Two Days in Barbados

But first there was the two-day flight from hell; Sacramento to Chicago to Toronto.  Wrong direction you say...that would be affirmative.  And all flights were delayed so our 11:30 p.m. arrival in Toronto turned into 1 a.m., and by the time we got to our hotel bedtime became 2 a.m....with a wake-up call at 6 a.m. to get back to the airport.  The Air Canada non-stop flight to Barbados was quite comfortable and a little over 5 hours making our arrival about 2:30 p.m. local time.

Adulo Apartments

Tropical flowers

Our balcony has a tiny view

Everything was fast and efficient:  checking in through customs and immigration, all baggage arrived, a driver procured for our drive to our accommodations, the Adulo Apartments. Here we met up with friends, Dalya and Paul, who had just arrived from Seal Beach, CA, via New York to Barbados on Jet Blue...much more civilized.  Our location is quite well-located with easy access to Rockley Beach, numerous restaurants and shops.

Rockley Beach, near our apartment

With a gnarly old tree

A colorful background for modeling Howard's new "Jammin in Barbados" hat

The Adulo staff are very knowledgeable, fun and accommodating.  We stocked up on wine and snacks for happy hour, then walked to nearby Shakers, highly recommended, though from the outside you would not be very impressed with either the setting or the alley-like location.  The fresh caught fish of the day, either Marlin or Kingfish, was excellent.  We went back the following night.

The apartment staff arranged an island tour for Saturday afternoon.  Roger, tour guide extraordinaire, picked us up at 1 p.m. in his large air-conditioned van and 5 hours later delivered us back, complete with the most spectacular sunset, and totally overwhelmed with the beauty, history and island facts, and hundreds of photos to edit. Barbados is worth checking out...starting with this link.  A multitude of photos to follow:

Banks, the national beer...so good on a hot day!

Several cruise ships in but don't see our Tall Ship!

Lots of old churches

Th parliament building in Bridgetown

The Cricket Stadium

Chattel houses are original plantation workers' homes

Sea inlet at the northwest end of the island

Us and The View, probably the most spectacular scenery of the day

Our guide says these are black-bellied sheep...looks like goats to me!

Paul photographing mushroom rocks on the Atlantic side

This sunset greeted our return

Our tour started from the southwest end of the island and headed north along the west coast through the capital of Bridgetown, then Holetown, Speightstown, and up to the spectacular views at North Point.  We continued on around through the cane fields and pastures, dotted with small settlements, on the sparsely populated Atlantic side to Bathsheba and Ragged Point, then returned.

Clicking on Web Albums, above left-side, will bring you to even more photos.  We're off to board the Star Flyer....Let's hope for good internet aboard!

Our Year 2011

We have been blessed with another year of travels.  We are truly grateful for this lifestyle we so enjoy which allows us to visit beautiful places, meet up with dear friends, and make many new ones along the way. 

This year started out in the Anza Borrego Desert in southern California, where we retreat after the holidays, following the sun and meeting up with fellow snowbirds around the southwest; Sharon and Rodger in Tucson, the Panys in Yuma.

By the time April rolls around it's time for us to head for the coast and turn north toward Pismo Beach and some quality time with best friends, Edna and Allen (please hold thoughts and prayers for Allen).  We were delighted when 8 mo. pregnant daughter Terri, Clint, and Liliana decide to drive down from Half Moon Bay.  More Family Time in Petaluma as we all gather for Easter at Norm and Wendy's. In May, the 16th to be precise, we welcomed our newest grandbaby Damien.

June is anniversary month and we celebrated our 17th in Calistoga, the heart of the Napa Valley wine country.  We also enjoyed time with new friends Bruce and Phyllis, whom we in Petaluma, and "old" friends from Half Moon Bay days, Don and Joan, at their beautiful property in the Gold Country.  Our world-traveling grandson Rob just happened to be in Sacramento for a visit with his mom/our daugher Stephanie, with now wife Helga from Romania, where they are currently residing.

After the 4th of July we start out on our summer migration to the northwest.  The motorhome always needs maintenance or repairs so a stop in Eugene, one of our favorite towns, is in order.  The Willamette Valley is home to some choice wineries so we have our first introduction to Harvest Hosts at Emerson Vineyards.

