Travel

I am currently in Africa, but managed to read GPL for the opening Gopher game. The lengths we fans go to for our team!

Africa has been a dream, almost a full month, we return the 14th. Botswana, Kenya and now Tanzania with brief stops at each end in South Africa. The animals are amazing and are so close. We’ve watched lions eating a zebra from less then 15 feet. Elephants walk right by our open LandCrusier. A giraffe almost stuck its head in our vehicle! It’s spring in this region, so lots of baby animals OR lots of mating. My observation: male lions get a gold star for frequency (often 4-5 times in an hour) but a black check mark on duration (less then 10 seconds). It is definitely quantity over quality :biggrin2:

The people are open, friendly, culturally hospitable. Covid hit the tourism industry very hard, our first camp had just opened after being closed almost a year and they only had 2 tents occupied. Most days we’ve felt that we’ve had the entire place to ourselves and rarely see another vehicle. Each and every one of our guides has been professional, funny and great fun to talk to.

But it’s been a long trip and with just a few days left we are both looking forward to getting home to our own bed, cooking for ourselves and rehashing memories.

And on a bonus note, per my tag line below…the road in Africa isn’t paved at all! I’ve gotten a core workout just staying upright and in my seat.

Looks like PHL snuck over 33 million in 2019. Not sure how often they adjust those lists. And I suspect Karlsson has it right on why MSP has such a high passenger count. I suspect part of it is that a lot of the business travel for people into/out of Philadelphia is by train (about a 90 minute Amtrak trip to NYC)

Philly was a hub for US Air before it was bought out by American. I wonder if it lost traffic after the merger. That said, there are a lot of airports near Philly so that likely accounts for less traffic.

I’d have to say the ranking of PHL last in airport rankings is well deserved. It’s always been a dump. Small/cramped gate areas, electrical outlets that don’t work, dirty stained carpet. The maintenance budget for passenger areas must be about $17.

PHL is still an American hub…it’s just serviced by mostly regional traffic.

I hate to say that people around here need to listen to a North Dakota fan… but in this case, they really do. :mrgreen:

Good to see you around these parts again, MNS

Just saw Delta announced Basic Economy will no longer earn miles or count towards Medallion status. That is a big change, but not surprised by the move.

Due to Covid travel problems I have to cancel my Hawaii vacation this spring. I can not book any vacation where I have to fly anywhere with so many flights being cancelled

But you might get stuck in HAWAII!

Due to Covid travel problems I have to cancel my Hawaii vacation this spring. I can not book any vacation where I have to fly anywhere with so many flights being cancelled

When were you going? We are headed in March and dealing with the same concern

Honolulu but I want to go sky diving for the

second time but to CO I want to jump with used to provide transportation from the hotel to the jump site and back to the hotel. Due to Covid they do not include transportation and Uber is more expensive then the jump 😡

And with so many flights being cancelled I can not take the risk of a extended stay in paradise 🏄‍♂️

My parents are renting an Airbnb down in Phoenix for 3 weeks in April, for my cousin’s wedding down there. Since I work remote, I’m going with them and working from down there! With that length of time, we want to have a vehicle, so instead of renting one we decided to drive down there!

On the way down we’re going to drive through Colorado, we’re thinking about getting to Colorado Springs by the end of day 1. Not looking forward to driving through Nebraska lol.

That made me think of a question, what are the worst/best parts of the country you’ve driven through? What are the most boring, and most interesting drives you’ve taken on road trips?

Best: 1.From Zion NP to Capitol Reef NP in Utah.

2. Pacific Coast Hwy 1 in the Big Sur area of CA

3. Florida Keys hwy

4. Most anywhere in Colorado, but winter seems like you’re pushing your luck.

Boring: From here to the Badlands

The PCH from The 10 north to San Francisco is spectacular and I definitely want to do the chunk from San Fran north to Seattle someday.

