Here and Abroad

[Dave]

Over the years, my wife and kids have put up with a lot as a result of my wanderlust. While I heartily enjoy all aspects of adversity like freezing cold in Death Valley, drifting snow on mountain tops and blazing heat or howling winds in the desert, they tend to be less enthusiastic when the terrain and climate become extreme. They've paid their dues traveling the back country with me!

So, it was time for the pendulum to swing the other direction. Our recent family trip started at home in SoCal and took us across the Southwest and to distant islands and back again. Rather than flying we chose to drive the Adventure Camry so as to absorb more of the American experience along the way. With almost 3,500 miles traveled by car the vistas, flavors and people encountered along the way left a lasting impression upon all of us as we traced the Old Spanish Trail from San Diego to Galveston. Here's some of what we saw and did along the way.

We left Friday and headed up the 15/215/60 to I-10 and on to Beaumont where we hit Denny's for a quick bite. Lo and behold if there were not one, but a group of mint condition early 1968 through 1970 AMC (American Motors Company) AMX 390 c.i. short-wheelbase 2 seat muscle cars - uber rare!!! In it's heyday, AMC brought us American icons like the Jeep CJ-5 and CJ-7, the Scrambler and Cherokee and many other unique cars like the Eagle, the Javelin, the Pacer and the Gremlin. I'm a sucker for rare cars and trucks so out came the camera.

Our final destination via land was Galveston, Texas, where we were to board the Carnival Magic for port calls on the islands of Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We had 3 days to get there and my route took us from home to Camelback Ranch near Phoenix for a Dodger game where Big Blue beat the Cincinnati Reds before pressing on to our first night's stay in Tucson, Arizona.

Staying at the Holiday Inn near the airport was an interesting experience as the freaks came out at night - Tucson's challenges due to the drug smuggling corridor from Nogales, MX to Phoenix via Tucson were evident in the assorted zombies I saw.

Leaving Tucson, we made our way east and out of Arizona. Before we got too far we saw the signs luring us to come and see The Thing...

We had to stop and investigate, here it is:

Pushing ahead on the longest leg of our journey, New Mexico and West Texas were a blur as I drove nearly non-stop. We spent another night in Kerrville, Texas before heading on to the ship at the port city of Galveston.

After the southwest deserts, the climate and scenery became much more interesting as we passed through San Antonio and Houston. Galveston is a gem with a tragic past as a hurricane much larger than Katrina flattened the island in 1900 IIRC leading to the largest loss of life from a storm in US history. Here is where I started taking photos and the family fun began.

*Disclaimer: This trip was my first outing with my new Nikon D3200 DSLR so I'm still figuring it out, some photos were via my trusty iPhone 5.

Galveston from atop the Carnival Magic

Looks like fun in the distance

Old and new and bustling, I thought Galveston was beautiful

Diva on deck

Once onboard the Magic we bravely faced the hardship of two days and two nights sailing across the Gulf of Mexico to Jamaica. We quickly settled in to the blissful shipboard routine that Carnival is known for: Eat, sleep and play. Debauchery of the highest order was in full swing as we set sail.

With over 3,500 passengers aboard and many strange faces all around I was immediately enchanted by Tinkerbell and her beautiful matriarch. They even let me accompany them to dinner in the ships formal dining room.

Continued...

 

[Dave]

Many meals and naps later, we arrived in Jamaica...

I made it a point to take the camera topside as the family slumbered and get some shots from the highest point on the Magic accessible by non-crewmembers - the water slide.

Checking the flags... yep, we're in Jamaica. Montego Bay to be exact. Note the smaller but still impressive Carnival Conquest pierside with us.

To say that the Magic is an extreme ship is an understatement. Built by Fincantieri of Italy in 2011, it has everything from a water park to pools to giant hot tubs, skycourse ropes course aloft, casino, broadway style theater, multiple great restaurants and bars... too much to list. For an all inclusive family vacation option that momma will love I highly recommend cruising as the most bang for your buck option, especially if you have little ones. Camp Carnival onboard allows parents a reprieve as their programs ensure the kids would rather play there than cling to your leg 24/7.

