My Fab Fifties Life - North America Travel Archives - Page 6 of 11

North America Travel

My Favorite Things in New York City

May 6, 2022

Leave a Comment

10 Comments

I recently spent twelve days visiting New York City. It was my sixth visit to the city – my first when I was in college in 1980. Since then my visits have all been three to four days…never enough time to really feel the heart of this amazing city. Visiting for twelve days was incredible. We did not visit the top tourist attractions this time like Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island or the Empire State Building. We had done all that on previous visits. Instead we explored deeper, wandered widely and ate with gusto. It was easy to put together my favorite things in New York City. Here is our story.

Statue of Liberty from the Circle Line Boat Tour

Planning

Well I’m a planner, and so it’s not my style to wing it. And in New York City it helps to try to plan ahead. For example the day we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art with our pre-purchased tickets we avoided an hour and a half wait. We walked right in. I told my husband he should be happy he married a planner…:) I think he is. Try to do some planning and you will enjoy NYC with much less stress and less waiting in line.

Be sure in your planning to consider how far things are from each other. For instance group your activities in Lower Manhattan all together. Central Park and many of the Museums are also in the same area. Otherwise, you’ll waste a lot of time running from one end of the city to the other.

Where We Stayed

There are so many options to stay in NYC but we chose a small Airbnb for its location as much as anything else. This studio was on the ground floor with tons of storage, comfortable bed, small bath and even smaller kitchen. But it was in the Upper East Side, only three blocks to Central Park and two blocks to the subway. And we could afford it!

Art Museums and Tours

New York has a plethora of museums and these listed here are some of my favorite things in New York City. There are many others too…I’ll tick those off on my next visit.

Metropolitan Museum of Art – I can’t really rate all the museums but this was definitely one of my favorites. A beautiful display of timeless art and sculpture…I wish we had spent an entire day.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum – Smaller museum with changing exhibits but worth a visit to enjoy the beautiful building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Museum of Modern Art – large and sprawling museum home to everything from Monet to Warhol and everything in between.

Brooklyn Street Art Tour, The Bushwick Collective – We took a tour of the Bushwick Collective with a guide, the Brooklyn street mural art that has turned this neighborhood into an art Mecca. I highly recommend it.

The Cloisters – at the far north end of Manhattan is a small Medieval Art Museum associated with The Met. A surprisingly vast collection of Medieval Art, but for me the best part is the beautiful building. Worth a trip.

Other Museums

American Museum of Natural History – You can never see all of this vast museum, so before you go choose a few topics of interest to you and enjoy. Great for families. Get tickets online ahead of time.

The Tenement Museum – fascinating museum in Lower Manhattan that has put together multiple ways to learn about the tenement experience in New York City through the lives and voices of those who lived it. This is a do not miss.

The National September 11th Museum and Tour – Now one of the top tourist destinations in New York, the National September 11 Museum takes you down into the underground where the World Trade Centers used to stand. Here you explore a well thought-out and descriptive museum, all about that horrifying event. We chose to hire a guide for a two hour walk about the neighborhood before going into the museum. Our guide was able to show us many of the iconic spots where unforgettable things took place on September 11th 2001 and the days and weeks that followed. His insight as a New Yorker was so interesting. The tour was definitely worth the money.

Parks and Gardens

Central Park – One of my favorite places in the world. It is truly an incredible space, so well cared for by both the Central Park Conservancy and the local public. Adored by New Yorkers and visitors alike. Spend as much time as you can exploring all the pieces of this 1.32 square mile iconic park. It might just top my list of my favorite things in New York City.

The High Line – Stroll The Highline, a re-purposed elevated railroad track in lower Manhattan, turned into an elevated garden and walkway. Simply the best.

Bowling Green Park – if you take a boat out to the Statue of Liberty of Ellis Island you might depart form Bowling Green Park. It’s a beautiful little green space right on the Hudson River looking across to Lady Liberty.

New York Botanical Gardens – yes it’s all the way out in the Bronx but totally worth it. We really enjoyed our day here. The azaleas and lilacs were blooming and it was just incredibly beautiful, well planned and welcoming. A special orchid exhibit was on display in the Conservatory when we were there.

911 Memorial – Gorgeous and somber, the 911 Memorial recognizes each individual who died from the attacks on September 11th. It is a public space, a free park and gathering place and an absolute must when in New York City. Even if you don’t visit the The National September 11th Museum, be sure to come to the 911 Memorial Park. It is definitely one of my favorite things in New York City.

Icons

Brooklyn Bridge – we were blessed with a nice sunny day when we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, something I have always wanted to do. There were ALOT of people, but most people just walk about a quarter of the way out. It’s a fun and iconic thing to do with lots of photo opportunities.

New York Subway – my hubs has taught me not to fear the underground! And in NYC it’s cheap and efficient. We did not use Uber or taxis during our entire visit except to the airport…and if it wasn’t for the luggage we could have done a subway there too. I love people watching on the subway! Just keep alert and you’ll be safe.

Yankee Stadium – I’m not a huge baseball fan, but I do enjoy seeing different stadiums around the USA and I’ve been lucky to have been in some of the most iconic. The Yankee Stadium was rebuilt a decade or so ago, but it still reflects the historic old look of this iconic team. Yankees beat the Orioles 5-2.

Broadway – There is nothing like a live show on Broadway, and although the Times Square vibe to me feels like a cheaper version of the Las Vegas Strip, I do love live theater. I wish we could have seen more shows, but we saw two remarkable productions; Hamilton and Aladdin. Both amazing.

