Monthly Archives: November 2012

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award…WOW

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I have to say that this is truly a special nomination for the Life Bus!  THANK you from the bottom of our hearts to Sue Ann of the phenomenal Sue Ann’s Balcony for taking the time to read our blog and providing wonderful support to what we are trying to achieve – creating a mindset to get out and enjoy life to the fullest!

One of the rules of this award is to list 7 things about yourself…I am choosing to write about the ‘Rules of the Life Bus’.  This is essentially how Lexi and I live our lives day in and day out.

  1. No vacation hoarding – please contact the Life Bus if you need coaching in this area – we have mastered this one.
  2. Seize opportunities when they come your way – do not turn down a free trip to the Olympics because of a violation of rule #1.
  3. Must be open-minded and adventuresome – meaning, consider pitching a tent instead of staying in a hotel – what is a little dirt and a few bugs in the grand scheme of things?
  4. Get off the beaten path – you will be glad you did.  Think of the stories…
  5. Must laugh at yourself and all of your imperfectness.
  6. Have the confidence to know you can do it – you will never know unless you try.
  7. Live in the moment!  Appreciate the craziness of it all – things always work out one way or another.

This is the list of 10  bloggers I admire and read and would like to nominate for “The inspirational blogger award”.  There are so many great blogs out there it was hard to pick!  These folks are our kindred spirits in the search for adventure and a full life!

Very Inspiring Blogger Award Rules

1-    Display the award logo on your blog

2-    Link back to the person who nominated you.

3-    State seven things about yourself.

4-    Nominate fifteen other bloggers for this award and link to them.

5-    Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal

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I had so many different photos for this challenge in mind.  In the end, I think the photo I am posting is the image and concept that sticks most with me … the renewal of life.  I love this photo for the pure innocence of the baby’s face and for the beauty of the bond between this mother and baby.  Enjoy!!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal

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This week’s photo challenge is ‘Renewal’….this one was tough for me as I always want to resort to the sunset or something simple…I have loads of those photos!   After quite a bit of thought, I decided to focus on what renews my spirit.  For me personally it is anything and everything outdoors, primarily, any activity that can be done in or near the mountains.  The photo below was taken on a backpacking trip in Denali last summer – this is Mt. McKinley.  Many people travel to Alaska to see this majestic mountain and leave disappointed because of bad weather or cloud cover – we got lucky that day!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/weekly-photo-challenge-renewal/

Riffelalp Resort … A Splurge Worth Every Swiss Franc

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Okay, as much as we Life Busers enjoy our backpacking, car-camping, huts, yurts, Toyota Tunder flatbeds, etc. … sometimes we need a splurge.  After having spent several nights in very average, nondescript Swiss and German hotels on this trip, Todd and I figured Zermatt was the place to embrace the splurge mentality.  We jumped in with both feet and booked 3 nights at the Riffelalp Resort in Zermatt.  Technically, it’s not in Zermatt proper, it’s actually about 2000 feet up the valley sidewall from Zermatt.  The hotel is only accessible via either the Gornergratbahn or a well-marked footpath leading from Zermatt up to the Riffelalp.  Just a word of caution, the footpath route is very scenic but does take about an hour uphill (obviously less time going down into town.)  Riffelalp Resort  [slideshow]

Let me just say that the location of this hotel and the superior service and luxury of this hotel will make you never, ever want to leave!!!  It will make you want to mortgage everything you have to stay another night.  Upon your arrival at the train station, you are met by one of those little golf cart buggies where they will take your luggage and give you tickets for the Gornergratbahn ride up to the hotel.  The hotel provides free tickets for each guest for both your arrival and departure train rides.

We were in room #203 with the most spectacular views of the Matterhorn.  The photo of the Matterhorn with the summit bathed in an orange glow was taken from our room at sunrise.  The linens were the crispest, most amazing linens and the duvet cover was as puffy as it gets.  The size of the room was very generous.  The service was of the highest European quality!  The breakfast buffet was another place I could have stayed all day.  It was the typical Swiss breakfast where the buffet goes on forever with wonderful muesli, Swiss cheeses. creamy butter, breads, yogurts, fresh fruit, and traditional local meats.

The view of the Matterhorn from the pool is perhaps one of the best hotel pool views in the world!!  The pool itself is like a giant hot tub with a series of jets, vibrations, and waves that ripple throughout the pool.

The proximity of the Riffelalp to the Gornergrat hiking system is also unbeatable.  Out the hotel door and you can be hiking immediately.  If you choose to ride the Gornergratbahn up and hike down the bahn is only around the corner.  The trail running was breathtaking.  In fact, the hotel is the endpoint for the Zermatt Trail Marathon which I hope to be doing in 2013.  They were setting up for the race the day we arrived.

