2010 was a travel year. I post "drafts" on typepad and  I am slowly gathering my thoughts, travel stories, photos, illustrations and links.   As a teaser, here is  a list of the towns I've been around in 2010. 

Florence, Sofia, Ortisei, Val Gardena, Skopje, Lake Ohrid, Tuscany, Thessaloniki, Demar Kapija, Kratovo, Bolzano, Rome..

And some of the experiences:   lemon infused olive oil with a Tuscan woodcarver,  lunch up 2410 meters at Sophie's, Lake Ohrid's trout,  soul farming in Thessaloniki with the Willis family, the Moroder family of Ortisei, Italy carves up some spirit, spring lamb roast and borrowed brick ovens, hiking the Kratovo donkey trail with Scottie, eye candy of Florence.  .  . 

I am telling you, I have not abandoned you and my blog... I am living large  and untethered. 

outside the box, TAS mania copyright 2010  goAWAY gear LLC

What does it take to pack for four seasons?    With the various limits on weight and size among airlines, circling the globe can make my packin' head spin.  Layers and  lite ducky down is the way to go, but what about the sleeping bag?  My pillow?   Where is that going?  How about the piles of tanks, long sleeves, sweaters, jackets, coats and patagonia thin layers?  Do I really need them all? I'm going for an extended period ya know.

Something to know about me, once  I rode 500 miles in a week from Minnesota to Chicago on a bike with a bike bag, two water bottles, jacket and a lock.  It was within the first five miles, that I knew that the contents in my handle bar mounted bike bag  had to go and that extra water bottle.  I remember the moment, when I trashed the bag too. I felt free and light. 

It's kinda that way with my package.  I shed shirts and shoes, toss towels, leave behind my layers, early and often. This time I want to do it smartly and sustainably. 

I have two weeks to figure it out? Who stays and who gets to  go?  Time for a new bag, or with my record of tossing, I might have room for timely purchases.  so I can take off and travel happy!

Cedars grow  tall. Time stands still. Nothing like swimming in an alpine lake with nobody around.  Art work is from the cabin clusters among the cedars in the High Sierras this summer. 

Mud makes pots, bricks, statues. Boats carry the equipment that dredges the mud from the riverbed. Look to your right of this post, some clues reside there.      

My most vivid memory of the "hello" children around the globe comes from my experience of biking deep in the delta, along single track dirt paths, carved from the edge of the river banks. Families bathe, wash dishes and earned  income from the rivers many resources.  MUD is the number one crop!  What do they make?   I snapped photos of bricks, clay statues shaped like lions and clay basket weave pots.

You're  on your way to tagging the world.