วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 13 กันยายน พ.ศ. 2555
วันจันทร์ที่ 16 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2550
EVERETT
Thirty-odd miles north of downtown Seattle via the I-5 freeway or the older, funkier Hwy-99, at the west end of transcontinental US-2, busy Everett (pop. 91,488) is a thoroughly blue-collar place that feels a lot farther from Seattle’s high-tech flash than the mere half hour it is. A heavy industry center economically dependent upon two of the largest livelihoods in the Pacific Northwest—wood products and aircraft manufacturing—Everett has a few large turn-of-the-century mansions overlooking the all-business waterfront, where a Kimberly-Clark paper mill shares space with a big U.S. Navy base that’s home port to the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The old-fashioned downtown, a half mile west of I-5 around Hewitt and Colby Avenues, has some neat antique and junk shops, a dozen or so roughneck bars and taverns, and a very nice brewpub, the Flying Pig (425/339-1393), next to the historic Everett Theatre at 2929 Colby Avenue. For milk shakes or great fish-and-chips, stop by Ray’s Drive-In (425/252-3411) at 1401 Broadway.
Everett’s one big tourist draw is the huge Boeing assembly plant on the southwest edge of town, well-marked from I-5 exit 189, at the west end of Hwy-526. The factory, where they make the world’s biggest planes—747s through 7E7 “Dreamliners”—is worth a look if only for the 11-story-high, quarter-mile-long building, which is the largest in the world by volume. Tours (Mon.–Fri. 9 am–3 pm; $5; 800/464-1476) leave on the hour and last 90 minutes, but they fill up quickly, so get tickets as early as you can.
US-2 leaves Everett on Hewitt Avenue, which crosses I-5 then takes a historic old drawbridge over the Snohomish River before winding for a half-dozen miles across low-lying fields toward the town of Snohomish.
Everett’s one big tourist draw is the huge Boeing assembly plant on the southwest edge of town, well-marked from I-5 exit 189, at the west end of Hwy-526. The factory, where they make the world’s biggest planes—747s through 7E7 “Dreamliners”—is worth a look if only for the 11-story-high, quarter-mile-long building, which is the largest in the world by volume. Tours (Mon.–Fri. 9 am–3 pm; $5; 800/464-1476) leave on the hour and last 90 minutes, but they fill up quickly, so get tickets as early as you can.
US-2 leaves Everett on Hewitt Avenue, which crosses I-5 then takes a historic old drawbridge over the Snohomish River before winding for a half-dozen miles across low-lying fields toward the town of Snohomish.
WASHINGTON
The 350 miles of US-2 across Washington State contain enough contrasting landscapes to fill many states. West to east, the route begins at the industrial fringes of Seattle and the Puget Sound, passing through a couple of Victorian-era towns before climbing steeply up toward the towering peaks, dense forests, and pristine lakes of the Cascade Mountains. East of the Cascade crest, the rugged volcanic landscape suddenly becomes drier and much more sparse, the dense forests fading first into lush farmlands and orchards reclaimed from the natural desert, then continuing across increasingly barren sagebrush plains into Idaho.
Though traffic can be heavy on long summer weekends, and also in winter in the Cascades section, along US-2 it is usually light, since most of the 18-wheelers and other heavy vehicles follow the parallel I-90 freeway, 25 miles to the south
Though traffic can be heavy on long summer weekends, and also in winter in the Cascades section, along US-2 it is usually light, since most of the 18-wheelers and other heavy vehicles follow the parallel I-90 freeway, 25 miles to the south
BETWEEN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON AND ACADIA NATIONAL PARK
Though many come close, no other cross-country route takes in the variety and extremity of landscape that US-2 does. Dubbed the Great Northern in memory of the pioneer railroad that parallels the western half of the route, US-2 is truly the most stunning and unforgettable, not to mention longest, of all the great transcontinental road trips.
