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| The garden of the Westcott House (circa 1880) My recent visit to historic St. Augustine was a delight to the senses. Historic Inns of Elegance, quaint cafes and sophisticated restaurants greet the casual stroller in Old Town. A tour of the astounding collection of fine art at the Lightner Museum and an exceptional dinner in the museum's Cafe Alcazar were a highlight of the visit. Secret gardens and carriage rides, a walking tour of ethnic eateries, a late-night martini at Rhett's where the piano bar coaxes you into a restful reverie. These are a few of the memories I bring home. I stayed at the Bayfront Marin House, a short walk from the Bridge of Lions in Old Town. The Marin House is one of five Inns of Elegance where guests can expect the finest in historic bed and breakfast lodging. Of course, the Getaway Girl needs adventure. A dolphin watching eco-tour on an inflatable zodiac was a thrill ride, indeed. A visit to the historic fort for astounding views of the Bay, a stop at the new state-of-the-art Pirate & Treasure Museum and a bicycle ride ended the day. For an online guide to beautiful St. Augustine, click here. |
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| The Safety Harbor Pier |
By Ronnie Lovler
The traveler can catch a first glimpse of the lake on the approach into Panajachel from the Interamerican Highway. Don’t be deceived by the highway nomenclature. Consider it a paved path. You can drive, but I wouldn’t. I’d rather take my chances on the “chicken bus” so named for the obvious reason … the bus can hold passengers and chickens. On our journey, there were only people onboard – at least as far as I know – but we were crammed in like chickens! Sorry that it didn’t occur to us to grab a picture, but we did grab some shots for you outside the market in Antigua.
My son, who is many, many years younger than me, (duh, of course, or he wouldn’t be my son!) was up for adventure, so he went out to walk along the beach. Sure enough, he found what he was looking for – sea turtles. Then he came racing back to get me. So I just had to go. And lucky for me, there was one sea turtle had not yet made its way back into the water. It was amazing. Words fail me. That was my first sea turtle and this may sound like an exaggeration, but if I had gotten nothing else out of this trip, seeing that sea turtle might also have been enough. 
One of the things I did that week in Monterrico was teach English classes to many of the kids from town. My host always organizes these types of givebacks. So in the morning, I was sitting down with the older kids (aged 12 – 15); and in the afternoon, when they got out of school, dozens of the younger kids would race over for their introduction to English. It is rewarding, but for this old gal, also exhausting. 
Chihuly's love of nature is inspiration for most of his signature glass sculptures that take organic forms such as shells, flowers and sea creatures. Here you can also see one of his breathtaking chandeliers and his famous rowboat filled with hundreds of brilliant orbs. Each of 16 installations is displayed in a space of its own, with lighting so perfectly tuned that it becomes part of the exhibit.
We saw a number of sandhill cranes before we headed to the trails at the adjacent property. This 1,700-acre forest is on two lakes and the habitat includes cypress swamps, pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and marshland. The ranger told us it is prime habitat for gopher tortoises and a great place to see wildflowers in the fall. 
Here's a few photos from our hike. Meg was on the lookout for alligators in the pond, while I swore I saw signs of wild boars. Alas, the sandhill cranes and a black racer snake were our only sightings this day. 
On June 26, thousands of local residents (including the Getaway Girl) and business owners flocked to beach locations around Florida to form a human hand-holding line on the shore in "Hands Across the Sand." Beachgoers united in a stand against opening off-shore drilling along the coast of Florida. Right now the beaches of Florida's panhandle are suffering from tar balls and oiled birds washing ashore from the Deepwater Horizon oil well 200 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Why take the risk even closer to our state? 
At the moment, the beaches in Florida are still picture-purfect (no oil in sight). Here's a photo of me shot over Memorial Weekend at Honeymoon Island State Park ... I volunteer to protect nesting shorebirds from predators like drunk boaters and their dogs. Not a bad gig, really. Most people see the signs and the taped off areas and understand they need to keep out. A lot of islands around Tampa Bay are rookeries and nesting is in full swing right now, so if you're at the beach and see the posted areas for nesting birds, please be nice and do not enter. This is an American oystercatcher, one of the threatened nesting birds.
ulders the size of a house are everywhere amidst the forest and rivers and waterfalls.
Everywhere you go around the Sierra Mountains, there are warnings about the bears. Don't feed the bears. Watch out for the bears. Well, today, we finally saw those sneaky bears! Freaked us out as we were driving along the main road in Sequoia National Park, ro
unding a curve and there they were ... a mother and 2 cubs. Took this photo from the car window.
Today, we drove south from Yosemite to a really beautiful area where both Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are located. It's a region of lush green forested mountains and rushing mountain rivers filled with boulders and white water rapids.
Although warm at lower elevations, as we drove up the winding park road the temps dropped 25 degrees a
s we got to around 4,500 feet and there was snow everywhere! Many trails and roads in the park are closed due to snow. This area is known for the famous towering Sequoia trees, so we had to make a stop to see the General Sherman Tree, the oldest living tree in the world. Here's Val in front of the tree at ground level.
Things are looking up here at Yosemite....way up to the top of the dozen or so gushing waterfalls one can find throughout this magnificent national park. It's hard to watch where you are walking when the majestic scenery keeps your eyes to the skies most of the time!
We are amazed with not only the number of tourists here for mid-May (hate to be here in summer), but the deer which are everywhere and seem relatively tame. This shot was taken not far from where we were eating a picnic lunch. Four deer calmly grazing in a small patch of grass right next to t
he road! 
started the day with chilly and overcast skies as we arrived at Yosemite National Park. This picture shows Val and myself at the edge of beautiful Yosemite Valley. We were surprised at the crowds -- busloads of Japanese tourists and lots of traffic in the park. By noon the rain was upon us, first a gentle drizzle but evolving into a steady downpour.Our plans for hiking today dissolved in the gray mist that soon enveloped the valley. So we decided to take a 2-hour guided bus tour through Yosemite Valley. It was our only option ... and not a bad one, really.
We learned a lot about the history, ecology and geology of the national park, but the rain and cold (in the 40s) was not condusive to photography. By mid-afternoon, the rain had turned to snow in the upper elevations and we had to take an alternate route back to our RV park since we did not have chains for our tires! Yes, it's snowing here .... life is an adventure.
Note: If you can't see the video, just go to my blog page at www.getawaygirltravels.com
On Sunday, we continue through the desert and into the Central Valley of California, where agriculture is king. All morning we drive past nothing but vineyards and orchards of walnut, almond and peach trees and vast expanses of cattle ranches. Finally we reach Fresno, where we head north into Yosemite country. Presto chango! The rolling landscape turns lush with pine forests and shimmering lakes and we feel a change in the air.
Many of the sites listed are not well known, since they were purchased for conservation purposes. This means they offer great opportunites for seeing native wildlife and habitat. A few of my favorite hiking spots in the guide include the beautiful Alafia Corridor where the meandering Alafia River offers a refreshing trek during hot weather (see photo), and the Upper Hillsborough wilderness tract where you can see the endangered scrub jay, gopher tortoise and lots of native flowers.
Since the countries are flat, it was an easy ride of 25 to 35 miles each day. I loved my Trek hybrid bike, which was like new and is provided when you book the trip. If you are thinking of doing a bike and barge trip, I highly recommend the Merlijn excursion from Brugges to Amsterdam. 
