Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations
Pensacola, Florida’s Best National Naval Aviation Museum North American Whale Watching America’s Riviera on the California Coast Mexican Riviera Cruise From San Diego
Ocean Views 2018
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Byways Magazine ŠCopyright 2018 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher. For more than 35 years, Byways has been covering the leading destinations along the highways and byways of North America. Some of the most well-known, and least known, destinations to discover in the United States and Canada. Byways is published in three versions. They is the Turn-Key edition on the web for viewing on Computers, Android, iOS (iPhone and iPad). There is an Apple App Store edition. There is also a Byways Magazine Channel in Apple News. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine 502-785-4875 http://bywaysmagazine.com
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PREVIEW By Steve Kirchner, Editor & Publisher
But by 1985 more visitors watched whales from New England than California. The rapid growth in this area has been attributed to the relatively dense population of Humpback whales, whose acrobatic behavior such as breaching (jumping out of the water) and tail-slapping thrilled observers, and the close proximity of whale populations to large eastern cities. Today whale watching is not only popular on the Florida. coasts of Canada and the United States, it is now availKnown for its sugar white beaches, voted to the 10 able in 119 countries around the world! Best Beaches in Florida by Conde Nast, the coastal city Next stop is Santa Barbara, California, which spans has established itself as an all-encompassing travel and 110 miles of prisleisure spot for visitine Pacific Ocean tors around the Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf. Photo courtesy coastline. country. Jessy Lynn Perkins and Visit Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is But Pensacola is known as The known for much American Riviera® more than just its thanks to its beaches. It’s a city Spanish Colonial with a past, one that Revival architecstretches back more ture, rich heritage, than 450 years when world-renowned Spanish explorer food and wine Don Tristán de Luna scene, stunning naty Arellano was ural beauty and lured to its shores in near-perfect weath1559, establishing er. Pensacola as the The city lies just first European set92 miles north of tlement in North Los Angeles and America. 332 miles south of Pensacola also San Francisco. has one of the counTw e n t y - f i v e try’s top military beaches stretch museums. The nearly 100 miles National Naval from the southern-most coastal city of Carpinteria to the Aviation Museum is the world’s largest Naval Aviation north-county town of Guadalupe. museum and features more than 150 restored aircraft The area offers more than 220 wineries and more than representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard 23,000 planted acres of vineyards. Aviation. Spanning 37-acres of ground space and Bill Graves travels up the coast to the town of Bandon, 350,000 square feet of exhibit, All of this, plus free Oregon. We normally associate beaches with swimming admission to the museum! and sunbathing. Beaches here are where people come to From an activity that didn’t exist until the early 1950s, we discover why millions of people annually have taken discover, scavenge and pick up stuff, mostly driftwood. Pat Woods takes us out to sea, on a cruise departing a whale watching adventure. San Diego to the Mexican Riviera. Organized whale watching started in the United States, The Mexican Riviera cruise season runs October when the Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego was through April when temperatures are moderate. The 7declared a public venue for observing the migration of day cruise on the Oosterdam visited Cabo San Lucas at Gray whales. Its popularity quickly grew on the West the southern point of the Baja Peninsula, as well as Coast.
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elcome to the Ocean Views issue of Byways Magazine. Each year we visit a number of destinations along the coasts of North America. In this issue we begin on the Gulf of Mexico, with a visit to Pensacola,
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Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican mainland. Throughout the cruise observant guests saw numerous migrating whales and playful porpoises. Guests had ample opportunities to learn about Mexican culture, heritage and cuisine. In What’s Happening, Rabbit Hole’s ribbon cutting ceremony marked Louisville’s eighth distillery visitor experience to open since Evan William’s Bourbon Experience paved the way in 2013. What’s unique is Rabbit Hole’s newness to the bourbon scene, with production beginning in 2014 as a start-up. The 55,000 square foot Rabbit Hole Distillery packs a punch, and with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million proof gallons, it will be on the top 20 list of largest bourbon distilleries in the world. We hope you enjoy this issue.
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Volume 35, Issue No. 3 2018 On the cover. Sunset at Palafox Pier & Yacht Harbor in Downtown Pensacola, Florida. Photo courtesy Visit Pensacola. For more on Ocean Views, turn to page 8.
Features Ocean Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Florida’s Best, You’ll Find It In Pensacola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Naval Aviation Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 North American Whale Watching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 America’s Riviera on the California Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Bandon, Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Mexican Riviera Cruise From San Diego Creates Happy Memories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Departments Byways Instant Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Byways Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
What’s Happening Rabbit Hole Distillery Embodies Louisville’s Creative Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Coming in future issues of Byways ...Rivers & Lakes, Great American Roads, Great American Railroads and much more!
