Summertime, and the livin’ is easy….
That train they call the Summer Solstice has just pulled into the station, dispatching dependable afternoon thunderstorms and warmer temperatures out our way. It’s a little over 70 degrees fahrenheit at seven a.m. when we tumble outside in our horse-feeding clothes and after that a flat-out gallop into the nineties. The Bahia grass grows so fast that as soon as you finish mowing the south forty, you have to start all over again. So lush is the capacity for growing, strange and exotic plants begin to emerge from every nook and cranny of the landscape, shaking tendrils with the old regulars even as they try to drive them out.
The yearlings suddenly appear much larger, shinier, better developed, more certain of their daily schedules. There is a more confident look in their eyes as they await The Great Change, the beginning of training season in September. Dot’s foal Ava, once content to hide shyly behind her mother, now struts out front to receive her daily scratching, and does not gladly accept being shortchanged.
Friends and neighbors pack up their suitcases and are off into the wild blue yonder, Sharon and John to Zion, Bruce and Barbara to eastern Europe, Debbie and Dick to Yosemite. And soon, Bill and Siobhan to San Francisco, down the coast to Big Sur, then off to L.A. to visit Alice (the Republican), a brief departure from our usual trips to the western National Parks. It’s Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high. Your daddy’s rich and your ma is good-lookin’. So hush little baby, don’t you cry.
Siobhan In Yosemite
Vacations Past
When we were kids, vacations were not an annual event. A couple of times, my father rented an ocean-front cottage at Salisbury Beach, on another occasion a place on the water at nearby Canobie Lake. Once, when the kids were older, we made it all the way up to Newfound Lake in central New Hampshire. But vacations were not guaranteed. More consistent were our trips to Gloucester, to Greenfield across the state or to Connecticut, all to visit relatives. People did that in those days far more than they do now, traveled, stayed in touch. We didn’t always look forward to going. For kids, the travel time seemed endless. But we were always glad that we went, renewed friendships with our little cousins, learned how other people lived.
As we got older, vacations became a thing of the past. Too busy, no time for that. For years, Siobhan and I rarely went anywhere that was not related to racing or football. Then, in the year 2000, she expressed an interest in the Grand Canyon. We went. It was great, of course, and since then we’ve made an effort to trek out West each Summer, succeeding some years, failing others when life presented obstacles too large. When we do not go, however, it will not be the result of mere inertia, which has often been the culprit in the past. After all, it is much easier to just stay home, right? All those plans to make, all that money being spent? But leaving the nest for a week or two offers invaluable rewards. The time spent in an exciting new world provides bonding for sometimes aloof partners. The long anticipation of the trip and the positive memories from it last a very long time. And then there is the vision we get from new experiences—Gee, I never would have thought of that! moments. Vacations are not a frivolous misuse of funds. They are important. They provide a leg up from the daily grind, the excitement that newness stimulates, an opportunity to encounter hail-fellows-well-met. And the opportunities will not be there forever. Partners fall ill, health diminishes, mobility disappears. Best to get on with it while the getting is good. And after all, how many people beyond the pale have ever remarked, “Gee, I wish I’d stayed home more?”
Bill In The Zion Narrows
We’re Off To The Coxville Zoo
Vacations are not always as expensive as one may think. With a little planning and the able assistance of helpmates like booking.com, you can find a decent and affordable place to stay almost anywhere. It’s been my experience that making a hotel reservation many months ahead is not always the best way to go. Often, due to cancellations, etc., the rates drop precipitously about ten days before your projected arrival date—plenty of time to make arrangements, especially if you’re saving 30% as is the case with many of the better hotels.
As for the airline, always speak with them directly before buying elsewhere. They have slots opening every day, you may hit it just right, not to mention get better connections. If the price is significantly cheaper elsewhere, you have the option of reverting to that option. Something else to consider: I have always assumed that a round-trip ticket is much cheaper than flying into one destination and leaving from another, say arriving in San Francisco and leaving out of Los Angeles. Not so much. It IS a little cheaper, but not nearly enough to encourage the long drive back to SFO if one is already in L.A. This greatly expands your travel area potential, to say the least.
If funds are a big issue, there are destinations worth exploring within driving distance in all parts of the country, except maybe for Hector, Minnesota. Or Fargo. In Florida, the Gulf Coast from Pensacola to Panama City is spectacular beach country, especially around Destin, and most of it is not overcrowded. On the East coast, St. Augustine is a pleasant diversion and the beaches on adjacent Anastasia Island are first-rate. In South Florida, the drive through the Florida Keys to Key West is incomparable, if sometimes a little slow. Key West itself is one of a kind with its over-the-top daily sunset celebrations and bizarre fantasy parades. Cape Kennedy, on the coast east of Orlando is interesting, fun and affordable as well as free of the long lines you will encounter at most Orlando attractions. Fairfield, equidistant between Ocala and Gainesville, is the home of the famous Ellison Goat Haus (free admission on Tuesdays).
If you’re travelling out West, the options are endless. In Colorado, you have Rocky Mountain National Park just a short drive from Denver. Stop in at nearby Nederland for latter-day hippies, great scenery and the best Marijuana selection east of the Sierras. Make sure to stop in Grand Lake on the west side of the park and have dinner at O-a Bistro. Just for the hell of it, leave your wallet there and see how quickly it’s returned. Proceed on to a newly minted park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, an eye-popper.
In southern Utah, you’ve got Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon practically side-by-side. Unless you’re Sharon Cinnie, you’ll want to experience traipsing down at least part of the Zion Narrows, the north fork of the Virgin River which runs through a canyon with thousand-foot-high walls. Bryce offers its famous “hoodoos,” skinny and oddly-shaped spires of red-orange rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins. Both parks have great hiking opportunities and are easy to negotiate.
If you’re going to southern Utah, you might want to combine the journey with a trip to Las Vegas, site of the closest major airport. Flights to Vegas from anywhere are plentiful, rental cars are always available and reasonable and you can catch a show. Do what you can to avoid being there in the daytime, though. Unless you’re a 24-hour-a-day gambler (who probably would not be reading this), the place is a snore. Nearby Red Rock Canyon offers hiking through unimpressive terrain. Las Vegas is also a mere five-hour-drive (past Hoover Dam) from the Grand Canyon. Everybody who is not suicidal should go there at least once. If you’re sound of body, hike down into the thing instead of just peeking over the rim and going, “Ooooh!” Beautiful and expensive Sedona is a short drive from the Canyon. John McCain lives there. John McCain can afford to. If you’re planning breakfast in town, bring your savings bonds. The Grand Canyon and Sedona are also reachable from the airport at Flagstaff, as if anyone wants to go there.
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you’re not far from Glacier National Park, which might be the prettiest of all. The famous Going To The Sun Road is a gong-ringer, on one side of the Continental Divide steep mountains and beautiful valleys, on the other blue-as-the-sky lakes. Nearby Whitefish is a cute little artsy-fartsy town. If you want to meet interesting bikers, make sure to stay at the Thronson Motor Lodge in beautiful Babb, Montana. And, oh—make sure you’re armed.
It’s a reasonable drive from Glacier to Yellowstone National Park (or you can fly into Salt Lake City). If you go, stay either in the park or West Yellowstone, Montana, where you won’t be bored out of your mind at night. Go see Old Faithful and all his little friends, then walk over to the Great Prismatic Spring. Visit the Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs. Our favorite hike was up into Sepulcher Mountain in the northern section of the park, near Gardner. There’s also a relatively easy hike to over 10,000 feet at Mount Washburn.
If you’re game for more, it’s a short drive from Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole. And if you thought Sedona was expensive, it has nothing on this place. Find a cheap hotel outside of town and don’t stay long. While you’re there, though, have dinner at The Granary, one of the best—and most scenic—restaurants anywhere. Go early.
Siobhan’s favorite park is Yosemite. It has everything except nearby hotels. Toulumne Meadows, a sub-alpine section of the Toulumne River in the eastern part of the park (which may have snow-capped mountains in July on occasion) needs a visit. You’ll also want to experience the Mist Trail up to Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls, along the same trail that leads to iconic Half Dome. Bill climbed up Half Dome once, when he was 65. He says he may do it again some day. We’re still waiting.
Okay, so there are a few ideas. We may give you a couple more next week. So get out there and see the country while you can. Time marches on. As the old song advises:
Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.
Enjoy yourself while you’re still in the pink.
The years go by as quickly as a wink.
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.
That’s all, folks….
