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October 17, 2024

Random Adventures

Climb every mountain: taking on the trails in Utah

In early September, Eileen and I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah for a special reunion. We gathered with family we hadn’t seen, some for 15 years to celebrate a 60th birthday. Since it was a special occasion, we decided to stay a few extra days and sightsee. Boy were we glad we did!

The flight out was uneventful except for it being a full flight and we were at the “back of the bus.” We flew into the SLC airport and that’s when everything started going sideways. I used Indeed.com to book our car rental and hotel. When we arrived at the rental location, they said they could not find our reservation and couldn’t honor the rate quoted. We eventually got a car but paid a higher rate. On to the next issue, our hotel. When we arrived at the hotel quoted by Indeed, it was there but we didn’t have a reservation. It was for a different hotel, fortunately, it was right next door but was being remodeled. We moved everything there, and got a room, again at a higher rate. Finally settled, we were ready to start our next adventure.

Going to Galapagos

Situated in the Pacific Ocean 600 miles off the coast of South America, the Galápagos Islands proved to be a unique environment that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Situated on the equator and at the confluence of three major ocean currents, the islands are inhabited by a strange assortment of wildlife, thus one of the major reasons to visit. We all know about Darwin and his theory of evolution and that the islands were the inspiration for his work. The same species evolved differently based on the island on which they lived. Our daughter and her two sons recently visited and called it “Amazing.”

Lions, tigers, and bears… and gorillas… and the Brookfield Zoo

We were thrilled when we found out our granddaughter (13) would be able to visit for a week this summer. Then the panic set in! What do we do to keep her entertained for a week? Not that she wouldn’t enjoy just visiting, but a week is a long time for a teenager. The quest was double-hard since she had just finished a two-week vacation with her parents in Europe. She had spent days in London, Venice, Rome, and Lisbon. A high barrier to overcome but we knew we could find something. After multiple suggestions, we decided on the zoo, but not just any zoo, Brookfield Zoo. We realized we had not been there in over 10 years and it surely had changed but that didn’t matter. It was at the top of our list. Now what would be the best day?

Moon with a view

How many times have you had the opportunity to do a “once in a lifetime” event, TWICE? Fortunately for us, it happened the second time the weekend of April 7; the eclipse.

We took our granddaughter to downstate Illinois to see the eclipse in 2017, our first “once in a lifetime” activity. We initially planned on taking another granddaughter to the recent eclipse but she was out of town, so we decided to go on our own. Several steps were involved in our planning. The first was the path of the eclipse. Fortunately, there were several locations within a 4 to 6-hour drive where there would be a full solar eclipse.

Random Adventures: Madrid

After four days in Barcelona, we decided to take the train versus the plane from there to Madrid as we wanted to see more of the countryside. We were surprised to find, as the song goes, mainly “the plain in Spain.” Long stretches of the plain were only occasionally broken with a vineyard or small herds of roaming cattle but otherwise, only gently rolling hills. I wasn’t sure what I expected but still, the ride was quiet, comfortable, and restful. Once we entered Madrid, all that changed. From the quiet of the countryside to the chaos of the city!

Step 1, plan a trip… step ‘84,’ finally get to Barcelona!

You’re getting that itch to travel, so what do you do first? Most likely, step one of any travel plan is to decide where you’re going to go, and how you’ll get there, and then everything else tends to flow along. But, what if somewhere in the process everything comes off the rails and you have to make changes? It doesn’t mean your trip is a disaster even though I’ve been told about some that did go that way, but it does complicate the whole process. But even disasters sometimes provide memories that tend to last.

Un-Bali-vable

This is a slightly different travel story as it’s from a friend’s 30-year-old daughter. I definitely WOULDN’T do everything she did, nor would I expect you to follow in her footsteps but she did have some experiences I think everyone could enjoy. Covid hit Jess Coder hard and her company gave her time to ‘reset’ with a month off, so she decided a new adventure was in store. Now, where to go?

Travel tips for 2023

Are you thinking about taking a trip? Will you be going to another country? Will you be checking bags? Here are a few tips based on recent input from travelers.
First of all, know your abilities. A friend was vacationing in the Caribbean and decided to take a snorkeling trip; easy-peasy, right? Well, it turned out a little different.

Yellowstone in winter

A few notes. Janie and I grew up on the same street and graduated in the same high school class so you could say we’ve been lifelong friends. She had fallen on ice recently and I mentioned that I had purchased a product, YakTrax, for my wife who had also fallen. They are elastic adaptations for your shoes that have tiny spikes to keep you from slipping. When it’s icy, she won’t leave without them. And, yes, they are available via Amazon. This is her travel story.

Get your just ‘deserts’ in Palm Springs

My son, Mike, recently had a business trip to Palm Springs, CA. His wife accompanied him as she wanted to hike the desert and expand her photo library. Sounds great, right? Well, when they stepped off the airplane it was 100 degrees in the shade; a dangerous situation. The trails in the Joshua Tree National Park were marked but had major warnings regarding the situation. “Danger, if you attempt this trail, you may die!” Basically, if you’re not prepared, do not attempt. One park sign insisted that you have liters of water and a full day of food before attempting the trail.

Paddling with the pigs

A friend and his family finally accomplished a lifelong dream – swimming with pigs. What? Not your cup of tea? Well, you have to understand the background.

Fun Adventure in Germany

What’s that saying, “you can never go home again”? A Del Webb traveler wanted to challenge that thought and just returned from a “reunion” tour of Germany.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Distances definitely play into that picture. It’s so large that its flag only needs one-star, perfect for the Lone Star State. Texas also has five, yes five, of the largest cities in the US: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth.

