Page 11 - AAA Northwest Ohio - AAA Now! March/April 2013
Basic HTML Version
11
MARCH/APRIL 2013
TRAVEL
Now
!
REMOVE THIS SECTION TO SAVE FOR FUTURE TRAVEL PLANNING
You would expect me to be writing this article in my
office, right? Well, I’m not! I am above 10,000 feet in
the air, heading to Cancun and writing this article on
my Samsung Tablet, while being connected via GoGo
in Flight Internet Wi-Fi. I always said I would never
connect in the air, but I have to face the fact that I like
to be connected at all times. But it’s not just me—I
see our members on our group trips also staying
connected, reading books on their e-readers, and
sending emails to their family and friends.
Times have changed and AAA Travel has also
changed. It’s important that we remain relevant to all
ages for the years to come. It’s a major initiative for
us right now to strategize about what the travelers'
wants and needs are, not only for Baby Boomers,
but for the Gen X and Y too.
We think about this a lot and I am actually looking
for some volunteers of all ages to help AAA Northwest
Ohio with a Travel Focus Group. This focus group will
assist us in making sure our Travel product is offered
and delivered in a manner that AAA members need,
now…and in the future. If you are interested in this,
please send me an email.
You’ll find me hosting three of our group trips in
2013. In April, it’s Castles of the Rhine on Uniworld,
in June it’s back to Iceland for the 10th time and in
August, it’s our Member Appreciation Cruise to the
British Isles. I invite you to join me on one or all of
these journeys! Check these trips out and more on
our newly designed website,
My travel door is always open for questions,
comments or compliments! Thank you one and all
for being a AAA member.
Yours in travel,
Sue McCloskey
Sue's Corner
Sue McCloskey
Executive Vice President,
AAA Northwest Ohio
Exploring Northern
National Parks
S
alt Lake City is a beautiful place to begin a
journey through the national parks of the
United States. Prior to embarking on hiking
and nature adventures, exploring the city’s
downtown area sheds light on the area’s history
and Mormon influence. Walking through town and
visiting sites such as the Governor’s Mansion and
Temple Square while taking in the beauty of the
Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains provides an ideal
introduction to the area.
Located within the Jackson Hole Valley, Jackson,
Wyoming remains a town influenced by rich
Native American history and 19th century
explorer culture. Jackson’s National Museum of
Wildlife Art showcases an extensive collection
while promoting ecology, conservation and
discussions regarding the future of wildlife
habitat. Overlooking an elk refuge and located
near Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton
National Park, the museum celebrates its 25-
year history in 2013. Within the town, Western
culture remains influential and visitors are
invited to learn about the area’s cowboy lifestyle.
Bar J Chuckwagon Supper andWestern Show
pays homage to the OldWest by serving up
barbecue beef, chicken and pork. Other dishes
include grilled rib-eye steak, Bar J beans, biscuits,
applesauce and old-fashioned spice cake. The Bar
J Wranglers provide entertainment through song,
storytelling, comedy, yodeling and fiddling.
Jackson also serves as the gateway to one of
the most popular national parks, Yellowstone
National Park. Designated as a park in 1871,
Yellowstone National Park was also the world’s
first. The protected area of 3,472 square miles
offers stunning canyons, lakes, hot springs, boiling
mudpots and geysers, including the famous Old
Faithful. While traveling through Yellowstone,
visitors stop to admire calcite wonders of the
Minerva Terraces, petrified trees of Specimen Ridge,
Obsidian Cliff and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
Old Faithful is not Yellowstone’s only famous geyser.
The magnificent Grand Prismatic, the park’s largest
geyser, releases water that comprises algae and
bacteria, which produce a rainbow of vivid colors.
Established in 1929, GrandTeton National Park
includes some of the most extraordinary scenery in
the United States and boasts the highest mountains
inWyoming, including GrandTeton, which is the
highest standing at 13,770 feet. Home to the youngest
mountains in the Rockies, GrandTeton National Park
is also a prime area for viewing an array of wildlife
including grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, wolves, bison,
moose, elk, pronghorns, beavers, black bears, bald
eagles, ospreys, white pelicans and trumpeter swans.
The site of 2002’s Winter Olympics, Park City,
Utah, provides an array of outdoor activities.
While the winter season is dominated by skiing
and snowboarding, the summer months bring
a conversion of ski lifts and runs into biking and
hiking trails. Though the Olympic games were held
more than 10 years ago, Park City’s Olympic Park
still welcomes visitors to watch freestyle aerialists
and ski jumpers perfect their technique. Tours
of the park are available and visitors are invited
to try a 70 mph bobsled ride. Camps are offered
for introductory instruction in ski jumping, luge,
skeleton or slope style skiing and snowboarding.
Seasoned travelers know that much of the world’s
greatest beauty exists in the United States. The
national parks of the Western United States offer
beauty for all seasons. Join AAA Northwest Ohio
September 6-13, 2013 to experience the wonder of
Northern National Parks.
