Experience Wonders of Wildlife and the Ancient Maya in Yucatán, Mexico
Home » Witnessing Chichén Itzá, Wonder of the World The iconic El Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulcan, at Chichén Itzá, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in Yucatan, Mexico. The massive step pyramid towers before a cloudy sky, illuminating the grandeur and texture ancient Mayan architecture. A series of ancient...
Photography from O’ahu, Hawaii in September
Family and work travel can be unproductive for many photographers. Fast-paced itineraries and going with the flow of a group make it tougher to spend time crafting the ideal image with perfect light and composition. So we take on a different kind of challenge - making something beautiful with a speedy snap. Managed expectations and...
Mountain goats on the McCullough Gulch Trail hike in Colorado
Something always stands between me and the goats. I haul all my stupid, heavy photography gear on my back for miles into thinning air, hoping I'll spot their white fur against the rocky ridges. Then, every time I see them, something terrible happens that keeps me from them. I nearly crap my pants on Grays,...
River reconnection: backpacking the North Fork Skokomish River Trail in Olympic National Park
Why would any sane, rational human being leave the comfort of their home with air conditioning and plumbing, strap 40 pounds of gear onto their back, and haul it 10 miles into the wilderness on foot to sleep on the ground, and eat dehydrated food for days? Under threat of bear activity and a “mountain...
Spring Comes to the Netherlands: Exploring Scenic Landscapes Outside Amsterdam
My trip to the Netherlands began and ended in its busy capital, Amsterdam. I spent days walking the assortment of brick, cobblestone and asphalt along the canals and bridges. I devoured lunch at Gartine, witnessed the Anne Frank House experience for the first time, and spoke at a Dutch search conference. But having visited the famous city before, this...
Peru Creek: Crapping in a Bag & Other Stories
This is a story about defeat, joy, and grief. It is full of adventure and misadventure, with a touch of prescience. Twists and turns. Bathroom humor. Summit season 2022 was unsuccessful, but mountain season was a hit. Buckle up; it's a ride. This year has been a lesson in coping with the unexpected. Every trip...
Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota
It appears that 2022 is the year I visit national parks experiencing extraordinary flooding events. In the spring, massive flooding washed out vast parts of Yellowstone National Park just after I visited during record snow. And recently, I visited Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota just after historic flooding caused by heavy rains and snowmelt in...
Western Kitsch: The Black Hills, South Dakota
We daydreamed about visiting Badlands area for years. We were drawn by the mystique of its wide open spaces, curious about its strange, striated western landscape. We were eager to discover its legendary herds of bison. In April, we finally set forth on our great Northern road trip with the dog in tow. 50mph winds...
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge
I have been setting my sights on day trip destinations near Kansas City. I'm seeking places to branch out and shoot landscape and wildlife photography. I visited Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri, about 90 minutes drive north of the city. Loess Bluffs is a birdwatchers' favorite thanks to its terrain of wetlands...
Four Seasons of Loose Park Photography in Kansas City, MO
One landscape photographer pro-tip I received was to choose a place near your home that you can return to again and again, at all times of the year, at all times of day, for photography practice. It teaches you how to look at a place from so many angles and in so many circumstances with...
50 Miles on the Flint Hills Nature Trail
My two fitness goals this year were to summit another 14,000-foot peak and do a 50-mile hike in four days. I completed Huron Peak in Colorado in August. My first attempt at the 50-mile hike was in May on the Knobstone Trail in Indiana but got rained out among other challenges. When it came time...
Photography from Snoqualmie Falls, Washington
The Pacific Northwest continues to be one of my favorite parts of the country. On a recent work trip to Seattle, Washington, one of our colleagues local to the area who is an avid hiker in the area (hi Eric!) generously planned a hike for those of us (hi David!) who could stay another day....
Hiking Huron Peak 14er in Colorado
Fear has been a consistent companion in my life. At age 10, I negotiated my way out of the deep end of the pool during swim lessons at day camp. I was later than all my friends to take the training wheels off my bicycle. My lifelong friend Molly remembered me as an anxious kid...
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon in southern Utah is the last of the four national parks I visited on this road trip. (Prior parks: Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.) At this stage, I am equal parts exhausted, in awe of what...
Shiras Moose Sighting in Golden Gate Canyon State Park
On the way into Blackhawk, Colorado, where I was staying at a beautiful little cabin in the woods as a home base for my exploration of Rocky Mountain National Park, I passed numerous signs for Golden Gate Canyon State Park. I made a mental note to return during my stay. My friend and colleague, Belinda,...
Autumn in Rocky Mountain National Park
I have long hoped to string together a series of national parks to form a road trip. With the Covid pandemic still raging around the world, travel difficult and risky, and lots of time to daydream, I pieced together a three-week road trip that would take me to no less than nine national parks. My...
Outdoor Attractions at Colorado Springs
I'm sitting in front of a fire in my sweats, under a red, chunky knit blanket. I'm in a drafty and strangely decorated stranger's house in Colorado Springs. Wet clumps of snow keep falling off the trees outside. On our first full day in Colorado Springs, the weather was sunny, dry and hot, topping 91F...
Vacation in Santorini, Greece
After a few short days in Athens, Greece, we took the five-hour express ferry to Santorini to join our friends who generously invited us to join them on their annual vacation to this location. When you are invited to travel to a bucket place that looks like this, you say yes. Is this real life?...
Visiting Salt Lake City & Park City in September
I try to get away every year or two for a hiking-based trip on my own. This year I escaped to spend some quality time in Utah. Other than my childhood visit to the Four Corners putting my foot across the state's border, I have only spent an hour or two laid over in the...