Branson Trips
We have been to Branson Multiple times to see the different shows, so I'm going to combine all the trips under Branson Trips.
Our first trip to branson was also our maiden trip so we were extremely nervous hoping and praying we got everything lined up, hotels, shows, meals and all... We had a excellent bus driver Chet who seemed to have nerves of steel which was needed in Illinois as they had gotten freezing rain and snow mix, roads were icy. But don't fret we made it there and back in one piece.... We had a small group and we had a good time.
We have gone back multiple times seeing different shows, attractions, and EATERIES. Lets not forget the food side of these trips the buffets, sit down family resturaunts and others in between.
Here's what we've seen so far (in no particular order)
"Dino" ~ Dino Kartsanakis, well known Piano player. This was a Christmas Show, Dino played some traditional Christmas songs as well as some he has composed himself. He was amazing on his pianos.....
"24 Karat Cakes" ~ owned by Dino was a last minute surprise... The Bakery is located out side of Branson. Featuring Carrot (Karat) Cakes, Cinnamon Rolls and other baked goods. Dino came out to the bus, greeted us and ushered us into his bakery.
"SIX" ~ "Everything you're about to hear... Comes from... Six... Human... Voices". That's right the Knudsen Brothers aka SIX (six of them, no sisters), perform all their songs by using their voices, including the instruments. These extraordinary gentlemen put on one big show. Songs they do are: Good Vibrations (Beach Boys), With or without you (U2) My Way (Frank Sinatra) and so on. Each brother has his own talent, one does like a beat box, the youngest brother does electric guitar, one does all the drums, one does trumpet, and its all done vocally. You'll be enthralled by their amazing talent. I look forward to seeing them perform again.
"Dixie Stampede" ~ The Dixie Stampede is a Dinner theatre owned by none other than Ms Dolly Parton. This dinner theatre offers two different themes, a regular show and they match it at Christmas time with a christmas theme. You start out with and opening act done in a small bar like area around a center stage. You're then ushered into the main seating/arena and brought to the tables on which the meal is served and the show begins.... There are live animals, races, wagons, a North and South rivalry, costumes that will leave you speechless, and the show wouldn't be complete with out Santa at Christmas time. It is a Rip-rootin'-boot-stompin' one HAY of a good time. The Meal is quite filling you receive a small game hen, potatoes, salad, soup and a dessert. We have seen both versions of these shows and they are both amazing. I enjoy the Christmas one as its as close to an old fashioned Christmas right down to the horse drawn wagons.
"Show Boat Branson Belle"~ A dinner theatre aboard a paddle boat... You are seated at these long tables facing the main stage. Each show presented is different each time we've gone on the boat. The one year there was a guy who had these talking animals (I can't tell you how he does it) but they make a comedy skit involving real dogs. He talks to the Boston Terrier he had and asked him how his day was and the dog responds "Well lets see I Go outside, come back in, go outside, come back in... then in the afternoon ill Go outside, come back in" it was hilarious to see. And he also used a Blood hound who seemed to be shy. The other shows they do includes singing and dancing, and whatever they got scheduled. The meal starts out with Salads, bread and beverages. And the main course is served not to long after. The servers have to be fast, as they bring all the food out at the same time. They go into the Galley area to retrieve the trays and all come out together and place all the meals down. Its a sight to see. During the meal the boat is actually cruising around Table Rock Lake.
"Clay Cooper"~ Clay Cooper as well as Neal McCoy perform in the same theatre and we've seen both shows. Clays show consist of all varieties of family type songs (season depending). He does "covers" of other artist's songs incl. Hello Darling (Conway Twitty), George Jones, Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn to name a few. Clay seems to have a decent sized group that sings with him including his wife and son. Also in the show Johnny Lonestar comes out to perform, Johnny is a Trick Roper. He starts out with a lasso spinning it bigger and bigger until its almost spinning over the audience. He also uses smaller lassos and spins them while jumping through them. Buckets N' Boards also performs during Clays Show. These 2 guys perform their musical sound on you guessed buckets and boards, their instruments consist of plastic buckets,barrels, hard hats and whatever else makes a percussion sound. Clays show is very family friendly and he does audience participation. Clay and other singers come out to greet you either on the bus or in your seats. Neal McCoy's show was really good he performed his hit songs incl. The Shake, beer goggles on, the Wink. As well as performing Christmas songs were familiar with. Neal usually is seen at Hodag in Rhinelander Wi.
"Yakov Smirnoff" ~ Yakov is a Russian (american citizen) comedian. He talks about what its like to go from Russia to America and the instant culture shock he received upon arriving here. Yakov talks bout the hard life in Russia and here in America, but he also turns on the comedy in between. You will Laugh, you will cry and you will laugh 'til you cry. He tells of the things we take for granted and is very confusing to him, eg. baby changing station must be where you can change your baby for a new one. Bet you never thought if that before, but will now.
Well I'm going to end here as we see new shows ill add them in. We look forward to Seeing You on the Bus, so come on join us for our next trip to Branson Mo
Our first trip to branson was also our maiden trip so we were extremely nervous hoping and praying we got everything lined up, hotels, shows, meals and all... We had a excellent bus driver Chet who seemed to have nerves of steel which was needed in Illinois as they had gotten freezing rain and snow mix, roads were icy. But don't fret we made it there and back in one piece.... We had a small group and we had a good time.
We have gone back multiple times seeing different shows, attractions, and EATERIES. Lets not forget the food side of these trips the buffets, sit down family resturaunts and others in between.
Here's what we've seen so far (in no particular order)
"Dino" ~ Dino Kartsanakis, well known Piano player. This was a Christmas Show, Dino played some traditional Christmas songs as well as some he has composed himself. He was amazing on his pianos.....
"24 Karat Cakes" ~ owned by Dino was a last minute surprise... The Bakery is located out side of Branson. Featuring Carrot (Karat) Cakes, Cinnamon Rolls and other baked goods. Dino came out to the bus, greeted us and ushered us into his bakery.
