All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king. JRR Tolkien So much to discuss about this poem that has been done to death elsewhere so I’m not going to get…
Where now are the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? Where is the harp on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing? Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. Who shall…
One of the highlights of our trip to Middle Earth (I mean New Zealand) was definitely our tour of Hobbiton. If you’re reading this, then it’s pretty likely that you already know that when Peter Jackson rebuilt the the Shire for The Hobbit films, it was done in a way that was intended to be permanent. If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings – even if you only read the books – this is really a…
On January 10th of this year, Ariel and I went on a little sidequest to picturesque New Brunswick, New Jersey. We left as a traveling party of two (well three if you count Sammy), but our little fellowship gained a new member. Oddly enough, our four days in hospital had more in common with our past adventuring than you might think. Our preparations/packing meant we used a lot of the same items we take on our other trips. Backpacks, granola…
Hey Ho to the bottle I go To heal my heart and drown my woe Rain may fall and wind may blow but there’ll still be Many miles to go… Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain, And the stream that falls from hill to plain. Better than rain or rippling brook, Is a mug of beer inside this Took. J.R.R. Tolkien Sometimes you just need a break from the road (or life in general). Whether at a local…
As the days go down in the West, behind the hills and into shadow, I’m going to be reflecting (i.e. catching up) on some of Ariel and mine favorite travel memories from our adventures. I figured I’d start with what is probably our favorite hike together of all time, finding the filming location for Edoras from the Two Towers. Right off the bat, know that you do NOT need to be a Lord of the Rings nerd to appreciate this…
It’s been a while now since we got back from our Alaskan adventure. Preparations for the baby (including some pretty hefty home renovations) have occupied most of my free time. This weekend however, Ariel and I found ourselves heading out for a wedding (congrats MarJar!) on Long Island. While Nassau County might not seem like a place to go in search of adventure, in these days of increased responsibility, you need to maximize the time you are given. So we…
Oh you can search far and wide, You can drink the whole town dry, But you’ll never find a beer so brown, Oh you’ll never find a beer so brown, As the one we drink in our hometown, As the one we drink in our hometown. You can drink your fancy ales, You can drink them by the flagon, But the only brew for the brave and true… …comes from the Green Dragon! The Return Of The King, Film Edition…
Annnnnnd we’re done. So ends our actual last long distance trip for what’s sure to be a while. Coming home this time, unlike the end of our New Zealand trip, is much more sweet than bitter. For starters, we were both pretty much done with the whole cruise experience this time. Unlike the last time we went cruising (over five years ago!) this was much less of a relaxation tour. Rather than spending our days relaxing on the sundeck of…
Well, this is almost it. We are now at our final stop before making the long journey home to New Jersey. Looking back on this trip, the definite highlights were Denali and the humpback whale watching trip in Icy Strait Point. But the last few days have had their moments. First we stopped in Ketchikan, Alaska which is apparently the salmon capital of the world. It was pretty clear why this is – every year thousands (or maybe tens of…