Tag Archives: sunset

Antarctica at Last

by

 

lone penguin

A lone penguin stretches and seems to take in the view.

Many tourists visiting Antarctica fly one way and cruise the other. That is exactly what we did.   We flew from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica and cruised the Drake Passage to Ushuaia, Argentina on our return.  However, just getting to the take-off point for Antarctica from Punta Arenas is no easy task.  Weather conditions flying from Punta Arenas are very uncertain, casting doubt on any planned take off.  The weather window must be constantly studied and adjusted. Continue reading →

Antarctica Quest

by

We visited Antarctica in March of 2024.  I’ve completed a journey to all seven continents now.  Whoopie!  Our visit was at the end of the southern hemisphere summer cruise season, with only one excursion later than ours.  Ours was a cruise full of penguins, leopard seals, more penguins and best of all, singing whales.  But first, we have to get there….  Our Antarctic quest would begin by flying from Atlanta to Punta Arenas at the southern tip of Chile, then flying on to Antarctica, then cruising back to Ushuaia, Argentina.

Continue reading →

Darwin, Australia – Where Prince Charles got to meet me!

by

Darwin Beach at Sunrise

Darwin is the most northerly city in Australia.  In April it is just too hot and humid for words.  April is the wet season and is characterized by high humidity, monsoonal rains and storms.  I learned of this just now while writing this blog, not as we planned our trip.   Darwin can receive 17 inches of rain in January and zero in June.  This is a land of extremes. Continue reading →

Bandon and the Oregon Coast

by

Face Rock Beach, Bandon, Oregon

Bandon, Oregon is well known among photographers for the many unique rock shapes and monoliths along its sandy beach.  The beach is named for the rock on the far left above.  Indian legend says this is Ewauna, the daughter of Chief Siskiyou.  Her partially submerged head can be seen with the face looking up to the right. Continue reading →

Alhambra Fortress and Granada, Spain

by
Alhambra Sunset

Alhambra Sunset

The Alhambra is a Moorish palace and fortress complex located at the top of a hill in the city of Granada, Andalusia Spain.  It was built in the 8th century by the Moors, or if you are a fan of the Seinfeld Show the Moops.
Continue reading →

Devils Tower National Monument

by

Devils Tower Moon

It seems to me, anybody who saw the 1977 Steven Spielberg film “Close Encounters of a Third Kind” and who had never visited the filming location, would certainly wish to do so.  Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming finally got checked off my list this summer.  Unfortunately, most of the area was covered in a smoky haze from the many raging forest fires in California and Oregon.  As a side note, it seems as if Smoky the Bear may have had it wrong.  We are now paying the price, an unintended consequence, for the many years when the US Forest Service tried to put out every fire.
Continue reading →

Moab, Utah

by

Delicate Arch

Moab, Utah was just one of many small towns dotting my route as I frequently traveled between the University of Utah and my home town of Los Alamos, New Mexico.  Stopping to explore this impressive landscape was never considered.  Time was always short, rushing to get back to school, go skiing or to get home on a vacation.  Now that I have nuttin’ but time on my hands I rented a VRBO cottage in downtown Moab.  This great location did little good as many of the shops, restaurants and both photo galleries I wished to visit were closed, as February is considered the off season.  Some shops were scheduled to open up the day we departed for Colorado.  Many times while dining we were the only tourists in the cafe.  It was fun listening to the business owners in town discuss the issues of the day.  They seemed to look upon the inevitable onslaught of tourists starting in March with both great anticipation and trepidation.  Goodbye to their quiet little town.
Continue reading →

Death Valley, California

by

Death Valley Sunset Reflection

This was my fourth or fifth trip into Death Valley.  It is understandable how someone might quickly drive through the main roads of this national park and not see the beauty hidden in this barren land. The sights worth seeing in Death Valley often require one to get up for sunrise or wait until sunset.  On the plus side, you also are not going to get the Yosemite type traffic jams.  At midday much of this land looks like a xero landscaped yard in an upscale part of Arizona, with not a single green sprig to be seen and the hard ground covered with smooth tumbled rocks.  Yet within this arid desert one can always find some water and, hopefully, some beautiful sunsets and memorable reflections.

When you click on “Continue Reading” a slide show of eleven photos will play at the top of the article.
Continue reading →

Kenmare, Ireland

by

Castletownbere, IrelandKenmare, Ireland is a small town in southern Ireland that serves as a very good base for exploring the peninsula via the well-traveled 110 mile Ring of Kerry and the smaller peninsula to the south, the Ring of Beara.  Wonderful views of the North Atlantic,  great stone walls where sheep graze waiting for their next sheering and vast fields of vivid shades of green await the travelers to this area.  Miles and miles of thick, solid stone walls are a striking and common sight.  No mortar binds these rocks.  What backbreaking work it must be to first dig these rocks out of the fields where the sheep graze, then carry them to the wall and sort through them for the right shape to fit with the adjacent rocks.  At least they had cool weather and great views during their efforts. Even more picturesque is the adjacent Ring of Beara, which we circumnavigated twice.
Continue reading →