tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30637758454948060322024-03-13T10:08:37.855-07:00The Adventures of Lyndiana JonesIn 2007, I took a year or so "off" and set sail for distant lands. Here is this little luddite's attempt to keep my family and friends up to speed with those adventures and the ones that have come after...Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-43237763394564884942013-12-09T20:56:00.001-08:002013-12-09T21:18:42.977-08:00Arizona, African animals, and aurasWell, we've turned into snowbirds! November vacations to Arizona, and we're not even 50. We took some friends with kids up on an invite to share a vacation rental for a few weeks in a town called Sedona, well known for its beautiful mountain biking.<br />
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Most days, the "two daddies" and the "two mommies", as Audrey called us, took turns riding and parenting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "two mommies" at Chicken Point</td></tr>
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It was great having a house with a big kitchen and a garage, so we could make ourselves completely at home.<br />
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Audrey really liked the biking, too. Because we were in a neighbourhood where everyone seemed to be over 80 and driving super slow, it was a great place for the kids to play on the road.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's getting so big! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh wait, she's still pretty puny</td></tr>
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We also found a nice playground for the kids to play at.<br />
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The riding was as spectacular and fun as promised.<br />
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The one day out of 13 that we didn't ride, we headed to a game park where Audrey got to experience African animals up close and personal. A giraffe ate a carrot right out of her hand which blew her mind. She's still talking about it almost a month later. She's also been trying to convince me that a giraffe lives in our backyard. I wish!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I honestly don't know who was more excited about this encounter. Did I mention that giraffes are my favourite animal?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, they're wearing the same jacket as me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too much excitement</td></tr>
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Sedona is also very well known for its vortexes, crystal healers, and aura photographers. We regretted not getting our auras photographed while we were down there, so were glad that our friend Kelt had an app on her phone to do so. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My aura is likely two different colours because I fluffed the aura around my head just before the photo was taken. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awww, Audrey has a green aura just like me.</td></tr>
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I know you're wondering what the colours mean, so here it is...</div>
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Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-47782192128542194432013-09-29T20:00:00.002-07:002013-09-29T20:43:14.539-07:00My first adventure race: All business!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After being support crew for Nelson's races last summer, this was our summer to switch roles. His team, Kootenay Kaos, won another complementary entry into the Mind Over Mountain Adventure Race (MOMAR) in Cumberland and decided to turn it over to their partners to enjoy. Only two of us were able to go but we were lucky enough to recruit two more like-minded gals - in for the pure fun of it! Our "training" consisted almost entirely of scouring thrift stores to perfect our costumes. We decided to go as the opposite of all the things Nelson's team had represented.<br />
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<b>This excerpt is from our Business Communiqu<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">é:</span> </b> "It has come to our attention, given previous participation
in MOMAR of our partners and friends on team Kootenay Kaos, that there is a
perception of Kootenay residents as “yahoos”, as one racer politely put
it. Well, we are here to establish that
not all Kootenay-ites are mullet-haired, red spandex-clad, gold
wing-ed, fanny pack-wearing, trucker-hatted hooligans. We are Kootenay <i><u>Anti</u>-</i>Kaos:
professional, organized, and mature."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My support crew</td></tr>
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The race began with a 5km kayak in Comox Lake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a minute - I need to take this call.</td></tr>
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We got out of the kayaks and began a 10km trek that started on the beach then quickly headed up into the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the briefcase packpacks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was the navigator. Or, as my business cards stated: Lyndiana Jones, Vice President, Strategic Direction</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd always wondered why people did races rather than just recreating in the wilderness on their own. Now I know - the transition areas full of yummy food! I was pretty excited to be eating grapes four hours into a race.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">We were all really happy to be on our bikes for the final 15km leg of the race. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">After climbing to the top, the sweet singletrack back down the mountain was pure heaven.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-408d-SqkrEA/UkjiaydkM1I/AAAAAAAADQs/sFR2BUkd1Xc/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-408d-SqkrEA/UkjiaydkM1I/AAAAAAAADQs/sFR2BUkd1Xc/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The finish line! Would you believe I was so focused that I didn't notice my teammate's partner spraying champagne on us?! Good thing he didn't mess up our hair.</td></tr>
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Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-29796289137193808442013-08-12T22:22:00.001-07:002013-10-16T22:19:55.593-07:00Bike touring on Haida Gwaii<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_H6HoexrGKM/Ugm0mV0zpaI/AAAAAAAADPM/fs5tGaqYz9A/s1600/IMG_7126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_H6HoexrGKM/Ugm0mV0zpaI/AAAAAAAADPM/fs5tGaqYz9A/s320/IMG_7126.JPG" width="213" /></a>"Bike touring on Haida Gwaii? I've never heard of anyone else who's done that", is the common response when people hear about this trip. Well, maybe that's because there's only 120km of paved road!! So, it's basically perfect if you only have a week and are biking with kids who only want you to travel 40-50km a day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KdohDY3K_g/UgmzsRm2VeI/AAAAAAAADNw/dtTMeHlIDLU/s1600/IMG_6750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7KdohDY3K_g/UgmzsRm2VeI/AAAAAAAADNw/dtTMeHlIDLU/s320/IMG_6750.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Nelson's parents' house in Prince Rupert. Who looks dorkier?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucKMLpjqz7E/UgmztYGgqCI/AAAAAAAADN4/UhkBKOotbJo/s1600/IMG_6758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucKMLpjqz7E/UgmztYGgqCI/AAAAAAAADN4/UhkBKOotbJo/s320/IMG_6758.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 7 hour ferry ride over to the islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0VsjuPd5xPc/Ugmz5DbbLTI/AAAAAAAADOE/BQD-zRwXNyU/s1600/IMG_6804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0VsjuPd5xPc/Ugmz5DbbLTI/AAAAAAAADOE/BQD-zRwXNyU/s400/IMG_6804.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We turned onto this aptly named road and suddenly all of the hustle and bustle of the mainland just melted away...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ABtHaXFcMoU/Ugm0H3ePYHI/AAAAAAAADOc/W68K-KOCRC4/s1600/IMG_6809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ABtHaXFcMoU/Ugm0H3ePYHI/AAAAAAAADOc/W68K-KOCRC4/s320/IMG_6809.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading to our first night's campsite right on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4cO-1A79xDI/Ugmz-bcOIxI/AAAAAAAADOM/o61q8cK0t5E/s1600/IMG_6818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4cO-1A79xDI/Ugmz-bcOIxI/AAAAAAAADOM/o61q8cK0t5E/s320/IMG_6818.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know those sleeps that are so long and restful that you wake up a little groggy?</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xz0Hh9WiKcw/Ugm0Cz8ylGI/AAAAAAAADOU/qhg-dBDsm0c/s1600/IMG_6953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xz0Hh9WiKcw/Ugm0Cz8ylGI/AAAAAAAADOU/qhg-dBDsm0c/s320/IMG_6953.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0rikyaOc0Q/Ugm0LJnLuyI/AAAAAAAADOk/R1BL8GJurNw/s1600/IMG_6958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e0rikyaOc0Q/Ugm0LJnLuyI/AAAAAAAADOk/R1BL8GJurNw/s320/IMG_6958.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOM8cIkPl6c/Ugm0U3yVbpI/AAAAAAAADOs/8IqG-FQB2Gg/s1600/IMG_7051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOM8cIkPl6c/Ugm0U3yVbpI/AAAAAAAADOs/8IqG-FQB2Gg/s320/IMG_7051.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating candied wild salmon made on the island. Yum.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrXrDsvbuqk/Ugm0Z3jo45I/AAAAAAAADO0/UvdqSONFMis/s1600/IMG_7013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrXrDsvbuqk/Ugm0Z3jo45I/AAAAAAAADO0/UvdqSONFMis/s320/IMG_7013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Head north to Masset, take a right to get to Tow Hill and you've reached the end of the road.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_07pZHkBdoQ/Ugm0lJKj0BI/AAAAAAAADPE/Oh2EjYuc4c8/s1600/IMG_7206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_07pZHkBdoQ/Ugm0lJKj0BI/AAAAAAAADPE/Oh2EjYuc4c8/s320/IMG_7206.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except that you can keep biking along the beach at low tide for another 10km!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cH5S3DYAfm8/Ugm0se3dgyI/AAAAAAAADPU/cFqPyntOrZs/s1600/IMG_7297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cH5S3DYAfm8/Ugm0se3dgyI/AAAAAAAADPU/cFqPyntOrZs/s320/IMG_7297.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shipwreck on the beach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6hUum0ISpo/Ugm0a0TgO7I/AAAAAAAADO8/af-luGZgmkU/s1600/IMG_7088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6hUum0ISpo/Ugm0a0TgO7I/AAAAAAAADO8/af-luGZgmkU/s320/IMG_7088.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking at Tow Hill<br />
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We had good weather until this point in our trip then started to see some rain. <br />
And some of the weird creatures that came out in the rain!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dztB54BsX0ijweYhPGw7Pw7-XzYm4_cOD-J9efqhEuTotgYbRR7jH3IOmmOjPIFfc5rwSdfnPm-InM0lknzSw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h4B2fTWbEp0/Ugm02vj23AI/AAAAAAAADPk/EHkUYAdw7UY/s1600/IMG_7350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h4B2fTWbEp0/Ugm02vj23AI/AAAAAAAADPk/EHkUYAdw7UY/s320/IMG_7350.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking back through Masset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tgDfJYDiUdY/Ugm03gBxqgI/AAAAAAAADPs/iLajcZ0_oKY/s1600/IMG_7353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tgDfJYDiUdY/Ugm03gBxqgI/AAAAAAAADPs/iLajcZ0_oKY/s320/IMG_7353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auds helping set up camp<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totem pole at the museum in Skidegate</td></tr>
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We ate dinner while waiting for the ferry to leave, and watched two young Haida carvers working on a new totem pole that will be raised in August. For more information see:</div>
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<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/haida-gwaii-will-see-the-first-carved-pole-raised-in-over-a-century/article13700197/">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/haida-gwaii-will-see-the-first-carved-pole-raised-in-over-a-century/article13700197/</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDtTJ1oRUfo/Ugm1TQqNIkI/AAAAAAAADQU/KbVp_nvlobE/s1600/IMG_7553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dDtTJ1oRUfo/Ugm1TQqNIkI/AAAAAAAADQU/KbVp_nvlobE/s320/IMG_7553.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey asleep on the night ferry back to Rupert. Phew, all that biking was hard work!</td></tr>
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-55983369566092628832012-11-23T22:47:00.000-08:002012-11-24T09:35:36.264-08:00Barcelona: More international travels!<br />
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I was invited to present at a conference in Barcelona this fall, so my
mom and Audrey and I headed there for 3 1/2 weeks. We got an apartment
in the old city (Barri Gotic) as a home base, and set about exploring
the city and making several day trips out into the countryside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VsMl87yi3J8/ULBiMJ8DXAI/AAAAAAAADHg/jFYCgMHZmL8/s1600/02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VsMl87yi3J8/ULBiMJ8DXAI/AAAAAAAADHg/jFYCgMHZmL8/s320/02.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The plaza near our apartment</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey traveled well and made herself right at home</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTAM4sBXDYM/ULBidO1YcFI/AAAAAAAADH0/pHb6PhFtpZk/s1600/03b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTAM4sBXDYM/ULBidO1YcFI/AAAAAAAADH0/pHb6PhFtpZk/s320/03b.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first trip out of the city was to do a tour of several wineries</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcmpJSUHJwk/ULBitqKhMgI/AAAAAAAADIM/FxzlZM6QKQA/s1600/06a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bcmpJSUHJwk/ULBitqKhMgI/AAAAAAAADIM/FxzlZM6QKQA/s320/06a.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now that's what I call aging a wine!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D-GWxNYQXbg/ULBiys75cOI/AAAAAAAADIU/10tOwJOM5t0/s1600/06b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D-GWxNYQXbg/ULBiys75cOI/AAAAAAAADIU/10tOwJOM5t0/s320/06b.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, to go with all the good wine in Spain, we had to eat a lot of good food</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx3K3jUsJFY/ULBjJqI2mAI/AAAAAAAADI0/nM1HIO2pkY8/s1600/07a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx3K3jUsJFY/ULBjJqI2mAI/AAAAAAAADI0/nM1HIO2pkY8/s320/07a.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a rule to only eat at each restaurant once but we went back to this one at least half a dozen times. It had great food, really friendly servers who all loved Audrey and was kind of grubby. It reminded me of someplace on the Drive. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTOfPTwY1Bg/ULBjSzedMNI/AAAAAAAADI8/TpZXrqH3FoI/s1600/07b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTOfPTwY1Bg/ULBjSzedMNI/AAAAAAAADI8/TpZXrqH3FoI/s320/07b.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our second trip out of town was to the Pyrenees, where Auds and I did a little hiking. It was cold, though!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1rECjbdMI10/ULBjYvMmOPI/AAAAAAAADJE/zevLkd6uK70/s1600/08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1rECjbdMI10/ULBjYvMmOPI/AAAAAAAADJE/zevLkd6uK70/s320/08.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luckily, back on the Mediterranean it was pretty warm and nice most days </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vrIXfHMuNlQ/ULBjgcoQ0YI/AAAAAAAADJM/-k39PRqJIHs/s1600/09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vrIXfHMuNlQ/ULBjgcoQ0YI/AAAAAAAADJM/-k39PRqJIHs/s320/09.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another plaza near our apartment. Yeah palm trees!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OoBTFQ5nhlE/ULBjsSveDVI/AAAAAAAADJU/-addmoo14qo/s1600/09b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OoBTFQ5nhlE/ULBjsSveDVI/AAAAAAAADJU/-addmoo14qo/s320/09b.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We walked a lot, and saw some amazing sights, like this Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gGELXLdxcCI/ULBj34H9pUI/AAAAAAAADJo/yyVOToTO-Ac/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gGELXLdxcCI/ULBj34H9pUI/AAAAAAAADJo/yyVOToTO-Ac/s320/11.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fountain in the park. Yeah gold horses on top of an arch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8SZTjV_38WY/ULBkLcIqTzI/AAAAAAAADKA/FRWDd0aeIr0/s1600/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8SZTjV_38WY/ULBkLcIqTzI/AAAAAAAADKA/FRWDd0aeIr0/s320/14.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is so much great public art in Barcelona</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the graffiti is vibrant and cool</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyIMdtKf9eU/ULBklN2aRnI/AAAAAAAADKk/ofF_T1142eE/s1600/17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyIMdtKf9eU/ULBklN2aRnI/AAAAAAAADKk/ofF_T1142eE/s320/17.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of bike paths</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oPABlKqSc5s/ULBkq9FJYHI/AAAAAAAADKs/deueov3ngf4/s1600/18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oPABlKqSc5s/ULBkq9FJYHI/AAAAAAAADKs/deueov3ngf4/s320/18.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who doesn't love cycling AND tapas?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mg-jMrfpctA/ULBkvuNyt7I/AAAAAAAADK0/_BOIXyuYdPM/s1600/19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mg-jMrfpctA/ULBkvuNyt7I/AAAAAAAADK0/_BOIXyuYdPM/s320/19.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oddly enough, Audrey rarely got comments on her hair like she does here in Canada</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBal46ZoZ34/ULBk0ckHbHI/AAAAAAAADK8/1nustNGJ8pQ/s1600/20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HBal46ZoZ34/ULBk0ckHbHI/AAAAAAAADK8/1nustNGJ8pQ/s320/20.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But she got a lot of comments on her cheeks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obI18595-u0/ULBlC4WIs0I/AAAAAAAADLE/R2ttg7qB-lk/s1600/20a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obI18595-u0/ULBlC4WIs0I/AAAAAAAADLE/R2ttg7qB-lk/s320/20a.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half way through our visit, my two sisters joined us. Yay!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rWWalq7Hcg/ULBlKZJF1HI/AAAAAAAADLM/gXuULjR64i8/s1600/21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7rWWalq7Hcg/ULBlKZJF1HI/AAAAAAAADLM/gXuULjR64i8/s320/21.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went on our third day trip all together up to Montserrat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ih3JdN48Xys/ULBlRxCyrKI/AAAAAAAADLU/dbhmcyTzZrA/s1600/21a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ih3JdN48Xys/ULBlRxCyrKI/AAAAAAAADLU/dbhmcyTzZrA/s320/21a.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You may remember this from my June 2007 blog posting as the monastery in the mountains where Nelson proposed to me</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxyOFqYCmpA/ULBlX5qFhiI/AAAAAAAADLc/GhD4LDheNAs/s1600/22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxyOFqYCmpA/ULBlX5qFhiI/AAAAAAAADLc/GhD4LDheNAs/s320/22.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took Audrey for a hike and showed her all the sights, and told her lots of stories of Nelson and I's weeks camping and climbing up here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FU-nbWg09Ms/ULBljycwWhI/AAAAAAAADLw/VaTWz9VDQtI/s1600/23a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FU-nbWg09Ms/ULBljycwWhI/AAAAAAAADLw/VaTWz9VDQtI/s320/23a.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our final daytrip was to the ancient city of Girona, then to Figueres - Salvador Dali's hometown where he created a museum for many of his works before he died.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cBFYEwjnHdU/ULBlcKQcpiI/AAAAAAAADLo/hU9xAFkUIDc/s1600/23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cBFYEwjnHdU/ULBlcKQcpiI/AAAAAAAADLo/hU9xAFkUIDc/s320/23.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I breastfed near this piece. I'm not kidding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx1IPIkop4U/ULBlnx7vIwI/AAAAAAAADL4/DJNrTelIOeo/s1600/24.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx1IPIkop4U/ULBlnx7vIwI/AAAAAAAADL4/DJNrTelIOeo/s320/24.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, that is a full sized lips couch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-irVUj3azdPc/ULBlxTGTWmI/AAAAAAAADMA/JaHzFRSQFLI/s1600/24a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-irVUj3azdPc/ULBlxTGTWmI/AAAAAAAADMA/JaHzFRSQFLI/s320/24a.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A special surprise treat was that Dali also made jewelry, which I didn't know and was quite delighted by. If you think about it, it's just miniature sculptures. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hgxnG74FDh4/ULBl8wrQY1I/AAAAAAAADMI/0Czk5-1LiVY/s1600/24b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hgxnG74FDh4/ULBl8wrQY1I/AAAAAAAADMI/0Czk5-1LiVY/s320/24b.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, we also saw lots of Gaudi's fanciful masterpieces, including Parc Guell.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--EKz5u8xBlw/ULBmGnBscMI/AAAAAAAADMQ/HAd4NOskZ3Q/s1600/24c.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--EKz5u8xBlw/ULBmGnBscMI/AAAAAAAADMQ/HAd4NOskZ3Q/s320/24c.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you like my hat?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QA6pcd_O0V8/ULBmNXaqbyI/AAAAAAAADMY/LJ98gzgyYog/s1600/25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QA6pcd_O0V8/ULBmNXaqbyI/AAAAAAAADMY/LJ98gzgyYog/s320/25.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, we all headed back to frigid Canada addicted to fresh figs and pomegranates, not something you generally find in your 100 mile diet here in winter! Mmmm...</td></tr>
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-19139067714462499542012-08-28T23:09:00.002-07:002012-08-28T23:09:55.441-07:00International TravelsAfter the success of our 3 day bike tour on the old rail bed from Castlegar to Christina Lake we decided to continue our exploration of other rail grades. We were originally planning to do part of the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) but then found a rail bed in Northern Idaho that's 72 miles long (116km for us Canadians) and is paved the entire way! It's called the Trail of the Coeur D'Alenes and is filled with beautiful scenery. It was also a little easier on Audrey's little bobbling head! Before spending three days on The Trail of the Coeur D'Alenes we warmed up with a one day trip on the Route of the Hiawatha that begins in Montana and ends in Idaho. This is a 15 mile rail grade that has also been converted to a bike trail. Like parts of the KVR, it's full of trestle bridges and tunnels.<br />
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<b>ROUTE OF THE HIAWATHA</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dow1td408_0/UD2g0oh0zLI/AAAAAAAAAEs/aGsRxSgclNU/s1600/2012_08_22_334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dow1td408_0/UD2g0oh0zLI/AAAAAAAAAEs/aGsRxSgclNU/s320/2012_08_22_334.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Audrey all bundled up for the 2 mile long tunnel!</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NIaWTcXxPOc/UD2g5Xy_O9I/AAAAAAAAAE0/iwJCv0hxlcw/s1600/2012_08_22_335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NIaWTcXxPOc/UD2g5Xy_O9I/AAAAAAAAAE0/iwJCv0hxlcw/s320/2012_08_22_335.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Inside the tunnel - lights are mandatory.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkqrU7j48lQ/UD2gb_6C0qI/AAAAAAAAAEU/umUoMrFskF0/s1600/2012_08_22_322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkqrU7j48lQ/UD2gb_6C0qI/AAAAAAAAAEU/umUoMrFskF0/s320/2012_08_22_322.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The state line between Montana and Idaho is inside the tunnel.</span> </td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zh-cVrgntH0/UD2gXXrP67I/AAAAAAAAAEM/3UakGfl76kY/s1600/2012_08_21_321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zh-cVrgntH0/UD2gXXrP67I/AAAAAAAAAEM/3UakGfl76kY/s320/2012_08_21_321.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1Fnf8U4v6I/UD2gtzjdXCI/AAAAAAAAAEk/4eLvnu_uXdA/s1600/2012_08_22_327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1Fnf8U4v6I/UD2gtzjdXCI/AAAAAAAAAEk/4eLvnu_uXdA/s320/2012_08_22_327.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lynda with Audrey in tow, trestle bridge in the background.</span> </td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axD1NL3nV_Y/UD2gj6QUZWI/AAAAAAAAAEc/9PcFM3-7kAw/s1600/2012_08_22_324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-axD1NL3nV_Y/UD2gj6QUZWI/AAAAAAAAAEc/9PcFM3-7kAw/s320/2012_08_22_324.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>TRAIL OF THE COEUR D'ALENES</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Svq1lH2ow2g/UD2nSqrhufI/AAAAAAAAAFE/4cr5lnPvd3k/s1600/2012_08_22_342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Svq1lH2ow2g/UD2nSqrhufI/AAAAAAAAAFE/4cr5lnPvd3k/s320/2012_08_22_342.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found this cute little Portuguese elf on our porch so we decided to take it along for the ride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XDW7l5fgAo/UD2navbQheI/AAAAAAAAAFM/0c-Vn6wNtQ8/s1600/2012_08_23_345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6XDW7l5fgAo/UD2navbQheI/AAAAAAAAAFM/0c-Vn6wNtQ8/s320/2012_08_23_345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sound asleep</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6C1t3_MtFOQ/UD2ngo0s2qI/AAAAAAAAAFU/fLkpNS-U2Ko/s1600/2012_08_23_353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6C1t3_MtFOQ/UD2ngo0s2qI/AAAAAAAAAFU/fLkpNS-U2Ko/s320/2012_08_23_353.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any beer with the word 'drool' in it works for me! </td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FW_uAKvmaTc/UD2nnLON2VI/AAAAAAAAAFc/hdO85g74Lj0/s1600/2012_08_23_355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FW_uAKvmaTc/UD2nnLON2VI/AAAAAAAAAFc/hdO85g74Lj0/s320/2012_08_23_355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KTH8TI_zq5w/UD2nsTTQw3I/AAAAAAAAAFk/E9NcCCt-cNQ/s1600/2012_08_23_358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KTH8TI_zq5w/UD2nsTTQw3I/AAAAAAAAAFk/E9NcCCt-cNQ/s320/2012_08_23_358.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mornings were brisk but Audrey kept happy in her camping high chair.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KW9j5sdP0NQ/UD2n2Mh1QeI/AAAAAAAAAFs/7xCsMkWjtUM/s1600/2012_08_23_359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KW9j5sdP0NQ/UD2n2Mh1QeI/AAAAAAAAAFs/7xCsMkWjtUM/s320/2012_08_23_359.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign says it all. Welcome to America!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5nYNfJ4XSM/UD2n__oTgbI/AAAAAAAAAF0/vtLI-HOLkLU/s1600/2012_08_23_362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5nYNfJ4XSM/UD2n__oTgbI/AAAAAAAAAF0/vtLI-HOLkLU/s320/2012_08_23_362.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the several swampy, marsh areas we cycled through. Moose are frequently seen along this trail but the only moose we saw were on the bottles of beer Audrey kept pounding back as we rolled through. Don't worry, she had two designated drivers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r1dOdQxcAlU/UD2oLuP0YiI/AAAAAAAAAF8/N5hOW_PlQYk/s1600/2012_08_23_364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r1dOdQxcAlU/UD2oLuP0YiI/AAAAAAAAAF8/N5hOW_PlQYk/s320/2012_08_23_364.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the rest areas along the way.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s6F_W9feUpo/UD2oTEYCezI/AAAAAAAAAGE/KaAz0-sCoWw/s1600/2012_08_24_367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s6F_W9feUpo/UD2oTEYCezI/AAAAAAAAAGE/KaAz0-sCoWw/s320/2012_08_24_367.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out my ride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WFsG7gb8V08/UD2oZHhojTI/AAAAAAAAAGM/5eNnat9kjJg/s1600/2012_08_24_385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WFsG7gb8V08/UD2oZHhojTI/AAAAAAAAAGM/5eNnat9kjJg/s320/2012_08_24_385.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat your 'hart' out Amelia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oOQLUAGJkvg/UD2oh6U8BaI/AAAAAAAAAGU/-ndCyhZOXGc/s1600/2012_08_25_409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oOQLUAGJkvg/UD2oh6U8BaI/AAAAAAAAAGU/-ndCyhZOXGc/s320/2012_08_25_409.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trail crosses over Lake Coeur D'Alene on this long, stepped bridge.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k3Knaqi4-wg/UD2opnR1JdI/AAAAAAAAAGc/lpui5Rio5gI/s1600/2012_08_25_413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k3Knaqi4-wg/UD2opnR1JdI/AAAAAAAAAGc/lpui5Rio5gI/s320/2012_08_25_413.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eJWwHUGpvSQ/UD2o0kofxwI/AAAAAAAAAGk/pxGZ_XQTw8c/s1600/2012_08_25_417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eJWwHUGpvSQ/UD2o0kofxwI/AAAAAAAAAGk/pxGZ_XQTw8c/s320/2012_08_25_417.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to Harrison, a quaint little town on the lake.</td></tr>
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<br />nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02482532670238739969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-7687191799815465452012-08-07T22:52:00.001-07:002012-08-07T22:59:00.402-07:00Riding the Rails!For the long weekend, we took Audrey out on her first bike trip.
