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A Baracuda as Big as Me!
November 29, 2024 Today is our last day of diving and our last full day on Utila. We had arranged for Chover to pick us up verbally yesterday, instead of by texting through WhatsApp, so it made me a little nervous when he wasn’t as prompt as all of the other days. He was onContinue…
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MFO – Mystery Floating Object
November 28, 2024 It’s Thanksgiving Day. We got up at the usual time to go diving, and Chover arrived at 7:15 to pick us up, which was good. He deposited us at Tank’d by 7:30, and we arranged for him to pick us up both tomorrow for diving and Saturday morning to catch the ferryContinue…
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5G, Oh how I miss you
November 27, 2024 There’s not much to report for today. We woke at about 5:45, but we had no reason to. Today we are taking a day off from diving. The internet here at our Casita has decided it wanted a vacation too, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Sara, so today I spent theContinue…
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Delicious for Sleeping!
November 26, 2024 We woke up to the heaviest rain. There’s something about rain that makes you want to stay in bed, but I think Chover said it best. “Delicious for sleeping” was what he said about the rain when he picked us up for diving. We again got to the dive shop early. IContinue…
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Homemade Coconuts!
November 25, 2024 This morning we’ve signed up for a two tank morning dive with Tank’d. We arranged for Chover to pick us up at 7:15, so Nathan set his alarm for 6 am. By 5:50 he’d gotten up and rudely turned the light on over the sink and woke me up. It’s all good.Continue…
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Sunday Night, Pizza Night
November 24, 2024 I had to consult my watch for the date, so by that measure, this vacation is going superbly. It’s Sunday. I’ve taken two showers since Thursday and I’ve put deo on exactly zero times. I’ve thought about work only in the framework of the Utila Chocolate Company. They make chocolate, coffee andContinue…
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The Chickens are on Island Time
November 23, 2024 I did not sleep so good. My Fitbit thinks I slept great, but we only had a sheet on our bed, and I was cold. At some point in the night I went and grabbed the bath towels to cover myself. Nathan suffered under the sheet, sans towels. We had set anContinue…
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Not Firing on all Cylinders
November 21/22, 2024 We worked a regular day today. I had pretty much done everything possible to prepare for vacation..my jury summons for the day we get back? I hope I’ve done everything possible to prep for that. Nathan worked until 3 pm in Boulder, then drove home, picked up the dog, and took himContinue…
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I Hope You Like Cats
Saturday, June 1, 2024 Thankfully, there was no reason to get up with the chickens today. We have absolutely nothing planned and the hotel starts serving breakfast at 7. We got ready and sat down to breakfast right at 7. By now, it was the standard fare. Scrambled eggs made upon request, with ham, cheese,Continue…
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Because I’m the Tallest!
Friday May 31, 2024 Today is our last day in the Amazon. After breakfast, we met Francisco for a hike and tour of the Muyuna Botanical Garden. We were ready at 7:15 with our rubber boots on, and we went searching for more Amazonian critters. We crossed a stream and looked high and low. AnContinue…
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Ocho Pescado!
Thursday, May 30, 2024 It’s not warm here. Who knew we’d need these layers for the Amazon? These past few days have been more overcast than not, and we asked for an extra blanket on our bed for last night. Our guide Francisco says that the last week in May and first weeks in JuneContinue…
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The mama is HUGE!
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 We feel a little bit like we are at adult camp here because while the days’ activities are all different, the daily structure is the same. Breakfast is served at 6:30 every day, so we got up about 5:45 or 6. Nathan opted to take a shower, but since the water’sContinue…
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Something Touched Me!
