On The Road

What a treat we have this morning.  These rock formations are astonishing!  ~WaterGirl

eponymous

In 2008, I visited Vermilion  Cliffs National Monument (VCNM) with friends. This NM is tucked between the Grand Canyon to the south, and multiple parks to the north – Zion National Park to the NE, Capitol Reef to the north, and more, in Utah. The main object of the trip was a rock formation dubbed ‘the Wave’, which is iconic and should be familiar to most of you.

The Wave is located in Coyote Buttes South, which had so much else in the way of fabulous cross-bedded sandstone formations as well. We drove down from Denver and camped out at trailheads. I could still camp at that time! Probably still could as long as I don’t have to get on the ground…

We also went to Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon nearby. Since we had some great photos of slot canyons recently on OTR, I just included a couple of those.

I am an indifferent photographer, but this is one of those areas you can practically close your eyes and snap something lovely.

On The Road – eponymous – Vermilion Cliffs National MonumentPost + Comments (23)

Albatrossity in Scotland

After leaving the Outer Hebrides, we headed to Kingussie, near Cairngorms National Park, crossing Loch Ness on the way there. Kingussie was the site of a BBC series titled “Monarch of the Glen”. I had never heard of this series before, but the townfolk were keen to tell us that at every opportunity.

Prior to our trip we had consulted with a KSU colleague who was from Scotland, and she warned us that we would experience some “really bad food” there. I asked what, specifically, we should avoid, and she answered “Lasagna”. So naturally, when I saw lasagna on the menu one evening in Kingussie, I had to try it. She was right. Never doubt a native when they talk about the food of their native land.

On The Road – Albatrossity – Summertime in Scotland – #5Post + Comments (18)

Today we see Italy as I have never seen it before.  Not that I’ve ever been there!  But I love seeing seeing the unexpected.  Almost makes you feel like you were there.  ~WaterGirl

Ceci n est pas mon nym

We’ve been to Italy several times, always in the north. Neither one of us felt much of a draw to Rome or Naples or other popular destinations in the south. Instead, the first time we went I picked Milan as a destination, largely based on studying train lines.

I knew nothing about Milan itself but it seemed to be a convenient transportation hub to lots of other places like Venice and Florence. As it turned out, Milan is a wonderful city, more business-y than tourist-y, and we fell in love with it. Switzerland is also close by, and on that first trip we discovered the Swiss town of Lugano which we also fell in love with (but that is a subject for another post).

This trip in 2015 was a business trip for my wife, who had a conference in Milan. So we were traveling off-season, in October.

On The Road – Ceci n est pas mon nym – Venice and Milan, Italy, October 2015Post + Comments (30)

TheOtherHank

Here are some more photos from a 5 day trip down the Rogue River my family and took in July 2014

On The Road – TheOtherHank – Rogue River Rafting, Part 2Post + Comments (16)

I love this unique view of Prague that I doubt we would see in any guidebook!

It was six months ago yesterday that we lost Alain.  I like to think that he would be pleased that On The Road lives on, and I have a feeling that Alain would have particularly loved this quirky set of photos from Gin & Tonic.

In case anyone wants to revisit our memorial to Alain:   Fly Away Home

Gin & Tonic

Was sorting through my (many) photos and came across a set from a visit to Prague one summer a few years back. I’ve loved Prague for years, but so, unfortunately, have lots of other people, and it’s really overrun with drunk tourists, at least Staré Město (Old town.) I much prefer Malá Strana anyway, (the other side of the river). And I won’t bore you with pics of the Charles Bridge or the Prague Castle which you’ve seen a million times. Note that a couple of years after my visit, there was a huge flood on the Vltava, and I haven’t been back since, so I don’t know how they’ve rebuilt.

On The Road – Gin & Tonic – Prague, SummerPost + Comments (34)

River rafting in Oregon – so beautiful!  Part one is today; we’ll have part two in the morning tomorrow.  ~WaterGirl

TheOtherHank

I liked submitting my pictures from a Green River rafting trip, so I went back to the well and found pictures from our first family rafting trip. This one was a 5 day trip on the Rogue River in the south western corner of Oregon (the nearest town of any size is Grants Pass). This is the river where I worked the last couple seasons I did guiding. This particular trip was rather small, three gear boats, three inflatable kayaks and no more than 12 passengers. It was also a bit rainy for the first few days of the trip.

The Rogue River was in the first group of rivers to be designated Wild and Scenic back in the 60s. This means that there can be no development (or hunting) within a (I believe) a half-mile of the high water mark of the river within the Wild and Scenic section. There are a couple lodges that were there before the designation, so they got grandfathered in. The Wild and Scenic section is bounded by two Class IV rapids that are impassable to motor boats: Rainy Falls and Blossom Bar. Above Rainy and below Blossom jet boats are allowed, including giant ones that hold 50 people can can planing along in 18″ of water.

On The Road – TheOtherHank – Rogue River RaftingPost + Comments (20)