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Yosemite
That summer will be one we will never ever forget. Our memories will be of beauty, nature, hospitals, fatigue, and worry and of prayer, faith, love, friendship, family and answered prayers.
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Huell Howser, a Travel Lover’s Friend
Who else misses this sweet guy? I think most people in California know Huell Howser. And those that do know him, have a fondness for this dear man. For 30 years, he produced shows all about some great and often unknown people and places in California. His shows appeared on PBS stations up and down the state; and, in fact, one of these shows, California’s Gold is still being aired today. He loved being on the road, finding interested places and people and sharing what he found and his conversations on shows that didn’t feel overly produced. He became our friend because of his unassuming mannerisms. He showed genuine interest…
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16 Travel Blunders to Avoid!
1. Not calling your bank or credit card company before you leave Before our trip to China, we did very little preparation other than just pack our bags and water our plants. On our first night in Beijing, we thought, “No problem, we’ll just walk to the mall near our hotel, hit up an ATM and grab some dinner”. We visited an ATM with my debit card’s logo and, worst thing ever; it sucked up my debit card and kept it! We tried buying some small items at a grocery store and got rejected with every card we tried there as well. That night, we had to go back to…
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Israel, Petra and Egypt — Part 1, Israel
Highlights: The Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Petra, The Pyramids of Giza, Nile River Cruise Tips: Israel is very safe; I’d feel comfortable there traveling on my own. However, in Jordan and Egypt, for baby boomer travelers like us, we felt comfortable being part of an organized tour group and would recommend the same for others. Bring bags of cheap candy for little kids in Egypt. Cultural Preparation: Books: The Bible — all those Sunday School lessons on the Bible come to life here. Exodus by Leon Uris — a story of the founding of the State of Israel Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie — Book or Movie (I…
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We survived Death Valley
A long January weekend in Death Valley National Park.
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Panama Canal Cruise
Early 2017 found me happily retired and planning adventure after adventure. As we were planning our trip to China (in March and early April), I noticed a fantastic deal on a cruise through the Panama Canal with one of our favorite cruise companies, Holland America. (Yes, its for people like us who don’t stay up late partying and like some of the more “genteel” entertainments — cooking classes, academic lectures and classical music.) Anyway, the deal was so good, that I thought, “heck, why not?” and I booked our 20 day cruise and added an extra few days on our own in the Florida Keys since we landed in…
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China
We booked out trip with a Diamond Bar, CA (local for us) company called Intertrips. We got such a great deal, I sometimes wonder if the Chinese government subsidizes tourism. We started our China vacation on the Metrolink train from Rancho Cucamonga in to Union Station in Los Angeles. From Union Station to LAX, we had to get on a BUS. The “Fly Away bus isn’t too bad, but there really should be trains that go to all of the airports. I’ve heard that the reason trains like Metrolink don’t go to the airports is that the taxi unions opposed them for obvious reasons. Well, their business is becoming history…
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Our Cruise to Mexico
Here are a few highlight of our Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Crown Princess Puerta Vallarta We had a blast in Puerta Vallarta Zip-Lining, Rappelling, Water Sliding The day in Puerta Vallarta started with a boat ride to a hidden cove south of the city and port. After the boat ride, we all loaded up in these yellow Mercedes climbers to get high up in the mountains to the rain forest. We’re kissing because we’re glad to still be alive and we have no idea what’s coming up for us. After the yellow vehicles, its on to a mule to make it to the true outback. The first line…
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Weekend in Northern Utah and Bryce Canyon National Park
On Friday night, we started our weekend out with a quick stop at Smith & Edwards (on our way out to Brigham City). Smith & Edwards is part army surplus, part thrift store and a whole lot of Wal Mart. They have some unusual candies too….if you want an “Idaho Spud” this is your place. And yeah, we picked up a couple….just because we could — and can’t in Southern California. We still haven’t opened one up to eat it yet, I’m not sure they’re even any good?! Because we were in Brigham City, we HAD to get some cherries and they’re ALWAYS good! https://www.facebook.com/UtahsFamousFruitWay/ And, the reason we were in…
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Zip Lining in Big Bear
On Saturday, John and I, along with Heidi, Ned, Ella and Asher; went up to Big Bear Lake for a zip lining adventure. We had purchased Groupon packages for Christmas and needed to use them before they expired. All harnessed up and ready to fly. Our Entire Zip-Lining Group Up 95 Feet Waiting for the Next Zip (as you can see, we were all harnessed in). We had a great time up in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains. Here is a video of John coming down the final zip line.
