Arlene Marie

Cotes du Lena

Arlene Marie

It seems that most of the travel blogs I read are from long-term travelers. While these are super interesting and motivational, it is not my reality. I'm writing from the perspective of a vacationer rather than traveler....

I've been wanting to organize my photos and create journals of my trips over the years. However, I never seem to get them complete. I'm starting this blog as a way to organize my memories and to share my travels with friends, family, and whoever else may be interested.

I put a lot of time and thought into the itineraries of our trips, so I'm hoping these posts may be helpful to others who are planning similar journeys.

Happy adventures..... Arlene




A big thank you to my sister for recommending that we take the ride into Fletcher, NC to visit a brewery and have dinner. It was a very enjoyable evening with great food, tasty beer, and an interesting walk through some gardens. We drove from our cabin in South Carolina past Dupont Forest in some crazy rain. The skies opened up and we were both very happy that we were done with our forest adventures for the day. Once we made it into Brevard, the rain stopped and the rest of the drive was very pleasant. I really enjoy being a passenger for these trips because the scenery is so nice with the mountains in the background. I'm not sure what we expected, but when we arrived at the brewery, we were absolutely shocked by the ... read more
Gardens that manage rain water


This afternoon, after the rain had subsided, we took a ride over to Dupont State Forest and parked at the Fawn Lake Parking Area. This access point was an excellent place to start for our 5 mile hike to Bridal Veil Falls. The falls are very pretty, and we've seen them several times. We chose this hike today, in part, to scout out some of the trails to see how well I would do biking in this area of the forest. Since this was the first hike of our trip, I felt more serene immediately upon walking into the forest. We enjoyed the trees, the cool air and the smell of the foliage. Most of the route was pretty easy with a few moderate sections. It was later in the afternoon so we came across very ... read more


It was a very fortunate coincidence that my sister was finishing up her family vacation in the mountains just as Albert and I were starting ours. We met met her and her husband in Hendersonville for breakfast and a stroll through downtown. Rain cut the walk short, but we still had plenty of time to catch up. My favorite part of downtown is the decorated bears that are everywhere, on corners, in businesses, etc. It is certainly a charming way to set their town apart. Here's some pics of the town......... read more
Cafe
Me and my sister
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The Destination: Bear Creek Cabin..... a beautiful retreat on a quiet road surrounded by hardwood trees which we will be calling home for the next week. It is in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area of South Carolina in the higher elevations on Cedar Mountain. We are 3 miles north of Ceasar's Mountain State Park and about 6 miles south of Dupont State Forest. In other words, we have easy access to more hiking and biking trails than we could ever explore in a year, let alone a week. Absolute heaven for both Albert and I. It is so beautiful and every window in this place looks out to trees and sky. Every glance outside brings a deeper feeling of relaxation and peace. My goals for this vacation are to simply relax and recharge. The easiest way ... read more
Indian River Pit Stop
Ollie on the Road
Wecome to the View

North America » United States » Florida » Coral Springs July 13th 2018

There's a small trail head into the peaceful Everglades tucked away right behind a very busy exit on I-75 and Atlantic Boulevard in Coral Springs. I'd like to say its a secret place, but it is well-used by many people in the area. When we arrived at 7:30pm on Friday, the small parking lot was packed, and and we joined the others parking along the small access road. It was very obvious that we were not the only ones looking to enjoy the evening. The majority of the people stayed close to the trail head to watch the sunset. Fortunately, we had something with us that most others did not, our bikes. We made our way through the small crowd with lawn chairs and coolers, and headed due west on the levee. We were treated to ... read more
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It's summer time in South Florida - the snowbirds have long gone back to points north, it's blazing hot outside, and I'm in need of a rest. This means its time for a beach break in Sanibel Island, one of my favorite places where all you need is a bike, bathing suit and tons of sunscreen. While Sanibel is super busy during the winter months, in the summer it has the feel of a sleepy beach town. The bike path lined streets and beautiful beaches are left for the locals to enjoy. We try to spend at least a few days here each summer. Small condominium complexes line the beaches of Sanibel, many of which are available for weekly rentals. We rented a nice two bedroom condo within a two minute walk to the beach. Four ... read more
Bike path through the preserves




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