Divah and I knew we’d be moving to Macedonia well ahead of our departure from the US. That lead up gave people plenty of time to ask, “What are you most excited about?” My unequivocal reply, “Snowboarding!”

The winter season in Macedonia offered a great collection of mountain resorts for day trips and some extended weekends. Now that spring is turning into summer, we’re realizing that in addition to the mountains, there is a great variety of beaches available for even more getaways. Our first trip to a Balkan beach was to Kotor Bay, Montenegro.

When my mom was visiting us from southern California, I did my best to plan a ton of activities. We did just about everything there is to do in Macedonia, especially in Skopje. The outdoor adventures meant we got a lot of sun, but more importantly, it meant Pippin got a lot of exercise.

When a fantastic destination is within driving distance, it’s easy to put a trip there low on the priority list.  There’s always next weekend, or next summer, or next year, right? Well, that is precisely how we planned and unplanned adventures to Yosemite National Park for nearly ten years. We always assumed we’d get there next time.  Happy to report we finally made it to Yosemite for a three day backcountry camping trip.