Well how could it end with two turtles left stranded on an island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea? The tale has to be told and it’s more of a pictograph than a tale but consider this the wrap on the Aruba/Ultimate Trip Report…unless I run out of steam before I reach the end, then it will be *post-poned*.

Somewhere about 10:30ish a.m., Jim called me and we decided that within a half an hour, he’d be ready to shift over to my room – that was on the 2nd of October. Transfer of luggage and body completed, we headed for Registration to clear his room and acquire a room key for him. I approached a desk person; “He’s moving out of his room today and into mine,” motioning to Jim.

Completely cheerful, responsive desk person asked what room I was in. I told her. She never asked me my name or asked for ID. She asked Jim what room he was in and gave Jim a copy of the charges to his room and issued him a key to mine. D-A-M-N!!! What if we were just criminals or planning something cagey or strange? A perfect stranger could acquire a key to my….or your room.

We hit the Lower Lobby and reserved a car. We planned on checking out the island on the next two days before we left on Wednesday, the 5th.

BTW – it was Sunday. Jim wanted to watch some football game that was coming on later; I wanted the maid to hurry up with straightening the room so I could go back upstairs. Jim left to search out a place to watch the game; I headed for the Concierge to ask for a reservation to The Pelican’s Nest. We were going to try and find a lobster for dinner. Reservation made, I waltzed around through the Casino and checked out the machines. They are older than dirt – nothing like the machines in the casinos in the USA. I threw $40 into a Keno Machine, flirted around with a few dollars winner several times, lost it, and headed for the room.

I worked on updating the posts here and did the ‘lazy turtle’ thang. I had wifi access in my room but one major change from last year – it was free last year and to access it, one had to be in the lobby or lower lobby. This year, it cost $12 a day for single day use and $11 a day if taken for the length of the stay…plus the damn 10% surcharge. Everything in Aruba has a surcharge. The only benefit to having to pay for it is the convenience of in room use.

We did hit the Pelican’s Nest for a meal…no lobster. *heavy sigh* Last year Paula and me each had a lobster tail…it was wonderful. It was incredibly muggy with very little breeze coming across the water but the food, company, and service were all good. And no mosquitoes this year…last year it was hard to tell who was getting eaten. My food or me.

Our next stop was the Radisson Poker Room. Jim wanted to check out the action. Mike and John were in a $4-8 game by the rail. They were part of our dealing crew…but not part of the distinguished Turtles. They would be leaving for Vegas on Friday. Jim decided to play. I left him there and headed for the room where the temperature could be set to my choosing; settled into another post, a brew, and finally drifted off to Sand Woman Land.

October 3rd. We picked up our vehicle – we asked for a 4X drive and soon became certain she thought we said a 4 door. The rig looked identical to the bucket of bolts I rented last year so without further ado…and definitely not checking it out…we hit the island. We cruised to the California Lighthouse via a stop along the sea’s edge and I tried to get stuck in the sand…Jim had to get out and push. Ugh!!!! Good thing he’s a young, healthy buck, with a heart of steel.

While we were at the edge of the sea, we found this beauty:

Last year I wanted to see the Natural Pool but the hurricane that passed the island did a lot of water damage to the roads and it was no go. This year it was a must see. But the roads in Aruba are something else. There are no signs or street names and a lot of water from a hurricane may wash a few of them out but it doesn’t change much. Occasionally a sign is spotted but there’s no way of knowing if it means the next dirt road or not, or one of the next three. The good news is that it’s a small island; impossible to get lost on. But it’s irritating as hell. We had a map. Big Deal! It doesn’t show the labyrinth of small roads that twist and turn across the island.

We cruised by the Ayo Rock Formations, found some signs that pointed in a direction for the Arikok National Wildlife Park and the Donkey Sanctuary and the Natural Pool. Veering off on a guess on the road the sign was pointing to, we passed the Donkey Sanctuary – laughing our butts off because we were the donkeys – still looking for the Natural Pool. Road after road, veering off to the right or the left, no signs, some houses that had seen better days, and more roads, we turned around and headed back. We passed the Donkey Sanctuary again…more laughter. Back to the Ayo Rock Formation and a sign pointing back the way we came “Natural Pool”. I stopped and backed into a road to turn around and a touring van stopped in front of me, eight or so people in the open-air back of the rig, and that’s when we met Leroy. He leaned out and motioned, I rolled down the window, “Every thing alright?”

