It was over a year ago that COVID-19 would close down the world, and with it, all of our travel plans for 2020. I vividly remember how I had no sooner completed booking all of our flights, hotel rooms and even a cruise to Alaska, that I would be back on my computer cancelling all of them. Like you, Sue & I would be looking for toilet paper, Lysol and face masks. That first time I wore a mask into my local bank, I felt so self-conscious and never imagined myself doing such a thing.
15 Months Later
Beginning this week, we’re ready to travel again. We’re fully vaccinated, own an assortment of masks and have learned to carry hand sanitizer in our pockets. On our travel agenda is visiting our children and grandchildren on the West Coast.
Bucket List 2018-2019
Two years ago, we departed on a cross-country road trip of over 11,000-miles that allowed us to see from the ground, many of the places we had flown over at 30,000-feet most of our lives. The 2018 road trip took in the northern half of the USA. In 2019, we traveled about 9,000-miles covering the southern states.
We checked off many sites that were on our Bucket List:
- River Boat Cruise on the Mississippi River
- Seeing “Music & the Spoken Word” in Tabernacle Hall in Salt Lake City
- Visiting the Hoover Dam
- Riding the Hooterville Cannonball to Petticoat Junction
- Taking a mud bath and drinking wine in Napa Valley
- Walking through a giant Redwood Forest in California
- Sitting in the cockpit of the Howard Hughes’ “Spruce Goose”
- Watching Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park
- Touring the “House on the Rock” in the Dells of Wisconsin
- Cruising across Lake Michigan aboard the historic S. S. Badger
- Standing in the studio of Motown records at Hitsville, USA
- In Detroit, touring the Henry Ford & Greenfield Village and oh, so much more
Bucket List 2021
This year our Bucket List includes visiting Glacier National Park in northern Montana, a night at the Bavarian Lodge in Leavenworth, Washington and taking my first Amtrak train trip from Seattle back home to Virginia.
But the part that we are most looking forward to is spending time with our children and grandchildren in Nevada, Montana and Washington.
What About the Blog?
Since I anticipate very little online time during this seven week trip, I have been writing blog articles that will automatically post to this blog site while I’m on the road. I know some folks have become “addicted” to this weekly muse and so I don’t want anyone to suffer withdrawal.
Now is a good time to go to the blog website: https://DickTaylorBlog.com and sign-up to receive my weekly articles via email each Sunday morning at 3AM.
Thank You for reading and sharing your thoughts in the comments section.
It’s by sharing our wisdom, experiences and perspectives that we all learn and grow together.
DickTaylorBlog 
ENJOY!
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Thank You Art. -DT
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It is so good to be on the road again and enjoy the freedom to pick up and go! Since the beginning of April, we have seen our kids and grandkids and put close to 4,000 on our Honda CR-V! Thank you science!
Enjoy every minute!
Frank
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Thank You Frank & Sue. We’re so excited to be able to travel once again. Seeing our west coast families is priority #1. Luckily, our east coast families have already been visited.
-DT
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Safe journey – look forward to travel and radio posts 🙂
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Thank You Both. -DT
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While you’re in Washington, try to visit the Palouse region, my corner of Padadise, and Walla Walla wine country. Eat at Andres Keller in Leavenworth if you can get in. (Long lines when my wife and daughters were there last weekend, but worth it.) the Reindeer Farm there is fun, too, as is Ohme Gardens in Wenatchee. Safe and happy travels to you!
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Rod, Thank You for the travel tips. We will be on Whidbey Island during our stay in Washington.
We will be taking the Amtrak Bus to Seattle (trains aren’t running north of Seattle yet) and staying overnight before catching the Amtrak Empire Builder back to Pittsburgh.
We will check out Andres Keller when we spend the night in Leavenworth at the Bavarian Inn. Didn’t know about the Reindeer Farm. We will have to check that out too.
Very much appreciated!
-DT
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You’re most welcome, Dick. Washington is a beautiful state, marred only by a dictatorial governor who’s unwilling to backtrack in the face of actual science, because he’s gotten too used to exercising his “emergency” powers. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of natural beauty to enjoy. Guess you’ll have to discover the Palouse in pics for the time being. 🙂
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I’ve been there before, a couple of times now. It IS beautiful. Had lunch at the top of the Space Needle and watched them throw the fish at Pike’s Place (Loved the book & the lessons shared — Roy Williams turned me on to them). Whidbey Island is beautiful and we’re out to see my oldest grandchild graduate from high school.
-DT
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Hi Rod,
I wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful German dinner at Andres Keller in Leavenworth, WA.
In fact, I had my FIRST BEER there to accompany my dinner.
While I won’t become a beer drinker, I thought the beverage complimented the German food, making for a real dining adventure.
Thank You for the tip!
We stayed at the Bavarian Lodge and so parking wasn’t an issue. We simply had to walk across the street to the restaurant.
I even had a beer stein engraved, marking the date and location of my very first beer.
-DT
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Well, Dick, glad you enjoyed your meal and beer. The beer stein will serve as a nice reminder of your first beer and the celebration surrounding it. Beer is typically an acquired taste and its enjoyment purely subjective. With so many styles, variants, and food pairings, I won’t be surprised if you someday find yourself sampling flights at a brew pub and cultivating an appreciation of the brewer’s art. Oh – and welcome to Washington!
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I Hope y’all get to Cincy soon!
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While I had been through Cincy several times back when I lived in Kentucky, I never got to see the WLW Blaw Knox tower site.
It’s an incredible part of radio in America’s history.
-DT
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