Orlando, Florida

What a way to end Summer Vacation 2008. HOOTERS, DISNEY WORLD’S MAGIC KINGDOM, HOOTERS, ISLAND OF ADVENTURE, HOOTERS, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ORLANDO, HOOTERS, EPCOT, HOOTERS, HOOTERS, and MORE HOOTERS.

The last leg of our Journey was filled of adventure, trying to find seven hooters in central Florida, and classic Florida favorites. Randi and I arrived in Florida during a tropical storm. Trying to fulfill Josh’s fantasy of finding 25 hooters before December 31, 2008 to honor the silver anniversary of Hooters, he obtained a special passport. In this special passport, if you obtain 25 stamps, you are eligible to attend a special silver anniversary party in addition you will be entered in a contest to win $25, 000. We only have a few left and plan to have a wing party on October 25, 2008 in Islandia, New York.
What can I say about Disney World except I never get tired of that place! Randi and I enjoyed some of our favorite rides at the Magic Kingdom including Space Mountain and The Haunted Mansion.

In EPCOT we enjoyed all of the countries and rides along with Nemo’s New Crush Adventure. That was an amazing experience with great special effects. We also enjoyed EPCOT with Randi’s cousin Seth and his fiancée Jennifer.
Universal Orlando Resort is really becoming another great amusement destination in Orlando. They have two theme parks both of which have the classic rides and some newer thrill rides. One of their newest attractions includes The Simpson’s Ride and Live Recordings of various Television events. Randi and I participated in both. First we rode The Simpson’s ride through Krusty Land and then we went to a LIVE taping of TNW wrestling. TNW is a premier wrestling organization famous in Canada. All in all it was pretty fun to watch the live recordings.
I had a fabulous summer and I am even more excited for the fall. Randi and I have adopted a bunny (Black Jack), I am starting classes at Stony Brook University, I am working at Plainview for another year, and oh, I almost forgot, I am getting MARRIED!!!

I would love to thank everybody who we met on this trip and everybody who had been a true reader of the BLOG since day 1 (Grandma and Mom). I also want to thank Mom, Dad, Stacy, Joshy, Bobby, Randi, and Black Jack for everything they do on a daily basis and for making this trip possible.

UNTIL NEXT SUMMER!!!!!

Cody, Ucross, Rapid City, Denver, Amtrak

After the manual labor, we left for Cody, Wyoming. What is one to do in Cody you ask, well see the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum of course. But before I talk about that, I wanted to let you know as we were driving from Yellowstone towards Cody, we were caught in the middle of a forest fire. The Shoshone Fire, it is believed that this fire was started by lightning.. We were never in any danger but you could see the smoke and we watched the fire helicopters load and dump water and drove past a fire base camp that was set up at the foot of the mountain. It is some pretty serious stuff! Although they like to let some fires burn out naturally, this was the original plan with this fire when it started over a month ago, but the winds had changed directions and the fire was heading right towards Cody, our next stop.

The Buffalo Bill Cody Museum was great. They had many different neat exhibits. They have a museum of natural history, the Plains Indian Museum, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Cody Firearms Museum, The Buffalo Bill section and two outdoor statue/garden areas. The town was very similar to an old little western town; they even have a gunfight every night at 6pm. After dinner we were treated to a rodeo and a cowboy musical review, the fun never ends! The hotel bar was named “Bottoms Up” so I had to go in and do a Bottom’s Up! When we awoke the next morning, the town began filling with smoke and ash from the fire, boy was I relieved to be leaving.

When we left Cody, we headed out towards a town called Ucross, it has a population of 50 and they kept telling us that they had a surprise for us! Well, first off we stopped at a place called Dirty Annies. Here we were invited to dig for fossils and some Devil’s Toe Nails! It was great! After a nice lunch we were off to Ucross. We found out that Ucross was a ranch, and the other surprise was horseback riding! I do not like horses, but with the help of some friends, I jumped back on the horse! My horse was named Little Abner, he has an eating disorder, and he likes to eat everything! Once I heard that, I knew we were going to get along just fine! At Ucross we were also invited to go swimming, trout fishing and do some paddle boating! Good Times!

After Ucross we were off to Rapid city stopping at The Crazy Horse Monument which after 60 years is still being completed, I even got a video of them blowing up some rocks to so they could continue to carve the mountain. The face of the Crazy Horse Monument alone is bigger than all four faces of Mt. Rushmore! It is going to be a beautiful monument when completed! They had 1/34th scale model of what the Crazy Horse will look like when it is completed. Also, take a look at the Fighting Stallion sculpture, they are both resting on the tail of one of the horses! What a fantastic tribute to the North American Indians!

After Crazy Horse we went to Mount Rushmore, it is funny how one place can make you feel so patriotic! Did you know that Mt. Rushmore was only going to be three faces and not four! The plans had to be changed 9 times and it is still not finished, no one has any ears! After Mount Rushmore we were off to the town of Rapid City, which is a very odd place. They have a life sized dinosaur on top of the hill and they have statues of past presidents on every corner. At the end of the day we were treated to an outstanding cocktail party, an even better dinner and then we said our goodbyes! The trip is almost over and soon it will be time to go home!

Well the trip is far from over, as of now I am in Denver, the sight of the Democratic National Convention, lots of security, lots of press and a whole lot of people! Oh! Amtrak is already delayed 6 and a half hours…by the time you read this, I would have left Denver at 4:00am and missed my connection in Chicago! This trip is ending as well as it started! GO Figure!

Any how I arrived back home 24 hours later than anticipated. I was put up for the night in Chicago, was able to get another Hooter’s Stamp, see some movies, go back to Navy Pier and have a great time! The worst part is that my ride home was in coach! Well, I survived that and I am home safe and sound!

Again, I want to thank all of you who made this possible…Amtrak, T-Roosevelt for setting aside land for national parks, Mom, Dad, Scott, Stacy, Randi and Bobert for either coming with me or taking care of things at home while I was away! I’ve thought of you all often during the trip, never doubt that! Well the summer of 2008 it is time to pay some bills, get ready for work and write a best mans speech for a wedding! Work, Work, Work!

Utah, Idaho, Wyoming

The American adventure continues. Who knows what lies ahead in these three states, but I know one thing is for sure, I can’t wait! After leaving SL, UT, we traveled along the Great Salt Lake in to Idaho which was our stop for lunch. Where does one have lunch in Idaho you ask? Well have I got the place for you…The National Oregon/California Trail Center! This is like the Disney World of the Rugged West. When we first entered we are asked to imagine what life was like in the 1850’s and pretend you have a strong wagon, some drift animals (preferably oxen), basic food staples, pots/pans, shotgun and a rifle amongst other necessary provisions for the journey that lies ahead! People were being “sent back” if they did not have things like Saleratus and Hardtack….honestly who cares I was HUNGRY! Anyhow once we were all able to enter the building where were greeted by two people singing country western songs and then we were able to enter our stage coach for lunch! I’m not joking look at the photos! After lunch, we were given a tour of an old camp site, old mercantile store, etc… A lot of work went into this place! It was so unexpected!

After a day of driving we stopped at Jackson Hole which has some nicely crafted Elk Arches and then arrived at The Grand Teton Lodge located in the middle of Teton National Park. With no foothills obstructing your view, the jagged peaks and deep canyons of the Teton Range rise abruptly from the Jackson Hole valley. When we arrived at the Lodge we were greeted with huckleberry margaritas and an assortment of appetizers like grille vegetables, a cheese plate and Buffalo Balls! Yes, Buffalo Balls! We had a private balcony overlooking the sunset through these floor to ceiling windows that were at least four stories high! The view was unbelievable and the wildlife that grazed the fields at the foot of the hotel almost looked like movie props! The following day we had river raft ride down the snake river and saw many animals such as river otters, moose, some deer and a hawk.