Starting in the west near the beautiful Pacific port city of Seattle, US-2 runs steeply up and over the volcanic Cascade Range, climbing from sea level to alpine splendor in around an hour. From the crest, the road drops down onto the otherworldly Columbia Plateau, a naturally arid region reclaimed from sagebrush into fertile farmland by New Deal public works projects like the great Grand Coulee Dam, one of the largest pieces of civil engineering on the planet. From Washington, US-2 bends north, clipping across the top of the Idaho Panhandle before climbing up into western Montana, a land of forests, rivers, and wildlife that culminates in the bold granite spectacle of Glacier National Park.
On the eastern flank of the Rockies, the route drops suddenly to the windswept prairies of the northern Great Plains. Though empty to look at—especially when you’re midway along the 1,000-mile beeline across Montana and North Dakota, wondering how long it will be until you see the next tree or peak—this is a land rich in history, where the buffalo once roamed freely, where Plains tribes like the Shoshone, Blackfeet, Sioux, and Cheyenne reigned supreme, and where the Lewis and Clark expedition followed the Missouri River upstream in search of a way west to the Pacific.
Midway across the continent, the Great Plains give way to the Great North Woods country of Minnesota—birthplace of both Paul Bunyan and Judy Garland—and then to the rugged lumber and mining country of Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Continuing due east, the route crosses the border into Ontario, Canada, through the capital city of Ottawa, and the francophile environs of Montreal before returning to the United States near lovely Lake Champlain in upstate New York.
From there, US-2 passes through the hardwood forests of Vermont’s Green Mountains and the rugged granite peaks of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, two very different ranges, though only 50 miles apart. The route winds down to the coast of Maine, reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
Landscapes, rather than cities and towns, play the starring roles on this route. Between Seattle and Montreal, the biggest cities along the route are Spokane and Duluth. Still, after a few days spent following US-2 through small towns and wide-open spaces, you’ll probably consider Duluth bustling and fast-paced; driving even a short stretch of the Great Northern highway is guaranteed to bring new meaning to the expression “getting away from it all.”
Starting in the west near the beautiful Pacific port city of Seattle, US-2 runs steeply up and over the volcanic Cascade Range, climbing from sea level to alpine splendor in around an hour. From the crest, the road drops down onto the otherworldly Columbia Plateau, a naturally arid region reclaimed from sagebrush into fertile farmland by New Deal public works projects like the great Grand Coulee Dam, one of the largest pieces of civil engineering on the planet. From Washington, US-2 bends north, clipping across the top of the Idaho Panhandle before climbing up into western Montana, a land of forests, rivers, and wildlife that culminates in the bold granite spectacle of Glacier National Park.
On the eastern flank of the Rockies, the route drops suddenly to the windswept prairies of the northern Great Plains. Though empty to look at—especially when you’re midway along the 1,000-mile beeline across Montana and North Dakota, wondering how long it will be until you see the next tree or peak—this is a land rich in history, where the buffalo once roamed freely, where Plains tribes like the Shoshone, Blackfeet, Sioux, and Cheyenne reigned supreme, and where the Lewis and Clark expedition followed the Missouri River upstream in search of a way west to the Pacific.
Midway across the continent, the Great Plains give way to the Great North Woods country of Minnesota—birthplace of both Paul Bunyan and Judy Garland—and then to the rugged lumber and mining country of Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Continuing due east, the route crosses the border into Ontario, Canada, through the capital city of Ottawa, and the francophile environs of Montreal before returning to the United States near lovely Lake Champlain in upstate New York.
From there, US-2 passes through the hardwood forests of Vermont’s Green Mountains and the rugged granite peaks of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, two very different ranges, though only 50 miles apart. The route winds down to the coast of Maine, reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
Landscapes, rather than cities and towns, play the starring roles on this route. Between Seattle and Montreal, the biggest cities along the route are Spokane and Duluth. Still, after a few days spent following US-2 through small towns and wide-open spaces, you’ll probably consider Duluth bustling and fast-paced; driving even a short stretch of the Great Northern highway is guaranteed to bring new meaning to the expression “getting away from it all.”
