Colonial America and Canada Cruise

After a day at sea, our first stop on the cruise was Charleston, South Carolina.  Since we’d spent time there before, we just did a city tour that
included a historic mansion, the Manigault House.  The family was one of the richest in the colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War. We
also enjoyed walking around the city and through the marketplace.  Leaving Charleston, we had a sea day before arriving in New York City.

Manigault House in Charleston

It was awesome to be docked with a view of the Statue of Liberty from our balcony.  Having spent time in the big apple previously, we opted to
go to a Broadway show. We took the ferry then subway to Times Square, a couple blocks from the Stephen Sondheim Theater.  We saw
“Beautiful”, the Carole King story. It was outstanding! I’ve been a fan of hers since my college days when Tapestry was the big album. But I
didn’t know all the 60’s pop songs she had written early in her career.  When we exited the theater, it was pouring rain. Luckily we didn’t have
far to catch the subway downtown and it stopped raining before we had to walk to the ferry dock.  

View from our stateroom

Our next stop was Newport, Rhode Island.  After a terrible time getting ashore (Princess was not well prepared to tender all the passengers), we
went on a tour that drove along the beautiful coastline past the many mansions there.  We toured one, the Oaks, that was an example of the
excesses of the rich in the gilded age. Now most of the mansions are owned by a conservancy. The town looked like a place we’d like to
return to visit again with more time.  There are many colonial era buildings as well as touristy things to do there. While we were there they
were preparing to the Newport Jazz Festival, one of the biggest in the country.

Revolutionary era guide

Granary Burying Ground, Boston

The next day we arrived in Boston, a place we had also visited previously.  So we did a guided walk along the Freedom Trail. Then we lunched on a
lobster roll and walked through Chinatown and back to the ship.  From Boston we headed to Bar Harbor, Maine. First we walked around, including a
walk to an island that you can only walk to during low tide.  Later in the day we saw the trail was covered by the sea. Then we took Oli’s Trolley into
Acadia National Park. What a beautiful park! The coastline is very rugged and the whole area is green and forested.  We went to the top of Cadillac
Mountain, the highest point on the eastern seaboard. Although it is only 1500 feet elevation (not even close to being a mountain by Utah standards),
the view was spectacular. There were wild blueberries along the hillside that people were picking too.  When we went back into the town, I enjoyed
the many shops. Bar Harbor is definitely a nice vacation spot.

Acadia National Park shoreline

View from Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park

As we continued north we entered Canadian waters for our first stop, St. John, New Brunswick.  Although we went on a tour, there was not much of
note to make the area interesting. The tour guide did her best, like pointing out the maple leaf on McDonald’s golden arches.  We saw a Martello
tower, which is a round brick fort that was significant in the War of 1812. Also, the Bay of Fundy where St. John is located has the biggest tide
fluctuation on the planet.  This causes the river that flows into the bay to have a “reversing rapids”, a unique phenomenon where the bay’s water
level goes from above to below the river’s level so the flow reverses itself four times a day.  But to really appreciate it, I think you’d have to watch it
for hours, which we didn’t.

Martello Tower, St. John. NB

Halifax, Nova Scotia, was a nicer port to visit.  We walked through town to the Provincial Governor’s Residence where they have a tour and a
changing of the guards complete with bagpipes.  Then we went to the Public Gardens which was a very pretty space. We ended up at the
Harbourwalk, a very nice boardwalk that stretches for two miles along the waterfront.  Being a Canadian holiday when we were there, lots of
people and street performers were there along with the shops and restaurants. It made a fun afternoon.

changing of the guard, Hslifax, NS

Halifax Public Gardens

Continuing up the Canadian coast we stopped at the town of Sydney on Cape Breton.  We took an excursion there to the Fortress of Louisbourg,
a National Historic Site from the mid 1700’s.  It was an important fortification in the struggle between the French and the British for control of the
area, and has been reconstructed to its original look, complete with costumed actors to demonstrate skills of the era.  It is reminiscent of
Williamsburg, Virginia, on a smaller scale and with smaller crowds. When we returned to the town we walked around and along the shoreline to
enjoy the pretty area.

