Four Days in Las Vegas 2025

I took a cab from my house to Portland International Airport on Friday, January 10.  I had an afternoon flight to Las Vegas traveling First Class.  I had a mimosa after boarding and later a cheese and fruit lunch.  I saw the Sphere upon landing.  My youngest sister met me at the airport.  We watched "Enola" in the Living Room in front of the glowing fireplace. 

I attended the Event in North Las Vegas at Old School Pizzeria on Saturday.  I knew a Geocacher from Seattle.  My sister and I stopped at a Grocery store on the way back to her house.  We watched "Enola 2."  My sister gave me an interesting book "Floodpath" by Jon Wilkman c. 2016 about the St. Francis Dam catastrophe in 1928.

We saw the spectacular Chinese New Year display at The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden on Sunday.  We saw the chocolate fountain and had delicious but expensive Gelato.  We did the "Final Resting Place of Two Blues Greats" Virtual Geocache.  We saw actor Tony Curtis gravesite.  We did "The Amazing Las Vegas Sphere" and "Signs of the Times" Virtuals.  Photographed the glowing "Hard Rock Cafe" sign.  We watched Tom Hanks in "Greyhound" back at the house.

Slow start to the day on Monday.  I watched "The Mexican" starring Brad Pitt. We saw the first full moon of 2025 as we were driving toward the Strip.  The 'wolf moon" reached its peak this evening.  European immigrants would hear the nightly cries of wolves as they hunted for food in the harsh winter conditions hence the nickname.  We drove around the Fremont district looking at the Neon.  My sister accidently turned the wrong way onto a one-way street.  The officer used his vehicle to block the street so we could turn around.  We saw the Fremont Street Light Show at 6:00.  We watched "The Children's Train" an adaption of the 2019 novel of the same name back at the house.

After breakfast on Tuesday morning, we took an Uber to Las Vegas airport, leaving for PDX about 12:15.   I had a mimosa after boarding and later a cheese and fruit lunch.  Incredible view of the Cascade Range from Three Sisters to Mount St. Helens.  We took a Lyft to my house.  It was an interesting trip however I was glad to be back to cold/damp weather. 

Problems with Road Scholar 2024

When I first began to travel with Elderhostel (now Road Scholar) in 1997 you had to be 60 years old or older.  A few years later you needed to be 55 years old or older. Eventually the age limit was dropped altogether.  As a result the average age of people on a tour is now around 50 years old.  A much more active group.  After going on 69 trips with Road Scholar I no longer feel welcome.  The plus side is that it has forced me to check out other tour companies that do cater to older people.  

Travels with my Garmin GPS

I have a large Garmin GPS that I take on car trips loaded with Geocaches - mostly Virtuals.  When I plan to rent a car during a trip I take the Garmin GPS along with me.  I make sure that I rent a car with a flat dashboard as the Garmin GPS sits on a beanbag on the dash.  I also take a Road Map as one should never rely just on a GPS.  During the trip I also use the Garmin GPS to find nearest Starbucks (love their fruit and cheese), McDonalds (for restrooms), libraries (for restrooms, computers, book sales), grocery stores, Hotels I have reserved, etc.  At the end of a trip I will find my way back to the car rental place.  I loaded the coordinates into the GPS before I left the lot. 

Future Trip to Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque 2025

Several years ago I wanted to take a weeklong trip to Hawaii.  I checked out the trip offered by Road Scholar.  It was a trip to two islands and rather expensive.  So I made a copy of the Itinerary and the hotel information.  I duplicated just the trip to Oahu, Hawaii.  I hosted a Geocaching Event also.

Two years later I was registered for a Road Scholar trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Because a museum was no longer available Road Scholar cancelled the trip shortly before I was to leave.  So I made a copy of the Itinerary and the hotel information.  I duplicated the trip on my own.

In May 2022, I attended the Road Scholar program in New York City.  After I signed up for the program it underwent several changes.  It became more and more physically challenging i.e. walking tour of Harlem rather than visiting the 9-11 Memorial.  I finally decided rather than getting upset I would just ignore the changes and create my own program. Some things I did with the Road Scholar group and some I did on my own.  I should have bought a t-shirt: "I survived New York City."

I encountered a problem when I tried to register for the Road Scholar trip to Santa Fe etc. so next spring I plan to fly to Albuquerque, rent a car and duplicate Road Scholar's Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque Trip. I also want to walk across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge (Earthcache).  Side trips: at Espanola, turn off for visits to Abiquiu, the historic home of artist Georgia O'Keefe, and/or White Rock Visitor Center/Bandelier National Monument.

