Destination tidbits
Orca whale watching in the San Juan Islands
One of the highlights of our trips to the San Juan Islands each year is an orca whale-watching trip. The San Juan Islands are a group of hundreds of islands, islets, and rocks located near Seattle, WA. Most of these are very small - in fact, so small that many disappear at high tide! ... Read article...
Sedona in the movies: Broken Arrow
I finally watched the 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie, Broken Arrow. I say "finally", because I've been meaning to for years. Sedona, Arizona was a big place for making movies, especially back in the days of the westerns. The thing is, for decades they were making movies here, but never calling it Sedona! ... Read article...
Orcas on the beach, Peninsula Valdes, Argentina
About a third of the way down the coast of Argentina, there's a large peninsula that juts out into the South Atlantic Ocean. From an aerial view, it looks like it should have been an island. This is Peninsula Valdes, a major wildlife preserve... Read article...
Taos, New Mexico - Rio Pueblo Gorge (video)
The Rio Pueblo Gorge, near Taos, New Mexico: This river comes from Taos Pueblo land and runs into the Rio Grande River. It's a deep gorge, but not as deep as the Rio Grande Gorge, which is a spectacular gash across the high desert - almost shocking when you first see it. We go rafting on the Rio Grande... Watch the video...
San Juan Islands - scuba diving (video)
OK, I'll say it right up front. We do NOT go scuba diving on our San Juan Islands trips! I'm a wimpy warm water diver, who only likes the tropics (think British Virgin Islands!) However, even though that water looks pretty chilly to me, it's fascinating to know what lives down there... Watch the video...
Awesome Argentine Armadillo
Peninsula Valdez in Argentina is a sweeping, open space, where the dusty brown desert stretches right to the sparkling sea. Where else do you see armadillos and elephant seals all on the same walk? Not to mention guanacos and sea lions, killer whales and rheas! I'd always heard armadillos were shy... Read article...
Belize: Cave where the kids used to play
We were up in the mountains of the Pine Ridge area of Belize. After driving for miles along a very bumpy dirt road, we reached an abandoned little town. The small houses were still standing, but clearly uninhabited for quite a long time... Read article...
Tumacacori - Ruins and dancing
Last weekend, I was at a little place in southern Arizona called Tumacacori - the site of a Spanish mission, founded by Jesuit missionaries back in 1691. Over the centuries, this place has seen the O'Odham and the Jesuits, the Franciscans and the Apaches, the Spanish, the Mexicans, and the Americans... Read article...
Rome Italy - Chariot racing at Circus Maximus
What if you could travel back in time to witness Roman chariot racing at the Circus Maximus in ancient Rome? Gangs were seen rioting through the streets in celebration of their favorite charioteer's victory. Fights broke out between the fans of victors and losers. Sound like modern day fans? ... Read article...
What to do in Las Vegas - Springs Preserve
Next time you're in Las Vegas, Nevada, and want to escape the sound of slot machines for a couple of hours, I highly recommend the Springs Preserve. You'll find the natural and human history of the area - right in the middle of Las Vegas... Read article...
