Welcome to Melanosia

[dhoppeii 12]

sirgeoj - I am sorry that I have missed the start of this CJ.  The past few weeks have been quite busy and I find it difficult to peruse some of the new offerings out there.  I must say that your work so far is outstanding.  It looks like you are quite adept at game play while your presentation is top notch.  I really enjoyed the variety that you splash in there update to update.  I'll be stopping back by on a more regular basis for sure.

[sirgeoj2 1]

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Message to my readers:

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First off I have to tell you all that I had a bug in my game for the first time ever!  One of my cities (Gaden) was lost from region view!   I almost had a heart attack, yet when I load my city it is still there, thank God. For some reason though, it shows as blank default terrain in region view, but the name is still there.  Anyway, I posted a thread in the bugs and technical issues forum so hopefully someone out there will know what to do.  I KNEW there was something mystical about Gaden...it can cloak itself!!!!! [:0] 

 

NicolaiS: I appreciate those kind words, thankyou! 

 

jacqulina: yup, you spelt it right , Thankyou for your nice comments and support as always.

 

utora:  Thanks!  I realized I wasn't putting enough aerial shots so people can kind of get a feel for the surroundings so I will be putting more of those in future updates.

 

newyorkrunaway1:  I'm glad you stopped by and thankyou for your comments! 

 

Jerebannus XVI:  Thankyou! That is a very nice compliment.   And lets hope you don't get sick at all. 

 

Traffic_Jam: Thankyou as always for your support. 

 

dhoppeii:  Better late than never!  Life can be quite demanding, I know...  I really appreciate your wonderful comments, I am happy that you will be joining me more often!

 

Thankyou all for your support!

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UPDATE 7

 

 

SirGeoJ's Travel Journal

July 27

 

My drive to Agural Valley went well, It didn't take as long as it said on the Geomap, probablly because there was not a whole lot of traffic.  It was a nice drive into Agural Valley, as the tall buildings grew smaller and smaller in my rear view mirror, smaller more rural buildings began to frequent the landscape.  Pretty soon the density of buildings grew into a density of trees and open land.  Before I knew it was was driving on a two lane road through a beautiful little residential neighborhood.  I followed the directions to the farm where the wine tasteing was taking place.  It was a beautiful estate.  Thousands of grape vines and a huge mansion.  This must be some expensive wine! 

 

Here are some pictures on my way to the winetasteing.

 

A shot of the residential neighborhood as I was entering Agural Valley.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20residential%20streets.jpg align=baseline>

Another picture of the neighborhood.

The gas station where I filled up my tank.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20gas%20station.jpg align=baseline>

When I got past the residential area I came across I beautiful stream and pond with a park, I had to stop here for a few minutes and enjoy the scenery and take some pictures.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20over%20stream%20bridge%20gazebo.jpg align=baseline>

Another shot of the park.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20stream%20pond.jpg align=baseline>

A closeup of the gazebo.  There is a little plaque here that reads: A place to sit when there is time to rest, A place to stop when there is time to listen, A place to wait when there is time to watch, A place to go when there is no time at all.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20close%20up%20gazebo%20bridge.jpg align=baseline>

I stopped by a little produce stand and bought some fresh fruit to snack on.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20produce%20stand.jpg align=baseline>

Headed to the winetasteing.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20irrigation%20canal%20road%20to%20wine.jpg align=baseline>

A picture of a freight train passing by.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20train.jpg align=baseline>

The mansion where the wine tasteing took place.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20chattau.jpg align=baseline>

 

When I got there I was escorted into the main hall and met up with the group of people that were gathering for the beginning of the tour.  There was still about ten minutes till it started so I chatted a bit with some of the people there.  Then a woman came up to me and said You are not from here are you?  You came from Gaden, but you are not from there either.  I just stared at her for a moment and replied back to her that indeed I was not and told her my story.  She replied, For some reason I just knew that you needed a place to stay, I have never met you but I can already see who you are and that is why I know that you should stay at my house tonight.  I wasn't sure what to say or think at that point.  I didn't know if I should be scared or happy.  She seemed quite good natured and very eloquent, and also familiar.  She was also quite pretty.  I really didn't know what to do but I knew one thing...I had no place to stay....I accepted.  She was very happy.  She grabbed my hand and pulled me off with her toward the group.  Come on she said, looks like the party is starteing.  Well, the tour was very educational, I learned alot more about how wine is made, and we got to see where and how they grow them.  After the tour they led us to a large table with glasses full of wine.  It was excellent wine.  I ended up buying a bottle right there.  Afterwards I followed Melinda, (the woman I met) to her home.  She made an excellent dinner for me and prepared her guest room for me very nicely.  I felt very relaxed and at home here.  We talked for a while about all kinds of things but I still wasn't sure if I should ask her how she knew so much about me.  It was pretty late when she said she was getting tired and told me goodnight.  I told her I was going to stay up a little longer.  I grabbed a newspaper from her table and read a little bit of it and then slipped into her comfortable guest bed and fell into a deep sleep.

