Members nat whilk II Posted July 3, 2008 Members Share Posted July 3, 2008 Canned music piped from fake rocks stuck in every nook and cranny of the place..... $5 for a small bottled water, $6 for a soda, $9 for a beer... Very unhappy children dragged along by scowling parents... Outdoor places you can explore without having to stay on a designated path flanked with warning signs against any deviation from the path... 10 hours a day on a soulless Interstate stuck behind, beside, and tailed by 18-wheelers... Hotels with doors that slam at 120db... Coffee, coffee, everywhere, but not a drop worth drinking... Hordes of people-hating workers employed in people-serving jobs... In other words....where do YOU go that's truly relaxing and relatively free from most of the above? nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Sayers Posted July 3, 2008 Members Share Posted July 3, 2008 In other words....where do YOU go that's truly relaxing and relatively free from most of the above? anywhere outside the US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Philter Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 I don't want to tell you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 anywhere outside the US There are plenty of places here that are free of such things. nat, is this a family vacation involving kids or elderly folks? Do you prefer camping out in a tent, or having a luxurious place to stay or a simple cabin or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Sayers Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 There are plenty of places here that are free of such things. I meant it as a joke - stop being so sensitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudolf von Hagenwil Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted July 4, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 There are plenty of places here that are free of such things. nat, is this a family vacation involving kids or elderly folks? Do you prefer camping out in a tent, or having a luxurious place to stay or a simple cabin or what? Couple college "kids", parents. Maybe a friend of two of the collegiant contingent for variety... Camping out...not our thing. Luxury is too expensive. Simple cabins might be ok, if there's "stuff to do". Just seems that, when the places have lots of amenities, they tend towards the canned-music-everywhere vibe. And if the place is quiet and non-commercial, the younger ones get reeeeealy borrrrrrred real quick. An example: for a stretch of time around 15 years ago we rented a condo in Destin most summers. It was great - still a tiny town, a few attractions in town, but mostly pretty quiet and the beautiful beach. Restaurants were nothing much, but I like my own cooking better most of the time anyway. Now it's all built up and packed and crowded and much more expensive....pay more, get less. The trend in resorts, at least the newer ones we've checked out (and that we can afford), seems to be towards the canned-music-everywhere variety for your around-the-clock torment. Dunno....just seems harder to find affordable places with a decent mix of stuff to do with some real peace and quiet for the old farts. nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted July 4, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 Parking lot looks too far away.... nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted July 4, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 What I'm lusting after myself is something like a good 10-day stay at some place like Glacier National Park outside of Juneau. Anyone been there? nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 I meant it as a joke - stop being so sensitive. I wasn't being "sensitive," your statement was just incorrect and I didn't realize you were joking, that's all. nat... hmm... I dunno that I could think of a good place that would please all those types of folks, since I'm 1) not much of a beach person and it sounds like you all are, and 2) I'm used to vacation with people in roughly my age group who like a little more rugged adventure... "resorts" aren't my thing at all. That said, if you like Florida but hate the crowds, there are some cool places on the Gulf side... like Sanibel and Captiva islands. They have a pretty wide range of accommodations in that area, and a lot of activities for all ages. I haven't been there in maybe 8 years but it was pretty uncrowded at that time, and there are a lot of smaller islands you can boat to and go snorkeling, etc... may want to check into it. There's also the Telluride, Colorado area... pretty neat little town out West that has a lot of activity in the area and you can find cheap accommodations... the mountains are beautiful and there are a lot of great bluegrass festivals if you like bluegrass, lots of live music there in general. Plenty of other cool places in the general area too, the Durango-Silverton train (a narrow gauge steam train from the late 1800's that runs along 45 miles of amazing canyon, the train looks like it's hanging over the edge of the cliff), the Ouray Hot Springs, Mesa Verde National Park (awesome Indian ruins), the