John Muir, the sage of the Sierras, once wisely said, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” My wife and I found the perfect place to practice what John Muir preached—at Mono Hot Springs, tucked in the…
Following in the Footsteps of Darwin and My Dad in the Galapagos
Weeklong Galapagos Islands visit cruises through evolution’s birthplace “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Elliot I always knew that someday my global explorations would lead me to the Galapagos Islands, since…
A father and son find common interests in “Never-boring- Nashville”
There’s magic in a father and son relationship, but when your interests are quite different, it presents a challenge to find a mutually rewarding trip together. My son is an avid fan of sports, country music and craft beers, while I am a devotee of museums, hiking and history. The solution was a four-day visit to Nashville. Initially,…
Friendliest people in the world are in Fiji
Powerful dark hands lifted a football-size conch shell to a Fijian warrior’s lips and he trumpeted the news of our arrival throughout the resort’s open-air lobby. Standing nearby, the colorfully dressed staff serenaded us with a traditional Fijian welcome song. Adorned with a tropical flower lei around my neck and a plump coconut-shell drink in…
Just another day at British Columbia’s Knight Inlet Lodge
Grizzlies, black bears, bald eagles and humpback whales Shortly after breakfast, ten of us donned our bright red lifejackets and cruised slowly across the misty inlet to begin our rainforest hike. Since bears outnumber people in this remote British Columbia wilderness, our guide sternly warned us, “If we encounter a grizzly bear, don’t run! Just…
Vancouver Island a scenic paradise
Vacationers fell in love with Canadian coastal region’s wildlife, hot springs, flowers I’ll share this secret with you if you promise to keep it to yourself: My wife and I discovered a place that’s easy to get to, has clean, safe, flower-filled cities surrounded by stunning forests, mountains and lakes, excellent wildlife viewing (killer whales,…
Tourists find San Felipe friendly, inexpensive
Town exudes subtle charm along blue waters of Sea of Cortez Our introduction to San Felipe began as we sat in the shade of a palapa, admiring the turquoise waters of the nearby Sea of Cortez, when suddenly our guide pointed to a mysterious speck high in the sky. It steadily approached until we could…
Cook Islands enchant a return visitor
After 34 years, a tourist finds a still-pristine, well-kept and spectacular South Pacific paradise Black pearls and blue lagoons beckon visitors to the Cook Islands. As our overnight flight from LAX neared Rarotonga, the main island of the Cook Islands, I felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The 15 islands of the Cook Islands,…
Eco Adventure at its best in Costa Rica
“Pura vida,” we all shouted in unison as we lifted our paddles victoriously into the air after smashing through another rapid on Costa Rica’s renowned Pacuare River. The shout meant “pure life” and that’s exactly what a weeklong visit to Costa Rica provided in abundance. Over the years I had heard such consistently rave reviews…
Discovering Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara has always held a special attraction for me because of treasured family stories I heard all my life about the journey of my mother’s grandparents and their eight children from the mountains of northern Spain to Santa Barbara in 1917. Recently my wife and I headed to visit Santa Barbara on a dual…