Tuesday, December 13, 2022

                                                 New Zealand

 

                                                KIA ORA

 

We left for New Zealand on Monday November 7, 2022. Sam drove us to the airport for our flight to LA. We boarded the Air New Zealand flight to Auckland and arrived at 6 am Wednesday Nov 9. After we cleared customs where we had to declare our hiking boots which were power washed by an agent, we looked for our driver who was holding a sign with our name on it. Our driver, Andy, drove us to our hotel near the wharf, The Park Hyatt. We had early check in so we rested for a while and then gave ourselves a walking tour around Auckland near the wharf. 

 



 

The next morning, we walked to the ferry terminal and boarded the ferry for Waiheke Island. We had booked a winery tour and found our guide and joined the other folks on the tour. We went to five different wineries and had lunch at the Stony ridge Vineyard. We also visited an olive oil processing plant. We took the ferry back to Auckland and Diane turned in for the night while I went out for the famous Fish and Chips. 

 













 

On Friday (at least we were told it was Friday), Andy met us at the hotel for our trip to The Huka Lodge located near Lake Taupo. On the way, we stopped at the Waitoma Caves which we explored with a guide to see the glowworms. We were in the Foot whistle Cave that got its name from a limestone feature that looks like a foot connected to a steam whistle. We left the cave and had lunch at a cute little café. We arrived at Huka Lodge and said goodbye to Andy and settled in for four nights at the lodge. 

 


 

On Saturday we were scheduled for a day of fly fishing. Because of all the rain, I tried to see if we could change it to Monday. No such luck. Diane decided not to go and my guide, Oliver, picked me up and we down to the Tangariro River. I fished to a nice run there but came up empty. We drove to another part of the river and hiked for about 30 minutes to get to another spot. My guide warned me that we were in between seasons. Too late for the rainbows, too early for the browns. He had me nymphing with weighted nymphs into fast runs of water. After many casts, I finally hooked up and brought in a 26-inch rainbow. I picked up another smaller rainbow and began fishing to a big brown trout that Ollie had spotted. I never could get him to take the fly even though it hit him in the nose several times. After a long day, we headed back to the lodge. I found Diane and told her about my day and then we went to the dining room for another five-course dinner.

 


 

On Sunday we passed on the original hike we had planned. It was a long, 12-mile trek with steep elevation gain and descent with a scree field where injuries frequently occur. Our hiking guide, Karen suggested some alternatives. We drove to a National Park and took a hike to Taranaki Falls, a beautiful, large waterfall. We hiked all the way to the falls in the rain before the rain let up. After that hike, we drove up to a ski resort and found a shelter that was open for people like us and had a delicious lunch. After lunch, we did a shorter hike to Silica Rapids. The water here comes up from superheated magma with silica and other chemicals dissolved in it. As it comes up, it cools, and the silica comes out of solution and coats the rocks leaving them white. We headed back to the lodge, cleaned up and went to dinner.

 



 

Monday, we were on our own, so we went into Taupo and did some shopping and sightseeing. We spent the day there and had lunch. The lodge sent a driver to pick us up. We had our last dinner there and got ready for the next part of our trip.

 

We left Huka Lodge Tuesday morning and went to the Rotorua Airport for our flight to Christchurch. Upon arrival, our driver found us and drove us to the George Hotel. We were close to the Botanical Gardens, so we walked over there and went through the Gardens. We realized we had skipped lunch, so we opted for an early dinner. We found a café and ordered burgers and fries. We got our gear ready for an early start the next day.

 

On Wednesday, we had an early breakfast before going to the railway station to meet our Backroads guides. At breakfast I saw a couple dressed in hiking boots and wondered if they could possibly be on the Backroads trip. When we got to the railway station, sure enough, the breakfast couple were there. They were Mitch and Dixie from Atlanta. There was only one other couple on the trip, Marc and Steph from D.C. We got acquainted with them and our guides, Claire and AJ. The plan that day was to take the train to Arthur’s Pass and meet up with the van and the trailer with the bikes. It turned out that the train did not run that day. No problem. We all got in the van with room to spare. This trip can accommodate up to 20 guests, but we only had 6. It would be like a private trip. We took off and at about the halfway point, we stopped at a café for lunch. We continued into the mountains and came to our first hike. It was a 3.5-mile hike to a waterfall called The Devil’s Punch Bowel. We came back down and headed across the highway to our next hike. It was back into the van for the short ride to The Wilderness Lodge at Arthur’s Pass. We settled into our rooms then ventured out with our guides to a sheep herding demonstration and a sheep shearing demo. We learned a lot about merino wool. That evening, we had a get acquainted reception (although we were already acquainted) and then dinner at the lodge.


