Tahoe

Long time no blog. Sometimes the best of plans and organization and good intentions are thwarted when life happens. While on my trip to gorgeous Lake Tahoe my sweet Dad took a turn for the worse. It was touch and go that entire week so as soon as I landed back in Kansas City I headed to Illinois to spend what I was hoping would be a few days encouraging him to keep fighting and get better. But that was not God’s will, and he continued to decline and was moved to hospice. I am so grateful to have had those days with him before he passed and was reunited with mom. He was truly a man that lived for others, and set such a great example of work ethic and selflessness. He was almost 91 when he died so lived a long full life, but that doesn’t make it easier. Miss you Dad!! Rest In Peace.

So I have a lot of catching up to do and will start with Tahoe. This was my first time there and I found it to be even more beautiful then I anticipated. Here are a few quick facts - Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains straddling the border of California and Nevada. It’s known for its beaches and ski resorts, and is the largest alpine lake in North America. It has a depth of 1645 feet making it the second deepest lake in the US after Crater Lake in Oregon.  

The challenge for me is to limit the amount of pictures I post - as I think it’s impossible to take a bad picture of the area. With every step and every direction you turn it just takes your breath away - truly spectacular! 

Taken from Heavenly Mountain as we were heading up to take a gondola ride. 

The trip to Tahoe was our annual high school girlfriend trip - and this year we were so lucky to have Liz offer to host it at their lovely Lake Tahoe home. It’s located on the Nevada side of the lake in an area called Glenbrook. Liz was such a gracious hostess - she had fully stocked the kitchen with food and plenty of wine!! She even cooked dinner for us a few times and she’s a great cook!! Thanks so much Liz! I am willing to make a return visit anytime.  

This trip was all about hiking - which was fine by me. After my trip to Peru hiking is high on the list of activities I enjoy - and you would be hard pressed to find a prettier place to do it then Tahoe. And so many choices of hikes with varying levels of difficulty. I think we all did great - and took on some pretty challenging terrain.  

Heavenly Mountain is a ski resort - so we did some hiking there and then took the gondola ride up to 10,000 feet. Spectacular views of the lake and a fun thing to do! 

Not easy to get this picture since the gondola keeps moving as you jump on!!! 

Elevation of over 10,000 feet - a little short of breath but made it! 

We spent the bulk of an entire day hiking at Emerald Bay State Park. Not a hard hike but we covered a lot of ground and saw spectacular panoramic views and waterfalls.  

We also hiked down and toured the amazing Vikingsholm home which is build on the isolated head of Emerald Bay. It was built in 1928 to replicate a Scandinavian mansion by the architect Lennart Palme. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was really beautiful and interesting.

Some of the other areas we hiked were Eagle Rock, Shakespeare and Spooner Lake. And we had quite a variety of weather - even snow!! It was beautiful, challenging and gave us a good reason to eat and drink as much as we wanted. 

We didn’t just hike - one day we drove over to Truckee which is a fun quaint western town with cute shops and restaurants. The girls knew of a restaurant there that was featured on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives so that was a must. The food at Jax was great! Typical diner fare.

Photo bomb in the window! 

We ate a fun lunch at The Beach House, In n’Out, Sunnyside, and dinner at the Glenbrook Club and Eaglebrook Bistro. 

I was too hungry from all that hiking to take pictures of the food - so this is us at the restaurants.  

And we did celebrate Julie’s birthday that week - in true Julie fashion! 

We’re never too old to make a snow angel!! 

It was a wonderful trip even in spite of the stress and worry about my Dad. I know my Dad was happy I was getting to see the area and have time with friends I have known for over 45 years.  

Next post - Tampa Bay!!! Happy Thanksgiving! I am counting my blessings today and every day. 

