Our annual pilgrimage to Scottsdale

Once again we are in Scottsdale in late July, aka monsoon season. We are attending a Ministry Insights conference to enhance Judy's coaching ministry. We are once again staying at the Four Seasons at Troon resort. This is a fabulous resort (and we get a fantastic price through the conference.)
I will be blogging about some of our adventures and feasting over the next few days.
This blog entry is the first one using my Droid. It is very handy.  I just have to watch out for typpos :-)

MS Amsterdam in the Panama Canal

MS Amsterdam at Miraflores

My mother is taking a repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Seattle, WA on Holland America's MS Amsterdam. Today they cruised through the Panama Canal. I was able to track her on http://www.marinetraffic.com/ and capture a picture as the ship was going through the Miraflores Lock with a live webcam at http://www.pancanal.com/ .

On Marine Traffic you can see what ships are in a particular port or you can locate and track a specific ship. Not every ship is trackable and there are many areas that are out of range, but it appears to cover most of the US ports. You can even receive email updates on your favorite ships. I have ejoyed tracking the Amsterdam on this voyage.

The Panama Canal website has live webcams at the Miraflores locks as well as the Gatun locks.

NEXUS Part Deux

I flew through Atlanta on the way home from a recent trip overseas and saw the "Global Entry" kiosks by Passport Control. Global Entry is a trusted traveler program that has kiosks in several US airports that allow arriving international passengers to bypass the passport control line when they are entering the USA. I was wishing I could use them and had planned on looking into it further when I was done with that trip. When I got home I had no less than four postcards from Customs and Border Protection informing me that since I was a NEXUS cardholder, I can use the Global Entry kiosks! There is no extra charge for this service.

This is a great benefit for NEXUS members, especially since the Global Entry program costs twice as much.

The website for the NEXUS program is:
www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/nexus_prog/nexus.xml

The website for Global Entry is:
http://www.globalentry.gov/


Safe Travels!

George

If you haven't bought your sweetie flowers yet...

Our self-service travel website (http://www.gracepointtravel.com/) offers much more than just hotel rooms and airline tickets. You can also order flowers and gifts for delivery. This time of year you can go directly to the flowers and gift site through our homepage.

There is also a special site called "YTB Romance" where you can book romantic getaways, etc. One unique feature is a Honeymoon Registry where you can book a honeymoon and friends and relatives can pay for part of the trip or buy extras, much like a gift registry at a store. YTB Romance can be found under the Extras tab on our main travel page (http://www.gracepointtravel.com/)

Have a great weekend!

George

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Safe travels.

George.

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Nexus Lanes

I am sure, if you have crossed the border into Canada at Peace Arch or Blaine Truck Crossing, that you have noticed the NEXUS lanes which usually flow pretty freely. I have had a NEXUS card for five years (I just renewed) and find it a real time saver.

It is part of a trusted traveler program which means that both the US and Canada do a background check on the applicants. NEXUS cardholders typically pass through the border crossings swiftly (more often than not, I just get waved through but they sometimes ask some questions), but the border agents have the option to conduct a thorough check. That has yet to happen to me. In order to use the NEXUS lanes, everyone in the car needs to carry a card. There is also a zero-tolerance policy for what you can take across the border. If a cardholder is in violation, the card can be confiscated, so if one is in doubt about what they can take, it is better to take the regular lanes than to risk losing the NEXUS privilege.

If a cardholder chooses, they can have their irises scanned and put in the database so they can use the kiosks at participating Canadian airports to get through immigration. A few years ago we flew from London to Vancouver, BC and used the system. It was very fast and one fewer line to stand in. Unfortunately, there was a baggage handlers strike and we had to wait 90 minutes for our bags (we now only have carry-ons).

To find out more information you can go to the Customs and Border Protection website:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/nexus_prog/nexus.xml

You can now apply online. It costs $50 for five years. After your application is approved, you will need to appear before a CBP officer for an interview. There is an office at Boeing Field in Seattle as well as at the Blaine border crossing (there are, of course, other offices farther afield for people outside the Western Washington area)

Pinnacle Peak Patio - 10426 E Jomax RD, Scottsdale

The Pinnacle Peak Patio is one of the few places one can walk to from the Four Seasons resort. I drove, though. It is situated on the road to Pinnacle Peak park in a little shopping area. They have a strict "no necktie" policy as is evidenced by the number of ties stapled to the rafters in the restaurant. Their website boasts over a million ties have been severed from unsuspecting diners. The atmosphere there is relaxed and the staff is very friendly. Both nights I went they had live music. The first night was a lone singer, but the second night was a band.

They have outside seating (the patio) but since it was monsoon season, and there were threatening clouds, I decided to dine inside.

I ordered a half-rack of baby back ribs, which came with a salad, corn on the cob, and baked beans. I have astounded people in the past with my ability to clean all the meat off  of pork ribs with just a knife and fork (hands-free). The ribs here were so tender that I did not need the knife!! All the food was very tasty!

There is a little gift shop adjacent to the restaurant that had a nice selection of jewelry made by locals, as well as some of the usual touristy stuff.

http://www.pppatio.com/