New York, New York

I had been talking about going to NYC for a while, and am finally doing it.  The trip is basically about seeing friends and visiting museums.

I took the bus to the airport, where I saw a modern-day gargoyle.  Then I flew United from DIA to LaGuardia.  I sat next to a couple, and started talking to them when I noticed she was reading the Bible in Spanish.   It turns out that they are full time volunteers with the Jehova's witnesses, working in their world headquarters in NYC.   He was from Durango Mexico, she from Wisconsin.  They were very nice, I enjoyed talking to they, they even shared lunch with me.   They invited me to join them for the communal lunch at their office, which is just the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge.   So on Friday, I will walk across the bridge, continue to their office in Brooklyn Heights, and then take the train back.  I don't think that I have ever set foot in Brooklyn.

I took the M60 bus from LaGuardia to Manhattan, and then a cab to their condo, near the George Washington Bridge.  You can see the bridge from their condo.    Malcolm and I, and later his son Felix, went out to eat and had a long conversation on a wide range of topics, including firearms, which Felix is becoming interested in.   Felix starts to work for Facebook next week.

On Wednesday, I took the A train to the Guggenheim, where I met Malcolm and Tom T. , who had biked down. They were changing the main exhibit, so we looked at Kandinski, modern Latin American Art, a Frank Lloyd Wright, but it was somewhat disappointing. Malcolm and I had lunch, and I went on to the Whitney. 

The Whitney had three floors of Jeff Koons, who I had not thought much of previously. At first I was not impressed, but as I saw more and more, my opinion went up. It was a huge range of work, including large paintings.

The play-doh was something he had been working on for 20 years. Each color is a separate piece of metal, assembled like a puzzle. All the tiny details were perfect.

Malcolm and I had dinner with our old friend Jay; I went to his bar mitzvah!   He just got a new job, which is a big blessing to him and his family.

On Thursday, I met Marge at Battery Park, where we got onto the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.   I had been to the Statue before, but it is still impressive.   Ellis island let us think about the immigrant experience.   About 12 million immigrants went through Ellis Island.

After we got back on Manhattan, we walked to the Skyscraper museum, a small but interesting museum.  Note that it is 9/11, and we are seeing the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Skyscraper museum, and the new World Trade center. We continued north towards the World Trade Center area, where we saw a number of police and firemen in kilts enjoying a beer.   Apparently the 9/11 ceremony was over.   The new building is also interesting and impressive.     We caught a subway to the Grand Central area, where we met a few folks for dinner.   A good day, but long.

Niobrara River Paddle

Cynthia and I decided to join the Rocky Mountain Canoe Club for their annual Memorial Day paddle of the Niobrara River in Nebraska.   This is a popular trip, especially in high summer, famous for waterfalls.  (Who knew Nebraska had waterfalls?)

On Friday we drove to Smith Falls State Park, which would be our base for the trip.   Smith Falls is the highest waterfall in Nebraska, 63 feet tall.   We drove through a downpour for much of the trip, but as we got closer to Smith Falls, the rain subsided and then stopped.  The weather for the weekend was perfect.   Some of our fellow paddlers arrived that evening, some we would not see until Saturday morning.  The camping was primitive, but they did have pay showers, so there were some of the comforts of civilization.

On Saturday we put in above Smith Falls, and paddled to Smith Falls.  We had more than twenty people paddling sixteen boats.  Interestingly, the Niobrara River (pronounced Ni-oh-brer-a), marks the northern boundary of the Sand Hills region.   The north side of the Niobrara has different soil, and is a different ecosystem.   The trip was punctuated by small waterfalls.   The rock underneath the sand is not porous, so the rain that gets into the sand, flows down to the rock, and then flows to the waterfalls next to the river.

Our fellow campers were interesting folk, with stories to tell over snacks in the evenings.   We learned about the history of shoes, and admired a camper who went to great lengths to make his camp as comfortable as possible.   We also learned about the business of tree trimming, and the story of how one of the ladies on the trip married an Italian.  She was a college student traveling through Europe, and he picked her up in Rome; they have been married forty years.

On Sunday we put in at Smith Falls, and paddled further down the river.

