Sixtysomething-year-old newlyweds travelling the world together – Adventure Awaits!
From early April of 2019 to March 11, 2020, John and I were engaged in a continuous trip around the world, starting in Europe, then moving through Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Our last top was Hawai'i. My plan was to blog about our two weeks in Hawai'i on our return to the Mainland, … Continue reading Memories of Hawai’i
I first heard about Carlsbad Caverns when I was just a kid. In the storied way of Americans in the 1960s, neighbors of ours took a family trip out West in their station wagon, as in "See the USA in a Chevrolet." One of the daughters came back brimming with stories of the trip, especially … Continue reading Carlsbad Caverns: An exquisite labyrinth
How many times had we planned and canceled trips to Big Bend National Park, I wondered? Four times, maybe? Or five? I can’t remember. And then, in late August, our friend Rick suggested that we plan a trip together to Big Bend for the October 2 new moon. The Big Bend area is the largest … Continue reading A Train Journey to Big Bend National Park
NOTE: As of February 22, 2025 when Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb and current board member of Airbnb joined the DOGE effort in support of fascist and authoritarian president Donald J. Trump, I no longer use or endorse Airbnb. Henceforth, I will use VRBO for short term rentals. In our travels in the U.S. and … Continue reading Lessons Learned from 72 Airbnb stays
Geri, and I don’t remember whose idea it was to take a multi-day, supported bike ride together this summer – she says it was mine, but in my memory it was hers. Geri is my first cousin and the two of us rode together, along with Chris, the youngest of my three children, in the … Continue reading Riding My Age in the North Woods of Wisconsin
We started our week on Washington's Olympic Peninsula in Forks, WA, a hamlet on the Olympic Highway, which is famous in some circles for the steamy vampire romance series, "Twilight," which is a series of both books and films, all set in Forks. In the early days when Twilight was new, it wasn't unusual to … Continue reading The Magical Diversity of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula
On our last evening in Seattle, we walked two blocks from our vacation rental to Kerry Park, a popular gathering place for viewing the Seattle skyline. We had walked there previously, but the sky had never been clear enough to see beyond downtown, or, more specifically, to be able to see Mount Ranier looming in … Continue reading The Elusive Mount Ranier
I considered naming this post "Dodging wildfires on the Pacific Coast," or "A really unfortunate detour," but those sound so alarmist, sad, and, well, dangerous, which misses that we really had a good time on the Oregon Coast, and in the California Redwoods. Well, we mostly had a good time. All except for the unfortunate … Continue reading The Oregon Coast, Yachats, and Yachats Revisted
We began our visit to the Oregon Coast at the northernmost point of U.S. Highway 101 in Oregon, and that is the quaint and historic town of Astoria. Astoria sits at the mouth of the Columbia River and is known for quite a bit, including its history as the oldest city in Oregon, being founded … Continue reading Charming Astoria, Oregon
Seeing a single California Redwood, especially for the first time, is astonishing. As the tallest trees on the planet, which some call sacred or holy, they never fail to impress. Walking among an entire forest of these giant trees is an unforgettable experience. As the walk goes on, the memory of what anything other than … Continue reading A Walk Among the Giants
You and Me, Odyssey 