The ABC's of Travel

Summer will soon be here and the kids will be out of school, if they're not already. No doubt you'll be thinking about where to take a family vacation...OR, if you're without children at home where to take a non family oriented vacation.

Here's some ideas for you in Alphabetical Style, there's something here for everyone. (all bolded and or colored type are live links, just click to get where you're going)
A
Aruba
Eating and Drinking and Being Happy in Aruba Iguana's in Aruba (the kids will love them)
Claudia's Bar in Aruba (for the adults)
General Information about Aruba

Arizona
Golf in the desert
Marriott's Canyon Villas, great place to stay for adults and or families
Sedona AriZona (teens and adults, not well suited for young children)
Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright (teens or adults best)
Montezuma's Castle (not for young children with the hiking and climbing)
Grand Canyons (can see lots from the car and on over looks so can be family geared if you stay away from the difficult trails)
Desert Botanical Gardens (ok for all in terms of walking, though the kids maybe bored)
Carefree Arizona (can be family oriented, as the beauty can be seen without doing difficult hiking; though the later certainly exists)
Apache Trail Arizona nice for all

B
Breckenridge, Colorado
Historic Main Street Area (appropriate for everyone)

Things for the Girls in Breckenridge (teens and adults)
The Softer side of Breckenridge (for all who appreciate the arts)
Going to the Dogs (for the animal lovers)

Baltimore, Maryland
Ryan's Daughter (cool Pub)
Inner Harbor (fun for all)
Westminster Hall Burial Grounds (adults and teens)

Boston, Mass
Bunker Hill (depends on the age of the child, great history)

Beaufort, South Carolina
What a place for a bathroom break! (all ages)
Historic Episcopal Church and Graveyard (teens and adults)
Luthers best place for lunch and or dinner, and entertainment (day ok for families, later on best for older kids,teens and adults

Brisbane Australia

California
There are 15 posts for California
covering Joshua Tree National Park
Pigeon Point Light House
Alcatraz
Santa Barbara
Muir Woods
San Francisco
Palm Springs Area
Seals on the Beach
Mission San Carolos Borromeo-o de Carmel
Sausalito
Cayucos
Peeble Beach
Big Sur
Golden Gate Bridge
Temecula
General posts about wine country and beaches

Cape Cod, Mass
Cape Cod Lighthouse

Chillicothe, Ohio
Lots of post covering the first capital of the state,
Historic Carlisle Building and Fire,
Knole Log House and Adena,
Masonic Lodge-Haunted Magestic Theatre,
Adena Indian Mound,
Haunted Cross Keys Tavern,
A general overview of Chillicothe.

There's so much more, check the cloud area to see the full listings, I'm sure you'll find something there of interest whether you want a quick day trip or a longer vacation away. Don't find what you think you're interested in, leave me a note and I'll see if I have something on it for you.

AND don't for get the always popular travels of Flat Stanley. Click here for a full listing of his Travels to date. There are 28 adventures, with ideas of things you can do in your day to day with the kids. Learning can and is fun.

Golf in the Desert, Arizona

Desert, mountains, and a water hole make for a pretty site at the golf course.
Hubster golfing in the desert.
Sunset on the golf course with the moutains in the background is a common, but beautiful site in Phoenix.

Ooophs, bet someone had a hard time trying to find their ball after this shot. Sadly, you can see from the holes in the cactus this isn't uncommon. I don't know if this damages the cactus. I did ask when we were there, but didn't really get a good answer.

There are lots of beautiful golf courses in and around Phoenix. I don't play, but hubby sure enjoyed himself.

Phoenix, Arizona Marriott's Canyon Villas

This is a picture heavy post.Canyon Villas (Marriott Time Shares) in Phoenix is a fabulous place to stay while vacationing in the Phoenix area. Inside and out the resort is wonderful. Yes, I did say timeshare; but they are also available to rent as you would a hotel room or condo. The first photo is the view from the dining room looking into the kitchen. If you rent the full villa (2bedroom), or the full 1 bedroom side you get the use of the living room, kitchen, and dining room. Quite spacious. The 2nd picture is one of the play area's at the resort, so you can tell this is a family friendly vacation spot.


This darling little kitchen area is the small side. If you rent what I call an efficiency you get dishes, bar size sink, microwave, campus size fridge, coffee pot etc. I really thought this cabinet was very pretty. The picture with bed is again the small side ... look at how much room you have. The small side has the kitchen area, sleeper sofa right lower corner of the picture, bathroom is to the right of the kitchen area, all have patio or balcony.

The grounds are very pretty with fabulous flowers everywhere, even among the desert rocks.


Waterfalls as you walk the grounds, as well as the large one in the pool area are both pretty and peaceful. Long shadows show you I photographed as dusk began to fall over the desert area. There's much to see and do in and around The Phoenix area. I've posted about many of them.

There's fine dining at The JW Marriott Resort nearby, if you don't want to cook all your meals in, as well as host of dining options at a nearby shopping area. Outdoor grills are also available for those who like us, like to grill out.

Sedona, Arizona

Sedona Arizona lies about 2 hours north of Phoenix. It's known as "Red Rock Country". No wonder as you look around. There's much to see and do there. You can tour by car, rent a jeep (guided), walk, hike, bike and enjoy the history and archaeology in the area. The town itself is quaint, artsy and a bit pricey. Layer, layer, layer. It maybe warm in town; but even then there's a strong wind as you walk around. People will have shorts on; then pull out a heavy fleece 5 minutes later. Be prepared. Hubby and I are pretty bundled up and were still a bit cold. We took the famous Pink Jeep Tour, and in an open jeep it gets pretty cold. Petroglyph's have always fascinated me, so we opted for The Ancient Ruin Tour, though there are others to pick from. Each tour varies in cost and time. Believe we paid $70.00 a person for our pink jeep tour, which includes a knowledgeable tour guide. Though once you add a tip at the tours end, it's even more costly. Our tour was one of the shorter ones, between 2.5 land 3 hours.


Scenery is breathtaking. The area we toured was a 700 year old Sinaguan Cliff Dwelling. You hike a bit once the jeep get's you there so good supportive boots/shoes are necessary. If you're not the outdoor type, you might enjoy the shopping in town which includes lots of art galleries.

This is not an area to rush through, take your time and really experience it. Some of the hiking might be too difficult for families with small children so pick your activities carefully.

Taliesin West, Arizona

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West is near Scottsdale, Arizona. I'm not a fan a "modern" exterior's. They aren't warm and inviting to me. I'm most definitely not a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, the person...more on that later. But, I do recommend the tour here at Taliesin West. It is most enjoyable, educational and rather eye opening.

He is still revered globally by architects despite his personal life being a mess. He was born just 2 years after The Civil War in 1867 though he often lied about his birth year. He died at the ripe old age of 91 in Phoenix. His list of accomplishments with regard to living with nature, forward thinking with architecture is long and impressive. An apprentice program started back in 1932 continues today as The School of Architecture because of him and the foundation. The foundation serves to keep alive his legacy and to promote opportunities to the public for life long learning.

This house, Taliesin West is a National Historic Landmark. It like many of his homes was built with money from others.

I especially enjoyed the art on display from residences in the program.


And chucked when I saw this bed, which might be a good item today with "friends" living together but not being a couple.
The public is unsympathetic today, and downright disgusted by recent news about Tiger Woods. However, Frank Lloyd Wright was married 3 times, had a mistress, lied, cheated not only his family and wives; but his best friends. He stole ideas from others, broke contracts, deserted his family, lived off of other people and-- was for the bulk of his life a "user". He didn't return favors, he didn't pay back loans not even when his best friend--- whom he owed a great deal ended up dying as a pauper. Frank was not an honorable man, but history has remembered him fondly.

You'll need to draw your own conclusions about Tiger; I certainly have with regard to Frank.

ie

Montezuma Castle, Arizona

Montezuma Castle, one of 4 historic and culturally significant areas claimed as a National Monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. What a forward thinking outdoors man he was. A near 1,000 year old story preserved in this limestone cliff. One of best examples in North America of cliff dwellers.

This ruin is a 20 room high rise. Visitors to the park used to explore it first hand after climbing up a series of steep ladders. Due to decay, the site was closed to the general public in 1951. It is now only open to Park Rangers to check on it's condition. Visitors are able to walk around and get a good look from below and above; from the paths surrounding it.

The castle was vacated some 600 years ago by the Sinagua (Spanish word meaning sin and water, without water).

It reminded me of our fascinating tour years ago at Mesa Verde, which is also now closed to the public. To think of how advanced their life was boggles the mind.

I highly recommend this as a must stop when in the area. Summer months are hot, bring sunscreen and water. In all season's good walking shoes/boots are a must. Leave your sandals at home, or back at the hotel.

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Black Bean Soup. Look how beautiful it is. You're scratching your head and wondering why I'm showing you a picture of black bean soup, with a post title of Grand Canyon, right? We had the advantage of being there in winter. In winter, it's far less crowded. Not many people want to bundle up like we did. No, I'm not in the picture of the 3 bundles of coats, hats, hoods, scarves etc. As usual, I'm behind the camera, with a cold hand pushing the shutter. lol Since we were there during non season we were able stay at Kachina Lodge and walk to the main lodge for dinner in the fine dining room. It's my understanding reservations must be made way way in advance to stay on property during peak season and eat at The Lodge. And since we were there during the winter, we saw sites a little differently than most summer visitors do.
Hopi Point noted for it's sunsets is on the West Rim. We made it just a few minutes before the sun set. The first picture is just before, while the 2nd one is as it's setting. It doesn't take long, and is unbelievably dark and cold in a flash. No camera captures the feel of The Grand Canyons. They really are just mammoth, so much more than the lens can see. Much of area is closed in winter, as the trails become very slippery and dangerous with ice and snow, so we hiked less than we had planned. But, we did tromp quite a bit in the snow and loved every minute of it; freezing wind being quite a problem.

Yes, I still recommend you go; just bring your long johns!

Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Arizona

Monarch Butterflies, trying to catch them in flight was a challenge. They're so beautiful. When I was a child they were abundant, now they are protected and we can see them in various Butterfly Gardens around the states. These are in The Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix.
It was extremely hot the day we were there, thus the sunglasses and hat pulled way down on my eyes. I did have on lots of sun screen and we walked slowly throughout the 50 acres enjoying over 130 rare desert plants. You often don't see me, The Traveling Suitcase; because I'm the one behind the camera; but this is me showing you the sign indicating we're in The Sonora Desert.
These are HUGE, one was large enough hubby could stand in the middle of it. I wanted you though to see the whole exhibit by Patrick Dougherty, titled Childhood Dreams. These are constructed with tree saplings. To date, Patrick has made over 200 massive sculptures globally.
Look at the detail and color in this one cactus! It's awesome. There were so many, I took 100 photo's the day I was there and everyone was interesting and unique. The gardens has a 63 year history of conservation and research of rare desert plants throughout the world.
There are many educational programs open to adults and children, a garden shop, gift shop, and patio cafe. Something for everyone. Through out the year many special events take place, such as Music in the Gardens on Sunday from noon til 2pm.

Carefree, Arizona

As night falls in the desert I'm reminded how small we are compared to the vastness and beauty of nature. The sun is warm, well hot really during the day; but as night comes knocking in the desert all that changes. This fading of the sun in Carefree Arizona was breathtaking. We watched as the shadows grew and the sky and all around changed colors. The process really only took a few minutes; and then it was cold. Time to go. We enjoyed a drink while we watched natures spectacle take over. Colors beyond what an artist can capture on canvas, and beyond what the eye of the camera can hold for you as well.

Carefree is a small quaint little town north of Scotsdale Arizona. We took a drive there to see an empty plot of land (friends may build there after retirement). Gordon Lightfoot sang about The Carefree Highway after being in the area. It's a young town, an upscale town conceived not long ago reallty-just back in the 1950's. Street names give you a feel for the area, Tranquil Trail, Stagecoach, Easy Street, Long Riffle. The town motto is "Home of Cowboys and Caviar". I've only tasted Caviar once...fish eggs....then again I don't like cooked fish; soooooooooooo.