Cheery Cabo Cruise Compendium

[Editor's note: I am so sorry that you could not see the Desert X pictures until I sent you a link to the album. I had copied them from the google photos in my Chromebook and then pasted them into this blog. It did not work. So today, I have gone through the tedious procedure of emailing the picture to me -- from my phone -- and downloading them onto to Mom's desk top. After that, I open them in Irfanview, mainly to cut down the size for faster uploading here, but also to crop out other tourists and flaws with the picture framing.]

By the way, I googled my blog and my trip to Chicago came up as a headline (Oh, the Places We Will Go) -- which was the last long Amtrak train I'll ever take -- and it was September of 2017. How time flies!

Here we are humming Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" on the way to San Pedro where the Ruby Princess ship is docked.

We were amazed at all of the yellow wildflowers here. The trip was about 2 hours (3 different freeways).

And then we arrived. Luckily, we found a porter at the edge of the parking lot. He grabbed out bags and told us that we didn't have to wait in line at the door with the others, so we were able to go to another entrance and zip right in. I say "zip" sardonically because we had to wait in line for an elevator and go through security twice.

Mom had dropped me off with the bags (and her walker) and she parked the car. She was gone so long (there were a lot of cars there already), that I was thinking maybe she should have taken the walker. But she was o.k. It was just a long walk!

On Board at last!

Here's the cabin. We did have a window (behind me). No, it's not a porthole! We had just come into the cabin, hence the purses on the desk/table/counter. The closet and bathroom is on the other side of this mirror.

This is the view from the Lido deck.

Naturally, after getting up early and driving for a couple of hours, we were hungry for lunch. So we went to the Lido Deck, aka "the buffet." We had collected our cruise cards which is coded with personal info. They took our picture which displays to the crew when the card is swiped entering or leaving the ship, but it's not right on the card. Anytime you need to pay for something, you hand them your cruise card and they swipe it. For instance, specialty coffees such as lattes or wine are not included. The card is also the key to your cabin. 

We spent two days cruising at sea and we arrived at Cabo San Lucas to a wonderfully sunny day. It was about 80 degrees and lovely. On the first day in port, we took a glass bottom boat tour. We laughed because the "glass bottom" was about 2 feet wide and 4 feet long with sides so you could lean on it. The better view was just off the side of the boat since the mate was tossing hunks of bread to the fish.

But the sightseeing around the peninsula was the best part. The mate kept up a running patter but between his accent, the spray, hopping other boats' wakes, I don't remember a lot of the names. Hence, 'the hole in the rock' is about the extent of my memory ...

This is the captain of the glass bottomed boat as we puttered out of the harbor.

This boat was also a water taxi, so before we started our tour, they drove right up to a beach and the young man next to Mom got off. He was only wearing a bathing suit and carrying his wallet and passport in his hand. He was annoyed when the mate hit him up for a tip and then he hopped into the water and waded ashore. I asked how he would get back to the ship and the mate told me he was staying at the hotel which was separated from this beach by a lot of rock.

Ruby Princess

Bird

Lovers' Beach

See that little dot on the left? That is the last bit of rock that is Mexico -- Cabo San Lucas.

After the lovely tour, we walked around, had a taco and a cerveza. I did not buy one of the tee shirts that said, "Keep calm. You are on the FUN side of Trump's wall." 

More later, but right now I'm going to the gym for the first time in a week!

All My Bags Are Packed ...

 

Tomorrow, we leave for San Pedro where we board a cruise ship to ... wait for it ... Cabo San Lucas! Hooray! But first, a little catching up.

We had even more rain the other day (March 2). Yup, that's a rainbow above.

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Pursuing the Desert X art installations, on March 3, we went to the Salton Sea. The fabulous blue "in the sky" above me is Nancy Baker Cahillane's virtual painting called Margin of Error. Lee Anne took this picture because her camera was able to download the app which was tied to this location and produced the "painting."

