We Be Trippin': The Great DIS-nee Road Trip

[swwake]

I am not sure what happens next! Disneyfalcon is next on the list, but I think there are others who might need the bus to turn around. Should I PM Disneyfalcon to see if we're going to Colorado next?

I need guidance.

I should be posting my final installment in the next hour or so.

I'm not really ready to properly show you Austin, so maybe Colorado should be next, then maybe we can take a southward detour back to Austin.

 

[Calliaz]

After a night at the El Tovar, it’s time to get to the North Rim. How will we do it? By mule!

After the trip into the Canyon, we’ll take a stop at a truly beautiful place, Phantom Ranch. This is the only lodging with amenities in the Canyon.

I have a great story about one trip to the Canyon. You see, we were camping and one night I snuck out of the tent and found…a Native American kid. He was lost and hungry. I snuck him some baked beans and a hot dog inside my flashlight…

Oh. Wait. That wasn’t me.

After breakfast, the heartier of you will hike to the North Rim on the Kaibab Trail.

The rest of us will use our magic helicopters.

We’ll stop at the beautiful Grand Canyon Lodge for dinner and a beautiful sunset.

We’ll have to hurry, but we’re spending the night on a houseboat at Lake Powell. Someday I’ll get to do that, myself.

Everyone is free to explore the lake, or drive through Monument Valley.

We should stop at Four Corners for cheap trinkets and to say we’ve been. It’s nothing in the middle of nowhere.

Thanks for letting me take you on a tour of my part of the world. I love Arizona and think it’s an amazing place to live. I apologize if I’ve been slow, but I hope it was fun.

 

[3guysandagal]

This has been sanctioned by Calliaz (thanks!! ) Sorry it took so long...

As the RV rolls through the Arizona desert, the driver (ME!) seems to be a little anxious.
It seems he has wanted to come to AZ for ONE certain reason for quite some time now but never made it.
Sweat starts to pour from his forehead and a noticeable twitch of the head to the right...
All of a sudden he jumps up out of the seat (after stopping of course) and yells "This is a HiJack!!!"
The passengers look puzzled, but write it off as heat stroke, since he's driving the bus anyway.
After seeing Calliaz mention the Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, something just snapped (or popped, I'm not sure).
As mentioned earlier in the thread, I am quite the Frank Lloyd Wright fan, even more than Disney I think (A gasp runs through the already puzzled passengers and shocked looks are exchanged)

The apparently crazed driver continues...

Yes, Frank had quite the carreer in Arizona, as well as many other states, and countries.
Over 430 buildings were constructed following his designs over the course of his carreer.
Scottsdale, Arizona is particularly important as this was where he decided to build his winter home and school of Architecture.
For the record, his summer residence and school was in Spring Green, Wisconsin, which he named "Taliesin", Welsh for "Shining Brow"

Here is what it looks like....

more info here

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1469/taliesin.html

His Scottsdale home was named, with great thought, "Taliesin West".

Some info on it....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliesin_West
http://www.arizonaguide.com/DisplayArticle.aspx?id=51

A review of Taliesin
http://news.cnet.com/Frank-Lloyd-Wrights-spirit-lives-on-at-Taliesin-West/2100-13576_3-6198739.html

And the websites

http://www.franklloydwright.org/index.cfm?section=tour&action=taliesinwest
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1469/taliesin.html
http://www.collegeview.com/school/school_hub.jsp?scid=5000032&location=1500&pAreaId=8
http://www.taliesin.edu/pages/campuses.html


Picture gallery

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/FLW_taliesin.html

Not only did he build his home and school in AZ, he also designed 12 other builings in the area:

Arizona Biltmore Hotel and Cottages (1927)
Taliesin West (1937-1956)
Rose Pauson residence (1939) now demolished after a 1942 fire
Raymond Carlson residence (1950)
David Wright residence (his 4th child) (1950)
Benjamine Adelmen residence (1951)
Arthur Pieper residence (1952)
Jorgine Boomer residence (1953)
Harold Price Sr. residence (1954)
The Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium (his last nonresidential design to be built) (1959)
Norman Lykes residence (his last residential design built) (1959)
First Christian Church (1950-1971, 1977) built after his death
Arthur and Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer residence (1974) built on the concept of 3 other homes, and next to the Taliesin grounds, built after his death for the FLW Foundation's Archivist and his father.

