Timeless May 2020 | Page 12

ADVENTURE Traveler Anne Dowdle always planning her next trip V Story by Erin Kelly Photos by Paula Merritt & submitted isiting Anne Dowdle’s home in Meridian is like stepping into a world market. There’s a watercolor painting from Haiti in the kitchen, near a photo of a Buddhist monastery in Bhutan.  In the dining room, you’ll find coasters from Israel, Kenyan sculptures, Croatian glass and a puppet from China on the wall. Each treasure holds special memories for Dowdle, an adventure traveler, who at 75, has no intention of letting her passport collect dust.  She’s been to six continents, 74 countries and 28 U.S. states, and seems to be perpetually planning trips. Iceland and Greenland are set for June.  Antarctica is on the itinerary for next February.  “That will make the seventh continent, so I hope I get there,” she says. Dowdle retired from Meridian Community College as direc- tor of institutional advancement around 20 years ago.  “When I retired, I decided I did not want to do the same old, same old.”  Far from it.  Dowdle has hiked the Himalayas, cruised the Amazon, jumped out of an airplane for her 60th birthday, tracked Bengal tigers in India, run a half marathon in South Africa and milked a yak in Mongolia.  She recalls a highlight from Costa Rica with a smile.  “The first time I took a zipline, I had never heard of them and I was halfway through to the first stop and I thought, ‘What am I doing up here?’ But I loved it.” Dowdle often plans her trips through a Boston-based compa- ny, Overseas Adventure Travel, which calls itself “the leader in small groups on the road less traveled.”  “It’s a hands-on type of tour and you always have a native guide,” says Dowdle. “You visit at least one to two families in their home for a meal and it’s really wonderful. It’s not travel- ing in a bubble.” continued on page 15 12• Adventure traveler Anne Dowdle, 75, often takes long walks at Bonita Lakes with her rescue dog Miss Zoey to prepare for her travel adventure. According to Dowdle, the trips can be physi- cally demanding, so she walks and practices yoga to condition her body. TIMELESS MERIDIAN