Marinas or Mangroves?

Ambitious marina plan scaled back, and to those with environmental conserns, that's a good thing

My colleague, Jimm Budd, a Mexico City-based travel journalist who sends out daily reports about Mexican tourism, today reported that "Escalera Nautica today has 8 marinas open with seven more in planning stage according to Raul Lopez, manager at San Blas. Not exactly what had been dreamed of a decade ago, but still something. A decade ago, when the project was announced, goal was to open more than 30 marinas along both coasts of the Baja California peninsula as well as along the west coast of the mainland. The government would provide the basic infrastructure, and it was hoped that private investors would come in with the amenities. Lack of enthusiasm on the part of private investors had apparently almost killed the scheme, although Lopez said laws protecting mangroves on the coast were more to blame. Eventual idea is to attract boaters starved for marinas in their home states to come to Mexico."

A website called BajaQuest had other numbers but quoted an earlier report on the same concept:

"The plan calls for 22 full-service marinas, 10 of them new. Of the 12
existing, seven will be improved and five are judged as already adequate. The 10
new marinas will be located on sites with natural shelter, or bays, a feature
the peninsula has in abundance. Five of these are to be in Baja California,
three in Baja California Sur, and one each in Sonora and Sinaloa."

"Additionally, the plan calls for an 84-mile highway route for towing boats
from one side of the peninsula to the other. This feature will allow boat
travelers quick access to either body of water for those without time or
interest in sailing around the southernmost tip of Baja California Sur. Further,
the plan calls for improving the road between Mexicali and San Felipe to allow
bigger-boat towing rigs crossborder access to the Sea of Cortes."

The map (above right) was released in 2001, showing the ambitious scale of the project then. Some people probably still support it. Along the Sea of Cortes, tourism officials have been calling it "the mega-tourism project of the XXI century." That in itself is scary -- especially if you're a mangrove tree or a critter that lives in the mangroves. Environmental authorities call mangroves "the nursery of the seas." These miraculous trees survive and thrive in brackish coastal waters. Their complex root systems provide safe havens for hatchlings of all sorts, and birds nest in the dense foliage. Insects and everything above them in the food chain thrive in mangroves.

Miraculous Mangroves

Below is a mangrove swamp near Ventanilla in the state of Oaxaca. The top photo shows a shallow-draft boat taking tourists to an alligator sanctuary on an island amid the mangroves.

Below, a large turtle suns itself on a stump.


Below is a mangrove habitat, seemingly serene but full of life.


Researchers Speak

The early stages of the Escalara Nautica were not encouraging vis-a-vis environmental stewardship. Back in April 2003 (more than six years ago), the California-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation published its "Preliminary Coastal Analysis of Escalera Nautica at Bahia Santa Rosaliita." This first marina did not involve mangroves, but if the Mexican government and/or developers didn't begin pay more attention to what it was doing, it must be bad news for mangroves and everything else along the Escalera Nautica. According to the report,

"The new marina is located in the northwest somewhat sheltered corner of
Bahia Santa Rosaliita (also spelled Rosalillita, Rosalilita, Rosalia)....The new
marina is located in the northwest somewhat sheltered corner of Bahia Santa
Rosaliita (also spelled Rosalillita, Rosalilita, Rosalia)....

"A new concrete wall (less than one year old) was observed to be heavily
damaged, with extensive cracking, spalling, and exposed rebar. Likely reasons
for this rapid deterioration are poor materials and construction
methods.

"Due to the short jetty length and ample availability of sediment in the
area, it is expected to be difficult to maintain the entrance depth required for
a navigable entrance.... aves will likely break across the marina entrance
during high wave events. Continuous dredging will be required to maintain the
requisite entrance depth and sufficient basin depth.

"Currently, the east jetty extends landward to approximately 10 meters
landward of the vegetation line. It is reasonable to expect the beach east of
the marina to continue to recede landward, likely resulting in erosion behind
the landward end of the east jetty.

"Extensive downcoast erosion has been measured during the first year after
jetty construction. It is expected that some structures will be lost to the sea
within another year. The historic sandy beach that did exist on the east of the
marina has been replaced by a steep cobble and stone berm with some exposed
bedrock and vertical sandstone beach scarping. The downcoast erosion will likely
reach a dynamic equilibrium within a few years."

"The first marina of the Escalera Nautica system is deeply troubled.
The lack of planning and poor selection of location has resulted in a marina
that will be very expensive to maintain. If it is determined that the marina is
essential, we recommend some improvements that will make the marina useful some of the time....

Future Escalera Nautica projects should consult qualified consultants and
perform adequate studies prior to construction."

I sure hope the government and developers have been doing precisely that, but I'm not taking bets.

UNESCO to Inspect a Pair of National Parks

Mining is threatening International Peace Park; UN agency to look into the situation

When it comes to global warming, ice is the canary in the mine. The shore-fast ice along the north coast of Alaska and Canada has been thinner and breaking up earlier every spring. Huge chunks of the Ross Ice Shelf and other tracts of frozen water have been breaking off the Antarctic continent. And glaciers all over the world have been visibly shrinking -- not just measurably in scientific terms but visibly in this lifetime. Glacier National Park in northern Montana, with its shrinking and disappearing glaciers, has been a the poster child for climate change.

But there is another threat to Glacier and its neighbor to the north. Coal mining could be a greter problem for Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, composed of contiguous Glacier National Park in northern Montana and Waterton National Park (above right) across the Canadian border. National Parks Traveler reported that UNESCO's World Heritage Committee voted unanimously to look into the "threat posed to the two parks by [coal] mining proposals for the headwaters of the Flathead River just to the north of Glacier and just west of Waterton Lakes." A dozen US and Canadian conservation and environmental organizations "asked the World Heritage Committee to declare the two parks a 'World Heritage Site In Danger' due to the mining possibilities that Canadian officials so far seem to have supported," according to National Parks Traveler.

"While U.S. politicians ranging from those in Montana counties all the way up to the U.S. secretary of state's office want Canada to block Cline Mining Corp. from scraping away mountaintops in the headwaters of the Flathead River to reach millions of tons of coal, Canadian officials so far have not been keen on the idea," National Parks Traveler had reported earlier.

The UNESCO report is supposed to be completed in 2010, but pardon me if I note that this issue has been around for several years. U.S. and Canadian officials were supposed to be dealing with the mining proposal since at least 2007. The North Fork Preservation Association has been keeping tabs on the situation, including the appearance of the North Fork of the Flathead on an increasing number of lists of endangered rivers, Check out Toronto-based Cline Mining's website to see images of the kinds of mining infrastructure most of us don't want to see in the backyard of our precious national parks or in pristine river valleys. The Cline map shows two coal projects in southeastern British Columbia, where the Flathead River originates: Sage Creek and Lodgepole. I'm not sure whether one or both are what UNESCO will be studying.

In any case, while the inspection team is in the neighborhood, perhaps they might take a look at the remaining glaciers too.

Dreamliner Becoming a Nightmare for Boeing

Production of 21st-century airliner delayed for a fifth time



It isn't exactly news we can use for immediate travel, but the much anticipated Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been delayed yet again. The plane's ultra-modern materials are supposed to make it lighter and therefore more fuel efficient aren't standing up well in pre-flight tests. This mid-size, long-range airliner has gone back to the drawing board, or at least the lab. The concept was announced in 2005 and planes carryinbg 223 passengers in three cabin classes were supposed to be in commercial service last year.

The Wall Street Journal reported that "postponed the first flight of its much-delayed 787 Dreamliner due to a structural flaw that executives said was small, but which further dents the company's credibility and could hurt the new jet's future profitability." Nobody would want an airplane with "a structural flaw" to take off, even on test flights, but it is noteworthy. The Dreamliner's potential profitability was enormous, since well over 600 aircraft had been ordered -- the largest commercial aircraft sale in history -- but some orders have already been canceled or delayed.

