Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Category: Hiking (page 10 of 12)

Sunny Sacramento

Horse and carriage with "new Sacramento" in the background

Horse and carriage with “new Sacramento” in the background

Mark and I drove across the country and temporarily moved to California to enjoy a warmer winter than last year in New England. So far, we cannot complain. It is not as hot here as in Southern California or Florida (or French Polynesia :-)), but the 70 degree daytime temperatures (20s Celsius) have been very pleasant.

Because it will get colder and rainier soon, we take advantage of the sunny days by going on long walks and hikes with Herk (the cute rescue dog we are currently caring for), even during the week. Continue reading

Autumn Weekend at Lake Tahoe

One of the exciting things about our life as house and pet sitters, other than living in comfortable houses for free, being in the company of the most amazing dogs and experiencing different neighborhoods, is the opportunity we have to explore different areas of the United States. Wherever you live in this country, there are always a lot of places to go for a hike or impressive sites to discover within driving distance.

Lake Tahoe seen from the town of South Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe seen from the town of South Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe, located on the border of California and Nevada is the third deepest lake in North America. It has a remarkable water clarity and is surrounded by boulders, sand and snow-capped mountains. To say it is picturesque is stating the obvious. Continue reading

Two More Driving Tours in Acadia NP, Maine

Birch Harbor on Schoodic Peninsula

The last couple of weeks have been very busy with plenty of distractions, so I feel like I have to move on to new adventures soon and finish up my string of Acadia posts. On day 1 of our five-day vacation in the national park, Mark and I went on a reconnaissance of the Park Loop Road to get our bearings. Day 2 had us biking the carriage roads of the park, and day 5 offered some great views on a very challenging hike, called the Precipice Trail.

Day 3, a Sunday, was expected to be rainy. Rather than sit in the tent all day and be uncomfortable, we decided to explore a different part of Acadia NP by car. Continue reading

Hiking the Precipice Trail in Acadia NP, Maine

A couple of weeks ago, I briefly featured parts of this hike for the Daily Post theme “edge”. Mark and I chose to hike the very strenuous Precipice Trail on the last morning of our five-day vacation in Acadia National Park for two reasons: it promised to be a sunny day, so the views would be amazing (they were!) and we could rest up afterwards in the car on the long drive home (we did!). The trail was one of the toughest hikes we have ever done, but all the sweat and effort led to a fun climb and a reward of incredible views.

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The Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park, ME

Most National Parks in the US have a car route that allows visitors to efficiently visit the main highlights and enjoy views from overlooks. In Acadia National Park this route is called the Park Loop Road, and following it is a perfect way to get acquainted with the lay of the land, pick some favorites and take advantage of the easy photo ops. The scenic loop is 27 miles long, so ideal for a first (full) day in the park, especially if you’d like to do some of the shorter hikes along the way and stop at every pull-out!

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WW – Gorham Mountain Trail in Acadia NP, Maine

I have decided to post photos of past travels in general and our eight year sailing adventure on SV Irie in particular for Wordless Wednesdays. I hope you enjoy them. Also, I can’t manage completely “wordless”, but I try my best at “almost wordless”. 🙂

Start of the trail

Start of the trail

There is no photo challenge at the Daily Post this week, so I’m diving head first into the Acadia experience with a photo gallery of the Gorham Mountain Trail. If there is only one hike you can do in Acadia National Park, I highly recommend this one. The views are spectacular and get better with each step you take towards the top. It is a short, but moderate hike that involves climbing over rocks and boulders and that combines the right dose of exercise and beauty. Continue reading

Five Day Vacation in Acadia National Park, Maine

The clouds are lifting in Frenchman Bay

“Thank you for calling The Wirie. The customer support department is on a short vacation right now. We will resume our timely and personal support service again on Wednesday, September 14th. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you and thank you for your patience. Have a nice day.” I hear Mark change the message on the answering machine of our Wirie business. Then, he creates an automatic email reply for customers who contact us via the ticket system: ”The Wirie Customer Support team is on a short break right now. Please, allow us to get back to you after Tuesday, September 14th. Thank you for your understanding and your patience. Have a nice day.” It is the very first time we “close down” this part of the business, and these are the last preparations we make before our long anticipated trip, three years in the making. It is finally happening, after keeping a close eye on the weather predictions and postponing our departure a few days… Continue reading

Wordless Wednesday – On the Edge of Acadia NP

I have decided to post photos of past travels in general and our eight year sailing adventure on SV Irie in particular for Wordless Wednesdays. I hope you enjoy them. Also, I can’t manage completely “wordless”, but I try my best at “almost wordless”. 🙂

This week’s photo prompt of the Daily Post couldn’t have come at a better time! The theme is “edge“, while Mark and I hiked the Precipice Trail to the top of Champlain Mountain in Acadia NP yesterday. Precipice means “very steep and tall rock face or cliff”.  We were literally walking and climbing on the edge of these vertical cliffs for an hour. Strenuous, exciting, and for some, a bit scary. You will have to wait for an in-dept Acadia report starting next week, but here is a little preview of our last morning in Maine’s National Park.

Hold on to the rocks, and your pants…

The trail is certainly wide enough here!

The trail is certainly wide enough here!

A bit scary... it is a long way down from the edge

A bit scary… it is a long way down from the edge

Nobody has to convince us to stay on the marked trails!

On the edge of Frenchman Bay, Maine

On the edge of Frenchman Bay, Maine

View from the top of Champlain Mountain, Acadia NP - the edge offers front row seats

View from the top of Champlain Mountain, Acadia NP – the edge offers front row seats

Have you been on (the) edge lately?

Weekly Photo Blog – Mirror

This week, I am breaking my blogging routine. Instead of posting photos for Wordless Wednesday, I am sharing them today. This week’s Daily Post photo challenge theme is “mirror“.

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Feeling the Bern in Burlington, VT – A Mid-Week “Weekend Away”

Our plan did come with some serious considerations, but we took the risk anyway. It is not our fault that most weekends in August had contained rain! Who likes camping in the rain? And, we really wanted to visit Vermont again while in this area. One weekend had not been enough. So, all we could do was go on a two-night camping trip during the week. The weather predictions were perfect. The campground we had set our minds upon had most of their eight spots available, so no reservation and extra cost was required. Maybe we would be lucky with a quiet few days in regards to our Wirie business?

While the voice in my head was being positive (or naive), my gut knew better. We cannot and should not leave “the office” on weekdays. It does not bode well; sh*t happens. We know this from experience. Especially when it is the most inconvenient. When you run your own business, you do not get a break. Ever. We ignored my gut, ready for a couple of days away (You never know!), planning to be online and deal with customers and issues intermittently, whenever possible. That is the beauty of being able to work remotely, right? Anyway… As often, my gut was right, and Mark ended up spending many hours behind his computer and on his phone at the picnic table of our campsite or bent over on multiple patches of grass in the shade of Burlington’s parks. But, let’s focus on the stuff I should – and usually do – blog about!

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