March '09 Newsletter
March '09 Newsletter |
|
Spring has sprung, enjoy! For us it has been a bit too hot a little too early this year and our beautiful wildflowers are small and short-lived. We had some good November-December rains but between the freezing temps and the early 85 degree days, our flowers are drying up quickly and the cacti are starting to bloom already. Last week, we viewed a wonderful wildflower display at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix with Blue. The garden is featuring a spectacular blown glass exhibit by Seattle artist Dale Chihuly. Take a look at some of the pieces at the Arizona Highways Photo Contest and if you are in the area, don't miss it. Along with the flowers, our annual weed crop has kept us busy. With a little help from our neighbor Sue, we managed to hand weed the entire cacti garden and weed whack the rest of our acre lot before leaving for Belize.
Few if any Christmas cards found their way out of our house and into the mailbox, so please forgive us if we didn't respond to yours. We found ourselves busier than ever and lacking in motivation. Suz had entertained ideas of sending them in January but found Bob's knee problems enough to keep her busy. His right knee became so painful it was almost impossible to sleep at night. He would get comfortable and drift off to sleep but awaken within a half hour in pain and have to assume a new position or get up and walk around seeking relief. Repeating that cycle over and over each night left both of us sleep deprived.
Extensive medical testing determined that both of his knees were having bone on bone problems with the left looking to be the worst and the better looking right one being the sleeping problem. Fortunately the right one was only badly damaged in the medial compartment, which made a partial knee replacement (PKR) possible. The advantage of this type of operation is all the tendons and ligaments are spared and recovery is quick, just a pretty painful couple of weeks and lots of physical therapy. He had the PKR done in late January and has recovered nicely, recovering a full range of motion. He is supposed to be cautious up to six months while bone bonds with the cemented new parts. Although being careful, he was able to enjoy almost all the activities in Belize and was climbing 40' trees on belay to hack out mistletoe yesterday, 8 weeks after surgery. The only problem remaining from the surgery is limited nerve damage and a baseball sized numb spot around his kneecap. He is hoping to make it through our China trip and summer traveling before having surgery on the other knee, which of course is giving him more trouble now.
On the family front, Scott and Hudson dropped in for a visit while Tennille spent some time with her family. It was their spring break and Scott spent time in Phoenix at his mom's visiting his Uncle Richard who lives in London, Ontario. Scott and Tennille squeezed an Upper Salt day run into their visit. It sounds like they hit it just in time as the water was already low and has plummeted recently even though the weather is warm (looks like it may not be a good boating year there). Susan's niece Gina had a minor stroke in January that they believe was caused by a hole in her heart. She had that patched in early March, slightly before her 40th birthday and is doing well. Susan's dad will turn 85 this week and had a good winter. We are thankful and plan to visit in late June, early July.
Susan's Uncle Bud and Aunt Jo will be in Vegas this week and plan to visit us on their way back to Minnesota. Their timing is perfect as they will be arriving the day before our White Cane Parade. Clown numbers may be down for this one but rest assured they will fool themselves and everyone around them! We have lots of activities going on in the next few weeks including the last Meals on Wheels' soup supper of the season and High Desert Helpers' annual Easter Egg Hunt up at the park. It is budgeting time for the water district, so Bob will be involved in several meetings for that. This is a great time of year to be in Black Canyon City. The Agua Fria is running a foot or so deep and several feet across behind our place and the river corridor and surrounding hill country is an excellent place to be hiking right now. We plan to enjoy the spring weather before leaving for China in late April.
Gotta go! Have a wonderful spring!
Belize Reef and Jungle Trip Report (3/08/09-3/15/09):
An optional early morning bird walk with Anastasio attracted a few avid birders, though most of the group didn't appear until breakfast. After gathering our headlamps and water attire, we were off for the Caves Branch River limestone caverns to try some black water rafting. We were each issued an inner tube, a horse collar PFD, and a headlamp if we didn't have one of our own. Bob elected to walk most of the way to the put-in with us but being anxious to protect his fresh-from-surgery knee, he chose not to tube the cavern. We launched in an open area, entering the first of several chambers almost immediately. The cavern areas are flash flooded during the rainy season so they don't exhibit many of the crystalline stalagmites or stalactites we are accustomed to seeing. There were a few, the most impressive a large one that resembled an enormous jelly fish. It was an enjoyable float and our guide was careful to steer us away from problem areas and warn us of potential butt draggers. A young Australian woman who was staying at the TEC and working at the zoo accompanied us acting as a sweep and helping Anastasio keep track of everyone. Bob photographed us as we reentered the parking area. It was a local holiday and many Belizeans were swimming and picnicking there.
