Tag: travel

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That’s One Giant Causeway

For our last 24 hours on the island, we crossed the border into the UK and headed for the north coast. In case you were wondering, we did purchase ETAs beforehand, but it was completely unnecessary. There isn’t even a stop when you leave Ireland. Who knows if that’s how it will always be, but as of August, 2026, there was no need for the authorizations.

We made advanced reservations for both Carrick-a-Rede and Giant’s Causeway. We got to Carrick-a-Rede at around 11 am. This is a fun, short hike along the coast to a rope bridge leading to an island. It’s unique and beautiful, but the line for the bridge gets really backed up as moron’s spend 10 minutes trying to get the perfect photo. You should definitely go but try to get there as early as possible.

Giant’s Causeway is nothing short of spectacular. The hike is great, and the payoff is amazing. It’s hard to understand how these rocks could have gotten like this naturally, but as of now, there’s no explanation other than that they were put there by a giant. This area gets pretty crowded too, but it’s very expansive, so it’s not as much of an issue.

We drove into Belfast and grabbed a drink at Northern Lights Brewery. We really just wanted to do something in Belfast, and this seemed like a good option. We were able to sit outside, and they had a nice IPA.

We stayed the night in a town called Donaghadee, at Pier 36. This is pub, restaurant and inn. The food was good, the beer was good, and the rooms were clean. Check out in the morning was a bit tricky, as there was no staff on site until 8 am, but it was still pretty great.

This wrapped up our island tour. We didn’t get to do everything one might want; there simply wasn’t enough time. We could go back and do an entirely different trip. I am glad that we extended by one day; getting to visit Northern Ireland was terrific.

Next up for the Traveling Igoes…I actually don’t know. For the first time a in long time, we don’t have our next trip planned. I guess we’ll see where the road takes us…

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A Family of Dubliners

The morning we left the Galway area, we decided to use the drive to explore a bit to the north. We drove up to an area called the Caves of Kesh. If you love caves (like I do), there are like 17 of them lining a hill. It’s not the type of thing that takes more than an hour, but it’s very cool.

It’s also very close to an called Carrick-on-Shannon, another one of the cutest little towns on Earth. We ate at a cute little cafe, visited a tiny chapel and bought cheese from a woman from Los Angeles. We also made a quick stop Killukin Cascade. This is a very small little stream with a small little ‘watefall’. The kids thought I was being ridiculous for making us stop, but I thought it was a pretty cool detour.

From there, we made it our way north of Dublin, about 30 minutes or so, to a place called Duleek where we checked into our AirBNB. This one was basically a B&B that we fully rented. It had a tennis court, indoor pool and like 11 bedrooms. There’s not a ton of inventory in Ireland that can sleep a dozen people, so we were lucky to find what we did.

On our first morning on the east side, we got up early and headed into Dublin. We parked at Q Park St. Stephens and made our way over to Grafton Street. Eileen and Alyson wanted to shop, and I wanted to see the Molly Malone statue. This area is really vibrant with lots to do.

We slowly walked from there to our planned tour of the Guinness Storehouse. On the way, we stopped at Trinity College, Dublin Castle and Harkin’s Pub for lunch. This meal wasn’t anything special, but it is right by the Guinness building.

This was my second time touring the Guinness facility, and it’s definitely something that shouldn’t be missed. It was probably a bit boring for the kids, but it feels like a must-do in Dublin. We decided not to make them do any whiskey tours; one alcohol-based excursion was enough.

We spent most of the rest of the that afternoon, just wandering around. We visited the Brazen Head (which also claims to be Ireland’s oldest pub), Temple Bar and a really cool spot called the Confession Box. It’s now a bar, but it used to be a spot where Catholic priests would secretly hear confessions during The Troubles.

We had dinner that night with the whole crew at a place called Beouf and Frites. It had only four menu options, two steak, two chicken, but it was a lot of fun. Since we had 12 people for this meal, we’d made reservations beforehand, but even with that, there weren’t a ton of options.

For our only other full day on the east coast, we drove south to another national park, the Whitlow Mountains. We hiked the Spinc and Gleanalo Valley Loop. This is a solid 6 mile hike, but it was clear, so the views were spectacular. Even though it was longer, I would say it was probably the least strenuous of our hikes. The views are great, we saw two mountain goats attacking each other, and the back half of the trail follows a mountain stream most the way. I still preferred the Upper Diamond Hill hike, but Alyson says this was her favorite trail.

On our way back, we stopped at a place called Squirrel Scramble where there is a ropes course with several zip lines. It’s not the greatest we’ve been to, but Clara was able to participate, and the kids needed a break.

The next morning, we left the Dublin area and head towards Belfast for just about 24 hours in Northern Ireland. I’ll touch base on that one final Ireland post. We really enjoyed our time on the west coast but given the choice, I’d much rather be in the Galway area.

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Galway Girls (and Guys)

To follow up on our trip with my wife’s family along the Danube, the Traveling Igoes set off for the motherland, Ireland, at the beginning of August. We were there basically Sunday to Saturday, not including travel days, and split time between the east, west and north coasts. We landed in Dublin and drove straight across, so for the purposes of this blog, this post will focus on our first three+ days that took place in the Galway area.

After leaving the airport, we made a few stops along the way in a wonderful little town called Althone. The town is absolutely charming, and we grabbed a quick lunch at a place called Left Bank Bistro. Very good, very affordable, and since it’s Europe, they don’t ask you to tip.

The real reason, though, that we stopped in Althone was for a quick visit to Sean’s Bar, which according to the sign on the outside and some sources on the online, is the oldest bar in Ireland. It was packed, but there’s a nice outside area in the back. It was a great place to grab our first Guinness of the trip.

We had planned to utilize a bit more of the drive to stop at Birr Castle and possibly the Clonmacnoise monastic site, but our flights was delayed almost three hours, so we decided to pass.

From Althone, we made the rest of the drive to our AirBNB, which can be found on the map as the Lisdonagh House. It’s a very large, historic home, and the approach feels treacherous, but it was a great place for 12 of us to stay, in a small town called Caherlistrane, about 30 minutes north of Galway proper.

As mentioned, we were with my family which is three brothers, three sisters-in-law, one niece and one nephew. My parents actually planned this trip, but dad has fallen quite ill, so they couldn’t make it. With this many people, it is hard to find things that everyone wants to do, so our modus operandi was and is to plan the things that we want to do and invite anyone else to join. Then we try to all get back together in the evening for dinner.

Following that line of thinking, on our first day, our family of five split off from the rest of the Igoes and drove over an hour south to an Irish National Park called The Burren. It an area that reminds me a bit of Sedona, except green and limestone-y. There’s a great trail there called the Mullaghmore Loop. This is a fun hike with some great views, although it was probably lowest on my list of the trails that we did. We took the blue route, which is the most difficult, but still under 5 miles. If you are planning this hike, you should be aware that the first three-quarters of a mile are on a paved road. You can actually drive up this road and park closer to where the real trail starts. If we were to do this hike again, that’s definitely what I would do.

From there, we drove in County Clare and went kayaking with Nevsail Watersports. Kayaking is always a mixed bag for me; it sounds like a ton of fun but is usually pretty exhausting after about five minutes. The real gem of this part of our trip was kayaking to a spot where we were able to get out a do a bit of coasteering and cliff diving.

As we were in the area, we then drove to the Kilkee Cliffs. The west coast of Ireland is crawling with great sea cliffs, the most famous of which are the Cliffs of Moher. You could make the argument that if you’ve seen one cliff, you’ve seen them all, and there’s some truth to that, but we saw several, and it was inspiring every time. Kilkee is definitely smaller but still very striking, and there were almost no crowds.

Finally, we drove back to a cute little town called Doonbeg for the real purpose of the trip, visiting the Igoe Inn. This is a great bar in a great town and happens to bear our name. The owner’s mother’s maiden name was Igoe, and they were excited to see us. They no longer serve food, which was too bad, but it was a great experience.

On the way back, we stopped at pub called Brogan’s for dinner. It’s hard to find a place that can seat 12, so we split into two groups just to make things a little easier. Brogan’s is really cute and definitely served the best fish and chips I had throughout our experiences.

The next day, we went into Galway proper and took the Aran Islands Ferry to Inis Mor, about a 90 minute ride into the Atlantic. When we got there, we rented bikes a cruised all over the small town. If you’re doing this, I strongly recommend e-bikes. By the end of the day, the uphills were getting very depressing. Inis More has a castle ruin that’s about a ten minute hike that offers great cliff views and very unique scenery.

This portion was probably my least favorite part of our trip. It was still a lot of fun, but the boat ride out there is long, and the ride back is longer. The seating on the boat is first come, first served, so that situation wasn’t great, and overall, it didn’t feel like the greatest use of our time. The boat ride back is actually almost 2.5 hours, but it goes down by the Cliffs of Moher. This part was pretty great. Seeing the cliffs from the sea is a great experience, and definitely different than walking on top of them.

This portion of the trip was planned by someone else. Had we made the arrangements, we would have gone south and taken the Doolin Ferry to Inis Oirr. This is another of the Aran Islands, offering basically the same opportunities, but the ferry ride is only like 10 minutes.

When we got back to Galway, we made our way into the Latin Quarter. This is one of the best places I have ever been. It’s kind of like Bourbon Street but without the vagrant, heat and human excrement. We ate at a place called The Quays (which is right by the Galway Girl statue), and it was nothing short of fantastic. I got an authentic cottage pie, for sure my favorite meal in Ireland.

On our final full day on the west coast, we drove into Connemara National Park. The drive there was incredible; it’s what you think of when you think of the Irish countryside. We went specifically to do the Upper Diamond Hill Loop. This trail offers great views, wildlife and if you get there early, it’s pretty empty. It’s about 5 miles, and at about the 1.5 mile mark, it becomes pretty strenuous. It is also frequently covered in fog, as it was for us. At the top, it felt like we were walking in a cloud and could barely see 10 feet. It was quite a unique experience.