After the raft trip we had the afternoon to explore for ourselves and I decided to go for a 5 mile hike. It was so peaceful and guess what…I SAW BEAR! It was awesome… The bear was swimming and running a great SAFE distance from me! That was definitely the highlight of my day! After dinner and trying some Elk steak, a bunch of us went to the one lounge on the property and watched the Olympics! Trust me when I say my previous short narration of the Grand Tetons does not give this place enough justice!

After our stay at the Grand Teton National Park we were off to Yellow Stone National Park! The United States 1st National park. The only problem is I have been reading a book titled “Death in Yellowstone”. This book makes you not want to leave the bus!

Whittlesey believes that far too many people enter our national parks with "a false sense of security." He then goes on to chronicle the deaths in Yellowstone National Park of more than 250 people. Most of the deaths, Whittlesey argues, occurred because of human mistakes and "negligence." In this sense, the book is meant to teach and warn about the many dangers that exist in Yellowstone itself and wild areas in general. The catalog of deaths includes all manner of dying at the hands of nature (hot springs, bears, bison, avalanches, exposure, and forest fires top the list), as well as deaths strictly caused by human actions (murders, suicides, carbon monoxide poisoning, car and plane accidents, and so forth). A little morbid, but strangely fascinating. Brian McCombie

In Yellow stone we stayed at the Old Faithful inn, This Inn is located within the parks boarders and it is designed to recreate the forest indoors; the lobby measures 76’6”. It looks like one big Giant tree house. Truly a work of art! As I entered my room I noticed that smoke was coming from outside my window, the joke was on me, that was a view of Old Faithful, the world’s most famous geyser.

Here is a quick example of how a Geyser works:
Geysers are temporary geological features. The life span of a geyser is, at the most, only a few thousand years. Geysers are generally associated with volcanic areas. Geysers are caused when underground chambers of water are heated to the boiling point by the volcanic rock. When heat causes the water to boil, pressure forces a superheated column of steam and water to the surface. Their formation specifically requires the combination of three geologic conditions that are usually found in volcanic terrain.

Intense heat
The heat needed for geyser formation comes from magma when it is near the surface of the earth. The fact that they need heat much higher than normally found near the earth's surface is the reason they are associated with volcanoes or volcanic areas. Geysers, though rare, are found in the same geologic settings where volcanic heat sources are available.

Water
The water a geyser ejects comes from snow and rain. When precipitation reaches the ground, most of it drains into rivers and streams. A small portion, perhaps 5%, gets soaked into the ground. Moving gradually through tiny cracks it finds its way into the underground tunnels that make up the plumbing of a geyser, then is shot to the surface during an eruption. Travel from the surface down through the rock and out through a geyser eruption can take up to 500 years.

A plumbing system
In order for the heated water to form a geyser a plumbing system is required. This includes a reservoir to hold the water while it is being heated. Geysers are generally aligned along faults, the cracks in the earth formed by earthquakes. The plumbing system is made up of a system of fractures, fissures, porous spaces and sometimes cavities. Constrictions in the system are essential to the building up of pressure before an eruption.
Ultimately, the temperatures near the bottom of the geyser rise to a point where boiling begins; steam bubbles rise to the top of the column. As they burst through the geyser's vent, some water overflows or splashes out, reducing the weight of the column and thus the pressure on the water underneath. With this release of pressure, the superheated water flashes into steam, boiling violently throughout the column. The resulting froth of expanding steam and hot water then sprays out of the geyser hole. (Thank the internet for that explanation)
Take the time to look through these photos, they are amazing! From my window in the darkness you could here them erupting all night, at times it sounded like a dragon was breathing outside my window. The geysers in the park have various names based on what they look like and some based on a death surrounding the geysers! The warm springs look so inviting, but be careful the temperatures of the waters can be hot enough to literally melt the skin right off your body!
During our second night in Yellowstone National Park we stayed at The Lake Hotel. The Lake Hotel is the oldest building in Yellowstone. On the way to this magnificent hotel we made many stops along to way. We stopped at the Fountain Paint Pot Area, Mud Volcano Area, and the Canyon Area which contains both the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. Again I hope the pictures do it justice! Other activities included volunteering to paint a park ranger cabin (not bad for a guy who does not believe in manual labor), celebrating Christmas in August and eating Wild Boar and Antelope!

Enjoy the photos! Off to Cody, Wyoming.

Dead Horse State Park, Canyon Land National Park and Salt Lake City

Dead Horse Point State Park is perhaps Utah's most spectacular state park. Dead Horse Point is a promontory of stone surrounded by steep cliffs near Moab, Utah. The overlook at Dead Horse Point is 6,000 feet above sea level. Two thousand feet below, the Colorado River winds its way from the continental divide in Colorado to the Gulf of California, a distance of 1,400 miles.
Canyonlands National Park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River and its tributaries. The rivers divide the park into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the rivers themselves. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character and offers different opportunities for exploration. The Green and Colorado rivers separate Canyonlands into three land districts in addition to the Horseshoe Canyon detached unit. Each destination within Canyonlands offers different opportunities for sightseeing and exploration.
Did You Know?
Lizards, including the colorful collared lizard, are one of the most frequently seen animals in Canyonlands. When not chasing flies or basking in the sun, they are often seen doing what appears to be push-ups. Scientists believe this and other behaviors signal dominance and facilitate courtship.As we left the nice town of Moab, mom wanted to stop at Dead Horse and Canyon Land State and National Parks.
Salt Lake City
In Salt Lake City Mom and I visited Temple Square. Here we took a tour of Tabernacle which is home of the Mormon Tabernacle Chior and home to the 12 th largest pipe organ in the world. We also toured the North Visitor’s Aenter, Assembly Hall and the Family History Library. At the library we wer eboth intrigued by the process of researching our family tree. It seemed like it would be an endeavor that would not have an ending.
After mom had departed for home I explored Salt Lake Utah otherwised known as SL, UT. I went to Trolley Sqaure, a pub called Squatters where the serve Poligamy Porter where you can’t just have one, you have to bring some home to your wives and relaxed by the pool.
The next day the Tauck Tour started and we went to the Utah Plympic Park and heard behind the scenes stories of the olympic games and had the opportunity to watch future olympicans practice. That’s right they practice in the summer on the ski slopes without snow. Go Figure! I also had an opportunity to tour the Beehive house. The Beehive House is the older of Brigham Young's two Salt Lake City residences. Designed by temple architect Truman Angell and built in 1854, it stands today as a museum offering tours of what life was like for the Young family back in 1855.
This strong work ethic and the value of industriousness give the Beehive House its motif, as the image of beehive sits atop the house. The name of the mansion is drawn from this theme, the beehive being a symbol of diligence and productivity. In fact, the beehive is a prominent symbol throughout Utah today, reminding residents of the pioneer legacy that Brigham Young helped to establish.

On a side note, I just want to say what a truly amazing experience this past few weeks have been. To be able to experience things so Magical with people you love trust and respect is something I will never forget! Thanks for coming Mom! Stacy you’re the best! Scott what are we doing next summer?

New Orleans, Louisiana - The Big Easy

This part of the blog consists of a trip made by Randi, Scott, and our friends Greg and Danielle. I hope they realize they are about to be famous!

