Well, we are getting a feel for the place now. We finally have some nice sunshine, and wow, it is hot and humid! Most days, we have to make our way home by 4 o’clock or so because we are so worn out from walking, and hot and sweaty. A jump in the pool at our vacation home is a nice way to end the day. The beach at Bucerias is absolutely gorgeous - just like you see in the travel brochures - and practically deserted during the week. On the weekends, Mexican families come and enjoy the beach too, and it is a bit busier, but still far from crowded. We walked one morning as far as we could one way, then found a place on the beach and bought a beer and sat in ... read more

It rained all day Tuesday, putting a damper on the first day of our vacation (haha). OUr hostess Ronnie loaned us an umbrella, and we walked around a bit trying to get a feel for the place. We took a bus to the nearest Mega store for groceries, and the rain really set in on the way. we decided to take a cab back and just chill in the apartment. That night, about 11pm, the wind picked up and the rain started lashing at the windows. The plants moved around on the deck and the patio furniture crashed up against the patio doors. Then the wind took the screen right off of the patio doors off the bedroom. We looked out and saw the palm trees blowing sideways, just like in the news clips you see ... read more

A couple of days, we decided to be tourists. One day we visited the aquarium at Long Beach, then had lunch at Mom's Tamale (one of the places featured on Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives). These tamales are absolutely delicious, but if we hadn't seen the place on the television, we probably wouldn't have stopped here - or even been in the neighborhood. We also went to the La Brea tar pit, which is smaller than I had anticipated, and covered with water from the recent rain, but still smelled like road construction. In fact, they mined asphalt from here for years, before it was made into a park. They have removed literally tons of fosilized bones from here over the years. There are spots where the tar bubbles up out of the ground as well - ... read more

Even though we had cold, rainy weather, we had a very nice visit with Steve’s brother Don, and my aunt Irene. Eating is always a favorite passtime for us. We went out to a few interesting restaurants: one owned by Guy Fieri from the Food Network, called Tex Wasabi; one called Twin’s Sushi where Irene knows the twins and we all got hugs as well as great food, and of course, the local Mexican restaurant that we always go to with the world’s best margaritas. Yummy! Driving around looking at the neighborhoods is always fun here too. Where they live is called Cameron Park, which is about 40 miles outside of Sacramento. One of the neighborhoods has a small airport, where the people own small planes and after they land, they just drive them down the ... read more

We had a nice breakfast at the Hawood Inn, one of the nicer hotels in town. Then we stop and grab a couple of sweet buns for later at the local bakery, which is bustling with people getting coffees, papers, and bakery items to go. We are heading home, and plan to take secondary and grid roads to see more of the countryside along the way. We take highway #263, AKA ‘the scenic route’ south through the park and stop at Trappers Lake and Sandy Lake before leaving the park. Trappers Lake is very small, shallow with lots of reeds and bulrushes, and with mud shores. It also allows no motor boats, so is nice and quiet, and has only 5 camping spots. However, it is not very inviting, so we move on. Sandy Lake is ... read more