Travel Time
March 2008
Monday March 31, 2008
Camping: Has weather ever ruined your vacation?
Posted by: Diane at 2:49PM CST on March 31, 2008

 

The alarm clock didn't go off today at 5:07 a.m.--it was the rumbling thunder. Storms don't usually wake me up, but today's cacophony reminded me of a storm that passed through Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming early one summer morning. 

Our popup camper was on the northern edge of the Park in the very quiet and remote Lizard Creek Campground, located south of Yellowstone National Park.

The thunder resonated, echoed, and echoed again, bouncing off the mountains. I had never before heard such an ominous sound. I wondered what it was like for the Lewis and Clark expedition to hear such noise. I was scared!

Fortunately, not much rain came through and our adventures weren't affected by the storm. The thunder just reduced the amount of sleep we got that night.

Other camping weather:

Woke up to a few inches of snow one August morning (we were in the mountains);

A very thick frost (enough to scrape into a small snowman on the picnic table) one May morning in Wisconsin;

The floor of our "add-a-room" attachment was flooded during an extremely rainy July period on Mount Rainier;

Enough rain one Wisconsin autumn that some of our friends cancelled the weekend getaway due to water in the basement. We ventured out and found many of the campsites and trails flooded.

We've been lucky--most of our camping trips have been in the popup--our sleeping bags weren't on the ground. Either that or I've simply forgotten all of those horrible weather stories.

Did the weather ever adversely affect your camping vacation? Did you ever pack up and head home early?


Wednesday March 19, 2008
Not just any lodge...a lodge with a view
Posted by: Diane at 9:22AM CST on March 19, 2008

The Prince of Wales Hotel is dwarfed by the surrounding mountains and the landscape changes throughout the day with the rising and setting of the sun. Located in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, this beautiful lodge is actually in Canada, just north of the Montana border in the Rocky Mountains.

Nestled at the northern edge of Upper Waterton Lake and one of several lodges in the park, the lodge's elevation is about 4,200 feet while the area's tallest peak, Mount Blakiston, reaches up to nearly 9,600 feet. It's breathtaking.

We camped at Carndell Mountain Campground in the park but enjoyed a delicious lunch in the lodge's restaurant, with a million dollar view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

During a rather cold and rainy evening in August, we made ourselves at home in its spacious, yet comfortable lobby while drinking hot chocolate and playing cards while warming up by the cozy fireplace.

I haven't stayed overnight in any of the lodges in the National Parks...but I was inspired to at least visit them when I saw several episodes of PBS's "Great Lodges of the National Parks" and
"Great Lodges of the Canadian Rockies." Overnight stays are pretty expensive and reservations are required well in advance, but each lodge's history and architecture is amazing and worth a visit.

What would be your favorite landscape out your window? Have you visited any of the western lodges?

 

 


Saturday March 15, 2008
Share your Irish travels: Past and future
Posted by: Diane at 10:14AM CST on March 15, 2008

 

The closest I've been to Ireland is the Irish Festival in Milwaukee.

Or maybe it was while we were in Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., listening to Off Kilter, an interesting and entertaining Celtic band.

I wouldn't count watching today's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Chicago (noon March 15, 2008) or watching the river turn green (10:45 a.m. March 15, 2008). 

Maybe it was the time we made green eggs and ham for dinner (even though my girls love the book, they would NOT try green eggs or green ham). They tasted perfectly fine to me (with my eyes closed).

Maybe today when I check out today's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Downtown Racine (noon, State and Main streets and heading south on Main).

Obviously, I've never been to Ireland...

Have you? Do you have plans to travel there? What's the closest you've ever been to being in Ireland?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Monday March 10, 2008
The London Eye: Are you afraid of heights?
Posted by: Diane at 12:40PM CST on March 10, 2008


My daughter is headed to Europe this summer for a seven-country music tour (of which she'll be one of the high-school-aged performers).

I've never been to Europe (and will not be on this trip), so we're researching the various places where she'll be visiting so we both know more about her travels.

The London Eye, --sounds a bit like the Dark Lord Sauron (the Eye) from "Lord of the Rings"-- but it's really an unbelievably large ferris wheel with large, glass-walled capsules instead of a little two-person swing/seat.

But for those of you who may be afraid of heights, the Millenium Wheel (officially opened in 2000) stands 443 high (more than 40 stories) on the south bank of the River Thames in London.

There are 32 completely sealed (and air-conditioned) capsules that will hold about 25 people who can walk around inside while on the ride.

The wheel moves about 10-inches per second, so it doesn't need to stop to load the people. It takes about a half hour to make one revolution.

Does this sound appealing to you? Would you go on the London Eye? Have you been on it?


Thursday March 6, 2008
Where are you headed for Spring Break?
Posted by: Diane at 3:42PM CST on March 6, 2008

Spring break will start in two weeks for many schools in the Racine area. Do you have a trip planned this month? Where will you go--is it a place with warm weather and no snow?

Will it be a restful vacation or a nonstop sightseeing  adventure?


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