Rockefeller Center – I’ve always wanted to see the Christmas Tree and the Rockettes but I’ll have to do that in the future. But for this visit we made a quick visit to 30 Rock just to snap a few photos.

Boat Tour around Manhattan Island and the Manhattan Skyline – we hadn’t planned to do this until our friends recommended it highly. And I am so glad we did. Although the weather wasn’t the best, this tour is a wonderful way to learn history and get a real feel for the lay of the land (or island if you will). Great photos opportunities too for the beautiful and iconic Manhattan skyline.

Manhattan Skyline from the Circle Line tour

Restaurants

It’s impossible to eat at all the restaurants in this city. Just look for where the locals are! On this visit we chose some hidden gems instead of the more big name spots. Here is a short list we recommend;

Spicy Village in Chinatown – hole in the wall noodle and dumplings are a must.

Williamsburg Pizza in Brooklyn – much debate goes around about where to find the best pizza is in Brooklyn. Most people wait an hour at Grimaldi’s, Juliana’s or Lombardi’s. We dashed into this little spot and were very happy with our meal. I don’t think you can go wrong with pizza anywhere in NYC. As the saying goes, pizza was invented in Italy but perfected in New York.

Pizza Sicilian Style, Williamsburg Pizzas

Kashkaval Garden in Hells Kitchen – Mediterranean spot tucked into a warm and inviting small space in Hell’s Kitchen. The hummus was exceptional.

Il Corso in Midtown – I think this may have been my favorite meal in New York. I’m still dreaming about the burrata with fried artichokes.

Crave Fish Bar Upper West Side – our first meal the night we arrived in New York was this wonderful fresh and sustainable seafood restaurant. It was really good and the service was also great. Fun space. Check it out.

Boqueria in Upper East Side – I met my friend Heather here and this joint was busy! Reservations are needed in many NYC favorites. We did the tapas tasting meal…wow…I was rolling home.

Black Star Bakery in Gramercy Park – this bright and cheery spot was a pick-me-up on a busy afternoon. I’d like to go back for something off the delicious-looking breakfast menu.

Zia Maria in Little Italy – Very authentic Italian Restaurant in the fun and colorful neighborhood of Little Italy. There are dozens of restaurants and bars to chose from here…I’m sure most are great…but this one was where we ate lasagna and Lobster Ravioli

Ramen Ishida – the day we went to the Tenement Museum we were going to go to Katz’s Deli, even though we had been there once before. But the line was around the block! Although Katz’s is good, I’m not willing to stand in line for an hour and a half. So instead we stumbled upon this incredible little hole in the wall called Ramen Ishida. It was perfect for a cold windy day. Delicious and beautiful.

My Favorite Things in New York City

Well the twelve days of New York were hectic and fun and we were able to enjoy my favorite things in New York City. We saw a lot, but still didn’t see it all. We left a few things to explore on our next visit…in fact more than a few things. I realize most people can’t stay for twelve days. But hopefully this blog post My Favorite Things in New York City will help guide you to the things YOU find most interesting, in the city that never sleeps.

Meanwhile, check back next Friday, because I’ve saved my favorite neighborhoods for an entire separate blog post….the neighborhoods and boroughs are a colorful and interesting thing about the Big Apple. So diverse, historic and delicious! Look for that blog next Friday.

We love it when you pin and share our posts. Thank you.

Leave a comment

And The Grand Adventure Continues

Travel is Back for My Fab Fifties Life

April 15, 2022

Laureen

Leave a Comment

13 Comments

When we went to Iceland in June 2021 I thought travel was back. But then the Greek alphabet started to wreak havoc on our travel life. First Delta hit in the summer and then Omicron almost shut us down when we were in Mexico. That Pandamit refused to loose it’s grip. Now, more than two years since it started, we once again are cautiously dipping our toes into travel with a ten week tour. We are ready and The Grand Adventure Continues.

And the Grand Adventure Continues (Canva)

My word of the year for 2022 is caution. And although we always travel with caution, navigating a travel life today requires a great deal more preparation and caution than in the past. Changing rules for testing and entry requirements require constant monitoring. It requires patience. It requires time. And it also requires being a bit of a gambler.

Off We Go

So with all that in mind, we have spent the past several months planning, studying the CDC information and reading the US State Department guidelines. We have put hundreds of hours into our preparation to embark on this tour. The destinations listed below each are chosen for a specific reason – personal and cautionary…and the Grand Adventure continues.

New York City

Twice we have canceled a week long winter visit to NYC due to the Pandamit. When we decided to try again for a spring visit, it was because we were headed to Boston for a college reunion. But alas, the college reunion was canceled (sigh). So we added the days we were going to be in Boston to the days we had already booked for New York…giving us a nice long stay of eleven days.

We have been to New York at least a half a dozen times, but each time has always been only 2-3 days. Having eleven days gives us time to slowly see the city and all it’s fabulous museums, restaurants, neighborhoods and history. We have a full itinerary and are really looking forward to it. April 21-May 2.

Caribbean

When we first decided to head to the Caribbean after New York the other countries on our itinerary (see below) hadn’t totally opened up. So we decided to head to the turquoise waters of two islands we had never been to before. It’s been a long time since we spent time in the Caribbean and we are looking forward to ten days in Antigua (in an Airbnb with a car) and ten days in Turks & Caicos (a resort with no car). For us it’s incredibly rare that we stay in a resort, so this should be interesting. It’s not a super fancy all-inclusive, but it is nice and we expect it to be very relaxing and within our budget. May 2-May 21

Morocco

From the Caribbean we fly to Washington DC for a one night stay, where we will also do a Covid test for entry into Morocco. This is also where we will rendezvous with our two adult sons, who are joining us for the Morocco portion of this itinerary. We are off to Morocco to attend a wedding reception of a friend of our family…a party that has been canceled three previous times since the Pandamit hit. Before the wedding in Fes, our family will spend a week touring Morocco. This is my second visit to Morocco and I am really looking forward to seeing this beautiful country again, sharing it with my two adult children and attending a traditional Moroccan wedding. It should be an incredible experience. May 23-May 31.

