The only real thing I scheduled on this trip was our Hobbiton tour on the 26th. I figured we had time today to make the short drive to Tauranga and then on to Matamata. The day started with a coffee and a visit to the nearby Bowenstown Beach. From here we started our drive to Tauranga. I was not sure what to expect or do here but had the name in my list of...
Today was more of a relaxed travel day. I had randomly chosen a hot spring/campground on our route to Tauranga. The day started with a surprise visit from the Camp Cat “Popsie”. We also stopped along the way at a roadside farm stand and purchased some fresh apples and prince plumbs. We stopped briefly in the town of Whangamata (the WH actually has an F...
One of the first locations we wanted to visit is called Cathedral Cove. Our campground at Hahei Beach would serve as a nice base of operations (as well as a nice beach to enjoy). This area was a great deal of fun to explore. We started our day with a hike to the Cathedral Cove, Stingray Bay, and Gemstone Bay. The total round trip took us about 2 hours of hiking...
My list of places I want to visit is constantly evolving. Closer to the top, for many years, has been the Island Nation of New Zealand. Many Americans I’ve spoken with don’t even know where this place is, but it has become more popular thanks to movies such as The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Naria. Last October, I found a really nice airfare...
It’s time for Rock and Roll series race #2. This one finds me in a city I have dreamed of visiting for well over twenty years, New Orleans! The timing couldn’t be better. Hurricane season is over for the Gulf of Mexico and the Mardi Gras festival season has started. We started our weekend on Friday with some exploration of the city through the usage of a...
“I want to go see snow!”, my girlfriend exclaimed. “It’s not all that great…trust a former Ohioan with decades of experience and frustrations”, I replied. So, off we went on a little weekend road trip to the mountains near Los Angeles. I’ve heard stories of how Californians can go surfing and snow skiing in the same day and...
Race 1 of 10 for this year starts off with a nice close weekend trip to Arizona. I’ve not spent too much time in this city other than paying a visit to a local friend and attending a spring training game last year. My hope is that this race weekend will give me a little more experience with the Phoenix area. I’ll admit, I am fearful of the temperatures...
Just a small update…it’s a new year and I have set a goal to run 10 half marathons. Time to get outside and start training!
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Most of my family lives on the other side of the country. While I don’t want to give up my southwest US lifestyle (and weather), I do compromise and head east for some holidays as I can afford the airfare. This year was time for Christmas in Ohio. We started our week in Cleveland, enjoying the sights and sounds. The Christmas lights at the Zoo was fun. Next, we...
My last race of the year! This year I set a goal to complete a California Race series challenge (in addition to my running of the Beach Cities Challenge). The first 3 included Tustin, Irvine, and Laguna Hills. This one is a race I have wanted to do since 2015 ever since I moved here. I was a little worried as it has been raining for the past few days and I do not...