Interview with Jane Ziegenfus-Martin

Family? (Who stayed home or who came with you?): My husband Gary C. Martin always comes with me!

Age (be as vague as you wish!):

52

Where are some of the places you’ve bicycled with ExperiencePlus! or with other groups?: Pisa to Venice, Spring training in Tuscany, Greek Islands Bike, Hike, & Cruise, Ireland, Corsica, and Venice to Pisa (yes, I know, it's the same trip, but better this way!).

Where does your love of the outdoors come from?: I was born and raised in the rural environment of the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. My days growing up were spent outside as much as possible, biking, hiking, and swimming.

Where is your favorite travel destination?: Italy. We are booked for the Puglia trip May 2007 which will be our fourth ExperiencePlus Italy bike trip. We also have Sicily and the Piedmont region on "our list".

Describe your perfect day outdoors: After starting with a double skim latte, a 30ish mile bike ride over some quiet country roads (mostly flat) with my husband, would start the day. The perfect day would be on a Sunday, when the roads in Lancaster county are even more deserted. Hopefully, we would ride past an Amish farmhouse where church would be occurring enabling us to hear some beautiful singing. Following a Turkey Hill ice cream break on my way home, I would spend a couple of hours gardening in my backyard while listening to the Phillies on the radio. At the end of another Phillies win, I would take my 10 year old Wire Fox Terrier, Sydney, for a lovely walk. Sipping a glass of wine on my patio and eating a dinner grilled by my husband, would be the perfect finish to a perfect day.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know: I am a huge NASCAR fan.

Do you have any movie or book recommendations?: I love to cook, and enjoy collecting cookbooks from countries and regions we have visited.

What’s your favorite ride or hike in your hometown?: Every August, the Lancaster Bike Club sponsors the Covered Bridge Metric Century Ride as their major fundraiser of the year, attracting 2000 riders in 2006. The metric century route passes through 6 covered bridges and is a wonderful ride. As the route is marked (with paint, not chalk), it is available for rides of varying lengths (25, 50, and 100 km) all throughout the year.

What's one outdoor activity that you would like to take up?: Can't think of one!

What's one outdoor activity that doesn't interest you in the least?: Mountain Biking

Describe the greatest adventure you've yet to take: Every trip is an adventure, and the next trip to Puglia is the greatest adventure I've yet to take! My husband and I have many trips "on our list" including a return to Greece (Athens to Olympia), Provence, New Zealand, and Eastern Europe.

What question do you wish we had asked, and how would you have answered?: I wish you had asked, "why do you travel with ExperiencePlus?" I would have answered, the recycling credits, chalk route marking, well organized trips, informative pre-trip planning information, the best guides, a great staff in Fort Collins and on the Farm, great food, great hotels, the fabulous "can do" attitude of the staff. All in all this adds up to - the "plus" in ExperiencePlus!