Travel
Marlene and I have been fortunate to travel quite a lot in our 30 years together. I would have scoffed at anyone suggesting that I would be a prolific traveler when I was growing up in Bertrand, Missouri. My family, by no means, was a member of the “frequent travelers club”. In this Travel section, I will share some old and some newer documents that I have written about our travels. I will include excerpts from flipbooks, articles, and lots of photos.
We have visited many Northwest United States areas including, the Redwoods of California, Crater Lake, Yellowstone National Park, the Tetons (Jackson Hole), the Oregon Coast, Cape Flattery, Mount St. Helens, the Columbia River Drive, and the San Juan Islands. These all are very interesting places; nevertheless, I will just mention them here in passing as great places that one might like to tour. Due to time considerations and, more accurately, laziness, I will not provide any in-depth narratives or photos related to these great destinations at this time. This omission should not cause one to dismiss these wonderful destinations from his/her future travel plans. They are all worth visiting!
I will, however, include photos and narratives of other places that we really like. This is just a sampling of some of our favorite destinations. (The list is very long!) The order of the following 14 chapters holds no significance as I could have just as easily assigned the Baltic Sea as the first chapter. Our former stomping ground – the Sequim-Port Angeles, Washington area described in Chapter 2 is indeed a great place to visit and is a destination that should not be overlooked. As aforementioned, this section has 14 chapters. Enjoy the narratives and photos.
Our First Cross Country Trip
This is an excerpt from a travel flipbook that I created that describes our trip from our home in the State of Washington to Bradenton, Florida in November of 2011.
We left Port Angeles, Washington on November 14, 2011. We arrived in Bradenton, Florida on November 25th. Our trip took more than 52 hours of actual driving (one way) as we traveled more than 3,700 miles. Of course, we made frequent stops and side trips along the way – some intentional, others not!
After driving for three hours, we arrived at Snoqualmie Pass, a pass in our home state on 1-90 that has a dark weather history. We were assured by two of our good friends, Jonne and Anita, that there would be no problem crossing the pass at this time of the year. After all, they had driven that route many times – experiencing no difficulties. Further, we had never before taken this scenic route south from Ellensburg, Washington to Pendleton, Oregon. (Being good friends, we will not divulge the last names of the two ladies that offered the sage advice – – our lips are sealed!)
Well, we spent three hours on the summit of Snoqualmie Pass as Washington State Police would not allow any vehicles to move. We watched attentively as 16-wheelers began putting on their chains. It was never perfectly clear to us why we were not allowed to continue down the pass. Was there an accident or were the roads simply considered to be too treacherous? Marlene’s little PT convertible had no problems whatsoever moving in the slush and ice. Finally, after waiting for three hours, we were released and began the trek down the mountain. I will not specifically address the adventures following this wait: nature calls, hunger pains, and those little emergency vehicle lanes connecting divided four-lane interstates. Thanks to the advice of our two friends, we were able to view the interesting landscape from the central part of Washington (the Cascades) to the Columbia River. Although much later than planned, we arrived at our motel in Ontario, Oregon, at 9:30 that night. Off to a good start, huh?
Our second day’s goal was Price, Utah, a scenic small town in the mountains. We made very good time in the Idaho portion of the trip. Our only difficulty that entire day was road construction in Provo, Utah. Fortunately, we were only delayed about 90 minutes. We arrived at our motel in Price at a reasonable hour.
Our third day was spent in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. We had always wanted to visit the famous national parks in Utah such as Arches, Bryce Canyon, and Zion. We can now cross off Arches National Park. The other two parks suggest another trip. The rock formations at the Arches are spectacular and unusual. We will share some nice and interesting photographs later in this chapter. God’s wonderful creations are so awesome!
On the fourth day, we left our motel in Grand Junction, Colorado, and headed east toward Colby, Kansas. Driving across the Rockies is always a great scenic experience. We particularly enjoyed driving on 1-70 near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, observing the rapid flow of streams over the rocks adjacent to the mountains. In Goodland, Kansas, a leading sunflower producing area of the United States, we were able to view a replication of Van Gogh’s famous Sunflower – one of only seven in the world. The painting is displayed on a billboard which can be seen from 1-70.
