A Room With A View in Shenandoah National Park

We checked in to the Skyland Resort at Shenandoah National Park and headed down the hill to our assigned lodge. A room in the resort lodge was a splurge, as compared to the comparably appointed cabins, and we selected the lodge over the cabins for the balcony with its sweeping view of the valley below. … Continue reading A Room With A View in Shenandoah National Park

Travelling the Blue Ridge Parkway: Waterfalls and Mount Pisgah

We broke our pandemic travel fast by embarking upon a journey to travel the entire Blue Ridge Parkway and Virginia Skyline Drive in just over three weeks. The Blue Ridge Parkway, of course, is a scenic highway, built in the 1930s, that stretches from Cherokee, North Carolina (milepost 469.1) to Rockfish Gap, VA (milepost 0), … Continue reading Travelling the Blue Ridge Parkway: Waterfalls and Mount Pisgah

Unforgettable days on Florida’s Forgotten Coast

Two weeks past our second Covid vaccinations and immediately following a week of gray days of below freezing weather and an ice storm, we headed for Florida. As we reached sunnier and warmer weather, we felt like crocuses lifting our little heads out of the snow and ice and turning our faces toward the sun. … Continue reading Unforgettable days on Florida’s Forgotten Coast

A welcome mid-pandemic retreat in the mountains of North Carolina

Back in April, when most of the world was in shutdown mode, John and I dreamed of getting out on the road again. Realizing that COVID-19 could not possibly disappear anytime soon, we set our sights on an August retreat that would offer cooler temps and a change of scenery in a safe environment. Our … Continue reading A welcome mid-pandemic retreat in the mountains of North Carolina

New Zealand’s spectacular South Island

Important Note: We were on New Zealand's South Island February 11 through February 25, way before the Coronavirus was declared a pandemic. Since then, we have arrived back in the United States and are sheltering in place, as are millions of others. We started our time in New Zealand’s South Island by flying to Christchurch. … Continue reading New Zealand’s spectacular South Island

On the North Island of New Zealand, the land of the long, white cloud

The Land of the Long White Cloud, or Aotearoa, is the name the indigenous Maori people gave to New Zealand when they landed there, sometime between 1200 and 1300 AD, about 500 years before Captain Cook “discovered” the islands. New Zealand has so much to offer – on the North Island, accompanied by my sister, … Continue reading On the North Island of New Zealand, the land of the long, white cloud

A Tale of Three Cities: Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide

We were fortunate enough to visit several of Australia’s great cities in our six weeks in the country, including Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Sydney is the most famous of the three, with its iconic opera house and bay bridge, Melbourne is known for a great coffee culture and its livability, being ranked as the world’s … Continue reading A Tale of Three Cities: Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide