Going Home Today

No post last night…… the night just got away from me.  Yesterday was a rainy day.  It rained for most of the day however there was a short period of time in the late afternoon that the rain stopped and I did get in the pool for a short time before the wind kicked back up and the rain started again.

We did have a great dinner though.  We had beef that must have come from Missouri it was so tender and delicious.  It was a great way to end our stay here.  After dinner we started packing up for the trip home.

It rained  all last night so today everything was wet.  It looks like it might turn out to be a nice day today…..figures…..hahaha.   We are finishing up packing and sit on the deck and soak up the last of the warm air before we depart.   Then hopefully when we lay our heads down to sleep, it will be in our own bed..   

Did Someone Say Rain

 Before I get into the rainy happening of today, I need to share something that I keep forgetting.  It never ceases to amaze me how when we go on vacation and people ask where we are from, very few actually know where Idaho is.  Even US citizens.  And I don’t think in the past there has been someone else from Idaho.  With that said……..A year ago Art and I bought shirts that say I ❤️ Boy See.  They are great shirts.  Art brought his on this trip to wear.   The first time he wore it, a lady asked him if he was from Boise and he said yes.  She told him her son played football for BSU.  He wore it again and a lady asked if he was from Idaho.  She said she was from Utah. Then he wore is again and a lady asked if he was from Idaho he said yes then she asked if he was from Boise and he said yes..  She said she grew up in Idaho and her family was from Boise and she was now in Missouri.  We were finishing up eating and she came up and to us and I asked what her family name was.  She told me and I totally knew the name but for the life of me couldn’t  think of why.  Later it came to me.  My kids/grandkids are friends and go to church with that family.  Anyway, she asked Art if she could take a picture of his shirt which he agreed she could.  After she walked away Art looked at me and said “that’s a first” and I said “someone from Idaho? “ He replied “No… someone wanting to take a picture of my shirt” HAHAHA 

Today was windy and rainy.  So much so, we stayed in most of the day.  I was able to get in the pool for about 15 minutes this morning but the wind kicked up really hard and I barely made it out of the pool before it started raining really hard.  And the rain stayed most of the day. Later this afternoon there was a little break in the weather so we got in the pool but it was to windy and chilly to stay in very long and the break in the weather was short.  Our butler braved the weather and came by for about 30 minutes and visited. The rain has stopped for now but it is supposed to start up again soon.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings. 

Will the Rain Please Go Away

 The rain must really like us.  It rained most of the night last night and this morning.  Have a feeling it will rain again tonight.  Rain Please Go Away!

We decided for breakfast we would try the buffet. For as bad as dinner was last night, breakfast was equally as good.  We had a delicious breakfast. The food was really good and they had a nice variety of things.  Art said his breakfast was a 5 out of 5 stars.  Lunch was hit and miss. I wanted some sushi but not a full order.  I asked the waiter if I could have a half order and he told me no.  He said the cook gets jealous if the whole amount doesn’t go out.  So I thought don’t want the cook jealous so I will eat what I can and forget the rest.  Art and I were to shared a burger and it was good. I asked if they had Perrier to drink and he said no but they had sparkling water so I asked for that with a lime.  The sparkling water was Perrier.  But I didn’t ever get the lime.  Art ordered a pina colada.  After he took a first sip of his drink,  he yelled out loudly “WOWZA” everyone turned out look to see if he was ok.  I started laughing and asked if it was a strong drink, which he indicated it was.  He must of enjoyed it as he drank the whole thing.  The waiter delivered our food and said he would return with some soy sauce for the sushi…… we never saw him again.  The sushi was pretty dry.   Dinner was delicious.   I had a yummy salad that had shrimp and battered veg (avocado tempura).  I couldn’t resist the battered veg.

After breakfast we headed back to the room to get in the pool but the maid was cleaning the room so we went to one of the main pools. It was pretty empty so we had our pick of places.  As soon as the  maid was done, we headed back to our room.  We were ready to get in the pool and it started raining.  Fortunately, it only rained for about 30 minutes.  It was nice to get in the pool.  We spent the rest of the day either in the pool or sitting on our deck watching football games.  We just love having a deck to enjoy.

We got in the elevator and laughed at the floors listed.  The floors are 1, 0, -1 instead of ground, 1st , 2nd. 

                                                                    Our pool

                                                                Elevator buttons

My battered veg salad

Off on a New Adventure

Wowza!! We had a crazy thunderstorm all last night. And with it came the rain.  It rained really hard.  It was still raining when we got up.

Because it was raining we decided to do the buffet for breakfast since it is indoors.  The hostesses at the buffet are so sweet and they always remembered us.  They said it was because we were so kind to them.  We always inquired about them.  Anyway, we were almost done eating and Frida (one of the hostesses) came up and with a frown she said you didn’t tell us this was your last day and handed us a goodbye from the restaurant card. She said they were so sad to see us go and hoped we would come back.  I really think they meant it.  

Thankfully, it stopped raining around 10 so we could have one last beverage outside before we departed.  All the staff was so great!  Couldn’t have asked for better.  At noon we departed for the new hotel.

Because our hotel transfer was exclusive to the airport, we had to take a taxi to the new place.  Our butler made the arrangements for us which was nice. The poor taxi driver didn’t know where the new hotel was and asked for the address.  It wasn’t on any of our paperwork but we looked on the map and he could tell from the map.  He was super pleasant and visited with us on the way.  It was about a 40 minute drive.  I don’t think he was ready to go so far as we did because we had to stop for gas along the way. 

The new hotel is huge.  After we got checked in our new butler took us for a tour of the facility.  I quite frankly got lost.  Our room wasn’t ready so we sat and enjoyed a beverage.  Once the room was ready our butler escorted us to the room and showed how everything works.  We are really close to one of the lunch restaurants so we won’t  have to go far for lunch….. Woohoo.  And the sushi place is not as close but still pretty close so I can get my daily dose…. Another plus.  AND a guy goes by about every 20 minutes to see if we need a beverage and walks it up to our swim out pool. Yes our room has its own private pool off the deck.  Oh it is so nice to have a deck.  We really missed it at the other place.    Can’t wait to spend time on it the next few days.  The room is great! The bathroom is huge … no bumping into each other.  And the bed is so big we will have to take annual leave just to find each other.  I think we will be getting a great night sleep.  And the sound of the ocean just outside our door is a heavenly sound. 

Dinner was a true experience.  The food was not nearly as good or even good.  And it was so loud in the restaurant we had to use sign language and text to converse.  Art said he thought he might need some piano wire to floss the gnarly tasteless chunks of meat out of his teeth.   We can mark that place off the list to go to again.  

I got a call last night and I have to speak in church when we get back so I may spend some time preparing  for it tomorrow……….or maybe not. 

For now we are going to enjoy listening to the ocean on our deck til it’s time to go to bed……awwww.

Getting Ready to Leave

 We had another great day in the books. We decided we would spend the day at the pool instead of the beach.  Art found us a couple loungers that were in a great spot.  The area filled up quickly.  I think more people arrived today.  I can only imagine what it will be like tomorrow.  

We got in the pool a couple times to cool off.  It was pretty hot.  We ordered lunch at the pool.  We also ate our left over steak from last night. Yep it was still delicious.  We truly spent the whole day by the pool.  The weather turned to rain tonight. We were grateful that it waited until tonight. 

After dinner we got packed up so we could spend as much time tomorrow by the pool as possible before we move on to our next adventure.  It has been great being here.  The staff is all so great couldn’t have asked for more! 

Full Day of Fun

Today started out a little iffy but ended up great!  This morning it was really overcast and windy.  The clouds were really dark and it looked like it would start raining at any moment.  Art got up early to get us loungers by the beach.  He got the last two available.  I was surprised so many were reserved with the weather the way it was.  

We went to the restaurant for breakfast.  It was really good! After we headed to the beach.  We spend most of the morning at the beach.  The wind blew so hard it blew the dark clouds away.  Once the clouds were gone the wind stopped.  It ended up being a pleasant day.

We decided to split another hamburger for lunch.  It was delicious.  They are so big there is no way we could eat a whole one by ourselves.  Besides it leaves room for sushi.  The sushi here is really good.  I will miss my daily sushi when we go home.

After lunch we got in the pool.  I was shocked how warm the water was. Usually it is a little cool when you first get in but not this one.  It was nice.   After we got out of the pool we headed back to the beach but made a quick stop by the hot tub.  Art wanted to see if it was very hot,  Usually they are warm but not hot,  We stepped in, I was really surprised.  I bet the temperature was at least 104 degrees.  We sat in it for a short time.  

We decided to get in the ocean.  There were some good sized waves so we waved hopped.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay in for too long as I had a spa appointment.

When I checked in to my appointment, I was told I could go to a regular room for my treatment or I could go in the air purifier tent.  I wasn’t sure what the tent was but was willing to give it a try.  It was a big tent in the middle of the waiting room.  They said no one wanted to try the tent so I said I would do it.  They were all excited that I would do it.  It is seals up when you get in and the air is purified.  I thought the whole experience was very pleasant.  I would definitely do it again.

Our wrist bands are magnetic and you use them to open the doors.  Ours stopped working so we had to get them reset.  I think it must happen a lot as they never questioned it when went to the front desk and we saw others having to do it as well. 

We had a great dinner.  Our waiter was very entertaining.  I had ordered buttered mashed potatoes and when he brought them he said here are your butter knife potatoes.  He realized what he said and it cracked him up.  We all got a good laugh out of it. 

We thought we would watch the game at the sports bar.  The game did play, however a live band came and played.  They were so entertaining to watch I totally forgot to watch the game. The drummer was the most animated drummer we have ever seen.  

When we got back to our room, I noticed the butler had left our usual treat but had also put our slippers by the hot tub.  There were rose petals strewn about.  Art found a note saying to enjoy our bath.  I turned around and the hot tub was filled with a bubble bath.  How cool!!!  Such a fun surprise.   Yes we did get in.

The day was full of fun and we are spent.  Tomorrow is our last full day here.  Then we move to the other hotel. 

                                                                            The band 

                                                    This is the tent I had my spa treatment in

Not even Cloudy

 The weather today was incredible.  There were very few clouds.  The sky was bright blue.  It was really hot and humid though.  I loved it.  

We spent our time on the beach.  Art got us a couple loungers in the same spot we were at yesterday.  It was wonderful.  We shared a delicious hamburger and fries for lunch.  Then this afternoon we walked down the street to the farmacia to get my eye drops.  Luckily it wasn’t too far of a walk.

