Tag: travel

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Somewhere in Middle America (Omaha)

The family and I have been wanting to go to the College World Series in Nebraska for several years now. We’d planned before but always had to cancel. This year, we pulled the trigger again and actually succeeded. If you’re hoping to go, regardless of which teams make it, here’s your guide.

Buy everything early!!! We booked our plane tickets on Southwest in January when they were still cheap. We actually flew in and out of of Kansas City, which is only about 2.5 hours south. It was cheaper and faster than trying to fly to Omaha, at least from New Orleans.

Same thing goes for our hotel. We booked in January, and the options were still limited and expensive. We paid $300/night for a Home2 Suites that was about 15 minutes from the stadium. I checked about a week prior to the first game to see if anything better was available, and by then, the cheapest rooms that any Hilton brand had were $700.

When we bought the tickets, LSU was ranked #2 in the country and Kentucky was #17. Neither made it. While that was disappointing in one sense, it was nice to go a simply enjoy ourselves rather than stressing over the success of our teams. We bought all of our tickets from resale vendors, and at the time, they weren’t crazy expensive. We spent about $100/ticket for five people for three games

We arrived in Omaha just before the start of the second game of the tournament on Friday evening. Parking would have been crazy, but we had the foresight to purchase parking from StubHub, so we were able to get in and out pretty easily.

It’s noteworthy that the parking lots nearby host several tailgates, including more than one for LSU, even though the team itself was not present.

All three games we attended were a ton of fun. An interesting aspect of the early CWS rounds is that the stadium is very split. About 25% of the fans are for one team, 25% the other, and 50% are just there to be there. The stadium itself is great, and while it doesn’t have the same amenities that a big league park has, there are plenty of food and drink options. You should research these yourself before and remember to get your ID checked once your inside. If you get in line for a beer without a wristband, you’ll have to get right back out, go to an ID station, then get back in line.

Outside the stadium, there are several family friendly, and baseball-specific, things to do. There’s a ballpark village with all sorts of interactive vendors that our 14 year old ball player loved. There’s also a fan area that has activities for younger kids, like a ferris wheel.

Aside from going to the actual games, there are some fun things to do in Omaha. We had planned to go to Treerush, a ropes course nearby, but weather changed our plans. It looks like a lot of fun though, and a nice way to knock out the morning, as the first games don’t start until 2 pm.

There’s also an NPS site, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. This site actually spans 14 states, but the spot in Omaha is cool. It includes a bridge that crosses the Missouri and allows you to walk between Nebraska and Iowa. We took advantage of this on Saturday morning, completing the 50/50 states quest for Alyson, Eileen and JR.

There are also a lot of fun places to eat, of which was sampled several. Rocco’s Pizza and Cantina is the iconic home of the jello shots. We went, keeping the minors outside, and took a shot. They were pretty gross, and I understand the food is mediocre, but it seemed like something we couldn’t miss.

Before the first game on Saturday, we ate at Blatt Beer & Table, which is right next to the stadium, and unsurprisingly packed. The food is nothing amazing, but it is a fun atmosphere.

Our last meal was at Caddy’s Brunch Bar, which is actually in Council Bluffs, Nebraska. We had a great breakfast there, and it made it feel a little more legit that we had a meal in Iowa, rather than just a few minutes in the car and a few steps on a bridge.

I think you’ve got to be a pretty big baseball fan or have a dog in the hunt to really want to go to Omaha, but if either of those describes you, you should put the College World Series on your list. It is a great, unique experience.

Next up for the Traveling Igoes is a river cruise starting in Munich and ending in Budapest. Stay tuned…

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A Soggy Memorial Day (Cummins Falls, Chattanooga and Helen, GA)

This year, my son’s 8th grade class took a retreat to San Antonio for Memorial Day, so the rest of us decided it might be a fun time to get out of town. We love New Orleans, but we also love getting away from it, so when we found cheap flights, we jumped at the opportunity.

We found affordable, well timed flights into Nashville and out of Atlanta, and there are several things on my list of must-see places in the area, so it seemed liked the right fit. We flew into Nashville on Friday evening, grabbed a rental car and drove to Cookeville, TN. For the purposes of this blog, I’ll break things down into the three main areas that we stayed.

Stop 1

Our first stop was really to visit only one place, Cummins Falls. This is a really impressive waterfall at a state park of the same name about 20 minutes north of Cookeville (about 1.5 hours east of Nashville). There are a few things to keep in mind before you go. First, you’ll need a reservation for each person in your party, at $6/head. We booked online in advance (although no one ever checked).

The website says that the hike to the base of falls can be treacherous, and suggests durable water shoes. A life jacket, which they will provide, is also required for kids under 12. Lastly, they hike to the base of the falls is often closed due to weather conditions in fear of a flash flood. Unfortunately, this was the case when we visited.

The good news is that there is a shorter hike to an overlook that still offers great views of a really impressive waterfall. I will admit that we were disappointed in not being able to visit the base, but it was actively raining, so we weren’t surprised.

Stop 2

Our next stop took us another two hours east (and into a new time zone) to Chattanooga. If you’ve never been, this is definitely one that should go on your list. Stuck right into a set of mountains, it has a wonderful small town feel with all the amenities of a well developed metro.

Our first stop was a really unique tourist attraction called Rock City. We booked reservations in advance, with a specific arrival time, but arrived almost two hours early. The people who work there were more than happy to help us adjust our tickets so as to not have to wait.

Situated on top of a mountain, Rock City has take several great natural formations and incorporated several family friendly activities. Admittedly, they have added a lot of artificial fun, but it was still fun. There are several caves, slot canyons and waterfalls. There are also great views, a storybook land and little gnomes hidden throughout.

There’s a nice set of restaurants at the top, so you can make a solid day of it. We probably spent less then three hours here, but we could have stayed for more if we didn’t have other plans.

