NJ, Bahamas and NYC Oct 2nd-13th, 2021

Oasis of the Seas

Finally, after 3 canceled cruises due to the pandemic, I am ready to go on our long-awaited Bahama cruise.  Mary Kaye and I had planned this cruise over 2 years ago… 

The days leading up to the cruise for me were a little apprehensive.  We were required to take a covid test within 72 hours of departing, however we were leaving the day prior to our cruise.  Additionally, since our cruise was departing on a Sunday, I wasn’t sure how or if we could get the results in time.  Royal Caribbean offered a rapid home test if it was administered via “Telehealth” so we each purchased that with the intent of taking the test on Friday prior to our Saturday flight.  That week I got a little paranoid and didn’t really want to go anywhere or get exposed, so I planned to lay low until Friday morning.  We had waited too long for something to happen now that would cause a delay or the chance of not being able to get on the ship.  Although we had both been vaccinated, it still caused a considerable amount of anxiety for me.

 

October 1st, 2021, Friday morning came, and Mary Kaye came over so we could do the test together.  We had to call into a Telehealth call center, and the tech visually watched us take the test, set it down for 15 minutes, then confirm the results with us.  Of course, we both passed.  Whew!  So, that day was spent picking up last minute things, packing and otherwise getting ready to go.

 

Saturday morning:  Mary Kaye’s husband picked me up about 5:15 am to take us to the airport for our 7:30 am flight.  We had splurged and gotten a 1st class flight, so we were both looking forward to that.  Although I am usually anxious during flying, and will take prescription meds, I opted not to this time.  Once in the air, in our cushy, roomy seats, we ordered Bloody Mary’s which was just what I needed.  Our flight was uneventful, and the time passed quickly.  Soon we were at the Newark airport, and arranged to get to our hotel, the Hampton Inn in Linden, NJ.

 

Our driver was talkative and gave us some tips about the area.  We told him that we would be leaving in the morning on a cruise and that there were two things in the area we wanted to see prior to our cruise.  After looking at google maps and calculating how much time we needed to see both, our driver indicated that he was willing to pick us up and take us on a tour and then to our cruise.  He gave us his number so we could think about it and dropped us off at our hotel.

 

It was close to 5:30 pm NJ time, and both of us were tired and had to decide about dinner.  There really wasn’t anything close enough to our hotel to walk to, so we decided to order from UberEats.  We had a great Italian meal from Amici Ristorante, which we ate in the hotel lobby.  Both of us slept sound and were fresh in the morning for our adventure to begin.

 

Empty Sky Memorial

Sunday: We called our driver from the day before and he picked us up at our hotel.  Our first stop was in Jersey City to view the “Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial”.  

The location was on the waterfront in Jersey City, across from lower Manhattan.  It was two tall cement walls, engraved with names of New Jersey residents lost during the 9/11 attack. The walls were open at the top, about 6 feet apart and several yards long.  As we walked through the solemn “hallway” with names, through the opening at the end we looked out at the exact location where the twin tours once stood.  The 20th anniversary had just passed on 9/11/2021 so there was an increased awareness, and in fact I had heard about the memorials because of the anniversary date.

 

Teardrop Memorial

Our 2nd stop was across town in Bayonne, NJ.  It happened that it was at the same port as the cruise terminal.  This stop was to see the 9/11 memorial commonly called the “The Teardrop”, but actually named “To the Struggle Against World Terrorism”.  This memorial was given to us by the Russian government to honor those lost during the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center attack. 

Once we had seen both memorials, our driver dropped us off at the cruise terminal.

 

After our health screening, showing our negative covid test and vaccination cards and a quick temp check, we were on the ship, the Oasis of the Seas! 

 

Once on board the Oasis of the Sea we had a lot of exploring to do!  It is one of the bigger ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, with 18 floors.  We were on deck 9 toward the front of the ship.

 

So much to see and do on the ship.  The 15^th floor had the pools and outdoor activities.  It also had the Solarium which was for vaccinated guests only.  There was a nice small pool and hot tub in the Solarium, and plenty of lounge chairs for relaxing and basking in the sun.

 

Deck 8 was an option for getting from one end of the ship to the other, by walking through “Central Park”.  It was open air, with walking paths, music, and lots of green foliage. There was a café with limited choices, and another restaurant which was an additional charge.   Because we had lots of options, we didn’t try any of the premium restaurants.  The library was on this deck too however due to the pandemic there were no books.  It was a nice quiet place to relax.

 

Central Park

Deck 5 was the main deck with shops, a Starbucks, Sorrento’s, and another coffee/cafe.  Deck 6 overlooked 5 and had the Schooner Bar which was a great place to listen to music or play a Sudoku or Trivia challenge.  Deck 4 had the “Boardwalk” with fun places for kids, a carousel, candy store, hot dog stand and arcades.  The casino was also on Deck 4. 

 

There was plenty of entertainment and we reserved our tickets shortly after getting on the ship.  We saw a couple different late-night comics, an Ice show, a water show, with high divers, and the musical “Cats”, which were all entertaining.

 

We ate dinner in the main dining room every night and enjoyed impeccable service from our waiter.  We tried the following places for dinner and lunch and enjoyed them all: The Windjammer was buffet style and open for all three meals. Although buffet, due to health concerns we were served at every station.  There was a vast variety of ethnic foods, it was not hard to find something we liked.  The Solarium Bistro had a smaller selection than the Windjammer, but again plenty of choices. We had a continental breakfast at the Park Café on the 8^th floor in Central Park, and for a quick bite we had pizza at Sorrento’s which was open 24 hrs.  Besides pizza they had a variety of sautéed vegetables including peppers and asparagus. One day for lunch while Mary Kaye was at a spa treatment, I went to the barbeque place on the 15^th floor, which had a surcharge.  I think I spend $11 and had a great meal!

 

We had purchased 3 excursions prior to boarding the ship and enjoyed them all.  On Tuesday we docked at Cape Canaveral, so we took the Ron Jon Shuttle and headed to the Ron Jon Surf shop, one of the biggest surf stores in Cocoa Beach.  We had 2 hours so after taking our time and buying a few things at Ron Jon’s, we walked across the street to the Florida Key Lime Pie Company for some Key Lime pie.  Well, I had Key Lime pie (which was the best ever!) and Mary Kaye had the same but dipped in chocolate.  That didn’t sound good to me, however she assured me it was.  

 

Perfect Day at CocoCay

On Wednesday we docked at Perfect Day at CocoCay, which was Royal Caribbean’s private island.  We had purchased a day with lounge chairs and steak and lobster lunch.  We left the ship around 11 am, and once the tram dropped us off, we selected lounges in the shade, within a short walking distance to the beautiful white sand beach and the warm Atlantic Ocean. There was also an infinity pool which was so relaxing.   The ocean was so warm, which is something I have not experienced before. About 3 pm we made our way to the restaurant and had a steak and lobster lunch before heading back to the ship.  We both considered it the best day of our adventure so far.

 

On Thursday we were docked in Nassau and took a 2-hour city and sights tour.  We were in a comfortable shuttle and our driver told us all about some of the different landmarks and parked for a while for us to check out the local bar (for a quick rum drink), cigar shop (not for us), candy shop and a clothing store.  On our way back to the pier he let us off at the main shopping area where we checked out a few more stores.  We were both tired and there was a considerable amount of walking in the heat, so we left with ambivalent feelings about that excursion.

Welcome to Nassau

 

Colorful Nassau

The remaining days after our excursions were spent relaxing on the ship.  Although the weather had been warm (in the 80’s) most of the time, a storm was brewing so Saturday was cooler and rainy.  Sunday, we were scheduled to leave the ship by 9 am or so, so we went to the main dining room for breakfast then said goodbye (for now!) to our week of cruising.

 

Beautiful Nassau

Sunday after leaving the ship we found a taxi which took us to our hotel, the Hampton Inn Times Square South, which was a W 41^st.  We were not able to check in as it was only about 10 am, so we left our luggage and purchased tickets to ride the Hop On Hop Off bus.  Having done it before I felt it is a good way to see the sights and get a feel for the city layout.  This was my 6^th trip to NYC but Mary Kaye had only been once which was during a conference, so she was not able to see as much as she wanted.

 

Naked Cowboy 

On our way to get on the Hop On, Hop Off bus, our first step into Times Square, we saw the Naked Cowboy!  I had seen him before and had just mentioned that it would be fun to see him.  We stopped at the Tix4tonite booth, but it had a huge line, so we decided to come back to that.  We got on the bus heading for the Downtown route, and although it was cloudy, we grabbed ponchos and headed upstairs. We had fun and opted to stay onboard the whole time, which took about 2 hours.  Near the end of the ride, it started to rain (on with the ponchos!) and became a little windy.  We stayed on until the end, but we were quite wet.  

