During the restaurant days, our annual one week closure let us travel if we could afford it. Several lean years we could not. After closing the restaurant, we moved to Oregon and our senior dog Charlie kept us near to home and of course, COVID kept us grounded for a couple of years. The COVID era saw great changes in our lives. In May 2020, I joined Ann in retirement and both dogs passed away shortly thereafter, leaving us able to travel within the budgetary constraints imposed by retirement.
June 2025: Sailing the San Juan Islands
Nearly a week on a sailboat, what's not to like? Start reading at the trip summary (6 posts).
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| Sailing the San Juan Islands |
February 2025: A Week in the Mojave
Built around a trip to Las Vegas to see "O" by Cirque du Soleil, we explored Valley of Fire, Death Valley, and Hoover Dam. Start reading at the trip summary (7 posts).
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| Wild Burro in Beatty Nevada |
December 2024: A Long Weekend in Santa Fe
Rob and Dyce wanted to show us the town where they once lived, all decorated for the holidays. Start reading at the trip summary (5 posts).
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| Ristras in Santa Fe |
September and October 2024: Three Weeks in Italy
After a year of planning, we flew in to Firenze and went up to German-speaking Südtirol and back again. Start reading at the trip summary (22 posts).
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| Relaxing in Pistoia |
August 2024: Exploring Southwest Oregon
Built around a rafting trip on the Rogue River, this trip saw us visit Crater Lake, see redwoods in CA, and visit the Southern Oregon Coast. Start reading with the trip to Crater Lake (5 posts).
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| Blacktail Fawn on Rogue River |
July 2024: Long Weekend in San Angelo, TX
We made a quick trip to Texas to celebrate Carter's 25th birthday with a pit stop in Dallas for some great Mexican food. Start reading at Day 1 (3 posts).
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| Awesome Waterlilies in San Angelo |
May 2024: Quick Trip to Hood River
We planned to go to Hood River back in 2020 and that got wiped out by COVID. We finally made it to the land of Pfriem Brewing. Start reading at Day 1 (3 posts).
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| Mt. Hood |
April 2024: Five Days Rafting the Owyhee River
We were able to fulfill two dreams on this trip, whitewater rafting for Ann, and seeing the Owyhee River for me. Start reading at the trip summary (9 posts).
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| Sunset at Pothole Camp |
Six years after they moved to Truckee, we finally got to visit Mark and Kelley, do Donner Pass, hike a bit, and cruise Lake Tahoe. Start reading at the trip summary (8 posts)
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| Together Once More |
For Ann's 60th birthday, we explored the wine country around Walla Walla WA. Start reading at the summary (9 posts).
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| Tasting GSMs at Force Majeure |
Friends Tim and Susan moved to Boise in June, leaving many cases of wine for us to ferry to them in the fall. Our stay is documented in a trip summary and a set of photos on Table Rock.
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| Starting our Pub Crawl in Boise |
The day after I got the all-clear from my surgeon who fixed my broken foot, we flew into Atlanta and drove the rest of the way to Auburn. Dad was clearly hanging on for this visit; he would die shortly after we returned to Oregon. There is but a single post for this trip; I wasn't in much of a writing mood.
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| Final Visit with Dad |
Thanksgiving 2022: A Week in Colorado Springs
We drove for two days to Colorado Springs to visit Carter, celebrate Thanksgiving, and to see a few sights including Pike's Peak. Start reading at the post index (4 posts).
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| Black-Billed Magpie at Garden of the Gods |
We escaped 10 days of 100+ temperatures in Central Oregon for a wonderful respite at the astounding Oregon Coast. Start reading at the post index (10 posts).
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| Heceta Head Lighthouse, Yachats OR |
Summer 2021: Two Weeks in Alaska
In a gap between COVID outbreaks, we scored cheap flights to Alaska. We took a helicopter to glaciers, flew to Katmai National Park in a bush plane to walk on the beach with brown bears, and went halibut and salmon fishing in Homer. Start reading at the post index (24 posts).
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| Brown Bears at Katmai NP |
May 2019: Virginia Whirlwind
We took a whirlwind one-week trip back to the East Coast, two days of which were spent traveling, leaving just five days to see Ann's mother, go to Ellie's graduation, visit Carter in Morgantown, and to see our friends.
September 2017: Cross-Country Move to Oregon
While not a vacation, relocating from Virginia to Oregon wine country involved an 11-day drive through this spectacular country. Start reading at the post index (12 posts).
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| Bighorn Ram at Badlands NP, SD |
July 2017: July 4th Weekend at Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, WV
An unprecedented three-day weekend at the restaurant let us backpack the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area on the Allegheny Front in West Virginia. Start reading at the post for Day 1 (3 posts).
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| Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, WV |
Spring Break 2017: Farewell to the Southern Appalachians
By spring 2017, although my customers did not yet know it, Ann and I were leaving for Oregon in the fall. The annual closure at the restaurant became our chance to say goodbye to the mountains along the AT that we so love. Start reading on Day 1 at Max Patch (10 posts).
Spring Break 2016: Gatlinburg, Asheville, and the Smoky Mountains
By 2016, we were vetting potential locales for retirement. The annual closure at the restaurant let us explore Asheville NC, high on our list. Start reading on Day 1 in Gatlinburg (12 posts).
Spring Break 2015: Long Weekend at Snowshoe, WV
Winter was not kind to us at the restaurant, leaving no money for a vacation. We took advantage of the hospitality of good friends Mark and Kelley to visit them at Snowshoe WV where they worked at the ski resort where I learned to ski in 2002. Start reading on Sunday of our trip (3 posts).
Spring Break 2013: Belated Honeymoon in Oregon
Ann and I were married at the end of September in 2012. Because the restaurant was in full swing, we couldn't get away for a honeymoon until our annual closure the following spring. We went to explore the state to which we would relocate in 2017. Start reading on day 1 with us flying in to PDX (25 posts).
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