Road Trip

Nicholas’s mom was in town, and someone decided the best use of a perfectly good gaming Saturday was to drive two hours into the hottest place …

We arrived in Rome at night, which is the correct way to arrive in Rome. You stumble off the highway, navigate increasingly chaotic streets, and then …

On the way from Tuscany to Rome, Pokin found us somewhere to stay that was exactly Bob’s speed. La Badia di Orvieto. A 12th-century Benedictine …

Our last morning at Villa Cicolina and there was only one thing on the agenda. That pool. No tours. No guides. No wine tastings. Just this. We had …

Today was tour day. But first, Montepulciano itself. Montepulciano can be a little bit confusing because it’s the name of a medieval hilltop …

So here’s what happened. Pokin had booked a wine tasting at a place called Podere Le Berne, a family-run estate in the hills outside …

Tuscany day! Of course Pokin booked us another full day tour, so I was forced up at 7am along with everyone else for breakfast and to get on the road. …

We had time to kill before lunch, so Chiara took us to Pienza. Unlike many of the other towns in the region, Pienza was built during peaceful times, …

Let me tell you about ZTLs. If you ever drive in Italy, you will encounter something called a Zona a Traffico Limitato. Traffic-restricted zone. …

The next day, we started with a hearty breakfast at the Art Hotel Commercianti where I was surprised to see candy being served for breakfast. Then it …

We’re in Bologna for two nights, but let me tell you about the night before when we got here. Because of our packed day, it was already getting …

After calling it an early night, we got up early for a packed road trip driving day. Today, the goal was to get on the road in Rovererto where we …

The next morning we got up, had our respective breakfasts, and went off to get the rental car. It’s not a long drive, our destination was just a …

After a very relaxing stay at Castel Frasburg and a memorable birthday celebration with our friends, it was time to wave goodbye, and head over to …

It’s the middle of the pandemic. Nobody is going anywhere. Suddenly Nicholas gets a message from his friend Mark’s fiancee. They are …

Now that Pokin’s joined YPO, she’s making an effort to meet the members more. “The Couples retreat is one of the best ways to get to …

My bud, myself, and our friend Linda - we are all Harry Potter fans. So we decided to go to University Studios to check out Harry Potter world. We …

Today we took a day trip over to Oatman, AZ, where a bunch of wild burros hang out. The town still looks like it’s out of a Wild West movie set, …

We got up in the morning, and at 10am, our taxi driver from yesterday, Marcao came to pick us up. Today’s trip is a 2.5 hour drive from Managua …

This week, we’re in Hollywood for the Unite conference run by Unity. During one of the breaks I got up on the stage. Check out how natural I …

Well today is a sunday. Normally that would mean Super Sumi Sunday. Instead, it was a day devoid of gaming. Instead we packed up the car and drove to …

My bud’s good friend is getting married in Hood River Oregon, and we’re back on the road again towards the wedding. I made sure to bring …

Meet myself, negotiator extraordinaire. We’re on a road trip to Bend to help Nicholas’ sister move, and I’m loaded up with …

We’re just about home. Final stop is Crater Lake. We were thinking about camping here too, but given that the area gets 44 feet of snow a year …

Apparently for Pokin, Vegas = buffets. So instead of seeing all the shows we just went to the Bacchanal Buffet in Caesar’s Place in Vegas. We …

So much to see and do! You think they’ll let me play some blackjack? I’m a high-rolling kind of bear.

Goodbye Page, Arizona! We turned our car westward and southwards and headed towards the Grand Canyon. Originally we had planned to camp overnight at …

I mentioned we’d learned that the Antelope Canyon (which has an upper and lower section) isn’t publicly accessible. It’s on Navajo …

Today we took a few hour detour to stay in a small town close to the Grand Canyon along the northern border of Arizona. Along the way I got my first …

They did it. Mr. Noodle Instant noodles out of coffee cups cooked with a coffee maker in the bathroom. I wanted no part of it. Just hot cocoa, which …

Just about everyone we told about being in New Mexico said we should go to Santa Fe. So the morning after camping at White Sands Nicholas and Pokin …

Welcome to one of the many little towns we drove by on this trip. And it’s railway crossing.

While visiting the White Sands National Monument to ask about the missile testing, we learned we could back country camp at White Sands. Camping in …

Well my hope of relaxing didn’t last long. Shortly after we got to the hotel Pokin wanted to scout out White Sands for potential sunrise …

After our visit to Carlsbad Caverns, we were supposed to go and look for food. Unfortunately Carlsbad Caverns isn’t really near anything so we …

And we’re back on the road!

I just saw the big daddy of lightning canons. That’s not really a laser but it’s pretty darn close. My best bear bud and I got a private …

First stop, Joey’s. He and his wife Jill live in a very cute adobe house. Immediate next stop - hotel room where I can get some much needed …

Last stop in the park was the Painted Desert, which is this massive expanse of stratified red stuff that covers several states. Supposedly it’s …

Did it. Too bad the full route’s been decommissioned.

Newspaper rock was a stop where you could look at well preserved petroglyphs. I don’t know why I was so excited but I was, so I ran out ahead of …

Next on our list was Crystal Forest. This place used to be the home of many petrified logs in a variety of colours. But the best looking ones were …

Our next stop was Agate Bridge, which involved backtracking 15 miles towards the entrance. This is the kind of smart planning that happens when …

So we got up early to go to Petrified National Forest. We were the only ones on the road and probably the first ones to the park…with the …

Nobody else in sight. That’s probably a sign we should have stayed in bed. The clock does not really say 6:10 AM does it?!

The cacti are plentiful in Arizona. I’d never seen cacti before, so we pulled over onto a dirt path on the side of the road to check them out. I …

Is Yuma, Arizona. And San Pedro de Atacama, Chile is the driest place on earth. And I’ve now been to both. Nailed it. I learned about this city …

Cruise is over. Time to get off the boat, into the car, and across the US of A we go!

Yes we did. My best bear bud and I spontaneously decided to pack our bags, get in the car, and drive the heck out of Eugene. South. And now we are in …

Yesterday Nicholas told me we were going on a road trip to San Francisco. He neglected to inform me it was a trip to clear out a storage unit, and …