Category Archives: Travels

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Back on the Bike: The Snake Part 1

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I’m back!

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Election Day has come and gone, and I did not win the day.  I challenged an incumbent, in an off / off year (one without a Presidential, Gubernatorial, or Senatorial race) when less than 30% of registered voters cast a ballot.  Even still, I garnered 42% of the vote. While I of course wish I had won the day, for healthcare, for women, for equality, and for the working poor, I am very proud of the campaign, and my team.  I consider this good, and a huge accomplishment.

The other good news?  I finally have time to ride and to shoot!!  Happy,  happy me!

On the morning after Election Day, my good friend, Dave, sent a text with the following message “sorry you didn’t win the election, however you need some riding time to put it all behind you”.  Within 24 hours, we were headed to Shady Valley, Tennessee to ride The Snake.

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 Without a GoPro, it is hard to capture images of those 489 curves on US Rt 421 as there is rarely a place to pull over.  The signage in the image below, however, offers an idea of the fun to be had on this ride.

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While I have to confess to feeling a bit stiff at first, I was thrilled to be back on the bike and getting some big time wind therapy!  It turned out to be a 285 mile day and I could not have been happier.  I came home with many images to process and that made the day even better.

Peak leaf time had come and gone but we still saw a bit of color,

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even more so, when we stopped at Holston Lake.

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The reflections on the lake kept me shooting.  Gorgeous, right?

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It was the perfect antidote to an election day loss,

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and ended with a delicious BBQ plate at Farmers Barbecue & Grill in Mountain City, Tn.  Yum!

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I’ll share a few more photos from this Tennessee ride soon!  Thanks for being here today.  I’ve missed you!

 

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There and Back

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The five days spent on the Outer Banks was, as you might expect, perfectly wonderful!  For those not familiar, the Outer Banks is a 200-mile (320-km) long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina.

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Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Each year, the GOAs (Girls of August) reunite for food, fun, and fabulous times, and this year our destination was Nags Head.

The 420 mile ride to the beach took me through the small town of Warrenton, NC, where, once they recovered from the shock of “it’s a girl under that helmet”, they pumped my gas for me.

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I rode through rain for some of the trip (check out this blog post to read about riding in the dark), but it felt so good to be on the bike for a good, long ride that I didn’t even care.  It also felt great to be able to have time to use my camera once I arrived.

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One of the reasons that I have always loved the Outer Banks is because it is a more low key, less developed beach community.  It is more about the ocean, the wildlife, and nature, and less about shopping and dining out (although you can find that, too, no doubt!)

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Clearly, I need to purchase another lens (AFTER the election), but I very much enjoyed seeing this pod of dophins.

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Each morning, after coffee and breakfast, we’d load up the cooler and head to the beach.  What a treat to put my chair right in the surf, and read my book (the first since starting the campaign!) with cold beverage in hand.

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It wasn’t until the last day that we saw a few drops of rain, which of course allowed us to have fun playing Rummy and Charades.

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The view of the sunset over the Roanoke Sound was pretty even with the power line.

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Despite starting for home in the rain, once the sun came out I enjoyed the colors along the way.

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After 30 weeks on the campaign trail, this short visit with dear friends was just the breather that I needed.

I’m so glad that I was able to find a moment to write a post.  With any spare time that I have this week, my goal is to visit all of you!

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Nags Head, NC

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This woman is on vacation!  Woop Woop!!

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The 420 mile ride to Nags Head, NC included

*wonderful views and roads,

*a downpour that thankfully lasted only 15 minutes,

* riding in the dark with my way illuminated by lightning (which also illuminated the “Bear Crossing” signs –  I SO want to see a bear!),

and as always, a cold beer at the end of the ride.

I wish I was better able to express myself with words so that you would understand what it felt like to ride across the Intracoastal Waterway in the dark, to smell the water, and to see the lights in the distance, but not see the water.  To see the huge orange moon and not be able to stop and capture it with my camera.  To know that somehow I had to share the glory of that ride in words instead of photographs.

You’ll just have to trust me.

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The Wonder of Florida

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When you saw the title of this post, did you think about sun, tourists, and Disney World?  While those things certainly are identified with Florida, that’s not the Florida that I experienced almost 2 months ago.

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Those of you who know me will not be surprised to learn that just going over the Sunshine Skyway was exciting!  I wish Donna could have stopped the car but for some reason she didn’t think the Florida troopers would appreciate that too much 🙂  I do love a bridge and I’d have loved to have been on the bike!

My welcoming committee!

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My three day visit was jam packed! In fact, we rarely stopped exploring.  A brief, early morning visit to the beach …

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… was followed by a stop at the Sarasota Farmer’s Market.

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  Is this not the perfect view for lunch and a cold beer?

