Category: North America

Baddeck, Canada

We didn’t know the impact of the Air Canada strike until we left Halifax for Baddeck ( Pronounced ba-DECK). Our group has shrunk from 40 to only 26.

I know, I’ve completely skipped over Halifax. It’s not that I didn’t love the city. I did. It’s because we are spending our final two days there, so if time and energy permit, I will post about Halifax when we return there.

Laurie, our amazing trip leader, has devised a very creative way to break the ice and to keep us entertained during our bus ride. We are going to be playing “Passenger Bingo” for PRIZES! I don’t care if the prize is a rusted tricycle, with a wheel missing. If it’s a contest, I’m in it to win it. That’s just my nature.

Since I started this post, we have completed THREE different games, and I’m quite proud to say I was the winner of the first, which was a challenge to name all of the 14 people that did NOT make it to Halifax. Nailed it!

Laurie, our hard working, creative trip leader

But back to Baddeck. As usual, our drive to the next city was broken up by interesting stops, starting with the Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Center.

Glooscap, a mythical figure

There, we learned about the indigenous people who had inhabited the land for over 13,000 years, ( according to archaeological digs) the Mi’kmaq (pronounced mig-MAH).

Apparently, the French and the indigenous had a positive relationship; not so, with the British, which was probably why we fought the French AND Indian War.

The indigenous were given identity numbers by the Canadian government, with the final number indicating how many children were in the family. That made it easier for the government to find the children, take them from their families and force them to attend government run boarding schools. The schools were designed to wipe out the indigenous language and culture. Over 176,000 children between the ages of 4 and 16 were taken from their families. Of that number there were over 6,000 recorded deaths from disease, abuse and suicide. Before anyone thinks that the mistreatment of indigenous children happened centuries ago, I need to inform you that the last school closed in 1998 in Manitoba.

This speech was given during Canada’s 100 year anniversary.

We learned that the Mi’mkaq language is a tonal one.

Depending on how you elongate the vowels, the same word could mean:

I love you OR I want to hurt you OR I want to throw you in the fire. THAT word could start some serious misunderstandings!

We spent our three nights in Baddeck at the Silver Dart Lodge, which overlooked a beautiful lake.

Laurie was initially concerned that we would find the Lodge too “rustic”. Instead, we all agreed it was absolutely charming. Because of the volume of business Grand Circle does with the lodge, we all got rooms facing the lake.

This spectacular view is what I saw from the lovely deck outside my room, the perfect place for happy hour. How great was THAT? It took all three nights for me to finish the wine that I was not allowed to drink on the bus.

The area is so beautiful that Alexander Graham Bell and his wife, Mabel built their summer home in Baddeck. Their “castle” wasn’t visible from the museum bearing his name, but there was plenty of other “stuff” to see.

I had no idea that Alexander Graham Bell taught deaf students in Boston or that Mabel became deaf at the age of 5 after a bout with scarlet fever.

I also didn’t know that Bell’s parents immigrated to the USA from Scotland after two of their sons died from tuberculosis. They didn’t want to chance losing their last son.

We all know about his invention of the telephone , but I wasn’t aware of his interest in aviation and hydrofoils until I visited the museum.

We spent the next day touring the fortress at Louisbourg, where I was once again reminded of my educational deficiencies. Why did I never learn that in 1745 a group of untrained “ soldiers” from New England successfully took the fortress in 6 weeks time? You see, the French had expected all attacks would come from the sea, so that area was heavily fortified and protected. But the 6,000 ragtag New Englanders didn’t know the rules of engagement, and they were undaunted by forests or swamps, so they attacked from the land, which was unprotected.

The entrance to Louisbourg

The crown decided to return the fort to the French in 1749 exchange for Madras, India which was a source of extreme irritation to the New Englanders. They had lost about 900 men capturing the fort.

In 1758, the British determined that they wanted Louisbourg after all, so they laid siege the “professional” way, by sea, without the help of the New Englanders, and guess what? It took them a WHOLE lot longer.

This time they completely destroyed the fortress, so what exists today is a reconstruction, based on documents and plans that were preserved off site.

The view from the protective wall

Like Williamsburg, Sturbridge Village, and Plymouth Plantation, re-enactors in period costumes demonstrate what life was like in the 1700s.

I particularly enjoyed watching a prisoner being marched through town to the iron collar.

