Opinions regarding the 2014-2015 season will vary greatly, but everyone can agree it was one of the coldest and most bitter winters of recent memory. The cold seemed never ending. The onset of spring skiing was delayed until mid-April with nary any spring skiing in March to speak of. Despite being a winter lover and a skier, I cried mercy. Enough.
Work had also ground me down. Years of accumulated burnout has made week long vacations in the spring and the fall an absolute necessity. Burnout combined with the viciously brutal winter and a subpar ski season had me longing for warmth, sunshine, and relaxation.
For the first time ever, I curtailed my ski season in favor of warmer climes and non-sliding activities. To hell with spring skiing whenever it comes, I needed to get out of the northern New England winter more than I wanted to ski.
Due to the last minute nature of our trip, airfare to the Miami area was obnoxious. So we opted to make the roundtrip drive. While this saved a ton of money, vacation time is priceless and the savings was not worth spending four out of nine days off on the road.
Despite choosing a well timed route that avoided I-95 from CT to DC, there were still accidents and delays and occasionally traffic. The six hours of driving through Florida (each way) was also obnoxious.
We enjoyed a morning on the beach in Fort Lauderdale (sampling my favorite pizza) before heading to Port Miami for a four day Bahamas cruise on Norwegian Sky. This ship was the smallest and oldest of the three that we have sailed on but it still has all the same features as almost any major cruise line ship, just on a smaller scale. And the price was right.
I wasn’t too excited about the Bahamas itinerary (Freeport, Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay). But with exception of Nassau, I’d be delighted to repeat any of the calls. We spent the day on Grand Bahama Island visiting Deadman’s Reef at Paradise Cove.
The shore snorkeling was exceptional despite the challenges of the low tide. We saw a massive amount of fish of all colors and sizes in addition to a turtle. Shore snorkeling can’t get much better than this, I’d gladly go back to explore more of this area.
The second day was Nassau which I visited once as a preteen on a family cruise. Suffice it to say that I wasn’t impressed with Nassau as a preteen and my opinion didn’t change much returning as an adult. Street vendors were beyond obnoxious and occasionally insulting, a polite “no thank you” was apparently not an acceptable response.
We walked to nearby Junkanoo Beach which left much to be desired as a beach destination. I’m not picky, I used to ride my bike to Hampton Beach in my college days. I can enjoy a trashy beach destination. But for a relaxing cruise destination in supposed paradise, it was hardly worth the walk. Nassau is a definite “skip” for pretty much anyone. But for Bahamas cruises, it is usually a mandatory stop.
The final call was on Great Stirrup Cay, a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. This beach was the highlight of the cruise despite a rather painful end to the day. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful location. The sun was shining and the temperature was about ninety degrees warmer than we had just experienced the week before back at home.
Despite very low expectations, the shore snorkeling was quite nice. The rock outcroppings a ways off the beach sported a wide variety of fish and other aquatic life. While swimming amongst the fish, I could feel my appreciation for snorkeling change from “thing to do while cruising” to “something I want to do a ton more of”.
After two snorkeling efforts and a ton of time lounging in the sun, I was feeling amazing. The burnout felt like it was breaking, something positive was emerging. I thought about trying to get back into road biking, improving my fitness, eating better, and trying to approach work more constructively.
We were getting ready to leave but I wanted a good photo to remember the moment by. I noticed a great spot to get a shot of the beach and the ship. I got my photo and started walking back. My head was held high, the sun felt great. I was beaming with positive energy.
And I kicked that positive energy into an unseen rock that nearly split my toe open. I walked into that rock at full speed which resulted in a broken toe that would take four months to completely heal, thus ending my ski season before some of the best skiing of the season had even begun.
Since then, I have had my head on straight all summer. I got back into road biking once my toe healed. I lost twenty pounds and dramatically improved my health. I gave work less than 100% so I could take time for myself, which resulted in better performance at work. But it all started on that island. Spring ski season be demanded, that kicked rock was still worth it.
