Cozumel Escape. Spring Break for the middle-aged?!

Dec 6

One minute over the Mexico mainland, the next, with the island of Cozumel in sight, we were preparing to land. Ever back-taxied at an international airport?  I have! With air-stairs rolled into place, the doors front and back were released.  Tropical air, warm and humid, flooded the cabin. And with it came the smell of vacation. Floral. Fruity. Delicious.

Took out my brand spanking new US passport and presented it for its first ever stamp, then hurried to meet the group outside.

Today I was also adding another first to my list. My 10 friends and I were headed to an all-inclusive resort for a week. Put your wallet away Dallice, all you need is this little blue wristband going forward!

The lobby with its marble floors and Christmas decorations was loaded with friendly staff and before I knew it, I wanted to try my hand at Spanish. No, I don't speak Spanish and despite my efforts I knew I was torturing this beautiful language, but my gracious hosts seem to appreciate my efforts anyway.

Fast forward 1 hour... Sunset at the beach followed by happy hour at the beach bar. We were waiting for the restaurant to open for the first meal together. Fun! Yes, my first "go with your friends" vacation too. Given that New Zealanders don't have Spring Break and I missed this unique cultural experience, I wondered if this might be my substitute... Except of course my friends and I were 20-30 years older than the average Spring Breaker's and most definitely smarter and more accomplished!

Dinner:  A buffet featuring meat, vegetables, salad, breads and desserts. My wine glass was never empty and my belly was setting me up for a food coma that I welcomed. Good food, company and conversation, followed by star gazing under full moon down on the dock with my sweetheart. Bliss. Much deserved, much anticipated, much appreciated, bliss. And there was a comfy king sized bed with our name on it shortly thereafter.

Waking up in Mexico, surrounded by lush foliage, sunshine and the call of a peacock. I'm not going to lie to you... It's a good life! Even as I pulled on shorts and t-shirt, I wondered if I would be warm enough. The Colorado winter was still fresh in my mind and I was not used to having warm feet yet. One step outside, however, settled me. Off to breakfast we went.

A short walk with just enough time to admire the flowers, pet the local cat and get excited about the little group of baby turtles dragging their wet selves into the morning sun.

Our group - 11 strong - sat at one of the few larger tables. This detail is important because it may have been the only reason we stayed there, not moving when "the noise" started.  Gail took her seat at the table, a boiled egg lolled on her plate. As she cracked it and raw egg white ran free and she commented about the egg being labeled a "3 minute egg" but not looking like it at all. Two minutes later an older looking, frail seeming lady, began coughing and snorting up phlegm into her napkin. She persisted and drowned out our conversation... She persisted until we giggled uncontrollably and had renamed her "3 minute egg". Boy was that start of something that will forever remain part of this vacation!

By the time the rest of my group departed for a diving excursion, I was clad in a bikini and sarong, with a new novel in hand.

The next few hours are a blur of photography, exploring, book and coconut cocktail in hand, chit-chatting under a palapa to my new friends - a group of real estate investors from Michigan who call their Cozumel escape, an annual meeting. There is much I can learn here!

My day was soon more than just lounging around. I found the spa and set about purchasing the "package experience" - not one but two massages over the next week.

Have you ever wanted to know what a chocolate massage entails? Me too! Well... One's body is massaged until substantially more pliable, then gets lathered in what I thought would be delicious chocolate smelling lotion. From my face-down position, it certainly smelled chocolatey and there was that slurpy sound as the paste was applied. After letting it settle into my skin a bit, the massage therapist (Irais) moved away from the table and I heard the sound of a shower start nearby. Steam filled the room and she bent down to my face and gently informed me that the massage was finished and I could take a shower now. Hmmm, that was probably a good idea. I was feeling a bit sticky and cooling off slightly. Pretty sure that I didn't want to put shorts and T-shirt over this here body anytime soon. I rolled over, prepared to sit up. What I was not prepared for was the mess I saw. Nope, not chocolate lotion so much as actual chocolate. EVERYWHERE! The sheets were brown and I was brown from the neck to the toes! Thank goodness the shower was only 5 steps from me. I stepped inside and watched in delight as the water ran dark for 5 minutes. Assuming when it ran clear again I had managed to rinse myself back to the color of a freckly white girl, I dried off and re-dressed. Mmmm... Smelling like chocolate, with freshly washed hair and relaxed soul, it was time to wander down the path, through the tropical gardens, past the locals (cats, peacocks, iguanas and copious staff) and back to my room. Tonight we had dinner plans at the Steak House.

Were subsequent days much different? Not really. I lounged at the pool, chatted with Michelle, Erin and Joyce and sampled more new delicacies. Another day, another sunset. A bit more book and absolutely nothing that threatened to take away the lingering massage-bliss of yesterday.

Tuesday was the day the others took off from diving to visit Chichen Itza with me. Or should I say, the day I showed them what "I don't do well on boats" looks like. The ferry to Playa del Carmen was tossed about relentlessly on the ocean for 30 minutes. I lasted maybe 15 before one of the staff herded me from the back of the boat to the bathroom... The final resting place of my breakfast, as it turned out.

We joined out tour bus on the other side, gobbled down the continental breakfast and sped inland toward the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. (Food on top of a squeamish stomach does feel better, in case you're wondering.)

Chichen Itza is a rather large national treasure. Ruins are still being uncovered and somewhat put back together. Our guide, a Mayan man with 30 years experience with tourists at Chichen Itza, was a wealth of knowledge. For several hours he tutored us on the Mayan calendar, games, rituals and community life. He showed us where to take pictures and advised us on the times of year that we ought to come back for more - the Mayan stone structures were built with the calendar in mind. Summer and winter solstice was vitally important.

There was a "walk the plank" type stone ramp that overlooked this cenote. The Mayans (influenced by other cultures perhaps) sacrificed virgins here. Not just unlucky little girls... But those born at the right time in the calendar, revered as royalty and groomed from birth for the ultimate ritual. All 48 skeletons found by modern day divers at the bottom of the cenote had flattened skulls. We are not talking about traumatic brain injury inducing, quick skull-flattening, but a slow process of deforming a skull using a flat board strapped to a head for many years while the girl grew.

The day was rounded out with a visit to a local cenote (sink hole/well) visit. This cenote is a major tourist destination, in case you can't tell. A swimmer walks down 90 steps to the bottom before launching themselves into the cold water. I heard it was refreshing!

Then we were off to lunch, shopping and that dreaded ferry ride again. This time, with not one but two anti-nausea tablets dissolved under my tongue, I felt sure I could handle the rough chop of the crossing. No such luck. Oh well... At least the resort offered that fabulous buffet dinner again once we reached "home" and let's face it, I had plenty of time to recover and feel better again under my palapa tomorrow. :-)

The group did a night dive later in the week. I saw them off at the dock. The night was calm and the sunset gorgeous. As the boat peetered off to a place not far from shore, I took pictures. Stunning.

For me, Cozumel was an entirely relaxing break from a busy home and work life. Doing "nothing" is a luxury that I think I'm not alone in saying, is rarely embraced in our daily lives. I couldn't remember the last time I had read a novel from start to finish, before I got to Mexico. The idea of sitting still on a reclining chair and enjoying the sunshine for several hours at home gave me anxiety... Or guilt... Or both.

Everyone needs a little R & R once in a while and this place was just perfect for it. The chance to stop and smell the flowers, taste every delicious morsel of food over slow dinners with good friends and wonder if tomorrows sunset could be as breathtakingly beautiful as today's, is a gift.

I am ever so grateful for the friends who put this together and invited me along.  Thank you Mark, Gail, Doedo, Stefania, Steven, Amy, Steve, Julia, Jon and Stephanie!

Dallice goes to Texas!

Have you ever filled in the quiz/map on Facebook that asks about the states you've landed in?  I did a while ago.  Even thought about linking it to this post, but as it turns out, I have no idea how to find a specific older post on FB without reading my own life story!

The gist of the post was to map each state that you have landed in. I'm still a green pilot and my list/map was not all that impressive compared to my pilot friends.  However, this fall I filled in a few more states: Oklahoma and Texas.

The story goes like this...

The night was short and cool-ish. (Read: I got up at 5 AM after sleeping all too short a time under the comforting breeze of the air conditioner).  Bonanza N303B was ready to go... A new LED landing and taxiing light installed, windows cleaned, fueled and test flown just last night.  We were wheels up around 6 AM and cleared for the IFR flight plan as filed, to Elk City, Oklahoma.

What? Wait!  Are we missing the background story?

Oops, Yes!

A short while ago,an opportunity to purchase a less used engine with hydraulically controlled propeller crossed Marks path. An upgrade from his current electrically controlled propeller - a breed becoming increasing rare, difficult to find parts for and understandably expensive to maintain. The "new" engine and prop were in Ennis, TX and like any intelligent buyer, Mark jumped at the chance to check it out before it was removed from its current aircraft. IE: Fly to Texas, meet with a small gaggle of Beech enthusiasts, shoot the breeze while testing flying someone else's Bonanza engine and checking out the airplane logs.

The weekend was set to be hot. Hot in Colorado, yes... But that is manageable.  Hot in Texas is a whole 'nother matter. So the decision was made to leave early. 6 AM early. Barely any coffee and breakfast, early.  :-(  And hopefully be in Ennis by noon, before the heat began melting the rubber off the nose wheel.

To all you non-fliers, this sounds like a hardship, when the reality is that flying down the Front Range and over Denver as the sun is coming up is dreamy. Colors are vibrant, the air is smooth and it's quiet - except for that pesky air traffic controller reminding us to watch for converging aircraft 500 feet below and getting us safely through potentially busy airspace.   :-)

An hour later, near the area of Lamar CO, we spied the first bit of dodgy looking weather and requested permission to deviate from course and around what looked like virga (rain that never reaches the ground) and a small patch of dark clouds.  That was the impression from 25 miles away, at least.

 
As we approached then circled it to the east, it became clear that the inclement weather was now a fairly aggressive but remarkably striking thunderstorm. Somewhere far below us, folks were experiencing torrential rain and that darkness that only a decent storm cell can deliver. Right beside them, maybe a half mile further east, the sun shone brightly. Colorado weather is weird like that... In a cool way.

Mark and I took turns at flying and photography.

Elk City was chosen as a fuel stop for a couple of reasons.  1. Lower price of 100LL  2. Situated about 3 hours from home, making it a good bathroom break stop as well as suitable refueling location.
A small but cute airport, Elk City has a 5000'+ runway, decent pilot facilities and friendly staff. It is also has the most well manicured front lawn and flowers that I have seen! A thirty minute pee break, plane fueling, chit chat with the locals and opportunity to get more ice for the B-Kool was just perfect, then we were Texas bound.

On the charts I had seen that the Dallas-Fort Worth area looked like busy airspace, but nothing prepared me for the hustle and bustle at 4000 feet above the ground. So many airports, many of which where located not far from (or in?) the Class B airspace itself.

Not surprisingly we were given vectors to fly through the area and asked to decrease our altitude in order to play nice with the other planes.

Ennis is located just south of Dallas.  My experience of finding it, even with GPS is a warning to you all. You will think you see Ennis Municipal Airport and that confidence will cause you to cancel your IFR flight plan and tell the controller that you want to go VFR and have the airport in sight.  But do you? If you are like me, you will have a drag racing venue in sight!!!  Its long and thin and has big buildings (hangars?!) on one end. And when you look at your heading and its orientation, you might even convince yourself that its located on the 150 degree direction.  It's not! But you, like me, will figure this out as you fly directly over it and the GPS tells you that Ennis Municipal is still 4 miles in the easterly direction.

Ennis is a little we place. We taxiied off the runway and parked on the ramp. Greetings by the men we were here to see, then ensued. First impressions... Friendly and blimey, it's hot here! I could tell immediately that 2 t-shirts for the overnight excursion were about 3 t-shirts too few, as the relentless perspiration began.

Given the heat, it was decided the test flight should happen ASAP and with that, I jumped into the back seat of the V-tail that was to be the organ donor. Mark flew and Jerry Hammock (Bonanza transplant surgeon) sat right seat.  He was familiar with the airplane.

One short, hot an bumpy flight later, the engine had proven itself worth buying and we reconvened in the FBO for a look at the logs and a wee Texas burger lunch together. Yum!

I'm a pilot and perhaps 303B's second biggest fan, so this whole morning had been very cool and interesting for me. But I'm also an avid traveler and lived the travel agent's life, many years ago. Visiting a small town in a state that was new to me was fascinating. We got a ride to the hotel about 4 miles away and upon check-in, asked to book a taxi for the early morning departure back to Ennis Airport tomorrow morning.

