Traveling With a Beginners Mind in your Own Backyard

                                                     

This simple coffee cup is a remembrance of a wonderful day of unplanned discoveries.   It's a reminder that you don't have to be halfway around the globe to encounter new worlds. I managed to do it twenty minutes from home.  

An acquaintance recently asked me "where is your next adventure?"  My answer, "my hallway" seems flip, unless you consider that I have just moved to brand new city and have been searching  for a carpenter to build a bookcase so I can the empty my hallway of  book boxes and revisit my library.

In my new city everything is fresh, unexplored.  A trip to the grocery store is full of surprises  and mundane, everyday things are interesting.  It's like being a child who has a whole world to explore everyday. I like this fresh, wide-eyed state of mind.

Sarasota, where I now live, is home to a Mennonite/Amish community.  There are some differences between the two, but both are characterized by a very simple lifestyle and strong community ties.  Some Mennonites drive cars, but the Amish do not and their bicycles and tricycles are ubiquitous . They dress in a distinctive way and the men have their characteristic beards.

                                                Bicycles outside of Pinecraft Amish Church
                                                  

The Pinecraft area of Sarasota, FL is home to a considerable Amish/Mennonite community. Yoder's Amish Village is a busy tourist attraction. Yoder's fried chicken, raisin cream pie and baked apples are hard to resist.  

                                                 Yoder's Amish Village, Sarasota FL

              

Street Scene Outside of Yoder's 

                                               

As I discovered, there is a whole different world on the streets behind Yoders.   Looking for a place to turn around, I ran into this scene.  I had no idea what was going on.

My curiosity overcame my feeling out of place and I got out of my car and started to ask questions.  The bearded men and white-capped women were very friendly and willing to answer my queries.  I had ended up at a huge shuffleboard court,  

Shuffleboard court, Sarasota FL

Shuffleboard Court, Sarasota  FL

What I couldn't figure out was why large numbers of people were playing shuffleboard on a Monday morning and not working.   Unknowingly, I had run into Amish "Snowbirds" that I never knew existed.  Sarasota is a popular destination for "Snowbirds",  folks escaping frigid northern winters, and the Amish are no different.    Much of the Amish and Mennonites community in Sarasota is temporary,  being made up of visitors here for a short respite from the frozen north. That explained the large number of parked buses and RVs I had seen in the area, as well as the huge number of bicycles.

I decided to take a look at very large Amish restaurant nearby and was soon to discover the extent of Sarasota's Amish tourist industry.

Der Dutchman restaurant, Sarasota

Der Dutchman is a huge restaurant catering to the Amish tourist crowd. Its cavernous interior contains an immense Amish home-cooking buffet popular with Amish (and non-Amish) visitors. There is also a wonderful bakery and I can attest to the apple fritters-best I've ever had.

Interior of Der Dutchman restaurant

The Pinecraft tourist scene goes further than Der Dutchman, Next door, I noticed a building with  two cows outside; I figured it had something to do with the Amish.  It turned out to be a Mennonite-run hotel catering to Amish and non-Amish guests, although  the Amish visitors tend to rent small houses and trailers in the middle of the local community.

The Carlisle Hotel

The Carlisle features entertainment. One of their offerings is described in the flyer below. My guess is that this musical is along the lines of "The Book of Mormon" and would offer a bird's eye view into the Amish world and its interface with modernity; it seemed intriguing. 

I could have found all of this information about the local Amish community with a few computer clicks, but I've had other priorities like unpacking.   After my foray, I  searched online and easily found  "Pinecraft: The Amish Snowbird Community of Sarasota".  All the information was there and my excitement about my "discoveries" suddenly seemed naive. 

Still,  there is something wonderful about finding it all out for yourself.  It's sometimes called approaching things with a "beginner's mind".  This has been my style wherever I have traveled, but  the first time I'd  done it, almost, in my own backyard.

                                                           

The EU Is Beckoning You

                                            Correr Museum, Venice Italy:  Closed  for Covid

The EU recently invited fully vaccinated US travelers back this summer.  That is an exciting proposition, but as this NY Times article lays out, this invitation is wishful thinking because of all the existing complexities. By all means read this article for its very clear exposition of the vast gulf between the  burgeoning desire to travel and need for tourism and the "boots on the ground" reality. Here is the link-

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/travel/covid-vaccinated-travel-reality.html?referringSource=articleShare

The last thing you want to do is pack your bag only to find your overseas destination essentially locked down.   Imagine heading to Paris and finding the Louvre  closed, as it  still is. Many European cities are under new lockdowns as covid infections rise once again.

