Five Years Ago

Five years ago today I went on an ultimate trip, my first time to Ireland. There was so much to this trip that it is hard to sum it all up into one blog post but I had to walk through the memories of that journey once again. I remember landing in Dublin and feeling so excited. I immediately was at home. I remember walking through the airport once we were through customs and making my first purchase using Euro. I don't know what made me do it, but I bought a newspaper to mark the first day I had been to Ireland.

I remember sitting behind the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car and then slowly navigating on unfamiliar roads also on the wrong side of the road. I remember the brilliance of the colors, like a cool spring day with deep blue skies, and brilliant greens. I also remember thinking how Dublin was a lot like other cities; busy, fast-paced, and full of people and cars all racing off to one place or another.

I remember driving through small towns with roads so narrow that cars parked on the sidewalk. I remember loving the way signs throughout Ireland were written in English and in Gaelic. I remember the delicate beauty of Waterford Crystal and the bold grace of Giant's Causeway. I remember the dizzying height of standing atop a cliff while overlooking the ocean and how small I felt floating on the water at the base of another cliff.

I remember the overwhelming stink of cow manure that wafted through a part of a small town but also remember the wonderful aroma of Lamb Stew so expertly prepared. I loved the restaurants and learning that a sandwich with salad didn't mean two dishes served together but rather a sandwich with lettuce and tomato. I remember having dinner at a Chinese food restaurant and seeing a daily special being served with fries. I remember fries (chips) were served with just about everything and remember being sick of fries by the time we left. I remember the continuous struggle to order a soda and having to explain by naming brands of soda before the server would understand what I was asking for.

I remember visiting an old church ruin and the guide telling me to pray for a husband. I remember getting soaked on the cart ride back from the church and laughing because I'd prayed for rain instead. I remember spending three weeks looking for sunglasses for mom because she'd left hers back home thinking it would be cloudy all the time.

I remember the community and friendliness of the various owners of the B&B's as well as the easy camaraderie among strangers in a bar watching the Hurling finals between county Cork and county Clair. I loved seeing the good-natured barbs that were tossed between the fans of both teams.

I remember the sadness as we neared the end of our journey and the ache that filled me as we headed to the airport to go back home. I remember how long the flight was and remember how odd it was to drive on the left again. Today, five years later, I remember so many details of this journey, like it just happened. I will have a moment, or the air will feel just so, and I'll think how it is just like it was when I visited Ireland.

A Hollywood Hike

About fifteen years ago, my friend Jennifer and I set off for California with a destination in mind. My bucket list item of hiking to the Hollywood sign. I had done a little research and thought we were prepared for the hike. It didn't look to be too long and knew the hike would take us to a spot just above the sign so we would be looking down at it. Before heading to L.A., we decided to make a full weekend of our trip since we were driving the distance and headed to Dana Point. We spent the first full day exploring Dana Point and catching a whale/dolphin excursion on Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari. We also spent some time exploring San Diego that day. It was a fun day and despite the low-lying fog to start the morning, it turned out to be a beautifully sunny day. The weather was perfect, and I was positive that when we got to L.A. the next morning for our hike the weather would be just right for the hike to the Hollywood sign. I was so ready, and so excited for this hike.

Sunday morning we rose early and were soon on our way to L.A. to complete the short hike. We snagged a quick breakfast and made a point to stop for some sunblock since I had suffered a pretty bad facial sunburn from the previous day's excursions on the water. With a printed map in hand, we thought we were set with the directions to get to the trailhead and start off on our hike. We zipped up the freeway from Dana Point to Los Angeles and I knew, without a doubt, that we would be at the trail in no time. I could not have been more wrong. As we neared L.A. traffic began to slow. We crept down the freeway along with hundreds of other cars. We started to spy signs for the exit we needed which, of course, was across three lanes of traffic, all at a slow creep or a dead stop. Knowing we needed to get over, Jennifer put on her I-got-this attitude and began the terrifying process of changing lanes. She put on the turn signal and waited. The second an individual in the lane next to ours showed even a moment of hesitation, she acted, zipping the car into the space in the next lane. I clenched my hands around the handle of the door and tried to breathe, terrified with each lane change that we would either slam into the car in front of us or be rammed by the car we pulled in front of. Amazingly though, we made it across all three lanes of traffic, and not even on person honked at us as we managed to cut them off at each step. We finally approached the exit of the freeway and left, unscathed. I was never more happy than I was at that moment to be away from the freeways of L.A.

