Well it has been a while since writing and I have missed it, although I confess I have been lazy.  I did write a bit in April for the life stories class and put those ramblings on the site J. R. at home, but nothing since although my mind and ideas are barely under control with ideas.  Initiating those ideas is a totally different thing.

But a new trip is in the works.  This one to Germany with Jeanne.  Apparently “they” have finished the Eurovelo15 bike route from the headwaters of the Rhine river in Switzerland to the ocean near Rotterdam Holland.  Reportedly bike paths the entire way, which seems what they do in Europe.   We have arranged 5 weeks to do the 1230 kilometers leaving the 13 August, next week.

And one of the better parts is the bikes are there.  We have friends Todd and Britta who live here in Anchorage, but he, being a FedEx pilot, has taken a 4 year trip to Germany where they currently reside out of Köln.  Every year they have returned to Anchorage in the summer for a visit and stayed with us.  Now we visit them and they have bikes for us to use.  Sweet.  Good bikes and do not have to transport ours.  It was a good excuse to visit them.

Thus the preparations go on here.  We are doing the trip ourselves, no one to carry our stuff, no one to make arrangements, no one to guide us wherever.  And no particular schedule, although as usual I am finding already things are tight.  We know a fair number of people and trying to visit them is difficult at times due to our schedules and theirs.  Eric, the foreign exchange student we hosted in 2003 from Sweden is now a doctor, and we would love to see, Jeanne has a cousin and her daughter in Köln, friends I met in South America who reside in Germany and nearby places.  I guess if it works it will work but if not well it is no worse than not having visited or tried at all.

Currently we are going through ideas of things to take and preparations.  Travel insurance obtained this morning including emergency services and emergency returns back to where we have health insurance,  airfare already obtained via Condor air which is sweet with a direct flight from Anchorage to Frankfurt Germany.  None of that flying down south to go around to Europe.  10 hours direct.  GPS and potential routes mapped,  Cameras and charging devices, iPhone, iPad, and the implements of modern travel.  Talking with folks from the areas to be visited to see what is available and options.  We are hoteling it thus our loads will not include camping gear although it  sounds like camping is very good way to travel there.

And so if any of you are still on the mailing list here is another blog by J. R.  hopefully interesting, but then I find I write for me to remember.