Our hotel camp in Wadi Rum Desert

I like to travel in style and it doesn’t have to be staying at luxurious hotels and eating at Michelin starred restaurants, although I love to indulge every now and then—for me, in order to survive the holiday in good mood, the basic amenities have to be there, as well as some comfort of course. Now Blondine and I are faced with the challenge of spending a night in the desert... hmm...



We’ve read fascinating stories about travellers staying with Bedouins in the heart of Wadi Rum desert in Bedouin camps, and although this is truly an experience worth doing for, we worry about the conditions of the accommodations. Is there electricity? What about toilet? Where can we leave our car? Is it safe for 2 women to sleep in a tent? So many questions. Trivial perhaps for others?



Well I found this hotel camp called ‘Bait Ali Lodge’ in the middle of the desert, located just a few kilometres away from the environmentally preserved area of Wadi Rum. It is probably the only camp with a bit of frill in the desert so naturally we booked here. To give you an idea, it has a swimming pool and an amphitheatre. Yes, in the desert, in the middle of nowhere.



We will be doing the 4x4 jeep Wadi Rum desert adventure later but before meeting with the Bedouin whom we hired for the afternoon, we are checking in to our hotel camp.



See more fotos below of the hotel camp:









So how do you like this desert camp in the middle of nowhere? Not bad at all eh? Oh, I forgot to take fotos of the rooms... nothing fancy though, very, very basic.

Angels Landing :: Interlude

Doubts. Terrible things, they are. The longer I stood and looked at that peak, the more dubious I became. Finally, I gave in and turned around. I couldn't do it. Then a feeling of relief passed over me. It's okay. At least I had gotten this far.

The descent back down that first little peak was challenging. Going up you didn't really notice the height or steepness of the path. But coming down, that is all you could see. You had to look down in order to see where you were going. In several spots I sat down on my rear end and scooted over and down the rock. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done! I didn't feel quite so bad when I saw other people doing the same thing!

Once safely down on the other side, I found a place to sit and eat my lunch, along with several other folks. We chatted. They too were the ones who couldn't go on. They were waiting for their spouse to return from the top of Angels Landing. They weren't ashamed, perhaps a little embarrassed though. Four out of the five people waiting were men. Waiting for their wives to finish the climb.

Other people came and went. Some only went a little ways then came back. Watching the people was fascinating. All shapes and sizes. All degrees of physical fitness. You couldn't tell by looking at someone whether they could do it or not. And you were amazed by some of those that did make it. The more I watched, the more I thought “I could do this.”

But I sat there and listened to the people talking. The excitement in the voices of those who had gone all the way. A bit of disappointment in those who hadn't, but acceptance of that fact also.

There was a group of five women who came up from Scout's Lookout. They sat down and rested for a few minutes and joined in our conversation. One lady, in her mid-30s, was back for a second climb. She had come with her daughters last year and they had all made the climb successfully. The daughters were 8, 11, and 16 years of age.

Another group of four women – two teenagers, a middle aged woman, and an older lady – came up the trail. When the older woman saw the trail over that peak she said “Oh, my!” One of the teenage girls giggled and said “Granny, we love you. You don't really have to go.” And Granny stomped her feet like a little child and exclaimed “Oh no, I'm going!” and without another word, they were on their way.

After an hour or so, I made my way down the trail and back to the campground. I talked with my neighbors, Maryann and Rob, who had done the climb to Angels Landing the previous day. The more I talked with them, the more convinced I became that I could actually do it. Maryann said she had second thoughts about the climb when she saw the trail, but then she looked at the people returning and figured if they could do it, so could she.

The next day was an “off” day for me. My legs were hurting a little so I took it easy. But the thought of Angels Landing kept running through my mind all day long.

To be continued... Angels Landing :: The Finale

New Video from Wildfilm Productions

Amphitheater II



Our good friend Ray Burnsworth of Wildfilm productions put together a short clip of Upper Meadow Amphitheater. A huge thanks goes out to Rayman for the efforts and great clip. Follow the link from here to view or click on the image above.

Solomon's Castle

Last year, Austin and I visited this quirky place. It ended up being one of our favorite things since we went on the road. We have tried to explain what it was about this place that captured our hearts, but it is really hard to put it into words. Last week, Nathan and Aric were able to see what all the hoopla was about.

