And then it happened. Something splashing in the water, seen out of the corner of her eye. Was it a fish jumping? No, there was no concentric circle that occurs after a fish splash. A diving bird? No, they were everywhere but none surfaced nearby. … Read More Hiking with Manta Rays
We have been meeting sea-anemones, condors, crabs, sea lions and seals. It brings back fond memories of some of our other coastal excursions and adventures, all over the U.S. and elsewhere. … Read More Going Coastal – 13 Unique Seaside Adventures
We’ve been holed up in Nevada, mostly in the Reno area, waiting out the pandemic. And waiting, and waiting. But even while a lot of businesses are closed, including our own, we’ve avoided going stir crazy by getting out to do some social-distancing hiking and exploring in the great outdoors. Right in Reno, there is… Read More Getting Out in the Reno Area
It was quite an eventful two days in the Tuscon area, beginning with a 3-hour hike through Saguaro National Park (East). Visiting with relatives, attending a circus-related exercise class and catching up with a recently transplanted friend from Massachusetts.… Read More Tuscon: Cacti, Aunts, Acrobats and Haunts
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? In this video we philosophize on this burning question as we hike Snake Mountain scouting for mushrooms. The 5th episode of Act!vated Between Adventures begins in Rutland, VT. Rutland is a scenic little old-fashioned… Read More Mushrooms Expedition
With an area about the size of Rhode Island, Joshua Tree National Park is a huge playground of natural wonders. The night before we went there, we had a ringside seat to the playground in the heavens, with a clear view of stars trekking across the sky, thanks to our camping spot on BLM land… Read More Joshua Tree Jaunt
If you think a desert is a desert is a desert, you might want to give Guadalupe a try. With several challenging trails, this national park offers an amazing variety of desert terrain, in terms of both geology and biology. There are even remnants of history, including an old ranch and stage coach station. On… Read More A Loop thru Guadalupe
Today’s blog is inspired by last week’s #TRLT discussion on Twitter about Deserts and Dry Places. We used to write off deserts and dry places as wasted space. But within the past couple of years we’ve learned to appreciate the diversity of geology, biology and general atmosphere that deserts offer. Deserts are full of hidden… Read More Desert & Dry Places
Video of Monkey C Monkey Do, Boothbay Railway Village, and hiking in Acadia National Park… Read More Maine Monkey Adventures – Episode 9
Episode 5: August 4, 2018 In Week 5, we started out in New Jersey, where we took a country stroll around Fosterfield Living Historical Farms, where we got to crack corn like Jimmy, and feed chickens and do other farmly stuff– in addition to touring an old mansion where the rich Foster family once lived,… Read More Living History Farm – Episode 5
Jan. 19, 2016: Cinque Terra and Pisa Cinque Terra (“five lands”) is a group of five somewhat isolated mountainous villages on the coast of Italy. Their history dates back about 1000 years. They’re a UNESCO World Heritage site. And they’re only about an hour’s train ride from Pisa. So we set off to the station… Read More Dennis and Kimberly’s Excellent and Epic European Adventure, Day 8
May 23, 2008: Manoa Falls Park and Waikiki Beach Our last full day in this surreal parallel universe. Zephyr, in particular, has been hankering to take a stroll through a tropical rain forest, such as might appear in Jurassic Park and the like. He has grand schemes of scouting out such locales to use in… Read More D, K and Z in Hawaii, Day 7 & 8
Aug. 26, 2006: Five Hundred Buddhas and a Hundred Caves This morning at breakfast we had nashi, or Japanese pears, which actually had the taste and texture of a pear masquerading as a jicama. We’d had something similar in the States, although never this good. Once again we all piled into the van and headed out for a field trip.… Read More D, K and Z in Japan, Day 12
Aug. 20, 2006: Arakawa and Nagatoro We all (minus Keisuke) piled into the van and headed for the hills, not very far away, to spend a Sunday at the Ara River (Arakawa). On the way, we spotted a line of about 75 people on the sidewalk in front of a small restaurant, waiting patiently in… Read More D, K and Z in Japan, Day 6
