November 26-December 3, 1994

November 26-December 3, 1994

Aimee and I flew to Cancun, Mexico for a week of sunshine. We stayed at the Westin hotel just north of the Club Med resort I stayed at many years ago. Most nights we took the local bus up the strip towards town to have dinner and also to shop.

As a break from the beach, we signed up for a tour to the World Heritage site of Chichen Itza, a one-time capital of the original sun worshippers of the area, the ancient Mayans. This city in the middle of the Yucatan jungle is an historical wonder. The ruins look like they were recently discovered and hacked out of the surrounding jungle. The centerpiece of the complex is the main pyramid of Kukulkan. The stairs are very steep, so steep we have to crawl up them. Aimee gets part way up and has a change of heart. In the small temple at the apex is the red Jaguar Throne, a chair in the shape of this predator.

The bottom of the steps has a large dragon-like head on each side. On the Equinox a shadow appears down the side of the steps giving this head a long tail making it look like a long snake.

There are other notable attractions surrounding the main pyramid. To the east is the Temple of Warriors, a smaller pyramid with two colonnades of columns. It is more reminiscent of Rome and Greece versus Maya.

To the northwest is the Ball Court with stands on both sides that looks somewhat like a high school football stadium. It is the largest and best-preserved ball court in Mesoamerica.

To the south is the Sacred Well. This is a large Cenote or steep-sided sinkhole that exposes the water table almost 100 feet below. This source of water was apparently a place of pilgrimage for the Maya. They made sacrifices here during times of drought. Divers have discovered lots of precious artifacts and a few skeletons from the depths.

Farther south is El Caracol, a round-topped pyramid with an internal staircase that is theorized to be an early version of an Observatory.

The best part of visiting Mayan ruins is the elaborate decoration of carved relief figures and hieroglyphic script on the walls. They are mostly stylized depictions of kings, warriors and jaguars. All were originally painted with colorful pigments. It must have once been a stunningly impressive site.

Unfortunately the Mayan culture must have been a violent one as some of the relief carvings depict human sacrifice. One platform (obviously used for sacrifice) is decorated entirely with human skulls.

Later in the week, I signed up for a day of deep-sea fishing. The boat left Cancun and first stopped at an offshore reef so the Mexican crew could fish. They caught a bunch of small reef fish. I soon learned that this was to be my bait for larger fish. Once in the deep sea, I caught a 40-pound Amberjack. I didn’t realize how hard it is to pull in a large fish. My arms were noodles by the time I got him on board.

May 1995

May 1995

I accompanied one of my salesmen taking his largest customer on a fishing trip to Lake Erie. We drove the five hours to Port Clinton, OH in two cars and spent the night. The next morning, we chartered a boat to take our group out to the shallow west end that is famous for large Walleye Pike. There were so many boats we could have walked across the water. We used bottom bouncers so our lines would not get snagged on the rocky lake bed. Somehow, I got lucky, and I pulled in the largest fish, a 30¼ inch monster! It is almost a state record and easily qualifies for a Fish Ohio Award. We take it home and I had to get it mounted and displayed prominently, much to Aimee's dismay.

September 4, 1995

September 4, 1995

Over Labor Day we went to Amarillo for another one of our many trips to see Aimee’s sister. Her brother from Colorado also joined us. We spent most of the time on Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, staying at her sister’s nearby vacation home. Lake Meredith is a reservoir formed by a dam across the Canadian River. My brother-in-law has a couple jet-skis, an ideal way to enjoy this very long and relatively uncrowded lake.

November 9-12, 1995

November 9-12, 1995

I went hiking with an old college roommate to Smoky Mountain National Park again. We want to climb Rocky Top, the Appalachian peak made famous by the song we liked in college. The trail to the top starts on the south side of the park on Fontana Lake. Getting to this remote location was an adventure itself. The narrow road wound tightly through the backwoods hills of Appalachia. I later learned this curvy road is famously known as the Tail of the Dragon and is popular with racing enthusiasts. This area was also a filming location for the 1993 movie The Fugitive.

The first part of the Eagle Creek Trail is mostly flat as it follows an arm of Fontana Lake north. We spent the night at a campsite next to a roaring river. Unfortunately, we woke up to snow. Shortly into the trail this morning it dead-ends at a stream. We spent the next few hours trying to find the trail. It could involve wading across the stream but in this cold weather neither one of us wants to have wet boots. That is a prescription for pneumonia. After spending most of the day in frustration we returned to last night’s campsite. Dejected, we hiked back to the car in pouring rain and we got soaked. My hiking boots are either no longer waterproof, or we need gaiters. When we get home, I find that this Rocky Top trail is notorious for having 19 stream crossings. Not a trail to be done in the winter.

March 30-April 6, 1996

March 30-April 6, 1996

Weary of our Chicago winter, Aimee and I went on a weeklong vacation to Jamaica. We stayed at the all-inclusive resort, Sandals-Dunn’s River Falls. The resort is located along the north shore of Jamaica west of Ochos Rios. Upon check-in we were both given a complimentary massage coupon. We used it the next day and it was heavenly. Best massage either of us had. Great way to start a nice vacation!

We never had to leave the Sandals compound. The resort had everything including lots of water activities. With an onsite boat and SCUBA equipment, Aimee and I were able to dive three mornings. The first two were mediocre but the last was interesting along a reef wall. Besides lots of sponges, a large stingray, and a lobster, the Divemaster captured a Puffer Fish. As a defense mechanism the sluggish fish inflates into a spiky ball. If this doesn’t discourage a predator, the Puffer also contains a strong neurotoxin. The downside of the dive was having to wait ten minutes at the surface until the dive boat returned.

The resort also had sailboats available. I learned to sail over a decade ago at a Club Med resort. Unfortunately my skills were rusty and needed a refresher course. I tipped the boat and had a hard time getting it righted.

In the afternoon we would lay at the pool soaking up the sun and only getting up for a refill of the local beverage Red Stripe beer. We were also introduced to Jamaican Jerk Chicken, a dry but very spicy chicken filet.

The one time we left the compound was for a tour to the resort’s namesake falls a couple miles to the east. It was a little touristy but fun. Dunn’s River Falls is a large sloped cascade. The guide makes us walk up the cataract as a group holding hands so we don't lose any of the less agile.

September 1996

September 1996

An old college roommate often regaled me with his backcountry experience in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, and Quetico, its Canadian neighbor. He said you could travel hundreds of miles in the wilderness simply by canoeing and portaging from one lake to the next. Another old roommate and I, along with two others set out to explore this region. It is September and we are hoping Minnesota's state bird, the mosquito, has disappeared.

In Ely, MN an outfitter provided us canoes, and a boat ferry to the far end of Moose Lake. There on the international border, we carried our canoes and camping supplies over to Basswood Lake in the Quetico. We spent the day paddling and portaging north until we reached Cigar Island in the middle of North Bay. From this campground we spent the long weekend exploring this watery world and fishing for our next meal. We had no problem catching many Small Mouth Bass and Northern Pike. While difficult to clean, the Pike was excellent tasting.