There were also many unbuilt designs, as well as those built and credited to him after his death which can be found here...
http://www.mcdonaldlawaz.com/aroundaz/celebrity/wright_franklloyd.htm


Now, I realize not everyone is as big a fan of FLW as I am so I will try to curb my enthusiasm so as not to get too long winded, but bear with me.
I wont get into a long biography of him, that can be found here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright

and a general view of his works here
http://www.delmars.com/wright/index.html

A little tour....

The Arizona Biltmore Hotel and Cottages (1927)

For those that are DVC owners, The Arizona Biltmore was (up until this year I believe) available through the Concierge Collection through trade out, until it was dropped.

http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/about/
http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/about/history.asp
http://www.exploringart.net/index.php?n=FrankLloydWright.ArizonaBiltmoreHotel

Entrance to the Biltmore (postcard c1930s)

AZ Biltmore Cottage

Now, the other homes, to keep this short, just a few pics and (if available) a link


David Wright Residence
http://www.azarchitecture.com/portfolio.cfm

Lykes residence

http://www.peterbeers.net/interests/flw_rt/Arizona/norman_lykes_house/norman_lykes_house.htm

Boomer residence
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Boomer_Residence.html
http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Boomer_Residence

Pics of nearly all houses (GREAT PHOTO SITE!!)
http://www.travelphotobase.com/s/AZPW.HTM

Great Pics of Taliesin, Grady Gammage, and the Biltmore here....
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/arizona_frank_lloyd_wright.htm

Links to quite a few houses here...
http://www.peterbeers.net/interests/flw_rt/Arizona/arizona.htm


All right, thats it, I won't keep you any longer.
I could go on and on about FLW.
Dont be surprised if I jump up again when in certain areas......

On a final note, just to wrap this up, FLW died in Pheonix on April 9, 1959.



Sorry for the HiJack.....
Back to our regularly scheduled tour...

3guys sits back down, nods at Calliaz, releases the parking brake and begins to drive again.....

Out across the burning sands into the horizon.....

and begins humming "Theres a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow....."

 

[Marshay]

Wow, Calliaz!!! I just went back to review the past two installments and am sitting here going, "we have to make a trip out west!"

Everything is so amazingly beautiful and OPEN! What space!!

Thanks for posting all the gorgeous pictures!

 

[catotigger]

Calliaz - I said it before, and I'll say it again - what a great tour! And no worries - you took exactly the right amount of time!

3guys - thanks for all the extra stuff on FLW. I didn't know much about him - but I enjoyed the crash course! (no pun intended!)

 

[Circusgirl]

Calliaz - Your tour was AWESOME!!!! I will be going back from time to time to enjoy the pictures and sensations of the tremendous landscapes and spaces. Loved the Flintstones Roadside attraction, the Observatory and the fry bread too!

3guys - Really enjoyed the FLW material. I went to Taliesin East when I was driving from Massachusetts to Seattle on my move to the west coast. Excellent bus-jack!!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Hi everyone!! I got your pm Calliaz!! I'm up!! But I'm going to be lame and drop out. Or postpone at least.

I'm afraid the trip caught up with me the week we are moving across the country. We left Colorado Springs and are headed for Rhode Island. We are in Virginia for the rest of this week at a hotel with no internet. We are actually sitting in a parking lot right now hijacking another hotel's internet so we could check the essentials!

On Sunday we leave for a Disney cruise!!!

Then back to Newport on the 7th of September. We should be moved in and have internet no later than the 15th.

So I would love to rejoin the tour when I get to Newport. Maybe we could take a major detour?

I'm sorry the timing didn't work out for me. If we can take a detour later I'd love to introduce you guys to beautiful Colorado!!