“No. We are trying to find the Natural Pool.”

“Follow me.”

We did, whizzing and turning down the road we had just traveled but soon took a new twist. After two to three miles and more twists and turns on more roads, all unmarked without signs, we came to a few houses with a sign on the road, Welcome to the Natural Pool. What a joke. Leroy took another turn, grinding up a bad, rocky, dirt road incline, where he hit the brakes. “How comfortable are you driving that?”

Me, “It’s not a 4X drive.”

“Park it and jump in then.”

We did. What a ride. We were at the end of the bed, hanging on for our lives as he raced over roads that I would take in my truck, but much slower. A few times I thought we might even do a ‘roll over’ the way the truck hit a high spot or rock and the steep hillside below looked like it was silently calling us down.

The group on the tour was a mix of husbands/wives, boyfriends/girlfriends. The women were pretty funny. All kinds of comments, most of them rank, and we were all laughing…so was Leroy as he professed that’s what they got for riding with ‘Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown’.

We passed two other 4X rigs with couples in them that were stopped. Leroy stopped and queried if everything was ok. They were staring at what they had to traverse to get to the bottom and the Natural Pool. Leroy taunted them to ‘come on down’ as he raced off again. That little cheesy Daihatsu we rented would never make it up, if we made it down. Well here it is, the much talked about, one of the high spots to visit in Aruba, can’t be found by a tourist, Natural Pool.

I’ll be the first to admit that I thought it would be much more. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it certainly wasn’t a little protected cove in the Sea. And getting there? Kee-rist!

I was the first one down the steps, snapping pictures and looking at everything as I went. I veered off to take pictures of tide pools in rock and corral formations on the left. By the time I got to the Natural Pool, Leroy was already set up on the side, crouched, waiting for the girls in the group to go swimming. He had a big bag of sodas for the group, and lots of fresh bread that he was wadding into balls. He quietly told me that he loved to surprise his girls. When they got into the water to swim, he threw in the bread, and lots of HARMLESS fish go into a surface, feeding frenzy. He said some of the girls scream and others think it’s funny. It was pretty kewl to watch it happen. I had no intention of swimming – camera and fanny pack in tow – and Jim had disappeared.

I caught this kid scampering across the rock a few feet away. He was actually trying out for a race, moving really fast, I had to lead him to get him in the picture. He’s also zoomed so in reality, he’s not quite this big…

I left the group of swimmers and screamers and Leroy and headed back up the steps to the top. I turned around midway and found Jim, out on the rocks on the left, waving at me. After I hit the top, I sat and visited with a guy with a Dutch accent that queried me about my tattoos and seemed totally impressed that one of my sons did them for me. He had some arm work he displayed before his woman came to drag him away.

The rest of the crowd arrived within 20 or so minutes, loaded up on drinks, picture taking, and I told Leroy I was going to put him on my website. Here he be:

After we loaded back into the rig and Leroy asked the girls if they wanted to go back up the way we came down, and they fo-o-o-olishly said, “NO.” We were off and careening up another trail that was just as bad if not worse. This time I could see the downside behind us and as I braced myself on the overhead roll bar with one arm, I snapped several pictures of the terrain we were leaving behind. I have no idea how this even came out as good as it did because we were semi air born and bouncing all the way up.

When Leroy dropped us at our rig, I thanked him, handed him a $$ tip, and knew I would never make that trip again. Yes…never is extreme but at this point, I just can’t see it happening. But it was an adventure worth doing once…especially with Leroy in charge of the lunacy.

BTW no matter where we went, on what kinds of roads, or coral/rock along the sea, Jim went on and on about the rig we were driving. :It wasn’t mean to take that kind of beating…blah, blah, blah.”

I was laughing my ass off. I told him that it would still be there running people around the island 10 years from now. He never shut up about it. I never offered to let him drive either. I know how to punish people. Must be that mean streak in me.

*post-poned*