Deciding to avoid the traffic on the roads, we took an old railgrade
from Castlegar to Christina Lake, called the Columbia and Western
(C&W). Built at the end of the 1800's, it was still an active rail
line until only 20 years ago but all the former rail stations and tiny
towns along the route have long since turned back to dust. There are
lots of trestles and tunnels along the way, views of the lakes, and
picnic and camping spots to make it interesting and enjoyable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_vu0tCXYMoE/UCH8MKxtHvI/AAAAAAAADG8/Xpbz6O-h6yE/s1600/IMG_1141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_vu0tCXYMoE/UCH8MKxtHvI/AAAAAAAADG8/Xpbz6O-h6yE/s320/IMG_1141.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting out with a happy baby and fingers crossed...</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzHv07cNrW8/UCHqhgyj2lI/AAAAAAAADDc/zJXRCkRLl1Q/s1600/IMG_1172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzHv07cNrW8/UCHqhgyj2lI/AAAAAAAADDc/zJXRCkRLl1Q/s320/IMG_1172.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OupZjnVJXeo/UCHreT5BovI/AAAAAAAADEU/HrLUvrGVuCU/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OupZjnVJXeo/UCHreT5BovI/AAAAAAAADEU/HrLUvrGVuCU/s320/IMG_1239.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rest stop overlooking Arrow Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting water at the start of the Bulldog tunnel</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tFM9KgZopVw/UCHuCIzaSaI/AAAAAAAADGg/NpSeJ6BZTiE/s1600/IMG_1263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tFM9KgZopVw/UCHuCIzaSaI/AAAAAAAADGg/NpSeJ6BZTiE/s320/IMG_1263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P0c_a9QZ-Eo/UCHrwaq9B3I/AAAAAAAADEo/wkGw1hifYtg/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P0c_a9QZ-Eo/UCHrwaq9B3I/AAAAAAAADEo/wkGw1hifYtg/s320/IMG_1258.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's almost a kilometre long and has a curve in it, so there's no light at the end of this tunnel!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQK1SlnkOAM/UCHr79KRbDI/AAAAAAAADEw/Q2JWmfIcapM/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQK1SlnkOAM/UCHr79KRbDI/AAAAAAAADEw/Q2JWmfIcapM/s320/IMG_1268.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campsite at the (former) Tunnel Station</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our route (the black tracks along the west side of Arrow Lake)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun in the tent at the former Paulson Station. There used to be a hotel, store and stables here but no sign of them now!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After dinner walk with Papa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A detour over a washout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching the Paulson Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've driven over this bridge dozens of times and looked down at this trail, wishing I was on it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding by an old water tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osprey nest at the end of the route</td></tr>
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-63115015195018940382012-08-07T20:46:00.000-07:002012-08-07T23:03:49.546-07:00Ahoy mateys! The Lil' Stinker Sails<br />
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The weekend before the long weekend, we went on our first family camping
trip. Along with two other families with sailboats, we headed for
Garland Bay, across Kootenay Lake from Kaslo, where we had some grand
adventures! A bottle with a treasure map washed up onto shore while we
were swimming one day, and Raleigh and Ana had fun finding the buried
loot, along with pirate hats and eye patches. They made sure that
Audrey got to dress up, too. The Lil' Stinker also donned her sailing
gear a few times and headed out onto the lake in the Lil' Stinker.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SgJBHlVdwDg/UCHgHIZqFQI/AAAAAAAADC8/cPSy1NhuDPg/s1600/kootenay+lake+cruisers_July2012+-+81.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SgJBHlVdwDg/UCHgHIZqFQI/AAAAAAAADC8/cPSy1NhuDPg/s320/kootenay+lake+cruisers_July2012+-+81.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-54051579806422199592012-07-22T20:52:00.000-07:002012-07-22T20:52:40.145-07:00Audrey at 5 months!This blog update could also be titled 'The Many Hairstyles of Audrey Arminda' or 'How to Do a Two Week Trip to the Coast and Visit Dozens of Friends and Do Lots of Things and Come Home With Only Photos of Your Baby and Husband'.<br />
<br />
Seriously, how do I not have a single photo of anyone else, or the places we were? My travel blog has officially become my baby blog! Anyhow, after a lovely early summer here in Nelson, we headed to Vancouver, the Island, the Sunshine Coast and Squamish and Whistler for Nelson's 7-day BC Bike Race, and to visit lots of wonderful friends and their kids, as well as to meet some new little ones. <br />
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Audrey had some firsts - her first time camping, riding in a bike
trailer, and being in a bathing suit (at a water park). We had a lot of
fun! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time sleeping in a tent!</td></tr>
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-81586677098677709542012-07-22T20:30:00.003-07:002012-07-22T20:30:31.138-07:00Father's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-6640757555664112652012-06-26T09:42:00.002-07:002012-06-26T09:42:46.572-07:00Now, THAT'S Kablamo!!Following in the pedals of her mom, <i id="yui_3_2_0_1_133951604680010556">The Orange Menace</i>, <i>Mini Menace</i>
will be spreading the love of cycling at a Critical Mass near you! Her
first one will be Vancouver's Critical Mass this Friday!! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, I don't use product, my hair is that way from all the flying around</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini Menace about to take flight and feel the swoosh of her cape flapping in the wind behind her.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini Menace to the rescue! Here she comes sliding in with a dramatic entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUnT5Sijhjc/T9ePKs7gBYI/AAAAAAAAC9w/YptyjA3WyDY/s1600/image+D.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUnT5Sijhjc/T9ePKs7gBYI/AAAAAAAAC9w/YptyjA3WyDY/s320/image+D.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boo! I'll scare those bad guys away!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGiMRxvZ1hE/T9ePLf3qHkI/AAAAAAAAC94/EqoDVRnPbpw/s1600/image+E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGiMRxvZ1hE/T9ePLf3qHkI/AAAAAAAAC94/EqoDVRnPbpw/s320/image+E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huh? Whataya mean I'm not scary?! Boy-oh-boy, life as a superhero is tough!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-40337432016005784112012-06-08T11:01:00.002-07:002012-06-08T11:01:49.415-07:00Three and a half months old!Okay, I need to stop saying this but I can't believe how fast babies grow and change! Lots of new developments but the funnest thing has definitely been the giggles. She is starting to look more like us, too - you will see the resemblance in a few photos, including the backlit hair and the joint look of concentration while mowing the lawn. She also got to meet her new little cousin, Harper, who is about a month younger, which was fun (for us at least - I don't think they had a clue). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeing outside!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--TT93Sg7M8I/T9I6BDJGt_I/AAAAAAAAC74/Eh83Xu91GVs/s1600/IMG_5756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--TT93Sg7M8I/T9I6BDJGt_I/AAAAAAAAC74/Eh83Xu91GVs/s320/IMG_5756.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I came from where? And one day I might what??</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wahoo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVddbVvP_l4/T9I6r0Fg-QI/AAAAAAAAC8s/UEOsuZslYiA/s1600/IMG_5889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVddbVvP_l4/T9I6r0Fg-QI/AAAAAAAAC8s/UEOsuZslYiA/s320/IMG_5889.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See, we could have handled twins!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2UfZ1BNplsM/T9I61azFQoI/AAAAAAAAC80/WGeXGkogRiM/s1600/IMG_5893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2UfZ1BNplsM/T9I61azFQoI/AAAAAAAAC80/WGeXGkogRiM/s320/IMG_5893.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad, I think you missed a spot...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pS3xl_nTXLw/T9I65VhB0AI/AAAAAAAAC9E/cDSHcsuDrMQ/s1600/photo-23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pS3xl_nTXLw/T9I65VhB0AI/AAAAAAAAC9E/cDSHcsuDrMQ/s320/photo-23.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't wait to go sailing this summer!</td></tr>
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-44327967957125377512012-04-19T11:45:00.010-07:002012-04-19T15:39:38.960-07:00Two months old today!!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MK81XNC_8J8/T5BhJVAPbLI/AAAAAAAAC7I/nU564hnc3n8/s1600/IMG_5468.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MK81XNC_8J8/T5BhJVAPbLI/AAAAAAAAC7I/nU564hnc3n8/s320/IMG_5468.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733189138527513778" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:donotshowpropertychanges/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> 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name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Well, where does the time go?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s been another fun month.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The little stinkbug has been up to all sorts of shenanigans – being awake more, holding her head up, lots of spa/salon time, learning to blow bubbles, hiking, starring in an ad for a family pack of knitted toques, telling Grandma stories, escaping from swaddle blankets, even trying to suckle a plush dog.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> It's exhausting, really - time for another nap!</span></p><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4vPs1XDpYKI/T5BhI6avfAI/AAAAAAAAC7A/W8TTiq7QGfo/s1600/IMG_5490.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4vPs1XDpYKI/T5BhI6avfAI/AAAAAAAAC7A/W8TTiq7QGfo/s320/IMG_5490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733189131390909442" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ek4rV6-O1Y/T5BhIse0GkI/AAAAAAAAC60/6UKYAZ3UHq4/s1600/IMG_5523.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; 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240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJ3TT9voX7w/T5BfkKIPXsI/AAAAAAAAC5s/aJhdstO-U84/s320/IMG_5571.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733187400441487042" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uplISVeyTzs/T5BefDgvP9I/AAAAAAAAC4k/LOPRg5RT3yI/s1600/photo-10.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uplISVeyTzs/T5BefDgvP9I/AAAAAAAAC4k/LOPRg5RT3yI/s320/photo-10.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733186213254217682" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wh7G12qA65o/T5Bee_DzgcI/AAAAAAAAC4Y/nDAhZ4iBWQU/s1600/photo-12.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wh7G12qA65o/T5Bee_DzgcI/AAAAAAAAC4Y/nDAhZ4iBWQU/s320/photo-12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733186212059120066" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KL3qu_pEF-0/T5Bed6ENm5I/AAAAAAAAC4M/ZVsdhAeaF-I/s1600/photo-17.JPG"></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMZjkN7UiWo/T5BedeP0McI/AAAAAAAAC4A/pAi39h0nM8g/s1600/photo-18.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PMZjkN7UiWo/T5BedeP0McI/AAAAAAAAC4A/pAi39h0nM8g/s320/photo-18.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733186186071257538" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xvr_TwMaR54/T5Bef0LTH5I/AAAAAAAAC4w/ezJ3Sj3bJzs/s1600/photo-9.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xvr_TwMaR54/T5Bef0LTH5I/AAAAAAAAC4w/ezJ3Sj3bJzs/s320/photo-9.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5733186226317631378" border="0" /></a>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-86293065603405913602012-03-16T14:02:00.011-07:002012-03-17T12:11:17.463-07:00Growing by the Day<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ak-sypoPMAk/T2ThTS_sCCI/AAAAAAAAADs/_thbzHMlkC0/s1600/Dancing%2Bwith%2BFred%2BAstaire.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y7dJgrnr3FU/T2OsZBFs0ZI/AAAAAAAAADU/m4i8Ew5sYJ4/s1600/IMG_5267.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y7dJgrnr3FU/T2OsZBFs0ZI/AAAAAAAAADU/m4i8Ew5sYJ4/s320/IMG_5267.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720605497479713170" /></a>Our little Troll Kitten keeps getting cuter and cuter by the day. Here are some pics from her 2nd and 3rd weeks on Planet Earth. We swear, her eyes do open!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hangin' with Grandma<div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pejG2qFI4A/T2OsYdGnb2I/AAAAAAAAADI/RAqY9EGpqNI/s1600/IMG_5339.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pejG2qFI4A/T2OsYdGnb2I/AAAAAAAAADI/RAqY9EGpqNI/s320/IMG_5339.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720605487819878242" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Asleep with mommy</span><br /><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YTsyAYzln8Y/T2OsAuhQeLI/AAAAAAAAAC8/fTHh7SQYfRo/s1600/IMG_5342.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YTsyAYzln8Y/T2OsAuhQeLI/AAAAAAAAAC8/fTHh7SQYfRo/s320/IMG_5342.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720605080178161842" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Big stretch!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j_eDUZoVb9M/T2Or_x7PwXI/AAAAAAAAACw/kVLJlkUZ9uU/s1600/IMG_5377.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j_eDUZoVb9M/T2Or_x7PwXI/AAAAAAAAACw/kVLJlkUZ9uU/s320/IMG_5377.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720605063912604018" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NJW1lDaZyKw/T2Or_cuzkjI/AAAAAAAAACk/Tm8HhET9kec/s1600/IMG_5385.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NJW1lDaZyKw/T2Or_cuzkjI/AAAAAAAAACk/Tm8HhET9kec/s320/IMG_5385.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720605058223280690" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; ">The benefit of having a spine made of jelly - you can fall asleep in virtually any position!</span></div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xsfroQ28j_U/T2Or-qaTT4I/AAAAAAAAACY/_5t5Gc8zzFg/s1600/IMG_5390.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xsfroQ28j_U/T2Or-qaTT4I/AAAAAAAAACY/_5t5Gc8zzFg/s320/IMG_5390.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720605044715507586" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; ">We've been potty training Audrey since week 1 and she's made incredible progress! She usually pees and poops when we hold her over her little potty but sometimes... she falls asleep.