As I said in an earlier post, I am looking a some ambitious travel adventures for 2020. I am still formulating and coming up with ideas and trying to process all of the information that some of my friends and subscribers to my YouTube channel have sent in.
Last Year when I was locked out of this blog for several months, it seemed that I lost most of my readers. For several months I was unable to do anything here and during that time most of my readers and subscribers have moved on. Hopefully, my reader count will increase when I hit the road again in March.
I haven't finalized my March adventure yet and I am still trying to decide of where I am going and my route of travel. What I am looking at doing this year is hitting the road for some kind of adventure about every 6-week. As usual my first big adventure will be centered about the NCAA Basketball Tournament in March. This year I am really staying close to home and attending the tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Greensboro Coliseum is one of my all time favorite venues. First it is close to home and there are enough hotels in the area that the rates remain reasonable. Hotels immediately around Greensboro do jack up their special event rate for the Tournament. And since this year the ACC Tournament has returned to the Coliseum rates for both tournaments are significantly higher than usual. However, by staying just a few mile out of Greensboro the rates decrease to less than $100 per night.
I ordered my NCAA Tournament Tickets back in October. I received my e-mail from the NCAA with an early buy code that I could use before tickets went on sale to the general public. While this do NOT provide any discount in price it does give me to the opportunity to purchase tickets in the lower bowl. I have found that if I wait until the tickets go on sale to the general public I can't get lower level tickets. So the early by option is good for me and I have been able to use it for several years.
I am also looking at attending some of the games of the ACC Tournament especially some of the early round games. Tickets to the ACC Tournament in Greensboro don't usually go on sale to the general public and the only way to get them is by being a booster at one of the Participating Schools. So if I do attend, I will most likely get my tickets through StubHub.
So people say I should just buy them on the outside from scalpers or other people selling tickets. While that used to be and may still be a viable option it is also a good way to get scammed. In recent years less than honest people have bought one ticket off of ticket exchange sites like StubHub or Seat Geek. They then print off several copied of that one ticket and sell it several times. Once the first person scans the ticket the bar code is no longer good and anyone else who bough one of the ticker are out of luck. So I buy directly from StubHub because they are guaranteed to be legit tickets.
So for two weeks in March my play is to hang around Greensboro and attend the Basketball games. After the Tournaments I plan on heading back home for a few day to regroup and repack before heading out on my first adventure of 2020 around the first of April. As I said earlier I haven't decided where I going yet, but I do have a couple of ideas.
I plan to stay close to home in May and June and then embarking on my first confirmed adventure of 2020. Last year I took a 7-day bus trip through Boston and New England with Sunshine Tours and had such a great time that I have decided to do an even longer tour with them this year.
In early July I will be embarking on the Sunshine Tour 15-day Canyonland Tour. In this tour we get to spend time in Santa Fe, New Mexico before heading up into Colorado then back down to the Four Corners area. The we travel through Monument Valley which I toured during my Arizona Adventure in 2018. Then we get to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which I have never done. After leaving the Grand Canyon we will be off to the four National Parks of Utah; Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Canyonlands.
I had considered driving out to this area during the summer but some of the Utah National Park are limiting vehicle traffic into the parks during the summer. Once a limited number of cars are admitted visitors will have to park at designated area and board a shuttle that will ferry you into various locations in the park.
A couple of subscribers to my YouTube Channel did the shuttle thing really didn't like it. They said the lines to board the shuttles could be quite long both in the parking area and at the designated locations inside of the park.
So, I decided to take the Sunshine Bus Tour, hoping that I will get to see the high points of the Parks. I know some of the best views and locations in the park you will need to hike too and I may consider driving back out during the so called off season when the shuttles are discontinued and visitors can drive into the park.
I have started paying on my Canyonlands Bus Tour so that is the first confirmed adventure that I have on the agenda for 2020. I really want to take another long distance Amtrak trip. In 2018 I travels from Roanoke to Phoenix Arizona on Amtrak's Capitol Limited, Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited. I absolutely love it and really want to do another one. I am seriously looking at taking the Southwest Chief all the way to Los Angeles and renting a car to tour Southern California. The taking the Coast Starlite up to the Bay Area where I can either continue on to Seattle and take the Empire Builder back to Chicago or take the California Zephyr back through the Rockies to Chicago. Anyway it is an Idea that I am considering.
If I don't embark on my Amtrak Adventure, The I want to use the summer to travel back to the New England and spend a couple of weeks exploring the Presidential Sites and History of the area. I also want to explore the Ohio Presidential Sites and travel up through Michigan and the Upper Peninsula before heading back down through Wisconsin.
With the exception of my Canyonlands Bus Tour, everything is still in the early planning stage. The next thing that I will work toward finalizing is what I will be Doing after the Basketball Tournaments. I want to start getting those plans finalized and in the books. When I do, I will update this blog, so stay turned.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Saturday, January 25, 2020
WHERE DO I EAT
I got an e-mail the other day from a subscriber who ask the question, "Where do you eat when you are traveling." So here goes.
When traveling, most hotels serve some type of breakfast so more often than not I chose to have breakfast at my hotel before hitting the road for the day. While hotels breakfast vary not only from chain to chain but from hotel to hotel within the same chain, most offer some type of breakfast.
I mostly stay at two national chains when traveling, Choice Hotel, which feature Comfort and Sleep Inns and the Holiday Inn chain. And as I said the quality of breakfast varies greatly not only between the two chains but from properties within the chain.
Most Choice Hotels feature some type of breakfast ranging from just simple coffee, juice, with fruit pastries to something like a smaller mini buffet with eggs a meat, waffles along toast and muffins.
The Holiday Inn has the greatest difference between properties. Some of the Hotels feature the same kind of mini-buffet that you find at many of the Choice Hotels. But some of the Holiday Inn Hotels have a stand alone restaurant on the property. Most of the time there is no free breakfast area in these hotels and you can order from a menu in the restaurant.
One thing that I have found with many Holiday Inn's is if you are a member of their rewards programs (especially one of their higher loyalty levels) you will more often than not received a voucher for a free breakfast upon check in. Even if you don't received the free voucher, most of the time the restaurant will discount your meal if you show them your room key.
Most of the Holiday Inn meal discounts are good for breakfast only, but if the hotel also has a bar then you may get a voucher for a free drink in the evenings. The one thing that I have found with the stand alone restaurants is that they are independently owned and food and service varies greatly from restaurant to restaurant.
After breakfast at the Hotel, I hit the road if it is a travel day or I head out to explore the area. For lunch if its a travel day I either hit a fast food joint or if I end up in a small town I like to stop and ask a local for Lunch recommendations. I have received some amazing recommendations along with some that were totally awful. But like anything it is hit and miss and you have to take the good with the bad.
For dinner, I really like to explore the area that I am in and usually end up taking my dinner at a local restaurant that are once again recommended by locals or that I have found on sites like Trip Advisor or a place that I have seen on TV.
Another question the same subscriber ask was what are some of my favorite place that I have found in my travels. So here are some of my favorite spots that I have enjoyed during my adventures. They are in no particular order, but rest assured I enjoy them all.
THE BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH - AMARILLO, TEXAS
No trip through the panhandle of Texas would be complete without a stop at the Big Texan in Amarillo. It was a staple of Old Route 66 and now sits right along Interstate 40. The Big Texan is known for the famous 72 ounce steak challenge. But even if you don't take the challenge, the smaller steaks are great. It is almost always crowded, especially for dinner, but they turn tables over very quickly and the longest that I have every had to wait is about 45 minutes. As for the food, I have never had a bad meal here. The steaks are great, served sizzling hot and are delicious. Another thing that I like about the Big Texan is the musicians that walk through the restaurant taking request and playing country music. Don't forget to tip. Whenever I find myself in or near Amarillo I always visit the Big Texan and I have never been disappointed.
MRS. WILKES DINING ROOM - SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
To say that I like this place would be a tremendous understatement. Mrs. Wilkes is a family style restaurant where 10-people are seated around a large table and the food is served family style in bowls and plates that are passed around the table. And when a bowl is empty it is quickly replaced by another. On my visit there were plates of three different meats, ribs, meat loaf and of course fried chicken. Along with the meats there were bowl after bowl of wonderful food including peas, mashed potatoes, okra, mac and cheese just to name a few. I enjoyed visiting with my table companions who were from California, Texas and Missouri. Great food and interesting conversation made for and enjoyable meal. Keep in mind that Mrs. Wilkes is only open Monday - Friday for Lunch between the hours of 11 a.m., and 2 p.m. Another thing is they do NOT take Credit Cards and only accept CASH. Mrs. Wilkes is so popular that most days people begin to line up well before the 11 a.m. opening time. But I can assure you, any wait is well worth it as the food is great and I really enjoyed eating with and meeting some interesting people.
CATTLEMEN'S STEAKHOUSE - OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.
I have been to Oklahoma City a few times and years ago a local told me that I simply had to try the Cattlemen's Steakhouse in the Historic Stockyards. I tried it and now every time I returned to Oklahoma City, the Cattlemen's is a required stop. No matter What you get it will be simply delicious. As I said I have been here several times and have sampled several things on the menu and my favorite is of course the Cattlemen's Top Sirloin. But if you want to try something other than beef I would recommend the Fried Catfish. I absolutely love the Cattlemen's but for the outstanding food and the great service provided by servers who absolutely go out of their way to make you feel welcome.
LOCKHART, TEXAS - Lockhart, Texas is known for BBQ and while there are a large number of BBQ places in the area I had a hard time picking just one. In the two days that I spent in the area I OD'ed on great Texas BBQ. Like I said I had a hard time picking just one but my two favorites were Blacks BBQ, and Kreuz Market. The BBQ at each of these is simply outstanding and I found that I had my favorites at each place. At Kreuz Markter I had the Jalapeno Cheese Sausage with the Mac and Cheese. The sausage with spicy and just hot enough to to get your attention but not over whelming. My second visit to Kreuz was for dinner on my second day and I had the Brisket the slaw and beans which again was outstanding. Like Kreuz I had two meals at Blacks and they were equally as good and enjoyable. At Blacks for Lunch I had the Brisket with green beans and mac and cheese. When I returned the next day I had the Beef Ribs with slaw and Pinto Beans. Needless to say everything was outstanding. If you want real Texas BBQ then Lockhart is the place to go. I would highly recommend Black BBQ and Kreuz Market. If I go back I want to try some of the others including Smitty's Market.
GOURDOUGH'S DONUTS - AUSTIN, TEXAS
While this is not a restaurant, those of you that know me know that I love donuts. And while I have had some amazing donuts in my travels, I have to say that my absolute favorite donut place is Gourdough on South First Street in Austin, Texas. Gourdough's on 1st street is actually in what appears to be a converted air stream travel trailer. They do serve more than donuts but I came for donuts and donut is what I got. During my time in Austin I visited Gourdough's several times, and ended up sampling a lot of their donut choices. I must say that everything was great but my favorites were Miss Shortcake and Son of a Peach. I also couldn't resist the Blue Balls and the Cherry Bombs donut holes. If you are in Austin, Gourdough's is my favorite place.
Those are just some of my absolute favorite restaurants that I have encountered during my adventures. It is by no means a complete list and as 2020 kicks in I hope to discover even more places that I can add to this list.
Speaking of 2020, I am looking at some very ambitious adventures and some of them are beginning to take shape and if everything falls in to place I will be hitting the road around the first of April and again in July. Stay tuned as details will be coming in the weeks ahead.
When traveling, most hotels serve some type of breakfast so more often than not I chose to have breakfast at my hotel before hitting the road for the day. While hotels breakfast vary not only from chain to chain but from hotel to hotel within the same chain, most offer some type of breakfast.
I mostly stay at two national chains when traveling, Choice Hotel, which feature Comfort and Sleep Inns and the Holiday Inn chain. And as I said the quality of breakfast varies greatly not only between the two chains but from properties within the chain.
Most Choice Hotels feature some type of breakfast ranging from just simple coffee, juice, with fruit pastries to something like a smaller mini buffet with eggs a meat, waffles along toast and muffins.
The Holiday Inn has the greatest difference between properties. Some of the Hotels feature the same kind of mini-buffet that you find at many of the Choice Hotels. But some of the Holiday Inn Hotels have a stand alone restaurant on the property. Most of the time there is no free breakfast area in these hotels and you can order from a menu in the restaurant.
One thing that I have found with many Holiday Inn's is if you are a member of their rewards programs (especially one of their higher loyalty levels) you will more often than not received a voucher for a free breakfast upon check in. Even if you don't received the free voucher, most of the time the restaurant will discount your meal if you show them your room key.
