Category Archives: Travel

Cape Cod National Seashore

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Cape Cod National Seashore consists of forty miles of sandy beach, marshes, ponds and uplands supporting a wide variety of species. 

The views are spectacular including lighthouses, cultural landscapes and historic buildings, wild cranberry bogs and beaches for swimming. Not a swimmer, no problem there are walking and biking trails to be explored.

I lived north of Boston for so long that I didn’t begin to explore the wonders of the Cape until recent years. Even now I still have to remind myself that it’s just a short jaunt for me even with the summer  traffic. One of the rangers said he likes to tell people it’s only two hours from the heart of downtown Boston. My response…depending on traffic.

The Cape Cod National Seashore has 2 Visitor Centers. I am most familiar with the one in Eastham known as the  Salt Pond Visitor Center. It’s right off RT 6 so you really can’t miss it. This was the Visitor Center I stopped at where the ranger told me about the whales. But I have been to this one several times before. I have enjoyed the movie they offer and walked most of their trails. There is still one “spur” trail that I haven’t covered yet. I am going to have to make a point of it this summer.

At the tip of the Cape in Provincetown you will find the Province Lands Visitor Center. This center has an awesome elevated deck with ocean views. I was there once last summer with my friend JR. That was a great day.

But back to the Salt Marsh Vistior center in Eastham, the Buttonwood Trail is a short, easy walk with a boardwalk over a pond.This time of year you can’t even see the pond  because of all the Buttonwood plants growing in it. I’ve seen a lot of red wing blackbirds and ducks there.

The Nauset Marsh Trail is a bit longer but still an easy hike. That trail runs alongside a pond  until it reaches the marsh. At that point a wooden bridge leads you over the marsh.

On my most recent visit the pond was filled with white swans. I bet there was a dozen or more. As I crossed the little bridge near the pond I also spotted a little rabbit. He was hiding in the shade under the bridge. I stayed very still and pretty soon he popped back out again.

Crossing the marsh bridge the sky was beginning to cloud up and the air was getting heavy and humid. The birds seemed to sense a storm coming so there weren’t too many flying. I have watched hawks hunting and loads of other little birds flying around when I’ve walked this path before but today it was quiet.

Once you cross the bridge the trail climbs through the woods before leveling out again and opening up to overlook the marsh and the ocean in the distance. I didn’t complete the walk today but I have walked it many  times in the past.

Those are just 2 of the many trails that wind through the National Seashore. I believe there are 12 “self-guided” trails that are open year round. Buttonbush and Nauset Marsh that I just mentioned; Fort Hill, Red Maple Swamp and Doane trails are all in Eastham.

In Wellfleet which is farther south heading toward the lower cape you can walk the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp and Great Island Trails.

In the Truro- Pamet Area you’ll find Bearberry Hill Overlook, Small’s Swamp, Highlands Woods Walk, and Pilgrim Spring trails.

Not to be left out is Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. Here you’ll find the Beech Forest Trail.

This year is special for the Seashore because Cape Cod National Seashore’s 50th anniversary celebration is underway. There will be special programs along with commemorative items at the park bookstores and visitor centers. The special logo was designed by Eastham’s own Joe Fish a 2010 graduate of Nauset Regional High School.

I love the cape..not just the National Seashore but the whole area. There’s always something new to discover. I am really hoping to get to try some of the bike trails as well as more hiking trails before the season ends. There just never seems to be enough time.

From swimming and sunbathing to fishing and whaling, clams and cranberries, artists colonies and galleries, Pilgrims and Native Americans, glass blowing and jam making, even a great white shark or two looking for a quick-lunch on the seals off Monomoy Island there’s certainly something for everyone to do and see.

Just watch out for traffic jams in the summer months! I’m sure I’ll be making many more visits here and will share all my experiences with you.

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Alaska~ Land of the Midnight Sun

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I finally made the first call to start the process for our 2012 trip to Alaska. I don’t think it went too well.

Let me back up. My sister and I have been talking about going to Alaska for a couple of years now. Part of the delay has been the cost. Sis wants 2-3 nights in Denali along with a cruise. That adds up to a lot of money. While we were in Sedona we talked about it some more and basically made a decision to just go for it. If we keep waiting we won’t get there…or by the time we do the glaciers will be melted, the mountains eroded and the polar bears will have moved some place colder. 🙂

The other stumbling block is which cruise line do we want to go on. We had been looking at Holland America but then Sis heard from a neighbor that they weren’t very good. That’s surprising because Holland America has tons of Alaska cruises. Seems to me if they weren’t any good that they wouldn’t be able to have so many choices.

