TRAVEL all the pages
  • Blog
  • Book List
  • Travel List
  • Amazon Pairings
  • Links
  • Favorites
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Book List
  • Travel List
  • Amazon Pairings
  • Links
  • Favorites
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

travel all the pages

Matched                                                                    by Ally Condie

10/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
This is a prototypical, young adult, dystopian series that leaves teen girls swooning in a science fiction love triangle between Cassia and two super hunky, brooding boys. All is not as it seems in Cassia's world where young people are paired up with their spouses at age 17 at a special banquet. She's matched with her best friend, Xander, but when she views her Match video giving information about Xander, a picture of mysterious Ky flashes into view and makes her question whether the Match is destiny or not. The Society has close control over romantic partners, death, jobs, and food intake, and Cassia begins to wonder why everything is chosen for them. Matched is an interesting YA exploration of free will and how a tightly controlled environment always has dirty secrets lurking in the shadows. This was a very popular series when it first came out, and a classic constant in the dystopian genre.
0 Comments

Uncharted Lancaster Adventure Hikes

3/18/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture

Prologue

We're on day five of the COVID-19 quarantine. Knowing that this may be a long, long time being stuck in the house, I was thrilled when my friend mentioned Uncharted Lancaster to me in a text. Uncharted Lancaster is a website that lays out clues to various adventure hikes all around Lancaster County.  The hikes teach you some local history, introduce you to new places, and keep you on your toes trying to find treasure boxes. This sounded like the perfect way to adhere to the recommendations regarding social distancing but also allowing us to get some exercise and get out of our house. So far we've done three hikes, and they've captured the girls' attention in ways I'm truly thankful for. We've all been really tense, and the adventure of this special family time helped us take our minds off feeling scared and unsure about the current pandemic for at least a few hours during the day. We made sure to use gloves when opening or touching the boxes, and we wiped down the treasures with Clorox wipes before handling.

Turning Pages

The girls read over the list of adventures on the Uncharted Adventures website.
Uncharted Lancaster
Picture
Haunted Indian Gold Adventure

They were immediately drawn to the Haunted Indian Gold Adventure. After reading the background history about the buried gold and other treasures in the Safe Harbor area, the girls decided this would be the best adventure to start with. This has also been our favorite hike so far.

The website rates this hike a 4/5 on the difficulty scale, and I would agree that it's a challenge.  It's a little over three miles and includes some steep climbs and declines. The website includes lots of helpful pictures to orient yourself as you continue on the trail.

The thing we loved most about this adventurous hike is that it leads you to four different boxes with a number in each. Each number is a position in a four digit code. Once you've figured out the code, you type it into the link on the website, and the final treasure location will be revealed.
Picture
Picture
The girls couldn't stop talking about how exciting it was, and there were absolutely no complaints about being tired. Part of the hike is along the Enola Low-Grade Trail with a beautiful view of Safe Harbor dam. We found all four boxes and got the final destination for the treasure. The girls each got a piece of gold treasure and were so excited about their hard work and our special time together.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Pequea Trolley Adventure

This hike is rated 2/5 in difficulty and is about 2.5 miles. It's a flat, very easy trail with lots of opportunities for rock climbing. It runs along the water and is absolutely gorgeous. There is no cell service back here at all so we took screen shots of all the clues on the website before heading out. The treasure hunt is simple but fun and involves one treasure box. It's perfect for younger children. The treasure is a 3D printed Aztec Death Whistle, and it's pretty freaking cool. The cache is located high up on a rock ledge but no so high as to be too difficult for little ones.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Romancing the Stone Adventure

The start of this hike is only two minutes from the Pequea Trolley Trail which is why we did it the same day. It's also only a 2/5 on the difficulty scale and is similar in simplicity to the Pequea adventure. While only a mile long, the start of this adventure is a challenge. It's a steep uphill climb followed by a steep downhill trail on a skinny path. It evens out and crosses a rickety bridge following water and little waterfalls for another beautiful scene.  This adventure ends up with a single box filled with glittering diamonds. The girls began bickering with each other at this point, and we had to hustle out to avoid the tired afternoon meltdowns. They stopped long enough to admire the waterfalls and climbing rocks, and we thoroughly enjoyed this adventure as well.

Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
Of all the great books out there I've read about unlocking clues to find some kind of fortune or treasure, this one seems to best fit the current vibe with it's sci-fi, dystopian theme. We're all stuck inside our homes waiting out the pandemic while Wade Watts is stuck inside the virtual OASIS trying to unlock the gates that will lead him to Halliday's fortune. Luckily these Uncharted Lancaster experiences gave us the opportunity to treasure hunt outdoors. Check out this book to go down the 80s memory lane and immerse yourself in a virtual adventure.
Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How did I not read this when it first came out?! Oh that’s right- there are too many good books and not enough time. It’s beyond good and a truly unique dystopian experience. So this guy (Halliday) creates a virtual gaming world (the OASIS) and when he dies, it’s revealed that there are Easter eggs hidden throughout the virtual reality. Whoever finds these keys and unlocks the gates will inherit his vast fortune. This sets off years of people clambering to unlock the secrets of the OASIS. Halliday loved the 80s so the clues all revolve around 80s games, movies and music. A huge corporation wants to take over the OASIS and monetize it, so there is also the conflict of single players who are true lovers of the game vs this greed-filled entity trying to take over. I loved the subtle commentary on human immersion in the technology world, and the nostalgia of 80s references was incredibly entertaining. If you haven’t read this yet, I’d highly recommend it.

View all my reviews
1 Comment

    Author

    Travel All the Pages is inspired by my two loves - travel and reading, a combo I can't resist.  Enjoy these little pairings.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    All-Inclusive
    Assateague
    Budapest
    Christmas
    Classic
    Contemporary
    Cusco
    Diverse
    Dog
    Dystopian
    Fall
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Hiking
    Historical Fiction
    Horror
    Humor
    Hungary
    Iceland
    Lancaster
    LGBTQ+
    Louisiana
    Maryland
    Memoir
    Mexico
    Middle Grade
    Miraflores
    Mystery
    New Orleans
    Nonfiction
    Pennsylvania
    Peru
    Retelling
    Riviera Maya
    Romance
    Salt Dough
    Science Fiction
    Series
    Social Distancing
    Supernatural
    Thriller
    Travel
    Verse Novel
    York
    Young Adult

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.