North Of Chicago lies the Village of Vernon Hills. Autumn is in full swing and it’s beautiful here. Enjoy!
Autumn in Vernon Hills, Illinois
A Master List Of Credit Card Benefits. By AwardWallet.Com
This is a great way to refresh your memory on the benefits of your credit cards. Check it out!
https://awardwallet.com/blog/master-list-credit-card-benefits-guides/
Why I Write, Post and What I Want From You. (Tip: It’s not cute pet pictures)
I write two Blogs. Travelinggump.com and Thesunflowermuse.com. The first, mostly for travel and travel tips/ideas, the second, for opinions, thoughts and articles about our social condition. I post on Twitter, Instagram, WordPress and Facebook. Three sites are “blowing up” (Instagram, WordPress and Twitter) with followers. Facebook is “meh” and I would like that to improve.
What I know:
- If I don’t write or post articles or pictures of value and interest, I should expect nothing in return. Generally, I put an enormous amount of thought into most of the articles that I write, especially on Thesunflowermuse. I’m trying to get to the core of the issues.
- That there is a “process” for getting your posts to the right audience, which I’m working on.
- That people are inundated with “stuff” and “like” whatever is easy to see/scan and are generally too busy (understandably) to read in detail. Hence the enormous popularity of pet pictures/videos. Ugh.
- Despite having a large amount of followers, I am not getting the traction I want, especially on my personal facebook page, which supports the theory; “You can’t be a prophet in your own land” and/or you really need to improve your articles. The first I get, the latter I don’t feel the need to change at this point. Going forward, I’m going to try and confine myself to the two sites listed above.
What I want from you:
- If my articles are of no interest to you or my opinions are too this or that, leave.
- If they are of any interest, entertain you, provoke or evoke a thought or passion, acknowledge it somehow. On Thesunflowermuse.com, my thoughts and opinions can be challenging and are written to be thought provoking. Feel free to complain, gripe or even correct my grammar (please!), something! If you don’t agree, say so!
- And lastly, on Travelinggump.com, I am fortunate to have excellent advertisers (Amazon, Holiday Inn, Expedia, Orbitz, Trivago etc…). Please search and book through my page as it costs you nothing extra and helps me to keep them happy.
There is so much “noise” on the internet today and I am trying to rise above the cute animal pictures/videos and provide great Travel Tips and Ideas (https://travelinggump.com) and Thought Provoking Stories and Opinions on The Human Condition and Society (https://thesunflowermuse.com). Please Engage.
Best Wishes, Michael
Grand Canyon Brewing Company, Williams, Arizona.
Williams, Arizona is home to a fantastic Brewery called the Grand Canyon Brewing Company. Excellent food and locally brewed beer make for a wonderful evening surrounded by the unique wood crafted interior of the restaurant/pub. Williams is a quaint historic town located approximately 34 miles west of Flagstaff, Arizona on I-40. Williams is known as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon.
Bullhead City, Arizona. Growing Nicely!
Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, roughly 90 mi south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the employment for Bullhead City. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 39,540.
It is amazing how much this City has grown. Driving down the main highway, I was immediately impressed by the cleanliness and excellent maintenance of the roadways. Modern shopping and restaurants abound. There is a multitude of facilities where you can rent equipment to explore the Colorado River and casino gambling is just across the river in Laughlin.
Laughlin, by the way, is an excellent alternative to Las Vegas. Wonderful hotels without the chaos.
During this trip, we stayed at Holiday Inn and completed their Accelerate Promo (46,000 Points added) and Marriott to complete their Megabonus Promo (complete two stays and earn a free night). Also completed the American Express/Hilton, stay two nights and receive 10k bonus and saved $35.00 on a Hilton stay with an Amex Platinum offer. In addition, used points to enjoy a couple of free nights when it was a great value and earned a boatload of Hotel and Credit Card Points on meals and fuel expenses.
I will definitely be returning.
Part 2. Winners and Losers. Wow!
Winners and Losers. The Intellectual Cost of Labels. From Thesunflowermuse.com
For Those of You Who Were Wondering What a Chinese Cab Driver Listens To…
Whoever this gentleman is, he seemed to always be on the radio of whatever Taxi we were traveling in. Apparently, he’s quite popular.
What Are Your Points and Miles Worth? TPG Provides Their October, 2017 Values
On The Lighter Side…
I saw this and was deeply moved…
Transylvania, Romania. The Roadtrip Videos
One of my favorite trips! Transylvania has yet to suffer the effects of “tourist fatigue” and it’s residents appear eager to please. Hotels, dining and travel are inexpensive and some of the smaller villages still offer a chance to look back in time as families still practice farming methods used in the 1800’s and before. ” Gypsies” are common and seem to be as curious about us as we are of them. We were on our way to Sibiu and I just turned on my phone video to capture the countryside. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
Our World Today
“You know we leave for Vegas soon?”
”I know, I’ll double check our reservation.”
“You’re awfully calm, you know there was a horrible shooting last night in Las Vegas, right?”
”I saw the news”
“And….?”
”And what? This is who we are today. You’re actually surprised by this?”
“Yeah, I’m shocked! Why are people like this?”
”My guess, they’re fed up. Nobody listens to anybody, there’s just too many people and their voice gets drowned out and forgotten. They feel irrelevant. Unfortunately, this is the world we now live in. I’m not even slightly surprised, actually, it wouldn’t shock me if there was a copycat within a week.”
”That’s terrible, people need to change. It seems so dangerous to travel anymore.”
”Yeah…unlikely. We will still travel and we will still be careful. Nothing people do surprises me anymore. Humanity is capable of the worst kind of violence, so I stay calm and keep living.”
”You could at least act surprised, shocked or angry!”
”I am angry about a lot of things; politics, crime, the press, people in general. You know what does surprise and shock me though? When somebody does something that is truly altruistic and kind! That surprises me. The idiot news rarely reports about that. A shooting? Sadly, just a daily reminder of life in America.”
”Ugh, that’s depressing”
”Cynical yes, but realistically true.”
”I’m going back to bed”
“I’m packing, life goes on”
These Precious People are My Life.
I’m taking a moment to be thankful for my wonderful family, Like us, they are all travelers, braving life’s challenges to see the world and to live their dreams. They are all successful in their chosen fields, driven by an incredible urge to succeed and to make a difference. Spending time with them is our favorite thing either here or abroad and we are always left with a sense of awe at the way they continue to face the world head on. They are our greatest success although with the mistakes we made as parents, I really don’t know how they did it. They have each conquered the world on their own terms while we have enjoyed a front row seat. I am truly the luckiest Dad in the world and I have loved every minute of it!
A Tuk Tuk’s View of Siem Reap, Cambodia
Travelinggump.Com 