Luckenbach, and Stonehenge II -- Mum & Dad Visit Texas – March 2009 (Part One)

DAY ONE:  Thursday, 26 March 2009

Like what they’d done back in 2007, my parents came to Austin for a just a few days, before spending the remainder of their time in Florida with Aunt Dayle.  Once again, it was nice to have them stay with us at the house, as that just added to the time we’d be able to spend together socializing and just hanging out.

Whenever they arrive, I’d always ask Mum & Dad if there was anything specific they’d like to see or do while they were here.  Mum mentioned one specific place she wanted to go, and looked at the Texas map at what compass direction she hadn’t gone yet.  I remembered when they were down back in 2006 when we shot past the Shiner Brewery.  It was too late in the day to take that tour, and it was something I thought Dad would like.  And when Mum & Dad were down in 2007, Mum got to have fun with the wine tour she did with Lee.  With that in mind, was there anything specific Dad wanted to see.

Dad did comment something he wanted to check out, so we looked around on the Texas Travel website to see what else was around there.  Lee had found a couple ideas out of a travel book she had, so we had the next day figured out.  We relaxed, and put the jet-lagged people to bed early, so we could have a nice full day tomorrow.  As Aislynn was back from her trip to Europe, she’d be able to keep an eye on the dogs while we were away all day.

DAY TWO:  Friday, 27 March 2009

            The first stop of the day was on the way to Fredericksburg, although that wasn’t our target destination.  The reason I mention it (in addition so you, reader, have some idea of where the hell I am), was on last drive out to Fredericksburg (2007) Dad had noted a road sign to a particular place.  That was where we were heading now.  The Texas town with the smallest population:  Luckenbach.

Now Mum & Dad knew a lot about this tiny place due to it being referenced in various country music songs (including stuff by Austin fixture Willie Nelson, but generally stuff I didn’t listen to).  Luckenbach has a population of about four people, and consists of just over nine acres.  The town, or ghost town if you will, has an RV park, the remnants of the post office, and a working saloon and general store.  I don’t care what the origins of the place were, there’s a saloon, I’m going to get myself a drink.  I kept with a nice locally brewed root beer, while Dad got his Lone Star fix on.

The general store and saloon first opened in either the late 1840s or 1860s (depending on who you talk to), and for the most has stayed in operation since.  The post office actually was a working facility up until 1971, when the zip code for Luckenbach was retired.  Only eleven miles from Fredericksburg, Luckenbach probably would’ve then been absorbed by one of the surrounding townships, if not for the actions of local rancher John “Hondo” Crouch.  In 1970, Crouch (along with a couple partners) actually purchased the rights to the town for a small sum of $30,000.  Not a bad way to start your own dominion.

Mr. Crouch built a dancehall there in 1973, an invited some country music artists to play there.  It’s been a regular occurrence ever since.  Through that association, Luckenbach thus got immortalized as a country music classic.  I think that ended up being one of Dad’s favourite places to visit on any of the trips he’s been here.

After leaving Luckenbach, we continued westward looking for our next target.  Looking being the operative word here, because other than “near Hunt, Texas,” the travel book Lee was using as a guide didn’t give much of a direction.  There were a few cryptic lines (like off of Route 1340) which I tried to match up with the MapCo book I had with me.  It’s easier to have Lee drive and me navigate on trips like these.  It looked like all’s we had to do was “go up this hill and around this bend, and we’d probably see a sign for it.”  Once we crested the hill, we realized why there had been no signs pointing to this, as it was rather hard to miss.

The curved around this field, so we got a clear view of our target:  Stonehenge II.  Situated in the edges of the Texas hill country, this is a creation of the famous British stone circle, but at only two-thirds the scale.  It was nice to have a sign at the side of the road to let you know the history of this.  Back in 1989, a guy (Doug Hill) tripped over a stone in his friend’s (Al Shepperd) field here, and then built an arch next to it to make it more visible.  After comments were made about much the arch looked like the monoliths on Salisbury Plains, a bunch of other arches were created to complete the circle.  While there are a few real stones present, most of the arches are made of hollow, wired frames covered in cement.