Coffee Crawl Update

I mentioned in a previous post that I am #coffeeshopobsessed! So I thought an update would be in order. And thanks to everyone that has been sending me suggestions - I am compiling a list to work my way through. And thanks for the suggestions that aren't even in KC! I will add your city to my list and plan a trip if I possibly can - maybe "will travel for coffee" will become my new blog.

Here is one of my favorites - and worth a trip to downtown KC. Sasha's Bakery is at 105 W. 9th St - really close to the old Savoy Grill and Hotel. Side note - the Savoy is going through a major renovation and will reopen in 2018 as a Museum Hotel - I am excited! A fun excursion would be park at Union Station and take the free streetcar to 9th and Main and walk 2 blocks west for a great breakfast or lunch at Sasha's. You will feel like you are in an adorable french cafe!  

Excellent pastries - a blueberry muffin for me and a ham and cheese croissant for Laura. Great coffee in beautiful mugs. They also have hot breakfast meals and soup, salad and sandwiches for lunch.

Coffee shop number 2 is Le Monde just over the river in North Kansas City on Armour - right across from the famous Chappell's Restaurant and Sports Museum. (Totally worth checking out as well! Amazing sports memorabilia). I had heard a lot about Le Monde especially about their pastries. Definitely more of a bakery then coffee shop but they serve Roasterie coffee so no complaints from me. Not fancy but the pastries are amazing! 

Almond croissant for me - yumm!! 

Only 2 coffee shops you might be asking?? Well I am guilty of returning to some of my favorites like Blackdog/Ibis Bakery and Heirloom on more then one occasion. So hard to resist returning to places I love - but I am moving on and will have more to report on soon. 

A return trip to Heirloom in Brookside - cranberry orange scone!! A great start to my day! 

Speaking of return visits - I made another trip to Bentonville, AR in early August. One of the best museums in the country - Crystal Bridges - had a special exhibit of Chihuly glass I absolutely had to see. This is my 4th trip there and I know I will return again. The exhibit was entitled Chihuly In The Gallery & In The Forest. One ticket got you into both - the inside exhibit and the outside exhibit on the beautiful grounds of the museum. A special bonus to attending on Saturday was that you could come back in the evening and see the outdoor glass lit up along with music, food trucks and arts and crafts. I went with my friend Joyce and it was her first time there. She loved it and was super impressed with the museum and the exhibit. I was there this past April so if you want to read more detail about the museum just scroll back as I included a lot more detail. This post is ALL about Chihuly!

A few pieces from the inside exhibit. The top left was especially cool because it changed colors and was set to music.  

The inside exhibit left in the middle of August but the outside part is there till November 13th, and in my opinion the outside was the better of the two. Maybe it's because it's just so big and looks so amazing outside amongst the beautiful grounds. We of course went back to see it at night and it was awesome!!  Here are pictures of during the day and then at night. Loved them both ways but there was something magical about seeing them lit up.

Fiori Boat

Sole D'Oro or Golden Sun

Neodymium Reeds on Logs

Boathouse 7 Neon

Joyce and I with the Turquoise Reeds and Omari Fiori  

We had a great time in a beautiful area of the country. It's an easy drive from KC and I'm always up for a weekend road trip!

Since I'm on an art roll I wanted to mention something spectacular that has just arrived and is almost finished being installed at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum here in KC. We are now the proud owners of the gorgeous Gates of Paradise. The Gates of Paradise are from the doors of the Baptistry in Florence, and were made by Lorenzo Ghiberti from 1425-1452. They were named the Gates of Paradise by Michelangelo who after seeing them declared them the most beautiful things he had ever seen - that's impressive! The doors have 10 panels which depict 10 of the most important events from the Old Testament. The original doors were removed from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore because they were being destroyed by the elements. 2 casts were commissioned - and the originals are now in a museum in Florence. One of the casts now replaces the originals, and the second cast is here in KC! They weigh over 4 tons so it has been quite a project to install them - and needless to say it is a permanent installation! They aren't going anywhere! They are absolutely spectacular and worth  a trip to see. The installation should be complete in early September but here is a sneak peak.