Chattanooga also offers several great hikes. There’s a NPS site, the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. It’s Civil War site but has been well-developed and has some great trails. We hiked the Glen Falls Trail, which is about 2 miles round trip, with the back half being entirely along a great river in which you can swim. It’s a great trail, but parking is really limited, and the trail itself is treacherous, especially when wet (Alyson, Clara and I all fell).

From there, we made our way to Ruby Falls, which was at the top of my list for must-visit places in Tennessee. Again, this is a heavily tourist-ed attraction, but it is worth your time. Buy timed tickets in advance but get there a few minutes early. The let us take a tour about 30 minutes before our allotted time, and we had a nice local beer while we waited.

The cave is well developed, the tour takes just over an hour, and there is an amazing underground waterfall at the end. If I were to critique Ruby Falls at all, it would be that they let way too many people into the cave at a time. There was a lot of standing to the side to let a group pass, and getting out on the one elevator at the end took almost half an hour. They let in groups of 40 at a time, but really should limit it to more like 20, but I suppose that’s how business works.

That evening, we ate at Tailgate Beer, a brewery that also offers great pizzas. It is in a really cool area of downtown Chattanooga and has a great two story outdoor space. If we lived there, I feel like we’d spend a ton of time in this area.

The next morning, before we left, we hit the last major tourist attraction in Chattanooga, the Incline Railway. If you’ve taken an incline before, then you’ll know what this is, as they all seem to be more or less the same. This one gets really steep, and reportedly offers great views at the top. It was very overcast during our visit, so I can’t say for sure, but the experience is fun, albeit kind of kitschy.

Stop 3

Our final destination took us about two hours south to Helen, an adorable little Bavarian town hidden in the north Georgia foothills. The city has done a really nice job of maintaining its German identity while still offering modern amenities. It has definitely gotten very touristy, but is a lot more manageable than a place say, Gatlinburg.

We got there at around noon and immediately headed for Cool River Tubing. We had booked in advance, so were quickly able to get on the bus to tube the Chattahoochie. A nice thing about Cool River is that they offer regular, 1 hour tube rides, so it is very convenient. For those of you that tube a lot, you know it can become a bit monotonous, but on such a short ride, that wasn’t a problem. The river also moves quite briskly, so it is a really enjoyable ride.

After that, we hopped on board the Georgia Mountain Coaster. If you’ve ridden more than one alpine coaster in your life, you’ll realize that they are more or less all the same, which was confirmed by the one in Helen. It did include a ride up on the coaster, which is somewhat unique, but the line was over an hour, so only debatably worth it.

That night, we had a very authentic German meal at The Heidelberg, and Alyson and I grabbed an after-dinner drink at Big Daddy’s and Paul’s Margarita Deck. There are several interesting places to eat and drink in town; if only we’d had more time.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the are has ample great hiking trails. Our first stop was Anna Ruby Falls, which I would say was my favorite part of the whole trip. This a very well developed, short trail in a National Forest. The hike isn’t long, but it is pretty steep all the way up. It is certainly worth it though. The payoff is two towering waterfalls that come together to form a roiling river.

Before we left, we also hit the Dukes Creek Trail, which is about two miles, but downhill to start (boo). It is actually similar to Anna Ruby in that it ends in the confluence of two impressive waterfalls. I preferred the former, but both trails are totally worth your time.

We had a really great Tennessee/Georgia experience, and I was able to cross three things off of my list. Next up for us is a short trip to Omaha for some baseball (and to get Alyson, Eileen and Clara their 49th and 50th states).

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Detroit, Tigers and Jesus

After the Pirates’ game, we headed straight out of town on the way to Detroit. The cities are about four hours apart, so it’s not the simplest trip, but we stayed overnight in Akron which is more or less in between.

I am going to be totally honest, I went into to Detroit expecting (possibly hoping) to hate it. Growing up as a Blues fan in St. Louis, I detested the Red Wings but that rivalry has fizzled. I am quite pleased to say that we had a very nice experience.

It feels as though Detroit is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. It is not finished, as there is work going on everywhere, but what has been done so far was quite nice.

What We Did:

Joe Lewis Fist: In downtown Detroit, there is an homage to the legendary pugilist Joe Lewis. It’s is basically a forearm making a fist and reminded me a bit, conceptually, as the Bean in Chicago. There’s very little to do there, but it’s something to see. It’s also right by the riverfront, across from which you can ogle Windsor, Canada.

Buddy’s Pizza: We ate at the one near the ballpark, which is not the original, but was still really good. It was hoping right before the game, and Detroit-style pizza is one of my favorites.

Tigers’ Game: Same as above, I went in with very low expectations for the Tigers and was pleasantly surprised. While the stadium is not as amazing as Pittsburgh, it is built in the same fashion, with an open centerfield that features the cityscape. It is also very kid friendly, with several areas that include carousels and ferris wheels. Oh, and for you St. Louisans, they’ve got a beer hall that serves classic T-Ravs.

Belle Isle: In the middle of the Detroit River stands a moderately sized island that has a lot for the family We went there on Sunday, and technically, there is a charge to enter, but no one asked us. The Isle has a huge slide, a golf course and a lighthouse, amongst other things. We spent out time at the aquarium, which is definitely a throwback. It might not be super PETA friendly, but our family enjoyed it. The Isle is getting a lot of work done, much like the city itself, so in the future, it will probably be an even better stop.

Easter Mass: This part of the blog is for those of you that are interested in my thought on Easter church services, so likely very few of you. I will try to be brief but feel free to hop past. We went to a 9 am service at the St. Joseph Shrine and frankly, I did not enjoy it. To begin, it was a Latin mass, and I like the Latin, but I did not like this. Evidently, it was a traditional Latin mass, where the priest faces away from us the entire time, was not mic’d and did not address the congregation. It felt like I was watching mass, rather than celebrating.