This was essentially an art project someone built on their own property just to be fun.  Does it appear slightly out of place, kind of, but not really.  Because the area is pretty rural, it’s not like some homeowner’s association is going to come along and complain about how it “doesn’t fit” with the rest of the neighborhood.  It’s a novelty, and a roadside attraction, which there aren’t too many left of these days.  In addition to the arches, as Mr. Shepperd had visited Easter Island, there were also two statues made in the likeness of those found on the remote South Pacific island.  The Easter Island statues (actually called Moai, which I learned from reading the works of Thor Heyerdahl) were constructed from the same material as the other stones.

Any one who knows me well, knows I like to do oddball things, usually for no other reason than just the humor value.  I get that from Mum.  She said her rationale behind this was to “soak up the warm Texas sun, as it was so cold back in New York.”  Well, that and you were just being goofy.  Mum decided to lay down on the real stone (the very one the guy tripped over years earlier), and pretend she was going to be sacrificed by “those Druid folk.”  Well, Druids didn’t sacrifice humans, but there was no point in mentioning it because it’d spoil the fun moment.

While Al Shepperd died back in 1994, this site has been maintained strictly through donations, and his family who still owned the land.  There were pictures of Mr. Shepperd’s wake being held here, so what a way to be remembered.  As this was a close I was going to get to the real Stonehenge in the foreseeable future, I decided to soak it up as much as possible.  Stonehenge II isn’t oriented to solstices, equinoxes, or lined up to any stars (the way the genuine article is), but it was never meant to be.  We didn’t know what we were going to find, because the travel book that Lee had didn’t have much information about it, but it was quite the good find.

Because it was getting near lunch, it was time to locate some place to get some nourishment.  We hadn’t found any one to give recommendations, we drove around a bit until we found a small café that looked promising.  What looked even more interesting was the shop across the street, as it was filled with antiques and hand-made artwork.  I really dug the mural which was on the side of the building, as well as the stone gallery to the side.  Was there anything we wanted, no, but it was a great visual spectacle.

Since we were in the vicinity of Fredericksburg, we made a quick trip over to the Fredericksburg Winery so Mum and Lee could pick up a couple bodies to enjoy while they were together.  In the same location, which also had a small store with other trinkets in it, I saw something I wanted.  I thought I could really get a lot of use out of this at work, but unfortunately it was just a “display model,” not something for sale.

More information on the places we visited can be found at:

            Luckenbach:  www.luckenbachtexas.com

            Stonehenge II:  http://www.texastwisted.com/attr/stonehenge2/

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Western MA & Southern VT – April 2008 (Clark Museum, and Bennington Battle Monument)

DON’T GO ON HOLIDAY WITHOUT A CAMERA

Lee and I only had one digital camera.  Since we’d gotten that, we’d stopped using any cameras which took actual film.  There may’ve been some shots hanging out as rolls of film were used up so they could be developed, but by this time it was quite a hunt to find someone to develop it.  So when I was going back to New York to part of Shawn & Veronica’s wedding party, and Lee wasn’t coming up into later, it presented a problem.  As it was during one of Aislynn’s band concerts, Lee’s need of the camera trumped mine, until she got there.

There was a simple compromise around this.  Lee would be bringing the camera with her when she came up for the wedding.  In the days before the wedding, when Lee was in New York with me, we’d have it for places we wanted to see together.  In the few days before that, I’d use that time without camera to spend time visiting the Tobey’s, Tribune people, celebrating Rob’s birthday, and other engagements that Lee didn’t have much interest in.  That’s not a slight.  It’s just not very interesting watching your other-half hang out with people that you only know through them.

So I arrived in Albany on 19 April.  Mum & Dad picked up me, as it made no sense to rent a car for this period.

