Year in Review - 2017

As 2017 wraps up, I reflect on all of the new places we got to visit during the year. It is super hard to pick a favorite trip...picking a favorite experience - even harder yet! The most unexpected fun would have to be the NFL Draft. We made it to most of the places we had planned to hit in 2017 and a few places that we originally had not planned to visit.

Believe it or not, we do not currently have any trip for 2018 planned!  Oh, I have some ideas, but nothing has been decided. My ideas for 2018 include the following destinations:

Southwestern Texas (Big Bend NP, White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, etc.)

Sedona, AZ (Grand Canyon NP)

Maine (Acadia NP)

Washington State / Northern Oregon

Colorado (did not make it in 2017)

Santa Fe, New Mexico

2017 put me up to 217 visited National Park Sites! Only 200 more to go!

Texas - Nov 2017 - Days 3 -5

 November 11^th, 2017

Magnolia Market

After breakfast we made the trek up to Waco. Our visit of Waco started at the Magnolia Market, yep that probably sounds familiar, you have probably seen the HGTV show Fixer Uppers. Despite arriving before 10am, it was already very busy. Street parking was available around the store, or if you would rather you can park in the church parking lot for $10! The prices were not nearly as bad as we had expected – apparently the prices are only high at other locations that sell their stuff. Leaving Magnolia, we headed over to a relatively new NPS site – Waco Mammoth National Monument. If you want to see the bones, you will have to pony up $5/adult to take the guided tour. The site was rather interesting. Tours lasts about an hour.

Waco Mammoth National Monument

We had lunch at a place called The Wagon Wheel. It was good, we all had sandwiches.

After lunch, we headed back into Waco to check out Baylor University, the Dr. Pepper Building, and we grabbed some cupcakes at What about Cupcakes. The cupcakes were just okay.

Next, we ventured to the boardwalks along the river in Austin.  The boardwalks provided great views of the city skyline.

Downtown Austin

Welcome to Austin 

We visited the “Welcome to Austin” wall mural, which just happened to be near we planned to eat. It was suggested we stopped at Torchy’s Tacos for dinner. There are numerous locations around town, but we picked the one that was in a food truck courtyard on 1^st street. The Queso was really good as were the tacos that we had. I really liked the Green Chile Pork taco.

Texas Capitol

Since we had yet to have some ice cream on this trip, we decided to try a local ice cream place called Amy’s.  We lucked out and found street parking.  The ice cream was okay, comparable to most other good quality ice creams.  There were a lot of restaurants in the area and we walked around a bit.  We came upon another cupcake place, Hey Cupcake, so we stopped to get cupcakes for the next day. These cupcakes ended up being better than the ones we got in Waco.

I had my camera with me so we stopped by the capitol for some night time photos. The previous night, I just had my cell phone with me.

November 12^th, 2017

Zilker Botanical Garden

We made yet another stop to the capitol – this time we went inside and poked around. The interior is just as pretty as the exterior! There is free parking in a nearby parking deck.  Since we had a little more time to kill, we made a visit to the Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin.  There were so many places that lent themselves to great photographs! There was a $3/person fee to enter the park.

Heading south, we stopped by Gruene. Gruene is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a dance hall and a bunch of shops. The area was really busy, so we opted to have lunch a little ways away at a place called Cooper’s Pit Bar-B-Que. It was an interesting place.  You go in and get in line, you tell the “meat” guy what you want – like ½ a pound of brisket. The guy then slices a hunk off and asks if you want it in sauce, if so he dunks it in a vat of sauce and then proceeds to plop it on a tray.  Then you head into the next room where they take the tray, slice and wrap the meat. You then proceed along the line and pick any sides you may want and then at last you pay.  Community seating is available. I would say it was my least favorite BBQ place that we visited.

Mission San Jose

After lunch, we headed to Mission San Jose (the visitor center is located there) in San Antonio.  We watched the 20 minute video which was informative and worth a watch. There are guided tours available of the mission. Since we had a little bit of time before the tour we ventured into the mission on our own and then returned to the visitor center for the tour. The ranger that took us on the tour was very informative. Very little of the exterior paint remains, but what that does remain is pretty.  The interior is pretty as well.

Leaving the Mission San Jose, we headed down the road to check out Mission San Juan.  This mission was not nearly as grand as the first.

Mission San Juan

Lastly, we attempted to visit Mission Espada, however the gate was locked. By this time, we could check into the hotel. We stayed at the Holiday Inn San Antonio - Riverwalk.  On-site parking is $25. Our room was on the 22^nd floor and provided nice views of the city.

