March 9, 2020:It was a rainy day in Athens, but that didn’t stop me from seeing the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Panathenaic Stadium (host of the first modern Olympics in 1896). I even got to break plates after dinner! March 12, 2020:Little known fact: I’m a HUGE fan of the Olympic Games! Once every…
Category: Travel
Flying Solo
It’s an odd feeling to be the only single person on a group tour of 43 people. But then again, I should be used to that feeling since it seems like I’m always the odd-man-out. It’s not that I dislike that feeling, but just something I know well. I knew going into this trip that…
Even The Beach Is Exhausting!
Towards the end of my previous trip to Oregon and Washington, I was so exhausted from the amount of activities that I had packed into 11 days that I couldn’t wait for my beach vacation. I was looking forward to an easy week at the beach, and while the beach was still easy and relaxing,…
My GPS Has a First Name, But It’s Not O-S-C-A-R!
Years ago, I decided that my GPS needed a name. After all, it was easier to yell at it for giving me wrong directions if it had a name. Am I right? Surely, I’m not the only one who gives my GPS a name! So anyway. I thought it would be cool if GPS was…
Goonies Never Say Die!
The Goonies was one of my favorite movies growing up. And is STILL one of my favorites. It’s one of probably four movies that I will watch on TV whenever it’s on, no matter how many times I have watched it! I dare you to try to name the other three! For many years, I…
Ohio. Check!
I’m on a mission to make it to all 50 states, so when I realized that I had a few days to escape town, I looked for the closest state that I hadn’t been to yet. And Ohio made the cut! The first day of the trip resulted in an unplanned detour. However, this was…
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
A journey to the center of the earth. That’s what it felt like while walking through the cavern. Just getting to the cave from the Visitor’s Center feels like you are deep within the surface of the earth, and that’s because you are. In order to get to what is referred to as the “Big…
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Only 30 miles from Carlsbad Caverns, so it’s definitely a good idea to do both parks at the same time. Guadalupe Mountains seemed more like a hiking park to me, because I didn’t see any available scenic drives. So hiking is exactly what I did. The temperatures were in the upper 90’s, so I planned…
Big Bend National Park
If I hadn’t already known that the park was named after the large bend in the Rio Grande, I would have thought that surely it was named after the size of the park. I was caught off guard on how large the park is. After entering the park boundaries, it’s still another 30 miles to…