On deck.............getting ready to get back on board!

Once again, we'll be chasing the Northern Lights.  Our success over the years has been limited.  This is about as good as we have done in the past.  This picture was taken near Fairbanks, Alaska on March 13, 2022.

We returned to Florida from New York on August 27.  Since that time, we've enjoyed visiting with family and friends.  As always, many of our favorite visits have been with Beth's mom (NaNa).  There is a "Golden Rule" about visiting her............bring treats!  We often ask her if she'd want us to visit her if we showed up empty handed.  Let's just say we're better off bringing goodies!

Ice Cream..........one of her favorites!

I enjoyed a fishing trip with Beth's cousin (Brian Bustle).  He's a great guide!  We caught and released about 40 bass!  My #1 rule about fishing..........if you don't know what you're doing, go with someone who does, and Brian really knows what he's doing!

Next Tuesday (September 24) will be a very special day for NaNa.  We'll be celebrating her 96th birthday and you can rest assured that there will be plenty of good food, laughter and singing.  She was born in 1928.  Calvin Coolidge was in the White House, Babe Ruth was leading the Yankees to their 3rd world series title and the first all-talking film "Lights of New York" had been released just a few months prior.  If you're a movie buff you are probably thinking to yourself, "The Jazz Singer" was the first talking movie.  You wouldn't be wrong, it was the first "talking" film, however it only had limited sound.  AI strikes again!  Needless to say, she's seen a lot of changes over the years but one thing that has been unwavering is her kind spirit.  It'll be a grand celebration!

After the birthday party Beth and I will be heading directly to the airport.  We'll fly first to Chicago and then on to Reykjavik, Iceland.  Just like on Anna Maria Island, it will be early fall in Reykjavik, however fall has a different meaning in Iceland.  We'll be leaving behind tropical fall temperatures that are hovering around 90 and stepping off the plane to a temperature that will be around 40 degrees.  After the heat and humidity of Florida, it'll be both brisk and refreshing.

We'll have one and a half days in the Reykjavik area.  We have a car rented and are looking forward to touring the Golden Circle.  This circular route is approximately 190 miles in length and includes a number of southern Icelands most popular sites, including Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss (waterfall) and several geyser areas.  We've driven the Golden Circle Route one other time, but it was around 20 years ago. Ben and Sarah were teenagers at the time.  We enjoyed it then and I'm sure will enjoy it this time around.   

The Golden Circle

After our day of enjoying the Golden Circle, we're hoping for a little nighttime magic...........I'm talking about the Northern Lights!  We've caught a couple of glimpses of them a few times over the years, but we've never hit the jackpot.  Hopefully this will be the time that all the conditions align and we get a great show.  Time will tell!

The next day we make the short drive to Reykjavik, drop off the rental car and head to the port.  We'll be embarking on back to back cruises that will follow a not quite direct route from Iceland to Galveston, Texas.    

The first cruise is on the Norwegian Prima.  It will take us to a couple of ports in Iceland before heading for Norway, Amsterdam, Belgium and ending in Southhampton, UK ten days later.  Once we disembark in Southhampton, we simply walk a short distance and check in for the second cruise which will be a 21-day transatlantic cruise on the Regal Princess.  We'll visit a couple of ports in France and Spain and make one stop in the Azores (Madeira), before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.  After eight consecutive, relaxing sea days we'll have three Caribbean ports (Antigua, St. Thomas and Grand Cayman before disembarking in Galveston on October 27.  There's faster ways to get from Reykjavik to Galveston, but those ways are for folks in a hurry.  We’ve got plenty of time on our hands!

Cruise 1-Ten Days on the Norwegian Prima

Cruise 2-21 Days on the Regal Princess

I'm not planning on taking my laptop on this adventure.  It's a dinosaur that weighs a ton and downloading pictures on the ships Wi-Fi is difficult.  I'll try to post a few blogs along the way............It’s getting close to time to pack the bag with a few cold weather clothes and a few warm weather clothes.  Iceland and the Caribbean, one carry-on and one backpack each!

A week of New York Fun.........Endwell, Skaneateles and Syracuse

Hanging out with Ben and a couple of his bear friends!

