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Snowshoe Ski Resort, West Virginia: 10 - 13 February 2020

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We took a short trip to Snowshoe ski resort near Beckley, WV.  My brother and his son met us over there for 2 days of skiing.  Jennifer had tried skiing in the past but the knee that she injured playing softball years ago requiring surgery put a stop to her skiing career.  She enjoyed the village and lodging amenities while we skied. There is no easy way to get there as the resort is located in a very remote area of the WV.  Its a 5 1/2 hour drive from Frankfort.  The drive is not bad until the last 2 hours.  Regardless of coming in from the north or south you will have a very curvy narrow road.  If the weather is snowy you definitely want to be in a 4 wheel drive. There are numerous lodging options up on the mountain which is 4,848 feet elevation.  We stayed at Highland House which was a great place to stay.  It was $110.00 a night for the midweek rate.  The condo was very nice and makes getting to the slopes very easy....

New Orleans, LA: 20 - 24 January 2020

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Great street show We finally got down to the "Big Easy" after several years of talking about it.  I had been there a few times with my time in the military and told Jennifer that we would get down there so she could check it off her list too.  We picked this time of year thinking it would be temperate and prior to Mardi Gras by enough time to see some of the buildup but avoid the Mardi Gras prices. This destination is not really one for a family getaway as there is no beach and of course the city itself has a bit of a dark reputation.  We wanted to stay within walking distance of the French Quarter and we found a really cool hotel in the Warehouse District called Old No. 77   It is a Boutique Hotel transformed from a warehouse.  Very nice and reasonable rates through Expedia.  I'm sure the prices vary greatly depending on the time of year. We drove to Nashville on 18 Jan and stayed near the Opryland Hotel.  We had always wanted to stroll through...

Southern Caribbean Cruise: 7 - 15 December 2019

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We had been looking at this cruise for a while.  We have been East and West Caribbean that left a Southern trip.  This one left out of Ft. Lauderdale with stops at Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Aruba, then Curacao.  Aruba and Curacao are as near to the equator as we have ever been, just off the coast of Venezuela.  Eight days total with 3 days at sea.   This time we took a rental car from Lexington to Atlanta because Spirit has such a cheap flight.  $56.00 per person one way.  The catch, we found out, is the checked baggage is $40.00 each. Still a bargain compared to flying out of Lexington but there are a lot of hidden fees with discount airlines, just be sure to read the fine print. Boarding a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale is not as organized as Miami.  A trick we learned was to do "Airport Checkin" before you leave the Ft. Lauderdale Airport.  You are then placed in the priority line at the port because you have already be proce...