Today’s post is 1900 words, 39 photos, a 9 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Welcome back to Traveling with Tom and to the year 2024, the year of the dragon, the most powerful of all animals in the Chinese Zodiac. It’s my wish that you and yours have a pleasant, fun, and prosperous new year.
This is the end of the first full week of 2024. How did you do on your 2023 resolutions? Did you set any for 2024 and have you already broken any of them? Continue reading to find out how I did on my 2023 resolutions and what I resolve for 2024.
Resolution Results
Last year, I set a goal to take 2.5 million steps as measured by my Fitbit. Well…… I missed that resolution by a wide margin. I took 1,674,152 steps in 2023 thus missing by over 800,000 steps. I also resolved to ride my new e-bike by at least 1000 miles. I missed that too. Now in my defense, I tore the meniscus on my left knee in May thus curbing my step count and definitely my bike riding. I’m wearing a knee brace, ok for walking but not for riding the bike.
My next resolution came much closer to fruition. I resolved to bring at least one self-published book to print in 2023. A few days prior to the end of 2023, Sarah, my editor, sent me the mock up the first twenty pages of the book. It should go to print in the next month or two. Close enough for a box checked.
My Traveling Partner and I planned to do more traveling in 2023 with at least one international trip. We accomplished that by traveling to Canada visiting Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. After being Canada for two weeks, we made our way to Acadia National Park along the Maine coast. We were on road nearly three weeks. We did another trip to New Orleans for JazzFest by way of Paducah KY, Shiloh TN, and Gulfport MS. We made a couple of camping trips to Door County, a drive to Elkhart IN, and a driving trip to Houston. I’ll count this as a successful resolution result.
Resolutions for 2024
Since I haven’t made my step goal for a few years, I’m going to go out on a limb and resolve to take 2 million or more steps in 2024. We have a trip planned to England in May to walk the Herriot Way Walk (yes, that James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small fame) in the Yorkshire Dales. It’s 13 miles a day for four days. I’m hoping my knee is fully rehabbed so I can make the walk with my Traveling Partner and The Youngest. One thing I know, the scenery will be excellent.
After book 1 (Title: Farm Boy) is published, I plan on handing over to my editor a manuscript for my second book (tentatively titled: You’re in the Army Now) about my time in the Army in the early 1970s. I also resolve to begin my third book based on this blog, one hundred of my favorite photos along with the stories that go with them. This is a concept not yet fully fleshed out. I hope to report progress at the end of next year.
I vow to travel even more in 2024. My Traveling Partner and I have the aforementioned trip to Scotland and England coming up as well as a month long excursion to Rome, Sicily, and Ghana. Plus, we’ve booked the month of July in the Door County farmhouse. These trips should provide more photos and stories that will show up on this blog site.
Reflections from 2023
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
The last few days of 2022 found us in the Black Hills of South Dakota. One of the sites we visited was Mount Rushmore where Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are chiseled in rock. Here’s what I wrote in January. Click here for the full experience.
“Looking up at the Presidents from Grand View Terrace is unforgettable. Even though it was a cool, partly cloudy day in late December, there were several family groups with kids of all ages, visiting this National Memorial. Most were taking selfies with the Presidents in the background. We did too.”
Shiloh National Military Park
In late April, we visited Shiloh National Military Park where one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War took place. I guess they were all bloody but this one ranks right up there. Here’s what I wrote. Click here for read the whole blog.
“After entering the park, we proceeded to the visitor’s center. There was plenty of room in the parking lot, it was spring weekday after all. The ranger on duty informed us that the museum and exhibits were closed for renovations. He directed us to the visitor center auditorium where we watched a well-done detailed video about the Battle of Shiloh that took place April 6-7, 1862. When the movie ended 32 minutes later, we left subdued, shocked at the brutality of war and the loss of so many men in two days.”
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
I attended my last JazzFest in 2023, it was my 20th time. I decided to hang it up, below I describe why.
“As the saying goes, “all good things come to an end.” After my first year at JazzFest (2001), I couldn’t wait for the last week in April and the first week of May to come around. Planning for and attending JazzFest was a time of renewal for me. A time to clear my head, have some fun, listen to great music, and experience New Orleans. This year felt different. While all those things happened, I didn’t get the same feeling. Not only am I getting older, so are the musicians I remember from my youth. There’s a great crop of musicians filling in behind them but I don’t know their names or genres. The scene has left me behind, not their fault.
