Category Archives: Travel

Events, Favorites, Holidays, Quad Cities, Travel

Great Things About the Tug-Fest in LeClaire, Iowa

  1. It’s the nation’s only Tug-of-War across the Mississippi River, held every August for more than 25 years
  2. The vendors— Cotton Candy FTW!!
  3. Carnival rides on the levee
  4. Small town street festivals are awesome
  5. Kid-friendly with lots of reasons for adults to have fun too
  6. LeClaire’s parade… get a spot early!
  7. Live music on the levee
  8. The MOST AWESOME fireworks show ever… fireworks over the river!
  9. People who come home for the weekend from across the country… I get to see my friend Wendi tonight!

 

Brands, Favorites, Links, Memories, Travel

Adventurous Travel in the USA (amongst the places I have been)

  1. Kenai Peninsula, Alaska – Road trip, get a rustic cabin, visit the tip of the Homer Spit, see moose, avoid bear, stop at the Ranger Stations to chat with locals  (http://www.kenaipeninsula.org/)
  2. Maui, Hawaii – Visit the top of the Haleakala Crater, take the Road to Hana and make all the stops, swim under waterfalls, take a surfing lesson, kayak with whales, rent a condo on the beach from my friend
  3. Phoenix, Arizona – Only go in the winter, hike the desert, float down the river, golf, search for the Lost Dutchman’s gold, drive north of Mesa at night and view the glittering city
  4. Boston, Massachusetts – Follow the Freedom Trail’s red line through town to tour history on your own, order seafood, wander Boston Commons (with a friend), take in a museum
  5. New York City, New York – Choose your top 3 must sees and count everything else a bonus.  You could explore this city for weeks, maybe months, and never see it all.  Museums, skyscrapers, sports, exhibits… Take in a Broadway show, skate at Rockefeller Center, rub the Wall Street Bull’s unmentionables for good luck, pose for a pic with the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, eat authentic cuisine from another culture, see the Statue of Liberty, relax in Central Park or any of the smaller ones scattered through the city, ride the subway, wear your walking shoes
  6. Los Angeles, California – Hit the beaches… Huntington for ocean swimming, Venice for weirdo-watching.  Visit Hollywood, drive into Hollywood Hills to see the city, take in a professional sporting event, wander a pier at dusk
  7. Boundary Waters, northern Minnesota – Plan with an outfitter, rent a canoe, and tour your way through the beauty of the North Woods.  Be sure you know what you’re doing or hire a guide.  Portage trails, paddle lakes, camp in remote wilderness, watch out for bears
  8. Chicago, Illinois – Museums, sporting events, tall buildings, shows, shopping, visit the sand dunes and beaches surrounding Lake Michigan
  9. Juneau, Alaska – Fly or ferry in since there are no roads into this capital city.  Visit glaciers, hike trails, view wildlife, cough up the funds for a helicopter tour that will land you on top of a glacier
  10. Grand Canyon, Arizona – Hike or trail ride into the canyon but only with thorough preparation.  Incredible views, challenging trips, white water rafting, desert camping
ERA Helicopter tour to the top of Taku Glacier, Juneau, Alaska
Quad Cities, Social Media, Travel

Places I Am the Mayor Of on Foursquare.com

  1. East Moline Municipal Swimming Pool, East Moline, IL
  2. Village Inn, Moline, IL
  3. YMCA Driving Range, Moline, IL
  4. Uncle Benny’s Gyros, Silvis, IL
  5. Governor’s, Moline, IL
  6. Ross Medical Supply, Moline, IL
  7. Mother Hubbard’s Landromat, Silvis, IL
  8. SFT Financial, Moline, IL
  9. Cidela Bed & Breakfast, New York, NY
  10. Elk Lodge, Davenport, IA
  11. G&G’s House, Gassville, AR
  12. Blue Grass Community Hall, Blue Grass, IA
  13. Subway, LeClaire, IA
  14. K-Nails, East Moline, IL
  15. AutoTech, Silvis, IL
  16. Subway, Silvis, IL
  17. Steve’s House, LeClaire, IA

