November 25,2020
Travel in 2020, life in 2020, has been one for the books. It will be a year that will be one those historical years that will always be remembered. Personally, we’ve lost our dear father, Dale, to Colon Cancer. My mother, experiencing advanced stages of Dementia\Alzheimers, was placed into a memory care center and watching my mother-in-law and father deal with their significant change and loneliness during a time of serious health concerns due to a virus, political unrest due to political polarization and unbalanced leaders (across all parties), and the list goes on. Fortunately, my immediate family has and continues to weather these times with great news coming from such things as a new beautiful baby added to Dustin’s family, a new pregnancy for your youngest son Travis and his sweet wife and watching our other grand children grow and excel in all aspects of their lives. But through it all, Denise and I still found a way to travel a bit, albeit domestically. So this quick blog is a quick summary of some of the trips that we have taken this past year as we’ve been to Florida\Bahamas, Las Vegas (a couple of times), Montana (Glacier National Park), Upper State New York and most recently South Padre Island, Texas.
March:
With Brent, Ashley and their kids, we took a trip to Florida where we got on a cruise ship and cruised to the Bahamas for a few days and then returned to Orlando where we spent a few days at Universal Studios. This was at the time the Coronavirus was just beginning to become a big focus and economies starting to shut down. So we were able to pull off the trip just in time.
The trip to the Bahamas was a really fun cruise where we experienced the Bahamas. But the real fun day was at a private stop that the cruise ship had. It allowed us to snorkel at various spots and allowed us to introduce Keagan, Makenzie and Braxton to the ocean and snorkeling. So fun it was. Plus, all our food was provided and we were very well taken care of.
Once we were back in Florida, Ashley had rented to 5-star condo for all of us to share. It was amazing and so fun. They had a very nice pool and other amenities that we found time to enjoy in addition to spending 3 days (full and partial) in the Universal Studio park. There was not a ride or an activity that we did not do while in that park. We came home those days quite tired but thrilled to have such fun times together.
September\October:
Glacier National Park (Montana) -- Denise and I decide to take a trip to Glacier National Park. We set out to fly there but at the last minute, it was apparent that we would not get seats on the plane to Denver. So we quickly jumped in the car and drove the 8 hours to Kalispell, Montana. We actually arrived there an hour or so earlier than we would have by plane. The drive, at night however, was quite harrowing. Wild life was everywhere. Bugs were out in force and forced us to stop in the middle of no where and clean our windshield with a Walmart bag that we had in the trunk. It was a crazy drive. Fortunately, we had dear friends waiting for (Schnell’s) who had a wonderful mother-in-law apartment ready to host us for the next couple of nights. They had just move to this area and had acquired 40 acres on the side of a mountain. To get to their home and property, it was a couple of miles on a dirt road up the mountain from the highway. It is beautiful country where they live. Their property was developed by an eccentric fellow who had multiple buildings on the property including a very large green house and garden area. The Schnell’s are so excited to get that up and running and are working really hard to do so. Gary is so handy at this kind of stuff and I know he will have this place updated to their liking in short order. They hope to be able to sale 20 of the 40 acres, assuming Gary can get the land sub-divided in a way he likes. I wish them all the best. We hope to go back someday to see how their work has progressed.
The morning and day after arrival, we spent the day touring the area around where they live. There is a big beautiful lake nearby where we drove around and looked at the properties. We ate brunch at a very nice place down the hill from the Schnell’s home before we did this touring. It was really great food and quite crowded for a mid-week meal. In the evening, we had the great opportunity to meet up with Brad, his wife and their darling little girl before Gary, Suzi, Denise and I went out to dinner. For us, to go any where there, seems like a very long time. So getting to and from the eatery and then time spent at the eatery pretty much consumed the evening. So great to visit with Suzi and Gary.
The next day, the Schnell’s headed off to Rexburg to escort their daughter through the Temple. We headed north to Glacier National Park. This was the first weekend when everything was shut down. There was little open and caught us off guard a bit relative to food and stuff. Nonetheless, we did the 40 mile drive on the main road (Going to the Sun) first thing. It was amazingly spectacular. When we arrived at Logan Pass parking lot, we decided to try the Hidden Lake Overlook hike. Now, just a few weeks previous, I had total hip replacement on my right hip. I was not sure I could do it. Nonetheless, we gave it a go. It is about 1.5 miles on a slow incline up the side of a mountain to get to the summit. There are quite a few stairs and things that made the journey a bit tough for this new hip. But with patience, Denise helped me along as I limped along. The view was quite worth it. There are so many lakes and a few glaciers visible from the road with lots of hikes in the park. We had a really nice day checking the park out. From the Schnell’s door to the park entrance is about a 45 minute drive. So we did do a bit of driving.
