Travel Adventures
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Picnic Point in the Spring
Sunday, March 7, 2010
It's Good to be Home
The last day on the ship was spent on deck in the sunshine admiring the coast off of Kauai, where we saw a rainbow, waterfalls and whales surfacing. They had a barbecue lunch out on deck and Vicki and I were thrilled to eat our hot dogs (one of our favorite foods) out there and snapping photos. That night, the crew put on a farewell show for us and we were able to meet most of the behind the scenes crew like the chefs, waiters, etc. As we walked out of the theatre, they were there to shake our hands and thank us. It amazes me how many friends we made among the crew and other travelers. We met wonderful people from all over the country and some from outside the country and for one week traveled together as a family.
FYI all you trivia buffs, watch out for the Johnson/Will trivia team...we kick butt. Trivia was one of our favorite activities while on board and while we did fairly well, the last night we ROCKED. In the Pink Champagne bar they held a final music trivia contest and our team won with 19 out of 20 points total. Beware! :0)
Our last day in Hawaii was spent at Pearl Harbor visiting the U.S.S. Missouri battleship and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. The U.S.S. Missouri is the only remaining battleship and was last called into service during the first Gulf War. It sits on the site were the U.S.S. Oklahoma sunk in Pearl Harbor. The U.S.S. Arizona was very sobering. It had the most loss of life, with 23 sets of brothers and a father and a son. It was totally fueled up with over a million gallons of fuel on the day it sank and, to this day, it still leaks oil into the harbor on occasion. We also toured Honolulu a bit and saw the neighborhood where Barak Obama grew up, Diamond Head and the Punch Bowl, where all the war veterans are buried. We were told that on Memorial Day each year they put flags as well as leis on each grave. It was such an aweseome sight. The statue there at the punch bowl, for all you Hawaii Five-O fans, is the one shown at the opening of the show.
We arrived at the airport at 4:00 p.m. expecting to wait until 9:40 p.m. for our flight to leave. When we checked in, we found that we could take an earlier flight at 5:55 p.m. I got on the flight, but when Vicki attempted to get on the same flight, no dice. We were told I could not go back to the later flight as it was overbooked, but they wouldn't let Vicki on the earlier flight with me, even though there were empty seats. Huh?! As I said, it didn't make sense to us, however, we were persistent enough to get Vicki on the earlier flight with me and we hoofed it to the gate. On the upside, we got a free dinner and breakfast and a choice of movies on that earlier flight. Plus, we got home 6 hours earlier, arriving in Madison at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
This trip was a great way to see the Hawaiian islands. I was surprised by the number of activities on the ship, as well as the shore excursions. A cruise is for anyone who wants to see and do things on the islands, or for the people who want to hang out on ship and participate in the activities they have scheduled, or just chill by the pool and read a book. If you're bored on this trip, it's your own fault.
Speaking for myself, it was the perfect vacation with the perfect traveling buddy. Come join me in my next adventure down Route 66 in September!
Aloha!
FYI all you trivia buffs, watch out for the Johnson/Will trivia team...we kick butt. Trivia was one of our favorite activities while on board and while we did fairly well, the last night we ROCKED. In the Pink Champagne bar they held a final music trivia contest and our team won with 19 out of 20 points total. Beware! :0)
Our last day in Hawaii was spent at Pearl Harbor visiting the U.S.S. Missouri battleship and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. The U.S.S. Missouri is the only remaining battleship and was last called into service during the first Gulf War. It sits on the site were the U.S.S. Oklahoma sunk in Pearl Harbor. The U.S.S. Arizona was very sobering. It had the most loss of life, with 23 sets of brothers and a father and a son. It was totally fueled up with over a million gallons of fuel on the day it sank and, to this day, it still leaks oil into the harbor on occasion. We also toured Honolulu a bit and saw the neighborhood where Barak Obama grew up, Diamond Head and the Punch Bowl, where all the war veterans are buried. We were told that on Memorial Day each year they put flags as well as leis on each grave. It was such an aweseome sight. The statue there at the punch bowl, for all you Hawaii Five-O fans, is the one shown at the opening of the show.
We arrived at the airport at 4:00 p.m. expecting to wait until 9:40 p.m. for our flight to leave. When we checked in, we found that we could take an earlier flight at 5:55 p.m. I got on the flight, but when Vicki attempted to get on the same flight, no dice. We were told I could not go back to the later flight as it was overbooked, but they wouldn't let Vicki on the earlier flight with me, even though there were empty seats. Huh?! As I said, it didn't make sense to us, however, we were persistent enough to get Vicki on the earlier flight with me and we hoofed it to the gate. On the upside, we got a free dinner and breakfast and a choice of movies on that earlier flight. Plus, we got home 6 hours earlier, arriving in Madison at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
This trip was a great way to see the Hawaiian islands. I was surprised by the number of activities on the ship, as well as the shore excursions. A cruise is for anyone who wants to see and do things on the islands, or for the people who want to hang out on ship and participate in the activities they have scheduled, or just chill by the pool and read a book. If you're bored on this trip, it's your own fault.
