Category Beer, Wine and Alcohol

West Coast Fall 2023, Part One

October 10 – 19 October rolled around and we planned a three week road trip that would take us to Oakland to celebrate Jessica’s milestone birthday (I won’t reveal what age that is), Kamp Angst, Bishop, Henderson, Meadview (to visit 90 plus year old Uncle Dick), Flagstaff, Sedona, and Tucson, giving us lots of opportunities […]

Cisco Fest 2023 – Portland, Part Two

September 26-28 We continued east a quick ten miles on Interstate 84 to the Bonneville Dam and Cascade Locks complex, a site I’ve visited before and look forward to each time.  At the time of its construction in the 1930s it was the largest water impoundment project of its type in the nation, able to […]

Cisco Fest 2023 – Portland, Part One

September 26-28 After our return from Peru, we enjoyed a couple of trips close to home, including one to Oakland to see the kids and little Gemma, got caught up on our bike riding, and generally enjoyed being at home for a stretch.  Unfortunately, towards the end of August, I suffered the beginning of what […]

Peru – The Amazon

July 27-29 Our first day in the Amazon would be a full one, starting with a 3:00 am departure from our hotel in Cusco that soon found us at the airport for our flight to Lima (our direct flight was cancelled) to Puerto Maldonado, which sits 34 miles west of the Bolivian border and is […]

Peru – Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu, Part Three

July 25-26 In our last post we left Joanna at KM 104 to begin her hike up the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu.  Not fond of writing, she reluctantly, but effectively, related her experience for us as follows: “When the train stopped at KM 104 (Chackabamba) I was a bit anxious as I wasn’t sure […]

Peru – Cusco, Part Two

July 22-23 We set out from the hotel for a quick walking tour of the neighborhood nearby; indeed, one of the selling points of the overall tour was the central location of the hotels we had been staying in.  In this case our initial destination was the  San Pedro Central Market, the city’s main food […]

Peru – Puno/Lake Titicaca, Part Three

We left the floating islands of Uros and made our way in short order to Taquile Island, docking on the western shore and then hiking up a steep hillside to a dirt plaza where we were rewarded with a presentation by some of the locals.  It turns out that our guide is from the island, […]

Peru – Puno/Lake Titicaca, Part One

July 20-21 It would be another long day in the van with a few stops allowing us to take in some trip highlights.  But first up would be another hearty breakfast in the hotel’s lovely dining room, overlooking the swimming pool and the property’s lush grounds.  Soon enough, our luggage was collected, and we found […]

Peru – Arequipa, Part Two

July 16-18 With a busy day ahead of us, we were up early and hit the breakfast buffet to make sure we had sufficent energy to last through the morning.  Another good selection of proteins, carbohydrates, and sweet things greeted us, and the bonus was sitting outside on the patio, the sun warming us nicely […]

Peru – Lima/Arequipa,

July 16-18 After introductions with the group in the lobby and a quick check to make sure we had all we needed for the rest of the evening, we exited the Pullman, climbed into what would be the first of many transit vans (12-passengers plus) and drove to the Huaca Pucillana Restaurant, which sits directly […]