Vacation / Travel

[golfballs]

Do you guys not find the Caribbean much metter than Hawaii? I love the Bahamas and would like to retire there one day. I'm not talking about Nassau either. Don't get me wrong, I think Hawaii is beautiful but the Caribbean water is unbelievable.

Much better? I don't think so. There are comparable aspects - like the water. But the only thing better about the Carribean is the convenience and the air fare.

And as we're seeing right now, there are some major drawbacks to owning a home in the Carribean

 

[SaluteToTheHill]

I'm glad I got to Jack's Shack and met the dog when I did. Basically every single place we went on our cruise has gotten demolished or is directly in the path of Irma. Absolutely terrible for those people.

My wife and I were talking about this last night. She has their page liked on FB. Said alot of people have been sending well wishes to Jack and family and they have not responded. I hope they got to safety. Heard last night they could have a 20 foot surge.

 

[tumscalcium]

Much better? I don't think so. There are comparable aspects - like the water. But the only thing better about the Carribean is the convenience and the air fare.

And as we're seeing right now, there are some major drawbacks to owning a home in the Carribean

Pacific > Atlantic

 

[RDU VOL#14]

My wife and I were talking about this last night. She has their page liked on FB. Said alot of people have been sending well wishes to Jack and family and they have not responded. I hope they got to safety. Heard last night they could have a 20 foot surge.

My wife actually did the exact same on her page. This is going to be a devastating storm surge.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

My wife and I were talking about this last night. She has their page liked on FB. Said alot of people have been sending well wishes to Jack and family and they have not responded. I hope they got to safety. Heard last night they could have a 20 foot surge.

My wife just told that it looks like Jacks was spared with minimal damage and Topher is doing well. Glad to hear that.

 

[JFreak]

Just got done with the trip of a lifetime. 13 day trek to Everest Base Camp and Kala Pathar summit (18,500 ft).

 

[joevol33]

Just got done with the trip of a lifetime. 13 day trek to Everest Base Camp and Kala Pathar summit (18,500 ft).

Coo. No pictures?

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

Coo. No pictures?

I know right?

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

Just got done with the trip of a lifetime. 13 day trek to Everest Base Camp and Kala Pathar summit (18,500 ft).

Wow man...that is really cool. I was just telling my wife last week that I wish I could hike to Everest base camp. There is no way I could climb any mountains though 😁 At this point in my life, I just like being up close to them unless there is a tram to take me up. 😉

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Wow man...that is really cool. I was just telling my wife last week that I wish I could hike to Everest base camp. There is no way I could climb any mountains though �� At this point in my life, I just like being up close to them unless there is a tram to take me up. ��

How close are you to departure for America's holy land?

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

How close are you to departure for America's holy land?

Thursday..And I'm SOOOOOO EXCITED 😁 We've had so much go wrong in the last couple of months, it looked like there was just no way we were going to be able to go, but my kids are wonderful people, they are basically paying for us to go. I'm just hoping nothing else crazy happens the next two days, at this point I'm afraid to get too excited till I actually get on the road Thursday.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Have you seen the data on just how much visitation to many of our western parks has gone up, just in the last 4-5 years? Glacier had its first month in which 1,000,000 visitors entered the park (July, 2017) and August was the second most heavily visited month in park history, despite the restrictions imposed in response to the fires on the west side of the park. Literally, dozens of cars were lined up at the Many Glacier Campground at 5:00 am for the few campsites that would be available that particular day. The bottom line for all of this is that it offers compelling reasons, now more than ever, to visit in the shoulder seasons, ideally late September or June.

I don't know how much of a change has occurred in terms of visitation to the Tetons.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

Have you seen the data on just how much visitation to many of our western parks has gone up, just in the last 4-5 years? Glacier had its first month in which 1,000,000 visitors entered the park (July, 2017) and August was the second most heavily visited month in park history, despite the restrictions imposed in response to the fires on the west side of the park. Literally, dozens of cars were lined up at the Many Glacier Campground at 5:00 am for the few campsites that would be available that particular day. The bottom line for all of this is that it offers compelling reasons, now more than ever, to visit in the shoulder seasons, ideally late September or June.

I don't know how much of a change has occurred in terms of visitation to the Tetons.

I saw a report earlier that GTNP and Yellowstone had their busiest seasons ever. I don't know by how much though. We always try to go during the shoulder, but as close to good weather as we can. I'm just glad that GTNP and Yellowstone have not had the wildfires hit them so far. They need to cut out the foreign tour groups. I couldn't care any less about them visiting our parks that we have paid for. Americans should be able to visit the parks unhindered. They belong to all of us, not just those that are rich, or well off enough to go whenever they want. I know what this lottery crap turns into, rich people buying up others passes at crazy prices, then you will have millions entering the lottery just so they sell their passes. The upper middle class and above always get what they want in the end. That is why the National Parks were created, so we can all enjoy the most beautiful places, not just the privileged few like it is in Europe.

 

[JFreak]

Coo. No pictures?

Sure here is one. This is the sun rising over Everest. Sorry about the quality. Had to be compressed to post on here.

 

[JFreak]

Wow man...that is really cool. I was just telling my wife last week that I wish I could hike to Everest base camp. There is no way I could climb any mountains though 😁 At this point in my life, I just like being up close to them unless there is a tram to take me up. 😉

You'd be surprised! Pretty much anyone can do it. I have knee and some back problems and I carried my own pack all the way up there. Saw quite a few people over 50 making the trek. They just took it slow which is totally fine.

 

[InVOLuntary]

Much better? I don't think so. There are comparable aspects - like the water. But the only thing better about the Carribean is the convenience and the air fare.

And as we're seeing right now, there are some major drawbacks to owning a home in the Carribean

I'm not talking about buying. I was talking about just vacationing. I love the water and I thought the water in the Caribbean and in particular the Bahamas was much better than in Hawaii. I thought the HI islands much more beautiful.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

You'd be surprised! Pretty much anyone can do it. I have knee and some back problems and I carried my own pack all the way up there. Saw quite a few people over 50 making the trek. They just took it slow which is totally fine.

If I can ever get my knees replaced maybe.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

How close are you to departure for America's holy land?

Welp..just my luck. The weather has held steady there for two months, and now if the forecasts are right, we are going to have total crap weather all week next week. I'm also looking at having to drive a loooong way out of the way just to get into Jackson Hole because Togwotee pass is going to get a big snowstorm Friday night and Saturday...SMH. Another bummer...The Beartooth will probably be closed....and I'll be lucky if I can even get to The Mammoth section because they have the West loop closed between Roaring mountain and Golden Gate for road construction..which means I will have to go all the way around and over Dunraven pass around Tower junction to get there, so if a huge snow happens at elevation it will probably shut Dunraven down too..oh well..

 

[Volosaurus rex]

September weather in the Rockies certainly can be iffy, but it also doesn't tend to last long. On the plus side, the Tetons will have new snowpack and colder weather will accelerate foliage transformation. That is, of course, if high winds don't take the aspen and cottonwood leaves away early. Definitely keep the Cody "bad weather" card nearby.

 

[rs16]

I saw a report earlier that GTNP and Yellowstone had their busiest seasons ever. I don't know by how much though. We always try to go during the shoulder, but as close to good weather as we can. I'm just glad that GTNP and Yellowstone have not had the wildfires hit them so far. They need to cut out the foreign tour groups. I couldn't care any less about them visiting our parks that we have paid for. Americans should be able to visit the parks unhindered. They belong to all of us, not just those that are rich, or well off enough to go whenever they want. I know what this lottery crap turns into, rich people buying up others passes at crazy prices, then you will have millions entering the lottery just so they sell their passes. The upper middle class and above always get what they want in the end. That is why the National Parks were created, so we can all enjoy the most beautiful places, not just the privileged few like it is in Europe.

Cost of passes went way up at the end of August.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

September weather in the Rockies certainly can be iffy, but it also doesn't tend to last long. On the plus side, the Tetons will have new snowpack and colder weather will accelerate foliage transformation. That is, of course, if high winds don't take the aspen and cottonwood leaves away early. Definitely keep the Cody "bad weather" card nearby.

We are going to have a blast either way, and I'm really thankful I get to go at all. It is just going to be so disappointing if I don't get to drive the Beartooth, this would make two trips that snow has shut it down, and I don't think I'll get to go back there again. It's also really going to stink if the trees are bare also.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

Cost of passes went way up at the end of August.

Yeah, but it's still not prohibitive. If they go to a lottery system to determine who gets in during the busy season, it will be bad for common folk imo. For instance eight of us entered the lottery for passes to the firefly event in the Smokies just trying to get one car pass, and not one of us got one.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

We are going to have a blast either way, and I'm really thankful I get to go at all. It is just going to be so disappointing if I don't get to drive the Beartooth, this would make two trips that snow has shut it down, and I don't think I'll get to go back there again. It's also really going to stink if the trees are bare also.

I don't recall the Tetons being as consistently windy at lower elevations as the east side of Glacier typically is, so, hopefully, you won't have to contend with a fall foliage show that was short-circuited before it even started.

I know what you mean about the disappointment associated with potentially being unable to traverse the Beartooths. However, the alternative could be far worse. I have never had so memorable an experience in any portion of the Rockies as driving through that blizzard in August of '78. I decided, without prior experience or knowledge of the highway, to push on before Mother Nature unleashed a foot of snow on the high country. 'twas white-knuckle driving every inch of the way from the time the highway ascended to timberline on the west side until I finally lost enough altitude on the way to Red Lodge that the snow turned to rain.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Yeah, but it's still not prohibitive. If they go to a lottery system to determine who gets in during the busy season, it will be bad for common folk imo. For instance eight of us entered the lottery for passes to the firefly event in the Smokies just trying to get one car pass, and not one of us got one.

Those of us who are not Johnny-come-latelies to the experience of visiting the high country (wink, wink) will simply put our planning skills to use, if necessary, in visiting wilderness areas that are far less heavily traversed, such as the San Juans, Sawtooth Mountains, Wind Rivers, Bighorns, Gore Range, San Francisco Peaks, Sangre de Cristo Mountains and, in California, the far eastern portion of the Sierras and White Mountains.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Ulysses, how was your trip to the Tetons? And did weather conditions allow you to traverse the Beartooth Highway?