Struggling with Google maps to outline our trip. It’s not complete, but it’s as close as I could get it. The map had the road to Many Glaciers, but not the road to Garnet (Ghost Town) or the road to Ross Creek Giant Cedars.

View Montana – Wyoming – Idaho Loop in a larger map

stream crossed walking on bike trail outside Card’s Crossing, Franklin

birches in the Maine woods

blueberry barrens in fall color

clam or worm diggers’ tracks on the mud flats, Taunton Bay

moonrise, sunset on the beach, Hancock Point

moon in Maine, November 29

shoreline at sunset, Hancock Point

Mount Desert Island from Hancock Point

Late November sunset, Hancock Point

3/20 Aeropuerto

up at 6, hang with relatives a long while, shower, pack, eat leftovers from last night’s fish taco take home and birthday cake from the hotel buffet. Sit around, photograph the group, get a bit of recovery story from T & M. L types away online. S watches. Lorna, Kendra, and Lee tell stories of the McKuens of Boonville. Time for goodbyes. Airport after a quick meal in San Jose.

Airport is full of vacationers with huge bags. We skip the line with some help from a friendly guard. Waiting in a bright room made of canvas. A bit of sampling of tequila.

Searched for liquids/water before boarding, then out on the warm tarmac to the plane’s back door. Watching, dust blowing, almost tasting it, throwing off that hot embrace, losing sight of those jagged final mountains.

little town – Ramundo and Lorena’s place – lush, fertile, beautiful in the long shadows of afternoon. Gardens, makeshift little corrals, huge mango tree, papayas, pottery, funny outhouse, large expansive porch, herbs, pots and pots of kalanchoe, cherry tomatoes, grapefruit (we shared one).

Letting this sink in
Trying to let this sink in
Try to let it touch you
No shrine but paradise
Man carries bundled palms
Buzzards roost in trees
Sunset, moon rise
They saw wild boar along the road at night hurtling down the mountain
and, arrested by a horseman messenger, met Lorena there

Afternoon – get Becca’s car and take 2 cards to La Candelaria (I hear rural Mexico singing)

Paradise in the hills –
dusty roads
fig tree shrine oasis

3/19 Wednesday – last full day
Spent mostly hanging around the resort waiting for things – people to shower, people to get online or offline, mostly Becca’s rental car timing. I prove to be stressed by hanging out. No Sunburn though!

Early am – voyage through suburban hills overlooking C.S.L. – no point but to get out of the resort and be moving/touring/discovering/avoiding people waking up either groggy or hungover or indecisive (my Type A behavior).

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Lorna’s birthday! mini-party with cards and presents in the morning.

3/18 Tues a.m.
Early beach walking with Sam – catch my first sight of Whales!

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3/18 Tues pm San Jose del Cabo
with Sam & Nate
Visit galleries (Galeria Ida Victoria – guy from Long Island, paintings of a crude revisionist Lord’s Supper and bull-ghosts enjoying the goring of a matador, plus some lovely textured dreamlike landscapes-with-rose that I liked.

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Walk in the heat, somewhat obnoxiously restaurant shopping with Nate. End up at Cactus Taco where I have an AWESOME cactus taco (nopal & camaron). And – cervezas.

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Mega SuperMercado – spaghetti for dinner and garlic bread. Smoothie ingredients for desayunos.

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Home to a free cocktail party for guests. I’m drained, so I take photos of people. Sam socializes. I take a sunset swim in the hotel pool and feel the entrance of some relaxation magic into my body. Moon rise. Whales spouting. Cruise ship passes ominously, ponderously out in the ocean while I hang on the infinity.