Tomorrow is the day I leave town. My friend Gary from Australia and I will be driving to Denver where we will attend the 5th Annual Earthcache conference.
We were totally without internet service since last Friday evening when the power went out. Now it's catch-up time before trying to get some sleep before our early morning start.
There will be very little internet service on this trip, so there may not be many posts for you to read. When I get home, I'll add daily events.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
A bit of catch up
A few notes to help me remember things when I get home.
Day 1 - Wed, Sept 21- when the phone man didn't finish fixing the internet until mid afternoon Tuesday, Gary and I decided to leave today instead of then.
Key events were Multnomah Falls, Bonneville Dam, replacing one of my caches, Bridge of the Gods, and torrential downpours after entering Idaho. Overnight in Twin Falls.
Day 2 - Thur, Sept 22 - rain, rain, and more rain, often very hard.
Spiral Jetty, clear weather for a bit. Devil's Slide, clear weather for a bit. A few more caches.
Day 3 - Friday, Sept 23 - more rain, some caches, an event near Denver, finding our motel in spite of a Nuvi not knowing new roads.
Day 4 - Sat, Sept 24 - earthcache conference, friends from around the world, a long walk earthcache
Day 5 - Sun, Sept 25 - the awesome Red Rocks! A mini hike, the opening of the GSA conference, off to North Platte for the night.
Day 6 - Mon, Sept 26 - driving with minimal stops. Joliet overnight.
Day 7 - Tues, Sept 27 - got to daughter Cindy's house in Grand Rapids, MI. Unloading car, reloading car, spraying clothes with insect repellant, out for dinner. Visiting with friends that evening.
Day 8 - Wed, Sept 28 - Cindy and Gary brought me to the airport for a 10:15 flight and went home to finish loading the car for Gary to drive home for me, visiting friends along the way.
Got on airplane, lots of delays, finally were told to get off as major repairs were needed. I asked for a direct flight on a different airline, and they gave it to me. Then that flight was delayed for weather. Finally took off 5 hours later.
Cousin Betty picked me up and we went to a Portuguese place for dinner. Other than a green sauce for some foods, it was regular food. Absolutely delicious salmon for me.
Day 9 - Thur, Sept 29 - ran some errands, repacked a bit as I can check two pieces to South Africa. Visited, and, yes, finally got my flu shot. Now waiting for a neighbor to visit and hand off food to her. Didn't I just do that 10 days ago?
Starting to get in the mental frame for this past of the trip. Africa, here I come. Penguins, flamingos, giraffes, and where South America and Africa used to be joined are the main things I hope to see. Sand sledding and paragliding are things I hope to do.
And seeing friends from the Iceland trip. And maybe seeing where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. And finding earthcache #500 the day after I arrive.
More when I once again have time and internet.
Day 1 - Wed, Sept 21- when the phone man didn't finish fixing the internet until mid afternoon Tuesday, Gary and I decided to leave today instead of then.
Key events were Multnomah Falls, Bonneville Dam, replacing one of my caches, Bridge of the Gods, and torrential downpours after entering Idaho. Overnight in Twin Falls.
Day 2 - Thur, Sept 22 - rain, rain, and more rain, often very hard.
Spiral Jetty, clear weather for a bit. Devil's Slide, clear weather for a bit. A few more caches.
Day 3 - Friday, Sept 23 - more rain, some caches, an event near Denver, finding our motel in spite of a Nuvi not knowing new roads.
Day 4 - Sat, Sept 24 - earthcache conference, friends from around the world, a long walk earthcache
Day 5 - Sun, Sept 25 - the awesome Red Rocks! A mini hike, the opening of the GSA conference, off to North Platte for the night.
Day 6 - Mon, Sept 26 - driving with minimal stops. Joliet overnight.
Day 7 - Tues, Sept 27 - got to daughter Cindy's house in Grand Rapids, MI. Unloading car, reloading car, spraying clothes with insect repellant, out for dinner. Visiting with friends that evening.
Day 8 - Wed, Sept 28 - Cindy and Gary brought me to the airport for a 10:15 flight and went home to finish loading the car for Gary to drive home for me, visiting friends along the way.
