The Best of 2015!!!!

Another year has gone by and it's time to wrap up my destinations for 2015. It started out as a big destination year for me and sorta, kinda fell off the rails in the middle and ended with a long road trip. Let's see where 2015 took us -



Western Caribbean Cruise
In January Mr. UR and I went on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Glory with his brother and his wife (Hi R and M!) to celebrate our 30th anniversaries. Leaving out of Miami, the ports of call were Belize, the island of Roatan off of Honduras and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. There was lots of fun and sunshine and we snorkeled the Meso-American reef in 3 different places. Mr. UR's favorite form of travel is cruising - sometimes you can only see water as far as you look, there is no driving involved once you are on the ship and you can't beat the cost. 

Japan
February saw me taking my first trip to Asia. I met my 2 daughters in Tokyo - one was heading to Korea to study abroad and the other was taking a week's vacation from work.  Everything about this trip was unique - the sights, the food, the people and the atmosphere.  I tell everyone who asks that it took me a long time to process Japan - it was familiar yet foreign. I don't know how else to describe it. I would  return in a heartbeat and would love to see more of the island.

Southwestern US
Mr UR and I headed to southwestern Utah to meet up with our oldest and his girlfriend and tour Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. There was lots of driving involved and lots of beautiful scenery. Seriously some of the most beautiful places I've been to. Vastness and desolation. And I feel like we still didn't touch the tip of the iceberg in seeing all there was to see.

New England
In June we went to visit our oldest daughter in Boston. We took a long weekend and borrowed a friend's cottage in Connecticut and visited Block Island and Watch Hill, Rhode Island and Mystic and Stonington, Connecticut. Classic New England with lobster eating, Mystic pizza, boats in harbors and chilly temps - even in June. I always forget how much I love New England and it's unique version of itself - "it's so New England"

Southport, North Carolina
In September I visited one of my new favorite destinations - Southport and the Brunswick Isles area of North Carolina. Just outside of Wilmington, North Carolina this area is perfect for beach lovers with each town having it's own personality. Recently famous for the filming location of the movie "Safe Haven", Southport is enjoying it's own little tourism renaissance.  And Bald Head Island is beach and island perfection, though a bit pricey. 

New Hampshire's White Mountains
I visited my daughter in New England again but this time we headed north from Boston to New Hampshire's White Mountains. My first time to this area, I was blown away by it's beauty. I was also surprised how uncrowded it was for a Saturday in October. With very little traffic on the interstate, the drive up and back was fantastic.  We drove the Kanc (Kancamagus Highway), went up in the Cannon Mountain Tramway and visited The Flume. 

Colorado Christmas
In December Mr. UR and my youngest and I did a massive road trip across the US to Colorado for the Christmas holiday. My daughter flew in from Boston and we spent five days in Denver and three in the mountains of Breckenridge. And five days in the car! Lots of fun. We visited the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Botanic Garden, Colorado Springs,the Denver Christmas Market, Vail and went to an Oxygen bar in Breckenridge. Great Christmas trip.

So, there you have it. 2015. I am so  blessed to be able to do what I love - travel. Short trips and long - I enjoy them all (well, unless they involve weather delays or missed connections! ha ha) And I thank all of you for taking the time out of your day to visit and read The Unpaved Road. I love writing this blog and I love interacting with all of you who stop by here on a weekly basis. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


What does 2016 hold for me? I have no idea. I usually have all my travel planned in my mind by now - not necessarily booked but planned. And I have nothing planned right now but a few glimmers in my eye. We are in the midst of some family health problems and a possible move for my in-laws, so planning anything right now seems questionable. So I'm going with the flow - not easy for a planner! I'm thinking that most of our travel will be in the summer and fall this year. But maybe not - we'll just have to wait and see! Stay tuned!

I'm linking up with Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute!