SUMMER
NIRVANA
Janet and
I have been a couple since 2006 and because of our job limitations the only
time we had to travel early in our lives together was during the month of July, which is standard for many
of us working stiffs. Janet has retired and my workload has slowed dramatically
which allows us the freedom of going when we want and not limited to the calendar.
Now, we
are limited in traveling by this COVID pandemic and July 2020 will be the “slowest”
travel month for us of the fourteen years of traveling. This week we were supposed to be in a rental house at the New Jersey shore that was large enough for all of our families, but we cancelled it because of the pandemic and because family from England were unable to travel to the U.S.
Vacations
From Home started in 2009, but Janet and I already had a rich tradition of
traveling before this blog was started. So, because we ain’t traveling at all, here
is a quick list of the places we have been over the years in just the month of July.
2006
Windjammer
Cruise – St. Lucia, the Grenadines, Grenada, Bequia and Carriacou
It had
been a bucket list item for me to travel on a sailing ship in the Caribbean and
I had gotten two berths for a good price. My son didn't want to go and so on our second date I asked Janet to come along. Thankfully she said "yes."
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| ST LUCIA SUNSET |
The ship sailed out and back from St.
Lucia. We anchored off islands I had never heard of before, like Bequia where
whaling is still allowed and Carriacou. The displays of love for America were everywhere in Grenada when we anchored there overnight, decades after the
U.S. “saved” the island from a Communist takeover. It was in the idyllic waters
of the Grenadines that I went scuba diving for the first time.
2007
North
Carolina Outer Banks - Rodanthe Outer Banks, NC Historical BBQ Trail,
Shenandoah National Park
We rented
a house for a week in Rodanthe on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Then we attempted to eat
as much Barbeque as humanly possible while following the North Carolina
Historical BBQ Trail. Yes… there is such a thing. Eastern North Carolina BBQ is
vinegar based and in the west it’s red. The trail goes from Ayden to Murphy. We only lasted 2 days and never made it to the red sauces.
I have it
on good authority that too much BBQ will stress your plumbing.
We headed
north and got on the Blue Ridge Parkway and entered Shenandoah National Park
and Skyline Drive and stayed overnight at Big Meadows, one of three lodges in Shenandoah.
We recently traveled to Shenandoah again when we drove home from Tennessee and stayed at the same lodge..
2008
New
Orleans and Southwest Louisiana road trip - Grand Isle, Lake Charles, Lafayette,
Thibodaux
Somehow,
I convinced Janet to leave the food of New Orleans and go on a nearly three-week
road trip through southwest Louisiana. After eating our way through New Orleans
at places like Galatoire’s, Bon Ton Café and Acme Oyster Bar we headed south
for Grand Isle following the remnants of Bayou Lafourche. A frequent guest of
Grand Isle was the pirate Jean Lafitte. We stayed at Rick's Motel. Be sure to call ahead for reservations or you'll sleep in the parking lot like we saw a family doing.
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| TIGER BAYOU, LA |
We drove along the southern coast of the
state stopping briefly at the Cajun Riviera, Holly Beach, which was devastated
by Hurricane Rita not long after Hurricane Katrina, and briefly into Texas
before turning for Lake Charles, Lafayette, Thibodaux and visiting areas like
the Tiger Bayou and the Atchafalaya Water Basin. This trip was my first foray
into blogging and it’s still online at: CAJUN COUNTRY TRAVELS:
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| RICKETT'S GLEN STATE PARK |
2009
Rickett’s
Glen, Pennsylvania - camping
The
summer that inspired me to begin Vacations From Home was financially lean for me, so we kept our vacationing close to home and camped at Rickett’s Glen
State Park in Pennsylvania. I have a nice tent from Eastern Mountain Sports and Janet had us all set up with a blow-up mattress and sheets and all
so it was it was nice. Rickett’s Glen has the Falls Trail System that features
21 waterfalls from 11 feet to the 94-foot cascade of Ganoga Falls. I enjoyed hiking the trail so much I took my son up there the next week to hike
RICKETT'S GLEN STATE PARK, PA
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| OMMEGANG BREWERY |
2010
Cooperstown,
NY – camping
Still in
the throes of our economic downturn we camped next in Cooperstown, NY. Went to
the MLB Hall of Fame and watched a lot of World Cup matches at a local bar
where they served Ommegang beer on tap. Also traveled to the brewery for one
of the best brewery tours ever.