"SIX" ~ "Everything you're about to hear... Comes from... Six... Human... Voices". That's right the Knudsen Brothers aka SIX (six of them, no sisters), perform all their songs by using their voices, including the instruments. These extraordinary gentlemen put on one big show. Songs they do are: Good Vibrations (Beach Boys), With or without you (U2) My Way (Frank Sinatra) and so on. Each brother has his own talent, one does like a beat box, the youngest brother does electric guitar, one does all the drums, one does trumpet, and its all done vocally. You'll be enthralled by their amazing talent. I look forward to seeing them perform again.
"Dixie Stampede" ~ The Dixie Stampede is a Dinner theatre owned by none other than Ms Dolly Parton. This dinner theatre offers two different themes, a regular show and they match it at Christmas time with a christmas theme. You start out with and opening act done in a small bar like area around a center stage. You're then ushered into the main seating/arena and brought to the tables on which the meal is served and the show begins.... There are live animals, races, wagons, a North and South rivalry, costumes that will leave you speechless, and the show wouldn't be complete with out Santa at Christmas time. It is a Rip-rootin'-boot-stompin' one HAY of a good time. The Meal is quite filling you receive a small game hen, potatoes, salad, soup and a dessert. We have seen both versions of these shows and they are both amazing. I enjoy the Christmas one as its as close to an old fashioned Christmas right down to the horse drawn wagons.
"Show Boat Branson Belle"~ A dinner theatre aboard a paddle boat... You are seated at these long tables facing the main stage. Each show presented is different each time we've gone on the boat. The one year there was a guy who had these talking animals (I can't tell you how he does it) but they make a comedy skit involving real dogs. He talks to the Boston Terrier he had and asked him how his day was and the dog responds "Well lets see I Go outside, come back in, go outside, come back in... then in the afternoon ill Go outside, come back in" it was hilarious to see. And he also used a Blood hound who seemed to be shy. The other shows they do includes singing and dancing, and whatever they got scheduled. The meal starts out with Salads, bread and beverages. And the main course is served not to long after. The servers have to be fast, as they bring all the food out at the same time. They go into the Galley area to retrieve the trays and all come out together and place all the meals down. Its a sight to see. During the meal the boat is actually cruising around Table Rock Lake.
"Clay Cooper"~ Clay Cooper as well as Neal McCoy perform in the same theatre and we've seen both shows. Clays show consist of all varieties of family type songs (season depending). He does "covers" of other artist's songs incl. Hello Darling (Conway Twitty), George Jones, Garth Brooks, Brooks and Dunn to name a few. Clay seems to have a decent sized group that sings with him including his wife and son. Also in the show Johnny Lonestar comes out to perform, Johnny is a Trick Roper. He starts out with a lasso spinning it bigger and bigger until its almost spinning over the audience. He also uses smaller lassos and spins them while jumping through them. Buckets N' Boards also performs during Clays Show. These 2 guys perform their musical sound on you guessed buckets and boards, their instruments consist of plastic buckets,barrels, hard hats and whatever else makes a percussion sound. Clays show is very family friendly and he does audience participation. Clay and other singers come out to greet you either on the bus or in your seats. Neal McCoy's show was really good he performed his hit songs incl. The Shake, beer goggles on, the Wink. As well as performing Christmas songs were familiar with. Neal usually is seen at Hodag in Rhinelander Wi.
"Yakov Smirnoff" ~ Yakov is a Russian (american citizen) comedian. He talks about what its like to go from Russia to America and the instant culture shock he received upon arriving here. Yakov talks bout the hard life in Russia and here in America, but he also turns on the comedy in between. You will Laugh, you will cry and you will laugh 'til you cry. He tells of the things we take for granted and is very confusing to him, eg. baby changing station must be where you can change your baby for a new one. Bet you never thought if that before, but will now.
Well I'm going to end here as we see new shows ill add them in. We look forward to Seeing You on the Bus, so come on join us for our next trip to Branson Mo
Washington DC Trip ~ The Nations Capitol 2011
Things we got to see ~ Monuments, memorials, museums and more....
First thing we went to see was the Old Post Office Building/Mall. We went up in the tower to see the view of Washington DC. You could see the monuments, Capitol Hill, The White House if u looked closely. Off in the distance you could see the Washington National Cathedral... A floor below the observation area are 10 Congress Bells that get rung during special occasions July 4th and such. These Bells are rung by 10 people who stand in a circle and pull in order. Once they start they go 1 peel before they stop which last bout 3.5 hours.
We met our WADC Tour Guide and she rode around the city w us showing us the sites of the City. We started out on Capitol Hill at the US Capitiol Building. We really did'nt get to see a whole lot inside. However, the tour did take us over to The Library of Congress. We went to the Lincoln Memorial got a few pics there. The reflecting pool was under construction due to cracks. We stopped into the WWII Memorial to look around. Honor Flight was there with some WWII vets from the Illinois Area. Its intresting to see these Gentlemen there looking,reflecting, talking bout the war and the loss of fellow soliders. The night continued with our tour guide as she showed us the City in the dark. We visited the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial and The Iwo Jima Memorial aka the Marines Corps War Memorial. The Korean War Memorial was neat to see at night as the wall is black but when u take a picture the images on the wall appear in a ghost like appearance.
The next day... we went to The White House. It was cool with all the pictures and paintings of the former Presidents and the current. It look small outside but the inside is big.... I probably shouldnt be talking much bout the White House due to Security and all, no pics inside. We headed to Mount Vernon the George Washington estate... Very beautiful location on the Potomac River. We spent some free time at The Union Station mall the Trains still depart from here. Really unique interior decor....