All of the neighbors were invited to ridicule the prisoner as he made the “walk of shame“ to the center of town.

Our final day was to be spent traveling along the Cabot Trail. Because of climate change ( yeah, the Canadians don’t think it’s a “hoax”), all the trails are closed to hikers. The risk of fire is too great. So, instead we were going to drive the entire route, after stopping to visit a church and a hooker museum. Don’t get excited. It was a museum for RUGS not ladies of the night.

You might think that rug on the right is supposed to be a young Liz Taylor, but the sign next to it explained it was actually a youthful Jesus.

While in the museum, Josh discovered there was a problem with the bus, so we had to hang out long enough that the full trip along the Cabot Trail was impossible.

We were lucky to have Laurie as our trip leader, who decided to treat us all to coffee and pastry at the shop up the street. Instead of doing the full route, we ended up stopping at a beautiful little beach

Our last night was spent at a ceilidh (pronounced Kay-Lee).

Although there is so much more to say about Baddeck, this post is already quite long, so I’ll stop.

Montreal

Well, we were SUPPOSED to fly from Montreal to Halifax today, but the Air Canada flight attendants decided to be rebellious and ignore the “back to work” orders from the Canadian government.

Instead, we are rolling along the highway with our Croatian driver for the next 13 hours.

Our two nights in Montreal got off to a promising start. Although we experienced torrential rain as we were leaving Quebec City, it was less of a downpour by the time we got to the “Sugar Shack”. At that stop along the way, we learned about the intricacies of maple syrup creation and got to sample maple taffy.

The taffy is made by drizzling very thick maple syrup on ice or snow, then wrapping the hardening substance around what looks like a tongue depressor

By the time we arrived in Montreal, and finished lunch, the rain had stopped. Our lunch was a Canadian specialty – delicious smoked meat (it tasted like corned beef).

The sandwich was so huge, I had to take it apart to eat it! Before I had finished half of what was served, I was full.

Before we arrived at the hotel, we had a bus tour of Montreal’s highlights. Good thing we were on a bus, because after that huge lunch, I was ready for a nap. Walking was out of the question!

Even if we’d had enough time ( we didn’t) and even if Barbara, my travel buddy had been with me ( she wasn’t), there was no way I was going to climb those steps to see the interior of yet another cathedral! ( So I didn’t).

Originally, I had booked a dinner with Chef Rob for my first night in Montreal, at the recommendation of my Canadian friend, Nancy. Unfortunately, Chef Rob had a family emergency, and had to cancel, but Laurie, our tour guide provided us with multiple attractive alternatives for dinner on our own.

I liked the Universel Déjeuners et Grillades, (especially the Mimosa Margarita, which is one of their specialty drinks) so much that I had dinner there BOTH nights.

I know, how boring. Here I am in one of the great “foodie” cities, and I go to the same restaurant TWICE? What can I say. It was close to our hotel, and the wine pours were generous.

Our one full day in Montreal was unstructured, but Laurie provided options for us.

After 15 minutes, I’d seen enough of the market.

Although I have seen plenty of markets, I decided to join her, mainly so I could get the hang of Montreal’s metro system. It is EASY! Color coded lines ( like Boston) and oh so CLEAN! I have to admit it. Americans are SLOBS.

There was no graffiti, no trash, no urine smell, just artwork. How do they DO that?

Do they ban spray paint? The buildings and highways were clean too. We’ve been driving along the highway for hours, without my spotting a single piece of trash. Trust me. I’ve been looking.

But back to my day in Montreal. When Mike and I were there in 2019, we visited the biosphere, which is located close to the Botanical Gardens. Had it not been a cold, cloudy day, we would have spent it wandering through that gorgeous place. It took 6 years, but FINALLY I got to spend about 4 hours enjoying the greenhouses, exhibits and special gardens.

My favorite was the Chinese Garden. I loved the fantastic sculptures in the pond.

The greenhouses were equally impressive, with waterfalls and orchids.

We ended our day with “Aura”, a light and sound show in the Notre Dame Basilica.

I felt like SUCH a big girl, finding my way via metro from the Botanical Gardens to the Basilica all by myself!

While awaiting the rest of my group to arrive, I enjoyed the musicians and performers in the square. there was a little of everything: dancers, violinists, singers.

The show started at 5:30PM and lasted for 30 glorious minutes. I highly recommend it! Please keep in mind, I’ve seen enough churches, cathedrals and basilicas to last 5 lifetimes! But this was truly special.

These two statues are supposed to represent the cultural divide between the French and English Canadians.

The snooty Englishman is turning his nose up at the Basilica, which represents French Catholicism and the French lady on the opposite corner of the square is gazing scornfully at the symbol of English power, the Bank of Montreal.

UPDATE: We arrived in Halifax a little before 1AM, so it actually took almost SIXTEEN hours by car. I don’t recommend it.

Oh Canada!

Normally, when I travel I arrive a day before the tour begins, but not THIS time. I figured I wasn’t changing time zones, so no jet lag to overcome, and with the short flight, I would arrive in the early afternoon. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I knew I didn’t have to worry about snowstorms closing the airport, but I completely forgot about thunderstorms and possible flooding. Oh yeah, I also forgot about airline strikes.

I don’t know whether it was the strike or the weather that got my flight canceled, but I was VERY grateful that United notified me the night before I was due to depart. That gave me enough time to notify my driver, rebook my flight from home and best of all, I avoided hanging out at the airport for hours, desperately hoping that the planes would fly again sometime soon.

Actually, the delay worked out for me, because on my recent trip to Massachusetts, my friend Jean and I inadvertently picked up each other’s credit cards. Although Jean attempted to overnight my card, the post office only CHARGED her for 1 day delivery–it actually took TWO days, so I was at home when my card finally arrived.

The header of this post is the map for the main trip. I am now on the pre-trip, which originally comprised three nights in Quebec City (now 2 for me), then Montreal for 2 nights. Whether the flight attendants’ strike will be settled by the time we are due to fly to Halifax is anybody’s guess. That’s why I’m glad I’m on a tour. I don’t have to figure anything out. That’s the trip leader’s job.

There are eight of us on the pre-trip, so finding alternative modes of transportation should be a lot easier than making sure the 30 main trip participants are able to get into Halifax.

But enough about the future—let’s focus on the present.

Our welcome dinner took place in the Hotel Clarendon, where we enjoyed singing along with the accordion player.

The morning of my one full day in Quebec City was spent the touring the parliament building, which was architecturally interesting. I loved the stained glass archway.

This corridor linking the old and new buildings synthesized art, music, architecture and technology . As people walked through the corridor, music played and flashing lights changed color.

Laurie, our trip leader took our first group shot outside of the parliament building.

Joanne, me, Kathy, Tony, Betsy, Mike, Nancy, Melinda

I had heard so much about poutine, I decided to try it for lunch at the Fairmont Hotel. What is poutine, you ask? Well, you take French fries, dump some kind of brown sauce all over them, then top with cheese curds and bacon bits. After a few forkfuls, I’d had enough, so I offered the rest to my travel buddies. They shared my side dish AND my lack of enthusiasm for this “delicacy”.

After lunch we were on our own, so I took advantage of the perfect weather to explore the city, walking atop the city walls. It took me a while to figure out how to get up there. Hint: There are steps along the city gates.

The view of the St Lawrence River was spectacular.

Instead of railings, we had signs.

Because we were here in the weekend, there were lots of street musicians and entertainers.

My assessment: Quebec City is lovely in the summer, and a great place to visit, but once is enough for me.

On to Montreal!

Sitka and Ketchikan

Although I took this photo in Ketchikan, it really is applicable to ALL of the cities along Alaska’s south coast: Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. If it’s simply cloudy, and not raining heavily, well, that qualifies as a great day.

In Sitka the probability of rain was quite high so we were glad we had opted for a whale watch. Marine life doesn’t care whether it’s raining or not, so we figured we’d get some good viewing.

When I booked, I had NO idea that we were going on a VERY small boat. I THOUGHT it would be like the one in Seward. Nope.

Our vessel could only hold 6 passengers. Okay, maybe that meant we could get closer to the wildlife. Nope again.

I’ll be honest, the marine life viewing was disappointing. These next photos are about as good as it got.

We DID see some sea lions hanging out on a buoy, but the viewing was MUCH better in Seward.

For our last excursion, we chose the sea plane to Misty Fjords National Monument. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans…like women, they sometimes go astray. And THESE women, PLUS their plans did exactly that.