</span></div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWn3oL3050Q/T2Or-G1vM5I/AAAAAAAAACM/gwkBUC3m_n8/s1600/IMG_5397.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWn3oL3050Q/T2Or-G1vM5I/AAAAAAAAACM/gwkBUC3m_n8/s320/IMG_5397.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720605035166905234" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nwMAw92qAKU/T2Oqvas6N1I/AAAAAAAAACA/mebtaGjWZz0/s1600/IMG_5406.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nwMAw92qAKU/T2Oqvas6N1I/AAAAAAAAACA/mebtaGjWZz0/s320/IMG_5406.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720603683288921938" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cH7bauj024Y/T2Oqu3seoHI/AAAAAAAAAB0/fWd1KqawXr4/s1600/IMG_5417.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cH7bauj024Y/T2Oqu3seoHI/AAAAAAAAAB0/fWd1KqawXr4/s320/IMG_5417.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720603673891872882" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Audrey's first day skiing!<div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USBUhErX8RQ/T2OquNrLCJI/AAAAAAAAABo/DPKpzrquhWQ/s1600/IMG_5422.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USBUhErX8RQ/T2OquNrLCJI/AAAAAAAAABo/DPKpzrquhWQ/s320/IMG_5422.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720603662612105362" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_YZJ7ckvfVk/T2ThTFZNecI/AAAAAAAAADg/aEMK1v7FpMQ/s320/IMG_5465.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720945144649054658" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ak-sypoPMAk/T2ThTS_sCCI/AAAAAAAAADs/_thbzHMlkC0/s1600/Dancing%2Bwith%2BFred%2BAstaire.jpg"></a><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ak-sypoPMAk/T2ThTS_sCCI/AAAAAAAAADs/_thbzHMlkC0/s320/Dancing%2Bwith%2BFred%2BAstaire.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720945148300101666" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 297px; " /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_YZJ7ckvfVk/T2ThTFZNecI/AAAAAAAAADg/aEMK1v7FpMQ/s1600/IMG_5465.JPG"></a><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Look out Ginger Rogers! Fred's got a new dance partner!</div>nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02482532670238739969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-83237232859042534832012-02-26T10:49:00.010-08:002012-02-26T11:22:27.098-08:00Lyndiana Jones and the Temple of Womb<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amULehaFiug/T0qCu0UnwiI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/XQ7XliPOESY/s1600/IMG_5067.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amULehaFiug/T0qCu0UnwiI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/XQ7XliPOESY/s320/IMG_5067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713522818103624226" border="0" /></a>Audrey Arminda's first week!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hPD7v50M7nM/T0qCvYeZRdI/AAAAAAAAC1w/BmhUwJkKUuY/s1600/IMG_5078.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hPD7v50M7nM/T0qCvYeZRdI/AAAAAAAAC1w/BmhUwJkKUuY/s320/IMG_5078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713522827808294354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sBdk7O-PJso/T0qCvHAec0I/AAAAAAAAC1g/SVVplSSldP0/s1600/IMG_5068.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sBdk7O-PJso/T0qCvHAec0I/AAAAAAAAC1g/SVVplSSldP0/s320/IMG_5068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713522823119401794" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-amULehaFiug/T0qCu0UnwiI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/XQ7XliPOESY/s1600/IMG_5067.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ij6ZyhLFxd0/T0qCvxha5CI/AAAAAAAAC18/Mvan6VQHDjc/s1600/IMG_5091.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ij6ZyhLFxd0/T0qCvxha5CI/AAAAAAAAC18/Mvan6VQHDjc/s320/IMG_5091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713522834531869730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iakc4mkeOBo/T0qCTRWsxEI/AAAAAAAAC0w/SG40PpP33Bc/s1600/IMG_5078.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UTaYr4GpRLc/T0qCSVvJevI/AAAAAAAAC0o/32OK8TFWttw/s1600/IMG_5091.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dVm-51hOU50/T0qCT874BJI/AAAAAAAAC1M/t3aGw8uSccg/s1600/IMG_5067.JPG"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OX_TLTsC8BY/T0qBxwtlhHI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/B51l8zZO7UU/s1600/IMG_5101.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OX_TLTsC8BY/T0qBxwtlhHI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/B51l8zZO7UU/s320/IMG_5101.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713521769162572914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uWjbIum-aX8/T0qBxU64fEI/AAAAAAAAC0I/15Oh0y2jKSA/s1600/IMG_5104.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uWjbIum-aX8/T0qBxU64fEI/AAAAAAAAC0I/15Oh0y2jKSA/s320/IMG_5104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713521761702149186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNxVoSVzDIc/T0qBwyLBaSI/AAAAAAAACz4/Ql0PhjPsAP4/s1600/IMG_5110.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNxVoSVzDIc/T0qBwyLBaSI/AAAAAAAACz4/Ql0PhjPsAP4/s320/IMG_5110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713521752374602018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-px8mzX7TOcY/T0qBwgidbEI/AAAAAAAACzs/VT7IYzrU3hE/s1600/IMG_5114.JPG"><img style="float:left; 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margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DyID02aBmKo/T0p_c_pDecI/AAAAAAAACxE/8xL7jpdajYk/s320/IMG_5219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713519213369588162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87s6fKfafW0/T0p_cgYY7cI/AAAAAAAACw4/iHUcoECcZZE/s1600/IMG_5216.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-87s6fKfafW0/T0p_cgYY7cI/AAAAAAAACw4/iHUcoECcZZE/s320/IMG_5216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713519204978191810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JMY9SA7f4FM/T0p_d8Z0WfI/AAAAAAAACxg/NZWqevfvDf4/s1600/IMG_5248.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JMY9SA7f4FM/T0p_d8Z0WfI/AAAAAAAACxg/NZWqevfvDf4/s320/IMG_5248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713519229680245234" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jw2gVtN8nk8/T0qAGVX7kZI/AAAAAAAACyY/tzy70za2cxk/s1600/IMG_5175.JPG"></a>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-49274562931647866802011-03-16T15:02:00.000-07:002011-03-16T15:37:21.135-07:00Africa: Was it all just a dream?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sneYcAi7sdk/TYE5mHQMzjI/AAAAAAAACwo/WeroOd2gkG4/s1600/IMG_3267.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sneYcAi7sdk/TYE5mHQMzjI/AAAAAAAACwo/WeroOd2gkG4/s320/IMG_3267.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584808339860934194" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->I am back in Canada now, looking out the window at all the snow and wondering if biking in Africa was all just a dream.<span style=""> </span>Well, if it was, here is what else happened before I woke up… <p class="MsoNormal">We realized that there was no way we had time to bike from Rwanda to the Tanzanian coast and visit Zanzibar in the time we had left, plus there was the small matter of needing to get through the Serengeti (which we weren’t allowed to do on bicycles).<span style=""> </span>Fortunately, the folks I had just been gorilla tracking with had the solution – join them on their overland truck tour that was going exactly where we wanted to go.<span style=""> </span>So we did, and discovered another way to travel in Africa.<span style=""> </span></p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWEx-9X9CgQ/TYE5l-JuT7I/AAAAAAAACwg/jBcIOrS3lHM/s1600/IMG_3268.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWEx-9X9CgQ/TYE5l-JuT7I/AAAAAAAACwg/jBcIOrS3lHM/s320/IMG_3268.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584808337417850802" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->We tied our bikes on the front of the truck, thinking that we would probably take them off every evening and go for a ride.<span style=""> </span>Little did we know that we wouldn’t touch them again for over a week (except when Nelson pretended to ride my bike while strapped onto the truck).<span style=""> </span>Traveling with the overland truck was extremely easy, being driven everywhere we needed to go with a guide organizing everything for the group, so suddenly we didn’t have to think about any of the logistics of our travel.<span style=""> </span>It was a bit strange being part of a group of 20 other travelers (mostly from Australia and the UK) but it was also really fun. <span style=""> </span>We listened to a lot of music, including the group’s theme song: <p class="MsoNormal">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCca5mPMp9A</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mefleal8-x0/TYE5lEFCu9I/AAAAAAAACwQ/QiFrECu75AQ/s1600/IMG_3274.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mefleal8-x0/TYE5lEFCu9I/AAAAAAAACwQ/QiFrECu75AQ/s320/IMG_3274.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584808321828961234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hyD22TgkKc8/TYE5lX6ccWI/AAAAAAAACwY/8kcAaxkxjKw/s1600/IMG_3261.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hyD22TgkKc8/TYE5lX6ccWI/AAAAAAAACwY/8kcAaxkxjKw/s320/IMG_3261.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584808327153217890" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->We crossed into Tanzania (pronounced Tan-zany-ya by many Africans we met), and took a little ferry across a small finger of Lake Victoria, which we almost missed because we were waiting for our goat meat to be grilled.<span style=""> </span>We spent one night camped on the lake shore, looking across at a jumble of houses on a small peninsula, then spent two days driving through the Serengeti, camping one night in the park.<span style=""> </span>We could hear lions and hyenas from our tents at night, and saw both of those animals the next day from the truck.<span style=""> </span>We also saw thousands and thousands of zebras and wildebeest migrating, which was pretty spectacular, and hippos, buffalo, a leopard, and lots of giraffes (still my favourite).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gm_ZN69iqZM/TYE5kipCAqI/AAAAAAAACwI/62MEjgPS-eI/s1600/IMG_3283.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gm_ZN69iqZM/TYE5kipCAqI/AAAAAAAACwI/62MEjgPS-eI/s320/IMG_3283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584808312853103266" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ycksu84AYSg/TYE41sXjzbI/AAAAAAAACwA/9eDyfP4IMdQ/s1600/IMG_3311.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ycksu84AYSg/TYE41sXjzbI/AAAAAAAACwA/9eDyfP4IMdQ/s320/IMG_3311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584807508010323378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5F7zGtOab9k/TYE41aUaDXI/AAAAAAAACv4/YFja-HRMhOE/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5F7zGtOab9k/TYE41aUaDXI/AAAAAAAACv4/YFja-HRMhOE/s320/IMG_3318.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584807503165263218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLVIGXxViQI/TYE41OHI-OI/AAAAAAAACvw/WIVqnv7rkC4/s1600/IMG_3363.JPG"><img style="float: left; 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margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y0iyNYm7HzQ/TYE3T_iMVyI/AAAAAAAACuQ/9k0tR213Ae4/s320/IMG_3474.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584805829528016674" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->We visited a Maasai village just outside the gates of the park.<span style=""> </span>It was a slightly weird experience, with a truckload of us descending on it all at the same time, and it was definitely pretty scripted and choreographed but very interesting all the same.<span style=""> </span>The Maasai have lost a lot of their traditional lands and way of life with most of the area around their villages being designated parks and world heritage sites, so they are working to both make a living and maintain their culture by offering tours of their villages, including a traditional dance which involves them jumping really high.<span style=""> </span>They have sandals made out of old car tires that I’d like to try to make. <span style=""> </span>Their bead jewelry was very intricate and beautiful and the holes in their ears from heavy earrings were so large that many of them had the bottom of their ears flipped up over the top of their ears.<span style=""> </span>We were taken inside one of their mud houses, after Nelson chatted about its architecture and construction with the owner.<span style=""> </span>We also got to visit the children’s schoolhouse. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">The following day we drove down into the Ngorongoro crater, which was a bit of a dream world.<span style=""> </span>It’s the largest intact caldera in the world, a volcano that collapsed into itself 2 to 3 million years ago, and fossils show that human-like creatures have been there for pretty much that same length of time. We saw flamingos, male lions for the first time, as well as our first black rhino (sadly all too far away to take decent photos).<span style=""> </span>Seeing a rhino meant that we had now seen all of the “big five”.<span style=""> </span>I hadn’t heard this term before arriving in Africa, but it’s the animals that are most difficult and dangerous to hunt apparently – lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo, and black rhino. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, Nelson didn’t entirely appreciate this as he was quite sick and spent the day alternating between shivering and being boiling hot and extremely exhausted.<span style=""> </span>Fortunately, we were with the overland truck and they organized for him to get to a clinic.<span style=""> </span>I was really grateful that I was able to just take care of Nelson without also having to organize everything else.<span style=""> </span>While we were at the clinic, the guide set up a tent for us, and the group made us dinner, which was really nice.<span style=""> </span>The doctor concluded that Nelson had the flu and a kidney infection and gave him antibiotics but when Nelson wasn’t feeling better a few days later, he started taking malaria medication as well, just in case.<span style=""> </span>We heard from several people who’d had cerebral malaria and almost died from it that the symptoms were fever, chills, and extreme exhaustion and that it doesn’t always show up in tests, so we weren’t taking any chances.<span style=""> </span>We rarely take prescription or even over-the-counter medication at home, so it was interesting to us to see how quick we were to take drugs that we might not even need.<span style=""> </span>Anyhow, back to the trip…</p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">We left the overland truck in Dar Es Salaam and headed over to Zanzibar on a ferry.