Monthly Archives: January 2011

Caribbean, Exploring, Troy's Blog

Cruisen the Caribbean

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Mesmerized by the Motion of the Water

Time for the R and R portion of this trip/vacation.  The beds are made and the food is prepared and all within a short distance from wherever you are on the ship. The first day was a full day at sea watching the clouds drift by and the waves go up and down.  Unfortunately the waves went up and down a little more than desired rocking the ship back and forth due to the higher winds.  That just meant holding on to whatever you are carrying very tightly anytime you’re outside.  It’s amazing just how quickly we can adapt to a different environment.  We landed in Miami and left all the thoughts of snow and ice at home and immediately transitioned into the green grass and open water where the birds were singing and the fish frolicking around boats and rocks in search of their daily fill.

A Great Tropical View

We left the Port of Miami to hundreds of police cars, motorcycles, and boats with their lights flashing as they were honoring two of their fallen officers.  It was truly humbling to see the respect and honor given to those killed in the line of duty.  As part of that respect, our ship left dock without the familiar sound of the horn blown three times signaling our departure.  Then it was off to the Caribbean waters for a day of sun and sea.  While Lysa and Kristy enjoyed the pool, the rest of us took advantage of the time for some conversation and to soak in our surroundings.

Playing with the Stingrays

Our first stop was Grand Turk of the Turks and Caicos Islands.  We only had a small number of hours at this location so quickly got off the ship as soon as we arrived to take in what we could.  There was a little time in a few nearby stores, learning about the Mercury 7 splashdown, burying our feet in the incredibly soft sand, snorkeling above a local reef, and kissing a stingray. All of this in the short 7 ½ hours we had on shore at Grand Turk.  On to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. This is a private island only for guests of the cruise ship.  We spent some time snorkeling off the beach and then exploring this small island full of beautiful landscapes. Our third and final destination was the capital city of the Bahamas – Nassau. This was our longest stop of the cruise but also seemed to move the fastest.  After conquering the taxi and hair braiding gauntlet, we had the opportunity to quickly explore a few stores near the pier. Then it was off to swim with the dolphins for the rest of our time in Nassau. It was an amazing experience to spend some time this close to these very friendly (and well trained) animals.

Up Close with the Dolphins

Leaving Nassau we were quickly confronted with reality that this was our last night aboard the ship and it was time to pack for disembarkation.  While enjoying our evening meal we spent much of the time trying to figure out how to bring our server and room steward home with us.  The thought of not having them around was more than we could tolerate. Well, there was no viable solution so we decided to concentrate on our next destination – The Everglades.

Half Moon Cay
Biscayne National Park, Exploring, National Parks, Priorities

A Memorable Day

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Entering Biscayne N.P.

Every day is a day to be thankful for but there are days that make an impact on you that you won’t forget.  Today was one such day!  Our plan from the beginning was to get going to Biscayne National Park to explore Convey Point and Boca Chita Key with the hope of spotting a manatee some time during this adventure.  There was a dilemma that arose a week ago which required some difficult decisions and examining our priorities.  I fully enjoy exploring National Parks and all they have to offer and was really excited to see Biscayne.  The issue that conflicted with that was one of the sports teams I follow was in the playoffs and I really wanted to watch the game.  My resolution before today was to miss the first half of the game and leave the park a little early.  Well this came with a further examination of priorities as the day wore on.  In the end, all worked out well.  Let me explain:

I don’t follow a lot of sports teams with any regularity and am content with just hearing scores most of the time for a few teams around my area.  There is one team I have followed for much of my life and they are the Green Bay Packers.  Well, a week ago they earned the right to play in the NFC Championship game with the winner going to the Super bowl.  Unfortunately the game was scheduled for mid-afternoon at a time I was planning on enjoying the sights and environment of Biscayne National Park. After doing some soul searching and examining my priorities I came to a conclusion. I may never be back to the park and there is a probable chance the Packers will make it to the playoffs again in the next decade or two so the park held a higher spot on my list of priorities.  I decided to leave the park a little early (probably only by an hour) and that should allow me to watch the second half of the football game.  That seemed acceptable to me and a good compromise.

