Vacation Advisory!

Started by SonicMan46, June 01, 2007, 06:57:18 PM

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Brian

Quote from: SonicMan on July 29, 2008, 05:20:56 PM
Hello Brian - very unfortunate pictures of the flooding in that area!  I was born in Toledo, Ohio and grew up in southern Michigan (just over the state line) - spent 7 yrs @ the U of Michigan in Ann Arbor before moving to North Carolina in 1971 (been in NC ever since!) - however, my son attended IU in Bloomington, IN, married a gal from IN and now lives in Indianapolis, which we visit at least once a year (goin' there in October) - so quite familiar w/ that area - hope that you had a good time!   :D
Had a great time!
I even spend a day in Ann Arbor, and can assure you that July is definitely the best time to be there.  :D Campus was quiet and almost tranquil, and the weather was beautiful - I could have spent all day sitting out in front of the graduate library people-watching. If only some of that cool weather would get down to Texas, where it was 103 today...

Oh, and Indiana girls are the best.  ;)

SonicMan46

#81
Well not any activity for over a month!  :o

Susan & I are currently in Memphis, TN for a 5- nighter - staying at the famous & historic Peabody Hotel (fountain in the lobby shown below) - famous for the ducks since the 1930s - ducks appear @ 11AM & leave @ 5PM - dozens (if not hundreds of people show up for this event) - ducks enter or leave on a red carpet to one of the elevators and are taken to their overnight 'home' at the top of the hotel - observed this scene today (and many years ago w/ my son on a 'blues trip' we did to MS w/ a final stay @ the same hotel) -  :D

Activities so far have included Sun Studio (if you go, take the tour - the studio remains 'as is' when Elvis recorded his first works); Stax Museum of American Soul Music - first visit and extremely extensive & impressive - if you like this music (check out the link), then this is a MUST visit!  And today, a visit to Graceland, Memphis home of Elvis Presley the last 20 yrs of his short life - this is a very commercial but well done tour; again, worth a visit if you're in Memphis & like the origins of Rock & Roll music from the '50s.  More activities comin' up the next few days -  :)

Also, we've been eating quite well, so may add a post to the 'eating' thread -  :D

SonicMan46

Well, finishing up the last half of our Memphis visit (ran out of time - plenty more to see!) - yesterday did a Mississippi Boat ride - nothing fancy but pleasant on the river, great skyline view of Memphis on the bluff, and a good guide (other rides for me on this river were out of Vicksburg, MS years ago w/ my son, & a LOT of river rides in New Orleans).

Last full day today - first a visit to the Gibson Guitar Factory, just south of Beale Street; short but instructive 45 minute tour of the factory - great shop selling the VERY EXPENSIVE Gibson line of guitars (made in Boseman, Montana now) and other lines of guitars now owned by this company.  Wife was in the market for a 'metal string' acoustic guitar, so bought her an 'early' Christmas present below - from their Epiphone Masterbilt line - natural mahogany body w/ a solid Sitka spruce top - sounds great & expecting some nice singing & playing from her!  :D

After a light lunch, the rest of the afternoon was spent at the Memphis Rock N Soul Museum - kind of a branch of the Smithsonian in D.C. - nice introductory film + audio headsets - excellent museum outlining the history of regional music, both black & white (and mixed, of course) from the early 20th century into and just beyond the Civil Rights era.

So, if any are in the mid-USA and/or planning a trip to Memphis, then there is plenty to see & do, as is evident in my two posts - hope others will be able to enjoy this fascinating city in the SW corner of TN on the Mississippi River!  :)







Solitary Wanderer

Thanks for the interesting and informative posts Dave  :)

I'd love a look around Graceland one day.

'I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth.' ~ Emily Bronte

SonicMan46

Quote from: Solitary Wanderer on September 08, 2008, 03:54:07 PM
Thanks for the interesting and informative posts Dave  :)

I'd love a look around Graceland one day.