They must be seen in person and if you go to Florence you will see the same thing that we have right here!! 

The Year of Reading is going strong. I am on book number 14 with a goal of reading 25 this year. Here is one I read recently and really enjoyed!

Entertaining with a spiritual component.  

That's it for now. Thanks for sharing my journey. The next Patti Part Two adventure is right around the corner! Live your dream - only you can make it happen!

Blue Ridge Beauty

I just returned from a fantastic trip to western North Carolina - the Asheville/Blue Ridge Mountain region, and I am still in awe of the beauty. It was a first time for me and I was not at all ready to leave. Another reminder of how beautiful, amazing and diverse the United States really are - I want to see it all! And to make the trip even more fun I got to experience it all with 6 of my wonderful fellow Theta sorority sisters hosted by the incredible Kim - planner extraordinaire!!! Kim and her husband Mike own a lovely home in Mars Hill up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the accomodations were perfect. Plus since Kim spends quite a bit of time there she really knows her way around - and planned an action packed agenda for us to see and do as much as possible in the 5 days we were there. Watching the sun rise over the mountains with a cup of coffee and then watching it set with a glass of wine - pretty much my definition of perfect.

We didn't need an address - Kim made it super easy to know which house it was!! A Theta flag AND flying the Illini orange and blue!  Let the fun begin!

Jenny arrived Tuesday and the rest of the group early afternoon Weds so after hugs and a tour of the house Kim set out delicious snacks to tide us over till dinner.

Our view for the next 5 days! The mountain peak on the left is called Bald Mountain and that's where we are headed first. Kim thought of everything - even black and gold M&M's in a Theta bowl she made in her pottery studio. Love these Theta ladies! 

We change into clothes we can hike in and head out for Bald Mountain. 

I felt like bursting into a chorus of "the hills are alive", so pretty as we hiked up to the top. Cindy is excited too and showed her exuberance! The picture of the trail in the middle on the right is the actual Appalachian Trail! 

After our hike we headed to the clubhouse for drinks on the deck while watching the sun set. The colors are gorgeous. Blues and pinks and multiple layers. Cheers to great friends and the good times ahead! 

Cindy, Bette, Peggy, Kim, me, Nancy and Jenny. 

Back to Kim's for a fantastic dinner she cooked - roasted turkey, corn on the cob, broccoli and more wine! 

Day 2 we are up early because we are headed to see the Biltmore House and Gardens, and Kim says we need to get there when it opens to beat the huge crowds and long lines. George Vanderbilt officially opened the Biltmore House on Christmas Eve in 1895 after six years of construction. It was a family home for George, his wife Edith, and their daughter Cornelia. In 1924 Cornelia married John Francis Amherst Cecil and they lived and entertained at Biltmore. The Cecil's opened Biltmore to the public in 1930, responding to requests to increase area tourism during the Great Depression, and to generate income to preserve the estate. 

Today, the Biltmore remains a family business, with the fourth and fifth generations of Mr. Vanderbilt's descendants involved in day-to-day operations. It is still privately owned by the family. It is really incredibly spectacular and encompasses 8,000 acres in total. The home is the largest single family home in the United States, and there are 6 different gardens and a conservatory. I felt like I was at Downton Abbey! 

The Biltmore House

The house is huge. I took tons of pictures but I will just post a sampling. One shocking statistic - the house has 43 bathrooms! When it was built most homes had zero!! 

Top left clockwise - The Winter Garden, The Banquet Hall - small table for an intimate family dinner, large table seats 38. Bottom right is the Breakfast Room. Bottom left - The Library which contains half of Mr Vanderbilt's collection of over 22,000 books!

Some of the many bedrooms on the second floor. Rooms for the family and multiple suites for guests. 

The indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, gymnasium and the billiard room.  

