Wednesday, August 28, 2013

I'm 39 and 3/4 today!

Wow! Only 3 months left until I turn 40 - where has the time gone???

August was a very hot month temperature-wise (30+ with humidity), and I let that prevent me from accomplishing very much on my list, but here is an update on my '40 Things' list anyway. I'm getting there...

The '40 Things' List

1. Go snowshoeing.
2. Serve a meal in a soup kitchen.
3. Eat something I've never tried before.
4. Visit a town in Saskatchewan that I've never been to before.
5. Plan my dream 40th birthday trip.
6. Start running again.
7. Visit a US state I haven't been to before.
8. Read a classic novel.
9. Create and complete a scrapbook for one of the trips I've taken in my 30s.
10. Do up a will.
11. Complete one of my cross-stitch projects.
12. Go kayaking.
13. Get my website business off the ground.
14. Take a self-defense class/course.
15. Go horseback riding.
16. Visit a museum or historic site in Saskatchewan that I haven't been to before.
17. Give blood regularly.
18. Attend a Victorian Tea.
19. Ride my bike in the city.
20. Stop and smell the flowers at a garden I haven't been to before.
21. Try an activity that's new to me.
22. Walk a portion of the Trans Canada Trail that I haven't been on before.
23. Learn more about my family history.
24. Visit a park in Regina I haven't been to before.
25. Participate in a fundraiser that involves a physical activity.
26. Simplify some area of my life that needs simplifying.
27. Learn how to change a tire on a vehicle.
28. Explore Regina's backyard - see what's just outside the city limits.
29. Learn more about Canadian history.
30. Visit a natural site in Saskatchewan I haven't been to before.
31. Learn to play the guitar.
32. Visit a Canadian National Park I haven't been to before.
33. Climb Wascana Hill in Douglas Park and watch a sunset.
34. Visit the observatory at the Science Centre.
35. Attend Mosaic - a multicultural festival held annually.
36. Play my first solo concert on the bells.
37. Attend an outdoor movie event.
38. Go fly a kite!
39. Play a mini golf course I haven't been on before.
40. Go on dream 40th birthday trip!

Friday, August 23, 2013

One month from now...

One month from now I will have arrived in Rome, Italy to begin item #40 on my '40 Things' list - Go on my dream 40th birthday trip!

There have been a few changes along the way, but the itinerary is now set. Here is the plan:

1) Fly to Rome, Italy.
2) A 2-week tour of Italy beginning and ending in Rome (see a previous post for our route).
3) Travel from Rome to Ljubljana, Slovenia by train.
4) An 8-day tour of Slovenia and Croatia beginning and ending in Ljubljana.
5) Fly from Ljubljana to London, England.
6) A few days in London.
7) Travel to Paris, France - we're thinking we'll take the Chunnel...
8) A few days in Paris.
9) Fly home.

As you can see, this trip will take more than a week or two... In fact, it's going to take a whole month! We figured while in Rome, we might as well see as much as we can. And that we will definitely do!

Stay tuned for the post-trip blog post!

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Item #21 - Try an activity that's new to me

On our last day in Yellowstone National Park, Penny and I did a couple of hikes in the mountains - the first to the falls and the second to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone!

Our first hike had me huffing and puffing a bit, even though it wouldn't be daunting to most. The elevation has a lot to do with it as I'm used to the 'flat-as-a-pancake' prairie land of Saskatchewan. I didn't lag too far behind on hike #1, so determined I was up for a second hike.

Hike #2 was a little more challenging however... It was a 600 foot hike down on switchbacks, and therefore also a 600 foot hike back up on switchbacks. It wasn't too bad going down, but the trip back up had me lagging, huffing and puffing, drinking water like it was going out of style, and so forth. Seniors passed me, people carrying children passed me, but I persevered. Fortunately, the 'hike' was more than worth it as we were rewarded with absolutely spectacular views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Item #7 - Visit a US state I haven't been to before

This past long weekend, I and a new friend Penny traveled to Wyoming to see both the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

I had only been to a couple of small places in northeastern Montana, so most of this state was new to me as well. We followed the Lewis & Clark trail (now a highway) through Montana to Livingston for our first night's stop. The next day, less than an hour's drive took us to the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park and the great state of Wyoming.



We began our tour of Yellowstone with Mammoth Hot Springs - an absolutely amazing area full of weird things, then followed the road down the west side of Yellowstone to see Old Faithful. We didn't have to wait long as she goes off approximately every hour and a half, and it really was something to see! That night we backtracked a bit and drove out the west entrance and admired the crops on the way to Driggs, Idaho - our stop for the night.

The next day we explored Grand Teton National Park, the highlight being a scenic cruise on Jackson Lake that took us right up to the base of the mountains. We then drove through the south entrance of Yellowstone and around the very scenic Yellowstone Lake to the east entrance and our B&B for the night.


Our final day of touring in Yellowstone took us back in the east entrance where we explored some of the waterfalls and canyons as we drove up the east side of the park and out the northeast entrance toward the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, which had been highly recommended to us. This was another highlight as we found ourselves on winding roads leading up a mountain towards an 8,000 foot summit and spectacular views before making our way back to the B&B for the night.

We made our way home the following day and now have lots of pictures and memories to remind us of this adventure. I would highly recommend taking a week to do this trip, although I think it would be possible to spend a whole month exploring Yellowstone - there is SO much to see and do!