Hal Jespersen’s Travel Page
I have taken a number of trips unrelated to the Civil War, usually with my wife Nancy. My practice of writing travelogues started with some cruises in the late 1990s, but has expanded over the years to include just about all of our significant trips, including many with the Road Scholar organization. The title of the trips below are the links to the travelogue pages. If you are interested in my Civil War travelogues, click the menu item above.
Road Scholar: America's Musical Roots
Hal and Nancy join Road Scholars in Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City for an exploration of jazz, blues, and other American musical styles.
National Review Canada and New England Cruise
Hal takes a Holland America cruise from Montréal to Boston with National Review magazine.
D-Day 75th Anniversary and Patton's Third Army
Hal takes a Stephen Ambrose tour to England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.
Vision Quest Ranch, April 2019
Hal and Nancy make a second trip to the Vision Quest Ranch in Salinas.
National Review Ideas Summit, March 2019
Hal attended the conference in Washington DC.
Panama Canal with Road Scholar, February 2019
Hal and Nancy travel to Panama for the Road Scholar program, "Grit and Glory: Exposing the Panama Canal"
Disney Aulani Resort, Hawaii, October 2018
Nancy and Hal visit the Disney Aulani resort in Oahu.
US Air Force Half Marathon and Cincinnati, September 2018
Nancy and Hal travel to Dayton, Ohio, for a half marathon and then a brief weekend in Cincinnati.
Week in New York City, July 2018
Nancy and Hal travel to New York for a variety of neighborhood tours and West Point.
Revolutionary Boston with Road Scholar, May 2018
Hal and Nancy studied the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in Boston.
"Spies, Lies and Atomic Secrets" in Santa Fe with Road Scholar, March 2018
Hal attended an interesting atomic espionage conference in Santa Fe, visited Glorieta Pass, and had adventures in Albuquerque.
Death Valley and Las Vegas, February 2018
Hal ran in the Death Valley Half Marathon and he and Nancy visited Las Vegas on either end of the trip.
Long Weekend in New York City, October 2017
Nancy and Hal make a brief trip to New York.
Safari West, II
Nancy and Hal make a second visit to an African game reserve in Sonoma County, California. (Just two weeks before the big fire!)
"Signature City Pittsburgh" with Road Scholar, September 2017
Hal and Nancy visit Pittsburgh with Road Scholar. We also visited Carnegie Mellon University and took a foodie tour.
"Signature City New Orleans" with Road Scholar, March 2017
Hal and Nancy visit New Orleans with Road Scholar for the program "Signature City New Orleans: An Unforgettable City of Mystery and Intrigue"
"Signature City Detroit" with Road Scholar, October 2016
Hal and Nancy visit Detroit with Road Scholar for the program "Signature City Detroit: Motors, Motown and Moving Forward"
"Beyond the Velvet Curtain"—Broadway Theater with Road Scholar, April 2016
Hal and Nancy visit New York with Road Scholar for the program "The Best of Theater in New York: Behind the Velvet Curtain"
Everglades and Florida Keys with Road Scholar, February 2016
Hal and Nancy visited South Florida with Road Scholar for the program "Keys and Everglades: Human and Natural History Outdoor Studies"
Holland America New England and Canada Cruise, September 2015
Hal and Nancy traveled to New England and Atlantic Canada, in two parts: a brief visit to Providence, Rhode Island, followed by a cruise on Holland America Line's MS Maasdam from Boston to Montréal.
Lexington, Kentucky, March 2015
Hal and Nancy traveled to Kentucky for Nancy to attend the Road to the Horse show.
Backstage at Walt Disney World with Road Scholar, January 2015
Hal and Nancy attend "Walt Disney World Resort: The Mystery Behind the Magic" with Road Scholar
National Review Post-Election Caribbean Cruise, November 2014
Hal and Nancy travel with National Review magazine on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas to the Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten
Savannah, April 2013
Hal and Nancy attend "Savannah’s Rich Heritage, Remarkable History and Memorable Music" with Road Scholar
Caribbean Medley Cruise — Emerald Princess, December 2012
Hal and Nancy cruise in the Caribbean for Christmas.
Charlottesville, November 2012
Hal and Nancy attend "Friends, Neighbors, Presidents: The World of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe" with Road Scholar
Bermuda Cruise, July 2012
Hal and Nancy cruise from New York to Bermuda with the Weekly Standard magazine.
Utah National Parks, April 2012
Hal and Nancy visit a boatload of national parks and monuments in southern Utah with Road Scholar.
Chincoteague Island, September 2011
Hal and Nancy visit the wild ponies on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, with Road Scholar. A trip to some Civil War sites in Baltimore is included.
Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, August 2011
Hal and Nancy visit the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks with Road Scholar
"Grand Canyon Odyssey," April 2011
Hal and Nancy visit Grand Canyon with Road Scholar
Princess Western Caribbean Cruise, December 2010
Nancy, Hal, Jeff, and Carol sail on the Crown Princess to the Western Caribbean
Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, October 2010
Hal visited a privately owned collection of tanks and other vehicles in Portola Valley, CA.
Vision Quest Safari B&B, September 2010
Nancy and Hal encounter some big game in Salinas, CA.
Road Scholar Trip to Reno, Nevada, August 2010
Nancy and Hal experience America's Living Legends: Wild Horses of the West.
Caneel Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands, April 2010
Nancy and Hal celebrated her birthday on the beach.
2008 Safari West
Nancy and Hal visited an African game reserve in Sonoma County, California.
2006 Alaska Cruise-Tour
Nancy and Hal spent two weeks in Alaska with Princess Cruise lines. The first week was land travel from Fairbanks to Anchorage, including Denali National Park. The second week was on the Sapphire Princess from Anchorage to Vancouver, B.C.
2005 Mexican Riviera Cruise
We took a 10-day cruise over the Christmas holiday break on Holland America Lines, traveling from San Diego, concentrating on the Sea of Cortez.
2003 Pacific Northwest
We visited the Pacific Northwest over the Fourth of July holiday week, including Seattle and Portland.
2002 South Australia
We returned to Australia and centered our activities around Adelaide, which is one of the most significant wine regions. We also had two interesting days on Kangaroo Island.
2001 Mediterranean Cruise
We took a luxurious two weeks vacation on Windstar Cruise Line for our 25th wedding anniversary. We sailed from Lisbon to Nice with many stops including Tangier, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, and Cannes.
2002 Bordeaux Wine Tour
Hal traveled on an extensive wine tasting tour of the Bordeaux region in France, starting in Paris, and visiting a number of great châteaux.
2000 Australia Millennium
We traveled to Australia to celebrate the new millennium (meaning January 1, 2001). We spent the majority of the time near Sydney and Melbourne.
1998 Southeast Asia Cruise
Hal and Nancy took a cruise on Princess from Hong Kong, around Southeast Asia, and ending in Bangkok. This is a bare-bones entry without photos.