August is our month in and around the Port Townsend, WA area, probably our favorite summer location, with its beautiful views of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The Evergreen Coho Park, provides a perfect location for sightseeing the Olympic Peninsula, especially Hurricane Ridge, and meet new friends, John and Bonnie.  But the Main Attraction was our two weeks parked right on the water at the Pt. Hudson Marina in downtown Port Townsend with a bonus visit from Steph, Gary and friends, Laura and Jim!  A ferry ride and drive to nearby Bellingham and we enjoy a wonderful day with long-time friends from Mexico days, Hazel and Dick.

The month of September brought us to a new destination, Caldwell, ID, near Boise, and soon to be new "summer home" for our good friends Beth and Chris.  Of course, they couldn't have endured without our help and support!  We enjoyed so many good meals and great sight-seeing trips; some that were really, really long days, but provided beautiful scenery.  Check out Weeks 2 through 4 as well.  Perhaps we've found another "favorite" late summer location.

The absolute best and highlight of October was our time in Medford, OR where we celebrated my sister-in-law Gay's Surprise 80th Birthday party, hosted and perfectly planned by my nephews and nieces.  All my family came from Half Moon Bay and Petaluma for the first family re-union in way too many years.  I am honored to share the same birth day with Gay!  Also, while in Medford we met up, but had precious little time with dear friends John and Babs, who had just relocated from Clarkston, WA.

So now it's time to return to Petaluma where we gladly accepted an opportunity to babysit our 5-year old granddaughter, Christina aka The Bean, have special bonding time with Annie, our grandlab, and enjoy cooking and hanging out with son, Norm, while d-i-l Wendy was on vacation a business trip.  Petaluma is a great town, centrally located, with so many fantastic Day Trip opportunities. The Marin County coast is not to be missed, and of course, a Dog Day with Annie in San Francisco...priceless!

By now you surely know we have a Really Big Trip coming up so must get our motorhome in storage mode with the help of our family and friends near Sacramento!  We fly from Sacramento, via Chicago, via Toronto, to..ta-da...Barbados, on November 3rd.  After two wonderful days seeing Barbados with friends Paul and Dalya, we boarded The Star Flyer for 22 days of sailing to beautiful islands, like the ABC Islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

After 2 days at sea we arrived in the beautiful, old colonial city of Cartagena, Colombia, a truly magnificent experience; then another day at sea before anchoring off the San Blas Islands, home of the indigenous Kuna People.  Our trip to one of their villages, seeing their beautiful crafts and molas, was special indeed.  The piece de resistance, the grand culmination, the top of our bucket list, our Panama Canal Transit was more than our combined imaginations could conjure, even after reading  McCullough's The Path Between the Seas.

The Third Week takes us into the Pacific as we sail from Panama to Costa Rica, anchoring off beautiful, uninhabited islands with stops in Golfito and Quepos, before disembarking in Puerta Caldera.  We end our month-long journey in Jaco, Costa Rica for a much-needed 4 days of quiet decompression, before returning home to the Bay Area on December 1st.

Now and through Christmas once again is family time as we make our circle tour; Petaluma, Half Moon Bay, Citrus Heights, counting our blessings and counting the days until we once again start the New Year 2012 in our beautiful Anza Borrego Desert....and so it goes!  What will this New Year bring?  We so look forward to meeting up with you along the way, on Facebook, or in this wonderful blogging community.

May you and your families be blessed with an abundance of peace, prosperity, health, and happiness in this New Year 2012! 


Lynda & Howard

                              

Let the games begin...

For several years we heard friends, Dalya and Paul, talk about the Huntsman World Senior Games, where they won many gold medals in Square Dancing.  Then Beth mentioned friends who went every year to play pickleball, and our (Howard’s) interest became piqued.  Howard is a jogger, has been for many years, slow and steady, consistent, running 5 miles 2 or 3 times a week.  Pace seldom varies unless a few lbs. or altitude sneak up.  We are “sea level” people!  But engineer that he is, figured the law of averages, thermodynamics, or whatever, was in his favor. There can’t be many participants in his age category; 75-79.  Ha…

Howard...my hero!