It is impossible to know what will happen by the time summer rolls around, but there are online resources laying out  the covid status of many European cities- what's open, restrictions and so forth.  Here is one for Paris-  https://en.parisinfo.com/practical-paris/info/guides/info-disruption-paris.  Sites for many other EU cities are also available. Situations are fluid, so keep checking before making any plans.  Also check airlines' flight refund policies so if there is an outbreak in your destination you'll be able to make changes to your plans.

Then, there is the issue of getting back into the US.  Unfortunately, right now it is not as simple as being on time for your return flight: 

"All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens and fully vaccinated people, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 3 days before travel or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months before they board a flight to the United States.'

A covid test before flying back might not seem like a big deal, but you may find yourself with an unanticipated ten day extension to your trip in the form of an enforced quarantine if you test positive.  Take the case of the Israeli tourists who were forced to quarantine in the Seychelles before returning home:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israelis-stuck-in-seychelles-quarantine-over-false-covid-tests-1.9776376

These tourists claimed the tests were false positives, and a false positive tests do occur.   But, it is  also possible for fully vaccinated persons to test positive for the virus.  A lot is hinging on these test results when your return home is at stake. Plus, quarantining abroad can be expensive and complicated.  For instance when traveling with others and one person comes up with a positive test?  Does everyone stay or do you leave that person behind and wish them a good quarantine?

I recently traveled to Mexico to take care of some issues with a property and found  the covid test hanging over my head put a damper on my activities, (and I have been fully-vaccinated for months.)   All meals were take-out, despite the plethora of fabulous restaurants in the area.  Strict covid precautions were enforced in all shopping venues, so that was reassuring.  Still, I wore a KN95 mask and face-shield indoors in public places.  Overkill, maybe, but I was serious about getting back to the US.  After my negative test result two days before my flight, I did have breakfast out, which was a nice finale.

Requirements for vaccinated travelers could change in the future, but that remains to be seen.

 

My Impromptu Pandemic Journey

                                                       Queen's Garden, Bryce Canyon, Utah

THE "WHY" OF THIS TRIP:

My husband is not one to sit still, even during a pandemic.  Shortly after flying up to our second home in Colorado, he began talking about "The Mighty Five", Utah's famed National Parks and how great friends had said they were.  I listened with half an ear, since I had only been up in my  low-covid mountain sanctuary for a few weeks and was glad just to be here.

July was a busy month and in August, a trip to Utah was again on the table. Since my husband is a physician, I figured he knew what he was doing health-wise.  We were driving, not flying and, at the time Utah had a fairly low incidence of covid. We kenneled our dog, packed a few bags (he actually grabbed the wrong one and ended up without clothes for the trip, which is a whole other story) and took off.  I let him do the navigating, since I never bothered to do much reading about the Utah parks, since I figured his idea of visiting them this year was a fantasy;  the whole time he had been watching Youtube videos and reading about them. 

From where we live in Colorado, Utah is just a few hours down the interstate.  As we drove, we noticed that vistas in the distance were hazy and wondered how smoke from the West Coast would affect visibility on our trip. We decided to continue, and I am so glad we did that.

MOAB AND ARCHES PARK:

First stop was Moab, home to Arches National Park, Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park among man other  fabulous sights.  Below are a few shots from Arches.

    

    

Arches National Park, Moab UT

                                                              Arches National Park, Moab UT

                                                                    

Arches National Park, Moab UT 

Arches National Park, Moab UT

Sunset at Arches National Park, Moab Utah

                                   
                                             Sunset at Arches National Park, Moab Utah

PETROGLYPHS:

Petroglyphs, are big in Utah and can be found in many locations, with several sites around Moab.  These petroglyphs are carved images in rock left by the early indigenous peoples of the area.   My husband misunderstood where to find this particular group of petroglyphs  and we some knee-punishing cliff climbing. 

Writer's husband looking for Petroglyphs

We learned that a good rule of thumb when the sign "Petroglyphs" is located right on the side of the road is to look there first, because that's where they were, in plain sight. 

Petroglyphs, Moab UT

Petroglyphs of horses later, from the post-colonial period, because the indigenous peoples did not have horses before the Spanish arrived.