 

A picture of the grape vines.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20grapevines.jpg align=baseline>

A picture of the woman's house, I marked it with a black arrow.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20house.jpg align=baseline>

Here is the bottle of wine I bought.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20wine%20bottle%20copy.jpg align=baseline>

 

Here is a picture of a page from the newspaper I was reading.

 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//melanosiatimes%20agural%20walmart.jpg align=baseline border=2>

Here is a little flyer from the paper.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//agural%20land%20sale.jpg align=baseline>

That is all I have time for tonight.  I hope you all have enjoyed it and I look forward to seeing you all in the next update!

-Geo

 

[sloppet 3]

Nice work s.!! very nice pics, congrats on page 3

[utora 0]

Hmmmm... adding a little romance to the story?  I'm sure the site is suitable for that, with the nice farmlands and a quite little town; or might this mysterious woman perhaps be a fortune teller?

Who knows? Excellent update once again Sirgeoj2!

[jacqulina 162]

romance eh,i will have to stop by for a glass of wine visit your vineyards,you are welcome

[moalkind 0]

Interesting updates, I'm sticked to this CJ for good! Great trees!!

[sirgeoj2 1]

UPDATE 8

 

SirGeoJ's Travel Journal

July 28

 

I woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee.  I got dressed and went into the kitchen and Melinda wished me a good morning and handed me a plate of bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee.  She asked me a few more things about my trip and what I did in Gaden.  I told her that I basicly did some sight seeing and didn't really spend as much time there as I wanted to.  The breakfast was delicious and I complimented her.  But, then after eating something I had not expected occured.  She told me that she did not really live in this house and her name was not Melinda.  I was silent.  She went on to tell me that she was hired by someone unknown to her to watch me.  She had followed me ever since I left my country and was on my flight to Melanosia.  She said that on the morning of the 28th she was told to let me know of this and to visit a man named Andronea in a place called Saphadim.  At this point I stood up and told her that I appreciated the breakfast but I had to go.  She told me that she knew it sounded strange but it was the truth and that if I did not believe her that she was told by the man to tell me to continue my trip but on the 31st day of July I would have proof that this story was true because I would see something that would asure me of the truth of this story.  I thanked her again and left.  alot of things were going through my mind, but the thought that stood out was that this woman must be either really lonely or has been in the sun too long.  Still, a part of me was very curious.  I stopped my car on the side of the road, pulled out my laptop and typed in the name Saphadim.  It did exist, but I couldn't find anything on the name Andronea infact it wasn't even a name listed on any name sites.  I was sure it was a made up name.  I decided it was time to leave this town and head through Searock Harbor and on to the capitol city.  I looked at the map site and got a general idea of how to get there.  I began my drive to Searock Harbor. 

 

Here are some pictures as I was leaving Agural Valley

 

The pond that I passed the previous day (I had to go back and get a few more pictures)

The waterfall that flows from the pond into the river.

A train stop I passed by.

A mill I passed by.

 

Here is a page from the Geomap site which I used to get an idea of where I was going.

 

I did a little research on Saphadim and here is a page from the Geopedia with a little background on it.

 

As I left Agural Valley I was a little sad.  It seemed like such a peacful place and a really tight knit community.  Mabey some day I will buy that land for sale that I saw in the paper.  I think on my way through Searock Harbor I will take the scenic route and see what there is in this city.  I might as well see as much as I can before I leave Melanosia....IF I leave Melanosia, I'm still very curious to see what happens on the 31st.  Mabey I will stick around till then and find out, I just don't know what to do yet.