 

This is Backroads Day 2. (BR 2). After breakfast, we shuttled to Kumara where we got on our ebikes for a 23-mile ride to Hokitika. We rode around a parking lot until we were comfortable with the ebike and the Wahoo navigation system. We really enjoyed the ebikes. You still peddle and you can peddle hard if you like, but you get an assist. The assist is great when you encounter a hill. We rode into town which sits on the Tasman Sea, named after Abel Tasman, a Dutchman who sailed the sea in 1642. The explorer James Cook came to this shore in 1770. It was on this ride that Mitch had a bike accident and hurt his shoulder. We had lunch in town at a restaurant overlooking the ocean and then walked around the town of Hokitika until it was time to shuttle to the town of Franz Josef and check in at the Te Waonui resort

 


BR 3. We had an early breakfast and shuttled to the starting point for the bike ride. The ride was to Okarito Beach. We walked on the beach looking for jade and found a few. We left for the Okarito Lookout hike that gave us a 360-degree view. We shuttled back to the resort and had pizza for lunch. We passed on a hike to the Tatare Tunnels and rested up. We had dinner in town at the Snakebite Restaurant and then met with Mike Mahoney who regaled us with the story of his 1977 Everest Expedition. It was an unbelievable and fascinating tale. After we took a short walk back to the resort, we went to bed. 

 

BR4: Today was the day for the helicopter ride over the Franz Josef Glacier. It is so called because it resembles the mutton chops of Franz Josef. The flight was delayed due to weather and then altered to a short 12-minute ride, down from 30 minutes. Diane and I opted to skip it. Later that morning we hike up the Franz Josef Valley. It was another rainy-day hike but beautiful none the less. After lunch we went to Lake Matheson where we did a hike around the lake and then got in the van for our shuttle to The Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge. 


 

BR5: After breakfast we took the Monro Beach walk then headed back for lunch. In the afternoon we went on a special hike with Gerry McSweeney to a secret part of the beach to see the Crested Fiordland Penguins. We took a 20-minute walk through a forested trail crossing a stream four times while wearing gumboots. The penguins are endangered, so we kept our distance. We spotted about 30 of them, the most Gerry had seen this year. Most were seen coming out of the surf and heading to the forest where their chicks were nesting. Gerry said that one day they will all leave and spend several months at sea. Before heading back Gerry walked the beach with us helping us find the green jade rocks called pounamu. 


 

BR6: We had breakfast and said goodbye to Lake Moeraki and shuttled to Haast where we leave for a 30-mile bike ride to Jackson Bay and the Cray Pot Restaurant. We left a little early to try and get the ride in before the forecasted heavy rain began. Some of the bikers were going slowly so I got in front and set a faster pace. After about 15 miles it started drizzling. It wasn’t bad but it was picking up. I decided to pedal hard in Turbo mode and try and beat the rain. With about 3 miles to go, it started raining hard. I made it to Jackson Bay and got under the pavilion where we were to meet. Just before I got there, I saw AJ in the van heading towards the other bikers. I guessed that he was going to get the others because of the rain. I waited and waited. It seemed that enough time had passed to gather everyone up and come back. Finally, he came back and said that Marc had an accident. No one really saw what happened, but Marc went into the ditch on the side of the road. When Diane got off her bike and got to him, he had a bloody face, nose, lips, chin and knee. He was dazed and did not know who the president was. Claire did not have cell service and had to ride ahead to where she had service and could call AJ who drove back to them. Marc’s head cleared and the bleeding was controlled with gauze, ice packs, and pressure. We went back to Haast where there was a medical clinic. The nurse looked at him and bandaged him and pronounced him fit to continue with precautions. We headed to Wanaka, our next stop. 

 

BR7: In Wanaka we stayed at the Edgewater Resort Hotel. This was the day we would have flown to Milford Sound with a cruise in the bay. The weather did not cooperate, and we did not get to do that. We took a morning bike ride past Glendhu Bay to the Treblecone ski area turn off. It was a 25 mile out and back route with great weather. In the afternoon we walked into the town of Wanaka and browsed the shops and sites of the town. Later that evening we all took a cab to town for dinner at the Bistro Gentil Restaurant.



BR8: After two nights at the Edgewater Hotel, we checked out and shuttled to Hawea for the start of our bike ride. We had a 22-mile ride and then shuttled to the Kinross Winery where we had lunch and had a wine demonstration. It was then on to Queenstown, New Zealand’s Adventure Capital. It is known for skiing, jet boating, river rafting, and bungy jumping: None of which we did. We had our farewell dinner at Jervois Steakhouse and spent the night at the Queenstown Sherwood.  

 

BR9: The last day. Mitch and Dixie said goodbye to us as they had an early flight to catch.  Due to time constraints of getting to the airport, the white-water rafting trip was off the table. That was all right with us as we heard from a friend who had been on the trip before us that both boats had flipped, and everyone ended up in the water. We opted for the four mile walk into town and a stroll through the botanical garden. We had lunch at the famous Fergburgers. A good burger with excellent fries. We dropped Marc and Steph off at the hotel and said goodbye to them and then AJ and Claire took us to the airport to begin our trip home. 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, September 9, 2022

Alps 2022

Alps 2022 On Wednesday, August 24, we left for our trip to the Alps. We took a taxi to the airport and went to the Delta Lounge. We were flying first class, so that was nice. We boarded our 9 hour flight to Paris and right away were served a delicious meal. The beds would go completely flat so we both took naps off and on. At the Paris airport we had a long walk to make our connection and had to be re-screened and go through customs. It all went well and we boarded the plane for Geneva. We arrived in Geneva and took a taxi to the Hotel President Wilson. Our room wasn’t ready so we had to hang out. After resting up for awhile, we headed out along Lake Geneva and ended up at the Cottage Café where we had tapas for dinner. We were back at the hotel by 9 pm. The next day we slept in until 8:30, then had some breakfast at the hotel and walked into town. We took a couple of bus tours around Geneva. We went to the shopping district and had a snack and coffee at the Sophie Café. Back at the hotel, I went for swim in the pool and Diane went back to town for some shopping where she found a piggy bank for Quinn. The next day, Saturday the 27th we had a driver pick us up at the hotel and take us on a tour along Lake Geneva. Our first stop was in Lausanne where we toured the Olympic Museum. After that we boarded a boat that would take us along the shore of the Lake. We left one boat and reboarded another that took us past Montreux to Castle Chillon. We toured this centuries old castle for about 2 hours and then stopped for lunch. We met back up with the driver for our trip back to the hotel. We had dinner out by the pool overlooking the lake and turned in early.

 The start of our Backroads adventure would begin at the bus station in Geneva. There we met our guides, Anna and Hollie and we introduced ourselves to a few of our fellow hikers. We boarded a bus and left Geneva for France. Our first stop was a ski resort outside Megeve. We hiked uphill to our lunch spot at a mountain refuge. After lunch we opted for the longer hike down. The route was very steep and we could feel our toes jamming the ends of our boots. We got to town and opted to hike to the hotel. We were pretty tired by the time we got there. That evening we had a welcome reception where we got to know our fellow hikers. It was followed by dinner and then to bed. We hiked about 8 miles this day!
                                                              


 On Day 2 we had a breakfast buffet and then hopped on a shuttle that took us to a cog train at St. Gervais les Bains. Our stop was in the Col de Voza area that gave us views of Mt. Blanc and a glacier. We had lunch outside at a mountain hut. The hike after lunch, up Mt. Lachat, was a long, steep climb that teased us with 3 false summits. Hollie had sold the hike as “not that strenuous” and we let her know that was not the case. A beer was in order for me after that hike and Anna sensed that and handed me one right away. We got in the shuttle for the ride to Chamonix where we checked in to the Mt. Blanc hotel. Dinner that night was outside at the hotel. It was a great meal and the night was cool and pleasant. We hiked about 7 miles this day. 
                                                                             


 On Day 3 we ascended by cable car to the Aiguille du Midi to 12, 777 feet. The middle needle is a lone needle of rock looming above ice fields and moraine-strewn crags. The cars ascend in two sections. The second section goes up 4500 feet with no pylons in between. After taking in the views, we took the car down to the mid point where we would begin our hike. Diane opted out of this one as her toes were jammed up. The hike took us to a viewpoint where we saw the Mer de Glace glacier. We had lunch on the mountain and then hiked down to the Montenvers railway for a trip into town. Tonight dinner was on our own and we found a charming little restaurant. Hiking distance was about 8 miles.
                                                       



 Day 4 had us leaving Chamonix and taking the Mt. Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur Italy. The tunnel is 7 miles long and was competed in 1965. Once through the tunnel we got on a new cable car that ascended to a glacier field. Outfitted with mountaineering boots, harness, and crampons, we roped up with our guides in teams of 6 or 7. We hiked up the glacier field to an elevation where we had great views of Mt. Blanc, Aiguille du Midi, and the so called Giant’s tooth spire. At the top of our ascent we had a celebratory toast of champagne and a high mountain lunch. We retraced our path back down the glacier encountering the same crevasses we saw coming up. No one fell in! We continued down and said goodbye(Ciao) to our French mountain guides and headed to Courmayeur’s Entreves village. We checked into the Auberge de la Maison, our lodging for the next two nights.


                                                                    

 On Day 5, we hiked up(steep) to the balcony trail that overlooked the valley below. Along the trail were many cows peacefully grazing. Diane was in front of me when we heard what sounded like a stampede. I looked up above us and two steers were fighting with their horns locked together. They were sliding down the hill right towards us. I yelled for Diane to run and we went forward and up just before the two animals crashed across the trail. That got the old heart pumping. We continued hiking up to the Refugio Bonatti, a mountain hut where we had hot soup and polenta with sausages or mushrooms. We continued the hike along the Val Ferret descending to the valley where a chalet awaited us with drinks and snacks. That night we had our farewell dinner at the hotel. Last Day, Day 6. 
                                                     



There was a hike offered that day but with the proviso that it would be a short but steep climb to a viewpoint for one last look at Mt Bianco(the Italian name). I was one of the 6 intrepid hikers(out of 19) who ventured out to hike. It was steep but the views were great and well worth the effort. We got packed up at the hotel and soon left back to Geneva. We said our goodbyes at the airport and took a taxi to our hotel. Diane was regretting not buying the cowbell she had seen before our trip so we set out on the city bus to try and get back to the shop where she first saw it. Fortunately, we found it and got the cowbell for Quinn. This time we opted to take a taxi. We ate dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. We woke up the next morning to get to the airport and start our uneventful journey home. A few of our fellow hikers are worth mentioning. We enjoyed Todd and Amy Rustad from Boise. Todd is an ENT surgeon who coincidently operated on my nephew, Gavin. We had a mutual friend in Mike Curtin who lives in Boise. Bea Miley was a fun and interesting lady. There was Jim and Wendy from Mill Valley, CA. There were several others but these named were the ones we had the most fun with. All in all, it was a pretty good group. Our guides, Anna Caldwell and Holly Howes were outstanding and made the trip even more fun.

                                              

Monday, September 27, 2021

Devil’s Tower/Mt. Rushmore/September 2001 Diane and I decided to take a little road trip to Devil’s Tower and Mt. Rushmore. I had gotten some information from our neighbors, Chas and Jennifer Vanderwilt who had just gone there. A few days before we left, I told Diane I had this crazy idea. I said why don’t we take Quinn with us. She agreed and when we asked Sam about it he reaction was, “Are you sure?” He would keep asking us that until the day we left. You see, Quinn is a special 3 y/o boy. He is smart, strong willed, and wants to know how everything in the world works, or will explain to you how everything in the world works. Also, he knows buttons are made for pushing, even if it is a fire alarm. We stopped him before he got to that one. We had our work cut out for us. We had a DVD player that hangs off the front seat in front of Q’s car seat. We picked him up about 12:30 and headed out for our six hour drive to Casper, WY. He was very interested in the first DVD we put in, Jungle Book 2, …for while. What he really likes is Paw Patrol which is on Netflix and requires internet access. We switched to that but when we lost the internet signal, he became bored. We had hoped he would take a nap but no luck with that. We stopped once to let him pee. When I told him to go ahead, he said, “We don’t pee in the street”. I told him we were making an exception. We pulled into Casper about 7 pm and checked into the room, at which Q stated, “Wow, cool room.” We were all tired so I went to “Old McDonalds” and got us something to eat. The next morning I said lets go get some breakfast. He and I went down to the breakfast buffet and got some food. Quinn struck up a conversation with an older gentleman sitting next to us. Diane joined us a few minutes later and then it was back to the room and packing up. We left for our 3 hour drive to Devil’s Tower. We could see the tower well before we got there. The parking lot was nearly full but we managed to find a spot and walked towards the tower. We walked part way around the Tower. At an information site a woman was explaining to Quinn how the tower was formed and then Quinn corrected her and gave his version of how it was formed. It went something like this, “There was a big volcano with fire and the firemen came and put water on the fire and the volcano was dead”. Sounded good to me. We made our way back to the car and began our two hour drive to Custer, SD where we would be staying for two nights. We checked in and since we still had ample daylight left, we decided to go see the Crazy Horse museum and the partially finished sculpture of Crazy Horse. We looked around the museum, watched a Indian presentation for awhile and took in the views of Crazy Horse. They still have a long way to go to finish that. It was started in 1948!. On the way back to the motel we stopped and treated Quinn(and ourselves) to ice cream and pie. Quinn and I pulled on our bathing suits and went down to the pool. He especially enjoyed the hot tub. We went to bed pretty early in preparation for the next big day. Quinn woke up and said, “Lets go get some breakfast”. I was up for that so we went down and got some food. He really likes these motel breakfast buffets. Diane joined us a little later and then we headed out to go to Mt. Rushmore or as Quinn called it, “The Men on the Mountain”. We got there early. The weather was a fantastic cloudless fall day. We walked past a row of flags of all the states and onto a viewing area where we had great views of “The Men”. We went inside where masks were mandatory and watched a film about the making of Mt. Rushmore. After that we went outside to begin a walk that takes you to the base of the mountain. We told Quinn he could take his mask off but he wanted to keep it on. We got as close as one could to the base of the mountain and then headed back. We went to some shops outside the park and got Quinn a T shirt and socks with Mt. Rushmore on them. And a tiny American flag that it seemed he could not live without. We got back in the car for our drive through Custer State Park. This was a “can’t miss” drive according to our neighbors. We started out on Iron Mountain road and found it was very twisty and curvy with several one lane tunnels to go through. We got views of Mt Rushmore from several vantage points, once by looking through a tunnel. We continued on and entered the park and went to the State Game Lodge where we had a buffet lunch in a classic, rustic old building. After lunch we drove through the Wildlife Loop where we saw literally thousands of buffalo, some of them right next to the car or staring us down on the road. We made our back to Custer feeling pretty tired. That did not keep Quinn from wanting to go to the pool. There we met a family from Oklahoma who had a couple of kids a bit older than Quinn. Of course, Quinn wanted to play with them. We got a recommendation from them for a restaurant and when we were ready to go eat we went to the Mt. Rushmore Brewery Restaurant. The food was very good. Back at the motel we again turned in early to rest up for our long drive the next day. The next morning, Quinn again woke up with “Lets go get some breakfast”. I said OK and turned on a light to which he said, “That’s too bright for grandma”. So, went to breakfast and Diane joined us. Quinn spoke with his friend he met at the pool. We packed up and got a pretty early start for our 9 hour drive home. Quinn alternated between watching Paw Patrol on Diane’s phone when we had internet and watching The Incredibles or Shrek when we didn’t have internet. We made good time and got to Quinn’s house about 6 PM. Mission accomplished, we brought him back alive! <

Monday, June 7, 2021

                                     EVA TURNS ONE YEAR OLD

Today is Eva's birthday. She was born June 7, 2020. Yesterday we celebrated. Diane baked her a cake. It was a "smash cake" which is what people do these days. We went to Sam and Kate's house at 10 AM. Quinn was quite excited for his sister's birthday. Kate's mom, Susan was there with her two dogs and we had Bella with us. And then there was Sam and Kate's dog Ollie. It was bedlam, for sure. The time came and the cake came out and we all sang Happy Birthday Eva and then she was encouraged, especially by Quinn, to smash her cake and eat it off her fingers. She knew right what to do with her mentor, Quinn, showing her how. Eva is the happiest person on the planet and is a joy to be around. Year One is in the books and it is on to Year Two.



Monday, December 30, 2019

Adventures in Peru
On September 18, 2019, we left for Peru. Our trip would take us from Salt Lake City to Atlanta to Lima and then to Cusco. We were flying first class which was a real treat as we had access to the First Class Lounges at the airports. The longest leg of the flight was Atlanta to Lima. We got to Lima late at night and went through a long line at customs.  We stayed at a Hotel adjacent to the airport that night. The next morning we boarded a flight to Cusco. We were met there by an agent of the Hotel Belmond Monasterio who drove us to the hotel and told us about a tour we might want to take the next day. Our room was not ready so we walked around town and saw the town square Cathedral. We both were feeling the altitude when walking uphill. Cusco is at 11,000 feet elevation. We had a light lunch and checked into our room. The hotel was an old monastery with the rooms surrounding a large square. After dark we walked around the town again and visited many shops selling alpaca clothing. It was then back to the hotel and to bed. 
The next morning we had a buffet breakfast and got ready for the tour we had arranged. We met our guide, Jhader and left Cusco. We drove to Chencero where there were many textile co-ops. We stopped at one and saw how the llamas and alpaca fur goes from the animal to the finished product. The demonstration showed how it was washed, rinsed, and dried. Then it was dyed using natural products like plants and insects. The yarn was then converted to thread and the thread was sent to the weaver. We then left and toured the Sacred Valley and the town of Ollantaytambo. The last part of our tour took us to Pisac where walked among the Incan ruins and visited the town market. At the market we bought a flute for Quinn and a scarf for Kate’s Christmas present. After a long day, we went back to the hotel and I had a massage and then we went out to dinner.
The next morning we walked to the Inkaterra Hotel to meet our Backroads trip leader, Jackie and the other members of the group. We loaded up a van and left Cusco for a hike in the outskirts of Cusco. After we had hiked for awhile, we came upon a tent that Backroads had set for our lunch. There also was a band playing traditional Inca music. After lunch we hike to some ruins saw a feature named Saosaywaman, known locally as sexy woman. Of course, the women who outnumbered the men had their picture taken under the sign. We then hiked back into Cusco. That night we had dinner at the nearby  art museum.
The next day, the trek really began. Our duffle bags with our gear were out by 7:15. We ate breakfast and loaded our backpacks with the things we would need during the day. We stopped at the Mallepata ruins and then had lunch at the Weavers Co-op. We got to the trailhead and began the 5 mile hike that would gain 1,312 feet of elevation. It rained and was cold and steep. We made it to Salkantay Lodge where we would stay for two nights. After a long hike, the sight of the lodge was quite welcomed. We warmed up, I got in the hot tub and had a delicious dinner.
This day we would hike to Huamantay Glacial Lake and back. It was about 4 miles round trip and very steep. At the top, overlooking the lake, we gathered for a ritual performed by two Quechuan shamans. It was a cultural celebration with offerings to Pacymamma. They performed prayers and chants over each one of us. We then hiked down the mountain to the lodge where Diane got a massage and I jumped in the hot tub.
The next day would be our big day with a hike over Salkantay Pass. It would take us over 15,000 feet elevation. We left early at 7 AM. It was cold and we had our warm clothes on. After the first two steep miles we stopped for a rest. The cold that Diane had contracted went to bronchitis. She was feeling lousy, had a cough and was short of breath. They offered her a ride on the horse and she took them up on it. The next two miles were even steeper and the pace slowed. The views were spectacular but most of the time the only view was that of your boots. We rested up for the final push. The last mile was the steepest. It was very slow going with very heavy breathing. We finally topped out at over 15,000 feet and threw our packs down. The weather was party cloudy and cool. We took pictures. We were offered hot coffee with Baileys and I quickly accepted a cup. After awhile we headed down off the pass. Down below, Backroads had set up a tent for us for lunch. Just as we entered the tent it began to rain hard. We had a delicious lunch and by the time we were done, the rain had stopped. Thank you, Pacymamma. We continued down to Wayra lodge very tired. Diane, feeling poorly, did not go to dinner.
This day we left Wyra Lodge and hiked to Colpa Lodge, a distance of about 6 miles but mostly downhill. We left and soon the trail entered the jungle. It was gentle hiking and the trail was muddy and rocky. I was walking with Jeff.  Diane was walking with his wife, Harriet. We had to step aside when a caravan of mules would pass us by. At about mile 3, I heard someone yelling and I looked down and saw Diane on the ground. She had slipped on the muddy trail hurt her ankle. I looked at it and saw that is was not dislocated which often happens with ankle fractures. I believed it was broken for I could feel crunching of the bones when I pushed on it. I asked Jackie for splinting material and she gave me a SAM splint and a roll of Coban. I fashioned a splint and wrapped it with Coban. We put Diane on a horse named 911 but still had 3 miles to go to the lodge. She would have to ride with her foot hanging down and I worried about the swelling that would cause. We got to the lodge and I examined it and put on a new splint and put ice on it. The trip was over for us. Arrangements were made to get us back to Cusco. It would be a 7 hour car ride through the mountains on winding roads. One of the guides went with as far as the outskirts of Cusco where we met an ambulance from the hospital. After a long ride in the ambulance we got to the hospital. Backroads had arranged for several people to meet us there. There was the Backroads doctor, an agent from Mountain Lodges of Peru, and there was Oscar. Oscar worked for Backroads and was our savior. Educated at the University of Houston, he was from Mexico City and spoke perfect English. X-rays were taken and confirmed that Diane had fractured her ankle on both sides. The traumotologist recommended surgery. I explained that I wanted her to have it in the states. They took care of her that night in the hospital and we made arrangements the next day to return home. Luckily, we had trip insurance that covered all our expenses. Oscar took care of everything. He took me to the hotel that night and picked me up the next day. When it was time to leave for the airport he took us there and stayed with us until we went through screening. That day I talked to a friend of mine, an orthopedic surgeon in Salt Lake and sent him the x-rays. We made it back to Salt Lake and went from the airport to the doctor’s office and surgery was scheduled for a few days later. The surgery went well and after 6 weeks of no weight bearing and 6 more weeks, Diane is back to normal and looking forward to our next adventure. 