I'll check back in a few days!! By the way great job everyone's done so far!! High standards are already set!!

 

[Marshay]

Hi everyone!! I got your pm Calliaz!! I'm up!! But I'm going to be lame and drop out. Or postpone at least.

I'm afraid the trip caught up with me the week we are moving across the country. We left Colorado Springs and are headed for Rhode Island. We are in Virginia for the rest of this week at a hotel with no internet. We are actually sitting in a parking lot right now hijacking another hotel's internet so we could check the essentials!

On Sunday we leave for a Disney cruise!!!

Then back to Newport on the 7th of September. We should be moved in and have internet no later than the 15th.

So I would love to rejoin the tour when I get to Newport. Maybe we could take a major detour?

I'm sorry the timing didn't work out for me. If we can take a detour later I'd love to introduce you guys to beautiful Colorado!!

I'll check back in a few days!! By the way great job everyone's done so far!! High standards are already set!!

We'll absolutely include you later on the trip!!! I've been to Denver once for a business meeting and always wanted to go back.

Enjoy your cruise!!

Hey, where in Virginia are you?

 

[3guysandagal]

Fantastic tour Calliaz!

Just makes me want to go there even more!
My business partner is quite the photographer and was in AZ last year.
I am going to ask him if I can post a few of his pics for all to see.

Now a map update....

Currently in Scottsdale, hidden behind the Pheonix/Tempe flags...

So I guess we are headed to see FTC in Freeland WA next?

 

[FirstTimeCaller]

So I guess we are headed to see FTC in Freeland WA next?

So are you guys finally on your way here? Oh my gosh... I've waited so long and now that the time is here... I'm caught off-guard.

It's a long drive from AZ/NV so I guess I got a little time... I'll be giving you a tour of just our little island (don't worry, it's not that little), I'll leave it to others to handle the greater Seattle area. I'll try to get the tour going tomorrow, but we are going off camping this weekend, so forgive me if I don't make it and we have do this next week.

 

[Circusgirl]

Looking forward to the tour getting up here to our corner of the world. I'll be leaving for Disney World on the 3rd so will cover Seattle once I'm back mid month. I'll try to send some Disney updates while I'm gone!!

 

[3guysandagal]

Have a good trip FTC! Hope the weather is good for you.

And Circusgirl, Im envious!! You have a good trip as well!!

So....Off to Freeland!!

By the way...mileage so far...more than 9650!!!

 

[FirstTimeCaller]

We'll start our tour of Whidbey Island next week. For now, as you trickle in to the great Northwest why not park the party RV for a while and relax a bit. Pioneer Trails RV Park is nice quiet place just north of Whidbey Island.

They also have some interesting "cabins" for those that like to rough it.

Rest up everyone... see you next week.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We'll absolutely include you later on the trip!!! I've been to Denver once for a business meeting and always wanted to go back.

Enjoy your cruise!!

Hey, where in Virginia are you?

Thanks Marshay! We were in Norfolk with friends for a few days. We finally made it to Rhode Island last night, and today we're in Orlando waiting for our cruise tomorrow!!

The weather this week will make it an adventure!!

 

[catotigger]

They also have some interesting "cabins" for those that like to rough it.

This is why I wouldn't have made it in the 1800's!

 

[FirstTimeCaller]

Well good morning everyone. I see that all you east-coasters have been up for hours... Thanks for starting the coffee. I'll be showing you around Whidbey Island, the fifth longest and largest island in the continental US (it takes about an hour and a half to drive the length of the island).

There are three ways to get to Whidbey Island, from the north via Deception Pass bridge, from the west by the Keystone ferry and the south by the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry. We will be starting our tour from the north.

Before we go over the bridge, let's stop and take a look at the view from the island just north of Whidbey, Fidalgo Island.

We will now continue on and drive from Fidalgo to Whidbey by going over the Deception Pass bridge. Let's pull over and walk around.


It's a long way down (180 feet) and the current can get pretty wicked! A good portion of Puget Sound goes through the narrow passage, so boats will avoid trying to navigate through during tidal changes. These tides make for interesting sea life and the diving at Deception Pass is said to be excellent (a dry suit is recommended -- the water is cold!).