Tonight was a dining experience.  We decided we are not foofoo eaters.  We went to the French restaurant for dinner.  The waiter was a cute kid and he tried hard but we are like the hillbillies doing gourmet.  Art ordered his usual gin and tonic and they forgot to put tonic in the drink. It was pretty strong.  They brought out the customary appetizers.  One of them looked like a Barbie ice cream cone. I wish I would have  taken a picture.  But I swear it was just cat food.  That is what it tasted like.  The waiter suggested Art have a certain starter so he said ok.  It was horrid.  He couldn’t eat it.  I ordered something different,  It was really weird but tasted ok. Art had soup and I had salad.  I think my salad was really just big eels. The main coarse ….. I am not sure  what to say but it was the most normal.  I had a beef medallion that was so tough my jaw got a workout.  It didn’t come with anything just a piece of meat on the plate that they poured some sort of weird juice over it..  Art had the lamb and peas. He said the meat was tender but the flavor was weird.    But the dessert was delicious!  We had an upside down crème brûlée and chocolate soufflé….delicious. We decide it was definitely a dining experience. 

After dinner we sat out by one of the pools and enjoyed the evening and Art ordered a not so strong drink. 

Overall the day was great…dinner wasn’t the best but still loving being here. All the staff is incredibly helpful and nice!!!

Beach Time and Food

 Another good day with no rain.  It was a little more cloudy today and lot more humid but enjoyable none the less.

We went back to the buffet this morning for breakfast.  It wasn’t bad. I prefer the omelets at the restaurant but Art likes the food better at the buffet. 

We spent the day at the beach again.  Art got up early and reserved some loungers.  There are a lot more folks here and we weren’t sure we would be able to get a lounger on the first row by the ocean so he was willing to get up early.  He found us a great spot.

We actually ate lunch today.  We went to the buffet.  Art ordered a pina colada and I ordered a virgin miami vice.  We aren’t sure how they make them but they are super smooth and delicious.  Art wondered if they make them with some kind of cream.  I don’t know but I do know they are better here than any other palace. 

I went to the spa today.  I was scheduled for a chocolate wrap.  I have had a couple of them in the past and they are great!  When I got to the spa they confirmed I was getting a chocolate wrap but when I got in the room the gal had me down for a passion fruit wrap.  After talking it over I decided to stay with the passion fruit.  It was a good call.  They are basically the same but with the chocolate wrap they use a brush to apply the the chocolate but with the passion fruit they rub it on.  Oh it was so lovely.  I really enjoyed it and my skin was so soft when I was all done. 

We went to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. They reviews were so good so we were excited to go.  It wasn’t that great.  Art ordered lobster.  He got the whole thing.  Head, body, legs, tail all of it.  It didn’t look all that appetizing.  My dinner tasted like vinegar.  It wasn’t good.  So to make up for it…. We went to the sweet shop and got cake.  Now the cake was delicious!

More beach time tomorrow.  Can’t wait!

No Rain

 Hooray Hooray Hooray….no rain today. We got lucky the sun came out a lot today.

We decided to go to the restaurant instead of the buffet for breakfast.  It was pretty windy out but we endured.  My breakfast was delicious!  Don’s was not bad.  I think he prefers the buffet.  

We spent all day on the beach.  We got front row loungers.  The staff was extremely attentive.  They brought us a bucket of ice with water in it and they periodically came and freshened the ice and brought more water.  At one point they came and brought us fresh towels and set them up for us.  It was impressive!

We got in the ocean.  It was a little chilly when we first went in but after about 30 seconds it was warm and pleasant.  It had some really big waves so it was fun to play in.  

When we came back to the room to get cleaned up, we stopped at the concierge desk and Art ask them to order us some shrimp cocktail.  Less than 30 minutes later we were eating delicious shrimp.

For dinner we went to the Japanese restaurant.  It was delicious.  They had excellent sushi.  I could have eaten a bunch more.  It is customary for the restaurants to bring some kind of appetizer while you are waiting for your food.  Tonight our cute gal brought an appetizer and we both looked at it like what on earth.  It looked like a tentacle sea creature growing out of a rock.  We both thought no thanks I am not eating that.  But it was fried tapioca.  Actually it was pretty good.  Art tried it and said “oh it’s packing peanuts”…..hahaha it was kinda like rice cakes only with flavor.  

After dinner we sat out and listen to a couple perform.  The girl sang and the guy played the piano.  They were really good.  I was sad when they stopped.  

I was supposed to do the spa hydro therapy tomorrow but after listening to Art’s experience. (Funny as it was). I decided it wasn’t for me so I cancelled it. I would rather go to the beach. 

All the staff here is so attentive and friendly.  It is so great being here.  

Two for One

 Well I didn’t post anything yesterday as we were so tired we went to bed early.  So I will do today and yesterday at once.

Starting with yesterday.  It was pretty much an average traveling day.  I woke up at 3:15 and was afraid I would sleep through the alarm so I just laid there awake until the alarm went off at 3:45.  We got to the airport at 5:15. It always amazes me how busy the airport is that early in the morning. I was surprised the couple ahead of us at the check in counter couldn’t believe they couldn’t get on the plane because as they said they were a half hour early from departure and why do they need to be earlier……this is Boise Idaho for heavens sake. Guess what…. They had to take the next flight.  Then another couple had  two kids they were taking to Mexico and they didn’t have any documentation for the kids.  Not sure how they thought they would be able to take them out of the country.  I don’t know how that all shook out.

The flights were both pretty bumpy.  I can’t remember when I was on a flight that had so much turbulence.  And it lasted for most of the flights.  It was crazy.  I am not usually a big fan of airplane food but I’ll tell you what…. Our lunch was delicious.  Art and I both commented on how good it was. All our flights arrived at their destinations early.  That was nice.  We arrived here 30 minutes early. That really was nice.