It took about 2 and a half hours just to go through the home. In addition to the usual rooms there was a music room, tapestry gallery, servants bedrooms, vegetable pantry, pastry kitchen, rotisserie kitchen, main kitchen, laundry room, smoking room, and gun room. You could get your 10,000 steps every day just by walking through the house! 

We took a little break outside at the cafe and then headed to the gardens. There is an Italian garden, shrub garden, spring garden, walled garden, rose garden, azalea garden and a conservatory. We spent about an hour going through the conservatory and a couple of the gardens and had had enough for one day. It was overwhelming and getting a little toasty - plus we were hungry! If you are ever in the area the Biltmore is definitely worth visiting - actually worth making a special trip to see it!

The conservatory and some of the flowers - perfectly maintained. 

Next stop downtown Asheville for lunch at the famous Tupelo Honey and some shopping. I'm ready for some southern cooking!

Fried green tomatoes round one! Also collard greens and pulled pork sandwiches. We ordered a bunch of stuff and just passed them around to try - fun cocktails too!  

The downtown area is a throwback in time. Beautiful old buildings and even an original Woolworth's which is now a venue for local art. But it still has an old fashioned soda fountain inside. Asheville is very artsy so there are lots of cute original shops, street vendors and musicians.

We browsed and shopped for awhile and then it was time to start the pub crawl. Something I didn't know - Asheville is a brewery mecca with more then 50 breweries! It is called the Asheville Ale Trail and Kim had selected 8 - yes 8 breweries for us to try. We made it to 3 - sorry Kim!!! But the 3 were great!

I'm not really a beer drinker - but they were so cool I'm thinking about starting! Something exciting happened at Green Man Brewery - Cindy's daughter called to say she was engaged!! So we are toasting to Lauren and David - congrats and best wishes always! 

Day 3 starts with a beautiful sunrise and coffee on the deck! 

We are up early and off for a half day of rafting on the French Broad River. Kim had scheduled us with the NOC - Nantahala Outdoor Center, and they were great!. I've only been rafting once before and the water was pretty calm then so this was definitely a new and exciting adventure for me. After watching the safety video and getting our gear we were on the bus and heading for the starting point.

The rafts hold 5 people and the guide, so Cindy and Peggy volunteered to go out in the Duckies - rafts that are for just one person. They are both really good swimmers and comfortable on the water - and they did great!  

Cindy on the top, Peggy on the bottom - professionals!  

This was a total blast - I had a close call as evidenced in the bottom photo - almost woman overboard!!! 

Our guide was Brendan and he was great! Really made it a fun experience but also made us feel like we were in good hands. I can not wait to go again!! We worked up an appetite so headed to a town called Hot Springs for lunch and our next agenda item. 

Lunch at a cute little restaurant called Iron Horse Station where we had fried green tomatoes round 2! 

Hot Springs is called Hot Springs because they have actual hot springs! Kim had reserved a tub for us to experience the soothing and healing power of the water - so we headed there next. She had reserved a large tub for the whole group - but there was a malfunction so they had to put us in two smaller tubs so we had to split the group. The place was total old school - had been there forever so it was awesome. They drain and clean the tubs after each group so the water is always fresh. 

Each tub is covered by a wooden shelter but the side facing the woods is open so it's the best of all worlds - very relaxing like a massage. What a great way to relax with friends! 

Our day is not over yet - we head back for showers and over to the clubhouse for dinner on the deck. More wine and sunset and fun with friends.  Another great day!

Great dinner entrees - trout, grouper, steak and I can't remember what the top left is - but I know it's fish! Back to Kim's for a traditional Theta dessert - peppermint crunch!!! 

Spectacular sunset - does it ever get old? Nope!

Day 4 - we are down to the final 4. Cindy, Peggy and Jenny head back to Chicago and we sadly say good bye, but already have plans to get together again. Nancy, Bette, Kim and I head over to West Asheville for brunch at the Sunny Point Cafe. It's very popular so there is a 45 minute wait - totally worth it and you can have coffee while you wait. Kim says West Asheville has become a very trendy place with lots of shops and restaurants opening up. 

The food is fantastic - egg scramble with grits and avocado for me, chicken and waffles for Nancy, and shrimp and grits for Kim and Bette.  

Kim gives us the option of going to an artsy area or heading up the Blue Ridge Parkway and we pick the parkway. I have heard what a glorious drive it is and don't want to miss seeing part of it. The Blue Ridge Parkway extends 469 miles along the crests of the southern Appalachians and links two eastern national parks - Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains.  

We first stop at the Visitor Center to get a map, and then start to drive. Every couple of miles there is a place to pull off for an overlook and in some cases to hike a trail. The road keeps climbing up so every overlook has a better view but it's all beautiful.

We stop at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center and hike up a bit to see the wildflowers.  

We get off Blue Ridge Parkway and take a short cut to Weaverville to check out a micro brewery Kim has heard great things about - and it's only open on Friday and Saturday from 1 - 6 PM. Kim's house is on Zebulon so she bought some of the glasses which say Zebulon!

Zebulon was cool, Kim and I had some kind of homemade soda that was lemony and refreshing. It was like being in someone's garage where they were making beer.  

We browsed through the cute little art shops and then headed to my kind of place - a bakery!! Well-Bred was amazing - I'm dreaming about it right now! A huge case of the most delicious looking pastries I've ever seen - so hard to choose. 

Cream Brûlée, Flourless Chocolate Soufflé, Shortbread, Toffee and a Lemon Bar. All fantastic and we ate it all! Worth every calorie - and we have been getting a lot of exercise. 

After all that food we weren't hungry for dinner so headed back to Kim's for wine and healthy snacks on the deck. More sunset views - it never gets old! 

Last day - pretty much a travel day home - but Nancy, Bette and I had a chance to make a quick stop at the famous Sierra Nevada Brewing Co located close to the Asheville airport. Kim said it was not to be missed and again she was right! The original Sierra Nevada is located in Chico, CA. The North Carolina location opened in 2014, and includes a brewery, taproom and restaurant on a beautiful wooded property. 

We arrived before they opened at noon and wouldn't have had time to take the tour even if there were spots available - which their weren't. But we did a self-guided tour and headed to the restaurant along with about 100 other people when they opened the doors. We shared a couple of flights of beer and some delicious appetizers before heading to the airport. The food alone is worth a visit and the restaurant was huge with an enormous open kitchen.

It was an incredible trip to a beautiful place with amazing and fun friends. Kim was the perfect hostess and had a great and perfectly executed plan for an action-packed taste of the Asheville area. I would return in a minute as there was still plenty more to do and see.  

Beautiful Theta necklaces Kim surprised us with that she had made by a jewelry designer friend of hers. So thoughtful and I now wear mine all the time. 

One of the Theta sayings is "Theta For a Lifetime" and my experience has always been that it is true. This trip reaffirmed that and I can add "Memories For a Lifetime" as well. Thanks for everything Kim! Can't wait to see you all again soon!

Coffee Shop Obsessed!

Happy 4th of July!! I started my day running the 4 on the Fourth annual race - and it poured the entire race. Also lots of thunder. Made me run faster and then Laura and I went for coffee and an amazing cinnamon roll at Dolce Bakery in Prairie Village. Definitely the best part of the morning. Which leads into my new favorite topic - Coffee Shops!! 

At my current age I think a lot about retirement, and what I will do when I get there. Traveling is super high on my list - and lots of it! But I also think about having the ability of going to coffee shops when ever I want - starting my day in one sounds so great. Sometimes I can be dense - I realized that you don't have to be retired to go to coffee shops - I could do it right now! Duh!! Well not every morning, but maybe once a week. So I am making a list of the great coffee shops in the Kansas City area - and have a goal to visit them all! More and more opening all the time and we already had lots. Side note - Kansas City is actually ranked pretty high for coffee. We have quite a few local roasteries and even more if you add those across the state of Missouri - so I have lots to get me started.