---

Message to my readers:

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I hope you enjoyed this update, it was more of a quick little teaser update than a normal update, cause I won't be able to make an update for a few days. We will find out what Searock Harbor is like in the next few updates.  See you there!

 

sloppet:  Thanks! And yes...yay for page 3!

utora:  Well, not a romance it turns out, but it could have led that way if I hadn't of thought she was a nutcase at first..lol.  Thankyou for your continued support and comments. 

 

jacqulina:  I can just see you now riding up on your horse with the foal tagging along grabbing a bottle of wine, drinking a little too much and drinking and riding off into the sunset! lol.  Well, that could be a side story.    Thankyou as well for your continued support and comments.

 

moalkind: Thankyou!  I'm am glad you are stuck here....I won't let you go now!

 

Thankyou to all of you who continue to follow my CJ and those of you who just joined me welcome and I'm glad to see you! 

 

P.S.  At the beginning of the previous update I told you all that my city Gaden was lost from region view, well I got some helpful suggestions from some helpful people in the bugs and technical Issues forum and I got the problem fixed, YAY!

 

-Geo

 

 

 

[oroen 0]

I must say that this is one heck of a journal. So many outstanding attributes that it's hard to mention them all, but I'll try to point out some of my favorites. Presentation is definitely a high point--the travel journal aspect is definitely interesting and gives it a flair of reality, along with the encyclopedia articles, advertisements, brochures, etc., and the driving directions on Geomap. Game-wise, you have a great use of many of the packs available: trails, golf course, canals, etc.

[Alabaster 0]

Wow.....it's been, what, 2 days since I last dropped in, and you've got two more great updates already!

 

The story of your encounter with Melinda is very intersting indeed. I wonder if she was telling you the truth.....or if she really did just take in too much sun (or wine). You might want to keep an eye out for anything suspicious, just in case

 

Good work on finding a way to post a transportation map while keeping the story going! I am amazed at how much green space you have in some of those cities. It really looks nice.

 

Keep up the great work! Keep us up-to-date with your travels in Melanosia

[Deathtoall 28]

wow, nice work with the real estate and wine bottle, nice photo shop skills, wow reminds me of the central coast almost

[Her.Little.Cookie 0]

hey nice work, keep it up, i love your little journey through your city. Love the scenery you have encorporated. keep it up

[sirgeoj2 1]

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Message to my readers:

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oroen:  Thankyou very much for all the compliments, I really appreciate it! I'm glad you continue to enjoy my CJ!

 

Alabaster:  Thanks!  I'm happy to hear you are enjoying my travel journal!  I had been updating quite a bit there for a little while!  I really appreciate your wonderful comments!

Deathtoall: Thankyou! I really enjoy photoshop, its a great program!

 

Her.Little.Cookie:  Thankyou for stopping by and for your comments!

Thankyou to all of you who continue to follow my CJ and to those of you who just came!

 

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UPDATE 9

 

 

SirGeoJ's Travel Journal

July 28

 

As I neared Searock Harbor the flat open fields of Agural Valley turned into a landscape with a dense population of trees and buildings.  The sweet smells of hay, corn, onion, and other types of fields soon was replaced by the smell of industry.  I decided since I was here  I might as well see some of the city.  I was quite amazed at how much high tech industry there was in this city.  High tech industry seems to be booming here.  It was getting close to three in the afternoon so I decided I was going to make somewhat of a loop, heading south toward the coast and circle around back up to the 184.  I wanted to get into Marinaldo by eight p.m.  I shouldn't really have to stop anywhere seeing as how much of this city is industrial buildings. 

 

A page from the Geopedia with information on Searock Harbor. 

 

Here are some pictures of Searock Harbor as I made a loop through the city.

 

On I 184 as I was entering the city, passing through Andora a residential area.https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20residences.jpg align=baseline>

A closeup of the I 184 through the residential area of Andora and headed into an industrial area.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20highway%20walls.jpg align=baseline>

On I 184 passing the I 50 Interchange about to cross the Harnett Bridge.  One of Melanosia's major TV and radio broadcasting stations is located here.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20antenas.jpg align=baseline>

Headed down the Interstate through an industrial area.