Before I forget, I wanted to let everybody know, Randi and I have a new addition to the family. His name is Black Jack or Big Fat Bunny or as mom calls him, the Black Pooper. Look for his picture in the slideshow. Right now Mom, Stacy, and Dad, are taking care of him. He will be going to the Hamptons and Sag Harbor this weekend just like all other bunnies from Long Island. Many thanks to Mom, Dad, and Stacy (even though he’s not shitting pellets, he freaked out when he was teased with corn, and won’t be fed until dad comes home because mom refuses to turn his food bowl back over even though she made him freak out).

August marks three years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and it is a huge unavoidable part of New Orleans current culture. In most neighborhoods 1 out of 3 houses are still abandoned and many schools are closed because people have yet to return. Commercially we saw boarded up Walmart’s, Banks, Circuit Cities, and other business that are waiting to rebuild. Even though New Orleans is a city enduring much hardship, they stand strong and haven’t lost any of their heritage or southern hospitality charm.

This city is a remarkable vacation destination that has everything from an amazing rich history, exotic swamp lands to explore, unique Cajun Culture, outstanding jazz music, amazing foods, 32oz slushies, humidity, and bad hair days. The hotel we stayed at was beautiful and situated right in the French Quarters on Bourbon Street. We explored the city by taking a bus tour, swamp tour, and bourbon street self guided bar hopping tour (twice). There was so much to see and do. Jazz music everywhere, Mardi Gras beads in trees, beautiful Victorian homes, river boats, art, flee markets, street performers, casino’s and a whole modern city which we didn’t even begin to explore.

We definitely have to go back. After two days of fun, it was hard to say goodbye to Danielle and Greg. We are off to Orlando to enjoy the rain from Hurricane Fay.

Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Moab

The Hoover Dam is a sight to see. Height is 726.4 feet, and they used 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete to build it. It is still considered one of the world’s most successful architectural feats. Did you know that the people who worked on the Dam only got two days off a year, Christmas and July 4th. Dang!

Off to Vegas, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except of course when you have a blog! Mom and I went to do some sightseeing in Vegas, as you can imagine, not everything went as planned. Our first plan was to go and see a free sky show at the Rio Hotel. Turned out the show was not running and the cost of the cab ride to and from our hotel made that little adventure far from free. Next we signed up for a time share presentation to get some free gaming chips. Needless to say we filled out the paper work, go to the presentation the next day, only to find out we did not qualify to do the presentation. No gaming chips for us, however we still stayed for the free lunch. Later that day we decided to self park our car, naturally for the free parking. When the parking attendant returned with our car, we discovered we had a flat tire. Not to worry, we found someone to change the tire for us, it was way to hot for me and Laura, and we were not going to do it! After that it was already time for dinner and a show. We had gotten free theater tickets to see The Fab Four Live, which is a tribute band to the Beetles. They were great! Lots of signing and dancing took place. After the show we had dinner, of course they had to do some major adjustments to our bill because instead of wrapping it “for later”, they threw out our food. Needless to say between the free drink coupons and the adjustment to our bill, this turned out to be the best deal thus far!
Day two in Vegas, mom went off to buy some tickets for a show on the half price line, she got tickets for a show called “Crazy Horse Review”. She said it was a “traditional Vegas show”. Well it was a BOOBIE show! My mom took me to see some Boobs! Holla! Mom was determined to see that “free” show in as the Rio Hotel, however this time we took a tram to a free bus and we did manage to see the show in Rio. It was very nice. After that we headed to Downtown Vegas to see a light show and did a whole lot of people watching. Oh and mom did manage to get a free meal again in Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, the only difference is, she ate the whole thing and they still did not charge her! Go Figure!

After leaving Vegas we headed to a little town called Moab. Moab is a town with a population of under 5000. The town overlooks the Colorado River, which was familiar to Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch and other outlaw gangs. If you see any red rocks in movies or commercials, chances are it was filmed in Moab. Moab is a great little town with lots of shops and places to eat. It is also located near many of the different State and National Parks we wanted to visit.
We went to Arches National Park where you can find the largest number of natural stone arches, formed by weathering openings in vertical slabs of sandstone. In Arches we were met with some amazing scenery and a sandstorm that definitely blew us away. The sunset and the moon were surreal. During day two in Moab, we took a full day rafting trip on the Colorado River. Did you know that Moab was in a different time zone then Vegas? Because we didn’t and we almost missed our trip, the tour company called our hotel. Ha! The downside, we did miss the free breakfast at the hotel. The afternoon was spent walking around town drinking wheat grass, shopping and of course eating.

Next we went to Crazy Dead Horse Park which has some of the best sceneries on the trip thus far. This park lies on the West slope of the Continental Divide. Canyons, waterfalls, unusual landforms and wide variations of elevation characterize the forest. After dead horse we went to Canyon Lands National Park. This park encompasses deeply eroded canyons interspersed with sheer sided mesas, spires, arches and unusual rock formations. The confluence of the green and Colorado Rivers divides the park into three districts.

As we were exploring these parks we noticed that each park seemed to have its’ own personality. It’s amazing that we have such beautiful sights located in the US. What a great time! I just hope the photos do some justice to what we saw.

Venice Beach, Hollywood, Universal Studios

After seeing Dove and farewell dinner with the Caravan Tour group, Scotty is on his way back to New York and Josh is in California all on his own. Not to worry because one of our old camp friends will be picking me up and showing me around Venice Beach. Ron had declined the offer to go to Universal Studios!

Anyhow, Ron and his girlfriend Linda picked me up at the hotel and we were off. He wanted to show me where he lived and he wanted to show me Venice Beach. Needless to say after meeting his beautiful girlfriend and a car ride filled with laughs, I knew we were going to have a lot of fun. Ron taught me some yoga, Linda and Ron made an amazing lunch and the walk to Venice Beach was filled with little canals and European looking gardens. We walked the pier at the beach had some margaritas and then it was time to head back to the hotel. Linda had to work the next day. Work, whats that? Ron is a teacher who also enjoys his summers off, he also is a former New Englander who moved to California 15 years ago and now I know why and has yet to move back to the North East... I can see why. Thank you both for a great time! This was definitely one of the best days of the trip.

Back in Hollywood, I eagerly awaited the arrival of mom. That’s correct Laura will be joining me on Liebertrip 2008. Mom arrived and we met up at Universal Studios. It was so much fun, we went on roller coasters (yes who knew mom likes to ride the roller coasters), we took pictures with different characters, and saw some amazing film making magic. At night we walked the streets of Hollywood and saw some great sights!

Scenic Coastlines, Hearst Castle, Santa Barbra, and Los Angeles

Watching the surf, spectacular views, and looking for animals made this 80 mile drive along California’s coastline seem like it was only 5 miles. This drive is known as the Big Sur and stretches from Carmel and San Simeon. The scenery was amazing, and the weather was perfect. Still traveling on scenic roads, we traveled along Highway 1 which was designated the nation’s first scenic highway in 1966.
After a few hours of driving down the coast, we ended up at Hearst Castle. The castle was the home of William Randolph Hearst and was built to house his collection of medieval and renaissance treasures. This dream home has over 100 rooms, two Spanish towers, served as a private zoo for the family with thousands of animals, huge indoor and outdoor pools, two guest houses, and was the “in” spot for Hollywood celebrities. We saw a video that showed Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, and Greta Garbo sitting by the pool and enjoying cocktails.
After the castle tour, we had a brief stop (15 minutes) in Santa Barbra. Sometimes called the “Red Roof City”, Santa Barbara is noted for its Mediterranean style architecture. Most buildings have the Spanish style façade of plaster walls, red tile roofs, and enclosed patios. We also enjoyed a view of the beach and saw some really cool HIPPIE MOBILES!!! Check out the pictures.
We arrived in Los Angeles and realized we had a lot to explore. We went to the Getty Museum, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Mann’s (Grauman’s) Chinese Theater, and the Walk of Stars. We saw all of that in a day and a half.
The Getty Museum was probably one of the most beautiful museums we’ve ever seen. This museum was nestled on the top of a mountain overlooking Bel Air, the Pacific, Hollywood, and Los Angeles. This museum has five two story buildings which surrounds an open courtyard and boasts amazing gardens for walking and relaxing. There was something for everybody at this museum including works of art from Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir.
We also had time to explore the Rodeo Drive, Hollywood walk of fame, and Chinese Theater. Our favorite part of the day was watching two Marylyn Monroe’s fight for picture taking rights. We took pictures of a Monroe talking to cops and the other Monroe talking to Cat Woman.

