Tag: travel

  • Hip, hip hooray for Marion!

    If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again. Ian and Marion journeyed from their home in Oxford, England in spring 2013 to tackle the 500-plus mile Camino de Santiago. We met them on our first day out from Pamplona, Spain and we quickly became friends, enjoying laughs and stories over coffee, drinks, and…

  • Life’s path redirected by chance meeting

            Much like a well-worn trail, life provides a beautiful journey of highs and lows. We smile easily from the mountaintop where possibilities seem endless. It is when we gaze up from below, unsure where our path will lead, that our optimisim is challenged. We met James and Gitta while hiking the…

  • Scotland, here we come!

          It was time to dust off the backpacks and head for Yosemite National Park. We start our Scotland trek May 8, so we thought we should begin our warmups. Diligent Sue has been taking long walks around the neighborhood, so Reg huffed and puffed a bit to keep up. After a stroll…

  • Running for life

      When passions collide, the results can be inspirational. I know this is true because I've watched my friend Sharman prove it; mile after mile, running half marathons to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Sharman and I met as co-workers and quickly became friends. When she moved back to Southern California she…

  • Ashland, Oregon: Parting Shots

    We couldn't resist sharing one last look at the Ashland we discovered during our two-week stay. We arrived to several days of rain, but once the sun came out we watched spring blossom as the trees flowered and leafed out. We discovered a vibrant downtown with great restaurants, coffee houses and boutiques. There were several…

  • Ashland, Oregon: Farther afield

    On our last day of a two-week stay in Ashland, Oregon, we drove to a pair of nearby attractions. Mount Ashland is a ski resort just 22 miles from town. It did not open this year due to a long drought affecting southern Oregon and California. On our way down the mountain, we got a…

  • Lithia Park and Beyond…

    Oregon's city of Ashland greeted us with clear blue skies this morning. The first perfectly sunny day we've had since arriving a little over a week ago. A great day to lace up the hiking boots and take advantage of the 25+ miles of trails centered around the city's beautiful Lithia Park. We stopped in…

  • Am I as old as you look?

      Ashland, Oregon is a popular home for retirees. The place is crawling with people in their 60s, 70s, 80s… All very friendly, their faces crinkle as they smile and say, “Hello!” The men, with belts firmly buckled around their chests, escort white-haired women downtown for dinner and the theater. During the past week, we…

  • Big Screen Illuminates The Way

            Reg had been tracking the whereabouts of Lydia Smith's documentary Walking the Camino – Six Ways to Santiago for months, hoping to locate a showing close to home. It has been nearly a year since we set out on our own life-changing adventure along the Camino Frances, so we were anxious…