I’d say the Going To the Sun Road in Glacier NP is the best of the best IMHO. Just about any mountain drive is awesome. Loveland Pass, the road to Mt. Polymer, Blue Ridge Parkway also jump to mind as being great drives.

I love road trips and don’t really mind what some would call boring drives, I’m weird that way.

The PCH from The 10 north to San Francisco is spectacular and I definitely want to do the chunk from San Fran north to Seattle someday.

I’d say the Going To the Sun Road in Glacier NP is the best of the best IMHO. Just about any mountain drive is awesome. Loveland Pass, the road to Mt. Polymer, Blue Ridge Parkway also jump to mind as being great drives.

I love road trips and don’t really mind what some would call boring drives, I’m weird that way.

Yeah I’m weirdly kind of looking forward to it. We drive 10 hours north into Canada every summer to do a fly in fishing trip, and I don’t really kind that drive, so I’m thinking I will enjoy it! I’m hoping Colorado and the mountains in the middle of April will provide some good sites.

I was talking to my uncle and cousin about it and they said driving through northern Arizona is pretty scenic, as well.

Two that tested my will to live: The drive from whatever the pass is north of LA to Las Vegas is desolate as is 10 from the Coachella Valley to Phoenix. There is a CA high security prison (I love the do not pick up hitchhiker signs!) not too far from the AZ border and if someone could escape the chances of living long, especially in the summer, are probably slim.

Any road I am on with a motorcycle is a good road except I39. I came back from riding the Skyline & Blue Ridge Parkways to to the Smokies. Stayed the 1st night just this side of Indy. It was 100 degrees + as I rode north. [mention]HockeyBum[/mention] is dead on. Boring.

In so far as AZ driving.

US 54 from Wichita to Tucumcari is bad too. It is better the closer you get to I40 / NM but it shaves a couple of hours off taking I35 to I40.

In AZ 89 A ( Back road from Flagstaff to Sedona & thru Cottonwood & Jerome to Prescott) is a blast.

Lots of great roads in AZ. Get down to Bisbee if you can.

Any road I am on with a motorcycle is a good road except I39. I came back from riding the Skyline & Blue Ridge Parkways to to the Smokies. Stayed the 1st night just this side of Indy. It was 100 degrees + as I rode north. @HockeyBum is dead on. Boring.

In so far as AZ driving.

US 54 from Wichita to Tucumcari is bad too. It is better the closer you get to I40 / NM but it shaves a couple of hours off taking I35 to I40.

In AZ 89 A ( Back road from Flagstaff to Sedona & thru Cottonwood & Jerome to Prescott) is a blast.

Lots of great roads in AZ. Get down to Bisbee if you can.

89A is a great drive! We go down to Phoenix every year, so one year we did a day trip to Jerome and Sedona. Beautiful part of the country!

My parents are huge Eagles fans. So they want to stand on a corner in Winslow, AZ :lol:

Plan from Colorado Springs is to go I-25 south through Santa Fe, and catch I-40 in Albuquerque, to Winslow and Flagstaff, then I-17 south into Phoenix

89A is a great drive! We go down to Phoenix every year, so one year we did a day trip to Jerome and Sedona. Beautiful part of the country!

My parents are huge Eagles fans. So they want to stand on a corner in Winslow, AZ :lol:

Plan from Colorado Springs is to go I-25 south through Santa Fe, and catch I-40 in Albuquerque, to Winslow and Flagstaff, then I-17 south into Phoenix

Meteor Crater is about 20-25 miles west of Winslow and pretty cool stop. Yes it’s a little hokey but to see what a meteor impact can do is simply amazing. IIRC correctly the crater is at about a mile wide.

Speaking of Northern AZ, a hidden gem 5 miles east of Flagstaff is Walnut Canyon National Monument.

Any road I am on with a motorcycle is a good road except I39. I came back from riding the Skyline & Blue Ridge Parkways to to the Smokies. Stayed the 1st night just this side of Indy. It was 100 degrees + as I rode north. @HockeyBum is dead on. Boring.

