Where We have Been . . .

"Adventure is a path.  Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world.  The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.  Your body collides with the earth and you will bear witness.  In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind - and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both.  This will change you.  Nothing will ever be black-and-white again."  -Mark Jenkins

I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at our firsthand encounters of the last five years.  Our first trip was to Antarctica to see the penguins.  It was a fabulous trip, the scenery was beautiful and the penguins were so friendly and playful.  It was also a great trip because we met great people on the trip!

Antarctica February 2007

 Our second adventure was a safari on the Serengeti.  This was a wonderful experience because we took our nieces and nephews and it was wonderful seeing the trip through their eyes!  Their guide will never be the same after spending 10 days in the vehicle with the kids he was reading Teen People!  The wildlife was outstanding and we saw everything up close and personal!

Serengeti December 2007/January 2008

 We then traveled to the Galapagos Islands with 10 of our friends!  We traveled on a sailboat and toured the islands.  The Galapagos is a dream trip for a biology major going to the place where Charles Darwin gather evidence for his theory of evolution.  We had a great time and the wildlife was abundant!

Galapagos August 2008

Our next adventure was to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia with our friends Barbara and Dede.  The purpose of the trip was to visit a school they had built in South Vietnam.  We had a fabulous adventure biking through the delta, staying in home stays, cruising up the river to Cambodia, and exploring Angkor Wat!

Vietnam/Cambodia December 2008

Jeanna's dream for her 50th birthday was to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania!  She got her brother David to sign up too!  This was definitely a feat to be accomplished. . .climbing to 19,000+ ft is grueling!  The best part of this trip was also meeting great friends!

Mt. Kilimanjaro February 2009

 We had so much fun hiking to the top of Kilimanjaro we thought we try backpacking a little closer to home!  So we called our new hiking friends Iwa and Beth and invited them to backpack in the Grand Canyon!  They brought some new friends from Oregon and we had a great time!  The scenery was beautiful at every turn!

Grand Canyon October 2009

 Our friends Barbara and Dede where living in Italy for 6 weeks so we went to visit them in beautiful Lucca.  We flew into Rome for a couple of days then traveled to Lucca on the train.  We had side trips to Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terra.  We had a blast exploring Italy!

Italy May 2010

 Our Kilimanjaro pal, Iwa was turning 50 and wanted to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu we signed up immediately!  The Inca trail was spectacular but the people that we met were even better!  It was a wonderful trip of incredible sights and wonderful friendships!

Machu Picchu July 2010

We have indeed been changed by our adventures and most importantly treasure the people we have met along the way!