What trips do you have planned?

[boulderjohn]

Hey is the Bus Stop still there?

I looked in the phone book, and I don't see it. I know it was there a couple of years ago, because I know a guy who flipped out when he found out his daughter was working there. I have never actually visited it myself.

 

[boulderjohn]

Spent Christmas 2003 in Curacao (stayed at Habitat). Had a great time, and particularly liked diving the "house" reef there. I've only been to Bonaire once, but given the choice I'd go back to Curacao first.

I will be at the Habitat in both Bonaire and Curacao. Glad to hear you liked it.

Also, if anyone knows anything about diving Perch Lake down in Santa Rosa please chime in. Is it worth the five hour drive, and if so is anyone interested?

I have only been to the hole once, this past October. We took a look at Perch Lake. It does not have the (slight) thermal properties of the hole, so it gets colder in the winter and warmer in the summer. Unlike the hole, it has a thermocline. We thought it was a little nippy for us in October, so we didn't make the effort. (We had a base camp at the hole, so it was a bit of an effort to transport to Perch Lake.) There were a couple people diving it when we were there, and they were not even wearing dry suits.

Is it worth the trip? I would not go for it alone, but in a warmer month I would include it in a trip that includes the hole, if just for the variety. It is definitely better than anything I know in Colorado.

 

[boulderjohn]

Wow! I need to get a job where you work! how do you get so much vacation?

Via the magic of the Internet. I work from home, using the Internet, and I only work about 75% time. (I am semi-retired.) I will be directing a major project as my main activity then, so I primarily need to keep tabs on and coach the people under me. I will be able to do that whenever I want to, from anywhere in the world. It won't be much different from what I do now, since I do this supervision via the Internet now.

While I am in Thailand, I will work several hours per day for about half the trip from local Internet cafés. I am staying with relatives in Florida, and I will take my wireless laptop to tap into their wireless network. I will thus put in a normal work load, taking a few two tank dives over that time. If I did not mention that I was in Florida then, no one would know.

Although my ABC trip will be mostly vacation, I will still put in a number of hours of work regularly.

When I was in Cozumel last summer, I found a place that gave me excellent high speed access for $1 per hour. I kept up with my work without any trouble.

 

[dimitrik]

When your lovely new wife hears about the great time you and your brother had in Coz, you will be at home watching the goldfish while your wife is at Playa this summer!! :cwmddd:

Looking forward to those GREAT wreck dives!! I hear on a good day, you can actually FIND the plane.

L8R,
Ron

Yeah, I can see it now....
"Honey, I was talking to the girls (all her single friends) and we were ALL thinking of planning a "girls" trip to Hawaii this summer. You don't mind do you? After all you did go to Cozumel for your scuba thing. Oh yeah, can I see the credit card?"

Ron, like I said before. This Coz trip is going to cost me big time.

 

[boulderjohn]

Yeah, I can see it now....
"Honey, I was talking to the girls (all her single friends) and we were ALL thinking of planning a "girls" trip to Hawaii this summer. You don't mind do you? After all you did go to Cozumel for your scuba thing. Oh yeah, can I see the credit card?"

Ron, like I said before. This Coz trip is going to cost me big time.

When my LDS sent out its notice of a meeting for those interested in the Thailand trip, I didn't give it a second thought. I have never gone on any major trip without my wife, and I knew she could not go on this one.

When she suggested I check it out, I almost fell out of my chair.

There is no question that this will result in major collateral expenses. I believe that Thailand is a major sapphire exporter, right? Well, I have already gotten some pretty clear hints.

 

[Wijbrandus]

I'm heading out for a winter-break cruise Feb 13-20th. Diving Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas.

Sometime this spring I'm making a Hole or Crater trip. Will be a nitrox training dive.

Probably in September I'm planning a trip to Roatan. Dates aren't firm yet.

After that it gets murky. I want to do some local water this summer when it warms up, and I've got vague plans of a cruise around December. So I'll probably try to squeeze in a fall trip back to Cancun or Coz.

 

[Divedoggie]

Late April- Blue Hole
May 9-19 Cozumel or Hawaii, depends on $.
Summer early fall..Oregon, Washington, BC, and Blue Mesa Res.
Christmas..Hawaii.

 

[ABQdiver]

I have only been to the hole once, this past October. We took a look at Perch Lake. It does not have the (slight) thermal properties of the hole, so it gets colder in the winter and warmer in the summer. Unlike the hole, it has a thermocline. We thought it was a little nippy for us in October, so we didn't make the effort. (We had a base camp at the hole, so it was a bit of an effort to transport to Perch Lake.) There were a couple people diving it when we were there, and they were not even wearing dry suits.

Is it worth the trip? I would not go for it alone, but in a warmer month I would include it in a trip that includes the hole, if just for the variety. It is definitely better than anything I know in Colorado.

I would have to agree with John. While Perch is not a bad dive, it would not be worth driving down 5 hours for. I have dove it many times. The plane, small stripped car and concrete culvert are all that's there. Small round lake with a max depth of approximately 55' or so. The best viz is in the winter or early spring before the algae gets cranking, but it can give you some good brain freeze if you're not prepared for the upper 40° to lower 50° water.

Another option, if we can get a instructor with insurance is to dive Rock Lake. It's in the same immediate area, but on private property (by the fish hatchery). Ms. Ladyhawk wants to keep her liability down since Rock is about 300' deep or so. Some very interesting rock formations and the only fresh water sponges I've ever seen are there. There is also Swan lake which is just a stones throw away from Rock. But it's about the same as Perch.

 

[boulderjohn]

Another option, if we can get a instructor with insurance is to dive Rock Lake. It's in the same immediate area, but on private property (by the fish hatchery). Ms. Ladyhawk wants to keep her liability down since Rock is about 300' deep or so. Some very interesting rock formations and the only fresh water sponges I've ever seen are there. There is also Swan lake which is just a stones throw away from Rock. But it's about the same as Perch.

Tell me more about Rock Lake. What are the requirements? How do you arrange it? What is it like?

 

[dlndavid]

I looked in the phone book, and I don't see it. I know it was there a couple of years ago, because I know a guy who flipped out when he found out his daughter was working there. I have never actually visited it myself.

It wasn't that much of a shocker back when I visited Boulder, nice town, but that was like 15 years ago. There was another place, the Rocking Horse, had Buffalo wings there for the first time (before they were popular). I always liked Colorado, but thought, wow, they don't have an ocean.

David