Senegal

The West Africa nation of Senegal has been on my list for a long time due to it’s fascinating history, but we have never been able to squeeze it in. But it’s a short flight from Casablanca to Dakar so we will check Senegal off the bucket list. We have a brief visit (five days) and have hired a tour guide for two days to take us to some of the major sites. May 31 – June 5.

Paris

From Senegal we are headed to the island of Malta, but to get to Malta requires a flight and an overnight in Paris. Well Paris is always a good idea, right? Fingers crossed for good weather to spend one full day strolling around my favorite arrondissements of the city of lights and eating everything I can. June 5-6

Malta

The next three stops on this tour are three places Covid shut us down in, and we have been counting the days until we could return. So we begin with Malta.

We were supposed to spend three weeks on Malta in May of 2020…of course that didn’t happen. It’s a destination I have wanted to visit for years. Full of beauty and history and fascinating geography…if you don’t know much about Malta you would probably recognize it from the role it plays in many movies and TV shows including Game of Thrones. We are staying in the historic town of Valletta in an Airbnb and we will not have a car except for one day when we have a car to see the ancient city of M’dina. I’ve booked a food tour and a one day tour to the island of Gozo. The rest of the time we will explore on foot. June 6-15th

Israel

In March of 2020 after only five days of our 17 day itinerary in Israel we fled the country to avoid being put into a two week quarantine. We fled to Cyprus (more on that below) and I cried in the car as we drove to the airport. We had seen some amazing sites in Israel, but no where near all, including Jerusalem and Masada. I had waited to visit Israel since I was a child and learned about it from a Girl Scout leader. My heart was broken.

So let’s try it again. This time we will spend our entire 7 day visit in Jerusalem in an Airbnb. We have a Jerusalem tour one day, another tour to Bethlehem in Palestine one day, and we will rent a car and drive to Masada one day. We also have booked a Shabat dinner with a local family. These are all high on my wishlist. I love the food of this region too, and I can’t wait to eat all of it! June 15 – 22

Cyprus

Dear sweet Cyprus. It holds such a special place in my heart, after we spent two months in lockdown on this gorgeous island. But during that two months we did not see any of the amazing historic sites, enjoy any of it’s stunning beaches or eat in any of it’s amazing restaurants. Covid had everything shut down. We have vowed to return and now we will.

Unfortunately we only have seven days, but we know exactly what we want to see and do, and we can make it happen. Looking forward to staying in the same Airbnb we were trapped in for two months and we can’t wait to see our hosts who were so kind to us. We also hope to see our friend Leza who we met and spent a day with in a cooking class – the only thing we got to do before we went into lockdown.

Cyprus is a fascinating tiny country with a disputed border, fantastic food, ancient history (supposedly the birthplace of Aphrodite), mountains and beaches and so much more. Dear sweet Cyprus. We are coming. June 23-30

Ten Weeks and The Grand Adventure Continues

This itinerary is busy…much busier than we usually pursue. But we are taking a deep breath and tackling it, because life is short and due to the Pandamit we have some catching up to do! We will arrive back in the USA June 30th for the summer months before we go again.

We hope you will follow along on this blog and all of our social media sites (Facebook Group, Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram) and of course here on the blog where I hope to have a post almost every Friday.

Be brave and get out there! Travel is back! And the Grand Adventure continues. Away we go.

We love it when you pin and share our blog posts.

See last week’s post Travel Wardrobe for Multiple Climates.

See this week’s top performing pin here My Favorite Things Ogunquit Maine

All photos in this post by CANVA

Leave a comment

North America Travel -- South & Central America Travel

Relaxing in Puerto Escondido Mexico

December 17, 2021

Laureen

Leave a Comment

10 Comments

Location: Puerto Escondido Oaxaca Mexico

We really were looking for somewhere to relax and enjoy some quiet time, after a whirlwind week in Mexico City. I had heard good things about the state of Oaxaca but we had never visited. I didn’t want to go to another big city after being in Mexico City, so we settled on the small town of Puerto Escondido. Here is what we did during our 17 days relaxing in Puerto Escondido Mexico.

Sunset Puerto Escondido — The Beach near our Airbnb

Where is Puerto Escondido

Located on the Pacific Coast in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, it’s 246km from the city of Oaxaca and you can drive it in about four hours. However, a new highway will open soon and will cut that time in half. We flew from Mexico City on Viva Aerobus. The flight was about 50 minutes.

History of Puerto Escondido

Though pre-hispanic peoples lived in this region from time to time, the area was not really settled permanently until the 1930’s due to lack of fresh water. The word Escondido means hidden, and refers to an ancient story of a captive Mexican woman escaping and hiding in the jungle from her pirate captors.

Today it is one of the most popular beach and surfing destinations for both Mexicans and international travelers. But prior to tourism the mountains around the town were known for coffee growing and the port was used to ship coffee.

Mexican coffee — Coffee roasting in Puerto Escondido

Surfer’s Paradise

We found the area home to the surfer crowd, much younger than us. We had no interest in surfing or partying, but there is a lot of that going on. Since the crowd is young, there is plenty of inexpensive lodging and dining available too. Parts of the area are very rural…sometimes I felt like I was in Southeast Asia, and sometimes it even felt like third world Africa. But we always felt safe and finding our way on foot with Google maps always worked. There are plenty of taxis too.

