tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42406170701006835962024-11-01T02:21:43.712-06:00Salt and Pepper Adventures!Back cruising around in the USA . . .Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-57074823493172663292016-10-06T14:37:00.000-06:002016-10-06T14:37:54.713-06:00Newly Updated Cluck Truck Adventures: Always and for Never More pictures here! You would think after traveling to and from Evergreen, Colorado to the San Juan Islands in Washington, by truck, with chickens, three times we would have it down; and indeed, we had most of it down.  Particularly the new batch of chickens who proved to be fantastic travelers due mostly to their great early-life training (if I do say so myself.)  Nonetheless, weSalt and Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854788402173517493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-35981379024165573712016-05-23T15:44:00.000-06:002016-05-23T15:44:20.356-06:00You Say Alaska, We Say Lopez The trouble with pausing an Alaska adventure with a month on Orcas Island is at some point you have to make yourself leave the island.  With decent weather, the boat in the water and a full hook-up site with a gorgeous view, it gets harder every day. And time does seem to fly here on the island, with the exception of when you are looking for your blind and nearly deaf dog.  Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Orcas Island, Washington, USA48.6330816 -122.9289822000000148.4652466 -123.2517057 48.800916599999994 -122.60625870000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-21020333708318530032016-04-26T14:04:00.000-06:002016-04-26T14:04:32.863-06:00Days 11-20: A Change of State More pictures here! When I last left off we were just north of Big Sur, California enjoying a full hook-up spot in Marina, CA.   We took a good two weeks to go from that location to our home site on Orcas, and during that time experienced changing three states, one state of mind and one state of being. There are some folks who swear by the beauty of the Big Sur area of Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-87835641274815072312016-04-12T18:26:00.000-06:002016-04-13T08:42:33.834-06:00Days 1-10, UT, AZ, CA – From the snow to the sea. More pictures here! It felt like forever for our day of departure to arrive; when it did it brought snow.  But that is one good thing about having some sort of plan—you get up and get out no matter what just to keep your three day reservation, encompassing a weekend, in California.  An eventful first nine days with friends and family, hiking, driving within three states, and aKithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-79905454898845909802015-09-25T14:22:00.000-06:002015-09-25T14:22:12.166-06:00Cluck Truck Adventures: Smoked Chicken (This post, being written four weeks after the happenings, is ancient in the world of blog posts and I was considering not writing it at all.  But then this happened, “Alan, where did we eat that giant slimy fish?” And since it took us at least 20 minutes to figure it out, I thought chronicling these trips, even tardily, is good for the memory bank.) As is our usual, a good two weeks Salt and Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854788402173517493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-81114038094592691082015-07-24T12:06:00.000-06:002015-07-24T12:22:41.152-06:00The Cluck Truck Continue-ith More pictures here! Sitting in Evergreen, Colorado preparing for our second trip to Orcas Island with the chickens, we were priding ourselves on how easy it all seemed the second time around:  We had the travel cages, the free-roaming tent, and chickens who are clearly prepared for anything.  We thought we couldn’t be surprised by anything chickens might do the road, but The Salt and Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854788402173517493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-22702321422054355092015-05-05T15:00:00.002-06:002015-05-05T19:21:12.253-06:00The Cluck Truck Returneth More pictures here! It was a (miraculously) sunny, fast and fun couple of weeks on Orcas Island and we weren’t sure we ever wanted to leave.  Then the weather turned back into Northwest Gloom, a hawk attacked Louise, Rosco’s nose started bleeding and River fell into a depression.  So it was with nine happy hearts that we all packed up, jumped on the ferry and headed back to Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-76615629924323993352015-04-16T12:06:00.000-06:002015-05-11T16:44:25.504-06:00Cluck Truck: Days 6-9 Notice those tall shoots coming off the bushes just in front of our chairs?  They play an important part of this tale. An inquiring mind wanted to know, “What happened on Day 6?”  Well, not much other than a great hike up Mt. Constitution in Moran State Park.  Every day finds us anxiously awaiting the arrival of our coop and me fighting off feelings of claustrophobia Salt and Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854788402173517493noreply@blogger.com0San Juan County, WA, USA48.704131530111162 -122.8666247833007848.683178030111165 -122.90696528330078 48.72508503011116 -122.82628428330078tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-15430229271313062902015-04-14T12:50:00.000-06:002015-04-14T12:50:04.488-06:00The (much anticipated) Cluck Truck Hits the Road: Evergreen, CO to Orcas Island, WA More pictures here! I always wondered why I never bothered to separate the Salt & Pepper Adventure blog from our Backyard Chicken Extravaganza blog, and now I know why:  The day has come to combine traveling in Salt with our love of chickens.  