You guys are awesome. I didn’t expect to be away from my blog this long but internet connections are few and far between and when I can get them they are slow and quite expensive so, my friends, please be patient a little longer as my introduction to The Great Land is coming to an end very soon. I have barely scratched the surface of all there is to see but I will share with you my experiences and observations so stay turned! 🙂
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday I was blocked, stymied, brain-dead. Between being cooped up inside because of cold, sleet and freezing rain and fighting the bureaucracy that is the Mass. DUA (department of unemployment administration), All I could see was a blank screen when I tried to prepare a post for yesterday but today the news has dropped a topic right in my lap. It seems that Carnival Cruise lines is still on the “sick list”.
Just a couple of days ago Carnival Fascination received a surprise inspection from the CDC. According to the article in USA Today, all cruise ships that dock in American ports are subject to surprise inspections twice per year. The article states the ship failed due to cleanliness. Citing live flies, dried food waste and even a “roach nymph,” inspectors for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have given the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fascination a failing health grade. (To read the whole article click here http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2013/04/11/carnival-fascination-cdc-health-inspection/2074175/
But that wasn’t the only cruise ship mishap in the news this morning. The one that made me perk up my ears was the name PRINCESS. We will be traveling on a Princess Ship when we sail to Alaska.
So what now? What has plagued the Princess ship?
A news station in Houston is reporting that the Carnival-owned Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess experienced a blockage within the vacuum toilet system which affected some 410 staterooms in the aft part of the cruise ship. The news station quoted a passenger saying “by the bathroom, it was flooded, it was wet in the carpet.” Another passenger said the ship “smelled of backed-up sewer.” Many passengers couldn’t use the toilets in their cabins. Passengers had to get up in the night and take elevators to use the public restrooms. One passenger told the Houston news station: “I will never, ever, ever, ever cruise with Princess again, ever.
Carnival, especially since the Triumph disaster, has been dubbed the “poop” ships. Princess cruise lines is owned by Carnival but treated as a separate entity with its own management but this may be the first glimmer that the same problems that plague the parent company may be “trickling down”. (pun intended)
The Crown Princess has had problems before. About 2 months ago it made the news when a passenger went overboard. The article I found states it was the Coral Princess but Cruise Law News reports it as the Crown Princess…typo error or multiple incidents? I don’t know. Just be sure to hang on to the rails! It was also the Crown Princess that was hit with the dreaded norovirus on a transatlantic trip from Venice, Italy.
So it appears the cruise ship industry continues to be plagued with problems. One thing is sure, get ready for deep discounts as the cruise lines attempt to lure back skittish travelers. Carnival has already introduced fares as low as $38.00/day for 4 day Caribbean cruises. My guess would be to expect more to come on the heels of this negative publicity.
My limited experience so far has been positive. In about a month my sister and I will be off on our Alaska adventure which starts with a 7 day cruise on Princess Lines. It is my sister’s first cruise and the longest one I will have taken. Here’s hoping my positive experiences continue.
A few days ago I started telling you about a new Wildlife Sanctuary, well new to me anyway…Allens Pond in Westport. So much happened between my first post about Allens Pond and this installment that it’s hard to believe its been less than a week.
Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary is 595 acres that includes a coastal salt-pond, a salt marsh, a barrier beach, shrublands , forested wetlands and grasslands.
The sanctuary consists of 6 miles of trails where you can wander along the Buzzards Bay Shoreline, cross an old pasture or climb among giant boulders.
On my visit the sun was shining but the wind off the bay was blustery and made it cold in spite of the sunshine. Because of this I only explored half of the Beach Loop trail which was only a tiny part of the trail system.
The section I explored took me along a dirt road with Allens Pond on my left and Buzzards Bay on my right. Most of the time I could see the pond but the view of the bay was blocked by the shrublands or what I would call shrubland. These low but thick bushes are nesting areas for several protected species of birds. Piping Plovers and a couple of species of terns are known to nest here and the area is clearly marked as protected.
