Balancing Rock" and "Park Avenue" to a few pictures. Then, it was time to travel over to our next destination, Moab's Adventure Canyon Lands Night Light and Sound Show.  I highly recommend the small gift shop here because of the wide variety and reasonably priced merchandise.  Dinner before the cruise was delightful, and made even more so by the sweet, young couple we met from Houston.  It was a traditional Utah dinner with a lovely salad bar, veggies, BBQ chicken, beef, and pork.  Truthfully, I was not expecting anything special for dinner, but figured the evening cruise along the Colorado River would make up for it, but, once again, I was wrong.  Just before we boarded our cruise ship, we were treated to a most spectacular rainbow.  We could definitely see rain in the distance, and from time to time, a little lightening, but we enjoyed an evening of "Chamber of Commerce" weather.  As we traveled along the river, our captain, Dee (a male), narrated interesting facts about the formations and history of the Canyonlands. We enjoyed the slightly religious and patriotic overtones,  Quickly the time passed, and the tour concluded. And another perfect day in Utah ended.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Another early wake up time for us because we needed to be at the Moab airport by 8:45 for our flight with Redtail Aviation.  Before boarding the plane, we visited with Dave, a delightful employee until our pilot, Michael arrived.  We rode on a small four seater with a nice man from PA.  In no time we were over Canyonlands viewing the amazing sights.  First famous landmark, Island in the Sky, then Horseshoe Canyon, Mesa Arch, the Green River, the Colorado River, and the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers.  From the area, they appeared to be lovely, loopy ribbons twisting among the canyons and mesas. The Maze and The Needles were amazing! We were ahead of schedule, so Michael flew us over Castle Valley.  We even saw the small winery, Castle Creek, where the wine is that is served in most of the local restaurants.  Next, we flew over The Arches to many of the places we visited yesterday, such as Delicate Arch, Balancing Rock, Park Avenue, Windows, and Devils Garden. Our tour was over far sooner than we wanted it to be!  The aerial perspective was beyond our wildest expectations!  A million thanks to Teri and Alan for insisting that we took this tour!
We drove over to Canyonlands Visitor's Center for my passport stamp and a few more treasures to take home.  Once again, the ride was fantastic!
Back in Green River, we decided to have a late lunch at Ray's Tavern, a recommendation from Trip Advisor where I enjoyed a terrific Mahi Mahi entrée.
Now, we're catching up on the blog, email, Facebook and reading before heading back over to Tamarisk for dinner.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Sad to leave our lovely inn in Utah, but it's time to go explore Wyoming.  We're relying on Waze to navigate, and I must admit the roads traveled are gorgeous with beautiful scenery.  One of the things we've noticed about Utah is that the rest stops are typically located in lovely lookout areas.  We took a quick detour in Provo to visit a Starbucks (not too many in Utah) before continuing on to our next destination, Evanston, WY.
The ride was easy, other than a heavy, but short rain storm so blinding that I could barely see the road.  Luckily, we drove out of the rain, and arrived at our Hampton Inn around 3:30.  We are definitely in Wyoming.  The bathroom hand towels are decked out with wash cloth bandanas. I took advantage of the clean laundry facility to do the last loads of laundry for this road trip. While waiting on the laundry, I worked out at the gym.  For dinner we headed over to Lincoln Highway Tavern where I enjoyed shepherd's' pie and Rob had a burger. Back in our room, we relaxed, read, and packed for tomorrow.

Friday, September 7, 2018

After a light breakfast, we headed out around 11:00 to our next destination.  However, along the way, we decided to slip over to Idaho for lunch.  The ride from highway 89 to 30 was beautiful.  We saw bison, cowboys, and also ran over an already dead skunk.  For about the next five miles, the car really smelled awful!!!  Finally, we reached Montpelier, and Twisted Subs for the VERY best ever homemade pretzels!  I had the caramel crunch, OMG, and Rob had traditional pretzel bits with mustard.  It was amazing to watch the gal hand make these from fresh dough.  We decided to take ours with us because we simply could not eat all of them!  The ride into Jackson Hole, Wyoming was gorgeous as we paralleled the Snake River.  Our hotel room was a HUGE disappointment, because it felt more like a large closet than a room.  Unfortunately, the hotel has no vacancy, so we're stuck, but we'll be posting plenty on Trip Advisor and Booking.com.  After a short nap, we walked down Cache Street, passed many restaurants, but finally settled on Hand Fire Pizza where we enjoyed a fabulous Italian sausage pizza, along with a fresh greens salad with homemade dressing.  Yum.  Now, we're getting ready for tomorrow's big adventure in Yellowstone.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Our day began with light sprinkles and clouds, but quickly turned into blue skies with an abundance of sunshine!  Our guide, Spencer, from Teton Fly Fishing and Float trips picked up all eight passengers and we were off to explore Yellowstone National Park.  Along the way, we stopped for photo ops at Jackson Lake, Yellowstone Entrance, the Continental Divide (elv. 8,262), several gorges, canyons, Snake River, hot springs, geysers galore, and a cute bison by the side of the road.  Spencer's cell phone didn't have service the first time he checked on Old Faithful's next eruption, but when he finally had cell service, he realized that we were probably going to miss the eruption. Right as we drove in, Old Faithful was putting on a show, but Spencer wanted us to be there at the viewing sight, so he said we'd come back, and indeed we did.  Meanwhile, we went into the Old Faithful Inn for a quick pit stop.  It is a lovely old inn with lots of charm and character. Next stop, Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geysers Crater where the water was crystal blue and the steam created a panoramic of the visible spectrum. We took a boardwalk hike out to the mud pots where you could actually hear the bubbles popping!  Another fascinating spot was the Clepsydra Geyser. After viewing Old Faithful a second time, we happened to pass by a bison taking a nap. Besides the endless geysers and other hydro-thermal sights, we saw beautiful lodgepole pines, aspens and several waterfalls while in the  caldera.  Yellowstone is actually a volcano, and we spent the day down in the bottom, as well as riding on top. We stopped for a picnic lunch around two before heading over to the Yellowstone Canyon and absolutely stunning waterfall.  As we were exiting the park, we encountered a bison road block/jam as several of these massive beasts decided to cross the road! Our last scenic passage was the 20 mile ride along Yellowstone Lake.  Wow! During our ride back to our hotel, we saw plenty of bison!
Tonight we decided to try Italian, and we had a fabulous dinner at Glorietta, which was a three minute walk from our hotel!  We shared the calamari (yum) and pasta dish (double yum) and I had a Caesar salad.  We splurged and enjoyed gelato for dessert.  Another amazing day ends!

Sunday, September 9, 2018

My phone alarm announced that it was 49 degrees outside!  But, by the time we finished breakfast, and I left for my walk downtown, it was sunny and warm.  It is incredulous how the temperature can fluctuate 30 degrees from day to night!  Lucky me, Jackson was having an arts/crafts show, so while Rob rested, I explored.  All of the vendors were local and only sold handmade items.  What fun!
Time to head out on our tour of the Grand Tetons!

Our tour guide, Jack, picked us up promptly, then we drove over to the Rustic Inn (we originally booked here last year, too bad we didn't rebook with them!) to pick up the other couple for our half day tour of The Grade Tetons. We headed over to Moose Trail where Jack immediately spotted a HUGE moose munching away.  We watched him for a while before driving over to Jenny Lake for a few amazing views/photo ops.  Next we drove by a group of prong horned antelope containing several does and a very large buck.  These antelopes are the second fastest animal on earth, surpassed only by the cheetah.  We skirted around Lake Jackson, stopped for a quick break where Rob enjoyed a cappuccino. The scenery was like perpetual postcards!  Every one more beautiful than the one before.  We saw lots of bison as we headed over to where Ansel Adams took his original picture of Snake River.  Naturally, I felt compelled to do the same.  Next, we spotted a group of five elk, again, enjoying dinner.  Jack took a little detour down Mormon row where we stopped to take pictures of an often photographed barn.  Way to quickly, our tour was ending, and we called Uber for a ride to our final dinner in Jackson Hole at the Gun Barrell. We were very grateful for our reservations since the line snaked out into the parking lot! Trip Advisor has recommend the velvet elk tenderloins, which were beyond fabulous! The dessert we ordered, peanut butter ice cream pie, was truly the way to end a fantastic road trip.

Monday, September 10, 2018

After breakfast, we headed off to the Salt Lake City airport, BUT not without some excitement along the way.  We were enjoying the gorgeous scenery when a cowboy, on the side of the road, flagged us down.  As we slowed to a top, we realized what was happening.  Cowboys and sheep dogs were herding thousands of sheep across the road!  The noise was like nothing I have ever heard, and the entire episode was almost magical. I will replay that scene over and over again in my mind whenever I think of our road trip.
When we returned the car, the Enterprise guy informed us that we had traveled 1,630 miles!  Loved seeing our beautiful country, but now we're ready to return to our home sweet home, especially our family and friends!  Until next trip!