Next Up: Rivers & Lakes. View of Lake Michigan from Door County, Wisconsin.
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Ocean Views
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Whale Watching. A breaching humpback whale in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, an 842-square-mile federally protected marine sanctuary located at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay. Photo courtesy Whit Welles.
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Walking on the white, sandy beach at dusk in Pensacola. Photo courtesy Visit Pensacola. 10 • Byways
Florida’s Best, You’ll Find It In Pensacola
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Take an excursion to Fort McRee, located on the eastern tip of Perdido Key. Photo courtesy Visit Pensacola.
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he Pensacola Bay Area continues to be a vacation destination through recent accolades. Known mostly for its sugar white beaches, voted to the 10 Best Beaches in Florida by Conde Nast, the coastal city has established itself as an all-encompassing travel and leisure spot for visitors around the country. The Pensacola Bay Area offers a multitude of activities from exploring the Gulf Islands National Seashore and its majestic forts, or enjoying the vibrant cultural scene downtown. With 18 miles of sugar white sand beaches, bordered by the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, visitors from all over the world are lured to the area’s pristine shores every year. But Pensacola is more than a pretty face. It’s a city 12 • Byways
with a past, one that stretches back more than 450 years when Spanish explorer Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano was lured to its shores in 1559, establishing Pensacola as the first European settlement in North America.
One of USA Today’s Top 10 Beaches Pensacola Beach has been recognized as USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice 2018 Best Florida Beach. The area boasted not one but two nominations for the contest with the Gulf Islands National Seashore coming in third place. To add to the celebration, the beaches of Northwest Florida dominated the competition with Panama City Public Beach coming in second and Navarre Beach coming in fourth.
Local Cuisine
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The Pensacola Bay area is known for its fresh Gulf Coast seafood, so well-known that Food Network’s “Great American Food Truck Race” and host Tyler Florence stopped in to experience it. Business Insider named Taqueria El Asador, a local taco stand, to the 50 best tacos joints in all of America and Southern Living awarded the Flora-Bama the best bar in the entire state of Florida! Speaking of cocktails, locals favorite and owned by one of Visit Pensacola’s celebrity chefs, Skopelos restaurant has been awarded the 2017 Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator magazine. Lionfish at The Flora-Bama Yacht Club on Perdido Key.
Pensacola places a significant emphasis on the culinary scene. Foodies are encouraged to come and experience a vast variety of tastes in addition to gulf coast seafood, including Greek and American street food. Indulge in some of the finest cuisine overlooking the waterfront or on a sleepy corner downtown. Whether your idea of a great meal is classic cuisine or fresh seafood on the deck in your flip-flops, you’ll find a dinView looking up Palafox St. in downtown Pensacola. Photo courtesy Visit Pensacola.
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A couple enjoys kayaking at Big Lagoon State Park. Photos courtesy Visit Pensacola. ing experience beloved by locals and visitors alike.
The Fall is Festival Season Festival season is the prime time to plan a vacation to the area as the official tourism season has come to a close, rates have declined and the weather is mild. You can easily say this is a favorite time of year. for local residents. The National Naval Aviation Museum has been cited on the Best Free Activities in Florida list and Historic Pensacola Village has been named one of 13 Unforgettable Tours in Florida, hightlighting over 450 years of rich history, Historic Pensacola is a living laboratory that guides guests through 28 properties that have been fully restored. The village is fully operable and includes daily colonial living history demonstrations. https://www.visitpensacola.com 14 • Byways
Climb to the top of the historic lighthouse for spectacular views of the Pensacola Bay Area.
National Naval Museum Pensacola is home to the world’s largest Naval Aviation Museum Family looking at the Blue Angels at the National Naval Aviation Museum. Photo courtesy Visit Pensacola.
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Inside view of the National Naval Aviation Museum. Photo courtesy Visit Pensacola. 16 • Byways
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Grumman YF-14A Tomcat at the entrance to the Museum of Naval Aviation. Photo courtesy Kristian Jones.
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he National Naval Aviation Museum is the world’s largest Naval Aviation museum and features more than 150 restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviation. Spanning 37-acres of ground space and 350,000 square feet of exhibits, the Museum is open daily and offers free admission. It’s been named one of the top 25 museums in the United States, and ranks in the top 13 military museums in the country. The Museum’s exhibits provide a closer look at the people and events that shaped our history. From vintage uniforms and historic documents displayed in brilliant mahogany display cases, to dioramas that transport visitors to the World War I Western Front, Main Street U.S.A. in 1943, and the depths of Lake Michigan, the exhibits of the National Naval Aviation Museum seek to capture the human element of the enduring history of Naval air power. The Museum captures Naval Aviation’s heritage and brings its story of challenge, ingenuity and courage to you. Soar with the Blue Angels in the dazzling seven-story glass and steel atrium that showcases four A-4 Skyhawks in a diving diamond formation. Enjoy free guided tours and retrace the NC-4’s first flight across the Atlantic. Fly in one of the full motion simulators or see The Magic of 18 • Byways
Blue Angel performs during Homecoming Air Show. Photo courtesy Visit Pensacola.
