21 - November 22, 23, 24, 25, 2016

Last stop on this great itinerary is La Romana, Dominican Republic (home of baseball great Juan Marichal, who is still aboard and playing blackjack at night with Suzy). Lots of nice homes, golf courses, resorts, and a purpose-built arts and crafts replica village built 40 years ago.

Hand-made cigar demonstration center

HPG learning the aging of tobacco leaves

Cigar manufacture consists of binding the filler, pressing in a mold, rolling the filler in the wrapper (most important part of taste), and cutting to exact length. A good cigar roller can do 350 a shift.

'Cellaring' the cigars

Altos de Chavon--replica of Spanish-type village made of coral, rocks, and old timbers--primarily for modern tourists; it has a 6000-seat amphitheater, chapel, hotel, craft shops, restaurants, museum of native artifacts, and ample shopping opportunities. Built by former CEO of Great Western as a monument to his daughter. The stone is coral and bricks used as ballast in old sailing ships are the main construction materials. Looks old, doesn't it?

And a fine dinner in Tuscan Steak with our Swedish friends, Ulla and Marco, sharing a beautiful large-format bottle of Amarone.

Esther, Cap's favorite barista in the mornings, and Tina, sommelier, show off the wine.

We left these Colorado Fourteener mugs and map with our favorite crew members, thanks to a suggestion by our Keystone friend Åsa, and await safe arrival tomorrow morning in Miami.

Early morning arrival in Miami