Cape Breton

Fortress of Louisborg

Fortress of Louisborg

Fortress of Louisbourg

The last stop on our cruise was Quebec.  I had heard about what a picturesque city it is, and I was not at all disappointed.  From the quaint streets of
the lower town to the majestic Chateau Frontenac historic hotel that crowns the upper city, the entire area is magnificent.  The first day we went to the
Museum of Civilization, which seemed like a weird collection of miscellany plus good exhibits about the First Nation peoples.  The next day we
disembarked the ship and headed to a bed and breakfast for three additional days. This gave us plenty of time to explore the city and the area.  We
took a tour that went to Montmorency Falls which is about 100 feet taller than Niagara just not nearly as wide and massive. We also went to the
Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupre and the Île d’ Orleans, the island across the Saint Lawrence River that is mainly agricultural.  The next day we
went on a guided walking tour of the city and learned a lot about the history of the area. We also learned that the mighty St. Lawrence River, large
enough to dwarf a mega cruise ship, completely freezes over in winter. No wonder there are so many tourists there in summer; I wouldn’t want to
go in the winter months.  The locals love to dine on the sidewalk patios of the restaurants of the street where we stayed (Grande Allee Est), enjoying the nice weather.  We sat on a bench for a while to see how long it would take before we heard some English speakers; it took ten minutes. The people that work in the tourist areas are all bilingual, so not speaking French was not a problem for us.  The last day we toured the Citadelle de Quebec that sits on the upper cliffs and has a magnificent view of the river. We also went to the Fort Museum and ate some poutine (can’t go to Canada without eating some local cuisine). The Quebec airport is rather small, and we had to take an 80 seater to Toronto to make the connection back to Salt Lake.  We happily returned home to the kids and grandkids that took care of things in our absence and the dogs that missed us the most.

Chateau Frontenac

Montmorency Falls

Old town Quebec

Upper and lower Quebec

Quebec city walls

Quebec from Citadelle de Quebec

Road trip - Ohio to Florida

This year we did sort of a double trip; first a road trip and then a cruise.  So first I’ll write about the road trip portion. We started by flying to Cincinnati

where we rented a car.  We were there to visit Chuck’s relatives that live in Northern Kentucky. We visited a couple cemeteries where his mom,

grandma and other family members are buried.  We also had a fun get together with several aunts, cousins and his brother that he had not seen in

many years. We met at Pelle’s Cafe in Silver Grove, Kentucky, that is owned by a second cousin of his.  After leaving there, we headed south

stopping in Louisville, KY. We visited Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. They have a tour and an excellent museum that has exhibits

about the horses, trainers, jockeys, and owners as well as history of the races.  We also went to the Louisville Slugger factory. The museum is

small, but the tour was very interesting; everything you could want to know about baseball bat production. For instance, they have their own forest,

and major league players often pick the wood pieces they want for their bats.

Cincinnati Sign Museum

Churchill Downs

Louisville slugger factory

The next day we went to the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln and Lincoln Museum in the nearby town of Hodgenville.  From there we went to Mammoth

Caves National Park. It was a good place to tour because it was cool underground but very hot above ground. It is huge (over 400 miles of passages).

