Dave & Merry Jo Binkley
There are times when you just have to go exploring.D MJ Binkley
Two nurses who are passionate about traveling the world.
Our love of travel, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures will hopefully take us to wonderful places and allow us the chance to get to know friendly people from other countries. Come join us as we explore "the big blue marble" and its inhabitants!
We appreciate your feedback and if you like our stories we would appreciate it if you recommend our blog.
We are currently living and working just North of San Francisco. If you are in the area please send us a message. We would love to meet a fellow travel blogger.
The Great Mark Twain has greatly influenced our lives.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the things that you did do. So throw of the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
- Mark Twain
Life is very short, try everything you've dreamed about (within the perimeters of sanity and the law) and regret nothing. Oh, and don't forget the sunscreen." ~Amber Benson
From our point of view--- our best blog of 2011. Of a Pup.........and Travel
Iceland--- Greenland--- the Faroe Islands-- the Shetland Islands-- Denmark-- Germany-- Nepal--Tibet--Bhutan--- Myanmar-- the Philippines-- Hawaii and Cuba.
Future trip outlines
2013- Cuba & Chile
2014- Yap, Palau & Chuuk
When time allows we intend to go back and blog about our older trips!
Our Past Travels:
Africa- Morocco
Antarctica- McMurdo Station, Ross Dependency
Asia- Bali, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Caribbean- we love to dive- Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Cayman Brac, Grand Cayman, Curacao, Dominica, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos
Central America- Costa Rica
Europe & The Mediterranean- Belgium, Crete, England, France, Greece, Italy ,Mykonos,Netherlands, Santorini, Scotland, Vatican City
Middle East- Dubai
North America- Alaska, Canada, Mexico, Prince Edward Island, United States
Pacific- Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand, Tasmania
South America- Peru
Travel Blog Posts
Blue Sky, Emerald Water-- Lake Tahoe
Published: May 21st 2012North America » United States » California » South Lake Tahoe
May 21st 2012
South Lake Tahoe…..revisited Lake Tahoe is magnificent and in our opinion one of the loveliest lakes in America. If you enjoy nature you will enjoy the Lake Tahoe area. Hours of hiking trails beckon; we passed many bikers, motorcyclist, boaters and kayakers along the way. Summer or winter Lake Tahoe is an outdoor playground. As the old saying goes, “you can’t go home again.” Those of you who know us well might inquire, “they don’t have a home, do they?” And they are right to a point, as we have lived in many places over the years. But the truth is that each of these places has indeed been our home, from the shores of Cape Cod to the mountains of Wyoming, to the beaches of Florida, to the green Northwest, to the present day digs ... read more
May 4th 2012
San Francisco is truly one of the magnificent cities of the world and there are a multitude of reasons to come here to explore. For music enthusiasts like us, there exists a full menu from which to choose because this city draws in a number of musical acts big and small. The smaller venues host many a local musician and the quality is astoundingly good. The average quality of street musicians is higher than you will find in most cities. On many corners of the city one can find musicians playing for tips and you’re convinced that they are probably graduates from the local universities, given the breadth of their repertoire. On any day any number of street bands or quartets can be seen or a lone musician embracing their instruments and just playing what they ... read more
Ode to Travel Bloggers
Published: April 9th 2012North America » United States » California » San Francisco
April 7th 2012
Ode to Travel Bloggers Let us start by acknowledging a few basic principles we hold dear: We love our country and we also consider ourselves to be citizens of the world. Happy Tenth Anniversary to Travel Blog!! Our thanks for Ali Watters, the owner and creator of Travel Blog for this amazing travel community. Without you, this would not have been possible. In 2007 we were living and working in Seattle, Washington. We had some amazing friends in town but we were getting itchy feet….which happens to us from time to time, and we wanted to take to the open road. Our jobs were not as fulfilling as we wanted them to be and we had lived in Seattle for 7 years. That was the longest MJ had lived any placed since 1989. When Dave met ... read more
Naked Napa and other Gems of Northern California
Published: December 20th 2011North America » United States » California » Calistoga
December 18th 2011
Since our return from magical Morocco a few weeks ago, we have spent many weekends busy exploring the sights within a couple of hours of San Francisco. Read these vinettes as we take a look at Napa Valley, Santa Cruz, Monterey and the lively city of San Francisco, plus, details of the Travel Blog San Francisco holiday gathering. Naked Napa Glad we caught your attention. It’s amazing that the turn of a phrase can grab the eye. There is an eerie hush of quiet in the Napa Valley as winter sets in. The days are growing shorter as the winter solstice approaches. The tourists are gone and the locals can take a deep breath and enjoy the relative tranquility of the off season. The green from the vines are gone, they are dormant--- and the vines ... read more
Essaouira - Seaside, Surfing and Song
Published: November 4th 2011Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » Essaouira
November 4th 2011
