National Park Travelers Club Meetup

Given my interest in visiting national parks and collecting passport stamps, I became a member of the National Park Travelers Club (NPTC) many years ago. The NPTC is dedicated to the mission of providing networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America's National Park System. The club also maintains a database of passport stamps and is my go-to for finding locations of stamps.

NPTC

From time to time, the club hosts “meetups” at various national parks. Today was NPTC Across America Day, where simultaneous meetups in various geographical regions were held. The one for the Rocky Mountain region took place at Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, just 20 minutes from our home.

I had been corresponding with the meetup host about options for the event, but this morning, I received an unexpected text message from him. He was in Estes Park with his family, and his mother had become very ill. When he asked if I would fill in for him as emergency meetup host, I agreed. We made hurried arrangements, and, somehow, it all worked out.

I met his wife halfway between Estes Park and Loveland, where she handed over the all-important passport stamp and other items. If someone had been watching us get out of our cars and quickly make the switch, they might have thought it was a drug deal! The attendees were patiently waiting for me to arrive at the Fort Collins Welcome Center, our meeting point, and I was only 15 minutes late.

Since there was no sign for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area at the Welcome Center, we posed in front of the painted horse. Like many cities, Fort Collins has a program in which local artists paint a giant statue. In the case of Fort Collins, it’s a rearing horse.

The Meetup Attendees

From the Welcome Center, we proceeded to Big Splash at the Water Works, a Fort Collins tradition at the 1883 Water Works, co-sponsored by Poudre Heritage. Here, we were able to “step back in time and uncover the fascinating origins of our city's water delivery system, dating back to June 1883.” This facility was built to provide the growing town of Fort Collins with an adequate supply of water for fighting the building fires that plagued the early town. Today, it is being transformed into a Water Interpretive Center.

The Big Splash Event

1883 Water Works, Fort Collins, Colorado

Neither Tim nor I had ever visited this site, so we enjoyed the tour and learned a little more about our neighboring city’s history.

The Evolution of a Trip

Last September, Tim and I booked a Canadian Rail Adventure, two scenic rail journeys on the Rocky Mountaineer and VIA Rail’s Canadian. We are scheduled to arrive in Vancouver on September 21, and we will travel across Canada from Vancouver to Toronto. I included more information about the itinerary here.

Our Canadian Rail Adventure

Several months ago, I started to think about including a pre-trip adventure. In keeping with the train theme of the trip, I decided that this might be the perfect time to take Amtrak’s California Zephyr from Denver to San Francisco. It’s a scenic train ride that’s been on my bucket list for years, so I went ahead and booked it. Tim decided to pass on this one, so I’ll meet him in Vancouver.

Amtrak's California Zephyr

I opted to spend two nights in Emeryville, California. Emeryville is the actual termination of the California Zephyr and is located just across the bay from San Francisco. Here, I’ll rent a car and visit four National Park units, thereby completing my visits to almost all the California parks.

I won’t be flying directly from Oakland/San Francisco to Vancouver, however. No, I will fly to Portland, Oregon, to visit my friend Kevin, and I’ll stay there for two nights.

Finally, on the morning of September 21, I’ll fly to Vancouver, where I will meet Tim. We will spend two nights in Vancouver before boarding the Rocky Mountaineer on September 23. At the end of the trip, we will spend three nights in Toronto before flying home to Colorado.

It was a great itinerary, and I thought everything was set. The tour, rental car, all hotels, and flights were booked.

After returning from my road trip, I happened to browse the Post Viking Promos thread on Cruise Critic and noticed a Canada & East Coast Explorer cruise from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale. Hmm... I wondered what the sailing dates were. Lo and behold, the cruise departed Toronto on October 8. We were scheduled to fly home on October 4. Hmm... An extra four days in Toronto would be very nice since we’ve never been there. Hmm... Interesting!

Canada & East Coast Explorer

What was the itinerary and which ship? The cruise listed five interesting ports in Canada, as well as two in the U.S. There were also lots of sea days, which we enjoy. Hmm... The kicker was that the cruise was on the Viking Polaris, an expedition ship identical to the one we’ll be sailing to Antarctica. Hmm... Even more interesting!

