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Last week I posted our first six Maui hikes. Since then, we’ve hiked eight more trails, ranging from gentle strolls to energetic scrambles. The photo at the top of this post shows me on a ridge section of the Halemau’u Trail, Haleakala National Park. Dwight is manning both the camera and backpack. The hike started… Continue reading Eight More Maui Hikes

Hawaii has a lot going for it. Billboards are illegal, healthcare is almost universal, and the British Union Jack on the Hawaiian flag harks back to a time when these were the Sandwich Islands. Hawaiians consume more Spam than any other population in the world. You find it on “mixed plates” throughout the state, accompanied… Continue reading My Hawaiian Junk Drawer

  In the past week we’ve stayed in three different parts of Maui and sampled a variety of hikes.   The most dramatic hike so far on this trip has to be Keonehe’ehe’e (Sliding Sands) Trail. It starts above the clouds, about 10,000 feet up Haleakala. The photo at the top of this post shows… Continue reading Six Maui Hikes

I started my journey around the Northern Hemisphere this morning: I walked to a number 2 bus which took me to a light rail station where I caught a train to the airport. Here’s the rest of my route: MSP–LAX–OGG (Kahului, Maui, Hawaii) OGG–HNL (Honolulu) Just one night. HNL–NRT–PVG (Shanghai) PVG–FUK (Fukuoka, Kyushu, Southern Japan) Jetfoil… Continue reading Around the World in 53 Days

Each week, I enjoy a walk or a cycle ride with a friend. This week we started at a street lined with twenty-four architectural sculptures on plinths. We had passed the end of this street many times, but had no idea these sculptures existed. Then we went on a hunt for some of the buildings depicted… Continue reading Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood: Architectural Sculptures and Actual Buildings

Almost a year ago I learned I have high-grade prostate cancer. I’m surprised I’m not discouraged by surgery, radiation therapy, and the possibility of further therapies including chemo. My desire to travel is undiminished. 39 daily radiation sessions got in the way of a trip to Hawaii in January 2017. Instead, I planned a trip to… Continue reading Long-Haul Journeys

My material needs for a month or two fit into a small backpack, end-on in an aircraft’s overhead bin. I find it satisfying to carefully select what I’m going to pack in my 35-liter backpack before heading out of town for a few weeks. I now want that same compact, lightweight, self-sufficient feeling with our… Continue reading The Zen of Empty Shelves

   A fierce rainstorm had hit California. People had died, a reservoir was bursting at the seams, evacuations had been ordered in several counties. The storm weakened as it crossed the Rockies on its way to Minneapolis and points east. On Monday, Presidents’ Day, the storm finally hit Minneapolis, dropping 0.6 inches of rain. This… Continue reading An Indoor 9-Mile Urban Hike