We ate lunch at a fun little spot right outside the park entrance called Veldon’s Seafarer. Good food, fair pricing and again, no tipping. The Kylemore Abbey is also in this area. It wouldn’t have been worth it for us to drive just for that, but it’s worth seeing if you’re in the area.

Also in the area is Killary Sheep Farm. This a cute little, active farm that does sheep dog demonstrations. We got to watch a dog heard about 20 sheep, feed some of the smaller sheep and actually hold one. This is definitely geared more towards the kids, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.

The next morning we left, so I’ll pick that up in the next post, but I wanted to touch on a few things before moving east. First of all, driving on the wrong side of the road takes a lot of getting used to. You constantly feel like your about to either hit the curb or run headlong into oncoming traffic.

Second, the west coast of Ireland is one of the best places I have ever been. We are legitimately thinking about moving there permanently. Everyone is so friendly, and way of life seems incredibly laid back

Lastly, the tipping situation is great, and the conversation rate for Euro’s is pretty good right now. I do suggest, if possible, that you look into getting a credit card that offers no foreign transaction fees. We got one right before we went, and it probably saved us over $100, maybe more.

Next up, we take a left turn and head for the Dublin region of Ireland…

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Going Down the Danube

This summer, we were blessed with the chance to take a Danube River cruise with Alyson’s family. The cruise started in Munich, finished in Budapest and hit several places in between. Because this was a relatively rigidly planned out itinerary, this post will likely not be as exhaustive as was our EuroTrip last year, but hopefully I can offer some insights that might help you.

We flew into Munich on Delta, which was actually a pretty nice experience. We flew back from Budapest on British Airlines. Given the choice, I would avoid BA in the future. Everything about the experience was just a little bit crappier than with Delta.

We landed a day in advance of boarding, so spent some time in Munich. If you’re there at the right time, don’t miss the turning of the hour at the Glockenspiel. We hit the 11 am show and were happy that we did. It’s basically an elaborate cuckoo clock, and it is very touristy, but it’s a lot of fun.

We also rented a car and drove about two hours outside of Munich to a mountain called Herzogstand. We took a gondola up, hiked for a bit and had a really nice meal at a mountain hut. The weather wasn’t great, so it wasn’t super clear, but it was still a lot of fun.

We also rented bikes and tooled around Munich for a bit. There’s an area in the English Garden where people actually surf. It’s man made, but it is pretty cool and is fun to watch. We also had a nice meal at the Hoffbrau Haus. This is very touristy, and basically what you would expect from a German beer house, but it is a lot of fun.

We boarded the boat in Passau and set off along the Danube. This cruise was done through a company called Tauck. My mother-in-law has used them several times, and everything is very well done. It is similar to a Viking Cruise, but a little bit nicer. There were 130 guests, including several children. Most Tauck trips don’t allow kids, but they do a few each year that allow for younger passengers.

The boat isn’t as decked out as a major ocean liner, for obvious reasons. There were a few bars, two restaurants and a hot tub, but it is not the type of cruise where the boat is the destination. Most of the actually cruising was done at night, but everyone was very friendly. The food service was wonderful, with several options at each meal, and every meal available on the boat, if you liked.

The cruise included several stops, the first of which was in Linz, Austria. We didn’t spend much time in Linz but were bussed about 1.5 hours to Salzburg. Here, we learned more than most want to know about The Sound of Music and spent time in the Mirabel Gardens. If you’re really into that movie, like Eileen is, you would love this.

Next, we cruised through the Wacau Valley and parked for a bike ride along the Danube. This was a lot of fun, and good way to see the town of Durnstein. That night, we left for Vienna, where we spent a day and a half.

We did a walking tour, climbed the south tower of St. Stephens and had dinner in a palace. We spent the next day in Vienna as well, visiting the Prater amusement park, which has several pay as you go rides. This was a favorite for most of the kids.

Overnight, we sailed to Bratislava, Slovakia, which was by far my favorite part of the tour. We didn’t do anything spectacular, just another walking tour, church visit and site seeing, but there is something really special about this small European capital. We also went to Devin Castle and experienced the medieval games, which were quirky, but fun.

For our last night on the ship, we were supposed to sail to Budapest, but the Danube was too low, so we had to stop outside the city and get bussed in. This was a little disappointing, but what are you going to do.

My overall impressions of this trip are all very positive, but frankly, it doesn’t rank in the top 10 trips that we have taken. There were a lot of walking tours, which start out interesting but start to drag. There were a lot of really cool churches to visit, but that too starts to get a bit old. I believe these Tauck trips are definitely more geared towards an older audience. It was a lot of fun, but we probably didn’t do much of what we would have we planned the trip ourselves. That said, I am not at all complaining; it was a ton of fun, and a great way to visit several countries.

Next up for the Traveling Igoes, a 9 day trip to Ireland with the extended Igoe family. We’ll touch base soon…

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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…