I can’t believe how much customs has changed.  We were a little worried going through on a Saturday.  We figured it would be crazy busy.   Nope, we got off the plane and walked right through.  Normally it takes so long by the time we get through our luggage is waiting for us.  This time we had to wait for our luggage to be offloaded.  That was a new experience.

We got a private van to the hotel.  It was fun. When we arrived it was raining hard.  But the clouds parted and we got to the hotel without it raining too hard .  But after we arrived it started back up.  We had a nice dinner then went to bed early.  Our room is nice.  It overlooks a lagoon.  I do miss having a balcony though.

Today we went for a walk around the facility after breakfast.  It is a beautiful facility.  Unfortunately, it started to rain. It rained off an on all day.  That’s okay because we watched football and then went to the Spa.  Yes I said we. Art read the hydro therapy was a must do.  Hmmm when they said a must do I really think that is something for spa people to do.  Not everyone is a Spa person.  In fact,  some people should never go to the Spa.  Art is one such people.  I am a Spa person…. Art is not.  We were both going to do the hydro therapy but the women’s side wasn’t working so I didn’t do it.  I think I lucked out.  I am still laughing at Art’s description of the events.  He said that it was only an hour but felt like a week. The heat was way too hot and the cold was so cold his swimsuit  froze to the seat so he decided he better stand after that,  I can only imagine him in that predicament. The whole experience made for a great comedy act.   I had a hot stone massage.  I will say it was the BEST hot stone massage I have ever had.  My experience was so much better that Arts.  I am supposed to to the hydro therapy on Tuesday.  I think after hearing all about from Art, I will be cancelling.  

The weather is suppose to be better tomorrow, so we are hoping we will be able to spent the day at the beach. 

Day of Museums

 Well hard to believe this was our last day here.  The time has gone by so quickly.  Today we went to the Wax  Presidential Museum that is across the street from our hotel.  It has wax figures of all the presidents.  It was a nice museum but I have to say there were only a couple that actually looked like the President it was.  I am glad we went.

We had planned to go to a zero gravity house today but it isn’t open on Wednesdays.  Had we realized it before today, we would have planned differently but oh well.  Instead, we went to a museum here.  It used to be the school house.  It was built in the 1800s.  When it opened, it had 163 students.  The last year it operated as a school they had 8 students.  It was a beautiful two story building but it need a lot of maintenance work.  It still has the school bell in the tower.  I got to ring it.  It was pretty fun.  One interesting fact…..Carrie Ingalls Swanzy, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s sister lived here.  The museum had a lot of information on her and several of her things. They also had a lot of pictures of the actors from Little House on the Prairie show. 

They have a chainsaw business here. They sculpt logs using a chainsaw.   They have a lot of bears and a lot of Bigfoot statues.  They are all pretty cool.  I found one bear that had the cutest face. He was way out of my budget so I didn’t buy him but if he was cheaper, I would probably have given in and got him. He was pretty cute. 

After some pretty busy days, it was nice to have a more relaxed day.  The weather has turned and it is pretty chilly out so it feels good to be tucked in. 

Another Fun Full Day

 Today was another full fun day.  We left this morning at 8 and didn’t return until 6:30.

We started out with a nice breakfast.  It was very filling and delicious. Then off to Mt Rushmore. WOW!!  It was so incredible and impressive.  We decided not to walk the path as it had a lot of warnings and it had 457 stair steps.  Yikes!  We have almost half of that just doing the area around.  The steps to the sculptor’s shop was over 150.  Going down the stairs was no problem but coming back up was a bear!  I was surprised with my bad feet and bad knee I could do it.  I didn’t even have to use my inhaler.  We spent a couple hours there.

After we left Mt Rushmore, we headed to the Badlands.  It was a couple hour drive.  BUT we first stopped in the town Wall and went to Wall Drug for lunch.  The place was packed. It definitely isn’t your usual drug store. It is more like a mini shopping mall with a restaurant.  After we had lunch, we walked around a little bit then stopped by the ice cream counter.  Off to the Badlands we went.

The cute ranger at the Badlands gave us a senior season park pass.  She said it would be cheaper than the entry fee.  The funny thing is we were talking about getting one but the season is almost over so we didn’t think it would be worth it. But now we have one…there you have it getting old is paying off.  I was completely unfamiliar with the Badlands and not sure why we would want to drive the loop. Well let me tell you, It left a lasting impression on me and I will be doing more research on the area.  The area used to all be underwater.  That alone surprised me.  In a lot of the areas it was similar to the Grand Canyon for depth but a different color.  I have no words to describe how majestic it really was.  The loop took a couple hours to drive through and we stopped at several of the turn out/stop locations and read up on that particular location.  After looking around the area, I  kept telling Art, I didn’t feel like we were still on Earth.  So glad we went!

It was a little chilly this morning.  I wore my jacket for the first hour but then it warmed up.  The temperature at the Badlands was 90 degrees but it was a really really hot 90.  I like heat …..a lot, but this was almost too hot for even me.  It was weird.  But driving home the temperature drop to 67 degrees and it  started to rain.  We even had thunder and lightning.  We stopped for dinner and it was too chilly to sit outside.  A cold front is definitely moving in. 

We are tired tonight…… I think we will sleep good.  Tomorrow will be another fun day.

Impressive Monuments

 We seemed to have packed a lot in today. This morning seems like days ago. It has been a great day though.

