travel adventures

[madeleone]

I hadn't menioned it before but hubby and I are off on a trip. It was sort of a last minute adventure, which I didn't plan or make reservations for until just before Christmas. See, I had a Delta travel voucher where when you buy one round trip continental US ticket, you get a companion fare for free(pluss taxes etc.) BUT, it was going to expire Jan 31, so I had to start exploring ideas quickly. I really liked what we did when we went to Scotland and Ireland last year--we rented a car and stayed in cottages and explored the area we were in. So I started exploring similar choices and found Home Away. We were interested in Arizona, as it is somewhere we've never been before. Anyway I found this listing Near Kingman AZ for a guest house rental on an ostrich ranch. Yeah, I know weird, right? Well, guess where I am right now? Yup, that's right the Joshua Tree Ostrich Ranch and Guesthouse. And getting here turned out to be more difficult than I ever expected due to some flight delays.

We were supposed to fly out yesterday(Sunday) evening, but a few hours before our flight I got the message that our flight was now running on a two hour delay. That meant that we would miss our connecting flight in Minneappolis. We were offered to take the late flight and get a hotel voucher in Minneappolis and fly on to Las Vegas in the morning,(where we planned to rent a car and drive 1.5 hours to our guest house), or wait til today and get a direct flight out of Detroit. While the direct flight sounded nice, the problem with that is we would have to drive twice as far and pay a ten day lot rental on our car. Our son had already offered to drive us to the airport in Flint and pick us up on our way back, but he couldn't drive us all the way to Detroit today because he's working. We opted to fly Sunday, stay in a free hotel and leave this morning. It turns out the airline is very nice to you when you get hassled by delays (because it was mechanical, not weather related). They upgraded our seats today to first class (sweet, I've never flown first class before so that was a treat). We also got free snacks while we waited last night for the delayed flight. They offered a food voucher at the airport for dinner(but we'd already eaten so we sadly declined),then later they said we should take the voucher anyway and use it today to get breakfast in Minneapolis before our flight. When I emailed our landlord at Joshua Tree about the delay and that we wouldn't arrive until today, without me even asking, he offered to give us a credit for the first night--nice guy as it was prepaid and I don't think he was obligated to do that.

So in the next eight days we plan to use this as a home base, visit local and slightly not so local sites. According to our host if we don't mind making a whole day of it we should be able to drive to the Grand Canyon one day.  We might do Vegas one day or maybe Laughlin, and there are quite a few point of interest within an hour or two drive. Tonight we are tired from our travels so will probably do something less time consuming tomorrow. Will hopefully post some pics of our adventures before too long. I'll keep you posted. ;)

Comments

[gelsey.livejournal.com]

That sounds brilliant! Have a fabulous time!

[madeleone]

Thanks, we hope to. It's always fun to explore new places.

[toblass.livejournal.com]

Sounds like travel was a nightmare, but lucky for you, everyone has been so nice!

I've been to Laughlin...not much there but casinos. One thing we did do in the area was ride our motorcycles (we were at the annual Laughlin River Run) across the original London Bridge. That was kinda neat.

[madeleone]

It was a hassle to start with, wondering how we were ever going to get it all figured out but it worked out Ok in the end.

As far a Laughlin, the casinos are kind of the point. We're not huge gamblers but enjoy playing a little, so rather than drive back to Vegas, we'll see something new along the way, have lunch and play the slots for an hour or two. :)

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a fun trip! And what makes me happiest right now is the way you've been treated by people - it is nice to hear about people just being nice because it's the right thing to do.

[madeleone]

It is nice to hear for a change isn't it? I was worried at first when I heard about the delay, but it all worked out nicely after all.

[helenarickman.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to see your pictures! I think Arizona and Nevada are stunning!

[madeleone]

It is stunning but very different. It's cool to see, but I don't think I could live here. I told my hubs yesterday driving in that my Irish soul needs way more green in the environment, making Michigan perfect for us. We get the change of the seasons which I love and the springs and summers are lush with growing things.

This is high desert. It is very dry, dusty, and rocky, not much vegetation aside from brush and succulents and a few spindly trees. But there are mountains all around and we had a gorgeous view of the sun setting over them last night looking out our window.

[beffeysue.livejournal.com]

Enjoy yourselves! Glad you were treated so well with all the rescheduling and such.

[madeleone]

I too am glad everything worked out so smoothly in the end.

[arynwy.livejournal.com]

You picked a great window to travel in. Just a few days sooner and it would have been torrential storms and flooding. The guest house looks like a great place to make a home base. Have a wonderful time.

[madeleone]

So far the days have been sunny and cool, but warmer than when we left home for sure. We love the guest house so far, our host has been most helpful with advise on things to see and do. And the cottage is darling.

[mywitch.livejournal.com]

I lived in AZ for a long time, and the desert can be quite beautiful. If you get a chance, you might drive to Jerome. It's one of the best ghost towns in the state, there's a cool artist's coop there and even some wineries. I'd say it's probably about 150 miles from Kingman. But if you decide to visit Sedona or Flagstaff, it's more or less on the way. Sedona is gorgeous, especially when there is snow, which I think there is now. Have fun! And watch out for the jumping cactus! ;)

[madeleone]

Ooh, Jerome sounds so cool, and my daughter had mentioned Sedona, too. Not sure if what we'll have time to fit in this trip. Thanks for the suggestions though, but it might just mean that we'll have to plan to come back sometime. ;)

[dreamy-dragon73.livejournal.com]

Your trip sounds fantastic! Have a wonderful time!

[madeleone]

Thanks, Hon.

[rayvyn2k.livejournal.com]

I'm glad everything worked out well for you. If you can muster the energy, Las Vegas is worth the trip. My hubby and I were married there and you don't have to spend money to see stuff...we walked along the strip and watched all the free shows the casinos put on outside. (The dancing waters at the Bellagio are not to be missed.)

Even if you don't go there, have a ball!

[madeleone]

We did go to Vegas a couple years ago and planned to do a day trip on this vacation. Just haven't decided when exactly yet. :)

[rayvyn2k.livejournal.com]

Ah, I didn't know that. Sounds like you're going to have a fantastic time. :)

[secretlypadfoot.livejournal.com]

I hope you have a lovely trip! I wish I could take one...

[madeleone]

Everything's going good so far. Will try to post a few pics soon.

[junewilliams7.livejournal.com]

Ooh, sounds like a great adventure already! Grand Canyon and Vegas, with a stop at Hoover Dam and the free 'Dancing Waters' at the Bellagio.

I had to laugh at your staying at an ostrich ranch - I used to work for an ostrich farm in Southern California (SE of Palm Springs). Don't know if your facility can cook some ostrich for you, but it's RED meat - and very low in cholesterol; it cooks very quickly, because it is also low-fat.

[madeleone]

LOL! That's funny that you used to work at and ostrich ranch. The ostrich farm was just a coincidence. I was looking for reasonably priced cottages, etc. and ran across this one. Some are way out of our price range, but this was perfect. Our host said the folks he bought the place from had actually built what is now the guest house for their daughter to move home, but then she never did. they used it for a gift shop for a while as they did give tours and stuff, but eventually decided to rent it as a guest house.

He explained that it is a red meat, but didn't offer any samples. It is a small scale (he has about 8-10 grown birds and 4 or 5 younger ones he raised from eggs). He seemed to be attached to them, so perhaps it's more of a hobby farm.