Probably my favorite thing about my travel style is the capacity for crazy random happenstances. Admittedly I’m not the most outgoing person, but I seem to bump into the right people at the right place and time. I was too busy having fun in NZ to write about it when it happened, but I ended up joining a group of internationals when I was on my hike up/down Mt. Doom….
Ah ha! How refreshing it is to read a book that seems to be teaching me about myself. I come from a family of readers, so you might think I’m always reading something or other. However, my reading has happened in waves ever since I started college, and I’ve primarily read books just for kicks since freeing myself from the school system. My parents recently sent me this book as…
A couple weeks ago I said goodbye to a friend. Not just any friend, but one who’s been there for me for years. Through the good times and bad, at home and abroad. When I first met this friend, I wasn’t quite sure how things would work out. But as soon as we left the store where we met, I knew we were headed off to some good adventures. Like…
Mike. After requesting and searching for hosts, Mike of Seattle’s Capitol Hill district offered me a spot on his couch while I killed time in the city. (and look at what a sweet couch it is!) Considering I make such sporadic travel plans and don’t like imposing on other people, Couchsurfing doesn’t necessarily seem like an obvious activity for me. As a surfer you may end up a little restricted…
After leaving Pack Forest, I had a couple of days to see some of Washington with my rental wheels. First stop? A cider mill! With it being autumn, I knew if I could find one, I absolutely needed to go. Alaska’s great, but there are no cider mills with hay rides, pumpkins, fresh cider, or fresh cider donuts. 🙁 Lattin’s Country Cider Mill fit the bill and cheered me up…
Even as I was contemplating the Edmonton-Vancouver train trip idea, I knew very little about Vancouver other than that it hosted the Winter Olympics a few years ago. Pictures of the surrounding area looked pretty, but I figured it would just be a city like any other. Boy, was I surprised to find how much I liked it! For starters, I arrived in the nick of time to find autumn’s…
Ahh, Banff. It’s one of those places that’s surrounded by gorgeous mountains but a little difficult to explore without your own wheels. In my opinion, Banff should have the slogan Framed by Nature as per the photo above. As much as it’s nice to try seeing as much as possible while on the road, vacation really shouldn’t be a constant go-go-go adventure. So yes, I did sleep in while staying…
Whew! Since I only took off a couple days from the Riverboat this summer – one for a wedding and one to run/walk the Equinox Marathon – it seemed like I should see the Canmore/Banff area and enjoy myself as part of a mini-vacation. With days to kill before leaving Canada, my first adventure came in the form of a free ride to Banff and Lake Louise. Flo, a woman…
This has absolutely nothing to do with recent events, but it’s a story I want to share because of the memories. Back when I was in Middle Earth, I traveled solo an awful lot, which was perfectly fine by me. I had the freedom to do whatever, whenever, with the help of my loyal steed Shadowfax. I hoped he’d lead me to Gandalf, but we never quite caught up to…
A dilemma may be defined as a problem involving a difficult choice. Yes, that indeed sums up the situation I faced. Last time I mentioned I was offered the assistant kennel manager position rather than guide at Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours. Since I had heard absolutely nothing from the Conservation Canines (CK-9) program, it would have made sense to just accept the offer rather than potentially get stuck with…