We had the continental breakfast at the hotel and then headed to Devil’s Tower.  To say it is massive is an understatement.  Just the Tower measures 867 feet.  It is overwhelming how massive it really is. The last time Art was there (57 years ago) the path around it was just a dirt path so we decided we wouldn’t go all the way around it we should just go a little way.  But in the 57 years they made some improvements to the path.  We ended up walking around the entire tower. It was 1.6 miles. Some parts were pretty steep but we just keep on going.  We were like energizer bunnies.  I was so proud of us for going all the way around. You can actually climb up the Tower.  No we didn’t do any rock climbing but we saw several climbers on the Tower. It was impressive. After, we drove a few hours to the Crazy Horse Monument.  

Admittedly, I knew very little about the monument.  It is impressive as well. The monument is not finished. Only his head, arm and hand are done.  We watched a movie about it at the visitors center. I have to say I am sad I didn’t know more about it.  It really is an interesting story.  I doubt it will ever be done in my lifetime.  It was started in 1948 and this is all the further they have gotten.  I would really like to see them finish it and I would love to see it finished. 

We drove past Mt Rushmore on our way to our hotel.  I cannot wait to go tomorrow.  It looked pretty awesome.  Speaking of our hotel.  Holy Smokes Myrna!!!! Every place is better than the last.  This place is the best! It is a lovely suite.  It has a nice big living room with a fireplace, kitchenette, huge bathroom and a good sized bedroom.  It is like an apartment.  Art did awesome booking this place. We will be here for a few days.

We went to the funnest place for dinner.  It is called Ruby’s place. The one wall has pictures of Ruby’s friends.  It was just a fun place……the food was good too. 

We went to the pool and hot tub but the hot tub is out of order and the pool was really cold. So we are tucked in our room and that is way good.

500 Miles Later

 We were happy to get up and gone this morning.  Although the hotel was cute, it had some serious issues.  There is absolutely no sound barriers.  We could hear neighbors above and to the side all night long.  Good thing the bed was comfortable. Anyway, it worked out great because we got to the restaurant earlier than planned.  About 10 minutes after we arrived the place was completely packed. Not a table left to be had.  Our food arrived quickly so we could eat and give our table to someone patiently waiting.

Off we went.  It was a great drive! I had hoped to see a bear, antelope, and buffalo.  As luck would have it, we saw a herd of buffalo,  a ton of antelope (and I mean a ton), a mountain goat, deer and a lamb.  But darn it no bear.

We stopped in Dubois at the National Military Vehicle Museum.  I thought  we would spend about an hour there but oh my goodness we spent 2.  We could have easily spent more time there but we really needed to get going.  It was a huge museum and it was really cool. So worth going to.

We had a little picnic in the car before we left.  We had delicious prime rib left over from the night before so we ate it with some fruit.  It hit the spot.

Back on the road we went.  We saw a lot of nothing.  Wyoming has a lot of nothing.  Hay field after hay field.  500 miles later we made it to our next destination.  We are at a hotel just past the Devils Tower.  We will be going to it tomorrow.  I am very excited. The hotel is fairly new and we have a lovely room.  It is definitely better that the last one. 

The town is super small. We asked the hotel clerk (happened to be the owner) where we could get some dinner as it was 7 pm. He said the only place open was the golf course and it might be closed.  I called to make sure they were still open.  They closed at 8 pm so we hurried and went.  It was a really nice place and had an incredible view. It was packed as well. The staff all commented how surprised they were that it was so busy.   I am not surprised though as it was literally the only place open.  Service was exceptional. Art even got a free cocktail.  The food was delicious. Art and I shared a club sandwich with fries.  It was really good and a lot of it.  We were both grateful we shared.

Back at the hotel, we got in the hot tub and the swimming pool.  It was a nice way to relax after a long day of driving. 

Now to bed.  Tomorrow ………Devils Tower.  Wonder of we will have a close encounter of the third kind. (It’s a reference to the movie).  

New Adventure ……Road Trip

 Art and I started a new adventure today.  We have been together for almost 38 years and this is the first road trip we have taken that wasn’t to go see family or friends.  It seems a little weird but fun all at the same time.  

We left this morning.  We had lunch in Pocatello then stopped in Idaho Falls.  We drove by the homestead.  It has changed a lot but that is what happens when someone new takes over. It was a little sad driving to a place I had driven to hundreds if not thousands of times,  and this time, we were not greeted with the usual hugs and kisses.  There was no stew waiting for us on the stove.  All we could do is drive by.  I took a quick picture as we went by.  The neighborhood seemed a little older but all the houses had that familiarity.  It was like trying to find your way home and it all looked right but just couldn’t quite make it. 

We hadn’t planned on stopping but we ended up going to visit a lifelong friend and her family.  I have know this friend 60 years.  It was fun to see her.  She has had some serious medical challenges the past year and I am a little worried about her.  Getting old isn’t easy that is for sure. We had a great visit and I am so happy we stopped.

The rest of the drive was just beautiful!  We stopped for the night in Alpine.  It is a quaint little town.  Art requested a first floor room  so we wouldn’t have to carry our bags up the stairs. We ended up with the handicap room.  It is great.  It is just a hotel room but it is all covered in knotty pine.  It is so cabiny . I just love it. 

I stayed awake for the whole entire drive.  I even shocked myself.