                                                                   Petroglyphs, Moab UT

DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK:

Dead Horse Point State Park really a continuation of Canyonlands National Park and is a worthwhile stop with what brochures claim is the most photographed vista in the US. Whether or not that is true, the sheer cliffs overlooking the canyon were dramatic. This was the only park in which I actually got lost.  I wanted to take a short hike along the cliffs and told my husband to meet me at the parking lot at the end.  He misunderstood our meeting place, but eventually we did connect.

Writer at Dead Horse Point State Park

  

                                                            Overlook, Dead Horse Point State Park

                                                Overlook, Dead Horse Point State Park

CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK:

After Moab we headed to Capitol Reef.  It is a different sort of park, much more tranquil than Arches and includes an  working orchard with over 3000 plants that date from the 1890's, planted by early Mormon settlers. 

                                               Mormon Orchard, Capitol Reef National Park

 The rock formations in Capitol Reef are majestic, with hikes into ancient river beds being a mainstay. 

Rock formation,Capitol Reef National Park UT

Rock formations, Capitol Reef National Park, UT

                                          Capitol Gorge Trail, Capitol Reef National Park, UT

Sunrise and sunset are the best times for photographs in the parks because the light is best at these time.  I headed for a place called "Sunset Point" at the end of the day.  Unfortunately it was cloudy that day, and even though there was no dramatic sunset,  the lighting around sunset was was subtle an lovely.

Sunset,  Sunset Point, Capitol Reef National Park, UT

Sunset, Sunset Point, Capitol Reef National Park, UT

Sunset, Sunset Point, Capitol Reef National Park, UT

BRYCE CANYON: HOODOS AND BADLANDS

Bryce Canyon seen from canyon rim, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Bryce Canyon seen from canyon rim, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Bryce Canyon National Park was the star of the trip. Bryce is all about hoodoos, "the tall thin spires of rock  that protrude from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland" (Wikipedia).

Hoodoos are also called fairy chimneys and it's not hard to see why; they create an enchanted landscape.  For me, it was love at first sight. The three photos were taken from the rim of the canyon,  There is a 20 miles scenic drive where it is possible to catch a glimpse of the canyon from various vistas.  My recommendation is to first do this drive and then choose your hike or hikes.

I did the Queens Garden-Navaho loop, a moderately difficult 3 mile loop,  traveling from the picturesquely named Sunrise to Sunset points.  I will never forget hiking down into the badlands amongst the towering hoodoos.  There was not one place that was not overwhelmingly picturesque. This popular hike was crowded, so masks were advisable at many points. All of the following photos were taken on this unforgettable hike,

Writer on Queen's Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon UT

Queen's Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon Ut

Queen's Garden Trail, Bryce Canyon UT

Queen's Garden-Navaho Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon UT

Queen's Garden-Navaho Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon, UT

Navajo Loop Trail, Bryce Canyon UT

Writer in Queen's Garden, Bryce Canyon UT

                                                         

Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon UT

Navajo Loop, Bryce Canyon UT

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Zion is all about incredibly towering rock formations.  About the most popular hike there is one

called "the Narrows" which requires walking in a river surrounded by towering rocks on each side and requires special shoes and a walking stick for support on the slippery rocks.  We did not get to do this hike, thanks to the pandemic.  Beyond a point, only public shuttles are allowed in the park and although there are safety standards, such as masks and reservations to limit passengers, they are still public transportation and we judged these not sufficiently safe for us. We tried to "sneak" into the park on horseback, but there was no availability for days.

Zion is a very popular spot and requires planning and reservations, not a last-minute trip like ours.

Rock formation, Zion National Park, UT

Rock formation, Zion National Park, UT

Pa'rus Trail, Zion National Park, UT

Sunset, Zion National Park, UT

Sunrise, Zion National Park, UT

Sunrise, Zion National Park, UT

Hiking Trail, Zion National Park, UT

Banded Navaho Sandston, Zion National Park, UT

Banded Navaho Sandston, Zion National Park UT

THE PANDEMIC AND THIS TRIP:

The Parks

The parks had mask mandates in indoor areas such as information centers and an effort was made to keep as much outdoors as possible.  Outdoors, some visitors wore masks all the time, some not at all and others at times.  I always had a mask available, but in areas where there was absolutely no one, I did not wear it.  On my favorite hike, Bryce Canyon "Queen's Garden-Navaho Loop", at points the trail was congested and masks were essential. Visitors tended to be respectful and when approaching others outdoors, putting on their masks; this seems to be the new general new outdoor etiquette in many places with mask mandates. 

