Vacations

Do you like planning your vacations? Or are you one of those people that will happily go along.

I like the planning part almost as much as the actual vacation. I like finding the places to go or see or stop at. This year we are combining a road trip and visiting family into a 2 week vacation. Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois in 4,000+ miles By the time this trip is over, my fella and I will have been to 34 states, together! That's so cool! 

Along the way we will go to/see/stop at;

the National Cowboy Museum

a couple of vintage motorcycle museums along the way

an old stage coach stop

Fort Reno

Cadillac Ranch

The Big Texan Steak House - they have a 72oz steak that you can have for free if you can eat it in an hour! 4 1/2 pounds of beef. It's $72. Since 1960, 11% of the people who have tried, succeeded. I could do it. hahahahahahahaha

Santa Fe - really looking forward to this!

The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest

The Continental Divide

Winslow Arizona - because of the song...you know, "standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona, such a fine sight to see, it's a girl my lord in a flatbed ford slowing down to take a look at me..." Sorry honey, but I have to.

Several of the trading posts along the way

Ghost towns!

fun route 66 things

Bryce canyon

Old train rides in old cities

seeing family, on both sides

Yep, the planning is fun 😊

Nomads

Have you ever been RV-ing? I don't just mean camping either. I mean an RV or 5th wheel or trailer. You know, something you can cook in and take a shower and flush a toilet. I haven't. It seems like a lot of work. I bet camping is easier. But normally, you can't just travel around the country, camping. You can't really live like that. Like snowbirds - They travel in their RV/trailer to warmer climates in the winter and back home in the summer. Could you do that? Live in an RV? When was the last time you were IN an RV?! They're spectacular! Seriously. If you're going to travel extensively, RV's seem to be pretty comfy. 

I couldn't to it though. For one, gas prices and mileage make it seem prohibitive to me. And it costs a lot more than you think to pull into some RV place and hook it up. Now, RV parks have amenities. Playgrounds for the kids, grassy areas with picnic benches, mini markets. I bet it's still less expensive to just drive somewhere and get a hotel! Beyond that though - could you live in an RV? I'm certain that I couldn't. Sure, maybe for a month. But that's it. I need more stuff than what I could put in an RV. Also, I have to have a home base. I need it. It's a form of stability. I need stability. I keep thinking about that movie, Nomad. Nope, not for me.

Maybe when I was a lot younger I could've done it. But now I have things. And I like it. Could you live with only what you need? Like people did 150+ years ago? It wasn't easy, that's why we don't live like that anymore :-)

Anyway, my younger brother and his wife are currently living in their RV. The goal is to travel around Nevada and Arizona and find a place they like and buy something, a small house or a condo. The original plan I think was for a year or so. It's only been a couple of weeks and he's really struggling with the plan. He hates not having a "home base."  I hope he can change his view and enjoy the next year instead. I want to try and be positive when I talk to him but I'll be lying. 

Vacation!

When we planned our vacation for the end of May, there was no sign of the pandemic abating. People were/are being vaccinated but most of the country was still under a mask and social distancing mandate. I knew we would have to wear our masks at the airports and on the planes. I was ok with that.

We had no idea though, that so many states would have lifted those mandates by the time we left! 

We were heading out west; Vegas, Utah, So Cal. Holy WOW! The airport was packed. Busier than any other time we've ever left at 6:30 AM. The plane was full. It was just nuts. We changed planes going, in Phoenix and coming home, in Denver. Indy has a nice airport. That's why it's been given the title of BEST airport for several years running now. We flew on Southwest. While I like Southwest's prices, I wonder if other airlines are similarly cramped in their cabins. It's hard to be uncomfortable for 3+ hours. But...the flights were uneventful, so there's that.

Our first stop was a day in Las Vegas. That's what this post will be about, Las Vegas. I don't even know where to begin. Their mask mandates had been lifted just a few days before we arrived. I want to preface this by saying, I grew up in the 70's. I lived the 70's, in every way you might think. I'm pretty far from being a prude. I'm pretty open minded, about most things. It's been 12 years since I've been to Vegas. OK, now that I've said that...Vegas is a horrid place. I use to really enjoy going to Vegas. The people watching was fun. The hotel lobbies and casinos were cool. Cheap and endless food. Cheap and fun shows and museums. Except that I got to see some family there, I can't think of a single good thing to say about it. You know that saying, "sin city?" It's no longer just a term of endearment. It really IS sin city now. I saw girls walking down the street wearing pasties. I saw girls wearing fishnet stockings and thongs with crop tops. I saw very little that required any kind of imagination. Lots of foreign speaking people. LOTS of people. Lots and lots of them. It feels a little grimy and it smells. I can't put my finger on it either. My brother said it's like a cross between stale beer and dirty underwear. Yeah, that's gross. If any of us weren't exposed to COVID, I'd be shocked. If any of us weren't exposed to any other vile behavior, I don't know what it was. Ewwww. Maybe it was just the freedom everyone was trying to experience after being cooped up for a year.

I don't think I'm that old. Maybe I am. I don't know. I know for sure though, that I wouldn't go back to Las Vegas to have any kind of fun. Maybe it's just the strip. Maybe if you go and stay in a nice hotel/resort and never go out to the strip, you'd have a good time? I thought it could be fun to go to Freemont Street buy my brother said, no, don't do that. It's like the Vegas ghetto now. That's a bummer.

Greed is the most powerful source of evil. I'm convinced.

locally....

Do you ever just pick a destination in your home state and go there? We don't either. But we're trying to now. There's actually a lot to see in my home state. Last weekend we went to Vincennes. It's the oldest city in Indiana - it was a place before Indiana was a state and founded by the French in 1732. William Henry Harrison was it's first Governor and the 9th president of the US. His house was the first brick home in the territory and it's still there! Vincennes University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the US. 
There's a lot of history in Vincennes! They even have a military museum. I know that sounds dorky, but it was pretty cool. I'd never seen a tank in person. And it was a glorious Spring day and we didn't have to have our masks on :-)

Travel

Sometimes in the morning, while I'm having coffee and gearing up for the work day, we travel the world on YouTube. Do you every do that?

There are so many great YouTube videos, via drones, that travel all over world. It's pretty awesome. Especially if you're not a world traveler. Do you want to be a world traveler? I was probably a lot more adventurous when I was younger. Now I see all the people and think, ummm, no thank you! 

Yesterday for example, I watched part of a video taken over Italy. It was so visually interesting that later in the day I went to Italy, via Google and walked all around Venice. Venice is amazing! I don't want to go there though. Too many tourists. Tons and tons of tourist. But Google street view was fantastic! I also went to Greece. Greece looks beautiful from overhead. But when you really get into the cities and drive around, it's not really that great. I did go island hopping though and that was cool. 

Next up, Norway. Honestly, this is a really nice way to travel the world. No tourists. No pricey hotels. No weird food. Oh sure, I know it's not the same as 'being there.' But it is the next best thing!! :-)