Tag: Adventure Travel
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Life is what happens…
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon from the song, Give Peace a Chance I love this quote by John Lennon. I’ve always mused on it from the perspective of folks (including myself) who are too busy keeping up with “rat race” related concerns that they miss the…
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As Unready As I’ll Ever Be…
I am nowhere near ready. Yes, my bags are packed. Tickets purchased. Itinerary sorted. I’ve even wrapped my head around it. No, it’s my body. My physical readiness. Basically, I’m doomed. Day after tomorrow, Rick and I will ride from our front door to Kingston and catch the ferry to Edmonds, Washington. There, we will…
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60 Shades of Gray
Reflections on Retirement When I tell people I’m from the Pacific Northwest, they invariably say,” it rains a lot there, doesn’t it?” Yes. Sort of. Like the Scots, said to have 421 words for snow (for example, the Scottish word for a large snowflake is ‘skelf’), those of us in the PNW have many many…
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And In Summary…
“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver. “So what was the most exciting place you visited?”, our Uber driver asked as we sped through the narrow streets of Amsterdam. How do you respond to that big question that is impossible to answer? Other variations have…
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A Room With A View
I’m pretty sure that the phrase “single story living” has never, ever been used in most of Europe. Over the past 10 weeks, we have stayed in a wide variety of accommodations of which two, had no stairs. Of those with stairs, about half had an elevator or lift. And I think it’s fair to…
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Biking the Belgian Way
The quick blast of the siren made me jump. I had just been warned by another cyclist that I was going the wrong way on a one way road and had managed to get off the street and up onto a crowded sidewalk. Rick had already dismounted when I was waved over by the police. …
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My Little Peloton
Sean’s left hand shot out instinctively to indicate caution. At a hairpin turn, one car up and one car back, his signal was as much for the cars as it was for us. Both cars slowed and then braked. Accident averted. And we continued pedaling. We weren’t sure what the addition of another rider would…
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Let’s Meet In Paris
Paris. In my imagination, I am stepping out of a black convertible near the Eiffel Tower. I casually throw my designer leather backpack over my shoulder. It matches my ankle boots and looks perfect with my designer jeans. I fling my soft, perfectly coiffed, graying hair over my shoulder and don my oversized sunglasses. The…
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Riding
The folks who believe the world is flat have never been on a long cycling tour. I realized this yesterday as we were riding somewhere in the middle of France. The “French flats”, as we had endearingly named this region. And relative to many places, it is. But as we hacked our way through an…
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Travel vs. Vacation
Flashback 2016. Sitting at Gatwick airport waiting for our flight, we, like everyone else in the airport, were logged into the one free hour of wifi available. Checking email and Facebook, my family was just passing time before our flight to Spain. As the time grew closer for boarding, an announcement. Fight delay. Then again.…
Gonzo Girl 