Day 17 - Pago Pago, American Samoa

We arrived in Pago Pago, American Samoa, at about 7:25 a.m. It was already 81 degrees with 91% humidity and a light rain. All the ingredients for a memorable tropical day.

Once again, breakfast was our standard bowl of cold cereal in the cabin. I know—not exactly the classic cruise ship breakfast. Around 9:00 we grabbed our miniature AAA travel umbrellas and headed ashore.

Since we didn't have an excursion planned, our goal was simply to wander around town and soak up some local culture. We hadn't even made it off the pier before we were weaving through rows of vendors selling island clothing and souvenirs. By the time we reached the end of the stalls, the light rain had become a steady downpour. Out came the umbrellas as we made a dash toward the main street, running the gauntlet of tour operators and taxi drivers, all eager to take us somewhere "very scenic."

According to our map, there was supposed to be a shopping mall nearby. On the way we ducked into an outdoor market, partly to browse and partly to stay dry. When the rain eased a little, we continued on, only to discover there wasn't really a mall at all. Instead, we found a combination grocery and department store. It was small but surprisingly well stocked, carrying everything from peanuts and clothing to small appliances.

I was hoping to find a traditional Samoan lava lava, the wraparound garment many of the local men wear. I also needed to restock the Coke-and-rum department. I'd managed to sneak a few miniature bottles of rum through cruise security, but those were now history. The store had plenty of Coke but no rum, so we kept walking, convinced we'd find better luck somewhere else.

As it turned out, the grass wasn't greener anywhere else. It was hot, humid, and raining, and our little umbrellas were no match for the weather. By then we'd had enough and headed back to the ship.

After relaxing onboard for about an hour, the rain appeared to let up, so we decided to give Pago Pago another chance. Unfortunately, the break in the weather didn't last long. Had we walked just a little farther, we would have discovered free Wi-Fi at McDonald's. Timing is everything.

Back on the ship, we stopped at the Horizon Court for a light lunch and, more importantly, several glasses of water. Oh... and one Blue Moon.

A couple of hot showers and a ninety-minute nap later, everything seemed right with the world again.

By 4:55 p.m. we were preparing to leave Pago Pago and begin the two-day voyage to Bora Bora. After that, we'd have three stops in beautiful French Polynesia to look forward to.

One final observation before sailing away: Pago Pago is definitely Charlie Tuna country. The harbor was packed with tuna fishing boats. Surprisingly, many of them travel nearly a thousand miles from port before they even begin fishing. That's a long commute for a day's work.

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Aboard the Crown Princess

014° 16' South
170° 42' West

Posted by iPad 2 Air

Day 16 - Apia, Western Samoa

GPS said we were about 70 miles from Samoa when we stopped by the International Café for a pastry and coffee. Then it was off to our favorite pastime on port days—waiting for the ship to dock in Apia.

Rumor had it that Samoan dancers would be waiting on the starboard side to welcome us as we arrived. Unfortunately, before we reached the harbor, the captain came over the PA system to announce that our arrival had been delayed until 1:00 p.m. Since we suddenly had extra time, we ordered a light lunch before heading ashore.

We finally left the ship around 1:30 and made our way to the taxi stand. Our plan was to find a few other couples to share the cost of a three-hour island tour. About thirty minutes later, four couples climbed into a van and set off to explore.

Before going any further, I have to say that Samoa is one beautiful island. Banana and coconut trees are everywhere, and flowers that we usually only see in florist shops seem to grow naturally in every yard. The entire island feels like one giant tropical garden.

Our driver headed southeast out of Apia, following the coastline. One of the first things we noticed was the incredible number of churches. They are everywhere, and many are open-air buildings. According to our driver, Sundays are devoted entirely to church. People don't work, they don't shop, and they don't even cook. They simply go to church. During our drive we passed two theological colleges, and there were probably many more we didn't see.

The second thing that caught our attention was the raised, open-air, covered platforms next to almost every home. Some were small and simple, while others were large and beautifully decorated with brightly painted columns. Our driver explained that these are family gathering places where people socialize, cook, eat, and sometimes even sleep.

Our first stop was the Piula Freshwater Cave. After carefully making our way down a long, steep staircase, we were rewarded with a beautiful sight where crystal-clear freshwater meets the turquoise ocean and white sand. Does that last description sound more like something Barb would write than me?

I should probably say a little about the driving in Samoa. Once outside the city, the roads become narrow and usually have no shoulders. They also drive on the left side of the road. I suppose that's more "different" than "wrong." Samoa only switched from driving on the right to the left a few years ago, so many vehicles—including our van—still have the steering wheel on the left. That makes it difficult for drivers to see when passing. Apparently, that didn't concern our driver in the least. What concerned me more was that between the narrow roads, blind passes, and what felt like a 35-horsepower engine, our little van seemed determined to test our faith. Fortunately, we survived.

Next we crossed the mountains to the south side of the island, an area that had been devastated by the 2009 tsunami. Turning east, we once again followed the coastline until our driver pulled over beside a roadside stand where a woman was selling fresh coconuts. He bought one for each couple. With impressive skill—and what appeared to be all ten fingers still intact—she chopped the tops off with a large machete so we could enjoy the fresh coconut water.

Our next stop was the Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa. It was exactly the kind of place you see featured in travel magazines, complete with swaying palms, crystal-clear water, and postcard-perfect scenery. We were both ready to unpack and stay for a couple of weeks.

Heading back over the mountains to the north side of the island, we encountered something that reminded us of home: road construction. It was the first we'd seen in more than two weeks. Just before returning to Apia, our driver took us through the grounds of Robert Louis Stevenson's former home. I had no idea the famous author had lived in Samoa.

Before taking us back to the ship, our driver gave us a quick tour of downtown Apia, pointing out several government buildings along the way. By the time we returned, our three-hour tour had turned into four.

It was time well spent. Samoa turned out to be one of the most beautiful islands we've visited, and our impromptu taxi tour gave us a wonderful glimpse into both its scenery and its culture.

Here's something interesting. We passed a new school built by the Chinese. Later a big new hospital built by the Chinese. Then in town a really big new parliament building built by the Chinese. Kinda makes you wonder.

New life ______________________

Aboard the Crown Princess

013° 49' South
171° 45' West

Posted by iPad 2 Air

Day 15 - At Sea

Another beautiful morning at sea and, finally, another sign of life. A fairly good-sized fishing boat passed off our starboard side. According to the GPS, we're about 520 miles from Samoa, so maybe we'll start seeing more boats as the day goes on.

We tried a new place for breakfast this morning. The International Café is known mostly for its pastries, but they also make a pretty good breakfast sandwich. Barb has declared it our new go-to breakfast spot.

We signed up for our shore excursions about a month before the cruise. The one we really wanted in Bora Bora was already full, so we were placed on the waiting list. Well, our tickets finally came through. The tour starts at 12:30, and we'll be transported in an open-air wagon. Wonderful. Nothing says tropical adventure like riding around in the afternoon heat and humidity. Under normal circumstances I might regret booking it, but this excursion includes Bloody Marys, so I'm willing to overlook the weather.

Barb has decided that two meals a day are more than enough, and she's currently debating whether today's second meal should be lunch or dinner. Lunch is listed as "casual," while dinner is "smart casual." Apparently, the difference is whether you're wearing shorts or slacks.

We were just buzzed by a helicopter. After making a quick circle around the ship, it headed off to the west. According to the GPS, there's no land out there for hundreds of miles. Good thing it had pontoons.

Shortly afterward, the captain came over the PA system to explain why we'd slowed down. It seems the engines were having cooling problems. Part of the cooling system uses seawater, and today's seawater temperature is an amazing 89 degrees. The air temperature isn't far behind at 86 degrees. That's a lot of warm water trying to cool a very large ship.

The afternoon was delightfully lazy, spent reading and relaxing—the kind of thing we do best. Barb watched the ship's presentation on Apia and decided we'll skip the organized tour tomorrow and simply walk into town on our own.

Loretta, Barb wants you to know she's having about as much luck spotting dolphins as you had spotting whales.

Now it's time to watch a movie before getting ready for what promises to be another hot and humid day in Samoa.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

008° 21' South
169° 49' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 14 - At Sea

Another breakfast in our cabin followed by coffee out on the balcony. Blue sky, fluffy clouds and no land in sight for several days. A little rain last night, but still in the 80's. Barb continues to search for her first dolphin and I'm trying to convince her there really are flying fish.