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant/bar.  The tables were beat to a pulp.  They looked like old poker tables but padding was ripped up and had big holes all over.  The stools were way too tall for the tables.  The services was probably the worst we have ever received.  BUT it didn’t matter….. the food made up for it all.  The food was absolutely delicious!!! We had prime rib that was cooked to perfection.  So the rest really didn’t matter at all.   We would go back in a heartbeat.   

Back at the room relaxing and listening to Art play his guitar.  So soothing …….what a great ending to a great day!

Even the Clouds are sad……

 Today is our last full day.  Art scored us cabana loungers. It rained again last night so everything was soaked again. I was glad we had a couple extra towels to wipe things down with.

We went for a walk down the beach and picked up a a few small shells but for most of the morning we stayed by the cabana loungers.  The woman who was sitting across the pool from us decided she wanted to change her swimming suit top.  Sooooo she took off the old one and pulled a new one out of her bag.  We were shocked!  She didn’t care if anyone saw her topless.  Different cultures.  

Dark clouds moved in so after lunch we went back to our room and I got in the pool.  It was a little chillier today so I was happy when the sun peeked its head out of the clouds. We stayed out until the rain started.  It rained for a couple hours.  The sky knew it was time for us to leave and cried. 

We went back to the Rodeo restaurant for dinner.  It was so good. Now we are tucked in for the night.  Ready for travels tomorrow.  We are excited to see our family in Atlanta. 

A little Rain…….

 Today started out like the others.  We went to the buffet for breakfast then off to one of the main pools.  Art scored us a double lounger cabana.  We agreed it it was the best of all the places we have sat.  It was pretty comfy.  It rained again last night so everything was soaked.  Out neighbor told us they watched the storm and it was a doozie.  We slept through it.  The hot sun really wears us out.  By the end of the day we pass out.  Not even the storm kept us awake.

We enjoyed the cabana so much that after lunch we decided to stay,  Unfortunately, dark clouds moved in and we were sure it would rain again so we thought it would be best to pack it up in early afternoon.  We did get in our little pool for a little bit before  the rain started.  It rained for a few hours.  We were lucky enough that it stopped in time to walk to dinner.

We walked to the sister property for dinner. Art always says everything in life is either a good time or a learning experience.  The entire dinner experience was a learning one. We were seated at probably the worst table in the entry walkway and then the waiter moved it even further into the walk way for us.  He was super rude.  It was obvious he didn’t want us there. The food was not very good but we made the best of it.  Poor Art isn’t use to how other cultures deal with mother’s nursing  babies.  A young couple with a toddler ( 2 or 3.) came in and sat at the table closest to us.  As soon as the mom and little girl sat down the mom whipped out her boob and the girl started to chew on the nipple.  She wasn’t all that interested in nursing but was using the boob as a pacifier. I didn’t really think too much of it but poor Art…… it was one of those times where you turn your head but your eyes just wouldn’t go. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing…….especially while he was eating. 

After dinner we stopped off to get a drink to get over the entire crappy dining experience.  The place is usually really full and busy but there was just one couple there.  We soon found out why…..  There was a trio playing.  There was a snare drum, an accordion, and a loud shaker type thing.  They were a little like the tuba band as none of them were playing the same song. And one of the guys was yelling and moaning like a stuck pig. They were so loud you could hear them most of our way back to our room. At one point on our walk back to our place I said to Art “hit me again, I can still hear them”. We got a good laugh.  What a crazy evening.  

We are now sitting on our deck giggling about the evening.  Everything smells nice and fresh from the rain.  

Hot Day…..

Wow was today hot!  The temperature wasn’t any higher that other days but for some reason the sun was a lot hotter.

We went back to the buffet for breakfast. On our way out the door I almost stepped on a helmet crab.   He was right at the door. It was so strange seeing him.  Art said if he wanted in,  he should have knocked.   We met our neighbors at breakfast.  They were sitting at the table next to us.  They are from Canada.  Seems like a really nice couple. He reminds me of someone but I just can’t place who.  It drove me crazy all day.  I know it will eventually come to me. 

Art got us a double lounger by the pool today.  We thought we would give it a try.  It rained last night so everything was pretty soaked but Art wiped everything down so it would be nice for us.  And with the warmer weather it didn’t take long for everything else to dry.  We even got in the pool.  It was chillier than our private pool but it didn’t take long to adjust to it.  We stayed in that area until after lunch.

I spent the afternoon in our pool.  Art was in the pool for a while then went in where it was cooler for a rest. 

We went to a restaurant called the Rodeo Steakhouse for dinner. It was pretty good and the service was really fast.  They had a couple pictures of the old west and the rest were of the New York skyline and of the Nation’s capitol. You know because nothing screams old west like the capitol and New York skyline.  HAHAHA.  They did play old country music.  I am talking country music from the 60’s and 70’s.  It was like a huge blast from the past.  Art and I new all the songs.  At one point, Art asked what music track is this?  It is was pretty fun.  We are going back on Sunday for dinner. 

We tried to sit out tonight but it was really buggy out so we came in.  This is the first night we couldn’t be out because of the bugs.   

We are still having trouble with the hot and cold water.  Not sure why they can’t fix it but it keeps us guessing. 

Here is a crazy thing.  I went to trade out our wet towels for dry ones. Unfortunately they were completely out of clean towels.  There was another man there at the same time and he said he was told more towels would be available in 10 minutes and it had been more that 20.  Our concierge was there and when I started to walk away he asked me what I was going to do with my towels.  I said keep them til new ones were available and he said oh if I didn’t want to use them I could give them to the other guy.  Ewww….. I told him I didn't think he wanted to have my used wet towels. Crazy!           

