So, hello, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted here. I'll try not to let it get so long before I do this again.

New Travel Stories

Since mid-March, I’ve traveled something like 10,000 miles across the Carolinas, Georgia, Idaho, Utah, and California. As I write this, I’m a couple of weeks into a sabbatical from Adobe and settling back into my regular home life near Seattle.

A whole lot is new on my travel blog. Let's start with my spring trip through the Carolinas and Georgia. When I had last written, I was just starting this trip. The link above will take you to the list of all 18 posts from that trip. I'll call out a couple favorites from that trip here:

• Day 14: A Coastal Farm Stay: Beautiful coastal river views.
• Days 16-20: Savannah, Georgia: Fun culture and lovely historic architecture.
• Days 23-29: Bohicket’s the Ticket!: We ended the trip with a stay at an AirBNB on Bohicket Creek (pictured below).

From there I flew to California for a couple of work-related events. During the weekend in between the two events, I spent a few days relaxing on the California coast near Mendocino, a long-time favorite place.

At the start of my sabbatical a couple weeks ago, I made a road-trip from Seattle to Salt Lake City for a family occasion and then took the long way back with my daughter:

Summer Break Day 1: On the Road Again: One of my favorite things about working at Adobe is the periodic invitation to disconnect from the day-to-day for weeks at a time and recharge. When I first joined, that five-year mark seemed ages away. Tonight I began my fifth sabbatical.

Summer Break Day 2: To Boise: I'm on my way to Salt Lake City for an important family occasion this weekend. Today's travels took me to Boise by way of a part of Idaho I had not seen before.

Summer Break Day 3: To Salt Lake City: I took a not-quite-direct route from Boise to Salt Lake City. Not a lot of time for photos today, but I did get to explore some parts of Idaho I had not seen before.

Summer Break Day 6: Reno, Come Hail or High Water: Our time in Salt Lake City has come to an end and we're making our home by way of the California coast.

Summer Break Days 7 and 8: San Francisco: Yesterday, we drove from Reno to Half Moon Bay, California, by way of the south side of Lake Tahoe. Today, we drove back into San Francisco for some shopping and a big-city experience.

Summer Break Days 9 – 11: The Comforts of Home: The plan was to spend a couple of days on the California coast and then work our way up through Crater Lake and Bend, Oregon, before heading home.

From the Archives

As if this wasn't enough, I've been busily revisiting some of my long-ago travels.

Nicaragua (1998): Over the last two weeks, I've been introduced to a whole new world -- the country that we (the United States) invaded in the 1980s. To visit Nicaragua in the post-war world is a surreal experience. So much has changed in the years since ... and yet, our presence there can not be forgotten.

Caribbean Cruise (2017–2018): I'm traveling alone on a cruise in the Caribbean for the next week and a half. I'm looking forward to seeing some parts of Central and South America that I've not been to before.

Taiwan (2018): I treated myself to a long-weekend overseas for a major milestone birthday. Mother Nature treated me to a late-night after-party (not an elephant stampede as I first surmised, but an earthquake).

Spring Break (2019): I took a two-week globe-trotting adventure, which took me through Europe and my first visits to Africa (Tunisia) and Japan.

146 Parks

Even with all of this travel, I've managed to find some time for local travel (i.e. a few new Washington state parks):

Lake Sylvia: To honor our nation's birthday and to get outside for a bit, my daughter and I brought our kayak and explored Lake Sylvia.

Lewis and Clark Trail: Some 217 years ago, Captains Lewis and Clark supposedly spent the night in this location on their way home from the Pacific Ocean. You can, too, though it might not be quite as noteworthy.

Seaquest: One might think that with a name like Seaquest, that you would find this park near the ocean or at least on some sort of route to the ocean. Not so.

Thanks, as always, for following along. Look forward to sharing the next adventures with you all!