I finally made it over to Congaree National Park, just south of Columbia for a day. It’s a little less than a 2 hour drive. I’ve been checking the weather and the NPS Congaree current conditions regularly because the trails have been flooded. I had a perfect day, high 50s, brightly sunny and below flood stage so drove over Thursday the 14th. I stopped at the visitor center to talk to one of the rangers/volunteers about the trails and the conditions,…
Like in the Finger Lakes, there is much to do in the Asheville area. Asheville has a great arts district and many galleries downtown, nice city parks and trails, great historic buildings, and many wonderful restaurants and breweries. I really enjoyed my time here. The city can keep you busy but if you get bored, you can head to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Pisgah National Forest, or take a long drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are…
I only spent a half day at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, driving over from Asheville. It’s definitely not the best season for a visit but we still had a nice afternoon. I had spent a week here in 1993, taking my daughter on our first vacation since I had got out of the Army, home from West Germany, and started my new job. After a couple of years, I finally had a few dollars left over between paychecks so…
My parents took my sisters and me to many of the national parks on our family vacations. I took my daughter to a couple dozen over the years, as well, from Acadia to Zion. She and her husband just took 18 months to visit the 59 parks in the states. I am trying to visit as many as possible as I wander the country; not just the main parks but historical sites, national battlefields, trails, and many of the other…
I have wanted to visit Gettysburg for years. I almost added it to the Washington, DC, Chesapeake, Philadelphia trip I took with my daughter, Alex, in 1998. She enjoyed touring the White House, visiting both the Washington and Lincoln monuments, and seeing the Constitution and Declaration in the Archives. We even went to the Air & Space Museum for a few hours, where she was excited to see the moon lander and moon rocks. She thought it was fun to…
I’ve heard a lot about the Finger Lakes region of New York over the years but other than a visit with my family to Watkins Glen as a child I’ve not visited the area. I thought it would be an excellent start to my year of travel and October would be perfect weather. When I looked for a place to stay, searching on “Finger Lakes” in Booking and AirBNB and VRBO, almost too many options came up. It’s a large…
Travel Insurance – Yes you need it! My daughter and I have been traveling internationally since 1997 when we went to Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore. My friend, Kelly, and I took our first trip together in 2005, attending Oktoberfest in Munich. I didn’t purchase travel insurance until 2009 when I got sick and thought I want to be covered for my trip to China … just in case. Kelly and I used our insurance that trip for a different reason, a death…
I may not be lost, but I do have some financial and legal issues, while I “wander”. For several years, I’ve been planning on selling my house and staying mobile for a while after retirement. I want to just enjoy traveling and exploring new places. I also don’t know where I want to end up. Many people I know have plans to retire to a specific place. I don’t, not yet. I may decide I don’t want to “settle down”….
I went to New Orleans after visiting Savannah just to see the National World War II Museum. Yes, seriously. I even checked Mardi Gras dates before booking because I did NOT want to be there during that season. Those crowds? No thanks. I have been wanting to see the WWII Museum for years. I purchased a brick for my Dad, a US Marine Corps veteran of WWII, years ago but have never seen it. I have visited New Orleans previously, but…
I decided months ago there was no reason for me to stay in Illinois all winter. It’s cold, windy and grey for weeks at a time. Quite a depressing place to spend the winter, so I started thinking about a long term stay… somewhere. Somewhere warmer. I’ve only spent half a day in Savannah, on a side trip from Hilton Head years ago. I wanted to see more. And staying long term in a city sounded exciting and a great…