Clear Closes Up Shop

Clear customers rejoin the rest of us in airport security lines

Clear, part of New York-based Verified Identity Pass Inc. (VIP, get it?), which charged customers up to $199 a year for a faster approach to TSA security checkpoints, disappeared overnight. The Clear website now has just one page of short-and-to-the-point content:

At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement
with its senior creditor to continue operations.

The company's premise was that if Clear cleared your ID, you could fast-track directly to the screening area, which at most airports meant significantly shorter lines. The preclearing process included fingerprinting and iris scanning. Clear launched with great fanfare (and a $99 initial fee) on July 18, 2005, and sank with barely a bubble breaking the transportation industry surface less than four years later, having signed up 18 or 20 airports and at its peak reportedly had some 250,000 customers, which had shrunk to 150,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. Verified Identity Pass, a private company, was initially funded by Lockheed Martin, GE Security, Lehman Bros. and some venture-capital firms.

The concept was that frequent travelers or the terminally impatient (yes, that pun was intended) would happy pay to speed their way to the screening checkpoint, where they would still have to take off their shoes and belts, empty their pockets, remove their laptops from their cases and undergo the normal indignities of getting to their airline membership clubs or departure gates.

A perfect storm sank Clear. Travelers who fly enough to make Clear worthwhile also are elite members of one or more frequent-flyer programs that have their own shorter lines at many major airports. A number of airports themselves have worked hard to streamline security lines, and the TSA itself has instituted its black/blue/green ranking system right at the checkpoints in order to unclog back-ups of inexperience travelers or families that take longer to get through the Xray/metal-detector process. Many people begin their flights at smaller regional airports that don't have long lines to begin with. And now, of course, fewer people are flying, relieving pressure. The corollary is that financing is more difficult to obtain, which drove the final nail in Clear's coffin.

According to Danny Sullivan's posting on his blog, Daggle (which included the image above right), problems began surfacing when Clear started hustling for multi-year memberships. Sullivan, a search-engine wizard, wrote: "...I’ve been a regular user since it started. In fact, I was probably one of the program’s most successful affiliates. I’d written about it from an early point, and so many people used my code to get an extra month (and giving me one in the process) that my card was good through 2064. Poof. Now all that credit is apparently gone. And so is any time left on cards for people who bought the 2, 3, 5 or 10 year options that Clear recently promoted."

In an earlier post Sullivan had warned his readers, that "a 3 year or longer period is that Clear itself isn’t guaranteed to exist that long. So far, they seem to be expanding and doing well. They probably will be around for 3-5 years. But in 10 years, who knows how airport security is going to change — and $1,190 is a lot to gamble on that."

Do I miss Clear? Not for a minute. Unlike Sullivan, I wouldn't dream of paying for express-lane access to the TSA checkpoint. Now if I could manage to avoid that step altogether.....

Re-examing Rules After Pillot's Death at the Controls

Health risks versus experience weighed for pilots over 60

The mid-air death of Captain Craig Lenell, a 60-year-old Continental pilot who succumbed to a fatal heart attack last week rekindled the debate over the age limits for commercial pilots in the US. The retirement age was 60 until 2007, when Congress raised it to 65. When I wrote a post about it, I focused in the weird media reports, and now, there's an oddball debate.

Think back to July 1989, when a United DC-10 flying from Denver's old Stapleton Airport to Chicago's O'Hare crash landed in Sioux City, Iowa. One engine disintegrated destroying all three of the plane's hydraulic systems that were routed through a single conduit. The only working controls were the two remaining engines' thrust levers. The mechanics of the crisis are beyond my comprehension, but the bottom line is that a DC-10 flight instructor deadheading on that flight helped by manually adjusting the throttles to keep in minimal control.

The crippled plane broke up during its emergency landing in Sioux City, killing 110 of 285 passengers and one of 11 crew members. Experts praised Captain Alfred C. Haynes, his first officer and flight engineer and instructor Dennis E. Fitch for their skill in preventing an even greater loss of life. Haynes had to retire in 1991 at the age of 60 (Charlton Heston played him in a movie the next year). Fitch was injured in the crash but went back to work. Many experts feel that the while older pilots might have increased health risks, their experience in the air compensates in emergency situations. And of course, they are required to have regular physicals

According to a USA Today report, "Since the FAA started keeping track 15 years ago, there have been six pilot deaths mid-flight ranging in age from upper-40s to upper-50s. Pilots are required to undergo medical exams every six months once they reach age 40, according to the FAA. Pilots over 40 must have an annual electrocardiogram, and captains are required to get one every six months.

"Justin Green, a former military pilot and an aviation attorney, told CNN that 'there's no magic age for pilots. Big airline pilots, especially those flying internationally, are among the most carefully monitored people in terms of their health.'" Furthermore, flights of eight hours or longer are required to have a captain, a first officer and a relief pilot on board, and those longer than 12 hours must have two captains and two first officers."

Given the millions of commercial aircraft operations in the last 15 years, it seems that no good case can be made for rolling back the mandatory retirement age to 60 because of one fatality in the cockpit.

Revised Resource for Disabled Tavelers

Guide to barrier-free travel addresses needs of mobility-impaired travelers

I never thought much about the challenges faced by wheelchair users until my now-grown was an infant. There I was, an agile woman who often had problems navigating a carriage or stroller into some buildings, up steep stairs or places with oddball angles. I wondered then how people in wheelchairs managed to get around, and I quickly realized that they didn't. "Shut-in" is a word we we heard then but fortunately don't anymore, because the laws have changed and accessibility is now mandated in the US.

Knock on lots of wood, I remain healthy and mobile, but I have friends and family members who no longer are. I've gone to their homes, gone out to dinner, been to museums and shops and so forth, and I am impressed at how much more user-friendly our country has become since the Americans with Disabilities Act. But when I go to other countries, and see foot-high curbs, broken pavement and other impediments to getting around to see the sights, I realize that there are lots of places that people with physical challenges simply can't travel. These are of concerns for those with mobility issues and also for their families and travel companions.

The newly released third edition of Barrier-Free Travels: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers by Candy Harrington, an authority on the subject, is a godsend when researching how feasible a trip might be. It is a definitive guide to accessible travel including detailed information about the logistics of planning travel by plane, train, bus and ship. She addresses such nitty-gritty details as finding an understanding travel agent, dealing with airport and pier security (a hassle for the able-bodied, let alone a traveler with special needs), traveling with supplemental oxygen and more.

A few years ago on my first cruise, I saw how many fellow passengers had trouble getting around, how helpful the crew was and how suitable cruise ships are for people with such problems. Harrington has found 45 shore-excursion operators on popular cruise itineraries with vans that include wheelchair lifts, so that people don't need to be stuck on the ship all the time. The new edition also includes recent updates to access laws, new resources and an expanded list of companies that rent accessible vans in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The book is $19.95 from Demos Publishing. It is available at bookstores, from the publisher (800-532-8663) or online.

Travel Writers Vote for World's 10 Best Trains

North American and European trains prevail on SATW list

The Society of American Travel Writers recently polled its members (including moi) to come up with the “Top 10” train rides in the world in terms of excitement and scenery. SATW listed the world’s “Top 10” train rides in order of the number of votes. The top five of the top 10 include one in my own Colorado, three in two of my favorite countries (Switzerland and Canada) and one that I long to visit (Peru). In fact, every one of the top 10 is in the Western Hemisphere or Europe, which is tad odd considering how widely traveled SATW members are. In any case, these trains offer trips from multi-day rail excursions to a tourist ride of less than an hour.

Below are the Top 10 in SATW's words and a few of my images of trains that take travelers on such memorable journeys.

1. The Rocky Mountaineer offers spectacular two-day journeys through the Canadian Rocky Mountains from Vancouver to Banff or Jasper.

2. The Glacier Express is the famous Swiss mountain railway from St. Moritz to Zermatt, a 7 12-hour railway journey that crosses 291 bridges and burrows through 91 tunnels.

3. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (top right) winds through rugged canyons in the remote wilderness of Colorado’s two-million-acre San Juan National Forest. The narrow-gauge train is pulled by a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive along the same tracks traveled over a century ago by miners, cowboys and settlers of the Old West.

4. The Bernina Express from Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy, makes the highest rail crossing of the Alps, passing from icy glaciers to palm-shaded piazzas in just a few hours. It crosses 196 bridges and passes through 55 tunnels, while winding around countless spectacular switchbacks. You can take the scenic stretch from St. Moritz to Tirano for lunch in Italy in just three hours.

5. Peru Rail, Cusco to Machu Picchu, carries passengers on a spectacular journey through the high Andes. There are three levels of service, from backpacker trains to Vistadome cars to the luxurious blue and gold Hiram Bingham train, named in honor of Hiram Bingham, the explorer who discovered the Inca citadel in 1911. The train passes by lush green fields and colorful villages in the foothills of the Andes and climbs along the Urubamba River through a dramatic canyon before reaching Machu Picchu.

6. The Coastal Classic Train on the Alaska Railroad winds through the wilderness between Anchorage and Seward. Massive glaciers are visible from the track as the train climbs into the Kenai Mountains and travels to the shores of Resurrection Bay for convenient connection to Kenai Fjords National Park, offering whale watching, sea kayaking, tidewater glacier viewing, fishing, and dog sled rides.

7. The Royal Scotsman rolls through the ever-changing landscapes of sweeping glens, towering peaks and mirror-calm lochs as the train weaves through wild countryside and along virgin stretches of coast on two to seven night journeys in the Scottish highlands.

8. The Whistler Mountaineer in Canada is a three-hour ride along the magnificent coast of British Columbia, from Vancouver to Whistler, famous for its views of cities, old-growth forests, deep valleys, snowcapped peaks and seascapes.

9. Mexico’s El Chepe ventures into the imposing landscapes of the Sierra Tarahumara and into Mexico’s famed Copper Canyon, passing through 87 tunnels and crossing 37 bridges. The Copper Canyon is four times the size of the Grand Canyon – and deeper.

10. The Flam Railway is regarded as one of the highlights of the “Norway in a Nutshell” tour. The 20-km-long train journey from the mountain station of Myrdal down to Flam, beside a fjord, takes 55 minutes. On the journey, you have views of some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in Norway with a panorama of tall mountains and cascading waterfalls. The train moves slowly or stops at the best views.

Pilot's Mid-Atlantic Death Results in Odd Reporting

An NPR news report this afternoon indicated the first officer landed a Continental flight from Brussels to Newark after the captain suffered "an apparent heart attack" and died in the air, over the Atlantic. I found it bizarre that the report also included information that the plane "landed safely" with the first officer and a relief pilot in charge.

A CNN report followed along the same lines: "The airline said the crew on the flight included an additional relief pilot who took the place of the deceased man, and 'the flight continued safely with two pilots at the controls.' The Boeing 777 landed safely at Newark International Airport at 11:49 a.m. ET Thursday, the airline said."

The captain's death is certainly news, but why is it news that the aircraft made it to the ground with no other injuries -- or fatalities? Isn't that what co-pilots/first officers/relief pilots are supposed to do?

During the otherwise-normal flight, only a call for a doctor on board indicated that someone might have become ill. The doctor pronounced the pilot dead, acccording to reports, but passengers were not "informed" of the captain's death, and that flight attendants continued service as usual. Pray tell, what benefit would it be to let a plane full of passengers know that due to his untimely and unfortunate passing, the pilot who took off from Brussels would not be the one landing the aircraft in Newark?

A passenger told CNN, "four or five fire trucks and a whole bunch of medical emergency teams." Maybe I'm channeling the late George Carlin here, but I wonder what good would several fire trucks and even more medical teams could do for a corpse. Wouldn't a hearse have been more appropriate?

