Grand Canyon Road Trip

by
No comments yet

As a resident of the Southwestern United States, the Grand Canyon is a must see.  Seeing as I plan on getting out of here soon (in hopes of traveling!), I figured that I might as well see it while it’s fairly close by. So, on a rare and oh-so-fleeting free weekend, we decided to pack up the ‘Silver Bullet’ (my ’02 Mercedes C230 Coupe . . . lamest road trip car EVER) and drive down to the Grand Canyon’s south rim.

The Grand Canyon

The trip was fairly impromptu, but we managed to leave at 8am on a Saturday morning.  Our first stop was our local Starbucks to get our much needed caffeine fix.  Then, with me at the helm, we headed out on the open road.  Our first major landmark was the Hoover Dam, which (for those of you who don’t know) is actually the marker between the Nevada and Arizona borders.

Hoover Dam

Entering Arizona was fairly mundane.  It looks similar to Las Vegas – desert, shrubbery, and blue skies.  As we entered Kingman Arizona, the Vegas radio stations began to fade and we hooked up the good ‘ol iTouch to the stereo and listened to the sweet soothing voice of Adam Carolla.Shortly after passing through Kingman, the scenery began to change from desert to something similar to a prairie.  After a few more hours of driving we hit Williams, AZ – the Gateway to the Grand Canyon.  For us West Coasters, Kingman represented a frightening look into Americana.Williams was about an hour from the Grand Canyon, and we were lucky enough to come on the one day that the entrance was free.  Armed with a free map we entered the park and could not find parking.  I ended up basically tossing the Silver Bullet in a ditch as the BF wandered into the forest to pee.We then reconvened along the walking trail along the Southern Rim of the Grand Caynon.  The Caynon was huge, and hard to take it.  I was infatuated with the ravens that occupied the area and flew so effortlessly over one of the largest gaping holes on this planet.

The BF took a liking to video taping squirrels and the like who inhabited the edge of the canyon.  After walking along the trail for a while and checking out the viewpoints, we decided that we might as well head back so that we could return to Las Vegas at a reasonable  hour.

Overall, I’m glad to have seen the Grand Canyon.  Road trips with the BF are always fun and am also proud to say that this time I pulled my weight and drove 50% as opposed to my usual 25% . . . ok . . . 20%.

Wanderbliss: Biking under the Tuscan Sun

by
No comments yet

Biking in Italy - Tripadvisor

After our stay at Rome, the southernmost point on our trip, we took the train up to Florence in Tuscany.  Florence is nestled in a beautiful part of the country, surrounded by rolling green hills filled with family farms, vineyards and ancient villas.  We stayed at Hotel Giada, just a few blocks away from Duomo di Firenze, near the town’s center.  Attractive as it is, I found Florence to be a bit cramped and even in February it was packed with tourists and exchange students.  Nevertheless, the scenery was stunning, the food is fantastic and the gelato was even better.

In an effort to break away from the city and view some of the countryside, we decided to take a bike tour through the hills surrounding Florence. We quickly found i Bike Italy online and decided to show up for the morning pickup for a 14 mile bike ride around Tuscany. As we arrived at our meeting point just downstream from the Ponte Vecchio, I realized that I forgot the camera, so the image from this post is actually from Tripadvisor.

After a short van ride to a garage on the outskirts of Florence, our guide Bill fitted us with our bikes and helmets.  Having grown up biking to school everyday, I felt that I had a pretty good handle on things seeing as the ride was advertised as fairly “easy” for the average person.  The ride turned out to be MUCH more difficult than we had anticipated and my little thighs were not up to the challenge.  As we rode the 7 miles uphill through the Tuscan countryside, I was forced to get off my bike and walk it due to the steepness of the hills.  Eventually, we made it up the hill to were treated to great views of Florence below us as well as a traditional Italian meal, complete with Chianti, the regional red wine.

After lunch, we hopped back on our bikes and I realized that a very, ahem . . .  “specific”, part of me was particularly sore from riding (I won’t get into the details of the subsequent bruising).  I spent the next 7 miles biking without my butt on the seat, and with our tour guide we stopped off at a private villa, vineyard and olive oil maker.  The villa and vineyard were very rustic and very much how I assumed the Italian countryside would be like.

The way back down the hill was a little on the harrowing side since the force of gravity appeared to be pulling us down at uncomfortable speeds.  With my teeth grit and my hands placed squarely on the brakes I ended up at the bottom of the hill in one piece.  The tour ended up being what we wanted – a break fromt he city.  I didn’t realize it would render me unable to sit properly for the next few days, but it was a small price to pay.  Tuscany was definitely my favorite part of Italy and I hope to get a chance to explore its countryside again one day.  (Except maybe this time I’ll take a vespa instead)