We headed over to Junior’s for lunch and a chance to dry off.  After a “not too impressive” lunch, we decided to walk back over to the ticket booth to see if there were any available shows for that evening.  There was a matinee showing of Dana H. which was starting in 15 minutes- we were just a quick walk from the theatre, so we decided to go to it.  It was a very interesting one-person show based on a real-life harrowing experience.  It was unique in that the whole account was lip-synced using the actual words from the survivor of the experience, which had been recorded through a series of taped interviews.

After the show we made our way back to our hotel to check in.  Our room was on the 28^th floor with a great view looking south.  For dinner we walked next door to Carnegie Pizza and brought it back to our room.   They have the largest pizzas I had ever seen, so our slice each was a full meal deal!

 

Monday we decided to take the Subway to Battery Park, so we headed to the station right across the street.  First off, steep stairs going to the station, then trying to figure out how to purchase round trip fare made for a not-so-fun beginning.  I have ridden the NYC subway many times and have not had the same issues.  No one around to help so we finally each got a card with a little excess and of course it didn’t work going through the gate!  You need to be quick going through the turnstile, so we wasted a ride or two before we were finally on the subway.   

 

Once we got to Battery Park, we made our way to the line to show our Groupon passes for the Statue of Liberty.  This was Mary Kaye’s 1^st time although I had been a few times.  It still is awe inspiring to see how large she is and to realize the symbolism.  We had a bite to eat and decided to skip Ellis Island this time, so headed back to Battery Park.

Afterward, we could either walk back to the subway, therefore backtracking, or walk up to the 9/11 memorials.  We opted to take a leisurely walk to the memorials.  During my earlier visits I had watch these sacred grounds evolve into what it now is with the Freedom Tower.  I had seen the completed tower in June 2019, but Mary Kaye had never been. It is such a solemn place.  We walked around the grounds and then decided to go to the One World Observatory.  102 floors up, the view is incredible of lower Manhattan.   Prior to taking the ride to the top we walked through hallways of pictures and different media formats commemorating the events of 9/11.  We also paid $15 for a tablet that showed the different buildings, however we both thought that was not a bargain, and was heavy and cumbersome.  

View from the Edge

After the One World Observatory we rode the subway back to Times Square and stopped at our hotel for a while before heading over to Hudson Yards, which was a new mixed-use complex near Chelsea Pier.  We had tickets to go to Edge, which was a triangle platform on the 102 floor, with windows that leaned out.  We weren’t able to get sunset pictures but timed it to be at the top right after sunset.  The view was spectacular, covering most of Manhattan at night.  We both enjoyed the view better than the One World daytime view.  In addition to having the glass leaning out, there was a section that had a glass floor so standing on it we were able to see to the street below.  I had gone to a similar thing in Chicago several years before and found it just as thrilling this time!

Our plan was to have dinner at Hudson Yards, but for some reason most of the restaurants were closed on Sundays and Mondays.  Not sure what that was about.  We finally ordered food from the Shake Shack, which took way too long and was cold when we picked it up.  

 

The day was fun, with a lot of walking (16K+ steps!), so we were both ready to relax once we got back to our hotel.

Glass floor on the Edge

 

Tuesday we decided to ride the Hop On Hop Off again, but this time we wanted to do the Uptown route.  Since the tickets were for both Uptown and Downtown Mary Kaye thought we should do the Downtown again, then the Uptown dropping us off by Rockefeller Center afterward.  Due to traffic, we didn’t even get out of Times Square area for almost an hour, so the total time was much longer than anticipated for the Downtown loop.  We finally got on the Uptown route which took us to the Upper Westside, through Harlem, then down the Upper Eastside.   We got off at the stop closest to Rockefeller Center, and walked to the lower level for lunch at PotBelly.  

 

Mary Kaye had gotten us tickets to the Greg Gutfeld so we needed to be to the Fox News building at 2:30 pm. Our tickets were not guaranteed, and the audience was limited due to Covid 19.  After an hour or so we got in to the “holding” area where we stayed for another 45 minutes or so.  While we were waiting of course they were playing the Fox News live feed.  Finally, we were escorted to the set of the show.  His format is to talk about current political topics and banter with his guests.  The audience was not shown, but we were prompted to whoop and holler and clap.   Although I may have some opposing views, it was a fun show that we both really enjoyed.  

 

After the show we walked over to Grand Central Terminal and had a great Italian meal at Cipriani Dolci’s.

Wednesday we were able to get a late checkout and confirm a ride to the airport.  After packing I walked to Starbucks and brought it back to the hotel while Mary Kaye was finishing her packing.  We got to JFK airport in plenty of time to enjoy the Alaska Airlines lounge prior to our flight.  

 

All in all, a fun, exhausting trip!  

April 26 - May 16, 2021. Pandemic Road Trip #2

                                  

Still concerned about flying, but wanting to get away, we planned our 2^nd pandemic road trip.  The weather is getting nicer, things are starting to open up, we’ve been vaccinated so we’re good to go!  Although we went a similar direction back in the Fall of 2020 (Pandemic road trip #1), we wanted to stay in different towns, and see and experience new things, so we planned a different route for most of the trip.

We started our trip on Monday morning, 4/26.  Our first stop was Couer d’Alene, which was about a 5-hour drive from home.  We stayed at the Comfort Inn and Suites. That evening we took a Sunset dinner cruise around Lake Couer d’Alene.  Although a little chilly, it was a beautiful night and we had a good view of the “super pink moon”, which only happens a few times a year.  Our cruise included dinner which was salmon and prime rib as well as salads, and vegetables.  

 

 

Tuesday morning, we had a hot breakfast at the hotel then we were on our way to Idaho Falls, which is a pretty town with the Snake River running through it.  It was about a 7-hour drive, through Butte, Montana. Our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn, was next to the river although our room did not have the river view.  That evening we had dinner at the New Hong Kong Chinese restaurant. 

 

Our hotel was not serving a hot breakfast, so we stopped at the Black Bear Diner in Idaho Falls, before hitting the road for our 3 ½- hour drive to Park City, Utah.  Park City is surrounded by beautiful mountains (some had a little snow still) and was the home to several of the competitions during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games.

 

In Park City, we stayed 2 nights at the Park Plaza, which is an RCI property. It’s an older hotel but pretty inside and very comfortable.  Our room had a patio and a fireplace.  Dinner the first night was at the No Name Saloon and Grill which was very good.  I had the Philly Cheesesteak and Doug had Fish and Chips.  

 

Thursday morning, we had breakfast at the Eating Establishment right on Main Street, which has a lot of little stores and shops, but is on a hill.  Afterward we walked across the street for coffee.  We parked at the top of the hill and took a walk down to the bottom.  Doug stayed close to the car so when I was ready, he came by and picked me up.  I don’t think I could have made it back up that hill!

 

Later that day we took a drive to the Sundance Mountain Resort which Robert Redford originally owned, but now it is privately owned. It is in a beautiful setting in the mountains.  From there we went to the Olympic Park where several of the events were held during the 2002 Winter Olympics.  Dinner that evening was at the Windy Ridge Café.  The weather was nice enough to eat outdoors, where our visitor was a little 3-year-old that was going to every table wanting to know everyone’s name.  Very cute!

Friday morning, we drove about 5 hours to the town of Kanab.  It was a pretty drive through the mountains near Bryce Canyon and some of the places we had visited last September.  We went to the Rocking V Café for dinner which has a western theme with several things to see on their property.

 

Saturday, we drove 5 hours or so to the Sedona Springs Resort where we stayed for next 7 days.   We had been to Sedona back in May 2018, but it was a new resort for us.  I had gotten a studio instead of a one bedroom, which was okay, but it would have been nice to have a little bigger room.

 

Sedona it beautiful and we didn’t get tired of seeing the red rocks and formations.  The resort had a pool, so I got to enjoy it several times, and just enjoyed relaxing and reading while Doug was catching up on work.

 

Our friends Patti and Harold were in town and met us Sunday and Monday evening for dinner.  Sunday, we ate at the Cowboy Club on their patio (excellent food!) and then Monday, at the Corner Table, which was near their hotel in Oak Creek Canyon.  

