"Just as I was starting to get bummed about having to hang up my snowboard for the season on May 10th, I remembered that travel season and summer were just around the corner!
Not even a week after hanging up my board I found myself in my childhood stomping grounds - Seattle, Washington. I took a couple days before a work trip to Vancouver, B.C. to catch up with friends in the area and take in as much of the Pacific Northwest as possible. Of course a couple “touristy” items 
made the agenda: the observation deck at the Space Needle, shopping at Pikes Place Market, reliving my childhood at the Pacific Science Center, row boating on Lake Union and a tour through the EMP to name a few. The highlight of the visit was the 3-hour kayaking tour through Borrows Bay. The folks over at Anacortes Kayak Tours were absolutely awesome! I definitely enjoyed every minute as we circumnavigated both Burrows and Allan Islands. Along the tour, we stopped along the shoreline in various places to check out some of the wildlife and take in the beauty of the San Juans and the Williamson Rocks National Wildlife Refuge. Several bald eagles were spotted, a purple starfish, as well as some sea lions. The most memorable part was reaching into the Sound and sampling some bulb kelp, which was quite tasty.
Following Seattle/Vancouver, I headed back to Colorado to prep for my upcoming European adventure; 
however, packing was put on hold when a last minute trip to Moab, Utah presented itself. A couple friends and I headed west for a weekend in the sandy desert. The days were spent exploring Arches National Park, where the weather was perfect for this time of year, and the afternoons relaxing on a sandy bank of the Colorado River.
I was back in Colorado in time for work on Monday, I spent the better part of my evening getting the sand out of all my gear. With the sand back outside in its place and laundry done, I now began packing for Europe – a trip I had been dreaming about since November. My college roommate, Laura, completed her 27-month service in the Peace Corps in late May. Laura served in Ukraine and had plans to backpack Europe for one month upon her completion of service. Last November plans started to come together as we chatted over Skype. My ticket was purchased and time off work was approved. Over the next six months a consistent stream of e-mails and Skype conversations transpired as we researched and planned out our trip. Only able to take ten days off work I would meet Laura and two of her cousins two weeks into the big trip. On June 5th, I landed in Rome, Italy with my 40-liter pack and small messenger bag in tow. I was ready for my adventure to begin. I jumped on the first train to Roma Termini from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, where I would meet up with the girls. Wasting no time we purchased tickets to our first destination: Pisa.
Arriving in Pisa in the late afternoon, we checked into our hostel near the University and set out for dinner. The hostel manager suggested a small family run place a couple steps from where we were. The tip was greatly appreciated as the food was flavorful, plentiful and quite affordable. Sticking to the “two gelato a day rule,” we stopped by a shop neighboring the restaurant for some outstanding gelato. With full stomachs and smiles on our faces, we made our way to Piazza dei Miracoli, home of the Leaning Tower and an UNESCO World Heritage Site, to scope out a good photo spot for the next day. Satisfied with our picture location and our Italian meal, we called it a night. The next day we rubbed elbows with hundreds of other tourists at the Piazza dei Miracoli. We had some great laughs trying to get all the pictures we wanted with the Tower. After our photo shoot in Pisa, we headed north to Manarola.
Manarola is one of the five villages on the rugged coast of the Italian Riviera that comprise Cinque Terre, the Five Lands. The coastline, the villages and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the 
Cinque Terre National Park, which also happens to be an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The five villages are connected by hiking trails, trains and ferries on the Ligurian Sea. We chose to hike the trail that runs along the cliff side totaling about 11km from the northern most city of Monterosso al Mar to the southernmost city of Riomaggiore. The hike was absolutely gorgeous! Along the way we stopped in every village to do some exploring, which typically led to a water and gelato break. We were rewarded at the end of our northerly hike by the beautiful beaches of Monterosso al Mar. After five hours on the trail the chilled turquoise water of the Ligurian Sea felt like heaven.
Following Cinque Terre we made our way south to Athens, Greece. To make the most of our short stay in Athens we signed up for a five hour walking tour of the city which included stops at: the Acropolis, the rock of Areopagos, the 1986 Olympic Stadium and the changing of the Evzoni in front of the President’s house. Athens is such a bustling city with so much to see. We probably could have spent an extra day in Athens just to see the remaining sites and shop the Plaka, but we had reservations already made at our next and final destination.
From Athens we jumped on a ferry and headed to Santorini. Here we relaxed on the many beaches on the Aegean Sea and toured the island on our rented quads. Santorini was a wonderful change of pace from Athens. We were able to sit back and relax for a couple days. On our second day on the island we rode up to Oia for dinner and a view of the world famous sunset. It was a little bittersweet leaving Santorini. The girls and I had such a wonderful adventure in Italy and Greece. The food, the people, the atmosphere and the adventure would surely be missed as I boarded the ferry, then plane for home.
After an amazing adventure, I found myself back stateside trying to figure out when I could go back. I’d get only a few days rest before I ventured on my second rafting trip on the Arkansas this season.
The water was pumping through the Royal Gorge at 2500cfs on a fine Friday morning as we headed south to Cañon City for a day on the river. We hit some awesome rapids earlier and were pumped as we stopped to scout Sunshine Falls – this was going to be an exhilarating ride! As we paddled through 
Sunshine full force, the back of the raft bucked – what a rush. The rapid caused a couple of us to lose our balance for a bit, but I was the only one to slip out of the boat. What a way to mark the day – especially in sight of the photographers perched on the rocks! Safely returned to my raft we continued on successfully through the Gorge. Overall, a great (and memorable) day on the river with friends.
As you can see it’s been a busy summer and it’s not even July! Next up are trips to Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and Roberval, Canada.
More to come…until the next adventure, Camila"
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