Other than Lake Placid, most of our week in New York was spent in the area where Ben lives.   Even though he was working, we were able to spend a good amount of time with him and his sweet dog Allie.

Ben lives in the hamlet of Endwell, which is located in the town of Union, which is next to the town of Vestel, which is next to the city of Binghamton.  Confused?  So am I, but it seems like hamlets and villages in New York can be located inside towns and cities.  I'm not sure how it all came to be, but I can tell you that when you're driving in that area you're constantly seeing "Now entering ........, Now leaving ........" signs. The sign vendors in that area have a pretty good thing going on!  It's a very nice area, no matter which hamlet, village, town or city that you happen to find yourself.  As always, Ben had plenty of great ideas to keep us busy.

One of our favorite activities was relaxing at the campground while watching Ben direct all the fun for the campers.

Jellystone Campground Binghamton NY

Although it looks like a pretty good swing on the golf simulator............

he crushed me!

While Ben was working one day, Beth and I revisited the town of Skaneateles (pronounced "Skinny-atlas").  This town is located on Skaneateles Lake, which is one of New Yorks famous Finger Lakes.  The town and lake get their name from the Native American Iroquois tribe, and it means "long lake", which is an accurate description since the narrow (1.5 miles wide) lake is over 16 miles long.  The spring fed lake has no tributaries flowing into it and is considered one of the cleanest lakes in the country.

On the way to Skaneateles, we stopped at Carpenter Falls which is near Niles.  There was a nice short (.5 mile) trail that led to the falls viewing platform. 

The small town of Skaneateles has a population of just over 7,000 residents who have the good fortune of calling this scenic place home.  If their home happens to be a lake front home, not only do they have the "good fortune of living there" but they also have a "big fortune", as lake front real estate is quite pricey.  The small downtown is located on US Route 20.  Route 20 through Skaneateles is only a couple of miles long, but the road itself is the longest continuous road in the US, running 3,365 miles from Boston to Newport, Oregon.  The downtown has a number of shops, restaurants, homes and churches with beautiful city parks (Clift and Thayer Parks) on both ends. 

Chilling a bit in Thayer Park

Skaneateles

We enjoyed a bit of roaming around and eating at the Blue Water Grill, which overlooks the small marina.  We were also able to get a little relaxing (and a scrabble game) in Thayer Park.  The highlight of what was a very nice day was the time we spent on a guided tour of the lake aboard the Judge Ben Wiles.  The one hour narrated tour went about halfway down the lake on one side, crossed over to the other shore and returned to the marina.  Along the journey we learned about the history of the native people, how the Finger Lakes were formed and about many of the large houses along the lakeshore.

The one-hour lake tour on the Judge Ben Wiles was both relaxing and informative.

One of the many large homes along the lakefront.  We'd be happy with the boat house!

Blue Water Grill 

Doug's Fish Fry (another good place to eat in Skaneateles

Mid-Lakes Navigation

Skaneateles is a town with a unique name and exceptional scenery that's well worth a visit!

The day had arrived when it was time to pack it up and head back to Florida.  Our flight was an evening flight out of Syracuse.  The late departure gave us the chance for one more adventure, so of course we took full advantage of the opportunity.  The State Fair of New York was in the middle of its annual two-week run in Syracuse, making it a perfect place to spend the day before getting dropped off at the airport.

We had enjoyed a day at the fair back in 2022, and since we had Ben and Moriah (a fellow Jellystone employee) with us, it was even better the second time around.  How could you possibly not have fun with racing pigs, life size dinosaurs, fried food and the New York State Fair tradition of $1 baked potatoes?  The only downside of our day at the fair was that it was exceptionally hot, but it wouldn't be fair to judge the day by the weather.  Ben and Moriah dropped us off at the airport a little early so they could finalize plans for that evening's staff meeting back at the campground.  This gave us a bit of time before our flight to relax and reflect on what had been a fun week in New York! 

Racing pigs.............

.........mean looking dinosaurs..........

.............more mean looking dinosaurs..........

..........fried food galore............

...........and $1 baked potatoes.  They estimate that they serve over 50,000 potatoes during the fair (the line moves quickly)!

So much to see and do at the Great State Fair of New York that sometimes you just have to stop and catch your breath!