Time Is Going So Fast

 What a beautiful day today was.   We went to one of the other restaurants for breakfast.  I loved it…..my food was completely cooked.  Art on the other was not as happy with his.  His was over cooked. We will go back to the buffet tomorrow. 

Art scored us a couple loungers on the front row on the beach.  It was great!  We were front row until a group moved their loungers in front of ours so they could be closer to the water.  It was ok … it didn’t take away anything from our view or enjoyment. We stayed there until lunch time. Which seemed to be about 30 minutes as the morning went by so fast. 

We decided to go to the buffet at the sister property for lunch.  It was ok but I think our buffet here is just as good.  After lunch, we swam in our pool.  Art took a little rest on the deck lounger and I continued to float on my floating in the pool the rest of the afternoon. 

We discovered our hot water was out again so we went to the main desk to report it.  More folks had arrived so the lobby was busy.  They said they would send someone but no one came.  It was a cold shower for me tonight,  It reminded me of the showers at girls camp.  Brrrrrr.  Anyway,  about 1/2 way through Art’s shower the hot water kicked back on.  We are hopeful it will stay on this time. 

After dinner, we walked back over to the sister property to the casino.  They had a lot of slot machines two card tables and two roulette tables.  There were only three people there so we decided not to stay. Now we are enjoying the beautiful evening on our deck…….and trying to stay awake until bed.  The pool looks so inviting I am thinking a night dip  might be fun.

Photos From The Tour

We are in the black razor

The beautiful beach

Our Safari Truck

Me and Thomas

Art and the iguana

 

What The Fetch Tour

 Well today we had quite the adventure.  To begin with let me go back a couple days. We talked to a guy who said he worked for the hotel. He talked us in to doing a tour. It was easy to talk us into it as we had already planned to do something similar.  This is what he told us. 

You will be picked up at the front gate.  We will take you in a nice safari truck.  You will be given a nice  Polaris razor.  All their razors are maintained and in great shape not like the other companies that are worn out. It will be a two seat 1000cc’s.  Then you will go learn the Dominican culture.  We will learn about the area, how cigars are made, how coffee beans are produce, how chocolate is produced from cocoa beans. We will then sample them if we want.  And no obligation to purchase anything. Learn about mamajuana and sample it.  We will go past the school and all the children come out and wave.  They love Americans because they toss candy to them (to which Art said I don’t have candy and our guy said no worries they don’t expect it.  Jokingly Art said we could through dollars and our guy was adamant not to do that.).  We would go to a cave with crystal clear water.  But the water was only waist deep.  Then we would go to the most beautiful beach in the country and swim a couple of hours.  We need to wear our clothes but bring our swimming suits, towels,  bottled water sunscreen and sunglasses.  There would be lockers at the beach and a place to change our clothes.  There would be a nature center to take pictures with birds and monkeys.  And to be sure to pay for the pictures before they take them or they will charge $20 for a picture.  He said he had already signed up 15 Americans for today.  The group would only consist of folks from our hotel to keep the group to a small number.  He would be there with us the whole time.  Sounded great!  Here is how it went.

Our guy Gabriel doesn’t work for the hotel, he works the beach at our hotel.  Our concierge said he was a good guy and we were good to go with him.  Hmmmm.  They are also friends. And worked together at other hotels together.   We had to walk by the other close by tour pick up places to go just outside the front gate of the hotel to be picked up.  It was quite the hike toward the end we hitched a ride on a golf cart  as it was to long to actually walk it.  Our guy was waiting for us as promised. He made sure we showed up, collected his commission and left.  It was us, two other couples and a single gal going on the tour.  They ALL spoke Spanish not English.  Just a guess but I don’t think any of them were American.   The safari truck was an old worn out truck I am sure they bought used from one of the other companies.  Our first stop was at the gas station. Yep… we need gas.  We took this worn out contraption out on the highway, wind blowing in our face as it was open on the sides with worn out bench seats down each side. At one point I thought it was so funny, I burst out laughing,  Maybe I was in shock but I just giggled away as we drove down the highway in this fine ol heap. 

We got to the place to get our razors.  We had to wait for some other folks to arrive.  Four girls from the UK joined us.  They were interesting.  Every other word it of their mouth was the F word.  Now in their defense, several times it was actually well deserved. More on them in a moment.  They told us to go inside their shop while we waited.  They said they would give us great deals on their stuff.  That was the first trap. Our guide assigned everyone a beat up dune buggie type vehicle.  We thought  oh boy these are terrible and exactly what our guy Gabriel said we wouldn’t get.  True to his word the guide took us over to the only Polaris razor they had and said it was the vehicle we would have.  It wasn’t a two seater it was a four seat beat to crap 900 cc Razor.  Because we had the “nice” vehicle we would bring up the rear in the line. I thought our road back home was bad or the road to the cabin was bad but not compared to the roads we took.  Art said they were “ass beaters” for sure.  Our first stop was a little market type place.  The second trap.  They didn’t share anything about their culture but they did let you smell and try their coffee, tea and chocolate.  And you could try the mamjuana (a liquor made here) But they really wanted you to buy it and of course they had the same stuff for sale that the dune buggie place had.  Of course the have staff on hand that are all over to get you to buy their stuff.  Then off to the cave.  It was indeed crystal clear water but it was more than waste deep……. It was 25 feet deep.  No we didn’t get in.  But they did have more stuff to sell there.  Third trap.   While we were climbing back up the stairs from the cave, I sat down on a rock to wait for the others in our group and avoid the hawkers a guy with an iguana ran up to hand Art the iguana, grabbed his phone and started to take pictures.  He kept telling Art to kiss the iguana.  Of course he wasn’t about to kiss it.  But then said that will be $20.  Art said I give you $5.  Handed it to him and we walked off.  He wasn’t to happy but accepted it.