So we started doing some background checking.   The World Senior Games was founded by John H. Morgan, Jr. in 1987 as an international senior sports competition for folks 55 and older.  He and his wife, Daisy, both agreed that the Golden Years were better when good health and physical fitness became a way of life, not an occasional hobby.  In 1989 Jon M. Huntsman, President of the Huntsman Corporation, became the Games’ principal sponsor after recognizing that the Games not only fostered lifetime fitness, but also expanded Utah’s economic vitality.

Now, 26 years later, this huge event, held annually in October, attracts 10,000+ athletes from 65 countries.  Thousands of volunteers and sponsors come together to put on a spectacular series of events, starting with the Opening Ceremonies held at Dixie State College (soon to be University).  Sports categories range from bowling, to volleyball, triathlons, road races, track and field, cycling, golf, swimming, to yes, square dancing and pickleball, and held at very impressive sports complexes throughout the greater St. George area.

We had no intention of missing the Opening Ceremonies that had been rained out 2 years ago.  This beautiful night unfolded with  heartfelt pride, joy, and super entertainment, starting with the parade of athletes, then great music and dancers, even skydivers landing on the Hansen Stadium field. The guest speaker was Morgan Shepherd, NASCAR  racing legend.  Words of welcome from the mayor, the Utah state governor, and Huntsman’s son, David, were enlightening and inspirational .  By far for us, the Flag Extravaganza, representing dancing flags from all 65 countries, was the most spectacular.  The night ended with the torch bearer and lighting of the cauldron, then a major fireworks display…..WOW!

Parade of Athletes

Skydiver lands...in a blur!

Super entertainment

Flag extravaganza...65 countries!

Fireworks finale!

Howard has two events, the 10 and 5K road races.  The 10K was held in beautiful Snow Canyon.  The drill was to drive Howard out to Ivins; about 9 miles away from the Temple View RV Park where we were now staying, and drop him off for the shuttle ride up into the canyon.  Knowing that at his pace it would take him about an hour and a half to complete, and with the race starting at 8:30 a.m., I needed to be back before 10 a.m. for his finish.  Giving myself plenty of time I decided to drive up to Snow Canyon for some shots of Howard running in that colorful red rock background.  A few runners came by, but no Howard.  

It’s getting close to 10 so I drove on to Ivins only to find that the road had been closed and I had to park several blocks away.  I grabbed my camera and headed for the City Park, where runners began crossing the finish line…but no Howard.  I heard sirens and realized I had left my phone in the car, and hurried back.  OK, long story short, I panicked and was about to go looking for him, when finally he arrived.  I later found out the race had been delayed by half an hour.  We went on to enjoy the great breakfast and awards presentation.  I should add that in Howard’s age category there were a few sprinters who finished in under an hour!  We’re impressed and a bit overwhelmed by these super seniors.

Yay Barbados...love their country!

Dancing Trinidad!

And they're off...

Go #271!

Seriously?

79, Gold Medal..but who's counting!

The 5K was held a few days later at the Confluence Park along the Virgin River Trail System.  Now this was fun!  There was lots of food, music, and dancing, with that great group of folks from Barbados, where we traveled last November, and our lady friend from Trinidad whom we met two years ago.  We also met a lady from San Carlos, near our town of Half Moon Bay, in San Mateo County.  She was participating in the 5K while her husband was off playing softball.  He is 72 with pancreatic cancer which recently spread to his liver.  After so many chemo rounds, what kept him focused was returning to play his beloved game of softball.  

Sitting with a group during breakfast, exchanging stories, I was asked which event I participated in. Oh no events, just here for support; official fan, you know!  Well, how old are you?  Hmmm....just turning 69 in a few days!  She was 79 and won the Gold Medal with a time of 32:32! Yeah, there was the race and it was super, but this event was somehow more personal.  Hmmm...I'm thinking maybe swimming?

The dog days of sailing...

NZ Emirates hydrofoils as it approaches the buoy!

Ever since 1851, when the narrow bow entry of the schooner America raised eyebrows among British competitors, extreme design innovations have always been an inherent part of America's Cup competitions.  But never before have innovations been more radical than in this, the 34th edition!

