Feb 2014 Ski Break Süd Tirol, Italy

Katinka and I decided last minute to go on a ski adventure in Süd Tirol when she heard from her friend Verena that the snow was ausgezeichnet in Northern Italy, whereas the rest of Austria and Switzerland was uncharacteristically dry. So she booked a little apartment two days before break started, Villa Haunold, just outside of Sexten. We found meters of fresh powder, a week of sunny skies, and amazing food. Sexten is a mecca for cross country skiing, perfectly groomed trails spreading out in all directions. Also great winter hiking, Rodelbahn, backcountry skiing, and some easy pistes. 

We figured we'd take it easy, do a bit of skiing, eat some good food, but we ended up having one amazing excursion after another, one beautiful day after another. What an incredible week! 

Day 1: This was our easy starter day. We cross country skied from Sexten to Talschulsshütte and back. 

Katinka standing in the road next to Talschulsshütte, you can just see the hut's roofline to the left. Most roads had snowbanks plowed over our heads like this one. 

Day 2: We hiked up to Panorama Hütte, Cross country skied from the Hütte up to Alpe-Nemes-Hutte for lunch, down to the pass and back to Sexten.

Katinka cross country skiing between Panorama Hütte and Alpe-Nemes-Hutte near Sexten.

Alpe-Nemes-Hutte

Alpe-Nemes-Hutte

Day 3: We hiked with a Rodel (the classic european toboggan) up to Drei-Schusterhütte from Sexten. This was the edge of the road on our ascent. And then we sledded allllll the way down. 

Hiking up to Drei-Schusterhütte

 The snow was so deep you had to dig down to see the park map.

 Day 4: Marathon cross country ski from Toblach up over the pass toward Cortina. We started in the olympic stadium in Toblach (from the 1954 Cortina Olympics). Our skis were literally made in 1970 and I had to double pole hard even going down hill. Our plan was to ski 31km to Cortina, but the trail beyond Ospitale (at 20km) was closed due to avalanches, so we turned around an skied back. Neither one of us wanted to suggest taking the bus back. Here is an old railway station along our route.

 Burried swingset on the way to Ospitale. 

No cats allowed on the ski trails! 

At the end of our marathon ski, we treated ourselves to Speckknödle Suppe and an evening at the Bad Moos spa where I could have stayed indefinitely. 

Day 5: We decided to take it "easy" today and snowshoed up to the Drei Zinnen Hütte, about 1000m climb. We wanted the descent to be easy on our knees, so we brought two of those thin plastic shovel sleds - you can see one of them in blue attached to Katinka's backpack. We sledded down 1000m in the snowshoe tracks, which acted like a luge.

On our way up to Drei Zinnen Hütte

 We saw a few backcountry skiers out there taking advantage of the glorious powder and got to thinking....

 Katinka checking out the Drei Zinnen

 We made it to the top! (Thanks, mom, for sewing me those great yellow gaiters, they really came in handy on this trip!)

 Day 6: We decided that the sleds were fun, but we wanted more, so the next day we went back up with backcountry skis and a snowboard. The hike up goes from hanging valley to hanging valley. This was about the 3rd valley up, and we are hiking up behind the sun-lit crest in the middle of the shot. Exciting times!

Katinka taking off her skins (what a pro!) at the top. 

Thanks, Katinka, for the great times! I had so much fun with you and I can't wait for our next adventure together! 

Christmas 2013 in New Zealand...with a stopover in Taipei

Felix and I had a 15 hour layover in Taipei (between our 2 twelve hour flights). Here is part of the Longshan Temple, tucked in between towering, modern buildings. 

 It poured down rain the whole time we were in Taipei. Felix crashed on his mountain bike and brook his foot a few weeks before he left, so he was on crutches with a cast for the whole trip. But before we left, I made him a cast cover...

I sewed the cover out of an old running jacket. (It's upside down here for some reason).

The cast cover really caught on in Taipei.

 We spent 2 1/2 weeks on the North Island of New Zealand, camping on the beaches. This is Tawharanui Regional Park. Most of the beaches were just like this: beautiful and empty. 

We visited my friends Jock and Karen Whitley, who I lived with 10 years ago when I did my student teaching in Waiuku. This is Jock at the beach near his house - Whangarei Heads. 

Whangarei Heads.

Karen also broke her foot just before Christmas! Karen and Felix were crutch buddies. 

Karen has an incredible garden, which spills down the hill behind their house and ends in their own mystical patch of bush.

Fish and chips over the water in Mangonui

Our trusty little camper van and the great empty beach which was our home for the night in Tauranga Bay.

Matai Bay, with a great little DOC campground tucked back in the hills. Only a few dachs dotted the landscape, like this little guy at sunset. 

Arai-te-Uru Reserve, near Omapere, New Zealand. This is an inlet from the sea. We're standing on a pretty high cliff and across the channel is a massive sand dune. 

Tane Mahuta - "Lord of the Forest". The larges known Kauri tree, 51 meters high, is 1,500-2,500 years old. I'm standing at the base as a reference. Waipoua Forest. 

Wide endless beach, packed sand, totally empty...the locals were big on driving down the beach to go fishing. Baylys Beach. 

Baylys Beach, where we stayed the night. 

Baylys Beach.

Lots of little Portuguese Man 'o Wars dotted the sand.

Hot times in Kerosene Creek, a natural hot springs near Lake Taupo.

Huka Falls and the mighty Waikato River. I'm standing in the far left corner with my arm up, as a reference. This was close to Ried's Park, where we camped by the side of the river for free. 

Wellington on Christmas Day - what a great city! 

We missed Chelsea and Dave at Cafe Racer, so we went them big hugs through space! 

Christmas Day camp on Foxton Beach. Driving on the beach was so popular, there were posted speed limits.

We camped on the beach in Opunake, one of the great surf breaks around Mt. Taranaki. 

We woke up to sunshine in Opunake and started driving up the volcano. Here's the road to the ranger station - the impenetrable forest crowding the edge of the road seemed more a wall than trees and ferns. 

The forest around Dawson Falls, Mt. Taranaki. Incredibly lush - clumps of moss hanging off every available branch. 

near Dawson Falls, Mt. Taranaki. 

Crutchie checks out the pools near Dawson Falls - pretty good hike for a guy on only one leg! 

Swing bridge!

100m down to the river below the swing bridge...

Waingongoro Hut, Mt. Taranaki - cool little place sleeps 16 people, first come, first served. 

Breakfast at Manu Bay, Raglan! 

 The coast of Raglan.

The coast of Raglan.

The coast of Raglan. 

 The West Coast Beach along the Awhitu Peninsula - one of my first and most vivid memories of New Zealand, 10 years ago. This was a few km from Waiuku, where I did my student teaching. 

Going back to Taipei for another 15 hour layover on the way home was a bit of a culture shock. 

Taipei 101 - 2nd largest building in the world - woah!

Taipei Botanical Gardens.