Our Favorite Trips
On The Road Less Traveled - Part 1
Oh, the places you will go! And where did we go in recent times? Everywhere On the Road Less Traveled after the 2020 Year of Hibernation. We were free to move about the country after the devastations of COVID house arrest. We didn’t go to Disney World, but we went to the beach! We started the new year as the annual sand sculptures were dotting the landscape in front of the Bilmar Beach Resort on Treasure Island.
The Annual Sandcastles on Treasure Island
Clouds gather inland as the viewers gather on the beach
Next, we drove east for a one tank trip to witness the beauty and serenity of the two-hundred-and-fifty-acre Bok Tower Gardens. For those who have never been, it’s an oasis hidden in the middle of the state featuring lush gardens, carillon bells, rich history, and a unique gift shop. Stop in at Christmas or New Year’s and enjoy the holiday decorations as only a garden-themed attraction can present them. Bok Tower Gardens has been a gem in central Florida since its completion in 1929. Get a membership and enjoy the peace and serenity of this attraction all year long.
There’s nothing like spring in Florida and this year’s season brought about the sixth anniversary of our loss of Grant Miller Galvin. We celebrated with the launching of Grant for Grant: A Journey with an Old Soul, a memoir of his short nineteen years and life after his loss. The launch party was a gathering of friends and family from all years of his life and ours. The showing of support was staggering and will always be remembered as a salute to Grant, his legacy, and our pledge to keep his memory alive and his light shining. Though a tribute to a death, the launch was also a birth. Our debut also launched “The Go Book”, the dedicated copy of Grace for Grant which travels the globe gaining history and signatures in support of pediatric and brain cancers.
https://www.livelifesrichmoments.com/
In the summer of 2022, we spent July and August on Lake Erie. The next spit of land looking from the shoreline is Canada. We stayed near the small strip of Geneva-on-the-Lake (GOTL) has been an eclectic spot since 1816. In early days, the well-to-do of Cleveland came here to summer. The hamlet features an old-time arcade, Madsen’s Donuts (since 1938), Allison’s Miniature Golf, the oldest course in consistent play in the United States since 1924, the 1950 Eddie’s Grill, a retro restaurant serving only hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and soft drinks, and numerous wineries. Summers are magical in Geneva. Even as kids, it was the place to be and we spent July and August drinking in not only the wine but the local lake culture. Head to the upper lip of the state and spend a minute.
https://www.visitgenevaonthelake.com/
There comes a time to head for home, but on the Road Less Traveled, the route is never direct. Tucked near the border of South Carolina in Georgia is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the South, Savannah. The quaint historic town is known for its architecture, ghost tours, St. Patrick’s Day parade, and of course as the setting for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, the story of real-life socialite Jim Williams and his lover Danny’s murder. Jim was the life of the party, and the host, and former owner of Mercer House. Songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote enduring classics such as Skylark, Moon River, The Days of Wine and Roses, and many others.
We headed to the mountains for the first time since 2019 to witness a spectacle that everyone should see at least once - The Dirty Dancing Festival in Lake Lure, NC. Since a good portion of the movie was shot in this location, they pay homage each year with a festival that features The Asheville Ballet recreating many of the scenes, dance lessons, of course a nighttime showing of the movie, and the ever popular lift contest. Visitors come from across the country to take part in the festival and honor Patrick Swayze through the PANCAN charity created to raise awareness and research funds for pancreatic cancer. The festival was missing in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic but in 2022, even with large rains, could not be kept down. Look for the Dirty Dancing sequel coming in the future.
https://www.dirtydancingfestival.com/
Stay tuned with us for more trips on The Road Less Traveled. Mark and Jacquie and the Go Book will see you in a town near you!
