I’ve been to Florida just twice in my life and both times it was to visit DisneyWorld.  I hear there are other things to do, like visit the wonderful beaches.  I’ve always stayed in hotels in Orlando or very nearby because I want to be as close as possible to all my Disney fun!  Or as close as possible to my Sea World fun!

Really, is there anything else in Florida?

Most of the country is having great weather (or am I just assuming that because I am?). So many people are pulling their ATVs out of the dusty garage and getting them in working order again. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you’re actually fixing anything that is broken on your own so you may need polaris sportsman parts. If you have the know how and guts to tear apart something that cost a lot of money, you too can fix it yourself. You might be able to tell that I am a wimp.

It’s about this time of year when the temperature reaches well above the century mark that I start to think about vacationing far away. In my dreams, my far away place involves a cabin and a lake like the places found at branson lake homes at pinnshores.com. I know this sort of thing isn’t in my immediate future, but it is definitely one of my life goals.

If anyone had told me yesterday that automotive lifts are used for anything other that getting under a car to fix it, I would have that’s nonsense. Now I know that it was only my meager imagination that kep me from discovering their real use: fitting two cars into a one car garage. As long as that garage is tall enough.

There’s nothing like the wide open country side to make a desert dweller jealous of everything green.  I took more than 400 pictures on vacation and I realized as I went back through them that a whole mess of them were landscape pictures.  I hate landscape pictures.  Or, more likely, I need a camera that can show a landscape with decent color.  Anyway, I didn’t get so carried away that I didn’t take pictures of my travel companions and have a whole slew of those as well.  They turned out pretty well.

I’m headed into the wide open spaces of the country this summer so with me I’m taking a tent.  I actually PLAN to have an actual roof over my head each night but since I’m a bit of an over planner, I’m taking a tent just in case.  If you also plan to go on a I’m Not Camping, But Just In Case trip this summer, you might want to try Big Agnes tents as your tent of choice.

This summer we’re thinking of a long road trip.  Sure the gas prices will be high, but the temperatures will be REALLY high around here and an escape is almost a necessity.  We’ve considered renting an RV but the idea of finding an emergency RV repair place in an unknown territory is really daunting to me.  We’ll likely stick with the old reliable car.  At least there are mechanics who can repair cars in every little town.

What a good time to vacation! Spring has sprung and the winter visitors have come to town which gives me wanderlust. An Outer Banks vacation rental might be just the thing for you if you find yourself in a similar state of mind. There are many things to do this year with festivals just about every weekend and the beach is marvelous – get a jump start on your sun bathing and make your Canadian relatives jealous.

Have fun!

We managed to knock our first road trip out of the park without a single flat tire or thrown belt. We didn’t go flying off a cliff on the windy road we took and we didn’t overheat in the middle of either of the one lane bridges.

Mark this one down as a success.

I don’t want to do it again for at least 6 months – it was exhausting.

We made it out to Tortilla Flat, had good times drinking sarsaparilla and looking at the mini museum and we even stopped at a ghost town on our way back. But all that fresh air just drained the energy right out of me. I wanted to nap every time the car stopped. It zapped my daughter too, who ended up with a fever that evening – too much fun.

It zapped my bank account as well. I’m not sure how 6 non-alcoholic drinks add up to $28. But they did.

Next time, I’ll pack some drinks.

They say that Missouri isn’t that exciting.

“They” are wrong. Branson alone has tons of theaters and shows both large and small. It’s not like tours just skip over the Midwest (that would be nuts because a lot of people with money live there). They just go to the places with the best venues.

Take a Branson vacation and you’ll be able to spend time enjoying the scenery of nature (with the Ozarks within such easy reach) or the scenery of a great theatrical production.

If only we could get away to the beach.

Granted, living in Arizona, we are surrounded by thousands of square miles of beach. Sand as far as the eye can see. Sand in all directions, an endless beach.  With the ocean 350 miles away, it hardly counts.