Took a couple of walks around the ship. Got a coffee and checked the lunch menu at the Crown Grill. Wednesday at sea is English Pub day at the Crown Grill. It was very good last week, so we gave it another try and it didn't fail. In fact, it may be the best food on the ship so far.

Around 3:55 this afternoon my GPS positioned us at 00° 01' S 166° 55' W, which put us just over the Equator.

We are a little disappointed that there no towel animals greeting us in the evenings. Really amazing what the room stewards could do with towels on the Norwegian Cruise Line.

That's about it for today. Sea day tomorrow and then Apia.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

001° 03' South
167° 17' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 13 - At Sea

With the norovirus lurking we've decided to avoid places with lots of people. Horizon Court (the buffet) is out. All those people hanging around and over the food just doesn't sound good, so corn flakes, orange juice and coffee in our cabin again.

Tried to post yesterday's update, but at the moment nobody seems to be having any luck getting on the internet. At best connection speeds are slow. Maybe it has to do with so many people using at the same time.

Finished my second book last night and starting the third this morning. Good thing I picked up another iTunes card in Honolulu and downloaded two more books. With four left I should make it back to LA. If not, there is a library on board.

Got a mocha and we headed for the future cruise computer. Checked out some Mediterranean cruises, but with all the trouble that's going on in Europe we're not too enthusiastic about spending time there.

Somewhere along the way today we are to cross the International Date Line and according to the ship's calendar tomorrow doesn't exist. However, in a few days it looks like we get it back.

Dinner tonight was the once a week, only on Tuesday, only at sea Crab Shack. Pretty good if you don't mind digging and eating with your hands. Popcorn shrimp and hush puppy appetizer and Manhattan clam chowder was followed by a large bowl of Alaskan king crab, shrimp in the shell, red potatoes and corn on the cob. All the tools for cracking and prying out the crab were provided, along with a waist length bib.

Later back in our cabin the PA system lit up calling the emergency response team to report to deck 4 zone 6. We probably weren't the only ones wondering what was going on. A short time later the Captain came on to announce a engine driving an electrical generator had a problem and shut down. Not to worry, there are four more.

That's about it for today. Just checked the GPS and at about 2 degrees North we are nearing the equator. ______________________

Aboard the Crown Princess

002° 26' North
166° 05' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 12 - At Sea

Today marked the start of four straight sea days before we reach Apia, Western Samoa. You'd think that would mean sleeping in. Oh no. We were up at 5:45 a.m. to do laundry. Surely there would be machines available that early. Wrong. Apparently, after four consecutive port days, a few of the other 3,000 guests had exactly the same idea.

With the laundry room packed, we headed to the Horizon Court for breakfast. I finally managed to get a couple of real fried eggs instead of what Barb is convinced are powdered scrambled eggs. Hash browns, watermelon, a little cottage cheese, lox, and some really bad coffee rounded out my meal. I don't recall what Barb had because I stayed behind to guard our table while she gathered her breakfast. By the time I got back, she was nearly finished eating. That's the downside of preferring to sit while you eat. The dining rooms are much better for finding a seat, but every meal seems to take about an hour. Then again, with four sea days ahead of us, we're really not in much of a hurry.

Later we stopped by the International Cafe for a mocha before wandering through a few of the shops. Eventually we found ourselves at the Future Cruise Center—the place where you sit down at a computer and figure out how to spend thousands of dollars. Which is exactly what we did. After looking at several options, we settled on a 20-day Caribbean cruise aboard the Royal Princess. No money has changed hands yet, but I'm pretty sure Barb isn't going to let this one get away.

On the way back to our cabin we checked the laundry room again and found several machines available. By some stroke of luck, they were still empty when we returned with our laundry bag.

While relaxing in the cabin before lunch, the captain came over the PA system with an announcement that no one wanted to hear. We had a new guest aboard. Yes, Norovirus had officially joined the passengers and crew of the Crown Princess. We were reminded to wash our hands frequently and instructed to call 911 if we became sick. Don't leave your cabin—the ship's doctor would come to you.

With that cheerful news fresh in our minds, we washed our hands and headed to lunch in one of the dining rooms. Horizon Court was suddenly off our list for a while. Lunch was potato soup, turkey sandwiches, and hazelnut ice cream for both of us.

