Debbie and I traveled to

Hong Kong

The Philippines

Siem Reap
and then went on a private tour with China Highlights

China
It was all amazing, from the night time views of the Hong Kong skyscrapers, to the relaxing beach at Sabang on the island of Palawan, to the historic jungle temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, to the many cities, natural wonders, and historic attractions of  ancient and modern China.  The best part was the people we met along the way.

Israel 2016 with Kyle

We got on an LDS-oriented Holy Lands tour at the last minute.  There were only 17 other participants, which turned out to be the best part of the trip, as they were younger and more adventurous than a typical tour group.  We got to know each person, and it was a blast.

link to Israel 2016 photos

Istanbul 2016 with Kyle

So Kyle was moving from Tennessee, and I met him in Chicago to help drive.  He had always wanted to do a  Holy Lands trip, and wanted do it from the east before he moved west.  Tour prices for double occupancy are favorable, so I went with him.  We found an LDS tour with a small group, and a good fare from Chicago via Turkish Airlines, so it made sense to stop and see Istanbul on the way.

link to Istanbul photos
If you ever go to Istanbul, stay at the Ottoman Hotel Imperial.  It's across the street from Hagia Sofia.

Selected photos from our 2015 Europe Trip

Six weeks through southern Europe in a motorhome.  We rented near Munich.  If you rent in Germany for more than 31 days, you are like a temporary resident, and avoid the 19% European value-added tax.  So we were paying about $125 per day.  The only bad thing was they "upgraded" us to a larger motorhome than we wanted, and that caused some grief on small coastal Italian and French roads.  We visited the lakes region of Austria, Venice, Croatia, took a ferry to Italy, then visited Paestum, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi (not in the motorhome), and Pompeii.  Then we drove up the western coast of Italy, visiting Rome, Cinque Terre, and French Riviera.  Then up through southern French alps, Chamonix.  Then Lake Geneva, Zermatt, Jungfrau, Apenzell, and into southern Germany to go up the Zugspitz. 

My second backyard roller coaster

Here's a link to photos from our trip to Belize last November.
Belize 2014

The Little Rocket backyard roller coaster

My third backyard roller coaster is called the Little Rocket.  It is for 2-4 year-olds under 35 pounds.  It  took me 3 weeks to design and build the track and cart.

My second backyard roller coaster, with a "3-dimensional" track. BYRC-3D-02

Link to youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpT2OsGr6M

Check out my other videos on my youtube channel.  

I retired from Boeing in February, and decided a few weeks ago to try designing and building a backyard roller coaster for my grandkids.
Here is a video.

Church History Trip with Sarah and Kyle

https://plus.google.com/photos/118039582949467875950/albums/5927239127671755233?banner=pwa&authkey=CJaCzpDRxrid0wE

St Petersburg

Link to St Petersberg Photos

We turned the Norway/Sweden motorhome in at Helsinki, and then took an overnight ferry to St Petersberg.  If you arrive and depart via ferry, and stay only three days, you don't have to buy $200 Russian visas.  We were fascinated by St Petersberg.  

Norway September 2012 Motorhome

Link to Norway Photos

We rented a small motorhome and made a south to north loop through western Norway.  This motorhome was just the right size for two people, with a fixed bed in the back, and captains chairs in the front which spin around to face the table.  The roads in the fjords were sometimes one lane with wide spots every 400 meters or so for passing.  We went through many tunnels and rode 9 ferries through the Fjords.  We rented in Oslo, went to Stockholm after Norway, and then took a ferry to Finland.  It was a Finnish motorhome rental company, and they gave us like $600 off for bringing their motorhome back to Finland in September.

Sweden Sept 2012

link to Sweden Sept 2012 photos

Stockholm is a a really nice city to visit, with many unique museums.  We stayed at a campground on a train line outside the city, and bought a 5-day City card.  I think the Vasa Museum was our favorite, and the old town.

Finland Sept 2012 in a motorhome

Finland Sept 2012

Greece Santorini 2012

lnk to Santorini, Greece 2012photos

The best thing about Santorini was our hotel, the Athermi.  This is the view from our room. 

Greece Mykonos

link to Mykonos Greece 2012 photos

Greece Athens

link to Athens, Greece 2012 photos

We had 4 days in Athens.  Stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the Acropolis.  

Iceland 2012

link to Iceland 2012 photos

We got to see Iceland on a 3-day Iceland Air layover.  We rented a car a drove the golden circle, then went to the Blue Lagoon.

Grand Canyon 2011

Sarah, Kyle and I went down the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River again with Walt. These are my favorites.

Our paddle raft run through Hermit rapid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPqJgt_PZ0Y

Lava Falls in Walt's S-Rig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TLd388HnN0

The rest of my photos are here:

Grand Canyon 2011 photos

Here's a link to a video one of the kayakers made, pretty exciting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAR7XR_yqqs&feature=share

Jordan, Israel, Egypt and France - May 2011 Photos

Petra Treasury. Jordan

Jarash

JerusalemLuxor, Egypt

Etretat, France

link to New York, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and France photos