EVA TURNS ONE YEAR OLD

Today is Eva's birthday. She was born June 7, 2020. Yesterday we celebrated. Diane baked her a cake. It was a "smash cake" which is what people do these days. We went to Sam and Kate's house at 10 AM. Quinn was quite excited for his sister's birthday. Kate's mom, Susan was there with her two dogs and we had Bella with us. And then there was Sam and Kate's dog Ollie. It was bedlam, for sure. The time came and the cake came out and we all sang Happy Birthday Eva and then she was encouraged, especially by Quinn, to smash her cake and eat it off her fingers. She knew right what to do with her mentor, Quinn, showing her how. Eva is the happiest person on the planet and is a joy to be around. Year One is in the books and it is on to Year Two.

Adventures in Peru

On September 18, 2019, we left for Peru. Our trip would take us from Salt Lake City to Atlanta to Lima and then to Cusco. We were flying first class which was a real treat as we had access to the First Class Lounges at the airports. The longest leg of the flight was Atlanta to Lima. We got to Lima late at night and went through a long line at customs.  We stayed at a Hotel adjacent to the airport that night. The next morning we boarded a flight to Cusco. We were met there by an agent of the Hotel Belmond Monasterio who drove us to the hotel and told us about a tour we might want to take the next day. Our room was not ready so we walked around town and saw the town square Cathedral. We both were feeling the altitude when walking uphill. Cusco is at 11,000 feet elevation. We had a light lunch and checked into our room. The hotel was an old monastery with the rooms surrounding a large square. After dark we walked around the town again and visited many shops selling alpaca clothing. It was then back to the hotel and to bed. 

The next morning we had a buffet breakfast and got ready for the tour we had arranged. We met our guide, Jhader and left Cusco. We drove to Chencero where there were many textile co-ops. We stopped at one and saw how the llamas and alpaca fur goes from the animal to the finished product. The demonstration showed how it was washed, rinsed, and dried. Then it was dyed using natural products like plants and insects. The yarn was then converted to thread and the thread was sent to the weaver. We then left and toured the Sacred Valley and the town of Ollantaytambo. The last part of our tour took us to Pisac where walked among the Incan ruins and visited the town market. At the market we bought a flute for Quinn and a scarf for Kate’s Christmas present. After a long day, we went back to the hotel and I had a massage and then we went out to dinner.

The next morning we walked to the Inkaterra Hotel to meet our Backroads trip leader, Jackie and the other members of the group. We loaded up a van and left Cusco for a hike in the outskirts of Cusco. After we had hiked for awhile, we came upon a tent that Backroads had set for our lunch. There also was a band playing traditional Inca music. After lunch we hike to some ruins saw a feature named Saosaywaman, known locally as sexy woman. Of course, the women who outnumbered the men had their picture taken under the sign. We then hiked back into Cusco. That night we had dinner at the nearby  art museum.

The next day, the trek really began. Our duffle bags with our gear were out by 7:15. We ate breakfast and loaded our backpacks with the things we would need during the day. We stopped at the Mallepata ruins and then had lunch at the Weavers Co-op. We got to the trailhead and began the 5 mile hike that would gain 1,312 feet of elevation. It rained and was cold and steep. We made it to Salkantay Lodge where we would stay for two nights. After a long hike, the sight of the lodge was quite welcomed. We warmed up, I got in the hot tub and had a delicious dinner.

This day we would hike to Huamantay Glacial Lake and back. It was about 4 miles round trip and very steep. At the top, overlooking the lake, we gathered for a ritual performed by two Quechuan shamans. It was a cultural celebration with offerings to Pacymamma. They performed prayers and chants over each one of us. We then hiked down the mountain to the lodge where Diane got a massage and I jumped in the hot tub.