Off the next morning to the Smithsonians, as they are 19 buildings to see (however, we did'nt see all 19 we'd be there for a week). We started out in the Castle which is like the "Lobby" for the individual buildings. Barb and I walked down to the National Air & Space building. We seen lots of Airplanes and few spacecrafts in a matter of 30 minutes as we had to be to the Bereau of Engraving and Printing at a certain time. When were in the B of E they were printing $20.00 bills they told us about how much paper,ink and other stuff they go through. Unfortunatly they dont give out free samples. We did return back to the Smithsonians, Barb and I went through the Halocaust Museum, The National Museum of American History and The National Museum of Natural History.
The American History museum has different things that had a big impact on the American History.... Some things we seen inside incl. Archie Bunkers chair from his TV show, the original Kermit The Frog, the Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of OZ.... just to name a few. In the Nat Hist Museum they had Stuffed Animals from all over the world (not childrens stuffed animals) The Hope Diamond, The big ol Copper chunk mined here in the UP from the White Pine Mine. Outside was a ore piece from one of the mines in Ishpeming..... We had a surprise planned for this evening the musical Chicago at a dinner theatre.
Last day in DC we went to Arlington Cementary, seen the Kenndy Graves and the Eternal Flame.... When i was there last John was by himself, and Jackie was added after that. Acres of white grave stones all the way around we had to miss a certain side of the Cementary due to a funeral there. We went on the Spirit of Washington Cruise dinner cruise down the potomac river seen all the buildings along the way incl The Ronald Regan International Airport. After lunch we toured the Kennedy Center and all three of the Theatre rooms inside. 2nd Surprise tonight was the play The Dollhouse presented at the Kennedy Center that evening..
Well on the way back home we stopped in Baltimore MD to the B&O Rail Museum they had a good sized collection of Trains in the old Round house that B&O used. We took a one mile train ride which was really cool, we rode past their restoration shop and there were other rail cars and locomotives awaiting restoration..... We continued on to PA where we overnighted outside of Pittsburgh and went into Pitts the next morning to take a ride aboard the JUST DUCKY TOUR duck tour we rode inside early 1940's DUKWs amphibiouscars. They took us down the river that runs through Pitts. I got to drive ours down the river and back. Barb got to be behind the wheel in hers (their guide steered) We had a quacking good time QUACK QUACK QUACK!!!
Anyhow thus ends another exciting trip for us. We hope to See You On The Bus.
First thing we went to see was the Old Post Office Building/Mall. We went up in the tower to see the view of Washington DC. You could see the monuments, Capitol Hill, The White House if u looked closely. Off in the distance you could see the Washington National Cathedral... A floor below the observation area are 10 Congress Bells that get rung during special occasions July 4th and such. These Bells are rung by 10 people who stand in a circle and pull in order. Once they start they go 1 peel before they stop which last bout 3.5 hours.
We met our WADC Tour Guide and she rode around the city w us showing us the sites of the City. We started out on Capitol Hill at the US Capitiol Building. We really did'nt get to see a whole lot inside. However, the tour did take us over to The Library of Congress. We went to the Lincoln Memorial got a few pics there. The reflecting pool was under construction due to cracks. We stopped into the WWII Memorial to look around. Honor Flight was there with some WWII vets from the Illinois Area. Its intresting to see these Gentlemen there looking,reflecting, talking bout the war and the loss of fellow soliders. The night continued with our tour guide as she showed us the City in the dark. We visited the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial and The Iwo Jima Memorial aka the Marines Corps War Memorial. The Korean War Memorial was neat to see at night as the wall is black but when u take a picture the images on the wall appear in a ghost like appearance.
The next day... we went to The White House. It was cool with all the pictures and paintings of the former Presidents and the current. It look small outside but the inside is big.... I probably shouldnt be talking much bout the White House due to Security and all, no pics inside. We headed to Mount Vernon the George Washington estate... Very beautiful location on the Potomac River. We spent some free time at The Union Station mall the Trains still depart from here. Really unique interior decor....
Off the next morning to the Smithsonians, as they are 19 buildings to see (however, we did'nt see all 19 we'd be there for a week). We started out in the Castle which is like the "Lobby" for the individual buildings. Barb and I walked down to the National Air & Space building. We seen lots of Airplanes and few spacecrafts in a matter of 30 minutes as we had to be to the Bereau of Engraving and Printing at a certain time. When were in the B of E they were printing $20.00 bills they told us about how much paper,ink and other stuff they go through. Unfortunatly they dont give out free samples. We did return back to the Smithsonians, Barb and I went through the Halocaust Museum, The National Museum of American History and The National Museum of Natural History.
The American History museum has different things that had a big impact on the American History.... Some things we seen inside incl. Archie Bunkers chair from his TV show, the original Kermit The Frog, the Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of OZ.... just to name a few. In the Nat Hist Museum they had Stuffed Animals from all over the world (not childrens stuffed animals) The Hope Diamond, The big ol Copper chunk mined here in the UP from the White Pine Mine. Outside was a ore piece from one of the mines in Ishpeming..... We had a surprise planned for this evening the musical Chicago at a dinner theatre.
Last day in DC we went to Arlington Cementary, seen the Kenndy Graves and the Eternal Flame.... When i was there last John was by himself, and Jackie was added after that. Acres of white grave stones all the way around we had to miss a certain side of the Cementary due to a funeral there. We went on the Spirit of Washington Cruise dinner cruise down the potomac river seen all the buildings along the way incl The Ronald Regan International Airport. After lunch we toured the Kennedy Center and all three of the Theatre rooms inside. 2nd Surprise tonight was the play The Dollhouse presented at the Kennedy Center that evening..
Well on the way back home we stopped in Baltimore MD to the B&O Rail Museum they had a good sized collection of Trains in the old Round house that B&O used. We took a one mile train ride which was really cool, we rode past their restoration shop and there were other rail cars and locomotives awaiting restoration..... We continued on to PA where we overnighted outside of Pittsburgh and went into Pitts the next morning to take a ride aboard the JUST DUCKY TOUR duck tour we rode inside early 1940's DUKWs amphibiouscars. They took us down the river that runs through Pitts. I got to drive ours down the river and back. Barb got to be behind the wheel in hers (their guide steered) We had a quacking good time QUACK QUACK QUACK!!!
