Namibia – Lost Among the Red Dune Mountains
We were lost, wandering the desert wilderness for about 45 minutes just north of Tsumeb (soo-meb). Worry was setting in. No map. No food. Only a quarter tank of gas in a… Read More
Brazil – Where Danger Lurks
Asher and I were standing at the end of a three-meter long tree stump that was stretched out over the fastest part of the Salobra River. We were nervous. Beneath us, schools… Read More
Alaska – An Epic Loop to the Arctic Circle
He was our neighbor for six days in Fairbanks and we spoke every morning and evening, but I knew nearly nothing about the man; nothing except that our dog, who usually barks… Read More
Laos – Land of the Red Sun
It was night when we landed; as we walked a quarter mile across the tarmac to the terminal, flakes of black ash gently spun around us like maple seeds in dry August.… Read More
New Zealand – Glaciers, Kayaks & Doctors
Early starts are part and parcel to life on the road, but getting the family up at 1:00a to drive an hour and a half for a 5:00a flight from Cairns, AU to… Read More
Australia – Mountains, Jungles and the Great Barrier Reef
Travel days aren’t all bad. An eight-hour drive or 12-hour flight can be uneventful and even pleasant. The day we drove from Canberra to Melbourne was NOT one of those days. The… Read More
Croatia – An Illyrian Garden
Croatia was a tabula rasa for me. I knew it was part of the former Yugoslavia and that it inhabited a long stretch of beachfront along the Adriatic, which I imagined was… Read More
Switzerland – Wanderwege und Bahnhöfen
BRITTANY TO BASEL…BARELY There should be a Nobel Prize offered for travel coordination. After all, the underlying mechanics are complicated – factoring in distances, speed, language proficiency, transfers, pick-ups and drop-offs, petrol… Read More
France – Normandy & Brittany
ESCAPE FROM PARIS After picking up our rental car at Gare du Nord and navigating a mid-size station wagon out of a compact size parking spot and up an economy size ramp,… Read More
Iceland – The Wild Finish
Technically it was still summer, August 28th, and the sky harbored a bright and shiny sun. But the air smelled like fall. The hosts at the Hildibrand Hotel had set us up with… Read More
Iceland – Flirting with the Arctic Circle
It was Monday, August 25th, and the weather was blustery and dark with powerful wind gusts that climbed the bluffs and pounded our car. Even the short 50 meter walk to breakfast… Read More
The Visit to Yellowstone National Park
We got an early start to drive through Yellowstone National Park. Originally, we had NO intention of visiting the Yellowstone simply because it would be too crowded and too chaotic for us to enjoy.… Read More
Epic Hike Around Jenny Lake
I awoke earlier than the rest of the crew – earlier even than Asher, which is a rarity – and decided to run. Given the risks of running alone on trails in Grand… Read More
Wind Cave National Park & Custer State Park
By Friday morning a lot of our fellow campers had packed and headed out, with a fresh batch likely to arrive in the afternoon. Although Hill City is a good hour or… Read More
The Green Side of the Moon
We were sad that it was our final day in Badlands NP. The Cedar Pass Campground had been an incredible basecamp even though it only had electricity. The austere landscape was so tranquil.… Read More
Off the Beaten Path in the Badlands
The weather in the Badlands is notorious for being very, very hot in the summer – and unpredictable. We lucked out as our journey followed a cool front from Canada that gave us… Read More
Big Bison & Real Cowboys
Fog settled in the bottom of the river basin and wrapped the campground in cool damp air. It was a perfect morning to sleep in, but I was awake. Trying not to… Read More
A National Park to Ourselves
We awoke to a rain storm this morning. It was fairly light, just enough to cool the air and suppress the insects a bit. We packed lunches and headed to the North… Read More
Snow Dogs, Mountain Goats & Fire on the Fourth
Happy Independence Day! The loud flapping sound outside of our coach told us two things. First, that it was windy. Very windy in fact, such that I had to roll up our… Read More
Why the Bear Crossed the Road
After a breakfast of pancakes, we drove up to Many Glacier for a day of hiking. Our “next door neighbor” at the KOA campground, a parole officer from Illinois, showed us pictures… Read More