We noticed a lot of construction of condos and mansions being built on rough dirt and nearly impassable roads. We learned Europeans are coming here in droves and buying or building second homes because it is so inexpensive. Like in so many places, this is displacing locals and causing them to move further from town.

Zicatela — Beautiful homes on horrible roads

Villa Tortuga

We found a beautiful villa through Airbnb called Villa Tortuga located several miles from the actual town of Puerto Escondido and 2 miles to the small surfing village of Zicatela. The villas were beautiful, comfortable and with a view. Our villa included daily housekeeping and our housekeeper Mary also did some shopping and cooking for us and did our laundry. However, we found on the weekend even Villa Tortuga attracted a younger (and noisier) crowd. Listening to other people’s loud music doesn’t fit into my fab fifties life. We really loved the lap pool and the larger pool at the beach about a five minute walk from our villa. The waves are really big so we didn’t swim in the ocean, but sitting ocean side by the pool was our favorite thing to do. Airbnb $150 USD before tax.

A Couple Things To Do

Since our goal was to just spend time relaxing in Puerto Escondido Mexico we really didn’t do much else. However we did take an informative and delicious Food Tour with Puerto Food Tours – cost $60 USD per person.

Our favorite activity was a Mezcal Distillery tour we took with Puerta Mezcal Tours. Owner Antoine was excellent and shared his enthusiasm for Puerto Escondido and Mezcal with our group of six at Ruu Piiil Distillery in Zicatela. I learned so much and we tasted eleven different Mezcals! $59 USD per person.

We found it safe to run in the morning although most of the time we were on dusty roads. One time I had to wait while the goats (and a very small goat herder) took up the entire road.

We also walked to lunch in Zicatela at Savanna one day (about 2 and half miles from our villa) and took a taxi to another popular restaurant called Agua Sala. We had great meals at each – neither have websites.

Enmoledas — Delicious Enmoleadas for Lunch at Savanna

We walked to tiny shops and tortilla stand close to our villa to get simple supplies for cooking at home. We walked one day to the Zicatella Mercado about 2.5 miles. We picked up some produce and had a nice coffee and croissant with a view.

Relaxing in Puerto Escondido Mexico

There is more to do here if you are so inclined…hiking, shopping, lots of street food and restaurants. There are cooking classes and surfing lessons and snorkeling tours, as well as whale watching. A popular activity is releasing baby turtles into the wild that have been hatched in a turtle nursery.

It’s a sweet place with a quaint vibe and awesome weather. We paid more than we needed to for our Airbnb, but generally everything else is dirt cheap. I can see why the young people love it…and it’s not too bad for us oldies either. There are many options to stay busy or pursue our goal of relaxing in Puerto Escondido Mexico.

Looking to chill? I recommend relaxing in Puerto Escondido Mexico. Muy Bien.

See last week’s blog post about Eating My Way Through Mexico City.

Check out our YouTube video about Eating Local Mexico City.

We love it when you pin and share our blog posts. Gracias.

Please Note – No Travel Friday blog for the next two weeks. We wish you a pleasant and safe holiday wherever you are and however you celebrate. Hoping for a joyful and safe 2022 with less strife and fewer travel restrictions. Thank you for your continued support. Stay safe. All the best!

Leave a comment

North America Travel

Winter Hiking Road Trip in Utah and Arizona

December 3, 2021

Laureen

Leave a Comment

15 Comments

Location: Utah and Arizona USA

We love the American Southwest and we especially love it in the winter time, when we want to get out of the gray and gloom back in the Pacific Northwest. So we decided to take a week to see some of the amazing sites of these two areas that had eluded us. I’ve spent time in Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands and Sedona, but there is still much to see beyond those amazing places. So here is an easy itinerary with incredible scenery for a sightseeing and winter hiking road trip in Utah and Arizona.

We flew into Las Vegas, arriving after midnight, and headed to a hotel. Since we weren’t looking to do any Las Vegas activities we decided to stay off-strip and booked a comfortable but not fancy room at the Best Western McCarran Hotel.

Day One

It was nearly noon by the time we got out of Las Vegas on the first day of our winter hiking road trip in Utah and Arizona. Heading north and east on I-15 we drove about an hour to our first stop, Valley of Fire State Park. I’ve been to Valley of Fire before, in fact a couple times, but I really wanted to spend more time hiking here. Afternoon temperatures in November were 75 Fahrenheit, and the dry air requires hikers to drink lots of water.

This beautiful park feels much more like a National Park than a State Park. Entrance fee for a car is $15. We stopped at the Visitor Center for bathroom break, snacks and a map and then headed off to hike.

We did a 3 mile loop trail called Fire Wave/Seven Wonders, accessible for just about any hiking skill. There is a tiny bit of incline, but nothing too steep. Great views and the landscape is incredible. If you don’t want to do the loop you can do an easy out and back to Fire Wave which is about 1.5 miles round trip. It will give you a nice introduction to the fascinating geology of the area.

Leaving Valley of Fire heading away from Las Vegas towards Utah, you exit the park through a different gate than the one you entered. This drive gives you more remarkable sites to enjoy.

Our nights destination was St George Utah, another hour on I-15. First you pop through Arizona for a hot minute then into Utah. There is a time zone change at the Arizona state line. You might want to pick up alcohol in Arizona, if you are so inclined, before entering Utah.

Arriving in St George we stayed at a simple Clarion Hotel just off the freeway on Mile Drive. Nothing fancy but good enough. Nice breakfast included.

