Category Archives: Travel

Growing up in San Diego, one would expect to see a lot of boats visiting the coastal town. Still, I don’t recall ever seeing as many large boats as I’ve seen in the places we’ve visited on this cruise. Sure, … Continue reading →

Another day at sea, another port of call. Our cruise took us to Stockholm, Sweden. The highlight of the day was visiting the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a Swedish warship which sunk on its maiden voyage. Years later, they … Continue reading →

St. Petersburg was the furthest port of call that we cruised to. From that point on, we started heading back to Dover, England. Our first stop was only a few miles away. Helsinki, Finland is so close to the Russian … Continue reading →

After two additional days at sea, we reached St. Petersburg, Russia. The Russian government required guests who wished to visit the city without the supervision of the cruise company to have visas. As we did not have visas, we had … Continue reading →

The Constellation’s first stop after a day at sea was Oslo, Norway. I was eager to see the fjords that I had heard so much about. Sadly, I didn’t realize that not all fjords are created equal. There are small … Continue reading →

It’s been ages since I last saw Suzannah in person. I think the last time was 7 years ago! Though the years have gone by, we’ve remained close friends. We greatly enjoyed her hospitality during our three days in hot … Continue reading →

On Sunday, I took the Blue and Gold Fleet ferry to Angel Island State Park. From 1910 to 1943, Angel Island served as the “Guardian of the Western Gate.” It handled the flow of immigrants to America’s western shores, and … Continue reading →

Upon hearing of Maddie’s trip to Sykes Hot Springs in the Ventana Wilderness, I envisioned dozens of steaming water bubbling from enclosed rock pools alongside a raging river. This vision firmly planted in my mind, I quickly agreed to go … Continue reading →

From September 7-12, 2002, I backpacked within the granite and alpine heart of Desolation Wilderness, the site of my first solo backpacking trip two years ago. After some further excursions to Henry W. Coe State Park, the Lost Coast, the … Continue reading →

Placerville. It’s a name that conjures up images of the prototypical American small town like Smallville or Pleasantville. Formerly known as Hangtown, Placerville is located in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California’s El Dorado County, sandwiched between Sacramento and Lake … Continue reading →