Plane Trips
Many parents dread long plane rides with little kids. Yes, it's tough, but you'll survive! The key is preparation: bringing lots of amusements, snacks, drinks, etc. Also: forget about watching the en-route movie for the next eight years...
How to Reserve a Trip
The next step to adventure is easy! Our Area Managers are here to help--from choosing the right trip and checking availability to reserving your place. After you sign up, the same Area Manager will normally be your single point of contact, overseeing all of your arrangements, including air travel and trip extensions, until you arrive home.
Choosing Your Trip
Once you've had a chance to browse our catalog, (if you don't have one yet, click here) be sure to check out our Detailed Daily Itineraries. These are available for downloading from Trip Pages, or they can be sent to you via fax, email, or mail. Our Area Managers can answer any questions you might have, and they would be happy to refer you to someone who has traveled with us before for a reference.
Reserving Your Place
You may sign-up online by clicking on the "Reserve this Trip" button available on every trip page. Early reservations are recommended, since group sizes are limited and airlines often sell out their best fares many months in advance. Once you have submitted this reservation request, one of our travel consultants will contact you during our next business day to confirm your arrangements, and to charge the initial $500 per person deposit to your Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit card. If you prefer, you can email your request to us, or download a blank Trip Application (in PDF format–30K) and send it to us by mail. For immediate confirmation, please feel free to call us at 1-800-368-2794. Out office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 5:00PM Pacific Time.
Upon receiving your deposit we will send you a confirmation letter, detailed trip itinerary, visa applications, and a pre-departure booklet with clothing and equipment lists, medical information, travel insurance applications, suggested reading list and general information needed to prepare for your trip. Your air tickets, rendezvous instructions, and final trip details will be sent about 3 weeks prior to departure.
Choosing Your Trip
Once you've had a chance to browse our catalog, (if you don't have one yet, click here) be sure to check out our Detailed Daily Itineraries. These are available for downloading from Trip Pages, or they can be sent to you via fax, email, or mail. Our Area Managers can answer any questions you might have, and they would be happy to refer you to someone who has traveled with us before for a reference.
Reserving Your Place
You may sign-up online by clicking on the "Reserve this Trip" button available on every trip page. Early reservations are recommended, since group sizes are limited and airlines often sell out their best fares many months in advance. Once you have submitted this reservation request, one of our travel consultants will contact you during our next business day to confirm your arrangements, and to charge the initial $500 per person deposit to your Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit card. If you prefer, you can email your request to us, or download a blank Trip Application (in PDF format–30K) and send it to us by mail. For immediate confirmation, please feel free to call us at 1-800-368-2794. Out office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 5:00PM Pacific Time.
Upon receiving your deposit we will send you a confirmation letter, detailed trip itinerary, visa applications, and a pre-departure booklet with clothing and equipment lists, medical information, travel insurance applications, suggested reading list and general information needed to prepare for your trip. Your air tickets, rendezvous instructions, and final trip details will be sent about 3 weeks prior to departure.
My experience in Thailand
I booked my ticket to Thailand for two reasons: I wanted to see my friend Justin, and almost all of the international students at my University had traveled there and loved it. So when I found a really cheap ticket, I jumped at the opportunity, not really knowing what to expect. Before I left, I had a few small, and mostly inaccurate, impressions of Thailand: what my friends had told me about the great beaches and shopping, the minimal online searching I had done of things to do in Thailand, parts of a book I read about wandering Buddhist monks in northern Thailand (the fact that the country is Buddhist is probably the most accurate impression I had before coming) and a scene from Bridget Jones' Diary II (which convinced me not to go near illegal drugs). I had no idea what kind of experience I was in for, but I couldn't have even prepared myself for what I found.
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