Tag travel

Top Ten Retirement Adventures: No. 10

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

It was 2012. Sue and I ended our work lives after toiling away since we were teen-agers. We had raised three sons, left jobs we enjoyed, and embarked on a mission to discover where “the rest of our lives” would lead us.

First stop: Italy. We were nervous, not sure how we would negotiate the language and culture, thinking we would make fools of ourselves. But we set off for Rome anyway. This photo makes us laugh. We were too cheap to pay for the real gondola tour for the iconic photo op, so we found this good-natured gondolier, who rowed us and another twosome across a Venice canal for two Euro. A five-minute ride, tops.

We explored Rome, Pisa, Venice, Vatican City, Cinque Terre, Verona, Tuscany, and much more. We started a travel blog named Carryoncouple, Sue’s idea. We carried everything we needed in carryon cases that doubled as a backpack.

A backpack? A year later, that word would take on a new meaning neither of us saw coming. We have been trekking long-distance trails ever since. But there’s more. Much more.

Number 9 is next.

Tucson: Enchanting Trails, Without the Crowds

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

I once thought Sedona was home to the best hiking in Arizona. Not anymore. Tucson may not boast the red rock, but it lacks the crowds that require Sedona hikers and bikers to hit the trail early if they hope to secure parking. We pulled into this trail’s parking lot in late morning. Temperature? Low 70s. Parking? There were three cars in a large lot. The trail? Another gem. And, like so many trails here, just minutes from downtown.

In the Enchanted Hills, Sue and I walked the El Grupo and Tecolote loops, detouring up (with a rock scramble) Enchanted Peak for lunch and the view. Now, I have a confession. I love the saguaro cactus and the rest of its family, except for one irritating member: the jumping cholla. Watch out!

Clumps of the “jumping” cholla are known to fall off and easily leave their home if you brush against them, as Sue found out. I hope you never have to try to detach one from yourself.