There is nothing that quite compares to a cross country road trip – most notably in the Eurovan with Sally and my bike.

Listening to Bob Seger and Mick Jagger, books on tape, catching the hot local buys on tradeo on the radio…and then there’s those great country stations and Oh yes…all those conservative christian monologs and sermons about sin, guilt and penance. As the miles fly by the mind becomes pensive, the body flaccid, the eyes wide open to the countryside, the butt damn tired of sitting.

Five days on the road – Tucson, Arizona to Cheboygan, Michigan. Just enjoying the ride.

Time for gas and a pee

Great camp spot for the evening

Miles and miles and miles of wheat fields

My kind of traveling woman. We just have different tastes in bikes.

AAhhhh - our destination. The big lakes of Michigan!

And it feels soooo good to get out of that van and plunge into that cool lake water!

Sometimes I feel so insignificant in the big schema of life. But then we have all have a place, a contribution to make, some small footprint to leave behind when we depart.

What will be your place in life and what mark will you leave in the sand?

I love Tucson, however, when you are at the trailhead at 5:30am and it is 89 degrees you know the hike up Blackett’s is going to be blistering. So why hang around in all this heat when you can escape to cooler climates, ride your bike at noon, swim in the invigorating waters of the great lakes, and snuggle in fleece in the evening with a cup of hot chocolate.

You don’t have to go far to smell the pines, sit in the warm sun, and enjoy the out of doors. A quick trip up Mt. Lemmon  on your bike will land you in Summerhaven where you can relish in 70 degree temperatures at 8000 feet.

What are you waiting for?

I’ve joined the exposed movement – started by blogger mish@eatingjourney.com when she decided that she was tired of hating the way she looked and wanted to turn those feelings around and start to celebrate her body. It’s really about body image and how you perceive yourself and feel about the body you inhabit.

So here I am – totally exposed, revealing the naked truths about my self and my body. Yes, I have -

Silver hair – O’natural, won’t ever change the color – it’s wild, unruly, and all mine

Lines in face – store many life stories and adventures – don’t want anyone to take them away

Breasts – got to love em – a source of pleasure for me and others – so what if they sag a bit….just wear a sexy bra from Victoria Secrets

Arms – strong for swimming laps and they love to give hugs

Waist – hey baby 26 inches

Hips – broad and full – all woman – like they should be

Thighs – my tree trunks that pedal me up Mt. Lemmon and 80-100 miles a week

Calves – strong and muscular

Feet – these feet are made for walking

No makeup, hair dye, nips, tucks, botox, chemical peals, enhancements, or photo shopping – just 61 years of living life actively and fully – all the good/bad, ups/downs,  joys/sorrows, successes/failures.

There is still soft youthful skin, a  fit and athletic body, shapely breasts and a full zesty life. Yes, there are also lines and wrinkles, thinning hair, excess skin, arthritic digits, scars and blemishes… and I’m OK with that. I like myself and am quite content with the skin I live in.

How about you – ready to expose yourself and appreciate all of your great assets?

And 109 in Tucson. But it’s a dry heat! Hey the humidity is 2%. There is a something special about living in a place where the temperatures soar to 110 degrees and can stay in triple digits for weeks. Life shifts – you hike and bike at 5:30am, carry a water bottle everywhere, don’t touch your steering wheel when you get in the car, water plants daily, wear a hat, lather on sunscreen, close the blinds when you leave the house, turn the ceiling fans on high, take a siesta, eat ice cream and gelato, and shed clothes when you get home. Cactus get lean and shrivel. Even the dog wants indoors by 9am. The volume of traffic has significantly disappeared – all those snowbirds and college students have headed north.

You sweat, simmer, glisten, wilt, melt, and your skin feels sucked dry of any excess moisture. It’s a cleansing feeling, there’s a pureness that invades your being, you move at a different pace, eat less and transition to a slow life style.

What I’m doing back here in Tucson?

A room with a view - Islet de Gigliio

How do you pull the scents, sights, and sounds of a country and a culture through your computer keys? How do you explain the immense joy you’ve experienced? How do you thank all those who traveled with you and those you met and shared personal moments with? Here are a few final impressions…

The antiquity, layered history and magnificent art

Duomos, statues, fountains, marble, sanctuaries, ornate design, massive mosaics, bell towers, castles, frescos painted in such intricate detail they look 3 dimensional

Duomo in Pisa

All this and so much more everywhere and in everyday life

The food and the wine – Oh the food and the wine!

Fresh and simple, abundant loaves of crusty bread, pastries, croissants, cappuccino, chocolate cauldo, pasta (how many kinds of pasta can there possibly be?), olive oil, olives, proscuitto, cheese (give me more of that fresh ricotta), forcaccia, gelato, grappa, Liquirzia, Chianti, pizza, nutella

Fuel food

Dinner

Breakfast

Lunch

OH the teramisu

Won't forget the gelato

The table has been set for the best life has to offer – wine, antipasto, primo, segundo, dolce, grappa or digestivo

The landscape  – the rural countryside, the mountains, rugged shoreline and the cities

Serene, picturesque, rugged, villas, vineyards, narrow roadways, quaint and cozy villages, alleyways, stairs, walkways, foot bridges, paths, trails, flowers, piazzas, green shutters, balcones, locals and tourists, the scooters, trains and buses, the Dolomites, the sea

The people

Conversing, emotive, gesturing, friendly and welcoming, familial, smoking, riding bikes and walking, beautiful leather, scarves and snappy shoes and stilettos, carrying their bags and purses, talking about cooking and eating food.

The cycling and our amazing groupo

We’ll have some fun reminising next time we all regroup. It was a great two week ride!

One thing I will not miss is schlepping my suit case up and down stairs and alleyways and onto and off trains, buses and boats. I do know that when you travel for only 6 weeks you realize how much you are not seeing. Till the next adventure…

Thanks for joining me on this one.

Ciao

Traveling solo has lead to some insightful thoughts and experiences. It is not common to travel solo in Italy (especially for women) In Italy family, friends, the communal spirit is a lifestyle and a culture. So at times I feel the eccentric, peering in from an exterior vantage point. At other times I join in, a willful and invited member and participant.

Traveling single has not been lonely, quite the opposite. The opportunity to engage with others and all that surrounds you heightens. You don’t need to speak the language to make a connection. I relish traveling solo. At least one person is happy! I can sleep in or get up early, go to bed or stay up late, explore on a whim, shop till I drop, be frugal or frivolous, swim naked or fully clothed, hike to the peak or turn around on a hairpin curve, laugh gregariously or be meditative and silent, be outrageous or demure. You can stop and smell every flower along the route.

I'm loving all these roses!

There is an anonymous sense of freedom going solo. You find your own pace and rhythm to each day. I guess you might say traveling solo is unconventional and I like it that way.

You find pieces of yourself that you have not yet explored…or didn’t realize existed. If you don’t decide for yourself what you want to get out of life, someone else will end up deciding for you. Remember, you don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to. So however you care to travel or proceed in life – define your self, cut loose, step out of bounds, leap off the cliff, strip down, be outrageous, take risks, just say yes…and start living life…to it’s fullest.

Salute

Return?

What do you think she will do???

Porto Giglio

It was an adventure getting to the Islet di Giglio – but then if it were easy it wouldn’t be worth much and this is beyond anything I expected. I am staying at Pardini’s Hermitage, a secluded villa, which is only accessible by water taxi – no dock, you just pull the boat up to the rocks and jump off- and your bag is loaded on the donkey for transport up to the villa.

Unloading supplies and luggage from water taxi

The bellman

My hosts Gigo and Barbara (the owners), Paola (the manager), Antonio (the chef) make you feel like familia. Each night for dinner all single guests are asked to eat with the familia – the women of the family – and it is a merry affair – although I don’t understand much of what’s being said – it’s all Italiano. Mas vino porfavore…

Antonio - our wonderful and jovial chef - and check out those pantalones!

Breakfast with a view

The food is fresh, mostly from the garden, olive trees, local vineyards, and of course the sea. The villa pigs and goats supply the proscuito, cheese and milk (they make much of their own cheese – the fresh ricotta with home made preserves serves as an excellent desert!).

Hiked from the Castillo at the peak of the island along the ridgeline back to the villa for panoramic views.

What a view from the trail!

The grounds are terraced gardens, stone pathways, with quiet and secluded spaces for reading, lounging or just kicking back.

Quite spaces

And swimming in the sea off the rocks is my kind of pleasure.

Check out this swimming hole - wonder if you need a suit?

I don’t think I am going to want to leave this little piece of paradise – che vita – what a life!