Kleimon-Kruger MN Reunion 2018

July 1, 2018
   And we're off - Robin, David, Lily, Rob, and I boarded Southwestern headed to MN for our Kleimon-Kruger Reunion.  Luckily, our flight was uneventful, and we arrived around midnight.  Robin and the kids went home with Jim, while Nancy drove us to the St. Peter AmericInn where we checked in at 1:50 AM.  We'll be sleeping in tomorrow.

July 2, 2018
   Wow!  The AmericInn has the most awesome omelet maker in their breakfast area.We'd never seen anything quite like this!  We had a very relaxing day, followed by an amazing evening at Jane and Peter's lovely farm house.

  The fish fry was soooooo delicious, with lots of yummy side dishes.  It was simply heart warming to watch the kids play together.  They especially enjoyed the wonderful horse rides, thanks to Tina.

July 3, 2018
   Today, while the guys went fishing, the gals went to Bernice's for a visit and brunch.  I loved watching all her various birds, especially the ones we don't see in Atlanta.

  Everyone returned home for a rest, then we drove out to Frank and Laurie Burg's lake house for a cookout and pontoon ride.

Watching the 4th of July fireworks on Lake Washington was spectacular.

July 4, 2018

I loved how this Fourth of July began!  Robin, the kids, and I met up with Rachel, Dave, and kids to watch a good old fashioned, small town parade.  Truly, patriotic and represents the true roots of our country.  Something I had never witnessed before was how the parade participants threw candy to the kids.  Honestly, David and Lily collected as much candy as they did at Halloween.  Sweet David made me smile with pride when he shared his candy with kids who were smaller and hadn't collected as much!

 After the parade, we walked around the town square.  While there, I checked out the new Veterans' Memorial which was quite impressive.  We returned for a rest before heading over to Jim and Nancy's for a traditional BBQ, including delicious Minnesota hot dogs.   Bliss, pure bliss. Everyone had a great time playing pool, ping pong, darts, and pinball.

 Once Rob and I returned to our hotel, we were treated to a second showing of fireworks because our window looked directly to the fairgrounds where beautiful fireworks kept us entertained for quite some time.

July 5, 2018

Today's destination, out to LeSuer to have a delightful time with Barbara and Lyle! From the hysterical welcome sign to the even funnier games, we laughed constantly.  Our lunch was beyond delicious, and I've even returned home with a new recipe.  We spent time riding around their many acres, watched birds, and relaxed.

Once back in St. Peter, Robin, Nancy, and I strolled around the town of St. Peter!  I helped the local economy a bit, before heading back to the hotel to change for our last family event - dinner at The Landings.  It was a "Chamber of Commerce" evening with a beautiful sunset on Lake Madison. Rob announced that Jim Kruger's name would be engraved on St. Peter's new Veterans' Memorial.  We posed for pictures, hugged everyone, and said farewell until our next reunion.

July 6, 2018

Well, I had a little time to spare before heading to the airport, AND I had heard that a quilt store was closing in the next town over, so after breakfast (those delicious omelets) I scurried over to Mankato.  Indeed, the store was closing, and I found several great buys that just happened to fit into my luggage.
Jim took us to the airport, our return flight was uneventful, and once again we're thinking "Got to love those "Minnesota Nice" folks!

Oasis of the Seas (Reconstructed Post)

Oasis of the Seas, June 10 - 17, 2018

Well, technology is grand when it works; however, when an entire post is lost, the author is bummed!
Luckily, it was an incredible cruise, so the reconstruction will be less painful.

Saturday - June 9, 2018 We caravanned to Port Canaveral from various locations:  Ari and Robert drove from Acworth to Port Canaveral, Rich and Connor flew in from Phoenix via Orlando where Rob, David, Lily, and I were staying after our road trip, and Dan/Christine drove in during the early morning hours after watching her daughter's dance recital.

Sunday - June 10, 2018 - We met at the Royal Caribbean port to process in.  Everyone was quite grateful for our Diamond Status as we never waited in line!  Everyone settled in their staterooms, all located on the sixth floor, then quickly headed off to lunch.  Afterwards, we headed to the pool for fun in the sun.
Dinner was awesome at our table for ten!