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 We woke up at 6 am, and quickly got dressed. As we were opening the curtains of our bungalow, Nathan shrieked. It’s a spider. I go to take a look and it’s the biggest, hairiest, non-tarantula I’ve ever seen. We’re both a bit flustered. Do we kill it? Shoo it outside? Continue…
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From ‘Out of Africa’ to ‘The African Queen’
Monday, May 27, 2024 If yesterday was all about ‘Out of Africa’, today was reminiscent of ‘The African Queen’ with Bogie and Hepburn. We woke up about 6 am, having slept super good with our AC and fan. Breakfast starts at 7, so we got ready, and packed our bags to leave. At 7, weContinue…
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“I Had a Farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills”
Sunday, May 26, 2024 Today we once again woke up with the chickens. I was up at 4:15, so I hopped in the shower right away. Nathan was up a little while later. We quickly got ready, so that we could get breakfast right when it opened at 5:30. The breakfast buffet here at AmaruContinue…
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¿Esta Agua Purificado?
Saturday, May 25, 2024 Today we woke up long before any chickens. We set the alarm for 2:30 am and boy was it a rough night. I sprang out of bed, once I figured out that both cell phone alarms were going off, and got dressed. Nathan did too, and I asked him his plans. Continue…
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I’ll accompany you to the train station
Friday, May 24, 2024 Well, things are not going as planned. Yesterday after touring Machu Picchu and sharing the same Camelbak straw, Nathan started to feel like he was coming down with a cold. Awesome. Today our plans were to get up early with the chickens at 5 am and go up to the hotContinue…
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Show me Machu Picchu!
Thursday May 23, 2024 Yikes, what an early morning. We got to bed fairly early last night, and were rudely awakened by someone loudly knocking on the adjacent door. Thinking we had overslept, I asked Nathan what time it was. 10 pm. I managed to get back to sleep, but not very well towards theContinue…
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¿Está Todo Bien?
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 I again woke up early. My Fitbit died after the hot springs, so I don’t know exactly what time it was, but I’d guess in the 4 o’clock hour. Nathan woke up closer to 5:50. We quickly got dressed (our room is 47 degrees), organized our gear and went outside. AtContinue…
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I just fulfilled a dream I never knew I had!
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 Today is our 20th wedding anniversary. We woke up in twin beds, me at maybe 4 or 4:30, Nathan at 5:45. I peaked out of the curtains early when the sun was just starting to light up a far peak in shades of reds and pink. We got up, changed intoContinue…
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The cheese squeaks on your teeth!
Monday May 20, 2024 Like, holy smokes, I don’t even know where to start. We got up with Nathan’s regular work alarm at 5 am. This was by design. I had showered last night, but Nathan needed to shower this morning, and I was hoping for enough Wi-Fi (always a challenge) to get yesterday postedContinue…
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No foto… I hate that museum
Sunday, May 19, 2024 Today we got up at about 6:30, showered, sorted some of our things (take hiking or leave behind in our suitcase), and went down to breakfast. Nathan had the omelet this morning, and I stuck with the pancakes, supplemented with fruit, coffee, yogurt, granola and coca tea. After breakfast we didContinue…
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I’m all tingly…Is that the coca tea?
Saturday, May 18, 2024 Last night we both slept fairly well, even at Cusco’s 11,000 feet in elevation. We woke up at about 7:30 am, showered in our 60 degree room (we have a heater and wood stove, neither were on), and went down for breakfast. Our hotel serves either eggs or pancakes plus aContinue…
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You Can Pick The Country Your Wine Comes From in First Class!
Thursday, May 16, 2024 & Friday, May 17, 2024 This adventure to Peru started well over five years ago. We originally planned to come to Peru in May 2020, and I think you can all guess what happened to those plans. At the time of our original flight, Panama had completely closed down, and theirContinue…
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No Trip Is Complete Without a Sprint To The Gate!
