Gettysburg
Today was a beautiful day for a motorcycle ride. I headed out onto some of my favorite back roads in northern Baltimore county, headed toward Gettysburg, PA, and made it back six hours later. I should sleep well tonight. Apparently, everybody else with a bike had the same idea. There were a lot of Harleys and a few sportbikes, but no dual-sports. I’ve still only seen one other KLR650 in the wild. I also a saw a couple of trailered railroad speeders heading north through Hanover, PA. There must have been a run somewhere this weekend. I hope everyone had…
VT
It’s been a busy month. Tonight I’m off to Northern Vermont to re-qualify for my Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification. It’s not like I’m planning to become an Outward Bound leader any time soon, but it’s a great program and it makes sense to stay current. This photo from Hamilton Pool Park near Austin. It felt great to take a couple hours walking around in the woods after seven very full days of training. It’s a beautiful place.
Austin
So far I’m enjoying Austin. It’s smaller downtown than I expected. It kind of reminds me of Nashville. Yesterday I saw an exhibit of Christo and Jean-Claude’s work at the Austin Museum of Art. No, they didn’t have the Reichstag museum, just a model and a number of sketches and preliminary drawings which I kind of liked better than the installations themselves. Take a look at this sketch from The Gates of Central Park project, and here’s a sketch from The Umbrellas. The preliminary sketches of this were great. I also snuck a couple of photos, but these are better.…
Tikal
Here’s a post-trip post. Mostly it’s an excuse to put up some photos of Tikal. This place was the original reason that I decided to come to Guatemala. I’m glad I did, as it’s been a very positive experience for me, and I think also that I’ve had a positive impact on the people of San Andrés. That’s something that as a traveler I’m not always sure of. Tikal is an amazing place, especially at sunrise and sunset. Jeremy and I spent a couple of days walking around climbing stairs and exploring ruins. The second day, we took a predawn…
Dos Boletos
I’m still in Guatemala at the language school. It’s been a terrific experience and I expect that I will come back here to study in the future. My host family is great, and I will definitely miss them when I leave. I stayed here for the New Year’s holiday, and I’m now planning to go to Tikal this Friday. The Internet connections here are all dial-up and shared for the most part by a dozen computers, so you’ll have to wait a week more for some photos. The language classes are going well. I’m beginning to understand some people and…
Eco-Escuela
The school is great. I know a lot more Spanish than I thought I did, but I still don’t understand anybody but my teacher. I’ve been reading the children’s book “The Little Prince” in Spanish. I made it through about five paragraphs in about three hours last night (with a dictionary), but I remember most of the vocab that way. Mi familia de San Andrés es buena. The mother’s name is Francisca. She has had more estudiantes than she can remember in 13 years. She clearly loves to have us. My teacher’s name is Julia and she is great too.…
Flores, Guatemala
I made it to Flores alright. The plane was a Cessna Caravan from Belize to here. I’m headed to the Spanish school early tomorrow so there won’t be any new posts for a few days. I will take some pictures.
Headed to Guatemala
Merry Christmas everybody. I’m headed out tomorrow to San Andrés, Guatemala. It’s near Flores on Lake Petén Itzá. It’s also close to Tikal which is one of the largest Mayan sites. I’ll be studying Spanish for a few hours each day at a school called Eco-Escuela where I’ll be staying with a local family. I won’t have Internet access in San Andrés, but I’ll try to check e-mail and update this blog every few days in nearby Flores. I plan to cram as much Spanish into my brain as I can in one week, but if it goes well and…
Belice y Guatemala
Things are going ahead for my trip to Belize and Guatemala. I’ll be heading out on Christmas and getting back on the 10th of January. Hopefully I’ll get some photos up during the trip so check in during that time. I’m not sure how often I’ll have Internet access, but I expect to have it every three or four days. I don’t have much of an itinerary so far (you’re not surprised are you?). I expect to head toward Tikal in Guatemala the day after I arrive in Belize and then work my way back. I may try to trek…