Monday - June 11, 2018 - We docked in Nassau and quickly headed out to our excursion - Atlantis!  Everyone had an incredible time - Lily, David, Dan, and Christine rode the horrifying "Leap of Faith" while the rest of the crowd rode less daring rides.

 I spent my time reading at the relaxing pool.
Back on the ship, we had our first formal night, then dashed off to catch some of the Broadway musical, "Cats" before retiring after a great day.

Tuesday - June 12, 2018 - Day at Sea means sleeping in, breakfast, kids at the Adventure Club, gym, walking the lovely track, Diamond Club, and one absolutely stunning Aqua Show!

Wednesday - June 13, 2018 - St Thomas - Before we docked the kids enjoyed the Adventure Club while the rest of the gang went shopping.  Christine ran into her boss at one of the shops - small world.  During the afternoon, we went on an excursion kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling where we saw amazing sights.

  After another delicious dinner, we attended the show, Headliner.

Thursday - June 14, 2018 - St Maarten - We spent a couple of hours shopping (thanks, Rob, for the beautiful new Yurman necklace) and Lily had her hair braided.

  Back aboard, the kids visited the Adventure Club, then had ice cream by the pool.  Our new routine is Lana gets a break at the Diamond Club before dinner, we all enjoy dinner together, and the kids go to the Adventure Club until 10:00.

Friday - June 15, 2018 - Day at Sea - Another glorious, relaxing day. After breakfast, Rob and I enjoyed cappuccinos at the Diamond Club, then I spent quite a long time on our balcony watching the world go by while the kids were at the Adventure Club. One of our favorite spots is Sorrento's for great pizza.  A daily must is pool time with multiple ice creams for David and Lily.

Saturday - June 16, 2018 - Love these days at sea.  We played miniature golf and ping pong for a LONG time.  Unfortunately, some of our time today had to be devoted to packing for the return home.  Boo-hiss! Before dinner, Robert Hicks, David, Lily, and I enjoyed the Dream Works Parade.

  We celebrated Ari's birthday at dinner with all the servers singing, as well as a beautiful cake.

 David was the hit of the evening with his dancing!

Sunday - June 17, 2017 - Happy Father's Day!

 Everyone went their separate ways as we traveled back home safely to end our beautiful vacation.  Until next cruise.

Highlands, NC Get-Away May 18 - 20, 2018

May 18, 2018
    We're off to visit George Thompson and Joanie in their Highlands, NC Get-Away.  We've always wanted to visit the Cashiers/Highlands area, so we're excited.  The drive started off nice and dry, until we reached the mountains surrounding Cashiers/Highlands, then the liquid sunshine appeared! After arriving at George & Joanie's lovely lakeside home, we learned that we were actually in a temperate rainforest.  Who knew????  George told us that it rains over 80 inches per year!  Wow!  Joanie prepared a fabulous dinner -  chicken parmesan, salad, and Italian bread - which we totally enjoyed.  After dinner, we watched a movie, and visited, visited, visited.  It was such fun getting acquainted with Joanie, and reminiscing with George.

May 19, 2018
   After a delicious breakfast prepared by George, we departed on a tour of the lovely area, including the country club/golf course that employs George, Highlands Falls.  All I can say is OMG!!!!!  It is beyond description!  We rode around the course to view the famous Hole #15, ranked in the top 100 of the most beautiful golf course holes in the world.  Yep!  Then, we toured the area to include a stop at the Cashiers Farmers market. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Randevu Restaurant, then came back home to watch The Notebook!  What a terrific day.

May 20, 2018
   We started the morning by feeding the sweet geese that Joanie has trained!  Seriously, she walks out to their dock, and the geese magically appear for oatmeal!
   After a wonderful breakfast, we load up for our drive home.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, Joanie and George for a most relaxing, fun-filled weekend.  Can't wait to see you in Atlanta!

Howey in the Hills, FL

Saturday, March 3, 2018
  Our drive to Howey in the Hills was totally uneventful, plus we made it there in record time.  As always, we begin our visit with Happy Hour while enjoying Barb and Frank's enlarged screened in porch.  There is something incredibly relaxing about golf courses! Naturally, we had an amazingly delicious dinner prepared by two very talented chefs! Our Tricomi fix begins.