Exiting onto Searock Ave. and entering the residential district of Kent.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20freeway%20exit.jpg align=baseline>

Passing through Kent.  The Kent Technical College is located here.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20technical%20college.jpg align=baseline>

Passing down Searock Ave. headed into an industrial area, and seaport. 

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20industry%20park%20sign.jpg align=baseline>

Headed down into the industrial area.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20downhill%20into%20industry%20park.jpg align=baseline>

Going through the industrial area.  Must be quitting time for a bunch of dock workers.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20harbor%20oneway.jpg align=baseline>

I witnessed a cargo ship being guided back out from the harbor.

More of the Industrial area.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20harbor%20walls.jpg align=baseline>

I headed back up toward a canal which runs pretty much through the center of the city.  Toward the West end of the city the canal ends at an arm of the Gande River.  Here is the Searock Harbor municipal water department pumping and filtration station.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20canal%20water%20pumps%20purification.jpg align=baseline>

As I headed further east I came to the Searock Harbor Power plants and Melanosia Oil Refinery.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20power%20full.jpg align=baseline>

A closeup of the powerplants and employee parking.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20powerpant%20and%20parking.jpg align=baseline>

The Melanosia Oil Refinery.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20oilfrefinery%20full.jpg align=baseline>

Another shot of the oil refinery and it's many pumping stations and tanks.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20oiltanks.jpg align=baseline>

A closeup of one of the holding tanks.  These particular tanks hold oil for the Mobil corporation.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20oiltank%20close.jpg align=baseline>

 

Here is an informative page about the Melanosia Oil company.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//melanosia%20oil%20copy.jpg align=baseline>

 

A view of the large seaports of Searock Harbor.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20seaports%20above.jpg align=baseline>

 A closeup of a large freight distribution center.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20large%20distribution%20center%20close.jpg align=baseline>

More industry along the harbor.  The building with the large tanks is a chemical factory, what chemicals it produces is apparently a secret.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20largetanks.jpg align=baseline>

High tech industry area.  A nice feature of this particular industrial sector is a long walkway in which workers can take a jog or walks on break time along with a park and sitting area.

A closeup of some industry along the canal.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20industry%20canal.jpg align=baseline>

Further East I came upon a Melanosian Navy base.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20naval%20port%20full.jpg align=baseline>

Some aircraft carriers docked at the Naval base.  The MNS Makalys on the left and MNS DeJacob on right.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20aircraft%20carriers.jpg align=baseline>

A closeup of the battleship Remus.

The battleship port zoomed out.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20battleship%20zoomed%20out.jpg align=baseline>

A full shot of the naval base, seaports and surrounding industry.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20above%20industry%20navy.jpg align=baseline>

The rail line through an industrial area.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20rail%20wall%20close.jpg align=baseline>

A train I followed somewhat through the city.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20train%20through%20industry%20and%20station.jpg align=baseline>

Following the train through a residential area.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20train%20through%20city.jpg align=baseline>

Following the train over a bridge.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20tain%20over%20bridge.jpg align=baseline>

The train going onward through the city.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20trainend%20through%20city.jpg align=baseline>

 

I ended up seeing more of the city past sunset and into early evening.  Most of these night pictures are of areas I had already seen during the day.  Below is the entrance of the Naval Base.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20naval%20base%20entrance.jpg align=baseline>

Here is a picture of the MNS Venman, a guided missle cruiser.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20navyship%20night.jpg align=baseline>

A picture of the Searock Naval Base communications tower.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20night%20navy%20comm%20tower.jpg align=baseline>

The power plants at night.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20power%20night.jpg align=baseline>

The large distribution center at night.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20distribution%20night.jpg align=baseline>

The industrial park at night.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20industry%20park%20night.jpg align=baseline>

Industry along the canal at night.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20canal%20night.jpg align=baseline>

Headed north on I 35 on the interchange to the I 184 East toward Marinaldo.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20freeway%20cloverleaf.jpg align=baseline>

Headed East on the I 184 toward Marinaldo.

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20highway%20night%20light.jpg align=baseline>

 

Here is a map key to the Interstates in Searock Harbor

https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/files//searock%20highway%20map%20copy.jpg align=baseline border=3>

 

I left Searock Harbor at around 730 pm and headed East toward Marinaldo.  It should be a very interesting city.  I can't wait to see all the interesting things I have heard about the city.