My first spot was out to Lenexa, KS to Blackdog which is conveniently attached to The Ibis Bakery. I confess I have been there a few times before, but it is amazing! The toast alone is worth the drive and they serve Messenger Coffee which is local and excellent!  

The croissant gave me a few minutes to pretend I was in Paris. This place is open every day and packed all the time.  

Place number 2 is Heirloom Bakery & Hearth located in Brookside at 63rd and Oak. They are open every day but Monday and are really known for their baked goods. I had planned to go on a Thursday morning early before heading to work and it was really raining. I went anyway and it totally improved my day. In spite of the weather I was happy all day! I have had their scones and muffins previously but had heard the breakfast biscuits were to die for so opted to try one. It did not disappoint and kept me full till dinner. Coffee was also good and really a nice attractive interior. 

You can customize the breakfast biscuits - I chose egg, Gouda cheese and tomato. The biscuit is a cheddar herb and it was light and delicious. 

Coffee Shop number 3 was Crow's in Waldo (75th & Wornall). My running group is running from Crow's the month of July so we ran and then treated ourselves to breakfast. Crow's used to be Coffee Girls and they have done some nice things to the space. Still kept the really nice outdoor seating but put in glass doors all across the front that open on a nice day. They make breakfast burritos and have a decent selection of pastries. They also serve Messenger Coffee - and that's a good thing!

Laura doing her best Vanna White impression at the entrance to Crow's. My morning selection - a lemon poppyseed scone and lower right in the blue shirt - our KC Express coach Helen talking to Amity. I've been running with this group for 6 years now and couldn't have a better group to encourage and support me - in addition to keeping me laughing all the time! 

So those were my 3 stops in the past couple of weeks - in addition to Dolce today. No picture from Dolce but I will get back there and take a picture to show you how great it is. If coffee shops don't make you happy like they do me - then I bet you can figure out some small change to make in your day that would make you happy even on a gloomy wet day. Throwing out a challenge!! Because everyone is responsible for their own happiness.

 Arts Alive Update  

Arts Alive is an organization here in Kansas City that is for anyone that loves art in all it's forms - that would be me! Once a month an event is planned and it's first come first serve for the available tickets - usually 100 to 120 tickets per event. The June event was held at the home and studio of world-renowned potter Irma Starr, who just happens to live in the Loose Park area. Irma creates pottery modeled after 17th-century slip ware. Her work can be found at leading museums around the world, and she was gracious enough to allow our group to tour her home, studio and magnificent gardens. 

Some photos of the beautiful outside area. Her husband is responsible for the gardens and they are gorgeous! 

Her home and studio sit on about 2 acres of land and the house itself is not large - but to say it's a visual extravaganza is an understatement. It was too much to take in in one visit - maybe she will let me come again!

It reminded me of a jam packed store, but there was evidence that she actually lives there. And lots of her pottery displayed which was very beautiful. 

We got to meet Irma and she was lovely. She offered to give Linda and Julie and I a private pottery lesson - but that would definitely be a waste of her time - at least with me. I will stick to admiring her work. 

Linda, Irma and Julie in her studio. She makes a lot of Christmas ornaments including the entire Wizard of Oz collection.  

We enjoyed drinks and delicious appetizers from Cupini's in Westport, and then headed to Unity Temple on the plaza to hear a wonderful music concert. What a fun and interesting evening! 

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art new exhibit! 

Have you been to the Kemper lately? If not go!!! People it is FREE!! Their newest exhibit is my favorite to date. It opened June 8 and last day is September 17, 2017. It is called Magnetic Fields - Expanding American Abstraction 1960s to Today. The exhibit focuses on women artists of color and honors 21 artists born between 1891 and 1981. It features a range of media including painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. It was organized by the Kemper but will travel to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington , DC fall 2017. 

