The Travel Topic

[WKYonc]

I could go on about rare endangered species of Boneless browns that cruise the soapy topwaters and seem to always be just down stream of the waste water plant, but I won't

Those are called wrinkle necked tapered brown trout, or desert browns, depending where you're at.

Yea, well OL, good thing you did not 'Go On and On" about it. People here get shot for that kind of conduct.
Or was it TVGuy? I'm old and easily confused. When I played the banjo on Hee-Haw, we said, "cornfused". That's a whole nother story. Wanna hear it?

[Tia]

I took my dogs swimming there once. Now we go to a little campground, just outside of Ruch, on the Applegate River.

I would too if Agate lake wasn't so much closer.

I actually took my dog to swim at one of the expo ponds Friday, That would be the same day and same pond they fished out some poor homeless guys body :wacko:

My dog didn't care , neither did I

I like the ponds. They are a pretty oasis in an unattractive area. Was it the SAME pond?

[WKYonc]

I took my dogs swimming there once. Now we go to a little campground, just outside of Ruch, on the Applegate River.

I would too if Agate lake wasn't so much closer.

I actually took my dog to swim at one of the expo ponds Friday, That would be the same day and same pond they fished out some poor homeless guys body :wacko:

My dog didn't care , neither did I

I like the ponds. They are a pretty oasis in an unattractive area. Was it the SAME pond?

No he is talking about the pond where his dog pee's. Still wanna swim?

[Tia]

I would too if Agate lake wasn't so much closer.

I actually took my dog to swim at one of the expo ponds Friday, That would be the same day and same pond they fished out some poor homeless guys body :wacko:

My dog didn't care , neither did I

I like the ponds. They are a pretty oasis in an unattractive area. Was it the SAME pond?

No he is talking about the pond where his dog pee's. Still wanna swim?

Never! Not if the dog pees in it. Dead bodies are one thing, but dog pee? Yech!

[TennisMom]

Bbq, my slip was Freudian. While I do like having a turkeyburger, I'd LOVE to have a real, all-American, artery-clogging hamburger made out of real beef. But. Under the same criterion, shouldn't a hamburger be made out of... Ham? Now I'm confused.

Anyway, I'd really love a hamburger but only have them occasionally. Once or twice a year occasionally. Cholesterol issues, doncha know.

Since we've only been on the west coast since 2001, everyplace is a novelty to us. We both really love the Oregon coast and yes, Clete, we do campgrounds in the Airstream. Hotels are lovely but they aren't cheap and besides I don't want to find bedbugs. I'm a bit paranoid about bedbugs. There's a major epidemic in NY right now and just the idea of them gives me the willies. In MY trailer, I'm in MY bed with MY towels, MY pillows etc. and no bugs are on them.

But I digress.

We will wind up eventually traveling to places where we can't bring the trailer, though, and I'll have to fuss about bedbugs when we get there, like, on a cruise ship. We want to do the Alaska cruise. Someday.

Next spring (maybe in the fall) we're going to Europe. Then I'll have to sleep in hotels if we travel around. Too bad there isn't an anti-bedbug spray for travelers. Think how rich the developer of something like that will get... Well, see ya, I'm headed back to my laboratory now.

[cletus1]

I have no plans to go anywhere in the near future, but when I do travel, Iâ??ll try to post in this topic and share some of my trips with you. For now, here is some more from my Eastern Oregon trip.

Three Forks Road is a dirt road that heads south off Highway 95 toward the Owyhee canyon. Around 15 to 20 miles down this road is a ranch house in the middle of emptiness. I noticed that there are no power poles to this home which means they are off the power grid. If there are no power poles then there is no phone either. I donâ??t know if cell phones work this far out, but I doubt it. I see an older flat bed truck and a couple of pick up trucks near the house. There are maybe a hundred head of cattle out in the brush that probably belong to the rancher. I tried to imagine living this isolated and how that would feel. It is not something that attracts me. I remember hoping that they had a propane tank somewhere because cooking on a wood stove is a pain. Besides, there are no trees growing in this area which got me wondering what earlier residents burned to stay warm.

