THE TRIPS
For more than half y life, I wasn’t much of a traveler. Our summer vacations weren’t spent in northern Michigan, save for one family trip to Washington, D.C. when I was 13. We would make occasional trips to the Chicago area to see family or go to Cubs or Bears games. Other than that, I never really went anywhere, although I developed a love of maps. At Purdue, I ventured out to all the Big Ten cities (prior to Penn State and Nebraska). It wasn’t until after I was married that I began to travel. My wife had made multiple trips to Europe and had been around the country. Since we’ve been married, we’ve traveled together to another 20-plus states here and 9 countries in Europe, and I’ve traveled other places with family or friends or for work. There is still a big part of me that loves being in northern Michigan and the serenity of sitting out on the lake or fishing, but I’ve also feel blessed to have been able to visit many of the natural wonders of this country, its most famous sites and amazing cities. I’ve gotten to experience different cultures and traditions of Europe, and to see Paris and London and Amsterdam, the Alps and the Scottish Highlands.
ENGLAND SCOTLAND & IRELAND
This was my third trip to St. Andrews and second to the Open Championship at the Royal and Ancient. It was the same five — me, Ann, her brother John, and her sister Mary Beth and her husband Trent. We stayed at the same place, the David Ross Apartments (DRA), student housing from St. Andrews University located a half-mile away from the course.
This time, John, Ann and I decided to go over a few days early and explore the Scottish Highands in the west of the country. As our home base we stayed in Fort William, a hub for hikers, campers and bikers. We drove through some amazing landscapes near Glen Coe, with its green peaks and several lochs. We took trips to Eilean Donan Castle and Urqhart Castle on Loch Ness. We drove the length of the famous lake to Inverness but never did get a glimpse of the legendary monster. We also rode the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig. The trip carries you over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous in the Harry Potter films.
We made our way across the country to St. Andrews and attended a few days of practice at the Old Course. Cameras are allowed on the course during practice days, so i took full advantage. Like in 2010, we had crazy Scottish weather. It was windy enough to play was postponed one day, which pushed the final round of the tournament to Monday. We probably could have stayed for the final day, but arrangements to stay the extra day and then get back to Edinburgh were just going to be too difficult. We spent Monday in Edinburgh where we visited Edinburgh Castle and watched part of the tournament from a pub.
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BEST MOMENT
I went there. My sister went there. My mother and father went there. A grandfather went there. A great-grandfather went there.
You get the idea.
I love Purdue and the Boilermakers, no matter how many times the football and basketball teams have broken my heart. When the Boilers made the Rose Bowl in 2001, there was nothing that would keep us away from Pasadena, including a wild 48 sleepless hours that included weather, four airports, a lost and re-found credit card and a scary van ride from Pasadena to LAX.
But we had good friends with us, saw Purdue play in a Rose Bowl (it didn't matter that it was a loss), and took away great memories.
NETHERLANDS GERMANY ITALY
SWITZERLAND FRANCE
This was my third trip to St. Andrews and second to the Open Championship at the Royal and Ancient. It was the same five — me, Ann, her brother John, and her sister Mary Beth and her husband Trent. We stayed at the same place, the David Ross Apartments (DRA), student housing from St. Andrews University located a half-mile away from the course.
This time, John, Ann and I decided to go over a few days early and explore the Scottish Highands in the west of the country. As our home base we stayed in Fort William, a hub for hikers, campers and bikers. We drove through some amazing landscapes near Glen Coe, with its green peaks and several lochs. We took trips to Eilean Donan Castle and Urqhart Castle on Loch Ness. We drove the length of the famous lake to Inverness but never did get a glimpse of the legendary monster. We also rode the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig. The trip carries you over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous in the Harry Potter films.
We made our way across the country to St. Andrews and attended a few days of practice at the Old Course. Cameras are allowed on the course during practice days, so i took full advantage. Like in 2010, we had crazy Scottish weather. It was windy enough to play was postponed one day, which pushed the final round of the tournament to Monday. We probably could have stayed for the final day, but arrangements to stay the extra day and then get back to Edinburgh were just going to be too difficult. We spent Monday in Edinburgh where we visited Edinburgh Castle and watched part of the tournament from a pub.
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BEST MOMENT
I went there. My sister went there. My mother and father went there. A grandfather went there. A great-grandfather went there.
You get the idea.
I love Purdue and the Boilermakers, no matter how many times the football and basketball teams have broken my heart. When the Boilers made the Rose Bowl in 2001, there was nothing that would keep us away from Pasadena, including a wild 48 sleepless hours that included weather, four airports, a lost and re-found credit card and a scary van ride from Pasadena to LAX.
But we had good friends with us, saw Purdue play in a Rose Bowl (it didn't matter that it was a loss), and took away great memories.
ENGLAND
This was my third trip to St. Andrews and second to the Open Championship at the Royal and Ancient. It was the same five — me, Ann, her brother John, and her sister Mary Beth and her husband Trent. We stayed at the same place, the David Ross Apartments (DRA), student housing from St. Andrews University located a half-mile away from the course.
This time, John, Ann and I decided to go over a few days early and explore the Scottish Highands in the west of the country. As our home base we stayed in Fort William, a hub for hikers, campers and bikers. We drove through some amazing landscapes near Glen Coe, with its green peaks and several lochs. We took trips to Eilean Donan Castle and Urqhart Castle on Loch Ness. We drove the length of the famous lake to Inverness but never did get a glimpse of the legendary monster. We also rode the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig. The trip carries you over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous in the Harry Potter films.
We made our way across the country to St. Andrews and attended a few days of practice at the Old Course. Cameras are allowed on the course during practice days, so i took full advantage. Like in 2010, we had crazy Scottish weather. It was windy enough to play was postponed one day, which pushed the final round of the tournament to Monday. We probably could have stayed for the final day, but arrangements to stay the extra day and then get back to Edinburgh were just going to be too difficult. We spent Monday in Edinburgh where we visited Edinburgh Castle and watched part of the tournament from a pub.
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BEST MOMENT
I went there. My sister went there. My mother and father went there. A grandfather went there. A great-grandfather went there.
You get the idea.
I love Purdue and the Boilermakers, no matter how many times the football and basketball teams have broken my heart. When the Boilers made the Rose Bowl in 2001, there was nothing that would keep us away from Pasadena, including a wild 48 sleepless hours that included weather, four airports, a lost and re-found credit card and a scary van ride from Pasadena to LAX.
But we had good friends with us, saw Purdue play in a Rose Bowl (it didn't matter that it was a loss), and took away great memories.