Shortly after I took the photo of her by the “liquid sunshine” sign, Jean tripped, managed to land on her nose, and proceeded to bleed profusely. Fortunately, it happened right next to the ship, so Viking’s excellent staff immediately sprang into action. She was whisked down to the medical center where they quickly staunched the bleeding. Their rapid treatment probably prevented Jean from returning home with a huge black eye.

That meant that I would be “float planing” solo. At least THIS time, I knew what I was getting into. Sorta.

I knew the plane was going to hold no more than 6 passengers, and that it would briefly land somewhere. I just didn’t realize that “somewhere” was on the water, and that we wouldn’t be getting out on land at all!

The waiver I signed before boarding specifically absolved the company of any liability should I fall in. I had thought that applied to getting into and out of the plane at the dock! I didn’t realize there would be OTHER opportunities to fall into the water…without a life jacket…with no life preserver or a potential rescuer any where in sight.

As you can see, there wasn’t much of a margin for error!

But hey, our young female pilot walked what looked like a tightrope to get from one side of the plane to the other. The line is so thin, it’s barely visible in the photo, thus, the red arrows. Those thin boards in yellow and black were the ladder into the plane.

Spoiler alert, I managed to complete the flight without mishap, but you probably already figured that out…otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this blog, right?

The scenery was beautiful, but I have to be honest. It wasn’t as much fun without my buddy by my side.

I’m pleased to say that Jean’s spending the day resting paid off, so we were able to party hearty for the celebratory “next to last night” on the ship.

The last day is spent sailing thru the inside passage to Vancouver, then back to reality.

I’m so glad I was able to make so many wonderful memories with my bestie.

Icy Strait Point and Juneau

Once again, we are sharing the port with only one other mid sized ship, Silverseas. We each had our own dock, so Icy Strait Point was very peaceful and uncrowded.

My day started early, on the deck with Richard, the naturalist. Although we spotted some porpoises, they only briefly popped out of the water, disappearing before I could capture their image.

Viking offers one free excursion in every port. For THIS port, we got a ticket to the red gondola, which allowed us to go to the top of a mountain and enjoy a panoramic view.

Earlier that day, Jean and I chose what was described in the cruise literature as a “ demanding” hike through the Tongass National Forest. Demanding, like beauty, is definitely in the eye (or feet) of the beholder. It was less than a mile, and although there were a few slight inclines, the hike was mainly flat. But Tess, our guide, made it really special. Not only did she know about wildlife and vegetation, she also took great photos.

Thanks to Tess, we can now look at bear droppings and immediately determine the gender of the bear.

The first pile was deposited by a female, because the ladies STOP to relieve themselves. The males, on the other hand, don’t waste any time. They are “full speed ahead” so their “torpedoes” are scattered all along the trail.

Bet you didn’t know this post was going to be so educational.

But wait…there’s more!

We saw this plant EVERYWHERE.

It looks a lot like Queen Anne’s lace, but it’s not. If you touch it, a substance on the plant reacts with sunlight to produce a somewhat nasty rash. Tess pulled up her sleeve to show us how she came by that knowledge.

At the end of our hike, we were left off by the Hoonah Cannery, near the green “free” gondola, which provides one way to get from one dock to the other.

Or, you can opt to walk along the beautiful nature trail, which was a little longer than our “demanding “ hike.

My reward for taking the road less traveled? I got to watch this eagle hang out on a branch WAY high up in a tree. Yeah, I know. The zoom wasn’t great, so I had to crop the photo a lot, but you get the idea. That bad boy was swiveling his head and looking every bit as regal as the one on our dollar bill.

Eagles are plentiful in Juneau. One guide estimated there are about 30,000 eagles in Juneau alone, which makes them as common as a sea gull. Still, seeing this guy on the nature walk was really special to me.

Did you know that Southern Alaska gets a LOT of rain? We sure didn’t. Brett, our guide in Juneau, told us the area averages only about 30 sunny days per YEAR!

I’m so glad we took full advantage of the great weather in the other ports. Another difference when we got to Juneau— we also are no longer one of only two ships visiting the area. Take a look at Juneau’s harbor. The enormous cruise ships — Princess, Norwegian, Crystal, Holland America all docked at the port. We were moored in the bay and took a tender in to the port.

