Tri-ing Life and More

After leaving my Flash Pack trip, it was time to explore Oslo on my own. I know most people suggest taking the train between Bergen and Oslo, but two things made me decide on a flight. 1) I didn't have the time to spend on the train even if it is beautiful. 2) When I booked my flight on United using miles, I found that flights from Bergen to Oslo and Oslo to Stockholm could be added for only $20 each. You honestly can't beat that so I decided flying was the best option.

As I mentioned earlier, the main reason for my trip was to join the Flash Pack adventure to Norway. I have been on group trips with friends, but this was my first time joining a group tour on my own. I am not gonna lie, I was nervous. What if I didn't get along with the others? How would I cope for 4 days? The reviews of the Flash Pack trips were so positive and so many people stated they loved their group and everyone got along great. I decided no matter what, the activities would made the trip a dream. Hopefully the people were great, but I would have fun no matter what.

Bergen was stop 1 on my trip. This is where I met my Flash Pack group, but I had a day and a half to explore on my own before meeting them. Bergen is best known for its colorful wooden houses and being the Gateway to the Fjords. It is surrounded by 7 mountains so my first goal was to take in a hike. I found reviews of the Vidden Trail and knew that was my hike. It is a trail that connects two of the mountains and it was supposed to have incredible views. That was my only set plan for Bergen was doing this hike the first full morning I was in town. I spent the rest of my time solo exploring what I could on foot.

I currently live my life from one vacation to another. I am addicted to traveling and seeing the world. I love seeing beautiful places, watching new cultures, and trying new things. It has become an obsession to me thanks to travel blogs and never-ending information. I now belong to two Facebook groups that focus on traveling on a budget or being a solo female traveler. It is encouraging to know I am not alone.

I cannot say enough about how much I loved this hike. If you have read my past blogs, you know that I love the mountains and this hike played perfectly into that love. It was about 28 miles through Tennessee Pass, Kokomo Pass, Searle Pass, and finishing on Copper Mountain. A majority of the trail was on the Colorado and Continental Divide trails. The trails were well maintained and easy to follow. And the views were stunning. The best part is that is was supported backpacking. I was worried about how my body would handle carrying 30 lbs and was slightly less anxious for the trip since I knew there would always be help nearby. The  Fjällräven  Classic started in Sweden to be a celebration of the outdoors and to encourage and enable more people to get out and enjoy trekking. It started in 2005 in Sweden on a popular trail and has now spread to four countries and is still encouraging people to get out and trek. I thought the  Fjällräven  Classic USA did a great jo...

May and June were busy for me. I spent almost two weeks in Norway and Sweden and then finished June with a backpacking trip through the Colorado Rockies. Somehow in two months, I spent all of my vacation, but I loved every minute of it. I will get back to my review of Norway and Sweden, but the hike is fresh on my mind. Given how much I search travel trips, travel blogs, and fun outdoor spots, Facebook recommended the  Fjällräven  Classic USA hike. I took one look and was sold. It is a 3 day backpacking trip through the Rocky Mountains, but with some support. I will be backpacking the Grand Canyon in October and thought this would be perfect practice to ensure I know what I am doing. So my friend and I signed up for the  Fjällräven  Classic USA 2018 hike.

Our races were finally done so now it was time to relax and celebrate! The half marathon participants get free entrance into Epcot for a special race food and wine festival celebration from 8pm-1am. The park closed at 9 so we had a little time with everyone still in the park and then it was restricted to racers and their family and friends (who had to buy special tickets to get in). Given we were up before 4am, we decided not to go to a park that day and instead relax at the pool and nap so we had energy for Epcot.

Sunday: Half Marathon Yet another early wakeup (3:30 this time) to get to the half marathon on time. We met Corey and Bethany near their room before heading to the shuttle. We made it to the shuttle and Corey realized he forgot his gels and was about to go get them when the bus started to move. We had enough to cover him at least a little. Then he realized he didn't have his knee brace. This was a way worse situation since there was no way to help him and he hadn't run long distances without the brace. He was just going to have to do his best and hope his knee held out. We got there with plenty of time, but the character lines were long and we would be pushing making it to the pictures before 5am so we decided to skip it. We went back to the porta potties and the corrals. Dad and I were in the second to last corral and Corey and Bethany were in the last corral (they didn't submit official times so they were stuck in the back). Dad and I decided they were both faster than...

Disney races are so much fun. You get to run through different parks, take pictures with characters (or at least see them while you run by), see different Disney effects, and it is a flat race. The major downside to Disney races is the 3/3:30am wakeup call. You need to be on the shuttle by 4am to get to the race start. At least the shuttles are nice charter busses specifically there for the race. Once you get there, you have about an hour and a half to blow before the race starts, longer if you start in the back corrals. It is a lot of time on your feet before the race. There are four characters out for pictures before the race but the lines are about 45 minutes long for each picture and there is no guarantee you will get a picture. They cut off character pictures at 5 so that people can get to their corrals. That said, I do love having a DJ there in the morning playing music and trying his hardest to wake people up at an ungodly early hour.

Time for my third and final Disney half marathon of 2017. This race weekend is special though because my family is here to participate with me. Dad wanted to celebrate turning 60 with a Disney half marathon to prove he could do it at 60 and it seemed perfect to the do food and wine half marathon. So the whole family went down to participate in the weekend. This is my dad and I's 3rd Disney half marathon and our goal was to set a PR for him. My mom was doing the 10k, which was her first race ever. My brother was doing his first half marathon and his wife was celebrating her first time in Disney. We all had different goals, but it was going to be a fun weekend celebrating Dad's birthday and the races.

If you can't tell, I am trying to catch up on last year's adventure before we get too far into 2018. Apologies for not getting this done earlier.  I found The Glow listed on Facebook and was intrigued by the pictures describing the event. The Glow features an enchanting and unforgettable wonderland of more than 5,000 hand carved, illuminated pumpkins transformed into beautiful landscapes, iconic figures and larger than life jack o’ lantern structures. It was only a short drive to go check it out so I conned my friends into joining me. We had a timed entry to try and keep the area less crowded. We actually got there just after our time so we mostly walked in. It was a lot of fun. There are over 5,000 carved pumpkins that make large or small displays. There are different themes as you walk through including under the sea, Disney, carnival, dinosaurs, and more. The weather was perfect to walk through the pumpkin wonderland. I will let the pictures do a better job of describi...

My friend Craig took the day off work to take me down to Wurzburg to explore this adorable town. The first thing I noticed on the drive was that I don't know how Americans come back to the States and handle our limited speed limits. I thoroughly enjoyed taking the highways as fast as we wanted. It all seemed organized and safe, but we were flying. Good luck to my friends on not getting tickets when they get back. Also driving through the German countryside was nice. 

After enjoying everything I could fit in while in Switzerland, it was time to head to Frankfurt to see my friends and explore the area.