So, the last two days …

The first was just a moving day. Plain and simple. Saw some great scenery, got pummeled by the Montana wind that puts Oklahoma to shame, and ate fattening ‘on the road’ food.

Today we made an epic ride, traversing some of the best routes on the Butler maps. Four yellows. Four! And again, we had all the weather. On a scary ass road. Biker’s blood pressure was HIGH.

 

We crossed into Canada late this afternoon and Bear Watch 2018 was finally rewarded (yep, that’s a big ole grizzly in the pic at right). We are now in a hotel in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Exhausted. And ready to push to Banff tomorrow.

Below, some beautiful photos that showcase the great scenery we’ve seen over the last couple of days, and the maps showing our routes.

 

 

 

Belgrade to Libby

Libby to Pincher Creek

P.S. What’s with the a-holes who feel the urge to approach us about riding a motorcycle in the rain and snow? As we were parked on the pullout, putting on our rain gear (in the rain, which isn’t easy), one guy walked by us and said, “I won’t ride in weather like this; too many chances of slipping.” I replied, “good to know”. Seriously, dude? Thanks for that extra special glimpse into your life. Then, at the top of the mountain, while we were taking off our rain gear, a lady got off the shuttle bus and walked up to me and asked, “are you on a motorcycle?” I said yes, and she said, “I couldn’t stand to ride up this mountain on one of those things.” To which I replied, “well I couldn’t stand to ride on the shuttle bus.” B*tch.

 

Today, we checked off one of the items on Biker’s bucket list – traveling the Beartooth Highway (or as I keep calling it, the Bluetooth Highway). And, lucky us, we experienced all the weather.

 

 

 

We started off in Cody with a pretty steady rain. After a fantastic breakfast, we made our way north to the edge of Yellowstone Park and the entrance to the Beartooth Scenic Byway.

 

 

 

 

Just a few minutes on the new road, it started raining ice. For real. We stopped and took a video but it’s too large.

And just as we were heading back onto the road, a large buck ran across the road about 30 feet in front of us. The ice didn’t last long and turned into snow for a bit, then it all cleared up and most of the rest of the day we had sun.

As we crossed the summit, we stopped at a rest stop and noticed a couple of guys carrying guns right out in the open. We asked them and found that Wyoming is an open carry state. So is Montana, as it turns out, cause when we stopped for lunch there were a few people at the restaurant with guns easily visible on their belts.

As we hit the highway for our final push to our stopping place for the night, we were reminded of our last trip across I-90. It was 10 years ago and the day Michael Jackson died, but what really brought back the memory was how WINDY it is on this highway. We were buffeted for a solid 90 minutes. For those familiar with the Unigo, despite our concern that it’s a bit wobbly on a good day, it performed like a champ.

Arriving at the hotel exhausted from holding my head still against the wind slamming into me, I was happy to grab a shower and some dinner.

Hoping our weather from here on is much less dramatic!

Cody to Belgrade

 

Good Lord, it’s a long drive from Houston to Cody, Wyoming!

1,517 miles and 25 loooooong hours. For those map aficionados – you know who you are! – here are the stats so far:

 

We saw forest fires, we saw wildlife, we saw flat plains and the tallest mountains in the US, we skirted several large rainstorms, we listened to a lot of 80s on 8 and 70s on 7, we listened to an audiobook, and we Googled anything and everything we wondered about. Oh, and those of you who know Biker know how much he loves a good visitor center and a free map, so we did a few of those too! 🙂

 

The bike is packed and ready to go. We’re hunkered down with pizza and a bottle of wine.

 

Tomorrow, the journey begins.

 

This one’s a week or so late, but Biker and I are gearing up for our next big adventure so I thought I’d get a bit of blog practice in!  Last weekend, we had the pleasure of attending the wedding of my friend Lou Ann and her husband (!), Greg, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Biker and I decided to make a long weekend of it and thought we’d just take the plunge and go all in at the Four Seasons, where the wedding was being held. Shout out to Jen at @jbotravel for the amazing help and all the perks she got us! Of course, the Four Seasons is a beautiful resort and even better when you get upgraded to the top of the line suite!! It was apparently a slow weekend at the resort, so we got the best room in the house. Um, I think I might have said it was our anniversary. Well, it was! … when I made the reservation a month or so ago!  Anyhoo, we scored and it was awesome.

Friday was all about laying around the pool and drinking. Shocker. We made the most of it and thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing day. That evening, we went into town and had dinner at The Shed – so good!

Saturday was rainy so we meandered into town for breakfast – you HAVE to try The Pantry if you’re ever in Santa Fe. Small, out of the way (5-minute Uber from downtown), local … and oh so good.

Did a bit of shopping and found Biker a really snazzy jacket – how can you go wrong with blue python and fur?! (JK – we did not buy this monstrosity but had fun snapping pics). Napping and reading were the rainy afternoon’s activities, then on to the main event … the wedding!

The rain stopped in time for a beautiful outdoor ceremony – divine intervention! We looked good in our wedding finery – don’t we clean up nice? And we had a great time talking, drinking, eating and dancing. What a wonderful celebration and a fantastic weekend! Thanks to Lou Ann and Greg for including us!

 

The city with amazing history didn’t disappoint. Ruins that are 2,500 years old and still in amazing shape. Fantastic  food!! Classic European – highly walkable, plenty of places to sit for hours, drink wine and people watch. Our favorite thing to do!

We did the hop on/hop off bus, an electric bicycle tour, a walking tour of the Acropolis and museum, some shopping, and met our friends Ron and Jan for dinner on a gorgeous rooftop terrace.

How did Athens get its name, you ask? Back in the 500 BC time frame, both Athena and Poseidon were asked to give a gift to the city. Poseidon stuck his trident in the ground and produced salt water from the ocean and Athena gave an olive tree. Um, who needs salt water when the ocean is right there? Obviously, Athens being Athens, it chose Athena’s gift. And they built her an amazing temple – the Parthenon – on the Acropolis to honor her gift. But in fear of angering Poseidon, they built him a lesser temple on the Acropolis. Before coming here, I didn’t understand the Acropolis and Parthenon, but here’s the skinny – Acropolis means ‘high city’ and is the massive rock on which several structures – including the Parthenon – are built. It’s being lovingly restored after a millennia of looting, fires and earthquakes.

Now let’s talk about the food. We were a bit apprehensive, but no need to worry.    Tender meats in several forms – kebab, minced, gyro, etc – and scrumptious desserts, flaky pastries, and awesome pita bread. Oh, and the tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini are to die for.  We ate our weight in doner, gyros, ham and cheese rolls, lemon tarts, baklava, and yummy small cookies.  Thank God the plane doesn’t have weight restrictions for us! #badweektodiet

Loved this bucket list place. Will likely return.

 

Decisions, decisions. That’s how our day started. Walk the 589!steps from the sea to the cliff-side town of Fira, take a donkey up the same steps or totally wimp out and do the cable car. What do YOU think we chose?  Yep, 589 steps it is!  We did the Rocky dance at the top. Like tourists. Whatever.

After we recovered, we wandered for a bit and ran into Ron and Jan. We took the bus – an experience! – to Oia where we shopped and had a fantastic lunch with local wine at the rooftop restaurant. They brought the bill – our first in Greece – and we assume it was what we ordered! We all delighted in saying ‘I don’t know, it’s all Greek to me!’

Stunning views from the terrace  here’s just one …

 

Now’s as good a time as any to talk about the Twizzy. As when we saw our first Smart car in Rome 12 years ago, we predict the Twizzy will catch on in big cities. What is a Twizzy, you ask? It’s a four wheel, 2 passenger sitting front/back, electric runabout vehicle.  Kind of like a motorcycle size vehicle with a top and four wheels. Biker wants one.

 

 

 

On this 10-day cruise, we had one day at sea. Andy and I spent it drinking and relaxing. What? You’re shocked? Come on, it’s us!

A workout, late breakfast and a bottle of Chianti on our balcony. Pure heaven.

We had plans to go onshore at the stop on Crete but ran into our new friends Ron and Jan and ended up whiling away the day drinking and chatting with them on the ship.  Oh, and I won the blackjack tourney – woo hoo! – and Andy and I teamed up with our new Aussie friends to win the trivia contest. Another day well spent!

 

Keeping with the theme of our first day in Italy, the second and third were HOT. Like mid-90s hot.  “Walk on the side with shade,” became our constant refrain.

For Rome, we decided to do a day on our own – no guided tour. The highlight of the day was the Capuchin Crypt, a museum that tells the history of Capuchin monks and showcases the bones of more than 4,000 of those monks in artistic forms. Sounds creepy, but was an eerily beautiful memorial. We weren’t allowed to take pics but I downloaded one from the web to give you a feel for it. There were 5 or 6 dioramas – all made with bones and they told a story of how the monks lived and their beliefs about mortality. A really nice tour and – bonus – it was air conditioned!  The rest of the day consisted of a bit of the hop on/hop off bus, a less than inspired pizza and drinks in our favorite piazza in Rome, the Piazza Navona, and a walk back to where we picked up our transportation back to the ship.

In our port stop of Sorrento, we had signed up for a “make your own pizza” excursion that would take us to Naples. The tour was less than interesting, but the pizza was pretty good and we had a great time during the hour or two we were left to our own devices. A little drinking, a little shopping. The hydrofoil trip back across the bay of Naples gave us spectacular views of Sorrento as we returned.

