For 1999, Resolve To Get Up And Go
Did you include travel plans in your New Year’s resolutions for 1999?
Why not resolve to drive through new-scenery-to-you in the Inland Northwest every two weeks or so, and plan three- or four-day mini-vacations every couple months?
I once heard that time away - a change of scenery - is as good as a rest.
If we wait until the spirit moves us, and don’t consciously decide to broaden our little world with planned excursions, we might not move at all. And another set of winter doldrums will really chill us out.
I’ve begun compiling a list of places to go and things to see, which includes Walla Walla where the Whitmans lived, and hopefully learn more about the disaster that occurred there. Friends tell me Leavenworth and Winthrop are gorgeous in the winter. And I’ve heard lots of good things about Bigfork, Mont. It’s time to see it for myself.
Plus, I really want to see those whales in Oregon before they all swim south.
Think spring
If it’s been too long since you’ve seen the sun, here’s a suggestion: The Pacific Science Center in Seattle offers butterflies and bugs - true signs of spring.
The Tropical Butterfly House and Insect Village opened Dec. 26 as permanent exhibits at the center, 200 Second Ave. N. Temperature in the Butterfly House is a constant 80 degrees, with humidity near 80 percent. Visitors can stroll down a garden path surrounded by tropical flora amid some 1,000 colorful, fluttering butterflies from around the world.
We stopped at a butterfly house in Canada a few years back. The humidity was sapping, but did I ever get some great close-up photos of butterflies. They practically posed.
Inhabitants of the center’s Insect Village include giant, robotic specimens, as well as live, hissing cockroaches and walking sticks. There are big insects, little insects, icky insects. Sounds like something the grandkids would think was awesome.
There are also giant robotic whales at the center, plus ever-changing special events.
Admission is $7.50 for those 14 to 64 years old, and $5.50 for children, 3 to 13, and seniors, 65 and older.
Winter driving tips
Families on the Run Club, a quarterly newsletter by Toyota Sienna, offers some good ideas about traveling in winter weather:
Pack individual water bottles, along with Thermoses of hot-spiced cider, cocoa, coffee or tea to warm your soul - and insides.
Keep blankets handy. They provide protection from the cold in case of car trouble and can double as pillows.
Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to arrive at your destination, or return home.
Never leave your purse, valuables or packages visible in your car. That’s what trunks are for.
Keep your car keys in a pocket, not in a purse. That way, if your purse is stolen (or lost), you can still get home.
Keep your doors locked and windows closed at all times while in the car, or whenever your leave it, even if it’s just for a minute.
Some of those suggestions sound scary, but it’s better to be on the safe side, I suppose.
To sign up for the free newsletter, call (888) SIENNA7 (743-6627).
In our own backyard
Fire up the computer, surf the Internet and plug into www.silvercountry.com for a peek at 50,000 square miles dubbed Silver Country.
The area of majestic scenery includes North Idaho, Western Montana and a smidgen of Eastern Washington.
The Silver Country site invites clicks on a variety of things to do, places to stay, mountains to conquer….
Silver Country caters to those who like to play in the snow. Rooms can be reserved on site and arrangements made for snowmobile and dog-sled tours, winter festivals and sporting events, even the University of Idaho’s Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in February.
You’re just a click away from it all. Or, you can call (888) 326-4611 for a brochure. Simpler yet, call your travel agent and let him/her do it for you.
B&Bs
The Marianna Stoltz House Bed and Breakfast at 427 E. Indiana is in the heart of Spokane’s historic Gonzaga District.
The 1908 house, listed on the Spokane register of historic homes, has a wrap-around veranda, a spacious parlor, dining room and sitting room. And four bedrooms with king, queen or single beds, with private and shared baths.
For breakfast, the innkeepers, Phyllis and Jim Maguire and Marie McCarter-Witherell, serve their own strada, puffy Dutch pancakes with homemade apple syrup, or peach melba parfait, homemade granola and juice, plus coffee or tea.
Call 483-4316 (or 800-978-6587) or visit the Web site at WWW.aimcomm.com/stoltzhouse.
A while back, the Web site address for Country Ranch B&B in North Idaho was misprinted. It should be: www.nidlink.com/ countryranch. (Web-site addresses are such a pain to write out - and every letter is vital.)