I thought I’d share a few takeaways from our trip on the Queen Mary 2 and our 9-day wander through British history.
October is a great month to book on the Queen Mary 2 and walk around southern England. Not too cold. Not too crowded.
Get a starboard cabin if you are on an eastbound transatlantic passage of the QM2, imho. The winds are usually blowing out of the north, so it made for more pleasant balcony experience.
Never leave home without a tiny tube of superglue. 🙂 On day 2 of our trip the earpiece on my eyeglasses broke off. The weld at the metal lens frame just gave way. I was on a boat for 7 days where the only stores sold expensive bags, art, and watches. Fortunately, the QM2 worker in the store who I asked was one of the jewelry designers. She whipped out her toolbox that had some flexible jewelers adhesive. A dab of that got me through the week, when they broke again. I hit the first Tesco on dry land for my own tube of superglue.
It isn’t always raining in England. For us, it only rained on two of our travel days, and one afternoon when we walked around Portsmouth Southsea along the coast. We, and our luggage, are pretty waterproof so it was fine. Ok, I just did the math, turns out it rained one third of the days we were in England. Which, in retrospect, is a lot. Oh well, it was nice to have the beautiful sunny days that we did. I remember them more vividly than the rainy days.
Be flexible.
Check closure schedules ahead of time for the places you plan to visit.
The British National Rail Two Together Railcard paid for itself several times over. A better deal than 2 Senior railcards, if you always travel together. We took the train 6 times.
After Portsmouth, we will stay in Salisbury for a couple of nights. But we decided to make another attempt to see the inside of Winchester Cathedral. So we boarded the train to Winchester again. This time, the Cathedral was open and glorious.
The west entrance of Winchester Cathedral
Inside the Cathedral, we were able to view the 12th-century Winchester Bible. We also took a guided tour and soaked up the history of the place. The Cathedral’s construction began under William the Conqueror in 1079 and was completed in 1532. During that period, architectural techniques evolved. The Cathedral’s construction began with Norman features (rounded arches, thick walls) on the central tower and transepts, later adopting Gothic features (pointed arches and flying buttresses) in its wide open nave.
The view from the south transept looking north shows the Cathedral’s Norman architecture.Looking east from the Cathedral’s west entrance down the massive Gothic nave.
Jane Austen is buried here, though the tribute on her gravestone omits any mention of her literary achievements.
The Cathedral was not damaged during World War II. But it experienced destruction from the British themselves during the English Reformation in the 1500s, when Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and created the Church of England. The patron saint of Winchester Cathedral was St. Swithen. During the Reformation, a shrine to St. Swithin in the Cathedral that had become a destination for many religious pilgrims was destroyed and removed. The “Holy Hole” still remains, marking the entrance to his former shrine. I think it would be a great place for a geocache. 😮
The “holy hole” in the wall through which Pilgrims could access the bones of St Swithen.
And more destruction followed in the mid-1600s, after the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalists in the English Civil War. Not only did they execute King Charles I, but they also trashed most religious icons in churches across the country. In Winchester Cathedral, they broke statues and mortuary chests, smashed just about all the stained glass, and used the Cathedral as a stable for the army’s horses. A few years later, Charles II took his father’s throne, restoring the monarchy and a bit of order. In 1660, the current wall of stained glass at the Cathedral’s west entrance was constructed using shards of the broken, original stained glass windows.
The current west window, built using glass shards from windows broken during the English Civil War.
That’s the end of the history lesson, and enough of all the death and destruction, already!
Oh, one other thing I found interesting…. At the beginning of the 20th century, the southern and eastern walls of the Cathedral were found to be sinking under their own weight. This was due to the high water table in the area and being built on peat. Since the water table couldn’t be lowered, someone would have to do the work underwater. A Navy diver named William Walker came to the rescue. From 1906 to 1911, he single-handedly dove down in water up to 20′ deep, to shore up the foundations with bags of cement, concrete blocks, and bricks. He’s remembered as “The diver who with his own hands saved Winchester Cathedral.”
At the end of the tour, we went down into the Crypt under the Cathedral floor. Unlike most other churches, this crypt is virtually empty, due to nearly constant flooding. In the 1980’s a sculpture by Anthony Gormley was installed. The statue is, more often than not, standing in water.
Ok, that is all for Winchester. Since we are bound for Salisbury by nightfall, we headed back to the train station and got back on board. More to follow on our visit to Salisbury.
We disembarked the Queen Mary 2 at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal in Southampton on a sunny, brisk day. Our travel plans typically include train travel, which we prefer to rental cars. So we waved goodbye to the grand ship and grabbed a cab to Southampton Central Rail Station. We headed out on a day trip to Winchester.
We stowed our bags at a business near the rail station to explore the 10th-century, medieval capital of England on foot.
Our goal was to visit beautiful Winchester Cathedral, whose construction began in 1079 and was completed in 1532. When we arrived, we learned it was closed because it was hosting back-to-back graduation ceremonies for the various colleges of the University of Winchester. Doh!
The West entrance of Winchester Cathedral
I did try to breach their defenses several times, but the Cathedral is still well-defended. So we admired it from outside and decided to make another visit later in our trip to see its grand medieval architecture from the inside.
East end of Winchester CathedralNorth transept of Winchester Cathedral.The flying buttresses along Winchester Cathedral’s southern wall of the nave
After our consolation lap around the Cathedral grounds, we toured the City Museum, which tells the history of Winchester from its Iron Age, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon origins to the present day.
Winchester’s City Museum
We then headed off to find what remains of the ancient Winchester Castle. Its Great Hall still stands, adjacent to the modern-day Crown Court. Inside is the Round Table of the legendary King Arthur’s Knights. The massive oak table is thought to be one that the real King Alfred had built for a wedding celebration in the 13th century, but King Henry VIII in the 16th century had it painted with the Tudor rose, the names of 24 knights, and the character of King Arthur said to be in his own image to link him to the legend. Or so one story goes.
The Round Table of the Great Hall of Winchester Castle
Stained glass just loves a sunny day!
Stained glass inside the Great Hall.
Nearby stands the West Gate of the former Castle. Modern-day traffic just zips by.
The West Gate of Winchester Castle
We grabbed lunch in a nearby pub and then caught a train headed to Portsmouth Harbour Rail Station. Portsmouth is home to the Royal Navy’s Historic Dockyard, and our base for the next 3 days.
View of the HMS Warrior from our hotel room in Portsmouth
More historic ships and ancient architecture to come!
Links for the curious:
British National Rail website. Install their app on your phone for easy access to timetables, real-time train status, and online tickets. I used it every day. There are multiple local railways (South Western Railway, Great Western Railway, etc) that have their own websites, but the National Rail app integrates them all.
British National Rail’s Railcard information. This is a railcard that you purchase for a one-time fee, valid for a year. In return, it gives you 1/3 off train fares in off-peak times. We bought the “Two Together” railcard for 35£ and it paid for itself several times over. It’s a digital card, so you should install the Railcard app on your phone to show at ticket offices and to ticket inspectors on the trains.
Radical Storage website for luggage drop/pickup locations. They also have an app, but I just purchased via their website on my phone. This worked great for us. Their location in Winchester that we used was a vape shop 🙂 But it was very convenient to get to from the train station. The system is easy to navigate and use, and I felt our bags were very secure both times we used it. They have locations worldwide! I’d definitely use them again.
The reason Monte and I were in NYC was to board the Queen Mary 2 for a week-long transatlantic cruise to Southampton, in the UK. Over the years, we had always pooh-poohed the idea of taking a cruise, being little boat sailors. But we really had a great time.
This’ll be a long post, so for the TL;DR crowd: if you’re on the fence about going on a cruise on the Queen Mary 2, you should just do it. 🙂
We boarded Pier 12 at the Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal, an easy walk from our hotel in Red Hook. The weather was brisk, but it was bright and sunny most days.
Our first glimpse as we rounded the corner at the cruise terminal
The Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a Cunard ocean liner. One of the many things I’ve learned over the last week or two is that an ocean liner is different than a cruise ship in many ways; most importantly, their speed, hull strength for long ocean passages, and stability. These ocean liners have hydraulic stabilizers below the water line that attempt to counteract the ship’s roll, pitch, and yaw. I believe we averaged 21 knots on our eastbound crossing, and this was in what a sailboat would consider very challenging conditions (4-6 meter seas and 25-40 knot winds), but the Queen Mary 2 made it along very comfortably.
The ship is filled with artwork, this is the Queen Mary 2 herself
Launched in 2003, the QM2 is a beautiful ship inside and out. And the Cunard standard of service is legendary. This was our first ever cruise, so we did a little research prior to leaving. They suggest dressing in “smart attire” for dinner, and have two gala nights where gowns and black tie is encouraged. We somehow found a way to pack for that in our carry-on sized roll aboards. And it was fun.
The sail away celebration above-decks was festive and we got great views of NYC as we left at 5 pm.
Leaving NYC behindApproaching the Verrazzano-Narrows BridgePassing under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
We chose a balcony-cabin and loved it. I booked one midships on the starboard side, so we would not be exposed to the fall north winds, and to be able to see the sunrise most mornings on our northeasterly heading.
Welcome-aboard bubbly in our cabin 🥂
Deck 5 was very quiet. I know this crossing was probably fully booked, but we heard no one and nothing except the ocean when the door to the balcony was open. They have bigger suites, but ours worked out perfectly for us. Air temps were in the 50s, so it was chilly in late October. Even so, I found myself enjoying our balcony everyday.
Cabin 5087
We crawled all over the ship each day and I think we found and spent time in just about all the public spaces – some were harder to find than others, but all so lovely.
The Grand Lobby
The cruise departs NYC on a Friday evening, and arrives in Southampton the following Friday morning. I wondered how well I’d handle all those idle hours on board for a week. But I was not idle in the least. There are loads of activities and entertainment from morning through night everyday: classes, speakers, musical performers, exercise sessions, theatrical and comedy performers, too many to list.
There is constantly something going on to enjoy
Since we were traveling eastward, for 5 of the days at sea, the ship clock moved forward one hour at noon, so when we arrived in the UK, we’d already be on local time.
The food was delicious and always available. We had the same table for two in the restaurant each night, so we got to know our servers. We met different people every day on board which was also a hoot.
There is a formal afternoon tea every day in the Queen’s Room, which we took part in several times.
We attended some of the various entertainment every evening, but we always ended up in the Chart Room where the Vlad Zinchenko Trio played jazz all night long.
Jazz in the Chart Room
The promenade is on Deck 7, and 3 laps around it make a mile. Even though it was very windy, we made it out there several days to get our steps in. There’s also a great gym aboard that’s much warmer 🙂
A rainbow behind the ship, somewhere in the North Atlantic
I had hoped to take in some star gazing at night but boy was it windy on the top deck at night! I could have been easily blown off if I wasn’t paying attention. I’ll stick to dry land for celestial viewing.
But while up there I walked by the “Queen Mary 2” sign lit up below the smoke stack and was transported back to the night Lori and I left NY Harbor at sunset headed down to Cape May on Trident when I saw this same sign through the binoculars as I tried to read the name of that pretty ship that sailed by us at a distance as it left NY Harbor.
The QM2 name in lights up high on the ship
I just went back through my photo archive and found a picture from that very night on Trident, October 7, 2022. I remember telling Monte about it after I got home, and where it was headed, and he said, “we could do that.” And so we did 🙂
The QM2 sailing by SV Trident three years ago leaving NY Harbor
While sailing along the US coast from a sailboat, I’ve also seen, through binoculars, pilots boarding tankers while underway before entering a major harbor. So I wanted to try to get a glimpse of the pilot boarding the QM2 outside of the Solent strait before our arrival in Southampton. I got up very early and was fortunate to find they were boarding right below our cabin. I had a front row view. 🙂 What a job they have.
Pilot boarding the QM2 before entering the Solent – both going about 8 knots!
We planned to stay in England for 9 more days after disembarking; more on that later. I made use of the onboard laundry so our suitcases were full of clean clothes again when we arrived.
Where to stay the night before departure? We stayed at Lodge Red Hook. Not fancy, but an easy walk to the Cruise Terminal. They also have a nice breakfast included. We flew in the day before, and it made for a stress-free transfer without worrying about unexpected travel delays. The Uber from JFK to the hotel was about $100.
There is also a convenient South Brooklyn-Manhattan foot ferry at the cruise terminal, which we used while we were there. To go to Manhattan, get on at Red Hook towards Corlears Hook. You can purchase tickets from a machine at the dock.
Red Hook visitor info. Red Hook is very walkable, and we found several nice restaurants and wine stores near the hotel.
Pro Tip: You can bring 1 bottle of wine/alcohol per passenger onto the QM2 in your carry-on luggage, so we made sure to pick up a couple of nice bottles in Red Hook before heading to the cruise terminal.
I’ve been to NYC too many times to count, but I’ve never spent time in Brooklyn. We had a quick visit here, this time we stayed in Red Hook.
We enjoyed walking around the neighborhood, finding a nice lobster pound.
Red Hook Lobster Pound was great
And we took a nice tour up and down the East River.
Brooklyn BridgeGovernors Island to the left, Manhattan up ahead
We ran across this pretty boat, the SV Clearwater, getting some paint touch up. The Clearwater is the sloop Pete Seeger raised money for, and had built, to raise awareness of the pollution in the Hudson River back in the 1960s. It is still actively promoting environmental education as a floating classroom, and has inspired countless other efforts across the country. More info here: https://www.clearwater.org/the-sloop/
We have driven by the Palo Duro Canyon State Park many times on trips to and from Colorado over the last 25+ years.
This week we took a little road trip to go see it. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. It’s located in the high plains of North Texas; the Llano Estacado. The elevation at the rim is about 3500’ and the floor of the canyon lies about 800’ below. It is called “the Grand Canyon of Texas” and the steep, layered rock walls sure echo those of its namesake.
We took the 8-hour drive up and stayed in a cabin on the floor of the canyon that was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Cow Camp cabin #4 – our little bit of paradise
The park is stunningly beautiful. Being in the heart of nature for a couple of days was unforgettable.
Sunrise at cow camp cabin #4Sunrise lighting up the canyon wallSunset view
The visitor center provided a nice introduction to the geology and history of the canyon.
One of the Texas Longhorn herd
And oh the stars! We sat outside for hours watching the sky.
Milky Way!And more Milky WayOrionMoonStar gazer
On the way home we made an overnight stop in Lubbock. We enjoy visiting the McPherson Cellars tasting room whenever we are in the neighborhood. We can always find another couple there to talk with over a glass of wine.
We stopped in lots of tiny Texas towns to check out their antique stores, historic county courthouses, and Main Street cafes.
I spied an old postcard in an antique shop that foreshadows a road trip that I just booked!
My main intent for this trip to Seattle was to see my 7 great nieces & nephews. ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅
I also spent some good time with all but one of my nieces and nephews, and my sisters. I got a chance to visit my friend Irene again. We surprised her mom who I last saw at our high school graduation too long ago. What a special treat.
The Pacific Northwest is beautiful. It never disappoints.
Sunset at Everett MarinaFog at Port Townsend harborPears at Rachel & Matthew’s homeSilver City Brewery in BremertonSmoky view across Hood Canal
I’m visiting my family in Seattle. I took a break from hugging babies to attend the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend. The rain cooperated and Noreen, Colleen, and I had a fun day.
Earlier this month, Monte and I checked something off his wish list. We booked a 5-day/4-night cruise on the Lewis R. French. The French is a 2-masted gaff-rigged wooden schooner. Built in 1871 in Christmas Cove, it is the only remaining 19th-century schooner built in Maine. It is a National Historic Landmark, and is the oldest active commercial sailing vessel in the United States. It is part of the extensive Maine Windjammer Association, taking guests on 3-6 day cruise adventures in Penobscot Bay.
The Lewis R French anchored off Burnt Island, near North Haven.
The French hosts twenty guests, with a crew of five. The weather was excellent. We had a little bit of everything: sun, sporting wind, fog, light wind, and some shooting stars, thanks to the Perseid meteor shower. Guests are welcome to hoist and lower sails, sound the fog horn, steer, raise anchor, and help row one of the two wooden rowboats to shore and back. The French operates on sail only, but tows a diesel tender behind which is used to push it in and out of harbors and as an auxiliary motor in case there is no wind at all.
Kurt, Kevin, and Edie also came on the trip, which made for even more fun. We arrived one day ahead of time to explore Camden and other towns a bit before boarding our cruise. We stayed at the Lord Camden Inn, and had a great view of the entire harbor from our balcony.
A view of Camden inner harbor. The French is the schooner on the left
We didn’t have to board the schooner until 5pm, so we had plenty of time to explore. We drove to the top of Mount Battie and took in sweeping views of Penobscot Bay, and Camden Harbor.
A view of Camden Harbor from Mount Battie, and Penobscot Bay beyond.
We also visited nearby coastal towns of Rockport, Damariscotta, Rockland, and Bath.
Our first night we slept aboard at the dock in Camden. In the morning we set off to the east, ending up anchoring at Burnt Island outside North Haven. We enjoyed a lobster bake ashore on the beach.
The next day we headed north, it was a long day of sailing, sometimes in light wind, sometimes in moderate wind, anchoring in Holbrook Harbor. We rowed ashore for a short walk on one of the islands there before dinner.
In the morning, I was happy to hear that we would sail to the nearby historic town of Castine after breakfast to grab a mooring and then go ashore for a couple of hours. I walked to the lighthouse and back, exploring the museum and the historic fort locations along the way.
Dyce Head Light at Castine.
After everyone was back on board, we hoisted sails again for a really lovely sail in good winds south to Gilkey’s Harbor at Islesboro.
Eagle Island Lighthouse near Deer Isle.
The next morning we headed out in thick fog southwest back to Camden.
Curtis Island Light at Camden
The food aboard was plentiful and delicious. The chef “OB” kept bringing up baked goods, meals, and snacks from the galley below.
A large and well-appointed galley is where all the food magic happens. The wrap around table can seat about 20 if need be.O.B. plays a mean concertina.
Captain (and owner) Becky kept things running smoothly. First mate Alex and her deck hands Jesse and Jenny kept things ship shape and made it all look easy.
After coming ashore again in Camden, we piled into the car headed back to Portland. We bid adieu to Kurt, dropped Edie and Kevin at the airport, and then Monte and I hopped a Casco Bay ferry over to Great Diamond Island to stay with Lori and Mike for a few days in their wonderful vacationland home.
The old ice pond at Diamond Cove on Great Diamond Island. Now a pretty place just to sit. And maybe get married.
While they no longer have a sailboat, they have a new addition, a 27′ Boston Whaler that is moored at the island. We used it to head over to Peaks Island one night for dinner, and to spend an afternoon taking in a floating concert at Cow Island.
The Flotilla to Fight Cancer was a concert on the water. The band played from the stern of these two lobsterboats moored together.
This is my 3rd summer visit to Maine, and each has been very memorable and fun.
At the beginning of the year, Monte and I were invited to spend a week with my friends Irene and Joseph at their place in the Algarve region of Portugal. We took them up on their invitation and planned a two-week trip for June – one week in the Algarve in a quaint fishing village called Ferragudo, followed by a week for Monte and I to explore Porto and Lisbon together.
Ferragudo and the Algarve Region
Ferragudo was a wonderful place to visit. We walked along the beaches on the Arade River, and hiked the trails up into and along the cliffs that overlook the Atlantic Ocean. We took a boat trip out into the ocean that explored some of the caves and beaches along the coast. There are a number of companies that offer cave tours. I enjoyed our trip with BenagilExpress, and booked it ahead of time via TripAdvisor.
We hired a local named Luis who took us on a 4-hour boat trip up the Arade river to the historic town of Silves, which was the capital of the Kingdom of the Algarve back to the 13th century. We had time to explore Silves, tour the castle, explore the markets and cafes. Along the way, Luis told us all about the history of the region, and of the fishing and farming industries in the area. I recommend Luis and his tours, you can find a link to his website here.
We also explored Portimão, Praia da Rocha, and Alvor. We sampled the local fare: grilled sardines, bacalao, tapas, pastries, and many different flavors of gelatos. I saw some new birds, and found a geocache (of course!)
Irene and Joseph were wonderful hosts, and I hope to make my way back to Ferragudo again.
Porto
After goodbye hugs with Irene and Joseph we ubered to the Faro Airport for our flight to Porto.
I absolutely loved the place we stayed. It was an entire 1-bedroom apartment just a block away from the Avenida dos Aliados, and within walking distance from just about everything in Porto. If you are looking to book a place to stay in Porto, you should check out Almada 234.
It turns out that one of the days/nights we were there was Porto’s biggest festival of the year – the Festa de São João, celebrating their patron saint John the Baptist. And boy do they throw a party!
It’s a thing for everyone to bop virtually anyone that walks within arm’s reach on the head with plastic squeaky hammers for good luck. It’s also a thing to light candles inside paper lanterns and set them aloft. The sky was filled with lit lanterns throughout the city as far as you could see, all night long. It was truly a sight. They set fireworks off over the Douro River at midnight. Monte and I walked down with thousands of our friends to the cathedral that overlooks the river which turned out to be a great place to experience the spectacle.
We explored São Bento train station with its beautifully tiled lobby, the ancient Clerigos Tower, the Jardins do Palacio de Cristal, sampled the food and wine along the Ribiera (the Douro riverfront), we walked across the Luis I bridge, rode the Teleferico (cable car) down to the Gaia district full of Port wine houses and visited their tasting rooms. I truly enjoyed our time in Porto.
On the morning of our third day in Porto, we had a café com leite and a pastiche de nata, and then hopped on a train south to Lisbon.
Lisbon
We easily made our way to our hotel in Lisbon’s Baixa district via the metro from the Santa Apolonia Train station when we arrived in Lisbon. It was in a great, central location, just a couple of blocks from the Tagus river.
There are so many different places to explore in Lisbon. We picked a few among many. We spent a half-day in the historical maritime center of Belem. The Belem Tower dates from the 16th century. It was the last thing sailors saw when they set out to discover new trade routes, and, if they were lucky, was the first thing they saw when they arrived back home. Of course, we visited during one of the few times in the last 500 years that it was under renovation and covered with scaffolding, but it was still inspiring to see. There is a carved stone monument to the Portuguese-led Age of Exploration, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (monument of Discoveries). We also toured the Maritime Museum which was worthwhile. We visited the grounds of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a monastery which was built in 1501 to celebrate Portuguese success on the sea. The monastery is the final resting place of Vasco de Gama, as well as several kings of Portugal.
We also visited the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum), located in a beautiful former convent on the east side of Lisbon, and walked through the history of the decorative tiles that define Portuguese architecture and art.
In the evening, we walked through the central historic district of Lisbon, exploring stores and restaurants, and taking the Santa Justa elevator up from the Baixa district to the Bairro Alto neighborhood. At the top, we had great views over the city, as well as the ruins of the Igreja do Carmo, a church built in the 14th century that was damaged in the earthquake of 1755. The quake andthe fires and tsunami that followed killed about 20% of the residents and pretty much leveled Lisbon. The city we see today has essentially been rebuilt over much of the last 350 years.
We took the train from Rossio train station to Sintra for a day trip to explore the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle (well, it’s more the walls of the former fortress). Being a top tourist destination, it was crowded, but I had pre-booked tickets and transportation for our visit to be the first of the day, so we arrived early and beat most of the crowds. The things I like the best were the sweeping views from the top of the Pena Palace out to the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the south, the walk through the wooded trails down to the Moorish Castle, and the train trip through the hills and back.
Back in Lisbon, we explored the Praça do Comercio, the Chiado district, Cais Sodre, and rode the Gloria Elevator (well, funicular, really) up to the terrace at the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, and enjoyed churros while taking in another sweeping view of Lisbon. And, of course, we enjoyed the local seafood for dinner.
At the close of a lovely trip, we packed up, bid adieu to Portugal, and flew home from Lisbon.
We made a trip to Port Aransas this weekend for their wooden boat show. I always enjoy our time spent there. The weather was still pretty hot for the end of October. Shade was in short supply.
The historic Tarpon Inn is where we like to stay. No TV or clocks in the rooms. But it’s in the middle of everything.
The porch of the Tarpon Inn outside our room at sunrise.
We enjoyed fantastic meals at Tortuga Saltwater Grill and Venetian Hotplate, I highly recommend both. And thankfully found the best coffee shop in town at Barefoot Beans (they open at 6AM!).
We toured the UT Marine Science Center exhibits and outdoor wetlands displays.
We checked out the sand pumpkins on the beach.
This morning we spent a couple hours at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center and saw over 30 species, including the American Flamingo that has become a local.
On the drive home today we stopped for BBQ at Smitty’s Market in Lockhart. The Subaru looked so tiny parked amongst the big Texas PickUps. 🙂
Back home now watching a sad Seahawks game unfold. Oh well. It was fun weekend nonetheless.
Monte and I just got home from visiting Lori & Mike and their new home in Maine. It is on an island a few miles offshore from Portland, Maine. Like all the other homes in the private community at Diamond Cove, theirs is a thoroughly modern restoration of a historic building from the former Fort McKinley Army Base. Fort McKinley began operating in the late 1800s, is now privately owned, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The island is amazing; beautiful, historic, full of woods, bike paths, beaches, and wildlife. How lucky they are to have found it.
Sunset on our first evening – a view of Fort Gorges in Casco Bay
We rode the ferry many times – walked and biked on several islands in Casco Bay – sampled brews and seafood in Portland and nearby towns – toured the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine – played a little cornhole – found a geocache – found an insane amount of sea glass at the beach – spied several shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower – took a historic tour of the island – boarded a sunset cruise on a schooner in Casco bay – visited Portland Head Light. Monte and Mike even found time to complete a project in the well-equipped community woodshop on the island.
A view from the deck of Schooner Bagheera of Portland Schooner CompanyPortland Head Lighthouse
I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Laura also planned a visit at the same time between trips to visit her family and it was really great to spend some time with her, too.
I’m happy to report that things are picking up in the travel department. Before COVID we happily welcomed regular visitors to Austin and made our share of trips. Four years later, it’s feeling a bit more normal. We took a trip to Denver in January. Noreen and David visited us this Spring. I did a girls’ trip to Santa Barbara. Monte made a guys’ trip to the BVI. We flew up to Seattle in June. Laura came for a visit at the beginning of July. Last week we finished a road trip to see family and National Parks in the midwest.
Monte and I took the Subaru on another road trip. 3000 miles. 8 days and 7 nights. 9 states (well 10 if you count passing through the corner of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas – aka OKKAMO). Made my first-ever visit to a Great Lake. Earned 3 new geocache state badges. Visited four more National Parks, bringing my total to 30. Still lots more to see.
It is nice to reflect that this year alone we have had in-person visits with all of our siblings, most of our nieces and nephews, and even a few grandnieces and nephews. What a treat.
Gateway Arch NP was much more interesting than I expected. The construction of this monument was an engineering marvel at the time, and it is MUCH bigger than I imagined. We took the tour up to the top, and even the tram system was an interesting innovation to learn about. The view from the top was amazing. I was a tiny bit freaked out to look out the window and see both feet of the arch below us(!)
View from the top of the Gateway Arch. The muddy Mississippi River to the east is at the top of this pic.
Indiana Dunes NP was a lovely stop for about 4 hours. We tootled by the homes from the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1933 that have been moved to the lakeshore and are now privately owned and lived in. We scored an amazing parking spot by the beach. And we walked up and down the beach, which did have dunes, but lots of rounded rocks. I waded into Lake Michigan, another first.
The south shore of Lake Michigan. No sea glass was to be found.
Cuyahoga Valley NP was a highlight for me. It commemorates the Ohio and Erie Canal system, with locks, and a tow path for the mule-pulled canal boats. The canal was dug by hand in the early 1800s. It was fed with water from the nearby Cuyahoga River, and carried goods between the Ohio River and Lake Erie, putting Ohio on the map for commerce and transportation. The canal isn’t operating anymore. It was wiped out by floods in the early 1900s and eventually made obsolete by the railway built alongside it. But its footprint is clearly visible and the miles and miles of tow paths make for amazing walking and biking trails. The park is located between Cleveland and Akron and I expected it to be an urban park, but it is in the middle of beautiful forests and hills. It is spread out, so do your research beforehand to pick from the many spots you may want to visit.
We spent 2 half days there, starting at Boston Mills Visitor Center, then visited Brandywine Falls, and the Everett Covered Bridge, walked along the towpaths, stopped in Peninsula to check out the town and to visit Lock 29, and made a visit to the Canal Exploration Center, which helped us to understand the whole canal operation and its history. They have rebuilt a working lock there to demonstrate how they worked.
I’m envious of the people who have this park in their backyard. It’s a beautiful place to get out and explore. If I ever make it back, I’ll bring a bike. And take a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway.
Brandywine Falls @ Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Everett Covered Bridge @ Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
A rebuilt, working lock at the Canal Exploration Center @ Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Mammoth Cave NP. Having driven by this park probably a dozen times, it was time to make a visit. We took the Historical Tour – a 2-hour, 2-mile, guided tour that took us through the cave at numerous levels of its 400′ of depth. It is different from other caves I’ve visited – a “dry”cave – in that it doesn’t drip water from the surface. So, no stalagmites nor stalactites. Rather, the maze of caverns has been cut from adjacent rivers that flow through the cave. It was amazing to experience a tiny bit of its vastness.
A view inside Mammoth Cave along the Historical Tour.
On this trip, we stopped in Rising Sun to visit Gary & Judy, Mary & Megan, and Bryan, and in Gobbler’s Knob to visit Susanne, Lanny, and Mica. We spent an afternoon making peach jam, and brought some home!
It was a great trip, indeed. I have already drafted our national park road trip for next year!
Some National Parks are created to preserve a rare species. Others are created to preserve a uniquely beautiful location. I’m sure there are other reasons that motivate a place being enshrined and protected as a US National Park.
Sequoia National Park was founded in 1890, to “protect giant sequoia trees, the largest living trees by volume on Earth,” according to the National Park Service website. In the early days of Sequoia NP, fire suppression was a major focus. It was fascinating to learn that in doing so for upwards of a century, we were actually threatening their existence. It turns out that the seed cones of the giant Sequoia trees require the high-temperature heat from wildfires to release their seeds. And natural thinning by wildfire is also needed to provide adequate sunlight for the new trees.
In the end, modern researchers have provided better guidance to preserve these gentle giants, who are obviously resilient to fire. It was hard to find one of these up to 2000-year-old trees that hadn’t been scarred from fires at some point.
This is an important lesson to think about on this 54th Earth Day. We should act with preservation and conservation in mind, but learn and adapt to the best methods. Sometimes we are wrong.
The North Entrance along General’s Highway greeted us with hills and canyons full of fire-damaged trees.Nearly every giant sequoia bears the scars of wildfire (they are over 2000 years old!) Some don’t make it, but many do.A balance of nature.
Sheila365 