First, there is the castle. This eye catching art studio/home was built by Howard Solomon. Then there is the art. If you hadn't realized there is a sense of humor in the artist just by seeing the castle, you will know it after seeing the art.

Some of the art, like the stained glass windows, is so beautiful.The bonus to this neat place, is Howard Solomon.

I think Aric said he was one of the funniest guys he has ever met. When you take the tour, and hear his life story, he is equally impressive in his drive to follow his own path. Given we are living a somewhat out of the box lifestyle in order to pursue our dreams, we always respect it when someone else is bold enough to do the same.And we love it when someone finds a way to take what is burning inside of them, and instead of quenching that thing...finding a way to keep it alive, and share it with the rest of the world. Even if it is not "our thing", we can appreciate the beauty in the process and the delivery of someone honoring what is their thing.

We use a lot of sappy phrases when sharing with our kids to convey what we hope for in their lives. You know..things like, "You only have one life to live so you might as well make it yours". And sometimes they look at us like uh yeah...sure...what does that even mean though???? It's a really cool thing when they can see what that looks like, and we can simply say "that, is what we are talking about". So we thank this artist for being a fine example of that.



Not that my kids seem to need a whole lot of help in living their lives as their own.



They still can use heroes though, even if they are the most unlikely ones.





Living the life, our life, in still so chilly Florida!

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1940)

31st Aug 1940

This reunion was cancelled due to the infantile paralysis epidemic present in the northern section of this state.

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The Phend-Fisher families gathered for a reunion in Northern Indiana almost annually from 1909 until 1943. The events of the day were recorded in an old ledger book. Spelling has been retained as it was in the original though some punctuation and paragraph breaks have been added. To view all articles in this series click on the "Phend-Fisher Reunion Ledger" label at the bottom of this post.

Stroll on Vltava River

Vltava River is the longest river in Czech Republic and it splits the Lesser Town (Hradcany) from the Old Town and New Town.

It was a very chilly morning and I could feel the crispness of the wind on my lips. I made sure to dress warmly by wearing my knitted red muts, scarf and gloves. I just need to do this even if it’s very cold outside. At least it’s not snowing today.

Trivia: Did you know there are 18 bridges crossing the Vltava River?

Here are some of the views I had while doing the stroll along the Vltava River by Nove Mesto (New Town):

I think the building with the impressive golden roof is the National Museum.

By the way, moi, before going out for the stroll making sure I am fully wrapped.

Not sure if this is the Negrelli Viaduct Bridge.

Tramline along the river.

Nove Mesto

View to the Old Town or Stare Mesto.

View to the Lesser Town or Mala Strana.

Leaf Season

Having returned to Boston from our stay on Cape Cod, we were greeted by the "Leaf Season" in full effect. It happens so fast! This is very new for Eustacia Vye, who has never seen Autumn before. I had to keep reminding her to pay attention to the road, as she continuously got distracted by the leaves. She thinks that the Fall season matches her colour scheme very nicely - I agree!

This is the fist time I have ridden my Pashley in over two weeks, and the absence made me hyper-aware of the differences between her and my Motobecane mixte. To my surprise, the upright sitting position took a bit of re-adjusting to: To be completely honest, I was somewhat frustrated with the bicycle's composed and stately demeanor after having grown accustomed to the faster and more responsive mixte. Also, I do not have a front rack or basket on the mixte, so another thing that took some re-adjustment on the Pashley was the enormous basket obstructing my view of the front tire.

Mulling this over as I went on various errands, I did not really begin to enjoy the Pashley again until our trip to the grocery store: With the basket and saddlebag fully loaded, the Pashley truly shines - a super stable, super comfortable, utterly luxurious ride. I would have been miserable trying to do this on the mixte.

It was a crisp Autumn day, and it felt oh so cozy to glide through the streets in my soft, flowing cream sweater upon the nicely broken in leather saddle.

I tried to capture the sweater here, but this wasn't my day for successful self-portraiture. Wearing it made me feel as if I were officially acknowledging and celebrating Autumn.

Tweed hat, bought at the Provincetown Army/Navy store - my current favourite cycling cap.

And an attempt at a "Panda shot". Not very informative I admit - but hey, it captures the moment. Happy Autumn cycling!