Flight, the museum’s own Laser Powered Giant Screen Digital Theater film projected on a seven-story high screen. The Museum’s West Wing is devoted almost exclusively to World War II carrier aviation and showcases a full-size replica of the aircraft carrier USS Cabot’s island and flight deck. Famous World War II aircraft such as the Corsair, Dauntless and Hellcat stand nearby ready for take-off, while other magnificent birds fly overhead. Strap into one of the many cockpit trainers for pretend test flights or try your hand at defending a ship from Cabot’s anti-aircraft gun battery on the Main Deck. As the Museum has grown, so has its popularity. In the last decade alone, visitation has more than doubled, approaching one million in some years. The National Naval Aviation Museum has achieved recognition as one of the world’s premiere air and space museums and one of the most-visited museums in Florida.
Blue Angels Practices The National Naval Aviation Museum is proud to share a home with the United States Navy’s Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron! The U.S. Navy Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow has been named one of the Southeast’s Top 20 Events, For more information about Visit Pensacola, call 1800-874-1234 or go to http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org
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Blue Angels 4D Experience Fly with the Blue Angels in the Museum’s new attraction, the Blue Angels 4D Theater. Located in Hangar Bay One, visitors enjoy exciting, action-packed aerial maneuvers with the Blue Angels. With 3D images and surprising special effects, you’ll feel like you’re a part of a Blue Angels air show.
United States Naval Academy Undergraduate College of the U.S. Navy Guided Walking Tours include the Naval Academy Chapel, Crypt of John Paul Jones, Statue of Tecumseh and the history and traditions of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. HISTORICAL, EDUCATIONAL, JEWISH CHAPEL AND MILITARY REUNION TOURS
Naval Academy Gift Shop, Restrooms, Exhibits, Film U.S. Naval Academy Campus.
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Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center (410) 293-8112 Scheduling (410) 293-3365 (fax) www.usnabsd.com/for-visitors Visitor Center Hours January-February: 9 am - 4 pm March-December 9 am - 5 pm Photo ID required, ages 18 and over
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North American Whale Watching
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Breaching Gray whale off the San Diego coast, where it all began. Photo courtesy La Jolla.com.
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hale watching is the practice of viewing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. It is a mostly recreational activity, but it can serve scientific and educational purposes. Today, more than 13 million people worldwide participate in whale watching activities annually.
History Organized whale watching started in the United States, when the Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego was declared a public venue for observing the migration of Gray Whales; the spectacle attracted 10,000 visitors in its first year, 1950. In 1955 the first water-based whale 22 • Byways
watching commenced in the same area, charging customers $1 per trip to view the whales at closer quarters. The industry spread throughout the west coast of the United States over the following decade. In 1971 the Montreal Zoological Society offered the first commercial whale watching activity on the eastern side of North America, offering trips in the St. Lawrence River to view Fin and Beluga Whales. In 1984, Erich Hoyt, who had spent much time among the Orcas of British Columbia, published the first comprehensive book on whale watching, The Whale Watcher’s Handbook, which has been called the “classic” book on the subject.
Watching Orcas off the coast of Monetery, California. Orcas are also called wolves of the sea — the boat is actually named for the Orcas. Photo courtesy Yathin S Krishnappa.
By 1985 more visitors watched whales from New England than California. The rapid growth in this area has been attributed to the relatively dense population of Humpback Whales, whose acrobatic behavior such as breaching (jumping out of the water) and tail-slapping thrilled observers, and the close proximity of whale populations to the large cities there. Today, commercial whale watching operations arefound in 119 countries. The rapid growth of the number of whale watching trips and the size of vessel used to watch whales may affect whale behavior, migratory patterns and breeding cycles.
North Atlantic In New England and off the east coast of Long Island in the United States, the whale watching season typically takes place from about mid-spring through October, depending both on weather and precise location. It is here that the Humpback, Fin, Minke, and the very endangered/heavily protected North Atlantic Right whales are often observed. For generations, areas like the Gulf of Maine and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (part of the inner waters formed by Cape Cod’s hooked shape) have been important feeding grounds for these species: to this day a very large portion of the waters off the Eastern Byways • 23
Humpback whales and California sea lions in Monterey Bay. Photo courtesy Cynthia Yock.
