Travel Stories New and Old

 

BACK TO TRAVELING?

Road's End Wayside

We’ve both had our jabs and waited the required two weeks after the second jab. We’ve visited unmasked with friends who are also fully vaccinated. And now we’re ready to travel. We still have our tickets for Scotland in the fall and we booked six days in Las Vegas next month going by plane. What’s left for us to do was to take a small trip, stay a hotel, eat in a restaurant or two, and see how travel now makes us feel.

We booked a night in the Hallmark Hotel Resort in Newport, Oregon, and came away from this oivernighter to the beach with several thoughts and reactions.

Nye Beach, Newport

First, we were pleased with the hotel—lovely room with a nice ocean view—except for the price (fairly expensive). The room was clean and staff were friendly while being masked and keeping social distance. Both of us felt safe and comfortable.

Breakfast at Newport Cafe

Lunch at Mo's

Nana's Irish Pub

Dinner at Nana's

Second, the three restaurants we visited did a good job of adapting to Covid requirements. Nana’s Irish Pub in the Nye Beach area of Newport had spaced tables appropriate distances and put up plexiglass dividers between the tables. I would, though, suggest sticking with the Irish fare—Anne’s Steak and Ale Pie was very nice, while my oyster sandwich had tasteless deep-fried-to-death oysters. At both Mo’s Chowder House in Taft and Newport Cafe on Hwy 101 in the heart of town we watched people get turned away or entered into a queue because the restaurant was already at state mandated 25% capacity.

Third, a pleasant surprise was to see that so many small businesses had survived the enforced shutdowns. It was also encouraging to see so many “Now Hiring” signs in businesses.

Agate Beach GC

Fourth, we came home with a sense that most people we came in contact with—at the hotel, in restaurants, in a casino, while sightseeing, when shopping at local businesses like Robert’s Bookstore, playing golf at Agate Beach GC—are taking the pandemic seriously (remember, this is in Oregon). People went out of their way, literally, to maintain social distance and we never saw anybody with a mask problem. We did see one lady try to argue that she should be allowed to violate the restaurant capacity limit so she could wait inside for her take-away order instead of out in her car (Karen).

Newport Harbor

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport

Finally, Anne was disappointed that the gray whales which were supposed to be in the area chose to hide from her on this trip.

In conclusion, our short trip left us hopeful that more and better travel opportunities are in our future if we keep working at everyone’s safety.

A NEW STORY OF PAST TRAVEL

In the dark days of no travel we have been trying to keep sane by re-reading some (or all) of our past travel journals—both Anne and I write daily journals of our trips. I found the entry for this day in Anne’s 2006 journal of our fourth Ireland trip. Combining my notes with hers, this is the story of that day.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 Lipsetts of Coolaney Village near Sligo

Breakfast at the Mountain Inn in the heart of Ox Mountain was in the pub room filled with other guests, most of whom were businessmen. Conversation was slight, but food was good and plentiful—my breakfast was cereal, fruit, eggs, Irish bacon, sausage, black pudding, fried potato, toast and baked beans (aka, canned pork and beans). After breakfast we drove straight through Sligo on a new road the 15 miles to County Sligo GC, known locally as Rosses Point.

When we arrived at the course the staff was ready for us—we had booked ahead, they knew we were writing about the course, greens fees and trolleys were comped. With the forecast for increasing rain and wind during the day, we were eager to get out onto the course.  And it was a good thing we got out early:

 it was cloudy and calm for the first six holes, 7 though 12 we played in misty showers, on 13 and 14 the wind and rain picked up, by 15 and 16 the rain was steady, and we played 17 and 18 in a downpour with gale winds. Despite the conditions later in our round, we loved Rosses Point. It’s a grand links course surrounded on three sides by water (bay and sea) with mountains on the fourth side.  Views on the course were lovely, especially early in the round from the hills and of the lighthouse in the middle of the round.

Rosses Point Lighthouse

After our round we put our dripping coats and clubs in the car and went into the clubhouse for a dry-out and some lunch (on the club). We were hosted by the Ladies’ Captain and several members. One older gentleman seeing Anne’s wet and windblown hair asked if she played the course today (it was a real storm outside now). She said that she’d played, and he responded with, “You know, they have a pill for that!” We spent much of the afternoon in the club’s lounge visiting with friendly members.

Back at our lodgings (Mountain Inn is a B&B, pub, convenience store, and petrol station) the first job was to lay out all our wet things—clothes, golf bag, clubs, shoes—so they’d be dry for golf tomorrow. With barely any room left to move, we went downstairs to the pub which only serves dinners to guests of the inn and we had had to order earlier. Although, while eating we saw staff serve dinner to a couple of locals—aren’t rules meant to be broken. After a decent pub dinner (omelette for me, fried scampi for Anne) we stayed in the bar for some serious drinking; a whole pint of Guinness istread of a half. We stayed in the pub for a couple of hours and engaged in some good craic with the locals. The big topic of discussion was how to make the best hot toddy for a cold or just a cold night. 

Sitting in front of the smokey peat fire several interesting ideas came forth. One of the most interesting was to take a small shot of whiskey in your mouth and then sip some hot water and let the whiskey explode in your mouth. Another that I noted was to take a hot fire poker and stick it in a glass of Guinness, then drink it (be sure to take the poker out of the glass first). 

Liam and Mary, the inn’s proprietors, made sure the fire was stoked and the glasses filled. We also learned that there are different kinds of peat—brown peat is wetter and better for smoking things, black peat burns hotter and is better for heating. We eventually trundled up to our damp room and went to bed.

Another full great day in Ireland.

NEXT: most probably a report from Las Vegas