Looking ashore, Jamaica has a raw beauty that, while similar to other Caribbean ports I've been to, has a flavor all it's own. No problems!

First stop ashore was to the corner beauty salon for some braids and beads.

This is where things got interesting. Jamaica is infamous for pushy street people and my wife quickly became uncomfortable with the vibe - she took Savannah back onboard to play while I took Brian on a cab ride into town for some cultural immersion. Our cabbie, Henry, was amazing and went out of his way to take care of us in a genuine fashion and ensured that our brief visit did not include McDonalds or Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Oh no, we were going to have lunch where the locals ate at the Pork Pit and that was that - and it was a good call as the pork and chicken were outsanding. Jamaica is famous for it's jerk and now I know why.

After our lunch and a couple Red Stripes, we did a little looking around at the local shops and bought a few trinkets. Brian, only 14 at the time of this writing, was offered marijuana and "snow" several times as was I. If you haven't heard, Bob Marley is kind of a big deal in Jamaica and they live out his music. Surrounded by smells of reefer and sounds of reggae, we made our play for the main street where we found Henry waiting to whisk us back to the ship. We bid Jamaica farewell and looked toward the horizon as the Magic cast off from the pier and set course for the Cayman Islands,

Continued...

 

[Dave]

After a night at sea we awoke off Grand Cayman.

I grabbed the camera and went aloft to see what I could see.

Flag check... yep, we're not in Jamaica anymore. No pier and anchored out a ways from the island with the stern facing the shore. Decks wet with clouds above promising more morning showers we made ready to go ashore via tender.

Tender aka the "Jolly Boat" taking people ashore in Grand Cayman

Working tug "Bloody Bay"

The Norwegian Pearl

Our turn to go ashore.

Leaving the Magic in our wake

Happy to be ashore

Rich colonial history in the Caymans

A short cab ride and it was playtime at Seven Mile Beach

We spent the afternoon frolicking at the beach and returned to the ship in time for dinner and the next leg of our journey as we set sail once more, this time for the island of Cozumel, Mexico.

Continued...

 

[Dave]

Back on the ship I got word that Cozumel was expecting eleven (11!) cruise ships the next day. We had rented a Jeep on Cozumel previously and loved the wide open beaches on the leeward (non-touristy) side of the island so this news meant that my plan of renting a Jeep there was in doubt. We made plans for me to go ashore ASAP in the morning to secure a vehicle for the family who would link up with me after breakfast. This prevented my usual photo shoot topside as I had to get down below and onto the pier by 0700.

Once ashore I was confronted by the fact that the Allure of the Seas (largest cruise ship in the world) had arrived at 0530 and disgorged it's passengers before I could set foot on the pier... by the time I reached the rental car depot all the Jeeps and 99% of all cars had been rented so I had a choice between a Smart car, a two door Chevy convertible hack job sans seat belts, and a Chevy-badged variant of the Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV. People behind me in line were losing their minds over the lack of rental cars available... my motivation had paid off - I secured the last available SUV for the day and awaited the arrival of the rest of the tribe. Once we were all accounted for we headed in the opposite direction from the crowds and left civilization behind.

Cozumel

No shoes, no shirt, no problem

Timeless Mexican delicacy - Mango and Chili powder

Perro's

Agua Azul

After our first stop we loaded up and moved on seeking even more privacy and in about 10 minutes we had found a vast beach that was completely devoid of gringo touristas... perfect! We got sunburned here for obvious reasons and stayed for hours before moving on.

The Mayans had a large presence on Cozumel in ancient times with the ruins at San Gervasio being a huge attraction. Looks like the Mayans like the beach too.

Once we had baked in the sun and had our fill of swimming it was time to find food. I knew a good restaurant at a Tequila rancho in the center of the island so we headed inland.