Seaboard are rich in sand lance and other nutritious treats for mothers to teach their calves to feed on. In the past this area was the U.S. whaling industry’s capital, particularly Nantucket, an island just off the coast of Massachusetts. Though strict laws prohibit molestation of these large wild mammals, it is not uncommon for the whales to approach whale watching boats uninvited, particularly curious calves and juveniles. Juvenile Humpbacks are known to approach the boat to get a better look at the humans aboard. In recent years it is also not uncommon to see these animals playing and feeding in harbors, including New York City or Boston where fish species of interest to the whales have lately returned in astonishing numbers.
Eastern Canada Eastern Canada has many whale watching tours in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Twenty-two species of whales and dolphins frequent the waters of Newfoundland and Labrador, although the most common are the Humpback, Minke, Fin, Beluga and killer whales. Another popular whale watching area is Tadoussac, Quebec, where Belugas favor the extreme depth and 24 • Byways
mixture of cold fresh water from the Saguenay River into the inland end of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Humpbacks, Minkes, Fin and Blue whales are also frequently seen off Tadoussac. The Bay of Fundy is an equally important feeding ground for large whales and dozens of other creatures of the sea; it shares a population of migrating Humpbacks with America and is a known summer nursery for mother Right whales with calves.
The Mid-Atlantic On the East Coast of the United States, Virginia Beach, Virginia whale watching is a winter activity from the end of December until the middle of March. Fin, Humpback, and Right whales are seen off the Virginia Beach coast on whale watching boat trips run by the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. Sightings are mostly of juveniles who stay near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay where food is plentiful, while the adults continue to the Caribbean to mate. “Mom” and “Dad” pick up their offspring on the way back north where the whole family summers. The waters surrounding Virginia are also a known migration corridor for the endangered North Atlantic Right whale: Pregnant females must pass through this
area around December to reach their birthing grounds down the coast in Georgia and Florida. For these reasons the waters between the Delmarva Peninsula and the barrier islands that stretch southwards towards northern Florida must be monitored every winter and spring as mothers give birth to their calves, nurse them, and then ready themselves and their younglings to return north for the cooler waters near New England and Canada.
West Coast On the West Coast of Canada and the United States, excellent whale watching can be found in Alaska (summer), British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands/Puget Sound in Washington, where Orca pods are sometimes visible from shore. Three types of Orca pods can be observed during the summer months in the Northeast Pacific: resident, transient, and offshore killer whales. On the Oregon Coast, several whale species, especially Gray whales, may be seen year-round, and the state trains volunteers to assist tourists in the winter months, during whale migration season. In California, good whale watching can be found yearround on the Southern California coast. During the winter and spring (December–May), Gray whales can be seen from shore on their annual migration (the best spot being Point Vicente), while Blue whales are often seen between July and October. Fin whales, Minke whales, Orcas, and various species of dolphins can be seen yearround. In spring, summer, and fall at the Farallon Islands off
Breaching Whales Many whales are very acrobatic, even breaching (jumping) high out of the water and then slapping the water as they come back down. When a large whale breaches, the splash can be heard for nearly a mile. Sometimes the whales twirl around while breaching. Breaching may be done purely for play or may be used to loosen skin parasites, have some social meaning, or to communicate with other whales. Most species of whales are known to breach at times. Humpback whales are very acrobatic and known for their energetic breaching, as are gray whales and right whales. Humpbacks breach more frequently when the seas are rough (and their normal vocalizations are less likely to be heard over the roar of the seas). This suggests that the noise of breaching may be used as a signal. San Francisco, one may see Humpbacks, Grays, and Blue whales. In Mexico, the various lagoons of Baja California Sur become breeding habitat in February and March. A number of towns in the Mexican state celebrate the whales arrival with festivals such as Guerrero Negro, in the first half of February and the port of San Blas on 24 and 25 February. Every winter, more than 20,000 Pacific Gray whales travel 10,000 miles round-trip (the longest migration of any mammal on earth) from Alaska to the lagoons of Baja California. That makes San Diego, where it all started, with its 78 miles of coastline directly in the migration path, the perfect place to watch. Whale watching off Massachusetts coast. Photo courtesy Captain John Boats.
