ILLUSTRATION BY JOEL KIMMEL
My wife’s fixated on Alaska. She envisions killer whales, snow-capped peaks, and massive glaciers, all viewed from the comfort of a cruise ship.
I’m fixated on our roof, which needs to be replaced—not a small-ticket item.
So we’re discussing a possible compromise: a vacation a bit closer to home. There’s no shortage of great options, as I learned while working on this issue.
We could keep it simple and do a staycation. September does, after all, offer more festivals than practically any other time of year: the Saint Louis Art Fair, the Balloon Glow, Taste of St. Louis, the Japanese Festival. In fact, it’s almost as if we’re in another country when we’re at the Missouri Botanical Garden and…
No, we need a vacation.
The Shawnee Wine Trail is just a few hours east, and it’s more under the radar than Augusta and Hermann. We could book a night at Honker Hill Winery, go hiking at Garden of the Gods, check out Scratch Brewing Company…
That’s a day trip, not a vacation.
OK, perhaps we could spend a weekend in Arkansas, with its rolling hills and tucked-away waterfalls. We could climb Mount Magazine, get lost on Lost Valley Trail, camp beneath the stars on a scenic overlook. It would be a memorable way for Lucy, our 3-year-old daughter, to go camping for the first time…
Camping with a 3-year-old is not a vacation.
Good point. OK, we could drive west to see the brilliant sunflower fields near Lawrence, Kansas. It would be a priceless photo op; imagine Lucy standing in a sundress in a field of flowers! I’ve also heard Lawrence is charming, despite that whole KU thing. And we could stop at Overland Park’s Museum at Prairiefire, with its modern colored-glass exterior resembling a blaze. In fact, my brother lives just a few miles away, and we could always stay at his place. He has an extra couch and….
Seriously?
The Wisconsin Dells! We’ve never been there, but we’ve heard so much about it. A horse-drawn carriage ride on the Lost Canyon Tour sounds so quaint, and we could check out the roller coasters. Lucy would love…
“You must be this tall to ride.”
Right. What about Mackinac Island? Cars are forbidden on the island, and life slows a tick. We could hike along Anne’s Tablet Trail, watch the sunset from Arch Rock, relax in rockers on the porch of the Grand Hotel. It would be so simple—we could just drive up to Chicago and board a small ship to set sail on the Great Lakes.
And your family lives in Chicago, so we could always stay with them for just one night…
You have got to be kidding.
Looks like those vacations—as stress-free and affordable as they might be—will have to wait.
We’re looking at airfare to Alaska.
