AdventuRetired

Tell us about your Adventure!

Ireland, the beautiful, windy, and wild country  has always been top on my bucket list.  Like so many others who have visited this beautiful land, to spend time here is a step back in history.  Curt gave in and we planned for a wonderful trip here in October 2019 to visit castles, ruins, and the gorgeous Cliffs of Moher.  Along the way, we were immersed in history and romance and met some wonderful new friends.  Everyone needs a little Ireland in their soul!

Tell us about your Adventure!

Have you ever wondered what your retirement adventure would look like? Maybe you thought you'd travel, or maybe you thought you'd volunteer some. Both are  exactly what this retired couple from Maryland do in their retirement.  They volunteer for NOMADS.

NOMADS stands for Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service and is a ministry of the United Methodist Church.  When Rodney and Tammy Ripley retired, they knew that volunteering  was going to be part of their retirement journey.  As we learn in this episode to be a NOMAD all you need is an RV (or some sort of camper) and a servant's heart.  As part of the NOMADS organization, Tammy and Rodney travel for a three week mission trip in the United States with others to perform a service several times a year. 

Tell us about your Adventure!

Are you as tired as we are of the phrases, "in these uncertain times"  "now more than ever"  and "the new normal"???  Blah, Blah, Blah!!!   We decided to take back our retirement the best way we could for now with a " micro adventure."  What exactly is a "micro adventure" and "how can I sign up" you might ask?  It's easy, just draw a circle on a map that encompasses about a 100 mile radius around your home and look for somewhere or something new to discover! This type of adventure can last a day, a weekend, or even a few days during the week with no other crowds (big advantage of retirement), and all you do is get into your car and  go!  You will be amazed what is close by that you haven't toured or discovered before!  
We love Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and we were amazed to learn that a small city less than 100 miles from our lake was home to two Frank Lloyd Wright properties  built in his "Prairie School" period.  The city of Mason City, Iowa, itself is known in the mid-west for some of the most beautiful and unique architecture in the homes that line the streets around the Historical Park Inn.

Mason City is also the birthplace of Meredith Wilson, creator of "Music Man."  The streets downtown are home to many sculptures honoring this legend.  You can also tour his birthplace home and the museum next to it.  Mason City  is truly a gem of a city hidden among the corn fields!     

To top if off, just down the road about six miles you can visit and tour two of Iowa's and our country's musical giants in Clear Lake, Iowa...the crash site and memorial for the "Day the Music Died" and the Surf Ballroom where Buddy Holly, JP Richardson "The Big Bopper", and Ritchie Valens played their last concert in 1959.

So come along and join us and then go plan your own  "micro adventure!"  We would love to hear about it!!!

Tell us about your Adventure!

Maybe you don't  dream of BBQ ribs or brisket smoked on a grill of pecan or mesquite wood...but Curt and I sure do.  BBQ joints in Texas are some of the best, and every weekend ordinary  men stand around their precious  pits grilling!  Grilling over coals and wood is a right a passage for many young men (and a few good women too).  Many men are judged by the size of their BBQ pit!   When we moved to Iowa to retire, we brought two grills with us! One can never own too many grills!  

In this episode interview a great couple from Iowa who have the best part time gig EVER!!! They judge BBQ's contests all around the mid-west!  Penny and Rick didn't just fall into this great job, oh no...they had to attend BBQ school to be an official judge.  Needless-to-say they take this part time retirement job SERIOUSLY!

To be an official BBQ judge they attended the Kansas City BBQ judging school to learn all the tricks of the trade!    https://www.kcbs.us/    They have judged many contests and have some great stories for us to explore!  These two retiree's (yes, Rick has some part time employment too) have a great story to share!  They have ballooned in Africa and traveled through Italy just to name a few of their adventures...but becoming BBQ judges....put them in a whole different league!

Tell us about your Adventure!

Join us on this podcast episode as we interview Keri Gailloux and her great retirement adventure as a "Skoolie"!  What exactly is a skoolie? A skoolie is a person who lives and travels in a converted school bus! We read about Keri on MSN.com (our first celebrity interview) and checked out her fb page to learn more about her and her exceptional retirement adventure. Keri's bus is beautiful and her interview enlightening. So join us, and learn about becoming a "skoolie"!

Tell us about your Adventure!

Our first cruise in retirement we went to Alaska!   What a great way to treat ourselves!  The ship was beautiful, food was great, our friends were awesome, and Alaska was amazing!

Tell us about your Adventure!

In this episode we talk to Jaime and Martha DeLeon who in semi-retirement moved from a 2500 sq. ft. home to a 33 foot long trailer  Wow!!!!!   Can you imagine???   They said they purged a lot of "stuff" and we are so proud of them for simplifying their lives so much.  I think we can all learn a thing or two from the DeLeons!

Tell us about your Adventure!

Iceland is pure beauty.   Whether you love the ocean, the hot springs, the history, or the mountains, there is something for everyone.  We loved our ten days traveling the Ring Road and Golden Circle.  If you are lucky enough to travel there you will not be disappointed.

Tell us about your Adventure!

Hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon was a bucket list item for Curt.  We joined friends, Craig and Susie, and planned an amazing trip that included a stop at Arches National Park, Antelope Canyon, and Zion National Park which is home to Angel's Landing.   Hiking from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the Colorado river and back up the next day  was a grueling test of our hiking abilities that we both passed and would do again! 

Tell us about your Adventure!

Welcome to Iceland! This beautiful country is one to explore for sure! We spent ten wonderful days camping our way around the Golden Circle and the Ring Road.   Iceland is  home to over 800,000 sheep and only 323,00 people!  We enjoyed hitting as many hot springs as we could as we traversed this wild country all while devouring as many bowls of delicious fish soup!  We hope our podcast will set the fire in you to journey to the land of the North!  Remember, "don't sit too soon"!