Thursday, 24 April 2008

The most interesting thing we did (once we’d picked Lee up at the airport) was a trip over to Williamstown, Massachusetts, to visit the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (or simply referred to as “The Clark Museum”).  Located in the Berkshires region, the museum began when the Clark’s feared for their collection of Italian and Dutch painting during the Cold War.  Deals were made with town leaders and administrators of nearby Williams College, and eventually the museum opened in 1955.

Mum & Dad had been there a few times before, but I didn’t recall ever going, so it sounded like it would be fun.  In addition to regular gallery items, The Clark was showcasing works by Frederic Remington.  Remington was best known for painting images of the American West (circa late 19^th Century), including cowboys, cavalry, and Indian war images.  Many of the paintings of Remington the museum wouldn’t allow pictures to be taken of.  That just made them a treat for the eyes.  There were also some other paintings and sculptures that we could photograph.

That brought us up to lunch time.  We then wandered over to Williams College to find a place to eat.  Williams College isn’t that big, having a student population of just under 3,000, so it gave us that “small town” feel.  Among the establishments were the students would hang out, we also found a nice place to get some ice cream too.We spent some time driving through the mountains of the area, and headed towards Bennington, Vermont.  The target there was something I’m sure I visited back in the days with the Scouts, but didn’t have much recall of:  The Bennington Battle Monument.

The monument was completed in 1889, and made from a local limestone material known as Dolomite.  Dolomite contains some fossils, so as we wandered around the monument it was interesting to note that.  Scattered around the grounds are a few statues of people who took part in the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War (which actually took place about ten miles west of this location in New York State).  One of those is of American General John Stark, who is known as the “Hero of Bennington” due to his actions during the battle.

The stone obelisk stands over 300 feet tall, and has an elevator inside to bring visitors to tall narrow windows in order to view the surrounding countryside.  The reason the monument is placed where it was had to due to the proximity of the Catamount Tavern, which served as the headquarters for the Green Mountain Boys lead by Ethan Allen.

Because it was a great height, Lee didn’t want to up to the top, so Mum stayed below with her.  Dad and I took the elevator up to the top so we could look out the windows on the observatory level (which is only at 200 feet).  From there, one can see into Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts.

To keep the historical aspects of the trip going, the next day we went over to show Lee the Saratoga Monument.  This is a much-smaller obelisk than the one in Bennington.  It commemorates the surrender of British General Burgoyne to American General Gates, which was noted as the “Turning Point of the American Revolution.”

Due to various things which needed to be done to prepare for Shawn & Veronica’s wedding, and the fact we just wanted to spend some time socializing, there weren’t any other places visited on this trip.  We didn’t find that to be a big deal, as we knew there’d be other trips in the future to explore further. 

More information on where we visited could be found at:

Clark Museum:  www.clarkart.edu

Williams College:  www.williams.edu

Bennington Battle Monument:  benningtonbattlemonument.com

Saratoga Monument:  www.nps.gov/sara/index

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Turks & Caicos Islands – October 2007 (Part Five; Hurricane Noel Arrives, We Depart)

DAY SEVEN:  Tuesday, 30 October 2007

The weather this morning wasn’t any better.  The good news was that Hurricane Noel had taken a southern route, so TCI wouldn’t be in the bulls-eye.  The eye had pounded the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and then would be moving on to Cuba before going into the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Keys.  The result of that was the swirling pattern of the storm would continue to buffet the island chain, and points immediately northward (like the Bahamas, and Miami, the areas we had to fly over).  Like it or not, we’d still be affected by Hurricane Noel.

We had our last breakfast at Mango Reef, finished packing, and checked out.  It was overcast, but not rainy, when driving to the airport.  The nice thing about where we got the car from (Grace Bay Car Rentals) was they had told us just to park it at the airport, put the keys over the sun visor, and lock it up.  They would pick up the vehicle there, so we didn’t have to worry about any exit paperwork.  If there were any additional charges, they’d take care of that via phone and/or credit card.