TSA Crackdown is Smackdown for Passengers

Name on government ID must now match boarding pass/ticket -- or else

I had hoped that sometime after January 23, 2009, the Transportation Security Agency would loosen some of its silly regulations regarding passenger/traveler screening procedures instituted under the previous administration. My hopes were dashed, when the TSA announced recently that names on travel documents and government-issued IDs must now match exactly. This seemed like asking for trouble. And that's what's happening, according to a report yesterday on 9News:

" The difference between Don and Donald and Peg and Peggy might not seem
like much, but it could be enough to give you a big headache. Starting this
summer, air travelers are being required to have the name on their airline
ticket and the identification they use at the airport match exactly.

The change is part of Transportation Security Administration's Secure
Flight Program. It was created to solve problems created for travelers with
names similar, but not exactly the same, as individuals on the No Fly List. By
having travelers use their full legal name, it is hoped that fewer people will
be confused with identified terrorists.

"In addition, starting in mid-August passengers will need to provide
airlines with their date of birth and gender.

"While the new requirements may help people previously confused with
individuals on the No Fly List, they also could cause travel problems for the
general public if you are not prepared for them."

I rarely use my middle name or middle initial, but my passport reads "Claire Margaret Walter" and my Colorado driver's license reads Claire M Walter. When making an airline reservation from here on in, I need to be mindful of whether the trip is international or domestic and book accordingly. I can't tell you how many travel agencies have issued tickets to Claire Walters with an S on my last name, or to Clare Walter or Clair Walter without the I or the E in my first.

It could be worse for my son, Andrew Cameron-Walter and others with hyphenated names. Some computer programs cannot recognize hyphens and run a double last name together as one, while others can and do. I don't remember how his passport reads or what it says on his driver's license.

My belief is that real "evil doers" intent on causing mischief or mayhem in the air will be meticulous about matching their tickets and their IDs, no matter how they obtained those IDs, while innocent travelers will again be entangled in the web of TSA harassment.

I do wonder, however, whether I could be again be permitted through security with a boarding pass with the name Christopher Weber. Click here to read about that wondrous travel experience last December.

Great Deals at Hills Health Ranch

British Columbia spa resort rewards guests for pounds lost -- and other values

With the publication of my new book on Nordic Walking (defined as fitness walking with specially designed poles), I am looking at fitness-oriented spas and resorts that offer Nordic Walking and might be interested in carrying the book. One that came to mind is the Hills Health Ranch in British Columbia. I know of the resort because it is well known for its exemplary cross-country skiing, comfort, service and excellent year-round spa.

In summer, they offer a variety of spa/fitness/weight loss packages (including a three-night basic walking package and a three-night deluxe variation). Among the staff are outdoor fitness specialists to lead walks and hikes, but alas, no particular Nordic Walking program. This in a way surprises me, because Canada has been far quicker to jump on the Nordic Walking bandwagon than the U.S.

What I did find, however, are some amazing deals this summer in the wonderful heart of British Columbia. The Hills Health Ranch is offering four nights for the price of three. You need to book the 3-4-4 package by June 19 and use it by July 14. Getting to Vancouver is a snap from many places in North America, and he resort also can book special Vancouver-Williams Lake air fare for $198 roundtrip, plus $60 roundtrip shuttle. If Kamloops is a more convenient air connection, the resort now arranges shuttle service from there too.

Finally (and I love this), guests on the weight loss packages get a $20 rebate for every pound lost during their stay of six, 10 or even 30 nights. I'm into hiking and mountain walking for weight loss right now. I went on the two longest hikes of 2009 this weekend in Colorado (and not at a high elevation either) and weigh 3 pounds less this morning than I did on Saturday morning!

The food is great, spa menus are available and the wines from the Okanagan Valley are renowned, though anyone there for weight loss probably will lay off the wines. In addition to the spa and fitness programs, other activities include horseback riding and water sports.

The Hills Health Ranch has various kinds of accommodations (lodge rooms of various sizes and bed configurations and private three- bedroom chalets). If you look at the prices, remember that they are quoted in Canadian dollars, which currently gives about an 11 percent advantage to paying in US dollars.

The Hills Health Ranch contact information is Box 26, 108 Mile Ranch, BC Canada V0K 2Z0; 250-791-5225 and 800-668-2233.

