All posts filed under: USA

Caribbean & Cross-Country Adventures!

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(This post contains affiliate links.  Click here to see what that means.) It’s been a while since we posted – life changes, health and work gets in the way – but we still have that wanderlust, the desire for adventure … even if we’re not currently able to get out and experience it all ourselves! That said, we’re here today to share … because we can’t keep this to ourselves! We love living vicariously through the lives and stories of friend and author, Nick Harvey and his wife Cheryl.

Waldo Helps Plot the Perfect American Road-Trip

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Who knew that one day Waldo would actually prove useful! Waldo? You say … Yes – Waldo – the star who got his start in a series of children’s books in England … that quirky little guy with his distinctive red-and-white-striped shirt, bobble hat, and glasses – that’s the one! Well, in reality it’s not Waldo himself that’s going to guide you on the perfect American road-trip, but rather one Randal S. Olson from the University of Pennsylvania who researches artificial intelligence and algorithms … the guy who came up with the optimal search strategy to find Waldo.

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, TravelBloggers.ca

Off The Beaten Track – Auburn Indiana, An Auto Museum Town In The Heart Of America

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Last year we made a special trip to Battle Ground, Indiana (less than an hour from downtown Indianapolis – off Interstate 65, just outside of Lafayette), to visit one thing that had been on our ‘bucket list’ since the day we met…Wolf Park [WolfPark.org]. It took us 8 hours of driving to get there – but it was worth every minute. Read about our experience at Wolf Park HERE What we didn’t expect on our journey was the wonderful city of Auburn, Indiana. We stopped in Auburn for a coffee break – only to discover there are a number of auto and air museums there, if you love cars and/or planes – this is your mecca. You simply MUST take the time to visit Auburn, or even make it an actual trip destination.

TravelBloggers.ca WolfPark.org

Who’s Afraid of the “Big Bad Wolf?”

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Each year millions of dollars are spent as people purchase a calendar for the coming year. No doubt you too have browsed through the hundreds of calendars on display at your local mall – many with beautiful photos that we all wish we could personally capture. Old or young, everyone loves at least one type of animal, and for many the wolf stands strong at the top of their list – they’re majestic and feared, but captivating and mysterious. Over the years we’ve been drawn to beautiful images of wolves hanging in art store windows or being sold in calendars. Through the wonders of the internet we began to realize that so many of the beautiful images we loved were captured

Between Los Angeles & San Francisco Is A Picture-Perfect Piece Of Paradise - The Monterey Peninsula, TravelBloggers.ca

Between Los Angeles & San Francisco Is A Picture-Perfect Piece Of Paradise – Monterey

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Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea – California Have you ever gone on a holiday and wondered if you’d really booked the right hotel? What if it’s in a bad area in a dodgy part of town? Sometimes you just have to hold your breath and hope you’ve got it right. We were visiting the Monterey area of California to do some touristy stuff like whale watching, and we booked a hotel in a town called Seaside. Ever heard of it? Us neither. On the map it looked fine, but what does a map tell you about a town other than it has roads and parks.

TravelBloggers.ca

Marvels of Monterey – Whale Watching In California

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The whales were side-by-side almost vertical with their noses pointed high in the sky – we were witnessing something truly special – a double breach (two Humpback whales flying out of the water and crashing back in at the same time) – but not just any two, this was a mother and calf, almost within touching distance of the boat!Our guide told us she had been doing this for 15 years and this was the first time she got pictures of it! Today though, this mother and calf breached so many times for us that she was sure many of us would have a good chance at a great shot. Unfortunately for us, one of the best photo opportunities of them together was so close to the boat that both my wife and I missed it because we had our long zoom lenses on our cameras – doh!

Lighthouse, TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland & Gail Shankland

Driving The Infamous California Highway 1 (San Francisco to Monterey)

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While we previously had opportunity to visit California in the Long Beach/Los Angeles area, this time we were going to see an entirely different region of California – the Monterey Peninsula. Flying into Los Angeles would have meant a 6+ hour drive north via the freeway to Monterey. Flying into San Francisco and heading south, required only 2 hours 45 minutes according to Google Maps -that decision was easy; we’d fly into San Francisco and head south.

Watkins Glen , 2- Seater Indy Racing Experience Gail Shankland, Iain Shankland © 2013 TravelBloggers.ca

A Two-Seater IndyCar Ride – The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Clothes On!

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As a race fan going back to when I could barely walk – just being able to say I’ve “been there” is a thrill and an honour. To have been driven around the track in an IndyCar 2-seater is without a doubt a dream-come-true and something I’ll never forget. Although this article isn’t ‘brand-new’ it is new to this site and it’s something I thought would be of interest to our readers because the IndyCar Series will be offering 2-seater rides at all 2013 events. On the Thursday prior to race weekend (Friday-Sunday) a select few of us from the media had the privilege to  experience the thrill of two laps of the Glen. I had the honour of doing my laps with Davey Hamilton in the 2-seater IndyCar and it was a very big day for me … because, I got to cross two things off my list of “things I’ve always wanted to do, but never dreamed I’d have the chance” AKA: my Bucket List. 1) Going to a race weekend at the …

© 2013 ~ Iain & Gail Shankland / TravelBloggers.ca@gmail.com

A NASCAR Race AND A Family Vacation – It Is Possible!

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If you’re a NASCAR fan you’ll know all about Homestead Speedway in Florida. Even though the entire family might not enjoy racing, you can always make a great family vacation that just happens to have a NASCAR race included. If you’ve never been to south Florida, you’re really missing all the best parts. Who needs Disney World when you’ve got real live dolphins and alligators, swimming, camping, snorkelling and many, many other tourist attractions to keep you and the family entertained and busy.

Aquarium of the Pacific, Caribbean, Hawaiian Islands, IndyCar, Los Angeles, Santa Catalina Island, California, Avalon City, Long Beach, Casino,TravelBloggers.ca

Visit Catalina Island When You’re In The Los Angeles Area

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Catalina Island, where the Casino isn’t actually a casino, the main mode of transport is a golf cart and you might almost mistake it for the Caribbean. If you’re ever in the Los Angeles area, take the time to spend a nice leisurely day on this beautiful little island – you won’t regret it. Located just 35 minutes south of LAX is the city of Long Beach – famous for the IndyCar race, the Queen Mary cruise liner as well as the wonderful Aquarium of the Pacific – and your gateway to Catalina Island.