To travel or not to travel?

To steal from the Bard, “To travel or not to travel, that is the question?” Will 2022 be the time to travel again? Well, that depends. In some cases, YES, others NO, the rest – MAYBE.

Visiting ‘The Real’ San Francisco without restrictions

This is going to be a somewhat different travel story. We’ve all had trips where, if we had actually established a plan, things didn’t go as we expected or wanted. This is kind of like that but with teens in tow.

Our daughter took her two boys to San Francisco. Their spring trip had been canceled by Covid so now (July 4 weekend) seemed a good time to travel. Little did she know that many of the past restrictions, due to Covid, were still in place and counter to any differing news reports. They flew to SF and stayed the first two nights downtown. Yes, we all know a lot of SF is crazy but she wanted them to see the ‘real’ SF.

All Aboar… Wait , not so fast

With the coronavirus starting to be corralled, vacation travel is beginning to pick up. Now the big question, with answers changing daily: masks or not? Plus, not everything is back to normal as we write; cruise ships are still shut down from US ports, Canada and Mexico borders are closed for visitors and with the tension in the Middle East, well, you might not want to travel there anytime soon. India is in the midst of a major coronavirus situation, so avoid it also. New variants appear to be cropping up daily, so should you travel? If vaccinated, I say “yes,” but with caution.

A few extra steps are worth a dose of vitamin sea

Vacations tend to always be something of a chore: airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rental, then getting and packing the right clothes. BUT when there is an epidemic raging across the globe, a large number of other factors come into play.

Rome-ing Italy and Greece

A friend of mine (Janie) and her husband (Bill) live in Seattle. They enjoyed a 3-week vacation in Italy and Greece and agreed to share their adventure. I initially thought – 3 weeks – that’s a long time, but the more I thought about it and remember the time I had spent there, a month in each country wouldn’t be enough. Enjoy.

Sri Lanka, August 2019: An incredible journey

In this age of “instant” communication, one never knows when or where a new relationship will develop. Some will remain like “pen pals,” (remember those?) but others can grow and form relationships that become very special. This travel story was a result of such a relationship.

Chugging through Colorado

In September 2019, Eileen and I (N17) traveled from one of the lowest points in Colorado, Royal Gorge, to one of the highest, Pikes Peak. Earlier in the year, my wife stated, “I have a conference in Colorado and you should come with me.” Since I really enjoy the mountains, I immediately said, “Yes!” and so began our planning for the trip.

From Ireland, O’Random Adventures to ya

A friend of mine, who lives in Memphis, TN, and her cousin Dottie, recently visited Ireland. Dottie lives in Savannah, TN, a small town where trips are organized by banks. She has traveled with Peoples Bank for years. The trip started with a bus picking them up in Savannah and after a couple of other stops in Middle Tennessee, they flew out of Nashville to Newark and then to Dublin. This is their story.

A river runs through it

River cruises are on the “wish list” for a large number of Del Webbers. While many have fulfilled that dream and continue to do so, others, still dreaming or making plans.

Detroit: Motor City splendor

On a recent trip to visit relatives near Detroit, we decided to take a couple of days and see some of the local sites. Number 1 on our list was the Henry Ford Museum, with “museum” being a plural. The complex consists of the main transportation museum, the Ford Greenfield Village, and the production plant. We only had one day, so we were only able to visit the transportation museum. Fortunately, the group tickets come without an expiration date so we’ll get to use the other half on our next trip.

Welcome to Alaska

The evening breeze gently stirs the forest of hemlock, pushing smoke from the alder wood fires toward our group. The aroma of freshly caught, grilling salmon spiced with a brown sugar glaze waifs in the air. The sky is bright and it will be for several more hours even though it’s already after 9 p.m. Yes, we’re in the land of the midnight sun, Alaska, and enjoying every minute of it. And, with 20 plus hours of daylight, you can see a lot during a single day.

Wall aboard!

The Winter Games are over in South Korea but will restart in China in 2022. With the past Summer Games of 2008 and now the Winter coming up, there has been a resurgence of visitors to the area. Most expect this to increase over the next few years, so if you want to get ahead of the crowd, now is the time to plan your trip.

Herb and Jackie of Del Webb took what they described as “an awesome trip to China in October for 15 days.” They gave such an excellent analysis of their trip, and most of the story is in their own words.

Spain again!

Their trip began in Barcelona (part 1 of their story), after which they traveled to Madrid then on to Granada. After spending time in Granada, Grant and Linda (N-24)left for the southern coast of Spain. One benefit of taking a touring vacation rather than do it “on-your-on” are the side benefits that can take place.

The rain in Spain falls…

“The rain in Spain falls mainly on the …” well, you know the story and the rest of the line so we’ll move on to outline the trip to Spain and Portugal, with a side venture to Morocco, enjoyed by Grant and Linda, N-24.

Northern Europe, Part 4

One of the great things about independent travel is that sometimes you stumble upon places and sites that you would most likely never have visited, but are totally glad you did once you experience it.

Northern Europe, part 3: On to the Bodensee!

Traveling on your own, even with the best guidebooks, can still be confusing. Take the Bodensee Lake in Germany. It is also called Lake Constance and sometimes the Swabian Sea. Lake Constance is the international name which is derived from the local town of Konstanz.

Northern Europe, part 2: Driving through Deutschland

Background: Some friends retired and enjoy traveling so they decided to do a train/driving tour in Northern Europe. They had planned on just a trip to Germany and Burgundy, but the airfares were horrible! After desperately searching the internet and all the travel sites, they found a package for a full month of European travel!