Summer Touring in Maine - an Eclectic Review - Page 19 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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You guys are making amazing time on your road trip! Neat pics! Sorry to hear about your Mac.
I've turned a claim into Amex, so we will see how it goes.
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Originally Posted by chezp
Glad to hear the road trip's going well. Sorry about the Mac.
Fortunately, I have everything backed up,
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Originally Posted by lauriep
Wow, you're really covering some ground! How's Natasha doing?
We do about 450 miles each day. Slow by some standards, but we are not in a hurry.
Natasha is a travel bug. She loves it. First thing she does is check out the bed when we get to the hotel. She sleeps like a rock every night, and naps in the car.
So far we have been pleased with Best Western Plus hotels/motels.
Thanks! We must have been posting at the same time yesterday.
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Originally Posted by chezp
I love the photo of Natasha on the bed - looks like she's laid ownership to that one!
Yes, she is happy. Fortunately, they put cover sheets on al the blankets in the pet friendly hotels.
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Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Natasha looks quite comfy!!!
Your road photos are beautiful!!! Love the first one of the fog! Looks like a painting!
Thanks. It was a crazy foggy morning in New York.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Both Natasha and Lou know how to make the most of a hotel room!
Yep - checking email, and checking the bed are priorities for them. She really likes the rooms with 2 queens, cause she can hop from bed to bed.
Yesterday was a long one - we left Amarillo at 7am, realized we would reach Gallup, NM too early, so changed our reservation to Holbrook, AZ. That meant we also had time to ride through the Petrified National Forest. So, made it to our room at 5pm, with a 2 hour time change - 12 hours on the road.
The most exciting thing we saw in Texas was Cadillac Ranch, right after leaving Amarillo. Makes me want to visit Carsland:
We soon made it to The Land of Enchantment, and the drive was really pretty.
We did a couple short detours on Route 66 - this is a trip for the future, hopefully:
And, a few pics from the Painted Desert, after we entered Petrified Forest National Park:
And, the Daily Dog photo - she looks like she is in a wind tunnel.
We only have a short drive today, before reaching our house in Cave Creek. A couple days to recharge, and then we set off for Yellowstone. I should be able to finish up this report, and start one for the Yellowstone/Grand Tetons trip. Whew - where has the summer gone?
Glad you have a shorter drive today after the marathon yesterday. What beautiful photos of the hills! Looks like the light was wonderful -- blue skies, but enough clouds to make shadows and to make the colors change-- amazing.
Love the painted desert! I always love the idea of a road trip where you stop and take photos of things like cars half buried in the middle of nowhere. But once I'm about 3 hours into a drive I start to go a little stir crazy .
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Oh my goodness, love the Petrified Forest National Park! I want to visit as many national parks as we can, and with your photos, that one's just gone higher up my list.
WOW! Absolutely gorgeous!!!! And that silly Natasha! She actually looks like she is saying "really Mom, another photo?".................. but KEEP them coming cause I LOVE them!!!!
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Glad you have a shorter drive today after the marathon yesterday. What beautiful photos of the hills! Looks like the light was wonderful -- blue skies, but enough clouds to make shadows and to make the colors change-- amazing.
You're exactly right, Laurie - the clouds made it interesting, since mid-afternoon isn't the best time for photos of the desert.
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Originally Posted by rlb38
Love the painted desert! I always love the idea of a road trip where you stop and take photos of things like cars half buried in the middle of nowhere. But once I'm about 3 hours into a drive I start to go a little stir crazy .
I understand - once Lou gets behind the wheel, he never wants to stop. That's why I practice so much "Drive-by Shooting." I was lucky to get the Cadillac Ranch shots, since they were on the other side of the freeway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Oh my goodness, love the Petrified Forest National Park! I want to visit as many national parks as we can, and with your photos, that one's just gone higher up my list.
It is a place where you easily can spend all day. I would have stayed for sunset photos, had we not been so tired.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
WOW! Absolutely gorgeous!!!! And that silly Natasha! She actually looks like she is saying "really Mom, another photo?".................. but KEEP them coming cause I LOVE them!!!!
Lol - she wasn't very happy at that moment.
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Originally Posted by Huntermom
Just catching up. Wonderful photos, especially of Natasha.
Thanks, much! We're almost done.
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Beautiful pictures from your travels!
Thank you, Marnie.
Well, we made it! We had a short 3 hour drive yesterday to our house in Cave Creek, Arizona. Less than an hour after arriving, the pup let out a terrible screeching sound a couple of times, then was quiet. I looked for scorpions, snakes, etc. - her ear seemed sensitive, but we didn't know what was going on. Off to the vet, and she had a foxtail in her ear - probably from a few days before, and it had worked it's way near the eardrum. The vet is a personal friend as well, so it was good to catch up - although we could have done without the drama.
Just a few pics from yesterday. We drove from Holbrook, Az on Interstate 40, then caught Hwy 17 after Flagstaff. Cave Creek is north of Scottsdale/Phoenix.
Trains along I40:
The mountains, as we rapidly climb elevation to Flagstaff
We know we are getting close when we start to see the Saguaros
It felt good to unpack, do laundry, and take a short break. We are back on the road this Friday. I'll get a new report going for Yellowstone, and finish up this summer's report on Maine in the next post.
Poor Natasha! That must have been so painful. Good timing, though, that she let you know about it when her vet was at hand. Beautiful photos of Arizona.
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I want to visit as many national parks as we can, and with your photos, that one's just gone higher up my list. 
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