Croatia 2024

On September 27, 2024 we flew Delta from Salt Lake City to Paris. It took every bit of 2 hours to get to our gate for our flight to Split, Croatia. We arrived in Split about noon on the 28^th. Waiting for us was the AK agent, Mislav. He and his driver took us to our hotel, The Conaro Hotel. We got settled in our room and later took a walk around. The next day we met Mislav for a walking tour of the Diocletian Palace and the waterfront. Mislav was encycopedic in his description of the history of Croatia and especially the Palace. The next day we met the Backroad guides in the lobby of the hotel at 6:30 am. They took our luggage and we walked with our backpacks down to the ferry dock for our ferry ride to the island of Korcula. The trip took 2 ½ hours and when we got there we got set up on our ebikes. Our guides were Alex, who was the states, and Ivan(pronounced with a long E, evan). The third guide was Anahita who we just called Anna. Our first ride was along the coast of the island, out and back for 12 miles. 

We had lunch in town, Lambarda and then set out for our afternoon ride. It was an 18 mile ride which gave us glorious views with perfect weather. That night we stayed at the Aminus Hotel and had a welcome dinner. Early the next day we ferried across the channel to Orebic and had great morning and afternoon rides. We then shuttled to Dubrovnik and checked into the Royal Blue Hotel. That night we went to Old Town and had a Croatian dinner at a restaurant called 44, the jersey number of Bojan Bogdanavic (ex Utah Jazz player) who owned it. The next day we took a boat ride to Lopad Island where we hiked up and over to a sandy beach. We had lunch at a charming family owned restaurant. That night Diane stayed in the hotel and I took an Uber to Old Town and caught up with the group on a tour. I went to dinner with Ted and Cathy and also Karl and Babara, our new friends from Colorado. I took the shuttle back to the hotel and got to bed by 10PM. On Oct 3, we left Dubrovnik and took a short boat ride to Cavtat for our AM bike ride. Diane got a flat tire and Alex came and switched out her wheel and we were on our way until Diane tried to brake and had no brakes. We remedied that and then we finished the ride. After lunch, we rode our bikes across the border into Montenegro and switched to the van and checked into the Regent Hotel, a very od but very nice hotel.  We were now in Tivat, Montenegro. On Oct 4, we went to the old town of Kotor and had a guided walk of the old city that was interrupted by a rain storm. We passed on the steep switch back hike toward Mt. Loven due to the rain. It would have been slippery and dangerous.  Oct 6 was our las day. We got in sea kayaks and paddled to an island in the Bay of Kotor. The island was called Our Lady of the Rocks.  It was created over 400 years after 2 brothers saw a face of the Blessed Virgin in the water and started dropping rocks there to build an island. After over 4000 years an island was formed and a church was built there. We went back to the hotel and cleaned up for our shuttle back to Dubrovnik ending the Backroads part of the trip. We said our goodbyes and checked into the Excelsior Hotel for the last night of our trip. We walked to Old Town that night, had dinner at Bura Restaurant and shopped for gifts for the kids and grandkids. Sunday morning we had breakfast at the hotel, and were picked up by the AK driver and guide for the trip to the Dubrovnik Airport for our trip home.

 

 

 

 

 

                   Paws Up Resort, Montana

On August 11, 2024 we were driven to the airport by our private Uber/Lyft driver, Krystal.  We received a complimentary upgrade to first class, which was nice. It was just a short, one and a half hour flight to Missoula Montana. We were met at the airport by the Paws Up representative who took us on a forty minute drive to the resort. He gave us a tour of the resort by van and then dropped us off at one of the restaurants, The Trough. We then hung out at the Shed, another restaurant that was open air. When our tent cabin was ready we were transported there and settled in until dinner at our “camp”  called Creekside. We were early to bed in preparation for our day of fishing the next day.  When we arrived back at our tent after dinner, we found a fly and a fly box on the bedside table. This would be a nightly event and gave us something to look forward to each night. The fly waiting for us was a Girdle Bug which imitates the nymph before iit becomes the giant stonefly. It is fished in early spring and late winter.  

Monday August 12, 2024: Fishing Day. We had breakfast at our camp and caught a ride to The Wilderness Outpost where we met our fishing guide, Cass. The water level in the Blackfoot River was low due to the lousy snowpack they had from last winter. Our vessel was an inflatable raft with seats fore and aft and Sam rowing between us. It was a slow day of fishing. We were rigged with a dry dropper and no fish ever went for the dry. I ended up with about 6 fish for the day all on the dropper. Diane picked up a few fish on the dropper after lunch. We had to quit fishing at 2 PM due to the Hoot Owl Restriction. This regulation was put into effect to protect the fish when the water temperature remains high for several days. We headed for the take out and then back to Paws Up. We had dinner at the Shed  and then headed back to the tent. . The fly we found waiting for us this night was a San Juan Worm. It is used when the water is a little dirty with high water and rides near the bottom. It is fished as a second nymph or on a dry dropper. Nighty night. 

Tuesday August 13,2024. We had breakfast at camp and then caught a ride to the Spa Camp where we hoped to find the trail to Jones Pond. We did not find it right away and ended up doing a loop hike through the forest that brought us back to where we started. We then found the Jones Pond trail. It was a mostly steady uphill climb through the Lubrecht Forest. We got to the pond which had an electrified fence around it. We headed back down and encountered some folks on horses heading up. We spotted a beautiful bird, a Western Tanager. Our total mileage(with the loop hike) was about 5 and a half miles. Once down we called for a ride to the Trough where we had lunch. Our afternoon activity was river kayaking.We were shuttled to the put in at the confluence of the Clearwater and the Blackfoot rivers. There was a huge rock there and it is said that Lewis and Clark had their picture taken at that rock on their adventure westward. Diane and I, of course, had our picture taken there as well.  We went in an inflatable, two person kayak and with the low water we had to dodge lots of rocks. We got a good view of a golden eagle in a tree along the river. We got to the take out just as it started pouring rain. We got into the van while the guides loaded the rafts on the trailer. When we got back to camp we discovered that the entire resort had lost power. Diane and I were wet and cold and we were looking forward to a hot shower, however, the water pressure was supplied by an electric pump and therefore, no hot shower. At our tent we got out of our wet clothes and got in bed under the covers. Later we went to our Camp pavilion where they had a fire going. While there the power was restored and we got our hot showers. We decided to have dinner at our camp that night. When we got back to the tent the fly we found was the Wookie Hopper. There are many grasshoppers on the river in the summer. Fly tyers are always coming up with a new way to tie hoppers and trick the fish who have been to fish school. The Wookie Hopper rides smoothly on the water and entices the trout to take a bite. 

Wednesday August 14, 2024: Second Fishing Day. We had breakfast the camp and then got a ride to the Wilderness Outpost to meet our fishing guide, Sam. We talked about the plan for the day and found out that the Hoot Owl Restriction had just been lifted so we could fish past 2 PM. I think we got in the river at the Nine Mile Prairie Campground. We started fishing the run right near the campground where Sam felt sure we would get into some fish but no deal. I brought something into the boat on my backcast and had caught the smallest trout I have ever caught: two inches. But, it was a fish, it was a trout, and the skunk was out of the boat as they say when the first fish is caught. Again, the fishing was slow due to the low water but we began picking up several fish, mostly whitefish. I landed a big fish that was a pike minnow and then I caught a bigger pike after that. At one point Diane was getting out of the boat to pee. She slipped on a rock and went into the drink. She had a sore neck and was wet but was ready soldier on. We ended up having a better day fishing this day and got to fish past 2 PM. We got to the take out and headed back to camp. We ate dinner somewhere  and went back to the tent. Our fly tonight was a Prince Nymph. It is an underwater fly and represents a mayfly as it turns from an egg coming up to the surface to emerge into a mayfly. 