Airlines Cut Capacity to Save Money

Fewer flights and no relief for add-on fees in sight

Airlines are again under assault, this time from a stale, stagnant economy with fewer high-ticket business travelers in the air and rising fuel prices -- again. American, Continental, Delta and U.S. Airways have announced capacity cuts, route restructuring and/or layoffs. Attractive designed to lure leisure travelers in this cash-strapped uncertain time simply do not bring in the revenue that full-fare business travelers provide. Even Southwest is feeling the pinch. United isn't shaving capacity -- at least not right now -- but anything can happen. But with airlines still cash-strapped and chronically worried, don't expect carriers that charge for checked bags, food or drink to change those policies, and be prepared for hefty change fees too.

Mexico's Miseries Mean Bargains for Travelers

Travel deals to America's troubled neighbor to the south

Mexico has been having a bad run. First, the US and global economic woes caused many migrant workers to return to their country, cutting down the flow of US dollars that help so many families and communities. The border city of Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, has been the site of thousands of drug cartel-related murders, and more recently, a drug-related gun battle in the tourist mecca of Acapulco left 18 people dead. Swine flu was reportedly traced back to an American-owned pig farm in Mexico. Earthquakes rattled central Mexico, and a fire in a day care center in the border state of Sonora killed 44. Aviaseca, a discount airline, was grounded for three days until a court order permitted it to resume flying again. Even a press trip to Mexico didn't materialize due to "scheduling problems."

My inbox is filled every day with deals from everywhere from Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean shore to Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific. Jimm Budd, an American travel journalist who has lived in Mexico City for years and is the travel columnist for the Mexico City newspaper Reforma, reports that "although hotel associations have been urging their members not to launch a rate war, management at some resorts apparently feels it has no choice. Tariffs at the Hilton Los Cabos are down by 60% compared to what was charged last season, according to newspaper reports. Rates at the Royal in Playa del Carmen on the Maya Riviera are down 50% While the Gran Velas on the Nayarit Riviera is offering savings of 25%."

He cautions bargain hunters "invest some time in research. The Tourism Ministry has launched its own web page with numerous packages listed, but one newspaper reported better prices are available from ordinary tour operators. Critics also note that no intercity bus transportation is offered in the Ministry packages."

Newspaper headlines can scare people away from Mexico or anyplace else (a friend's daughter just returned, unscathed, from "war ravaged" Sir Lanka), but those Americans who venture southward will find a wonderful country, lively cities (Mazatlan, above right) scenic beauty, art, music, sport, terrific people -- and low prices.

Followup from Jimm Budd on June 16: "Battered first by the worldwide recession, then by reports of violence associated with the crackdown on narcotics smugglers and finally by the swine flu pandemic, Mexican hoteliers report business gradually is getting better. Hotel occupancy, which had fallen as low as ten or twenty percent, now is about fifty percent both in urban and seaside hotels. This should improve considerably next month, when schools go on vacation. Even so, much to the distress of innkeepers, the vacation season will be shorter this summer. Since classes in areas such as Mexico City were obliged cancelled for two weeks during the flu scare, an extra 14 days is being added to the school year."

Governor Signs Colorado Ski License Plate Bill

Coloradans will drive to support and promote skiing and snowboarding

I posted previously about the creation of a snowsports-theme Colorado license plate. My first post was about the petition promoted by Colorado Ski Country USA and the second was about the passage of Senate Bill 161, creating the country's first plate with ski and snowboard figures on it. Earlier this week, Governor Bill Ritter signed the bill against the snow-covered slopes of Arapahoe Basin, the only Colorado ski area that has not yet lowered the curtain on the 2008-09 season. There is was in a gubernatorial suitcoat, surrounded by people whose attired was more "Denver" than "ski area."

"For decades now, people have wondered why Colorado doesn’t offer a ski license plate," Gov. Ritter said. "After all, Colorado is the ski and snowboard capital of the world. Colorado’s skiers and snowboarders are a unique part of our culture, and I am delighted to sign this bill into law."