The homily, which I did not realize was happening, as I was quite lost, began with several minutes of parish announcements. It is hard enough to keep people’s attention and starting with info about the upcoming gala is not a good start.

The congregation itself was very unusual. There was an oddly large number of veiled parishioners, including children, and it felt like almost everyone had at least four children under the age of 8.

I understand that the Latin mass is growing in popularity, and I love the Latin, but I also want to participate. I believe the numbers about the popularity are skewed. Most cities have only one or two Latin services/week, so the fact that they are well attended might have to do more with scarcity than demand but enough of my soap box. The church itself was gorgeous.

San Morello: For brunch afterwards, we ate at a nice place near the hotel. We were skeptical, as the brunch menu didn’t look super kid friendly, but the food was really good and the kids were happy.

Next stop for us is an impromptu Memorial Day trip to Tennessee and Georgia; stay tuned…

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A Home Opener in Pittsburgh

This year for Easter, we decided to make another ballpark trip. We caught two games, one in Pittsburgh and one in Detroit. For the purposes of the blog (again), I am going to break it into two posts, starting with the Steel City.

We left New Orleans on Friday morning, and had some travel complications, so didn’t arrive until about 2 pm. We had a few things planned, but since we lost about an hour and a half, and the Pirates’ game started at 4, we had to abbreviate our plans.

What We Did:

Pittsburgh Incline: The city has a pretty fun incline that only costs a few dollars (cash only). The top has great views of the city and a lot of cool restaurants and bars. We unintentionally parks at the top, so rode down, then back up. I recommend doing it the other direction. We were hopeful that we could park there and walk to the game, but it’s too far.

Pirates’ Game: If you’ve ever seen PNC Park on TV, you know that it’s pretty impressive, but what you see on TV does not do it justice. The Pirates’ park is spectacular. The views of the city and the river are incredible, and they’ve done a great job of integrating the stadium into the city. If you drive a few blocks away, things change fast, and the teams has been only arguably competitive for several decades, but they got it right with the stadium. I think this is 18th home team that I’ve seen, and I would definitely put PNC park in my top 5.

Aside from this, we had very little time for much else, as we headed straight out after the game for a hotel on the way to Detroit. Pittsburgh’s got several breweries that we hoped to visit and an interesting downtown, but that’s the way it goes. Onwards to Detroit…

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That’s One Big Bend

This year for Mardi Gras, we decided to pull the trigger and head to the southern border, and visit Big Bend National Park. We had been hesitant about the time of year because Texas got a really bad snow storm over Mardi Gras a few years back. Thankfully, that is a rarity, and we had terrific weather (lows in the 50s, highs in the 80s).

We flew into Midland, which is a solid 3+ hour drive, but it is the closest major airport. Something to in mind is that there are plans to renovate the Chisos Basin area in the near future, which will shut down much of the park. Those plans have been pushed several times though, so check before making any plans. Something else to consider is that, evidently, Homeland Security has plans to build part of the border wall directly through the park.

Politics aside, I hope that this doesn’t come to fruition. It would mar much of the natural beauty and would render certain excursions no longer possible. This is not an area where illegal crossings occur, as there is nothing on either side of the border for several hundred miles. If it does come to pass, much of what we did might not be available, so keep that in mind.

What We Did

River Tour: We used a group called Big Bend Boating and Hiking, which offers all sorts of excursions, including several river tours. We did a half day tour that actually started in Big Bend State Park. We canoed through Dark Canyon for about two hours, bouncing back and forth between the US and Mexico side. It was a great time, and a great way to see a lot of the area.

Boquillas Mexico Tour: One of the best things to do is visit the small town of Boquillas just across the Rio Grande. You can do this on your own or go with a guide. We used the same company that took us boating. We first did a short 1.5 mile hike in Boquillas canyon, which was optional, but also a very nice introduction to the area. You get ferried across the river, which is only about two feet deep and then have the option to walk, ride a truck or ride a burrow about half a mile into town.

Once you get into town, there are plenty of little shops to buy souvenirs, a few restaurants and a couple of other touristy things. We ate at Jose Falcons (goat tacos), which was excellent. Our son took the opportunity to drive golf balls from the back of a small Mexican’s house into the desert.

I strongly recommend you take the donkeys, and don’t forget to bring a pretty decent amount of cash and your passports.

Hiking: There are all sorts of trails of various lengths, so I recommend doing a lot of research into what makes the most sense for you.

The Window Trail is one of the most popular trails in the park. You can start from the normal trailhead or the amphitheater trailhead, which has more parking. The amphitheater route is a bit shorter, but you end up walking from the lot about 3 tenths of a mile. The round trip, out and back is about 5 miles one way or the other. The payoff at the end is really interesting, but you should keep in mind that this a downhill out, so on the way back, be prepared to walk back up.

The Lost Mine Trail is another very popular trail, and probably the one with the most difficult parking. We went by at around 8:30 am, and the very small parking lot was already full. This was when we did the Window Trail, but on the way out, a spot opened up, so we decided to pull the trigger on the Lost Mine as well. This made our day of hiking over 10 miles, but it was worth it.

The Lost Mine Trail is great. It’s relatively strenuous on the way, but the payoff at the top is spectacular. While I enjoyed the Window, the windblown landscape at the top of the Lost Mine Trail is nothing short of spectacular.

Also in this area, Chisos Basin, is the Window View Trail. Be sure not to confuse these, as one is about 4 tenths of a mile and the other quite a bit more. We did both, just to knock everything in Chisos out. It’s an easy, paved loop, and we actually saw a small herd of deer, so for us, it was worth it.

The Grapevine Hill Trail is outside of Chisos off the main road, and requires that you have an adequate vehicle. We were in a Suburban, which was fine, and probably overkill. I am not sure a 4WD, high clearance vehicle is actually necessary, but I wouldn’t have felt comfortable in a Honda Civic. The trail is pretty fun. It is a very graduate incline for the 1 mile way out, culminating in a rock scramble that leads to Balance Rock. If you’ve got a car that can handle it and enjoy a good climb, I definitely recommend it.