The Lighthouse at Boca Chita Key

Apparently that was not a close enough examination as our plans were called into question once we arrived at Biscayne National Park.  We had planned on taking a boat tour out to Boca Chita Key which was listed as departing once in the morning and once in the afternoon.  As we were getting ready for this tour we were informed that there was only an afternoon trip which would not get us back until the football game was almost over.  Our decision was to either miss the trip to the key or miss most if not all of the game.  I didn’t want to do either but could not do both.  Ultimately the decision was to take the boat trip and hope we could see the end of the game and the highlights.  With technology there was another option, I could watch the game on my laptop as long as I could get reception.  A nice way to enjoy a bit of both the park and the game.

Watching the NFC Title game at Biscayne

After deciding to take the boat tour the day began to fall into place and ended up being a day I’m sure I will remember for a long time.  As we began looking at the displays in the visitor center and learning about the park I had a gentleman ask me to take some pictures of him and his girlfriend.  I agreed and began to follow him outside when he further explained that he was about to propose to his girlfriend and where so that I could take some pictures for him of these important highlights.  I was very happy to do this and be a part of something that can be so significant for two people. After this the day went to fast as we explored Biscayne N.P. and searched for the elusive manatee.  We enjoyed seeing many fish and birds along with the amazing scenery of the landscape and ocean all the while seeing the city of Miami in the background.  On our way back to the hotel I managed to find a radio station to listen to the football game and did make it to the hotel to see the last few minutes of the football game and watch Green Bay win to move on to the super bowl in 2 weeks. 

Boca Chita

In the end staying with your priorities, even when they are challenging to determine, will allow you to be confident in your decisions.

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Travel Preparations, Troy's Blog

Travel Preparations

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Getting Ready to Leave for Miami

Preparing for a family trip of 10 days is no simple task. There are many things that need to be taken care of while we are away. We began making arrangements several weeks ago so that things are taken care of while we are away. Enjoying the company of pets has its price. They have to be taken care of when we’re not here. Fortunately we have family members in the area and one of them has agreed to live at our house during our travels. Other items that needed to be planned weeks or even a few months ago where snow removal so our guest can move a car out of the driveway in the event of a significant snowfall and water changes for our fish. We have a few larger aquariums to maintain so scheduling water changes to compensate for our time away is part of our travel preparations. I planned out when the first water changes could happen when we return and worked backwards to determine which aquariums needed to be changed at which dates to provide the best environment as possible. Some of those fish tanks only need to be changed once a month while others need to be changed every week and a half.

Checking It Twice

Getting closer to the actual travel dates bring many more items to take care of. Mental packing lists and items needed for our trip help so that when it’s packing time we have everything we want to bring with us. Many people actually write down a list of items to pack however we choose to make it a little more interesting by just using mental lists. Fortunately we have gained experience over the years and have a good idea of what we need to have and items that if we forget, there are places at our destinations that we can get them. In order to get this experience, we have forgotten many things and have figured out how to improvise. Essential medications are probably the most important item to bring as they can be difficult to get especially if traveling out of the country. I place cameras as a high priority item however as they have gotten less expensive over the years they become less important. Things such as toothpaste or socks can easily be replaced at most destinations.

Do We Have Everything?

A week out and our travel documents should probably be printed out as our arrangements are all made online. It’s surprising to me how much paper we go through with all of the air, hotel, car, and cruise documents that we need. I’m bringing a small book of reservations! There are a few tours we know right now that we want to participate in so we booked those. That adds to the small book so we have confirmation numbers, times, dates, addresses, and telephone numbers that we may need. These documents are always kept in our carry on so that they are with us all the time. Other information that is often helpful is telephone numbers for credit card companies, emergency contacts, and personal physicians in case something happens and medical information if needed, not necessarily in that order.

