Reset search
Karen Hechinger
Karen Hechinger

Karen Hechinger

traveled in 41 countries Read more
FollowMessageStatistics
  • Karen HechingerAlaska Summer 2022Traveler

    3. Oregon to Canada

    August 5, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    We decided to hug the Washington coastline as we headed up to Canada, enjoying the many inlets, bridges, seaside communities and ocean views along the way. Here are a few pix...

  • Karen HechingerAlaska Summer 2022Traveler
    Willamette River ran alongside our route much of the wayOdell Lake with a view of Diamond Peak VolcanoRural America......and more rural America......and more.Tolovana Inn1Dinner at Mo's, a local beachside restaurant.Haystack Rock, famous for being the 3rd largest intertidal structure in the worldClosing out our Cannon Beach visit with a long walk on the beach.

    2. Cannon Beach OR

    August 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    .....GO!

    Our 11.5 hour trip from Reno to Cannon Beach OR represented a smooth start to our adventure. We had a pretty drive past Klamath Lake, then through Eugene & Salem (up route 5, which is embedded in Willamette National Forest) before heading towards the coast at Portland. The temps dropped about 15 degrees at the coast, where we checked into the Tolovana Hotel, right on the beach.

    Cloudy & rainy is the forecast here 80% of the time, according to a local, but we had beautiful weather. Craig & I stretched our legs on a beachwalk today, before our 6.5 hour drive on Friday to Vancouver and Victoria, Canada.

    The adventure has begun!    Read more

  • Karen HechingerAlaska Summer 2022Traveler

    1. Trip Prep & Itinerary

    August 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Alaska, here we come! Its 2 days till Craig and I hit the road on our estimated 5 week road trip through the eastern part of the state, and the usual final prep is taking place. Packing, final itinerary adjustments, lawn maintenance arrangements, online management of bills, mail forwarding and all that. Craig has the car ready to go.

    Craig and I have engaged in several adventure travel trips through South America and the US, so we have developed a bit of a travel rhythm based on managing the logistics of the trip, and on each other's travel personalities. (Note to Karen: NEVER "help" with driving suggestions, and make sure Craig gets fed every 2 hours).

    Our itinerary starts with a brief stay in coastal Oregon, and a trip to Victoria & Vancouver as we make our way through British Columbia to get to Skagway, the northernmost part of the Inner Passage's typical cruise ship port stops, where Craig has some business to deal with. The rest of our trip is highlighted on the attached map.

    Ready,
    Set.....    Read more

  • Karen HechingerCentral/South America 2019Traveler

    90. HOME

    December 5, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 28 °F

    On Wednesday evening, Craig accompanied me on the shuttle from our hotel to the airport, where I was scheduled to catch an 11 hour redeye flight from Santiago to LAX, with a 7 hour layover before my connection to Reno. All went well and I'm home safe and sound.Read more

  • Karen HechingerCentral/South America 2019Traveler
    Vina del Mar
    Protest march that blocks traffic, forcing cars to move at a snail's pace.More protests. At least these are peaceful.

    89. Chile - Santiago & Vina del Mar

    December 3, 2019 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    My last stop in South America before I head home!

    Because of more political unrest and protestor demonstrations, Santiago was a bit of a bust for us. At the suggestion of the concierge, Craig and I set off on a day trip to Vina del Mar and the coast. It was a casual day of people watching at the beach and on the peatones, along with lunch overlooking the water. Truthfully I think both of us had our minds on the changes that would occur Thursday, with me travelling back to the States and Craig continuing south on his own.Read more

  • Karen HechingerCentral/South America 2019Traveler
    Aconcagua, rising in all her glory to 22,841 feetPenitentes ski resort, right on the highwayBack to Chile - we keep forgetting to eat our fruit and they keep stealing it from us!The ultra steep Portillo Ski ResortInca Lodge.The Austrian, Italian, and US ski teams use this mountain for summer trainingInca Lake at the bottom of the runs

