Blogs from United States, North America - page 22

Tour Day 1-7, Cruise Day – 1-7, Phoenix, Arizona to Hilo Hawaii – The flight to San Diego was just over an hour and totally humdrum. Retrieving my luggage and getting the shuttle to the hotel was routine. Breakfast at the hotel and the shuttle to the cruise port was uneventful. Upon arrival at the cruise terminal, I realized the luggage tags supplied by Holland America (complete with the wrong cabin number) were for a different ship departing San Diego in 2024. The baggage handler reacted as though I wasn’t the first person to queue at the Holland America incompetency line and promptly got me a new set of tags so my baggage would get to MY cabin THIS year. Half way through the boarding process, we were told the facial recognition function of the computer ... read more

NOTE TO ALL: I am so sorry but I am having technical problems with my travelblog website. I can't upload photos so here is my first travel blog with only 1 photo. I will try another website and let you know if I continue with my travelblog. I may just do a couple of posts along the trip on Facebook. Once again - Sooo Sorry! Fort Lauderdale… or Wilton Manors actually! After a 24-hour grueling flight from Nanaimo to Fort Lauderdale, we arrived safely and exhausted into the Fort Lauderdale airport! An 8-hour layover in Vancouver was followed with a 3-hour layover in Toronto! But there was a bright moment as we saw a stunning sunrise as we raced through Toronto airport trying to get through US customs in time! We needed that 3 hour layover ... read more

So Arsenal beat Manchester City 1-0. It was brilliant! The Fleet Street Pub gunners are as ardent a group of fans as the George & Dragon’s in Seattle. Thank you Don and Matt for sharing your table with us. This country is beautiful. The land, the water ways, the food, the music. Our cities, towns and villages; museums, libraries, schools, grocery stores, restaurants, sport stadiums, shopping, dog parks, cinemas, theatres, people parks, historic sites, hospitals, laundromats, public utilities, community centers and churches et al. Then the farms, universities, stunning vistas, ski slopes, airports, train stations, bus depots, beaches, amusement parks, military bases, cement works, campgrounds, weather warning systems and even more historic sites. The people who live, love and work in these places are you and me. I am so enjoying recognizing the things I have ... read more

What a lovely state park! While here we played the 18-hole disc golf at the park. We hiked the Steamboat trail in the park along the top of the buttes with beautiful views. We drove out to Toadstool Geologic Park in the Oglala National Grassland and hiked a loop trail. We also enjoyed the Nebraska state sandwich, a Runza. A runza is a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of beef, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. The Museum of the Fur Trade was also very interesting and educational regarding the fur trade in the frontier from 1795 to 1870. So many displays and items from the time of the English, French, and Native Americans.... read more

Could this be my final Pac 12 football game? Could the famous Bill Walton phrase, "Conference of Champions" cease to exist? Will the epic battles against USC and UCLA come to an end? Saturday, I am in Berkeley for our Pac 12 game against the Oregon State Beavers, one of the last two schools left in the old Pac 12. I don't think it will be the same when we play North Carolina State, or Wake Forest in the future. I fondly remember attending several Big Games. And the Greatest Play in the history of college football (the 5 lateral, trombone player TD run). And I loved watching the UCLA Bruins basketball teams with Coach Wooden, and his many star players, like Walton, Jabbar, Marques, Lucius, Goodrich, and Wilkes. Yes, the big University money grab is ... read more