We usually arrange our own air transportation, but there are advantages to allowing the cruise line to do so. The biggest is, "supposedly" if your flight does not get you to the ship terminal on time, the cruise line will pay to get you on board.  So, this time, we allowed Princess to book the airline.  We booked  this trip almost a year in advance and paid a hefty deposit. About 6 months before the departure date, we got our air confirmation and itinerary. It looked good. Little Rock to Dallas. Dallas to Buenos Aires and reverse from Santiago back home. BUT a few weeks before departure, we received a flight change notice from AA.  It was a computer algorithm change that no person made and it cut our time at DFW too close to make the flight to Buenos Aries. So I called Princess.   They had no clue. They wanted to charge us $1000 additional to change it back the way it was! Nope. Princess is responsible for all flight issues. Escalated to a "Manager". She told us the same thing.  Off to a bad start here. For those who may not know, when a "travel agent" arranges your flights, only THEY can make changes to it. However, being an old travel experienced guy, I called the airline and they fixed the problem.

Just as slow and disorganized as our very first cruise (On Carnival ) was 20 years ago was the check-in process to get on board the first day. .  We have taken at least one and often two cruises a year since. This year we will take three.  This was our first and last Princess Cruise as nothing has improved in 20 years!!   Taking up our Passports is totally uncalled for this day and time, and it puts all  passengers at risk. There  is no valid reason to do so.  Princess/Carnival blamed it on the Nations visited government's.. They  lost that argument when our passports were returned the day before we landed at Puerto Montt!!  Their check-in process is archaic at best. Terrible way to start the cruise.

One of the many reasons we love cruising is to meet and hopefully make new friends. The very best way to do so is over dinner on board in the main dinning room.  When we cruised with NCL, we discovered their "dine your way" was not conducive to having the same large populated table every night.  Many lines are offering flexible options but we ALWAYS reserve a 8 to 12 person table that will have the same passengers and same service staff every evening. We made such reservation for Princess. 

Well, that got TOTALLY MESSED UP and we were treated VERY RUDELY the second night on board!!!  We did NOT sign up for "dine my way". We signed up for a large  PERMANENT TABLE at the same time so we could meet new people and get to know the same group throughout the cruise and the same wait staff. The  Maitre d' did not listen to us the fist night. He placed us at a temporary "dine your way table" and  we did not realize he had done so, and then the next night he tried to move us without any consideration that we were already making friends with the 3 other couples!. Only when I demanded that a Senior Officer come to the table did they allow us to stay. Very embarrassing! Terrible treatment.  Half of the other guests would not come back. Almost ruined the whole trip.

Then, there were the "specialty restaurants" on board. There were two where you can pay extra for a more upscale dining. (The Main Dining rooms are already very upscale compared to what we are used too so we rarely deviate from them) . But on this "joint Birthday and Valentine " trip, we had tickets for both the Steak House and the Italian Restaurant.  

At the Steak House the filet was very tender but virtually no flavor. The Lobster tail was good. BUT, the staff was a real bust. First, the waiter did not understand plain English and or could not follow a simple instruction.  My wife has an extreme sensitivity to ALL HOT peppers INCLUDING BLACK pepper. This was very carefully, clearly and repeated to the waiter. The first thing he did when the appetizer was brought out was to attempt to grind black pepper onto her food!!  Then, he totally ignored that I might like some. But wait, it got worse. The self proclaimed "destination expert" (Princess Staff) showed up with her husband and was seated next to us and THEY got all the attention. It was embarrassing and totally inappropriate treatment of us and the other passengers that attended that night.  The head waiter/greeter never intervened nor checked on us. TERRIBLE SERVICE!!!  

Except in the main dining room, they expect you to scan a QR code for the bar menu and just about everything else.  All cruise lines should stop  assuming every one likes QR codes and using a "smart" cell phone. Get back to real menus. Bar tenders took way too long to mix drinks mainly because they are talking and joking with fellow staff and not focusing on the customer!  The drink quality was good.  Poor service delivery.

Another great reason to cruise is the on-board entertainment.  At the end of the cruise you are provided and e-mailed "review" questionnaire.  They really need to customize these questions  to the specific cruise and entertainers.  In the main theater we saw some of the best ever and one of the worst. The entertainment director is NOT customer focused. All cruise lines  have data in hand before the cruise as to the passenger  demographics.  A two week cruise in  winter months  when all the children’s schools are still in session are always going to be a much older group as was this cruise.  ALL the entertainment should be focused on the majority age group.  On this cruise, it was totally inappropriate and should be a serious disciplinary  issue as to who hired and then allowed the very talented solo violinist, Russian Irina Gustav to appear REGARDLESS of when she was contracted.  What a horrible slap to all of us  and an endorsement of Russia. Yes, she is very talented but she has also chosen to continue to live in Russia. In St. Petersburg no less.  Princess/Carnival  tacitly endorsed the invasion of Ukraine by  allowing her a stage.  MANY military men and women on board were greatly insulted and angered!  Shame on Princess Cruise Lines!!  One of the shows, the second night of the full Princess Dancers and Singers was patently vulgar – and I am far from a prude!

In all it was really a good trip until we got DROPPED at the Santiago airport and once again, Princess failed us. First of all, the majority of the passengers are flying home to distant lands on over night flights.  Arriving at the airport at 10 AM for a 10PM flight with no where to safely store luggage, sit and relax is  again horrible customer care on the part of Princess. A Princess Rep told the group that the Holiday Inn would store our luggage even IF we were NOT a guest. A total lie!  WOW. All of us old folks had to take that long walk over to learn we were lied to and be embarrassed. Another Princess failure. Since Princess most likely paid for half or more of the passenger seats on the Planes, surely the largest cruise line company on the Planet  can work with the airlines to allow check ins before 5 PM for those late flights.  Focus on  customers' Needs!!

With Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana

We spent three weeks in South Africa in August 2022 and visited Eswatini (the Kingdom of Swaziland), Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Africa is a CONTINENT. South Africa is a COUNTRY. The Continent of Africa is composed of 54 Nations. Over three USA’s would fit inside the African Continent!  The USA is 8 times larger than the Country of South Africa.

There are 60.6 million residents in South Africa.  South Africa has one of the LOWEST unemployment rates of any Nation on the Continent of Africa. One of the lowest! At 35%.!!! Let that sink in.

From its founding  in the late 1800's when gold, then diamonds were discovered in the Northern (Johannesburg) Region, there was extreme poverty and extreme racial segregation and discriminatory rules and laws that were codified into the practice of Apartheid in 1948.

After flying from Little Rock to St. Louis, St. Louis to NYC, NYC to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Cape Town, we began our visit on a rainy day in Cape Town (also spelled Capetown) spending 4 nights at the downtown Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel. Cape Town is the oldest “white” settlement in South Africa having been established as a tall ship re-supply point in 1652.  Small communities of farmers established gardens for fresh vegetables, etc.  The first known visit was in 1488 by the Portuguese but not again until Vasco da Gama in 1497. It is also the main seat of the legislative branch of Government – one of three Capitals for South Africa.   South Africa has three cities that serve as capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).  Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cape_Town

The rain and fog prevented any good pictures of the area that first day  but the following day was beautiful and we traveled down the Peninsula to the tip of Africa – the Cape of Good Hope. Be sure and view my picture Gallery.

We had the usual City tours, good food, entertainment, and visited the wine country and smaller towns before flying to Durban on day 6.

Back on the bus, we headed to the town of St. Lucia on the Eastern Coast and had our first game (wild animal) adventure on the Mfolozi River, which forms the St. Lucia Estuary. It is one of the largest in Africa. We saw mostly Hippopotamus, but in the distance were Zebra, and Impala.  

We then drove on up to Hluhluwe where we stayed one night and the next morning we were in the Hluhuwe-Imfolozi Game Preserve. This  was the only place we saw Rhinoceros.  They have both White and the rare and very endangered Black Rhino’s. We only saw a White. However, the birds, Elephant’s, Kudu, and Impala were exciting to see also.

Leaving Hluhluwe we traveled to the Kingdom of Swaziland now known as Eswatini. It is an independent Nation bound by South Africa and Madagascar. There we visited the Matsamo Village and the Ngwena Glass Factory  where they turn recycled glass into new products from ornaments to plates to all other types of glassware. Overnight was in Hazyview.

The next morning we were to make the “shorter” drive to Kruger National Park to our Lodge, but a local government protest over the lack of road repair had that entrance area closed so we had a much longer drive to go all the way to the Southwest corner of the Park. Then we had to travel all the way across the Park to the Lodge before the Park Gates closed at 6:30! We made it with three minutes to spare!  This turned out very fortuitous as it gave us an extra “game drive” and it allowed for our first sighting of a Leopard, with an Impala kill, and one of the best photographs of the entire trip.  

At dawn the next morning, we were in our open Safari vehicle and once again fate was on our side as another very up close sighting of a Leopard was seen crossing the road in front of us!  The birds, Elephants, Giraffes, Hippo’s, Lions, Cape Buffalo, Wart Hogs, Hyenas, Impala, Monkeys and much more made for a great day. Over-night was at the Protea Marriot Hotel.

Next day was on to Johannesburg.   Two nights in another Marriott Protea - the Melrose “Fire and Ice Hotel” in a Gated downtown community.

While in Johannesburg we were able to meet the sister of Hector Peterson. Who is he? Never heard of him? Google him to learn more. He was shot dead at age 12 during a student protest on June 16, 1976 in Soweto ---- close to Nelson Mandela's home. Soweto was and still is one of the largest slums (over 4 million residents) in this World.

We were honored and privileged to meet, listen to and talk with Hector’s sister, Antoinette Sithole, during our visit. She was a real inspiration to listen to and talk with. She told her story of that horrible day in 1976. The picture of her running from the scene with a man carrying her dead brother in his arms changed the World and was the beginning of the end of Apartheid. Yes, it took another 18 years with the FIRST ever FREE ELECTION that elected Mandela President in a 84% Party landslide! Apartheid, the Afrikaans name given by the white-ruled South Africa's Nationalist Party in 1948 to the country's harsh, institutionalized system of racial segregation, came to an end after the formation of a true democratic government in 1994.

We toured Mandela's home and the Apartheid Museum. No one living today in the U.S., not anyone born after the last American slave died in 1940 has any semblance of a clue what real racial discrimination and or segregation is.  

For the pictures see my Facebook post at: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=5559552060773158&set=pcb.5559739517421079 

We encourage everyone to visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg as a priority if you ever have the opportunity to visit South Africa.

https://www.apartheidmuseum.org/about-the-museum

From Johannesburg we flew to the Town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and stayed two nights at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge on the Zambezi River. That evening we had our second water game cruise on the Zambezi. WOW! What a great sunset that and the following evening!  In the morning, we toured the Falls.  We did not pay the $400 each for the helicopter ride, which only can get within 500 feet of the Falls but that  is the ONLY way to see the entirety of the Falls. The Zambezi is the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.  We walked across the bridge over the River into Zambia but were not allowed to go farther into the Customs/Immigration area  and beyond, as we had no permits to do so.   

The Lodge also served as a Vulture Conservation area and they feed every day at 1 PM. What a sight to see five species of Vultures fighting for every scrap of meat thrown out!  Upon leaving Victoria Falls we visited the Lion Rescue and Conservation Center.  See the video on my Facebook page for THAT feeding. It was heart stopping!  Linda calls it “the cherry on top” for this trip!

https://www.facebook.com/discountfreedrugcard/videos/1219990192181272

On to Botswana and Chobe National Park. Our last two days were at the Chobe Marina Lodge at Kasane, Botswana. Here we had our third river cruise, another fabulous sunset, and three more Game drives.  Some of our best pictures came from here.  Our Lodge rooms were stand alone “Fairy Huts”. While on the Chobe River Game Cruises we did cross over into Namibia waters, so technically, we visited 6 Nations on this trip!

Good food and good fellowships were had the entire time.  We made several new friends that we hope to visit again.

We found the people of each Country we visited, to be very kind and grateful for our visit. We watched many school children on our way to the various early morning game drives lined up in their blue and white uniforms waiting orderly for the small school bus to arrive. Unlike our schools, these children cherish an education. They are very well behaved. School discipline problems are rare --- not multiday occurrences that require "resource officers" to break up bloody fights as is all too common in most of our schools now. Nor were their racial justice protest marches.  

In both Cape Town and Johannesburg we had the opportunity to eat out on our own. Restaurant prices were shockingly low. The wait staff all but hugs you when you give them a $4 tip for a $20 meal! So, we learned to give more. They truly were overwhelmed with our generosity --- that we thought was still frugal on our part.

We love Africa and its people. We had a great tour Guide. One of the best ever. (Gate1travel.com) It was a wonderful trip in so many ways.

The flights home were very long and very tiring.  We left the Victoria Falls Livingston Airport on what was Wednesday 1 PM CDT (time at home) and arrived home at 1 AM Saturday morning!  Flight to Johannesburg 2 hrs. Johannesburg to Atlanta 16 hours. Atlanta to JFK 2 hrs. LaGuardia to St. Louis 2 hours. St. Louis to Little Rock 1 hour and that is on top of the 36 hours of sitting in airports!

50^th Anniversary trip blog

On June 12^th1966 on a college campus in Tennessee, I met my wife. Of course, I did not know it then. I was in my second year and stayed for the summer semester and she was a Freshman from Florida up for the work-study program. Two years later we were engaged and by August of 1969, we were married. We still are.

To celebrate this 50^th Anniversary, we wanted to go somewhere cool. We have been to Southern Europe in August and vowed not to go back – too hot and too crowded. We have lived in Alaska and we have extensively toured all of Canada. Well, most all of it. The far Northern territories are still calling but not much there for a major Anniversary celebration, so we booked a 14 day cruise on our favorite line, RCL, with four extra days in London. Linda had been to London and most of the British Isles 35 years ago for our 15^th Anniversary while I stayed home with the kids and she made her first and only trip with just her sisters. (Their father was born in Chester, England and they still had an abundance of relatives there then)

The cruise would take us to ports in Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Finland and Sweden, in that order with new ports back to Norway and Denmark.

As you look through the accompanying pictures, please keep in mind that we are tourists; it is virtually impossible to take photographs without a lot of other tourists in them trying to accomplish the same things.

First up, London. We arrived on a Saturday morning around 7AM after “only” seven hours on a Delta A330 out of Atlanta. We were booked at the Radisson Heathrow Edwardian Bleu for one night. We cannot say enough positive about this old fashion but modern updated elegant hotel. The Concierge service was better than any we have experienced here in the States. Every one was very kind and accommodating. They stored our luggage, provided us a map and instructions, and off we went to Central London, 16 miles to the East. The hotel is 5 minutes from the major Heathrow terminals. A great bargain for a mere $149 a night! A 24 hour McDonalds sits next door. A free bus ride to the “Tube” (subway) and about $11 each gets you a round trip pass into all things London. The trains run about every 5 to 8 minutes. Each subway station has a friendly attendant to help you with ticketing questions and operating the machines.

We opted for the “Hop-on-hop-off” Bus. There are many variant company options for this bus. We have found it very useful in many large cities we have visited over the years and doing so in London gives you a great overview of places to visit and how long it may take to get from point to point. I will digress here to tell you with no sense of pride that I have driven in every major city in America at one time or another, but no where, here, is the traffic as congested as it is in central London. They even have a system that restricts traffic in central London to only vehicles with special emission controls and an electronic card reader that dings you £20 per day! Even with all of the double decker buses, cabs and marvelous subway system, the traffic congestion is mind blowing. We did the full route and then hopped off for lunch at Tower Bridge and ate in a very traditional Pub. We saw all the sights you can from the street: London Bridge, Westminster, London Eye, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace entrance - and much more. At Buckingham, I took a picture of the wall around the entire complex. Note in the attached photographs that ancient spikes and barbed wire adorning the top then compare that to the simple iron fence around our White House and no fence around our buildings of National Government. Folks, we are Free! We are safe. We never felt unsafe walking London but absent from site were the infamous “Bobbies” (police). The Crowds at the Buckingham Place Gate were horrendous and they even did away with the “changing of the guard” except on special days and times.

We returned to our hotel late in the afternoon, retrieved our luggage and checked in. We were tired having been up now over 24 hours. A brief nap and we walked a couple of blocks to another Pub and restaurant. Portions for lunch and dinner were huge. A bit more expensive than our usual at home but in line with or even less than similar in NYC or San Francisco prices. You can order one dish and split for two and still have plenty to eat.