    88. Mendoza Argentina to Santiago Chile

    December 1, 2019 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 48 °F

    The sights on the drive from Mendoza across the border back to Chile included the mighty Aconcagua, the highest peak in North/South America, as well as several ski resorts. Portillo Resort is famous for Inca Lake that waits to punish any out of control skiers with an icy bath. Lends a new sense of urgency to the phrase "ski in control"!Read more

  • Karen HechingerCentral/South America 2019Traveler
    My friend with the cane on the rightOlive oil tourI just didn't get into it. Not enough English translation maybeNo problem getting into it when it comes to tasting though

    86. Argentina - Mendoza

    November 29, 2019 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Love Mendoza! Greater Mendoza is a city of almost 2 million people. Strolling through the streets, I feel like I'm in a mini version of NYC (without the skyline). The city of 21 sq miles is lined with shops, restaurants, bars, and plenty of accommodation options. There's no shortage of plazas and small parks as well.

    The main industries here are olive oil and wine production, with a focus on Malbecs. We took a wine tour at 2 wineries, including Domiciano Winery, with a mostly Spanish speaking group. I connected with an old friendly woman who walked with a cane. I think she got hammered pretty fast. I didn't understand a word she said, but she made a joke and laughed, and I laughed too. (Maybe I was a little hammered as well?)    Read more

  • Karen HechingerCentral/South America 2019Traveler

    84. Change of Plans - off to Argentina

    November 20, 2019 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Due to all of the demonstrations and roadblocks in Bolivia, we were forced to cut out many of the Bolivian cities from our itinerary, and ended up in Chile about 10 days ahead of schedule.

    Chile is plagued with political unrest as well, so rather than fight it by heading down the Chilean coast, we scooted over to Argentina. I do have a flight home from the Chilean capital of Santiago on Dec 4, where the political demonstrations are focused, but we're hoping tensions subside before then, so I can get to the airport. If we can't drive through Chile safely, I may have to grab a flight from Argentina to Chile, just to get access to the Santiago airport. Geez. (Btw - when I mention this to my youngest sister, she just says "Well, that's what you signed up for, right?". And yup, she's right)

    In the meantime, we went north in Argentina to a town called Humahuaca, which is described as "a painter's palette of color on barren hillsides". Enjoy the astounding colors of the mountains in these pix - they are not touched up.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerCentral/South America 2019Traveler
    The roof is held in place by large stones
    The dining roomHospedaje Cordillera - Mountain Range HospitalityOur roomNo electrical outletsOur "sun roof" offered excellent lightingThe bed was a bit soft - I tried to think of it as a hammockBreakfast was dry crackers with instant coffee or tea. Yummy!I was excited to try llama for dinner, but we could barely cut it much less chew itBut we were grateful for a roof over our heads in the middle of a desert!

    80. Bolivia - Laguna Route - Hostel

    November 16, 2019 in Bolivia ⋅ ⛅ 45 °F

    Craig and I had originally expected we may be camping out at night on the Laguna Trail. We were delighted to learn that there were some simple accomodations in the area.

    We located a set of very basic hostels about 5 miles from Laguna Colorado. No town, just these crumbling brick buildings, specifically for Laguna Colorado visitors. But, there were dormitory rooms with 4 walls, 2 beds & a shared bathroom, and that sure beats dropping a sleeping bag on the floor of a tent, so we were grateful.

    $9 for the room, $3 each for dinner (first time I ever tasted llama), and $1.50 for breakfast.    Read more

  • Karen HechingerCentral/South America 2019Traveler
    Salt flatReducing the air in the tires to make the rocky ride a little smoother and fasterOops - a little too muchThe car was turned off. There was total silence except for the wind.

    78. Bolivia - the Laguna Route

    November 16, 2019 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    The Laguna Route is a passage from Uyuni in southwest Bolivia to San Pedro Chile, located at the North end of the Atacama Desert.

    The route is mostly sandy dirt and rocks, aptly named for the spectacular colorful lakes that you pass along the way.

    It took us about 8 hours, including one stop for lunch and to reduce the air on the tires for the ride, to get to the first lake. Here are some pix before we reached the lake.    Read more

Get your own travel profile

Free

QR code

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice