Travel Journal Pages
• #4 - 2024 Update - You are here• #3 - 2016 Florida
• #2 - 2016 TX, LA, MS
• #1 - 2016 Intro, FL, TX
• archived travels 2003-2010
#4 - March 2024 Update
Well, it's been a very long time since the travel section and the photo's have been updated. These next paragraphs will catch us up for the past 6 years, to present day and then we will go back to our usual format. Here is a short version of these past years.
We continued to travel to many places after our initial start across the country. We spent time with friends and family in California, visited friends and sold the last of my lens cleaning cloths in Arizona, visited friends in Oregon, and spent time with family in Idaho. I also finally got to meet my Web designer/master. We got a new dog "Parker" (we had to put "Cooper" down in Florida). Unfortunately, we lost my "Kolabear" and "Mulan" a couple of years later. We took our usual camping trips to the Eastern Sierras, San Bernardino County and the Monterey/Pacific Grove area. We traded our RV for a Forest River travel trailer, and made a trip along Route 66, and spent some time in New Mexico around the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. That was on Shirlene's wish list.
Some of our adventures included:Whale Watching
In Southern California, we did most of our whale watching out of Orange County to see the "Blue Whales of Summer". What an experience! Seeing the largest animal on Earth, is something you will never forget. We actually had a very big Blue whale go right by our boat! We also went out with a friend and explored the coast off of San Pedro and Palos Verdes, and had some really great encounters with Common and Bottlenose Dolphins. On more than one occasion, we had some really great sightings of Pelagic Invertebrates, like Jellies and Salps, floating on and under the surface. We almost always saw Sea Lions and it was great just to be out on the water.
Monterey Whale Watching is quite a bit different. We were there during the "cooler" months, so it was a bit rougher and a lot colder. But, boy was it worth it. The trips we scheduled for were the longer 8 or12 hour trips, so we were able to go out farther and spend a lot more time with the animals. We saw Risso's dolphins, Sea otters, Harbor seals, Sea lions, 3-5 different species of jellies, and a few Black- footed Albatross. One of the best things about these trips was spending time with Humpback whales. We had whales all around the boat, breaching (coming completely or almost completely out of the water), spyhopping (when a whale raises its head out of the water), and once had a baby whale spyhop right next to the boat, and check us out. Whale Watching at its best!
Birding
Shirlene claimed that she could always see more birds from the car then I could going out in the field. We saw 6-8 species of Hummingbirds in Arizona, a huge Great horned Owl in Nevada, several hawk species in Idaho, including a Bald Eagle, and Sandhill Cranes in New Mexico. We almost always found at least 10 or more species up in the Eastern Sierras, with birds like the Red-breasted Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Western Tanager, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Black Lighting for Insects
With an UV light, you can safely attract insects to your yard. But, if you add a clean white sheet, and find a way to hang it, you can photograph them as well, when they land. I did some black lighting on my own, but, also with a great group of "bug enthusiasts" thru Orange County Parks and various other groups. Some of the insects we had were, Plume, Snout, and Leaf Moths, Various Scarab, Leatherwing, and Click Beetles, and really cool White-lined Sphinx. This one was my thing and it really is quite fun.
Scuba Diving
Also, my thing. No, I didn't take the RV. I planned a dive trip with my dive buddy to Roatan, and for medical reasons, I only dove for two days. I decided not to let that get me down, so I took my camera, and managed to get some really nice shots of the local "island" wildlife. I was able to photograph the Canivet's Emerald, Green-breasted Mango, (Hummingbirds), Short-tailed Bats, and several species of Iguana. If you can't dive, you might as well do something else you love to do.
Took the Express over to Catalina with my dive club. First time back in the Pacific Ocean in a few years (darn Arthritis). Avalon Underwater Park is a great place to dive. Lots to see, even in the shallow water. Garabaldi, Giant Kelpfish, and Blue-banded Gobies were just a few of the things I saw. It was great to get back in the water again, even though I had to have some help with my gear. What a great day.
Our Wonderful Friends
Memorial
Now , the saddest part of writing this "catch up" travel section is by far the hardest thing I have had to do since I started writing this travel/photo section. I waited until the end of the article, because of how important and emotional it is. I lost my partner and travelling companion, Shirlene, a year ago to Covid. She was so much fun to travel with and was "navigator" on our "long" trips. She was smart, funny and a very unique person, and I am truly going to miss her. I am thankful for the support of family and friends, and will continue to travel to some of our favorite places and know she will always be there with me. It will be even more special having Parker travelling with me. Now, all I can say is "On to future adventures" (as best we can).
I will miss you.