We did the domes and dripstones tour. The last part was beautiful, but overall it’s not as spectacular as Carlsbad Caverns. We ended that day arriving in Nashville, with tickets to the Grand Ole Opry.  The evening’s headliner was one of our favorites: Carrie Underwood. In the morning we headed to The Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson.  He was a rags to riches success story, unfortunately he profited because of ownership of slaves. After the house tour we strolled the grounds and saw an interesting demonstration on how duels we actually conducted in Jackson’s time.  Then we drove in to downtown Nashville, which was very crowded. We stopped at a farmer’s market and an old auto factory (Marathon Motors) that is now shops in a cool old building. The next day we went out to the Stones River National Battlefield at Murfreesboro.  Even though it is not as well known as many other Civil War sites, it was a decisive, significant battle. Besides being a very bloody battle (6th costliest in casualties) it was fought at a critical time, between December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863. This was when the Emancipation Proclamation was to take effect, so a Union victory was very important for advancing Lincoln’s cause.  From there we went to Franklin to visit the Carnton Plantation. I particularly wanted to visit this site after reading the historical novel “Widow of the South” about the events that took place there during and after the Battle of Franklin in November 1864. The home was used as a hospital and had been filled with hundreds of casualties. You can still see the blood-stained floor where the doctors worked as they did amputations on injured soldiers.  The lady of the house, Carrie McGavock, later used two acres of their property to create the largest private cemetery in the country from the hundreds of soldiers that died there and never returned to their homes.  

Lincoln family cabin (Abe's birthplace)

Mammoth Caves National Park

Andrew Jackson's Hermitage

Marathon Motors

McGavock Confederate Cemetery

Carnton plantation

We’d spent so much time exploring the history in the Nashville area that we ran out of time to do more of the city highlights, so we might have to go back sometime.  The next day we were headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Along the way we stopped at a couple cemeteries where ancestors of mine were buried. One was my great-great grandfather who had served as a Confederate soldier.  The drive into the Great Smoky Mountains was beautiful; the area is so green. Gatlinburg itself, although in a beautiful setting, is a major tourist trap. You know that for sure when there are three different Ripley’s attractions.  We walked along the main street and enjoyed some street performers and checking out the many shops. We spent the night there, then continued through the mountains to the coast, destination Savannah, Georgia. We fell in love with Savannah when we were there in 2013 because of its beautiful old houses and plazas.  After a stop at the Seafood Shack we walked about five miles along the riverfront and through the city’s plazas. We stayed in the 17hundred90 Inn which was really nice. I heard talking outside our window in the evening, and looking outside I discovered the hotel in on the ghosts and graveyards tour. I waved at the people to let them know I was still alive, haha.  

Our next stop was Jacksonville, Florida.  The purpose of that stop was to do laundry and go to Costco.  In the morning we stopped in St. Augustine,

Florida, the oldest city in the US.  We visited the Castillo de San Marcos, which is the largest and oldest (late 1600’s) masonry fort in the US.  We

walked around the historic district and then headed for Port St. Lucie. We drove past Cape Canaveral and down the coastal route and got pounded

by the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen.   The next morning we checked in our rental car at the Fort Lauderdale airport and then boarded the Caribbean

Princess for the next part of our journey.

Savannah cotton exchange

Forsyth Park fountain

17hundred90 Inn

Castillo de San Marcos

Southern Caribbean and Panama Canal Cruise

For this year’s winter get-away, we did a 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise that included a Panama Canal turn around.  We left from Fort Lauderdale, Florida,

and sailed for two days to get to Aruba. Originally we were supposed to go to the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas, but a rough storm caused the

captain to skip that stop.  We were happy (since we’d been to their island before) to get to Aruba earlier, giving us time to see the town before leaving on a

snorkeling excursion. Aruba was originaly a Dutch territory, so you can see the Dutch influence in the names and buildings.  We passed Fort Zoutman that

is now a historical museum, but didn’t go in. After a little shopping in the main area of Oranjestad, we joined our snorkeling boat that took us to the end of

the island where the bigger resorts are located. The snorkeling was not the best that day; not the clearest water nor large variety of fish.  But we did get

to swim by a sunken ship of the World War ll era. I don’t think there are lots of places to see a ship in that shallow of waters without scuba diving, so it was

interesting. We also enjoyed the warm sunshine!

