Archive for the ‘Adventure Travel’ Category
Monday, September 1st, 2008
(An early morning view of the beautiful Mission San Jose in San Antonio’s Missions National Park.)
Thank you, Hurricane Gustav. We are sitting high and dry in one of the loveliest cities in North America, San Antonio. We are supposed to be in New Orleans. But thanks to a little convincing by Gustav and American officials, we changed our plans.
On the day we were set to arrive in NOLA, evacuation orders forced nearly two million folks to leave the southern seaboard. We had planned a holiday riding the rails, the Amtrak rails, but the trains were needed to take people out of New Orleans, so Amtrak cancelled our reservations.
We were in Houston (another area slated to be hit by Gustav) so we had no choice but to rent a car and head north to San Antonio. In fact, on our way, we passed a convoy of 2 dozen buses that were heading south on a rescue mission. Later, on TV, we watched as an endless line of buses, filled with those folks escaping the storm, headed away to safer zones like Dallas and Houston.
Now we are watching as the eye of Gustav makes landfall — the good news, maybe, for New Orleans, is that the eye will be passing farther to the west than expected.
But in the meantime, we are in San Antonio, where we have rented a comfortable house, we have walked the famous Riverwalk, we have ridden the canal boats, we have paid homage to the Alamo, and we have made an early morning trek to the old Spanish missions. What a joy!
Read on . . .
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Tags:hurricane gustav, mission conception, mission espada, mission san jose, mission san juan, Missions National Historical Park, San Antonio, spanish missions, Texas
Posted in Adventure Travel, Family Vacations, San Antonio, Texas, Tourist attractions, Train Travel, Travel photography, Tropical Destinations, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
I felt a pang, no, a pain, that swept through me in an instant as I beheld the old decrepit building with its weathered facade and its old-fashioned architectural detals. The pain was one of nostalgia, a yearning of things long gone, things that made my childhood magical, things that most children will never understand in today’s fast food world.
Except for my grandkids.
As long as I can walk and talk, as long as I can get into a car, and pack them along with me, my grandchildren will be introduced to my past, my heritage — a heritage in danger of disappearing altogether under the pressures of weather, urban sprawl, industry, and . . . time.
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Tags:abandoned buildings, Alberta, alberta heritage, farm houses, highway trips in Canada, northern Alberta, prairie farm history, preserving our heritage, rural landscapes, teaching grandkids, travel with children
Posted in Adventure Travel, Alberta, Canada, Disappearing Heritage, Family Vacations, Travel Destinations, Travel with kids | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 1st, 2008
My husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary yesterday. Our formal plans had us dining at a very cool eatery called “The Bootlegger Italian Bistro,” in South Las Vegas. We had eaten there when we first arrived in Vegas and thought it would be a nice place, with its classic old gangster ambience, to have our anniversary dinner.
But our plans changed. Vegas has a way of doing that to plans. So, we cancelled our reservations in favor of another place. And we are so glad we did. We had one of our best times yet in Las Vegas.
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Tags:downtown las vegas, fremont street experience, las vegas nevada, neon museum in las vegas, old hotels in las vegas, old Vegas, roller derby, the boneyard, vintage neon signs, where to photograph neon signs
Posted in Adventure Travel, Art Galleries, Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Tourist attractions, Travel - General Advice, Travel Destinations, Travel photography, Travel safety, Travel tips, United States, Variety | 1 Comment »
Thursday, July 31st, 2008
I rode the Las Vegas monorail today; it runs along the backyards of Vegas’s giant hotels, all the way from the MGM to the Safari.
From its windows, you can see things you wouldn’t ordinarily glimpse from the Strip, like pools, and lounge chairs, and tanned bodies in tiny swimsuits, and white towels, and — wait a minute! — why are so many of those lounge chairs EMPTY?
Come to think of it, the traffic on the strip seems much lighter than I remember. The casinos seem quieter and less crammed. And the buffet restaurant lines are shorter, or even non-existent.
Where are the people? It’s the middle of summer. Shouldn’t this top American vacation destination be overflowing with visitors? I am curious, so I ask around.
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Tags:best hotel deals in vegas, free things in vegas, how to save money in vegas, las vegas monorail, las vegas nevada, slot machines in vegas, tourist numbers are down in las vegas, vegas deals
Posted in Adventure Travel, Airline Fees, Airline Travel, Budget Travel, Las Vegas, Travel tips, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
Are you planning a trip to that Mecca of Nevada: Las Vegas? Maybe you have never visited this city of bright lights and money-grabbing slots, or maybe you haven’t been there in awhile.
The good news? Many things haven’t changed.
