• coffee life,  People/Portraits,  Travel

    Christmas break

    Heading home

    Finals were this past week and graduations were going on most of the week and weekend. So this weekend was time for students to pack and head home for the Christmas break. There were large buses at the transit center both Saturday and Sunday taking students to the airport. So we saw a lot of scenes like this one at the coffee shop.

  • Candid Portraits,  Family,  Travel

    I’m back

    My dad, who will be 96 in January

    I arrived home Sunday afternoon about 2:30 pm. We had mechanical problems on the flight out to Phoenix on Wednesday and needed to return to the gate. That delayed us by an hour and a half. The trip back was smooth except for turbulence coming into Denver.

    I enjoyed my visit with my dad, my sister and brother-in-law. I ate more sweets than I have in a while and have no one to blame but me. I felt my pants had shrunk by the time I got back on the plane. But my wise father suggested it was due to altitude changes, having nothing to due with eating two pieces of my sisters Lemon Meringue pie, or a piece of chocolate cream pie, or two sugar cookies each with a quarter inch of frosting, not to mention the turkey, ham, beef brisket or any of the other trimmings …..

    Today is a rest day. I like this photo of my dad as he has that mischievous look.

  • Travel

    Back Home

    Taken out the window on the way home yesterday.

    I arrived home last night about 7:00 pm. Loved my time with family and ate way too much good food. It seems my schedule gets a bit wacky when I travel but will be okay in 24-48 hours. Not sure how I did it while working as a flight attendant. I slept well last night and will be back into my routines as well as allow my family to get back into theirs. We had no trouble with travel as everything went rather well with no delays or obstacles and no turbulence. Will relax today and get ready for the upcoming week.

  • animals,  clouds,  coffee shops,  flowers,  horizons,  lake,  landscape,  Plants,  sunrises,  Travel,  writing/reading

    Update

    Fremont Lake as I arrived yesterday

    Arrived at Fremont Lake yesterday afternoon to clear skies and warm weather. I do not have wifi or cellular at my campsite, which is something I expected. Lets me know how much I use both.

    My drive was without trouble. I encountered a ton of road construction on I-80. Seems they were working on the interstate all the way from Laramie to Rock Springs, Wyoming. I would also say 70% of all traffic was semi trucks. Once I turned onto 191 the semi trucks disappeared and the traffic switched to RVs, Vans, and trailers. The interstate follows two separate railroad tracks so I saw almost continuous trains going both east and west.

    My campsite

    There are 39 campsites at the Fremont Lake Campground. All were taken except two which I didn’t expect. I chose #7 because it had shade trees while the other one was wide open but had a wonderful view of the lake. That turned out to be a good choice because of the protection by my sisters the trees and they helped isolate noise, letting me enjoy the quiet. My back was sore when I went to bed from all the driving but slept well until early morning. Camping is cheap for us seniors as it only cost me $15 for two nights.

    Yesterday afternoon at Fremont Lake

    I did some walking after setting up camp so I was able to get my steps in, and some. The area around the lake is a large boulder field and I’m talking big boulders. Wildlife is everywhere, deer, antelope, hawks and squirrels everywhere I turned. I did not remember how much boating there is on the lake. But, that was 19 years ago. I drove around yesterday evening to explore the area and took the above image while sitting on one of those large boulders. Such peace and quiet. I just may do it again this evening. The silence and quiet was a primary reason for this trip.

    The drama of storm clouds and the sun about to rise after the rain

    The wind began blowing hard about 4:39 am, followed by lightning and thunder. Then, a nice gentle rain began falling and rained for a good hour. I stayed dry. The trees protected me from the wind and some rain. So that was a good reason to choose this site. There is something magical for me to lay there warm, dry and listening to the rain. I did not sleep much after it began raining, so I’ve been up for a while. But, there’s always the afternoon power nap!

    There is something about the scent of wet sage and having an antelope checking me out.

    I drove into town with hopes to get my mocha latte fix, my internet fix and hopefully some early morning photos fix. Got all three! Now in a coffee shop call Pine Coffee Supply. It’s an old converted garage. They do their own roasting. I was here at 7:30 am when they opened and they have been busy every since I arrived. Could be because they are the only coffee shop in town. That’s the end of this update.

  • landscape,  lifestyles,  Transportation,  Travel

    Some Options

    My ride in 2004 was a BMW R1150RT Sport Touring bike. From a trip to Washington

    My dream for quite some time has been to have a Class B van, one I could spend several weeks on the road with, even living in it and have that feeling like I’m right at home. I had the Class A on the Radar for a short period of time but quickly realized that was more than I wanted to deal with.

    I have also dreamed of getting a roof top tent for my Forester and traveling a bit more on the rustic side without a toilet, shower or running water on board. The romantic in me whispers life would be perfect with either of these, right? But I’m wise enough to know that external stuff and dreams will not bring me lasting joy or happiness. It would not make life perfect. However, I do believe it would be an adventure. So, these ideas and dreams have been stewing for quite some time. There is a financial price that will need to be made for either a van or roof top camping. Nothings cheap while there is a major price difference between the two options.

    I’ve been looking at two options for Class B vans. One  would be nice setup with on board water, shower, and toilet such as the Roadtrek SS Agile or even a step up to the Class C  Leisure Travel Vans Unity. The other option would be an adventure style van which really appeals to me. It is a Class B but setup more for dispersed camping without a toilet and shower such as the Winnebago Revel. And there are also some very nice custom shops that will convert a van for you.

    The other option is the roof top tent which has interested me for several years. One option that appeals to me the Autohome Columbus Variant. This idea was spawned by David duChemin and Jesse which he wrote about back in 2011.  Another option would be the Thule Tepui. These are slick to setup and take down which really appeals to me. 

    I’m throwing these out there because these options and their marketing teams have perked my interest enough to keep me awake at night and brought up thoughts of selling off my kids, grandkids, my home or even your home. In a later post I’ll talk more to the reality of what I want with travel, is it feasible for me at this stage of my life and what fits my budget.

  • clouds,  landscape,  mountains,  natural areas,  Travel

    The Wanderer

    Clouds are nature’s way of asking us to pay attention to the art it creates

    “The wanderer is one who gives priority to the duties of longing over belonging. No abode is fixed. No one place is allowed finally to corner or claim the wanderer. A new horizon always calls. The wanderer is committed to the adventure of seeing new places and discovering new things.”

    John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes

    I’ve had the bug to travel for many years. I’ve shared stories about my travels before on this blog and talked about some of the travel I still want to do. I would like to write more about it, maybe finding some clarity, sorta like talking it through. I’m not sure I’ll be able express my desires and dreams about travel or if I even have enough understanding  on what those are. There is a part of me that relates to the wanderer John O’Donohue writes about in the above quote.

    Some of my travel history includes touring on a motorcycle and  road trips in my car while camping along the road. I’ve also spent seven years living in hotels working and living a nomadic life as flight attendant. And, photography has been a integral part of each of those adventures. I’ve very much enjoyed each of those adventures. But there’s still a yearning for more.

    So over the next few days or weeks I want to share some ideas and questions I have that run through my head. I know some of you have traveled or are traveling so there is experience among my readers. I welcome any and all comments, even if you think I’m insane.