Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays 2019!
2019 started off with a bang for a year of travel starting with a New Year’s eve lightning storm at my dad KC’s lakeside home in Tennessee where he and his wife have lived for a few years now.
Skiing July 22 at Mammoth
As it didn’t cost any more to fly home by way Denver, we hit the slopes for two days each in Winter Park and Steamboat using our Ikon Pass. For the rest of the season, we were at Mammoth all the way up to late July on a trip that included hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and fishing—in one day!
M and R got big into mountain biking this year in the Santa Monicas and Big Bear, and I got up a big mountain – Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in early August on a trip organized by our friend Tony Fletcher with The Roof of Africa Adventures.
While it’s not a technical climb, the top is over 19k making it very challenging—and I didn’t use oxygen or meds! On the way there and back, I stopped in Amsterdam, a city I love for cycling, walking, art, food, and public transit.
Over Labor Day, while I did Burning Man for the 19thtime, M and R did an overnight rafting trip; next summer, R hopes to work on the Kern and learn how to guide—and get more mountain biking in, too!
Next trip for me came in October when I went to France as one of the four member US Wine Tasting Team to compete in the World Wine Tasting Championship.
While we didn’t win, wine writing partner and teammate Sue Hill and I had an amazing two week trip focusing on biodynamic wine in Champagne and the Loire which I’ve been busy writing about on WinePredator.com
In November, we went to San Francisco to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for R’s birthday. We rode the cable cars, ate at Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown, and enjoyed hot fudge sundaes in Ghiradelli Square. Earlier in the year, we got our Harry Potter on with Order of the Phoenix at the Hollywood Bowl with live orchestra! The year was full of live music from Dead and Company to Sergio Mendes to Thom Yorke and more.
Now we’re gearing up for a ski trip to Utah and Colorado! No wonder Ginger Kitty sleeps on my duffle bag!
Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!
May 2020 bring you peace, love, dirt, and the trips of your dreams!
art predator 