Vacations Blog

It would seem that summer has finally arrived in Ohio and while temperatures in the mid to upper 80’s and low 90’s might seem insignificant to the majority of people in America, it’s the humidity that’s bothering us.  We’re Ohioans, we don’t do humidity!  Besides, it frizzes my hair.  The most logical alternative is to stay indoors in very close proximity to an air-conditioner and a well stocked refrigerator.

I’m not logical.  (I blame the kids–they incapacitate the area of my brain responsible for rational thought.)

Sufficient Cause for Insanity

Kids thrive on adventure, activity, intrigue.  I thrive on cool temperatures.  I found both at the Olentangy Indian Caverns Read More »

The Cody Nite Rodeo Arena

Of all the places we visited during our Epic Summer Road Trip, one of our favorite towns was Cody, Wyoming. Cody is located 53 miles from the East Entrance into Yellowstone National Park, making it an ideal jumping-off point for day trips into the park. But there are plenty of interesting things to do in the town itself, making it a great vacation destination in its own right.

A cowboy at the Cody Nite Rodeo, hanging on!

The second night we were in town, we attended the Cody Nite Rodeo. Since Cody is appropriately named “The Rodeo Capital of the World”, we figured this was one event we couldn’t miss. This rodeo is performed every single evening from June 1st through August 31st, every year since 1938.

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As previously mentioned, the family spent a little time in Tennessee earlier this month. Admittedly, most of the time was spent taking full advantage of my in-laws lake front home. I couldn’t find much to complain about, what with the gourmet meals, nightly karaoke (Much to my surprise I discovered that I’m a mic hog) and instant access to all variety of lake activities. The boy learned how to bait a hook and spent many an hour paddling around trying to land a biggin, while the girl morphed into a mermaid, coming out only for meals and to text her friends back home.

But in an effort to get acquainted with our southern surroundings, we did venture out to explore one of the local sites. In the city of Crossville stands what some of the locals refer to as God’s tree house.

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Summer plans to visit my mother in-law allowed us our first ever visit to the lovely southern state of Tennessee.

Never having been to Tennessee I was sort of excited about the idea of visiting a new state. The boy did his 5^th grade state report on Tennessee so we got to read a lot about the Civil War, the Chickasaw, and Choctaw Indian tribes, the Predators, the Grizzlies and the Titans (the boy was sorely disappointed to learn that Tennessee does not have a pro baseball team), Elvis Presley, Davy Crockett and Billy Ray Cyrus. But nowhere in our research did we come across anything about …The Lost Sea.

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Jerome Arizona, pic by Open Sky Media

Jerome, Arizona, also known as “America’s Most Vertical City” and “Largest Ghost Town in America”, was founded in 1876. The town sits at an elevation of 5,200 feet, at the top of Cleopatra Peak. It rests above the largest copper mine in Arizona, which at its peak produced over three million pounds of copper per month. The mine closed in 1953, and most of the population (15,000 at its highest) left the area. However, about a hundred inhabitants remained, determined to see a renaissance of their beloved town’s popularity. Interest in this “ghost town” gradually grew – in 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District by the federal government. Today and it now supports a thriving artist and tourist destination, and is home to about 450 permanent residents.
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Spokane's Big Red Wagon

Seriously, who’s going to plan a family vacation to Spokane, Washington?

I was asking myself this very question today while watching news coverage of Spokane’s Hoopfest, the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world.  The tourney is celebrating its 20th year.

There are 400 courts spread out over 40 downtown city blocks, with 6,400 teams participating this year, and over 200,000 players and fans wandering around town.

But that’s not a family vacation.

Spokane is one of those average cities, like Des Moines or Sacramento, that doesn’t have much of a reputation as a vacation destination.  You hear Washington, and you think Seattle.  Or Olympic National Park and the Pacific Coast beaches.  Or Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier.  Or the Cascade Range.

Even though Spokane is the second largest city in the state, and the fifth biggest in the Pacific Northwest, nobody’s buzzing about it as a family vacation destination.

I figure people end up here for other reasons, such as a weekend of basketball at Hoopfest, and then at some point it dawns on them that there might be come cool things to see and do in the area.

So, what exactly is there for a family with kids to enjoy? Read More »

I spent the better part of last Tuesday’s lunch hour checking out the Concord Farmers’ Market in Todos Santos Plaza.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past several years, you’ve probably noticed these outdoor grocery stores popping up all over the place.  In addition to Concord you can hit Farmers’ Markets in Clayton, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and dozens of other Bay Area cities.

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Boston Pops and Fourth of JUly

If you find yourself in Boston for the Fourth of July weekend, it is incumbent upon you to take in the spectacular yearly celebration at The Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade. Founded in 1974 by Boston-area businessman and philanthropist, David Mugar, the event was designed to breathe new life into the dying Esplanade concert series. Mugar approached famed Boston Pops conductor, Arthur Fiedler, and suggested that the Pops perform Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” with “a few added extras.” Howitzer cannons, church bells and fireworks were added to the concert “so that, in Arthur Fiedler’s own words, “All hell could break loose.”"

Now in its 36th year, the performance and fireworks welcome over 500,000 visitors from around the world and another seven million+ who view an hour-long special on CBS. This year, Grammy-award winning singer, Neil Diamond will perform some of his hits with the Boston Pops and, for the third year in a row, the live broadcast will be hosted by late night television host, Craig Ferguson.

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