Biker, the boys and I decided to make a little trip to Mexico to celebrate both boys’ college graduations this year … and my and Biker’s “raise.”  🙂

We arrived in Playa del Carmen Thursday afternoon and commenced with our usual tradition of hitting every bar once before the first day is over. You know, to properly say hello to the resort.

Today, we boarded a big ole bus and went to Chichenitza. It was a long day, but a really cool place that none of us had ever seen. We learned:

• The name means “at the mouth of the warlock’s water well”
• It’s one of the new seven wonders of the world
• It was a major civilization focal point from 600-1200 AD
• There are still about 5 million Mayan people in the world (they didn’t mysteriously  ‘disappear’ as popular lore suggests)
• They played a ball game called ulama. Look it up; it’s insanely difficult

We’re tired. We’re sunburned. We’re going to bed.

1 grizzly bear
1 black bear
1 coyote
2 moose
5 doll sheep
8 times across the Continental Divide
11 days on the motorcycle
18.6 gas mileage in the truck
43.6 gas mileage on the bike
45 mph average speed on the bike
Dozens of elk and buffalo
Hundreds of antelope and deer
Possibly thousands of squirrel-ish animals (chipmunks, squirrels, prairie dogs, etc.)
2,883 motorcycle miles
5,918 total miles (truck + motorcycle)
Too many adult beverages and calories
Too few workouts

We spent the last riding day of our trip in Yellowstone National Park. Ran across some kinda scary sections of road construction where the road was covered in gravel – once for 12 miles and once for 2 miles. That’ll wake you up!  We drove in the north entrance on Wednesday night, stayed at Canyon Lodge for the night, then the next day drove around most of the main parts of the central part of the park and out the east entrance to pick up the truck and trailer in Cody. Of course, Yellowstone delivered on beautiful scenery – steaming geysers, amazing vistas with trees for miles, gorgeous rivers and lakes, powerful waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and lots of wildlife. Old Faithful performed relatively on time as usual.

 

We’re now back in Texas, making our way home. It was a fantastic trip! We both agree our highlight was the Calgary Stampede – what an experience!

Until our next adventure – ride safe!

Maps:

Bigfork to Canyon Lodge

Yellowstone Circle to Cody

 

 

After one last ride in Banff, we spent the last few days in Calgary, enjoying the spectacle that is the Calgary Stampede. Such a party atmosphere! We go to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo every year, but it’s got nothing on Calgary when it comes to partying. We’re exhausted!

The first afternoon/evening in Calgary, we wandered over to a nearby street where we were told there would be restaurants, bars and good people watching. It did not disappoint! The street reminded us of being in Europe – all the sidewalk cafes and people walking everywhere. We had a fantastic time just absorbing it all. One thing we noticed is that the Stampede seems to be an excuse for women (mostly) to wear their skimpiest clothing – short jean shorts, bandeau tube tops, cowboy boots and not much else.

 

Sunday was our day to go the the chuckwagon races, and Biker could not have been more excited! We had tickets for a really cool place – the Lazy S club level seats – which included dinner, drinks and amazing seats for the races and the show and fireworks that followed. Highlight of the trip for sure! We also saw a really cool motorcycle trick exhibit; these guys were talented!

 

Monday morning we bought new cowboy hats as souvenirs. Then we made our way over to the Stampede grounds cause we had tickets for the afternoon rodeo events. We had a great time watching  the bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback riding, etc. The overall event was different from what we’re used to, but the competitions themselves were very similar as I’m sure they’re regulated a certain way worldwide. Another point of difference between Calgary and Houston is that the Calgary venue for both events we attended is just so fantastic – it’s big, to be sure, but also feels really intimate. It made the whole experience!

 

All in all, Calgary and the Stampede showed us a GREAT time!! We definitely recommend it.

Today we re-entered the US of A and went through Glacier National Park again. We saw a black bear up close! Finally! Tomorrow is a moving day so don’t expect a post, but we’ll definitely get in at least one more before the trip is over cause Thursday is Yellowstone! One of my very favorites!

 

Maps:

Banff – Radium Hot Springs – Banff

Banff to Calgary

Calgary to Bigfork

The last three days have been great, and we’ve taken a break from things like blogging and exercising. Overarching thoughts about Banff and Jasper national parks is that they are absolutely beautiful, stunning, awe-inspiring, etc. And the town of Banff itself is super cute.

On our first full day in Canada, we woke in Pincher Creek to a steady rain and the forecast showed it was just going to get worse as the day wore on, so we sucked it up and set out for the 4-hour ride to Banff. We got rained on pretty much the whole way and never stopped once. Once we got to Banff and checked into our gorgeous hotel, we found some lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing. Our hotel has an amazing rooftop hot tub and fire pit, and we enjoyed spending some time up there in the evening.

The next day was the 4th of July and was planned as a rest day. We puttered around in the morning and had an AMAZING breakfast at a Creole place in town. Yum!  And because we had really had half of the previous day as a rest day, we decided to ride up to check out Lake Louise and Lake Moraine, two famous lakes just about 40 minutes north of Banff. Our verdict? Um, they’re lakes. And they’re certainly pretty. But we’re not entirely sure what all the fuss is about. Still, it was a nice day and a pretty ride. More hot tubbing on that gorgeous roof.

Today we rode up and back down Canada’s number one motorcycle road – the Icefield Parkway. It’s a gorgeous drive, with mountains, glaciers and glacier-fed lakes the entire 8-hour round trip. We saw some wildlife – a moose (finally!), doll sheep, bighorn sheep, a deer and a coyote. And we came up to a place where a rock avalanche had just happened; they were cleaning the rocks off the road and checking the wall to pull down any loose rock when we drove by. After a number of chilly-to-downright-cold days, today it got up to 90 degrees! We were like, “hey Canada, Texas called, and it wants its heat back!” And still more hot tubbing and fire pit enjoyment.

 

Maps:

PIncher Creek to Banff

Banff – Lake Louise – Banff

Banff – Jasper – Banff

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.