Renae and Dwayne Knowles

Week 2 – Les Menuires, 3 Vallees (11-18 March) We immediately regretted our decision not to stay in Val for the whole two weeks. The last time we stayed in the 3 Valleys in 2015, we were in Meribel Mottaret. This time we decided to stay in Les Menuires, which is in one of the other valleys. First impressions? I don’t like it. We knew it would be ugly because it’s purpose built (aka ugly apartments rather than cute chalets) but the way it’s spread out with buses that only run every 20 mins, compared to every 5-8 mins in Val, makes it difficult to get around. Add to that the fact that whilst it snowed in Val, it rained in the 3 Valleys and as a result, the slopes at 1850m are a patchwork of ... read more

Wed, 21 September – Cruise day 1 - Vancouver It was a sublime sleep in our room at the Sahara Hotel which was rudely interrupted by a 4.30pm alarm, reminding us of our 7am flight. Such a shame to leave a wonderfully cosy bed. We returned the car, flew from Vegas to Portland and then Portland to Vancouver. We were anxious about the flights because our original itinerary was to fly direct from Vegas to Vancouver with Air Canada, but they cancelled their morning flight and so we were bumped onto the alternative via Portland. The anxiety came because the cruise had bumped up their departure time from 6pm to 4pm and our rerouted itinerary meant landing at 11.50am instead of 10.30am, so our 8-hr buffer had shrunk to 4 hrs, assuming no delays. At Portland ... read more

Thu, 15 September – Page One of the things I really like about the Bryce Canyon region is the dedicated paved bike paths that meander through the trees and across the landscapes. We first noticed the path in Red Canyon, which is a small state park about 20 miles out of Bryce. It’s actually a vivid red and quite a beauty in and of itself, and we stopped there for a short walk before continuing our exit. We wished we’d had an extra night to explore the little gem rather than just drive through it. Back to the bike path. It goes all the way to Bryce Canyon and inside the park for miles. There must be at least 50 miles of bitumen. I’m so impressed at their commitment to fund such an extensive network for ... read more

Sun, 11 September Zion National Park. There are so many and so few words that best describe this place. It's scale and beauty is epic, imposing, surreal and captivating. It's impossible to tear your glued eyes away from the scenery, which feels very much like a movie set back drop because it's so picture perfect. The narrow canyons have towering red cliffs - rugged and sometimes sheer - rising 1km above the valley floor. It reminds me of both Yosemite and Kings Canyon merged together. There are two main canyons. The first is run by a shuttle only and has the majority of the walks. Some walks are easy or moderate and some are strenuous. You catch this from the Visitor Centre and it shuttles back and forth from stops 1 to 9. The trip itself ... read more

Hi Friends After a 2 year hiatus due to a little known thing called Covid, we're finally back on the international circuit. Below is our itinerary for the 3 week trip: Day Date Itinerary Fri 9-Sep-22 Sydney > Las Vegas Sat 10-Sep-22 Zion NP Sun 11-Sep-22 " Mon 12-Sep-22 Zion - Angels Landing Hike Tue 13-Sep-22 Bryce Canyon Wed 14-Sep-22 Zebra Slot Canyon Hike Thu 15-Sep-22 Page (Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon) Fri 16-Sep-22 Williams Sat 17-Sep-22 Grand Canyon Steam Train Sun 18-Sep-22 Sedona Mon 19-Sep-22 " Tue 20-Sep-22 Las Vegas Wed 21-Sep-22 Las Vegas > Vancouver, depart on Holland America's Zuiderdam at 4pm Thu 22-Sep-22 Inside Passage - scenic cruising Fri 23-Sep-22 Tracy Arm Inlet & Juneau Sat 24-Sep-22 Skagway - White Pass Railway Sun 25-Sep-22 Glacier Bay - scenic cruising Mon 26-Sep-22 Ketchikan Tue ... read more