Day Two

I love waking up in Utah, one of my favorite states. But we had never spent much time in St George. Temperatures today were a comfortable mid sixties. First we headed to the old town, very cute with shops and restaurants. We stopped at the historic winter home of Brigham Young. Here we learned that Young came to St George because it is the warmest place in Utah and he liked it for his health.

Next we visited Pioneer Park, a hill park with wonderful rock formations and city views right in the middle of town. Next we headed to Snow Canyon State Park. Here is another fascinating, huge park with so many wonderful trails. Amazing that it is not a National Park. We did three hikes in Snow Canyon;

Johnson’s Canyon – we had this hike all to ourselves and especially enjoyed the fall colors in the dry river valley below.

2. Petrified Dunes – I loved this the most, like walking over waves of sand turned to hard rock from thousands of years ago.

3. Lava Flow – This hike has lava tubes, but we did not have headlamps so we did not go in, just peeked in a bit.

Day Three

We were up early for the long drive across Utah with a planned visit to Wire Pass Slot Canyon. Driving across Utah on US 89, you head south on House Rock Valley Road (a dirt road). Follow this road 8 miles to a nice parking lot with rest rooms to begin this easy and amazing hike. BTW the road is bumpy but manageable in most cars, unless its been raining then don’t try it. Weather today was sunny and cool and dry about 55 degrees.

Follow the hike for about a mile along a dry wide riverbed which takes you to the slot canyon. My husband did this hike last spring with some friends and he was astonished to see that the area had recently had a flash flood. In fact the flood deposited debris nearly thirty feet over our head in the slot canyon. You definitely don’t want to be here during a flash flood.

But no flood today and this was truly one of my all-time favorite hikes. Very easy except just two or three times when you need to scramble over some boulders and go down one ladder. All worth it for the beauty of the canyon.

You can actually continue on all the way to the Grand Canyon on this trail (at least fifty miles), but on this day we did it as an out and back, about 6 miles round trip.

Back in the car we continued south down the dirt road towards Hwy 89A. We made a quick stop at the Condor Viewing Platform (no condors on this day) then headed off the dirt road and onto the paved two lane highway east towards Page Arizona. It’s about another hour to Page and the late afternoon light made the Vermilion Cliffs just beautiful. We stopped for a brief photo at the historic Cliff Dwellers Trading Post and another quick walk on the historic Navajo Bridge over the Colorado at Marble Canyou.

As we were entering Page we stopped to visit the famous Horseshoe Bend. Worth the $10 per car entrance fee. You will recognize this view from travel books and calendars. The iconic bend in the beautiful Colorado River is not to be missed – its been on my list for years. Visiting off-season like we did means you won’t need to battle the crowds and tour bus groups.

We had a nice and inexpensive dinner at Bonkers Italian Restaurant before collapsing into bed at the Baymount by Wyndham, a beautiful brand new hotel. Only $57 a night in off season.

Day Four

Prior to arriving in Page we had pre-booked a tour to Antelope Canyon with Antelope Canyon Tours. You can no longer tour the canyon on your own, due to ridiculous people who think carving their name on the canyon is their right. So now the Navajo Nation only allows guided tours and you must wear a mask the whole time. All of that was okay with me. Tour cost was $77 per person.

It was a cold morning and the ride to the canyon was in an open air vehicle so I was really glad to have my down jacket. Our group of 7 plus our wonderful guide Sonny arrived at the canyon about 10:30am. Over the next hour Sonny guided us through the stunning canyon, explaining the geology and sacred Navajo beliefs about the canyon. Sonny was also really helpful with photos and pointing out great photo opportunities. It was better than I had imagined and I am so very glad we made the effort to come here.

That evening we had an early dinner at the Bird House – the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.

Day Five

This was a very long day but really worth it. Again with the Antelope Canyon Tour Company we headed out for a full day, this time not in an open air vehicle, to White Pocket. You can visit White Pocket in the Vermilion Cliff without a guide, but NOT without a high clearance 4WD vehicle. So our group of five traveled more than two hours in a Suburban along a very bumpy, sandy road.

Arriving in White Pocket, its difficult to even describe the sight. This is not a canyon, but rather a remarkable landscape that juts out of the earth, all white and vermilion and swirling like a hurricane. It reminded me of Star Wars, of pillows that my grandma used to have on her couch, and bacon. Seriously one of the most unique sights I have ever seen. A must see to believe. We spent about two hours walking all over this incredible fluke of nature.

Our tour included sandwiches and bottled water all for the price of $180 per person. And then another two hour, bumpy drive back to Page.

We enjoyed dinner at the popular Dam Bar & Grille before collapsing into bed happily reminiscing about this amazing region.

Day Six

We checked out of our hotel in Page early and proceeded to drive the two hours to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Some of this drive included backtracking along roads we had traveled already, but the scenery in this region, particularly the Vermilion Cliffs never gets old. So stunning.

Right before we entered the National Park we saw a Grey Wolf off in the distance, about 300 yards. We stopped the car and did our best to capture a picture. Seeing a Grey Wolf in the wild is incredibly rare and we were excited and astounded.

We had been to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon several times, but never to the North Rim. The North Rim entrance gate was unmanned, and the lodges and visitor center closed for the season. There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot. It was 42 degrees when we arrived, but through out the day we peeled off clothes as the temperature increased.

We did a short hike out to the Bright Angel Point lookout with fantastic views across the Canyon to the South Rim. We then hiked down into the canyon on the Kaibab Trail, the only trail from this side of the Canyon that goes to the bottom. But today was not a day for us to go to the bottom. Instead we hiked about 1.5 miles, had our picnic on the trail, then turned around and hiked back up. It was steep but not too hard and oh so beautiful.

