Day 8 - Back to Dallas

I’m so grateful of that we did decide to make progress up north last night because Scott woke up with a lot of sinus pressure.  He was insistent that he was good to travel. But about an hour into the ride, he asked if I could drive.  We pulled into our hotel in downtown Dallas around 11:30 AM much earlier than a standard check-in time but the front desk clerk pulled some strings and had housekeeping clean our room right away, so we only had about an hour wait.

He settled Scott on a couch in the air conditioned lobby and the kids and I walked to a nearby sandwich shop to grab lunch.  We have a JFK Assassination tour today at 1:15pm which unfortunately can’t be rescheduled.  So the kids and I left Scott on the couch and headed out - just a few blocks to meet the tour guide at the JFK Memorial.  (The room was ready within a half hour so he didn’t have long to wait)

The tour was fantastic. Richard is a photo journalist who has studied the JFK assasination for years.  His van is equipped with a speaker system and tvs so he not only drives and narrates the tour but also runs the multimedia including diagrams, videos and original photos from the various investigations.

It was 2.5 hrs and we visited Deally Plaza, the grassy knoll,  the book depository, the home Oswald lived at the time of the shooting, the theater he was found in, the jail and city building where Oswald was later killed, and the spot where JD Tippit, local policeman, was shot as well. 

 

Left - Deally Plaza, where the parade for JFK was ending.

Right - Book Depository where Oswald work. The shots came from the far right window on the 6th floor. 

After the shooting, Oswald returned to his home to change his clothes and get his revolver. This home was originally a Rooming House that held 17 men. The women who owned it passed it down to her granddaughter who still lives here. She has restored it to its 1960s condition and remembers Oswald helping her with her homework as a child.  She is adamant that Oswald is innocent.

Oswald was separated from his wife at the time and had this room to himself. Here is his bed along with the coat he wore following the assassination.

After he left his home, he walked up the street several blocks and eventually shot a local policeman in the street. An X marks the spot on the road where the officer fell. Here is the memorial left on the side of the road.

Then Oswald walked down the street, hiding his coat behind a gas station and popping in to stores to avoid the increasing police presence.  Eventually he slipped into the Texas Theater which is where the police caught up to him.

The tour was so informative and explored Oswald’s life prior to the shooting, the habits and events that led up to Ruby shooting Oswald, as well as the full week of the Kennedy campaign plus the geopolitical climate post Cuban missile crisis and Vietnam.  

The tour ended at the museum in the book depository but Richard ordered out tickets for tomorrow so Scott can join us.  He dropped us off at our hotel and we headed up to our room.

Our room was amazing!  It was a 2-room suite with spacious bedrooms as well as a large living room, dining room and kitchen.  

Scott needed another hour of so of rest, so the kids and I welcomed some down time.  The tour was phenomenal but was like drinking from a fire hose.  We decided to stay in for dinner and order from Uber.

We had steaks and all the sides in our dining room and then relaxed a while catching up on some shows we’ve missed.  Scott headed back to bed around 8 pm so the kids and I just snuggled up on the couch and relaxed.

Hoping Scott is feeling better tomorrow.  

Today’s high: 72, overcast with a few sprinkles (quite cold outside)

Day 3 - All the Sights!

We were up early again but Scott was struggling with sinus pressure so Sammy and I walked to Starbucks to let the meds kick in.  We left around 9:00 am and headed out in search of breakfast.  We had saw an advertisement for a Cafe, with an all-day breakfast that's just around the corner so we decided to check it out. By first glance, it didn't look promising.  It was a retail store front advertising Teriyaki Chicken and rice but the posted menu offered a lot of breakfast options so we decided to give it a try.

The service was so quick and the food was amazing!  We all raved about the breakfast here and hope to go back again tomorrow.  Who would have guessed!

We had some time to kill this morning so we walked along the Embarcadero and enjoyed the views.

We stopped at Pier 39 to check out the local wild life.  We spent at least 15 minutes observing the sea lions and pretending to know what they were thinking.