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America’s Riviera on the California Coast
Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara on the California coast. Photo courtesy Jay Sinclair and Visit Santa Barbara. 26 • Byways
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View of Stearns Wharf from the water in downtown Santa Barbara. Photo by Gabriela Herman, courtesy Visit Santa Barbara. et on the Pacific Ocean with 110 miles of sweeping up of Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, Summerland coastline, Santa Barbara and its environs (including and Carpinteria. The city of Santa Barbara is 18.9 square the Santa Ynez Mountains, wine country and sea- miles square with a population of 91,842. side cities) lie just 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco. Queen of the Missions, The Considered the northernmost point of Santa Barbara Mission. Photo Southern California and located along the Central Coast, Santa Barbara spans 110 miles courtesy Mark Weber. of pristine coastline. Santa Barbara is known as The American Riviera® thanks to its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, rich heritage, world-renowned food and wine scene, stunning natural beauty and near-perfect weather. Santa Barbara County encompasses the cities and communities of Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta, Summerland, Carpinteria, Ballard, Buellton, Lompoc, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Solvang, Orcutt, Guadalupe, Cuyama as well as Channel Islands National Park. The area popular with visitors is known as the “Santa Barbara South Coast” and is made 28 • Byways
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Beaches, Outdoor Recreation & Nature
only one from Alaska to Cape Horn) provides soothing year-round southern exposure. Average day temperaTwenty-five beaches stretch nearly 100 miles from the tures range from the mid-60s to mid-70s°F (18° to southern-most coastal city of Carpinteria to the north- 24°C), and evening temperatures are refreshingly cool throughout the year. county town of Guadalupe. The region offers whale watching, beachside bicycle and in-line skating paths, backcountry Jeep tours, eagle tours, sailing excursions and rentals, fishing charters, direct service from Santa Barbara Harbor’s SEA Landing to the Channel Islands, a skateboard park and seven 18-hole championship golf courses. Santa Barbara County also offers four horseback riding ranches, hiking, sea kayaking, surfing, beach volleyball, rock climbing, kite boarding, skydiving, hang gliding, road and mountain bicycling, windsurfing, SCUBA diving, birding, tide pooling and seasonal spectator polo at Santa Barbara Polo Club.
Climate
Wine Country More than 220 wineries and more than 23,000 planted acres of vineyards are located within the Santa Ynez, Lompoc and Santa Maria valleys, just a 45-minute drive north of the city of Santa Barbara via Highway 101 or 154; some 36 tasting rooms are also located in downtown Santa Barbara and along the Urban Wine Trail. The county has six official American Viticultural Areas (AVAs or appellations): Ballard Canyon, Happy Canyon, Santa Maria Valley, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley and Los Olivos District. Winery facilities offer tours and picnic sites. Santa Barbara Vintners: sbcountywines.com
Santa Barbara boasts a moderate Mediterranean climate year-round with an average of 300 days of sun- Points Of Interest • Cuisine: Santa Barbara chefs use fresh, seasonal shine. Santa Barbara’s unique east-west coastline (the ingredients sourced from local waters and farms. Dishes
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Sandpiper Golf Course overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta. Photo by Aidan Bradley, courtesy Visit Santa Barbara. Byways • 29
Sunset over the Pacific Ocean at Arroyo Hondo Beach near the city of Goleta. Photo by Mark Weber, courtesy Visit Santa Barbara. 30 • Byways
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Pence Ranch and vineyards in Santa Rita Hills, CA. Photo by Jessy Lynn Perkins, courtesy of Visit Santa Barbara. are complemented by world-class wines from more than 220 local wineries. Culinary tourists may enjoy the farms, waters, vineyards, restaurants, farmers’ and fishermen’s markets, cooking classes and food and wine events that create, cultivate and celebrate the region’s distinctive flavors. • Film: Santa Barbara was the original “Hollywood”; hundreds of silent movies and westerns were filmed here in the early 1900s, including Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1923). The region continues to be used as a backdrop for photo shoots, commercials and films; feature film shoots have included Sideways, It’s Complicated, Hidalgo, Seabiscuit and, most recently, 20th Century Women. A “Sideways” movie tour map and Santa Barbara movie tour itineraries are available via santabarbaraCA.com. The star-studded Santa Barbara International Film Festival rolls out the red carpet every year in late January/early February, and several film events and festivals take place throughout the year. • Gardens: Delve into acres of orchids and native plants at one of the area’s gardens or public parks. Top picks: Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, Casa del Herrero, Lotusland, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 32 • Byways
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Santa Barbara Harbor with the Santa Ynez Mountains above in the city of Santa Barbara. Photo by Mark Weber. Santa Barbara Zoo and Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. • Museums & Visual Arts: Santa Barbara Historical Museum is an excellent starting point. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art boasts outstanding collections of art from the Americas, Asia and Europe. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is nationally renowned. On the waterfront, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum offers an in-depth look at the region’s maritime roots and surf culture, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center resembles a working marine science laboratory, with a tank where kids can “pet” swell sharks. MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, will open in February 2017.
Visitor Information Contact Visit Santa Barbara at 800-676-1266, 805966-9222 or tourism@santabarbaraCA.com for information and a free visitors magazine. Destination information and accommodation booking is available on SantaBarbaraCA.com.
arden in Montecito, CA. Photo courtesy Lotusland. Byways • 33
Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves uring the night the Bandon, Oregon wind came up over The beaches, especially around Bandon, are treasure the Coast Range troves for collectors, artists and adventurers. We norand blew the sky so clean it mally associate the beach with swimming and sunlooked distilled. I had bathing. Not here. Beaches are where people come to spent the night at Bullards discover, scavenge and pick up stuff, mostly driftwood. Beach State Park near Driven by furious winter storms, logs pile up on the Bandon, Oregon. With the beaches at the high-water line. They consist not only of sun just coming up and turning the blue Pacific to silver, I walked from my motorhome to where sandpipers ran at the ocean’s edge, poking their bills in the sand after every wave. A young couple, hunting agates, were the only others on this long expanse of beach. They said they were tent-campers. Yesterday they had found a glass “fishing ball,” coveted by beachcombers, tumbling in the surf. These colored, glass balls wash up here from time to time. Some are as big as basketballs. They are actually floats that have broken loose from nets used by fisherman working the waters off Japan. When you consider that the Earth’s largest, uninterrupted stretch of ocean is between Japan and the Oregon coast, 6,000 miles, it’s a small miracle that they show up here. A park ranger told me that they are carried north by currents. Then they slowly make it down the coast of North America. When they show up here, they may have drifted for ten or twenty years. She said that pieces of boats that were broken up by the tsunami that hit Japan in 2004 still wash up on the beach here. Oregon, which geographically is halfway between the North Pole and the Equator, has 363 miles of coastline. And it has the most auto-accessible coastal viewpoints in the country. The largest oceanfront The beaches near Bandon, Oregon. dunes in the world are found here in Photos courtesy Bill Graves. Oregon. Some are 500 feet high. 34 • Byways
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Kids dig and craw, routing out secret hiding places in the driftwood. “driftwood,” of which lamps, clocks, even salad bowls are made, but gigantic timbers and stumps, some ten feet in diameter and weighting tons. The wood makes haphazard heaps that are huge. Tourists and locals rummage through them. Kids dig and crawl, routing out secret hiding places where they gather on a June afternoon to eat peanut-butter sandwiches deep in the twisted timbers.
A logger pulling in smelt on Bandon’s waterfront.
My guess is that it’s the tailing of lumbering operations as well as nature’s cast offs that have found their way into the Coquille River that empties into the ocean at Bandon. But I am told, there is a lot of non-local wood in there, too: mahogany, yew, teak, redwood and bamboo. Driftwood collectors here won’t guess and don’t even want to know where it comes from. They say mystery is the beauty of driftwood. I spent the afternoon on Bandon’s waterfront. There I met an out-of-work logger who was pulling in the smelt, two and three at a time, off a dock at the boat basin. We talked for a while before I made the mistake of saying that I had come up from Southern California. He said, “I don’t know what happens to people down there around LA.; I think they teach arrogance in the public schools. They come here on vacation, let their kids off the leash, complain that their cell phones don’t work, and that there is nothing to do.” A drizzle blowing in from the ocean was now becoming heavy. The logger offered me some smelt, as I turned to leave. “Take some,” he said. “Ten of these make a good meal.” About the author: After seeing much of the world as a career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to take a closer look at the United States. He has been roaming the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and is the author of On the Back Roads, Discovering Small Towns. of America. He can be reached at Roadscribe@aol.com.