Anyhow thus ends another exciting trip for us. We hope to See You On The Bus.
New York, New York 2011
"Start spreading the news, we're leaving today, we want to be part of it New York, New York."
New York City what a heck of a city.... Taxis, buses, buildings and most of all People....
We got to see, Times Square, Wall St, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, The Rockefeller Center,Radio City, NBC Studios, The Trump Towers, Trump International Hotel, Little Italy, Ground Zero, The New World Trade Centers, The USS Intrepid, Central Park, Grand Central, Station, Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, The Grand Plaza Hotel, Grants Tomb and bits of New Jersey. Walk down the Broadway shows, seeing The Jersey Boys, Sister Act, The Lion King.
I was quite surprised at the sights and sounds of the Big Apple. When you see NYC on tv you don't grasp the size til your face to face with it.
When you look at the somewhat narrow streets all you see is a sea of Yellow cabs. Flashing lights adorning the Skyscrapers, even the McDonalds on Broadway looks like a Theater with a fancy marquee.
The Plays we got to see we're really awesome, The Jersey Boys the Story of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, these guys portraying the band members sing and tell the Story of the Original Boys from Jersey. Songs they sang were "Sherry" "Big Girls Don't Cry" "Walk Like a Man" "My Eyes Adore You" just to name a few.
Sister Act follows the movie almost dead on same story line, some of the songs are different than the movie, really entertaining.
The Lion King was based off the movie and used people in animal costumes. The Giraffe was a guy on stilts, others spun birds over there heads like kites, they sang and played african style instruments.....
The First 2 days in NYC we toured around the different parts of the City Upper and Lower Manhattens and surrounding areas and learned bout the names of the Neighbor hoods. The name SoHo refers to the area being "SOuth of HOuston (Street)". This naming convention has become a model for the names of new and emerging neighborhoods in New York such as NoHo, for "NOrth of HOuston Street", TriBeCa ("TRIangle BElow CAnal Street"), Nolita ("NOrth of Little ITAly"), NoMad ("NOrth of MADison Square"), and DUMBO ("Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass").
After all the time in NYC we finally moved on to Atlantic City, NJ. AC NJ is known for it's Casinos and the infamous Board Walk. Those that ever played Monopoly the game that was inspired by this city. This town is often refered to as Las Vegas of the east. There's about 14 Casinos,hotel, and gambling halls. The 4 mile long Boardwalk connects a majority of the Casinos others can be seen via the JAG bus..... the Boardwalk is on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.... The Steel Pier is one of few ocean front Amusement Parks featuring Rides, games, and concessions.....
On the return trip home we made a few pit stops along the way, Philadelphia Pa to stop and see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed).
The Journey continued on to Hershey PA. Where we got to visit Hershey World where we took a tour of the process of making Hershey Candies and also took a ride on the Hershey Trolley around the town. Then we went to the Hershey Museum where we got to make our own candy bars and learned bout the history of Hershey and the town too. Also in the town is a Amusement Park Hershey Park.... Something neat about Hershey is some of their street lights are in the shape Hershey Kisses. To sum up Hershey Pa Its one SWEET CITY.....
Well there you have it our NY City Tour trip........ See You on The Bus.
New York City what a heck of a city.... Taxis, buses, buildings and most of all People....
We got to see, Times Square, Wall St, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, The Rockefeller Center,Radio City, NBC Studios, The Trump Towers, Trump International Hotel, Little Italy, Ground Zero, The New World Trade Centers, The USS Intrepid, Central Park, Grand Central, Station, Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, The Grand Plaza Hotel, Grants Tomb and bits of New Jersey. Walk down the Broadway shows, seeing The Jersey Boys, Sister Act, The Lion King.
I was quite surprised at the sights and sounds of the Big Apple. When you see NYC on tv you don't grasp the size til your face to face with it.
When you look at the somewhat narrow streets all you see is a sea of Yellow cabs. Flashing lights adorning the Skyscrapers, even the McDonalds on Broadway looks like a Theater with a fancy marquee.
The Plays we got to see we're really awesome, The Jersey Boys the Story of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, these guys portraying the band members sing and tell the Story of the Original Boys from Jersey. Songs they sang were "Sherry" "Big Girls Don't Cry" "Walk Like a Man" "My Eyes Adore You" just to name a few.
Sister Act follows the movie almost dead on same story line, some of the songs are different than the movie, really entertaining.
The Lion King was based off the movie and used people in animal costumes. The Giraffe was a guy on stilts, others spun birds over there heads like kites, they sang and played african style instruments.....
The First 2 days in NYC we toured around the different parts of the City Upper and Lower Manhattens and surrounding areas and learned bout the names of the Neighbor hoods. The name SoHo refers to the area being "SOuth of HOuston (Street)". This naming convention has become a model for the names of new and emerging neighborhoods in New York such as NoHo, for "NOrth of HOuston Street", TriBeCa ("TRIangle BElow CAnal Street"), Nolita ("NOrth of Little ITAly"), NoMad ("NOrth of MADison Square"), and DUMBO ("Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass").
After all the time in NYC we finally moved on to Atlantic City, NJ. AC NJ is known for it's Casinos and the infamous Board Walk. Those that ever played Monopoly the game that was inspired by this city. This town is often refered to as Las Vegas of the east. There's about 14 Casinos,hotel, and gambling halls. The 4 mile long Boardwalk connects a majority of the Casinos others can be seen via the JAG bus..... the Boardwalk is on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.... The Steel Pier is one of few ocean front Amusement Parks featuring Rides, games, and concessions.....
On the return trip home we made a few pit stops along the way, Philadelphia Pa to stop and see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed).
The Journey continued on to Hershey PA. Where we got to visit Hershey World where we took a tour of the process of making Hershey Candies and also took a ride on the Hershey Trolley around the town. Then we went to the Hershey Museum where we got to make our own candy bars and learned bout the history of Hershey and the town too. Also in the town is a Amusement Park Hershey Park.... Something neat about Hershey is some of their street lights are in the shape Hershey Kisses. To sum up Hershey Pa Its one SWEET CITY.....
Well there you have it our NY City Tour trip........ See You on The Bus.
New England 2012
Welcome to our New England Tour from 2012. We start out with a new Bus company from the Marquette area and of course with that we get a new driver. This is his first time taking a Real Long Haul trip to the big Cities. Ken our driver who is only 24 yrs old got the trip of a lifetime ill tell you more later in the story. Off we go.
Our First sightseeing stop we did was in Buffalo NY and after dropping our gear off at the Hotel we took off for the Niagara Falls Area to see the Falls. Upon arrival to the falls it was raining but not the rain from the sky. It was the mist coming off the falls needless to say we got soaked trying to get pics. Its was really hard to see the Falls at times but was still awesome to see, non the less. We got to see some of the park just before it got to dark. We had dinner in a restaurant called the Red Coach in what kinda looked like a old Horse barn style look. Food was excellent. Back to the Hotel.
We took off for our next destination which put us up in Burlington Vt. We were here in time for dinner on the Church St. Its a Downtown like setting minus cars you can walk down the streets or the side walks sometimes there's vendors, kiosks, along with the multiple store fronts and restaurants to pick from.
After a good nights rest we got up and took off for Waterbury Vt. home of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. In the foyer of the factory there were displays of different types of Ice Cream scoops (never knew they're was so many) from different parts of the world... Visited the fun graves of the flavors that never made it like Oh Pear, White Russian, Economic Crunch...etc. each on their own individual grave marker including the story behind each... We did get to sample a Maple flavored ice cream really good.
Next stop on trip brought us to the Bragg Farm Sugar House and Gift, a Maple Syrup Farm where we were able to see and try different grades of Real Maple syrup and purchase Maple Products such as Syrup, and other novelties. Barb grew up in a sugar shack and she talks about how the kids would fight over who got to drive the Tractor... on who drove, didn't have to retrieve the buckets. After a "sweet" visit to this farm we pressed on once again.
Now "granite" this next part isn't to "hard" to tell but our driver did take us on a long ways around to get to our next stop. Ok no more "Rock hard" jokes we arrived at the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry Barre Vt. Here we were able to stand atop of a 600+ ft deep Grey stone quarry. There was a tour guide standing there telling bout the history of the quarry and what we were seeing... There were Crane like devices that would lift the big granite blocks out of the quarry to the surface level to be hauled away. The grey granite that they extract out of here is used for multiple things including Gravestones, such as the one you see posted to this section of comments. That particular piece is located in the Hope Cemetery located not far from the RoA Quarry. Yes that meant we went to another Graveyard a real one this time. Here are different types of Grey Granite Grave stones that were carved should-say by Artisans. These Artisans were from Italy and had a very short life span due to inhaling the granite dust. Anyhow in this graveyard the one piece I have pictured is of a racecar driver Joey Laquerre jr. others were of pilot, soccer player and others. It was really neat to visit this Granite style Garden.
Well time to get those big wheels turning once again. We loaded up and headed for the White mountains. We were able to pass NH's famous "old man on the Mountain", or whats left of it. There used to be this rock formation that looked like a old man's face. Well couple of years ago the old man's nose fell off...
We continued our way through the mountain passes into the town of Lincoln NH. Staying at the Indian Head Resort. Now why its called Indian Head Resort is because of another rock formation just across the street from the resort that resembles a Indian... When we were being told the story about the Indian formation the gal told us that there is a helicopter that flies up over the formation to give it a "Hair-cut" Legend states that this formation was a look-out point for Native American Chief Pemigewasset which now this a monument for said Chief and his reign over this valley. We had a dinner and entertainment at the Indian Head resort.
The next morning we went up a tad into the mountain areas to see the Flume Gorge of Franconia Notch. After a short little walk...ok Short might not be accurate as it was in there quite further than we anticipated. However it was really neat to stand in the Gorge once we got to it... there was a walkway that went up into the Gorge. On the way out of the gorge we caught the shuttle bus back up to the visitor center.
We continued onto our next planned venue Clark's Trading Post. Clark's Trading Post was started in 1928 as Ed Clark's Eskimos Sled Dog Ranch, which was all about Sled Dogs.... 1931 they purchased a Black bear in order to draw in a bigger crowd... Today some 20+ Clark Family members still run the now Clark's Trading Post, entertaining crowds alike with the big black furry stars. After a nice lunch including a Pumpkin soup, we went to the arena to watch the bears perform. One of the bears rode around on a scooter and raised and American flag. They got the bear to climb in side a old pickle barrel and she would stick her tongue out the little drain hole to lick a ice cream style bear treat. They did other acts between 2 bears. The Bears are not the only forms of entertainment on the property. They have like a little town set up on the property and each of the buildings is like a museum and of course gift shops and restaurant. Now no little town would be complete with out a railroad passing by, and there is a R/R. Hop aboard the White Mountain Central Rail Road, being pulled by one of their different engines. Along the way we passed through an original 1904 Built Covered bridge which the Clark's got from the town of East Mountpelier and reassembled on the property.... as we rode along a tour guide talked about the surrounding area..... then a weird voice rambling, interrupted our guide over the speaker system. As the train came to a stop in the woods and disheveled looking mountain man, who they refer to as the Wolfman approached the train yelling his rantings at the train and telling the engineer and the tour guide to "GET OFF MY LAND". Before we enter the Wolfman's Lore they tell us that if and when we see the Wolfman we are to yell "SCRAM YOU OLD GOAT" and that's supposed to make him flee... So as he's "ranting on" the train finally starts to roll on down the line... with the Wolfman in pursuit driving is mysterious buggy and still ranting through the speakers at us going on about taxes and trespassing. We do reach the end of the line eventually and have to reverse back through. Of course guess who is waiting for us... The Wolfman tries everything to scare us off his land, including firing a gun in air, trying to set off a missile that just fizzles out and he even threatened us with a shovel and a old rail from the R/R we finally make our way back across the covered bridged back to the safety of the Clark's Trading post.... You see the Wolfman won't cross that bridge. Well I guess it's time to make our way back to the main gift shop while Ken goes to collect the bus.... Wait... what's going on over there??.... Looks like Wolfman is a little upset and detaining the bus driver... Uh-oh... I can't hear the conversation as they're to far away.... looks like he's getting back in his buggy and following the bus back out.... The bus rolls up to the building with wolfman in-tow... He seems to be seeking someone... he gets out of his buggy and approaches us looking for someone... Ranting on about she called him a old goat and such... He spotted her a far off in the distance walking towards the bus, clueless that he's crouched behind a car... As Marlene approaches where the Wolfman is hiding, he pops up and walks towards her, taking her by surprise, she manages to get one last "Scram you old Goat" in. After everyone finally gets their nerves back in order, the Wolfman comes over and talks with the rest of the group thanking us all for coming... Phew!!! I was a little worried that he was gonna keep Marlene...