The next morning, we were up at 7AM, breakfast at McDonalds and then checked out and ready to catch the shuttle to Southampton’s Sea Port. The ride down the M3 was uneventful except for a north bound backup we thought was due to an accident, but turned out, several emergency vehicles and police were trying to capture a loose dog on the highway!

It would be two weeks before we returned to London but for continuity purposes, I will continue the London tour now.

Back from a marvelous two weeks on the Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, we checked back into the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow for three more nights. This time, our room was ready and we were refreshed having slept well on board the ship. It was a Sunday and we had been without good internet service for two weeks! We had much to catch up on. All the Government buildings were closed so the planned visits to Westminster, Buckingham, Tower, etc. were out. We had already booked full day countryside tours for Monday and Tuesday, and we left early Wednesday back home, so, we stayed close, caught up on our e-mails and worked on pictures.

Monday morning we are up at 5:30 AM, breakfast at McDonalds then the bus and Tube to Gloucester Road Station to meet our tour bus at 7:30AM. We booked Stonehenge and Bath through Viatour.com. We have always had good luck with them. It was promoted as a “small group tour” but there were 60 of us on the bus! Our Guide was excellent. Stonehenge is 88 miles and 2 ½ hours southwest of central London down the M3 (we call them ‘Interstates’ they call them ‘Motorways’) Basically the same direction we had gone two weeks previously to Southampton. All of the major highways in England are speed camera controlled. They tell you ahead of time when a camera is coming up. Every one slows down. The cameras are marked with large yellow stripes. Then every one speeds back up. The posted speed limit is 70 K/H (44 mph) but mostly you go 90 k/h (56 mph) which is still slow to our brains! However, we never saw an accident and rarely, a banged up vehicle.

Stonehenge sits upon a windswept plain. It is gently rolling hills dotted with sheep, dairy and wheat farms. (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/ and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge). We had great weather --- even a brief rain shower. The temperature throughout our 3 week trip was mostly sunny skies, 68 to 74 degrees, low humidity, light winds and evenings in the 55 to 65 degrees. Five years ago, on our Corps of Discovery/Lewis & Clark adventure, we visited the full scale replica of Stonehenge in Western Washington. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryhill_Stonehenge) I’ve included photographs of it in the attached link for comparison and interest.

On to Bath! The only natural hot springs in England. Developed by the Romans (of course). A marvelous city with the original baths restored, the Bath Abbey, and a lovely river-side park.

Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset, England, known for its Roman-built baths. In 2011, the population was 88,859. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles west of London and 11 miles south-east of Bristol. The city became a World Heritage site in 1987. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath,_Somerset. The drive through the countryside to and back to Central London was relaxing and lovely. A nice end of a 14 hour day. We ate supper at another historic Pub that evening before heading back to the Hotel via the Tube and free two decker bus.

Up early again the next morning (Tuesday) and back to the Gloucester Road Station for our next tour to Shakespeare country – the Cotswold’s, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Oxford with a side trip to Bibury.

Stratford-upon-Avon, a medieval market town in England’s West Midlands, is the 16th-century birthplace of William Shakespeare. While Shakespeare’s original birth-place home still stands, it has been greatly enlarged. The one he built after becoming rich and famous no longer stands as the fellow who bought it many years ago got fed up with the gawking tourists that he tore it down! Much of “old town” is exactly as it was 400 years ago – and full of tourists. Being a tourist ourselves it is almost impossible to get pictures without people standing in front of you trying to take the same picture! By the way, “Strat” is Old English for walking. “ford” means to cross a shallow body of water. “Avon” is Old English for river, so the name of the town means. “walk across a shallow place in the “river”. Learn more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratford-upon-Avon

Bibury is a quaint little town nestled in a small valley with a cold water creek (they call it the Coin River that actually supports a trout farm that gives tours and sells Rainbow Trout filets and steaks. It has been a movie set for film producers for many years from both the US and England. The town boasts a population of under 700, but on any given day, more tourists show up --- and some rude ones also.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibury

Our last stop was Oxford. While Cambridge would certainly disagree, Oxford is the ultimate college town. It has a resident population of over 155,000. We walked several miles of campuses and entered 400+ year old historic buildings. Some had not changed their furniture in all that time. It was a real education! If the storefront is not selling consumer goods, the building is a college. There are 31 Colleges in Oxford. Entry requirements are stringent. By law, they cannot charge England citizens more than £9,000 tuition per year. Everyone else something north of £35,000 per year. A degree from any one of the colleges and you receive an Oxford Diploma. They are so proud of how tough their course requirements are, you also get an Honorary Masters Degree with the BS/BA degree. Yes, they have an even more elite graduate college and medical college. Or, you can get your Oxford Degree right here https://www.getdegree18.com/Samples/University-of-Oxford-degree.html

Our tour guide told us several shops in Oxford sell fake degrees. Oxford is also a major movie set and many of the Harry Potter Movies were filmed inside “Hogwarts” scenes here. It was the perfect end to a 12 hour day. Back at our Hotel, we opted for the Hotel Restaurant “Steak & Lobster” and to our surprise, the pricing was very reasonable. Steak dinner for £20 and a nice lobster roll for £18.

The next morning our final McDonald’s breakfast (the Hotel wanted £23 each for breakfast) and caught a cab to the airport to come home.

There is so very much to see and do in London we will be back for a much longer stay. It is a city of 9 million and extremely diverse. You never know at a pub if your server speaks good English or not until you sit down. English Television is totally different than American TV. Mostly news, documentaries, and Nature programs. Of course, the Brexit separation from the European Union dominated the News, but also, protest to the government to do more to stop KNIFE CRIME! Yes, folks, knife crime is apparently rampant there to the point youth groups are marching in the streets. (We never saw any nor did we ever feel unsafe). The English economy is a bit soft. They are experiencing many of the same problems we are with entitlement demands, education deterioration, lawyers soliciting accident victims …. They are becoming us! While you see many miles of large beautiful rock and brick built homes --- that once were single family residents of the merchant class – they have all been converted into small multifamily apartments. Socialism has certainly taken its toll there and their “free” medical system is stretched to the limits by “medical tourism”. Apparently, they don’t even charge for tourists who go there for treatment from countries that do not have free and/or the standard of care England offers.

On the Ship at Southampton. Check in was a breeze. Loyalty awards are worth something. Explorer of the Seas is the largest cruise liner we have sailed on. 3,752 guest and 1,200 crew. It even sported an ice skating rink that we were treated to two very nice ice shows in. We did get to watch the Queen Mary 2 leave port ahead of us on Sunday evening. Our first day was at sea. Tuesday August 6^th at 10:30AM we docked at Oslo, Norway.

We had initially signed up for an Oslofjord cruise that canceled due to lack of participation? We took a city tour and a tour out to the Holmenkollen Ski Jump “hill”, the world’s only totally concrete ski jump created for the 1952 Winter Olympics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmenkollbakken. Oslo is a modern city with ancient buildings having been founded in 1040. We wish we had more time to visit all things Viking and the Viking Museum. You can read more about Oslo here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo

In Copenhagen, Denmark the next day, we visited its three main castles. Copenhagen has a distinguished royal heritage. We toured the three distinct castles on the island of Zealand. First was Kronborg Castle, which was the setting for William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. Then we moved on to the baroque gardens at Fredensborg Palace, the spring and autumn residence of the Danish royal family. Finally, we stopped at Frederiksborg, the largest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia.

Leaving Copenhagen, we had a full day at sea before arriving in the Baltic Nation of Estonia on our Anniversary date of August 9^th. Estonia was one of the three Baltic Soviet Socialist Republics, but thanks to Reagan and Gorbachev, they are now free for 30 years loving every minute of it. Here we got to experience the country and the city life. First, we visited a dairy farm and were served freshly made yogurt and cream with blueberries. Then we headed to the city where we visited a home of a local citizen and learned much of their Russian bondage and yearning to be free. We were served delicious homemade Rhubarb Cake and tea. Their economy has taken off and most are doing well. Then it was on to Old Town Tallinn.

We landed in the Capital and Port City of Tallinn. We visited Old Town and Toompea Hill. The views from Toompea Hill were remarkable and we explored historic St. Mary's Cathedral and orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

Next up, RUSSIA! St. Petersburg. The historic Capitol City founded in 1703 by Peter the Great. We spent two whole days here. What was accomplished in 200 years, torn down in the span of 26 and rebuilt over the last 75 is astounding! The official population is over 6 million. There were at least another million tourists in town! It was extremely crowded. Fortunately, as with the entire trip, the temperature hovered around 72F. The Historic City center is at the seaport area. The majority of the palaces are 45 minutes by super highway to the East. Two things struck me right off. First, the area is very flat. Second, there are no single-family houses --- just high-rise upon high-rise buildings. My guess is 95% of the Russian people that are not farmers, live in high-rise apartments. In our many travels back and forth through the Countryside, we saw very few farm houses – all modest – one subdivision typical of a small 1400 square foot house development and very little actual agriculture. We had very little interaction with Russian citizens. Observationally, judging from the wide variety of non-Russian made automobiles, trucks and buses crowding the streets, many citizens are doing well. Our tour bus was Russian made and for me, the seats was very Spartan and uncomfortable. The Russian currency is the Ruble – worth 15 cents USD. However, St. Petersburg is a VERY expensive City. No bargains were to be found, but of course, we did pick up several Russian made souvenirs, including Matryoshka Dolls.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll .

Our first stop was Catherine’s Palace in Pushkin. WOW! Nothing we have ever seen comes close to the opulence of this Palace. Typical of all the Palaces of that time, it included its own Cathedral. The Palace is one of the most splendid summer residences of the Russian tsars and considered one of the masterpieces of world architecture. The Amber Room was once dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The gardens cover 1,400 acres dotted with charming pavilions set around the central lake. We had a typical multicourse Russian lunch at a local restaurant then headed to Peterhof Palace, one of the summer residences of the royal family. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Peterhof is located 18 miles away from St. Petersburg on the Gulf of Finland. We did not have time to go into the Palace, but the terraced gardens featuring sculptures, numerous pavilions and intricately shaped foot-bridges and more than 150 gold clad fountains and four cascades — all gravity-fed. Then the tour bus drove across the Neva River to the Spit of Vasilievsky Island, flanked by two rostral columns stopping for a tour of the early-18th-century Peter and Paul Fortress. Within the fortress is Peter and Paul Cathedral, an ornate 18th-century church situated at the highest point of the city and the burial place of the tsars.

Our Second day, a Sunday, was supposed to start at The Hermitage with an entry ticket ahead of the general public, but that got moved to the afternoon, so first visit was an exhibit about the 1916 palace murder of imperial advisor Grigori Rasputin. Then we boarded a cruise of St. Petersburg’s waterways, passing magnificent palaces, mansions and cathedrals. At dinner between the two days, we were told about the boat ride and how children ran from bridge to bridge crossing the canals waving at you, and when you got back to the drop off point, they were there with their hands out hoping for money. Our dinner table group said they were all young boys. Well, we had a 15 year old girl that ran. Quite an athletic endeavor and the course was well over a mile with at least 6 bridges. I gave her 100 Rubels ($1.50 USD) Off the boat we explored the inside of Yusupov palace, one of Europe’s most lavish estates. This huge riverside was home of the Yusupov family, as wealthy as the tsars in the 19th century. Then we visited St. Isaac’s Cathedral to marvel at the dome decorated with 200 pounds of gold. Its vast interior is filled with hundreds of impressive 19th-century works of art. After a multicourse lunch at the Nikolaevsky Palace with servers in period costume we ventured deep inside the extremely crowded and hot Hermitage, housing 3 million-plus items. Afterwards we visited the Church of Resurrection of the Spilled Blood, a spectacular, Russian-style multicolored, onion-domed church. Like so many of these 18^th and 19^th Century buildings, the top dome was obscured by scaffolding under-going renovations. The inside of this church was absolutely spectacular. The 20-foot high double doors weight 10 tons each. We needed so much more time, but we were happy to leave the crowds behind.

Helsinki, the Capitol of Finland and Finland’s 2nd-oldest town. We had a ride through the modern downtown area out to the country-side and lunch in an old manor/distillery. On the way, we stopped briefly at Senate Square, then drove on to Sipoo and visited its 15th century-old church. Finally Porvoo established circa 1346, a quaint little village on a river where I captured by best photographs of the trip.. On the return trip, we enjoyed a photo stop at Rock Church.

On to Stockholm, Sweden and Its Famous Archipelago the next day. Like so much of Scandinavia and the Baltic the Archipelago is composed of a vast island chain east of Stockholm. We visited enchanting villages and a 16th-century fortress. We took a walk through Vaxholm, an island port of beautiful old buildings with waterfront views of Vaxholm Fortress. We enjoyed a traditional Swedish lunch of Salmon with pastoral views in Siggesta Gard. Next we toured the old porcelain community of Gustavsberg but were not impressed as mostly common dinnerware was displayed. Our tour guide was a 50ish Political Science and History Professor at Stockholm University. She was a real cheerleader for all things Swedish. Admittedly, from all appearances, the Swedes live well. The government provides all their needs from cradle to grave: free public education through college, free medical care, free job skills training, and low unemployment – now. The government controls EVERY LITTLE aspect of their lives! The pay 35% to 65% in income taxes. No property tax, but, gasoline if $6.50 USD per US gallon, they have a 23% sales tax on EVERYTHING (call ad valorum tax) which is always included in the price you see on the price tag so you don’t have to mentally calculate it in the bottom line. Their total tax bite is between 45 to 75% of earned income! When I challenged her that system only works because they have a homogeneous population, she jumped on me. 30% of Stockholm’s population (the largest City with over half the Nations population) are Immigrants. Well, as I listened to her explain that the majority are from Finland that immigrate to Sweden for jobs, then from the traditional Baltic Nations (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) North Germany, Russia, Norway and some Middle East refugees – mostly fleeing Christians, some Muslim, all young men and women who are highly educated. I did not argue with her but obviously, I was correct. Swede’s immigrants are overwhelmingly Northern European and White. The she tells us, ALL immigrants a condition of staying in Sweden MUST learn the Swedish language plus one other Northern European language. They MUST get a job. If they do have job skills, they MUST go to school to obtain the skills. On the medical care end, they are not allowed to become fat and lazy and become diabetic. Yes, the State even controls your diet and exercise program! They have very few lawyers as they do not allow negligence lawsuits as we know them. They do not tolerate misbehavior in the school classrooms. ALL of their families value education. Neither our Constitution nor our Culture here would allow the government to impose such strict life style living or taxation. Norway and Finland are similar but not as strict.

Another sea day and then to the Northern tip of Denmark to Skagen, Denmark. Pronounced “Skane”. This is a small port town and fish factory town. We could smell it a mile or so out from port. It was the only day that was overcast with rain showers the entire time we were there. There simply were no tours that piques our interest and there were no local cabs we saw, but there were cab stop signs all over town. The highlight was the ancient “light”. Not a light house per se, but a mechanism to lift a bucket of burning embers up high into the sky situated on a small hill top near the mouth of the small Bay. Read more about the Bascule Light here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vippefyr

Our last day in the Baltic. Back to Norway. Stavanger (pronounced Staven’ah) and Lysefjord fiord.

We took a 2.5-hour easygoing boat ride through the majestic Lysefjord, viewing stunning rock formations and enjoying complimentary refreshments. We set sail across the Stavanger Archipelago. I included a commercial drone picture of the famous Perikestolen, "the Pulpit Rock", which soars 1,982 feet above the water, while taking pictures of it from our boat. We stopped at a shore side restaurant with its resident Viking in traditional warrior garb, and enjoyed hot tea, coffee and waffles before heading back to the Explorer of the Seas and our last cruise day back to Southampton, England. It was a marvelous cruise!

The Baltic Sea is a shallow sea. It has no tidal changes. You will need to look at a large map of the area to understand why. It averages only 30 meters (98.4ft) deep. It is a great place to determine if “climate change” is causing ocean rise above the historic average of 1mm per year (about a foot per 100 years). It isn’t. Actually, the land is rising. Yes, the land is rising. The oceans are NOT rising. The deep permafrost of the last ice age that ended there a mere 10,000 years ago is still swelling from absorbed water, so many of the islands that were above water 1,000 years ago, then disappeared due to ice age ice melt and ocean rise, are now rising again. They are discovering many ancient Viking age artifacts now on beaches and dry land. Ancient maps are coming back to “life”. In other parts of the world, notable western Italy, land masses are sinking due to the great volcanic caldera there that are collapsing further under the sea. Of course, the claimant terrorist and alarmist want you to believe the oceans have dramatically risen there … just there, when it is the land that has sunk. This is true in many other parts of the world. Our Mother Earth is very active geologically. Climate has nothing to do with tectonic plate movements, volcanic magma rise and fall, the land mass sinking of Antarctica due to the massive weight of the ice and so many more factors. We still have much to learn!

Traveling to the most remote places on Earth has been a life-long ambition.  Not just for the beauty, but more so for the photographic opportunities, the history and the science.

Now, in the wake of the politicization of the global warming trend through most of the 20^th Century, and over-hyped now well into the 21^st Century, the science took center stage in my desire to finally “go”. Go we did!  We booked a nine day expedition cruise out of Ushuaia, Argentina, and we put together a 3 day extension in Santiago, Chile and another 3 days on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

Antarctica is the 5^th largest Continent of the seven.  The land mass is larger than all of the USA and Mexico combined.   (5.4 million square miles)  About 98% of Antarctica is covered by  ice  averaging 1.2 miles  in thickness, but much of it is  2.5 MILES THICK which is actually causing the land mass portion to sink! The ice sheet extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. That is, everywhere you look, you see high mountains. Most of Antarctica is a polar desert with annual precipitation of only 8 inches along the coast and far less inland. The temperature in Antarctica has reached -128.6F . During our voyage, during the “late Spring” there. The temperatures ranged from 28 to 34 degrees F. 

In the Western half of the Continent, which includes the Peninsula portion, the ocean waters have warmed a bit by 1 degree C or 1.8 degree F.  Most of the scientists on board our ship attributed this warming to the now warmer westerly flow prevailing winds and the west to east circulation of the Southern Ocean.   The minority opinion points to the two active volcanoes and the dozens of known inactive volcanoes under the ice that may be contributing to the melt and warmer temps. However, there may be a very positive environmental result as the plankton – both phytoplankton and zooplankton – have exploded producing great swarms of krill and thus increasing the food chain upward.  Many research studies are now under way to confirm the “why” of the increase, but right now, it is certainly benefiting all of Nature there. 

Speaking of the volcanoes, our first landing was in Deception Island - Whaler's Bay, which is one of the active volcanoes.  You can see the "steam" rising through the volcanic ash that lines the shore of the crater.  It is not quite as big as our Crater Lake in Oregon (6 miles across) but at 5 miles at its widest, it is a huge crater. We sailed all around the interior. You can see it on Google Earth at: -69.953204, -60.639606.

Depending on who you read or believe, 80 to 90% of all freshwater on Earth is contained within the Antarctic Ice Sheet.  (The 1.7 million square mile Greenland Ice Sheet contains the other 9% of all freshwater).  Most authorities state that 99% of ALL FRESHWATER is contained within the two massive ice sheets. 

Per the scientist on board our expedition ship, the  Antarctic Ice sheet is melting at the rate of 109 to 180 giga-tons per year. (giga = billion)  That is a lot of water!  We know this because since 1992 satellite telemetry has been measuring it. (A newer model was just launched this year)  Before 1992, we had no way of measuring the melt. Therefore, we have nothing to compare it too.  During two of the 2 to 4 daily on-board science and history classes for the entire 9 days, we learned that if ALL the ice melted, our oceans would rise 69 meters (226 feet).  That would certainly inundate all of Florida, most of Mississippi and Alabama and a good bit of Southern Arkansas!  However, what the geologist presenter did not tell until asked, at the current rate of melt, this would take OVER ONE MILLION YEARS!!! What they also failed to tell us was the NEWER 2014 NASA publication of the WHOLE CONTENENT  satellite  telemetry study and not just the JPL Western half study they used to frighten every one, the Contenent is still experiencing a NET INCREASE of ice!!!!    

From NASA:  "A new NASA study says that an increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago is currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from its thinning glaciers.

The research challenges the conclusions of other studies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2013 report, which says that Antarctica is overall losing land ice.

According to the new analysis of satellite data, the Antarctic ice sheet showed a net gain of 112 billion tons of ice a year from 1992 to 2001. That net gain slowed to 82 billion tons of ice per year between 2003 and 2008."

While most of the presentations made an attempt to balance the scientific evidence (solar activity, Milankovitch cycles, many 1,000's years gaps in the ice core evidence, low carbon dioxide levels with much higher average global temperatures in past warming cycles, and much higher average global temperatures over the many cycles well before humans even walked the planet) they were still heavily biased toward carbon.  Of course, none could point to any accepted research that actually proves CO2 causes global warming (yes, there is a very high correlation for the period 1890 to 2000, but no actual repeatable – verifiable experimental proof) Nor, did any have an answer for the lack of economical long term storage of non-carbon renewable based energy sources to fill the power demands during the many hours that these renewables would be inactive. 

One of the most revealing statements made in a presentation by the head geologist was that between 1992 and 2016, the ice melt has caused a 11mm rise in the oceans. I immediately stopped him and asked for a clarification to be sure I heard him correctly.  Yes, 1992 was the first satellite confirmation of the ice/water volume lost and 2016 was the latest released data …. and yes, it was a whopping 11 millimeters … not centimeters, not inches ...11mm.  Why is this significant? Well, because the UNIPCC politicians and highly paid and leveraged “scientist” that work for them are reporting a 3mm rise per year! (While the rest of the science is reporting a steady 1mm per year rise)  So, 11mm over a 24 year period is only a 0.45mm rise (less than ½ of a millimeter) per year! ). Another begrudging admission during our classes was that ice is actually increasing on the Eastern half of Antarctica. 

Observationally, as shown in my photographs, retreating glaciers are not apparent. There is one minor glacier on the western coast that has retreated a bit but not dramatically.  If the coastal areas get only 8” of precipitation a year, we got half of it the 5 days we were in the Antarctic waters! 

During our trip, it was reported that the station at the actual South Pole, reported a CO2 measurement that exceeded 400ppm.  To put that in context, 400ppm is ONLY 4/100^th of ONE PERCENT of our atmosphere.  Our atmosphere is 78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, and 1% Argon.  Water vapor is 23%..

The science and history lessons alone were worth the price of the trip, but the beauty of the Antarctic is beyond description. MY photographs simply do not convey the joy and grandeur of being there.  The Antarctic was unknown until 1840 even though Captain Cook speculated on its existence in 1775.  We simply cannot comprehend the courage of the early explorers in wooden ships and the extreme hardships they endured to explore the Continent.  The Moon landing in 1969 was a walk in the park compared to the men who went South 100+ years ago!

Of all the presentations and lectures on board the MS Midnatsol, the most interesting and exciting was the two given by Dr. Norman Thagard. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Thagard) It was my privilege and honor to have him sit down next to me and chat two days later. His suite was down the hall from our room, and we bumped into him, his son and grandchildren frequently. He freely spoke with anyone who approached including two other members of our little group. A true American Hero and patriot. A Marine’s Marine!  He has given much to the betterment of science and to human kind. How thrilling it was to have him on board.

The Drake Strait was all we had expected, but not as rough as it often is.  Going down (two days down and two days up) it was rocking and rolling causing us all to do the “penguin walk”. We followed behind a storm going down.  On the return trip, it was worse.  Fortunately, Linda and I are not  prone to motion sickness. One in our little band of six, BG, did become ill after the first day, but was back to her normal vibrant self the following day when things calmed a bit. She seemed fine on the return trip.  My guess is no more than 10% of the 387 total passengers became throwing up ill. 

We missed the shopping opportunities in Ushuaia going and coming. We arrived there on a Sunday and got back 6AM Friday morning. It is a beautiful little City – the farthest South on our Planet – of about 8,000.

Our flights were all, thankfully, uneventful.  10 gentle ups and 10 soft downs.  (Little Rock to St. Louis, to Ft. Lauderdale. Train to Miami, then Miami to Buenos Aries, then to Ushuaia. Ushuaia to Santiago, Chile, then to Easter Island and back to Santiago, then Miami. Ft. Lauderdale to Love Field, Dallas, then home)

We spent 3 days in Santiago. Our first visit to Chile.  Chile is the most prosperous South American Country.  The government remains stable. Our hotel was in the historic district of old town close to the Nations seat of Government. We walked all over and never felt insecure. The people are friendly and the local police (actually, national police) were helpful. It is also more expensive than other South American countries we have visited.  We did the Hop-on-Hop-off bus on Saturday and Sunday we had a private guide, Marcelo, into the Andes Mountains on the hunt to photograph an Andean Condor.   No luck, but we had a great time and saw beautiful scenery. If anyone is planning a trip to Santiago, I can give you Marcelo's contact info. We highly recommend him.   No doubt, climate change has affected the Andes as many glaciers have retreated, but not as severely as we see in our Northern Hemisphere. Per Marcelo, the snow caps on many peaks now disappear int eh summer when they did not when he was a child. 

EASTER ISLAND:  WOW!!  We saw the sunshine for maybe a total of 8 hours the entire time we were in Antarctica.  On Easter Island, we were sun burned!  Clear blue skies to puffy white clouds every day. Temperatures in the low 60's at night and 80 during the day. What an icing on our vacation cake!  

We stayed in a small family run motel on the town's main street (some would deem it a hostel) called the Tekena Inn.  The proprietor, Juan, was wonderful. He met us at the airport without having to call, with a flower lei. There is only one city on the 63 square mile Island. Most of the Island is a National Park. The Tekena Inn is within 4 blocks of everything you want to see or do in Hanga Roa.  There are only about 7,750 inhabitants on Rapa Nui and about 3,500 are of Rapa Nui blood.  Officially, only the Rapa Nui can actually own land there.  Tourism is their main economy.  There are farms and ranches, and of course, fishing. We had the freshest and best tasting seafood while there.  Dining out prices are NYC comparable or even much of San Francisco dining prices.  Lodging is cheap due to competition for the 1,000 visitors per day (two flights a day on a B787) with no A/C.  There are over 200 “hotels” but only about 4 or so offer A/C at upward to $400 per night. We paid $80.  As soon as the sun sets, the breeze cools things down quickly so sleeping was no problem with a small fan keeping the air stirring.   

Internet is extremely slow on the Island, but they seem to have very good cell phone service.

We rented a car for our first full day – with NO insurance even available – and took a small group private tour the next day.  Between the two days, we covered the entirety of the Island.  Our Guide,  Atta, claims to be the 36 year old son of two of the two most famous archaeologist that spent the first 20 years of his life  supervising the monument restorations from the mid-70's to the mid-90's.  I am still in the process of confirming that story. I'll edit this once I have completed my research.  Atta was extremely informative of the Island's history, culture, and geology – as one would expect from such parents he claimed.  As to the effects of global warming, there has been virtually none.  Easter Island is the most remote inhabited land of Earth.  Being small and literally in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, its tidal change is barely a meter from low to high tide.  With best archaeological and carbon dating of artifacts, the first structure appeared around 1200. Sea to shore landings were laid with stone. Sea rise over the past 800 years has been six feet.  Less than the predicted one foot per year.    Stories of sea rise swallowing remote Islands are either greatly exaggerated or outright lies.  While I do not doubt that Islands have experienced sea inundation, it is more likely due to land mass sinking versus sea level rising more than the one foot per 100 year average.  There is no indication what so ever that the 1mm per year is or has accelerated in our life-times.  Atta did state that they have experienced stronger storms over his adult years, and that due to those storms, there has been some beach erosion.  He totally dismissed global warming as a factor.

UPDATE on our Guide, "Atta".  I have confirmed his account of his upbringing.  Full name is Atariki Cristino.  His parents are Claudio P. Cristino and Patricia Vargas Casanova.  Both are  full professors in the Anthropology Department at the University of Chile. 

Claudio P. Cristino (father)

Archaeologist, Anthropologist, Pacific Islands Explorer and Polynesian culture expert. Professor at Department of Anthropology and Director Easter Island and Oceania Studies Centre, University of Chile.

RESEARCH 

Claudio Cristino has been Easter Island's resident archaeologist for the past two decades. He is also Assistant Professor of Prehistory at the University of Chile, Research Fellow at the Easter Island Studies Institute of the University of Chile, Associate Researcher with the Department of Archaeology of French Polynesia and Director of the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation, a Maryland-based organization that finances scientific projects in the Eastern Pacific. Claudio's connection with Easter Island dates back to 1976, when he arrived as a graduate student to participate in the restoration of the famous birdman cult ceremonial site of Orongo. In the following years he excavated and restored Ahu o Kava and many other ceremonial sites. In 1978 he founded the Easter Island Studies Institute of the University of Chile, and acted as its first Director until 1985. From 1992 to 1996, he was the archaeologist in charge of restoring Easter Island's largest ahu at Tongariki. He has continued to carry out numerous studies in anthropology, ethnology, and ethno history on Easter Island, in addition to directing the Rapa Nui Archaeological survey, a gigantic task still in progress. 

Claudio Cristino has spent most of his adult life researching and living in different islands of Polynesia. Made extensive expertise in the Pacific and is currently pursuing other graduate academic studies at the University of Paris I (PanthéonSorbonne). Claudio Cristino connection with Polynesia dates back to 1976, when he worked on the restoration of the famous ceremonial village of Orongo in Rapa Nui. In 1978 he co-founded the Institute for Easter Island Studies at the University of Chile in Hanga Roa, and was its first Director. Between 1977 and 1990 with colleague Patricia Vargas conducted an archaeological survey of Rapa Nui registering more than 20,000 archaeological features and sites that make up the largest database of its kind in the Pacific islands. Between 1980 and 1990 he served as visiting professor at the Centre des Sciences Humaines Polynesia contributing to the organization of the Archaeological Service of French Polynesia and was responsible for research and restoration of various religious monuments (marae). Appointed Director of the Anthropological Museum, returned to Rapa Nui in 1990 and became Country Director for the restoration of Ahu Tongariki, the major ceremonial center of Polynesia. Author of numerous articles and publications, with Patricia Vargas and Roberto Izaurieta his main work in recent years is "1000 Years in Rapa Nui. Archaeology of Settlement" (University Press, December 2006, 450 pages) that includes decades of important research. It is considered one of the most renowned experts in Polynesia and Rapa Nui, and is doing research in archeology, anthropology and ethnology in several islands and archipelagos of the region. When not on a remote island, is a professor of Archaeology, Ethnography of Oceania, and Rapa Nui in the Department of Anthropology. Professor Cristino has participated in important works of restoration of monumental religious architecture in Easter Island and East Polynesia and Marae of Vainaue (Tahiti), the Village Ceremonial Orongo and ceremonial center of Ahu Tongariki (Easter Island).

PATRICIA VARGAS CASANOVA (mother)

Author: "Unearthed", "Easter Island's Silent Sentinels"  and others

In 1977, Claudio Cristino and Patricia Vargas Casanova began the massive Easter Island Archaeological Survey, a long term research program that to date has covered 85% of the island and recorded over 20,000 archaeological features and sites, including the documentation and mapping of almost 900 moai and the statue quarries of Rano Raraku (1981) where the great majority of the moai were carved, as part of the Easter Island Statuary Project carried out by the University of Chile´s research team (1977-1996). The pair have also directed the excavations and restoration of Ahu Tongariki one of the most notable monuments of Rapa Nui, protected as part of the National Park, a world heritage site since 1996.

From 1985 and 1994, they all carried out extensive archaeological surveys, excavations or restoration work in the Society Islands, Marquesas, and in the Australs Islands in French Polynesia. Between 1986 and 1991 Edwards and a team of workers from Raivavae carried out a complete archaeological survey of the island, recording a total of 610 compound structures and isolated components and features. The results of this major work, the first complete inventory of one of the Austral Islands, were published in 2003. Thereafter he has been dedicated to investigate rock art and archaeoastronomy in Eastern Polynesia and Easter Island.

In 2011, they each received from The Explorer Club the Lowell Thomas Award for their work on Easter Island under the "Mysteries of the World" category.
 

