AtoZchallenge, Sunday Wrap Up and Thank you

I wrote 98% of my A-Z challenge posts ahead and had them scheduled for the correct days, as I knew I would still be traveling for the first several days of the annual April Blog Challenge.  I visited briefly here and there while away (limited time and internet); and have played catch up since returning. **the picture is my hubby in Morocco, which is where we were when our blog challenge began, there will be lots of blog posts about Spain and Morocco after the a-z challenge**

I return every visit.............except when people don't leave links.  Very frustrating.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not leave the link to your google+ page.  It's next to impossible to find your blog.  What I think those who have google+ don't see is ...When a non google+ person visits your page we see the comments you've left on other peoples blogs........we have to hunt to find your blog, and even after hunting often it's not visible due the number of comments you've left elsewhere.  AND, if we non-google+ people are able to find your blog it's another 2 sometimes 3 clicks to get there..........then after reading and attempting to leave a comment we find we can not as your settings do not allow anyone (which includes wordpress, disgus, blogspot etc) who is not a member of google+ to leave a comment.  Since the whole point in the a-z challenge is to visit, meet new people....please open the doors to your blogs.

The easiest way to leave your link is to use the name and url option, url of the actual blog post, then I can return the favor of a blog visit and comment with 1 click.

The 2nd option is to leave a hyper link (NOT a cut and paste of your url)

Thank you to the following who've visited my blog:

grammy
Leslie Melby
Kate @Another Clean Slate
Corinne Vail
Nicky
Lila Asnani
Paige Rion
Daidri Smythe
Ann
Leslie
Jaimie Ramsey
Perry
Rhonda Albom
Nancy LaRonda Jackson
Chris Boothman
Rikaine Hernadez
Heather Gardner
Spacer Guy
il;akshee
melaniegobledvm
josephAlsarraf
Christine Rains
Arleen Bird
Heather Musk
Suzanne Sapsed
Liz A
Meandering Mind
Linda
Carolyn Branch
Fili
Wendy
Preethi Venugopal
Kimberly
Kirsten
betty
Paula
Melanie
Tina
Cascadian Nomands Bethany
Crystal
ovengoodies

 If I missed someone.., please sing out so I can add you.  I apologize if I did.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Knitting Needles on Board Airlines

Knitting = K  and or Knoles Log Cabin (a K destination I've blogged about)

I have plenty of pictures of real knitting needles, knitted projects and the like; but thought the squirrel knitting might put a smile on your face.  Knitting starts with K...our letter for the day.  There are lots of discussions about whether or not one can knit on a plane.  Though you read and hear constantly you can't, I have more times then I can count.  I've flown domestically, and international to Aruba and to Mexico.  I've taken several different types of knitting needles, however........to be on the safe side I usually pack my good needles (like Turbo's) in my checked bag, just in case and only have back up needles in my carry on.  I've generally taken circulars or wooden needles and try to have them be some of the less sharp needles.  The ONLY time I was questioned was when I had a whole set of interchangeable needles with extra cords.  The cords caught the camera's attention and they had to be sure they weren't wires.  I demonstrated how they hooked to the needles.

That said, some airline's list they are permitted, others don't list them as ok or not.  AND my research on the subject indicates which country you're flying in or out of can also make the difference.  To be safe, don't take a pair of needles you'll be upset about losing if they're taken from you.  I've not yet decided if I'll try to take any during my flight to Spain, as I've not flown on Ibera Airlines before.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Journey through your Journals

Journals, journals can be cute or plain; they can be big or small.  Write a journal of your trip/travels/vacation.

Moving right along with our A-Z challenge and today's letter is J=Journal.  Keeping a journal can serve several purposes.  If you're taking a family vacation, getting the kids involved in writing a journal about what they see, where you're going is a excellent way to keep them busy.  AND it's far more productive then letting them tune out with an electronic something.  They can keep track of mileage, dollars spent each day, particularly if you're travel by car.

Writing a journal is a good way to remember your trip.  What day you went where; even as an adult and makes for a nice momento.

Journals can aid you identify your pictures after the fact also.

Journals are a good educational tool also for the kids.  When they write about what they saw, what they learned, what they liked etc.  Find those places on the map, learn how to spell those words.  All very positive.