We lucked out with the morning weather for our “hike” with Brett in the Eagle Crest ski resort. This “hike” was only about a fourth of a mile long, but at least we got to see lots of wild flowers.

Jean and I were concerned about being late for our helicopter ride to the Herbert Glacier, so we got off the bus and walked the mile into town, arriving with enough time to grab lunch in a waterfront restaurant.

Although it rained during our ride and while we were in the glacier, it still was a pretty spectacular experience. I got to sit up front with Tom, the pilot.

The colors were brilliant.

We were cautioned to only walk on the ice, not the snowy patches, because you didn’t know what the snow was covering. It could be a 20 foot hole!

I’m signing off with two last now and then photos— taken 50 years apart.

The LAST time we spent more than a week together was in my first apartment in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. (I stuck this shot in especially for Tom, Jean’s husband, who didn’t know us way back then.)

Those are the only photos I have from the pre-cell phone, film era.

Valdez and Skagway

Sometimes I’m delighted when the weather report is wrong, and that was clearly the case when we visited Valdez. The probability of rain was pegged at an unambiguous 100%. Luckily, the only thing that was 100% was the inaccuracy of that report!

Jean and I decided to forgo the recommended visits to the museums and convention center, opting instead to walk to a viewing platform in what turned out to be a rather futile attempt to see some wildlife.

Because both of us are “map challenged”, we checked with a local guide to make sure we were heading in the right direction. His tone of voice when he told us the viewing platform was a MILE AND A HALF away clearly expressed his doubt in our ability to go the distance. (What the hell? TWICE in two days?! Are we looking particularly decrepit??)

We learned from the lovely ladies at the cute little visitors’ center that we were a few weeks ahead of the bears, but we thoroughly enjoyed the 3 mile walk (round trip) under the cloudy, but rain free skies.

Visitors’ center

Sadly, when most people hear of Valdez, the Exxon Oil Spill immediately comes to mind, so let me give you an alternative image for this lovely area.

The balance of the day was spent enjoying Viking’s incredible spa. All guests can take advantage of the sauna, steam room, snow cave, whirlpool, cold plunge pool and hot tub at no additional charge. I decided to “detoxify” the way the Scandinavians do, so dutifully sat in the sauna, spent about 20 seconds in the snow cave, followed by the steam room, before experiencing the whirlpool. I’m not sure I was “ detoxified” or even what that is supposed to feel like, but I DID very much enjoy the experience.

On Sunday, we spent the morning on one of Viking’s included Skagway tours—a very beautiful bus ride to White Pass Summit.

Although Valdez had a bear deficit, we spotted one on our Skagway excursion . He was outside the range of my iPhone and by the time I got my camera zoomed out, all I got was a butt shot. That’s okay. The image of him sauntering through the rocks was permanently imprinted on our brains. It was truly thrilling.

I did much better photographing Skagway’s more stationary subjects. It’s hard to believe that beautiful flowers bloom between rocks in this cold climate.

Our bus driver//guide saved us from horrible selfies.

We weren’t all that impressed with the town of Skagway.

The lure of craft beer, tee shirts, and gold mining memorabilia wasn’t strong enough to keep us from the ship’s outside hot tub. Hard to believe that there are over 900 guests on this cruise. We had the hot tub completely to ourselves.

Here’s to long term friendships. We’ve been doing the pool scene for more than a half a century, and I have the photo to prove it!

Anchorage and Seward

Jean’s and my Alaskan adventure is off to a fantastic start. Our direct flight from Newark to Anchorage was exactly what we hoped it would be—uneventful. Best part: the seat between us was unoccupied, which, for an 8 hour flight is a real bonus.

We spent the night at the Historic Anchorage Hotel, chosen because of its proximity to the train station. When I asked the 30-something woman at the front desk for directions to the train station, she said “it’s either a short cab ride or an ARDUOUS walk to the train station and you need to be there an hour before your 6:45AM departure.” Well, the last thing Jean and I wanted at 5:45 AM was anything that could even remotely be described as arduous. That morning, when I spotted the taxi outside our hotel, I told the 60-something driver we wanted to go to the train station. She pointed to a building in the distance and said, “ There it is”. Talk about an “ah ha moment”! The young clerk looked at us and saw two feeble old ladies incapable of walking very far. The taxi driver, who was closer to our age, saw two competent, healthy women perfectly capable of handling our luggage the .4 mile (I googled it) between hotel and station. And we did. So there, young desk clerk!