In so far as AZ driving.

US 54 from Wichita to Tucumcari is bad too. It is better the closer you get to I40 / NM but it shaves a couple of hours off taking I35 to I40.

In AZ 89 A ( Back road from Flagstaff to Sedona & thru Cottonwood & Jerome to Prescott) is a blast.

Lots of great roads in AZ. Get down to Bisbee if you can.

89A is a great drive! We go down to Phoenix every year, so one year we did a day trip to Jerome and Sedona. Beautiful part of the country!

My parents are huge Eagles fans. So they want to stand on a corner in Winslow, AZ :lol:

Plan from Colorado Springs is to go I-25 south through Santa Fe, and catch I-40 in Albuquerque, to Winslow and Flagstaff, then I-17 south into Phoenix

Bad things happen when you don’t take that left turn in Albuquerque :mrgreen:

It’s too bad you’re not going through the state on I-70. I’d say stop at BeauJos in Idaho Springs for pizza and thank me later. They do have one in Colorado Springs too but the Idaho Springs one just seems to be another notch better

I joke with people that all you see out there are semis, cattle, and that stupid museum they built over I80.

At least once you get near Denver the view makes up for the hell of the views of Nebraska

A very good friend of mine grew up in Lutsen and now lives in CO.

Sterling, CO.

And he’s an excellent skier….hell he’s a Nelson from Lutsen he should be an excellent skier.

I’ve asked him a few times if he’s aware of the western side of the state. :lol:

I learned how to ski as a kid in the Bavarian Alps and didn’t ski again until I moved to Colorado Springs. It ruined any possible fun I could have skiing in MN

Same… Grew up skiing on Big Mnt. In Whitefish, Mt.

Headed to the Big Island in a couple weeks. Any recommendations on msut see or places to eat/drink?

So I will be in Lincoln, NE a week from Thursday, when we’ll be playing in the Frozen Four.

Anyone familiar with Lincoln got a bar/restaurant recommendation where to watch the game?

Just got back from our Phoenix trip, when I asked earlier in the thread about driving routes, etc.

On the way down we went through Nebraska, around Denver, through Albuquerque. Once you get through Nebraska and get to Denver, that drive through Colorado, NW New Mexico, and Arizona is actually really nice. We spent the night in Albuquerque, and then drove down through Payson, AZ. It legit looked like Northern Minnesota at points. Massive pine forest, absolutely beautiful!

On the other side of the coin, on the way home we went through New Mexico, from Tucumcari up to Liberal, KS where we spent the night. And oh my god, that stretch in NW Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle was just DEPRESSING. These little towns one after another full of decrepit abandoned buildings. They all looked like they could have been used to film an episode of The Walking Dead…

So if we do it again in the future, we’ll probably come back that Denver route; the way we came down… Lol

I have driven to Kansas City twice…bring good music because otherwise you will fall asleep at the wheel.

I’ve driven across the Dakotas. Nebraska. (Twice in one day for the eclipse) Kansas. Oklahoma. Texas.

But none of them compare to central Canada. Drove from Edmonton to Winnipeg in a single day. 800+ miles of NOTHING!

Greyeagle wrote:

You can, however, see the curvature of the earth. A few years ago Mrs. GE and I drove home from Banff across Canada and the worst part was the ridiculously low speed limit on Canada 1. 100/KPH if I recall correctly….

OMG Yes!!! It was brutal!

It is worth the extra miles driven to come back in to the US first and drive Montana and North Dakota instead.

Greyeagle wrote:

Mrs. GE and I are trying to visit all 50 state capitols. A few years ago we noticed we were missing a chunk of middle America so we did the road trip no sane person would do: Stops at in Des Moines, IA, Topeka, KS, Oklahoma City, OK, Little Rock, AR, and Jefferson City, MO. We also mixed in return visits to Springfield & Madison. Hot, humid, and dusty.

Jupiter wrote:

I’ve driven across the Dakotas. Nebraska. (Twice in one day for the eclipse) Kansas. Oklahoma. Texas. But none of them compare to central Canada. Drove from Edmonton to Winnipeg in a single day. 800+ miles of NOTHING!

You can, however, see the curvature of the earth. A few years ago Mrs. GE and I drove home from Banff across Canada and the worst part was the ridiculously low speed limit on Canada 1. 100/KPH if I recall correctly….

Yes! The speed limit in Canada is insane. We drive up 5 hours into Ontario to go fishing, and once you cross the border it feels like you’re crawling up there.

HandyNotDan wrote:

I am off to New Orleans for Jazzfest tomorrow…strike another thing off the bucket list. NoLa rocks anyways but the lineup for this weekend is just awesome!

I’ve heard such mixed reviews from people about NoLa.  Pretty much either a complete dump or the best place ever.  No in between.

HandyNotDan wrote:

I am off to New Orleans for Jazzfest tomorrow…strike another thing off the bucket list. NoLa rocks anyways but the lineup for this weekend is just awesome!

Lucky Dogs and 3 for 1 beers.  I also enjoy watching the police clear the street at 3-4 in the morning and beat down stupid drunks as they refuse to leave or mess with the horses.

NOLA is the best!

My wife and I stayed at the Omni several years ago.  It’s an old bank building with a tremendous lobby/bar area and the rooms were very nice.  I think I stumbled into a good deal when booking but don’t recall the details.

Convenient location on California Street so it was easy to catch a cable car and also a short walk to Market if we wanted to catch a street car or bus.  One of the best parts – at least then – is they had a free architecture walking tour on one of the weekend morning that was fantastic.  IIRC ours was led by a former prof at UC-Berkley.  No idea if it’s still offered but it was definitely a trip highlight for us.

Bertogliat wrote:

Any recommendations on a place to stay in San Francisco? I’ve been there once, but it was for a work conference so we had to stay by the airport. My wife and I are going on a short trip and would like a decent hotel in a nice central location.

Try the Pineapple Hotel at Union Square.  Good priced boutique type hotel.  I’ve stayed at both the SF one and San Diego.  I think they still offer a stay 2 nights get a third free.  Rooms aren’t huge unless you get one with a couch, but nice touches, happy hour in the lobby, free bikes, stuff like that.

Idontknow wrote:

HandyNotDan wrote:

I am off to New Orleans for Jazzfest tomorrow…strike another thing off the bucket list. NoLa rocks anyways but the lineup for this weekend is just awesome!

I’ve heard such mixed reviews from people about NoLa. Pretty much either a complete dump or the best place ever. No in between.

We went for 4 days, stayed in the French Quarter and enjoyed it. There’s lots of cool stuff to just walk around and see like the Museum of Death, Jackson Square, French Market, Preservation Hall, Hall of Voodoo, Audubon Museum plus just cool architecture. Theres so many cool little places to eat that you can’t go wrong. And the people watching is first rate…we saw a lady pushing a stroller with a skunk in it. Outside of the French Quarter I can see why people think it’s a dump.

• This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by Bigbeer.

Bigbeer wrote:

Idontknow wrote:

HandyNotDan wrote:

I am off to New Orleans for Jazzfest tomorrow…strike another thing off the bucket list. NoLa rocks anyways but the lineup for this weekend is just awesome!

I’ve heard such mixed reviews from people about NoLa. Pretty much either a complete dump or the best place ever. No in between.

We went for 4 days, stayed in the French Quarter and enjoyed it. There’s lots of cool stuff to just walk around and see like the Museum of Death, Jackson Square, French Market, Preservation Hall, Hall of Voodoo, Audubon Museum plus just cool architecture. Theres so many cool little places to eat that you can’t go wrong. And the people watching is first rate…we saw a lady pushing a stroller with a skunk in it. Outside of the French Quarter I can see why people think it’s a dump.

