Morning Beach Walk

In Russell, NZ. The joy of travel.

Captain Rick and Elizabeth

Big boat, great captain. Not only gave us all kinds of info about NZ and the Bay of Islands but some great tips about several of our destinations in Asia, especially Vietnam. A great day and one we've been talking about for five years since our last trip here.

Orca

During our sail, we had an unusual sighting: a pod of about 4-5 orcas.  There are fewer than 200 orcas (a.k.a. killer whale) known to exist around New Zealand.  They aren't really whales, they're the largest members of the dolphin family, but they are the size of smaller whales at 6-8 meters and 3-5 tons.  Known to be fierce hunters, heck, they'll even eat other dolphin!  Unlike any other orcas in the world, NZ orcas eat stingray as a dietary staple. It's a dangerous snack that sometimes kills them. Must be yummy. 

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Beautiful Day for Sailing

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Bay of Islands Sunset

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Hiking in Moturua Island Nature Preserve

A stop off during our day sail in the Bay of Islands. Jump.

Table with a View

To go with our room with a view.

For Tom Gallagher

. . . And his great Irish sense of humor.

Duke of Marlborough Hotel

Our hotel in Russell, Bay of Islands, NZ. Waterfront on the harbor. Tiny town about 3.5 hours north of Auckland. Sailing tomorrow.

Mussels in Russell

You've probably had New Zealand green lipped mussels before, but the ones we had today in Russell, were amazing. Not only bright green, beautiful shells averaging 3.5-5 inches.  They are one of the most important aquaculture crops for NZ, and considered the ultimate sustainable health food.  For about 10 mussels, just 100 calories, 19g protein and 25% of your daily iron.  They are farmed on long lines (seeds/eggs called spat are planted in the lines) then they hang out eating phytoplankton until they mature. They leave no environmental impact and there is plenty of phytoplankton hanging around the ocean for them to eat.  80% of the spat for the entire industry is collected from seaweed that washes up on 90 Mile Beach (actually only 55 miles long) at the northernmost west coast tip of NZ, just a few hours northwest of the Bay of Islands   The other 20% is collected on lines near the commercial mussel farms. Compared to land based farming, the same area of mussel farm delivers 200x more protein!

There are great epitaphs . . .

From Mel Blanc's "That's all folks" to Merv Griffin's "I will not be right back after this message", but this simple one found in the cemetery of the oldest church in New Zealand is pretty good.

More Whangarei Hike

There were steps when it got steep

Whangarei Headlands

Had a great hike today from the beach in the background to the ridge of the Whangarei Headlands. Beautiful views and beaches. Quite a drop from near the top. Northland, New Zealand on the Pacific Ocean.

How do you pack for six months on the road?

It's the question everyone asks. The answer? Very carefully.

These are our fully packed suitcases. Two checked bags (24" and 25") and two carry ons that can fit in the overhead of even a small regional jet. You can buy much bigger bags and carry a lot more but trust me, you will not want to lug them around 20 different airports or try to shove them into a small taxi in Vietnam. Not to mention the checked bag fees! Our checked bags are only slightly larger than our carry ons. It should be obvious that given these constraints you can't possibly bring enough for your entire trip. You just have to treat it like the trip is for two or three weeks and plan to do laundry. That said, here are some tips.

First, make sure most of your clothes go together, i.e., similar color scheme, so you can mix stuff up. That will make you feel like you have a lot more clothes.

Second, try to choose materials that dry quickly. Unless you're prepared to pay exorbitant hotel prices to launder your clothes you'll have to do it at least some of it yourself. You just can't count on being able to find a laundry to do things for you at a reasonable price and on what may be a tight schedule. You'll find that it's not that hard to wash clothes on the road, but drying them is a different story. If most of your clothes are cotton you're going to have a problem. Cotton's not only heavy but it takes a long time to dry. It's no fun putting on a wet pair of jeans right before you hop on a plane for four hours.

Third, choose your shoes carefully. They weigh the most and take up the most room. And always wear the biggest, heaviest pair, e.g., hiking boots, on the plane.

Fourth, pack carefully. There are a million articles and videos explaining the most efficient ways to pack a bag. Watch a few and pick what works for you. Packing cubes can be great. Give them a try.

Last, a word about toiletries. Most people say just buy what you need when you get where you're going. That's fine if you have one destination. But if you're going to be traveling all over creation you can't buy new toiletries every time you move. That's not only expensive but very time consuming. In total your toiletries can be some of the heaviest stuff you carry. So choose wisely.

And be ready to jettison. We decided to cut about ten pounds of stuff when we made our first stop in Vancouver where it was still possible to ship home at a reasonable cost. If you make a mistake admit it, fix it and move on.

You may not always be the height of fashion but hey, that's not why your doing this anyway, right?

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Ready to go

Air New Zealand 777. Only 14 hours from Vancouver to Auckland. We leave in an hour and a half.


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Rainy Beautiful Night in Gastown

Trip Kickoff in Vancouver BC

Rainy, slushy, cold -- and what more perfect conditions could there be for lunch at the best ramen joint outside of Tokyo? Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. Delicious. Now back at the Four Seasons for a brief snooze in style, courtesy of the Oracle rate. Thanks to David for setting it up :). Then perhaps our favorite Blue Water Cafe for a late dinner ...

The next day before our flight, we met Steve and Ginger Olsen at West in Vancouver.  Great meal.  John and Steve went to kindergarten together so they've known each other for about 60 years!

Sunday @ Social for Oysters and Champagne

After a bike ride on the Anacostia trail in DC with Eva.

Croatia

Croatia again. Can't have too many nice sunsets.

Waiting for sunset in Rovinj

In front of our apartment and all around the harbor, hundreds of people watching the sun set on a beautiful, warm night.

Cheapy Peachy

The fruit at this market was beautiful. Perfect late summer everything. Note the price. 2 kg for 10 kuna. Last time I went to Wegman's peaches were about $1.00 each. This is 4.4 lbs for $1.50. That's our story for Zagreb. Beautiful and cheap, cheap, cheap.

Road Food.

Fresh figs, cheese from Pag.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Shillings on the Square, Marietta, Ga

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Stone crab at Atlanta Fish Market

Memories!! Still the best.

Maple Ave, Vienna

Top 50 NOVA. Definitely. 6 course brunch.

Natural water slide, Sliding Rock State Park

Oak Creek Canyon, near Sedona, AZ. The water was freezing but what fun. The park had just reopened after being closed for several months following a forest fire. This was a Friday so it was pretty empty. Even so, you had to wait your turn.

Sliding Rock State Park, Sedona AZ

Great fun!

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Desert View Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon risk taker

That's a couple thousand feet down my friend.

Grand Canyon South Rim

On the way to the Grand Canyon

Sassy and Johnny

Grand Canyon of the Little Colorado

About 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon Desert View

The sun rises, the power of the Vortex stirs

Feel the power says Eva.

I do, I do says Betty.

Sunrise at the Airport Vortex, Sedona, AZ

 Grand Canyon 2014