Barb made reservations for dinner at 7:30 in the Crown Grill, one of the ship's two specialty restaurants. "Specialty" means there's an extra cover charge, but for me it was money well spent. I'd give the meal an A. The scallop appetizer was outstanding, the French onion soup was excellent, and the filet was cooked perfectly. Barb wasn't quite as impressed with her selection, but we both agreed the desserts were excellent. To top it all off, we enjoyed a bottle of Oregon wine from Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Tomorrow brings another sea day. Hopefully, the laundry is done, the Norovirus stays away, and the coffee somehow improves.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

009° 41' North
163° 37' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 11 - Kauai

Well, today I'm actually going to try and post on time instead of a day or two late.

Alarm was set for 6:00, but I was up around 5:30 to see the first hint of sunrise to the East. Breakfast arrived at 7:35 and by 8:00 the ship was docked. We had an excursion scheduled, so we were off to meet our group at 8:15. By 9:00 we had made it off the ship and onto what appeared to be a brand new bus. Tony would be our guide today and like most he was a talker.

Our first stop was the Kilohana Plantation. Once over 16,000 acres of sugar cane it is now 25,000 acres of organic farm land. On old narrow gauge railroad that runs through the property that once hauled sugar off to be refined now carries visitors through the farms. We saw bananas, pineapple, plums, several kinds of oranges, star fruit, coconut, lychee nut, papaya, mango and more I can't remember. There also were pigs, horses, cows, goats and hundreds of chickens.

Speaking of chickens, I don't think I mentioned the thousands that roam free on the islands. Everything is expensive here because just about everything is shipped or flown in. And that includes eggs, which car run as much as $8 a dozen. So people began raising their own chickens for the eggs. Well, finally a hurricane came along that was strong enough to blow down the chicken coops and set the chickens free. The chickens quickly imitated rabbits and multiplied like crazy. They are even down at the beaches.

Some guy named Gaylord owned the plantation and way back when built a three bedroom 16,000 square foot mansion. Now it's a restaurant, gift shop and purveyor of specialty rum. Unfortunately, you can only take wine onto the ship.

Our other stop was Opaekaa Falls State Park. A short walk with no steps took us to the viewing area. No steps. I liked this stop a lot.

So, what did we learn today. At an elevation of 5,148 feet, Mount Waialeale is one of the most rainiest spots on earth. Averaging 452 inches per year since 1912, it's personal best of 683 inches was recorded in 1982. The world has a total of 13 climate zones. Tucked away in its 562 square miles the island of Kauai has 11 of those zones. At the port of Nawiliwili one can catch a free shuttle to Walmart as well as Macy's.

We are now done with the Hawaiian Islands. I was here last 53 years ago in 1962 aboard another cruise ship the USS Ranger CVA-61. I like my accommodations a little better this time. Tomorrow we are off to Western Samoa.

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Aboard the Crown Princess

021° 57' North
159° 21' West

Posted by iPad 2 Air

Day 10 - Maui

Today started early with the island of Maui and town of Lahaina appearing off our starboard side. This would be a tender day, which meant the ship would anchor and lifeboats would be used to move us ashore. A series of long rumbling noises indicated the anchor had been let go and shortly thereafter lifeboats began being lowered. Breakfast today was corn flakes, crying is want and orange juice in our cabin, after which we headed down to catch a ride to Lahaina.

With no excursion for the day we were free to wander. By about 9:30 we were wandered out for two reasons. First, Lahaina is a pretty small place and we can stand only so many shops selling the same thing. Second, it was getting hot and we weren't going to get into another walking contest like yesterday. We did manage to see the worlds largest banyan tree, which shades about an acre of a park, and find another Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Always keeping an eye out for lunch spot.

We thought maybe we could hire a cab for several hours to show us some of the local sights. In a short time we we had a cab and driver with another couple for a three hour drive. Turned out to be a great decision.

Our first stop was a plantation where we got to see bananas, pineapples, coconuts and what are reported to be the cleanest restrooms in this part of the island. Next up we went to Iao Valley State Park and a name unknown cultural center. The park was very scenic and I appreciated that there was only a 133 step climb today. The cultural center had areas set aside for those coming from different countries to work the sugar cane fields. Our last stop was at a beach to see the sea turtles. Unfortunately they don't come up on the beach until late afternoon, so the only ones we saw were in the water. Not a good photo op.

