Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii must be one of the more popular, well-known beaches in all the world. Not necessarily the most beautiful, but with all ranges of restaurants and top quality shopping, combined with ease of access from Japan, makes it a top destination for tourists around the world.
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My first visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial on Oahu was about 25 years ago. What is so striking to me about each visit is the large number of Japanese tourists in attendance. Many arrive by organized Japanese tour companies. I would really like to have the ability or nerve to speak to them and learn their impressions and thoughts during their visit to the site of their country’s surprise attack which killed more than 2,500 Americans. It is certainly an odd twist that anyone who visits Hawaii today quickly realizes the economic vitality of Hawaii clearly depends on the Japanese tourist.
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Experiencing the food and drink where one travels is an important aspect of the adventure. Scottish haggis (is there any other kind?) should be a requirement for anyone traveling to Scotland, in my travel guide book. (See my September 19, 2014 BLOG Post, Inverness, Scotland for haggis info). One who travels to distant places yet still eats at chain restaurants found ‘back home’ is not really experiencing travel to its fullest. There is no excuse for anyone to order a Bud or Coors Light in Europe, or ever actually…. or eat at one of the many the Colonel’s locations.
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When I retired four years ago, my company-provided retirement health insurance premiums were $425 a month for a $10,000 deductible family plan, no vision, prescription or dental benefits included. After four years of The Affordable Care Act, (ACA) my monthly premium has escalated to $1,079.17 a month. This would be like the price of gasoline increasing from $2.50 to $6.35 and calling this government benefit the “Affordable Petroleum Act.”
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Moab, Utah was just one of many small towns dotting my route as I frequently traveled between the University of Utah and my home town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Stopping to explore this impressive landscape was never considered. Time was always short, rushing to get back to school, go skiing or to get home on a vacation. Now that I have nuttin’ but time on my hands I rented a VRBO cottage in downtown Moab. This great location did little good as many of the shops, restaurants and both photo galleries I wished to visit were closed, as February is considered the off season. Some shops were scheduled to open up the day we departed for Colorado. Many times while dining we were the only tourists in the cafe. It was fun listening to the business owners in town discuss the issues of the day. They seemed to look upon the inevitable onslaught of tourists starting in March with both great anticipation and trepidation. Goodbye to their quiet little town.
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All this traveling around and living out of suitcases can get a bit old, as I have stated in previous posts. Not complaining, mind you, just simple things become bothersome, like your toothpaste is never in the same spot. Is it in the toiletries bag in the bedroom or are we now staying in a place where it can be kept in the bathroom of all places? Since coming back from Europe we mostly made a beeline to northern California to do something we have not done in our four years of home-free retirement, mooch off of relatives for a full month!
Thank you for your interest in my photography and retirement travels…..
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This was my fourth or fifth trip into Death Valley. It is understandable how someone might quickly drive through the main roads of this national park and not see the beauty hidden in this barren land. The sights worth seeing in Death Valley often require one to get up for sunrise or wait until sunset. On the plus side, you also are not going to get the Yosemite type traffic jams. At midday much of this land looks like a xero landscaped yard in an upscale part of Arizona, with not a single green sprig to be seen and the hard ground covered with smooth tumbled rocks. Yet within this arid desert one can always find some water and, hopefully, some beautiful sunsets and memorable reflections.
When you click on “Continue Reading” a slide show of eleven photos will play at the top of the article.
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Sedona was our first extended stay since returning from six months in Europe. Driving across the country from the ship’s port in Fort Lauderdale to Northern California can wear a person down. Clearly it is better than sitting in a cubical struggling with a company budget on a cold, windy Chicago day, but the travel can get a bit old. We do our best to find fun places to visit along the way such as Graceland, but three weeks in Sedona, not having to move suitcases or learn new appliances and shower workings, was a welcome relief. Continue reading
Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo is an iconic roadside attraction along RT66. Hundreds of visitors daily walk the 100 yards through mud, snow and heat to leave their spray paint mark on ten Cadillacs stuck nose first in a Texas cornfield. This random act of art was created in 1974 by a group of hippies from San Francisco who called themselves the Ant Farm. The goal of the wealthy financial backer, Stanley Marsh III, was allegedly to baffle the locals. So ten Cadillac cars, ranging from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, were partially buried in the ground. Soon people were tearing off tail fins and other parts as souvenirs and spray painting the frames. Today the cars are not all that recognizable as Cadillacs, with little left but their bare frames. The layers of spray paint have built up to over an inch thick during the past 40 years, chunks of which are now keepsakes for people breaking off pieces to take with them.
These photos are available for sale in my RT66 Gallery.
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Reflection Pool at the Oklahoma City National Memorial
We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.
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