We're on a roll: had the place to ourselves again

Savannah was having a great time as usual. Throughout this long trip she was a real trooper and has obviously inherited dad's travel bug.

The food was great so everyone was happy including the boss.

A baby Blue Agave

Since everyone was relaxed I stepped outside and caught the Tequila tour. I saw many connections between the making of Tequila and Moonshiners in the US. Similar techniques but completely different outcomes. Fascinating.

The Tequila region in Mexico lies on the mainland and no tequila is produced on Cozumel since they don't grow well here but the tour was very informative nonetheless. I learned that tequila and mezcal are different with mexcal being the nasty stuff with the worm in the bottle that I haven't seen in years. I also learned that early tequila and mezcal was so nasty prior to the learning of reposado and anejo techniques (rested and aged tequilas) that the Spaniards, after being exposed to these ancient elixers by the natives, took to using salt and lime to make it more palatable since any drink from Spain was usually very expensive and usually earmarked for the rich only so the average Spanish soldier, sailor or settler took to tequila or mezcal as the liquor of the New World.

When the agaves are mature after 6-7 years "el jimidors" dig them up by hand as the natives once did with long tools and denude the entire thing of it's fronds revealing the precious "agave pineapple" or heart seen here. This is then taken into the distilleria as the main ingredient. There are several varieties of agave with the blue agave being held in highest regard for it's quality, consistency and taste. There is reputedly no sugar used in the making of tequila, only the agave mash, and true tequila is ONLY made in Mexico.

Tools and techniques still in use today by el jimadors

Detailing the different techniques to cook the agaves, open pit, kiln and the pit where a large stone was rolled around by a mule to render the cooked agave hearts down into the mash.

Final product stored in large oak casks.

Familiar technology. These are made in USA and widely used in Mexico today to distill the raw agave mash.

Before the advent and importation of American Moonshiner technology they used this clay pot system to separate the precious nectar from the mash

The tour culminated with tastings of various tequilas: blanco, reposado, anejo and multiple gringo-inspired variants of flavored tequila liqueurs. This was my signal to break contact sans samples and rejoin the family, total time elapsed for this little tour was about 15 minutes and I enjoyed it immensely.

Gringo pricing. Similar high quality exotic tequilas like this that you don't see in the US can be found in the ubiquitous tiendas for half this price. Paying in Pesos out in town always gets you a better deal, hablamos español helps too

Headed back to the restaurant to get on the road again.

We headed back into town to return the rental car and do a little bit of shopping for simple things like habenero sauces and chili powders that we enjoy. After that it was back on the ship for the transit back across the Gulf of Mexico and our homeport at Galveston, Texas.

Continued...

 

[Dave]

Our voyage across the sea aboard the Magic had been an incredible one but we were ready to move on to fresh territory inland so we packed our gear and said goodbye to the Fun Ship. Once ashore in Galveston we found the Adventure Camry waiting for us with a full tank of fuel, ready for the next leg of our journey through Houston, San Antonio and ultimately the famous West Texas oil town of Pecos for the night.

Houston is well, Houston so I blew through there like the western wind and made a bee line for something in San Antonio I had wanted to see my whole life - The Alamo.

If you want to know what defines the American spirit, the tale of what happened at and after the Alamo is a perfect example of why I am so proud to be an American. These were MEN that stood here, and their sacrifice (chills down my spine as I type this) and bravery ranks right up there in the annals of courage with the Spartans who fought at the Hot Gates against Xerxes.

The Alamo is open to the public and was free. There are several interpretive tours and much to see, a must for any history buff.

"To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World:

Fellow citizens & compatriots—I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna—I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken—I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch—The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death.

William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. comdt

P.S. The Lord is on our side—When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn—We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Travis"

The Alamo Cenotaph

I am humbled by the story and of the larger than life names that were immortalized here during the Texas revolution against the invading Mexicans: Travis, Bowie, Crockett, Dickinson, Pollard. The proud history of Texas serves as a lasting example to all Americans.

Leaving the Alamo behind we checked out the river walk and came to the conclusion that San Antonio is a beautiful city with an abundance of nice people. Heading out of the city now we set a course for west Texas.

Leaving the familiar I-10 corridor behind we struck out northward towards one of my other main objectives, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. Somewhere in west Texas we encountered a storm, it rained so hard I had to oull off the interstate as the wipers set on high were completely ineffective and we were near zero visibility with thunder and lightening all around. Amazingly, the kids slept through all of this. Several hours drive later and near dark we arrived in Pecos, Texas for the night. Oil country and the smell of crude oil hung thick in the air.

The history of the old west runs deep in Pecos

Leaving Pecos behind the next morning we left the Lone Star state behind and crossed into New Mexico.

A few more hours of driving and I saw my goal.

The caverns go over 1,400 feet underground and were formed over the millenia. The caverns are so vast that you could park several 747 jetliners down there nose to tail with room to spare. Millions upon millions of bats live down there (!) which is how early explorers were drawn to the opening. They burst forth in a fell black cloud each night near dusk. Bat guano is rumored to be 40 feet deep on the floor of the caves in places and was once highly prized (and mined) as fertilizer.

Here is the natural entrance, an elevator takes the lazy directly to the main cave 750 feet below but it was quickly decided against - we wanted to see it all and really needed to stretch out our legs so we hiked the nearly 1.5 miles down at 20% to 30% grade. I was blown away by this journey and I think this is where my photography starts to improve.

Despite the possibility of Bats and Balrogs, the brave explorers head into the unknown.

Pretty sure these pathways were carved by dwarves, the flawlessly crafted Mithril railings were a sure sign of their presence down here and made sure no greedy humans strayed from the path to pick up any gems.

Looking back towards the surface the light became fainter and fainter as we were swallowed up by the earth. Whispers became mandatory as any words spoken aloud would echo through the deep.

This was where it started to get strange. Flash photography was of no use here as the vast darkness easily engulfed my puny Nikon's flash so the following photos really challenged my skills as I struggled to capture what we saw.

I could not take two steps without stopping and pointing at some new jaw-dropping geological feature that had been carved out over the ages. These caverns are a truly magical place.

Paths narrowed and the caves became lower and smaller in places. This was no journey for the faint hearted or claustrophobic.

Wonders...

Evidence of early explorers

I kept waiting for the Queen Alien to slide out of one of these tubes...

Having survived the descent we were in good spirits although it was getting much colder as we went on.

The Big Room - we had arrived in the largest known limestone chamber in the Western Hemisphere.

At this point we took a break, there is a small concession down here as well as actual rest rooms near the elevator shaft. This is the area that most people see and I was determined to press on through the less tourist-infested and non wheelchair accessible portion of the caverns (about 2 more miles) so my companions hit the elevator up allowing me to continue on my quest. Some areas require guided tours which are swarms of folks in need of hand holding, I was off in the other direction to see the wizard!

Some type of alien eggs suspended from the ceiling with some goo... clicking noises... moving along faster now! LOL

Amazing formations everywhere I looked. Hard to keep making forward progress with so much to gawk at.

The roof here seemed alive...

A familiar shape loomed in the darkness ahead. As I ventured closer I had a feeling that I had seen this before, perhaps in a dream... I stood frozen as I stared at it in awe.

Moving on, the scenery continued to enthrall me with every twist and turn of the path.

Peering into the darkness below I thought I heard a single word followed by a splash... "Gollum"...

Feeling my ears burn, and ruefully looking at my watch, I heeded my instincts to rejoin the family and headed for the elevator shaft and the 750 foot ride back up to daylight and reality.

I could have spent all day down there just staring or with the camera. Carlsbad Caverns was a highlight of this trip and I highly recommend families to visit here!

Our next stop was Roswell, New Mexico for lunch with some distant relatives.

In the local cantina I saw the woman of my dreams.

