Tag: walks
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The Way of St. Francis: Italian Trekkers Lift our Spirits
Fresh from a wonderful stay at Le Rasse Country House, just outside of Citerna, we joined fellow Italian trekkers for a quick photo before setting out on our rather grueling (see last post) day of ups and downs. We’d see them several more times throughout the day. A herd of cattle paused briefly when we…
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The Way of St. Francis: Snapshots of Our Day
Our journey today was a short on miles but the change of scenery could not have been greater. After a leisurely breakfast, we left the bustling city of Sansepolcro behind. With just eight miles ahead of us, we set our compass towards Citerna, a quaint village perched atop surrounding valleys. A quick stop for that…
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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: 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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Roxy Ann Peak
A weathered old oak tree points the way to the top of 3,576 foot Roxy Ann Peak. Lucky for us we didn’t begin at ground zero, but from the city of Medford, 2,200 feet below. Still, a good workout for our upcoming Italian trek.
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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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Lake of the Woods Rewards
Our local weather forecast promises a wet week ahead so we took advantage of the sunshine today, grabbed our friends Lan and Jeff and headed for the hills. Lake of the Woods, about 30 miles east of Ashland, Oregon, is one of our favorite day trips. As we walked along the water’s edge, we were…
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