As you first encounter the pond from the trail you will see an Osprey nesting platform. To my right were smaller nest boxes more suitable for Eastern Bluebirds or other small, grassland birds. I saw plenty of ducks including a merganser with its fluffy looking head of feathers but no action at the Osprey Nest while I was there.
A bit farther along it was clear that the swans were here. About 6 white spots floated on the blue water just beyond my camera’s range. In the soft sand in the road I spotted the distinctive split hoof print of a deer.
It must have passed through just before I came along because the way the wind was blowing the print wouldn’t stay visible for long. In fact by the time I had turned back it was gone, filled in by the sifting, blowing sand.
By now I was pretty wind burned but it had been a nice little walk. I didn’t walk back along the shore because the round rocks were pretty unstable underfoot and I was only wearing sneakers so I retraced my steps back along the road.
There are many more trails to explore so I bet I will be back and maybe next time I’ll see that deer!
The beach at Tulum is one of the most visited parts of the site and it’s easy to see why.
Even on an overcast, dreary day the sea was a beautiful aquamarine.
Maybe not crowded, but there were still quite a few people enjoying the water.
Imagine what it would be like on a sunny day!
Like a post card!
On the point a ruin stands alone.
Some research speculates that this was a Mayan “lighthouse” .
It’s certainly in the right place.
After a quick lunch at an IHOP in Newport, RI I reviewed my options. There’s a lighthouse I’d been meaning to try to find so this seemed a good opportunity. The Lighthouse is on Goat Island. I don’t know anything about that island either so the whole thing would be an adventure…and maybe there’d be some surf there.
I pulled out my trusty GPS and plugged in the address. It began by leading me back toward the Claiborne-Pell Bridge. I didn’t want to go over the bridge again and have to pay another toll but I decided to trust the GPS and sure enough…right before the bridge entrance was a left with a sign “Goat Island”.
Taking the left took me into historic downtown Newport. There were lots of signs for Goat Island to support the directions my GPS was shouting at me. Right by the Newport Visitor Center and Terminal a right turn took me to “The Causeway to Goat Island”. There was a little park on the right and a place to pull off the road so I stopped . I could see the Lighthouse and a great view of the bridge.
It’s just a little lighthouse.
The seas here were pretty calm too but the sun was starting to go in and out. It wasn’t quite so bright and sunny and a breeze had sprung up. A sailboat was cruising around the harbor.
I wanted to see if I could get a different angle on the lighthouse but when I crossed the bridge it became clear that the Lighthouse is located on the property that belongs to the Hyatt Hotel. There wasn’t much parking except for guests so I decided to move on.
Retracing my steps brought me back to downtown Newport. I wasn’t that far from the Mansions so I decided to try Ocean Ave. On the way I drove into Fort Adams. I just pulled into the parking area but I have added it to my list of spots I want to return to on a better day. The sky was rapidly clouding up and it was starting to sprinkle. A large helicopter circled over the bay.
Leaving Fort Adams I took a right. When I reached Ocean Ave. there was a barricade but it had been moved to the side of the road. The car in front of me didn’t hesitate so neither did I. And that’s where I found them…those angry seas that I knew had to be out there.
As I took pictures it began to rain harder. I moved on along up the road to Breton Park.
Along here the ocean was even wilder.
What an adventure! This had my adrenaline pumping. The wind was really blowing now and it was raining quite hard. I do believe the waves were getting bigger while I watched.
But all things must come to an end. The Newport Police arrived to throw everyone out.
They were nice about it but made it clear that it was time to leave. Like the road in Jamestown to Beavertail State Park, the end of Ocean ave was closed while crews removed sand and debris so I had to take a twisty series of side streets to get back to Broadway. By now it was really raining hard as I settled in for what looked to be a long , wet ride home. But I was satisfied. I’d found the angry seas.
I wonder what it would have been like on the Newport Cliff Walk? Now why didn’t I think of that!