AKA The Day American Airlines Couldn’t Recover Sunday, March 24, 2024 We had arranged with Rich, the silver Tesla driver to pick us up at 9:30 am to take us back to the airport, but by 8:30 am, Dave and Joan had been in line at the airport for hours and were warning everyone toContinue…
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Yes, It’s Ridiculous
AKA The Day American Airlines Crapped The Bed Saturday, March 23, 2024 We woke up this morning to huge thunderstorms. Lots of rain, thunder and lightning. Super loud thunder! Yesterday, I had arranged for Rufus the cabbie to drive Todd to the airport at 8 am and to take us at 11:30, and he showedContinue…
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Rolling like Sausage Links
Friday, March 22, 2024 Yesterday at Allens Cay, a man in a dinghy motored over to Vildiur while we were trying to anchor to warn us about an incoming storm, so we knew today we were going to be thankful to be in the marina and tied up to the dock. And at the fuelContinue…
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Out of Rum, Out of Beer!
Thursday, March 21, 2024 This morning we all set an alarm for 6 am. The plan was to eat a quick, light breakfast before hopping in the dinghy and motoring over to one of the snorkel spots I discovered yesterday. So, when the sun came up, we grabbed our gear and set off. As weContinue…
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No One Has Ever Seen Dave Harrold Wake Up So Quickly!
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 Today is the big day. At least in my mind. Todd was willing to skip this day, but I think he came to appreciate us pressing on yesterday after the fun sailing in the afternoon. If we had voted to skip the pigs and end early yesterday, we would have missedContinue…
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Rode Hard and Put Away Wet
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 We all slept like babies. It was awesome. The air conditioning did a great job and the Norman Cay Marina was super still and quiet once the party boat went to bed. Nathan, Dave and I got up roughly at 7. We went out to the cockpit and opened up theContinue…
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Yet Another Crisis Averted!
Monday, March 18, 2024 After the excitement of the first night on the boat, we were all looking forward to a calmer day today. The second half of the night was quite rolly, and no one got a good night sleep. Nathan joined Grant in the cockpit at 6:45 and Dave, Todd and I joinedContinue…
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Captain, You’re Going the Wrong Way!
Sunday, March 17, 2024 Well, that was an adventure. We started the day off Sunday quite slowly. I was the first one up at 6 am, so I made coffee and sat in the living room of our place. Nathan was the second one up, and one by one, everyone woke up and collected inContinue…
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As the Wind Blows, So Does Our Mind!
I’m not so sure about that, at least not yet, but its as good a start to this adventure as we have for five, supremely sleep deprived individuals. Let me take a step back. Last August, on a random Tuesday, I woke up to find the following text message: “Hey Nathan and Anika, I’m planningContinue…
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I Guess We’re Friends Now!
Sadly, all adventures must come to an end, and this is our last full day in Grenada. We got up around 6 am and leisurely ate breakfast. The plan today is to walk towards the airport and Magazine Beach. Because its so close to the airport, its not on any bus route, so to getContinue…
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Could End Up in Venezuela!
Holy smokes, did it rain in the night. We woke up to a puddle on the kitchen floor. Not sure where that came from, but Nathan thinks it came in possibly from the outlet the fridge is plugged into. Always a comforting thought. Since we went to the grocery store yesterday, we had yogurt forContinue…
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Do You Have the Sandwiches?
We weren’t starting off on a very good foot. Even before Cat Eye dropped us off at the dive shop, we knew we had forgotten our lunch. We had run out of yogurt for breakfast this morning, so we made eggs, and the added prep and clean up time caused for a bit of aContinue…
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Now that’s a scary eel!
Cat Eye was once again waiting for us when we walked down the drive at the appointed time. His taxi has a green paint job, and he’s accentuated it by wearing a green outfit (shorts and t-shirt) green shoes with green laces and even green glasses. Super sharp. He drove us to the dive shopContinue…
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Huge Lobsters!
It rained again in the night, and it was a little hard to get up this morning. Our place is super cozy and quiet. So much different from last year where we heard party music all night, every night in Utila. Its very easy to sleep here. The air conditioning is swell and the builtContinue…
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Burgers and Sandwishes!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from Grenada. We woke up to skies that threatened to rain, a rain soaked deck, and an invitation to Friendsgiving back in Colorado. I waited until an appropriate time of day in Colorado to send my regards and regrets. Today’s the day. We finally will get on the dive boat withContinue…
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Are you big eaters?
