Category Archives: Vacation

The Road to Sapphire

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The Road to SapphireAshville to Sapphire

Once I got headed in the right direction I left the road construction by the airport behind. RT 280 was a wide , well maintained highway. There was plenty of room for the crazy local drivers to pass. I could take my time and get acclimated to the drive. I felt pretty protected along this stretch because there was a church every mile or so.  Baptist, Methodist, 7 day Adventist, they were all there but not so many Catholic. All of the churches were large and well cared for. I knew I was in the “Bible Belt” but I had to wonder how a rural area like this could support so many churches so well. I guess the business of religion is very successful here. 

The Halfway Point- Brevard

My map said it was 45 miles from Ashville Airport to Sapphire but I felt like I had been driving a long time before I got to Brevard. Brevard was when the drive began to change to what I came to think of  as the half way point. Brevard is a little college town. It’s pretty and it’s loaded with fast food restaurants. There’s Wendy’s, Micky D’s, Bojangles and even a drive through BBQ place. Brevard is where I picked up RT 64. Rt 64 was to become my most traveled route while I was in North Carolina. It would take me to the waterfalls and the Blue Ridge parkway. It would also scare the pants off me until I got used to it. 

The Road to Sapphire

Rt 64 to Sapphire

I was relieved to see signs for Sapphire Valley as I was leaving Brevard. At least I was on the right track. I made a mental note to make a return trip to Brevard before my trip was over. I wanted to see a White Squirrel.

As I left Brevard, RT  64 began to narrow from a multi lane road to two lanes, no shoulders. That was ok but then I got to the mountain. I have no idea what the name of the mountain is but the locals just refer to “The Mountain”. They tell you that you’ll go down the mountain, around the mountain, over the mountain but they never name the mountain. 

Brevard to Sapphire Valley

The drive up the mountain to Sapphire Valley took about 45 minutes to an hour. Much of the road was made up of hairpin turns and switchbacks. The signs showed twisty turns with 15- 25 mile speed limits. There was no cutting corners either because there was always a car coming the other way. I began to wish I had a passenger who could take a video or at the least pictures. There was no place to pull over so I couldn’t do it. I had both hands glued to the wheel! 

The Road to Sapphire

This kind of driving is an adrenaline rush. It’s fun but I enjoy it only when I’m not being tailgated and that was going to be the bane of my trip. The locals, who are the nicest people face to face, are demanding, crazy drivers. They know the road and it’s twists and turns and they don’t pay any attention to the speed limit. I became quite adept at locating the narrowest of pull offs so they could go around me. When I’d get out of the way I’d get a friendly toot and a wave as they blew my doors off going by. 

The Road to Sapphire

This was almost as challenging as driving in the mountains of South Dakota! I was very happy to see signs saying “entering Sapphire Valley”. Now I just had to find the resort and check in. 

The Arrival – Ashville North Carolina

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Ashville Regional AirportThe Arrival - Ashville North Carolina

Our plane made a smooth landing at Ashville Regional Airport right on time but no Jet Way for Ashville. Nope, we left the plane down a combination of ramp and stairs then walked across the tarmac. Once in the terminal it was a short walk to baggage claim. My knee had locked up during the flight so I was the gimpy” old lady in everyone’s way. But I soldiered on.  The Budget Car Rental Counter was right next to the baggage carousel so I could watch for my luggage while I arranged my rental car. 

The Arrival - Ashville North CarolinaBudget Car Rental

I’d heard quite a lot about the rental car shortage so I reserved my car rental when I booked my trip. To be sure they didn’t give my car away I even paid for it in advance and did most of my check in online. The price was outrageous. I’ve rented SUV’s on Maui for less than $700 for a week and thought that was expensive but with the car  shortage it appears that rental car companies are taking full advantage. My Toyota Rav4 was $1300 for the week. By paying for it at time of booking I had it all paid off  of by the time of my vacation. No big bill waiting for me when I got home. 