Accommodations:

Before setting out, a friend asked if we were camping, a perfectly logical question, since that is what many people do at National Parks.  (However in view of our "fly by the seat of your pants" approach we were lucky that we get our suitcases packed, let along our car for a camping trip). So my answer  to her was- "no, Booking.com. "

We arrived in Moab with no reservations and although Moab was crowded, we did find a room at a national motel chain which advertised following the Southwest Utah Health Department's covid standards. (Masks in public area and extra cleaning in the rooms).   This was something I looked for in  all the subsequent places we stayed.  I had brought an air purifier with a hepa filter from my house for added protection, along with a pack of alcohol wipes for wiping down surfaces. 

Every now and then a maskless patron would enter a motel lobby.  There was no aggressive effort that I saw to force them to wear masks. In Teasdale Utah, which did not have a mask mandate of its own, I offered a mask to a man in a motel lobby and he politely refused.  My decision was largely to keep my mouth shut and stay far away from unmasked people.

Springdale, UT was our stop for Zion National Park.  It is a cute town that specifically asked the state for a mask mandate to be put in place, because of its volume of out-of-state visitors; they wanted to keep their numbers low.

Eating

In Moab, masks were required to enter businesses.  I saw some infractions, but most people wore their masks. There was no problem finding restaurants with outdoor dining; servers all wore masks. Motels have changed breakfast protocols; gone are breakfast buffets with a pick-up window for pre-ordered food or breakfast go bags instead.  

Teasdale, Utah, the stop for Capitol Reef National Park, had more limited dining options, none of them outdoor seating. Our early dinner there was my one and only experience with indoor dining since the beginning of the pandemic.  We were the only ones in the restaurant, so it wasn't so bad, but it was uncomfortable.

Bryce Canyon Lodge gets an A-plus for covid dining and I felt perfectly comfortable there.  Since it is a national park lodge it follows strict government guidelines.  We could not stay there because reservations are required months in advance, but we did eat two very comfortable meals. The fabulous food is ordered in a structured way with controlled social distancing.  Each diner is given a pager with a number, leaves and when an order is ready the pager rings and food is picked up on a table with a number corresponding to the pager. 

All dining is outdoors in a very pleasant setting. There was no rule-bucking or maskless diners in this place. I did not mind eating their gourmet offerings take-out style with plastic forks and knives. 

For lunch, we grabbed a table in the courtyard and it was comforting to see the disinfectants available for cleaning table.

Shopping

With the exception of Teasdale, all businesses required masks for entry.  In some places, for instance at the drug/general store I went into in Moab, some people felt the need to defy this mandate. I gave up giving maskless people dirty look and just kept my distance.

Shopping instincts overtake common sense at times, as in the rock shop we stopped at in Moab.  It was packed with people, which sent me back out the front door.

There were times when it was not possible to totally avoid maskless people and my approach was to keep my distance if I could not avoid the situation completely.

THE TAKE-AWAY:

Any trip during the pandemic involves some degree of risk, but so does general living unless you are seriously quarantining and completely avoiding the world outside of your home.

We chose a destination with a low covid incidence, and drove there.  Staying in public accommodations does add some risk, but choosing hotels that adhere to a strict covid protocol lowers this.  Bringing an hepa air filter made me feel better, as did double-disinfecting surfaces with the alcohol wipes I had brought.

Dining out of doors is my  absolute rule, one which I did break in one place where nothing but indoor dining was available.  Here, we chose a in-between meal time when no one else was eating. In all other places we stopped, outdoor dining or take-out was available.

Exploring outdoor settings like National Parks is intrinsically safe because it is generally easy to avoid people.  In places where totally avoiding others is not possible, masks and social distancing are solutions that are enforced in National Parks.  We avoided situations which seemed marginal, such as the park shuttles in Zion Park.

It would have been much more fun to explore the parks without anxiety about covid, but given the situation our impromptu trip was a tremendous experience and opportunity to spend time in breathtaking places. I discovered the beauty of the light at sunrise and sunset and finally understood why these are such prized times of day for serious photographers.