Back in early March, in the time BV (Before Virus), we were planning many trips to take during this year.
We had scheduled a spring trip to Florida to visit family and take two charter fishing outings, one freshwater and the other salt water. This would also include a day metal detecting on the beach.
Of course, while in Florida, we always would hit a large flea market or two. Travel restrictions forced us to cancel that trip.
Memorial Day weekend is the annual treasure hunt on the beach in Ontario, Canada, about 40 miles across the border from Niagara Falls. We attend this event almost every year. For two days, we join old friends and sometimes new ones in searching for old coins and prize tokens, which have been buried on a Lake Ontario beach. This year, the hunt was canceled because of travel restrictions.
June was the month we were going to either eastern Lake Erie and Chautauqua County, New York, or to North Alabama Mountain Lakes region. We had been to both areas on numerous occasions and experienced great fishing, lots of neat tourist attractions, and, of course, outstanding food at eating establishments hand-picked for us by our Tourism Bureau friends. Once again, canceled.
Hopefully, things would get under control and our July week-long camping/metal detector hunt at Starve Hollow State Recreation Area in southern Indiana would be our first trip of the year. Wrong! While the recreation area has opened, the treasure hunt — which is our main reason for taking our motorhome south to this location — was canceled because the folks in charge of putting on the event thought not enough participants would show because of virus complications.
Jumping ahead to October, the four-day annual outdoor writers conference in West Virginia has already been postponed until next year. I don’t understand this because it was still four months away when they shut down the event. This outing is one of our favorite trips of the year. It is in a different location every year, but always in the southeastern states. This means great hospitality and outstanding food. Southern cooking is my favorite. Fishing is always included, and I enjoy the shopping at local farmers markets, outlets and specialty shops.
But finally, most travel restrictions are being lifted. Our daughter and her family, plus all the in-laws, are heading to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week’s vacation. A dolphin watching excursion is on the agenda, as is a one-day fishing trip for whatever species will grab a bait. Our grandson, Benjamin, will be using his metal detector on the beach hoping for a lost Spanish coin, but will probably only find a few clad dimes and zinc pennies. No matter. I wish we were with him.
Susie’s brother and his whole family are leaving Orlando, Florida, and traveling in two motorhomes to Yellowstone. Stan has made all the plans, and has reservations for everywhere they plan to stop. He is used to planning these outings and has taken his rig from Orlando to Alaska one summer. I think they were gone for six weeks.
We still have several trips planned if the government doesn’t renew the restrictions. Instead of our treasure hunt in southern Indiana, we are going to attend three days at a week-long hunt in Pennsylvania. I think the grandson will be joining us. Two of the days will have buried Civil War relics, and Benjamin is extremely interested in these items.
August is tentatively the month we are supposed to go fishing at resorts in both Minnesota and Ontario on Lake of the Woods. We made plans for this way back in February at the Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show. As I write this, the Canadian border is still shut down. The latest thoughts are it will open again on June 21.
We try to make this trip every few years so I can visit my older brother who lives in Kenora, Ontario. We meet him for lunch, talk an hour or sometimes two, then, say we will meet again in a couple years. At our age, it’s not a good idea to miss too many of these meetings.
Our September outdoor writers conference in Gaylord, Michigan, is still a go at this time. It’s another great time with friends we only see once or twice a year. Food is always great (but not southern!), some type of fishing is usually included, and local attractions are visited. Susie spends time in the local quilt shop in Gaylord, while I drop in at the candy store where I purchase several bags of chocolate-covered potato chips. My favorite! Every time we visit Gaylord, some of these chips go home with us. When our conference is in another northern Great Lakes state, the director of the Gaylord Tourism Bureau brings me several bags.
Last year, most of our trips were canceled because I was waiting on kidney surgery. This year, the virus has stopped most of our trips. I’m hoping the few remaining events marked on our calendar will not get scratched off.