We wanted to visit the Oklahoma Memorial site; thus, Oklahoma City was our next stop. Glen had never been to Oklahoma. His first impression was that it was Kansas with hurricane-like winds. There is, however, a stretch in southern Oklahoma that is very scenic. After spending the night in Oklahoma City, we headed via Dallas for Shreveport Louisiana. Again, we were pleasantly surprised at the nice scenery between Dallas and Shreveport.
Our next stop was Amite, Louisiana, the home of Glen’s brother, Bob, and sister-in-law, Anna Lee. We stayed with them from Sunday to Wednesday. Glen’s sister, Kay, and family from Westwego, near New Orleans, drove up on Monday and spent the day. We all had a great visit. The photo of the three Morrow siblings that appears above this paragraph was taken during this visit.
We arrived in Bradenton on Friday, November 25th after spending the night in Tallahassee. As we stated before, the trip totaled almost 3,700 miles as we crossed eleven states if we include our origin and destination states. When you look at the road map, you can see that there is no straight-line route between the State of Washington and Florida. We could have shaved a few miles and time off this trip if we had taken a more direct route and had not made predetermined stops. It was a fun trip, but we have to do it again in reverse in April or May. Ouch!
Following are selected pictures of many of the interesting sites that were taken during this cross-country tour. As one can see from the map, we made numerous stops along the way! 
The Sequim Beautiful
This “country bumpkin” has been fortunate enough to have traveled to many interesting and beautiful places. I have visited 47 states in the U.S., eight Canadian provinces, and more than 30 other countries. (My wife, Marlene Morrow has ‘bettered’ me as she has actually visited all 50 states.) Having visited so many beautiful places all over the world, I would argue that there are few lovelier places than the great Northwest of the United States where Marlene and I spent 13 years of our life.
As many of you know and/or have just read, my wife and I lived in the Pacific Northwest for more than 13 years. In late January of 2004, Marlene and I retired (she as a Registered Dietician-Diabetes Educator and I as a Research Economist), and moved from Rochester, Illinois, to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. We followed a “grand plan”. About two or three years prior to our retirement date, I began compiling a list of potential retirement locations. After rating places on our list by factors important to us, we narrowed our list down to just a hand-full. We, then, vacationed at all of the finalists (destinations) on that list. After great deliberation and consideration, we declared the Sequim (pronounced Skwim)-Port Angeles area of Washington to be our retirement destination. Our decision was based primarily on the area’s natural beauty and excellent climate. The area also had good medical facilities and offered some cultural opportunities. We certainly enjoyed our time there. Due to family considerations and a desire to return to our Midwestern roots, we sold our property and moved back “home” to Springfield, Illinois in June of 2017. We had lived and worked in the Springfield area for more than 30 years (early 70s to January of 2004).
I first learned about the Sequim-Port Angeles area of Washington in the publications, “Where to Retire” and “Places Rated for Retirement” and from a friend that I was working with at the Illinois State Police. Each year this area was rated as one of the top ten retirement destinations in America by each of these two publications. Although there are many retirees in the area, it is not exclusively inhabited by “old timers”. Both Sequim and Port Angeles have nice, vibrant downtowns and very good school systems. The moderate climate and low rainfall can be generally attributed to its geographical location which is north of the Olympic Mountains and south of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca (the body of water separating the northwest U.S. from Canada). The “rain shadow” effect of the Olympic Mountains holds the annual rainfall down to about 15 inches/year. 
Summer temperatures generally hover in the low 70’s and winter temperatures usually are in the 30’s and 40’s. When we lived there, it rarely snowed or got below 32 degrees. It is a myth that it rains every day in Washington. That statement may be true for Seattle, but in sunny Sequim there is very little rainfall during its perfect summers. Winters, however, can be a little dreary and overcast which explains our purchasing a condo in Florida for the winter months. Ironically, in May of each year, Sequim actually holds its annual Irrigation Festival which includes a parade, car show, vendors, and a kiddie carnival.
Construction of our home was completed in 2005 on property that was located in a rural area about half-way (8 miles) from Sequim and Port Angeles. It had a great view of the mountains in the front and a water view to the back of our home. We were located about 70 miles west of Seattle, 90 miles east of the Pacific Ocean, and 18 miles south of Victoria, British Columbia (I guess one may conclude that we lived in the “boonies”. We did and loved it! Ironically, I had had previous experience as a “boonie rat” earlier in my young adult life (Vietnam) but did not love it. Go figure!). A huge car-ferry transports cars and people between Port Angeles and Victoria. Sequim is known for its local elk herd and lavender festival. The elk stay in the mountains in the summer months but can be a nuisance to residents when they come down to the Dungeness Valley and Sequim in the winter months. In July, Sequim has one of the largest lavender festivals in the United States as there were nine or ten lavender farms within a 10 mile radius. The Sequim Lavender Festival usually has attendees from all over the U.S.A., Canada, Europe, and the rest of the world. (One can add lavender to his/her drink of choice, salmon, ice cream, lotion, lipstick or anything else imaginable which is a major ‘yuck’ for me.) The lavender fields are beautiful and emit a pleasant scent to some and a pungent odor to others’ noses.
Our home was a prairie-style ranch home built upon a ridge with a walkout basement to the north, providing awesome views from the main level. I was able to sit in my easy-chair and view the lights of Victoria and the San Juan Islands through our oversized living room window. I also could sometimes watch submarines resupplying – quite an exciting sight. Through our living room and kitchen windows, we could see Mt. Baker which is the second highest elevation in Washington – second only to Mt Rainier.
Marlene really misses the beautiful trees and flowers, the plentiful fruit and berries, and the vegetables that the fertile soil and local climate produced. Soaring bald eagles and numerous hawks were commonplace and would perch in nearby trees across the road from our house poised to hunt their prey. We felt like we lived in paradise! I have included a few photos of the strait, beautiful flowers, trees, and lavender farms, and mountains for reference.
Washington, the Evergreen State, is a beautiful state! If you ever have the opportunity, I would encourage you to visit it. Don’t limit yourself to Seattle. Yes, Seattle is a lovely city; however, it is not all Washington has to offer. Don’t miss the Olympic Peninsula, the Sequim lavender farms (in June and July), the Sequim Lighthouse, Whidbey Island, the San Juan Islands, Port Townsend, Hurricane Ridge, Friday Harbor, Crescent Lake, Rialto Beach, Cape Flattery, or even Victoria, British Columbia. I promise you will enjoy your stay in the “Great Northwest”.
This post about the Sequim area is not a paid commercial advertisement and I am not associated with the Sequim Chamber of Commerce. (lol) I just wanted to share information with my facebook friends about a beautiful place to visit where Marlene and I have actually “lived”! I simply love this area and this part of our country! Of course, we miss our old friends and our old home, but we are perfectly content and are thankful for our current home and situation in Springfield. We hope to revisit Sequim soon. We have surely been blessed!
Our Boldest Adventure
This is an excerpt from a flip book that I created after returning from San Miguel de Allende Mexico in 2011.
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Hola from Mexico! Last January, Glen and Marlene embarked on their greatest adventure so far. We left SeaTac Airport at 11:50 PM and arrived in Leon, Mexico at 11:30 the next day – making certain that we would arrive during the daylight hours! A driver, with a sign with our name on it, met us at the airport. He drove us the remaining 45 – 50 miles over a bumpy road to our new home in San Miguel de Allende. After traveling through the rocky and cactus occupied landscape, we began to ask ourselves, “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
Our new adventure began on January 13th and ended sixty days later on March 14th. Early in our journey, we decided to capture and share the essence of the area with a blog. Marlene was the photographer and Glen served as the techie.
