Posts Tagged With ‘ NABBW ’

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 various countries are changing by the hour. Travel expert, Peter Greenberg, suggests that you contact your travel agent, or better yet, the concierge at a hotel in the area you are planning to visit, to get up-to-date information about Covid-19 requirements. Even the World Health... Continue Reading

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 part in the Audubon Birding Fest. The Pacific’s saltwater mixed with the freshwater of streams flowing in the largest estuary on the west coast resulting in a nutrient-rich brew for thousands of birds. The charm of the rust-colored, reed-choked... Continue Reading

Guest post by Gramps Jeffrey, author of “I Don’t Want to Turn 3” Gramps Jeffrey For years, we Baby Boomers have viewed ourselves as the best generation our great country has ever seen. Prior to President Biden, who is a member of the Silent Generation (born 1925 to 1945), we Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) have actually run the country since the early 1990s: Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, and Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021. But I’m asking you to look at the chaos we have created. Two issues stand out starkly for me: Our... Continue Reading

I Don’t Want to Turn 3  By Gramps Jeffrey Reviewed for the NABBW by Anne Holmes This sweet picture book is author Gramps Jeffrey’s first. He wrote it after having the opportunity to spend more time with his grandkids during the past year’s pandemic. Gramps says, “I wrote this book to read to (my) grandkids. Their reaction has been invaluable. As you read aloud and watch them begin to understand Jordan’s discovery of right versus wrong, you can see the older kids recognition that they have gone through the same dilemma. While the younger kids don’t quite yet understand the concept... Continue Reading

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 California. It traces the rugged Smith River Corridor sheathed in towering sugar pines and deposits you in Hiouchi. Hot Tip #1: If you can snag a room at the budget Hiouchi Motel, next to the Hiouchi Café you will be in perfect position to explore the ancient redwood... Continue Reading

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate  Every bend of the river beckons—every pool may bring better luck. Life should be like that. — Zane Grey The Rogue River is a vital artery in southwestern Oregon that flows 215 miles from Crater Lake to Gold Beach on the coast. Rainie Falls is the take out point for rafters to the 40 mile stretch of the wild and scenic corridor on the infamous Rogue. We skirted this big drop into a gaping hole, the only Class 4 rapid we encountered on the 4-day rafting adventure, by taking a side channel. We listened for the low rumble of rapids ahead... Continue Reading

According to author Ronald Surz, most of us Baby Boomers are going to be spending much of this decade (the 2020’s, which are still in early days) in what he calls the Risk Zone – his term for the ten years before and after Retirement. Surz, who has been an investment consultant since 1974, and brings with him excellent credentials, uses his book’s introduction to explain why he believes the decade of the 2020s is a challenging time to be in or considering retirement. And because he wants more of us Boomers to be able to afford to live a dignified retirement. He points to four key challenges... Continue Reading

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate                      Storm on the beach Years ago, when I lived on the beach in a pole house on the north shore of Kauai, Hawaii, we loved the wild storms that would blow through, threatening to wash us away.  The wind whipped the palms wildly and scared us to pieces. But it was magical after the storm. The water would recede. It would be calm in our lagoon that was protected by a reef, and the world would be fresh and serene.                    Calm after the storm Then we would run outside to find the treasures the... Continue Reading

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate After eleven years, I decided it was time to deliver the fruitcake my mother had sent me in 2009 just before she passed away. Mom’s Meadow I would take it to the meadow where I had scattered her ashes.  I had kept it in my freezer (even through a severe downsizing) because I just couldn’t bear to throw it out. Her fruitcake was much too heavy for me to eat, and I didn’t want to give it to anyone. Taking it to where she rested seemed a logical thing to do. The day could not have been more gorgeous. White clouds smeared across the baby... Continue Reading

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate In writing Embrace of the Wild I hope to have turned the lemons of Covid-19 into limoncello—a zesty elixir that excites and satisfies the senses. In early 2020, I returned from a whirlwind tour of Australia just in time for the Covid-19 lockdown. I was grateful to be back on U.S. soil, but in shock to see the streets of downtown Los Angeles empty.  A new world order was upon us. I had no idea how long this was to last, but I did know my travel wings were clipped and I needed to do something to save my sanity. According to many a centenarian,... Continue Reading