I don’t remember planning to travel this much when 2010 started. I had my short wish list with only one Must Do highlighted. Somehow I put in as many miles on the road as I did in the air and ended up in four countries, 10 states and countless cities. While traveling is my passion, and priority for me, I don’t take for granted how lucky I am to be able to do this. It’s not possible without all the good friends and family who welcome me in their homes and all the new friends I make along the way. Here are some of Best Of experiences of 2010. Sadly, I have not blogged about many of them. I guess...

In Italy, the city of Venice rises from the Adriatic sea in splashes of vibrant color, architecture, and canals. Thousands of miles away another famous Venice sits beside the Pacific Ocean with splashes of colorful characters, beach houses, and yes, even its own canals. Boardwalk Carnival Where Venice, Italy has its Carnivale – the pre-Lent celebration of masks and elegant dress – Venice Beach has its boardwalk – a daily celebration of American counter culture, muscle men and minimal dress. On Ocean Front Walk, the fresh ocean breeze quickly mixes with the smells of incense, fried...

Los Angeles is on the minds of my fellow Oregon Ducks as we all look to the City of Angels through Rose Bowl colored glasses. Little did I know that a quick weekend visit to this definitive West Coast city over the summer would be a preview trip. I met two college pals for some old school misadventures. Even with kids in tow, we managed to get an overview of the city that mixed some tourist attractions with local hangouts. Of course in a city defined by the television and movie industry, even the local hangouts look vaguely familiar. Our resident guide, Steve, directed us to the Farmer’s Market...

Climbing trips are usually done on the fly and on the cheap. With Joshua Tree a quick drive from Phoenix, it’s easy to throw gear into the car and camp at the park for a weekend. There are nine campgrounds in the park with six first-come-first-serve sites ranging from $10 – 15 / site / day. All are near trails and climbing areas and this proximity means you’ll get to make the most of everything in Joshua Tree. If you’re traveling with a group of people and have some time to plan, there are some other options. There are three group campgrounds in Joshua Tree that you can reserve...

On my first trip to Joshua Tree when I was still learning to climb, the group I was with was hiking back to the car at sunset when we crested the rock into a sheltered meadow of J Trees. It was my first “different world” moment in J Tree. Everything had a warm, orange glow on this spring day and I felt like I’d somehow been transported to Mars. I stopped in my tracks when we came around a corner to see a dozen people “walking” their way across a long, L-shaped traverse. It followed a long horizontal crack in the rocks rimmed with white chalk from all the attempts. Later...