Funny. 😀
YES, John Malkovich does have Croatian roots. His paternal grandparents were Croatian immigrants from the hamlet of Malkovići near Ozalj, Croatia. In May 2026, he was officially granted Croatian citizenship by the government in recognition of his heritage.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I’m here for the European Gymnastics Championships.
I was here 2 years ago as a tourist.
It’s not really a big tourist destination.
Pro tip ➙ ONLY cycle downhill.
Alternatively, an electric bike is NOT cheating, so long as you pretend to pedal while the motor does most of the work. 😀
In seriousness, I don’t mind the occasional push up the hill. It’s rest and recovery from cycling.
But there are times it’s called hike-a-bike: “pushing, carrying, or shouldering a bicycle over terrain that is too steep, rocky, or muddy to ride“.
Awkward and sometimes agonizing.
I try to minimize these situations.
That photo is from a terrific post on the subject by MILES ARBOUR:
Bikepacking.com – THE ART OF BIKE-PUSHING
Due to Trump’s idiotic Epstein Distraction Forever War, I decided to stay closer to home this Spring.
Made a PLAN … that mostly worked out. 😀
The Skiing was excellent. My best year ever. 12 days at Sunshine.
Hiking great. 17 days in the tent, walking deserts in California and Nevada.
Cycling was the most problematic. But I still made it 11 days on the Trans Canada Great Trail, starting in Vernon and ending up in Fernie (with a busted bike).
What’s next?
Still considering my options.
The only thing fixed for sure is World Gymnastics Championships in Netherlands Oct. 2026.
Lifelong friends met for a Never Ending Weekend in Kelowna, B.C.
Some of us went back to Grade 4. Lifelong friends.
Kelowna population in 2025 is 165,907.
Well known for dry, hot, sunny summers and cool, cloudy winters. The second mildest winter of any non-coastal city in Canada, after neighbouring Penticton.
We did a couple of days at beaches and the waterfront.
Spent even more time socializing over great food and drink.
Each day we did a couple of short hikes.
One morning I got up early to hike Mount Knox.
A surprising highlight for me was visiting The View Winery and Vineyard.
Very fun. Very interesting.
We actually went for their cider.
Fantastic tourist destination. I’d return to Kelowna anytime.
Friends moved from Vancouver to Vernon in the sunny Okanagan.
What do you think of their new vista?
We were working on a Gymnastics project, taking breaks with good food.
One highlight was visiting gorgeous Ellison Provincial Park.
Friends are improving the rock climbing routes nearby.
Who are my friends, you ask?
From Vernon, I started my ride back to Calgary.
I cycled the last sections of the traditional Camino de Santiago in 2022.
To my thinking, cycling is even better than walking.
I rented a touring bike. VERY convenient.
If interested, check out the best guidebook:
Cicerone – Cycling the Camino de Santiago: a complete planning guide
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Due to Trump’s idiotic war, I decided to stay closer to home this Spring.
Made a PLAN … that didn’t exactly work out. 😀
The Skiing was excellent. My best year ever. 12 days at Sunshine.
Hiking great. 17 days in the tent, walking deserts in California and Nevada.
NEXT is visiting friends in Kelowna and Vernon. Most probably cycling back to Calgary on the Great Trans Canada Trail.
Check out my GEAR for the trip. Everything but the kitchen sink. 😀
I do like these immersive audio video attractions.
Arte Museum is a South Korean immersive art franchise.
… self-guided exhibits spread across thousands of square feet. They use projection mapping, multi-image control, and sensor-based interaction technology …
I wandered the many rooms for about an hour.
When I visited their Las Vegas location in 2026, the current exhibit was partnering with the band BTS.
One room feature a 15-minute montage of some of the boy band hits. Visuals great. I wasn’t much impressed by the music, however.
As of September 2025, Arte Museum had received over 10 million visitors globally.
Click PLAY or watch it on Instagram.
Zoox is an American subsidiary of Amazon developing driverless vehicles.
I tried one of their robotaxis in Vegas.
A free public trial on the Strip has been ongoing since September 2025 running only 2 fixed loops.
They are symmetrical and bi-directional, meaning it’s not obvious which direction they will travel next.
I felt very safe over my 25 minute ride. But there have been accidents. Collisions with bicycles and scooters. A Zoox hit a car door while the driver was opening it, injuring the driver.
Certainly they are far, far safer than human operated vehicles.