The dates were good, but what about the cost? This promotion offered cabins at almost 40% off the original price and included free airfare. Viking cruises rarely have such a steep discount. Hmm... Maybe...

I hemmed and hawed and kept changing my mind. Tim listened patiently and made the decision that we should just do it, so we booked the cruise on May 23. What a perfect birthday present! Are we nuts? Probably, but I don’t care.

A special bonus is that disembarking in Fort Lauderdale will give me an opportunity to spend additional days with my friends in Miami. We didn’t have much time when we were there just before Christmas, so this will be a great opportunity.

I’ve put together a map of the entire journey. What to call it? It’s not Planes, Trains and Automobiles. What about Trains, Planes and a Cruise Ship? I think I’ll just leave it as two separate trips for the blog since that’s the way it started. Thus, Canadian Rail Adventure (with a pre-trip adventure) and Canada & East Coast Explorer will be the categories I’ll continue with.

Trains, Planes and a Cruise Ship - What an Itinerary!

A Pre-World Cruise Get-Together

Ever since Tim and I booked our Viking World Voyage way back in January 2023, I have been reading posts in Cruise Critic, a message board for people who love to cruise. A great resource on Cruise Critic is the Roll Call section. These are threads dedicated to the specific sailing of a specific ship, allowing people who are sailing on that cruise to join the discussion, share tips and experiences, and meet other cruisers. 

In April, I noticed that one couple also lived in Loveland, so I reached out and suggested we get together. Another couple from Denver also responded, and we all met for lunch today. Peggy and Jim, who live in Loveland, have traveled extensively throughout the world, and have even completed two world cruises on Viking. This is Debbi and John’s first cruise with Viking. What a way to start! 

It was so nice to get together, meet everyone, compare notes, and ask questions. Both couples will board the ship in Los Angeles, not Fort Lauderdale, and we will be waiting to welcome them aboard.

Jim, Peggy, Me, Tim, John, and Debbi

Midwest National Parks Trip – Reflections

My biggest takeaway from my Midwest National Parks Trip was rediscovering how much I love road trips. Although I have loved the cruises Tim and I have taken and all the adventures we’ve had in Europe, there are still so many things left to see in the United States.

Tim and I travelled full-time in our RV for five years, plus another nine months before that. One might think we saw everything we wanted to see during that time, but that’s far from the truth. On this trip, where I traveled over 3,500 miles, all but two stops were completely new to me. The trip opened my eyes to a part of the country that I had never spent too much time in. Although I may not want to live in the Midwest, I was impressed with what I saw.

I love to travel with Tim, and he is a great companion on the road. However, I also love to travel by myself. There is something about solo travel that is so liberating. I can do what I want, eat what I want, and not worry about anyone else. I also find that when I travel by myself, I tend to strike up conversations with strangers on a regular basis. When I’m with Tim or a friend, I am less likely to do so. Some of my conversations on this trip were quite memorable.

This trip was much more of a whirlwind than I prefer, however. Nevertheless, I’m glad I included all the park units in the vicinity, even though it meant very long days. When I arrived at my hotel each night, all I wanted to do was collapse. I ate whatever was handy and only went out for a nice dinner one time. I had hoped to seek out local places to eat, but that goal fell by the wayside early on. Once I checked into my hotel, I didn’t want to go out again.

I was incredibly lucky with the weather. Although it often rained during the second half of the trip, the rain occurred mostly while I was driving. Somehow, I avoided all severe weather except for a minor hailstorm. The Midwest had experienced multiple tornados just prior to my setting out and just after I returned home. Because I shortened my trip by one day, I even missed a severe hailstorm that caused extensive damage in a town I would have been driving through.

Although I became more adept at using my phone as a camera, the verdict is still out. I may go back to my regular camera, although I’ll keep the phone as a backup.

My goal now is at least one road trip per year. Not only do I enjoy this type of travel, but road trips can be quite inexpensive, even when staying in hotels instead of traveling by RV. All in all, I spent 13 days and 12 nights on the road at a cost of just over $100 per day. (I was able to use points for seven of the hotel nights.) That’s quite a bit cheaper than a Viking cruise!

My Final Route - Not Too Different than My Original Plan