Let's say you've got nothing else going on, and you decide to launch a mission to Mars, as you do. Technically, assuming you had the rocket and the launch pad and the range clearance, the time and money, etc, you could do that tomorrow some time. BUT, this is a little like Steven Wright's assertion…Read more Interplanetary Superhighway (Math, Geometry, and Mars Missions)
A Gravity Mitigation Exercise – Biking Haleakala, Maui (Hawai’i 2018, Day 5, Pt 1)
Way back in the summer of 2018, in the "before time", we could travel, and hang out in large groups. Remember those days? Ah, innocence. Little did we know... https://youtu.be/zX_P7qRhU4Y After a late night with the manta rays, we had a light agenda for Day 4 of our Hawai'i adventure. Most of the time was…Read more A Gravity Mitigation Exercise – Biking Haleakala, Maui (Hawai’i 2018, Day 5, Pt 1)
Ka’anapali Beach Sunset, Maui, HI
On our first night on Maui during our 2018 anniversary trip with the family, we arrived at Ka'anapali Beach just in time to watch the sunset, and play in the surf.
Hiking Signal Knob, Massanutten Mountain, VA
Enjoy historic views on this this 10.4-mile loop as a dayhike or a leisurely overnight on the prominent north end of the Massanutten Mountain ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Massanutten is a fifty-mile long ridge that stands alone in the center of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Because of its length, Massanutten forms a significant…Read more Hiking Signal Knob, Massanutten Mountain, VA
Strokkur, Iceland
In addition to many active volcanoes, Iceland is full of thermal features. In fact, it is home to the "original" geyser, a spout named "Geysir". Geysir is not as active as it once was, but its neighbor, Strokkur, erupts reliably every 5 minutes or so, with varying intensity. It's a very popular stop along the…Read more Strokkur, Iceland
Hawai’i 2018: Day 3 – Swimming with Mantas!
Way back in the summer of 2018, in the "before time", we could travel, and hang out in large groups. Remember those days? Ah, innocence. Little did we know... https://youtu.be/mlgaZRprj3A Day 3 on the Big Island started with that most fleeting of opportunities - sleeping in. We had an evening appointment requiring several hours in…Read more Hawai’i 2018: Day 3 – Swimming with Mantas!
Hawai’i, 2018: Day 2 – Snorkeling and Sailing
Way back in the summer of 2018, in the "before time", we could travel, and hang out in large groups. Remember those days? Ah, innocence. Little did we know... https://youtu.be/0vVjpJMvzRw After we'd spent the first day driving all over the Big Island to see the sights, we decided to stay close to home on Day…Read more Hawai’i, 2018: Day 2 – Snorkeling and Sailing
Buđakirkja, Búðir, Iceland
Iceland is sprinkled with rural churches that stand alone, isolated on a vast empty landscape. Buđakirkja is one of the more famous, owing to its black and white simplicity.
Kirkjufellsfoss, Grundarfjörđar, Iceland
This is my version of one of the most common photos taken in Iceland - Kirkjufellsfoss (the waterfall), with the conical mountain Kirkjufell in the background. Seriously, search "Kirkjufell" and you'll see this in summer, winter, with northern lights, etc. It's a beautiful spot under almost any circumstance. We didn't have the luxury of time…Read more Kirkjufellsfoss, Grundarfjörđar, Iceland
Hawai’i, 2018: Day 1 – Around the Big Island
Way back in the summer of 2018, in the "before time", we could travel, and hang out in large groups. Remember those days? Ah, innocence. Little did we know... Well, it was about summer 2018 when my blogging, YouTubing, and general sharing started waning significantly. Things were getting tense in the online community, I had…Read more Hawai’i, 2018: Day 1 – Around the Big Island
Arctic Tern
Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) have one of the longest migrations in the world, annually flying from the Arctic to the Antarctic, a distance of over 12,000 miles (19,000 km), AND BACK. As we were told in Iceland, this exertion leaves them perpetually ticked off. At one point during our Iceland summer (2019), we pulled off…Read more Arctic Tern
Sunset at Lower Matecumbe
Still catching up on 2019, we spent a week sailing and snorkeling in the Florida Keys. This was our first sunset afloat, headed out to an anchorage at Lower Matecumbe Key. More to come on this trip as well... Get Out There! http://www.flying-squirrel.org
Sleeping Warm in Winter: Four Ways Nature is Out To Get You
Beating the cold is a lot easier if you understand the enemy...
Grundarfoss, Grundarfjörđar, Iceland
Summer, 2019 - Before SARS-CoV2 rocked the world, we managed to spend a week in Iceland, in early July under (almost) midnight sun skies. This was one of our first impressions of the place after the rain that blanketed our arrival finally lifted - Grundarfoss, just outside the town of Grundarfjörđar on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.…Read more Grundarfoss, Grundarfjörđar, Iceland
Last Snake of 2020
Out backpacking in mid-October, we saw two Timber Rattlesnakes cuddled up together for warmth, and then this friendlier Garter Snake on what was probably one of the year's last hunts. After this weekend, it started getting cold, quick. I'm sure he's underground somewhere now. Get Out There! http://www.flying-squirrel.org