• 60% of Belize is pristine and untouched.
• English is the official language in Belize.
• The US dollar is officially accepted at a flat 2 Belizian Dollars equals 1 US dollar.
• Belizians consider themselves a Caribbean Nation in Central America.
• Our hosts (Belize Lodge & Excursions Ltd.) are directly responsible for setting aside 60,000 acres as a natural preserve.
• The  country is the size of New Hampshire or Massachusetts and currently has a population of just over 300,000 people.
• 750,000 Mayans lived in Belize in approximately 700 AD. A prolonged drought created famine and political disunion and so the Mayan people headed back into the mountainous jungles of the Yucatan.
• In 1866 Steamship service ran every other week between New Orleans and Belize.
• In the US in 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant and some 7000 Confederate soldiers headed south to recreate. 1500 tried their plan in Belize and in 1872 the soldiers went to battle with the Mayan Icaiche Indians near the Belizean town of Orange Walk Town. The Confederates, with their modern weapons, held off the Mayans.

Last nights dinner was fabulous. Our hosts at Ballum Na are wonderful. Led by Nathaniel, our lead guide and Virginia, our lead hostess at the lodge. All of direct Mayan descent, they are warm and gracious. I really can’t all a nicer property in all my travels. There must be 3 staff for each guest (there are only 4 of us).

Dinner last night was as good as it gets. All done with local produce and meats. Fresh baked bread, coconut/cauliflower soup and fresh shrimp cooked as the Mayans did 800 years ago. Fresh Cocoa ice cream topped it off.

Kent, the owner/manager of the lodge shared the history of Belize, including wild tails of the pirate Captain Morgan who hid out in the protected Cays nearby.

This AM we awoke to the guttural growls of the two resident Jaguars, just outside our windows (a secure but natural habitat adjoins the lodge). One goal for the lodge is to participate and support wildlife re-introduction and rehabilitation. Sheba, a resident howler monkey, has really taken a shine to Sandy.

After a great breakfast, we loaded up for a short drive through small and pleasant villages to the ancient Mayan ruins of Lubaantun (Place of Falling Stones) We hiked around the ruins, as Nathaniel shared what the various arenas were for, ball field and court here, market over there…fascinating.

After our visit back in time, we headed to Blue Creek. We had a delicious lunch of chicken or shrimp wrapped in fresh tortillas (steamed in banana leaves) before we made our way up the creek to the falls.

When we arrived at the falls, we grabbed life-jackets and flashlights and made our way up-river in and along a massive cave structure aptly named Blue Creek Cave. Carol needed some convincing, but once we were deep in the cave, she loved it. At one point we turned off the flashlights and it was so dark sd couldn’t see our fingers in front of our faces!

After swimming deep into the cave, the falls provided a great hydro therapy massage.

We headed back to the van early this afternoon to relax and enjoy the spectacular serene setting of the lodge and to sit down to yet another 5 course Mayan meal.

A great day filled with good friends, fun and engaging activities and great food. This trip is shaping up to be a dandy.

Today is the final day of our trip. Our guests decided to opt out of our planned hike for the morning, due to soggy conditions. However, they were able to indulge in spa treatments from the on-site day spa here at Chico Resort. The kids also enjoyed the hot spring pool one final time, as well as a couple of rousing games of shuffleboard and pool.

The trip has been exciting and action packed and it’s sad to see it come to an end. I’ve formed some great relationships with our guides and guests and hopefully we’ll be able to keep in touch. Matty K. was an outstanding guide and excellent “facilitator of fun”. His knowledge of the area was remarkable and his interaction with the guests was uncanny. I was able to learn a lot about Montana and Yellowstone Park, but I think my greatest lesson learned was that on an ALA trip, you’ll never have to worry about being bored or going hungry.

Today, we shuttled to the Flying Diamond Ranch at the base of the Absaroka Mountains, where we met some real Montana cowboys. Brothers, Jack and Martin Davis, grew up on this ranch, where they raise cattle and take guests on horseback to trails up in the hills of their ranch. The trails were rugged and the views were fantastic. Jack and Martin did a great job of explaining the geology of the area and the history of the wildlife.

Horses at the Flying Diamond Ranch

Martin - a real Montana cowboy, and a guest on Be Careful

Jack - a real Montana cowboy

On the trail

After the ride, we returned to the Chico Lodge for a picnic lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and hot tomato soup. It was a good fuel up for our last bike ride of the week. After lunch we shuttled north from the lodge to 5 Mile Creek. We biked on a paved country highway through the foothills of the Absaroka Mountains. It was a good mixtures of downhills and short uphills. Matty K. even prepared homemade ice cream roadside…at this point, I wasn’t surprised. We eventually made our way back to the lodge and got cleaned up for dinner. We had a short soak in the hot spring pool and then enjoyed one final meal at the Chico Dining Room. After dinner, Matty shared a slide show created with photos he’d been compiling throughout the week. It was a good time to relax and reminisce on the short (but action-filled) week. He then presented the guests with one final Wow Gift, 2009 Austin-Lehman T-shirts…on a silver platter of course.

Today was a great sightseeing day. We were able to see a lot of natural features as well as wildlife. Our first stop was at Artist Point, on the south rim of the Yellowstone Canyon. This area is a popular viewing point of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as well as Lower Falls. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is an erosional feature that resembles a mini version of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The canyon is up to 900 feet deep in places and gets up to half a mile in width. Today, the canyon is still being eroded by the Yellowstone River.

Our next stop was at the Brink of the Upper Falls on the north rim of the canyon. The Upper Falls is the shorter of the 2 falls at just over 100 feet tall. A short jaunt down put us right at the edge of the falls. This observation point provided a great view of the canyon and the river. Another short shuttle brought us to the Brink of the Lower Falls, also on the north rim of the canyon. The Lower Falls is the tallest waterfall in Yellowstone Park at a height of 308 feet. A half a mile of paved switchbacks brought us to the observation point. The power and magnitude of these falls is truly breathtaking and it is amazing to just stand and watch. To top it off, Matty K. surprised us with a silver platter of Bruschetta when we arrived.

View of Lower Falls from Artist Point

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lower Falls from Artist Point

Brink of the Upper Falls

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Our next destination would be the Boiling River. Our shuttle ride took longer than expected, because of some amazing wildlife we encountered. Our first encounter was a rogue male bison. He was sitting peacefully in an open field, catching some rays of sun. Our next encounter was a grizzly bear just before we reached Mount Washburn. We were able to get a good look at the bear as it dug through the dirt looking for insects. A few miles past Tower Fall, we spotted a female black bear with a cub. We also saw another grizzly bear further off the road and I wasn’t able to get a picture of it.

Rogue Male Bison

Grizzly Bear

Female Black Bear

After passing by Mammoth Hot Springs, we arrived at the Boiling River. We had a nice lunch of wraps and sandwiches and then made our way to the river. The Boiling River exists where a large hot spring flows into the Garnder River creating a warm pool suitable for soaking. After a good soak, we shuttled to the small park entrance town of Garnder to meet our river rafting group. The rest of the afternoon was spent rafting the Yellowstone River, which was great fun.

After rafting, Matty K. treated us to root bear floats and a little kite flying expedition. Our hotel for tonight was Chico Hot Springs Resort. Chico is a historic resort that is nestled in the foothills of the Absaroka mountain range. We enjoyed an outstanding dinner at their restaurant and a relaxing soak in the natural hot spring pools.