My sister had a friend in San Antonio that we met up with for dinner.  We ate at a place along the Riverwalk called Mad Dogs British Pub. The food was good; however, the red velvet dessert waffle was not as amazing at it sounded.  After dinner, we walked around the Riverwalk area for a while, but then started to get creeped out by the number of homeless people lingering.

November 13^th, 2017

3 pound cinnamon roll

Holiday Inn does not include free breakfast, which was okay since we had our eye on the 3 pound cinnamon roll at a place called Lulu’s Bakery and Cafe.  Lulu’s did not smell the best, but the cinnamon roll was a fun reason to visit.  The three of us did not finish the cinnamon roll, I think had we had another person with us we would have conquered it!

Alamo

We could not forget the Alamo!!  There were two different tour options, we opted for the guided tour ($15/person). There was also a self-guided tour with audio available ($7/person, but there was a deal if you also went on the guided tour). The tour lasted about an hour and was very informative. After the tour we checked out the buildings (the tour covered the battlefield). There is also a building that has a special exhibit. During our visit the exhibit was about the Bowie knife.

We visited one last mission that we did not get to the previous day, Mission Concepcion. It was very nice inside.

GO RIO San Antonio River Cruise

After breakfast, we dropped the car off back at the hotel and headed out on foot to take the tour of the Riverwalk.  The GO RIO San Antonio River Cruise costs $12/adult and lasts about 35 minutes. When you get your tickets they tell you that time the tour that you can get on is, but the time is not printed on the ticket.  We stood in line and got on the next boat, no one seemed upset that they missed the boat so it worked out for us.

We walked back to the hotel and packed up and headed out (thank you IHG rewards for the late checkout).

Another recommendation was to visit Nothing Bundt Cakes for some yummy treats (we ended up taking them home). Come to find out, Nothing Bundt Cakes is a chain and there is a location opening kind of near where we live! We had lunch at a place nearby at a Mexican restaurant called Paloma Blanca.  It was good, as expected, the restaurant was celebrating 20 years of service!

It was time to drop off the rental car and get to the airport. Again we got luck and not paying for a seat worked out!  We ended up in the Comfort Plus seats!  Our flight home was a smooth one, as was the drive after picking up the car.  Until next time happy travels!

Texas - Nov. 2017 - Days 1 & 2

November 9^th, 2017

Sister trip + Mike (we like having someone cart us around)!  This is the third year of this new tradition. The sister lived in MO during that time, but now is back in MI. Continuing with the visiting a city, with great music, we headed to Austin, TX!

We had an 8:30ish flight to San Antonio, TX. The not paying extra to pick a seat worked in our favor – all of us ended up in the exit row!! We had a smooth flight, no one had a lost bag, and the car rental line was not too bad. Luck was for sure on our side!  We also rolled the dice when booking the car (Alamo). Mike picked the “Managers Choice”. We were able to select an Impala for our trip.  The hotel was near the airport, Holiday Inn Express San Antonio - Airport. The room was okay- the bathroom was a little small and the room did not smell the best.

Lyndon B. Johnson White House

November 10^th, 2017

After a quick breakfast, at the hotel we were on the road.  Our first stop for the day was the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park (and portion of the National Park Service), which is where you can visit the ranch and his white house. It was a neat site.  It was a bit of a drive to the white house, but it provided lovely views of ranch land with wandering Herford cattle. Once arriving to the white house area, we were able to purchase tickets to enter the Texas White House with a tour guide ($3 for adults). Advice - arrive early so you will not have to wait too long for a tour. When we were getting ready to leave a bus load of people showed up and easily filled the next two tours. There were some displays and video to watch.

LBJ Ranch

LJB Boyhood Home

Leaving the state park we headed to the second LBJ NPS site, his boyhood home. There is a short hiking trail to check out the farm area. You can enter the house with a park ranger – free. The house is closed during the lunch hour, so plan accordingly.

Time for lunch!! Our first Texas BBQ selection was a cute place called Salt Lick BBQ. It was an excellent choice! The BBQ sauce (mustard based) that they use reminded my sister and I of home – it was super similar to the homemade sauce that the family uses for BBQ chicken! We also tried the Chocolate Pecan Pie – it was just okay.

