Blue Planet Journey

The Explorer of the Seas in ‎⁨Argostoli⁩, ⁨Ionian Islands⁩, ⁨Greece⁩. Another successful trip planned by Caroline! We sailed from Miami to Barcelona, then Croatia, and finally Greece. A transatlantic, by definition, consists of many days at sea, so you have to be prepared to entertain yourself on a cruise ship. For many, this involves drinking, eating, gambling, more eating, more drinking, and sleeping by the pool. That's not what Caroline and I do. Every morning, we started the day at the gym: treadmill, stationary bike, weights, stretch class, or the abs class. Sometimes I'd run on the outdoor track, but the wind on deck 12 often was brutal. Once, when the instructor was sick, Caroline even led the stretch class! After a quick breakfast in the Windjammer, I'd either visit the stateroom for a shower, or I'd head over to the Sports Court on Deck 13 for an hour of... Wind Pickleball!   Notice the wind speed... 25 mph. That is guaranteed to make a pickleball lob act erra...

  Caroline at the start of the LoToJa race.  At 200+ miles, LoToJa is the longest one-day USAC-sanctioned bicycle race in the country.   [Originally written for the Herald Journal, September, 2012.] Bicycling is a great form of exercise. It has cardiovascular benefits and helps burn excess calories. Your bicycle also works as a form of transportation, getting you from here to there. You’ll save money by using your bike instead of your car to get to school, work, church, and play. And the money you save can then be used to buy delicious seasonal peaches and raspberries. I had to repair three flat tires in the past three weeks. Argh! And during the recent LOTOJA bicycle event from Logan to Jackson Hole, more than a hundred cyclists suffered flat tires during the first leg of the race. That was a lot of spandex waiting by the side of the road for new tubes! (It was really fortunate that people weren’t hurt as a result.) In most cases, the cause was a demonical plant,...