After we got out of there with all our passengers we started to head for Laconia NH. Laconia is where my Grandmother was raised. I'm sure its a lot different now, mom talked about this place called Weir Beach that was like a boardwalk. Unfortunately it was already closed for the season. We did however get to take a boat cruise out on Lake Winniepesaukee, it was a little grey out but enjoyable. We overnighted in Laconia, the next morning took us to pick up a Tour Guide to take us along the Maine Coastline and see a few lighthouses and the Kennedy compound. The guide told us bout the history of the few lighthouses that we did get to see. The Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth ME, The "Bug Light" which is a small lighthouse that stands only 30' in height and is called that because "It's cute as a bug" and the Cape Neddick Nubble Light in York ME. After our lighthouse tour, we made a beeline for Boston.
In the morning we made our way to our next Tour Guide who would show us the Martha's Vineyard Island. Yeah we took the bus on the ferry out to the Island which was really interesting. Ken told me he got a picture text from Checker's Dispatch showing that we were out in the ocean due to the tracking device in the bus. The trip around the Island lasted most of the day, and also tested Ken's driving ability. Our tour guide is apparently used to van sized tour vehicles as he tried every small nook and cranny to fit a 46' MCI 56 passenger Charter Bus into. Ken did it, and then some! We stopped for lunch and I told ken to try to find a place to park the bus near by bout 45 mins later I get a call from Ken who apparently found the most narrow road to drive down.... with of course Porsche's and other fine automobiles lined up & down. Ken said it took bout 15 minutes to get his nerves back. You see Ken got second place in a Bus Driver's Rodeo where they put him through some type of simulated scenarios such as narrow road-ways where you have no more than 1 to 2" of space on both sides of the bus.... Sorry going off topic here, he finally caught up to us. After lunch we continued our trip up and around the Island. We did go by the Bush Complex where George H.W. Bush was now residing. Back to the boat we went and back to the mainland. The next day found us touring some of the Boston area including the U.S.S. Constitution old ironside war ship, and we got to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II. The final morning we went to the Kennedy Library and toured that and made our way back to Michigan. Well this trip has seen alot, From Niagara Falls, to the mountains, foliage of the trees in the Mtns, to a crazed wolfman, to Grandmas home town, seeing multiple light houses, Boston, Martha's Vineyard, testing Kens driving ability, and back home all in ten days... not to bad... Until next time we will "See you on the bus"...
Our First sightseeing stop we did was in Buffalo NY and after dropping our gear off at the Hotel we took off for the Niagara Falls Area to see the Falls. Upon arrival to the falls it was raining but not the rain from the sky. It was the mist coming off the falls needless to say we got soaked trying to get pics. Its was really hard to see the Falls at times but was still awesome to see, non the less. We got to see some of the park just before it got to dark. We had dinner in a restaurant called the Red Coach in what kinda looked like a old Horse barn style look. Food was excellent. Back to the Hotel.
We took off for our next destination which put us up in Burlington Vt. We were here in time for dinner on the Church St. Its a Downtown like setting minus cars you can walk down the streets or the side walks sometimes there's vendors, kiosks, along with the multiple store fronts and restaurants to pick from.
After a good nights rest we got up and took off for Waterbury Vt. home of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. In the foyer of the factory there were displays of different types of Ice Cream scoops (never knew they're was so many) from different parts of the world... Visited the fun graves of the flavors that never made it like Oh Pear, White Russian, Economic Crunch...etc. each on their own individual grave marker including the story behind each... We did get to sample a Maple flavored ice cream really good.
Next stop on trip brought us to the Bragg Farm Sugar House and Gift, a Maple Syrup Farm where we were able to see and try different grades of Real Maple syrup and purchase Maple Products such as Syrup, and other novelties. Barb grew up in a sugar shack and she talks about how the kids would fight over who got to drive the Tractor... on who drove, didn't have to retrieve the buckets. After a "sweet" visit to this farm we pressed on once again.
Now "granite" this next part isn't to "hard" to tell but our driver did take us on a long ways around to get to our next stop. Ok no more "Rock hard" jokes we arrived at the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry Barre Vt. Here we were able to stand atop of a 600+ ft deep Grey stone quarry. There was a tour guide standing there telling bout the history of the quarry and what we were seeing... There were Crane like devices that would lift the big granite blocks out of the quarry to the surface level to be hauled away. The grey granite that they extract out of here is used for multiple things including Gravestones, such as the one you see posted to this section of comments. That particular piece is located in the Hope Cemetery located not far from the RoA Quarry. Yes that meant we went to another Graveyard a real one this time. Here are different types of Grey Granite Grave stones that were carved should-say by Artisans. These Artisans were from Italy and had a very short life span due to inhaling the granite dust. Anyhow in this graveyard the one piece I have pictured is of a racecar driver Joey Laquerre jr. others were of pilot, soccer player and others. It was really neat to visit this Granite style Garden.
