Travel Tips & Adventures

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.

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Unfortunately, I was a victim of a scam this past week. It could have happened anywhere, to anyone, any time. But, it happened to me and I could kick myself!

 
Also, I paid the penalty by spending hours talking with my credit card company and the police, giving statements and trying to reconstruct a timeline.

 
Luckily, American Express was the credit card we had used to cover our travel expenses and they picked up on an irregular charge. They alerted me, so I could also look at my account and see that there was another charge, as well, that I had never made.

 
How did someone do this to me? I consider myself knowledgeable, skeptical and savvy. Well, it’s a long story, but it comes down to the fact that my zip code changed and I was vulnerable to people who said my credit information did not go through. This has happened numerous times, as this is the second time in two years that my zip code has been changed.

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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.

Boston, Massachusetts conjures up images of the fight for United States independence, history and old buildings.  It’s all of that and much more.  With the 4^th of July this week, Boston seems a great place to celebrate the USA’s birth.

Quincy Market - where street performances happen often

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Every girl likes her pearls – or other beads. It turns out that men, too, throughout time have valued beads. Beads are the featured and the only items on display in the unique Bead Museum in Glendale, Arizona.

What are beads? Anything that has a hole in it that can be strung. That means that our ancestors of 13,000 years ago who took a reindeer tooth and strung it on a leather strand had an early bead.

Iridescent decoration made from beetle wings

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Scotland: Fall 2009

As promised from yesterday, we’re continuing our journey down to Edinburgh.

Day 12

Aviemore to Edinburgh

Distance: 126.0 miles
Time: 2 hr 48 min

We are going to make a few stops and hopefully we’ll have time for all of them.

1st Stop

Blair Atholl

The village of Blair Atholl is approximately a 90-minute drive north from Edinburgh or Glasgow just off of the A9, 35 miles north of Perth.

Blair Castle

The seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl is touted as Scotland’s most visited historic house and is also the home of the Atholl Highlanders, Europe’s only remaining private army. (I think I’ll see if I can rent them out for a few jobs that I have pending around the house.) (more…)

In our effort to bring real travel experiences to you, we highlight a unique business with a good eco-ethic:

If you are in the Phoenix, Arizona area, a fun diversion and a good place to grab a meal is at the Queen Creek Olive Mill. For locavores – those who want their foods grown near where they are eating them – the Queen Creek Olive Mill fits the bill. (more…)

Scotland: Fall 2009

DAY 11
AVIEMORE

Okay, we’re staying put for the day … sort of …

We’re looking at a train ride, a little clan homecoming, and lots of scenery.

As I mentioned in a previous installment, my reasoning for staying in Aviemore (yes, it’s really on a map) for several days was due to its centralized location in the highlands. It is also the middle of recreation country.

The Cairngorm mountains and Cairngorm National Park host a plethora of sporting activities: fishing, canoeing, mountain biking, rock-climbing, hiking, golf, horse riding … even skiing in the winter (if there is enough snow). (more…)

Since Williams was hosting the Disney Christmas Carol train recently, I had the pleasure of seeing this quirky and historic northern Arizona town.

 
Billed as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon,” Williams is about 55 miles from the major attraction. They are small, but their marketing is powerful. (more…)

Scotland: Fall 2009

DAY 10

AVIEMORE

Scotch and CookiesTour!!!

Someone once said you can’t have cookies without having something to wash them down with. I believe they were talking about milk, so they must not have been from Scotland!

Today we are off on a tasting tour of the Highlands. No, we’re not looking for Haggis! We’re not looking for Cullen Skink! We’re looking for cookies … shortbread, to be precise. We’re also looking for something to wash them down with in the tradition of a fine single malt whiskey! (more…)