Then we grabbed an Uber and headed over to Blazing Saddles to meet our tour guide for our bike ride.  Tyler and I met Mark McHugh on a similar tour in 2023.  We had such a great day with him we wanted to do it again!  So off we went on our bike-riding adventure!

Just over an hour into the tour, I ran into some mechanical issues.  Riding any bike through the hills of San Francisco would be difficult but riding a much heavier E-bike without any motor assistance was next to impossible.  I kept up with the group while trying to troubleshoot until the base of the next hill.  I called out and Scott and Mark came back to help.  We tried to reset the little processor with no luck, called back to the rental company and they agreed to bring me a new one.  Just as I was to start walking my bike to the meeting point, I noticed a little wire that was hanging down and once we got it plugged back in, we were back in business!  Phew.

The Palace of the Theater of the Arts which was the site of the 1915 World Fair.  The space is beautiful and hardly seems real when you ride up on it in the middle of the city.

We visited a George Lucas studio and design space with the famous Yoda fountain.  Then peaked into the windows to see C3PO, R2D2 and Darth Vader himself in the lobby.

There was so much more... Stops to hear history of the city, point out famous residences and homes featured in movies, military barracks, cemeteries, etc.  

Then we took one last stop for a final picture and began the ride across the bridge.  

We were on the Pacific side of the bridge and it was super loud and windy.  It was exhilarating for everyone and maybe a bit too overwhelming for some.  

 

We stopped just past the halfway point for photos and then continued on to the small quaint town of Sausalito for lunch.  To get across the highway traffic, we had to take this small switch-back filled road down and then under the bridge.  There weren't any cars allowed for the better part and we paused at this beautiful lookout for this photo.

Lunch was at the Joinery.  It was excellent food and since it was already after 3:00 pm, we were all getting quite hungry!  Mark stayed and enjoyed the meal with us and then brought us over to the ferry dock.  We decided the ferry would be a better route home since the temps have been falling since we started this morning the ride over the bridge was pretty chilly.  There we parted ways with Mark!

The ferry ride back was likely only 20-30 minutes but was a quiet and relaxing way to reset after a busy day.  

We weren't trying but also found a perfect view of the bridge as we rode back across the bay.

It was a 10 minute ride from the ferry dock back to the bike rental shop but it was far busier than it had been this morning.  We dropped off the bikes and headed over to Ghirardelli Square for some ice cream.

(Don't mind the hair - honestly we were in helmets all day!)

Then we sat on a bench in a little park and marveled at all the sounds of people enjoying the city.  It was a little after 5:30 pm but already dark out when the kids headed back to the hotel.  Scott and I circled the block again to check out some tricked out cars that we had seen gathered along the water.  

Once we got back, we all decided it would be best to stay in tonight and just relax after such a big day.  We ordered some appetizers from Applebees and had a picnic in our room.  Then it was time to relax. 

Scott's already snoring and I'm heading there soon!  It was a great day today! 

Day 6 - Anegada

 It was a very full day… and there’s so much to share!  First, though the bad news… today was not a good day for Scott’s sinuses and he spent most of it in bed.  Honestly, its just not the same without him.  

We were up a little early today as we hoped to get underway by 8:00 am.  Realistically it was closer to 8:25 but it was still earlier than usual.  In order to make the schedule work, we all agreed to forego the usual big breakfast and instead just snacked on the pastries and bread provided with coffee.  Speaking of, I cannot tell you how wonderful the coffee is.  Amy switched to a new Caribbean blend on the 2nd day with hints of coconut and so smooth.  Yum… its like dessert in a cup.

Anyway, we hoisted the sails and were on our way for the 8 miles across the open ocean to Anegada.  Anegada is the furthest east of the BVIs and the second largest.  However, its quite different from the other Virgin Islands which are made from volcanic activity.  They literally look like little mountains sticking out of the water with rocky cliffs, etc.  Anegada however is very special.  It is made of limestone and honestly looks like a sandbar in the middle of the water.  Its highest elevation is 12 ft.  The entire island is 11 miles long and 14 sq miles total.  You don’t even see it as you approach other than some palm trees sticking out of the horizon.  

 

But the island is beautiful.  The water is calm on this side of the island and it just feels quiet and relaxed.  

After we anchored for the night, Amy and Nick prepped lunch.  It was tacos with a carne asada and a pineapple salsa that tied all the flavors together.  Excellent yet again!

Then we loaded up the dinghy to head to our 1:00p tour with Johnny from Kelly’s Tours (highly recommend).  Johnny is a year out of high school and works for his brother during the busy season.  His family was one of the original 7 families on this island and has been here for 5 generations.  He had so much info to share and was a lot of fun.

So our group (sans Scott, plus Amy) loaded up in Johnny’s boat and rode 30-35 minutes to the eastern end of the island.  Most of this end is a national park so the land and water was protected.  On the way we saw a large sting ray and several sea turtles in the water.  Then we saw a flock of appx 40-50 flamingo eating on the reef.  In the other direction we saw an even larger group of appx 200.  They were stunning!  I’ve never seen flamingo in the wild and was so excited.  The pictures didn’t do them justice.  As we were moving past and almost out of their area, they took to flight and the entire flock flew past our boat.  It was beautiful.  Did you know the underside of the wing of a flamingo is black?  Or that the young ones are more gray than pink?  Anyway, it was incredible.  

 

From there we went to Conch Island.  A stopping point for conch fisherman for 120+ years where they would remove the meat from inside the conch shell then throw the shell on the pile to dispose of them.   Apparently the conch are selective and won't stick around another dead shell.  So, if the fishermen were to leave the empty shells in their fishing spots, they'd destroy their bounty.  It's estimated that there are 1.2 - 1.9 million shells in this pile.  Its beautiful and a little sad all at the same time.  

After we heard the history of the place, we headed out to the reef to find our own conch.  The reef is the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world.  Its shaped like a horseshoe around Anegada and stretches all the way down past Virgin Gorda.  The entire span of the horizon has a white line from the waves crashing at the reef's edge.  It highlights just how far the reef extends.  

Anyway, we stopped the boat in the middle of two separate coral reef areas and jumped out for snorkeling.  We made a figure 8 around both coral beds and met back at the boat.  In the meantime, our guide Johnny went fishing for conch and lobster.  We watched him dive down, look into the coral and snare the lobster.  The area was beautiful and had many different types of fish and sea life.  We all enjoyed our time there.

 

Once back on board, Johnny taught us about the lobsters.  He had found 1 female (they have pinchers on their back legs to help scrape the eggs off) and 1 male (he had freshly molted so his body was more bendy and pliable). We also saw the conch shell he found for us… including the crab that lives on its shell and the fish that lives inside.  So much to learn!!

Then we took the boat back to conch island where Tyler grabbed a newer shell on the pile to use to crack open our shell.  Once he tapped a hole in the end to release the suction, Johnny was able to pull the animal out of the shell.  It was nothing like I had expected.  We had a quick anatomy lesson, finding the claw that pulls it along the ocean floor, the eyes and mouth, reproductive organs, etc.  Then he removed the digestive parts and cleaned it up for eating. He added some lime and citrus juice to chemically cook the meat and then some salsa and we tried fresh ceviche (conch salad) on tortilla chips right there in the middle of conch island.  It was a fun and new experience for us all!

Another 30 minute boat ride would have gotten us back to the dock but we had some engine trouble.  The boat started drifting through the mooring field.  Once we cleared a large, beautiful (and likely crazy expensive) catamaran, we threw the anchor and Johnny called for the other boat.  Luckily Captain Nick was already at the dock for our pick up and saw what happened so he came and picked us up right from the tour boat.  We all had a good laugh but made sure Johnny was ok before we headed back to the boat with our day’s catch.

Scott was up and seemed to be feeling somewhat better by the time we returned so we shared our stories and pictures over cocktails and appetizers (mozzarella sticks, hummus and ground up olives with pretzels and plantain chips).  Then it was off to our dinner reservation at the Lobster Trap.