VooDoo Donut

We made it to the hotel, Best Western Plus – Austin Central.  The room was decent, even a smaller bathroom than the last hotel! We chilled out at the hotel for a bit before heading out for the night.  We parked at the convention center for $10 and then checked out 6^th Street.  A friend recommended that we check out VooDoo Donuts – it was amazing!  The hardest part was picking out what type to try!  We had signed up for the Austin Live Music Tour thru Austin Detours. The $50 tour provided us with a local musician guide/driver that took us to 3 different music venues/bars. We started the night at the Elephant Room for some jazz type music, it was nice. The second stop was at a dive bar called The White Horse, where were was some honky-tonk music being played. There were lots of folks two-stepping. Of all the places, this was the busiest of the three bars we visited.  The last stop of the evening was the Skylark Lounge. It was another dive bar. The band that was supposed to play had cancelled, but the replacement band was super good. The band was called Oscar Ornelas. 

Outer Banks Road Trip - October 2017 - Days 5 - 6

 October 23, 2017

Appomattox Court House NHP

Time to head home… Again, we had a couple of stops to make on the drive home. Our first stop was the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. The site was really busy! The visitor center has really nice displays and a video.  There are also a lot of ranger talks that take place. When we arrived there was one just finishing up and about ten minutes after we arrived another was starting. There are a few reconstructed buildings on site to visit.

Booker T. Washington National Monument

After a quick lunch at Dairy Queen in Appomattox (really good ice cream) we headed to the Booker T. Washington National Monument.  The visitor center had a 10 minute video which was worth the watch. The visitor center also had nice displays to check out.  Outside you can visit the log cabin where Booker was born. There are also some animals and other structures on site. We spent about 45 minutes at the site.

Back on the road…the drizzly rain that we had been dealing with all day increased in intensity making the drive not very fun.  It was really back for about two and half hours. We stopped at the Applebee’s in Princeton, WV for dinner and we decided on how much further we wanted to drive for the day. We decided to book the Holiday Inn Express in Parkersburg East. Based on reviews, it was newly opened – new hotels are the best! The room was really nice!

October 24, 2017

Hocking Hills

The weather was okay so we make a stop at the Hocking Hills.  We had not visited the Hocking Hills region in a few years.  We did some hiking at the Rock House and the Old Man Cave area before heading to the capitol in Columbus.  The capitol was quite basic, not nearly as fancy as most state capitols.

Columbus Capitol Building

The rest of the drive home was uneventful. Until next time, safe travels!

Outer Banks Road Trip - October 2017 - Day 4

Wright Brothers NHS

October 22, 2017

Rise and shine! It was another beautiful day! We started the day with a visit to the Wright Brothers National Historic Site.  It was really busy at this site! The visitor center is undergoing major renovations but there is a small temporary one available to visit. The site has a large memorial on top of a high and also has markers showing just how far the first flights flew.  The first three efforts were pretty dismal, but the forth flight was a decent distance.

We had lunch at a place called Pigman’s Bar-B-Que in Kill Devil Hills. It was decent, we aren’t really huge fans of Caroline BBQ since it is usually vinegar based. I had the Brunswick stew and pork sandwich. The stew was really good!

After lunch, we headed to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. The site is believed to be the first English settlement in the present-day United States (1587).  The colony failed sometime between 1587 and 1590 when supply ships failed to arrive on time. The next time the site was visited it was found abandoned, thus giving the site a nickname of the “Lost Colony”.  The Union Army occupied the island in 1862.The video is a must see and the exhibits in the visitor center are really nice to check out also. There is a short hike on site that provides lovely views of the sound.  There is also another longer hike, but due to time we did not check that one out.

Jockeys Ridge State Park

Next up, the Jockeys Ridge State Park to visit the Dunes. It is free to visit. The visitor center is okay - it has a few interesting facts and interactive activities. Outside there are a few different trails.  There is also a boardwalk that provides a nice overall view of the dunes. From the boardwalk, you can also watch people hang gliding. There is a hang gliding school right at the state park if you are interested in learning! It seems like a lot of work for no much hang time!

Corolla Lighthouse

Leaving the dunes, we headed to the north end of the Outer Banks. We visited the Corolla Lighthouse. The lighthouse was open for climbing. The price was $10/person. This lighthouse is unique because it was never painted. The area near the lighthouse has lots of things to check out. There is a boardwalk to the sound and then there is a path to the ocean.  There are also wild horses in the area.  The historical Whalehead Club (1920s-era Art Nouveau-style mansion) is also just a short walk.  The old town area, historical Corolla. There are about 120 feral “Banker” horses that roam the area.

Heading back towards Kitty Hawk, we stopped for ice cream at The Chill Spot in Corolla. It was really pricey. They had interesting sundae options – yum!

Heading back to Kitty Hawk, we also visited the town of Duck. They have ¾ of a mile boardwalk along the Currituck Sound. Parking was available at the Town Hall. The boardwalk provides links to stores and other town amenities like the amphitheater, fishing areas, and kayak launch.

