Winter Road Trip to Sin City

Posing on the Strip by the Bellagio

Las Vegas

In mid-January, 2023, our hero and his lovely wife found themselves in Sin City. Yes, they had spent 2.5 weeks there to see if they could survive a longer stretch in the same city as Tom Jones, Carrot Top and Mike Tyson. They survived just fine. They had rented a VRBO in the community of Henderson, where the nights were not filled with wailing sirens, 24/7 bright lights  and colourful tourists sipping 'yards' of margaritas. The suburbs turned out to be very quiet and quite civilized.

Why were they there for such an extended period? Well, Gym had tickets to two consecutive Raider's home games and he planned to attend both matches. These were the last two games of the NFL regular season and two very good teams had come to town. The Chiefs and the 49ers both did battle with the home team, at the very impressive Allegiant Stadium. Unfortunately, Gym’s Raiders lost both games. The Raider’s much vaunted QB Derek Carr, had been benched for the remainder of the season and the Raiders couldn’t find their mojo. But there was more than football to keep our adventurers busy.

The rental home was a nice four-bedroom house in an upscale community, just a couple of miles south of the Harry Reid International Airport. One could execute a short-term rental agreement on this rather large, two-storey, fully furnished home, for less than the cost of the big fancy hotels. And so, Gym and his dear companion would take up residence in Vegas just like locals.

 

Such a large house created an opportunity to invite some family to stay with Gym and Mrs. Gym. Their lovely daughter, her dear husband and the treasured 2-year old granddaughter agreed to fly down and spend a week to get out of the colder Calgary weather. Aside from the football games, everyone took in a Cirque du Soleil performance and enjoyed a couple of nice restaurant meals on the Strip. But other than that, they avoided the crowds and shifted their attention to exploring all of the great playgrounds in Las Vegas. Some playgrounds they found were so well loved by Audrey, the little toddler, that she rebelled noisily when it was time to leave them. Gym had to admit that playgrounds had come a long way since he was a kid and some of the best he had ever seen were in the Vegas suburbs.

The Strip at night

Fremont Street

This is a very cool playground made of re-cycled storage containers

The anthem being played at a Raiders game

Cirque du Soliel

Audrey, a professional playground player

A Las Vegas park in January

The VRBO house in the suburbs

The Road Trip

In order to be able to take full advantage of living in the Vegas suburbs, one needs a car. And what is better than your own car? Sure its 2000 kilometres from Calgary to Las Vegas but Gym was game, he loves road trips. Gym had new winter tires installed on the old SUV and when the longer term forecast looked like it was going to be mild, Mrs. Gym was also all-in.

The trip down was a blur. It was a 3-day/2-night dash from Calgary to Las Vegas, with stops in Helena and Provo, Utah. They had to be in Vegas on the third night so they could pick up the three other family members at the airport. They really had no time to stop and see any of the sites off the I-15.

The trip back home was entirely different. Some how, Mrs. Gym let her dear husband plan a one-week return trip that involved travelling through 8 states. They would drive about 5 or 6 hours a day and spend a few hours each day exploring one of several state parks, a number of significant historical sites and/or four National Monuments. They did a little hiking, explored some cool towns along the highway and enjoyed consistently mild mid-winter weather. 

Following are the highlights of this epic journey:

1. Valley of the Fire, Nevada - Just north of Las Vegas is this spellbinding state park. It was supposed to be a quick look-see but it turned into a 5-hour stop, with a couple of short hikes. One could easily spend days exploring this beautiful place.

Valley of the Fire - a must-see state park in Nevada

2. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park - An impressive Utah State Park in a valley framed by red sandstone cliffs. Wind erosion lifts the  sand off the surrounding highlands and deposits it into massive pink dunes. 

These are Sahara-size coral pink dunes. For scale, the little dots
on the left of the dune are people.

3. Navaho National Monument, Arizona - Not far from Page, Arizona is something that a young Gym first read about, in the National Geographic magazine. Well maintained by the U.S. Park Service, there is a trail to the viewpoint overlooking the ancient adobe village of Betatakin, tucked into a natural sandstone alcove in the northern cliff wall. It gave gym goosebumps and is truly awe inspiring!

This photo is taken from the south side of the deep canyon. 
In the opposite wall of steep red sandstone is the arch of rock
that is recessed in the canyon wall. Under the arch is the adobe
village of Betatakin. For scale the canyon is 170 meters deep and
the alcove is 137 meters high and 112 meters across the base.