Got on airplane, lots of delays, finally were told to get off as major repairs were needed. I asked for a direct flight on a different airline, and they gave it to me. Then that flight was delayed for weather. Finally took off 5 hours later.
Cousin Betty picked me up and we went to a Portuguese place for dinner. Other than a green sauce for some foods, it was regular food. Absolutely delicious salmon for me.
Day 9 - Thur, Sept 29 - ran some errands, repacked a bit as I can check two pieces to South Africa. Visited, and, yes, finally got my flu shot. Now waiting for a neighbor to visit and hand off food to her. Didn't I just do that 10 days ago?
Starting to get in the mental frame for this past of the trip. Africa, here I come. Penguins, flamingos, giraffes, and where South America and Africa used to be joined are the main things I hope to see. Sand sledding and paragliding are things I hope to do.
And seeing friends from the Iceland trip. And maybe seeing where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. And finding earthcache #500 the day after I arrive.
More when I once again have time and internet.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Time to get this set up so that I'm not rushing last minute. Hopefully there will be times on the trip when I have internet access and can share adventures with all of you.
The main thing I am hoping for now is a lot of geology. Of course, maybe a few giraffes to go with it.
First off to Boulder, Colorado for an earthcaching event. From there I will fly to NJ to be with my cousin Betty a few days before the two of us take a flight to Cape Town, South Africa.
In South Africa, we hope to paraglide, visit gardens, wineries, Table Mountain, and the southernmost point of Africa along with many other wonderful spots to see. My friend Nona, whom I met on the Iceland trip, arranged a place for me and Betty to stay with a friend of hers.
After a week, it's off to Namibia for an almost two-week long tour with Road Scholar. Yes, time to see some animals, both in the wild and in sanctuaries. And also more geology, sand dunes, and hopefully an opportunity to go sand sledding.
At the end of that tour, Betty will fly back to New Jersey and I will stay an additional 4 days on an extension tour that includes seeing Victoria Falls. I probably will never return to this part of the world, so decided I shouldn't miss seeing the falls.
Then, almost 6 weeks later, I'll fly home, my 8th flight for this trip. I may add things we hope to do and see to this blog before I leave if I think it's something I'll want to refer to later.
The planning is well under way, all shots and vaccines are updated, and a few long sleeved shirts purchased. I've been to the dentist, the eye doctor, the travel clinic, and my own MD. I still need to get bug repellant, malaria meds, spray for my clothes, and a better camera. The list goes on. As I cross out each item, two more things seem to appear.
So this is a start of a lifetime adventure.
The main thing I am hoping for now is a lot of geology. Of course, maybe a few giraffes to go with it.
First off to Boulder, Colorado for an earthcaching event. From there I will fly to NJ to be with my cousin Betty a few days before the two of us take a flight to Cape Town, South Africa.
In South Africa, we hope to paraglide, visit gardens, wineries, Table Mountain, and the southernmost point of Africa along with many other wonderful spots to see. My friend Nona, whom I met on the Iceland trip, arranged a place for me and Betty to stay with a friend of hers.
After a week, it's off to Namibia for an almost two-week long tour with Road Scholar. Yes, time to see some animals, both in the wild and in sanctuaries. And also more geology, sand dunes, and hopefully an opportunity to go sand sledding.
At the end of that tour, Betty will fly back to New Jersey and I will stay an additional 4 days on an extension tour that includes seeing Victoria Falls. I probably will never return to this part of the world, so decided I shouldn't miss seeing the falls.
Then, almost 6 weeks later, I'll fly home, my 8th flight for this trip. I may add things we hope to do and see to this blog before I leave if I think it's something I'll want to refer to later.
The planning is well under way, all shots and vaccines are updated, and a few long sleeved shirts purchased. I've been to the dentist, the eye doctor, the travel clinic, and my own MD. I still need to get bug repellant, malaria meds, spray for my clothes, and a better camera. The list goes on. As I cross out each item, two more things seem to appear.
So this is a start of a lifetime adventure.
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