Washington State…not DC

Posted on October 29, 2013October 29, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Only 4 more states in the countdown. Washington state is a yes. I am able to count that because of my new job. No sooner did I get back from Alaska and I was back on a plane winging my way to the home office in Seattle, Washington. Even with work, I was able to get in a little sightseeing but it wet my appetite for more.

My impression is that the locals don’t appreciate what they have. When I said I might plan my next vacation there , everyone tried to discourage me. They complained about the weather, the crime, (Seattle seems to have a lot of homeless people on the streets) but I was struck by the beauty that surrounded Seattle and I want to see more.

While in Seattle I made a point to visit Chihuly Garden and Glass. www.chihulygardenandglass.com Chihuly Garden and Glass is a new art experience showcasing the most significant works of internationally acclaimed artist and glass pioneer Dale Chihuly.

But in Tacoma, Dale Chihuly led an effort to bring glass to Puget Sound. Today a $48 million Museum of Glass calls Tacoma home.

Tillicum Village is a replica Native American Village located on Blake Island in Puget Sound. About 8 miles by boat from the bustle of Seattle, you can reach this destination only by boat. Recommendations are for a tour as even ferries don’t reach the island.

Of course while in Seattle I still need to visit Pike Place Market. Although it is the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the U.S. it really burst onto the scene when it was featured in a series of advertisements promoting entrepreneurial spirit. I think someone might even have written a book about it. A circuslike atmosphere includes street entertainers and (this is the famous scene) fishmongers tossing whole salmon while shouting “low flying fish!” the equivalent of “Fore!” on a golf course.

Down on the waterfront is another spectacular sight. The Great Wheel. The Seattle Great Wheel was built in less than a year, but its story goes back much further than that. Seattle businessman Hal Griffith had envisioned a Ferris wheel in the city for nearly 30 years, but it wasn’t until he realized he could build one on his own pier that his dream became a reality.

The Seattle Great Wheel opened to the public on June 29, 2012. Since then, it has become an icon of the city and a destination for tourists and locals alike.

Remember highway 101 from my post about Oregon? Well it’s in Washington too and it circles Olympic National Park. The park carries a rare dual designation of World heritage Park and International Biosphere Reserve! The Olympic mountain range stretches through the park where Mount Olympus climbs to 7828 ft., the highest peak in the range.

An speaking of national parks, I can’t forget Mount Rainer National Park and Mount St Helens or the North Cascades National Park.

Once again I have run out of time. I’ve hit my self imposed limit of 400-500 words. That can only mean I have many Washington Vacations to look forward to.

New Tally: 20/27

Virginia

Posted on October 26, 2013October 26, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I struggled with this state too. Virginia has so many things to offer to the exploring tourist and I’ve seen so few but I have been in the state for more than an change of planes. My brother and his family live in Virginia and I’ve been to visit them for more than a day or two. I’ve also been to Arlington National Cemetery.

Speaking of Arlington National Cemetery, this is where you have to go if you want to understand the true cost of war. Row upon row of nearly identical white headstones march across the the rolling acres of grass. More than 300,000 veterans from the Revolutionary War to Iraq have been laid to rest here.

This is where you can find the Tomb of the Unknowns and pay your respects to those lost and never recovered or identified. Those brave soldiers who have never been able to return home to their loved ones in life or in death.

John F. Kennedy is also buried here where the eternal flame is maintain for all time, marking the resting place of a president, a commander in chief.

Shenandoah Valley – Shenandoah is a Native American word meaning “Daughter of the Stars”. My brother lives in near here and another friend has gone rafting down the lazy river. I’d like to take the time to explore the Shenandoah National Park.

For me, there’s another must see…Chincoteague. The Eastern Shore runs from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (A marvel all it’s own) to the Maryland border. At the northern end of the shoreline is the island the Indians called Chincoteague; ‘Beautiful land Across the Waters” . A band of wild horses makes this island their home. Made famous in the book and later the movie , Misty of Chincoteague, the band is actually split into two herds, one located on Virginia’s side and the other on Maryland’s. There’s a yearly round up and auction in July to control the size of the herd.

Monticello, the dream home of Thomas Jefferson is located in Charlottesville , VA. Only 11 of the first floor rooms are open to the public but still worth a stop.

The vacation I am toying with for 2014 is historic Colonial Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg recreates the period from 1750-1775, the end of the Colonial era. Reenactors dressed in period clothing and speaking the dialect of the time roam the cobblestone streets.

There’s still so much more to Virginia…The Blue Ridge Parkway, George Washington’s beloved Mount Vernon, Busch Gardens, and many civil war sites such as Fredericksburg, Lexington, Manassas and Appomattox, and historic Richmond.

I have one last shout out to another blogger and new B &B owner. I want to visit Bell Grove Plantation. I’ve watched the B&B their get ready for their launch and now they are “live” so I really want to visit to see it in person. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Belle-Grove-Plantation-at-Port-Conway/271783509524776?id=271783509524776&sk=app_190322544333196

So although I’m adding Virginia to the yes side of the countdown, it really needs one or more repeat visits to see it all.

The tally now stands at 19/27

Vermont , The Northeast Kingdom

Posted on October 25, 2013October 25, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Actually the Northeast Kingdom is only a small section of Vermont, the northeast corner comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties. I’m going to address the whole state of Vermont. Vermont is on the YES side of the ledger. Like the other New England States it is close enough that I can take day trips or a scenic drive on my way to visit family in upstate New York. Growing up we had a Sunday afternoon tradition of driving to Vermont to look for deer.

White Tail deer were abundant then, and maybe still are. I haven’t made that pilgrimage in a long time. But back then we’d take a drive over to Poultney, Vermont and drive the back roads of the mostly rural area. As dusk fell the deer would begin to come out of the trees and into the fields and pastures. Sometimes we’d see 20 or more deer, mostly does but an occasional buck would turn up. We’d pull over and pass around a pair of binoculars so we could each take a turn looking.

Sometimes we’d stop at a farm stand and get a treat of real Maple Sugar Candy.

I remember we usually took the Ferry across Lake Champlain. I thought the Ferry was at Crown Point but a few years ago they torn down the Crown Point Bridge and ferry service filled in while the new bridge was being built so maybe I’m wrong about the ferry we took. I was too young to drive. I was just a kid riding with the family.

As an adult living in Massachusetts I often took the “northern route” when I went home to visit. That took me up to Concord NH the across Vermont through Rutland finally crossing into NY via RT 149 . Lately that route has been getting a lot of attention as a hot spot for Bigfoot. As many times as I drove this road I never saw anything remotely resembling a Bigfoot, maybe a cow or horse or two, but no Bigfoot.

Vermont is known for it’s Ski Areas and the Green Mountains. It is absolutely a beautiful state. On my last drive through I stopped at a farm stand for the best apples I have ever tasted. A little farther on I stopped at Quechee Gorge for quick photo op.

One of my high school classmates lives near Mad River Valley . He posts awesome photos of the area on FB. You can check out his work at https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-PhotoArt-Gallery/90884206988

At the nearby Sugarbush Resort known mostly for skiing, I was privileged to play an amazing round of golf. It was hard to stay focused teeing off on beautiful elevated tees, surrounded by vibrant fall colors. It is a wonderful memory even if I’m not the best golfer.

For the skiers you will recognize names like Jay Peak, Killington, Okemo Mountian, Stowe. The first Ski Tow was a long loop of rope hooked to a Model T Ford engine and strung at the base of Gilbert’s Hill in Woodstock. The year was 1934.

I’m running out of space but a few things I still want to do:

Attend the Father’s Day Hot Air Balloon Festival at Quechee Gorge
Attend the Annual Vermont Maple Festival in St Albans
Explore the Long Trail (The oldest long-distance hiking trail in the US)

Vermont is beautiful year round, not just in the ski season. The count now..18/27

A Wonderland of Stone Sculptures

Posted on October 22, 2013October 22, 2013 by Dusty Roads

That’s Utah. I haven’t been to Utah yet but I want to. One thing that’s holding me back is physical condition. I get around pretty good for an old gal but Utah has some amazing National Parks and Monuments and I want to see them all. Most of them require hiking…at least what I want to see.

Tops on my list is a sandstone formation that is actually in Arizona called The Wave. It’s located near the Arizona-Utah border, on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes , in the Paria Canyon -Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, on the Colorado Plateau. It is famous among hikers and photographers for its colorful, undulating forms, and the rugged, trackless hike required to reach it. Access to the area is by permit and only 20 are issued each day. The permits are by lottery which makes the odds really slim. Then there is a grueling hike in as that’s the only access. No vehicles, even off road/ four wheel are banned. All water, food, equipment has to be carried in and empty containers etc have to be carried back out. Kind of daunting.