4. Monument Valley - you have seen this in all the old western movies and most recently, it was featured in  scenes from one of Gym’s favourite movies, “Forrest Gump”.

A scene from Forrest Gump was shot from where
this picture was taken. There was a busload of asian
tourists taking selfies when Gym was there.

5. Four Corners Monument -This is the only point in the country where 4 US Staes come together. It is kind of cool but has become quite commercialized.

If you stand in the middle, there is part of you in
New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona

6. Durango Colorado - A very charming Rocky Mountain town with a very attractive downtown area. Several Historic buildings survived from the old western times when this was a thriving mining centre. There are many boutique hotels and fine dining establishments catering to the high-end skiers and summer outdoors enthusiasts.

Just east of Durango is the Chimney Rock National 
Monument. Our dynamic duo could not stop here on the
subject road trip.

7. Denver, Colorado - Having spent much time in this state, our adventurers didn’t really doddle here, they just wanted to travel through it in one pass. They unfortunately, experienced Denver during rush hour. They passed from one end of the metropolis to the other, at a snails pace. This was truly an incredible experience but not one to recommend.

What Gym needed when driving across the sprawling city
of Denver and its bedroom communities during rush hour was a
flying car.  This beauty is actually in Hawk Springs, Wyoming.

8. Lusk, Wyoming - Lusk is the most isolated town, in the most sparsely populated state, in the USA. Gym has passed through a couple of times now and loves this quirky place. 

A view along S. Cedar Street in downtown Lusk.

9. Mt. Rushmore National Monument - Arriving just before closing on a clear night afforded our travelers a unique photo opportunity. The other advantage was that there are less crowds at this time.

A great shot by Mrs. Gym of the iconic mountain face 
just before sunset.

10. Deadwood, South Dakota - This is still a gambling town just as it was when Wild Bill Hickok got shot in the back while holding a hand of aces and eights. Our travellers hiked up to where Wild Bill was laid to rest on Boot Hill.

The grave-site of Wild Bill Hickok on
Boot Hill above Deadwood

11. Devil’s Tower - This geomorphological wonder was featured prominently in the movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. Our intrepid twosome hiked around the base of the tower on icy paths. Winter can be a good time to go because there are less people but wear spikes on your hiking shoes.

From the trail around the base of Devil's 
Tower.

12. Fort Benton, Montana - Not far from Great Falls is this very significant place. Paddle steamers once moved up the Mississippi from New Orleans and then via the Missouri to Fort Benton. This small town was a major inland port before the railway came. Many Canadians received shipments from Europe via Fort Benton. The goods would begin the journey on ships across the Atlantic, then paddle steamers from New Orleans to Fort Benton and finally via mule train to the end destination. This is a fascinating place.

"Rider of the Purple Sage" by Hollywood actor and sculptor
George Montgomery, sits on the banks of the mighty Missouri
river. At this spot the Paddle Steamers would dock after their 
long journeys form New Orleans.

Winter 2022.- The Amazon Expedition: BVI and Conclusion

Tortola, BVI

After leaving Rouseau, the ship's captain had to put the pedal to the metal because the Insignia had to sail 260 nautical miles and be in Tortola, the next morning. That night the ship sped north past Guadeloupe, Monserrat and Saint Kitts. Then, as the sun rose over the Atlantic, she glided into the territorial waters of the British Virgin Islands. As she slid into the docks at Road Town, the cruise had reached the final stop on the return trip across the Caribbean.

As our intrepid travelers disembarked for the day, Gym had a little deja vu. Road Town was another stop on the 2006 tour. The stop here in 2006 was also near the end of the cruise and the teenagers were tired of getting off the ship to conquer additional island nations. If there wasn’t another inner tube or a zip line, they weren’t interested. So back then, Gym and his dear wife decided to leave them on the ship, and mom and dad strolled into town to check out the 'duty free' shops. On the 2022 visit, a more involved exploration of the island was planned.

The 2022 tour began with a hike through the jungle, to the highest point on the island. That point was up above Road Town where there were some fantastic views of other nearby islands. It was muggy, as it had recently rained. The rain had soaked the trail and the footing was a little dicey in spots but everyone made it to the top without incident. At the summit, the hikers climbed a tower to a platform that had 360-degree views of the surrounding area. 

In the afternoon, with the exercise out of the way, they did something a little less strenuous. The two adventurers went to the beach. They rented chaise loungers to stretch out and relax after their rather strenuous morning. There was a trendy bar nearby, where rum punches were available at a reasonable cost. It was idyllic but they only had a couple of hours. Gym took a dip in the warm waters of the Caribbean and thought about the snow that he would inevitably face in a few days. Later that afternoon, they hopped on a shuttle bus and made their way back to Road Town, where they checked out the 'duty free' shops again, before re-boarding the ship.