Full details of when the new plate will be available are still to come, and my next post on the topic will be when I get mine.

Third-World Lodging in First-World City

Gross motel squats on grade-A location across from the Santa Monica Pier

Sometimes I'm in too much of a hurry for my own good -- like last week, when I needed a last-minute, one-night reservation in Santa Monica. I went online and booked a room for $89 (normally $149, according to the website) at the Pacific Sands Motel. In the online pictures, the place looked simple but OK. I wish that I'd read through previous visitors' reviews on various travel sites before booking there. It is without question the worst dump I've ever stayed in, in the United States -- bar none. I considered taking pictures, but at the time, I didn't think I wanted to document how bad it was. But since I'm still sufficiently irritated to write a post four days after checking out, I wish I had.

If I hadn't arrived in the early evening with just a bit over an hour before a working dinner about a mile away, I wouldn't have stayed. If it hadn't been a Saturday evening, I wouldn't have stayed. If I had a car (I took a shuttle from the airport), I wouldn't have stayed. But I had no time, no car and had seen "No Vacanacy" signs elsewhere nearby, so I was stuck in Room 49 of the Pacific Sands Motel in otherwise-fancy, otherwise-upscale Santa Monica.

My reservation was for a non-smoking room (and the website claims that the place is a 100% non-smoking facility), but I was given smoke-stinky room in the "annex" across the alley from main motel. Not only did it reek of smoke, but the ashtray had not even been cleaned! Neither had much else. The mirrors were streaked. A dirty rug had been laid on top of peeling linoleum that was dirty around the edges. The bathroom was so questionable that I didn't even step into the shower. Crumbling, poorly patched walls added to the seediness. It was just as well that the lighting was dim, because everything would have looked even worse in bright light.

The louvred windows had no solid glass, letting in every street sound, which was considerable. The room was terribly noisy, because the annex backs against busy street with a lot of foot traffic and a bus stop right outside. I think the owners might have picked the desk and chair out of a dumpster. The sink faucet didn't work properly, and the bathroom window was broken. The TV got a handful of channels, and the remote worked only marginally. Even the soap was so cheesy that it didn't foam. The bottom sheet (flat, not fitted) was put directly on top of a stained mattress with no mattress cover, but I suppose that doesn't matter, because if there had been a mattress cover, it would have been stained too.

If I had been traveling in a developing country on a bouncing bus, I'd find this luxurious. Cheap, simple and clean works for me. Cheap, broken and dirty doesn't. Only plusses were the location and free WiFi. They in no way compensated for everything else. I'm giving you the Pacific Sands Motel's address and phone number so that you can avoid this dump: 1515 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90401; 310-395-6133.

Three Free Weekends in US National Parks

Entrance fees waives for two days each in June, July and August

Oh-my-gosh. It has been a week since a wrote a post on this blog -- I think my longest time-out ever. I still have a couple of Hawaiian experiences that I want to share with you, and I have been to California and back since my last post. But today's announcement by Secretary of the Interior (and former US Senator from Colorado) Ken Salazar that the Park Service will waive entrance fees during three weekends this summer is so exciting that I really want to share it before I do anything else.

Of the National Park's 391 units, 147 charge entrance fees that range from a low $3 to a high $25 per vehicle. The upcoming free weekends are June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16. Camping and concessions (including food, lodging, shopping, equipment rentals and outfitter tours, like the trail ride in Rocky Mountain National Park, right) will charge as usual. This will make it a boon for those suppliers, who not only will see greater traffic but without having to pay the entrance fee, visitors will have more money to spend on other stuff. According to National Parks Traveler, the Park Service collects an average of $500,000 in entrance fees per summer day.

The idea behind all this generosity is as part of economic stimulus, recognizing how important tourism is across the country. In addition to the concessionaires, the gateway communities to national parks with all their small businesses and often intense seasonality will also benefit.

As a National Parks pass holder who can visit any park at any time on that one little card, I personally plan to stay away from Rocky Mountain National Park, which is an hour from my home, on all three free weekends. Far better, I think, to make room for someone who would otherwise not visit.