Home > Still Traveling > Archives > 2005 > October > 03 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USSo, what’s on your mind?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’ve been talking about topics as diverse as rememberences of New Orleans and what to do on a visit next year to Rome/Florence, Italy. The New Orleans posts sometimes made me weep, and sometimes smile, and the advice you all offered on what to see/do in Rome and Florence was helpful — sometimes real people have better insights and stories than travel guides.
Today, I got an email from a traveler who wanted to post to the blog, but didn’t feel like her topic fit the discussion we have going about Rome and Florence, and she noted that commenting was closed on the blogs that might be applicable. And she’s right, sort of. When the AJC set the blog up, I think the thinking was that Paula Crouch Thrasher or I would post every day, with a new topic. We try, and sometimes we succeed, but usually it’s every other day, or every few days, as most of you know. In any case, we hoped that travelers would feel free to raise their own topics and discuss anything about travel that interested them, or ask questions or seek advice. So, please, continue to do that, or e-mail me at ajmiller@ajc.com and rattle my cage about topics you want to discuss!
Meanwhile, the traveler who wanted to post to our blog, Paula, was writing about a just-completed cruise that sounds like a lot of fun and might be something others would want to do. I bet many of you have taken off-the-beaten-path type cruises, too, and will enjoy reading about this one — or making note for a future cruise. Here’s Paula’s blog, via e-mail to me:
Shortly after I returned from a Columbia River cruise recently, I saw a note in the travel section of the AJC encouraging readers to post their travel recommendations on your blog. I finally got around to looking up the blog today, but found that the only thread my post would go under (Oregon or bust) is closed. I could have posted to the thread on Rome and Florence, but others had already covered all the tips I would have given about that destination.
In any case, here’s my story in case it can go in another open thread:
I just returned from a fantastic river cruise of the length of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington run by Glacier Bay Cruiseline. The weather the week of September 10-17 was perfect for this trip. I enjoy active vacations that involve all kinds of water sports, with kayaking being my favorite. This week-long trip offered lots of kayaking, one white-water rafting excursion, and a few hikes. Every outing was divided into groups of different levels of activity, so I could choose what level I was up for that day. (The overall activity rating given to this trip is a 3 for moderate, so this would not appeal to anyone looking for challenging or high-level activity.) Every group was escorted by a naturalist guide who was very knowledgable about the area and provided interesting insights into the history, geography, flora and fauna.
More and more, I look for making my vacations as stress-free as possible; and one of the things I avoid is having to pack and unpack throughout a vacation. If I had not chosen to spend an extra night in Richland, WA, before returning to Atlanta, I would have packed and unpacked only once. Embarking on the boat in Portland and disembarking in Richland was the perfect way to see this beautiful part of the country. The cabins on the boat were small, but I had my own toilet and shower, and didn’t spend a whole lot of time in the room anyway—the best place to see the beautiful scenery all around us was from the observation deck. (The snow covered peak of Mt. Hood as we approached Hood River was spectacular.) The food was excellent, although maybe too plentiful; and the lounge on the main deck was a great place to have a beer or look through the library of nature and history books. The wine-tasting was another fun and informative event.
The highlight for many of us on the trip was seeing how the locks work to allow boats to get around dams on the river. Almost everyone on the trip had traveled all over the world, but most of us had never gone through locks, and it was a fascinating experience. We saw two different types of lock mechanisms—the kind that open like two French doors and the guillotine type. And although we went through several locks, the fascination never wore out.
This is the third trip I have booked through REI, Inc.’s web site, and I cannot recommend them enough for active vacation trips. I am a single woman who, by necessity (when I can’t convince my sister to join me), often travels alone; and these trips are great for single women. The groups are always diverse, but there’s always at least one or two other singles in the group. This trip had about half couples and half singles, most of us middle-aged, with one young gay couple and one pair of sisters in their 20’s. There was only one young family with two kids (14 and 10), whom I hardly saw the whole week. (Luckily for me, since I purposely booked this after Labor Day to avoid the family with kids crowd.)
I had only flown into Seattle once for a couple of days for a business trip, so I had never really seen this part of the country before. This trip was a fabulous introduction to this region. I identify more closely with American Indians than I do with the early explorers, so I could have done with a little less of the Lewis and Clark story; but I’m sure that anyone with an interest in that particular part of American history would have loved all the connections to that famous expedition.
Glacier Bay Cruiselines is based in Alaska and does similar kayaking cruises off the coast of Alaska that I am now planning for next summer. I’ve flown into Anchorage once and have hiked up to a glacier in Glacier Park, but I’d love to kayak up to them and see the great Artic wild life from a boat. I can’t wait!
Paula
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Amanda Miller
October 6, 2005 12:40 PM | Link to this
Hi Paula
I’m editing a story now from a couple of AJC staffers who took a kayak tour of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington this summer and had a blast. (the story will run Oct. 23)
Adventure travel is an excellent way to meet new friends, especially if you’re traveling solo. The two San Juan adventurers, who teamed up for this trip, have done numerous solo trips with groups, including dog-sledding and hiking.
Some of my friends also have taken special interest cruises or trips and found built-in friends with common interests. One went solo on a ballroom dance cruise; another combined cruising and a bridge tournament. Both had a great time.
Amanda