Seniors Drop By Westport

Westport, a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, was so named because it was the westernmost port in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Senior travelers learn that it was first settled in 1670 as part of the town of Dartmouth by members of the Sisson family but became independent in 1787. Westport’s  population is close to 16,000.

Westport is on the western port of what is known as Buzzards Bay. The town suffered damages during King Philip’s War. Like many areas in the region, Westport was affected by invading Wampanoag Indians during King Philip’s War. The British named the harbor “The Devil’s Pocket Hole” as they were unable to navigate the entrance in the War of 1812.

Facebook can help senior visitors find their way around and suggests places to stay, to eat, a museum to visit or an attractive park in which to take a stroll.

 Seniors Drive 52 Miles South Of Boston

Westport is located 52 miles South of Boston. For you gourmet folks, Westport has four 5-star restaurants and a 4-star Village Pizza.

Horseneck Beach and Westport River, are both popular destinations for recreation. Senior birders, Barrier beach is spread over 600 acres and is ideal for long walks as well as bird watching.

In the distance, the Elizabeth Islands are visible from the beach. TripAdvisor has over a dozen sites you will not want to overlook, starting with the Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery. Close behind they mention Buzzards Bay Brewing.

The Westport Historical Society excels in engaging the public in the exploration of the town’s rich history and culture.

Seniors Enjoy Historic Farm

 Senior visitors do not want to miss Westport Town Farm. This 40-acre open space preserve and historic farm complex includes hiking trails, working farmland, salt marsh frontage, an antique farmhouse, dairy barn, corn crib, and stone walls dating back to Colonial times. History personified.

 Seniors, set your GPS for Westport and enjoy the amenities the city offers. Check out VRBO. Their vacation rentals are available all year long. Your stay in Westport will prove to be a memorable one. -jeb

Seniors Spend Time In Lake Wales

Lake Wales  was surveyed in 1879 by Sidney Irving Wailes, who changed the name of a lake, then known as Watts Lake, to Lake Wailes. Seniors learn that Lake Wales was founded near this lake in 1911-12.

A railroad was built by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1925. It joined the cities of Haines and Everglades, and a depot was established at Lake Wales. Today Lake Wales, Florida offers virtually endless opportunities for seniors to enjoy the natural beauty of the great outdoors.

Lake Wales has a long history. Its first inhabitants were attracted to the area for its bounty of fish, game and natural vegetation used for food and medicine. Native Americans found the area ideally suited to farming, hunting and fishing, and later for trading with their new neighbors from the north and west.

 Great Trail For Senior Hikers And Bikers

Senior travelers will find Lake Wales 53 miles east of Tampa. Lake Wales is located in the rolling hills of Polk County. It has numerous antique shops and art galleries. Seniors who like hiking and biking would enjoy an excellent 2.25 mile long trail that runs along the shores of Lake Wales.

The city also has a large area dedicated to athletic fields and public parks. The popular activities for the locals and visitors alike include boating, fishing, camping, picnicking and bird watching. Grassy Lake Preserve is a 185 acre preserve primarily made up of Lake Wales Ridge scrub land.

Lake Wales is known as  the “Crown Jewel of the Ridge.” Voted “the friendliest small town in Florida,” senior visitors can enjoy its unique history and architecture, environmental, cultural and recreational attractions, charming shops and restaurants.

 Seniors Check Out Spook Hill

Although the early city planners of Lake Wales could not have foreseen the tremendous growth Florida would see in the area’s first 60 years, the forefathers had the vision to create a community design that still works well today.

TripAdvisor likes Bok Tower Gardens, a National Historic Landmark complete with a  contemplative garden and bird sanctuary. It consists of a 250-acre garden, the 205-foot tall Singing Tower with its carillon bells, Pine Ridge Trail, Pinewood Estate, and a visitor center.

Seniors can enjoy strolling  or biking around beautiful Lake Wailes or contemplating the mystery of popular Spook Hill, a gravity hill, and an optical illusion where cars appear to roll up the spooky hill.

