Category: Adventure

Adventure / Modes of Transport / Strenuous / USA

Cross Country in a Weekend (or Two)

A 2,500 mile thunder run is absolutely not my preferred pace of travel. I put a great deal of time and effort into building a life that would allow me to travel and explore at a somewhat leisurely pace. Unfortunately, elements of this particular trip are dictated by constraints that...

Activities / Adventure / High Adrenaline / USA

Backyard Carnival

The place where I hid out for winter of 2021-2022 was on a very tiny horse farm outside Mobile, Alabama. Aside from the two horses, the family that owned the farm had a collection of toys that rivaled any church carnival. A trampoline A motorized train made from rain barrels...

Adventure / Culture / Laid-back / USA

New Orleans, pre-Mardi Gras

It was an accident of timing that I visited New Orleans two weeks before the start of Mardi Gras. But I can now definitively say that’s the best possible time to go. The French Quarter is a ghost town. You get none of the drunks, vomiting, crime, or other unseemly...

Active / Activities / Adventure / Bucket List / Guided Tours / South America / Tropics

The Most Touristy Thing I’ve Done

For those who don’t already know, every year I take my daughter on a trip for her birthday rather than buying her stuff that she doesn’t really need. We have gone to some amazing places together. This year, for her 22nd birthday, I took her to the Galápagos Islands. Simply...

Adventure / Bucket List / History / South America

Dream trip to Machu Picchu

Having actually been to Machu Picchu before, I won’t simply help you book your trip. I’ll give you all the tips and insider knowledge that will make the trip smooth and unforgettable! This itinerary can be customized to your preferences and activity level but here is a sample that would...

Adventure / Miscellaneous

Broadening my horizons, while planning to ride off into the horizon

I still remember the day. I think I was 33 years old and was actually in the black marble executive bathroom at the huge worldwide mega-bank where I worked at the time. I don’t remember what spurred it but I just had this quiet epiphany and made a resolution to...

Adventure / Miscellaneous / South America

How I Unintentionally Became an International Drug Runner

I expected armed DEA agents to kick down my door any minute. Before my trip to Peru, I got lots of advice and warnings about altitude sickness. Much of it said that drinking coca tea would help. Search though I might, I could not find any coca tea before our...

Adventure / Modes of Transport / Off-the-beaten-path / South America

Worst (or Best) Taxi Ride Ever

You might say he was in the wrong line of work. A taxi driver whose driving skills are basic at best and who doesn’t know his way around his own city. He not only had to use GPS but also stop to ask directions. Four times! I’ll be the first...

Adventure / Modes of Transport / Nature / Off-the-beaten-path / USA / Wandering

Dinosaur Fossils and the Indestructible Camera

“Look straight down,” the balloonist told us, “you see that dirt road that kind of squiggles off to the left? If you were to follow it down into that canyon you’d end up at a bunch of dinosaur fossils.” “Real fossils?” “Yes. Still embedded in the rocks. There’s a walking...