Bahamas Cruise

Well this is going to be a one time post covers it all. Whole week without Internet or cell phone. I kept pen and paper close at hand so I could write about each day so here goes.

Day 1 - cannot believe this day has finally arrived. Bags were packed for 3 days. Kids were up to help us with the last minute packing which turned a 2 hour job into 4 hours but I would't have it any other way.

Picked Bernie and Shirley up at 9 AM and headed to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then to the ship. Checked the bags and worked our way through the terminal and through the security gates. Alarms started going off as I walked through and realizing it was the pins on my jacket and my belt buckle was a quick fix. Then Bernie started through and again the alarms. Assuming it was also his belt buckle I turned around to see him taking his Gerber tool out of his shoe! I thought for sure they were going to take it at the very least and at the worst we would have to leave without him. But to our surprise they let him keep it - guess he doesn't look like a trouble maker. Boarded the ship, found our cabin and then off to dinner. I had ordered an anniversary cake for dinner as a surprise to Don. After 45 years he deserves something. I had been told the waters in the Chesapeake Bay were pretty rough but we had taken motion sickness pills and nothing was too bad until around mid-night when I woke up to hearing some banging and could feel the ship rocking. The banging turned out to be the drawers on the night stand sliding in and out but after a few minutes everything was fine. Probably was exiting the bay and entering the ocean at that time.

First and second day were spent at sea so visited a few bars, went to a few shows and as the temps warmed even got to lay in the sun.

First stop was Port Canaveral Florida where we did an airboat and alligator hunting.





Had a great time. Back on ship for dinner and Shirley was impressed with the dancing and singing the waiters did to entertain us. I think she fell in love with Feland our waiter.

Next day was Nassau - what a beautiful island and great weather. It was amazing to stand on deck and watch our captain gently guide this massive ship into the harbor, turn it 180 degrees and then back into the dock. I think all 2600 guests exited the ship. Oh forgot to mention - this was spring break for the college kids and who would have guessed college kids could afford a cruise. After taking a tour of the island, visiting a beach for an hour or so Don and I headed out walking to find the straw market about 5 blocks from the ship. What a huge straw market on Nassau and I managed to purchase a few good bargins.

Freeport we took the glass-bottom boat tour and enjoyed the beautiful sea and warm sun. Another straw market and then back to the ship. Today's special drink is in a coconut carved like a monkey's head which is also a bank. Todd is going to love it.



Pulling out of port at 2 PM and heading for another day at sea before reaching Baltimore on Sunday morning. According to the ship's fact sheet which Bernie was so intent on getting, the ship's top speed is 25 knots which is about 30 mph. Heading back we were cruising at 25 knots just about all the time but never hit rough seas.



I love to cruise but I probably will not depart from Baltimore again. You do save the cost of airfare but by flying to Florida or Puerto Rico you get to the warm islands much faster.

Travel to the Bahamas

Well the 2011 travel season is just about to begin. Wow it has been a long cold winter! One more thing being marked off the bucket list - another cruise. We will head for the Bahamas tomorrow. Bernie and Shirley will again be our traveling buddies. Suitcases are all packed. Oh it is also our 45th wedding anniversary. I will not have Internet access so I'm going to handle this the old fashion way and take pencil and paper and then post when I return. See ya then.

We Are Home

Just about everyone gathered in the breakfast area for the last time. The day was to be cool but sunny; perfect for riding. I would be leading a group of 7 people on 6 bikes home; our plan was to ride all the way home but to stop about every hour or so for a short butt rest. Two other groups left about the same time we did but they were going to ride much harder with maybe 1 stop for gas. Our little group did fine; cruising 65 and 70 on major highways. We ran into rain about 100 miles from home and had to stop to put on the rain suits. The rain slowed us down considerably and we made it home by 5:15 PM. 10 hours in the saddle but it didn’t seem bad; the 15 minute rest breaks helped. One of the other groups arrived home 1 to 2 hours earlier. The ride home was 408 miles and we traveled a total of 1700 miles from day 1 to arriving home. We visited a lot of places; had a lot of fun and rode some of the best motorcycle roads in the USA. Now it’s time to begin thinking about next year’s travels.

The Banquet

The banquet was good food of course but also a lot of awards were given out this year. Cindy lost her glasses on the trip out so she was given some eye glass holders; Dale just couldn’t get his GPS to work correctly and was so lost without it he was given a compass; Roger was given duct tape to fix his bike with; Bill was given a box of Kleenex because he has cried all week because he is in a car and not on two wheels (due to a broken wrist); Mike and John were given a ball of string because they travel together but usually get separated and lost on their travels; Leon was given Monkey Butt powder because he is always complaining about the ‘butt burning rides’ we take; Mike was given a box of band-aids to patch up his road rash; Betty was given a sweater clip because she lost her sweater on the ride here; Lucy was given a mask representing a river captain because on the paddlewheel boat ride she was given the wheel to steer the boat and Bernie was given a green sparkle hat because he left home without a hat and he was all upset every time we stopped about his helmet hair.

Bernadette had a great game of guess what is in the bag. There were 15 bags and we had to guess what was in each one just by feeling – and surprise surprise – Bernie won. He only missed one item. Our 50 – 50 winners were Bill Venable; Sandra Venable; Roger Whaley and Andy Hale.

Now the banquet is over and some are heading to their rooms to pack and some of the guys are planning to play one last game of cards. Parting words were “let’s meet for breakfast at 7 and plan to pull out at 7:30” and about two-thirds of the group will be leaving at the same time. I’m sure we will get separated along the way as some stop more often for rest and/or gas but what an awesome sight a dozen bikes make traveling down the highway.

Sternwheeler Festival

Roger’s bike was finished today so as soon as he returned to the hotel we headed to Marietta Ohio to check out the Sternwheeler Festival. There were thousands of people milling around with chairs and blankets spread out on the banks of the Ohio River where dozens of Sternwheelers were docked along with one of the war ships that carried our troops to Normandy beaches during WWII and lots of vendors selling crafts and food.

After a couple of hours some headed back to the hotel and Bernie, Shirley, Glenn, Kathy, Don and I headed cross hill and dale to find the Berdine’s 5 & Dime store in Harrisville, WV. Shirley had read about this store in the Sunday paper and thought it would be a neat place to visit. Apparently this is the America’s oldest 5 & dime store still in operation. She was right. There were toys, bulk candy, china, doilies, dolls, postcards, stationary, marbles, kitchen gadgets, joke items, jams and jellies, and the list goes on and on. The lady running the store was so nice and more than happy to show us everything. And of course we all came out with something special we had purchased.

We arrived back to the hotel in time to shower and pack before heading to the banquet. Tomorrow we head for home with all our memories.

Pictures of The Wilds