Returning to TEC for lunch, we met a new zoo intern Christina who had just arrived from Pennsylvania. An internship is generally three weeks but she was only able to stay through her spring break week. In the afternoon, many of us accompanied Anastasio on the long trail to talk about the indigenous plants. The center has a numbered guide book corresponding to various plants. Susan was thrilled to see some of the herbs like St. John's Wart that she is familiar with only in capsulated form. We were joined mid-walk by a couple from British Columbia and their ten year old granddaughter Kali, who would be part of our group for the remainder of our trip. Following another delicious dinner complete with homemade donuts, we loaded up and went to the zoo for an after hours tour with zookeeper Antolin and his helper.
Saying a reluctant goodbye to TEC the next morning, we enthusiasticly left for the caye (island). For last minute purchases, on our way to the dock we stopped at Brodie's superstore - their equivalent to one of our large Fred Meyer offshoots. Two of our guides met us on the dock in front of the expansive, expensive Princess Hotel and Casino. After some delays while the crew loaded our culinary supplies, we boarded our cruiser. Our rough, windy one and three quarter hour ride quickly stretched into a two and a half hour one as the captain had to slow down for the higher waves outside the reef. There were a few green faces but all held it together, happy to set foot on dry land again. Lighthouse Caye, also known as Half Moon Caye, was inviting and we were all ready for the delicious lunch that our Garifuna chef, Philip, had prepared. Staff consisted of our chef, his helper, 2 North American guides Dick and Manny, 2 Belizean guides, James and Adolfo, yoga instructor Andrea co-owner of Island Expeditions and her six year old Adam, who was in charge of entertainment. Since the Marley group was only nine in number, Island Expeditions had recruited another 9 to bring the group size to their full compliment of 18 guests. Seven of that additional nine were from British Columbia, the other two residing in Oregon. All were interesting folks who we enjoyed getting to know.
Our tent cabins consisted of an approximate 10'x10' wooden base, with walls and a peaked roof made of heavy waterproofed canvas, held up by a substantial 2" aluminum tubular frame. Three walls had roll up panels both inside and out with a screen sandwiched in between. The door, which faced the ocean in each tent, also had the roll down weather protection and a zippered screen door covered the entire opening. A small deck with two wooden chairs fronted each domicile and most had a hammock hanging nearby. Another nice touch was a foot washing basin on each deck. The dining area was a large palapa equipped with roll down sides for bad weather days. It included a comfortable lounging area complete with a library of well-thumbed, appropriate fish, coral, bird, plant life and Belize travel books. The cook's domain was a well-kept, modern, open-air kitchen. There were clean, odor-free, outhouse-style restrooms, brackish water shower rooms, and a sun shower platform that made for easy rinsing after snorkeling. Drinking water is rain water collected in large vats and treated. Small signs reminded all that "every drop counts", a mantra that Adam reinforced with us.
Our first full day on the caye, we divided into two groups: the Marley group with two guides and the rest with two guides. Our group snorkeled on the northeast end of the island while the others practiced wet exits and kayak reentry followed by a voyage to the ship wreck on the northeast reef. We reunited at lunch and swapped activities in the afternoon. Getting back into a double kayak is not the easiest task and we floundered appropriately. Between the fresh air and activities, we were all appropriately exhausted at dinner but managed to make it through Philip's scrumptious pineapple upside down cake and a short orientation by the Audubon guys before dragging our butts to our tents.
The second full day, many of us circumnavigated the island in sea kayaks, while others walked to the west beach to snorkel or went fishing with James hoping to bring home dinner. The kayak trip was a challenging endeavor, part in open sea with strong currents, wind, and big swells. The color variation from the turquoise shallows of the reef to the midnight blue of the drop off into the deep sea was amazing. We beached the kayaks at the west beach and snorkeled with the rest of the group before kayaking back to the landing. After a hearty lunch, we again split up for various activities. Manny taught an advanced paddle stroke class; James took another crew fishing; Dick and Adolfo took a group snorkeling in the deep channel at the east end of the caye. Did I mention lazing in a hammock with a good book was always an option?
The fisherwomen had a more successful afternoon than the fishermen. Angie and Kali (the 10 year old) caught six bottom feeders - Angie two at once - that James filleted to resemble squid. After an hour or so of trolling, Kali caught a 3 foot long barracuda. Philip and Xavier outdid themselves presenting the barracuda in a creamy dill sauce. It was Grandma Mary's birthday, so we surprised her with a song and a chocolate birthday cake. We were all proud of Kali for keeping the secret all day long. Dick broke out the guitar and he and Andrea sang to Mary; James took it up next with a bit of country flavor, followed by Manny singing in French, followed by Mark, one of the guests, singing a song he wrote.
By our third full day, the prevailing northeasterly wind died down enough for us to attempt the 3 mile, open-water journey to Long Caye. The trick wouldn't be getting there but possibly getting back, paddling into the wind. Four doubles filled with guests and three singles filled with guides comprised the party. With the wind at our backs creating squirrelly pusher waves, we made it in a bit over an hour. James followed in the power boat with the rest of the group. During their journey, they anchored and James dove down to capture several large conchs for our last lunch the next day. He brought up enough that his passengers sampled conch sushi, a treat the two of us were just as happy to have missed. They then joined us for lunch on the island.
After lunch we split into two groups; the kayakers went snorkeling at two spots from the power boat while the rest of the group explored Long Caye on foot. The two snorkeling areas we visited, known as the Wall and the Aquarium, were primo. From the power boat, Bob and James spotted about a hundred pound turtle while the rest snorkeled the Wall - a vertical drop into the deep blue. Bob and James anchored the power boat and joined us as we moved over to the Aquarium, filled with fan coral, barrel and tube sponges, and lots of iridescent small fish. It was Suz's first time to try the backwards divers' flop out of the power boat to snorkel. It wasn't pretty but her mask stayed on and she didn't swallow any salt. We then switched groups and explored the island while the rest snorkeled before starting the return adventure.
Our last morning, we had the option of snorkeling in a bay off the east end of the island. Bob lazed and took photos, while Suz joined the group for her last dose of pretty fish viewing. It was again spectacular. We stripped our beds and readied our accommodations for the next group, which would be arriving after lunch. Philip served his delicious conch soup and we moved over to the dock area to await the launch that would return us to Belize City. The trip back was gentler than the trip over; no one seemed bothered much. Suz tried out the elastic acupressure bands on her wrists both on the plane and the boats and found them helpful.
Every day we spent on the island was windy but never cold, either during the day or at night. We had a few sprinkles one night and a 10-15 minute shower early one morning but certainly had no complaints about the weather. This island is known for a lack of biting bugs and the constant wind helps maintain that reputation. Coral needs 75-85 degree water in order to grow, so we didn't ever need wet suits or paddling jackets. A light snorkeling suit was helpful, but not absolutely necessary, to keep the sun off and provide insulation for longer snorkeling stints.
Len and UnSun joined us for breakfast the last day and we taxied to the airport together. Our flight home was uneventful. Blue met us at the airport and returned us to our car that had been parked at her house.
Note: The three photos with both of us in them were taken by Len Roughgarden.
2009 Trip Reports:
Our American Airlines' flights through Dallas into Belize City went smoothly. Barrie was on the same flights and we quickly located Susan Lassiter who had arrived a few minutes earlier and was outside the terminal investigating transportation. Thankfully, our baggage also arrived and we were on the way to the Best Western Biltmore Plaza for a night on our own before meeting with our outfitter for the group trip. Carolyn had arrived earlier in the day and secured the hotel room for our three single ladies. Harold, Angie, Len and UnSun had been in country for several days though not together, taking day trips of interest. The temperature was a heavenly 75-85 degrees and the humidity actually felt nice on our skin. Other than no-see-ums feeding on our lower legs, our first evening was rather pleasant and by noon the next day, the entire group had arrived and were awaiting pick-up.