The next day would be our big day with a hike over Salkantay Pass. It would take us over 15,000 feet elevation. We left early at 7 AM. It was cold and we had our warm clothes on. After the first two steep miles we stopped for a rest. The cold that Diane had contracted went to bronchitis. She was feeling lousy, had a cough and was short of breath. They offered her a ride on the horse and she took them up on it. The next two miles were even steeper and the pace slowed. The views were spectacular but most of the time the only view was that of your boots. We rested up for the final push. The last mile was the steepest. It was very slow going with very heavy breathing. We finally topped out at over 15,000 feet and threw our packs down. The weather was party cloudy and cool. We took pictures. We were offered hot coffee with Baileys and I quickly accepted a cup. After awhile we headed down off the pass. Down below, Backroads had set up a tent for us for lunch. Just as we entered the tent it began to rain hard. We had a delicious lunch and by the time we were done, the rain had stopped. Thank you, Pacymamma. We continued down to Wayra lodge very tired. Diane, feeling poorly, did not go to dinner.

This day we left Wyra Lodge and hiked to Colpa Lodge, a distance of about 6 miles but mostly downhill. We left and soon the trail entered the jungle. It was gentle hiking and the trail was muddy and rocky. I was walking with Jeff.  Diane was walking with his wife, Harriet. We had to step aside when a caravan of mules would pass us by. At about mile 3, I heard someone yelling and I looked down and saw Diane on the ground. She had slipped on the muddy trail hurt her ankle. I looked at it and saw that is was not dislocated which often happens with ankle fractures. I believed it was broken for I could feel crunching of the bones when I pushed on it. I asked Jackie for splinting material and she gave me a SAM splint and a roll of Coban. I fashioned a splint and wrapped it with Coban. We put Diane on a horse named 911 but still had 3 miles to go to the lodge. She would have to ride with her foot hanging down and I worried about the swelling that would cause. We got to the lodge and I examined it and put on a new splint and put ice on it. The trip was over for us. Arrangements were made to get us back to Cusco. It would be a 7 hour car ride through the mountains on winding roads. One of the guides went with as far as the outskirts of Cusco where we met an ambulance from the hospital. After a long ride in the ambulance we got to the hospital. Backroads had arranged for several people to meet us there. There was the Backroads doctor, an agent from Mountain Lodges of Peru, and there was Oscar. Oscar worked for Backroads and was our savior. Educated at the University of Houston, he was from Mexico City and spoke perfect English. X-rays were taken and confirmed that Diane had fractured her ankle on both sides. The traumotologist recommended surgery. I explained that I wanted her to have it in the states. They took care of her that night in the hospital and we made arrangements the next day to return home. Luckily, we had trip insurance that covered all our expenses. Oscar took care of everything. He took me to the hotel that night and picked me up the next day. When it was time to leave for the airport he took us there and stayed with us until we went through screening. That day I talked to a friend of mine, an orthopedic surgeon in Salt Lake and sent him the x-rays. We made it back to Salt Lake and went from the airport to the doctor’s office and surgery was scheduled for a few days later. The surgery went well and after 6 weeks of no weight bearing and 6 more weeks, Diane is back to normal and looking forward to our next adventure. 

Yosemite 2019

Our trip was in two parts. First, we flew to Fresno and drove to Mariposa to visit Diane's cousin Lynn and her husband, Roger. We spent two nights with them and took a drive on the highway that leads to the El Portal entrance to the Park. Later that day, we escaped the heat by going to Oakhurst to see the movie, The Lion King. We left Roger and Lynn on Thursday morning. 

We went down the road and stopped at the Mariposa Coffee Company. It was then on to Yosemite. The traffic was light and we made good time. We started our hike at the McGurk Meadow about 12:30PM. We thought it would be a warm up hike. After we passed a meadow of brilliant wild flowers we noticed the trail was going up and down. We saw very few people on this hike. Our destination was Dewey Point, an outcropping that would give us a view of Yosemite Valley. The closer we got to the point, the steeper the trail got. Near the top we encountered two elderly ladies coming down and they told us, "10 more minutes" which we took to mean 20 more minutes. We were right and after 20 minutes we got to the top and were treated to some magnificent views. We took pictures and then headed back down to get back to the shade of forest. It was not a straight downhill return. Remember those ups and downs I mentioned. The downs were now ups, so we had some climbing to get out of there. My GPS said 8.5 miles roundtrip.  We got back to the car and headed for the cabin check in about 4:30 PM. We cleaned up and headed to the Valley to get provisions at the store and eat at the hotel. We got back to the cabin and went to bed pretty early. 

Friday morning we had a decision to make. We were both feeling pretty tired and sore so we decided that the Thursday hike was the hard hike and we would do an easier hike this day. That pretty much ruled out Ostrander Lake which was more than 12 miles. Luckily, we chanced upon reading about Sentinel Dome. We decided on that and headed out Glacier Point Road in the morning. The mileage turned out to be about 4 miles roundtrip with some climbing at the end to get atop the dome. Once on top, we again got some great views and took some pictures. We went back to the car and drove down to the Valley and did the short hike to Bridal Veil Falls. We had our lunch there and drove the rest of the way into the Valley. It was bumper to bumper and finding no place to park we decided to head back to the cabin. 

On Saturday, we packed up and headed toward Wawona and had breakfast at the Big Tree Lodge. We then went to Mariposa Grove and did the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail. It was a good thing that it was mostly in the shade as it was getting pretty warm. We finished that hike and then headed back to Fresno where we found out we had been upgraded to First Class. What a way to end the trip!

Sunny Day at Snowbird

Most of my skiing is done at Solitude Resort. I have a season pass there and with that pass, it entitles me to a few days skiing at other near by resorts. My neighbor, Pete and I decided to go up and ski at Snowbird this past Wednesday. What a day we had. We got there at the reasonable time of 11AM. We got a great parking place and got onto the Gadzoom lift. We took a couple of warm up runs off the Gad 2 lift and then went to the other side of the mountain and skied off the Peruvian lift for a few runs. We decided to take the Tram up and take a coffee break on the Summit. After that  we took in the beautiful view from the Summit and took a few pictures. We made a few more runs before we decided to call it a day. And what a great day it was.

                               Break a Rule, Pay the Price

 I don't ski on the weekends. Why should I? I am retired and I can ski during the week with no crowds, lift lines, or traffic. Well, this past Sunday, I bent the rule a little bit, or at least, I tried to. With encouragement from my neighbor, Pete, we decided that we could not pass up the foot and half of snow that fell Saturday night. The usual five minute drive to the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon took an hour and ten minutes. Every one was skiing today. We headed up the canyon and after a few miles we came to a curve. My car started sliding sideways right into the snowbank on the right. Even with four wheel drive I could not get the car out. The sheriff showed up and kindly pulled me out but also said I must go down canyon. With no argument we headed back down and went to breakfast. It was then I remembered my rule.

The next day was Monday. Hey, that is not a weekend day. I got to Solitude early and was in line before the lift opened. The rope dropped and off I went. There was still powder snow left from Sunday and about 3 inches of fresh snow that had fallen during the night. I got to the top of the lift and had to decide what run to take. I was up to the challenge

so I took Challenger. I am glad I did. The powder was soft and fluffy and I really felt like I was floating. I got down to the bottom and pushed the repeat button. I skied Serenity, Sundancer, Stumble, and Grumble. They all had great powder. Next I skied down Sunnyside to the Powderhorn lift. It was a slower lift but when I got to the top I headed to a run that we call "The Neighborhood". It was a run through gladed trees that almost always had good snow. This day did not disappoint. I had been waiting for my friend, Dick, to call me when he got there. I had skied almost a full day's worth when he called. We met up and I showed him all the great runs I had discovered. We debated wether or not to go to the Summit where we could ski Honeycomb Canyon. It had delayed opening so the patrol could do avalanche control. We learned that it had opened and we headed that way. We had to take a traverse and hike and climb to get to the deep powder run. We took a little short cut to avoid some climbing and it put us into some powder that was good but had already been skied. We skied down and when we got to the bottom my legs were gone. We now had to ski out the canyon. I followed Dick and I was moving pretty fast along the the trail when my right ski tip must have veered off and caught the edge of the trail. At that speed, I was quickly launched out of both skis and head long into the bank of powder snow. To my total amazement, I was all right. I checked to make sure everything was still connected and recovered my skis. One was in the trail and the other I dug out of the powder. I clicked in and skied to the lift where Dick was waiting. He said, "What happened?, Oh never mind, your helmet tells the story." I guess I had snow coming out of every vent and both ear holes on my helmet. Now it was time to head to the car and call it a day. And, what a day!

