Gotta Pee Off the Great Barrier Reef

This half of a newly wed couple was cute as a button and part of a new great team. I videoed her approaching our boat off of Horse Shoe, part of the Great Barrier Reef. Her new hubby is a lucky man as her demeanor is natural and her sense of humour great, when you gotta go do so. By the way she wasn't the only one and I did ask permission.

Travel Blogging, Walking Down Memory Lane

I was asked recently why I blog so much and frequently, the answer is easy. It is my way of taking notes and marking special events. I can go back over the last four years and pretty much find out where I was and what I was doing. Every once and awhile I cruise down memory lane and relive the places I have been. Even the mood I was in is clear to me. When Max first suggested blogging I had tepid interest but kept it up. I figure that in those years I haven’t blogged perhaps 35 times, it has become routine and one I enjoy. I consider it a writing exercise. Today I came across an old blog about an elephant safari I did in South Africa a few years ago. I happened to be on a bull named Joey that had flatulence and an over used trunk. The trunk kept swinging back at me in search for handfuls of food. It was like having a Hoover vacuum attacking. It is memories that do not always make it into the article that I find memorable. A farting elephant only means something when it has personally happened, I wish Joey well with his stomach problems. I can only hope that the economy hasn’t caused him more stress.

Gratitude Is Riches, Even For Travel Writers

With the markets falling faster than me on a zip line I needed some good vibes and I got some from some travel writers that I traveled with this year. While I have often written how close a group can get on a press trip, I have failed to mention how often after people fade back into their own lives. It is okay and it is natural, we all do it. That is why I was so pleased to see that I was the topic of two blogs written by writers met on the road. There are countless people such as Katherine Johnstone, Victoria Larson and my buddy Max Hartshorne to thank for making my dreams of roaming the world a reality. Gratitude is riches and Max’s blog today reminded me of that.

While we, as travel writers look for good things to see and report on, we often overlook the friendships we form. Oh the stories we could tell! I am truly humbled by the kind words in Joel Berliner’s Devil Dog Travel blog and Karen Schaler’s Travel Therapy blog. See you and all the others that mean a lot to me down the road.

Going on a 105 Day Honeymoon with Brian and L

I got an email today from my nephew, who is also one of my favorite people on the planet. He was wondering how I was handling recouping at home. Well, I told him I was snapping photos today during the major snow storm. He knows that I have about a 2 week shut down at home life span. Drew knows me well and was glad to read on the blog that Lapland is in my future. He has recently begun a career in finance in San Francisco and has settled in well with his finance Beth.

He also sent me a blog that is being done by some of his friends that are on a 105 day honeymoon trip via cruise ships. What a great experience Brian and L are on, all over the world. What a way to begin a life together! The Bonvivant Traveler blog is fantastic and filled with observations from all around the world, much like Kelly Westhof and her husband under took, and her blog is called ER and can be found on GoNOMAD. Kelly was one of our original winners of travel grants we did awhile back, she used the money well and her are stories fantastic. Now in my final recoup I will get to travel again with Brian and L's blog, keep on trucking, I will, up to travel amongst the Sámi. Before that we from GoNOMAD have a huge NY Times Travel Show coming up next weekend.