There is nothing upon which the Riffelalp does not deliver spectacularly.  So please, if you find yourself in Zermatt, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a stay at the Riffelalp Resort.  You will find it very hard to return to reality.  Hey, sometimes the Life Bus needs to park itself in Valet parking!!

Please note there are a few caveats about taking the Gornergratbahn to and from the Riffelalp.  Here ya’ go:

The bahn is very easy to catch in town and is a scenic ride up to the hotel.  From the place where the bahn drops you off to the hotel is about a 5 minute walk on a nice pathway.  There is a caveat here that is very important to note.  The ride on the bahn costs approximately $20 per person each way from the hotel to town.  Todd and I thought we would just cruise up and down between the town and the hotel.  We definitely got a wake up call when we walked down into town and then went to ride the bahn back up.  It was $40 for the two of us to get back up to the hotel.  Needless to say, we didn’t cruise down into town again.  Instead, we enjoyed all of the hiking being in such close proximity to the hotel.  You can ride the bahn from the hotel to the top of the Gornergratbahn and back down as well.  These prices vary depending on the distance you are riding.  Check the website for pricing, stops, times, etc.  Gornergratbahn

The Life Bus Takes on the Nautica Malibu Triathlon

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Are you tired of the same old marathon/half marathon training routine?  Want to spice up your workouts? Feel the need to pick up a new sport?  Want to achieve a solid overall level of fitness? If you have not tried a triathlon yet, I suggest you get on it, they are FUN and challenging!   I have done a small handful in my day and my favorite to date is the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, in none other than Zuma Beach, Malibu, California.  It is a half mile ocean swim, 18 mile bike ride and a 4 mile run – just a little over the distance of a standard sprint triathlon.  If this distance is too tame for you, there is an ‘International’ race on the Saturday before – 1.5k swim, 40k bike ride and a 10k run.

Photo: Courtesy of the Nautica Malibu Triathlon

What is so spectacular about this triathlon you ask?

  • It begins and ends in Malibu, what could top that?  The weather is typical California perfect in September when the race is conducted.
  • The run and the bike portions of the race are relatively flat so you should be able to handle it with ease.  If you are experienced, there is a chance you could break your PR.
  • In 2012, the event itself raised $1.17 million for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and its pediatric cancer research program.  That is pretty amazing.
  • Given it’s proximity to Hollywood, this seems to be the triathlon of choice for celebs.  The year I did it, I was dead set on beating Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives).  If that little stick could do it, I could do it better…unfortunately, she only did the swim leg that year…she is one fast stick and I swim, well, not so fast.

What nuggets of wisdom can I share?

  • Don’t ever give up.  Swimming is my weak link.  I was scared to death of swimming in the ocean.  So much, that as I started to make my way to the first buoy about 450 feet away,  I had a panic attack (PA) – full fledged.  Fast breathing and an irrational feeling of impending death from a shark attack or drowning – the whole nine yards.  After a few terror filled minutes, I managed to pull it together and flipped over on my back.  I started the backstroke trying not to cry and with the taste of saltwater in my mouth (by-product of the PA).  I told myself, if I could just get to the first buoy, I would continue on with the race.  It seemed like a lifetime before I reached that buoy, but I did it and was able to reach the beach without drowning or seeing a glimpse of a shark (thank god).

Happy to be alive!

  • Train in an open water venue with a wetsuit.  It could be a lake or ocean (preferable) if you have access to one.  If you have never trained with a wetsuit before, it is quite the experience.  My first experience wasn’t pleasant.   I wasn’t wearing it correctly, got very claustrophobic and wanted to rip it off my body.  Once I learned how to properly put it on, I quickly got used to it and now love it.
  • Wetsuits are not slimming – don’t get your hopes up that any hint of excess flesh will mysteriously disappear inside the black seal costume.
  • The Pacific ocean is COLD.  However, the water is sometimes a few degrees colder than normal – bring an extra swim cap just in case – you may need to wear 2 to protect your precious noggin.  The water for us was in the low 50’s on race day.
  • If you are interested in participating, mark it on your calendars for registration typically in January (I would double check this in case the process has changed).  The race will sell out in a day.
  • The day of the race is crazy – get there about an hour (or more) early to get set up – traffic is a nightmare.
  • If you are not going to travel with your bike, reserve one EARLY – like several months early.   The race website has some recommendations on where to go for a good bike.  I didn’t do this, and ended up with a rusty 10-speed Schwinn from the 1970’s.   It had to be the last available road bike for rent in the entire city of Malibu and the Santa Monica area.

Even though I thought I was going to die that day in the fine city of Malibu in front of Teri Hatcher, the open water swim and this triathlon was one of the most exhilarating athletic experiences of my life.  Maybe some day I will do an Iron Man like my awesome friends over at TriNutz.

I walked away with an enormous sense of accomplishment and felt as though I was able to overcome an irrational fear that day.  Don’t let your fears get in the way of living life – we all have em.  Get on the Life Bus and make it happen!