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…
As I sit here on night seven of my Alaska adventure with Ariel, my thoughts turn to last week’s solo adventure and really the last 12 years of solo travel. This little getaway had a lot in common with my past solo trips: Waking up not knowing where I’d sleep every night. Major last-minute diversions from the itinerary. Staying at the cheapest, crappiest place I could rest my head. Eating most meals in the car or motel rooms. Dicey moment…
After a last-minute sidequest adventure, on top of a more aggressive/eventful couple of days than expected, we finally made it to our cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas. Unlike a Bahamas cruise, Alaska cruises are a bit more demanding. For example, on our first day out, we sailed out to the Hubbard Glacier. And – much as you might expect – it’s pretty cold. So that means no lounging around on the deck like you would do on…
We’ve been at sea now for about three days and have been taking in the various sights of Alaska. I’ll post an update on our travels shortly. But in my last post I mentioned that prior to setting sail we had one last adventure/sidequest to complete before being able to relax. One tradition that I’m really proud to have started on my adventures is to always pause to watch the sunset. Wherever I am, no matter how many miles I’ve…