Up early and loaded with strong coffee, we went to a lounge in the front of the ship to watch the sun rise over the Baja Peninsula; what another beautiful day God had provided! As the morning wore on, we reversed direction towards the back of the ship and food finding a table on the open deck. While eating a lite breakfast, whales were observed blowing and breaching in the Cortez Sea. We sailed along the western shore of the Baja Peninsula until the terminus of the Peninsula came into view. As we entered the Gulf of California, a cell signal from Mexico pinged our phones.

The Norwegian Gem anchored in the bay and the first tenders transported  passengers to shore for excursions. Kay and I waited until after lunch to “tender” to shore where we walked around the much too commercialized area, stopping near a small “7-11” type shop for cheap beer (Ultra at $1.50 a can versus $9 + 20% gratuity on the Gem). After a long walk we caught the tender back to the ship for hot tub and sun time.

Dinner was at one of the complimentary restaurants, and just okay. A stand up comedian, Johnny Cardinale, performed the show tonight; Kay liked him, but I thought he was not too funny.

About mid-morning, we took our Norwegian-tagged luggage to a collection room and caught a pre-arranged shuttle to the ship. We were quickly checked in and boarded (thanks again, Dana).

We immediately headed to the dining room for lunch (no breakfast). The cabins were soon available, where we changed into swimsuits (we made sure they were in our ship carryons). And then it was off to the pool to begin almost three weeks of R&R. A “sail away” poolside party soon began and the music was great. Dinner followed a safety brief. A preview show wrapped up the day for us. As retirees, we so needed this “vacation”!

Monday was an all day sailing day, providing impetus for sleeping late. After awaking and breakfast, we attended an advanced bridge lecture by a bridge playing couple from Little Rock (small world), before the hot tub and pool called. A soak, sunbathing, and lite lunch preceded a long afternoon nap. Dinner was followed by a show featuring Carole’s Kings, a trio of guys from New York who performed a tribute to Carole King. When they sang in the preview performance Sunday evening, they were not great, but their performance was really good Monday evening.

We were ready to escape the cold (at least to us) and wet (40% more rain in 2018 than normal) of Arkansas. Our first real winter at home in 10 years has  proved better than expected so far, except we weren’t quite ready for the weather and soggy golf courses.

Up next on our life list was a cruise thru the Panama Canal, and this winter provided a perfect opportunity. Working with Dana at Vacation Valet in the Village, a 19-day Norwegian cruise from Los Angeles to New York was selected, as it provided 12 ports of call, excluding LA and NY. 

We left home two days early. Uncertain of the length of time to go through security (TSA was not getting paid because of government shutdown) early Saturday morning, we drove to Little Rock late Friday afternoon, staying at the Comfort Inn. There was no delay and we flew to LA via Dallas arriving just after noon—a day prior to sailing (previous cruises have taught us to arrive at the departure port a day early because of airline schedules and customs inspections).

We were met by Norwegian representatives and caught the arranged shuttle. Check-in at the hotel was uneventful (thank you Dana), and a restful afternoon and evening ensued. The window of our room overlooked the northern hills of LA.

Last night’s motel in Wytheville, VA, was clean, not terribly expensive, and quite adequate. It was also adjacent to a Cracker Barrel restaurant, one of our favorites when traveling—not because they are great, but because they are consistently good. Consequently, the motel’s tasteless “breakfast” was bypassed for our favorite “Breakfast Sampler” at Cracker Barrel.

Travel to the High Bridge Trail trailhead was diverted to tour Appomattox, where Robert E. Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War. Considering the significance of the surrender, this national historic site was a bit underwhelming—sad.

House where Lee surrendered to Grant

From Appomattox, we traveled to the High Bridge Trail.  High Bridge Trail State Park

At the trailhead in Rice, VA

is a multi-use trail ideally suited for bicycling, hiking, and horseback riding. Its centerpiece is the High Bridge, which is more than 2,400 feet long and 160 feet above the Appomattox River. The bridge was built in 1853 as part of the South Side Railroad, and was the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War on April 6 and 7, 1865. The war ended two days later at Appomattox. Access to the trail was limited, resulting in our stop at the trailhead in Rice, VA.

Converted factory in Farmville, VA

This is the smoothest rail trail I’ve pedaled, allowing a quick trip to Farmville, VA, home of old converted factory high rises to high end furniture showrooms (we bought most of our furniture for the Norfork house here).