The Great New York State Fair

A week of New York Fun............Lake Placid...........Do you believe in miracles?

Time for a little Olympic sized fun in Lake Placid, NY

Our original plan was to fly directly from California to New York and visit Ben.  However, we altered our plan just a bit.  We ended up flying back to Florida on Friday, August 16 for a few days to visit with NaNa (Beth's mom) before heading towards New York.  We enjoyed our Florida time and especially our visits with NaNa, who will be celebrating her 96th birthday in September.  On Tuesday (August 20), it was back to the airport and off to New York for the week.

During the summer, Ben's days off are Tuesday and Wednesday, so he was able to pick us up when we arrived in Albany.  However, instead of heading to his place, we headed two hours north towards the Adirondack Mountains and the Village of Lake Placid.  For as much fun as we had in Lake Placid, simply getting there added to the enjoyment.  Even along I-87 the scenery was great, but it really became spectacular along US 9 and NY-73.  There was a little bit of early fall color in the leaves and recent rains had the roadside creeks flowing swiftly.

On our way in to Lake Placid we stopped at the Olympic Ski Jumping venue.  They wouldn't let us jump...........

......Ben declared himself the Gold Medalist anyway!

Lake Placid, which has a population of around 2,500 is a popular year-round destination with numerous outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, camping, boating, golf, ice skating, cross country and downhill skiing and much more. There is something for everyone in this small, scenic village.  Shortly after arriving we set off on foot to explore it a bit.  Although it was cool (around 52 degrees) with a bit of rain, we had a great time roaming along Main Street before returning to our hotel just as daylight was giving away to night.

From our hotel overlooking Mirror Lake.  There are two lakes in the Village of Lake Placid.  The largest is Lake Placid and the smaller is Mirror Lake.  Main Street is located along Mirror Lake.

Heading out to explore a bit.  We should have noticed the clouds building and taken the umbrellas, but we didn't!

St. Eustace Episcopal Church overlooking Main Street

On Tuesday nights during the summer there is a "Concert by the Lake".  This was the US Navy Cruisers and they were really good!

Beautiful flowers and people along the shore of Mirror Lake

Lake Placid

While Ben slept in the next morning, Beth and I enjoyed walking the 2.6 mile path around Mirror Lake.  Once Ben joined us much of our time was spent learning about the 1932 and 1980 Olympics that Lake Placid Hosted.  We enjoyed visiting the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex, which is the training site for the US, Jamaican and Israeli Bobsled teams. Beth served as photographer as Ben and I went down the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Cliffside Coaster which ran parallel to the bobsled track.  Our top speed was about 25 mph, while the bobsledders move at around 90 mph on the high banked track. 25 mph was plenty for us!  

The fireplace felt great on a chilly morning!

A couple of future olympians?

Heading out on the Cliffside Coaster.  There was narration about the history of the bobsled track on the way up and commentary about the ride on the way down.

Ben decked out in his Jamaican Bobsled Team shirt completing his Cliffside Coaster run.  

  Needless to say, the Olympics have changed over the years.   Back in 1932 there were only 17 nations, and  252 athletes (231 men and 21 women) competing in 14 different events.  By 1980 the size and number of events had grown significantly as 1,072 athletes (840 men and 232 women) competed in 38 events.  At the most recent Winter Olympics which were held in Beijing, China in 2022 there were 2,871 athletes (1,566 males and 1,305 females) competing in 109 events.  With the growth in participants and events, it's probably safe to say that Lake Placid won't be hosting the Winter Olympics again.  However, the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics will be forever known for producing what is known as the greatest upset in the history of sports.  That was when a bunch of unknown US collegiate hockey players defeated the Soviet Union hockey team, which most experts had declared "unbeatable".  It's known as the "Miracle on Ice" and memory of what happened in Lake Placid on February 22, 1980 lives on around Lake Placid all these years later.  The history of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics has been captured in the Olympic Museum which is well worth the price of admission!

One of the greatest calls in the history of sports to go along with the greatest upset in all of sports!
Do you believe in miracles?

The final score on the original scoreboard is located in the Olympic Museum. 

Gold Medalist in the middle!

Inside the arena where the Miracle on Ice took place.  It has since been renamed Herb Brooks in honor of the coach of the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team.

