Time to go, after five years!
A sad goodbye…
There was a garbage can next to the car. 🙂
Roaming About
A Life Less Ordinary
Category: Hiking (page 5 of 12)
Join us for one of our walks near the Lake Panasoffkee Water Management District (WMD) campground, where we stayed for ten days – without ever seeing the lake. 🙂 The cows occupied the field two days before we left.
Our free campground for ten days!
A walk through the cow field
The first time we passed this herd of cows, they were skittish and kept their distance.
The second time, curiosity got the better of the herd, especially two brave cows.
Look at the markings of this one: brindle, just like Maya.
Our path was blocked.
Oh, hello!
For the last five years, Mark needed to return to Massachusetts in January for doctor visits. Sometimes, I joined him. Not that I wanted to (who prefers to be in the Boston area in the middle of winter?) but because it was my only solution. Other times, I stayed at a house sit. This year, because of our lovely dog, there was no way out. Maya and I would remain in Zesty for those five days.
Mark and I have pretty much been together 24/7 since the day we became a couple in December 2004. Despite our compatibility, I’m quite independent and truly, utterly adore time alone. In the past, I treasured spurts of me-time on visits to Belgium (which didn’t happen in 2019), a few solo days in California, or evenings apart during Mark’s job at Amazon. Still, I’d never been alone in our camper van for more than 11 hours. So how did that work out last January?
Continue readingIf it wasn’t for an interesting job opportunity, Mark and I would never have considered visiting Kentucky. Yet, upon reading what the state has to offer and actually driving through its attractive countryside, we discovered beauty from rolling hills to majestic buildings and from famous events to dark, long caves. We are not alone in our positive findings; we kept hearing about surprising discoveries other campers and visitors made as well.
(Scroll over the image to read captions or click to enlarge.)
Welcome to Kentucky!
Bucolic scene
Rolling hills
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we thought we’d have time to explore the area during our seven-week job commitment, but the night schedule was too exhausting to venture far on our one full day off. That being said, we found a few fun hikes around lakes near Campbellsville and saved the other attractions until the Amazon job was finished. We actually planned to head south as quickly as possible, that December 25th, but unseasonably warm weather made these Kentucky stops possible.
Continue readingIf you are a regular reader, you will probably remember most of our journey through 2019. If you are new to our site, I invite you to browse and click around a bit for stories and photos about our past adventures. The links in this post give you a glimpse into some of those experiences.
Driving part of historic route 66, AZ
January
Mark and I explored the Borrego Springs area in the California desert, flew to Newburyport, Massachusetts to see doctors, friends, and family, and did a short repeat house sit in San Diego.
Metal art in the desert of Anza-Borrego
It’s cold in Newburyport, MA in the winter!
With the twin nieces at our home base in Massachusetts
Repeat house and pet sit for the Italian Greyhounds Elvis and Frida
San Diego skyline
Our neighborhood on Point Loma, San Diego
In my previous post, I showed why Quebec City was the perfect place for my parents to join us; it is the most beautiful city of Canada. After a few days of sightseeing, we left the city and the country. Instead of driving all the way to the coast of Maine, we decided to split that long journey up by stopping about halfway, in Kingfield. This is the town where our friends Jen and Mark have a second home. They generously let us stay there – again – to charge our batteries.
Maya shares her space…
Brushing Maya
Let there be light!
Kingfield
Of all the places to get rained on, this was the most favorable, as we planned to relax for most of the day. Luckily, we managed to go on a short walk to the hidden waterfalls and on another one to the river. Fall had arrived, but the weather remained comfortable.
Revisiting this pretty waterfall with Maya
Colorful fall!
Bar Harbor
This cute town on Desert Island is the gateway to Acadia National Park. I didn’t find a hotel for all four of us (and Maya), but the affordable place we booked for my parents (fall special at US$120 a night), was located in the center of Bar Harbor, in walking distance to everything. The room came with an adjacent parking spot, so Mark, Maya, and I managed to sleep in our camper, low-key.
Continue readingMark, Maya, and I had five weeks to explore the Canadian Maritimes, before my parents would arrive from Belgium. Time flies! Especially when all hiking and sightseeing is postponed on rainy days. We knew we couldn’t circumnavigate Nova Scotia in its entirety, due to long distances, expensive fuel, and time constraints.
Crossing New Brunswick took about a week, then we spent another one in the Halifax area, where we had to choose: travel about the southwest corner of the province or the northeastern part. We picked the latter and headed to Cape Breton Island, many hours and kilometers away.
We hit the Cabot Trail – a famous scenic drive – on the first day of September. Another traveler had recommended we’d drive counter clockwise to take in the dramatic vistas from the best angle, so we did. While pretty, it wasn’t as spectacular as we anticipated; the nicer parts reminded us somewhat of the Acadia National Park shoreline in Maine.
Mark, Maya, and I spent about two weeks in Nova Scotia, a beautiful province that is part of the Canadian Maritimes. This is the first of two posts I will publish about our time there, the end of August and the beginning of September 2019. Before that, we explored the southern part of New Brunswick.
Economy
Our intended camping experience near and hike to Economy Falls failed, due to the road’s horrible condition. Mark and I could have biked to the trailhead, but not with Maya. Ten miles of running beside bicycles on top of a five-mile romp in the woods would be too much. So, we opted for free camping option two: Thomas Cove Coastal Reserve. There, we found a peaceful spot to park along the Bay of Fundy, at the beginning of multiple flat but fun hiking trails. (Click on photos to enlarge and read captions.)
Not a bad spot for a couple of nights
Almost low tide in the Bay of Fundy
Look at all that cushy moss – Maya loved jumping around in it!
Nobody else was around during this fun walk in the woods
Exposed rock during low tide
Hiking in the woods
Low tide
After running around for miles, Maya’s tongue was hanging pretty low!
Giving Maya a bath – finally the outdoor shower comes in handy!
After spending a few days at our friends Mark and Jen’s cabin in Maine – the perfect place to hang out, write an article, and arrange part of my parents’ upcoming visit – Mark, Maya, and I hit the road again. Our (late) summer destination: the Canadian Maritimes.
Three people (Jen, Mark, and Mark) and three Dogs (Moose, Stubby, and Maya) in the kitchen
Maya is pretty mellow.
Small falls on a lovely hike
Mark, Mark, and Maya pose in front of the main falls
Maya likes to be on a “perch”
And, she still loves the water
But first, we had to endure an evening of buzzing and feasting mosquitoes in a free beautiful, forested, riverside campsite. We had “planned” a two-night stay, but left first thing in the morning and crossed the border; an uneventful affair.
Welcome to New Brunswick, Canada
To read my first blog about this incredible no-kill animal sanctuary and our two weeks of volunteering there, click here.
The Concept
While being familiar with Best Friends and its animal sanctuary in Utah, Mark and I had no knowledge of their “sleepover” animals. The first time I heard about a sleepover dog was at Donna’s blog Retirement Reflections, as she reported on taking one to their pet-friendly accommodation in Kanab for the night, after volunteering at the sanctuary.
Swift portrait
Certain cats, rabbits, and dogs at Best Friends are available for a sleepover. They have been assessed as such by a professional team and usually tried out by staff members. The only requirement to “borrow” a pet is that you’ve completed at least one volunteer shift in that particular department. In regards to dogs, they also request you don’t go out to dinner that night (but cook at your accommodation or do take-out/delivery), so the animal isn’t left alone. Other rules are to not let your sleepover dog interact with other dogs, don’t take him/her to restaurants, and don’t feed him/her human food.
Ehu is a happy boy!
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