Thursday August 15, 2024. Today would be our last full day. We had no early morning activities planned so we went to the Wilderness Outpost to shop for the grandkids. Our activity at 11 AM was an mountain ebike tour of the nearby mountains and a route along the Blackfoot River. It was fun but a little bouncy on the bikes. The ride along the river was beautiful. We had lunch at the Shed and made it back to the tent as a heavy rain shower began. Our dinner was at the Pomp Restaurant, the fine dining restaurant. It was still raining when we finished and made it back to our tent. The fly waiting for us was the Chubby Chernobyl. It is one of the best all around flies for the fly box. The big wings make it easy for both the fisherman and the fish to see. We went to sleep listening to the rain.

Friday August 15, 2024. Travel Day. Breakfast. Airport. Home

 

 If you don't blog about it, did it really happen? July 14, 2024 to July 27, 2024

 ADVENTURES IN AFRICA, THE DARK CONTINENT 

 

Our adventure began on July 14, 2024. Sam gave us a ride to the airport where we checked in and went straight to the Delta Sky Lounge. We were early so we hung out and had some lunch until it was time to board and take our place in Delta One Pods. (Thanks, Nona). We took off and settled in. The Purser came by to offer us some warm nuts. How nice of him!  We were offered more food which we took. It was a nine- hour 22 -minute flight to Amsterdam and I dozed off and on. Before I knew it, there was one hour left in the flight. They brought me a breakfast of French Toast, lemon ricotta, mango confit, toasted coconut and a croissant with maple butter. Who lives like this? This was more food than I could eat in a day. 

Welcome to Amsterdam! Wow, what a busy airport. We had a 2 and a half hour layover so we spent some time in the KLM Lounge. More food, of course. When it was time to board, we walked to our gate and waited to be called. First Class was called and we went to our pods in row 5. We settled in and slept again and got to Nairobi about 10:15 PM.  We went through passport control, then customs with our bags and looked for our driver. The AK rep took us on a 25 minute drive to the Serena Hotel where we checked in and went right to bed. Our documents from AK said we were to meet at 9:15 AM but we got a call at 8:20 saying we were late. It was a miscommunication and the tour director, Duncan said our driver was there and ready to go. I asked about jackets (it was winter in Nairobi even though we were near the equator). I also asked about bug spray and Duncan said we would need neither. It turns out we needed both.  We were driven to the elephant sanctuary were orphaned elephants were cared for and raised until they could be re-introduced into the wild. There was also an orphaned baby rhino that had been attacked by hyenas who was being nursed back to health. Diane was able to buy a sweatshirt to take the chill off. I opted for a fleece.  Next, we were driven to the Oloolua Forest that was once a hiding place for the Mau Mau Freedom Fighters during the war for independence. We were treated to folk lore stories that were handed down from generation to generation. We were even taught a primitive dance. I have video of Diane doing the dance! We decided to skip the Karen Blixen museum as we were really tired and wanted to rest up for the next day. 

Wednesday July17:  We left Nairobi. In our land cruiser would be other adventurers who would soon become friends. Joe and Melissa were from Houston and Mary was from Dallas and Ann was from OKC. We would meet the people in the other LC (land cruiser) later but they were not nearly as much fun as our group. It was a pretty long ride to the Serena Safari Lodge. We pulled in about 2 PM and had lunch and then took off for an afternoon game drive. The LC had a roof that elevated that gave us clear views without fear of being eaten. We saw lots of animals, elephants (dozens), lions (21), water buffaloes (dozens), and wildebeests (hundreds). We then headed back to the lodge for dinner and turned in for the night.

Thursday, July 18: Our game drive began at 6:15 AM. It was still dark. As daylight came we began to see the animals. Diane and I were in the same vehicle with the same people which we were happy about. We sat with most of the other group last night at dinner and did not hit it off. The other members of the group were Tom and Laura from Long Island, David and Ruth from near Philadelphia and Barry and Betty from Kirkland Washington. Today Mary and Ann sat in the rear of the LC, Diane and I were in the middle, and Joe and Melissa were in the front. Everyone seemed to be pleased with their stations and that would be the way it was for most of the rest of the trip. We started off seeing lots of wildebeests, some elephants up close and a few lions near the wildebeests. It looked like there might be an encounter but it did not happen. We saw antelope. One male was attempting to be amorous with a female. We saw a pride of lions marching in a row. Just when we thought we were done, we saw 4 giraffes and enjoyed watching them for a while. We headed back to the lodge for breakfast and would be free until the afternoon game drive. I took lots of pictures. I had 3 cameras, my point and shoot Olympus, my Canon Rebel EOS with the 55-250 mm lens, and my iPhone. 

Friday July 19. Into Tanzania: After breakfast we drove across the border into Tanzania. We cleared customs and got a new tour director, Richard. We also got a new driver. We said good bye to our Kenya driver, George and left him a tip. We would not see George again but we would meet up with Duncan when we entered back into Kenya later in the trip. We drove to our lodge, The Arusha Serena Hotel and then on to a canine training center where we met Will Powell, a most interesting Brit who ran the center.  He gave a fascinating presentation on how his dogs were trained and how they performed to help stop poaching and smuggling. He gave us a demonstration with two of his dogs. We really enjoyed. Later we met up at the hotel for a Sundown Reception before dinner and then it was off to bed.

Saturday July 20: This day we left Arusha and drove to Lake Manyara National Park for our morning game drive. We saw baboons, buffalo herds, wildebeest and zebras on the grassy plains. We went to a local village and rode in Tuk Tuks to visit a banana plantation and local rice fields to learn how the locals grow rice. We had a picnic lunch on the road and drove to the Ngorongoro Crater. The volcanic crater is the largest in the world measuring over 10 miles long. It has a high density of wild animals, many of which we will see the next day. After another long drive we checked into the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge.

Sunday July 21: It was another early start, at the jeep at 6 AM to drive down into the caldera. Right away we saw a male lion marking the beginning of a great animal viewing day. We saw black rhinos, baboons, monkeys, zebras, gazelles, warthogs, hyenas, and others. Lunch was set up in the bush with tables, chairs and even tablecloths. After lunch we went to a Maasai Village for some entertainment and a tour or the village and the primitive living quarters. We drove back to the lodge for dinner and to rest up for our next day drive to the Serengeti.

Monday July 22. Guess what? Another early start. We had a long drive to get to the Serengeti. But first we stopped at the Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of humanity where fossils of early man were uncovered. Louis and Mary Leakey did their famous work here. In the museum we saw a replica of homo erectus, the immediate ancestor of humans. We had an interesting talk about the site by a curator of the museum. We then set out on a four hour game drive on a very bumpy road. Actually, all the roads were bumpy. We saw giraffes, warthogs, some lions at a distance and then two lions right on the side the road under a tree. Driving on, we saw Topi, the very large African antelope, then more giraffes, many gazelles, goats and more antelope. We finally arrived at the Melia Serengeti Lodge after the jarring ride. This was the nicest lodge so far. It was interesting because we had to drive so far to get to it. We had a late lunch and had the afternoon free. They had a nice pool so I took a swim. Our dinners were always at 7:30 PM, a little later than I would have liked but it was bed time by the time we were finished with dinner.  

Tuesday July 23: I woke up this morning and took a picture of a nearly full moon with an acacia tree in the foreground. We got ready and got to breakfast at 6:45. We ate and loaded into the jeep and left by 7:30. This was going to be a long game drive. We encountered many antelope right away. Next we came upon a hyena eating a fresh kill-an antelope. Richard told us that most likely a cheetah had taken it down and started feeding on it and then abandoned it when the hyena came along. Eagles and vultures were close by, watching, hoping for leftovers. The hyena decided to leave with the remains of the kill in its mouth. We followed him as he left the road and then re-entered the road without the kill. He no doubt cached it for later. We continued past some guinea fowl to a group of elephants, some with very small babies. We crossed a river with a strong sulfur smell and came across dozens of hippos lounging in a pool of the river. We saw a fleet of jeeps ahead and went to investigate. There were 10 lions slowly making their way in the direction of zebras. We followed along until they all, except for one, crossed the road and left. The lone lion began stalking the zebras. We watched for more than 30 minutes but the lion never launched an attack, so we left. We drove around some more and then headed back to the lodge. We arrived about 2 pm for lunch. There was an afternoon game drive but most of us decided to rest having been bounced around for hours. 

