That’s the normal route, alright. The wait times now are reportedly terrible but if we’d applied last winter as soon as we returned from France it probably would have worked fine, but we hadn’t even been aware that they were due for renewal yet until sometime this spring. With our plans to go to Canada this summer there was no option but an in person renewal.

How great!

Well, that all sounds pretty awful. I’m so glad that the last time I renewed mine I was able to get photos taken and submit paperwork at the local office associated with the post office. Non-expedited of course, but I seem to remember actually getting the new passport pretty quickly. Anyway, glad it all worked out for you!

Nerve wracking! But it looks like you're good to go. I aso had to get a new passport as my old one had expired a while ago. Let me tell you how this is handled in a small town in Germany.

Traveling within the EU I only need my "personalausweis", or pass port card I think it's called, in Germany the legal ID that every adult must have. I made an appointment online to apply for a new passport a week earlier and walked to our local town hall. I waited ten minutes and was admitted ahead of schedule because someone else didn't show up. All I needed was one passport photo and my personalausweis. The rest was done electronically and all I had to do was provide my signature several times by writing on a screen on my side of the plexi-glass window. I found all of this very efficient and more than amazing.

But the best part was when I, or rather the woman processing my application, discovered that my personalausweis had also expired last September! I never noticed that, and neither did anyone else. For all of our travels in France and Italy this year I actually had no legal ID whatsoever! This was still no problem for the application procedure. The friendly and helpful employee at the town hall just said I could simply apply for both documents at the same time, I wouldn't need any additional photos etc. I'll have my personalausweis within two or three weeks, my passport will need five weeks.

Yes, Bruce was just telling me that this morning. Neither one of us is surprised. We commented to each other at the time how like Pinky Alex seemed.

So far, so good. I’ll feel better when we have them in hand.

Phew.

Goodness, what an ordeal. I'll be sure to get my renewal many many months in advance when it's time to do that again.

Pinkie was a ragdoll/Himalayan/Burmese, but certainly with no pedigree, ha.

Pure luck, but the highlight of the week for me.

Yes. It’s from the Tunnel 5 Fire, that just started a few days ago. There’s no telling what the smoke situation is likely to be later this summer, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s an issue. We’re up in Seattle tody and there’s smoke to the northeast from a different fire.

Is that smoke from the fire along the Columbia River in Washington? We plan to be in that area later this summer and hope that wildfire smoke won't be an issue in Seattle of further south in Oregon.

Amazing picture!

Yup. It would be a reasonable possibility to imagine of us (me in particular) though. You might be thinking of the lost iPad we replaced a few years back, only to have the lost one resurface once we got home and unpacked from the tour. The wallet truly appears gone, although it’s a moot point now that everything of value in it has been replaced.

Now I'm no longer a cyclist, but I like to read along on CycleBlaze, and admire the various vlogs, traveling vicariously I guess you'd say. So anyway, I've resisted commenting about the lost wallet... given the apparent track record of the Scott 'n Rocky somewhat forgetful duo. I've wanted to predict that somehow the lost wallet would reveal itself at the bottom of one of your panniers, having surreptitiously fallen there. So I'm wondering, tho it's likely not my business.. have you truly emptied each of the panniers and systematically combed through all the contents? Happy you didn't fall for the scam!!