What A Trip! - Part Three

I love going on vacation. I am ready at a moment's notice. I really look forward to it and wish that every day was a vacation. For some that know me, they might say that I have the life of Riley and that I already have every day as a vacation day. In a way, that is true. For quite some time I have had the opportunity to do whatever I wish, within reason, in any time frame that I choose, and however I choose to do it. That's been a blessing and a curse though.

Let me pick up where I left off..............After staying a few days in Leander, Texas........we loaded up the van..........me, Supernurse, Noodle, Expansion Pack 2.1, Mayor Of Simpleton, and Princess Fartknocker.............and we hit the road headed for Tennessee for the Fourth Of July weekend. I would have liked to have left a bit sooner because Texas was getting some outer bands of the hurricane that was beginning to pound the Texas-Mexico border. All in all, it was a minor event and not that big of a deal.......it just meant that I would have to encounter some heavy downpours at some point early in our journey........and we were gonna be driving at night and overnight. I had precious cargo and I am very careful and aware of that cargo.

With each day of life, as mundane as it often is, you never really know what to expect......things happen......surprises are had.....and life is a rollercoaster. My rollercoaster days are behind me.....my health has ensured that.......and as harrowing a rollercoaster ride would be for me, I found myself smack dab on a ride that I will never forget.

We were on the Interstate, just south of Waco......headed north........it was almost dark, the sun was setting to the west........and I could see some dark clouds ahead. It was part of one of those rain bands from the hurricane system............hopefully, it would just be a brief drive through it and then clear sailing the rest of the way..............and actually, that is exactly how it was.........very brief........maybe 15 minutes of driving through it.

Those 15 minutes now seem as if it was hours..................let me explain.
Heavy downpours of rain........visibilty not good at all........every vehicle has their flashers on........top speed maybe 20-25 mph..............but everything is coasting along. Lots of lightning too. At the time, I would have like to have taken the next exit and waited it out.......but I couldn't see any exits...........so I kept moving along..............and the rain died down quite a bit........we continued on...........whew!..........we got through it.........so traffic speed goes up to about 55 mph.........I am in the fast lane so that I can get past some slower tractor trailers and right as I get past them, I see a police car entering from a ramp and merging into traffic. Naturally, everybody slows down in fear of a ticket...........I stay at 55 mph.........but I slow down a little and move over to the right lane because I can see that the police car had moved over to the fast lane and was pacing behind me. No problem.

Just ahead there was a small rise in the roadway...........maybe like a bridge or overpass.......could have been just an elevation of some sort...........I slowed down........the road was wet, it was still raining, but not very hard, and I could not see what was over that hill........so I am cautious...........I look in the rear view mirror and I see the trucks.........they seemed a fair distance back from us..................I reach the top of the hump in the road and................traffic is stopped!!!!!!

There was nowhere for me to go...............I didn't know that I could bring the van to a stop in time.........the tractor trailer in front of us was not moving anywhere and there was nowhere to go to the left......I aimed for the shoulder of the road.......but there was only about five feet between the guardrail and the truck.......no room for us to fit............In a flash, I am trying to stop our van without losing control......and yet I keep looking into the rear view mirror at the truck behind me.
That truck is moving side to side and getting closer and closer. It was a big pickup truck pulling a boat on a trailer........and the driver..........is trying his darndest to stop from hitting us.........if I had somewhere to go I would have.....all I could do was bring the van to a stop to within an inch of the tractor trailer's right rear corner with the guardrail next to us. It was this moment.......this one moment that I was still looking back begging the pickup truck driver, as if he could hear me......"Put the hammer down!.......Please STOP.....PLEASE STOP!!!!!".

Somehow.....someway.........we weren't all killed. We would have been completely crushed..........my precious cargo and me.....gone in a flash.We all could hear the tires trying to grab the roadway.......his front grill looked as if it was gonna come through the rear window of the van..................the sound was like a monster..............and a miracle happened.............he stopped! Jesus God he stopped!...............everything stopped. My daughter Noodle said "Good job Daddy!"

Maybe it was the cop that caused the traffic behind me to slow down enough that enable them to stop.........maybe .............maybe because I slowed enough myself to be able to stop in time.........maybe .............everything and everybody was firing on all cylinders enough to be able to deal with it..........maybe...............either way.........it had to be divine intervention.

Needless to say...........I looked at everyone in the van.............just the look in their eyes spoke volumes....................and I managed to get the van around that tractor trailer.......apparently it could not move......the brakes must have locked up..............about 500 feet ahead we could see that there was an accident that caused the backup..............we continued up the highway for another 15 minutes or so and then I pulled into a gas station/convenience store............whoa.......I had to take a breather..........and everyone had to piss really bad............surprisingly nobody had shit themselves.

Stuff like this is a game changer.............one moment and everything comes into its proper perspective.

We finally made it to Tennessee.................and my mom was very happy to have all of us there. She had no idea what we had to go through to get there. Maybe we told her and it just didn't register.................you cannot really know unless you experience it.

Speaking of experiencing things..............My sister EBCBEBR puts all sorts of photographs on her dining room walls..........that way everybody can look at them when they visit..........I love that.........and look.......Princess Fartknocker posed for a picture right next to a picture of her mommy!

Yep..........her mommy.......my daughter Annie Warbucks.

It was great to see everyone..........and, of course, it was also great to have a family jam session.
Me?......I mess around with the guitar a bit............

My sister has a set of drums...........the Mayor of Simpleton did pretty good......I was surprised.

My niece's son Jimi Skynyrd has gotten quite good on guitar.........if he keeps at it he might just be able to be in a band.

Everybody got into the act............singing and playing.........

.........and texting.

My brother-in-law Bobert Titanfan...........he is so good playing keyboards that he can do it while he sleeps...........no kidding..........he was asleep when I shot this picture.

Bobert's brother Tombert is a drummer..........but lately he honing his guitar prowess by playing guitar in a band with Bobert. He is alot of fun to be around and is a really good person.........and extemely talented.

So what did we all play? Smoke On The Water..........some Cars stuff..........Beatles.......Sweet Home Alabama........etc etc.

Stay tuned folks.......there's more to come.

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Las Vegas - Bellagio

The downside of a trip to Las Vegas from Baltimore is the long flight and the hassles with airport nonsense. Sure.....I can complain about the TSA security stuff........but.......my biggest peeve of all is that, so far, whenever I book a flight from or to Baltimore, they always manage to make me walk to the farthest gate for departure.......and whenever I arrive back home, I am always dumped off at the farthest gate. I have a problem with that. At least some of the other airports have some moving sidewalks to help you out........but not Baltimore. This kind of crap sours you before your trip and throws more of the same upon your return. The weather in Vegas was like Spring........and that was a blessing. Everything went smoothly......no lost baggage.......no delays.....the airports were not overly crowded......and our pre-arranged transport to the hotel was friendly and prompt. The Bellagio staff were very friendly and helpful and in short time we were in our room on the 19th floor.

The first thing I did was pull the drapes back and look to see what kind of view we had. I imagine that because we had gotten a good deal it wasn't a surprise to not be able to see the fountains from our room...........but.........we really did not plan on sitting in the room and staring out of the window for a week. This view, as it was, was a rather nice view of the mountains.........not bad.

The room was pretty nice and had everything we needed.

Plenty of space............

......roomy bathroom........nice deep tub............

.............a decent "home" for a week.

The television........well..........half of the stations were some sort of oriental thing going on.


Apparently, the Chinese and other assorted orientals have invaded Las Vegas.

Everything in Las Vegas is over the top.

Before I get started about our visit to Vegas, I must mention McCarron Airport.........there is this car there........inside..........its an old Thunderbird.

I had to stop and take a few pictures of it............apparently Alamo Airways has some sort of historical significance here.


I am a sucker for the old classic cars.

Anyway.......there is one other thing about this airport................

...............slot machines. Apparently, slot machines are everywhere in Nevada.......including the airport.

Stay tuned...........more about my trip to Vegas coming up next.

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Riviera Maya Vacation - Part Twelve

There you have it, folks..............could I have written more about the Grand Palladium Resort?..........well, sure..........but I think I covered the more important stuff. Finally, I can wrap this report up and start blogging about other stuff such as Christmas. Would I come back here to this resort?......... absolutely.

Whenever you read up about a travel destination, you never seem to find anything about the trip to and from the airport...........what is it like?........how long did it take?...........what will you see along the way?..............what are the roads like?................not that it is all that important because you want paradise and you don't really care what surrounds the place since you might not be planning to venture off of the resort property. How can I describe the Mexico that I saw between the Cancun airport and the Grand Palladium Resort?..............I saw no indication of a middle class portion of society. I got the impression that there are only the haves and the have-nots. The main highway appears to flow well and is fairly well maintained. On the other hand, as I would look from our transport van...........the side roads were a display of blight and squalor. Yet mishmashed amongst that are car dealerships and world class resorts.

There is one thing that they do in Mexico that should be done here in the USA..........or at least in Baltimore. Speed bumps........or as they call them "topes"..........without a doubt the most effective method of traffic control.......guaranteed to slow down the traffic between point A and point B. I wouldn't necessarily use them on the Beltway, but this is exactly what should be used in school zones instead of the money-grabbing speed cameras that were recently approved of and installed.

Every single vehicle slows down for these.

As I said, the main highway appears to be well maintained and a smooth ride.........except for those "topes".........hehehe.


Playa Del Carmen is the largest town between the Grand Palladium Resort and Cancun. We just cruised on past without stopping, except for the traffic lights.

It is a growing area and eventually I can imagine the area looking like Daytona. Still..........I could see quite a bit of rubble and squalor.


Poor infrastructure..............okay, we had some heavy rains........but they just don't have the sewer and drainage systems that we enjoy in the States.

You pass by many assorted resort properties...............and they look impressive.............and you can count on them to be well taken care of as well as being well planned with good infrastructure.

The "collectivo"...........it's not a cab........it's not a bus...........but it is how alot of people get to work.

It took us about just over an hour to get to the resort and just as long to get back to the airport. We had direct transportation..........non-stop. Other vacationers, who do not do their "homework", end up on a huge bus that will stop at just about every resort between the airport and their particular vacation spot...........and that could take up to two and a half to three hours each way..........not to mention a higher price for the ride. If you plan on a trip to the Grand Palladium Resort, make sure that you visit the Palladium Addicts website and read everything.

As you ride along, you are reminded that "paradise" isn't really "paradise".

The resort should be thought of as a diamond in the rough.

As you approach the airport..........suddenly everything is similar to being at home.

There are those "topes" again.........well..........that's about it.

The trip was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it.........Supernurse enjoyed it............and we felt appreciated for being there. I look forward to returning........maybe even next year.

If you have any questions about the resort, feel free to put your question in the comments.

I may have a thing or two that I will mention here on the blog about our trip that, for some reason, I may have overlooked.

Now lets get Christmas out of the way..........next trip : The Bellagio in Las Vegas!........in January.

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Riviera Maya Vacation - Part Eleven

Yeah..........I will miss this place.........I am missing it right now as I write this. None of the pains of Baltimore here..........no Mayor Sheila Dixon trial..........no thugs roaming around..........no pestering phone calls............no places to have to be...........no stress............hmmmm........well.........maybe a little bit (I will explain later).

This sure beats dodging old ladies and their grocery cart steering skills at the supermarket.

So I sat there............and looked around.........lots to look at..........

I looked to the north...........in the distant, there is an "abandoned" resort just past the flags.......I might just want to go have a closer look.............but I am not much for being able to walk long distances.......especially walking on sand.

It was time again for water aerobics.......they did this every day.

What they do is bring out a large speaker and hook it up to a cd player.......plug it in to an extension cord and pump some thumping exercise music out towards the water.........unfortunately, they set it up right behind our lounge chairs. It wouldn't have been so bad except that one of the staff had to keep running back and forth from the water to "fix" the bad speaker connection. I got tired of hearing it sputter and quit........so I got up and "fixed" it myself so the guy didn't have to run back and forth. I actually got cheers from people.....hehehe.

I got tired of that..........so I decided that I would try to walk past the flags and see the "abandoned" resort. Supernurse stayed in the lounge chair as I walked.

I kept thinking to myself..........I must be crazy to even attempt this.........what if I drop?........Then what? I stopped frequently and paused because of the extreme pain in my upper thigh/hip. On this day it was the hottest it had been and I felt like a steamed crab on Labor Day.

But I trudged along..........it ain't easy walking in sand..........but I made it. The beach front here is somewhat natural.........and a bit unkept. I could see the turtle nesting areas.......concave dips in the sand. I didn't get to see the turtles.......they do their thing at night.

The reason that this resort is "abandoned" is that the government of Mexico stepped in and declared it off limits in order to protect the turtles.

This was the beach bar...............I rested by sitting on the rope that separated it from the beach.

I decided that I had walked far enough already and that I just might survive the walk back to Supernurse.

Here is another turtle nesting spot.Each spot had a small sign which read "No Mover"........huh? I guess that means "Do Not Disturb".

When your leg hurts like hell and you look in front of you and see just how far down the beach you have yet to walk........well..............it just adds to the pain and stress.........ahhhhh.........I told you that I would mention the stress. There would not have been any stress at all except for the fact that I was participating in what you might call a "natural cardio stress test". If I survive this without dropping......my heart must be doing fairly well.

At this point I was beginning to sweat like it was no tomorrow..........uh oh........and I had nothing to drink with me. So, determined as I was.........I kept on walking and walking.......and it hurt even worse.....I honestly did not know if I would make it. I remember thinking that if I collapsed right here and kicked the bucket, I could not ask for a better place to drop.......it was beautiful............but I also remember thinking what a hardship it would be for Supernurse...........okay........this means I have to make it the entire way. Well.......I made it.........I got back to my lounge chair and plopped down next to Supernurse. I could hardly breathe and was sweating profusely. Supernurse and I walked over to the beach bar and got some drinks and sat down in the shade. There was about fifteen or so minutes there when I was wondering if I was gonna make it..........I felt really ill. After drinking down some cold soft drinks I started feeling better. I never had any chest pains but I did get dehydrated. I suppose that this is what it feels like when you suffer from real exhaustion. I then got up and went back to the beach.........I was 100% better.

Life is full of challenges and sometimes you.........even foolishly.........create your own challenges. That long walk up the beach was one of those personal challenges.........and yes......perhaps a foolish one at that..........but I did it and in the process, overcame the fear and apprehension of doing such a thing. I kind of did the same thing when I was in Aruba and went snorkeling for the first time..........I cannot swim and I had to jump off a boat in deep water.............yeah.......talk about overcoming fear and apprehension...........but I did it. You know the old saying "Nothing ventured, Nothing gained."...................also........"No Pain......No Gain".

Stay tuned..............I will be wrapping this up next.