I suggested Royal Caribbean. They have a big, fairly new ship doing the Alaska Route, Radiance of the Seas. I have only been on 1 other cruise and it was a short one from Port Canaveral to Nassau, Bahamas. That was on Royal Caribbean and we had a very nice time.

I know people who have taken an Alaska Cruise and they raved about it. We also met some folks  at the Grand Canyon that flew into Alaska, rented an RV and toured that way which would have been fine by me too. I just want to see the country and the animals. Cruise, drive, train…any of them are fine with me.

But back to my first call. I blissfully called Royal Caribbean with the mistaken idea that they would willingly offer any available discounts. That was what I was told by the Holland America rep at the AAA Travel Marketplace this spring. Well, I even mentioned AAA and Senior discounts and as far as I can tell got nada. I pointed out that the price I was being quoted was higher than their published price in their brochure and was told that was “just the starting point.”

The only good part is that you can book your cruise for a very small deposit. I told them I would have to get back to them. Within 24 hours I had both a phone call and an email trying to “close the deal.” That’s kind of putting me off right there.

I emailed Sis and got back an email that seemed to have the hair standing on end! How much ..for how long etc , etc.  So I have mailed the cruise info so Sis can go to her travel agent and see if they can do better.

I can see this is going to be a bit trickier than I expected. I am not a fan of travel agents. Most of my experiences with travel agents have been disappointing but in this case, if they can get a better deal, I’m all for it.

I will keep you all updated as this saga unfolds.

Scout’s Tips~ Car rentals

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Scout

 

Hi Scout Here…

 As we know, Dusty ran into some issues with Payless Car rental when she went on her trip to Arizona. With that in mind we decided to do a little research to find out how widespread the practice is of charging your credit card for the full rental and then adding an additional security deposit charge.

 It seems that some variation of this theme is implemented by every car rental agency we researched and you really have to search.  We used one site that  compared the offers from various rental companies. When you clicked on your choice it calculated the amount you needed to have at the rental counter. It did not include any security fees or holds. I then went directly to the individual car rental web sites such as Payless, Enterprise, Avis, Hertz. There are many more but by this time I was finding a trend. None of the sites come right out and tell you there will be a “hold” or security deposit. If you search you can get lucky and find it.

 In the web site for Payless, Dusty’s Nemesis this  past trip, you can find the information by typing “deposit” into the search box. What you will find is that their charges are ” Total Lease + deposit”. Deposit varies by location.

 Enterprise Car rental was a little more upfront but you still had to search. They charge the rental + 20% when the renter uses a credit card to pay. If you use cash or debit card then the security is an additional $100- $300 again depending on location or , in some cases, the type of car.

A year ago when Dusty went to Florida she rented from Enterprise. They charged her card a security deposit of $150.oo when she made the reservation. Then when she picked up the car they removed that charge or maybe changed it to the total rental. It’s possible they made an error but we verified on her charge slips that there was never a charge and a hold at the same time.

Even the premier car rental service of Hertz has a similar policy. Dusty has never rented from Hertz because they are just too expensive.  To find out exactly how much you will be charged to rent a car, you need to actually call the car rental agency and ask. Be sure to get the name or ID of the representative you speak to and make a note of it on your rental documents.

 In our review of all the fine print we found a number of ways car rental companies hope to put their hands in your pockets.  They range from refueling charges to insurance to sur charges on frequent flyer credits. Of course they all charge about $10.00/ day for a 2nd driver.

 We found a really good article about Car rentals at www.netTrav.com/travelplace.  

When you pull up the home page you’ll see the tool bar. Hover your mouse cursor over the car tab and you will see a drop down. Select Tips and Advice and you will see a lot of eye-opening information.

 I don’t know if this was just  a new policy or if it’s more noticeable because Dusty tries not to use credit cards now and keeps really low limits. I know a lot of her friends have also stopped using credit cards so something like this “hidden” charge can really throw a monkey wrench in your travel plans.

Another thing to be aware of is the return policy. Return the car late and they will get you for another day’s rental. But did you know that if you return it early they may also charge you for the early return? There’s no financial benefit to returning it early.

When Dusty returned her car at Payless they told her she was early and would get a credit. Of course no credit was ever processed and they point to the fact that they didn’t charge her for an early return. What a racket!

 So bottom line…Traveler/ car renter beware.  Call your car rental agency and confirm how much you will need at the counter and what form of payment they accept, unless of course you aren’t on a tight budget and don’t mind having and extra $250- $300 tied up while you’re on vacation. Do your due diligence!