Speaking for myself, it was the perfect vacation with the perfect traveling buddy. Come join me in my next adventure down Route 66 in September!
Aloha!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Kauai Day 2
Today is our last full day on the ship. :0(
Kauai is known as the garden island and is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands. And, boy, they really know how to put on one heck of a luau. Imagine 600 people in one place and you have to operate an open bar, buffet table AND entertain them. They pulled it off without a hitch. All you RCers would have appreciated the fare we had last night at the buffet. The only thing we didn't venture to try was the poi. And the entertainment: Wow! The main show told the story of the trials and tribulations of how the Hawaiians come to Kauai (I believe we were told they arrive approximately 100-200 A.D.) to live. There were fire dancers, men and women dressed in very beautiful sarongs, shirts and leis. (There were also men in tiny Tarzan type outfits that were very skimpy. Loved those outfits!) When you think of a Hawaiian lei you think flowers; however, we're finding on this trip that there are many types of leis, including shells leis, ku kui nut leis and braided cloth leis.
We arrived back at the ship around 9:15 last night and attended the variety show put on by the crew. They have some very talented people on this ship and we were able to see people that we normally don't see behind the scenes perform on stage. It was a good mixture of serious singing, comedy and general silliness.
Tonight we've got a full schedule, probably because we set sail at 2:00 p.m. today and everyone has to be on the ship. So, knowing that, we'll probably be running from one end of the ship to another tonight to catch all the shows. :0) We decided to do our packing this afternoon as we need to get our bags out in front of our stateroom door by midnight. Packing just before midnight didn't sound like fun to us.
Tomorrow we leave the ship. (sigh) But we do have one more excursion planned to Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Missouri. After that they'll take us and our luggage to the airport where we'll sit around and wait until our flight takes off at 9:40 p.m. I can't tell you how much we're looking forward to being cramped in an airplane for 5 hours unable to sleep. It's just much more fun than we can handle. You know I'm right! :0)
Since this is our last full day on the ship, I won't be blogging again until I arrive home to share with you THAT adventure. Hopefully it will go smoothly, barring any tsunamis, snowstorms or other weather-related activity. :0)
Until we meet again....aloha, mahalo, pua, ohana, wahini (those are all the Hawaiian words I can remember!)
Kauai is known as the garden island and is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands. And, boy, they really know how to put on one heck of a luau. Imagine 600 people in one place and you have to operate an open bar, buffet table AND entertain them. They pulled it off without a hitch. All you RCers would have appreciated the fare we had last night at the buffet. The only thing we didn't venture to try was the poi. And the entertainment: Wow! The main show told the story of the trials and tribulations of how the Hawaiians come to Kauai (I believe we were told they arrive approximately 100-200 A.D.) to live. There were fire dancers, men and women dressed in very beautiful sarongs, shirts and leis. (There were also men in tiny Tarzan type outfits that were very skimpy. Loved those outfits!) When you think of a Hawaiian lei you think flowers; however, we're finding on this trip that there are many types of leis, including shells leis, ku kui nut leis and braided cloth leis.
We arrived back at the ship around 9:15 last night and attended the variety show put on by the crew. They have some very talented people on this ship and we were able to see people that we normally don't see behind the scenes perform on stage. It was a good mixture of serious singing, comedy and general silliness.
Tonight we've got a full schedule, probably because we set sail at 2:00 p.m. today and everyone has to be on the ship. So, knowing that, we'll probably be running from one end of the ship to another tonight to catch all the shows. :0) We decided to do our packing this afternoon as we need to get our bags out in front of our stateroom door by midnight. Packing just before midnight didn't sound like fun to us.
Tomorrow we leave the ship. (sigh) But we do have one more excursion planned to Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Missouri. After that they'll take us and our luggage to the airport where we'll sit around and wait until our flight takes off at 9:40 p.m. I can't tell you how much we're looking forward to being cramped in an airplane for 5 hours unable to sleep. It's just much more fun than we can handle. You know I'm right! :0)
Since this is our last full day on the ship, I won't be blogging again until I arrive home to share with you THAT adventure. Hopefully it will go smoothly, barring any tsunamis, snowstorms or other weather-related activity. :0)
Until we meet again....aloha, mahalo, pua, ohana, wahini (those are all the Hawaiian words I can remember!)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Kauai Day 1
We traveled last night to arrive at Kauai this morning and will be here until tomorrow. We're still getting accustomed to the movement of the ship when it's moving about, and sometimes when on land you'd swear the earth was moving. :0)
Kauai is beautiful with mountains, beaches and chickens. Yep, they have chickens running free throughout the island due to a hurricane that hit about 15 years ago and demolished their homes. So now they just let them roam free. Our driver told us the residents do not catch and eat the chickens.
Yesterday afternoon we took hula dance lessons. We were so good that we're going to be certified hula dancers at the end of the cruise. (If you believe we're that good, I have some swamp land to sell you!) But seriously, we will get a certificate. It was very interesting learning the meanings of the movements with your hands and all that hip shaking!
Last night's entertainment was awesome also. It was karaoke night in the Mardi Gras Club and they had a competition similar to American Idol. Three passengers voted and critiqued the contestants to come up with a winner. (One guy was dubbed "Simon.") The lady who won sang Second Hand Rose and was awesome and won the competition. Following the karaoke, they had the Dancing with the Stars competition where they paired up 8 staff and 8 passengers. OMG, did it get crazy! There was no criteria for participating in the dancing, and that made for some very interesting dancing. What a blast that was!
Tonight we attend the luau on the island of Kauai. We heard that 600 passengers from the ship are attending this luau (out of 2200) so it's going to be quite the experience. After the luau the crew is putting on a show in the Hollywood Theatre aboard the ship for the passengers. If it's half as good as the other entertainment we've seen all week, this should be awesome.
The one down side to a cruise is that they like to take pictures of the passengers. Pictures, pictures, everywhere pictures: with the captain, when you take an excursion, when you're eating dinner (no kidding, every night we've been approached by a photographer while we were eating), and again tonight they'll do it for the luau. With 600 passengers attending the luau, it will be crazy. The worst part is they put all the photos on the wall of shame that I told you about earlier for everyone to see. Ugh.
Aloha from Kauai!
Kauai is beautiful with mountains, beaches and chickens. Yep, they have chickens running free throughout the island due to a hurricane that hit about 15 years ago and demolished their homes. So now they just let them roam free. Our driver told us the residents do not catch and eat the chickens.
Yesterday afternoon we took hula dance lessons. We were so good that we're going to be certified hula dancers at the end of the cruise. (If you believe we're that good, I have some swamp land to sell you!) But seriously, we will get a certificate. It was very interesting learning the meanings of the movements with your hands and all that hip shaking!
Last night's entertainment was awesome also. It was karaoke night in the Mardi Gras Club and they had a competition similar to American Idol. Three passengers voted and critiqued the contestants to come up with a winner. (One guy was dubbed "Simon.") The lady who won sang Second Hand Rose and was awesome and won the competition. Following the karaoke, they had the Dancing with the Stars competition where they paired up 8 staff and 8 passengers. OMG, did it get crazy! There was no criteria for participating in the dancing, and that made for some very interesting dancing. What a blast that was!
Tonight we attend the luau on the island of Kauai. We heard that 600 passengers from the ship are attending this luau (out of 2200) so it's going to be quite the experience. After the luau the crew is putting on a show in the Hollywood Theatre aboard the ship for the passengers. If it's half as good as the other entertainment we've seen all week, this should be awesome.
The one down side to a cruise is that they like to take pictures of the passengers. Pictures, pictures, everywhere pictures: with the captain, when you take an excursion, when you're eating dinner (no kidding, every night we've been approached by a photographer while we were eating), and again tonight they'll do it for the luau. With 600 passengers attending the luau, it will be crazy. The worst part is they put all the photos on the wall of shame that I told you about earlier for everyone to see. Ugh.
Aloha from Kauai!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Kona
Another beautiful day in paradise. Today we're on the Big Island again (Hawaii), but on the opposite shore at Kona. The water is so shallow that we were not able to pull up to port, so we had to take tenders (small boats) to the island.
At Kona we took a submarine down to see the fishes and the coral. It was awesome. One group of fish came right up the windows on the sub and swam by. Saw lots of schools of fish and possibly shipwreck remains. I believe we got down to 102 feet below the surface. The water was so blue!
We also did some shopping in Kona and stuck our feet in the water on the beach (including Hermie!). I didn't expect that the water would be cold. Brrr!
Tonight we hope to see another comedian and watch as they pair up passengers and crew to perform in Dancing with the Pride of America Stars. After that, a karaoke contest. Speaking of which, whenever they have anything going on like the line dancing or the Not So Newlywed Game, they tape it. This morning we laughed when we saw on our TV in our room film of us attempting to line dance. It was a hoot!