Village of Duck - Boardwalk Stroll

We decided to play some putt-putt golf at Professor Hacker’s Lost Treasure Golf. They put us on the gold course.  While the course wasn’t overly challenging, we had not played in quite a lot time so our putting skills were lacking. Regardless, we had a fun time in great weather!

Outer Banks Road Trip - October 2017 - Day 3

October 21, 2017

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Cape Hatters National Seashore, ready or not, here we come!  We started at the north end, since that was pretty much where we were staying at.  Our first site visit was at the Bodie Island Lighthouse in Nags Head.  The lighthouse was closed for climbing, but that did not stop us from checking out the area. There was a short boardwalk to a viewing platform. Please be sure to take the short trek!!  So many people did not walk over there, the trail looks longer than it actually is.  The viewing platform provided nice views and it was really peaceful out there!  The lighthouse that is there now is the third one that stood in the area. It is 170 feet tall and opened in 1872.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

The next site we visited was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton. Again, the lighthouse was closed for climbing, which was probably a good thing since this lighthouse was about 12 stories high (193 feet tall)!!  That would have been a lot of steps! This lighthouse opened in 1803. There is also a visitor center in the area as well as a hiking trail. The hiking trail was less than a mile long, but did not really offer much in terms of views.

Continuing south, we stopped for lunch at a little place called Kat’s Deli in Hatteras. It was okay, nothing to fancy. There were not a lot of options in the area that were open for lunch.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

We reached the end of the road…what to do…  The state offers a free car ferry ride to Ocracoke Island, which is home to the southerly portion of Cape Hatters National Seashore.  We decided to ride the ferry. We ended up having to wait about an hour and a half before getting on, but we were one of the first to get on. There are retail shops next to the ferry queuing area, and we did check a few of the shops out. The ferry ride lasted about an hour, lucky me I had a book to read! There was not much to see once on the ferry – just lots of water!  Once back on land, it was a 13-mile drive to get to the only town on the island, Ocracoke. Ocracoke is decent size with the locals and visitors mostly getting around on golf carts. We visited the National Park Visitor Center and then had some ice cream at The Fudge & Ice Cream Shop. The ice cream was really good! Nearby was the Ocracoke Lighthouse. Parking was VERY limited at the lighthouse, only 4 parking spaces with no additional parking nearby. Parking is limited to 15 minutes. We ended up having to driving around and then waited for a space to open up. Again the lighthouse was closed to walk up.

After the lighthouse visit, we headed back towards the ferry location. There was a sign stating that the ferry time that we had hoped to be on was cancelled. Since we had a little extra time, we took a short hike. This hike offered slightly better views than the previous hike. After the hike, we drove the rest of the way to the ferry line.  There were quite a few cars in front of us…we really hoped that we would fit on the next ferry! We ended up being the second to last car to make it on – yikes, that was close!  In the area of the ferry there was a bathroom and vending machines. There was also a little beach area.

Off-roading is very popular along the beach, not just on Ocracoke Island, but all along the Outer Banks.  We did not do any off-roading during our visit.

Outer Banks Road Trip - October 2017 - Days 1 and 2

October 19, 2017

On the road again, can’t wait to get on the road again… You guessed it, another road trip!! After work, we hit the road for a long weekend in the Outer Banks (North Carolina).  We go to the Columbus area where we stayed at the Best Western Canal Winchester Inn – Columbus South East.  It was just okay, I probably would not stay there again.

Gilford Court House National Military Park

October 20, 2017

We had breakfast and were packed up and ready to go by 8am.  We had decided to take the longer route to get to the Outer Banks because we wanted to visit a few National Park sites that we had not yet visited.  Gilford Court House National Military Park was the first site of the day.  The battle that was fought here back in 1781 was one of the largest and most contested battles in the American Revolution, and helped lead the way to the Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown.  The site was not too busy.  The video was just starting when we arrived so we watched that before exploring everything else.  The video was good and worth the watch.

Raleigh, NC Capitol

Onward we go…continuing with our visits to the state capitol, we were able to swing by Raleigh. We arrived just after 5pm, so there was plenty of free street parking available.  The capitol was not overly large, but was a very pretty building that demonstrates Greek Revival style architecture. The capitol was built in 1840 and is listed on the National Historic Landmark registry.

Back on the road we FINALLY arrived to our accommodation for our Outer Banks visit!  We stayed at a lovely place called Beachwoods in Kitty Hawk. The place boasts as being a 4 seasons resort. There were a ton of amenities – indoor pool (with a few waterslides), outdoor pool, tennis court, volley ball court, and nature trail. Totally worth staying at if you are in the area for a visit.