Great Faces, Great Places

My husband was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota before we moved to Texas. Not living too far from the state, I had a chance to visit some of the sites and learn about some great sites also.  Mount Rushmore is one of the most famous sites. If you have never heard of Mount Rushmore it is located in the Forrest of the Black Hills and it is a National Memorial carved out of granite. The memorial's granite features include the faces of Gorge Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

Here are some interesting sites and information South Dakota is known:

• Custer State Park is the second largest State Park in America. 
• Historic Hot Springs Mammoth Site contains a working paleontology museum with the most wooly mammoth fossils.
• Badlands National State Park "Badlands National Park contains the world's richest deposits of fossils from the Oligocene epoch. Paleontologists have uncovered the remains of ancient three-toed horses, tiny deer-like creatures, turtles, a saber-toothed cat and other prehistoric animals."
• Deadwood is a city in South Dakota known for its infamous legends and outlaws, the Gold Rush, and its legalized gaming.
• Sturgis, South Dakota is known for holding the largest motorcycle rally every year with an estimated 600,000 motorists at a time.
• Native American History is rich in culture in South Dakota. It has the largest population of Native Americans of past and present. Currently there are 71,000 Native Americans living in South Dakota. 

Badlands

Mammoth Hot Springs

Sturgis Annual Bike Rally

Like No Place in Earth

 I was born and raised in Wyoming so I thought I would share some wonderful things about this westward state. Wyoming is known for many things, like its great outdoor recreation, majestic mountains, prehistoric and historic state parks, national forests, oil and coal, wool, historic outlaws, cowboys and Native Americans, dude ranches, and its abundance of wildlife.

Grand Tetons in the background

Ever hear of the Grand Tetons? Well they are one of the most beautiful mountains in the state. They are the second highest peak in Wyoming and they are located in the Northwest. It is a classic destination scene for visitors and for mountaineering. Many people visit Jackson Hole, WY. It is located in the Valley of the Grand Tetons and it is the states largest town. It is also where all of the tourists come to visit. It is close to Yellowstone National Park and it has several ski resorts surrounding the area. I grew up in a small town called Rock Springs. It is not very far from Jackson Hole and Yellowstone so I had the privilege of visiting these places often.

Wyoming has so much history. Here are some fun facts to get you a little familiar about this state.

• Native American tribes that live or lived in WY were Cheyenne, Crow, Shoshone, Sioux, and Ute
• A white fur-trapper man was known to explore the land first and discovered its hot springs and geysers
• In 1872 Yellowstone was designated the first National Park in the nation
• In 1906 Devils Tower was designated the first National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt
• First state to give women the right to vote
• First in the nation to appoint a woman governor
• Has the largest coal mine in the USA and produces 3 million tons a week
• The first JCPenny stores were started in WY
• In 1834 the first trading post was pioneered
• It is the 9th largest state, with the lowest population 
• The word "Dude" originated from the first dude ranch in WY
• A town called Kemmerer is known as the "Fossil Fish Capitol" of the world
• The state is second in the production of wool
• Has over 2000 miles of snowmobile trails
• There are more than 600 different species of wildlife in WY 

Information taken from Wyoming Facts

Everythings Bigger in Texas

Moving to Texas was a huge step for me. I grew up in Wyoming and pretty much stayed in WY my whole life. My pilot asked if I would be willing to move to Texas and I thought, well, why not? In the summer of 2012 we moved to Abilene. There is a base called Dyess Air Force Base here and that is where my pilot is stationed. Abilene is close to the north central part of Texas.

It is a different culture down here in the Lone Star State. I learned quickly when my son began playing football that football was the "sport of all sports" here. They take football seriously, and not just with the professionals. Texas is known for lots of things. Here JUST are a few things this state is recognized for:

• The size, it is the second largest state
• Dallas Cowboys NFL
• Real Cowboys
• Texas Longhorns NCAA
• Longhorn cattle
• The Alamo
• Tornados
• George W. Bush 
• Oil
• BBQ
• Whataburger
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• Willie Nelson
• Johnny Mathis
• Austin City Limits
• Texas Rangers Baseball
• Real Texas Rangers
• Texas High School Football

Being the only state to have once been its own country (hence, the Lone Star State nickname)

I really have liked the weather here. It doesn't have the four seasons like I am used to, but it gets pretty hot in the summers and it can actually can get very chilly in the winter. I have enjoyed learning about this new state and visiting other cities in Texas. Come on down to the Lone Star State and get some Texas culture!

