Off I Go Again!

Posted on December 14, 2015December 14, 2015 by Dusty Roads

Mystic Dunes. Sounds kind of like a Fantasy novel doesn’t it? I’m about to find out if it lives up to its name.

There are many perks to owning a time share but one that always comes as a surprise to me are the free trips. Well, not entirely free. They require you to listen to a sales pitch for 90 minutes. At my last “update” I decided it was time to upgrade my membership. Changes were coming and it was likely that I would not see these deals again and I do love my time share. As a thank you for upgrading they gave me a “Dream Vacation” to Las Vegas (including round trip air fare for 2)and a trial trip of 3 days and 2 nights at Mystic Dunes in Celebration, FL. I also had a ton of points (think time share currency) that I would lose if not used by December 31 so I found myself back in the air heading to Orlando a mere month after my vacation to New Orleans.

Mystic Dunes

To fly down, come back home, and fly back again didn’t make any sense so I negotiated an extra night at Mystic Dunes and rented 2 more nights (for about the same cost as that extra airfare would have been), making my planned stay Dec 1-December 6. Then I planned to hop a commuter flight from Orlando to Miami for another week in South Beach Dec 6 – Dec.13. I should be good and relaxed when I get back to work.

I flew Southwest from Providence to Orlando where I made a spur of the moment decision to upgrade my Enterprise rental car from economy to what ever they had on the lot with a GPS. What they had was a Lincoln Navigator. Talk about a top of the line upgrade. I wasn’t sure if I was going to faint from shock or laughter. This huge behemoth of an SUV just for me! It had automatic running boards that popped out when you opened the door and a good thing too or I would have needed a step ladder just to get into it.

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The salesman helped me load my luggage in back and set the GPS for Mystic Dunes before sending me on my way.

Now remember, no trip is without its pitfalls. If you keep that in mind you will be able to handle the little trials that come out of no where.

I had just left the airport and was trying to pull onto RT 528 when I realized I couldn’t adjust the side mirror. It was folded in on itself. Trying to navigate Florida traffic without a passenger side mirror is suicide but pulling onto the shoulder to make the adjustment was even worse so I drove very cautiously waiting for an exit.

Before I could find one an alarm went off on my dash board. The rear hatch wasn’t closed. Apparently the salesman hadn’t pulled it shut when he loaded my luggage. I had visions of my bags falling out and bursting open all along the highway.

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By now I was on RT 4 and exits were starting to show up. I pulled off at an exit for a Comfort Inn. Using their parking lot I first closed the rear hatch, breathing a sigh of relief that both bags were still there, then released the side mirror and adjusted it.

Getting back on the highway was a little tricky but once there I settled in for a GPS directed drive to Mystic Dunes. But such was not to be. I’d barely gone 2 exits when another alarm went off on the dash. This one said low tire pressure. Give me a break! The car didn’t have 5000 miles on it. The next exit was my old faithful. The exit to the resort I usually stay at, Cypress Point so I pulled off knowing there was a gas station.

flat tire

Before I did anything I looked the tires over. They looked fine to me. Big tires! Then I tried calling Enterprise roadside assistance who told me to fine a tire store and have them fix it. The “helpful” woman gave me an address for a Tire store but someone did not have up to date info. There wasn’t one there. After driving around for 2 hours (on the allegedly flat tire) I found a Walmart where they helped me out in the tire center. The right front tire was “soft”. They topped off the air and sent me on my way once more.

As it was now approaching 2 pm and I had yet to even have breakfast I decided Mystic Dunes could wait a little while so I could enjoy some lunch. There was a Golden Corral right down the street so that was were I headed.

There’s Something Missing

Posted on May 9, 2014May 9, 2014 by Dusty Roads

So you probably gathered from my last post that I’m preparing my belongings for my vacation. Monday morning I’ll be heading off to Tennessee for a week of fun and exploration. So what’s missing?

My helper, my always in the luggage kitty cat (and not Smokey). It’s Rocky. He hasn’t paid one bit of attention to my suitcase, even when it was open on the bed. That’s always been his invitation (in his mind) to hop in and stretch out making packing impossible.

Once I do manage to get packed his normal response is to sit guard duty on top of the suitcase, as if that will stop me from leaving.

This time he walked by, looked at it and went back to the living room. Packing was completed in no time since I had no interruptions. I’m not sure if I’m happy about this turn of events or sad. It’s been such a routine for almost 14 years that I miss him getting in my way.

I wonder if it has anything to do with our recent loss? I do believe animals mourn so maybe Rocky’s just missing Smokey and doesn’t care what I’m doing at the moment. I know Diane (my pet sitter) will take good care of Rocky and Buddy while I’m gone. I just wish Rocky had been his usual endearing but annoying self when I packed.

