We took the family truckster on the drive of its life. The transmission will never be the same. We drove up to the top of Mount Washington by car. We used our car after it was cleared to take the trip. There are plenty of rules that make a lot of cars not able to get the green light. If you have not driven up the mountain and have been to New England it will not be long before you see a car that has. They all get a special bumper sticker saying the car climbed the mountain. We went up as a family of four and it cost us $43 we are not sure about how they arrived at the cost. You will love this trip. You feel like you are driving up to the skies and a stunning vista are around every corner as you climb. They see these views change every day and no trip up the mountain is the same. This is a 6,288-foot climb to the peak. When you get to the top bring a jacket as it does not matter the temperature on the ground. At the peak there is strong winds, fog and rapidly moving clouds. This was a great time had for all except the transmission.
Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
Mount Washington by car
Thursday, January 26th, 2012Nemours Mansion Grounds with a garden
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011One of our favorite stops is the Nemours Mansion & Gardens in Delaware. The place is set among the 300-acre country estate of the late industrialist and philanthropist Alfred I. DuPont. You have got to see it to believe it as if you are in the neighborhood or passing through it is worth the look. The mansion contains 102 rooms furnished with fine examples of antique furniture, rare rugs, tapestries and outstanding works of art. The mansion and gardens are open for tours from May 1 to November 30 and as always reservations recommended. This is one to put on the calendar for next year. There are a variety of surfaces and levels in the gardens and grounds. The tour also involves climbing several staircases. Tours last two and a half to three hours and require a $15 per person payment as well as punctuality is a must for any appointment. There is one drawback that there is no picnic allowed on the facilities of the Nemours Mansion and Gardens. There are two elk at the top of the Vista are the work of Prosper Lecourtier, a specialist in animal figures. There are 157 jets at the center of the one acre pool. But when they are turned off as you walk your reflection can be seen in the pool. This is one to take in as you will remember your visit for years to come.
Goodrich’s Maple Farm on the way to ski country
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011If you are in Vermont on your way to ski, then you need to check out the Goodrich’s Maple Farm. It is located on US Route 2 between the villages of Marshfield and West Danville, Vermont. The farm is family owned and operated since 1840. Seven generations of dedication have made award-winning maple products sought by customers from all over the world. In the beautiful post & beam building, visitors enjoy free tours by the Goodrich family, Visiting the sugarhouse brings extra treats – syrup warm from the evaporator and the all-time favorite treat: Sugar on Snow. During boiling hours you can visit the sugarhouse during the day or anytime the steam is rising. See the sap boiling from 33,000 trees in one of the worlds largest and fastest sap evaporators. Sugaring season lasts approximately 4 weeks during the months of March & April. The normal business hours are 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday. This is why it is stop on our spring route and then again on our ski trip. You can enjoy samples of syrup at the taster’s table or delicious maple spreads and homemade jelly. The gift shop has a full line of maple products as well as other locally produced items. They assemble a gift basket or gift box for you in just a few moments for your special gift giving needs which is perfect this time of the year.
Mining company in Canada on Taysan Project
Thursday, December 1st, 2011We wanted to let you know about a mining company in Canada. The Vancouver based mineral exploration company, that is focused on developing the Taysan Copper-Gold Porphyry Project, in Batangas Province, Philippines. If you did not know the Taysan Project is an advanced copper-gold porphyry deposit. The location is on the south western segment of the island of Luzon. This is a well developed industrial province of Batangas, 100km south of Manila. The Taysan Project has had a lengthy history under various joint ventures and option agreements since modern exploration commenced in 1968. The majority of work has focused on resource definition drilling and assessment of the Taysan Deposit. The project has a 25-year mine life with excellent exploration potential and a 3-year payback. In the beginning years one through seven have very low production costs and a very low strip ratio, 0.56/1, versus an industry average of 2.5/1. The Project includes high grade copper concentrate with gold, silver, magnetite and other by-products.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011If wanted to a trip to see the Basketball Hall of Fame you will find it along the banks of the Connecticut River. This is a massive 80,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to city of Springfield’s own Dr. James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball in 1891. You will have no problem finding as you will see a fifteen story spire with an illuminated basketball on top. Once you get closer from the outside you cannot help but notice the soaring domed arena where once inside you can actually practice jumpers. They have dozens of high-tech interactive exhibits, and video footage and interviews with former players. One of the best parts is the Honors Rings where they pay tribute to the hall’s nearly 300 enshrines heroes or the hardwood. The physical address for your GPS is 1000 W. Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA, 01105. The cost to enter is on $17, seniors $14, Youth from five to fifteen only $12 and Children under four are free. The hours are weekdays 10-4, and on the weekends 10-5. There are plenty accommodations and they are centrally located throughout Springfield. There are several hotels within five minutes of the Hall of Fame in all price ranges.