Sunny San Diego

What other time of the year is a good time for traveling? Spring break! My pilot and I were ready to go scope out some beaches near San Diego for our upcoming nuptials. We both love the beach and wanted a beach wedding, but we needed somewhere that was going to be close enough where family members and friends did not have to travel across the country to get to.

I had never been to California. It is a fascinating place. There are endless things to see and do in most of the cities. We ended up staying on Coronado Island. Right across from where we stayed there was a beautiful hotel called the Hotel Del Coronado . It was one of the most grandest hotels I have ever seen and it was right on the beach. We learned that it has a lot of history and it is supposedly haunted! This hotel was built in 1888 and it is going to be 125 years old this year. It was recognized as a national landmark in 1977 and is the number-one wedding destination in the United States. We both loved it at first sight. Before we made a decision though we had to scope out other hotels along the beaches first, but we both knew deep down this was the one!

One of the other places we went to was in La Jolla. La Jolla is located along San Diego's coastline. It is known for Black's Beach, its Cove, Marine Street beach, and Torrey Pines Golf Course. While we were there we went to the cove and saw all the harbor seals that hang out there! They sound exactly like dogs barking and it was really stinky! It was really neat to see them all going in and out of the water and basking on the cliffs, even if they were really smelly. While we were there my pilot had to see the infamous Torrey Pines Golf course, home of the Buick Invitational. I had never heard of it, but then again, I am not golfer...yet. We also went whale watching! We were really focused on looking at other beaches, can you tell??

We also went to Old Town San Diego, which is the "birthplace" of San Diego and the first Spanish settlement in California. If you like Spanish culture then this is the place to visit within the United States. There are several naval bases in San Diego. Did you know there was really a Naval training program called Top Gun? I just thought it was the name of the movie, but thanks to a little history lesson from my pilot, now I know. Top Gun is no longer up and running in San Diego though. Since we were on the discussion of planes and jets, we also stopped to tour the USS Midway Museum. Afterwards we needed some much needed food and relaxation and wanted to see the night life in downtown San Diego so we headed over to the Gaslamp quarter for some fine dinning and entertainment. 

Gaslamp Quarter

USS Midway Museum

 After lots of time thinking and looking at other options, we still were hooked on the Del Coronado. We booked an interview with a wedding coordinator there, found out our options and reserved November 23, 2012 for our wedding date. Planning a destination wedding was not easy, but we did it and our wedding was unforgettable!

Winter Wonderland

Vail Square

Colorado is a beautiful state. I am not from there but my husband is. He grew up in a little town called Fort Morgan on a wheat farm and went to college at CSU. He also spent many winters in Vail, Colorado. His family would go skiing, tubing and just enjoying all of the attractions Vail has to offer.

Vail is known for the original Ski Resort and has the second largest ski mountain in the USA.
The winter following our Tahiti trip my pilot took me to Vail. I had never been there. It was a winter wonderland!
Vail is exactly how you would picture a ski resort to look like, only better!

We went to Vail right after Christmas. We wanted to spend a few days there and then head to Denver, Colorado to spend New Years Eve. We stayed in a condo, went and toured the town and shops, ate some delicious meals, went tubing down Adventure Ridge, and I got fabulous a massage.

Vail has many things to offer, not just skiing and tubing. I would love to go back during spring or summer and see what it looks like and find more things to do. 

Here are a few websites that you can check out to find out more about Vail, Colorado for things to do in the warmer seasons and the cooler ones.

