Beth Blair

Posts Tagged ‘Travel’

During the planning of our 2010 two-week road trip out east Jeff came across a fun roadside attraction: The Cross Island Chapel in Oneida, NY. The tiny church sits on a wooden platform in a pond and can only be reached by boat.  You will probably guess from the green water we were visiting on a warm August day.

The claim is it’s the World’s Smallest Church. A nearby sign has some information including that it was built in 1989, the floor area is 51 inches by 81 inches (28.68 sq. ft) and it seats two people. That’s pretty small!

We couldn’t resist having fun with the camera…

Our little girl picked flowers…

Roadside attractions are always a nice break from the car – no matter how big or small.

This fall I was asked if I would read and review a travel book by Minnesota’s own Professor G. Michael Schneider. Being that reading and travel are two of my favorite things, I naturally jumped at the opportunity to read On the Other Guy’s Dime. And I am honored to have my review quote grace the front cover of the book.

You can read my entire review of the book on The Vacation Gals, but I will tell you now that it is an entertaining, informative and inspirational read. Professor Schneider and his wife have figured out how to travel the world for free by finding temporary jobs at universities. More than simply seeing a new destination, On the Other Guy’s Dime delves into the benefits of experiencing a region as a local, rather than a highlights-only tourist.

While the book is written from a professor’s perspective, it’s quite obvious it’s possible to see the world no matter what your profession  and – as he points out in the book – it’s even possible to do it with a young family.

On the Other Guy’s Dime is loaded with tips and hints about how to go about such an adventure of your own. I highly recommend it for its entertainment and informational value.

This summer during our Princess Cruises Cruisetour through Alaska my mom and I had the opportunity to land on Yanert Glacier by helicopter. It’s serene and stunning and will take your breath away if you ever get the chance to travel to these amazing parts. Photos and video don’t do the experience justice. But I do try in the following video.

The last time my husband, kids and I were in Chicago my sister-in-law was showing us around her beloved town. Unfortunately, as she was giving us a tour of Millennium Park it started to rain and the kids never got to experience the Bean firsthand. This time as we cruised though Chicago we decided to give it another shot. The kids had a blast and it was a great way to stretch our legs and break up the monotony of the road miles. Here are some of my favorite photos from this stop:

My family recently cruised through Wisconsin during our travels to the East Coast. Along the way we came across this random pink elephant with black geek glasses next to a gas station somewhere in the middle of the state. We had to stop a check him out. Here are a couple of the photos my husband and I shot of our kids and this random Wisconsin elephant…

This winter my family booked and took a trip to Orlando, Florida via LastMinuteTravel.com (our sponsor). We had the typical fun-filled, over-stimulated, non-stop time.  We stayed at the Omni at Gates Pass and the kids are still asking to return to this Omni because of its family-friendly recreational area which consists of a swimming pool, water slide and lazy river (my idea of a good time after a day on roller coasters). The weather was much cooler than we anticipated (it was the week there was snow in all 50 states). While it rained the entire day we were at Disney World, we managed to make the most of it. You can read about it on my Rain at Disney World post on The Vacation Gals.

Our other adventures on this trip included Sea World, Gatorland, Downtown Disney and Pirates Dinner Adventure.