<span style=""> </span>Known as the Spice Island because of all the spices grown there, it was a really interesting and beautiful place to end our journey.<span style=""> </span>We stayed a night in Stone Town, then biked to the north end of the island where we spent a few days relaxing and playing in the Indian Ocean and Nelson went swimming with turtles.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve included a map of our actual journey, which is pretty similar to our proposed one, with the parts we biked, took busses or trucks, or boated marked in different colours.<span style=""> </span>We ended up biking just over 3000km.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As we talk to people about our trip, and answer questions like “What was your favourite country?”, or “What did you learn?”, or “What were your top three moments?”, we are slowly starting to make sense of our whole journey and what it means to us, so please do keep asking us those questions and others!<br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wsrv1hsGo60/TYE0fj9EUqI/AAAAAAAACtY/ssNu5Keiga8/s1600/IMG_3504.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wsrv1hsGo60/TYE0fj9EUqI/AAAAAAAACtY/ssNu5Keiga8/s320/IMG_3504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584802729748091554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TGvyGC1P84w/TYE1ParSuDI/AAAAAAAACuA/n696aJNI-mI/s1600/final%2Broute%2Bmap%2B3.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TGvyGC1P84w/TYE1ParSuDI/AAAAAAAACuA/n696aJNI-mI/s320/final%2Broute%2Bmap%2B3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584803551891339314" border="0" /></a>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-43490358078195078032011-03-07T17:42:00.000-08:002011-03-16T15:01:30.668-07:00Gorilla videoPeople have asked me, since the previous blog posting, if I was ever afraid being so close to the gorillas. I'm including here a video of the one time that my heart was racing a little bit. One of the adult female gorillas pounded on her chest, and ran in our direction, circling across in front of us. One of the other travelers I was there with asked "Was she trying to scare us?" and I said "I'm scared. That worked", but our guide reassured us that she was just excited to see us. Apparently, if the silverback does that, though, he IS trying to intimidate you.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx8ETGEyAT140EDuyLWh-DBztx0tuI6zUTr1ROIp0XZ0hkxbhhE0hJDbJOdCE3f0ry8Zn04_tYSrcyU-nB28w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-31929900305197923222011-02-11T05:26:00.000-08:002011-02-11T09:29:43.881-08:00Gorillas in the Mist<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YnURA5X5RMc/TVVvTMy0HeI/AAAAAAAACtQ/5amWD3kFjeM/s1600/IMG_3225.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" 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priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Okay, it was actually gorillas in the rain and hail, but it was gorillas nevertheless.<span style=""> </span>After a three-hour hike through a bamboo forest and up into the jungle of Mt. Kirisimbi, the highest volcano in the Virunga range on the Rwanda/Uganda border, we encountered the Susa group.<span style=""> </span>The largest of the 18 groups of mountain gorillas in the park, there are more than 30 gorillas in the group, including three silverbacks (only the dominant one gets to get sexy with the ladies, though) and the only twins to have both lived past age five (they are seven years old now).<span style=""> </span>My photos don’t do the experience justice, but here they are…</p>
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Interestingly, I learned this morning that the Project Rwanda headquarters we are staying at used to be the offices of the Dian Fossey gorilla research centre, and they used to dissect gorillas (that had died naturally) in what is now the bike shop.<span style=""> </span>Apparently during the war there used to also be gorillas living here in the compound for their protection.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p>
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I wonder if they ever told that joke: “Where does a 500lb. gorilla sleep?”<span style=""> </span>
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">(Answer:<span style=""> </span>“Wherever it bloody well wants”)</p> Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-6994009024876741242011-02-11T00:27:00.000-08:002011-02-11T07:18:41.508-08:00Rwanda: Land of a Thousand Hills<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ucYrO5yZa9o/TVUwLCb8iYI/AAAAAAAACrQ/EgNPQl96XXQ/s1600/IMG_2975.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ucYrO5yZa9o/TVUwLCb8iYI/AAAAAAAACrQ/EgNPQl96XXQ/s320/IMG_2975.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572413080131635586" border="0" /></a><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" 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a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">We crossed the border into Rwanda about a week ago, and immediately noticed the difference.<span style=""> </span>It was suddenly so much more quiet, clean and organized.<span style=""> </span>Then, suddenly, a group of kids caught sight of us and started running alongside and behind us, laughing and yelling and practicing their english, and we realized that political boundaries aren’t necessarily cultural ones.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As the name promised, Rwanda is VERY hilly, but absolutely worth it as it so gorgeous. <span style=""> </span>It has the highest population density in continental sub-Saharan Africa and 84% of the population lives in rural areas which means that, as we are getting very used to, we are never alone.<span style=""> </span>It also means that pretty much every available inch of land is cultivated regardless of how steep the slope is - mostly for subsistent agriculture – resulting in some pretty impressive terracing.<span style=""> </span>Rwanda also grows tea and coffee for export and the tea plantations are vibrantly green.<span style=""> </span>We passed through one just before entering one of Rwanda’s national parks.<span style=""> </span>Called Nyungwe, it is virgin equatorial rainforest that survived the last ice age, so it is really old! <span style=""> </span>It is also the source of the Nile that Livingstone died trying to find, and includes the Congo/Nile divide. <span style=""> </span>We hung out with a troop of baboons that passed through where we stayed.<span style=""> </span>We also saw a number of Angolan colobus monkeys in the park, but they were too quick for our camera.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We rode east to Lake Kivu, where we hoped to catch some kind of boat up the lake.<span style=""> </span>This one was a bit trickier to organize as we not only don’t speak the local language (Kinyurwanda), but we don’t really speak the official language (French) either.<span style=""> </span>We went down to the port and were told unequivocally by everyone we asked that there was no passenger boat up the lake and absolutely no way to get up the lake without hiring a “special” boat that would cost close to $500.<span style=""> </span>We even met some folks who spoke English (and French and Kinyurwanda) who asked again for us and got confirmation that we were understanding correctly.<span style=""> </span>We had ridden three days on a windy road over hundreds of hills and thousands of pot holes, and I didn’t really want to backtrack – I also knew that if we had to take a bus back over that road that I would probably puke.<span style=""> </span>For a few hours I felt completely defeated, and even lost a little faith in possibilism.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But I obviously still had some hope because at the guest lodge that we checked into, I asked if they knew of a boat up the lake.<span style=""> </span>It took a day and a half, but they found us a cargo boat that was headed exactly where we wanted.<span style=""> </span>We were told that it might leave that evening or the next morning, and that we should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.<span style=""> </span>At sunset, the captain called the lodge to say that the boat wasn’t going until the morning, so we relaxed and ordered dinner.<span style=""> </span>We had finished eating and were enjoying a game of cards, when another call came – the boat was leaving in 15 minutes and we had better hurry because they were waiting for us!<span style=""> </span>Yikes.<span style=""> </span>So we threw everything together and starting riding down to the port as fast as we could, given that it was pitch black, there were no streetlights, and more pot holes than road – luckily we had ridden the road a few times and had it memorized.<span style=""> </span>It is a little strange to arrive at a small African port in the dark, where it seems a little deserted and you can’t really communicate with anyone, and for a few seconds we wondered what we were getting ourselves into.<span style=""> </span>However, the guest house we were staying at was run by a church and we didn’t think they would send us into our undoing.<span style=""> </span>After a bit, we found the captain, learned that they still had to load two big trucks full of cement onto the boat, and that nobody could really say when the boat would leave but that it wouldn’t be anytime soon.<span style=""> </span>We instantly felt like we were back in a land that we could understand – that of “hurry up and wait” – so we just relaxed until the boat left at midnight.<span style=""> </span>After spending the night on the “Francine” we arrived at Gisenyi, at the north end of the lake, around noon and disembarked near the national brewery and where lots of fisherman had their wooden boats moored – they take these boats out in groups of three boats lashed together like a trimaran. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Interestingly, the boilers in the brewery are powered by methane gas that is extracted from Lake Kivu.<span style=""> </span>It’s a pilot project to see if they could power the country and several neighbouring countries by the gases trapped in the lake.<span style=""> </span>Lake Kivu is one of three “exploding” lakes (the other two are in Cameroon) that also has a lot of carbon dioxide trapped in it, that sometimes escapes and asphyxiates every living thing on or near it.<span style=""> </span>Maybe that’s why there are no passenger ferries!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes (that also includes Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi) that are part of the Great Rift Valley that formed when two continental plates collided, created volcanoes and mountains (like Mt. Kilimanjaro) then started moving apart to create a huge valley and big lakes between them.<span style=""> </span>The lakes are some of the oldest and deepest in the world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We rode from Gisenyi<span style=""> </span>east to a town called Musanze, where we are staying at the headquarters of both Project Rwanda (<a href="http://www.projectrwanda.org/">www.projectrwanda.org</a>), which does all sorts of amazing things to support economic development with bicycles, and also Team Rwanda, the country’s national cycling team.<span style=""> </span>A film has recently been made about the team, called Rising From Ashes, that is going to be screened around North America this year.<span style=""> </span>See the trailer here: <a href="http://risingfromashesthemovie.com/">risingfromashesthemovie.com</a>
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<br />Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-59315055339614390132011-02-09T05:59:00.000-08:002011-02-10T11:49:41.096-08:00Burundi: Bananniers Bombing Down from Bugarama to Bujumbura<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" style="font-family:arial;">Hi all, it's me, Lynda's faithful travel companion (and husband), back for another contribution to Lyndiana Jones' blog. Without further ado, I will catapult another story straight outta my journal into the far reaches of cyber space. Hope you enjoy it.<br /><br />---<br /><br />I was awoken by the familiar beeping of my wristwatch. I was feeling a bit rough - dry mouth, headache, dehydrated, and slightly hung over from all the wine - it was 4 a.m. It wasn't how we originally planned it. We had planned to go to bed early so that we would be well rested and prepared for the grueling day ahead of us but we had such a great evening with our host Patrick, the owner of Hotel de la Palmeraie where we were staying, that a quick dinner turned into hours of engaging conversation and maybe one too many glasses of wine. Patrick spoke passionately about his love for Burundi and Rwanda, and was so excited by our travels and the fact that we were the first bicycle tourers to ask to pitch a tent at his four star hotel that he insisted we sign the hotel's <span style="font-style: italic;">Livre d'Or</span> or 'Golden Book' which has been graced by such dignitaries as the Minister of Defense for Rwanda and some famous African singing group we can't remember the name of. We felt incredibly fortunate to have met Patrick and the wonderful staff who were all extremely accommodating for two budget travelers living in a nylon palace.<br /><br />At 6 a.m. we said goodbye to our oasis in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, but also anxious to leave behind the diesel and dust of this bustling but war torn port city. Lynda was feeling particularly intimidated by the day that lie ahead, not because of the 1400m </a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="">climb, but because of the potential risks of traveling in Burundi. The travel advisory on the Government of Canada website warned against travel in Burundi, highlighting the rural areas around Bujumbura as especially dangerous due to</a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title=""> </a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">"</a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Attacks on civilians by former soldiers, rebels, and youth gangs." We were about to set off on a 40km climb through the rural areas of Bujumbura (or 'Buj' as we started calling it) where we would be averaging 6km/h. Basically, we were sitting ducks, or at least very slow moving ducks, if anyone wanted to try anything. Fortunately, as we have discovered in all previous cases, it's never as bad as they say it is and in fact we had one of our most enjoyable and memorable days yet! The climb was long and arduous but filled with so much excitement and breathtaking vistas that we barely noticed the unforgiving steep pitches that snaked their way up the mountains.