It is believed that Easter Island's Polynesian inhabitants arrived on Easter Island sometime near 1200 AD. They created a thriving and industrious culture, as evidenced by the island's numerous enormous stone moai and other artifacts. However, land clearing for cultivation and the introduction of the Polynesian rat led to gradual deforestation. By the time of European arrival in 1722, the island's population was estimated to be 2,000–3,000. European diseases, Peruvian slave raiding expeditions in the 1860s, and emigration to other islands, e.g. Tahiti, further depleted the population, reducing it to a low of 111 native inhabitants in 1877.

Chile annexed Easter Island in 1888. In 1966, the Rapa Nui were granted Chilean citizenship. In 2007 the island gained the constitutional status of "special territory." Administratively, it belongs to the Valparaíso Region, comprising a single commune of the Province Isla de Pascua. The 2017 Chilean census registered 7,750 people on the island, of whom 3,512 (45%) considered themselves Rapa Nui.

Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world. The nearest inhabited land (around 50 residents in 2013) is Pitcairn Island, 1,289 miles away.  The nearest town with a population over 500 is Rikitea, on the island of Mangareva, 1,619 miles away; the nearest continental point lies in central Chile, 2,182 mile away.

Easter Island is considered part of Insular Chile.

We were glad to arrive home safely after over 3 weeks of some of the most beautiful and educational travel we have been privileged to make.   Thank you Jesus.  Merry Christmas all.

Wow! What a year the past 12 months have been. May 2016, Peru: Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. August 2016, Italy, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro. February/March 2017, Panama and now, May 2017, AFRICA!

This was our second visit to the World’s second largest Continent. We did Egypt in 2009, but only for a very long day as part of a Mediterranean cruise. We have wanted to do an African photographic Safari for years but fundamental Islamic terrorism has kept us away from that part of the world. Security was tight in Egypt in 2009, but nothing like it is now. However, with dozens of American based tour companies taking thousands of tourists to Kenya and other parts of Africa everyday without incident, we could wait no longer. We signed up with FriendlyPlanet.com (our first tour with them was to the Galapagos and they were wonderful) almost a year in advance to go to Kenya this May. Only for a week, so it was a “fast and furious” trip. FriendlyPlanet.com is known for its smaller tour groups and includes airfare in the price. So, for under $5,000 the two of us enjoyed an experience of a lifetime. All we had to do was get to JFK International Airport! We live in Little Rock, AR. So, with sufficient air miles with Southwest, plus $11 each in taxes we got to LaGuardia. Then, $30 each round trip to JFK on the NYC Transporter, we were ready to board Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Germany, then on to Nairobi. The return trip would be on Swiss Air from Nairobi to Zurich, Switzerland, then on to JFK and back to LaGuardia.

To put Africa in perspective, it is second only to the Asian Continent in size with 11.7 million square miles and a total population of 1.2 BILLION people. The USA has 3.8 million square miles so Africa is 3X the size of the U.S. With about 325 million of us here, Africa has 4X our population. The Northern most point in Africa is the same Latitude as the northern borders of NC, TN, AR, OK, NM and AZ. The Southern tip of Africa is on Latitude with Uruguay in South America.

Kenya is an East Afric equatorial and coastal Nation of 47 million people of a size a little smaller than Texas at 225,000 square miles versus 269,000 for Texas. Kenya has almost twice the population of Texas’s 28 million though. Nairobi, the Capitol of Kenya lies in Southern Kenya just a few degrees south of the Equator. There are 6.5 million inhabitants in the greater Nairobi Metroplex. Kenya, like all of Africa is an impoverished nation. 67% of those 47 million (or 31+ million of them) are unemployed – most are still traditional subsistence farmers, hunters and gatherers. Those that don’t farm, live in squalid small towns and city slums and depend on relatives who do farm or are employed for survival. There is NO government welfare! NONE! Compared to the average Kenyan, the poorest people in America are rich beyond Kenyan imaginations.

Kenya is still primarily a Christian Nation as is still, much of Africa. The Islamization of Africa has been severe and widespread leaving only Sub-Saharan Africa mostly Christian. The terrorist imprints of Islam are seen everywhere in Kenya with their Red X graffiti, and the extreme security measures that all commercial area of any real value have to under-take. We had to go through five levels of security to return to the Nairobi Airport to return home. Long before you reach the airport perimeter, there is a guarded gate to check ID and vehicle ownership. A mile further, all passengers must exit the vehicle to go through ID check, x-ray and magnetometers while the driver and vehicle go through a chemical and electronic bomb check and more in-depth ID and registration. Then you get to the parking lot but to enter the airport building, another ID, x-ray and magnetometer. Bag check is a two-step process drop off, and then through “normal” airport security, immigration check, x-ray and magnetometer. Finally, you are at your gate area, and you guessed it, a separate secure gate area with ID, x-ray, and bomb sniffing check. Finally, you sit down to wait for your plane and pass your boarding pass though the machine – again! Folks, this is what unfettered immigration and the open arms welcoming of Islam is bringing to America. (Speaking of unfettered immigration, when we landed in Frankfurt, to get to our next gate, we had to actually leave the secure area, leave the terminal, and catch a train. Then a bus from the assigned exit gate to our plane, parked out on the tarmac after passing over runways while waiting for other planes to take off and land! (Germany has completely open borders!!! NO immigration control what-so ever!!)

Kenya is a mountainous high-plain (called Savannahs) Country. Nairobi is a mile high city. Where we stayed at Lake Naivasha is at 6,700 feet. Mt. Kenya in the center of the Nation is 17,057 feet, and Mt. Kilimanjaro on the Kenya/Tanzania border to the South is 19,341 feet. Unlike Peru last year, the altitude did not bother us. It does keep the temperatures cool (75 to 85) and dry humidity. VERY pleasant weather. We arrived during the rainy season, which, had been a drought this year until the week before we arrived. There was rain but never all day. Except for the first morning in Nairobi, it never interfered with my photography efforts.

We landed in Nairobi around 8 PM in a light rain, and woke up the next morning at the Nairobi Intercontinental Hotel, across from the Parliament building in a light rain. The Hotel was abuzz with extra security due to a visiting West African President. The Hotel – as most buildings – was surrounded by a 12 foot high steel fence topped with razor wire, and even without the dignitary, has around-the-clock armed guards with fully automatic machine guns. We enjoyed a good breakfast and then a brief FriendlyPlanet.com orientation where we were given gifts of a cloth safari hats, a 100% wool Maasai robe and a document holder. Then we were off to the Elephant Orphanage.

I want to stop here and let all the readers know that every one we met, all of the Kenyans and all in our tour group and our driver-guides were wonderful people. The Africans could not be more friendly and accommodating. Including Linda and I, there were 13 in our tour group, and only four of us in our van – one of three vans. Our group consisted of Bonnie, Jason, Donna, Larry, Teresa, Tony, Simon, Marie-Claire, Ben, Tim and Candace. We were the oldest. We had two medical doctors, a Realtor, a Financial Analyst, a lawyer, an occupational therapist and a Computer guy among us. Our driver was Jim, and the lead driver, a fellow Master Naturalist, was Peter Wamugunda who is now a Facebook Friend. We enjoyed being with everyone.

After leaving the orphaned baby elephants – all of which were rescued from all over Kenya under various tragedies. They have to be kept and slept with by a tender until they are at least two years old – we piled in our respective Vans for the 4 hour drive to Lake Naivasha. It is only about 100KM (62 miles) so why 4 hours? Well, we did make a couple of pit and shopping stops, but mainly the roads. Once you are outside of the Nairobi Metroplex area, the highways and rural country roads are atrocious. They are crowded and pot-hole pocked. The way is dotted with small villages, and the Maasai herd their cattle, sheep and goats along all green shoulders of roadway.

Sopa Lodge on Lake Naivasha is a wonderful oasis and nature preserve. All of the pictures are in order taken except for a little judicious arranging to make sense. The Sopa Lodge grounds are well manicured by the grazing Zebra, Waterbuck, Hippo’s and Giraffes. There was a warning sign about Cape Buffalo, but we never saw them at Sopa. The Lake dock area and Lake cruise was magnificent for bird watching … and, seeing the Hippo in their natural element.

After two days at Sopa we left for the Maasai Mara National Park. A 6+ hour drive over 216 KM (135 miles) the last 50 of which was “gravel”! I use the word “gravel” loosely here. At best, the road was heavily ribbed washboard strewn with fist sized rocks and at worst was akin to driving down (or up) a boulder strewn dry creek bed. And, yes, even more than on the paved roads, we had to contend with Maasai herders. (Note, I am using the Kenyan spelling of “Maasai” and not the English version, “Masai” )

While World Renowned, the Maasai Mara National Preserve is actually one of the smaller National Parks in Kenya. It lies Southwest of Nairobi on the Tanzania border. When it was originally established in 1961 as a wildlife sanctuary the Mara covered only 520 square kilometres (200 sq mi) of the current area, including the Mara Triangle. The area was extended to the east in 1961 to cover 1,821 km² (703 sq mi) and converted to a game reserve. The Narok County Council (NCC) took over management of the reserve at this time. Part of the reserve was given National Reserve status in 1974, and the remaining area of 159 km² (61 sq mi) was returned to local communities. An additional 162 km² (63 sq mi) were removed from the reserve in 1976, and the park was reduced to 1,510 km² (580 sq mi) in 1984. In 1994, the TransMara County Council (TMCC) was formed in the western part of the reserve, and control was divided between the new council and the existing Narok County Council. In May 2001, the not-for-profit Mara Conservancy took over management of the Mara Triangle.

The Keekorok Lodge was a very welcome sight and oasis after almost two hours of bone jarring road where I had to ask our driver Jim to slow down. Rarely am I afraid of dying, but being in the front seat with no airbags, and feeling the Van skate across the ribbed road at 50mph toward boulders and deep ditches, I was genuinely concerned!

Even deep in the heart of sub-equatorial Africa miles from any civilization as we know it, the Reserve had a stone and high steel gate with machine gun armed soldiers and a thorough security check to get into the Mara. Once we reached Keekorok, another Iron gate, security guard and back-up, steel lift pole across the road. These Maasai do not accept fundamental Islam as a “religion of peace”. They know better. Just before entering the Mara, we had the pleasure of visiting a traditional Maasai village. The Maasai (meaning “the people” and “Mara” meaning “the place”) were traditionally for millennium nomadic people. Now, those who choose to maintain a traditional way of life, live in stick constructed mud and donkey manure clad huts. These four room huts consist of a marriage bedroom where one wife sleeps, a kitchen, a child’s bedroom and a guest bedroom. Often the young goats and sheep are kept in the “guest room” at night. Maasai men can have multiple wives based upon the number of cattle they can accumulate. The wife builds the house. So, if the man has 5 wives, he has 5 houses to visit. He sleeps in one per night. Wealthy Maasai have dozens of wives and possibly hundreds of children. There is no running water. No bathrooms other than the great out of doors. Each village compound is surrounded by a stockade fence of cut trees and brush where the cattle are brought into the compound at night. This is Lion, Leopard and Cheetah country!

We crossed into and out of the Great Rift Valley on our way to Naivasha and the Mara. Much of what we saw were vast acres of farmland and commercial farms – great habitat loss to the native wild animals and birds. Only on the larger wheat farms did we see evidence of mechanization. Most farm labor is still stoop labor. Like we saw in Panama, filth, trash and litter lines all the roads and city streets outside of Nairobi.

Our two days at Keekorok and the Mara were nothing short of spectacular. Our only complaints with Sopa and Keekoroak was the bed mattresses gave the word “firm mattress” a whole new meaning – HARD!!! The Lodge staff was very friendly and accommodating, and the reception desk staff even allowed me to use their one and only computer to back up my picture files to my portable hard drive. (I left my lap top at home – that weight thing again). There was no “business center” at these lodges. They did have wifi – slow, but you could make cell phone calls and check your e-mail if you had a Kenya enabled sim card smart phone.

Leaving Keekorok Lodge was sad. We really should have booked the second week in Tanzania. The road back to Nairobi was no smoother and certainly no shorter. (255KM or 152 miles) It took 7 hours! We did have a couple of nice stops including one over-looking the Great Rift Valley.

Because our flight left early at 7:40 PM. We did not get to have the farewell dinner with the whole group. We did have a nice lunch at the Carnivore Restaurant with Bonnie and Jason. After lunch, we visited the Rothschild’s Giraffe Preserve and the Karen Blixen House/Museum before heading to the airport. We had to miss the bead factory tour.

The photographic link accompanying this trip blog is a shareable and downloadable link. You are free to use these pictures for your own pleasure, but all are copyrighted so no commercial use is allowed. Also, please accept my apologies for the lack of top quality as I left my big Nikon bodies and lenses at home to conserve weight and to enjoy the convenience of my Nikon “point and shoot” B700 which does have the optical zoom of 28 to 1400 35mm equivalent – but, the resolution and s/n ratio simply cannot match my heavier and more expensive equipment. None-the-less, I think you will enjoy most of the pictures – I hope so, anyway.

In all, we spent under $5,000 for the complete trip. That included getting to Miami, via a drive to Dallas for a direct flight to Ft. Lauderdale on Southwest Air. $3.75 each to take the train from Ft. Lauderdale airport to the Miami airport. Two nights in a Ft. Lauderdale motel, a night in a Dallas Motel, extra meals, the extra optional excursions, gifts for family, friends and gifts to ourselves. A really big thank you to friends Roger and Sonja Bridges and Mark and D’Ann Gentemann for their hospitality and especially to Roger who braved the Dallas traffic to get us to and from Love Field, and always love and thanks to Linda’s sister Jean and husband Harry Wood for their hospitality. You all helped make a great trip even better.

This was our first tour with Gate-1. While there were a few minor slips, we highly recommend them as the most economical tour company we have traveled with to date. We are still trying to figure out how they can make a profit at $1,700 per person. Not only did this include round-trip air from Miami to Lima, Peru, but also air from Lima to Cuzco and air from Juliaca (Puno, Lake Titicaca region) back to Lima. The nice quality in-town hotels in Lima, Urubamba, Cuzco, and Puno and all the great meals. Plus the bus, driver, and awesome tour guide, Hector Chacon. While I wanted to choke him when he kept us standing still in the sun for an hour at Machu Picchu telling us about the site (instead of leading us around while talking) we give him very high marks for his knowledge, care, help, stories, pride in his Quechua heritage, and mostly for his excellent and clear English.

I took over 3,000 pictures and Linda over 200. It has taken me about 15 hours to sort and resort through them and put together this slide show for your enjoyment. While there were 13 wonderful folks in our group (two couples from Phoenix, one from the Chicago area, one from the Bronx, one from the Gold Coast of Australia, and two couples from Florida, plus us) that I took many pictures of, those were provided separately to the group.

As always, I try to tell a story of our travels in my pictures – in case you have not read this far or past this.  I hope you will enjoy them and take the time to view all of them. You will notice my fascination with the Native Quechua and Uru people – from the ever happy children to the wrinkled faces of those who could tell us all life stories to live by. As some in our tour group had observed, these native Peruvians don’t turn grey! As a matter of note, we confined our entire trip to costal Lima and the Andes. We did not get into the jungle areas where there are dozens of different indigenous tribes and languages.

Peru is a VERY poor Country. You may not think so if you only visit the high-rise areas of Lima. Lima has almost 10 million inhabitants now and Peru almost 32 million. 80% live in circumstances that would make them jealous of what American homeless people have access too! Unlike so-called American “poverty” these people do not know they are poor. They work, they have strong family units, and strong sense of community. They are friendly and grateful for what they do have. Most live in small self-built sun-dried mud block houses (no mortar) with hard packed dirt floors, and a tile roof made of sun dried clay or corrugated metal. The average monthly income for a FAMILY is $300 USD. Most have small farms or garden plots to grow their own food, sell or barter at market, and raise chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs in their small courtyard for meat. They make their own clothes and hand spin their own yarn and weave their cloth on small looms. Oh, to send every protesting American who thinks our current minimum wage is not livable to Peru to live with a typical family there for a month!!!

