Category Archives: Travel Journal
Our own private Finger Lake seaplane tour…It was great!
Since we bought our home on Keuka Lake in the late 1980s we’ve enjoyed cruising along the shoreline. Michael calls this a “real estate cruise.” Today we made the cruise with a different perspective, from 1,000 feet in the air. … Continue reading
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Tagged finger lakes seaplanes, Hammondsport, Keuka Lake, New York, seaplane
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Seaplanes in the Home of Naval Aviation: Hammondsport, New York
Every year we leave Keuka Lake soon after Labor Day. In our last days here, we participate in the second and final ring of fire of the season (bonfires and flares all around the lakeshore), we put away all our … Continue reading
Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Weird Structure
Our Keuka neighbor Julie and I went on a short hike on the Finger Lakes Trail south of Hammondsport NY. Julie had just returned from a 100-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail through Shenandoah National Park, but this was going … Continue reading
Costa Rica plants, animals, volcanoes and a quetzal
If Costa Rica doesn’t bring visions of lush forested jungle, it should. We visited Monte Verde Bosque Nuboso, not a rainforest, but a cloud forest. The distinction between rainforest and cloud forest wasn’t clear until we hiked to the viewpoint … Continue reading
A man a plan a canal Panama (and a hat)
Our location at a Hyatt Place in Panama was easy to find. All we had to do was tell the taxi driver “Iglesia del Carmen” and he (or she) would bring us to this beautiful gothic church around the corner … Continue reading
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Lima, the city not the bean
The Old Town of Lima, Peru is filled with buildings from its development as a colonial capital beginning in the 16th century after the Spanish explorer Pizarro overtook the region from the Incas. We watched the changing of the guard in … Continue reading
Santiago, a modern city with fascinating recent history
After visiting the old town of Buenos Aires, the wilderness of Patagonia, and the wineries of Mendoza, Santiago seemed different. It is a modern city, with highrises and chic neighborhoods. …and every U.S. chain imaginable. TGIFridays remains TGIFridays here, not TGIViernes! … Continue reading
Valparaiso = Colorful in Spanish (not really, but it could)
From the modern city of Santiago to the old cobblestoned streets of Valparaiso is only a couple hours by car, but the differences are huge. Google Maps led us up twisting, turning narrow streets that reminded us of the nearly impassable … Continue reading
The Chilean Connection: cows, wine, and Michigan Tech
We visited just one winery in Chile, Kingston Family Vineyards, and we think we picked the best one! Kingston was identified as one of the best Chilean wineries to visit and it was on our route between Santiago and Valparaiso. Surprisingly we found out we had … Continue reading
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Tagged Casablanca, Chile, Kingston Family Vineyards, Michigan Tech, wine
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Crossing the Andes, then and now
The distance from Mendoza Argentina to Santiago Chile is only 111 miles “as the crow flies.” But not many crows could follow the flight path over the high Andes. For us, making this crossing by car was relatively easy, though … Continue reading
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Tagged Aconcagua, Andes, Argentina, glaciers, mountains, skiing
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Finger Lakes to Lavender Fields 