Page 14 – THE TRAVELING SENIORS

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

August 9, 2018

WHY WE LOVE TO TRAVEL

When Stu and I first got in touch after 30 years, we had long life stories to share. A common thread turned out to be how travel has become such an indispensable part of life for both of us. As we talked, we asked each other, “Why are you inspired to travel?” What do you get out of it? Now that we partner to travel, we decided to start a blog for a specific reason. We want to inspire other seniors to travel! If it has changed our lives in such monumental ways, maybe you will find it does the same for you. We…

written by Barb Bradley - Posted in Blog, 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