Caribbean Cruise: Day 6: Day at sea
On our final day at sea, we took advantage of the last-day on board sales, watched the crew talent show, played the slot machines (first time for Elizabeth), and packed our bags. The weather was too windy for mom to walk on deck, so we spent most of the time in our cabin or in the…
Caribbean Cruise: Day 5: Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the neater coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. This popular cruise ship destination became famous in 1961 when Jacques Cousteau declared Cozumel one of the most beautiful scuba diving areas of the world. Since then, Cozumel has become an underwater marine park to protect the delicate balance…
Caribbean Cruise: Day 4: Roatan, Honduras
Roatan, Honduras is the largest of the Honduras Bay Islands. It is about 77 k long and less that 8 k across at its widest point. Roatan’s history traces back to the Maya civilization. It has seen the arrival of the Conquistadors, the Garifuna, and the fishing industry. In 1990, about 19,000 English-speaking people inhabited…
Caribbean Cruise: Day 3: Costa Maya, Mexico
Costa Maya is in the only state of Mexico bounded by the Caribbean on its east. Although the official language is Spanish, many speak Mayan. As a linguist, I would love to hear Mayan. The Mayans were predominate in the area from 200 B.C to 900 A.D. There are many ancient ruins such as Chacchoben,…
Caribbean Cruise: Day 2: Day at sea
To make up for the lost time, the captain sped over the large swells and whitecaps and altered the itinerary. Instead of stopping first at Roatan, Honduras, we will first visit Costa Maya, Mexico. On our first day at sea, mom and I walked about two miles on the promenade deck. She spent 20 minutes on…
Caribbean Cruise: Day 1: Welcome to the Norwegian Star
This trip is a 6-day Western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa, FL, exploring Roatan, Bay Islands (Honduras), Costa Maya (Mexico), and Cozumel (Mexico). I am traveling with my mother, sister Doris, and friend Elizabeth. I hope you will enjoy our adventure. We left Sarasota around 10 AM. Dennis made lattes for Elizabeth and me to sip on as we drove to the Tampa pier.…
Middlebury, VT (August 10, 2015)
We arrived at Middlebury, VT, around 11 PM. Late to find accommodations, but we were not prepared to find that the inns were full. Middlebury College was having an athletic camp. As a result, all the rooms were taken. As we were leaving Middlebury on Route 7, I spotted a small motel with a vacancy…
Savannah, Georgia (August 9, 2015)
On our way north from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) conference in Orlando, Florida we detoured to Savannah, Georgia for lunch. We walked around the Chippewa Square where the “Life is like a box of chocolates” scene was filmed for the Forrest Gump movie. The actual bench is now in the Savannah History Museum. We…
Day 22: (July 7) Middlebury Gap
This morning, the youth group was up early, but was relatively quite. They certainly did not follow the leave no trace principles. They dropped wrappers on the ground, washed dishes near the water source, and left the seat up on the privy to attract varmint and flies. We have about six miles to walk to get…
Day 21: (July 6) Sucker Brook Shelter
We were in no hurry to leave the shelter (9:15 AM), thinking that we were going only about 8 miles to Rt 73 (Brandon Gap) where the McKains would meet us. We looked forward to seeing them again and to having a warm shower and sharing a pleasant meal. On top of a mountain, Dennis…