Ute Indian reservation, etc. One of my favorite areas of the country... I used to backpack through there a ton. But they have plenty of "civilized" places to stay. So there's a couple of ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 Canned music piped from fake rocks stuck in every nook and cranny of the place..... $5 for a small bottled water, $6 for a soda, $9 for a beer... Very unhappy children dragged along by scowling parents... Outdoor places you can explore without having to stay on a designated path flanked with warning signs against any deviation from the path... 10 hours a day on a soulless Interstate stuck behind, beside, and tailed by 18-wheelers... Hotels with doors that slam at 120db... Coffee, coffee, everywhere, but not a drop worth drinking... Hordes of people-hating workers employed in people-serving jobs... In other words....where do YOU go that's truly relaxing and relatively free from most of the above? nat whilk ii I live in North Idaho, and it's pretty much paradise, as far as I'm concerned. I just spent last weekend on the Little North Fork of the Coeur d' Alene river camped out. It's about as wild as it gets, but you're close to activities like Silverwood Theme Park, waterslides (though there are 70 lakes within 59 miles), boat rentals, great coffee ( espresso stands everywhere). The buildings in the foreground is North Idaho College; the one to the upper left is the Coeur d' Alene Resort hotel with Tubbs Hill behind it, a public park with lots of trails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 What I'm lusting after myself is something like a good 10-day stay at some place like Glacier National Park outside of Juneau. Anyone been there? nat whilk ii Um...Glacier National Park is in Montana. And yes, I've been there, up the Going to the Sun Highway to Logan Pass on the motorcycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted July 4, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 I meant Glacier Bay National Park. My typo. Couple years ago we drove from Texas to the San Juan Islands off Washington State coast - took the long way, first north to S. Dakota and Mt. Rushmore, then a big left turn to Yellowstone, then up to I-90 and on to Washington State. We passed through that Coeur d' Alene area in Idaho - very beautiful area indeed. Seemed a bit pricey on average, but probably worth it. Maybe we'll just go out to the Davis Mts in West Texas, see the McDonald Observatory for the 2nd time, and do some UFO-spotting in Marfa. (Last Marfa trip we saw a great "show" of the mysterious Marfa lights.) I don't think that area has seen much in the way of boomtown and congestion.... nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Billster Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 I don't want to tell you Me either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 A friend of mine went to Ixtapa. He loved it, and said it was pretty cheap as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted July 4, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 nat... hmm... I dunno that I could think of a good place that would please all those types of folks, since I'm 1) not much of a beach person and it sounds like you all are, and 2) I'm used to vacation with people in roughly my age group who like a little more rugged adventure... "resorts" aren't my thing at all.That said, if you like Florida but hate the crowds, there are some cool places on the Gulf side... like Sanibel and Captiva islands. They have a pretty wide range of accommodations in that area, and a lot of activities for all ages. I haven't been there in maybe 8 years but it was pretty uncrowded at that time, and there are a lot of smaller islands you can boat to and go snorkeling, etc... may want to check into it.There's also the Telluride, Colorado area... pretty neat little town out West that has a lot of activity in the area and you can find cheap accommodations... the mountains are beautiful and there are a lot of great bluegrass festivals if you like bluegrass, lots of live music there in general. Plenty of other cool places in the general area too, the Durango-Silverton train (a narrow gauge steam train from the late 1800's that runs along 45 miles of amazing canyon, the train looks like it's hanging over the edge of the cliff), the Ouray Hot Springs, Mesa Verde National Park (awesome Indian ruins), the Ute Indian reservation, etc. One of my favorite areas of the country... I used to backpack through there a ton. But they have plenty of "civilized" places to stay.So there's a couple of ideas. Thanks, Lee - I've always wanted to ride that Durango-Silverton train, just never seemed have the opportunity, even 'tho I lived in Denver for a bit in the early 80s. Last time I drove through Colorado Springs to Denver, the change was kinda shocking...the traffic, development, etc. Garden of the Gods used to be "way out there" in the arid foothills in front of the east range, not visited all that much - now it's practically a city park, and they seem to be doing almost nothing to preserve the formations against human damage. I know nothing about Gulf islands except Padre and Galveston, which I've seen enough of. I'll check out the ones you mentioned. Vacations with the family is a big knot of compromises - the girls hate cold showers, the guys hate "just looking at stuff", Dad doesn't want to spend too much, and Mom is scared of bears - those aren't really our particular issues , but you get the idea. So I'm always looking for the perfect place that probably doesn't exist. nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 Canned music piped from fake rocks stuck in every nook and cranny of the place.....