Much of this area was settled by Basque immigrants in the late 1800s. There are abandoned stone homes scattered far apart through out this area. The houses still look quite sturdy, but kind of strange just sitting unused in the middle of nowhere. There are historic markers here and there that recount some of the history of the early settlers. Here is a short history of the Basques of this area I found online.

http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/basques

On the map just north of the area named Basque is Whitehorse Ranch Road. This 57 mile long gravel road is a short cut for travelers wanting to get from Highway 95 to highway 205. This is a good gravel road and I was able to safely drive at 60 MPH. North of the intersection of this road and Highway 205 is Alvord Lake one of the many shallow alkali lakes that dot this area and is salty from calcium chloride. Many alkali lakes in this region support large populations of brine shrimp and thousands of birds that feed on them. The shores around these lakes are white from the calcium deposits and when there is no wind are as flat and smooth as a mirror and reflect the sky just like a mirror. I was going to post photos for Wonky, but the wife has the camera. Maybe latter.

Hey TM, I have no aversion to camping, but I don't enjoy it like some do. I will camp if I cant find a motel. Now if I owned a camping trailer that would be different.

[TennisMom]

Clete, if we didn't have the trailer, we would NOT be camping. I did the tent thing once, fifteen years ago when my kids were little. I didn't like it one bit, although the kids remember having fun. Good. I'm glad they have that memory. They've been camping a few times after that. Moi? Never, ever again.

[cletus1]

I am still hoping to find some warm sunny place to go this winter for a vacation. I have researched a lot of places and one thing I noticed is that travel to Venezuela is allowed while travel to Cuba is not. I only mention it because I see no good reason to deny Americans the right to travel to Cuba. I have always wanted to go there. I certainly understand the United States history with Cuba but the State Departments stated reasons for denying Americans travel to Cuba would apply to Venezuela as well. There is no consistency in the policy. See State Department link below.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_t ... _1097.html

I think the Cuban people could use the money and I think the State Department still follows a policy reminiscent of policies left over from cold war politics. Venezuelan resorts do not seem to be on par with resorts or hotels in other countries in the Caribbean, so I don't have to choose between Chavez or Castro. That is all.

[TennisMom]

Clete, I betcha that when Castro finally kicks the bucket the US will open up to Cuba again. At present, a lot of Cuban immigrants are very much against opening up a dialogue with the communist government. Since it's not a huge issue, it appears to be on the back burner for now. I agree, though, I would be keen to visit the place if it were opened up for US tourism.

After playing silly-buggers with ReserveAmerica for the last few weeks, I called this a.m. and was able to reserve my all-time favorite camp spot at Harris Beach! Hah! Persistence pays off. Spot A21 overlooks the ocean and has cable tv! All the spots overlooking the water are booked up until, well, now. You can only call nine months ahead AND they want full payment. I put it on a credit card which I hope will work, otherwise they'll call me and I'll have to pay cash.

There is no sewage at the site so we'll just stay five days. Then we'll hook up, go to the dump station and head home. Now if only the weather will cooperate.

[matilija]

cletus-

i have friends who travel to cuba via mexico. they do some type of medical exchange work - under the radar, so to speak.
they report the people of "cooba" are very poor and run out of food by the third week of the month. then they have nothing to eat. do you think you could enjoy a leisurely vacation there? i would be compelled to spend all of my money buying them food in restaurants.

fyi - there is a boycott for vacationing in cozumel...i cannot remember exactly, i'll get back to you.

have you considered new zealand? their summer begins jan 18.

[cletus1]

cletus-

i have friends who travel to cuba via mexico. they do some type of medical exchange work - under the radar, so to speak.
they report the people of "cooba" are very poor and run out of food by the third week of the month. then they have nothing to eat. do you think you could enjoy a leisurely vacation there? i would be compelled to spend all of my money buying them food in restaurants.

fyi - there is a boycott for vacationing in cozumel...i cannot remember exactly, i'll get back to you.

have you considered new zealand? their summer begins jan 18.

Mati, I understand the Cuban people are poor. As for wondering how I could go someplace that has so many poor people and still enjoy a vacation, I can only say that poor people donâ??t make me uncomfortable and although I sympathize with their plight, I can be around them and not feel guilty. The best thing for the Cuban people IMO is to spend some money there.

I obviously want to go someplace sunny with decent accommodations, if I select a poor country; I adjust to the reality of life there. Some of the reviews on resorts in the Dominican Republic suggested that â??youâ? bring a bunch of money because the locals really need it.

I have travelled a bit including to India in the 1980s. I have been to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and to many small villages like Navadwip and Krishnanagar. Poor is a relative concept, but I doubt that there are a lot of places as poor as these areas. Anyway, I got used to it just like most of the other foreigners did

I like the Cuban food, music, and the Caribbean. I like the fact that it is a cheap place to go. Many people already go there, only Americans donâ??t. I also know about travelling to Cuba via Mexico, I know the Cubans donâ??t stamp your passport and I know people that have gone there. I however will wait till Cuba is open for travel.

Iâ??ll probably end up in southern Mexico or if Iâ??m lucky Fiji. I have never been to anywhere in the southern hemisphere. Iâ??m sure you have heard that the water draining in sinks and toilets swirls the opposite direction then in the northern hemisphere. I just gotta see that.

[matilija]

....i heard water does that somewhere around gold hill...

i'm interested in hearing about your travels to india. i have visions of "caravan" by michener. although i've never ventured there, it fascinates me....also, tibet.

how about belize?

[cletus1]

....i heard water does that somewhere around gold hill...

i'm interested in hearing about your travels to india. i have visions of "caravan" by michener. although i've never ventured there, it fascinates me....also, tibet.

how about belize?

Checked Belize, the good resort are booked solid. Maybe I did not mention that I need an RCI resort to use my points, so I have limited options. Wherever I go I promise to share it with photos. Thanks

[imaham]

After playing silly-buggers with ReserveAmerica for the last few weeks, I called this a.m. and was able to reserve my all-time favorite camp spot at Harris Beach! Hah! Persistence pays off. Spot A21 overlooks the ocean and has cable tv! All the spots overlooking the water are booked up until, well, now. You can only call nine months ahead AND they want full payment. I put it on a credit card which I hope will work, otherwise they'll call me and I'll have to pay cash.

There is no sewage at the site so we'll just stay five days. Then we'll hook up, go to the dump station and head home. Now if only the weather will cooperate.

I know that site. I think last time I stayed there they still had dirt roads and I am certain there was no cable TV! No reservations either. First come, first served. I think it was about 5 bucks and we whined like babies about the price.

You did give me a laugh though. The audacity of it all. Cable TV but no sewer hook up!

[imaham]

South Pacific, Clete. I guarantee you won't regret it. Bora Bora, Tahiti, Moorea. I would imagine that it isn't anywhere like it was in the 60's but I always told myself I would go back there some day. I wonder if they have wheel chair ramps? Just keep your eyes open for unusual ground movement or waves that really do look too big to ride!

[cletus1]

South Pacific, Clete. I guarantee you won't regret it. Bora Bora, Tahiti, Moorea. I would imagine that it isn't anywhere like it was in the 60's but I always told myself I would go back there some day. I wonder if they have wheel chair ramps? Just keep your eyes open for unusual ground movement or waves that really do look too big to ride!

Yeah those waves can ruin a vacation. I just heard someone on TV talking about Bora Bora. I'll check it out. BTW, I visited the Fiji forum and talked to Fiji folks about weather and stuff. The American dollar is worth 2.20 in Fiji dollars an unheard of great rate. I also like to visit Trip Adviser.com. I think many travelers that post there give honest reviews. So now to look at Bora Bora.

[TennisMom]

[/quote]

I know that site. I think last time I stayed there they still had dirt roads and I am certain there was no cable TV! No reservations either. First come, first served. I think it was about 5 bucks and we whined like babies about the price.

You did give me a laugh though. The audacity of it all. Cable TV but no sewer hook up![/quote]

HAHA, glad you found it funny. It is, sort of. The remainder of the RV sites have sewer hookup but no cable tv. :wacko: What won us over, though, was the view of the water our chosen site. At $27 a night it's still a good deal.

Geez, Clete, you've been around. You sound like my DH. He worked for a consulting company and traveled a lot. He didn't make it to India but his brother did (mine too). It isn't a place either of them would revisit and I have to say, it isn't on my list of places to go. Neither if Las Vegas. :roll:

[cletus1]

Fiji it is. I booked the winter vacation and we leave in late January and stay till Febuary 16th. Maybe one of you would be kind enough to buy me a nice camera for Christmas.

[matilija]

congratulations!....this will get you through those winter fog days in the valley

[TennisMom]

Fiji it is. I booked the winter vacation and we leave in late January and stay till Febuary 16th. Maybe one of you would be kind enough to buy me a nice camera for Christmas.

Yahoo!

The USD is worth 1.88 FJD as of today. I checked. I wanna go there too. Why did we ever have kids?