The Tuff Canyon Overlook really isn’t a hike, but a very short path with a few canyon overlooks. It is worth it if you’re taking the Ross Maxwell Drive, as the canyon is pretty cool

The same thing goes for the Mule Ears Overlook and the Sotol Vista Overlook. Neither is really a trail, but there are some really nice views. We weren’t there at the right time, but I think Sotol would be a great place to watch the sunset.

The Santa Elena Canyon trail was my favorite of the trip. At the end of the Ross Maxwell Drive, there’s a great trail with decent parking that takes you into the canyon itself. If you’re an All Trails user, keep your eyes open. For one, it is not 1.6 miles but more like 2.5, and two, the trail on the app isn’t super accurate.

You take the trail over the beach, then cross a rock bridge over an offshoot of the river and climb up a few switch backs. On the way back down, you go through several tunnels of tall grass that really block out any sound and are almost eerie. At the end, you can walk out onto several rock formations that give great views deep into the canyon. This trail is not to be missed.

Where We Stayed

Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa: I know this sounds fancy, and it kind of was, but we had a very nice experience. The positives are that the resort is well done, has a few restaurants, a pool, a bar and ice cream. The negative is that it’s a good 45 minutes to the park entrance. We looked at other options which I’ll discuss, but even with the distance, we found this worked best for us.

In the small town of Terlingua, there are a few motels and lodges, but none of them looked very nice. There are also several AirBnB options, like igloos and tent style tiny homes. The reason we passed on these is that most didn’t have their own restrooms. The ones that did were super expensive

There is also a lodge in Chisos Basin, which is open at the moment but is planned to be remodeled. They appears very rustic, but certainly would be the most convenient if you were willing to eat most of your meals in the park.

Where We Ate

Believe it or not, there are several really good restaurants in the Terlingua area, which as mentioned, is about halfway between Big Bend and Lajitas.

Upon arrival, we stopped at the Starlight Theater, by far the most popular restaurant in the area. It’s housed in a remodeled adobe building, and they have expanded to include a general store and an outdoor bar. It opens at 4:30 pm and evidently, if you want to eat right away, you need to get there at 4. When we arrived, we were told it would be an hour and half plus wait, so we visited the store, went to the bar and ordered a few drinks, along with chips and queso.

The wait turned out to be less than 45 minutes, so don’t be put off. The experience was incredible, 5 stars, but the food is probably only 3.5 stars or so. Everything was good, and they’ve got great local offerings like antelope and quail, but it wasn’t the best food of the trip.

Long Draw Pizza is probably the second busiest restaurant in the area, and is actually just a bit outside of Terlingua. It was mostly full when we arrived, and a lot of the seating is communal, but we did not have to wait long. This was my favorite meal of the trip. The pizza was great, the beer was cold, and we went after our 10 mile hike day. It’s hard to beat a pizza after a long day on the trails.

On our third night, we ate at High Sierra Bar and Grill. This is part of a hotel, and the food was good, but it was definitely the meal we enjoyed the least. It’s kind of an odd place staffed by odd people, but we had a nice experience.

DB’s Rustic BBQ was our last stop, and it was great. There was live music, the people were very friendly, and the food was classic Texas BBQ (don’t skip the sausage).

What We Didn’t Do

We had at one point booked a UTV tour of the area, but it was canceled for insurance reasons. Had we wanted, we could have booked with another company and fudged on Clara’s age, but we felt we were already pushing it to see everything within the park itself.

We were hoping to eat at Taqueria el Milago, the reportedly best Mexican restaurant in town, but when we arrived, we realized it was BYOB, and we didn’t bring any. I get this makes it seem like we might have a problem, but sometimes all you want after a long day of hiking is an ice cold beer.

The one trail that we didn’t get to, about which I’d heard great things, was the Upper Burro Mesa Trail. If we’d had one more day, it would have been a nice 3.6 mile hike, but we simply couldn’t find the right time.

If the mood strikes you to drive south into the desert, I strongly recommend you stop at Big Bend. It is really nothing short of spectacular and has something for everyone. Plan ahead, as you’ll want to know if Chisos is open or closed and if someone split the park in two with a huge wall. I think if Chisos had been closed, we would have waited, but even without it, there’s still a lot to do.

Next up for the Traveling Igoes is our annual Easter/baseball trip. We’ll be flying into Pittsburgh and out of Detroit, so stay tuned.

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In God’s Country (Joshua Tree)

To close out our California New Year’s trip, we left the Los Angeles area and head east towards a new National Park for us, Joshua Tree. If you are wondering where the name comes from, early Mormon settlers thought the trees resembled Joshua reaching out to the Lord.

Being honest, I went in with very low expectations. Research did not reveal a lot of amazing things to do, but it did seem like a park we could manage in a day. All that said, Joshua Tree over-delivered. For a family with kids our age (18, 14 and 5), it was basically an outdoor playground. I don’t think we took a hike longer than two miles, and that was only because we stopped and scrambled at every opportunity.

I’ll outline below what we did, where we stayed and where we ate, but Joshua Tree is an easy park with lots of places to rock climb, boulder and just enjoy the outdoors.

What We Did:

Visitors Centers: This is always an important stop. We got our books stamped and got some advice from the rangers as to what we shouldn’t miss. That said, we never made it to the Cottonwood Visitors Center. It’s a trek, and there wasn’t much there we wanted to see. If you come up from Palm Springs, that’s a good best, but if you’re entering from the North, it might not be worth the hour round-trip.

Hidden Valley: This is one of the most popular spots in JTNP, so get there early, as parking is pretty limited. There is a nice hike, under two miles, that takes you through the basics of the park. I thought it was cool and a great intro trail, but it was none of our favorites.