Providenciales International Airport was crowded when we got there (two hours early, as you’re suppose to do before an international flight).  Not sure how many of these people had arrived today for their flight, and how many were still here form the night before.  As it was such a small airport, it was unlikely anyone had camped out here.

Part of the vacation planning Lee had done when she secured the airline tickets was gave us a nice long layover in Miami.  The idea was that it might take some time to go through Customs, and we didn’t want to be rushing.  Coming on an international flight and going to make a connecting domestic flight means you’d exit the international aircraft, pick up your luggage from baggage claim, go through Customs processing, and then have to re-check your luggage and go through security again to be able to get to your connecting domestic flight.  We had something like a three hour layover planned.  We originally thought we’d spend a bunch of time waiting in Miami, now we’d need that extra time to keep from missing our connecting flight.

The plane coming into Provo, which we’d be exiting on, was delayed by about forty minutes.  There wasn’t anything we could do but wait, and hope that the weather would cooperate enough to allow us to flight out.  If our departing flight was cancelled at the last minute, we’d have to see if Royal West Indies would welcome us back for another day (providing we could find one of the few-and-far-between taxis to get us there and back).  We learned that after pounding Cuba had taken, Noel then turned northward.  Instead going out over the Keys, it was heading up the eastern coast of Florida; right in the direction we were headed.  While it wasn’t project to make landfall until it was far north of Miami, it would still play havoc with any flights coming in and out of that destination.

Once our departing flight had arrived, and gotten ready for the return, it was time for us to board.  By then, it was raining pretty good now.  The tarmac we had walked those couple hundred feet a week ago in nice sunshine was now a gauntlet to run as quick as possible to keep from getting wet.  If people didn’t bottle-neck when on the getting on the plane, and making us stand on the entry stairs exposed to the elements, it probably would’ve worked well.  A soaking few minutes later, we were boarded, and not long after that, we were in the air.  This was not the farewell to Turks & Caicos that we’d hoped.  Bad weather at the end of the week and some cancelled events aside, it was a good week, and we had a great time.  We knew this was a place which we’d want to return to again at some point.

A flight from Providenciales to Miami in good weather is ninety minutes.  Once in flight, the captain let us know that he was going to swing more north than usually to skirt the worst of the storm, and that would add about another thirty minutes to the flight.  Our three hour layover which had previously been shrunk to just over two hours, was now shrunk again to an hour-and-a-half.  Ninety minutes to go through Customs, and make the connecting flight.  It would be tight, but still was doable.

We couldn’t see anything out the window out than grey clouds and rain, and the plane was constantly jolted by the winds.  I don’t think the flight attendants were charging anything for drinks on the flight.  We snuggled in the seat as much as we could, and kept focused on the good memories of the trip.  These situations we had to deal with here were beyond our control, so there was no reason to get upset about it.  “It is what it is,” Lee said, and we just didn’t get frustrated about the situation (unlike most everyone else on the plane).

Two hours later, we could see the lights over the city of Miami.  It wasn’t long past noontime, and the sky was almost as black as night.  Hurricane Noel had moved westward across almost at the same rate we did, so the weather here was now worse than what we’d left Provo in.  At least the flight would be over soon.  I don’t mind sitting in an airplane for long periods, I’m not claustrophobic by any means, but after a certain period of time I just want out of the fucking tin can.  The flaps of the wings were down, and we heard the landing gear lower.  Looking out the window, I could see us getting closer to the runaway.  I could tell it was down-pouring out, but didn’t care because we’d be off the plane soon.  I could gauge distance by looking at things on the ground get bigger as we descended.  As the runaway rolled under us, I figured we weren’t more than twenty feet above it.

The very next sensation was being pushed back into our seats, as the plane accelerated upward at far steeper than a forty-five degree angle.  It was a couple of tense minutes until we leveled out over the city.  The captain came over the intercom and announced the landed had to be aborted because they’d gotten a wind-sheer alert.  He said the plane would have to circle around to an alternate runway, so the flight would be a little longer.