You may recognize Deception Pass bridge from an infamous Reebok vs. Nike commercial. It also made a brief appearance in the "Free Willy" movies.

Whidbey Island is home to no fewer than four state parks, including Deception Pass State Park located right next to the bridge. It's a very nice and relaxing place... except...

when the jets at nearby NAS Whidbey are flying. There used to be a sign that read "Pardon our noise. It is a sound of freedom".

NAS Whidbey is a popular place for Navy deployment, and many of those who are assigned here return to stay after their tour of duty is over. The base is home to the EA6 Prowler (soon to be replaced by F18s) and the P3 Orion. NAS Whidbey and the P3 became famous during the China incident back in 2001.

 

[FirstTimeCaller]

As we head south down the only highway on the island, we are entering the largest city Oak Harbor (population around 20,000). Be sure to fill up on any fast food you want -- it's the last chance for about 60 miles.

It used to be (when we moved to the island 16 years ago) that once you left Oak Harbor and headed south there was only one stoplight all the way down the island (times have changed).

Before we leave Oak Harbor, we will want to stop at the city park where they have a wonderful windmill (Oak Harbor was settled by the Irish and Dutch).

 

[AnnDisneyFan]

Running.....running....pant.....pant.....running......WHEW!

Found you guys! Ha! Thought you could lose me that easy! All your detours! I am here and humbled by all of the great hospitality you all have shown since you left North Carolina!

Catching up and loving it! Thanks.....I left a long post on the Adventurosity thread about...won't bore you here too....but I am just glad I finally caught up with you!

Apparently, I have a good deal of eating to do and thanks to Cat, virtual calories don't count! YAY!!

Ann (Disney Fan)

 

[FirstTimeCaller]

Ok, we're going to continue south from Oak Harbor.

If it starts to get dark, we can stop and watch a movie at one of the few remaining outdoor drive-in movie theaters left. The Blue Fox Drive-In. Don't let the sign fool you, they're still open (and they have go-karts too!).

Since we still got a few hours of daylight left, We'll make a real quick stop at Captain Whidbey's Inn for a bite and some drinks.

You may notice a lot of rafts floating out in Penn Cove harbor.

This is the world famous Penn Cove Mussel farm. (That's the (hopefully) dormant volcano Mt Baker in the background).

Interesting Disney related story: when my wife and I first went to WDW we had only lived on the island for a year or two. We went out one evening to a restaurant in Pleasure Island and lo and behold, what was on the menu? Penn Cove Mussels! The poor things had to travel as far as we did to get to Florida.

Penn Cove is also the unfortunate location where they captured several Orca whales during the early 70s. The most notable being Lolita. She currently resides at the Miami Seaquarium, but there is occasional talk of trying to return her home.

Continuing on south, we can head west a bit toward state park # 2 Fort Ebey. This park has some great hiking trails and is one of our favorites on the island. My two beagles, Baxter and Eloise, will be happy to lead the way.

Perhaps cat-o-tigger will want to take a turn at paragliding.

We'll pull up here and continue our trip tomorrow when we will explore historic Coupeville and Fort Casey (it has a lighthouse!).

 

[Marshay]

Thanks Marshay! We were in Norfolk with friends for a few days. We finally made it to Rhode Island last night, and today we're in Orlando waiting for our cruise tomorrow!!

The weather this week will make it an adventure!!

Oh, I definitely feel for you!! Hopefully the ship can sail around the storm??? go to Europe instead??

My parents just arrived in Mrytle Beach for 2 week vacation ... hmmm, they may make it 4 days instead...

It's a very nice and relaxing place... except...

when the jets at nearby NAS Whidbey are flying. There used to be a sign that read "Pardon our noise. It is a sound of freedom".

Too funny about the jets!! Nothing like going to a state park for some rest and relaxation, hiking, get away from city noises and WHAM! a jet goes by.

Loving the tour so far...Penn Cove Mussels -- great to see something from home.