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General Travel Thoughts, Troy's Blog

Traveling for the Holidays

Driving Towards a Holiday Celebration

People all over the world travel at this time of year to share holidays together whether it is Las Posadas, Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. Additional time off from work allows us to travel further to enjoy the company of others and celebrate. A large percentage of those will be going by way of the automobile with the price of gas 8% higher than the previous year. While this may not be the highest that gas has cost it does add to the cost of traveling when you are going 50, 100, 200, or more miles away and back. Automobile travelers are not the only ones to feel these effects. Other modes of transportation feel the impact of higher fuel prices passing that on to travelers.

I’m sure that higher fuel prices has caused some to re-think their holiday travel plans but for most of us, we’re still going to get in that car or board a flight to see family and friends. We may just have to be a little more efficient in that travel to make up for the added cost of fuel. Maybe a change in the hotel room (go from king beds to queens) or spending a little less at restaurants. The kids might have to watch a movie they already have seen instead of renting or buying one they have already seen while traveling. Each member of your family could wear three layers of clothing to save on checking luggage while flying. Comfort is really not all that import while traveling is it?

For those that are unable to travel can try the next best thing. You can video chat with programs such as Skype or Facetime. It is almost as good as being there. You can be engaged in conversations and watch as others open gifts to see the smiles on their faces. This is an option many people who are unable to travel for whatever reason use. Not that many years ago we would talk on the phone and now the technology of video chatting has allowed us to feel a part of a celebration.

Water and Light Show at Longwood Gardens

If your looking for some places to see during this holiday break here are a few ideas. For many families a trip to Disney World is in order where you can enjoy lights, fireworks, and of course Mickey. For the older kids Las Vegas can be a big hit. This city is full of light all year long but for the holidays they add even more as each casino puts its best efforts forward to dazzle visitors.  A leisurely stroll through Longwood Gardens can be very relaxing as well as intrigue your creative side with all of their holiday displays. If your interested in staying overnight at a place fully decorated for the holidays check this page out.  There are holiday celebrations at many destinations however enjoying some peace at home can be satisfying as well.

Whatever your holiday plans are, we hope they are the best they can be!

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Poinsettias Everywhere

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Look at All the Poinsettias I Get to Play With

Trees, glitter, and yes … poinsettias! It’s the holiday season and the atmosphere has evolved all over. I work for a company that decorates commercial buildings for these winter holidays. My specialty is poinsettias. All I do is work with these beautiful flowers to transform buildings into a holiday wonderland. The last few weeks have been exhausting both physically and mentally trying to keep everything straight for each customer.

Poinsettias Almost Ready!

Some preparations begin as soon as July when greenhouse growers begin planting poinsettias for the upcoming season. Fortunately at this time there is little to be done as many of my customers aren’t even close to deciding what they want for holiday décor so they don’t give me any orders until later. Later usually begins in September after Labor Day when people arrive at the conclusion that summer is over and the inevitable winter season is soon to follow. At this time I am just organizing these orders and filing them for about a month. Around mid-October begins the fun. This is when I begin visiting different greenhouses checking up on the poinsettia quality and strengthening existing relationships and building new relationships with those that produce these bright flowers.

Many of These Pieces Need to be Coordinated Ahead of Time

For the next several weeks my focus is on what each customer is looking for and preparing for each installation of poinsettia. As much as can be accomplished must be done ahead of time and with as much accuracy as possible because once the actual installations begin there is usually only time to concentrate on that days agenda and possibly the next day. There is no time or energy left to think about what needs to be done later in the week or the following week and maintain any sense of efficiency.

Waiting to Arrive at Their Final Destination

I lead a team of people during the holiday madness that is responsible for creating unique displays of poinsettias with the sole intent of getting peoples attention and helping to make a festive environment. Most members of this team have been doing this for several years now and all know what needs to be done and do it very well. There are people that unpack these plants and find a place to store them for a day or two while others pack them up again and bring them to their final destination. Also, there is some arrangement work to be done and there are those whose responsibility include these arrangements.

Poinsettias Mixed With Birch

As soon as all of these poinsettias are put in their place it is time to plan for their removal. While the holiday season lasts for about 5 –6  weeks, it takes about 2 weeks to install of them and another week or two to remove them so there is little time in between. Although I spend about 2 months working with poinsettias and about 8 months trying to forget about it, the simple thought about the 100,000’s of people that see and enjoy these displays makes it all worth while. In addition, after it is all over and usually before it is all over I am ready to travel and explore new places to aid in my recovery.