As I neared Farmville, a sluggishness in the ride was noticeable as it became increasingly difficult to pedal.

High Bridge Trail and restored depot, Farmville, VA

A glance at the rear tire revealed yet another flat. Fortunately a bike store was nearby, and while no mechanic was on duty, they allowed me to change the tire on their showroom floor. This stop proved fortuitous as they advised of a significant trail closure due to damages from Hurricane Michael.

Trail closure near Farmville, VA

Also fortuitous was meeting up with Kay a couple hours early in Farmville rather than Prospect, our original “meet up” point. She shuttled me to the trailhead at the south end of High Bridge, whereupon I quickly rode the near half mile length of the bridge and back.

Trailhead near Farmville, VA

High Bridge, from which the trail gets its name

From there it was off to Inn on the Avenues B&B, followed by dinner.

We awoke to our first frost of the year, in Abingdon, VA, having to defrost windows for the first time in years (avoided frosty windshields by wintering in south Texas). Today’s agenda included completing the Virginia Creeper Trail, driving to Fries, and riding a portion of the New River Trail. I opted to ride the lower portion of the trail, almost 16 miles, from Abingdon to Damascus; it was 39° at the trailhead, the lowest temperature at which I had ever ridden.

Trailhead parking in Abingdon, VA

A pretty viaduct along the trail

At about the 3 mile mark, pedaling became quite difficult; the back tire was nearly flat. Slowly, after removing a couple layers of clothes, the tube was changed, and the ride resumed.

A flat tire about 3 miles into the ride

Back in business with a new tube

The trail was pleasant enough, though much less scenic than the upper portion. It was slightly downhill the first half, slightly uphill the second half, and relatively smooth, but cold headwinds made pedaling a bit tough, and forced me to continually wipe watering eyes and blow a runny nose. There were several gates across the trail since much of this portion of the trail is on private land, much of which is used for grazing. After about two hours, and despite a flat tire, I pedaled into Damascus, having completed the Virginia Creeper Trail.

Several gates intersected this portion of the trail

Typical trail section

From Damascus, our trip took us to Fries, VA, to a trailhead of the New River Trail. New River Trail State Park is a 57.7-mile (92.9 km) rail trail and state park located entirely in southwest Virginia, extending from the trail’s northeastern terminus in Pulaski to its southern terminus in Galax, with a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) spur from Fries Junction on the main trail to Fries. Designated a National Recreation Trail, the linear follows 39 miles (63 km) of the New River, which is one of the five oldest rivers in the world.

New River Trail trailhead at Fries, VA

Because the trail followed the New River, I opted to ride downstream, thus downhill, and because the portion from Galax to Fries Junction was less scenic, I began in Fries.

The ride proved to be a bit strenuous because of headwinds and rough trail conditions. The trail was pocked marked by horse tracks, had a number of small fallen branches, and was surfaced with crushed limestone up to about 3 inches, all disguised by a light leaf covering. The New River was much larger than perceived, resembling the upper White River in both appearance and character. The almost constant roar of the river provided a bit of diversion from the cold wind and rough road.

The large fast flowing New River

Fries Junction

Fries Junction

Two dams were at trail side, and both looked worse for wear. Also notable was a short tunnel. Several walkers, cyclists, and horseback riders were on the trail.

One of two dams seen on the New River

Finally, a tunnel

I missed the pickup point at Shot Tower, riding to Foster Falls before turning around and riding back to meet Kay. I enjoyed the ride, but this trail is the least favorite of all ridden.

Cookeville, TN, was in the rearview mirror by 9:00 AM, and we were driving east towards Virginia. Crossing into EDST, another hour was taken away from our already shortened day. The goal today was to ride the Rail Trail Hall of Fame Virginia Creeper Trail. We arrived at Whitetop, VA, a small mountain town near the Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee border.

Whitetop Mountain Trailhead, Virginia Creeper Trail

Whitetop Mountain is part of Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

I rode south about 0.7 mile to the actual trail beginning at the North Carolina-Virginia state line before turning around and heading north and downhill towards Abingdon, Virginia.

Mile “0” of the Virginia Creeper Trail

With the constant downhill slope, little to no pedaling was required; however, it was slow going due to rough trail conditions and incredible scenery. Under a dense canopy of colorful trees, the trail generally followed a mountain stream rushing downhill among car-sized boulders. And yes, it was a bit cool, about 50°.