We made our way up into the Hollywood hills and toward the sign. We followed the directions we'd printed from Mapquest, we only had another ten-minute drive until we should be at the trailhead. Little did we know....it wasn't a ten-minute drive. The map directions took us to a dead end, so we began to explore. We could see the sign from where we were, it was just a matter of finding the trail. So we drove up one street and down another looking for roads that would lead us up the hill. An hour later we finally found it. The parking lot and trailhead for the hike to the Hollywood sign. We were there! Excited I grabbed my bottle of water, which was now half empty, and my camera and popped out of the car. That's when it hit me, it was HOT! I'd spent the last couple hours in a nicely cooled car and had just left a place where the weather was absolutely perfect. This was not the hiking weather I had envisioned at all. Jen asked if I still wanted to do the hike. By this point, my enthusiasm had waned a little. I smiled and said I did, trying to appear much more sure about this hike than I felt. We read the informational sign at the start of the trail and that's when I realized we were about to start on a 2-mile hike. The reality of this hike began to sink in and I knew that I wouldn't be crossing off my bucket list item that day. With temperatures in the 90s, half a bottle of water, and now past lunch, hiking wasn't looking to be the best idea. Plus we had a six-hour drive just to get back to Phoenix to do after.

I finally gave in and admitted that maybe the full hike wasn't the best idea that day, but maybe we could walk up enough just to see the sign and then go grab some lunch. Jen agreed that this might be the best plan and we would just have to put the bucket list item back on the list. So we set off up the dirt trail that I realize now was probably more a service road than a trail. The first leg was a bit of a steep climb but we kept pushing up the hill. I wasn't in shape at all and hadn't hiked in a couple years. I immediately knew that we wouldn't be pushing too far up the hill before hitting a stopping point.

When we reached a good spot I looked out over the view down below. A good part of the drive to the trail involved a lot of going uphill so the view we had from just the short amount of hiking we completed was already pretty amazing. I snapped a few photos and another hiker seeing me taking pics offered to take a picture of me and Jennifer with the sign in the background. We happily accepted and I handed him my camera. He snapped several pictures of us before handing the camera back to me. I stopped for a moment and just took in my surroundings. While I knew I wouldn't actually make it all the way up to the top, I also knew that this was a pretty amazing moment. I was closer to the sign than I'd ever been and, in all, the experience driving around the neighborhood of the Hollywood sign was pretty cool. There was a mixture of high-end fancy homes and lower cost homes as we drove around the streets of the Hollywood hill. This was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. We may not have hit the goal of reaching the Hollywood sign but it was a great day. As I write this today, I can note I haven't been back to try the hike again but I am more active now than I was then, perhaps it's time I start thinking about planning another attempt at this hike. This time, I'll be more prepared and ready to do the hike up the Hollywood hill. This time, I'll be ready to cross this item off my list.

An Hour in the Discovery Green

Here I was in Houston, Texas. I had spent the morning in a conference and was taking a break to catch my breath and eat some lunch. My mind was whirling from information I had taken in from the sessions I had attended already that morning. I hated that I was missing another session, but I could no longer ignore my grumbling tummy. So off I went to get something to eat.

I stepped out of the hotel lobby and into the wall of hot, humid air. Being from Northern Arizona, this was certainly a shift in climate for me, especially since it was only April. Back where I lived I'd still be living in jeans, with a light sweater in the early morning or at night. Here, however, the air was thick, heavy, and warm. I debated briefly which direction I should go to find a bite to eat and remembered seeing a park around the back of the hotel. Knowing there were places to eat in that direction, I decided it might be a good idea to take a walk around the park as well, just to stretch my legs. 