A Dressed Up Poinsettia

This time it will be South Florida and most likely the Keys!

Travel Review, Troy's Blog

New England Trip Re-Cap

Remembering Acadia

The first time I wrote about re-capping a trip I called it a post-mortem. Apparently that seemed a little to weird so I changed it to a re-cap. You could also call it trip analysis. What can go into a trip re-cap report? That depends on each traveler and what they want to gain out of the re-cap. I like to keep track of how much each trip costs us along with how many miles we traveled and how many pictures we took. I also try to record things that I can improve for the next trip to make it better as well as what worked well if there was something I tried differently.

A Great View During a Picnic

One of the things that I learned from our last trip was to pay closer attention to hotel location as compared to whatever sights we are planning on seeing. Our destination was Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park. Our hotel ending up being closer to the Miami International Airport which was at least 45 minutes from either of these parks. That cost us at least 1 ½ hours that we could have used to explore the park further. This time we learned that a flashlight is a good idea to have along (see An Evening Adventure at Acadia). Also, packing a soft sided cooler is helpful when exploring a National Park. This can be used to keep water or food cold. On a earlier adventure we figured out that buying a case of water early in the trip was useful and economical. Another thing learned at Acadia was that getting a meal ahead of time and bringing it with opens up some flexibility. There are a number of National Parks without options for eating and if you intend to spend more time than a few hours at theses parks than being able to stop at your leisure and grab something to eat allows for a longer adventure. In addition, most of the time what better place to have a picnic than in the presence of the scenery and sounds of a National Park.

On the Road Again

Some of the other data that I collected:

Miles covered in an airplane: 2,248

Miles driven: 1,639

Miles walked: 13

All of these miles were covered in 8 days. We slept well during the night in order to have the energy to explore the next day. The 8th day was strictly a van ride to the airport so no miles driven or walked so taking the miles driven or walked divided by 7 gives us 236 miles traveled in a day. No, our goal is not to go as many miles as possible in a day. The goal is to experience as much as we can while the opportunity to do is present. Also, we took 587 pictures.

Different Modes of Transportation

This reminds me. I didn’t even calculate the miles on the bikes.

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

Another Halloween

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Halloween Fun and Creativity

Great! The one day a year when children are taught how to go around and beg for candy from strangers. So I’m not a huge fan of this event. Now, if you’re like most people when I mention this your probably rolling up your eyes, getting ready to click away because you don’t have an interest in reading about a Halloween Scrooge. I don’t have an big interest in being bothered to answer the door and give away candy only to have to do this again 2 minutes later. Are you wondering how I became this way? Yes, I did go trick or treating when I was younger and yes my children go trick or treating now. I try to not hinder their enjoyment even though I wonder how many more years I have to endure the dressing up and walking through the neighborhood freezing my hands off while the kids bother each person possible looking for candy. There is one benefit of all this. They often share their candy with me (they don’t always know this….oh, did I type that out loud?)

Pumkin Carving

As my children are growing up and my oldest is getting to the questionable age for trick or treating I am starting to remember all of the fun parts that I will miss someday. What?! I’m not a total Halloween Scrooge? NO! The part of this day that is the most enjoyable for me is the creativity that people put into it. It may take a minute or two to get into carving the pumpkins but I do have fun creating a new design and challenging myself and the children to come up with something different. It is amazing at what can be created out of a pumpkin. To see some of the best check this place out …Villafane Studios as seen on the Today Show. They are truly some of the best and most creative carving I have seen.

Bat Pumkin

People that take the time to get into full costume and put a lot of energy coming up with their costume are impressive to me. I do enjoy a great costume. I tend not to get invited to Halloween parties anymore because I don’t dress up because I’m a Halloween Scrooge. O.K. so there was this one time that I did actually dress up and had some fun doing it. My wife and I knocked on the door to the hosts and they could not tell who it was. Unsure if we belonged there they eventually let us pass as we said nothing and drove a car we had just purchased the month before so they could not tell it was someone they were familiar with. It was at least a half hour before we broke our silence and began to reveal who we were. Fortunately I don’t believe there are pictures around of that so I can deny it and continue with being a Scrooge.

            Dressing Up

Finally, people who put time and energy into creating a great Halloween landscape around their home make this event more enjoyable. For a few pictures of some outstanding Halloween landscapes click here… (There are also some cool posts about pallet furniture). Maybe I should start putting more energy into decorating outside for Halloween since my job limits how much time and energy I have available for the Christmas season. I bet if I start planning a Halloween yard in May I could come up with some ideas that the neighbors would enjoy. Scaring the older trick or treaters sounds like some fun for me and for them.  Hmm.. a few trap doors placed strategically in the yard, maybe a few ghouls flying from the trees with a few more greeting people at the driveway. It might even bring a few smiles to scare parents as they wait for the children to go to the door. Who doesn’t like to get a little scared on Halloween? O.K. so I really don’t but I know my oldest child and her friends are at the age that getting scared makes for a memorable night.

For those that like to go on adventures for Halloween there are usually a multitude of haunted houses being put on during the last few weekends in October for all to enjoy. If your interested in going further, here is a list of the 10 best places to go in the US. Another reason I don’t enjoy Halloween is because of what comes next!

Soon to Follow

 

Adventures, Troy's Blog

The Conclusion of an Evening Adventure

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The Beautiful Night Sky

We continued to descend as quickly as possible but that was slow going at the best because each step had to be felt before placing your full weight on your next step. A fork in the trail arrived and while I was pretty certain which direction to go, I did not want to end up making a very costly error so out came the lighter. Most of the time you would think of a lighter as a source for light because there is so little there. In complete darkness a lighter can blind you for a minute or two. After a little light near the sign indicating which way to go a little feeling of calmness fell over me and now time to continue on. Unfortunately it took another minute to go as my eyes needed to re-adjust to the darkness. Moving slower once again we came to a staircase built out of rocks. I recalled this part of the trail and knew that Karen should be at the bottom waiting – this is if she was still brave enough to be sitting in the dark forest. I was anticipating that she moved on to the car. There was just one problem, I had the only set of keys. What I believed to be the bottom of the stairs was approaching but I could not make out a bench and there certainly was no sign of Karen. I stopped and tried to get my baring’s but the feeling of being lost was creeping in. I could not find the direction of the trail and where to go next. Finally I decided that the best direction was to continue in the same direction we were already going.

An Airplane Streaking Across the Sky

Moving extremely slowly we I found more stairs to descend and in a short time the place we left Karen was in front of us. Still no sign of Karen though. I was pretty sure that she had returned to the vehicle. Maybe it was more hope that she had gone back. Only one way to find out – continue on. The trail was relatively flat at this point with few stones to trip over allowing us to move faster. FINALLY! THERE IT IS THE PARKING LOT! There may have been more whoops of joy if it were not for the welcoming words of Karen. O.K. so they were not as welcoming as scornful. The ensuing conversation does not need to be repeated here but I was still extremely glad to see her standing by the car.

Finding the Parking Lot

Kristy and Lysa have agreed on a new hiking rule since this – no hiking within 45 minutes of darkness. I believe we just need to bring flashlights next time. A good night hike can be a great experience. The next day the girls thought we should go back to bubble rock so mom could see it. What they didn’t realize is that mom had no interest what so ever to go back to that location after the less than positive experience the previous night. I believe this was a great learning experience for all of us and created an adventure we’ll never forget.

Adventure, Troy's Blog

An Evening Adventure Continues…

Bubble Rock in the Dark

The view from this location was spectacular being able to see the remaining remnants of daylight and the glow of several towns off in the distance. Over one of the towns we witnessed fireworks being set off. A great location to see fireworks from above them. Watching fireworks from an airplane is something I would like to do someday. This was as close to that as I can imagine for the time being. Now for the inevitable problem. The trail was extremely difficult to see as there was very little light and trees sheltered the trail from any light at all. We were not carrying flashlights. Our only source of light was a cigarette lighter. As we started the hike back towards the vehicle I wanted to check in with Karen to make sure she was alright and that we were on our way. Wouldn’t you know it, my cell phone battery was dead. Not that I would have had great reception if it did work being that service had been spotty all day as it was. The only option was to get back to were Karen was sitting as fast as possible while traveling in the dark over loose rocks and branches. Seems like a good recipe for disaster.

Our Path Back to the Car

As our eyes adjusted to the limited light conditions you could make out some of the light colored rocks in some areas. At least enough to know where the trail was – thankfully! Did I fail to mention that on our way to Bubble Rock we came across a dad and his two children that had taken a wrong turn and struggling to get back to their car? We could here them off in the distance and eventually met up with them. Once they were pointed in the right direction off they went and we did the same. It was obvious when they found the parking lot as there were loud whoops of joy! That brought a smile to my face as we continued on our hike. I only mention that here because now we were in the position to take a wrong turn and make this an extremely long night. At this point Kristy and Lysa were getting really nervous. I assured them that things would be fine as I have been traveling in the woods in the dark before while getting to my hunting locations. What I did not tell them is I was more familiar with the land when heading to out for hunting. The only familiarity I had here was going up the trail the first time and that was after sunset.

To be Continued….

Adventures, Troy's Blog

An Evening Adventure at Acadia

The Setting Sun in Acadia

After a full day of exploring Acadia National Park, the sun was beginning to wane so off to find a great spot to watch it set. Looking at the photo above I would say we were successful although I’m sure there are a number of great spots to watch both sunrises and sunsets. We pulled over on the side of the road, got the tripod and camera, and found the best spot to view the sun as is slowly merged into the horizon. There were a few other cars that stopped to quickly take a picture and then moved on but for most of the time we were able to enjoy a spectacular sunset on Mount Desert Island, Maine which is were Acadia resides. This was likely going to be our only opportunity for enjoying a sunset as Hurricane Irene was headed our way and the next night would be filled with clouds. Once we were satisfied with the viewing it was time to move on to our evening residence.

Off on Another Trail

Along the way I caught a glimpse of Bubble Rock sitting high above on a ledge of stone. Wanting a longer view of this large rock that appears as though it could tumble over the edge with just the smallest incentive we found a parking lot with a trail to a better viewing area. Earlier in the day this parking lot was full so we continued on planning on returning later. There was about 30 minutes of daylight left and the hiking trail was only 1/4 mile long. Doing the math assuming a walking rate of 2 miles per hour it should take us about 15 minutes to get there, 15 minutes of pictures and enjoying the surrounding and 15 minutes back to the parking lot. I knew it would be getting pretty dark by the time we got back to our vehicle but we should be fine so off on another adventure it was.

An Evening at Bubble Rock

About a third of the way Karen decided she was going to utilize a bench along the trail and would wait for us. I expected that the trail should terminate not to far ahead and we would get a nice look from a viewing point and then return to the car. As we continued on the trail it kept winding back and forth and then began to ascend more than expected. The longer we followed the trail, the darker it got and the more I began to realize this trail led right to the boulder we had seen from a distance below. Well, it shouldn’t be to far now so on we went. Finally we were at the top of the trail and near our objective. It was amazing to me that the National Park Service would allow people to get so close to this rock at the edge of a cliff. Once we finally saw this boulder I understood a little better. There was no way anyone was going to move this rock allowing it to go over the cliff. Once you realize that it has been in this location since the glaciers you can understand how unlikely it is to move.

To be Continued….

National Parks, Troy's Blog

The First Place to See the Sun

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Sunrise

Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park is the first place in the United States to see the sun rise during the winter months. This is because this location is far enough east in Maine and high enough to see the sun rise before areas that are further east. People like to be the first to do many things or experience something for the first time. Here is a place that anyone can do something before anyone else in the United States – watch the sun pierce the horizon. Unfortunately we did not make it to Cadillac Mountain to witness the sun rising but we still enjoyed setting foot in the beautiful Mountain. Even if we had it was during the summer so the first place to see the sun rise would have been Mars Hill, Maine.

Cadillac Mountain

My first impression of Cadillac Mountain was looking at it on a map while looking for the highlights of Acadia National Park. It was puzzling how this could be considered a mountain at only 1530 feet above sea level. I’m use to mountains being several thousand feet above sea level. After getting there and learning more about this place, I now understand why it’s considered a mountain. First of all the steep ascent from sea level to the top suggests a mountain. Also, according to geologists, what is currently the top of Cadillac Mountain was the center of the volcano which helped to shape this area. Apparently the mountain use to be considerably taller until the glaciers moved through and cut it down giving us the scenery available today.

The Big Dipper

After watching the sunset in other areas of the park we headed back to the top of Cadillac Mountain to witness a beautiful star filled sky. Most impressive was seeing the Milky Way. I have not seen it in a number of years so it was nice to be reminded of its’ spectacular display. Also, fewer and fewer people are able to see the Milky Way so it was nice to show our children what it looks like. Unfortunately I need to work on my photography skills capturing stars so I don’t have a picture that shows the milky way in all its glory. I was able to get a nice photo of the big dipper.

Acadia