On the coast of Morocco there is a picturesque and beautiful fishing village called Essaouira. We had not heard of this town until a few weeks ago when we had Dave and Suz over to our apartment for dinner (The Overlanders). This is one of the towns they explored when they came to Morocco and we are so happy that they mentioned it or we might not thought to stop here. We admit that a first glance of this town was reminiscent of some Greek villages due to the generally white buildings with blue trim that we have visited, but this place definitely has a Moroccan personality. As you approach the smallish harbor, seagulls en masse greet the returning fishing boats in the harbor. Our guide Mustfa tells us this town is nicknamed the “windy city”. ... read more
The Sounds, sights and smells of Marrakesh
Published: November 1st 2011Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » Marrakech
November 1st 2011
Our last blog took you to the deserts and mountain towns in Morocco and now ----------- the Sounds, sights and smells of Marrakesh. We approached the outskirts of town with great anticipation. We were approaching the famous city of Marrakesh, which has a deep history and is also home to our guide, Mustafa. We’ve traversed quite a few miles in these last days and the next stop would surely prove to be all that we hoped. We’re both sitting in the car with the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song playing in our heads…….”do you know we are riding on the Marrakesh express….they’re taking me to Marrakesh”. Actually that song has been playing in our heads for about three days and we are ready to give it a rest. We’ve learned a few facts about Moroccan ... read more
October 30th 2011
The road you should take...... A journey to Morocco takes most people to the bigger cities of Casablanca, Rabat, Fes, and Marrakesh among others. This is all well and good, but there is so much more to this country than just the large cities. This statement is true of most countries of course, but the emphasis here is on the magical countryside of Morocco, where there is so much to take in with limited time. In our case, it really helps to have a wonderful guide who is very familiar with the entire country and it’s history. It is even more helpful as he also does the driving, freeing us up to take in all the beauty. The perfect plan….. Casablanca and Rabat are both on the Atlantic coast and rather close to one another. We ... read more
October 27th 2011
We enjoy visiting Muslim nations for many reasons and one of them is lying in bed quite early in the morning listening to the call to prayer, the first of five times each day. In the quiet of the early morning the sounds of prayer bellow out of the silence of the night to awaken the dawn of a new day. The sounds are enthralling and calming. Our experiences have demonstrated that the Muslim people are kind, generous and peaceful no matter what you read in the press. A few bad people have made it difficult for many thousands of kind people whose mission in life is to work hard, love their fellow man, and to make a better life for their families. Fes is a complex city made up of an intricate labyrinth of twisting ... read more
October 24th 2011
If you read our blog or enjoy our photos please send us a message, comment or email. We would love hearing from you while we are on the road. Morocco ……it has a very alluring sound to it. It is known for many things, including its many colorful images, culinary delights and fascinating history. For us, the chance to visit this exotic locale was an opportunity that could not be passed up. Before this trip we had been very busy with work and school, so we worked with a travel agent and the itinerary was set: San Francisco to Paris and then to Casablanca, where we would begin our two-week adventure in this most fascinating country. On this journey we will be celebrating both of our birthdays, so we decided to upgrade the voyage just a ... read more
Brillant Balloons Above Reno
Published: September 13th 2011North America » United States » Nevada » Reno
September 10th 2011
It’s 4am, it’s dark as we drive into the wide open spaces of the field. We are being guided by lighted wands that look like light sabers from Star Wars. We are directed to park our car at the end of the line. It’s early, we are still waking up and we’re tramping down a dirt path following others, kindred spirits who seek the balloon lift-off at Rancho San Rafael Park. We are promised picture perfect weather this morning for the balloon launch. Our excitement builds as we enter the park, a place where there’s some light and booths set up to sell many things, including coffee for those of us who have braved the pre-dawn light to be here for the festivities. We immediately grab some coffee and head to a place on the hill, ... read more
D MJ Binkley
| Joined | July 4th 2007 | Trips | 10 |
| Last Login | May 25th 2012 | Followers | 57 |
| Status | BLOGGER | Follows | 89 |
| Blogs | 81 | Guestbook | 553 |
| Photos | 2,456 | Forum Posts | 3256 |
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Our Journey
Map Legend: 12%, 33 of 263 Territories
Where we have traveled 
Where we live 
Trips
U.S.Road Trip- Gap Year
July 20th 2007 -» September 15th 2007
2007 Gap Year RTW
September 16th 2007 -» March 27th 2008
2009- Sanibel Island, USA
March 18th 2009 -» March 28th 2009
2009- France & Belgium
September 3rd 2009 -» September 22nd 2009
2010 Turks and Caicos
February 18th 2010 -» February 28th 2010
2010 Central Italy
September 21st 2010 -» October 9th 2010
2010-11 Living on Cape Cod
October 31st 2010 -» March 22nd 2011
2011- Cabo San Lucas,Mexico
March 25th 2011 -» April 6th 2011
2011 San Francisco & Area
April 18th 2011 -» December 18th 2011
2011- Magical Morocco
October 21st 2011 -» November 6th 2011
July 20th 2007 -» September 15th 2007
2007 Gap Year RTW
September 16th 2007 -» March 27th 2008
2009- Sanibel Island, USA
March 18th 2009 -» March 28th 2009
2009- France & Belgium
September 3rd 2009 -» September 22nd 2009
2010 Turks and Caicos
February 18th 2010 -» February 28th 2010
2010 Central Italy
September 21st 2010 -» October 9th 2010
2010-11 Living on Cape Cod
October 31st 2010 -» March 22nd 2011
2011- Cabo San Lucas,Mexico
March 25th 2011 -» April 6th 2011
2011 San Francisco & Area
April 18th 2011 -» December 18th 2011
2011- Magical Morocco
October 21st 2011 -» November 6th 2011
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