After our hike we continued our drive another 4 hours back to Las Vegas for the night.

Winter Hiking Road Trip in Utah and Arizona

Even if you aren’t much of a hiker, none of these hikes were very difficult and all of them were so unique and beautiful. The geology of this region never ceases to amaze me, and everyone should see it at least once in their life. Doing this tour in six days gave us plenty of time to enjoy our itinerary without feeling too rushed. If you wanted to spend more time at the Grand Canyon, or visit Zion, Bryce or Moab, you would want to consider adding another week. Most the roads are good, and abundant lodging is available. I highly recommend avoiding this tour in the ridiculously busy summer months. You just won’t be able to enjoy it as much.

Thanks for reading about our winter hiking road trip in Utah and Arizona. We love it when you comment, pin and share our blog posts. Thank you!

See last week’s blog post Traveling Deeper – Finding the Real Maui Hawaii here.

See this week’s top performing pin Six Great Hikes on the Island of Maui

Leave a comment

Island Life -- North America Travel

Napili Surprise – Our New Favorites

October 22, 2021

Laureen

Leave a Comment

11 Comments

Location: Napili Maui Hawaii USA

We have always stayed in Kihei when visiting Maui. Kihei is in the southern part of the island, with a dry and almost desert like climate. But this time we are house sitting for our friends, and are finding we are loving the west side and the experience of many new things. Although I have spent so much time on the island of Maui, it never ceases to surprise me! Here are some thoughts – Napili Surprise Our New Favorites.

Napili Surprise

Napili is a tiny hamlet tucked in between Kahana and Kapalua about three miles north of the more well-known and touristy Kaanapali area. Technically all these places mentioned above are part of the city of Lahaina, but each has a distinct flavor of its own.

Napili is book ended by Kapalua on the north, which I would describe as affluent and upscale, home to the renowned Kapulua Golf Club. On its south flank Napili borders Kahana, more simple and family oriented with condos but also many local residential neighborhoods.

It’s actually hard to define where Napili begins and ends, but for my purposes in this blog post, my reference points are from Kapalua Beach to Kahana Sunset Condos along the Lower Honoapiilani Hwy.

Climate and History

Napili has a long and rich history going back to its first Polynesian settlers arriving in the 8th century. Wet and lush, the region was and still is a prominent agricultural area for native islanders.

Although not the rainiest part of the island, Napili’s annual rainfall is four times that of the arid Kihei area. While we were here we saw spits of rain nearly everyday, but only two times was it significant enough to keep us from our plans. Much of the rain happens overnight or early morning from my observations. And due to this, there are rainbows every single day. So beautiful.

Maui Rainfall Map – Napili in the yellow zone while Kihei is in the red zone

During our six weeks living in Napili we have loved the low-key local vibe, especially since we have been living in an apartment complex of locals rather than in a tourist resort. The school bus comes each morning and neighbors are friendly and it feels very much like home.

Our Favorites

The Napili surprise – finding our favorites in this small little village has been very easy. There are a few ocean side resorts, and I hope when people stay in one of those, they get out and see some of this tiny town. For instance;

Napili Plaza – the only shopping area in Napili, the plaza is home to a small but great grocery store (the Napili Market), as well as hair and nail salons, mail services, a coffee shop and bakery, a boutique and a handful of small restaurants which are all worth a visit.

A’ A Roots – I’m not vegan, but I am very much into healthy eating and sustainable food and that is the mission of A’ A Roots, a small vegan restaurant in Napili Plaza. When we visited the inside was still closed due to Covid, but they had a few outside tables and take away as well. We had a fantastic meal for lunch and it’s a not-to-miss spot in Napili.

Slack Key Show – Grammy winning George Kahumoku Jr and a group of very talented local artists perform twice a week at the Napili Kai resort. This fabulous series is in its 18th year and is a great way to learn about Hawaii’s love of the slack key guitar, as well as the ukelele. This concert was an amazing Napili surprise and we enjoyed it very much.

Kapalua Coastal Trail – Although named after Kapalua, the trail begins in Napili and heads north through Kapalua. This trail offers astonishing views of the ocean, the island of Molokai and sometimes whales and dolphins. At the northern end of the trail you will find the Dragon’s Teeth Labyrinth, definitely worth a visit. If you are up to it, from the Labyrinth take Office Road up the hill past the Honolua Store to Pineapple Hill for a beautiful view and work out.

Napili Farmers Market – walking distance from our apartment and Napili Plaza is the twice-a-week Napili Farmers Market. Held every Wednesday and Saturday, the market changes regularly but offers local produce, honey, baked goods and crafts. We purchased some delicious Baba ganoush and flat bread.

Sunset at Honokeana Bay – This rocky bay is a bit difficult to access (look for the gravel trail between Honokeana Cove and Napili Point Resorts), but is a beautiful place for spotting sea turtles and for watching the sunset. Check it out.

Honu (Sea Turtles)– The native Hawaii Green Sea Turtle is protected under the endangered species act since 1978. It is against federal law to touch or harass these beautiful creatures either in the water or on land. Every beach we visited in Napili offered a great way to view the turtle population from the beach. The Honu have increased in number since they became protected, and as frequent visitors to Maui we definitely have noticed an increase in Honu sightings. Napili is a great place to watch these beautiful creatures from a respectful distance.

Check out this link below of a video we posted on Instagram of a green sea turtle.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CVRbNDXl_ot/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Napili Bay – This beautiful bay is a great place to snorkel, swim and enjoy the sandy beach. There is a small public parking area on the south end of the beach. A handful of small condos front the beach as well as the historic and beautiful Napili Kai Resort.

