The Senior Scene

We went to Kauai for two weeks and brought the sunshine back with us.
It was amazing while we were there. We rented three houses, which turned out to be quite modern (two of them sold while we were there for a combined total of $1.5 million) and spacious. Our days were spent in and out of the pool, cooking in the large kitchen, and exploring the island with its mountains, valleys and beaches.
The promise of the Smith Family Luau later in our trip had us stopping at all the thrift stores in search of muumuus for everyone. Cooking for a large group meant many visits to local groceries and farmer’s markets. Curiosity took us down dead-end roads, up mountain highways and onto “forbidden “ beaches. We even went to Barking Sands, the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility, for their beach and a nice lunch.
The time was not without interesting turns of events. There was a six-hour delay for mechanical trouble before leaving Seattle, but Hawaiian Airlines was very accommodating with luncheon vouchers and flight credits. We met a wonderful young gentleman while waiting who said he had a 96-year-old mother who would love to have us all for dinner. We took him up on it and spent an evening at their home on Baby Beach. Not everyone would invite 14 strangers for dinner. It is the aloha spirit.
Some of us took a helicopter ride over the island to really see it all. We did a boat ride on the Wailua River up to the Fern Grotto, where we were rewarded with the Hawaiian Wedding Song and then back to the luau grounds for food and entertainment with the Smith family. At the end of our adventures, we did a
“tubing” float trip down the sugar cane canals. All in all, there were many adventures to talk about when we got home, and we are already making plans for Maui next year. Be sure to let us know if you want to be included in that planning.
June takes us to Harrison Hot Springs, which will be next month’s column. There is also a small group traveling to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills.
In July, we are staying around home but still will be on the move to the Aviation Musuem, Diablo Dam and a mystery trip.
August brings Leavenworth for a two-night stay to see “Sound of Music,” “Joseph” and “Footloose.” You must sign up early for that trip to make sure that there are enough theater tickets.
September has an Alaska cruise, as well as an exciting trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
And don’t forget Cuba in December. Reservations are filling fast.
For reservations and further information, call me at 253-927-8207 or e-mail to linda.finch@gmail.com.

Spring finally caught up with us and now it really is time to start getting out and doing things.
April took us to the Tulips in LaConner. What a quaint little town with neat shops, good restaurants and beautiful tulip fields.
The Dinner Date meant a trip into Seattle for Thai food at Wild Ginger. The Mystery Trip meandered into the countryside to daffodil fields, Flaming Geyser State Park, Black Diamond Bakery for lunch and then on to Enumclaw and the Pie Goddess for dessert.
At the time of this writing, we are packing for two weeks on the beautiful island of Kauai. Remember “South Pacific,” “Jurassic Park” and even Elvis in “Blue Hawaii”? These were all filmed on Kauai. Watch for next month’s column for more about this trip.
In the meantime, think ahead to Harrison Hot Spring and Banff, S. D. and Mt. Rushmore and even Alaska. More exotic places like Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and, of course, we are still adding people to the Cuba trip. We are even working on a cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii and back . There comes a time in our lives when we have to just decide that there are things we want to do while we still can. Maybe it is that time in your life. So why not just join us on one of these fun trips? Need a roommate? We will help you find one.
For further information, call me at 253-927-8207 or get on the e-mail list at linda.finch@gmail.com