Well time to get those big wheels turning once again. We loaded up and headed for the White mountains. We were able to pass NH's famous "old man on the Mountain", or whats left of it. There used to be this rock formation that looked like a old man's face. Well couple of years ago the old man's nose fell off...
We continued our way through the mountain passes into the town of Lincoln NH. Staying at the Indian Head Resort. Now why its called Indian Head Resort is because of another rock formation just across the street from the resort that resembles a Indian... When we were being told the story about the Indian formation the gal told us that there is a helicopter that flies up over the formation to give it a "Hair-cut" Legend states that this formation was a look-out point for Native American Chief Pemigewasset which now this a monument for said Chief and his reign over this valley. We had a dinner and entertainment at the Indian Head resort.
The next morning we went up a tad into the mountain areas to see the Flume Gorge of Franconia Notch. After a short little walk...ok Short might not be accurate as it was in there quite further than we anticipated. However it was really neat to stand in the Gorge once we got to it... there was a walkway that went up into the Gorge. On the way out of the gorge we caught the shuttle bus back up to the visitor center.
We continued onto our next planned venue Clark's Trading Post. Clark's Trading Post was started in 1928 as Ed Clark's Eskimos Sled Dog Ranch, which was all about Sled Dogs.... 1931 they purchased a Black bear in order to draw in a bigger crowd... Today some 20+ Clark Family members still run the now Clark's Trading Post, entertaining crowds alike with the big black furry stars. After a nice lunch including a Pumpkin soup, we went to the arena to watch the bears perform. One of the bears rode around on a scooter and raised and American flag. They got the bear to climb in side a old pickle barrel and she would stick her tongue out the little drain hole to lick a ice cream style bear treat. They did other acts between 2 bears. The Bears are not the only forms of entertainment on the property. They have like a little town set up on the property and each of the buildings is like a museum and of course gift shops and restaurant. Now no little town would be complete with out a railroad passing by, and there is a R/R. Hop aboard the White Mountain Central Rail Road, being pulled by one of their different engines. Along the way we passed through an original 1904 Built Covered bridge which the Clark's got from the town of East Mountpelier and reassembled on the property.... as we rode along a tour guide talked about the surrounding area..... then a weird voice rambling, interrupted our guide over the speaker system. As the train came to a stop in the woods and disheveled looking mountain man, who they refer to as the Wolfman approached the train yelling his rantings at the train and telling the engineer and the tour guide to "GET OFF MY LAND". Before we enter the Wolfman's Lore they tell us that if and when we see the Wolfman we are to yell "SCRAM YOU OLD GOAT" and that's supposed to make him flee... So as he's "ranting on" the train finally starts to roll on down the line... with the Wolfman in pursuit driving is mysterious buggy and still ranting through the speakers at us going on about taxes and trespassing. We do reach the end of the line eventually and have to reverse back through. Of course guess who is waiting for us... The Wolfman tries everything to scare us off his land, including firing a gun in air, trying to set off a missile that just fizzles out and he even threatened us with a shovel and a old rail from the R/R we finally make our way back across the covered bridged back to the safety of the Clark's Trading post.... You see the Wolfman won't cross that bridge. Well I guess it's time to make our way back to the main gift shop while Ken goes to collect the bus.... Wait... what's going on over there??.... Looks like Wolfman is a little upset and detaining the bus driver... Uh-oh... I can't hear the conversation as they're to far away.... looks like he's getting back in his buggy and following the bus back out.... The bus rolls up to the building with wolfman in-tow... He seems to be seeking someone... he gets out of his buggy and approaches us looking for someone... Ranting on about she called him a old goat and such... He spotted her a far off in the distance walking towards the bus, clueless that he's crouched behind a car... As Marlene approaches where the Wolfman is hiding, he pops up and walks towards her, taking her by surprise, she manages to get one last "Scram you old Goat" in. After everyone finally gets their nerves back in order, the Wolfman comes over and talks with the rest of the group thanking us all for coming... Phew!!! I was a little worried that he was gonna keep Marlene...
After we got out of there with all our passengers we started to head for Laconia NH. Laconia is where my Grandmother was raised. I'm sure its a lot different now, mom talked about this place called Weir Beach that was like a boardwalk. Unfortunately it was already closed for the season. We did however get to take a boat cruise out on Lake Winniepesaukee, it was a little grey out but enjoyable. We overnighted in Laconia, the next morning took us to pick up a Tour Guide to take us along the Maine Coastline and see a few lighthouses and the Kennedy compound. The guide told us bout the history of the few lighthouses that we did get to see. The Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth ME, The "Bug Light" which is a small lighthouse that stands only 30' in height and is called that because "It's cute as a bug" and the Cape Neddick Nubble Light in York ME. After our lighthouse tour, we made a beeline for Boston.
In the morning we made our way to our next Tour Guide who would show us the Martha's Vineyard Island. Yeah we took the bus on the ferry out to the Island which was really interesting. Ken told me he got a picture text from Checker's Dispatch showing that we were out in the ocean due to the tracking device in the bus. The trip around the Island lasted most of the day, and also tested Ken's driving ability. Our tour guide is apparently used to van sized tour vehicles as he tried every small nook and cranny to fit a 46' MCI 56 passenger Charter Bus into. Ken did it, and then some! We stopped for lunch and I told ken to try to find a place to park the bus near by bout 45 mins later I get a call from Ken who apparently found the most narrow road to drive down.... with of course Porsche's and other fine automobiles lined up & down. Ken said it took bout 15 minutes to get his nerves back. You see Ken got second place in a Bus Driver's Rodeo where they put him through some type of simulated scenarios such as narrow road-ways where you have no more than 1 to 2" of space on both sides of the bus.... Sorry going off topic here, he finally caught up to us. After lunch we continued our trip up and around the Island. We did go by the Bush Complex where George H.W. Bush was now residing. Back to the boat we went and back to the mainland. The next day found us touring some of the Boston area including the U.S.S. Constitution old ironside war ship, and we got to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II. The final morning we went to the Kennedy Library and toured that and made our way back to Michigan. Well this trip has seen alot, From Niagara Falls, to the mountains, foliage of the trees in the Mtns, to a crazed wolfman, to Grandmas home town, seeing multiple light houses, Boston, Martha's Vineyard, testing Kens driving ability, and back home all in ten days... not to bad... Until next time we will "See you on the bus"...