rentcalgary.com home hunting
Thursday, November 17th, 2011We wanted to let you know about rentcalgary.com this is a great website if you are looking for Calgary apartments for rent. The website is super easy to use and has a great interactive map where you just click on the area of Calgary you want to find out about. Then you can see pictures, descriptions, and prices of the houses, apartments, and town homes available for rent in that area. Then once you have search set up you can sort by whatever you really need to know like by price, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, or square footage. We like to break the search down by type of rental first as why get an apartment if you can rent a house. Alberta is a province of Canada and has an estimated population of 3.7 million. This makes this area the most populous of Canada of Canada’s three prairie provinces. Alberta is located in western Canada, sits in between British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, and the Northwest Territories to the north. The US. state of Montana is the only border to the south. We were surpised at how cheap the prices were as you can get a one bedroom apartment in the southeast for $800 to a $1000 a month. You can also rent a three bedroom house for only $1100.
Six Flags New England day trip
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011We wanted to let you know about Six Flags New England. The park is located off Route 159 in greater Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby town of Agawam, Massachusetts. There is a history as the park was formerly known as Riverside Park. The reason for that is the eastern border being on the Connecticut River. This changed in the year 2000 when Six Flags bought the park. The park is open from April through the end of October. One the new wrinkles is the sale of Flash Passes, which offer priority boarding opportunities. You can also buy a VIP tour, which allows you and your group to skip all the lines. They added some new things in 2012 like the Déjà Vu, a Vekoma inverted Boomerang coaster, which was moved from Six Flags Magic Mountain to Six Flags New England. The show stopper is still the Superman – Ride of Steel. The park has some other stand outs like Blizzard River rapids ride and Great Adventure. The only knock on the park is it does get somewhat crowded, which results in very long line and the layout of one long narrow strip, with several dead end areas does not help.
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New York Chautauqua’s Wonder of Nature
Friday, November 4th, 2011We are feeling spring coming and one of our first trips to get away is to Chautauqua’s Wonder of Nature. Living in the northeast cabin fever starts to set in and you need to break off the mold and get fresh air when it becomes possible. When you visit Chautauqua’s Wonder of Nature this is a great way to get back outside and stay there. The Panama Rocks extend about half a mile over twelve acres of an erupted, Paleozoic Seashore originating over 300 million years ago. It is a ridge of Quartz Conglomerate Rock, which was carved and shaped by a Glacier, in this ancient forest. You have never seen the wonder of this awe inspiring nature an enchanting world of towering rocks. Hundreds of deep, crevice passageways cool, cavernous dens and small caves grotesque roots snake down rocks delicate ferns and mosses. There is a self-guided one mile hiking trail and Off-Trail exploring is permitted. This is a great outdoor recreation and oh so needed after a long cold winter that is fun for kids of all ages. The park has been around since 1885 and is privately owned. We bring it up because the 2011 season begins May 14 and they are open from 10:00am to 5:00pm. The cost to get in is fair priced when you balance how long you can stay. Adult $7, Children 6-12 are only $5, there are other discounts as well.
Atlantic City a place for the ages
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011We thinking about a summer trip to Atlantic City, we have not been there as group. There are plenty of reasons to go to the Atlantic City boardwalk even if the casino is not a desired location. This is a big tourist area as they claim to have 33.5 million visitors a year. There is plenty to do as the boardwalk roll on for close to four miles. There are a few must-sees when you are on the boardwalk including the over one million Jelly Beans used to make Lucy the Elephant at the It’s Sugar candy shop. The best place for oysters on the east coast is Dock’s Oyster House where they average shucking over 43,000 oysters a year. We also would not leave the Garden state without a sub from the White House Sub Shop. We do enjoy the gambling but before there was gambling in Atlantic City there was taffy. The best salt-water taffy around is at James Salt Water Taffy were they wrap 600 pieces of taffy a minute. Playcade Amusements has been around forever and is still going strong this fun for the whole family includes the largest selection of prizes on the boardwalk. When you are ready to rock check out the Liverpool Club in the Tropicana where you can see a Beatles tribute you band like it was 1960 all over again.
Disney Four Parks much too see
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011There are four parks in Disneyland Florida Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. Depending on your age they have something for everyone. They also have something for you at each park even if it is not geared toward you. The last time we were at Disney we had a pretty good mix of ages. The older folks and youngest children enjoyed Epcot. There as plenty to see and each land had shops and flavors of the region. The teenagers would not leave Hollywood Studios between the Tower of Terror, Aerosmith Roller Coaster, and the American Idol Experience they could not get enough. The pre schoolers and tweenies loved the Magic Kingdom and the whole group spent the least amount of time at Animal Kingdom. There is something for everyone at these parks but with a group, our size it was easier to split up and let everyone enjoy what they wanted to do. This made getting the park hopper pass a necessity as we would then all then meet at a certain time, at certain park for dinner. We tried to go to the night show fireworks as a group and we found that cell phone communication was they best way to find each other.
Year Round Daytona Beach
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011There is no better winter vacation then Daytona Beach. Any spot in Florida is great when the winter cold is bearing down. We have become big fans of Daytona over the last few years. There are plenty of places to stay and the town is NASCAR crazy. When there is a race going on it is obviously tougher to get a room. Our prefect Daytona vacation starts on a Monday and runs to Thursday we like to stay right on the beach and have a rental car. One of the best things to do in Daytona is to get a pass to drive your car on the beach. Being from the northeast you can go to the beach but Daytona was the first place we had seen cars drive on the beach. Sitting on your balcony you can watch a wide variety of muscle cars and supped up dune buggies roll along the golden sand. Daytona has their own International airport so it is easy to get flight into and Disney, SeaWorld and the Kennedy Space Center are all lee than 75miles away. There are four weekends you want to stay away from the two NASCAR weeks and two motorcycle weeks because the place does get crowded, spring break is another time of year to avoid. Daytona Beach is a great beach getaway in sunny Florida that will give you the fell of summer anytime of the year.
The discount Broadway Ticket Stand
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011We wanted to make everyone aware that is going to Manhattan it might be best to wait to buy your Broadway Tickets. There is no guarantee you will see a show, and no guarantee you will see the show you want. If you want to see the Lion King on a Friday night, you should buy your tickets in advance. If you are open to what to see and when you can go, then we found a place in Times Square that sells cheap Broadway tickets right before show time. We were there on a Thursday night and we could have bought $25 ticket normally $80 for Rock of Ages and Billy Elliot for $45 normally $105. These are not scalped seats they are from the venue. We believe the venue calls before the show starts and lets the box office know empty seats at that performance. It is a win-win as instead of having an empty unpaid for seat the venue can get 40% of ticket value. TKTS Booth Ticket Stand in Times Square. We found this to happen often, as there are workers who will call out the show and seats. If you want them they lead you to a window, your seats are printed, and off to the show you go.
