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Day 3 – Sacred Valley Tour

Thursday, December 8th, 2011


Brenda and I were amped up to do the Sacred Valley Tour. We had both heard fascinating things about this region. The night before, we secured a private tour with Glacial Travel who put together a custom itinerary.

The plan was to start out in Cusco, stopping at Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary, Awana Kancha (Palace of the Weaver), Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and then Chinchero.

Our Sacred Valley Guide Daniel

For a reasonable fee, we got an awesome English speaking guide, Daniel (see his picture above!), and our own driver, Maestro. The concierge attendent at our hotel, Joseph, also came along as he was training to become a tour guide.

Clare & Brenda at Pisac
Brenda and I at Pisac Ruins
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Day 2 – Lima to Cusco

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011


Note: We had dinner at Cafe Punchay (I typed Pachay by accident, in the video!). Oops.

Clare Enjoys Plaza De Armas

We got up rather early and had breakfast at the hotel. It was mediocre. At 8am we went across the street to the airport and hit the atm/money exchange for some soles. We waited for 3 hours for our plane. It was really late.
Clare Living It Up In Business Class - TACA Brenda Enjoying Business Class on TACA
When we boarded, we realized we were in the business class and we were the only ones. It was amazing. We had the entire front section of the plane to ourselves. Neato. They made us check our bags, so it was a little odd we thought, considering all the space. Oh well. One nice thing about business class was the service. We were pampered and we got a nice brunch to boot!
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Day 1 – Denver to Lima, Peru

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Gear for Peru

I don’t know if it was the lovely October fall temps, the magic of Eldorado Canyon, a wonderful day of climbing, or a combination of all elements; when Brenda confided a recent contemplation of a trip to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu the intrigue was all too contagious. It had been a desire of hers for quite some time to visit this spiritual and historic place. Hearing her talk about the idea sparked my imagination – Peru!

I asked if she wouldn’t mind having company. If she was going to join a tour, than it was possible she’d be paired up with a smoker and that would really be awful. Since, I’m definitely not a smoker, I thought I would plant the seed. I pointed out, “You know, the devil that you know…”. However, I suspected we would have a ***blast***, just like we do when we climb.

We discussed details and did our homework regarding pricing. By the end of that week, plans were in place. Plane tickets and tour fees were paid for a trip in December. I couldn’t believe I was going to go with Peru…and with Brenda! What a thrill to make such “last minute” plans. Whoop whoop!
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Running – Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon, South Dakota

Sunday, June 5th, 2011


After training for 6 months, I ran my first Marathon. The Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon in Deadwood, South Dakota. It was a proud day for me. What made it the best was Dennis. My loving hubby was at every possible aid station cheering me on, and it was really awesome. At times, I was really feeling the race and having mental problems, but knowing he was there really kept my spirits up.

Deadwood, South Dakota is a wonderful little town nestled among the mountains. It has a lot of grit and is an old miner town. The marathon event was planned to a tee and the community really makes racers feel welcome! There were aid stations every few miles with bananas, apples, m&ms, pretzels, and bagels pieces. There was also goo, electrolyte drink, and lots of cool water.

For a carb load up, the night before, I would recommend eating at Roma’s Ristorante. It’s about 20 minutes drive from Deadwood, but it’s worth the drive!

The biggest challenge with this marathon was at mile 9, I had an encounter with a very mean woman from Texas. She accused me of drafting off of her. We were running uphill with very little/no wind at probably a 9.5 min/mile pace. In other words we were both going…slow! How assinine!

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Ft. William to Edinburgh – Day 15

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Edinburgh Round About

Ft.William To Edinburgh Driving Map
Our last full day in Scotland, we drove from Ft. William to Edinburgh. We bought groceries in a very large store on the outskirts of Perth. There are always a few edible items we want to bring home. This time, it was HP sauce, Branston Small Chunk Pickle, Candies, and Penguins.

We checked into the Scotsman Hotel, where they hooked us up with a free upgrade to the Baron Suite (2nd largest room in the hotel). We were overjoyed….
Baron's Suite Study

Baron's Suite Bedroom

Baron's Suite Living Space

…Until later that night when the night club several floors down started playing their music. It was OBNOXIOUSLY loud and the floor was thumping in our room. We didn’t sleep a wink, which was the reason for staying at a de-lux hotel in the first place.

Lesson learned: if you are staying at the Scotsman, and they offer to upgrade your room, SAY NO! Unless you are tone deaf…

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