I am also sad to say, this was the last leg the liebertwin journey together. We will still update the blog and keep you posted on our summer travels.

Yosemite National Park, California, Carmel, 17 Mile Drive, Monterey

First off, we would like to send congratulations out to the following people for playing and answering our trivia correctly. When we get home, you will receive special presents. For everybody else, the trip isn’t over and you still have chances to win special prizes.

Lindsay and Mark – Bookkeeper

Kelsey and Krystina – Peacock Feathers

Kathy – The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for 2 million dollars.

We spent the next day driving through San Joaquin Valley, Climbed through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and passed through some old mining towns from the gold rush. We had a rest stop during this 5 ½ hour journey, and the scenery was amazing. We then stopped at our hotel and had a free evening. We spent the next day at Yosemite National Park. Yosemite National Park was established in 1890. It is over 1,000 square miles with granite peaks and waterfalls. We took a trolley tour through the valley and saw some famous spots such as the Yosemite Waterfall (which is almost dried up this time of the year), El Capitan (a mountain used for rock climbing), and Yosemite Village (filled with museums, a movie theater, and restaurants). It was a great day and very hot. The highlight was when we returned to the hotel and went to cool off in the Merced River which was just steps from our door. We hiked about 50 feet, and found our own little spot. We moved some rocks and made “Lazy – Boys” in the mild rapids. We just relaxed, drank our drinks and enjoyed the sunset. It was definitely a highlight of the trip!!!

After an early morning departure, we spent a majority of the day on the bus as we are still making our way down towards Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. We made some stops along the way as we traveled through the Garlic and Avocado capitals of the world. Our first stop was at this place called Casa Fruita. Casa Fruita is located in the “Salad Bowl” of California. Everywhere you looked for miles and miles, fruits and vegetables were being grown.

After a lunch stop, we continued on to Monterey, California, where we had time to explore Cannery Row. This was a nice scenic area with an excellent aquarium. We then boarded the bus an hour later and drove along the 17 mile coastline to the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course. We got ourselves some souvenirs including little pencils, scorecards, and T’s. Pebble Beach Golf Course is a very beautiful course where the US Open is held. For a group of four to play 18 holes, it coasts over $2500.00 and that doesn’t include a caddy or golf cart.

We ended the day with a visit to Carmel, California. This is a very expensive area that kind of reminded us of the Hamptons on Long Island. It was a fun town to explore and we found some great bargains.

Now it is off to bed, for we have to get ready for another full day of touring with an early departure and the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

San Francisco, California

Rice – a – Roni, a San Francisco Treat!” (not really, it’s from Chicago)

When you think of California, you think of sunshine, warm weather, etc… Well not in San Francisco! Although we have been very lucky with the weather, usually you wake up to a dense fog and then by mid day you have clear skies. Very interesting how that happens!

We are having a great time here. We took another Duck Tour, actually, it was called The Bay Quakers Peking Duck Tour, or imitation Duck Tour. We also explored many different areas of San Francisco. Our favorites being Pier 39 with the sea lions, walking to the curving roads on Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, looking for bargains in China Town, riding the cable car, and our bay area cruise which gave us stunning views of Alcatraz and The Golden Gate Bridge. We also drove through wine country, had a wine tasting at Cline Winery, went to Sonoma, and explored the streets of Sausalito. We have had a busy few days. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Trivia Question:

Do you know what color the Golden Gate Bridge is Painted? If you write the answer on the blog you could get a prize.

Portland, Oregon and Drive down the West Coast

Portland is another nice city! The size of Portland was rather small, however it made us appreciate the city even more. We had signed up for a Duck Tour but they were no longer running (already closed for the season), they must have known we were coming, but that did not stop us from exploring the Chinese Gardens, China Town, the Historic Distric, the Theater District, and taking “A walk on Water” on the country’s longest floating walkway. In Portland we did manage to find a one of the kind attraction (go figure)! It is called Voodoo Doughnuts, a sight not to miss. Voodoo Doughnuts has every childhood fantasy doughnut combination you can imagine as well as the classics, Maple doughnut with bacon strips (Scott’s favorite), and a doughnut shaped like a person with a jelly filling that came with a pretzel stick. Every time you stabbed your voodoo doll doughnut with the pretzel your doughnut bleeds. We also had the chance to attend an open air concert! Great fun!

After that, we were on our way to San Francisco and rented a car. We were very hesitant to rent a car and drive to San Francisco, because our GPS was not working, and we only had those old school crazy things called maps. Anyhow we lived on the edge and found our way to the infamous route 101 South down the coast towards California. On the way down, we stopped at the Oregon Welcome Center. It was a simple building located in a big empty parking lot. When we walked into the building, a lovely typical grandmother type lady said the magical words…”Welcome to Oregon where you’re not allowed to pump your own gas and the entire state is tax free!” She was Josh’s future wife! Anyhow, needless to say we did some electronics shopping. This woman also gave us a guide that marked special attractions along the Oregon coast. It had mileage markers and many details. THIS WAS THE GREATEST THING TO HAPPEN!

On the way down the infamous route 101 and Oregon coast, we saw many amazing sites. Everything from the world renowned Oregon Aquarium to the world’s largest water cave to the ever popular Redwood Tree’s of Mystery! So many places to stop along the way and spend the night! It is not easy to achieve this, but the drive on 101 through Oregon got two thumbs up from us Lieberman boys! I only hope the pictures do it justice!

Our next stop, San Francisco, CA.

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is a city that has gone by many names, Emerald City, Gateway to Alaska, and COFFEE TOWN. They are the home to Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and Tully’s Coffee. There is at least one or two coffee joins on every street corner. It has been said that Seattleites drink at least 4 lattes everyday. WOW! In addition to the coffee, Seattle sports a very nice waterfront, the infamous space needle (home of a world fair), a monorail system, museums galore, a duck tour, and a unique underground (literally) history.

The next morning we woke up early to find the next hotel we would be staying at in Seattle. We just wanted to store our luggage so we could start exploring Seattle. Looking at a map, the Fairmont Hotel and Springhill Suites were not too far apart. Again, looking at the map, they don’t show you the mountains you will have to conquer between locations. We walked 1 mile UP HILL made a left down a slight slant and found our hotel. During this trip, I busted two wheels on my suitcaseL. Enough talking about the Hills….

We figured we would start our day off by getting some things out of the way. Since the camera was broke during the biking trip, we decided to take a local bus to the closet Best Buy. Not being experienced public transportation bus people, when we saw that Golden Best Buy Ticket in the distance, we rang the little bell which indicated to the driver that we wanted to get off at the next stop. “Ding” the doors opened and we were about ¼ mile from the Best Buy. Not bad right!!! Wrong!!! The bus proceeded to make one more stop before the best buy and one stop just outside the best buy. Needless to say we found out where to catch the bus for the ride home. We get to Best Buy, and they start looking through the computer at my account to find the service plan for the camera. After about forty five minutes of searching, they lose electricity and the fire alarm went off. Everybody had to evacuate the store. Forty minutes later after the fire department arrive and gave the “O.K.” they let everybody back in to the store, to wait on lines again. After we got the new camera, we took the bus back to the cities waterfront and started exploring.