Arch Rock and Heart Rock: This is another very popular feature, so don’t be surprised when you struggle for parking. Once you find it though, and you will, as people are constantly coming and going, you’ll enjoy yourselves. It’s about a mile walk out. You’ll find Heart Rock to your left and Arch Rock to your right(ish). The paths are marked, kind of, but just follow the crowds; it’s worth it.

Skull Rock: This feature is super-cool and right off the road. You do not have to hike at all if don’t want to, but you will have to wait for a photo op. If you go beyond the rock just a bit, you’ll get to some of the best areas in the park for scrambling.

Hall of Horrors: This is an area just beyond Hidden Valley that has several small but fun rock clusters. If you want to find the ‘slot canyon’, you need to go back beyond the first cluster straight back from the parking lot and go to the one behind it. This whole area is fun to climb, but the slot canyon is not all that great and hard to find. It might not be worth looking if you can’t find it right away.

Cholla Cactus Garden: This is a nice area on the way to the south end of the park where it changes from the Mojave to the Colorado. It’s a unique geological distinction, and the Cholla cacti are really cool when the sunset hits.

Barker Dam: This was my favorite part of the park. About a 1.5 mile loop, this trail goes by an old dam, so there is scrambling, hiking and water. We were the during an unusually wet time of the year, so perhaps we were lucky, but I thought it was beautiful.

Where We Ate:

Joshua Tree Saloon: Great atmosphere, solid food, and we got in and out quite quickly. Very family friendly and open late enough

JT Country Kitchen: We had breakfast here on our way out. We were lucky to get five seats, as it was regularly busy. It’s basic breakfast food, and it is done really well.

Pappy and Harriet’s: This place is bananas. We tried to go on arrival from LA, at about 7:30, and were told it would be 2 hours and 45 minutes. We got there at 5:30 the next night and were told it would 1 hour and 15 minutes. We decided to stay, and it was really only like 40 minutes. It was an awesome experience, maybe my favorite part of our trip. The food is good, but the atmosphere is remarkable. Make the effort…

Where We Stayed:

AirBNB: We stayed in a fun place near the park. I think this is the way to go. It wasn’t super expensive and our host was very gracious.

Like I said, I went in with low expectations and was basically blown away. This is definitely a park that can be done in one day but don’t sleep on it. For older kids and younger adults, it is a great place to scramble.

Next up for us is Big Bend, and I couldn’t be more excited. Fingers-crossed about the weather in South Texas in February…

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A California Adventure

On our second and final day in Disneyland, we visited California Adventure, which has fewer rides overall but is more geared towards older park goers. The two parks rotate which one opens half an hour early, so we got in line in time to rope drop and went straight to the Pixar area and got in line for the Cars ride. It’s the one ride in the park that can’t be Lightning Lane’d (unless you pay), so getting there early is a must.

Overall, our five year old did very well with the bigger rides. She was too short to ride the IncrediCoaster, but beyond that, she jumped on everything. We knew we were leaving earlier than the day prior, so we decided not to bother stacking Lightning Lanes, and we still managed to ride everything that was available.

Radiator Springs Racer: This ride is fantastic, but as mentioned, can only be Lightning Lane’d if you pay. We went straight to line and had to wait about 30 minutes, but most of the rest of the day, the line was over 2 hours. I recommend you knock this one out first; it is really well done and a lot of fun.

Golden Zephyr: This is a nice filler ride. It is basically a different take on a classic ‘swing’ ride. It’s fun, and the line is usually pretty short.

Grizzly River Run: This was one of our favorite rides of the day, and we rode multiple times (possibly because the line was usually short). It is a variation on a log flume; you ride in a seven seater tube rather than a canoe. You should expect to get wet, but it’s a lot of fun and the line moves quickly

Guardians of the Galaxy: This is one of California Adventure’s most popular rides. It is basically the Tower of Terror, re-imagined with Rocket Raccoon. Disney did a really good job of incorporating the Guardians theme, and considering what I remember of Tower of Terror, it is far more exhilarating than it is scary, perhaps because it is not mostly indoors.

IncrediCoaster: Evidently, this is a fantastic roller coaster. My wife and older two kids loved it, including my son, who was nervous about the one loop. Clara couldn’t ride, so we spent our time elsewhere, but JR and Eileen managed to get on three times in a short day.

Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: This is a nice balloon-style swing ride. It is definitely more geared towards the little ones, but the line moves quickly, and it is definitely fun. Clara and I rode it a second time while the big kids went on the roller coaster.

Jessie’s Critter Carousel: This is basically just a standard carousel, which I do not think should be prioritized during a Disney visit, but it did the trick for Clara and I when the big kids were riding elsewhere.

Jumpin’ Jellyfish: This is another fun, filler ride geared towards the little ones. It’s an up and down ride, kind of like a kiddie version of Tower of Terror. Clara loved it, but the big kids skipped it.

Little Mermaid: This ride is fun, but the animatronics feel out of date. Also, the line can get very long, and I do not feel it is worth an hour long wait. We got to it early and didn’t have to wait at all, but we didn’t go back in the afternoon when it got slammed.

Monster’s Inc: We Lightning Lane’d this one, and I thought it was fun. You are basically zipping through the Monster’s world. I wouldn’t put it at the top of our list or say it’s a must ride, but the animation is really good.

Soarin’ Around the World: This is a pretty cool ride that simulates flying all over the world. It’s lovely and fun, but not particularly exhilarating, and the line was always super long.

Toy Story Midway Mania: This is a classic shooter, spinning ride. It was a little difficult for Clara, as the concept was a bit above her, but the big kids thought it was worth the relatively short wait.

We were unable to ride Webslingers and Goofy, due to them being shut down most of the day. This, evidently, is not all that rare, so you can’t let it get you down. You’ve got to just make the best of it.

We had a great time at California Adventure, and I think the big kids’ favorite ride was the IncrediCoaster. That, there seemed to be more to do in Magic Kingdom, so overall, I think we preferred that.

