tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49866323153705254362011-07-08T16:18:43.420+09:00Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-79740223161735601452009-07-06T22:33:00.007+09:002009-07-06T23:24:54.760+09:00

For the 4th of July weekend we headed out camping in Westmoreland State Park. The park lies on over 1,300 acres of land along the banks of the Potomac River and offers a wide range of activities for every visitor. We chose Westmoreland simply because it was about the only park in the area with campsites still available about 2 weeks before the long weekend.On day 1 we setup camp in the C area

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-1845083304022369252009-07-01T20:06:00.007+09:002009-07-07T10:06:13.345+09:00

Another 2+ months since our last update...but for good reason. We've both been busy, Sandy with ALS, me with school, and both of us with the house. Any free time has usually been spent hitting a movie or simply relaxing together. No amazing travels or unique experiences to speak of. This all changes now as Sandy is set to head to Qatar later this month. Less than 22 days to enjoy our Virginia

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-41502437107450330582009-04-05T16:50:00.000+09:002009-04-12T05:18:14.222+09:00

It has been almost 4 months since we last updated our blog. Rather than 4 months spent doing nothing to write about, we've been putting 100% of our spare time into becoming homeowners. Having painted 5 rooms, furnished almost a dozen, and spent every weekend seeking a routine to take care of all this new stuff...there just hasn't been much time for seeing sights. Sunday marked our first change

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-47155179055191796372008-12-19T20:08:00.000+09:002009-01-11T08:59:29.098+09:00

Since we were authorized 2 days of travel from Misawa to Langley we decided to take full advantage of it. The night of our Atlanta layover the Thrashers were playing host to the Penguins so we went online and found the best tickets we could find for a reasonable price. Based on the map of the arena I thought we would be about 3 rows back from the glass...but I was wrong.Can you tell I'm pretty

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-35426565279808931652008-12-17T14:43:00.010+09:002008-12-17T15:45:42.580+09:00

With our time here having come to an end, we've spent the last week or so getting our last fill of everything we enjoyed here in Misawa. It has been a "Best of Misawa, Japan" kinda week and we figured we'd put up a post to give family and friends an idea of where our dinner and lunch outings take us and what exactly Misawa looks like on a day-to-day basis.Food in Japan runs up one side and down

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-19253214201483142712008-11-29T08:40:00.002+09:002008-11-29T10:07:55.779+09:00

Australia was an option...but the cost would have been about 50% more so Phuket, Thailand was the destination of choice. Even considering the events going on in Bangkok, we thought we were good. You see, we conciously made the decision to fly from Tokyo to Phuket direct. No amount of preperation could have prevented this mess though.So while the flight from Tokyo has no obvious problem, the

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-43130753007377554152008-11-21T19:11:00.012+09:002008-11-21T20:35:24.794+09:00

After 4 times of being canceled for any number of reasons, today was Sandy's first time traveling at over 500 knots, sideways, upside down, and practically inside out while pulling up to 7.3 G's in the process. Her first word after getting out of the jet...amazing.It all started with a pre-brief from "PIG"(call sign) where all the basics of flight are covered. Things like ejecting, ground

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-10720519468620571192008-10-12T23:52:00.014+09:002008-10-29T18:57:50.243+09:00

Now for the reason we took our trip to Minakami, Japan. It all started last summer while camping in Yagen Valley when the campfire conversation was reliving the exciting jump from a small cliff into the 6 foot deep stream. (I know...smart right)Well someone brought up canyoning during this conversation and mentioned that there is a place in Japan that has tours. After a few days of digging we

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-86612085843454359392008-10-11T20:10:00.006+09:002008-10-26T08:10:25.866+09:00

Ten of us set off from Misawa for the 8+ hour drive down to the Gunma Prefecture. Specifically the Minakami area in search of this amazing time Europeans call "Canyoning" and Americans have coined "Canyoneering." Details on that in a post to follow.Our home for the Columbus Day weekend would be the Hotakasan Campground which turned out to be one of the nicest campgrounds we've ever stayed at.

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-47294562780321257412008-10-05T11:35:00.003+09:002008-10-26T08:15:07.168+09:00

As summer turns to fall and our time here in Misawa comes closer to an end, we're getting our fill of travels, sights, and activities. Having had a great time on our last visit to Yagen we decided to get a large group of people together and head up for one last trip. Only difference in this trip was that the air was a little cooler and the leaves had just begun to turn.Setting up near the main

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-72865326557598375462008-09-13T19:17:00.010+09:002009-07-03T19:20:36.943+09:00

So in the process of researching things to do around Langley AFB in Virginia, I came across a website dedicated to sea kayaking. Reading a bit more I found myself becoming quite interested in the idea of a relaxing paddle in and around some of the channels that feed Hampton Roads. Not having the first clue about what it takes to go Kayaking, off we went to Outdoor Recreation and signed up for

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-60848367119178533402008-08-30T21:50:00.000+09:002008-09-13T19:15:28.842+09:00

Professional baseball in Japan is nothing close to what it is in the US. I think there are very few ballparks that carry the level of passion for the game as they do here in Japan. Our second year in a row attending a game over Labor Day weekend, we got started early Saturday morning on the Shinkansen.The Japanese E2 Series Shinkansen. Traveling up to 170 miles per hour and providing a comfort

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-78499402703516023132008-08-29T21:00:00.000+09:002008-09-13T19:17:17.158+09:00

Labor Day weekend we set out to duplicate our travels from last year. So happens the weather was feeling festive as well and decided to treat us to the same cloudy rainy Labor Day weekend as the year before. Not deterred, we set off for the Hakkoda mountains for a trip along the ridge lines of the three peaks. Rather than make the hike up this year though, we opted for the Gondola ride.

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-73560369926147131622008-07-25T21:00:00.000+09:002008-08-24T13:58:32.114+09:00

3,776 meters to the top of this active volcano. The first summit by a foreigner is believed to have taken place in September of 1860 though today an estimated 200,000 people lay their sights on the highest peak in Japan. 30% of which are believed to be foreigners, and I don't know what percentage of those foreigners have done it more than once...but I did.Setting off at around 0700 from the

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-75590416941753227602008-07-06T18:56:00.011+09:002008-08-02T23:26:42.765+09:00

On our way back from Lake Juniko we planed an overnight stop in Anmon Falls. Anmon consists of three falls and is on the outer edge of the World Natural Heritage Site, The Shirakami Sanchi. The road from the western coastline back through the forest to the falls was absolutely ridiculous in that it was a one and a half lane road, gravel, minimal guard rails, blind corners, long and winding, and

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-66718808491175934322008-07-06T08:37:00.006+09:002008-07-06T09:32:58.286+09:00

4th of July weekend and we set out for a long weekend in Lake Juniko. Taking the idea from an article on Simon Bernard's page, we filled up the tank and set out in search of this place offering an abundance of scenery, trails, beaches, etc.Trails, there were plenty. Some tough ones at that. We must have been hiking for an hour on this lesser followed path before we finally decided to give it

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4986632315370525436.post-26890858161908004302008-05-25T07:12:00.001+09:002008-05-25T10:06:35.083+09:00

Memorial Day weekend we set off for our first camping trip together. We decided on Yagen Valley campground as it offers camping, hiking, onsen, and wildlife all in the same location.The Yagen campground just reopened this spring. Last year a group of us camped up the road near the Kappa-no-yu Onsen parking lot. While it was a good time, the facilities don't compare to the reopened campground.

Ryan and Sandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13642066437836636300noreply@blogger.com