San Miguel de Allende is a very old and beautiful colonial city and an international destination. It was named a World Heritage City by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in both 2008 and 2009. This designation covers 64 blocks of the Historic Center of the city. The designation includes among other sites the emblematic church Templo de San Miguel Arcangel (La Parroquia); the Holy House (Santa Casa) of Loreto, a replica of the building of the same name in Loreto, Italy; and the Instituto Allende.
We loved our new home away from home and it was so appropriately named. Casa de Serenidad was so peaceful and serene. Like many Mexican houses, the exterior does not always tell the complete story. One never knows what lies behind those stark, crumbling concrete walls. Behind one gate may be a pile of rubbish, while behind the next gate may be a luxurious hacienda. When one approaches Casa de Serenidad, the first thing that you notice is its striking turquoise color with the huge brown wooden door. Red and pink geraniums filled the window boxes.
Casa dec Serenidad had a living room, kitchen-dining area, one bedroom, one bath, a courtyard, and a terrace in the main building. Across the courtyard was a guest suite-media room, one bedroom, and one bathroom. All rooms except the terrace were located on the ground floor.
We opened the door and immediately saw that it was decorated with a wonderful assortment of Mexican art. The property owners are both professional artists from Northern California and the home interior was very tastefully done. Instead of the gaudy colors of some of the Mexican haciendas that one often sees, this casa has more subdued colors. That is not to say the house was not colorful. Compared to U.S. standards, it would be considered extremely bold.
Every day, I discovered artwork that I had not previously seen. Casa de Serenidad had some very unusual architectural features. First, all the ceilings were at least 11 feet high. The ceilings of the kitchen-dining room and second bedroom were even higher. The kitchen-dining room exhibited a barrel boveda style (dome vaulted) ceiling made of inlaid brick that was simply beautiful There also were interesting cupolas in the kitchen, bathroom, dressing room, and guest bedroom. These cupolas were open to the rooms below and let in a lot of light as well as providing architectural interest. Without these cupolas, we would have had a pretty dark home. The cupola in the guest suite was enormous – having 10 windows built into it.
As previously noted, our casa was divided into two wings separated by a 25 by 20 foot courtyard or atrium. The guest suite-TV room was separate from the rest of the house. The courtyard was filled with lush plants. A mature lemon tree grew in the corner of the courtyard The music of the flowing fountain capped off this serene setting. Finally, a winding staircase led to the terrace on the rooftop – a great private place for getting some rays. The view’ from the terrace reminded us that we still were in the city. Rooftops of the surrounding blocks at differing heights with their cupolas and weather vanes dotted the skyline. This property was lovely.
We truly loved our two months there; however, there were some negatives. We never expected United States standards and were well aware that Mexico is still a developing country which does not possess all of the amenities of its northern neighbor but ….
- We never got used to the cobblestone streets and narrow sidewalks. They are a killer on the back and other joints.
- Taking a shower was an adventure. On the first day, a faucet handle became loose and sprayed water everywhere. One week later, the hose connecting the shower head to the water pipe coming from the wall split and sprayed water everywhere. The water temperature and water pressure were inconsistent.
- Unlike like other Mexico tourist cities, we noted that the locals in San Miguel speak and understand little English. We surmise that is because San Miguel does not necessarily consider itself a tourist town although it certainly relies on the visitors’ dollars. (That is more our problem than theirs as we do not speak Spanish!)
- Our maid washed everything in sight. My lounging pajamas were apparently not made to be washed and dried twice weekly. What was once full length pants became pedal pushers. We had to hide anything that we did not want washed. (God bless Cecelia!)
- We watched very little TV as our TV room was across our courtyard. I guess we were just too lazy to walk the twenty-five steps to the room. We generally followed the news via the internet.
- After dark, the lighting was less than desirable. There were a few lights but with the high ceilings, our casa was very difficult to illuminate at night. We only had minimal track lighting and a couple of lamps. We could have used more lamps. With all the cupolas and skylights, there was no problem with lighting during daylight hours.
- I really missed my easy chair.
