Panama Canal Cruise - Huatulco, Mexico

As our Panama Canal cruise continues, day 5 was an at sea day. Day 6 was a stop at Huatulco, Mexico. We had never heard of this place, but what a gem it turned out to be. When we got off the ship and looked around, we saw a beautiful beach, crystal clear water, and a quaint little town. We had booked a catamaran excursion to see five of the nine bays Huatulco is known for. 

Here is a view of our Royal Caribbean ship, Serenade of the Seas, from the pier.

This marvelous sculpture was near the beach.

I found the brooms the workers were using quite unusual. They probably work quite well.

Along the beach road is this small chapel called Capilla de Santa Cruz, the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The story goes that the cross of Huatulco became famous in the year of 1587 when the English pirate Thomas Cavendish arrived at the port of Huatulco. After planning to steal the city, he tried to demolish the Holy Cross with axes and saws. Seeing that this was not possible, he ordered that cables be tied to the boat to move the cross off. As he tried to head towards the sea, the boat did not move. And when he ordered the cross to be burned, it remained unscathed.

This great event has given rise to extraordinary dedication and respect, expressed in pilgrimages and visits at all times and from different parts of Mexico and the distant shores of South America. The pilgrims reported that those who were in contact with the relic were cured of their diseases. The cross that is currently in the chapel is believed to have a piece of that original cross imbedded. The chapel is very popular for weddings. I'm sure the view is quite beautiful when there isn't a cruise ship parked at the pier.

We boarded our boat, The Tequila, for our tour. Adult beverages were included, so it was a fitting name for the boat. I do think they forgot the tequila, though. I had three margaritas, and didn't even feel a slight buzz. For those of you who know me well, you know I'm quite a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. So, something was amiss. They were, however, quite tasty.

Here's the view of the bay with the cruise ship.

We motored around the bays and saw some gorgeous scenery. Much of the area surrounding Huatulco is a National Park. The residents have fought hard to keep the developers at bay. Only about 35 cruise ships stop here per year. There are some hotels and condos, but many developers have been turned away. It really does look like paradise.

We anchored at a pristine beach in one of the bays. The description of the tour had said that you could go swimming at this stop, but water shoes were required. We didn't have any, so we didn't wear our swimsuits. Lots of people went in without the shoes. Kevin doesn't like salt water, but I would have gone in if I'd known it would be allowed. Oh well.

If anyone were looking for a vacation paradise to get away and relax, I really think Huatulco might be the perfect spot. Not very crowded, great beaches and scenery, restaurants and bars, hotels and shops.

That night we experienced some rough seas due to another hurricane that was passing north of us. We actually dodged 3 hurricanes on this trip. Winds were 35 mph and waves were 10 to 15 feet. It made for some interesting walking. They locked the doors to go out on the deck. The ocean swells don't look that bad, but trust me when I saw we were rocking.

These sickness bags suddenly appeared on all the stairways. Too funny. Luckily, we don't have a problem with being seasick.

Day 7 was another sea day. As you're figuring out by now, much of this trip was at sea. Out of the 13 days, 6 were supposed to be sea days. With Cabo San Lucas being cancelled, that ended up being 7 days. That night was a formal night. We're not much into getting dressed up, but this is one of our best efforts. 

During the sea days, the main activities offered were dance lessons, lots of different trivia games, the pools, and the sports deck which included pickleball, mini golf, rock climbing wall, and basketball court. I actually tried the rock climbing wall on another cruise about ten years ago, but I've given up being able to do that.

Rock climbing wall

We participated in some of the trivia events and played some mini golf. We also watched three movies while on board. Elvis was great. I highly recommend it. We also saw Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and The Lost City. Both were fun. Much of the time we spent walking the decks, enjoying the ocean views and reading or playing cribbage. I was on a massive losing streak, losing seven games in a row. After that, I gave up for a while!!

We've been on four Carnival cruises, one Holland America, and this was our third Royal Caribbean. Each cruise line is a little different. We found this trip they focused a great deal on their art auctions and the spa. They were constantly trying to sell passengers spa treatments or entice you to art auctions with offers of free champagne. The lowest price for a massage or facial was around $200. Not worth it to us.

Luckily, the weather was fantastic for the most part. It was quite warm and humid the entire trip; but with some nice sea breezes, it was pleasant. Sometimes, we needed to get back into the air conditioning because of the humidity. Lots of days, the ocean looked as smooth as glass.