Gotta run as we're taking hula dance lessons in a few minutes and then something with bandanas. If forget what that's about. Sound like fun?!
Aloha! Shaka Shaka Ohana!
At Kona we took a submarine down to see the fishes and the coral. It was awesome. One group of fish came right up the windows on the sub and swam by. Saw lots of schools of fish and possibly shipwreck remains. I believe we got down to 102 feet below the surface. The water was so blue!
We also did some shopping in Kona and stuck our feet in the water on the beach (including Hermie!). I didn't expect that the water would be cold. Brrr!
Tonight we hope to see another comedian and watch as they pair up passengers and crew to perform in Dancing with the Pride of America Stars. After that, a karaoke contest. Speaking of which, whenever they have anything going on like the line dancing or the Not So Newlywed Game, they tape it. This morning we laughed when we saw on our TV in our room film of us attempting to line dance. It was a hoot!
Gotta run as we're taking hula dance lessons in a few minutes and then something with bandanas. If forget what that's about. Sound like fun?!
Aloha! Shaka Shaka Ohana!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Hilo
Today we spent the day in Hilo and got some awesome pictures. Our tour guide was Dennis, a local Hawaiian; he was very funny and informative, but had a quirk and would end his sentences with "der," (there) just like the UPers of Michigan. We couldn't help giggling. On our tour we saw the Waimea and Mauna Loa mountains, the lava tube and the botanical gardens. Waimea was the most interesting as we saw plumes of hot gasses left over from the 1984 eruption. The botanical gardens were the prettiest, but didn't get to see the whole garden as we were restricted to 30 minutes. We'dbeen running around Hilo since 9:00 this morning and were tuckered out!
The crew is fantastic here and the events going on throughout the day are awesome! Last night we saw a hilarious game called "The Not So Newlywed Game" a take on the TV show from the 60's; they used passenger couples for the game. After that it was to the Hollywood Theatre for a Second City performance. The most interesting part of our evening yesterday was when we pulled out of port from Maui and headed to Hilo. At the time we were at the Little Italy restaurant and it was a bit unnerving seeing the land go bye-bye when we're sitting there eating dinner as the winds were huge and the boat rocked back and forth. We couldn't help but giggle as we attempted to walk on the ship with it going to and fro. The hallways to the rooms are long and it was very funny to see the people walking ahead of us weaving with the waves as they walked. The best way to describe the feeling is the feeling you have when you're not drunk, but buzzed. Very strange. And no, we did not have any alcohol last night. :0)
Tonight we're eating at the Skyline restaurant. We hope to listen to Lex play the piano in the Pink Champagne bar and then a comedy/magic show at the Mardi Gras Club. Should be a fun evening.
Aloha wahinis!
The crew is fantastic here and the events going on throughout the day are awesome! Last night we saw a hilarious game called "The Not So Newlywed Game" a take on the TV show from the 60's; they used passenger couples for the game. After that it was to the Hollywood Theatre for a Second City performance. The most interesting part of our evening yesterday was when we pulled out of port from Maui and headed to Hilo. At the time we were at the Little Italy restaurant and it was a bit unnerving seeing the land go bye-bye when we're sitting there eating dinner as the winds were huge and the boat rocked back and forth. We couldn't help but giggle as we attempted to walk on the ship with it going to and fro. The hallways to the rooms are long and it was very funny to see the people walking ahead of us weaving with the waves as they walked. The best way to describe the feeling is the feeling you have when you're not drunk, but buzzed. Very strange. And no, we did not have any alcohol last night. :0)
Tonight we're eating at the Skyline restaurant. We hope to listen to Lex play the piano in the Pink Champagne bar and then a comedy/magic show at the Mardi Gras Club. Should be a fun evening.
Aloha wahinis!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Maui
Today is our second day in Maui! We went whale watching (didn't get seasick, even though the waves were pretty rough there for awhile) and saw a mama whale with a baby. Didn't get pictures as they disappeared as fast as they appeared. We also had wonderful sunny weather with lots of wind, which didn't help the pitching of the boat. At least we didn't get sick. :0)
Tonight we cruise on to Hilo (Hawaii, Big Island). Vicki and I made reservations at the Little Italy restaurant on board, and we'll be able to see where we're cruising to next while eating dinner.
Speaking of food....OMG! If you go away hungry, there's something wrong with you. We've tried a couple of the restaurants already and last night was the fanciest at the Liberty restaurant. We had a great waiter who we found out has a sister who lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the ship photographer was also in the restaurant taking pictures. This morning we went to the hall of shame (that's what we call it; it's otherwise known as the photo gallery) and found the pictures taken last night. We also found a picture of a couple that sat at the table next to us and I happened to be in the background, eating. We had a good laugh about that. :0)
There is sooooo much to do on this cruise! Every night they post in the mailbox by your room a schedule of the next day's events. Last night we line danced (or attempted to; Vicki said she was vining when everyone else was graping :0) and stayed for the performance of two brothers who sing Brooks & Dunn songs and Elvis. Quite entertaining. Today, we made ku kui nut leis which are totally awesome and tonight after dinner we're going to check out the Second City comedy show in the Mardi Gras club.