Take in a rodeo on Saturday evening at Westgate River Ranch. Enjoy a play at the Lake Wales Little Theatre, a concert or art show at the Lake Wales Arts Center. Tour the shops and historic architecture in downtown Lake Wales.

Senior travelers, enjoy Lake Wales  -jeb

Seniors Enjoy Mountain Resort Town

Welcome to Crestline, California population 11,000 —the closest mountain resort town to major cities of Southern California. At scenic Lake Gregory in the San Bernardino Mountains, senior visitors can enjoy fishing, boating, swimming, sunbathing and water-slides. San Bernardino is 14 miles away.

Senior fitness buffs will find a  variety of hiking and biking trails, and Lake Gregory is ringed by a state-of-the-art fitness trail with exercise stations. The area is a mecca for bird watchers with a throng of species.

Shoppers will find unique stores in the historic Old Town area and along Lake Drive in Crestline. And for you gourmets, Crestline has a wide range of choices to appease your palate.

Seniors Enjoy Natural Beauty Around Crestline

Visitors who plan to stay for a while will find excellent accommodations at the local inns or lodging in rental cabins that are offered throughout the area. So, consider a visit to Crestline to enjoy its natural beauty and take an easy break from the heat and congestion of nearby California towns.

You will be welcomed on your visit to Crestline and Lake Gregory. The Crestline Chamber of Commerce sponsors fishing derbies at the lake, so toss in your fishing rod. Dragon Boat races are also highly popular on the Lake.

While Crestline is only a 20-minute drive from San Bernardino, senior visitors will find what seems like a whole different world. The temperature is at least 20 degrees cooler than down the mountain, and there are four distinct seasons.

Lake Gregory Regional Park offers a great place to escape the summer heat of Southern California. The lake’s surface is at an elevation of 4,550 feet and the ridges around the lake climb up to a thousand feet. Take a hike to Heart Rock, in the Valley of Enchantment. It is one of Crestline’s natural wonders. The Heart Rock hike is an easy 1-mile round trip along a creek through the forest.

 Seniors Hike To Heart Rock Waterfall

Heart Rock Waterfall, which is also known as Seeley Creek Falls, is located in Crestline at the end of a roughly 1 mile each way hike. The waterfall is beautiful as it stands around 25 feet; however the true draw of this hike is the fact that the waterfall has an almost perfect cut out of a heart right alongside it.

The heart itself looks small in the photos, but could easily hold two adults in each of its halves. Senior visitors will find this little gem nestled in the scenic San Bernardo mountains. Visitors from Southern California come to Lake Gregory to enjoy the refreshing mountain air.

Folks enjoy shopping in Crestline’s unique stores or staying in lodges and vacation rentals that surround the lake. Ongoing events include fishing derbies, the Mountain Fun Runners Car Show, the Redlands Bicycle Classic and a new paragliding competition that is being planned for the summer.

So set your GPS for Crestline where you will find great hospitality and legendary landscape.  -jeb

Seniors Find Crescent City

Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City  has a total population running right at 7,700. Senior travelers will find the city on the Pacific coast in the upper northwestern part of California, about 20 miles (32 km) south of the Oregon border.

The city’s harbor suffered extensive damage and destruction due to tsunamis generated by the March 11, 2011 earthquake off Sendai, Japan. Remember that one?

They say the city is “Where the Redwoods Meet the Sea,” on Hwy 101 only 20 miles south of the Oregon border. The area offers an abundance of outdoor recreational activities utilizing the proximity of the Pacific Ocean, the Smith River and Klamath River, Redwood National and State Parks, and the Smith River National Recreation Area.

Seniors Visit the Battery Point Lighthouse

One of the popular attractions in Crescent City is the Battery Point Lighthouse, one of the first lighthouses on the California coast. In 1855 Congress appropriated $15,000 for the construction of the light station.

It is registered as a California Historical Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as “Crescent City Lighthouse.” The lighthouse was built as a result of the events on July 30, 1865, when the Brother Jonathan steamer ship wrecked on the reef killing over 200 people.