The Discovery Green was a lovely little park, a small area of fun and relaxation in the heart of bustling activity that was the Houston metropolis. I made my way past the first of many sights that would grab my attention. A piece of art perched atop a couple of concrete steps. It was a large rectangle comprised of many squares all differing in colors. It almost reminded me of pixilation you might see in a video. It was huge and I stared at it for a bit, wondering about its purpose and who had created this piece. I made my way further into the park under the cover of massive trees that provided welcome shade from the hot sun. As I walked I happily found a couple of fountains, a lake where many kayaks were paddled by happy people, and lots of green grassy areas where people relaxed, children played, and some even picniced. 

I spied a small glass building that boasted hot dogs and hamburgers that sat alongside the small pond where the kayaks were offered. Knowing that my view for lunch would be a nice one I decided that a hot dog would be in order for my lunch that day. I snagged an outdoor table, despite the humidity of the outdoors, I knew I wanted to take in the views the pond and those having fun in the water would afford. 

After my lunch was over I walked some more before heading back for the afternoon sessions at the conference. I spied a water pad area where fountains of water sprayed over a large flat surface. Several children dashed into the pad and out again laughing as they were sprayed. I laughed as a young boy braved the sprays over and over, shyly reaching the water then dancing away just before he was hit. As he grew bolder he stayed near the water longer, and before long he was racing through the sprays as they went along with other children.

My time in the park was over and I needed to head back inside to the convention, but this was an hour of fun to witness. I really enjoyed seeing the views the Discovery Green had to offer. I hope one day I can go back to explore a little further. Maybe I even get to rent a kayak and paddle around on the water too!

Tiny Plane Rides

Here we were. Ready to take off in a little tiny plane. I was heading to Idaho Falls from Denver in a baby plane, a planelette if you will. Nerves bumped a bit higher than normal at boarding when I saw people checking bags that would normally fall under "carry-on" status but were now too big to fit. if you don't believe this plane was tiny, let's put it this way. It is 13 rows long, 2 seats on each side of the aisle, no first class (not enough room), 1 bathroom, and 1 flight attendant. After we boarded, I settled, determined to relax. Then my nerves bumped up again when the crew asked for one passenger to move from the front to the back of the plane to "balance the planeload."

I mentally worked to calm myself and had nearly succeeded when we began to taxi. That's when my brain kicked in. An internal argument warred between crazy unreasonable me and sane reasonable me both shouting to get my attention. First thought, "Wow, I can feel every bump & hear every noise." Interesting observation until unreasonable me chimes in with "Yeah, but how do you know which noise and which bumps are normal?"

We zip down the runway and normal me thinks "This is safe, you rarely hear news stories on plane crashes anymore." Crazy me: "Yeah, the only ones you hear about now are the crashes with little planes...like this one."

As we hurtle down the runway, eventually lifting away from the earth, the cabin rattles, something behind me squeaks with every bump. Thankfully we level out and the squeaks and bumps stop. However, I swear the plane jiggles a bit as my seatmate jiggles her leg. Also, I think I just heard a conversation from the front of the plane?

Eventually, the one attendant makes her way up the aisle handing out snacks and drinks. It doesn't take long to reach the back of the plane where I am. I guess that's the upside to a small plane. Hey, I was thirsty.

Travelling in the fall

One of my favorite times of year is the fall. As we creep ever closer to the fall of 2018, I can't help but think back to trips I've taken where fall firmly held its grasp on the weather and winter was waiting in the wings for a chance to outdo the splendor that is fall.


There are so many times I've taken trips to Northern Arizona to take in the beauty of the fall leaves. The courthouse square of Prescott and the Snowbowl area of Flagstaff both boast so many beautiful leaves in hues of red, orange, and yellow. I love wandering around the square in downtown Prescott over the weeks of fall as summer slowly loosens its hold. The monsoons have ended, and the air has a  bit of a chill in the mornings. I watch as the leaves change from bright green to those fall colors that just make one gasp at the beauty that nature is so happy to provide.

I'll never forget though, how surprised I was to see the touches of fall color when I visited Ireland. Along the banks of Swan River in County Donegal, the river water had been dyed gold by the pigments of so many rivers that had fallen along the shores and into the water. Mom commented how this phenomenon was common in Michigan and Muskoka. She was surprised to see the same thing in another country. This was a place I had always associated with green, and we did see a lot of green while there. Those little pops of gold in the northern part of the country was a happy surprise that we were lucky enough to see while on our trip.

One trip I took on the week of Thanksgiving found me in Sacramento, California. It was a beautiful time of year to visit. So many trees had changed their colors but hadn't yet dropped their leaves. The feel of autumn filled the air as I explored the town and walked along the banks of the Sacramento River. Even this late in the season there were still trees of brilliant hues all over the city. Because it was the week of Thanksgiving, fall decoration had given way to Christmas on buildings and in shop windows. But mother nature would not be rushed. She moves slowly in her glory; proudly exhibiting all of her seasons.

Traveling with Coffee

There have been many times on my travels around the country that I've had a desire for something yummy to drink. A tasty concoction of coffee, milk, and yumminess to make fantastic mochas or lattes just for me to enjoy.

In Ireland, I had some wonderful lattes, just simple plain and delicious. No flavors, no sugar unless I added it to the drink. Regardless, the simplicity was wonderful and very enjoyable.

In Montana, I had a mixture of crappy coffee and yummy drinks all designed to keep the one who drinks moving forward. In California on many different trips out, there were some great places and some terrible places. All of which I wouldn't trade in the experience.

There are two experiences that I won't forget anytime soon. The first was in Seattle. (Imagine that, good coffee in Seattle.) The place was recommended to me by a dad and daughter who were going around Seattle looking for the best coffee around in a non-chain business. They'd turned up at the same crumpet shop just outside of Pike Place Market as my mom and I had to look for another excellent breakfast. We were all so sad when we learned they'd been closed that day. The dad, however, had great news, just upstairs from where we stood was a small coffee shop with excellent coffee. So off we went for our drinks to Storyville coffee. I ordered a mocha, mom a hot chocolate. The drinks were topped with foam designed to look like a heart. We were just so jazzed at this little bonus. I'd never had any design put on the top of a coffee before. We walked along the streets of Seattle enjoying our creamy, delicious hot beverages, perfect on a chilly, cloudy morning.

The second experience I loved was on the first day of what I've come to dub as "Epic Road Trip number 1." It was a solo journey I took driving from Phoenix to Fresno, then Yosemite, San Francisco, Sacramento, South Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, and home. My first day on the road was my longest day, over 8 hours of driving to get from Phoenix, AZ to Fresno, CA. I'd made it as far as Redlands, California just south of San Bernadino and was starting to drag. I'd been on the road for a few hours and still had a few more to go. It was time for a coffee stop and a break from the car. I didn't know where I needed to go but picked an exit at random and pulled into a shopping center. I figured at this point I could hunt up a coffee shop on my phone. Before I started my hunt, I spotted a small hole in the wall donut shop. From my experience, often little places like this often had the best coffee drinks to offer. So off I went to this little place. I was so glad to once again be right about the offerings. I walked into the place and this small woman was behind the counter. She was so friendly and cheerful. I asked if they had coffee drinks like lattes and mochas and she cheerfully exclaimed "YES!" I  asked if I could use the facilities before I ordered, she said "YES!" When I came back out I asked for her input on the best drink, she said I should get the vanilla blended coffee. So I did. She then asked "You want a donut? You will have a donut." I opened my wallet but only had enough cash on hand to pay for the coffee so I declined the donut explaining I had just enough for the drink at that time. She smiled, "Okay, you'll get a donut hole then." Without even asking she hands me the donut hole, takes my money just for the drink and then heads off to make my coffee. She was just such a friendly lady and still today I smile a little to myself as I think about that little lady who was just so cheerful and told me to come back the next day for more coffee and donuts even though she knew I was just passing through. What a fun little moment of that journey and one I'll take with me.

It is fun to think back on my travels and remember all the little moments in looking for coffee or just the interaction with others while looking for coffee. So I guess, the end result is a rich, creamy, tasty treat to warm me up on cold days or cool off on hot days. But the biggest reward are those moments with other people and the memories made.

Coolest Things I've Done (part 3 of 3)

The third part to this three part blog was a toss up between two experiences but both were on the same day. One simply cool for the history and natural geological features, the other as it was another step outside my comfort zone. This was my visit to Giant's Causeway and the Carick-A-Rede rope bridge both located on Northern Ireland's north coast.

First on the list was Giant's Causeway. I'd seen so many pictures of this destination but knew very little about it. Actually, we had put together a loose guideline of what we wanted to see and the night before we headed out of Moville, mom and I made the final decision to hit at least Giant's Causeway then if there was enough time we'd figure our next step. Mom had quite a long list of things she wanted to see that were all along the route, I personally doubted we'd do much more than the causeway before we needed to head to Carrickfergus.

I drove our rental car along following the directions of our GPS to our destination. Before I knew it we were pulling into the parking lot of the popular tourist attraction. We followed signs and eventually found parking in a lot that swarmed with vehicles all attempting to park in the correct area. There was so much more to the destination spot than we'd realized including a hotel, the visitor center, and a museum and each had their own spaces designated for parking.

We found our way inside and again I was overwhelmed by the size of the visitor center, which was combined with a very nice and modern gift shop. It all seemed very modern art style to me and fit very well with what I would soon see once we began our tour. Mom and I both decided to rent recorded devices that acted as a guide as we made our way along the road of the Giant's Causeway. Various spaces were pointed out by our voice guide including a rock formation that looked like a camel and another that were bulbous formations of rock protruding from the side of a mountain. The round protrusions were made from volcanic activity thousands of years prior. It was amazing to see these things and how they were formed.

Eventually we made our way down the road to the most famous part of the attraction, the basalt columns. Numerous signs were posted at the entry to the space cautioning visitors to be aware of the wet slippery stones as well as the waves. I stood on some dry columns and watches the waves crash over more columns ahead of me. It was an amazing sight, just breathtaking.  The views that Giant's Causeway were so much more than the basalt columns, there were trails around the area, some led up the side of a cliff on a gentle climb to a view overlooking the land formations that gently curved and sloped along the ocean. Eventually we made our way back to the visitor's center where we watched a short video of the folklore of how Giant's Causeway gained it's name.

Before long off we went to our next destination, Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge. I went along with it but I really didn't think I'd be up for the challenge of crossing the bridge, just a little too high and a bit too scary to me. We arrived and walked along the path that would lead to the bridge after paying for our passes to cross the bridge. I told mom I would just go as far as the bridge, I just didn't think I want to cross the bridge. She said okay but totally had plans to cross which was fine with me. We took in the views of the cliffs as we walked the dirt path. Before long the bridge was in sight. My stomach jumped as I saw it and I just knew. I was nervous because I'd decided I would cross the bridge.
We descended the trail toward the gate that was monitored by an employee to ensure not too many people crossed the bridge at one time and to allow for those coming back across to be able to do so. The bridge didn't look very sturdy to me. Just wide enough for people to come from one direction, no passing on this bridge. As we stood in line waiting for our turn to cross I commented that I was shaking. Behind me stood two Australian men who happened to hear me. They asked if I was nervous and I said yes. When it came our turn, I had mom in front of me and the two men behind me. She quietly encouraged me and said she knew I could do it. Then suddenly the two men behind me started to cheer me on. Loudly they exclaimed their encouragements, You can do it, keep going! Go! Go! Go! My fear melted to amusement and mom saw her chance, she suddenly moved quickly to the end of the bridge and once on the ground she turned and pulled out her camera for her shot. I smiled and told her I wasn't going to stop so she'd better take her picture quickly.

Once off the bridge we found we were on a small island with a path that led around to the other side. The two Australian men took off after high fiving me and waving as they walked on. We took our time on the trail enjoying the views from the island. We came around to the other side of the island just in time to see the Australians singing an Irish song while overlooking the see. Their voices raised to sing the lovely tune and when they finished they turned and saw mom and I standing and watching. We started talking to the men and learned a little about them and their country. It was an amazing experience to stand on this little island, surrounded by ocean water and knowing the only option from there was to cross back over that little bridge. Something about that moment was just so calming, I was totally in the moment and completely relaxed. The fear of crossing over the bridge was gone, I knew I could do it again. Eventually the men needed to move along to their next destination so we bid farewell to them and enjoyed a bit of solitude before we too needed to keep going. I'll never forget that day and the things I saw and felt. It had been an amazing experience and will forever be at the top of my list of cool things I've done.  I just know, I will continue to add to my travels and experience more things that I can consider some of the coolest things I've ever done.