Lake Placid Olympic Museum  

One other interesting thing we learned about the 1980 Winter Olympics was about the fate of the Olympic Village.  Congress had set aside $28 million dollars for the construction of the Olympic Village to house participants, coaches, etc.  However, there was a stipulation.  Once the games were over the village had to be repurposed for a second use.  There was a debate about repurposing it for a hospital, housing or education.  Those all seemed like noble purposes but were deemed impractical.  In the end, the Olympic Village was turned over to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.  The village is still in use today, as the Ray Brook Federal Correctional Institute..........we didn't visit it!

After a fun filled day and a half in Lake Placid we needed to head back to Ben's house.  So we set out mid-afternoon to start the journey.  We stopped briefly in Saranac Lake for a late lunch and short stroll around the downtown area.  The drive back along the Olympic Scenic Byway was great.  But we had one more stop in mind before getting back to Ben's.  The Triple A minor league team of the New York Mets is the Syracuse Mets.  They happened to have a home game against the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay's Triple A team).  So we took in a little baseball.  We pulled into Ben’s place near 11:00 pm, which is about two hours past the time Beth and I normally think about heading to bed.  It had been a long day, but a very good day! 

Saranac Lake

Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and still time for a little baseball!

Day tripping from Monte Rio..............Smart people taking the SMART Train!

All aboard for a SMART Train adventure!

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a rail line serving Sonoma and Marin counties.  The first phase of the rail line was a 43 mile section connecting northern Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael.  It opened in 2017.  It has since expanded southward to Larkspur Landing, where there is connecting ferry service to San Francisco.  Northward it has now expanded to the Sonoma County Airport (also known as Charles Shulz Airport).  When fully completed the rail line will be 70 miles in length running from Cloverdale to Larkspur Landing.  The stations along the way are mostly in the downtown areas, making it great for working commuters, residents, and grandparents looking for an adventure to share with their grandkids.

SMART Train Information and Schedules

Beth and I had taken James on a SMART train adventure a few years back.  We all enjoyed it, so we thought we would try it again.  This time instead of three of us, Emma was now old enough and was excited for her first ride on a real train (not an airport shuttle train).  As we began to plan the day it just seemed to be getting better and better.  First we learned that during the summer the SMART train had a great deal going, those under 18 and senior citizens could ride for free.  We all fit into one of those two categories so the price was definitely right!  We then learned that parking at the Sonoma County Airport SMART Station was free!  What a deal we had going, park free and ride free!

Waiting patiently behind the red line...........

.........here it comes!

The trains run on a very convenient schedule (approximately every hour) in each direction, with service starting early in the morning and continuing into the evening.  We did a little research and found that the ride from Sonoma County Airport to the town of Cotati was approximately 30 minutes, and that there was a nice casual burger joint (Acme Burger) just a short half mile walk from the Cotati station.  Not only was the train ride fun, it was also very scenic.  We passed by multiple green vineyards loaded with grapes that will be harvested soon.

Away we go!

Acme Burger

The walk from the station to the restaurant was easy, and there were even two more unexpected surprises.  As luck would have it, it was Tuesday and Tuesday is Kid's Day at Acme Burger.  This meant free ice cream and a toy were included with every kids meal.  Also, there happened to be a Dollar Tree next to the Acme Burger.  Give a kid a few dollars in a Dollar Tree and they can have a blast picking out a few treasures.  After a few minutes of deliberating, both James and Emma had selected their treasures and we were happily on our way back to the train station for the ride back.

The restaurant had a free foosball table that kept us entertained while we waited on our food.

The sign said "free kiddie cone".........

........I'd hate to see what the "large cone" looked like!

One thing we noticed on the ride back was that the train was pretty busy.  A lot of the passengers seemed to be kids near James and Emma's ages traveling with their grandparents.  

We certainly weren't the only Smart grandparents taking advantage of a great offer and making wonderful memories.

Day tripping from Monte Rio..........The Sonoma Coast from Bodega Bay to Fort Ross State Historic Park

 

It was a "thumbs up" kind of day at Fort Ross State Historic Park!

The 22 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway between Bodega Bay and Fort Ross are absolutely stunning.  Reaching the Pacific Coast Highway from Monte Rio is simple.  Take State Route 116 west until it ends.  If you turn left, it’s 11 miles southward to Bodega Bay.  Turn right and it's 11 miles northward to Fort Ross State Park.  There are rolling hills on one side of the highway and waves from the Pacific Ocean crashing along the rocky coast on the other.  There will be times along the way when you're driving on the edge of a very steep drop off.  Take a peak every now and then if you're the driver, but keep your eyes on the road and two hands on the steering wheel, it's a long way down!

There are numerous pull outs, beaches and hiking trails along the route, and you can't go wrong with any of them. Among our favorite beaches are Doran Beach, Shell Beach, Blind Beach and Goat Rock Beach.  Goat Rock Beach is on the south shore where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean.  So you have two options there, beachfront or riverfront.

From Goat Rock Beach 

Hole in the Rock just south of Goat Rock Beach

Keeping a couple of folding chairs in the car is a good idea when exploring along the Pacific Coast Highway.  You never know what the view is going to be around the next curve.

From Jenner looking south.  That's the mouth of the Russian River in the center and Goat Rock Beach on the other side.

There are numerous trails of varying length and difficulty along the way.  Our favorite is a section of the Kortum Trail between Shell Beach and Goat Rock Beach.  That section is 2.3 miles, fairly flat and has amazing views all along the way.  We took James and Emma on a hike of this section one day and they did great.  Although we didn't cover the entire length of that section, we did cover close to two miles in total length.  After the hike we enjoyed a fun but short picnic at one of the overlooks.  The picnic was shortened by the cool breeze that was coming off the ocean.

Hitting the trail

James and Emma leading the way

The kids enjoyed exploring this part of the trail while MiMi and Pop rested a bit.

Picnicking at one of many overlooks along the way.

After the hike and picnic we enjoyed some time at Salmon Creek Beach

Calling it a day!

On a separate day when we were keeping James and Emma we drove north 11 miles from Jenner to Fort Ross State Historic Park.  This was our first time visiting the park, which is one of the oldest in the California State Park system.  The 3,386 acre park is home to what was North America's southernmost Russian Settlement.  The settlement was founded in 1812 by members of the Russian-American Company which started in Alaska.  The site was selected and built to serve as base for harvesting and trading the highly valued sea otter pelts.  The colony expanded and flourished for more than a decade until over hunting reduced the profitability. 

Fort Ross State Historic Park 

In 1841 the Russian-American Company sold the land and fort to John Sutter.  The property changed hands several times between 1841 and 1903 and was used primarily for logging and ranching.  In 1903 the California Historical Landmarks Committee purchased it and it was acquired by the State of California in 1906.  The state has done a nice job not only preserving but also restoring and reconstructing the fort to what it looked like back in its heyday.

There is an entrance fee of $10 per vehicle ($9 if you're old).  Inside the park is a visitors center with numerous displays, an 18 minute movie that plays on a continuous loop and a small gift shop.  After watching part of the movie we headed out to explore the fort and the beach area.  Inside the walled fort were several restored buildings including a chapel, blacksmith shop, company store, two guard towers and the managers house (Rotchev House), which is the oldest home on the west coast from Monterey, California all the way up to Sitka, Alaska.  The kids had a blast exploring the fort, climbing into the guard towers and pretending to fire the canons.  James had several good questions that a friendly docent answered in a manner that an eight-year-old (and grandparents) could understand.  

Inside the company store/trading post

James taking aim

Nobody is getting by Emma!

After spending nearly an hour in the fort we took the trail down to one of the two beaches located in the park, and the kids enjoyed playing for another hour along the shoreline.  As we made our way down to the beach several people were leaving.  We were amazed that during the time we were on the beach we had it to ourselves.  It's not often you'll have a beautiful beach in a California State Park on a sunny day to yourself, but that's exactly what we had!  As we were leaving another family was heading down.  It was as if we were turning it over to them to enjoy.  Hopefully, they enjoyed their day at Fort Ross State Historic Park as much as we did.  

A beautiful and peaceful beach cove

From the beach looking up towards the fort

A great beach is even better when you have it to yourself!

In deep conversation about something

James and Emma with Fort Ross in the background