 

We took a tour of Boynton Canyon on the Magic Trolley, went to Jerome one day, and another took a 4-hour train ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad.  Jerome is an old copper mining town with very few residents.  We walked around for a while, then had lunch at the Bobby D’s, a very busy barbeque joint.  We also enjoyed the Verde Canyon train ride.  

   

One of the days we took a drive through Oak Creek Canyon and stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross and several viewpoints along the way.  We ate lunch at the Oak Creek Brewing Company while visiting Tlaquepaque Village.

        

 

Some of the other places we ate while in Sedona were Tortes de Fuego (great food!), Thai Spices (yummy and brought back leftovers for a 2^nd meal), the Coffee Pot for breakfast (over 100 omelet choices!), Olde Sedona Bar (just so-so) and the Open Range Grill and Tavern uptown for lunch.  Several places closed early or were only open for take-out since there was a shortage of people willing to go back to work yet, especially in the food service industry.  This wasn’t unique to just Sedona, we saw this all along the way.

 

Saturday, 5/8 we checked out of the resort and drove to Goldfield Ghost Town near Apache Junction, AZ.  It was a fun place to visit and have lunch at the Mammoth Steakhouse.  We spent that night in Mesa at the Best Western and had dinner at the Mesa Cracker Barrel (one of our favorites!)

   

Sunday, we drove to Imperial Beach, California for a 4-day visit to Doug’s old stomping grounds. While there we were able to visit with Marty and Glen, had dinner with Glen, Bart, John, and Jim one night.  Since learning of Glen’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis during our last visit, we really wanted to see them again.  Although some change, we had a nice visit, and we were both were glad we got to see them again. 

  

 

We ate at Jalisco’s one night with the group, the Coronado Brewing Company, lunch at the Tin Fishat the end of the pier, Bali Hai on Shelter Island for lunch, and one night at Panera for dinner.  Even with the day’s being a bit hazy we were able to catch a sunset on of the evenings.     

 

On Thursday we started heading north, which to me marks the coming to an end for our road trip. We drove to our next destination, stopping for lunch with Stefan at Bob’s Big Boy (a tradition, it seems!).  We stayed in Pismo Beach where we had a great dinner at Ada’s Fish House, then got to see another beautiful sunset on the Pismo Beach Pier.

                                    

 

Friday was a long day, about 7+ hours’ drive to Redding where we met Kristi for dinner at Marie Calendar’s (yes, the still exist!) and spent the night at the Hampton Inn. 

 

Saturday was another long day to the Brad and Kaycie’s in Oregon City and the chance to see grandkids, although we both were tired.  

 

We got home Sunday afternoon.  I’m ready to start planning our next road trip but in the meantime, we will finally get to do some long-awaited traveling via water and air.  Stayed tuned for more!

2020 into 2021, the year to forget, and then some.

As I write this in May, 2021 we are finally seeing some progress in the fight against Covid-19, a pandemic which all but crippled our economy, and left 560,000+ Americans dead. Personally, I lost an uncle who was 94 and so looking forward to reaching 100.  I have countless other family members who have gotten the virus, some with little to no symptoms and others very sick, on the verge of hospitalization.  At least one has experienced symptoms 90+ days out and has been diagnosed with “long haulers”, a name given to those who continue to experience symptoms months later.  They still don’t know what kind of lasting effect this disease will have on people.

In December, in record time, Pfizer approved for emergency use a vaccine, with Moderna following shortly after.  Both require a booster shot a few weeks later, but there has been a promising effect.  Sine then, Johnson and Johnson has come out with a one shot vaccine.  First to be immunized were those on the front line (doctors, nurses, first responders) and nursing home patients and those living in assisted living facilities. By the end of January those over 65 with underlying conditions could sign up. Doug and I received our shots at the end of January, first of February. Late last month all states started offering shots to anyone over 16 who wants to get one.  Key words, “who wants to get one”. We have now gone from those trying to get an appointment and having to wait or maneuver through a complicated process to get an appointment, to having left over vaccines at most sites due to vaccine hesitancy.  

There have always been “anti-vaxers” whose minds you’ll never change, but I don’t understand the other group of people who either are afraid because it was approved so quickly, or who just don’t believe things are “that bad”. Even though science has shown that any risk (and it is minuscule) has been overwhelmingly outweighed by the benefits.  And we will not conquer this battle without some form of herd immunity.  Now with new, more dangerous variants it’s even more important to get vaccinated, for the greater good.  Today they announced that Pfizer has approved vaccines for 12-16 year olds.  Hopefully, now we can continue our quest to reach herd immunity.