Voila, the Cluck Truck Adventures. To be clear, though, we are not back on the road full-time.  We are starting a new businessSalt and Pepperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12854788402173517493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-19484024520167354102014-10-15T16:40:00.001-06:002014-10-15T16:40:37.343-06:00Mammoth, McGee & Convict Lake, CA - Oct. 9-12, 2014 More photos here! Many experiences are worth repeating on this trip (luckily!) and the Westin in Mammoth was certainly one of them.  As we were celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary, we treated ourselves to two nights in a Heavenly Bed and dinner out at The Tamarack Lodge.  Both proved to be as exceptional as our first experience of them.  These two nights involved a Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Mammoth Lakes, CA, USA37.648546 -118.9720790000000137.447311500000005 -119.2948025 37.8497805 -118.64935550000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-25149275565576049272014-10-09T17:24:00.000-06:002014-10-10T05:44:59.733-06:00Return to Rock Creek (Owen's Valley, CA) More pictures here! I was going to label this, “Return to Paradise” but realized I have to leave that title open in case we ever get back to the French Alps.  Back in 2011, Owen’s Valley in California and specifically the Rock Creek area was our definition of paradise. Revisiting a dreamland is not always the best idea so it was with some trepidation that we aimed The Shaker (Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Toms Place, CA 93546, USA37.5613209 -118.6812363999999937.5360809 -118.72157689999999 37.586560899999995 -118.64089589999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-4952302385911318582013-02-05T14:24:00.002-07:002013-02-05T14:24:31.449-07:00Dogs Monthly (UK) Magazine Article Remember this picture?  You can see it again and a feature article on traveling with Rosco & River in the March 2013 edition of Dogs Monthly Magazine! For my US friends, this is a UK publication but you can order a digital version for less than $5.00 at PocketMags. -KKithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-78441544125674728572012-12-31T16:32:00.002-07:002020-09-24T18:34:26.870-06:00Home for Now – Dec. 31, 2012 As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side; a thought that edged into our minds as we sat in dog beds on the floor of our new rental home; driving day chips balanced on one knee and a Manhattan on the other.  We were in such a hurry to stop living in Salt we thought anything would be better—including an entirely empty rental home.   Entirely.   Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-73932137191958537562012-12-12T18:21:00.000-07:002012-12-12T18:21:54.263-07:00The Beginning of the End – Dec. 9, 2012 We’ve been back in the US for nine nights but we are finally home; a night in Salt at the very hospitable Duck Creek Campground just east of Paducah, Kentucky.  The rain is coming down in waves and we are enjoying a gin and driving day chips in our full hook-up spot a mere thirty yards from the fully fenced, large, grassy dog area.  (Those of you who have been reading through EuropeKithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-70489648393875437952012-12-03T12:34:00.000-07:002012-12-04T14:34:05.503-07:00Musings – On Returning to the USA As John Denver would say, “Gee it’s good to be back home again”, if only we had the farm that he sings of in the next sentence we would be in absolute heaven.  But with no farm and, as of this writing, no Salt & Pepper, we find ourselves at the Comfort Suites on Amelia Island, Florida awaiting US Custom’s release of our beloved rolling home. The flight Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com1Fernandina Beach, FL 32034, USA30.6696818 -81.462591930.6150518 -81.5415559 30.7243118 -81.383627900000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-13656255376724888572012-11-18T03:35:00.001-07:002012-11-18T03:35:20.166-07:00Paris – Week Three – Nov. 11-18, 2012 More pictures here! Since our guests have begun to arrive and that will mean even less time for posting I thought I would focus this post on what might be useful information if you happen to come to this area of Paris. First of all, the apartment at 74 Rue de Rennes is perfectly situated:  Two bus lines stop just outside the door; the 95 takes you to the Louvre and ultimately up Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Rue de Rennes, 75006 Paris, France48.8489984 2.328745748.8437739 2.3188752 48.854222899999996 2.3386161999999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-58417407270290630172012-11-12T08:13:00.002-07:002012-11-14T23:51:44.071-07:00Paris – Week II – Nov. 5-11, 2012 A few more pictures here! During Week II we made it a point to get out and about more and we discovered, of course, fine art, great food, busy tourist-weary Parisians and, happily, that there are a lot of Americans in Paris.  What?  Kit and Alan are happy to see Americans abroad?  That is impossible!  It is official, we have become Those People.  