Category Archives: Vacation

Idaho – The Gem State

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Idaho

Surprise! Idaho seems to be a popular vacation state. Who knew? Idaho is a northwestern U.S. state known for mountainous landscapes, and vast swaths of protected wilderness and outdoor recreation areas. 

 I think we’ve all seen the commercials for the Idaho Potato truck 

But Idaho is also know for gemstones. The mountains contain veins of gold, silver, lead, zinc, cobalt, copper, and many other rare minerals. Some of these rare minerals are gems like star garnets (the state gem), jasper, opal, jade, topaz, zircon, and tourmaline.

Places To Stay

So now that I know what Idaho is known for lets see what resorts  my timeshare has to offer.

The first resort to pop up is Elkhorn Inn located in Sun Valley. I’ve heard of Sun Valley but primarily for skiing in winter but the internet write ups seem to make summer a good time to visit too.

Elkhorn Resort | Idaho | Diamond Resorts

Summer in Sun Valley!

The City of Sun Valley sits at the edge of the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests; with the Big Wood River, a fisherman’s dream, running through the Wood River Valley.

Sun Valley enjoys a pleasant mountain desert climate.  With an average humidity of only 30%, and 15 inches of precipitation per year, the northern latitude creates long days, with 15 hours of sunshine in the summer, giving the resort community its well-deserved name.  Average summer temperature is 78 degrees.

Located in Central Idaho is Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. I’ve wanted to visit Craters of the Moon and it looks like it’s about 1.5 hours from Sun Valley. Point for Elkhorn Resort.

How to get to Sun Valley

By Air:

The most convenient way to access Sun Valley by air is through the Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in Hailey, a short 20-minute drive south of Sun Valley.  During peak season months, there are daily non-stop flights from Seattle, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.  Please access Fly Sun Valley Alliance for flight schedules and ground transportation options to Sun Valley.

Other nearby airports include Twin Falls (90-mile south) and Boise (150-mile southwest).

By Ground:

Mountain Rides Transportation Authority runs public transportation for the Sun Valley area. Mountain Rides, a free town bus service, serves Warm Springs, Ketchum, Elkhorn, Dollar and River Run areas. In addition, to enable residents and visitors to get around the Wood River Valley in an economical and environmental friendly way, Mountain Rides operates the Valley Bus, serving Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley.

The 2nd Choice

Timbers at Island Park . This condominium style resort is located 22 miles from the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

The Timbers Condominiums At Island Park Village | Armed Forces Vacation Club

I’ve actually been trying to get a reservation here for a couple of years so I think I’ll keep this near the top of the list and keep trying.  I want to explore Yellowstone from the West Entrance. My previous visit was from Wyoming which brought me into the park from the south. Yes, I got to see Old Faithful 

Old Faithful Erupts

Old Faithful Erupts- 2017

Getting There

The nearest commercial airports are 85 miles away in Idaho Falls, Idaho and 110 miles away in Bozeman, Montana. The resort is 22 miles south of West Yellowstone, Montana. From there is a car rental for the drive.

What about Arkansas?

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What About Arkansas?

Next on the list is Arkansas. It’s on my primary list because we have a timeshare resort. We’ve got 1 choice here, Los Lagos at Hot Springs Village. Los Lagos is a four-season resort, nestled in the Ouachita Mountains, just 20 miles from Hot Springs National Park.

Obviously I’ll need to visit Hot Springs National Park. 

The Wild- New York 2020

Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs National Park has a rich cultural past. The grand architecture of our historic bathhouses is equally matched by the natural curiosities that have been drawing people here for hundreds of years. Ancient thermal springs, mountain views, incredible geology, forested hikes, and abundant creeks – all in the middle of town – make Hot Springs National Park a unique and beautiful destination.

What about Arkansas?

