July 26, 2016 What to do around Big Sur and info on Cuba

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 6 DAYS

Bucket List Feature: Cuba

Howdy!

Last night, we had quite a thunderstorm here on Long Island.  On the way back from the barn, the sky got super dark and a moment after we were safe and sound in the house, the skies opened and the downpour started!

The day actually went well, considering I wasn't originally supposed to spend the entire day out at the barn but in spite of it, I actually had a very nice day, hanging out at Tanger Outlets and then the barn.

Today was interesting - spent most of the morning in the car.  Left the house at 7:45 to drive the kids to the barn - hit some traffic and made it there by 9:15.  

Then I headed over to the grocery store to get the girls some fruit for afternoon snacks.  After dropping it off back at the barn, I headed back to Nassau since they will be coming home with another parent today.

I didn't make it back until nearly 11:30 as a result of some traffic heading back west.

Needless to say, I'm pretty well cooked from driving!!

Cuba (credit: worldatlas.com)

Since today is Travelin' Tuesday, I decided to take a glance at my "Travel Bucket List".  

Cuba is one of the places that I'm hoping to visit at some point in the future.

Because I do have many friends that unfortunately, had to escape this Caribbean island country back in the early 1960's when Fidel Castro took over as dictator and fell under communist rule, I have mixed feelings about this as a destination.

In any case, I'm toying with the idea, and as such, here is some information about this Caribbean island nation that I wanted to share with you.

A little about Cuba...
Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean meet. It is south of both the U.S. state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Haiti, and north of Jamaica. 

It is best known for its white-sand beaches, rolling mountains, cigars and rum. 

Havana, the country's capital, features well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture within its 16th-century core.

Old Havana, loomed over by the pre-revolutionary Capitolio. Salsa emanates from the city's dance clubs and cabaret shows are performed at the famed Tropicana.

Culturally...
Culturally, Cuba is considered part of Latin America. It is a multiethnic country whose people, culture and customs derive from diverse origins, including the aboriginal Taíno and Ciboney peoples, the long period of Spanish colonialism, the introduction of African slaves, and a close relationship with the Soviet Union in the Cold War.

Economy...
Cuba is a developing country with a planned economy that is dominated by the exports of sugar, tobacco, coffee and skilled labor.

Cienfuegos is one of the destinations now open to select U.S. airlines. (credit: getty)

Commercial Travel to Cuba Resuming...
It was announced that six airlines won permission to resume scheduled commercial air service from the U.S. to Cuba for the first time in more than five decades.

These include: American, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Southwest and Sun Country. Approved by the Department of Transportation for a total of 155 roundtrip flights per week, these airlines will fly from five U.S. cities to nine cities in Cuba other than Havana.

The routes include service from Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Cuban cities are Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.

American Airlines has already said it intends to start its first flights to the island nation on September 7, when it will launch nonstop service from Miami to both Cienfuegos and Holguín, according to Condé Nast Traveler.

Old Havana Square (credit: en.wikipedia.org)

Pending Cuba Authority...
But, traveling to Cuba is not quite as easy as it might seem. The Cuban government still has to approve the new flights, (which is not expected to be a holdup) and specific flight schedules still depend on the availability of airport slots.

JetBlue's website states that "Starting fall 2016, we'll offer nonstop routes from New York, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando to great Cuban destinations..." with a footnote that states: 

"Subject to receipt of government operating authority."
​
Current JetBlue Routes will include:
* New York (JFK) – Havana
* Fort Lauderdale – Havana
* Orlando – Havana
* Fort Lauderdale – Camagüey
* Fort Lauderdale – Holguín
* Fort Lauderdale – Santa Clara

So, we will have to wait and see how things progress. 

I'm going to get some things done while I still have some time before the day gets by any further!!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 3 DAYS

What to do around Big Sur

Greetings from my couch! LOL

We are here in the last week of July and I've still got one more trip to go in this month.
We are heading on a camping trip to Big Sur on Friday. ​​

PC: ventanacamping.com

​Located along the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean is where you will find Big Sur.

Although it has no specific boundaries, many definitions of the area include the 90 miles of coastline from the Carmel River in Monterey County south to the San Carpoforo Creek in San Luis Obispo County.

The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big country of the south". This name refers to its location south of the city of Monterey.
​
The terrain offers stunning views, making Big Sur a popular tourist destination and one of the most beautiful destinations on Highway 1 (The Pacific Coast Highway).

PC: theroadery.com

Designated an All-American Road—among the nation's most scenic and considered to be one of the most beautiful routes in America — the drive encompasses Big Sur Coast Highway - and as National Geographic puts it "On this fabled coastline, redwood groves reach skyward, the Santa Lucia Range plunges into the sea, and waves are beaten to froth on ragged rocks. It's a place of elemental power that can make human affairs seem inconsequential."
This is where we will be spending the weekend!

​While I've been to Big Sur on a number of occasions to take in the views and drive the iconic ​"dream drive". I've yet to ever stay in Big Sur, so needless to say that I'm pretty excited about this trip and I hope that the others are as well!
It'll be me, Dave B, the kids. and Dave C.
And while I've booked a second campsite for Jet, Andrew, and Chaplin they are planning to let me know today if they will in fact be able to make the 325 mile trip up with us. My fingers are crossed that they decide to come!

We had so much fun camping with them last year in Joshua Tree National Park, that the day we came home Chaplin had showed interest in camping in the "woods" and I went to work and found the perfect place. 

Here are a few things we plan to see while we are up there:

McWay Falls - an 80-foot waterfall that flows year-round in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

(c)travelincousins.com

​
​Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - The park features redwood, tan oak, madrone, chaparral, and an 80-foot waterfall that drops from granite cliffs into the ocean from the Overlook Trail.

Pfeiffer State Beach - this rare purple sand beach, with its purple hue derived from the manganese garnet deposits that are found in the surrounding rocks. 

PC: weekdaywanderlustlooks.com

USA Today readers chose Pfeiffer Beach to be in the Top 10 Beaches in California​

I'm wondering why I haven't ever been here before!
I'm also wondering...

Pfeiffer this, Julia Pfeiffer Burns that
Who is Julia Pfeiffer Burns???

According to savetheredwoods.com:
Julia Pfeiffer Burns, namesake of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, was a lifelong Big Sur resident and rancher. A truly independent frontier woman, she ran her family’s ranch and didn’t marry until she was in her mid-forties. By all accounts, she was a fun-loving, hard worker who led children “on many joyous excursions to what now is Pfeiffer Beach.” In 1924, a former New York congressman acquired the land that would later become the park. Julia made such an impression on the congressman’s wife, Helen, that she insisted that the property be dedicated to Julia’s memory in their 1961 bequest of the land to the State of California.

On Sunday after we check out, we will be heading even further north and back to Monterey (if you recall I was just there for the Sea Otter Classic in April). On the way we will be seeing sights such as Bixby Bridge, and I'd love to see Point Lobos.

PC: pointlobos.org

Well that'll sum it up about Big Sur for today. 

We've got Dominic's rescheduled appointment at the salon later on, and he also has some classes. The rest of my day will be pretty average, going to the gym, staying cool, working on trips, shopping...

Then of course I'll be back here tomorrow for an all new W2GW.

Ciao 4 now,
​-T