A wind-sheer alert, explained to us later, was when a plane has a stronger crosswind across its side than what it’s flying through.  The force of the wind could hit the tailfin enough to tip one of the wings up.  When that happens, the side wind would catch the wing, and force the plane into a corkscrew.  Passenger airlines are not designed to execute barrel rolls, they’re not built for that.  Now if that happened up in the air, a plane would usually drop altitude quickly to get underneath it.  When coming in for a landing, you’re pretty much guaranteed to crash without any time to assume the position.

Because there were other inbound planes already in their landing corridors, we had to wait for an opening, so we were in the air for another half-hour or so.  Our ninety minute window had just shrunk again.  On this landing attempt, we were only a few hundred feet off the ground before another wind-sheer alert aborted this landing.  Once again we had to fly over (or around) Miami until a safe position opened again.  Another forty or so minutes went by before we could attempt the third landing.  Lee said we’d missed any reasonable chance of getting to our connecting flight now.  The comfort we had was because we’d miss our connection flight due to delay or our incoming flight (and not our incompetence off taking too long at the airport bar), the airlines had to rebook us on a flight to our destination at no charge to us.

Planes have a bit of extra fuel in case of delays, or if they have to shunt off to another airport.  We’d been in the air nearly twice as long as the flight was supposed to take.  Have no idea where the fuel gauge was, but I’m sure by now it was land in Miami because we couldn’t reach any reasonable location.  And because we were an international flight, I’m sure there was some regulation which kept us from going to Tampa or some other close-by place.

From the passenger window, it didn’t look like the weather had changed any as we came in for the third landing, but it must’ve been enough.  Once the landing gear touched the ground, and the braking process started, you could feel a slight fish-tail sensation as we slowed.  I think it was just more of the side wind buffeting the plane, than it getting ready for a complete spin-out.  The plane came to a stop, and everyone in the cabin began to clap and cheer.  The applause was not just for finally being on the ground, but to acknowledge the captain for succeeding at a difficult task.

And now the zoo began.  People are normally slow grabbing their belongings from the overhead bins, especially when there’s some anxious people behind them.  Now those slow people had a whole lot of anxious people behind them.  Lee and I stayed put in our seats.  We weren’t going to make our connecting flight, so there was no reason to rush.  Besides, any of those people trying to get through Customs to make their connecting flights still had to wait for their luggage to be regurgitated from baggage claim (which was never a quick process).

When the plane thinned out a little, we disembarked and walked along the corridors we needed to go.  It was a series long, narrow corridors, with a thick glass wall which separated you from the rest of the airport.  I think we had to go to the other side of the freakin’ airport.  Felt like a rat in a maze chugging along to find the exit.  Lee and I took our leisurely pace, as people ran full-tilt past us.  O.J. Simpson flying through the airport wouldn’t speed this process up.

Customs was an adventure in itself.  Think of the under-paid, over-worked government employees you deal with a Post Office, and you have some idea what a U.S. Customs Agent is like.  Now compound that with a normally high-stressed job of having to process people as quickly as possible, and that’s before a weather-relation situation which has caused major flight delays.

There were about twelve lines, and you waited until you were called.  At that point you presented your passport, and completed Customs Declaration Form (which had been given to each passenger group at the _beginning_ of the flight).  In addition to the usual gang of jack-holes who were trying to fill out the form once they were called to go through the check-point, and the people who paid no attention to signs vividly stating to have your identification ready, you had the morons complaining about how slow the whole process was going, and how they were going to miss their flights because of this.  Want to guarantee a slow line doesn’t move any quicker?  Complain loudly about it.  That just motivates the agents to move slower just to piss off the passengers.  It’s not like the agents have a flight to catch.