Once we left Lima, breathing the rare Andean air was a challenge. The highest I had been previously was the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado on several occasions – when I was much younger. The 14,115 feet never seemed to bother me. The Andes height is surpassed only by the Himalayas and the Andes is the World’s longest mountain chain. Our highest mountain in the Rocky’s is 14,440 foot, Mt. Elbert in Colorado and our highest in the US and North America is Denali in Alaska at 20,237. The Andes average 13,000 feet. The highest is Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina at 22,841 feet near the Chilean border, north-east of Santiago. The highest mountain we were near, at the base of Mt. Veronica, was 18,525, and the highest in my pictures is Mt. Chaupiorco at 19,829 feet taken from the 14,300 foot pass on the Peruvian Plateau Apu Ausangate. We never gasped for air as such, but being out of breath with just light exercise was common. No one got altitude sickness (pulmonary edema which is life threatening) but climbing the ruins at Machu Picchu was a real challenge for young and old alike. What is amazing is the fact that The Inca and the Inca people and Quechua today run up and down these steep slopes like you run up one fight of stairs. As you look at the pictures of the mountain sides and ruins, take particular notice of the terraces. Note how high they extend up almost vertical slopes. Look at the intricately built rock retaining walls. Notice that there is no mortar. Notice how precise each rock fits into another – think about building these walls. Think about gardening the tops of the terraces – think how lucky you are to be a modern day American!

The most readable history of the Inca and Machu Picchu is Mark Adam’s book, “Turn Right at Machu Picchu”. Please download it, go to your local bookstore or public library, and read it even if you never plan to go to Peru. It is extremely well researched and written. Then look at this link again and see these pictures in a whole new light.

One of the most pleasant surprises of the trip was Lake Titicaca (Titi Kaka locally. You will note different spellings on my title slides. I have mixed local spellings with Americanized and Spanish spellings. For example, locally Machupicchu is one word and not two) and the Reed Island People, the Uru. Generations of these colorful natives were “reed boat” people before the great seven year drought of the 1940’s when the Lake dropped to historically low levels. For seven long years there was no rainfall whatsoever. Living on their boats became very difficult and many moved to on-shore locations. However, when the rains came, they noticed floating clusters of dried reeds. They began to put these together and to build upon them to make islands. (My series of pictures show you how this was accomplished.) Reed houses were built upon these man-made reed islands and the community began to thrive again on the water. In the early 1950’s, Seventh Day Adventist missionaries discovered the Uru living on the reed islands and administered to them, and built a school on a larger island. Many converted to Christianity (the Spanish Catholic influence was not as well established here and local deity worship was still in practice). By 1970, the reed islands of Lake Titi Kaka became a tourist attraction which is now the sustaining economy.

Mining is the number one economical driver of the Peruvian economy, followed by the costal fishing industry, farm exports, and then tourism in fourth place. While the government has made great strides since the Communist guerilla civil wars of the 1990’s, it is still a very corrupt government. All the major streams and rivers are highly polluted by the mining industry and archaic labor and non-mechanized farming practices. (We only saw one tractor the entire trip). English, the language of money, is not taught in the public schools. Medical care is …. Well, you and I would not go to a public hospital or clinic there. There is no “social security” pension. Juliaca, a major industrial/commercial cross-road city on the high plains has only a few paved road – a testament that it is easier and cheaper to pay off the local government officials than to pay your property taxes so the city streets can be paved. Crime, especially theft is rampant. If you can afford glass windows in your house, then you are a target, and you will note that only the very and most poor areas have no high barbed and razor wire topped fences or walls. The richer folks have spiked metal rods and electrical wire topped walls and fences. Folks, be proud we have a Second Amendment that allows us to protect our property, otherwise, we all would have high spiked electrical shock walls surrounding our homes too! A police presence is seen only at the airports and major governmental buildings in towns. We never felt unsafe, but we would not advise walking the streets of Juliaca either!

If you go, we advise the dry season – May through September. Weather is great! Temperatures in the high 40’s at night and high 60’s to low 70’s in the day with virtually no humidity. There is virtually no rain in the dry season – their “winter”. We had no bugs at Macho Picchu. If you go in the wet season – October through April, take plenty of bug spray (100% DEET). You will need a good walking stick at Machu Picchu. I used my camera monopod. The natives sell collapsible aluminum poles at Machu Picchu and many other venues for $5. You will pay up to $15 for the same thing at Wal-Mart. All prices in Peru, even in Lima, are ridiculously low. Food is especially cheap. You can get a Filet Mignon dinner in a nice mid-town hotel restaurant for $10 USD just as one example. Portion size is more than generous. Their soups are superb and they are complete meals... for $5. Hand-made Alpaca sweaters can be bought for as low as $12 to $15. Baby Alpaca sweaters are a little more. No matter which you get, you will find them so very soft and warm. (You will note from the pictures that the native populations are dressed like we would in Chicago in January!!) Taxi rides in Motocars go for $1.

One of our best meals was an “optional tour” with a local family in Urubamba. This was a typical farm family in a typical small mud block home with a packed dirt floor. The front door opened off a narrow alley into the one-room lower level. Above it, reachable from the back small courtyard were two bedrooms. The pictures tell the full story. This was a very nice humble family that served us a multi-course meal of some of the best tasting food ever. An 11 year old neighbor girl joined us. Their 19 year old son came in later, and their other two sons were off to college. Only our tour guide Hector, to interpret, and one other tour member, Marina, joined us there. This was a very special night.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and more so, we both hope you will take the adventure and see Peru for yourselves.

Since there were so many other places we wanted to visit when we headed east to Pennsylvania to the wedding – which started on Thursday, May 21^st, and ended late Sunday night May 24^th – we mapped out a very optimistic itinerary and headed east on May 9^th, a mere two weeks after returning home from San Juan. First stop was lunch in Lebanon, TN with one of our oldest friends, Mary Beth Malone, then on east to Center Hill Lake – a favorite fishing hole growing up, and a place for fun and romance when we were in college. We camped at Edgar Evans State Park and had a lovely sunset. Next day found us in Gatlinburg, TN for 3 days. It was hot and humid. We dined in the National Park and a bear came for dinner to oblige us with some close up pictures. Then over the Smoky Mountains to the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Cherokee, NC. Of course, we stopped at Newfound Gap on the way over the Mountain, where it was cool, damp, and cloudy. We went up the Blue Ridge to central Virginia. We stopped at Mt. Mitchell, the highest point in the Appalachians (6,684’) and took pictures from the observation platform on the peak. We camped at Crabtree Falls with only four other campers in the park. We passed Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina after a hike up to an overlook area. We got off the Blue Ridge in Central Virginia and headed due east again to Williamsburg with a stop at Appomattox and before that, the Mabry Mill at Meadows of Dan, Virginia, built in 1910 and is the most photographed grist mill in America. Many other States claim it and it is wrongfully credited as such in many publications. Colonial Williamsburg is inspiring, and well worth the visit if you have not been. Jamestown and the Yorktown (American Revolution) Battlefield were also visited.

We then headed North again up the Virginia eastern shore across the 21 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnels where we visited a National Wildlife Preserve for pictures of Glossy Ibis and Ospreys. We camped on the Chesapeake at the James River State Park and battled flies all evening. That is when we decided to buy a screen room – having seen a very comfortable couple with one in the campground. It was also in the James River Campground that we first encountered that dogs were not always welcome in State Parks and were restricted in the campgrounds. We left Sophie, our English Cocker, in Bonnie Stoll’s capable hands, but took Vincent, our Havanese and registered therapy dog with us. He truly loves camping – especially curling up on the sleeping bag in the tent. As we headed further North we encountered more State Parks and Campgrounds where no dogs except for Service Dogs were welcome anywhere in the park.

We camped several days in northeastern Maryland at Elk Neck State Park on the Chesapeake after visiting the Delaware State Capitol in Dover. In Maryland, we visited the city Linda’s parents were married in and stopped at the Courthouse and obtained copy of their license application, and visited the town they lived in and the school Linda’s sister Jean graduated from. An Osprey at the Park’s Marina posed for several really good pictures. It and its mate nested on top of a light pole at the water’s edge. We found several other Osprey nests similarly situated in populated areas around other marinas all along the coastal waters. Then it was on to Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC to visit friends Lyn Haralson and family. We had a lovely Maryland Blue Crab dinner and spent the night with the Haralson’s. Their hospitality was much appreciated.

Next stop was Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Incorporated in the second primary mission of this journey was to complete the Lewis and Clark Trail we started last Spring. (See those pictures and blog at www.naturesphotosbyjoe.com if you did not get the PICASA link last year). Last year, we did the entire Corps of Discovery Trail, in reverse, from the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon to River DuBois in Illinois. (4,400 miles of river roads) This year, we wanted to do the “preparation trail” which started in earnest when Meriwether Lewis obtained all of his armaments (except for the1750 Girandoni air rifle which he picked up in Philadelphia) at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. Until the Civil War, the factories at Harper’s Ferry were the Nation’s premier arms builders. Harper’s Ferry is also where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers come together between two great Appalachian Mountain ranges and is one of the most picturesque places on earth. As our luck would have it, it was a very dreary rain and fog filled day. We will go back. This thread will be picked back up when we reach Pittsburghh weeks later.

We left Harper’s Ferry in the afternoon on Thursday, May 21^st and arrived at our Hotel in Carlisle, PA then on to the first wedding event. If you want to see the wedding pictures, e-mail me. The next four days were filled with Hindu rituals and parties lasting well into the night. The Bride and Groom were glowing, but tired. We stayed through Tuesday morning backing up all of the 24+ hours ofvideo and 1,000+ picture files and final visits with our friends. There were up to 3 other professional photographers at all events so the parents and Amisha and Ian Ingram have a wedding album like no other!

Leaving the Gadani’s we headed northeast toward the Hudson River to New York and New Jersey, we stopped at Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA. This is the world’s largest Cabela’s occupying over 250K square feet of space and makes Bass Pro in Springdale, MO look like a minor sporting goods store! (Of course, we’ve not yet been to the new Bass Pro now occupying the Pyramid in Memphis). This Cabela’s is well worth the stop even if you are not into outdoor sports. The central display with all the mounted animals from around the nation is well worth the visit. Our only disappointment there was they did not have the screen room we were looking for since leaving James River Campground, but, the Wal-Mart across from them did! A $75 bargain! This screen room was so very useful on the rest of the trip.

We camped at the Delaware Water Gap State Park in New Jersey next to the Delaware River the next two night after visiting “The Brick House” in Kerhonkson, NY. Linda spent many summer days at the Brick House as a young girl. The owners (Gazlay) were family friends, and “Daddy Gazlay” was a private chauffer with Linda’s father, Jim, to the elite of New York and New Jersey back in the roaring 20’s. We explored the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational area on the Pennsylvania side for a full day. There were many waterfalls and the town of Milford, as well as Grey Towers, the home site of our Nation’s first head of forestry under Teddy Roosevelt.

Next stop is Hyde Park, New York on the Hudson. FDR’s home, library and museum. His politics aside, and he did push through much good legislation for the Nation, this is well worth the visit. After his death in 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia, Eleanor did a lot more good during her long life (1962). She moved across the highway into a remodled factory and named it Valkil. It too is open to the public and the grounds are lovely at both sites. Just north and adjacent to the FDR home and estate is the Frederick Vanderbilt “cottage”. One of five fabulous mansions he occupied. This one was for the summer months as no A/C in his day. The Hudson River is far below so cool breezes off of it were not so cool the day we visited.

Next stop was the U.S. Army Military Academy, West Point, NY. We have toured the other two Academies: Annapolis Naval Academy, Maryland and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, but this was our first visit to West Point. The views of the Hudson from there are magnificent, and our tour guide excellent. (Wife of a graduate who is now a Major teaching there. They were married in the Chapel). The history is so rich there. Most of the Civil War Generals graduated from West Point and most were classmates. Sad.

Traveling throughout the Delaware and Hudson River valleys, we noticed scores of old Victorian era stately homes in disrepair, and many abandoned as well as many early 20^th Century mansions that were unkempt or abandoned. We visited with many shop keepers along the way to ask why. The universal response was that the property taxes were simply too high for the older retired owners, or younger inherited owners to bear and many simply walked away. The Northern economy is in terrible shape outside of the major cities. Unemployment and under-employment remains high despite the published government figures. In checking Zillow, these old mansions are for sell at ridiculously low prices … most less than $200,000, but their property taxes are $20,000 per year and higher. So, they remain unsold and left to deteriorate. Ah, Liberal Government at work again!!!

Next day was a long travel day all the way to Portland Maine and then on to Bar Harbor Maine. We ran into rain on the way up, and the next three days were cool and damp, but the scenery and quaint towns did not dampen our spirits. Here, we took a boat ride out to the light houses and other islands to see the Puffins, Seals, Eagles, and many other sea birds. However, the boat captain would not get close enough to shore for any really good pictures of the Puffins. My long lens and the rocking boat made quality pictures impossible. We did get some nice pictures of the islands and shore lines. The Puffins are so darn cute and photogenic. We’ll have to figure out a way next trip north to get closer.

We spent a week in Bar Harbor. Due to the rain, three nights in a very nice Motel (Sea Breeze, $60/night facing Frenchman Harbor) and the rest in the Acadia National Park Campground. The fifth day, we had sunshine and nice puffy clouds, so we toured most of Mount Dessert Island and sea shores for some very nice landscape pictures. Only one Cruise Liner docked while we were there. We enjoyed lobster almost every day. Lobster rolls (all the meat from one 1.25 to 1.5 pound fresh lobster) were $14 and a full lobster meal before 6PM ran $21 …. Up from $8 when we were last there 18 years ago. The town offered many shops and pricing was not as bad as you would expect. Of course, we were there several weeks before the summer rush would begin. Parking was still tight on the streets, but back alley parking lots were rarely full. By mid-summer, parking for day trippers is all but impossible! All of the Maine coast is lovely. Maybe we can get back some Fall for the colors.

Leaving Bar Harbor, we headed due West across Maine into New Hampshire where we finally saw Moose. In Rumford Maine, we stopped at the Paul Bunyan and Blue Moose Statue, and in New Hampshire, we got to the top of Mount Washington, home of “the world’s worst weather”. We were blessed to reach the summit and still have mostly blue skies. The museum at the top is worth the trip up even if it were an over-cast day. On April 12, 1934 the scientist on top measured the wind velocity at 231 MPH. the highest ever recorded on Earth by a manned weather station.

We left NH and headed for Vermont. We saw many covered bridges along the way. We stopped at “The Old Man in the Mountain” site. It was raining, again. On May 3, 2003, the rock face fell. It had been wired and supported for years, but gravity finally took its toll.

Crossing into Vermont we headed a bit North of Hwy 2 before reaching Montpelier, to Cabot, VT to the Cabot Creamery. Some of the best cheese you’ll ever taste is made there. As good as or better than Tillamook – only a little bit softer. We took the factory tour. It was another rainy day as we entered Montpelier and toured the State Capitol. It is the smallest Capitol building we have been in. Very nice with a lot of historical exhibits and NO SECURTY magnetometers to go through! It was like it used to be before all the terrorism hit our world.

We stayed West on Hwy 2 to Duxbury and then North on Hwy 100 to Stowe. You have seen this village many times in Fall and Snow pictures. It is the one nestled in the valley with the quaint white high steeple church. Again, with rain clouds and not being able to reach the classical picture point due to being on private property, we left without any really good photographs but had a good time visiting the shops. On the way back South, we stopped Cold Hollow Cider Mill and sampled their Macintosh Apple Cider! Delicious! Then on the way to Ben & Jerry’s headquarters and ice cream factory and took the factory tour. We are not great fans of B&J. At $6 a pint, it simply is not THAT good! The tour was interesting.

Having studied the map, we decided to take State Highway 100, which cuts the middle of the State north and south, all the way down. There are many covered bridges along the way and the Calvin Coolidge Home Historical site in Plymouth, VT. It was here that Coolidge was sworn in as President in the middle of the night by his father, who was a Notary, following the sudden death of Harding on August 2, 1923. Coolidge’s father owned the General Store in town and the cheese factory.

Leaving Plymouth we saw more covered bridges, and found, for us, the most picturesque town on the trip – Newfane, VT. Maybe it was because we had sunshine again, but it was a very charming place to dream about living in – except, when the winter snows come! Like most of the Northeast that we traveled through, the local economies are in the dumps. Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine all rely on tourism. The winter months bring more skiers than swimmers and hikers in the summer months. In the early Spring (April, May and June) most everything is still closed down. Summer tourists descend late June, July and August. Fall color tourism is mid-September to mid-October, and the winter season from December to March.

