Are the Friendly Skies still Friendly?

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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?

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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

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

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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.

1 Year Old

Balboa will never be a big cat. He is long and sleek. He’s my funny house panther. Happy Birthday Balboa (8/14/2020)

 

 

Another Rainy Weekend

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Another Rainy Weekend

The forecast is for high winds and torrential rains. Warnings of possible flash floods. This is the rainiest start to July in 100 years! Last weekend wasn’t a wash out and I had all good intentions of writing a post but somehow by the time I got 5 minutes (and believe me it takes me more than 5 minutes) the weekend was gone. So I had big plans for this weekend so I would have something interesting to share. But it looks like mother nature has other ideas.

Rainy weather, the inscription rainy on the sweaty glass.

How Do I plan my Weekends

If it ever stops raining I have plenty of ideas for weekend adventures. I bought 2 “Adventure Books“.  One is Lighthouses of New England and the other is Massachusetts State Parks. Both books are huge. If I went to every lighthouse I’d have years worth of places to visit. Add in the State Parks and I don’t have to travel to find something new to see. Toss in the Sand Castle events from Hampton Beach to Cape Cod and a whale watch or two and I’ve just booked myself for the rest of my life! 

So what’s up with This Weekend?

A friend of mine bought a farm recently. So far they have chickens and donkeys. They almost got a horse but that didn’t work out. Today they are having an event of some kind with crafts and vendors. I planned to drop in, say Hi and check out the goods for sale. But so far my day has not gone as planned. I woke up to no electricity so that got my day off to a slow start. I stuck my nose outside for a temperature check and wow! It’s a jungle out there. Hot and steamy and not even 7 am!

I need a haircut and have to do some grocery shopping. Then I’m free to head over to my friends event- if the rain hasn’t started by then.  So I’ll just play it by ear. Sunday is supposed to be a washout so I really hope the rain holds off so I’ll have some pictures and stories to share next week.

 

May be an image of horse and nature

There’s Always the Cats

Of course I never mind being stuck at home too much. I always have entertaining company with Banner & Balboa!