One of the most interesting waterfalls was Big Cedar Falls, a series of steps, kind of like a slippery stairway.   Maybe in hindsight it was not the greatest idea to climb it, but it was cool.     The river is largely spring fed, so has a relatively constant temperature and flow throughout the year.

On Monday we all drove home.   We stopped at Buffalo Bill's house in North Platte, with lots of memorabilia and information.   We also stopped at the world's largest train classification yard; Richard had to go up and see it from the tower.   There are more than 50 lanes in each direction.  The cars roll down a hill, and end up in the correct lane per their destination, so that they can be assembled into a train.     The scale of the operation was impressive.



We had a good time.  Cynthia had her maiden voyage in a canoe, and slept on the ground for the first time since Girl Scouts.

California Dreaming

On Saturday, Cynthia and I flew to LA for a week long house exchange.   We are staying in an apartment in Santa Monica, about three blocks from the beach.   Shannon and Greg are staying in my house.

After an uneventful flight, we picked up a rental car and headed for the apartment.  We walked on the very windy beach, and then went to mass at Santa Monica church, prosperous and friendly, with a grade school and high school.  There was a reception after mass, so we went and had a small sandwich.

Note the Hollywood sign in the background

Sunday we went to the Farmer's Market to pick up a Legends of Hollywood tour.   We were the only Americans on the tour.   The tour was entertaining.  Our host was animated, with many stories to tell.  We stopped at the Chinese Theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with hand prints and footprints in the concrete, and the Stars with famous names.

The Barnes and Noble bookstore had a table of books related to the film industry, such as "How to Manage Your Agent"

Monday we hiked in Griffith Park, and saw the view from the observatory.   We then headed to Venice, where we walked on the canals and the beach.   We hung out on the pier and watched the surfers, and then had a beer at a bar inland from the beach.  The houses were impressive and modern for the most part, and reeked of money.

Tuesday we went to the LA County Museum of Art, LACMA.  We arrived when it opened at 11, and left when it closed at 5 PM.   We saw art from ancient to modern, from Asia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas.

Levitated mass - 340 tons - outside LACMA

Cynthia especially liked the special exhibit related to football (soccer), with artists from around the world.  Cynthia used to teach ceramics, and especially enjoyed the ceramics from Asia and the Americas and Europe. Richard liked some of the modern art, including a Clyfford Still; this was a bit of a joke, since we were both disappointed in the Clyfford Still museum in Denver.

Wednesday we went to Bergemot Station, an arts complex in Santa Monica. Cynthia found it disappointing, which is perhaps not surprising since we had seen world class art the day before at LACMA.   We did see a few interesting things; perhaps the most amusing were the cloth fish.

Wednesday afternoon we went to the beach.   Cynthia sat on the beach.  Richard went for a swim, in moderate waves.   The beach was relatively cool and uncrowded.

In the evening we took the bus to the Santa Monica Pier, which includes a Ferris wheel.  This has been an amusement park for about 100 years.

On Thursday we headed for the Getty Center museum, a massive complex of buildings on a hilltop, made from white Travertine stone. We took a tour of the garden, which was very interesting, including a kind of maze as part of the water feature.   We started with an exhibit of dazzling Byzantine illuminated manuscripts and a great Ansel Adams exhibit.  We finished our day at an eight by twenty foot  mural by Jackson Pollock, which was recently conserved.  We learned about how the mural was made, including splattering on paint with a brush.

We headed home after 6 hours; Cynthia cooked up some burritos for dinner.


On Friday, we decided to visit Olvera Street, where Los Angeles was founded, as a farming community to feed Spanish soldiers. The original settlement was 44 people, 11 families.  We visited the oldest church in LA, and took a walking tour of the plaza.   We walked on Olvera St, mostly souvenir shops, ate Mexican food.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that we saw was the Siquieros mural, painted by one of the great Mexican muralists in the 1930s.  It was whitewashed shortly after it was painted, as too radical. Siquieros was a communist, as were so many artists and intellectuals in those days.   Utopian ideas are always attractive, they just don't work.......

We then headed back to the apartment, picked up and finished packing, and then headed for the airport.  The flight home was uneventful.

We enjoyed our stay in LA and Santa Monica, lots to see and do.   On the down side, traffic was bad, no surprise; finding a parking space was a constant problem, which we did not expect.  

