Blogs from California, United States, North America - page 3

So this will be my first post in the TravelBlog community. Still learning the ropes on how to use the site. I have been retired for about a month now. I have decided to revisit a project that interested me before I started doing all the travel for Motorola. My kids explained to me how important it is for young people to have access to the internet. They need either a laptop or tablet to do school work, and to look for work. Having worked in law enforcement for so many years, I am well aware that there are segments of our community that just do not have the ability to purchase a new laptop/tablet. In the past, I was using my time to source, and refurbish 2nd/3rd generation equipment that I could get out to ... read more

Most of you know that I use my airline miles and hotel points for travel. Most of my airline miles are used for upgrades. Hotel points are used when seasonal rates are high, or the exchange rate is favorable versus the cost of a hotel room. Plus, the reservation is always refundable. TravelBankrate insight42 percent of American consumers surveyed have redeemed points or miles to lower the cost of their trip and 32 percent expect to pay for all of their trip with points or miles (url=https://resources.arrivia.com/report-travel-loyalty-outlook-2022-intersection-of-travel-loyalty?mf_ct_campaign=msn-feed&utm_content=syn... read more

From 2020: For the last 10 or 12 years, I have been a loyal and supportive Amtrak passenger. In preparation for my Trans-Siberian Railway trip (2014) across Russia, I started taking Amtrak trips as a "training" trip. My first was a trip from Seattle to San Francisco, and the second was the "California Zephyr" from Chicago to San Francisco. Both were pleasant trips, with the Coast Starlight a particularly special trip, for several reasons. One was the beautiful scenery en route, and two was the wine tasting sessions in the club car. I won't mention the sexy passenger who sneaked into my roomette in the middle of the night! And you will definitely not see a sunset like this on an airplane! The Zephyr trip was also quite insightful. The amount of interaction among passengers adds ... read more

Plan A for this winter break: snowshoe in the Sierras. Getting 3 pairs of snowshoes was no problem but the weather was a big wild card. Sure enough, Super El Niño didn’t bring snow in time. Plan B: hit Space museums out of town. Y’s been into all things space but the resources are somewhat limited in the Bay Area. This would be a good chance to expand our reach! Sat: On the road to Paso Robles Before going space mode, winding down at Capaldi Ranch has been our annual. This is our third holiday season visiting the ranch stay in Paso Robles. A pit stop at Gilroy Library worked out perfectly. The holiday event was underway on our way to Paso Robles. Y enjoyed the story time, photo with Santa, and cool crafts. Although we ... read more

img=https://attachment.outlook.live.net/owa/MSA%3Agolfkat%40hotmail.com/service.svc/s/GetAttachmentThumbnail?id=AQMkADAwATExAGQ3NwAtYmNiZi0zNzNkLTAwAi0wMAoARgAAA7edubVVKlhNiaZqJG%2FCMEMHAJoKUytVtFlFsmsux%2FxQTcgAAAIBDAAAAJoKUytVtFlFsmsux%2FxQTcgABrphrCkAAAABEgAQAESEKlhip0tDqlC0AbBwMr8%3D&isc=1&token=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsImtpZCI6IjczRkI5QkJFRjYzNjc4RDRGN0U4NEI0NDBCQUJCMTJBMzM5RDlGOTgiLCJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJ4NXQiOiJjX3VidnZZMmVOVDM2RXRFQzZ1eEtqT2RuNWcifQ.eyJvcmlnaW4iOiJodHRwczovL291dGxvb2subGl2ZS5jb20iLCJ1YyI6ImZhYjRlN2ZjMGVhMDRlODI4ZjEyNTZhNWU2ZTQzMmYyIiwidmVyIjoiRXhjaGFuZ2UuQ2FsbGJhY2suVjEiLCJhcHBjdHhzZW5kZXIiOiJPd2FEb3dubG9hZEA4NGRmOWU3Zi1lOWY2LTQwYWYtYjQzNS1hYWFhYWFhYWFhYWEiLCJpc3NyaW5nIjoiV1ciLCJhcHBjdHgiOiJ7XCJtc2V4Y2hwcm90XCI6XCJvd2FcIixcInB1aWRcIjpcIjMxMzg3NTA4MTY3MjUwOVwiLFwic2NvcGVcIjpcIk93YURvd25sb2FkXCIsXCJvaWRcIjpcIjAwMDExZDc3LWJjYmYtMzczZC0wMDAwLTAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMFwiLFwicHJpbWFyeXN... read more