Alberta Seith Photography: Blog

Bangkok-The Venice of Asia

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 17:50:59 GMT

After arriving late, our first exposure to Bangkok is intoxicatingly fragrant jasmine flowers in our hotel room. These are used as offerings for the monks...and they made the room smell great the whole time we were in Bangkok.

Tired, we have dinner at the hotel beside the Chao Phraya River. This is a bustling big city—high rises, big businesses everywhere. And the river is alive and lighted at night with small klong boats, water taxis, long boats for touring, noisy party boats and three-ship barges with huts at the back where the workers live—some with families and small children.

Morning welcomes us with a grand sunrise over the city in a light mist.

Followed by a riverside breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast on the river at the Peninsula

We begin our day of playing tourist with our guide leading us to the standard tourist spots, beginning with the Maeklong Train Station Market. Although people here also seem to shop daily, this seems much different than the outdoor markets we saw in Hong Kong and Myanmar. Plus there’s a fun story. Seems a scheduled train runs through this area twice a day. Not a problem, except the vendors set up ON and BETWEEN the tracks. So just before each train, the market is a flurry of activity as vendors move their goods back from the tracks.

Most of the foods are in nice plastic bags and the vendors use scales to weigh purchases, just like home—big difference.

And there are stalls with little baskets of tuna—a common lunch here.

We head down the street to the Umbrella Market where vendors are cooking up a storm...like quail eggs--sunny side up-- hot off the grill.

And baby crabs. Thais "pop the top" and dump them on to their rice.

They are also selling coconut sugar...we're gonna' learn about that on the next stop, the coconut sugar plantation.

We travel sixty-five miles from the city to a coconut sugar plantation....

At the plantation we try out the "ladder" they use to climb the coconut palms to collect the blossom nectar.

They hang a bucket under blossoms overnight--much like collecting maple syrup sap.

Then boil the nectar and stir it to cool it smoothly. Penuche anyone? Smelled really good!

For a finish, we play with their pet python--really big and well fed--very gentle.

From the plantation, we get in a klong boat to the Damnoensaduak Floating Market, the last remaining Bangkok floating market simulating how goods were sold many years ago. We travel down a large canal connecting the Mae Klong River with the Tachine River. Everything is accessed by klong (canal) boat here. For generations, this has been their regular mode transportation.

Because they live along the klongs, houses are built right on the water. Many old Thai houses have their front door down on a klong--the "road" in front of the home. The canals flood periodically, so houses sit high on posts, well above the high water line. Potted plants are placed between the two levels making even plain houses quite lovely.

Some houses are beautiful with their pots bursting with flowering bougainvilleas.

We snack on spring rolls a young woman cooks on her boat for us.

Vendors in the market cooking--and sell--all manner of things from their boats.

The market itself has many stalls beside the klongs. Boat drivers stop where ever you want so you can bargain with the vendors.

Leaving, we notice many "spirit houses" in the yards. These are blessed by the monks and placed in the NE corner of the property to bring good fortune to the home.

We spend the afternoon at the Grand Palace--the old home of the king--now a ceremonial site.

The fanciful Hermit Medicine Man sits before a lavish wat. He is said to be the father of Thai Herbal Medicine.

The buildings are amazing--like all Thai Wats (temples) they are extremely ornate and covered in gold leaf.

None more special than Wat Phra Kaew, located inside the palace walls. This is the home of the Emerald Buddha. Turns out this smallish statue of jade actually has a checkered past. (We'll get an earful on our next stop in Laos.)

Guards--really big guards--watch over buildings throughout the Grand Palace...

Guards of all stripes...

The central garden filled with ancient bonsai is magnificent.

Night time brings a full moon. From our balcony overlooking the Chao Phraya, the view is magnificent!

Our last day, we take a long boat onto Chao Phraya River--a bit more choppy than the market klongs, but a great ride.

Taking a tuktuk--a motorcycle with passenger seating in back--we get a great feel for the city.

Our final stop is the Wat Pho and the 46 M gold-leaf reclining buddha. Just HUGE.

Susan and I hop on the water taxi and take the Thai Skytrain to the Jim Thompson home. This is the Thai-style home of an American OSS officer who made his home in Thailand after WWII and founded a famous Thai silk manufacturing empire--and then disappeared in Indonesia. We watch a woman in traditional dress demonstrate boiling silk cocoons to gather the silk.

Tomorrow we head for Laos, stopping in Vientiane then Luang Prabang.

Surprising, Amazing, Mystical Bagan

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 22:38:19 GMT

Leaving Yangon, we head northwest to Bagan in the center of Myanmar. Bagan is not the bustling city we found in Yangon--this is an ancient land of over 10,000 temples. Actually there are approximately 1000 stupas (structures usually containing a Buddhist relic) , 10,000 temples (structures that can be entered to pray) and 3,000 monasteries--and we'll see many of them by car, horse cart, bike and by even air (when we are lucky enough to hit one day of clear dawn weather for a balloon ride). The first temple we come upon sits overgrown, among ladies harvesting sesame plants.

On the way to our hotel we are introduced to real-life Bagan--as a farmer plows a field with an ox, all framed against an ancient pagoda. Spectacular!

Across the road we see our first "gas station" aka plastic bottles filled with petrol. Where the main mode of transportation is the motor bike, that's all they need in most areas.

And the motor bikes haul an amazing amount of goods.

Not all the pagodas are the old sandstone. Some, like the huge Shwe Zi Gon Pagoda, are covered in gold-leaf. I actually prefer the sandstone ones in the countryside...

Three huge bells hang at the back of the temple grounds. Following our guide's suggestion, we strike the bells three times using a small log, chanting, "Badu, Badu, Badu." The bells have a strong sound that reverberates through the body. Very cool.

Next we travel to the brilliant sights at the open-air market. There are brightly colored fruits and vegetables...

A woman butcher sits barefoot among the meat she is selling...

A man mixes tea leaves that will be used to make the traditional green tea salad...

Along with other interesting-and aromatic-items like this HUGE bucket of fermented fish paste. It smelled pretty much like you think it might....

Artfully displayed Betel leaves are sold here. They are commonly chewed by manual workers--they are folded around a dab of caustic calcium hydroxide and some tobacco, then sold as a folded packet. It's a stimulant and helps overcome thirst for those who must work hard all day. Other minor side effects are it turns teeth a disgusting brown and causes serious kidney problems leading to death.

Leaving the city we travel to the banks of the Irrawaddy River for a traditional lunch at the Sunset Garden restaurant. We'll actually get on the river tomorrow!

Then we're off to more huge pagodas and buddhas that I can count. This plaster and brick Ananda Phaya Pagoda is magnificent. BagonAnanda Phaya Pagoda-Bagan

And inside are huge Buddhas including this one that looks solemn when you stand directly underneath it...

The same Buddha has a big grin as you walk away. Quite amazing.

Throughout Bagan, the people crossing our paths are excited to meet us--we are very comfortable here. And the people seem to dote on their children. This boy was the child of the lady who rents bikes across from our hotel. Oh yea--this child even has an electronic tablet. The 21st century joins temples from the 9th century.

We see no scroungy dogs or cats, no mistreated horses or ox here. These oxen and carts are decorated to carry the young monks--and tourists. These were on their way to a full moon sunset at a nearby temple.

Climbing steps to watch a sunset can be interesting. The steps are old and crumbling. But even a greater challenge is, because they are hand made, they are different heights, some almost up to my knees. Out of respect, visitors take off shoes and wear pants or skirt below the knee--and no tank tops here!

The view from the top is worth the climb--truly breathtaking.

It looks like a movie set. The greens almost fluoresce and there are hundreds of pagodas in all directions. The Irrawaddy River is at the horizon.

Back down on mortal earth, some Kayan weavers from the Mandalay region are in the courtyard. They come for tourists, like us. Tracing their history to the Mongols in 700 AD, these elders still have the brass neck rings they have worn since childhood. They have difficulty removing them--they have few working neck muscles.

The next morning we set out to explore more of the area and begin at the Old Bagan Gate.

We meet a family from Mandalay visiting our first temple. Their busy little boy stopped, just for a second, to pose for a quite picture.

Traveling on, we pass young boys in their initial monk-training. Boys, and some girls, go through 3-6 week monk inductions when school is not in session. They may choose to become monks in their late teens and can choose to go back to their regular life at any time, with no stigma.

The close of this day is amazing. We take to a sampan on the Irrawaddy at sunset.

And have a traditional dinner on a sandbar--this spot is under water during the rainy season. All quite magical.

Morning comes very early--we're up at 0430 today for a dawn balloon ride over Bagan. We are very lucky. The trip was filled yesterday and our last two days it rained in the morning, canceling the sunrise lift-offs. Can't imagine having missed this spectacular adventure!

Looking toward the Irrawaddy, we get a true birds-eye view. Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it.

After lunch, we take horse carts to a festival celebrating then end of the rainy season, Bagan Festival Bagan Festival

Then off to a quiet pagoda to watch the sunset.

At the top, bathed in the evening sun, we see a beehive that looks like chainmaille.

Even the ride back to the hotel at dusk was pretty spectacular.

The sunset filters against a full moon in magical pink-fingered rays.

Our last day in Bagan, the town prepares for the Festival of Light celebration. Young monks hop off their bus to participate. The town revs up for a party. We'll even have fireworks with our dinner....

And we begin biking Bagan before breakfast to beat the heat.

We make it to the top of our last pagoda.

Another careful "trip" down

We visit a seamstress who altered some clothes for us using an old treadle machine.

Before we left for Bangkok, in the rain....

Ancient Burma-First Stop Yangon, Myanmar

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 02 Feb 2014 01:07:05 GMT

From Hong Kong, we fly to Yangon, Myanmar, via a short stop in Bangkok--we'll go back to Bangkok later.

Yangon is the old Rangoon of the colonial British Burma days and has just opened to American tourists--a beautiful place. We stayed at the old British Governor's Residence Hotel--still very colonial, tucked back in the embassy section of the city. It had been the capital of the country. In 2005 the capital was moved to Naypyidaw, new city still under construction, many miles away because the government determined the Yangon infrastructure "beyond repair." (Not a very popular decision.)

Full of beautiful tropical flowers. Yellow amaryllis blossoms jumpEd out at us. We had our first look at a hanging lobster claw,

And a blossoming cast-iron plant. I must have killed a hundred of these things--I had no idea they could be so beautiful if they had more love.

A woman played a traditional Burmese instrument at breakfast each morning. The ancient Burmese arched harp- saung gauk-is the national musical instrument.

First stop was the Sule Pagoda where we saw a procession of monks in their deep red robes walking in front of examples of colonial architecture.

In the heart of the city, the pagoda--all gold leaf--is over 2500 years old.

As we enter the pagoda, we are stooped by a woman with a basket of wren-like birds. We pay to free wrens --a good deed in front of the Sule Pagoda. Not sure of the karma in store the for people who captured these little guys.

Inside we take off our shoes and walk the parameter of the pagoda and see a woman visiting the stupa marking the day of the week she was born.

Eight stupas (small buildings that only hold an image) surround the main pagoda (a building large enough to enter)--the day week you are born is very important here. Wednesday, for some reason, is divided into two stupas.... There is a simple temple etiquette--remove shoes, wear modest shirts, no camisoles, and skirts or pants must be below the knee.

And we get a close-up of a woman with thanaka cosmetic face paint. Most women wear this paste, made from a bark, to protect their skin.

From there we go to Bogyoke (General) Aung San or Scott’s Market with all sorts of wonderful things. This is a huge bazaar with art, fabric, antiques, jewelry and handicrafts. Built in 1926, it was re-named after the general who led the fight for Burmese independence from British rule. He was also the father of Aung San Suu Kyi.

This was where we bought our traditional Burmese Longyis--a long skirt tucked at the waist. More on that later.... Men also wear longyis but just tie them in front. Much cooler than pants, we can see why they are so popular. (Young people often copy the western dress and wear Jeans when they go out.) Our guide wears a longyi as we walk through the market.

A man sharpens knives on the sidewalk.

One vendor sells traditional colorful Burmese jelled sweets

And these circular baskets are filled with fried crickets...

There's fresh produce and meats--everyone buys their food for the day. Most have refrigerators, they just prefer fresh food straight from the farmers. The women wear thanakha paste to protect their faces from the sun. (They all have beautiful skin so it seems to work.)

After lunch we have a traditional green tea salad. This is a traditional Mynanmar dessert and welcoming food for guests. It's made of pickled green tea and sesame oil, with crisp fried garlic, peppers and peanuts, toasted sesame, crushed dried shrimp, and preserved shredded ginger. It's quit good. We are beginning to see the traditional desserts are not be the "sweets" we are used to. Much more healthy desserts, often not very sugary.

After lunch we walk down an alley off Maha Bandoola Street in Chinatown, where we watch young men in hiked up longyis and shorts play the traditional Myanmar sport of Chinlon. Also known as cane ball, it is played with a woven rattan ball and combines sport and dance in a team sport without competition. There are no opposing teams. The focus is not on winning or loosing, but on how beautifully one plays the game. Men Playing Chinlon-Yangon

We are just in time for the Chinatown celebration to the Fat Buddha--the whole country is preparing for a big Festival of Lights on the 19th. This celebrates the first full moon after the summer monsoons.

A mother encourages her baby to tell us "Nee hao," Chinese for "Hello. We came at a great time!

As we walk, we notice car steering wheels are still on the "passenger" side--a remnant of colonial Burma. They used to drive on the left, like the UK. After independence they began driving on the right...but continue to use cars with the steering wheel in the old position.

Next we ride a bicycle-pedicab called a trishaw through the traffic on the way to the Strand Hotel. What a kick!

Afternoon tea at the historic Strand Hotel was a nice cool break...

As we headed to the Shwedagon Pagoda.

This is the most sacred spot in the country, containing relic hairs of Buddha. The gilded pagoda and stupa is 2600 years old and dominates the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined as well. The tree at the entrance is said to be from the tree under which Buddha received his enlightenment.

The pagoda is magnificent at night.

We see our first female monks here. They have shaved heads and look much like their male counterparts, except for their pink robes.

The next day we rode the Yangon River ferry to the city of Dalla on the other side of the Yangon River because we asked to go to an orphanage.

And take another trishaw ride to one of the few orphanages in the country.

We asked to see a facility that really took care of the children. We learned that many orphanages in SE Asia set themselves up as tourist attractions. The children are put on the street when they reach their teens--and nothing good can come of that. Unfortunately, this one has grown to 350 children. Monks care for small children through high school. The girls live with families because it is a male monastery. The monks often get them into trades and watch over them until they marry. We brought candy for the children but we left currency with the monks.

On the way back to the ferry we stop at a candle "factory." Everything is by hand. They're very busy filling orders preparing for the upcoming Festival of Lights.

On the ferry back to Yangon, we are treated to a beautiful sunset over the Yangon River.

Tomorrow we head north to the city of Began--a place beyond description! Wait until you see the pictures.

Asia Unplugged-First stop Hong Kong

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 20:58:40 GMT

We're off on a six week Southeast Asia adventure and our first stop is Hong Kong. We are traveling with our good travel buddies, John and Susan, on a trip almost a year and a half in the planning. Hong Kong is a great introduction to the excitement and Asian culture ahead. We wonder if the city will be changed much from our last visit years ago at the time China took over. During that visit the locals seemed quite concerned their city would be changed....

Today we stay at the Peninsula Hotel overlooking Victoria Harbour. And, as much as we can tell from a visitor's vantage point, they city remains the robust, exciting Hong Kong we remember.

If anything, it seems to have become more energized. The hotel itself is lovely.

But the mezzanine shops are over the top--store windows gushing fabulous jewels, more furs and designer clothes than you can shake a stick at. Really fun to window shop. And this is just in the hotel! A small sampling of the local merchants. We're told the extremely wealthy Chinese from the mainland regularly hop over to Hong Kong and really enjoy their shopping. Yea, I guess.

From our room in Kowloon section we overlook Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island.

Our first excursion is hitting most of the tourist must-do's:

We take the 27 degree (steeeep) Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. This is one of the oldest (1888) and most famous funicular railways in the weld. The view of the city from Lion's View Point is spectacular.

We drive to Aberdeen Village, near Repulse Bay, to check out the shops at the the Stanley Waterfront Mart. Vendors sell Chinese art, silk, laquerware and various trinkets. Then we ride a sampan in Stanley Harbour to view the fishing junks

and the huge, elaborate moored restaurant.

On the way back to the hotel we pass a beautiful old cemetery stretching up the hillside.

We walk through the Tai Po Market market filled with foods and goods. The butcher loved being in the picture...

Stalls are packed with just abut every thing you can imagine.

The fruits and vegetables were bright and shiny.

Wr came across our first dragon fruit (bottom right) at the market--we'll see these throughout the rest of our trip. Sliced, they are a white or pink fruit with tiny black seeds. A favorite here but there wasn't much taste.

Walking through several temples, Man Mo Temple is in an urban neighborhood. Filed with smoke from incense, it was built a century ago. The temple is dedicated to Man, the God of Literature and Mo the God of Martial Arts.

Tang Chung Ling Ancestral Hall and the walled villages of Lo Wai passing through the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, the homeland of the Tang Clan showcasing the deepest of Chinese religious life. Members of the Tang clan have owned this area for years and continue to build houses for the new birth members of the family.

Followed by the Tai Fu tai, an opulent stately home that was built in 1865 by a scholar of the gentry class.

From our car we can see...CHINA! (You can see the high-sides in China's the perpetual smog.) Who knew!

We had to drive closer...and on the way we got a look at farming, Hong Kong style. (We may not want to know what made the soil look so rich.)

We went to Lok Ma Cha Garden. This park overlooks a flood plain with people living in tine houses on the Hong Kong side. Across the fence is Shenzhen, China. This is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, and it sits immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

Because it is southern mainland China's major financial center, Shenzhen is home to the famous Shenzhen Stock Exchange as well as the headquarters of numerous high-tech companies. Shenzhen is also one of the busiest container ports in China. All overlooking these people in their tiny homes.

Back at the hotel we are treated to a once a week light symphony--just fun.

Then we walked to dinner and spent the evening walking the streets of Kowloon. Walking down Nathan Street...

We walked through the Temple Street Night Market

And past some interesting restaurant windows....

Of course we took the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island. A huge upscale mall is a few steps away--with one of the biggest Apple stores we've ever seen!

The city was beautiful at dawn as we prepared to leave--getting in to the more unusual parts of our trip. Next we're off Myanmar-Burma. Our first stop will be in Yangon--aka Rangoon a while ago.

Day 26-28- Estancia El Umbu de Areco-Argentina Pampas

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 18:13:00 GMT

On the final leg of our trip we spend three days at Estancia El Umbu de Areco in the Argentine pampas. This is a colonial-style mansion and working ranch dating back to the 1800's. With only 9 rooms, it is now a secluded tourist destination to ride and enjoy rural Argentina.

Eva Boelcke's family has owned the Estancia since 1934. She often stays at her house in town by comes to the Estancia several times a week. It's easy to know when she is here…she arrives with her car loaded with the stray dogs she has adopted into her "city" family. She brought about six the days we saw her.

We are seated immediately beneath the ancient Umbu tree and served empanadas and wine. This tree dates from 1806. Umbus are native to the pampas and have a large umbrella shape. Gauchos could see them in the distance and would seek them out as shelter from the sun and rain.

Within an hour we are on horseback.

Led by the 66 year old Oscar Periera, who comes from a San Antonio de Areco's legendary gaucho family, we ride into the pampas.

We arrive back at the Estancia in time for lunch. This is a hearty meal of all-you-can eat and drink of their own grilled beef and sheep, vegetables and their own house wine. They have their own organic garden and the meat is cooked slowly in an open fire pit. The aroma at lunchtime is WOW.

The first day we ate in the indoor lunch area. After lunch we have a great surprise--Oscar joins us with his guitar.

He serendades us.

We ride several times each day. Just head for the stables--very unstructured. Riding on the land is magical.

And we see some interesting birds...the burrowing owls sometimes line up on the fence posts.

And the fields are often filled with Campo Flickers that take flight as we approach.

We also meet the flickers' near-relatives, the golden breasted woodpeckers.

Touring the old Estancia is fun...this old well was probably the water source for main house in the 1800's.

The old "parlor" is now a sitting/game room for guests.

One day we had lunch on the outside veranda.

We also had lunch under the trees. (Fortunately, dinner was a bit lighter or we would have left much heavier!)

We found the estancia is a lunchtime tourist destination, so they make the midday meal quite a show. Oscar always sings.

And everyday the gauchos perform with their horses. These men spend their lives in the saddle. They can pick out horses with specific compliant natures and train them to do amazing things.

Our last night we are treated to a full moon...

And a hard-to-see Southern Cross--the upside down kite just above the tree. Tomorrow we head back to the US and try to absorb all we've seen and done as we re-enter our everyday lives.

Day 23-25 Buenos Aries

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 03:20:21 GMT

We love Chile and Argentina. Great food. Anything you need you can find in the stores. Basically, if I can drink the water and eat the fruits and vegetables, I'm in. But here we also find history going back MANY hundreds of years. (Check out La Recoleta at the end.)

In Buenos Aries we stay at a great B+B, Abode Buenos Aries. David and Zoe are ex-pats who really enjoy hosting visitors. They are in a wonderful tree-lined neighborhood- Palermo SoHo--within walking distance of great restaurants, shopping and bus lines. They even sometimes have a bus pass available.

Dave arranged for for a real Argentine barbecue- Parilla pronounced pah-RE-jah. This included barbecued cheeses, sirloin, fillets, pork and blood sausage and sweet breads, all traditional foods and all cooked by Dave on the rooftop.

To top it off, we even had tango lessons.

Wine flowed, we learned a tiny bit about the tango...

And ate some great food. We had dinner with others at the B+B, some friends of theirs and some friends from our Antarctica trip. An amazing evening!

Zoe also helped us figure out what to see in BA and how to get to get there in the limited time we had. Our first stop was by bus to Caminito. Touristy, but fun. Caminito, Buenos AriesBuenos Aries

Where we watched some more tango demos.

The buildings are all multi-colored, a remnant of an era when sailors brought home left over paint form the ships.

Colorful frescos and sculptures are everywhere.

We took off by bus and were entranced by the colors all over the city. This fruit market was one of many buildings decorated with murals.

Next we headed for the Pink Palace--The Casa Rosada--that sits at the eastern end of the Plaza de Mayo . The official residence of the President of Argentina, is located in Olivos, Buenos Aires Province. This is the balcony made famous by Evita.

Across the plaza, the Cabildo is a beautiful old building that hosts the National Museum of the Cabildo and the May Revolution.

The monument to Christopher Columbus, Buenos Aries is behind the Casa Rosada.

Walking around the downtown we come to the Obelisco de Buenos Aires. The obelisk was built in 1936 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first founding of the city. It is located in the center of the Plaza de la República (Republic Square), the spot where the Argentine flag was flown for the first time in Buenos Aires.

We did mention there are many lovely old buildings here. Nestled right up to modern architecture. Buenos AriesMixes the old and the new

This is a bustling, modern city.

With interesting distractions...

Day 2 we head to El Rosedal, the Rose Garden--again by bus. A beautiful park. Buenos AriesBuenos Aries

With roses and many other kinds of beautiful flowers.

Buenos AriesBuenos Aries

We pass through the Patio Andaluz and we leave, walking to the Japanese Garden.

We have lunch with the koi at the Japanese Garden, built in 1967.

Next we head to the giant mechanical flower--Floralis Generica-- in the Recoleta district of Buenos Aries. This symbol for the city is located in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas. The flower no longer opens at dawn and closes at dusk--guess cut backs are everywhere. It is still beautiful.

And walking back to the bus we had one final surprise--a Palo Borracho tree in bloom. This beautiful tree coms with an amazing folk tale...

Long ago, when gods lived on earth, the dark spirits (Aña) killed the Guarani people.  A beautiful young woman named Araverá "Sparkle in the sky", the daughter of chief "White Condor" married the hummingbird god, Colibrí, and hoped her baby was a son, who would become a Shaman, capable of destroying all of the evil spirits.  Hearing of her plans, the Añas plotted to kill her by mounting fire-breathing horses. Araverá escaped on a flying chair to the ultimate ends of the universe.  The Añas looked in the depths of the waters, under the earth, and higher than the stars. When her tiny chair finally couldn't support the weight of her and her growing baby anymore, she descended to earth and hid inside a Toborochi (Palo Borrachoi). The Añas never found them. Araverá bore her son in the tree. The boy grew and took revenge upon the evil of the Añas while his mother remained in the trunk, as she does to this day. Sometimes, when she does go outside, she becomes the tree's beautiful flower, so that the hummingbirds can come and enjoy her nectar.

Our final stop is the famous La Recoleta Cemetery. The Church of Our Lady of Pilar sits at the entrance.

We arrive at the cemetery just as the skies open.

This is actually a good omen. We begin to walk around as soon as the rain slows and we have the whole place to ourselves for almost 20 minutes.

Many of the vaults are as big as a small house. This is the final resting place for Justa Lima de Atucha and wife.

Even the small vaults are elaborately ornate. Buenos AriesBuenos Aries

And we get some interesting reflections in the glass.

Here we see another stained glass window plus our reflection as we walk by.

The BBC named La Recoleta one of the world's best cemeteries. In 2013, CNN listed it among the 10 most beautiful cemeteries in the world.

The Recoleta Cemetery (Cementerio de la Recoleta) is the burial site of Eva Peron. It also contains graves of presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, the founder of the Argentine Navy and a granddaughter of Napoleon. This is the Duarte family vault.

With Evita's plaque in the bottom right corner.

This was a wonderful visit.

Buenos AriesBuenos Aries

Back at Abode, Zoe gives me some ideas about where to pick up a few gifts--her favorite stores just a few blocks from the B+B.

Tomorrow we head to the Estancia for gauchos and horseback riding!

Day 22- Sailing down the Beagle Channel

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 21:13:26 GMT

Today we head back to the harbor and board our Rumbo Sur catamaran for our trip down the Beagle Channel to Estancia Harberton. The Estancia has existed since 1886 and is a part of the long missionary history of the area.

The flowers in Ushuaia are amazing.

The lupin are set off by the bright blue sky as we wait for our morning ride. Normally Ushuaia is windy, cold and rainy. We have hit it on two warm, bright sunny days. Very lucky.

As the catamaran leaves the harbor, we see wildlife throughout the bay. Like these Upland Geese on an island we pass.

Nesting Rock Cormorants...

Part of a very large colony...

And then there's the iconic Ushuaia lighthouse.

Down the Beagle, we pass the Chilean Puerto Williams. Much smaller than Ushuaia, this also is recognized by some as the most southern city in the world. It is an important base for the Chilean navy, with a tower at the right. That is the undisputed location of the southern most bar in the world. The green building on the left is the local church.

Next we stop at Isla Martillo, a large Megellanic Penguin Colony in the Beagle.

This is how most visitors see the penguin colonies down here. We feel very fortunate to have had a very different experience.

The Megellanic penguins still put on a show, even if they do have to dodge big boats on their beach.

We finally arrive at Estancia Harberton. It's lovely now, but it is hard to believe a missionary raised a family way out here in the late 1800's.

It caters to tourists now.

Both by water and by land. You can rent a room, camp or have a meal here.

And it is the home of Museo Acatushun, a renown research facility for marine life and birds found in the area. The director, Rae Natalie Prosser Goodall began the collections and studies in 1976 by claiming dead specimens on the beaches. She would bring them home and boil them to clean the bones. Her house was known for its horrible smells back then.

It is now a first class facility, with great exhibits inside and out.

We drive back to Ushuaia though the foothills of the Andes.

We stop by a gentle waterfall, complete with rainbow.

And get another, unobstructed, view of Mt. Olivia from the back side.

Back in Ushuaia, we wander down town for dinner with the church bells ringing.

Our last find in Ushuaia is a troll garden at our B+B. Now we know why we have had such a magical trip. These little guys have been a good omen for us from Iceland to Switzerland--in fact on almost all our trips. We just have to keep watch for them.

We'll begin our trip home tomorrow. We have two more legs...a stop in Buenos Aries, then out to a gaucho ranch in Patagonia.

Days 20-21 The Drake Passage and Ushuaia

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 16:00:02 GMT

We all gathered for one final Cheeseman-UT Jackson School of Geoscience-Ioffe Akademik group shot before we hit the Drake. Antarctica Group Shot

We have had exceptional weather--for Antarctica. However, the Drake is known for stormy weather, We are ready for a few rough hours on the way back. Our first encounter is not with weather but whales. We are joined by several fin whales in the passage. They were right beside the ship.

We did have several rock-and-roll hours, but nothing exceptional. (Apparently we were just ahead of a large storm. A cruise ship behind us was hit by a rogue wave and it broke the wheel house window. Guess we were lucky. )

We pass to the east of Cape Horn, engulfed in fog.

We were barely able to see this iconic southernmost headland to Chile's Tierra del Fuego archipelago.

After Cape Horn, we pass into the Beagle Channel and the next morning arrive in Argentina's Ushuaia-a bustling small city with a big impact. It is called the southernmost city in the world.

Located on a slice of land claimed by Argentina on the east side of the Tierra del Fuego, it began as an Argentine prison settlement. Why you may ask? Argentina and Chile have a long history of boundary disputes. Putting a prison at Ushuaia gave Argentina a way to raise the Argentine population and increase its stronghold in the area. We say goodbye to our Canadian ship operators and our Russian crew. Victor was the sailor who ran the gangway to the zodiacs. The gangway was a long ladder from the deck down to the sea with a platform at water level. This was the man who stood in the rain and icy winds, grabbed and secured each of the tiny rubber boats as they bounced to the ship in rough seas and gave us a strong arm to help us into the boats and then back on the ship. He was made of iron and very patient

Many of our group our continuing on with a Cheeseman Patagonia tour of Tierra del Fuego. We do say good bye to Tim and Pauline Carr, our Shackleton experts who sailed their 28 foot ship from England to Grytvetkin and made it their home for all those years.

We have our first look at Monte Olivia, the mountain that is the the emblem of the city.

After dropping our things, we set off for a quick tour the area by car. The city has a definite European tang in the housing areas.

Our first stop? Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, of course.

Located at the southern tip of the Andes, long board walks over wetlands lead to amazing remote areas.

We walk down some interesting paths.

To the water's edge. The Beagle Channel--named after Darwin's ship--is in the distance.

I loved this moss covered rock with its deep folds.

And I have no idea what this thing was under the water. Even the fish seem to be checking it out.

Just a beautiful place.

Next we visit La Roca, or Lago Acigami. An park area that reminds us of a mountain fiord.

We leave for a grilled bar-b-que lunch, Argentine style. Plates of ribs, steal, pork and blood sausages, vegetables--and it just keeps coming. Very good. Heading back to Ushuaia, we pass many trees with Chinese Lanterns. (A pla like mintstletoe that forms balls hanging from the trees)

We stop at Bahia Ensenada, on the Beagle Channel.

It has a "post office" of sorts, the Unidad Postal Fin del Mundo

I have no idea the story behind this, that was tacked to the wall inside...Nine dollar bill? Really?

Retuning to Ushuaia, we walked around town a bit. Very busy with many tourists, backpackers, etc. UshuaiaTraffic in Ushuaia, Argentina

We end our day back at our B+B, Patagonia Jarke. Tomorrow we head out on a catamaran tour down the Beagle Channel.

Day 19-Hannah Point on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 03:32:41 GMT

Leaving Neko Harbour after our late night zodiac adventure, we head back toward the Shetland Islands en route to Ushuaia and the southern tip of South America. In the morning we will visit one final spot overflowing with Southern Ocean wildlife, Hannah Point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands.

The island is a microcosm of the life--and death--we have witnessed along the way. Gentoo parents and chicks.

A gentoo chick that looked just like a fat little "beany baby"

(Gentoo) Penguins on their rock nests each placed almost perfectly at about two-foot diameters from each other.

Macaroni penguin with chick along side Chinstrap penguins and their chicks.

A skua on it's nest

The cacophony of an active penguin colony calling for mates

A gentoo mother successfully protecting her chicks from an encroaching elephant seal that outweighs her many many times

Chinstaps performing their mating ritual

A Southern Black-backed Gull and chick

Two skuas fighting over the remains of a penguin chick one just stole from a nest

And a final sunset as we leave 62 degrees south and head north to South America

Day 18-Lemaire Channel, Port Lockroy and Neko Harbour

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 20:50:57 GMT

It's hard to imagine, but every day is a new adventure with new wonders. We begin early (something new and different) to enjoy a cruise through the Lemaire Channel. This is sometimes called Kodak Alley because the steep granite cliffs meet the protected, still waters, often filled with ice bergs.

Our geologists point out the volcanic folds in the granite mountains we pass.

It is lovely with the sun rising behind the mountains.

From the Lemaire, we travel to a charming, but isolated, little base at Port Lockroy. This was a British station at Jougla Point during W W II. It was built in 1944 as part of a secret "Operation Tabarin" mission to report on German activity. This was a disinformation action to establish a British foothold in the area and possibly source information actually obtained from the cracking of the Enigma machine. Port Lockroy by seaPort Lockroy

You might notice the tell-tale pink patches all over the surrounding rocks. They are clustered around Bransfield House.

A large colony of Gentoos call this spot home, nesting around, beside and under the buildings.

If they left the doors open, these guys would probably nest in doors, too!

A chance for some great close-ups.

This is now a museum managed by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, a UK charity. I can't imagine how hard the living was in this little wood shelter during the 40's.

All the comforts of home--not.

They have some of the old electronics on display.

We also move to the other side of the area-Jougla Point--where more gentoos hang out.

A large collection of whale bones is also laid out here.

A gentoo serenades us, penguin-style.

Back on the ship, we have an outdoor lunch on the deck as we watch Port Lockroy fade away. Lunch at Port LockroyPort Lockroy

After lunch we traveled up the Neumayer Channel, crossing the Gerlache Straight, and into Andvord Bay to Neko Harbour. Named after a factory whaling ship from the 1920's, we are now hoping to see whales here. We're taking another evening zodiac cruise after dinner. From our small rubber boat, we can appreciate the immense play area Antarctic whales and seals inhabit.

Our first sighting is a giant leopard seal stretched out on the ice. Our ship makes a nice backdrop.

Did I mention their vicious reputation? And their razor-sharp canine teeth? Not sure if he was yawning or just showing us he could make our lives miserable if he wanted to....

As we ride around the bay we suddenly spot another pair of humpbacks. One is definitely smaller--maybe a calf.

The large one is as interested in us as we are in her. She moves near the zodiac.

Make that REAL near. She moves right along side us. This isn't a great shot, but there was no time to change lenses. We could have leaned over and touched her if we weren't so surprised.

This was not a scary experience. It's obvious the whales know exactly where we are and they silently and smoothly moved around us. Then, whoosh! She proceeded to cover us with whale spry. (It has a definite fishy odor...and we loved it!)

The two whales joined up again and shot away, hardly rippling the water.

The end of another boring day at the bottom of the world....

Day 17- Cuverville Island, the Gerlache Straight and Port Charcot

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 11:25:02 GMT

We start our day at the Gentoo penguin colony on Cuverville Island, about 123 miles from Deception. From the boat the landing is splotched with pink--telltale penguin signs, the result of eating all those pink krill.

And as we land, I find the rocks underwater beautiful. Obviously, not a whole lot of geology has rubbed off on me--but I do love rocks. And I find looking at them through the water prism irresistible. I actually think these may top the underwater rocks I found at Glacier National Park.

The gentoo colony is full of activity. These are beautiful birds with the bright orange mouths. Some are just enjoying the area and eating snow.

The males are busy constantly adding rocks to their mate's nest. I don't think anyone knows what makes a rock desirable. Some are tiny.

Some are quite large.

Scientists did a study painting rocks at one nest in a colony. In just a few days the marked rocks were totally dispersed among many nests. Seems penguins not only "find" great rocks to bring their mate, they also covet and steal rocks from other nests. Go figure. The bottom line is their are penguins on nests everywhere. Some roosting on eggs...

And some penguins are feeding their baby chicks.

The chicks never seemed filled up. With two babies, Gentoo need mothers and fathers to satiate the little rascals.

When the Gentoos call out, they stretch their necks and we see the orange color goes all the way down their gullet.

And, of course, I'm taken with their unique feet.

They follow very specific trails up and down the hills--penguin paths. We have to be careful not to block or get in their way. Again, they are marked with pink from the krill.

And we have a wonderful full moon that shows up in the clouds as we tour the area by zodiac.

The ice in the surrounding waters is beautiful. (We expect to see even more spectacular sights on our midnight zodiac tour tonight.)

And we have our first leopard seal encounter.

These are bold, powerful predators extraordinaire. Only the elephant seal is larger and only the orca is more dangerous. They have powerful canine teeth and feed mostly on penguins and other seals but they have attacked and killed divers. This guy swam with us for over a half hour and kept coming up to the zodiac, checking us out.

Moving on, we head off to Port Charcot on Booth Island, the western edge of the Lemaire Channel. We cruise though Gerlache Straight on the way and look for whales.

We find a mother humpback and her calf.

But that's not all-we watch as they are harassed by a pack of orcas. Best guess from our guides is the orcas were teaching their young how to hunt or maybe just practicing pack tactics.

It probably didn't end well for the humpback calf.

We move on to Booth Island, which forms the western edge of the Lemaire Channel. We arrive as the sun is going down.

Hiking on shore, we get our first look at the massive bergs...

As we walk to the top edge of the island.

And look over the massive ice bergs in the setting sun.

Taking to the zodiacs, we begin our late night tour. We find a leopard seal stretched our on the ice as we start out.

It's amazing how much light there is at 10:30 at night. Our ship, Ioffe Akademik, is framed by an iceberg.

The zodiacs against the bergs help show how massive these hunks of ice really are.

Cocoa and brandy await us when we get back to the ship.

Day 16 Deception Island-an Active Volcano Caldera

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 03:43:41 GMT

Today we head to Deception Island. This is an amazing place, a caldera--a "bowl" of collapsed land after a volcanic eruption. In fact, this is one of the few active volcanos in Antarctica. We're going to Pendulum Cove first, then to Whaler's Bay where we hear we'll have an "opportunity" for a BRIEF dip in Antarctic waters. How warm is that bay supposed to be????

We move through the narrow caldera entrance, Neptune's Bellows. This brings the ship extremely close to the walls as we enter.

We begin on the volcanic black rock beach at Pendulum Cove.

The volcano destroyed the station here several years ago. Only twisted metal and some wood pieces remain.

Our geologists, always exploring, hike up the caldera's Mt. Pound Ridge for a closer look at the rocks.

Much of the area is off limits. The scientists are trying to protect the plant life re-establishing itself here. It is a surprise to see patches of green on this dark monochromatic landscape.

We leave the beach after signing the visitor's book.

This afternoon we move to the southeast corner of Port Foster (still in the caldera) to an area known as Whaler's Bay where we find some Chinstraps, probably from the island's Baily Head colony.

We find whaling remnants here.

And the geothermal fog adds an erie atmosphere.

The fog has a sulphur smell, much like the geothermal fields we saw in Iceland. I'm amazed we find penguins on the warm sand. We watched penguins resting on their heels to lift their feet off the ground to cool off in the Falklands. Here they don't seem to avoid the heat.

These buildings are the remnants of the British Antarctic Survey survey site that was lost to volcanic activity in the 60's.

And we get ready to take a dip in the Port Foster waters.

This may seem pretty dumb but it has a long history. Before everyone was concerned about conservation, trip operators used to bring shovels and dig a trough so guests could swim in the "thermal" waters, so the ocean was cold, but not down-right freezing! Needless to say, those days are gone.

At the time it was fun. But verrry cold.

As we get dressed all we can talk about is getting back to ship and warming up in the hot tub.

Tomorrow we head 123 miles to Cuverville Island and some truly fantastic Antarctica sites. Giant icebergs at midnight? You bet!