Some of the places visited were the Space Needle, Pike Place Market born in 1907, Seattle's Pike Place Market is the granddaddy of farmers' markets. Today, it's a major tourist attraction with 200 businesses operating year-round, 190 craftspeople and 120 farmer booths - plus street performers and musicians. Flowers by the bucketful, flying fish, fresh pastries and fruit, handmade cheeses, local honey, wine, an assortment of restaurants, import goods, antiques, collectibles and lots of surprises are around every corner. We walked past the Seattle aquarium, along the Seattle waterfront which is a bustling collection of attractions, restaurants and shopping, as well as starting points for ferries and cruise ships. We ate here as well as fed the seagulls at the statue of Ivar Haglund in front of Ivar's Acres of Clams (a restaurant recommended by Rachel Ray), strolled by the fountains on the wooden piers of Waterfront Park.

Two other tours we decided to do were Bill Speidel's Underground Tour and of course the Seattle Duck Tour.

The underground tour was themed around the great Seattle fire. After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the city was rebuilt over the top of the ruins. This guided tour took us through the hidden subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and storefronts of old downtown Seattle. These underground passage ways have been places of haunted sightings and the TAPS investigation team has set up camp here.

The Seattle Duck Tour has been one of our favorite Duck Tours thus far. I think we are Duck Tour hoping across the United States! Seattle is a great city with a lot to offer. We both can’t wait to come back to explore some more.

Victoria and Vancouver

Victoria and Vancouver British Columbia

Victoria British Columbia was made into a British colony in the late 1850’s after gold was discovered on the Fraser River. Previous to that, the entire island was leased by the Hudson’s Bay Company to enhance fur trade.

Since the discovery of gold, Victoria boomed over night with a permanent population of 3,000 and a transient population of 25,000. In 1867, Victoria was invited to join the Canadian territories in which they graciously obliged. At this time, most of the English colonists tried to return home to England, but could not adjust to the stiffness, so they stayed and formed a relaxed British community in Victoria, which continues to exert its influence in the area today.

While visiting the home town of our friends Bill and Irene (Victoria Natives) we explored China Town, the second oldest in North America, Explored the worlds narrowest commercial street, and enjoyed views of the Inner harbor and impressive Parliament Building.

It was hard to wake up our last cruise morning in Vancouver, Canada after our last night of cruising celebrations with Stacy, Bobby, Jeff, and Kim. After some quick goodbyes and a fond farewell to the Tahitian Princess, it was back to the reality of only THREE MEALS A-DAY!!! Even just typing it gives me the chills.

On a Serious Note: Jeff and Kim, Congratulations! Have a safe trip home and keep in touch. Use your knives and sling shot wisely.

Stacy and Bobby –I don’t even know where to begin; everything from finger puppets, blow holes, backgammon, shady bars, and shuffle board tournaments (REMATCH!!!). We will have to take another vacation together real soon! See you when we get home.

Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver is a great city that has been voted the "Best City in the Americas" for 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Condé Nast Traveler magazine, based on the categories of ambience, friendliness, culture and sites, restaurants, lodging, and shopping. Vancouver is a dynamic, multicultural city set in a spectacular natural environment. Vancouver is also the host of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

After the cruise, a farewell breakfast with Stacy and Bobby, and a long nap, Josh and I relaxed and walked along the waterfront watching the sea plans takeoff and land and waved as the Tahitian Princess made its way out of the harbor for another two week cruise.

The next day we took a Big Red Bus tour throughout the city, walked through China town (the second oldest in North America), saw a steam clock that tooted music every 15 minutes in Gastown, saw an Inukshuk, and walked through Granville Island an artsy marina town located underneath a bridge.

Today after a haircut, we will be crossing the boarder and heading back to Seattle, WA where we will spend a few days.

CHEERS!!!

Needless to say we arrived in Seattle and guess what; we are smack in the middle of a parade. No, joke in the middle! Our bus transportation from Vancouver had to circle the parade route a couple of times before we finally got the police permission to go through the parade to get to the bus/train station. So what could we do but wave to all the people as we drove in the parade! After being dropped off, we grabbed our luggage and decided to walk towards the hotel, again weaving in and out of parade watchers. If anyone knows the streets of Seattle as well as we do, you would know that it is not exactly what we New Yorkers would call flat lands, you’ve got mountains to climb! Needless to say after doing the luggage mambo number 5, we hailed a cab that would eventually only bring us as close to our hotel without going through the parade. Well since we were experts with being in the parade, we decided what have we’ve got to loose. Needless to say between the mermaid, blow up orca and the band playing 76 trombones, we managed to find the hotel.

We apologize, for the lack of pictures due to a snafu, but hopefully that will be resolved today.

Juneau, Sitka, Day at Sea

Juneau, the (now) capital of Alaska is name for Joe Juneau and Richard Harris who were searching for gold in the 1880’s. They used Native Indian guides and climbed numerous mountains (Which are now named after them) and finally found nuggets “as large as beans”. Out of their discovery, the three largest gold minds of the world were created. Since then, the minds have closed and the gold was replaced by the business of government.

It was a cold, windy rainy day, but that didn’t stop Josh and Scott from taking a 9 mile bike trek to the Mendenhall Glacier. The ride was tough at times, but the views of Auke Bay, The University of Alaska, and Mendenhall Glacier were well worth the effort. Oh, and I forgot to mention, we were also rewarded with a tasting and tour of the Alaskan Brewery, Alaska’s most prominent distributor of beer.

Unfortunately, for Stacy and Bobby, the tour they wanted to take was cancelled at the last minute. They spent the day together enjoying the capital, scenery, and checking out artwork from local artists. There were four ships in port so they were very busy with a lot to see, do, and explore.

Sitka or “people on the outside of sea” translated from the Tingit Indian language was the original capital of Alaska until 1906. Sitka is located on the Baranof Island and is on the outer coast of Alaska’s inside passage. Sitka was originally occupied by the Tingit Indians for centuries until the Russians arrived in 1799. Once the Russians arrived, the Tingit Indians were forced into slavery to help monopolize the fur trade industry and allegiance to the Tzar. In 1802 the Tingit Indians attacked the Russian Outpost and killed nearly all the Russians. Their brief victory ended three years later when Russian explorer Alexander Baranof retaliated with warships and fought an intense six day battle that overtook the Tingit settlement creating a Russian Capital in North America. In 1867, the Russian flag was replaced by Stars and Stripes after the purchase of Alaska was completed.

Today was an exciting day for all of us. We split up in the morning for two different tours and met up in town for some Alaskan Crab Legs. Stacy and Bob went on an exciting hike to explore the rainforest with hopes of capturing more wonders of nature. It is one thing to look at these forest and glaciers from afar on the ship, but when you get the chance to see the wildlife up close and take a hike deep within the forest, it is a whole different experience.

The tour that Josh and Scott took involved snorkeling in the water! That’s right folks, we went snorkeling in Alaska. I’m not sure what we were thinking when we signed up for this tour, especially after the wet bike ride, but four others from the ship decided to do the same. It all started with us signing the infamous waiver incase of unexpected injury or death during the tour. After that, we were fitted into these one piece pajamas looking things and then we were fitted into dry suits, face masks and gloves. We looked like ninja ghost busters! After the dressing process, we were taken to a beautiful cove to snorkel. It was amazing, because it was low tide and we lucked out with a very nice sunny day. As you walked down to the water, you were able to see starfish or sea stars, and some small crabs. Once in the water, we were in a different world. You quickly forgot about the cold glacier water on you lips because you were seeing a vast array of colors while noticing little crabs, fish, coral, sea cucumbers and jelly fish. It was amazing to see so many different colors in such a cold climate. What another great experience in Alaska. Oh, and I almost forgot, we all ate Salmon Berries fresh off the plant! Yummy!

Today was our last full day at sea. All of us slept late, but it did not feel like it because we lost an hour overnight due to a time zone change. We had very little time to waste, we had to eat, go to trivia, play scategories, take a tour of the galley, play jackpot bingo, eat, enter the Sudoku competition, go to arts and crafts class, take a back stage tour of the stage, eat, free champagne art auction, eat, put on our formal wear, captains farewell party, eat dinner, go to an evening show, champagne waterfall, dance, casino and eat. What a full day of fun and excitement. Stacy won trivia, Scott won scategories and Josh, beat out some old folks in Sudoku.

Seward and Kodiak

Seward

Seward is an important port in Alaska due to the Alaskan rail road terminal, cruise ship terminal, coal terminal, and it once served as the gateway to the gold fields (Seward to Nome) or the Iditarod. “Seward, Alaska Starts Here!”

Today we decided to discover Seward’s picturesque side. Seaward is a town nestled on the shores of Resurrection Bay, where mountains rise majestically from crystal blue waters and the surrounding land has been carved by glaciers and polished by the sea. We decided to go off on our own and found a tour that would let us explore the Kenai Fjords, Bear Glacier, and Resurrection Bay. This tour by Renown Tours was not offered by the ship, but was magnificent! We found this tour by walking to a local Seward Information Center. You can also find information online by going to www.sewardinformaiton.com. We spent three hours on a catamaran, were giving powerful binoculars to borrow, drank unlimited hot drinks to keep us warm, and were even served a light lunch. We saw sea lions, otters, puffin’s, common murre, kittiwakes, bald eagles, and a school of Orca’s. This was an amazing journey and the pictures didn’t do it justice. We were in awe by how close we were able to get to the animals, especially the Killer Whales.

Even though we saw an amazing display of marine life, that wasn’t the most exciting lesson we learned today. Through hard work and determination, you can achieve anything you believe. This was a lesson learned by everybody who has travel on the M/V Spirit or with the Captain of that vessel. At the age of 16, the Captain lost both of his upper extremities due to a fire he was fighting when outfitted as a volunteer fireman. Since then, he has worked ever so hard to achieve a pilot’s license, drive race cars, sail all over the world in a small sail boat, and even command vessels through the unpredictable waters of the Gulf of Alaska. It clearly wasn’t an easy road to travel as seen by numerous articles, pictures, and letters from the U.S. Coast Guard in a scrap book about his life, but he has succeeded time and time again. He drove the large vessel with ease, even when entering and leaving the marina and slip which was lined by rocks and additional hazards. He did however warn us that we should not fall in the water while on his boating trip. He went on to explain that the only way he could bring us back on board was by poking us in our ears with his claws and lifting us to safety that was some great advice given to us by the captain! Captain Hooks will be remembered for a long time.

Kodiak Alaska

While being famous for huge Kodiak brown bears, we didn’t see any. This island is also one of the largest commercial fishing ports for the nation, it is home to the country’s largest Coast Guard Station, and is also known as Alaska’s Emerald Isle because of the magnificent color green the island turns during the summer.

Today we walked the town and explored different place of educational interests. Our first stop was to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. At the visitor center, we learned about the Kodiak Bears and Salmon. Josh even shared lunch with a bear and tried some Salmon.

Then it was off to the Kodiak Fishery Research Center Aquarium and Touch Tank which was across the Fred Zharoff Bridge which sported great views of the town, ship, and Gulf of Alaska. Here we got to explore different sea creatures. We touch star fish, crabs, amoebas, and more. It was very interesting.

After a brisk walk back to town, the last educational site we explored was the Kodiak Island Brewing Company. This local company supplies various bars through Alaska with its famous brews. We even found out how beers become different colors? Do you know how/why? If so, write the answer in the blog as a comment and you could win a prize from our trip.

Glacier Bay, Skagway, Day at Sea, Valdez

As we entered Glacier Bay we cruised along snowcapped mountains with running waterfalls along both sides of the ship. The ship got engulfed deeper into the inlet, the morning clouds began to disappear and the sights were surreal. We all kept our eyes open for the wild life. We saw all sorts of animals, including sea lions and hawks. All day was spent cruising, looking for blowholes and drinking some bouillon on the top deck. Glacier Bay was voted one of the top 10 places to visit in the United States by the New York Times. Sadly to say, plenty of people who have been here before say that things aren’t as grand as they once were. All though the sites were impressive, the glaciers are receding.

Skagway Alaska or the gateway to the gold fields boasts one of the shortest, toughest routes to the Klondike; which is also slang for an Alaskan Lesbian. In the past, you were required to carry over two thousand pounds of cargo over White Pass through mountains and valleys. If you did not have two thousands pounds of materials, you were refused entry into Canada or the United States respectably. The town of Skagway had many shops, definitely has the influence of other US ports of call with stores such as Diamonds International and a Starbucks. Josh found a dollar store off the beaten path where he was able to purchase 20 post cards for $1.

We also had the pleasure of crossing the boarder to Canada and walking on a suspension bridge which was 60 feet long and towering over 300 feet above a river giving us spectacular views of the Klondike. We ended the Journey with a salmon bake at Liarsville, Alaska. We had a great time and enjoyed spectacular scenery, check out the pictures.

Leaving Skagway and cruising along the Gulf of Alaska has so far proven to be an easy crossing. Before we started sailing, I was expecting bumpy rides as seen in, “The Deadliest Catch” but we’ve only encountered mild waves with some cold weather. Today Bob, Stacy, and Scott walked a mile outside while Josh opted for a warmer climate and went to the Gym. In the gym Josh saw three blowholes. We participated in other activities throughout the day including trivia, wine tasting, golf tournament, gambling, champagne art auction, and a Princess Show Production called, “Ports of Call. One of the highlights today had to be the International Buffet which we explored after eating lunch in the dining room. Yes, two Lunches or a lunch and a half.

Today we visited a city which is located in the Prince William Sound, Valdez, Alaska. In 1989 this small city was devastated by one of the worst oil spills in the history of the United States and after speaking to some locals, we learned, they are still recovering today. Today, we all had a chance to explore, visit, and appreciate Valdez, Alaska. The morning started with a white water rafting trip down Valdez Glacier River. We all got wet by the 36 degree water, but the rafting company gave us wet suits, boots, and other protective gear. We all felt like we were filming a sequel to Ghostbusters. We all experienced excitement on these level three rapids and enjoyed some great scenery including three major waterfalls.

After the tour we took the bus back to town and had to walk through the drive through of a bank to get cash. This very small town does not have any walkup ATM machines. This town sported a few shops, liquor stores, many motels and R.V. parks, a post office, pub, and Mexican restaurant. IT WAS AMAZING, the best time on our trip thus far!

Vancouver, Tahitian Princess, and Ketchikan Alaska

Vancouver, Tahitian Princess, and Ketchikan (Days 11, 12, Lucky 13, and 14)

Josh and I spent the evening walking along the waterfront of beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. We watched seaplanes take off and land, we saw some cool looking houseboats, and ate some Chinese food for dinner. We will explore the city some more when we return after the cruise.