Other things have become more important to me, spending time with family and friends, traveling, writing, and photography. I’ll remember these years at JazzFest with great fondness; the good times, the music, the food (especially Crawfish Monica), and the friendships. It’s been a good ride. Farewell!”
To read my 2023 posts on JazzFest click here and here.
Toronto
In late May and early June, my Traveling Partner traveled to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for a Friendship Force Journey with the Toronto club. We were home hosted by Monica and George in one of the suburbs. The club organized an excursion nearly everyday to experience Toronto. We had a fun, memorable time. One of the sites we visited was the CN Tower that dominates the Toronto skyline. Here’s a bit about what I wrote:
“The CN Tower is named for the Canadian National Railroad, the company that built the tower. In the mid-1990s, the railroad sold the tower to the Canada Lands Company that manages Canadian government real estate and changed the name to Canada’s National Tower, keeping the CN initials. When we stepped off the elevator on the observation deck, we were immediately drawn to the view of the vast city. It stretches for many miles (kilometers) in a 180° arch from the city center.”
To read the four blogs I wrote about Toronto, click here, here, here, and here.
Quebec City
After six days exploring Toronto and two nights in Montreal, we made our way to Quebec City for a four-day program with Road Scholar. We had a great time exploring many of the historic sites in Old Town Quebec.
“The Road Scholar program began with introductions and a very nice dinner at the hotel, followed by a walk to the terrace overlooking the St. Lawrence River. It was a chilly, breezy evening, we were glad for warm jackets, gloves, and ear muffs. A container ship happened to be passing on the river, the area in the foreground is Lower Old Town.
Behind us was the famous landmark and historic hotel Chateau Frontenac. This grand hotel was built in the 1890s and added to in the intervening years. It’s a designated as a National Historic Site of Canada and a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. Marie Bussieres, our Road Scholar tour guide, gave a bit of history of the hotel. She mentioned that many heads of state that visited Canada have lodged at Chateau Frontenac including President Franklin Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Charles de Gaulle of France, and Queen Elizabeth. It’s a beautiful landmark both on the outside and inside. 
To read the stories and see all the photos, check out the four blogs by clicking here, here, here, and here.
Acadia National Park
This park has been on our bucket list for a long time. We spent three glorious days enjoying the vast park. Click here, here, and here for the whole story. One of the highlights of visiting Acadia is viewing the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain. Below is the story of our view from this iconic mountaintop.
“I’ve read a lot about seeing the sunrise from atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. At over 1500 feet above sea level, Cadillac is known as the first place in the U.S. that the sun touches as it peaks over the eastern horizon. This is partially true depending on the angle of the sun. In the summer months, when the sun rises further to the north, there are points to the northeast of Cadillac Mountain that first see the sun. However for about six months of the year (October-March), it’s a good story and I’m told, a great view.
We reached the entry station at precisely 6:00 AM. There were no lines, I showed the attendant the QR code on my phone and my senior pass. As we drove the road to the summit, the fog held on, our aim to see the view was dashed. There were only a few cars in the parking lot. My guess is that most people with early slots looked out the window at 3:00 AM and decided to go back to bed or they made the drive and left early.
Here’s what we saw:”
Door County
In early October, we made a trip to Door County hoping to do some leaf-peeping. But alas, we were a couple of weeks early. There were a few places where the leaves were beginning to turn, they were far and few between. I did manage to capture a spot of color while driving through Peninsula State Park. 
Gateway Arch National Park
In late October and early November, we made a driving trip from our home in Madison to Houston. During our drive down, we made a few stops to knock a couple national parks off our long list. In St. Louis, we visited the Gateway Arch National Park on the Mississippi River.
“We stood and looked up to admire the beauty and craftsmanship of the arch. We’ve seen the Arch several times from a distance as we made our way to and from New Orleans. I was there once in the mid-1990s after a business meeting. There wasn’t time to ride to the top but I did take a quick look at the museum. Since then the museum has greatly expanded with a focus on early St. Louis, Jefferson’s vision, the impact of the Manifest Destiny to justify westward expansion, the Frontier, and building the Arch. It’s free and a well-done museum.”
For the whole story about our time at the Arch, click here.
Well folks, that’s enough of a look back on 2023. There’s plenty more just scroll through the 53 articles I posted this year.
Until next, happy travels!
Tom