kyrkan

first clam roll [of 2017]

Published April 2, 2017

whole belly clams – YUM!

shoreline Sunday

Sunday, SUN day. Weather took a 180-degree turn from yesterday’s 26.2 mile trek.

Branford – Overnighted at a friend’s condo along the shoreline. WOW, whatta morning view! Ocean breeze & sunshine. Popped on a jacket & laced up my running shoes. Morning after marathoning is never my best run but today’s beachscape soaked into the soul. (Thanks Andrea & Bill!)

Westbrook – After visiting a friend’s B&B in Madison, the Scranton Seahorse Inn – enjoyed my first clam roll of the season. Light breeze, smell of salt, sea gulls scavenging for scraps – summer’s just around the corner 🙂

New Haven – Ended the weekend walking the Green, downtown New Haven & Yale campus. You can’t go back in time – no regrets, LOVE LOVE my Colorado life – but after living & loving 9 years in CT, whole lotta memories. BIG smile.

: 100 day runniversary

: first clam roll of 2017

: downtown New Haven

: goodnite sun, goodbye CT

Posted in Northeast | Tagged beachcombing, kyrkan | Leave a comment

Cadbury World

Published March 13, 2017

Oompa Loompa doompadee doo

I’ve got another puzzle for you

Oompa Loompa doompadah dee

If you are wise you’ll listen to me

Never got to meet Willy Wonka – but I did get my ‘Augustus Gloop’ on at Cadbury’s Chocolate Factory.

Early morning start. 9 mile trek on Frankton Track, mix of trail & bike path, east alongside Lake Wakatipu. Shower, apartment check-out, last day in Queenstown – goodbyes to my fave New Zealand town. 3 ½ hour drive, south & far far east today. After a half-week shouldering NZ’s Tasman Sea, would spend the next three days bumped up against the vast Pacific.

Arrived in South Island’s 2^nd largest city, Dunedin, early afternoon. First hotel stay since Auckland. Grabbed a map & a rain jacket – CHOCOLATE! Walked past high steeple churches & historic city buildings in Dunedin Central ‘the Octagon’, then continued south toward the water, past Anzac Square to Cadbury World on Cumberland Street.

2 large lumbering storage tanks invade the landscape – one white, one purple, ‘Cadbury’ emblazoned in script. Tour ticket purchased, quick pass thru the factory museum, iconic Cadbury bunny photo shot. Sadly no other pics to share. Cell phones, purses, backpacks all confiscated before eyeing the company’s chocolate making process. No joking with Chocolatiers – take their business mighty seriously.

[Gotta/hafta/must sneak out an everlasting gobstopper (remember creepy Slugworth?) — another Wonka reference 🙂 ]

Inside, pulled a lever, filled my cup with liquid chocolate. How much is too much? Anything more than half a cup…live & learn. Heart racing, sugar-shook remainder of the tour. Oh to be a kid again. Went home with a satchel of marshmallow candy bars.

Return walked thru Dunedin’s historic Railway Station in Anzac Square. Train love.

Inclement weather, one more day. Boardwalk strolled on St Clair Beach, site of the South Island Surf Championships. Stormy day, HUGE waves. Rain or shine – vacation continues. Tomorrow’s quest? To the top of Larnachs Castle!

: Ford Model A: one of Cadbury’s original delivery vehicles

: Chocolate Lovers dream day

: St Paul’s Cathedral

: Knox Church, George Street

: Anzac Square

: Dunedin Railway Station

: stormy day, HUGE waves

St Clair Beach

Posted in New Zealand | Tagged beachcombing, kyrkan, museo, trains | 1 Comment

Rotorua: NZ’s Yellowstone

Published March 7, 2017

Morning ‘geyser’ run, quick shower, hotel check out, short walk downtown. Last day on North Island (for a week).

Add bicycle to my expanding list of NZ transportation. Happy Ewe Cycle Tours. Hadn’t been on a bike since I crashed out of Ironman Boulder, August 3^rd 2014. Mangled bike still in the garage…completely serious.

Half day tour. 27 stops around geyser-rich Rotorua, one of NZ’s flattest stretches of territory.

Government Gardens. Specifically, Prince’s Arch and Gateway (built for the country’s first royal visit in 1901). Met our happy guide, Roger – then received safety info which stayed [with] us, our entire NZ journey. Hand up, formed an L. Left means Life. Driving British this holiday…yep, on the Left. Phrase stuck for 2 weeks. Few times my travel bestie drove ‘American’, I’d calmly chirp – “Left means life, left means life” – & she’d promptly adjust lanes. No worries. LOL>

Bike, check. Helmet, check. First stop: Ohinemutu, a living Māori village and the original settlement of Rotorua. Ready to roll. Hadn’t cycled in 2 ½ years, started out a bit spooked. I’ve got this! Thanks Dawn, for reintroducing me back to the pedal 🙂

Fave stop: Kuirau Park, in the heart of Rotorua is New Zealand’s only geothermal public park.

Churches, historical buildings, public gardens – but it’s Kuirau Park I’ll remember. Plumes of foggy sulfur obscured our ride over the swallow lake center. Bridge-biking over barren wasteland. Warm, humid steam billowed from the ground. WOW, just WOW!

Legend of Kuiarau: In the early 1800s, the small lake in the centre of the park was much cooler and was known as Taokahu. Legend tells us that a beautiful young woman named Kuiarau was bathing in the waters when a taniwha (dragon) dragged her to his lair below the lake. The gods above were infuriated and made the lake boil so that the Taniwha would be destroyed forever. From that time on, the bubbling lake and the steaming land around it have been known by the name of the lost woman, although the spelling has changed a little from Kuiarau to ‘Kuirau.’

Ended today’s ride in Government Gardens. Specifically, Rotorua Museum – former Bath House, now the town’s museum. Photo opp, goodbyes to our guide, then ride-shared to the airport.

Small puddle jumper to Christchurch. Tomorrow’s adventures start on South Island!