For a J destination, here's my post on Joshua Tree National Park

**REMINDER, please leave the url to your actual blog post, NOT your google+ page, NOT your blogger profile/dashboard page.  Use the name and url option, or leave a hyperlink.  As we all try to visit throughout the a-z network, leaving links that are not your actual blog post cause frustration and time loss.**

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Interval International

Interval International is the topic for today (but if you want a destination that starts with I, here's my post on The Iwo Jima Monument)  because it starts with the letter I.  If you're a member of Interval International you can travel the world more affordably.  People who belong to various timeshare groups have the ability to deposit the time share weeks to trade to go somewhere beyond their home resort.  You can purchase travel insurance through them as well, pretty reasonably priced.

There are multiple levels of membership, each providing additional benefits to the member.

• Regular, you can exchange your time share week, Getaways (vacant weeks more affordable then regular rental rates), E-Plus (options for re-trading your week for a different location or date), and travel insurance
• Gold, in addition to the above benefits you get $25.00 discount when you book a Getaway, ability to book short-stays (turn your week into 2 stays of 1-6 nights), Interval options (turn your timeshare week into a cruise, golf or spa specials), Hertz Gold (discounts on car rentals).
• Platinum, same benefits as above but, $50.00 discounts for Getaways, membership in airport lounges, free quest certificates (when you book a vacation for someone else there is a charge to change the certificate to their name, this fee is waved with this membership level), Priority Getaway viewing (you see the options before the other members

I've found the staff at Interval International to be very helpful and whenever possible very accommodating.  If you're a timeshare owner, I highly recommend you join Interval International.  Decide which membership works for you based on how you tend to use your timeshare, and how often you travel.


Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Historic Destinations

Moving right along with the A-Z challenge today brings us to H.  Words that start with H and have to do travel.......for hubby and I the biggest word is History, Historical.  We love visiting historic landmarks around the country, and elsewhere.  Touring and learning the story behind something to me makes it all so much more enjoyable.  Whether we stop to read an historic sign, or tour a historic home, or visit historic battlefields or enjoy the art that surrounds historic monuments; we always learn new things in our travels.  Doing this gives us a better understanding about how our country developed.

One thing hubby and I don't share an interest in though is a haunted tour.  I always want to take them, and he never does.  A haunted tour takes place at night, and I don't want to do that solo; so...it's something I've yet to do.

However, I've lunch at a Haunted and Historic Tavern.  Click here for the story about the murder.
Where....right here in Ohio.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Group Travel

Group Travel.......or Gettysburg  you decide.

Group travel can be fun, it can also make travel less expensive; but it's not for everyone.  It could have you feeling a bit blurry like the folks in the picture.  Things to consider before you sign up for a group travel:

• Will you have any free time?
• Does everyone in the group want to do the same thing?
• Does noise and chaos bother you?  If so, group travel might not be the best option for you.
• How many meals are included in the group price?
• Is it a walking tour, or a bus type tour?
• Will there be opportunities to take pictures?

Other ways to save money without doing a complete group tour in your travels...check Groupon for the area you're going to.  Sometimes there are good deals in tourist areas for dining and entertainment, as well as lodging.

Maybe a combination of your own vacation with a day or two for a group tour is the way to have quiet and group time.  Fun and relaxation.  It's also a good way to visit someplace you've not been before.

Hubby and I used to do group type vacations, not organized group tours and find as we get older trying to get everyone organized is a bit of a chore.  Who wants what for dinner, who wants to go out vs those who want to stay in; how much money do people in the group want to spend can lead to lost time and uncomfortable situations.  Think about your needs, there's much to consider beyond the price tag.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Foreign Travel

 Foreign Travel.......Another A-Z post. (Fort Sumter post click here)

Foreign Travel takes far more preparation, planning and organization then traveling within your own country.

• Do you have a passport?
• Do you need a visa?
• What type of currency do you need, and how long do you need to give your bank to obtain the funds?
• What is the exchange rate?  Are you charged if you use your charge card?
• Will there be a language barrier?
• Will your electrical devices, such as your phone, computer and i-pad be compatible with the electrical outlets where you plan to travel?
• Do you need to make special telephone arrangements?  Is your cell phone set up for foreign travel?
• Do you need to purchase skype or other such service to minimize the cost of phone calls back home?
• Do you need to upgrade your Garmin (or other GPS) to have directions in your travels?

Do pay attention to these items ahead of time, otherwise you'll find yourself struggling to over come problems instead of enjoying your travels.

Enough and Everything when Traveling

No these pretty tulips have nothing to do with todays post, today's letter for the challenge; but

ENOUGH and EVERYTHING Do.

Ok, you might be scratching you head, saying...what?  Let me explain.  First with regard to the picture, it's last years photo, nothing close to that colorful or pretty, still watching snow melt.  No you can't have enough of color, and flowers...(PERHAPS YOU PREFER A POST ABOUT A LOCATION THAT STARTS WITH E...Effingham

But When do you know it's enough when you're traveling?  It's enough when you can't zip your luggage.  When you think you have "enough", remove one whole outfit.

When you try to do "everything" when you travel, because you think you can't get enough; you end up with not enough.  Scratching your head again, right.  When you try to do everything, you end up with not seeing enough; because everything is a blur.  Plan down time to absorb what you've seen.  That gives time to enjoy it, remember it and then you will have had enough.

Example (notice that's another E word).

We're traveling to Spain.  I've never been there before, I know we can't see everything or go everywhere, but it will be enough because we're planning.
Depart on Monday, arrive Tuesday...........beyond checking in, adjusting to the time, and doing a bit of grocery shopping (for things like coffee and maybe snacks), that will be enough.  Wednesday we'll explore close at hand in order to get back to the condo and rest and Thursday we'll pick up a friend and explore on the way back from the airport.  Friday will be low keyed and a brief day visit somewhere in preparation for a big day on Saturday, Monday will probably be another big day of touring.........see with time in between to think and chat about what we've seen.



Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Destination, When and Where

You've heard the expression, Location-Location-Location!  While that generally refers to where a house or business is in relationship to what the price tag is...it occurs to me Location=Destination when thinking about traveling. (or if you want a location Drayton Hall, South Carolina)

So, here we are with another A-Z post.  We'll discuss destinations.  How do you decide where to go on your family vacation, or in your travels?  Do you think about what you want to do or do you just go to places you know; or places others have told you about?  Are you often disappointed about your vacation/travels?

What you want to do should be decided first, then you narrow your choices about where and when.  Example:  You lead a really busy time oriented life style and you want to relax on your trip in order to rest and re-charge.  You lead a quiet home life and want some adventure in your travels. You need family oriented activities vs adult only activities.

If you want an active vacation you'll need to think of places to hike, or scuba dive, or snow ski or perhaps sky dive.  Hiking is generally not done in beach areas for example; so then maybe you're looking for mountains.  If on the other hand you want to relax and read by the pool, you'll want a hot sunny area Florida vs Maine.  If you want to entertain the kids area's with Casino's aren't the way to go.  So think about what you want to get out of your vacation.

The number of times I've heard people say well yeah the resort was really nice; but there wasn't anything to do.  Apparently they wanted a more active vacation vs some dear friends of ours that said I felt like I was a boot camp...........too active and time scheduled.

So think:

• Relax
• Active
• Family Oriented
• Pet Friendly
• Adults please with nice restaurants.

Answering a few questions like that will get you started on selecting the ideal destination for your travels.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Carry On Lugguage, A-Z Challenge

What's all the Fuse about Carry On's? (or any of 28 blog posts on California)

Another A-Z post.  This piece of luggage (with wheels) is called a carry on.  But, in reality I know and you do too there's no way that's going to fit underneath the seat in front of me.  AND yet, I constantly see people with suitcases larger then this one trying to push and squeeze it into the overheads.  Some are so large they can't even make it down the isle with them.  Why do the airlines not enforce the real size?

How does a luggage company call something a carry on, when in fact the size of said carry on is not uniform, it is in fact determined by the individual airlines.  Some airlines say a carry on can't weight more then 11 pounds.  11=6.8=4.2.  Keep in mind unless all you put in this size suitcase is hose and underwear........there's no way it's not going to weight more then 4.2 pounds.  AND this carry on is a good 3 pounds lighter then most.  I checked out about 15 different models, styles, and makers recently.

Some airlines say a carry on should not be larger then 40-45-50 inches total.  I found 3 different parameters when looking through American Airlines, Southwest, and Delta's webpages.  What does then mean, not total more then 40-45-or 50 inches?  L+W+H.  American Airlines specifically gives these dimensions 22 x 14 x 19.  If you add 22+14+19 you get 45.  In centimeters they list 56x36x23.  Another website indicates 10 x 16 x 24.  Those measurements total 50.  But, get out your yard stick and see how small those measurements actually are.  And yet we constantly see duffels and suitcases so large it takes 2 grown men to lift it in the overhead and takes up 2 or 3 spaces.  I don't think this should be permitted.  Heavy plans use more fuel, more fuel makes the need to raise the cost of tickets.  Why should the traveler not toting a heavy too large carry on help to pay for those who do not abide by the rules?  AND...it makes loading the plan slower.

A carry on should a few items you need or want to have with you during the flight, NOT your weeks worth of junk...you need to check that bag.  Think about it next time you travel.  Get your tape measure out and actually measure your bag.  Weight it, see how far beyond 11 pounds you are.

I measured 3 different "carry on's" here at the house.  Bags that look more like a brief case and they're all in the 17 x 5 x 15 range.  They don't have wheels and I doubt most of them would fit under the seat.  Seems the airlines need to re-define what is a carry one.  Perhaps there should be categories, those with bags that fit under the seat free, those that use up valuable cargo above charge them, perhaps less then a checked bag...but, that would be a more equitable arrangement.  Pay for what you use.  I often opt for a canvass Zip back I can stuff under the seat and easily carry.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Baggage Claim, A-Z Challenge

BAGGAGE Claim (or Baltimore Harbor)

Another challenge Post.  Baggage Claim can be a wild and frustrating part of travel.  Why?  Everyone is excited and anxious to get their bags and get on with their trip, or they're tired and want to get home if it's the return trip.

Everyone lines up 2 inches from the conveyor belt...crowding each other out and making it next to impossible see bags or for the person who's bag does arrive to retrieve it without hitting those crammed together.  BACK UP.  Yes, you really can see from a foot away, and yes you won't get hit, and yes you'll have room to get your bag.

Got twelve people in your group?  Do all twelve of you need to be there?  NO!  Station a few people to get the luggage and others well back to watch over the luggage as you get it.  Particularly if you have children in the mix.  Kids at the edge getting fingers caught trying to grab luggage not smart.  Kids sitting on the lip of the conveyor belt........really not smart.  Wake up parents.

How many people have black luggage?  THOUSANDS and then some.  Attach ribbons, bows, colorful something to your bag so you can spot it easier.  And while they...(airport officials) always tell people to look at the address label that should be on luggage, 9 out of 10 people don't look.  I've lost track of the number of times I see someone grab and go and minutes later someone finds out their luggage was taken by someone else.  Pay attention, yes it takes a few minutes; but far less time then filing a claim and going to the hotel empty handed or returning home waiting on the jerk to realize he or she has your luggage.

Travel isn't very civilized, but YOU can make it nicer.  Breath and take a few minutes, everyone will feel better if you do.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Airports, A-Z Challenge

And we begin at the beginning, a very good place to start.  Some of you may be playing today with April Fools Jokes, but lots of us are starting our Blog Challenge because it's April 1.  

AIRPORTS (or Adena Mounds, an A post)

Airports are a necessary evil of lots of travel, they can make or break you.  Think about your needs, your family needs don't just assume everything will happen the way you want or need it to.  Think BEFORE you go.  Airports are busy, loud, dirty and generally inconvenient places.  None of that makes for a pleasant day to start or end your travels.  

Food is generally expensive at airports, and typically not all that good.  What time are you traveling, can you...should you eat before?  Should you take snacks in your bag?  Often the place you might prefer to eat isn't where your gate is.  Look at the airport maps BEFORE you go, have a plan.  This is particularly important if you're traveling with small children and or a senior who walks with a cane or needs a wheel chair.  Airports are large and often not that easy to navigate.

I mentioned their dirty, do you really want to sit on the floor where thousands of people have walked with their shoes?  Parents this is particularly directed to you.  DON'T allow your children to wallow on the floor.  

Yes, airports are dirty and people who leave their trash behind them only make matters worse.  Don't be a slob and leave you chip bag on the floor along with your half finished big Slurpee.  It's guaranteed to get knocked over and cause a mess.  

Airports are loud, people are talking, there are announcements, radio's and games on.  Hello...you're not here along, turn down the volume or better yet plug in your ear phones.  There's no reason why the other 300 travelers crammed into that one gate need to hear your head banging garbage you call music...or the beep beep beep of the kids game.

Pillows, why do people drag their pillows with them?  I do mean drag.  They flop them on the suitcases, on the floor, on the seats both in the airports and planes where thousands have been before them, then they sleep on them with all those germs and wonder why they always get sick when they travel...hum!  If you must tote your pillow like it's your safety blanket but it in a plastic bag to keep it clean

Cell phones, wonderful tools.  Can't travel without them; but...........hold it to your ear and talk, like we all did back in the dark ages with a real phone.  Don't put the speaker on.  We really don't need or want to listen to several hundred conversations about who ate what for dinner the night before and like he said she said, know what I mean.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

April Blogging Challenge, Travel as you Go

Can you believe it's that time of year again?  I joined the A-Z challenge last year on 4 of my 5 blogs which was quite a chore.  I scheduled posts ahead...just barely made it by got them all written with I think a day to spare.  Thus far, I've only signed up one blog.....this one.  Not sure I want to bite off that much this time round.  I put lots and lots of time into writing thoughtful posts and visited far more blogs daily then was suggested.  I felt like I put alot more into it then I got back in terms of blog visits and comments and followers.  Many people felt that way, but the majority felt it was a positive experience....and soooooooooooooo

Here we are again.  When I signed up I was blog #845, think that was over a week ago, and currently I'm #841.  That means a few folks have drop out or been eliminated already.  The number changes throughout the process.

What is the challenge?  Write a blog post daily (except Sunday) in alphabetical order.  Some people elect to blog in a theme for the whole month, others not.  There are categories which can be used or not.  I didn't choose categories last year on any of my blogs as I though the wide open was better and allowed more choices.  This year I did select TR (travel), since this is a travel blog.  I thought people would be open minded and visit all kinds of blogs last year...that didn't seem to be the case.  Example writers tended only to visit writers blogs.  Well everyone travels be it for work or pleasure so doesn't everyone enjoy a travel blog?  Apparently not, lol.  So, will see how it goes this year round.

So travel as you go; be it with your own blogging or your visits were you're traveling here on the net.  I'll be happy to have you accompany and the best part, you don't have to pack or do laundry!

The blog badge in the sidebar will take you to the blog to sign up for the challenge.  Come join us and have fun.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.

Reflections of The A-Z April Blog Challenge

WHEW!  This traveling suitcase has been out and about alot this past month.  April's A-Z blog challenged challenged us to write a post everyday, except Sunday during the month in Alphabetically order.  It also challenged us to make at least 5 visits to other blogs daily and to leave comments on said blogs.

• Made the 26 posts
• Made a total of 251 blog visits and comments (an average of 9.6 visits and comments daily)
• Received 136 comments back, for an average of only 54% return, pretty disappointing, had expected more then that.  136 total divided by 26 days (though we didn't write on Sunday's people did visits on Sundays, so the number of days is perhaps skewed a bit) averages 5.2 visits back daily.  
• I did gain some followers, though how many I don't now, as I forgot to notice what my numbers where before hand
• When I signed up Traveling Suitcase for the challenge I was #1888, very close to the bottom, as I signed it up with less then a day left.  I ended up at #1581, a jump of 307 spots on the linky.  That shows you how many folks either dropped out, or were removed from the linky for various reasons.

All in all, I don't know if it was worth it.  It takes alot of time to write, visit, read, and comment; and clearly I put much more into it then lots of folks.  I don't know how representative my results are compared to others.  But it seemed daily I hit one after another of folks who signed up with very one sided ideas in mind.  There comments were closed, so they wanted the visits, but had no intention of returning the blog traffic.  They weren't really blogging, or participating; but still wanted the blog traffic.

However, I did enjoy most of my visits and have increased my blog log for my future visits.  I've added everyone who visited here more then once to my list and hope the back and forth continues.

Will I do this again next year?  Jury's still out on that, only time will tell.


I think there are things that might improve the challenge if it comes round again next year.

• I think a mandatory deleting captcha vs a strong suggestion is in order.
• I think requiring all sign ups to be the actual blog url vs google + profile, circles profile etc, where you have to click multiple times to even find the blog registered
• No blogs that require signing in or joining something, like the Disgus blogs that want you to join Disgus or sign in with your facebook or twitter profile
• No one with comments turned off should be permitted
• Requiring the logo and or A-Z post D etc to be very visible, like the first line of every post, vs scrolling around the blog to see if the badge is even there when you're not sure if they are really participating
• A separate linky for adult content (AC), hit too many that had a disclaimer of adult content in the text of the blog that weren't so marked on the linky.
• Is is possible to have the linky be alphabetized?  So you can more easily see where you left off on the list.  
• Maybe it would be a good idea to have separate linky's for each category?  Though it appeared most didn't choose a category and I enjoyed visiting all categories, just wondered if it would be helpful?  

I think visiting all those who've signed before hand to make certain they are lined up to play fairly and appropriately would save lots of folks time later on, trying to report blogs daily as they waste their time making the rounds.

Thank you to all who visited and took time to post comments:

Christine Rains
Maggie Winter
Linda Ann Nickerson
Annis Cassells
corallevang
A month of Blog
anothercleanslate
Liz
Joe Richardson
Brandy
godhasnoproblems
Jennifer Solo Travel Girl
 Aidl Weoh
Threesia
Kaye Draper
Amanda Dollak
anya Padyam
Talya Tate Boerner
Tami Van Zalez
Beth
Naila Moon
Bonnie Gwyn
DayDreamer
Karen Michelle Nut
C.Kirk
Julie Flanders
Katka Lapelosova
Jo
Carol Kilgore
Rosanna
Betty Taylor
myguiltypleasure
raisingthecurtain
TaMara Sloan
Lucy
Donna Sexton
Megan
Beverly
Pat Hatt
Margaret Spain
Jan
Clarissa Draper
Tronster
Elizabeth Seckman
Jana Grissom
John Wiswell
Katka Lapelosova
Denise Flynn
Colbymarshall
Archana
Lisa
Sylvia Ney
Stephsco

Your visits and comments were appreciated.  Thank you!

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.
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A Month Long Blog Challenge

The month of April presented with a blog challenge to blog everyday, in alphabetical order.  You could choice a theme or make your post without a theme.  Obviously my posts here were all travel related.  Additionally you were to make at least 5 visits and day to other blogs in the challenge, read their post and leave comments.  Taking Sunday's off you end up with 26 days for 26 letters.  Below is the complete A-Z listing of blogs written for the challenge for this blog.

**Been trying to re-visit everyone on the blog list, it seems some of you have changed your blogs now that the challenge is over?  For some, you can only leave comments if you've joined google+.  That really limits you, you might want to change that.  Made contact with one person who didn't know it had been changed for her by google.  So, Carol Kilgore, hope you see this and are able to change your settings.**

If you missed any, please do pop in and read, and let me know you were here.  Just because the challenge is over; doesn't mean we need to stop our blog visits.

Hope you'll see something below that strikes your fancy.


A=Aruba 
B=Bluffton and Beaufort 
C=Crystal Cove California 
D=Palm Desert California
E=Efficiency's Safe Money When Traveling
F=Fairs
G=Beaufort Natl. Cemetery (Graveyard)
H=Huntington Beach, CA
I=Isla Navidad, Mexico
J=Making the Journey Count
K=What to do With the Kids
L=Loopy Road Leads to Landmark
M=Marriott Time Shares
N=Marriott Newport Coast Villas, CA
O=Ocean Pointe, Palm Beach Shores, Florida
P=Provost Dungeon Charleston SC
Q=Quilts, more then a Blanket
R=Reasons to Take Vacations
S=Sunsets Newport Coast, CA
T=Temple Square, Salt Lake City
U=Ullr in Breckenridge
V=Villa Paraiso Mexico
W=Thornton Winery
X=X Out Your List
Y=Yellowstone National Park
Z=Zion National Park

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations. (18)

Zion National Park

(Z post)
 Zion National Park in Winter.  Bundle up and enjoy a picture tour both from the car and on foot of this beautiful park.  I read an interesting comment on my Q post (Quiet on another blog), that said summer is noisy and winter is quiet, thus the person preferred winter. 

 Does make you feel quiet, and it was during our time in the park.  Not many people there.  Hubby is the one in the red coat in front of you, the other couple my younger brother and his wife.  I blogged about this park previously HERE, if you'd like a bit more commentary.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations. (5)

Yellowstone National Park

(Y post)
You could probably post daily for a year about something regarding Yellowstone National Park, so I won't pretend to do it justice in one post here.

• The part was established in 1872.  Can you imagine the foresight to establish a park just 7 years after The Civil War?
• It's the very first National Park
• There are parts of Yellowstone in 3 different states: Wyoming, Montana and even Idaho.  The largest area is in Wyoming
• There are 5 entrances: East, North, NorthEast, South, and West.  It's important to know where you want to go in the park to select the correct entrance.  Not all gates are open all year long, and traffic can be so heavy through the park that getting from the wrong entrance to where you want to go difficult and time consuming.
•  The park has 1,000 miles of trails, and 2.2 million acres of land
• Has the worlds, not just the country's but the worlds largest collection of geysers
• It's nearly an intact natural ecosystem
• There's hiking and biking trails, camping, ranger programs, historic buildings
• It has 12 camping grounds and over 2,000 camping sites; not including the back country.  Seven of the 12 areas are managed by a private company, Xantera where reservations can be made, the 5 smaller areas are controlled by the park on a first come basis. 
• Camp sites typical fill as early as 11 am, often requiring you get in que by 7 am for a specific spot.  The key is to be flexible, and plan ahead and always have a plan B.
• Wolves were re-introduced to the park in 1995 and 96, after finding none in 1994.  Currently there are 300 and their descendants.  Without the wolves the balance of predators and the food change were disturbed. 
• In a typical year more people are injured by Bison in the Park, then Bears.  Stay the appropriate distance from ALL wild animals, don't put yourself and your family in danger for the sake of a stupid picture.  When you do something stupid, typically the animal has to be put down.  You're instructed to stay at least 100 yards from bears, 25 from Bison.
• Camping in the back country is free but requires a permit that can be obtained 48 hours ahead in person, there's a fee to reserve ahead of time on line or through the mail.
• The park is larger then the 2 states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.

It was quite an experience camping and hiking in Yellowstone.  Old Faithful was disappointing as, it didn't do much when we were there, the thermal areas have a nasty smell like rotten eggs.  In general, though we enjoyed our time there we thought The Tetons were prettier and enjoyed our time there more. (Pictures from a free on line site, not mine.  Old Faithful didn't do anything even close to this when we were there.  You sit around the circle, waiting for it and we saw just a small trickle.  Others in our group said they'd been here several time and never saw it erupt like this.  We understand from the Rangers, they had to clean it  because people used to throw things in it...which is why you now have to sit back from it.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.
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X Out Your List

(X post)
Ok, this was a tough letter to come up with something appropriate for a travel blog.  First thought of X marks the spot, but then I used that on Flat Stanley's X post, and I used Xenia a city in Ohio for the X post on Oozing Out my Ears....soooooooo here goes.

We always print a grocery shopping list before we leave home.  Through practice, we've learned the best way to save money on a vacation is to eat in, it's also the most relaxed; but shopping in a strange local can be a challenge.....IF you're not organized.  We are very organized.  In fact, we think we have this whole travel thing down to a science.

