Eric Berry's Blog

It’s been an odd summer

August 14, 2022November 22, 2022 by allberry2001, posted in Main

With the cost of travel going up and up we have had to look into more domestic vacations or should I call them “staycations”. My wife had planned a trip to Greece for her birthday but thanks to Expedia.com and British Airlines they screwed that up big time.

So late July we decided the grandson wanted to go visit his uncle in Arizona, with the cost of airline tickets we thought it would be a better idea to make it a Grandpa and Grandson road trip. Now to save fuel I chose to take my 2011 Mini Cooper at 45MPG this would be best for fuel mileage.

Things I had to think about,it had 80K miles plus miles would it make it, the cooling system had just been rebuilt and I just put new tires on it so I said let,s give it a try. From Reno, I knew it was going to be getting hotter the farther south we drove.

Plan was Reno, Tonopah,Las Vegas,Phonix then Tuson AZ. My daughter came home from work with the covid so it was a pack and go so we didn’t get it. If you have ever driven from Reno to Vegas you know there is not much to see.

Our first stop was the clown motel and they have the option of getting an EMT device to look for ghosts. After looking around the town we waited for the sun to go down to go to the cemetery they have next door to the motel. Donta was looking around with the device and saw that there was a ghost nearby and all the adults nearby watching yelled”because you are standing on his grave” that was funny.

Our next stop was Las Vegas somewhere Donta had never been, I let him know it was going to be boring until he turned 21. I like Freemont St for the light show and the Casino so we stayed down there. It was not planned for us to leave so early so we had a few days in Vegas. He was not that impressed with the light show on Freemont ( teenagers ). He did get to ride on the “Deuce” the double-decker bus while surfing on his phone so he liked that.

The next day we took the “Dam tour” and just like my kids he liked making the “Dam jokes”

Now we had been in Vegas for 2 days and I still didn’t need gas in the car that I filled up in Reno, but on the way back from the Hover Dam we fueled up. It’s been anywhere from 106 to 110 degrees since we got into Vegas. We tried the pool at the hotel but the white tile around the pool was so hot we couldn’t get to it.

After talking with the wife ( Grandma ) she said it would be ok to do the night Helicopter tour of the strip before we left. I don’t know why I have never done this before but it was so cool. Youtube video can be found at https://youtu.be/pfK0B_KcE4w

Next stop Williams AZ, oh and have I told you the roads in AZ suck, potholes the size of my car. Now I have never driven this route before and leaving Las Vegas for Arizona was just what I expected, desert and a lot of nothing. As we passed Kingman AZ we started to climb and once we got up In the hills everything started turning green. The temperature started to drop, and I was wondering why anyone would anywhere else in Arizona. The town was so small and cute and route 66 is right in the middle.

After this it was into more heat and Phonix to drop him off at my son’s house for a week.

Sorrento Italy 2022

March 6, 2022 by allberry2001, posted in Main

A few years ago we went to Sorrent via the local train when in Torra de Greco visiting the area. It looked like a small town that we wanted to get back to someday, 6 years later we got the chance to go back and stay for a while. It was a 9 day trip from Reno to Denver to Naples where we rented a car and drove down to town. First off the ride was only an hour-long but the last 30 mins were on local roads and depending on the day of the week and time of the year this could take 2 hours easily.

The B&B that we rented was next to the beach and it was in a good location. But they forgot to tell us there was no lift in the building. We were on the 3rd floor and the steps in Italy are not what we called ” up to code”. The room was small but it wasn’t like we were going to be using it for more than sleep. After getting into town we found out some of the bars and cafes we closed for the season. They close during the non-tourist season. Like I said the room was near the water the town is uphill, we found a set of long steps to get up into town.

The steps were worth it, it burned off all the food we ate during the day. This trip was more than an adventure we were planned on looking for a home here but we made min effort on that front.