<br /><br />For me, the highlight was watching all the brave young men flying down the hills at incredible speeds carrying enormous loads, exceeded in size only by their testicles! They carried everything on their rebar-reinforced racks including vegetables, large sacks of charcoal, hand crafted wooden doors, and bananas. Some of the guys carrying bananas had loaded their rear racks with piles that often towered over their heads and with</a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"> bunches hanging off the sides of the racks. They looked like banana panniers or 'bananniers' as Lynda called them. We watched these courageous daredevils come careening down </a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" style="font-family:arial;">the winding asphalt </a></span><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10;"><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial;">at harrowing speeds carrying impossible loads with no helmets and poor brakes. We never witnessed one, thankfully, but if any of them had encountered the slightest obstacle, a wandering child, an obscured pothole, or a bus in the wrong lane (not so slight), I'm sure the carnage would be legendary!</span><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpUobVBZI/AAAAAAAACpY/LsskpRNOhG4/s1600/IMG_2924.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpUobVBZI/AAAAAAAACpY/LsskpRNOhG4/s320/IMG_2924.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571772229669422482" border="0" /></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpUalYSFI/AAAAAAAACpQ/g3d0T9vg6bo/s1600/IMG_2933.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpUalYSFI/AAAAAAAACpQ/g3d0T9vg6bo/s320/IMG_2933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571772225953482834" border="0" /></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpUGRlMDI/AAAAAAAACpI/fNm18PRK8KM/s1600/IMG_2943.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpUGRlMDI/AAAAAAAACpI/fNm18PRK8KM/s320/IMG_2943.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571772220501733426" border="0" /></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br /><span style="font-size:10;"><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk_fcaDpI/AAAAAAAACo4/Z97y8TnxQDc/s1600/IMG_2962.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk_fcaDpI/AAAAAAAACo4/Z97y8TnxQDc/s320/IMG_2962.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571767468434263698" border="0" /></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br /><span style="font-size:10;"><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpT5HzpEI/AAAAAAAACpA/p9h1d3Dy7Xo/s1600/IMG_2932.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLpT5HzpEI/AAAAAAAACpA/p9h1d3Dy7Xo/s320/IMG_2932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571772216971076674" border="0" /></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size:10;"><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-size:10;color:black;" ><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br />In actuality it's a pretty slick system</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" style="font-family:arial;"><span style=""> they have; they ferry loads of food, supplies, or people down to the city then catch rides back up the hill by grabbing onto the back of one of the hundreds of transport trucks going up the hill. Sometimes there could be as many as five cyclists across a large truck, all off their saddles, sitting sideways at the front of their top tube with one arm leisurely draped over the handlebars and the other grabbing hold of whatever they can. We received a lot of waves, thumbs ups, bell rings, and of course, shouts of "Muzungu!" (white person). We were the only ones foolish enough to pedal up the hill. At the start of the climb a few people were yelling, "Courage! Courage!" to us and it wasn't until I saw how crazy the drivers and cyclists were with their blind corner passing and blazing speeds that I truly understood what they meant!<br /><br />After 40km and five hours of nothing but up with only a few quick breaks we finally reached Bugarama. We had climbed 1400 metres out of The Great Rift Valley and into the mountainous terrain of Burundi's tropical forests. As we stopped for lunch in Bugarama we welcomed the misty chilled air - a rarity in our travels thus far. The rest of the ride was mostly downhill which was a fun end to the day of mostly climbing but the excitement didn't stop there. We were chased by several groups of running children, all wanting to test out their English on us ("How are you?" "What is your name?" etc.) Sometimes our followers were guys on bikes. It's extremely rare that we ride by people on bikes and nobody follows us. Mostly they just want to stare at our super kitted out bikes or at Lynda's legs. Women rarely ride bicycles here so to see a woman riding a bike, especially uphill, is quite something! I had a potentially disasterous incident while bombing down a long hill right behind Lynda. I hit a pot hole at mach speed </span></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title=""><span style="">with a van right on my tail </span></a><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title="" face="arial"><span style="">and lost a pannier (luckily not a banannier or that would been the end of the van!). The van swerved to miss my pannier then my other one blew off. Scary!! Finally, we pulled into a quaint mountain village and checked into a hostel minutes before the rain began to come down in sheets turning the roads into rivers. Life is good!</span></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="nofollow" name="2" title=""></a></span><a style="font-weight: bold;" rel="nofollow" name="2" title=""><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk_PSjlOI/AAAAAAAACow/ep7oRbS6alQ/s1600/IMG_2957.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk_PSjlOI/AAAAAAAACow/ep7oRbS6alQ/s320/IMG_2957.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571767464097977570" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk-xLwt0I/AAAAAAAACoo/U08DPt2I1nQ/s1600/IMG_2963.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk-xLwt0I/AAAAAAAACoo/U08DPt2I1nQ/s320/IMG_2963.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571767456016414530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk-hJmqcI/AAAAAAAACog/4JX2gdDwAj0/s1600/IMG_2946.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk-hJmqcI/AAAAAAAACog/4JX2gdDwAj0/s320/IMG_2946.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571767451712399810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk-UqhQyI/AAAAAAAACoY/h55_hAweM9w/s1600/IMG_2964.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TVLk-UqhQyI/AAAAAAAACoY/h55_hAweM9w/s320/IMG_2964.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571767448360796962" border="0" /></a><br /><a rel="nofollow" name="2" title=""><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;color:black;" ><br /></span></span></span></a><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwwXPGFVTcDp2OGgttjDpI9QH16Lcpgajlj8nBYDr3opR7dgt7BTKJRKk9p2XM6ChVNPODcT_bE-YBJid65EA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-60140133037738351582011-01-31T07:22:00.000-08:002011-01-31T08:41:49.724-08:00Mzungu in Mpulungu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbczyjXD-I/AAAAAAAACoM/HlMRl6OYWkA/s1600/IMG_2709.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbczyjXD-I/AAAAAAAACoM/HlMRl6OYWkA/s320/IMG_2709.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568380771591720930" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> 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mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="" lang="EN-US">We are in Bujumbura, Burundi.<span style=""> </span>I can’t quite believe it – if you look on the map of our route from the first Africa blog posting, we are more than two-thirds of the distance through our travels!<span style=""> </span>Over the last week, this has actually involved little physical effort on our part, but has involved a bit of physical discomfort. </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Since our last blog posting, we spent a few more days in the saddle continuing north up Lake Malawi, including a small jog inland that involved climbing onto a plateau with a rubber tree plantation.<span style=""> </span>Climbing was hard work but meant that we also got to descend about 800m back down to the lake in less than 10km.<span style=""> </span>Wheeee!<span style=""> </span>Luckily, there were bore holes and water pumps quite regularly, so we didn’t have to carry too much water weight up the hills.<span style=""> </span>We have continued to be impressed with all the cycling done without gears, and the heavy loads that people carry on their bicycles, as well as on their heads.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Most people we meet, locals and other travelers alike, think we’re crazy for what we’re doing, but we finally are able to say “you know what’s even crazier?” and tell them about Richard, a really nice guy that we met who is WALKING a similar journey.<span style=""> </span>He started in South Africa, at the southernmost point of the continent and is walking to Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest point on the continent, which he will climb before heading home.<span style=""> </span>He started in October and will be finished at the beginning of March.<span style=""> </span>His website is here if you want to check it out:<span style=""> </span><a href="http://www.richardsrun.co.za/">www.richardsrun.co.za</a><span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">When we arrived in the town of Karonga, at the north end of Lake Malawi, we had to figure out how to get ourselves up several hundred kilometers of dirt (mud) roads with no public transportation back over to Zambia and to the south end of Lake Tanganyika, where we wanted to catch an old ferry boat that may or may not run every Friday or Saturday, according to the best information we could get. <span style=""> </span>In general, we have found things here don’t transpire quite as they would other places we’ve been and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that a journey that we thought would be very difficult was actually logistically fairly simple, even if it wasn’t that easy on our bodies.<span style=""> </span>We were able to strap our bikes on the back or top of several trucks and hitch rides along with the locals.<span style=""> </span>It is amazing how many people can fit in the back of a truck!<span style=""> </span>Every time I thought we were completely full and couldn’t possibly pick up another person, that is exactly what we did.<span style=""> </span>After we reached a point of maximum discomfort , it actually became more comfortable as all the bodies around you held you up and allowed you to just relax, even if you couldn’t feel your feet.<span style=""> </span>In Nelson’s case, he didn’t mind so much since a chicken was pecking at his foot.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Unfortunately, we had jinxed ourselves a few days earlier by marveling about how neither of us had gotten sick, so I also had to find a toilet immediately every time we stopped, which wasn’t quite often enough.<span style=""> </span>Antibiotics didn’t work and three days later when we arrived in Mpulungu, at the south end of Lake Tanganyika, a South African nurse that we met highly recommended take medication for malaria.<span style=""> </span>That seemed to work and I am feeling one hundred percent again.<span style=""> </span>Phew!<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">We actually arrived in Mpulungu a day ahead of schedule so thought we would wander down to the harbour to see if there just happened to be a cargo boat going up the lake.<span style=""> </span>The problem with the ferry (besides the fact that it may or may not run any given week) was that it was only going part way up the lake, where we would then have to find another boat/bus/truck to take us the rest of the way to Burundi.<span style=""> </span>Well, we arrived at the harbour to find that a cargo boat was leaving in two hours and could take us, so we rushed all over town getting groceries and packing up all our gear, to get back in time to go through customs and immigration only to learn (we should know better by now!) that the boat was now going to leave the next morning.<span style=""> </span>The captain stressed that we needed to be there by 7:30am because we were leaving at 8 sharp.<span style=""> </span>We took that with a grain of salt, but still arrived at 7:30.<span style=""> </span>Of course, by 8am, there was no sign of us going anywhere, so I thought I would run up to the bank and change our extra Zambian kwacha into dollars. <span style=""> </span>When I was leaving the bank and walking back down to the harbour, I heard the ship’s horn blast, so I started running.<span style=""> </span>Everybody I passed shouted “you’re late!”, and as I entered the port, I could see Nelson on the boat looking a little anxious.<span style=""> </span>Apparently, the captain was ready to go about 10 minutes before I arrived and he was saying, “we wait for no one!”.<span style=""> </span>Luckily, he waited for me!<span style=""> </span>Also lucky for the three guys that arrived two minutes after me.<span style=""> </span>Our boat was pulled almost entirely away from the dock and they jumped the gap at our last point of contact just in time!<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">The boat, the Kizingenza, pulled not just itself, but three other cargo boats as well.<span style=""> </span>It took two and a half days to reach Bujumbura, but we are here now.<span style=""> </span>Apparently, I was mistaken before and we are NOW near the place where Stanley said “Livingstone, I presume?”.<span style=""> </span>So hard to keep track of those guys – they sure did get around.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">I have wicked bicycle glove tan lines, by the way, for those who are wondering, and not cycling doesn’t seem to be changing that.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">The last photo is for all you birders following our blog. <span style=""> </span>This little guy and his friends are living in the same campground as us.<span style=""> </span>Any help figuring out what it is would be most appreciated!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">We are now headed for Rwanda, “Land of a Thousand Hills”.<span style=""> </span>I assume they’re just kidding about that.</span><br /></p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbczj6qByI/AAAAAAAACoE/AxHeJLjPnBM/s1600/IMG_2723.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbczj6qByI/AAAAAAAACoE/AxHeJLjPnBM/s320/IMG_2723.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568380767662901026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try 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id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568375387790889506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbX5057T_I/AAAAAAAACms/NyZsUDOqGV4/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbX5057T_I/AAAAAAAACms/NyZsUDOqGV4/s320/IMG_2889.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568375377744318450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbWZo1Rv_I/AAAAAAAACmk/nIVY74EdWUk/s1600/IMG_2894.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbWZo1Rv_I/AAAAAAAACmk/nIVY74EdWUk/s320/IMG_2894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568373725236150258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbWZFfQi2I/AAAAAAAACmc/J6xKXJvP15I/s1600/IMG_2901.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbWZFfQi2I/AAAAAAAACmc/J6xKXJvP15I/s320/IMG_2901.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568373715748555618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbVE87FDHI/AAAAAAAACmU/Tf43epkW2zE/s1600/IMG_2906.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbVE87FDHI/AAAAAAAACmU/Tf43epkW2zE/s320/IMG_2906.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568372270340312178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbVEt8x9pI/AAAAAAAACmM/VkVnD7BNn8M/s1600/IMG_2919.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TUbVEt8x9pI/AAAAAAAACmM/VkVnD7BNn8M/s320/IMG_2919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568372266320918162" border="0" /></a>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-77084168919839271752011-01-19T01:58:00.000-08:002011-01-19T02:48:35.372-08:00Zambia and Malawi: Wowee!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa-I1ZciII/AAAAAAAACmE/HslDWGzYnQo/s1600/IMG_2243.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa-I1ZciII/AAAAAAAACmE/HslDWGzYnQo/s320/IMG_2243.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563843448644864130" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">We crossed over into <st1:country-region st="on">Zambia</st1:country-region> and went to see <st1:place st="on">Victoria Falls</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They are the longest falls in the world at 1.8km long and were really impressive and beautiful, not commercialized like <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Niagara Falls</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were able to jump from rock to rock out into the <st1:place st="on">Zambezi</st1:place> to dip our feet into the river while eating our lunch, maybe 30metres from where it poured over the falls.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa-Irf_bfI/AAAAAAAACl8/6kkZwd5W3lg/s1600/IMG_2596.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa-Irf_bfI/AAAAAAAACl8/6kkZwd5W3lg/s320/IMG_2596.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563843445987962354" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">We were really impressed with the number of bicycles in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Zambia</st1:place></st1:country-region> – it is the most common form of transportation, which means lots of thumbs up and bell ringing from the locals and very little motorized traffic on the roads.<span> </span>People carry so much on their bicycles, including enormous stacks of wood, corn, coal, and even other people.<span> </span>Lots of the back racks have built in cushions so that people can use their bicycles as taxis.</p><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa9Ac-j7NI/AAAAAAAACl0/bK0FDOpE-cY/s1600/IMG_2493.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa9Ac-j7NI/AAAAAAAACl0/bK0FDOpE-cY/s320/IMG_2493.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563842205139070162" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">We went into another national park and game reserve, called <st1:place st="on">South Luangwa</st1:place>, and had lots of really close encounters with wildlife, mostly from the safety of a truck.<span> </span>We went on an evening drive, and saw more lions (stalking a baby hippo), a leopard, spotted hyena, and lots of other incredible animals.<span> </span>The campsite we stayed in had platforms up in the trees for the tents, because elephants and hippos regularly wandered through camp.</p></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa9ALF5GUI/AAAAAAAACls/ZNdxgV5CR6I/s1600/IMG_2400.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa9ALF5GUI/AAAAAAAACls/ZNdxgV5CR6I/s320/IMG_2400.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563842200337979714" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">From <st1:country-region st="on">Zambia</st1:country-region>, we crossed over into <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Malawi</st1:country-region></st1:place> and are now cycling north up the lake.<span> </span>People here are very friendly and every kid (and many adults) calls out to us as we cycle by – mostly saying “Muzungu”, which means white person.<span> </span>There are not a lot of white Malawians, so we are a bit of a spectacle.<span> </span><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Malawi</st1:place></st1:country-region> was a British “protectorate” before independence but not many colonists lived here.<span> </span>Livingstone did a bunch of exploring around here, looking for the source of the Nile, and it was near where we are now that Stanley found him and uttered the famous, “Livingstone, I presume?”. </p><p class="MsoNormal">We can’t really stop to stretch, eat, pee, or buy food (all important things to do while on a cycle tour) without getting quite a lot of attention. <span> </span>We stopped for lunch one day in the most remote stretch of road we could find, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by more than two dozen people.<span> </span>It is nice to get to meet the locals and chat, as usually at least one person speaks some English and translates for us.<span> </span>In every country/region, we learn at least how to say “hi, how are you?”, “thank you”, and a few other useful phrases, which always surprises (and, I like to think, impresses, people). We certainly get a lot of big smiles from people when we speak their languages.</p><p class="MsoNormal">We have been buying lots of food along the roadsides, which is delicious and really fresh. We made fish/ mango curry one night, on locally grown rice, which was delicious. Nelson's favourite snacks are these cookies and crackers we are finding everywhere, though.</p></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa7dMIgOzI/AAAAAAAAClk/Jjvup0H08oQ/s1600/IMG_2343.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa7dMIgOzI/AAAAAAAAClk/Jjvup0H08oQ/s320/IMG_2343.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563840499810319154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa7cVo5IJI/AAAAAAAAClc/QJxmR1OsfBQ/s1600/IMG_2425.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa7cVo5IJI/AAAAAAAAClc/QJxmR1OsfBQ/s320/IMG_2425.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563840485182218386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa6h_g3tuI/AAAAAAAAClU/14ie40Yy61Y/s1600/IMG_2507.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa6h_g3tuI/AAAAAAAAClU/14ie40Yy61Y/s320/IMG_2507.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563839482810578658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa6hmqmyII/AAAAAAAAClM/ihBeCXgfQcw/s1600/IMG_2609.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa6hmqmyII/AAAAAAAAClM/ihBeCXgfQcw/s320/IMG_2609.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563839476140525698" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa5OIMWLII/AAAAAAAAClE/67LGTq3caeU/s1600/IMG_2648.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa5OIMWLII/AAAAAAAAClE/67LGTq3caeU/s320/IMG_2648.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563838042031402114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa5NzVUPFI/AAAAAAAACk8/nlLeXH8QZ4o/s1600/IMG_2653.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa5NzVUPFI/AAAAAAAACk8/nlLeXH8QZ4o/s320/IMG_2653.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563838036431879250" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa3_UA8JJI/AAAAAAAACks/lJNnZr9aGOQ/s1600/IMG_2545.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa3_UA8JJI/AAAAAAAACks/lJNnZr9aGOQ/s320/IMG_2545.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563836687995118738" /></a><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TTa3_u5M_8I/AAAAAAAACk0/rSAAOj_QDXI/s320/IMG_2674.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563836695210426306" /></div>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-13245204927930265052011-01-06T00:32:00.000-08:002011-01-06T01:16:16.415-08:00A Special CameoHi all. Normally, this blog is Lynda's domain but she has agreed to let me make a cameo appearance to recount my version of the dog chase mentioned in her last blog posting. This is straight from the journal I have been keeping of our travels and describes the incident from my perspective:<br /><br />...The next town was Motopi which was still another 50km or so which meant we got hit hard by the sun. Lynda was really feeling it and at one point I even offered to tow her with a small piece of cord I had. Our pace slowed considerably, that is until we encountered a wiley dog and his canine companions. As soon as they noticed us they started barking and running after us. This was to be our first dreaded encounter with potentially rabid dogs that we had read and heard so much about in Africa (we decided to skip the rabies shots back home mostly due to the exhorbitant cost - $1,200 for both of us!) Only one of the dogs, an exceptionally vicious and vocal one who was spotted and scraggly looking, kind of like a hyena, continued on with the chase; the rest fell behind. I had barely noticed them before I heard Lynda yell, "Oh shit!" and watched her kick into high gear. Before I could blink her legs were a spinning ball of adrenaline charged terror as she sped off ahead of me. She dropped into the aerobar position, her body and bicycle unified, slicing through the wind like the blade of a focused and determined ninja; a 'Lynja' if you will. She had left me to fend off the malicious mutt as by now she was approaching light speed. My salt-encrusted, tired legs could not match the cadence nor the determination of her legs - two powerful pistons propelling her away from the dog and towards safety. The persistent little bastard surprised me with it's stamina! Just as I thought it was starting to fall back it seemed to get a second wind and jumped into overdrive. That was when I yelled, "Keep going!!" Lynda charged on showing no signs of slowing down, in fact, she was still gaining speed! An incredible feat considering just a minute ago she was on the verge of collapse and resembled a lethargic sloth riding a bicycle during a heat-induced coma.<br /><br />Finally, the dog could run no further and gave up his chase. He stayed in the middle of the road watching us as we sped away, probably annoyed that he missed out on this blue moon opportunity to take down two bicycle tourers on this own turf. I kept looking back to see if he was still pursuing us. It was a while before Lynja's steely-eyed forward gaze left the dashed white line ahead of her and peered over her shoulder. By the time we had put in a large enough safety margin between us and the dog we eased off on the pedals and both had a good laugh about it. "I didn't know I had it in me!" she said. "I didn't either!!" I answered back in disbelief.<br /><br />Ten minutes later we got chased by another dog but ever since those two incidents, the dogs have been much nicer and Lynda has gotten way smarter about having her pepper spray handy for future dog encounters. "I'll spray you! I mean it! I'll f*cking spray you!" I believe were her exact words to the next dog who attempted a chase. Miraculously, he must have sensed her seriousness because the damned thing backed off as soon as she said it! Look out dogs, there's a new boss in town and she goes by the name of Lynja!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSWHyUjRHGI/AAAAAAAACkk/xh_JsHCgoxc/s1600/IMG_1887.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSWHyUjRHGI/AAAAAAAACkk/xh_JsHCgoxc/s320/IMG_1887.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558998613638585442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here in Africa, they don't use junkyard dogs, they use junkyard lions! This was taken at the gates to an auto scrap yard. Hopefully we don't run into any of these!Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-14076636642749344832011-01-02T23:52:00.000-08:002011-01-03T02:22:01.094-08:00Happy New Year from Namibia! Biking through wild animal countryWe fell asleep by 8pm New Years Eve to the sounds of hippos braying in the river, but celebrated at 10am the next morning (midnight in BC). We have biked up the west side of the Okavango delta, and east through the Caprivi strip in Namibia now, and are later today heading out to a little island where the Zambezi and Chobe rivers come together, right next to where the borders of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia meet.<div><br /></div><div><div>Yesterday was the first day that we passed through a national park and weren't allowed to ride through, so we had to put our bicycles in the back of a pickup truck through the park. Every other game reserve or park, the folks at the gate all say "aren't you afraid of wild animals?" but let us go anyways. We have heard that lions and other cats don't really hunt during the day. The one time we had to fix a flat inside a park (there are a lot of thorns here), I was definitely looking over my shoulder, though! There is definite incentive for me to keep up with Nelson, too. I've seen enough nature documentaries to know that it is the smaller, weaker, slower one straggling at the back that gets eaten first. </div><div><br /></div><div>We did see two elephants from our bicycles one day, about 30m away. While we were stopped and taking pictures, a park warden drove up. Our conversation went something like this and, in the end, it was still a little unclear to me whether or not this was an unsafe distance.</div><div><br /></div><div>Park Ranger: "Hi, how are you?"</div><div>Me: "Good, how are you?"</div><div>PR: "Are you okay with these animals here?"</div><div>Me: "I think so. Are we okay with these animals here?"</div><div>[pause]</div><div>Me again: "Is it safe?"</div><div>PR: "Is it safe?"</div><div>Me: "Are we too close?"</div><div>PR: "Are you too close?"</div><div>Me: "I don't know. Is it okay that we're here?"</div><div>PR: "Is it okay that you're here?"</div><div>Me: "I don't know. Is it?"</div><div>PR: "Is it?"</div><div>[pause]</div><div>PR again: "How fast can you go on those bicycles?"</div><div><br /><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGhJzF9fBI/AAAAAAAACkc/MBdmmXUUF8E/s320/IMG_2073.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557900604858006546" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGhJrUOArI/AAAAAAAACkU/TkxouJu7dfg/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGhJrUOArI/AAAAAAAACkU/TkxouJu7dfg/s320/IMG_1937.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557900602770326194" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGfsRp981I/AAAAAAAACj8/KoMOhK_FR-U/s1600/IMG_1929.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGfsRp981I/AAAAAAAACj8/KoMOhK_FR-U/s320/IMG_1929.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557898998154392402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGedfOgCmI/AAAAAAAACj0/Ibjdq7d3hzw/s1600/IMG_1946.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGedfOgCmI/AAAAAAAACj0/Ibjdq7d3hzw/s320/IMG_1946.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557897644587616866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGedDoyv_I/AAAAAAAACjs/ylE-CeCfDqw/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGedDoyv_I/AAAAAAAACjs/ylE-CeCfDqw/s320/IMG_1908.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557897637181702130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGecxYt-6I/AAAAAAAACjk/3GHbBJ6XaC0/s1600/IMG_2006.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGecxYt-6I/AAAAAAAACjk/3GHbBJ6XaC0/s320/IMG_2006.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557897632282442658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGdhncgRiI/AAAAAAAACjc/BQSgv-MSeCw/s1600/IMG_2095.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGdhncgRiI/AAAAAAAACjc/BQSgv-MSeCw/s320/IMG_2095.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557896616001685026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGdgaQJymI/AAAAAAAACjU/c8LW0CzKt1I/s1600/IMG_2158.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGdgaQJymI/AAAAAAAACjU/c8LW0CzKt1I/s320/IMG_2158.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557896595280349794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGdgU10msI/AAAAAAAACjM/iPS7De1KkfA/s1600/IMG_2182.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGdgU10msI/AAAAAAAACjM/iPS7De1KkfA/s320/IMG_2182.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557896593827732162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcu4GFnkI/AAAAAAAACjE/xj9vUGG4ZHM/s1600/IMG_1997.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcu4GFnkI/AAAAAAAACjE/xj9vUGG4ZHM/s320/IMG_1997.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557895744297737794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcu42n7VI/AAAAAAAACi8/Onpd7z6wb4Y/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcu42n7VI/AAAAAAAACi8/Onpd7z6wb4Y/s320/IMG_2040.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557895744501312850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcuQ70ibI/AAAAAAAACi0/ecVm-zCuKew/s1600/IMG_2052.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcuQ70ibI/AAAAAAAACi0/ecVm-zCuKew/s320/IMG_2052.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557895733785692594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcCiDuzcI/AAAAAAAACis/MgOiL9Owe9A/s1600/IMG_1960.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcCiDuzcI/AAAAAAAACis/MgOiL9Owe9A/s320/IMG_1960.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557894982468029890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcCSym3oI/AAAAAAAACik/YocrJ1cWHnE/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcCSym3oI/AAAAAAAACik/YocrJ1cWHnE/s320/IMG_1988.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557894978369674882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcCPuOaeI/AAAAAAAACic/Pgzcz2yBYHA/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGcCPuOaeI/AAAAAAAACic/Pgzcz2yBYHA/s320/IMG_1973.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557894977545988578" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGbFJNKKgI/AAAAAAAACiU/GmTyJ2VwPok/s1600/IMG_1899.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGbFJNKKgI/AAAAAAAACiU/GmTyJ2VwPok/s320/IMG_1899.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557893927824665090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGaWar2dXI/AAAAAAAACiM/9r75YzIfkL0/s1600/IMG_2138.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TSGaWar2dXI/AAAAAAAACiM/9r75YzIfkL0/s320/IMG_2138.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557893125062948210" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We haven't had to try to outrun any wild animals yet, but I did learn how fast we could go when a mean dog came running out of a yard one day barking like he wanted to eat us. Nelson described my legs as "a spinning ball of adrenaline charged terror". I couldn't believe that I had outrun both the dog and Nelson until I realized later that Nelson had slowed down to put himself between me and the dog. Who says feminism killed chivalry?</div><div><br /></div><div>Besides the elephants and the animals we saw in Pilanesberg, we have now also seen warthogs (with their babies that are so ugly, they're cute), springbok, klipspringer, water buffalo, turtles, enormous ant hills, lizards, donkeys, monkeys and their babies, baboons (in the middle of the road), a baby crocodile, and lots of funky birds.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also learned that not only does my name mean something in Spanish, it also means something in Zulu! It signifies "to wait" and is quite a common name. Anyone who has ever had to wait for me, which is pretty much all of you, might find this quite fitting.</div><div><br /></div><div>I find myself making profound statements on a fairly regular basis, like "Wow, it's really sandy here in the Kalahari desert", or "Man, Africa is hot in the summer!". In order to beat the heat, we are getting up at 4am and starting cycling at 5:30am, at first light. We have usually gone 50km by ~8:30am and 100km before noon. It is the 100+ days that are hard, because we end up riding in the afternoon. Luckily, it is the rainy season, so it is often cloudy in the afternoon which makes it bearable. Botswana and Namibia are also very flat, which is nice after hilly South Africa. The road surfaces have all been paved and smooth, except a few sandy access roads to lodges. </div><div><br /></div><div>This last week of cycling has definitely been our favourite so far. People seem happy and busy and generally don't pay much attention to us, except to give big smiles and waves from the fields. We've seen lots of people using oxen to plow their fields and bent over doing farmwork. It looks like really hard work and puts what we're doing into perspective - it may seem hard at times, but it is entirely by choice and we can stop whenever we want and have access to luxuries on a regular basis. Most of the "camping" here is on the sites of posh lodges, so we have access to the swimming pool, showers, restaurant, etc. Several nights now, though, we haven't been able to make it to the next town with established accommodation, and are hesitant to wild camp because of the animals, so we have camped at the local police station, which has been really nice. We always meet lots of nice men and women who work there, as well as from the town.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kilometers to date: 1663</div><div><br /></div><div>We are loving the reaction that we get from people when we tell them where we've come from and where we're going. I wish we had on film all the times people said that what we're doing is impossible! I guess they don't know about possibilism.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-14069925224728391602010-12-23T08:58:00.001-08:002010-12-23T09:05:16.262-08:00Merry Christmas from Botswana!Just a short note to say Merry Christmas to everyone at home. We are in Botswana, near the Okavango delta. If anyone needs a last minute gift idea, we would encourage you to think about donating on someone's behalf to World Bicycle Relief, which provides bicycles to children in Africa so they can get to school: http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org/<br /><br />Here is some info on the program:<br /><br /><p><strong>Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program</strong><br />In June 2009, we launched The Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program, an innovative project that is providing 50,000 bicycles to improve rural Zambian children's access to education. These children are especially at risk for extreme poverty and high HIV/ AIDS infection rates; safe, reliable transportation to school will enable them to have better health and economic outcomes as a result of completing their secondary education. More than 7,000 bicycles have been distributed to date, and initial reports indicate dramatically increased school attendance.</p> <p><strong>Expansion to Kenya and Zimbabwe</strong><br />In 2009, World Bicycle Relief began expanding operations in Zimbabwe and Kenya in response to growing demand for a higher quality bicycle and comprehensive service program. In less than a year, we have sold more than 3,000 bicycles to organizations such as the World Health Organization, Catholic Relief Services and Care International. We are committed to providing the highest quality service and to working with organizations to solve their transportation needs.</p> <h3>FUTURE</h3> <p>World Bicycle Relief will continue to work with NGOs and community based organizations to respond to crisis situations where simple, sustainable transportation will improve the health, education and economic situation of people in need. We will meet these urgent transportation needs with the manufacture and distribution of bicycles for areas of the world in crisis. We have begun plans with World Vision and other NGOs to provide comprehensive bicycle programs as part of economic development and relief efforts in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and Lesotho. </p>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3063775845494806032.post-4845206749306862702010-12-14T09:23:00.000-08:002010-12-14T12:16:22.871-08:00Biking begins! And amazing African animals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfI93ZVYYI/AAAAAAAACh4/cG6vxfdkW8E/s1600/IMG_1704.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfI93ZVYYI/AAAAAAAACh4/cG6vxfdkW8E/s320/IMG_1704.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550626030925209986" /></a>Two days ago, we zeroed our odometers, put everything in our panniers, and hit the road north out of Joburg. Yesterday we arrived in Rustenberg, and today took a tour of the Pilanesberg National Park. You aren't allowed to ride bicycles in the park, or even get out of your vehicle, and we learned why when we saw three lions ripping apart an animal they had just killed. It was really spectacular to watch in real life. We also saw elephants, impalas, wildebeest and their new babies (some still with umbilical cords attached), a jackal, guinea fowl, giraffes (my personal favourite), zebras, and hippos. It was really mindblowing to see all these animals I'd only ever seen images of, all in the same place, and so close to us!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfI9VCk0KI/AAAAAAAAChw/-2xNuJx2TRM/s1600/IMG_1690.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfI9VCk0KI/AAAAAAAAChw/-2xNuJx2TRM/s320/IMG_1690.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550626021702946978" /></a>The other highlight of our trip so far, though it shouldn't really surprise me anymore, is just how nice and generous people have been to us - when you're on your bicycle, people just really want to help you out: with information, places to camp/stay, and food... so much food! We have been introduced to many tasty South African delicacies - bilatong (like beef jerky), pannakoeken (Afrikaan crepes), and one generous camping neighbour gave us an entire coil of wild kudu (an African antelope) sausages.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfI8qhIsOI/AAAAAAAACho/KjjO95MjSI4/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfI8qhIsOI/AAAAAAAACho/KjjO95MjSI4/s320/IMG_1718.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550626010288402658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfInoWwa7I/AAAAAAAAChg/TYMh-toriAw/s1600/elephant.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfInoWwa7I/AAAAAAAAChg/TYMh-toriAw/s320/elephant.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550625648930745266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfImyvXgAI/AAAAAAAAChY/nymfdYuPMH8/s1600/impala.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfImyvXgAI/AAAAAAAAChY/nymfdYuPMH8/s320/impala.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550625634538455042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfIKX3VqrI/AAAAAAAAChI/CQqnk2uyfV4/s1600/wildebeestbaby.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfIKX3VqrI/AAAAAAAAChI/CQqnk2uyfV4/s320/wildebeestbaby.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550625146287794866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHkIj0ulI/AAAAAAAAChA/479_UOe7FzA/s1600/jackal.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHkIj0ulI/AAAAAAAAChA/479_UOe7FzA/s320/jackal.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550624489344383570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHjdUOTiI/AAAAAAAACg4/p8JIihLKJYU/s1600/lionkill.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHjdUOTiI/AAAAAAAACg4/p8JIihLKJYU/s320/lionkill.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550624477736226338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHi8Q27gI/AAAAAAAACgw/A6AhFNh-J88/s1600/liontree.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHi8Q27gI/AAAAAAAACgw/A6AhFNh-J88/s320/liontree.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550624468863741442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHhroj_SI/AAAAAAAACgo/OZGNIg9irJw/s1600/guinea.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfHhroj_SI/AAAAAAAACgo/OZGNIg9irJw/s320/guinea.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550624447219891490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfGHH8DrPI/AAAAAAAACgg/wbBU_2MKYzc/s1600/giraffe.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfGHH8DrPI/AAAAAAAACgg/wbBU_2MKYzc/s320/giraffe.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550622891449756914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfFeX9-n5I/AAAAAAAACgY/Kc8Je5YpyVw/s1600/hippos.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfFeX9-n5I/AAAAAAAACgY/Kc8Je5YpyVw/s320/hippos.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550622191378145170" /></a><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfL9tODbkI/AAAAAAAACiA/YC5a34NTheU/s320/zebra.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550629326728425026" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfEsZzXRrI/AAAAAAAACgQ/Jr2kX7D4sws/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83zoPQFuYkk/TQfEsZzXRrI/AAAAAAAACgQ/Jr2kX7D4sws/s320/IMG_1730.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550621332877035186" /></a>Lyndahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14159725108364431432noreply@blogger.com1