Allie and I at Denver Botanic Gardens - Winter 2026

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUv2xaFAcJV/

Allie and I on a cool Winter Sunday morning from the tree tops in Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory

Full Day Lord of the Rings Mavora Lakes Adventure

Allie and I enjoyed an adventure on South Island of New Zealand (Te Waipounamu) where we retraced the steps taken to film Lord of the Rings trilogy. We toured with Trails of Middle Earth on their Full Day Lord of the Rings Mavora Lakes Adventure.  The tour included multiple filming locations for Lord of the Rings in the general Mavora Lakes region, including the famous Orc Mound, Anduin River and Nen Hithoel.^[1][2] At Mavora Lake, we had a chance to cosplay with Hobbit outfits and authentic replicas of many battle weapons from the Trilogy. Overall experience was positive.

However, while visiting these filming locations was great, the travel between them is a bit rough. This is the nature of travelling around the South Island of New Zealand in this region, especially when you are leaving paved highways behind for a time.  The tour length definitely adds to discomfort as much as the roads themselves since this is a 10 hour tour, with long stretches between locations.  Just be prepared.  One bit of advice is to pack your own lunch, as I found the location where food was available to purchase to be rather lacking.

 

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUefP6dgWfQ/?img_index=1 and https://www.instagram.com/p/DUego49AVOc/?img_index=1

Besides the thrill of discovering so many filming locations in one tour, we also got to see much of the beauty of South Island's mountains and lakes. It feels like New Zealand was always meant to be the location of Middle Earth.

Places I've Visited So Far Winter 2025-2026

It's 2026 and I have expanded the places visited, both within the US and Internationally. I've not expanded travel within Canada and Mexico, so I won't include specific maps for those.

Trail 44 South Mesa

South Mesa has a good loop trail and lots of interconnecting trails with many other areas.  The loop takes you from the trailhead and around the South Mesa. Technically, this is not the route shown in 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Denver and Boulder, but it still a nice hike with good views.  The hike starts out with thick brush, but transitions to forest on the Westside of the Mesa, as you switch from Mesa Trail to Homestead Trail before returning to the trailhead.

This is a good hike for dogs. The Mesa Trail, in particular, being fairly wide and well-maintained. There are come connector trails that do not allow dogs. These are very narrow and rocky.

We visited these trails in Fall. I wonder how this location blossoms in late Spring.

Trail 31 - Betasso Preserve Canyon Loop

I've visited the Betasso Preserve Canyon Loop Trail a few times during late Spring and early Summer. I really like this trail. It has a variety of terrain with beautiful mountain scenery. The trail is shared by hikers, joggers and cyclists. The area is a good mix of brush and trees without heavily overgrown areas with wild bramble. Early Summer supports a wide variety of flowers.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fcsuper/p/BkfoWuCnh0P/, https://www.instagram.com/fcsuper/p/BkYDv45HZAe/

You can also visit nearby Bummers Rock during the same drive. This trail is Hike #31 from 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Denver and Boulder. Within which, it's described at "a geological enthusiast's wonderland." Even though it has diverse terrain, the change in elevation is only about 400 feet. You'll have a chance to see some wildlife here as well. It's recommended to enjoy this trail on the weekday, as weekends can be crowded (at least in the parking lot).

Trail 60 - Great Views from Eagle Wind Trail of Rabbit Mountain

One spring morning in 2017, Allie and I hiked the Rabbit Mountain trail. It was a beautiful hike. The trail itself was damaged, apparently due to a combination of overuse and recent rains. As such, there were more than a few spots that required special navigation to avoid losing a shoe to the mud.  The trail itself is a fairly straightforward loop without connectors or spurs.  

Rabbit Mountain's trail, called Eagle Wind Trail, is Hike #60 mentioned in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles from Denver and Boulder.  It's a great location for open views of the Rocky Mountains, the foothills and the Great Plains beyond.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BDMoGHnhRyz/, https://www.instagram.com/p/BQomuwVjSAh/, https://www.instagram.com/p/BDMMSDjBR7q/

The day we visited was temperate with a clear sky. It was early Spring, so the scenery had not yet turned green with vibrate flowers. We had a clear view of Long's Peak for most of the hike. However, I'm not sure I would make the drive from Denver area back to this particular trail.

Super secret sneak peak of the new Alien Earth series

We were invited to see a secret sneak peak for the new Alien Earth series on August 6 at Regal Cinemas in Denver.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNCX_a5McFb/?hl=en

Northern Colorado Owlz July 2024 Game

 Fun times from a home game of the Northern Colorado Owlz at 4Rivers Equipment Stadium for a victory against the Grand Junction Jackalopes with a final score of 13 to 6 on July 10, 2024.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9Og23GMNLO/?img_index=1

Parma Trattoria & Mozzarella Bar in Louisville, CO

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8iRxPevrQw/

Eki Stamps from Japan Vacation 2024

In this world of digitality, having physical proof that you actually went somewhere and did something is a great souvenir to bring back from your travels. In Japan, there's "station stamps", called eki sutanpu. In English, you can simply call them eki stamps. They are rubber stamps for which you have to hunt. The goal is to add as many as you can to your eki stamp book. Although they are called station stamps, they aren't just found at train stations. Many tourist locations have specials stamps too.

My stamps from around Japan during my vacation in 2024

Here's the stamps I was able to collect during our vacation to Japan in 2024.  Some stamps are very clear, while others have poor quality due to dry ink pads or worn rub. Such variation is part of the charm of this physical activity.  I hope to collect many more on future journeys in Japan. 

 

Also see:

Japan Vacation 2024
Japan Vacation Photos Part 1

Japan Vacation Photos Part 2