Panama Canal

                                          Cuba/Panama/Costa Rica

Diane and I had an overnight flight to Miami. We were both just getting over flu-like symptoms(or the real flu). The flight left about 1 am. We left my car at Sam and Kate’s and took Uber to the airport. We had upgraded to first class so after we took off and the lights went off, we both dozed off. In Miami we met the AHI representatives and were shown to our shuttle van. We were early arrivers so instead of going directly to the ship we were given a little tour of Miami. We headed towards downtown and went past Marlins Baseball Field. We went to Little Havana on Calle Ocho and then to the artist district. Here we stopped for coffee and doughnuts. After driving through South Beach we headed for the ship terminal to check in. After checking in we headed for the buffet line were I ran into Jimmy Simmons, a Beaumonter who used to live across the street from me in Minglewood. He was closer in age to Pat and he told me of some of the trouble they got into. He told me about Keith Carter who has become a renowned photographer. He lived next door and we called him Kippy. We went to our stateroom and rested until dinner where I ran into Patricia Adams and her friend Joette. After dinner, Diane did some reading while I went to a lecture on Cuban history.

The next morning, Friday, we arrived at Cuba. After a breakfast buffet at Discoveries Café we meet on the Cabaret Deck for our tour in Havana. The departure procedure consisted of checking out of the ship with your stateroom key card and then go through immigration with a metal detector screening, then we presented our passport and visa to the immigration officer. Next was the currency exchange where we got some CUCs(pronounced cooks). We then proceeded to the tour bus. Our first view was Moro Castle that was built in 1589 and overlooked and protected the harbor. Our next stop was The Great Statue of Jesus made of Italian Carrara Marble by Jima Madera. We viewed the La Carbona, one of the largest citadels in the Americas. We stopped at the Plaza del Revolution where Castro gave his speeches. There were two buildings there that had the likenesses of Che and some other Cuban revolutionary. Next we went to the Colon Cemetery where our guide gave spirited stories of Cuban folklore.  We were then dropped off at the flea market, Almacenes San Jose and walked back to the ship. After dinner we went to a movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On our second day in Havana we took the Old Havana Heritage tour. We walked through squares dating back to the 1700s. We saw fountains, cathedrals and plazas. We stopped at the Melia Cohiba where they had Cuban Rum and Cuban Cigars for us. We drank the rum and took the cigars with us. We made our way back to the ship and settled in for the voyage to the Panama Canal.

The next day, the seas were angry my friend.( A Geroge Kastanza line from Seinfeld). No joke, there was a rough sea and some people were having a little trouble. Diane and I fared pretty well. This day would be followed by another day at sea but fortunately the water was calmer.

On this day, Tuesday, I think, we would transit the Canal. We arrived at 6 AM and went past a new bridge that was under construction. It was still dark and the bridge and canal were lit up like Christmas. We took on the pilots from the canal who would navigate us through. Ropes were handed off to some guys in row boats. They used these ropes to hook up to the “mules”, the electric cars that would pull the ship through the locks. The ship entered the first lock and the gates(built in 1914) were closed. The lock was then filled with water to raise the ship to the level of the next lock. This was repeated two more times to get us to the level of Gatun Lake. Gatun Lake was formed during the building of the canal by building a dam to hold back the Chagras River. The lake provides 32 of the 50 miles of the canal. The dam built to form the lake is an earthen dam  and the materials to create it came from the Culebra Cut. Once we were on the lake and free of the mules, we traversed the lake until we came to the Culebra Cut, now called the Gaillard Cut. Digging out the Culebra Cut was one of the most difficult challenges of building the canal. It was subjected to many, many slides down into the just excavated cut. The slides covered the rail tracks used to transport the huge dredging machines. It would all have to be dug out again and then it was often subjected to another slide. The solution was to dig out the walls to decrease the slope of the side walls. It required the removal of enormous amount of material. We continued on until we came to the Pedro Miguel lock that now lowered us to a smaller lake, the Miraflores Lake. This lake was 1.5 miles long and took us to the Miraflores Locks that lowered us down to the level of the Pacific Ocean. We had now exited the canal after a transit of time of 12 hours. We anchored that night in the Fuerte Amador Harbor. It was truly an exciting day.

The next day, Wednesday, we took tender boats from the ship to the shore. Those of us from the ship who were in the Lamar group got a very special tour. The president of the Panama Canal, Jorge Quijano, was a graduate of Lamar and he agreed to host us(about 40-50 of us) for the day. We were privileged to be able to tour the brand new locks recently completed that allow the largest container ships in the world to pass through. The construction of these locks and their operation is a modern day engineering miracle. The gates are double sliding gates that have a buoyancy to allow the gates to slide across the canal. We visited the computerized control room that had the feel of an air traffic control tower. After this private tour of the new locks, which are not open to the public, we loaded back on the bus to travel to Mr Quijano’s residence. As administrator of the canal, Mr Q is entitled live in the House from Culebra Hill. This house originally built at Culebra Cut to house the Administrator of the Canal. The first to live there was John Stevens. George Goethals resided there after he succeeded Stevens. After the canal was completed, the house was moved to its present location in Balboa near the Pacific terminus of the canal. It cost nearly as much to move the house as to build it in the first place. Since it had great historical significance, it was well worth the expense. The governors of the Canal Zone and later the administrators of the canal resided in the house. We were greeted at the house by Mr. Q and treated to a fabulous luncheon and reception on the grounds of the house. It was located atop a hill with a great view. The house was magnificent. After we left the Culebra House we went into town(Balboa) and toured a museum that depicted the history of the building of the Canal. We then went back to the ship to prepare for our excursion that night to Old Panama. Panama Viejo was founded in 1519, the first city on the Pacific coast. We were bused into town for a performance at the Old Panama Cathedral Tower. The folkloric performance depicted the rich history of the city and the Panamanian people. It was then back on the bus to return to the ship, which would sail that night for towards Costa Rica.

Thursday was a day at sea. We explored the ship. We found the library, the computer room, hung out at the pool and ate. It seems we were constantly eating.

On Friday, we arrived at Golfito, Costa Rica. We did not have an excursion scheduled so we walked into town and found a taxi driver who offered to give us a tour. We saw some beautiful sights and then suddenly the driver stops the car and jumps out shouting”Monkeys!”. There were a bunch of Capuchin monkeys at the side of the road. We fed them bananas and I took a lot of pictures and videos of them eating out of Diane’s hand. We continued our tour stopping on a hill overlooking the bay and our ship. We made it back to the ship to have lunch with Mike and Elizabeth Petit from Beaumont. Mike graduated from BHS the same year I graduated from Kelly. We had several mutual friends including Curtis Comeau and Jimmy Fontenot. The morning we arrived at Golfito we saw about 12-15 sport fishing boats heading out for a fishing tournament. That night a reception was hosted by AHI Travel and then we had dinner at Discoveries Restaurant with Leon and Martha Hicks our new friends from Beaumont.  

