We arrived at the summit pass between France and Andorra and were greeted by thick fog. Opting to pay the €6 tunnel fee (rather than driving up over the ridge on the old very windy road) we were very surprised when we burst through the tunnel into brilliant blue skies and sunshine radiating all around us. A long valley lay below us with jagged still snow covered peaks surrounding. It was like going from a June Gloom Malibu California day where … [Read more...]
A Guide To California’s Top Natural Beauty Spots
California is pretty amazingly beautiful, so selecting the top 5 spots was pretty tough, but in the name of being succinct that's what I have done for this post. So here are my favourite few places in California - must see spots for any nature lover. 1. Redwood National Park I just love forests, so this was always going to be on my list. The national park is mostly made of dense forest and beautiful (and huge) redwood trees which are sure to … [Read more...]
Gold Mining and a Visit to Minelab’s Headquarters, Adelaide South Australia
One of my passions is gold prospecting, or as it is referred to in Australia, Fossicking. It is a healthy hobby as long as you don't get to obsessed with making money from it! I can remember going out with my father from a young age to explore some of his favorite mining terrain in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. With all the trips we have made I am fairly certain we have spent more time and money on logistics and equipment … [Read more...]
Sacramento & The Gold Country, Moon Handbooks
Sacramento & The Gold Country, by Christopher Arns Initial impressions of Sacramento perhaps: Inland. Old town. Brick buildings. The state's capital city. A good thing considering its somewhat central geographical location in the state, rather than being located in one of the major urban coastal areas. More recently occupied by a body builder, turned actor turned politician. But he has gone away now and there is a "new" governor - or rather an … [Read more...]
Delta Launches Los Angeles to San Francisco Shuttle
Hourly shuttle service offers shorter check-in windows, unique snack offerings by LYFE Kitchen ATLANTA, Aug 1, 2013 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will begin hourly, nonstop Delta Shuttle service between Los Angeles and San Francisco International airports on Sept. 3, 2013. The Delta Shuttle introduces 14 daily flights and a product tailored to business travelers while adding a California perspective to its popular New York-based … [Read more...]
Our Family’s History with Volvo – Anticipating the Volvo Factory Tour in Gothenburg Sweden
In anticipation of our Volvo Brand Experience tour at the Volvo factory in Gothenburg Sweden today (in conjunction with their Car + Vacation offering), I thought I would reminisce a little about our family's pleasant long history with this particular automobile. As long as I can remember, my family has owned a Volvo, usually two and sometimes three. But I did not receive my first Volvo until my last year of college. My sister let me use it for … [Read more...]
Accidentally falling in love with the California Zephyr
I haven’t always been enamored with trains. In my past travels, I had been on several rails both in the United States on the east coast and also through small parts of Europe. Those times however, I was too young and naive to appreciate the significance and beauty of a well-placed rail. Now, more than three months into my newly nomadic lifestyle and about 10 years since my last rail adventure overseas, trains have become a larger and more … [Read more...]
The Artist and the Tinker
Some couples are as different as night and day. That's the way it was with my husband Bill and myself. There were a legion of differences, but probably the biggest was that I considered myself the artist and the only one of us that had any truly creative spirit. I would consider the things I did as a crafting of ideas with the fine and incisive beam of a laser mind and would think of Bill (who had worked as a general contractor in the … [Read more...]
Boxtick America goes Gold Mining
Recently I was approached by BoxTick America for an interview. The guys, Ryan, Johnnie and Tom have been traveling across the USA for 7 months and have another 5 months in the country. They are filming weekly episodes based on requests coming mostly from the UK for activities they think American's are interested in. These requests come in and BoxTick America then tries to participate in these activities. One recent request from a viewer was gold … [Read more...]
Travel Life List
I was recently stuck in the Miami airport for 5 dreaded hours (not because of the particular airport, but because I hate long connection times) and I was talking to Maggie who runs Mighty Girl and maintains her own Life List. We were discussing top 10 life experience lists based on experts in their fields. My focus would be on travel of course; here is my top 10 list in no particular order. Perspective. This is a word that defines travel. … [Read more...]