Travel

Thrills And Chills: Seeking Adventure Along the Pacific Coast

Calling all adventure enthusiasts, outdoor lovers, and travel seekers!    Are you ready for an unforgettable Pacific Coast adventure?  Experience adrenaline rushes, jaw-dropping thrills, and breathtaking natural beauty on the Pacific Coast. Hike majestic mountains, thrill ride water sports, and see wildlife that will leave you wanting more.  So, tighten your bootlaces and grab your gear as you plunge boldly into …

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How to be a Responsible Road Tripper in Hawaii

  The islands of Hawaii are home to some scenic drives that are reminiscent of the beauty found in the Cascadia region. If you’ve enjoyed our post on The Cascade Loop, you’ll find that Hawaii similarly offers the perfect opportunity to explore the region by car. With its natural beauty and lush landscapes, it’s no wonder that the Hawaiian islands …

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Golden Times in the Brooks Range

Draped from the ceiling, a Dall sheep cape is in the process of being cleaned. In the log home’s dim living room, it gathers the fall day’s anemic light. The rich, nutty meat sits in a wardrobe-size freezer nearby. As the year wanes, putting up stores for winter becomes an urge only those who inhabit lean land far from grocery …

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Meeting Dragons: A True Story

I turned 40 among strangers on a small Indonesian island––that one known for its population of giant carnivorous lizards, which we name dragons. In the morning, local guides herded little clots of tourists down a narrow path to a fenced enclosure, and from within, we studied groups of dragons: great lumbering beasts, drooling, tongues flickering. No longer framed by the …

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A Lost Knife

Ecologist Aldo Leopold defined wilderness as “an area that possesses no possibility of conveyance by mechanical means.”  Welcome to Mansel Island in Canada’s eastern Hudson Bay, where there are no cars, tundra buggies, ATVs, SUVs, motorcycles, or airplanes, all of which are mechanical conveyances. As my Inuit guide Jake and I explored this large, uninhabited chunk of limestone, I was …

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The Real Hayduke: Doug Peacock’s Magnificent Obsession

In 1975, writer Edward Abbey published his fifth novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang. It’s a comedic romp about a serious subject. In it, four misfits come together to perform acts of sabotage against the machines of environmental destruction. These threats to the sanctity of the southwest wilderness included construction equipment, roads, bridges, dams, and anything else helping humanity encroach ever …

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Alaskan Autumn: Alone in the North

The plan was to retire, buy a truck, take my camera, and head north to Alaska. Two weeks later, COVID hit … In September of 2021, just a few days after the first opening across the British Columbia border, I was finally able to start on what turned out to be a month-long, 8,000-mile trip of a lifetime, made only …

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How You Can Enjoy America’s National Parks Responsibly

America’s national parks are symbols of the beauty that nature has to offer and its impact on humanity. They play a significant role in preserving nature, which is all the more poignant in an age where the Earth loses 14.6 million hectares of forest yearly and extinction rates are at 1,000 times the natural rate. When you visit one of …

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The Cascade Loop: Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip

I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the magnificent nooks and crannies of northwest Washington, enjoying untold splendor along the way. But I had never driven the meandering scenic excursion known as the Cascade Loop. Described as Washington’s Ultimate Road Trip, the 440-mile loop traces an oblong circle from saltwater to the Columbia Highlands and back to saltwater, crossing the …

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Zion in Winter

Let’s face it: In summer, Zion National Park is a zoo. Truth be told, it’s jam-packed in late spring and autumn too. But in winter and early spring, one can still find quiet in this majestic jewel of the National Park System. Zion, of course, is located in southwestern Utah among other numerous marquee destinations on the Colorado Plateau like …

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