College Fjord to Whittier

Posted on June 20, 2013June 20, 2013 by Dusty Roads

College Fjord to Whittier 24 Nautical Miles 8 Knots

As the Island Princess came about and started her return trip through College Fjord we kept our eyes peeled for animals. So far we hadn’t seen the abundance of wildlife we’d expected but maybe the unusually late spring and cold weather was partly responsible. At least the scenery was spectacular.

We did spot something. I’m not sure what. Just a dark head moving through the water leaving a wake… otter? seal? certainly not a whale or a porpoise. I’m really not sure. Now it’s easy to see how legends like the Loch Ness Monster come into being.

As we headed back to the stateroom we stopped to linger near the enclosed pool, not to swim but to say good by to the little stowaways we’d been watching the whole cruise. There were some little sparrow/ finch type birds that had apparently joined the ship in warmer climes but they seemed to be doing ok for themselves in the enclosed part of the deck.

But we had to get back to the room. Tonight we’d deal with luggage. It will be tagged and placed outside our stateroom door. We are going on to Denali and the luggage is limited. I sent some on to the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, things I didn’t expect to need but with the camera as my “carry on” I was still pushing the limit.

In the morning we’d be in Whittier where we’d board the dome train to Denali. That would take most of the day. The brochure says it’s 9 1/2 hours. For a number of reasons our train ride turned into 11 hours. The folks that took the bus arrived before we did! More on that later.

But I wanted to tell you a little about Whittier. We didn’t get to see much of it but we did get some basic information. All of our itineraries listed Whittier (Anchorage) so I wasn’t sure if Whittier was a neighborhood of Anchorage or if the names were for the same place or what.

Turns out Whittier is a little town in its own right. It sits at the head of Passage Canal, a deep fjord that connects with Prince William Sound. It’s location provides easy access to the interior of Alaska. The town was originally established in World War II to allow for the movement of troops and supplies but it had a long history of being a supply route for the Chugach Indians, fur traders and gold prospectors.

One thing that I found amazing is that most, if not all, of the 180 full-time residents live in the same building, the multi story Begich Tower originally built to house operations and personnel when the railroad was extended. The railroad tunnel has been converted to allow both rail and auto traffic so Anchorage is now only 90 minutes away.

We got a glimpse of Begich Tower as we were escorted from the ship to the train. Once out of the cold we settled in for the next leg of the journey.

Fly the Friendly Skys of United

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

I was reading travel tips the other day and one of the articles was all about air travel and whether it was getting better or worse. One of the suggestions the writer made was that to be treated well you should dress well. He didn’t mean go out and buy a wardrobe of designer clothes just to fly the friendly skies. What he meant was that in the early days of air travel it was an occasion and you dressed for it. Those early days weren’t that long ago really. Back in the 70’s when I traveled by air I remember everyone was in business attire. No one wore jeans or worse sweats that look like you just rolled out of bed.

His point was that if you want to be treated with respect you need to look the part…walk the walk..or however you want to say it.

With that in mind I decided to give it a try…no jeans and T-shirt this time. I pulled on a pair of Khakis and a flowered blouse. I put my hair up in a neat bun and off I went.

At the first stop I dropped off my car. The attendant whisked my luggage to the shuttle and had me at the United gate in less than 5 minutes. Last time the process to over 30 minutes!

In the airport the desk personnel were chatty and friendly. Time for the security check point and the TSA. Once again smiles and pleasant wishes for a nice trip. I’m on a roll.

Seated in the gate area one of the united people was going around checking in carry on luggage because the plane was too little for most of the roller bags. Mine had my 500mm mirror lens and my telephoto lens. Combined value around $1500. I didn’t want those separated from me. I explained my concern and was surprised when they let me take them out of the luggage and keep them with me! And all that was suggested with a smile. It put me over the “limit” for carry ons but they didn’t care!

So far this has been one of the most pleasant trips I’ve made. Could it really be as easy as dressing a little neater?

Packing Time

Posted on January 16, 2013January 16, 2013 by Dusty Roads

It’s been a few months since I did any traveling. Sometimes I just need to take some time to recharge that way I appreciate my trips more. I found last summer that one trip after another was exciting but draining. By the time I was headed out on my last trip I was worn out. It was so easy when I reached my sister’s house for the Adirondack Balloon Festival to just kick back. The weather helped because it rained so several launches were canceled.

It’s a new year now and my travel schedule is just getting started. The first thing I found was that my new and improved tripod with it’s “ball head” doesn’t fit in my old suitcase. After much debate I decided to get a new suitcase rather than leave the tripod home.
It was also time to replace my luggage tags. The old ones were starting to fade and I’d even managed to break the corner on one.

Rocky was ready to perch on my suitcase for a new portrait for the new tags.

(I’ve covered up the name and phone # on the tag for obvious reasons)

But one thing hasn’t changed. I’ll still have the suitcase with the most cat hair on it. Rocky immediately took his place on top of the suitcase. I can see packing is going to be its usual challenge!