From here, we went back to the classic Igoe trip and drove East out of LA en route to Joshua Tree. I’ll cover that next, but just want to leave with the thought that though Disney is expensive and hectic, it is a lot of fun, and the Disneyland experience can definitely be done in two packed days.

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A Magical Kingdom for New Years

For those of you who have been waiting patiently, we are back. After a hiatus from personal travel plans in order to focus on family events, like Parents’ Weekend at UK, Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Traveling Igoes finally got back on the road. Since our kids’ new schools all have different Fall breaks, we were unable to take the usual fall trip. To supplement, we took a trip over the Christmas break, New Years in particular. It is a busy time to travel, but we had a great experience and will likely continue it for at leas the near future.

This year, we jetted from New Orleans to southern California and took on Disneyland and Joshua Tree NP. For the purposes of the blog, I am going to break the trip into three posts, so for all two of you that are following along, you’re welcome.

We left Louisiana in the evening on New Years Eve and made it to our hotel in Disneyland (Frontier Tower of the Disneyland Hotel) at about 7 pm. We had reservation at Goofy’s Kitchen for 8:30, hoping that would give us enough time to get settled and to dinner (which it did).

We made a reservation, but it was still kind of first come, first serve anyway. It’s hard to explain; it is worth it to make the reservation in advance, but you should still be prepared to wait. The food at Goofy’s is served buffet style (except the beer) and is actually pretty good (for a buffet). From pizza to chicken to pasta to desserts, we all found something we wanted to eat, and at these prices, you’ll want to go back for as many servings as you can stomach. For five of us, including tip, it was almost $500, but you’ve got to go into a Disney trip knowing that you’ll be taking a hit.

The best part of Goofy’s Kitchen was watching our five year old interact with the characters. She is just the right age and was hilarious telling Pluto that he is a good boy and telling Minnie that she will keep this day in her heart forever. Yeah, it cost a shit-ton of for basically cafeteria food, but seeing Clara’s reactions was worth (almost) every penny.

I am not going to delve too much deeper into the food. The rest of the days in the park, we pretty much just ate on the go. My eldest discovered (via TikTok) that the best way to maximize your ride time is to order food online through the Disneyland App so that there is no waiting, and she was right. The food in the parks is still expensive, but much less so than the actual ‘formal’ restaurants.

Now to the important part, the rides. For this entry, we’ll focus on just the rides in Magic Kingdom. On our first day, this was our stop. We went early, as this park rotates with California Adventure as to which opens half an hour earlier. We got in line in time to rope drop, which probably got us one or two extra rides. We also purchased the upgraded Lightning Lane tickets, which allows you to skip (most of) the line for certain rides once/day.

One suggestion I make before we dive into the rides is that you figure out how to stack your Lightning Lanes. It is basically, starting with one, then pushing it all the way back to the end of your day, then filling in the afternoon as your day goes. If you’re interested, I suggest you have your teen watch several TikToks about it and handle it for you. Now, for what we rode:

Space Mountain: We hit this first, right after rope drop, and were lucky enough to be able to ride it again later in the day. What an awesome roller coaster! It is smooth, fast and fun. Most of us, including the five year old, thought it was the best ride of the day. The older kids, who stayed until close, rode it a third time. Go early though, and check often, as this line can get over two hours long.

Dumbo: This is the classic Disney attraction. It is not all that thrilling, but the lines are not usually terrible, Clara loved it, and even the older kids had a good time.

Jungle Cruise: I love the Jungle Cruise. This 8 minute ride that usually comes with a 30 minute wait is probably only worth doing once, but it is fun to cruise around, see the animatronics and listen to the guide’s non-sense.

Pirates of the Caribbean: This is another classic that didn’t fail to deliver. The big kids rode it twice, since they stayed late, but we all loved it. Clara was a little scared, but at the end, she said she had a great time. This is another one to get to early, as the lines get super long.

Haunted Mansion: We were there for the Christmas theme, which is A Nightmare Before Christmas, which is not actually as fun as the classic theme, but it was still a good time. The animations are great. This line gets long, but not quite as quickly, so prioritize it for the morning, but after rides like Space Mountain and Pirates.

Indiana Jones: This was the one ride in Magic Kingdom for which Clara was too short (48 inches), so Alyson and the big kids rode, and loved it. Again, go and wait in the morning, then Lightning Lane in the afternoon. While Clara and I waited, we played around the Swiss Family Treehouse. It’s actually not called that anymore, but it was very age appropriate.

Big Thunder Mountain: This is a classic that we did not get to in the morning, but Lightning Lane’d at night. It’s bumpy, but a lot of fun. At nighttime, it is really cool; you get a great view of the entire park lit up.

It’s a Small World: This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think I hate this ride. You wait in line interminably to listen the same fucking song thirteen times in a row. I know it’s a classic, but I could certainly live without it. The best part of Small World is when they light up the outside at night.

Tiana’s Bayou: Absolutely awesome! This is the reworking of Splash Mountain, and it is fantastic. The ride itself is a lot of fun (but prepare to get wet), and Disney has done a great integrating the Princess and Frog theme. This is another one to ride early, then stack a Lightning Lane for the afternoon.

Peter Pan: This is another classic that always has a long line and cannot be Lightning Lane’d. Walt said this was his favorite ride, which perhaps is why the line always 45 minutes-plus, but it is worth it, if only for nostalgia purposes.

Winnie-the-Pooh: This is a fun, filler ride, especially for the little ones. It’s a great one to knock out while you are waiting for your next Lightning Lane to come up.

Mad Tea Party: This is another good filler ride that usually has short lines. I made the point that if we were going to skip anything, it out to be the tea cups, as they are not unique to Disney, but I lost that argument.

King Arthur Carousel: Cut and paste Tea Party comments.

Autopia: This is a fun one. The line is usually long, but not so long that you’d want the Lightning it. The younger kids think they are actually driving, even though there is little one can do to actually control the cars other than take one’s foot on and off the gas.

Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters: This is one of the interactive rides where the car comes with two ‘blasters’ that you can use to rack up points shooting aliens. I believe we used a Lightning Lane for this in the late morning after we had stacked all the big rides for the PM.

Casey Jr. Circus Train: This was the last ride Alyson, Clara and I did, at around 9 pm, after they had closed off some rides for the parade. It is definitely geared towards the little ones (JR and Eileen) never rode it, but it could be a good filler ride depending on wait times. I think it’s really cute, and the mini-Disney landscape it traverses is quite well done.

Storybook Land Canal Boats: This boat ride basically traverses the same route as the above train, but it is well done and great for little kids, or great as a filler between the big rides.

Matterhorn: This is another one that we Lightning Lane’d in the PM, and that the big kids did again after 10 pm. The ride is a lot of fun. It was a little bumpy for Clara, but she powered through, and it also gives great views of the park lit up at night.

Smuggler’s Run: This is a new ride in the Star Wars area, which is really a cool part of the park. This ride is not as busy as it’s counterpart mentioned below, so you should to try to hop on when you can. It’s fun, but might not blow your mind like Rise.

Rise of Resistance: This is currently the ride in Magic Kingdom that usually has the longest lines. It can be Lightning Lane’d, but only if you pay $15-$35/person. This will likely change once it is not so new, but as of now, you can try to get there early, but it opens half an hour later than the rest of the park, wait 90 minutes (at least) or pay. We pulled the trigger and paid. It was worth it.

Pinocchio: This is a good filler ride, as the line moves fast, but it is kind of creepy. Clara was holding tight to an adult the whole time.

Roger Rabbit: This was by far the worst experience of our whole trip. The ride is ok, but the line was interminable. It wasn’t all that long, but it barely moved. If I could have that hour of my life back, I’d take it.

Star Wars: The Adventure Continues: This is an older Star Wars ride in a different area. It is not that great, but it is right by Space Mountain, so if you can hit that early, then get straight on this one, you’ve knocked out two rides in quick fashion.

We didn’t make it to Mr. Toad, as when we went, it was closed due to the parade. Something to keep in mind in the later evening. We also never made it on Alice in Wonderland, as it was shut down all day. Astro Orbitor also never made the list, but it is basically the same thing as Dumbo. We did catch fireworks at 9:30, then Alyson and I put Clara to bed while JR and Eileen cruised the park, hitting about 4 rides/hour in the last minutes before close.

I feel like we did everything we could to maximize our one day, and I don’t really feel like we missed out. Starting early and stacking Lightning Lanes seems to be the way to go, and this was a busy time of year. If you do the research and have a good outline as to your plans for the day, you should be able to get to every ride you want, and several rides more than once.

Next stop, California Adventure.

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Sleeping with a Bear

This year, for the annual Igoe Family Vacation, we met up with my parents and brothers in Arcadia, Michigan, which is about an hour south of Traverse City and in the general Sleeping Bear Dunes area. Michigan is always a relaxing trip, and there is a lot to do, but it does include a lot of driving. It is worth it though, the temperatures are moderate and there’s a lot to do.

What We Did

Sleeping Bear Dunes: This National Lakeshore offers a plethora of activities. Of places that we have visited recently, this one felt the most like it could or should be a National Park, not just a Lakeshore. There are lots of trails, lots of dunes, lots of lakes and a few associated satellite areas.

The first thing we did was take the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and stopped at marker #4 and hiked the Cottonwood Trail. This 1.5 mile lollipop loop takes you to the top of the large dune that’s part of the dune challenge without having to hike up it. The view point at the top is great, and it is doable for those less physically able to climb a vertical sand dune. We recommend taking the loop clockwise, and also recommend stopping at markers 3, 9 and 11, if you’ve got the time.

Later on, we walked the Empire Bluffs Trail, which offers great views of Lake Michigan and several surrounding lakes. It is an easy, 1.6 mile out-and-back. Honestly, it is not spectacular, but it was worth the drive.

Our favorite trail was Pyramid Point. This loop is just under 3 miles and offers a great variety of scenery: dunes, woods, meadows and lakes. It is not very strenuous if you go clockwise. That said, the best lake views are at the beginning, but you go down all the steep dunes climbs, instead of up.

Speaking of, we also recommend the Dune Climb. This steep dune is the start to the Dune Challenge, which we did not do, but is a fun trek in and of itself. The kids really enjoyed rolling around and getting all sandy.

Boat Glen Lake: We booked a pontoon boat that could hold 14 from the On the Narrows Marina. We spent four hours cruising around Big Glen and Little Glen, tubing and swimming at several different spots. It made for a really fun day that all the kids loved.

Swim at Crystal Lake: There is a great public beach with amenities in the Beulah area of Crystal Lake. The waters is chilly, but not so much as Lake Michigan. The big lake is almost too cold to swim, but the interior lakes are bit more moderate.

Tube the Platte River: We used Crystal Lake Outfitters to tube the Platte River, and we did the longer version, which took about 3 hours from arrival to leaving. The Platte River is great to float, and the outfitter was competent, but it did feel like it took a long time to get started.

Craig’s Cruisers: On morning, we went south towards Shelby, MI, where some of my family used to attend camp. On the way, the kids, Alyson and I stopped at Craig’s Cruisers. They’ve got go-karts, bumper boats, mini-golf, a zip line, a roller coaster and an arcade. The kids had a blast, and it was a lot less expensive than you expect those activities to be.

Mac Woods Dune Rides: Also south of Aracadia, this dune tour was way more fun than I thought it would be. It opens at 9:30, but we didn’t get there until about 2 pm, which was a mistake. The had to wait over an hour for the 40 minute ride, but it was totally worth it. You might think it’s not that exciting, since your basically in an open-air bus rather than a dune buggy, but the ride is great. There’s lots of up and downs, lots of great views and the guide was really informative.