The next day was “at sea,” and we made the most of it by totally relaxing.  After lunch, we wandered to the casino where we were told there was a blackjack tournament. There were just six of us signed up so the tourney was a quick seven hands. 15 minutes later, guess who was the winner? One Kristi DesJarlais. $180 richer, we wandered back to our room to sit on our balcony and drink the fabulous bottle of Chianti we purchased on our wine tour in Tuscany. Total relaxation. Later that night, after dinner, we teamed up to play trivia with the Aussies we had met at dinner a few nights before. Against about 10 other teams, we came in first place. A winning day for the DesJarlais!

I haven’t mentioned it before, but this cruise line – Oceania – is exceptional. The ship is about the same size as one of the really big ones – maybe a few fewer floors – but there are only about 1,000 people onboard. So it makes for a really open, uncrowded feel. All spaces – staterooms and public spaces – are bigger and more luxurious than any other ship we’ve been on. And most everything is included so it feels really easy and great. All in all, a fantastic experience. Can’t recommend Oceania enough.

 

We had a beautiful first day in Italy. Mid-80s, not a cloud in the sky, a fantastic tour guide and loads of great food and wine. Heaven.

The ship docked in the port of Livorno, which is just a bit southwest of Pisa and about an hour west of Florence. We chose to book a tour on our own with a local guide – Guido. I can’t recommend him enough! He is a native of the Chianti area of Tuscany and his love of the region and its food and wine really shines through. I don’t think he and Biker stopped talking for a single minute of the seven hours we were together!

We stopped at two beautiful wineries – each with a lovely story of how they came to be and each having fantastic wines and olive oils to try.  First up was Castello di Fonterutoli, a centuries old – 1435! – fort where the owner’s family has been making wine since the 1700s. Here we sampled great Chiantis, a nice Vermentino and a good Cabernet (although IMO the cabs from California are far superior). We also learned the origin of the black rooster as the symbol for the DOCG certification — in the early 1200s, the area was war torn as Siena and Florence fought over ownership of the Chianti region. Tired of the fighting, the two sides agreed to draw the dividing line at the meeting point of two knights, each riding from their city at the early morning crow of the rooster. It’s said that Florence’s black rooster was starved the day before so that he would crow early, giving the Florence knight a head start. When the two met – at the small hamlet of  Fonterutoli – the Siena knight had just barely begun his journey (you can see Siena from Fonterutoli). The dividing line was set, and when the Chianti certification of DOCG was established the black rooster was chosen as its symbol.

Our next stop was at Castellare di Castellina, a beautiful winery made up of four properties that were bought together in the 1970s. We toured the cellar, with a “library” (of old wine vintages), and had a nice tasting of four Chiantis.
Our next stop was lunch, and it was magnificent. We had pasta and a beautiful bottle of our absolute favorite wine  – a Brunello di Montalcino. The weather was perfect for sitting on the patio and enjoying the lovely views. 

Back to the ship for a requisite nap, a workout and then a lovely dinner in the ship’s French restaurant.

Heaven.

We’ve spent the past two days in the South of France – first in Aix-in-Provence and then in Antibes. We’re reminded of how much we enjoy the vibe of France – walking through town, stopping for a coffee or wine and a bite to eat, people watching and the incredible art and shopping.

Our first stop in France was in the port city of Toulon. We took a shore excursion to Aix-in-Provence but quickly ditched the walking tour for our own wander. It started to rain so we found a nice restaurant where Biker could get his daily pizza and I could have the Croque Monsieur I suddenly craved. Plus wine. Of course. Back on the ship, it was a nap, a dip in th

e pool, drinks with new friends at the bar and a show that featured music from old movies.

Day 2 in France was in the lovely little city of Antibes. With no scheduled excursion, we wandered into town and though the local market, where we saw – and smelled – amazing spices, salts and herbs and every curry known to man.

 

We headed toward the Musee Picasso – a restored castle of the Monaco Grimaldi family where Picasso painted for a bit in the 50s.

It’s a nice little museum with 50 or 60 of his works, plus a photo exhibition of behind-the-scenes of Picasso’s life over the course of 20 years or so. Great views of the sea from the terrace.

After the museum, we found the Absinthe Bar, a little basement bar Picasso frequented while living here that serves the mysterious green liquid. It’s an interesting process. We were given a container of water with spigots around the bottom, two glasses filled with a little pure absinthe, two slotted spoons and a cup of sugar cubes. The barkeep instructed us to place the slotted spoon across the lip of the glass, put a sugar cube on it and open a spigot to drop over the sugar, melting it into the glass of absinthe. There’s a lot of lore around this drink – that it’s a hallucinogenic, a drug and a way to find your artistic self. Before drinking it, Biker was a bit nervous that it might show up in drug tests. So, Google being our friend, we did some due diligence before taking a sip. Turns out the tales are all quite tall and it’s just regular alcohol, especially when diluted about 4:1 with water and sugar. Tastes like licorice and leaves your tongue feeling funny. Not my favorite drink.

 

As the ship sailed away, we bid goodbye to France and hello to our favorite European country – Italy. Can’t wait to spend the next three days exploring new depths of this beautiful and fascinating culture.

Ciao.