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We spent time at the Myakka River State Park and it was during our time there that I KNEW I needed a zoom lens!  Visitors to Myakka can enjoy “the land in its natural state, a piece of the REAL FLORIDA”.

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The Birds! The Gators!  The Trees!

“Myakka protects one of the state’s most diverse natural areas. The Myakka River, designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River, flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands. Visitors can enjoy wildlife viewing from a boardwalk that stretches out over the Upper Myakka Lake, then take to the treetops with a stroll along the canopy walkway”

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And then there’s the Canopy Walk!

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76 feet high, the walkway offers an incredible view over the park.  It was a bit hazy that day, but you’ll still be able to appreciate the vista.

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The Airboat tour brought us up close and personal to the gators and other wildlife.

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On our last evening, we took a long leisurely walk around the neighborhood, admiring the trees, flowers, and the sunset.

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It was a wonderful 3 day getaway, one that ended far too quickly.  I’m already looking forward to next year and time with my dear friends!

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So Which Is It – Coming or Going?

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This image is my contribution to Monochromia this week.  As always, I encourage you to check out the work of the fabulous photographers who share their work on that fine blog devoted to B&W Photography.

Late yesterday, I finally edited the photos from a trip that I took almost 2 months ago.  After planting some trees this morning and spending the day knocking doors and introducing myself to the people in the 12th District, I’ll be back to post the images.

Enjoy this day, my friends!

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Seen at the 5K

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The past 13 weeks have found me taking 13 different trips, some for work, some for the campaign, and thankfully, several for fun.

With so much to process, both in my mind and in Lightroom, I was glad to find a few minutes to work on the photos from my first ever 5K event.

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Many of you are runners, or have participated in a 5K before.  I’m a pretty physically active gal, but you know me … if I have a few extra minutes, I can usually be found on the bike and / or with my camera.  Together with my friends Amy, Lisa, Connie, and Sherry, I participated in a 5K in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  I walked, ran, skipped and danced my way through the course, although to be honest, most of the running occurred when I was trying to catch the following images.

We started off early, in fact we walked to the race course in the dark.

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The music kept us moving and the sights of the people kept my camera busy.

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As you can tell, the Diva theme extended to a lot of pink, and many tutus!  Even the gentleman holding this sign was wearing a tutu.

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Boas and tiaras were given out as we neared the finish line.

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We were offered water by the Diva Entourage,

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but once across the finish line we were toasted with champagne.

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Beer was also available.

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As the 5K runners / walkers finished, the 1/2 marathoners were still on the course.

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As each 1/2 marathoner crossed the finish line, she was met by the cheers of the crowd and the announcement of her name.  I felt such pride for these women.  For their preparation, their endurance, and their success.  I was inspired.

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Because indeed … you don’t have to go fast, you just have to go.

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Bloggers: The Most Incredible Gathering of Friends!

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We’ve all said it, and many of you have as well.

WordPress Blogging has become so much more than we ever thought it would be.  What started out as travel diary, forum for writing, sharing of photography, enlightenment about art, gardening, or crafting, or keeping up with family has become a community of international friends.

Over the last several days, 8 WP bloggers from 3 countries and 2 states, have met in various locations to continue in person, the relationships that have been forged through the world of blogging.

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Laurie, Boomdee,  Pauline, Alys, and Julia in Old Town Alexandria.

We marveled that while most of us had never met each other, we talked and laughed as if we’d known each other for years.

Which, of course, we had.

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Laurie, Stacy, Boomdee, Alys, Lisa, Pauline, and Patty in Georgetown

What might have seemed unusual to friends and family (“you’re letting someone you’ve never met stay in your home?”), to us seemed natural.  No doubts.

Our days have been full of laughter, many hugs, lots of delicious food and the sharing of stories.

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Pauline, Shelley, Boomdee, Alys

We’re still in the middle of this amazing gathering of friends, but I wanted to share the joy, because of course, there are so many of you out there that I would love to meet!

Let’s get to planning.  I promise it is worth the effort!

We’ve got another couple days here in Radford before I put Boomdee, Kelly, and Pauline on the train back to DC.  Until the, we’ll fill every single moment with the joy of being together.

And now, while the others get a bit more rest, I’m off to work on the campaign for a couple hours.

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Until Tomorrow

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It was lovely to visit many of your blogs this evening, which kept me from doing much work on the photos from my recent trip to Florida.

There’s always tomorrow, right?  G’Night Ya’ll!

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Myakka River

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A wonderful weekend in Florida with friends was well worth the craziness of life upon my return.  The Myakka River, designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River, flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands in the Myakka River State Park.

And while I cannot wait to share stories and photos, I’m firmly convinced it is time for a zoom lens!

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I look forward to checking out your latest posts!