Last night for dinner, we went back to One Love and shared a pizza. Sometimes pizza really hits the spot, but the winner last night was the homemade gelato, made from Grenadian chocolate. Yes, please! Once we got home from dinner it rained pretty heavily, and we were thankful that we were tucked inside. We’veContinue…
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Nathan on Land, Bob in the Water
Last night’s dinner was Indian food out of a shipping container and it was so good. The Container Park is close to the college and a 10 minute walk from our place. That said, the prices were the highest we’ve seen yet. I guess these college students have bigger budgets than Nathan and I didContinue…
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Do I need shoes?
Today, we still did not get up with the chickens, but both of us were up by 7 am. We organized our place, and by we, I mean, Nathan organized. He also made coffee. So we enjoyed coffee and tried to wake up. Nathan said it rained overnight, but I saw no evidence of this.Continue…
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Estaba buenisimo!
Our AirBnB hostess was kind enough to stock our kitchen with the basics for our first breakfast. Coffee, milk, juice, bread, and eggs. It was a huge relief last night to land and know that we didn’t need to rush out to the grocery store. This morning we got up long past the chickens. WeContinue…
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“It’s Your Captain Again…”
We have arrived in Grenada. I was hoping to have a quiet week at work, and it mostly was, aside from a few heart attack inducing moments that were unnecessary. Nathan is currently experiencing the calm between jobs and since calm is a word that’s never been uttered at my job, to get away mostlyContinue…
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Austrian Reunion Trek
(A Poem by ChatGPT, with inputs by Pat) There once were two couples, quite bold, One from Colorado, the other, tales of Malta told. Reunited in Austria, they tread, On the Lechweg trail, they sped, Their laughter echoed, precious as gold. They hiked and they chuckled, all four, From mountain top to valley floor. InContinue…
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There’s a line to get into Louis Vuitton!
Saturday, July 1, 2023 Step Count: 22,953 Anika, 23,856 Nathan Obviously, we are still waiting in it. Last night, Nathan worked a little. He answered emails at dinner. He called his boss. He called the City of Boulder. There’s some funny business happening with a permit fee of some kind and he’s trying to getContinue…
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A Very European Rain
Friday, June 30, 2023 Munich – Stuttgart – Munich Day Trip Step Count: 15,690 Anika, 15,638 Nathan Today we woke up to a gloomy and rainy day, so after breakfast we packed up our smaller hiking backpack with rain jackets, umbrellas, pack cover, entertainment for two, and more for our day trip to Stuttgart. PartContinue…
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Assault to the senses II
Thursday, June 29, 2023 Munich Tourist Day Step Count: 19,426 Anika, 19,014 Nathan I had nightmares last night. Well, maybe it was only one, but I think its because we were planning to go to Dachau today. We woke up about 6 or 6:20, got ready and headed down to the breakfast buffet. We againContinue…
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Assault to the senses
Wednesday, June 28, 2023 Step Count: 23,257 Anika, 22,345 Nathan Last night we stayed out late with Pat and Andrew for dinner and we had nowhere to be first thing this morning, so you’d think we would enjoy a little extra sleep this morning, but Nathan woke us up with the chickens. A quick showerContinue…
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Here You Are
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 Füssen Tourist day Step Count: 19,875 Anika, 18,124 Nathan Last night we were so tired from our epic day, I suggested we set our alarm for 5:30, just in case we overslept. Nathan woke me at 5:30, and we quickly showered and got our urban backpack ready for a day ofContinue…
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An Epic Day
Monday, June 26, 2023 Lechweg Day 7 – Wängle, Austria to Füssen, Germany Step Count: 48,316 Anika, 46,835 Nathan We had an epic day for our last day on the Lechweg. It was ridiculously long, with epic climbs, past chapels, and stations of the cross. It was also very beautiful through a deciduous forest onContinue…
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Oh, good. A foot bath. We’re stopping.
