Adventures
Dra Sarita
I have successfully defended my thesis and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m currently working as a research and dissertation consultant, helping to ensure that analyses match the research questions and data. What an exciting and unexpected adventure.
Bici Para Robar
I have been making gifts for friends, and they keep getting stolen. I’m feeling a bit like a famous artist. Instead of getting mad about it, I’ve gotten quite curious where the little guys are going, so I’ve made a bit of a game. I am learning how to make wire bicycles. I decided to…
Harry Potter Studio Tour, London, England
I promised my daughter a trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London for her birthday. Unfortunately, I purchased my plane tickets before purchasing tickets to the Studio Tour. When I went to the website to purchase the studio tickets, they were sold out. I was heartbroken. I contacted the company through the website…
Kinga Haudek Artista Joyera, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Kinga Haudek Artista Joyera is one of my favorite stores in Santiago de Compostela. This small jewelry shop on rua San Pedro is located in the historic old town. The stone walls and dark wood window frames lend perfect contrast to her organic designs. You can imagine yourself in the same place, making the same…
Fervenza de Toxa, Galicia, Spain
Fervenza de Toxa is only a short drive from Santiago de Compostela. It was not a long hike day, but a couple of short scenic trails. It looked like there was more to see if I wanted to follow the river further out, but I did not go too far this day. I started my…
Mosteiro de Carboeiro, Galicia, Spain
The Mosteiro de Carboeiro is maybe one of the strangest places I have ever been. This twice abandoned monastery has strong Lovecraftian horror vibes. Located in the municipality of the Concello de Silleda, this is next level creepy. Mosteiro de Carboeiro was founded around the year 936 by counts of Deza, Tareixa Eiriz and Gonzalo…
León, Spain
New Years Eve in León! This is another layover city. I arrived late at night. It was dinner and then bed. The restaurant was nextdoor to the cathedral, so I snapped a quick night time photo on the way back to my hotel. I began the next morning exactly where I left off. After breakfast,…
Praia das Catedrais, Asturias, Spain
I have been dreaming of coming here since before Covid and decided this year I was coming for my birthday if it killed me. The cautionary tale comes first on this post. When arranging my travel, I was not aware that this beach is only visible a few hours each day at low tide. I…
Faro de Tapia de Casariege, Asturias, Spain
This was a short stop just to watch the sunset.
Ponte de Sarandon, Galicia, Spain
This was a long walk near of the river Ulla. I think it was between 18 and 20 km in a straight line along the river. This route passed by the Areal de Barres on the opposite bank of the river. After more than a month of gray skies and rain almost every day, warm…
Furelos, Galicia, Spain
Charming aldea in the countryside of Galicia. Even with a population of around 130 people, there was still a wait to take a photo of this ancient Roman bridge! It seemed to be a popular spot for pilgrims and cyclists. Situated along the Camino Frances, there is a bar for weary travelers to grab a…
A Pontenova, Galicia Spain
Situated between Galicia and Asturias, this was just a quick stop on my way a hiking adventure elsewhere, but I thought the old brick ovens were lovely. The ovens are remnants of an iron mining operation. There is a lot more information available online. Maybe I will return to make this route one day.
Praia de Lires, Galicia, Spain
This beach was a short hike and climb away from the main road. I had the whole beach to myself. I´m not even sharing the exact location because I want to have it to myself the next time too. So… just enjoy the view. And this beach was right on the main road. I just…
Lugo, Galicia, Spain
Lugo is so beautiful! I went on a warm and sunny day. The skies were so blue. The history of Lugo dates back to 13 BC when the city was a Roman military camp. The walls of Lugo made the Unesco World Heritage Site list in 2000. According to wikipedia, this is the only city…
Madrid, Spain
I had my first summer to trip to Madrid. The weather was absolutely perfect. This is a novelty post. First stop was lunch at a restaurant next to the AirBnB. The food was mediocre but the ceiling was absolutely amazing. Next up was El Parque de Retiro. Absolutely beautiful day for wandering. There is a…
Living in Santiago de Compostela, Spain
After living in this beautiful city for more than 2 years, I have decided it is time to start sharing my favorite things in Santiago. The city has 1000 years of folklore and hidden secrets to uncover. One piece of lore to visit is El Árbol de la Ciencia. Young students come to find their…
Porto, Portugal
After the harrowing tale of a bicycle adventure ending in disaster and bovine romance… My rescue team brought me to my final destination of Oporto. We arrived at night, and my first view of this city left me speechless. I was frozen in place. I cannot describe how perfect was the lighting, the acousitics, and…
Baños de Bande, Ourense, Spain
On the way home from Porto, I stopped by this magical spot. Known to all the locals, but free of advertisements, hotels, or other touristic conveniences, it made for a quiet night. Sipped a beer in the hot bath under a full moon. It was exquisite. I didn’t ruin my evening with photos of the…
Ponte de Lima, Portugal
Best worst bike trip ever! I hopped the train south to a route that my friends suggested. A nice flat ride for beginners. I had a sort of hybrid/crosstrainer type bike that was ALMOST up for the ride. But only almost. The majority of the ride was really smooth with a beautiful start. The bike…
Romaría Vikinga, Catoira, Spain
I have returned to Catoira for the Viking Festival! I took the train to the tiny station. It was easy to find as everyone dressed like a viking had the same stop. Things in town were decorated a bit for the festival so it made the walk fun. I’m not quite sure what I was…
Noia, Galicia, Spain
La Feria Medieval de Noia has returned after Covid and I had a chance to go! There are a few differences from the Ren’Faires I have been to in the US. Beginning with… free entrance. The city center was over taken by costumed locals, actors, merchants, and visitors. There were merchants of every kind. There were…
Catoira, Spain
Catoira is a very small town located along río Ulla in Galicia, Spain. Despite a population of only 3,500 people it is dubbed an international tourist interest. In August, there is a viking festival. I will come again to Catoira to see it and share the photos here. But this day, I visit only the…
Areal de Berres, Galicia, Spain
Found a little gem not far from my new home. There is a little park near of the river Ulla. It was started by a man who wanted a little place to have barbecues near the beach so he cleared a little land and built a stone grill. The neighbors stepped in and started helping.…
Venice, Italy
As always , I set out for a day of walking. While Venice was absolutely stunning, this is one city I will probably not want to revisit. It was more overwhelming than beautiful. I don’t think I have ever seen so many tourists in all my life. It was difficult to walk even in large…
Verona, Italy
Verona made for a very nice day trip. The walk from the train station into the old town was long, but some very large landmarks made the trip more interesting. You can see the route on Strava if you are interested. Coming into the downtown was much more interesting. The streets are just beautiful. The…
Trento, Italy
Trento was such an interesting place to visit! This was done in two days. If you are interested in seeing the route I meandered through Trento on day one, you can see it on Strava. It won’t tell you much besides I just kept walking. There was a storm brewing and I wanted to see…
Illa de Arousa, Galicia, Spain
This was a paddle boarding trip where the afternoon was me vs. the rolling fog. Not a lot of photos from the water. This was one of the first kayak rentals I have seen in Spain, and it is the perfect spot for it. The water is calm with a mix of depths, boulders, and…
El Eucaliptón, Asturias, Spain
This impressive eucalyptus tree has certainly earned its name. El Eucaliptón is believed to be the largest eucalyptus in all of Asturias. It was pretty neat to realize I share a journey with the people who owned the land where the tree was planted! In 1870, Ocatavio Cancio y Cuervo planted El Eucaliptón on his…
Padron, Galicia, Spain
Padron is a fun place to go. On sundays, the entire city turns into a flea market called the Feria de Padron. It is like the rastro in Madrid. But smaller and more rural. Some weekends there are antique dealers. You can buy fruits, clothes, shoes, housewares, tools, plants, cheese, vegetables… There is a restaurant…
San Andres de Teixido, Galicia, Spain
After visiting the Pozo do Inferno, I ended the day in Teixido. Apparently there is a saying that if you do not visit this place in life, you will visit in death. It was so beautiful I hope to do both. There is a big parking, and you can walk into the town or go…
Pozo do Inferno, Galicia Spain
This is a short and easy hike with nice views. Not a lot to say about it. I was only out for two to three hours round trip. But it was a pleasant visit if you’re in the area. If you are interested in the route, you can see it on Strava.
Fragas do Eume, Galicia, Spain
This was a fun hike. You can choose your difficulty level and end up at Monasterio de Caaveiro. If you are interested in my route, you can see it on Strava. On one side of the river, there is a paved road running near to the monastery. You can drive most of the way, or…
Benicàssim, Spain
Merry Christmas from Benicàssim! It’s a lovely day for walking barefoot on the beach.
Castellón, Spain
Castellón de la Plana is a large-ish city near the Balearic Sea on the Mediterranean Coast of Spain. It has a nice downtown shopping district and its proximity to the coast and things to do is lovely. It has an bike path from Castellón de la Plana to Benicàssim that remains well lit at night.…
Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
Cuenca was a quick stop on the drive between Santiago de Compostela and Valencia. This city is absolutely stunning. I would love to return here for a longer visit. After parking, I climbed some stairs to the historic old town. The views are stunning here. The first stop was the Catedral de Cuenca. The architecture…
Catedral de Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
After living here more than 6 months, we decided to make the rooftop tour of the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. The tour was in galician, so I understood nothing. I did not think to ask for English. But it was a lovely time and only 12 euros per person.
Cabo Vilán, Galicia, Spain
This was a short trip for my birthday. Dinner and a walk near the light house. There is not so much to write here.
Foxo do Lobo, Galicia, Spain
This is a nice light hike through the countryside in Galicia. You will pass by Igrexa parroquial de Santa María de Augasantas. You can see the route I followed on Strava.
Río Pedras
This is a short hike with many small waterfalls and pools for swimming. It seems to be popular for the locals to bring their kids to play in the shallow water. It is far enough out of the way and requires a long enough hike in that it remains free of tourists. There is a…
Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
To get to Corcovado National Park, you must travel with a guide. Costa Rica keeps their wildlife safe and their parks absolutely pristine by not allowing tourists to come unsupervised. They picked us up early in the morning, and we traveled by boat into the park. Hundreds of tourists were unloading at the same time…
Sirena National Park, Costa Rica
The next adventure was glamping in Sirena National Park. We had to park somewhere north and nervously await one of only a few boats to transport us into the park. The wide rivers were full of life and we could see fish, and birds, and crocodiles as we made our way to the “hotel.” The…
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
After a delicious traditional breakfast of blackbeans, eggs, fruits, and toasts we set off for Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. The rocky beaches, blue water, and interactive wildlife made for a fantastic adventure. Entering the park, all forms of food are confiscated. Apparently the monkeys like snacks a little too much and will chase the tourists…
Aeropuerto a Quepos, Costa Rica
I have to admit, I was not in charge of planning this trip and I do not remember the names of anything… so uhhh… here goes! Arrived in Costa Rica pretty early in the day but had quite a lot of driving to do before the hotel. We stopped at the first roadside restaurant (and…
Salamanca, Spain
After the endless rain in Santiago, we were happy to see blue skies. Unfortunately, strong winds bore down on the city for our entire stay. That also meant, we were able to enjoy the stunning views without too many other tourists. We arrived in Salamanca in the late afternoon, so there was not much time…
Serra d’Irta Natural Park, Spain
Spent the day at this beautiful natural park. It was a bit of a hike to get to the beaches. But late December, 70 degrees, and sunny on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea… Yeah definitely hiking to the beach weather. This was the first pebble beach I have ever visited. We stopped here for…
Albarracín, Spain
The drive here from Toledo was a little intense. We left too late and drove through the night. We passed some weird curly horned goat cows. I still don’t know what they’re called! The night sky was incredible, because there was no light pollution in the remote region. We, finally, arrived several hours behind schedule.…
Castro de Baroña, Spain
We made it to the west coast just in time for record breaking stormy weather. It rained for three solid days. I have never been so damp in my entire life. We caught something of a break in the rain to visit Castro de Baroña. The view was nice and tourist free. The winds were…
Santiago de Compostela, Spain
After Madrid, we flew into the airport at Santiago de Compostela. A friend met us at the airport and took us to his place, where we stayed. We walked from his place through the Plaza de Galicia to rent a car. We, of course, stopped for cortados and hot chocolate at Café Bar Bendaña on…
Madrid, Spain
So this time, the destination was “Spain.” No, not just a city in Spain, but “Spain.” We drove to Chicago, flew from Chicago to Madrid, Madrid to Santiago, and took a week long road trip from Santiago de Compostela to Castellon. We arrived in Madrid around 9AM local time, which was about 3AM Michigan time.…
Los Angeles, California, USA
I was in Los Angeles for work, but I still made some time to go exploring. I just set out on foot one afternoon until I was completely and utterly lost with about 10% phone battery to get home. It was a lovely tour of the local street art. I don’t have a lot to…
Toronto, Ontario
I ended up at the AERA conference in Toronto this April. I didn’t do a whole lot this trip, but I did find a few cool things. The start to my trip was discovering that I had no phone service in Canada. Yeah… first trip across country lines with my cell phone. I was driving……
The next chapter
Well… I did it! I sent out my grad school applications. It’s terrifying. I have no idea what the future is going to hold. But it’s exciting. I hope. At the very least, I did what I once thought was impossible. And I could not have done it without the amazing family I have found…
Never meant to be
I know the layout is a bit off. PigTailz wasn’t meant to be a comic, wasn’t meant to be published. After it was written, Little Bear pushed me to do something with it. It began as the story of a deep sorrow and two broken hearts. A last attempt to tell someone they were loved…
PigTailz n Little Bear
I can barely believe how beautiful this little girl is growing up to be. Her eyes are mesmerizing. She’s almost as tall as i am. AND she can throw a mean punch, notices all the things I overlook, and is learning to chill and enjoy the world for everything it is. I had such an amazing……
Isabella, Puerto Rico
Playa Jobos I spent most of my time in the water here. There were small waves entertaining the local surfers and tourists. I was happy to find the beach was sandy and I didn’t need shoes to avoid sea urchins. I snorkeled around a little bit and found some life. I saw a few octopuses,…
Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Cueva de Indio Found a beautiful place called Cueva del Indio. It appears in Pirates of the Caribbean and Goonies. It’s not that easy to find actually. You start in a privately owned parking lot, that looks like any other gated coastal property. You have to buy a ticket for the day and pay to…
