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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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Total Eclipse of the Sun
Seeing the total eclipse of the sun in August 2017 was an amazing experience. Now that we’ve experienced it once, we’re going to try to see the next one that goes through the U.S. — I think in 2024. It’s totally worth the effort. Our extended family rented out a church girls camp near Ashton, Idaho. It was affordable and could sleep a huge family like ours! I love this quaint sign in Ashton. We ate there too — and, of course, had root beer! In the evenings, there were a lot of different games and activities for all ages. So, we’d heard about Big Judd’s and the huge hamburgers…
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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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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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Las Vegas Baby
Weekend in Vegas One thing I’ve learned about going to Vegas is you’ve got to have a plan….if you don’t, you end up just wandering the streets and watching the fountains in front of the Bellagio with every other drifting tourist. So this time, I got tickets to a few events a couple of months ago. We started our weekend in Vegas on Friday afternoon with dinner at Margaritaville.….not so much for the food as for the outside table overlooking the strip. People watching in Vegas is an extreme sport and we were not disappointed — European tourists, exhibitionists, lots of flirting, and tons of tattoos. After our…
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Sleepy Hollow at Riley’s Farm
We’ve celebrated several of John’s October Birthdays in Oak Glen, California at Riley’s Farm for their Sleepy Hollow Dinner and Fun Activity Night! We always have an amazing time. On the scary hay ride with Ichabod Crane We participated in all the contests…..pumpkin seed spitting (Ned was the leader) Apple Bobbing Oh, the Todd Girls…I think our family wins most of the prizes any year we happen to be there. Pumpkin Carving Pie eating and more
