On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
This weekday feature is for Balloon Juicers who are on the road, travelling, etc. and wish to share notes, links, pictures, stories, etc. from their escapades. As the US mainland begins the end of the Earth day as we measure it, many of us rise to read about our friends and their transient locales.
So, please, speak up and share some of your adventures, observations, and sights as you explore, no matter where you are. By concentrating travel updates here, it’s easier for all to keep up-to-date on the adventures of our fellow Commentariat. And it makes finding some travel tips or ideas from 6 months ago so much easier to find…
Have at ’em, and have a safe day of travels!
Should you have any pictures (tasteful, relevant, etc….) you can email them to [email protected] or just use this nifty link to start an email: Start an Email to send a Picture to Post on Balloon Juice
Great stuff today from Le Comte de Monte Cristo!
When – May 2016
Where – Monterossa al Mare, Cinque Terre, Italy
I may have done another photo from our balcony that was clearer, but the sun made this a stunning shot.
Loved the location
May 2016
A street scene in Florence. You can see the Duomo in the distance.
May 2016
San Miniata, Tuscany, ItalyThis location is all about the truffle – it is a lovely village about 45 minutes outside Florence by slow train. The statue (my wife is receiving an explanation from the guide) is a commemoration of the largest truffle ever unearthed (presented to Dwight Eisenhower). In Italy, they use dogs to find truffles, as it is believed that dogs won’t be as likely to destroy the truffle beds, and they all use the same required tool, shown on the statue.
The dog is Billie, and as you can see, Billie is a very good dog, loves his owner (the love is evident), and does a very good job; he found 4 black truffles on our trip, each at least as large as my fist, probably €300 worth in total.
The day was as lovely as could be imagined in Tuscany. It was Spring, flowers were fragrant and the breeze was warming. After tromping about while following Billie and finding truffles, my wife and I got to eat a 4 course meal with wine with the family of the truffle hunter.
Magical.
And from Tom H., in the state I’d always rather be in, Colorado –
At Folsom field in boulder co where runners gather after the bolder boulder 10k.
When I moved to Colorado on January 1, 2006, it took me about 5 minutes to realize, “what took me so long?” I can’t wait to work it so I can move back. Just seeing the sky, the light, the Rockies.
Thanks – and send more!
Do you do the Leadville Marathon? For those who don’t know, that’s a marathon at 10,000+ feet! Just amazing, knowing folks who compete in that (or the race up and down Pike’s Peak – not the car race which is amazing enough, a runner race to the summit at ~14,1023 feet and back.
Have a great day al; – travel safe and do keep sending in pictures and share your stories.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Ice surprise to see those as I get back! Just back from Australia last night (been up for an hour due to jet lag). Sent you a bunch of photos for future posts (including a little video). Have some more to send.
Fabulous trip – Sydney, climbed the bridge, stayed in a stunning hotel overlooking the bridge and opera house. Then to Cairns for a drive to Mossman and the Daintree (oldest rainforest on earth). Stayed at a rainforest spa. Drove as far north as you can go without a serious 4WD, Cape Tribulation. Saw cane toad races at a bar in Port Douglas, had experiences with aborigines and a private helo ride to a set of remote falls in the rainforest. Went on a 4 night liveaboard scuba boat to the GBR and Coral Sea for shark dives and nautilus dives.
Such a set of weeks!
OzarkHillbilly
Nice shots. Thanx to all.
That would be the best part to me.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@OzarkHillbilly:
That was incredible – so friendly and intimate, and we got to help in the kitchen!
OzarkHillbilly
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: Even better.
Mary G
Wow. Love the truffle puppy and your Australian trip sounds amazing.
raven
Our tenant/next door neighbor was at the Boulder gig!!!
PsiFighter37
Nice pics! Sent in a couple late overnight from Taiwan…unfortunately it’s supposed to pour the rest of the time I am here starting tomorrow, so not sure if there’ll be much else to add. :(
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Which one is he?
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Oh, I forgot to mention that Australia included a walking pub tour (of course it did), and my first tasting of a vegemite sandwich…
rikyrah
The pictures were so beautiful today?
Quinerly
?
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: It would be a she. . .
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: And she’s wearing a red and white striped shirt?
debbie
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
I assume this was a thing while you were there?
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@debbie:
About 1000 miles south of us. We saw black tips, white tips, greys and hammerheads; no great whites. Closest I got to a shark mouth was about a meter – we saw dozens per dive most times.
SectionH
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I am sooooo jealous of your Cape Trib visit.
I have to admit I haz friends in Queensland: Townsville and Airline Beach, where the recent Typhoon made a mess of things (not T’ville much at all, but Airlie Beach took a direct hit). It was not a tiny storm, but there you go. Didn’t even get a mention in the US media. Gotta ask, was it all business as usual?
As awesome as your trip must have been, I don’t think I’d trade my own modest north QLD experiences of old. Including Brisbane. I like Brisbane.
Our stay on Fitzroy was when it was still a day tripper/barebones island, with a total of 6 cabins for overnighters – and the reef even around there was pristine. QF had a CNS-HNL flight then. Oh Yes they did: not for very long, obvsly, but damn, that was fun. Our flight was so empty that one of the cabin crew took our 11 yr old son and Mr S down into the depths of the plane to see the sights.
The Italian pix? Another heaven. Love ’em.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@SectionH:
All business as usual in north QLD. They didn’t get hit at all from what I could see in Cairns, Port Douglas and points north.
The Cape Tribulation visit was really amazing – the views from the highway as far as the ferry (on the Daintree, IIRC) were stunning, and the winding narrow road was an adventure by itself, what with all the “watch for cassowary” signposts. The desolation and emptiness of the beach there were nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Elizabelle
Love these pics, especially the truffle-finding dog. And the statue and the Comptess. What amazing experiences Juicers have.
satby
@OzarkHillbilly: For me too.
Sounds wonderful Le Comte!
Tom H, are the runners on the field only or are they also gathering in the stands? Looks like quite a crowd and the setting is so pretty I would miss any games because I would be looking out at the view!.
Laura
@Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: great photos!
My brother met his Cairns working wife in Port Douglas -they call it Kismet to this day.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Laura:
Port Douglas was so damn much fun – I love bed the atmosphere.