The better news? Many things have changed. Especially at the airport and at the car rental building.
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Tags:best buys in vegas, best margarita in vegas, best show in vegas, how to get to your rental car from the las vegas airpor, las vegas nevada, mccarran airport in vegas, vegas strip
Posted in Adventure Travel, Las Vegas, Photography tips, Tourist attractions, Travel tips, United States, Variety | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
There are almost no words to describe traveling an authentic portion of Route 66. If time machines exist, then this is one of the finest.
There is an ambience of days gone by, the good old days, when Mom and Dad packed up the old Chevy with 3.5 kids, a dog, a cooler, Dad in his best driving hat, and Mom in her finest traveling clothes, and hit the road in search of adventures, or maybe a new life on the other side of Amercia.
The atmosphere, the sense of nostalgia along “The Mother Road” is so poignant, so acute, that it will bring tears to your eyes. At least, it did, to mine.
My husband and I set out yesterday in search of Americana history. We left Vegas about 7 AM and reached Kingman, Arizona about 3 hours later. With a few stops in the desert along the way, we had set up the perfect photo safari. But we had no idea just how perfect our day was going to be. Because the adventure that is Route 66 still lay ahead of us.
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Tags:driving the mother road, great photography day trips in the united states, hackberry arizona, kingman arizona, old highway signs, photography along route 66, Route 66, seligman arizona, the best road trip in the united states
Posted in Adventure Travel, Arizona, Car shows, Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Route 66, Tourist attractions, Travel Destinations, Travel photography, Travel tips, Travel with kids, United States | No Comments »
Monday, July 28th, 2008
It’s all over for another year in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The race has been run – the IndyCar race, that is, since Champ Car merged with the Indy League earlier this year. It was the debut IRL race for Edmonton, and by all accounts, it was a success. Especially for at least one driver.
The big winner? Scott Dixon, of New Zealand (It was Scott Dixon’s 5th win for 2008.) He was followed by “Dancing With the Stars” champ, Helio Castroneves, then Justin Wilson, and finally, Canadian Champ Car driver, Paul Tracy, who had fought his way up from his 16th starting position.
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Tags:danica patrick edmonton, edmonton alberta indycar race, Gene Simmons, paul tracy indycar edmonton, rexall edmonton indycar 2008, scott dixon fifth win 2008, who won the Edmonton IndyCar race
Posted in Adventure Travel, Alberta, Canada, Car shows, Family Vacations, Sports | Comments Closed
Friday, July 11th, 2008
Planning our next trip is nearly as much fun as taking the trip itself. Well, nearly.
My husband and I are bound for one of our favorite hot spots, and I mean, hot! Las Vegas, Nevada. But we aren’t really into the Strip; we tend to tool around in other parts of Vegas, spending most of our time off the Strip, visiting spots like the Nevada Atomic Testing Museum.
But we have gotten the Route 66 bug, so we’ll go further afield this time. Also, known as the “Mother Road,” Route 66 is just barely visible on modern maps, but a little research shows parts of the roadway can be reached in just under a two-hour drive from Vegas. But it’ll be one hot drive, since we’ll be headed right into the Mojave Desert, at the height of summer heat. But the photo opportunities are just too hard to resist.
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Tags:adobe photoshop techniques, atomic testing museum, ben willmore, chloride arizona, great american history photographs, kingman arizona, las vegas day trips, las vegas nevada, las vegas strip, Route 66, the mother road
Posted in Adventure Travel, Travel Destinations, Travel photography, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
If you have never taken the train, or you haven’t ridden the rails in some time, then check out the nearest Amtrak station. Especially when exploring a new city. That’s the Philadelphia Amtrak station showing above.
With the high cost of rental cars, gasoline, insurance, and with the irritation of battling traffic in a strange city, travel by Amtrak train is like a gift from heaven.
My husband and I have just decided to include at least one Amtrak day trip while traveling, and we are very glad we did. We took the Amtrak between New York City and Philadelphia, and loved the trip.
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Tags:Amtrak train options, catching a train in the United States, taking a trip on Amtrak, travel by train across North America
Posted in Adventure Travel, Canada, Family Vacations, Train Travel, Travel - General Advice, Travel photography, Travel tips, Travel with kids, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Sunday, July 6th, 2008
Tags:city of brothery love tourist attractions, john king boy pirate, liberty bell, Philadelphia, philly cheesesteak, pirate folklore, real pirates at the franklin institue, rocky steps, whydah ship
Posted in Adventure Travel, Family Vacations, Philadelphia, Tourist attractions, Train Travel, Travel Destinations, Travel with kids, United States | Comments Closed
