The Arrival – Ashville North Carolina

Posted on October 2, 2021October 2, 2021 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Ashville Regional Airport

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.

Budget 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.

Are the Friendly Skies still Friendly?

Posted on September 25, 2021September 23, 2021 by Dusty Roads

Fly the Friendly Skies

Remember United’s slogan to Fly the Friendly Skies? Well what about now? Did COVID make any difference at 30K ft.? I always approach my travel with an open and adventurous mind. I expect things to go wrong. That way I don’t get frustrated when they do and can celebrate when they don’t.

This trip I needed to get to Ashville Regional Airport. I started my search for an airline on KAYAK.com. I wasn’t sure what airlines might fly into Ashville. Allegiant Air popped up with a non stop flight for $99.00. Nothing else came close to that price and the non stop was very attractive. Now you need to understand that I do not like no frills airlines like Spirit Air and refuse to use them. I think they are just nickel and diming the flying public. But I was caught flat footed on this one. I didn’t know anything about Allegiant so in my blissful ignorance I started the booking process. By the time I was through paying for all the “extras” I was accustomed to my round trip ticket was $300+. Just like on any full service airline- but at least it was non stop.

Getting to the Airport

Now that I had my ticket I needed to tackle the logistics of getting from my home in Taunton to the airport. The easiest way is to rent a cab or Uber but that gets very expensive. My 2nd choice is to drive to Logan and either park at the airport or at a nearby Park ‘n Fly. I have used that option in the past but this time I decided on the Logan Express Bus. I drove my car to Braintree and then took the bus to the airport from there. A nice new perk is that you can now buy your tickets online before you leave home. It saves you $2 too.
Time to mask up. It’s required on the bus.

Logan Airport

Logan Airport is an International Airport and has the size to go with it. In spite of my knee problems I did not request any assistance this trip. That may have been a mistake on my part. Anyway I located Allegiant Air with no problem. The folks on the check in desk were friendly and pleasant. They thanked me for getting vaccinated when I handed over my passport and vaccination card. I checked my bag and took off for the security check in. As expected I lit up the Xray machine with my artificial hip and had to go through the pat down. Finally I was released and sent on my way.
As I neared the gate only one restaurant was open so I stopped to enjoy a $15.00 bacon, egg and cheese sandwich.

The plane wasn’t the tiny commuter plane I expected. It was a full sized baby with overhead bins and it was nowhere near a full flight. Once airborne we were allowed to change seats if we wanted to. I haven’t seen that in awhile.

We made the flight from Logan to Ashville in about 2 hours.

Is Travel Back?

Posted on September 20, 2021September 20, 2021 by Dusty Roads

Is is time to Start Traveling Again?

COVID is still here. We’ve now got the Delta Variant and Mu to name just 2. So is Travel back? I put a tentative toe into the travel pool last week. I was taking a test run not Just due to COVID but to test out my physical abilities too. In my case COVID wasn’t as much as a problem as my knees. I’m definitely going to have to come up with some solution but I’ll whine about that later. Let me tell you about my trip minus the moaning and groaning.

Turtle Town 2020

Is Hawaii Closed?

First of all, I didn’t go to Hawaii this trip but to my friends that asked, Hawaii is not closed. It is very much open to tourism just with some restrictions. The Safe Travels program is still in effect – with some exceptions. Visitors can bypass the now 10-day quarantine requirement with a negative COVID test pre-flight OR by proof of vaccination status. Inter-island travel is also exempt from testing and quarantine requirements. Travelers should check current requirements before leaving for the islands.

Akaka Falls – Big Island 2018

On August 23, 2021, Governor David Ige called upon Hawaii residents and visitors to delay all non-essential travel through the end of October 2021. However, Hawaii has not been “closed” and has not yet modified entry requirements – the governor asked that travel be reduced as the islands are challenged by reduced hospital capacity, as well as restaurant & car rental services. As of September 1, Oahu is now requiring a COVID-19 vaccine or negative test mandate to eat at bars and restaurants, in addition to other indoor facilities, including Honolulu. This change will last for at least 60 days.

Starting on September 15, Maui will begin requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for indoor dining and drinking. Hawaii is also in the process of rolling out a digital health pass program.

Before booking a Hawaii vacation, travelers should ask themselves if these restrictions will put a damper on their trip. If a Hawaii vacation would not be complete in your book without eating out every night and perhaps even some bar-hopping, then now may not be your time to go. However, if you prefer to relax with your family on the beach and take in the sights, then the restrictions may not bother you as much.

North Carolina Bound

I chose to stay on the east coast this time. It was my first attempt at travel since COVID and I didn’t want to go too far afield. Besides, spending a week in North Carolina let me check another state off my bucket list. However I did things a little differently this trip and I chose to head to the mountains, not the coast. I got to see some spectacular scenery and lots of waterfalls. Plus I flew a regional airline, not one of the major lines and found some interesting differences. So lets get Masked Up and come along with me to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Blue Ridge Mountains , NC 2021

Another Belated Birthday

Posted on August 18, 2021August 18, 2021 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

A belated Birthday for Balboa

He arrived at my home November 19, 2020. He was so tiny. Banner looked enormous next to him. He was 13 weeks and 6 days old adopted from Anchor Paws Rescue.

From the beginning he was feisty. He’s also my love bug. If Banner is a Purr Machine, Balboa is the cuddler always on my lap. Always looking for attention.