-
Preparing to Hike the John Muir Trail
Continued from, A Brief History of John Muir and the John Muir Trail I was originally inspired to hike the JMT thirty years ago when I first climbed Mount Whitney. On the mountain, I met a man who was just start ting his weeks-long trek of the JMT. I was hooked, but it took awhile for me to get back to that item on my ever-lengthy bucket list. Preparation to hike the JMT starts months in advance. I found that obtaining a wilderness permit can be the most difficult and confusing part of the whole process. There are very strict quotas for entering the Sierra Nevada wilderness, and the entry…
-
Let’s Keep This Quiet
We had put off for many years a trip to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, a World Heritage Site. The primary reasons for our reluctance were the reported huge crowds and the high-pressure sellers of trinkets and other souvenirs, hordes of them.
-
Another Passport Stamp
Bang, flop flop, thrash thrash, then all is quite. We all know what has happened but remain silent, no one stirs. The bus rolls on, slowing to a crawl. The driver of this Mexican ADO bus seeking a pullout. Our simple, four hour journey to Belize in air conditioned comfort now slipping into delay mode.
-
Grandkids Too
Swimming, shopping, sunbathing, snorkeling, swimming with sharks, they take it all in stride—with a smile. Sometimes we are blessed by our grandkids joining us on one of our trips abroad. Usually when we are vacationing near a beach with many activities for them and maybe something to broaden their perspectives about the
-
Slumber on the Camino de Santiago
Satiated. Clean and refreshed, thrilled by a shower, cool, warm, or hot. Reflecting on the marvels of the day. Looking towards the wonders of tomorrow. De-packing, repacking, always the packing. Read a little; headlamp lighting the page
-
The Perfect Albergue (al-bear-gay)
A siren calls. There must be room at the inn. She is adorable, or she is plump, or she wears white linen—a uniform perhaps—but she beckons, calling us to her albergue. Is this perfection?
-
Lone Ant
Sometimes on the Camino de Santiago you find yourself alone. Not one person ahead of you nor behind. Not too often during the busy months, but sometimes. You are like that lone ant you see on the track,
-
New Map of Brien & Kathey’s World Travels
Took a little doing, but here is a map of our world travels. Click on Map, then hover over counties to see when we have been there. http://www.grandpasgoneagain.com/map/
-
It’s All in the Details
Know before you go is one of our primary goals. To afford to travel more often, we work hard at getting the best prices and look for deals and packages. Kathey is registered with Travel Zoo and a few other websites to keep an eye out for such deals and to know what things are going for. She receives weekly, or more often, emails with hot deals for airlines, hotels, rental cars and travel packages. Travel Zoo sends out their Top 20 travel deals every Wednesday. But, the devil is in the details. If you are looking at traveling from San Francisco to Washington DC for the spring cherry tree…
-
Dr. Bronner’s Soap
Even on longer adventures a small bit of multipurpose liquid soap in a re-closeable plastic bag goes a long way. My hands-down, all-time favorite is Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap, in their 2 oz. bottle. Two ounces doesn’t sound like much, but during a recent three week thru-hike, I still had a tiny bit left over when I returned home. Dr. Bronner’s advertises on their bottle all kinds of uses for their soap. I use it to sanitize hands and showering of course and it’s great for washing clothes, but I draw the line at using it as my toothpaste, which they advise. Also, Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap comes in a wide variety of scents,…
