Country Vacations & Resorts

Time in Office: 1929 – 1933
Terms: One
Birthday: August 10, 1874
Birth Place: West Branch, Iowa
Date of Death: October 20, 1964
Place of Death: New York City
Buried: Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, West Branch, Iowa

Notes:
~ Orphaned by the age of nine
~ First President born west of the Mississippi River
~ Only President from Iowa
~ Secretary of Commerce, 1921- 1928
~ Last cabinet secretary directly elected President
~ Had the first Native-American Vice President
~ Loved to drive and loved to fish

Due to the death of both his father and mother by the time he was only nine years old, America’s 31st President, Herbert Clark Hoover spent until age 11 living with relatives near his hometown of West Branch, Iowa, and then moved to Oregon to stay with his uncle.

After taking classes in typing, math, and bookkeeping, he entered the inaugural class at Stanford University, California in 1891. He graduated in 1895, with a degree in geology.

In 1897 Hoover left for Australia as an employee of a London-based mining company. In 1899 he married his college sweetheart, Lou Henry, also a graduate of Stanford, and the couple left for China where he worked as his company’s lead engineer. Trapped in Tianjin, China by the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, Hoover assisted US Marines due to his extensive knowledge of the local area.

Hoover was an excellent geologist and developed a zinc mining process that led to the formation of the “Zinc Corporation,” the origins of which form the current-day Rio Tinto Corporation. By 1908, Herbert was working as an independent mining consultant – traveling the world giving lectures and talks at US universities such as Columbia and Stanford.

Still living in London at the start of the First World War, Hoover was instrumental in not only getting US citizens out of Europe, but also in working with the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB). Hoover crossed the North Sea some 40 times to work for this effort of supplying food to war-torn Europe. He was appointed head of the US Food Administration by Woodrow Wilson in 1917 after the US had entered the war and by 1921, he was the US Secretary of Commerce.

Hoover Square – Poland

Hoover’s successes as Commerce Secretary brought him national acclaim and his (Republican) Presidential election in 1928 was a landslide win with over 58% of the vote. As President-Elect in November 1928, Hoover went on a seven-nation Latin America tour to establish goodwill. But in 1929, along came the stock market crash and the Great Depression.

Unemployment approaching 25%, drought across the heartland, and an investigation of the New York Stock exchange kept Hoover busy during this time in office. World War I veterans also suffered since the US was, by 1931, unable to pay promised bonuses to returning soldiers. His bid for re-election during the 1932 campaign was not successful. Hoover’s train and motorcade were pelted during his campaign travels – Americans taking out their Depression-based frustrations on Hoover.

Hoover and his family left Washington in March 1933 – staying in a New York hotel for a period and then returning to their home in Palo Alto, California. Not one to ease into retirement, he loved to take long automobile drives, to go fishing – often in the Caribbean, and to write in his spare time while remaining passively involved in politics.

By 1946 America was involved in World War II and President Harry Truman selected Hoover to tour Germany and study food shortages as result of the devastating war. His school meals program delivered over 40,000 tons of American food to Germany serving over 3.5 million children. He also worked on building the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and was a vocal and active fundraiser for his favorite charity, Boy’s Club of America.

Aged 90, Hoover died while in New York City in 1964, having had the longest Presidential retirement in history. His reputation as President, damaged as it was by the Great Depression, has somewhat been restored thanks to historians and scholars.

Hoover Historic Points of Interest:

Hoover Dam
Rapidan Fishing Camp
Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, Iowa

Next: America’s 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

From Sierra Trading Post:

For those who don’t take Summer vacations working around school schedules, some VERY good savings are available for those who take their downtime after Labor Day weekend.

I did this last year for my sun-filled week at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Temperatures were still in the mid-80s, I was still able to use the pool, crowds were almost nil, and “goodies” at local shops were nearly all marked down. T- shirts that were $29 during the “on” season were marked down to $12 – as example.

Here’s a vacation deal on the Outer Banks for 2011:

This 7 bedroom Outer Banks, NC beach rental is located in Duck, North Carolina – a beautiful, quaint town. Rates from mid-June to mid-August are $4,270 per week. From August 21st to September 10, the rate drops to $2,750 per week. After September 11th – $1,750 per week. That’s a $2,520 per week savings, by just waiting a little longer to start your vacation.

The September-October time frame is also a good time to search for a cabin or chalet in a ski-focused area. Winter, high season rates, often don’t kick in until late October or even closer to Thanksgiving. If you aren’t watching snow and ski reports, take advantage of these discounts.

The 3 bedroom Whistler Luxury Penthouse Condo in Canada rents for $225 per night from September 7 to November 24th. Check in November 25th and your rate jumps to $550 per night – $325 a night more expensive! I could appreciate this luxury and the view before Thanksgiving just as much as after.

Implementing this sort of travel savings plan should begin now. A comprehensive search through Vacation Home Rentals is a great place to start. You have plenty of time to research destinations, and to check rate schedules. No rush and no hassle if you start now.

Time in Office: 1921-1923
Terms: Less than one – died in office
Birthday: November 2, 1865
Birth Place: Blooming Grove, Ohio
Date of Death: August 2, 1923
Place of Death: Palace Hotel, San Fransisco, California
Buried: Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio.

Notes:
~ Eldest of eight children
~ His mother obtained her medical license
~ Was an accomplished cornet player
~ First sitting senator elected President
~ First sitting President to visit Canada
~ In 1922, had a radio installed in the White House
~ First President to visit Alaska

Warren Gamaliel Harding, the 29th President of the United States, began life in Blooming Grove, Ohio. His father, always looking for a better life for the family, moved them to Caledonia, Ohio where he bought and began managing a local newspaper. Before reaching his teens and while working for his father, Warren learned the business of journalism. Attending Iberia’s Ohio Central College, Warren continued learning the printing and publishing trade. By 1886, he was full owner of the Marion Daily Star newspaper which exposed him to his first politically-charged environment.

Warren was not particularly healthy in his youth and at the ripe old age of 24, spent time at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. He would return 5 times in the next 14 years to rest and rejuvenate. In 1891 Warren married Florence Kling DeWolfe. The daughter of a rival newspaper owner, Florence was intelligent and ambitious. Their marriage, though successful in some respects, was not based on love. Warren and Florence traveled the country as owners of one of Ohio’s largest newspapers, gaining him national exposure. This, combined with his exceptional public speaking skills and a lucky meeting with a powerful Republican party leader, gained Harding a Ohio State Senate seat in 1899.

A quick trip to Europe with his in-laws to repair strained relations in 1907, contrasted with two unsuccessful attempts to run for Governor of Ohio in 1903 and 1909. While Harding’s newspaper business and family life were doing well – his political career was not. However, Harding had made some powerful political friends and in 1914, he was Ohio’s first State Senator to win by popular vote. He still held this Senate seat when elected President in 1921.

The “Front Porch”

Harding’s Presidential campaign in 1920 was as one might expect from an individual with a journalism and publishing background. His “front porch campaign” was the first in America to use newsreels and “photo-ops” and applied the first public celebrity endorsements of candidates. Harding’s wife Florence worked closely with the press to promote her husband to the point of having a cottage built on their Marion, Ohio property just for “The Press.” Considering that the 1920 election was the first in which women could vote nationwide, and that Harding was considered “handsome,” this use of the press and publicity machine was a positive addition to Harding’s campaign. Rumors of Harding’s dalliances with other women, consumption of bootleg liquor, and poker parties later held in the White House, was kept out of the public eye before and after his election. But as Harding would soon discover, “Live by the press, die by the press.”

Harding’s administration and political appointees suffered constant charges of corruption and faced scandal – from beginning to end. Charges of paid-for shipping contracts, upheaval at the Veteran’s Bureau, corruption in the prison systems, and the infamous Teapot Dome scandal, shook Harding’s presidency and his health.

In July 1923, Harding boarded the USS Henderson for a 4-day trip to Alaska. Hoping to encourage US citizens to relocate here after the completion of the Alaska Railroad, Harding and his party visited many remote areas of Alaska – traveling by both railway and automobile. They then visited and toured Vancouver, British Columbia, eventually arriving in Seattle, Washington. Harding was not well – suffering from nausea, rapid heart beat, and abdominal pain, but gave a rousing speech in Seattle regarding his findings in Alaska. He then traveled by train to Portland, Oregon but the speech he was to give there was cancelled.