The next day we woke up, went to the gym (I know it is hard to believe), ate breakfast, and eagerly awaited the arrival of Stacy and Bobby. Together we will be embarking on a 14 day cruise aboard Princess Cruise Lines Tahitian Princess to Alaska. When they arrived at the hotel, we had a quick welcome reunion and a drink to celebrate the journey and adventure that awaited us.

Tahitian Princess is a small ship that holds less than 700 passengers. The Tahitian Princess was built in 1999, has 11 decks and weighs 32,277 tons. I’m sure the four of us will fit right in and just blend with the crowd! Ha! When we arrived to our stateroom we were greeted by two harbor seals swimming just below our balconies. This Alaskan adventure is off to a great start!

We spent the first day enjoying the pristine scenery and saw some wild life including whales, seals, various birds, and other things we couldn’t identify. We also participated in many different activities the ship had to offer such as trivia where we met Bill a fisherman from Canada, learned about wildlife from a naturalist who taught us Orcas eat Moose’s, attended a port lecture for shopping where we got some free stuff, and attended an art auction where Stacy and Bob won a poster.

This evening also sported our first formal night. We all dressed up in our finest threads, met the captain, had a great dinner, and partied the night away. We lucked out tremendously at dinner because we are sitting with a newlywed couple from Australia. Jeff and Kim proved to be a pair of crazy crocs from down under so everybody got along just fine. I can only imagine what they thought of us! After a lovely welcome aboard show, gambling was also on our list of things to do. Most of us came out ahead tonight except for Josh who took one for the team. We ended the evening with some dancing in the night club. Who would have thought that Table #9 from dinner would be the only group on the dance floor! Holla!

Our first port of call was the quaint town of Ketchikan Alaska. Ketchikan is known by many names. Born and raised on the salmon industry, the town has earned the title, “Salmon Capital of the World”. Many people from Alaska also refer to Ketchikan as the state’s rain capital. Ketchikan has around 162 inches of precipitation annually. Ketchikan is a beautiful town which has unfortunately been invaded by many of the common chain variety stores you would expect to see in the Caribbean such as Subway, Del Sol, Diamonds International, and “Chico’s Mexican Restaurant; The Best Pizza in Town”. More importantly, the town has managed to maintain a lot of it’s’ natural history and beauty. Josh and I found and toured a local brothel, explored an old western town built along a creek “Creek Street”, and deciphered many totem poles representing different stories. While Josh and I explored the town, Stacy and Bob went to a rainforest and got to see some wildlife and watch a totem pole carving demonstration.

Tomorrow it is off to Glacier Bay National Park for some scenic cruising.

Trivia Question: Who did the Unites States purchase Alaska from and why did they decide to sell it?

If you answer this question on the blog you can receive a lovely prize from our trip!

Glacier National Park, Montana

Days 7 – 10 Glacier National Park BEAR COUNTRY

Luke and Jessica, it happened again, just like Pisa…. You know what we’re talking about…..

Glacier Park, Montana is probably one of the most beautiful places on the face of this earth. The people are nice, the scenery and wildlife are amazing, and there is plenty to do. West Glacier is one of those places when us city slickers first arrived (mainly Scott) you start to get nervous (that’s an understatement), limited cell service, limited internet, and no air conditioner in the motel room. Truth be told, at the end of the four days spent there, we didn’t want to leave. Glacier National Park is definitely the perfect vacation spot for anybody. Unfortunately Glacier National Park will not be around forever. We learned that the 26 remaining Glaciers are melting. It has been predicted that in the year 2030 all of the glaciers will be gone.

After Scott’s temper tantrum, he was tricked into taking a 6 mile hike the following morning to Apgar Village; to make matters worst, we had to pay to do it. We had to stand in line waiting between cars, so we could walk up to a drive up window and purchase a park pass. After that, we got a lovely pamphlet telling us what to do if we encountered bears! That’s right folks we is in Bear Country, on the front of the pamphlet it features a lovely bear with blood and guts coming from his teeth, not a joke, and we are the only two idiots walking through the park right now. As we were walking you quickly get surrounded by thick forest, and you feel as if you are in a different world. All the time in the back of our head, we are scared sh-tless waiting to be attacked by bear.

Anyhow I’m happy to say we arrived safely to Apgar Village and tried a few of the local foods, Huckleberries and Buffalo. Throughout our stay in West Glacier we also dined on Elk Sausage and Trout (yuck). On a side note, Huckleberries are great they are found in everything from wine, ice cream, honey, jams, chocolate covered, mustard, lotions and creams you name it they’ve got it in Huckleberry form. Oh not to mention, we had to hike back!

While walking back towards the train station, we had a chance to explore West Glaciers “Main Drag” which consists of a gas station, a few gift shops, a supermarket, a coin laundry facility, a camera store, a latte trailer, a visitors center, a post office, and of course our favorite spot, the West Glacier Bar. Before leaving the main drag, we decided to enjoy a few libations celebrating the 6 mile hike.

At 8:00pm, we left the West Glacier Bar and walked to the train station to wait for the arrival of Amtrak’s Empire Builder train from Chicago. We hoped our praying to the Glacier Mountain Gods paid off, and maybe Josh’s luggage would arrive at the station. After many days of not being able to change his clothing, Josh smelled like Bear Spray which was probably why we were safe on the 6 mile hike.

When we arrived at the West Glacier Train Station, we were greeted by a lady who would become our new friend for the next two days. Diana works at the West Glacier Historical Society, although she could not help us out with internet access, or air conditioners in the hotel room, she definitely could hold her own with the Liebertwins! Lots of laughs! We think she is part of some witness protection program, you see Diana was originally from Jersey and then lived in Long Island and now she is trying to make it as a “hick” (as she put it) in Montana! The train arrived late so we had a lot of time to bother Diana and pick her brain. The good news is, Josh was reunited with his luggage!

The following day, we took a Red Bus Jammer Tour. The Jammers have been doing tours for over 90 years. The trucks hold 17 passengers and they are old Ford vehicles that run on propane. Our Tour started outside the park from our hotel, went to Apgar Village, Lake McDonald Valley, through a Montana rain forest, traveled along side of the glacier (very close to the edge), up to Logan Pass, down into the cirques of the St. Mary Valley where we could enjoy a lovely meal at Two Dog Flats Grill. Unfortunately we did not see a lot of wildlife on our tour except for deer’s and mountain goats, but the views were spectacular.

That night we bothered Diana again, but brought a peace offering of some Huckleberry Ice Cream. Which she said was one of her favorites.

On our last day there, we rented a car a drove East and West of the West Glacier to explore some other hot spots. On the recommendations from Diana, we went to Goat Lick, Essex, and the House of Mystery.

At Goat Lick is a part of Glacier National Park, where you supposedly can see many goats who come down from the mountain tops after a long winter. Diana encouraged us to go off the tourist path and look under the bridge where the most goats hang out because it is not directly in the sun. So exploring we went, along the highway off the paved path, under the bridge. While Scott was looking under the bridge Josh spotted a goat, and then we were surprised by a bigger goat with a baby coming quickly from an entirely different direction. For a moment, it seemed like Scott was going to get his arse kicked by a Mountain Goat. Luckily the goat just walked by and sat under the bridge.

We then drove west towards Essex, Montana. Essex was recommended to us because it has a great restaurant and a very nice historic motel with old train car rooms. Yes, guest can actually sleep in old cabooses that have all of the comforts of home. They have kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, private parking spaces and all of the other amenities you would expect to find in a hotel including maid service. We took some pictures to show you how unique and marvelous they were. After exploring and a quick hike, we had lunch in the chalet and enjoyed some Elk Sausage.

