Turtles Delay Flights at JFK

It seems Diamondback terrapins are very common to Jamaica Bay which borders JFK airport.

And it seems that this time of the year, every year, some of those terrapins make their way onto the runways at this New York City airport.

This year, though, the 'invasion' was so large that they actually contributed to delays of up to 1 1/2 hours.

Can you imagine being a passenger anxious to get somewhere and finding out your flight is being delayed by turtles???

For more on the story

Antarctica - Cruise Only

If you want to see Antarctica on a cruise only basis, better hurry.

Cruise lines like Holland America and Princess have offered South American itineraries that sail, for a few days, in Antarctica.

But in April, an amendment was passed by member countries of the 50 year old Antarctic Treaty. It was agreed that ships carrying more than 500 passengers should not be allowed in Antarctica.

So if you hope to see Antarctica from the deck of one of the larger cruising ships, then you better make your reservation soon. I just checked and Holland America has at least one sailing in December of this year and Princess has one in January of next year. Who knows what will be after that.

Need an agent to answer your questions and to work with you on your booking? Email Ellen at Sea4Sail.com

Airlines Dealing With Obese Passengers

United Airlines has joined the growing list of airlines that require 'passengers of size' to purchase a second seat.

United's new policy reads: " For the comfort and well-being of all customers aboard United flights, we have aligned with other major airlines' seating policies regarding passengers of size.

This includes passengers who are:
unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin
unable to properly buckle the seat belt using a single seat belt extender
and/or
unable to put the seat's armrests down when seated

If there are unused seats on the United flight, the passenger meeting these criteria will be given a seat next to an empty one. If the flight is full, the customer either must purchase an upgrade to a cabin with available seats or change the ticket to the next available flight and purchase an additional, second seat. The price of the second seat will be the same as paid for the original seat and there will be no rebooking or change of flight fees charged.

If there passenger cannot purchase a second seat and there are no empty ones, the passenger will not be permitted to board and their fare will be refunded with no penalty.

Cheyenne Woods Graced Local Golf Course

Cheyenne Woods, who is Tiger Wood's niece, was playing at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. She had been competing in the Wegmans LPGA tournament before missing the cut.

Locust Hill is about 20 minutes from my house. The LPGA tournament is, obviously, a very major golfing event held here every year.

Wegmans, one of the major sponsors, is our local, home grown chain of supermarkets. And I use the term supermarket loosely. Their premier store in Pittsford is a local tourist attraction. (Even Cher was taken there when she did a local concert.) Shopping at the Pittsford store of Wegmans is a shopping 'event'.

I wonder if Cheyenne was taken there and given the VIP tour? Wegman's sells a large variety of items but I think even they don't sell ladies golf clubs.

New TSA Rules

New TSA (Transportation Security Administration) rules began being phased in on May 15th.

They require all airlines operating within the U.S. to collect the full name, date of birth and gender of each passenger. Allegedly, the new rules were put in place to help prevent the problem of misidentifying passengers with those who have similar names and are on the 'terrorist watch list'.

It may take a few months for all of the airlines to be able to integrate this information into their systems. Once that is accomplished, this new rule will apply to all airlines that fly into, out of, or over the U.S.

Review: Views From The Left Seat

I subscribe to this blog and was SO glad to read a new post.

The author is a commercial airline pilot and the posts are from his perspective. They are well written and sprinkled with his excellent, and interesting, photographs.

I think this blog should be on the Subscribe list of anyone who flies. Take a look. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Views From The Left Seat

How to save money at motels

I recently found out one way to save money at a motel. At least at a motel in the Marriott chain.

We drove up to a Fairfield Inn and I approached the desk to check out the rate. Normal rate was $139. AAA and AARP rate was $132. I really wasn't happy with the price but the weather, which had prompted us to stop in the first place, was lousy.

I went outside to my husband, who was waiting in the car, and told him the rate. I then came back in and asked 'Is that really the best you can do?".

The desk clerk asked me if I was a 'senior'. Since I over 60, I said 'Yes'. She could give me the 'senior rate' of $118!!

Now I know.... In the future, I'll be sure to ask for a 'senior rate'.

Kettle Creek, Potter County, PA

My husband is a fly-fisherman. A while back he picked up a book entitled, something like, 'The best 100 trout streams in the U.S.'. He seems to have, now, made it his mission in life to fish as many of them as possible.

This is turning out to be less difficult than he originally thought as a significant number of them are just a few hours from our house, in central Pennsylvania.

Near the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, just west and south of PA Rt 6 (which runs along the northern part of the state), are loads of trout steams, many of them Class A. We decided to take a week and spend it in the area.

After my husband narrowed down the possible locations to use as a base, it was now my job to find accommodations. And did I get lucky!

I found Kettle Creek Adventures. Run by a lovely couple, Dave and Brenda, Kettle Creek Adventures offers accommodations in their beautiful home. Located just across the road from Kettle Creek, their new, huge, lodge-in-the-woods offers both B&B and self-contained accommodations. We opted for the B&B and had our own room, private bath and were treated, each morning, to a fantastic custom made breakfast.

From their wrap around deck we were able to watch wildlife in the evenings and mornings, and Dave, a licensed guide, gave us directions to great fishing hotspots.

As readers of this site know, we typically do not go back to the same place twice. We made an exception here and are returning to Kettle Creek Adventures next year.