Fear Conquering & Snow Skiing


Learning to ski at my age had me worrying about things that a younger person might not have.

What if I plummet over a cliff, break my hip, and die from complications a week later? What if I take a blow to the back of my head from one of those chair ride thingies and end up like an amnesia-riddled soap opera character?  What if? But as a committed GypsyNester, it is my duty to step out of my comfort zone and… CONTINUE READING >>


Learning to ski at my age had me worrying about things that a younger person might not have.

What if I plummet over a cliff, break my hip, and die from complications a week later? What if I take a blow to the back of my head from one of those chair ride thingies and end up like an amnesia-riddled soap opera character?  What if? But as a committed GypsyNester, it is my duty to step out of my comfort zone and… CONTINUE READING >>

Sir, Yes Sur! Driving the California Coast


The images look unbelievable, but they are real and they are spectacular. This is Big Sur. Waves crashing against the craggy coast, mist drifting up mountains that rise abruptly from the sea, and bridges impossibly clinging to cliffs made for a perfect day trip ending with elephant seals… CONTINUE READING >> 


The images look unbelievable, but they are real and they are spectacular. This is Big Sur. Waves crashing against the craggy coast, mist drifting up mountains that rise abruptly from the sea, and bridges impossibly clinging to cliffs made for a perfect day trip ending with elephant seals… CONTINUE READING >> 

Big Heads, Badlands & Bear Claws

After the seemingly endless trek across the windswept northern prairie, the landscape suddenly changes. On second thought, suddenly hardly describes it.

Abruptly, immediately, instantaneously the topography dramatically goes from flat grassland besieged with billboards to the spectacularly gnarled Badlands.

Out of nowhere the South Dakota plains give way to layers of soft shale, clay and limestone that wear away at a rate of about an inch a year… CONTINUE READING >>

After the seemingly endless trek across the windswept northern prairie, the landscape suddenly changes. On second thought, suddenly hardly describes it.

Abruptly, immediately, instantaneously the topography dramatically goes from flat grassland besieged with billboards to the spectacularly gnarled Badlands.

Out of nowhere the South Dakota plains give way to layers of soft shale, clay and limestone that wear away at a rate of about an inch a year… CONTINUE READING >>

Seeing Red in Rothenberg, Germany’s Best Preserved Medieval Town

It’s not every day that we get to spend securely tucked away within the impenetrable ramparts of a fortified enclave, but Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany was just such a place. The town truly is one big fortress, protected by a city wall all the way around it that has remained intact for centuries…
CONTINUE READING >> 

It’s not every day that we get to spend securely tucked away within the impenetrable ramparts of a fortified enclave, but Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany was just such a place. The town truly is one big fortress, protected by a city wall all the way around it that has remained intact for centuries…
CONTINUE READING >> 

Discovering the Lost City of the Inca, Machu Picchu

A harrowing bus ride, brushes with llamas, and inexplicable happenings – and even when visiting a wonder of the world, your GypsyNesters can sniff out some weird regional food!
CONTINUE READING >> 

A harrowing bus ride, brushes with llamas, and inexplicable happenings – and even when visiting a wonder of the world, your GypsyNesters can sniff out some weird regional food!
CONTINUE READING >> 

Wicked Views & Wonderful Wildlife Along Alaska’s Seward Highway

Revel in the amazing scenery and wonderful wildlife of Alaska’s Seward Highway with your GypsyNesters!

Gaze at glaciers, see weird animals (remember weird=good!), ride up a huge mountain on a wire, sample real-deal sourdough bread and learn how not to lose a shoe in a mudflat… CONTINUE READING >>

Revel in the amazing scenery and wonderful wildlife of Alaska’s Seward Highway with your GypsyNesters!

Gaze at glaciers, see weird animals (remember weird=good!), ride up a huge mountain on a wire, sample real-deal sourdough bread and learn how not to lose a shoe in a mudflat… CONTINUE READING >>

Living on the Edge of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way

Where is the edge of the world?

In the literal sense there obviously cannot be one on this sphere we inhabit, but figuratively, and also in a very real way, several spots where the last bit of land holds forth against the sea certainly feel like the brink.
The Dingle Peninsula on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way thoroughly captures this sensation… CONTINUE READING >>

 

Where is the edge of the world?

In the literal sense there obviously cannot be one on this sphere we inhabit, but figuratively, and also in a very real way, several spots where the last bit of land holds forth against the sea certainly feel like the brink.
The Dingle Peninsula on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way thoroughly captures this sensation… CONTINUE READING >>

 

The Key to Quito, Ecuador

What we THOUGHT was going to be a simple stopover on our way to The Galapagos Islands, turned out to be a gem of Colonial American history.

Quito’s Colonial Center is perhaps the largest and best preserved historic center in the Americas, and was the first New World city to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

And don’t get us started on the gigantic, winged Virgin Mary… CONTINUE READING >>

What we THOUGHT was going to be a simple stopover on our way to The Galapagos Islands, turned out to be a gem of Colonial American history.

Quito’s Colonial Center is perhaps the largest and best preserved historic center in the Americas, and was the first New World city to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

And don’t get us started on the gigantic, winged Virgin Mary… CONTINUE READING >>