I thought the front desk clerk was joking with us when she informed us there were no taxi's in Ennis! She was not. And all of a sudden Mark and I were downtown Ennis, our brains baking at 105 degrees, with no way to get back to the airport tomorrow. Umm... This was not part of the plan!

We rounded out the day with a walk to Walmart, a large ice cream cone and a swim in the pool. Exhausted by the early morning, insane humidity and long flight, it was not long before we were both sawing logs in front of the extra large TV in our room.

The next morning we did our usual hotel thing.... We vied for the waffle maker and gobbled down a high carb breakfast before bribing the night shift guy to drive us to the airport.

One four-hour uneventful flight home and the weekend was pretty much over. Mission accomplished... Plans for a new-er engine purchase and Dallice had logged another 8 hours or so in N303B.  :-)

------


I provide the latest market information, straight forward advice and the highest standards of service. If you refer your friends and family to me, I promise to make you proud, to exceed expectations and never give you a moments doubt that it was the right thing to do for them.

You can reach Dallice at (303)746-6765.

The Madeline Island Birthday Flight

Birthdays are supposed to be celebrated.

For me, New Year is a chance to reflect on all that happened in the world in the last year, but it's not really about just me. Remembering another successful trip around the sun on my behalf acknowledges my small achievement and gives me pause to think about all that has happened to me personally in the last year. Favorite bits, lessons learned, things I'd do again and things I certainly would not.

On July 19th, 2014 I turned 40. I know, right? Those first 20 years took an eternity to tick by, but the last 20... they seem to have disappeared in the blink of an eye. It's like my grandmother used to say, "as you get older, time passes quicker".  I don't remember her being wrong about much.

Every year I take my birthday off. I like to celebrate me.  This year, I asked Mark if we could celebrate together in northern Wisconsin at the cabin on Nice Lake. We decided to include a flight to Lake Superior and over the Apostle Islands. Great idea!

It was an unhurried start to the day. Sleep in, breakfast, bird watching... lazily check the weather forecast and current conditions in Hayward, WI (where Bonanza N303B had been tied down since the 17th).

Wind: 200@something not alarming. Essentially straight down Runway 20.

Mark took off and I sat right seat, armed with my camera.  We flew north about 50 miles to the very tip of Wisconsin then strayed a few miles from shore as we peered out into what looked like ocean. Great lake indeed.

Zipping around, taking in the islands, their lighthouses and secluded beaches was a highlight of mine. We landed on Madeline Island with the wind pretty much the same as in Hayward, on Runway 22.

 Madeline Island... Supposedly at the peak of it's summer tourist season.  Harboring a lively but small population of year round folks, vacation home owners and renters, and visitors for the day or the weekend.  Nope, they didn't appear to have flown in!  Major Gilbert Field was quiet. So quiet. A couple of aircraft tied down and no signs of life in the air, on the runway (except us of course), or at the FBO.

We mentally prepared ourselves for the 1.5 mile jaunt down the main road from the airport into town and headed in the approximate direction. Pilots are chatty, friendly people and it was all of 2 minutes before we stopped to admire a beautiful A36 in it's open hanger and ended up in conversation with owner, Mitch.

And 15 minutes later Mitch took pity on us and we became his appreciative hitchhikers.  That stroke of luck put us in town fairly quickly and more importantly, with recommendations on where to eat - and what to eat!

Fish tacos at the Beach Club with a view of the outbound ferry to Bayfield across the way. Not to shabby.

"Town" was a quick exploration. Getting the scoop on the real estate market from a local agent was eye opening and then we self-toured the plentiful art galleries.  Did we stop for ice cream? Don't we always?  (Mark is a Wisconsin boy, I'm a kiwi girl. We brake for dairy!)

We walked off that ice cream, taking pictures of wild flowers and funky for sale signs all the way to the airport. I flew us back from Madeline Island.

My first "over the water" flight. My first 10 mile final, straight in to Hayward.
A spectacular day.

------

Real Estate Blog: www.SilverFernHomes.com

I provide the latest real estate market information, straight forward advice and the highest standards of service. If you refer your friends and family to me, I promise to make you proud, to exceed expectations and never give you a moments doubt that it was the right thing to do for them.