 

Arkansas Alligator Farm

I’ll have to visit the Alligator Farm. I love going to Gatorland in Florida so I will want to compare this Alligator farm with what I’ve experienced in Florida. Baby alligators are so cute. I remember seeing them in the wild in Everglades National Park. I’ve also had the opportunity to hold them at Gatorland so although it won’t be a new experience I still want to do it. I can imagine all the photo ops here!

Make Way For Ducklings – Public Gardens Boston 2017

 

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

Situated at the pinnacle of Hot Springs Mountain overlooking the town, the tower was built in the early ‘80s. A view from the top will give guests an unobstructed view of the countryside. On a clear day, it’s possible to see more than 100 miles away according to locals.

Reachable by stairs and an elevator, there are observation scopes at the top if your eyes need a bit of help.

If you’re up for a physical challenge, it’s more than 300 steps to the top, but your effort will be rewarded with burned calories and breathtaking vistas. I think I’ll take the elevator please!

Covered Bridge Vermont 2017

Where to next? Alabama?

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Where should I go next?

As my State list shrinks it is harder to decide where to go next. I’ll share my thoughts along with more photos from the trips I’ve taken.  My first step was to check for time share resorts. There are other exchanges I can use but the easiest to get a reservation for are the  “Destinations” so I have split my list into  primary locations , those with a timeshare resort, and secondary locations. Places I will need either an exchange or a local motel.

North Carolina 2021

Primary States

  1. Alabama
  2. Arkansas
  3. Delaware
  4. Idaho
  5. Indiana
  6. Missouri
  7. New Mexico
  8. Oregon
  9. Utah
  10. West Virginia

Carriage Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia 2018

Colonial Williamsburg 2018

Secondary Locations

  1. Iowa
  2. Kansas
  3. Kentucky
  4. Michigan
  5. Mississippi
  6. Montana
  7. Nebraska
  8. North Dakota
  9. Ohio
  10. Oklahoma
Elk Migration

Elk Migration Wyoming 2017

Alabama

The resort is the Shores located in Orange Beach.

The Shores, 24060 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, Alabama, 36561, United States

The Shores provides the finest in beachfront relaxation, with easy access to local dining and attractions. Spend the day lounging by the large outdoor pool with waterfall, fishing at the nearby marinas, exploring the area’s theme parks and enjoying the best seafood Alabama has to offer. In the evening, relax by the beachfront fireplace, lounge and grilling areas, or watch the sunset from your spacious balcony overlooking the Gulf.

ANNUAL EVENTS

January – Snowbird Fest

February – Annual Orange Beach Seafood Festival & Car Show

March – Orange Beach Mardi Gras, Orange Beach Festival of Art

April – Annual Bama Coast Cruising, Waterway Village & Crawfish Festival

May – Hangout Music Festival, Orange Beach Billfish Classic

July – Blue Marlin Grand Championship

September – Alabama Coastal Triathlon, The Wharf Uncorked Food & Wine Festival 

October – Annual National Shrimp Festival

November – Annual Oyster Cook Off and Craft Beer Weekend, World Food Championships

December – Annual Lighted Boat Christmas Parade

Another interesting activity is a day trip to Dauphin Island. It’s about an hour and 30 minutes from Orange Beach and a 40 minute ferry ride but on Dauphin Island is the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, one of the largest of its kind on the east coast.  I’m already itching to get my camera out. Some of the best bird pictures I’ve ever taken were in sanctuaries!

Gatorland Florida 2020

Colorado Thumbnail

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Colorado

What can I say about my Colorado vacation to sum it up? First off, Take time to adjust to the altitude. That I suffered from altitude sickness was a complete surprise to me. I grew up in mountains. Granted my childhood mountains were  a bit smaller than 10,000 ft but I still expected it to count. Plus I’ve been to Wyoming and at 8,000 ft I had no problems at all. Maybe age , overall health or just that extra 2,000-4,000 ft tacked on made a difference.

Mount Quandary 2022

Hiking, Skiing

Breckenridge is a beautiful little town but other than the quaintness there isn’t much to do except hike in the summer or ski in the winter. There are few roads and like any area with more winter than summer, road work has to be crammed into those few warm, storm free months. Getting anywhere required patience. The road construction had traffic tangled from just about every direction. 

Lake Dillon 2022

 

Wildlife

Friends who had been to Colorado told me about the abundant wildlife but I didn’t see much of it. Spotted the Moose family a couple of afternoons and there was a beaver lodge. After watching for the little rodents at various times without success I finally concluded the lodge was abandoned. The big horn sheep were no where to be found although I did see one deer and one pronghorn.  The most exciting moment was spotting that big white bird. (I still think it was a whooping crane) I love a mystery and think it would be great if whooping cranes were making their way back to Colorado. 

Colorado Moose 2022

I was warned about bear in the area, not sure if they were grizzly or black bears but I didn’t see any. The dumpsters were always chained shut to keep the animals out of the trash. 

Maybe the lack of wildlife was due to the heat. Temps were in the mid 80’s most days. I was told to expect low 70’s so that could have had the animals looking for shade.

What I missed

Colorado is now checked off my list of states that I’ve gone for vacation but I’m not done with the state yet. It’s huge and now that I know driving in the summer is not a viable option ( unless you like traffic jams)  I’ll need to consider short visits in different areas. 

Breckenridge Gondola 2022

I wasn’t able to get the web site for Rocky Mountain National Park to work. You have to have a reservation now to get in and you have to do it online so I still want to go there. Great Sand Dunes National Park was too far from Breckenridge so I will need a return trip for that. Heading to the south western corner of the state is the Durango and Silverton railroad. That’s a train ride I really want to take. Finally there is Mesa Verde National Park also in the southwestern part of the state.

Back near Denver a side trip to Colorado Springs will let me experience riding the Cog railway up Pike’s Peak. Then take time to visit Garden of the Gods. So much still to see!

So you see I’ve only just scratched the surface of what this state has to offer. 

 

South Park

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South Park Colorado

“Going down to South Park and meet some friends of mine”.  Never thought I’d find myself in the fictional town of South Park but as I drove through the tiny town of Fairplay in the county of South Park Colorado, there they were- Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny!

I was actually heading toward Colorado Springs when I happened upon this little store with the South Park Theme. The store had a unique name too, The Salt Lickin’ Goat.

It was crammed with T-Shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts with a whole display of South Park themed shirts. That was a fun diversion.

RT 285

My plan was to follow 285 to the Garden of the Gods then catch the last ride on the Cog Railroad up Pikes Peak. The geography made a big change as I left Fairplay. I came down out of the mountains and land leveled out. Here were the herds of cattle and ranches with horses. I even saw a blond buffalo. Yup, it was wandering along the fence line. I suspect it belonged to the ranch. I’m driving a hybrid SUV and I can’t help being thankful for that because there is nothing here but open range. No gas stations or shops. The roads that branch off are all dirt roads. 

Wildlife

I don’t know if I can really count that buffalo as “Wildlife”, but I can count the pronghorn that I saw nose to fence. It was just the one antelope and he seemed to be really fixated on the field beyond the fence. I’ve heard that Pronghorns won’t jump fences. They try to crawl under or go through them. Maybe he was contemplating his options.

See the source image

I hadn’t seen many birds other than ravens but as I passed a creek a big white bird took off. It was really a beautiful bird; about the size of a Great Blue Heron, I know I’d never seen one with markings quite like that, so I was excited to look it up.

Whooping Crane

Well, it seems we have a mystery. When I searched for a bird that looked like this one, I found a Whooping Crane.

See the source image

It was an exact match but according to my online sources Whooping Cranes no longer live or migrate through Colorado. So, I saw a bird that shouldn’t be here or I mis-identified it.  Since I was driving and couldn’t get a photo, I guess I have no proof. But between you and me, I’m sure it was a whooping crane!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering. I never made it to the Garden of the God or Pikes Peak. I’ll have to save those stops for my next visit.