2018 AT – Day Two – Long Falls

Thursday, 31 May Destination: Gooch Mountain Shelter Today’s Miles: 12.9 Start Location: Stover Creek Shelter Trip Miles: 24.5 Lucked out with no overnight rain but did have to deal with mice scurrying about in the night. They didn’t seem to get into anything. I left at 7:30, a little after the lady who also stayed in the…

Northbound AT Plans

Tropical Storm Alberto is forcing a reevaluation of my planned start date. My plan was to start on the Approach Trail at Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia on Tuesday, 29 May. The current forecast is for as much as 9-10 inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday. The last couple of updates have the…

Italy Tips

Our Rick Steve’s tour included only hotels and transportation. The hotels all included breakfast. There three optional group dinners and a happy hour. No activities were included. Rick Steve’s Do It Your Way Tour – This turned out to be an excellent choice for us. All hotels were centrally located, provided Wi-Fi and breakfast with…

Roma to Manassas

It was early to bed last night for Dolora and I since we had a five a.m. taxi to get us to the airport. It was no surprise that there was little traffic at that hour. Our taxi driver told us that it was the most dangerous time to drive. Without all the traffic, people…

Roma – Day Three

The tour officially ended after breakfast this morning. Dolora and I said our goodbyes to Amanda, the tour leader, and the other members of the group. After two weeks, we finally took a little later start than usual. It was off the the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Victor Emmanuel is the guy who united Italy in…

Roma – Day Two

After breakfast this morning, it was off to the Vatican Museum. Our museum passes include bus and metro service. We headed for the nearby metro stop. The trip was quick and efficient if a little crowded. We had scheduled our Vatican Museum entry for nine, when they opened. The prepaid entry pass again saved a…

Roma – Day One

This morning, We packed our bags and took them out to a van. Then it was off to breakfast. While we were having breakfast, luggage was loaded on the bus. After breakfast, we headed down to the bus. We stopped for lunch at Chef Express, similar to the Auto Grill but not as nice. Shortly…

Assisi – Day Two

Woke up to cold, about fifty degrees, and rain with some wind. We decided that after breakfast, it would be a good idea to tour the Basilica of St. Francis since we would be indoors. There was just a little drizzle on the way there. The church is magnificent with a lower and upper level….

Assisi – Day One

Sounded like a steady rain last night. Good timing for that. Firenze is very quiet in the morning. After breakfast, it was a short walk to meet the bus. The streets are usually so narrow that the bus drops you off a couple of blocks away. Packing light pays off but I still have lots…