Harding’s health continued its decline as his train headed south to San Francisco. He died there while staying at the Palace Hotel. During a four-day journey from San Francisco, Harding’s train was met by thousands of mourners across the country. He was first entombed at the Marion Cemetery and then re-interred at the Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio.

We’re finally into the “Roaring 20s” – and next up, America’s 30th President, Calvin Coolidge.

Traveling with American Presidents List

Additional photos of Warren G. Harding from History.com

Time in Office: 1913 to 1921
Terms: Two
Birthday: December 28, 1856
Birth Place: Staunton, Virginia
Date of Death: February 3, 1924
Place of Death: His home, Embassy Row, Kalorama – Washington, DC
Buried: Washington National Cathedral

Notes:
~ May have had dyslexia
~ An avid baseball fan – first President to attend the World Series
~ Loved cars – his favorite was a 1919 Pierce Arrow
~ Loved to cycle and play golf
~ Only US President with a PhD – in History and Political Science
~ First American President to visit the Pope while in office
~ Awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, America’s 28th President was born in Virginia but, due to his father’s involvement with the Presbyterian Church, young Woodrow spent most of his early years in Augusta, Georgia where his father was a minister. Woodrow had trouble reading but was able to overcome his limitations. He studied at home with his father and attended small classes in both Augusta and in Columbia, South Carolina where his father had moved the family for his new position as professor at the Columbia Theological Seminary.

After spending one year at Davidson College in North Carolina, he transferred to Princeton, then attended law school at the University of Virginia for one year. Never very healthy, Wilson left Virginia and headed home to Wilmington, North Carolina where he continued independent study. In 1882 at the age of 26, he opened his law practice in Atlanta but found practicing law interfered with his preferred studies. In 1883, Wilson entered Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland to study history and political science.

Woodrow Wilson was married twice. In 1885 he married Ellen Louise Axson who died on August 6th, 1914 from Bright’s disease. An accomplished artist, Ellen was not very interested in politics although she fought hard for improved housing conditions in the Negro slums of Washington, DC. Wilson’s second wife, Edith Bolling Galt, who he married on December 18th, 1915 was nearly the opposite. Ambitious and outgoing, politically savvy, and extremely protective of her husband, she all but ran the country after Wilson’s stroke in 1919.

After academic positions at Cornell University in New York, Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania, and Wesleyan University, Connecticut, Woodrow took a position as professor at Princeton, a short tenure at Evelyn College for Women, and spent time as a lecturer at New York Law School. While slowly gaining national exposure, the next decade would prove meteoric for Woodrow Wilson. By 1902 Wilson was President of Princeton College, a position he retained until he left in 1910 to enter New Jersey state politics. Elected Governor of New Jersey in 1910, Wilson was the Democratic Party’s winning candidate for President in the 1912 election and was re-elected in 1916. Wilson’s achievements as President in both his first and second term were considerable.

On April 2,1917, despite his many efforts at peace, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany. The first US President to travel to Europe while in office, he left for France aboard the SS George Washington, December 1918. Wilson went to Paris to work for peace but the election of 1918 had shifted the balance in Congress to the Republicans. By seven votes, the Versailles Treaty failed in the US Senate.

Wilson traveled frequently. Several trips to Bermuda and brief vacation there in 1912 (as President-Elect), and time spent at Shadow Lawn, his Summer White House – which became a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Wilson also took several cycling vacations in England’s Lake District. State visits to Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Belgium took place during his two terms as President.

In Pueblo, Colorado on September 25, 1919, Wilson collapsed during a nationwide public speaking tour. In October that same year he suffered a debilitating stroke which left him paralyzed on his left side and blind in his left eye. Wilson’s wife Edith protected Wilson – strictly monitoring visitors and all but running the country through delegation. This hid the severity of Wilson’s condition from the public until his death nearly five years later in February 1924.

Next, America’s 29th President, Warren G. Harding…

Traveling with American Presidents List

If you don’t already have your flight plans in hand for the 4th of July holiday weekend – or for any other travel this Summer, you’ll need to work a little harder to get the best possible deal on a cheap flight.

Have plans but no transportation as yet? Check out the latest deals from Fare Buzz! Here are two secret deals I found:

Save Big on Domestic Flights! Up to 60% off + $10 instant discount using Coupon code FBNYC10

Cheapest Fare Available on Weekend Travel Deals. To Save Big Book Now!