Despite the negatives, we absolutely loved our casa. It was a very pleasant place to live. The centerpiece of San Miguel de Allende is the el Jardin. It occupies a square city block and is the family social center for San Miguel activities. It is a tree-lined plaza with perfectly groomed trees. The foliage on the trees is trimmed so that it is circular on the sides and flat on the top and bottom. (At a nearby plaza, the foliage is trimmed so that it is cube-shaped.) Next to the row of trees a the el Jardin, there is a plethora of flora including lavender. A large gazebo is located in the center of the plaza. There is a walkway that completely encircles the plaza. Metal benches line both sides of the walkway. All and all, the el Jardin was a very serene and inviting environment where we spent a lot of time.
At the el Jardin, we could not help but marvel at God’s creation and the magnificent architectural details in several of the buildings surrounding the plaza. Adding to the charm, policemen on horseback wearing very colorful, colonial Mexican uniforms, rode by.
The crown jewel of San Miguel is located across the street from the el Jardin. It is called La Parroquia, a beautiful pseudogothic style cathedral of world renown. It was built centuries ago. The church was built from drawings that the architect scratched in the dirt. Not once did we fear far our safety while in San Miguel. Of course, we stayed clear of places where we thought danger could exist.
Our two months living in Mexico will always be treasured, but, at this time, neither of us have a desire to return. The United States of America is still the greatest country in the universe and there are too many lovely places in this country that we have yet to. visit. Enjoy the photos!
In and Around Port Angeles and Sequim
We live half way between Sequim (Skwim) and Port Angeles in the Dungeness Valley (area famous for Dungeness crab). Although our address is Port Angeles, we consider ourselves Sequimites. We moved to western Washington in 2004 after exhaustive research. We began discussing retirement about five years prior to 2004 and began visiting candidate areas.
After visiting several of the leading retirement areas, we chose Sequim. We liked the natural beauty, the weather, and the proximity to water and the mountains. Summers are nearly perfect with temperatures around 70 degrees. Winters, although mild, can be a little on the gloomy side. Otherwise, we probably would not be “snowbirds”.
Contrary to popular belief, we get very little rain and snow. Our average annual rainfall is about 15 inches as we live in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. We get little snow; however, as I write this, there is a foot of snow on the ground – highly, highly unusual.
Our area has beautiful scenery. We live between the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. We can see the lights of Victoria, British Columbia almost every night. Our view of Mt. Baker is awesome. Being so dry, it is amazing how green we are and how flowers flourish in our climate.
In July of each year, Sequim celebrates lavender as she promotes our many lavender farms in the area. Our climate must be very amenable to the growing of lavender. The Sequim Lavender Festival is an event that has placed Sequim on the international map.
Other places of interest include Hurricane Ridge, Crescent Lake, Friday Harbor, and Port Townsend.
Enjoy the photos!
Our Alaskan Cruise
I loved the 14 day cruise that we took from Seattle to Alaska. It was really special as it was my first cruise. My favorite port of call was Sitka. We had to tinder to get there. Sitka has an interesting Russian influence.
Cruising Boston to Quebec
The Boston to Quebec 14 day cruise was great; however, if we had it to do over, we would have limited it to the first seven days as the second seven days of the cruise were basically nothing more than the first seven days in reverse order (food, entertainment, etc.). We really loved Prince Edward Island and Quebec City.
The Candian Rockies
This vacation was one of my all time favorites. Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper are very special! The Canadian Rockies are spectacular! In my opinion, they are much more impressive than the U.S. Rocky Mountains. This trip, however, required a lot of driving.
Visiting Victoria
If you cannot visit London, Victoria, British Columbia, is the next best thing. I experienced my first high tea at the fancy and formal Empress Hotel in this lovely city. Victoria was about twenty miles north of our home in Port Angeles; however, it took about 1.5 hours on the fast foot ferry. It was a free crossing on one’s birthday! (I could view the lights of Victoria every night from my easy chair in our home in Port Angeles!) We made that trip a few times in our 13 years of living in Washington.
