Here is a list of Travel Blogs. A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you've learned. Post an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Update your blog on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with others. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about others. Click here to post a blog.
Ride Easy Ride Free
Well it's getting closer to that time of year when I'll have to park the trike. Not something I like to do, but she doesn't like the cold weather. I wear she moves away from the garage door when I open it in the winter. Not that I can't or won't ride in the cold, it's just not much fun. Of course 100 degree weather isn't much fun either with the hot wind blasting the face. It's a simple fact though, when you ride you get all kinds of weather. So for all my fellow riders, stay cool, stay warm, and ride easy, ride free
Oh the things I do
Yes, I'm a rider, I ride as often as I can. Sometimes I wake up early, and have trouble getting back to sleep, I've been know to take off for a ride at 3am. Other times on a whim I'll throw a couple of changes of clothes in a bag and just take off. One time when I did that I wound up spending the night in Arkansas, the next night found me in Iowa. I have already earned 1 Iron Butt patch, and am presently waiting to see if my second ride will be approved. In both cases it was 1000 miles in 24 hours, not the easiest ride to make, but in it's own way quite fun.
A mighty cold ride
A couple of years ago I decided to take a nice long road trip on the trike. Got everything planned and set. It got close to the day of departure I'd been watching the weather patterns, and forecasts, the day I left it was hot, I mean sweating riding down the highway hot. Rode 4and a half hours to a friends place for the weekend. Sunday morning I got up and ready to head out. Had to put on 4 layers of clothes. So much for the forecasts. Managed to ride from Grand Island Nebraska to Rawlins Wyoming 529 miles. Stopped for the night, the next morning was just as cold, but I headed West again. Made it to Heyburn Idaho 466 miles. Next morning, yep I headed West again, got all the way to Pendleton Oregon 347 miles. One more night in hotels, then on to Banks Oregon 234 miles. Stayed with my Sister for about a week, then headed back. Only once while I was at her house did I ride in a car, I took the trike everywhere else. Of course having a niece that wanted to ride might have had something to do with that.
Well the time came to head home. The first part of the first day wasn't too bad, but 20 miles from Pendleton I ran into rain. I was only 20 miles from my night stop I could keep going. About 10 miles out I got hit by the hail, definitely not a fun thing to do, but I made it to the hotel. Left the next morning in 40 degree weather. Ran into snow flurries in Idaho, but still made Heyburn. When I left there it was 32 degrees. Made Rawlins, after fighting severe cross winds. Took a slight detour to Denver to see more family, spent the night there, and then on to Grand Island again. Another weekend there, and headed home, still colder than all get out. Got home half froze, (or so it felt)
And naturally the very next day it got hot again. It was still a hell of a trip and I do it again in a heartbeat.
Well the time came to head home. The first part of the first day wasn't too bad, but 20 miles from Pendleton I ran into rain. I was only 20 miles from my night stop I could keep going. About 10 miles out I got hit by the hail, definitely not a fun thing to do, but I made it to the hotel. Left the next morning in 40 degree weather. Ran into snow flurries in Idaho, but still made Heyburn. When I left there it was 32 degrees. Made Rawlins, after fighting severe cross winds. Took a slight detour to Denver to see more family, spent the night there, and then on to Grand Island again. Another weekend there, and headed home, still colder than all get out. Got home half froze, (or so it felt)
And naturally the very next day it got hot again. It was still a hell of a trip and I do it again in a heartbeat.
Long weekend getaway
We got home late last night. Went on a road trip with 2 other families. We left Omaha around 5am last Friday and headed to Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska.
As we were driving out West, the rising sun was catching up on us
I got Art to pose for me.
I almost died laughing at the first few attempts. He looked like he was taking a crap!
We arrived at our rental place in South Dakota and decided we were too tired to be doing anything else for the rest of the evening. We tweaked our itinerary a bit. We played several rounds of UNO, had dinner and called it a day.
Deadwood
I love this place!
What could he possibly get with his meagre $5 ?!?
But look! He’s grinning like a Cheshire Cat!
After several shops up the street….
Lunch time and we were extremely famished by then!
Managed to take capture this before we were shown to our table
More shenanigans after lunch!
Mount Rushmore
We stayed for the evening lighting ceremony. All of us loved it!
Windcave National Park
We had a late start-out the 3rd day and by the time we got there, all the tours were sold out. They were sold out by 11am and we got there just after 11.30am
Oh well, at least we saw bisons along the drive up there….