Fort Zoutman

Orjenstad shopping plaza

Our next stop was Curacao.  We had not booked an excursion there, but just opted to walk around the town.  The island, also formerly a Dutch colony, has

a waterfront that was reminiscent of the Nyhaven area of Copenhagen with its brightly painted buildings and styling.  We walked by a fish market where

the fishermen sell their fish right next to their boat in the canal. There was also a big produce marketplace, and of course plenty of retail shops.  The

port area has an entrance with old walls from a fort.

Willemstad riverfront

Curacao port

Marketplace

After another sea day we arrived at the Panama Canal.  There are three locks going into Gatun Lake from the Caribbean side.  A Panamanian captain takes

control and they hook the ship up to locomotives (called “mules") that  guide the ship into each lock. Once inside a lock, the back gate is closed and the front

gate opened to let the water level raise the ship about thirty feet (all done by gravity and water flow).  When this is completed, the ship moves ahead into the

next lock and the same process is completed to raise the ship again. After the third lock, the ship sails into Gatun Lake, a huge man-made lake.  This lake

was made by damning the Chagres River and provides the water for the lock system. On a full transit the ship would sail through the lake and exit by

the three locks on the Pacific side, a process that takes 8 to 10 hours total.  We exited the ship from the lake to take an excursion into Colonial Panama to

see the old city (plus views on modern Panama City) and go to the visitor’s center at the Miraflores Locks. It takes about 90 minutes to cross to the Pacific

side by bus (about 50 miles), the only place you can go from Atlantic to Pacific in that short a time!  Along the journey we saw everything from shacks on

hillsides to a beautiful city of man high rise buildings. The colonial section of the city had old Spanish buildings and churches that were reminiscent

of San Juan, Puerto Rico. We walked around the area, then headed to the Miraflores Locks visitor’s center. There is a museum plus a great viewing area to

watch the locks in operation as ships pass through.  We could see how smaller ships and boats are put in the same lock as a larger one when they want

passage. Their fees start at $2000, while large ships pay several hundred thousand dollars, depending on size. We could also see where the new

locks are (there was a large container ship in one) that opened in 2016 to accomodate much larger ships, as big as an aircraft carrier. Then we met our

ship that had exited the canal and docked in Colon.  We were happy to just drive though Colon and get on the ship because Colon is an extremely dirty,

run-down city that didn’t look at all safe to walk around in. That was a bit surprising since it is a big port at the entrance to the Panama Canal.

Welcome to the Panama Canal

Ship entering first lock

View of second lock

Old church in Colonial Panama

Street in Colonial Panama

View of Panama City

Smaller boats sharing lock with ship

Large container ship in new lock

Our last stop on this cruise was Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.  We booked and excursion to go zip-lining in the rainforest there.  We took a bus along a

highway that had truckyards full of containers for companies like Dole and Chiquita that export bananas and other produce from the port.  Within half

an hour we were in the rainforest and to our destination. After being strapped in harnesses and helmets and receiving some instruction, we were up in

the trees ready to begin.  I thought it was awesome from the very first of the twelve cables we did, but Chuck took two or three to get past his nervousness.

They start you with shorter distances, then you get some pretty long rides.  At each platform you’re hooked onto a cable around the tree until your turn to

hook onto the next cable. At one platform we saw an awesome sloth slowly climbing along a tree limb! Some people also saw tree frogs but I didn’t see

any.  Did I mention that the rainforest was beautiful and the whole experience was amazing? It was - I definitely recommend it; nothing scary or strenuous

about it.

Our return to Fort Lauderdale took two sea days, then we hopped on a plane back to Salt Lake.  We left the pleasant 80s of Florida to arrive at the end of one

of the worst snowstorms in many years.  It was actually a snow day with closed schools, something that is very rare here. Thanks to our son, Jeff, for making

the slow trek to the airport to pick us up and get us home safely!

Costa Rican rainforest

Me on the zipline

Chuck zipping along

It was lots of fun!