Hi Chris - thanks for the comments - Memphis is just a fascinating city to visit, esp. if your are into musical Americana - years ago, my son & I did a Mississippi Blues trip - started in Memphis, but took our rental car all the way down to Vicksburg, then came up the river w/ a bunch of 'overnights' including the famous Clarksdale (+ a trip into Helena, Ark - which has a wonderful Delta Museum) - plus, the food in this town is quite eclectic - Susan & I are really looking forward to the arrival of the guitar shown!  Dave  :)

SonicMan46

Just returned from a short trip to the Seagrove, North Carolina area (just 2 hrs from home for us) - just south of Asheboro, NC (home of the NC Zoo); we stay a little further south in the Pinehurst - Southern Pines area, world famous for golf.

The Seagrove area is an historic site for North Carolina pottery w/ some families of potters dating back into the late 18th century - there are now over 90 potters in the region w/ a wide variety of traditional techniques (brownish, earthen colors w/ standard shapes) to more colorful and modern appearances, so quite a choice now compared to over 20 yrs ago (our first visits to the area).

We visited just about 8 potters/galleries (guess we need to go back!) based on their website offerings and 'what' we may like - bought 4 pieces (one for our son & DIL & another beautiful serving bowl); the two more 'artistic' objects are shown below; a crystalline vase from Phil Morgan - just beautiful & fragile technique (checkout the link, if interested); and a whimsical pitcher from Fred Johnston - had about a half hour conversation w/ him - fascinating character; he combines the traditional clays of the region w/ earthen colors but then adds a wide variety of influences based on southwestern USA/Mexican/Mesoamerican influences - wife really loves this piece - lot of fun!  :D



 

ChamberNut

I'm on a temporary hiatus from work since Sep. 23rd (got terminated at work).  Getting some career counselling, as accounting is not what I'm wanting to continue doing.  Looking for a career change.

Opus106

Quote from: ChamberNut on September 28, 2008, 03:14:30 PM
I'm on a temporary hiatus from work since Sep. 23rd (got terminated at work).  Getting some career counselling, as accounting is not what I'm wanting to continue doing.  Looking for a career change.

Sorry to hear that, Ray. Hope things works out for the better. :)
Regards,
Navneeth

Lilas Pastia

Thanks for the fascinating post, Dave. I'll certainly visit Asheboro next time I go to NC, and no doubt bring back a few pottery items !!

SonicMan46

Quote from: Lilas Pastia on October 04, 2008, 04:07:21 PM
Thanks for the fascinating post, Dave. I'll certainly visit Asheboro next time I go to NC, and no doubt bring back a few pottery items !!

Hello AndrĂ© - sorry about the delay, but in Florida for 4 days @ a medical meeting - remember that you have relatives in North Carolina, so if you're into 'pottery', there is now quite a variety in the Seagrove area (if planning a visit, just google 'Seagrove pottery' for plenty of hits) - you'll need to decide on the 'styles' that might interest you and then pick a number of these potters to visit; there are also 'galleries' featuring a number of different artists, some of which are not from North Carolina - if you do go, please reply back - wife & I want to return soon - the pottery of Ben Owen fascinated me (a generational pottery family from the area), but we could not decide on a piece to purchase!  Dave  :D

Lilas Pastia

Hi, Dave, thanks for that! And sorry for my own belated response. This has been a roooouuuggghhh week  :o.

Speaking of NC relatives, they will probably move North within the next year. We'll see what this entails, but I expect that NC visits will be over sometime in 2009  :P. But so far these are just projects, so we'll see.

SonicMan46

Well, last posts about 6 months ago - I know that many of us have been taking a vacation(s) since that time - please reply back to this thread, so others may appreciate your experience and if able take the same type of vacation(s), if possible - thanks!  :)

Susan & I just returned from a 'too short' vacation to the Northern Florida coast, i.e. Ponte Vedra (just south of Jacksonville, FL) which gave us quick access to St. Augustine, the oldest European established city in the continental USA - this city is just fascinating and founded in 1565 by Don Pedro Mendedez (History HERE) - Don Pedro was sent to the Florida coast in 1565 (two decades before the English attempted to establish the 'Lost Colony' on the North Carolina island of Roanoke near my home) to deal w/ the French, who established a small colony at Ft. Caroline on the St. Johns esturary just east of modern Jacksonville, FL - Mendedez overland attacked and destroyed the French settlement and then established St. Augustine, which remained the Spanish northern power of government for over two centuries!

