Tag: travel
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The Way of St. Francis: Ups and Downs on Day One
Pieve Santo Stefano was our destination today, an easy stage according to our guidebook. And I guess it wasn’t too bad, although we did climb 1,700 feet before arriving at this lush green meadow. The meadow was irresistible and knowing that our feet were not yet trail tough, we enjoyed a snack and the view,…
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The Way of St. Francis: Chiusi della Verna
The sleepy village of Chiusi Della Verna awoke to brilliant sunshine today, Friday. We started with pastry, strong coffee (yum!), tangerines and packaged toast and jam downstairs in the hotel Bellavista, in photos above. Our room’s small window shows a burst of early spring. We are pausing in this village, dating to the 13th century,…
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The Way of St. Francis: Feeling his spirit
When he walked this part of Italy nearly 800 years ago, St. Francis reached out to all life, especially the most needy people. Today, at the Santuario Della Verna, the spirit of St. Francis touched all of us who walked the stunning grounds where he left his mark. Believers or not, visitors felt his presence.…
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The Way of St. Francis: Packed and Ready to Go
Ready or not, we’re off to Italy where we’ll begin The Way of St. Francis, a pilgrimage that traces the pathway traveled by St. Francis of Assisi in the early 13th century. Our journey begins in the eastern portion of central Tuscany in Chiusi Della Verna, a small community located below Santaurio (Sanctuary) Della Verna.…
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Walks, Wildflowers and Wine
Brad and his girlfriend Ashley kept us pretty darn busy during our recent visit to Chico. Ashley planned an action packed Saturday, beginning with a wildflower walk atop North Table Mountain near Oroville, California. Formed by ancient lava flows, and looking suspiciously like our own Upper and Lower Table Rocks just outside Medford, Oregon, it…
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Crater Lake Detour
Our weather this past week has been positively springlike and today promised us more of the same…a perfect day for a Sunday drive. We climbed in the truck and Reg aimed uphill. Our sights (and appetites) were set on lunch at one of our favorite mountain area restaurants. But then I said, “Let’s go to…
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The Way of Saint Francis: Training Begins
I stopped for a quick photo this morning as Reg and I neared the top of the 500 foot climb behind our home. With our upcoming Italian pilgrimage (The Way of Saint Francis) just around the corner, today seemed like a good day to reacquaint ourselves with our backpacks. If the weather cooperates, we should…
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Exploring the Rogue River
Twisting, turning and plunging through Southern Oregon, the Rogue River provides summer thrill seekers the opportunity to experience a whitewater-white knuckle ride of a lifetime. However, we were not looking for quite that much adventure as we set off for a day hike down the Rogue on a crisp December morning. It was definitely not…
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Wimer Bridge Spans More Than a Century
Covered bridges never fail to conjure up romantic images of days gone by. All have stories to tell and the Wimer Covered Bridge in Southern Oregon is certainly no exception. Spanning Evans Creek for more than a century, Wimer Bridge has experienced several transformations since it’s original construction in 1892. It was completely replaced in…
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