OT lets talk summer vacations

Heads up if your name is associated with this thread think of not putting in the dates of any summer vacation you take. The internet is not a smart place to say you will be away from home.

I am in Kennebunk this week. The weather has gotten better all week. From sunny and in the 60s to sunny and a high today of 78 degrees. My sisters, BILs and an Irish cousin and his wife are on board. We have been hitting the beaches, the trails, biking, and of course the restaurants. Today I am going by myself for a change into town to window shop. I am an odd guy in that regard. We all have one last afternoon on the beach today.

What have you all got planned? We have two more months of summer. And if you do not have kids going back to school or college you have September as well.

Look forward to hearing your tales.

1 Like

The north Olympic Peninsula has such beautiful summer weather, cool, clear skies, low humidity, clear air. Millions of tourists visit Olympic National Park during the summer to enjoy these.

We are having a heat wave this weekend – the temperature is predicted to go as high as 81 degrees on Monday.

I simply can’t take much heat anymore. I’m spending my summer vacation in the best summer vacation area in the country – right at home. Lavender Festival in July.

If I travel this year (Covid and airline messes dependent) I will go in late September or early October.

Wendy

2 Likes

" I am an odd guy in that regard. "

Not just in that regard…

“The north Olympic Peninsula has such beautiful summer weather, cool, clear skies, low humidity, clear air. Millions of tourists visit Olympic National Park during the summer to enjoy these.”

I’m in awe of Washington, and Oregon, looks like a great place to be if you like the outdoors.

I backpacked in Olympic NP in the mid '90’s. As soon as we got up in elevation, the rains came.
When it wasn’t raining, it was socked in fog/haze. Was like that for 3 nights. The last night,
literally had a small stream running thru the middle of my tent. Everybody in the group had the same issues, so we packed up camp before daylight, and finished out the hike back to the parking area, a few hours later. As we got to the vehicles, the skies cleared, the sun came out, and we had perfect weather for a couple of days of lazy sightseeing. The coasts of Washington and Oregon are beautiful !

Will be doing a weeks vacation in the SF Bay area pretty soon, a friend from high school lives in Marin County, really looking forward to that.

Locally, live in a great area, so love doing local and regional outdoor things thru the Fall.
Unfortunately, the area I live in is swarming with tourists, but there are plenty of places off
of the beaten path close by.

" into town to window shop."


This summer - and early fall - is our time to do a home renovation - so we will
shop windows rather than window shop. The summer is being spent in a return to
apartment life. DW is using the time to see if she would prefer approaching assisted
living life.

Howie52
We adapt and then adapt back the other way.

1 Like

Wendy,

Maine is our version of cool breezes on hot summer days, where heading north 160 miles is just easier than our heat at home.

Neuron,

If everyone was normal who’d matter at all?

What have you all got planned?

None. I will be using up vacation leave to move.

Starting September, I’ll have 6 Saturdays and a Sunday.

PSU

Mid September Paris
Day 1
eating
walking
sights
museums
walking
gardens
sights
eating
walking
sights
eating
walking
sights

Days 2-10
goto Day 1 with day trips out of Paris.

Last year our plan was to go to Hawaii on our 50th. COVID scuttled that. This a second attempt at our 50th anniversary big trip.

1 Like

One of our favorite moments on a vacation was when we picked up some salads and sandwiches in Forks and picnicked at sunset at Rialto Beach. It is funny how many of our favorite moments from vacations involve food in great locations.

1 Like

Summer vacation? Nope. We avoided crowds and did a spring vacation. Spent a week at the end of April visiting a couple of elderly family members in Arizona. Gotta see them while we still can. Also did some sightseeing and watched the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Then spent another week in early June visiting some friends and my late wife’s extended family. Hadn’t seen some of them in several years. More sightseeing along with watching the Dodgers lose to the Giants in San Francisco.

In both cases, the weather was far more pleasant than it would have been during the summer.

—Peter

1 Like

Pucks,

We are as an extended family arriving in Dublin, Ireland to meet more family first ten days of August. My parents will be traveling in their mid eighties to celebrate their 60th in Dublin. The family is really keyed up to get together.

1 Like

Best time to do HI is in October/November after all the tourists have left…

Remember first trip to HI in early November. In Honolulu, walked into a buffet place at 5pm. Not many there. Host mentioned that a month ago, the line extended around the block, and was two blocks long all summer. True just about everywhere else. Went to Kauai and Molokai and the big island. Spent 5 to 7 days in each. No long lines. No problems getting rental cars. Or reasonably priced hotels.

Same for Europe…if you can do late May, early June, or late October… don’t have the long lines at tourist attractions/museums, etc. Worse time is July/August and some countries (Scandanavia) the entire country tends to shut down as everyone takes their 4 weeks in the same month and things can be slow everywhere or even shut down. Beach areas mobbed there and other destinations.

t.

1 Like

…we picked up some salads and sandwiches in Forks and picnicked at sunset at Rialto Beach.

Many years ago DW & I picked up a bottle of wine, cheese, crackers, etc for a little picnic south of Monterey, CA to watch the sunset. All we managed to do was watch the fog roll in. Still nice just sitting on the beach and eating though.

Since we are both retired and live in our “dream home”, vacations will be day trips to kayak and/or hike. Working in the garden of a morning and jumping in the pool to cool off before lunch. FWIW, just rafted part of the Ocoee River yesterday.

JLC

2 Likes

Since we are both retired and live in our “dream home”, vacations will be day trips to kayak and/or hike. Working in the garden of a morning and jumping in the pool to cool off before lunch. FWIW, just rafted part of the Ocoee River yesterday.

Sounds perfect, and what we do Spring and Fall. Summers here are too bloody hot and winters too cold, so will be renting furnished apartments elsewhere for those two seasons.

Kayaking and pickleball are our top two attractions, with hiking a close third.

Has to wait for a post dog world for us. We started planning in front of our 16.5 year old dog who had been seriously ill with long Covid for 18 months, and he decided right then and there to get his act together. Now off almost all of his meds, bald spots growing back in and went from black to white and now black again. Lungs are still compromised but back to 3.5 mile hikes every other day. Motivated.

IP,
whose vet had the hard talk with us twice, and we happily ignored him

2 Likes

I’ve always been heat averse and crowd averse. Rarely if ever have I done a vacation in summer.

Did lovely beach week in Florida over Spring. Now with kids I have no choice but to be a Schlepper. (One who Schlepps. Schlepps thru places during Holidays) but I front load it to where we’re leaving by the end of the weak while others are piling in.

During Rosh Hashanah will do a quick family weekend in NYC, just Lion King, Empire State and Ellis Island.

Sometime this year hoping to do a lovely Detroit trip (I was a kid there) - I get to see my high school buddies, see Redwings Hockey, stay at my favorite casino hotel there for poker, solitude, fattening food - everything a growing boy needs.

Next year - hoping to start doing some international stuff for kids - providing I haven’t scre…er…uh…gotten romantic with the pooch vis a vis investments.