By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate I love this interview with Brett Wilson at The Rocky Mountain Channel podcast. I felt relaxed and welcome. He wanted to know what prompted me to follow in the hoofprints of the indomitable Isabella Bird from pristine Hawai’i to untamed Colorado in 1873. Alberta Falls in Rocky Mountain […]
Escape with Linda Ballou as she takes you on her favorite power-packed outdoor days along the sun-splashed California. Let your spirit free strolling long stretches of sand in solitude. Breathe deeply of the restorative energy of fern forests shaded by towering redwood giants. Get the rust off your soul and find harmony in nature. When […]
At the age of forty, Isabella Bird pushed all social convention aside, ignored failed remedies of the doctors and embarked on a world voyage in 1873 that changed her forever. A six month detour in the lush Hawaiian Islands gave her new strength and stamina. A tenacious horsewoman she rode with Hawaiian natives up the […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Embrace of the Wild Isabella Lucy Bird was a Victorian Age adventurer who endured tremendous hardships in her explorations of the Rockies in 1873. She became the best-loved travel writer of her time, and was the first woman inducted into the Scottish Royal Geographical Society. In my book […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Each day, thousands traverse the narrow road that hugs the coast of Southeast Maui to the village of Hana, one of last remnants of old Hawai’i. Typical bridge on Hana Highway It is a miracle that the over fifty one-lane bridges, many of which are over a hundred […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Camping tents glow beneath dramatic storm clouds on the edge of the Tatshinshini River in Alaska’s Yukon. As temperatures begin to soar, I dream of the rivers I have known and loved. Tension mounts as I hear the rumble of rapids roiling ahead. Sitting up straight, tucking a […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Ventura Harbor Ventura is a beach town with a laid-back vibe that is the gateway to some great adventures. About an hour north of Los Angeles spectacular day trips in the Channel Islands National Park are waiting for you. Turn up at the Island Packer dock in Ventura […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Linda Ballou The only thing certain about travel in 2022 is that it is uncertain. People are chomping at the bit to travel again but need to remain flexible. Flight schedules are still in a state of flux, car rentals are at historical highs, and Covid-19 guidelines in […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Winter on the Central Coasts means fewer tourists and plentiful wildlife. Birds and marine mammals gather there in chaotic profusion from December to February. White Pelicans Morro Estuary Every year, hundreds of birders flock to the sleepy fishing town of Morro Bay on California’s Central Coast to take […]
By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Smith River Steaming temps in the inland valleys of Southern Oregon are sending smart travelers to the coast to cool off. The Redwood Hwy (199), out of Grants Pass is a snaking road that takes you to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the northern most redwood forest in […]