Traveling to North Carolina and getting one of the Outer Banks vacation rentals would be the ideal vacation spot. On the Outer Banks you are surrounded by ocean on all sides. The folks at Carolina Designs have some great homes for rent. This one has enough bedrooms and (more importantly) bathrooms for everyone in your family to join you on your vacation. The beaches are close, there are historic Roanoke Lighthouses to see, and the Wright Brothers National Memorial is fascinating.

So head to the beach. And make sure the ocean is nearby. The desert doesn’t count.

Did you know that there are Disney World hotels that are affordable? I’m not talking the Grand Floridian, but there are still hotels on the property so you don’t have to travel an hour just to get to the parking lot. I would guess that this time of year makes it even more affordable and with the weather they’ve been having, I think they would want to drum up business so they can fill the beds even in the freezing cold.

If I could choose between Disney World and Disneyland I would probably choose Disney World because it feels less crowded. Just FYI

This holiday season many people are travelling all around the world to see family and friends and sights of foreign lands. Travel has slowed a little because of the tough times that the world and our country are experiencing, but many still travel around to see new places. Everyone should still play it safe and make sure to purchase international travel insurance so that any problem that they experience while traveling the world will be taken care of. Shop around for the best deal for your specific trip.

The winter time is the right time to go to the tropics. Not only will the crowds not be in your way, but you’ll be able to save money and not spend as much on your trip to the bahamas. Enjoy the sand and beach and sun without the heat and bugs and humidity. Have fun on your trip and post the pics on the internet. The islands are calling and you must respond.

If you are in the area, now is a lovely time to visit Flagstaff and the surrounding area. They have frequent afternoon showers and the temperatures are usually in the mid 80s. If you want to visit the Grand Canyon, this is a good place to spend the night. You are also very close to Williams from where you can take a train ride to the Canyon (pretty fun). If you want to go some other time of year, they have snow in the winter. On the other hand Flagstaff is close to Sedona where a visit to see the trees change color in the fall is VERY worth it. Red rocks and red leaves make for a beautiful combination.

I’m making myself jealous thinking about cooler temperatures.

Relatives recently moved to North Carolina. Actually they may still be in transit. It’s about as far east of here as a person can get without actually reaching the Outer Banks. As a going away gift I thought of giving them an emergency hurricane kit but let’s face it – I live in a land locked state and it’s so dry here I don’t have the foggiest clue what to put in one. Ponchos aren’t going to cut the mustard in a storm of that size and I don’t think I could afford real heavy duty, high quality rain coats for the whole family. I’d probably end up just putting in a couple flashlights and some life jackets. And that would be too morbid so I nixed the idea and pitched in on a gift card instead. Some of my best ideas are just too cynical for public consumption.

Tomorrow we go on a road trip (ROAD TRIP!!) hither and yon across the state.  It will be long.  It will be gruelling.  But I don’t care even a tiny bit because it will be 40 degrees cooler where we’re going.  Do you feel the jealousy you people in Seattle and Portland?  That’s right, it’ll be nice and cool for us.  I think I might even bring a sweater with me.

I know there’s a book out there about the 100 places you’re supposed to visit before you die but I’ve always had my own.  It probably omits most of the prettiest destinations but I’ve always been a cautious person so that kinds limits my ability to visit places like Cambodia, Afghanistan and pretty much all of Antarctica.

My list of places to visit:

1) All 50 states  - I thought I was up to 16 but I recently read that the 4 corners monument isn’t on the boundary so Utah’s not fair game anymore.

2) France – I just really want to say “Je suis une bette Americanne.  Common dit on “***k you, en francais?”

3) Great Britain –  Just to see the motherland (I’m refering to their colonial lordshipness not any blood realtion to the people)

4) Australia – When I’m older and ready to die, I’ll visit the shark infested Great Barrier Reef and try to find Nemo.  Also I want to see a kangaroo.