Flagler Beach, Florida
The last stop was Flagler Beach. We received a historical tour of the John Anderson Highway and Tomoka State Park area. And had a wonderful chance to check out the local wild life. My aunt and uncle live right next to a state park and encounter tons of wild life right in their own back…
Wiggin’s Pass State Park, Florida
I spent two days at Wiggins Pass State Park. I was very impressed. The beaches there were very well maintained, there was ample parking, and the vendors were kept off the beach and in the large parking areas. The bathrooms were clean and easily accessible. The water was clear and smooth as glass. It was…
Bonita Springs, Florida
We tried Bonita Springs but the water was strange and green from the draining of Lake Okeechobee. On the plus side the sand and water were teeming with life. A handful of sand could yield several dozen living mussels. Sand dollars coated the gulf floor. Unfortunately our trip was cut short by a storm. We really…
Florida Road Trip
The ride South was spent in good company. Crocheted and listened to some fun music. We of course had to keep occupied with terrible humor and fun conversation. We knew we had arrived when…
Woldumar Nature Center, Lansing, Michigan
Sometimes I just need some rest in the quiet. There is a nice walking trail just outside the city of Lansing where you can escape the noise and cars. The colors never disappoint, and the park rarely has too many people.
Architects of the Air
Managed to catch Architects of Air at the Riverfront Park in Lansing, MI on a bike ride. Pretty neat. The Luminarium was built by one guy, who now employs a staff. They tour around the world and inflate this strange bounce house style artwork. “What motivates me to design is the fact that I continue to be…
Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan
Summers in Michigan are amazing enough that the 9 months of bad weather is worth it… almost. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has both drive in and remote camping sites if you are up for about a mile hike into the woods. I have done this trip both ways, but this particular visit is the…
Mesa Verde National Park, Arizona
What happened here is one of those stories you don’t tell because people won’t believe it anyway. I will save this memory for myself. I will say it is hands down the most magical place I have been in the US. I’m not sure how to explain it, there is something in this place that…
Vermilion Cliffs, Arizona
An unplanned stop on the roadtrip turned out to be one of my favorite finds. We saw a sign that read “cliff dwellers” and we had to go. Cautionary camping tales… I let my daughter wander a bit while I took some photos. Ummm… don’t do that. I found her chasing this bright orange fuzzy…
Grand Canyon
Only made a short stop to the Grand Canyon. I think it would have been a more interesting visit if we had gone hiking in the Canyon, but we did not have a lot of time. We stopped for a scenic overlook just to say we did.
Zion National Park, Utah
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We arrived early enough to set up camp and aventure a little. You have to drive through a mountain tunnel to get into the park and it is so amazing. Checking in took a little longer and the drive into the park was a bit slow with traffic. But that is to be expected…
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Made it to Bryce Canyon with just enough time to set up camp, but not to sight see. The hiking trails involved some crazy heights here, so I was grateful. It was a quick check-in and setup. The camp sites were not very private, but the park was quiet and that was nice. As an…
HWY 70 & HWY 12, Utah
Still on a road trip… So… here are more car photos for you. You’re welcome. This is highway 70 leaving Moab and Arches National Park headed toward Zion. And from there we made our way onto highway 12. I attempted driving highway 12, but absolute noped. Beautiful twisting winding road… with less than a meter…
Arches National Park, Utah
While the natural sandstone arches are absolutely stunning… the word of the day is HOT. I don’t mind the heat so much, but my traveling companions were possibly dying a little. I would take precautions making this trip with children in the middle of summer. And definitely take extra water with you.
Highway 70 & Moab, CO to UT
Since this is a road trip post, you get a whole post that is just the view from the car heading from Kremling, CO into Moab, UT. No joke. Just a gallery of the road. There is nothing here. We arrived pretty late and took the last room at the hotel. The place was actually…
Kremling, Colorado
We took a cross-country roadtrip from Michigan to the great “out west.” I had never been further west than Illinois or Louisianna, so I was pretty excited. The first stop was to visit some old friends from high school that had moved out to Kremling. The first impression I had of colorado was a waterfall…
Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore, Michigan
By the shores of Gitche Gumee,By the shining Big-Sea-Water,Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.Dark behind it rose the forest,Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,Rose the firs with cones upon them;Bright before it beat the water,Beat the clear and sunny water,Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water. H. W. Longfellow, Song of Hiawatha This trip had a special significance for me. Growing up 1,483 miles from this place, my grandmother would read an excerpt of Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha at bed time. She had never been here and I never knew it was a real place. I thought Gitchee Gumee [Gichigami]…
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