 

---

 

I hope you have all enjoyed update 9!  In the next updates we will see the capitol city of Marinaldo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Deathtoall 28]

i really like your history and the sunken highway. The prot area is a nice transition between residential

[Traffic_Jam 0]

Excellent work!

[dhoppeii 12]

sirgeoj - Wow, I can't believe I let 3 updates get past me.  Well, I just finished catching up and again, the presentation, not discounting the amount of work, that goes into this CJ is incredible.  I absolutely love your mixture of in game pics, newspaper type articles and some RL pics.  I really enjoyed the update surrounding the visit to the vineyard for a little wine tasting.  And the region shot provided looks incredible.  I also liked the entrance to the Naval Facility...Nice Guard House

[GMT 389]

hey!
just another awesome update!
i like the harbor area very much. the night-pics are excellent.
but where did u find this freight distribution center with all the railroads?

[MayorAce 0]

Wow, this is simply amazing, I am so amazed that I just gave up on looking at these... becuase there is soo much detail you put into this.  I like the pics,a nd very creative, and I envy your work, gave me some ideas for my work as well.  But I do not think I could take the time as you have had in this.  Such a buetifull city you got, after seeing some of the props you used, I am going to search for them...

Magnificent Cities, and CJ! Very good Job, keep up the great work!

[simster6 0]

Gotta hand it to you, you really know what you are doing. Great job man.

[____----____ 37]

hey this is looking real good love the port and your presentation

is top notchmuch better than my post random pics method.

 

Alek

 

have a you are clearly putting a lot of time into this

and it is paying off.

[MasterPlanMan 1]

Pretty chunky update! Like the sunken hwy and the oil refinery. Dig the rail line and industrial area with the canal as well. The rail approach to the green bridge could be more gently sloped though ~ thats a pretty steep grade and angle.

Keep up the nice work. Looking forward to seeing more!

[oroen 0]

Lots of nice detail there. Those industrial areas look quite real I would say.

[gurrgkud 2]

WOW! This is amazing! Great CJ! I love it Very very creative   keep it up!

[sirgeoj2 1]

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Message to my readers:

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Deathtoall: Thanks for stopping by again and for the comments! 

 

Traffic_Jam: Thankyou!

 

dhoppeii:  Thankyou for your great comments!  I'm glad you enjoyed the Agural Valley winetasteing update...that is a great compliment considering your amazing LaPlaisance County! 

 

GMT: Thankyou for coming by again and for your nice comments.  The rail lot is the Newman Distribution Center by citynut found here:  https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?mode=files&filetype=Lot&Str=newman inc distribution

 

MayorAce: Thankyou very much!  I'm glad that you got some new ideas for your city.  If you have any questions about the prop packs I have used I would be happy to provide you a link to them, most of them are off the STEX from all the skilled BAT'ers out there.  Just reply me here or p.m. me the prop question! 

 

simster6:  Thankyou for stopping by and for your nice comment!

 

aleking: Thankyou! And thanks for the bunny

 

MasterPlanMan: Thankyou!  You are right about the train slope, I will work on those hard slopes. 

 

oroen: Thankyou for stopping by again and for your nice comments!

 

gurrgkud:  I'm happy you stopped by and thankyou for your nice comments!

 

Thankyou to all of you who came by and for all your comments.  Hope to see you again in the next updates and some new faces as well!

---

UPDATE 10

 

SirGeoJ's Travel Journal

July 28

 

I crossed over into Marinaldo at around 9:30 p.m., a little later than I had planned.  As I was driving, I couldn't help but glance in my rear view mirror every few minutes wondering if I was being followed again.  Something told me Melinda was telling the truth.  I wasn't about to let paranoid thoughts ruin my trip however, I have had enough strange things happen on this trip already.  I want to enjoy my trip here.  I followed my directions to the Mariott Hotel hopeing that since my flight was redirected a few days earlier they might be willing to change my reservation and find me a room.  As I drove further into the city the landscape transformed once again from industrial factories and smokestacks to a dense sea of buildings and trees.  I was amazed as I looked south I could see in the distance an amazing sight of dozens of beautifully lit skyscrapers glistening on the horizon.  I had no idea that Melanosia's capitol city had grown this large!  The city seemed to be booming, and alive with activity even at this time of night.  I could tell that I was going to have a very exciting time here in the capitol.