Beautiful scenery and Christmas tree farms abound along the trail

Downhill for 17 miles

Mountain stream adjacent to the trail most of the way

Leaves have begun to change colors

With all the stops, it became apparent that I would not be able to pedal and the entire 30+ miles before dark. However, all attempts to phone Kay to change the pickup point proved futile because of “no service” cell phone coverage. As I pulled into Damascus, Virginia, “Trail Town USA”, coverage resumed and a pickup was arranged. (Damascus, Virginia, a small town of about 8000 people in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia is known as Trail Town USA, because seven nationally known trails intersect within its borders, including the famous Appalachian Trail. I have read several stories and books referring to Damascus as a resupply point for those hiking the Appalachian Trail, including AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller.

After a late start, our departure toward Richmond, VA, was further delayed because of low air pressure in the tires and the need to return an Amazon Prime package. As it turns out there’s not a full service UPS store anywhere to be found on the east side of Hot Springs Village. Consequently, we stopped in Benton to return the package before finally on the way uninterrupted.

Our destination for the day was Cookeville, Tennessee, where we met Lynn and Nick Constan, friends from working in New Orleans in the late 1970s. Nick is quite the craftsman and built much of the furniture in their house, and over the last several months built a fantastic lake boat. Lynn you’re still suffering a hip injury from a bicycle accident over a year ago, and is scheduled for yet another surgery in mid December. After a delicious dinner the all-too-short evening ended as we said goodbye for whoever knows how long. (It has been almost 40 years since I last saw them, and they had never met Kay!)

Nick, Lynn, and Donald

On September 21, Kay and I got annual flu shots at the church, hoping to stave off the deadly flue for another year. The new improved shingles shot awaits, and the pneumonia shot from 4 years ago is still update.

We took another big step to modernize, increase efficiency, and reduce monthly costs this month. On September 22 we officially ‘cut the cord’. The monthly internet access and cable television bill—ATT Uverse—kept increasing. After a lot of research, we opted to switch to Suddenlink internet coverage, and subscribe to YouTube TV and the local PBS affiliate. Internet speed increased from 16 megabytes/second to 100 megabytes/second with unlimited data and no throttling, and we stream the shows we like and prefer, including local network affiliates; net monthly savings is approximately $115. Also, Kay switched us to 55 Unlimited with Verizon. This plan allows us two cell lines with unlimited calls, text, and data as well as coverage in Canada and Mexico; this resulted in about $15 in monthly savings.

After 4 years, Kay switched to a new dentist and hygienist; we had kept our northern Arkansas dentist (Dr. Lane) and hygienist since leaving in October 2014. This was a hard decision, but the time had come to find dental care closer to home.

With mixed emotions, we traded the 2004 Expedition on September 25 for a 2018 Honda CRV. It was time, and we are now a 100% Honda family (except for the motorhome).

Bye-bye great car (2004 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer Edition)

Kay and I celebrated 18 years of marriage on Sunday, September 2; it’s been a great 18 years, too. Tim and Rosie, friends from the Rio Grande Valley visited after church, and we reminisced about old time and talked about future plans.

We played golf together in the Hot Springs Village Duffers annual member/guest scramble—I played poorly—and celebrated the winners at a cookout a couple days later.

Those clubs and organizations which took a hiatus over the summer have begun meeting again; for me, it’s the Camera Club and the VMUG (Village Mac Users Group—all things Apple).

In early September, we began to see a significant increase in the number of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the feeders, a sure sign that migration is in full force. And then on the 11th, a leucistic female Ruby-throated Hummingbird showed up. Though not as rare as true albino hummingbirds, leucistic hummingbirds are still rare but are seen more often than true albinos. Like “normal” hummingbirds, leucistic forms have black eyes, feet, and bills, but their feathers may be pure white, buffy, tan, or gray instead of green or some other “normal” color. We enjoyed her for 7 days, almost to the hour, before she migrated south.

Leucistic female Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the rain

Female Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird

With a bit of cool weather, I joined other HSV oldies for cycling the Arkansas River Trail in North Little Rock and Little Rock while Kay shopped. This is one of my favorite bicycle trails. The ride begins at the Clinton Presidential Library, crosses the Arkansas River, follows the Arkansas River upstream to the Big Dam Bridge crossing the Arkansas River again, then along the river to Two Bridges Park, and finally to the US Army Corps of Engineers campground at Maumelle Park—out and back is some 30 miles.

Rest Station at Maumelle COE Park

Cook’s Landing near the Big Dam Bridge