Sunday, June 25, 2023 Lechweg Day 6 – Stanzach to Wängle Step Count: 38,554 Anika, 37,036 Nathan Last night we ate dinner at Pat and Andrew’s hotel. There are two restaurant choices in Stanzach, and the other was up a hill, so completely out of the question! We managed to score a table outside andContinue…
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The Adventure Continues… or The People Are So Nice!
Saturday, June 24, 2023 Lechweg Day 5 – Elbigenalp – Stanzach Step Count: 41,550 Anika, 40,271 Nathan The high of receiving our international Fedex with brand, spanking new ATM cards was rather short lived, unfortunately. Last night at dinner Nathan received a phone call, didn’t recognize the number and let it go to voicemail. OnceContinue…
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Salamanders, Snails and Slugs!
Friday, June 23, 2023 Lechweg Day 4 – Holzgau – Elbigenalp Step Count: 36,694 Anika, 33,285 Nathan Last night, I again donned my dirndl for dinner. We were meeting Pat and Andrew at our hotel’s restaurant, so we only had to go downstairs. At reception, I asked about our Fedex, and the possibilities of takingContinue…
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I think we’re in the Penthouse!
Thursday, June 22, 2023 Lechweg Day 3 – Gehren – Holzgau Step Count: 34,776 Anika, 33,828 Nathan Just to be clear, I did not book this fancy room. I booked a comfort double, not this palace. I think we are in the only room with a balcony. However, I will not complain, and its absolutelyContinue…
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Its the people you meet
Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Lechweg Day 2 – Lech to Gehren Step Count: 28,317 Anika, 25,917 Nathan Last night I wore my dirndl to dinner and it seemed like the Austrians got a real kick out of it. The waiter asked if I wanted the German menu and everyone was smiling and loving it. AtContinue…
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29 Cheeses and 221 Photos!
Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Lechweg Day 1 – Formarinsee to Lech Step Count: 37,971 Anika, 36,513 Nathan Last night, Pat and Andrew arrived at about 7 pm. They put their bags in their room, and we promptly went out for an Austrian dinner. It rained off and on from about the 4 o’clock hour pastContinue…
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It’s Very Practical!
Last night we closed down Innsbruck. We had a long, leisurely dinner at a restaurant right outside our hotel. I’m not terribly sure our waiter understood everything that we said, but he made up for it with giggles and a great demeanor. Our food was traditional Austrian and very good. Even though we ordered chocolateContinue…
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How did this happen?
We went to bed last night and crashed pretty hard. I woke up a few times in the night, but managed to fall back asleep, and when Nathan woke me up in the morning it was already 8 am. We quickly showered and got ready, packed up a daypack, and set out for breakfast. WeContinue…
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An Unnecessary Frisking
Well, we’ve made it. We are in Innsbruck, outside on the street, enjoying a Margarita pizza, Rosé for me, and a tall Helles bier for Nathan. The weather is a marked improvement from Denver, where it has been raining and 60 degrees for the entire month of June. The journey started in the usual andContinue…
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We’d be better off in Seattle
We are all set for another hiking adventure in a few weeks. Our flights, hotels, luggage transfer, and even castle tours are all booked. We’ve been trying to get in longer and longer training hikes to condition our bodies and this is where Mother Nature is throwing a wrench in our plans. After a veryContinue…
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There’s a man in the hole
Today is our last full day on Utila, and tomorrow we start the long journey home. We can’t dive, because you need a surface interval of 24 hours between diving and flying. So snorkeling it will be, except after our errands, of course. We needed to get a few things done, namely grabbing some cashContinue…
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From tears to no fears!
Today was a good day. Bittersweet, because it is our last day of diving, but it was a good one. We got up at 5:45, which is the usual time for us if we have a morning dive. The dive shop asks us to be there by 7:15, and our prearranged tuk tuk arives atContinue…
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You ever seen a floating fridge?!
We signed up for a two tank dive this morning. We had no idea who else was going, so it was a bit of a leap of faith. We hopped out of our prearranged tuk tuk and started readying the boat and our gear. Miriam had an open water student, so we went with DeweyContinue…
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I saw one!
We had dinner last night at Mister Buddha, the local sushi restaurant. I’m like a vegetarian who also eats bacon…I don’t eat sushi or sashimi, but I bend the rules for raw oysters. We had scoped the menu out beforehand, so we knew they had plenty of cooked sushi rolls, and also pad thai andContinue…
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You can feel my emotion from my ding-dings!
We decided to walk to the close restaurant last night for dinner. Its pretty pricy, and their drink selection leaves a little to be desired. To be fair, I think part of the problem is us. We pick up things; drinks, dishes, customs, and try to reproduce them in other places. A lesser Antilles styleContinue…
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I’ve always wanted a moat
Today was not very eventful. I am very thankful to have basically slept through the night. We employed our host’s suggestion to sleep with the Bluetooth speaker on the headboard playing “brown noise”. It took some finagaling because Nathan’s free Spotify account plays commercials. We ponied up for the free month trial of the premiumContinue…
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Tuk tuk chicken
I didn’t have high hopes for today. I did last night at dinner, but the 2 am bump and grind woke me again and I stuggled to get back to sleep. Without a good night’s sleep, I felt like I was setting myself up for failure. Not what I wanted. We got up at 5:45Continue…
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At this point, I’m a Deet and sunscreen layer cake
Today sucked. My anxiety got the upper hand and it bit me in the ass. It didn’t have to end up like that… I could have come out on top, and for that, I think we’re both a little ticked off. Let me start over. It had all the markings of a sunny day whenContinue…
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I just ordered my first pizza on WhatsApp!
Thankfully, there was no bump and grind last night. Once we were home from dinner, it was quiet and we were able to fall asleep. At some point in the night, there was a lot of wind, because when Nathan got up, our hummingbird feeded had been knocked over. It was not raining when NathanContinue…
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Not one ray, but two!
Last night was not the most restful. We both woke up at about 2 am to a major bump and grind going on outside. There’s no nightclubs around, so I think one of the neighbors decided to play their tunes ala Matthew McCaughey, just without the bongos. Not sure if they were nude too, orContinue…
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Where’s the rum?
After the week I’ve had, I could drink the whole bottle. Ugh. This week was THE WORST. It started out with a ‘normal’ amount of adults not playing nice in the same sandbox and ended with holy hell, wtf just happened?It was easy to console myself at the beginning of the week with the ideaContinue…
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Amber is the color of your energy
Work was such bullshit today. I get in trouble with Nathan for saying such things, but when the shoe fits… I can’t keep your faults bottled up inside me. We are looking forward to our next Caribbean vacation, even more so after today’s malarkey. Thank you … you know who you are. I walked theContinue…
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Rosé… with ice?
July 21 – 24, 2022 Chamonix, France Those French are something else indeed. On day two of the Chamonix bartender asking me if I wanted ice in my rosé, and me looking at him like he’s an alien, I finally asked him if people really do that. Put ice in their rosé. He said yes,Continue…
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Chamonix, here we come!
Thursday, July 21, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 11 Refuge Lac Blanc to Chamonix! Starting elevation: 2,352 m Ending elevation: 1,008 m Elevation gain: 318 m Elevation loss: 595 m Distance: 4.9 miles to cable car, 4.2 miles on valley floor Last night the rains rolled in, first before dinner, and then offContinue…
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I hope you’re not claustrophobic…
Wednesday, July 20, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 10 Auberge la Boerne to Refuge Lac Blanc Starting elevation: 1,395 m Ending elevation: 2,352 m Elevation gain: 957 m Elevation loss: 0 m Distance: 3 miles Ladders: 8 (?) Last night was another shit show. We arrived at the refuge by 3 pm orContinue…
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From the Dragon Lady, with love
Tuesday, July 19, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 9 Refuge le Peuty to Auberge la Boerne Starting elevation: 1,279 m Ending elevation: 1,395 m Elevation gain: 1,144 m Elevation loss: 1,028 m Distance: 8.8 miles Col de Balme: 2,204 m Col des Posettes: 1,997 m L’Aiguillette des Posettes: 2,201 m Today was anotherContinue…
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I’m pretty sure that guy’s in his underpants
Monday, July 18, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 8 Hotel Mont Lac to Refuge le Peuty Starting elevation: 1,466 m Ending elevation: 1,279 m Elevation gain: 795 m Elevation loss: 982 m Distance: 9.9 miles Alp Bovine: 1,974 m Col de la Forclaz: 1,526 m Today was the ultimate shit show. Sorry, momsContinue…
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I have still not mastered the art of the European shower
Sunday, July 17, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 7 Hotel Edelweiss, La Fouly, CH to Hotel Mont Lac, Champex- Lac, CH Starting elevation: 1,600 m Ending elevation: 1,466 m Elevation gain: 523 m Elevation loss: 657 m Distance: 9.1 miles There are so many possible titles for today, all hilarious. We started theContinue…
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If I flush after 10, will you report me?
Saturday, July 16, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc- Day 6 Rifugio Elena to Hotel Edelweiss, La Fouly, CH Starting elevation: 2,062 m Ending elevation: 1,600 m Elevation gain: 535 m Elevation loss: 997 m Distance: 7.2 m Col Grand Ferret: 2,537 m Today we left Rifugio Elena to head over Col Grand Ferret, and onContinue…
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No clouds, one star
Friday, July 15, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc-Day 5 Courmayeur to Rifugio Elena Starting elevation: 1,226 m Ending elevation: 2,062 m Elevation gain: 1,426 m Elevation loss: 590 m Distance: 12.2 miles Last night’s dinner took way too long, a leisurely Italian affair, with complementary limoncello, and then we got up early with the goalContinue…
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Fontina! I know that one.
Thursday, July 14, 2022 Rest day in Courmayeur We didn’t have high expectations for a good night’s sleep after we got here last night. The room was quite warm, with no A/C, and only a sheet on the bed. Also, we judged the bed to be quite firm…but after a hot day’s hike and aContinue…
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Ella es sucia, the Italian version
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 4 Cabane du Combal to Hotel Berthod, Courmayeur Starting elevation: 1,950 m Ending elevation: 1,226 m Elevation gain: 505 m Elevation loss: 1,229 m Distance: 7.5 miles Today we woke up at about 6, and since we had so much space, our own bathroom, andContinue…
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Goodbye France, for now
Tuesday, July 12, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 3 Refuge des Mottets to Cabane du Combal Starting elevation: 1,864 m Ending elevation: 1,950 m Elevation gain: 686 m Elevation loss: 600 m Distance: 7 miles Col de la Seigne: 2516 m Last night I didn’t sleep great. I actually have been up everyContinue…
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If the Maltese were gonna push me off a cliff, it would have been today
Monday, July 11, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 2 Refuge Nant Borrant to Refuge des Mottets Starting elevation: 1,459 m Ending elevation: 1,864 m Elevation gain: 1,034 m Elevation loss: 985 m Distance: 9.3 miles Col du Bonhomme: 2329 m Col de la Croix du Bonhomme: 2443 m Col des Fours: 2716 mContinue…
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In Typical French Fashion…
Sunday, July 10, 2022 Tour du Mont Blanc – Day 1 Les Houches, France to Refuge de Nant Borrant Starting elevation: 1,008 m Ending elevation: 1,459 m Elevation gain: 692 m Elevation loss: 1,051 m Distance: 11.9 miles Today we woke up with the alarm at 6 am. We were both awake just a littleContinue…
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We Made It
