Travel

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

This was my second trip to the Yukon in the dead of winter. The first trip was a grand adventure, but I also froze my lip to a metal key. Ouch. “You’re going BACK?” asked my daughter, Holly. “Yup. I’m trying for another dog sled excursion.” “You spent two hours mushing the last time and about froze your ears off.” …

Atlin is a former gold mining town located near the Yukon border in the extreme northern part of British Columbia.  From the moment I arrived there, I found myself staring at Teresa Island, which, crowned by Birch Mountain, rises 4,567 feet above Atlin Lake, making it one of the highest inland islands in the world.  The longer I stared at …

When Americans travel to Europe, many flock to the antiquities, looking to trace the roots of Western Civilization. They tour the crumbling Coliseum baking under the Roman sun or the Acropolis of Athens standing timeless in the glare of Aegean heat. But for this son of the Pacific Northwest, give me the lichen-encrusted ruins, ring forts, and standing stones weathering …

Situated in the southern part of Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands), Anthony Island dangles on the very edge of the continent, seemingly poised to be swallowed by the Pacific. Shortly after I set foot on this 395-acre tract of rock and Sitka spruce, I found myself being stared at by a bestiary of faces—eagles, black bears, killer whales, …

It was the adventure of a lifetime that got its start from a typo, a fateful slip of the finger. I had been researching a trip to my ancestral homeland of the Emerald Isle, but instead of typing I-R-E-L-A-N-D, I tapped out I-C-E-L-A-N-D, and that one misplaced consonant  opened up the door for a memorable journey to a land I …

The dark bear marches towards us, her powerful front legs swinging in a bowlegged walk. A large, lighter colored male follows her. The corners of his mouth curve upward in a sort of permanent smile. But the foam on “Smiley’s” lips and his clacking teeth make the situation less amusing. The large hump between their shoulders leaves no doubt that …