Dear
Hope this year has been kind to you.
We spent fourteen days on a Carnival Cruise from January 18 to 30. We visited Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao, Ocho Rios, and the Grand Caymans.
In February (16-22), we went on a seven-day bus tour to San Antonio, Texas, with the Club & Diamond Tours. We had a guide the whole time we were there. We visited the Witte Museum, the San Antonio missions, the LBJ Ranch, watched an IMAX movie about Freedom, and then visited the Alamo.
It was around 30 degrees when we took the River Cruise along the River Walk in San Antonio.
We stopped to shop at Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas.
On March 14, we took an all-day bus trip to Scottsboro with Backroads Tours LLC.
In April (7-11), we took a five-day bus trip to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, with the Club and Diamond Tours.
At the Cincinnati Museum, we watched an IMAX movie about National Parks and toured the museum. We were supposed to take a riverboat cruise along the Ohio River, but it had rained so much that the trip was cancelled.
We saw houses, land, and trailer trucks covered in water.
From April 27 to May 3, we took a seven-day bus trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Travel Lady, Lawrenceburg, TN.
We visited Mount Airy, home of Andy Griffith.
We did the Wild Horse Adventure tour. We visited several lighthouses, the Graveyard of the Atlantic, Wright Brothers National Park, the Village of Mantle, and Festival Park Living History Museum.
On May 9, we did a mystery bus trip with Backroads Tours LLC.
On June 21, we took a bus trip to Nashville for a Dinner cruise on the Andrew Jackson Showboat with Backroads Tours LLC.
In July (12-20), we took a nine-day bus tour to Cape Cod & Martha's Vineyard with the Club and Diamond Tours.
We visited Martha's Vineyard, Hyannis, Sandwich, toured the Outer Cape, Provincetown, Chatham, JFK Museum, and the Foxwood Casino in Rhode Island.
One of our members had a UTI infection and had to spend several days in the Hospital, and they had to fly home.
Another member fell inside her room, and she had deadbolted her door. She could not get up, so we had to call the fire and police departments.
She was taken to the hospital, but later joined us.
We had another couple who were not happy with the trip, so they flew home. It was still a good trip.
In August, (2-10) we flew to Denver, Colorado, and then took a guided bus to ride several trains with the Travel Lady from Lawrenceburg, TN.
We rode the Georgetown Loop and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, with lunch in between.
We rode the Pikes Peak COG RR.
We were going to ride the Durango & Silverton RR, but there was an accident on the Million Dollar Highway. A couple with a child in the backseat went over the edge. The road was closed the whole day. A helicopter was called to get the car. Both adults were killed instantly, but the child survived.
We had already started up the mountain on the Million Dollar Highway. We had a great driver; he turned the bus around, and we went back down the hill.
We saw a forest fire, and everyone kept getting alerts, but we were heading away from it.
We stayed in a hotel that had a winery and orchard around it.
We stayed in the Durango Hotel, which was like a museum.
We stayed at the Cliff House, a hotel within walking distance of downtown Manitou. We visited Garden of the Gods, Mesa Verde, and Manco, CO. We toured several towns and museums.
On August 23, we took a bus tour to North Georgia Junkbox Review. We were entertained with a musical. Backroads Tours LLC.
In September (3-15), we took a thirteen-day trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. We spent three nights at the Flamingo Hotel, with Bean/Smith Travels & Diamond Tours.
We visited the William Clinton museum in Little Rock, AR. We visited the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK, and the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Boulder City, AZ.
We visit Grand Canyon National Park, the Route 66 Museum in Kingman, AZ, the Mohave Museum, the Petrified Forest National Park, and the Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Museum in Amarillo, TX. We visit the Fort Smith Historic Site in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
We stayed in ten different hotels.
October 13-19, we flew to New York and spent one night there. There we ate dinner and walked the streets of NY.
We boarded the NCL Getaway for a seven-day cruise.
A deadly storm slammed the East Coast with winds, waves, and floodwaters. Waves pounded beaches, and storm surge flooded coastal roads. So, the ports in New York were closed. We sat in port for two days, missing several of our excursions.
We did visit Bar Harbor, Maine; Saint John Bay, New Brunswick; and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
On our return trip to New York, we took a bus tour of New York, where we saw 59th Street, Columbus Circle, Lincoln Square, Central Park, 49th Street, Times Square, the Garment District, 34th Street, Penn Station, Macy's, Trump Tower, the Apple Store, Rockerfellow Center, Hershey's, and the University of NY. We stopped to tour the Grand Central Terminal and go up to the Summit.
The Summit is a three-level multi-sensory art immersion.
The first level was on the 91st observation floor. (All Glass)
The second level is on the 92 observation, where you are standing on a glass-bottomed ledge that extends 1,000 feet over Madison Ave.
The third level is on the 93-observation floor with an open-air terrace.
From October 30 to November 5, we took a bus trip to Washington, D.C. with the Club and Diamond Tours.
We visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Roosevelt Memorial, the MLK Memorial, the WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam Memorials, and saw the Capitol, the White House, and the Lincoln Monument. We took a trolley through Arlington Cemetery. We visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Nov 19-21, we took a bus tour of the Biltmore House Museum and stayed on-site.
We toured the grounds, the house, and Antler Hill Village with Backroads Tours LLC.
We stopped at the Bush Bean Museum and Restaurant in Danville, TN.
We visited Sweetwater Farms in Philadelphia, TN.
Dec 5-7, we took a bus tour to Eufaula with Backroads Tours LLC.
We enjoyed dinner, lunch, and hors d'oeuvres with entertainment at the Shorter Mansion.
We toured eight homes, including the Shorter Mansion.
We visited the movie town of Spectra and Wetumpka.
This was our last cruise and bus trip for the year.
I have already planned cruises for February, March, and October.
A trip to Greece to follow the Footsteps of Paul in April. If the Lord's willing and we have good health.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
