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 […]
My wife and I fulfilled a “bucket list” trip earlier this month when we traveled to idyllic Mackinac Island to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Overlooking the bay The 4.35 square mile island is located on Lake Huron, between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. The islet is listed as a National Historic Landmark. Mackinac Island […]
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 […]
Carmel-by-the-Sea & Big Sur, California, USA (6/8-11/2021) Beautiful Charming Carmel-by-the-Sea Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the loveliest seaside towns in America with its storybook cottage-style homes, quaint Bed and Breakfasts, unique boutique stores and good restaurants with warm decor, Victorian buildings and tree-shaded streets, and stunning gardens everywhere. Joy for the soul! Charming Fairytale Architecture […]
Big Sur & Monterey, California, USA (6/10/2021) Big Sur Pat at Big Sur River Inn Located just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Big Sur is one of the most dramatically beautiful drives in the United States! Exceptionally beautiful rugged ocean coastline, amazing ancient redwood forests, and interesting attractions make for an unforgettable experience. Along the way, you […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Kauai Island, Hawaii USA (1/20-1/29/2020) Beach at Allerton Gardens – Kauai There are many reasons we find the relaxed laid-back Garden Isle of Kauai so wonderful such as: 1) less crowds and still some ‘real’ Hawaii here, 2) no high rise buildings (by law nothing can be higher than the tallest coconut palm tree), 3) […]
