Hiking in Olympic National Park, Washington is a feast for the senses! I was blown away by the natural beauty! I was there in July of 2011 and the weather was glorious.
Category Archives: Hiking
Hiking Petra
Hiking Petra is an electrifying experience! Although the landscape seems stark…it’s alive with energy! Over the course of two days, I was able to hike for miles through the ancient grounds, high into the rock formations. These horse and buggies are available for those that aren’t able or don’t want to walk.
Hiking the Grand Canyon
Hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon is another “must do” if you love hiking like I do! My adventure was back in 2007 and although I hiked down solo…I met a couple of guys to chat with along … Continue reading
Hiking Zion and Bryce National Parks
Hiking in Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah is a must-do for any nature enthusiast! In 2007 I flew out to Las Vegas, rented a car and was able to spend three nights in Zion, two nights in Bryce, … Continue reading
Hiking Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is as grand as everyone says! I was fortunate to hike about 14 (long and rugged) miles of it one day back in 2006 while traveling solo for a week through California! That’s me…looking small beside the … Continue reading
Wintertime Walk in the Woods
Walking in the woods is magical! Even when you go to the same place over and over again…there are always new ways to look at the same scenes and these scenes change through the weeks and months. There’s nothing like breathing in the sweet-clean-woodsy air and feeling the sun’s rays upon your face. The sky seems bluer in the woods.
I love the way the towering trees cast shadows and surround you with their being…
The paths seem so inviting. Without leaves, the trees don’t seem lonely.
A light dusting of snow still clings to this path…
Icicles glint in the light and seem to sprout from the rocks…like roots from a tree.
The trees admire their reflections in the icy water…
I’m grateful for the woods!
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What fun looks like in your 40’s and 50’s
Since I’ve been back from Africa…a lot has been going on. Some of it is personal and heavy-duty–so I can’t talk about it. But most of it has been FUN!
This was my friend April’s (on the left) boat christening party. She’s amazing! She just finished 1st in her age group in a triathlon.
I really enjoyed this 4th of July pool party. That’s me on the right with the hat on. I didn’t know most of the people…but its good to get out and meet new friends!
This was at an outdoor concert in a suburb of Cincinnati called “Blue Ash”.
Downtown Cincinnati with friends…
The wine tasting meeup.com organization I belong to had an event at the Art Museum…
Its been really hot here, so I’ve been to the neighbor’s pool, my girlfriend’s pool, and to the beach at Eastfork Lake. Lots of other fun events like a Reds Game, bicycling 20 miles on the Loveland Bike Trail, jogging almost every day, hiking, and trying new recipes that I find on Pinterest.
Like, Spinach Orzo, Shrimp Tacos, and fresh peaches, lemonade and vodka in a blender!
Tonight after jogging or hiking (can’t decide which one to do) I’ll try a Blackberry Margarita…yum yum!!
Hope you’re having a fantastic summer (or whatever season it is where you are)!!
Cinque Terre…The Five Lands and “Guido”
Although all of the destinations on my 12-night Mediterranean cruise (taken in 2010) were amazing, I was looking forward to Cinque Terre most of all, and it didn’t let me down! In 2006, I had spent hours upon hours researching and booked a solo, three week backpacking trip to Europe, to include Cinque Terre, and because of life, had to cancel it, so I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to visit. Especially due to the recent disaster there!
After docking in Livorno, we boarded our pre-paid/reserved train…a little over one hour trip…to La Spezia and then hopped on a short regional train ride that delivered us to the last of the five villages, Monterosso al Mare. I thoroughly researched this excursion, because when you’re on a cruise ship, timing is very important! If you miss your ship, you’re “ship” out of luck!
I took this photograph of Monterosso al Mare while hiking. Everyone that I spoke to on the ship was going to Florence and/or the leaning Tower of Pisa. They didn’t know what they were missing!
This is the beginning of the 1 1/2 hour trail that we hiked from the fifth village to the fourth village, Vernazza. Although I purchased some great Merrill sandals, especially for this trip, I was beginning to get a callous on the edge of my heel. But nothing could dampen the dazzling vistas!
The entire region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The natural beauty was almost overwhelming!
The trail varied in it’s difficulty and scenery…
You can see the village of Vernazza in the distance.
It’s like a jewel jutting from the cliff…
After having some lunch in town…due to time constraints, we took the train to the first village, Riomaggiore, where we briefly looked around and headed back to the train station in La Spezia.
We had over an hour to kill at the train station, so we went for a walk and my traveling companion overheard a woman talking to a taxi driver about taking her to her ship, which happened to be Royal Caribbean. We spoke to her and within seconds we’re sharing the taxi with her to go back to the ship. Obviously, we weren’t thinking…we were over an hour away from the ship…and the woman said the taxi was only 10 euros…which is about $12 to split.
Within a couple of minutes we realized that she was heading to a different Royal Caribbean ship and I’m asking “Guido” the taxi driver if he is going to charge us anything for taking us back to where we came from. He said he wouldn’t and started making a wierd gesture with his arms and saying in his half Italian and broken English that we were tight!
Then…the lady wanted a receipt for her taxi ride and he wouldn’t give her one…gesturing and almost shouting…so she exited the taxi and on the 5-10 min. ride back to the train station, he is saying “Cacare”, over and over. Upon inquiring as to its meaning, he informed us it meant “F____ you”. He was upset with the lady wanting a receipt…so to break the tension…I requested him to teach us how to say it…so we’re all three in unison saying…”Cacare, Cacare”!
If you’re ever in La Spezia and want an unforgettable taxi ride, try to find “Guido”!
p.s. Later…I discovered from a fellow blogger that “Guido” is actually a slang term to denote someone that is lower or working class of American/Italian descent.
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Hiking Machu Picchu
Hiking Machu Picchu is one of those “once in a lifetime” experiences and I enjoyed every moment of the three and 1/2 day, 27 mile hike! I was traveling with 10 other fellow adventurers on a G Adventures trip in May of 2009. We had visited the absolutely breathtaking Lake Titicaca and were on an all day public bus ride to the beautiful and vibrant town of Cusco, which is located about thirty minutes by train to the start of the Inca Trail hike. Typically, we traveled by private van, but this trip was an exception.
The road to Cusco from Lake Titicaca is very curvy and mountainous. Unfortunately for the other passengers, I had intestinal problems. The bus was swaying from side to side along the twisting roads and the restroom was small, dark, and void of toilet paper. I couldn’t avoid the imagined glares from passengers as I had to utilize the facilities a few times that day!
For the previous two weeks, we had gradually risen in elevation within Peru, which is a good thing when you’re going to hike the Inca Trail. Altitude sickness can strike young, old, fit or not…so if you can acclimatize…all the better!
Cusco reminded me of Europe. Cobblestones, narrow streets and history everywhere!
Indiana Jones…where are you?
One of the highlights for me while traveling through Egypt and Jordan with GAP Adventures in 2009, was sleeping in the desert with the Bedouin people. Upon arrival to the camping area in the desert, we dropped our gear and made our way to the main dining tent for dinner.
We shared the tent with a group of Dutch people on pilgrimage. They were the subdued, quiet ones on the other side. We were the loud, fun-loving group on our side. I actually spoke to one of the women to try to get the groups to mingle, but to no avail. After a delicious meal, a few traditionally dressed Arab musicians entered the tent and one of the men began dancing and beckoned us to join him. Feeling like a gypsy, I rose and began dancing, feeling breathless, having been seduced by the aromatic incense wafting through the air combined with the rhythmic melody. Others began to join us and soon we had a party going! I was having such a good time…I didn’t get any photos! (the above photos I found online…but they are of the same or very similar camping spot)
The following day we took a jeep ride through the desert and I asked if I could drive. The Bedouin driver “Mohammad” agreed to allow me and kept telling me what a good driver I was as I careened over sand dunes. I wonder if the 4 passengers sitting in the open bed of the truck felt the same way after being jostled and bounced around…possibly fearing for their lives!
The “Siq” … Petra, Jordan
I love this photo I took of the “Siq”, which is the mile long walk before arriving to the area called Petra, where all of the carved buildings are. You are surrounded by towering walls of stone on either side as you walk.
We hiked for two days throughout Petra…it was amazing! Walking to the main entrance of Petra, I met a couple of 25ish men. I discovered that one of them made his living taking people for rides within Petra on a donkey. After a few minutes, he began flirting with me and wanted to take me to his “cave” on a date. I told him I was married…but that didn’t faze him. Throughout the day, I would see him and he would wave.
He gave me the tip of walking down a few steps for the photo shown below…so you don’t see the throngs of people! These buildings carved into stone were simply unbelievably beautiful! They were massive!
The Treasury, Petra, Jordan…(Raiders of the Lost Ark filmed here)
A fellow traveler took this photo of me carefully crossing a very narrow ledge while hiking in Petra…whew!
Beautiful Children of Jordan
Children have such an exuberance for life…an openness…that I wish more adults could keep!
Another unique experience we had was going to a Turkish bath while in Jordan. The steam room resembled a cave and we were instructed to sit in the steam for 20 minutes…to then exit and be doused with cold water by a squat, muscled man in swim trunks…repeating this process three times…then to lay on a cold marble slab while he scrubs you with a mitt (ouch…that hurt)…pours cool water on you…slathers oil all over…massages roughly for five minutes and you’re done!!
Here is a group shot of us at the “Dead Sea“…the mud from the sea detoxifies your skin and makes it baby soft! And you really do float in the Dead Sea!
I hope you enjoyed the trip!
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Do we really want to see the sunset?
The 18 days I traveled through Egypt and Jordan with GAP Adventures in 2009, were filled with adventure, excitement and wonder.
Our group of 14 people from across the globe, typically traveled by private van, but we did take a night train from Cairo to Aswan. Here is a map of our route…
This photo is of the back of the Citadel, which was originally built during the 12th Century to be a fortification…a wall surrounding Cairo, but was never completed. It is now a preserved historic site, with mosques and museums.
We wandered through the Khan Al Khalili bazaar. It was an endless maze of sidewalks filled with little shops, selling clothing, jewelry, anything you could think of. It was so colorful and intriguing!
There had been a bombing one month prior to my arrival…a French girl died and others were wounded. Of course my family thought it would be too dangerous to visit…
Our hotel at Mt. Sinai was very nice and the pool looked inviting…but it was too cold to swim. I think the scenery was so simply stark and beautiful!
I was so happy to be able to climb to the top of Mt. Sinai. For those of you who don’t remember the significance of this area. According to the Bible, it is where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.
It took about 3 hours to reach the top and it was timed so that we could see the sunset. The temperature change was amazing. By the time we reached the summit, it was freezing. We waited about 15-20 minutes to witness the sunset…with my teeth chattering uncontrollably…I’m asking…do we really want to see the sunset?? It was pretty…but we then ran down the mountain, partially in the dark, in about 30 minutes.
I loved this Greek Orthodox Chapel at the top.
The following photo is St. Catherine’s Monastery, which was built in the 6th century and is the oldest continuously functioning Christian monastery in existence. It is built on the site of the original burning bush.
Cats were everywhere!
Our last stop was Nuweiba, Egypt before boarding the ferry to cross the Gulf of Aquaba to Jordan…this was the beach area where our hotel was located…it was eerily deserted!
This little girl was selling jewelry on the beach…but only five people were on the entire beach! We couldn’t speak to each other, but you don’t always need words to communicate. I took her hands and swung her around and around…and we laughed!
Next we’ll explore Indiana Jones’ territory…
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