White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
White Sands National Monument The world’s largest field of gypsum sand dunes fills 275 square miles of the Tularosa Basin at the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico (elevation 4235 ft). A large portion of the area makes up White Sands National Monument. Herbert Hoover designated the are as National monument in 1933. Long before […]
Exploring the Hillsborough River by Canoe
There’s more to Tampa, Florida, than Busch Gardens, beaches and shopping. Researching things to do during our days off in the area, we discovered that the Hillsborough River is a popular destination for canoeing and kayaking. The River flows from the Green Swamp near the origin of the Withlacoochee River (near Lakeland Florida) over 50 […]
Don’t Skip: Labuan Bajo, Indonesia
Intro to Labuan Bajo Labuan Bajo lies on the westernmost coast of the island of Flores in Indonesia. Known best for its proximity to Komodo National Park, Labuan Bajo does see a fair number of tourists. At heart, it’s still a small fishing village, but the tourism industry is growing fast, and there is a wide […]
Intro to Geocaching
Enjoy the outdoors? Hiking? Nature? A good puzzle or game of Hide-and-Seek? You might want to try your hand at Geocaching. We started in 2006 and have made it a part of our travels, both at home and abroad. Our first find was near Pt. Defiance in Tacoma, Washington and we’ve been hooked on “caching” […]
Don’t Skip: St. Kitts
Intro to St. Kitts The little island of St. Christopher Columbus first spotted St. Kitts from afar in 1493, but it wasn’t colonized until the British arrived in 1623. It later became the first island to be permanently colonized by both the English and the French, who shared the island for many years. The Amerindians […]
Don’t Skip: Jeju Island, South Korea
Intro to Jeju Island Jeju is marketed as the “honeymoon island,” popular with couples who take the opportunity to visit Love Land and the Museum of Sex after their walks on the beach. Get past the tourist promotion though, and volcanic, subtropical, Jeju will surely reward you with its unique history, culture and charm. Jeju is best known […]
Announcing Turtles Travel’s New Logo!
When we first started our blog in 2005 it was a small, online diary of sorts, a way for family and friends to keep up with our whereabouts. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to! We enjoyed telling the stories and sharing the photos of our life on the road so […]
North Carolina Roots
On a pleasant May morning, descendants of Ernest Willis gathered not far from the small town of Cashiers, North Carolina to explore a tract of land donated by their ancestor for its perpetual protection. Ernest donated the land through his estate to the Nature Conservancy of which he was a lifetime member. As descendants of Ernest, Donny (second cousin […]
Sunrise, Sunset
Whenever, wherever you have the opportunity, find a place to sit quietly and watch a sunrise or a sunset. Each one is different. Each one is priceless. This moment will never happen again, so take time to treasure it. The sunsets in this slideshow and gallery were taken both on our travels far and wide […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern
Throughout history, philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists of all kinds have studied the different kinds of patterns seen in nature. We seek ways to order our universe and explain our existence. From the logarithmic spiral of a Nautilus shell to the sixfold symmetry of a snowflake to those crazy fractal ferns, we are constantly surrounded […]