E-Bike Tour: My son’s favorite activity was riding about 8 miles along the Leelanau Trail north of Traverse City. I was a little unsure as to whether or not I’d enjoy an e-bike, but it was a lot of fun, and it is still good exercise.

Brewery Tours: There are dozens of breweries in the general area, and it feels like we tried to hit them all. We’ll touch base more on this in the section below.

Where We Ate

Storm Cloud Brewing: This was the closest brewery to our house, it was good, but it wasn’t our favorite. The pizza was solid, and the beer was fine, but I didn’t love the atmosphere. It felt really crowded and touristy. It was still certainly worth the visit, and I’d go back, but it wasn’t #1.

Hop Lot Brewing: I think this was my favorite brewery. It has really good beer, solid food and fantastic outdoors space that the kids loved.

Boondocks: This restaurant in Glen Arbor gets really mediocre reviews, but I thought it was just fine. We were able to sit all 13 of us outside, the fried fish sandwich was good and the beer was cold.

Cherry Point Farm Market: This farmers market reportedly has good sandwiches, but I could not disagree more. The entire experience was terrible, including the service and the food. It is basically just a grilled cheese restaurant, but it takes forever, and it costs way too much.

North Channel Brewing: This brewery was a great place to stop on our back north from the dune rides. They were friendly, had good beer and had a pretzel, about which Jr was over the moon.

St. Ambrose Cellars/Brose Brewing: This stop actually started out as place that brews meads but has expanded, including beers and food. The mead was really interesting, and the outdoor space is wonderful. You can even get a close look at a commercial beehive, if so include.

Where We Stayed:

This year, we stayed at an AirBNB in Arcadia, Michigan, which is about half an hour south of Sleeping Bear and an hour south of Traverse City. The house was great, and right on Lake Michigan, but it was a trek to get to just about everywhere. Given the choice, I think we would stay in either Empire or Traverse City itself in the future.

This is the first time in quite some time that we don’t actually have anything planned. We’ll be meeting some friends in Gulf Shores for Labor Day and visiting St. Louis for Thanksgiving, but those are old hat. With Eileen starting at UK in the fall, and JR starting high school, our calendar is in limbo. We might try to take a short weekend to see a ball game, maybe somewhere like Pittsburgh. We also are considering a Christmas break trip, maybe someplace to the south. We’ll keep traveling and will keep you posted; thanks for listening.

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EuroTrip 2025

If you’ve been following along, you know that for our daughter’s high school graduation, we took the whole family across the pond for a road trip through Europe. We hit Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia, and all were fantastic. If you want more details about the trip itself, please reference our three previous posts. This post is really going to speak more about what we learned, what surprised us and what we found out along the way.

Currency: Prior to heading over, we exchanged $615 for 500 Euros. I thought we would need more cash in some of the smaller towns, but we really didn’t, It was nice to have the cash, and since we had it, we used it, but we could have gone with less. That said, we didn’t have to pay any foreign transaction fees when we payed with Euros. Something else to keep in mind is that tipping is a relatively American creation. Eating out is a lot less expensive when you don’t have to add 15 to 25%.

Credit Card Fees: Unless you have a certain type of credit card, expect to pay foreign transactions fees on almost everything purchase you make. At the hotels, we put charges on our room, to minimize the fees, but there is only so much you can do.

Language Barrier: In Italy, almost everyone spoke English, if not fluently. This was not the case in Austria, Slovenia or Croatia. We never really struggled to communicate, as generally speaking, someone spoke English, but it was far more ubiquitous in Italy. If you’re linguistically gifted, you can download several languages on Google Translate, which will even pronounce most words for you. We had very little difficulty communicating, overall.

International Flights with Kids: Our kids are great at traveling, but an 8+ hour flight is a long one. British Airways does offer free drinks and food, so that’s something. About an hour into both the flight there and back, we gave the two younger kids melatonin gummies. I am not giving any type of medical advice, but this knocked them both out within minutes.

Driving: This was one of the more nerve-wracking parts of the trip, going in. It turned out not to be too bad. Much of the time, we were on smaller highways but had very little difficulty. It is worth keeping in mind that traffic, especially in Italy and Slovenia, can get really backed up. We used Google Maps, which allows one to download directions in advance. We also used Apple Maps from time-to-time, which was helpful. Waze is not nearly as helpful in Europe as it is in the U.S.

International Driving Permit: We got one of these from AAA prior to going. It only cost about $20, but I am not sure we needed it. No one asked for it, neither at the rental car pick up or any border crossings. Had we gotten into an accident or been pulled over, perhaps it would have been necessary.

Driving Vignettes: If you look online at the requirements needed to drive in countries like Slovenia and Croatia, you’ll get info stating that you need something called Vignettes in place of having to pay tolls. This was honestly not super clear. We bought one at a gas station after crossing into Slovenia, for like 10 euros, and got another for Croatia online. No one ever asked for them, but again, we weren’t really stopped, so it’s hard to say how necessary they are.

Border Crossings: We weren’t stopped at a single border crossing, as all the countries were visited are EU members. We did consider a quick hop into Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that is not a member country, and we were worried it would be too much of a hassle or that they might not actually let us in.

ETAs/ETIAS: Whilst researching our trip, we came across info that stated we would need Electronic Transit Authorizations for several areas in Europe. This is not yet the case, but evidently, will be in the future. Do not buy one from a third party website, like I did. There are already fake sites available, so be careful.

Housing: We found AirBNBs a lot easier than hotels. Europeans can be very fickle about the number of people staying in a room, so renting from individuals was easier. We were even quite late for several check-ins, but all of the hosts were very accommodating.

Our trip was amazing and exhausting, and I hope that it created great memories for our kids. We actually have plans to return to Europe next year for a river cruise out of Germany, but until then, we’ll be back to exploring our local 50.