As promised, I will give you a bit about my trip to Australia. It was amazing. Now, trying to say I have seen Australia in 18 days would be like saying the same thing of the U.S. It is just too big. But we certainly did see a lot.
The first 5 days were spent in Sydney. We used the On/Off Bus (and an On/Off Ferry) to visit most of the sites. These are a great way to travel as you have the transportation and just get off at various places for as long as you wish and then get back on and go to another.
The first thing we did was ride the entire circuit – two of them at 90 minutes each. That gives you a good overview and then you can go back to where you really are interested.
Our first real stop was a Bondi Beach, well-known on the surfing circuit, for a good look and lunch. We chose the outdoor restaurant, The Bucket List, because we were working on just that. How nice to sit in the warm sunny day at the beach and think of all of you in wind and rain.
From there we really got into a few days of deep Sydney. We did the ferry across Sydney Harbour, under the bridge and past the Opera House, to the zoo. We were hit with a very heavy tropical rain as we took the cable car to the top of the zoo but it was only for about 15 minutes and once again the sun was out. We did Manley Beach, another surfing mecca; the Botanical Garden; Darling Harbour; Circular Quay; rode the monorail; shopped at the Queen Victoria Building; relaxed at the Marble Bar; toured the Opera House; looked around Kings Cross and Oxford Streets; waited for the New Year’s parade in China Town; and walked many miles in this city which is so easy to get around in.
One day we took a train and rode for an hour to Hawkesbury River. It was nice to be able to get out of the city proper and see the residential area and then into more tropical forest to the river. Here we sat by the river and had some of the freshest seafood I’ve ever eaten. The shrimp wasn’t off the bar-bee but it was wonderful, along with the sweetest oysters.
Once on board Rhapsody, our ship from Royal Caribbean, we were off for 11 days of greater adventure. The first port of call was Newcastle (founded in 1797 as a penal colony). This is the second-largest city in New South Wales and is a commercial port for coal and steel. We did a walking tour for about three miles, which took in Fort Scratchley (built in 1882), historic buildings from the penal colony days and the famous ocean bath (saltwater pool made by the prisoners).
After a couple of days at sea in 80 degree weather, we arrived in Cairns, the “tropical north.” It became important in the gold rush, followed by the advent of the railroad and transportation of tin and lumber. Fishing and pearling came next, and then the world found the astonishing natural attractions of the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical rainforests. This area has over one-third of the planet’s colorful coral (1,500 species of fish, 4,000 types of mollusks, hundreds of bright colored coral, World Heritage Site and the oldest surviving rainforest on Earth). We took the Skyrail to Kuruanda, a village in the rainforest, and returned by rail. Another rainstorm sent us dripping back to the ship to change before attending a professional basketball game between the Tarpins and the Crocodiles.

As promised, I am back from Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Mexico and
ready to tell you all about it.
Before leaving, I heard all the warnings from the naysayers about the
drug cartels, don’t drive, watch what you eat, etc., etc. I realize
that we have to pay attention to these things and am certainly not
going to travel without checking them out, as I want to be able to
come back and tell you wonderful stories.
Puerto Penasco lies 90 miles south of the border at Lukeville, Ariz.
It seems as if there is never a bend in the road as you drive through
miles of cactus and desert. Traffic was very light and we didn’t stop
until just outside the city, where there was a checkpoint with
soldiers asking where we were going and wanting to see in our car. It
was nice to know that they were checking everyone into and out of the
area
Rocky Point has a population of just over 45,000 spread out over all
the sand and dirt. There did not seem to be much of a downtown area,
but we had no trouble finding shopping in the Old Port along the
waterfront. Here we found the typical souvenir stores, pharmacy, bars
and restaurants. In addition, we found the most amazing fish markets.
Can you believe $6 a pound for huge shrimp, $2 a pound for wonderful
small steamer clams, and $2 a pound for flounder caught just that
morning.
Day excursions included a side trip to Cholla Bay for JJ’s Cantina;
Bird Island to see the local birds, sea lions and dolphin; and El
Pinacate for a moonscape of volcanic fields and semi-stable and active
sand dunes.
Our residence was at the Mayan Palace, a 25-minute drive from the
center of town. Here we relaxed in comfort with a spacious two-bedroom
suite looking out over pools, beaches and sparkling blue seas. Each
day, some time was spent walking the beach, which had more shells than
I have ever seen, and no one was telling us we couldn’t bring them
home. We had everything we needed with a sports bar to watch the
Seahawks, a pool bar for happy hour, outdoor restaurant for lunch by
the water, indoor and outdoor pools and a full-service spa. Most of
all we had sun, sun, sun.
Plan to come along with me on other trips as we explore South Dakota
in June, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in September and Cuba in
December. There are also quieter trips to the tulips, Diablo Dam,
Harrison Hot Springs and Leavenworth. For further information, contact
me at 253-926-8207 or ask to be put on the e-mail list at
linda.finch@gmail.com