Most of the Holiday Inn meal discounts are good for breakfast only, but if the hotel also has a bar then you may get a voucher for a free drink in the evenings. The one thing that I have found with the stand alone restaurants is that they are independently owned and food and service varies greatly from restaurant to restaurant.
After breakfast at the Hotel, I hit the road if it is a travel day or I head out to explore the area. For lunch if its a travel day I either hit a fast food joint or if I end up in a small town I like to stop and ask a local for Lunch recommendations. I have received some amazing recommendations along with some that were totally awful. But like anything it is hit and miss and you have to take the good with the bad.
For dinner, I really like to explore the area that I am in and usually end up taking my dinner at a local restaurant that are once again recommended by locals or that I have found on sites like Trip Advisor or a place that I have seen on TV.
Another question the same subscriber ask was what are some of my favorite place that I have found in my travels. So here are some of my favorite spots that I have enjoyed during my adventures. They are in no particular order, but rest assured I enjoy them all.
THE BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH - AMARILLO, TEXAS
No trip through the panhandle of Texas would be complete without a stop at the Big Texan in Amarillo. It was a staple of Old Route 66 and now sits right along Interstate 40. The Big Texan is known for the famous 72 ounce steak challenge. But even if you don't take the challenge, the smaller steaks are great. It is almost always crowded, especially for dinner, but they turn tables over very quickly and the longest that I have every had to wait is about 45 minutes. As for the food, I have never had a bad meal here. The steaks are great, served sizzling hot and are delicious. Another thing that I like about the Big Texan is the musicians that walk through the restaurant taking request and playing country music. Don't forget to tip. Whenever I find myself in or near Amarillo I always visit the Big Texan and I have never been disappointed.
MRS. WILKES DINING ROOM - SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
To say that I like this place would be a tremendous understatement. Mrs. Wilkes is a family style restaurant where 10-people are seated around a large table and the food is served family style in bowls and plates that are passed around the table. And when a bowl is empty it is quickly replaced by another. On my visit there were plates of three different meats, ribs, meat loaf and of course fried chicken. Along with the meats there were bowl after bowl of wonderful food including peas, mashed potatoes, okra, mac and cheese just to name a few. I enjoyed visiting with my table companions who were from California, Texas and Missouri. Great food and interesting conversation made for and enjoyable meal. Keep in mind that Mrs. Wilkes is only open Monday - Friday for Lunch between the hours of 11 a.m., and 2 p.m. Another thing is they do NOT take Credit Cards and only accept CASH. Mrs. Wilkes is so popular that most days people begin to line up well before the 11 a.m. opening time. But I can assure you, any wait is well worth it as the food is great and I really enjoyed eating with and meeting some interesting people.
CATTLEMEN'S STEAKHOUSE - OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA.
I have been to Oklahoma City a few times and years ago a local told me that I simply had to try the Cattlemen's Steakhouse in the Historic Stockyards. I tried it and now every time I returned to Oklahoma City, the Cattlemen's is a required stop. No matter What you get it will be simply delicious. As I said I have been here several times and have sampled several things on the menu and my favorite is of course the Cattlemen's Top Sirloin. But if you want to try something other than beef I would recommend the Fried Catfish. I absolutely love the Cattlemen's but for the outstanding food and the great service provided by servers who absolutely go out of their way to make you feel welcome.
LOCKHART, TEXAS - Lockhart, Texas is known for BBQ and while there are a large number of BBQ places in the area I had a hard time picking just one. In the two days that I spent in the area I OD'ed on great Texas BBQ. Like I said I had a hard time picking just one but my two favorites were Blacks BBQ, and Kreuz Market. The BBQ at each of these is simply outstanding and I found that I had my favorites at each place. At Kreuz Markter I had the Jalapeno Cheese Sausage with the Mac and Cheese. The sausage with spicy and just hot enough to to get your attention but not over whelming. My second visit to Kreuz was for dinner on my second day and I had the Brisket the slaw and beans which again was outstanding. Like Kreuz I had two meals at Blacks and they were equally as good and enjoyable. At Blacks for Lunch I had the Brisket with green beans and mac and cheese. When I returned the next day I had the Beef Ribs with slaw and Pinto Beans. Needless to say everything was outstanding. If you want real Texas BBQ then Lockhart is the place to go. I would highly recommend Black BBQ and Kreuz Market. If I go back I want to try some of the others including Smitty's Market.
