We are off to Australia – June 2
As some (many?) of our subscribers know, I have been struggling to get the notification of a new blog post working for those who have subscribed to our blog. I…
Ode to the Sonoran Desert
Note: If your mouse is on or even beside a gallery image, the gallery will stop rotating! Ode to Canyon Hiking in the Sonoran Desert Leslie Veirs April, 2019 Arizona…
Off to Arizona – Nature at the border with Carol and Dave
For ten days, starting April 9th, 2019, we are exploring the mountains and deserts of Southern Arizona, camping with our Boulder friends who have much experience here. Note to readers--…
Raiding Northward – August, 2018
(Note: you can click on the small photos to enlarge them. Use your back button to return to the blog.) On Saturday, August 18, 2018, we untied the dock lines…
Antipodean Adventures – “Forest Bathing” in the Blue Mountains
In 1839, Charles Darwin spent two weeks on the Blue Mountains which are about 100 kilometers west of Sydney. He traveled by boat and then horseback. When he got to…
Antipodean Adventures – Sydney : Tap-on, Tap-off
The Opal card brings you Sydney! Just "top up" and then "tap on" when you get into a bus or train or ferry. At the end of the trip, "tap…
Antipodean Adventures – Sailing in the Whitsunday Islands
Eight stalwart folk have flown to the opposite side of the earth to sail for 10 days among the Whitsunday Islands that are inside The Great Barrier Reef National Park in…
Cheetahs and farmers –What should be done?
Our last days in Namibia were spent considering the future for cheetahs. The big cats are the fastest animal on earth, being able to run in bursts as much as…
On to Etosha – A wildlife haven
Etosha National Park is in northern Namibia near the border with Angola and is centered around a 5,000 square km salt flat called Etosha Pan. Along the southern edge of…
Hints of our past in Damaraland
Leaving Swakapomund by car, we travel north and east over a featureless plain until, after some hours, the most mountainous region in Namibia slowly comes over the horizon. Hardly a…
Swakopmund Extremes
Quad bikes roaring over the desert is so not Veirs-Reese, but here in the adventure capital of Namibia, we have to give them a try. Leslie prudently declines and heads…
SEA to Swakopmund
Leslie, Val and grandson Liam (almost 14 years old) left Seattle in the early evening, and 8 hours later it was afternoon in London. We had a 9 hour layover…
Tent Camping with Grand Kids
For 5 days last week we camped in Beacon Rock State Park with Laura and Tucker's kids. Tennessee is 7 and Oz is 4 and the four of us piled…
Friday Harbor Sailing Club cruise to Barkley Sound and the Broken Islands
On May 15, 2017, Leslie and Val on Cat’s Cradle headed ‘out to sea’ to visit a complex archipelago on the southwestern side of Vancouver Island. This is a diverse…
Three colorful fall walks in the North Cascades
For three days this late September, Eric and Val car-camped for three nights at Colonial Creek Campground just on the north side of North Cascades National Park. With this as…
Olympic National Park – Exploring 3 Ecosystems
On a sunny day in mid-September, Lynne, Robin and Leslie headed off on a 4-day trip to Olympic National Park for their annual hiking getaway. We had rented a conveniently…
Fun with Family and Friends in Desolation Sound
Sometimes people just have a bad day, and this must have been the case one June day in 1792 when Capt. Vancouver arrived at the northern end of the Strait…
Descending into Desolation
We took two nice days to laze around Bull Harbor and Roller Bay recovering from our overnight sojourn. The rocks on Roller Bay's long and steep beach are truly remarkable. …
Gingerly winding south – with Puffins and Shearwaters
We slipped away from our G'Sung Gwaii tour after completing our visit to the beach site with all its story-filled poles and headed south. The wind forecast was 15-25 kts…
A Memorable Visit with many Mortuary and Memorial Poles
After two great sailing days, we are securely anchored in Rose Inlet with the wind still blowing. If the weather permits, Friday morning, July 29th, promises to be the highlight…