So, that's it for Huatulco. Next stop, Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Panama Canal Cruise - Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta

We began our much awaited 13 day Panama Canal cruise by arriving in Los Angeles a day early and staying at the Vagabond Inn where we left our car parked for the days we were gone. The room was very clean and comfortable, but the rest of the place was definitely showing its age.

We did a little exploring, and found Angel's Gate Park with this pagoda and the Korean Friendship Bell. The bell was presented as a gift to the US by the people of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to celebrate our bicentennial. It weighs about 37,450 pounds. The location was beautiful overlooking the bay. 

The next day around noon we were delivered to the pier by a shuttle from the motel. Check-in went very well, and before we knew it, we were on the ship looking for a snack. We heard the cruise was a sell out at about 2,500 passengers and over 800 crew, but we never really felt like it was overcrowded. There were a few times on sea days where we had trouble finding a place to sit and relax in the shade, but overall it was great.

We passed the 8.5 mile long San Pedro Bay breakwater and lighthouse on the way out. These were built in the early 1900s. It always amazes me what earlier generations accomplished!

Day 2 was a sea day. We spent the day getting familiar with the ship. Even though there are elevators, you still do a lot of walking getting from the front to the back of the ship. We were on the 8th deck, with the dining room on deck 5, and the buffet and pool on deck 11, so that worked out really well. We walked between 10,000 and 20,000 steps every day. Despite eating more than normal, neither one of us gained weight. We went to some trivia challenges, played some mini golf and just lazed around. 

The show that night was called A Night With Adele. Neither one of us know much about her. Amy Jo Slater sang this tribute show, and she had a great voice. I think I maybe recognized one song. Adele is definitely not our thing. After looking online, I think Amy kind of looks like Adele.

Day 3 was scheduled to be a port day at Cabo San Lucas. This port is a tender stop for cruise ships, which means smaller boats come to the big ship and take you to the pier. Many cruise ships actually use their own lifeboats as tenders. There were also Disney and Princess ships anchored in the bay. We had been there in 2015, so had planned not to get off the ship. 

Unfortunately, for the many passengers who wanted to get off, they were out of luck. There was a hurricane quite a ways south of us, The ocean didn't look very rough, but swells under the water coming from the south were causing the tender boats to bounce around quite a bit. They kept making announcements hoping conditions would improve, but around noon it was announced that no tenders would be allowed to go ashore for the safety of all.

Here are some views of Cabo from the ship. It is a beautiful location. The arch in the rock is what they are famous for. Many of the excursions are boat trips to get you a closer view of that arch. The water was so pretty and clear.

Disney ship in front of us

Day 4 was a stop at Puerto Vallarta where we were able to dock right at the pier. Kevin and I had also been here in 2015, so we planned to just get off and look around a little. There were not nearly as many excursions offered as the last time we were here. None of them interested us. I wonder if Covid put some of those companies out of business. There was a flea market across the street, so we checked it out. I bought a necklace, and we shared a large margarita before getting back on the ship. 

The large margarita was $8. Drinks on the ship have really gotten expensive. Cocktails are $13 and a Miller Lite is $7.49 or a craft beer is $7.99. That doesn't include the 18% tip they include on all drinks. If we bought the drink package, it was $65 per day for the first person and half that for the second person in the cabin. Both people had to purchase it to participate. There was plenty of water, lemonade, iced tea, coffee and tea available for free.

While we were enjoying our drink, we watched this guy washing windows on our ship. Not an easy job!

This is the view of Puerto Vallarta from deck 12. There is a Walmart and Sam's Club across the street. The water in the bay was very muddy, and the city didn't seem very clean. It has grown a lot, and I don't think it's the paradise it used to be. I saw a statistic that said 300 ships come here each year.

Our entertainment was Mark Preston, a former member of The Lettermen. I had no idea that group had been around so long, from 1959 to present day. There  have been many different members during that time, but they are still performing. Mark was with them in the 1980s and again in the early 2000s. We recognized many songs, and enjoyed his great voice and show.

We saw some beautiful sunsets during these days. 

The color of the water from the wake of the ship is a gorgeous blue. I loved looking at it!

These frigate birds were often seen flying near the front of the ship, even when no land was in sight. I read that they look for fish that are riled up by the ship. They have a very distinctive scissor tail.