Day 15 - King George Island and Antarctica Landfall at Esperanza

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 00:51:33 GMT

Today we hit heavy fog at sea as we head for continental Antarctica. Oh, yea, there are many ice bergs floating around. Even with all the modern sonar doo-dads, it's slow going.

Initially we land in the South Sandwich Islands at King George Island, 75 miles off Antarctica. After a long history of countries claiming the island, there are now "research stations" from multiple nations including Argentina. Under an international treaty, no country can lay claim to land, mineral or fishing rights to Antarctica. This is constantly under dispute and the treaty itself is up for review in a few years...

We land in Admiralty Bay and watch Chinstraps rock-hopping. Amazing to watch them balance as they jump over the rocks along the shore.

An Adelie, with its unique white-ringed eye, hops into the water right in front of us.

We find some krill, the pink crustaceans that are the base of the food chain in the area. We placed them on some kelp for sizing. Krill is the reason the area around penguin colonies has a pink color. Don't eat pink snow!

Moving toward the mainland, we must pass very close to ice bergs.

And we search the ice flows for a stray Emperor Penguin. They live much further south, but occasionally visitors get lucky. This is a blow-up of a tiny portion of a picture. Unfortunately, this was probably a King Penguin--too small for an Emperor.

Then we get our first view of Argentina's Esperanza Station and the magnificent mountains that form its backdrop.

We finally hit my seventh continent--Antarctica.

Fun stop--this is Adelie land. The colony is huge.

Beautiful birds. They look like they have blue eyes with the white ring around their pupils.

And these penguins are true clowns. First they slide up hill.

Then down the hill.

Then they just march in all different directions.

We saw many cute fuzzy gray chicks, as well.

Some with their moms getting fed.

I think these were my favorite penguins.

Here's a map of our Antarctic travels.

From here we head to a swim (really) at Deception Island!

Day 14--Point Lookout, Elephant Island

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 03:39:54 GMT

We pass snow-covered Elephant Island on the way to our Point Lookout landing. Elephant Island lies just below 60 degrees south. Per an old sailor's adage: Below 50 degrees south there is no law. Below 60 degrees south there is no God.

We shall see...

The area is alive with different kinds of penguins. These chinstraps show how hard they work to walk all over their land bases.

It's amazing to see how high up the mountains they climb to find the 'perfect" nesting spot.

Some chinstrap pairs seem to snuggle...

This one poses for a real close-up.

I loved the way the different penguins feet are so unique. These chinstrap tootsies are digging into the ice as the bird perches on a very uneven patch.

Macaroni penguins join the penguin party...

Along with Gentoos feeding their chicks...

And a lone Adelie penguin clambers over the rocks.

The rights for nesting spots can become quite heated. The males build the nests and the females critique them before deciding if they will lay their egg there. Penguins often steal rocks from each other's nests. Guess some rocks are more desirable than others.

We find one chinstrap repositioning on her nest. We get a glimpse of her two eggs. She will be a busy mother. The rocks can't make a very comfortable nest, but the eggs stay dry and protected here.

We watch as one chinstrap baby stretches its wings--already beginning to build its swimming muscles.

Meanwhile, the geologists trek the site searching for special amphibolite schists--we just enjoy the scenery.

Some rocks even catch my eye... story the molten granite making these folds could tell. Leaving Elephant Island, a pink sunset glow hits the tops of the distant mountains. Peaceful.

Tomorrow we head to King George Island in the South Sandwich Islands before finally making landfall on Antarctica.

Days 11-13 To Elephant Island, Point Wild

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 03:41:59 GMT

Heading to Elephant Island, we cross 60, south on Day 11 and officially enter Antarctica. We hit some rough seas on the way. It could be much worse, but it's still exciting. We are fortunate so far--this is the first day we've had people stay in their rooms. Our cabin is on the top deck, but we're fine. The best part is we have a direct route to the bridge (we just have to cross a slippery passage open to the sea). But what views we get of the breaking seas over the bow. to Elephant Island

The storm also brings a fantastic sunset. to Elephant Island We finally arrive at Elephant Island on a foggy morning. We are still off the coast of continental Antarctica and still back-tracing Shackleton's path. Following the loss of their ship, the Endurance, in Weddell Sea ice, Point Wild was the desolate refuge of Ernest Shackleton and his 26-man crew in 1916. It is 780 miles from our last landfall on South Georgia Island.

Point Wild is a harsh spit of land on the north coast of Elephant Island. Here Shackleton's men, lead by Frank Wild, camped, marooned for 4 months with few supplies and little shelter, waiting for "the Boss's" return to rescue them.

There is statue in a small flat area of the shore--the only clue that man has ever touched this place. It is a memorial to the captain of the Chilean ship, Yelcho, who rescued the 22 men Shackleton had to leave behind. The ship finally arrived in August, 1916.

Chinstrap penguins seem to be the lone land inhabitants of this forsaken place. When we tour the area by zodiac, the penguins race beside us in the water. We get a first-hand view of what terrific swimmers these birds are. Video of chinstrap penguins swimming with our zodiacs off Point Wild

Then a curious mother and baby humpback come very near our boats.

Repeat, the whales come VERY near.... They didn't even ripple the water as they dived under our little rubber zodiacs. What a great experience.

We get several great tail shots as they dive near us.

And the chinstraps and whales seem to perform a choreographed dance for us.

Point Wild has a rocky coast so we can't land in these seas. Instead, we get up-close-and-personal with a huge iceberg. Wildlife at Elephant Island

This one reminds me a a Georgia O'Keeffe... Wildlife at Elephant Island

We leave this area at sunset, traveling to Point Lookout. We'll land on Elephant Island tomorrow. Antarctic Sunset on Elephant Island

Day 10- St. Andrews Bay and Gold Harbour

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 20:17:40 GMT

We take the zodiacs in to our landing at St. Andrews Bay. We're excited to be here--it's the largest King Penguin colony on South Georgia. That means over 150 million birds are here to reproduce, tend chicks, and support their Oakum Boys (the fluffy brown bowling pins we see all over the colony) until they can go to sea themselves.

St Andrews Bay The beach is alive. Flying birds, fur seals, elephant seals, reindeer and over masses of King Penguins create one of the most dense concentrations of biomass on the planet. We are awed by the spectacle.St Andrews Bay

This old fur seal has obviously weathered his share of trouble--an Orca attack may have left these vicious scars on his chest.

St Andrews Bay

Elephant seals play a teeter-totter game on the beach. We've seen this behavior often and it doesn't seem to be overly aggressive.

Going into the penguin colony we get a get shot on King Penguins reflected in a glacial stream.St Andrews Bay

And at the shoreline, billions of penguin feathers curl into geometric curly-cuesSt Andrews Bay Penguin Feathers

The birds are beautiful in there austere simplicity. Their bodies almost look like they are covered in midieval chain mail armor.St Andrews Bay

At the top of the hill we have an honest Nat Geo view--this same location was on the cover of one of their Nat Geo Travel magazines.St Andrews Bay

One of the Oakum Boys stops to "chat" with usSt Andrews Bay And one seems to be telling its parents it's STILL hungry.St Andrews Bay

While other King Penguin vocalize in a courtship display against a spectacular glacier backdrop.

King Penguins singing at St Andrews Bay The animals mass here to molt and mate.St Andrews Bay

And we saw some performing their ritualsSt Andrews Bay

And then there is the famous egg passing. We witness one event. It sometimes takes a long time to change incubating feet.. Maybe because the parents are inexperienced, or maybe because after standing tending the egg for long periods during the 55 day incubation cycle, the current "incubator" wants to make sure of the other parent's skill. St Andrews Bay

Even though they must be starved, they take their time passing the egg.St Andrews Bay

This is the most dangerous time during the incubation. And there's no end to the other penguins who add their two cents!St Andrews Bay

Once the transfer is successful, the first penguin can go to sea to feed. Then they spend the next almost two years raising the chick before it starts anew.St Andrews Bay

Back to the ship we move to Gold Harbour. The riches here are the gold color of the cliffs in the sunset. Our treasure is the animals...elephant seals again socializing.Gold Harbour

Their flippers are quite amazing.St Andrews Bay

Compared to fur seal flippers.Gold Harbour

And King Penguin feet. These almost look prehistoric.King Penguin Feet

One elephant seal just chills as we move on.Gold Harbour

We get a good look at the Sooty Albatross here. One flies overhead as it heads for the nest in the cliffs high above the beach.Gold Harbour

Our last view is two elephant seals in water in their iconic nose-to-nose arch

Gold Harbour

Leaving the east end of South Georgia, we head south. Tomorrow we will cross 60 degrees south, into the political Antarctic region. More lectures from our great resident experts for the next two days as we head for Elephant Island.

Day 9- Godthal Harbour and Grytviken, South Georgia Island

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 19:03:03 GMT

We start our day at Godthul, named for a Norwegian word for "good harbor." This was a busy whaling station and whale bones remain scattered all over. This little fur seal is using an old bone for a pillow.

These barrels are remnants of the whale oil processing station. Closed down for many years, this is where thousands of whales were brought to have blubber stripped and the oil processed. Godthul Harbour

Whale carcasses once filled the harbor and lined the beach. This is now home to a rebounded fur seal colony. Godthul Harbour

Fur seals flank King Penguins amid old whale bones on the Godthul beach.

Seals and penguins at Godthul Harbour

Gentoo penguins waddle to the shore and swim off in their constant search for krill. Gentoo penguins heading out to feed at Godthul Harbour

Back on the ship, we pass more fields of tabular ice bergs on the way to our next landing.Cumberland Bay

As we arrive at Cumberland Bay and King Edward Point BAS (British Antarctic Survey station), we get our first glimpse of Grytviken.Grytviken Whaling Station This is the location of Shackleton's grave.Ernest Shackelton's Grave

And, we arrive on a special day--the 91st anniversary of Shackleton's self-rescue. Pauline Carr, one of our expert educators, gets scotch for our toast to the "Boss"on the 91st anniversary of his death. Pauline, and her husband Tim, sailed a 28 foot sailboat from England to Grytviken and lived here, mostly by themselves, for 14 years. Hearty souls.Toasting Shackleton

Making our way across the harbor, we walk around many elephant seals snuffing and snorting as they nestle into the folds in the land.Grytviken

The Petrel, a rusty old whaling ship, sits in the Grytviken harbor as a sobering monument to the carnage that occurred here.Grytviken

The chains seem to symbolize the hard living that was Grytviken.Grytviken

And above the town sits the chapel, an example of the beauty of South Georgia.The Grytviken Church

A full visit as we head back to the ship.The Grytviken Church

Tomorrow we head to St. Andrews Bay--this should be one of the high points of the trip. A massive king penguin colony at the point where three glaciers terminate.

Day 8- Fortuna Bay: Baby Fur Seals, Reindeer and King Penguins, Oh My!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:02:37 GMT

Our next stop was a landing (of course, bright and early) at Fortuna Bay. This was Shackleton's final landing but not the end of his self-rescue. Knowing they did not have the strength to sail to the other side of the island, Shackleton and his two exhausted men hiked into the unknown. Over the mountainous spine of the island, they made their way to the Stromness whaling station, their final destination after loosing the Endurance.

We found the beach filled with life. Many adorable baby fur seals clustered together.

Fortuna Bay

Pups noisily wait for their mothers to return with food.

Fur Seals on the Furtuna Bay Beach

Are you my mommy? Fur seal pups are shunned by other adult fur seals when looking for their mothers on the Fortuna Bay beach.

Fortuna Bay

We see one happy reunion on the Fortuna Bay beach. The mother seal is obviously content as her fur pup nurses after her log absence searching for food. Now both have full bellies and she will protect him--for a while, anyhow. Fur seal pups left alone while the mothers go to sea to feed often cluster together for safety—and maybe companionship. Many “bleat” frantically as they patrol the beach looking for their mothers. Without their mothers, they are targets for predators.Fortuna Bay

King penguins and fur seals coexist on the shores of Fortuna Bay. Here, against a beautiful iceberg background, one seal appears to be lecturing a group of inattentive penguins. Fortuna Bay

Many flying birds inhabit Fortuna Bay on South Georgia Island. The vast number of untended baby seals make the beach easy pickin’s for these predators. Here a South Polar Skua is about to take flight searching for food. They often feed on other bird eggs but do scavenge and sometimes take young seals.Scua at Fortuna Bay

Napkin please. A Giant Southern Petrel with a bloody beak is gorging on a freshly killed seal pup. Life in the wild is not for the squeamish. In these tough latitudes, only the strongest--and luckiest--survive. Each native animal serves a function in this fragile ecosystem. The petrel is a top predator and scavenger in the Southern Ocean. It is a tube-nosed bird and excretes extra salt from its body through these protrusions at the top of their beak. Fortuna Bay

Walking up from the beach we find reindeer. Whalers brought these animals to South Georgia for food many years ago. The whalers are gone (mostly) but the reindeer proliferate causing untold environmental damage trampling bird eggs and disrupting the tundra. These look scruffy because in January they are in the middle of their “summer” molt.Fortuna Bay

Over the ridge from our landing spot we reach a large colony of king penguins, including some brown bowling pins. They are called Oakum Boys and are the juvenile penguins covered with thick brown feathers. Named after the brown oakum residue in the bottom of the old ships, they must loose all their “baby” feathers—a tough process —before they can go to sea to feed themselves. The brown feathers won’t insulate them in the water. So until then, mom and dad must continue to catch and bring food to their babies that may be as big as they are. Fortuna Bay

The king penguins are especially spectacular when they group.Fortuna Bay

They’re pretty special in small groups, too. Here a parent is looking at a BIG Oakum Boy “teenager” as if to say, “You can’t be hungry again!”Fortuna Bay

The Oakum Boy feathers are fluffy to keep the chick warm on land.Fortuna Bay

As they molt, we can see there really is a king penguin under all the feathers.Fortuna Bay

The Oakum Boys must develop their swimming muscles long before they hit the water. They flap their arms madly and whistle while they stretch and work out. Oakum Boy flapping wings to develop swimming muscles

The colonies are not a quiet place. There is an ongoing cacophony of chirps, whistles, screeches. Three king penguins walk in lock-step through the colony past a molting Oakum Boy. Really quite wonderful. A noisy King Penguin colony, Fortuna Bay

The color pattern on the adults is a geometric delight.Fortuna Bay

These are amazing creatures. We had one king penguin talk to us--well, maybe...Fortuna Bay

Heading back to our zodiacs taking us back to the ship, we hike up to a waterfall from the melting Konig Glacier….Fortuna Bay

The geologists in our group stop to look at (you guessed it!) rock formations.Fortuna Bay

Back on board, we head from Fortuna Bay, where Shackleton’s party landed, to Stromness across the island. This is the site where Shackleton's group finally reached safety--and where they set off to successfully rescue the rest of the Endurance crew left on Elephant Island. On the way we see beautiful examples of the flat tabular ice.

We pass Stromness, Stromness Harbour

Then head out to sea to our next landfall tomorrow--at Godthul, an old Norwegian whaling station.

Day 7- Drygalsky Fjord and Cooper Bay

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 02:15:33 GMT

We awake this morning passing through the forbidding cliffs of Dryglasky Fjord. These basalt lava formations formed on the sea floor during the Cretaceous period, oh about 150 million years ago. Quite a vista for an 0630 wake-up.Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia Island

This begins the unique part of our trip--a high geologic focus. We learn this area the island is made of material from the original Gondwana continental plate margin, while the rest of South Georgia is sandstone and shale that eroded off the South American and African plate margins. These settled on the sea floor before they were uplifted and folded during the the mountain building of the Andes.

Our zodiacs land at Larsen Harbour for more wildlife and wild country.

Fur seals are all along the beach. This baby is very curious about our visit and mom soundly herds the baby away from us. Mother and baby fur seal

The mothers, baby and older male fur seals are fairly docile. Adolescent males, on the other hand, can be a real challenge. No, make that threat. We sometimes must make noise and charge toward them to make them back off. The big danger is getting bitten. Their mouths are full of bacteria, so a serious infection would follow. Not a good thing at the bottom of the world. These young males actually draw blood during their sparring. Sparring fur seals

Walking along the bay, we find a tiny sea jelly, a conidiophore, near the shore.

The geologists in our group are looking for specific rock formations--specifically ophiolites which represent oceanic crust that had been emplaced on land. Ophiolites have played a central role in plate tectonic theory. Here we see pressure dikes along with ophiolite throughout Bonner Beach.

Our landing ends with a hike up the south ridge.

Larsen Habour

Back to our ship, we head to Cooper Bay. On the way we encounter a humpback whale who seems as interested in us as we are in her.

She flips and rolls on her back, waving her fins.

And, of course, she dives a few times so we can get the iconic tail shots. How'd she know?Humpback Whale Diving near Cooper Bay

Our second landing today is at Albatross Cove in Cooper Bay. Here we find baby fur seals everywhere. They often hover together for safety while they wait for their mothers to return from the sea with food.

Fur seals and elephant seals seem to coexist well. Here they appear to be harmonizing--or maybe they're just telling us to get off their beach!

Walking up the hill from the beach we find a large colony of Macaroni penguins. Wonder how they got their name? The yellow feathers on their head are the key--they were named from a line in the song Yankee Doodle Dandy. Remember "stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni"? So now it makes sense. Well, kind of....

The nesting colony is a raucous seen. Birds everywhere are doing a wonderful mating song and dance extravaganza.

Macaroni mating dance

And some of the pairs are preening.

Preening Macaroni penguins

Fur seals are nestled in the grass right beside the penguin paths as we work our way down the steep hill from the Macaroni colony. These are not the aggressive adolescents, but we still have to be careful to not surprise them and to give them plenty of space because we just never know how they'll react.

In the grass and rocks at the beach we see nesting Giant Southern Petrels. If these birds look menacing, it’s because they are. They are one of the most aggressive, opportunistic predators around. They congregate with penguins and fur seals because they prey upon untended babies.

Petrels Nest at Cooper Bay

Walking along the beach, we get another show as the orange-beaked Gentoo penguins waddle around the fur and elephant seals on their way to an from the ocean.

Gentoo Penguins in Cooper Bay

Then they treat us to an up close March of the Penguins. Walk of the penguins

Tomorrow we head to Fortuna Bay--more great wildlife and our next penguin: a massive King Penguin colony.

Days 6 -Arrival at South Georgia-Haakon Bay

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 06:08:17 GMT

Crossing the Scotia Sea, we have two days of lectures from some of our expert geologists--Ian Dalziel, Rob Dunbar, and best of all, Richard Alley. Alley's name may be familiar--he wrote the book, "Earth: the Operator's Manual" and hosted the PBS program of the same name. This was a fascinating way to spend our travel days at sea.

Finally, we make it to South Georgia Island, a land mass almost 100 miles long and chock full of a staggering concentration of animal life.South Georgia Island

Our first landfall is Peggotty Bluff in Haakon Bay. Besides the animals, this is a key location of Ernest Shackleton's Endurance voyage and self-rescue. We discussed the epic trip in depth while at sea. It is an amazing story.

Here's a brief run-down of this awe-inspiring trip, in case you're not familiar with the details... Shackleton and his 28-man crew left South Georgia on the Endurance for the Trans-Antarctica expedition in December, 1914 to traverse Antarctica via the South Pole. The ship became trapped in packed ice in the Weddell Sea and was crushed by the pressure in November 1915 forcing the men on to the floating ice. Fourteen months after they set sail, they launched three 20-foot lifeboats from the ice to head for solid ground at Elephant Island. They made landfall on the deserted island the 497th day of their disastrous expedition. The island was outside shipping lanes and any hope of rescue. So Shackleton left most of his crew and took 5 men in one boat to head for the whaling station on South Georgia using only a sextant and a chronometer. They were dependent on sightings of the sun which sometimes couldn't be seen for a week. After 15 days of rough seas and tortuous conditions, they made it to the unoccupied side of South Georgia. There, Shackleton and two of his men made the grueling hike across the mountainous spine of the island, finally reaching help at the whaling station 36 hours later. After three failed rescue attempts, Shackleton was able to get to the other 22 men he had left on Elephant Island four and a half months earlier. The end of a failed voyage but a miraculous self-recue of every Endurance crewman, 21 months later in August 1916.

King Haakon Bay is where Shackleton and his men first made landfall after their epic voyage from Elephant Island.

A fur seal introduces us to the fantastic world in store for us here.

Elephant seals lounge all over the shore.

We hike up to Peggoty Bluff and find the nesting South Georgia Shags

While a Giant Petrel soars in the air currents off the bluff. These are top predators and this one is probably looking for an untended chick.

Along the beach we see many fur seal pups.

They must wait, unprotected, while their mothers leave to find krill. This pup is searching a stream for some mollusks while he waits. Fur seal pup in stream

The adolescent fur seals can have a bit of a attitude. This one is having words with a sibling while an adult looks on.

These two fur seals strike a pose on the rocks along the shore

While an elephant seal plays mermaid in the water.

And we see our second kind of penguin--the orange-beaked gentoo--on the shore

And leaping into the water.

Day 3- Off to the Falkland Islands and Sea Lion Island

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 00:12:33 GMT

Today we really begin our adventure flying into Mt. Pleasant Airport in the Falkland Islands. We are on a military base so we can't take any pictures. This was the site of the 1982 war when Argentina invaded the islands Britain had claimed since the 1800's.

These islands have been claimed by the French, British, Spaniards and Argentines at various points. Rights to the Islas Malvinas remains a contentious issue for Argentina--hence the strong British military presence and security.

We arrive in a cold rain. Foggy car windows mar the view as we drive into Port Stanley. We pass one house sporting a giant-sized protest against whaling.

Stanley was the closest port of refuge, providing water, repairs, and provisions to ships sailing around Cape Horn, especially during the gold rush of the 1800s. The construction of the Panama Canal along with steam replacing sails ended this shipping boom.

We pass fields of sheep. Some fields are still marked because they contain land mines. Our local driver is a real character. He was here during the war and said he knew right away it wouldn't be much of a fight. Thousands of Argentines landed on the island but the commanders never had them did a latrine. When the war ended three months later, most of their island went back to normal. But he said they had the best crops ever because their soil was so well-fertilized. And now they bring in men from Zimbabwe to clear land mines one section at a time. When they have cleared a field, the men hold a football game to show the locals the area is now safe.

In true European tradition, we stop at one house that has dedicated itself to trolls...Man, there always seems to be at least one crazy troll house when there's European influence! But I don't think we ever saw this many trolls in one place, even in Iceland, Troll Headquarters!Falkland Island, Seal Island The rain and cold put a damper on any sightseeing in the little town. The Anglican Church was a bright spot against a dreary sky.Anglican Church, Falkland Island

After loading our bags on the 383 foot converted Russian ice breaker, we left the Falklands for our first night in our new home on the Southern Ocean.Luggage

Tomorrow, we will have our first landing on the Falklands' Sea Lion Island.

Our first night aboard the re-fitted ice breaker Akademik Ioffe is busy--meeting the other 95 of our new, closest friends in our group, going through lifeboat drills and enjoying great food served by our Russian crew. Our interface is the Canadian OneOcean staff who manage the ship, and of course our Cheeseman Ecology Safari guides. (Cheesemans also led our East African trip.)

In the morning, we arrive on Sea Lion Island by zodiac. All our landings will be wet landings from here on out. That means we wear high boots to step into the surf each time we get in or out of the small boats. We land at Cow Point with tussock grass in front and our ship behind.Zodiac Landing, Sea Lion Island

It's still cold and rainy as we walk along the beach. The island has wildfolwers, like the Patagonian Hawkweed.Patagonian Hawkweed-Sea Lion Island

We come across Striated Caracara birds who are obviously unhappy we are in there territory.

Then we see why--they have a nest with three chicks.Sea Lion Island

One comes up to me when I sit down with a snack bar. These are seriously aggressive scavengers. Members of the falcon family, they have beaks and feet meant for action. He is a bold little devil and keep coming closer and closer, trying to get some of the food. He finally starts pecking at my shoe. He has a dour expression--looks like he's about to pounce. I'm outta' here! Sea Lion Island

Along the beach we have our first elephant seal encounter. These are three-ton gentle giants. They certainly deserve our respect but they remind me of John Belushi in Animal House, slovenly but not mean. These two are raising a ruckus as they spar on the beach. They snort, belch, growl, burrp and fart (sorry, but a dainty term just doesn't fit these guys). They are funny and we will see many more as we head to South Georgia Island.Elephant Seals Sparring

Megellanic peguins scamper between the rocks as they waddle from the ocean.Magellanic Penguins on Sea Lion Island

Walking up from the beach we pass the "Lodge". This is a 20 person hotel in an amazing place.Station on Sea Lion Island

And come across some birds...pin-tail ducks walk lockstep across the heath.Sea Lion Island

And an Upland Goose with her chicks

A Magellanic Snipe watches us carefully as we walk past.Sea Lion Island

Best of all, we can hide to watch a mother Magellanic penguin in a burrow with her chick. Burrows are all over the island. We actually have to be careful where we walk. The island is mostly peat. We have a non-smoking trip, but our guides told us if the ground ever caught on fire it could burn for years.Magellanic Penguin and chick

The earth is so dark, it is a beautiful background for the red grass on the island.

Red grass and black peat

At the end of ht da, we stop to check out the sea lions on the rocks below the southwestern cliffs.

Sea Lion Island

Tomorrow we start our resident expert lecture series as we cross to South Georgia Island. This will include Tim and Pauline Carr, who traveled to the island from England on a 24 foot old-time sail boat. Then lived at Grytviken--by themselves--for 5 years. And many established geologists as well as Richard Alley of Penn State who authored the book aand series "Earth: The Operator's Manual (your planet is due for an oil change)", featured on PBS. He specialty is the earth's cryosphere and global climate change--glaciology and what's happening to the planet. How perfect.

Should be a real education!

Back on board, we celebrate a casual New Years Eve at 52 degrees south.Happy New Year

Next stop--Peggoty Bluff in King Haakon Bay, South Georgia Island

Day 2- TOURING CHILE'S COUNTRYSIDE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 00:11:19 GMT

Today we meet the first part of our tour group as we head toward Chile's Pacific coast. We knew this expedition included scientists, but we had no idea how how unique this trip would be. Now we are getting the full sense of what that means. Almost all the people in our group are geologists and their families from the Jackson School of Geosciences, UT Austin. As we travel from the Falklands on board our ship for three weeks to Antarctica some of these world renown scientists will present lectures and discussions during our days at sea. Wow!

For now, we get to know the group during our day trip. We pass the Cordillera de la Costa. Not far to the northwest of Santiago, the lower mountain elevations are covered with brilliant green bands outlining the contours of the slopes. This is the wine country of the Chilean Costal Range and vineyards cover the landscape.

Our first stop is La Campana National Park. Charles Darwin spent time here during his 1834 voyage of the HMS Beagle. The hedgehog or Easter lily cactus, is tree-like and covers huge swarths of the area. Giant hummingbirds fly through the trees, but they are too fast for a photo--or at least my photo.

We next stop at Parque Ecológico La Isla Concón on Chile's Pacific Coast. This is a bird paradise. Riders on the beach spook the birds and we have a massive lift-off of Inca Terns and Kelp Gulls.

The waters are filled with Chilean pelicans, some gracefully land

Others bob in a chorus line. Chilean Pelicans at Parque Ecologico La Isla Concon

Yellow-billed pintail ducks march across the beach. Yellow-billed pin-tailed ducks at Parque Ecologico La Isla

At last we arrive at the Humboldt Penguin Sanctuary on the beautiful Pacific coast near Valparaiso. A Kelp Gull strikes a regal pose on the shore rocks.Coastal Park near Santiago, Chili

And finally--our first penguins of the trip, the Humboldt Penguins. Named for the cold-water current where it swims, it is now an endangered species. Another case of habitat destruction. It nests on rocks and these birds have a perfect spot about 100 yards from shore.Humboldt Penguins near Santiago, Chili

We spent time watching the waves crash over this tide pool. Taking in the colors and the power of the ocean were a great way to end the day.

Tomorrow--we fly to the Falklands!

Day 1 SANTIAGO 12-28

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 02:49:46 GMT

This starts my posting of the trip to Antarctica. Little did I know reaching my seventh continent would be almost anti-climatic. The islands of the South Atlantic are packed with animals and of course, birds. Five kinds of penguins in huge—read that HUGE—colonies. Plus sea lions elephant seals, leopard seals, reindeer (honestly!) many other birds, whales and the scenery. Gorgeous. Being next to 100 ft icebergs in a little zodiac at midnight. Not the least of the experience was following Shackleton’s Endurance voyage and their awe-inspiring self-rescue. More to come on all of that, with some pictures of amazing things.

To set the stage, we left the States late December, 2012 and began our trip touring the Santiago area before flying to the Falklands and boarding our ship into the South Atlantic.

Immediately upon landing in Santiago, we are struck by a countryside that resembles southern New Mexico, it has a definite desert feel. There's lots of open land with mountain vistas all around. To be more precise, these aren't just mountains, these are the Andes! And in every direction!

We hop a taxi into downtown Santiago. There is a glorious mix of architecture with modern multi-story glass buildings juxtaposed beside ancient history, with some buildings dating back to the conquistadores. Touring Downtown Santiago

Our first stop touring downtown is the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela at the Plaza de Armas. It sits amid brilliant glass skyscrapers. The ornate 12th century building (1075-1122) is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Creater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

The church is on one side of the Plaza de Armes. This is a gathering place for police in cars and on horses, with locals and tourists everywhere. The Chile mine disaster and the successful rescue effort still is a source of national pride. In Santiago's downtown, a woman is 'chatting" with Chilean miner "street art statue" during one of his position changes.

In the Plaza, this old man was thrilled to pose for a picture. He looks great against an iconic Chilean Palm. His beard looks like Spanish Moss.

The plaza is filled with flower carts massed with colorful blossoms--this is their summer. And we see more Chilean Palm Trees. They look a bit like a baobab trunk with a swelled middle reaching to an elongated skinny neck, topped off by date-palm like palm fronds. Some are over 80 feet and are thought to be the same variety as the extinct trees of Easter Island.

Old and young play chess in th park at Plaza de Armas. They all use game clocks--they're very serious about their play.

This is a modern first-world country. We can eat the food, drink the water, and find anything we need in the stores.Touring Downtown Santiago

We head for Cerro Santa Lucia, a park built on what is left of a 15 million year old volcano. The Circular Garden is lovely with its ornate gardens and walkwaysTouring Downtown Santiago It has the oddest tree...with strange branches filled with sharply pointed leaves, each culminating at a rosette end. I can't tell if it's an evergreen or succulent.Touring Downtown Santiago

Climbing the mount we get a truly spectacular view of the city. We are looking over the Provedencia area of Santiago with the Andes ringing the city in the distance.Touring Downtown Santiago

To the left we have a view of the other high point in the city, Cerro San Cristobal, topped with the statue of the Virgin Mary. Not as well known, this is similar to the Christ statue in Rio De Janeiro. A cable car runs up the side of the mount.

Touring Downtown Santiago

Near the top of Cerro Santa Lucia is the Jardin Darwin, with a small chapel...

Touring Downtown Santiago

and a plaque dedicated to Charles Darwin's visit in 1835.

At the top of the gardens is a stature commemorating the native indigenous Indians originally used to mine copper. Framed by the skyscrapers, it underscores the transition this country has undergone.Touring Downtown Santiago

Walking around the city we found we HAD to use crosswalks (my bad--not my usual mode, but there are no options here). And we watch the signals carefully-no jay-walking here. Cars, busses and taxis jam the streets and traffic lights provide the only reprieve. Beyond the hubbub, this city has a definite European feel.Touring Downtown Santiago On the way back to our taxi pick up, we stop in the Basilica de la Merced, another beautiful old church.
Touring Downtown Santiago And pass the bright pink Museo La Merced. A beautiful old building with a skyscraper in the background. We want to come back here when we have more time. The Easter Island exhibit in the museum is a top destination. We just have flat run out of time!Touring Downtown Santiago Tomorrow we'll begin our actual expedition, meeting part of our group. We begin with a guided tour including several stops as we head for the coast to find our first type of penguin--the Humbolt penguin. More on this unique trip's group make-up and itinerary tomorrow.

ANTARCTICA 2013

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:35:00 GMT

Coming soon...Five different kinds of penguins, elephant seals, fur seals, humpback whales, fin whales, orcas beating up whales. The list goes on and on.

Next posts are coming soon with my latest trip to Antarctica by way of Santiago, the Falklands, South Georgia and Elephant Islands before stepping foot on the seventh continent! We traveled on a small icebreaker with world-class UT geologists. Anyone want to know about blueschiat?

The trip ends with a grand tour of Buenos Aries and several days on an old estancia in the Argentine pampas. The wildlife and scenery are spectacular! Probably the highest density of biomass I'll ever see again.

In the meantime, check out the photo galleries of the trip I'll be adding from all the stops along the way.

Alberta

Day 26 LEAVING MOUNTAIN LODGE; LEAVING KENYA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 11:48:00 GMT

Bittersweet day—our last safari day in Africa. We are lucky to see Mt. Kenya at dawn. As the sun rises, the clouds quickly roll in, obliterating the view.

We take a walking tour in the forest around the lodge. We see colobus, waterbuck, and one huge chui print. H’mmmm. Leopards nearby? Makes a good tourist story, anyway.

We pass many of the Maasai- Urtica massaica- nettle plant the nettle plant that (I can personally attest) cause significant pain if you rub against it. (Bottom line: Bewre of wearing sandals in the grass! The good news-- it only lasts a few hours.)

Walking in the forest, we stop for mid-morning tea. This was pretty cool. We each have a seat and a small stump-table and enjoy hot tea and cookies in the wild.

Back at the lodge, one group shot before we leave.

We make it back to big-city Nairobi,

And have time for a brief stop at the Nairobi Museum.

Where we see part of the Richard Leakey human fossil collection.

Tomorrow we head for home—the end of a wonderful month long journey.

Check back for my next posting of our January trip: traveling to Santiago, the Falklands, scientific cruising with geologist/ecologists to St. George Island and Elephant Island (beaucoup animals and the Shackelton adventure), Antarctica, Cape Horn, Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego, Buenos Aries, and ending at an estancia in the Argentinian pampas. Wheee!

Day 25 SAMBURU to KENYA HIGHLAND’S MOUNTAIN LODGE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:53:00 GMT

We have one last morning game drive leaving Samburu.

We watch a matriarch herd of elephants watch over an unhappy baby.

First the little one gave huge shrieks and all the females rushed over to it. Then the baby played with another young one and they appeared to squabble. Again all the older elephants rushed in to separate them.

Download 1_baby_ellies_fighting.wmv

Fun to watch as the baby nurses and peace is restored.

Download 1_ellies_after.wmv

A Somali twiga triumvirate munch leaves as we leave the park.

We’re heading south through Isiolo into the Kenya Highlands, along the edge of Mount Kenya. We pass the equator again at Nanyuki.

At Mountain Lodge, in Mount Kenya Park, we immediately see wildlife. A large group of black and white colobus monkeys are high in the trees.

This is a unique monkey. It has beautiful fur with a huge long tail and it has no thumb—only a stump. The colobus is herbivorous, with a diet of fruit and flowers, leaves and twigs—this is a perfect protected arboreal habitat. And loss of habitat is endangering survival of this species.

We take advantage of the knowledge of our guide/Ornithologist, Titus Imboma, the whole trip. He is from the Bird Department at the University of Nairobi, and he takes us on a tour around the lodge. He actually calls the birds in…

The Baglafecht Weaver in a coffee bush,

The White-Eyed Slatey Flycatcher,

The elusive Bronze Sunbird hiding among the leaves,

Then coming in for a landing.

Back at the lodge we go to the viewing deck. Sitting on stilts above the forest canopy, the lodge is reminiscent of the times William Holden and Earnest Hemmingway hunted in Africa. The deck--and bar-- looks like it could have been a hunting blind looking over a water hole.

This one is strictly for photographers! At the watering hole we see a warthog with a growing problem—its tusks are way too curly and will eventually cause him big complications.

We also see a buffalo, being cleaned by oxpeckers, nursing her calf.

We also watch colobus in the trees.

And we have a great view of the water hole from our rooms.

At night the water hole is beautiful. We hope to see something tonight.

And we watch as a Greater-spotted Genet feeds at the station that lured a chui (aka leopard) for up-close viewing a few days earlier.

We'll get up early tomorrow (surprise) to try to catch a view of Mount Kenya before the clouds roll in. No chui tonight.

Day 24 SAMBURU VILLAGE VISIT and BUFFALO SPRINGS

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:55:00 GMT

We have a full day scheduled! We are going to visit a native Samburu manyatta.. We have been waiting to do this since we arrived. The Samburu are distant relatives of the Maasai. They live similar lives but are not the same cultures.

On the way to the village we pass Samburu herding their camels.

Oh the faces when we get to the village!

We are welcomed by men and women in ceremonial dress, singing traditional songs.

Download 2_welcome_song.wmv

The young men immediately leave to graze the goats.

The women continue to sing. They have many layers of bead collars, a sign of prosperity. They tell us they must buy the beads from Europe, so they are an expensive investment.

Download 2_women_singing.wmv

The young children also welcome us with songs.

Download 3_kids_first_song.wmv

Download 3_kids_song.wmv

And they love to see the photos we take.

Some of the village elders also pose for us.

This is the oldest woman in the village. She is the revered village midwife (age unknown).

The huts form a circle with acacia thorn bush around the outside perimeter for protection from wild animals. In the center of the village is another circle of thorn bush. This is where they keep their animals protected at night.

They show us how they build their huts,

And allow us to go inside. They live a Spartan existence.

They demonstrate how they start a fire.

Download 4_fire.wmv

Plus we have an opportunity to buy some of their crafts.

We say goodbye to the Samburu women,

And our guide, before leaving for Buffalo Springs.

The Buffalo Springs National Reserve is just on the other side of the river.

And right after we arrive we see our big prize—the endangered Grévy's zebras. These look different from their more common cousins, the plains, or Burchell’s zebra. The Grévy's are bigger, with a longer face and, most obviously, their stripes do not extend under their abdomen. Scientists now believe zebras are white animals with black stripes—and the stripe exists on its skin as well as its hair.

Two adolescent stallions show us zebra boys will be boys.

This is the only area where we will see the Beisa Oryx. As a special treat, they have two beautiful calves with them.

The Black-capped Social Weavers also are only found in Kenya’s Northern Territory. The trees in this area are loaded with them. We catch one in ‘Builder Bob” mode.

For protection, they build their nests with two entrances. Some pairs watch us from both their first and second story vantage points.

The red hornbills dot this baked riverine woodland.

The Uaso Nyiro River is the true source of the diversity in the area. It is dry, but not a desert. We head back to Samburu.

On the other side of the river we see our first Somali Ostrich. The male, when courting, displays a bright blue head and neck.

We even get to see a male and female fluff their feathers as their do their mating dance.

Heading back to lunch—more to come—we see a brilliant yellow hornbill.

Lunch is a special treat at Larsen's Camp. The tables are under trees beside the river. (The Samburu warrior is there to fend of the cheeky monkeys.)

We have a visit from a flock of Vulturine Guinea-fowl. These guys are FAB-u-lous, Simply FAB-u-lous!

And a vervet monkey stops close by, in case any food drops. The locals call them the blue ball monkeys. Duh!

Our afternoon drive starts in the woodland savanna where we find small cubs beside the road. We’ve noticed, African babies tend to stay put when mom gives an order. Natural selection. Those that don't usually don't make it.

Along the road, we see the matriarch pride on a hunt. The lead female, two adolescents and another adult female. Suddenly the older female takes off into the brush. The other adult female remains behind and appears to be training the adolescents. They are waiting for orders.

The three continue to wander down the road, watching in the direction the lead disappeared.

Suddenly they stop. The lead lion breaks through some brush to rejoin them. All this without a sound we could hear. The prey must have moved off. They appear to have been in contant communication during the whole hunt.

Moving out to the higher woodlands, we see two klipspringers. They are small and wiry, almost like mountain goats.

And our big find—an elusive Greater Kudu. Their horns are magnificent, curly and huge. We get a quick look as he hides behind a commiphora tree.

When he moves into the brush, we can see a little bit more of the animal. With bands of color, he reminds me of a re-paint, where someone smears a paintbrush trying out new shades.

Tomorrow we'll leave Samburu and head to the Mount Kenya area--our last safari stop!

Day 23 SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:13:00 GMT

We wake to a beautiful sunrise over the Ewaso Ng’iro river flowing outside our canvas room at Larson’s Tented Camp.

If you look carefuly, you can see the vervet monkey outside the door. The staff bring us coffee and a biscuit each morning before breakfast. These clever little devils will rush in to look for food, if given a chance. And they will charge the tray if you turn your back when you bring it outside. (And we always take itrays back to the front desk--we aren't about to leave crumbs in our tent. I think these guys would find some way to get in.) We keep any snack bars or gum in locked suitcases. Not only must we keep our tent zippers closed at all times, we have to lock them with a pin or the monkeys will just unzip and make themselves at home. Cheeky little @#$@$!

Samburu is an interesting area. It is where George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness of “Born Free.” It is also where a lioness unsuccessfully attempted to adopt—rather than eat—several oryx calves (she wasn't a good oryx mom and they didn't make it.)

We start our first drive at dawn—the sun rising over the Doum palms is spectacular.

I'm told ths is the only species of multi-branched palm. It's been around for a while...3,000 year old Doun palm fruit was found in King Tut’s tomb.

We immediately come upon our third type of giraffe—the Somali reticulated giraffe.

This species has a defined square pattern, none of the rosette splotches we saw in the Maasai giraffe and no white legs like the Rothchild's.

Three lioness walk down the road, right beside our car.

Soooo close!

Driving a bit further, we meet a large matriarch herd of elephants, with babies from several generations.

And we spot a March Eagle is in a tree picking on the remains of a dik dik leg (the tiny antelope). We don't know if the eagle caught the dik dik,

But it now must fend off two fan-tailed crows who decide they want to try to get in on the feast.

A beautiful red-beaked hornbill lands on a nearby tree at the road.

Then we see it’s mate throwing a worm into the air to catch and eat it—much like we might throw popcorn to catch in our mouths.

In an open field we find a herd of oryx.

And one even sticks out his tongue to give us a raspberry!

At dusk, we find several genenuk.

These long-necked antelope typically browse on their hind feet , eating the top leaves and shoots of prickly bushes and acacias.

The young bucks seem to love to spar at the end of the day.

And we end the day with a colorful sunset among the doun palms.

Tomorrow we begin our day at a Samburu village. These are semi-nomadic people who are related to the Masai. They herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and sometimes camels.

Day 22 LAKE NAKURU to SAMBURU

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:09:00 GMT

The Sarova Lion Hill Lodge is lovely and we have visitors at breakfast…African Speke’s Weavers.

They have made nests outside the main hall at Lion Hill, so we get to enjoy their antics before our game drive.

Lake Nakuru National Park is small and quite unique. It is a refuge right beside the city of Nakuru--like having a huge natural zoo at your back door. Almost all species of African animals live here except the elephant. Because it is next to the city, there is no way to contain the huge elephants. They pretty much go whereever they want, so they would endanger the people in town. We plan a full morning before we must head off to our next lodge. We start in the yellow acacia forest and find our olive baboon friends, again.

Then a real treat—a beautiful Long-crested Eagle. It’s early morning so it is watching for prey, usually a rodent.

We move toward Lake Nakuru—bird central-- and find an old tree “decorated” with yellow-billed storks.

Near the lake, Sacred Ibis crown the yellow acacias,

And a Sacred Ibis lift-off from the lake. This is a grand sight.

Then we see a Hammerkrop wading at the shore. It is named because the feathers on the back of it head resemble a hammer.

Flamingos reflect across the lake as they take flight.

Nakuru is an alkaline lake and is one of the prime viewing areas for lesser and greater flamingos. Flamingos are attracted here becuase the soda lake produces the Spiruina algae. This food source also produces the pink of their plumage. When they dry their feathers we can appreciate the spectacular display.

Beside the flamingos, we have a mélange of other water birds—Maribou stork, Great Cormorants, Egyptian Geese, heron and gray-headed gulls in flight and on the ground.

This is a birder’s paradise. There are large numbers of pelicans.

And they put on a synchronized swimming show

As they nosh along the shore—it is still breakfast time, after all.

Download 5_pelican_water_dance.wmv

The African spoonbill (no queston how he got his name) uses his adapted bill to sieve food from the mud.

A yellow-billed duck (again, naming follows form) swims by us.

And an Egyptian Goose also looks for food in the shallows.

The lake is a focus of life at Nakuru. Zebra cross our road in an area that may soon be cut off as the water rises.

Finally, we see our first Rothchild’s Giraffe walking near the water …times three! Note the white legs. This is one of the most endangered giraffe species and Lake Nakuru is one of the few places we find some of only a few hundred still in the wild.

Once again, a plug for scheduling extra time in Nairobi: beside the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, try to visit the Giraffe Manor, a Rothchild Giraffe sanctuary, if you can. Giraffe can stick their head in your window while you sip morning coffee. Again we didn’t leave enough time to schedule a night. Unfortunately, we got this information from others who had made the stop. We now know you also can go for a day trip!

As we head back to the woodlands we find another Rothchild Giraffe herd with a young calf.

And an olive baboon is beside the road nursing a tiny baby.

A bit farther, a white rhino is grazing in the grass. He walks right beside our car, totally ignoring us.

We need to head back to our cabin at the lodge before lunch.

I found this pink trumpet vine by the pool.

We're heading off to our next lodge at Larsen’s Tented Camp, in eastern Kenya, near the Somali border. Nakuru gives us a final gift…a black rhino stands on the edge of the riverine woodland as we leave. We would have stayed here another day!

As we head to our next location in eastern Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, we pass more local shops, like this butchery with meat hanging in the window. Oh, yummm.

Continuing through the Riff Valley, we see a geyser in Kenya's geothermal fields. Although Kenya has for long depended on hydropower for electricity needs, it also is investing in alternative native sources of energy, such as geothermal and wind.

Then a quick stop at Thomson's Falls, a 243 ft scenic waterfall on the Ewaso Ng'iro river.

We cross the equator.

Then enjoy a beautiful sunset…on the road.

This should have been a good thing. However, it get’s a bit uncomfortable (read menacing) here. Obviously we are behind schedule and traveling after dark. It seems the eastern part of Kenya has become a haven for Somali immigrants. These people are predominantly Muslim, have caused some problems for Kenya, and are forming their own poor isolated enclaves. So Kenya has brought in armed troops all over the area, placed spiked barriers on the roads and military check points. We were supposed to be within the Samburu National Reserve by sundown. Arriving after dark, the border guards in the town of Archers’s Post Gate don’t want to let us through. We wait for about 30 minutes while the issue is sorted out. Our guides tell us not to stare at people in the village—who are not smiling as they stare at us-- and definitely NO cameras, no pictures. Young boys throw rocks at one car in our group and break a window. Money is exchanged and we pass through. Whew! We arrive at a lovely tented camp... another world.

Day 21 MARA TO LAKE NAKURU GAME RESERVE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:51:00 GMT

We take our last tour of the Mara as we head off to another part of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru Nation Park. What a great surprise! We find a cheetah with four cubs.

What beautiful animals. The babies have shaggy-haired backs so they can hide in the long grass while the mother hunts.

And this mother has her work cut out for her. She will have difficulty feeding four cubs and keeping them safe.

Right now she is still nursing so she must be very concerned feeding herself.

We watch the mother stalk and run at a Thompson’s gazelle. She didn’t make the kill this time.

We have one last surprise—we finally see a black rhino.

We now have our Big Five! This term refers to the five African animals big game hunters of old determined were the most dangerous—the most dangerous when cornered during a hunt. The elephant, leopard, lion, Cape buffalo, and the rhino. Most are now only hunted by camera…most. We learn Nakuru is a protected reserve where black and white rhinos are secured because these endangered animals are still poached in some parts for their horns, if the opportunity presents.

Our Twiga is on the road again as we leave, a final goodbye.

We roll past more elephants on the way out of the Mara Conservation Area.

These famous Olaloololo Escarpment is a beautiful back drop for the iconic Balanites trees. This escarpment is the western border of the Mara and the Great Rift Valley. The trees are found throughout Africa and into the Middle East. It has been called the desert date and the soap berry tree.

Out on the road, we are back to isolated African settlements.

Some of these areas even use euphorbia as fence posts—much like ranches in the American Southwest that use the long ocotillo cactus branches for fencing. Once in the ground euphorbia can take root and become living enclosures.

We pass a few shops on the road—full of colorful African memorabilia, like the Maasai blankets,

And yes, tchotchkes too, like this rack of "hunting shields."

We enter Nakuru Park just after a rain—and a wide rainbow stretches across the sky! More good luck? This is a unique place. Very small and right beside the city of Nakuru. They don't have elephants here because it would not be possible to contain them and they would endanger the town.

An impala family greets us.

Along with olive baboons cleaning each other.

Out on the open plains of Nakuru we see our first White Rhino.

Their name is said to be a mistranslation of the Dutch and later Afrikaans word “wijd” which means wide, a description of the shape of its mouth. The white rhino has a wide, square mouth built to graze.

It is also the most social of the rhinos. Don’t read that as friendly, but it is often seen in groups and isn’t as skittish as the critically endangered black rhino (that has a narrow mouth and hooked lip). The black rhino is a browser, the hooked lip used to strip leaves from branches. It is found at Nakuru--but we'll have much less chance of seeing one here since it typically hides in the woodlands. The white rhino is native to southern Africa and Nakuu is one of the locations where it has been introduced to help stabilize the species.

We work our way around the lake shore and see large flocks of Lesser Flamingos. The Lesser Flamingo, smaller than the Greater Flamingo, feeds primarily on Spirlina algea growing in very alkaline lakes, like Nakuru.

At dusk we head back to Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge where we have a special treat after dinner…native dancers.

Download 10_dancers_at_nekuru.wmv

Tomorrow we’ll explore more of Lake Nakuru and hopefully find our third type of giraffe, the majestic Rothchild’s Giraffe.

Day 20 LAST DAY ON THE MARA RIVER

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 18:10:00 GMT

First thing this morning we head back to the hyena cubs. They are still in the red oat grass but we now see they have a social structure—the babies have a “nanny.”

The matriarch has a tracking collar (hyenas packs are always lead by a female, and females are bigger than males). The rangers only tag the lead female hyena as they gather data so they can manage the area.

We see the nanny carry one of the babies in her mourh—a bit of discipline for this youngster who has been acting up. These are lucky babies. Born to the matriarch they have high status in the pack. Babies born to other females will have a very tough life.

Suddenly we hear a starling noise coming at us—a crazy hot air balloon is almost landing on top of us—and the hyenas are agitated.

The balloon moves over us and they resume normal life.

Moving back to the Mara we see two female lions—are these the ones we saw during our night drive? If so they were much more ominous in the dark! Or I should say they are deceptively benign resting in the grass. Lions follow the herd...they follow the food.

Back at the river we continue to see crossings.

The wildebeest make quite a sight leaping off the rocks into the river.

Download 4_jumping_wildebeests_video.wmv

We feel very lucky to have seen so many huge crossings. Really a remarkable spectacle. We even see a Topi swim across. Who knew?

Heading back to camp, we drive by the wetlands one final time.

We find a batchelor herd of young Topis. We stop to enjoy the boys sparring.

Download 7_Topi_sparring_video.wmv

A mother Topi and calf look on.

Out of the wetlands, we meet a large giraffe family

And watch while one drinks. They are in such a vulnerable position when they go for water. Quite an amazing pose.

Tomorrow, we'll do a quick drive before heading to the next game reserve at Lake Nakuru National Park. This is one of the smaller parks in Africa but it's a real gem. More on this tomorrow!

Day 19 DAY TWO at the MARA RIVER

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:22:16 GMT

We go back to the riverbank and see the zebra stallion did not make it. When we arrive, hyenas, secondary predators. are there.

Shortly, Rupple’s Griffin Vultures move in and actually chase the hyenas off the carcass.

One gives us the Darth Vade stance.

They are a moving clean-up machine. Although not pretty, these birds are extremely important the well-being of the African wild.

Download 1_vultures_and_stork_video.wmv

The Maribou storks squabble as they join in.

Back to the river, today we see the massive herds cross. Wildebeest mass,

Then swim across.

Download 7_xing_video.wmv

It’s not pretty on the other side as they desperately climb over each other trying to find a way up the bank.

Zebras mass and cross.

We see the hippos are still in the water.

In the panic to get to the other side, not all animals make it out of the water.

And the vultures wait.

At the top of the cliff a mother zebra calls out for her baby.

Finally the little one makes it to the top.

Driving by the zebra carcass at mid-day only bones remain. The circle of life can be quick.

Back to the lodge, we pass our Twiga “gatekeeper.” The big giraffe is usually on the hill when we leave or return.

He is a great example of the hard callouses males develop on their heads for fighting.

After lunch, we start down to the river and meet the three twiga brothers! He's brought his friends.

Back to river, more huge crossings.

Download 11_more_river_xings.wmv

As we move off, we find beautiful male waterbuck in the marsh.

And a twiga family amble by as the sun lowers.

As we head back to camp—a real find. Hyena mother and tiny babies.

This is a rare sighting! And we have one more day here!

We end the day with another lovely sunset...

Day 18 THE MARA RIVER in the MARA TRIANGLE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:52:00 GMT

In the early morning we head for the Mara Serena Safari Lodge on the banks of the Mara River. We are at the Tanzanian border so we are hoping to see herds crossing. We’ll be at this lodge for three glorious days so we will be able to go on drives and come back to rest, as we choose.

We pass T/K Rock, marking the Tanzania/Kenya border on the plains.

As we enter the Mara Triangle, we enter the part of the Maasi Mara reserve, regulated by the Trans-Mara District. The district has only one local authority, Trans Mara County Council. As we enter the Trans-Mara area, a Mwanza Flat Headed Agama greets us. This beautiful lizard is probably the dominant male.

Along the way, we see the ferocity of vultures in action.

Here they posture and fight for prime positions on a Cape Buffalo carcass. They puff themselves up and walk like Dart Vader to secure the best position.

Download 1_vultures_on_buff.wmv

We immediately head for the river and find a croc waiting on the shore.

We are lucky to see a zebra crossing. Yea!

Although not a huge number of zebras cross, it is eventful. The stallion leads his herd across. But there is a hippo under the water in his path. All we see are huge splashes mid-stream and his difficult water exit,

When the stallion gets to the top of the bank he just stands still, while all the other animals are in a constatnt state of motion. Odd. On closer look we can see why.

The hippo has gored his belly and he is in serious trouble. That's an example of why hippos are considered the most dangerous animal in Africa. We'd thought we might see crock attacks, but not this. He rolls in the dirt--maybe trying to get away from the pain?

It doesn't look good for him. We head back to the lodge for our night drive. We'll check on him tomorrow.

After dinner, we head off in open trucks. Our drivers have huge spotlight for our late night game drive. We see some small hares, then suddenly...two female lionesses. This is just below our fensed camp!

One of the ladies gives us a grand show. "Roar" does not adequately express the noise she makes. We can feel the power of her vocalization as it sends shock waves through us! To me, it was louder than being beside a BIG motorcycle gunning the engine. And here we sit in this open car. Amazing experience.

They seem fairly oblivious to us and our lights--except for the roaring. Was she letting us know we were not welcome? Or just announcing this is their territory?

On the way back to the lodge we see hippos on land for their nightly foraging. Just as long as we're not between them and the river!

Fantastic night!

Day 17 OUR SECOND DAY in the MAASAI MARA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:05:10 GMT

Day two and the Mara is good to us again. We are surrounded! We got wildebeest to the left, zebra to the right, and we're the only car around. Whee! (Jimmy Buffett can borrow that if he'd like....)

I do love the zebra. This nursing mother and young colt could have a difficult time when they get to the river.

Next we come across a matriarch herd of elephants. Since their gestation period is 22 months, this mother has three young ones from atleast the last 6 years. They develop such close bonds and only the males tend to leave the groups as they mature. Often several females will stay together. They take turns caring for the young ones.

Researchers believe elephants grieve a loss and will even “pay their respects” when returning to a place where one died. Babies are particularly affected when they loose their mother. Although most countries are working to reduce poaching, habitat loss also is reducing their numbers.

If you ever travel to this area, try to save a day or two in Nairobi to travel to the Elephant Orphanage. We didn't scedule enough slack time, but other members of our party said it is truly a life-changing experience. (Guess we'll just have to come back.)

Day closes with another spectacular African sunset--this one on the open Mara plains.

Back at the lodge, Maasai tribal dancers perform before dinner.

These are men, chanting with their traditional jumping.

Download 5_dancers.wmv

Tomorrow we're headed for a camp on the Mara River!

Day 16 The MAASAI MARA GAME RESERVE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:11:46 GMT

We leave Arusha with our Rhino Safari Kenya game drivers, heading out to the southeast Mara. We’re hoping to see herds of Wildebeests and Burchell’s Zebras. If we’re lucky we’ll even see some of the famed crossings of the crocodile-infested Mara River along the way.

Out on the Mara we first see some gentle Twiga brothers—Swahili for giraffe.

They begin play-fighting. Their “necking” goes on for quite a while...

Swinging heads and bumping shoulders. They are acting like adolescent boys.

Download 4_giraffe4_video.wmv

Suddenly a mature male appears and it seems both youngsters are put on notice.

As he walks over to them, the adolescents lower their heads and act “contrite”...behavior much like that of a scolded dog…until he finally walks off. Then it all begins again. Adult giraffe use their heads like mallets, swinging their neck to explode their head on a competitor. The one on the right is practicing his moves as he harasses his brother. Ah, children!

Continuing into the Mara, we are seeing huge herds of zebra and wildebeest moving across the savanna. A very good sign a river crossing may be in the cards.

There are many predators and prey on the Mara now. This tree, filled with White-backed Vultures, is testament to the constant cycle of life and death here. They mass, waiting for their next opportunity.

As a quiet prelude to the mayhem to come, a giraffe calmly chews an acacia branch.

Rupple’s Griffon Vultures also mass in tree tops.

As we wait, hot air balloons materialize over the horizon and move toward us. A full compliment of early morning sights and sounds.

We pass cheetahs waiting in the shade

And find three lions stalking a mixed herd of wildebeest and zebra.

Suddenly, on the back side of the brush, we hear an animal’s heart-wrenching bleat and a lion’s roar. Rushing around the thicket, we find a magnificent male lion and his zebra kill.

We are first on the site but other cars soon arrive. The lion is very near the road and he is not happy to have people nearby. He proceeds to drag the kill across the road, between the cars, to the protection of the bush.

This is hard work even for the massive lion.

In his hurry, the zebra entrails fall out, Leaving a feast for the waiting vultures. Something for everyone.

We pass a large herd of elan as we head back to camp.

Download 14_elan_herd.wmv

Our tented lodge is at the Sarova Mara Game Camp.

These are "tents" because they have canvas sides. They have a full roof, wood floor, large bed, furniture and a complete bath. (Picture "Out of Africa." ) Plus we again have safe, excellent food where we can eat salads, vegetables, and order drinks with ice. This is luxurious camping!

We will stay here another day and see what the Mara offers us tomorrow.

Day 15 TANZANIA TO KENYA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:50:00 GMT

We leave Tanzania today to contnue our safari in Kenya. We have a beautiful drive through wetlands as we leave Tarangire. Male and female Saddlebill storks search for food a marsh. (The male has the yellow on his beak.)

We spook a herd of reed impala as we left.

On our exit from the park we stopped to watch a fish eagle devour his fresh catch from the stream below.

While a young elephant is busy harassing a flock of Maribou stork resting near the water. Young adolescents!

Baobabs line a dusty ride out of Tarangire.

We drive through busy, colorful Arusha.

Then load a small bus—with AC—to go to the Kenya border crossing. Along the way we get a great view of Killy, complete with a halo of clouds.

What a jumble at the border—cars, trucks, tourists, natives, all vying for a place in line. And women jam all our windows, trying to sell cheap native crafts. No real queue line...our large group takes a bit of time to make it through even though we already have our visas.

We arrive at our Nairobi hotel in the evening and scrambled for a quick dinner. The Mayfair is lovely but we have no time to enjoy it. We are continuing on the Kenya-half of our safari as a back-to-back trip with Tanzania. Our group will meet a few new people for an early morning breakfast start, beore beginning our Kenya adventure into the Maasai Mara. Luckily, we'll slow the pace in Kenya.

Day 14 TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK WILD DOGS

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:09:00 GMT

Leaving SOPA Lodge at daybreak our guides go the last known location of the latest wild dog sightings. WOW! We immediately see the pack on the hillside.

They walk down to cross the road.

One even lays down between the cars—maybe an expression of dominance?

They continue to hang out and watch us for several hours. It’s amazing how they can blend into the hillside, almost ghost-like.

Even big elephants tend not to turn their back on these guys.

Another lilac breasted roller perches on an old tree as we pass. These are beautiful birds with their 7 colors. The state bird of Swaziland, I think they are my favorite. Plus, they tend to pose for us. OK. They’re just hunting, but it works for a great picture!

A zebra crosses our path in front of a giant termite mound.

Here the red dirt makes the mounds really beautiful. Some are thousands of years old and they are hard as rock. The spring rains tend to wash some of the external dirt off. This is a signal for the outside termites to swarm. They take off in search of new places to start colonies. In Zimbabwe we saw this event and the camp hosts came to sweep up the termites who fell at the night lights. The locals picked off their wings, fried them and said their were delicious. (We weren’t as adventurous then so we were perfectly happy when they didn’t offer any. We now have awakened a bit of the Anthony Bourdain in us so we wish we could say, "Yup, they really did taste nutty.")

A mother and baby Maasai giraffe wander not too far from the dog pack. Even though everything must eat, we hope they are aware.

We find a black-faced grouse family,

As we drive under a water python curled in an acacia tree. We pass underneath the big snake and he didn’t flex a muscle. Huge, fellow. And how many have we missed?

As we pass through the woodlands our car is engulfed by tsetse flies. These are nasty biting flies that feed on vertebrate blood. That would be bad enough but they are also vectors for human sleeping sickness. Our guides warned us they were in the park and we should not wear the Maasai colors—red or blue. These colors seem to particularly attract them. Anyhow, we were able to corral and kill the ones in the car. One met his end on a window and made a good picture….

As we leave the woodlands we see a Verreaux's Eagle-Owl. Pink eye lids! This is the largest African owl and the third heaviest owl in the world. It has a wingspan of almost five feet. This is an apex avian predator and hunts mostly in the evening.

We end the day with what else- a baobab at sunset. Beautiful.

Day 12- MORNING in the CRATER, THEN OFF to TARANGIRE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 03:43:00 GMT

Immediately after we hit the crater floor we find the “Lion King” resting in the grass.

Around the corner we see why he’s taking a siesta. During the night the pride made a zebra kill. The females and playful cubs are still milling around, all with BIG full tummies.

And now the second tier scavengers arrive. A white-necked raven is on the kill.

While hyenas wait in th weeds, biding their time until the lions move off.

We drive a bit farther and have an amazing treat—watching a cheetah emerge from the grass.

Take off on a high-speed chase,

And take down a Tommy (Thompson’s gazelle).

She drags it away to protect her prey.

Then she must gobble what she can as fast as she can. Cheetahs are (70 mph) fast but are not top predators. Lions, leopards and even hyenas can take the prey they have worked so hard to get. This can make raising a family very difficult when mom has 4-5 mouths to feed.

Back on the plain, we come across more herds. They migrate to the water in the daytime then reverse the route at night.

A line of wildebeest head for the main herd.

Catching the sun behind them, their mane positively glows.

The zebras also migrate to water. But these stopped for a “dust bath.” They roll around with all four feet in the air. The dirt helps keep them free of insects.

At the end of the morning we head toward the wetlands and the birds.

The little bee eater is beautiful.

We see trees decorated with hanging baskets—African Christmas Trees. These are weaver nests.

At the lake, we see the Rufous-tailed weaver pausing for a quick photo.

And several little birds invade our car looking for goodies—they’re on the floor, the seats, the roof.

We pass a flock of crested cranes in the field.

And an Auger Buzzard (red-tailed hawk) by the side of the road as we leave.

We exit the crater and head for the Sopa Lodge at Tarangire National Park. This should be an awesome place. Known for its elephants, it is also a chance to see the African Wild Dogs/Painted Wolves. We’ll cross our fingers.

Our first stop is Mto Wa Mbu Kijiji - Swahili for Mosquito Creek. As the name implies, mosquitos—and malaria—have reeked havoc here. The Tanzania government brought in mosquito nets and the problem is now in hand. The women walking to the shops are colorful.

Their banking is unique.

Roadside stands are full of life

And color.

Plus we are in town on the day of the monthly Maasai Open-Air Market. Our guide quickly drove us through this event, but we needed to stay “in the shadows.”

Leaving Mosquito Village, we passed more adolescent Maasai warriors in paint.

And a man transporting firewood on his bike. Bicycles are used to transport huge quantities of goods. This was a fairly small load.

At last we reach Tarangire and take a quick drive at dusk, passing Marabou Stork with their “air bags.” In adults, this reddish "balloon" hangs on the throat. It's an air sack used for buoyancy during flight and an extension of it's digestion system. They are sometimes called “Undertaker Birds” because of their somber demeanor.

We pass more African Christmas Trees, full of weaver nests hanging like decorations.

And a waterbuck shows us the tell-take “toilet seat” markings on her backside.

We also pass a herd of impala with a nursing calf.

We are able to see the interactions of an elephant group. First the group goes after a young male and forces him to leave—obviously an interloper.

Download 12_exit_ellies.wmv

Then another young male came up to the group.; This one was welcomes with obvious joy--probably a recent member of he group.

Download 12_greeting_ellies.wmv

This young male went on to “formally” greet the matriarch.

The baobabs are beautiful in Tarangire.

Their shape make a sunset even more spectacular.

The sunset stretches brilliantly over the plains.

Tomorrow we’ll set out early in search of the elusive wild dogs!

Day 11- NGORONGORO CRATER

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:43:21 GMT

At last we are at Ngorongoro Crater. Not that we haven’t seen some amazing things along the way, but this is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Center. The crater is a giant caldera resulting from the collapse of an approximately 15,000 foot volcano two-three million years ago.

It is considered a “natural enclosure,” 100 square miles with almost all the African species interacting in one place. It should be amazing.

We start off at 6 AM with a wonderful sunrise over the crater.

As we descend 2000 feet to the floor, morning rays break through the clouds again creating “god light.”

And the clouds form a fluffy marshmellow mass spilling over the edge of the crater.

On the floor of the crater a Maasai herds his goats. Under new laws they can once again graze their animals in the crater, but must remove them at the end of each day.

We immediately find one of the famed black-maned lions.

On the plain, a female and male ferociously stalk a young wildebeest. The jackly tags along, hoping for some scraps while an adult wildebeest looks on.

Later, these apex predators remind us they still have some traits that remind us of a household kitty. Well, maybe just a little.

We also see a hyena family with babies.

And the hyena mother, bringing the remains of the young wildebeest for her young. More of the circle of life on the plains.

We enjoy more zebra geometrics in the grassland.

Times five!

Driving through the woodlands we stop to admire the beautiful yellow-barked acacias up close and personal.

And we see birds galore…

A woodland kingfisher,

We finally catch a female and male ostrich performing their courtship dancing-and mating,

A guinea fowl with its fluorescent blue markings,

A kori bustard, puffed in display,

Along with the center of his attention,

And the magnificent crested crane.

We end the day with a wildebeest herd--even in the crater they migrate. Just not as far as the ones on the Mara.

Ngorongoro has lived up to its reputation. We're coming back to the crater tomorrow--can't wait to see what this magical place will share with us then!

Day 10 SAROI in the SERENGETI to the NGORONGORO CRATER

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:00:00 GMT

A bright ball of light greets us in the morning.

Breakfast is a spectacular view of the Serengeti below.

They only put place settings on one side of the table for a reason. What a view.

Driving through the Serengeti, we come across two amorous Maasai ostrich. Sally Rand would have done well to study the female's moves…almost a contortionist, she slings her great feathered wings around and dips her neck so she practically turns herself inside out.

The male, with a bright pink neck, goes through complimentary gyrations. When they move off, we move on.

Our next stop is to examine a unique tree in this area—the whistling thorn acacia. (Be sure you clearly say all three words.) This is a specific acacia species that protects itself with three-inch thorns.

However, this must not have provided enough safety, because it made another adaptation. It has other thorns that form a bulbous swelling at the branch. The trick is cocktail ants make these swollen thorns their home by burrowing holes to the inside. (So when the wind blows, the trees whistle.)

The cool thing is the ants provide the tree a second layer of defense. If there is the slightest movement, like an animal eating the leaves (or us shaking the tree to see the little critters), the ants swarm stinging the intruder with formic acid. Animals learn this is a tree to avoid.

As we leave the Mara we look back and see how the area got its name…this is the Maasai’s ancestral home and when they looked over the plains they called the area “Mara.” In their language this means spotted. This is a fitting description of the collective composition of trees, scrub, savanna, and animals we see when we take a wide view of the landscape.

Back in the wide-branched trees, we catch a glimpse of another leopard keeping watch in the crook of a tree. He’s not close to the road, but we can see this one's eyes.

We reach another beautiful kopje where we’ll have lunch.

This is Ngong Rock. At the top of the kopje is the special rock. The rock is made of completely different material from the others in the area. Standing beside it we have a wide-open view of the Mara.

Is it a meteorite? The Maasai have used it as a musical instrument for generations. When we hit it with a stone, it sounds hollow and the indentations give off a metallic tone, like a gong. The Maasai made the indentations by making music over the centuries.

On a rock wall at the back of the kopje we also find Maasai pictographs. Some are hundreds of years old,

but others are obviously quite new.

Leaving Ngong Rock, we have a really dusty drive out of the Mara.

We stop at at Naabi Hill and walk to the top of the kopje at the edge of the Serengeti. A sign explains the Maasai called the great plain the siringet and the name of the park was born. We can see the dust as cars head out on the road to the edge of the park.

On the way to the Serengeti Sopa Lodge we pass another Maasai manyatta.

The Maasai have moved from their warrior ways to Nomadic cattle herders. They believe their rain god, “Enkai,” made them sole owners of cattle. Cattle are their form of currency and are vital to their lives, providing wealth, milk and blood for nourishment, dung to build their houses. They are also a part of their spiritual rituals.

At Sopa Lodge we're spending the night on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater. This evening we are treated to Maasai dancing. The women wear their traditional beaded collars and move so the collars dance around their necks.

The men perform their traditional jumping, each trying to outdo the other.

Tomorrow, we’ll spend the day on the crater floor!

Day 9 The SERONERA AREA of SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:40:00 GMT

Sawa Sawa (Let’s go!) A tiny bit of Swahili….we begin with another ho-hum African sunrise.

Leaving Lobo at daybreak, we pass more kopjes. The wind and rain has weathered this one leaving a hanging rock perched on top. An African Hoodoo—of sorts.

And the wildlife just keeps on coming. We see a regal Egyptian Goose in a tree. Not birders, we are learning more about our feathered friends. At least this one we’ve met before…we saw it soaring over the Taj Mahal this spring.

We stop again at the hippo pool by the Seronera River on the way back.

Ugh! That water is filthy! As I mentioned before, they stay in the water most of the day, usually coming out only in the evening.

We hear an unusual bird as we drive. Our guide explains this is the African Hoopoe bird. And in a few minutes we hear another answer back from a nearby acacia tree. A monogamous bird, the pair treat us to a delightful serenade.

Under a clear blue sky, a lone elephant wakes up by using an isolated acacia tree to scratch its backside. This is so Africa.

A pack of banded mongoose pose for us in the brush. These are carnivores, eating mostly birds, snakes and rats. They will eat the deadly mambas and spitting cobras. Working together to protect the group, they develop a close relationship. The troop eventually decided all the attention—and camera clicking-- was too much and they moved away.

Into the Seronera Valley we stopped at a way station and had a chance for hands-on with Cape Buffalo skulls. Big respect for how massive those animals are. The horns are really heavy. There is also a collection of Hippo and giraffe skulls.

Back on the savanna we find another herd of elephants, with a nursing calf.

This is older than the ones we saw at Ndutu. Our guides tell us the baby is usually over a year old if they are too big to walk under the mother.

Elephants have such strong relationships. Groups of mothers often have several years of children with them. Only older adolescent males head off on their own. Majestic creatures.

Lunch at another kopje gives us a few surprises. First we find ant lion larvae traps in the sand. Adults are sometimes called “doodlebugs” because they leave winding trails in the sand when looking for a place to build its trap—it looks like someone doodled on the ground.

The larvae have strong jaws and dig traps, like this one. Larvae attack its prey when it falls into the funnel-shaped hollow culminating at the trap. We can't get this one to pop its head out.

Right after we leave our lunch we spot lions in the tall grass. There are so many of us and we're not quiet, but sheesh. They were right there!

Moving on we are still in an area with water. We find another herd of hippo in wetlands. One is crying—well, maybe just shedding salt.

And some are covered with yellow-billed oxpeckers. The little birds eat ticks on the hippo’s skin. The hippo is a moving buffet.

A bit farther we find an interesting slice of life—an gazelle carcass in a tree about 30 feet above ground. How did our guide ever find this? Proof there are active leopards in this area.

These cats are incredibly strong and carry their kill high up in a tree so they are not bothered by others trying to poach. No hyenas, other cats or even vultures can drop in to claim a share. Here's a close-up.

These big trees with wide horizontal branches are prime leopard territory. Wish we could find one watching us!

An African Marsh Harrier takes off from a nearby tree. You can see the talons and beautiful wing feathers that make this a top bird of prey. It lives in wetlands and mostly feeds on mice, frogs, etc. Mature adults have yellow eyes. The brown eyes mark this one as a juvenile.

As we leave the area a family of elephants wander through the wetlands.

Then we take a break—a flat tire. A rare occurrence, but it does happen. Our guides would do Indy proud. They change tires and fix all manner of problems on the fly. Traveling in a group, we often have another car nearby, and another person to lend a hand. This stop was only about 15 minutes.

We’re passing through maasai territory and we come upon more adolescents in the middle of their coming-of-age ceremony. Since they must live on their own for several months, they agree to pose with us for a small fee. Good will all around.

We arrive at Saroi Serengeti Lodge just in time to clean up before dinner—this is a “tented” camp but not like one you might expect. The walls are canvas, but we have a fantastic indoor bath.

Never the less, we take advantage of the outdoor shower, overlooking the Serengeti.

Although we use them, I think the mosquito nets on the bed are mostly for the charming effect.

Tomorrow we'll have breakfast overlooking the Serengeti before we head to Ngorongoro Crater!

Day 8 MIGRATION IN THE MAASAI MARA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 04:50:00 GMT

We day-trip from Lobo heading to the Mara River. The day starts with another spectacular sunrise. We call rays of sun filtering through clouds "god-light." A good description this morning.

Leaving at dawn, again, we head down the mountain and catch an amazing sight on a hilltop that is right out of The Lion King. A male and female lion are silhouetted in the morning light. It just keeps getting better!

Heading into the plains, we come across a male Maasai ostrich with a bright pink neck.We know it is a male because he has black feathers. The females are brown because they sit on the nest in the day and brown feathers blend into the grass. The male will sit the nest at night so his black feathers help him hide in the dark. The pink neck is significant…it shows he is courting a female.

In a tree we find our first Rupple’s Griffon Vulture with a (large) chick. These are magnificent creatures and we’ll see a lot more of them in the next few weeks.

On the way to the Mara River, we hit huge migrating herds of wildebeest.

Driving along the trail--since we're not in Ndutu anymore, we must stay on the roads--we are in the middle of the herd!

We follow the wildebeest to the tributaries of the river.

But there is no crossing while we watch. On the bank we can see some huge crocodiles. This may be the reason the wildebeest aren’t moving into the river. A little later we'll see this is a smart move. The crossings can be extremely dangerous.

We are a long way from Lobo so we must head back without seeing a crossing. Regretfully, we leave. But Africa doesn't let us down. We find two young cubs playing on a fallen tree on the way back.

What a joy.

We make it back to Lobo after sunset. Another long day. At daybreak, we'll head for the Seronera River area of the Serengeti National Park. The schedule is hectic right now but we can't believe what we're seeing.

Day 7 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK, KOPJES AND CHEETAH BABIES

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:19:00 GMT

As we say good bye to Ndutu we realize these days been jam packed! We’ll miss this place.

Along with the amazing animals we've seen on the game drives, we have the Fisher’s Lovebirds that filled the waterhole outside the lodge's dining area.

Our our own private chameleon living in the euphorbia at the main entrance,

And leaf bats kind enought to hide under a roof eve each day so we can watch them sleep.....

We are leaving the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and moving to the Serengeti National Park—the original Big Sky country and a whole lot of open range.

We head to our next camp at Lobo Wildlife Lodge, near the Maasai Mara in northern Tanzania. This is near the Kenya border. We hope to catch up with the migration there.

Dotting the open plains, we come upon kopjes (coppies). These are ancient lumps of volcanic rock—granite or another outcroppings substantially harder than the rocks around it—pushed up from the earth's core millions of years ago. As the land eroded, they became exposed and began to split and erode to form beautiful “stacks” of rock in the middle of the open range. Their name is derived from the Dutch word for “little head.”

We circle a beautiful kopje and find a mother with two baby cheetahs barely visible in the grass.

Cheetah cubs are gorgeous!

A bit farther we find a lovely lioness in the grassland as she stalks a herd of Cape Buffalo. By herself, this will not be easy pickings.

As we enter an area with some streams, we find two lion cubss perched in a tree. One posed and one slept, oblivious to us.

In the same area, one of our guides spots a tell-tale sign in a tree: a sleeping leopard. They are almost impossible to see. He saw the long straight tail hanging down as it slept. Pretty cool!

All this before our lunch on the road.

Toward the end of the day we take a short detour to a hippo pool with 50-60 hippos. One male submerges a female during mating. (Most activities take place in the water. Although they can run very fast, they are a semi-aquatic animal. Their closest living relatives are cetaceans--whales and porpoises.)

However, another male decides to object and a fight erupts.

Their mouths, and teeth, are huge. Hippos are known as the most dangerous animal in Africa and we can see why. One big fellow backed away and the ruckus ended quickly.

We arrive at Lobo very late in the afternoon. What a place.

Built into one of the most beautiful kopjes in the Serengeti, it was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright to merge with the surroundings. The setting is magnificent.

They had all sorts of interesting artifacts. I had some fun with a giraffe skull in the bar.

Hydax are all over the rocks. These are small, shy herbivores. They are not rodents. They are closely related to elephants. These are the same creatures we called dassies in South Africa.

Tomorrow we hope to find the herds of wildebeest and zebra migrating across the Serengeti.

Day 6--WOW! A GIRAFFE KILL AT NDUTU

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:19:00 GMT

Our second day at Ndutu we have another magnificent African sunrise.

We heard lion roars around camp all night long. Some seemed just beyond the lighted area outside our huts! As we begin our daybreak drive, we see why. A large pride on males, females and cubs has taken down a young giraffe.

For an animal this size, our guides say a male leaps on its back and is able to bring its neck down. Then the pride takes over.

We watch the animal interactions at the kill site and get some group portraits.

It's a big prde. We count 3 males, four females and five or six cubs. And the males definitely are in charge.

The cubs are allowed to feed last and they are a grubby mess.

Moving on, we finally find a bat-eared fox posing out in the open.

And an “African cocktail,” a name we use when mixed species gather together. Here an elephant herd wanders through Grant’s gazelle and a Coke’s Hartebeast.

If I was painting a geometric, I couldn’t come up with anything better than a zebra.

On the savanna we find a warthog family at breakfast.

Several hyena are stalking leftovers at the Cape Buffalo kill. They must wait until the lions cler the area.

The ubiquitous—and beautiful—superb starling lights on an acacia bush. How’d they get so lucky to get the pretty one while ours is such a drab black?

A Tawny Eagle leaves a tree and flies overhead as we head back to the lodge.

In another clearing we stop to watch a herd of elephants strip bark from trees to eat. Elephants can do a good bit of damage as they move across an area decimating trees.

In another tree we find a wild bees’ nest.

We aren’t walking in the area, but tribesmen on foot sometimes come upon a honey-guide bird. This bird will sing to lead walkers to a hive. As a reward, the tribesmen leave the bird a honeycomb. Tribesmen get a sweet treat and the bird gets a reward he couldn’t obtain without help. This developed from man watching the long-standing practice of the bird leading the honey badger to bee nests. The bird cannot access the honey by itseld and the badger has trouble finding nests. The bird can eat its fill once the badger is done. A great example of a modern-day symbiotic relationship called mutualism.

We pass by a group of banded mongoose looking over the plains at dusk as we end our last full day at Ndutu.

Ndutu has certainly lived up to its reputation. I can't get any better than this.

DAY 5 -NDUTU DELIVERS: CHEETAHS, A BUFFALO KILL & MORE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:44:00 GMT

At Ndutu, we head out on our game drives each day at dawn to catch the early animals. This area is unique for game drives because our guides are allowed to drive off road so we can go whereever the action is. This makes Ndutu a favorite safari site. And the sunrise doesn't let us down, either.

We are in luck! We immediately find two cheetah brothers in the savanna.

They are magnificent creatures.

And it’s amazing how they can disappear into the grass.

After our cheetah adventure, our five safari cars get together for breakfast on the plains, with “Uji” , Swahili for hot cereal. This is a finger millett-honey-nut hot cereal brought with coffee, tea, breads, etc. Very good and fun out in the open.

Continuing on, we pass a Maasai giraffe stretching out, eating leaves on a tree. There are three types of giraffe and we'll get to see them all. The Maasai has irregular splotches, looking somewhat like rosettes.

We see some amazing birds in the tall grass:

Kori Bustards amid impala. This may be the heaviest bird capable of flight. They usually feed on insects, lizards and snakes.

A giant Secretary bird is a unique shape with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs. It spends much of its time walking in the grasslands hunting insects, small mammals, lizards and snakes.

A Lilac-breasted roller is perched on a post. This is a vibrant bird, said to have over 20 colors on its body. They typically sit on a tall stick or dead tree, looking for insects or other small prey on the ground.

In a tree, we see a beautiful black-chested snake eagle, also watching for breakfast.

We find a beautiful augur buzzard,

And one of the must vital birds on the plains, the vulture. This Nubian vulture isn't pretty but it serves an important function. Like all vultures, It cleans the carrion. It's nature's housekeeper. Vulture's have heads without feathers so they don't contaminate themselves when eating the rotting meat.

After breakfast each safari truck takes off in different directions. We come across an old Cape Buffalo resting in the shade under a tree. He is alone, which probably means he was expelled from the herd because he was too old.

A little farther we find a maternal lion pride. At least 5 mature adults, several younger females and 5 cubs- 20 in all.

When we first found them they were relaxing in the grass, grooming each other. Suddenly the lead female went into a “point” position and our driver said she mauy be getting a scent from the direction of the buffalo.

The lead lion stands and snarls and looks in the direction of the buffalo.

This is amazing. She is assembling the troops! The other adults get up, face the same direction and begin licking their chops.

The matriarch begins leading the pride across the plane. We follow, off to the side.

The lioness takes a hunting pose as she continues forward.

As she begins her run in the buffalo stands. The lead lioness attacks, grabbing the buffalo’s back.

She leaps on his back and is joined by the others.

The lions have him trapped.

The pride continues to chew and bite the buffalo while one lion goes nose to nose with him. Its amost like she is checking if he is going to fight or give up.

This is not a quick process. The lions continue to fight the buffalo but must stay clear of his horns.

After almost two hours, one lion finally is able to grab a shoulder and bring the buffalo down on his side.

Once prone, an adult covers his nose with its mouth. Thank heavens it is finally over.

They make quick work of the carcass. By the end of the day this was all that was left.

This was very hard to watch. The lions and their cubs were hungry. The old buffalo had been forced out of his herd so his days were numbered. However, the kill was difficult to witness. More because it was not quick and over. The buffalo would not give up so he was attacked for about two hours before he finally gave up and they could kill him. Life--and death--in the wild.

The kill also draws other animals who benefit from the lion's efforts. Jackyls hide in the savanna until they can sneak in when the lions leave.

On the way back to the lodge we came across another pride with male and female lions not too far from the kill. They obviously had no idea of the feast they missed just over the hill.

As we end our day, we end on a more gentle note. We crossed paths with an elephant herd with a nursing calf about a year old.

Days 4 The OLDUPAI DIG and NDUTU on the SERENGETI

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:28:00 GMT

Leaving Lake Manyara, we take time for one last view of the lake with a huge candelabra cactus—really the succulent Euphorbia—as we head northwest for our next destination at the Ndutu Safari Lodge.

Along the way we see a klipspringer, like a mountain goat, in the rocks

and a golden dwarf mongoose hiding among the brush.

On the plains, we see beautiful silver-cheeked hornbills.

The female (on the left) has red around her eyes. They feed on fruits, insects, small birds, rodents and small reptiles.

Passing through Magatu, there are colorful kanga shops. Some were decorated with Obama’s picture.These are the colorful cloth wraps worn over clothes.

And we find the Hillary Clinton Shop.

Stopping for a quick view on the Ngorongoro Crater Rim, 2,000 feet below, we see the wind whipping up salt by a lake. We’ll spend more time here on the way back.

In the Ngorongoro Conservation Area we pass a Maasai Manyatta, a village of grass and stick huts ringed with sticks and thorn bush to keep out wild animals.

Next to the village, we see women and children from the village drying clothes in the grass with the odd juxtaposition of a modern heavy-duty road roller machinery nearby.

A bit farther we see some tribesmen in their red kangas herding their goats. The Maasai are a complicated people.

On the way to the Ndutu Safari Lodge, we take a looong and very bumpy road (aka an African massage) to the paleoanthropological site in Oldupai. The Oldupai Gorge Archeology Site, in the eastern Serengeti of Tanzania, is where archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey found the earliest human remains and first evidence of hominis' use of stone tools. This was important information furthering understanding of human evolution. This is a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. Discoveries here support the concept that Africa is probably the “Cradle of Mankind.” The remains of the earliest humans, from over 1.6 million years ago, were found in this gorge.

We look over the monolith in the heart of the gorge

As we listen to a lecture. Then we move to the dig site before heading off.

As we arrive in Ndudu we are treated to a gorgeous sunset

Followed by a full moon. Beautiful.

During dinner at the lodge we have visitors—genet “cats” come each evening and perch on the rafters. They are most closely related to the mongoose.

During the night we hear hunting lions roaring all around us. We’ll explore this amazing place for the next two days.

Africa Day 3-TANZANIA AT LAKE MANYARA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:32:00 GMT

We've been away from home for six days. This is our third day in Africa and we finally START OUR SAFARI!

At daybreak—everything seems to happen at dawn and dusk on safaris because animals are most active when its cool--we leave the lodge for Lake Manyara National Park. The iconic baobab trees dot the hills as we descend to the unique habitats at the alkaline lake. This one is estimated to be 1000 years old.

At the lake er are not disappointed- there are animals galore! Large nesting yellow-billed storks fill the trees as we enter the park.

We find a gray-headed kingfisher sitting among the large thorns of an acacia tree.

At the lake a hippo is joined by white necked cormorants and

Storks lift-off over pelicans.

We find an African Lapwing (Crowned Plover) in the field.

Baboons cover the trees. The intense red color denotes this female is in oesterus.

A few minutes later she mates with the pack lead.

Here a mother carries her baby.

While a huge male relaxes.

As we leave at dusk we come upon a beautiful Hydatid Ibis

And a dik dik, one of the smallest antelope

In the brush we see a Sykes Blue Monkey--it reallty does have a blue sheen to its coat.

As we leave the park, we have a final treat. Two juvenile elephants sparring, literally kicking up a dust storm.

Quite a first day on safari!

Beginning our East African Safari-TANZANIA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:46:00 GMT

After 18 months of planning we finally begin our African Safari in July-August of 2012.

We fly in to Nairobi International Airport and immediately connect with our Kenya safari guides from Rhino Safaris who take us to the Ole-Sereni Hotel. It borders the National Game Park and its name comes from the Maasai 'place of tranquility.” The hotel is beautiful and gives us a great introduction to the continent. The building was the old American Embassy before it was moved for improved security.

The next morning we go to the nearby smaller Wilson Airport for a light airplane trip to Tanzania. Some of the signs let us know we're not in Kansas anymore...

We board a 20 passenger plane

And fly past a cloud-crowned Mount Kilimanjaro

As we head to the Killy International Airport outside Arusha, Tanzania.

Our first night in Tanzania is at Serena Mountain Village Lodge. Individual huts surround a great old house with the dining area.

We are in the middle of coffee plantations and have our first wildlife encounter as we watch vervet monkeys steal limes from the tree outside our window.

The lodge is decorated with Bouganvilla of all colors, along with other beautiful flowering plants like the Traveller’s Palm.

At night, Mt Meru is impressive in the distance.

In the morning we meet the rest of our group, fill our photo bean bags with rice and begin our safari with Cheeseman Ecology Safari’s. Doug and Gail have led trips to Africa over 30 times and know this area like their hometown. They have chosen first class lodges where we can eat all the foods, including fresh vegatables, and bottled water flows freely. They also know most of our Tanzanian Wildersun Safari Guides for over 20 years. We are in for a real treat. We ride in specialy-designed Toyota pop-tops with a guide and four passengers.

On the road, colors are everywhere…from fruit and vegetable stands

To city streets

To impromptu roadside markets

Coffee and banana plantations

And the Maasai. These proud people herd cattle and carry the traditional spears used to ward off lions. They dress in red and bright blue and we are told the lions know these colors… and stay away.

Every few years, young Maasai warriors go through the circumcision ceremony at puberty. We are here during one of those times!

Young men wear black and paint white patterns on their faces for 3-4 months while they exist on their own—without families—to heal and become a man.

(While young women are no longer supposed to go through this process, we are told it is still common.)

We arrive at our first safari stop, Lake Manyara, at the base of the escarpment that is part of the great East African Rift Valley. The Rift Valley is a massive fault line between continental plates. The rift appears to be a developing divergent tectonic plate boundary of East Africa. This rift plate was considered part of the Great Rift Valley that extends north to Asia Minor around the Dead Sea. The Rift Valley is the home of some of the most exciting wild animal viewing on the planet! We can't wait.

We spend the night at Manyara Serena Lodge and are greeted by fruit bats sleeping under the eves of some of the bungalows.

DAY 2- EXPLORING THE MOSEL VALLEY & BERNKASTLE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:31:00 GMT

The vineyard Gästehaus is perfect with large comfy rooms and a complimentary European buffet. After a leisurely breakfast outside on the terrace overlooking the Mosel, we take a walk toward town. Along the river, bicycles are everywhere. This would be a great place to come just to ride. We have seen bike paths all along our trip. As an added advantage, some people are riding electric bikes that offer a small assist if your path includes some of the steep inclines around here...it is Germany, after all.

It's going to be another 90 degree day, so back to our B+B, walking past the vinyards. We"re off to Bernkastle by car to check out the town and the ancient castle icon on the hill.

The town is beautiful...again flowers everywhere with buildings dating back to the 1600's around an old Marketplatz.

This appears to be a real tourist mecca with the town split into twin villages on both sides of the river. And we find flower-filled parks everywhere.

Sightseeing we find the fountain in front of the town hall. During the September wine festival, the St. Michael's Fountain flows with wine. How perfect!

By chance, ever watchful shoppers, Susan and I notice a jewelry store in the Marketplatz advertising Troll Beads. We can't resist.

Turns out Troll Beads are a brand made in Europe and are much like the Pandora bracelet beads we see at home. Instead of their one bead with a troll, we chose a bead with grapes...really more fitting for this trip.

Driving up to the castle, we hike to a terrific view of the river, as well.

We get a bite at the castle and take in the view above the river before heading back.

Back at S.A. Prüm, it's time for an afternoon tour of the wine cellar and a private wine tasting.

Saskia Pruem, a third generation vintner from the family, explains the unique conditions that make Mosel Reisling special. They have many vineyards in the surrounding area and fill over 140,000 bottles each year.

It may not be proper wine etiquette, but YUM! Some are shipped to the US, but not all of our favorites. We like the dry (trocken) Riesling. Unfortunately, most distributors ask for the sweeter wines so it may be a challenge to find our favorites in the States.

Ms. Pruem takes us on a tour of the wine cellar. Although they use modern technology to monitor the fermentation...

Some parts of the cellar show its true age.

This group does not miss a meal when we travel, but we love local input. Following our host's suggestion, we headback to town.

To Culinarius, a little outside restaurant, favored by the locals. It is outstanding food in a little corner of a back street. We probably walked right past it yesterday!

A perfect end to a really fun day. Tomorrow we leave for the ancient Roman ruins at Trier before heading for Belgium.

EAST AFRICAN SAFARI--beginning in Germany

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:12:00 GMT

Day 1. Off to Frankfort

We left on our trip to Africa last summr with a slight diversion to Europe, resetting oue clocks in Germany before Nairobi and the main safari portion of our trip. We landed in Frankfort with our best-est travel buds, Susan and John Clarke, heading out for another amazing expedition. We've traveled some fantastic places with these folks...Beijing and a cruise down the Yangtze, riding horseback in the northwest wilds of Mongolia, bicycle trek/tenting through Bryce, Zion and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, skiing folowing snowmobiling to three corners of Yellowstone, trips to the Galapagos, horseback riding Peru's Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Last year we drove Iceland's ring road to include the obscure West Fjords.

Needless to say, these are good friends.

Our trip began with a wonderful surprise. We knew we were flying on a 747--yippee--but it turned out we were on a 747 8i, on the second half of it's maiden flight. Our crew were on top of the world...they had special training and were very proud of themselves and Lufthansa's new baby. Their enthusiasm was infectious...and we didn't need much encouragement to join in their mood.

After arriving in Frankfort, we rented a car and took off for the Rhine Valley. John and Susan had lived in the area for several years and they were our guides...and interpreters for this part of the trip. We hit Germany in a sunny, hot (90 degree) spell with bright blue skies. Quite unexpected. With a bit of a haze at a distance, the Rhine River and the towns were beautiful, full of flowers and picturesque buildings.

And there were castles all along the way. The Rhine provided the major access to the area, both for commerce and invaders. The castles safeguarded the land.

We stopped to play tourist in Bacharach. An ancient town with brilliant flower gardens all along the street and flower boxes on every window. And we get our first German fass beer--on tap. It hit the spot after our long trip.

We walked up to the castle above town, stopping on the way at the ruins of a 13 th century Gothic church, Wernerkapelle.

The Bury Stahleck castle, now a tourist stop, gave us a beautiful view of the river and the surrounding vineyards. The Rhine is a powerful, swift-flowing river filled with barges carrying goods in both directions.

And I've forgotten to mention the vineyards...they literally are everywhere on mostly the south side of every hill along the river. Their rows mark the contours of the hillsides creating fantastic geometric patterns of green.

About 50 miles from Frankfort, we stop for lunch along the Rhine at Hotel Keutmann by the mighty Lorelei Rock. This is a slab of slate towering 145 yards above the river with a long, sordid history. The place the Rhine squeezes to its most narrow and deepest point, the waters at the turn have many treacherous reefs and rapids. Legend has it a a siren named Lorelei bewitched sailors causing them to look up at the rock then crash their boats, sinking their ships. We saw a long parade of barges go past, including some double-barges. We spent our whole lunch watching them navigate the tight turn--and kept out of the path of oncoming traffic.

The outdoor restaurant at the hotel also was interesting too-- not big on catering to tourists. I ordered what I thought was a grilled bratwurst and got two gigantic boiled Oscar Meyers and some potato salad. Ugh. Lesson learned...be sure to check in with John and Susan on future choices.

Moving on, we crossed into the Mosel River Valley. Mosel is a lazy river banked by miles of vineyards as far as the eye can see. And the towns along the river are real eye candy.

Old European styling with huge flower gardens along the road and almost ever building is flanked with overflowing with multi-colored flower boxes. Statues are in the parks.

And of course, the occasional troll or two in gardens or windows. must be a long-standing European THING(?). This carries on the tradition we saw so deeply imbedded in the Icelandic culture at Europe's most western edge and again in isolated homes in our recent trip to Switzerland.

We are now in primo Riesling wine country and we marvel at the shear number of grape vines on the surrounding hills. They form endless vertical rows straight up the sides of the mountains. Don' t grapes need a good bit of attention, pruning and picking? A small army must descend on the area to take care of all this! We fully intend to check it out thoroughly!

To that end, we checked into rooms at the S.A. Prüm Winery and Gästehaus, our home for the next two days.

On the river terrace, we watch boats and barges silently float by.

We head to river city of Bernkastle for dinner (in case you didn't notice, all life centers on the river).

Our meal at the Terrasse Restaurant was fantastic, accompanied by wonderful fass beer (on tap) and wine...local Reisling, of course. Walking out at dusk, we see Bern Kastle, standing tall over the town.

We plan to head up the mountain tomorrow.

Day 11 THE TAJ – last but certainly not least!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:24:00 GMT

Morning came early (again 0500) but we were excited. We know we were lucky to see the tigers. But this is the “sure thing” that’s the anchor of the trip.

We must stop several blocks from the Taj and transfer into the three-wheel motorbike vehicles. The Indians are trying to reduce pollution around the Taj…it was turning the extremely hard marble yellow. Busses and camel carts also fill the parking lot.

Our first sight is a beautiful pink building—not unlike the Taj but we thought it was white. Well, this is only the outer gate. They sure didn’t skimp on effort.

Walking on to the main ground, the Taj Mahal really was breath taking.

The white marble mausoleum, our last World Heritage Site, was relatively cool and there were no crowds at this hour. Time for more Kodak Moments.

Agra was the capital of the Mughal Empire in the 16-17^th centuries. Emperor Shah Jahan built this as a memorial to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth. One of the seven wonders of the modern world, it is an example of Islamic architecture—everything is symmetrical and precise. What is on the left is on the right. Her tomb in in the center of the building with a carved marble window facing Mecca and overlooking the Riverv Yamuna.

Unlike most other buildings, this was carved out of white marble, unique to India.

It is so hard (more on the carving later) it is virtually impenetrable—close to the hardness of a diamond.

The marble of the Taj has the unique ability to glow differently depending of the light. In the morning—part of the reason we came so early—it is bathed in a pink glow. Midday, the white hot sun envelopes the structure. We will come back in the evening to catch the warm gold glow from the setting sun.

A bit of history...The Taj mixes traditional Persian and Hindustani decorative elements. It took 22 years to build—12 of those were spent on the inlay of the ornate semi-precious jewel decoration, including orange carnelian, multi-colored agates and chalcedonies, blue lapis lazuli, bloodstone, garnet and jasper. The carnelian has the unique ability to glow when light travels through it.

The Taj was built with the four minarets at the corners leaning slightly outward. They were designed this way for safety. In case of ground tremor, they would collapse away from the building.

The minaret was striking, silhouetted by the rising sun.

The Taj was built in “perfect” symmetry and some thought of it as an affront to the gods because of its perfection.

When the emperor’s son deposed his father, the son had the old man imprisoned in the nearby Red Fort. From the back of the Taj, you can see the Red Fort and the city in the diistance.

When the old emperor died, the son placed his tomb off to the side of his wife in the Taj. This made a notable break in the symmetry of the tomb and was said to appease the gods.

A view of the entrance from the Taj steps.

Visitors relaxed on the grounds.

As we left, this billboard gave us a laugh.

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to tour the Red Fort.

Another World Heritage Site, the Red Fort was originally a Hindu fort. It is an example of Mughal architecture. The entrance was large enough to admit riders on elephants.

The fortress was protected by a drawbridge and two moats, one was a jungle moat with lions and tigers and the other contained crocodiles. They were effective barriers against invasion.

Amazing architecture.

The fort was the site of a battle during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company's rule in India.

We also visited some local artisans practicing ancient art forms.

Our first stop was a factory with craftsmen creating intricate silk embroidery using ancient patterns.

Next we visited a fascinating factory creating semi-precious stone marble inlays using the same hard marble and designs we had seen at the Taj. We saw the men create the tiny pieces of flower designs with ancient grinding wheels—smaller replicas of the huge designs we had seen that morning.

The pieces were then moved to a man who carved the shapes out of the diamond-hard marble with a hand-held spike. How did they do this to the huge inlays all over the Taj?

After gluing each piece in place, using a secret process, the full surface is evened out with sandstone. These pieces are as large as dining tables and as small as figurines. And most amazing, the guide took a small marble table and hit it on a piece of wood hard enough to shatter most slabs of stone. The piece remained in tact, underscoring why the Taj remains in its original glory after all these years.

On the way back to the hotel, we saw bamboo scaffolding at a building site...just like we saw in China. The country is a real mix of the old and new.

That evening we went back to the Taj to see it in the evening glow. We passed a neighborhood with the Taj in the background.

The sun hit it from the opposite side and some of the tiles actually glistened in the gentle evening light.

The entrance was jammed looking from the Taj steps.

And there were some interesting faces in the crowd.

And one last sunset photo op for us.

The moon was rising as we left the park.

Day 12- The next day we drove back to Delhi and stayed in a day room at the fantastic Trident Hotel. A gorgeous place and a perfect site for our 11 PM airport pick up—apparently most flights east leave Delhi in the wee hours of the morning.

Leaving at 1 AM we hit Frankfort for an 8-hour layover. Another day room at the attached Sheraton hotel made the flight home easy. After the daily 4:30 AM tour wake ups and the intense Indian heat, we were beat. The final trip back to the US left us exhausted but pleased. India and the Taj were amazing and we SAW TIGERS!

Join us later this summer as we report back from Kenya and Tanzania, following the Great Nigration.

Day 10 OFF TO AGRA AND THE TAJ MAHAL

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:22:00 GMT

We left Des Villas Lodge at 5 AM for the three-hour train ride to Agra.

Families lived in this station, also. We saw a man washing his son in the water fawcet on the platform.

We boarded a more typical commuter train—large, individual seats, two facing forward, two back. Very pleasant with more great sights out our window. After 130 ° F heat for 4 days, we were fried, and happy to “chill” in the AC and watch India fly by. We get off in Bharatpur, the closest stop to Agra.

KK, our local guide, met us with porters for our luggage. (How did our suitcases get so heavy? Answer—somefun finds. And why did we pack all that stuff we never used? Answer—we try to get better but just never learn!)

We make a way stop at the Laxmi Vilas Heritage Hotel, a magnificent place in the Taj Mahal motif. It was also completely empty. (This is not tourist season).

KK stops to give us a brief tour at another UNESCO World Heritage Site-- Fatehpur Sikri, City of Victory. This was the capital of the Mughal empire in the 16th century.

I loved the intricate hand-carved red sandstone architecture.

And the Hall of Private Audience of the Emperor Akbar.

Groups of children, dressed up in their finest for vacation, crowd us begging to take our pictures. We took theirs, too.

Back in the van, we head to our next stop at the Gateway Hotel. Namaste.

A great place and we have the afternoon off! It’s still very hot here so no one is interested in the hand-manicured (men clipping grass with scissors) pool area. We sleep until dinner.

Tomorrow will be another 0500 morning, to beat the heat and crowds plus get the sunrise glow at the Taj Mahal.

Day 9. OUR LAST DAY IN RANTHAMBHORE

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Following the same morning schedule, our group heads for the ancient fort overlooking the entire part. Many of the fortress ruins are centuries old. We walk up the hill to the old palace and shrines to tour the ruins in the (relative) cool of e morning.

At the top of the steps we come to a Hindu god. Pilgrims have placed food in his mouth--part of the Wednesday activities.

Entering the palace…more steps.

At the top we finally reach the entry gate.

Inside, the ancient buildings, some dating to 1000 AD, are remarkable. The fort overlooks the whole park with a beautiful lake immediately before it.

We went out on a rubble ledge to get a view “outside” the fortress.

All the stone for the fort was quarried at the site. This left a lake in the middle of the palace grounds.

We could still find markings from the stone cutters.

Walking around the lake we had a better view of the Pillar Shrine.

The back of the palace also had fantastic buildings. Our guide told us th decorated frangipani tree was a more recent addition.

Leaving, we met visitors coming and going. Many stopped and were delighted to have us take their pictures.

After lunch (and our middy siesta) we headed out for our last game drive. We won’t be sorry to leave the heat, but we will miss this place. The tigers are majestic and on the brink of extinction. There are only 40 in this park and only around 1500 total left in the wild. As the story of Broken Tail showed, more habitat needs to be reserved and education stepped up to assure our kids will be able to see tigers--and all the other big cats--in the wild.

Swinging back by the lake, we find samba cooling off in the water in front of great backdrop, munching on water plants.

We can see the fort from below. A flock of birds, possibly rose-ring parakeets, fly over. A sweet good bye.

A brilliant beautiful pink building sits below the fort. Our guide tells us visiting dignitaries sometimes stay here. He mentions Clinton, but who knows.

Still hoping to see one last tiger we spend a few hours in the sun. UGH. I think I'm going to melt. High on a hill, we stumble across a euphorbia bush in bloom. This ornamental "cactus" is actually a succulent that grows all over the park. We're told blossoms are rare.

An Indian mongoose skitters across the rocks on our way down.

Heading back, we stop at a quiet lake, a peaceful last memory.

We go through the fortress "tiger-gate" one last time.

Back at the Des Villas lodge we pack and meet for a final dinner.

Our guides have been terrific. We met several other couples at the lodge who came on their own and hired random drivers and guides. They had yet to see a tiger. We feel very fortunate.

Tomorrow we leave for Agra and the TAJ MAHAL.

Day 8 FACES OF RANTHAMBHORE- People, places and things

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 22:51:00 GMT

Today, as we set out to the higher area of the park, our big treat is the people. On Wednesdays, Pilgrims from all over the area come to the park to visit old shrines. Many villages had to move from the park over the last few years to give the tigers a protected area. Many walk the long road into the park most Wednesdays--women in their finest dress, men and children, to worship at their old family temples. Others cram into covered jeep-like cars. Often the jeeps carry 15 people! Others ride motorcycles...some with children on the handlebars and two more people behind the driver’s seat. And these roads are no easy ride--they are full of potholes. The government has found if the roads aren't kept up, traffic slows and the animals are more protected than using speed humps. So…between the animals and the road, driving becomes an adventure.

The Ranthambhore Park gate was a mass of brilliant color on this religious day.

Driving down the road we captured some wonderful faces of India.

Women carrying food and pots for the day's meals...

And some were just as interested getting our picture, too.

And we loved the children—

While the adults enjoyed having their pictures taken, the babies almost always seemed scared as their parents pushed them toward the camera.

Because we had such great luck finding tigers previously, others in our group went to the prime tiger regions today. So we concentrated on people watching.

I'd love to know the stories these people hold....

Inside the park we saw more Ranthambhore sights.

Like the Ghost Tree. The Kullu gum tree is a stark, white tree totally devoid of leaves when Ranthambhore is dry. As you can imagine, this is most of the year. So how does it make food without leaves? Researchers finally determined this unique tree has chlorophyll in its bark, allowing it to make food—to survive—even when it has no leaves.

The banyan tree, puts out air roots and can grow into mega-trees, so big they can cover both sides of a road. One tree can look like a whole 'grove."

We also saw how a tree will grow a maze of roots down a rock cliff to support itself on the barren rock above. Supreme adaptation.

We had a great view of the fort at the top of the park. This belonged to the Maharajas of Jaipur and the park was his personal hunting ground until Indian Independence. We hope to tour this area tomorrow.

And we saw more animals.

A 6-point Spotted Deer buck.

The horse-like Neelgai Antelope, aka the Indian Blue Bull

And more langurs.

After our game drive, our guide took us to a NGO, Dastkar Ranthambhore, where women learn to make and sell local crafts. We watched the women sewing.

They are keeping old-fashioned block printing alive. Our guide explained the owner runs the only store in Ranthambhore where all the profits go back to the women.

No cuts for tour guides, etc. This was a great gift shop--and to be honest, not everything we bought was for someone else.

Heading back for lunch, camel carts joined us on the road back to the lodge.

We loved the juxtaposition of the cart and motorcycle...the evolving rural India.

After lunch it's tiger hunting again. Our guide, Salim, knows this park like the back of his hand. His father actually was in charge of the drivers years ago. He continues the tradition as president of the local tour guides. We head to an area where two 18 mo. old males joined their mother on her kill yesterday. Today, we find one male in the brush. He's hot so he finally walks toward the waterhole near the road and-- you guessed it--backs in to get a drink.

The road by watering hole provides a small viewing area, and all the cars and trucks jostling for position bothers the tiger.

It's just not quiet.

He gets up and urinates in the pool before moving back into the brush.

(Salim explains this is a safety mechanism. Urine dissipates in the water, keeping young tigers safe from adult males who might try to find and kill them.) And what to our wondering eyes should appear? His brother is also waaay back in the brush. Two (large) tiger cubs. These look huge to us, but in the Tiger-world, they are still babes. The noisy viewers have obviously intruded on these tigers, so we leave hoping others will give them some quiet, too.

We head to the huge lake area now dominated by Mach Li's (the oldest tiger in the park) daughter. The daughter challenged her mother when she came of age and Mach Li had to leave. It's cooler here, and there's an amazing variety of wildlife. Samba deer wade in the Padem Talao (lake) before the Raj Bagh ruins.

Crocodiles bask on the shore and cruise the lake.

We see squadrons of fruit bats, some carrying babies, do touch-and-goes in the water before perching on a nearby flame tree.

Egrets, and a flock of rose-ringed parakeets land in front of the Jogl Mahal ruin.

A mother Ticknee watches over her baby at the shore.

We relax with a golden sunset over the lake and enjoy the sounds and sights. If you could record this, it would be more peaceful than a rippling brookll!

Day 7 TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, and MACH LI, OH MY!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:20:00 GMT

It is a bit cooler in the morning. The best reason to start out at 5:45. We've been assigned to Section 2 today. As we start into Ranthambhore, the langur monkeys cover the road and, with an air of contempt, barely move their long rope tails as we drive by.

In the cool morning, we finally see a male peacock in a dancing display for the rather drab females. Their sharp cries resonate throughout the park and sound like a hurt baby.

We are told they shed and regrow their tail feathers each year; the weight of these feathers makes flight difficult and and makes them an easier dinner target.

But they do fly, making it up to the trees and spectacular high perches.

All the animals like the cool mornings. We came across these spotted deer feeding by the side of the road.

Every day we pass through an ancient gate entwined in an huge old banyan tree. This is a beautiful scene. But even more fun, our guide, Salim, has seen tigers looking out from the top. We've named this Tiger Gate--optomistic wishful thinking. I'll write more on the tigers Brokentail and Mach Li later.

We check in at the foot of the cliff where a temple and the old fort is perched. Beautiful view.

In the morning they throw seed for the birds. The large Alexandrine rose-ringed parakeets pack the place.

We drive to a large lake toward the back of the park. Our Nat Hab photo expert and our tracker-guide immediately find wet tiger prints crossing the road.

We must have just missed the cat. The car leaps forward as our driver takes off in hot pursuit. Our guide smells a kill nearby--these guys are amazing. A good sign, we're off on a roller coaster ride...park roads can be a bit rough. We suddenly hear a tiger growl on the dirt road ahead. A beautiful female begins walking toward us.

When I read accounts of tiger encounters on-line, I thought this kind of close-up meeting might be a frightening. I didn't give it much thought then because I never imagined I would be so fortunate. When it happened to us we didn't feel the least bit threatened. Let me start by saying we were quiet and respectful of the tiger's space and our guides knew the animals--"Warning: Don't try this at home." But it was obvious the tiger was queen of her domain and she paid little attention to us as she ambled along. We were the proverbial fly on the wall.

We backed up as she got about 30 feet away and continue backing to give her space. She finally tired of us and began walking through the brush. Even though they are bright orange, she practically disappeared.

We turned to follow.

She led us to a large pool where ahe backed in from the edge, placing her tummy just below the water. Our guide explains this is the way animals help digestion in this hot area. She has just filled her stomach from the fresh kill and now she must cool the meat in her gut before it putrefies at 130 °, making her sick.

Our guide now recognizes the tiger...he thinks she had a litter about a month ago. The babies probably are just now opening their eyes and are still wobbly. She won't bring them out for another two months.

We sit mesmerized about 20 feet away. We are perfectly comfortable watching this close—there is so much game, the tigers aren’t hungry, and we respect their space. Plus, no one is dumb enough to get out of their cars.

We watch her for two hours.

Word gets out and other park visitors come but all the animals here seem very used to the cars. It's as if we have been transported into a NatGeo movie. She looks up occasionally, but is totally unconcerned by the parade of vehicles and the continuous clicking of cameras.

As she sleeps, we see the white spots behind her ears. Our guide tell us they use these to "tiger-talk" and as a marker when following each other--guess camaflage works for them, too.

ALL THIS BEFORE BREAKFAST!

Back at the lodge, we have a treat after eating. We give Pawan, the resident 70-year-old female Indian elephant, a bath.

She was a wedding give to the lodge owner's wife 30 years ago and has lived at the back of the lodge with the same mahout all this time. She is on her last set of teeth, with only one molar remaining. They are feeding her soft food to help put off the inevitable. When elephants loose their last tooth, they can no longer digest their food. We place bread in her mouth and can feel her tongue as she gums it.

They treasure her and will help make her end easier than it would be in the wild.

After a lunch siesta—the heat saps us and no animals are out mid-day—we again head out at 3:30. Now the temperature is serious stuff. Some in our group have seen sloth bears...some have not yet seen a tiger.

This afternoon our driver blasts through the park to an area where a big male Bengal Tiger is known to rest midday in a high cave. We get there with minimal stops and only our guide can see him on the ledge-just barely- waiting out the heat.

So we take off on a side adventure where the monkeys are going nuts- our guide thinks there's a leopard in the area- but we see nothing. We head back to the tiger, just as he starts moving.

We watch him come down from his cliff, walk about 10 feet from the car, look at us, where mark his territory in obvious distain,

He turns and snarls at us--not happy being followed.

Then walks into the brush toward a pond. We drive around and wait, and wait, and wait. Great birds, a mongoose, etc., but no tiger. He decides to sit in the brush and wait us out. I swear these guys have watches.

A peacock shows off, reflecting in the water .

We're supposed to be out of the park by 7, but our driver hangs in for a bit.

At 7:05 the big guy saunters down to the water, backs in (as they all do) then relaxes, finally cooling off.

We charge back to the gate and then, thanks to our guides, jam on the breaks. There, 20 feet from the road, out in the open, is Mach li, the oldest tiger in the park.

She gets up and saunters toward the nearby watering hole. Right behind the car, she turns full face and shows her teeth, then she backs into the pond and gets a drink as we take off.

The great guides know where critters hang out and ours found this owl as we exited the park at dusk.

Back at the lodge we learn Mach li is the mother of the tiger we watched all morning - AND she was the mother of Broken Tail, a young tiger made famous in a Nat Geo production. Our lead guide, Salim Ali, was the local guide who got producers interested in the story and is featured in the movie. This was what we watched on TV over a year ago, our inspiration to visit the tigers of Ranthambhore. We had no idea we'd get to know Salim as well! Our group sat under the stars and watched the movie again that night. (It’s wonderful. You can rent it on Netflix or buy it on Amazon)

Wow! We're spoiled now! This was one magical day!

Day 6 LOOKING FOR TIGERS; Finding a Leopard!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:02:00 GMT

Today we have an early start to get to Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve by train. The plan is to arrive in time for an afternoon game drive. We begin at O-Dark-Thirty (0500 actually) to catch our train. The Delhi station is very sad. Families live here--it is under cover--looking for handouts to survive.

The little ones sent to beg broke our hearts.

We 're in the first class pullman "sleeping" compartments, with AC.

It 's quite fun, but we're sure not in Kansas anymore. Our section has an upper and lower pull-down bed on each side. Our group put our suitcases in the top bunk and used the bottom as a seat.

An Indian family already was fully ensconced on one side. The grandmother was sleeping under a sheet on the bottom bed (I just couldn't take her picture) and the father meditated (for almost an hour) on the top bunk. "OhhMmmm, why won't these people stop jabbering." That's just a joke. They were very nice to the cazy tourists.

We made friends (a bit) with the grandmother, mother and daughter. This was a slow process during our 5-hour trip. We shared some candy from our box lunch with the young girl, and we all waved and took pictures when we left.

The trip itself was fascinating. General passenger areas were stuffed.

And trains stopped at stations for 5 minutes. You had to have all your things ready at the door so you could jump off with your luggage before it left. This was obviously a bigger deal for us. Indians traveled much lighter.

The countryside became more hilly and much more arid...it reminded us of New Mexico. And each stop gave a new close up on some villages. They seemed a step up from the shanties in the city.

There were families with houses between the tracks.

Some even had running water and they went on with their morning washing as we passed.

A meager existence to say the least. Harsha, our Indian Nat Hab guide explained those in the lowest caste remain there their whole lives. Even if they are lucky enough to get a scholarship and an education, they only have a chance to make more money. They will always remain in their caste. There is no upward mobility. Later, we learned more about this from our guide in Agra.

Heading south, the women's clothes became brighter as the countryside became drier. Women wore more rich reds, pinks, oranges, and blues.

We got off QUICKLY and drove 20 minutes to our lodge, the Des Villas, just outside the game park gates.

After a quick lunch (including onions, said to stave off the heat) and some organization, we headed out for 4 hours in the park hunting for tigers. Mad dogs and Englishman....It is a whopping 130°. Oh, and did I mention our game cars have no tops? Lots of sun block, hats and long-sleeve shirts. And water.

The park is divided into 5 quadrants with limited access to each, so wildlife isn't overwhelmed. Rangers are everywhere, protecting the animals. This was a fortress for centuries, most recently the Maharishi of Jaipur, and some of the walls remain.

The land became an animal sanctuary in 1959 and Indira Ghandi made it a protected tiger reserve in 1991.

The park is full of wildlife. These sambar, in the deer family, cool off by a river while the cormorant fishes.

Indian peafowl are everywhere. Hopefully we'll get close to a male "dancing" at some point.

And langur monkeys, many carrying babies, are all over. They have tails that must be over 3 feet long.

This is a dry deciduous forest and it is parched right now. Most water comes during the summer monsoons that deluge--and close--the park from July-September.

Now watering holes are packed with game--a tiger buffet.

Salim, our head Ranthambhore guide explained this is why we're here now in the intense heat--so we have a better chance of sighting the elusive tigers as they are drawn to the pools.

As it turns our, Salim was involved in a project that first sparked our interest in coming here. More on that later.

We saw huge numbers of small Spotted Deer like this one in the green euphorbia.

And the larger Sambar deer, some looking for tender new leaves.

Stork and egrets waded in the water.

We'll have to keep watching for the large horse-like Neel gha antelope that also is native to the area.

It was blast-furnace hot. Our game cars carried two guests, a driver, a tracker and a local guide. Nat Hab set this up well. Some other groups had one driver and eight guests jammed in. Other tours ran open trucks seating with at least 20. And our park guides were fantastic.

We spent over three hours searching for a tiger that had been seen with a fresh kill in area 5-- our assigned area. Apparently it had eaten its fill and decided to rest in the shade. No tiger today. But while we were waiting we did see a rare stork-billed kingfisher make a catch and then proceed to beat the fish on a tree.

At sunset, as the park started to cool and we headed out the gate, we were treated to a leopard encounter.

The light wasn't great, but you could see its Paul Newman ice-blue eyes as it stayed at a watering hole for several minutes before heading off.

That was AMAZING! We have now seen the Big Five!

Tomorrow we start before 6 to hunt for tigers. There are only 40 in the park and dawn and dusk are the best times to find them, because they too rest in the heat.

Day 5. TOURING DELHI

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:04:00 GMT

Namaste.

We begin our introduction to India and use this as we greet and part with Indians we meet. This is the traditional salutation, a slight bow with hands together, fingers up.

Today begin our city tour early--It's hot, around 110 ° F. We didn’t see a thermometer and agreed sometimes it's just better not knowing. Our guide, Seema, is a college professor with a real love of the history of the area. Her enthusiasm is infectious.

Indian auto-rickshaws, the Tuk-tuk are everywhere.

Our first stop is the Qutb Complex of Monuments, a UNESCO world heritage site.

With the tallest minaret in India. It was constructed with red sandstone and marble.

The Qutab Minar, with a 73M tower, was built in 1193. It was the site of a large Hindu shrine which was torn down so the stone could be used to make the first Moslem mosque in India.

The detail in the carving of this huge monolith was amazing.

All the way to the top.

The comple was a popular site where visitors also can enjoy the gardens and the Mughal Quwwat-ul-Islam-Mosque, or the Great Mosque of Delhi.

The mosque was built with intricately carved columns.

Some women in bright garb highlighted the Qutb Mosque Arch Ruin.

Nearby, the incomplete Alai Minar was planned to be twice as large as Qutab Minar. Work was abandoned after the death of the sultan.

We took advantage of the photo ops at Alauddin Khilji's tomb.

The gardens were spectacular, with the Gulmohur (Red Flame) trees,

And the Amaitas (Yellow Bliss) trees.

Some of the children at the site had their faces painted with kohl (lead sulfide) to keep them from being cursed by the evil eye...shades of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Along with our UNESCO sites, we saw some of the abject poverty during our sightseeing. People living in tent cities.

And women begging by having their children “perform” by the roadside.

We visited the Tomb of Humayun next. and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Built for Mughal Emperor Humayun, this was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations and was the prototype for the Taj Mahal. The sandstone and white marble introduced Central Asian and Persian styles of Islamic architecture.

A snake charmer, complete with cobra in a basket, charms us as he sits outside the Bu-Halma Garden.

The garden was filled with the brilliant Golden Bliss trees.

Heading back to the hotel, we passes the India Gate in heart of Delhi.

This was inspired by the Arc de Triophr in Paris. Originally known as the All India War Memorial, it is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who lost their lives while fighting for the Indian Empire or more correctly the British Raj in World War I and the Thrid Anglo-Afghan War.

From there we took a quick look at the modern government complex before heading back to the air conditioned hotel.

That afternoon, I took a tuk-tuk by myself to a local craft market--it was the weekend so the usual haunts weren't opened. OK, but not great. Oh ell, I had to try.

We had dinner at the hotel with our Natural Habitat guide. He gave us the low down on what to expect tomorrow as we travel to the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve.

We have another amazing day in store!

Day 4- NEW DELHI, INDIA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:42:00 GMT

We lost more hours traveling east and, after an easy trip, landed in Delhi wide-awake at 1:00 AM their time. Our Natural Habitat driver met us at the airport and we had a quick trip to the Taj Mahal Hotel (no traffic jams at this hour but there were still plenty of cars).

Not much sightseeing in the dark and tomorrow will be an early start as we tour Delhi in 43 degree C heat. Our driver said it's not too bad now--it's a dry heat. (We've heard THAT before! It's still way too hot.) It was pretty warm as we left the airport tonight! Delhi was built under British colonialism and has all the round-abouts and 4-lane streets with overhanging tree canopies. In this elegant embassy area, passing two camels being ridden down the street seems out of place. Our driver thinks they probably were hired for a wedding.

The Taj Mahal Hotel is lovely.

However, all cars are stopped at the gate where the engine is opened and the under carriage is checked. Our luggage goes through a scanner much like the airport and we walk through metal detectors to enter. All this is a response to the terrorist bombings at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

We make it to bed by 3 AM.

At 7:30--after a short night-- we take in a morning view of the city from our balcony.

At 8: 45, our group of six load our mini-bus and set off with our guide in weekend Delhi traffic.

ONE DAY IN ZURICH

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 22:05:00 GMT

Day 3. To Zurich

As we had our last breakfast in Lucerne on the patio overlooking the river, the church bells again gave us a serenade and the wrens again came to visit for breadcrumbs we left at our feet.

Walking to the train station, we again caught an immediate train into Zurich. Known for its watch making, this place sure seems to keep reliable schedules. Another easy trip between cities.

We settled in at our hotel, Swissôtel, immediately across from the train station. This is much different than our Lucerne hotel. A modern high rise with a Starbucks in the lobby...where we used the Internet. We rode the train...one 24 hour ticket goes everywhere but no one ever seemed to check...for 5 minutes back into the main Zurich station to begin our walking tour of Old Town Zurich.

As we walked out of the station, the fountain was a great "Welcome to Zurich."

Following the tour map we began walking down Bahnhofstrasse, through the main shopping district. They had every upscale shop imaginable, from Cartier and Bally to Benetton and a million H+Ms. Cute restaurants with sidewalk tables everywhere. Cable cars ran the length of this area, so although it's a no-car zone, you still need care when crossing...those babies move out!

We turned off Bahnhofstrasse,

We took a detoru through a small Swiss park. Stopping at a modern, public WC, the stainless steel inside also included a needle disposal. Reflective of the Swiss drug policy, they do not support distribution, but they don't punish the user.

Then we headed toward the Limmat River, that runs through town to Lake Zurich. A beautiful area, even the chimneys had picturesque roofs.

After asking a few shopkeepers we finally found a nondescript (read alley) turn that led us down the side of the river, through beautiful, tiny shops with clothes and fantastic home items. How do trucks deliver here? And do their customers really keep coming back? It was a Great walk!

Some shops on the river had frescos that were works of art.

We finally arrived at out first destination, St Peter's Kirche (Church), and the site of the biggest clock face in Europe.

We continued walking along the river and next came to the large Fraumunster Kirche. The building was beautiful and we saw a bride and groom leave serenaded by an Alpenhorn.

The amazing part was inside the church with stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. No photos allowed so we bought the official memory-postcard.

A quick stroll took us to Lake Zurich complete with tour boats, many sail boats and ducks and swans galore.

This is the location of the Quaibruke bridge over the Limmet. There has been a river crossing here since the 1300s.

On the other side of the bridge we had a great view of the Zurich Opera House.

Heading back toward th train station, we walked the river on the other side and stopped at Wasserkirche. Now known for contemporary art exhibits, we found a beautiful statue standing watch outside.

A bit off the road, we saw a beautiful twin-steepled church looking out over the city.

This was Grossmunster Church and the best view of the city...but you had to work for it. This church also had beautiful stained glass windows.

We climbed a NARROW well-worn stone staircase up 88 steps then arrived at wooden stairs continuing up another 120.

Well worth the climb, this led us to 4 open platforms to view the city in all directions. Fantastic.

This also gave us a great view if the red spire at the back of the church.

Tired and hungry, we headed back to the train station, past brilliant flower stalls,

After q quick ride back to our hotel, we had dinner in a nearby outside cafe before calling it quits.

Tomorrow we start the main part of our adventure...INDIA and the BENGAL TIGERS.

INDIA VIA SWITZERLAND--Lucerne's Mount Pilatus

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:04:00 GMT

Day 2. To Mount Pilatus

We took off on the golden circle tour from Lucerne up and down Mount Pilatus, then back to Lucerne. It was terrific.

We began with a 90-minute cruise down Lake Lucerne to Alpnachstad. We had a perfect view of Church of St. Leodegar.

While the mountains were still covered in clouds, the area by the water cleared and the trip was relaxing as we made several brief stops--no one gets off.

We landed in the town of Alpnachstad.

Where we began our trek into the Alps to Mount Pilates via the world's steepest cogwheel railway, up 7,000 feet.

At one point the sign said we were in a 48% grade!

The top was spectacular.

No clouds and great walks up both sides of the mountain crest. The area has an interesting history. During the Middle Ages, the area was said to be infested with well-meaning dragons and spirits. (Perhaps a troll legend as in Iceland?) Legend also says the restless ghost of Pontius Pilot found its final resting place in the former Lake Pilate.

Walking up one side, we had a great view of the Hotel Pilatus-Kulm.

It was like being at the top of the world.

We hiked around more of the mountain trails.

While we had a bite at the hotel restaurant we kept hearing music. Our waitress said they often have people wandering with their Alpenhorns. It didn't take more than a minute before we found a wonderful old man who showed us his horn..it comes apart in 3 places...and he played a small song. WOW!

After lunch at Hotel Pilatus-Kulm, we jumped on the gondola to head down the other side of the mountain.

We transfered to the cable car and rode down to the last mountainn stop.

From there, we walked for about an hour, down a path under the cable cars, through alpine forests.

And so many cows--all with sweet-sounding cow bells.

Suspicions confirmed--we really did find a troll gadren at a house on the trail!

And it appears it really, really gets cold up here....

We reached "civilization" in the town of Kriens. I loved their fire hydrants.

And they had the most brillant red rhododendrons.

From Kriens we caught the bus back to the main train station in Lucerne.

Before dinner, I walked around Lucerne and found another fresco-covered building.

Dinner was at a table beside the Ruess river just down from our hotel where I drove the swans mad feeding them all our bread...everyone feeds them, so it's not a matter of keeping them "wild."

After dinner we had an amazing treat! A concert from about 20 Alpenhorn musicians. I heard music at the end of our hotel back street and ran down to investigate. I found the men and one woman in costume, playing the Swiss horns. After some pictures, I recorded some of the music. They played songs in harmony, a much different sound than we heard on Pilatus.

At dusk with the Chapel Bridge in the background! How lucky can you get!

Tomorrow we take the train back to Zurich and a quick exploration of a very different type of Swiss city. I been told it's a shopping metropolis with a small old town area. That's the area we plan to explore before heading off on day 4 to the main part of our trip...India, the tigers of Ranthambhore (we hope), and Agra with the Taj Mahal.

INDIA'S TIGERS AND SWITZERLAND TOO--Off to Lucerne

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:12:00 GMT

Day 1

Off to India (via Switzerland) on a photo safari for Bengal Tigers and the Taj Mahal

We began our trip by flying to Zurich. It was an easy trip but so tired, landing at 8 am. (Why didn’t I take my sleep meds??) Our goal was to visit another great country...I have barely a nodding acquaintance with Europe...and help break up a loooong trip and reset our clocks before India and 110 degree days.

After landing in Switzerland, we jumped on an easy non-stop one-hour train to Lucerne, a tourist mecca.

Lucerne is beautiful. Much of the old city remains and newer buildings still echo the quaint "chalet" feel. Hills are gently rolling and bright green. The city's sits on the Ruess River, flowing from Lake Lucerne, as it begins it's way to the Rhine. Coming into town we saw a serious crew course and several two- mans working they course and a stack of about 50 shells waiting for their turn. Athletic young men are all over town in shirts sporting rowing logos.

Church bells were everywhere. The sound of the old. They seem to ring at all hours...no set time, like on the hour. We heard the famous Church of St. Leodegar from Seebrücke (Lake) Bridge.

We arrived under gray skies. Even the train station was beautiful.

A gentle mist added to the old-world-Europe ambiance and we could see our hotel just across the river.

The Reuss River is sparkling clear...locals say it s clean enough to drink.

…As we saw at the old public water source outside our hotel.

We arrived at our Hotel des Alpes at 11 am but couldn't check in until two.

Oops! Everything had gone so well, we were ahead of schedule. And because our hotel was so close to the train station, we bag-dragged and were there in no time. (Using on-line booking, we made sure our room was in the old town area--and we we loved our location . A plus was a complimentary European breakfast buffet where we ate on an outside balcony overlooking the river. It was cool so we didn't notice there was no AC- more important was the private bath that some old hotels don't offer).

They kept our bags and we stared our city tour early, tired and grubby (I think I slept about 2 hours on the plane since yesterday.) Our first stop was the old wooden Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrucke) in front of the hotel.

Built in the 13th century, the covered bridge slices across the Ruess at an angle to connect the medieval fortifications.

The bridge was decorated with paintings in the 17-century. These depict patron saints and the development of the town.

It is anchored by the octagonal 111 ft. stone water tower (Wasserturm) built in 1300. This is the most photographed monument in Switzerland, so we kust had to capture a Kodak moment.

The river has flotillas of swans --said to be descendants of a gift to the city from Louis XIV.

Down the riverwalk is the twin-spired Baroque-style Jesuit Church from the 1600's. This view was taken at sunset.

Next we came to the Spreüerbrücke (Mill) Bridge as seen from Needle dam.

The old covered bridges in town show off some fantastic old wood engineering.

Much of old town is traffic free…

There are many upscale shops, bakeries, pharmacies, chocolatiers, and souvenir hangouts.

Along with many old fountains—also with water "clean enough for drinking."

Before heading back to our hotel to check in, we walked a few blocks to see the Lion Monument, The Dying Lion of Lucerne.

This is one of the world's most famous monuments, so we stopped for another photo. Carved into a rock wall, it memorializes the death do Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain called this the "saddest piece of rock in the world." It is beautiful and moving.

It was beside the Glacial Garden...rocks and glacial debris we saw all over Iceland so we didn't stop.

After check in we toured more of old town, heading down the river to several additional covered bridges and up to the Museggmauer Museeg Wall. This was part of the rampart wall built in the 1380's. This view shows part if the wall and guard towers above the Mill Bridge.

We climbed up two of the three towers (Wachtturm) and walked along the top of the wall, overlooking the city.

Exhausted, we headed to Market Square, the pedestrian shopping area, where we bought great hot sandwiches—and a hunk of real Swiss chocolate-- and brought them back to the hotel so we could eat quickly and immediately hit the rack. Two tired puppies!

Tomorrow, we've planned a Lake Luc

erne boat tour that will take us to Mount Pilatus in the Swiss Alps.

MAINE’S ACADIA NATIONAL PARK

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 00:53:24 GMT

We camped at a RV Park in Ellsworth, Maine before heading out to sightsee. We’ve always wanted to visit Acadia National Park by Bar Harbor, Maine. In fact we thought this would be a great place to bike. Whoa! What were we thinking? Maybe if we were Lance Armstrong. The park is beautiful, but it is a series of significant mountains and valleys. Driving was a much better choice.

We took the trail on eastern side of Mount Desert Island, the location of Acadia National Park. Mount Desert is the third largest island on the eastern seaboard of the US. After acquiring his fortune from petroleum, JD Rockefeller gifted the park to the US and tried to keep the park free from automobiles. He didn’t succeed, but he left u with great trails for hiking.

Our first stop was up Cadillac Mountain with a great view of Bar Harbor and the Porcupine islands in Frenchman Bay. The mountain is pink granite with paths everywhere.

The foliage was bright green with brilliant red Bearberries sprinkled all over.

On the way toward Jordan Pond, we came across the Caretaker’s House. This was a part of the Vanderbilt Estate in the Park. I never found the mansion but it must have been quite a place.

Jordan Pond was spectacular with the landmark Bubble Mountains in the background.

We followed the Carriage Trail along the lake.

From there, we began to head back home and came across a beautiful stone-faced bridge just past the pond.

Off the trail a bit—Ok, I got lost—I ended up in Northeast Harbor on Somes Sound. This water is often called the “only fjord on the East Coast.” Here we saw our first real touches of fall color.

Acadia National Park was the last stop on our travels from Niagara Falls through the Canadian Maritimes, then back to the US through Maine. Sad to be at the end of our adventure, the trip home was still fun. Maine and New York treated us to more fall colors.

And the weather socked in as we hit the Hudson River, giving us an eerie view as we crossed. Not hard to see how Icabod Crane came to be.

A great trip ending as we continued through fog in the Hudson River Valley….

Join us on our next big adventure in 2012 to India via a quick stop in Switzerland. Our goal, after visiting Lucerne and Zurich, is to see a bit of the real India, see Bengal tigers in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, and the Taj Mahal in Agra.

NEW BRUNSWICK AND THE BAY OF FUNDY

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 12:37:00 GMT

We are excited about the sheer force of nature we hope to witness here. The Bay of Fundy, on New Brunswick’s Atlantic Coast, is at the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine. Campobello Island, FDR’s summer home, is one of the many islands in the bay. Fundy Bay has one of the greatest tide shifts in the words—often to 47 feet between high and low tides. A high of 70 feet was recorded was recorded during a storm. It’s a finalist for one of the 7 Wonders of Nature. Canada actually generates electricity from one location but environmental problems have stopped expansion of this program.

We made camp in St. John expecting to visit the St. John river that reverses its flow when the tide changes. Locals in town told us it’s in an industrial area and not so great visit so we just walked around town. We camped at the Rockwood RV Park—just basic utilities and gravel—but it was nested in a huge urban park where we hiked with the dogs and totally got lost in the car.

We’re in the southeast corner of New Brunswick, where a narrow isthmus connects this province to the Nova Scotia peninsula. Because this creates an restricted shape to the Bay, the tides are the most extreme in the world—up to 52 feet. We searched tide charts to plan tomorrow as we visit St. Martins so we can see the tidal shifts for ourselves. Then we’ll drive Fundy Trail.

Our first stop were the twin covered bridges over the Irish Creek River at Hardscrabble and Vaughn Creek. In St. Martins.

They were beautiful, but even more fun were the fishing boats nestled in the mud—we hit the area at almost the perfect low tide! They regularly see a 30-foot tide change here!

About a mile down the road we found the wondrous sea caves beside a very wide crescent beach. Hard to believe this will all be under water in a few hours.

Carved from the sandstone by the tides, caves form the side of the cove. They are continuously changing and a delight. We scampered across a small steam and over rocks to enjoy the area while we could. It was obvious the tide was beginning to come in and in about 6 hours the caves would again be under water.

The algae on the rocks was almost fluorescent.

Then we walked out on the rocks covered by seaweed, giving us a better idea of the volume of water about to roll in.

And we got a dramatic view of the changing tides really mean to the coast.

We caught a quick lunch at The Caves Restaurant. Really fresh fish and great chowder. And it was packed…the only restaurant at a tourist hot spot in the middle of nowhere.

From the caves, we headed off for the 10-mile drive around the Fundy Trail Parkway.

This drive overlooks beautiful coastal vistas, one after the other.

The road twists and turns along the coast and has lookouts where you can stop to enjoy the view.

We had a bird’s eye view of Melvin Beach.

We hiked when we got to the mouth of the Big Salmon River. Once a famous fishing location, the salmon are now just about gone.

We made our way to the suspension bridge that stretched more than 250 feet over the river. The Fundy Trail consists of walking, hiking and driving options to see the sights. The bridge ia part of the footpath.

At the mouth, where the river meets the Bay of Fundy, tides have produced a rocky beach and a rugged coast.

Back on the road, with clouds rolling in, we still loved the fantastic overlooks, like this view of Long Beach.

Including a great view of the winding trail, just above Big Salmon River.

We made it back to the Caves Restaurant about 5 hours later and the water had already come up well past the caves we walked in that morning.

And the beach that stretched the length of several football fields from the Caves restaurant to the water before we hit the Trail, now it was less than 50 feet away. It would soon be tickling the restaurant support pillars.

Back in the harbor, the same fishing boats were now floating free. Gives new meaning to watching the tide roll in.

As we head back to St. Johns, we couldn't resist sayin good bye to this fantastic area by at the sign for the Village of St. Martins, estab.1783.

Tomorrow we head back to the States and our last sightseeing stop…Maine's Acadia National Park.

Nova Scotia's CAPE BRETON ISLAND and the CABOT TRAIL

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:47:00 GMT

Touring Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail

All these amazing vistas are beginning to run together— one beautiful area after another. We want to come back to spend more time and not rush so much. We feel like we need to take more time to soak in all we are seeing.

We stop at an RV camp at the foot of Kelly’s Mountain on Boulardere Island looking out on the Bras d’Or Lake. This lake is an inland sea with channels that connect the Cabot Straight to the Atlantic Ocean. Up to 31 miles wide and 62 miles long, we stayed at the foot of the dramatic Seal Island Bridge, connecting our chunk of land to New Harris, Cape Breton to the north. White an red lighthouses stand sentry at the waters edge all over the area.

We were here on September 17^th 2011 and we were treated to hundreds of motorcycles roaring by as they participated in Canada’s Gord's Race for the Cure. The 185 mile ride on the Cabot Trail and began early in the morning in a cold rain. Great cause in nasty conditions.

We decided to take a down day and hope for better weather before driving the Cabot Trail ourselves. I headed out to Beddeck to see the local area. (I was hoping to find some displays from the Mi’kmaq First Nation. No Luck. Their only shop was closed and covered with addiction information.)

Instead, I found a real treasure, Beddeck.

Beddeck has quite a history. It is the birthplace of Canadian aviation—and the first powered flight in the British Empire-- with the flight of Alexander Graham Bell’s AEA Silver Dart. This was Bell’s summer home and the site of his laboratory and much of his experiments, including those on the tretrahedral kite.

I visited the monument built to Bell's many legacies and found a celebration of Celtic music and an afternoon Ceilidh (story and music party).

This place is a tribute to Bell's life; his quote from 1922 seems particularly ahead of its time…

The peaceful Beddeck Harbor centered around another lighthouse. I stayed a while just to enjoy the serenity.

The next day we had great weather as we headed out on the Cabot Trail. The breathtaking views just keep on coming! The Trail rings the northern tip of Cape Breton Island and our drive begins overlooking the Bras d'Or and Ingonish from St. Ann’s Lookoff.

We travel down the mountain to begin our drive.

Soon we got a bird's eye view of the spectacular countryside at Camp Smokey Picnic Park. We hike, absorb the view and pick blueberries.

Then we arrive at Ingonish

Continue on to Lakies Head.

Further on, Neil’s Harbor and Whites Point are big lobster fishing areas.

Smelt Brook gave us another great view of the meeting of land and sea.

The road stretched out forever through the Cape Breton Highlands until we reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence at Pleasant Bay.

On a rocky beach heading toward Chéticamp, we found a cairn that looked much like the Inuksuk stones we saw on Hudson Bay north of Winnipeg.

And, yes, another amazing glacier carved landscape combining the earth, water and sky that has mesmerized us here.

We finally reach the Arcadian village of Chéticamp. One of the houses really caught our eye.

The Arcadian culture grew from 17^th-century French colonists who settled in the eastern Maritime provinces and part of Maine. British and New England legislatures organized the “Great Expulsion” carried out in the late 1750’s. During this time, these people of the colony of New France were brutally moved to Louisiana. Their descendants are the current day Cajuns.

The Arcadian St. Pierre Church stands over the town.

Our final stop on the Cabot Trail was Joe’s Scarecrow Village at Cap le Moine. What started as an effort to keep crows out of a garden has become an elaborate Cabot Trail landmark. Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Regan, Nixon, and all manner of over 50 other scarecrows now watch over a very odd open field.

No one there, just the scarecrows created by Joe, the owner, who was fascinated by Mi-Careme, the francophone mid-Lent celebration where revelers party in grotesque costumes.

We joined the fun.

Tomorrow, we’ll pull up stakes—actually pack up the RV—and head to New Brunswick and try to catch the 60 foot tides at the Bay of Fundy. This will be our last Canadian stop before we head back to the States.

ON TO MAHONE BAY, NOVA SCOTIA

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:09:00 GMT

Through much of Canada we saw signs warning of moose on the roads. Going 60 miles an hour in a RV, this would be a problem so we did keep watch. All we saw were the great signs...guess that;s a good thing.

One other thing we noticed across Canada was the length of the trains used to transport goods across the country. We counted ourselves lucky we rarely had to wait for a train to pass, they mostly ran parallel to us. I counted over 70 at one crossing.

We bypassed Halifax to meet up with our Canadian friends, the O’Neills, in Mahone Bay and celebrated with the appropriate libations….

Tim gave us a great guided bike tour of the picturesque Mahone Bay countryside and city center…

We got a picture postcard view of three beautiful churches on the water.

A great small, eclectic town with unique shops, colorful buildings

and the Amos pewter jewelry factory. A very special stop, particularly because our friends introduced us to the area.

From there we took a day trip to Lunenburg, another wonderful old, yet modern, city. This is where the Bluenose racing schooner was built in the 1920’s. A great source of Canadian pride, she won the International Fishermen's Races in that era before diesel engines changed fishing on the Grand Banks. After being wrecked, the Bluenose II was built in commemoration in 1963.

We visited the shipyard where a replica of Bluenose II is currently being re-built as an ambassador for Nova Scotia and Canada.

Walking around the city, we also visited The Ironworks, a totally green micro-distillery housed in an old blacksmith’s Shop. Using a beautiful German-made still they distill small batches of vodka, rum, brandy and liqueur from fresh natural ingredients.

A charming place and it was great booze. We succumbed—several bottles for us and some for friends. A real treat!

As I mentioned, Lunenburg is modern—and historic.

The St. John’s Anglican Church is a beauty and dates back to 1753.

By preserving the original architecture of the town, it is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America.

Back at the O’Neill’s, we had dinner in an old family house they have “made new” again.

They suggested we take another side trip the next day to rustic Peggy’s Cove. This is a coastal fishing village on the eastern shore of St. Margaret’s Bay that is a tourist and artist destination (William deGarth’s Gallery is here). Peggy’s Cove is situated at the confluence of the Labrador Current from the Arctic and the Gulf Stream bringing an amazing diversity of northern and Caribbean marine life into the bay. On a somber note, this is also the site where Swissair Flight 111 crashed 5 miles offshore in 1998.

The famous Peggy’s Cove working lighthouse is perched on an iconic granite outcrop that is featured on the Lighthouse Trail scenic drive. The day we visited, the area was, as they say, shrouded in fog. We were a bit upset we didn’t have the scenic ocean views, but we got some interesting images.

And the village had an ethereal quality in the haze.

This is still the home working of working fishermen--and they have the lobster pots to prove it.

As a final take-away, we had delicious “Cornish Pasties” reminiscent to the pasties we first tasted in Michigan’s UP last summer—the U-per’s were better!

At the risk of overusing the words beautiful and scenic—more great views on the way back to Mahone Bay.

Tomorrow we head for the north corner of Nova Scotia, to Cape Breton Island and the famous the Cabot Trail!

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND--So much more than PEI mussels!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:46:00 GMT

Continuing our trip across the Canadian Maritimes from Rivière du-Loup, we zipped across New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. (We'll tour New Brunswick and see the Bay of Fundy at the end of the trip.)

We got our first look of fall colors along the way.

We enter PEI by traversing the Confederation Bridge. This is the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered waters and links Prince Edward Island to the mainland at Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick.

This is one long bridge—especially in a RV pulling our dinghy car. And it has a show-stopper toll too. FYI- When we left PEI the toll was almost $60...all major credit cards accepted.

PEI is a unique area known for its manicured tourist areas and its pink sand beaches. Our first look from the bridge was spectacular.

We headed cross-island to our RV park in Cavendish, home of Anne of Green Gables. This is a tourist beehive in the summer. We hit it just after Labor Day and, except for the occasional farm equipment, we practically had the place to ourselves.

The beaches are beautiful—the dogs has a ball. The rainbow was a nice addition.

And we found picturesque lighthouses all along the shore.

We immediately drove part of the Prince Edward Island National Park. This is a magnificent seashore reserve.

We stopped at Dalvay-by-the-Sea, a place where Canada entertained Prince William and Kate during their recent visit.

Dalvay Lake was a peaceful bird haven.

Then we meandered back to North Rustico at sunset.

The lobster pots on the dock told us our fishmarket sold local...and our fresh fish was great!

We came back to North Rustico many times. We found a great bakery,

And the famous Lighthouse Cafe. Plus we hiked the beaches around the harbor and were treated to another eye-popping sunset.

The next morning we made a mandatory stop--we drove by Avonlea and the House of Green Gables—we couldn’t leave without a visit.

In the afternoon, we biked another part of the Prince Edward Island National Park. It’s a fairly flat trail along the water and we found some great areas where we wanted to explore.

Taking off in the car the next day, we made it down to iconic pink beaches along Cape Turner.

A found a large cormorant colony as we hiked.

Poison Ivy is a big deal here. And there were signs to keep dogs nearby because coyotes swim or walk on the ice from the mainland.

Driving farther, we found a mussel farm in Spring Brook. Now that we know, we have seen PEI mussels featured on several local US restaurant menus.

Sea birds were everywhere and some cormorants gave us a great show.

We had another great seafood dinner at Carr’s Oyster Bar in Stanley Bridge. This was a wonderful chance find. We spent over an hour trying to find Richard’s Seafood in Stanhope. Turns out it was a nondescript place on the side of the road we drove past several times…it closed for the season on Labor Day and we totally missed it! We’ll try again if we are back in PEI—but will definitely call before heading out. This community lives on its tourism.

After dinner, we found a heron at the oyster farm at Raspberry Point.

Our final day on PEI we head back across the Confederation Bridge and stop at the best gift shop ever. Run by the provincial government, it's located at the foot of the bridge at Cape Jourmain and features work from local craftsmen--fantastic things at reasonable prices. A must stop!

From there we hope to catch up with friends who have a home in by Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.

Rivière du-Loup, Canada...Sunsets and sea life on the St. Lawrence River

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:51:00 GMT

After an easy trip, we settled in to Rivière du-Loup (Wolf’s River) quite easily. This is a small town in a spectacular location. Right on a portion of the St Lawrence River where the fresh and salt waters meet.

The little town is a beautiful.

And the location means they have fantastic fresh seafood restaurants and, because of its position on the river, some of the most amazing sunsets we’ve ever seen. Also, another raging Parc des Chutes (the Sentier waterfall).

The basin was complete with rainbow...

Our first day was complete with a lovely sunset...a harbringer of things to come.

The next day, locals told us whale watching is a MUST here because this is where salt water from the ocean and and fresh water from the river meet. We decided to go out and frankly we didn’t have big expectations. We were so surprised! We actually saw the different waters during our trip!

The trip began with a dolphin pod escort. Next we me a large pod of seals. Native tribes once called them sea wolves so they may have been the source of the name of the area.

We got some fun shots--and a bit of history-- of the lovely Île Verte Lighthouse as we made our way out into the main channel.

The island lighthouse has had a large role in Quebec’s maritime history beginning as an encampment for Canada’s First Nations (native Indians). Later the French used it to to monitor their fleet, then as a hub to escort trans-Atlantic ships to Quebec City. In the War of 1812, the British used it to watch for incursions from the American fleet. And in WWII, troops stationed on the island assisted in securing the St. Lawrence and the Gulf from over 20 German U-boat attacks on Allied ships. Lighthouse keepers now help control poaching and smuggling.

Past the lighthouse, we saw large and small boats everywhere watching 20-30 whales. Boat captains were very careful...the close encounters were when whales came up to us!

From Minke to Right Whales, to Humpback, these leviathans were spouting and diving—showing us their whale tails –sometime two or three at a time.

Where we could see the line of fresh and salt waters meeting, right in the middle of all the whale activity, the crew explained the krill are especially fond of this mix of waters. And as we all know, whales love to eat krill.

Back on shore, we saw the beginnings of another beautiful sunset.

As we said, the seafood was outstanding. We stopped in Restaurant Le Boucanneux for a huge mixed seafood feast. Jim could hardly move when he was done.

We we were treated to a remarkable sunset in the process. I jumped up from the table to catch this shot! It doesn’t get any better than this!

After dinner, we took night pictures of the town of Rivière du-Loup across the bay. We’ll be sorry to leave here tomorrow.

This is a place we definitely will go out of our way to come back to visit! Across from our RV camp was Noel au Chateau, a kids castle with everything Christmas— quite spectacucar at night.

Next? We’re off to Prince Edward Island, the land of Anne of Green Gables…and much more!

A WALKING TOUR OF OLD QUEBEC CITY

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 22:14:00 GMT

We arrived in the outskirts of Quebec City under gray skies. We immediately came accross a wonderful surprise…a magnificent waterfall, just before entering the city.

Technically, this is in the town of Lévis, across the St. Lawrence River from QC. The Parc des Chutes-de-la-Chaudière is a nature haven formed as the Chaudière River drops 115 ft over ancient sedimentary rock.

The mist from the falls makes its own ecosystem and is the home for some interesting rosette lichen.

There are hiking/biking trails, a large suspension bridge and a hydropower plant.

We continued on and explored downtown Lévis. This gave us a great view of QC and Hotel Frontenac through the mist—a teaser of what we’d see tomorrow.

The next day, we had blue skies as we crossed the Pierre-Laporte Bridge to a bus stop on the Quebec side.

Again we are able to use public transportation to tour a jammed city.

We started our tour at the St. John Gate.

Champlain founded Quebec 350 years ago as a trading post. Its location soon made it a prime military fortress, resulting in the walled city of Old Quebec. It has several sections: Upper Town, Lower Town, the Citidelle, the Latin Quarter. This made touring a bit easier to plan.

We started out on the river walk along the St. Lawrence, complete with scores of cannons. This was our first close look at Hotel Frontenac.

And we had a great view of Lévis from the QC side.

Quebec City has energy in the air. Hotel Frontenac was setting up for a major sponsored bicycle race. This is one of the most photographed sites in Canada.

We had a sidewalk café lunch across the square at Auberge du Tresor.

And we found an artists’ alley, Rue du Tresor, beside the restaurant. You could talk to the artists about their original art.

Street scenes help capture the local color….

The Rue du Petite Champlain, in Lower Old Town Old Quebec, is the oldest—and narrowest—commercial district in North America. (It's probably one of the most charming, too.)

Wall Art known as Fresco of the Rue du Petit-Champlain is drawn on a house at 102 Rue du Petit-Champlain and represents the history of the district, the bombardments of 1759, the fires and landslides.

Quebec is a city filled with all manner of art...

As we continued through the city, we found this Log Driver Sculpture, L'Homme-Rivière at the Édifice Price. This detailed work was literally in an alley.

This bronze and stone sculpture, Le monument aux Frères éducateurs, was by Jules Lasalle.

The Helping Hand, Book and Quill Pen sculpture on Rue Donnacona is a monument to the Ursaline Sisters Children's School.

The flower gardens beside the ornate Canadian Institute were naturally beautiful.

And this led us to some beautiful old churches.

St Andrews Church was build in 1759.

The Basilique-Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Quebec is the oldest church (1647) in the New World north of Mexico.

At the top of the city, the Citadelle stands guard.

Beside the fort is the Governors’ Walkway--Promenade des Gouverneurs—310 steps climbing Cap Diamant from Dufferin Terrace, to a long walk overlooking the river. The path is beside the exterior wall of the fort.

The Promenade led us to the Plains of Abraham.

This was the site of the 1759 Battle of Quebec, a deciding point in the French and Indian War. The British won control of Quebec, allowing them to take control of Canada. Downtown Quebec is in the background.

The Citadelle, sitting beside the Plains, overlooks Old Quebec in this view.

Heading back into town, we passed the Saint-Louis Sally Fort.

To catch our bus, we made our way back to the Old Town gate at Artillery Park.

Next we’ll travel to a stop at Riviere du Loup. We had heard it was a beautiful area. Boy, were we surprised. Nothing prepared us for what we found!

VISITING OLD MONTREAL

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:59:00 GMT

As I mentioned before, we had been warned it's VERY important to time your travel into Montreal. Although we have driven our “big rig” through many east coast traffic jams, we took their advice…as much as possible. Even though the 300 mile trip was interstate-all-the-way, we still planned on 6 hours. That meant we would be dodging rush hours on both ends. We tried to split the difference and arrive in Montreal around 4 PM. In retrospect, I would brave Toronto earlier in the AM for more open roads at the other end in Montreal.

Why? Montreal traffic really is horrific. To get to our south Montreal KOA destination, we crossed multiple bridges –many with overpasses several hundred feet high. Montreal sits much like Chartleston, SC. The city has several rivers meandering through it’s boundaries creating a city on multiple islands. Some are large, some small. But this makes a spaghetti maze of roads and bridges. The traffic volume is bad but the roads are scary. One problem was most were under construction—Oh yea! All at the same time. And boy! Did they need it. I was driving that leg so I don’t have pictures of the crumbling edges of overpass roads—truly loose concrete hunks and no secure road edge. Because of our destination, we were in the left lane and it sure got my attention! ‘Nuff said. Don't let this deter you, but be prepared. Luckily, once you get settled, there’s great metro all over!

We stopped at the KOA campground that had shuttle service to town. (Turns our we found it easier to drive our dinghy car to the nearest metro to get downtown) At the RV campground, we found a big red sleeper bus.

We had seen one in Utah several months ago. It's an amazing vehicle, very popular with economy-minded Europeans. The front part is typical bus seating for about 20. The back is pullman sleeping with a pull curtain to the outside--it looks like it could be really cold. They hit the campground around 6 PM. Getting up at 6 AM, travelers cook their own breakfast, drive in to tour the local city, come back to the campground around 6 PM and cook their own dinner, then head off to their next stop the next morning at 7 AM. Not an easy way to travel....

As I mentioned, we took the metro in to the city. The hub was next to Canada’s Biosphere—built for Expo 67. This is now a venue dedicated to environmental issues.

Taking the metro was easy! And it brought us right to the center of the action withoiut any more traffic nightmares.

Montreal, bills itself as the Paris of North America. It’s a bi-lingual city…the main street, Sainte-Laurent Boulevard, divides the east, where French is spoken, from the west, where English predominates. It is beautiful. Using our maps, we walkled most of Old Montreal in two days.

Just up the hill from our metro stop we stumbled on the extraordinarily ornate Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, where Céline Dione was married in 1994. This is the oldest (300 yrs) stone chapel in city.

Old Montreal has beautiful street scenes. Some are modern and packed with color.

We had lunch at one of the many outdoor cafes in the area.

All this is side-by-side with historic Montreal... Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum with it’s 300 year old Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours offers the highest view of the city and the Old Port.

Hotel Ville de Montreal, in the Plaza Jacques-Cartier, is where the visiting President of France, Charles de Gaulle, announced “Vive le Quebec libre!” (Long live free Quebec) in 1967

Vauquelin Square, with the staue of Jean-Paul Vauquelin, was the site of the olf jail where prisoners were placed on display

We also loved the mix of color at the Rue Sainte-Helene historic area with its 22 gas street lamps.

The lighting was specially designed to emphasize the intricate architectural details of the buildings. This area is often included in movies shot in the area.

Self-touring gave us a chance to wander. Here we came across a Rose-Aimée Bélanger’s bronze sculpture of three women. This was in an open courtyard along Rue Saint-Paul.

Our last day we made a beeline to try a famous Montreal smoked meat sandwich before more exploring.

We decided to by-pass the highly touted Schwarts’s. The food is great but the service is said to be the basis of Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. We asked some locals and settled on Reubens. This was a REALLY big corned beef on rye. Delish! And as a bonus our two sandwiches were dinner too. (In Montreal we also should have tried their unique baked bagels. We missed that one. Let us know if you get a chance to sample them.)

Next we headed to the St Lawrence River area.

Here is the Montreal skyline from the waterfront at Bonsecours Basin, at the Old Port of Montreal—

The Basin also includes the Bonsecours Market.

And an oddly shaped apartment building sits close by.

The Sailor’s Memorial Clock Tower, a replica of London’s Big Ben, is at Victoria Pier in Old Montreal. It marks the entrance to the old port of Montreal and is dedicated men of the Canadian Merchant Fleet who died in WWI.

