Death Valley Days

This morning, Andy and Terry are getting ready to leave for Death Valley for a three day trip.

Springtime is the best time to visit Death Valley, not too warm, not too cold. Andy really likes to visit the desert once in a while, to see a little bit of nature for a change, and Terry does not object.

Their first rest stop on the road is at Barstow, in the high desert, where they get a bite to eat and stretch their legs.

At Baker, Ca, they would normally turn north to enter Death Valley at its southern entrance, but Terry and Andy take a detour straight east toward Buffalo Bill's Casino in Primm, Nevada.

It takes them about an hour or two out of their way. It's a little windy out here in the desert today.

Terry has not shown any interest in camping (as Andy had suggested) in Death Valley National Park, so they will spend their nights at Buffalo Bill's and commute to Death Valley.

It means a bit more driving, but Andy doesn't mind. He gets to travel a few different roads and see some sights that he hasn't seen before. Besides, the room rates offered by Buffalo Bill's these days are as low as they have ever been.

The most reasonable gasoline prices at home today are $2.05 a gallon, so this should prove to be a very low budget trip.

After a restful night at Buffalo Bill's, Terry and Andy drive north and west toward Pahrump, Nevada, a small town in the middle of nowhere. From here, they can have lunch and continue on to the southern entrance to Death Valley.

They drive through a lot of desert terrain until they find Badwater, the lowest point in North America.

The next stop, up the road, is Furnace Creek Resort. There are a lot of people from all over the country visiting here. The main campground is full of trailers and motor homes. This is the home of the famous 40 mule team which hauled borax ore out of the valley many years ago.

Andy and Terry continue their motor tour back toward Pahrump, where they stop for an early dinner. Then it's back to Buffalo Bill's for the night, and they'll drive home the next day.

Princess Cruise Day

Cruise Day has finally arrived.

Today, Andy and Terry will board the Sapphire Princess in San Pedro.

They would like to get to the pier early and board the ship as soon as possible, because they believe that their vacation begins as soon as they are aboard the ship.

The first thing they will do is locate the buffet to have a nice snack for lunch. Then, they will locate their cabin on the Aloha Deck so they can store their carry on bags. After that, they will start to explore and familiarize themselves with this new ship.

The ship is a very nice one. It takes Andy and Terry all afternoon to learn where everything is located aboard this large vessel.

The ship sets sail about 4 pm and it takes two full days to reach its first stop, Puerto Vallarta, about 1,000 miles from Los Angeles.

The weather in Puerto Vallarta is warm and humid. Andy and Terry take a walk around the area near the port, but they return before they get overheated.

At dinner time the Sapphire princess sets out for the overnight trip up to Mazatlan. In the morning we find ourselves docked right behind the huge Royal Caribbean ship, Mariner of the Seas. Andy and Terry think they would like to travel aboard the Mariner some day.

Terry and Andy like to walk around Mazatlan because the residential streets are located right next to the pier. Sometimes they walk up to the "Old Town" and sometimes they walk over to the beach area, about a mile from the dock.

This Motorcycle Cop must have been a local hero.

After a warm day in Mazatlan, the Sapphire takes us to Cabo San Lucas, where the weather is cooler. In Cabo, Andy and Terry stay aboard ship and relax. From the ship, they can see every sort of boat full of tourists enjoying the local sights and beaches.

Life is very comfortable onboard the ship.



After Cabo, the Sapphire Princess starts its 800 mile trip toward home.

Onboard, Terry and Andy participate in many Trivia Contests. The competition is very tough on this ship, but their team manages to win about four contests and they place second a number of times.



Cruising has been hard work.

After returning home, Andy and Terry need a good rest to help them recover from their travels, but they will be ready to move on in a short time.



Andy intends to visit Death Valley California at the end of the month. He also has in mind, a few road trips, after the weather warms up a little bit. Springtime is only a few days away.