Island Expeditions contracts out the mainland portion of their trips to PACZ Tours. Our guide, Anastasio picked us up in his van and we breezed through Belize City bound for the Tropical Education Center (TEC) where we would spend two nights. The center is located in interesting pine savannah country and is affiliated with the Belize Zoo. We were a bit late arriving, so some of us took a short hike and wandered the grounds while others reorganized their gear and settled in. Our accommodations consisted of a triple and double cabana overlooking a lagoon, complete with Morelet crocodiles and numerous birds, plus two double dorm rooms that were quite comfortable though not as scenic or private. Before dinner, Anastasio gathered us together for an introduction and orientation, which included some of the history of the country and an explanation of the various ethnic groups inhabiting it. Dinner was delicious, a claim that would be made for almost every meal for the entire trip.
Orphaned, injured, and confiscated animals comprise the Belize zoo population. They are sheltered and rehabilitated as necessary and remain in zoo populations for their own protection since they are normally too trusting of humans by this point. The zoo does not purposely capture animals and shares excess numbers with other zoos. The tour is fascinating because the animals are more active and feeding at night. Antolin introduced us to jaguars, cougars, ocelots, margays, river otters, tapirs (also known as mountain cows), white-lipped peccaries (50% larger than our javelina and twice as smelly), gibnuts (a rodent known as the Queen's rat), owls, harpy eagles, scarlet macaws, raccoons, coatimundis, a boa, a tropical rattlesnake, and a feur de lance. Highlights included Antolin calling to the male howler monkey, which beat its chest furiously and responded seeming to say "stay away from my woman". In addition, Annie the anteater was removed from her habitat and made her way from shoulder to shoulder of our group, winding her prehensile tail around our shoulder and chests. Susan and Barrie would have kidnapped Annie but they wouldn't have been able to agree on who would be her adoptive mom.
At lunch, we were assigned tent cabins and had time to stow our duffle before taking a walk with the guides to the west end of the island. This particular caye is administered by the Belize Audubon Society, which came about because it is the only Belizean nesting colony for the red footed booby. The booby nests only in orange flowering ziricote trees, sharing their habitat (as if they had a choice) with the larger, more aggressive frigate birds. Iguanas and hermit crabs ambled through the duff along the trails, as we walked towards the west end, splitting into two groups for sojourns to the booby colony viewing platform and the west end snorkeling beach. The viewing platform brought us up to the level of the many large, downy booby chicks in the nests. Frigate birds sailed around us and one particularly large male displayed his inflated red gullet non-stop trying to attract his harem.
Philip and his helper were up early, as were all of the guides. Coffee magically appeared in the tidy dining area at 6:00 AM sharp. Andrea announced at dinner that she would be doing yoga on the beach near the kayaks at 6:30 AM each morning. She is a wonderfully talented instructor and occasionally walked the circle making adjustments. The crowd was small on our first day but it grew daily. Shedding sleepy dust from his eyes, Adam would usually join us for the last ten to fifteen minutes. The conch shell summoning everyone for breakfast usually sounded as we walked back to the palapa. With a full moon rising during dinner, we celebrated Harold and Angie's second wedding anniversary, complete with champagne. Eating three ample, nourishing meals a day would have turned us all into fatties had we not been working, or is that playing, so hard.
Suz accompanied the east end snorkelers, while Bob went fishing. In addition to the schools of small brightly colored fish, the snorkelers saw nurse sharks, large sting rays, schools of large (3-4') midnight blue parrot fish, groupers, barracudas, and lobsters. The outstanding thing about this particular area was the size of the fish. Though not extremely large, the dinner plate sized French angel fish were among the prettiest sited that day. Suz is also particularly fond of the stoplight parrot fish and queen trigger fish.
Formerly a cocoanut plantation, now covered by red mangrove, Long Caye is rather unusual in that it is fronted by a dock and multi-million dollar resort that was fully developed, including beds in the rooms, and never opened. With a bit of TLC, it might be an interesting place to stay. The resort developer had also subdivided lots in the mangrove swamp that we considered a pretty hard sell. There was a dive shop and a few private homes, one with a rental unit, but not much else.