Monday, July 29, 2019

Yosemite 2019


Our trip was in two parts. First, we flew to Fresno and drove to Mariposa to visit Diane's cousin Lynn and her husband, Roger. We spent two nights with them and took a drive on the highway that leads to the El Portal entrance to the Park. Later that day, we escaped the heat by going to Oakhurst to see the movie, The Lion King. We left Roger and Lynn on Thursday morning. 

We went down the road and stopped at the Mariposa Coffee Company. It was then on to Yosemite. The traffic was light and we made good time. We started our hike at the McGurk Meadow about 12:30PM. We thought it would be a warm up hike. After we passed a meadow of brilliant wild flowers we noticed the trail was going up and down. We saw very few people on this hike. Our destination was Dewey Point, an outcropping that would give us a view of Yosemite Valley. The closer we got to the point, the steeper the trail got. Near the top we encountered two elderly ladies coming down and they told us, "10 more minutes" which we took to mean 20 more minutes. We were right and after 20 minutes we got to the top and were treated to some magnificent views. We took pictures and then headed back down to get back to the shade of forest. It was not a straight downhill return. Remember those ups and downs I mentioned. The downs were now ups, so we had some climbing to get out of there. My GPS said 8.5 miles roundtrip.  We got back to the car and headed for the cabin check in about 4:30 PM. We cleaned up and headed to the Valley to get provisions at the store and eat at the hotel. We got back to the cabin and went to bed pretty early. 

Friday morning we had a decision to make. We were both feeling pretty tired and sore so we decided that the Thursday hike was the hard hike and we would do an easier hike this day. That pretty much ruled out Ostrander Lake which was more than 12 miles. Luckily, we chanced upon reading about Sentinel Dome. We decided on that and headed out Glacier Point Road in the morning. The mileage turned out to be about 4 miles roundtrip with some climbing at the end to get atop the dome. Once on top, we again got some great views and took some pictures. We went back to the car and drove down to the Valley and did the short hike to Bridal Veil Falls. We had our lunch there and drove the rest of the way into the Valley. It was bumper to bumper and finding no place to park we decided to head back to the cabin. 

On Saturday, we packed up and headed toward Wawona and had breakfast at the Big Tree Lodge. We then went to Mariposa Grove and did the Grizzly Giant Loop Trail. It was a good thing that it was mostly in the shade as it was getting pretty warm. We finished that hike and then headed back to Fresno where we found out we had been upgraded to First Class. What a way to end the trip!

Friday, March 22, 2019

Sunny Day at Snowbird

Most of my skiing is done at Solitude Resort. I have a season pass there and with that pass, it entitles me to a few days skiing at other near by resorts. My neighbor, Pete and I decided to go up and ski at Snowbird this past Wednesday. What a day we had. We got there at the reasonable time of 11AM. We got a great parking place and got onto the Gadzoom lift. We took a couple of warm up runs off the Gad 2 lift and then went to the other side of the mountain and skied off the Peruvian lift for a few runs. We decided to take the Tram up and take a coffee break on the Summit. After that  we took in the beautiful view from the Summit and took a few pictures. We made a few more runs before we decided to call it a day. And what a great day it was.