In time for the holidays!

The Pilgrim Pouch makes a perfect holiday gift for any adventurer! See the list of stores below in San Diego, Chicago, & the San Francisco area.

The Pilgrim Pouch is in the travel section at Book Passage in Corte Madera. Nick Setka, the store's Information Technology Manager, first explored the Camino by bike 20 years ago & walked the trail many times.

Book Passage is San Francisco's premier independent bookseller with two locations, Corte Madera & San Francisco. It hosts the annual Travel Writers & Photographers Conference in August.  

In San Diego, the Pilgrim Pouch can be purchased at:

Windmill Farms Community Market -- A family-owned market with organic produce, natural supplements, & gifts. A cool cow sculpture greets customers.

The Next Door Gallery -- Run by artist Johanna Hansen, the gallery is part of Studio Maureen located in South Park. The gallery showcases Johanna's 'storytelling' art creations, including clay figures & jewelry.

The Triathlete Store -- The outdoor clothing & gear store for hikers, bikers, runners, & swimmers. Products are also available online.

Oceanside Museum of Art -- The North County museum & cultural center features major exhibits, arts education programs, & creative gifts in their store.

Traveler's Depot -- Located in Pacific Beach, the store offers travel essentials & help with getting ready for any destination.

Bay Books -- An independent bookseller with a wide selection of books, gifts, & greeting cards. It's located near the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island.

In Chicago the Pilgrim Pouch is available at GreenSky, voted the city's "Best Eco-Friendly Shop." Owner Nadeen Kieren features a variety of artists' creations in a vintage Victorian space.

The Pilgrim Pouch looking good at GreenSky!

Happy Holidays!

Look who's carrying Pilgrim Pouches

Peregrina Nancy Reynolds poses with her Pilgrim Pouch at the Hostelling Int. hostel in Point Reyes near San Francisco. Nancy works here and has a Camino guide website, The Camino Experience.

Author Susan Alcorn and I pose with Pouches at Marina Bay in San Francisco. Susan & husband Ralph are avid Camino trekkers & adventurers. Susan's books about her Caminos are available on her website. She also has a monthly newsletter with Camino & backpacking info.

World traveler Lynne Bess from San Diego stands with her Pilgrim Pouch by a holiday display in Prague. Lynne & husband Joe toured the city's sights before departing on a river cruise that ends in Budapest. Lynne, a Hawaii native, is always ready for the next adventure!

Below is a picture of the Pouch by Prague's historic Charles Bridge. In the background rises the Prague Castle.

Home turf

After the summer, the Pilgrim Pouch is on the move in San Diego. A favorite stop is Balboa Park, located adjacent to the city's downtown and spanning 1,200 acres. It opened in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. 

Koi fish and ducks swim in Balboa Park's Lily Pond.

The Pouch takes a break in Plaza de Panama.

The park's Japanese Friendship Garden was built in honor of San Diego's sister city Yokohama. The 11 acre garden includes a koi pond & an ornamental tree collection.

The Pouch checks out the San Diego Museum of Art, one of 17 museums located in Balboa Park. The museum's facade is in the Spanish Plateresque style with elaborate ornamentation & a shell design above the main doorway.

The park's House of Pacific Relations International Cottages are a group of 'tiny houses' that represent countries from around the world. The original structures date back to the California Pacific International Exposition of 1935. Throughout the year the cottages host various cultural and educational events. The Pilgrim Pouch ends the day at the House of Sweden.

Chicago 2

In Millennium Park the Pilgrim Pouch sees the city's skyline reflected in artist Anish Kapoor's sculpture known as "The Bean," originally titled Cloud Gate.

The Pouch is amazed at mosaics in Chicago's Cultural Center, built in 1897 & featuring Carrara marble. 

At the Art Institute bronze lions guard the museum's Michigan Avenue entrance. 

The world champion of handy travel bags, the Pilgrim Pouch, ends the trip to the Midwest. Now it's back home to San Diego for the next adventure...stay tuned!   

Chicago

During a visit to the Windy City the Pilgrim Pouch looks up at skyscrapers down by the Riverwalk.

Boats glide by on the Chicago River.

Chicago's renowned design center, the Merchandise Mart (on the left), was built in 1930 & spans 5 acres. This art deco building even has its own zip code (60654). 

Tourist Wendy is smiling because her Pouch is so handy for sightseeing. 

The Pouch caught a ride on a giant Dala horse stationed outside a store in Chicago's Andersonville district. Dala horses are symbols of Sweden and traditionally handcrafted out of wood. 

Later, it was time for a frozen custard at Lickety Split in the Edgewater neighborhood.

Down home in Michigan

In Michigan the Pilgrim Pouch admires the old red barn at the Schaffer family farm near New Troy in Berrien County.

New Troy's historical Old Mill was where farmers, including Grandpa Schaffer, brought grain many years ago.

The Pouch lies on a bench by the New Troy Center, an old elementary school turned into a community building that includes a library run by the "Friends of New Troy." The town is known as the "Center of the World," the name of a general store once located there. The store's original owner, Hosea Tirrell, had remarked "Wherever I am is the center of the world"!

Fresh Michigan peaches were for sale at Sawyer's Home & Garden Center. 

Corn country

The Pilgrim Pouch continues the drive across the heartland. The roadway through Iowa and Illinois was lined with fields of corn "as high as an elephant's eye. And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky"! 

Across CO and NE

The Pouch refreshes by a Colorado stream near a bicycle path. Cyclists and Pilgrim Pouches make a perfect combination.

In Gothenburg, Nebraska the Pouch stops at a station used in 1860-61 for the Pony Express, which lasted for 18 months before the telegraph ended the need for mail transport by hoof. Every year there's a commemorative pony ride following the original route from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA.

Guess what would have been a handy Pony Express bag?

Midwest bound

The Pilgrim Pouch is on a drive headed for Michigan & Chicago. We stopped to see the view at Spotted Wolf Canyon in Utah. 

At Salt Flats the Pouch checks out the landscape.

More in Madrid

Dad posed with associate Laura at Decathlon, Spain's version of Big 5 found in the U.S. The Pilgrim Pouch would be a perfect product there!

On a busy tourist day there's nothing better than a lightweight bag that doesn't weigh you down. It's easy to enjoy attractions, including the Botanical Gardens.

Summer fun in Madrid with sunflowers + a Pouch

This sculpture at Museo Arqueologico Nacional doesn't want to let go of her Pilgrim Pouch.

At Retiro Park the Pouch ends its time in Spain. Next up...visiting the Midwest.

Stay tuned as the Pilgrim Pouch keeps on traveling...

Buen Camino!

Madrid adventures

A Camino shell is discovered in Madrid where the Pouch continues to be an invaluable travel bag. It's just the right size to carry essentials while exploring.

Dad & I show the Pilgrim Pouch to Miguel at El Corte Ingles in Madrid. 

The Pouch lies in the shade on a hot day by the Royal Palace -- even in soaring temperatures, the Pouch's shoulder strap feels comfortable around the neck.

In Santiago

Gear spread out at Santiago's Seminario Menor, the big albergue on the hill

Camino essentials -- walking stick, shell, gourd, & a Pilgrim Pouch

The Pouch gets a splash from the fountain in Praza das Praterias, 

where the horses spouted their approval.

Three weeks walking on the Road and over 40 sellos in our credencials -- the Pilgrim Pouch completes Camino Tres in perfect shape.

** Look for more adventures as the Pouch travels to Madrid, where we'll spend a few days before returning to the U.S.