Because we’d filled out our forms ahead of time, we were ready when we were called, so going through Customs was easy.  We could tell our agent was stressed out, and were polite to him and mentioned we understood that they were overwhelmed.  We got a smile and a thank you before he gruffly called the next in line.  After that, we went through the security check-point, and headed towards the gate to our connecting flight.

Of course, when going through security, we saw the large number of people who’d neglected to pay attention to the signs to make sure any liquids which had previously been part of your carry-on bags to be placed in your checked baggage.  It’s always interesting to watch the large number of adults who plead ignorance to signs which are clearly posted, and ask the TSA agents to make an exception “just this one time.”  I think the TSA guys were keeping a tally.

We’d been re-booked on a flight which wasn’t due to leave Miami for another four or five hours.  That meant it’d be after dark when we got to Dallas, and potentially around midnight when we’d be back to Austin (providing there were no other delays).  Our gate was in a section of the airport which was being refurbished, so the air conditioning wasn’t working.  We headed back to another section to get food at one of the vendors.  There weren’t many choices, so we ended up with the pizza joint.  Bland taste, but filling.

Then back at our gate, Lee sat and read while I stretched out on the floor to get some sleep.  I needed to be coherent to be able to drive home from Dallas (which at that point Lee could sleep).  I woke up enough to board the flight, and quickly nodded off again (because the lights inside the cabin were turned out).  I was refreshed enough upon reaching Dallas , and Lee collapsed in the car.  Other than a stop for gas, the trip home was pretty uneventful.  It was after midnight when we got home, and we were thankful for building that extra day into the trip to recover before going back to work.

Aside from the things which got cancelled due to weather, the trip was extremely relaxing, and was exactly what Lee wanted for her birthday.  While I enjoyed swimming in the ocean and sitting on the beach, I think I would’ve liked to have explored the island a little bit more.  Lee says this was certainly a one-time visit, while I said I would like to return there on a regular basis.  Going back will be more interesting, because we’ll know what to expect next time.

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Turks & Caicos Islands – October 2007 (Part Four; Hurricane Noel Gets Closer)

DAY FIVE:  Sunday, 28 October 2007

When I went out to the beach, it waves rolling into shore were white-caps.  It was a very different sound than the gentle rolling the waves had been earlier.  That made the morning frolic more fun.  I’d wade out to a point where the water was up to my shoulders, and jump over the wave when it came in.  Because my feet could still touch the sandy bottom, I could get some decent high weight I’d leap over the waves.  Not all were ones I could hurdle, and it was fun when they’d crash into me.

Lee was a little disappointed that the glow worm tour had been cancelled due to the rough weather.  Since these guys only were active during a few nights after the full moon, that would’ve been only one day that we might’ve been able to see them.  She commented that now I could finally go parasailing.  When I checked to make arrangements, I learned that too was cancelled due to the weather.  The same rough waters which made it difficult to see the worms was fueled by the high winds which made parasailing extremely more difficult.

We’d be on the beach until the late morning, as that’s when others would start to come out (and thus it would start to get more crowded).  Since we were heading out to dinner later, there was no reason to head over to one of the shopping establishments again.  We decided to walk a ways down the beach.  I’d taken some strolls by myself on the beach, so it was nice to walk together.  The weather was overcast, but warm, so there was no need to have jackets.  The winds on the beach didn’t feel that bad to us.  Figure the people who live here know if the conditions warrant cancelling tours and things.

Heading westward down the beach, we noticed the section of the beach started to get narrower, but nowhere to the extent we’d seen over in the Blue Hills.  The section of beach in front of RWI had enough room for chairs and for people to wander by, without the feeling of invading personal space.  As he headed towards Point Grace, we noted we’d chosen the best place for the beach.  We’d had gone that far down the beach, perhaps walking for fifteen or twenty minutes, when the weather looked like it was going to turn nasty very quickly.  The most prudent action would be to turn around and head back to RWI before the sky opened up on us.