Heading back to Lahaina we passed the only remaining sugar refinery left on the islands. And being Saturday there were surfers along most of the coast. All in all it was a three hour fifteen minute drive and probably as good as a ship excursion. The driver was knowledgeable and talked most of the time about what we were seeing.

Back in town she dropped us off to lunch with Bubba Gump and crew. Barb opted for fish and chips and I again went with Lt. Dan's Drunken Shrimp. After lunch we caught a tender and were back on the ship by about 2:30. It's now 8:20 and we are back at sea headed for Kauai.

Yes, that's one tree

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Aboard the Crown Princess

020° 43' North
157° 06' West

Posted by iPad 2 Air

Days 8 and 9 - Hilo and Honolulu

Well, I have a little catching up to do. Thursday - I was up early to watch us dock in Hilo. Somehow the Captain managed to put the ship in sideways to a space not much bigger than the ship itself. At 951 feet it was a tight fit.

We had a quick breakfast at the Horizon Court and at 9:00 headed down to meet a group for our first excursion. After boarding a bus we were on our way to Akaka Falls. At 422 feet its a nice visit, except for 400 plus steps to get to it and back. The vegetation was amazing and our guide Cliff seemed to know not only the name of each tree but what country it came from. I didn't mention to Cliff that Multnomah Falls at home in Oregon is 620 feet.

Next stop was a rain forest zoo. Apparently one side of the island gets 120 plus inches of rain, which makes it the rain forest side. For years this was sugar cane country, both growing and processing. But, as often happens Third World countries (Cliff words) did it cheaper and now it's gone. Anyway, I don't remember the name of the park, but we needed more time than the tour allowed to have a good visit. Last stop was the Mauna Loa Macadamias farm. They have over 2,500 trees, a processing plant and visitor/sales center. We left with a six pack of their finest dry roasted.

It was a long day and we were in bed at 7:30.

Friday - Going to bed that early guarantees getting up early and for me that meant about 5:00. A trip out to the balcony revealed lots of stars and the lights of Honolulu off in the distance. We didn't have an excursion, but there was a plan. First, we had ordered breakfast in our cabin and that showed up about 7:30. This was to be Barb's day at the Ala Moana shopping center

We headed off the ship about 9:00, planning to find a shuttle, bus or cab. In the end we walked the three miles, switching to the shady side of the street when we could in what was becoming a hot and humid day. Ala Moana is a four story shopping center, with three floors of stores and a fourth floor of restaurants. We covered it all and it's all open air. I was hot and tired when Barb called time out for lunch.

Without hesitation we headed for Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, a place we had never been. Barb opted for Shrimp New Orleans, which was about a dozen shrimp broiled with butter, garlic and spices, and served with jasmine rice. She liked it. I had Lt. Dan's Drunken Shrimp, which was chargrilled shrimp and andouille sausage with mashed potatoes and bourbon sauce. I liked it. This was probably the best shrimp meals we've had since Louisiana.

It was during lunch we decided we would not walk back to the ship. We did start by walking to the beach so Barb could stand in the water. She got to about a foot while I took refuge under a nearby tree. Then we started walking in the direction of the ship thinking we would catch a cab. We didn't. Looking at a map I'm guessing we did about 8+ miles in the heat and humidity and it isn't going to get any better. A beer for me and wine for Barb on the balcony turned out to be dinner.

We leave Honolulu at 10:00 tonight headed for Maui.

Hilo

Diamond Head in the morning

Lunch with Forrest

Barb at Waikiki ______________________

Aboard the Crown Princess

021° 18' North
157° 51' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Days 6 and 7 - At Sea

Tuesday - Today was the day all first time Princess cruisers got to meet the Captain and hear about all the benefits that come with signing up for more Princess cruises.

Tonight we opted for a late dinner/snack at the Horizon Court. Horizon Court is a fancy name for the buffet, which seems to draw most of the passengers. For each of three three meals there choices, choices, choices. If you stick to a salad, maybe a chicken dish or perhaps one of the oriental offerings you will do ok. And there is plenty of fruit, breads, cheese and a couple of dozen different desserts.

Got a photo of a great sunset and maybe I'll figure out how to post it. Had this all figured out at home, but today it's long gone. We finished off the evening with an ice cream cone.

Wednesday - More sleep last night as we crossed into another time zone.

The day started with coffee and pastries delivered to our stateroom. We had planned to eat out on the balcony, but it must have rained a little during the night and the chairs were still a little wet. A leftover rainbow hung below clouds to the North.

Mid-afternoon the captain made announcement about hurricane Olaf, which is somewhere Southeast of Hawaii. Still 800 miles away we can expect some larger swells and maybe higher surf at the islands.

The next four days we be off the ship doing stuff in Hawaii, so after breakfast it was laundry day. Barb ran the washer and dryer and I ran the iron. After the housekeeping we did a little shopping and put another punch in Mike's coffee card.

Barb hasn't made a decision on dinner tonight.

Just another morning ______________________

Aboard the Crown Princess

021° 58' North
149° 21' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Days 4 and 5 - At Sea

Sunday -

Breakfast this morning was at one of the main restaurants and we were not impressed. It will get a second chance tonight. After breakfast Barb headed for the excursion desk and signed up for "Highlights Of Tahiti". So now we have excursions scheduled in Hilo, Nawilwili, Moorea and Papeete. Hopefully I'll figure out how to get photos posted.This relaxing at sea is really hard work. We wound up taking a two hour nap in the afternoon.

Barb made a 7:30 reservation at the Botticelli dining room for dinner and although it wasn't the fastest service the meal was good. At least mine was. Scallops and shrimp covered with mashed potatoes. I know, sounds weird but it worked. Barb was a little under the weather with a bit of motion sickness and didn't eat much. We will see how Dramamine works for her.

Monday - Got an extra hour of sleep last night by moving one time zone West. After our experience with breakfast yesterday, we headed to the Horizon Court today. Nothing wrong with scrambled eggs and lox.

Because we are on a Princess ship there are 24 hour a day "Love Boat" reruns, which Barb is watching off and on. I'm 414 pages into 1049 pages of Tom Clancy's "Full Force And Effect", one of six books I downloaded on the iPad just for this cruise. If one is interested, there are dozens of shipboard activities, but we for the most part stay away. Our time is basically sit back and relax.

Before lunch we took a couple of laps around the ship on the Promenade Deck. This is one of our shipboard activities and something we will be doing everyday. Unlike Norwegian Cruise Line, they don't have markers telling you how far you walked, so I'm guessing maybe fifteen miles. Then again maybe not quite that far. After our walk I stopped by the International Cafe and got a free Mocha courtesy of neighbor Mike, who gave me a practically unused coffee punch card from his last Princess cruise. Thanks Mike! Lunch was two slices of what could likely be the worst pizza we've ever had. Actually it was the worst.

Next up was a nap after which Barb made a reservation for the Crab Shack. Popular place, we couldn't get in till next week. Now we are just sitting out on the balcony watching the world go by.
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Aboard the Crown Princess

027° 33' North
134° 15' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 3 - Boarding and At Sea

Well, today went much better than yesterday. Although we couldn't board until 1:00 that didn't keep us from getting up early. Some things never change.

Turned the car in about 10:30 and caught a ride with Enterprise to the Cruise Terminal. Couldn't believe how smoothly checkin went. Dropped off the large suitcases at the curb and took only two overnight bags, each of which had a bottle of wine. One bottle per adult allowed. Anyway, checkin was a breeze. No line, no wait. Since we were early we had about a 1 1/2 hour wait.

Finally out group was called and about 40 of us made for the ship. Check our passport photo, show our ship ID, have a photo taken and we were in. We have a mini-suite, forward on the starboard side. Barb thinks it's a long way forward. And it is. Most everything is aft. A long ways aft.

Our room was ready and suitcases had already arrived. Unpacking was interrupted by the required emergency drill, so we were off to our muster station with life vest in hand.

Not wanting to change out of shorts we opted for dinner at the Horizon Court and spent the rest of the evening in our cabin. By lights out there were white caps and most of the night we had a gentle roll.

Well, that's it for now.

