Hi Susie,
You said you hoped you would have as much energy at 86 as my mom has.
Yes, my mom is pretty amazing. She's a long- distance bike rider ( the peddle kind!). Her next trip is in September...a ride across southern Missouri - nine days all the way across the state. She bought herself a kayak for her 79th birthday which she still paddles. She still teaches many kids to body surf in the Atlantic ocean. And, my surfer nephew is fond of saying "I've got to be the only surfer who's grandmother borrows his wet suit so she can go white water rafting!" She'll be a hard act to follow.

I'd love to hear from others who know active seniors. They're such an inspiration.

Happy trails!
Gretchen

My 79 year 'young' mother and I will be in Costa Rica next week She'll be 80 in December. She loves to travel; teaches dancing lessons; swims and walks. She's definitely not as active as your mom, but she does pretty good. I debated whether or not to do a tour, but decided it would be best to do this independently.
We'll be 4 nights in Alejuela at Vista del Valle; 2 nights Pachira Lodge; 3 nights La Mansion Arenal; 4 nights in Manuel Antonio and 1 night near the airport. Looking forward to this trip. Although I'm not looking forward to this being the rainy season. However, a friend was in San Jose last July for an emersion class and said the weather was very nice. Just rained a bit in the afternoon. We're planning to do our outdoor tours in the morning, and then swim; read, and rest in the afternoon.
Carrie

What incredible mothers. I can see why you both enjoy traveling with them. I used to do long distance biking and know the energy that goes into it. I am hoping my cardiologist can get me back on the road soon.

dcsam, going to CR and then turning around and going to Ireland shortly after is pretty amazing too. Those time changes can be brutal. Your trip sounds great. Did you figure out how to get on the ferry?

Your mom's amazing, Gretchen! Last year we had an 84-year-old woman on one of my yoga/eco tours. If your mom was 85, I'd think it was the same woman. She was an inspiration to everyone. She was so active and so full of life. She did everything with gusto. She hiked, zip-lined, everything. There were 3 teenage kids with us too, and one day we were in Dominical and she and the kids played tennis. It was hot as hades, and when they came back all 3 kids slumped into their chairs like zombies, and Ann slapped her hands on the table and said, "That was great! What are we going to do next?!" She then spent hours body surfing with the kids and beat us all at cards later that night. We went dancing one night, and she was out there kicking it up with everyone else, and I have her on video tape doing karaoke for the first time and pumping her fist in the air with a big "yes!" when it was over. She's still going strong and is teaching English as a second language to Central American immigrants right now.
We all said that we want to grow up to be just like her!

Sandy

Sandy,
I can sure see why you might think that was my Mom. But, this will be her first trip to CR. Some of her more recent trips include biking down the coast of the Yucutan, Snorkling on a dolphin research trip off of Belize, a raft trip down the snake river, riding from Memphis to New Orleans,and, riding all over the Big Island in Hawii. Yup, I definitely want to grow up to be like her.

Hey readers, let's hear some more stories!
Gretchen