Grand Canyon
Our day at the Grand Canyon (preceded by a detour to the Utah border for a geocache) began at the East Entrance near Cameron. The very first stop was the Lookout Tower, currently under renovation, but open during the process. It was constructed in 1932 as a replica of a prehistoric Indian tower and features […]
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon On the drive from Salt Lake City to Phoenix, we were able to make an overnight stop at Bryce Canyon, in the high Colorado plateaus of Southern Utah. (Park elevations reach over 9,000 feet/2774 meters). Named after the Mormon Pioneer Ebenezer Bryce, the area is best known for panoramic views of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters filled […]
San José, Costa Rica: Do you know the way?
San José, Costa Rica From the moment we landed, we felt like we were almost home. Over the years I´d heard so many wonderful things about Costa Rica as a paradise of exotic birds, flowers and animals, spotless beaches, friendly faces and a high percentage of folks who care about the environment. More recently […]
Colca Canyon, Peru
Bright and early, we set off on a two-day excursion into the mountains. Located about 100 miles from Arequipa, Colca Canyon is one of the deepest in the world, about twice as deep as the Grand Canyon! The Cotahuasi Canyon nearby is said to be the deepest in the world, and is only a little deeper. Alpaca, vicuña, […]
El Páramo: Explore Mérida, Venezuela
El Páramo A drive up through the Páramo’s alpine tundra ecosystems is a must on any visit to the city of Mérida, Venezuela. The views are spectacular, the small villages historic and colorful, each with its requisite plaza and church. There are highlights to enjoy all the way up the curvy road leading to Sierra Nevada […]
Circuito Chico
Mountian bikes took us around the ¨small circuit¨ that winds around Lakes Nahuel Huapi, Perito Moreno and beyond. It was kind of a tough ride, since we hadn´t been biking since Tahiti. The uphill climbs were rewarded by long coasts downhill, though, and we were left with a sense of accomplishment at the end. There […]
Mega Cubes and Mega Tubes
Thanks to the Potters family´s early Christmas present, we splurged on a trip to see the glaciers in Glacier National Park. We had planned a walk to see the most famous, Perito Moreno, but instead we booked an all-day boat ride and were able to see several of the glaciers from the water! We boarded […]
Friends and Foes at the Lagoon
A Walk around the Lagoon We made a new friend on our walk around Laguna Nimez just outside of El Calafate, Argentina. She was a pretty black lab with a red collar, and obviously belonged to someone, but she was out for a walk on her own. She accompanied us around the lagoon fetching a […]
Ushuaia Cruise
Braving cold and icy winds, we took a boat ride on the Beagle Channel to see several nearby islands and a lighthouse. They call Ushuaia ¨Fin del Mundo,¨ the End of the World, so some think the lighthouse is the one Jules Verne refers to in his novel The Lighthouse at the End of the […]
Tierra del Fuego
We spent Thanksgiving hiking in Tierra del Fuego National Park. The route took us along the coast and then through a mixture of Patagonic and High Andes forest. The “lenga” covers mountain slopes. The most eye-catching were guindo trees most of which had large nodules with an interesting fungus growing out of them. They were like bunches of orange-colored […]