Drive Over County: West Virginia's Hidden Gems
From scenic mountain views to rich cultural heritage, West Virginia is full of hidden gems. It’s not just a place to pass over—it’s a destination worth discovering! https://spr.ly/6188S1IyO
AAA member Linda Richason and her niece, Hannah, recently returned from a week of touring Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and neighboring Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The Milford, Ohio, resident wanted to celebrate her niece’s graduate school graduation by taking her someplace special.
“She was mesmerized by the terrain out there,” says Richason, who adds that Hannah’s favorite experience was their early-morning raft trip down the Snake River.
Richason loved the Aerial Tram ride at Jackson Hole, which brought them more than 4,000 feet up to the summit of the mountain for staggering 360-degree views of the Tetons, Jackson Hole valley and the surrounding mountain ranges.
Member Choice Award Winners
AAA members are avid travelers. Your responses to our first-ever Members’ Choice Awards survey have shown us the destinations you love and those you dream of visiting. Thank you for sharing your insights! https://spr.ly/6183S3m6d
Avid travelers and AAA members Cindy and Bob Eichenberg left their home in Edmond, Oklahoma, for a two-week, 3,200-mile road trip to Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Their goal was to see Lake Superior and drive around Lake Michigan.
“It was gorgeous,” says Bob. “We saw some of the most incredible sunsets we had ever seen. The trip gave me a real appreciation for the Lake Michigan lifestyle.”
Their first stop was Sister Bay in Door County, Wisconsin. From there the journey led them to Michigan’s Mountain View Lodge in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park on Lake Superior, Mackinac Island, Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs (one of Cindy’s favorite stops), Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the famed M-22, a 116-mile stretch of highway that hugs the Lake Michigan shoreline.
“Probably my favorite part of the trip was driving down the Tunnel of Trees,” said Cindy, referring to the iconic 20-mile stretch of M-119 shoreline road between Harbor Springs and Cross Village. “It was eye candy all along the way.”
When AAA member Brenda Coulson of Bridgeport, Ohio, saw the Painted Hills and Lava Lands of Oregon featured on a Weather Channel TV series one day, she was inspired to see these natural wonders in person. So, she phoned her sister-in-law who lives in Oregon to tell her about it, and soon, Brenda was on a plane to meet up with her family in the Beaver State.
“The Painted Hills are just beautiful! You can see them from the road, or you can park and view them from a boardwalk,” says Coulson of the stunning striped hills of red, tan, orange and black about 10 miles from Mitchell.
Located on the northern part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, the Lava Lands were created some 7,000 years ago after a volcanic eruption at Lava Butte.
On their one-week journey last June, they also went whale-watching, elk-viewing and gemstone-hunting, and they traveled through the Cascade Range—a road trip that included seeing the Three Sisters Mountains (a trio of snowcapped volcanic peaks) and Sahalie Falls.
But the best part of Coulson’s trip was a smaller wonder: meeting her baby great niece for the first time.
📷: Brenda Coulson
Enter in AAA's 2024 World Photo Contest!
A PICTURE IS WORTH A $1,000!
📸 Submit your photo for the 2024 AAA World Photo Contest for a chance to win $1,000!
AAA World is looking for the best photos in these categories: US Travel, Nature, Humor, Children, and World Travel. 🌎
Enter your photo today at https://spr.ly/6186mRTgM or mail in at AAA World Photo Contest, 1 River Place, Wilmington, DE 19081
Deadline: October 4, 2024.
See photo contest rules at https://spr.ly/6188mRTgO.
aJust Back From - The Sweetlands
AAA members Carolyn Sweetland and her husband, Ted Sweetland Jr., of Richmond, Virginia, timed their two-week trip to Alaska this past fall, the “dry season,” with one goal: to see the northern lights.
They accomplished this “one-in-a-lifetime” goal over the course of their trip—multiple times. Ted saw the aurora borealis for the first time on their second night in Fairbanks, where they spent an entire week, but Carolyn opted to stay in from the cold that night.
“We saw the lights together on our final night in Fairbanks, the only day it did not snow while there,” says Carolyn. “Our last viewing of the lights was at Otto Lake in Healy.”
So, what was it like to witness this natural phenomenon? “It was amazing!” Carolyn says. “The experience is just so unexpected and simply spectacular.”
Other highlights of their trip were a flight tour from Talkeetna to see Denali, North America’s highest peak; a soak in Chena Hot Springs in the Fairbanks North Star Borough; a visit to the Santa Claus House in North Pole (Alaska); and a trek to Matanuska Glacier in Sutton. “We were walking on a glacier on Thanksgiving Day!” says Carolyn.
The Sweetlands’ trip to The Last Frontier was full of first-time explorations and marvelous memories that are sure to last forever.
📷: Carolyn & Ted Sweetland Jr.
Just Back From - The Dammerts
AAA members Rick Dammert and his wife, Marianne, of Crestview Hills, Kentucky, flew to Mesa, Arizona, to visit their daughter Danielle Wilbur. The three then headed out on a classic Arizona road trip to Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam and the unique rock formations outside Page. But, according to Rick, the true star of the show was their guided tour of Lower Antelope Canyon.
“It’s incredible,” says Rick. “We had to make reservations months and months in advance, but—my gosh—is it worth it! It’s really hard to describe. As you look up, you see slivers of a beautiful sky, but all around you are these mesmerizing earth tones and the sunlight playing off of them. It’s breathtaking.”
Rick was very appreciative of the Native American guides, who eagerly helped everyone with their photos to best illustrate the lighting. “They truly helped us get better photos. We were really impressed they did that.”
AAA Members Chiara Chandoha & Wiley Moody Adventure Through The Southwest
AAA member Chiara Chandoha and her significant other, Wiley Moody, set out from their Milford, New Jersey, home for a two-week, 2,000-mile adventure through Arizona and southern Utah. Both share an interest in geology, so the couple’s journey took them to iconic sites such as Meteor Crater, the Petrified Forest, Utah’s Big Water and the Grand Canyon.
“This two-week trip was not long enough,” says Chandoha. “There was so much more that we wanted to see. One of the great highlights was Bryce Canyon. It’s the site of the largest concentration of hoodoos anywhere on earth. And the Petrified Forest—I would have spent another three days there.”
For Moody, the highlight was the Grand Canyon. “The scenery at the south entrance was off the charts. It was the coup de grace.”
Breidenbachs Just Back From (1).mp4
AAA members and South Dakota residents George and Pat Breidenbach have traveled the world—all seven continents and some 60 countries, and counting! After visiting New Zealand’s North and South Islands with their daughter, Stacey, last year on a guided small-group bus tour, they say the country easily ranks in their top five.
The two-week exploration took them to large cities such as Auckland and remote areas such as Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park, which required a bus trip, a boat ride and then another bus trip before they boarded a boat for a cruise of the sound. The journey, they say, was “worth it and then some” for the amazing scenery. In Wellington, they had a joyful reunion with their former Rotary Exchange Student, Kim, and her husband. Kim had lived with them in 1985 as a high school student.
For help planning your own world explorations, contact AAA Travel at 866-222-1357 or https://bit.ly/3KwnNEp.
9 Must Do US Road Trips
Embark on an unforgettable journey across the scenic landscapes of America! 🚗✨ Dive into this article for some wanderlust-inducing road trip inspiration that'll fuel your adventurous spirit and leave you craving the open road. https://bit.ly/4bEiPkx
