The remainder of summer 2016 (3 months) was spent traveling the Southeast USA covering states of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. A relatively small area, 375 miles if you drove straight through, but what would be the fun in that? We had 3 themes for this journey: Civil war history; water/beaches; and culture (concerts/theater). We found a list (of course there was a list … Continue reading End of a Chapter

We just spent 3 months (Feb, Mar and April) in Florida, more time than we spend to see an entire country!  But, Florida is big, or it is certainly diverse, you drive a few hours and feel like you in a whole different place. Ft Myers, where we settled in for our first foray in a 55 and over community is spectacular.  (Theatre, history, kayaking, wildlife): So … Continue reading Florida – Family, Friends and Fun

Of course, given the opportunity, we would be in kayak or bike, or visiting someplace new. “We can update the blog at night” but night time would find us asleep in our chairs or too tired to think much. We were headed to the big Keystone Montana rally in Goshen, Indiana when Megan joined us on our journeys as an angel. We did attend the … Continue reading The Transition – 2015

The summers goal was to circle Lake Superior. We spent more than a two months in Minnesota alone, then Wisconsin and both upstate and downstate Michigan. We ducked into Canada on either side of Lake Superior: Thunder Bay and Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. The entire journey was 4,500 miles on the truck and many more on the car since we considered side trips the stuff … Continue reading End of summer – 2015

With having kayaked nearly 100 miles on rivers and lakes, and bicycled over 300 miles on rail trails, it was time to get some culture  in Minneapolis (MSP), MN.  The RV park is in Prior Lake, a suburb of MSP and on the Dakota reservation and casino.  Yes, David lost but Karen won. Other cultural events attended was Mall of America; Costco; the Uptown Annual Art … Continue reading A Little Bit of Culture

Arriving in small towns, we seek out a live theater with local performers. One play was Avenue Q in Duluth,MN that was outstanding. Think of Avenue Q like Sesame Street for grown ups. The actors playing the puppets remain on stage throughout the entire show, and react to their puppets and mimic their actions. It’s a super fast moving show, and was really fun to … Continue reading David has a date with an old friend

We stayed in a town on the north shore called Grand Marais, MN. This town is the eastern and southern end of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Gunflint Trail. We happily enjoyed more, great kayaking on beautiful interconnected lakes, then, we stopped at a full service lodge for a hearty late lunch; the best of both worlds. Trappers and early settlers used the … Continue reading North Shore Lake Superior

While kayaking the lakes we often heard the call of the loons. Click on link to hear these calls. The eerie calls of Common Loons echo across clear lakes of the northern wilderness. Summer adult loons are regally patterned in black and white. In winter, they are plain gray above and white below, and you’ll find them close to shore on most seacoasts and a … Continue reading Call of the Loon

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, is a 1,090,000-acre wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. We based ourselves in Ely, Minnesota to explore the central Boundary Waters Canoe area, and Grand Marais for the Gunflint section of the wilderness. Partially because you needed a GPS to ensure you came out where you went into the lake; and mostly because David has … Continue reading Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Karen and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary on July 11. It has been truly wonderful and a blessing. When looking back on that day we met 14 years ago we discussed every thing from retirement to traveling. I had 5 more years before retirement and Karen 9 years.  Now both being retired, we are full time travelers. When we first met, Karen was planning … Continue reading Happy Anniversary, July 11

Isle Royale, a rugged, isolated island, far from the sights and sounds of civilization. In the northwest corner of Lake Superior the Isle is surrounded by Lake Superior, Isle Royale offers unparalleled solitude and adventures for backpackers, hikers, boaters, kayakers, canoeists and scuba divers. Here, amid stunning scenic beauty. It is one of Michigan’s 5 National Parks, and one of the very few island national … Continue reading A Superior Wilderness Experience!

Nisswa MN is celebrating their 53rd turtle racing season. How do the turtle races work? Racers gather in the center circle and release their turtles when a whistle blows. We watch while the turtles make their way to the outer circle. The first turtle to the outside ring wins! The races, held every Wednesday, attract about 400 people a week. Despite my pre race “chat” … Continue reading Turtle Races; Paul Bunyan; Mississippi River Headwaters

Our kayaking journey down the Mississippi River began in Brainerd, 100 miles south of where the mighty rivers humble source is located in Itasca State Park. We heard the call of the loon and watched bald eagles soar above the majestic virgin pines. Our float on the river was slow, the strong headwinds and the little flow on the river took us about 4 hours … Continue reading Kayaking the Great Mississippi River

Driving from Phoenix to Tucson after 24 hours of flying; delivering the RV to Yuma for repair; meeting the grandkids in Disneyland; four day RV trip to Colorado; a soak at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs in Buena Vista, CO; a Shadowcliff Memorial Day Volunteer weekend in Grand Lake, CO; two quick weeks in Denver visiting family, friends and doctors and lastly, attending our grandson Chases’ … Continue reading Adventures past Italy

David loves to fly.   We had a great opportunity to connect with the local aero club and rent a Cessna 172 plane, similar to the one he had owned in 1980s.  The local instructor could do the radio side and act as a local guide while David flew along our previous travel path and over the reef.  Up over the Captain Cook Highway; over Port … Continue reading The Reef Flyover

You walk between tall columns of giant gray trees, dappled with innumerable shades of green. You taste the oxygen-rich air, heavy with moisture. It imbues you with an inexplicable euphoria. You wander on as though in a dream.  Strange fragrances waft among the compost odor of decaying vegetation. All around, vegetation of incredible lushness spills upon, over and under itself. Vines and lianas cavort, twist … Continue reading The Rainforrest