Exploring Panama – Part 2
After our 3 days in Panama City, Justin, Paul, Kristen & I traveled north to the main event: Los Establos Boutique Resort. Spoiler alert: it was amazing. Also, side note: Kristen & Paul travel very light, while we do not.
Exploring Panama – Part 1
Whoa. Justin & I just wrapped up 11 days in Panama with 2 of our dearest friends, and none of us realized we would fall in love with the country. Panama often gets overlooked as a tourist destination by its flashier Latin American neighbors. But I’m here to confirm it might be the best-kept secret in Central America with its deeply rooted history, welcoming people, fresh seafood and year-round tropical weather.
Justin’s Kilimanjaro Climb
In September, I (Justin) summited Mount Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet) and here’s the recap of the climb.
Exploring Alaska: Valdez
Given the fact that there are only about 5000 miles of “highways” across Alaska, you would think we have conquered them all by now. However, the 366-mile Richardson Highway is one I’ve barely explored. It runs from Fairbanks and dead-ends in Valdez on the eastern side of the state. And while Justin has been down to Valdez, I haven’t. So when a girlfriend (Alex) suggested we go, I found a pocket of time Labor Day weekend for the getaway.
Exploring Alaska: MacLaren Glacier
I will never see all 600+ named glaciers in Alaska, but why not try??? The 13-mile long MacLaren Glacier at about 3,500 feet has been on my list for years because it is “semi-accessible.”
Climbing Kilimanjaro…With a Wheelchair (Training Recap)
I’ve mentioned on the blog how Justin will be climbing 19,341-foot Mount Kilimanjaro—the tallest mountain in Africa—in early September. But you might remember, he’s not just climbing the mountain, he’s helping to carry someone in a wheelchair to the top with a team of 25+ others. Now 23 days away, let me back it up…
Currently: July
Currently living/working: How many times and ways can I explain that Alaskans operate on full throttle through the summer? Some kind of mosquito-powered adrenaline compels us to pursue a no-sleep summer, which mostly equals a no-work winter. While the summer days fly by at a breakneck pace, we are still doing well finding balance between…
Arctic Adventures: Volume 41 – XC Skiing
In my opinion, winter is much more enjoyable (tolerable?) when you get outside and play in the snow. Justin & I discovered cross-country skiing in 2008 while living in New Hampshire, and we wasted no time picking up a used XC ski kit that winter. I still have the same skis and poles from 2008 and they’ve laid tracks and made memories in several states since then. And while I still will only consider myself an amateur skier, I’ve come a long way since our NH skiing adventures.
Exploring Southern Spain
I already publicized my infatuation of cruising, but beyond boat life, the cruise afforded us the opportunity to see 4 different places in southern Spain (Valencia, Alicante, Malaga, Cadiz) and 1 spot in Portugal. So get ready for a picture-heavy post on all that.
A Gen Xer’s Ode to Cruising
Allegiances run strong when talking about cruises. Team anti-cruise might be against it because of the potential for sea sickness, the misconception that it’s only for old fogies, the anxiety-inducing thought of being stuck on a ship in the middle of the 13,000-foot ocean, the temptation of food/drink 24 hours/day to make you gain a few lbs, and the whole environmental impact of behemoth floating cities. I get it. However, since Justin & I thoroughly enjoyed our 14-day transatlantic cruise on Holland America this month, I’m going to use this blog to dispel a few myths and defend why we love boat life!
Outdoor Life Gear Testing Trip: Goat Rocks Wilderness in Washington
From July 13-19, I participated in the second annual gear-bashing extravaganza hosted by Outdoor Life. Justin was eager to join this year—and was invited—but the summer timing meant one of us needed to stay behind. This year, Outdoor Life Staff Writer Laura Lancaster and planner extraordinaire stepped up the proving ground for the testing trip…
Arctic Adventures: Volume 38—Dipnetting Take 2
In the summer of 2021, Justin & I went dipnetting for salmon with my Uncle Fred here in Alaska. It was to be my uncle’s last trip, as it is no easy feat if you are in your 40s, let alone in your 70s as he is! While I promptly decided after dipnetting in 2021 that I was one and done, Justin was keen on filling our freezer with salmon whenever he could squeeze in a trip. The summers of 2022 and 2023 were just so incredibly busy, but this summer, a friend of Justin’s said there was an open spot on his privately chartered boat at the beginning of July, Justin said aye aye captain & anchors away!
27 Days in Baja, Mexico
In case you missed the several times that I might have mentioned it: we spent 27 days in La Ventana/El Sargento, a small hamlet on the Sea of Cortez (east) side of Baja California Sur. We’ve been there twice before because our friends Clara & Shadow moved there in 2018. And since we (I) need to…
Arctic Adventures: Volume 35—Spearfishing
I’ve mentioned this before, but my Uncle Fred has lived in Alaska for 40+ years, so he’s been our mentor and introduction for all things Alaska. One of his favorite fall pastimes with friends is spearfishing! As with dipnetting for salmon (which we’ve personally only done once), spearfishing is not the Alaskan fishing displayed in…
Fall 2023 Visitors and Exploring Whittier, Alaska
We welcomed A LOT of friends/family this summer and fall, with the culmination being Justin’s mom (and her friend) specifically timed with Justin’s bday. (For the record, our friend Sarah made this sign for Justin since I am so terrible at creating bday fanfare). The selfish perk of having visitors is the excuse to check…
Exploring Alaska: Spencer Glacier
I have a penchant for exploring seldom-visited, off-the-beaten-path natural destinations, and since most of Alaska is inaccessible by roads, there’s no shortage of adventures I can dream of. Enter Spencer Glacier. I’ve had Spencer Glacier on my radar since we moved to Alaska. It sits 60 miles Southeast of Anchorage, but you have to take…
Summer 2023 Friend Visitors
We’ve had most of our immediate family for a visit over the last few years since we made Alaska our permanent home, but we had our first set of FRIEND visitors! Pat is one of Justin’s buddies from high school, from the famed Seton Hall Prep Framily, which means that these 2 have been friends…
Currently: July
Currently living/working: We are in the trenches of a very typical Alaskan life: juggling multiple jobs in the long twilight days of latitude 64. Justin guided 16 trips this month! All while squeezing in a press trip and a smattering of cleanings when he could. Meanwhile I guided 14 trips!! And I took on the…
Arctic Adventures: Volume 34—Biking Denali National Park and Preserve
***This blog post is WAY delayed & was supposed to go up in May, but that was when our website broke!*** Justin & I used to consider ourselves avid bikers. When I first moved to Phoenix in 2002, I was living with 5 others and sharing 1 car, so I opted to bike the 2…
Outdoor Life Gear Testing Trip: Oregon Coast Trail
I mentioned in previous blog posts that I went on a gear testing trip for Outdoor Life from April 24-28. Justin and I have been gear testers since 2013, and had always been salivating to go on a “gear testing” trip. When this one came up, we sort of had to rock-paper-scissors as to which…