St. Augustine changed 'hands' several times, British from 1763-83, then Spanish again until given to the USA in 1821 - the history is just fabulous and plenty of sites to visit; if you're in the area, then a MUST visit; below are just some pics, mostly of the fort of San Marco which was built over a nearly quarter of a century in the late 17th century after the British established an 'early' settlement in Charleston, SC - the 'coquina' fort is a wonder to see and the exhibits & 'live' entertainment a delight!

Top two photos of the 'reconstructed' Ft. Caroline on the St. Johns esturary just east of Jacksonville - this is a National Park Memorial site and the first attempt of the French to establish a colony on the continental USA - the next was up in Canada, Cape Breton Island.

Below are some pics of Castillo de San Marcos - a National Park Service fort monument and just a treat to visit - building started in the early 1670s and taking nearly a quarter of a century to complete; below are a panoramic photo and some close-ups!

Finally, a view of the St. Augustine Lighthouse from the coastal inlet on a boat cruise - great place to visit!  Dave  :D

 

 

 


Opus106

It's wonderful to learn about various places in the world, with their history being influenced by so many other places. Thanks for the write-up and photos, Dave. :)
Regards,
Navneeth

SonicMan46

Quote from: opus67 on April 02, 2009, 06:26:11 AM
It's wonderful to learn about various places in the world, with their history being influenced by so many other places. Thanks for the write-up and photos, Dave. :)

Hi Opus - glad you enjoyed the history & pictures.  Coquina is a sedimentary rock of basically seashells & coral; for the Castillo de San Marcos, the rock was quarried on Anastasia Island (a barrier island w/ a lot of attractions, such as the lighthouse shown in the pic, and some expensive homes) - apparently the rock is rather porous and spongy which meant that cannonballs would either bounce off the fort or stick in the coquina (similar to shooting a BB into foam!).  There was also a 'live' exhibition of two guys dressed as 'Spanish soldiers' loading and firing the flinklock rifles (shown in one of the other pics) - I've heard these guns fired before (quite loud), but can't imagine a battle in which hundreds are goin' off @ once!  :o

On the weekends, the cannons are actually fired!  An aerial view of the fort (below) shows the four bastions and all of the cannons and their potential for 'cross-firing' coverage (there is an excellent video explaining the 'engineering' of the fort for those times); depending on the size of the cannon, the projectiles could be shot from 1 to 3 miles out to sea and w/ apparently phenomenal accuracy - would have been a sight to see -  :D


 

Lilas Pastia

What a surprising coincidence ! We were in northern Florida these past two weeks and visited St Augustine March 26 !! Definitely one of the must see places in North america. It was the 3rd or maybe 4th time I visited and it's always as pleasing and fascinating - even more so on renewed acquaintance. There are still many coquina built houses in St Augustine streets dating over 250 years. They are extremely solid.

We stayed in Ormond Beach and traveled around. Two visits to the springs were the high points of our stay. Swimming above a 30 feet deep funnel of gushing water is quite special. The water is so clear you can easily see every individual pebble down below.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Lilas Pastia on April 04, 2009, 05:46:03 PM
What a surprising coincidence ! We were in northern Florida these past two weeks and visited St Augustine March 26 !! Definitely one of the must see places in North america.................

We stayed in Ormond Beach and traveled around............

Hi AndrĂ© - amazing - we may have been on the tour of the City Jail together, not even knowing!  ;D

Although we've been to Florida dozens of times, the northern part/panhandle has not been on our radar, at least yet; only our third visit to the area and second to St. Agustine, but Susan already wants to go back (think she loved that ocean front room at the Ponte Vedra Resort; of course, the Sawgrass Resort is just down the road w/ the famous TPC golf course and the island hole on the back nine!).

We've been meaning to get to the Panhandle of Florida for years, Panama City area - the beaches are suppose to be just beautiful, I hear - BTW, I do have a bunch of former radiology residents that live in that area, esp. a group around Ormand Beach!  :)  Dave

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: SonicMan on April 05, 2009, 07:27:11 AM

We've been meaning to get to the Panhandle of Florida for years, Panama City area - the beaches are suppose to be just beautiful, I hear...

