Next on our recipe week tour of the USA is Santa Fe -
Red adobe and old world charm make Santa Fe the city you envision when you think of the old Southwest. Artists find the area inspiring and most visitors will, too. There are shops galore, history around every corner and artists displaying their wares, even on the street. (more…)
By Guest Author Peggy Bradsaw
The Alaskan gold rush lured thousands to Skagway, which became known as the gateway to the goldfields. By 1898, it was Alaska’s largest town with a population of about 20,000, not counting the 10,000 people living in the tent city of nearby Dyea. Today, Skagway has less than 1,000 residents but the population more than doubles on the days when the cruise ships pull into the dock.
Skagway boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it was far from being the easiest. Over a hundred years ago, the White Pass route through the coast mountains and the shorter, but steeper, Chilkoot Trail, were used by thousands of stampeders. The treacherous Chilkoot Trail, combined with the area’s cruel elements, left scores dead. The hotels, saloons, dance halls and gambling houses prospered, but as the gold supply dwindled, so did the population of the town, as the miners left to go to newly-discovered gold fields.
By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
Ketchikan, referred to as “Alaska’s First City,” is the first port of call for all the cruise lines. Because the cruise lines are the lifeblood of the town, the store’s hours in downtown are “whenever the ships are in port.”
World-famous for the abundance of incredible totem poles in the region, Ketchikan is also known as the “Salmon Capital of the World.” The amazing thing about Ketchikan is that there are no roads into it from the outside world. Everything must be brought in by boat, ferry or plane – even the garbage truck that reads “Satisfaction Guaranteed or Double Your Garbage Back.” (more…)
By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
I was amazed at the size of the big white ship docked at Vancouver, B.C. We had flown in and were ready to board for our 7-day cruise through the famous Alaskan Inside Passage. Traveling with two other couples, we had mini-suites with balconies side by side on the Dolphin Deck, Deck 9.
Cruising from Vancouver Photo by George Bradshaw
Los Angeles is known for being the center of the movie world, covered with a layer of smog, and dense with cars on crowded highways. It is all of those things, but much more.
Traveling up the coast of California from San Diego, there are a number of glamorous beach towns and resorts and a clear view of the Pacific Ocean that makes it understandable why people would live in LA. From almost anywhere in California, you can be at the beach within a couple of hours. There is something calming and restorative about being near an ocean.
We chose a recent weekend to visit LA, not our first visit and certainly not our last. The climate was balmy with daytime temperatures in the 80 degree (Fahrenheit) range with a breeze blowing to keep it cool. For people who live in Arizona and endure 115 degrees in summer, it is heaven!
We crammed our weekend full of fun adventures that we’ll share, including our observations and suggestions. Some new experiences we’ll share include a visit to Griffith Park, including an observatory and a merry-go-round, an afternoon at the Getty Center, and a shopping trip to the LA Farmer’s Market.
Tomorrow: Some details about our visit to the Queen…the Queen Mary.
At this time, we will be nearing the end of our trip. There are still enough things to see that we could probably spend another week in Scotland, but that’s not going to happen. So, we have to make some decisions about what to see and not … (more…)
Sometimes you can travel to a place and they never prepare you for the realities of what you might experience. That was the case when we landed in Kauai. We were never alerted to the overpopulation of chickens.
Dramatic cliffs, tropical scenery, gorgeous sunsets and beaches, pop culture and great food – that’s Kaua’i. Although we don’t usually go on tours, we signed up for two in Kaua’i: (more…)
Since my husband and I have both worked for the hotel industry in our careers, we have a healthy respect for those who run hotels and the employees who really make everything function. As a result, when we travel somewhere, we do not leave our room messy when we go out for the day. We gather our stuff and stow it so they can clean the room properly.
That said, our stay at a picturesque B & B on the Big Island of Hawaii, led to some confusing reactions. We performed our customary gather and stow in our room and left for the day to enjoy the scenery and tourist attractions. (more…)
We leave John O’Groats for a short trip to the town of Wick.
John O’Groats to Wick
Distance: 16 miles
Time: 22 min
A harbor town, Wick is also noted in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the Shortest Street In The World! 1 Ebenezer Place is a whopping 6 foot 9 inches. Yeah, that’s pretty short!
Wick is also noted for having the most northern malt whiskey distillery in Scotland, Old Pulteney Distillery. Although tours are given, we won’t have the time. (more…)