It was a great meal with FRESH lobster… we actually placed our order this morning so it was ready for us.  The tables are literally sitting on a dock so the view is incredible - the entire mooring field with the Virgin Islands sticking out of the horizon.

 

The best part was that it was the only time any of us can remember having such a nice meal without wearing shoes to the restaurant.  We had a good laugh.

The dinghy ride back to the boat tonight was another fabulous one.  Quiet, calm, nothing but the water lapping against the boats as you sneak through.  The stars are so clear and the moonlight still highlights the sand on shore.  Its a lot to take in.

Back on board, we sat at the table, enjoyed some coffee and cocktails once more.  We sat and we told stories and laughed… a lot.  Plus Amy brought out some mochi, which is best described as an ice cream ball covered in a rice dough.  They were an excellent end to our day.  Everyone headed to bed by 10:00 pm which feels like quite a triumph to us all.  Typically we have been struggling to make it to 9:00 pm even.

Day 3

Today we decided to do the "all-inclusive" package so we could enjoy the restaurants on site.  The kids and I were up shortly after 7 so we decided to save everyone time and go downstairs to buy the bracelets.  When we were in the lobby we decided to pick up a Starbucks while we waited.  

After all the adults were up, we headed downstairs to Azul for breakfast... its a buffet with a wide variety of options.  We had brought all of our things for the beach and headed right there after the meal.  The ocean was again quite rough.  We had lots of fun wading out in the surf.  The waves actually came from both directions... in front and behind us and would make a HUGE splash.  We laughed as we were all thrown about, fell down and were soaked by the waves.  

Eventually, we all agreed that we needed a break.  Mary found a nice place to rest up.  I joined her.  Then we migrated to chairs out in the sun, while the boys took the kids up to the pool.

By the time Mary and I had solved all the world's problems, we headed up to the pool to join the bunch and found the kids... very happy indeed... sitting at the pool-side bar.

We played in the pool for a while until we decided it was time to eat.  So we headed up to the condo to clean up and then headed back to Azul for lunch.  Instead of a buffet, the meal was served off menu.  As we all made our selections, Scott questioned what was in "tacos con pulpo"  When we asked the waitress, she explained it was octopus and pork.  She laughed out loud at our reactions.  Not necessarily disgust but surprised by the odd meat combination.  Scott ordered it anyway much to her amusement!  The meal was excellent and we all left again with full tummies.  On the way up we were once again greeted with a elevator that was out of service.  Grr so up we went 7 floors. 

Scott was feeling a lot of sinus pressure so he laid down for a nap while Mary and I enjoyed the patio.      JC napped a while on the couch.  The kids busied themselves with electronics or drawing.  Eventually they came outside and we read a chapter of Harry Potter while Mary went inside to read.  I checked on Scott around 5:00 pm and he wasn't doing well so we decided to head for supper without him.  

We stopped at the other restaurant on site Hakka but decided against its Japanese, primarily sushi menu.  Back to Azul we went for a Mexican buffet.  It was wonderful!  After several trips to the stations, fajitas, quesadillas, and tacos, we visited the dessert bar.  Sammy tried my postel tres leches (three milk cake).  Instantly her eyes lit up and she left her chair in a hurry to get her own.  It was amusing watching her devour her dessert.

When we left the restaurant we visited the gift shop and found a few items we still needed for our excursion tomorrow... biodegradable insect repellent and water shoes.  Even a size 13!  As we headed back to the condo, we stopped by the pool bar for some drinks and enjoyed the 70s classics being played.  Even the kids were swaying to the songs.  

Again, we came around the corner to see the elevator wasn't working... but this time, signs were posted.  We knew we were in trouble when somebody took the time to print signs.  When we finally made it up the steps, Scott was feeling better and we sat around the table as he ate some cereal for supper.  

At bedtime, Sammy came out to good night hugs and convinced JC to dance her to bed... it was very sweet.

We wrapped up the evening around 10.  Another fabulous day!