Bruce's Travels

Tues Sept 23 Up at 2 a.m. Parked the Camry at the Dutch Mill Park and Ride. Took Uber to airport. First to Minneapolis. Breakfast at a nice little diner style restaurant: Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, hash browns, and coffee. Boarded Delta, crammed into seats, had loud obnoxious woman behind us screaming F-bombs. Arrival Seattle -- 2 p.m. Ubered to our motel, the Hampton Inn and got settled. Dinner at Elliott's on the water. White clam chowder for appetizer, prawns and scallop scallops on a bed of risotto for main course, chocolate mousse and coffee for dessert. Clam chowder, crab cakes, and a salad for Dawn.  Back to Hampton Inn and to bed. Wednesday Sept 24 Up at 8 a.m. and to Lowell's for breakfast only to find them closed. We later learned they had plumbing issues. We instead had pastries and strawberries and coffee. From the public market we Ubered to the Space Needle and Chihuly glass exhibit.  Then to McDonalds for a $20 lunch. Back to Hampton. We went to an Irish pub...

Tunica, Miss. 12/21/13 Saints and Devils From Janesville, I started out for Saint Charles at 8:35 a.m., and swear I could see the devil in the rear view mirror of my Prius all the way until I arrived at my hotel at 3 p.m. I had drizzle, full-on rain, sleet, and at times fog. I kept thinking, "I'm heading south. The temperature's gotta go up, right?" But the temps stubbornly hung in the 32 to 34 range just about the whole time. There must have been tons of salt of the roadway, because I could see ice forming on the Prius at times. Only one combination gas/pee stop, and I didn't even stop for a meal anywhere, settling for a small bag of M&Ms grabbed hastily from the gas station shelves. By the time I arrived at the Embassy Suites, I had to pee like Seabiscuit, and make a mad dash for the men's room. So not exactly the most relaxing drive I've ever had, and certainly not the way I like to motor, but I made it. The devil had to go fuck with somebody else. ...

First cruise aboard aboard an Oasis-class ship, the Wonder of the Seas. Cabin 10th floor, Cabin #10147 Missed shuttle to cruise ship. Caught ride on another van got to terminal by 1 p.m. picked up scooter, went through security, up to Windjammer for buffet lunch. Very good, crowded, but they had handicapped tables available. Usual dishes and treats. Then to theater to check off safety drill. I'm now in cabin and Julie is off people watching. Met cabin steward and he will separate beds. RC app doesn't seem to be working. We set up stuff and get confirmation message, but then then the crew has no record of it. But we work it out. Dinner of fish filet was very good. Show tonight was the RC singers and dancers doing a variety show. Then off to bed. Day 2 Up at 8 a.m. and off to the 'Jammer for  hearty breakfast. Went to Solarium for dip in whirlpool and some reading. Lunch of roast beef, mashed potatoes and various salads. Nap and then get dressed for formal night in dining roo...

 By Bruce Shawkey This is Lacy, our most excellent host at the Gold Rush Brewery in Alaska. "You can have ALL the beer you want." This was part of our Alaska cruise. We were told on our tour tickets we were limited to two beers, but Lacy told us otherwise. We had a buffet lunch as well, and as I recall we had chicken legs as our meat entree. Lacy told us she moved to Alaska with her boyfriend, but he couldn't stand it and moved back to the lower 48. "Turned out I was the one with the balls," Lacy told us. She was a hoot. She told us she shares an apartment with a couple of other woman. Alaska is a very expensive place to live.

I am putting together this blog entry in 2024, by memory as best I can recall it. I had it in blog form, but foolishly erased it after getting complaints  from the folks back home it was taking too long to load. It was my first winter getaway following Gwen's death in 2009, so I really wanted to get something down before my memory faded all together. I did not bring my kitties with me on this trip; Dawn was kind enough to look after them back in Wisconsin. This was all about Orlando; the thought of spending winter in Fort Myers hadn't occurred to me yet. I started out in Kissimee at a cheap motel (I think it was a Motel 6) because I wanted to be close to all the Disney Parks, and reasonably close to the mid-winter NAWCC Regional. I paid for the room by the week to save a little money and was able to get a room with a 'fridge and a microwave oven.  One of the restaurants I remember during my time here was Tarentino's, an Italian place in Kissimee. They had a cute hostess...

By Bruce Shawkey State Route 1 is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. Constructed: 1934, it is the longest state route in California, at  656 miles. The most popular stretch of the highway is between San Francisco and San Diego. I had a chance to travel part of the highway with my late wife in the mid-80s, and have a photo of her posing along the highway. That photo is next to her ashes at Roselawn. The Route is in danger these days, due to mid slides, rock slides, and forest fires which spur erosion. It cost millions to keep the route in drivable condition, with funds coming from state and federal sources. Is it worth saving and maintaining?  A recent episode on CBS Sunday Morning answers with a resounding "yes." I agree. Construction of the Pacific Coast Highway involved blasting through granite, marble, and sandstone with 70,000 pounds of dynamite. Lime was smelted to make concrete.  The most ...