Days not Homeless: 5 Years, 7 Days ...and loving every second of this alpine adventure!
The Canadian Rockies are a continuation of the American Rocky Mountains, stretching up to the Liard river in northern British Columbia. We planned on spending time in the various national parks en route, utilizing the scenic Bow Valley Parkway and Icefields Parkway to...
After a brief one night stay in Victor, Idaho we made it to another new state for both of us. Our goal was Glacier National Park, before crossing over the border into Alberta, Canada. Not sure Andrea was looking forward to Glacier too much after scaring herself stupid...
Continuing on our westerly heading through the Black Hills towards Wyoming, our first stop was Devil's Tower NM, not far over the state line and only a minor detour from I-90. We weren’t planning on visiting National Monuments on this trip, but this one was so close...
Not somewhere either of us had really thought about visiting but whilst planning our route it became apparent that we would pass through the southern part of the two Dakotas en route to Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. Outside magazine ran an article on the...
Well, we’ve been away for almost a year and I have a few thoughts to share about my life on the road after being in the States a week ago. 1. Clean Panties! I carry seven panties and three bras with me. Wayne and I “officially” do laundry about every three weeks. That...
It took almost ten and a half hours to get from Belize City to Cancun by the ADO overnight bus. We arrived at the northern border town of Santa Elena in Belize around 11pm. It was the most expensive departure tax of our 100 plus day trip by far - $18.75pp. After...
Wayne and I did a test run of our backpacks for Central America. Nice and Light! Mine is only 24lbs! We've spent a lot of time reading other blogs to figure out the best stuff to take. Luckily, we're coming back to the states after Central America so we'll have a...
What an awesome day! Wayne kicked ass at the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike race on August 11th. He finished in 8:49 and earned his BIG BUCKLE! I'm so proud of him - he trained really hard for this :)Elation after 8 hrs and 48 mins in the saddleReceiving my BIG buckle...
So on a beautiful day in July Andrea and I exchanged vows and got married - my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and Andrea's parents and sister were all in town for the affair. Alongside family we had 22 good friends join us on a boat cruising the Intracoastal...
We have just booked our first accommodation for the trip! We'll be in Jaco, Costa Rica for 5 weeks. We found a fabulous tropical bungalow 1 mile from the beach and on the edge of the rainforest. We're hoping to see the many scarlet macaws, toucans, butterflies,...
One hundred miles across the high-altitude, extreme terrain of the Colorado Rockies. Created for only the most determined athletes. Starting at 10,152 feet and climbing to 12,424 feet, you’ll be challenged to catch your breath — while the views try to take it away....
Wayne and I attended a fundraiser for MoreThanSport.org. It's an organization founded by Ironman Champion Chris Lieto. His goal is to help communities in the places where he is racing. Their first event was in Panama City last month when we were there. We weren't able...
Wayne and I had our vaccinations for the big trip recently. I don't like needles and I faint if someone even mentions taking blood from me. We were sitting in the waiting room at the Lantana Health Department (not a nice place), reading all the precautions for the...
Wayne and I love going to Arther R Marshall Loxahatchee National Park just north of Woolbright in Boynton Beach. We walk south on the levee and venture off to a few of the trails close to the parking lot. We normally see a few local gators hanging out in the canal....
Wayne and I spent a week in Kona, Hawaii enjoying 4 days of diving, a trip to the top of Mauna Kea, a hike through Volcano National Park, and the Ford Ironman World Championships. The diving was better than expected. The only downside was that we were hoping to see a...
The night Wayne proposed. We had a sunset dinner in Key West, FL. Wayne was still recovering from his broken ankle so there were no adventures! We had a fabulous weekend! Now it's time to start planning a wedding :)Pre marriage weekend away in Key WestMy beautiful...
If everything goes well on summit day then tagging the worlds loftiest mountain is a huge deal, no matter what you hear otherwise. It comes with immense satisfaction, an emotional rollercoaster ride, and the realization that with enough desire anything is possible....
"Huge congrats to this guy for completing the Seven Summits with his ascent of Everest on the 22nd! I first met Wayne on Aconcagua in 2003 and we climbed together on Everest in 2005 turning back below the south Summit with the Gibbon boys. 14 years on, he again put...
UPDATE 4: Sitting watching Free Solo in our heated dining tent, hands sweating once again, was a welcome distraction from the snow swirling outside. Everest basecamp weather is fickle at best, the mornings so far being bright and sunny, sometimes annoyingly hot,...
UPDATE 3: Banging out a mountain as significant as Everest requires a boat load of dedication, both mental and physical - the physical part is easy, the mental not so much. Moving on from one sniffing and coughing bout to the next is no fun but almost feels normal....
UPDATE 1:Fast forward fourteen years the city of Kathmandu hadn’t changed in the slightest; taxis, motos, hotel minibuses and rickshaws all vying for the same potholed real estate. Drivers with eyes in the back of their heads weaving in and out of pedestrians,...
Colorado would make an ideal training venue for the short seven weeks prior to departing for Mount Everest, the rockies reaching up above 14,000 feet whilst offering limitless opportunities for winter hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and fatbiking. With...
Following months of intense negotiations with the better half a return to Mount Everest changed from a far off possibility into a 50/50 realistic opportunity, before finally blossoming into a firm commitment! Since that epic date the Dollars have been flowing -...
My choice was the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Andrea’s some winter sun in the Canary Islands, the latter winning out. This was to be a Thanksgiving break for Andrea so how could I not be accommodating! The Canaries ended up as a win-win, and although my last visit was...
Having only been to Edinburgh and fleeting visits to Ben Nevis and the Cairngorms many years ago meant that we had limitless Scottish destinations. We were spoilt for choice so why not head to the summer tourist trap of Skye, easily accessible and looking awesome in...
Island hopping from Iceland to the Emerald Isle provided us with the chance to revisit the places we only skimmed over on a 3 night trip a few years prior, this time with the addition of two weeks house sitting for a couple of border collies. Following a night in...
A stopover in Iceland, the first time in the midst of winter, this time in the middle of the typically temperamental Icelandic Autumn, is an easy option for us. We were on the way to Ireland and with our footloose lifestyle had plenty of time to discover more of...
This has to be one of our top multi-day hikes. For sheer beauty the Maroon Bells 4 pass loop has it all. Not too long; coming in at 29 miles, a little hilly; the total ascent around 7,500ft, and right on the doorstep of Aspen and Snowmass. If it wasn't for a good...
Exactly 133 days after arriving on the African continent we were sadly saying our farewells. Cape Town had been our arrival city and was now our departure point back to Europe and the US. We both agreed that we could have spent another few weeks here! Other than the...
Malawi was looking like another of those countries where we may have been leaving the moment we arrived, with daily reported power cuts, poor Internet and a US Government website declaring that a letter of approval was required for Americans - we needed good Internet,...
Quite possibly the best bit of travel advice we've been given was to add South Luangwa to our list of African destinations. Coupled with the Cape Epic mountain bike race this was the only thing planned in advance and definitely the costliest of anything we did whilst...
Our arrival into Kigali's small but modern airport late in the evening made us slightly apprehensive, mostly due to us having no idea as to the safety nor location of our accommodation. That was good enough reason to take the Ivuka Art Gallery transportation. Twenty...
Lake Bunyonyi and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park provided us an exciting insight into Uganda, a country that even in the six days we visited offered so much. We had planned to move beyond the extreme southwest corner but for two reasons had to reconsider - firstly...
During our time in Bwindi National Park in Southwest Uganda my wife Andrea and I made the decision to visit two community orphanages/ primary schools in an attempt to gain an insight into the conditions the local children have to endure; we were not prepared for what...
All we knew about Rwanda prior to our arrival was that at some point not too long ago they had suffered through a genocide and that more recently their Mountain Gorilla permits had been raised from $750 per person to $1500; something to do with wanting to attract a...
Although premium lodges and high-end tourism are the norm in this landlocked country we did manage to survive on somewhat of a budget. We had already visited for a full hour whilst heading from Namibia to Zimbabwe, a brief encounter that included a dead zebra and...
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