Side Trips Part 2

After my last two posts I figured something lighter was needed. This is a sequel to my earlier post about taking side trips while on vacation or travelling for business. Being an introvert (I re-charge by being alone, as opposed to extroverts who re-charge by being with others) when I travelled for business, I took every opportunity to strike out on my own and explore wherever I was. I bring that same explorer mentality to our vacations and luckily my wife is usually game for a side trip or for adding destinations to expand shorter trips.

During our trip to the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon & Zion Canyon we did a lot of driving but decided to add some mileage by detouring onto Route 66 at Kingman, AZ, cruising the old road over to Seligman. It was cool to step back in time, and Seligman is one of many towns that have experienced a re-birth as tourism increases along the old route. A bonus was that I had worked with a guy with the same last name as the town and he appreciated the photo I sent him from Route 66 in “his” town. Regular readers will remember that driving the entire Route 66 is on my bucket list. It’s on hold at this point due to some things to be resolved before I can make the trip.

This one isn’t so much a side trip as a “we’re not in Kansas anymore” moment. Several years ago we went to Toronto with few plans. Yes, my wife knew my main objective was to see the Hockey Hall of Fame….and she went anyway. We have a beautiful photo of us with the Stanley Cup from that visit that we present as “look at the happy couple, and there’s Sue” – she looks as if the Cup had Covid. Since she was a good sport to accompany me to the Hall, I agreed to tour Casa Loma, a vast estate built like a castle. That turned out to be pretty cool and I enjoyed it much more than she enjoyed the Hall. Enough of the side trip of words, on to the aforementioned incident.

Late one afternoon we visited the CN tower to catch the view. While there we stopped in the restaurant on the observation deck for a drink and a snack. It happened to be just before sunset and people were gathering on the other side of the observation area to watch the colors. As we were not finished with our drinks and food, I grabbed our server and asked if he wanted me to leave my credit card or driver’s license while we took in the view. His response - ‘No need, you’ll be back.”. We looked at each other and chuckled about how that never would have happened in our part of the U.S. where we are always on guard. Definitely not in NJ/NY anymore!

On that same trip, while strolling around the city, we stumbled upon the Stones rehearsing for their upcoming tour (couldn’t talk our way into the arena though), found a great sushi place in the basement of a building, and discovered a quaint British pub where we spent several relaxing evenings. Ah, the benefits of exploring.

Several years later, when heading out to Cincinnati, OH for a cousin’s wedding, we decided to add a trip to Memphis, TN since it was a short flight away and my wife is a huge Elvis fan. With time to kill before our flight the day after the wedding, we drove across the Ohio river into Kentucky (Cincinnati airport is actually in Florence, KY) for a stop at Newport on the Levee, a restaurant and shopping complex on the river. Before lunch we walked across the famous Purple People Bridge - https://purplepeoplebridge.com/ - a former rail bridge that is now a pedestrian connection between Newport, KY & downtown Cincinnati. A fun way to spend the afternoon and get some exercise before catching our flight rather than just sitting at the airport.

In Memphis, we stayed at the Peabody Hotel and timed our plans so we could see the famous ducks coming down to the lobby fountain in the morning and heading back up to their roof-top pen in the evening several times. It’s a sight to see, and the story behind the ducks is a good one – you’ll have to look that one up on your own though as this post is already long enough. We got lucky one evening while catching a sunset from the roof, and sort of crashing a corporate party, as we ran into the duckmaster. He told us the origin story as well as telling us about the ducks and their training. It takes a lot of effort to keep those famous ducks doing their thing for the guests. Oh, their house on the roof is a miniature version of the Peabody Hotel.

There were a lot of side trips out of Memphis, and a few side trips of side trips. The adventures started with a drive to rural Arkansas to get another state for both of us, find a BBQ joint that turned out to be someone’s house (lunch at DQ that day), and get a state pin for Sue. Followed the next day by a trip to Muscle Shoals, AL to see the studio where the famous Swampers (of “Sweet Home Alabama” fame) were the session band. That led to a stop at Helen Keller’s birthplace as we learned it was nearby.

On that same drive we stumbled on the Alabama Music Hall of Fame – a highly recommended stop – and learned that those Swampers played on many famous recordings including tunes by the Stones, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, and a slew of others. Rounding out this long day of driving, we detoured into Mississippi to get another pin for my wife’s collection and to add another state to her list. We covered a lot of ground on that trip, especially considering our only real plans were to visit Graceland and Sun Studio, experience Beale Street, and have the ribs at Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous. They were delicious!

There are so many memories from our vacations and my business trips to write about but for now I’ll stop here. They all have one thing in common. They came from getting off the direct route or beaten path and seeking something new or different. Just as in life, when travelling, we get the most out of it when we take the time to explore, to try new things, to see new places, to dare to wander a bit. I am a planner by nature and that’s my comfort zone, but the best things happen when you step outside those plans and improvise.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com 4-17-2023