Camp that night was in Woodford State Park on a Loon visited lake where the sunset was magnificent. On to Albany and the State Capitol of New York. You’d never recognize the building as a State Capitol building. It is more like a giant Vanderbilt Mansion. It was a hot clear day, and no easy parking place or shade. No dogs allowed inside, of course, so Linda had to wait outside on a shady bench with Vincent. I tried to get inside but forgot to take my tiny pocket knife out, so I was stopped by Security. They would not hold my knife at the check point and I did not want to walk all the way back to our Van, so no inside pictures were obtained.

We took I-86 West across NY and made it to Newtown and camped in our last campground at the Newtown Battlefield (Revolutionary War) State Park on top of the Mountain. Here, I took one of the best pictures of the trip – a fawn hiding in the tall clover. Mother deer was nowhere in sight. The next morning, we stopped in Corning, NY and toured the Visitor Center and gift shop. They now charge a ridiculous price to do the museum and factory tour. Since we had done that tour many years ago for free, we skipped it this time. Next stop was Pittsburgh, PA.

Pittsburgh, the town steel built. Home of Carnegie and all that he built. We had planned to do Niagara Falls again before reaching Pittsburgh, but with summer heat bearing down, Tropical Storm Bill on the way up the Ohio Valley, summer crowds and what to do with Vincent we bypassed the Falls. There are three major Universities in Pittsburgh: the University of Pittsburgh “Pitt”, Carnegie Mellon, and Chatham plus several smaller colleges. We spent most of our time on the Pitt campus’ at the Cathedral of Learning. Here, Carnegie built a Gothic building rivaling the ancient churches in Europe, and turned it into a national learning center. On two floors they have constructed period rooms from the 1700’s through the 1800’s of what school rooms looked like around the world. Each room is dedicated to a different country. Here, I show only a very examples.

The outer bands of Tropical Storm Bill hit the night we drove to the top of a ridge to take night time photographs of the City and the Three Rivers. We waited over an hour on the ridge top in 50+ MPH winds for the storm to cease. The lightning displays were frightening but beautiful. Finally, it stopped and I got dramatic pictures of the city below.

The next morning, the second primary purpose of this 43 day journey started in earnest. In August of 1803, Meriwether Lewis set out with his heavily loaded Keel Boat, six Pirogues and a handful of volunteers down the Ohio River. Here at Pittsburgh, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers come together to form the Ohio River, began the greatest exploration journey in American History. Yes, our Moon Landing in 1969 and other space exploration accomplishments pale in comparison to the two year Corps of Discovery Journey of Lewis & Clark and the band of young men, Indian child-woman and infant child would endure and complete with only one loss of life due to appendicitis. We completed the Corps of Discovery Trail last year from the mouth of the Columbia River to River Dubois in Illinois. Now, we’ll complete the preparation trail down 1,000+ miles of the Ohio River to the Mississippi River. We did the entire Missouri River last year – this year, the entire Ohio River.

As we left Pittsburgh, until we reached Parkersburg, West Virginia, we were never out of sight of heavy industry on the River. Steel mills, power plants (coal, natural gas, and nuclear) and the supporting and end use industries dotted every mile. Folks, I can tell you with certainty, that without these power plants and hundreds others like them, our way of life cannot be sustained. While cheap NG has surpassed coal right now by 1% of our energy source, our Nation cannot thrive if the liberal Federal Government and EPA are successful in running coal out of the power plant business. Coal can sustain our Nation’s power needs cheaply for hundreds of years – not so “cleaner” sources. Solar and wind technology cannot match the cheap availability of coal anytime soon if ever. Our NG deposits will deplete again in the next 25 to 50 years if not sooner. Of course, the EPA is even wanting to put onerous restrictions on the fracturing processes that has freed up currently abundant NG (natural gas).

All along the Ohio, the river towns and communities are thriving. Their economy is robust. One of the more interesting places East of Wheeling, WV was Prabhupada’s Place of Gold, Shrine and Temple. Also known as “The Taj Mahal of the West”. It is a Krishna Religion and they claim to be the oldest religious sect on Earth. Built 40 years ago, it is already experiencing a lot of decay. It has an interesting history. Google it for more info. Another interesting town along the Ohio River was Moundsville, WV and the old prison there and the ancient Indian burial mound explored by Lewis. We spent the night in Maysville, KY and enjoyed the murals on their seawall. This was also the home town of John Colter that Lewis picked up. He was the primary hunter for the Corps of Discovery, and also after leaving the Corps upon their return to St. Louis, he went back West to be the first White Man to discover Yellowstone and its thermal springs and geysers. Much of what we learned of the West came via John Colter’s subsequent fur trapping and trading exploits. We are covering a lot of territory now because it was simply too hot and humid to camp with severe thunderstorms popping up daily and into some nights. We reached Newport, KY on June 17^th across the River from Cincinnati. At Newport is “The World Peace Bell” dedicated to those Firemen and EMT’s who lost their lives 9/11/2001. It is rung every year on September 11^th. We should never forget. We should never bargain with the Devil!

We found another interesting reconstructed historic town on the river back roads called Rabbit Hash. Nearby, was another Lewis & Clark Site called Big Bone Lick State Park where Lewis returned at Jefferson’s request to dig mammoth bones and became the start of modern paleontology. That night, we reached Louisville, KY. The next morning, we crossed the Ohio again to the Clarksville side to visit the homestead of George Rogers Clark, Revolutionary War General and Hero and brother to Captain William Clark. It was here William Clark agreed to join Lewis. This is also the sight of the Falls of the Ohio. Dams, Locks and Seawalls have diverted the river and made it navigable, but in 1803, it was a huge impediment to navigation, but by the mid-1800’s, wooden locks started in 1806 made the River navigable through this area. Even today, the rapids along the northern shore are quite the spectacle.

Down River, we reached Leavenworth, IN and the Overlook Restaurant with its sweeping vista of the Ohio and caught a down river barge tote. One of my better pictures. Farther down, we crossed back into Kentucky and visited the Audubon State Park in Henderson.

Driving through more thunderstorms, we reached Paducah, KY and visited the national Quilt Museum and their dedicated sculpture to the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Coming into Paducah, we crossed the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area and the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. Having grown up on the Cumberland River, but never seeing its confluence with the Ohio, I knew we had to go back to see it. The next morning, we did, plus the confluence of the Tennessee River with the Ohio. While Linda shopped at a quilt shop, I photographed the entire Paducah seawall murals. They tell the entire history of Paducah and the Lower Ohio. Very impressive and worth the trip. Paducah is a thriving river town - the last such economically viable town down river until you reach New Orleans. We are now reaching our journey’s end. The Ohio meets the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois.

We crossed the Ohio for the last time over the Hwy 62 bridge and visited Ft. Defiance State Park. Here, Lewis and Clark spent six days preparing for the up-river journey of the Mississippi to St. Louis. The water was high in both rivers due to the massive rainfalls from TS Bill the days before. It was another hot and humid cloudless day. I freed an Alligator Gar trapped in the rocks at the apex of the point between the two rivers. The highway 62 bridge over the Mississippi was closed for repairs, but the I-57 Bridge was just a few miles north of Cairo. It was a Saturday and most everything was closed. Cairo is a dead town. Long gone are its glory days. The economy here is in the trash. Buildings are boarded. We did visit two of the historic homes and the old US Customs House that collected tax and inspected cargo on both the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Back 150 years ago, Second Street in Cairo was a River Front Street to the Ohio --- now, the River lies a mile South. Five hours later, we were home again. It felt good.

We had been wanting to go back to Puerto Rico since we were last there in 2011. We were also getting itchy to travel again and get away to warmer weather. It was already a cold wet winter when we made the decision to go down for a week, and stay in Old Town San Juan in a condo if we could find one at a reasonable price. We knew we had a trip coming up in May to attend the Ghadani wedding in Pennsylvania. Well, why couldn’t we do both? After an internet search and reading reviews on www.tripadvisor.com, we settled on Condominio La Puntilla which over looked the cruise ship and ferry boat harbor in Old Town. We wanted to go in late March or early April, but that was still at Spring Break prices and crowds. So we settled on a mid-week April, Tuesday to Tuesday after the 15^th. For under $600 for seven nights, we simply could not pass it up. Below is my review posted on Trip Advisor.

We really enjoyed ourselves and learned a lot of history and walked just about every street in Old Town. We can highly recommend this condo IF Louis has the hot water issue fixed and has replaced the bed with a quality conventional queen sized. We do recommend the Bacardi Distillery tour, the National Capitol, the Rain Forest, and Arecibo Observatory. Note my review comments about car rental and driving in PR. Photographically, I have only one that is of really good quality, but a lot of nice snap shots for you to review. Seeing and photographing the rare green PR Parrot was a nice bonus. There are so very many beautiful places there and we will try and go back and stay on the Southern Coast of the Island for a week some day. Maybe the traffic will be better there.

Two weeks to the day after returning home, we left for Pennsylvania on May 9^th with many stops before the wedding parties began on the 21^st. And, oh, did I mention, we flew Southwest Air out of Chicago, so we could get “free” tickets with our air-miles without a plan change. We drove up to Chicago, and we had a fantastic visit with our friend Pam Nelson who was a wonderful host and a real joy to be with. We toured the Chicago Botanic Gardens before we went to PR and the Chicago Art Institute after returning. In all, we were with Pam a week and in PR a week. I’ll have our 43 day New England Trip posted in a few weeks. I have over a thousand wedding pictures to sort through and post for the anxiously awaiting bride and groom, their parents and the 400 guests.

TRIP ADVISOR REVIEW on Condo La Puntilla

We want so very much to give this Condo rental an over-all “excellent” rating as it has so many really good quality features going for it. The location, the price, the view, the price, the high quality of most of the furnishings, the price, the high quality kitchen ware and stock, the cleanliness, and did I mention the price? Only $580 for a 7 night stay (during the “off” season). We were there in April a week after the “spring Break” crowd went home.

This was our third trip to San Juan. The other two were to get on the big cruise ships. We always go a day or two early when we cruise, so we had seen a good bit of “old Town” and had been to the Rain Forest preserve and the luminescent bay, but we have always wanted to spend a week to really see the area. We searched for Condo rentals on Trip Advisor and found this one. The price seemed unbelievable. We were also concerned that this condo was not part of Trip Advisors payment guaranty program and we had to pay in full with a refundable $100 cleaning deposit well in advance. What if it was not as advertised? What if we got there and no one knew who we were? My concerns were a good bit relieved when we learned that the money went to New York City. Since I worked with three major law firms in NYC the years before I retired and had made several good friends with the partners, I knew I could get more than a pound of flesh if things went badly.

I must say, working with Olivia Melendez on the payments was great and we received our full $100 deposit back. Her father, Luis Alfonso Melendez, was waiting for us when we arrived at the apartment. He was like an old friend: very helpful, gave us tips on places to visit, and made recommendations for car rental companies. We really wanted to hire him as our guide and he almost agreed to take us around.
The Condo is on the fourth floor of the orange building next to the big – really big – public parking lot on the road that dead-ends into the U.S. Coast Guard Station. VERY easy to find. It over-looks the cruise ship and ferry boat harbor, and is one block away from the Promenade Street that ends at the Paseo de la Princesa Fountain. This is the most conveniently located fully furnished reasonably priced condo rental in all of Old San Juan. A five minute walk takes you to the street that is “restaurant row” with many very good places to eat. (On Calle Recinto Sur) A five minute walk to board your ship or ferry boat. A five minute walk to street vendors, trolley stop (free) and so many other neat places. A ten minute walk up hill (faster if you are younger) to the Super Max grocery store. (Corner of Cale Cruz and Calle San Francisco across from Plaza de Armas) (be sure and buy some coffee there – hint: it’s behind locked glass)
The place is very secure. Across the street is the U.S. Custom House which is well lit and with security cameras. Down the street is the U.S. Coast Guard Station. The property is totally fenced in with a locked security gate, and there is another iron security gate to gain entrance to the stair well. Day or night, we never felt insecure in any way.

But, alas, there are several BIG issues and for many, deal breakers.

1. The most baffling deal breaker is the bed. It is a double bed. (We knew that) It is an old time double (two two inch thick) cotton tic and Lord only knows what other fiber mattress. No box springs. No inner springs. Just a lumpy hard old mattress on wooden slats. We would not have made it a second night but for finding a double bed six inch thick air mattress with electric pump in the hall closet. It fit nicely on top of the cotton tic mattress. There is no excuse what so ever to have such an unsleepable poor quality small double bed. The bedroom is large enough for a Queen – a King would fit but that would be tight.

2. For our stay, there was NO HOT WATER. Next to the bed, this was a very disappointing and fixable issue that Luis refused to fix. We told him the next morning and he sent his maintenance guy over who told Luis that there was hot water. End of story as far as Luis was concerned. VERY DISAPPOINTING. After years in a laboratory I can tell you within 3 degrees what the water temperature is between 34 and 115….. besides, I travel with a thermometer. The water was never above 95 degrees and most times it was 85 degrees during our stay no matter how long you let it run. No hot showers in this apartment. Even when I found a double circuit breaker with one leg tripped, and reset it did we get water above 95 degrees. This is totally unacceptable. It should be at least 140 degrees for proper dish washing/rinsing (no dishwasher) and proper bathing temperatures. (Most folks shower between 104 to 108 degrees) .

3. There is only one A/C unit and thankfully, it is in the bedroom. If you are looking for a place that is cool in all rooms, this is not the place. We prefer a cold bedroom, so keeping the bedroom door closed 24/7 and the unit set on 66 degrees did deliver for us good sleeping temperatures. On the plus side here, open (fully open – not just the shutters) the balcony door and dining area window, and you get a constant breeze. Mind you, that breeze is humid and 85 degrees in the day, and humid and 75 degrees some time after mid-night to about 9:00 AM.

4. As mentioned, this is on the fourth floor. There is NO LIFT/Elevator. Three landings and 44 steps. The night lights are on motion detectors and some times, they did not come on right away making night time stair climbing a bit dicey. The light outside our top floor doorway never came on. For the mobility impaired and a family with infants, this climb would be a real challenge.

Bottom line, would we stay here again? You bet, but only if the bed is replaced with one we could actually sleep on and if there is assurance of actually hot water.

Travel tips:

1. RENTAL CARS. If you rent a car and read the car rental company reviews, you probably will not want to rent a car! The wonderful laid back Puerto Ricans become demons on the road. They tail gate regardless of your speed, never signal lane changes, and, once you leave the airport, there are no English signs. You much know Spanish, or, bring your GPS with you loaded with the PR maps in your native language. You also MUST bring with you your car insurance Dec Page that shows what all your coverage limits are. Most States’ insurance cards you keep in your wallet or glove box do not show your limits. Unless you can prove you have $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury liability limits you will have to buy the car rental companies expensive liability insurance. Also, be aware, that the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) which I strongly recommend, does NOT always mean that you are buying the car rental company’s collision insurance. It may only mean you still have to have your own insurance company pay for the collision damages, but the car rental company will waive your deductible. Finally, when they send you out to inspect the rental, take your camera and take detailed pictures of every inch of the vehicle, and then write on the rental agreement “photographs taken at time of delivery ( date and time of day) will determine all prior damage”. DO THIS. This is very important. Read those on-line reviews if you want to see just how important this tip is.

2. DO NOT PARK your car on the streets anywhere in Old Town, San Juan. As mentioned, this apartment is next to a very big public car lot. It is patrolled and well lit at night. For only $5/day or $25/week or $50/month, you will have a much safer place to park. You won’t spend much time walking around Old Town looking at the jammed packed streets to figure the wisdom of this one out. Especially, when you notice all the dented door, fenders, and quarter panels.

3. TAKE THE TROLLY. There are two Trollies that circulate through Old Town. One is green and looks like an old time trolley car – AVOID IT! It circulates only in the interior heart of old town and is used by the locals. Both are free. The Green Trolley is air-conditioned, but once you get 100 locals with a few tourist on board, you will not notice the A/C and you may not be able to get off at your preferred stop. Take the one that looks like a tram. It is open air and covers the perimeter of Old Town. It is much faster between points and will get you with in three blocks of anywhere it does not actually stop at. All of the trolley stops are well marked, and maps of Old Town showing all the attractions and Trolley lines are readily available.

4. There is a City Bus transit system, but there is only one stop at the eastern edge of Old Town. I’m sure it has a schedule and it will take you all over San Juan, In the 7 days we were there, we only saw it once and never saw any one waiting at the covered kiosk stop points.

5. Take the Ferry Boat ride to visit the Bacardi Distillery. The boat ride is only 50 cents each way, a quarter if you are a “senior”, and the taxi ride is $3 per person to the Distillery. Even if alcohol never passed your lips, this is a well worth taking tour. You will learn a lot about the history of Cuba and Puerto Rico.

The Galapagos Island are on the Equator, 600 miles West of Ecuador. They are part of Ecuador.

What a wonderful trip we had, and the group of fellow travelers we toured with were all delightful individuals and family. We can not say enough positive about the tour company, Friendly Planet (www.friendlyplanet.com). The adventure exceeded our expectations. The price can not be beat. It was indeed an “all inclusive” vacation package. Even the snorkelling gear! I hope all of you enjoy the photographs as much as we did in taking them. They do not do the scenery justice. The beaches were among the most beautiful we have seen anywhere. The equatorial weather was perfect: 65 degree nights and 75 to 80 degree days with a constant cool breeze. The Ecuadorian people were very friendly and helpful, but make no mistake, the Country is a police state, and it is not advisable to be alone in the large cities on the Continent. We are grateful to the Ecuadorian Government for taking such care and precautions to protect the fragile, and to some extents, endangered ecosystem in the Galapagos Islands. As we learned, one can not go exploring on their own there. A certified guide must be with you at all times. We had good to wonderful guides, even if some did not speak or completely understand fluent English … they all spoke better English than I can speak or understand Spanish! We do advise that any one traveling there, to brush up on their Spanish as there is very little English signage. It is their country and they are rightfully proud of it.

We had a wonderful 4 our flight on Lan Air out of Miami. Lan is an Ecuadorian subsidized airline, and to fly on it is to travel back to the 60's. Fantastic service. Young beautiful smartly uniformed male and female flight attendants. Real food served hot with all the included wine you can drink. If there was an extra charge for anything, we certainly did not see it. We landed in the largest city in Ecuador, Guayaquil, which is also the largest South American port on its West Coast. We stayed over-night in a 5 start World Heritage Hotel and took the 90 minute flight early the next morning to the Islands. The only and only air-field is an old WWII strip – short and very narrow, on the rock called Baltra, and the “air-port” is a true “AIR” port as it is all open, and has not changed much since the great war.

We toured three of the main Islands: Santa Cruz, Floreana, and Isabela. The 2 to 2.5 hour boat ride between the Islands is a VERY exciting white-knuckle bucking bronco affair.

Our tour was otherwise a land tour. The other way to see the Islands is by boat. They do not allow large cruise ships, but smaller 150 passenger and smaller ships are allowed. We hope to go back some August during the bird breeding season on a ship's tour. You get to many more remote, and therefore more wild-life locations. Our dear friends, the Gadani's did the boat tour and I thank Pravin for the use of his Blue-Footed Boobies, nesting Frigate birds and Island Penguins. He is credited with those pictures you will see here --- I take credit for the post capture editing.

Enjoy.

We flew into Calgary and saw the city sites and the old Olympic venues, then took a bus to Edmonton where we stayed at a motel across the street on the north side of the Edmonton Mall – the world's largest at the time. Even if you are not a shopper, this is a must see place! Over 300 shops of every description imaginable and some not so imaginable! A five acres lake has full size replica's of the three Columbus Ships, a full sized water park with mega-slides and wave pool, a full sized hockey rink, and a carnival mid-way with roller coasters and Ferris Wheels --- all under one nicely heated roof!

From Edmonton, we took the train to Jasper – the heart of the Jasper National Park. Our motel was across the street from the train station and had roof top hot tubes were we relaxed at night among the gently falling snow flakes. We were there about a week. We rented a car and covered most of the Park and Ice Fields.

Back in Calgary, we rented another car and headed to the Lake Louise area. Along the way, we visited an Ammonite Mine and Linda has some very nice rare Ammonite jewelry now. The area between Calgary and Lake Louise holds the worlds largest deposits of fossilized Ammonite.

It was hard to take a bad picture on this trip – even in harsh light. Unfortunately, all of the pictures were on film and/or on an early digital camera. The digital files were only one megabyte in size, and the negative film was digitized by the processor to only 350 to 400 KB's. While I do have all of the negative in storage and a new scanner that will digitize them to 20MB files, the pictures posted here will not make enlargements in excess of 11X14 and that is pushing it. All the pictures were tweaked in Lightroom to optimize them for viewing.

This is a trip we hope to do again – now that I have much better photographic equipment and knowledge.

Fall weather in the Maritimes is a bit hit and miss … more rain than sun but this year the temperatures were lovely for the nearly three weeks, 9/26 to 10/15, that we were away.  The two sunniest days were the first Friday in the world famous Mont-Tremblant Ski Resort area, and our day on Prince Edward Island toward the end of our cruise. The only total wash-out was the day we landed on the barren rock called St. Pierre. Why the ship even stopped there is a real mystery. Only 6,000 residents on the island, so extremely limited transportation and a 2 mile walk into town from the “dock” which is actually a tanker fuel loading facility, and as you will see from the pictures, the first third mile is up a very steep hill.  Talk about rank discrimination against the mobility impaired!

It is hard to say which Province we enjoyed the most.  Quebec is mostly French, so much so, there is little difference between it and France.  Montreal is a thriving megatropolis with the 5^th worst traffic in all of North America according to a survey posted the week we were there – we would not argue with that!  It was home to the ’76 Summer Olympics and remains an iconic city.  Mount Royal in the heart of the city is the old money area.  It has wonderful parks and overlooks. One evening up there, we counted over a dozen very fat raccoons in a parking area.  Safety concern kept us in the car so, sorry, no pictures.  In Montreal, as in all the cities we visited, the Catholic churches, Cathedrals and Basilicas are magnificently photographic – as you will soon see.  Most were named “Notre Dame”.  The Quebec City Basilica Notre Dame is the oldest in all of North America, and has the family pew box of “the” Champlain’s. The history of the Maritimes is as rich as any of the new world, if not richer.  Quebec City has maintained its roots and buildings dating to the 1600’s. It is the only surviving walled city in all of North America.

Saguenay, Quebec is at the end of the longest Fiord in all of North America and is the combination of 10 cities joined together.  Fall foliage was still a lush green in all of the costal areas. As we traveled inland and up in elevation, the leaves were just beginning to turn.  This was true for the entire trip.

Newfoundland is very picturesque, and we hope to return some day for a longer visit.  Captain Cook mapped the entire island over a 4 year period before he headed to the Pacific. The accuracy of doing so was amazing and his maps were used for 200 years.

We made two ports of call in Nova Scotia – Halifax and Sydney.   Halifax is thriving – Sydney, on Cape Breton Island is more rural.  We spent the day in Halifax at Peggy’s Cove. It has the “world’s most photographed” lighthouse …. we are sure it is prettier with a blue sky behind it and when no ships are in port!.  A bridge now joins Nova Scotia with New Brunswick, so, some day, we will make the drive.  We had no port of call in New Brunswick, so, we will have to pick that one up on the drive. We had $18 lobster rolls for lunch at Peggy’s Cove … they were $12 most every where else.  They were very tasty and a lot fresher than the New Zealand Lobster Tails we had on board ship, Lobster Night at the end of the cruise.

Prince Edward Island was a favorite. While not as mountainous as the others, nor, does it have any rivers, the beaches and sea-side towns are the stuff of movies, paintings and dreams.

Canada is no longer a place of bargains.  We purchased very little.  The exchange rate is equal to the US dollar, sales tax is 15%, and inflation has affected almost everything. Housing in the larger cities is comparable to New York City and San Francisco, however, there were housing bargains on Cape Breton and PEI.  We still love Canada and their people, so we will go back as often as our finances will allow.

Updated November 2014.

For those who love to travel, and even for many who don’t, visiting Australia and New Zealand is high on their bucket list. At a year post retirement, we were able to make this dream come true.

On February 9th, we managed to get to the airport between snow and ice storms. Snow was still on the ground. There was ice on the back roads, and a well-built snowman on the runway tarmac near the loading area. It was cold. We had full expectations of coming back to Spring weather, but as it turned out, we arrived back home March 4th a day after the worst ice of the season. We owe tremendous gratitude to Susan W. for getting us to the airport on time and for retrieving us despite the icy roads. 

As is our habit when we travel to faraway places coupled with a cruise, we arrived at the embarkation city, Sydney, Australia, three days ahead of the set-sail date. The following pictures are arranged by country and not exactly by the cruise route as the ship left immediately for New Zealand. The actual port order leaving Sydney was Picton, New Zealand, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin, and then the Fiords. After the Fiords, we cruised back to Australia to Melbourne, Adelaide, Esperance, and Perth. There are no pictures of Perth as we went immediately from the ship to the airport with no time to spare. 

Upon arriving in Sydney, we had booked an Opera House tour before leaving home. We were so lucky there were only 5 in our tour group so we were able to get into some areas that larger groups don’t get to see. What a building! The Opera House was completed in 1973 but it was never intended to be an “Opera House”. Rather, the intent was to be a concert hall and multi-venue play house. There are 5 different size venues which helps make it one of the most popular attractions in the world. There are lots of steps to climb throughout and each venue is very different. Our guide was from Germany but has been in Australia for 30 years. She made the tour very interesting and gave lots of information.

From there we got back on the bus and headed to the next stop-Circular Quay. This is one of the wharf areas full of high-end restaurants, shops, marinas, and the over-seas ship terminal. A Celebrity cruise ship was in port. Aborigine dancers, mimes, and musicians were performing all around the wharf. We are finding that everything here costs at least twice if not three to four times more than back in the US. We spent the rest of the day going around the city on the double-decker bus through Chinatown, The Rocks, and transferred to another bus to take us out to Bondi Beach through high dollar neighborhoods. 

We finally got to bed forty-two hours since we got out of bed at home! We found a nice pub two buildings from our hotel where they served a wonderful meal of fish and chips for $15 per. (Large slabs of Burundi and restaurant made French fries) Our hotel room was really a small apartment so we were able to take what we didn’t eat, because we were so tired, back for a meal for the next day.

The next day we did the Hop-On-Hop-Off Harbor Boat Tour. This was great to see the city from the water. It is a totally different experience. We got to go under the Sydney Bridge, known as “The Coat Hanger.” We did not climb to the top of it since the ticket is $240 per person. When we came back to the Harbor we transferred to another boat—The Manly Fast Ferry. This would take us on a 20 min. fast boat ride to Manly Beach. This was a really fun area. We found a nice Mexican restaurant on the wharf where three small taco wraps and a coke cost $20. Then we walked about two blocks through a shopping area where we found a neat, economical shop – a real rarity. A couple of more blocks and we were on the beach. Linda managed to get her feet in the surf. It is the typical Pacific water—COLD, but it was a very warm day so it feels good for a short period of time. Once we got back to the wharf, we walked back through the Botanical Gardens to our hotel. Lots of White Cockatoos flying around; reminded us of pigeons in the US. They are very squawky.

The next day we had arranged a tour to the Blue Mountains National Park and Featherdale Wildlife Park. We walked to another hotel to be picked up. Nice ¾ mile walk through the neighborhoods. The Blue Mountains are so named because of the blue haze which hangs all around due to the oils secreted into the air from the Eucalyptus trees. This tour takes us out of Sydney about 90 miles. We travel to Echo Point overlooking the Three Sisters rock formations. Here we also saw an Aborigine show. Then back on the bus to an overlook where we got on a gondola to take us across the Jamison Valley. We could see Katoomba Falls, 3 Sisters, and other formations. Then we boarded the Scenic Cableway (steepest aerial cable car in Australia) to travel the 1788 feet into the Jamison Valley. Once in the valley, we walked the board-walk trails, passing a coal mine and the miner’s huts. The trails ended at the world’s steepest incline railway which we took back to the top. The railway travels 1361 feet – gradient is 52 degrees. Then we boarded the bus and headed to the town of Leura for a wonderful Asian lunch which was included in the tour price. From here we drove to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. We spent the afternoon with kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, and birds of all kinds. This is one of Australia’s largest private collections of native animals and birds. This was an unbelievable experience to actually be not only near these animals but to be able to touch them.

Friday, Valentine’s Day we will be getting on our cruise ship for a 17 day tour of New Zealand and Southern Australia. Before we board, we spent time in the Botanical Gardens and walking the river walkway to Mrs. MacQuaries Point—a very large stone “chair” carved for first Sydney’s Governor’s wife to sit on and watch the sunsets over the harbor. We were finally able to get good pictures of the Cockatoos. At the ship terminal, we were able to offload our luggage immediately, and then we had to stand in a line for awhile but thank goodness we are Crown and Anchor Members which provided the shortest of the lines. Once getting into the terminal, we moved quickly through the processing points and onto the ship—The Radiance of the Seas. We quickly found our room, then headed for lunch in the Windjammer Café. We were upgraded to a balcony room, so we were able to sit on our balcony and look at the City of Sydney. We were lucky enough to get our dinner seating changed from 8:30 PM to 6 PM. We had the same table location as we did in the Mediterranean – far back corner, port side by the window. The table sat 10, and the other 8 were wonderful table companions. 

Two full days at sea before we landed on the north tip of the south island of New Zealand at Picton. On the way, we experienced the “motion of the ocean” as the Tasman Sea is rarely calm.

Picton is a mill town. As you will see in the pictures, New Zealand has a large timber industry and the port of Picton is largely timber stacks awaiting shipment. Because of the timber and “working dock,” no one is allowed to wander the dock. We caught the free shuttle to town, but were disappointed to find no taxis available to set up an individual tour of the countryside. Picton is a very picturesque town. Queen Charlotte Bay is full of sailboats. There are lovely flower gardens with large marigolds, and other red and orange flowers. Lots of lavender plants too. Not having a tour, we wandered around town, found the library and sent messages home. 

The next day, we pulled into Wellington which is on the southern tip of the north island. (The only city we will visit on the Northern island of New Zealand.) Again we will have to take the shuttle, but this time it will cost us $10 each. Again this port is full of tree timber ready for pulp and/or lumber. Once in town, we took the cable car to the top of the city and then caught the free shuttle to Zealandia which is a nature preserve where they are trying to turn 6 square miles into what it looked like before humans set foot on the islands. The interpretive center was great. There was a full size mechanical model of the Giant Moa that became extinct from over-hunting in the 1500’s. (The Moa was a bird that looked somewhat like an Emu). It looked so real and you could turn a dial to make its head come up from foraging on the forest floor. After seeing a movie, we took off on the trails and saw kaka, parrots, teal ducks, Shags and takekiu (look somewhat like kiwi but are blue and green and have more of a parrot beak). They cannot fly. Saw lots of other birds, lizards and insects. The area is completely surrounded by a specifically engineered fence of heavy gauge wire mesh with a curved metal cap to keep all predators from climbing into the area and a lateral bottom fence so nothing can dig in either. The nonprofit group is trying to keep all invasive plants and animals from coming into this area while they strive to eradicate all non-native species in the completely enclosed compound. We spent about 3 hours hiking the trails. There are two lakes that provide water for the city of Wellington as well as habitat for the native species.

Next stop after another day at sea was back to the south island and the beautiful town of Akaroa. The bay is the crater of an ancient volcano, and has a rather narrow opening. Cruise ships historically docked at Christchurch 80 miles to the north, but the 2010 earthquake was so devastating, that the ship terminals are still being rebuilt there. Akaroa is a place you instantly fall in love with. The people are wonderful and inviting. The scenery is breath-taking, and the village quaint. We did manage a bus tour to the surrounding bays and hills. You will note the hill-top café where we stopped for lunch. Two muffins and two cokes cost $18. New Zealand is just as pricey as Australia, but you do get a 20% price break as 74 cents American dollar buys a New Zealand dollar. The exchange rate in Australia is a wash. Unlike most other countries we have visited, you have to change your money into the local currency. 

Next stop was Dunedin. Dunedin is Celtic for “Edinburgh”. It is a Scottish settled town, and the city buildings look very much like Scotland. Again, we were stymied in taking a private tour, so we bought a train ticket for a 90 minute ride up the coast. The earlier train had open top cars and was a longer tour but it filled up and left before we could get to the station. Therefore, all of our pictures were “out the window” and the windows were not very clean. The country side and beaches were postcard perfect with blue skies. Our pictures are less than perfect. Back in Dunedin, we walked the city and visited the first church “Otago” as the settlement was originally called with Thomas Burns (1796 to 1871) the first Presbyterian Minister. This church looks like a Gothic cathedral.

Dunedin was our last port in New Zealand. Another full day at sea where we rounded the southern tip of New Zealand around mid-night and proceeded up the west coast to the Fiords National Park. Of course, we woke to rain, a gale force wind, and 20+ feet seas. The Fiord Sounds did offer some, but not much, protection. Rain was horizontal, and walking on the helipad deck was almost impossible. It was closed periodically during the day. We made it to Milford Sound and the city of Milford where a ferry boat brought to us the 50 passengers that paid $600 in Dunedin to take a two day over-night land tour. 

Two and a half more days at sea brought us back to Australia and Melbourne. The Tasman Sea was rocking and rolling with 20 foot swells. Fortunately, we do not get sea-sick. We felt very sorry for those who did. At least one couple we knew of got off the boat at Melbourne not to return due to sea-sickness. 

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia with about three million inhabitants – about a million less than Sydney. Melbourne traffic was not as bad as Sidney’s but bad enough. It is a beautiful city with a wide river (The Yarro) running through it. The architecture is a mix of the old and the modern. We took advantage of the buses, and trolleys to tour the city. The Melbourne Library – a State Library – was a sight. Several hundred young people populated the lawns in bean-bag chairs and blankets taking advantage of the free wi-fi. Inside, we took advantage of a computer room with well over 100 terminals to send e-mails home. We went into St. Paul’s Cathedral and after I took one picture, Linda pointed out a sign stating pictures would require a $5 donation, use of a tripod $15, and professionals to inquire. We snapped two more and left. This was a first. 
From Melbourne we sailed on into Western Australia and Adelaide. Again, we had a long shuttle ride into town. But, we were on a ship’s tour to the Cleland Wildlife preserve. This was one of the few worth the price ship tours. We thought Featherdale in Sydney was wonderful – Cleland was fantastic as you will see from the pictures. After Cleland, we were dropped off in town, where we toured the jewelry story for a bargain in Opals, but none was found in our price range. One jewelry store had an Opal mine beneath it which was open to visitors. Again, we found the library – why pay the ship 75 cents a minute when you get free internet access in the city???

Another day at sea brought us to Esperance. Esperance is a small mining town with some of the most beautiful beaches on Earth. Australia is blessed with extensive mineral wealth: gold, silver, uranium, opal, diamonds, iron and nickel. Iron and nickel are taking fore-front currently. There are iron deposits so pure, that a hammer on a boulder will ping. We made the library before it closed at noon to check-in and print our boarding passes for the flight from Perth back to Sydney, then toured the reconstructed historic village before boarding a small local tour bus to the country side. We stopped at the highest point over the city, toured iconic Twilight Beach where kangaroos play as well as most of the town, and pink lake. We stopped at a leather shop that turned fish skin into all sorts of bags, purses, boots, and other leather goods, and even used the scales for a variety of products including guitar picks for the famous and not so famous. Finally, we visited an art glass jewelry shop. Beautiful, but pricey. 

All trips must come to an end. Another day at sea brought us to Perth by early morning. Silly us, as we planned this trip last year, we began to worry about cost and did not plan an over-night stay in Perth. Our ship docked at 7 AM and our flight left at 10AM. Not the smartest move, but doable. We panicked some even though we were the second couple off the ship when there was only one Taxi Cab, and its’ trunk was too small for the couple’s luggage in front of us, so with the trunk full, and the seats full, we had to wait for the next cab …. Which did not come right away! Fifteen minutes seemed like hours! Finally, a cab. Popped in, and off to the airport. Made it with time to spare. Four hours later, we were back in Sydney. 

The hotel we picked out on-line before we left home seemed a lot closer to the airport than where it actually turned out. Another expensive cab ride! However, it was a very nice small hotel in a quaint part of town with lots of shops and restaurants. Again, we found the best bargain going – fish and chips, and this time beer or coke thrown in for a mere $12 per! Delicious! (Most restaurant entree’s start in the $20+ range with “nicer” restaurants in the $60+ range). The next morning, we found the best breakfast bargain of the land tours – two eggs, bacon, ham, toast, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, all piled high with coffee for $10. I think they simply liked that we were tourists and the first ones in that early morning.

Back to the airport for a 12:30 flight home. Another 14 hours in the air – great tail wind of over 100 mph helped get us to LA quicker. We landed with two hours to make our Atlanta flight. Two hours to clear Customs, pick up our checked luggage, clear the luggage through Customs, re-check the luggage, and then clear security and get to gate 51!!! Wait! We just came in gate 51. It was the same plane, and Linda had the exact same seat. Joe, he was on her left this flight instead of her right. Thankfully, the flight to Atlanta and Atlanta to home was uneventful. We arrived home at 7:30 PM a day after one of the worst sleet storms Little Rock had experienced this winter. We knew in Esperance that ice was predicted for Little Rock so we were already concerned. Our wonderful friend, Susan W. had taken us to the airport in ice, and now, almost a month later, she had to brave the roads again to pick us up. How very grateful we are to her.

Already, we want to go back. There simply was not enough time to see what all needs to be seen. A third of the ship and two couples at our dining table continued on for another 17 days around the top half of Australia, with a day in Bali, and back down to Sydney. Had we know the ship circum-navigated the Continent, we might have thought about staying on. But, another 9 days at sea (our six was enough) would not have set will with Joe. We want to go to Ayers Rock, and see Queensland in the North East, visit the Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast, and tour the Western Mountain ranges, and spend time in Perth. Even more, we want to tour all of New Zealand, and be in the Fiords in the winter (June or July) when the mountains are covered with snow. Cruising is a wonderful way to see a lot of territory, but a little of the area while in port. A month back in Australia and a couple of months in New Zealand should be about right. Then, there is the seventh Continent --- we have been on six now – Antarctica awaits us!

I have always had a fascination with the Lewis & Clark story, but had not really studied it until the Ambrose documentary appeared on public television around 2005. (It is available on DVD and if you have not seen it, I suggest you buy it from Amazon.com and watch it) In the winter of 2009, my friend Ron and I took a six week course at Harding University on the Expedition/Corps of Discovery. That was when I decided to add to my bucket list, to follow the Lewis and Clark Trail in its entirety. This spring, my wife and I accomplished the road trip from the mouth of the Columbia River to the confluence of the Missouri River with the Mississippi River. 4,259 miles! We had wanted to do it east to west, but the opportunity arose with my Brother’s 50th wedding anniversary. Since that was May 2nd, and since there was good snow pack in the western states, it was by necessity that we did the trail in reverse after the Party. (Brother lives in the Seattle, Washington area). So, we followed the L&C return trip routes, and took several minor and one major detour along the way. Someday, we will do the “preparation” trip from Pittsburgh. PA down the Ohio River to the Mississippi. The only stretch of River we missed was the 150 miles of wilderness of the Missouri in Montana which can only be reached by 50+ miles gravel road. I simply was not going to subject the van, and us, to that brutal treatment. Maybe, some day, I can do a float trip from Ft. Benton, MT to the US Highway 191 crossing (aka--The Upper Missouri Breaks). That is the only way to see the White Cliffs Lewis and Clark were so impressed with on the Missouri.

Unlike the moon landing, that was practiced for years, and had detailed maps of the moon and landing site, with a host of engineers and scientist at Mission Control in Houston, and redundancy backup for every system on board, the Corps of Discovery had none of that. They were brave young (20 to 30 year olds) men who signed on for very low pay, to go into the unknown, with hostile tribes of American Natives (Indians) that for the most part, had never seen white men. They pushed, pulled, drug, towed, paddled and sailed a Keelboat with 16 to 20 tons of supplies, along with several long canoes called pirogues up-stream against the current of the Missouri River. Unlike the pictures of our trip, the Missouri was full of logs, snags, sand bars, and densely forested banks. The shore lines were muddy, full of snakes, gnats and mosquitoes and biting flies. Often, log mats lined the banks. The current in many places kept them close to shore. It was hot, cold, and stormy, yet they pressed on. Game was abundant until they reached the Bitter Root Mountains in Western Montana. Each man averaged eating 7 to 11 pounds of meat a day. Only one Corpsman was lost, 21 year old Sergeant Charles Floyd who had what probably was a ruptured appendix near what is now Sioux City, Iowa, where he is buried high on a hill over-looking the river. Keep in mind, there was no modern medicine – no antibiotics. (The discovery of penicillin, the first antibiotic, is attributed to Scottish scientist and Nobel laureate Alexander Fleming in 1928. It was not widely available until 1942). The medical thought of the day was to treat illness with either purgatives (Dr. Ben Thrush’s “Thunder Clapper” Pills) or with bleeding. (To let the sickness out!!!) Both, highly counter-productive, of course. Septic methods were not practiced by virtually any American Physician until after the tragic and medically unnecessary death of President Garfield. The most notorious medical malpractice case in American history. Yet, the men survived unimaginable physical and mental stress. No modern human has endured so much in the name of discovery!

The Indian tribes they met along the way, turned out to be more friendly than hostile, but most likely, that was because Lewis had the fore-thought to take along a very special rife. An AIR RIFLE --- yes, air guns are NOT a modern invention. This was a 1790’s Austrian Army Girandoni repeating air rifle. Its magazine held 21  .43 caliber lead balls that had the same muzzle velocity as the flint-locks of the day. Lewis would demonstrate the rifle with each new Tribe encountered. The balls were driven deep into the tree. The Indians were amazed and fearful of this “powerful medicine”. They did not know how many of these magical rifles the Corps possessed. Then as now, superior fire power keeps the peace! The other pure stroke of luck, that most likely saved the Expedition, was Sacagawea. Now, before you miss-pronounce that – and it is not pronounced the way most all of us learned. It is Sah- cah- gah- we-a. No SACK sound. No Jah sound. I listened intently as we met the curators and docents of the many interpretive centers we visited – especially to the Native American docents. There are three major ways her name is pronounced. Keep in mind, there was no written language among the western tribes at the time. Careful study of the journals kept by Lewis, Clark, and the three sergeants, with a variety of spellings, clearly indicate a cah sound and a gah sound for the second and third syllable. The Lakota Sioux pronounce it Sah-ka-kaw-we-a and spell it Sakakawea. The third most popular pronunciation I heard was Sah-cah-ga-way and Sah-cah-ga-wa a distant fourth. Her name means “bird woman”.

Contrary to most publications, and depictions, Sacagawea was NOT a grown woman – she was a child. When the Corps of Discovery arrived in central North Dakota at the Mandan and Hidatsa Villages in November of 1804, Sacagawea was already pregnant with child, and she gave birth before they left in the Spring of 1805. According to the Lakota Sioux woman we met at Sitting Bull College Visitor Center in South Dakota, it was not a Hidatsa raiding party that captured Sacagawea and other children at the Shoshone villages at the head-waters of the Missouri in Southwest Montana (the Hidatsa were long known as peaceful farmers in central North Dakota --- 10 days hard ride to the east) but rather a Crowe raiding party. The Crowes were warrior types and known for taking children to sell into slavery. (The Hidatsa would take long trips into Montana to hunt game). Sacagawea was one of several children taken, and at most, she was 9 or 10 years old at the time of her capture in 1800. By the time 45 to 48 year old Toussaint Charbonneau bought or won her in a game of chance, she was 13 years old. He also took another young Indian girl at the same time, but her name is lost to history. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacagawea and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint_Charbonneau) According to the Lakota Sioux woman, who told us she had done considerable research on Sakakawea, Charbonneau took over 50 “wives” during his lifetime. While the official record has him dying between 76 and 80, the Sioux expert says he died at age 88 with the last “wife” being 13. Officially, he had 5 recorded wives with the last being 14. The Sioux docent said that he would get them at 13 and ditch them by 19. Many died of diseases and in childbirth. Sacagawea died in 1812 near Ft. Manuel (South of Ft. Mandan) of “Putrid Fever” which is a human louse based Typhus. Indian lore has her surviving and going to Wyoming and living a long life with other children and husbands, but most experts discount that story.

Charbonneau’s appetite for young girls and multiple “wives” was common place for the time and for the traders, trappers, scouts, and language interpreters. The “half-breed” children of these unions did not fare well as they were dis-owned by both the tribes and the whites. These off-spring established their own communes and cities, one of which we visited, St. DeRoin, Nebraska.

Neither Lewis nor Clark, nor any of the Corpsmen, wanted a women, much less, a infant new born along. But, they wanted Charbonneau’s interpretive skills (which, turned out, not overly critical) and Charbonneau was not going to sign on unless at least one of his wives came along. The Captains relented, and Sacagawea and new born child Jean-Baptiste joined the expedition. A stroke of luck that most likely saved the lives of all involved as a woman with child signaled to all the Tribes that this was not a war-party.

Sacagawea was instrumental in locating the headwaters of the Missouri and the Shoshone Tribe of her heritage that supplied the horses to get the Corps over the very rugged Bitterroot Mountains. The other most incredible stroke of luck, was the fact that the Chief of the Shoshone Tribe turned out to be Sacagawea’s brother! Without her, they may not have gotten the horses. The final stroke of pure luck was when they reached the Nez Perce Tribes in Idaho. It was a matter of not if, but how, the Indians were going to kill the entire expedition. With the Nez Perce, was another Indian woman, Twisted Hair, who had been taken by a white trader, bore his child, and was returned back to the tribe, but otherwise treated very well by the whites. She pleaded with her Chief not to kill the expedition because of the positive treatment she had received while living with the white community. The Corps was then welcomed by the Nez Perce and treated very well. But for a good woman ……

After the expedition, Captain Clark kept in contact with Charbonneau and Sacagawea and adopted the boy, he named “Pomp” following Sacagawea’s death and her infant daughter, Lizette, but that child is thought to have died around the age of three. Clark sent Pomp to boarding school, and Pomp did very well in his long life. Clark went on to become the governor of the Missouri territory and an Indian Agent for the Federal Government. The Clark family has traced his linage and there are quite a lot of direct William Clark descendants. What the Clark family apparently has not done, was to trace his Indian Get linage as Clark left many Indian maidens pregnant who bore children with his flaming red hair! Merriweather Lewis died still a young and poor man, in west Tennessee. Historian are split as to whether he was murdered by the known shady Inn Keeper or if he committed suicide. I tend to think the evidence is stronger now for murder.

The Corps of Discovery was a great scientific expedition with dozens of new plant, bird and animal life recorded in the journals and specimens caught and preserved – not the least of which was the Grizzly Bear – but those records were soon forgotten for most of the 19th century with even the publication of the journals did not occur until many years after the expedition. What did happen of course, was the opening of the West and the land grab from the Indians. While the many massacres are well known and taught, what killed 100 times more than white man’s bullets were white man’s diseases. The 13 tribes of the Mandan’s was reduced to two within a couple of years of the Corps visits by small pox, diphtheria, typhus, syphilis, and tuberculosis. Most all of the tribes throughout the west were similarly decimated by the 1850’s.

For , us this was a trip of living history. In all, we traveled 7,660 miles and spent just over $5,000 in 35 days. In 1972, we made our first major, and longest, western tour, of 13,225 miles, and in 55 days visited every major and many minor National Parks and Monuments. Total cost then? $750!!! (No kidding!) We enjoyed our time with my Brother and wife and his children and grandchildren and all the friends that attended their 50th Anniversary party. 

Finally, in St. Louis, the old Court House was open to tours. This is the Court in which the Missouri Territory Federal Circuit Court first heard, Dred Scott v. Sandford decided by the U.S. Supreme Court December Term, 1856. If you have never read the full text, I encourage you to do so. We’ve come a long way!!! http://www.lectlaw.com/files/case23.htm

The detour down to the John Day Fossil area of Oregon presented the best opportunities for really good photographs as did the Audubon Refuge in North Dakota. Good light was always the issue – my fault. We rarely hit the road before 9AM and were cooking dinner by 6 PM. While I have developed a liking of high contrast saturated pictures, many professional prefer early morning or late afternoon light. I cannot argue against that point! We hope you will enjoy the history lesson and the accompanying photographs.