Traveling Solo

I am often asked if I travel alone.  I travel Solo but I am never alone except when I retire for the night.  

For years I was constantly asked if my husband lets me travel.  People must sense that he died because they stopped asking shortly after he passed away.

Next year I will complete geocaching in all 50 states by finding geocaches in the last two states: Minnesota and Iowa.  The Challenge Cache is located in Michigan.  I want to find a couple caches in Indiana also.

Cachly App for Geocaching

I have an iPhone 11 Pro.  I prefer and use the Cachly app.  Cachly is a simple and powerful Geocaching app for iOS that includes many advanced features.

Fall Foliage Trip in New England October 2024

Monday, October 14 - It was 3:00am.  My trip started badly and ended badly.  Actually the entire trip was one problem after another.  As I left the house to take the cab to PDX the garage door wouldn't lock properly.  I caught the 5:05am Alaska Airline flight to Seattle.  I caught the 7:00am flight to Boston however my suitcase did not make the flight.  I was given 2,500 Miles for Bag Delay.  I was told to go to the wrong area to catch a Lyft.  Shear chaos!  The first driver drove away.  I waved my walking stick in the air.  I finally got the second Lyft with the help of a man who used my IPhone to talk to the Lyft driver.  

I took the Lyft to the Hyatt Regency Boston.  Someone had made a hotel reservation for me for the previous day without my knowledge.  So my reservation was cancelled.  Argh.  I got it straightened out.   I found Road Scholar registration and then went to Orientation.  The Welcome dinner was at nearby Back Deck.  The deluge of messages from Alaska Airlines began.  The delivery driver finally called me at 3:00am   I signed for the suitcase at 3:29am in the hotel lobby.  I got a couple hours sleep.

Tuesday, October 15 - Following breakfast the Road Scholar group walked part way on the fabled Freedom Trail with a local expert.  Been there, done that.  So I took Lyft to the Paul Revere House (1680) where I got the photo and the answers for a Virtual Geocache (GC7B7AZ).  I went to the restaurant way too early so I went to The Old North Church to get the photo and answers for a Virtual Geocache (GC7B8EN).  I walked back to the restaurant (Cantina Italian) to have lunch with the group.  We toured the Old North Church.  I took a Lyft back to the Hyatt Regency Boston.  The hotel front desk staff gave me a Blue Bunny Vanilla Ice Cream cup and a Blue Ribbon Chocolate Eclair Ice Cream Bar.  I enjoyed two bottles of complimentary water during my stay.  We had dinner at The Merchant. 

Wednesday, October 16 - Following breakfast, our luggage was collected and we checked out of the Hyatt Regency Boston.  We boarded the motorcoach and departed Boston for Salem, Massachusetts.  We drove past the historic Ropes Mansion in Salem also known to "Hocus Pocus" fans as Allison's House. We had lunch at Airfield Cafe.  We explored the sights and landmarks of Old York by motorcoach with a stop at scenic Nubble Lighthouse (Cape Neddick).  We then continued north to Ogunquit, Maine and checked into the Colonial Inn (1886).   We had dinner at Jonathan's.  I had clam chowder, salad, pasta primavera and dessert.   The television setup was a nightmare.  I caught the last ten minutes of "Survivor." 

Thursday, October 17 - We had breakfast at the Colonial Inn.  We visited the Ogunquit Museum of American Art and the Ogunquit Heritage Museum. I took a photo of the framed "Rules for Teachers 1872."  The one-hour boat trip to learn about lobster fishing was cancelled.  I had a peanut butter sandwich for a light dinner.

Friday, October 18 - Following breakfast, our bags were collected and we boarded the motorcoach.  I found the Portland Head Lighthouse (the oldest lighthouse in Maine - 1791) Virtual (GCAJJPA) and A Piece of History (the Berlin Wall) Virtual (GCAJK65).  Last year I found The Director Virtual (GC47EB).  I had lunch with the group at Old Port Sea Grill in Portland, Maine of Haddock Fish and Chips with coleslaw and french fries.  Mid afternoon we departed for the Grand Summit Attitash Hotel in Bartlett, NH.  We briefly visited N Conway where I found a Virtual geocache (GCC9C0).  We had dinner at the hotel.  We had a lecture: The Ecology of the North Woods. 

Saturday, October 19 - Following breakfast, we departed on the motorcoach for Mount Washington Cog Railway.  We rode the historic Cog Train to the Summit.  I sat in Seat 14 on the left side - the last seat on the way up and the first seat on the way down.  I took a photo for the Mount Washington Webcam (GCN32T).  I was so absorbed in taking the webcam photo that I never looked up! I found The Rock Pile Earthcache (GC8E7ZH).  A bit tricky walking on the snow and ice.   Back down the mountain we departed for the Appalachian Mountain Club where we had lunch.  After lunch, we headed to the Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, NH to learn how maple syrup is produced.  I purchased a Maple Leaf refrigerator magnet.  We had dinner at Abenaki Trail.

Sunday, October 20 - As we left the Grand Summit Attit6ash Hotel, we traveled the scenic Kancamagus Highway.  We visited the White Mountain National Forest Covered Bridge (1858).  We had lunch at Shiloh's restaurant.  I had a delicious Rhuben sandwich.   Crossing into Vermont, we headed to the mountains of the Mad River Valley.  We went on a boat ride on the beautiful Lake Champlain.  We checked into the Courtyard Burlington Harbor Hotel.  We had dinner at Guild Tavern.  I had New York Cheesecake for dessert.

Monday, October 21 - I watched a spectacular sunrise from my hotel room. After breakfast we departed for Shelburne Farms.  We sampled several Cheddar cheeses.  We had boxed lunch at the Farm Barn Courtyard at picnic tables.  I had a delicious Ham, Dijon, Cabot Swiss cheese, pickles and greens sandwich.  The box lunch came with kettle chips, apple and cookie with a soft drink.  We returned to the hotel.  I read "To Collect in Ernest - The Life and Work of Electra Havemeyer Webb" by lauren B. Hewes and published by Shelburne Museum Vermont.  Fascinating book.

Tuesday, October 22 - During breakfast our luggage was collected.  We departed Burlington at 10:00am.  We traveled south on the motorcoach through the stunning center of Vermont, taking in the rural autumn landscapes and tiny villages along Route 100.  We visited Cold Hollow Cider Mill.  We had a chaotic lunch at Doc's Tavern in a quaint Vermont village.  My burger with American cheese, lettuce and tomato with hand cut fries was delicious. We checked into the Grafton Inn.  I had the Ulysses S. Grant room.  Complimentary Carr's Table Water Crackers and a 4 oz. of 1 Year Aged Cheddar Cheese.  We had dinner at the hotel.  I had tossed green salad and Greek veggie pasta. 

Wednesday, October 23 - Following breakfast at the Grafton Inn, the group took a walking tour of Grafton. We departed at 10:45am for the Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont.  We learned as we tasted about organic heirloom apple varieties.  We had lunch at the Scott Farm with delicious apple pies for dessert.  Field Trip: The Stone Trust.  We stopped briefly at Dummerston Covered Bridge.  I stayed on motorcoach.  Big mistake!  I did not realize there was a geocache at the bridge (GC667ZH). 

As we returned to the hotel, we got a great view of Naulakha (1892), also known as The Rudyard Kipling House. It is a Shingle Style home where author Rudyard Kipling wrote "Captains Courageous."  Kipling also wrote "The Jungle Books", "A Day's Work", and "The Seven Seas", and did work on "Kim" and "The Just So Stories" here.  Kipling had named the house after the Naulakha Pavilion, situated inside Lahore Fort.  Next to the house was Kipling's Carriage House (1895).  Located on eleven acres off a town road, at the edge of a forest above, the estate overlooks a meadow and valley views.

We had a Farewell Dinner at the Grafton Inn.  I had Pan Seared Tuna which I didn't eat.  I don't eat raw seafood.  I had a complimentary glass of port.

The Inn music played so loud in my room the second night of my stay that I couldn't sleep.

Thursday, October 24 - The baggage was collected at 7:00am.  Breakfast buffet.  We checked out at 8:00am.  I was dropped off at Terminal B/Alaska at Boston Logan International Airport.  I had to wait until almost 2:00pm to check in for my flight.  After I checked in for my flight, I had lunch of Burger and Sweet Potato Fries sitting along the cafe railing so I could people watch.  I missed my flight in Seattle to PDX so I was rebooked on the next flight.  I arrived at PDX around midnight, retrieved my suitcase, caught a Lyft and was home about 1:30am.  It was an interesting trip but I was glad to be home.  

I found five Virtuals, a Webcam and an Earthcache.  As usual they were one of my high points of my trip.  During my 20 years of Geocaching I have seen things and done things that except for Geocaching I would not have seen or done.