The last leg of the trip was a long dash past the long length of the Bahamas, to Miami, where the adventure began. It took two and a half 'sea days' to finish and this afforded the passengers time to reflect on what a great trip it had been. 

The Amazon had been a fantastic experience. It was a truly powerful force of nature.  There really is no better way to explore it than on a smaller cruise ship. As for the Amazon Basin, Gym's sense of what is going on there is that the degradation of the rain forest is not so much an industry-organized assault but the steady consumption of the valuable resources by the millions of low-income and poorly-educated people that live adjacent to the river. 

The big bonus of the trip though, was the volume of Caribbean island nations that were visited on the way to and from the mighty Amazon. There were eight stops in total and five were new ones for Gym and Mrs. Gym. 

On December 10, 2022, the adventurers unceremoniously disembarked the ship and then ran through customs to meet a pre-arranged ride to the airport. They hurried to make a very tight connection for their return flight to Canada. 

At home, the winter waited patiently for them. 

Slogging up the trail

A very lush tropical forest

Luxury Villas lower down on the hillside

View from the platform

Follow her to the beach

Rental Chaises

Teaching the little ones how to scavenge

A nice Christmas Tree at the 'Duty Free' mall

The Christmas theme is also on display in the ship

The last few sea days were a little wet

The last sunset

Cruising into Miami at the end of the cruise

Stay tuned for more in 2023.

Winter 2022: The Amazon Expedition - Dominica

A little Dominican

On the morning of December 6, 2022, the Insignia arrived in Roseau, Dominica. Gym and his bride had organized a day of hiking. It was their second visit to this island nation. In 2006, accompanied by a couple of related teenagers, our travelers made their first landing here. The Gym family was cruising on the MS/Regatta, that year, a sister ship of the Insignia. On that first voyage of discovery, the whole clan elected to jump on inner tubes and careen down one of the numerous rivers on the island. Miraculously, there were no injuries but everyone did get thoroughly soaked. Dominica is known as the land of 365 rivers, one for every day of the year.

Like St. Vincent, Dominica is a very vertical island. It rises straight up out of the sea. And like St. Vincent, this island sits on the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. So, there is some volcanic stuff going on here. However, instead of a history of violent stratovolcano eruptions, most of the volcanic activity today is evident in what is going on at Boiling Lake. Now Gym and his dear bride didn't visit Boiling Lake because it's a little dicey getting up there but it is an interesting natural wonder. Boiling Lake is the second largest such lake in the world. The largest boiling lake, Frying Pan Lake, is in Rotorua, New Zealand, which was covered in a 2018 posting of this blog.

There are numerous outstanding hikes on this island. Several well-maintained trails lead into some pretty spectacular scenery. Our travelers would spend their day exploring two trails that rewarded them with some breathtaking natural vistas.  In the morning, they would ramble down an excellent trail to the Emerald Pool. One must descend down from the trailhead where there is a pristine pool fed by a beautiful waterfall. In the afternoon, they visited the Trafalgar Falls. Another short slog leads down from the trailhead, to the perfect position from which to view two large waterfalls separated by a vertical spire of volcanic rock, covered in dense tropical vegetation. Gym's camera did not do some of these scenes justice, so he asked his dear wife for her pics which were much better (see below).

On the way back to the ship they stopped at the Morne Bruce Garrison, where in the 1700s, there was a British battery and fortifications built, high above Rosseau. This was a perfect place to situate guns to protect the capital in the 18th Century and today it turns out to be an ideal place to hang out and enjoy an unparalleled view of the capital and the sea beyond. 

In general, Gym liked the laid- back feel of Dominica. The locals seem very friendly and you can't beat the draw of the beautiful scenery on the island. Again, we did not have time to visit any beaches on the island but Gym has learned that there are several nice ecotourism resorts on some of the beaches. The island is also a magnet for the diving enthusiasts.

Later that evening, the ship set sail for the British Virgin Islands. 