During the walk back, the wind that had been to our backs was now obviously coming to our front.  Walking into the wind wasn’t an issue, even though the intensity had increased.  It was the sand which had been kicked up by the wind which was the problem.  Hundreds of tiny grains were impacting us as we went down the beach.  It was like we were walking through a sand-blaster.  Running would not have made any difference, so we trudged at the best pace we could.  I guess you could so it was a free exfoliation.  At one point, I walked in front of Lee in order to take brunt of it.  Since I had glasses, I was able to keep my eyes open.  During that time, Lee just placed her hands on my shoulders, and looked down or kept her eyes closed.  But we were able to make it back to our room with only the loss of one layer of skin.

The storm clouds made things dark earlier than normal.  When we were heading out for our early dinner about 4pm, it was almost as dark as it was just after sunset.  There’d been a place I’d wanted to go simply because of the name:  Hemingway’s.  According to the information we had, it was only a short distance down Governor’s Road past where the Saltmills were.

It would’ve been easy to find if we’d paid attention to two important things.  One, Hemingway’s was the restaurant at the Sands At Grace Bay resort.  And Two, the road actually made a T-intersection, not just the hard left which it appeared.  We saw the sign for the Sands, and didn’t realize that if we’d made a right turn and gone about 500 feet or so, we would’ve seen the sign for Hemingway’s.  We thought we hadn’t gotten to where it was yet, and we just had to follow the road down a bit further.  We made a left turn that brought us into another world.

In the dusk-like overcast light, this area appeared darker than normal because there were no street lights.  What surprised us was what appeared to be a true slum which we’d driven in to.  Not “salt-weathered buildings” here, but actual run-down places, with a bunch of dirty-looking people hanging about.  We’d stumbled into Little Jamaica.  There was a gas station at a corner which looked like it had been abandoned.  Since that corner was also a T-intersection, and it had a sign pointing to the left which said “Kingston,” we made the quick decision to turn right.

Soon we were out of this blatantly poorer section, and found ourselves passing the Beaches resort.  We got a little chuckle about that.  We figured due to the proximity to this location, the people at the all-inclusive Beaches probably didn’t want to leave, thinking that the entire island was like that small section.  Once we’d made that turn by the pseudo-gas station in Little Jamaica, the road we were on was officially called Lower Bight Road.  There were a lot of trees, and some high walls of the resorts, so we couldn’t see the beach at all on the drive.  By that time we knew we’d missed Hemingway’s, and figured the sign wasn’t out because it could’ve been closed during the off-season (which was not uncommon here).

We didn’t see any place which jumped out to us as a place to eat, and when we saw a sign to bring us back to the Leeward Highway, we just headed back to RWI for dinner at Mango Reef.  We had the conch fritters, which Lee thought was okay, but I didn’t think was any better.  I was able to get a chicken breast seasoned with Jamaican Jerk spices, and it was fabulous.  All the tables had candles on them, so we essentially had a candle-lit dinner under the open sky.  That was very nice.

DAY SIX:  Monday, 29 October 2007

We woke to rain.  Dark clouds filled the sky, making it a grey landscape out over the ocean.  This was not going to be a day to sit out on the beach.  We couldn’t sit out on the patio, because being on the third floor, it didn’t have an actual roof, just a veranda which let in the rain quite well.  We soon realized the cause of all this crappy weather was Hurricane Noel, and it was bearing down on the island.  It’s path was projected to hit TCI tomorrow, right when we’d be trying to fly out.

Being stranded on a tropical island is a dream, but not when it’s about to have its ass kicked by what was shaping up to be a pretty major storm.  We looked at our choices.  Option one was we could attempt to stay past our normal planned time, and catch a flight once the hurricane passes.  Chances were that anyone coming to our room would be delayed arriving at Providenciales, so it wasn’t like they’d be likely to kick us out.  So what if they charge us for the extra days, RWI would be making money off the room no matter who was in it.  The same would be true for the car rental, and more than likely we’d just be eating at Mango Reef a couple more times (as our groceries were nearly used up).  That would require a lot of juggling of airline costs, which probably wouldn’t be cheap.  And that also added the reality of being home a bit later than intended, and thus losing work days.  We were on our “scheduled vacation time,” so I’m sure our jobs would understand if we got back a day or two later.

Option two was that we stay right where we are, and leave at our planned time, with the hope that the delays wouldn’t be too bad.  It wouldn’t cost us anything extra in hotel or car rental, but there’s potential we’d get stuck at an airport.  Since the storm was moving westward, getting stuck in Miami was the most likely possibility.  Even if our flight got diverted to another American city, we’d still be on the mainland where our phones and credit cards would be fully active again (no roaming fees or international charges).

Option three was that we check out early today, and try to get on the next available flight.  Sure we’d still probably get charged for the last day of the room, and might cost extra to swap the airline tickets, if we could outrun the hurricane it would ultimately be worth the cost.  Using the phone in the room, Lee called the airline to make the arrangements.  I trucked down to the front desk to let them know of our intent.  I’m sure we wouldn’t be only guests trying to do this, and this wasn’t the first time they’d seen this (and wouldn’t be the last).  The people behind the front desk were very helpful in checking on this, and allowed me to speak to the manager about this.  (As the resort arrangements had been made in Lee’s name, the hotel kept referring to me as “Mr. Leibee.”  I wasn’t going to spend the time to correct them, because it wasn’t worth the time to do so, and it wouldn’t make any difference to them anyways.  Besides, I found it mildly amusing, so it didn’t bug me.)

The manager told me if we checked out early, we’d be charged for the room, and I let him know I understood that.  I explained to him that we were even trying to see if we _could_ get a flight out in the first place, and if we did, then we’d proceed with that plan.  This was a good instance of customer service I wanted to point out.  The manager was very clear with letting me know the resort’s policy on guests leaving early, and I was clear as to letting them know our intent.  We were both calm, and took the time to explain our positions to each other.  While the manager wouldn’t change his mind (or couldn’t because the policy was decided by someone above him), he was very understanding about the situation.  I appreciated that.

Once I trekked back to our room, Lee let me know what she’d found out from talking to American Airlines.  Because there were so many people trying to leave early, flights today were over-booked, and many people were hanging out at the airport on standby.  Any flights out would depend on any flights which arrived.  Since there was no guarantee we could get a flight today, there was no reason to check out early and hang around bored in the airport.  Lee said the airlines had told her that at this point no flights for the next day had been cancelled yet, but if that happened, they would be obligated to find us a flight.  The situation dictated that we go with Option Two.  We didn’t have any other choice.  Might as well enjoy the last day we have here.

The clouds were dark and threatening, but there were brave souls still hanging out on the beach.  It made the most sense to join them, and get in much beach time as possible.  We weren’t going to catch too many tanning rays, but just being on the beach was a pleasure in itself.  I didn’t go swimming, only so we wouldn’t have wet clothes to deal with, not because the waves were too rough.

It did try to rain, many times during that time.  It would start to sprinkle, and we’d all start heading for the cover of the bar at Mango Reef.  After a few moments, the sprinkling would taper off, so many would return back to the beach.  The beach chairs might be a little wet, so you just wiped it off with the towel you had with you.  (See, towels have other uses than when you’re hitchhiking across the galaxy.)  This sequence was repeated, and each time Lee and I headed for Mango Reef, and then a little bit later went back to the beach.  It was a Pavlov response in a way, I guess.  Some people did decide to remain at the bar and have drinks.

We did enjoy our last drinks of the trip, and the last dinner at the Mango Reef, but didn’t quite have the sunset we’d been hoping for.  But being able to dine at a location next to where we’re staying is a bonus when going to an unfamiliar place, especially for the fact that we didn’t have to fight traffic or find a parking space.  Normally, Mango Reef would have tables set up outside, but because of the weather we were all packed in the interior dinning room.  Didn’t change the atmosphere of the place at all, just made it more cozy.

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