We also went
to a Yankees game and house sat for friends in the Milford Delaware area.
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| DRINKING IN BRUGES |
2011
Nantwich
and Liverpool, England, Edinburgh, Scotland, Bruges and Brussels, Belgium
Janet’s daughter
had her English wedding celebration at the centuries old Crown Hotel in Nantwich,
Chesire. After having a proper 4th of July celebration at the Rifleman Pub, we then took the train to Edinburgh just to drink some scotch whisky at the Bow Bar, a proper whisky bar.
THE BOW BAR, EDINBURGH
We then flew to Belgium to drink beer in Bruges, a UNESCO heritage city, and then Brussels where we were drinking Lambic beers before traveling to Liverpool to tour that city.
We took a Duck boat tour of Liverpool and the harbor. .
THE BOW BAR, EDINBURGH
We then flew to Belgium to drink beer in Bruges, a UNESCO heritage city, and then Brussels where we were drinking Lambic beers before traveling to Liverpool to tour that city.
We took a Duck boat tour of Liverpool and the harbor. .
This year
was an exceptional travel year. We had visited my daughter who had moved to New
Orleans (she must have read my blog) in the spring and celebrated Christmas in Denver
with our families.
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| FALLING WATER |
2012
Ohiopyle,
Pennsylvania – camping
We were
back to camping this year, but with a full itinerary of planned activities
which included white water rafting on the Ohiopyle River, bicycling on the
Great Allegheny Passage bike trail that travels 150 miles from Pittsburgh to Cumberland,
Maryland, where it’s possible to pick up the C&O Canal Towpath all the way
to Washington, D.C. We also visited the famous Frank Lloyd Wright home, Falling
Water and watched fireworks at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
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| HILTON HEAD, SC |
South
Carolina – Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, Charleston, Hilton Head, Savannah, GA
We were
in FULL MOOCH form when we asked friends on Facebook to help us plan a trip this
year. We ended up graciously accepting a week with friends at their place in
Hilton Head. We drove down, and before we reached that beautiful Low Country island we stayed in Myrtle Beach, Charleston; where we watched the Single A Charleston River Dogs play a game and toured Ft. Sumter; and made stops at Pawley Island, Edisto Island and Beaufort, and also visited Savannah, Georgia for the day. The barrier islands of the Low Country are very
beautiful, and there’s some great eating.
 |
| Waikiki |
2014
Hawaii
– Oahu, Maui, Big Island
This was
my 7th time visiting these islands and Janet’s first. Over the years
I had worked Sinatra shows on Oahu and vacationed there and the Big Island.
This was my first time to Maui.
 |
| CHINAMAN'S HAT OAHU |
We flew
into Honolulu and it was our first stay with an AirBnB sponsored place. Janet wanted
to stay in Waikiki but I pushed for the North Shore and Wailua, just outside of
Haleiwa where it was a quick drive out to Kaena Point. It's quieter and a better Hawaiian experience.
We mooched a time-share off her step-mother and father at Ka'anapali on Maui, and watched the sunrise at Mt. Haleakala and rode bikes down it and did the infamous "Road to Hana." On the Big Island we rented a house for $35 a night. The house was a short drive from Volcano National Park and Uncle Robert’s Farmers Market in Pahoa where the Wednesday night party very popular with locals and tourists is not to be missed.
We mooched a time-share off her step-mother and father at Ka'anapali on Maui, and watched the sunrise at Mt. Haleakala and rode bikes down it and did the infamous "Road to Hana." On the Big Island we rented a house for $35 a night. The house was a short drive from Volcano National Park and Uncle Robert’s Farmers Market in Pahoa where the Wednesday night party very popular with locals and tourists is not to be missed.
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| MARCO ISLAND, FL |
2015
Marco
Island, Florida
Courtesy
of Janet’s cousin her entire family vacationed at a timeshare on this south
Florida barrier island. Janet’s college friend lives on the island and we met up
with them as well. We bought dinners in gratitude.
Also in July we attended the BLOB FEST in Phoenixville, PA, where much of that film was shot. Part of the festivities is the recreation of the famous run-out scene when the Blob oozes through the projection room. Tickets for that are hard to come by.
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| YORK, ENGLAND |
2016
Nantwich
& York, England
Had to
see Janet’s in-laws and grandson in Nantwich again, but this time we also
planned a side trip to York, a walled city founded by the Romans in AD 71. York is very popular tourist destination for foreigners and the English. We rented an AirBnB just outside the city walls.
Earlier
that year we traveled to Austin and San Antonio, Texas to visit Janet’s other daughter
and Washington, D.C. to visit my daughter. Another highlight of that year was
visiting the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. ESP was the first style
of prison that pushed inmates into a “penance” approach to rehabilitation.
2017
Nashville,
Tennessee
My daughter was on the move again and we visited
her in Nashville. Lot’s of partying along Broadway at all the Honky Tonk bars.
Great food like Nashville Hot Chicken at Hattie B's!! It was worth the long wait in the heat of the afternoon. Somehow we got a reservation at another great
restaurant, Husk, where I was introduced to Tennessee whisky and bourbon. We also went on a requisite tour of the Grand Ol’ Opry.
Janet retired that year and took a whitewater
rafting trip through the Grand Canyon a bucket list item for her. I was not
interested and she was okay traveling alone.
Yes, we also went to England again for Christmas.
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| KINZUA SKY WALK, PA |
2018
Coudersport
and Cherry Springs, The Grand Canyon of PA, Wellsboro
We traveled
to northern Pennsylvania with the idea of visiting the only Dark Sky Park east
of the Mississippi in Cherry Springs. I had never seen the Milky Way and there
was a good chance I would finally be lucky to espy this celestial display, but
alas it poured for all the time we were there. We even missed the 1st
Annual Elliott Ness Fest. Ness had moved to Coudersport after his crime
fighting days and we stayed in his old room at the Critterdon Hotel. The Ness Fest ended the day before
we arrived.
We did
visit the Kinzua Sky Walk Park. The span was an engineering marvel in its day and called the 8th Wonder of the World. The Kinzua was built to save miles of track work hauling coal and timber by traversing a steep ravine. Strong cross winds forever cursed the span and eventually tornado-force winds toppled much of the span. Today the remnants has been turned into a sky walk.
Later that
week we drove to Wellsboro and rented bikes to tour the Grand Canyon of
Pennsylvania. We stayed at the very posh La Belle Auberge B&B where we had our
breakfasts on the porch overlooking their beautiful gardens.
In September we had a destination wedding on Marco Island, Florida and honeymooned at the Sandals in Antiqua. I started the certification training for scuba diving with the instructors at Sandals.
2019
Croatia
In July we traveled to Croatia for three weeks, although this
beautiful trip was certainly not the only destination for us last year. In
February we drove the length of the Florida Keys eventually spending a week in
Key West. In May we traveled to England with a side trip to Lancaster and a day
trip to the Lake District where we enjoyed spectacular sunny weather while
boating on Lake Windermere. From what I understand sunny skies are a rarity in
the Lake District. In September just after Labor Day we stayed at an AirBnB in Wildwood, New Jersey. Janet used to spend her summers as a child at this Jersey shore town. It was my
first time. Later, in December we stayed at another Sandals in The Bahamas
where I completed my Open Water certification with PADI.
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| DUBROVNIK, CROATIA |
Back to Croatia… We were able to get free airline miles
signing up for a credit card and flew in and out of Dubrovnik, a walled city on
the Adriatic. After running around that very beautiful city we boarded the MV
Infinity sailing with Unforgettable Croatia. We hopped around to islands like
Mjet, Korcula, Hvar and Brac for a week. We stayed in Split for a day then
drove up to Plitvice Lakes a very popular destination for hiking. After fighting
the hordes at the park, we spent another day in Split before taking a bus to
see old dear friends in Trpanj on the Peljesac Peninsula. I met them during the
Sarajevo Winter Olympics and they insisted we stay with them at their summer
home.
There’s very good wine found throughout Croatia. Each island has it's own distinctive wine. On Peljesac Dingac and Postup grapes are grown
A GOOD RUN
Janet and I have had a great run of traveling over the
years. July 2020 has been ruined, but at least we can sit and admire the memories
of the places we’ve traveled in the years past. Hopefully all of these troubles will pass and soon we won't torture you with any more "Best Of" compilations. .
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| At Beach Divna, Trpanj, Croatia |
Remember to visit the OFFICIAL VACATIONS FROM HOME store.
Love
Janet and greg
© 2020 by
GREG DUNAJ
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