Behind the tower is the Jacques Cartier Bridge, connecting Montreal to Montreal Island.

Montreal has a large, vibrant China Town.

The paifang is on Saint Laurent Boulevard.

We also found some great wall art.

There were beautiful churches everywhere, like this Anglican Church downtown.

And the spectacular Cathedral-Basilica of Mary, Queen of the World, inspired by St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

No trip to Montral would be complete without visiting McGill University. Founded in 1821, this is Montreal’s oldest university and has a top international academic reputation.

The Roddick Memorial Gates stand at the site of the original gatehouse to Burnside, the country estate of James McGill, the university’s founder. The Arts Building is framed by the gates, crowning the main drive on to the campus.

The Illuminated Crowd sculpture shows a mass of people illumated by a “light” from an idea/ideal. The light casts shadows and disorder appears at the back as the light diminishes. The sculpture was showing the fragile nature of man—and his emotions through space.

From here, we head to Old Quebec--now our limited French will really be challenged!

Traveling across Canada--Toronto to the Maritimes!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:16:00 GMT

We left Niagara Falls crossing Lake Erie across the Canadian border. Traffic to Canada was no problem. However, from Canada to the US the traffic back up was ridiculous. If you ever plan on making this trip seriously consider another location to re-enter the USA!

A note on the time line--our trip was August-September of 2011.

Since we were in a RV with beaucoup (practicing my français) storage areas, a refrigerator and two dogs, we were a bit cautious going into Canada. The same rules carrying produce and foreign products apply—just like airline travel into a different country. I cooked or gave away all my fresh food the night before we left Niagara Falls. This included the beautiful purple crackerjack cauliflower from Cohasset, but oh well. I carried the dogs shot records along with vet certtification they were healthy. Then, as an extra precaution, a friend told us to be sure to stop at the duty-free before crossing the border. He said that seems to grease the border check. Luckily, we needed a bottle of good whiskey for the visit to this Canadian friend. H’mmm. On retrospect, interesting coincidence! (No Pictures Allowed at the border--reminded me of toll booths beside a big store)

Bottom line, the crossing was no problem. They didn’t ask about pets. They were most concered about fresh vegies and fire wood (Mountain Pine Beetles are decimating their forests too). After checking our passports—new rules apply so we needed to bring the real thing—we sailed through customs and were on our way to our first stop-- Toronto.

This was the start of a very strange trip—so like America in many ways. In other ways, the country is quite different. The highways were actually superior (except Montreal--more on that later). But not speaking, reading or understanding French left us feeling we definitely were “not in Kansas anymore.”

Lucking, almost on a whim, we stopped at Target in Niagara Falls and picked up a TomTom GPS with English, French and Spanish. It saved our trip! Toronto had signs in French with some English. Toward Quebec, it was totally French! (I could have used my TomTom to go grocery shopping there!)

As soon as we arrived in at Toronto KOA campground we encountered a major obstacle—our engine “broke” at the gate. Not just a little, but big time, OMG broke! First an earthquake then this. Was someone sending us a message?

Sure, things happen, so I include this to explain our rather unconventional 3 days in the Toronto area AND how wonderful people can be. Here we were, on the first day of our trip across Canada, dead in the water—read that stranded-- at the KOA gate in a foreign country. We had planned in-depth tours downtown and exploring the countryside using our little dinghy car. Now we had a major mechanical problem. But we found a great Freightliner repair nearby- Currie Truck Center in Alliston, Ontario. Their mobile truck helped us get the RV started and limp the 10 miles to the garage. Then they saved our trip!

We had three problems—1) our “house” was broken so we had no place to stay, 2) it was summer-hot in Toronto so we couldn’t leave the dogs in the car to tour 3) our whole trip depended on repairing the RV so we could get on with our trip. The folks at Currie Truck diagnosed the problem and patched up the RV so we could take it back to the RV park each night—giving us a place to stay-- then we brought it back to them the next morning to continue the repairs. We did all our sightseeing with the dogs in the car. We may have missed some things, but we never have time for all our plans. This worked out great.

That takes us to our first day touring the Toronto area. Instead of the city, we headed north to the Georgian Bay—technically part of Lake Huron. Our first stop was the Wassaga Beach Provincial Park on Notawasaga Bay. This is the longest fresh water beach (8.6 mi.) in the world.

Beautiful white sands, renown for its sunsets and as a topper, the only dog beach we found in Canada. We even found another Airedale there. And the people we met clued us in--the frozen raw food we like to feed the pups in some pet stores. (Along with all kinds of fresh veggies, we found that too!)

Next we headed to Collingwood, where the Niagara escarpment (a World Biosphere Reserve) meets the bay. The town is covered with wonderful wall art, thanks to the Art on the Street project.

At 90 feet, on a tiny island off the coast, the 1850’s lighthouse guided mariners to the once busy Collingwood seaport in Georgian Bay for 124 years.

Our last stop this day was Collingwood Millennium Park at the north end of the harbor . It was built as an overlook of the Bay and the escarpment. All those red berries in the top left picture—they're rose hips! This place must have been a mass or rose blossoms earlier in the season.

The next day we headed in to downtown Toronto, the largest city in Canada and the capital of Ontario. Even though it is a first class metro area, it had a placid feel. On Lake Ontario, the long waterfront was a series of parks. At Grawski Park, huge swans gave us a show against the city backdrop.

Dating back to the late 1700’s, this is the Canada’s economic capital and one of the financial centers of the world. It is also the home of the CN (Canadian National) Tower.

This was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World in 1995 and is the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. It also “towers” (pardon the pun) over the skyline so it's just about impossible to find a picture of city center without catching a glimpse of this building. But sometimes the shot was just too pretty to pass up!

The Tower and the omnipresent street cars, with the spider-web of electric trolly lines over the streets, are classic Toronto.

Along with a beautiful skyline.

Montreal also has great whimsical street art. We finished our visit with the car exploding from the side of a building,

and the giant thimble on a street corner.

Next we head toward Montreal, passing pastoral farms. And wow! We find more round, plastic coated hay bales much like we saw all over Iceland. (The white plastic did make the Icelandic hay a bit more fun!) Have I missed something or is everyone doing this but the US?

We also started seeing farmers markets—at the farms along the road. We started replenishing our veggies with food right out of the garden. Yummy!

Folks at the RV park warned us to gauge our travel to miss the worst of the Montreal traffic. It's supposed to be a real rush hour challenge. And with our 40 feet of RV pulling our day car, this might be interesting.

The adventure continues!

Catch you next time!

Alberta

Off to Niagara Falls

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:58:00 GMT

Off to Niagara Falls, we first stop at a RV park in Herkimer Falls, NY. This is a great place if you’re traveling with kids—there are diamond mines here! Who knew. You can pick them up on the river bank beside the camp or actually go excavating in a mine. The afternoon we were there I saw several large diamond chunks people had found. (Needless to say, these are not top quality stones. They are about a 7 on a hardness scale of 10) But it was fun watching the kids and their families really get in to this.

Once in the city of Niagara Falls we wasted no time getting to the main attraction. The area around the water is a beautiful national park—we loved walking through it.

The view from Bridal Falls was spectacular.

The first day we rode Maid of the Mist—this is a must and was fun. We dutifully donned our blue rain ponchos and took pictures beginning at American Falls.

The water was beautiful with the emerald green of the Niagara River crowning the top of the falls.

The high rise city perched on the Ontario side made a great backdrop for Horseshoe Falls.

Plus we got a great view of the Observation Tower.

Back on shore, we were able to get very close to the falls and had a great overview of the park and falls from the observation tower.

The next day, we drove around the local area before heading back to the falls. This is an area with a large Native American population, including several tribes of the Iroquois Nation, as well as Seneca, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Huron, Petun, Erie and the Susquehannock. The name actually comes from the Indian name for Thundering Waters. There were many tribal stores selling tobacco and gas. And the area is a mass of electric lines tied to the power grid at the falls.

On our second trip, we went back to The Cave of the Winds and were amazed how close we could get to the water. Here we put on a yellow poncho and special shoes—unlike the boat, this was a definite necessity.

We walked through walls of HEAVY mist, generating great rainbows.

We went back later for the weekly fireworks show. I’m adding a picture from the observation tower to show what they do to the poor falls at night. (Not my favorite look)

Fireworks on the Canadian side were pretty.

And I did get a more simple night shot of the falls after the light show.

Next, we're crossing the American border and heading to Toronto and Montreal. Tonight I’m cooking. Remember all the great foods I found at the Cohasset Farmer’s Market? Well, I need to freeze any of the fresh fruit and veggies I want to keep. We will be heading into a foreign country--Canada. Really?--and a neighbor in the RV park reminded us all the rules for transporting fresh food apply.

On to Massachusetts--revisiting childhood memories...

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:27:00 GMT

Now we're starting the major part of out trip. We’re going to visit my childhood haunts in Cohasset, Massachusetts, then take the RV out of the US and tour Canada for a month.

The trip got interesting right away—remember the kid’s book Make Way for Ducklings? Our first stop that morning was a fuel stop that was home to about 50 feathered friends. Somehow, the birds figured out the truckers are good for some easy chow so they wander between the rigs and the big 18 wheelers were unbelievably careful when they left.

We skirted New York--no RVs on the Jersey Pike-- then went through Hartford with its great old buildings—

We camped at Normandy Farms RV park in Foxboro, MA—a great stop and right by the Patriot’s Gillette Stadium. And it had the best dog park ever--it really was a park. We immediately headed off to Cohasset to see if I could find some of the places I remembered from grade school.

I found the first home locked in my memory. Not having been back to the area since third grade, I was amazed-- I did recognized it. But Geeze—it seemed like the lawn was so much bigger. (Or maybe I was just smaller….)

Down the road we came to Black Rock Beach. Still a beautiful location.

I remember watching a rescue from that island house during high seas. Before cell phones, they had to fly the Stars and Stripes upside down to signal they were in trouble.

We also found my second house. It had an interesting history--it was on a huge estate broken up for houses. The animal buildings had two foot rock walls with roof lines reminescent of Old English thatch. Ours was the renovated chicken coop and we shared a cul-de-sac with the duck house. Who were these people? As one of the first families on the place, the whole estate was empty back them--now the massive rhododendrons and grape arbors I loved have been replaced by houses...You can go back, but it sure ain't the same!

Following along memory lane, I found the local swimming beach, Sandy Beach. Old New England—again before indoor rec centers, I remember freezing in Red Cross swimming lessons here. Check out the sea grass—so different from what we saw in South Carolina!

Cohasset harbor was still packed with boats.

The Minot Light, however, was a newer addition.

We headed down to the center of town and immediately came to St. Stephens Church on the promontory overlooking the Common.

What’s a Common? The name probably comes from “common area” but in my mind, and it still seems today, it’s the center of the town. Meeting House Pond used to be the local ice skating spot. It’s pretty spiffed-up now so kids probably can’t skate here any more.

Still a center for many town activities, the Town Hall and various churches ring hte area.

This day we found a farmers market—great organic produce. Unfortunately, I forgot we were going to Canada in two days—more to come on that!

Back at the RV, we catch Mother Nature’s curve ball…

Our plan was to head to Maine and enter Canada, first touring the Maritimes, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Hurricane Isabel changed all that. As we were getting ready to leave, she was forcast on a path to catch up with us and shadow—or drown—our eastern trip. High winds don't mix well with a big cheese box on wheels--plus our sight seeing would take a huge hit in all the rain.

Luckily, traveling by RV gives us max flexibility. So we headed west toward Niagara Falls, reversing our trip to escape Isabel’s wrath. On the interstate, we passed huge convoys of utility trucks heading to help storm-damaged areas.

Next, we'll see you at the Falls!

August in Charleston—our last stop in South Carolina Lowcountry

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:44:00 GMT

From Hilton Head, we head north to begin our next RV adventure. Yes, we've been in our RV for a week at a great resort in Hilton Head, but now we're starting our month-long journey. We really like being on the road with changing scenes, new people and places. We'll make one last stop as we leave South Carolina--Charleston--to visit with family and tour another beautiful old city.

Then we're off to a stop in Massachusetts then on to Canada.

Our drive to Charleston was beautiful. I think the marshes are one of the things I like the best about the area.

When we got to Charleston, I wanted to check out the intricate sweetgrass coiled basketry I had heard about. These have been made by generations of Gullah women and we met Geneva Monroe weaving at a roadside stand in Mount Pleasant. Ms. Monroe said her family was brought here from west Africa and has made the intricate baskets for generations. She said she is the last in the line to make them. Her sisters and children have rejected this art. The baskets aren't cheap, but they are amazing--each is unique.

Inside historic Charleston, we walked streets cloaked in Spanish moss. We were quite drawn to this place—the original "Charles Towne" dates back to 1670! The city is a mosaic of islands (Sullivan’s Island, Daniel Island, Isle of Palms, Dewees Island, Wadmalaw island, Edisti Island, Kiawah Island, James Island, Johns Island, etc.) at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. And, oh yes, there’s another beautiful bridge, the Ravenel.

The bridge gave us a great vantage point to view Fort Sumter. This is a small island in the harbor, seen here behind a docked Navy ship. We knew this place had an important place in history so we did some homework…after Lincoln’s election in 1860, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. In April 1861, SC troops took the Union-held Fort Sumter. This was the start of the Civil War.

The town has a rich history, beginning with an English settlement in 1670, as a center of activity in the American Revolution, an important port and a hub of the slave trade.

The cranes in the modern port look like the AT-AT walkers in Star Wars—and there is a story that George Lucas was inspired by the cranes at the Port of Oakland when creating his movie....

The city is a treasure trove of great parks

And wonderful old houses

Some with alleys leading to secret gardens.

Rainbow Row was a must-see. It was once a run-down area of town—but Baby, look at you now!

In 1886 a 7.5 earthquake hit 25 miles from Charleston. It was felt from Cuba to Boston and destroyed many houses. Steel rods were placed in those left standing—the earthquake bolts are now famous history icons.

Down at The Battery we found more old cannons and the statue of Col. Moultrie, credited with saving Charleston from British occupation in the Revolutionary War (1780).

As we were leaving the old town we walked the Arthur Ravenel Bridge.

Leaving downtown, we toured Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms on the way back to the RV and a great dinner at SeeWee Diner in Awendaw—best seafood EVER!

Put this place on your to do list if you’re in Charleston! It’s been featured in Southern Living magazine so it’s rep is building. It was a general store back in the ‘20s and still has shelves filled with cans you saw in your grandma’s kitchen. The restaurant is in the back and even has an open area with a live band. Spectacular on all fronts!

From Charleston, we headed north the next day…one night in Fancy Gap, Virginia (it felt like a spot right out of Justified), then two nights in Hagerstown…one was planned. And the other? Well, stuff happens.

We had a RV issue and stopped at the Freightliner repair center just off the highway. Does the day August 23^rdring a bell? We were in the waiting room when the Virginia earthquake hit. Definitely felt it there. I went to the window to see what huge truck was rolling by. It caused no real problems, except it slowed our repair—all the workmen were caught up in the chatter! So we stayed the night in our RV at the truck center (luckily, we can be totally self-sufficient).

Check back as we head to our next stop outside Boston where I went back to my childhood haunts on Massachusetts’ South Shore. And Mother Nature throws us another curve....

Alberta

August 15th, Day trip to historic Savannah, Georgia

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:56:00 GMT

From our base in Hilton Head, we took a quick trip to old Savannah. We first jumped on a trolley tour, then walked the city to catch the top spots in and out of the Victorian Historic District and learn a few new tidbits.

For example, Savannah is the 4^th busiest seaport in the country. (Any guesses for 1,2 and 3? LA, Long Beach, then NY&NJ). We saw a huge container ship head under the Talmadge Memorial Bridge over the Savannah River on our tour while the cranes in the background looked like Star Wars giants.

Savannah was built on a ridge along the river, with an eye on defense. It has a long, fascinating heritage (the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was based on real residents!), dates from 1733, and has earned the title of most beautiful city in the USA. It’s been a home to pirates, had key roles in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the first of the Cotton Gin and steamship were built here, plus it's the home of songwriter Johnny Mercer (Moon River), Flannery O’Connor and Conrad Aiken.

Along River Street is an area known as Factor’s Walk, the original center for cotton trading through the port beginning in 1817. (“Factor” was the name given the men who estimated the amount of cotton in a shipment.) With bottom floors along the river and additional storage warehouses rising up to the cliff behind, the upper floors were accessible by the web of narrow iron pedestrian bridges.

The long wall built along the cliff at the edge of the river was made from the ballast stones discarded from trading ships. It stands as a beautiful mosaic snaking along the river.

This bustling area is now the home to all types of shops and restaurants.

At the northeast end of the riverfront, we passed the Waving Girl Statue. Florence Martus waved a hankie or lantern to greet each and every ship entering and leaving the port for 40 years, until 1943. According to legend, she fell in love with a young sailor and wanted to be there when he returned. Guess hope really can spring eternal…

Currently Paula Deen, and her restaurant, are really big draws here. We opted to eat at a more rustic local haunt--if you make it here, check out Clary's Cafe. Great food and lemon meringue pie like Mama used to make. Terrific!

Another hot spot is the premiere Savanna College of Art and Design. We saw SCAD mentioned in many of the projects preserving historic areas. It’s ornate brick style was eye catching.

As we toured the city, we learned there is a building COLOR code in the historic district. These two homes sit just across the line and obviously relish the opportunity to flaunt their independence.

The city is laid out in a series of 22 immaculately manicured squares, creating a canopy of spectacular ancient live oaks draped in Spanish moss. Most have monuments to Revolutionary or Confederacy heroes and beautiful fountains.

This one, at one end of Forsythe Park was created for performances and has a flat area to encourage kids to gather.

The most famous is probably the Forsyth Park fountain.

We found this was a city of layers, what you see and the history and story beneath. No exception, this beautiful icon of Savannah was originally ordered from the Sears Catalogue and located here in 1854. Sears Catalogue…REALLY?

The Mercer-Williams House is preserved in Monterey Square. The family home of Johnny Mercer, this was the setting for the fact-base novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

And Jim made himself comfortable as Forrest Gump look-alike (remember the Savannah bench scene…Life is like a box of chocolates?)

The Telfair Academy of Arts and Science is housed in the old Telfair Hospital, the original women’s hospital—the only way a male could get inside was to be born there. And then they had to get out in three days.

Great old churches were everywhere. No expansive grounds, they are in the neighborhoods, often on the edges of the Squares.

Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, first established in 1807, was the first Methodist church in the city. This building was completed in 1890 and patterned after Queen’s Kirk in Amsterdam.

The Cathedral of St John the Baptist has a history from the 1700s and the “new” building was dedicated IN 1839. Beautiful inside too.

Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation in America, was built in 1876 in neo-Gothic style.

And anyone an old Girl Scout? Savannah was the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low.

Great historic homes were everywhere...

The Sorrel-Weed House is another famous example.

The famous Bonnaventure Cemetary, featured in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is a was the original home of the Bird Girl sculpture and is the final resting place of notables like Mercer and Aiken.

Leaving town, the City Hall building glowed in the afternoon sun.

Crossing the Talmadge Bridge was a perfect way to say say good bye.

Heading back to Hilton Head, we stooped in Bluffton, SC and the Church of the Cross.

As usual, we ended the day at the beach...and found a horseshoe crab, brilliant in the setting sun .

Our favorite time of the day!

Next, we'll head to historic Charleston as we begin our trip north to Canada.

Hope to catch you next time.

Hilton Head Family Reunion & Birthday- August 10-17

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:19:00 GMT

Home from Iceland for just two days, we take off on our next trip, over 5,500 miles and almost two months, south to Hilton Head, Savannah and Charleston, then north through eastern Canada, including the Maritimes.

We first head for Hilton Head on a special mission-- to celebrate Great Grandma’s (GG’s) 90^th birthday. A full week of snapshots. This was fun with everyone coming—that means 19 people and 6 great grandkids ranging from one to 10 years old. Some will come from a few hundred miles away, relatively local. Others are coming from the Chicago area, and some a few thousand miles from California. The undisputed winner will be our daughter’s family, who came back from South Africa.

Obviously, nothing we’ll be doing this week will be spur of the moment, planning has gone on for many months, with giant kudos to Jim’s sister. Quite a gaggle! We’ll be staying in a RV park just outside Sea Pines. Everyone else will either be in rental homes or staying at Jim’s sister’s house.

We all arrive the same day—impeccable planning or just good luck. Our first destination …DUH..the beach with the kids!

Great weather and (everything being relative) not as hot as it has been. This is an introduction to the ocean for our little one from the Great Lakes region. And it is the first chance the mini munchies from California or Africa will have a chance to enjoy a warm ocean--and WAVES!

Such fun! This was the first of many trips to the water, a place that seemed to anchor the whole week.

The kids obviously loved it…learning to boogey board,

building sand castles,

finding shells and sand dollars,

watching the guys shark fishing. (Yes, they caught a few young sharks, but definitely catch and release!)

The beach really was a magnet for us as well. We took morning and evening walks with the dogs—when they could run free on the beach. This is a big leatherback turtle nesting area with many nests marked off, but none hatched on the stretch of beach we roamed during our visit.

One of our first group activities, thanks to Lacey, was a beautiful catamaran ride through the waterways.

The weekend theme was Maine and lobsters—marking an important part of GGs past. Our son really got into the spirit and wore his lobster hat the whole boat trip!.

Captured together on the deck, this was a great time for everyone to catch up.

Boats and water seem to be a great way to mix generations. We found the same thing on live-aboards SCUBA diving with our kids. A gentle beginning that set a great tone for the week to come.

That evening we had the big 90^th birthday celebration—continuing with the sea creature theme….never “crabby”, Brian was a hit.

After the cake and festivities,

we got one final shot of Party Central.

The next days we took advantage of the island. This really is a playground—for kids and adults. We could bike everywhere.

We couldn’t pass up pictures at the Harbour Town lighthouse.

And the ancient Liberty Oak. The shape of the harbor resulted from the determination of the founders to save this tree.

We parasailed.

Grandpa took the grandkids on the pirate ship.

We also made it to the petting zoo, complete with a pony ride.

Evenings were busy too.

From "championship" jenga matches

OOPS. Somebody has to pull the last one...

We saw Gregg Russell—that was a great memory. Our kids had done the same thing with their cousins about 25 years ago.

We hit the Salty Dog.

And had a great last dinner at the Crazy Crab.

With a beautiful marsh and shrimp boat in the background.

Of course we couldn’t pass up a stop for the home-made Hilton Head Ice Cream.

Jim and I biked around Pickney Island Nature Reserve. Great unspoiled South Carolina….

The culmination of activities was the group shot. We never were able to get everyone to the dunes, but we got some great pictures with a perfect South Carolina background.

And harking back to our love of the sea…our last night, after all the kids had flown home, was spent at the peaceful shore.

From Hilton Head, we'll explore the Old South in Savannah and Charleston before heading north to Nigara Falls then into Canada, to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec and points east.

See you for more from the road...

Alberta

Iceland Days 16 and 17, August 5 and 6, Our final days in Reykjavik

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Today we say "Bless" to the Westfjords and head toward our final stop in Reykjavik via the Baldaur Ferry, stopping briefly at Flatey Island, then crossing the Breidafjrdur.

Leaving the ferry, it was a long drive into the capital on excellent roads. No more sheep or gravel here. We hit traffic and a big city. Our tour company arranged for us to stay at Hotel Cabin. Poor choice, especially for our final stop. They seem to cater to the big bus tours, with huge room downstairs to feed mega-groups. While we did have a smaller room on a top floor reserved for breakfasts, it was not a good choice. It’s located a good distance from the heart of the city so we either walked or drove—and parking was an issue. Plus, they even charge (and it’s ridiculously expensive) for internet, unlike the superb connectivity we received in the “country.” Obviously, none of these things were a major problem. But if you do come to Iceland—and I hope you do—this is just a heads-up so your days in the capital are a bit easier.

In the morning, our last full day, we begin by touring the harbor area. At the east side we find the Recycled House.

And a great view of the city from the water.

Along the waterfront is a walking-biking path. We continue to stroll and come to the Hofoi House, where Reagan and Gorbachev met. No fence, hardly even a sign.

More waterfront sculptures…

The striking modern image of a Viking ship.

And anchoring the waterfront at the west end is the amazing Harpa Concert Hall.

Built at great expense, and completed in the years following Iceland’s economic collapse, this has been the source of great controversy.

First, the external design is unique and reflects the crystal formation found in the pervasive basalt created by the lava flows. Much like a honeycomb, it’s built with individual glass panels.

While the external design is unique, the internal structure is even more amazing. It has perfect acoustics in each of its concert halls, with special movable wooden panels designed to support the specific performance needs, European seats that funnel air conditioning into the room through the chairs so blowers do not interfere with the sound, etc. Truly an amazing gem.

We began our tour on Gay Pride Day—not the typical mono-purpose event we see in the States. This is a family holiday here. Everyone comes to Reykjavik to celebrate and have fun—families, kids, teens, young adults, grandmas and grandpas, along with those here for the cause.

Just a fun day with a big concert down by the harbor,

With all the stores celebrating the day,

Even open-air shopping. Bustling activity everywhere.

Streets were jammed. We had lunch outside a café on Laugavegur Street and people-watched, then made our way to the top of the city, to the spectacular Church of Hallgrimur.

True to Iceland's roots, the church had a statue of Leif Erickson at the front.

Walking back to the hotel we found another fantastic church, Phateigis kirka. So many towers....

We also found a unique tablet--not sure we want to know what this one was commemorating

As our final adventure in Iceland, we went to the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, about 20 miles outside Reykjavik. We wanted to go to the one that gets so much press to compare it to our experience in Myvatn.

This spa was definitely set up to cater to the destination traveller—very high end with a store carrying anything you could want from jewelery, bathing suits and sun block to swim vests for the kids...and the were a lot of kids!

The pool area was well done, with bridges connecting pool areas, saunas, cool showers, all set against the black lava rocks.

We were there in the afternoon, so we even saw people sunbathing. Plus there was a masseuse pool and a swim-up bar serving exotic drinks.

One extra feature was the special mud available at the poolside to give yourself a facial.

Always a good sport, even John got in the act. We all were going to get beautiful! Ewww. Guess it has to get worse before it gets better.

Our final analysis, comparing the two blue holes, was although this one had all the bells and whistles, even a store with wonderful creams and rinses, jewelry, T-shirts, etc, all-in-all it was very commercial. This was really nice, but having done Myvatn too, I think we all preferred the one in the north.

We again had dinner in town our last night, then Iceland graced us with one last sunset as we drove by the water.

The morning before we flew out, we drove around the city for a last look before heading to the airport.

We found a beautiful park and homes around a lake.

And we passed The Pearl Restaurant on our way out of town. This was on our To Do list but we never made it. Great view--we just ran out of time.

We left on a direct flight back to the US. I think we all would love to come back to Iceland one day—it’s just a matter of time and money. There are so many other place we still want to see.

One thing I would love would be a quick trip (you sometimes see amazing long-weekend fares) to see a performance in the Harpa Concert Hall. I’m going to keep that one in my bucket list!

We’re home for 2 days before we head off to Great Grandma’s 90^th birthday celebration in Hilton Head—the WHOLE family of 19 will be there! Then Jim and I are heading to Niagara Falls and Canada (Toronto to the Maritimes) for a month.

Check back to see what mischief we find next!

Alberta

Iceland, Day 15, August 4--Raudasandur, the Red Beach

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:55:00 GMT

This is our last day exploring the back country of Iceland. This morning we visited the light house at Sellatranes, down the road from the hotel. The lighthouse looks tiny but check out the white dots at its base--those are the ever-present sheep!

Looking across the fjord, we had a great view of the flat-topped mountains on the other side. At least 6 copy-cat land fingers reach out to the sea. The unusual part is they look like someone took a knife and sheared off their tops at the same level. We could find no explanation for this but it looked wonderful. (There's probably some troll legend involved)

Next, we’re off to the Red Beach, Raudasandur, on the other side of the peninsula. What a trip. Best beach and worst road ever! The drive’s no joke; they did tell us to expect a challenge.

Significant grades—some 12 %,

Many banked hairpin turns no wider than the car,

And all overlooking shear drop offs with no rail.

John did a great job getting us in and out of the area. If you visit, do make the trip. It was spectacular...as long as you have a car with 4-wheel drive and a driver with nerves of steel!

We were practically the only people there! There was a public camp site well back from the entrance to the beach. At the beach entrance we saw postings, "NO CAMPING ALLOWED." The signs said dangerous winds and surf can come up unexpectedly causing life-threatening conditions. Guess this can be a pretty brutal place in a storm.

The beach was deserted. Just inside the gate was a collection of whale bones that must have washed up. This display would be at home in any hands-on museum collection.

The water was cool, not cold. Wading was fun.

At mid-day the sand was more gold than red, just beautiful.

The waves created patterns in the sand that would make a great relief.

One looked just like a heart...

And we found wonderful reflections as the tide went out.

After our long walk, we climbed the hill at the entrance and had a picnic lunch by a waterfall,

Overlooking the beach (and more sheep), we even found some wild blueberries.

Just to recap…we’ve just spent the morning on a deserted beach at the bottom of a mountain that can only be accessed by an impossible dirt road. So, we decide we need a little dessert.

Naturally, we just head off to a French Cafe at the other end of the beach. No kidding, there was one there, with fantastic chocolate cake and coffee. How do they have these great places in the middle of no where? And how do they get supplies?

Even better, it was beside another beautiful little church, complete with gravestones from the 1800’s. Another Icelandic mystery….how did they live in this isolated place over a hundred years ago?

This marker is for Kristin Magnusdottir, daughter of Magnus—that’s how people got their last name. If this had been a male, the last name would have been Magnusson.

When we had blue skies, they were phenomenal. This is the blue we saw over these mountains—just this color this time of day!

On the way back to Latrabjarg we kept looking for whales in the brilliant blue of the fjord. They had seen some recently—but not today.

At the hotel we had wine and cheese on the beach, along with about 1000 Arctic terns. (If you look closely, you can see Isafjordur on the other side of the fjord. And to think how long it took to drive here.)

They kept taking flight--not at all happy we were there!

A few brave leaders dive-bombed us, just to make sure we understood we were intruding.

Eventually, we did leave for dinner, but only after Susan and I built our own little cairn as a monument of our visit. Wonder how long it will last?

We did our best to pack enough into our last day in the Westfjords. Tomorrow we begin the final leg of our trip. After all this time getting to know Iceland, we finally tour the capitol, Reykjavik!

Iceland Day 14, August 3 - On to the Latrabjarg Bird Cliffs

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 06:43:00 GMT

We are getting a bit sad...nearing the end of this adventure. But we are starting our biggest challenge. Today we begin the grueling travel we've be warned about, heading deep into the rural Westfjords on gravel roads. These unpaved roads have a reputation for treachery--if you go too fast it can be like driving on marbles. Every year they have numerous tourists slide off the road. This can be bad under normal circumstances. But here, the road is often one lane wide, with many 10 % grades, sheer cliff drop offs, and NO rails on the hairpin turns. Yee Ha! The guys will be driving this stretch.

Off toward the famous bird cliffs at Latrabjarg. We leave in rain, gray skies and cold winds to climb the one-lane gravel road from Pingeyri. On the positive side, these sheer cliffs and hair-pin turns give us a great view of the remote western fjords.

The Westfjords often aren't visited by tourists. They are very remote and the road conditions can be a stopper. We were excited to have the opportunity. And signs do a good job reminding you there's danger ahead.

As soon as we top the mountain, we see blue skies and sunshine. YEA. Don't think I would do well in the loooong dark winters here. We stop at the last major waterfall of the trip. Dynjandi is another of Iceland's top ten.

The Westfjords were formed by volcanic eruptions 14-16 million years ago, laying down layers of basalt and lava slag. Then a galcier from an ice age 10,000 years ago carved the deep fjords and left rocks of differnt levels of hardness. This created the conditions for the Dynjandi waterfall, plunging 186 M to the sea.

Here's an mild example of some of the roads in the West...not only must you worry about staying off the edge, but in many cases the edge drops off to the sea. If you run off the road, you better start swimming! And those white dots on the hill. Oh yea. The open range sheep are EVERYWHERE so you have to play dodge 'em out here too.

A bit further, we found a sign warning of sea monsters in Sudurfirdit as we head to Bildudalur. Don't even ask! These towns are so far off the beaten path, everyone's looking for a tourist draw--ghosties and ghoulies are a natural.

Then we came across a hot cement pool, probably 100 F, complete with cabana, along the road. There's a lot of geothermal activity in the West Fjords and even though this was not in the best condition, we were amazed to find a permanent pool constructed in this remote area. A group of campers were just packing up as we drove in--complete with swim suits drying on the fence.

These roads put a thick layer of dust on everything. Most of the N1 gas stations had free car wash capabilities. A car this dirty is seen as a safety hazard in Iceland. We became very speedy car washers.

We traveled on a narrow gravel road with an even steeper drop off closer to Hotel Latrabarg.

Around 4 pm we immediately set out for the bird cliffs. We had seen enough bad weather recently not to take chances on a nice day tomorrow. These are the most western point of Europe, facing into the open ocean.

The road was again best in a 4X4 with gravel and narrow, blind corners on sheer hills. The tiny town and campground at Latravik rested on gold sand beaches at the foot of a magnificent cliff.

We took pictures of the setting through two cairns.

The cliffs were off the charts fantastic. First they are a sheer drop over 440 m above the Atlantic, Standing near the edge (I'm not a big fan of heights) I had a sense I was on the edge of the world.

Peaceful, with the wild cacophony of huge numbers of birds; this is one of the largest nesting areas for Razorbill Gulls. Their sounds struck a magical, soothing chord.

And boy, did we met PUFFINS...inches away.

They could have cared less about all the gawkers taking pictures and enjoying their antics. We stayed until almost 8 PM. That seems to be the time huge numbers came back to their nests, tucked in between the top rocks. Some probably still had babies in the nests, but we didn't see any carrying fish.

We often saw pairs preening and small groups hopping about before they scooted in-between the ledges for the night.

Walking back to our car, we heard an odd "chortle" sound in the grass out in the field. H'mmmmm.

Dinner back at the hotel was lovely. It's an old converted boarding school and the dining room was in the converted auditorium... Picture a TINY Harry Potter dining area.

Our hotel owner sat with us a while and described the sound of the Arctic fox that roam the area...he macde a sound just like what we heard on the hill. He said they are often behind the hotel late at night hunting birds, making that peculiar noise and driving his dog wild. Little did we know we were so close to them on the cliffs.

We're off to the red sand beach tomorrow--and the most difficult road we've encountered!

Alberta

Iceland Day 13, August 2 - Riding Icelandic Ponies

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:18:00 GMT

Today we woke to gray skies, heavy gusts and sprinkles. This is possibly our one day to ride Islandic ponies so we headed out to Pingeyri and met Wouter for a ride around the local fjord.

The skies never cleared but we dressed warmly and had a fantastic ride through streams and moving into their unique tolt gait along the beach.

These horses are fantastic to ride- smooth, great dispositions and known as especially sure-footed. i love the way he cared for his horses. What a treat, even if it did begin to rain as we ended the ride!

On the way back to Isafjorfur, we had soup and dessert waffles in the busy Simbahollin Cafe in Pingeyri. A converted old house, this was definitely worth the stop, particularly after a chilly morning on horseback. They had the best kaffi, too!

On the way back to the hotel, we checked out the town of Flateyri, at the foot of a large mountain. It was buried by a snow flood (aka avalanche) about 10 years ago. We wanted to see the engineering (more steam shovel work!) Iceland financed to prevent further loss of life. These people are amazing. They created an earthen dam to divert any future snow floods.

After looking through the shops in Isafjorfur (again disappointing--everthing was off-the-charts expensive and prices seem to be fixed across the country), we set off to a fantastic fresh fish buffet at Tjouruhusi.

This is one of the 10 Best restaurants in Iceland and it certainly lived up to it's reputation. Salted cod, halibut, plaice and ocean catfish/ wolf-fish...all superb with great side dishes and salads.

It's appropriately housed in an old fish warehouse, serving the catches of the day. (You get what you get and it doesn't get any better than this!)

This was a buffet and you pay your bill by making your way to the register and telling them what you had, including if you had any wine. Just wonderful.

Tomorrow we are finally expecting great weather as we head over the narrow dirt road and shear cliffs toward Latrabjarg, Iceland's largest sea cliff. The drive is supposed to be a real challenge. We are hoping for huge numbers of puffins and other sea birds; we're also hoping the winds die down so we're not blown off "the edge of the world."

Catch you tomorrow.

Alberta

Iceland Day 12, August 1 - To Isafjordur

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:46:00 GMT

We head deeper into the Westfjords, glaciers, more wind, barren landscape and definitely colder temperatures on our way to Isafjordur.

We skirt the water inlets filled with large numbers of birds, including more Hooper Swans.

As we travel it's 10 degrees C (50 F) in strong winds. We stopped at a sod-roof old farm house the family has turned in to a kaffi and waffle stop.

They had many of the old kitchen, weaving and woodworking tools used by their family since the turn of the century..1892. They said the Iceland Museum Association came to them asking to restore and run the old house, to show visitors how settlers lived.

As we had our snack, the grandson also answered some of our questions.

--The drift wood- some huge logs- found all along the fjords in this area are an important source of wood. The Norwegians stripped Iceland of all trees to build their ships. The locals build with the huge quantities of driftwood that floats in from Russia.

--He also explained we see churches everywhere because farmers were paid to build a church when Christianity first came to the country...he said many have never been used.

Luckily, as we left, we found a small colony of seals on the fjord rocks down the road. Unluckily, the wind started blowing to about 60 K as we tried to snap a photo.

We are amazed at the picnic tables perched all along the roads all over the country, even in this area that often has gale-force winds. The Icelandic people relish their outdoors.

We hit Isafjorfur on the Shop Keepers Holiday Monday. Everything's closed so we walked the town, chilled and planned tomorrow's adventures.

The town is fairly large and quite modern.

Out our hotel window we see two huge "pipes" in the mountian at the edge of town. These are roads--tunnels-- dug through tons of rock.

We plan to go through one tomorrow as we go to ride Icelandic ponies along the fjord!

Iceland Day 11, July 31 - Our Troll Encounter

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:34:00 GMT

Day 11, July 31st

Today we make it to the amazing--and isolated--western fjords.

One constant are the churches beside isolated houses. Many have graveyards and seating for about 100. But we're here on Sunday and we haven't seen anyone at services!

Tough driving here--the road seems to drop off right into the fjord in some places-- up close and personal!

We took a break at an area that was famous for seal watching--no seals, lots of birds, and I found a big waxy glob at the edge of the water. Very strange stuff. Maybe ambergris? I couldn't convince anyone in my group so I'm taking a tiny bit and maybe I can find someone who can tell what this is.

The terns were very agitated by our intrusion and proceeded to dive bomb us.

We saw no chicks but heard a lot of chirping. They were hiding somewhere. So, we moved on before the parents had a heart attack.

As we moved along the coast we noticed big logs--nor just driftwood but trees--peppered the shore in this area. Another mystery. They were bleached white and obviously had floated in. But where did they come from since there aren't any trees here?

We stopped fro lunch in Holmvik and found we had landed in Iceland's witchcraft central. A harbringer of things tro come...

Finally, we made it to Hotel Malar Horn in Drangsnes. A really cute place but I feel like I'm in LegoLand. The building is put together with tongue-and-groove wood at all the corners. Pretty ingenious.

We are at the end of a fjord so winds are coming across the coastal ledge at about 60 mph. The gulls nest in the western cliff and performed aerobatics--banks, hangs, stalls,--to land, not smash, into their nests. We also saw a flock of puffin fly by (they nest on the nearby island).

Outside our door is Troll Rock...a seemingly innocuous hunk of lava fin. The story on the marker said trolls were playing in the area when the morning light caught them by surprise and the girl troll was turned into this rock and she now overlooks her ox (oxen can be trolls too?) which became the island off shore.