Sunday, March 4, 2018
   After a relaxing breakfast, we head out to play a round of golf on one of my favorite courses.  Like always, we saw several alligators from a safe distance.  Dinner tonight was prepared by yet another two amazing chefs, Ann and Duncan.  We always have such a great time together.

Monday, March 5
   Barb and I made out usual visit to Mt Dora where I shopped at MY FAVORITE boutique on Earth, Em'z on Fifth.  I always, always find lovely, unique clothes there. We enjoyed a quick lunch at Gianni's, then headed back home to get ready to return to Mt Dora for dinner at the 1884 Restaurant.  The food was okay, but the company was superb!

Tuesday, March 6, 2018
   Barb and I have been walking each morning which will hopefully burn off some calories from all of the delicious meals.  Next, we all played another round of golf.  I must say that my scores are sooooo much better on the Florida flat courses!
   Loved our grilled dinner this evening.  The weather has been "chamber of commerce" perfect, and the setting so tremendously relaxing.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018
    Sadly, it's time to drive home; however, the only thing that's making life tolerable is the fact that Barb and Frank will be visiting us next month.  Good bye, sweet Louie!

Dividing the Land, Uniting the World - Panamal Canal, February 3 - 21, 2018

February 3, 2018 Our journey begins, Marietta to Fort Lauderdale

We actually started celebrating last evening, with the Stewarts, Judy Meadows, and Mom, as we wished Judy an early birthday!  Teri, as the Executive Chef, prepared a fabulous chicken picatta dinner, along with TWO cakes - vanilla/chocolate for Judy, and carrot cake for me!  It was a wonderful evening, and great way to begin our journey.

Saturday morning, we left our home at 0615 hours for the ATL airport.  Alan took advantage of a great parking garage, Peachy, followed by a quick shuttle to the airport where we checked in with minimal effort.  Our flight was uneventful, which is always a good thing!  We had a bit of a wait at the terminal for Holland America's shuttle to our airport, but eventually we arrived at the lovely Harbor Beach Marriott.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Ocean View Restaurant, then Rob took his retirement nap, while Teri, Alan and I strolled along the beach!  We saw several para sailors taking advantage of the gusty winds while we collected many steps.

Back at the hotel, we called Uber to take us to Las Olas for dinner.  We had a delightful driver, Michael, who recommended several restaurants, which we checked out, and eventually selected Big City Tavern.  Great pick!

February 4, 2018   Fort Lauderdale, FL

We enjoyed breakfast in the Starbucks located within the hotel, then quickly called Uber, rather than opt for the Holland America transfer which we learned would be transporting over 150 guests!  Luckily, that turned out to be the best decision of the day, because shortly after we were checked into the Westerdam, a security breach occurred and delayed embarkation for 2-1/2 hours!  Meanwhile, we dropped our luggage off in our stateroom, 6145, enjoyed lunch, explored the ship, and eventually took place in the dreaded life boat drill.  Once back in the room, our luggage arrived, we unpacked, and Rob napped while I joined the Stewarts for a sail away drink on the Lido deck.  Unfortunately, we didn't sail away for quite some time because of the interrupted embarkation.

We enjoyed a fabulous first dinner at Table 21 with Manga and Gerry, as well as our friendly wine steward, Anthony.  And, our journey begins!

February 5, 2018 - Half Moon Cay

Lots of glorious sunshine as we spend the day in Half Moon Cay.  Rob opted to stay on the ship, while Teri, Alan, and I walked the beach, then swam in the beautiful Caribbean Sea.  While swimming, we had lots of visitors (beautiful fish) and the talented musicians from the BB King Lounge!

Back on the ship, we had lunch with Rob, then hit the gym!  Back in our stateroom, Rob and I enjoyed balcony time as we watched the world sail by!  Once again, we were delayed sailing due to a medical debarkation.  My heart hurt for that passenger!  After dinner, we enjoyed the music in the BB King lounge, and even danced a bit!

February 6, 2018 - Day at Sea

After breakfast, we enjoyed watching the sea birds from the Crow's Nest!  Then, it was time to attend the Port Lectures, and decide on some excursions. Rob agreed to accompany me on a Zip Lining excursion while in Costa Rica!  Need to cross that one of my Bucket List, and everyone keeps insisting that the zip lining in Costa Rica is amazing!  After lunch, Teri and I attended the Shopping Talk, and decided that we HAD to purchase emeralds and coffee while in Columbia!  Definitely, a "Can't not" - right?  Next lecture was the history of Cartagena, which was very fascinating.  I attended an Abs class in the Fitness Center, then walked the promenade deck for extra cardio.  Tonight's Gala Dinner was fabulous, and to top the evening, more dancing in the BB King Lounge.

