Road Trips – Page 2 – THE TRAVELING SENIORS

September 9, 2019

BIRDS OF THE ALLIGATOR FARM ZOOLOGICAL PARK ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

BIRDS OF THE ALLIGATOR FARM ZOOLOGICAL PARK ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park This past April, The Traveling Seniors attended the Florida Birding & Photo Fest which was held in St. Augustine, Florida. On a Sunday while Barb was attending a morning workshop, I decided to head over to the Alligator Farm to photograph some of the cool birds that spend time there. I was surprised to see all the different types of birds that make their homes at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine enduring April. Even though below the trees the area is filled with Alligators the birds seem to have no fear of them….

written by Stuart - Posted in Birds, Blog, Florida, Road Trips, Travel, Wildlife

September 2, 2019

CAJUN ANYONE? THE ZYDECO-CAJUN PRAIRIE SCENIC BYWAY, LOUISIANA

Updated September 2019 Find the heart of Cajun country deep in Louisiana. The Cajun culture is so exotic and mystical! Take a backroads trip to Louisiana on Highway 90 and the Zydeco-Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway in Louisiana and explore one of America’s backroad jewels. Louisiana epitomizes one of the ultimate melting pots of early America. Since neither Stu nor I have spent much time in Louisiana, the blend of the French, Cajun, and Creole influences with fishing, rice fields and music sort of slapped us in the face and said, “Gorge on the Richness.” The 283-mile long Zydeco-Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway hides rural and cultural treasures. One of our favorite stops…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, Louisiana, Road Trips, Video

April 1, 2019

CADES COVE in TENNESSEE’S SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

Following Cades Cove Loop Road in the Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee is like driving into a pastoral painting! This drive has been on our bucket list for many years. Friends have told us about the wildlife, the beauty and history of the road, but no description is adequate! WHY CADES COVE? One reason we wanted to visit Cades Cove is because wildlife of all kinds fills me with wonder and excitement. (I should clarify that all wildlife does not include snakes!) After I retired, I lived in a 400-square foot cabin in the North Carolina mountains. My cabin was across a dirt road from a bear sanctuary…

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

March 18, 2019

50 GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIPS: THE BEST BACK ROAD BY STATE

We hope spring makes you want to get on the road! To help you decide where to go, we have a treasure trove of backroads information for you. Just where are the best back roads, by state? You already know we take back roads on every trip we take. Check out our blog post, “Take Backroads to Explore America” at: http://thetravelingseniors.com/back-roads-forever/ In that post, we share some of our favorite backroads. As our friend, Scott of the blog, Take Back Roads, says, “America is home to countless back roads, side roads, and country roads… scenic routes, historic routes, and tourist routes… National Byways and Historic Highways…. and more road trip possibilities than…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Blog, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Road Trips, Tennesse, Texas, Travel, Trip Planning, Utah

March 4, 2019

2 of AMERICA’s BEST QUILT TRAILS

The Amish purposely include a mistake in their quilts because only God is perfect. During the Dust Bowl, worn-out clothing was re-purposed into quilts to keep families warm. Like you, I have quilts made by my grandmothers, great aunts, and my mom. Growing up, I snuggled under the quilts, tracing the pattern and fabrics with my finger as I settled down for the night. One family quilt went to my daughter and son in-law as a wedding gift. Quilts are family heirlooms; symbols of the creativity and strength of women. Quilting Circles find women (and some men) “solving” world problems and sharing the warmth of friendship while creating works…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2019, Blog, Kentucky, Road Trips, Tennessee

January 3, 2019

HOW TO FIND THE UNUSUAL ON YOUR ROAD TRIP

Ready to start planning your next road trip? Your U.S. road trip itinerary can include stops from the sublime to the ridiculous! Think abandoned towns, industrial wonders, historic homes, mom and pop restaurants known only to locals, secret trails leading to magnificent overlooks and, best of all, the REAL America! HOW TO FIND THE UNUSUAL WHILE ON A ROAD TRIP is easy! Just use some invaluable websites. Double click each blue link in this post to be taken to that particular website. (We encourage you to check out Backroad Planet, which supplied a portion of the content featured here. By the way, Backroad Planet is one of our favorite travel blogs. It is superb.) …

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

August 6, 2018

HOW TO TAKE A ROAD TRIP WITH YOUR PET

You don’t have to leave your pet behind when you take a road trip unless you want to! As seniors, we love our pets and approximately 37% of us travel with our pets. Use these steps to take a road trip with your pet. PREPARE FOR THE TRIP Rehearse with your Pet If your pet has never been on a road trip before, get him/her ready by going for short drives. Increase the time of the drive gradually. We recommend putting him/her in a crate each trip so he/she gets used to it faster. Talk reassuringly to your pet and reward him/her for good behavior….

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in Blog, Road Trips, Trip Planning

July 30, 2018

IN ARIZONA, TAKE THE MOUNT LEMMON SCENIC BYWAY

Take a backroads trip up Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway near Tucson, Arizona. Our drive up one of the most scenic drives in southeast Arizona made for a perfect day. After several days in Tucson in over 100 degree heat in May, we really needed a break. MOUNT LEMMON Mount Lemmon has a summit elevation of 9,156 feet and is the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains, located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson. The 27-mile Byway is the biological equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada! Just imagine! As gardeners, Stu and I were fascinated by the changes in plant life! …

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Arizona, Blog, Road Trips, Video

July 26, 2018

TAKE A NOSTALGIC BACKROADS TRIP: ROUTE 66 IN KANSAS

Take a nostalgic backroads trip on Route 66 in Kansas! U.S. Route 66 is also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America and the Mother Road (so dubbed by John Steinbeck in his 1939 book, “The Grapes of Wrath”) and is a visual and historic treat! Route 66 is one of the original highways of the U. S. Highway System and was established on November 11, 1926. Route 66 is the most famous highway in the United States and originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, California. The original Route 66 covered a total of…

written by Stuart - Posted in 2018, Blog, Kansas, Road Trips, Video

June 11, 2018

New Mexico BACKROADS TRIP: THE BILLY THE KID SCENIC BYWAY

If you are like me, certain questions keep you up at night. This is one of them, “Do bears use restrooms?” Take a backroads trip on the Billy The Kid Scenic Byway in New Mexico, one of America’s best backroads trips, and find out! Lore from when the west was more wild with shoot-outs, posses and jail breaks are stories Stu and I truly love. Colorful people are our favorites and the old west had plenty! We can’t get enough and had no idea that the Billy the Kid Scenic Byway and New Mexico is home to so many legendary sights and characters. At the Billy the Kid Scenic Byway Visitors…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in 2018, Blog, New Mexico, Road Trips, Travel