This town seems to have a very strong connection to Trolls and Elves and they may be a force to reckon with....Most of the homes have tiny troll houses and gnomes- guess they've learned not to tick them off!

I don't know specifics of these beliefs, but I think one, or both, had a hand in the afternoon's events...

Jim drove in with the Land Cruiser clicker, then it went missing. This could be a problem in ordinary cars. Toyota-- and the rental car company-- have taken this to a new level of disaster.

- the fob (clicker) is required to unlock the doors

- we only have one fob as we travel 17 days around the island

- even better, the fob must be IN the car to engage the push-button ignition

- we only have one fob (guess I already mentioned that)

- oh, and have I mentioned, we're in the Western Fjords...in the middle of NO WHERE on Shop Keeper's 3-day weekend.

Bottom line: we don't know where this remote is, and we aren't going any where without it...as we sit on the edge the world.

So we are trying to figure out how to recover from this...do we lose our next few hotel reservations while we wait for the rental car company to drive a replacement from Reykjavik?

Will this blossom into a missed plane home?

Not to over play the suspense...Jim found the fob at the top of the hill, on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the Atlantic, sitting in the middle of the grass. It was like a not-so-funny practical joke...Trolls and Elves must have chuckled all night long! But, all's well that ends well....

With keys safely stowed, we toured the town, accompanied by a local black cat (of course) that thought she was a dog

And found the geothermal hot tubs overlooking the fjord.

Plus, after all the flowers we've seen, we finally found Icelandic poppies.

Dinner was relatively uneventful...HOWEVER we began the meal with a celebration of our victory over the Trolls' antics...an Icelandic tradition--dried, salted, putrified shark (Hakari) followed by Black Death...I can tell you (thankfully) I didn't get sick from this, but I fully expected to unleash my supply of Cipro in the morning.... Want more details? The shark tasted like a wad of something soaked in ammonia. Just the worst! Fortunately, the Black Death chaser was tasty...Brennivin schnapps. It was amazingly good just by comparison. Served ice cold in a shot glass, it tasted a bit like caraway. So now that I've painted a bleak picture, I will add: if you're in Iceland. YOU'VE GOT TO TRY IT!

Alberta

Iceland Day 10, July 30 - To Akureyri and the Westfjords

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:35:00 GMT

We left Myvatn, continuing west. Godafoss waterfall was just out of town--a magnificent fall, this time with clean blue glacial water...much different an the gray-black thundering water we saw at Dentifoss.

The fjords just kept getting better and better--such a beautiful country full of so many contrasts.

Finally, we came to the humming city of Akureyri, the second biggest urban area in Iceland and home of winter sports.

The city was gearing up the long weekend. Monday was Shop Keeper's Holiday, most business close and everyone takes off on vacation so the city was packed with visitors and even the trolls.

Akureyri has a beautiful shopping area, stores filled with all sorts of high end pottery, jewelry and gorgeous Icelandic wool sweaters. A tourist shop even had a Viking model out front...not the typical fashionista we had seen around town.

Two typical little girls were in town for the day, sporting the stocking caps worn by many of the kids we saw.

One of the center pieces of the town was a striking church designed to echo the structure of the volcanic basalt rock. It was massive and quite lovely.

A sculpture on the fjord-side of the main shopping area seemed to fit the area perfectly with lines that looked a bit like the gulls around the water.

Have I mentioned there aren't many trees in Iceland? We've been told they were cut for ship building many years ago. So when we found a beautiful grove outside of town we stopped for lunch. This place had a story...it was planted in honor of a writer and naturlist who lived in the area in the 1800s. His family home was in the background.

As we near our hotel we came across a sheep sorting pen we've heard about. I've talked about the sheep all over the countryside, and roads, roaming freely. When it's shearing time, the farmers gather them at one of these central locations then scoot the sheep into the pen. After identifying their own sheep, they herd them into their specific section of the sorting wheel so they can take them for shearing.

We finally made it to our horse farm hotel, Gauksmri, in Hvammstangi.

It was an amazing--and erie--place. Stuffed birds filled the hotel. Huge ravens posed in strike mode were everywhere. It felt a bit like a scene from Hitchcock's The Birds. The hotel was lovely but unusual, a huge horse hide draped over the sitting area. We visited the horses, no time to ride. They were greasy and filthy--it took a great deal od soap and water to get the black off our hands. Not the way I expected they would treat their riding horses.

We set out to find the seal colony at Hindisvik. They were there, resting on a sand bar off shore. The afternoon remained overcast, with some rain. We actually saw at least five rainbows during the drive around the fjord.

And the huge picturesque lava fin, Hvitserkur, was at the edge of the shore. It's been described as a rock pile, sea monster or a moose--take your pick. It looked pretty cool to me. The water was up when we were there, but at low tide you can actually walk under the arches.

Back at the hotel, the dinner buffet was interesting. Fresh trout, pork, chicken, lamb along with minke whale and horse. And yes, I tried a bite of everything. The owner said horses are raised as pets, to ride or work AND for meat. Guess that explains the huge numbers of horses we've seen. Ugh! I retract my vision of the moving connection all in Iceland have to their equines...guess there are exceptions. Horses were obviously just a commodity at this place. (Probably my least favorite stop on the trip.)

Tomorrow we get to the heart of troll country!

Alberta

Iceland Day 9, July 29 - Around Lake Myvatn

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:54:00 GMT

We toured Myvatn, circling the lake. Our first stop was the water right in front of our hotel. It was full of birds--Arctic terns, all mannor of ducks-- besides our Grebe family. But the Grebes were right on the edge and so darn cute!. We fell in love with them and their two babies. We watched the momma continuing to feed. We loved watching their little heads pop out with mouths open wide.

We moved on to the Dimmuborgir's lava formation. This is unique on land...formed by steam rising through molten lava that created pillars UNDER water. The water drained leaving intersting formations and a great hiking area. OK. That's the official word. In Icelandic lore, this is a Troll park. Trolls were having such a good time there, they forgot about the early summer mornings (guess they aren't supposed to be out in daylight). The sun rose and they turned into the rock pillars we saw today.

We took the primitive trail and hiked around, over and through the pillars.

We found another wonderful rock wall as we were leaving--it looked like lace!

We had another great view of the lake as we were leaving.

Moving on, we came to the pseudocraters of Skutustadagigar- easy for you to say! This is another special feature of the area created when a lava flow met the wetlands and steam explosions pock-marked the area with the small pseudo-craters. After all these years, they are now covered with grass and wild flowers. Beautiful.

On the otherA side of the lake we visited Fuglasafn, the large bird sanctuary. The naturalist helped us positively identify our grebe family at the hotel. A large colony of hooper swans were the big draw here. They were really raising a ruckus. This is the Eurasian verion of the NA Whoopers.

Tomorrow we leave the northern area of Iceland as we head to Akureyri, the secong largest city in Iceland, on our way to the western fjords.

Alberta

Iceland Day 8, July 28 - On to the waterfalls

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:39:00 GMT

We're happy to be in our Myvatn hotel for three days...a nice chance to chill. Outside our hotel horses graze at the edge of the lake. Very peaceful.

The lake is is right outside our hotel and it's filled with birds. This Slovakian Grebe family kept us entertained for more than an hour. If you look closely, you'll see two babies hiding on the dad's back. The momma bird fishes and you can see her bringing a tiny fish for one of the chicks.

Myvatn Lake is shallow, barely 4 M in a few spots, so very peaceful. Not even kayaks. Definitely no jet skis. There's a healthy wind but that doesn't stop hoards of tenting campers and many pop-up RVs. Icelanders are ourdoors people!

Yea! We have blue skies again!

We head out to the waterfalls at Dettifoss, There are actually three water falls in this desolate area of sharp-edged lava rocks, dramtically showing the basalt formation.

We first come to Selfoss. This is a powerful waterfall but only a warm up for Dettifoss. Check out the tiny figures overlooking the falls on the left. .

The mist from these falling waters create fantastic micro-climates. We actually found what looks to be an orchid wildflower at the edge.

The main attraction, the Dentifoss waterfall, has Europe's most powerful flow. The people on the edge help show its immense size.

The sound reverberated through us. No clear glacial water here--it was a dark gray and almost mesmerizing as it seemed to form geometric patterns. Plus the mist rose forming eerie smoky patterns.

The last waterfall was way off the beaten path just above a small cobalt-blues pool formed by water finding its way through the lava rock. Hikers even found their way to the bottom of this area.

John thought of taking a quicker way down...

After dinner, we relaxed at the Myvatn Nature Baths, northern Iceland's Blue Lagoon mineral baths. Black sand lined the bottom of opaque cobalt blue water and you could feel the "healing" minerals (the water felt slippery, possibly alkali) and a strong sulfur scent permeated the air. We had to remove all silver...the water would turn those metals black. (The hot water in the hotel shower even darkened my silver jewelry)

It was amazing how bright it was in the pool at 10 PM

We actually caught another small sunset on the way home--this was 11 PM!

Join us tomorrow as we tour the lake area!

Alberta

Iceland Day 7, July 27-- Myvatn

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:17:00 GMT

We started our day leaving the eastern fjords. They were beautiful but overcast weather encouraged us to move on. The area became much more barren as we headed into a wide-spread lava field—a site of earlier eruptions.

We continue on the Ring Road further into the countryside. The road is still paved, but most bridges are one-lane. You must be prepared to yield at every crossing. Even this large bridge was narrow. We’ll see a lot more of this as we continue around the island.

We saw the Askja caldera in the distance. This was the volcano that turned the area into such a barren plain the US sent astronauts here to train for their moon landing. Our first adventure was touring the smaller Snaefell caldera—a collapsed volcano-- from a long ago eruption.

In the middle of lava-land with high winds, I got back in the car thinking of the blowing dust in Monument Valley. Once again I had grit in my teeth and "extra body" in my hair. A shower will feel good tonight!

We definitely not in Kansas anymore—more like the end of the earth! We thought twice before passing up any N1 gas stations. There’s a whole lot of nothing out here! And it will only get more pronounced when we hit the Westfjords!

Cairns dot Iceland’s landscape; some are quite elaborate. Locals explained these are the traditional trail markers, from a time before the ring road and are still helpful in heavy snow. We weren't sure if they had a religious meaning.

On the way in to Myvatn (MEE’ vot) we stopped at the Namafjall Hverir. There were incredible fumaroles and bubbling mud pots in this geothermic area. Unlike the US, we were able to scramble among them- a real hot spot (ha!).

Myvatn sits in the middle of a geothermal area and the plant we saw as we drove in generates power for the area Hot water from the tap has an eau de sulfur, and tarnishes silver jewelry in the shower. Remember, we plan to hit the blue lagoon of the north during our stay! That is based on the surface geothermal activity and the resultant “healing powers.” We’ll let you know how we feel when we’re done.

We reached our hotel on Lake Myvatn at noon and headed off for lunch at the Cowshed Cafe. We passed intricate rock walls—so many rocks. They were filled with wildflowers so there was no sign they were still used. A lot of work. Maybe old corrals? They were beautiful.

The Cowshed is an interesting restaurant. You can pet the bovines--they loved a scratch!-- then go in for a fresh organic lunch. They milk the cows behind a glass wall so you can watch if you time it right--they followed an Icelandic (whenever) schedule, so we missed it twice.

This afternoon we took advantage of the sunny skies and headed to the seaport of Husavik on the North Atlantic for a four hour whale watching sailing tour. Mind you, the ship left the dock at 4:30. Late right? No way. No problem with daylight in Iceland in July! This really is the Land of the Midnight Sun, so it looked to be about 1:00 in the afternoon. (It really never gets dark here--at 3 AM you see a faint red-yellow line on the horizon, the only real sign the sun is beginning it's next cycle!)

We first went to Puffin Island--a great success...I've been dying to see them since we hit Iceland!

This is home to a colony of over 200,000, so we saw them in the rocks, floating by the ship, in the air--they were everywhere!

I even captured one with fish hanging from its mouth—en route to feed its babies in the nearby cliffs. Puffins are unique among sea birds. They carry fish back to their young by holding it sideways, hanging out of their mouths. This allows them to carry more food for their young. (Other birds eat then regurgitate the fish at the nest—a much less efficient process.)

Our guide told us puffins mate for life and they all arrive on the island the SAME day to nest, then all take off August 15th for their winter migration. Another interesting detail, they mate for life but sometimes the pairs loose track of each other when they migrate. They usually find their mate back at the island the next spring. If not, the male will choose a younger female. But if his old mate shows up, he dumps the sweet young thing and goes back to his first love.

We left Puffin Island, searching the horizon for whales. Dolphins escorted us into open water.

Then one of the passengers saw a blow in the distance...we scrambled closer!

It was a young humpback--huge, but only about half of what will be his final adult size.

We followed at a distance for over an hour while it dived, waving it's flukes.

The humpback surprised us by spy hopping and tail thrashing.

Great day! To top it all, the winds picked up so the crew--and some passengers ( note John hard at work) put up all 7 sails

and we cut the engine and had a beautiiful sail back to port.

We had dinner in the harbor- fish fresh from the sea- and started back to Myvatn about 10:30. Sheep are all over this area so we drove back carefully, waiting for several wooly fur balls to let us pass. Yes, it was late, but the good news is we finally saw an Icelandic sunset (at about 10:30).

See you tomorrow, when we stay “home” and tour the beautiful lake area!

Alberta

Iceland Day 6, July 26 The Eastern Fjords

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:23:00 GMT

We continued on through the eastern fjords, a curvy path, to say the least.

The roads can be an even greater challenge when sheep decide to pop on to the blacktop! It’s all open range for sheep in the country, and it’s almost all country!

Around one bend, we found the rings being made in Djupivogur being towed in the fjord below…we think they may be for fish farming.

When we reach Stodvarfjordar, we find another active fishing town and more HUGE beautiful flowers

Lupin,

Pink Batchelor Buttons the size of a half dollar, and

Larkspur, aka Delphinium.

Plus another harbor serving the fishermen and the life-blood of the town.

A beautiful old church is now a tourist hostel.

We looked through a local craft market and found a rainbow of Iceland yarn—wool is a big resource here. People knit everywhere and handmade Icelandic wool sweaters are sold in every store. (Makes sense, considering all those sheep we've seen.) Later we’ll see how they get ready for the shearing process.

Into the countryside, we came upon the first of many yellow light house markers, at the edge of a fjord.

Then we arrived at the unique French fishing village, Faskruosfjordur, They are very proud of their French heritage and predominately parlez francais...

We watched fishermen bring their catch to the dock for inspection as we stopped at the Templar Inn for home-grown, home-made rhubarb cake. Merci! (Our group definitely seems to travel on it's stomach!)

Here we saw the large rings we had seen being built in Djupivogur, now anchored in the fjord. Mystery solved. The restaurant owner confirmed they are for fish farming...cod, mackerel and some others he couldn't translate.

From the village we traveled past the town of through a 6 km tunnel cut through a mountain to Reydarfjordur and a huge Alcoa aluminum plant.

This is the major industry in the area. Apparently bauxite from the Caribbean is brought here for processing because of the cheap electricity. The plant is massive, served by a huge power grid—hundreds of high tension lines ending at its back door.

Back through the tunnel, we followed a switch-back filled road up a mountain overlooking the big lake at Egitsstaoir, said to have it's own version of Nessy. (This country abounds with tall tales, ghosts, goulies and mischief-makers). We'll have our own experience with these gremlins before we leave....

As we head down to our hotel at Seydisfjordur we stopped at more hydroelectric water falls on a river following us all the way into town.

What a view of the village far below on the fjord. You can barely make out the cruise ship from New York. (They also host a weekly ship from Denmark.)

Hotel Aldan is on a small lake in the center of town. The Princess Cruise ship we saw from the top of the mountain, is leaving today, back to NYC.

And of course, another wonderful church! It’s amazing, but we’ve yet to see any activity at any of these houses of worship….

Tomorrow we leave the Eastern Fjords and head to Myvatn (MEE’ vot), a beautiful area on a lake and near the sea—Whale watching is on the menu!! As well as it’s own “Blue Hole,” the Myvatn Nature Baths, the geothermal spa of the north.

See you then

Alberta

Iceland, Day 5, July 25--Skaftafell to Djupivogur, on the Ring Road to the Eastern Fjords

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:15:00 GMT

As we headed for the Jokulsarslon lagoon, near Hofn, we were surprised to find a hidden lagoon at the foot of the Kviamyrarkambur glacier.

I loved the polka-dot rocks there--the lichen was beautiful.

We arrived at the iceberg lagoon at the foot of the glacier.

We found this a magical place and stayed to explore for several hours.

Iceberg calves from the surrounding glacier filled the lagoon, many tinged with brilliant blues--the color is from the compacted ice. They freeze and melt for up to 5 years before heading out to sea. Boats can take you around the lagoon but--my recommendation--get a great show for free from the beach.

The ice we found at the shore was truly crystal clear.

We followed several icebergs as they washed through the channel into the Atlantic Ocean.

The ocean beach was fantastic--huge chunks of icebergs with giant crystal clear ice shards floating in the water and scattered along the black sand. Positively amazing. That wasn't mentioned in any guidebook! (But we do recommend Lonely Planet's Iceland as a guide)

Some of the ice was like polished crystal.

The black sand made a great contrast with the bright orange Icelandic kelp

I love rocks and these beauties were all over the beach.

As we head toward our hotel, we found Kaupfelag, a charming little restaurant in Hofn (lobster capital of the north) serving langoustine. Great lunch and on the top restaurant lists for Iceland. If you get there, check out the girl's and boy's WC markers...hysterical and definitely way beyond PC.

The coast on the way to Djupivogur was magnificent--made me think of the PCH outside Carmel.

We ended our day at Hotel Framtid in the fishing village of Djupivogur, the beginning of the eastern fjords.

The town began as an important trading center over 400 years ago and still has an active fishing industry. The Langabud store—the long red building above the harbor—dates from the 1850’s when it was one of the four structures in the town. (It’s now a cute restaurant and museum.)

It was a gray day, and as we hiked the rocky slopes overlooking the sea it was easy to imagine walking in the footsteps of sailors from the 1600's.

This is the city with an over-sized egg sculpture collection at the water's edge...huge stones depicting the various sea bird eggs found in the area. Also, we saw very large rings under construction...they looked as if they were made to float. The next day we learned the answer to that mystery!

Catch up with us tomnorrow!

Alberta

Iceland, Day 4, July 24--Skaftafell on the South Ring Road

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:21:00 GMT

We spent the day hiking and exploring the mountain above the glacier...the Vatnajokull National Park is very popular camping area and colorful tents blossomed everywhere.

We had gray skies and drizzle, but that didn't stop our exploration of several waterfalls above the glacier. You've probably noticed, "foss" means waterfall...

Hundafoss was our first stop.

At Svartifoss we had a great example of the basalt rock formation common in Iceland.

This ancient molten stone is crystalized in a honeycomb formation.

We saw a modern interpretation of this at the Harpa Performing Arts Theater in Reykjavik. More to come on that...

We hiked across the mountain,

Found an interesting sculture.

Another waterfall at Magnusarfoss

With an interesting pattern in the stream feeding the falls

Before finally reaching the glacier...

and the great overlook of the ice field from the top of the mountain.

In the rain, we had a slippery trip down the mountain

And came to a boardwalk path near the bottom.

From the hotel, we headed to a final exploration before dinner.

We found a hidden glacial lagoon with ice bergs...a teaser of what we hope to find tomorrow!

Plus the wild glacial flowers were beautiful.

The giant Hogweed was everywhere and grew from an interesting bulb on the stem. Like the Bradford pear, its scented like carrion to attract pollenators...

Puple gentian amd yellow Alpine Cinquefoil

Bluebells

Tiny orchid

We haven't talked about the cost of traveling in Iceland...the Kronur exchage rate is better than before the economy collapsed, but purchases were still expensive. Gas was about $8 a gallon but as I mentioned, we loved driving our own car and setting our own pace.

Our meals were interesting too... a breakfast buffet was included with our rooms. It was pretty standard throughout the trip, but Skaftafell outdid themselves.

We went to the local grocery and bought fruit and the makings for a light lunch for most days. We bought a trusty little cooler and used it to keep our beer and wine chilled, too. Dinner most often was at the hotel, since we often were in remote areas with few options. Although we were really off the beaten path, the lamb and Arctic Char were fantastic. The whole trip, we had the best fish ever! One cost-saver: there is no tipping in Iceland.

Icelandic wool sweaters were sold everywhere, in varying qualities. Prices never varied across the Island...we didn't buy any.

Next day we're off to more icebergs and the Eastern Fjords!

Iceland, Day 3, July 23--South Ring Road

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:41:00 GMT

As we left our hotel we found a charming park nearby, filled with bird houses and child activities. It appears Icelanders really love nature and seem to make the most of their time outside.

We headed east through southern Iceland, first stopping at the waterfall and black sand-- Seljalandsfoss. We found the site filled with campers--these people seem to love to backpack, hike, camp and hitchhike around a country we found to be very warm and friendly. Yes, hitchking seems to be an excepted--and safe--practice for young people. We also experienced a sense of safety and comfort thoughout the country--a bit of Ozzie and Harriet-land, revisited.

We were now in an area severely affected after the glacial flood that followed the volcanic explosion at Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 (the one that shut down air traffic to Europe.) The glacier falls, complete with a trekker behind the water, have a story...a treasure is buried somewhere in the falling mist.

Wild flowers flourish in the plain covered with volcanic ash. Water is the curse and life blood of these barren volcanic areas and mist from the falls creates a micro-environment supporting an emerald green oasis.

When volcanic activity melts the glaciers, huge water flows occur, periodically flooding areas, carring tons of silt. Huge black mounds of sand and ash are still visible from dredgers opening channels for the water to escape to the sea in 2010. We learned the road crews often tear up roads to give the flood water a path to escape so they could save their bridges. One of the most important jobs in Iceland must be a steam shovel operator...they are always in demand!

As we left the flood plain, the land turned lush, nurished by the volcanic minerals.

A few miles farther, we stopped at the dairy farm in the valley below the eruption and watched a movie on their life during and in the months that followed...the total devastation of their lives for several months and the help from the surrounding communities to bulldoze and shovel tons of ash that left a thick layer over their land.

They were lucky... the glacial flood come down the other side of the mountain, so they "only" had to restore utilities and water then deal with remnants of the weeks of the black tephra clouds raining debris after the explosion. Their cattle and horses survived in the barns until the earth amazingly rebounded in a matter of months. They have a poster by the house showing the volcanic cloud decending upon them.

The family vegetable and flower gardens, grape vines and pastures became lush and green by the end of the season- fertilized by the volcanic deposit. The valley is absolutely beautiful now...a remarkable testament to survival and rejuvenation.

From there, we headed east to the 62 M waterfall at Skogafoss, a few miles away. It was magnificent, nestled in hills dotted with sheep. We saw a large group of young people visiting--they were high school students from the DC area, a National Geographic tour lead by a glaciologist. We met up with them again later in our trip and had a chance to chat. Lucky kids!

Dual dancing rainbows formed in the mist at the base.

Next, we headed to the coast, we pasted the Myrdalsjokull glacier with the Katla volcano. This is overdue for eruption and is expected to cause mass devastation and tidal waves that will probably deluge the city of Vik and their beautiful church.

We walked on the VIK black sand beaches

and chilled our toes in the surf by the 60 M Reynisdrangur Needles.

The end of our long day took us across a wide expanse of barren lava fields--these were unusual, rolling not jagged...

Before reaching Skaftafell, at the foot of the Vatnajokull glacier-- the biggest glacier outside of the poles-- we saw the true power and devastation of a glacial flood following the latest volcanic eruption of Grimsvotn in 1996.

This unleashed 3000 billion liters of waters in a few hours, running to the sea. Crumpled girders have been left as a monument to the force of melted glacial flood water that finally broke free carrying ice bergs up to 200 TONS, the size of three-story buildings. These repeated events have created area the largest sand flats in Iceland.

From here, the Vatnajokull glacier loomed ahead.

Our Skaftafell hotel sat with the glacier at our back door.

We explored a bit before finding a spot for wine and cheese overlooking the glacier.

Again, this hotel has a very European feel—small proportions, tiny sink, much like a dorm room, but with a huge window at the glacier-end of the room. (Emphasis on the important stuff!)

Tomorrow, we hike!

ICELAND, Day 2, July 22 and the Golden Circle

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:43:12 GMT

We begin Day Two by hiking through a geothermal field near the hotel. Much of the energy in Iceland comes from green resources and almost all homes are heated by geothermal technology. There are steam vents everywhere.

This is way better than Yellowstone... No restrictions. Iceland seems to treat everyone as adults--if you're dumb enough, you can walk right up to the vents that can be up to 100 degrees Centrigrade. Seriously close, no boardwalks, etc., just a rope boundary.

Off to the geyser basin, we made a chance stop at another great church near Grindavik.

—It's not only beautiful, it happens to have quite a history. Strandakirkja Church is a simple wooden structure that is said to have been built by stricken seamen who had an angel guide them to rescue on shore. ("The guiding light of those who sail the sea"). This is a testament to the dangerous life seamen endure in the often violent waters off the Icelandic coast.

People from all over the world still pledge donations to Strandakirkja in hope of help in times of trouble. This wealthy little church (the richest in Iceland) is a treasure and its cemetary is a great stop.

Next we head through Selfoss for Geysir (gee' sir) and the geyser field that gave spewing geothermal steam pits their name.

We saw the Strokkur Geyser go off every few minutes,

and walked over and threw the smoldering mud pots.

Again, no real barriers here. If you take a risk, Iceland expects you to deal with the consequences!

I love the patterns made in the bronze geothermal mud by the flow from the geysers.

As a bonus, just before leaving I spotted my first giant troll...

And lo and behold, Great Geiser, which has a very irregular schedule, blew minutes later. Lucky us! (Maybe there is something to this troll stuff...)

We left for the back country to search for the Langjokull glacier. Again, we hit a barren, lava-covered landscape along with the Hvita milky glacial river,

The glacier

Huge patches of cotton grass

And some of the most beautiful lupin ever, thanks to the micro-climate created by the river!

We finally made it to the 105' Guilfoss waterfall, one of the all-time national favorites. That's saying a lot because Iceland has a spectacular waterfall--or 5--at every turn. It flows from a glacial lagoon through a fissure in the Hvita river bed.

Tomorrow we head east toward the iceberg lagoon and other amazing sites...

See you then!

Alberta

ICELAND, Day 1, July 21

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:51:00 GMT

We made it to Reykjavik, Iceland after an overnight flight, tired but ready to roll. These postings are a catch up as we continue our RV sojourn. I wasn't able to post pictures from my iPad so I'm looking forward to going through the trip again on the blog....

Why Iceland? Wait 'til you see the whole trip. It's so much more than the long weekend trip to the Blue Lagoon! Iceland is the most western point of Europe and everything here definately has a European flavor.

One important trick we learned was to stop at duty free on your way out of the airport. We stocked up on wine and chocolate (two of our basic food groups) then rented a car for our vacation, slowly following the Ring Road around the island. We learned some basic vocabulary…Takk fyrir or Takk takk (thank you). Hallo/ bless (bye) , ja and nei. That's pretty much all we'll need. Everyone seems to speak English beautifully- even the European travelers we've met. The airport scultpure depicts a hatching Skua, an aggressive sea bird, in the gull family, that is very common in the area.

With Susan and John, our partners in crime-- and fun--on many of our adventure vacations, we traveled to our hotel in Hveragerol, for a quick bite and a nap. On the way, we were struck by the geothermal steam vents everywhere in this area.

The sauna at the hotel even had a sulphur tinge—heated directly from underground sources.

At breakfast at the Hotel Ork, we immediately became fans of the yogurt they serve at all breakfast buffets...great on cereal, instead of milk. We also were introduced to Skyr, a unique product of Iceland, part of their Norse Viking heritage. This tastes a bit like Greek yogurt on steroids. We looked it up--Internet info lists it as a superfood, high in protein, actually a fresh cheese made from skim milk. Plus it is available in some stores in the US...we definetly going to look for it when we get home.

Our afternoon adventure begins navigating the Icelandic roads to nearby sites. We have chosen to rent a Land Cruiser so we can drive the Ring Road ourselves. We have opted for 4-wheel drive because some of the gravel roads in the Westfjords are tough going (like driving on marbles, we're told). We did use a travel agent to book our hotel reservations, but we will be on our own schedule to start and stop as we choose. Much of this area is volcanic, so large portions are all lava rock with a shaggy moss cover.

Away from the lava fields, the area is lush. Green grass and beautiful wild flowers everywhere. Many of the vistas include fields dotted with round white plastic balls, Turns out, this is the way they keep hay for the animals in the winter. We were told they ball up the green feed tightly and vacuum pack it in plastic wrappers so mold, etc, can't grow.

One surprise is the huge number of Icelandic ponies- horses and foals everywhere. Many are lying down in the green fields. The Icelanders seem to have an almost mystical connection to their horses. There are few barns for over 100,000 horses. This supports what we've heard...although it is on the same longitude as Alaska (Reykjavik and Fairbanks line up perfectly), the weather is relatively mild because the Gulf Stream swings close to shore and gentles the winters. We regularly see groups of kids, teens and adults riding. It appears this is a national past time and we are planning to join in! We're told Icelandic ponies are unique because they have 5 gaits giving them a very smooth motion. We're planning to ride while we're here--we'll let you know!

Finding our way is easy, and our first stop is Eyrarbakki, a charming coastal town with houses in every color of the rainbow.

This once was once the main port in southern Iceland. Now only cement underpinnings and volcanic rock breakwaters remain. There must be tremendous tides because we saw a beach and shore pools when we visited- no way to dock a ship.

The town had a beautiful church at its center--a perfect fit with the multi-colored houses.

Whooper swans, the Eurasean version of the Trumpeter, kept us entertained as they bobbed in the shallows of the Atlantic shoreline.

We drove to Stokkseyn and had lunch beside another quaint church. They certainly seem to have more churches per capita. Iceland, the size of Kentucky, only has 270,000 people and 2/3 live in the capital.

This town, on the southern coast, also was once a major shipping center and is known for it's troll and ghost museum--apparently trolls, ghosts and elves are a big deal in Iceland. More to come on that....

Again beautiful flowers are everywhere. Much like Alaska, it seems the long summer days spark the flowers to colossal sizes during their short growing season. (This is the land of the midnight sun- sunrise is at 0330 and dusk is after 10 but it never does get dark.)

The people are a hearty lot and they make the most of their summer. The mercury hit a balmy 15 degrees C (about 60 F) and all the natives were in short sleeves, some in shorts. While we sat in three layers, we saw a group of kids head down to the water- a few in sketchy wet suits- and jump from the old pier into the ocean. Brrrrr! A fun day in the Atlantic.

Tomorrow we head off on the Golden Circle--to the geothermal steam vents that gave geysers their name and to a world class waterfall, Guilfoss.

Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, a Capitol Fourth

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:36:00 GMT

This was the last leg of our RV trip. We can't believe it's almost over. Jackson, MN said goodbye with brilliant sunset

We left Minnesota and its many wind farms, crossed the Mighty Mississippi, on our way to MIlwaukee to visit with our son and grand daughter.

As a bonus, we hit the area on Father's Day and got an intro into Indy Car Racing at the Milwaukee Mile. Arriving early in the morning, our son and his friends secured a place in the in field for the pre-races. Man are they loud--ear plugs are standard equipment at these things! The cars seemed to come around non-stop. The food was outstanding. This was tail-gating in style!

The Milwaukee MIle is one of the oldest Indy tracks with stands on only one side--am real tradition in the area.

We went into the stands for the main race to cheer for Danica Patrick (green Go Daddy car)

Danica did pretty well coming in 6th after she crashed her car on the first lap.

After the race, we headed for our son's hide-away near the Wisconsin Dells...this RV park was mostly permanent places to get back to nature.. Perfect for some quiet (some great fishing and s'mores)

The Dells is the land of great water parks but we were there on some cold gray days, not the best weather for water slides. But we were able to play bumper cars at the go cart track--we really only tapped poor Brenna.

From mid-Wisconsin, we headed for Green Bay to meet up with Jim's colleague from work. Jeff took us on a great tour of his boyhood haunts in Michigan's Upper Peninsula--we saw some beautiful areas and met some other "U-pers," as the people from the area are known. (They call the people in the lower portion of Michigan "Trolls") He has a beautiful cabin on a lake in the Hiawatha National Forest--a place he's been coming with this family since he was a boy.

Jeff gave us a tour of the lake

Then the heart of the area...

Through Grand Island by Munising, Lake Superior

Pictures Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior

Lunch at Muldoon's was definitely a highlight. Pasties (past' ees) are a baked pastry crust filled with diced potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, onions & ground beef plus special seasoning. Scandinavian and/or Cornish iron and copper workers used to take into their lunch in the mines--made a bit like an empanada but with a totally different taste. They were fantastic. The pastry was so good we even had cherry pastie for dessert. Just can't get enough of a good thing!

Back at the cabin, we found the woods were packed with hummingbirds, and the wet season also left a load the MI state bird--mosquitos--in numbers that actually made the news.

Round Lake presented a spectacular sunset the night before we headed back to Wisconsin.

Before the last day of our trip we had one last killer sunset along with an all-time championship Jenga match!

As a grand finale, we made it to the big party on the Mall, the Capitol July Fourth Celebration! Never better.

We'll be home for a few weeks before we take off for Iceland mid-July. We're going with old friends--also adventure travelers--and driving the Ring Road, with a sensational excursion deep into the rugged West Fjords.

More to come....Join us!

Alberta

Hardin, Montana to South Dakota--Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monuments

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:30:39 GMT

Leaving Flathead Lake, Montana, we head east—we’re off to the last of our national monument visits. We’re a bit sad, our adventure is winding down….

To Hardin, Montana—the home of Little Big Horn and Custer’s Last Stand.

Today we crossed the Continental Divide for the third and final time on THIS trip.. Most of the almost 400 miles today was spent in glorious Montana—big snow-frosted mountains and huge billowing clouds—and yes, the ever-present showers.

The rivers east continue to overflow their banks. This area has been deluged! Just outside Billings—on the Yellowstone River, no less—the topography flattens and we are now in endless plains where we can see for miles. We are now in the land of Dances with Wolves--we want to watch that movie again!

We arrive with huge cumulous clouds—San Antonio version, if you’ve ever had an opportunity to visit that part of Texas. Hardin, Montana is near the Little Big Horn. Big beautiful clouds and brilliant emerald green landscapes along the way with a big thunderstorm after we hit our campground For the first time this whole trip—a RAINBOW.

Not just a part of a rainbow but a full 180. I kept waiting for a leprechaun to jump out. After all the rain we’ve been through, we kept searching for a rainbow with no luck. I’m so excited Mother Nature finally came thru! And gave us a beautiful sunset, to boot!

Tomorrow we’re off for another long day to Rapid City, SD with Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse near our camp site at Hill City, past the Big Horn Mountains.

We were close enough to see Devil’s Tower in the distance (remember Close Encounters of the Third Kind?) We didn’t have time to stop so this is on my list of places to hit on a return trip.

As we near the Black Hills--land of the pink Black Hills gold--even the roads were pink.

We arrived at a camp/ranch with wide open spaces in Hill City. And, just to be consistent, we had another evening thunder storm. Locals said they are quite common this time of year.

Our drive wasn’t too long, so we considered going to the evening lighting at Mount Rushmore. With the storm, we passed hoping for a better weather tomorrow. Instead we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial first thing the next morning. What an amazing place. I wasn’t prepared for this.

It’s a whole mountain! Twenty-two stories and it’s still only half blocked out. (A few more decades of work to go) The placement of his horse’s head is painted on the mountain to give some perspective. The whole Mt Rushmore carving would fit on the small area behind his head!

You can get an idea of the size of the project when you see the tiny tractors on the side of the mountain...

It’s all privately supported—no state or federal funding is accepted--with cooperation of the Lakota Sioux. (Crazy Horse was born in Rapid City and defended his people during a period of broken treaties and the ravaging of his people and their way of life. He led the Sioux at the battle of Little Big Horn.)

The creator, Korezak Ziolkowski, was a prize-winning Boston sculptor who was approached by Chief Standing Bear to create this project so “the white man will know the red man has great heros, also.” Ziolkowski and his family have worked the site since 1948. Since his death in 1982, his wife and children have carried on the project. This is one of those time warps when grandkids can go back to pictures of us standing in front of the rough cut mountain many years from now after it’s [hopefully] completed.

That evening we headed for Mount Rushmore.

Created in 14 years by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, it was finished in 1941. Every night they offer a presentation on the creation of the monument followed by the lighting of the mountain. We arrived in another storm but this time we were treated to a DOUBLE rainbow. Quite a site.

We were able to view the monument in the gentle dusk then we had a great show as night fell.

We toured more of the area the next day heading for Custer State Park. This was another gem with beautiful wide open expanses, pronghorns and roaming bison herds on the roads.

Two adolescents decided to scuffle.

We came across one of the oddest signs we'd seen as we left the park.

From Rapid City we continue east, past the Badlands, the plains of Minnesota—flatter than Kansas—and on to Wisconsin.

Join us for our next adventure—cheering for Danika Patrick at the Milwaukee Mile!

June 3rd, to Missoula, Glacier Park, Bitterroot Valley and Flathead Lake

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 22:35:00 GMT

We’ve had a busy week, with no time to write, so I want to catch up on our vagabond adventures.

We hit Missoula in the late afternoon, June 3rd. More great scenery along the way.

We were mulling over our trip so far…we’ve decided we definitely like being “on the road” and want to do more of it. We have come to appreciate the areas we’ve visited more than we ever imagined. This truly is a beautiful country. And it turns out the part we’ve come to treasure is not just the places we intended to see. It's also the unexpected places we find along the way. We love chatting with new people, enjoying the little towns and learning about areas we didn't expect to visit--highways and by-ways. And the things we find. It may be cherry beer (in Missoula) or homemade huckleberry pie (at Glacier Park), finding things that never make the guide books. Since our coach is a gas burner, we’ve had to change our plans several times. It’s just too tough making it up, or standing on the breaks all the way down, the 8-10 % grades in many of areas we want to explore. So we’ve been researching RVs and what we need in a diesel engine for the sort of traveling we’ve come to love. That brings us to our stop in Missoula…where we decide to drop in just to check out some of the options at a huge RV dealer we’ve been looking at on line. Wow! We found an equipment switch so we're taking a few extra days exploring Missoula and visiting Glacier National Park to allow for the modification.

Saturday in downtown Missoula was fun. They have a bustling Farmer’s Market that’s really a million craft booths with a few food stalls and a smathering of produce. Not to mention the greatest organic empanadas we ever tasted! Plus the town—actually all this part of Montana—is filled with lilac bushes. Not with just white and “lilac” blossoms, but also some that are deep, deep burgundy, some with flowers that are dark purple with white edges, some bushes that look like dwarf varieties…and they all smell heavenly!

This was one of the first sunny days of summer in Missoula and the streets were alive. It’s a college town so there are young, old, teachers and their kids, cowboys, established Montana gentry; quite a mix. A building art history wall shows the corner we visited.

The Clark Fork River--like most other rivers in the area--is over-flowing it's banks. It runs through the downtown, with a river walk at Caras Park. Fishing is taken very seriously in these parts....

As a bonus, we were treated to an exhibition by a kayaker running Brennan’s Wave, a man-made, whitewater play pool in the Clark Fork, created to honor a world-class kayaker who died in 2001.

We visited the St Ignacious Mission, founded in 1854.

And found the National Bison Range--all near Missoula. This is still tribal land, so highway signs are written to respect the native American culture, as well..

This antler stack at the park entrance gives you an idea how many deer and elk are around. Driving at dust ia always an adventure.

The bison once again were just outside our car.

On our way back to Missoula we drove under this animal bridge--they are concerned super highways don't disrupt animal migration patterns.

Finally--Oreo Cows. This may not be their real name, but it sure seems to fit these guys pretty well.

The next morning we take off to Glacier.

We pass by Flathead Lake--this looks just like the pictures of Italy's Lake Como. More to come on that later!

Glacier was one of our top destinations when we began planning our trip--and man! Did it ever live up to our expectations! It’s right on the Canadian border—the first stop inside the gate is the Alberta [Canada] Welcoming Center. I’m feeling right at home, now.

It’s proper name is Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park World Heritage Site. Canada made Waterton Lakes a park in 1895 and the US set aside the adjoining Glacier Park in 1910. The two countries linked the two parks into an international peace park in the 30’s and in 1995 it was designated as a world heritage site. Quite a place. So much more than the gorgeous Lake McDonald reflection pictures we wanted to see.

Glacier has been called the “crown of the continent,” and contains a triple divided peak, the width of a hand, where a rain drop can start a path to the Columbia, Mississippi or Saskatchewan river systems and end up in the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico or the Hudson Bay. Unbelievable. Even the pebbles in the glacial waters were beautiful. The blue-green and red rock found everywhere is actually ancient stone that began as sediment 1.5 billion years ago. These were under the water in Lake McDonald.

We had to stop at the beautiful McDonald Lodge--trophy animals everywhere!

Then we took some pictures of the falls on Upper McDonald Creek. High water levels made this spectacular.

Our second day at Glacier, we went west to Polebridge, on the eastern side of the park.

A previous fire made an erie landscape

The tiny town of Polebridge was actually a unique country store. A nod back to the 60's.

Our journey culminated in an hour drive on a bumpy dirt road to Bowman Lake—we almost turned back, but it was absolutely worth the trip. The lake air was cold with a brisk wind—no flat waters for a reflection photo of the surrounding snow-capped mountains. But it was beautiful. We could have been standing beside a Norwegian fiord!

And have I mentioned it never gets dark here? Seriously, 10 PM we walk the dogs without a flashlight. It’s like dusk at home. We’ve been so tired I haven’t stayed up late enough to see more than a few errant stars; I feel like I’m in Alaska! And it’s bright at 0600. One other similarity—they have B52-sized mosquitoes. Thirsty little devils!

Unfortunately, the Going to the Sun Road, traversing the park, still wasn’t completely opened—late snows and some construction. But now we have a reason we must come back!

Back to Missoula, we have a chance to catch up with some friends from many, many moons ago—we’re talking high school and college!

They now live in the Bitterroot Valley, an area with more spectacular vistas, even on an overcast day. We didn’t get to spend as much time together as we had hoped—another reason we plan to head back this way!

(In Darby, at the foot of the valley, I finally found a brown bear that wasn't shy)

At last, we're ready to move on....we change plans and head for Flathead Lake to check out the RV before we head on our way. This area is a real treasure! This is the largest natural freshwater late in the lower 48, west of the Mississippi. It’s ringed with snow-covered mountains--we loved it here. In case you haven’t guessed, we’ve fallen in love with Montana—at least after the thaw.

I loved the lupin and columbine....

Next we’re off to Hardin, Montana—the home of Little Big Horn and Custer’s Last Stand then on to Rapid City, SD to see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

June 1-Fly fishing and more!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:57:00 GMT

One of my top wishes for the trip was to try fly fishing. Neither of us fish, so this would be an adventure--and in Yellowstone, of all places! We hired a guide and went out to the Fire Hole River. Pat Bond was terrific- we highly recommend him if you're in the area. He taught us how to cast,. then we waded thought the river for three hours.

I caught the first good bite on my line and lost two other strikes.

Jim also caught a fish, another rainbow--we released them to grow a bit bigger. The rainbow trout are not native to this area and Pat said naturalists predict they soon will overwhelm the native cutthroat population. This was a great experience--something we plan to do again. A great way to enjoy the outdoors. Now we can mend and strip--if we only had an idea how to tie a lure on the line, or even what lure to use. This isn't a sport. I think it qualifies more as the art of fly fishing. Really, really fun!

And we couldn't have found a prettier location!

After our lesson, we went on to Fire Hole Falls. Susan and John, remember stopping here in a snow storm?

As we continued through the park we came across bison everywhere. We saw them scratching against the pine trees, trying to shed their thick winter coats. This big old bull ended up decorated early for the holidays as he waked beside the cars.

We ended our day at Norris Geyser Basin.

We had more snow that evening. A day of snow then a day of sun seems to be the norm here. The folks at Yellowstone said this was one of the worst winters they can remember.

With a bright morning, we headed off to Missoula, Montana, with more dark clouds on the horizon.

This was to be a quick overnight stop--but Oh! How plans can change.

Check in tomorrow.

May 28th Off to Idaho and Yellowstone National Park

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:34:00 GMT

We left the Utah canyons after almost three weeks. What an experience. Each one was magnificent in its own way. As we move on, I’m trying to decide which was my favorite and I’m not sure I can. For true overwhelming magnificence, I think I would say Monument Valley tops the list. I also would say that was my least favorite because of the harsh conditions. Every day we came home with grit in our teeth and hair that felt like broom straw. Dust really is a four-letter word, and red dust is the worst! I have tremendous amount respect for the people that call that place home.

But I still remember first driving into Canyonlands and being amazed—our introduction to what lay ahead, and I loved Dead Horse and Kodachrome, and… and.... It’s been fantastic!

I’d love to know, what was your favorite so far?

We left the Utah canyons with gray skies again—had more snow showers over the passes, on to Provo,

Then to Island Park, Idaho, a remote area on Henry’s Lake about 20 miles from West Yellowstone. A neighbor at a RV camp told us about this place—quiet and off the beaten path. They weren't kidding! It really was in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful with a surprise! We arrived with 4 inches of snow on the grass and more falling. Hello! It’s almost June!!!

The next morning it was sunny, almost 60 degrees, so we rode our bikes to Henry’s Lake, one of the primo trout fishing areas in the country. The fields still had a frosting of snow and we found a huge ice ledge on the edge of the lake—a remnant of the long winter. I don’t think many people live in this area year round. The winters must be brutal.

This really is a place with non-stop weather changes. Pellet-size hail again at night, but bright and warm the next day. It sure kept us guessing. The roads were never a problem, so we headed to West Yellowstone to check out the area where we had snowmobiled almost two years before. We found some of the places we remembered covered with snow-packed roads--now it had a more routine flavor. But it snowed and sleeted again. Mother Nature can't make up her mind. We did stop to made arrangements for fly fishing lessons before heading into the park.

As I mentioned, we were here January 2010. That was glorious and we wanted to visit some of the same areas inside the park this time, but we didn’t get far before stopping. We immediately found new life springing up everywhere—like mothers and baby elk beside a lake.

An osprey we had watched hunting

Bison herds still down from the high meadows for the winter. They were next to—and in-- the road.

From the car window...

Bison cows stopped a few feet from us and seemed completely oblivious to visitors as they nursed their calves.

We moved on and drove the full loop around the geyser basin

and made it to Old Faithful right at showtime!

As we moved through the upper elevations the park still had a thick snow pack; it looked to be at least six feet in some places. And Yellowstone Lake was almost tolally covered with ice.

In the mountains we stopped with a jam of cars and caught a brief glimpse of a mamma grizzly who had two cubs hiding behind the rise--not a great shot, but this was not a time for an up close and personal encounter...

As we were leaving the park we came across an elk with a tracking collar...giving us a few choice words

And a young brown bear was playing hide and seek in the brush--he won!

Tomorrow, we'll be going back to Yellowstone to try our hand at fly fishing. We had no idea how great the park would be this time of year!

May 27th- Off to Bryce Canyon’s Main Park

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:53:15 GMT

May 27^th and the start of the Memorial Day Weekend.

We had the RV Park almost to ourselves this whole time—now it’s filling fast, and with a great number of rental RVs. Listening to the folks around, many are from Europe. The camp owners said Germans, Dutch, and the Brits seem to be the predominant visitors from across the pond that take to traveling the southwest by RV. Since it’s Memorial Weekend, we also have numerous Harleys, some trailing tents-on-wheels. We have Rolling Thunder, too!

As I mentioned before, we planned to go back to the main Bryce Canyon National Park as a ho-hum—we were in the area and couldn’t not go. We weren’t expecting to be dazzled, since we had been there before and had seen so many other glorious natural wonders in this area. Well, it knocked our socks off!

First stop was Sunset Point and the Bryce Amphitheater. WOW! It really is amazing—these pictures just don’t do it justice.

We walked the same path to the top we walked with our friends years earlier and even came across a mountain short-horned lizard.

Farview point lived up to its name—with the Black Mountains, Navajo Mountain, then all the way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. (The Ranger told us so! It’s out there somewhere—maybe if someone shot off a rocket?)

I loved Aqua Point—the hoodoos looked like ships and ancient mariners…and another grand view.

"Nevermore!" Ponderosa Point had a special attraction—Ravens came to visit. These birds gave me a glimpse of their intelligence and agility before—one unzipped and EMPTIED my backpack (looking for food) on our snowmobiling trip in Yellowstone a few years ago. This one loved a few bites of dog kibble, flew off and immediately brought back several of his buddies. No more snacks, but they still provided a great show, What was he thinking?

Rainbow Point, at the top of the canyon, is 9100 feet. Took us a just a bit longer to hike through these trails. (Glad it's just the altitude affecting us!)

We loved seeing snow on Bristlecone Trail at 60 degrees. Locals said this was the worst winter they've had in a long time.

Then we headed back to Inspiration Point—past a great group pf aspen, just leafing out.

A great day--an unexpected joy.

Tomorrow we break and head for an overnight in Provo, Utah before heading to Island Park, Idaho, just outside West Yellowstone. This will give us a chance to go back to another past haunt--our four days snowmobiling through the park. Can't wait to see what it looks like without snow!

May 26- Bryce Canyon's Mossy Cave and Waterfall, on to Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Kodachrom

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 30 May 2011 20:52:00 GMT

We got an early start on the 26th to catch the Hoodoos--the sandstone spires that look like the dripped sandcastles at he beach--in soft morning light. This area is just outside Tropic, Utah, another early Mormon settlement. We came for the pictures but learned a bit of history, too....

The arches were a surprise find--just another treasure of the Bryce Canyon area.

The waterfall is part of a two-year effort to hand-dig the 10 mile East Fork Canal, or the Tropic Ditch, in 1890. This brought water from the Sevier River to tbe Paria River, making Bryce Valley a stable place for crops, cattle, and family life.

Later that afternoon, we headed into the mountains toward Escalante...X marks the spot! The contrails criss-cross all over the clear blue skies in this area, making some great designs....

We all know to keep an eye out for deer, elk, etc. on the roads. BUT, we've found another interesting road hazard we weren't expecting--cattle. Signs for open range are very common, and Bossy and her buddies roam freely with no fences. We've encountered cattle right beside the road, and sometimes, right smack in the middle. Didn't get any pictures of our near-misses, but this shows how close these massive beasts can come to playing bumper-cars...

Looking for slot canyons along the way to Escalante, we came across the Slot Canyon Inn, a B+B far outside Escalante, with loooong horns in the pasture--mom's organic beef supply.

We just had to stop--and we found a gem. They exist with word-of-mouth and some internet advertising; we'd come back here! The place was decorated beautifully, and had an outside kitchen and dining room nestled into the rocks. They told us about a slot canyon and showed us a pueblo grainery carved into the sandstone--just like Mesa Verde-- behind the house. This site was recently identified by researchers at BYU as the oldest inhabited area in the southwest.

We didn't have time for the hike to this slot canyon, or the four the Escalante Visitor's Center told us about in Dry Fork Coyote Gulch. I'm disappointed but I'm going to keep the directions and add this to my Bucket List--and hope we come back....

We left Escalante to go to the vast open landscape of the Grand Staircase. We stopped at Head of the Rocks.

From here you can see from the Aquarius Plateau (Bolder Mountain) on the left, moving right to the Escalante River Corridor, the wild Henry Mountains in the distance followed by the Navajo Mountain on the right. The road is called the "Million Dollar Road" because of the extensive costs building this across the hostile land. If you look very closely, you can see a tiny car at the neck of the closest turn--just to give the picture a little perspective.

As we headed back to Cannonville, we decided to stop "quickly" at Kodachrome Basin State Park...we were told this was very small but well worth the time. Bet you know what's coming...the place was small, but just gorgeous. A Nat Geo expedition named this park in the 40's because its many colors reminded them of the popular color film.

We hiked to Shakespeare's Arch and then took pictures around the park until 8 PM (and we wonder why we're barely able to keep our eyes open at night...)

There are 67 monolithic stone spires, called pipes, in the park. You can see, by comparing to me, how big these giants really are!

One of the unique features in the park is the red sandstone formations sometimes are wrapped around the stronger white Navajo sandstone pipes, creating rocks that seem sculpted.

Here are two of my other favorite formations...

Kodachrome is Number One!

Because it is a basin, the park is ringed by multi-hued layered formations that display 180 million years of the earth's geology.

Kodachrome even has a full-service RV park. We almost added a day to our trip so we could stay here! But we didn't...our last day was a trip to Bryce--the land of the pink sandcastle hoodoos. We had been there before on our previous bike trip so we thought this would be anti-climatic. Wrong again! (At least I'm consistent.)

Join me tomorrow and I'll add shots of Bryce we found since our first visit in 2003!

So what's your favorite park or picture so far/ Seriously, I'd like to know!

Alberta

May 25th- Biking up Red Canyon

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 30 May 2011 01:47:00 GMT

This was a very special day--not only is Red Canyon beautiful, it also brought back some great memories. This was the starting point of our first vacation with our good friends who have become our companions, traveling all over the world on exciting adventures. We originally biked from Bryce to the North Rim to Zion. John and Susan, you were in our thoughts all day!

Today's ride was rather tame--just up to the arches....

More of the beautiful formations...

Tomorrow we plan an early visit to Mossy Cave, a part of Bryce, to catch the HooDoos in soft light.

May 24th- to Cannonville, Utah

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 30 May 2011 01:31:00 GMT

We left for our next stop, Cannonville, under heavy clouds and more cold showers.

We took a break in a quiet spot called Rocky Ford.

There, we saw a bit of the impact all the rain has had on the area—this little stream was thundering through. You could feel the power of Mother Nature in your core...and she seemed to be sending a message...

The storm clouds followed us off and on most of the day…this curtain came down outside Panguitch.

When the sun finally broke out, we were just entering the Bryce Canyon area. Red Rock Canyon gave us delightful sample of our next few days. We’ll be back!

We made it to our RV camp right at the base of more sandstone mountains—these have a horizontal candy cane stripe running through the middle.

We hit the hills immediately. The dogs loved checking out the prairie dog burrows. No worry…our pups were no match. Those little guys scampered all around the edges of the rocks and I don ‘t think the dogs even caught a glimpse of them.

The rain brought blossoms everywhere in the desert. We never did get the name of this plant that dotted the hillsides behind our camp--the flowers looked like tiny orchids. The leaves and seed pods look like Blue Bonnets. Anyone know what they are?

May 23- Fruita, Utah

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 29 May 2011 23:36:00 GMT

Monday we visited the Fremont River Valley and the remains of the small Mormon settlement of Fruita (fruit-ah) in Capitol Reef Park.

The Fremont River is the life’s blood of this arid area and we found fabulous petroglyphs left by the indigenous people over a thousand years ago.

The Friuta orchards and a few log cabins are all that remain of the early pioneers. We walked through hundreds of Kelly-green cottonwoods with new leaves that sparkled in the sunlight. The air was filled with the cotton “snow” of their seeding—pretty dramatic lesson in how cottonwood trees (aka poplars) get their name!

Tracing the river into the canyon, we came across a great wild flower display, with shots of brilliant orange Indian Paintbrush.

I'd love to know the story behind the old abandoned farm equipment we found,

Then further into the valley we were able to get a close look at the Navajo Dome. I noticed this huge sandstone “dollup” the first day we entered Capitol Reef. It’s also known as Capitol Dome because it’s so distinctive.

From a distance it immediately made me think of a giant Hershey Kiss.

I've always loved rocks, and I've fallen in love with this place and all its colors. With a dark sky our last day, I took one final shot of the red chiseled Wingate sandstone beside the gray-green and rose Chinle Formation next to the white Navajo sandstone. Nature is amazing.

Tomorrow, we pull up stakes and head to Cannonville, on the other side of Bolder Mountain. We’ll travel back toward Escalante, get a closer look at the impact of the Waterpocket Fold on this area. Then we'll hit the jewel, Bryce Canyon and her sister wonders, Red Rock Canyon, the Grand Staircase, and Kodachrome State Park. Check back—the sights should be terrific!

Alberta

May 21—We chilled, May 22- Back to Capitol Reef and the Grand Wash

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 25 May 2011 23:38:00 GMT

Saturday, May 21^st we did chores and just rested. We’ve been running at a good clip and a total down day felt great. No blogs, no photos or sight seeing, just relaxing and a bit of RV clean up and trip planning. We have changed our itinerary, yet again. Kind of fun being this “footloose and fancy free.” What has really amazed us is how comfortable we are with just the basics. Basic clothes, basic necessities, just very easy. Cooking is simple as well…good old comfort food. And it's interesting what you find in the markets--Low fat/ no fat foods are rare, few berries. And Popeye wouldn't be a happy camper--there's no fresh spinach. I looked in to horseback riding again but the weather had been tough—very chilly, rainy, and passing thunder storms. I decided to pass—again. One day….

The one major issue we have had been connectivity--phone and data coverage is spotty. My cell phone roams fairly well, Jim has been without service through most of Utah. The RV parks offer internet, but it's often limited, slow, or intermittent. That makes our back-up MajicJack VOI phone problematic as well. Even our Verizon hotspot has problems. We're trying to do some work as we travel...a bit of a challenge.

Sunday, May 22^nd, and we’ve been on the road for 21 days!

We headed back to the Capitol Reef National Park. The main road took us past more breath-taking formations. I took some shots of the huge volcanic boulders scattered over the ground--where did they come from? You could spend years here, trying to learn the secrets of this place.

We drove by over 300 feet of Chimney Rock.

Next we passed the great expanse of The Fluted Wall—you can see in the picture how it got its name. The deep red sandstone is carved into the graceful pleats by wind, water and ice fractures. I love the contrast of the soft gray-green and rose chinle sandstone layer above the furrows. The chiseled formation at the very top is called The Castle.

We took the Scenic Trail (OK guys, please tell me which one of these roads isn’t scenic!) then veered off the main path on a road into the Great Wash. This is an area etched by water run off—signs say to check weather conditions before venturing in. We passed one rock that struck me as a sculpture of a group of Ancients stopping for prayer.

At the back of the canyon, we found sheer pink walls, heavily stained with desert varnish, shadowing twisted sandstone spectacularly carved by the force of flash floods.

As beautiful as this area is, plant life gives a glimpse of harsh reality. We are visiting in almost perfect conditions. The winters chill to the bone with brutal freezing winds; the summers are scorching. I noticed a few beautiful, dainty little plants with purple blossoms on the hillside. On closer inspection, this was actually a tangle of thorns, with a few green leaves and bright flowers. Well-adapted for pollination, there was no way a shrub-munching critter was going to attack this pin cushion.

In contrast, the ubiquitous Indian Paintbrush seemed totally defenseless.

A few final shots on the way home. The Egyptian Temple, the colors of Capitol Reef, and fins in the soft evening light.

We're off to Fruita tomorrow--with traces of inhabitants from 1500 years ago!

See you then

Alberta

Day 19--off to Torrey, Utah, Day 20--Bolder Mountain and the Grand Staircase

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 21 May 2011 23:03:00 GMT

Thursday, the 19^th, we left Monument Valley Heading for Torrey, Utah, with more wind and gray skies. We loved the giant red rocks but what a harsh place. I think we have red dust in everything! We got some great shots in the early morning light.

We left before eight because we expected an interesting trip through some rough terrain-the fun had just begun! The hills were actually mountains with 6-8-10 degree grades—up and down. Not easy driving the big rig on skinny two-lane roads. We had light snow flurries then, at the summit of 7900, the rain turned to ice on the windshield. None of this was a major problem, except to say we are nearing the end of May and spring has yet to settle into the southwest.

We crossed the Colorado River, passed Lake Powell and into more rain.

The terrain was still beautiful, just clouds all around us. We did see Jacob’s Chair Butte, near White Canyon. Named for a cowboy who lost his life in a flash flood, the sandstone shape was veiled in cloud cover. We were impressed by the massive Factory Butte in the badlands area, the house in front is a tiny dot.

Our eyes popped when we hit Capitol Reef National Park, between Hanksville and Torrey. Butch Cassidy and his gang hid out in the remote canyons here. The area has a unique geologic history—a 90 mile long water pocket fold, a buckling of rock in the earth’s crust 65 million years ago, is the biggest in North America. It has created a fantastic display of the colored striations in the sandstone cliffs, along with domes, spires, fins, arches and of course the hoodoos, the monoliths topping many mounts.

We got to Torrey with tiny hail falling as we set up camp—better than rain! The RV park has fantastic fluted red rock mountains at its back and Bolder Mountain in front. What a spot!

The next day we headed up Bolder in our car, toward Escalante, into the Ponderosa pines. We moved our next stop from Escalante because of information from RV neighbors. They were so right- the mountain grades are loooong and steep. The RV would really struggle. It’s perfect for our little car, so we’ll make day trips into the area. We went up to 8600 on a chilly day, to find more beautiful views and a light snow patches left from the previous day's weather.

The pups had a great time “hunting.” We’re pretty sure we saw bear and badger tracks in the mud and Jim surprised a small herd of mule deer. Great scents in the air all over as we moved over the mountain, through groves of aspen, waiting to leaf out.

We ended up in the Grand Staircase area, known for dinosaur fossils. We came upon giant white mounts covered with cross-hatched patterns. I thought they may have been petrified dinosaur scat—the Sugarloaf formations are actually Navajo sandstone mounds created from ancient sand dunes about 65 million years ago.

On the way home we found a fantastic restaurant, Hells Backbone Grill, nestled in with spa-like cabins. The restaurant is owned by two women who left corporate America. How do people find their way... to move their lives to the middle of way-beyond-rural? Dinner was outstanding, by the way!

Great cloud colors from the sunset on the way home. Oh, added treat…at 50 mph we came across a deer standing in the middle of the road. Luckily it was pretty visible, even at dusk, and it moved off quickly, in the right direction.

Day 16-18 in Monument Valley

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:19:00 GMT

Monday we left Moab for Monument Valley. What incredible vistas—H’mmm. Think I’ve said that before. On the way in, we went through Mexican Hat…

And.. what looked like sand painting in the jars I’ve bought at fairs—except it’s miles and miles of natural cliffs painted with subtle hues that are spectacular…think ten times more impressive in person!

Finally, Monument Valley appeared like ghostly specters in the distance. We found out what caused that erie veil the next day!

When we hit the Valley—son of a gun! Just like the pictures! Amazing doesn’t do it justice. Plus, our RV park is nestled 20 feet from the red rocks with a view of the big formations below.

Tuesday we toured the valley—we saw why there was a haze on the horizon coming in—WIND AND DUST. Red rocks and lots and lots of red dust. The gusts have been extreme blasts. And cold!. We went onto the Navajo reservation for some close up views—and stopped at some Native American jewelry stands on the side of the road. Oh yea!

The Mittens--look closely and you'll see how they got their name.

Merrick Butte

A Navajo dog visited at Sentinel Mesa

Elephant Butte

We also got a look at a navajo Hogan--it's amazing how similar the design is to the Mongolian Gers we visited outside Ulaan Baatar, while we rode horses and tented our way through the northwest corner of the country. While we watched the local Mongolians put up a Ger in 2 hours, the Navajo homes were permanent structures made of cedar logs and foot-think adobe walls to give protection from temperatures that can range from 5-105 degree extremes on the open plain. (What the Mongols would have given to have a ready supply of wood like that!) The Hogan has a two-foot hole in the roof over the stove. I asked about closing it for rain and snow. Our guide grew up in a hogan and said it wasn't a problem. The rain and snow always comes sideways--again the constant winds-- so just a little would fall in the house.

I also spent some time touring the local museum of the Gouldings, who originally founded a trading post here in the early 1900’s. They were the ones who first introduced Hollywood to the fabulous natural backdrops in the area after the Depression. Their main lodge sits beside the little cabin John Wayne called home over extended periods here. Their living conditions are harsh now--I can’t even imagine what their lives were like back then. This is a tough land—even the pervasive tumble weed is nasty, with thorns that make waking off any main trail a real challenge.

Tuesday night we took a dusk tour into the park to watch the full moon rise over the Totem Pole monument—made famous in the movie Eiger Sanction. On the way we stopped at several famous monuments, including John Ford’s Point, the site of many of his movie locations.

The first of the Three Sisters does resemble a nun...

The cold wind persisted and clouds blotted out our "moonrise" shots at the Totem Pole and Spearhead Mesa. We froze on the way back!

Today is our last day. We bagged an early horseback ride among the monuments. Too bad….Probably not smart to schedule a dawn get-up after the late cold night tour we finished just a few hours before. We had NO interest in heading out into the cold winds with morning gray skies.

It rained and blew off-and--on the rest of the day. I did visit a local market and was privileged to meet Nelson Lewis, an award-winning second-generation Navajo sandpainter. We kept looking for a rainbow after all the rain…no luck. But did find a hidden arch in the rocks behind the RV camp!

Tomorrow we're off to Torrey, UT.

More to come!

Alberta

Day 15- Moab, Arches National Park

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sun, 15 May 2011 16:39:00 GMT

Sunday in Moab.

We got an early start to catch the Arches bathed in dawn light. It was a beautiful trip out with the soft light.

We went to The Windows first, rising sun making for some fun shots.

These are two “paired” arches opposite the Turret Arch—a three-fer.

In case you’re wondering, arches are formed much differently than the natural bridges (that are formed by flowing water). The 2000+ documented arches in the park are in this area because of unique conditions…an underground salt bed deposited 300 million years ago (from an evaporated sea), was covered with a sand residue from intermittent floods, winds and oceans, leaving thick sandstone deposits. The weight of the sediment caused a shifting in the salt bed, resulting in rock layers being pushed up in domes and collapsing into cavities. For more mayhem, faults added to the instability and resulted in a 2500 foot displacement in Moab. The fault caused cracks in the porous rock; freezing and thawing water and wind erosion then attacked the formations and arches were formed.

The North Window was spectacular with the rising sun. A few early risers helped show perspective. These are massive!

The Primitive Path was a scramble over rocks and down slides but well worth the view from the back of the arches, the South Window was packed with clouds.

Signs told us stay on the paths, such as they are, because the dark, lumpy clods in the natural area are actually a biologic crust called cryptobiotic soil. It’s alive! And it keeps the desert alive! It’s composed of living organisms—cyanobacterium, lichen, algae, and fungi—which stops erosion, holds moisture, and provide nitrogen and other nutrients for the plant-animal food chain.

Next we went to the Double Arch, formed by a super pothole, with water eventually cutting through to the layers below. It was like a cathedral.

On the way out, we came upon free rock climbers sitting cross-legged on top of a 100 foot pinnacle in the Garden of Eden. Showboats! Not being fond of heights, these guys just take my breath away!

It’s hot now—no more heaters at night—so the pups stay in the RV during our long trips in the dinghy car. Back at camp, we took them on a long walk along the Colorado River.

Not many squirrels or bunnies to chase in the shank of the day, so they have become formidable lizard-hunters. Fortunately, the desert iguanas are a lot quicker than they are!

This has been a real treat to stay in one location for three full days. We “pull up stakes” tomorrow and move on to the home of the John Wayne western, Monument Valley. (Actually locals say he shot several movies in Moab, too.) Bless the guy who invented digital cameras!

More tomorrow.

Alberta

Days 13 & 14- Moab, Utah

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:42:00 GMT

Friday the thirteenth we made it to Moab, Utah, a busy town with bike races, runners, triathlons, and all manner of general hikers, those with ATVs, and of course, the camera junkies like us. We are lucky to have found a RV camp a few miles out of town, with the red rocks on one side and the Colorado River flowing on the other. Even though it’s very dry, the grass and poplars in the camp make this place feel lush.

We headed straight out to Dead Horse Point Park, a spectacular canyon area with a troubling history. It’s name comes from the tale cowboys would herd mustangs up to the narrow point 2000 feet above the Colorado River. They would box them in with brush to cut out the best horses. Then, as the story goes, they would leave the rest corralled to die of thirst with the river in sight at the bottom of the steep cliff. Hopefully, just a good yarn…

The vistas were the best we’ve seen so far—how can they keep getting better?? The turquoise lakes were really that blue!

As we were leaving, hikers caught our eye as they stood on the edge of a point.

Saturday we chilled. We spent a few hours doing the final planning for the second portion of our trip up through Yellowstone and in to Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, where we’ll catch up with some college friends.

The afternoon was perfect weather to ride our bikes into town then out the bike path toward Arches National Park. We didn't make it any farther than the gate. The road to the arches involved a long Lance Armstrong-grade hill. We’re taking the car first thing in the morning, thank you!

On the way back to town I watched kids scrambling up and down the local "surf zone"... a huge open-faced sand slope.

Then, just before our RV park, we spotted this massive red rock looming ahead. Are we in Shiprock, NM or Moab? I swear that looks like the bow of a destroyer coming right at us!

Day 12-Off to Natural Bridges, Utah

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:44:00 GMT

Day 12 we head to Natural Bridges, outside Blanding, UT. Once again a great part of the trip is getting there. We drove through a monumental cut in a giant red sand stone mountain that opened on to an open plain. You just can’t make this stuff up!!!

Then to the Natural Bridges. The ranger told us natural bridges are quite rare—formed when a winding river decides to take a short cut and wears through both sides of a rock formation. And here we have three!

Our first stop was the “mature” formation, Sipapu. We heard that name before with a hole placed in the floor of each cliff dwelling’s kiva. This is a Hopi word meaning "place of emergence"—they believe the Sipapus (C-pa-poo) is how their ancestors entered this world.

Next we saw the Kachina Bridge, in the youth stage. Here the stream is still working its magic to make a large archway. From the overlook, it appeared to be a cave. It was named for the rock art symbols on the bridge, resembling those used on Kachina dolls.

Finally we came to Owachomo Bridge, in the old age stage. This was named for the rock mound at the east abutment. We took time to explore under the bridge and capture sky with the most amazing blue color—this was not edited!

Tomorrow, Friday the 13^th, we’re off to Moab, UT where we'll settle in for a few days….Dead Horse Point, Arches National Park and the north side of Canyonland. I'm amazed how I've enjoyed the ease of RV life--we're getting quite good at breaking down camp then setting up in a new location. And a big plus, unlike our travels overseas, when we need something, we can just stop and buy it!

This is truly the Scenic Bi-Way.

See you in Moab!

Alberta

Day 11- Monticello, UT and Canyonlands

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:36:00 GMT

Canyonland was amazing. We're getting into the rock formations and vistas that define this part of the Southwest.

Our first stop was Newspaper Rock--petroglyphs etched into sandstone from BC to about AD1300- no one is sure if it was a "message board," doodling, an ancient "graffiti" rock or something else.... The Navajo call the rock "Tse Hane" or rock that tells a story.

Next we came across a major rock climbing site--the formation was alive with people working their way up the sheer walls--look hard to see the climbers in the first shot...while you're looking check out the fantastic desert varnish (dark areas) on the rocks.

We saw world-class vistas at every turn--it took us about 4 hours to go 40 miles.

One formation struck me as the Manhattan skyline...

Another rotten day in nature's Disneyland--the pups are loving the trip--up close and personal meetings with cattle, horses, deer, lizards, and who knows what other "animal fragrances" they're reading on their "newspaper rocks."

Check in tomorrow for an update from the Natural Bridges!

Alberta

Days 9 and 10- Alamosa CO to Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:50:00 GMT

Mesa Verde appeared on the horizon before we hit Cortez, CO. It is a treasure trove of cliff dwellings dating from around 1200 to 1300 AD, built by the indigenous Ancestral Puebloans—the Anasazi--who lived in the area since 550 AD. Their ancestors include current tribes such as the Zuni, Hopi, Santa Clara, Taos, Acoma.

Cliff Palace is down over a hundred stairs and up a few ladders. The Ancients scrambled up and down the rock walls with tiny foot and hand holds—the original rock climbers. Truly hundreds of rooms made of hand-shaped rocks and mud and kivas- rooms dug into the ground.

Balcony House was an adventure. We were able to walk through the dwelling--up and down long ladders and through narrow passage ways, crawling on our hands and knees through the exit tunnel and up more ladders to exit. Not for the claustrophobic or those with fear of hights.

We awoke our last day in Colorado with a RV frosted with snow. How appropriate! Now we're off to Monticello, UT and Canyonlands.

Alberta

Days 7 and 8- Great Sand Dunes to Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:39:00 GMT

We headed off to Alamosa, CO and the Great Sand Dunes Refuge at the end of day 7. Across more wide open vistas sparsely dotted with ranches and buffeted by constant winds..and some wind farms.

We are now retired one week1

Alamosa is in the huge San Luis valley (the size of Connecticut) circled by the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains. Interested in a bit of Geology? These are the tallest dunes in North America and are formed by opposing winds blowing across a giant sand sheet (from an ancient lake).

They were beautiful with afternoon shadows bringing them to life. A great place to walk and run the dogs. Dusk brought out hundreds of deer—the trip back to town was definitely slower. Those critters were everywhere! We had to stop to let them cross the road several times. The dogs couldn’t get enough "doggie TV.' A slow trip did give us a chance to catch a great sunset.

Next day we headed to Cortez to see the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, CO outside Cortez.

Tough trip with high wind gusts. Treasure Falls still had snow. Dainty snow flakes fell as we went over Wolf Creek Pass on the way to Pagosa Springs (10,857 ft) and it looked like the ski area should be open.

Then past Chimney Rock in the Southern Ute Reservation and on to Mesa Verde and FINALLY to the cliff dwellings...and Cliff Palace

Days Five & Six- Abilene, KS, Day Seven on to Lamar, CO

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 07 May 2011 21:39:00 GMT

Day Five we made it to Abilene, Kansas, a beautiful part of the country—rolling emerald green hills-- specifically to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum at his boyhood home. We spent most of the time at the museum amazed at all his accomplishments…and all we had forgotten. Things like starting the US interstate highway system, the National Parks Service, establishing the Alaskan Wilderness Refuge, appointing the second woman cabinet member in history to head his newly established Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare, the end of the Korean War, Civil Rights legislation, not to mention listening to his visionary farewell speech, which could be given today. In it he warned of the dangers of an unchecked military-industrial complex, the need for global cooperation and cautioned against plundering our natural resources. A great afternoon.

From there, we headed to the Brookfield Inn—the home of the famous Abilene chicken dinner. Fun and good home cooking, but who knew the best awaited us back at the RV park!

Earlier Fiday morning we were awakened by the smell of hickory smoke. Turns out the RV Park is hoppin’ on the weekend. It's home to many contractors working at Ft. Reilly, a little community. In chatting with our neighbors, they said a brother was graduating from KS tomorrow and they were barbecueing all day preparing for the event. A local resident brought his grill wagon and "fired ‘er up!" They offered to smoke something for us and suggested we pick up a pork loin in town while sighseeing. So, after our chicken dinner, we brought our new RV friends a roast and some beer. We talked for two hours then were presented with the most tender, delicious smoked loin we have ever tasted, with their special rub and homemade sauce. They also shared burgers, ham, pork butt and tongue (my first try—quite good!) from the natural/organic animals they had raised. So, we thought we had eaten well at the “chicken place.” However, back in the RV camp was the true regional culinary highlight!

Saturday we headed to Lamar, CO through the flattest, nothing-for-miles-and-miles landscape. Dry and windy.

We went by the controversial Sand Creek Massacre area, where over 120 Cheyenne died, and ended up at the RV Park and Horse Hotel—complete with a stable, paddock and two visiting horses. Charlie (our male Airedale) definitely thought the horses were the best!

Tomorrow we’re off for some shots of the Colorado sand dunes in Alamosa.

Days Three and Four- St Louis Gateway Arch

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Thu, 05 May 2011 21:12:00 GMT

We’ve settled into our little “tin can with wheels” and we’re having a ball. Wednesday we made it to the St Louis Gateway Arch—as fantastic as advertised! We spent the afternoon and rode to the top in a TINY elevator car with three visitors from Osaka. It felt like a space capsule with 5 bitty chairs, ratcheting up the incline and swinging to level off every so often. Really pretty cool.

On one side, the view from the top was the overflowing Mighty Mississippi—the parking lot along the river was completely submerged. Streets were blocked with standing water and LOTS of mud. (Now I understand where the Mississippi Mud Pie gets its name….) This part of the country has really gotten hammered but people seem to take it in stride…the park ranger just shrugged and said “It’s spring. The river does what it wants and you work around it.” Guess it’s a pretty good philosophy if you don’t have to wade through your living room.

In the other direction was the beautiful Old Court house, set like a crown jewel on top of the green tree-lined horizontal Gateway Arch Park along the river.

Today we made it to Abilene—we plan to hit the Eisenhower museum tomorrow.

On the way, I made another step toward RV driver semi-competence. My leg behind the wheel was in the rain. It’s amazing how the slick road increases the push and pull from passing trucks. Then, as the piece de resistance, through Kansas City we hit construction so I was coaxing the beast through narrow single lanes with jersey walls on both sides. YEEHAA! (Not the words I was thinking at the time…) So, survived one more test. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Day Two- To Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Wed, 04 May 2011 06:15:00 GMT

Another long day- with the added bonus of heavy rain much of the day. We went through "Justified" country in Kentucky, but unfortunatrly, no Timothy Oliphant sightings. On the plus side, I finally drove the RV on the open road! Ya, ya... It was all interstate, but I truly believe most of the 18 wheelers from miles around flocked there to mock the newbee. So driving a big rig (that would be us--since we're almost 50 feet pulling the dinghy car) is interesting to say the least. Anyhow, we now have 2 drivers--as long as we stay on major roads.

Kentucky and Illinois still have serious flooding. Lakes with water lapping the edge of the interstate are really flooded farms and fields. The banks of the Wabash are EVERYWHERE!

We opted out of a Wallmart lot--they let you park RVs there overnight--and went on to Scott AFB RV camp. Almost idylic on a lake. We'll head in to St Louis later in the morning.

Day One-We're off!

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 02 May 2011 20:40:00 GMT

After Jim's surprise 65th Bday this weekend (complete with propeller beanie) and 52 trips loading the RV, we left this morning-- nearly on time. We're still trying to wrap our arms around doing this for two months!

Our first two days are geared to getting to a major stop in St Louis, with 400 miles today and 360 tomorrow. West Virginia is a lush green and the capitol gleamed as we zipped by. Tonight we're in a quiet park in Milton, WV, just outside Charleston, near the Kanawha (kuh-NAW) River. The river is part of the New River system in southwestern Virginia, flowing to the Mississippi. This is THE oldest river system in North America and second only to the Nile in the world. Plus it is one of the few major rivers flowing northward.

Tomorrow we're off to Carmi Illinois then to St Louis to check out the arch and to sample a "must stop" chicken restaurant.

One Week Left

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:26:00 GMT

We've just finished over 20 hours planning the route, which will take us by the St Louis arch and the Eisenhower museum in Abilene. Then on to Colorado, where we will make a multi-day stop in the Four Corners area at Mesa Verde, outside Cortez.

We'll post pictures on the site so you can visit the amazing areas of the Southwest with us! (Hint: trip to 1400 year old cliff dwellings planned)

First Posting

(Alberta Seith Photography) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:02:00 GMT

Two weeks before we leave--we're planning the trip stops and packing the RV, tieing up loose ends at work and at home. We've got lists of lists but we know we're going to forget some things.