February 7, 2018 - Day at Sea

We truly enjoy our breakfasts in the Dining Room!  Afterwards, Rob worked on emails, while I attended the Port Talks.  We decided to sign up for three more excursions, so our days in port are taken care of.  After lunch, I attended the History of the Panama Canal presentation, then checked on my email.  Back to the Fitness Center for another Abs Class with "J" which is a great motivator!  Back in the room, Rob got his weekly haircut then we headed to dinner.  Tonight, we watched the incredibly talented crew perform a great show, which included "Uptown Funk" and "Some Nights" which made us think of David and Lily!  We sure do miss them!

February 8, 2018 - Cartagena, Columbia

Because we have a short day in this port, we decided to have breakfast in the room, before heading into town at 0800 hours.  The walk to the taxi stand was quite entertaining with beautiful macaws, ant eaters, flamingoes, black swans and various gorgeous plants.  Our sweet taxi driver, Frank, took us to one of the recommended emerald factories/stores where his daughter just happened to work.  Score!  I am now the proud owner of beautiful emerald earrings and pendant thanks to my generous husband's birthday gift!  We then went to the "Coffee and" store where I purchased several bags of Columbian coffee to take home!  Traffic in Cartagena is CRAZY!  Actually, I spent most of the taxi ride with my eyes closed; however, the few times I had them opened, I observed a very clean, but crowded city.  Our driver was extremely proud of the baseball players from his city, especially the players on, drum roll, the Atlanta Bravas, as he called them.  He said that soccer was the favored sport in the northern part of Columbia, but baseball was the number one sport in his warm, year round sunny city of Cartagena.

Back on the ship, we enjoyed salads for lunch, which has become our daily lunch, then I spent some time by the pool before heading to my gym class.  Rob napped and read.  He's plowing through many books on this trip.

After another awesome dinner, we headed back to the room for tomorrow's early wake up call of 0530 hours (yikes) to witness our crossing of the Panama Canal!

February 9, 2018 - Crossing the Panama Canal

We were all perched in the Crow's Nest at 0600 hours to witness our entry into the first locks of the Panama Canal!  Luckily, thoughtful Alan had raced up to the Crow's Nest to secure the "perfect seats" for our trip!  The treat of the morning was "Panama Rolls" which are custard filled rolls topped with powder sugar.  They are also VERY filling, when coupled with a cup of hot coffee.  So, being well fortified, we were ready to witness this Bucket List journey.  The pilot and narrator boarded the ship in Colon, Panama, and stayed with us until we sailed under the Bridge of Americas at the conclusion of the Panama Canal.  It was truly a day I will always remember and treasure.  I'm grateful that the ship provided plenty of history and information regarding this amazing construction, because although I had taught the building of the Panama Canal for many years, there was still so much to learn.  The French originally began the construction in 1880, but financial troubles and diseases made the initiative fail.  The United States resumed construction in 1903 and finished the canal on August 15, 1914 primarily due to the pressure from President Theodore Roosevelt. The American government returned to Panama Canal to the country of Panama on December 31, 1999.  It cost our cruise ship over $350,000 for the passage through the Canal.  The passage must be paid in cash before entering the canal, AND a pilot must accompany the ship. The lowest price ever charged was 36 cents to the gentleman who actually swam the canal.  The passage is determined by the number of passengers, length of vessel, and in our case, the number of berths on board. Since its opening in 1914, more than one million  ships from all over the world have transited the Canal.  This interoceanic waterway uses a system of locks with two lanes that operates as water elevators, raising the ships from sea level to the Gatun Lake, 26 meters above sea level to allow the crossing through the Continental Divide, and the lowers the ships to sea level on the other side of the Isthmus.  The water used to raise and lower the vessels in each set of locks comes from the Gatun Lake by gravity and poured into the locks through a mail culvert system that extends under the locks' chambers from the sidewalls and the center wall. We traveled through the Gatun Locks (3), Pedro Miguel Locks (2) and Miraflores Locks (2) before entering the Bay of Panama and Pacific Ocean.  We could see, but did not enter the new Panama Canal Expansion, inaugurated in 2016.  The "mules" Mitsubishi cars, costing between 2 and 3 million dollars, safely guide the ships through the locks.  Amazingly, two rowers come out to the ship in a small row boat, to throw the guide ropes onto the cruise ship! We all took turns viewing the journey from various parts of the ship, while one person always remained in our "perch" to save seats.  What a day!

February 10, 2018 - A Day at Sea

Today, we slept in, then enjoyed breakfast in the Lido. It's going to be a quiet, restful day after spending many "awake" hours during our Panama Canal crossing.  Rob is napping, while I catch up on this blog post.  I'll add pictures once we are back home because the Internet on board the ship simply can't keep up with the picture posts.

I've started reading "Anything is Possible" by Elizabeth Strout, which is the Oprah featured book here on the ship.  On our last sea day will have a book club discussion of this novel.  So, I took my book out to the pool deck and enjoyed a fabulous afternoon reading!

Our new "happy hour" destination is the Gallery Bar before we head off to wonderful dinners. And, another glorious day at sea ends!

February 11, 2018 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Today is another day to cross off a Bucket List item - zip-lining!  So, after breakfast, we head off to the Main Stage Lounge for our trip.  We board the bus and notice the extreme poverty; however, the locals seem very happy and proud of their country. After an hour's drive, we arrive at The Original Canopy Zip-Line to "channel our inner-Tarzan as we zip line from tree to tree along a series of 10 observations platforms (9 in the trees, 1 on the ground) and 9 horizontal traverses.  I loved every second of this adventure! Rob seemed to aggravate his previously injured knee, so we made a little ice packet, propped up his knee, and had him take some Advil. P18erhaps one should not zip-line at age 70? We turned in his ticket for tomorrow's excursion so he can rest that knee.

February 12, 2018 - Cortinto, Nicaragua

After breakfast, I went to the Main Stage for my excursion to Leon.  The ride took almost two hours through a variety of country side including several volcanoes. Eventually, we arrived at Leon University's Botanic Garden.  This 30-acre garden seeks to safeguard some of its iconic species, including 1,200 plant species and 80 species of birds.  We walked approximately one mile on a trail through the garden seeing the different groups of plants, trees and vegetation from the tropical dry forest and savannah.  Afterwards, we stopped at Leon's Central Park, where the cathedral and main market are located.  I opted NOT to tour the top of the cathedral where shoes and socks needed to be removed in order to prevent damage to the property.  Something about walking around in bare feet where zillions of other folks have walked in bare feet for many, many years.  So, instead I walked over to the local McDonald's to use their Wi-Fi.  I napped on the bus ride back to the ship.  Rob and I then enjoyed a salad and iced coffee until time to get ready for dinner. We went to bed fairly early due to tomorrow's excursion.

February 13, 2018 - Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

We enjoyed breakfast in the Lido since the dining room would not be opened in time to eat and then meet for our excursion at 0810 hours.  Rob had planned to stay on the ship today, so this gave him extra time to rest his knee.  Meanwhile, Teri, Alan, and I boarded a comfy bus for our 90-minute ride to Antigua.  It was so fascinating to see several of the active volcanoes!  We also noticed that Guatemala seemed more developed than the previous other two Central American countries.  Guatemala as 37 volcanoes, and three of them are active. We had a very interesting walking tour around the former capital of Guatemala. The capital was moved due to constant earthquakes due to the active volcanoes.  While on our walking tour, we had the equivalent of a walking mall accompany us trying to sell us everything from scarves to handcrafted ornaments!  I must admit, their salesmanship was quite impressive! Teri and Alan purchased a lovely watercolor from a local artist, and we all purchased some cocoa at a local store.  We then boarded our bus for a thirty minute drive to Filadelfia Coffee Estate, established in 1870. This coffee bean estate includes a lovely resort on 1,700 acres of prime coffee bean farms, a zip line, horse back riding, and an event venue which had just housed a HUGE Jewish wedding.  After a restroom stop, we headed to the resort for an amazing lunch that included steak from Texas, corn, potatoes, guacamole, black beans, tortillas, chips, salsa, lemonade, coffee mouse, and coffee!  Next, we visited the coffee bean plant nursery to learn all about have this coffee estate graphs two different type of coffee bean plants to create their unique coffee plants.  We learned SOOOO much about coffee.  This particular producer only exports about 30% of the beans grown, with the top beans going to Japan, Taiwan, Great Britain, and Starbucks.  We were taught how to pick only the ripest beans, the red ones, and the process that eventually leads to these beans being brewed.  The beans at Filadelfia are handpicked with the pickers starting over approximately every three weeks until all the beans are picked. The beans are harvested from November through March.  A fascinating note - the best beans sink to the bottom of the soaking barrel, and the worse beans float to the top where they are used to make instant coffee.  Our tour guide said that the BEST way to drink coffee is a medium roast with nothing added! So, I purchased two bags!  We then boarded our bus with our tour guide, Gus, for the two hour trip back to the ship.  Along the way, Gus told each of us our Mayan sign.  I'm a rabbit!