 Oh yes, one more thing….Happy Traveling! 🙂

 

Into Boston to the MFA on the MBTA

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It’s a  beautiful Monday in June. The Sun is shining and there’s a nice breeze, a perfect day for a little jaunt into Boston. I had to make a brief stop in Randolph and then I was parking at the Quincy Adams T-station for a ride on the red line.

I was meeting my friend Nancy at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) on Huntington Ave, Boston. I wanted to see the Chihuly Exhibit. I became enamoured of his work when I saw a chandelier in a casino at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau the Bahamas. I remember I stopped dead and exclaimed” WOW Look at that!”. Luckily the friends I was with knew the piece was a “Chihuly” . That one introduction made such an impression that 7 years later I recognized the name when I heard about the exhibit.

It’s a temporary collection so I was anxious to get into see it before it moved on.

I hadn’t been to the MFA in years so I checked the web page for  the address  and their directions for coming in on the MBTA. I also went to the MBTA web site and entered my start and end location in their “trip planner”.  Both advised to take the redline to Downtown crossing and change to the orange line. Get off at Copley Place and walk 7 minutes to the MFA.

Flower Vendor in Copley Square

Be warned…they are wrong! A better way is to take the red line to Park St. Station and change to the Green line. One of the green line trolleys stops right in front of the MFA! But I didn’t have that information when I started out so in Copley I asked directions from a doorman who directed me down Huntington..maybe a 10 minutes walk. He must be a runner because even a jogger wouldn’t have got there in 10 minutes.

I walked and walked and periodically asked directions always being told to keep walking. Along the way I took pictures of the sights of Boston. Boston is a great city for strolling and enjoying the sights. It’s full of history and old buildings with wonderful architecture.

 I also saw the green line trolley stops and could have grabbed a trolley at any one of them but the people I asked made it sound like I was almost there each time  I asked.

City Reflections

It was a beautiful day for a walk but I had hurt my back a couple of days before and was not at 100%.

Duck Tours

 Where I started out strong as I continued to walk my lower back began to spasm and pretty soon my thighs were burning, then my knees.

Old Town Trolley! The Best Trolley in Boston

By the time I reached the Christian Science building I was done in. I wasn’t even taking pictures anymore .Just cut me off at the waist and give me a new lower body all I wanted to do was to find the that museum. By the time I spotted the MFA even my ankles and feet hurt. I was hot, thirsty, in pain and cranky and it only made it worse when my friend Nancy pointed out the Green line stop right in front of the building.

Appeal to the Great Spirit at the MFA

 I’m not used to having to cry “uncle” over a simple walk but this one nearly “did me in.”

Appeal to the Great Spirit

At the ticket booth I told them I had a complaint about their website. I told them how following their directions put me in Copley Square and that it was not an easy 7 minute walk like it said on their web page. The girl at the desk wasn’t even surprised. She said it was a glitch and their IT guys were working on it! No ‘I’m sorry ‘ or anything as she swung right back into her speech about upgrading to a membership!

It was now 1 pm so Nancy & I decided to have lunch in the cafeteria and let me cool off. I got my first glimpse of the exhibit on the way to the cafeteria.

Chihuly

 I think it ‘s going to be worth the aggravation.

Inside the MFA

There’s a restaurant and a cafeteria. The restaurant is quite pricey so we went to the cafeteria. That wasn’t too bad. They had the usual cafeteria fare; hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, pizza, chicken fingers, things like that. I settled for a slice of pizza and a large cold bottled water. I added a package of cookies for desert. That totalled out at about $7.00. I would have gotten a discount if I had a membership.

We took our time over lunch so by the time we headed off to the exhibit my frame of mind, if not my body was in a much better place.

Sedona Trolley

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Good morning World! It’s the first full day in Sedona. After yesterday’s trials and tribulations we took our time getting up and out. I’ve been here before but  Sandy has not so it was fun listening to her oooh and ahhh over the beautiful red rock formations.

Thunder Mountain

Eventually we made our way out to the car and drove up 89A into upper Sedona. The place was packed with tourists. We just added 2 more to the head count. 🙂 I finally found a place to park. Although it seemed like it was part of the parking area it was way down on the bottom level next to the trash cans and recycling receptacles. That’s ok by me. There wasn’t a sign that said 3 hour limit so I guess it pays to “go slumming” now and then!

Since this is Sandy’s first visit I suggested we take the double ride on the Sedona Trolley. Their motto is that the Trolley is the “First , Best thing to do in Sedona”. I agree. The ride is not just a sightseeing trip, it also helps you get familiar with the layout of the town. Often the drivers make suggestions for places to eat or shop as they point the highlights along their route.