And what a train ride it was. Absolutely spectacular! We opted for the gold dome service, which was $129 more expensive than the adventure class, but it was SO worth it.

Not only do you get an almost 360 degree view, you also get a fantastic sit down breakfast, with a choice of four entrees, and access to a viewing platform that allows you to take “glass-free” photos.

Who knew? Those innocent looking mud flats are actually quite dangerous. The volcanic soil acts like quicksand, then turns into a concrete- like substance, trapping the unwary.

We saw our first glacier on our train ride.

Yet another welcome surprise—the train and Viking coordinated delivery of our luggage, so we were able to walk from the train to the ship unimpeded.

Check in was a breeze. Viking allowed us to print a boarding pass before we left home, so we were aboard the ship in a matter of minutes.

We quickly made an early dinner reservation at the Chef’s Table, one of Viking’s two specialty restaurants, for our first night on board.

Maybe we shouldn’t have had that glass of Prosecco before dinner…

It is a 5 course, fixed menu with every entree paired with a complimentary wine. Obey, our waiter from Zimbabwe, described each course and explained that the accompanying wine heightens the dining experience.

I won’t bore you with too many food photos, but I HAD to show one example of how beautifully the courses are presented.

We had an early morning departure for Wednesday’s Kenai (pronounced KEEN-eye) Fiords cruise so we were in bed by 8 PM.

Most of Wednesday was overcast and chilly, but we didn’t mind because we were dressed appropriately.

We saw humpbacks and orcas,

sea lions, puffins, otters and bald eagles.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to capture the whales breaching, but I got a lot of good tail shots.

Not everyone was as fascinated by the wildlife. While I was outside, trying to get the perfect shot, Jean photographed this woman taking what our Dutch table mates described as a “very expensive nap”. But she wasn’t the only entertaining Homo sapiens on the cruise.

We all loved watching this young man groovin to music only he could hear. What was he listening to, we all wanted to know. Beyoncé ( Jean asked…)

All in all, it was a tremendous first day.

We had heard about the Seward Mountain Marathon, so expected to see crowds of people after we got off the ship at 2 PM, but nope. We walked from the dock to the cruise terminal without seeing many people at all.

Thursday in Valdez, will be a “self guided” tour, so Jean and I decided to stay up late, to enjoy the fantastic music (and dance) on the deck, by the pool.

Alaska Bound

My lifelong friend, Jean and I will be experiencing our 49th state —also known as “Seward’s big icebox“ — for the first time, via a cruise on Viking’s Orion.

We are flying to Anchorage a day early, taking Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic train to Seward.

Because of the 4 hour time difference, I expect our 6:45 AM departure will feel like 10:45 AM to us. After what has been billed as an exceptionally beautiful train ride, we will arrive in Seward at 11:20 AM, and will be able to board the ship. Our cabin won’t be ready until 2, but in the meantime we will be able to have lunch and familiarize ourselves with the ship.

Helpful hint for future cruisers: don’t wait too long to book your excursions. I booked in March for a July cruise, and I wasn’t able to get the bear viewing tour I wanted. I had made the mistake of waiting till Viking opened their bookings.

Many of the Viking offerings had already been filled by the time I was allowed to book, although I still had my choice of times for the included (free) offerings. Bookings are staggered, with the most expensive cabins booking first. Not a problem. I simply booked directly with port vendors.

Although we will arrive in Seward early enough to take the Kenai Fjord cruise, I decided it would be better to board the ship and save the cruise for our second day in port. In my younger days, I would have tried to cram everything in.

I liked the fact that Alaska Shore Excursions knew the times Viking would depart from each port. That prevented us from living my nightmare—returning from an excursion just in time to watch the ship slowly disappear on the horizon.

Although Alaska Shore Excursions had offerings for Juneau, by March all the ones I wanted were filled. Fortunately, Juneau Adventure Tours had availability for one of their helicopter tours to a glacier.

I hope you’ll join Jean and me on this adventure.

Traverse City, Michigan

Full disclosure: I wrote this post so that I would have a permanent reminder of four fun filled days with three dear friends, because quite frankly, my memory just ain’t what it used to be. But anyone thinking about visiting Traverse City might enjoy duplicating parts of the itinerary that Sally had so thoughtfully put together for us.