• Print the list before you leave home
• Have items you always use and always need on the list, so you know meals ahead of time, and purchase items that can be used for several meals at a time
• Always review the list after the trip to see where changes should be made...locations can alter what you need on the list, as well as the time of year you're going.  The weather/time of the year always determines how often we grill out vs fixing dinner on the stove or in the oven
• X out the items as you find them in the grocery, saves time you're not constantly thinking what do I need AND you don't tend to buy extra items, thus you save money
• We X out tonic when we travel in January to Hilton Head, there we tend to drink more Martini's and don't need tonic for a refreshing Gin/Vodka and tonic....the opposite is true when we travel to Florida or Aruba in Spring or Fall

And there you have my X post.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.(5)

Thornton Winery

Welcome to Thornton's Winery
(W post)

located at 32575 Rancho California Road, Temecula, CA  92589.  We've been to Temecula several times now and have tried several different Wineries, but I believe Thornton's would be our favorite.  We had a fabulous lunch, and

wine tasting.  There were 3 of us, one got all reds, one a mix white, rose, and 2 reds, and

I had a flight of champagne. 

With your flights you get a description to help you remember which ones you liked.  See my 2 stars.  We ended up ordering a case of Champagne, 6 bottles of each.

Desert was beautiful and delicious.  We shared it, all of us were full.

Walked around the gift shop and this gave me a idea of something I perhaps should try with all my saved corks.  I've got several zip lock bags full of them.  Though it's been a little over a year since I saw this...and well the corks are still in the zip lock bags.  lol

Still needing to do a bit walking to help with being so full, the gift shop wasn't enough.  We toured the grounds, which are quite pretty.

I went through the gate and got Jane, and hubby before they started down the steps.

A good day, a full day.  We headed to San Diego from here to spend a few more days before heading home.

Great place for adults.

Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations. (5)

Villa Paraiso, Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico

(V post)
Villa Paraiso Manzanillo, LaPunta, Pennisula de Santiago CP 28860  ManZanilla, Colima, Mexico.  Villa Paraiso translates to House of Paradise.

As you make your entrance into this 12,000 ft. sq. house built into the hillside you are transformed by Nestor the manager and his awesome house staff.

Fun, friendly, professional and very accommodate they really pamper you during your stay.  Though this picture was taken later outback, kitchen and dining room through those doors...we were initially greeted with a tray of Martgueritas, and fresh warm towels to wipe up after the trip from the airport. 

Lunch was served after the house tour concluded and everyone selected their bedrooms, in the Palapa where we virtually lived through out the week.  The bar is to your left, one pool to your right, another pool up and to your right, and another pool further up.

From the main hall way, on the same level as this upper pool, looking down to bar, Palapa and infinite pool.  The edge of this upper pool you see is a waterfall with anther pool just beneath it...the level where you see the orange chairs.

This eating space is on the same level as the orange chairs and one of the pools.

Though we had breakfast and dinner inside at the dining room table, with lunch in the Palapa daily.

Can you see why we lived in the Palapa?  Bar behind us, infinite pool to the left.

Standing just outside the Palapa, you see lounge chairs and lower level pool, the red dot above is the upper level pool; while off on the right you see 4 of the 6 bedrooms.  This is an open air house, though you can close you bedroom door at night and turn on room air, if you feel you need it. (if you click the picture you'll be able to see the red numbers and dot)

Each room was decorated differently.  This blue room on the lower level and had a seating area to the left before the door that lead outside.

Each room had it's on bathroom and outside shower.

To your left was a floor to ceiling custom cabinet with shelving and drawers, in addition to all the space behind the mirrors.

Standing outside the 2 bedroom on the upper level  bedrooms (#1 and; 2 in the other picture) you can see the infinity pool, hammock and bar area.  The space beneath are the other 2 bedrooms.

Even the stair cases were beautiful.  With the house being built into the side of the hill, there's lots of up and down, so you do get some exercises between drinks.  lol

One of the many views.  This is taken outside the upper level bedrooms.

If you're looking for an affordable group vacation, do yourself a favor and contact Nestor, the manager at nestormanzillo@yahoo.com or visit their facebook page. 
Be sure and let them know Sandy sent you.


Pop in Often, remember Menu Mondays for dining tips, Traveling Tips on Thursday, and any day for vacation destinations.
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