The trolley runs 2 tours, each one covering a different end of Sedona. We bought a combo ticket for both rides. It’s very reasonably priced at around $22.00 per person for the combo.  Once we had our tickets in hand we had about an hour before our trolley ride started  so we used it to explore the shops in upper Sedona. We are saving the actual shopping for the end of our stay but this gave us a chance to see what was available for souvenirs.

Of course “Dirt Shirts” are everywhere and you can watch the episode of Dirty Jobs on how they are made in almost every store.

Back at the trolley we headed out to the area of Sedona the locals use. There’s a Walgreen’s, a Safeway, McDonald’s, KFC and scores of nicer restaurants. We took a side loop to pull over for some photo ops with the Red Rocks like Coffee Pot Rock.

Coffee Pot Rock

 The driver pointed out the plateaus and mesas and buttes. They all probably started life the same way but erosion has changed them into their current shapes. A butte is a small flat-topped hill. Buttes are what is left of a mesa after it has eroded away and they are almost always taller than they are wide.  A mesa is a medium-sized hill or mountain with a flat top. To be really accurate there should be standing water on a mesa but not on a butte. Mesa is the spanish term for table. A mesa is large enough to run a herd of cattle or find wildlife. A plateau is a really big mesa. The Colorado Plateau is an example of a REALLY BIG plateau. Most are smaller than that and they are wider than they are tall.

The driver also told us about the various plants in the area and how the Native American’s used them in their daily life from medicines to making needles and using the fibers for sewing.  She told us  that about 80% of the desert plants have some use to the Native Americans.

Back at the trolley stop our driver left us and we got a new one. This one was a man, I think his name was Wayne. He told more stories including telling us which plants were used to make alcohol and which plants were hallucinogenic ending with “You too can believe in aliens or see a wild jackolope!”

Jackalope

It was this trip that took us out toward Oak Creek and the Chapel of the Holy Cross and the Millionaire’s Mansion that is sitting at the foot of the hill.

Chapel Of The Holy Cross

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is one of Sedona’s most famous landmarks . It is considered to be a very spiritually powerful location like the vortexes of Sedona. The Chapel is built around a simple cross that rises from an outcropping 200 ft above the desert floor. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. There are banks of candles as you enter if you wish to light one for a loved one.

The Mansion at the base of the hill the Chapel is located on gets almost as much attention as the Chapel. Here is a great example of spiritualism vs excess materialism. The mansion is a summer home for a Romanian Millionaire. It has an observatory, more bathrooms than bedrooms, multiple swimming pools and it’s only occupied a couple of months out of the year. The fence around the building actually has real gold in it.

This is also where we got a really good look at Bell Rock

Bell Rock

 and Court House Butte.

Court House Butte

There is also a formation they call the 2 nuns and next to that Madonna and Child.

2 Nuns

 

Madonna and Child

 

We also took a quick turn through the shopping area of Tlaquepaque.

As we headed back into upper Sedona the driver pointed out Snoopy Rock with Woodstock on his nose.

Snoopy Rock

We’d seen Elephant Rock earlier in the tour.

Elephant Rock

 He also  said there was a formation that was Lucy but I seem to have missed that one. Sandy said she saw it.

The double tour took us about  2 hours (1 hour each) so we got back to the trolley stop at about 3 pm. Just in time to get something to eat at the Canyon Breeze and recap our ride.

On the deck of the Canyon Breeze

We split a cheeseburger ( 1 cheeseburger at the Canyon Breeze is a 1 lb patty) and fries and sat  on the back patio admiring the view. Sandy spotted a little bird in the rafters so we tried to identify it as well as one we saw at the Chapel. We think we figured it out but I will save that for my post on the “Wildlife” of Sedona and Northern Arizona. Can’t give it all away at one time!

After lunch (brunch ) we made our way back through more shops toward where the car was parked. On the way we could smell the wonderful aroma of chocolate! At the Candy Store Sandy had a discussion with the mascot but we resisted for now. I am sure we will be back. It’s only day 1 so how long can  our will power last?

Back in the car we took a short ride up 89 a  into Oak Creek Canyon to the Native American Crafts stand. We admired the fine beadwork and fine jewelry. Sandy picked up a pair of earings.

Sandy wanted to write  postcards and get them in the mail early plus we had to be up a the crack of dawn in the morning to drive to Williams to catch the Grand Canyon Rail Road. To make it easy on ourselves we stopped at the local KFC and took some chicken back to the condo for dinner.

The evening was spent quietly relaxing. Sedona is a “dark sky” community so you can sit back and enjoy the stars without streetlights overpowering the view. It was cool, but not cold….yet!

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Seems like we didn’t do much but the day was full enough. I think we were both satisfied with the “laid back” approach.