animals – Hug, The Traveler*

Costa Rica: Swimming with Sea Turtles

Caño Island, Costa Rica: December, 2021 Continued from: Costa Rica: Welcome to the Villa We woke early one morning to go snorkeling, not difficult as the sun was up and the sky was blue by six in the morning every day. This was one of my favorite things about Costa Rica, the energetic, appropriately timed naturalContinue reading “Costa Rica: Swimming with Sea Turtles”

Australia Pt. 7 – Following the Endeavour: Camping with Critters and a Tour of the Shire

Cooktown, QLD – June, 2011 Continued from: Australia Pt. 6 – Northward: Going Troppo in the Gum Trees Continued here: Australia Pt. 8 – Goon Sacks and Ant Snacks: One Night in Cooktown Each cabin at the campground slept three, and Asher, Jeff, and I rushed to claim one of the newer looking ones near the entrance.Continue reading “Australia Pt. 7 – Following the Endeavour: Camping with Critters and a Tour of the Shire”

Australia Pt. 6 – Northward: Going Troppo in the Gum Trees

Mount Molloy, QLD – June, 2011 Continued from: Australia Pt. 5 – James Cook University: Aussie-isms and the Poison Room Continued here: Australia Pt. 7 – Following the Endeavour: Camping with Critters and a Tour of the Shire If you can look past the driver sitting on the opposite side, school busses are the same across hemispheresContinue reading “Australia Pt. 6 – Northward: Going Troppo in the Gum Trees”

Australia Pt. 3 – Great Barrier Reef: Snorkeling and Sea Turtles

Great Barrier Reef, QLD – June, 2011 Continued from: Australia Pt. 2 – Cairns at Night: Planks and Legends Continued here: Australia Pt. 4 – The Secret Beach: Coconuts and Croc Watch After the bus dropped us off, we sprinted in swimsuits and coveralls through downtown Cairns, past bars with chairs on tables, past sundry stores andContinue reading “Australia Pt. 3 – Great Barrier Reef: Snorkeling and Sea Turtles”

The Actual Southernmost Point: Then and Now on Florida’s Beaches

Key West, Fl – May, 2019 (Key West Trilogy Part 1 and Part 3 here) This one actually starts at…. Panama City Beach, June (I think) 1996 (I think): Dad spotted a conch lying on the seabed about ten feet below the surface and told me to stay where my feet could touch the sandyContinue reading “The Actual Southernmost Point: Then and Now on Florida’s Beaches”

Big Cats, Tiny Home: Lyons, Colorado

Lyons, Colorado: May, 2017 Thirty minutes north of Boulder is Lyons, a small town at the entrance of the Front Range, clutching the winding St. Vrain creek and surrounded by red dirt foothills. It’s tough to really describe the town but it had a lively enough main street that appeared to straddle the typically robustContinue reading “Big Cats, Tiny Home: Lyons, Colorado”

Closing Down the Northwoods: Wolves, the Sauna, and the Northern Lights

Ely, Minnesota: September, 2016 Unable to sleep during my last night north of the birch line, I walked down to the trees along Burntside Lake sometime just after eleven. I didn’t stray far because my mind kept going to the howling wolves we’d heard earlier so I stood there, squinting without my lenses in, lookingContinue reading “Closing Down the Northwoods: Wolves, the Sauna, and the Northern Lights”