South Carolina

Posted on October 17, 2013October 17, 2013 by Dusty Roads

If someone says South Carolina to you what is the first thing that comes to mind? To me it’s the heart of the south. Maybe Gone With the Wind was set in Georgia but for some reason it’s Charleston SC that makes me think of southern hospitality and Southern Belles, like Scarlett. Sorry Margaret Mitchell, I shouldn’t move the location of such a beloved classic.:)

I have a sister-in-law from Charleston. My brother met her when he was stationed at the Charleston Naval Station. She’s always been a good sport with us “northerners” and she has a really wild sense of humor. I haven’t seen her in awhile but I have these great memories of laughing till my sides hurt! Good times! But most of the visits have been elsewhere, not in her home state of South Carolina, so forgive me, Ellen, if I don’t get it quite right.

Charleston SC is known own for its rich history, well-preserved architecture, distinguished restaurants, and mannerly people, Charleston has received a large number of accolades, including “America’s Most Friendly [City]” by Travel + Leisure and “the most polite and hospitable city in America” by Southern Living magazine. (See, I’m not the only one who thinks of Southern Hospitality.)

About 70 miles south of Charleston is 5,000 acre Hunting Island State Park, home to loggerhead turtles, alligators, herons, and oystercatchers.

Also part of the low country is the Famed Hilton Head Island. This is one of the most popular and developed resort areas on the eastern seaboard.

It includes 25 championship golf courses and 300 tennis courts. My friend “Ace”, a tennis fanatic, has attended tennis camps at Hilton Head.

I also hear a lot about Myrtle Beach. That’s a big tourist area but close to Myrtle beach is something much closer to my heart. Someplace I intend to make sure I visit. Believe it or not I first heard about this place at King Richard’s Faire. Then I saw a show on one of the TV channels…Travel Channel, Animal Planet …one of them. The place I really want to visit is Myrtle Beach Safari. It’s on T.I.G.E.R Ave.

TIGER Stands for The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species. The same people that tour with the tigers and ligers with the medieval fairs run this sanctuary. http://www.myrtlebeachsafari.com/ As I recall, a day at the sanctuary getting to play with the animals is VERY expensive but I wasn’t able to check the cost while I was preparing this post. Their “tour season” seems to have ended so they may not have posted their tours for next season yet. But the video on the website is running and I think if you check that out you will understand why I want to go there so badly.

Although I haven’t had the opportunity to explore SC to my heart’s content I was there for my brother’s wedding. So I think I have to count SC on my “yes” side even though I still want to go back.

My new tally 15/25…10 more states to go in the countdown.

A Day at the Zoo

Posted on August 27, 2013August 27, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I think the saying is “a walk in the park” but for me and my friend and her family it was a “day at the zoo”. Nancy has been working 3 jobs all summer so squeezing in our annual summer jaunt was turning into a challenge. We were down to the wire when a Tuesday opened up in all our schedules at the same time! YAY! I picked up Nancy and her two children, Alex and Dawn, and we made a bee line to the Franklin park Zoo.

I love zoos and it had been a couple of years since I’d been to this one. Nancy said the kids hadn’t ever been to this one. Located in the Dorchester section of Boston, Franklin Park Zoo is truly an urban zoo. You can even get to it by subway.

A really unusual feature is FREE PARKING! In Boston that’s more rare than the animals on exhibit!

We had a beautiful day for our visit. The weather was sunny and warm but there was a breeze.

There was a new playground since my last visit and we spent a good deal of time there.

We spent the whole day! The Zoo was closing up shop as we made our way out the front gates.

We’d covered everything from the petting zoo to the Bird World.

We saw the gorillas and the tigers and lions.

My favorite is the Budgie Aviary and I think the kids liked that too. They didn’t want to leave.

We also enjoyed the Butterfly enclosure.

Alex was reluctant at first but pretty soon the turtles had his attention.

The giraffe was a treat as it was right at the fence stretching it’s long neck to eat right over the heads of the crowd.

I had to stop by the prairie dog enclosure. The sentry even smiled for the camera.

Leaving the ostrich behind we made our way to the car after a great day!

Photo of the Week~ Week 22

Posted on June 2, 2012June 2, 2012 by Dusty Roads

Here Kitty Kitty

Animal Kingdom, My favorite Disney Park

Posted on March 2, 2012March 2, 2012 by Dusty Roads

No offence to Minnie & Mickey’s Magic Kingdom or Adventure Land or any of the other parks in the Disney World universe but I love, love, love Animal Kingdom. The only thing I would like better is if the safari ride was longer.

In fact I would just spend the day riding it over and over but Joe wasn’t buying that.

We actually met up at my condo so we could use just 1 car. We checked out the breakfast buffet at Sizzler…only $4.99 and quite extensive and then it was off to the parks. On the way we stopped in front of the big Disney World Sign so for a photo opportunity.

Of course there were signs everywhere that said “No Stopping” but I just pretended I couldn’t read. Joe did the honors.

Once in the parking lot we hopped on the tram for the trip to the park.

As we were entering Joe spotted some of his co-workers and stopped for a chat. He spent a “tour of duty” in Animal Kingdom before he was moved to the photography cast and assigned to the Hollywood Studios Park.

We wandered the various “countries” looking a the different animals. I loved the tigers but they weren’t being the most cooperative for pictures. I managed to get a couple through the glass side of the enclosure.

What gorgeous cats.

The bird aviery was really cool too but finally we reached the Safari Ride.

Joe was right about it being a slow week. We had no line. The trucks were going out without being full.

I was on the right side of the truck on this ride and it seemed like all the cool animals were on the left. Just my luck.

There were hippos and crocodiles..or was it alligators, I forget which, pelicans, rhinos, giraffes, spring bok, wildebeest and other antelope and lions. Of course lions. What kind of safari would it be without the “King”?

And yes, Hippos do get sunburned.

You had to shoot fast because the truck doesn’t stop so good shots were a challenge with the motion of the truck exaggerating camera shake.

After the safari Joe said it was time for a show. We headed across the park to the theater where the show The Lion King Celebration was presented. We got some pretty good seats. Loved the music! Hakuna Matata! The sets were amazing as only Disney can pull off!

Lunch time and we visited the open air snack bar. We both opted for Sweet and Sour Chicken. Not bad for fast food.

There were birds every where begging for tid-bits and snatching up dropped food. A mother duck and her brood were trying to get from the pond to the picnic area but a cast member kept shooing them back to the water. They were very persistent.

The chimps were really going all out in their enclosures. Swinging around the tower in the center of the enclosure. That was pretty amazing to see.

About that time Joe said it was time to go see Finding Nemo the Musical. Ok so we were off to another show. This was just as good as the Lion King. The funny thing is that if Joe hadn’t been with me and insisted we go, I would have skipped both shows in favor of the real live animals and that would have been a shame. Both are outstanding shows and worth taking the time to see.

I saw the Mt Everest coaster ride but was content to just watch and of course there was a parade! 🙂

Animal Kingdom closes at 5pm and the afternoon was winding down. I begged one more ride on the Safari. When we got there it was almost empty but once again my place in line was about to put me on the right side in the truck. I asked the gate attendant if I could please sit on the left. Since it was slow he said yes and directed me to a different row.

This time our driver actually stopped to give us time to take pictures of the animals. I am sure it was because it was the end of the day and not many people were taking the ride. He didn’t have to worry about a little delay.

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After this ride it was time to leave this park but we weren’t finished with Disney yet. We were headed over to Epcot for dinner and to see one more night of fireworks.