I was glad I did it that way when 3 other people were turned away while I waited. The reason, no cars, sold out. 

I passed on the GPS add on. No service in the mountains so why pay for something that doesn’t work. I picked up a map instead. About that time my bag came tumbling off the airplane so I grabbed my keys and bag and headed into the rental car parking garage.  They were right. My car was easy to find because there weren’t very many there.

The Road to Sapphire

As I left the parking garage I followed the signs to RT 280. What I didn’t know was which direction I needed and the signs weren’t much help. They just said  “to 280”. Of course I went the wrong way. Now that wouldn’t be so bad. I drive in Boston. I’ve driven in Honolulu. If I can survive those traffic disasters I should be fine in rural North Carolina. Right? Nope, wrong! Maybe I’ve gotten rusty with the lighter traffic from COVID or maybe I’ve just gotten old but it was a hair raising start to the drive. 

There was construction on 280 so there were barrels everywhere. As I tried to get my bearings there was no slowing down. Cars came flying from all directions. It was like being dropped in the middle of a NASCAR race. Ahead of me I could see a strip of fast food places so I began to work my way across several lanes of traffic so I could pull off into one of them and study my map. At that point I saw a U-turn and a sign that said Sapphire. I pulled the U-turn and floored it. Breathing a sigh of relief I settled in for the rest of the drive. Or so I thought. Little did I know what was still ahead.

My New Tool- A Travel Map

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My Travel Map

I’m excited. I ran across a new way to keep track of the places I’ve been. A Travel Map! It was an impulse buy and I was prepared to hate it. I ordered it from a link on Facebook. Not the smartest thing to do but it looked really interesting. As followers of Aroundustyroads you know I periodically run through the states I been to and the ones I still need to visit. The original goal was to visit all 50 states. 

As my age has climbed and I repeat travels to my favorite states, Arizona, Nevada, Florida, Hawaii to name a few, the odds that I have enough travel years left to get to all of them  has started to work against me.  

I needed someway other than a list to keep me on track. I’m a visual person so a map seemed like a good idea, especially one I can update neatly.

The Travel Map 

On a website called thunderbunnylabs.com I found a framed map of the United States. There are other maps too but I’m concentrating on domestic travel right now. The borders of the states are raised and you add pictures from each trip.  They even provide a template for the photos and a link to Walgreens to print your pictures.  

The map came really fast. I had it in only a couple of days which certainly put my mind at ease. It wasn’t a scam. I was even happier when I opened the package and saw the map.  

Of course I had to start adding pictures right away. 

A Work in Progress

The nearest Walgreens is only half a mile away so getting the pictures printed is quick and easy. I’m finding the hard part is picking the pictures to use. Since I travel alone a lot I’m not often in pictures. I’m more likely to be behind the camera so I gave up trying to find a useable picture with me in it. Oh I have some but not enough for every state. Then I have to be sure the picture I select can be manipulated to fit in the state outline. So far I’ve added Washington State, Arizona, Florida, Maine and New York. I just sent off another batch of photos so I can add more. 

This is fun. It brings back memories and when I have all the pictures added I’ll be able to see where I still need to go at a glance. Pretty cool, huh!

 

Estes Park Colorado

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From Diamond Resorts Destination Page

Estes Park Colorado

Good Morning Travel friends! Sorry I missed last weekend. It was just a busy 2 days. I’m one step closer to being travel ready. I got my first COVID shot. 2nd one coming up this week. I hear we will need a booster every year!

 

Well let’s get back to vetting Colorado locations, shall we? How about Estes Park next? That’s a familiar name. I think Estes Park is a fairly well known destination. I also think it’s a winter destination known for skiing. But just wait til you hear what the web has to say. Might as well start there.