Equal time for couples or single travelers!

Yesterday we highlighted some large and very large vacation rentals in some of the USA’s top vacation destinations. Today we’ll see what’s available with less square footage – without losing the luxury.

2 bedroom – Oahu, Hawaii

5-Star reviews for this Rocky Point beachfront rental. Just 45 minutes from the Honolulu Airport, watch world class surfing from your living room! Watch the pipeline and the sunset from your own front yard! Sheltered cove for kids to swim, snorkeling, and miles of white sand beaches. Sleeps 5 and right on Oahu’s famous North Shore. (A surfer’s dream rental, dude!)

1 bedroom – Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Here’s a small, private cabin with a jacuzzi tub in the loft!

Gatlinburg is the gateway to the Smoky Mountains. It is filled with shops, restaurants, and activities for tourists. The Smoky Mountains are just minutes away and offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Very conveniently located near parks, restaurants, and other outdoor activities like horseback riding and whitewater rafting.

2 bedroom – Miami, Florida

I’m not one for condos and apartments for vacation travel, but every once and awhile there is an obvious exception – this intracoastal waterway view does it for me – and there is a side balcony with commanding views of the beach!

2 bedrooms and 2 baths in 1,440 square feet make this luxury condo perfect for a couple or two – or a single who likes their space. Plenty of amenities within walking distance. This will be a great “home-base” for touring the Miami Beach area.

1 bedroom loft – Manhattan, New York City

1,000 square feet, 11-foot high ceilings, and tall, sun-filled windows – this 1 bedroom, 1 bath loft retains most of its 1920′s charm. If you like the idea of visiting Manhattan and staying in a true industrial-style loft, this is the rental for you. Who needs a cramped hotel room when you can stay here instead and check out your views from the 20th floor…

1 bedroom – Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

You can’t beat the Poconos for scenic beauty no matter the season. Get some fantastic rates by considering this as a warm-weather destination.

Tri-level deck with views of Blue Mountain, a 5-person hot tub, and even though the location is “rustic” – a flat screen TV and high-speed internet are available. You won’t have much time for them though – too much nature to experience including the on-site lake with boats provided. This would be a super idea for an escape from the city – wherever it is…

Find some additional destination ideas with superior vacation rentals right here.

Still prefer a luxury hotel? How about some savings?

I watched a movie last night called, “127 Hours.” I don’t want to give too much away, but for anyone planning hiking, mountain biking, or any other outside activities this year in remote areas, it might be good to watch. Things can be going very smoothly and then suddenly you can find yourself in a life or death situation.

Amazing movie – highly recommended and well-acted by James Franco, and below, a few little items that might have come in handy – along with more water!

This is the The Only Complete Swiss Army Knife. in the world, holder of the Guinness World Record for “The Most Multifunctional Penknife,” with 87 precision-engineered tools spanning 112 functions. Made by Wenger, crafters of genuine Swiss Army knives since 1893, it uses stainless steel for all parts and is hand-assembled by just two cutlery specialists in Delmont, Switzerland, ensuring that every knife meets exacting standards. It has seven blades, three types of pliers, three golf tools (club face cleaner, shoe spike wrench, and divot repair tool), 25 flat- and Phillips-head screwdrivers and bits, saws, wrenches, and more. It also has a bicycle chain rivet setter, signal whistle, 12/20-gauge shotgun choke tube tool, combination fish scaler, hook disgorger, and line guide tool, cigar-cutting scissors, laser pointer, tire-tread gauge, toothpick, tweezers, and key ring.

Here’s the CRKT KISS Knife 50/50 Blade – a lot less expensive but looks like it could prove very useful in an emergency situation.

A Red Swiss Army LED Flashlight, rugged and ultralightweight flashlight for backpack or glove compartment.

I have one of these at home, and in my car’s glove box.

This Satellite Personal Tracker can give you a vital line of communication.

Just remember that cell phones and GPS units may be totally useless when blocked by mountains and while you’re in canyons. Always make sure someone knows when you are leaving, where you are going, and when you are expected to return.

And don’t forget your maps:
Buy Maps for all 50 states only at Maps.com!

More on the movie…