Blog – Page 12 – THE TRAVELING SENIORS

October 4, 2018

THE BIRTHPLACE OF Route 66: SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

The birthplace of Route 66 is said to be in Springfield, Missouri. The “Mother Road” began in the 1920s as Americans moved west. Construction work on a 17-mile long, 20 foot wide concrete road, later Route 66, was national front page news in 1929! A mere five months later, “Black Friday” and the stock market crash changed America forever. By 1931, the winding, two-lane Highway 66 was called, “The Main Street of America.” The road’s completion was cause for a huge celebration in Rolla, Missouri. That year, Highway 66 ran from Chicago to St. Louis and extended in and out of Rolla, Missouri to Lebanon, Missouri and into Springfield’s city…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Missouri, Travel

October 1, 2018

EVER HEARD OF THE GEESE POLICE?

EVER HEARD OF THE GEESE POLICE? While in Kansas City for our 50th high school reunion, Stu and I headed to Shawnee Mission Park for nature photography. While photographing Canada Geese at the lake, we met the Geese Police! As we sat on the beach taking photos, a man with a kayak “put in” near where we sat. He headed straight for the geese at a quick clip. When he reached the geese, he shook a plastic jug filled with what sounded like rocks and the geese took flight. We were thrilled because Stu wanted some photos of geese taking flight and landing. But what was going on? THE…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Kansas, Meeting People, Travel

September 17, 2018

PICKER’S PARADISE: WALNUT VALLEY FESTIVAL & NATIONAL FLAT PICK GUITAR CHAMPIONSHIP IN WINFIELD, KS

The Walnut Valley Festival and National Flat Pick Guitar Championship is always the third weekend of September in Winfield, Kansas. Winfield is unique among festivals because it is as down home as it gets! As always, the music is world-class and the foot stompin’ non-stop. 2018 marks the 47th year for the Walnut Valley Festival and fans are gathered from all over the world. The purpose of the festival is to host the National Guitar Flat-Picking Championships and among aficionados is now referred to simply as “Winfield.” The Festival has evolved from the original 2 days in 1972 to 5 days and has four stages performing simultaneously; a quality…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Kansas

September 10, 2018

THE MAGNIFICENT Grand Canyon: A GALLERY

The Traveling Seniors hope you enjoy this gallery of photos of our visit to the magnificent Grand Canyon in Arizona. All photos were taken by Stu Schaefer of The Traveling Seniors and are available for purchase on SmugMug.

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Arizona, Blog, Travel

September 3, 2018

I AM NO VIDEOGRAPHER

I am no videographer. So, when Stu asked me to video our travel adventures, I was really nervous. After all, he is a professional photographer! I have so much to learn! But, hey, why not try? So I learned iMovie and took my trusty iPhone everywhere to practice taking videos. That’s how I became a video-taking fool on our recent cross-country roadtrip. LEARNING VIDEO WHILE TRAVELING Being a newbie, I took videos of everything. Rocks (note: they don’t move), flowers (not a lot of action there either) and scenery as we drove down the highways (reminiscent of the blurred movies my mom took from the…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Gear, Travel

August 30, 2018

HIKE THE BARTRAM TRAIL IN North Carolina

Hike the Bartram Trail in North Carolina! This is a hidden trail that many people may miss. We love to hike and explore but we aren’t youngsters anymore. So we search for trails or parts of trails that we can negotiate fairly easily. We aren’t against hills and a steep trail as long as that portion doesn’t last forever! The Bartram Trail can be difficult but we found a portion that was tailor-made for us with unending views as the reward. TRAIL HISTORY The Bartram Trail was established to honor naturalist William Bartram, who spent four years (1773-1777) exploring the southeast…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, North Carolina

August 23, 2018

HISTORIC NEW BERN, North Carolina

Take a coastal trip to historic New Bern, North Carolina and spend some time walking through 300 + years of American history! We were enthralled with New Bern’s many Historic Heritage Tours, including the: Revolutionary War tour Civil War tour Architectural Walking tour Churches & Cemetery tour Historic Homes tour Walk to Remember tour African-American Heritage tour New Bern has four historic districts with homes, stores and churches dating as far back as the early 18th century. Picture strolling New Bern’s tree-lined streets and walking by colonial homes! We felt as if we were pedestrians in early America on each city block! New Bern has over 150 sites on…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, North Carolina, Travel

August 20, 2018

THE BEST COFFEE IN ASHEVILLE, North Carolina

Asheville, North Carolina is known for individuality and creativity! We found the coffee scene in Asheville, North Carolina is robust (pardon the pun) and diverse! Stu and I BOTH love coffee. I mean, we LOVE coffee! Stu makes almost daily visits to Starbucks when he is home from travels. Rest assured, Asheville has plenty of Starbucks locations to satisfy fans. Since we know Starbucks so well, we focused on independent coffee shops in Asheville. So, where is the best coffee in Asheville, North Carolina? COFFEE IN ASHEVILLE Asheville has always taken the love of coffee to a different level. In days gone…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, North Carolina

August 16, 2018

TRAVELING WITH GRANDCHILDREN

Traveling with grandchildren can build lifelong memories! It is estimated that 66% of grandparents travel with their grandchildren. Think about it. Many grandparents enjoy spoiling their grandchildren with gifts of all kinds. However, clothes are outgrown and toys break. Consider travel instead. Travel is a gift. It is the best form of education. Travel experiences and memories last a lifetime. “Vacationing with my grandchildren is a wonderful bonding experience. Even if you have visited a destination 20 times before, everything is new and exciting when seen the first time through a child’s eyes.” Roberta Sotonoff, Travel Writer STEPS FOR TRAVELING WITH GRANDCHILDREN…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in Blog, Trip Planning

August 13, 2018

WATERFALL ROAD TRIP IN NORTH CAROLINA

Take a backroads trip to see waterfalls in North Carolina! As we had lunch at one of the many outdoor restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina, we were surrounded by lush green mountains and cool summer breezes. Asheville is so hard to leave! But we had agreed to head further west and south to see some of North Carolina’s many waterfalls. We set off to drive Highway 64 in western North Carolina to find out why it is sometimes called the Waterfalls Byway. Highway 64 covers 604 miles from the Tennessee state line to the Outer Banks. This route has been used since the Model T era and…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, North Carolina