Looking Ahead

Packing for a 10 day trip takes almost a full day after clothes have been laundered and missing items acquired. The first part includes deciding appropriate dress for the destinations we’re going. In order to gage this we look at the extended forecast for each place we will be spending time. This has changed how we pack more than once. Initially we may be planning on bringing more summer attire and then check the forecast for a specific area and realize that it is not expected to be as warm as we thought it would be. Getting each person’s items for each part of the trip and putting all of those items together into a pile is the next thing we do. Once we know how much we are trying to put into a few suitcases, these piles can be organized and packed using every bit of space as efficiently as possible. Socks can be put into shoes and other open crevices. We add small items inside our snorkel flippers and masks to help increase efficient use of space to reduce the amount of luggage we have to carry through the airport and into hotels. As we are packing our suitcases, we always remember more items that we need/want to bring. The final piece to packing for an extended week trip is to get the suitcase closed. I have had to sit on a suitcase to close it a few times. Once it is closed, each suitcase is wheeled to our bathroom scale and weighed to get a general idea of how heavy it is. If it is too close to being considered heavy by the airlines we will do some adjusting to reduce the weight which I have also done a time or two.

Is This All We Have?

I think all of our travel documents have been printed off and placed in the carry-on and our bags are about 90% packed.  Come Friday night we should be ready to go without staying up most of the night packing.  We have spent many nights before a trip packing and I do what I can to eliminate this as I like to get a full nights rest before traveling.  That may be the last full night for a week as there is no place like home for a comfortable place to sleep.

Caribbean, Exploring, Troy's Blog

The Caribbean

Which One is Ours?

As we continue planning our Caribbean cruise portion, it has been duly noted that none of these locations are on the board.  We have declared it alright to take some side trips and add destinations as we are able to and desire to. When plans were being made on how to travel our National Parks Monopoly board we saw the Florida Everglades and planned on adding a cruise to this property.  What was unexpected was adding Biscayne National Park and a drive through the keys.  In order to accomplish all of these places and at least get an introduction to them we had to compromise and shorten the length of the cruise.  Our Eastern Caribbean cruise was chosen because there are 3 stops on a 5 day cruise, 2 of which we have never been to before.

Our first stop is to Grand Turk after a fun day at sea.  While researching some of the attractions of this location, I was surprised to learn that this is where John Glenn was taken after he splashed down in the Atlantic.  He also trained at the US Air Force Base and space tracking station located on Grand Turk.  We are expected to be in port a little over 7 hours.  Looking through some of the excursions offered by the cruise line, this should be enough time to enjoy one excursion and still provide time to do some exploration and shopping.  There are many references to the coral reefs around this island and the chance at seeing humpback whales as they migrate for the winter.

Getting Immersed In Aquatic Life

Next on the itinerary is Half Moon Cay (Little San Salvador Island) in the Bahamas. The revues of this stop have all raved about how nice the beach is with beautiful sand, crystal clear blue Caribbean water, and very friendly people.  Half Moon Cay is all about the sand and the water.  There really is nothing else on the island to see.  Perfect!!  Fishing, snorkeling, diving, and playing in the sand sounds like a great way to spend a vacation day.  Snorkeling and an encounter with stingrays top our list of excursions at this island.  Becoming immersed in the coral and colorful fish allow your mind to forget all of the facets of daily life and concentrate on the creatures beneath.  Little San Salvador Island has a protected area of stingrays where you can interact with them and feed them.  Watch out for the Stingray hickey!  Afterwards, taking a few minutes to bury your feet in the white, soft sand would be great way to end the day at Half Moon Cay.

Our final stop in the Caribbean is Nassau, Bahamas.  Watch out as you disembark from the ship or the hair braiders will get you. Fortunately there is much for them to work with on my head. There are many different experiences to be had at this location.  Those who enjoy gambling have a plethora of casinos in which to spend their day.  There are a number of pirate themed adventures that can be entertaining and educational as you discover the history of Nassau. For me, I prefer to be outside exploring nature and enjoying the warmth of the sun.  There are snorkeling, diving, fishing, and boating trips available for a day full of sun.  For us, one of the new experiences we would like to explore is swimming with the dolphins. I’ve tried to do this before but unfortunately the trip was canceled or altered due to weather.  Hopefully this time will be different.

Riding Off In the Sunset

After a short time back on the ship we will be back in Miami going through customs and re-entering the United States for the last part of our trip.  Fortunately we will still have a few days in Miami so that we don’t have to go from the warm Caribbean to the cold upper mid-west.  After getting off the ship, we get to take another property off of our National Parks Monopoly board – the Everglades and then off to the Keys.