Noticing the wind was up again, one of our kayakers elected to ride the power boat back. Dick took her spot in a double kayak and James towed one single kayak home behind the power boat. The kayaks made it back in an hour and a half, much better than anticipated. The wind wasn't as bad as expected and we were grateful. Dinner that night featured a variety of meat dishes we playfully dubbed a "meat fest". The main course was followed by a delicious carrot cake. Philip also treated us daily with some form of homemade bread, biscuits, or tortillas. All meals contained fresh, local fruit. The full moon had waned a bit by this night so Dick hosted an astronomy class complete with telescope on the beach after dinner. It was supposedly possible to see the Southern Cross after midnight but we don't know of anyone that managed to be awake to verify this.
Back at the Biltmore Plaza, we showered, arranged a tour for the following day, and joined most of the group at the Riverside Tavern for our last dinner together. Carolyn missed the dinner as she was busily making reservations to spend her last day at Caye Caulker. Susan Lassiter, Barrie, Angie, and Harold flew out the next day, while Len and UnSun spent their last day strolling San Pedro Island, a more upscale tourist area. The two of us traveled 45 minutes by van to the New River launch for a tour of Lamanai, a Mayan ruin site. Our guide pointed out wildlife and plants of interest during the hour long ride to the site. We had lunch, a brief stop in the museum and about an hour in the ruin site before the boat and van journey back to the hotel.
| Participants: | Carolyn Balliet, Angie Chong, Barrie Dickerson, Susan Lassiter, Bob Marley, Susan Marley, Len Roughgarden, UnSun Roughgarden, and Harold Schuck. |
| Start | Finish | Trip Name | Group Size | Comments |
| 6/14/09 | 6/20/09 | North Rim of Grand Canyon Mountain Bike | 14 Space Available |
The trip begins and ends on the Kaibab Plateau, the elevated North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, amongst majestic ponderosa forests and shimmering aspen groves. From campsites precariously perched on the Canyon's edge, we will daily enjoy extraordinary views, mountain bike rides, and short hikes that offer opportunities to view Grand Canyon's spectacular varied scenery. Crossing to the western side of the Plateau, we'll camp for a couple of days next to the National Forest's Rainbow Rim Trail, one of the most scenic mountain bike trails in the world. There will also be limited space for non-bikers who wish to dayhike the viewpoint trails and drive the sag wagons. |
| 8/7/09 | 8/14/09 | Desolation-Gray Raft Trip | 12 Space Available |
The Green River in central Utah provides boaters with access to spectacular canyons rich in scenery, geology, history, and prehistoric ruins. This raft trip has it all: breath-taking redrock country, a 5000' deep canyon where it passes through the Tavaputs Plateau, and large sandy beaches for camping. Riffles and rapids - nearly fifty of them - gradually increase in difficulty as we float downstream. Animal life abounds, although most deer, bear, and cougar usually retreat to the high country each summer. We will hike up side canyons to ancient Indian ruins, visit a historic ranch frequented at one time by Butch Cassidy, and possibly spend a layover day hiking at Rock Creek Ranch. As the Green River flows out of the Book Cliffs, the trip will suddenly end near Gunnison Butte. One wonders at the trip end how two magnificent canyons lying end to end could have been so different. This eighty-six mile river trip is the perfect leisurely vacation. |
| 8/23/09 | 8/29/09 | Lake Powell Sea Kayaking Exploratory | 12 Limited Space Available |
We'll pick up a houseboat and sea kayaks (two singles and two doubles) at Bullfrog Marina and explore the fantastic upper reaches of Lake Powell. Our 53' Adventurer houseboat is fully equipped with range, oven, refrigerator, ice chests, 12-volt lighting system, two bathrooms (including showers), drapes, and a gas grill. It has two private staterooms (double bed), two lower berth double beds and two double sized conversion beds, but the nights are so moderate and the desert evening skies so beautiful, that some of us may not be able to resist sleeping on the top deck or on shore. We'll boat approximately 200 miles around the Lake at a serene maximum speed of 10 miles per hour. This should be as active a trip as participants wish with excellent slickrock hiking opportunities and kayaks to explore the magnificent side canyons. |
Notes:
We continue to send information to our travel friends using email. If you want to be the first to know what's happening, send us your email address if you think we don't have it and keep it current. We'll also continue to communicate unique travel opportunities by ‘special mailings’ to those who travel with us regularly.
Best of luck in your adventures, whatever they are, and wherever they may be. Hope to travel someplace with you this year.
 |
Susan & Bob |
 |
 |
Updated on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 @ 11:30 MST © 1995-2009 by Robert R. Marley |
 |