Caribbean Cruise

 As we began our cruise Sunday evening, we tried to get familiar with navigating our way around the ship.  We got plenty of exercise just trying to find our room each time we left it.  We also started the challenge that Angela Fenton gave us to only use the stairs and never the elevator.  The top decks were very crowded and festive as we snaked our way down the Mississippi to the open ocean.  Our first full day on the ship was spent at sea.  It was a sudden change of pace to read and relax with no internet.  We also enjoyed experiencing the complementary dining options.  We got in a routine of eating breakfast in the cafeteria and lunch and dinner in one of the restaurants.  Our first stop was Costa Maya where it was pouring down rain.  We had booked an excursion, so we had to go for it. By the time we found and boarded our bus we were drenched.  The excursion took up our entire shore time.  We drove over an hour to the Mayan ruins, had a great local tour guide and experienced a local village complete with a lunch at a home.  Our second stop was Harvest Caye in Belize, which was basically just a resort island beach. We walked as much as we could, but also relaxed after at least getting in the water.  Our third day we were in Roatan Island, Honduras.  This was a much better cultural experience as was we able to walk the streets and observe a lot of local life. We did go to an animal exhibit where we were able to hold monkeys and a sloth.   Our last stop was Cozumel, Mexico.  It rained off and on, but we were able put in a five mile walk, ducking into a church and a Starbucks to avoid rain showers. Our final day was another day at sea with lots of sleeping and reading.  Disembarking the ship was pretty crazy, very congested and confusing.  But it was the only time on the entire cruise that we had to wait in line.  We carried our luggage down the stairs from the twelfth deck, sealing the challenge to never use the elevator for the entire trip.  With our room on the 12th deck, dining on 7,8, 15 and 16, and disembarking on the 4th deck.  We climbed a lot of stairs, but I don’t think that it made up for our calorie intake!

Natchez trace Trail

 On Thursday we headed for the Natchez Trace Parkway.  This roadway which stretches 450 miles through mostly Mississippi is like no other highway we have ever been on.  It is like a green belt that stretches across the state, a double lane highway with very limited access and light traffic, lined with wide mowed shoulders. The roadway commemorates the historical route traveled for centuries on foot and horseback from the Lower Mississippi to Nashville.  We stopped at several sites, most notably Meriwether Lewis’ tragic death and burial site.  We snuck in late one night into a park campground next to Davis Lake.  We got off the parkway a few times to see the real Mississippi.  Enjoyed the town of Tupelo,   Elvis’ birthplace and childhood home.  Another highlight was the southern terminus of Natchez.  The historic town with hundreds of old houses was buzzing as it was the annual hot air balloon festival.  We ate dinner at a local brewery and drove to the Louisiana border and slept in a rest area, making it two consecutive nights in our SUV RV.  Saturday we walked Baton Rouge with its impressive capital building and grounds.  A short afternoon brought us to a Motel 6 near New Orleans and a local laundry mat to get ready for the cruise.  The next morning we thought we gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the cruise, but the crowded and confusing port area took us an hour to drop off baggage and find our reserved parking lot.  Boarding was organized and we heaved a big sigh of relief once on board.

Arkansas and Tennessee

 After saying goodbye to M and M we headed to Little Rock and the Clinton Presidential Library.  The grounds and building were impressive but we were not impressed with the exhibits.  Other presidential libraries (LBJ, FDR and Truman) were much more immersive and interactive.  There was a nice introductory video, but the presentation was way too cluttered and confusing. Afterwards, we took a riverfront walk. We drove on to West Memphis and slept in a rest area and ate at a disgustingly dirty Applebees.  The next morning, we headed for Starbucks in downtown Memphis, not knowing what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised and ended up walking around for a few hours, seeing historic Beale Street and the Lorraine Motel of MLK tragic fame.  A really nice river walk and a trip to the pyramid, including a trip to the top, left us with a positive impression of Memphis.   We booked 2 nights in a motel in Nashville and were happy to enjoy a shower and clean room.  Our day in Nashville was very enjoyable.  We took the bus into town which was an adventure in itself. It brought us right to lower Broadway where all the action is.  The street is lined with bars and restaurants all with live bands with open street windows blasting music into the street.  The conciphony of noise is unsettling, but crowds line the street.  We also checked out the hhh  theater, the capital, the riverside and enjoyed lunch at a rooftop restaurant overlooking Broadway.  By late afternoon we were ready to take the bus back and rest up for our big evening at the Grand Ole Opry.  We thoroughly enjoyed the night and gained a new appreciation for the historic hundred year old traditional event.  Each artist performs a max of three numbers, so the variety keeps it interesting.

Fayetteville with Mike and Marti

 Saturday, October 12 we arrived in Fayetteville.  It was so good to see Mike and Marti.  Marti is receiving  treatments at Spero Clinic for her debilitating condition of nerve pain and paralysis.  It was so amazing to hear the stories of other patients who have been healed through treatments at this clinic.   Marti has already shown great improvement and we are all optimistic that she will walk out of Fayetteville healed. We were able to spend two Wonderful days with them, talking and exploring the beautiful northwest corner of Arkansas.  We walked on a 5 mile loop trail through the city with Marti in her wheel chair.One day we visited the very unique town of Eureka Springs.  We left on Monday for further adventures in the south, but will be returning in a few weeks.

 

Fayetteville or bust

 On Tuesday, October 8, we started our fall journey.  Our first goal was. to get to Fayetteville, Arkansas to visit Mike and Marti.  We took the WSU route to Pullman, in order to take the scenic drive down western Idaho.  In Moscow, ID, we stopped to take a peak at the property where the gruesome college student murders took place.  Heading south past Lewiston, the scenery was very beautiful.  We had driven this highway before, but had not appreciated it rolling hills and canyons.  Unfortunately, darkness fell upon us as we approached McCall.  After a Mexican dinner and a late night drive, we settled into a rest area for the night in our SUV RV.  Wednesday we drove through southern Idaho and southeastern Wyoming, stopping at Cokeville Elementary, where a notorious hostage situation took place in the 1980's.  We found a dumpy trumpy motel in Rawlings, Wyoming and enjoyed a moonlit walk.  Thursday was a blast through Wyoming and Nebraska with stops at the Lincoln Highway rest stop in Wyoming and a nice walk near the Archway in Kearney, Nebraska.  Dinner in downtown Lincoln and an evening drive brought us to a night in a rest area in Missouri.  Friday we slowed down a little and spent 3 hours in the Harry Truman library and museum in Independence, Missouri.  We really enjoyed it.  I never realized how much of the international landscape, as we know it, was put into place during Truman's two terms: Europe, Israel, Japan, Korea.  We drove to Joplin and checked into a Days Inn with a host of hot rod enthusiasts on a cross country rally.  Saturday morning was a short drive to Fayetteville with a swing through Bentonville, home of Walmart.