Google for Estes Park

 

Photo from Wikipedia

Estes Park is a town in northern Colorado. Located as a base for the Rocky Mountain National Park, it’s home to wildlife including elk and bears, plus miles of trails. The park’s Trail Ridge Road winds past craggy peaks, forests and tundra. Nearby are the wilderness areas of Roosevelt National Forest. The Estes Park Aerial Tramway connects the town to the summit of Prospect Mountain for views over the valley. ― Google

Estes Park in Summer

Estes Park is a popular winter vacation destination but what can we do in the summer. Turns out, quite a lot. I found a link marked Extreme Estes Park from Trip Advisor. Loaded with hiking and private tours; looks like lots of adventures waiting.  There’s a Rocky Mountain Jeep tour. (Jeep tours are always fun) . I like the sound of the Evening Wildlife tour in Rock Mountain National Park. It has 5 stars! Nearly every Summer Safari they see Moose cows and sometimes bulls, Elk bulls and cow herds with calves, Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep on the distant mountains through the spotting scope, Yellow-bellied Marmots, American Pika, and a number of small cute critters only found in the Rockies like Least Chipmunk, Ground Squirrels, many different birds and some hawk & eagles.

Of course being a photography nut this tour caught my eye: Evening Private Wildlife Safari in RMNP
Here’s the description-For the Landscape option we can shot Sunrise at an Subalpine Lake, on the Tundra, or along the river of a Mountain Meadow. Wildlife like Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Marmots, Pika, and on lucky days Bighorn Sheep can be captured. 

All guests have access to our arsenal of Nikon pro cameras and lens like the D810 and 600mm lens.

 I’ll need more than 1 trip to see everything I want to see.

Fraser & Keystone Colorado

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Fraser & Keystone Colorado

Lets take 2 Colorado locations today, Fraser and Keystone. Why 2 you ask? Because they are both very close to other locations we’ve already discussed. Fraser is only 2 miles from Winter Park so I’m sure the research I did for Winter Park also applies to Fraser.

From Diamond Resorts Web page

In Fraser we would stay at Indian  Peaks Condos. At Indian Peaks, a lot of effort has been placed into seeing that your vacation home meets your expectations, but this resort is not for you if you need your hand held; there are no organized activities. No basket-weaving, no Stampn’ Up! This resort is all about immersing yourself in nature and the beauty of the Rockies, with more than 800 miles of marked trails through National Forest and National Park at your doorstep. Not for the faint of heart either, a few of the units are on the third floor, spectacular views but no elevator.

From Great Sandunes National Park web page

There are somethings I’d like to see and/or do in Fraser. There’s Great Sand Dunes National Park to name one. A sandbox of epic proportions, the entire dune field encompasses 30 square miles and the tallest dune towers 750 feet high. Feeling adventurous? You can even go sledding down the dunes. It will satisfy the kid in you!

Fraser Wildlife

From Fraser Activity Web Page

Left your hiking boots at home? Don’t worry, there’s no need to hit the trails to see Colorado’s wildlife in its natural habitat. Hundreds of scenic roads lead safely past elk, bighorn sheep, moose, bison, bald eagles and other watchable wildlife — making this the perfect activity for travelers of all abilities. With a pair of binoculars, you won’t even have to unbuckle your seatbelt

Keystone

Keystone is centered around River Run Village, which sits at the base of the slopes. The town sits at 9,280 feet above sea level, with the mountain summit at 12,408 feet. It’s located less than an hour and a half from Denver, in busy Summit County.

Keystone is more urbane than some other mountain towns in the sense that it has a very upscale, high-end bunch of spas, athletic groups, and restaurants that cater to those looking to be wowed. 

As to be expected in a ski resort, there is a gondola to the top of a mountain. The Scenic Gondola Ride is a perfect activity for the whole family. Ride to the top of Keystone Mountain where you can enjoy incredible views of Lake Dillon, the Continental Divide, & the Ten Mile Range. 

Keystone is only 10 miles from Breckenridge and Vail is about 37 miles. Check the posts for Vail and Breckenridge for more comments on the area.