Not sure what happened here with the cousins but I had to carry Brian out of there.

Savannah with grandpa in his workshop.

Uncle Mike had a bit too much Jupiter Juice... Again.

As the day wore on things started to get really weird in Roswell so we said our goodbyes and headed out to the highway again for our final nights stay on the road in Las Cruces New Mexico.

We were initially going to go up through Cloudcroft but a navigational hiccup resulted in our going through the mountains, an Apache reservation and on through Alamagordo to White Sands National Monument. It was actually pretty cool, and one of the better looking reservations I've ever seen.

I caught the last rays of sunset, and the last photo of this trip, over White Sands National Monument.

The next day we pressed on out of New Mexico and through Arizona to California in one last all out push for home. Our trip had taken us through 4 states, 4 countries and nearly 3,500 road miles. This last leg alone from Galveston to SoCal took 3 days and 2 nights and was almost 2,000 miles.

Not quite an "expedition" by some standards, but it was ana amazing journey that hopefully brought our family closer together.

Nothing better than a good old fashioned American family road trip!

The End

 

[Gear]

Saved for a comment. Once the story/photographs are uploaded.

 

[Mitch]

Good idea, Justin!

 

[JEREMY]

Good job Dave! Great pics from a well deserved vacation.

We flew over you on our way to the Caribbean. I had just been reading some history of the Pirates of the Caribbean (the real ones) when this guy pulled in next to us on the ramp:

What are the odds?



.

 

[Stuart]

Great write up Dave. The pics from the caverns are epic. (I was there in the early 90's and my point and shoot was less than worthless.) Nice to see some great shots.

 

[Haggis]

Thats a well crafted tale...thanks for sharing the epic family adventure. The cavern looks awesome.

Though next time you go dungeon crawling give me a call so I can gear you up with some proper adventuring gear. I offer a 15% discount on family rentals of chain hauberks and "sharp enough to behead a troll" guarantee on all our edged weapons.

 

[BorregoWrangler]

Great photos and write up! Looks like you guys had a blast. I'll be taking my family on a Caribbean cruise this September.

 

[Charles]

Not sure how I missed this Dave. Sure wish I would have known you were coming to Galveston. The company I work for loads and unloads the Carnival line. Could have given you some good "local" tips too... Maybe next time?

 

[Dave]

Great photos and write up! Looks like you guys had a blast. I'll be taking my family on a Caribbean cruise this September.

Cool, you guys will love it. We're big fans of the "all inclusive family travel vacation"

 

[Dave]

Not sure how I missed this Dave. Sure wish I would have known you were coming to Galveston. The company I work for loads and unloads the Carnival line. Could have given you some good "local" tips too... Maybe next time?

For sure

 

[Borrego60]

Looks like you all had a great time. You guys deserve it. Loved the pictures of the cave.

 

[taugust]

Great story, Dave. Just now found it.

I, too, was in NM in the early 90's, living in Alamogordo for months at a time. Working, sort of, on base and having plenty of free time to explore. The caverns are spectacular, as you found. If you have a chance to go back, I highly recommend a guided tour of New Cave (if they still do it). It's part of the NP, and requires a reservation. It is an undeveloped cave, so your small group goes in with two rangers with Coleman lanterns, and everyone carries a flashlight. They take you deep in then everyone turns off all the lights to "show" you complete darkeness. Not for the faint of heart. It's a fascinating contrast to the main caverns, and well worth the cost and time involved.

Also recommended is the White Sands NM. Go and spend most of a day, and stay until sunset. Really cool place, and the "sand" disolves when rubbed between your fingertips. Lots of cool views of the dunes when side lit.

 

[Mike]

Awesome report Dave!!! As much as I have zero interest in cruises, your pics and accounts almost makes me want to try one... but don't say that to Lisa since she has bugged me for years to do one.

The cavern pics are really great and totally is on my list of things to do. Looks like you got your camera figured out as the pics look very well taken.

Thanks for sharing the trip with all of us.