Time to Hit the Beach

February 28, 2020 by thetravelercarl

It’s been awhile that I have visited the beach. I miss the smell of sea breeze, the feeling when stepping on to fine sands, the sounds the waves make, and the different glow of the sun. I am already past due for vacation. Thus, it was time to hit the beach for me.

I’ve searched the web and maps on what beach to hit. I was looking for a beach location that is near to my current location which is Dallas. For weeks of searching, I’ve found Fort Walton Beach which is in the middle of two popular beach destinations of Destin and Pensacola Beach. Since I got a location to go to, I’ve booked a hotel for 2 nights with friends. It was in The Island by Hotel Red Lion in Fort Walton Beach.

We drove for 10 hours straight from Texas to Florida. It was exhausting but I know it was worth it. We arrived in our destination at 8PM. It was already dark which I couldn’t really appreciate the beauty of the surrounding. I went to bed then. By morning, I woke up early and went to claim my prize for driving long hours. This what welcomed me.

My friends and I branded our group as ‘Single Hearts’ since we all are single. We decided to see Destin. We’ve explored Henderson Beach State Park, Harborwalk Village, and Harborwalk Marina.

Henderson Beach State Park in Destin

Harborwalk Village

HarborWalk Marina

After our whole day excursion, we stopped for food. We dined in the Crab Trap back in Fort Walton Beach. We ordered the ultimate triple crab combo. The combo has Dungeness crabs, wild Alaska Bairdi crabs, Alaska snow crabs, and Alaska red king crabs. It was delicious.

Ultimate Crab Combo Experience in the Crab Trap

It was just a 2-day and 2-night Fort Walton Beach experience with my single hearts friends but it was the right time to hit the beach. The beach was amazing with its fine sands, the sea breeze, and the waves. I planned this trip on the same week of the NOLA Mardi Gras so, I can also experience the parade when we head back to Texas.

My First Thanksgiving with Family

December 27, 2019 by thetravelercarl

It has been awhile from my previous blog entry and definitely way too late. I’ve had issues going on with life and it needed my utmost attention. Anyway, the most recent holiday here in the US was spent with great people around me. It was my first Thanksgiving with Family.

Our Thanksgiving was held in my aunt’s residence in Mesa, Arizona where my mother’s birthday last year was also held. I flew from Dallas to Phoenix midnight to beat traffic and long queues in the airport and highways. I’ve arrived in Mesa at 1AM. When I got to my aunt’s house, my cousins and I finally had a small reunion. My cousins live in San Diego and Los Angeles. Family friends traveled from Maryland. We didn’t have any plan and all of the sudden, we had an itinerary by just sitting for an hour. I’ve already visited some of the spots on our list but it was fine coz I’m traveling with family and friends.

Superstition Mountain Tourist Spots. In Superstition Mountain Range, there’s the Tortilla Flat, the Canyon Lake Vista, Superstition Mountain Museum and many more. It was a good drive around the mountain range. The weather was a little chilly but perfect to wander around.

Tortilla Flat view

Canyon Lake Vista

Sedona Tourism. There are hundreds of things to do in Sedona. During my last trip back in 2016, we visited the Bell Rock, Chapel of the Holy Cross, Slide Rock State Park but it happened during summer months. This time, we traveled in Sedona in winter days.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Sedona Rock Mountains

The next day was Thanksgiving. They were busy preparing and cooking the food while we were resting and waiting for chowtime. Thanksgiving dinner started at around 6PM with relatives and friends coming and gathering. Everyone was having fun and got full from dinner. My aunt and her sous chef sure were really good in preparing the feast.

My entire Thanksgiving with family was awesome! It was my first but definitely won’t be my last. I got a lot of things to thank for. I’m just grateful that I have my family and close friends around me to support and love me. I got the career and I’m living my life how I wanted it. Happy Thanksgiving even though it’s late, too late!

Family and Friends

Time, Market, and the Capitol

July 19, 2019 by thetravelercarl

The last time I posted about Texas was when I toured within downtown Dallas and I titled it the Assassination and the Garden. This time I went farther than Dallas. I explored other town and cities such as Amarillo, Waco and the capital of the state, Austin.

On those above mentioned places, there are specific attractions that drive the tourists to visit the city. Texas is a big state, driving from east to west may take 12 hours to complete the trip. Not that I tried it but when I checked thru GPS, Marshall from East Texas to El Paso which is West Texas takes about 13 hours. Thus, if a traveler plans to visit Texas, they should do some research on what cities and attractions they are inclined to seeing. The reason why I called my article today, Time, Market and the Capitol.

I was in Amarillo since it was on my way home from New Mexico. I was doing some research before I head back home and I found out that they have this interesting location. It was like a Time Capsule in the Helium Time Columns Monument which was in Jack B. Kelley Plaza.

The Helium Time Columns Monument is a large monument/ time capsule built in 1968 to commemorate the centennial of the discovery of helium. It is a six-story, stainless steel structure with a big helium molecule in its center in observance to all of the helium that’s buried under Amarillo. Located at 1200-1348 Streit Dr, Amarillo, TX 79106.

I had a quick trip to Waco. If you are not into home improvements and don’t watch tv series about it then you might not know the famous tv show, Fixer Upper. Most of the episodes were shot in Waco since the hosts were from there. They have a farm and everyone who watch the shows would die to get in their farm. I visited the popular, Magnolia Market at the Silos.

Magnolia Market at the Silos or commonly called Magnolia Market is a shopping complex that occupies two city blocks in downtown Waco. It is marked by two 120-foot high silos which were built in 1950 as a part of the Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Company. Thru Magnolia Market, shoppers can experience unique home décor and lifestyle journal which are handpicked by Joanna and can check design blog and reality properties which are all owned and operated by Chip. The market is located at 601 Webster Ave, Waco, TX 76706.

The other week, my friends and I decided to visit the capital of the state, Austin. Austin is about 3 hours drive from Dallas. When we got to Austin, we just made our itinerary to visit Texas Capitol.

It is the capitol building and seat government of the state of Texas. The building has been added to the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a National Historic Landmark. It is the sixth tallest state capitol in the country. Texas State Capitol houses the offices and chambers of the state legislature and the state governor.

Another side trip since we were in Austin was the Bullock Texas State History Museum. It was just close to the capitol anyway. A quick drive of 5 mins to get to the museum.

The Bullock Texas State History Museum is a history museum dedicated to interpreting the continually unfolding of the story of Texas to the broadest possible audience through meaningful educational experience. It was named after the 38th Lieutenant Governor of the State, Bob Bullock. He worked for the preservation and exhibition of Texas history and established the museum’s completion.

It was a good way to get to know my new home state of Texas by visiting famous and other cities such as Amarillo, Waco and Austin. I picked the popular spots which were the time capsule, the market, and the capitol. I still have a lot of locations to explore in Texas since the state is the second largest in the United States.

Where To Go

June 28, 2019 by thetravelercarl

It was the last week of my mum’s stay here in the States and I want to show her around one last time. I glanced into the US map and questioned myself, Where To Go this time. Since I’ve explored most of the eastern states and my aim for now is to visit all the states in the country, then I have decided to go to New Mexico and Colorado since they are closer to my new home location of Texas.

It took me a couple of weeks to come up with the plan that includes hotel to stay, tourist attractions to visit, and route to follow. Since I called myself a nature lover, I made sure to choose the attractions that will showcase its beauty. This was the itinerary I set for this trip:

1. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico

2. White Sands National Monument Park, NM

White Sands National Monument is on the north side of Route 70 about 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo.

3. Sandia Peak Tramway, NM

Sandia Peak Tramway is an aerial tramway that stretches from the northeast edge of the city to the crestline of the Sandia Mountains (photo credit: Sandia Peak Tramway site)

4. San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church, NM

San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church is a historic church located on the north side of the Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque.

5. Chaco Culture National Historic Park, NM

Chaco Culture National Historic Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the sparsely populated Four Corners region. (photo credit: Chaco Culture National Historic Park site)

6. Four Corners Monument, CO

Four Corners Monument marks the quadripoint in the southwestern US where the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet.

7. Mesa Verde National Park, CO

Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County. It is best known for structures such as Cliff Palace.

8. Pagosa Springs, CO

Pagosa Spring is a town named for the sulfur springs including the world’s deepest geothermal hot spring.

9. The Helium Time Columns, TX

Helium Time Columns is a time capsule with artifacts, letters, and knowledge from 1968 stored inside in an inert helium atmosphere.

The itinerary was planned to make sure to get the most of the trip. Driving from Texas to New Mexico to Colorado and back to Texas. The travel time was calculated per Google Maps GPS. So that made me decide where to go on my next adventure. Next posting will be my adventure in the Land of Enchantment.

The Assassination and the Garden

May 31, 2019 by thetravelercarl

It has been 3 months after my move here in Texas yet I’ve never explored it. I’ve been out and about in the neighboring states instead. This time, its Dallas time. I’ve been asking my newly found acquaintances on which attractions to visit and they mentioned more of museums, parks, malls, and gardens even bars and restaurants. Thus, I have decided to visit the JFK Museum and the Dallas Arboretum which I titled the article, the Assassination and the Garden.

Located in downtown Dallas, JFK Museum is the sixth floor museum in once was known as Texas School Book Depository building. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is one of Texas’ most visited historical sites. It tells the story of life, death and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. It chronicles the events of that dark moment in history and prompts guests to reminisce the legacy of JFK.

For more information, just visit their site at https://www.jfk.org/the-museum/

After visiting the museum and learning the American history, I went to a more relaxing location with green scenery. I came to see Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a huge garden located in East Dallas and offers a wide array of popular flowers and plants. It is a best spot for nature lovers. The garden also holds public events for everyone such as Dallas Blooms which is a celebration of springtime annuals and perennials, and the fine art show, Artscape.

If you are planning to visit the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden one of these days and want to learn more about it, check their website here.

My little tour in downtown Dallas was productive. I have seen both the sad history and the colorful present. The assassination brought the lesson to everyone for this scenario not to happen again while the garden showed that there’s beauty and to keep nurturing Mother Nature.

Tri-State Trip

May 3, 2019 by thetravelercarl

Back in Ohio, I made an itinerary to do a tri-state trip. But it never happened due to some time constraints. That tri-state trip has been decided that covers popular places in the southeastern part of the country. This southeastern part has a great view of the sea. It’s been few months that I haven’t seen the beach making me long for that elusive white sand, fresh sea breeze and enticing blue water locations. These locations were;

1.Gulf Shores, Alabama

Gulf Shores is a city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Its Gulf State Park has beaches, trails and a pier, plus a golf course and a zipline over the dunes. It is located on the Gulf of Mexico. It has a lot of attractions ranging from shopping to amusement parks to of course, the beach.

2. Biloxi, Mississippi

Biloxi is a city and one of two county seats of Harrison county in Mississippi. The city has been a favorite vacation destination for decades with sandy beaches and calm waters which is perfect for jet skiing or deep sea fishing.

Biloxi Lighthouse is a lighthouse just close to the MS sound of the Gulf of Mexico. The lighthouse has been kept by female keepers for more years than any other lighthouse in the country. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a state landmark.

3. New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans or in French La Nouvelle-Orleans is a consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the southeastern region of the state. It is also the best city to visit for fun, parties, events and culture. Due to being the most vibrant city of the state, it is the most populous city and is considered an economic and commercial hub for the broader Gulf Coast region. NOLA is world-renowned for its distinct music, Creole cuisine, unique dialect, and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras.

Tri-State Trip was a good way to get out of the routine and boring life in my home city. It was a great deal seeing and exploring the neighboring states after moving. This won’t be my last tri-state trip since I love driving around and traveling and that is a given. I just can’t believe that I’ve almost toured the whole states of the United States. I’ve visited 33 states out of 50 and that also includes the capital of the country.