We have officially made it to the starting point of the Tour du Mont Blanc. This plan has been in the works for about 11 months. Several months of planning, and more than a few months of worrying. Initially, we had planned this route, and to hike this hike, with my aunt and uncle, EdContinue…
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In a few weeks, we won’t have that option
We are gearing up for something big. A big European adventure that requires physical conditioning. And so, today, we set out for a training hike that should replicate the efforts that will be required of us. We got up, showered, ate breakfast, and were out the door shortly after 7:30. We drove up through theContinue…
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Win-day Change in Plans
We had no wedding or family plans for the morning, so Nathan and I got up around 5:30, made breakfast, had coffee, and prepped a backpack to go back into Joshua Tree National Park. There was one hike that we saw yesterday that looked interesting, and we wanted to head back there before it gotContinue…
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Desert Honky Tonk Disco
This story really starts last summer. You see, we were supposed to be in Portugal now. My bestest girlfriend lives in Germany, with her Army Captain husband and two kids. Last summer we hatched a plan – a Covid plan- Nathan and I would fly to somewhere cool in Europe and she and her littleContinue…
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And I did it all without scratching a mosquito bite
It’s over. Our Roatán vacation ended on Tuesday when Rigo came to Turtle Beach to take us to the Roatán International Airport. That’s not its official airport name, but with all 4 gates, you get the drift. We got up at roughly 6 am in the Monkey Lair, slowly ate and packed up our things,Continue…
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Pescado?
Today was our last full day here in Roatán. Tomorrow we fly home. We are now settled back into the Monkey Lair, and last night with earplugs and eye mask, I slept great. I was aware of a rainstorm and power outage, though. We got up at 6 am, and it was pretty overcast andContinue…
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There are two types of people…
Those who pee in their wetsuit, and those who lie about it. This is a funny and common saying in the diving community. It throws newbies off guard. Denisse was saying it to her pupils as I was getting out of the water today, but we’ve also heard it from our original PADI instructor, Dan.Continue…
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Water taxi to Colorado?
Today we woke up to overcast skies and rain, again. Nathan was out at 6 am to exercise under the palapa. I stayed inside and tried to rest. We ate breakfast once he got back; yogurt, granola, honey, fresh bread, jam and coffee and tried to motivate ourselves for another overcast and rainy day. AroundContinue…
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I carried a watermelon.
Today was the most Dirty Dancing-est of days. It was rainy and overcast. We had no plans, other than to pay our bread bill from yesterday since Denisse said there’d be no diving. So, after breakfast, while it was overcast but dry, we set off for West End to buy groceries and settle up. AsContinue…
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I have your panty!
A Thanksgiving to remember We woke up rather early, and I worked on the blog while Nathan worked out on the dock. He’s so weird. When he came back to our room from his exercise escapades, we fixed breakfast, ate quickly and brought our coffee up to the deck. We relaxed and drank our coffeeContinue…
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You can get a full meal at the Booty Bar!
I woke up late today, and Nathan wasn’t in our room. He had told me that he was gonna get up early to do something, but I forgot what. So I just readied myself until he came back, dripping wet. Paddleboarding, that’s what it was. We both showered (If you only knew how rare thisContinue…
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I’m ok going with more people, if I can still hold Denzel’s hand
Today, we woke up in Monkey Lair, knowing that we had to move back to Crabby Cabin. So, goodbye room with a view, and back to the room with a bigger fridge, and slightly more privacy. You win some, you lose some. One of the advantages of Crabby Cabin is that you can get intoContinue…
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Dinner and an agouti, or two!
We had no plans for today, except to go diving with Denzel at 3:15, so we lingered over two cups of coffee this morning. The weather was not supposed to be nice, so when the sun was still shining by 9:30 or so, I told Nathan we should get our suits on and head downContinue…
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I was just trying not to die.
WhatsApp is a big thing down here. I’ve arranged for our diving via WhatsApp. Everyone, including the restaurants and water taxis, can be WhatsApp’d. So yesterday at some point I decided that the best way to get more confidence and experience diving, is to go more often, and I WhatsApp’d Denisse to see if weContinue…