The area has over 75 inches of rain annually and has the “honor” of being the wettest incorporated city in California. The waters near Crescent City are treacherous as evidenced by shipwrecks early in the town’s history.

The Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is one of the very few redwood parks with trails that go into the deep interior. That’s where I would go first and then off to Stout Grove, the world’s most scenic stand of redwoods. While my family and I have taken a whale watching tour, I’d repeat it here as well.

  Seniors Watch Whales and Birds and Redwood Trees

The Crescent City is a great spot to watch for whales. Senior visitors can see migrating Gray whales in March, April and May from the shores at the Crescent Beach Overlook, Enderts Beach, Battery Point Lighthouse, Point St. George and Klamath Overlook or on a whale watching boat.

Senior birders…Crescent City is a haven for birders, and one of the most exciting and scenic places to visit in search of birds in California. There have been over 420 species of birds recorded in the area. Don’t forget your field glasses. And beaches… they are famed and all along the coast and add much to the scenic beauty of the area.

Seniors, set your GPS for CC and enjoy the exciting northern California coast. -jeb

Seniors Flock To Wellfleet

Seniors have you spent any time on Cape Cod? If not, say…not yet. It is one area to put on your travel bucket list. With a population of only 3,500, Wellfleet is a highly popular area on Cape Cod Bay and part of the Cape Cod National Seashore on Route 6.

Wellfleet was encountered by Europeans as early as 1606, when the French explorer Samuel de Champlain explored and named it “Port Aux Huitres” (Oyster Port) for the bountiful oyster population resident to the area.

The town is home to the Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters and for senior birders, the 1,000 acre Massachusetts Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuary is nearby. Some of Cape Cod’s finest ocean surf casting, fresh water pond and Cape Cod Bay boat fishing possibilities are found in Wellfleet. The town is well known for its plentiful supply of shellfish, including the famous “Wellfleet Oysters”.

Seniors Find Great Scenery and Hospitality

Wellfleet abounds in scenery and the hospitality is legendary as is the beach landscape. Punch some buttons here and senior travelers will learn that the town is located some forty-five miles out into the Atlantic Ocean on the upper end of Cape Cod.

The town offers an abundance of quaint rural seaside character and charm and spectacular natural resources. It is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the west by Cape Cod Bay.

During the summer, the population swells from 3,500 year-round residents to an estimated 17,000 visitors. Senior visitors can enjoy the town’s miles of ocean and bay-side beaches; numerous beautiful, clear, spring-fed, ponds; many fine art galleries, shops and restaurants.

And then there is the magnificent Wellfleet Harbor offering a constantly changing panorama of sail boats, motor yachts, sport fishing boats and trawlers.

Seniors Plan To Visit During the Wellfleet OysterFest

The fifteenth annual Wellfleet OysterFest will take place the weekend after Columbus Day, Saturday and Sunday, October 17 & 18.

This two-day family festival celebrates the town’s famous oysters, clams and shellfishing traditions bringing together folks from all ages for a weekend full of hometown flavor and big time fun.

There is something for everyone: local cuisine, arts and crafts, educational programs, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities, walking tours, live music, a road race, and the annual Oyster Shuck-Off competition.

So set your GPS for Wellfleet, shuck some oysters, eat a few  and enjoy the ambiance that Wellfleet offers.

Incidentally, the name “Wellfleet” is disputed; some argue that it comes from “Whale Fleet”, after the burgeoning whaling industry in the town, while some say it comes from a brand of oyster popular in England at the time, in order to help sales.

You choose. Either way, you can’t go wrong with Wellfleet. -jeb

Seniors Make a Day Trip To Pescadero

This senior first read about Pescadero in an article on super-fresh cuisine and dining at Harley Farms.  Pescadero (pop. 700) is a farming and ranching community near the Pescadero Marsh, a wildlife refuge.