From Wikipedia, re the Salton Sea:

Location	Colorado Desert Imperial and RiversideCounties, California, U.S.
Coordinates	33°18′47″N 115°50′04″WCoordinates: 33°18′47″N 115°50′04″W
Type	Endorheic rift lake
Primary inflows	Alamo River New River Whitewater River
Primary outflows	None
Catchment area	8,360 square miles (21,700 km2)
Basin countries	United States, Mexico
Surface area	343 sq mi (889 km2)
Max. depth	43 ft (13 m)
Water volume	6,000,000 acre⋅ft (7.4 km3)
Surface elevation	−236 ft (−71.9 m) (below sea level)
Settlements	Bombay Beach, Desert Beach, Desert Shores, Salton City, Salton Sea Beach, North Shore
References	U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Salton Sea

The Salton Sea's salinity is increasing by 3% per year.



Here's Lee Anne proud of herself for reaching the top of these concrete stairs. I was proud too since I only made it up 4 stairs -- it's a lot higher than you think. Artist: Ivan Argote who named this A Point of View. Each stair has words, with English on the left and Spanish on the right. There were 5 sets of stairs built out in the middle of nowhere. (We had to take a dirt road to get to this site.)










Desert flowers blurred by breeze.




I got a picture of this cairn just before a carload of Latinos came and destroyed it by chucking rocks at it. They had scampered up the steps and were bored. After they knocked down the rocks, one started throwing rocks at his "friend." There were six, both boys and girls, about high school age.



Our next stop was at the Gas Station.







This was on the left of the red fabric you see above.



Next we go to Salton Sea (beach). This is approaching the water. The "sand" is a bazillion tiny pieces of shells! There was very little sand mixed in. It crunches when you walk on it. When you get closer to the water, even though it does not seem wet, it feels like it is wet about 8 inches down and it is very spongy.



As you can see, the water at water's edge is very brackish. It doesn't smell good, but I have smelled low tide at the salt marshes and that's what it is like. There were numerous birds playing in the shallows, talking to each other.



We couldn't see the installation that was on a barge because it had drifted away ...




But we could see this.


This work is by Cecelia Bengolea and is titled Mosquito Net.

Quoting from the Desert X guidebook:
"This piece also includes a freestanding sculptural work that synthesizes the animistic aspects of dance with her interest in the Salton Sea."  I guess she did a dance when we were not there. The explanation goes on and on and I'm too dense to figure it out. All in all, I liked the work better without explanation.


View from inside the North Shore Beach Club (bathroom break):

Yes, it was very hazy.

The beginning of this jaunt was at the Windmills.

And this is Nancy Baker Cahill's piece titled Revolutions. A woman with her dog took our photo. We took hers. The dog was not impressed. I was!!

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The over-baked peanut butter cookies taste as good as the paler ones. I froze some for when we get back.

It's a five day cruise and, of course, I have over packed. But it's because I need choices, you see. We leave tomorrow about 9 a.m. and it should be about a two hour ride. It's the Princess Ruby ship. Cheers!

Happy Valentine's Rain!

It has been raining here since last night and we have already accumulated about 2.7 inches of rain -- and it's still pouring at Noon. This is not much by New England standards, but it's past record-setting in Palm Springs. We are surrounded by flooded streets and we are advised to "shelter in place." They have shut down the schools, closed many streets, and have shut down the Palm Springs Tram. Needless to say, Villagefest is cancelled for tonight.

So have some pre-rain photos.

This is The Guardian. He chases all of the other hummingbirds away.

This is Invisible Bunny. He really likes the grass!

These foothills are even greener now.

Last week's snow on the mountains. 

Today, Big Bear (not near us) got six inches of rain. All of the previously burned areas are flooding with mud and rock slides. Public safety personnel is busy, busy, busy. They just had to send a helicopter to rescue two people who were on top of their vehicle when it washed away and dumped them into a fast moving 'river.' It's flooding, not a river.

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Eric, our neighbor (with the well appointed hummingbird nest) took a video at the Mesquite Country Club which now sports a fast moving river all the way to Farrell St. (which is closed due to flooding ...

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On a happier note, I just finished making chicken soup. It should warm us up.  

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We have been watching West Wing on Netflix. I can't say it was a simpler time -- politics was a game I never had a taste for. But even though this is fiction, written by brilliant writers, it does remind us that we always were a great country.

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Our plans to go to a Heart Healthy fair at the hospital were quashed today. I wonder if they will run it again tomorrow since they told us to stay indoors ...

Cheers!

Pictures