Our ship traveled overnight to Quepos, Costa Rica. We had signed up for a white water river rafting trip on the Savegre River. We took the tender to the dock and loaded on a bus to Santa Domingo. There we donned life jackets, helmets and were given our paddles. Next, were the safety instructions. We were 4 to a boat with a guide. In our raft were a couple of guys from South Carolina. They sure talk funny! It was kind of a shallow river with mostly mild rapids. It took about two hours and they had watermelon and pineapple waiting for us at the end. When we got back to the dock, Diane and I found a Sports Bar and we had a bite to eat. When we got back on the ship we got ready for “White Night”. They had decorated the pool deck in mostly white and we were supposed to wear white as well. They had prepared a fabulous meal, everything from lobster to steak to salmon with all the trimmings. I had crepe suzette for desert. There was entertainment as well. It was a fun evening.

On Sunday we were scheduled to go a beautiful white sand island for a day of snorkeling, beach activities and lunch. When we got to the dock, the wind was blowing so hard that the excursion had to be cancelled. We were disappointed but made up for it by hiring an English speaking guide to drive us around Puntarenas and show us the sight. It was a fun afternoon. The next day we would be leaving, very early I might add. So we went to bed early.

Monday/Departure Day. We were to meet in the Casino Lounge at 5:00 AM. We had packed the night before and had placed our luggage outside our stateroom. They had coffee and pastries and egg burritos for us. We got on the bus to head to the airport around 5:30. The trip to San Jose took about 2 ½ hours. The adventure was coming to a close. We had a great time, reconnected with some old friends and made some new friends.

                           Fishing Left Fork of North Creek, Zion, Utah


Well, it has been awhile. Now that I am retired, I have no excuse for not posting on my blog. So, here goes.

On July 2, 2017, I drove from my home in Sandy, Utah down to Washington, Utah, just north of St. George. My plan was simple. I would hike down the Subway lower trailhead and catch 50 fish or so and come back.

Here is a little background on this. I have done the Subway hike from the top down about 11 times. Each time I have seen dozens of fish cruising around in the creek in the lower pools. It is never practical to try and combine doing the top down hike with fishing. It is hard enough to just complete the hike. I had always told myself that someday I would get a permit(yes, a permit is needed to be in the left fork drainage) and hike down from the Left Fork Trailhead and fish.

I had asked Dick and Pete if they wanted to go and they each declined. So, I was going solo. I reached the trailhead and started the hike at 7:23 AM. It took me 30 minutes to descend down to the creek where I started hiking upstream. At my pace, at 35 minutes, I figured I had gone close to a mile. To my surprise, I had not seen any fish. I did notice some green algae intermittently along the banks. I ended up hiking for an hour upstream. I had seen only a couple of fish but had passed several deeper pools. I rigged up and this time and began to cast where I thought fish would be holding. I guess I expected it to be like shooting fish in a barrel since no one except crazies like me would fish this area. It took a while but I finally got a fish to take a stimulator fly. It was a nice rainbow about 12 inches. I had put a dropper on to try and increase my chances but with the brush and obstacles I thought it would be better to just have one fly to worry about. I worked my way downstream and over the next couple of hours, I picked up 6 fish, all rainbows, all on a stimulator. They were 12-14 inches long I caught only one fish per pool, meaning that I had to catch a fish, hike down to the next pool and then repeat the process. . I kept fishing until I got back close to the hike out and then continued downstream for awhile looking for more good spots. I found none. I took a break, hydrated and ate a Cliff bar in preparation for the uphill hike out. It was very steep and very taxing. I would try and take my rest breaks in areas of shade, catch my breath and then continue on. One group of youngsters said that it was a pretty hot part of the day to be hiking uphill. I said it was only going to get hotter. It was about 12 noon then. I made it to the ridge where the trail flattened out and I was able to maintain a pace without stopping. The hike down took me 30 minutes and the hike back up took me about 40 minutes, although it seemed longer.

Like I said, I had a plan but it seems the fish had another plan. I have always wanted to do this and now I have. Now, I think I want to do it during another time of the year; maybe the fall. I better start putting in for a permit.