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Mexican Riviera Cruise From San Diego Creates Happy Memories Story & Photos by Pat Woods
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Massive granite rocks welcome cruise ships to Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Byways • 37
Some of the many sculptures along the malecón in Puerto Vallarta. vid cruisers, husband Rob and I were seeking a chain stores and fast-food restaurants welcome tourists North American destination close to our Arizona and winter residents. As the Oosterdam docked in Puerto Vallarta, we home. When I discovered Holland America Line immediately noticed the nearby Walmart. This thriving offered a Mexican Riviera round trip from San Diego, I tourist town has spiffed up the port area to spur tourism was sold. The Mexican Riviera cruise season runs October through April when temperatures are In Cabo, we rode an excursion moderate. The 7-day cruise on the Oosterdam boat for a closer view of Land’s visited Cabo San Lucas at the southern point End arch rocks. of the Baja Peninsula, as well as Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta on the Mexican mainland. Cabo San Lucas lies where the Pacific Ocean meets Sea of Cortes. Massive granite arches beckon cruise ships to this colorful port. Mazatlan has its roots in Aztec culture. In Old Town, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception’s majestic twin towers dominates the narrow cobblestone streets that are typical of Mexican cities. The newer section in this city of 500,000 has wider streets, plus breweries, a casino and resorts. A bevy of hotels, 38 • Byways
A
development with familiar American stores and eateries. Typical shore excursions in the three ports include city, shopping, cultural and whale-watching tours. Beach excursions, as well as tequila and beer tastings, are popular options. Adventuresome guests can ride horses, snorkel, zip line, parasail, or go sport fishing. In Cabo, we rode an excursion boat for a closer view of Land’s End arch rocks, followed by a bus ride to a scenic location for photo ops. At Mazatlan, Rob took an estuaries and bird watching expedition down mangrove and palm waterways to see brown pelicans, sea hawks, blue heron and other exotic waterfowl. My Mazatlan city tour did a quick take on cliff divers and the cathedral. Then we spent more time at a professionally choreographed Mexican Folkloric show. The tour ended with time for lunch or shopping. After a short shared cab ride in Puerto Vallarta, we carefully climbed the steep steps to Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral. The beautiful interior was worth the effort. After making our way through the vendors in front of the church, we strolled along the malecón, a broad oceanfront walkway with sculptures, street performers, shops and cantinas. During all our port visits we felt secure on the ship’s organized tours as well as on our own. Tour guides, bus/cab drivers and merchants were polite and treated us with respect. Taxis were plentiful and affordable.
Fabulous Food Holland America is known for great food, and this voyage raised the bar. At the upscale Pinnacle Grill ($35 dinner, $10 lunch on sea days) our tender, juicy steaks and vegetables were cooked to perfection. A subtle light
A dancer poses during a Folklorico performance in Mazatlan. show that played on the jellyfish shapes on the ceiling enhanced the elegant atmosphere. Canaletto on the Lido deck appeals to guests who like Italian food with small plate dishes to share ($15). The bi-level main dining room offers fixed times or open dining. It boasts an extensive menu with five-course meals
Holland America’s Oosterdam docked in Mazatlan.
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View from the lido deck of the Oosterdam in Puerto Vallarta. elegantly presented. Guests also can order room service. Our breakfasts arrived hot and on time. In the Lido buffet, the smiling and eager-to-please crew created a happy dining environment for guests to meet and mingle. This carried through the entire ship. The Lido buffet salad bar boasts an extensive array of fresh greens chosen by guests and served by a gloved crew member. We enjoyed starting lunch with a large bowl of our favorite healthy greens. Holland America ships consistently receive high health inspection scores, and hand sanitation stations throughout the ship facilitate staying healthy.
Onboard Activities Returning guests noticed several improvements. Formal nights have morphed into gala nights with a more relaxed dress code. Cabins have wall-mounted flat screen TVs. Guests can get ship and shore excursion information on their cabin TV or from personal smart phones and tablets. If guests need Internet help, they can take their devices to the front desk. Throughout the cruise observant guests saw numerous migrating whales and playful porpoises. Guests had ample opportunities to learn about Mexican culture, heritage and cuisine. A lively Mariachi band played Mexican music, and colorful Folkloric dancers created a fiesta atmosphere. 40 • Byways
A lively mariachi band entertains guests on the Lido deck during the cruise.
Evergreen Spa guests listen to soft music as they relax on heated lounges in the thermal If you go For a more enjoyable visit, wear sturdy comfortable suite. Photo courtesy Holland America. shoes to navigate Mexico’s cobblestone streets, steep In addition to typical spa treatments, Evergreen Spa stairs and high curbs. To learn more about Holland offered a 7-day pass to its relaxing warm hydro pool with America cruises, visit www.hollandamerica.com, call many jets to sooth aching joints and tired muscles. In the 1-877-932-4259 or contact your travel agent. thermal suite, spa guests could also use a steam room and relax on a heated ceramic lounger with soft music and an About the Author: A widely published Arizonaocean view ($149). based cruise and travel writer, Pat Woods urges readers to SKI (spend Digital Workshop the kids’ inheritance) on a cruise. A Microsoft instructor taught numerous software classes in the Digital Workshop. Guests took exercise and craft classes, improved cooking skills in America’s test kitchen, attended daily Catholic Mass, and played bridge, bingo, trivia and other games. View of the main altar in the beautiful Our Lady The Oosterdam of Guadalupe Cathedral in Puerto Vallarta. offered a wide array of music from a string quartet playing classical, to show tunes and contemporary. B.B. King’s Blues Club was a popular venue. Comedians, dancers and other entertainers performed nightly. Cruise lines are attracting younger guests, singles and families of all ages while retaining veteran cruisers. During our voyage generations from all backgrounds blended nicely. Congenial, well-trained smiling crew members from 30 countries were eager to serve. In an era of abrasive discourse, this cruise was a model of civility and respect for one another. The congenial mix of guests and crew was as beautiful as the warm sunny weather. My most poignant memory was on a tender (smaller boat that ferries passengers ashore) in Cabo San Lucas. Just as the tender moved in position to transfer guests, the waves increased. Four skilled crew members lifted a woman in a wheelchair safely to the ship platform from the bobbing tender. I led the applause for the heroic crew. Byways • 41
Creative Spirit Embodies Louisville’s Rabbit Hole Distillery
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abbit Hole’s ribbon cutting ceremony marked Louisville’s eighth distillery visitor experience to open since Evan William’s Bourbon Experience paved the way in 2013. What makes Rabbit Hole especially noteworthy is their newness to the bourbon scene, with production beginning in 2014 as a start-up. The ribbon cutting was a sneak peek for media with the official launch of public tours and experiences in June. Set in Louisville’s progressive Nulu neighborhood, the distillery showcases the identity, tradition, and legacy of bourbon-making in a whole new way. The 55,000 square foot Rabbit Hole Distillery packs a punch, and
Video r o f k c Cli
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with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million proof gallons, it will be on the top 20 list of largest bourbon distilleries in the world. In addition to its production facility, the distillery is designed to raise the bar for Louisville and Kentucky distillery tourism. There are no brief samples and exiting through the gift shop at this distillery, as Rabbit Hole wants you to get
lost in the magic and linger. Guests can indulge in Rabbit Hole both straight and within cocktails at a tasting bar featuring a menu curated by Proprietors LLC. Located on the third floor, the Rabbit Hole Distillery event space, referred to as “The Overlook,” is the highest point over the warehouse offering a stunning view of downtown Louisville, as well as the bridges on the Ohio river. The event space and distillery will reshape the Louisville skyline while also supplying an incredi-
point for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. This will bring the total number of “Urban Bourbon Experience” attractions in the Bourbon City to 11, more than any other in Kentucky’s Bourbon Country. The pub crawl that is the Urban Bourbon Trail continues to grow alongside the popularity of bourbon with 39 stops,
g n i n e p p a H s ’ t a Wh
each well-stocked with at least 50 bourbons; some as many as 300. ble new For more information and to plan a trip to Bourbon space to hold a multitude of Country visit www.bourboncountry.com or events within Louisville. The Overlook also offers a www.gotolouisville.com. rare peek into the distillery, providing a fascinating element for any gathering it plays host to. In 2013, Louisville’s first distillery since Prohibition opened in the heart of downtown, signaling a new era in Bourbon that Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer coined as “Bourbonism” for its convergence of economic development through manufacturing and tourism. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience became the first distillery with public tours in Louisville and by fall of 2018, Louisville will have ten open distillery attractions including The Bullitt Frontier Whiskey Experience, Kentucky Artisan Distillery showcasing Jefferson’s Reserve, a brandy distillery Copper & Kings, Kentucky Peerless Distillery— a father and son team who resurrected a family label, Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse at the Fourth Street Live!, and Angel’s Envy, originally a family label now owned by Bacardi Ltd. Three additional highly anticipated bourbon attractions under construction on historic Whiskey Row include Old Forester Distillery, opening June 14 on a site which housed two former barrel warehouses dating back to the 1850s, Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery, slated for this fall and Frazier History Museum’s Welcome Center & Exhibit, serving as the official starting Byways • 43
Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America. Byways is emailed to more than 4000 tour operators /Travel Trade through the Internet. Subscriptions are complimentary. An iPad & iPhone version is available for consumers in iTunes in the App Store. An Android browser version is available at www.issuu.com/byways. Byways’ distribution includes motorcoach companies, tour operators, selected travel agents, bank travel managers, school band and athletic planners, meeting planners and the travel trade. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine at 502-785-4875. ©Copyright 2018 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher. Editor and Publisher Stephen M. Kirchner
Advertising Director 502-785-4875 Internet bywaysmagazine.com byways@motorcoach.com Byways on Facebook Byways on Twitter
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Chillicothe Visitors Bureau, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Country Inns & Suites, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Jamestown, American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Holiday Inn Express, Hummelstown (Hershey), Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Randolph County, West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Spectrum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Springfield Tourism, Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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