The adults and kids alike are excited as the train chugs along on a sunny October afternoon. This is a special train trip. We’re headed from Horseshoe Bend, Idaho to the pumpkin patch so carefully arranged in the defunct town of Montour. The Thunder Mountain Line has been operating for over 100 years, originally to…
Desolate. Windy. Dusty. And, a bucket list item for every golf fan. Voted as one of the World’s Top 10 Most Unique Golf Courses, the Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club at Coober Pedy, Australia, definitely fits the bill. The good folks at the Old Timers Mine in downtown Coober Pedy pique our interest in…
Ever curious what it feels like to go REALLY FAST? Say, 130 mph on the straightaway and 110 mph on the curve at Indy while riding a mere 2 feet from the wall? Watching the famed Indianapolis 500 race, racing driver wannabes wonder what it would be like to be travel so fast at the…
Windy is the first thing that comes to mind when describing walking the Golden Gate Bridge. Walking on the bridge is a totally different experience from driving across the 1.7 mile bridge. The walk is scary, crowded, nerve-wracking, and ultimately exhilarating. We were staying at Cavallo Point – The Lodge at the Golden Gate, so…
Le Jules Verne Restaurant, a unique way to view Paris. Ride the private lift half way up the Eiffel Tower and embrace the horizon and the wonderful design work of Baron Haussmann who laid out Paris as we know it today. Being an Alain Ducasse run operation, you can be assured of creative sauces and…
Nestled among lush lawns and a forest of trees, the Oberoi Vanyavilas Hotel is a luxury jungle resort, making guests really feel like they are on safari and yet with all the amenities of a luxury hotel. Near the famed Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in India, each room of the hotel is a separate building complete…
We traveled down memory lane. Actually, to be specific, we traveled to 706 Union Street in Memphis… a simple building in a humble neighborhood of simple buildings. Yet, few places have had such an outward influence on the life of so many. Union Street was the home of Sun Records recording studio. Sam Phillips, the…
Few hotels have the storied past of The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows — Beverly Hills Hotel for short. Legends of commerce, royalty, and Hollywood royalty have called this property home while visiting the LA metro area. The iconic sign, designed by architect Paul Williams, welcomes you to the property, which is located on Sunset…
The thought of it was tantalizing enough to endure the nearly 100 degree heat. Finding a diamond of my own would be a unique and memorable experience. Panning for gold in Georgia and in Australia and searching for opals in Australia were memorable in their own right. But, a diamond? Even a tiny chip would…
Who hasn’t enjoyed tearing open a box of Cracker Jack and tasting the sweet caramel coated popcorn and peanuts AND been excited to see what prize was inside the box? The inner child in all of us still feels the reward of something sweet and something fun. That pretty well sums up a box of…
Memphis is noted for having developed one of the 4 styles of barbecue. (Kansas City, Texas, and Carolina are the other styles.) Memphis style is focused on pork slow cooked in a pit. Beef and other meats are usually readily available at most restaurants as well. Corky’s has been delivering great food since the early…
As a symbol of life, the Evening Primrose breathes life into the high-end US Grant Hotel near the Gaslamp Quarter. Incorporated into the original design of the stair banisters and tiles in the Celestial Ballroom, the Evening Primrose, appropriately enough, is also the symbol of life to the current owners, the Sycuan Band of the…
They weren’t kidding. The Pancake and Christmas House in McCall, Idaho features plate-sized pancakes. And, these plates were more like serving platters than typical dinner plates. Two pancakes, along with eggs and a choice of meat arrived piping hot. Our jaws dropped open as the server set them down. These were the largest pancakes we…
Braced against the cold wind, visitors explore the snow sculptures at the annual Winter Carnival in McCall, Idaho. This 10-day festival celebrates the ingenuity of snow sculptors who dazzle attendees with enormous creations in snow. Two different competitions are held. The first competition is among local businesses that complete their sculptures before the carnival begins.…