Driving the Atlantic Coast
It was an absolutely beautiful drive from Jacksonville, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia. In 2010, Marlene and I flew from Seattle to Jacksonville, rented a minivan, and drove up the Atlantic coast. We were visiting Tiffany and her family in Norfolk. We made it a very interesting and enjoyable trip by stopping at many sites along the way. This was an unusual drive for me as I am one that likes to “get there right now”! I certainly exhibited unusual patience on this trip. We made stops at four PEO b n b’s along the way. We visited Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and New Bern, North Carolina prior to arriving in Norfolk. We had to drop the van off at Richmond. The day before doing so, we took a train from Richmond to Washington, D.C. and returned that evening, which made a fun, but long, day. This was a fabulous two-week vacation.
The Caribbean Islands
I think that we have hit most of the Caribbean Islands. Yes, they all are all beautiful! We have taken advantage of living in Florida and, specifically, the proximity of the port of Tampa. However, after a while, the islands all begin to look similar. I will never get tired of the beautiful white sand beaches or the magnificence of the blue water, but there are other places on my bucket list that currently have a higher priority at this stage of my life.
The River Cruise
We were not disappointed. In 2014, We went on a cruise with Grand Circle on the rivers of Europe. This cruise started in Amsterdam and ended in Vienna, Austria. It was nice that there were only 140-150 passengers on the river boat. The passengers were divided into four groups of approximately 36 travelers. Our group leader-guide, Berneniki, was from Vienna and was assigned to our group for the entire two weeks of the cruise. The scenery along the Rhine and the Danube rivers was beautiful and many of the cities along the river were quaint and very interesting. We did take several tours to some of the larger cities away from the two rivers during our two-week adventure.
We were able to visit Heidelburg and Nuremberg. Both cities were short bus rides from two of our river stops. It was eerie standing on the grounds where Hitler made his infamous speeches and viewing the courthouse where the Nuremberg trials were held. This was an awesome tour offered by Grand Circle Tours. Enjoy the photos.
The Panama Canal
In 2016, we decided to try something a little different. Marlene and I decided to travel to our condominium in Florida from Washington State by cruise ship. Yes, we booked a Panama canal cruise that started in Vancouver, Canada, and had ports of call in Oregon, San Francisco, Cabo San Lucas, other ports in Mexico, Cartagena, Columbia, and a private island in the Bahamas. First, the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, is magnificent and one of the prettiest cities that I have ever visited. Probably, my favorite port of call on this cruise was Cartagena, Columbia. We loved this city – particularly “Old Town”. The Panama canal cruise had always been on our bucket list and we are now able to mark it off our list. I highly recommend it.
The British Isles
As a child, riding a school bus was not my favorite thing to do; nevertheless, this 2018 bus tour of England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Island, and Wales was outstanding. We flew from St. Louis to London via Toronto. This tour included stops in London, Cambridge, York, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Killarney, Waterford, Bath, and others. This was my first long bus tour and I really enjoyed it. Our tour guide, Pat, was a walking encyclopedia. He had lived and worked a few years in the United States, thus he related to his North American passengers very well. After a short time, I adjusted to his Irish speech delivery. I would love to return to the Killarney, Ireland, area again in the future. I do prefer the smaller towns over the large cities. Marlene and I were very impressed with this tour offered by CIE Tours.
The Baltic Sea
I love the Baltic countries. They have enough history, art, and architecture to satisfy all adventurers. This 2019 cruise began in Amsterdam and featured the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Other stops on this great cruise were Germany, Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia. We also were able to take a side tour to Berlin from one of the ports in northern Germany. Overall, I give this cruise five stars out of a possible five stars.
All of the ports of call on this cruise were interesting. If I had to choose my favorite, it would be a toss-up between Tallinn, Estonia, and St. Petersburg, Russia. I really like both of them. I liked Tallin for its old world charm and St. Peterburg for all its amazing architecture. Both were absolute gems! Marlene thinks that all the ports of call were equally interesting; thus, she cannot name a favorite. I think that we totally agree that this was an outstanding cruise.