Logan airport is old just old
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is a really old airport and it looks it. Opened on 1923 for the National Guard, he first commercial passenger flights was in 1927. The statistics say it is one of the 20 busiest airports in the US and the 12th busiest airport in the US based on international traffic. It handles over 26 million passengers a year and in 2005, it handled 3,902,000 international passengers. The layout is horrible, the runways stack up planes waiting to take off. The concourse is limited compared to other major airports. Transpiration to the airport is inconvenient as well as expensive. The subway and bus routes will get you to the airport but very confusing if you are out town. The terminals are not connected; the overflow parking is miles away. The overnight parking is expensive and you need to take a bus from the lot to your terminal. There are no rentals cars facilities on site as you will need ground transportation to get to your rent a car. The city is dirty and if you arrive in the winter it is cold and the snow is an exhaust colored brown. There are two other choices of airports for Boston area. TF Green in Rhode Island is about and one hour away from the south. To the north The Manchester Airport is the newest of the three in New England and the best of the three options. If you can avoid Logan Airport it will serve you best to stay away.
Conway Mountain Inn an HN Experience
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011We stayed at the Conway Mountain Inn in New Hampshire on our way through the state. We booked the room before we went and the price was low, free wifi, and balcony suite room with mountain vista views from every room. We were leaving within 24 hours so the reservation had to be made via a phone call. The reservation desk turns out to be a call service in Maine. She could not answer any our questions about where the hotel was in relation to the attractions nearby. She also wanted to know when we would arrive to the hour and a credit card to secure the room. We arrived about thirty minutes later then we had told the desk but there was no problem. They wanted to swipe the card as they only use the numbers we had given them the day before in case of a no show. Therefore, we could have used any Visa 16 digit number to hold room. We went to the room and it was nice, clean, and had a country feel to the décor. The balcony as billed had a great view of the White Mountains. Around 7pm, we needed to get some ice and although the front desk said where it was, we could not find it. When we returned to the front office, they were gone. They left numbers for emergencies and a room number if you had “problems.” We had never seen anything like it, what if you wanted more towels, wake up call, questions, or directions. This left a bad feeling with us as we though it was not right to be in a hotel that was not staffed overnight.
Stay at a Motel or Hotel
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011When it comes to staying at hotel or a motel there is only one factor, cost. If you had the money you would always stay at a hotel. We tried to convince our self that there is no difference. We based this on when you are on vacation you are never in your room. This did not work because when you are in your room you are in a motel. The hotel has plenty of nice amenities the motel might have an ice machine and a candy machine. Hotels for the most part are kept up to date and freshly painted especially the major chains. Motels are old dingy and usually run down. The last motel we stayed at had an actual key for the room, a key you cannot get any more old school than that. We always say after we stay in a motel and deal with these things along with a creepy pool, other guests with five to eight kids. That leads to the other thing about motels the room’s walls a paper thin. When you stay a hotel you can make as much noise as you want but also not be kept up at night by the next room. Still the only reason is cost and the motels was $97 the hotel was $148, but maybe we should have stayed a day less and had a better nights sleep.
cheapbizclass.com Cheap first class airfare
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011We wanted to let you know about cheapbizclass.com. if you are looking for Cheap first class airfare they have covered and can make your travel plans take flight. We think that CheapBizClass is a first class choice for travel. The company is comprised of experienced travel agents who have a deep understanding of the airline industry. They know how to find the deeply discounted airfare that the airline industry does not let you know about. The cheapest business class flights can be found because they know how to find and apply special airline promotions and flight discounts to get you additional savings. CheapBizClass is not just a website that searches the same links you could search they are real people doing real research which means that you will get the best flights at the best possible prices. Cheap business class flights are a great website with plenty of information. They can help you if you are looking for business class travel, first class travel, and even family travel. They have over 30 years experience getting family’s to their vacation destinations stress-free with money still in their pockets. When it comes to your family vacation you need to make sure it is something you will always remember. They will go above and beyond to ensure that your time with them is maximized to the fullest extent.