 

Family, Humor, Travel

What I Would Do With a Million Dollars

  1. Give half of it to the government for taxes, whether I like it or not
  2. Fund friends and family members who are around the world serving God
  3. Pay off student loans
  4. Pay for my son’s college education
  5. Buy beachfront property, preferably in Maui
  6. Fix all the dents and dings with my 02 Trailblazer and give it to my son
  7. Buy a new hybrid SUV or crossover
  8. Travel – go back to Hawaii and Alaska, road trip the continental U.S.
  9. Travel – visit the aforementioned friends and family around the world, plus some other places
  10. Take care of family and friends
  11. Hire a housekeeper
  12. Invest in my son’s future music career
  13. Invest a very sizeable portion of the money in my long-term retirement funds
  14. Get the expensive work done that my dentist seems to think is necessary
  15. Buy a DVR in order to record Survivor
  16. Take the extended family on a fabulous vacation
  17. Set up a fund to consistently finance Team Wendy and Wendy’s Butterfly Garden
  18. Annonymously pay off friends’ mortgages

 

Favorites, Memories, Travel

Awesome Places I’ve Been

  1. The rainforest of Juneau, Alaska
  2. Sugar Beach, Maui, Hawaii
  3. Sunbeam Lake campsite, Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada
  4. Mogollon Rim, Payson, Arizona
  5. Twin Falls, Maui, Hawaii
  6. Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach, California
  7. Mendenhall Glacier & waterfall, Juneau, Alaska
  8. “Canadian Adventure” camp, north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
  9. Blackwater Trail, Superstition Mountains, east of Mesa, Arizona
  10. Empire State Building, New York, New York
  11. Sears Building, Chicago, Illinois
  12. Cape Cod, Chatham, Massachusetts
  13. Homer Spit, Homer, Alaska
  14. Eagle River, Alaska
  15. Scarface mountain, Apache Junction, Arizona
  16. Pearl Harbor Memorial, Oahu, Hawaii
  17. Grand Marais, Minnesota
  18. Boundary Waters, Ely, Minnesota
  19. Neil Simon Broadway Theater, New York, New York
  20. Fox Theater, St. Louis, Missouri
  21. Top of the St. Louis Arch, St. Louis, Missouri
  22. Ozark mountains, Mountain Home, Arkansas
  23. The rolling hills of Kentucky
  24. Top of Haleakala volcano, Maui, Hawaii
  25. Secluded cabin on the Kenai Peninsula, outside Soldotna, Alaska
  26. Estes Park, Colorado
  27. Casa Grande Ruins, Coolidge, Arizona
  28. Boston Commons, Boston, Massachusetts
  29. Top of the Taku Glacier, Juneau, Alaska
Lesley & Caleb, Twin Falls, Maui

Honorable Mention (Not quite as awe-inspiring to me, but still deserving mention)

  1. North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Payson, Arizona
  2. Times Square, New York, New York
  3. Hollywood Hills, Hollywood, California
  4. Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
  5. Norfork Dam, Mountain Home, Arkansas
  6. Hoover Dam, Mohave County, Arizona
  7. Tortilla Flat, Arizona
  8. Salty Dawg Saloon, Homer, Alaska
Top of the Taku Glacier

Humor, LISTS, Travel

Things I Learned Much Later Than You Probably Did, As A Result of Growing Up in Arizona

  1. When it is very cold outside and the water in the puddle turns hard, that is called ice.
  2. Snow is wet.
  3. If it looks like rain, it will probably rain.
  4. There is a difference between dirt and soil.
  5. Cars rust.
  6. When the sky is gray, that’s what is called “overcast”.
  7. Windchill is real.
  8. Never use your bright headlights in fog.