The Sea House Restaurant – One of my top restaurants on the entire island, the gorgeous beach front restaurant The Sea House is in the Napili Kai resort on the north end of beautiful Napili Bay. Make a reservation and don’t miss a beautiful evening at The Sea House. Funny story, when we ate there it started to pour down rain but my food was so delicious I carried under the eaves to finish it…I didn’t want to miss a bite!!!

Napili Kai Resort and The Sea House Restaurant

The Gazebo – So this is one of those places that gets a reputation and then it explodes…some people waiting hours to eat macadamia nut pancakes or a mountain of fried rice with eggs. I’m not sure it warrants a two hour wait, but the view is nice, it’s fairly inexpensive by Maui standards and it’s kind of a local icon. If you don’t want to wait for hours arrive by 7am for the 7:30 opening.

On the Fringe

Technically not in Napili, we also spent a lot of time at Kapalua Bay and Secret Beach in Kahana. Additionally we frequently visited The Fish Market on the border between Kahana and Kaanapali as well as the long stretch of Kaanapali Beach. Our favorite beach was Secret Beach in Kahana, because, as it’s name implies, we usually had it to ourselves, except for the dozens of green sea turtles that call this beach home.

Talking to Green Sea Turtles at Secret Beach, Kahana

Surprising Maui

Through the years and our many visits to this beautiful island I continue to be astonished by the variety of hidden gems we find each visit. You will never see everything because Maui constantly changes and evolves while remaining graceful and beautiful and friendly. Maui – The Valley Isle. Napili Surprise – Our New Favorites.

Maui No Ka Oi.

See last week’s blog post Maui Top Five.

See this week’s top performing post on Pinterest here My Self Care Journey With Noom

We love it when you pin and share our blog posts. Mahalo!

Leave a comment

North America Travel

Ogunquit Maine – My Favorite Things

The Way Life Should Be

September 17, 2021

Laureen

Leave a Comment

9 Comments

Location: Ogunquit Maine

We recently spent a week in beautiful Ogunquit Maine. We have been to Ogunquit before, but on this trip we had more time to explore. It’s an incredible destination and I’m sure we will visit again. In fact, Maine has a marketing slogan; Maine – The Way Life Should Be. I couldn’t agree more! Here are my thoughts – Ogunquit Maine – My Favorite Things.

Ogunquit Maine – My Favorite Things

Ogunquit was still pretty crowded with late summer tourists, and we were trying to social distance. So some of the things we may have done normally (such as the live theater or dining) we chose to avoid for the most part. We did dine out a couple of times, outdoors, and we also went in to a few shops. Mostly our activities involved being outside with our friends. And with great weather, there was no better place to be for any outdoor activity. Our list of favorites begins below.

Lobster

Duh. When in Maine, eat lobster. Now being a born and raised Pacific Northwest girl, I have a hard time finding a crustacean that lives up to Dungeness Crab. But I put lobster as a close second, especially when you can have really good, sweet and fresh lobster from Maine. During our week in Maine I ate lobster four times; breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ogunquit offers dozens of places to eat lobster as well as many places to purchase fresh caught lobster for cooking at home. We did both, and also ate lobster on our final day Portland Maine. In Ogunquit I had a lobster omelette at the Omelette Factory, a lobster roll at Barnacle Billy’s and we bought and cooked fresh whole lobster one night with our friends. I also had another lobster roll at Gilbert’s in Portland. By the way, Gilbert’s clam chowder was great. Eating in general was great but lobster in Ogunquit Maine – My Favorite Things.

Walking, Running, Hiking

If you follow our blog you know that walking, running and hiking are a big part of our daily life, and while in Ogunquit we had plenty of opportunities for all of these. Since we were training for a half marathon we stayed on our running schedule with runs along the flat and beautiful Ocean Ave in the neighboring village of Wells. We also really enjoyed running in York Beach and along Long Sand Beach. Both of these areas are perfect for walking too. We also enjoyed walking at low tide on Ogunquit Beach and the path called Marginal Way at Perkins Cove.

With our group of friends we hiked one day in Agamenticus Mountain. This conservation area offers dozens of trails for a variety of hiking levels. We ended our hiking morning with more than eight miles and a bit more elevation than I was expecting. Phew it was a workout but also a beautiful and peaceful area. I highly recommend it.

Shops in Ogunquit

I’m not a big shopper, but I did want to pick up a few small gifts as well as a lobster charm to add to my ever-growing collection on my charm bracelet. So we took some time to check out a few shops in Ogunquit. Some of my favorite shops were in Perkins Cove and this is where I found my charm and some earrings at Sea Glass Jewelry. I also enjoyed the Ogunquit Village Food Market and the Ogunquit Soap Company on the main drag in Ogunquit.

Kennebunkport and York

Bookending Ogunquit are several small villages and towns, including Kennebunkport and York. We spent one morning in Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. I wanted to see the Bush Family compound and it’s astonishing how close you can get to it from the viewpoint at Walkers Point (see photo). But my favorite thing in Kennebunkport was Saint Ann’s By-the-Sea Episcopal Church.

York is actually not that small, made up of several villages that fall under the York jurisdiction. We visited York Beach, home to many resorts and shops. It is the quintessential New England Beach town. It was a great place to run but while running I kept stopping to take photos because it was just so stink’n cute!

Lighthouses

Cape Neddick is home to the Nubble Lighthouse in York Beach, one of the most famous in Maine. It is positioned on a tiny island about a hundred yards from the Cape, accessed by a tiny gondola. But visitors can only view it from the cape.

