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Basque Country Blog Road Trip Sua

Sua the dog – An adoption story

On October 29, 2019 our family grew by 50%. His name is Sua, and he’s an amazing addition to the fam.

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Blog California Road Trip

Sleepy Heads

I’ve had the honor and pleasure of traveling with these two lovely ladies quite a bit over the last few years. When you travel with people, you catch them at their finest.


I must say, the ability to fall asleep anywhere is a skill more people wish they had.

Doesn’t matter how long or short the ride is, bus, train, plane, or boat, these sisters are capable of falling asleep.

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Blog California Food North America Road Trip Yosemite

After Worlds! A whirlwind trip around California in 9 days

It all began in Chicago, in more ways than one.


That’s my Great-Grandfather Ned Merriam’s HOF plaque, a 2011 inductee to the University of Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame!

After Chicago, we had a planned five hour lay-over in Austin, TX. No, it was no accident, it was to visit my sister!

After a quick stop-over in Austin, we had some quality family time in Sacramento and Lake Tahoe!

When Yosemite is closed for fires, find the closest watering hole!



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Andalucía Blog Europe Food Road Trip Spain

Baeza in the rain

Baeza in the rain

Baeza is a beautiful place. We had a little bit of a stressful arrival, showing up just after dark. We had done the Caminito del Rey that afternoon, hopped in the car, and a few hours later we made it to Baeza. The problem was the "Cabalgata de Reyes Magos" or a parade in honor of the three wise men. In Spain, it's tradition. Think of a Thanksgiving parade, but it's held in towns and cities all over Spain. They had most of the roads blocked and it was a pain in the you know what to get to our Airbnb. Once we got there though, it was worth it. It was cozy, and most importantly, had a fireplace.

We were hungry though so first things first, a comer! Tapas, tapas, and more tapas. It's the type of place that you get a tapa for every drink ordered. The first bar had about 15 or so to chose from and everything we tried was tasty. The second place was a little disappointing, but you can't win them all. Once our bellies were satisfied, it was fire time. 

The next day was raining and foggy. I'd been to Baeza ten years ago and remembered beautiful views of olive orchards down into the valley. We couldn't see more than 5 feet ahead of us, so, no views. The city had a unique charm in the rain. We spent the morning walking around and exploring and decided the weather is shit, let's go home. We had kept Saturday night free but because the weather was so bad all over Spain, our trip was over. 

 

Walking down the cobblestone streets and long corridors was enchanting!

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Andalucía Blog Europe Hiking Road Trip Ronda Spain

The most dangerous hike in Spain (well, it used to be at least)

It’s called El Caminito del Rey, which I guess would be the king’s little road.

The made us wear helmets and gave us a radio to listen to the guide. We didn’t necessarily want a guide, but you have to buy tickets in advance. We got ours the week before and all that was left was the guided tour. Not too bad though; we hung back and kept the the group (12 people or so) within earshot.

For most of the trail, and by far the coolest parts, you’re walking high above the river.

The views were spectacular, to say the least.

The middle of the hike was full of spectacular views in their own right, as well as views through the canyons on each side.

The second gorge we came to was spectacular. Looking down gives you that butterflies in the stomach hibbie jibbies feeling some love more than others.

They even built a glass platform to look down at your own risk.

Always cool to spot some climbers. What a spot they found!

With a video of the bridge crossing to boot!

 

Wonderful hike. Don’t plan on getting sweaty, but plan on using your eyes. Highly recommended!

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Blog Canada Road Trip

Road trip to Canada