MAUI, HAWAII -Time was running out. I was halfway through my pregnancy and yearned for a vacation – a few days away was just what the doctor ordered – but the window of opportunity for me to fly was quickly closing.

MAUI - Hawaii golf means you can drink from a coconut, drive by the ocean and putt toward the sea. And Maui is the reigning queen of this archipelago’s signature sport.

MAUI - Oh baby! This travelling with toddlers isn’t child’s play, is it? I mean, let’s not kid ourselves; packing up baby for long-distance travel is akin to preparing for a military campaign.

KONA, HAWAII - The captain of our tiny boat points his search lantern out into the darkness and we follow the beam of light to a dive spot about 20 minutes off the shore of this Pacific island treasure.

SAN FRANCISCO - A fine Pacific mist was dampening the tourists’ spirits as they huddled together waiting for the Powell-Hyde cable car to come and rescue them.

SAN FRANCISCO - It's not that I forgot how hilly San Francisco is. But I'm a sucker for walking so when I arrived in the city to learn that I had only a long walk from the BART train station to the Huntington Hotel where I was staying, I thought no sweat. I

MEADOWS OF DAN, VA - It’s not an exaggeration to say The Lodge at Primland Resort and Spa offers guests an “out of this world” experience.

MOUNT VERNON, VA - On a lukewarm Kentucky evening beneath a full moon, crickets chirp and a trio of musical locals sings bluegrass. The setting is a wrap-around porch. You’re rocking in a chair and sipping fine bourbon.

MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN – The pace of life is slow on this turtle-shaped island. Cars are banned (except ambulances and fire trucks), so the only horsepower you’ll see on the handsome streets is the four-legged kind pulling delivery wagons.

LOS ANGELES - Only those who have driven California’s Pacific Coast Highway can truly appreciate the exhilaration one feels while navigating one of the world’s most scenic stretches of pavement. This All-American Road can only be described with one word — awesome.