Team Oracle with a fog-shrouded Golden Gate

Following the 2010 America's Cup with USA's Oracle the winner, it was decided that future competitions would be sailed in catamarans to make the sport more attractive to television audiences.  This led to the new and revolutionary and also controversial design of the America's Cup 72 Class, with the addition of daggerboard foils.  The AC72s we saw practicing and racing this last week were not only blasting along at phenomenal speeds, but literally flying above the water's surface!

USA and NZ cross paths on a practice run

Two major incidences showed the potential danger these large catamarans face on the SF Bay.  Last October Oracle's AC 72 pitchpoled and capsized while being swept out under the Golden Gate Bridge during a strong ebb-tide.  Fortunately there were no injuries to the crew.  Recently, in May, Sweden's Artemis Racing team AC72 pitchpoled and broke apart resulting in the death of one crew member.

Classic Bird Boat on the Bay

All facts and controversy aside, our day trips were fuelled by a love for the art and fun of sailing and photo ops for yours truly.  Howard, a sailor at heart, raced the classic Bird Boat, Mavis, during the early 1960s.  When we first got together in 1989, Howard lived aboard his 35' sloop in Half Moon Bay, after years of sailing in Florida and the Bahamas.  We try to include sailing venues along with RV travels whenever possible, via friends or bareboat charters.  We find ourselves drifting off to trips in the recent past, sailing in the crystal clear, turquoise waters of the Caribbean, in Belize and Honduras, and aboard the Star Flyer for 21 days, sailing from Barbados through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica.  Then years past in Mexico's Sea of Cortes, the eastern Caribbean's Virgin Islands and even as far away as New Caledonia in the French South Pacific.



San Francisco's Crissy Field dog park offers an excuse to nap the grandlab, Annie, for a great day of sailing action,  swimming and chasing a ball.  The camera is hopelessly covered with the remains of a shaking wet dog and fervent hole digging sand.  We manage a deli-provided picnic sandwich amidst the action, both on shore and water.


We take advantage of the couple of weeks left in our Bay Area stay before departing the end of July for the Pacific Northwest, and onward, God willing.  Our days are filled with family time, day trips to easily accessible coastal hikes and inland vineyards, visits with local friends, and endless RV projects.  Oh, and the round of doctor visits...so far, so good!

Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao...The ABC Islands

 Bonaire is 50 miles north of Venezuela and the second largest, quietest and least known of the islands of the Dutch Antilles, with Kralendijk as its capital.  The island is semi-arid with an 18 mile coral reef that offers spectacular diving.  Along the shore strong waves crashing against volcanic rocks and coral have created ridges, unusual lava formations, grottoes, and caves.

Not being divers, we opted for the land tour.  Bonaire is covered with mostly desert vegetation, ranging from barren rocky hills and salt mines to green parklands and freshwater lakes with lots of bird-life.  The popular Flamingoes were not in residence on our drive, but we did see lots of the Amazon parrots.

We arrived in Willemstad, Curacao in the midst of the Heineken sailing regatta, where a time-out was called to allow the Star Flyer plenty of maneuvering space to make a “u-turn” in the middle of the harbor and dock alongside this beautiful town. 

The day was perfect for a long walk, which involved taking a free water taxi across the shipping canal which divides the town into “old” and “new”, to shop and take pictures.  The architecture is reminiscent of a Dutch town with its red roofs and pastel colors….very photogenic!

There is a colorful floating market on the waterfront in downtown Willemstad where merchants from Venezuela travel the 50 miles by boat to sell fresh fish and other produce directly from their vessels under an array of colorful awnings.  This picturesque location has been one of our favorites thus far, followed closely by Grenada and Barbados.

Sunday, November 13, 2011 we dock in Oranjestad, Aruba.  A walk into town quickly informed us that everything is closed, though a few photos were shot.  We thought perhaps a taxi drive to the beaches might be in order until the downpour of rain started and continued most of the day.  Reading and paying for internet use became the activities of the day. 

Oranjestad is the center and capital of Aruba.  The official language is Papiamento; sort of a mixture of Dutch, Spanish and English, also spoken in Bonaire.  The currency for all 3 islands is the US dollar.  Though Holland is part of the European Union the Euro is not used as it discourages U.S. tourism…smart people and good for us.  The ship’s currency is the Euro, however.

Rather than upload photos separately, I will link a slideshow to my Picasa album for Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.  Other albums from this trip thus far can be viewed there as well.

For the next two days we will be at sea, arriving Cartagena, Columbia November 16^th.   We will be back in touch whenever possible.  Quick updates will be posted to Facebook. 

Leaving on a jet plane...

The motorhome is in storage and we have now moved into suit cases for a travel mode of a different sort.  Airplanes are not my favorite venue but we have found it often is the only way to get from Point A to Point B.  At this writing we are about to leave from Sacramento, CA hoping to eventually arrive in Bridgetown, Barbados, via Chicago and Toronto...that's in eastern Canada!  The wrong direction from where we're headed plus it is very cold, like 33 degrees F when we arrive at 11:30 p.m. tonight.

Please note the weather sticker on the right hand side of this blog....That's where we hope to be Friday afternoon.  Keep us in your thoughts and send good internet karma.  With any luck I'll be able to post pictures here and on Facebook.

Aboard the Star Flyer: Grenadines and Grenada

We said our ‘goodbyes’ to the excellent staff of Adulo Apartments.  Roger picked us up on schedule for the short drive to the ship terminal near Bridgetown for the 4 p.m.  embarkation; a long and hot procedure involving the individual processing of each passenger, 127 in all, including photos for our identification cards.  This gave us adequate time to meet several of our fellow shipmates.  We are a multi-national group, with an age range average of 50-70, with a few younger and some agile 80+ year olds.

Docked for departure from Barbados

Orientation by the Tropical Bar

The Star Flyer was an impressive sight docked alongside the pier.  As we boarded cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were served.  We wandered around admiring the casual elegance of the ship’s appointments.   Our stateroom is conveniently located on the Clipper Deck, near the dining room, and only one level down from the Tropical Bar and sun-decks.  Peter, our cruise director, gave a welcome orientation and introduced the staff.

 Dinner is served between 8-10 p.m.  There are several courses starting with appetizers, then soup and salads, and finishing with a selection of desserts. Our first night’s entrees included rack of lamb, duck breast, and a salmon fillet.  Baskets of bread and bottles of wine were plentiful.  It soon became quite evident that the meals were first class and the service excellent and personal. 

At 10 p.m. the sail-raising ceremony begins with all hands on deck and the music of "1492" filling the air as the sails are hoisted.  Our 22 day voyage aboard the Star Flyer begins as we head out for an overnight sail to the Grenadines.  Our room is very spacious, especially by motorhome standards.  The head and shower is much larger than we are used to and beautifully appointed.  The large porthole offers us a fabulous view of the Caribbean Sea and islands as we pass, though who spends much time in the room when aboard a boat like this!

Raising the sails

Participation not mandatory!

The Grenadines are a chain of approximately 600 small islands, with St. Vincent as the main island.  We anchored off Captain's Best Beach on Union Island.  Soon the ship's tender started ferrying guests to shore for an afternoon of swimming, snorkeling and water sports.

Arriving Grenadines

Tender takes us ashore

An afternoon of water sports

The Star Flyer presents a beautiful picture at anchor as we head back from shore!

As we weighed anchor, leaving for Grenada, this beautiful sunset presented itself!

A quick note might be appropriate here:  not all internet connections are created equal and some are quite expensive, as in the ship's wifi costing 20 Euros for 3 hours, and often quite slow.  I would like to go into more detail on island history, especially Grenada, with its lush tropical landscape and spices, and the US involvement in the 1980s...so please click on the link for more information.  I will concentrate on uploading photos that we took while on a 2 1/2 hour driving tour, seeing most of Grenada's highlights.

St. George's...the main town

We had a great demonstration at one of the spice farms

Taken from the French Fort Frederick, at the highest driving point

There are many waterfalls...this in Annandale

The Carenage or boat harbor

We're off for Isla Margarita and Isla Blanquilla, islands of Venezuela.  I opted not to go ashore for the few hours of snorkeling as my ankles are covered in bites from the sand fleas I encountered on the Grenadines, where the Mangrove trees are famous for harboring this vicious no-see-ums!