The Mammoth Site Museum at Hot Springs.
As we were driving out West, the rising sun was catching up on us
I got Art to pose for me.
I almost died laughing at the first few attempts. He looked like he was taking a crap!
We arrived at our rental place in South Dakota and decided we were too tired to be doing anything else for the rest of the evening. We tweaked our itinerary a bit. We played several rounds of UNO, had dinner and called it a day.
Deadwood
I love this place!
What could he possibly get with his meagre $5 ?!?
But look! He’s grinning like a Cheshire Cat!
After several shops up the street….
Lunch time and we were extremely famished by then!
Managed to take capture this before we were shown to our table
More shenanigans after lunch!
Mount Rushmore
We stayed for the evening lighting ceremony. All of us loved it!
Windcave National Park
We had a late start-out the 3rd day and by the time we got there, all the tours were sold out. They were sold out by 11am and we got there just after 11.30am
Oh well, at least we saw bisons along the drive up there….
The Mammoth Site Museum at Hot Springs.
time for a road trip ,,,,
Well after a long wait due to covid ,i have decided to prep the car in readiness for a road trip to the UK,
besides driving essentials and just in case tool kit , my kettle and English teabags will be safely stowed away ,don,t get me wrong Autobahn coffee is ok but the rest areas with the most scenic views are not near service stations ,
and as times have now changed ,then the trip is not as straight forward as it used to be ,
as now i have to cross 5 closed borders and 3 open borders ,the closed borders can be a ten minute crossing or a 3 hour crossing depending on traffic and custom searches ,
driving a European registered car helps a lot ,until they see my passport and then it is usually the same question is this your car ,,so at every border my car docs and green card insurance are always at the ready , thankfully i do not have to go via turkey , as that can be a nightmare of a border to cross ,especially having been refused entry once before, not myself refused entry just my car grrrrr,,and being told to come back in six weeks and we will let the car in ,,and then they put a special stamp on your passport for the car ,which must leave the country when you do , or the fine is around 10,000 euros ,,so a break down is not a option ,,
the very last leg of the journey is by ferry across the English channel which i normally do , but what with brexit then dover customs will surely pull my car in for a search ,,i do not know why but solo drivers always seemed to be pulled in,
so i may take the EURO tunnel train it is twice the cost of the ferry and a lot quicker and the customs check is done in france to avoid delays with unloading the trains ,and i will not make the same mistake as i did on my last visit , which was forgetting to fill the car up in Luxemburg , as the fuel there is the cheapest in Europe ,, and the UK the dearest grrrrr but a full tank will see me through for what i need to do on my stay ,,,,,
besides driving essentials and just in case tool kit , my kettle and English teabags will be safely stowed away ,don,t get me wrong Autobahn coffee is ok but the rest areas with the most scenic views are not near service stations ,
and as times have now changed ,then the trip is not as straight forward as it used to be ,
as now i have to cross 5 closed borders and 3 open borders ,the closed borders can be a ten minute crossing or a 3 hour crossing depending on traffic and custom searches ,
driving a European registered car helps a lot ,until they see my passport and then it is usually the same question is this your car ,,so at every border my car docs and green card insurance are always at the ready , thankfully i do not have to go via turkey , as that can be a nightmare of a border to cross ,especially having been refused entry once before, not myself refused entry just my car grrrrr,,and being told to come back in six weeks and we will let the car in ,,and then they put a special stamp on your passport for the car ,which must leave the country when you do , or the fine is around 10,000 euros ,,so a break down is not a option ,,
the very last leg of the journey is by ferry across the English channel which i normally do , but what with brexit then dover customs will surely pull my car in for a search ,,i do not know why but solo drivers always seemed to be pulled in,
so i may take the EURO tunnel train it is twice the cost of the ferry and a lot quicker and the customs check is done in france to avoid delays with unloading the trains ,and i will not make the same mistake as i did on my last visit , which was forgetting to fill the car up in Luxemburg , as the fuel there is the cheapest in Europe ,, and the UK the dearest grrrrr but a full tank will see me through for what i need to do on my stay ,,,,,
online today!
...04....{ addenda
Tag.} Continuity... control...contact..
....he has early warning..- Lennon
.eYe don't care if you think I'm the incarnation of $atan..- J O E.
In the L A S T episode, as A public service, we used rock solid logic to solve x...who is / was the star gazer ? This is more // R O M E...[ ..ing.
