You’re never far from the sea in Portugal. For a modestly-sized country, it boasts over 1,100 miles of coastline. The sea, specifically the Atlantic Ocean, is baked into Portugal’s identity. During the last two weeks of October, we explored a grand loop of Portugal. We flew into Lisbon and spent three days sight seeing before picking up our rental car. The first thing you learn is that most of Portugal’s cities are hilly. Seriously hilly. Like San Francisco on steroids….
We departed Coimbra and detoured slightly to the south to visit the ancient city of Conimbriga before continuing on to Porto. Conimbriga Conimbriga was a Roman city that, like other ancient sites, has layers of settlements and history. Its first period of occupation dates from the 9th century BC. Romans arrived around 139 BC.Under various campaigns and rulers, Romans brought urban organization, including massive city walls, temples, amphitheatres, thermal baths, an aqueduct, shops, artwork, gardens, fountains, crafts, and architecture. Though…
Late Summer 2024 With great memories of our visit to Yosemite, we left the park with a promise to return in the future. We turned west and headed to the California coast. We jumped onto the Coastal Highway (Rte 1) at Bodega Bay. Ah, the blue of the Pacific! Further up the coast, we camped at Hendy Woods State Park, one of our favorite parks, near Philo, CA. You camp among the trees, and then you can hike into the…
Yosemite National Park has been on our bucket list for several years. Actually, my interest began in the 1970s, when I got my first 35mm camera and started monkeying around with photography. Ansel Adams’ photos sparked both my desire to capture better images and also to visit the place that so inspired his work. Booking campsite reservations in the National Parks is a high tech sport in itself. On-line reservations for mid-June opened on February 15, at 7am, PST. With…
Route 61 stretches 1,400 miles from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway, for the most part, hugs the twisty Mississippi River. The southern section, which we planned to visit, is referred to as The Delta Blues Highway. For over 100 years, it’s been considered the heart of blues music. More famous blues musicians have come from this area than anywhere else in the country. Son House, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, BB King, Sam Cooke, W.C. Handy, Albinia Jones,…
After visiting friends in Arizona, we started making our way back to Texas to catch the eclipse. When we attempted to make camping reservations, every place that was in the Path of Totality was completely full. We wound up booking a campsite at the state park in Abilene, Texas, thinking that we could make a daytrip on April 8, to get a better view of the full eclipse. Enroute, we camped at several spots in Arizona, including Homolovi in Winslow,…
Early spring weather in the Southwest is a mixed bag. Days can be brilliantly sunny and warm with clear blue skies. The weather can also turn on a dime and deliver wind, rain, or snow. We spent a week in south Texas, working our way west into New Mexico, and we were quickly reminded how windy it was the last time we were here! In several years of galavanting through Texas, our timing has always been a little off for…
Our travel year is already off to a busy start. To quickly recap, we spent Christmas 2023 in New Orleans. We zipped around and enjoyed a whirlwind visit to Preservation Hall for some jazz and a night on the town. Habitat for HumanityIn January, we returned to Dade City, Florida, to volunteer again as Care-A-Vanners for Habitat for Humanity. We’ve worked on this building project several times, so the territory is familiar. And so are the volunteers. It was fun…
September – October 2023 Floyd, VA We spent the last two weeks of September in Floyd, VA, helping with a Habitat for Humanity housing project. We’re part of Care-A-Vanners, which is a Habitat program for RV’ers. We had helped with this same project in the spring and were asked to return to help the project move forward. Each Habitat build is different. This particular project has had way more than its share of challenges. Overall, the build still has a…
August to Early September 2023 Maumee Bay State Park, Oregon, Ohio We had stayed at this campground several times during our travels and were impressed. The campground and amenities are great, as is the location. The park is on Lake Erie not far from Toledo. The campsites are sunny and grassy, the bath house and laundry are spotless, and there are great bike paths to the beach. On one visit, we chatted with volunteers who encouraged us to consider camphosting….