For all you inquiring minds, I can safely tell you that Hermie is having a wonderful time. He has a new perch atop our ShaveIce glass, and we have officially lei'd him. Still looking for that hula skirt for him. For now though, he is content. Sorry I can't post any photos of us and Hermie, but do look for them when we return next week.
Until tomorrow....aloha!
Tonight we cruise on to Hilo (Hawaii, Big Island). Vicki and I made reservations at the Little Italy restaurant on board, and we'll be able to see where we're cruising to next while eating dinner.
Speaking of food....OMG! If you go away hungry, there's something wrong with you. We've tried a couple of the restaurants already and last night was the fanciest at the Liberty restaurant. We had a great waiter who we found out has a sister who lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the ship photographer was also in the restaurant taking pictures. This morning we went to the hall of shame (that's what we call it; it's otherwise known as the photo gallery) and found the pictures taken last night. We also found a picture of a couple that sat at the table next to us and I happened to be in the background, eating. We had a good laugh about that. :0)
There is sooooo much to do on this cruise! Every night they post in the mailbox by your room a schedule of the next day's events. Last night we line danced (or attempted to; Vicki said she was vining when everyone else was graping :0) and stayed for the performance of two brothers who sing Brooks & Dunn songs and Elvis. Quite entertaining. Today, we made ku kui nut leis which are totally awesome and tonight after dinner we're going to check out the Second City comedy show in the Mardi Gras club.
For all you inquiring minds, I can safely tell you that Hermie is having a wonderful time. He has a new perch atop our ShaveIce glass, and we have officially lei'd him. Still looking for that hula skirt for him. For now though, he is content. Sorry I can't post any photos of us and Hermie, but do look for them when we return next week.
Until tomorrow....aloha!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Aloha!
To say the least, if you've been watching the news, you know we've had very interesting days here in Hawaii. After arriving at the Honolulu airport at 10:00 p.m. (Hawaii time), we finally made it to our room by midnight, only to be awakened by the police blaring the announcement: " Emergency! Emergency! Tsunami warning." Holy crap. Nothing else wakes you up faster. After freaking out, we went to the front desk of our hotel where we were told to stock up on water and food. We set out to find both, only to discovery everyone else was also. We never did find anything, so Plan B became find a vending machine, fill the ice bucket and eat the food I brought with me in my carry on.
Panicking being over, we decided to enjoy this new adventure and waited in our room for the tsunami. Nothing. After the all clear was given, we left the hotel about 2:00 p.m. and stood in line for 3 hours just to wait while the people on the ship disembarked (they were part of the armada out on the horizon we could see) so we could embark. After settling in to our cabin and eating dinner on the deck of the ship (awesome) we checked out the Mardi Gras room where played bingo and won....we received a cool pic frame and free tickets to the luau! Woohoo!
Today its raining in Maui, but we made it to the Maui mall and found some groovy shops where we picked up a few items and ate ShaveIce. OMG...it was awesome. We were supposed to go on the whale watching trip today, however, the cruise line decided to put us at the 9:45 a.m. tour instead of the 1:00 that we requested. We're whale watching tomorrow at noon, and hopefully it won't rain.
Vicki and I are having a blast, meeting new people, and checking out the ship. We played trivia with a couple of women and came in second place. We had such a blast that we made a date to play trivia every day for the duration of the cruise. We've dubbed our group the "Golden Girls." We found ou they're from Alaska and are traveling buddies.
Tonight we're heading for the Mardi Gras Club where we'll line dance and party down. As I write, Vicki is hanging out in the library and I'm sure having a tough time deciding which book(s) to check out! :0)
Well, that's all our excitement for the past couple days.
I'll write more tomorrow. Aloha and Mahalo!
Panicking being over, we decided to enjoy this new adventure and waited in our room for the tsunami. Nothing. After the all clear was given, we left the hotel about 2:00 p.m. and stood in line for 3 hours just to wait while the people on the ship disembarked (they were part of the armada out on the horizon we could see) so we could embark. After settling in to our cabin and eating dinner on the deck of the ship (awesome) we checked out the Mardi Gras room where played bingo and won....we received a cool pic frame and free tickets to the luau! Woohoo!