5248..n'marad ben cush*
....11... Abaddon / apollo } Apollyon..) destroyer.
5237...s..t...r...A....n...g.....e.
* Lit.} Mighty giant son of black terror.
....the beat goes on...moving to Greek....
6 2 4... Apollo
520...0ne...) ..a lonely number..- 3 dog noir.
1124... weeping...} Because a room full of Astronot$
.. didn't real eYes pressured oxygen + toggle switch = dis Aster....this Mcblogment thus dedicated to Grissom, Chafee & White...R I P
624....
1733.. eleven
2357..a religious ceremony...
The last transmission from Apollo One...} H E L P. U S !
Back to the Hebrew strong radio net..
5 2 4 8....2 Thess. 2:9
3 2 8 2...( 2...pay Attention. | . purpose
1 9 6 6....he'leil...} .light bring..[er + howling
.......1639..to restrict / restraint.
.......3609... restraint of Ab/01..[ 3607 & 01.
.......5248.....2 thess. 2:7...
3 7 8 5... magic..} Latin; m a g a.
1 4 6 3...G o g..} UFO...
......... Standby..
Hex Enduction hour / the Fall
Free all Angels / Ash
Superposition / Young the giant
A R.] Standing on the shoulder of Giants/ oasis.
....he has early warning..- Lennon
.eYe don't care if you think I'm the incarnation of $atan..- J O E.
In the L A S T episode, as A public service, we used rock solid logic to solve x...who is / was the star gazer ? This is more // R O M E...[ ..ing.
5248..n'marad ben cush*
....11... Abaddon / apollo } Apollyon..) destroyer.
5237...s..t...r...A....n...g.....e.
* Lit.} Mighty giant son of black terror.
....the beat goes on...moving to Greek....
6 2 4... Apollo
520...0ne...) ..a lonely number..- 3 dog noir.
1124... weeping...} Because a room full of Astronot$
.. didn't real eYes pressured oxygen + toggle switch = dis Aster....this Mcblogment thus dedicated to Grissom, Chafee & White...R I P
624....
1733.. eleven
2357..a religious ceremony...
The last transmission from Apollo One...} H E L P. U S !
Back to the Hebrew strong radio net..
5 2 4 8....2 Thess. 2:9
3 2 8 2...( 2...pay Attention. | . purpose
1 9 6 6....he'leil...} .light bring..[er + howling
.......1639..to restrict / restraint.
.......3609... restraint of Ab/01..[ 3607 & 01.
.......5248.....2 thess. 2:7...
3 7 8 5... magic..} Latin; m a g a.
1 4 6 3...G o g..} UFO...
......... Standby..
Hex Enduction hour / the Fall
Free all Angels / Ash
Superposition / Young the giant
A R.] Standing on the shoulder of Giants/ oasis.
hotel quarantine ...
we all know that the covid fight is a tough ask ,,,but why in the world are people being treated like criminals ,,even though they have tested negative for the virus ,,and yet they are locked up in hotel rooms ,AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE ,,because they have arrived from a red list country ,,,
they have to test negative before they can fly ,,hopefully the airline staff abide by the same criteria ,,
so why are they locked up and treated so badly at their own cost ,,this surely has to be madness in its self ,,,
to be locked in a room for 10 days on your own would drive most people nuts ,,,
i really struggle to get my head around this ,,,,surely there has to be a better alternative to this cruelty ,,,,
they have to test negative before they can fly ,,hopefully the airline staff abide by the same criteria ,,
so why are they locked up and treated so badly at their own cost ,,this surely has to be madness in its self ,,,
to be locked in a room for 10 days on your own would drive most people nuts ,,,
i really struggle to get my head around this ,,,,surely there has to be a better alternative to this cruelty ,,,,
Chinatown in Kansas City
I was in Kansas City last week. My second trip there. Both times not with Art but a fellow Malaysian girlfriend, PL.
I left all the decision makings to PL coz I was too lazy to crack my head to think about anything. She knows better coz she has been in the US since 2008 and has travelled to a lot of different states in the US.
The journey from Omaha to KC was slightly more than 3 hours. She drove all the way while I slept all the way!
When we reached KC, she asked me if I was hungry and I said “Yessss! I’m starving!!!” She then quickly checked on her cellphone the places where we could eat. Prior to the trip, she had informed me she would like to take me around the Chinatown in KC.
“Ok! I found a value-for-money buffet in Chinatown”, PL said excitedly.