Sea Kayaking in Baja Mexico

The overall trip plan was centered around six days of guided Sea Kayaking, starting in the town of Loreto, Baja California Sur.   Loreto is about two-thirds of the way down the peninsula, with only two flights a day from the USA.

On Thursday, February 27th, my friend Mike was nice enough to  pick me up at home and take me to the airport bus.  I had an interesting conversation with the bus driver, mostly about the Boulder flood.

The first leg of my flight took me to LAX, where I would stay overnight.   I had an interesting conversation with my seatmate, a black lady who was in Management of Information Systems.  She got in that field 20 years ago, and you can imagine what a minority she would have been in that technical field.  She was working for Time-Warner cable, so we were both in the telecom field.

On the shuttle bus to the hotel, I found out that the driver was from Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.  We ended up talking about the pilgrimage to San Juan de Los Lagos, which his father often made on foot from Leon, about three days.  He was impressed that I had walked 300 km in Spain.

All in all, very interesting conversations on my trip out here.  You do meet more people traveling alone.

On Friday Feb.  28th, I got up early to catch the shuttle to the airport, and the flight to Loreto.   I left LA in a rainstorm. The flight was a little late, a little bumpy, but we arrived without incident.

The breakwater in Loreto, with a seal sculpture

My hotel in Loreto was La Damiana, kind of a Bed and Breakfast without breakfast, with 7 rooms.

The Mission tower

I went to mission museum, which was somewhat interesting.  Loreto was the first capital of the Californias, dating back to 1697.

Loreto, Historical Capital of the Californias

Municipal Building

Since the start of Lent was a few days away, there was a Carnival parade, kind of low key, something for the locals, not the tourists.  It was kind of fun to watch.

Saturday March 1

I tried to join a whale tour, but no one was there.  The directions, from another tourist, were not very good.   I heard later that it was a great tour, they saw many whales up close.

I took a long walk, and eventually found the thatched roof bus station.   After a nap, I headed to the malecon (waterfront), and watched crabs.   Did you know that crabs could jump?

In the afternoon we had a trip meeting, where I met the group. There were seven guests, some younger, some my age.   There were three guides, Gini, Marco, and Andrew, a visiting guide from Washington state.

I had dinner at La Palapa restaurant with Sam, George, and Donna.

Sunday march 2

The van picked us up at the hotel, and we drove south to the beach at la Quemada (rattlesnake beach). Unfortunately, it was too windy to make the crossing to Danzante Island.  Instead, we paddled to Punta del Coyote, made loops in the waves, and practiced wet exits and reentry.   We paddled back to rattlesnake beach for dinner and stargazing.

Ann-Marie

Sam, me, Carol and George 

The kayak assigned to me was a Romany Surf, a British style kayak designed by Nigel Dennis for playing in rough water.   Unfortunately, I found the boat unstable and uncomfortable, which is not a good way to start a trip.   My own sea kayak is a larger boat, a Wilderness Systems Sealution, a North American style kayak.

Monday march 3, we got up at 6 am, to flute music.   Gini played flute music as a wake up call each day, kind of a pleasant wake up call.   After breakfast, we packed for the crossing.  I got very frustrated packing the boat, which had quite a bit less storage than my own sea kayak.  I kept trying to adjust the backrest to make the boat more comfortable, but nothing worked.   Finally Marcos inflated a water bag and stuck it behind me as a backrest, which did improve my comfort level.  We crossed to Danzante island in moderate waves.  We considered going on to Carmen Island, but the wind was building.   After we set up camp, we paddled to party beach at honeymoon cove, where we found another group, and were serenaded by a sailboat playing 60s music.  We climbed to the overlook, and some folks did some snorkeling.   In addition to my issues with the kayak, I was not feeling well, so the trip was not getting any better.

March 4 Tuesday, we paddled over to Carmen island, around N side of Danzante, in modest wind and waves.  I was feeling better, but a little shaky in the waves.

Rob and Gini

We made a brief stop at a small beach on the West side of Carmen Island, then proceeded to the southern tip, punta Baja.   Punta Baja had two palm trees, which provided welcome shade. We would spend two nights here.  I snorkeled a little.  Marco hand caught several fish for dinner, including triggerfish.   We had really fresh sushi.   The whole idea of hand catching fish was amazing to me.   The group sang happy birthday to me.