Then to the fourth trap.  The beautiful beach.  We had to park the vehicles I think a half mile from the beach and walk in. The road went all the way to the beach but we couldn’t take it like the other groups.  So walk we did.  We got there and the vendors were on us like locusts.  Same stuff for sale. It was a beautiful beach.  But the only place to sit was part of a bar and they wanted you to buy a drink or food to sit there.  A coke was $11.  Pina Coladas were $25.  Our time at the beach was 30 minutes.  There were no lockers or places to change clothes.  But there was no time the vendors would leave us alone.  But!!!!  I did get to take a picture with a cute monkey.  A female name Thomas.  She was awesome. After I had pictures taken, her handler took her back. All of a sudden she leapt back on my shoulders and grabbed my head and kissed my ear then stuck her tongue in my ear.  It took me by surprise and I shrieked.  The handler said oh wow she really likes you she only does that to people she knows and loves.  He went to take her back and she hurried and wrapped her tail around my neck so she wouldn’t have to go.  I liked her too.  A true highlight!!!!!  The handler saw Art’s wristwatch and flipped.  He wanted Art to sell him his watch really bad. Too funny!!!!

I failed to mention we never once passed a school but strategically placed along the route we took were school aged children.  They would run along side your vehicle and beg for a dollar.  They would try and hand you a flower or a picture they had drawn so you would have to pay them.  They didn’t want candy they wanted dollars.  

The poor girls from the UK vehicles kept dying.  We would be going along and their dune buggie would just stop.  I felt sorry for them.  But as a result our guide gave them a ride to the beach on his 4-wheeler so they wouldn’t have to walk the half mile. 

After we returned to the hotel, we hitched a ride on a golf cart and the sweet guy took us to our room instead of dropping is off a the lobby.  Art called the tour the “What the Fetch is this Tour” I said it was for sure an Adventure.

I spent the afternoon in our pool and Art took a rest on the couch where it was nice and cool. 

We did get the hot water resolved.  So much so we now had no hot water. They had to come back and fix it.  It is all fixed now and our showers were great. The toilets in our room and the neighbors room were a problem all night but they seem to have gotten resolved……. Hopefully.

We had a lovely dinner and enjoyed the deck and now it is time to call it a night.

First Full Day In The Books

 OK I am going try this again.  For some reason my last post deleted.  I signed in to the blog to post pictures and it flashed a few times and then the post disappeared.  Arg!

We had breakfast at the buffet this morning.  Art rated his as a solid nine and I rated mine as a solid four.  I rated mine so low as I am not a fan of raw eggs and vegetables. With CPR and a little help the bacon could have survived.  Yep it wasn’t cooked to my likening…… hardly cooked at all.  But the juice and the donut were really good. And as you can see from the picture, we had a guest.  He doesn’t look that big in the picture but he was about the size of my hand.

After breakfast we went to the beach.  It was well after nine so I was worried we wouldn’t be able to get a lounger.  I but I had no need to worry.  There were several open loungers. They also have really nice hanging chairs all around the resort.  We stopped and enjoyed a couple this morning. All the seating and loungers are nice.  Not like the last resort where everything was so worn out.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the resort is really big and it is pretty full.  Whenever you are walking along the path, there are always a lot of folks walking.  But it doesn’t seem like it is over crowded or like people are on top of you. The restaurants have open seating for breakfast and lunch but you have to have a reservation for dinner.  They don’t allow walkins.  

The beach is on the Atlantic side.  It doesn’t have waves like of the Caribbean side but it is still very nice.  We didn’t get in today but a lot of folks did and seemed to enjoy it.  I did have a foot massage on the beach and it was simply heavenly.

Most of the folks on the adult side are around our age.  Several folks stopped Art to comment on his shirt. It was a big hit.   It says “ Don’t piss off old folks.  They older they get, getting a life sentence isn’t much of a deterrent.”  I even heard some younger folks laugh and say “love that shirt” as they passed. 

We skipped lunch and spent the afternoon at our private pool.  It isn’t huge but big enough to splash around and have fun in.  We really enjoyed it. There are a couple of bigger pools around but I doubt we will get in as we have a great private pool.  The weather was perfect for getting in the pool.  It was 81 degrees and cloudless.  After the pool, Art managed to take a nice nap on the couch where it was cooler. 

We did have to get our shower fixed. At least I am hoping it got fixed.  It only has hot water and I mean it is hot.  I like a good hot shower but I don’t like a scalding shower.  The maid stopped by (not sure why) and Art told her about the shower.  She checked it out and agreed.  She called someone to come and fix it but we had to leave for dinner so we aren’t  really sure it got fixed.  We’ll know tomorrow when we shower. 

We had a nice dinner and are enjoying our deck.  There is a lovely band by the main lobby and we can enjoy it on our deck.  No it is not a tuba band….thank heavens.  They are actually pretty good.  It has been a great day!  To bed soon. 

Pictures

The ugly spider.  You can’t tell from this picture how big he really is

The stairs to the bedroom

The fun hanging chairs

Table on our deck

The view from the bedroom

Our private pool

The beach