Jeannie, Laurie, Sally and I met during various Global Volunteer Projects over the past 11 years. That’s one of the best parts about volunteering— you make some amazing friendships. This was the first time that all four of us were together, (although we have had various combos of three), so our main objective was to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

Sally lives in Traverse City’s historical district, within walking distance of downtown’s restaurants and shops. The homes are charming, (all shapes and sizes) and the gardens are breathtaking. Even if we had only hung out on Sally’s front porch, sipping coffee (then progressing to wine) that would have been quite enough to make our trip super special.

Our first evening started with before dinner drinks at the Beacon Lounge atop the Park Place Hotel. At 10 stories, I think it is the highest vantage point in the entire downtown area, providing a spectacular view of Lake Michigan.

On our way to the bar, we encountered some local color – this Colonel Sanders look alike, standing outside the local bookstore, hawking his many literary works. This was the first time any of us had seen an author OUTSIDE a bookstore, which convinced us we should just “walk on by” as that old Dionne Warwick song suggested.

Our dinner was at Amical. I don’t remember what I had–I just recall every one of us being quite happy with our choices. Had we been millennials, we would have whipped out our phones and given the restaurant five stars on Yelp.

The rest of our time together was spent taking advantage of only some of the many area delights. We started with the “Magic Shuttle Bus” which transported us to four area vineyards. Jonathan, our driver/ guide was every bit as colorful as his wardrobe and as magical as the bus.

Hawthorne Winery, Bowers Harbor, Chateau Chantal and Benovo were the wineries we visited, in that order.

Jonathan told us that Hawthorn Winery’s high altitude forces the grapes’ roots to grow deep, something that is supposed to produce excellent red wines, so of course I ordered a flight of reds.

Hawthorn’s pours were, to me, very generous. Unlike California’s wineries, Michigan’s do not provide spit buckets, so the expectation is that you will finish your entire glass(es). With three more wineries to go, it didn’t take long for smart gals like us to figure out we needed to start pacing ourselves.

We also determined that if Hawthorne had the area’s best red wines, we might want to stick to the whites, and if the amount poured was typical of the area, we should only go for a glass, instead of a flight—which we did.

Although the weather was uncooperative, our spirits were not dampened by the mist and rain drops. It just provided us with the perfect opportunity to catch the Barbie movie at the nearby theater. General consensus—it was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. We all loved the movie.

That evening, we cruised across Lake Michigan, enjoying “sea shanties” performed by this group. We had all hoped to be able to see the stars, away from city lights, but the skies were uncharacteristically cloudy. That didn’t stop us from having a wonderful time. And of course, the fact that we could buy adult beverages while cruising absolutely added to the enjoyment.

We couldn’t leave the area without visiting the famous dunes at Sleeping Bear National Park. One would think that this sign at the top of the very steep incline would dissuade everyone from venturing down to the water’s edge. One would be oh, so very wrong.

It was difficult to capture the steepness of the slope in one photo, but if you look closely, you can see those on the upward route were bent over, using their hands (and sometimes knees) to make it back. Even watching others struggle to get back didn’t stop those intent on traveling to the bottom.

But please don’t think that we lacked the spirit of adventure. We just chose a somewhat tamer way to enjoy the area’s offerings. Here’s visual proof.

Undoubtedly you are wondering what in the world we are doing. Well, we are kissing the moose. Why, you ask? When we did, a bell was rung in our honor, and the entire restaurant cheered. We also were entitled to buy this tee shirt. Hard to believe, but we both resisted that impulse purchase, contenting ourselves with a photo of us doing the deed. And yes, we DID have to climb on a stepladder to reach Bullwinkle’s snout.

My next adventure will be a visit to the countries that once were a part of the former Yugoslavia. I hope you’ll come along. Although I don’t anticipate kissing any dead animals on THAT trip, I’ll try to find some equally compelling activities for your reading pleasure.

My Tesla’s First Long Distance Road Trip

I had no idea when I picked up my “long distance” Tesla Model 3, on March 6, 2020, that it would be 5 months before I found out how far I could drive without stopping to recharge. In the 22 weeks that I have owned my hot wheels, I’ve driven less than 1,500 miles, which averages out to less than 10 miles a day. Our longest excursion, so far, has been our drive to the Delaware River, which is about 70 miles round trip.  Yes, I lead an exciting life.  