Adventure Ridge

http://www.vail.com/
http://www.vail.com/activities/adventure-ridge.aspx?page=viewall

http://visitvailvalley.com/general.asp?id=17 

To go along with with this winter wonderland, how about another fairytale story?? Well after we left Vail, we were on our way to Denver, Colorado to spend New Years Eve at a party in one of the downtown hotels. When we got to our hotel I was standing in the lobby waiting for my pilot to check us in and some guy comes behind me and covers my eyes. That was scary! I turn around and I see two of my favorite friends and their husbands! My pilot did some under cover work while we were in Vail and invited some of our very close friends to come to Denver to bring in the New Year with us. I thought that was so sweet and did not expect anything more. I was just excited to bring in the New Year with close friends and the man I love.

Downtown Denver

Later we went to dinner, got all dressed up and headed to our New Year's party. Right before midnight they started counting down and all of a sudden my pilot was kneeling down on one knee! I about fainted. I was not expecting a proposal! It could not have been more perfect! In the background fireworks started going off and I was saying YES! He had planned the whole thing while we were in Vail. He even called ahead of time and got my parents consent. That was a night of surprises I will never forget! 

 

If you are a Bronco's or a Rockies' fan or have ever been interested in going to Denver, Colorado, here are some resources for you to check out!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver 

http://www.denver.org/

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-191501897-denver_vacations-i 

Where in the world is the French Polynesia?

In January of 2011, two months after meeting my pilot, he deployed out for six months to the desert. Emailing, Skype, and the Post Office were our means of communication. I have never sent so many care packages in my life! The post office staff were getting to know me on a first name basis!

As a treat to us both, my now husband thought it would be nice to go somewhere tropical after being in the sandy desert for six months. I don't blame him! He had already been to Hawaii, so why not Tahiti? I had no idea where Tahiti was even located. It is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Tahiti? I would have never dreamed that I could go visit such a beautiful place! There are a lot of islands in the French Polynesia. We stayed on  the island of Tahiti in a town called Papeete. Papeete is the capitol of Tahiti and it is the largest of the 118 islands. We wanted to get a little culture in before we toured another island. Some places we visited were the Black Pearl Museum, the local Municipal Market (this the oldest surviving institution on the island), and discovered the locally-brewed Hinano beer! We rode a ferry over to Moorea and stayed at a private beach house. This beach is called the Bali Hai Boys Beach house. The Bali Boys invented the over water bungalows. Check out this website to read more about the Bali Hai Boys and to see more pictures of the beach house we stayed in! http://www.balihaiboys.com/

We explored Moorea Island, went snorkeling, and went scuba diving with sharks! Well, I didn't scuba dive, but my husband did. We then ventured back over to Tahiti Island and then stayed in an over water bungalow. That was an amazing experience! It was so beautiful and looked just like the pictures you see on TV.

All in all, the French Polyenisia is really a tropical paradise with beautiful scenery and I would not take back visiting such a beautiful place. However, I would not go back. It was very over priced and most of the food and drinks that we had were not very good. The best food we had was at the little stands that you see on the streets. The service everywhere we went was very slow, but their motto on the islands is "Take it slow, take it steady" so I guess we couldn't expect fast service.

Here a few websites that explain the different islands and some of the culture and interesting facts about the French Polynesia!
http://www.mooreaisland.com/
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/tahiti.htm#.UegSFFN1vC0
http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/discover/tahitianpearls.asp
http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/discover/tahitihistory-culture.asp

And We're Off!

I am not an avid traveler, and I had never been out of the USA, but that was all about to change after I met my amazing B-One pilot. He definitely liked traveling and had been all over the world. On our first date (out of WY), in December of 2010 my pilot took me to Puerto Rico for New Years! Talk about romantic! It was an incredible experience. I ate CONCH for my first time, which was a little out of my comfort zone for seafood, but really enjoyed it, and had the best Mojito we have ever tasted to this day! The people were so accommodating and friendly, and we had great food everywhere we dined. We went and toured a little of Old San Jaun and some of the other beaches up north. I can't wait to go back and spend more time exploring. I recommend visiting Puerto Rico if you ever get a chance!

Isabela Beach in Puerto Rico

Stay tuned to hear about more of our trips! Be careful though, traveling is addicting. Next thing you know, you might be booking a flight to your next destination!

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