Wednesday July 24.  Pioneer Day. Not here, however. It was a busy day. We left Melia and shuttled to the air strip and loaded onto a plane to Tarime in Tanzania. We transferred to shuttles and cleared customs and drove to the Migori Airstrip and boarded a flight to Mara Game Reserve, Kenya. We were picked up by the Mara Intrepid Camp for the short drive to the lodge. Our lodging was in luxury tents. Diane was not feeling well and did not go to lunch or go on the game ride. On the drive I saw Topi, Wildebeest, and a stalking lion. At dinner we were entertained by Maasai dancers. We went to bed early to prepare for the early departure for the hot air balloon ride. It actually got cold that night and I had to find an extra blanket. 

Thursday July 25: Hot Air Ballon Day: The wake up knock on the door came at 4:30 but I was already up taking care of business. Diane, still not feeling well, skipped the ride. We drove to the launch site where several ballons were being prepared. They started by inflating the ballon with air from a large fan. Next the burner was ignited and finished the inflating. The baskets were large, they held 16 people plus the pilot. The pilot had us climb into the basket, some more gracefully than others. We received instructions for launching and landing positions to take when given directives. Next the pilot engaged the burner and we were airborne. We had great views saw lots of animals, and were treated to a glorious sunrise. We flew about an hour and then braced for landing which was harder than I expected but turned out ok. We actually landed on the side of the basket and it took a couple bumps settling down. We were driven back to an area that was set up for a full breakfast. The rest of the group who did not go on the ballon arrived and soon we were off for our game drive. We had a long drive to the river but we stopped when we saw a cheetah walk by with a bloody mouth and I got some good pics of him/her(I did not know what pronouns to use). We drove and saw other animals before we got to the Mara River where we hope to see the migration across the river. We picked a spot and watched the Wildebeest gather in the thousands. We ate our box lunches in the jeep while watching to see if the Wildebeest would cross. They went right up to the river but may have been scared away by a giant hippo who opened his mouth fully and roared; not to mention the many crocodiles laying about. After watching for a while longer we began our long drive back to the lodge arriving back at 3:30. We attended a lecture about birds before dinner and were back in our tents by 9 pm. 

Friday July 26.  Today we got to sleep in to a reasonable hour.  The coffee arrived at 6:45 and we were out of the tent by 7:30 for breakfast. The game ride started at 8 am. It was a cool and crisp morning. Right away we saw a male ostrich sitting on eggs. The males sit at night and the females sit during the day.  Several females lay their eggs in a nest but the dominant female has hers in the middle, the safest spot.  Next we saw a lion feasting on a wildebeest.  I guess he was done because he just walked away leaving what was left to a hyena, vultures, and jackals. After leaving this site we got real close to3  lions lounging in the shade by a bush. They may have just eaten as they looked very tired. We saw another lion. He too was sleeping. We drove to the river where we saw lots of hippos and crocs. We started to leave but saw a herd of zebras looking like they were going to cross the river but they ended up not going. We saw giraffes, Topi, Elands, and more. On the way back our driver, Silas went down a steep embankment across the river and did not make it up the other side. It took him six tries. I would hate to be stuck out there in the Maasai Mara. We made it back to the lodge and rested in the afternoon. We had a farewell dinner that night.

Saturday July 27.  Well, this is it—the journey’s end. (Safari means journey). Once again, we were up early, bags packed and on the porch by 6:30 am. We left the tent and walked the 200 yards to breakfast. We sat next to Barry and Betty and Joe. Joe gave me his business card and we agreed to stay in touch. We took the short ride to the airstrip and watched our plane land. It was a twin prop with 28 seats. We made one stop at another airstrip to pick up more passengers and then left for Nairobi’s Wilson airport, not the main airport. Shuttle vans picked us up and took us shopping and then back to where all started, The Nairobi Serena Hotel. We were given a room to stay in for the day until it was time to go to the airport for our flight home. Joe and Melissa were with us in the van and when we got to the airport we said our good byes and bon voyages. The first leg of the trip was to Paris and there we boarded the Delta plane for the eleven hour flight home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

                                              

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! <

                                     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.