The name would signify that in the early days it was a fishing settlement, (fish = pescado in Spanish) although the location of the village is about three miles from the ocean.

Pescadero itself is a small valley in San Mateo County and  greatly resembles the bottom of a cup with the hills rising all around, eliminating the winds of the Pacific Ocean.

An annual event in Pescadero is the Pescadero Art and Fun Fair. The Alto Velo Bicycle Racing Club holds another annual event, the Pescadero Coastal Classic Road Race, which travels through the town and nearby countryside, in early- to mid-June.

Seniors Find A Farmer’s Market and A Working Gallery

Pescadero comes with it’s own beach, and a spectacular one it is. Senior visitors will find a farmers market and a working gallery, Made In Pescadero, that crafts and displays the very finest custom furniture, art and accessories by the area’s most talented craftsmen and artists.

Small as it be, TripAdvisor has rounded up several things for senior visitors to see and do. The #1 attraction in the area is the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America and has been guiding mariners since 1872.

 Seniors Also Find The Elephant Seals

“The Año Nuevo State Park, with a rich variety of natural and cultural resources, draws visitors from around the world. The park’s Natural Preserve offers an extraordinary wilderness experience, where every year up to 10,000 elephant seals return to breed, give birth, and molt their skin amongst the scenic dunes and beaches.”

Harley Farms has grown from six pet goats to today’s herd, with their delicious, critically-acclaimed cheese. In 2011 the owners bought neighboring fields, a historic barn and a hidden orchard and overgrown garden which they are restoring gently.

The Harley Farms chèvre (goat in French), fromage blanc, ricotta and feta cheeses have been consistent winners at the American Cheese Society awards, and hold two international World Cheese Show medals.

 Senior Hikers Seek Out The Nature Trail

Bean Hollow State Beach features a nature trail for hikers. For birders, Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve is popular. For beach lovers, Pescadero State Beach has a mile-long shoreline with sandy coves, rocky cliffs, tide pools, fishing spots and picnic facilities.

My wife and I love to stay in historic B&Bs and the “Bed and Biscuit Inn” sounded really neat to me, especially that biscuit part for breakfast. I discovered five other classy B&Bs that senior travelers might want to check out. Pescadero is roughly 17 miles south of Half Moon Bay and 35 miles north of Santa Cruz.

Enjoy your stop in Pescadero. -jeb

Seniors Go Dutch in Oranjestad

Oranjestad (Dutch, literally “Orange Town”) is the capital and largest city of Aruba. Senior visitors will find Oranjestad on the southern coast near the western end of the island country.

In the local language, Papiamento, Oranjestad is often referred to simply as “Playa”. It is small town of around 1,000 and the capital of the island of Aruba. Senior visitors will find the town loaded with bright pastel colors on many old buildings in Dutch Colonial style.

All of Aruba, called “One Happy Island,” has much to offer visitors of all ages.  “Orange City” was named after King Willem van Oranje-Nassau, who was the first heir to the Dutch Royal House of Orange.

 Butterflies And Coconuts Await Senior Visitors

The historic harbor and is divided into two sections, Lower Town and Upper Town. Fort Orange is the principal tourist attraction in town, dating back to the 17th century. TripAdvisor finds 28 things to see and do for first timers on the island.

The Butterfly Farm is a major draw for seniors like the Beckers, who love butterflies. You’ll see  butterflies in all stages of development, from larva to adults flying overhead, with species from around the world. When you have had your time at the Butterfly Farm, head for the Aruba Ostrich Farm with a flock of 80 birds.

Senior visitors will not want to miss Alto Vista Chapel. And senior divers can enjoy the dive site of  an old German warship called The Antilla. 

Seniors Enjoy Shopping, Beaching and Birding

Many cruise ships stop at this fine destination for shopping, with Dutch cheese one of the specialities. For those who enjoy picking up some good Vitamin D, head for Arachi Beach where you will walk on very fine soft, sand and enjoy ideal sea conditions.