We spent one day in Portland Maine (about an hour north of Ogunquit) and visited two lighthouses here including the Portland Head Light and the much smaller Bug Light. Portland Head Light was my favorite and is everything you would imagine in a Maine Light House. The park at Portland Head Light – Fort Williams Park is really lovely too.

Portland Day Trip

On our final day we made our way an hour north to Portland for a quick visit. Besides the two lighthouses mentioned above, and lunch at Gilberts (also mentioned above) we walked around Old Port. It was a glorious sunny day and so we did not visit any of the museums, instead enjoyed the gorgeous scenery over the water and boats and tucked into a few shops. The pottery available is wonderful in this part of Maine. You could easily spend several days exploring Portland.

Boston

Finally, we said farewell to our friends and headed back to Boston for one night before our early morning flight. We have been to Boston MANY times so did not attempt to do any of its wonderful tourist things, but we did enjoy a Red Sox game that evening in the incomparable Fenway Park. The last time I was in Fenway was 1982. It was great to be back. We plan to be back in Boston next spring, so we saved visiting the other iconic sites for then.

Flying in and out of Logan Airport in Boston when visiting Ogunquit is easy. The drive from Boston to Ogunquit is about an hour and a half. You can also fly to Portsmouth New Hampshire or Portland Maine – both about an hour drive to Ogunquit.

The Way Life Should Be

We tentatively hope to be back in New England again next September with a visit to Acadia and parts North. Hopeful we can pull that off…but our week in this beautiful state will not soon be forgotten. Good friends, good food and good fun. Can’t ask for anything better than that.

Maine – The Way Life Should Be. Ogunquit Maine – My Favorite Things

See this week’s top performing pin here, Nashville For First-Timers.

See last week’s Running for Recovery post here.

We love it when you pin and share our blog

Leave a comment

At Home -- North America Travel

Rain Forest Lodge, Lake Quinault

A Review

August 13, 2021

Laureen

Leave a Comment

2 Comments

Location: Lake Quinault, Washington State, USA

A couple of weeks ago my family had the pleasure of staying in a rustic lakeside cabin at the Rain Forest Lodge, Lake Quinault. Don’t be confused, this is not the Lake Quinault Lodge. It is a smaller and much more affordable option just down the road. Here is my review of Rain Forest Lodge, Lake Quinault.

Just the Boys

My husband and grown sons planned a summer through-hike in the Olympic National Park, starting at the Dosewallips River in Brinnon and hiking 40 miles to Lake Quinault. This four day hike was a great father-son activity, while I stayed home and attended the wedding of my friend’s daughter. The hike was a huge success, with great weather and even greater views and a lifelong goal for my husband. I’m so glad they went.

Then There Were Four

After four days I drove to the Lake Quinault trailhead to meet them. They arrived dirty, smelly and happy. We then proceeded to the Rain Forest Lodge, an old rustic lodge right on the shores of beautiful glacier-fed Lake Quinault. We chose to stay in one of the lakeside cabins here instead at the much more expensive Lake Quinault Lodge a mile down the road. The Rain Forest Lodge has a spectacular location that includes lake view fireplace cabins (ours, #6, was the best), a small motel style roadside inn, and RV camping. Our two bedroom cabin had a big bathroom, a well equipped kitchen, a nice living area and a very large deck for $360 a night for four people.

Lake Quinault

Beautiful Lake Quinault is a glacial carved lake at the end of the Quinault River, located on the southern edge of the Olympic National Park in the Quinault Rainforest. The temperate rainforest and area around Lake Quinault receives an average of 333 centimeters (131 inches) of precipitation per year! Long before logging arrived or the Lake Quinault Lodge was built (1926) or Olympic National Park was created (1938), Lake Quinault was home to the Quinault people, a Coast Salish Tribe.

The Salmon House

The Rain Forest Lodge has a general store, laundromat, post office and one of the best restaurants for miles around. No contest. The affordable menu at The Salmon House is amazing. We got our dinner to go and took it back to our cabin and we enjoyed it so much. They offer the most delicious salmon you will ever have, as well as lots of other options too. Even if you aren’t staying over you might consider eating here. Check out the menu here.

Take out salmon and burgers was so amazing

World’s Largest Spruce Tree

Now this isn’t like the largest ball of yarn, or the Corn Palace. This is truly the world’s largest Spruce Tree and it’s right on the property at The Rain Forest Lodge. Here is what their website says about it;

Lake Quinault is the “Valley of the Rain Forest Giants©” and the Big Spruce Tree at the Resort is one of them. The tree is the World’s Largest Spruce with a circumference of 58 feet, 11 inches, diameter of 18 feet, 9 inches and 191 feet tall for a total of 922 AFA points. A very large tree near Seaside, Oregon claimed to be the United States largest spruce tree, it has 902 AFA points. The American Forestry Association declared them close enough to be CO-champions. But sadly the Seaside tree fall to a winter storm in 2007, but another large Spruce tree has been found up the Queets Valley and again it has a few less AFA pionts then the Quinault tree but is larger in wood volume. it is about a 45 minute drive from the resort.

Free to visit and you should.

So that is my review of The Rain Forest Lodge, Lake Quinault. You should definitely visit. I’m sure we will go back again.

We love it when you pin and share our blog posts.

Leave a comment

Older Posts

Newer Posts

Follow us as we inspire you to live your best life now. We find inspiration in our Retired Midlife through travel and learning new cultures, writing and reading! What inspires you? I am a retired Grey Goddess on the Go, here to empower and inspire you through your Fabulous middle years! We write regular travel posts and book reviews and have been sharing this blog for 12 years!! Join our club and be fabulous too! You can find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Threads. My Fab Fifties Life!