Along with the Wave I want to visit Arches National Park. This park sees 3/4 of a million visitors each year and all agree that it is an extraordinary place. There are over 2000 natural stone arches that have been carved out of the salmon colored sandstone by natural forces, like the wind and rain.

Another often photographed and spectacular natural wonder is Bryce Canyon National Park. Whimsical spires and Hoodoos create a veritable fantasyland. These formations are all shades and colors.

Still exploring the wilderness I want to see Canyonlands National park. This is Utah’s largest National park and it’s divided into 3 sections, 4 if you count the Green and Colorado Rivers that slice it into a big watery Y.

But I’m not done yet, Capitol Reef National Park is long and narrow with some of the most surreally beautiful rock formations in all of the Southwest. How could I not want to go there!?

And there’s still more…Dinosaur National Monument is 210,000 acres of gorgeous canyons and mountains and one of the world’s largest dinosaur bone beds. With hikes here and hikes there I am wearing myself out just thinking about it!

Although there are more parks and monuments the last one on my list is Zion National Park. This is the oldest and considered by many to be the most beautiful of Utah’s parks. 1000 ft. walls of delicately hued sandstone tower above the Virgin River in Zion Canyon. Once again the park is described as “laced with trails” although there are some short , paved walks in the dramatic chasm.

Eventually everyone has to come in from the wild and I do want to see Salt Lake City and the Mormon Temple located in Temple Square, a 10 acres plot that now includes church administration buildings and a domed shaped building, home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

There’s still more to Utah, like the animal rescue that’s featured in the “Dog Town” series on Animal Planet, but it’s time to move on to another state.

The count is now: 17 / 27

Everything’s Bigger in Texas

Posted on October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I promise…no bad Texas jokes. I mulled Texas over quite a bit before I decided it is going on the Yes Side of the ledger. Texas is such a big state that there’s no way to see everything and do everything in one vacation.

(Oh sorry, what was that about Texas jokes? )

I was in Dallas, Texas about 10 years ago. Back then I was selling Mary Kay Cosmetics and their home office is in Dallas so I was there for an annual Convention. I don’t remember exactly how many days I was in town but I think it was in August so it was hot! And when it’s hot, folks in Dallas disappear between 12-2 for a siesta! No one is on the streets.

I did get to see the “grassy knoll” and the “Book Depository” where Lee Harvey Oswald took the fatal shot that ended the life of President John F. Kennedy. The Sixth Floor Museum has a collection of photos and documents and news clippings from the time. The tour is a self guided tour with an audio tape, or it was at that time.

Of course if I was there for a Mary Kay convention then that was going to be the focus and it was quite impressive. We got to tour her offices on the 13th floor of the Mary Kay World Headquarters and we got to go to the Mary Kay museum. That made me think of seeing how flight attendants uniforms have changed over the years. There was a whole section of manikins dressed in the various Mary Kay uniforms from over the years.

So as you can see, I didn’t see very much of Texas. Next trip I want to see the Alamo. Founded near the San Antonio river in 1718, the Alamo became a symbol of Freedom for the nation and remains an iconic element of Texas independence.

While in San Antonio I want to explore the River Walk, a 3 mile, flagstone esplanade that winds amid tropical foliage along both sides of the San Antonio River.

Along the Mission Trail is Mission San Jose . Established in 1720, it is still an active parish and known as a photographer’s dream.

In Austin, located in Central Texas, we’d sample the Texas Barbecue. “They” say that Texas barbecue, especially central Texas barbecue, is so good that you don’t need barbecue sauce and some places don’t even bother to serve it! The very best barbecue is said to be around Austin. Texas Barbecue is usually beef but some pork can be located if one looks hard enough.

Oh dear, Running out of space again but we can revisit Texas another time. There’s rodeos to consider, vintage train rides and National Parks, space center Houston and mountains in West Texas. There’s even a “Birding Trail.” Yup it’s called the Great Texas Birding Trail and more than half of the recorded species of North America can be found along here. And we can’t forget that Texas has a Gulf Coast. So there’s much,much more to cover in Texas!