Second airport run of the week yesterday morning. YA going to Cancun for a week-long program. Besides her work clothes, she took plenty of other outfits as well saying “well, it is a WHOLE week”. Two suitcases (one checked, one small for carry-on) along with her backpack.
As is normal when one of us is traveling we keep each other up to date on the process. Texts like “at the gate”, “on the plane”, “wings up”, “just landed” are the norm. I’m not sure why we started doing this but we just keep on.
It was pretty chilly when I dropped her off at the airport so her first text from Cancun was a bit of a lemon-juice-in-a-papercut when she landed and texted me this photo
Then about an hour or so later, I got the photo in the header. Sigh. She had told me she thought she was staying downtown, but I actually recognized the view from her window… it’s on Coral Beach in the hotel zone….a pretty swanky place that I have visited a couple of times.
I’m still glad I’m retired and not doing the kind of travel I used to do, but it did give me a little pang of jealousy when I looked at the photo. Who would have thought we’d have this turnaround in our lives, where now she travels to glorious places and I stay home with the dog and cat? Maybe all this texting when we travel isn’t the best idea?
Tell me about a view you’ll never forget!
Trail Baboon 
So many unforgettable vistas. Choosing one in no way should suggest I favor it over the others but most are less readily accessible.
We were nearing the end of our visit to Wales. There had been magnificent views from the cliffs of the Pembrokeshire coast and from the hilltop outlook of Carreg Cennan castle. Everywhere the land conveyed a feeling of antiquity and a little mystery.
Our lodging was in The Old Rectory in a village called Llangattock Lingoed, about a mile down a single track road from the nearest highway and right on the edge of Offa’s Dyke. It was the second Old Rectory in which we had stayed. There seem to be many old rectories in Wales that have been converted to B & Bs. Both of the ones we visited were grand and capacious.
At that time there happened to be an unusual fog that had settled over all of the UK, disrupting air travel and generally obscuring things. It was most marked in the morning. This was the view from our room in the B & B when I first awoke:
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As the fog cleared, this was that same view. This is at the end of October:
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While not public land, rights of way meant you could just head off across the landscape. There were no impassable barriers and there were several castles as possible destinations. We hiked to one called the White Castle.
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marvelous!!
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Oh, my! Thanks for posting the photos.
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Daughter and son keep us posted as to their travel progress as well. Some of our memorable vista’s were on the west coast of Scotland and the north east coast of Northern Ireland.
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I remember standing atop the mesa at Mesa Verde in Colorado, watching a single small cloud with rain streaming out of it moving across an otherwise cloudless sky.
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As Bill said, so many great views to choose from that it’s hard to choose.
Number one for me is the first time we visited the Grand Canyon. We camped on the North Rim, went to the lodge, and entered the lobby. At the far end of the “great hall” (for lack of a better term) we saw what appeared to be three large rectangular murals or photos hanging on the wall. However, as we neared, we realized they were gigantic windows looking out onto the canyon. Holy sh** was that awesome (and I hate using that word because it’s so overused). But the GC is one of the few awesome places in the world.
We grabbed a cocktail, made our way outside to a veranda that was literally perched on the edge of the canyon, and “drank in” our first impressions. The Grand Canyon truly must be seen to be believed. No photos can possibly do it justice.
Later that day or the next, we were treated to a thunderstorm passing over the canyon in the distance. One of the more spectacular light shows one can imagine seeing. Almost like we got a “twofer” on that trip.
A close second in terms of memorable views is the first time I saw the Aurora Borealis. Ain’t Nature grand?
Chris in Owatonna
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the first time I saw the Grand Canyon I was in the eighth grade and my family was on an extended let’s-see-the-western-part-of-the-country vacation. Three weeks. If this was planned ahead of time, my folks didn’t tell us, but when we got to the Grand Canyon, we took a small plane ride into the canyon. a five seater piper cup. Not only my first time in the Grand Canyon, my first time in a plane and it was amazing.
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Way cool! 🙂
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I will never forget the first time I flew – the view as we finally lifted off the ground seeing everything get smaller and smaller. Then later seeing clouds below me instead of just above, and flying through them..
Another steller view was flying out of San Francisco at dusk one time… and then leaving behind the sunset and flying east into darkness.
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When I was 14, my parents put me on a plane to New York to attend my uncle’s graduation from Rensselaer. It still amazes me that they did that. I felt really grown up and special. I remember the same thing, the beautiful landscape getting smaller beneath us, then the white puffy clouds, then the sun shining so golden and amber on the clouds. It was gorgeous and I was awestruck.
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I don’t even know where to start…..so many stellar views around the world along with the first time flying in a plane and hot air balloon rides over the Serengeti and sand dunes of Oman. But there are two views of the night sky that left me feeling so insignificant in this universe. The first was while camping on a Grand Canyon rafting trip. I’d never seen so many stars at one time. The second time was in the Outback of Australia. We had supper around a campfire and as dark descended the sky filled with even more stars than on the rafting trip. Our host used a laser pointer to show us the Southern Cross (a bit disappointing as I though it would be a lot bigger) along with other constellations only seen in the Southern Hemisphere. There is one view I am still waiting to see…..the Aurora Borealis. I was in Iceland and Alaska at the wrong times of the year and even though I live in the northern suburbs, there is too much light pollution.
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You remind me, K-two, how I was in awe at the night sky in mountains of Utah (Capital Reef area…Teasdale?) – no light pollution, millions of stars.
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Lake Superior has no shortage of places where you can drink in the view. I really liked the view from Steve’s cabin outside Cornucopia.
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Yes.
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Jacque–
Lou is transferred now to skilled nursing and rehab. He has a huge window that looks out on a big pine tree and a yard full of robins. He loves the view and asked me to bring his binoculars so he can watch the birds snd squirrels up close. The room is quiet, hengets to wear his own clothing and pajamas, so he was pretty satisfied. He got there and had an hour nap immediately.
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That sounds great. Does the rehab place allow you to bring Phoebe to visit? That would be perfect. I really hope this works out well for Lou. I’m sure you’re much relieved that he’s in a comfortable place.
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Phoebe and Lou had their first visit tonight. 🙂🙃
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I bet that lifted Lou’s spirits. And Phoebe’s, too.
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Oh, I’m so glad!
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Sorry for the delay.
I think I will be recording some fabulous landscapes to memory in the near future. First will be the Cliffs of Moher, quickly followed by ancient ruins of Irish castles and Irish landscapes, then on to the northern coasts where we will see Giants Causeway and Belfast. I can hardly comprehend that I am actually going to do this.
I had issues with the VRBO app yesterday and couldn’t find my reservations for the last two places we will be staying. I had paid for them and had received emails confirming my reservations, but I couldn’t find them in “My Trips” in the app. There was some panic. I got great, patient help from a very nice young man (turns out he was in Peru) when I called VRBO to help me figure it out.
My all time favorite view is from Palisade Head in the early morning. I used to camp at Eckbeck campground, get up well before sunrise, and drive up to Palisade Head. I’d park with the tailgate of my pickup truck facing east. I’d sit back there, get out my camp stove, and make my coffee while watching the sunrise over the lake. It was a county park back then. Now it has been transferred to the state park. They gate it now, from dusk to dawn, and it’s closed from October to May. You can walk up though. Long ago there were campsites up there. It’s a popular place now, and the Park has concerns about people being up there after dark. People enjoy rock climbing on the 200’ cliff face during the day. There is a lot of car traffic up there now, and it’s not the same.
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