Ron & Avril
"SPENDING THE KIDS INHERITANCE" skid skim
Well thats what the kids accuse us of - so, (Skid & Skim) ski/daddy and ski/mummy are doing just that.....
2 Brits off around the world on August 19th 2007 and don't they just hate us for it!!!!
No! - They think it's great that a couple of oldies have got the guts to go backpacking for 12 months.
We are no strangers to travelling and have already experienced white water rafting in Colorado, "Skim" has also been brave enough to do a bungee jump.
OK we are in our 50s, but it doesn't mean we are going to sit back and wait to die.
Life is for living, so bring it on..................
This will be our postcard to our family and friends....
UPDATE 25th February 2009.
We've travelled the world, had the time of our lives and made loads of friends along the way.
Been back in the country for 5 months and have now been diagnosed with terminal cancer with 2 years to live.
Shock yes, but I will not give in, and no I am not sitting back to wait to die. I am going to continue to enjoy the hell out of this life and make some magical memories along the way.
This will be our blog to the end of my travels, then will continue with my husbands further adventures. So watch out guys we could be heading your way...
A bit advice for you guys out there who are thinking "one day I'd like to travel" just do it, don't drag your heels - Do it before it's too late. We've had a blast and will continue to do so.....
Avril (aka Skim)
Then back to work
Travel Blog Posts
Making "happy memories" at Euro Disney.
Published: September 20th 2009Europe » France » Île-de-France » Paris
July 17th 2009
Having being diagnosed with breast cancer last October (just 8 weeks after returning from our RTW trip) we have at last!!! found time, between hospital stays and appointments to have a few days away. (For those of you who don't already know; In February I was told the cancer had now spread to the lung and spine and my prognosis is a life expectancy of an average of two years.) My quest now is to make as many "happy memories and have as much fun as possible" during this journey, for my family and friends to look back on. For a few weeks before we made our trip, I was led to believe that we were heading to Amsterdam to see a friend. So needless to say, getting away and doing something "normal" for a change ... read more
Over the Falls in a barrel? "I don't think so!!"
Published: August 24th 2008North America » Canada » Ontario » Niagara Falls
August 3rd 2008
After spending a few days in cosmopolitain Toronto, we headed off towards "Niagara Falls". Over the internet, we'd booked to stay at the "Niagara Falls Motel". (Just a mile from the falls). Accomodation is really expensive in this area and this was cheaper than most. "We weren't suprised, to find that it was a grotty little place." However, after 12 months of travelling and having stayed in lots of places that weren't up to scratch. We decided to give it a go, at least the sheets and bathroom were clean. "So why not, we've put up with worse"!!! (Turned out to be an ideal place to base ourselves at a fraction of the cost.) The Niagara Falls was awesome to see, especially when they are lit up at night. "Well worth a visit". One of our ... read more
July 29th 2008
After staying the night in a place called Newcastle, we headed off to "Fort Laramie". This military post, was founded in 1849 when the army purchased the old Fort John for $4000, and began to build a military outpost along the Oregon Trail. Having seen the fort on numerous westerns, I was suprised to find that it was and always was an open fort. (The popular view of a western fort, generated by Hollywood movies, is that of an enclosure surrounded by a wall or stockade. Fort Laramie, was never enclosed by a wall. Initial plans for the fort included a wooden fence or a thick structure of rubble, nine feet high, that enclosed an area 550 feet by 650 feet. Because of the high costs involved, the wall was never built. Fort Laramie was ... read more
The Black Hills and much much more.....
Published: August 10th 2008North America » United States » South Dakota » Black Hills National Forest
July 23rd 2008
Whilst heading into the Black Hills of Dakota, we decided to visit Mount Rushmore, The Crazy Horse Memorial, Bedrock and Four Mile Town. Black Hills National Forest The Black Hills area has a rich, diverse cultural heritage. Archaeological evidence suggests the earliest known use of the area occurred about 10,000 years ago. Later Native Americans, such as the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Lakota, came to the Black Hills to seek visions and to purify themselves. The Black Hills was also a sanctuary where tribes at war could meet in peace. (Sky-piercing granite peaks and forested mountains dominate the skyline of western South Dakota. America's oldest mountains rose above the surrounding flatlands 60 million years ago, at about the time the dinosaurs disappeared. Even after eons of erosion their granite peaks still soar as high... read more
Retail therapy in the Badlands!!
Published: August 9th 2008North America » United States » South Dakota » Badlands
July 22nd 2008
Today we headed to the Badlands. But first we called into the world famous "Wall Drug". It had to be done! After reading so much about the place and seeing the numerous sign posts for it along the way. We weren't disappointed. Skim got to indulge in a bit of retail therapy for a change. And I got to sit with a couple of long drinks, before taking some fun photos.... (Ted Hustead was a Nebraska native who moved to Wall and opened a tiny drug store in 1931. Five years later, it was still a tiny drug store. Dorothy, Ted's wife, thought that the travelers driving past their store must be thirsty, and suggested that Ted put up a sign outside of town advertising free ice water at Wall Drug. Ted thought it was ... read more
Buffalo Bill, Sundance Kid, Indians & Other stuff!!!
Published: August 6th 2008North America » United States » Wyoming » Bighorn National Forest
July 20th 2008
Buffalo Bills Dam We came across the dam in the early evening. Alas, it was too late for the tour of the visitors centre. After a quick look around we headed onwards to pastures new, in the hopes of finding somewhere to stay for the night. Unfortunately we couldn't find anywhere and had to pull into the side of the road. Our trusty sleeping bags came in handy, yet again!!! Next morning, we headed off to Big Horn..... Big Horn A place of many indian battles. We throughly enjoyed our day travelling through this canyon. There was so much to see and a lot of history to digest after our visit to the visitors centre. The colorful cliffs lining the canyon contain fossils, relics of when this region was a shallow sea, a coastal area ... read more
Jellystone - In search of Yogi Bear!!!
Published: July 31st 2008North America » United States » Wyoming » Yellowstone National Park
July 19th 2008
Having grown up watching the cartoon "Yogi Bear" in Jellystone. We'd wanted to visit "Yellowstone", the place that Jellystone was based on. The bears were the main attraction for us, with fingers crossed you paid a visit. "Watch out Yogi here we come!!!" There was so much to see in this park, wildlife, fantasic views and an abundance of geothermal features. We'd already seen a lot of thermal activity in New Zealand and we were well impressed. But we were absolutely gob smacked, as to how much there was to see there. (The world's first national park, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the bill to create Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, Yellowstone is a true American wilderness - 97 percent of the park's 3,400 square miles ... read more
"The Three Breasts" as the french would say....
Published: July 30th 2008North America » United States » Wyoming » Grand Teton National Park
July 18th 2008
We crossed the border into Idaho and headed straight to the visitors centre for some info. We met a couple outside who were heading the same way and they had vacationed in the area before. They gave us the heads up on all the different things we could do and the Grand Tetons was one of them. (So thank you Eleanor & Dick) Once we'd found a hotel in "Idaho Falls" to settle into for a few days, we were ready for the sights.... Again we were well impressed with "The Grand Tetons"..... Not only with the views, but the abundance of wild flowers that had now come into flower. This park's mountain range is very popular with climbers, hikers and photographers. The exposed crystalline rocks give the mountains their dramatic appearance in any season. ... read more
Let's race along "Bonneville Speedway!!"
Published: July 25th 2008North America » United States » Utah » Wendover » Bonneville Speedway
July 15th 2008
In "Reno" we loaded up the car with water and snacks for our journey across the desert. Over 500 miles to travel and we didn't know what to expect along the way..... All we knew was that we wanted to see, "Bonneville Speedway" along the way. But first we were making our way to Elko, where we hoped to stay the night. After 300 miles of desert, country & western music (that's all the radio would pick up), we were more than ready to stop. Luckily the first motel we reached in Elko, had rooms available. Next morning we traveled along the salt flats. It was so weird, it looked just like snow! Finally we reached our destination..... "Bonneville Speedway" (Bonneville Speedway is an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats near Wendover, Utah, that is ... read more
Yosemite
Published: July 24th 2008North America » United States » California » Yosemite National Park
July 11th 2008
Having spent the night in a place called "Tracy", we made the journey to "Yosemite" national Park. You may ask yourself "Aren't they fed up with national parks yet?" In a nut shell "NO!". Everyone we've been to, has had something different going for it. And Yosemite is no exception. The views were absolutely amazing. A definate must see. (That $80 yearly park pass has really paid for it's self and some...) From Yosemite we traveled through the "Inyo National Forest" looking for somewhere to stay. We eventually ended up at "The Sierra Retreat" in "Walker" in the middle of the night. So desperate were we to rest up, that we didn't notice the over frilly decor in the cabin until the morning. However it did have a full working kitchen, it's just a shame ... read more
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