The economy is still suffering. Now that restaurants are able to open more fully (still requiring masks and social distancing), they are finding that they cannot get the staff needed to reopen.  Doug and I ran into a lot of restaurants on our May road trip that were closed, or closing early due to staffing issues. In March, Biden passed the American Rescue Act which included federal funding for additional unemployment benefits in addition to the state level plans.  So now, those able to go back to work have a greater incentive to stay home and make more money.  Several states are choosing to opt out of the federal plan and mandating that those collecting UI need to show they are actively seeking work.

I am thankful everyday that I am retired and have a pension as well as SS to get by, as well as Doug’s SS. Doug’s business has picked up a little but it has been slow.  Currently, he is working to pay off earlier debt, and fortunately it is not needed for our household finances.

I see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I pray that we have taken away some lessons from this experience. I pray that we are more prepared for something like this in our future. I pray that our leaders can provide a united front so that we can trust what they say.  And most of all I pray that we make it out alive. I believe we are almost there.

2020 - Road Trip - September 6-20th

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all of our travel plans were canceled after we returned from our annual Puerto Vallarta trip.  We had planned a trip to Oklahoma for a Reimer family gathering, a long-awaited Panama Canal Cruise for May and a family reunion at Fort Worden in June.  When other plans were canceled, we changed one trip to a weekend getaway to San Diego at the end of May but that needed to be canceled also.

 

We originally had a road trip planned for October to go to Phoenix to a conference, however the conference was also canceled so we decided to go in September.  Doug had planned a July trip to San Diego which got canceled, however since the hotel was pre-paid, they offered to let him change dates. I had wanted to go to some of the National Parks in Utah, so we planned to take 2 weeks, travel through Utah, then 5 days in San Diego, then home.  We both felt that a road trip would allow us to see some sites but still be able to social distance from others, wear a mask when necessary, and stay healthy along our way.

 

We left home on Sunday, 9/6 and our first stop was La Grande, Oregon.  The weather was in the 80’s but it was comfortable.  On our way we stopped in Richland, WA for lunch at Hop n’ Drops, which is a client of Doug’s.  Our plan all along was to take several days with no more than about 5 hours per day driving.  Neither one of us had been to La Grande – there wasn’t really anything special to see.  That evening we went to a local Chinese restaurant called Moy’s Dynasty which was very good, the price was reasonable, and we received excellent service.  

 

On Monday we drove to Twin Falls, Idaho.  Most of our drive was through farmlands so not a lot to see on the way.  We had beautiful weather again and the ride was easy.  We stopped in Boise and had lunch at Cracker Barrel, one of our favorites when we are traveling near one.  Driving into Twin Falls we crossed a bridge over a huge canyon, but we couldn’t stop to view it.  After settling down for a little at the hotel, we took a drive down to Shoshone Falls, which was spectacular.  I had never even heard of the falls, and they were known as “The Niagara of the West”.  We were there shortly before sunset, so we really enjoyed the view. 

We went to dinner at the Black Bear Diner, and as we were leaving the restaurant there was a gust of wind that was very strong, and there was dust all over the car.  It was blowing off and on all night. 

Tuesday morning, we got up and headed for Salt Lake City which was only about 3 hrs.  I really wanted time to look at different things in SLC so I kept that in mind as I was planning our route. On the way to SLC we stopped at Juniper rest stop which was about ½ way to SLC.  When we got out of the car it was so windy that we had to hold the door of the car and be careful as we walked to the facilities.  It was warm, but extremely windy. Then as we drove into SLC we saw at least 10 semi-trucks in a short distance turned over.  The weather dropped quickly and once we go to SLC it was only 49 degrees, which was considerably less than the 90 degree weather I had planned on.  It was apparent that it had recently rained and when we go to our hotel, they told me that the power had just come back on.

 We took a drive over to Temple Square and everything was closed up due to the storm. There were downed trees all around us, and still power out in several areas.  We found out later that there was 100 mph winds which did a lot of damage in the area.  We went to Olive Garden for dinner then in the morning we drove up by the capital grounds before we started on our way.