It used Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com074 Rue de Rennes, 75006 Paris, France48.8514557 2.330819848.8488437 2.3258843 48.8540677 2.3357553tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-13559828935259543662012-11-07T03:04:00.000-07:002012-11-07T03:04:19.767-07:00Musings – On Shipping S&P and The Noses Home If I have blogged this once, I have blogged it a million times:  Experiences get so much easier the second time around.   Below is a table of decision points and or actions we had to take in order to transport Salt & Pepper and The Noses to Europe and back:  (For more details on the US to UK portion, please see the US2UK label in the "Postings by Labels" section of Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-70763056572881637442012-11-05T04:52:00.000-07:002012-11-05T06:21:08.916-07:00Paris - The First Week - Oct. 28-Nov 4, 2012 More Pictures Here! Having dropped Salt & Pepper off a the docks in Zeebrugge, Belgium, we had nothing left to do but to settle contentedly into our Paris flat.  Much larger than anticipated, it is a joy to be able to walk through multiple rooms without touching anything (or anyone or any dog.) The flat is situated on the Rue de Rennes, two blocks from the St. Sulpice Lions (and of Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com3Rue de Rennes, 75006 Paris, France48.8489984 2.328745748.8437739 2.3188752 48.854222899999996 2.3386161999999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-1454093439892371422012-10-31T12:58:00.001-06:002012-10-31T12:58:56.243-06:00Beaune, France – Oct. 21-26, 2012 More (not terribly interesting) pictures here! On good advice from a great friend, we spent our final days with Salt & Pepper cruising around the picturesque Bourgogne region, carefully balancing our need to taste wine with our need to make it to the next stop.  Upon arrival in Beaune, the weather was cold and rainy so we decided to start out with a few hours underground in Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Beaune, France47.02603 4.84000446.9827345 4.76104 47.0693255 4.9189680000000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-65029090130027448072012-10-30T10:13:00.002-06:002014-02-11T09:28:09.707-07:00Scenic Drive Movie - Col du Petit St. Bernard, Italy & France - Oct. 2012Better late than never (yes, I am way behind in my posts but now that we are sequestered away in our charming Paris flat, I should begin to catch up!)  A scenic drive across the Col du Petit St. Bernard from Italy into France, including a quick look at a mobile milking station! -K Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Route du Petit Saint-Bernard, Refuge du Col du Palet, 73700 Séez, France45.6230433 6.810982945.6119383 6.7912419 45.6341483 6.8307239tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-71402237277763519252012-10-21T01:39:00.000-06:002012-10-21T01:39:15.127-06:00Bourg St. Maurice, French Alps, France – Oct. 14-18, 2012 More pictures here! It was our first return stop on the Aventura and it felt like home.  What a difference it makes to an experience to be surrounded by the familiar; everything seemed so easy.  Automatically we knew where to find our favorite bread, groceries, phone recharging stores and hiking maps.  And we knew just where to stay; our favorite campground, L’Eden Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France45.618598 6.76954845.440902 6.453691 45.796293999999996 7.0854050000000006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-55647017622202722872012-10-15T06:52:00.000-06:002012-10-15T06:52:33.620-06:00Lezise, Courmayeur, & the Italian Alps – Oct. 9-13, 2012 More pictures here! Having only 17 days left with Salt & Pepper in the European portion of the Aventura (we have a glorious month in a Paris flat to look forward to while S&P are shipping home) we have decided to focus on what we love:  Wine and mountains. So we left Levanto and headed north-east to Lezise, Italy, near the heart of the Valpolicella wine region.  We Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com011017 Morgex Valle D'aosta, Italy45.7564395 7.037616245.745360999999995 7.0178752000000006 45.767518 7.0573572tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-29768097928314512622012-10-11T13:10:00.003-06:002014-02-11T09:28:28.142-07:00DITL - Cinque Terre Hike, Italy - Oct. 8, 2012 Well we did it:  We visited two other Cinque Terre towns and saw one from a boat, so that makes four out of five.  They are interesting but crowded; if you are ever in the area and miss an American accent, just hop into one of the towns and you'll be happy. By far the highlight was the hiking from Corneglia to Manarola, up and through and down the hills.  (The coastal route Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4240617070100683596.post-7920932772223242372012-10-06T01:59:00.000-06:002012-10-06T01:59:11.709-06:00Levanto, Italian Riviera – Sept. 30 - Oct. 5, 2012 More pictures here! They say you find what you are looking for when you stop looking; this proved to be true for us in Italy.  Giving up on finding charming, out of the way places we headed to Cinque Terre and discovered . . . the rest of the tourists.   Luckily, sometimes the restrictions of Salt bring about unexpected joys:  Unable to drive Salt down the roads leading Kithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06381838043056511083noreply@blogger.com0Levanto Province of La Spezia, Italy44.1686141 9.61065444.1572246 9.590913 44.1800036 9.630395