The following day, we drove back to Glacier National Park and did a hike on the north side of Lake MacDonald, a very large lake that you first see after entering the park. The hike was a fairly short (about 2 miles) environmental hike that took you through the forest along the lake (Fish Creek Overlook). We were more prepared this time with food and stuff and did an early lunch. We decided the night before than rather than stay another night, we would go get our stuff from the Schnell’s and drive half way home. So that is what we did, ending up in Butte, Montana at a hotel there. It was a nice way to drive home, breaking the drive up in a few 4+/- segments. Butte was nothing to shake a stick at other than being a place to rest and get ready for the rest of the drive.
All in all, it was a trip where we drove a lot of miles. But it was well worth due to the beauty of the country up in those parts. And…Denise can check off another place she has always wanted to visit!
Mike and Jenny’s (Orchard Park, NY) – Denise and I took Julee with us to visit Mike and Jenny in upper state New York. It was a quick trip, only three nights. But we had a ton of fun. They picked us up at the airport and immediately took us to the Cheesecake Factory. Been a while since we’ve been there (to both the restaurant and Mike and Jenny’s). Over the course of the next three days we did a number of hikes, ate at a nice few places and made some nice dinners and breakfasts. I was also introduced to Oculus (virtual reality). It was amazing. I had a lot of fun messing with that. We went to a beautiful park on the east side of New York, about a two hour drive from Mike and Jenny’s. The park had a slot canyon that had some 13 waterfalls that you can see as you walk up the canyon. Unfortunately, due to Covid, an early falling of leaves and a rainstorm the night before, the key trail that we wanted to take was close. Nonetheless, we hiked the upper trails which were still quite nice. It was a great day.
The next day, we went back to Niagra Falls. It has been a while since we’ve been there and it was still as beautiful as always. Unfortunately the Canadian borders are closed due to Covid virus. So it was all seen from the US side. We parked a ways away and walked in. So my hip got more hiking in … which I suppose is good.
The last day there was a Sunday. Being able to attend our meetings virtually is nice when you like to travel as you can attend from any where in the world. We all attended our own meetings. Then in the afternoon, we went to another park where Mike and Denise walked to some waterfall and Jenny and I took a walk along a nice road. I believe it was about 3 miles of walking. We did not go with Mike and Jenny as both Mike and Jenny thought the trail they were taking would be quite muddy. I did not want to get wet or muddy. As it turns out, it was not too bad. So it was kind of sad that we did not go with them. But Jenny and I had a nice visit solving all the worlds problems as we walked through this beautiful park.
Upper state New York is so beautiful, especially in the fall. So much foliage, flowers and so on with trees dropping their leaves. We really enjoyed our time with Mike and Jenny too. We’ll be back!
November:
South Padre Island, Texas – As we were looking into the trip to visit Mike and Jenny, it was possible that Jenny and Mike did not want us to come due to the Corona virus because Jenny was going to have some surgery and did not want that cancelled due to testing positive. But in the end, they said come. But me, always having plan B, started looking into other locations we could go if we were not able to go to NY. Somehow, South Padre Island, Texas, came into the view and stayed on my radar. As a result, we decided to take a ‘long’ weekend and fly down to Brownsville Texas via Houston, catch a Lyft car over to this island which was 40 minute drive from the airport. The funny thing was that in my hurry to get a hotel, I booked the wrong hotel which cost me a few more points than I wanted to use. But in the end, we got a master king suite at a Holiday Inn Express that had an amazing pool, hot tub and within a 5 minute walk to an amazing beach. The weather was really nice…not too warm, not too cold. The trip was so relaxing as the island had few people on it and we could get anywhere fairly quick as the populated portion of the island was at most, 5 miles long.