Today its raining in Maui, but we made it to the Maui mall and found some groovy shops where we picked up a few items and ate ShaveIce. OMG...it was awesome. We were supposed to go on the whale watching trip today, however, the cruise line decided to put us at the 9:45 a.m. tour instead of the 1:00 that we requested. We're whale watching tomorrow at noon, and hopefully it won't rain.
Vicki and I are having a blast, meeting new people, and checking out the ship. We played trivia with a couple of women and came in second place. We had such a blast that we made a date to play trivia every day for the duration of the cruise. We've dubbed our group the "Golden Girls." We found ou they're from Alaska and are traveling buddies.
Tonight we're heading for the Mardi Gras Club where we'll line dance and party down. As I write, Vicki is hanging out in the library and I'm sure having a tough time deciding which book(s) to check out! :0)
Well, that's all our excitement for the past couple days.
I'll write more tomorrow. Aloha and Mahalo!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Welcome to Hawaii!
We made it to Hawaii! The flights were endless and we didn't arrive until 10:00 p.m. Hawaii time (2:00 a.m.) your time! We finally hit the hay at midnight, but were awakened by the local police at about 6:30 a.m. with a warning about a Tsunami. Needless to say, most of our morning was spent looking for water and food and watching this event unfold. There wasn't a tsunami (not as we could see) although they did say they could tell the difference in the water level. So, here we are finally aboard the ship--Pride of America--after waiting approximately 3 hours to board while they disembarked the passengers stuck on the ship during the tsunami. We got a hot meal, water and now are heading out to explore the ship. Hermie is having a great time also!
What an adventure we're having! :0)
What an adventure we're having! :0)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Meet Hermie!
Watch the blog for updates on Hermie's whereabouts and activities, as well as pictures of him in his "hip" Hawaiian outfits. :0)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
My Adventures in Bayfield
This weekend I figured out why most people living in the Northwoods drive a truck or SUV....little cars get stuck. Yep, I got stuck. I consider myself a resourceful and independent person, able to get myself out of the many jams I seem to get myself into. This time the weather conspired against me. I thought I could get some fantastic photos at Sand Bay Beach park on my way to Meyers Beach and the ice caves. Like I said, I'm independent, think of myself as invincible (I am woman!) and having grown up in the snow and cold, can drive in the white stuff with the best of them. Reality comes back to bite you in the butt in the Northwoods. Not only did I get myself stuck in the snow, I had to ask a DNR Ranger to assist me in getting unstuck. Nature 1, Judi 0.
The second attempt at adventure was the hike to the ice caves lookout. The sign said 1.8 miles. No problem, I've hiked in the woods before. I even convinced a couple to hike to the overlook after they saw I was doing it by myself. Hah! Little did I realize how hazardous the terrain to the ice caves could be! Needless to say, after sliding down a couple steep parts of the trail, crossing a running creek on well placed rocks and attempting not once, or twice, but three times to hike up a snowy, slippery incline, I gave up. The trail kicked my butt. I hiked back to the trail head and headed to my room for a nice hot shower and a chair in front of the fireplace to watch the Olympics. Nature 2, Judi 0.
Not until today when I left did the sun decide to come out. And man was it glorious! It looked like a picture postcard outside my window. If you click on the link below, you can view the best pictures from my trip. Maybe I should add them to my Wisconsin calendar...what do you think? Let me know your favorite. :-)
The second attempt at adventure was the hike to the ice caves lookout. The sign said 1.8 miles. No problem, I've hiked in the woods before. I even convinced a couple to hike to the overlook after they saw I was doing it by myself. Hah! Little did I realize how hazardous the terrain to the ice caves could be! Needless to say, after sliding down a couple steep parts of the trail, crossing a running creek on well placed rocks and attempting not once, or twice, but three times to hike up a snowy, slippery incline, I gave up. The trail kicked my butt. I hiked back to the trail head and headed to my room for a nice hot shower and a chair in front of the fireplace to watch the Olympics. Nature 2, Judi 0.
Not until today when I left did the sun decide to come out. And man was it glorious! It looked like a picture postcard outside my window. If you click on the link below, you can view the best pictures from my trip. Maybe I should add them to my Wisconsin calendar...what do you think? Let me know your favorite. :-)
Monday, February 8, 2010
18 Days and Counting.....
Only 18 days before Vicki and I leave on a once in a lifetime cruise of the Hawaiian Islands. I can't wait! Unfortunately, up until that time, we will be busy with our daily lives, which are filled with many activities besides our daily routine, that the cruise may be here before we know it! :0)
Traveling to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for a long weekend, hoping to capture photos of the ice caves along Lake Superior. The Bayfield website states that there is no access via the lake yet, but I am betting that the beautiful winter scenery will be awesome. I'll post my pics when I return early next week. Until then, keep warm and think happy thoughts!
Traveling to Bayfield, Wisconsin, for a long weekend, hoping to capture photos of the ice caves along Lake Superior. The Bayfield website states that there is no access via the lake yet, but I am betting that the beautiful winter scenery will be awesome. I'll post my pics when I return early next week. Until then, keep warm and think happy thoughts!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Aloha!
Only 40 some days before Vicki and I travel to Hawaii! Look for my blogs of our daily adventures in the 50th state!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
We just had 17.9 inches of snow here in Madison. Here, for your viewing pleasure are the pictures....enjoy!
This picture was taken the day after the storm, which appeared clear and cold, cold, cold! This is on Atwood Avenue looking toward Lake Monona. Since the lake wasn't frozen yet, the water was cooler than the air and created the fog you see in the background.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Seattle and Madison
Ahhhh! A nice bed in my own room, with my own shower....what a luxury! After a great night's sleep I hopped the bus and headed downtown Seattle and spent the day in the City Center.
For all you sci-fi fans, you must come and see the Science Fiction Museum near the Space Needle. They have EVERYTHING related to sci-fi: Robbie the robot, the robot from Lost in Space and R2-D2. Lots of Star Trek memoriabilia, including Spock and Kirk's shirts, and the chair from the show that the Captain sat in on deck. Phasers and other weaponry associated with sci-fi were also included, as well as sci-fi books and other movies like Planet of the Apes, Logan's Run, ET, etc.
Another exhibit was rock and roll. Walk into the exhibit and the first thing you see is a floor to ceiling display with a variety of guitars and keyboards attached. Since Jimi Hendrix is from Seattle, they also had a room displaying his travel notes, guitars and a chronology of his life. Want to chill out to Hendrix music, just have a seat on one of the benches! One room displayed guitars all the way from the 1800's and guitars bought by the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Heart, etc. Here you could also chill to a film featuring famous guitarists. I was so fascinated I was taking pictures until I was reminded that no photos were allowed in the displays. Ooops!
The cutest display were the Jim Henson muppets. Children could stage their own muppet show using the muppets provided, with parents sitting in the audience enjoying the show. They were quite awesome!
My next stop was the Space Needle. It's 520 feet in the air, was built for the Expo and the elevator takes only 41 seconds to reach the top. If you happen to stand next to the window of the elevator when it rises and falls, it can be quite an experience seeing the scenery fly by! Once at the top you can look at the 360 degree view from the outside or inside. As it was a cloudy day, it was quite windy at the top and felt cool. My last stop that day was at the Science Museum. The exhibits were awesome and the planetarium show very cool. They even had a live hands-on insect exhibit (yuck) but I did not partake as I am not a bug person.
Seattle's dowtown is one happening place, although I did not get to see the Olympic statutes park, the aquarium, take the underground tour, or see Pioneer Square or China town. I will definitely have to go back to check out all these sights and also find those darn geoducks I was told about! If you're ever bored with the city, there's always the Water Ducks (like our ducks at the Dells) and ferries and cruises to the parks across the water. So, there's always something to do in Seattle, but the one sight I highly recommend that is THE happening place to be is Pike's Place Market. Always something awesome happening there!
If I had to choose between Seattle and Vancouver, Vancouver would win hands down. Canadians are very friendly, Vancouver is easier to get around via public transportation due to it's proximity (Seattle is a long city surrounded by water), prices are much easier on the pocket book and, again, the people really make the city.
Until the next vacation....toodles everyone! Happy travels.
For all you sci-fi fans, you must come and see the Science Fiction Museum near the Space Needle. They have EVERYTHING related to sci-fi: Robbie the robot, the robot from Lost in Space and R2-D2. Lots of Star Trek memoriabilia, including Spock and Kirk's shirts, and the chair from the show that the Captain sat in on deck. Phasers and other weaponry associated with sci-fi were also included, as well as sci-fi books and other movies like Planet of the Apes, Logan's Run, ET, etc.
Another exhibit was rock and roll. Walk into the exhibit and the first thing you see is a floor to ceiling display with a variety of guitars and keyboards attached. Since Jimi Hendrix is from Seattle, they also had a room displaying his travel notes, guitars and a chronology of his life. Want to chill out to Hendrix music, just have a seat on one of the benches! One room displayed guitars all the way from the 1800's and guitars bought by the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Heart, etc. Here you could also chill to a film featuring famous guitarists. I was so fascinated I was taking pictures until I was reminded that no photos were allowed in the displays. Ooops!
The cutest display were the Jim Henson muppets. Children could stage their own muppet show using the muppets provided, with parents sitting in the audience enjoying the show. They were quite awesome!
