Travel and Photo Galleries
These are some of the adventures we have had. Our travel adventures are an important part of family life for Lydia and I. When we take a trip, we strive to capture the experience in words and in images. Below is a short description of each with links to the complete experience.
China
In June of 2007, David, Lydia, Nathaniel, and Travis took a 10 day trip to China. We visited the cities of Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Shanghai, and Suzhou. The trip was a fabulous opportunity to learn about the history and culture of China. Along the way, our family captured over 3000 images of the experience. We also wrote a travel diary that captured our thoughts and impressions on the trip. ChinaTravelGuide.com is the company we booked our tour with. Also known as Marco Polo Travel. They did a fantastic job and I highly recommend them. Click here or in the title link above to see more about our experience.
Yellowstone Road Trip
In August, 2008, we took a family road trip to Yellowstone National Park. Travis and I had never been there. Lydia had gone as a child. Its about 1000 miles between here and Yellowstone. Our plan was to meet up with my brother Ken, and his wife, Jimmie, and tour Grand Tetons and Yellowstone together. The drive is pretty easy as most of it goes across Nevada. The roads are straight and fast. We stopped in Twin Falls, ID, and stayed in a Best Western. From there the drive became very scenic as we followed the Snake River to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A quick stop in Jackson to commune withe the tourists and check out a few local shops, and then on to Grand Teton National Park. We stayed there for one night at the Colter Bay cabins, but had the opportunity to do some hiking and take some pictures. We met up with Ken and Jimmie at the Jackson Lake lodge. Very nice place to stay with a spectacular view of the mountains. From there, it was on to Yellowstone for 5 nights at the historic Old Faithful Inn. We spent our days going to different parts of the park, enjoying the sights and taking pictures. I got a chance to do some fly fishing on the Madison River and in Lamar River valley. Click the link here or above to see my pictures from the trip. This was really a wonderful vacation which I would love to do again!
Prague to Budapest Cycling
In June 2009, Lydia and I took a bike trip from Prague to Budapest. We were part of a group of 10 on an REI Cycling Adventure. They provided bikes, transportation between rides, and all of the hotel and meal accommodations. I was quite impressed with the job they did. The guide and driver were excellent. The hotels were all wonderful. Basically, each day was a ride averaging 30-40 miles. The rides were well mapped out to see the countryside and small villages. We were transported by mini bus to the starting point from our hotel each day. Our guide provided route instructions and rode with us. The driver would go ahead and set up a picnic lunch. We started the trip with a few days sightseeing in Prague. We met our tour group there, and started on the journey. Along the way, we visited the towns of Sedlec-Prcic,Tabor and Telc in the Czech Republic, the castles of Lednice and Valtice in South Moravia, the towns of Sopron and Gyor in Hungary, and ended the trip in Budapest. The link here or above take you to the photo gallery from the trip.
France
This summer was my 5 year Sabbatical from Adobe. We took the opportunity to spend 2 1/2 weeks in France. The trip started with a week in Paris. We had all been there before, so no need to see the Eifel tower and other very crowded attractions. We spent our time going to lesser visited attractions and strolling through various parts of the city. We arrived in time to participate in the Bastille Day celebration, including an amazing fireworks display around the Eifel tower. We also took a day trip out to Giverny to see Monet's gardens. From Paris, we took the TGV to Avignon, rented a car and drove to a lovely B&B in St. Didier named La Gavaniole. Fabulous place with a wonderful proprietor, Gerard. That was our base of operations. We spent the next few days traveling to various hill towns, enjoying the scenery, food, wine, and infamous market days. We went to Gordes, Roussillon, Lourmarin, St. Remy, Bonnieux and Manerbe. We also drove to the top of Mt. Ventoux. I can appreciate now what a tough climb that is in the Tour de France. After that, we took the TGV back to Paris, and caught the last stage of the Tour de France. From Paris, we took the Chunnel to London, stayed in a luxury hotel, the Sofitel, and reacquainted ourselves with the English language. We took in a few sights in London and saw Dr. Faustus at the Globe theater. All in all, a great trip with lots of memories and some good photos. Click here or above to check them out. Also, I have a packaged slideshow you can check out with music!