St. Jean, France --> Roncevalles, Spain -  25 k After a delightful breakfast at the hotel, we finally started our Camino at 8:30 am. Our goal to begin with was a "warmup" day of 8 kilometers (approx. 5 miles) to Orisson, where we had reservations to stay at a highly recommended hostel. After crossing the river in … Continue reading April 26, 2015 – Day 1 →

Day 1The trip from Atlanta to St Jean Pied de Porte was extremely smooth but quite a long day being in pretzel pose so we were glad to finally arrive at Hotel ratmanchu and to stretch out flat.This hotel was central to everything and so we struck out to get our "credentials" and to get … Continue reading Donna’s "Getting to St. Jean" →

April 27, 2015"The Basics" - getting to St. Jean for the start.Atlanta --> Miami --> Madrid --> Pamplona --> St. Jean Port De Pied (arr 6:30 pm)Left Atlanta at 6:45 pm and everything went smoothly, arriving in Pamplona at 5:30 pm the next day. We were really tired at that point. Stepped right into a … Continue reading Getting to St. Jean Port de Pied →

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO ROUTE MAPThe French Way is our proposed route from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago. We hope to complete the 480 mile trek in 35 or less days. The French Way (Galician: Camiño Francés, Spanish: Camino Francés) is the most popular of the routes of the Way of St. James (Spanish: Camino de Santiago), the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de … Continue reading Camino de Santiago Route Map →

On April 26, 2015, my sister, Donna, and I will embark on a 500 mile pilgrimage from St. Jean Pied De Port, France to Santiago, Spain. Known as the Camino de Santiago, or "The Way of St. James," this ancient route has attracted pilgrims of all backgrounds and motivations for years. For me, it is … Continue reading A New Adventure – Hiking the Camino de Santiago →

2014 Colorado Bike Ride - Post Ride SummaryI came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, til it overflows). John 10:10 - AMPMission accomplished! And then some. By any measure, I think LaDonna's inaugural bike ride was a success. One of the things I love most about bike … Continue reading June 15, 2014 – Post Ride Summary →

June 15, 2014I am reflecting today on this magical bike ride that has taken me across 500 miles of pure beauty. I have never visited Colorado. And  I am so glad I decided to take this adventure. The magnitude of just how beautiful this country is has been my Oprah "a-ha" moment. I received an email … Continue reading LaDonna’ Post Ride Thoughts →

REAL LAST DAY OF RIDE!! WE MADE IT!!6/14/14 Castle Rock to Aurora - 26 milesMy apology - I mistakenly titled yesterday's ride the last day. Actually, todays's 26 mile ride back to Dawne's house was the real last leg of the trip. And the only way to describe it is "magical." I decided to try … Continue reading June 14, 2014 →

LAST DAY OF RIDE!6/13/14 Colorado Springs to Castle Rock - 53 milesAwoke to a beautiful clear cool morning. Not a cloud in the sky. We decided to forego the somewhat "iffy" breakfast at the Rodeway Inn and return to Smiley's, where we ate the first time through Colorado Springs. This is a little cafe on … Continue reading June 13, 2014 →

6/12/14 Pueblo West to Colorado Springs - 48 milesWoke up to very cloudy and overcast skies. However, the forecast was for just cloudy until possible pm thunderstorms, so I hoped that we might once again skirt rain and storms if we got out early. The map showed approximately 58 miles to Colorado Springs via scenic … Continue reading June 12, 2014 →