Las Vegas Circus Circus on the strip
Saturday, October 22nd, 2011There are plenty of places to stay in Las Vegas but none is as fun as Circus Circus. Sure some of the other hotels have great features but if you have ever dreamed of running away and joining the circus this is the place for you. There is a big top with a Circus acts running all the time. This is the home of The Steakhouse Garden Grill, and the Circus Buffett are two of the best east on the strip. The Adventuredome theme park which has twenty five rides including the Disko, Chaos, Coaster and Inverter is a day of fun for everyone. They have done a real good job of giving you more than just gambling. The routes you need to get to all these places are surrounded by gaming and you must pass multiple room of gaming to get around. It is after Las Vegas where from the minute you land at the airport the ringing of slots becomes background noise. There are times when you leave Vegas and it is six or seven hours later before you notice there is no sound of the slots anymore. Circus Circus has great offers for cheap rates on their rooms as well as deals on multiple days like a fourth day free. They have three swimming pools, one in the KOA RV Park and two at the Skyrise tower. All swimming pools are outside and also have Jacuzzis. The pools are heated to 80 degrees and their depths are from 3 feet to 9 feet. Circus Circus is a great place to stay on a budget in Las Vegas and offers plenty of other entertainment besides gambling. As we always say three days in Las Vegas is enough five might me alright and seven is way too long.
ayelet.com Israel Tour
Friday, October 21st, 2011We wanted to let you know about ayelet.com. if you are looking for a Bar mitzvah tours Israel we have found the travel site for you. They were established in 1986 and have continued to grow at a steady pace over the past twenty three years. There have been many years of native on-site Israel experience and areas one of the most well known tour operators offering both Jewish and Christian heritage tours to Israel and around the world. When you think of Israel Tours and Ayelet means service. It means unique itineraries. It means offering Jewish travelers an option unlike any other in the world. They are not only about group tours, you will find that their experienced staff is also well equipped to provide Conference Management Services in the United States and around the world complimented by other specialized travel-related services. Ayelet Tours is recognized as a leader in the industry and has remained faithful to its charter throughout a period of rapid growth by providing individual attention to each client, unique itineraries and creative programming that will make any Israel Tour a hit. They provide the same level of personalized attention to small groups of travelers that we provide to congregational tours of 10 – 80 people, or to a large mission of five or ten buses. Travel the way it should be.
Disney PhotoPass worth the money
Thursday, October 20th, 2011The Disney PhotoPass is another item that costs a lot up front and you have no idea if you will use it. You will kick yourself if you do not buy it. The Photopass is a card you swipe anytime a photographer is at the park. They take character photos (pictures with Mickey Mouse), as well as scenic photos (in front of Magic Kingdom Castle). Disney will send you an email making you an offer of $99 before you leave. We did not accept because we already spent a small fortune to go on the vacation. When we started using the card you realize they have all the best spots staked out, we used the card 150 times. You view the pictures online and they document your time there better than your own photos. When new returned the pictures stay on the website for 30 days. If we wanted to buy the DVD of the Photos after the trip, it cost us $159.00. The choice to buy the DVD or not was one we tossed around but in the end it was a moment in time and we decided to spend the money. Next time we will pay the money up front as the choice to watch those photos disappear into the vapor seemed too much to take.
North Conway Outlets
Monday, October 10th, 2011We spent some time at the outlets in North Conway and you really do need to make a day of it. Many popular stores you would expect to find at an outlet complex. They all have great prices, as you would expect. The best thing is the Settlers’ Green Outlet Village in Conway all are in one area like an outside strip mall. The shape is more of a large circle and as you leave one store, you have plenty of directions to go which can lead to hours of walking around. There was some over lap in the over 60 stores that you can shop. There is a Russell Athletic, Nike and Reebok stores that all sell pretty much the same things. We purchased new Rebook sneakers for the whole family for $92 total. Everybody is ready for school with a style shoe they wanted. Most of the stores were running huge sales this includes major high-end stores like Coach Harry and David. Brooks Brothers, and Brookstones. The place is just fun and has a few stores for everyone as there is an Old Navy, Gap, Jockey, and Aeropostle just to name a few. We had a good time and needed more than a day if we wanted to hit all the stores next year when we return we are going to stay longer and get there earlier.
