Not too scared to go places

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Tuesday, April 20. 2021

Not too scared to go places

Mrs. BD and I have been fairly COVID-fearless during the past 12 months. Call us stupid if you want to.

Our Hadrian's Wall hike was cancelled last summer because the UK blocked foreigners (except immigrants - we blocked Europeans too). As Mrs. BD is getting ready for a long-weekend trip to Texas to get together with gardening friends, I decided to recall all of the places she, or we, have been during COVID Year (not including restaurants - we've done them all along):

Florida, Cape Cod (twice), Eastern Shore of Maryland for crab cakes and boats, NYC about 5 times, and Rhode Island. We tried to get a hiking week in Sedona for May, but every darn place was full. We have one of our group hikes in Upstate NY next week with great dining and beer at the bitter end. We want to get to Europe this fall.

Today, Mrs.BD is off to an architectural and historical hike around Staten Island with a pal. That is an Urban Hike. Carpe diem.

I think our running around has been about average for Americans in COVID Year.

What have our readers been doing for fun trips and adventures since last April?

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 13:24 | Comments (25) | Trackbacks (0)

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"COVID travels" If more places would allow me in without a mask or LEO contact, I'd go more places. There's an ethnic store I may investigate, as the BIG GROCERY is all Fauci'ed up.

#1 Ted on 2021-04-20 13:59 (Reply)

A somewhat reduced travel itinerary in the past year, but we've certainly NOT been hermits:

A ski week at Breckenridge, Colorado in January; the state is lockdown crazy and businesses are intimidated by the state. Too bad they also use the WuFlu as an excuse to chisel on their goods and services.

Another ski week in Park City, Utah. Not quite Colorado levels of craziness, but the Maskabuki is strong in the Rockies. Had to change flights coming and going; the terminals in Phoenix and Las Vegas have abandoned all pretense of social distancing; they look like a frat mixer.

Two weeks back our car club finished up a drive in Fredericksburg, Texas, just a few weeks after our Neaderthal governor lifted the mask mandate. The Fredericksburg city fathers did him one better: masks optional at the discretion of the merchant, no masks required in public, and OPEN CARRY BEER AND WINE DRINKING in the central business district. It looked more like Bourbon Street in New Orleans than Main Street Texas.

#2 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2021-04-20 14:01 (Reply)

In no particular order:

- Two week long trips to FL, three for the missus,
- Regular visits for walks along the beach in Ipswich MA, York ME, Plum Island MA, Ogunquit ME, Bailey's Island ME
- Sold our MA home, rented in Ogunquit ME, now moved into a new home in another ME town.
- Rented a house on Sebago Lake last summer, had the whole clan there with us to celebrate 40 years of marriage
- Visited the Cape a few times last summer to assist MIL with the sale of her home
- Many woodsy trails and hikes in ME

#3 steve walsh on 2021-04-20 14:23 (Reply)

We are Arkies who spent 13 months of COVID in SC. There we visited, GA on a weekly basis, NC about every 2 weeks, fished south Louisiana, CO, WY, MT. We made trips to Louisville, KY, Birmingham, AL, & Memphis during this time. We wore masks when it was required, but resented them deeply. Fortunately the fish we caught did not wear masks.

#4 emil Turner on 2021-04-20 14:24 (Reply)

Our year wan't too different from a normal year. I haven't experienced any Covid fear but try to be respectful of others.
NC
NJ
MA
NH
VT
ME
CA
and the mountains of Baja California Mexico

#5 LP on 2021-04-20 14:46 (Reply)

Outside of a couple of trips to Omaha to see my parents, I haven't been anywhere. The wife has made several trips to Orlando. Her mask makes her bullet proof. At least that is the impression I get from her attitude.

When she is traveling, I only see my brother for about a half hour a day and that's the limit of my human contact most days. It's okay. I like it that way.

We're headed to the Colorado Springs area at the end of July. That will be my fist trip out of state in about a year and a half.

#6 feeblemind on 2021-04-20 14:48 (Reply)

Backpacking in North Georgia. Lots of people and waterfalls.

Multiple restaurants including my favorite Semper Fi bar and Grille in Woodstock, GA. Staff wore masks but few others.

Same old friends over for dinner, masks optional. And vice-versa.
Nobody wears them.

Neighborhood walks with neighbors. We take turns pushing two wheelchairs up hills. No masks.

To bank to put recently bought Silver Bullion in safety deposit. Tellers wore masks. Customers didn't.

Not one case of the China flu in the neighborhood.

#7 oolioo on 2021-04-20 15:44 (Reply)

They have a nice hiking group in San Francisco, but after a couple of hikes, I quite going because there was no historical context. We just looked at a bunch of buildings. And that's the problem with most urban tourism: there's no history. All of the hiking clubs are like that:
https://www.meetup.com/topics/hiking/us/ca/san_francisco/

There's no history in these groups because the State doesn't want people to see the future as a congruent extension of the past. The objective of communism is to completely torch the real past, so that they can manufacture a fake past which suits them better. History lessons would interfere with that. So they tell stories which are false, or out of context. Here's a history of how terrible life was for the Chinese. Aren't white people evil?: https://cla.umn.edu/ihrc/news-events/other/coolie-trade-19th-century

You see, Western Civilization didn't bring China into the modern world. In fact, the Chinese were doing great without white people. They were just having a bad century: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-27/china-rise-to-global-superpower-is-a-restoration-not-an-ascent

So the real history of America is how China rescued the white people. That will be in the history books someday.

#8 Ron Liebermann on 2021-04-20 16:15 (Reply)

Based on your smell, I deem you to be a racist wannabe nazi.

#8.1 Sal D. on 2021-04-20 18:28 (Reply)

In 2020:
Cancun
New York State and Vermont (road trip)
North Shore of Lake Superior
Backpack elk hunting in Southern Colorado
Deer hunting in northern Minnesota
Pheasant hunting in southern Minnesota

Canceled for 2020:
Machu Picchu (will try again this year)
Nebraska (Sandhill Crane Migration) (Will try again in 2022)

Planning for 2021:
(Plans, tickets, reservations, licenses, etc. are pretty much set)
Turkey hunting in SE Minnesota
North Shore of L.S.

#9 Snowgoose on 2021-04-20 16:16 (Reply)

We participated in our annual trip to the sturgis bike rally. And so did 450,000 others. Did not catch COVID. The. We spent 4 months at our winter home in Tucson AZ. And rode 4000 miles on our motorcycle while there. Visited the trump wall and then after presidential inauguration it became the Biden mistake.

And all our time was spent traveling, we have not had covid vaccinations.

#10 Byker bob on 2021-04-20 18:20 (Reply)

Let's see... St. Louis 4X

Texas
Montana
Wyoming at least once a month since last March
Minnesota 2X

We did masks when absolutely necessary. Washed hands, took VitD, C, Zinc, hydrated ....and lived our lives

As hubs said we can follow all appropriate guidelines and still get the flu, a sinus infection (I ended up with 2 in the last year, or this virus flu thing ... so. We live our lives

#11 NinaB on 2021-04-20 18:21 (Reply)

Being in our 70s & with health problems we do not do as much as we used to.
BUT, we've said to hell with covid bull & have been doing everything we can all during this stupid panPanic bull.
Going to breweries, seeing friends, visiting family, all without masks.
Still don't know anyone who has had the mass scare covid flu

#12 rick9911 on 2021-04-20 19:37 (Reply)

England twice. Hiking for the month of July and Thanksgiving in Wales. Flights were empty. It was like flying private. We felt like John Travolta on his personal Boeing wide body!

#13 Sean McNamara on 2021-04-20 20:39 (Reply)

In 2020, March, Eastern Utah for a tour of old railroad towns, April, Moab for a non Arches arch hike, daytrip around western Colorado, July trip to Canyon City/Royal Gorge, Aspen in August, July, Whidbey Island in Washington state, October Charleston SC, back to Whidbey Island in November, Salt Lake City in December. 2021 stayed home taking care of my mother. We didn't travel quite as much as normal, and my spouse especially did not have any business travel, much to his chagrin. We ate out as soon as we could, and did not feel that our lives changed terribly, other than the artificially imposed mask and distancing mandates. So glad our county has lifted the mask requirement, and things are almost back to normal here.

#14 Annie on 2021-04-20 20:44 (Reply)

Cancelled a few things in 2020 (April trip to Yosemite, since the park was closed); and a wedding trip to New England in the fall (only because wedding itself was postponed). But at 63, we decided we'd not take stupid risks (like crowded bars) but we were going to live our lives. So, a couple of trips to condo in Florida, and two Colorado ski trips. Heading to do the postponed California trip next week; bringing a photo of my two shots proof in case any crazies want to keep me out of someplace I want to go.
Have to admit I did miss the apres ski thing though......

#15 bk on 2021-04-20 21:01 (Reply)

Three wrestling tournaments - PA (2x), TN

MD eastern shore for day of crabbing (and feasting)

Multiple trips to OH (via MD, PA, WV)

Stayed 5 months in OH. Visited multiple towns. Multiple wrestling events.
Far more enjoyable evenings out. Residents were much less neurotic re: COVID, masks, etc

#16 DrTorch (Link) on 2021-04-21 09:47 (Reply)

Florida three times for a week each
WV to ski
Summer on the local Great Lake
Virginia for work and the beaches
Laughing at all the coof ninnies the entire time...

#17 Alex on 2021-04-21 10:49 (Reply)

I live in southern California and am retired. Pandemic rules didn't effect my life too much, other than missing a trip out to dinner now and then. My wife and I were frustrated by some of the beach going rules early on, but that changed eventually. In November I took a trip to Cocoa Beach FL for some kite boarding lessons. It was awesome. Things seemed mostly wide open, everyone was friendly, mask rules were somewhat indifferently enforced. I also got to witness two launches from the space center from my hotel.

#18 Steve on 2021-04-21 10:51 (Reply)

After about a month early on I gave up on isolation. I am 76. I could drop dead at any time from something else and I decided that I would not be happy if that happened and I had stopped seeing my children and grandchildren. I wore and wear a mask where required but that is it.

It was interesting to watch how people deal with risk. My friends varied from close to what I did to those who did not leave their houses without mask, gloves, and goggles and spent their days sanitizing their environments. The latter group is still hesitant despite we are all vaccinated now.

#19 Lh Fry on 2021-04-21 11:58 (Reply)

Fishing the heck out of the Pyrenees

#20 DblTap on 2021-04-21 12:24 (Reply)

We never go anywhere if we can help it, but I do encourage people to travel to Texas, where the vaccination effort is coming along nicely and masks are slowly disappearing. Spring has fully arrived here on the Gulf Coast.

#21 Texan99 on 2021-04-21 12:51 (Reply)

Didn't really get our groove on for travel until late summer - early fall last year. Since we prefer overlanding and backcountry camping, it was more about trying to find places that were not suffering from the wildfire smoke conditions. Alas, that was not really possible.

August/September 2020: Eastern Oregon/Western Nevada high desert, including the Black Rock Playa for a solitary version of Burning Man (snort);

October, 2020: Inyo Mountains, Eastern Sierra Nevada - beautiful camp spot called Papoose Flat at 10K feet; stunning views of the Sierra but plagued by smoke;

New Years 2020/21: Papoose Flat again; very cold but some amazing 4X4 driving in snow;

February, 2021: Panamint Valley/Inyo Mountains - camped just east of a semi-ghost town called Ballarat (privately owned, pop: 5)

May 2021: will be on the northwestern edge of Death Valley above Eureka Dunes - serious 4x4 to get there but likely no one around;

June 2020: St. Croix, USVI - if the danged airlines would quit mucking up our flights! Looking forward to warm water and tropical drinks!

Here in the Peoples' Republic of San Francisco people mask up just to walk from their house to their car to get something (sigh) or even during exercise. I refuse to. I've gotten the hairy eyeball from a couple of Karens when I've been out but they've been too chicken to say anything.

#22 KellyM on 2021-04-21 13:59 (Reply)

Mr. H and I took a road trip in our RV from Florida to Minnesota and then across to Washington and Oregon and back across Utah and Nevada (and further points east), a four month trip in the summer of 2020. The museums everywhere were closed, but we found restaurants and grocery stores that were open, and so were the National Parks (and they were packed). Never got a sniffle. Now we're vaccinated as a precaution, and we're thoroughly sick of the panic porn.

#23 RebeccaH on 2021-04-21 17:06 (Reply)

We are with you.
Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in October. Block Island and Montauk last September. New Orleans in April. We've not held back. I go to visit my father in South Jersey once a month.

#24 Bulldog on 2021-04-22 12:27 (Reply)

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Tuesday, April 20. 2021

Not too scared to go places