 

I did some research as always on the Geopedia and found some useful information about the government of Melanosia and the capitol Marinaldo.  Below are some screenshots from the site.

 

align=baseline>

 

align=baseline>

 

Here are some pictures I took while entering Marinaldo and on my way to the hotel.

A shot as I was just entering the city limits of Marinaldo on I 185.

align=baseline>

Here is a closeup of the city gate on Jaimes Ave.

align=baseline>

 

Here is a shot from the 184 looking toward a residential area.

 

align=baseline>

 

Here is a closeup of some condos.

 

align=baseline>

 

A shot on the I 184 passing Hwy. 75 which heads downtown.

 

align=baseline>

 

Here is another shot of Hwy. 75 which heads south to downtown Marinaldo.

 

align=baseline>

 

Here I am coming up to Hwy. 40 which will take me to the Seaport district where the Mariott is.

 

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/8563/marinaldohwy184to40night7uv.jpg align=baseline>

 

Crossing onto Hwy 40 South from Interstate 184 East.

 

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/9751/marinaldocrossingontohwy40toho.jpg align=baseline>

 

Hwy. 40 as it turns into Avenue form and now called Hwy. 40 Searidge Ave.

 

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/6145/marinaldoendhighwayontoavetoho.jpg align=baseline>

 

Heading down Searidge Ave. toward the hotels.

 

align=baseline>

 

The Mariott on the right.  In a plaza among the seaport village there is a beautiful glowing blue ball.  Something I wanted to check out as soon as I got my hotel stay settled.

 

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I went inside the lobby of the Mariott Hotel and was greeted by the friendly front desk clerk.  I explained to her about my redirected flight.  She was very apologetic but said that the hotel was booked for several days now and that it was not policy to hold reservations after one day.  I asked if she knew of another hotel that might have a room, she was doubtful but said to try the Sheraton because she knew someone that was coming into town that was going to stay there and canceled.  I asked her why all the hotels seem to be so booked up and she replied that it is always like this during this time of year.  In particular also because there were 3 cruise ships that had just docked the previous day unloading all their passengers for a few nights stay here.  I headed over to the Sheraton and ineed was informed that there was a last minute cancelation and I could take that room.  I was relieved.  I did the necessary paperwork and a bellperson took my luggage and escorted me to the elevator and to my room.  I was pleased by it's very comfortable and luxurious feel.  I tipped the bellperson and settled in.  I opened the drapes and looked out upon a beautifully lit seaport village just below me and the dark expance of the ocean looming out in front.  I decided I was going to go down to see the glow ball and mabey get a bite to eat before I hit the sack.  I headed down to see the glowing ball.  A plaque on it's base said that it was called the Orb of the Ocean.  It was a tribute to the spirit of the ocean.  I walked down the wooden decks of the seaport village.  It was alive with activity, even at past ten at night.  I came upon a red lobster and decided to have a quick bite there.  After eating I headed back to my hotel, took a warm bath, slipped into the fresh, clean sheets of the bed and instantly my head plunged into the soft cushion of the pillow and I was asleep.

 

A closeup of the Orb of the Ocean.

 

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A shot of the seaport village area as I was walking along.

 

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The red lobster where I had dinner.

 

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Here is a shot of the Sheraton where I stayed.  I drew an arrow where my room was.

 

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Here are a few more random pictures of the surrounding hotel circle.

 

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That is all I have time for tonight.  In the next update I will go into all the next day's activities and the sights I saw.  I Hope you all have enjoyed this update and I hope to see you all in my next one! 

 

 

 

 

[Deathtoall 28]

nice work i like the nice residential area so peaceful

[dhoppeii 12]

Wonderful storyline and great pics.  I really liked your use of the color lit palms.  I also have to say that the Geopedia articles are fantastic.  I can't imagine how much time you put into them.

[blackthorn0_7 3]

Like this cj!!!!! keep it goin!!

[wallasey 8]

I just love this CJ! Are the Highway walls your own BAT?

I like the way the photos are put into the report and the tourist guide!

How much was the hotel?

[gurrgkud 2]

Wow this keeps getting better and better! The geopedia is def. a nice addition to the CJ. i love the nightshots! keep it up!

[Lilith 5]

Wow, great cj. Congratulations!

[Glenni 1,447]

awesome cool pics!!!!