In Memoriam
Kelly Hoffinger
July 19, 1979 - June 7, 2012
The Road Trip Rip crew mourns the loss of a member. I am deeply saddened by the passing of Kelly Hoffinger, who joined in on some very memorable adventures.
Kelly first joined the Road Trip Rip crew on my trip to Death Valley National Park. We saw a lot of neat stuff, but she seemed to enjoy Eureka Dunes the best. She really pushed herself to get to the top of those 700-foot-tall sand dunes! Two steps forward....one step back....repeat.
A few months later, Kelly took a flight up to Alaska to join me for a week-long adventure in America's last frontier. We first went on a day-long cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park. It was awesome! Neither of us had seen such whales so close, and the views of the glaciers were spectacular.
While in Alaska, we also went to Denali National Park. There we saw wolves, grizzly bears, moose, and other awesome wildlife! We checked out a sled dog demonstration as well.
Keeping the Alaska adventure going, we had fresh Alaska king crab legs and even went panning for gold. We also drove several miles down the Stampede Trail, made famous by the book and movie, "Into the Wild". Had the weather cooperated, we would've taken an airplane ride around the Alaska Range to get a bird's-eye view of Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America.
As I took Kelly back to the airport, she told me that her Alaska adventure was the best vacation she had ever had.
Later during the summer of 2010, Kelly joined me for some adventures around Reno and Lake Tahoe. Despite not being a morning person, Kelly got up early enough to go watch hot air balloons at sunrise to mark the beginning of the Great Reno Balloon Race. We also took our first glider ride together, soaring above Lake Tahoe.
Kelly was always -- and I mean always -- up for an adventure. She seemed to thrive on adrenaline, so there was never a dull moment with her around. I will miss her dearly.
July 19, 1979 - June 7, 2012
The Road Trip Rip crew mourns the loss of a member. I am deeply saddened by the passing of Kelly Hoffinger, who joined in on some very memorable adventures.
Kelly first joined the Road Trip Rip crew on my trip to Death Valley National Park. We saw a lot of neat stuff, but she seemed to enjoy Eureka Dunes the best. She really pushed herself to get to the top of those 700-foot-tall sand dunes! Two steps forward....one step back....repeat.
A few months later, Kelly took a flight up to Alaska to join me for a week-long adventure in America's last frontier. We first went on a day-long cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park. It was awesome! Neither of us had seen such whales so close, and the views of the glaciers were spectacular.
While in Alaska, we also went to Denali National Park. There we saw wolves, grizzly bears, moose, and other awesome wildlife! We checked out a sled dog demonstration as well.
Keeping the Alaska adventure going, we had fresh Alaska king crab legs and even went panning for gold. We also drove several miles down the Stampede Trail, made famous by the book and movie, "Into the Wild". Had the weather cooperated, we would've taken an airplane ride around the Alaska Range to get a bird's-eye view of Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America.
As I took Kelly back to the airport, she told me that her Alaska adventure was the best vacation she had ever had.
Later during the summer of 2010, Kelly joined me for some adventures around Reno and Lake Tahoe. Despite not being a morning person, Kelly got up early enough to go watch hot air balloons at sunrise to mark the beginning of the Great Reno Balloon Race. We also took our first glider ride together, soaring above Lake Tahoe.
Kelly was always -- and I mean always -- up for an adventure. She seemed to thrive on adrenaline, so there was never a dull moment with her around. I will miss her dearly.