My next stop was the Space Needle. It's 520 feet in the air, was built for the Expo and the elevator takes only 41 seconds to reach the top. If you happen to stand next to the window of the elevator when it rises and falls, it can be quite an experience seeing the scenery fly by! Once at the top you can look at the 360 degree view from the outside or inside. As it was a cloudy day, it was quite windy at the top and felt cool. My last stop that day was at the Science Museum. The exhibits were awesome and the planetarium show very cool. They even had a live hands-on insect exhibit (yuck) but I did not partake as I am not a bug person.
Seattle's dowtown is one happening place, although I did not get to see the Olympic statutes park, the aquarium, take the underground tour, or see Pioneer Square or China town. I will definitely have to go back to check out all these sights and also find those darn geoducks I was told about! If you're ever bored with the city, there's always the Water Ducks (like our ducks at the Dells) and ferries and cruises to the parks across the water. So, there's always something to do in Seattle, but the one sight I highly recommend that is THE happening place to be is Pike's Place Market. Always something awesome happening there!
If I had to choose between Seattle and Vancouver, Vancouver would win hands down. Canadians are very friendly, Vancouver is easier to get around via public transportation due to it's proximity (Seattle is a long city surrounded by water), prices are much easier on the pocket book and, again, the people really make the city.
Until the next vacation....toodles everyone! Happy travels.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Seattle
After the snafu with the hostel in Seattle, I find myself here at the Sleep Inn near the airport (with free shuttle to said airport) and my very own room. Yes, my very own room! Don't get me wrong, I loved the hostel in Vancouver, but after the Seattle hostel and feeling like a homeless person carrying around my back pack most of yesterday (I couldn't check in until 3:00 p.m.) I couldn't wait to take a shower. And nothing says "tourist" like a person with a huge backpack on their back. Did I mention I had the best shower EVER! :0)
I spent most of the day touring downtown Seattle (yes there's a Starbucks on just about every corner) and found myself at Pike's Place Market. Totally awesome! My first stop was the famous fish market and, yes, I saw flying fish. It is definitely a fish market with character. There are tons of shops in and around the fish market with everything from t-shirts to produce and everything in-between.
Entertainers abound everywhere in the market area. Just across the street from the market is the original Starbucks. There were five men singing beautifully in front of the store and were drawing quite the crowd. Didn't catch their group's name, but did enjoy the music.
Another group that was drawing attention were the pirates. They were awesome. About a dozen guys dressed up as pirates walked through the market up to the street above and eventually boarded a duck boat (like at the Dells) named Moby Duck. I understand this is an annual celebration, but I do not recall the story on it. They were also giving out "pirate coins" and I did receive one. One of the pirates posed for my picture; he reminded me of the guy in the Capital One commercial. Although the market was crowded, when you heard "Pirate coming through with a sword" people moved, and fast. :0)
I also stepped out by the water's edge across from the market (well, as close as you can get in Seattle as a highway runs parallel to the water) and found a gentleman playing the bagpipes. Beautiful. After looking over my pictures from the day last night, I almost got my Seattle pictures confused with my Vancouver pictures....that's how much alike the cities are.
Today is my last day here in Seattle and early tomorrow morning I come home. Until tomorrow.....toodles!
I spent most of the day touring downtown Seattle (yes there's a Starbucks on just about every corner) and found myself at Pike's Place Market. Totally awesome! My first stop was the famous fish market and, yes, I saw flying fish. It is definitely a fish market with character. There are tons of shops in and around the fish market with everything from t-shirts to produce and everything in-between.
Entertainers abound everywhere in the market area. Just across the street from the market is the original Starbucks. There were five men singing beautifully in front of the store and were drawing quite the crowd. Didn't catch their group's name, but did enjoy the music.
Another group that was drawing attention were the pirates. They were awesome. About a dozen guys dressed up as pirates walked through the market up to the street above and eventually boarded a duck boat (like at the Dells) named Moby Duck. I understand this is an annual celebration, but I do not recall the story on it. They were also giving out "pirate coins" and I did receive one. One of the pirates posed for my picture; he reminded me of the guy in the Capital One commercial. Although the market was crowded, when you heard "Pirate coming through with a sword" people moved, and fast. :0)
I also stepped out by the water's edge across from the market (well, as close as you can get in Seattle as a highway runs parallel to the water) and found a gentleman playing the bagpipes. Beautiful. After looking over my pictures from the day last night, I almost got my Seattle pictures confused with my Vancouver pictures....that's how much alike the cities are.
Today is my last day here in Seattle and early tomorrow morning I come home. Until tomorrow.....toodles!
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Door County, Wisconsin
Peninsula State Park, Door County, Wisconsin