The early history of Oranjestad is highlighted at the Archeological Museum of Aruba and the Aruba Historical Museum. For birders, the Bubali Bird Sanctuary is a lush site, ideal for viewing many island species.

Arikok National Park is said to be Aruba’s ecological treasure. Along with a wide range of exotic cactus and bright and colorful island flowers, you will see a divi-divi tree.

Deep Sea Fishing is popular along with Jeep safari tours, mountain bike tours, snorkeling, tennis, windsurfing and kitesurfing, sailing trips, and scuba diving. The diving is well known for several awesome shipwrecks and neat coral formations. Ever done a Segway tour?  You can try one on this island.  Glide along and take in the many panoramic views.

Enjoy your island visit. -jeb

Potato Capital of the World Snags Seniors

 Blackfoot, Idaho with a population of approximately 12,000 people is the seat of Bingham County . This senior learned that the name “Blackfoot” can be traced to the summer of 1818 when a group of fur trappers and traders from Hudson’s Bay Company passed through the area where wildfires had previously broken out.

The moccasins of the people who walked through the burned earth, turned black, thus the name today. When I first saw the name, I figured it was named after the Niitsitapi, also known as the Blackfoot Indians, but I was wrong. Those black moccasins make for a much neater story.

Blackfoot lies between two major Idaho cities, Pocatello and Idaho Falls. With the largest potato industry to be found anywhere, Blackfoot is called the “Potato Capital of the World”.

Senior visitors will find the famous Idaho Potato Museum, which has the world’s largest baked potato and potato chip. The museum was voted one of the top 50 museums worth a visit in the entire country.

It is said that…“In certain ways the mighty Snake River is the mother of Idaho’s potato industry. It has deposited much of the silt that farmers cultivate today in lower lying fields along the river and has provided much of the water that makes possible the growing of a plant that needs a soil moisture of eighty percent for ideal growth.” Blackfoot has invested a lot of money in the industry of growing potatoes, and consequently the potatoes production is an impressive one.

 Senior History Buffs, Birders and Golfers…

Two major annual events include the Blackfoot Triathlon, that packs the house, and the Eastern Idaho State Fair. The Bingham County Historical Society’s museum, once the social center of Blackfoot, was built in 1905 by John G. and May Brown who brought their family from Tennessee, complete with servants, chauffeur and Chinese cook to live in the mansion.

Toss your clubs in the trunk and play the famed Blackfoot Golf Course. One of the treasured facilities in Bingham County is the hospital that bears the Bingham Memorial Hospital name. Jensen Grove Park is a familiar hangout for families and for hiking.

Idaho State University calls Blackfoot home. The Wild Adventure Corn Maze is a family fun place and is guaranteed to keep you busy for a while. Well worth a visit is the Nuart Theatre, which has the distinction of being listed among only seven Idaho theatres on the National Register of Historic Places.

The history of the settlement is typically American. In 1874 the first general store was built after the owners learned that a railroad was going through. Then a post office opened. The first name of the settlement was Grove City, changed in 1879 to Blackfoot.

For senior birders, the Blackfoot Reservoir is the place to spend a few hours watching the pelicans along with raptors, shorebirds, songbirds, upland birds, and waterbirds.   jeb

 Seniors Lost in a Different World

Senior travelers, are you ready for an adventure? I’ve found a good one for you in a recent travel article. The lost-world island of Sumba, said to be a dynamic mystery, is an hour’s flight from Bali. Chris Burch, the US billionaire investor, has fallen in love with a remote atoll in the Indonesian archipelago.

When Burch visited two years ago, the place tugged at his heartstrings, and today, around US$30 million later, Burch is realizing his dream of turning Nihiwatu on Sumba into the world’s most exclusive sustainable luxury resort and multi-million dollar foundation.

The island is home to the last-remaining Animist tribes, an ancient indigenous people who believe in the spirits of animals and plants. Sumba is at once one of the culturally richest and financially poorest islands in the Indonesian archipelago.

Seniors Drawn To A No Longer Ignored Island

Islands like Bali and have gotten the majority of tourist attention over the years, but today it’s Sumba. Sumba  has remained largely uninfluenced by the outside world.  Discovered in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers, Sumba was incorporated into the Dutch East Indies in 1866.

However, the island had very little contact with the outside world and remained, throughout history, largely “ignored” due to its lack of natural resources and its fierce warriors, the famous headhunters.

The island is also known for its small and versatile horses. I wrote a blog recently on a nearby island called Lombok.  I wonder who counted all of Indonesia’s 18,307 islands.

Seniors Meet Kind, Sweet People

Sumba, an island in eastern Indonesia, with a population of 660,000, is of volcanic origin, and predominantly mountainous, with lovely beaches. The people of Sumba have a rich social culture. They are kind and sweet, with strong traditions of music, dance, literature, crafts and religion.

Historically, this island exported sandalwood and was known as Sandalwood Island. The largest town on the island is the main port of Waingapu, with a population of about 53,000. The landscape is low, limestone hills, rather than the steep volcanoes of many Indonesian islands.

 For you birders, the island is particularly rich in birdlife with nearly 200 species. Facing the wide Indian Ocean, the island of Sumba in the province of East Nusatenggara is a surfer’s paradise. Although as yet little known on the tourist map, surprisingly the island of Sumba has a number of luxurious, well frequented resorts.

The women of Sumba produce some exemplary hand woven cloth with motifs of stylized horses, animals and people, in dark blue, red and black, white and yellow natural dyes.

So make plans for a super adventure today. Set your sights on Sumba.  jeb

Seniors Visit the Pench Tiger Reserve

Pench Tiger Reserve has been in the news recently as in literally “Raining Tiger Cubs”!!  This past June three tigresses gave birth to as many as ten cubs. Senior travelers will find Pench Tiger Reserve, in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Comprising the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park, the Mowgli Pench Sanctuary and a buffer, it was declared a National Park by the Government of Maharashtra in 1975 and received the official status of “Tiger Reserve of India” in February 1999.

The Park nestles in the Southern slopes of the Satpura ranges of Central India. The reserve and its neighborhood is the original setting of Rudyard Kipling’s most famous work, The Jungle Book. The reserve area serves as one of the prime habitats of Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris) which is the key species in this area.

Senior Birders Like The Reserve

The Pench Tiger Reserve is especially famous for large herds of Gaur (Indian Bison), Cheetah, Sambar, Nilgai, Wild Dog and Wild Pig. For senior birders, there are over 285 species of resident and migratory birds in the Reserve. In addition, the park is home to 33 species of mammals, 50 species of fish, 10 species of amphibians, 30 species of reptiles, and a wide variety of insect life, unfortunately many of those are mosquitos.

Nagpur (95 kms away) is the nearest airport connected to Delhi &  Mumbai and other places by regular flights. It is also the nearest railway station connected to most major metro cities. Highly recommend for senior visitors is Mahua Vann Resort if you are going on a Tiger trail. The resort is the latest on the scene in Pench and they say that it is “beautifully merged with the surroundings making it a serene and relaxing stay in the wild.”

Teak Jungle, Meandering River And Breathtaking Beauty

Pench is a spectacular reserve set among a teak jungle, and offers a secluded game viewing experience. Taking its name from the meandering Pench River which intersects the park, the reserve sprawls over a breathtaking landscape of hills, forests and valleys. The gentle, undulating scenery of the Satpura Hills creates an unforgettable backdrop to the wildlife viewing.

Tiger Reserve area constitutes a unique ecosystem, and according to the Forest Minister, “Conditions congenial for wildlife have developed at the Pench National Park at a much faster pace than any other national park. That is the reason why wild animals and birds are multiplying in the natural way.

The area has always been rich in wildlife. It is dominated by fairly open canopy, mixed forests with considerable shrub cover and open grassy patches. The Reserve has the highest density of herbivores in India with 90.3 animals per sq km. Pench is a naturalist’s dream come true.   jeb