I saw two “Little People” so drunk they could barely stand walking on Bourbon street, followed by a family pulling their kids in a Radio Flyer.  Then the cop at the end of the street kept playing “Bad Boys” on his PA in his car and freaking people out

WWII Museum is also worth the trip even if you hate NoLa…it is beyond amazing.  3 full buildings including one with a dozen actual planes hanging from the ceiling.  I have gone 3 times and still have not seen everything.

Yes – it’s right there when you walk in.  It doesn’t take long going through that museum to 1) realize the sacrifice WWII veterans made for defending their country and 2) shake your head at how anyone who fought in the war actually returned home alive

I spent nearly a full day there and never left the area just focused on the Pacific theater.  I believe the 3rd building opened the year after I went

• This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by davescharf.

Chill Kessel wrote:

On a similar note, the WWI museum in Kansas City is worth a trip if you’re in the area.

I went there last year…very cool I agree!

The only place I specifically remember by name in NoLa is the Cat’s Meow. If it’s still there and hasn’t changed format it’s a you-know-what bar, but fun, fun, fun.

Damn that Kevin Lynch!

Sushi bar. Cats love raw fish

Pretty sure my girlfriend doesn’t want to go there

Headed to Asheville in early August. Any recommendations? Mainly there for a bachelor party but looking for beers and food plus outdoor options like hiking or biking or rafting

Kelly Red wrote…

We just returned from 19 days traveling in Croatia, what a beautiful and interesting country, I highly recommend it.  This was our youngest nephews High School graduation trip, our gift to him.  We’ve taken all our nephews and niece on the trip of their choice.  Sounds indulgent (it is) but we get to travel somewhere too. 😉

Flew into Zagreb for a few days, mostly just walked around, took a cooking class.  Smoked fish spread, prune stuffed pork tenderloin in wine sauce, apricot strudel with us stretching our own strudel dough!  Then we traveled down the coast to Split, stopping for 4 hrs at Plitvice Natl Park.  4 hrs was not enough, a stunning wonderland of pools, waterfalls and rocky outcrops.  At Split we picked up our sailboat, 42 ft boat who was a beauty.  My husband was a very happy sailor and it was quite manageable with 3 people.  Sailed the Dalmatian Coast, islands of Solta, Hvar, Vis and Brac.  Water was crystal clear turquoise, cool but perfect for swimming.  Nephew got his eyes opened to European habits/quirks. Like overweight mid-aged Germans swimming naked off the back of their boat! Ha.  Unfortunately for him, no pretty topless women, just beer bellies.  That was countered with the fact he could drink alcohol at 18.  After sailing for a week we traveled to the Istria Peninsula, very Italian.  Stayed in Rovingi as our base but spent 4 days exploring tiny hilltop villages, fantastic wineries and we went truffle hunting.  Croatian truffles are the same as Italian or French, but not known outside Croatia.  They are half the price!  We spent 1 1/2 hours on a hike through the woods with a guide and trained truffle dog.  She found about a dozen, mostly golf ball size, but one at 164 grams!  Then back for a truffle lunch.
Food was wonderful, lots of seafood on the coast and islands, I had all the grilled squid I wanted.  Yummm. But overall the influence is very Italian or Austrian/Hungarian.  Delicious wines, good beer.  Not crowded in June, but more then one local mentioned massive crowds due in August.  Croatia is a very popular European vacation destination.

Our nephew loved it, his first time Internationally traveling.  He was easy going, adventurous and open to new experiences, although again not impressed with naked Germans😂. He starts college beginning of August for Mechanical Engineering.

If you need an excuse to travel again I will loan myself out as a surrogate cousin.  I have graduated high school but have not travelled abroad…..yet (wink).

I am also very appreciative and easy going during free trips.

Anybody been to Canada lately? We’re planning on next week. There’s a 25 step form called arrivecan that must be filled out on your phone prior to crossing the border. We can’t get the stupid thing to work. Our son is good with computers and he couldn’t get through step 1.