July 14, 2021

Harvest Hosts

After a year, we are back in lovely Sebasco, on Casco Bay, in Maine. You might remember our visit last summer, during a short lull in Covid, but still in the midst of the pandemic. We were masked when away from the home, we never dined at restaurants inside. We insisted on any visitors being tested before coming. A lot has changed for the good since then. Maine’s numbers are among the best in the country, and our County is among the best in Maine. Frankly, it almost feels…normal. The stores and restaurants only require masks of people who are not fully vaccinated (how that gets enforced, I have no…

June 5, 2021

A Rail Trail Around the Corner

I am a devoted train spotter and counter on our many travels throughout the country, so it should come as no surprise that on my “to do list” is the desire to explore rail trails. The Ripper and I came across a good one last summer. The Katy Trail crosses the state of Missouri and is known as one of the crown jewels of the system. We noticed a sign for it while we were on our way back to Park City from the East Coast last summer, on Route 70, so we peeled off the highway and enjoyed reading the historic panels at the restored station but had no…

May 20, 2021

ADVENTURE ONCE MORE!

After fourteen months of pandemic, the Rippers were itching to get out there again. I had been fantasizing about this trip for years, and we finally pulled the trigger on a 3-day hut-to-hut bicycle ride from Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT, earlier this month. I mentioned this ride in my post last month, Adventure Time Again?. Well, the ride was everything I hoped for, only harder! We covered 170 miles over the three days, and climbed over 9,300 feet of elevation. Two of the eight riders who started with us dropped out after Day 1. I almost wished I had joined them (not really). Day 2, which on paper,…

May 14, 2021

How Does Your Story Begin?

We all know it, this past year was the start of something big. Just like with 9/11, we all remember where we were last March when it all began, and I bet that most of us haven’t moved far from that spot, at least physically. Our stories, however, will travel as storytelling always does, from one generation to another, and from friend to friend. I know where my story begins but, I find myself wondering, what comes next? One thing is for sure, I had plenty of time to think about what matters most to me, as I looked longingly out windows, at screens, and went on for walks with…