A Surprised Marlene as the Wolfman approaches her... Scram You Old Goat is her only response
The Holy Land Experience Orlando Florida 2013
One of our shorter trips we took. The Holy Land Experience in Orlando Fl. put on by the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). When I say a short trip it was literally a short trip. Fly down one day, tour the park, and back home just like that. We had gotten a phone call the night before our flight, from the airport telling us the morning flight was canceled and we would have to leave after 1:30 p.m. After doing some quick research we found a different flight from Chicago to Orlando as the one we were set for would put us in Orlando late at night. The one we actually took rerouted us into Charlotte NC. Which was ok as I never been there before. We arrived at the Houghton Co. Memorial Airport and got checked into our flight. Ok, the last time I flew was back in 1996 when Barb and I went to Florida to go to Disney World, so I kinda had forgotten how small the planes are and of course I've put on a couple pounds since then. This plane was small, so small that the flight attendant just handed drinks back through the plane ok. Ok so that did'nt really happen, it would of been funny though. Sorry I digress, I rode in the front seat, behind this little wall I think, and because of my size I couldn't fit the seat belt so I had to ask for an extender. Anyhow, we were on our way. I never been to the Chicago-O'hare Airport. It was huge, I mean it made Houghton's Airport look like a supply closet. We were able to score a ride in one of them buggies that roll through the airport, taking us to the "C" Terminal. After a few minutes we were airborne once again, on our way to Charlotte NC, then on our way to Orlando. We got in about 9:30, found our van, and was on our way to the hotel.
The next morning we took off for the Holy Land Park. This theme park takes you back to the days of when Jesus walked the Earth doing his works, healing's and such. There are Characters moving about the park guiding people from one show to the next or from one exhibit to the next. There is allot to see for being a tiny park. First we came through the gates and went into a room for Communion with Jesus. We came out and entered to a small theater, where they had some Praise and Worship. After the Praise and Worship we went to leave and the characters told us to come quick to the one side of the lake to hear Jesus teach. We got situated as two of the characters put on a little show for us, getting everyone worked up for the teacher. After a few minutes Jesus arrived talking about the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted". "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth". Just as he did in Matthew chapter 5. During his teaching they had a couple of kids bring two baskets one with bread and the other with fish. The other characters told Jesus we need to feed the Multitude, but didn't have enough for us all. Jesus took the baskets and had everyone close their eyes and prayed and blessed the baskets. When he finished the actors were joined by others to pass the baskets around which now contained the Little Gold fish crackers. When we were done we progressed onto the Scriptorium which is a museum in which a collection of manuscripts, and other religious artifacts including different types of bibles, from throughout the ages. We then entered into the building which houses a model of the way Jerusalem would have looked back in 66 a.d.
We watched a couple of skit performances, and watched Jesus do a couple Baptisms. Also we went to see how the Priest of the days would prepare for the Holy Sacrifice in the Holy of Holies and a replica of the Ark of the covenant. Then the final show that was offered, a Live Passion Drama "We Shall Behold HIM". The Life of Jesus, including the crucifix, the resurrection, taking back the keys of Death, Hell and the Grave, and his return to the Throne of Heaven. It was an exciting day for sure, really cool to see... The next day we flew back home, leaving the nice 80 degree weather behind. The pic is of Jesus teaching by the lakeside and one of the characters behind him.
The next morning we took off for the Holy Land Park. This theme park takes you back to the days of when Jesus walked the Earth doing his works, healing's and such. There are Characters moving about the park guiding people from one show to the next or from one exhibit to the next. There is allot to see for being a tiny park. First we came through the gates and went into a room for Communion with Jesus. We came out and entered to a small theater, where they had some Praise and Worship. After the Praise and Worship we went to leave and the characters told us to come quick to the one side of the lake to hear Jesus teach. We got situated as two of the characters put on a little show for us, getting everyone worked up for the teacher. After a few minutes Jesus arrived talking about the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted". "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth". Just as he did in Matthew chapter 5. During his teaching they had a couple of kids bring two baskets one with bread and the other with fish. The other characters told Jesus we need to feed the Multitude, but didn't have enough for us all. Jesus took the baskets and had everyone close their eyes and prayed and blessed the baskets. When he finished the actors were joined by others to pass the baskets around which now contained the Little Gold fish crackers. When we were done we progressed onto the Scriptorium which is a museum in which a collection of manuscripts, and other religious artifacts including different types of bibles, from throughout the ages. We then entered into the building which houses a model of the way Jerusalem would have looked back in 66 a.d.
We watched a couple of skit performances, and watched Jesus do a couple Baptisms. Also we went to see how the Priest of the days would prepare for the Holy Sacrifice in the Holy of Holies and a replica of the Ark of the covenant. Then the final show that was offered, a Live Passion Drama "We Shall Behold HIM". The Life of Jesus, including the crucifix, the resurrection, taking back the keys of Death, Hell and the Grave, and his return to the Throne of Heaven. It was an exciting day for sure, really cool to see... The next day we flew back home, leaving the nice 80 degree weather behind. The pic is of Jesus teaching by the lakeside and one of the characters behind him.