Leaving Los Angeles
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Aboard the Crown Princess

031° 42' North
122° 24' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 2 - Sacramento, CA to San Pedro, CA

Well, what should have been an easy day started out fine and then went south. Really south. What should have been a 6 1/2 hour drive turned into 13 1/2 hours of anything but fun.

But first the good stuff. Up at 5:30 and downstairs for a couple of Embassy Suites best omelettes. Headed out of town on I 5 while most traffic was coming into town. Quick stop in Stockton for the usual Starbucks. All is well.

Somewhere down around Patterson there was one of those portable highway signs flashing something about road closings. At 75 I didn't quite catch what was about to happen to us. Later a second sign said I 5 was closed at The Grapevine and to take an alternative route over to highway 101. So we stopped for gas at whatever interchange has the Anderson Split Soup restaurant and I ask a couple getting gas next to us about what was going on. Seems like a huge rainstorm blew through and a larger than life mudslide took out the highway. Highway 152 is suggested.

Ok, turns out 152 is a nice four lane highway, which eventually turns to two lane and ends at 101. Heading south again everything is still fine. We pass Camp Roberts, where Barb's dad did some time with Red Skelton during The Big One (WW II), lots of farms and even a few palm trees.

Somewhere around Goleta traffic started slowing. And it slowed and slowed until it came to a stop. Santa Barbara drifted slowly. 5 MPH became speeding. All the hundreds of trucks that travel I 5 now materialized on 101. It wasn't until somewhere around Ventura that things began to thin out a little. Somewhere along the line we pulled off to find dinner. Choice boiled down to Subway or never before tried In-N-Out Burger. We went with never before tried.

Unfortunately the delay got us right into the middle of LA rush hour. By now it was getting dark and all that could be seen were headlights and tail lights. Back down to 5 MPH. I truly don't know how people do it.

Anyway, around 8:40 we pulled into our hotel in San Pedro.

So now it's Saturday morning and I've been trying to get this post up for several hours. Our hotel for the night was not only long in the tooth but had almost non-existent WIFI. Now at Starbucks with a drink and a strong signal.

In an hour or so we will turn in the rental car and head for the Cruise Terminal.
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033° 44' North
118° 18' West

Posted by iPad Air 2

Day 1 - Redmond, OR to Sacramento, CA

The plan was to be up at 6:00 and on the road by 7:00, but as usual we were a little ahead of schedule and hit the road at 5:28. We've been waiting over a year for this day, so to say we are anxious is a bit of an understatement.

First stop, of course, was Starbucks for an Americano and Mocha and then it was South on highway 97 headed for California and an overnight in Sacramento.

Rather than taking our own car and paying parking for 30 days, we're in a rental car from Enterprise. A 2016 Chrysler 200 with 1,445 miles. Very Cool. For the day we averaged 38.8 MPG. Thanks Tristina!

The drive South on Highway 97 isn't very exciting, except in the dark when a flashing sign just South of La Pine is warning about migrating deer crossing the highway. And crossing they were. I suppose many made it, but five didn't. Most of the deer had been hit multiple times, which makes dodging parts difficult, especially at night. Ok, enough of the graphic stuff.

I spent a half hour or so driving around Klamath Falls looking for the Fred Meyer store. Those of you who have been with us before know it's not unusual for me to do a little off route sightseeing now and then. Barb calls it being lost. Did manage to find a State Police office and a kind lady gave flawless directions. Barb made me promise not to go anywhere unless I knew where I was going. Figure that one out.

Stopped in Mt. Shasta City at the Black Bear Diner for lunch. We went with the old standby turkey sandwich, which was excellent.

The rest of the drive into Sacramento was uneventful. Lake Shasta was as low as I have ever seen it and down in the valley it was smokey from burning the rice paddies.

After checking into the Embassy Suites we took a walk through Old Town. Disappointing for several reasons. Too many candy and toy stores. Too many "I Love Sacramento" t-shits. Too many people handing out a free something. But my main issue was walking on cobblestones and old wood boardwalks in sandals. Just doesn't work for me and it hurts.

Back to the hotel for happy hour and then to Fat City for dinner. Barb opted for a chicken stir fry while I, being a meatloaf aficionado, dove into what is now my #2. Now back at the hotel I'm finishing up this post and will then work on tomorrow's drive. 

What lies ahead for us.

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038° 35' North
121° 30' West

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