Sam

Mary and the boats

Wednesday march 5,  half of group went on a long paddle. The rest of us snorkeled with Marco. We saw a fair number of interesting fish, including the King Angelfish and some Parrotfish.  We also saw whales at a distance, including a blue whale, as well as dolphins cavorting nearby. This was my first time to see a blue whale, which looked like a small island.

Marco is amazing at spotting wildlife.  He grew up around the water in Baja, and started fishing at an early age.  You could really see that the sea was his life.  He said that he tried being a vaquero (cowboy) for a while, but the sea called him back.

After lunch we took a short paddle, where we met up with the other group returning. We also saw dolphins near our kayaks, and several sea turtles. We all returned together and had dinner. The view east included a red sky and sea, and a blue band in between.

Thursday march 6

Gini taking advantage of the glassy sea.

We got up fairly early to paddle to Danzante island. The sea was glassy, and we took advantage of conditions to just sit out in the middle, admire the view, and watch the sea life.   We saw manta rays swim under water, kind of flapping their wings, and jump high out of the water. We saw a lone sea lion. We saw a blue whale at half mile distance, even more impressive than the day before. We watched a long time mid-channel.  As we were getting close to Danzante, we saw a Brydes whale up close, perhaps 50 yds.

We paddled to aquarium beach, where some folks snorkeled.  Marco and Ginni fished with a handline, and caught mexican hogback fish for dinner.   The vegetation was surprisingly lush, considering that we were in a desert.

Ventanilla - Window

We moved to Ventanilla (Window) beach, named for the large rectangular rock opening.  We had a good dinner, mojo de ajo fish and pasta.   After dark, we went and ran paddles through the water, to see some bioluminescence.    It was an evening of stories.  George told merchant marine stories from Alaska and Vietnam.   Ginni told some sailing stories, including some big storms.

Friday March 7

Gini with our flute wake up call

Me in my boat

George

We got up early, and rock-hopped down the West side of Danzante Island.  That fun, playing in and around the rocks near the shore.  We stopped for a hike at Arroyo beach.  Some of us hiked to the top, where we could see both sides, including the venatanilla opening.

 We saw a guide putting up tents for his clients, who would arrive by sea kayak.   The guide and tents had been dropped off by a panga (powerboat).   I prefer the expedition style kayaking that we were doing, where we carried our own gear in our own boats.

We then paddled back to Rattlesnake beach, where we started, in a following wind and sea.  When we arrived at 1 PM, our taxi was there, and took us to Hotel Angra.  We met for a farewell dinner at the Giggling Dolphin.

Ann-Marie and Marcos

Gini and Andrew

Saturday march 8

I had signed up for a private lessons with Ginni.  We met at the beach in town, and started with some dry land exercises.   We went out and practiced, and I learned that I should be making my paddle strokes more vertical.   Ginni tried to get me to sit more upright, but my back muscles got tired very quickly.  We had taken out the backrest, trying to use the boat as the designer intended, but I was only able to sit upright for a short time.  We quit early due to my back pain and increasing waves.

I had dinner with Sam, and we agreed to share a taxi to the airport in the morning.

Sunday March 9

The plane left Loretto on time, and I cleared customs in LAX.   I headed over to United to catch my flight back to Denver.  When I got to the gate, they announced that the flight was overbooked, so I volunteered to receive a cash payment for being voluntarily bumped.   I was told to stay near the desk at the gate; some people were pretty upset, worried that they might be involuntarily bumped.   When it was all said and done, no one was involuntarily bumped.   I was the only person voluntarily bumped, as I was the first person to volunteer.   I got a $200 credit on United, as well as a hotel room and some money toward meals.

Monday March 10

I caught an early flight to Denver, took the bus to Boulder, and walked a couple of blocks home, to find my cats happy to see me.


For me, the highlights of the trip were our time on the beach at Carmen Island, and the still water crossing to Danzante, where we saw so much marine life.   On the good side, the guides were good, the scenery was spectacular, and the marine life was great.  On the bad side, I never really got comfortable in the kayak, and I did not feel well during the trip.   Would I recommend a sea kayaking trip to Baja?  Yes, but I suggest that you carefully consider the kind of kayak that you want to paddle.   I did not have any experience with this kind of kayak, so did not realize the extent to which the kayak would be a problem for me.