Mildred Thompson born 1936, died 2003. Magnetic Fields 1991 oil on canvas, triptych

Here are a few of my favorites! 

Top left clockwise - Lilian Thomas Burwell, Menageri 2006, oil on canvas over carved wood. Howardena Pindell, Untitled 1972-73, acrylic on canvas. Shinique Smith, Whirlwind Dancer 2014-17, acrylic, ink, paper and fabric collage on canvas over wood panel. Shinique Smith, Bale Variant No. 0017, 2009, fabric, ink, twine, ribbon, wood.

There is another small exhibit called Women to Watch that I loved also. This exhibit explores metal as an artistic medium, and is women artists within the first 10 years of their career currently living within 60 miles of Kansas City.  

Top left clockwise - Cheryl Eve Acosta, Fossilium 2015, copper and organza. Desiree Warren, Cracked Earth 2017 Hard Sky 2017, aluminum, paint, vinyl. Jessica Thompson-Lee, Untitled 2017, bronze with marble base. Debbie Barrett-Jones, Navy to Aqua to Brown Waves 2017, digital print of original weaving on aluminum, triptych edition of 5. 

The Kemper is such a manageable size. You can spend an hour and see everything - but they also have a wonderful restaurant called Cafe Sebastian so stay and have lunch or brunch on Sunday. 

Yes that is Chihuly glass top right! 

Looking for a good book to read? 2017 is my Year of Reading and this is what I'm working on now. 

My goal is 25 books and this is number 9. I need to pick it up! 

That's my philosophy - next adventure coming soon! 

Part 3 - Machu Picchu!

If you got through most of my Part 2 post then you are brave indeed to come back for the finale. Day 6 and 7 are really all about Machu Picchu - because at this point it appears we are definitely going to get there. But there are still challenges ahead. Aly tells us in our evening meeting before Day 6 that in fact it will be the most challenging day. We will be faced with not just distance and terrain but a new factor - time. We have a train to catch late afternoon that we must make - as it is the train that will take us to Aguas Calientes which is the town closest to Machu Picchu where will will stay the night. The train is booked months in advance and while many things in Peru do not operate on time - the trains do! We will walk uphill 2000 feet to get to the Llactapata pass where we will see Machu Pichu for the first time from the observatory, eat lunch and then descend 3000 feet on a steep muddy trail to reach the valley we will walk across and catch our train. Sounds easy right? Aly tells us we are ready for this and he has confidence in each of us. Gulp! It was actually an awesome day and really one of my favorites. At one point when I was planting my poles firmly and stepping through 4 inches of mud and trying not to fall off the mountain I found myself laughing out loud because it was so much fun. It brought back memories of going hiking in the woods as a child with my Dad and brothers and how much fun we had. 

Top right - Cara and Michael emerging from the rainforest on the uphill climb. Bottom right - an enterprising inhabitant willing to let you use his toilet for 1 sol - basically 33 cents - worth it!! 

We make it to the top where the Llactapata ruins give us our first views of Machu Picchu. Llactapata is located on a ridge above the Ahobamba and Saint Teresa rivers. The location is thought to be an important rest stop and shrine on the way to Machu Picchu. It also played an important astronomical function during the solstices and equinoxes. 

Top picture is a view of Machu Picchu but my iPhone just doesn't have the power to show you a clear pic. But we could see it especially with the binoculars. The bottom right picture has a line extending directly through the center of the door which lines up perfectly to Machu Picchu, and from Machu Picchu you can see the observatory and they signaled between the two places. Very cool! 

We then continued on to Llactapata Lodge where we had a fantastic lunch. Really one of the best meals of the entire trip. 

First course fresh avocado, carrot and pea terrine. Main course fresh trout right from the skillet, lentils, potatoes and rice. Dessert was Plaintain Foster. Hi Mark! Can't blame him for looking over the amazing view outside our dining area.  

