Gary Stephens from "Pegasus" and Kurt took a trip to Troncones
(about 20 miles north of Zihuatanejo) to do the Jaguar Tour.
No, there weren't any Jaguars but there was a huge cavern
to explore and some zip lines to ride. This is the entrance to the cavern.


This is a view looking up as we were descending into the cavern.


Some of the stalagtites and stalagmites in the cavern.


Gary and Kurt, showing the scale of the limestone deposits.


A view looking back out of the cavern from way down deep.


After climbing out of the cavern we got to ride zip lines,
over the jungle canopy, back down to the trailhead. Whoohoo!


And this is how the guides ride the zip lines!


Every Friday night is "jam night" at Rick's bar in Zihuatanejo.
During many of the sessions, Kurt played as the resident and drummer
and sometimes was joined by Storm from "Dragonfly" on bongos.


We were very happy to finally catch up with Ray Donnelly
(onboard "Pavanne"), our good friend from Bainbridge Island.
He had sailed down to Mexico a year before us and finally
met up with us at Marina Ixtapa.


In early January, we flew back to Seattle for the birth
of our first grandchild. Here is a view of the anchorage
in Zihuatanejo Bay as we flew out.


This is a view of the dinghy landing on the beach at Zihuatanejo.
Notice that most of the dinghies have wheels. These help to get the
relatively heavy dinghies in and out of the water and up onto the beach.


And here we are preparing to head back out to Gumbo Ya-Ya.
The dinghy is our "car" - all food, beverages and fuel get
out to our boat with the dinghy.


In February, we were visited by our good friend Kathryn Hill,
an ex-neighbor of ours in Ballard Mill Marina. Notice the white
"Seattle tan" on her poor body!


Another way that supplies get out to Gumbo is via Ishmael,
the local provider of stuff that boater's need. We can place
an order for beer, coke, diesel, gas, propane and ice and he
delivers it the next day right to our boat.


This is a view out of our cockpit of the beach at La Ropa in Zihuatanejo.
We sometimes anchor here because of the crystal clear water
compared to the anchorage directly off of town.


Nancy, Kurt and Kathryn in the cockpit of Gumbo.


And here's a reunion of our Ballard Mill Neighbors.
Chris and Dawn from "Alaska Son" and Kathryn from "Pangaea".


During our stay in Zihuatanejo, we spent a few days volunteering
at the local indigenous school. We, and our fellow cruisers, spent the days
washing windows, landscaping, building basketball courts and doing electrical
wiring. This school is almost soley supported by donations of cash and labor.


This is a view of the basketball backboard we installed.
You may be able to notice that if you miss the basket, your basketball rolls
over the edge of the court and down a hill for about a half mile. Eventually,
a cyclone fence will be installed around the court.


Another view of the school. The newest building, in the background,
will eventually become a dorm, where kids who live too far away to
commute can stay during the week.


Just like kids everywhere, it didn't take long for this youngster to appropriate
the box from a ceiling fan we were installing.


And here's the fan going up.


One more shot of the school, looking down the hill toward Zihuatanejo.