But all that is about to change. Shortly, my Tesla and I will be embarking on our very first long distance drive. Let me stop you before you conjure up a coast to coast road trip. In the age of covid, I define long distance as any drive that requires recharging somewhere other than our garage. My first trip will be to visit family in Massachusetts. That was the main reason for purchasing the long distance Tesla– my frequent family visits.  

Foolishly, I thought a range of 322 miles meant that I could drive the 260 mile trip on one charge.  Nope, the 322 miles is the EPA estimate, and like all the EPA estimates you see stuck on new car windows, it doesn’t consider speed, hills, weather, use of air conditioning, etc.  Knowing my  tendency to press the pedal to the metal, even starting fully charged,  I would expect a 260 mile trip to require a stop.  

First let me confess that prior to purchase, I was very concerned about the availability of charging stations. That fear was put to rest when my friend Laura gave me a tutorial from the front seat of her Tesla Model S.  She showed me that all you need to do is type in your destination on your display, and the computer not only maps out the route, but it also tells you where to stop to recharge, how LONG you will need to stop at the station, and how much of a charge will remain once you reach your destination. You want to see what the display looks like?  Check out the header photo of this post, which maps a route from home to the Fairhaven Library, assuming a starting charge of 80%. (WordPress just “improved” its software, so in the off chance that you can’t see the heading, here it is again.)

As of March, 2020, Tesla had 25,000 charging stations in the USA. Only Tesla owners are able to use these stations, which generally are located along major highways, and in places where you would want to stop, with bathrooms, food and/or shopping. But Tesla owners are not restricted to just these superchargers. The Tesla comes equipped with an adapter ( CHAdeMO –no I have NO idea what that means — just think of it as a piece of equipment named Chad) which allows you to connect at OTHER public charging stations that use”Chad” for hooking up.

Because there are a couple of EvGo stations  that are located more conveniently than the Tesla Supercharger, in the area I’ll be visiting, I signed up for an EvGo account. I found the EvGo website VERY user friendly and informative, especially for a non-engineer like me.   After reading its tutorial, I finally understood the three different levels of charging–which was formerly a mystery to me. 

EvGo offers two plans: a monthly membership, or a pay as you go option. You also can choose between “super fast” or  “faster than plugging into a standard wall outlet” chargers.  Obviously, the faster one is more expensive.  These numbers are approximate, calculated from the estimates on the EvGo page: $.30 per minute or $18 per hour for 180 miles of charge ($.10 per mile) versus $1.50 per hour for 20 miles of charge (or $.075 per mile).  Because no one in my family has a charging station (or a garage), I expect to be using that EvGo charging station at least once while in Massachusetts and will describe the experience in my usual painstaking detail.    

Back to my obsessive compulsiveness.  As my friends and family know, I am a planner, at least when it comes to travel.  Although I can do many things from my phone’s Tesla App, it doesn’t allow me to do any navigation or trip planning.  That can only be done from the car’s display. Maybe some people enjoy sitting in a parked car, but I don’t happen to be one of them.  Fortunately, the Tesla Motors Club website has very helpful and friendly posters who directed me to A Better Route Planner (which can be downloaded to your phone from the app store, or even viewed on your desktop.) Let me tell you, it’s much more fun planning imaginary trips from the comfort of your couch than from the front seat of your car!  At least it is to me. 

The information on ABRP (A Better Route Planner)is much the same as what you get from the Tesla Display, except that it also includes public charging stations, and provides estimates of cost and length of time for charging.  You start by inputting the your destination, % of charge (called “SOC” or state of charge), and the application does the rest.  Here’s a screen shot from my phone.  

 

You can include the desired “SOC” for  when you arrive at your destination, and can plot out your stops for your return trip, but you’ve seen enough shots of screens, haven’t you?    

For some reason that is clear to the technical members of the family, but not to me, the battery should be kept between 20% and 80% charged.  I don’t need to know why.  I went to Catholic school.  I do as I’m told.  Well, most of the time, or maybe some of the time, and this was one of those times.  Tonight, however, that sucker is getting charged all the way up to 100%, so tomorrow, I’ll be charged up and raring to go.