Archive for the ‘Adventures’ Category

Merry Christmas 2024

Wednesday, December 4th, 2024

Season’s Greetings to our friends and family!

After skiing in California and Oregon, in May we joined a bicycle tour of Austria’s Danube River paths, then split off on our own. We explored Budapest’s and Prague’s ancient centers, then savored 2 weeks on Spain’s beaches.

Summer makeovers kept us busy: both bathrooms now gleam with the latest styles and “smart” features; all interior doors were upgraded; and the exterior is freshly painted. Even our backyard pond got a full refresh and new plants. So much change! Hopefully we’re ready for life in the USA in 2025 (oy vey)!

Danube Bike Tour and More

Tuesday, July 16th, 2024
Biking the Danube, a 50-mile day

Biking the Danube, resting on a 50-mile day

Dan was inspired to sign up for the  Zephyr Adventures Austria Danube River bike tour because it also gave us a chance to explore the historic city centers of Vienna, Budapest and Prague. We finished with two beach weeks in southern Spain.

After saying farewell to our fellow Zephyr cyclists (most of whom, unlike us, were on e-bikes!), we spent a couple of days getting to know the historic center of Vienna, Austria. We also met up with a boyfriend (and his wife) from Liz’s travels 48 years ago.

Holiday Cheer and Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 2nd, 2023

From Liz, Dan and Don

2023 Christmas card

You may have heard about last winter’s epic snow in California, allowing us a record 40+ midweek days on the slopes. We are grateful to still be aging gracefully — so far!
 
We continue to share the good life on our lovely Danville plot. To our never-ending delight, our agile little camper-van was the perfect solution for lots of California adventures in 2023. During a relatively calm travel year, our out-of-state excursions included an RV camping vacation to ski in Oregon and visit Liz’s nephew in Portland;  a mid-Summer week to New Jersey to catch up with Dan’s daughter’s family and two great-granddaughters; and a Fall RV road trip to and from Texas to attend Dan’s nephew’s wedding and commune with all the Kiblers.

New Mexico, Arizona and Texas by Campervan

Tuesday, November 28th, 2023

Dan and Liz in Monument Valley

Dan and Liz in Monument Valley

Knowing we needed to be in Plano, Texas for a Kibler wedding (and big family reunion), Dan got busy plotting our route down California, across Arizona and New Mexico and way out to Plano, Texas. His itinerary was stellar as usual — we saw great scenery, and reconnected with family and friends heading east.

On the more northern return trip we spent days getting acquainted with native American landscapes, cultures, history, and ancient dwellings. Our final week was spent celebrating Thanksgiving and a birthday with Jerry Miller, the Dad in a million, who turned 95.

Southwest Utah RV Tour, 2022

Friday, September 30th, 2022

After a spring and summer of almost monthly 4-5 day RV trips, the opportunity to take a longer tour kicked off with Liz’s “Class of 70 Turns 70” COVID-delayed reunion. Camping at Dad’s gave us the opportunity to check out his organic garden and do our traditional morning hike on the beach. On Sunday morning, we waved goodbye and headed east to explore the national parks and monuments of Southwestern Utah we’d missed on previous trips. We learned that every national park in the region has its own distinct flavor of awesome that really must be seen in person to be appreciated fully. That said, here are the photo albums attempting to share our experience.

COVID Summer Road Trip 2020

Thursday, August 27th, 2020

Mountain portrait, Dan/Liz

Glacier Lake in the Beartooth Mountains

The natives were restless after spending 6 months in home quarantine against the COVID-19 pandemic. When Zephyr Adventures announced their safety-adjusted Beartooth Hiking Adventure based in Red Lodge, Montana in August, we immediately signed up, and started planning a road trip to and from the location. Dan mapped out outbound and return routes that included two days in Yellowstone National Park and a first-time look at the incredible Leslie Gulch in Oregon. We wore masks around other people for the entire 2 weeks.

Japan Photo Albums 2020

Saturday, February 15th, 2020

Dan had a dream, to ski the famous bottomless dry powder of northern Japan, known as “JaPow”! So he signed us up with a company called “Savour the Journey,” specializing in both skiing and food.

Liz dreamed of being able to communicate with the natives, so she immediately started working through the Duolingo Japanese lessons in order to master the basics: “Hello, thank you, where are the toilets? English menu please.”

Happy Holidays! (2019)

Sunday, December 1st, 2019

Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year!

From Liz, Dan and Don

Click here to jump below our card.

Iceland Photo Albums 2019

Tuesday, August 27th, 2019

Storurdh, eastern Iceland

Storurdh, formed by volcanic activity in eastern Iceland

Dan and Liz spent two weeks in Iceland, the first with Kim and Rich (daughter and son-in-law), and the second week with Zephyr Adventures. The large number of albums below reflects how much gorgeous scenery we saw there! Iceland is truly a nature lover’s paradise.

Photos: 5-week Winter Vacation in Chile

Saturday, October 13th, 2018

At the time of our August/September 2018 visit to Chile, we were on the verge of retirement. The goal of this trip was to explore living in Santiago for the skiing in the Andes, and get a taste of everyday life in a foreign-language country. Unfortunately, climate change, ski logistics and the language barrier put an end to the future expats plan. As you can see by the list below, many excursions helped us make the most of our visit:

  1. Santiago’s Providencia, El Centro and Bella Vista
  2. Skiing at Valle Nevado in the Andes
  3. Active Lifestyles in Santiago