Wednesday, we drove about 4 hours to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.  We only drove 4 hours, so it was too early to check into our hotel, which was actually about 6 miles past the entrance to the park.  The visitor’s center is right inside the park entrance so we stopped so I could talk to one of the rangers and plan our route for the next 3 days.  I wanted to maximize the time we had at Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion so it was helpful to get some ideas of what to see and how to spend our time.  We wouldn’t be doing any hiking, but we wanted to see as much as we could.   Arches is so beautiful, and, in the end, it was my favorite of all three parks.  We spend approximately 3 hours stopping and taking pictures.  It reminded me of Sedona, with the red rocks and all the amazing configurations.   After getting settled in our hotel we went to dinner at the Moab Diner which was a block or so from the hotel.  Due to social distancing and the lack of tables outside we had a little wait, however the food was great. 

 

Thursday, 9/10, we drove to the town of Panguitch, Utah which is near the entrance into Bryce Canyon National Park.  This time we checked into our hotel first, then drove to the park entrance.  As with Arches, the road in is also the way out but there are a series of side loops and places to explore.  The ranger had suggested we drive to the end (18 miles) and work our way back by stopping at the vistas and viewpoints.  Right away I noticed that it was completely different than Bryce Canyon.  There were large evergreens on either side as we climbed the mountain, and it was not easy to see the canyons.  On the way back down, we stopped at each viewpoint and I saw that it was much vaster and spread out than Arches.  With Arches, there are very little evergreens so you can see so much more red rocks and canyons. Bryce Canyon reminded me of the Grand Canyon with lots of striations and deep canyons. That evening we went to a BBQ place in town called Cowboy Smokehouse.  

 

Bryce Canyon was an important place for me to visit as I had looked forward to it for many years.  When I was almost 10, our family went on a vacation to CA (relatives and Disneyland), and the Grand Canyon.  Our next stop was to be Bryce Canyon. Dad had talked about it and I was really looking forward to it.  Instead, on our way across the Arizona desert, a car pulled out and the trailer we were hauling jack-knifed.  No injuries but an interruption in plans as we had to stay in motels the rest of the way home.  I don’t know if Dad ever made it to Bryce Canyon, but I thought about him all day as we viewed the spectacular, stunning vistas.

On Friday, 9/11 we drove to Zion National Park, another 4 hours.  Zion is a much smaller park and since it doesn’t have a lot of parking available inside the park you need to take a shuttle if you want to go up the main canyon road.  However, after checking online I found that there is a more scenic highway that can be driven from the north entrance to south entrance, especially for those not hiking.  Since it is so small, even with plenty of time to stop we were able to get through the park in about an hour.  

On to St George, just. A 45 minute drive.  I had been in contact with Michelle, Matt’s friend, who had moved to St George a few years earlier.  She offered to take me around to see some of the local sites in her area.  Doug had some work to do so Michelle picked me up at our hotel.   Michelle hikes every day and recently had been preparing for a 46 mile backpacking hike in the Grand Canyon.  Living in St George she has access to a lot of beautiful places close by.  She took me to Snow Canyon, Tuacahn Amphitheatre, Red Hills Desert Garden and Bloomington Petroglyph Park, all within a few miles of her house.  St George is a beautiful city.  It was quite warm, in the 80s, which was a change from the 40-50 degrees we had been unexpectantly getting the last few days.

 

Dinner that night was at the Black Bear Diner. I usually like to try new places, however it was conveniently located in the parking lot of our hotel.  

Saturday morning we drove to San Diego, which was the longest leg of our journey. We were concerned that we would have a lot of smoke as the wildfires in the area were really bad and causing a lot of smoke.  Coincidently, there were several wildfires in OR and WA at the same time.  Our kids in Oregon City had been put on a level 2 alert, and had their cars packed and ready to go, and had moved several things off their property.  Fortunately, the nearby fire turned the other way but then the smoke rolled in.  In WA there were no fires close to home, but a thick layer of smoke also that remained for several days. So, we were prepared to see and smell smoke when we drove from St George to San Diego, however, other than a little hazy sky it was fine.  

 

We got to San Diego, checked in to our hotel and then took a walk down to the pier.  The hazy sky made for a beautiful sunset.  After our walk we went to El Tapatio for dinner

On Sunday, we took a walk then went to Balboa Park for the afternoon.  All the museums had recently opened so we went in the Railroad Museum, then over to the outdoor theatre for the organ concert, which turned out to be online only.  It was too hot to be in the sun for extended period, so we left and drove to Coronado then back to Imperial Beach via the Coronado-Imperial Beach Strand.