Our last stop of the day before returning to West Glacier, was at the House of Mystery which sports the Montana Vortex. The Montana Vortex is a place where the laws of physics are tested and redefined. I really can’t explain what happens or how it works, but check out the pictures. It was freaky.

West Glacier was great! We are off to Vancouver to meet up with Stacy and Bob! Can’t wait!

July 3rd and 4th Chicago – Amtrak Part II

Day 4

Today we are moving on to more important matters, yes, that’s right folks, DEEP DISH PIZZA! Sad but true, that was the first thing on our minds. Forget about the World Class Architecture, Beautiful Lake Michigan, The Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, or anything else this city has to offer, WE WANTED THE WOLRD FAMOUS DEEP DISH PIZZA!!! You will be able to see from the pictures we enjoyed it too. It was a very nice way to end a day of walking around the city and enjoying Navy Pier and Lake Michigan. We also saw fireworks from out hotel room. Check out the video and pictures.

Day 5 **HAPPY 4^th of JULY**

Today we took a trolley tour of the city. This two hour tour taught us a lot about the city. We learned that Chicago is the industrial core of the Midwest, it is known for its exemplified unique architecture, and it is also the transportation gateway for the western half of the United States. We saw amazing sights such as an old water pump station, Sears Tower, the tallest building in the U.S., Navy Pier, Millennium Park, The oldest aquarium in the western hemisphere, and much much more. After a busy morning, we headed back to the hotel and made our way to Chicago’s Union Station. This is where we would join our Amtrak Train for the next leg of our journey.

After checking our bags, we were on our way! The train was beautiful and we were greeted with some champagne and cookies. Our room had a walk in toilet and shower, a beautiful fake marble countertop and cabinet, a nice sink, and plenty of leg room. We were two happy campers ready to enjoy the scenery.

A few hours into the trip, Scott realized our luggage was checked to the wrong destination. Oye Vey! The guy who checked our luggage in Chicago made a mistake and checked the luggage to East Glacier Park, not West Glacier Park! We decided to call our cabin attendant over to ask what could be done. He instructed us to follow him and we will figure this all out. Needless to say, we spent the next hour and a half looking in the baggage car of this train with over 300 passengers for our luggage! No jokes folks, Scott and Josh were in the luggage car at the front of the train trying to find our luggage. You would think that this cart would be off limits to passengers or our cabin attendant would have been helping, not a chance. After searching, we were happy to report that Scott’s luggage was found, but not Josh’s. When we spoke to the happy-go-lucky-no-good-for-anything-but-free-champagne-and-cookies cabin steward, all he could do is smile and say we will have to check again tomorrow after dropping off passengers at some of the major city stops like Milwaukee and St. Paul.

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the champagne, eating a lovely dinner, and listened to some informative narration in the club car while looking for some fireworks in the black distance.

Day 6: - Still on Amtrak

After a good nights sleep, it was back to the luggage car. Josh and I spent another hour and a half doing the same thing. Needless to say, we did not find the one bag which made us jump to one conclusion; the suitcase did not make it on the train.

After realizing the bag was not on the train, we asked to speak to a conductor. After meeting the conductor, all we could think to ourselves was, “WE MUST BE IN THE TWLIGHT ZONE!” The conductor was a local from North Dakota. He spoke very slowly and had a thick accent. He had the audacity to sit and lecture to us about checking our bags to the wrong location. Honestly no matter how many times we showed him our ticket stub which said West Glacier Park and the Luggage Stub which said East Glacier Park, he just didn’t get it. We kept trying to explain Amtrak made the mistake in Chicago and we are just trying to find our lost luggage.

Getting nowhere with the staff on the train, Josh started making many phone calls from the train. He called Chicago, East Glacier Station, Amtrak’s 800 numbers, and even decided to start leaving notes with all station personnel at the remaining major stops of the trip between Harve and West Glacier National Park.

While on the train, our conductor had told us to get of the train at the East Glacier stop, to speak with the Amtrak officials there about the lost luggage. We followed his directions and got off the train. While speaking to the luggage official who was standing on the platform and the assistant conductor who was standing in the luggage car of the train, the train started to move. The assistant conductor just started staring at us while he held his radio in his hand. Scott shouted, “Are you going to stop the train or what?” Honestly, no Joke, the train started moving! We started running back towards the door for our car, but our cabin steward would not let us in…HONESLY! Scott unlocked the door from the outside and the cabin steward relocked it, looking at us through the window! I could not believe it! As we were still running to find an open door, a female cabin steward totally pulled an Indiana Jones type thing on us! She left the door open for us and we had to jump onto the moving train! What a rush!

Aside from the luggage fiasco, we did have a lot of fun on the train. They had a complimentary wine tasting seminar with the regions wines; Scott won a bottle of wine by answering a riddle correctly. “What has triple double letter’s that every business should have?”

Do you know the answer? You could win a prize from our trip….

New York City and Amtrak

July 1, 2008 – New York City, New York

Day 1 and we did not make it too far. We are still in New York! Yes, that is right boys and girls; we spent the night in New York City. The day started with a doctor’s appointment, some last minute errands, lunch with dad, and then a 2:18 train from Central Islip. We were right on track to meet our 4:00pm Amtrak train to Chicago in New York City until the unexpected happened. Our train was delayed for over an hour because of a brush fire near the tracks. To make a long story short, we missed the train in New York City and ended up staying the night. In Penn Station we were able to change our tickets and check our luggage. Would you know it….our luggage was too heavy! We exceeded that weight limit (the story of our lives). Needless to say we were the two twins in the middle of Penn Station unpacking and weighing our bags! Hopefully our luggage, two bags and now a stunning new cardboard box will arrive with us in Chicago.

We started the evening with a nice walk around ground zero and explored some of the back streets. We also decided to go to the concierge floor and enjoy some snacks, with the Statue of Liberty and one of those New York City man made waterfalls in the background. These waterfalls were built by a 41 year-old Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson; they are a series of four man-made cascades installed on the shores of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Governors Island. We then went to the health club at the hotel and went swimming after we watched the sunset. What a nice unexpected addition to our trip.

Day 2

We are still in New York and enjoying every minute of it. We decided to take a New York City Duck Tour, that’s right folks the famous Boston Duck Tours have made it to NY. It was great fun, we got some free quackers (duck noise makers) and something unique they do is the actual vehicle is driven into a movie/ride simulator. Some quick New York City Fun Facts…Did you know that the Empire State Building was built in one year and forty five days…also the New York Public Library took over seven years to build? We has been educated and cultured! Good times!

After the tour we decided to have lunch at a restaurant in the Hell’s Kitchen section of NY and then headed on to Penn Station, we left plenty of time so we would not miss our train today!

On the train we have a room in Sleeper Car. This means we have our own bathroom, bunk beds four large windows and who knew we could convert the sink into a cooler chest! Of course we had to have a mini cocktail party before dinner is their any other way to travel?

Day 3

We have yet to update the Blog and we are SOOOO Sorry for that! We have limited internet service on Amtrak, I think I will write to the CEO about that! I’m also sorry to report that we have yet to meet some odd characters like the ones we met on our journey last summer (I would like to give them a shout-out if they are reading this). After a very uneventful dinner last night, we had some grilled chicken and Prime Rib (not to shabby), we decided to watch a movie and enjoy the sights. Thus far we have been from New York City to Albany, Albany to Cleveland and Cleveland to Chicago. On a side note we are running approximately 4 hours behind schedule. The Windy City here we come!