Day one, we checked out the beach, figured out the bus system and ate at a prominent restaurant there (Blackbeards). We also took time to enjoy the pool and hot tub. We walked a bit as I wanted to see if there was any snorkeling in a park on the south end of the island (Isla Blanca Park). There was no snorkeling there and most of the excursions were shut down for the season. But the beach environment seemed nice but all shut down. Nonetheless, we took the free bus system across the causeway over to the lighthouse at Port Isabel. The free bus came every 30 minutes and once I figured it out, it worked quite well. The lighthouse gave an amazing view of the area including the island across the waterway. It was nice. As for Blackbeard’s, it was a bit of a disappointment. We wanted good seafood. But it was not so good. It wasn’t bad. But it was not what we expected for the price.
Day two, we wanted it to be a beach and pool day. And so it was. But Denise really wanted to take one of the Dolphin Watch sailings that were offered. So we investigated and made a 4:30 PM reservation to get on a boat, sail into the bay and determine where dolphins might be frolicking around. We also booked this time as we hoped we might be on the boat as the sun set in the west. In both cases, we were not let down. The boat easily found pods of dolphins playing around. At one point, just below Denise and I were a couple of dolphin swimming as fast as the boat right up against the boat. It was fun to see. And, as we came back in from the Gulf of Mexico, the sun did set and we did get some beautiful pictures. For $13 per person for a 1.5 hour cruise…money well spent! We loved it. For dinner, we ate early at the Whataburger that are found everywhere in Texas. Denise had one of those burgers on the way down to Texas in Houston. It was really good. So that is what we had on the island and we were not let down.
Day three was kind of funny. Right next to our hotel, which was at the far north end of the island, was a store that sold beach stuff and souvenirs. Up until that morning, they had bikes for rent outside. But naturally, Saturday morning, they were gone. But the store said they had sister stores and could get a couple of bikes to us. So we said ‘Sure!’. We waited a bit…about 20 minutes. Two bikes arrived. They were not the highest of quality bikes and mine needed to have the seat raised. So I raised it. But as I sat on it, it immediately slid down. It was obvious it was not going to stay up. So again, we told the store and they had the sister store bring another bike. After another 20 minutes, a bike arrives. But this bike has the handle bars down a bit low for me. Nonetheless, I give it a try in the parking lot. Unfortunately, I took my first spill…right there in the parking lot…coming down on my elbow and my new hip. But not hard. I was fine. They guy came over and helped me up. He quickly got a tool and raised the handle bar which made a huge difference for a tall, long legged, guy like me. Once we had the bikes straightened out, we went down to the beach and rode on the hard sand near the crashing waves for about 3 miles. It was so much fun even though we had a stiff head wind. It felt good to turn out to the main street going down the island and have the wind to our back. As we rode back, we looked for an ice cream shop. We found a nice bakery that offered ice cream. It was a nice break before we returned the bikes back. It was a fun morning. In the afternoon, we hung out by the pool before we headed Senor Donkey’s for an early dinner. The food there was really good. We enjoyed it much.
All along the way, we were meeting and talking with folks. It is always fun to meet and talk with people from all over. Most of the folks there were from parts of Texas fairly close by. All so kind and willing to offer suggestions and other places to vacation at along the Texas coast…which we might pursue someday soon.
Day four…going home was an adventure. It was Sunday. The day before I scheduled a Lyft for 5:10 AM. At one point, I went to cancel it on Saturday, but it said someone had picked the ride up. So I did not. Well, at 5 AM, I start getting messages that no one was picking up the ride. So I tired Uber…same thing. No drivers on the island. Our flight was at 7 AM and the drive was 40 minutes from our hotel to the airport. We started scrambling working with the hotel front desk. Fortunately, for twice the amount, a taxi service was taking riders and within 20 minutes a ride was there and off we went. The airport in Brownsville is quite small (although they have a whole new terminal about to open). We got on the plane on time. But as I do, I’m always watching the crew as they prepare to go. I quickly notice the flight steward having trouble getting the door to come up. They hydraulics were not working. We ended getting off the plane and waiting two hours to get a maintenance person there and the switch fixed. But unfortunately, our wide open flight that would have gotten us home by 12:30 PM MST had left. The next flight was not until 5 PM out of Houston. Bottom line, we did not get home until 8 PM’ish….the mechanical breakdown cost us nearly 7 to 8 hours. But we made it.
Great trip to South Padre Island, Texas at a time when we needed some relaxation…which we got!
Pictures:
Sunset on South Padre Island....
Port Isabel Lighthouse...