Rivers and streams everywhere on Dominica

Perfect conditions to have fresh poincettias at Christmas

The Emerald Pool

So many shades of green

A guest house that blends right in

On the left is the higher Papa Falls of Trafalgar Falls 

And on the right is the lower Mama Falls

A pic from Morne Bruce Garrison with
Roseau and the ship framed by the sea

Winter 2022 - The Amazon Expedition: St. Vincent

An example of a preserved historical
structure being used as the police station
 in Kingstown, St. Vincent

After leaving Barbados, the ship sailed due west to St. Vincent.  St. Vincent and a collection of islands called the Grenadines, are the volcanic islands between Dominica and Grenada. It was here in 2021 that the volcano, La Soufriere erupted and spewed a blanket of ash, in a plume blown eastward, that settled on the Barbados. 

On the morning of December 5, 2022, the ship docked in the capital city of Kingstown. From Kingstown, our travelers would get a feel for the flora of the area, as they opted to tour the lushest botanical parks on the island. Mrs. Gym always enjoys the colorful tropical vegetation. And on these islands with their recent deposits of volcanic ash, the soils were likely enriched, hopefully providing for enhanced botanical exhibits. Unfortunately, the island is made up of steep volcanic ridges that rise abruptly out of the sea. This makes driving from one site to the next, a considerable challenge. The already rickety vehicles, deteriorate hourly on the steep, bumpy and narrow roads that connect the capital to anywhere else on the island. The main learning was that St. Vincent is unfortunately bereft of any flat land at all. Gym pondered how difficult and expensive it had to be, to build and maintain road networks on such a mountainous island nation. Our local guide admitted on several occasions, that his nation was beholding to numerous 'rich' nations, including Canada, for foreign aid.

Right off the bat, the tour group drove into the capital and up the hill to Kingstown's Botanical Gardens. It is a 20-acre park which was founded in 1765. It preserves many species of local flora and the rare St. Vincent parrot. Of course the park is on a steep hill and our intrepid travelers needed to walk from the bottom to the top of the park to get the full feel of the place. It was the first dry day in many weeks, so the hike was a little hot and sticky. It is a beautiful outdoor space with good paths and plenty of instructive signage. 

The next botanical exhibit was in the middle of the island and although, as the crow flies, it was probably 5 kilometers away, driving there required crossing a hgh ridge and descending into the interior valley. If you like switchbacks then this is your place. Point-to-point,  the drive was almost 20 kilometers in length. It took between 2 and 3 hours to make the trip with only a couple of short stops at notable viewpoints. The Montreal Gardens turned out to be worth the trip though. This oasis is at the end of a long winding road, aptly named Montreal Road. You would think that a Canadian might own the Montreal Gardens but a French gentleman bought it and he lives right there on the property. He joined the tour group for a glass of wine, at the end of a very fun ramble around the property. Gym,s pictures do not do this justice.

Between the two gardens, as the mini-bus slowly wove along the poorly-maintained roads, you could see the farms planted on very steep inclines where it was obviously impossible to use tractors. The poor farmers relied on manual methods of planting and harvesting to make it work. This means they climb up and down the slopes, stooping to tend to the crops. They really can't be managing more than an acre or so. But it appeared that you could grow anything on those hillsides. And the farmers seemed to be doing well enough to support large families, judging by the large number of uniformed school children the mini-bus passed returning from school that afternoon.

On the way back to the ship, the tour took a slightly longer route along the south coast. This is the leeward side of the island and the place where most of the seaside resorts are located. Gym didn't see any big-name hotel chains so he concluded either the beaches aren't that great or the infrastructure needs some additional investment. Unfortunately, Gym and his lovely companion did not have time to check out any of the beaches. 

Upon returning to Kingstown, Gym noticed that many of the historic buildings have been preserved by the local authorities and the capital looked like a fun venue for a couple of days of putzing around the museums and checking out the local pubs.

St. Vincent has had a few hard knocks recently. It had to skate through the Covid-19 pandemic without any tourist income and then in the middle of 2021, some 16,000 people were displaced by the La Soufriere eruption.  Canada and many other nations pitched in with some foreign aid to help those most impacted by the eruption. These displaced people were evacuated to a number of generous Caribbean  neighbours.

As the sun was setting, the ship left Kingstown and sailed north to Dominica, the second last stop.

The locals enjoy the first sunny day in many weeks.

The bottom of the Botanical Gardens in Kingstown

A good path leads up the hill

The endangered St. Vincent Parrot is protected here

dozens of tree species are on display

Great landscaping

Good signage should one do a self-guided tour

On the way to Montreal Gardens we crested
 a high ridge and looked down onto the small farms below

Primary school kids, finished for the day

Secondary school kids

The lush growth around Montreal Gardens

Many cool water features at Montreal Gardens

Lots of flower pics for Mrs. Gym

Gym's photography does not do this justice

A cool shot of the ship in Kingstown Harbor

End