Back on the pier, we did a bit of shopping.  I purchased these adorable hummingbird ornaments for our family, while Teri and Alan bought jade jewelry.  The port shopping was actually quite nice.

After iced coffees, Rob and I returned to our stateroom for his haircut and to get ready for dinner. Once again, Holland America provided a fabulous meal.  We then went to the BB King Lounge for a few songs before heading the Main Stage for an incredible production with amazing special effects with the production crew.  Gotta love this cruising!

February 14, 2018 - Perto Chiapas, Mexico

Happy Valentines Day!  And what a gloriously, beautiful day!  We enjoyed breakfast with yet another lovely couple from Seattle, Audrey and Dick.  Then, we found Teri and Alan at our usual meeting place at the Crow's Nest.  Teri and I decided to go out to the port tiki hut to see if Alan and Rob should check it out.  Originally, we were supposed to be in Acapulco today, but Holland America removed it from the itinerary due to unsafe conditions, which was unfortunate since Alan found this cruise specifically because of Acapulco as he and Teri had honeymooned there.

So, I'm updating our blog while Rob watches a movie. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner, and Rob had the most amazing dessert - a chocolate shaped box filled with a whipped cream.  The presentation was perfect!

February 15 - 16, 2018 - Days at Sea

Luxurious, relaxing days at sea, spending time on our balcony, sipping coffee in the Crow's Nest, and enjoying the gorgeous, balmy weather.  I did participate in the "On Deck for the Cure" 5K Race to raise money for cancer research.  The weather was perfect, and the ship's cruise director, Kerry, said that this was the largest participation in the ship's history.

February 17, 20 18 - Cabos San Lucas

We arrived at 0700 hours, so we had an early breakfast in the Lido before meeting the Stewarts to stroll down town.  Our ship was tendered into the lovely port, which actually was one of the prettiest ports we've ever entered.  First stop, a straw market so Teri and Alan could find a dice shaker to replace the one they bought on their honey moon 40 years ago.  Success!  They also found some pretty silver and pottery.  We purchased a "Pittsburgh Steelers" poncho-type backpack for David.  We kept walking into down to hopefully find some artwork for the Stewart's, but finally gave up, and had iced coffee at Soloman's.  I walked over to Milano's to look for a piece of jewelry since Rob was insistent upon purchasing something for me.  Immediately, I found a gorgeous Tanzenite pendant, which I'll put to good use.  We then hustled over to catch our catamaran for our whale watching excursion.  We found the perfect seats on the upper deck, and enjoyed every second of our fantastic trip.  We saw sea lions and plenty of whales.  All of us decided that the whales did not offer the same show that we saw in Alaska, but, nonetheless, they were still amazing!

Back on ship for our 2:00 PM sail away, we enjoyed salads, then everyone went to relax.  I opted to spend time out on the back deck, reading in the sunshine, while Teri, Alan, and Rob went to the Crow's Nest for coffee.  Afterwards, I worked out at the gym, then enjoyed a stretch class. It was another Gala Night, so the menu was extra special with surf and turf. Teri, Alan, and I retreated to the BB King Lounge while Rob returned to the cabin to read.  I also attended the entertainment staff's presentation, which was marvelous with all the incredible special effects!

February 18, 2018 - Last Day at Sea

Sigh.....how does two weeks pass so quickly? After a delicious breakfast, we spent time up in the Crow's Nest while the ship sailed on water that looked like glass! Unfortunately, the temps outside have cooled down with the passing cold front, but who cares since we were nice and comfy.  Back in the room, it was time to pack to go home.  Our luggage was already placed on the bed, ready to complete the dreaded task.  Luckily, all of our laundry was back in the room, and we packed in record time.  Now, it's time to update this blog while Rob naps.