February 18, 2019

WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT IN New Mexico: A BUCKET LIST DESTINATION

Gypsum sands sparkle during sunset and the views are absolutely amazing!  The dunes of White Sands National Monument begin at the park road and go on like a sea of sand! White Sands National Monument turned out to be a spiritual stop in our travels and should be a true bucket list destination for retirement travel.   Huge dunes of gypsum extend over 275 square miles of desert in New Mexico. White Sands was established as a National Monument in 1933 and is said to be the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The gypsum is from 250 million years ago when the southwestern U.S. was covered by the…

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written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Blog, New Mexico

February 14, 2019

THE BEST OF ARIZONA: THE PETRIFIED FOREST AND PAINTED DESERT

  If you want to experience other-worldly terrain, take a backroads trip to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert!   The Petrified Forest National Park’s headquarters are located about 26 miles east of Holbrook, Az along Interstate 40, which parallels the BNSF Railway’s Southern Transcon, the Puerto River, and historic Route 66.   In fact, the Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park site that contains a segment of the Historic Route 66 alignment. The northern portion of the park extends into the Painted Desert.     Teddy Roosevelt created the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906. It has over 50,000 acres of designated wilderness.     We drove…

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written by Stuart - Posted in 2019, Arizona, Blog

February 11, 2019

SAIL AWAY at TALL SHIP FESTIVALS

    Are you a romantic? Do you love pirate tales and swashbuckling movies?  How about Oceanographic Research? Sail away at Tall Ship Festivals, Races, Regattas, Challenges and Celebrations!               Stu and I spent three days exploring Tall Ships in Pensacola, Florida at the Tall Ships Festival.     There are Tall Ship events in North America each year as well as races and celebrations around the globe. One source for finding a Tall Ship Event near you is the Tall Ships Network.  C’mon senior travelers!     In 2019 alone, you can see Tall Ships in such American cities as:        …

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written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Blog, Florida, Trip Planning

February 7, 2019

ALABAMA GARDEN TOUR: THE BELLINGRATH GARDENS

I was so surprised when Stu turned into the driveway of the Bellingrath Gardens! I am a Master Gardener and LOVE gardening. Stu had told me our next stop was a surprise but, I had no idea it would be the 65-acre splendiferous Bellingrath Gardens!   Walter Bellingrath was one of the first Coca Cola bottlers in the southeastern United States. The gardens surrounding his home were opened to the public in 1932 and is the oldest public garden in Alabama. The Gardens are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage and on the National Register of Historic Places.   The gardens were originally used as a fishing camp by…

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written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Alabama, Blog

February 4, 2019

BEAUTY AND THE BEASTLY: INDUSTRIAL SLAVERY AT ARCADIA MILL in MILTON, FLORIDA

We felt as if we were just walking through a nature park at Arcadia Mill in Milton, Florida. We were actually visiting Florida’s first and largest antebellum industrial complex! There is beauty in the Arcadia Mill woods but also the beastly in the Mill’s history. A large part of Arcadia Mill’s history is industrial slavery.   The Arcadia Mill site was a huge complex with various mills, a grist mill, a blackmithshop, a mule-drawn railroad and a sixteen-mile long log flume! The vast complex was built and operated with industrial slavery.   The industrial site began with a sawmill. It grew to have a second sawmill. Later, a textile mill was run…

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written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Blog, Florida

January 31, 2019

9 BATTLE STARS: THE BATTLESHIP USS ALABAMA

Though it was a sunny day, our minds drifted to the battleship before us having sailed through the fog of war. It is a humbling experience. We felt a certain reverence as we boarded the Battleship USS (BB-60) Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. Senior Travelers will relate since we grew up with stories about WWII from our parents.   The USS Alabama was commissioned in 1942 and served in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of World War II. Decommissioned in 1947, the battleship was placed in the reserve fleet in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.  In 1964, Alabama was towed to Mobile Bay and opened as a museum the…

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written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Alabama, Blog

January 28, 2019

6 PLACES TO SEE IN ONE OF FLORIDA’S OLDEST TOWNS: MILTON, FLORIDA

Tiny towns are not for everyone. Stu and I love them. Many times, they are a window into the lifestyles of yesteryear both architecturally and culturally. They just FEEL different! The vibe is laid-back and personal. Such towns have survived much longer than we, as visitors have and seem to boast a happy contentment that they will survive long after we are gone.    Milton, Florida is nothing special and yet, it is! Milton is “old-time” Florida and has blocks of historic homes and storefronts that lead to the Blackwater River waterfront. This is a sleepy town on the water where life is secure and peaceful. Milton can trace its history back to…

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

January 24, 2019

WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK FROM TRAVELING?

The whole purpose of our blog is to inspire you to get off the couch and travel. Is it working? Stu and I both once held ourselves back from plunging into road adventures. We worried about not knowing what to expect or if we could handle the challenges of travel. Now, neither of us can imagine life without travel!   “THE PURPOSE OF LIFE, AFTER ALL, IS TO LIVE IT, TO TASTE EXPERIENCE TO THE UTMOST, TO REACH OUT EAGERLY AND WITHOUT FEAR FOR NEWER AND RICHER EXPERIENCE.”    -Eleanor Roosevelt   Once you taste the experience of travel, there is no going back. So, what’s holding you back from…

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written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Blog, Travel, Trip Planning

January 21, 2019

VISIT THE MOUNTAIN TOWN OF HIGHLANDS, North Carolina

Where can you take a walk to get an early morning coffee downtown and possibly see a bear? Where can you rub elbows with people who have bought jewelry on Main Street worth tens of thousands of dollars? Where can you find more than 500 trails and countless waterfalls for those who want to spend as much time as possible in nature? Where can you attend an afternoon tea? Highlands, North Carolina!   When you visit Highlands, North Carolina, you will be totally charmed. This mountain town is quaint and sophisticated. At an elevation of 4,117 feet, Highlands has everything! Highlands is a sleepy picturesque town until summertime. In summer, Highlands’…

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

January 17, 2019

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON AIRLINE TICKETS

As the Traveling Seniors, we travel most often by car. We love the freedom, storage and hassle-free travel cars provide. However, there are destinations we long to visit that are only reasonably accessible by air.     As seniors on limited budgets, it is essential that we learn how to save money on air travel. We follow some simple steps to make certain we are saving as much money on air travel as possible.           Here are steps on how to save money on airline tickets:   ______________________________   LOOK FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT OFFER SENIOR TRAVEL DISCOUNTS   For example, AARP is the largest organization offering…

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written by Barb Bradley - Posted in Blog, Travel, Trip Planning