Travel Highlights of 2011

Sometimes when we think about travel, we forget that exploring a local attraction can be a quick and easy way to benefit from a quick getaway. Don't write off locations within a days drive. I guess we just need to make a point to schedule it into our calendar along with exercise, cleaning, and rest! I spent the last year dreaming about exciting adventures I would love to take throughout the world, but I understand that I must pace myself! I also need time and money!!

These are the highlights worth mentioning and I recommend you visit if you get the chance! January 2011 kicked off with a trip to Napa, CA to visit my favorite wineries. A special one I take families to visit is Castello di Amoroso. This genuine castle is worth the tour and the wine isn't bad either! February brought us to South Lake Tahoe where we went skiing and snow mobiling with good friends. In early March, my husband, Jason, and I took a drive to the CA coast and went hiking in Bodega Bay. We saw many whales putting on a show for us very close to shore. The sun was warm, the sky was pure blue, and the little restaurant along the water was perfect. In the first week of April, we suprised my family by showing up at the beach house in Sandestin, FL. This area in the Gulf of Mexico has white sand sugar beaches and the perfect amount of sunshine and relaxation needed to call it a Winter's Break! (A drink worth mentioning was a mix of orange vodka, canned mandarines with juice, ice, and I think a little sprite~ a little local beach bar made it up and it was so refreshing!) Our CA Spring Break was in late April and because we knew we only had two months left to live in CA, we drove Highway 1 down the coast to San Diego. My favorites were Big Sur (some of it was closed due to a major mud slide! so sad), the Elephant Seal beaches, and Santa Barbara. I enjoyed San Diego and would like to go back and explore more of the area. Before the packers came to load up our household goods, we drove to a local coastal town called Half Moon Bay and went kayaking and had lunch. Yes, the cost of living in CA is high, but the weather is worth the price! You can pretty much plan to do something outside every day of the year!! We made a couple trips on BART to San Francisco (we LOVE this city and my recommendation is going to a show called: Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Fugazi in North Beach!)
Our home was empty by late June and we flew to Hawaii for my Sailing reunion. Because we lived there for five years, we had a blast revisiting our favorite spots (one to mention is sailing in Kaneohe Bay to the Sandbar). I will do a Hawaii Blog in the future for those that are interested in visiting the islands. After spending the 4th of July in Hawaii, we flew back to CA and loaded up the car for our drive from CA to NJ! We made a summer stop at Lake Tahoe (I love this place so much regardless of the season!) We stopped at Salt Lake City and made a visit to the Temple Square downtown. We stopped in the library and found a 1930 census of my grandparents! Did I mention that we are traveling with a Golden Retriever? Our next stop was Denver, CO to stay with Jason's brother. We were there all weekend and his mom and niece and nephew from Indiana flew out too. We went white water rafting and found out that our class 3-4 trip qualified as class 5+ because the water level was SO high and the rapids were insane. We had to pull the raft out a couple time to survive! Next, we headed to Omaha, NE and then to Kokomo, IN for a week with all the family. After family time were back on the road and we stayed in Triadelphia, WV and finally ended at Fort Dix, NJ. While househunting and taking care of the pets (lizard and goldfish too) and kids, and a mixture of 3 different hotels in the area, we found a beach apartment on the Jersey Shore in Ocean Grove. This is a historic town with Victorian Homes and a beautiful boardwalk. We were forced to evacuate early due to Hurricane Irene and then found out our dog had fleas. Great. We found a VET to treat her sores (she was on fleavmedicine but the bites caused hot spots). We finally moved into our home on SEPT 1st. Within a month I took Hannah to Indiana to visit her sister at Purdue University and we went to the Purdue-Notre Dame Football game. I met the family of one of the Irish players who lives in NJ! In OCT, we had a visit from my mom and mother-in-law and we took a day trip to Cape May. This is a beautiful beach town at the southern tip of NJ. We also made a visit to NYC and toured the SEPT 9/11 Memorial. We spent November in Indiana for Thanksgiving with all the family. Early DEC I went to Florida for more training with the cruise lines and escorted tour agencies. I spent a seminar at sea on Carnival sailing to the Bahamas. The Purvis family finished the year with a trip to Philadelphia and NYC to see the holiday shows and lights!
It's early 2012 and I am ready to help plan anyone's future getaways!! I have some ideas of my own too. If you are interested in any details of anything I mentioned, please ask; I love to share! Happy New Year!!