Category: travel

• Cubs Spring Training Wrap-Up: 2016 Edition

  

  March provided a great opportunity for us to spend time at Chicago Cubs training camp in Arizona. This year we took in games at Surprise, Scottsdale, and of course, Mesa, which houses the Cubs’ new Sloan Park facility. While the Cubs had a rough spring, they’re favored for a World Series run this year.

  Spring training is an interactive experience; fans have the opportunity to watch batting practice up close and visit with coaches, trainers and former players. A number of stars make appearances (we met Andre Dawson, Gaylord Perry, and Fergie Jenkins over several days — Check out the pictures below).

  We also found time for plenty of hiking, and visiting with a great friend of mine who lives in the Phoenix area. 
  
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  2016.03.30

• Flying Sonoma and Napa Valleys

  August is a great time to leave Texas. For pilots especially, summer presents unique challenges. High temperatures and humidity contribute to bumpier, often less enjoyable flights. These conditions also diminish aircraft performance, resulting in longer takeoff and landing distances and reduced fuel efficiency.

  Of course, these issues aren’t particularly difficult to deal with. Perhaps the hardest part for me is the time spent on a smoldering airport tarmac for pre- and post-flight operations.

  In Austin especially, the months of August and September are not kind to Midwesterners.

  For these reasons I was anxious to escape with Lauren to California. Sonoma County is a good destination for anyone seeking chilled air. We decide that before setting out on a fast and furious tour of areas wineries, we’ll kick-off the trip by logging some local flight time in Napa. It would be our first experience in flying out-of-state since I earned my pilot certificate in 2012. (more…)

  2014.09.05

• Colorado Mountaineering 2009

  http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

  2009.12.06

• Roswell

  We had a great time in Roswell. Pecos Flavors Winery and Tasting Room comes highly recommended if you’re a wine buff. We stopped in Saturday evening simply to pick up a couple bottles, and found that the tasting room had a band and was going to stay open late, so we stayed. We experimented with a few bottles and some cheese onsite, and brought a couple bottles home (a Cabernet and a Merlot – we still have almost 8 bottles left of a case of St Claire Nebbiolo Lauren brought home from Pecos Flavors last winter. They’ll make great Christmas and Hanukkah gifts). For food, check out Martin’s (pronounced Mar-teen’s) Capitol Cafe. Great Mexican. Check out more photos here.

  2005.06.05