Presidents of the 1960s Were Required to Be Known Only by Their Initials

After watching HBO’s All the Way tonight (which was excellent), it seems fitting to talk about visiting LBJ’s ranch in Texas last month.

Laurel Highlands Labor Day

Labor Day 2015 Part 2: Flight 93 Memorial, Fallingwater, and the Rest

After leaving the Gettysburg area, we meandered our way to the Somerset area, stopping at a roadside farmstand to get some beautiful plums (which were later used in the best dessert I EVER made).

We reached the Flight 93 Memorial in the very late afternoon. This was the weekend before the new visitor center opened. It was a somber and moving place. There was a little boy walking along the memorial before me, reading all the names out loud, which made me really teary-eyed.

Blue and Gray on Labor Day Weekend

Part 1: Gettysburg

We took an impromptu trip on Labor Day weekend 2015 to see some sights in Pennsylvania, starting with Gettysburg. Our main reason for visiting (because, remember, we are not normal) was to see Eisenhower’s home, which is part of the national park. But, we also made time to see some of the battlefield and got a pretty good overview.

We Pahked Ah Cah…and Took a Cab to Bahstahn

Wicked Awesome Road Trip

Day 7
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Boston, MA

Our original plan for today was to take the ferry from Salem to Boston. However, I was ready for a break from driving in this area, so we called North Shore Taxi, which dropped us off right at Faneuil Hall. This ended up being way cheaper than the taking the ferry, and we weren’t tied to the ferry’s schedule. Win!

We spent the morning exploring the Freedom Trail and being fascinated by the markings on the gravestones in the burying grounds.

Nineteenth Century Hottie

Wicked Awesome Road Trip

Day 6
Friday, June 19, 2015
Salem, MA

Our focus today was to finish up seeing the sights in Salem, starting off with a morning of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Yeah, this photo is kind of scratched up and glare-y, but you have to admit, Nate was a hottie….

We Came. We Saw. We Concord.

Wicked Awesome Road Trip

Day 5
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Concord and Salem, MA

Our first stop this morning was Orchard House, home of Louisa May Alcott. We were all fascinated by this family and the house tour. I loved hearing about all of the pursuits of the women who lived in this house, as mostly when women of this time period are discussed, they usually are wives of someone famous. These ladies stood on her own!

The Moonshot Heard ‘Round Peabody

Wicked Awesome Road Trip

Day 4
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Albany, NY, to Peabody, MA
187 miles

We started a five-night stay in the Boston area (Peabody) with a pretty quick drive from Albany. We stayed at the Hampton Inn – Peabody, and the hotel itself was fine, but getting there gave me major anxiety. The hotel was on a divided highway, and there were very few spots to go the opposite direction. Also, going the opposite direction involved some intricate driving maneuvers. The most aggravating part was that the lanes were not clearly marked, and sometimes people were driving five or six cars across when there seemed only three lanes. Upon taking our exit, we had to cross three lanes of traffic and do this weird moonshot thing to get going the correct direction.

Let’s just say that I would never, ever, ever stay in this area again.

Martin Van Buren Is OK

Wicked Awesome Road Trip

Day 3
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Niagara Falls, NY, to Kinderhook, NY
322 miles

Our goal for today was to travel across much of New York state and hit the first of many dead prez fixes for this trip: Martin Van Buren’s Lindenwald in Kinderhook.

We seemed to have some trouble getting totally awake (by “we” I mean “me”) and had to make a stop pretty early in the drive to fuel up on sugar (Timbits!) and take a break. The weather wasn’t too great, either, so driving wasn’t very fun.

Back on the Train Gang

Not to be outdone by his sister, my nephew got his own private vacay in July. As I have mentioned in previous posts, he is a huge fan of trains. So, we went to the train Meccas of Altoona and Scranton, Pennsylvania, with a few other sites thrown in for good measure.

Admittedly, I am not a train buff myself, but I enjoy these jaunts to train attractions because I see things I probably wouldn’t see otherwise, and there is usually a tie-in to something historical, which I do have an interest in. Everyone wins!

Day 1: We left on a Saturday afternoon and drove to Johnstown, PA, for the night. We had planned to take the incline and see the view of Johnstown below before turning in. However, we ended up parking at the top, which was good, because the incline was not working (and we found out the next day, had not been working for a while), but we still got to see the view and watch some fireworks off in the distance.

Rocky Mountain High

Another work trip, another chance to explore the local surroundings. I attended a conference in Denver at the end of April 2014 and got to take in some natural beauty, as well.

I rented a car upon landing in Denver and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. The ride via Route 7 (a detour to avoid construction on 36) was gorgeous, with a river (I assume it was a river) running right along the side of the road. I didn’t venture too far into the park because by the time I got to the entrance that required payment, the skies were looking a little menacing, and I was feeling a little sleepy from my 4:20 (heh heh) a.m. wake-up call.

I did see a little wildlife, some gorgeous mountains, and a bit of Estes Park. Not a bad day at all.

View at Lily Lake