Next was the Amamife Coast drive that we planned, one of the reasoned’s we rented a car. The drive was very short in miles but what I didn’t know was we would be turning the wheel of the car so much. The view was so beautiful from what I saw being the diver. It was so with the drive, I would hate to do the drive in the busy season. The small roads and little towns would take you forever in a car, forget about parking.

The next day we had planned to see the rim of Mt. Vesuvius ( think the wife planned on pushing me in ) so we drive up to Pompeii. Now we had been to the ruins before but never explored the city. So we looked around a bit and decided to visit the city a bit. By the time we got done eating and drinking we never did get to the rim…next time..wink.

After all the traveling soon it was time to come home, we didn’t want to it was a 32 hour trip via Munich Germany someplace I had never been but we opted for a hotel near the airport to make our flight home, so I didn’t get to see much.

The flights to Munich and from Munich were far from packed so it was nice to move seats and even have enough room for a nap( laying flat ).

First, shave on his birthday

January 14, 2022 by allberry2001, posted in Main

The grandson shaved for the first time on his 13th birthday. Just wanted to make a note of it.

SFO and, Scotland here we come

November 24, 2021 by allberry2001, posted in Main

So we made it to San Francisco and as it turned out we had a show in Sacramento on Sunday so there was no reason to return to Reno for 2 days. The show ended at 10pm on Sunday and then we drive, getting to the hotel down by Fisherman’s Warf. The hotel was no frill’s place but it had free parking, others were charging about $60 a day just to park your car.

The grandson and his mom were there and did a lot of walking around while we got things set up for the flights, he had not seen so many hills before. We found a nice place to sit and have dinner and drinks and once Dawn was done with work she joined us. We also found an old-time arcade and spent way too much playing old games.

So the next day our real trip started, we were going from SFO to London on one flight. If you get the chance to make it all in-flight do it. From there we only had about a 3 hr layover to Glasgow, Scotland. Now this is someplace we have not been yet and I’m glad I didn’t have to drive after the flight.

The city was not as small as I thought it would be, some of the restaurants are a little pricy and we weren’t there long enough to find a place to eat that wasn’t expensive. We did find a pub around the corner for breakfast and good drink prices. The place Dawn rented for the 3 days was on the top floor and in the center of town, what a good view.

The train ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh was quiet and relaxing not anything like air flight travel these days. You could look out the window at the sites and you mostly had cell service. Getting into town Damein was so excited, he and I had been there before and he wanted to show Mom and Joyce everything. The house we had rented was a little out of the center of town but the walk was not that bad.

This was going to be the bulk of the trip and this city is big enough you need about 4 days or more to see it. The rain seems to be avoiding us for most of the trip. So much walking and even a night Ghoust Bust Tour made it a great time for all.

The next city was Aberdeen,Scotland and the “hotel” we booked was just across the street from the train station but soon as we left the station the rain found us. It’s called The Station Hotel and I would not recommend it. Mold on the walls and slanted floors and so hot inside the building. As for the town it self it was small not much to see and we were not there that long. Don’t think I would go back to it.

So we get back on the train and head to Inverness, Scotland. Also somewhere we had never been, the size of the town was small and getting around was not going to be a problem.

My wife and son just loved this place, it was small enough to get around and there were shops and pubs all over the place. We took a day trip on the bus up to Loch Ness and it was chilly but so beautiful Dawn said she didn’t want to go home. We did not see Nessy.

The people in Inverness were so wonderful and welcoming we wish we had more time in this town, Dawn was so hoping that the flight would have been delayed or canceled when we had to go, the airport was so small and so easy to get throw we had to start home. We will have to go back.

On the way home, we had an 18-hour layover so we got a room and did some exploring. We had all been there before so we didn’t need to see too much. And yes we did get lost on the tube. I think this is going to be the last trip of the year. Let’s see what next year brings.

Its almost time to…

September 30, 2021 by allberry2001, posted in Main

After a hell of a time with Delta Airlines about them stranding us in Amsterdam for 2 days and not being able to leave the airport, they canceled my tickets with no notice. We rebooked on American and saved $1000 , oh wait I forgot to say.