When we were driving into the car park lot, she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh NOOOOO!!!! In my haste, I made a mistake ..... the restaurant is not in Chinatown ..... the restaurant is named ‘Chinatown’!!!!
She and I both laughed so hard until our tummies hurt!
We were still laughing when we got inside. And continued to laugh even more when we realized we were the only Chinese in there! For one moment I thought we were in Mexico!
I left all the decision makings to PL coz I was too lazy to crack my head to think about anything. She knows better coz she has been in the US since 2008 and has travelled to a lot of different states in the US.
The journey from Omaha to KC was slightly more than 3 hours. She drove all the way while I slept all the way!
When we reached KC, she asked me if I was hungry and I said “Yessss! I’m starving!!!” She then quickly checked on her cellphone the places where we could eat. Prior to the trip, she had informed me she would like to take me around the Chinatown in KC.
“Ok! I found a value-for-money buffet in Chinatown”, PL said excitedly.
When we were driving into the car park lot, she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh NOOOOO!!!! In my haste, I made a mistake ..... the restaurant is not in Chinatown ..... the restaurant is named ‘Chinatown’!!!!
She and I both laughed so hard until our tummies hurt!
We were still laughing when we got inside. And continued to laugh even more when we realized we were the only Chinese in there! For one moment I thought we were in Mexico!
online today!
Planning a vacation...
I'm planning a vacation for sometime in April to see my brother in Dayton, Ohio.
If I do the scenic route and go by car, part of me says catch a few winks every 4 or 5 hours and drive through. Maybe when I was single and younger that was a good idea. I'll allow 2 days travel with a hotel the first night. It would be convenient as I can bring lots of clothing, laptop and some model helicopters.
My stay in Dayton would be as short as 4 days because I'm using 4 days travel time.
There is a possibility to do a few stops like dinner in Atlanta or a stop in Nashville to see a museum with something related to music.
With tolls and current gasoline prices, I estimate the trip to be approximately $1,200 to $1,400
There is merit in that thought...
The other option is to go by plane.
Uber to the airport is about the same as parking. I prefer the parking.
Most flights have 1 stop and travel time of 6 hours.
My brother or niece would be the chauffeur during my stay.
I estimate the trip by plane to be around $1,000 and the helicopter(s) would stay at home because of the hassle getting them through security.
It's possible to buy something and have it delivered to my brother's house.
Two more days in Dayton, add $400 for the new helicopter.
The timing isn't great as I'm overseeing 3 new projects and they will all be in that time-frame. Early in May would be a better choice for my work schedule.
Decisions, decisions...
If I do the scenic route and go by car, part of me says catch a few winks every 4 or 5 hours and drive through. Maybe when I was single and younger that was a good idea. I'll allow 2 days travel with a hotel the first night. It would be convenient as I can bring lots of clothing, laptop and some model helicopters.
My stay in Dayton would be as short as 4 days because I'm using 4 days travel time.
There is a possibility to do a few stops like dinner in Atlanta or a stop in Nashville to see a museum with something related to music.
With tolls and current gasoline prices, I estimate the trip to be approximately $1,200 to $1,400
There is merit in that thought...
The other option is to go by plane.
Uber to the airport is about the same as parking. I prefer the parking.
Most flights have 1 stop and travel time of 6 hours.
My brother or niece would be the chauffeur during my stay.
I estimate the trip by plane to be around $1,000 and the helicopter(s) would stay at home because of the hassle getting them through security.
It's possible to buy something and have it delivered to my brother's house.
Two more days in Dayton, add $400 for the new helicopter.
The timing isn't great as I'm overseeing 3 new projects and they will all be in that time-frame. Early in May would be a better choice for my work schedule.
Decisions, decisions...
A Blog is a journal you may enter about your life, your thoughts, interesting experiences, or lessons you have learned. It's your own page on Connecting Singles that you can update on a regular basis, or just whenever you have something to say. You can write about an opinion, impart words of wisdom, or talk about something interesting in your day. Creating a blog is a good way to share something of yourself with Connecting Singles members. Reading blogs is a good way to learn more about members you have met here. Please be sure to read the blog rules before posting.
Would YOU like to post a blog on Connecting Singles? Have you written blogs that you'd like to share with other members? Posting your blogs shows your skill and creativity and helps members get to know you better. Your blog will appear on the Connecting Singles Blogs page and also in a link on your profile page. Click here to post a blog »