$5 for a small bottled water, $6 for a soda, $9 for a beer...Very unhappy children dragged along by scowling parents...Outdoor places you can explore without having to stay on a designated path flanked with warning signs against any deviation from the path...10 hours a day on a soulless Interstate stuck behind, beside, and tailed by 18-wheelers...Hotels with doors that slam at 120db...Coffee, coffee, everywhere, but not a drop worth drinking...Hordes of people-hating workers employed in people-serving jobs...In other words....where do YOU go that's truly relaxing and relatively free from most of the above?nat whilk ii come to Alaska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 You can explore the great outdoors... Meet the indigenous peoples... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudolf von Hagenwil Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 Parking lot looks too far away.... nat whilk ii but you can drive in front of the entrance, and the appartements have no doors plus no other tourist in a radius of 2000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tusks Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 Do you like the mountains? Anywhere in the rockies is breathtaking and inspiring to me. Doesn't have to be a "vacation destination". In the NE US, I like just driving around and discovering small towns. There's always something pretty around here, and someone crazy enough to be interesting. Some of the relaxation is in the process of getting there. Ultramegatourism is alive and well everywhere from brisbane to pattaya beach to san destin. If you want a non-corporate experience, you are going to have to (increasingly) create it. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted July 4, 2008 Members Share Posted July 4, 2008 Do you like the mountains? Anywhere in the rockies is breathtaking and inspiring to me. Apparently, you've never been to Butte, Montana! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members philbo Posted July 9, 2008 Members Share Posted July 9, 2008 Try South Dakota. Take 'em out there a week before Sturgis fires up, and do some hiking & touring the badlands, stuff like that. Then, when the kids are about to choke while you sleep for taking them there, head to Sturgis and give 'em a real education! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GY Posted July 9, 2008 Members Share Posted July 9, 2008 www.mountainmastering.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted July 9, 2008 Members Share Posted July 9, 2008 To find a vacation spot without.... ... beat quantizing and pitch correction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard King Posted July 9, 2008 Members Share Posted July 9, 2008 Couple college "kids", parents. Maybe a friend of two of the collegiant contingent for variety...Camping out...not our thing.Luxury is too expensive.Simple cabins might be ok, if there's "stuff to do".Just seems that, when the places have lots of amenities, they tend towards the canned-music-everywhere vibe. And if the place is quiet and non-commercial, the younger ones get reeeeealy borrrrrrred real quick.An example: for a stretch of time around 15 years ago we rented a condo in Destin most summers. It was great - still a tiny town, a few attractions in town, but mostly pretty quiet and the beautiful beach. Restaurants were nothing much, but I like my own cooking better most of the time anyway.Now it's all built up and packed and crowded and much more expensive....pay more, get less.The trend in resorts, at least the newer ones we've checked out (and that we can afford), seems to be towards the canned-music-everywhere variety for your around-the-clock torment.Dunno....just seems harder to find affordable places with a decent mix of stuff to do with some real peace and quiet for the old farts.nat whilk ii Your Destin of 15 years ago sounds like Zero, er, Vero Beach today. Growth is strictly controlled, no new buildings over 4 stories can be built and there are only two in the whole town over 5 that were built previously. When you come over the causeway you see ocean and trees, not a wall of high rises. Destin has a nicer beach, it's really hard to beat the white sand beaches of the panhadle. Vero, being on the Atlantic has higher waves though. This is a VERY quiet town, so if you are looking to just get away Vero (sometimes called Zero Beach because it is so quiet) might work. There are things to do, but you are on your own to find and do them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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