Here's our great hiking family! 

Clockwise from top left - Joe and Jennifer from San Francisco, Patrick and Debra from DC, Mark and Char from Canada, Cara and Michael from Australia and Will and Giselle from England. So fortunate to have had such an amazing group of people to share this adventure. 

Aly tells us that from now on we need to take only "mental pictures" as we have a train to catch - so we start the downward trek. 

I took a quick one - steep and very muddy. And that is an edge to their left with a big drop off.  

Everyone makes it down the hill and now we are almost ready to set off across the valley. One more obstacle to overcome - and this was actually the scariest part for me. A bridge spanning the river. A long wooden suspension bridge that we must cross single file and there is really nothing to hang onto. What's available is either way too low or way too high. Once the group starts to cross the bridge starts swinging back and forth wildly. I literally couldn't get my balance at all and I'm carrying my poles in my hands. Somehow I made it although my heart was going crazy and I could barely breath!!

Take that bridge!!! You didn't get the best of me! 

Now we just have to get across the valley and the group is almost running. Who knew you could run in hiking boots? I might be ready to try out for The Amazing Race! I'm thinking we are going to get to a town where we will catch the train but nope - just a train station out in the valley all by itself. We arrive and the place is swarming with people - mostly hikers who appear to not have bathed in weeks. We have arrived in time and and even are able to all enjoy a special beer and toast to our success!

Cusquena and served in a special glass that is engraved with a picture of Machu Picchu. Pretty sure Aly made us run just so we had time for the beer! 

We board the Hydroelectric train and have an enjoyable one hour ride to Aguas Calientes. 

Our hotel in Aguas Calientes was beautiful and located walking distance to the train. it was called Inkaterra and had gorgeous grounds and all the sleeping rooms were casitas. I totally forgot to take pictures! At that point I was glad we had made it and was really looking forward to a shower. We all met for dinner later that night and enjoyed another fabulous meal celebrating our big accomplishment. 

The Big Day! Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu is 9 miles from Aguas Calientes and most people ride there on a bus. We had done plenty of hiking so a bus sounded great. We left at 7 AM to get in line. The first bus leaves at 5 AM and if you want to be on it you need to get there at 3 AM. No one was interested. Machu Picchu would still be there for us if we left at 7 AM we decided. The line was long at 7 AM but we were on the bus by 7:45 and arrived at Machu Picchu in about 30 minutes. Here's my first view! 

We're here!!! 

It has been said that you can't take a bad picture of Machu Picchu and I would definitely agree. But the pictures don't come close to doing it justice. For one - it's a lot bigger then it looks in pictures. And your hiking is not over once you get there. I thought the Inca's were small people?? Why did they make the steps so tall? We lucked out - the weather was perfect. They say often it is quite cloudy but even then totally beautiful. And yes - there are llamas just walking all over like they belong and we don't. Which is actually true. 

We were there for about 6 hours and the time really flew. There is so much to see and a lot of people - about 3000 a day trying to see it. The traffic is one way so it takes time and there is a lot of hiking up and hiking down to get around to the different areas. There are 3 different types of construction within Machu Picchu - with the most intricate being in what is considered the royal area where the Inca King Pachacutec resided. 

Temple of the Three Windows overlooking the main square. 

Looking across the main square underneath the royal area where the king would address the people. 

When you are looking down on the tiers you can't see the stairs that connect the different levels. 

Machu Picchu has so many systems that you can't see such as an excellent drainage system to get rid of the water during the rainy season. Plus all of this rock had to be hauled in to build everything - amazing!

Our VICTORY picture! We made it! I leave Peru a stronger braver person because of this great adventure. And I couldn't have a better friend and soul sister to share the experience with then Julie! 

Good bye Peru! Thank you for sharing your beautiful country and for being the warm lovely welcoming people that you are! 

"I do not bring back from a journey quite the same self that I took." W. Somerset Maugham