GOURDOUGH'S DONUTS - AUSTIN, TEXAS
While this is not a restaurant, those of you that know me know that I love donuts. And while I have had some amazing donuts in my travels, I have to say that my absolute favorite donut place is Gourdough on South First Street in Austin, Texas. Gourdough's on 1st street is actually in what appears to be a converted air stream travel trailer. They do serve more than donuts but I came for donuts and donut is what I got. During my time in Austin I visited Gourdough's several times, and ended up sampling a lot of their donut choices. I must say that everything was great but my favorites were Miss Shortcake and Son of a Peach. I also couldn't resist the Blue Balls and the Cherry Bombs donut holes. If you are in Austin, Gourdough's is my favorite place.
Those are just some of my absolute favorite restaurants that I have encountered during my adventures. It is by no means a complete list and as 2020 kicks in I hope to discover even more places that I can add to this list.
Speaking of 2020, I am looking at some very ambitious adventures and some of them are beginning to take shape and if everything falls in to place I will be hitting the road around the first of April and again in July. Stay tuned as details will be coming in the weeks ahead.
Monday, January 6, 2020
CLOSING OUT 2019 - WELCOME 2020
HAPPY NEW YEARS.....2020 IS HERE
Well, it has been a while since I last posted anything and there are a couple of reason for that. (1) December is always a busy time for me because I am getting all my year end appointments taken care of. Things like Doctors, Dentist appointment along with year in financial reviews all are scheduled for December and early January. (2) Also the Holidays are a really busy time here in the New River Valley. The malls are impossible, Interstate 81 turns into a parking lot just about every day so traveling is difficult at best. (3) I have spent some time with family and friends and just enjoyed some social time.
So, with that being said, I did manage to end 2019 with a couple of little unscheduled and spur of the moment trip. First I took off and spent a weekend in the Pigeon Forge - Gatlinburg Area. This was really a spur of the moment trip as I got up one morning and decided to hit the road and ended up making my hotel reservations using the app on my phone during my lunch stop. So absolutely no plans.
On the way I did stop at Dandridge, Tennessee where I visited the Bush Baked Beans Museum. It was an interesting stop and really a lot of fun. The staff are all so friendly and make you feel welcome and go out of their way to make your visit fun. \Then it was just a short drive from Dandridge over to Pigeon Forge. A lot of people told me that the Holidays Traffic in the Pigeon Forge Area is horrible. I found that NOT to be the case. I was actually surprised at how light the traffic was.
I was here a few years ago just prior to the big fire and traffic was much worse. So I don't know if people are staying away because they think that the area hasn't recovered. While there is still some evidence of the fires, most of the businesses have recovered and the tourist attractions are opened.
When I was here a few years back, I spent almost all of my time doing the tourist thing in Pigeon Forge. I visited several of the Museums and other attractions, so this time I spent my time in Gatlinburg.The one thing that I wanted to do was see the new Skybridge that opened in May. In order to get to the Skybridge you have to pay and ride the skylift to the top of the mountain. While the price may be a little over $20, the good thing is, it is good for the entire day and you can go up and down a many times as you want. This is a good deal because the view during the day is completely different at night. I really enjoyed it, so don't let the $20+ price deter you. Spend the money and enjoy the view.
Anther thing that I really enjoyed in Gatlinburg was the Moonshine Tastings. There are two main distilleries right in the heart of Gatlinburg; Old Smokey and Sugarland and both offer tastings. The staff really make the tastings fun and light-hearted and off you a variety of really good flavors.
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| View from My Econo Lodge Room |
I like coming to the Beach in the winter. There are really no crowds and traffic is not a problem. While a lot of the restaurants are seasonal, there is still plenty to choose from. During my visit the weather was sunny and warm which made for an enjoyable stay.
My trip to Virginia Beach, ended my travels for 2019. From totaling my Car in Oklahoma City in March, to my very enjoyable bus trip to New England in July to my visit to Savannah, Georgia and Anna Maria Island, Florida in August, 2019 was an interesting and at times trying year. But as with all thing, you have to take the good with the bad.
As I begin 2020, I have already started planning some interesting adventures. I am looking at several options and in the next few weeks will be finalizing the first of what I hope to be a year of very ambitious adventures. Stay tuned to see whats around the bend.
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