http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/hiker-woman/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from hiker woman en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:07:33 +0000 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:07:33 +0000 Up again at 4 am. Breakfast reservations for 5 am. YUMMY. Scrambled eggs pancakes with butter and maple syrup fresh juice coffee peaches ICE water. We both ate our fill and then some. Had a very pleasant conversation with a couple from Sweden traveling with twin girls. They were maximizing their time in The Canyon by traveling back and forth between Cottonwood and Bright Angel Campgrounds. Th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-957.html Roma. With millions of pilgrims flooding into the city and taking the Metro to the same stop as the one nearest our hotel we opted for a cab. Probably not the cheapest solution by any means. Many of the roads leading to our hotel which is located one block from Vatican City were closed to motor traffic so our cabbie took us the long way around. It beat the line for the overflowing Metro and w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-10167.html What a difference a few million cars make Florence a dramatic Vespainfested change from the pedestrian city of Venice. Florence just reverberates with cars and Vespas zipping by but the energy is invigorating even if stepping off the curb to cross the street can be a bit intimidating.After finding our hotel the Residenze Anitca Dimora Firenze which turned out to be a fantastic place to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/blog-7640.html Venice a feast for our sleepdeprived senses. Pigeons gulls the clickityclack of suitcase wheels on cobblestone. Brightly painted gondola poles. Salt air. Church bells ringing. Stepping out of the train station we felt for the first time since leaving home that wersquod entered another time and place. Sunset cast a beautiful glow over the wellworn but still elegant buildings along the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-7256.html Last day and ready to be done. Wersquod eaten as much as possible during our stay at Indian Gardens yet the packs felt heavier than when we started. Being accustomed to the oxygen rich air at sea level it was easy to feel winded on the climb out. There doesnrsquot seem to be enough air at 6000 feet. To me this was more of an obstacle than the heat. Irsquod hate to experience Everest. Suff http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-959.html After a restful night's sleep in a rustic they weren't kidding lodge near the north rim of the Grand Canyon the alarm on my watch woke us at 4 am. Not being an early riser I was surprised at how awake I was the lure of the Canyon was greater than the desire to roll over and go back to sleep. It wasn't too much later and we were standing on the rim peering into the depths. We're going down th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-952.html I was awake by 330 so we decided to get up and broke camp by moonlight trying not to wake others camped close by. However by the time we were ready to head down the trail nearly everyone was up and following suit. The sky was just beginning to lighten the temperature in the mid 70rsquos as we set off for Bright Angel Campground and the Colorado River.With the early start we had plenty of time http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-956.html