 

That evening we took pizza and beer over to Glen and Marty’s and spent a few hours catching up with things, laughing, and reminiscing with them. Bart and Jim were also there.  Marty took me aside and shared that Glen had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a couple years before.  Doug had not visited for over a year and was not aware, so it was devastating news to hear.  Glen, Bart and Doug had gone to school together and Doug tried to visit every year when possible.  Bart, who already knew, sees Glen more regularly and has noticed a decline, however Doug hadn’t noticed.  He seemed a little more forgetful, but we just thought it was like the rest of us, get older. 

 

On Monday Doug had a meeting with a client at Phil’s BBQ, so I went along.  We wanted to get the car washed at a touchless/brushless place and found a great one close to the appointment.  They thoroughly washed the outside, vacuumed and cleaned the inside including the dash and windows, and the trunk area for $23.  It looked like it had just been detailed.  I wish we had something like that in our area!  That evening we had dinner at the Coronado Brewing Company which was right across from the beach.  They were seating people outside, with plenty of distance between tables.  The food was great, and we enjoyed the atmosphere.

 

We stayed around the area on Tuesday, walked to the pier and just enjoyed the nice weather, although it was still hazy. We ate dinner that evening across from the hotel at El Sonorense Mexican Seafood. 

 

Wednesday we took a drive to Shelter Island, then Cabrillo National Monument, and the lighthouse.  The day was only a little hazy so we had a great view.  We drove to Sunset Cliffs on our way back.  There were beautiful homes in the area.  I looked up one of the more modest ones and it was 2.5 million.  They had a great view of the Pacific Ocean.

That evening we met Bart and Jim and had dinner at Siam Imperial Thai Kitchen, then went back to Glen and Marty’s for a short visit as we were leaving the next day.  Glen seemed more tired so we didn’t stay too long.  We were both glad that we had one more opportunity to see Glen before we left.

 

On Thursday 9/17 we checked out of our hotel and started our journey to Fresno.  We were officially on our way home.  Doug’s colleague Stefan lives in Burbank, so we had lunch at Bob’s Big Boy, then met Stefan and his son at the Starbucks next door.  It was good to see him, and they talked business a bit, comparing notes on how this pandemic has disrupted both businesses. Stefan has recently gone in the real estate business and is doing very well at that so looking at different options for his other business.

 

As we approached Fresno, we had our first whiff of smoke from the wildfires that were raging all over the West Coast. It wasn’t too bad, and visibility wasn’t affected.  That evening we had a Kiwanis Zoom meeting, so we didn’t go to dinner.  I went to Chili’s next door and got us each soup and salad.

Friday morning, we had breakfast with Eunice, Vern and JoElla at McCoy’s Coffee Shop which was about 15 miles or so from our hotel.  They all live in the area, so we enjoyed getting together.  We had been through the area a couple years earlier but were not able to see them at that time.  From there we headed north to Redding.  

 

Redding was smokier than Fresno, but still not as bad as we had heard it had been earlier in the week.  We were able to meet up with Kristi and had dinner at Casa Ramos.  We were surprised to find that they had a full house and were not social distancing.  

 

Saturday, we drove from Redding to Bend, Oregon. We had planned to take the Crater Lake Scenic Highway however after a few miles we ran into “fire instance ahead” signs and saw firefighters putting out hotspots.  There was a lot of burned forestry and we felt it best to not go further up that highway.  We got to Bend earlier than planned but were able to check into our hotel.  After resting a little we took a drive down to the park by the river, and through the Old Mill District.  Lots of little shops, brewpubs and restaurants, walking paths along the river, etc.  I will definitely make my way back there in the near future, possibly a sister’s trip.  We had a great dinner at Kayo’s which was next door to our hotel.  

 

Sunday, our last day. Where had the time gone?  We really enjoyed this trip and are already thinking of where to road trip to in the future.  We started out our drive with a quick Starbuck’s stop, then headed north toward Yakima, Ellensburg then home.  We stopped at the Stonehenge replica in Mary Hill, then made a stop in Thorp at the fruit stand then got home mid-afternoon.  

It is good to be home, but I enjoyed this trip and look forward to our next one.