So, that takes care of the first four days which probably doesn't seem all that exciting. But, things are going to get better. I'm doing separate posts for the next three stops and the Panama Canal, because there are lots of pictures. Get ready!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Lake Tahoe and Carson City, Nevada

We left California and headed to Minden, Nevada to see Lake Tahoe. It was a beautiful, scenic drive, but not so fun for Kevin. Lots of narrow, winding roads with drop offs. He has had a lot of that type of driving on this trip. Thank goodness for our Garmin RV GPS. She helps us find the best routes for towing.

The main reason I wanted to stop here was to see Lake Tahoe. I didn't realize that Minden was on the other side of a mountain about 30 miles away. We stayed for five nights, but only the first day was decent. It rained and was cold all the other days. Oh well, we've had pretty decent weather all summer; so can't complain.

We drove to Lake Tahoe on Sunday as this would be the only rain free day. Unfortunately, a lot of other people were also there making it difficult to find a place to stop and see the lake or take pictures. We started on the Nevada side and headed north. This was the first spot we could get a view. It was cloudy, so the water colors were not as nice as pictures I've seen. It was also very windy, so the lake was quite choppy.

The lake level was very low. In the picture below, you can see the piers sticking way up out of the water. All boats were anchored out in the lake, quite a ways from shore. If you click on the picture, you can see lots of boats out there.

We continued our tour along the west side of the lake which is in California. That side was much more built up with lots of expensive homes and not any places to park and see the lake. As we came around the south end, we climbed to a higher elevation. There were some pull out spots, but there were no parking spots in any of them. The sun had come out, so we were able to see the beautiful colors in Emerald Bay.

The west side of the Lake in Nevada is mostly natural with State Parks and Forests. Here are some views from that side.

The Nevada/California border runs right through the town of South Lake Tahoe. You can certainly tell where the border is as there were several casinos as soon as we entered Nevada.

On one of the less rainy days, we headed to Carson City, the capital of Nevada. The State Capital building is being renovated, and was totally surrounded in scaffolding.  It originally opened in 1871, so some updates were probably in order. It is the second oldest state capital building west of the Mississippi.

Here's what it is supposed to look like based on a model inside.

Some government offices are still in use, but many surrounding buildings have been built to house other state officials. There was a museum in one of the former chambers with lots of interesting information. 

Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, a few days before the election for Lincoln's second term in office. The papers to become a state got lost in the mail, so with just a few days to go, officials telegraphed all of the required documents. It was the most expensive telegraph ever sent. They made the deadline, and Nevada helped Lincoln win the election. Unfortunately, he only served a few months of that term before being assassinated.

This seal of Nevada in the museum was made entirely of very small beads. I'm guessing it was about 2 feet square. 

This chair was made of elk horns for Governor John Sparks who was in office from 1903-1908. Teddy Roosevelt sat in it when he visited in 1903.

We walked along the downtown on Carson Street. We stopped in at the Nugget Casino, which is the oldest continuously operating casino in Carson City. It is still owned and operated by the descendants of the original owner. Unfortunately, the smoke smell was so awful, we walked right back out. I don't know how anyone can stand being in that smelly environment.

We also stopped at the Great Basin Brewing Company for some liquid refreshments. Kevin said the beers were quite tasty. On top of a hill on the outskirts of town, is a giant C and an American flag that measures 65 x 120 feet. It looks small from a distance, but it must be huge up close.

We stayed at Silver City RV Resort in Minden. It was a very nice park, although a bit pricey at $70 per night. They had a very nice clubhouse with this mural of Lake Tahoe. That's what I was hoping to see when we were there.

This old covered wagon was on the grounds. One of the original RVs!

The views from the park were very beautiful with mountains all around. Late the last evening we were there, the sun came out and provided this awesome double rainbow.

It was quite chilly our entire stay with highs in the low 60s and lows in the 40s. Our last night it got down to 35 degrees. Brrr!!!! We woke to sunny skies with snow on the tops of the highest mountains. It was 10 to 20 degrees below normal for our stay.

Our summer travels are coming to an end. We plan to be home on Saturday with a stop tonight in Tonopah, Nevada and tomorrow night in Kingman, Arizona. I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing our home remodel completed. When we left they still had to paint the outside and put up the back landing cover.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!