You hear correctly. My wife and I used to spend a good deal of time there in Destin and Sandestin and Panama City Beach etc. - back then (the 80's) there were only the original old houses on the beach, and Highway 98 (Highway to the Sun - don'tcha just love that name?) ran along the beach for miles and miles. You could just pull over anywhere and hop out for walks on the sand, or even catch a nice nap and watch the sunrise. Then a couple of years ago we were coming back from our annual pilgrimage to Tampa and swung down to 98 to follow it to Pensacola. Hell, you couldn't even see the Gulf from the road any more! :o All high rise condos on the beach now. :'(  We got back up onto I 10 and headed west as fast as we could. Anyway, the sand is that fine crushed coral that squeaks when you walk on it. Beautiful! :)

8)



----------------
Listening to:
RV 693 Opera "La Senna Festeggiante" - Le Parlement de Musique / Gester Collot / Karolyi / MacLeod - Ouverture - Andante molto
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

SonicMan46

#97
Well, just did an overnight in Charlotte, North Carolina, just 90 min drive, but had a bunch of wonderful experiences - many are along the I-85 route, so if you in the Carolinas on that Interstate HW, then might be a consideration!

Our first visit was the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, located just south of Belmont, NC near the South Carolina border - below are some pics from the 'indoor' Orchid Conservatory - just beautiful flowers (please don't ask me to name the specific varietals - did not take notes!  ;) :D).

Second visit was the Mint Museum w/ a special traveling exhibit from the New Orleans Museum of Art; a follow up visit was their Craft Museum downtown w/ couple of special exhibits - if you plan a visit, the price of admission includes both museums!

For the evening, we had a wonderful dinner (check the 'eating thread') - next day, returned back home via I-85 toward Greensboro, and stopped at the NC Transportation Museum located in Spencer, NC (near Salisbury) - I've never been there before, despite being just an hour from my house!  This was an absolutely wonderful experience - Spencer was an important railroad stop between Washington, D.C. & Atlanta - the whole town was devoted to the care & maintenance of locomotives, trains, etc. - the museum was established in 1977 and continues to be developed - I was completely enthralled and will return shortly (just spent 2 hrs but could have done a WHOLE day!) - includes a short train ride w/ a guided discussion!

Last stop was the Childress Vineyards discussed in the 'wine thread' - amazing, just a short 24 hrs & so much to do & see -  :D


 

 

 

SonicMan46

Boy, Guys & Dolls, nearly 3 months w/o a post to the vacation thread - now I know that many are travelling, so please post your experiences - may be quite interesting to others & help in deciding on potential travels, despite the deplorable economy in the world at the moment -  :-\

Susan & I just returned from a long 3-day weekend in the North Carolina mountains - we stayed in Blowing Rock, just 90 mins from our home and a frequent destination for us; the temperature change going up the Appalachian continental divide is always 10 degrees (F) or greater, so a great 'summer' relief from the heat!  We usually make this visit a couple times a year & I posted about a previous visit there a year ago!

Although we've been going to these mountains for years, more recently we have been doing more 'mountain hiking', i.e. the easier trails for oldsters like us - plenty of books and numerous options available from 'easy & flat' to 'strenuous & difficult' (the latter including usually rock climbing & ladders!).  Our newly acquired gear include some excellent 'hiking shoes' (hey, they do work!) & even walking sticks, which seemed 'foolish' at first, but really help on balance & support for the more 'moderate' trails.

So, just posting some pics from a few 'mountain hikes':  1) Several off the Blue Ridge Parkway, including a trail around Price Lake; and 2) Easier trail from our rental condo complex to & around Bass Lake and back.  Just a brief description of the photos:

Top - portion of Price Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway; boating (non-powered) & fishing (skating in the winter) - long trail around the lake which we took, and a good 'work out'!

Next two photos - Susan & I, your intrepid hikers about to go around Price Lake; the walking sticks were quite useful on this trip!  :D

Following photos - around Bass Pond; views of the small island, geese on the shore, several of the Cone Mansion, and a small waterfall on the way back to our car & rental condo - a couple a days of good hiking; also, some great eating which I'll post soon in that thread - Dave  :)
















ChamberNut

Gorgeous pictures, Dave!  :)  I'll be seeing similar sites come tomorrow.  My family and I are off to Riding Mountain National Park for a week, as we do every year.  :)