Travelling to New Mexico, Africa, and Umbria

 

 We have made many of our 38 trips to New Mexico in the latter half of August.  In our teaching days there was only mid-March, July, and August that we could travel afar.  The latter half of August was always a bitter sweet time, because following the hiking and camping trip to NM, we would be right back at work.  Many of our wedding anniversary days were spent climbing mountains and doing extraordinary hiking.   I have been leafing through my NM journals, and getting sharp pangs of "I want to go there again" lately.  Now, of course, we have the option of going in September, October, and even November, so it is doubtful if we will ever visit again in August.  August is the height of the monsoons, and can be very wet and stormy.  But I will always feel the call at this time, regardless.

Here is a photo from one of our spectacular August hikes in days of yore.  This one overlooks Georgia O'Keeffe country, not far from her home in Abiquiu, which also featured in "Breaking Bad."

My summer in Africa saw me spend several days in Accra, Ghana, studying the city up close with Google Maps.  Maps lists all the museums, shops, and restaurants, with links to visit websites and view photos, and Street View allows one to walk the streets, looking around in all directions.  Accra is a really fine city, with several veg restaurants and some lovely hotels.  It faces the Atlantic in a southerly way, and the beaches look great for strolling.  

After that I moved on to the sources of the Nile River.  I began with the Victoria Nile at Lake Victoria, lazily following it to where it becomes the White Nile, and then on to Khartoum where it joins the Blue Nile.  I then followed the Blue Nile all the way back to its source.  Reading Jules Verne's Five Weeks In A Balloon got me interested in the Nile expedition.  Realizing the extreme conditions the early explorers had to face made my desk top adventuring seem rather tame by comparison, but it was still fun, and I came to know parts of the Nile quite well.  In my explorations around Lake Tanganyika I discovered a place to stay in one of the national parks.  It is called Greystoke Mahale, and looks so good that I am literally thinking of trying to get there.  With access to jungle, chimps, the lake, and a mountainous national park, it would be the experience of a lifetime.

Greystoke, of course, is named in tribute of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan character.  As an adolescent, Tarzan was my main hero.  Those books led me to read other books about rain forests.  If I ever do go to Africa, it will be either Algeria for a desert experience, or Tanganyika for the jungle.

It's surprising how many books related to Avon/Equinox project are set in Africa.  Novels by Ballard, Spinrad, Blish, Chad Oliver, and others have whetted my appetite even further.

Greystoke Mahale main building, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.  Sleeping cabins are hidden. 

I have also spent a considerable amount of time in Perugia this summer, courtesy of Mr. Google Map.  We have a 272 page Martin Randall volume, which contains all of their 2019 escorted tours.  I randomly chose The Heart of Italy, and have been closely following the itinerary, exploring medieval cites and towns of Perugia.  The hotel is in Spello, and day trips go from there.  So far I have explored in detail Spello, Assisi, Todi, Perugia city, Foligno, Montefalco, and Gubbio.  Left to see are Orvieto and Spoleto.

                        Spello, Italy.  Image courtesy of http://www.ginamussio.com/spello-italy/ 

Hopefully all of my future travelling will not have to be virtual.  In the meantime, we are doing well at saving money for the day when we will feel safe to venture deep into the wide and wonderful world once again.

Mapman Mike